PREFACE.

THE

HE campaigns, or rather combined campaign of 1799, in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, for extent and variety of action, is distinguished even among thofe of the prefent war, and unprecedented in the annals of the world.

In the hiftory of a war, carried on by fo many armies, on fo extended a theatre, it is impoffible, without confufion, and lofing fight of thofe combinations. and defigns, which alone can give interest to the subject, to be fo copious and circumftantial as in that of wars, in which, the campaign is bounded by the occupation of a few paffes, and the reduction of one or two fortified towns. What would have been formerly the whole of a plan, for one feafon, has now become only a part of a more comprehenfive fyftem. The Annalift muft therefore write his accounts of military defigns and operations on the fame general scale on which they are conceived and executed. Marches, fieges, battles, and retreats, which might, in former times have ferved, each of them, for the fubject of a feparate narrative, or perhaps, fome of them of a heroic poem, muft, in the hiftory of the prefent, and probably of future, wars, be confidered as only component parts of one more general action. If books were extended in proportion to the multiplication of facts and reafon

ings, the republic of letters would fink under its own weight. Claffifications, refults, conclufions, and maxims, long perhaps the fabjects of difcuffion, become the elements of new compofitions.

The neceffity of compreffion, in our European campaigns, is not leffened by the co-incident movements of armies in Syria, Egypt, and India; nor yet by the negociations at Raftadt and Seltz: a fcene of political intrigue bearing fome analogy to the wide and various field of action.

The time that was neceffary for the arrangement of fo many materials into a plan, not entirely difproportionate to our usual dimensions, and for the correction of errors, by recent and undoubted information, will, we trust, afford not only an apology for being fomewhat later in the publication of this volume, than was promised in our laft; but afford a new proof of our earnest defire, by all means, to render our work as complete and fatisfactory as poffible. On the whole, our engagements to the public, with regard to the time of bringing up this work, which had indeed fallen greatly behind, have been now fulfilled. It may be faid that. we have now very nearly overtaken time. It shall be our care to keep an equal pace with this in future: though at a due distance. The Annual Register is not addreffed to the fame curiofity that thirfts after newspapers, but to curiofity of a higher order: that of feeing plans and systems unfolded by events; and these events, from new relations and combinations, deriving not only a degree of novelty, but greater intereft and importance,

THE

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A general View of the Year 1799.-Hazardous Situation of Buonaparte, in confequence of the Defruction of the French Fleet.-Prefent_State of Egypt.-Mammalukes.-Beys.-Arabs.-Jews-Greeks.-Cophts.-Force, Land and Marine, under the Command of Buonaparte.-Various Cares of Buonaparte.-Means of maintaining the Army. And of recruiting and preferving it.—Buonaparte refpects himself, and gives Orders to his Officers to refpect, the Prejudices of all the Egyptians.-His Proclamation to the People of Egypt.-At great Pains to propagate, in all Mahometan Countries, a Belief of his Veneration for Islaumism and the Prophet. -Treachery and Punishment of the principal Sheick, or Shereef, of Alexandria.-Endeavours of Buonaparte to blend and harmonize the French and the Egyptians.-Meafures taken for the Accomplishment of that Defign.Grand Feaft at Cairo, on the Anniversary of the French Republic.-Great Ceremony at the annual opening of the Grand Canal of Cairo.-Liberality of Buonaparte to the Egyptians.-Useful Infiitutions.--Government of Egypt attempted to be affimilated to the new Government in France.— Notables-Departments.And a general Assembly, or Divan, in Egypt, -Difficulty of operating and producing any permanent Change in the Minds of Barbarians.-Jealousies of the French.-Difcontents.-MurVOL. XLI.

[B]

murs,

murs.And Injurrections.-Particularly at Cairo.-This, with the others, fubdued.—A general Amnesty -Mourad Bey defeated, with great Lofs. And forced to retreat to the Mountains.-The French, under the Command of Defaix, in Poffeffion of the best Part of Upper Egypt.

exhibited a ftrange picture of the world turned uplide down: the fublime Porte at war with France, and in confederacy with Ruffia and Great Britain; the Turkish banners united with thofe of Ruffia and Auftria; a nation of profeffed philofophers fraternizing, or attempting to fraternize with the votaries of Mahomet; the Roman catholic religion, with inftitutions therewith connected, perfecuted by a power formerly one of its main fupports, but, on the other hand, patronized by fovereign princes, fons of churches heretofore its zealous adverfarics;* a great and illuftrious nation, once fo highly distinguished by a devotion to the Romith faith, as well as political power, valour, and a fenfe of honour, in close alliance with infidels, and the murderers of a royal family, connected with their own, by ties of blood, by political treaties and interefts, and a long intercourfe of mutual and courtly politenefs. Nor was the fituation of the Spaniards lefs whimfical than it was deplorable. They dreaded the power of their ally; and their only fafety lay in the victories of their enemies.

THE year 1799

The deftruction of the French fleet, which cut off Buonaparte from any certain and effectual fupport from France, or any of her conquered and dependent states, left him in fuch an ifolated state, as thofe in which great commanders in

former times, when war was lefs complicated than now, have voluntarily precipitated themfelves, by burning their own fhips, in order to fhew their troops that there was no retreat, and that they muft perish or conquer. In this new and trying fituation, his conduct became an object of more intereft and curiofity, with ingenious minds, than ever it had been, in the most rapid carreer of his fuccefs and victory. The circumftances in which he was now placed were univerfally admitted to be pregnant with danger. Attention was every where awake to the measures and contrivances that would be fuggefted by genius and fcience, or to the refolution that might be prompted by defpair.

But, in order that a tolerably juft idea may be formed of both the advantages and difadvantages under which the invading army laboured in Egypt, the enemies they had to encounter, and the means that prefented themfelves for encountering them, it may be necessary to recall to the minds of fome of our readers, a view of the prefent ftate of that ancient and celebrated country.

It was not with the Mammalukes and Arabs alone, that the French general had to contend, but with the climate, endemial diftempers, and the ufual perfidy of barbarians, united with the malignity of a proud and illiberal fuperftition. On the other hand, as there were certain

The dislike of the Greek church to the Pope's and the Western church, was formerly fo great, that one of their patriarchs declared publicly, to a Romish legate, that he would rather fee a turban, than the pope's tiara, on the great altar of Conftantinople.

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