E G V T T. 



Iliftorr. against Great RriUin ; but while the attention w/is di- 

 """ """^ retted to that qirirter, preparation* were secretly mak- 

 ing at Toulon tor a great and important expedition. 

 ' Tlie fleet was large, nnd the soldiers of every de-crip- 



lion amounted to VO.tXX) m.-n. '1'he command ot 

 fleet was bestowed upon Admiral Brtieys, and the com- 

 mand ot' the army was entrusted to General Bonaparte. 

 The fleet sailed about tin- end of May ; and having 

 landed at Malta, not possession of the island l>y te.ar ur 

 treachery. Having arranged the affairs of that settle- 

 ment, the French fltvt M-I .-ail again upon the I9lh of 

 .him-, and directed their course towards Egypt 



'I'hese movement- of the French were not unknown 

 to the British government, and Admiral Sir Horatio 

 Nelson was appointed to the command of a squadron 

 to watch the motions of the French fleet Having look- 

 ed into the harbour of Toulon, and found they haxl 

 escaped, he immediately sailed toward Egypt, whether 

 it was supposed they had directed their course. Ha- 

 ving learned at Malta that they had departed for Egypt, 

 he crowded sail and stood after the fleet of Brueys. The 

 French admiral steered his course along the northern 

 coast of the Mediterranean Sea, while Nelson kept near 

 the African shore. On this account, he arrived off the 

 roast of Egypt before the French fleet made their ap- 

 pearance; but not finding it expedient to wait upon that 

 tatim. he steered his course into the Levant But 

 soon after his departure, the French fleet appeared upon 

 the Lybian shore, a few leagues to the westward of 

 Alexandria. The friends of the Grand Signior, and 

 the Mameluke beys, were equally alarmed at the arri- 

 val of the French ; for if they got possession of the 

 country, !x>th the one and the other would be divested 

 of their power. 



In tin's situation, no time was to be allowed for the 

 forces of Egypt to be collected in numbers; and, there- 

 tore, the landing of the French forces was instantly be- 

 gun at Marabu. Bonaparte himself led the way ; and 

 without waiting till the whole forces were on shore, the 

 troops began to March toward Alexandria on the se- 

 cond of July, between two and three o'clock in the 

 morning. They met with considerable resistance, and 

 the city refused to surrender ; but the French army 

 A'n;uidr:j burst into the town, and a dreadful slaughter ensued. 

 ( icncrals Kleber and Menou were wounded, and several 

 French officers of distinction lost their lives. Having re- 

 duced Alexandria to obedience and order, Bonaparte di- 

 rected his troops to march for Grand Cairo; while, at the 

 game time, he ordered a flotilla to sail up the Nile and 

 meet the army at Ramaniah. In the meanwhile, Admi- 

 ral Brueys moored his fleet on the coast of Aboakir, with 

 the view, if possible, to have them afterwards removed 

 to the old port of Alexandria, which is the safest har- 

 bour in Egypt. 



The troops under general Desaix marched across the 

 desert, and other divisions followed the same route. 

 They suffered much from hunger and thirst, as well as 

 from fatigue, and arrived upon the 19th of July at 

 Ameldinar, near the upper pomt of the Delta. By this 

 time there had been a general rendezvous of the French 

 troops; and having seen the beys appearing in force, 

 they resolved to give them battle. The Miiruelukes re- 

 tired, but in the afternoon they formed in order of bat- 

 tle, and an engagement ensued. The Mamelukes were 

 received with a sudden and steady fire of musket shot, 

 when many of them fell ; but they rushed on, and 

 were received by well-directed bayonets, which cover- 

 rd the field with blood and dead bodies of the skin. 



taken. 



Battle tf 

 the Pyre- 



Th.- plunder of Murnd Rev s c imp yielded a season- l!ite*y. 

 able supply to the French army, l>y furnishing them "." 

 wit!) c.iiiuls, !ajfffiye, and cannon, together with oilier 

 article* uit.iMeto their wmt.s ; and they also obtained 

 considerable -i. n- of money, with many costly orna- 

 ments. In consequence of this action, the French got 

 pOMMion of Cii/.a, with the adjoining country, and 

 the island of Hoda. On the following morning, the 

 principal inhabitants of Grand Cairo olfcred to surren- 

 der the city, provided that property, lives, and privi- 

 ere respected and prc-crvcd. These condition - 

 they vv ere encouraged to expect, from the proclamation 

 of Bonaparte on his taking Alexandria, in which pro- 

 tection was promised to the Egyptians, and respect 

 professed for the Ottoman religion and government. 

 It was asserted in this manifesto, that the object of the 

 French expedition to Egypt was to suppress the turbu- 

 lent beys, and restore the legitimate influence of the 

 Grand Signior ; but the disguise was too thin to conceal 

 the real intention, and it was unquestionably evident, 

 that the French government were desirous of sub- 

 duing the country, and adding it to their own domi- 

 nions. 



When Bonaparte entered Grand Cairo, the pasha fled 

 under the protection of Ibrahim Bey ; but to keep up 

 an appearance of confidence in the French, the Cava 

 remained at his station, and professedly entered into 

 Bonaparte's view-. Murad Hey, with the remains of 

 his troops ; fled toward Saccara, and Ibrahim, his col- 

 league in the government, marched with his followers 

 into the eastern parts of the Delta. The motions of 

 each of these chiefs were strictly watched, and it wan 

 found that Ibrahim was using his utmost endeavours to 

 increase his army, and render the people hostile to the 

 French. Bonaparte pursued Ibrahim with a numerous 

 army ; but the fugitive bey was successful in escaping 

 from the power of his enemy. The circumstances m 

 Grand Cairo did not permit Bonaparte to l>e longer ab- 

 sent from that city ; but he was alarmed, as he was 

 returning, b}' the report of an engagement which had 

 taken place at Aboukir, between the British squadron 

 and the French fleet The news were found to be true, 

 and a commencement was made of the disappointments 

 and defeats by which the French forces were compel- 

 led at length to abandon Egypt. 



The fleet of Admiral Brueys had been disposed in a p ronc t 

 masterly manner near the shore of Aboukir. Some flett. 

 British frigates in search of Admiral Nelson's ships, 

 were seen off the coast of Alexandria upon the 21st of 

 July, which gave the alarm ; and upon the 3 1 st of the 

 same month, the fleet itself was observed from die 

 Roads of Aboukir. The French ships were moored at 

 a proper distance from tin shore, and placed in a curvet! 

 line, according to the direction of the deep water. The 

 headmost vessel was placed near a sand bank, the line 

 of battle was flanked by frigates, and the van protected 

 by a battery on a small island. No contrivances could 

 have been better formed for placing the French fleet in 

 an exquisite state of defence; but danger and difficulty 

 raised the spirits of Sir Horatio Nelson ; and in such 

 situations, his fertile genius opened up astonishing re- 

 sources. 



Shortening sail on a sudden, he directed a part of his 

 squadron to pass between the French fleet and the sand 

 bank, which the republican admiral had viewed as the 

 great security of hi- vessels. While a part of the Bri- j^jjon'i 

 tish ships penetrated in this manner between the ene- vi.-tory at 

 my and the shore, others moored opposite them within Aboukir. 





