MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. On the Atrocities of Bonaparté in Syria and Egypt. By Sir R. Wilson. G ENERAL Hutchinson was very angry with the Turks for still continuing the practice of mangling and cutting off the heads of the prisoners; and the captain pacha, at his remonstrance, again issued very severe orders against it; but the Turks justified themselves for the massacre of the French by the massacre at Jaffa. As this act, and the poisoning of the sick, have never been credited, because of such enor inities being so incredibly atrocious, a digression to authenticate them may not be deemed intrusively tedious; and had not the influence of power interfered, the act of accusation would have been preferred in a more solemn manner, and the damning proofs produced by penitent agents of these murders; but neither menaces, recompenses, nor promises, can altogether stifle the cries of outraged humanity, and the day for retribution of justice is only delayed. Bonaparte having carried the town of Jaffa by assault, many of the garrison were put to the sword; but the greater part flying into the mosques and imploring mercy from their pursuers, were granted their lives; and let it be well remembered, that an exasperated army, in the moment of revenge, when the laws of war justified the rage, yet heard the voice of pity, received its impression, and proudly refused to be any longer the execu tioners of an unresisting enemy. Soldiers of the Italian army, this is a laurel wreath worthy of your fame, a trophy of which the subsequent treason of an individual shall not deprive you. Three days afterwards, Bonaparté, who had expressed much resentment at the compassion manifested by his troops, and determinedto relieve himself from the maintenance and care of three thousand eight hundred prisoners*, ordered them to be marched to a rising Bonaparté had in person previously inspected the whole body, amounting to near 3000 men, with the object of saving those who belonged to the towns he was preparing to attack. The age and noble physiognomy of a veteran Janissary attracted his observation, and he asked him sharply, "Old man, what did you do here?" The Janissary, undaunted, replied, "I must answer that question by asking you the same; your answer will be, that you came to serve your sultan; so did I mine." The intrepid frankness of the reply excited universal interest in his favour. Bonaparté even smiled." He is saved," whispered some of the aids-de-camp. "You know not Bonaparté," observed one who had served with him in Italy, "that smile, I speak from experience, does not proceed from the sentiment of benevolence; remember what I say." The opinion was too true. The Janissary was left in the ranks, doomed to death, and suffered. 3 F4 ground ground near Jaffa; where a division of French infantry formed against them. When the Turks had entered their fatal alignment, and the mournful preparations were completed, the signal gun fired. Vollies of musquetry and grape instantly played against them; and Bonaparté, who had been regarding the scene through a telescope, when he saw the smoke ascending, could not restrain his joy, but broke out into exclamations of approval; indeed, he had just reason to dread the retusal of his troops thus to dishonour themselves. Kleber had remonstrated in the most strenuous manner, and the officer of the etat major who commanded (for the general to whom the division belonged was absent) even refused to execute the order without a written instruction; but Bonaparté was too cautious, and sent Berthier to enforce obedience. When the Turks had all fallen, the French troops humanely endeavoured to put a period to the sufferings of the wounded, but some time elapsed before the bayonet could finish what the fire had not destroyed, and probably many languished days in agcny. Several French officers, by whom these details are partly furnished, declared, that this was a scene, the retrospect of which tormented their recollection, and that they could not reflect on it without horror, accustomed as they had been to sights of cruelty. These were the prisoners, whom Assalini, in his very able work on the plague, alludes to, when he says, that for turce days the Turks showed no symptom of that disease, and it was their putrefying remains which contributed to produce the pestilential malady which he describes as afterwards making such ravages in the French army. Their bones still lie in heaps, and are shown to every traveller who arrives; nor can they be confounded with those who perished in the assault, since this field of butchery lies a mile from the town. Such a fact should not, however, be alleged without some proof, or leading circumstance stronger than assertion, being produced to support it; but there would be a want of generosity in naming individuals, and branding them to the latest posterity with infamy, for obeying a command when their submission became an act of necessity, since the whole army did not mutiny against the execution; therefore to establish further the authenticity of the relation, this only can be mentioned, that it was Bonn's division which fired, and thus every one is afforded the opportunity of satisfying themselves respecting the truth, by inquiring of officers serving in the different brigades composing this division. The next circumstance is of a nature which requires indeed the most particular details to establish, since the idea can scarce be entertained that the commander of an army should order his countrymen (or if not immediately such, those amongst whom he had been naturalized), to be deprived of existence, when in a state which requires the kindest consideration. But the annals of France record the frightful crimes of a Robespierre, a Barrere, and historical truth must now recite one equal to any which has blackened its page. Bonaparté finding that his hospitals at Jaffa were crowded with sick, sent for a physician, whose name should be inscribed in letters of gold, but which, from important reasons, cannot be here inserted; on his arrival he entered into a long conversation with him respecting the danger of contagion, concluding at last with the remark, that something must be done to remedy the evil, and that the destruction of the sick at present in the hospital was the only measure which could be adopted. The physician, alarmed at the proposal, bold in the cause of virtue and the cause of humanity, remonstrated vehemently, representing the cruelty as well as the atrocity of such a murder; but finding that Bonaparté persevered and menaced, he indignantly left the tent, with this memorable observation: "Neither my principles, nor the character of my profession, will allow me to become a mur derer; and, general, if such qualities as you insinuate are necessary to form a great man, I thank my God that I do not possess them." Bonaparté was not to be diverted from his object by moral considerations: he persevered, and found an apothecary, who (dreading the weight of power, but who since has made an atonement to his mind by unequivocally confessing the fact) consented to become his agent, and to administer poison to the sick. Opium at night was distributed in gratifying food, the wretched unsuspecting victims banqueted, and in a few hours 580 soldiers, who had suffered so much for their country, perished thus miserably by the order of its idol. Is there a Frenchman whose blood does not chill with horror at the recital of such a fact. Surely the manes of these murdered unoffending people must be now hovering round the seat of government, and... If a doubt should still exist as to the veracity of this statement, let the members of the institute at Cairo be asked, what passed in their sitting after the return of Bonaparté from Syria: they will relate, that the same virtuous physician, who refused to become the destroyer of those committed to his protection, accused Bonaparté of high treason in the full assembly, against the honour of France, her children, and humanity: that he entered into the full details of the poisoning of the sick, and the massacre of the garrison, aggravating these crimes by charging Bonaparté with strangling previously, at Rosetta, a number of French and Copts, who were ill of the plague; thus proving that his disposal of his sick was a premeditated plan, which he wished to introduce into general practice. In vain Bonaparté attempted to justify himself *; the members sat petrified with terror, and almost doubted * Bonaparté pleaded that he ordered the garrison to be destroyed, because he had not provisions to maintain them, or strength enough to guard them; and that it was evident if they escaped, they would act against the French, since amongst the prisoners were 500 of the garrison of El Arish, who had promised not to serve again, (they had been compelled in passing through Jaffa by the commandant to serve); and that he destroyed the sick to prevent contagion, and save themselves from falling into the hands of the Turks but these arguments, however specious, were refuted directly, and Bonaparté was at last obliged to rest his detence on the positions of Machiavel. When he afterwards left Egypt, the sçavans were so angry at being left behind contrary to promise, that they elected the physician president of the institute; an act which spoke for itself fully, whether T whether the scene passing before their eyes was not illusion. Assuredly all these proceedings will not be found in the minutes of the institute; no, Bonaparte's policy foresaw the danger, and power produced the erasure; but let no man, calculating on the force of circumstances, which may prevent such an avowal as is solicited, presume on this to deny the whole there are records which remain, and which in due season will be produced. In the interim, this representation will be sufficient to stimulate inquiry; and, Frenchmen, your honour is indeed interested in the examination. Let us hope also that in no country will there be found another man of such Machiavelian principles, as by sophistry to palliate those transactions; nor must the judgment abuse itself by bringing to recollec tion the horrors of the French revolution, and thus diminishing the force of those crimes by the frequency of equal guilt in France, during her contest for liberty or slavery*. Narrative of the March of the Indian Army destined to cooperate with the English Army in Egypt, from Cossir by the Route of Kinneh, across the Desert. By Sir R. Wilson. ENERAL Baird had sailed of the month of December, with the view of cooperating with the army from Europe, destined to invade Egypt, and a division of troops from the Cape were ordered to join him in the Red Sea. His object was to land at Suez, and act according to those circumstances An anecdote, after what has been said against, should, however, be related, as a proof of the commanding genius of Bonaparte, and will be told as repeated by a Frenchman of high consideration. "Bonaparté, notwithstanding his successes and fame, was considered, by those who knew him best, as not in himself possessing the great qualities ascribed to him. We regarded him as indebted more to an extraordinary peculiar good fortune, forcing irresistible circumstances to his advantage, than to his own abilities and exertions. After his disasters and repulse at Acre, our opinion was confirmed, and we expected to see him return dejected, conscious of disgrace, his shame aggravated by the recollection of his having sent a messenger with a dispatch, and which was read in the institute, in which he expressed himself. "In three days I shall be in Acre; when you open this, be assured that Dgezzar Pacha is no more." The day before he entered Cairo, we received orders, to our astonishment, to prepare luminations, triumphal arches, &c. for honour to the conquerors of Syria, and of Dgezzar Pacha. The troops who had despondingly anticipated a different reception, whose murmurs against the man who had planned their expedition amounted to mutiny, whose expressions even menaced death to him as an atonement for their seven thousand comrades who had perished, saw with surprise, the honours paid to them, heard their chief and themselves styled conquerors; and, in the delirium of vanity, forgot their injuries and defeats. The next morning, Bonaparté, assured of the intoxication still continuing, assembled his army on parade, distributed rewards, then moved forwards a battalion of grenadiers, whom he upbraided with having refused to make another assault on Acre, and sentenced them to carry their arms slung behind till their character was retrieved." It was then, said the narrator, we pronounced Bonaparté really a great man. We confessed his knowledge of human nature, who in a few hours could so improve his situation, and reassume his influence, as to disgrace those very men, who the day before would, with the applause of their comrades (now approving of their dishonour), had he uttered a word of censure, have instantly assassinated him. be he should become acquainted with there, since at such a distance no positive operations could have been prescribed. The hope was, however, always entertained, that he would arrive in time to assist the European army, even in debarkation, by dividing the French force. Unfortunately, the monsoon had commenced before his entrance into the Red Sea, in the month of April, and it was found impossible to gain his destination; but learning at Jedda the successes of the English on the 21st of March, which intelligence had been transmitted to him by Admiral Blanket*, he determined to land at Cossir, and brave the difficulties of the desert, in the hopes of affording a considerable support to general Hutchinson, and contributing to the final conquest of the country. On the 8th of June he arrived at Cossir, and found colonel Murray, the adjutant-general, who had preceded him, and reached that port with a very small advanced guard on the 14th of May; but the greater part of the army was still missing, and none of the troops from the Cape had arrived. Anxious, however, to promote the general service, he employed himself in preparing the means for enabling his army to pass the desert, in which he was assisted by the vizir's firmans, and in a short time he saw himself provided with 5000 camels. Having made the necessary dispositions, he set out for Cunei (or Kinnéh), where he arrived on the 30th of June, and immediately arranged the march of the remaining divisions, facilitating their passage by establishing posts at the different wells in the desert, and digging others; issuing at the same time the orders to be seen in the appendix of this work, for the regulation of the march of each succeeding column. It was not till the latter end of July that his army had assembled, and even then several detachments were missing: the collected force, including the troops from the Cape, amounted to 5226 rank and file, and was composed of the following regiments and corps a Royal artillery, A constant communication had been maintained with admiral Blanket, and a naval officer twice passed from lord Keith to Suez. The first letter written by the admiral to sir Ralph Abercrombie, but which general Hutchinson received at Rosetta, was in cyphers, the key of which was lost, and therefore could not be translated. To |