'331 
EGYPT. 
the patroles were continually falling in, and who were 
hunted down and deftroyed like animals obnoxious to fo- 
ciery. In this dreary fituation, however, provifions were 
Conitantly brought in to their quarters in the tombs, by 
the (hephevds and merchants who were in dread of being 
plundered by the mamaltikes. Thefe movements brought 
on the battle of Birambar, wherein Dupleflis, a chief of 
brigade, and l'everal French officers loft then lives, and 
wherein Allan Bey and Ofman Bey Afcar were feverely 
wounded. The French, as uftial, were the victors; and 
the defeated mamaltikes took the unguarded pafs by the 
ftrait of Redili, and formed a junction with Mourad Bey 
on the oppofite bank of the Nile. Thefe beys now con¬ 
certed the plan of cutting off the communication of the 
French army with Cairo ; and with this view Elfi Bey 
was deputed to hang upon the flotilla, and fcour the 
banks of the Nile ; OlYnan and Selim Bey were difpatched 
to retake and reduce the French fortifications at Syene ; 
and Mourad Bey, with the flower of the mamaltikes, 
bung upon the French army to keep it in check, to watch 
favourable opportunities of attack, and to overawe the 
natives, and prevent fupplies. 
Thefe promifing fchemes, however, did not fucceed. 
Beneadi, a town on the verge of the deierr, containing 
twelve thoufand inhabitants, where a rich caravan from 
Fur had juft arrived, gave every alliftance to Mourad Bey, 
who had excited them to arms againft the French. To 
this town, therefore, Defaix immediately difpatched ge¬ 
neral Davouft with the cavalry, and a ftrong detachment 
animated with the hope of plunder, who fell furioufiy 
upon the town, maffacred ahnoft all the inhabitants, pil¬ 
laged and burnt the houfes ; and then following the few 
who had efeaped to join the Meccans at Mimet, they 
were all put to the fword in a fecond encounter. Ano¬ 
ther detachment was fent under captain Renand back to 
Syene, to dillodge Ofman and Selim Bey, who had pof- 
feffed themfelves of the town. Emboldened by the final! 
number of the enemy, they marched out and attacked 
the French with their ufual impetuolity ; but in the aiftion 
Sclint Bey was feverely wounded,, and Ofman foon after 
retreated above the cataradts, leaving Syene once more 
in the hands of the French. In the mean time Defaix 
bad driven back Mourad Bey to his ftrong hold in. the 
Oafis; whilft Beliard was getting ready a detachment to 
crofs the defert, and take pofleffion of Coflir or Coffeir, 
on the banks of the Red Sea. This fervice was performed 
with conliderable adroitnefs and expedition. The detach¬ 
ment, all mounted on camels, left the head quarters at 
Keneh on the 26th of May, 1799, paffed tIre ftrait of Bi- 
rambar, or well-of wells, on the edge of the defert, where 
they took their fupply of water, and arrived at Coffir on 
the fifth day. The defencelefs town and barren fuburbs 
were inftantly furrendered ; and the French, after hold¬ 
ing poffeffion two days, and eredfing the tri-coloured flag, 
returned back in only four days to Keneh. “ To this 
central feat of our conquefts in Upper Egypt,” fays De- 
non, “ we found a number of merchants of all nations 
refort, pleafed with our new government, and foliciting 
paffports for their fafe journey through the defert. By 
this interc.ourfe with the natives of different countries, 
remote diftances feemed to be contracted, and when we 
began to reckon the days required for a journey, and the 
necelfary means of eftedting it, the fpace to be palled over 
ceafed to be immenle ; we no fooper found ourfelves ac¬ 
tually engaged, than maqy difficulties, formidable at firft, 
infenfibly feemed to diminifli, and at length totally dif- 
appeared. The Red Sea, Gidda, Mecca, feemed like 
neighbouring places to the town where we were ; and 
India it/e If was but a/iort way beyond them! In the oppolite 
direction the Oafes were adtually no more than three days 
journey from us, and ceafed to appear to our imagination 
as an undifeovered country. From Oafis to Oafis, by 
eafy marches of one or two days, we arrive at Sennaar, 
one of the capitals of Nubia, which feparates Egypt from 
Abyllinia and Fur, in the road to Tombudtoo, whofe in¬ 
habitants are ftill the chief objeft, in Africa, of European 
curiofity, and whofe very exiftence was a ftiort time ago 
problematical. Many Turkifli, Meccan, and Moorilh, 
merchants, came to excliange their coffee and Indian cot¬ 
ton for our corn ; yet notwithftanding this quiet fubmif- 
fion of the fuperior claifes, the mafs of the nation, from 
an error in their religion, and the dread of the beys, were 
ftill againft us.” 
Whilft thefe acquifitions in Upper Egypt were fecured 
by the point of the bayonet, the general in chief, Bona¬ 
parte, had marched with Iris divilion of the main army 
into Syria and Paleftine, where he had defeated the ma- 
maluke's and Arabs under Ibrahim Bey, and had (formed 
and taken the city of Jaffa, the ancient Joppa of our ferip- 
ture hiftory. Owing to its rocky and (helving couft, 
Jaffa is at all times fecure from an immediate attack by 
fea ; and being defended on the land fide by a (tone wall, 
provided at certain diftances with alternate fquare and 
round towers, it made a molt obftinate refiftance to the 
French troops, obliging them to break ground, and to 
eredt batteries againft it to the foutlnvard ; and it was 
not until a breach had been effected, that the forces un¬ 
der Bonaparte could make any impreffion ; after which 
he gallantly ftormed and carried the place. But we are 
forry to record, that the laurels thus nobly acquired, 
were tarnilhed by a conduct more cruel, bafe, and un¬ 
manly, than ever difgraced the favage war of either In¬ 
dies, or the unrelenting tyranny of Robefpierre. In cold 
blood, Bonaparte is faid to have caufed near four thou¬ 
fand of the wretched inhabitants of Jaffa to be maffacred, 
in refentment of their obftinate refiftance ; and becaufe 
the (ick and wounded of the French army were in fuch 
numbers at Jaffa, and dreading the fatal ravages of the 
plague among his troops, he is faid to have caufed upwards 
of five hundred of his unfortunate difeafed countrymen 
to be put to death, by poifon ! The French troops held 
poffeffion of Jaffa forty days, during which time it under¬ 
went a complete pillage; and the foldiers, not content 
with forcing the women and female children, afterwards 
robbed them of the trifling ornaments which decorated 
their heads, necks, and ears; moftly confiding of coins, 
fuch as paras, fequins, piaftres, &c. Bonaparte had it 
next in contemplation to attack and ftorm the city of Je- 
rufalem, fituated about twenty miles front Jaffa ; and he 
was heard vafintingly to declare, “ that fhould he obtain 
poffeffion of the holy city, he would plant the tree of li¬ 
berty on the fpot on which the crofs of Jefus flood ; and 
would bury the firft Frenchman who fhould fall in the at¬ 
tack, in the fepulchre of our Saviour.” But the threat¬ 
ening ravages of the plague, the prevailing ficknefs of 
his army, and the want of many neceffaries, deterred the 
Corfican hero, for the prefent, from pttrfuing the conqueft 
of Paleftine. Having returned to Cairo, Bonaparte em¬ 
ployed himfelf in arranging the details of the adminiftra- 
tion of Lower Egypt; and eftablifhed lazarettos to oblige 
every (hip that came from infedted countries, to perform 
quarantine. He alfo commanded workftiops to be con- 
ltrudted at Gizeh, for furnifhing different materials for 
the army ; formed an adminiftration for coining money ; 
and publifhed tables of the relative value of French and 
Egyptian currency. 
Thus did the fubjugation of all Egypt appear to be 
complete, though a dreadful deftiny had befallen the 
fleet which conveyed thither this fuccefsful commander. 
On the 1 ft of Auguft, the Britifh admiral, Nelfon, who 
had received the command of a confiderable number of 
(hips, appeared off' the mouth of the Nile, and made dif- 
politions for attacking the enemy. The French fleet, 
which confided of one fliip of one hundred and twenty 
guns, three of eighty, and nine of feventy-four, befides 
others of fmaller (ize, was at anchor in the bay of Abou- 
kir. The admiral placed them as near the (bore as pof- 
fible, in a ftrong and compadt line of battle, flanked by 
four frigates and many gun-boats, and protected in the 
van by a battery. By one of thofe daring and fkilful 
' z manoeuvres, 
