to fupply fhips. Thefe fountains are at the diftance of three quarters of a league from the fea. In the evening he returned to Suez, but the fea was high. His guide loft him in the marshes, from which he extricated himself with difficulty, being up to the middle in water. Suez, if its magazines be confidered, appears to have been the entrepot of a very confiderable commerce. Barges only can come into the port; but a point of fand that runs out a league into the fea, and which is uncovered at low water, and near which frigates can lie at anchor, furnished every poffible means for erection of a battery, that might protect the shipping at anchor, and defend the coaft. At Suez, the Arabs of Top came and folicited the friendship of the French, and obtained it. Here alfo Buonaparte received a deputation of the monks of Mount Sinai. The pious Cenobites brought him the humble offering of the fruits of their mountain, and prefented to him the charter of toleration given originally, and figned by Mahomet, requefting alfo the protection of the new conquerors: and Mahomet's charter was counterfigned by Buonaparte. He took a very detailed furvey of the town and adjacent coats, and ordered the conftruction of certain works for the defence of this important post. For the encouragement of commerce, he lowered the duties paid to the Baflaws and Mammalukes, and for carriage of goods established regular caravans from Suez to Cairo and Belbeis. During his ftay of two days at Suez there arrived four veffels. He then fet out, and failing along the coaft to the north, he discovered, at the diftance of two leagues and a half from Suez, the remains of the entrance of the canal of Suez; which he purfued the length of four leagues. In four days he arrived at Honareb, where the remains of the canal of Suez are discoverable at its entrance on the cultivated and watered lands of Egypt. He purfued the line of the canal the length of feveral leagues, and ordered citizen Peyre, an engineer, to go to Suez, and to return with a fufficient efcort, to take a geometrical furvey of the courle of the canal, by means of which operation was refolved the problem of the exiftence of one of the greatest and moft ufeful works in the world. It should not be omitted, under the head of Buonaparte's care for the republic of letters, to mention, that he established a newspaper at Cairo, of which Coftaz was the editor, under the title of the Courier of Egypt. He alfo fet feveral of his learned men and philofophers to work upon an almanack, containing five calendars, the republican calendar, and the calendars of the Romith, Greek, Copht, and Mahometan churches. In fine, it may be obferved of Buonaparte, and it is, perhaps, what most happily dif tinguishes his character, that there never was any general, ancient or modern, if we ought not to except Alexander the Great, who fo happily united the progrefs of arms with the advancement of science. CHAP. CHA P. IV. Object of the French Expedition to Egyp'.-Connection between France and the Sultaun of Myjore, in India.-Letter from Buonaparte to Tippoo Sultaun. -Hoftilities against the British, in India, concerted between the French Government and Tippoo.-Embaffy from Tippoo Sultaun to Zemaun Shah, King of Cabul.-The Kingdoms of Candahar and Cabul defcribed.-Curious Inftructions of Tippoo to his Ambaffudors.-Plans for hoftile Co-operation between Tippoo Sultaun and Zemaun Shah, against the English.-Letter from Tippoo to Zemaun.-Zemann's Anfwer-According with the Wishes of Tippoo.-The Invafion of India concerted between those two Princes, prevented by the Vigilance and political Address of the Government of Bombay. -British Army affembled on the Coaft of Coromandel.-Letter from Tippoo Sultaun to Lord Mornington.-Junction between the Nizam's Army and that of Madras.-This united Army marches against Seringapatam on one Hand.-While the Malabar Army advances towards it on the other.Engagement between the Malabar Army and that of Tippoo Sultaun.Junction between the Bombay or Malabar and the main Army.-Tippoo abandons the open Country, and takes Refuge in the Fortress of Sering apatam. Sering apatam taken by Storm.-Tippao flain.-Diftinguishing Features of the House of Hyder. Acquifions obtained by the Arts of Peace, contrafted with the Conquefis obtained by War.-Profperity of the British Settlement on Prince of Wales's Island.—The Magnitude, and the Prospects prefented by its natural Advantages. THE HE grand object of the expedition, from Toulon to Egypt, was no other than what was uniformly avowed and declared, to give a blow to the maritime greatnefs and commerce of England: and, among the various meafures purfued or fuggefted for this end, none feemed more effectual to the French, for the execution of their plans, than the formation of alliances with the native powers of India. One of the most powerful princes of that peninfula, needed not any excitement, but an opportunity only of joining in any confederacy that fhould yield a hope of re covering the territories that had been torn from him, or wreeking his ranckling and implacable vengeance againft the Englith. That prince was Tippoo Sultaun, of whofe proceedings againft the British, and habits of connection with France, the readers of our former volumes want not to be informed. The letter which was fent to Tippoo, by Buonaparte, after he had gained a footing in Egypt, and which has already been incidentally noticed, is as follows: " Buonaparte to the most magnificent Tippoo Sultaun, our greatest friend. You have learnt my arrival on the shores of the Red Sea, with a numerous and invincible army, wishing to deliver you from the yoke of the Englif. I take this opportunity to teftify my desire for fome news relating to your political fituation, by the way of Mufcatti and Morea. I wish you would fend to Suez or to Cairo, an intelligent and confidential perfon with whom I might confer. The Moft High increase your power and deftroy your enemies.” This letter must have been highly gratifying to the Sultaun, who had already, in the end of 1797, difpatched two ambafladors to the French government in the Mauritius, or the Ifle of France, with whom he had already maintained a fecret correfpondence. They embarked at Mangalore, and arrived in that island towards the clofe of January, 1798. They were received, by the government with every circumstance of diftinction and refpect; and, during their continuance on the island, were entertained at the public expense. They proposed to levy men to any practicable extent, ftating their powers to be unlimited, with refpect to the number to be raised in the name of Tippoo Sultaun. A proclamation was iffued by the governor-general of the Ifle of France, in February, ftating that an embaffy had arrived at the Ifle of France, with letters from Tippoo Sultann, addreffed not only to the government of that ifland, but to the executive directory of France, propofing to conclude an offenfive alliance with the French, to fubfi: dize and to fupply whatever troops the French might furnish to the fultaun, and to commence, against the British power in India, a war of VOL. XLI. aggreffion, for which the fultaun was declared to be fully prepared, waiting with anxiety the moment when the fuccour fhould enable him to fatisfy his ardent defire of expelling the British nation from India. The proclamation concluded by offering encouragement to the fubjects of France, to enter into the fervice of Tippoo Sultaun, on terms to be fixed by the ambaflador then on the spot, The ambaffadors from Tippoo, on the feventh of March, embarked on board a French frigate, with a force raised in the name of Tippoo Sultaun, amounting to about 200 men, inclufive of feveral officers, and arrived at Mangalore on the twentyfixth of April. At the fame time that Tippoo was careful to augment his own European establishment, he laboured by all means alfo to increase that of the Nizam of the Decan, although in confederacy with the Mahrattas and the English. A plot was concerted between the fultaun and certain French officers, for gradually raifing the European force in the army of that prince, above his controul, and for bringing over to the fide of the Myforeans this force, together with as many of the native troops as might be induced, according to the manner of the Afiatics, to join the party prevailing at the moment. The natural indolence of eastern fovereigns, acting in every thing by delegation, and the mode of fubfifting the army by allotments of land, and not by the difbursement of money from a treafury under their own infpection, co-operated to facilitate confpiracy; and above 10,000 Europeans, French and others, were incorporated, and began to take the lead," in the army [E] of of the Nizam, when this circum ftance was difcovered to lord Hobart, governor of Madras, by colonel Halcot, an officer commanding the military force in one of the company's establishments in the northwellern parts of the prefidency of Madras. About the fame time that the British government, in India, were informed of the correspondence between Tippoo and the French, and the plot carried on in the army of the Nizam; they learned alfo, that an embasly had been difpatched to Zemaun Shah, a very powerful prince of Tartarean origin, and the Mahometan faith, on the northern frontier of India, the fovereign of Cabul, the ancient Bactria and Candahar, the object of which embaffy was, to encourage that prince in his long-threatened invasion of India. a can bring into the field at leaft 120,000 fighting men. Zemaun Shah, therefore, Maliometan prince, naturally allied to Tippoo Sultaun, by religious opinions, habits, and that good-will which ufually fubfifts between fovereign powers, divided by the dominions of a common neighbour, or which is the fame thing in politics, enemy, was a natural and formidable foe to the British empire in India. A new barrier had, of late years, been added to that of the Mahrattas, by the rife and progrefs of the Seiks, a nation bound together by a common religious fyftem, which prefcribed every thing that was to be done in every eventual cafe, like the ancient Jews, or the lords of the congregation, on the breaking out of the reformation in Scotland. But the internal wars, inceffantly carried on between the Seik chiefs, might difable them from making a fuccefsful refiftance to the king of Candaliar and Cabul, notwithfianding their implacable enmity. The cunning and fluctuating politics of the Mahrattas were not to be relied on. That nation, befides, as well as the Seiks, was torn to pieces by inteftine commotions. The kingdoms of Candahar and Cabul are both extenfive and populous. They comprize all the countries fituated between the river Indus and the fouthern extremities of the Cafpian Sea, and between the eastern confines of Perfia, and great Bucharia, or the country of the Ufbeck Tartars, befides Lahore, and the celebrated province of Zemaun Shah naturally occurred Cahimire. Ahmed Shah was the as a powerful ally, and one not diffounder of that empire, for fotficult to be gained, to fo inveterate may jufly be called, and of the illuftrious family, or dynafty, of the Abdallahs. Zemaun Shah, the prefent king, emperor, or abdal lah, was the lineal defcendant of Ahmed. The natives of Candahar have always been reckoned amongst the moft hardy men of Afia. The exact population of Zemaun Shah's dominions has not been afcertained. But it is an undoubted fact, that he and active an enemy to the English as Tippoo Sultaun. A fecret correspondence between these Mahometan princes was accordingly found, after the deftruction of the latter, in his palace of Seringapa tam. This correfpondence commenced before the war between Tippoo and the Englifh, which ter minated in 1792; and the fame hoftile and ambitious views marked it to its clofe. In a paper, dated March March, 1796, we find various inAtructions to the ambaffadors fent by Tippoo to the king of Çandahar, relating to their conduct and deportment in their miffion: their fuite, their expenfes, the prefents to be made to the chief officers of that prince, and the ceremonies to be obferved at their audience, or reception. On thefe particulars Tippoo appears, according to Oriental ideas of the importance of old cuftoms, to have laid great ftrefs: "When the minifter fhall fend for you, you will repair to Cabul, and take up your refidence at the place which he may point out. At your interview with him, you will carry the letter and khelant (honorary dress) with you, and prefent them to him in trays; you will each prefent a huzzur of five achmedies, and, according to the cuftom of that government, you will pay the proper compliments, and, if it fhould be cnftomary to fit down, after waiting a little, and receiving the commands of the vizier, you will do fo; fhould it, however, be cuftomary to stand up, you will remain ftanding; then, taking the letter and dress from the trays, you will place these at fome diftance in front of the vizier, and after the refpects and compliments of the Sircar Khoodadaud, in the manner prefcribed among the followers of the faith, you will make many profeffions of friendship; obferving, that all true believers are brethren; but you will pay at the fame time due attention to the refpective ranks of the parties: After having converfed together, you will reprefent that " you are Syuds, the defcendants of Fatimah;"* that you have repaired to the prefence of his highnefs, and are ready to obey his commands; and that you entertain hopes, through his means, to be honoured with permiffion to pay your refpects to his majesty. "You will address yourselves to him in this manner, and having, through the vizier, obtained admiffion to the prefence of his majefty, Zemaun Shab, you will place on the trays the letter, the drefs, jewels, and the faddles, and then prefent them in the manner which the vizier may defire, and agreeably to the customs and etiquette of the court you will alfo, according to the eftablifhed forms of that court, offer the proper compliments, and ftand up, with your hands folded together. When you fhall receive an order to fit down, you will feat yourfelves accordingly, or whatever may be the etiquette of the place, you will be careful to obferve it. Having thus paid your court, through the vizier, in the manner which is proper for ambaffadors, you will reprefent, that you, having come a diftant journey from the exalted prefence, have prefented yourselves before his majesty; that many affairs of importance have been intrufted to you, which, at his leifure, you would reprefent to him." In another paper there are two plans of co-operation between Tippoo Sultaun and Zemaun Shah, which the ambatfadors of the former were inftructed to propofe to the latter. The firft project was, that his majefty fhould remain in his capital, and fend one of his noblemen, in whom he had confidence, to Delhi, with an army. That this * Fatimah was the daughter of Mahomet. [E2] perfon, |