accordingly assembled in the spacious bay of Marmorice, on the coast of Caramarica, on January 1; the squadron consisted of near two hundred sail, with an army on board of fifteen thousand three hundred and thirty men, under the command of General Sir Ralph Abercromby, General Hutchinson, General Ludlow, General Coote, General Craddock, Lord Cavan, General Doyle, General Stuart, General Moore, General Lawson, and General Finch: the fleet was under the command of Admiral Lord Keith; and on its arrival in the bay of Aboukir, the scene of Nelson's glory, General Abercromby reconnoitered the coast. The first division of the army, amounting to near six thousand men, under Major-general Coote, having got into the boats, a rocket was fired, as a signal, and the boats immediately rowed off, and got to anchor at some distance from the shore. The French army had posted itself on a steep sand-hill, and lined all the neighbouring heights with artillery and infantry, so that the English gun-boats, armed launches, and cutters, were exposed to a tremendous discharge of shot, shell, and grape, which forced the boats to incline a little from their original direction.

On March 8, the reserve, under Major-general Moore, having effected a landing, were led on in the most gallant manner, by Colonel Spencer; they ascended the emimence with bayonets fixed, obliging the enemy's artillery and infantry to retreat, and, at length, wholly to abandon the position which had been taken: the English troops now marched three miles up the country, and encamped near the Lake Maadie. In this noble attack, the British troops sustained a loss nearly amounting to seven hundred in killed and wounded.

On March 12, the army moved on until it had arrived in sight of the enemy, who, to the amount of six thousand, were encamped near the Lake of Alexandria; it was determined to make an attack on them; the enemy who had descended from the heights, began an assault upon the advanced brigades of the army commanded by Majorgenerals Craddock and Lord Cavan: this action, which took place on March 13, was attended with great loss to the British troops, one hundred and forty-three rank and file were killed, and nine hundred and forty-six wounded; Dillon's regiment, commanded by Major-general Stuart, eminently distinguished itself, charging the

enemy with screwed bayonets, and taking two pieces of cannon, for which it received the thanks of the com mander in chief on the day following, in public orders. General Abercromby had his horse shot under him, and had nearly been made prisoner. The English forces now laid siege to, and gained possession of, the castle of Aboukir.

Menou, apprised of the progress of the English army, marched from Cairo to Alexandria, which he entered, and resolved to hazard a battle; accordingly on March 21, before the dawn of day, he made the necessary disposi tions for an attack upon the English army: the left wing, consisting of light infantry, was commanded by General Lanusse, assisted by General Roize, with a body of 'cavalry; while Generals Friant and Ramhon, were placed in the centre; General Reynier was posted on the right; while General D'Estain had the command of the advanced guard.

"The battle commenced by a sham attack on the left wing of the British, by the dromedary corps; but the real contest was reserved for the right, against which the French infantry, sustained by a strong body of cavalry, advanced and charged in column, while the brigade under General Silly, marched straight against the grand redoubt; they at the same time attempted to penetrate the centre; while the left was kept in check by means of a body of light troops. The first onset, as is usual on the part of the French, was impetuous, and was expected to have been irresistible; but the steady valor of the English checked their ardor, and they were repulsed in two successive charges, during which the British infantry, although broken, and contending hand to hand with a well appointed cavalry, succeeded in remaining masters of the field.

"But, notwithstanding, the whole line had been partially engaged, the hottest part of the action occurred on the right; for the chief effort of the twelve French demibrigades, and all the cavalry in their camp, one regiment only excepted, was evidently directed against this flank; as it was intended, after turning it, to envelope the reserve, and thus ensure a complete victory. A body of ehosen troops, consisting of about nine hundred, which, in consequence of a series of brilliant achievements in Italy, had acquired the appellation of the Invincibles,

actually succeeded, in a certain degree, by piercing between the walls of an ancient ruin and a modern battery, which they attempted to storm three different times; but repeated vollies of grape, and ball, together with a charge of bayonets, nearly annihilated the whole of these celebrated soldiers, who perished on the ground they occupied, without flinching, while the officer who bore the famous standard embroidered with their exploits, exclaimed, Long live the Republic!' as he surrendered the trophy at the same moment with his life. In the mean time, Menou seeing that he was completely foiled, and imagining that he had reason to be dissatisfied with the conduct of some of his Generals, determined to withdraw his troops; they accordingly retired under the protection of their cannon; but, although a deficiency of ammunition rendered the pursuit of the English army less fatal to the French, their flank was annoyed by some armed vessels, the shot from which pierced their columns, and quickened their retreat.

"Amidst such a general display of gallantry, it is difficult to select those regiments which claim a superior degree of merit; but it is allowed that the twenty-eighth, and forty-second, particularly distinguished themselves on this occasion, while the foreign brigade contributed greatly, by its spirited movement in advance, not only to decide the fate of the day, but to reserve a whole battalion from inevitable destruction. The Generals also, during the attack on the centre, conducted themselves with equal intrepidity and coolness; and the conduct of Major-general Ludlow, who fought at their head; as well as of Major-general Moore, who was wounded while leading on the reserve; together with Brigadier

+ The Standard of the Invincible Regiment was transmitted to England. It has been made a subject of dispute as to the person who had the glory of wresting the Invincible Standard from the enemy. At a meeting of the Highland Society, December 17, 1802, the honor was decreed to Major Sterling, of the 4ed regiment, who snatched the Standard forcibly from the French officer, and delivered it to Serjeant Sinclair, of the same regiment. Mr. Cobbett, in the "Weekly Register," positively asserted, that it was, Antoine Lutz, a private in Brigadiergeneral Stuart's corps, who achieved this heroic deed. The reader will find an ample discussion of this contested point, in the Appendix te Stephens's History of the Wars, vol. ii. p, 631.

VOL. II.-1.

general Stuart, and Colonel Paget, at once merited, and acquired, the praise of the commander in chief.

"The loss of the enemy has been calculated at three thousand men, and many of their principal officers perished upon this occasion; their cavalry suffered considerably; Roize, the commander, perished in the field, and two other Generals died soon after of their wounds. It appears by the returns, that thirteen hundred and six rank and file, with seventy officers, of the British, were either killed, wounded, or missing: eight officers of the staff, of which five † possessed the rank of General, were included in this list, as was also the commander in chief.

"On the first attack of the enemy, which proved equally sudden and unexpected, Sir Ralph Abercromby rode towards the right, against which he perceived all the fury of the assailants to be directed. During a charge with cavalry, which took place soon after, he was unhorsed, and wounded in two different places; but, notwithstanding this, he still possessed strength sufficient to wrest the sabre from the hand of a French officer of dragoons, who had attempted to cut him down; but on being relieved, and remounted, by the aid of a detachment of the forty second, he presented the sabre to Sir Sidney Smith. The General, however, could not be prevailed upon to quit the field, until after the defeat of the French, and the conclusion of a combat which had continued nearly seven hours; at length, fainting with the loss of blood, he was carried on board the Admiral's ship, where he died seven days after, to the inexpressible regret of the whole army. General Hutchinson, his successor, in a well written eulogium, paid a due tribute of respect to his memory. We have sustained an irreparable loss in the person of our never sufficiently to be

+ His Excelleney Sir Ralph Abercromby died of his wounds. Majorgeneral Moore, Brigadier-general John Hope, Brigadier-general Oakes, Brigadier-general Lawson, and Sir Sidney Smith, were also wounded.

While placed in a boat on purpose to be conveyed on board the Foudroyant, Sir Ralph displayed a remarkable instance of that energy of mind, which, in the moment of enthusiasm, banishes every disagreeable sensation. On Captain Stevenson, of the navy, observing, "That he was afraid his wounds might be painful," the Commander in chief replied, "How can I feel any pain, when I think of the bravery of those fine fellows whom I have just left.

lamented commander in chief, who was mortally wounded in the action, and died on the 28th of March. I believe he was wounded early, but he concealed his situation from those about him, and continued in the field, giving his orders with that coolness and perspicuity which had ever marked his character, till long after the action was over, when he fainted through weakness and loss of blood. Were it permitted (continued General Hutchinson) for a soldier to regret any one, I might be excused for lamenting him more than any other person; but it is some consolation, to those who tenderly loved him, that as his life was honorable, so was his death glorious. His memory will be recorded in the annals of his country; will be sacred to every British soldier, and embalmed in the recollection of a grateful posterity.""+

This illustrious General, who had fought the battles of his country in various quarters of the globe, died covered with wreaths of glory, which will remain everlasting and ever blooming, till that awful period arrives when the "Mighty Angel shall swear, by Him who liveth for ever and ever, that time shall be no more."

The command of the army upon the lamented death of Sir Ralph Abercromby, having devolved upon Majorgeneral Hutchinson, this able commander resolved to' attempt the capture of Rosetta.

That he might be enabled to carry on the active operations of the army on the Rosetta side, it became necessary to secure the old position, as a mean of acting on the defensive against any future attack. For this nothing could be of greater utility than letting the waters of Lake Mahadie, or Aboukir, into the ancient bed of the Mareotis, as the left wing would thus be rendered more secure, since to turn it would become impracticable; and, at the same time, the gun-boats would be enabled to get in and annoy the enemy. The site of Lake Mareotis had been accurately surveyed, and its level found to be nearly ten feet lower than that of Aboukir. It was, therefore, obvious, that by cutting through the canal of Alexandria, which was the only separation between the two Lakes, the water would flow in very copiously. Accordingly, on the 12th of April, a numerous working party began to cut through the canal; and, on the 13th, the water

A

+ Stephens's Wars of the French Revolution, vol. ii. p. 863-366