330 E G ” 
clothed in the uniform of his country. But juft as the 
fuperior abilities of this German commander had thus 
began to unfold themfelves, he was (tabbed whilft walk¬ 
ing on his terrace in Cairo, and his blood (till marks the 
railing againft which he daggered. The affaflination of 
an officer fo generally beloved, fo much refpefted and 
efteemed by all parties, enemies as well as friends, ap¬ 
pears a myftery which even time.itfelf may never unravel. 
His body was conveyed to France, with the fkeleton of 
the aflaffin. This wretched Have, Solyman el Aleppi, 
was impaled alive, and lived in that ftate for three days. 
Neither in the cutting olf his hand, nor the dreadful ope¬ 
ration which humanity and manhood revolt at, did he 
betray the lead fear : his only cry was for water, and oc- 
cafionaliy a bitter curfe againft thofe who had perfuaded 
him into a confeftion, under the promife of a pardon. It 
lias been fuppofed that Kleber’s aftaiiination refulted from 
the private revenge of fome of the principal inhabitants, 
in confequence of the recent puniliiments lie had inflifted. 
The chief command of the French army now devolved 
upon general Menou ; who being fully aware of the fe- 
rious attack that was about to be made upon him, adopted 
every meafure that prudence and valour could dictate, 
for the fafety of his army, and the defence of Egypt. At 
length the Englifh fleet appeared making for Aboukir 
Bay; and on March 2, 1S01, it came to anchor exaftiy 
where the glorious battle of the Nile was fought in 1798. 
On the Stli of March, fir Ralph Abercrombie gave or¬ 
ders for landing the troops, which was effeited in flat- 
bottomed boats, under a fevere and continued fire from 
the enemy. The foldiers were ordered to lit down on 
the bottom, holding their firelocks between their knees. 
All.the boats in the fleet were employed; yet only live 
thoufand troops could at firft be landed ; and thefe were 
penned up fo clofe as to be unable to move, and expofed 
to a galling and deftruftive fire, without the power of re¬ 
turning it, or of taking any meafures of defence. Num¬ 
bers of the Englifh now perifhed, being fliot in the boats, 
or bayonetted in the aft of ftepping out; for the enemy 
lined the water’s edge, and difputed every inch of ground. 
But a landing could not be effefted without fuch a facri- 
fice. The carnage continued for about twenty minutes ; 
when the French finding their exertions ineffeftual, they 
fell back, and retreated along the banks of lake Mahadie, 
now called the lake of Aboukir. The force that oppofed 
confifted of about 2500 men, under the command of ge¬ 
neral Enact, commandant of Alexandria ; who loft up¬ 
wards of four hundred men in killed, wounded, and taken. 
The lofs of fir Ralph Abercrombie was fix hundred and 
fifty-two, in killed, wounded, and miffing; exclufive of 
thofe of the navy. The refidue of the Englifii army was 
now landed without moleftation, and preparations made 
for offenfive operations. The French, having augmented 
their force, took, a ftrong pofition at the extremity of an 
open fpace, defended by a range of hills, upon which 
they formed their line ; defended by a numerous artillery, 
and rendered frill more formidable by tire aid of heavy 
cannon taken from the works of Alexandria. O11 the 
morning of the 13th of March, it was determined to at¬ 
tempt driving the enemy from this ftrong pofition. As 
the Englifh advanced, tire French commenced a very de- 
liruftive fire from their artillery, which enfiiading tire 
depths of the Britifii columns, made prodigious havoc. 
The enemy, taking advantage of this fuccefs, came down 
from the heights, and began a clofe engagement. Their 
numerous cavalry made a fpirited and impetuous charge 
upon the nineteenth regiment, who, with the coolnefs 
and intrepidity of veterans, received them unbroken on 
the points of their bayonets. The French were then 
obliged to retreat, having received a weH-direfted volley 
as tiiey wheeled about, which brought numbers to the 
ground. Their attacks on other parts of the line were 
attended with no better fuccefs, being repulfed in every 
quarter. As the French retreated, the Englifii (lowly 
advanced; and at four o’clock took, up the pofition on 
P T. 
the heights which the French had occupied in the morn¬ 
ing. In this adtion the Englifii loft 1300 men in killed 
and wounded, and had near 14,000 troops in the field ; 
they took four pieces of cannon, and one howitzer. The 
French in this affair confifted only of between fix and fe- 
ven thoufand men, commanded by general Lanuffe, who 
loft about feven hundred in killed and wounded. Confi- 
dering the advantages poffeifed by the French, the vic¬ 
tory of this day was highly honourable to the affailants, 
notwithftanding their fuperiority of number, and confe- 
quent greater lofs. The French retreated under the 
works of Alexandria, and loft no time in fortifying their 
pofition, and providing againft a fiege, which they were 
convinced was now near at hand. General Menou had 
not yet arrived from Cairo. He had been obliged to co¬ 
operate with the army of Upper Egypt, i'oan attack upon 
Mourad Bey, whom Defaix had now determined finally 
to conquer, or peridi in the attempt. The French ar¬ 
mies had in confequence fticceeded in hemming up the 
mamalukes, and placing Mourad between two fires, 
whereby his deftiny became inevitable ; yet he made a 
moft heroic refiftance ; fuch as became a fuperior politi¬ 
cian, and a great general. Finding all was loft, lie offered 
to capitulate upon terms of amity with the French, pro¬ 
vided lie might be reinftated in a part of Upper Egypt. 
Defaix, with tiie generofity of a true conqueror, met the 
martialuke chief on his own terms, admired and praifed 
his military prowefs and ardour, and afiigned him and his 
own private mamalukes the didrift lie folicited, under 
a folemn engagement of their becoming friends, to the 
French. 
In the mean while fir Ralph Abercrombie pufiied on 
the Englifii army to a cliofen pofition nearer Alexandria, 
and in fight of the French camp on the heights of Nico- 
polis.- The pofition thus chofen for the Britifii, eroded 
the great road from Alexandria to Aboukir, having their 
light wing towards the fea, near what is called the Ro¬ 
man camp, and their left oppofite the point of the lake 
Aboukir or Mahadie. This pofition fir Ralph Aber¬ 
crombie proceeded to fortify with the utmoft alacrity. 
Various and contradictory reports of Menou’s movements 
were circulated; and among others, that lie had formed 
a junftion with Lanufl'e, with a reinforcement of eight 
thoufand men. Very little credit was unfortunately given 
to this rumour ; and (till lefs apprehenfion entertained 
of his attacking the pofition, which was fortified with 
two redoubts, though not yet finifiied, for they Were ftill 
open in the rear, one on the right wing, in front of the 
old ruins of Kafr Kiafera, or caftle of the Crefars, mount¬ 
ing two twenty-four-pounders; another along the canal 
on the left, with one twelve-pounder; and feveral fmall 
fleches, witli one or two guns, occafionally difpofed at 
intervals along the front of the line. Such was the ftate 
and pofition of the Englifh, on the 20th of March. On 
the 21 ft, at half paft three in the morning, the troops 
were getting under arms, when they were alarmed by a 
fmart fire of mufquetry proceeding from the fartheft fleche 
toward the left wing. This was conceived to be nothing 
more than a feint; for fir Ralph Abercrombie was yet 
ignorant of the junftion of all the French forces at Alex¬ 
andria. However, on the firing continuing for fome time, 
witli now and then a cannon (hot, brigadier-genera! Stuart 
was aftually on his march with his brigade, to fupport 
the point attacked, when lie was flopped by a very heavy 
fire both of cannon and mufquetry, which haftily com¬ 
menced on the right. In this falfe attack on the left, 
the enemy, rapidly advancing, entered a ('mail fleche at 
the fame time with the out centinels. They immediately 
turned the twelve-pounder, which was mounted in it, 
upon the Englifli, and had aftually fired one fliot from it, 
when a redoubt in the rear of this fleche opening its fire 
upon them, they quickly retreated, carrying oft' with 
them three officers, one fergeant, and ten rank, and file 
of the fifth brigade. They had one officer and four pri¬ 
vates killed in the fleche, but took away their wounded. 
The 
