336 A L I 
ties to which they were fubjecled in that barbarous coun¬ 
try. He alfo wrote a letter to the republic of Venice, 
with the greateft a durances of his friend (hip, and that their 
merchants fliould meet with every degree of protection and 
jafety. His great defign was laid to be, to make himfelf 
mafter of the Red Sea; to open,the port of Suez to all 
nations, but particularly to the Europeans, and to render 
Egypt once more the great centre of commerce. The 
conduit and views of Ali Bey (hewed an extent of thought 
and ability that indicated nothing - of the barbarian, and 
befpoke a mind equal to the founding of an empire : but 
he was not finally fuccefsful. He was, however, forfome 
time extremely fortunate; he aflumed the titles and Hate 
of the ancient fultans of Egypt, and was ably fupported 
by Sheick Daher, and fome other Arabian princes, who 
warmly efpoufed his interefts. He alfo fucceeded in alrnoft 
all his enterprifes againlt the neighbouring Afiatic go¬ 
vernors and bafhaws, whom h.e repeatedly defeated ; but 
he was afterwards deprived of the kingdom of Egypt by 
the bafe and ungrateful conduit of his brother-in-law, 
Mahomed Bey Aboudaab, his troops- being totally de¬ 
feated on the 7th of March, 1773, and himfelf wounded 
and taken prifoner. He died of his wounds, in the forty- 
fifth year of his age, and was buried at Grand Cairo. 
ALJAMEl'A, a name which the Morifcoesdn Spain 
give to the language of the Spaniards. Among other 
articles agreed on by the junto, w hich was appointed by 
the emperor Charles V. in 1526, this was one, That the 
Morifcoes fhould no longer fpeak A/gavareia, i. e. “ Moor¬ 
ish or Arabic;” but fhould all fpeak Aljameia , i.e. “ Spa¬ 
nish,” as it was called by the Moors, and all their writings 
and contrails fhould be in that language. 
A'LIAS, adv. A Latin word fignifying otlinwife. —In 
law, it is a fecond or further writ, after a former w rit has 
been fued out without effeil: “ We command you as w e 
formerly have commanded you,” Jicut alias pracipimus. 
Alias Dictus is ufed in the defcription of a defend¬ 
ant, where his true name is not certainly known. 
A'LIBI, qdv. [Lat.] In law, denotes the abfence of the 
accufed from the place where he is charged with having 
committed a crime; or his being elfewhere, as the word 
imports, at the time fpecified. 
A'LIBLE, adj. [alibilis, Lat.] Nutritivej nourifhing; 
or that which may be nourifhed. 
A'LICANT, a large fea-port town in the province of 
Valencia and'territory of Segura. It is feated between 
the mountains and the fea, and the port is defended by 
three baflions furnifhed with artillery. To prevent the 
vifits of the Algerine pirates, watch-towers were built to 
give notice of the approach of an enemy’s fhip. It was 
taken by the Englifli in 1706, and Held out a liege of two 
years before it was retaken by the French and Spaniards. 
It was garrifoned by only two regiments, under the 
command of major-general Richards. The city held out 
for a confiderable time againft a large train of heavy ar¬ 
tillery, which was well ferved, but at length the garrifon 
was compelled to retire into the caflle, which had been 
deemed impregnable, until the bravery of Englifli failors 
maftered it in the year 1706. Here they funk three cif- 
terns, and then, with incredible labour, filled them with 
water. The French carried on the liege with vigour, but 
found it impoflible to make any impreflion on a place which 
both art and nature had joined in fecuring. Still how¬ 
ever determined not to relinquifh their dellgn, they re- 
folved to attempt mining through the folid rock, in order 
'at once to blow up the caftle and garrifon into the air. 
The befieged were not at all alarmed at this undertaking, 
which they confidered as utterly impracticable. It even 
fupplied them with frelh hopes, as they bejieved it would 
retard the operations of the liege until a Brltilh fleet 
fhould arrive to their fuccour. Encouraged by thele 
profpefts, they beftirred themfelves in annoying the work¬ 
men, and retarding their progrefs. The befiegers how¬ 
ever wrought inceffantly, and in three months fuch a fif- 
fore v as made in the rock as their molt experienced en- 
A L I 
gineers pronounced equal to the tremendous purpofe for 
which it had been hewn. One thoufand five- hundred 
barrels of powder were depolited therein, together with 
beams, iron bars, and crows, which, by flopping the ex - 
panfion ot the powder when fired, might render the con- 
cuflion more violent. On the 20th of March, 1709, the 
garrifon was fummoned to furrender, and the molt folemn 
aflurances given them of being fafely efcorted to Barce¬ 
lona, and their baggage and effects fecured to them, if 
they furrendered in three days; the ruin that awaited them 
in cafe of an obltinate rejection of the terms propofed was 
likewife reprefented in ail its force. 
A general council of war was now called, to deliberate 
on the proper lfep to be taken at this crifis of their fate; 
and they unanimoufly refolved to commit themfelves to 
the providence of God, and defend the place. This re- 
folution was communicated to the French commander, 
who two nights after again fent a flag, and endeavoured 
to divert the Englifli from their defperate purpofe, offer¬ 
ing the fame honourable terms of capitulation as had been 
before tendered: but all in vain. The third night ap¬ 
proached, when the French fent their third and laft futr.- 
mons, and with it an afllirance, that their mine was pri¬ 
med, and fliould be fprung by fix o’clock the next mora- 
ing. They remonflrated againft the fatal obftinacy which 
caufed them wilfully to feek their own deftruction ; ftiil 
offering them the former terms of furrender : but no¬ 
thing could (hake the fteady purpofe of tliefe determined 
men. At five o’clock the next morning, as a prelude to 
this direful ftroke, all the inhabitants of that quarter were 
ordered to quit their habitations. The befieged during 
the night had kept a general guard, and employed the 
time in religious exercifes. Major-general Richards, co¬ 
lonel Sibourg, and lieutenant-colonel Tliornicroft of Sir 
Charles Hotham’s regiment, fat together in the governor’s 
ufual lodging-room; other officers cantoned themfelves 
as their tempers inclined, to pafs the dreary and prefa- 
ging night. 
At length, day appearing, the inhabitants were feen 
flying in crowds to the weftermoff part of the town. The 
general, attended by the principal officers, went to the 
weft battery, to gain fuller information. After he had 
remained there about a quarter of an hour, lieutenant- 
colonel Tliornicroft defired him to remove from fo dan¬ 
gerous a fpot; but he and colonel Sibourg both anfwered, 
that no danger was to be apprehended there, more than in 
any other place ; and that there they would wait the event. 
The lieutenant-colonel, refolving to ffiare the fate of his 
fuperiors, continued with them, as did other officers from 
the fame motive: but the hour of five being now confi- 
derably pall, the corporal’s guard cried out, that the train 
was fired, obferving fome fmoke from the lighted match¬ 
es, and other combuftible matter near it, from whence 
the fame amended to the centinels above. The genera! 
and field officers were then urged to retreat, but refufed. 
The mine at laft blew up; the rock opened and (hut; the 
whole mountain felt the convulfion ; the general and field 
officers with their company, ten guns, and two mortars, 
were buried in the abyfs; the walls of the caftle ftrook, 
part of the great ciflern fell, another ciftern almoft clofed, 
and the rock fhut a man to his neck in its clift, who lived 
many hours in that agonizing pofture. About thirty-fix 
centinels, and women, were fwallowed up in different 
quarters, whofe dying groans were heard, fome of them 
four days after the melancholy cataftrophe. Many houfes 
of the town were overwhelmed in their ruins, and the 
caftle fuffered greatly; but was laved from total deftruc¬ 
tion by the vent which the explofion forced through the 
veins of the rock. After the lofs of major-general Rich¬ 
ards, the command devolved on lieutenant-colonel Dal- 
beaume, of Sibourg’s regiment, who drew out a detach¬ 
ment of the whole garrifon, and with it made a defperate 
Tally, to fliew that they were not appalled by this convul. 
five ffiock. The bombs from the caftle played on the town 
more violently, and the (hot galled every corner of thes- 
ftreets; 
