FRA 
8.56 
The lift of November I quitted Acre. As the winds'were 
unfavourable to a voyage to Jaffa, I fet fail for Zante, 
where I arrived the 4th of December. I landed the 
fame day, but the (hip’s company were put under quaran¬ 
tine. I repaired to the houfe of the French commiffary, 
efcorted by the officers of health. I foon learned that 
the ifle and the republic were fplit into different parties, 
and that even the tranquillity of the place was threatened. 
I affembled the members of the conftituted authorities, 
ynd the principal perfons of the town, at the houfe of 
the governor M. de Califhirode. After having repre- 
fented to them the intereft which the firft conful took in 
their welfare, I induced them to lay afide that fpirit of 
party which diftradted them, and to wait without paffion, 
and in (Hence, the new conftitution. Thefe few words 
were received with enthufiafm, and all of them exclaim¬ 
ed, “ France for ever! Bonaparte for ever!” Thefe 
cries were reiterated on my going out by more than four 
thoufand men, who followed me to the door. The go¬ 
vernor and the Ruffian commandant were alarmed at it; 
and I learned by the French commiffary on the following 
day, that two of the leading men were fent to prifon, but 
that, on his felicitations, and fearful of my reproaches, 
they were fet at liberty in the courfe of the night. I went 
to the Concierget ie, and had the governor brought there. 
I fpoke to him llrongly on the irregularity of his conduit: 
he was alarmed, and promifed that he would look upon 
thofe who cried out, “ Live the firff conful!” as good ci¬ 
tizens, and ffioitld in future treat them as fuch. As he 
fent, in the courfe of the night, a courier to his govern¬ 
ment, and I had reafon to believe he had made a wrong 
report, I immediately wrote to the charge d’affaires of 
the republic at Corfu, to inform him what had palfed, 
and that I was fetting oft' for Medina. I do not ftray 
from the truth in affuring you, that the iffands of the 
Ionian fea will declare themfelves French as foon as an op¬ 
portunity ftiall offer itfelf. 
Englifh army in Egypt .—That army, commanded by 
general Stuart, confilts of 4430 men. They wholly and 
exclu lively occupy Alexandria and the neighbouring forts. 
The Turks, who formed the garrifon of fonte of thefe 
forts, have been removed. Lately the Englifh general 
has occupied Demanhour with one hundred infantry and 
one hundred horfe, under the pretext of curbing the 
Arabs. The Englifh have made no neceffary works for 
the maintenance of the forts ; the palifades are almoft en¬ 
tirely deftroyed, and the branches occafioned by the rains 
have very much damaged all the new fortifications. They 
occupy none of the works which are beyond the line of 
the Arabs, and all the redoubts which exifted at the de¬ 
parture of tb.e French army are dellroyed. The pacha of 
Cairo furnilhes to the Erigliffi army corn, rice, wood, and 
provifions, without any payment. The confumption is 
treble what it (hould be: tlrey commit great wafte. A 
great mifunderftanding reigns between general Stuart and 
the pacha.—State of the army: 
Dillon’s regiment—emigrants.450 
Britilh chalfeurs—ditto.550 
Role’s regiment—Swifs.600 
Wetteville’s regiment—ditto.680 
The 10th regiment of infantry—Englifh .... 600 
The 6 iff regiment of infantry—ditto.650 
The 8 8th regiment of infantry—ditto .... 400 
Dragoons of the 26th light—ditto.350 
Artillery—ditto.150 
Total 4430 
The Turkifn army. —Muhammed, pacha of Cairo, who 
has taken, it is not known why, the title of viceroy of 
Egypt, does not command the troops in perfon. Muham¬ 
med Aly-Serr-Cherfme, who had the command fince.my 
arrival, was killed before Gaza ; they are now under the 
orders of Jufl'ef Kiabia. Tair is pacha of the Arnaoutes, 
who compofe the greateft part of this army, amounting 
to about 16,000 men. They from time to time receive 
N C E. 
reinforcements. Chourchid-Ahmed, a pacha of two tails, 
is at Alexandria with fix hundred men, who occupy no 
fortification. This pacha is, as one may fay, a prifoner 
with the Englifh. The Turkifh army cor.fiIts of 7640 
men, and that of the Arnaoutes of 8300, making a whole 
of 16,140. It is ufelefs to add, that this is nor an army ; 
they are men ill-armed, without difcipline, without con¬ 
fidence in their chiefs, and enervated by exceffive de¬ 
bauchery. The chiefs are in every thing like their 
foldiers; ignorant even of the firft principles of the mili¬ 
tary art : and uniformly actuated by the love of wealth, 
they think of nothing but of obtaining it, and of finding 
the means of carrying it off in fafety. Six thoufand 
French would at prelent be enough to conquer Egypt. 
Army of the Mamelukes .—The army of the Beys is com- 
pofed of three thoufand Mamelukes, of 3300 Arabs ot 
the tribe of Ababde of Chark, and of 3300 of the tribe 
of Binialy. Muhammed Bey Elfy married the daughter 
of the cheik of the firft, and Maarzouk Bey, fon of Ibra¬ 
him Bey, the daughter of the cheik of the tribe ot Binialy. 
The power in this army is divided between Ibrahim Bey, 
who is the chief, Elfy Bey and Ofman Bey, who has fuc- 
ceeded Murad Bey. Their head-quarters are at Djerge. 
They have eighty French deferters, which form a (mall 
corps of artillery. To the prefent time, they have beat 
the Turks in every aftion, and the Egyptians prefer them 
to the Ofmanlis. The whole of Upper Egypt has lub- 
mitted to them. 
Syria — Acre .—The body of this place has been repair¬ 
ed ; the port has been covered with a fmall horned work, 
and the tower of the angle by a half-moon. They have 
likewife made a fmall fleche, in front of the palace ot {he 
pacha. All the works are well kept. The weakeft part 
is that towards the fea, and particularly the point which 
defends the entrance of the port. The forces of Djezzar 
are at prefent thirteen or fourteen thoufand men, of which 
nine thoufand are employed at the fiege of Jaffa. Jeru- 
falem and Nazareth are occupied by the troops of the 
pacha of Acre. The Naplouiians ferve againft Abou- 
marak.— Jaffa. The vizier, after the taking of Egypt, 
caufed the body of the place to be re-conltru6ted, which 
is at prefent in a very good (fate. Aboumarak, pacha of 
Paleftine, who defends this place, has a garrifon ot four 
thoufand men. Gaza is occupied by four hundred troops 
of Aboumarak. The emir of the Drufes has refufed to 
Djezzar his annual contribution, and has raifed a refpedta- 
ble armament. The pacha waits till the fall of Jaffa to 
attack him. The Englifh withed to interfere as media¬ 
tors between the emir and Djezzar, but the laft refufed 
their mediation. Th& Porte has, at this moment, little 
connexion with Syria. 
(Signed) Horace Sebastiani. 
Previous to the difeovery of thefe tranfadlions in Egypt 
and Syria, the Englifh government were extremely dif- 
fatisfied with the French troops dill keeping poffeffion of 
Holland ; and alfo with the mealures of coercion and au¬ 
thority affumed by the French government in Svvifier- 
land ; events equally and obvioufly repugnant to the treaty 
of Anfiens. The difputes in Swilferland between the 
Helvetic government, which was entirely in the French 
interefts, and the democratic dates, who infilled on having 
their ancient laws and conftitution rellored, commenced as 
early as the month of April 1802, and affumed a ferious 
afpedJ on the 13th of the following J uly ; when the great 
majority of the cantons formally protefted againft French 
interference, and claimed their rights and privileges, as a 
free people, to reftore to their country their priftine-form 
of government. From this period till the 3d of October 
1802, open warfare fubfifted between the people and the 
Helvetic government, when, in a general action, the infur- 
gents totally defeated the troops of the latter, who were 
obliged precipitately to retreat; to abandon their func¬ 
tions; and they were hefitating whether to retire to Ge¬ 
neva or the territory of Savoy, when the arrival ot a 
French general fufpended their ffight,and promifed them. 
