216] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



consternation of the inhabitants. I 

 have too exalted an opinion of the 

 humanity of the English people, 

 and of yours in particular, to think 

 that you would wish to render our 

 -condition more deplorable. How- 

 ever, if, in consequence of the or- 

 ders your excellency has received, 

 you are inclined to draw down upon 

 yourself the execration of all na- 

 tions, to cover yourself with dis- 

 grace in the eyes of the whole uni- 

 verse, by oppressing the unfortu- 

 nate, and attacking those who are 

 supposed to be incapable of de- 

 fence, I declare to you, that the 

 garrison under my orders, accus- 

 tomed to behold death with a se- 

 rene countenance, and to brave 

 dangers much greater than all the 

 perils of war, know how to make re- 

 sistance which shall not terminate 

 but with their entire destruction. I 

 hope that the answer of your excel- 

 lency will inform me whether I 

 am to speak the language of conso- 

 lation to the unfortunate inhabi- 

 tants, or whether I am to rouse 

 them to indignation and revenge. 

 *' May God preserve your ex- 

 cellency. 

 Oct. 5, 1800. *' Thomas de Morla." 



To this letter the British admiral 

 and general replied, that as the 

 ships in the port were to be em- 

 ployed in joining and increasing the 

 naval force of the French republic, 

 and prolonging the calamities of 

 Europe, an attack was to be averted 

 only by a surrender of those vessels. 

 This proposal being rejected by the 

 governor, with indignation, the 

 British general began to make ar- 

 rangements for a descent ; but, 

 when it was found that the pre- 

 cautions of the enemy, and the 

 strength of the works were adequate 



to the defence of the place, the 

 danger of infection being also taken 

 into consideration, the British ar- 

 mament withdrew from Cadiz. 



The importance of these alertes, 

 on the French and Spanish coasts, 

 it ought to be observed in justice 

 to those who planned, and those 

 "who conducted them, is not to be 

 measured by the damage done to 

 the enemy only, but by the division 

 and diversion, thereby occasioned, 

 of his forces. 



We return to the Mediterranean 

 and the principal theatre of the 

 contest there, Egypt : but, in our 

 way, we may take notice of as great 

 a political singularity, as any to be 

 found among all the revolutions and 

 changes that marked the conclusion 

 of the eighteenth century. A new 

 commonwealth was established, con- 

 sisting of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, 

 and the other Ex- Venetian islands 

 near the coast of Greece. It was 

 styled the Ionian republic. It 

 was, like Ragusa, to pay a mo- 

 derate tribute to the Porte ; and 

 its independence was guaranteed 

 both by the Turks and Russians. 



The victory of Buonaparte at 

 Aboukir, where nine thousand 

 Turks were slain,* did not retard for 

 an instant, either the preparations 

 or the march of the grand vizier 

 from Damascus. The Turkish army, 

 at Aboukir, was only a detachment 

 from a much larger force, which 

 drew nearer and nearer the Delta, 

 and alarmed the French for the se- 

 curity of Brulos and Damietta. On 

 the twenty-fourth of September, 

 eighteen Turkish ships anchored be- 

 fore this last place, and they were 

 successively augmented, by the end 

 of October to fifty-three. This 

 fleet was commanded by sir Sidney 

 Smith, on board the Tygre. The 



• Sec Volume XL. 1798. 



