ebaft was founded; the pass to Damietta was marked by buoys and gun-boats, and gun-boats were planted across the line of entrance. The Turkish army took poffeffion of a tower at the mouth of the Nile, and formed it into a poft, defended with a piece of artillery. Thus protected, the army amounting to four thousand men, made good its landing, the first of November, and began to entrench themselves on the point, fituated between the right fide of the Nile, the fea, and the lake Menzala.

་

Buonaparte, perceiving from the movements of the grand vizier's army, as well as thofe of Mourad Bey, had, about the middle of Auguft, 1799, immediately before his departure from Egypt, dispatched a force, not less than fifty thousand ftrong, under general Defaix; of which fix thoufand feven hundred were French infantry and cavalry, towards the Syrian coast, to observe and oppose them.

The Turks had no fooner eftablifhed themselves in the poft juft mentioned, than general Verdier, who was encamped between Lefbe, and the coaft, marched against them with the detachment, under hise command, of one thoufand French, without waiting for any reinforcement from the main army, attacked, and deftroyed three thoufand, and made eight hundred prifoners, among whom was limael Bey, the fecond in command; and took thirty-two ftand of colours, and five pieces of artillery. This divifion made part of an army of eight thoufand Jauiffaries, which had failed from Conftantinople. The vellels remained fometime longer on the coaft, which they were at laft obliged to quit, on account of bad weather. The French continued

their preparations against a more numerous and formidable army, which was about to pour on them acrots the deferts of Syria.

While the Turks were engaged in attempts to expel the French from Egypt, the grand fignior con cluded a treaty with the British monarch: the principal article of which was, that the Turks fhould continue the war against the French republic, even after the recovery of Egypt. Towards the end of November, an attack was made on the French poft, at the mouth of the Damietta branch of the Nile, by Seyd Ali, at the head of a Turkisu detachment, and by fir Sidney Smith, with the fleet. The Turks who landed, foon routed, by their impetuolity, the first line of the French; but the remaining force of the enemy changed the fcene, and repelled the Mahomedans, of whom two thoufand were killed, or made prifoners. Near the clofe of 1799, the grand vizier, whofe army had refted for fome time at Gaza, having croffed the defert, formed the fiege of El Arith. It was conducted by major Douglas, and other British officers: and the fort was taken by ftorm, on the twenty-ninth of December. Three hundred of the defenders were put to the fword, by the brutal fury of the allailants, after the French had laid down their arms. Buonaparte, fenfible that fuch a lofs as that which had been fuftained at Aboukir, was but trifling to a great nation, and whole pride and intereft were equally wounded by the invafion of the fineft province in their empire, difpatched a letter to the grand vi zier, fraught with fentiments of conciliation, and expreflive of a firong defire of peace. This letter, written at the moment of victory,

the most proper, undoubtedly, for making peace, was fent by the hands of an effendi, made prifoner at Aboukir: “ Alas, faid Buonaparte, why do the fublime Porte, and the French republic, after having been friends for fo many years, now find themselves at war? Is it because the boundaries of the two ftates are to distant from cach other that they fight? Is it becaufe the courts of Germany and Ruffia border on the territories of the fublime Porte, that they have united themselves with it? Your excellency cannot be ignorant that the French nation, without exception, is extremely attached to the fublime Porte. Endowed, as your excellency is, with the most distinguished talents, and acquainted with the real interefts of courts, can it have escaped you, that the Ruffians and Auftrians have confpired, once for all, against the fublime Porte, and that the French, on the contrary, are ufing every poffible effort to counteract their wicked defigns? Your excellency knows that the Ruffians are the enemies of the Muf fulman faith, and that Paul the First, emperor of Ruffia, as grand mafter of Malta, that is to fay, chief knight, has folemnly fwore enmity to the Muffulmen. The French have abolished the order of Malta, given liberty to the Mahometan prifoners detained there, and have the fame belief as themselves, that There is no God but the true God.' It is then very ftrange, that the fublime Porte fhould declare war on the French, its real and fincere friends; and contract alliances with the Ruffans and Germans, its declared enemies.

"When the French were neceffarily of the fect of the Meffiah, they

were the friends of the fublime Porte; now, that they are, as it were, united by the fame religion, that power declares war against them! The courts of England and Ruffia have led the fublime Porte into an error. We had informed it. by letters, of our intended expedition into Arabia; but thofe courts found means to intercept and conceal our papers; and, as if I had not proved to the fublime Porte that the French republic, far from wishing to deprive it of its domains, had not even the smallest intention of making war on it; his moft glorious majefty, fultan Selim, gave credit to the English, and conceived an averfion for the French, his ancient friends. Is not the kind treatment the fhips of war and merchantmen belonging to the fublime Porte, in the different ports of Arabia, experienced at my hands, a fufficient proof of the extreme defire and love, of the French republic, for peace and amity? The fublime Porte, without waiting for the arrival of the French minifter, Defcorches, who had already left France for Conftantinople, and, without inquiring what were the motives of my conduct, declared war against the French, with the moft unaccountable precipitation. Although I was informed. of this war, I dispatched Beauchamp, conful of the republic, in the Caravel, in full confidence of terminating it; and while I was expecting the anfwer of the fublime Porte, by the fame conveyance, I found that he had been thrown into prison: and Turkish troops dispatched to Gaza, with orders to take poffeffion of Arabia.

Upon this I thought it more advifeable to make war there than in the territory of Egypt; and I

was

was obliged, in fpite of myself, to crofs the defert.*

Although my army is as innumerable as the fands of the fea, full of courage, inured to war in the highest degree, and victorious; although it is completely provided with every thing of which it can ftand in need; though I have castles and fortreffes of prodigious ftrength, and though the centre, and extremities of the defert are fortified by batteries of cannon; although I have no fear nor apprehenfion of any kind; though I have no precautions to take, and that it is impoffible for me to be overcome: nevertheless, out of commiferation for the human race, respect for thofe honourable ways of proceeding which are refpected by all nations, and, above all, out of a defire to be re-united with the firft and trueft of our allies, his moft glorious majefty fultan Selim, I now make manifeft my difpofition for peace. It is certain that the fublime Porte can never realize its wishes by force of arms, and that its happinefs can be effected only by a pacific conduct. Whatever armies may march against Cairo, I can repulfe them all.And yet I will facilitate, as much as poffible, every propofition which fhall be made to me tending to peace. The inftant the fublime Porte fhall have detached itfelf from our enemies, the Ruffians and English, there cannot be a doubt but that the French republic will renew and re-establish, in the completeft manner, the bafis of peace and friendship with the fublime Porte.

"If you wish to have Egypt

tell me fo. France has never entertained an idea of taking it out of the hands of the fublime Porte, and fwallowing it up. Give authority to your minifter, who is at Paris, or fend fome one to Egypt, with full and unlimited powers, and all firall be arranged without animofity and to your with."

Buonaparte, in the private inftructions he left behind him to his fucceffor in the command of the army, general Kleber, directed him to continue the negociation which he had begun, and to conclude a treaty of peace with the Turks, if necessary, but, at the fame time, to endeavour to evade its execution. General Kleber was completely fatisfied, as his officers also were, from the reduced ftate of the French army, that a pacification with the Turks was necellary. Conforming his conduct exactly to the inftructions of Buonaparte, he addressed a letter to the grand vizier, dated the fixteenth of Rebeul-Akhir, 1214, [fourth September, 1799] re-echoing the fentiments expreffed in Buonaparte's letter to that minifter, withing for a termination of hoftilities by a negociation for peace, and ftoutly maintaining that the French government never had the leaft idea of taking Egypt from the grand fignior.*-A convention was figned, on the twenty-fourth of January, 1800, near El Arif, by the French and Turkish plenipotentiaries, providing for the complete evacuation of Egypt, and the unmolefted return of Kleber and his troops to France.

When it was known in England, that proposals had been made by the

French

French, in Egypt, for the fafe retreat of the invaders, the British miniftry, apprehenfive, not without reafon, of danger, from the return of fuch an army, while a war between France and the allies was carried on in Italy and Germany, fent an order to lord Keith, commanding the British fleet, in the Mediterranean, not to ratify any convention that might be entered into for that purpose. A difpute arofe, on this point, between general Kleber and lord Keith, who declared that he would not fuffer the French to pafs unmolefted. The grand vizier, having taken poffeflion of many pofts which the French had evacuated, demanded the immediate furrender of Cairo. General Kleber, urging that the English were hoftile to the convention, refufed to deprive his endangered army cf fo important a ftation, and announced his intention of renewing the war. On the eighteenth of March, he attacked a body of Turks, and routed them. He then engaged the grand army, and obtained a complete -victory.

As foon as it appeared that the convention between the Turks and French had been fanctioned by fir Sidney Smith, the British court, though not pleafed at his conduct, in protecting an enemy whom, in their judgement, he might have crufhed, and that by exceeding his powers or inftructions, fent orders for a ratification of the treaty. General Kleber now confented to a revival of this and it was expected that he and his countrymen would fpeedily take the benefit of it. But, on the fourteenth of January, he was affaffinated by a fa natic, who had been fent for that purpose from Gaza, by the Aga of

the Janaffaries. The affaffin was juftly punished with death. The obfequies of general Kleber were celebrated with due folemnity-and he was fucceded in the command of the army by general Menou.

The Weft India iflands, during the greater part of 1799, had been in a state of tranquillity. But in 1800, they were ravaged by a furious war, arifing from a contest between the two chiefs, Rigaud and Touffaint Louverture. Many acts of cruelty were committed on both fides, more especially by the black inhabitants of that island.

In the East Indies, the reduction of Seringapatam was not immediately followed by the submission of all the fubjects of Myfore. The commandants of certain forts refused, for fome time, to yield to the British arms; but they were at length compelled to furrender. Jemaulabad, the laft fortrefs that ftood out, was taken in October, 1799.

Towards the end of 1800, the revenge of Paul I. provoked by a refulal of the ifle of Malta, of whichhe was the chief knight, or grandə mafter, railed a form on the fhores of the Baltic; which lowered for fome time over the English with a frowning and formidable afpect, but which was foon difperfed, by the promptitude and vigour of the Britifh navy; as will be related in the Hiftory of Europe, for 1801.

XVIIITH CENTURY.

THE never-ceafing lapfe of time has, in all ages, been divided into different periods, not only of day and night, the moft fimple and obvious, but other divifions. Thefe divifions correfpond in general, and almoft without exception, to certain

motions

motions and appearances in the heavenly bodies: but the grand æra of a century appears to be derived from a different origin. The measurement of time by centuries is made ufe of by our most ancient hiftorian, Mofes. The grand jubilee of the jewish nation was a period of one hundred years, though it was reduced by the catholic church to fifty years, and afterwards to twenty. It was of courfe in ufe before the time of Mofes: for if the idea of a century had not been used formerly, and familiar to his cotemporaries, but a new mode of reckoning time, he would have announced and explained the reason for adopting that, rather than any other number. It was no doubt in ufe among the patriarchs. It is not to be prefumed that the good patriarchs adopted the centenary number from any aftronomical calculations, but from the moft fimple and natural indications, fuggefted by the most familiar of all objects. In fhort, the pariarchs were induced to adopt the centenary number in the computation of large fpaces of time, just as we find the Africans and Indians of America have been, from counting their ten fingers. The number ten multiplied ten times makes a century. These obfervations on the prevalence of decimal numbers are not indeed any new difcovery; the general ufe of the decimal and decu ple number, and the origin of that general use, have been noticed by

Ovid,* by Vitruvius,† and by Plu tarch.t

There is a queftion, not a little agitated, whether the century was completed at the beginning, or not till the end, of the year 1800: that is, whether, in reckoning time from the birth of Christ, a year of the century is fuppofed to have paffed at the nativity, or only to have begun.-We are among thofe who incline to the last opinion. But the decifion of that question is of no manner of importance on the prefent fubject: we leave it wholly to the priests and the poet-laureats, on whom it is no doubt incumbent to fix, with as much precifion as poffible, the true period of the jubilee, and the carmen feculare.

It is natural, on the expiration of any period of time, to paule, and look back upon its moft prominent features, or events:-thofe that recur ofteneft to the mind, on the furvey, ftand forward on the canvas, and throw other occurrences in the

back ground. The jufteft and most complete reprefentation of any period of time, would no doubt be a juft and complete enumeration of all its viciffitudes and events. But this is the business of continuous narration and defcription:-it will readily be understood, that the cha racter of an age is to be taken from as many of the leading events, as may be arranged in fuch a picture as may be contemplated at one view, without diftraction, without diffi

OVID. Fafti, Lib. III.

VITRUV. Lib. I. Cap. 1.

culty,