THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 29 



fucccfsful and fo diflant, where the officers were lefs in- 

 flrucl:ed from the cabinet, more ignorant of the countries, 

 more given to ufclefs parade, or more intoxicated with plea- 

 sure, than the Ruffians on the Mediterranean then were. 



After the defeat, and burning of the Turkifh fquadron, 

 upon the coaft of Afia Minor, there was not a fail appeared 

 that did not do them homage. They were prope ly and 

 advantagcoufly fituated at Paros, or rather, I mean, a fqua- 

 dron of fliips of one half their number, would have been 

 properly placed there. 



The number of Baflias and Governors in Caramania, 

 very feldom in their allegiance to the Port, were then in ac- 

 tual rebellion ; great part of Syria was in the fame fituation, 

 down to Tripoli and Sidon ; and thence Shekh Daher, from 

 Acre to the plains of Efdraelon, and to the very frontiers of 

 Egypt. 



With circumftances fo favourable, and a force fo tri- 

 umphant, Egypt and Syria would probably have fallen 

 difmembered from the Ottoman empire. But it was very 

 plain, that die Ruffian commanders were not provided 

 with inftructions, and had no idea how far their victory 

 might have carried them, or how to manage thofe they 

 had conquered. 



They had no confidential correfpondence with Ali Bey, 

 though they might have fafely trufled him as he would 

 have trufled them ; but neither of them were provided with 

 proper negotiators, nor did they ever underftand one ano- 

 ther till it was too late, and till their enemies, taking ad- 

 vantage 



