39° 
government, will be received at the office 
of the Right Hon. Lord Caftlereach, on 
the 16th infant, for which debentures 
of zool. each, to the amount of one mil- 
lion and a half will be iffued, bearing an 
intereft of sl. per cent. per annum, from 
the 25th of March laft. 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
In the houfe of Commons, in a commit- 
tee on the 31ft of Mareh, Mr. Pitt 
moved that 5,300,cool.. which was the 
amount of the income tax laf year, fhould 
be granted to his Majefty, on the credit of 
the fame tax this year, which tax, however, 
he hoped in future would exceed its firft 
amount. Mr, Pitt then gave notice that 
he fhould move for leave, on Wednefday 
next, to bring a bill to alter and amend 
the Income A&t : thatit was his intention 
to have the billread a firft time pro forma, 
and printed, and to allow full time for its 
confideration before the fecond reading. 
‘The next refolution moved, was, that the 
fum of 1,250,000]. fhould be granted to 
his Majefty, to be iffued on the credit of 
certain duties on exports and imports. 
hele rejolutions were agreed to. 
Major Douglas,. late commander of the 
party of marines on board his Majefty’s 
‘fhip the Tigre, arrived on the 27th of 
March with difpatches from Sir Sidney 
Smith, captain of that fhip, containing an 
account of the capture of the fort of El- 
Arifh, by an advanced body of the army 
of the grand vizier, affifted by a detach- 
ment of marines from his majefty’s fhips, 
under the orders of the major. By this 
account it appears that the grand vizier 
moved from Gaza to El-Arifh on the zoth 
of December lait; and that the French com- 
mander having refufed to capitulate, the 
fort was recounoitred by major Douglas, 
accompanied by lientenant-colonel Brom- 
ley and captain Winter ; that batteries 
were erected on the 24th ind the following 
days, the fire of which was attended with 
complete fuccefs-; and that on the 29th 
in the mornings, the enemy having ceafed 
firing, major Douglas aicended the wall ot 
the fort, by means of a rope which was 
let down for him, and received the {word 
of the French commandant; but that hav- 
ing been found impoffible in the fir mo- 
ment.to reftrain the impetuofity of the 
Turkith troops, 300 of the French garri- 
fon were put to the fword, the remainder 
were faved, and the fick and wounded taken 
care of. 
The extra&t of a ‘letter 0 Lord Nelfon 
from Six William Sidney Smith, captain of 
his majefty’s fhip Tigre, dated off Jaffa 
the’Sth of November 1799, has appeared 
State of Public Affairs in April, 1800. 
‘ bayonets. 
[ May I, 
in the Gazette. The purport of this letter. 
goes to mform his lordthip of the melancho- 
ly death of Patrona Bey, the Turkith vice- 
admiral, who was affaffinated at Cyprus, 
in a mutiny of the Janiffaries on the x 8th 
of O€tober ; the command devolved on 
Seid Ali Bey, who had juft joined him 
with the troops from Conftantinople, com- 
pofing the fecond maritime expedition 
deftined for the recovery of Egypt. As 
foon as their joint exertions had reftored 
order, they proceeded to the mouth of the 
Damietta branch of the Nile to make an 
attack thereon, as combined with the fu- 
preme vizier, in order to draw the atten- 
tion of the enemy that way, and leave his 
highnefs more at liberty to advance with 
the grand army on the fide of the defart. 
The attack began by the Tigre’s boats 
taking poffeffion of a ruined cattle, fituated 
on the eaftern fide of the Bogaz, or en- 
trance of the channel, which the inundation 
of the Nile had infulated from the main 
land, leaving a fordable paflage. The 
Turkith flag difplayed on the tower of this 
caftle was at once the fignal for the Turk- 
ifh gun-boats to advance, and for the 
enemy to open their fire, their neareft poft 
being a redoubt on the main land; with 
thirty-two-pounders, andan eight. pounder 
field-piece mounted thereon, a point blank 
fhot diftant. At length lieutenant Stokes 
was detached with the boats to check a 
body of cavalry advancing along the neck 
of land, in which he fucceeded. This in- 
terchange of fhot continued with little 
intermiffion during the 29th of October till 
the 1ft of November. This delay gave 
time for the enemy to collect a force more 
than double that of the firft divifion 
landed, and to be ready to attack it before 
the return of the boats with the remainder. 
The French advanced to the charge with 
The Turks completely excul- 
pated themfelves from the fufpicion of cow~ 
ardice having been the caufe of their de- 
lay; for, when the enemy were within ten 
yards of them, they rufhed on, fabre in 
hand, and in an inftant completely-routed 
the firft line of the French infantry. The 
impetuofity of Ofman Aga and his troops, 
however, -occafioned them to quit the fta- 
tion affigned them as a corps of referve, 
and to run forward in purfuit of the fugi- 
tives ; European taétics’ were of courfé 
advantageoully employed by the French at 
this critical jun@ture. Their body of re- 
ferve came on in perfeét. order, while a 
chargefof cavalry on the left of the Turks 
put them completely to the rout in their 
turn. At laft the Turks in their confu- 
fion turned a random fire on-the boats, to 
make 
” 
