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name of God, moft merciful and gracious: there is no god, but only one God: he has not any fon or affociate in his kingdom. The moment deftined for chaftifing the beys, long impatiently expected, has now come.

"For a long time, the beys who govern Egypt have infulted the French nation, and oppreffed their merchants with exactions.

"For a long time, this heap of flaves, purchafed in the mountains of Caucafus and Georgia, have tyrannized over the fairest part of the world.

"But God, upon whom all depends, has directed that their empire fhould ceafe.

"Inhabitants of Egypt, when the beys tell you I come to deftroy your religion, believe them not: anfwer them, that I come to refcue the rights of the poor from the hands of their tyrants; and that the French ́refpect, more than the Mammalukes, God, his prophet, and the Koran.

"Tell them that all men are equal in the eyes of God. Underftanding, ingenuity, and fcience alone, make a difference between them; and what wisdom, what talents, what virtues, diftinguish the Mammalukes, that they thould have exclufively all that renders life fweet and pleasant?

"Is there a beautiful woman? fhe belongs to the Mammalukes. Is there a handfome flave, a fine horfe, a fine houfe? they belong to the Mammalukes.

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"Is Egypt their farm? let them fhew the leafe which God has given them. But God is juft and merciful to all his people. All the Egyp tians are entitled to the poffeffion of all places. The wifeft, most enlightened, and moft virtuous, will

govern, and the people will be happy.

You had once great cities, large canals, much trade: who has deftroyed them, but the avarice, injuftice, and tyranny, of the Mammalukes?

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Cadis, cheiks, imans, tcherbadjies, tell the people that we are the friends of true Muffelmen. Did we not destroy the pope, who faw that it was neceffary to make war against the Muflelinen? Did we not deftroy the knights of Malta, because thofe foolish men thought that God wifhed war to be carried on against the Muffelmen? Have we not been, at all times, the friends of the grand feignior, (may God accomplish his withes!) and the foe' of his foes? The Mammalukes, on the contrary, are not they ever revolting against the authority of the grand feignior, whom they ftill refute to acknowledge? Thrice happy thofe who are with us! they fhall profper in their fortune and rank; happy those who are neuter! they will have time to learn, to. know us, and will be with us. But miferable, thrice miferable those who fhall arm for the Mammalukes, and fight against us; there fhall be no hope for them, they shall perifh!

Article I. All places which fhall be three leagues difiant from the route of the French army fhall fend one of their principal inhabitants to the general, to declare that they fubmit, and will hoift the French flag, which is blue, white, and red.

II, Every village which shall arm against the French army thall be burned to the ground.

III. Every village which fhall fubmit to the French fhall hoist the French flag, and that of the Sublime Porte, their ally.

IV. The

IV. The chicks, cadis, and imans, hall continue to exercife their refpective functions: each inhabitant hall remain in his houfe; and prayers fhall continue as ufual: every one fhall return thanks to God for the deftruction of the Mammalukes. Glory to the fultan; glory to the French army, his friend! curfes to the Mammalukes; and happiness to the people of Egypt!"

To the fame effect, but with the brevity of a conqueror, Buonaparte, after he was master of Cairo, addreffed the bafhaw and the people of Cairo. He confirmed, when mafter of Egypt, by means of the fignal victory which his army had gained, his former declaration, to preferve to the bashaw of the grand feignior his revenues and appointment; and begged of him to affure the Porte that it would fuffer no kind of lofs, and that he would take care that it fhould continue to receive the tribute heretofore paid to it.

Buonaparte not only declared himfelf a difciple and friend to Mahomet, but, by means of his emiffaries, as well as no obfcure hints in meffages and letters to different parties of Muflemen, infinuated, that he was acquainted with their inward thoughts and deigns, and endeavoured to propagate a perfuafion that he had been actually and exprefly commiffioned, by the prophet, to refift, repel, and overthrow, the tyranny of the beys, to reform certain errors and abufes, and to promote juftice, mercy, and piety; the great ends of the Mahometan and only religion.

He was careful to pay homage, on every occafion, to the prophet. By his defire, and according to his

example, the French officers and foldiers were in the habit of affifting at the great festivals and ceremonies in honour of the prophet. The whole army took the tone of out, ward refpect for Ifmaulifm.

In a few days after the reduction of Cairo, accompanied by feveral of his principal officers and feveral members of the Egyptian institute, he went to fee the grand pyramid, called Cheops; in the interior of which he was attended by feveral muftis and imans. In a curious and interesting converfation, which took place between himself and thofe religious characters, on this occafion, Buonaparte fuftained his part fo well as to imprefs on their minds, at once, a respect for his own understanding and knowledge, and an idea, at least for a time, that he entertained a respect for the faith of Muffelmen. Having faluted the ftrangers 'and fat down with them, in their manner, on the ground, he faid, "God is great, and his works are marvellous. Here is a great work accomplished by the hands of man. What end had he in view who conftructed this pyramid ? One of the priests anfwered, "It is the work of a great king of Egypt, called Cheops, who wished that his afhes might not be disturbed by facrilegious intrufions." "Cyrus, the Great," replied Buonaparte, "gave orders, that his inanimate body fhould be expofed to the open air, on purpofe that it might be the more cafily and completely diffolyed, and be re-united to the natural elements. Dont you think that he did much better? What think you? one of the muftis bowing his head faid, "Glory to God to whom all glory is due." Buonaparte added, "Honour to Allah," (who was the

caliph that gave orders for the opening of this pyramid, and difturbing the aflies of the dead. The mufti and imans made anfwer, "According to fome, Mahomet, the commander of the faithful, who reigned, many centuries ago, at Bagdad; but, according to others, Haroun al Refchid, who fancied, that he fhould find treasures in it; but when thofe whom he had sent had entered this apartment, as the tradition is, they found nothing but mummies, with the following infcription on the wall, written in letters of gold, "The impious commit iniquity without fear, but not without remorfe." Buonaparte applied a proverb, well known to the perfons with whom he now converfed, "The bread that is taken by vioHence fills the mouth of the robber with gravel."

It was not only in Epypt that Buonaparte laboured to propagate a belief of his attachment to Muffelmen and the Sublime Porte. He fent letters, to this end, to different agents of France, in different parts of the Turkish empire, and one written, in Arabic, to the fhereef of Mecca, to whom he entrusted another to their friend, Tippo Sultan. This letter was received at Judda, early, firft of July, 1799, and thence forwarded to the Holy City. But Buonaparte, who poffeffed much difcernment, was at great pains to study characters, and who varied his tone according to that of the perfons "whom he addreffed, feemed to confider the hierophant of Mecca rather as a political prince, concerned for the profperity of his place and people,

than as a devotee to the religion of Mahomet; he told him, that every thing was quiet at Cairo and Suez, and between thofe places and peace established among the inhabitants; not a fingle Mainmaluke oppreffor, he faid, remained in the country, and the inhabitants, without dread or fear, employed themselves in weaving, cultivating the ground, and other trades, as formerly. The duties on merchandize were now the fame as they were prior to their being raised by the Mammalukes; the merchants had every afiftance granted them and the road between Suez and Cairo was open and fafe. He therefore requested of the fhereef to affure the merchants of his country, that they might bring their goods to Suez and fell them without dread or apprehenfion, and might purchafe, in exchange for them, fuch articles as they might with.

It is impoffible to ascertain the degrees of faith that was repofed in different places, and by different perfons, in the religious profeflions of Buonaparte. Perhaps they were wavering, and different at different times in the fame perfons, The prefence and authority of Buonaparte, and his literary ftaff, if we may borrow a metaphor from arms to arts, as well as military, no doubt, detracted fomewhat from the compliments which were paid to him, and them, by the mufti and imans with whom they met and converfed, as he had done before, with the priests at Rome, on fundry occafions: yet they might probably be imprefied with a temporary convićtion of his fincerity, until they

The ancient Egyptians believed that the foul never wholly forfook the body, while any part of it hung, or was held together.

compared

compared his profeffions with that fpirit of domination, and worldly interest and advantage, which appeared in the tenor of his conduct. A like obfervation may be made on certain teftimonials which were given in favour of the French general, by Muffelmen, and others, particularly a letter from the notables of Cairo, on the arrival of Buonaparte, to the thereef of Mecca, giving an accouut of his refpect for the law of the prophet. There was more fincerity probably in a hymn, compofed by the mufti of the Cophts, and chaunted in the grand mofque of Cairo, on the twenty-third of July, in celebration of the arrival of Buonaparte in that city; who, at the -command and under the protection `of Allah, had come at the head of the brave warriors of the weft, to fuccour the oppreffed, and drive out the beys with their MammaJukes. It is conceived in the moft beautiful ftyle of eaftern fimplicity, and gives no mean idea of either the fentiments of the mufti of the Cophts, or his tafte in compofi

tion.

That the expreffions of refpect for the French general-in-chief were not always voluntary and fincere, were it a matter that needed any proof, would be placed, beyond doubt, by the conduct and fate of Koraim, thereef of Alexandria, who, after wearing fidelity, with the mufti and principal theicks of the city of Alexandria, to the French republic, was convicted of treafon

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able correfpondence with the Mammalukes, and, on the fixth of September, condemned and executed. His head, with a label of his crime, was carried through the fireets. This act of feverity was fitted indeed to infpire terror: but the perfidy of Koraim would eafily be forgiven by Muffelmen, while his death might be followed by the ufual confequences of martyrdom.

The talk undertaken by Buonaparte, to amalgamate the prejudices of the Mahometans with the pretentions of the French, was difficult almoft beyond example, and even more arduous than that of Mahomet. The plan pursued by Mahomet was great, but fimple. The fpirit of it was terror: the inftruments or means of executing it, great and fimple alfo; God, war, and fate. It was a more complicated, and a nicer undertaking to mingle terror with reafoning, the rights of man with the privileges or rather prerogatives of Muffelmen, and the fubmiffion of the followers, to firangers, at beft only dubious friends to the prophet. Of the manner in which Buonaparte fet about to accomplish that defign, fome idea may be formed, from a view of a French feaft at Cairo, on the twenty-third of September, the anniverary of the French_republic.

On the fetting of the fun, September twenty-fecond, the feaft was announced by three falutes of artillery. The commencement of the feaft was proclaimed at fun rifing

* The fignatures of thefe to the declaration of fidelity fhew how natural it is for all religionifts (except, perhaps, the ancient polytheifts) to affect heavenly mindedness and an indifference to the things of this world: the poor Suleiman, mutti of Maliki; the pour Ibrahim cl Boarge, chief of the Sec Hamite; the poor Mahoned el Meffira; the poor Ahmed, The titles beftowed on Chriftian prelates did not arife immediately from fentiments of religion, but from the dignity and confequence accruing to them from fecular poffeffions.

&c.

the

the next morning, by three difcharges from the whole of the artillery; that of all the different divifions of the army; that of the park; and that of the marine, or flotilla, on the Nile. Immediately the generale was beaten through the whole city, and all the troops, in the higheft order, appeared under arms, in the place of Elbecquier. In this place a circle had been traced of two hundred fathoms diameter, of which the circumference was formed by one hundred and five columns, decorated with three-coloured flags, bearing the names of all the departments. Thefe pillars were united by a double row of garlands, emhematical of the unity and indivifibility of all the parts of the French republic.

One of the entries into the circle was decorated by a triumphal arch, on which was pourtrayed the battle of the Pyramids: the other by a portico, above which were placed feveral Arabic infcriptions. Of thefe there was one as follows: There is no God but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet."

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In the middle of the circle, there was raised an obelifk of granite, of the height of feventy feet. On one of its faces was engraven, in letters of gold, To the French republic, ann.7: on that oppofite to it, To the expulfion of the Mammalukes, ann. 6. On the collaterial fides, these two infcriptions were tranflated into Arabic. The pedeftal of the obelifk was embellished with bas reliefs; on the adjoining ground, feven altars in the ancient ftyle, intermixed with candlesticks, fupported trophies of arms, furmounted with three-coloured flags, and civic crowns. In the centre of each of thefe trophies, there was a lift of those brave men,

of each divifion, who fell in the act of delivering Egypt from the yoke of the Mammalukes.

As foon as all the troops had af fembled, and were drawn up on the place of Elbecquier, the commander-in-chief, accompanied by his flaff officers, the generals of divifions, the commiffary-general, the commiffaries of war, and of civil adminiftrations, artifts and men of fcience, the kiaya, or Turkish officer, next in authority to the bafhaw, the emir Hadji, and the members of the divan, (of which we fhall prefently give fome account) both of Cairo and the provinces. The command er-in-chief, with his fuite, feated themfelves on the platform that ran round the obelifk. Superb carpets covered the mount on which it. flood. The mufic of the different demigrades ftruck up warlike marches, and patriotic airs, and fongs of victory.

The troops, after going through their exercifes with great readiness and precifion, came and arranged themselves around the obelifk: when a proclamation, by the commander-in-chief, for the difcipline. of the army, and the good government and well being of Egypt was read aloud, by the adjutant-general. It was liftened to with the moft profound filence, and followed by repeated cries of vive la republique, A hymn was performed at the or cheftra, and the troops filed off, in perfect order, before the general-inchief, who returned with his com pany, to his quarters. The whole of this company, with feveral Turkish officers and Arabian chiefs, who had come up during the exhibition, were invited to dinner at the general's houfe; where a fumptuous table was provided, of one

hundred

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