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in a negociation for peace between the emperor and the French republic, Mr. Otto, the French commiflary, or agent for the exchange of prifoners in England, was authorized to demand an explanation of the propofals of the court of London, and to request that a truce fhould immediately be concluded between the French and British forces, by fea and land. The British government declared its readinefs to fend a plenipotentiary to any place that might be appointed for a congrefs; but, intimated at the fame time, that an armistice with regard to naval operations had at no time been adjusted between Britain and France, during a negoeiation for peace, or before preliminaries had been figned. That it could not, therefore, be confidered as a step neceffary to negociation; and, that from the difputes to which it might give rife, it might even obftruct rather than promote a pacification. Mr. Otto answered, that France would infift on a truce with Great Britain, and that, indeed, the continuance of the German armiftice would depend on the conclufion of a fimilar agreement with the English, as the advantages, that might be derived from the latter, would form an equivalent to the French for the obvious difadvantages of the truce with Auftria. He afterwards prefented a sketch for an armistice, importing, that the fhips of Great Britain and France fhould enjoy a freedom of naviga-, tion as before the war: that Belleifle, Malta, and Alexandria, fhould be in a fimilar predicament with m, Philipsburg, and Ingolstadt, at, accordingly, all French and veffels fhould be permitted

to fupply each garrifon with provi fions and ftores; and, that the fquadrons which formed the blockade of Flashing, Breft, Cadiz, and Toulon, fhould return into their own harbours, or at least retire from the refpective coafts. This plan, or in the language of the French, projet, was objected to by the British government, as repugnant to the obvious and established principle of an armiftice, by which neither party ought to acquire frefl advantages, or new means of annoying the enemy. Lord Grenville, the British fecretary for foreign affairs, then offered a counter-fketch, more nearly correfponding with that principle of equality, on which alone his fovereign would confent to treat. It prohibited all means of defence from being conveyed into the island of Malta, or any of the parts of Egypt, but allowed the neceffaries of life to be introduced from time to time: it provided for the difcontinuance of the blockade at Breft, Toulon, and other French ports, but tended to prevent all naval or military ftores from being conveyed thither by fea; and the fhips of war, in thofe ports, from being removed to any other ftation. The French government, not fatisfied with thefe propofitions, offered this alternative: If Great Britain would agree to a feparate negociation, her fcheme would be adopted. But, if the should infift on a general négociation, the French projet must be accepted. Lord Grenville infifted on the terms that had been already offered by Great Britain. Mr. Otto now delivered a fecond projet: by which, among other alterations, fmall fhips of war were to be allowed to go out of the

French

French ports, and fix frigates were to be permitted to fail to Egypt, difcharge their cargoes at Alexandria, and return without being fearched. After a fruitlefs conference on this new plan, Mr. Otto, on the fifth of October, intimated, that as fome important events had completely changed the ground on which the propofed truce was to have been established, the general negociation was at an end: but, he added, that the firft conful was difpofed to receive any overtures for a feparate treaty with Great Britain: to which propofal the British government, true to their ally, gave a decided negative.

In the mean time that inland, on the fituation of which the negocia tion fo much turned, had fallen into the hands of Great Britain. Brigadier-general Graham had for fome me fuperintended the blockade of La Velette, the chief fortress of Malta; but, its conqueft was not completed before major-general Pigot landed with a reinforcement. Provifions being very fearce, two frigates failed out of the harbour, on the twenty-fourth of Augufi, with a part of the garriton, and one of them foon became a prize to the English. Vaubois, the governor, alarmed at increasing difficulties, called a council of war, in which it was determined, that as only. hread remained for the fupport of the garrifon, which had no hope of fuccour, no dilgrace could be incurred by a furrender. A capituLation was figned on the fifteenth of September, allowing the conveyance of the French troops, as prikoners of war, to Marlilies, and providing for the protection and tecurity of the inhabitants of all dekriptions. Thus, after a blockade

of two years, the English obtained poffeffion of an ifland, happily fituated, having a fpacious harbour,. ftrong by nature and art, and of vast importance to Great Britain, whe ther as giving her the command of. the Mediterranean, in time of war, or as the means of exchange, tending to peace. About this time Curaçao alfo, an inland fituated near the continent of South America, was furrendered by the Dutch to the English, as Surinam also had been, the year before, for temporary occupancy, rather, as they underftood the matter, than permanent poffeffion.

On the fifth of October, the Britifh fleet, from the Mediterranean, confifting of twenty-two fail of the line, twenty-feven frigates, and tenfinaller veflels of war, with eighty-, four tranfports, having on board about twenty thousand men, ap-peared off Cadiz. The fleet, under the command of lord Keith; the land-forces under that of fic Ralph Abercromby, appeared before Cadiz, where an epedimic difeafe raged with great violence. The governor-general, Thomas de Morla, fent a letter to the English admiral, ftating to him the fituation of the inhabitants, and the univerfal odium which must attend an attack on the city, in fuch circumftances. The Don's letter is not unworthy to be inferted here at full length: "To the English admiral-The af-. fiction which carries off, in this city and its environs, thousands of victims, and which threatens not to fufpend its ravages till it has cut off all who have hitherto elcaped, being calculated to excite compaflion, it is with furprize that I fee the fquadron, under the command of your. excellency, come to augment the. [P 41 confternation

confternation of the inhabitants. I
have too exalted an opinion of the
humanity of the English people,
and of yours in particular, to think
that you would wish to render our
condition more deplorable. How-
ever, if, in conlequence of the or-
ders your excellency has received,
you are inclined to draw down upon
yourself the execration of all na-
tions, to cover yourself with dif-
grace in the eyes of the whole uni-
verfe, by oppreffing the unfortu-
nate, and attacking thofe who are
fuppofed to be incapable of de-
fence, I declare to you, that the
garrifon under my orders, accuf-
tomed to behold death with a ferene
countenance, and to brave dangers
much greater than all the perils of
war, know how to make resistance,
which fhall not terminate but with
their entire deftruction. I hope
that the answer of your excellency
will inform me, whether I am to
fpeak the language of confolation to
the unfortunate inhabitants, or whe-
ther I am to rouze them to indigna-
tion and revenge.
"May God preferve your ex-
cellency.
oa. 5, 1800.

"Thomas de Morla."

defence of the place, the danger of infection being alfo taken into confideration, the British armament withdrew from Cadiz.

The importance of thefe alertes; on the French and Spanish coafts, it ought to be observed in justice to thofe who planned, and those who conducted them, is not to be meafured by the damage done to the enemy only, but by the divifion and diverfion, thereby occafioned, of his forces.

We return to the Mediterranean and the principal theatre of the contest there, Egypt: but, in our way, we may take notice of as great a political fingularity, as any to be found among all the revolutions and changes that marked the conclufion of the eighteenth century. A new commonwealth was established, confifting of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, and the other Ex-venetian islands near the coaft of Greece. It was

It

ftyled the Ionian republic.
was, like Ragufa, to pay a mo-
derate tribute to the Porte; and
its independence was guaranteed
both by the Turks and Rufhans.

The victory of Buonaparte, at Aboukir, where nine thousand Turks were flain,* did not retard, for an inftant,either the preparations or the march of the grand vizier from Damafcus. The Turkish army, at Aboukir, was only a detachment from a much larger force, which drew nearer and nearer the Delta, and alarmed the French for the fecurity of Brulos and Damietta. On the twenty-fourth of September, eighteen Turkifh fhips anchored before this laft place, and they were fucceffively augmented, by the end of October to fifty-three. This fleet was commanded by fir Sidney Smith, on board the Tygre. The See Volume XL. 1798.

To this letter the British admiral and general replied, that as the fhips in the port were to be employed in joining and increafing the naval force of the French republic, and prolonging the calamities of Europe, an attack was to be averted only by a furrender of thofe veffels. This propofal being rejected by the governor, with indignation, the British general began to make arrangements for a defcent; but, when it was found that the precautions of the enemy, and the ftrength of the works were adequate to the

coaft

coaft was founded; the pass to Da mietta was marked by buoys and gun-boats, and gun-boats were planted acrofs the line of entrance. The Turkith army took poffeffion of a tower at the mouth of the Nile, and formed it into a poft, defended with a piece of artillery. Thus protected, the army amounting to four thousand men, made good its landing, the first of November, and began to entrench themselves on the point, fituated between the right ide of the Nile, the fea, and the lake Menzala.

Buonaparte, perceiving from the movements of the grand vizier's army, as well as thofe of Mourad Bey, had, about the middle of Auguft, 1799, immediately before his departure from Egypt, difpatched a force, not lefs than fifty thoufand ftrong, under general Deffaix; of which fix thousand feven hundred were French infantry and cavalry, towards the Syrian coast, to observe and oppofe them.

The Turks had no fooner eftablifhed themselves in the poft juft mentioned, than general Verdier, who was encamped between Lefbe, and the coaft, marched againft them with the detachment, under his command, of one thousand French, without waiting for any reinforcement from the main army, attacked, and destroyed three thoufand, and made eight hundred pri. foners, among whom was Ifmael Bey, the fecond in command; and took thirty-two ftand of colours, and five pieces of artillery. This divifion made part of an army of eight thoufand Janiffaries, which had failed from Conftantinople. The veffels remained fometime longer on the coaft, which they were at laft obliged to quit, on account of bad weather. The French continued

1

their preparations against a more numerous and formidable army, which was about to pour on them across the deferts of Syria.

While the Turks were engaged in attempts to expel the French from Egypt, the grand fignior concluded a treaty with the British monarch: the principal article of which was, that the Turks fhould continue the war against the French republic, even after the recovery of Egypt. Towards the end of November, an attack was made on the French poft, at the mouth of the Damietta branch of the Nile, by Seyd Ali, at the head of a Turki detachment, and by fir Sidney Smith, The Turks who with the fleet. landed, foon routed, by their impetuofity, the first line of the French; but the remaining force of the ene my changed the fcene, and repelled the Mahomedans, of whom two or made thousand were killed, prifoners.

Near the close of 1799, the grand vizier, whole army had refted for fome time at Gaza, having crofled the defert, formed the fiege of El Arish. It was conducted by major Douglas, and other British officers: and the fort was taken by ftorm, on the twen ty-ninth of December. Three hundred of the defenders were put to the fword, by the brutal fury of the aflailants, after the French had laid down their arms. Buonaparte, fen fible that fuch a lofs as that which had been fuftained at Aboukir, was but trifling to a great nation, and. whofe pride and intereft were equally wounded by the invafion of the fineft province in their empire, difpatched a letter to the grand vizier, fraught with fentiments of conciliation, and expreflive of a ftrong defire of peace. This letter, written at the moment of victory,

the

the most proper, undoubtedly, for making peace, was fent by the hands of an effendi, made prifoner at Aboukir: "Alas, faid Buonaparte, why do the fublime Porte, and the French republic, after having been friends for fo many years, now find themselves at war? Is it because the boundaries of the two ftates are to diftant from each other that they fight? Is it because the courts of Germany and Ruffia border on the territories of the fublime Porte, that they have united themselves with it? Your excellency cannot be ignorant that the French nation, without exception, is extremely attached to the fublime Porte. Endowed, as your excellency is, with the most diftinguished talents, and acquainted with the real interefts of courts, can it have efcaped you, that the Ruffians and Auftrians have confpired, once for all, against the fublime Porte, and that the French, on the contrary, are ufing every poffible effort to counteract their wicked defigns? Your excellency knows that the Ruffians are the enemies of the Muffulman faith, and that Paul the Firft, emperor of Ruffia, as grand mafter of Malta, that is to fay, chief knight, has folemnly fwore enmity to the Muflulmen. The French have abolished the order of Malta, given liberty to the Mahometan prifoners detained there, and have the fame belief as themlelves, that • There is no God but the true God.' It is then very ftrarge, that the fublime Porte fhould declare war on the French, its real and fincere friends; and contract alliances with the Rufand Germans, its declared,

the French were neceffaefect of the Meffiah, they

were the friends of the fublime Porte; now, that they are, as it were, united by the fame religion, that power declares war against them! The courts of England and Ruffia have led the fublime Porte into an error. We had informed it. by letters, of our intended expedition into Arabia; but thofe courts found means to intercept and conceal our papers; and, as if I had not proved to the fublime Porte that the French republic, far from withing to deprive it of its domains, had not even the fmalleft intention of making war on it; his moft glorious majefty, fultan Selim, gave credit to the English, and conceived an averfion for the French, his ancient friends. Is not the kind treatment the fhips of war and merchantmen belonging to the fublime Porte, in the different ports of Arabia, experienced at my hands, a fufficient proof of the extreme defire and love, of the French republic, for peace and amity?. The fublime Porte, without waiting for the arrival of the French minifter, Defcorches, who had already left France for Conftantinople, and, without inquiring what were the motives of my conduct, declared war against the French, with the most unaccountable precipitation. Although I was informed of this war, I difpatched Beauchamp, conful of the republic, in the Caravel, in full coofience of terminating it; and while I was expecting the anfwer of the tublime Porte, by the fame conveyance, I found that he had been thrown into prifon: and Turkish troops difpatched to Gaza, with orders to take poffeffion of Arabia.

"Upon this I thought it more advifeable to make war there than in the territory of Egypt; and Ỉ

was

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