bines, break their spears, and hack each other with their fabres, for they rarely have any cannon; and when they have, they are but of little fervice. A panic frequently diffufes itself without caufe; one party flies, the other pursues, and fhouts victory; the vanquished fubmit to the will of the conqueror, and the campaign often terminates without a battle. Such, in a great measure, were the military operations in Syria, in 1771. The combined atmy of Ali Bey and Daher marched to Damafcus. The pachas waited for them; they approached, and on the 6th of June a decifive action took place: the Mamlouks and Safadians rushed with fo much fury on the Turks, that, terrified at the carnage, they immediately took to flight, and the pachas were not the laft in endeavouring to make their efcape. The allies became mafters of the country, and took poffeffion of the city without oppofition, there being neither walls nor foldiers to defend it. The caftle alone refifted. Its ruined fortifications had not a fingle cannon, much lefs gunners; but it was furrounded by a muddy ditch, and behind the ruins were pofted a few mufqueteers, and thefe alone were fufficient to check this army of cavalry. As the beficged, however, were already conquered by their fears, they capitulated the third day, and the place was to be furrendered the next morning, when at daybreak a moft extraordinary revolution took place. At the moment that the fignal of furrender was expected, Mohammad fuddenly cominanded a retreat, and all his cavalry turned towards Egypt. In vain did the aftonished Ali-Daher and Nafif fly to demand the caufe of fo ftrange a measure : the Mamlouk made no other reply to their reiterated queftions, than a haughty menace; and the whole army decamped in confufion. Nor was this merely a retreat, but a pofitive flight; they feemed as if hotly purfued by a victorious enemy; the road from Damafcus to Cairo was covered with men on foot, fcattered horfemen, and stores and baggage they had abandoned. This fingular occurrence was attributed, at the time, to a pretended report of the death of Ali Bey; but the real folution of the enigma was a fecret conference which paffed at night in the tent of Mohammad Bey. Ofman, finding himself too weak to oppose these combined forces, had recourse to artifice. He contrived to introduce to the Egyp‐ tian general a crafty agent, who, under pretence of propofing terms of peace, endeavoured to diffeminate difcord and revolt. He infinuated to Mohammad that the part he was acting was equally ill befitting his honour, and contrary to his intereft; that he was deceived in imagining the fultan would leave unpunished the offences of Ali Bey; that it was a facrilege to violate fo holy a city as Damafcus, one. of the two gates of the Caaba *; that he was aftonished that Mohammad fhould prefer the favour of a flave of the fultan, to that of the fultan himself, and that he thould fet up a fecond master between him and his fovereign; befides, that it was evident this mafter, *The two great caravans which make the pilgrimage to Mecca, fet out from Ciro and Damafcus. by by daily expofing him to fresh dangers, was facrificing him both to his own perfonal ambition, and to the jealousy of his kiaya, the Copt Rezk. These reasons, and especially the two latter, which were founded on indifputable facts, made a trong impreffion on Mohammad and his beys they immediately held a council, and fwore folemnly by the fabre and the Koran, to returr. without delay to Cairo. In confequence of this determination, they decamped fo fuddenly, and abandoned their conquefts with fuch precipitation, that the report of their coming preceded their arrival at Cairo only by fix hours. Ali Bey was ftruck with terror, and wifhed to have punithed his general upon the fpot; but Mohammad appeared fo well fupported, that it was impracticable to attempt any thing against his perfon; it was neceffary to diffemble, and Ali Bey fubmitted to this with the lefs difficulty, as he owed his fortune to his diffimulation much more than to his courage. Though thus deprived, at ftroke, of the fruits of fo expenfive a war, Ali Bey did not renounce his projects. He continued to fend fuccours to his ally, Daher, and prepared a fecond army for the campaign of 1772; but fortune, weary of effecting more for him than his own abilities could have accomplifhed, ceafed to favour him. The first reverfe he experienced was in the lofs of feveral cayafles, or boats, loaded with rice, for Shaik Daher, which were taken by a Ruffian privateer, within fight of Damietta; but another, and ftill more ferious accident, was the efcape of Mohammad Bey. Ali Bey could not easily forget the affair of Da mafcus; nevertheless, from the remains of that affection we retain for thole whom we have ferved, he could not bring himself to resolve on having recourfe to violence, when an expreffion made use of by the Venetian merchant who enjoyed his confidence fixed his wavering refolution. "Have the fultans of the Franks,” faid Ali Bey, one day, to that European,"children as rich as my "fon Mohammad ?" "No, feig"nior," replied the courtier," they "are careful of that, for they think "that when children become too great, they are often in hafte to enjoy their inheritance." This infinuation went to the heart of Ali Bey. From that moment he beheld in Mohammad a dangerous rival, and refolved his ruin. To effect this, without risk, he first sent directions to all the gates of Cairo, that no Mamlouk thould be suffered to pafs in the evening, or at night; he then ordered Mohammad into immediate exile in the Said. By thefe oppofite orders he imagined Mohammad would be ftopped at the gates, and that, the keepers taking him into cuftody, he fhould eafily free himself from his fears; but chance difconcerted thefe vague and timid meafures. Mohammad, by fome mittake, was fuppofed to be charged with private orders from Ali. Ile and his retinue were allowed to pats, and from this moment all was loft. Ali Bey, informed of his flight, gave orders to purfue him; but Mohammad appeared fo well prepared and determined that none dared attack him. He retired into the Said, foaming with rage, and thirfting for vengeance. Even This anecdote I received from that merchant. after after his arrival there, he had another narrow escape. Ayoub Bey, an officer of Ali's, feigning great deteftation of the injuftice of his master, received Mohammad with transport, and swore upon his fabre and the Koran, to fhare his fortune; but, a few days after, letters were intercepted from this fame Ayoub, to Ali, in which he promifed him, without delay, the head of his enemy. Mohammad, having difcovered the plot, feized the traitor, and, after cutting off his hands and tongue, fent him to Cairo to receive the recompenfe of his patron. The Mamlouks, however, wearied with the infolence of Ali Bey, repaired in crowds to his rival; and, in about fix weeks, Mohammad faw himfelf fufficiently ftrong to leave the Said, and marched towards Cairo. Ali Bey, on his fide, fent his troops against him; but feveral of them likewife deferted to the enemy at length, in the month of April, 1772, the armies had a rencounter in the plain of El-Mafateb, at the gates of Cairo, the iffue of which was, that Mohammad and his party entered the city, fabre in hand. Ali Bey, having barely time to make his efcape with eight hundred of his Mamlouks, repaired to Gaza, for the first time in his life, and endeavoured to get to Acre, to join his ally, Daher; but the inhabitants of Nablous and Yafa cut off his retreat; and Daher himfelf was obliged to open him a paffage. The Arab received him with that fimplicity and franknefs which in all ages have characterized that people, and conducted him to Acre. It was neceffary to fuccour Said (Sidon), then betieged by the troops of Ofman, in conjunction with the Druzes. He accordingly marched to that place, accompanied by Ali. Their combined troops formed a body of about feven thousand cavalry, and, at their approach, the Turks raised the fiege, and retired to a place a league to the northward of the city, on the river Aonla. There. in July 1772, the most confiderable and moft methodical engagement of the whole war took place. The Turkish army, three times more numerous than that of the two allies, was entirely defeated. The feven pachas who commanded it took to flight, and Said remained in the poffeffion of Daher, and his governor Degnizla. Ali Bey and Daher, on their return to Acre, proceeded to chastise the inhabitants of Yafa, who had revolted that they might convert to their ufe the ammunition and clothing left there by one of Ali's fleets, before he was expelled from Cairo. The city, which was held by a fhaik of Nablous, thut its gates, and refolved to ftand the fiege. This commenced in July, and lafted eight months, though Yafa had no other rampart than a mere garden-wall, without a ditch; but in Syria and Egypt they know ftill lefs of carrying on a fiege than of engagements in the field; at length, however, the befieged 'capitulated in February 1773. Ali, now feeling himself difengaged, thought of nothing but his return to Cairo. Daher offered to furnish him with fuccours; and the Ruffians, with whom Ali had contracted an alliance, while treating of the affair of the privateer, promifed to fecond him: time however was neceflary for collecting these fcattered aids, and Ali became impatient. The promises of Rezk, his kiaya and his oracle, rendered him ftill more defirous to be gone. This Copt never ceased affuring him that the hour of his return was come; that the afpects of the stars were most propitious; and that the downfall of Mohammad was now moft certain. Ali, who, like all the Turks, believed firmly in aftrology, and who put the greater faith in Rezk, because he believed his predictions had been often verified, could no longer endure delay; and the news he received from Cairo completed his impatience. In the beginning of April, letters were fent him by his friends, in which they informed him that the people were tired of his ungrateful fave, and that nothing but his prefence was wanting to expel him. He determined, therefore, to fet out immediately, and, without giving the Ruffians time to arrive, departed with his Mamalouks, and fifteen hundred Safadians; commanded by Ofman,the fon of Daher; but he was ignorant that the letters from Cairo were a ftratagem of Mohammad's, and that this bey had extorted them by force, in order to deceive and lead him into the fuare he was preparing. In fact, no fooner had Ali advanced into the defert which feparates Gaza from Egypt, than he fell in, near Salakia, with a chofen body of a thousand Mamlouks, who were lying in ambuth, waiting his arrival. This corps was commanded by the young bey, Mourad, who, being enamoured of the wife of Ali Bey, had obtained a promife of her from Mohammad, in cafe he could bring him the head of that illuftrious unfortunate. Scarcely did Mourad perceive the duft which announced the approach of his enemies, before he rushed To' upon them with his Mamlouks, and threw them into confufion. crown his good fortune, he met with Ali in the crowd, attacked, and wounded him in the forehead with a fabre, made him prifoner, and conducted him to Mohammad. The latter, who was encamped two leagues in the rear, received his former mafter with all that exaggerated refpe&t which is fo customary with the Turks, and that senfibility which perfidy knows fo well how to feign. He provided a magnificent tent for him, ordered him to be taken the greatest care of, ftiled himself a thousand times, "his "flave, who licked the duft of his feet;" but the third day, this pa-. rade of politenefs terminated by the death of Ali Bey, who died, according to fome, of his wounds; or, as others report, by poifon : the probability of both thefe accounts is fo equal, that it is impoffible to decide between them. Thus terminated the enterprizes of this celebrated man, who for fome time engaged the attention of ` Europe, and afforded many politicians hopes of a great revolution. That he was an extraordinary character, cannot be denied; but it is exaggeration to place him in the clafs of great men: the accounts given of him by witnetfes highly worthy credit, prove that though he poflefted the feeds of great qualities, the want of culture prevented them from coming to maturity. Let us pafs over his credulity in aftrology, which more frequently influenced his conduct than more fubftantial motives; let us not mention his treacheries, his perjuries, the murders even of his benefac tors*, by which he acquired, of maintained his power, the morality of a rude fociety is doubtlefs lefs rigid than that of a well-regulated ftate; but, judging ambitious men on their own principles, we fhall find that Ali Bey either ill understood, or erroneously purfued his plan of greatnefs; and that it was he himfelf who paved the way for his own ruin. We are certainly juftified in charging him with three errors: First, that imprudent thirft after conqueft, which fruitlessly exhaufted his revenue, and his forces, and made him neglect the interior adminiftration of his own country. Secondly, the premature indolence to which he refigned himself, executing nothing but by his lieutenants, which diminished the respect entertained for his perfon by the Mamlouks, and encouraged the fpirit of revolt. Thirdly, the exceffive riches he flowered on his favourite, which procured him the influence he abufed. Suppofing Mohammad virtuous, ought not Ali to have dreaded the feduction of flatterers, who, in all countries, are the conftant attendants on opulence? In Ali Bey, however, we muft admire one quality, which diftinguishes him from the multitude of tyrants who have governed Egypt: if a vicious education prevented him from knowing what true glory is, it is certain, at leaft, he was animated with the defire of obtaining it; and this was never the portion of vulgar minds. He wanted nothing but to be advifed by thofe who knew the true road to it; and, among those who are born to command, how few are there who merit this eulogium? I cannot proceed without a few remarks on an obfervation I remember to have frequently heard made at Cairo. Thofe among our merchants who had witnessed the reign of Ali, and his downfall, after extolling his good government, his zeal for juftice, and his beneficence to the Franks, never failed to exprefs their aftonishment at his not being regretted by the people; and thence took occafion to repeat thofe charges of inconftancy and ingratitude with which the Orientals are ufually reproached; but, on maturely examining every circumftance, this does not appear to me fo extraordinary as it may at first seem. In Egypt, as in every other country, the judgment of the people is guided by the penury or plenty in which they live; their love or hatred, their cenfure or applause, are measured by the ease or difficulty with which they can procure the means of fubfiftence, in confequence of the adminiftration of their rulers; nor can this be efteemed an improper criterion. In vain may we tell them that the honour of the empire, the glory of the nation, the encouragement of commerce, and the improvement of the fine arts, require fuch and fuch measures. Every thing is fuperfeded by the neceifaries of life; and when the multitude want bread, they have at leaft a right to withhold their praise and admiration. Of what confequence was it to the people of Egypt, that Ali Bey had conquered the Said. Mecca, and Syria, if thefe conquefts only augmented, inftead of relieving their burthens? The expences incurred by these wars, increated the contributions they were obliged to raife. The expedition against Mecca alone coft twenty-fix millions of French livres (above one million eighty-three 3 thoufand |