Warden's Letters oh NapohoA. 



Con 



exam^nhtinn, to be natives of the Moun- 

 tains, and inhabitants of Mount Tabor, 

 "but chiedy from Nnzaretli. Tliey were 

 •iinmed lately released, on their engaj;ing 

 ■to return quietly to ttieir homes, children 

 aii(i wives; at the same time, they were 

 recninmended to acquaint tiieir country- 

 Aien, the NajjoJese, that the French 

 •were no Ioniser their enemies, unless 

 :<hey were found in arms assisting the 

 Facha. When this ceremony was con- 

 cluded the army proceeded on its march 

 tfi*ards Jaffa. Gaza surrendered on the 

 •route.— »Tliat city, on the first view of it, 

 |(Ore a formidable appearan'-e, and the 

 'fearrison was considerable. It was sum- 

 nioned to surrender : when the officer, 

 tvho bore my f\.ig of truce, no sooner 

 passed the city wall, than his liead was 

 Jinliumanly struck olf, instantly fixed upon 

 ft pole, an<l insultin{;ly exposed to the 



fiew of the French ainiy. At the si^ht judgment and his discretion. So'njewhat 

 of this horrid and unexpected ofjject, the of an adventurous and romantic spirit 

 nirti^nation ■ of the soldiers knew no niif;ht have governed him; but it never 

 bounds : they were perfectly infuriated; was imagined by anyone, that he was 

 and, with the most eager impatience, de- influenced l»y sordid or pecuniary mow 

 tnanded to be led on to the storm. I lives; that ulea never seems to have 



latter had added to liis forttine.— I re» 

 plied, that I could not speak upon either, 

 from my own knowled|^e; but I was in'>. 

 duced to suppose from the services in 

 which he had been engaged he must have 

 stood high in the opinion of those whb 

 employed him; and I had also under- 

 stood tliat liis works were ronsitlered as 

 having been very honourable to him both 

 as a writer and a soldier.—" Pray, can 

 you tell ine," h.- continued, " from what 

 motive this otUcer has acted in the escape 

 of^ La Valette, the decided and avowed 

 friend of the man wliom he has so wait* 

 tonly calumniated?" — 1 was here, as it 

 may be supposed, rather embarrassed for 

 an immediate reply, but he gave me full 

 time to collect myself, and I answered, 

 " Tiiatl had no doubt they were such at 

 did honour to his heart, whatever impuia. 

 tion may have been passed upon hrs 



did not hesitate, under such circum- 

 stances, to command it. The attack 

 tvas dreadful ; and the carnage exceeded 

 any action I bad then witnessed. We 

 carried the place, and it required all my 

 efforts and nifluence to restrain the fury 

 j»f the enraged soldiers. At length, I 

 succeeded, and night closed the sangui- 

 nary scene. At the dawn of the follow- 

 ing morning, a report was brought me, 

 that five hundred men, chiefly Napolese, 

 :who had lately formed a part of the gar- 

 rison of £1 Arish, and to whom I tiad a 

 few days before given liberty, on ondi- 

 tion that they should return to their 

 homes, were actually found and recog- 

 nised amongst tfie prisoners. On tins 

 fact being indubitably ascertained, I or- 

 dered the five hundred men to be drawn 

 out and instantly shot." — In tiie course 

 of Our conversation, his anxiety appeared 

 lb be extreme that I should lie satisfied 

 of the truth of every part of his narra- 

 tive^ and he continually interrupted it 

 by asking me, if I perfectly conipreliended 

 Inm. He was, however, f-'miejice itself, 

 when I made any observatn>ns expressive 

 of doubts X had jireviously entertained 

 respecting any part of the subjects agi- 

 tated between us, or any unfavourable 

 ojiinion entertained or projiagaied in 

 £n(>lnnd. 



' lie now returned to the subject of Sir 

 Robert Wdson, and asted me if I knew 

 any thing of hts military clmiacter, and 

 Lite lendeucjr of his \vritingt; and if the 



occurred when the transaction was thfe 

 subject of universal consideration ttnii 

 enquiry. Tfiere was not, I thouglil,<t|i 

 person in England who receive<J him al- 

 his companions with a diminution of 

 their regard for the part they had taken 

 in this mysterious business." In nfi 

 instant he observed, " I believe everV 

 word you have said, at the same timo you 

 may be assured, that money would rt«t 

 have been wanting to save La Valette.^-r- 

 I desire you also, lo give your particular 

 attention to my opinion, which is a 

 decided one. That this act of Sir Tk*)^ 

 bert Wilson, for the preservation of La 

 Valette, is the commencement of his 

 reciintaiion of what he has written 

 against me.'— It is a coincidence, per- 

 liaps, not worth mentioning, but is a 

 singular circum-itance, that we had a son 

 of Sir Robeit Wilson, at this time, a 

 midshipman on board the Northumber- 

 land. 



I now discontinued the subject, and 

 approached the cliimney-piece to exa- 

 mine ;i small bust in marble, which ap-' 

 peared to me to be exquis tety sculptured. 

 NVhen he saw my attention to it, lie ex- 

 claimed, " that IS my Sim." Indeed, the 

 resemblance to the /ather is so veiV 

 Striking, that it is discernible At the first 

 glance. Un one side is a miniature also 

 of young Napoleon, and a higlily.fii,is|,eH 

 portrait of his mother, Maria Louisa, on 

 the other, 



. lie now complained of a pgi^ in (J,e 

 * *» 2 greau 



