Mammalukes in their camp. They had fcarcely time to efcape, and abandoned all their baggage, and feven hundred camels. Fifty of their horfes were taken. The Mammalukes fled into the defart.

General Murat, with another moveable column, received orders to proceed to the lakes of Natron, difperfe the Arabs collected there, fecond the operations of general Deftaing, and cut off the retreat of Murad Bey. General Murat arrived at the lakes of Natron, took a Kiafchef and thirty Mammalukes, who were purfued, along with fome Arabs, by general Deftaing. Murad Bey, when near the lakes of Natron, learned that the French were there, and made a retrograde movement. On the thirteenth of July he rested near the pyramids of Gizeh, on the fide of the defert, In the beginning of July, a Turkith army, under Muftapha Bafhaw, fupported by the Anglo-Ruffian and Turkish fleets, advanced against Aboukir, the bulwark of Alexandria and Egypt. The Turkish troops, under Muftapha, and thofe on board the united fleets, were computed from thirty to forty thonfand men. On the eleventh of JuJy, Seid Muftapha Bafhaw anchored, with all his forces, in the road of Aboukir. On the fixteenth, they effected a landing, without oppofition; and an attack was immediately made on the caftle and redoubt. After a heavy cannonade, which was continued from ten in the morning till three in the afternoon, the redoubt ceased to fire, and offered to capitulate: but the

Turks, heated by the battle, would liften to no propofals: they fealed the redoubt and cut in pieces the whole garrifon, amounting to feven hundred men. The French in the cafile, four hundred in number, fearing a fimilar fate, furrendered prifoners of war.

Buonaparte, informed by a letter from Alexandria, that this Turkish flect, of a hundred fail, had anchored at Aboukir and indicated hoftile intentions against Alexandria, having made the proper dif pofitions for the defence and peace of Upper Egypt and Cairo, and alfo for keeping up the communica tion between Cairo and Alexandria, moved with the main army from Rhamanie, and, on the twentythird of July took a pofition at Bir"ket. The head-quarters were fixed at Alexandria. The miners were fent to Leda to dig wells: fprings were difcovered, and the wells formed and guarded. Three battalions of the garrifon of Alexandria, under the command of general Dellaing, were ordered to reconnoitre the enemy, take a pofition, and fee wells cleared at midway between Alexandria and Aboukir.* Buonaparte employed the morning of the twenty-fourth in viewing the fortifications of Alexandria, and in preparing every thing for attacking the enemy at Aboukir; where, according to the report of fpies and reconnoitering parties, Muftapha Bafhaw, commanding the Turkish army, landed with about fifteen thousand men, a great quantity of artillery, and a number of horses, and was engaged in erecting forti

fications.

fications. In the afternoon, Buonaparte left Alexandria with the main army, advanced parties being fent to various pofts, in different directions, and took a pofition between the wells of Alexandria and Aboukir. The army began to move forward toward Aboukir, at daybreak, on the twenty-fifth of July. A brigadier-general, with two fquadrons of infantry and a hundred dromedaries, was ordered to take a pofition between Alexandria and the army, in order to oppose the Arabs and Murad Bay, who were every moment expected to arrive, with the defign of joining the Turkifh army, and in order to preferve the communication with Alexandria. A divifion of the army, which had proceeded to Rofetta, was directed to take poft, by daybreak, at the extremity of the bar of Rosetta, at Aboukir, and near the entrance of the lake of Madie, in order to cannonade fuch of the vessels of the combined fleet as might be found on the lake, and to harafs the enemy's left.

The first line of the Turks was pofted about half a league in front of the fort of Aboukir. About a hundred men occupied a mount of fand, defended on its right, towards the fea, by entrenchments, and fupported by a village at the diftance of about three hundred toifes,* which was occupied by one thoufand two hundred men and four pieces of cannon. The left was upon a detached fand-hill, to the left of the peninfula, and about fix hundred toifes in front of the first line. This pofition was very badly fortified; but the Turkish army occupied it in order to cover

the most plentiful wells of Aboukir. Some gun-boats were stationed fo as to protect the space between this pofition and the fecond line; which was alfo occupied by two thousand men, provided with fix pieces of cannon. Their fecond pofition was about three hundred toiles in the rear of the firft village; their centre, at the redoubt which they had taken from the French; their right, behind an entrenchment extending from the redoubt to the fea, a space of about a hundred toises; their left was posted between the redoubt and the fea, on fome low fand-hills and the fhore, commanded by the fire from the redoubts and the gun-boats. In this pofition, there were about feven hundred men and twenty-two pieces of cannon. About a hundred toiles behind the redoubt lay the village and fort of Aboukir, occupied by nearly one thoufand five hundred men. The train of the bafhaw, who had the chief command, confifted of eighty horfemen. The fquadron came to anchor in the road, about a league and a half from the fore. After a march of two hours, the advanced guard of the French came in fight of the Turks. Thele being attacked by the French with the bayonet, retreated towards the village. Two fquadrons of cavalry and a platoon of guides, on horfeback, cut off their retreat, and killed or drove into the fea this body of two hundred men, of which not one efcaped. The fame divifion of the French army then marched upon the village, which formed the centre of the r fecond line, and turned it, while another corps attacked it

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in front.

The whole fecond line, including the village, was carried. The French cavalry killed many with their fabres, and drove many into the fea. The reft made their escape to the redoubt, which formed the centre of the fecond pofition. This fecond pofition was very ftrong, the redoubt being flanked by a ditch of communication, which fecured the peninfula on the right, as far as the fea. Another ditch of the like kind ftretched along on the left, to a small diftance from the redoubt. The remaining space was occupied by the enemy fiationed on 'the fand-hills and in the batteries. In this pofition the enemy had from 8,000 to 9,000 men.

While the French troops halted to take breath, the general-in-chief ordered fome pieces of artillery to be planted in the village, and along the fore, on the left. A fire was opened on the redoubt, and the right of the Turks. The French cavalry, on the right of their line attacked the enemy's left, which it repeatedly charged with great impetuofity, cutting down, or driving into the fea, all who came in their way. But they could not penetrate beyond the redoubt without being put between its fire and that of the gun-boats. Hurried by their bravery into this terrible defile, they fell back at each charge, and the Turks made a ftand with fresh forces on the dead bodies of their companions. A reinforcement was fent of infantry. The Turks at this inftant made a fally. The heads of the hoftile columns fought body to body. The Turks endeavoured, by their fuperiority of bodily ftrength, to wreft the bayonets from the French; they flung their mufkets behind them, and fought with their

fabres and piftols: for every Turk carries a mufket, two piftols in his girdle, and a fabre. A French regiment at length reached the entrenchment: but the fire from the redoubt, which every where flanked the entrenchments, where the enemy again retired, checked the columns. The Turks, notwithstanding the dreadful fire from the village, darted from their entrenchments, to cut off the heads of the dead and wounded, that they might receive the rewards which the Turkish government beftows for the encouragement of this barbarous cuftom. Another corps of the French was fent to advance, for the fapport of their friends, on the Turks. They leaped on the parapet, and were foon within the redoubt. Another party of the French rushed forward upon the Turks at the charging ftep. General Murat, who commanded the advanced guard of the French, and who followed and fupported every movement of his countrymen, and whofe coolnefs on this day could be equalled only by his military talents and virtues, feized the moment when the redoubt was attacked, to order a corps of infantry to charge, and reverfe all the Turkish pofitions, as far as the ditch of the fort of Aboukir. This movement was executed with fo much impetuofity, and fo opportunely, that, at the moment the redoubt was forced, this column had already reached its deftination, and entirely cut off the retreat of the Turks to the fort of Aboukir. Confufed and terrified, they now found every where only the bayonet and death. The cavalry cut them down with their fabres. They believed that they had now no refourfe left but to fly

to

to the fea; into which fix or seven thoufand precipitated themselves in total defpair. Muftapha Bafhaw, commander-in-chief, as above mentioned, of the Turkish army, was taken, with about 200 Turks: 2000 men lay on the field of battle. All the tents, the equipage, and 20 pieces of cannon, (two of which were English, having been prefented by the court of London to the grand feignior), fell into the hands. of the French. The English gunboats faved themfelves by flight. It was computed, that about 10,000 Turks were drowned. The fort of Aboukir ceafed to fire: the garrifon was ftruck with terror.

A flag of truce was foon followed by the furrender of the fort of Aboukir. Buonaparte, foreseeing the certainty of this, retired, even before it took place, to Alexandria. At this place he iffued the following declarations, which it may not be improper here to record: whether Buonaparte fincerely believed what he gave out, or meant, by affecting to believe it, to practife on the fentiments and paffions of his adherents, and thereby render them more docile and paffive inftruments of his future fchemes of operation and ambition. Scarcely any thing that is done or faid by fuch a man, is unworthy of a place in the record of the times; and it would be wholly unworthy of a British chronicler, whofe countrymen oppofe, with fo great fuccefs, fuch a front, to all that can poffibly be oppofed to them, to conceal or fade the egregious merit of fo illuftrious an adverfary.

The first of thefe declarations is

dated, Army of the Eaft, general orders, July 27.

"The general-in-chief, wishing to give a mark of his approbation to the brigade of cavalry of general Murat, which covered itself with glory at the battle of Aboukir, orders the commandant of artillery to fend to the brigade the two English pieces of cannon, which had been fent by the court of London, as a prefent to Conftantinople, and which were taken in that battle.

"On each cannon there fhall be engraven the names of the three regiments compofing that brigade, as well as the name of general Murat, and that of adjutant-general Roire; there fhall be written round the touch-hole Battle of Aboukir.'

The fecond declaration is dated, general orders, Auguft 1ft, Buonaparte, general-in-chief.

"The name of Aboukir was fatal to all Frenchmen. The 25th of July has rendered it glorious. The victory which the army has gained accelerates its return to Europe.

"We have conquered Mentz, and the limits of the Rhine, by invading a part of Germany. We have now reconquered our establishments in India, and those of our allies, by a fingle operation. We have put into the hands of government the power to force England, notwithstanding its maritime triumphs, to a peace glorious for the republic.

"We have fuffered much: we have had to fight enemies of every kind: we have them fill to conquer: but, at length, the refult will be worthy of you, and we fhall merit the thanks of our country."

The account we have given of the battle of Aboukir, and the march of the French to tl at place,

is extracted from the copious Journal of the Proceedings of Buonaparte, published in the name of Berthier, but drawn up, or for the most part we fhould fuppofe dictated, by Buonaparte himself; a fuppofition which derives additional probability from this circumftance, that we meet with many phrases and modes of expreffion, which appear prominent in the manifeftoes and letters of Buonaparte. The very fhort abridgement or abftract we have given of that Journal, is calculated on fuch a scale as might be intelligible to ordinary readers, not much converfant with military tactics. We presume that the military reader will derive, from a perufal of that Journal, both amusement and inftruction. Every movement is defcribed with an exactnefs which, to moft readers would be dry and tedious. But that Journal feems to have another object, befides that of recording and juftifying the commander-in-chief. Every corps, every individual of every rank that eminently diftinguished himself, is mentioned with warm applaufe; and thus the love of fame is inflamed by the certainty of juftice being done to merit, by an accurate and faithful record.

In the midft of all Buonaparte's cares and efforts for establishing the military power and political authority of the French republic in Egypt, he was not inattentive, but kept a vigilant eye on the great interefts of the republic of letters and science: to which univerfal republic, with a juft taste of glory, he appears to have been equally anxious to approve his conduct on the whole, as either to the French nation, or the rulers of the French democracy.

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While the French generals were bufied in quelling tumults and infurrections, erecting fortifications, and preventing or repelling hoftile invafions, Buonaparte formed commercial company at Cairo, as well as a library and an inftitution, on the plan of France, for promoting arts, fciences, and philofophy. The learned men, whom he took with him to Egypt, were employed in determining latitudes, examining the ftate, and taking furveys of canals and lakes; in repairing canals; in examining and defcribing plants and animals; in mineralogic refearches; and, what is nearly connected with thefe, chymical experiments; in making obfervations geological, nofological, and meteorological; in drawing plans of towns, edifices, and various monuments of antiquity; in improving agriculture; in erecting a chymical laboratory, founderies, wind-mills, and other ufeful works. Early in December, 1798, a detachment of 1,500 men, with two picces of cannon, under the command of general Bon, took poffeffion of Suez. Thi ther Buonaparte went himself, on the 22d of December, accompanied by feveral officers, and men of fcience and learning, and escorted by a corps of cavalry. Having forded the red-fea at low water, he visited the fountains of Mofes, about ten leagues and a half from Suez, in Afia. Five fources contribute to form thefe fountains, which fend up to the top little monticules of fand. The water is very good, but fomewhat brackish; you discover in them the vestiges of a small modern acqueduct, which conducted the water to cifterns on the borders of the fea, from whence it was taken

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