118 ACRE. 
^j^AP- cannon to fit them ; but that a peasant had 
found a field-piece, which Buonaparte had con- 
cealed previously to his leaving the country, 
capable of receiving every one of those balls. 
During this conversation, which lasted about 
an hour, interlarded, on the part of Djezzar, 
with a more than ordinary allowance of 
aphorisms, truisms, and childish stories, he 
was occupied, as usual, in cutting paper into 
various shapes; such as those of coffee-pots, 
pipes, cannon, birds, and flowers. At last, 
his engineer coming to consult him concerning 
the improvements he imagined himself making 
in the fortifications of Acre, we took that 
opportunity to retire. Some notion may 
be formed of his talents in fortification, by 
simply relating the manner in which those 
works were carried on. He not only repaired 
the memorable breach caused by the Frenchy 
and so ably defended by Sir Sidney Smith, but 
directed his engineers to attend solely to the 
place where the breach was effected, regardless 
of all that might be wanted elsewhere. *' Some 
stone, of at least thirteen or fourteen inches diameter, which were part of 
the ammunition used in battering the city, guns being then unknown." 
See Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalevi, p. 5^. Oxf. 1721. JEgmont and 
Heyvian saw, within the walls of the castle, " several large stone bullets, 
thrown into it hij vicans of some military engine now unknoion." Trav. 
through Part of Europe, &c. vol. I. p. 395. Loud. 1759. 
