1903. ] 
‘venty pieces of cannon; and all thefe 
troops were Jed on by European officers. 
Kleber had no more than eight thoufand 
five hundred men, divided amongft feve- 
ral pofts, at Katieh, Salahie, and Belbeys. 
“The remainder of his army was diftribut- 
‘ed in other pofitions, which were of too 
great importance to be neglected. 
General Kleber, impreffed’ with thefe 
difficulties, gave orders to his Plenipo- 
tentiaries not to break off the negotiations, 
‘unilefs fuch articles were propofed as tend- 
ed to endanger the fafety or honour of 
the French name. fis 
On the 4th of Pluyiofe, in the 8th 
year of the Republic; articles of agree- 
ment were figned at El Arifch, in virtue 
‘of which the French army was to retire 
with arms, baggage, and effects, to Alex- 
andria, Rofetta, and Aboukir, and from 
thefe places be embarked for France. 
Thus, then, the total evacuation of 
Egypt by the French troops was deter- 
mined by this treaty ; but fubfequent 
circumftances unfortunately prevented the 
execution of it, 
Already had the provifions, baggage, 
and the greateft part of the ftores, been 
tranfported to Alexandria, where the ut- 
moft activity was ufed in making prepa- 
rations for the embarking of the troops. 
The Ottoman forces had taken poffeffion 
of the fortreffes of Katich, Salahie, Bel. 
beys, and thofe of Upper Egypt, with 
the town of Damietta and Lefbech. Jo- 
feph, Grand Vizir of the Sublime Porte, 
fad led his army to Belbeys, and pofted 
an advanced guard of fix thoufand men 
at El-Hanka, at four miles diftance from 
Cairo: in fhort, the complete evacuation 
of the citadel and works of this capital 
was to have taken place after the expira- 
tion of two days. Pk 
Such was the fituation of the French 
army, when General Kleber received a 
Jetter from Sir Sidney Smith, dated at 
Cyprus ; it gave him to underfand, that 
the Commander in Chief of the Englith 
flect in the Mediterranean had received or- 
ders, which forbade the immediate execu- 
tion of the treaty of El Arifch; that no 
time had been loft in giving him intelli- 
gence of this difficulty, left his ignorance 
of it might induce him to take improper 
fteps. . . 
| After reading this letter, General Kle- 
ber gave immediate prders to ftop the de- 
parture of the ftores, and bring back 
thofe which had already been carried 
away. The troops which were at Rha- 
manie and Rofetta, marched back to Cai- 
Bs aud. couriers wete fent to accelerate 
Biographical Account of General Kleber. 
835 
the movements of thofe in Upper Egypt. 
In fhort, every poflible effort was made 
on this extraordinary cccafion. ; 
General Kleber having potted his army 
near Coubé, addrefltd a proclamation ta 
the troops, to prepare them for the confe. 
‘quences Of this rupture. He fent for 
Muftapha, the Turkifh Commiffioner, 
and declared that he fhould defer, the eva- 
cuation of Cairo, and fhould confider the 
match of the Ottoman army beyond Bel- 
beys as an a&t of holtility. 
The Vizir, without paying any regard 
to the declaration of Kieber, marched his 
army to El-Hanka, and directing his 
van-guatd to Matharieh, at two leagues 
diftance from Cairo, he fixed his advanc- 
ed-pofts in the midft of thofe of the 
French, on the plains of Coubé. 
In the mean time, General’ Kleber re- 
ceived a letter from Lord Keith, dated at 
Minorea, informing him,' that his Lord= 
fhip had received pofitive orders from his 
Britannic Majelty, not to confent to any 
capitulation’ with the French army in 
Egypt and Syria, unlefs they confented to 
lay down’ their arms, furrender them- 
felves as prifoners of war, and abandon the 
whole of their fhipping, ammunition, an 
flores, tothe Ail'ed Powers. i. 
General Kleber ‘communicated the 
contents of this letter to hisarmy, and pre- 
pared for immediate action, with the fol- 
lowing exhortation : ** Soldiers! fuch -a 
letter muft be anfwered by victory :— 
prepare for bartle.”’ 
In vain did Sir Sidney Smith r-prefent 
tothe Grand Vizir, thar a folemn and 
mutual agreement had been made to fuf- 
pend all hoftilicies. The Vizir, who did 
not confider the confequences of arupture, 
rejected ali remonftrance, ard perfiited in 
his intentions, with a promife, neverthe- 
lefs, to grant hoftaces and fubfidies. 
During the conference, the Vizir had 
drawn an additional fupply of artillery 
from El-Arifch ; he increafed the number 
of his troops, ‘already very formidable, 
by embodying the inhabitants of the vil- 
lages, who flocked to his camp with arms 
and ftandards. In the mean time, the 
French troops arrived from Lower Egypt 
and from Said. There was not a moment 
to lofe: the pofition of the two armies was 
fufficient caufe for the commencement of 
hoffilities : the French could not be rein- 
forced, while the enemy received daily 
augmentation of firength. Kleber now 
ordered all negotiation to ceale, and on 
the fame day called a council of war, in» 
which, after fhewing Lord Keith’s letter 
to his general officers, and aan oe 
thena 
j 
