E G ^ 
Moil rad Bey, above-mentioned. He poflefled eight hun¬ 
dred mamalukes, who were daily increafing; and he had 
the charadter of great fagacity, courage, and intrepidity 
in adtion. Ibrahim Bey Uali, a name derived from having 
been the (lave to the fecond magiftracy in the city. Remar¬ 
ried the daughter of the elder Ibrahim ; about thirty-fix 
years old; of a fedate, firm, and vefolute, character; with 
feven hundred mamalukes. Aiub Bey Zogheir, or junior; 
efteemed a cool and courageous leader ; eminent in faga¬ 
city and difcernment; near forty years old ; with five 
hundred mamalukes. Ofman Bey Tamborgi, fo named as 
having been a mamaluke drummer: intrepid, bold, and 
vigilant, he was greatly efteemed by Mourad. Other beys 
were the Black Caya Bey, Ofman Bey Afcar, Mahomet 
Bey Mafice, Ifaak Bey, called the French Bey, from his 
long relidence in France ; he {'poke feveral languages, and 
was interpreter to the other beys. Ofman Bey Btrdici, 
Selim Bey, Achmed Bey, Aflan Bey, See. to the number 
of twenty-four, according to the original inftitution of 
Solyman the I.egifiator. 
Such was the ftate of the government of Egypt, when 
general Bonaparte, on the-firft: of July, 1798, landed at 
Alexandria, with an army of 40,000 men. Whether this 
expedition was undertaken by the French with the foie 
defign of fubduing that country, or of attempting to di- 
re£t their arms by the Red Sea,- againft the Britifh pof- 
fefiions in India, is not known, though the latter opinion 
has prevailed. The town of Alexandria appears to have 
been the firft objedt of the French commander, which he 
took almoft without refiftance, after putting to flight the 
Arabs and mamalukes who defended it, and of whom he 
killed about three hundred. The conduct of the in¬ 
vader, however, feems highly reprehenfible, fince it fa¬ 
voured more of Saracen barbarity, than of the forbear¬ 
ance and humanity of Chriftian warfare. The city was 
taken by furprife, attacked and ftormed, and numbers 
innocently put to death, without even giving the garri- 
fon the option of capitulation; and the foldiers were luf- 
fered to fack, and ravifh, and plunder, the inhabitants for 
three hours, as an encouragement for them to proceed 
with avidity in this unprovoked and rapacious war. Bo¬ 
naparte then aftembled the magiftrates, and with more, 
than Mohammedan difiimulation, aiferted “ that his only' 
motive for vifiting Egypt, was glorioully to effect the 
deliverance of the country, from the tyranny and ufurpa- 
tion of the beys, who were equally the enemies of the 
Porte and of the French people.” And having required 
from them an oath that they would neither injure nor 
betray him, he permitted the greater number to retain 
the places which they occupied. Having continued three 
days in Alexandria, to organize the city, of which gene¬ 
ral Kleber was left in command, the French army com¬ 
menced a difficult and dangerous march acrofs the defert 
to attack Rofetta. Unaccuftomed to the heat of a tro¬ 
pical climate, unufed to traverfe barren and fandy foils, 
and unobfervant of the orders which had been ilfued, the 
foldiers exhaufted their provifions, or fullered them to 
fpoil, before they reached two-thirds of their journey. 
Rofetta, however, which made no refiftance, terminated 
many of their difficulties. Having left a garrifon in this 
place under the command of general Menou, and another 
at Rhamanieh, a town farther up the river, at the en¬ 
trance of the canal of Alexandria, whither a column of 
the army had been detached at the fame time with that 
to Rofetta, Bonaparte continued his march along the 
banks of the Nile towards Cairo. 
Hitherto no obftacle had prefented itfelf to the French 
invader ; but on the arrival of the army near Gizeh, Bo¬ 
naparte found that Mourad Bey had affembled his forces 
in the neighbourhood of a village called Embabeh, where 
he intended to difpute and oppofe his farther progrefs. 
The mamalukes amounted to ten thoufand men, and 
fought with defperate courage; but the adlion, though 
bloody, was neither long nor doubtful. Part of the army 
ef the mamalukes was either exterminated by the fword. 
Vol. VI. No. 353. 
r P T. S29 
or drowned in the river; the reft with Mourad Bey, re¬ 
treated to Upper Egypt. This adtion, which was deno¬ 
minated the battle of the pyramids , convinced the French, 
from the obftinate refiftance made by an inferior army, 
unfkilled in European taffies, that they-had no ordinary 
enemy to combat and overcome ; particularly when it 
wa$ confidered that the whole country was taken by fur¬ 
prife, when no one garrifon was in a ftate of defence, and 
when no enemy, either foreign or donteftic, was expended 
on the Egyptian fliores. The fpoils of the (lain were found 
extremely valuable, as each mamaluke carries with him 
in his march the amount of his fortune, or his plunder. 
In confequence of the event of this battle, Bonaparte 
fent for, and was waited on, by the magiftrates of Cairo, 
which city the army entered in triumph, having nothing 
to oppofe them. The French commander now parted 
his troops into three divifions, one of which was fent 
under the command of general Defaix, to poflefs himfelf 
of Upper Egypt; the fecond was left at Cairo ; and with 
the third he followed Ibrahim Bey, who had retired into 
Syria to recruit his army. The 1110ft hazardous and em- 
barrafling part of the whole campaign, was certainly that 
which was carried into Upper Egypt, under the indefa¬ 
tigable perfeverance of general Defaix, who had not only 
to contend with the burning heat of the tropical fun, and 
the horrors of a barren defert, but with tiie brave and 
dexterous generalfliip of Mourad Bey. He fet out on this 
important expedition on the 26th of Auguft, 1798, with 
a flotilla on the Nile to convoy his march. Mourad Bey 
in the interim colledted his forces, and encamped on an 
eminence in the neighbourhood of Sedinan, where he 
waited to difpute the progrefs of the French arms. Defaix 
approached, impatient to give him battle ; and coming 
within fight of the lofty mamaluke camp, which betrayed 
the utmoft oriental magnificence, he encouraged his troops^ 
with the hope of plunder; pointing out, by the help of 
his glafs, or pretending to point out, the perfon of Mou¬ 
rad Bey, refplendent with gold and precious ftones, and 
furrountjed with all the richly decorated beys and kia- 
chefs under his command. The night was palled in feaft- 
ing in the camp ; while, in the dark, parties were fent out 
to menace the advanced pods of their enemy. At the 
firft dawn of the morning the French army formed in a 
hollow fquare, in the midft of a large plain, with two 
platoons on their flanks. Mourad approached at the 
head of his formidable mamalukes, and feveral thoufand 
Arabs, who charged with uncommon intrepidity, and 
quickly furrounded the whole body of the French. A 
dreadful carnage enfued; great numbers fell on both 
fides ; but the mamalukes could make no ferious impref- 
fion on the folid fquare, which rendered their feymetars 
of no avail, and their numbers ufelefs. The mamalukes 
fighting on horfeback, chiefly with the fabre, which they 
life moft dexteroufly, were received by the French on the 
point of the bayonet; who thus wounding their horfes, 
threw them perpetually into confufion. Difappointed 
and enraged, the mamalukes advanced as clofe as poflible 
to the lines, firft difeharging their piftols, and then throw¬ 
ing them violently at the enemy, together with their 
battle-axes and other weapons, until the ground wa.s co¬ 
vered with their arms. They then retired, not beaten, 
though leaving the French mafters of the field of battle. 
Defaix now, perceiving the impetuous kind of enemy 
he had to deal with, procured from Bonaparte a confide- 
rable reinforcement both of cavalfy and infantry, with 
which he continued to penetrate the interior of Upper 
Egypt. He pafted on from poft to port, extirpating all 
who appeared inimical to the French intereft ; feizing 
their provifions and effedts, violating their women, burn¬ 
ing their habitations, and defolating the country. Thofe 
who fubmitted to their yoke, who were'willing to pay a 
tribute, and provide the army with neceftaries and pro¬ 
vifions, were protected and fpared. Yet thefe, in turn, 
became a facrifice to the exafperated mamalukes, who in 
revenge fell upon them whenever they recovered the 
4 P country * 
