dred fouls, and fince the arrival of the French it is confiderably diminished.

General Menou was encamped on an open place behind his new wall, which certainly was the most agreeable and cleanly fituation. The houses being all white, the general appearance of the city is more lively than of any other in Egypt. There is nothing very remarkable to be seen in the town, excepting the mofque of St. Athanafius, which is a fuperb ftructure, whofe colonades are formed of pillars of granite, marble, &c. There are no buildings fo good as in Cairo. The quay of Alexandria is commodious, many antiquities were laying ready for embarkation, an account of which is in the Appendix, ferving as another evidence of General Reynier's correctness: a beautifully ornamented piece of cannon was alfo found ready to be embarked, and is fince brought home by General Lawfon.

The inner harbour was full of fhipping, but in a ruinous ftate; even the veffels of war were not in good order; the Egyptienne, however, muft be excepted, and mentioned as one of the fineft frigates in any fervice.

On the ifle des Figuiers, or fhoulder of land forming the flank of the inner harbour, is built the lazarette, to which feveral heavy batteries defend

defend the approach every way. At the extremity of a dyke or caufeway (apparently elevated by art), of about half a mile in length, and three yards in breadth, with walls on each fide, ftands the Pharos, which is built upon a rock, and which originally was a light-house, of fuch conftruction as to be called one of the wonders of the world. The prefent caftle is of confiderable strength, defended by thirty-five very fine pieces of French cannon, with two tiers of batteries. This fort perfectly commands the eastern harbour, and would refift any attack by fea. Here the English officers taken prifoners had been confined by General Menou; but they had not found, although the fituation was healthy, that the refidence was very agreeable; upon the whole, their treatment had not been good; clofe confinement perhaps was juftifiable, rigour was never neceffary, and therefore the officers had fome reafon to complain.*

The

*Colonel Cavalier is mentioned with much gratitude by the officers of De Rolle's regiment, as having, on his own responsibility, advanced them money, when the French com, mander in chief had refused. On Colonel Cavalier's furrender, he was paid this honourable debt by General Hutchinson, who expreffed his acknowledgements in the warmest

manner.

After the capitulation, many Turks were delivered up, who

had

The French have not this war been liberal; fome inftances occur where they have been inhuman. The late gallant General O'Hara was a cruel inftance of their ungenerous treatment; and the French government yet patronize the moft abandoned monfter who ever difregarded the laws of war, and tyrannized over the unfortunate-Victor Hughes.

Scarcely any thing was to be bought in the town except coffee. This celebrated emporium of the merchandife of the eaft retained no trace of original fplendour.

The new inundation may have improved the atmosphere of Alexandria, by correcting the vapours of the marsh of Mareotis, but at the fame time it has ruined the city as a place of commerce; for unless the canal is repaired, a fufficient fupply of water for the shipping can never

had been made prisoners at Aboukir, or in the ships which entered Alexandria on the faith of the treaty of El Arish. They complained of having been obliged to labour very hard for Chriftian dogs. The Turks always called the French by that name, believing that the English troops poffeffed a faith similar to Mahometanism, and therefore would with pleasure hear that religion reproached.

VOL. II.

F

be

be procured, and the reparation of that canal is a labour beyond the exertions of the Turks, yet an undertaking which would be probably worth the speculation of an adventurous civil engineer from Europe.

September the 5th Sir Sydney Smith and Colonel Abercrombie embarked on board the Carmine with the difpatches for England. The felection of thefe officers was an honourable trait of feeling and confideration. Sir Sydney Smith's pretenfions to this distinction will be univerfally acknowledged; and Colonel Abercrombie, as the fon of that officer whofe councils, enterprize, and refolution, paved the way to this great fuccefs, and whofe own fervices had been fo meritorious, was the proper person to be chofen from the army, as the herald of intelligence, completing his father's fame.

Diffufe panegyrics might appear indelicate from an individual, as well as not be fufficiently impreffive; therefore General Hutchinfon's letter fhall be here introduced, as best calculated to render justice to thofe officers, and the army in general, from the authority of the opinion, and the language in which his fenfe of their merits is expreffed. Indeed, too much at

tention

tention cannot be given to the whole of the Gazettes, which are added, not with the view of making a voluminous compilation, but as the most interesting documents and elegant specimens of official writings.

"This arduous and important fervice has at length been brought to a conclufion. The exertions of individuals have been fplendid and meritorious. I regret that the bounds of a difpatch will not allow me to specify the whole, or to mention the name of every person who has diftinguished himself in the public fervice. I have received the greatest support and affiftance from the general officers of the army. The conduct of the troops of every defcription has been exemplary in the highest degree; there has been much to applaud, and nothing to reprehend; their order and regularity in the camp have been as confpicuous as their courage in the field. To the Quarter Master General, Lieutenant Colonel Anftruther, I owe much for his unwearied industry and zeal in the public fervice, and for the aid, advice, and co-operation which he has at all times afforded me. Brigadier General Lawfon, who commanded the artillery, and Captain Brice, the chief engineer, have both great merit in their different departments. The local fituation of Egypt

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