derable lofs. The ditch was filled with dead bodies. The troops of, Ghezzar afterwards made three fuccefsful forties. The object of the laft was to deftroy a mine, which the enemy had conftructed under the covered way, to the northward, in order to fill up the ditch, near the breach. The Englifh took charge of this enterprize; and, while two thoufand Turks took charge of the fortie, they jumped into the mine, and, finding that the works were not quite finished, tore down the fupports, and deftroyed the whole confiruction. After this, an uninterrupted fire was kept up, from the fortrefs of Acre; the artillery being ferved by English and Turkish artillerymen, who had fet out for Acre, from Conftantinople, on the fifth of March. Thefe men were placed under the immediate command of colonel Phelippeaux, the chief engineer in the place, to whofe councils, plans, and unwearied exer. tions, the safety of Acre, and the important confequences that followed, were, by the moft intelligent part of the Anglo-Turkish garrifon, principally attributed. As the town of Acre ftands on a rectangular point of land, in the form of a fquare, of which two fides are washed by the fea, the British fhips, in the bay of Acre, were enabled to contribute the protection of their guns, to the garrifon, and to the working parties, detached from thofe flips, who were cmployed in throwing up two ra

velines, or half-moons. Thefe, taking the enemy's nearest approaches (advanced within ftone's caft, in flank), confiderably impeded his operations. The enemy having nearly made a lodgement on the crown of the glacis, and mined the tower forming the inward angle of the town-wall, which is compofed of curtains and fquare towers, after the manner of the twelfth century, Buonaparte, who had tranfported the cannon he found at Jaffa, and effected a breach on the fourteenth day of the fiege, altempted to florm, but was pulfed. Repeated aflaults were equally unfuccefsful.

re

It was judged to be the beft mode of defence, by the garrifon, to make frequent forties, in order to keep the enemy on the defenfive, and to impede the progrefs of their covering-works.

Agreeably to the plan of operation already mentioned, and in the execution of which Ghezzar was very active, a number of Mammalukes, who had followed Ibrahim into Syria, the janiflaries of Damafcus, troops from Aleppo, Maugrabins, and others, advanced with an intention of joining the Arabs and Naploufians (inhabiting the ancient Samaria), and attacking the French army at Acre, on one fide, while the troops of Ghezzar, fupported by the fire of the British fhips, fhould attack them on the other.

Neither a detachment of Kleber's divifion, under general Junot, which had taken poft at Na

zareth

zareth and Saffat, in order to watch and oppose the progress of the enemy, and cover the fiege of Acre, nor the remainder of that divifion, under Kleber himself, fent for his fupport, were found adequate to that object. General Junot, furrounded and attacked by nearly three thousand cavalry, was forced to fall back upon Caff-cana. Kleber had, on the eleventh of April, reached Sed-jarra, within four miles of Cana, when four thousand Turkifh and Arabian cavalry, fupported by four or five hundred foot, coming down from the hills, furrounded the French, and were preparing to charge them. Kleber attacked the village of Sed-jarra, and routed the Turkish cavalry, which fled acrofs the Jordan. But by this time, or within a day or two thereafter, the whole Syrian army, having passed the Jordan, in different divifions, at the bridge of Jacob, and at that of El-mecana, encamped on the plains of Fouli (the ancient Efdrelon), where they formed a junction with the Samaritans, or Naploufians. The united army amounted from fifteen thousand to eighteen thousand men, and (as was computed by the French generals), together with the armed inhabitants of the country, by whom, as is ufual in Afia, they had been joined in their march, and after their arrival in the plains of Fouli, to above forty thoufand. At the fame time, Simon, the commandant of the party of French at Saffat, had been obliged to retire within the fort, where he was attacked by the enemy, who attempted to carry the place, by fealing it. They were repulfed, with great lofs, but the French ftill held it in a state of blockade, with very little of either am

munition or provifions. Buonaparte, informed of thefe circumftances, by general Kleber, who, at the fame time, intimated his intention of making an attempt to get behind, and furprize the enemy), immediately determined to attack at all points, and come to a decifive engagement with a multitude, by whom he might be attacked and haraffed, at their pleafure. He gave orders to Murat, general of brigade, to leave the encampment before Acre, with a thousand infantry and a regiment of cavalry, by forced marches, to feize poffeflion of Jacob's bridge, to fall on the befiegers of Saffat, in rear, and, having railed the fiege of that place, to join general Kleber. This general, retarded by the difficulty of the roads, and the defiles through which he had to pass, could not reach the Syrian camp till about two hours after funrifing. The enemy, warned of his approach, by their advanced parties, from the heights of mount Hermon, was quickly on horfeback, and marched forward, as far as the village of Fouli, which they occupied with the Naploufian infantry, and two fmall pieces of cannon, carried on the backs of camels. Buonaparte, leaving only two divifions to keep the trenches, and carry on the fiege of Acre, with what remained of his cavalry, after detaching general Murat to Jacob's bridge, the divifion of Bon, and eight pieces of artillery, haftened to the relief of Kleber. Having marched from Acre on the fifteenth of April, he reached and took post on the heights of Saffuria, in the evening of that day, and, on the next morning, at day-break, marched towards Fouli, along the Gorges

of

of the Samaritan mountains, From the laft eminence that he had to pals, he faw Efdrelon, or Fouli, and mount Tabor: and, at the foot of this mountain, general Kleber in cofe action with the enemy. The general had drawn up his men, in number two thoufand, upon fome ruins, where he had depofited his baggage, and where he maintained a refiftance to twenty thousand cavalry, by whom he was nearly furrounded. Buonaparte formed his troops into three fquare bodies, of which one was cavalry, and made proper difpofitions for turning the enemy, at a great diftance, and cutting off their communication with their camp, as well as their retreat; and, with the affiftance of general Murat, deftroying or overthrowing them in the Jordan. The cavalry, with two field-pieces, were fent to take the enemy's camp; the infantry proceeded to turn their army. When it had advanced within the distance of half a league of Kleber, Buonaparte difpatched, for his fupport, the general Rampon, with a demi-brigade, and general Vial, with another, to cut off their retreat towards the mountains of Naploufia; while he himself ordered his foot-guides to lead him to the proper places, for intercepting their retreat to their magazines at Jenina. The enemy, then, for the first time, began to perceive, that the approaching forces were French

men.

Their great mafs of cavalry was thrown into diforder. The difcharge of an eight-pounder announced the arrival of the French to Kleber, who, thus affifted, charged the Turkith cavalry with the bayonet, and attacked and carried the village of Fouli. The enemy, perceiving that they were cut

off, both from their magazines and camp, were ftruck with consternation. They threw themselves behind mount Tabor, and, having gained, during the night, the bridge of Gizel-mecana, retreated towards Damafcus, in great diforder, and with great lofs.

In the mean time, general Murat had furprized the fon of the general of Damafcus, at Jacob's bridge, had taken his camp, putting all, who had not fled, to the word, raifed the fiege of Saffat, and purfued and haraffed the enemy's retreat for feveral leagues. Murat, having left a party to guard the poft of Jacob's bridge, and thrown provifions into the caftle of Saffat, on the feventeenth of April, took poffeffion of the fort, fituated on the lake of Tiberias, where he found a year's ammunition and provisions.

The column of cavalry, fent to attack the Syrian camp, under the command of the adjutant-general, le Turcq, had completely furprized it, taken five hundred camels, with tents, ftores, and provifions, killed a great number of men, and made two hundred and fifty prifoners. Buonaparte gave orders, that all that was found in the villages of Nourcs, Jenina, and Fouli, fhould be destroyed by fire and fword. After reproaching his Naploufian prifoners, for having taken up arms against him, without provocation, he reftrained his vengeance, and promifed them his protection, on the condition, of their remaining quietly, in future, in their mountains. The lofs of the enemy, according to their reports, on their return to Damafcus, exceeded five thousand men. They could fcarcely conceive, that, at the fame juncture

of

of time, they had been beaten on a line of nine leagues. With military combinations, on plans of any extent, thofe barbarians are unacquainted: they are to be confidered. indeed, not as warriors but as hordes of robbers.

General Kleber, with his divifion, pofted in different ftations, was left to guard the Jordan; Buonaparte, with the divifion under general Bon, and the cavalry under general Murat, returned to the camp at Acre.

New works were pushed with great vigour, on both fides. Fresh affaults were made by the befiegers and forties by the belieged. The French, on the twenty-eight of April, were encouraged by the arrival of three pieces of battering-artillery, 24pounders, brought to Jaffa by the frigates under the vice admiral Pernée, and fix pieces of eighteen, fent from Damietta; and, on the feventh of May, the English, by the appearance, in the bay of Acre, of a fleet of corvettes and tranfports, under the command of Haflan Bey.

The approach of this additional ftrength was the fignal to Buonaparte for a moft vigorous and perfevering aflault, in hope to get poffeffion of the town, before the reenforcement to the garrifon could difembark. The gun-boats, being within grape diftance of the head of the attacking column, added to the Turkish mufketry, did great execution: ftill, however, the enemy gained ground, made a lodgement on the fecond ftory of the north-eaft tower, the upper part being entirely battered down, and the ruins of the ditch forming the afcent by which they mounted. Day-light, on the morning of the eight of May, difcovered the French

9

standard on the outer angle of the tower. The fire of the befreged was much flackened, in comparison with that of the befiegers, and the flanking fire of the former, from the ravelines, was become of lefs effect, that the enemy had covered themfelves in the lodgements beforementioned; and the approach to it, by two travèrfes, were now feen, compofed of fand-bags and the bodies of the dead built in with them, their bayonets only being visible above them. Haflan Bay's troops were in the boats, but as yet only half way on the fhore. This was a most critical point of the conteft; and an effort was neceflary to preferve the place, for a fhort time, till their arrival. Sir Sidney, therefore, landed the boats at the Mole, and took the crews, armed with pikes, up to the breach. The enthufiaftic gratitude of the Turks, men, women, and children, at the fight of fuch a reinforcement, at fuch a time, was not to be defcribed. Many troops returned, with the very opportune reinforcement, to the breach, which was defended by a few brave Turks, whose most deftructive miffile weapons were heavy ftones: thefe, ftriking the affailants on the head, overthrew the foremoft down the flope and impeded the progrefs of the reft. A fucceffion, however, afcended to the affault, the heap of ruins between the two parties ferving as a breastwork for both. The muzzles of their mufkets touched one another and the fpear-head of the standards were locked together. Ghezzar, hearing that the English were on the breach, quitted his ftation, where, according to the ancient Turkish cuftom, he was fitting to reward fuch as fhould bring him the

heads

heads of the enemy, and diftributing mutket-cartridges with his own hand. The energetic old man, coming behind, forcibly pulled them down, faying, if any harm happened to his English friends all was loft. This amicable conteft, as to who fhould defend the breach, occafioned a rush of Turks to the fpot, and thus time was gained for the arrival of the first body of Haflan's troops. It became neceffary to combat the bafhaw's repugnance to the admiffion of any troops, but his Albanians, into the garden of his feraglio, become a very important poft, as occupying the terre-plein of the rampart. There were not above two hundred of the original thoufand Albanians left alive. This was no time for debate: his objections were over-ruled. A regiment, called the Chifflick, was introduced, confifting of 100 men, armed with bayonets, and difciplined after the European method, under fultan Selim's own eye, and placed, by his orders, under fir Sidney's immediate command. The garrifon, animated by the appearance of fuch a reinforcement, was now all on foot, and there being, confequently, enough to defend the breach, fir Sidney proposed to the bafhaw to get rid of the objects of his jealoufy, by opening his gates to let them make a fally, and then to take the affailants in flank; a requeft with which he readily complied. Orders were given to the colonel to get poffeffion of the enemy's third parallel, or neareft trench. The gates were opened; the Turks rufhed out, but were driven back to the town with lofs. The fortie, however, had this good effect. that it obliged the enemy to expofe themfelves above their parapets; fo that the flanking

fire of the befieged brought down numbers of them, and drew their force from the breach: the small number, therefore, remaining in the lodgement, were killed or difperfed.

The groupe of generals and aidsde-camp, which fhells, from fixtyeight pounders, had frequently difperfed, was now aflembled on a mount, called Richard Cœur de Lion. Buonaparte was diftinguifh- ed in the centre of a femi-circle: his gefticulations indicated an intention to renew the attack, and his difpatching an aid-de-camp to the camp fhewed, that he waited only for a reinforcement. A little before funfet, a maffive column appeared advancing to the breach, with a folemn ftep. The bafhaw's idea was, not to defend the breach this time, but rather to let a certain number of the enemy in, and then clofe with them, according to the Turkish mode of warfare. The French column thus mounted the breach unmolefted, and defcended from the rampart into the bashaw's garden, where, in a very few minutes, the bravest and most advanced among them lay headlefs corpfes; the fabre, with the addition of a dagger in the other hand, proving more than a match for the bayonet. The reft retreated precipitately; and the officer commanding the column, who, as afterwards appeared, was general Lanne, while he was manfully encouraging his men to mount, the breach, was feverely wounded. General Rambaud was killed.

During this conteft, immenfe multitudes of fpectators, on the furrounding hills, waited only, according to the manner of Afia, to fee how it would end, to join the victors.