FRANCE. 
pyramids and the grand cataradls with aftonifhing rapidity. 
On the 14th the frigate arrived at Bogaz from Damietta: 
I immediately fet out for Acre, at which place I arrived 
on the 19th. 
The 20th of November, in the morning, I difpatched 
citizens Joubert and Legrange to Djezzar pacha, with a 
letter, in which I dated to him, that peace being con¬ 
cluded between France and the Porte, the relations of 
commerce (liould be re-eftablifhed on the footing they 
flood before the war, and that I was charged by the firft 
conftil to confer with him on thefe objects. I begged of 
him to anfwer me in w’riting, if he was inclined to treat 
with me. In fome hours the melTengers returned : Djez¬ 
zar had received them coldly. He exprelled his defire to 
fee me perfonally, but was unwilling to write. Every 
body advifed me not to fee him, without an affurance 
written by himfelf; this he appeared unwilling to give ; 
but, notwithftanding this cautionary advice, and hisobfti- 
uate refufal to write, I determined to repair myfelf imme¬ 
diately to Acre. I repaired to the houfe of the commif- 
fary of the Seven Illes. Very foon after, the dragoman 
of the pacha, informed of my arrival, came to condudl me 
to the pacha, who received me in an apartment where he 
was unattended, and which was without any other furni¬ 
ture than a carpet. He had, on one fide of him a piftol 
with four barrels, a fmall air-gun, a fabre, and a hatchet. 
After inquiring as to my health, he afked me, whether I 
was not perfuaded that our end is pre-ordained in heaven, 
and that nothing could change our defliny. I anfwered, 
that I believed, as he did, in predeflination. He conti¬ 
nued to fpeak for fome time on that fubjeft. I perceiv¬ 
ed, however, that he affe&ed a degree of fimplicity, but 
that, at the fame time, he wifhed to pafs for a man of wit, 
as well as for a juft man. He repeated feveral times, “ It 
is faid that Djezzar is barbarous: this is falfe ; he is but 
juft and fevere. Requeft of the firft conful, not to fend 
me, as commifTary of commercial relations, a lame or a 
blind man ; becanfe many perfons would be fure to fay, 
that Djezzar had made him fo.” Soon after he faid, “ I 
defire that the commifTary you may fend ftiall refide at 
Seide, as that is the moll commercial part in my domi¬ 
nions; befides, it is not neceffary he ftionld refide here, 
where I (hall be myfelf the French commifTary, and fhall 
take care that your countrymen be well received. I 
highly efteem the French. In ftature, Bonaparte is fmall, 
but he is neverthelefs the greateft of mankind. I know 
that he is greatly regretted at Cairo, where they with to 
fee him again.” I made a few obfervations on the peace 
between France and the Porte; to which he anfwered, 
“ Do you know why 1 have thus received and feel fo much 
pleafure at feeing you ? It is becaufe you come unautho- 
rifed by a Jirman , and without any orders from the divan. 
I have the greateft contempt for its blind vizier. They 
fay that Djezzar is a Bofnian, a man of ftraw, and cruel 
to excefs ; but, neverthelefs, I can ftand the ordeal. I 
was once poor. My father had nothing to bequeath me 
but courage. I have achieved my own elevation by dint 
of exertion. This, however, does not make me proud, 
and Djezzar, perhaps, will foon finifli his career ; not 
that he is old, aS his enemies report, (he then performed 
fome of the manoeuvres of the Mamelukes, in their mode 
of rifing their arms, &c. which he really executed with 
furprifingadroitnefs and agility,) but becaufe, molt likely, 
God will have it fo. The king of France, once fo power¬ 
ful, has perilhed. Nebuchadnezzar, the greateft of all 
kings, was, when his time was come, killed by a fly, &c.” 
He made feveral other obfervations in this ftrain, and 
afterwards fpoke of the motives which induced him to 
make war upon the French army : from the whole of his 
demeanour it could be eafily feen, that he wifhed to be on 
good terms with the firft conful, and that he ftifled his 
refentments. The following is the apologue, which he 
ufed to demonftrate the caufes of his refiftance. “ A black 
flave,” he faid, “ after a long journey, in which he had 
fuft'ered the greateft privations, arrived at a little field of 
655 
fugar canes; he flopped therein, and indulged himfelf 
in partaking of the delicious liquor they afforded ; and, 
at length, was determined to remain on the fpot. Very 
foon after, two travellers, who had*followed him, came 
up. The firft faid to him, Salamalle (the mode of wifh- 
ing health). ‘ The devil take it,’ anfwered the black. 
The fecond traveller then approached, and inquired why 
he had anfwered in fuch a way to fo good a wifh. * I 
had very good reafon for it,’ replied he : ‘ if I had an¬ 
fwered in a friendly manner, the man would have enter, 
ed into converfation with me, and afterwards fat down 
befide me ; he would have partaken of my refrefhments, 
and finding them defirable, would have endeavoured to 
obtain exclufive pofTeflion.” I recommended to the fa¬ 
vourable attention of Djezzar, the Chriftians and the 
convents at Nazareth and Jerufalem ; he allured me that 
he would treat them with much regard. I did not forget 
the Mutuales, and received the fame affurance in their 
behalf. Djezzar frequently obferved to me, that his 
word was, with him, more facred than treaties. Our 
converfation was interrupted for fome moments by a kind 
of military mulic, which he performed in a very agree¬ 
able ftvle. The palace of Djezzar is built with much 
tafte and elegance ; but, in order to arrive at the apart¬ 
ments, a number of turnings are neceliary. At the foot 
of the ftaircafe, however, is fituated a prifon, the gate of 
which is allowed to be open from noon till evening. I 
faw a number of the unfortunate inhabitants. In the 
courts 1 obferved twelve field pieces well mounted, and 
in admirable order. Never did I encounter a fight more 
hideous or repulfive than that of the minifterof Djezzar, 
whom I met in going out. The pacha had caufed one of 
his eyeslo be put out, and his nofi? and ears to be cut off. 
I faw in the town more than a hundred individuals in the 
fame ftate. On beholding the domeftics of Djezzar, and 
even the inhabitants of Acre, one would imagine himfelf 
in the reforts of brigands ready to affaflinate. This mon- 
fter has imprinted the mark of his atrocious charadfer 
upon every thing within the limits of his power. I had 
an opportunity of feeing, while at Acre, the procurateur 
of the Propaganda, as well as that of the Holy Land. Of 
the former, and of the commiiTary of the Seven Hies, I 
collected fome information concerning the prefent ftate of 
Syria, and the fortifications of Acre, of which I had feen 
but a part; I was not (offered to vifit them. The pro¬ 
curateur of the Holy Land is grateful to the firft conful 
for the protection he had afforded the monks. He affured 
me that' my recommendation to Djezzar would be very 
ufeful. Tie hinted tome Djezzar’s earned wifhes to be 
on good terms with the firft conful. It is certain that the 
former behaved very well to the crew of a Fiench veffel 
which put into Acre fhortly before my arrival. Djezzar 
occupies all Paleftine, w ith the exception of Jaffa, where 
Aboumarak Pacha has been befieged nearly five months 
by a force of nine thoufand men. This operation pre¬ 
vents Djezzar from carrying on hoftilities with the defired 
vigour againft the emir of the Drules, w ho, for the fpace 
of a year, had paid him no tribute. Tripoli is tranquil 
at prefent; it is different at Aleppo, whence the pacha 
has been driven. Damalcus is in open rebellion againft 
the Porte: not only has the pacha of the divan been 
expelled, but the aga, who commanded the citadel for 
the Turks, has been delivered up by the foldiers to the 
infurgents, who have decapitated him. Tripoli is now 
under a rebellious .pacha, who is a creature of Djezzar; 
who has lately ordered him to protect the pilgrims from 
Mecca. In a word, all Syria is with Djezzar, and the 
Ottomans are as much detefted here as in Egypt. The 
Mutuales live peaceably in their villages ; they have, 
however, been obliged to retire from the borders of the 
Tea. Aboumarak is now at the laft extremity : this man 
is equally inconfiderate and cruel, and is furpaffed only 
by Djezzar. The Chriftians are even more in dread of 
him, and tremble for their future fituation. The monks 
of the convent of Jaffa have withdrawn to Jerufalem. 
The 
