950 
Smith, with their accustomed ala- 
crity, dragged up several ficld- 
pieces. 
The French retreated along Lake 
Abouker, called by them Lake 
Maadie, having first detached a part 
of the fifty-first demi-brigade to 
Aboukir castle. They took a po- 
sition in the plain, a mile from the 
beach, with their right to the Lake, 
and their left towards the sea, 
which point was protected by two 
guns, and all their remaining ca- 
valry. 
The force that opposed our land- 
‘ing, was commanded by general 
Friant, and consisted of two batta- 
lions of the grenadiers of the sixty- 
first demi-brigades, two battalions 
of the seventy-fifth, once of the fifty- 
first, one of the twenty-fifth, the 
eighteenth aud twentieth dragoons, 
about one hundred and twenty ar- 
tillery ; in all, about two thousand 
five hundred men, and fifteen pieces 
ef cannon. Their loss, at a very 
moderate computation, was four 
hundred men in killed, wounded, 
and taken; six pieces of cannon 
and one howitzer. General Mar. 
tinet, who was a captain in the 
French army at the battle of the 
Nile, and at the time of this aétion 
commanded the nautical legion, was 
left dead on the spot. 
Scarcely was our debarkation ef- 
feéted, and our efforts crowned with 
victory, when our anxious comman- 
der in chief came on shore. Until 
that period, major-general Cuvote 
-was the senior general officer with 
the troops. 
We now drew up opposite the 
enemy, and in this position both 
armies remained cannonading each 
other till about eleven o’clock, when 
the French were perceived retreat- 
ing sdently along the Lake, and ap- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
parently in good order. They 
halted, however, for a short time, | 
at the post of Mandara, a small re- ~ 
doubt, built on a height in the nar- 
-rowest part of the Peninsula, about 
four miles from the place of landing. 
Immediately upon the retreat of 
the enemy, our armed launches en- 
tered into Lake Maadie, or Abou- 
kir, and measures were adopted for 
supplying the army by means of the 
boats of the fleet, a depdt of provi- 
sion and ammunition being establish- 
ed on its banks for that purpose. 
The second division, having land- 
ed, came up at this junéture, which 
made us change our position, ad- 
vancing in columns of regiments, by 
brigades, and halting about dark. 
The army was then formed in four 
lines, extending from the sea on the 
right, to Lake Aboukir on the left, 
the reserve and the guards forming 
the first line; major-general Coote’s 
brigade the second ; major-general 
Cradock’s the third ; and major-ge- 
neral the earl of Cavan’s the fourth. 
Such part of brigadier-gen. Stuart’s 
and Doyle’s corps, as had landed in 
the course of the day, took their 
ground in front of Aboukir castle, 
which had refused to surrender on 
being summoned. About seventy 
mounted, and two hundred dis- 
mounted cavalry, also came on shore 
in the evening. They that were 
mounted, immediately took the duty 
of vedettes, and of the advance ; 
the rest remained near Aboukir.” 
The last extraét (but one) we 
shall lay before our readers, is the 
account of the decisive and brilliant 
victory achieved by the British arms 
over the French force in the battle 
ef the 21stof March; and which, 
thenceforward, completely establish- 
ed its superiority in Egypt. 
‘¢ At half-past three this morn- 
ing, 
