E G 
"Djczzar, had been intended for the fiege of Alexandria. 
“ After having carried on the war with a handful of men 
during three months in the heart of Syria, taken forty 
cannon, fifty {land of colours, made fix -thoufand prifon- 
ers, and demolifiied the fortifications of Ghazah, Jaffa, 
Caiffa, and Acre,” adds he, “ we are about to return. 
But a few days more, and you might have feized the pacha 
in the midft of his palace ; however, at this critical lea foil 
the capture of Acre is not worth the time that would 
have been fpent before it.” 
After blowing up the fortifications of Jaffa and Ghazah, 
and inflicting a terrible vengeance on thofe who had de¬ 
fended their country againft the invaders,' the French 
pafl'ed over the defert (where it was imagined they would 
have perifhed), and, inftead of entering Cairo like a van- 
quidled army, were received as victors by the inhabitants, 
who, ignorant of recent events, had prepared triumphal 
arches to celebrate their return. Unabaflied by his late 
check, and unintimidated by the fini(Irons communica¬ 
tions of a foldiery who had fo lately murmured againft, 
and even menaced, their chief, Bonaparte diftributed re- 
compences to fome, inflicted marks of ignominy on others, 
and fo far regained the confidence of all, that in the 
courfe of a few days they ottered to encounter new toils 
and new dangersin Egy: t, under a commander whom they 
were on the point of facrificing to their refentmentsin Syria. 
Meantime, Seid Muftapha Pacha affembled at Rhodes 
the Ottoman troops deftined for the attack of Alexandria ; 
European officers were appointed to direCt the details of 
this enterprize; and the combined Englifh and Turkifti 
fleets failed unoppofed for the coaft of Egypt. The 
movements of the mamalukes and Arabs indicated the 
projects of the allies, and the approach of their arma¬ 
ment. Bonaparte had been called to the aid of general 
Defaix in oppofing Mourad Bey near the pyramids of 
Gizeh, where he received intelligence from Alexandria, 
that a Turkifti fleet of one hundred fail had anchored in 
the road of Aboukir, from which the Turks had landed 
three thoufand men, with artillery, on the liiore of the 
peninfula, and carried the fort by ftorm. All the gene¬ 
rals commanding detachments of troops, which were in 
motion, were now ordered to march towards the place of 
landing, and to make Rhamanieh the place of rendezvous, 
-where the army foon after affembled. 
Having attacked the French garrifori, and obtained pof- 
feflion of Fort Aboukir, the Turks began to entrench 
themfelves, and to form magazines. Their force, which 
increafed daily-, was eftimated at ten thoufand men, and 
iheyappeared to be waiting for greater reinforcements, 
and for the junction of Mourad Bey, in order to inveft 
the city of Alexandria. Bonaparte, perceiving that the 
enemy intended to fortify and maintain themfelves in the 
peninfula, determined immediately to attack them; and 
having marched his troops to the wells betwee'n Alexan¬ 
dria and Aboukir, and received information refpedting 
the pofition of the Turks, he formed his plan of engage¬ 
ment. Muftapha Pacha defended the entrance of the 
peninfula by two lines of troops, and by entrenchments, 
which were (till imperfeCt. The centre of his forces oc¬ 
cupied the redoubt, which" had been taken from the 
French at the moment of landing, and (nice convened 
into an entrenchment. The attack of Bonaparte was 
defperate and dreadful. By a fkilful manoeuvre, two 
thoufand Turks were diflodged and furrounded, and pe- 
rifhed by the fire of the enemy, or were drowned. After 
flittering various repulfes, the French, feizing the mo¬ 
ment when the Turkifti forces fallied from their entrench¬ 
ments, attacked the redoubt and carried it. In vain did 
Muftapha Pacha endeavour, by every poflible effort, to 
rally his troops, which were now forced on every point. 
The Turks fled on all (ides, and threw themfelves into 
the fea ; the greater part could not reach the veffels, 
which were moored too far oft", and they, peri died in the 
waves; the remainder of the army, with Muftapha Pa¬ 
cha, was furrounded and made prifoners, with the excep- 
Y P T. < 33*3 
tion only of a few hundred men. The fort of Aboukir, 
after a bombardment of eight days, again furrendered to 
the French ; and the fon of the pacha, and two thoufand 
men, threw down their arms, and were made prifoners of 
war. This victory over the Turks was attended with 
confiderable l.ofs to the French’, who had a great number 
killed and wounded. After this fmguinary battle, Egypt 
for a moment became tranquil ; the forts and tire bat¬ 
teries on the coaft were well armed and provifioned ; and 
the mamalukes and beys were in an obvious confternation. 
Bonaparte, weighing well this momentary advantage, but 
forefeeing the fpeedy ftibverfion of his plan, left a letter, 
containing the nomination of Kleber to the. chief com¬ 
mand in Lower, and of Defaix to that in'Upper Egypt, 
and fecretly failed for France. In the directions given, 
however, to general Kleber, he was inftruCted to r.ego- 
ciate with the Ottoman court, which Bonaparte had him- 
felf commenced ; and which proves that the commander 
in chief did not confider Egypt as tenable, after the de- 
ftrtiCtion of his fleet by lord Nelfon, and the abfolute 
nullity of the French marine. 
After various conferences and correfpondence between 
Kleber and fir Sidney Smith, at the defire of tlie grand 
feignor, it was agreed that the French army ftiould em¬ 
bark with their fliips, arms, baggage, and effeCts, and be 
tranfported to France, as well in its own veffels, as in 
others to be furnilhed by the Porte. This treaty was 
figned at El-Arifch. But the court of London, after the 
decifive advantages it had gained, ahd the frefh levies it 
had fent out under fir Ralph Abercrombie and admiral 
lord Keith, confiding of a well-appointed army of 13,330 
effective troops, with a fleet to cover its operations, 
could not, in compliment to the Ottoman Porte, fuffer 
the enemy’s fliips and vefiels to be given up, nor other 
requifitions fubmitted to, which, under fu.ch circum- 
ftances, it was unreafonable for a capitulating army to 
expeCt. Thefe refolutions of the Britifh court, being' 
forwarded by lord Keith from on-board the Foudroyant 
to fir Sidney Smith, were immediately communicated to 
general Kleber ; who feeling indignant at this unexpected 
turn of affairs, refolved to fight till the'very laft, for 
which he prepared his troops by reading to them the 
new propofitions of lord Keith, and animadverting on 
the duplicity of the Turks, who were collected in great 
force near Heliopolis, for the purpofe of laying fiege to 
Cairo. The French army partook of the indignation 
of their general ; and, without more delay, haftened to 
attack the grand vizier, who, expecting peace, was totally 
unprepared for fuch an affault. Both, armies, however, 
being drawn out in order of battle, a furious and dreadful 
engagement enfued. The Turks, after long refiftance, 
were ultimately thrown into diforder, and their whole ar¬ 
my, confifting of forty thoufand men, as (fated by the 
French general Reynier, betook themfelves to flight in all 
directions; their camp was abandoned ; and the rout be¬ 
came general. The Turks had eight thoufand men killed 
or wounded, whilft the lofs of the French, whofe army 
amounted only to fifteen thoufand, was comparatively 
final 1 . After the battle, as the French were'carclefsly 
returning into Cairo, elated with the laurels they had juft 
acquired, Ibrahim Bey, at the head of three thoufand cho- 
fen mamalukes, fell unexpectedly on their rear, and pe¬ 
netrated into the very heart of the city, making great 
(laughter among the French, and expecting to be joined 
by the difaffectedinhabitants. Here he maintained a long* 
and defperate conteft with the victorious Kleber; but at 
length, overpowered with numbers, he retreated, and re¬ 
joined the difeomfited troops of the grand vizier. Kleber 
now punifhed the cruelties which, during his abfence, had 
been inflicted by the inhabitants on the friends and parti- 
zans of the French. 
After the battle of Heliopolis, or the Pyramids, the 
French army feemed to be fm rounded with the moft bril¬ 
liant circumftances. Kleber formed the Greeks and Copts 
into battalions, whom he trained to the life of arms, and 
2 clothed 
