338 
E G Y 
tally wounded, and died in the night of the 28th of 
March ; major-general Moore, brigadier-general Hope, 
adjutant - general to the army, and brigadiers - general 
Oakes, Lavvfon, and fir Sidney Smith, were likewife 
wounded. 
At one time, during the engagement, the Englifh were 
in the greateft diftrefs imaginable for want of ammuni¬ 
tion ; feverai guns were left with fcarcely one round, and 
many regiments were in a fimilar fituation. This circum- 
ftance was owing to the want of means of conveyance. 
Had it not been for this temporary deficiency, the lofs of 
the enemy would have been much more confiderable. 
General Mencu built his chief hopes of fucccfs upon the 
fudden overthrow of the right wing of the Britifli, and 
the confe.quent c'onfternation of the army ; he there¬ 
fore preferred making his approach, while favoured by 
the night, that he might arrive clofe and unperceived, 
and thus avoid the deftruflive fire of the entrenchments 
and gun-boats. In fa< 51 , the attack was as Hidden, as it 
was unexpected ; and certainly put the Engl.ifh army un¬ 
der a fair trial of its native (kill, unfhaken courage, and 
cool intrepidity. The Turks which had been landed from 
the capitan pacha’s fhips in the bay of Aboukir, remained 
in the rear during the whole aftion. When the danger 
was over, they paraded in front of the Britifli lines with 
their numerous flags flying. 
When fir Ralph Abercrombie had feen the enemy re¬ 
treat, he attempted to get on horleback ; but his wound, 
which was probed and drefied in the field by an alliftant 
furgeon of the guards, having become extremely ftiff and 
painful, he could not mount, and reluftantly fuffered him- 
felf to be placed upon a litter, from which he was removed 
into a boat, and carried on-board the Foudroyant. Here 
lord Keith received him with all pofiible afiedtion, and 
every care and attention, which his date required, were 
early paid him : but it was his enviable lot to die on the 
lied of honour. The command of the army in confcquence 
devolved upon major-general Hutehinfon. This able 
commander, aware of the advantages which muft accrue 
from the pofieffion of Rofetta, as it would open the Nile, 
and enfure fupplies, determined to make himfelf matter 
of the place. To carry on the aftive operations of the 
army on the Rofetta fide, it became neceffiiry to fecure 
the old pofition, as a means of adding on the defcnfive, 
againft any future attack. For this nothing could be of 
greater utility, than letting the waters of lake Mahadie 
or Aboukir, into the ancient bed of the Mareotis as the 
left wing would thus be rendered more fecure, fmce to 
turn it would become impracticable ; and at the fame 
time the gun-boats would be enabled to 'get in and an¬ 
noy the enemy. The fite of lake Mareotis had been ac¬ 
curately furveyed, and its level found to be nearly ten 
feet lower than that of Aboukir. It was therefore ob¬ 
vious, that by cutting through the canal of Alexandra, 
which was the only leparation between the two lakes, the 
water would flow in very copioully. Accordingly on the 
i-2th of April, a numerous working party began to cut 
through the canal ; and, on the 13th, the water rufhed in 
with impetuofity through (even channels made for the pur- 
pofe, to the great joy of the whole army. The violence of 
the water, flowing in through the cuts in the canal, was 
fo great, as not only to deftroy every thing in its way, 
but to unite four cuts of the feven. By this the gap was 
rendered too wide to admit a bridge, and the communi¬ 
cation was fnpported by means of boats ftationed near the 
opening. This gave wonderful effect to the operations,, 
and, on the 14th, the Britifli troops entered the town of 
Rofetta without pppbfition. The French garr-ifon, com- 
pofed of two battalions, abandoned it, and retreated acrofs 
tiie Nile to Fouah. 
Rear-admiral fir John Borlafe Warren, with feven fail 
of the line, joined lord Keith on the 22b, off Alexandria, 
alter having chafed the French fquadron under Gan- 
theaume, of which he loft fight in a fog. The fleet now 
tun-lifted of eighteen fhips of the line,, including three 
P T. 
Turkifh men of war under the Capitan Bey, who landed 
5000 troops; and 15,000 more were marching through the 
defert from Jaffa, under the immediate command of the 
grand vizier, to join and co-operate with the Britifli army. 
Major-general Coote was left in command of the troops 
in the pofition before Alexandria, while general Hutch- 
infon proceeded with a detachment of the army in pur- 
fuit of general Lagrange, who had taken a ftrong pofition 
at Elaft, near El Hanied. On the 3d of May, fir Sidney 
Smith arrived in camp from Rofetta. An Arab courier 
alfo arrived the fame day with difpatches from Ofmati 
Bey Tambourgi,.announcing the death of the celebrated 
Mourad Bey. This chief was on his way to join the 
Englifh army, when the plague untimely cut him ofF. 
He was of an open, fincere, and generous, charaiSter. 
When compelled to make peace with the French, he 
avowed that his only reafon for it was his inability 
longer to continue the war. In his previous correfpon- 
dence lie had afiured the Englifh general, that if his army- 
flionld advance towards Cairo, lie would join him, but 1 
obferved, that he dare not make a decifive movement pre- 
vioufly; and in a letter to fir Sidney Smith, he wrote,. 
“ How can I be attached to the French ? Have they not 
deprived me of my fovereignty, my. honour, and revenue ? 
but it is on the Englifh faith alone I 11111ft depend. The 
Turks have no right to my confidence.” Alluding to- 
the hoftility of the Turks againft him, and the unnatural 
inveteracy of people profeffing the fame faith, he beau¬ 
tifully exprefi'es himfelf, “Melancholy is it to reflect, 
that the arrow which has ftuck in the eagle’s wing, was 
an arrow made of an eagle’s feather.” He was feized 
with the plague, wliilft gradually defeending the Nile, 
on the 22d of April, 18.01. Twice in the former part of 
his- life he had been cured of this malady, but his con- 
ftitution was latterly impaired by his anxieties. The 
mamalukes that year had fuffered feverely from the 
plague ; for in Upper Egypt it had raged fo violently, as 
to deftroy fixty thoufand people, and forty thoufand in 
Cairo were attacked with it. On his death-bed Mourad 
charged Ofman Bey Tambourgi, whom he had recom¬ 
mended to Ibrahim Bey as his fucceffor, to attach himfelf 
to the .Englifh. The beys and mamalukes all fincerely 
regretted the death of this extraordinary perfbnage ; and 
when they buried him at Saouaguc, near Tahta, they 
paid the compliment to his valour of breaking his fab re 
into his grave, as an expreffion that, none of them was- 
worthy after him to wear his arms. Mourad Bey had 
fought for his independence as long as there was a prof- 
pedfc of fuccefs ; but, deferted by his allies, and prefled' 
by general Defaix, he had no other alternative than to be 
driven from the whole of his government, or compro- 
mife for a part; and he judicioufly chofe the-moment to 
treat, when his means ftill made his alliance definable to 
the French; but he never was, in heart, reconciled to 
them : his religion and pride forbad the friendfliip, inde¬ 
pendent of other motives. The following anecdote is 
related, as the caufe of his laft perfonal inveteracy againft- 
them. Some French officers of rank affembled at the 
houfe of the wife of Mourad Bey, who was the widow, 
of the great Ali Bey, and who entertained them with all 
the hofpitality flie could pofiibly-manifeft. When they 
retired, (lie prefen-ted the young Beauharnois with a ring 
of confiderable value. A few days aftersvards a contri¬ 
bution was laid on her property, of far greater extent ■ 
than her proportion had previoufly been fixed a-t, and 
much beyond her means to pay. On complaint being, 
made, fhe received for anfwer, “that as it was under- 
ftood (he ftill pofTefled very coftly ornaments,. no mitiga¬ 
tion could be pleaded.” This exadtion appeared to be 
founded on the prefent (lie had fo generoufly, but, as it 
proved, imprudently, given to the relative of Bonaparte, 
with the motive of (hewing honour to that general. As 
fuch it was confidered as the groffeft breach of faith and 
hofpitality, nor could Mourad Bey ever (peak of the tranft. 
adtion without the bittereft expreffions of indignation. 
Denon, 
