Star. — London, England, 1801-10-01 00:00:00

1 FRANCE. ARMY OF EGYPT. lILLIALD, GINSIAL OF DIVISION, TO TN' CHM CONSUL lONAPALTS. Cairo, June 30, GENERAL—After the departure of the Com, mander in Chief Malloy and his divifion of the army for Aboukir, on the sift Ventofe, I contd. nucd in the centre of Egypt with a body of troops confifting of 2553 men, or the defence of the city of Cairo and its neighbourhood, againft thearmi of the Grand Vizier, who was advancing through the Defart of Syria ; and at the fame time rgainft the Englifh forces, who had landed from - India at Coheir and Suez. For we were apprized that a number of Englifh veffels were in the Red Sea and in the latitude of Gedda. A party of troops under my command formed the garrifon of the citadel, the forts furrounding Cairo, the places of Gifa, Old Cairo, and Boulak. I had only a dif potable force left, amounting to 485 men, with which it was neceffary for me to do all the duty of the place, to collet grain and other,articles of rub fillence, and to efcort military convoys, provifions and ammunition for the army ; to check the pro., grefs of the army of the Vizier, and to immanent before it when it made its appearance, to give time to the Commander in Chief to approach with all his forces, after having defeated the Englilli army. On the z sth I wrote to General Dow z ILOT, who bad been left at Siout, commanding him to eva cuate Upper Egypt, and to proceed by rapid marches to Cairo with his troops. I wrote alto to Mou ao Ber, who had ever fhewn himfelf faith ful to his engagements'to defcend Into the Lower Country, to calm poffeffion of Siont and Minech, to preferve tranquillity in that diftria of country, ' and to fend us a fupply of grain. At the fame time I fent inftruaions to the commanders of Mi. nech and Bentof to coiled their (mall craft, and to forward to Cairo all the provifions they could polLbly collea,our Magazines being almoft empty. I received on the 25th of March the intelli gence of the unfostuisate relit 01 the battle of the sift of March : front that MOMellt, the hOpe of compelling the Englifh army imm:diately to reimbark, was abandoned. What remained, was to keep them on the fhore of Aboukir, to arreft the invafion of the Vizier, 2nd to pre vent the junction of the two armies. The Com mander in Chief retired with his army to Alexas. dria, laboured in completing the conftruaion of a fortified camp, and in putting the place in spro. per pollute of defence. According to the orders of the General, I drew from the forts of Salahich and Belbeys, all the men who were not required for their defence, and as theft places contained confiderable magazines, I gave orders for remov ing a part of them to Cairo. On the 4th of April according to orders I had re, eeived from the Commander inChief,lgaveinftruc tions by letter to the Commandants of Belbeys and Salabich, as loon as they fhould be apprifed that s confiderable body of troops were on their march from Syria to Egypt, to evacuate there places; to bring with them as great a Rock of provifions as poffible; to put the forts in a Situa tion which would render them wholly ufelefs to the enemy. Before this time report (poke loudly of the march of the Turkifh army. Oa the 6th of April I received a reinforcement of 570 men, whom General Dom zzLor brought from Upper Egypt. The plague at this time rag ed among the garrifon at Cairo, as well as its in habitants. On the r ith I was informed of the furrender of Rofetta, and of the arrival of the Turk& army at Salahich, the garrifons of that place, of Belbeys, and &Acta Adge, retiring to Cairo, where they arrived on the lath ' , when - I gave ordeis for the warrifon of Suez to return by k Villas de Pegargssegre. I learned alto that Damietta had beer. evacuated, and that only too men were left to keep pollef fion of Elbe, and the forts on the coaft. The Charkie being invaded, one of the branches of the Nile being open, and the other on the point of be ing In, the fidelity of the Mamelucks 4 . 0 g at the fame time shaken by the death of Mouaao Bay, whore character fecured it, as well as by our loffes, I took the only refolution which was le ft me, and that was to fortify the neighbourhood of Cairo, and to take up a pofition filch as to infpire the enemy with a dread of advancing before they had longer time to concentrate and augment their forces. In the mean time the Vizier had halted at Salahich, for the purpofe of organizing his ar. my, forming magazines, and obtaining recruits from among the Mamclucks, the Arabs, and the inhabitants of the country. I h.td intelligence that Lactation General of Divifinn, with a corps of 3900 men, affembled on the i6th of April, co vered Rahmanie, and from this circumftance my efforts and hopes increafed. It might perhaps have been advantageous to attack the Vizier as f-on as he had crofred the Defart, and before he ' , bad time to organize his troops, to gain any afcen dancy in the country, and to attach the people to his interefls. General LAGRANGE, however, had orders to cover Rahmanie ; and it was not till' compelled by the united force of the Englifh ar- Ins , and the troops of the Capitan 1 3 .11 ha, after a very fevere allion, which continued during the whole of the zzd of May, that he aban doned it. On the 23d he at ivcd at Cairo with troops. I then had news that the Dyke \ of the Lake Madie had been broken down, and that the waters which Rowed in the lake Marco tis already rendered the communication betwixt Rahrnanie and Alexandria extremely difficult. l'he intelligence of the arrival of the Englifh at ors alfo reached me. After the juntlion of the troops of General LAC/RANO., ju dged it Cffittli• at.- t b . efoTe the Bosh& army had time to to t.airn, to march to Belbeys, m infpearrc c ilt • lion of the enemy, to give him battle, to endea vour to penetrate his deligns, and to try whether it was or was not poffible so drive bias back to Salabich. On the (4th of May, the (mall body of hole duty it was to defend Cairo, was under the command of General or troc a r TA Imes, and on the tyth I matched with the other troops, commanded by the Generals of Divifion LA.:MANOR and Roma. On the evening of the fame day I halted at Elmeneyer; Come detach ments of the enemy, which we met on our numb, Were repulfed. Oh the 16th I let forward at day-break for Bel bey'', when the enemy made their appearance. I direled my march towards them, keeping poffef (ion of the heights to the Eaft of Elmeneyer. To this you will find fubjoined, an account of the af— fair, which lafled till. mid-day. Perceiving that the enemy, though they retreated when I advanc ed to them, dWcovered no difpilltion to evacuate Egypt ; confidering that the continuance of this fpecies of warfare led only to the lofs of men, without being accompanied with any folid advan tage; fearing that a numerous body of the enemy's cavalry, which had difappeared in the morning after making a vigorous charge, were gone to Cairo, and reflecting bcfides, that the Englifh and .the troops of the C A PIT•V Prins might have pur rued General L•GRANCIS ' and that they might arrive at the place-of their deftination in two days, I refolved to return, for the purpofe of trying to prevent the paffage of the Nile, to conftrud bat teries, to fortify Cita, and render as perfect as poffible our immenfe line. On my arrival at Cai ro, General ALKII•S informed me that he had difpatched a number of couriers to communicate to me intelligence of the arrival of the Englifh and of the CAPIT•II P•IH• at Terane. Preffed by three numerous arrnles, all of whom daily received new reinforcements from the de fertion of the Mamelucksi the Arabs, and the in habitants of the country (all thofe in Upper Egypt joined the CAPITA). PASHA), and at the fame time the emigraon of-the inhabitahts of Afia, whom the hope of pillage &Waded into this fertile coun try, I bad to defend the city of Caim, the -popu iauon of which, on the fuppofition of its becoming could ,have collected from 25 to als thou fand combatants. In the middle of our camp the line of circumvallation prefented an opening of not lets than i 2,600 toifes extent. I was deftitute of money. The funds which had been received after the departure of the army arofe out of dif burfements made by the General or Subal*ern Officers, and by individuals atil.ched to the army, who, on the reqiiell being made to therm, had laid out their money for the expences of the army; Tome ordinary, as well as extraordinary, contri butions furnilhed us with other refources. I was very indifferently fupplied with provifions or ar tillery. It was'in Come degree . almoft neceffary to cream entrenchments, magazines, carriages for ordnance, powder, - "lnd other articlts, Oils Alex andria was fo extremely difficult of approach, that my communication with it had been wholly cut off for a great number of dlys. I deliberated under thefe circumtlances whether it would be expedient to retire into Upper Egypt, but the examination of that country convinced us that it prefented no military pofition. I had very (lender means of tranfporting troops or baggage, and I could pot flatter myfelf that the enemy would give me time to ‘agareite in this retreat. There was only one city whit& could have furnilhed fuf ficient means for the creation of an arfenal, as well as refources adequate to the works on which it would have been neceffary to enter. That &arid of country Was betides dreadfully aided by the P I thought of retiring ty Damietta, but accord ing to intelligence which I had received, that place and the Fort of Lefbe were in the poffeffion of the Ottoman army, and had not fufficient ammunition to engage in a repetition of battles. Betides, on a river, the banks of which were covered with ene mies, it was impoffible to navigate tranfports, even if I had been able to coiled a fufficient number. The refolution I embraced WAS that which Cal ves: took at Prague in circulliflances far Ws dif ficult. It was not in the centre of Africa, fur rounded by two Turkifh armies, ndl was there in the 'ilia of his camp a numerous and ferocious population. We had, like him, a European army to combat, but had only a feeble body in a Rate to engage, while we had an immenfe extent of country to defend. I had betides to take care of a . great number of lick, of wounded foldiers, and citizens whom the love of the arts and fciences had attrafted to Egypt. I caufed the Miniflers of Religion, the Members of the Divan, and the perfons of the greatell in fluence in the City of Cairo, to be arrefted and Ihut up in the Citadel. The Generals, the Officers, and the Soldiers, all laboured at the fortifications: the entrenchments were railed, and cannon, the greater part of which were found in Egypt, were placed on them. The continual movements of the troops teemed to multiply their number. In all points we prefented a formidable attitude to the enemy, and an appearance of ftrength, which madc our enemies conceive, that in order to get pollif lion of Cairo it would be neceffary to enter over our carcafes, and amid the ruins of the place. The effeet of thefe movements on the inhabitants was to make them believe that the leaft hotlile movement on their part would be the fignal for the death of their Chiefs, and the dellruttion of the city. Our exploits were recent, the impreflion they had made was great, and they thought that I they had every thing to dread from men long ha bituated to the chances of war. It was eafily teen that we were refolved rather to perifli than not to dielate the conditions of our retreat. Hence the enemy were estrcmely flow in all their motions, marched with the inmoil precaution, and feemed unwilling to meet us till they had made the great en preparations for the c rin:efl. This gained me time for wasting for dispatches from the Com mander in Chief, of whom I had no intelli gence for forty-five days. On the 13th of June arrived a detachment of dromedaries, by which conveyance I received a letter, which, however, contained no inftrunions how to aft in thefe diffi• colt and embarraffing circumflances. I, upon this, fent off a detachment to inform the General ot my fituation, of which he appeared to be almost wholly ignorant. On the 'ttli of June we were completely invefled by the combined armies, and all communication with the adjacent country was entirely delkored. On the following days the enemy got poffeffion of Tome of out ontpoßs, and began to eftablifh batteries. They had thrown a bridge of boats over to the villages of Chaubrat, and a (mall corps belonging to their army defcend ed from Upper Egypt. On the 22d there was a furpenfion of arms, and on the 23d a conference took place betwixt three French officers and three officers belonging to the combined army. On the 24. th we rpecified the conditions of furrender ; on the 27th they were ac cepted and ratified on the 28th. Our lines of cir cumvallation, from their hnmenfe extent, and the weaknefs of leveral points, could not be defended againft en attack by form. We had scarcely rso (hot for each piece of artillery ; in our rear was the _whole population of Cairo, who, receiving no more fupplies of provifion from the country, would doubtlefs have (econded the attack of the befiegers ; our lines being once carried, the different corps might 'have with difficulty retired into the citadel with the lots of our cavalry and artillery horfes, and all means of tranfporting our ammunition. We could not helve then ntada a longer refiftance than 25 days, from the fate of our provifions, and after that there would have been no hope of entering into a negociation. We mull have been at the mercy of our enemies, and fubfervient to their command. What fort of a capitulation had we to cape& from two Turkifh armies, who were matters of Egypt and of Cairo ? Could the Eng lifh have checked them ? This line of cencluft, however, we fhould have adopted, General, had we Rill remaining any point of contaft with France, or any hope of relief. We could not have held out in expeaarion of fuch relief beyond the 14th of July at the lateft. The Convention was con cluded on the 28th of June. But, General, you have known of Ahraczostst's Expedition for eight months. You have stone for the brave Army of Egypt, which you regskded as your family, all that could be done. Geer HIALIMIS was difpatched with Soon men : had he arrived in time, our fitu ation would have been very different—he could not make good his pairage—all your efforts were ineffeftual. Four months have we defended Egypt, contefling every foot of ground. You know our fituation, and molt affuredly you did every thing to ameliorate it. No fuccours arrived : what had we to look tot •• • • The Englifh, jnspy opi nion, would not-have _been at the gatei-ef Cairo, if they had dreaded a numerous fquadron in the Mediterranean. I (ball fay nothing in praife of the general officers, the fubalterns, and the foldiers. Thefe heroes covered with wounds, under your orders, have beaten five Aufrian armies in Italy, and conquered Egypt. They have ftruggled for three years agaisot wants of every kind, againft the plague, and the efforts of Europe and Aria. You know them, they have not ceafed to render themfelves worthy of you. You will find fubjoin ed the plan of the environs of Cairo. No man is better acquainted with it than you are. Call an eye on the fituation of the troops, the (fate of our provifions, and our military chef ; examine the reports of the principal Engineer, and the Com mander of the Artillery. It will be fufficient to give an idea of our refources, our means, and our pofition. I annex alto a lift of the unhappy fuf ferers by the epidemic diftemper which did us fo much injury. I bring with me the auxiliary troops, both horfe and foot; numbers of the inhabitants with their families follow us. I elf° embark a number of horfes and mares, which (ball be deli vered to Government, if agreeable, on condition that they are replaced by French horfes. HAUT rot/ LT., Chief of Brigade of Engineers, General, and the Direftor-General of Powder and Saltpetre, will tranfmit to you the Convention I made with the three Generals of the combined armies. The Commiffary Itsostellt is going to France, in or der to explain the wants of our army. I recom• mend them all three to you, General ; they enjoy great confederation with the army, and are chem. ed by the - General in Chief.—Health, rerpeft, (Signed). BILLIARD. [Here follows the Convention_ for theevacuation of Cairo, which was publifhed in the London Ga zette. The following Note, agreed to after the Convention, has not before been publithed :] ADDITIONAL MOTE, ZIPIALTIATOIT Or Tlx CONVINTION 07 TII - 117TE 01 WWI, 1:01, 1. It is underltood, that the . artilicry which the carps of French and Auxiliary troops, under the command of General BeLLIARD to take with them in their retreat from Cairo, in order to be tranfported with them to France, &inns of two 6cld-pieces of from twelve to two pounders fo r each Wasik*, and one piece for each lquadron, together with the ammo!. tion-waggons belonging to them. 2. It iibefides underftood, that the french troops embarked on board edits of war mail, from the moment of their going as board, have their arms and ammunition depofited in places ap pointed for that purpofe, whia (hall be under the infpeftica of the commander of the v eld; which arms and ammunition m a p be re Cored to them on auk landing in France, agreeably to the Convention; and that thefe troops who M a li be embarked in veffels dot armed, Mall, while they remain on board, keep pof fiffion of their arms and ammunitiso, and be under the contrail of their oicen. 3. Women, children, aides-dn-eamp, and all aces belong big to General Mewou, shall be tranfported from Calm to Alexandria In 'cella, furnithed for that purpoli by the Allied Powers. 4. The wives of Officers, Soldiers, and other Frenchmen, belonging to the garrifon of Alexandria, and who arc now in Csiro, Stall have liberty to go to Alexandria, and for this pus pole they (hall be furnillied with all the neceflary. means c being fent thither; and in cafe of their not being received at Alexandria, they null be conveyed to France with the troops under the command of General B. LLIA Ito, or as lona as pof- Able, and (hall enjoy all the advantages attic raid Convention. 3. French women, as well thole belonging to the troops, as to Frenchmen in their employ, (hall be embarked with their hultbands, and enjoy rations of provrifions, and other advantages ftipulated in the Convention, according to the maritime regu lations of England. _ . 6. image and effeets belonging to thefe troops, u well u to individuals, who arc in the prelim, of Alexandria, if found in Cairo, Wall be kin to Rofetta, and embarked if poffible. y. The Direttlor-General and the Accountant of the Public Revenues, dull have power to go to Alexandria, or to fend a perks' employed by him thither, and for that purpok every poffille facility Chaff be afforded him. 8. If among the hoftages exchanged ►etween the refpedtive C..mminders, there &mid be Land °Seen, the Generals and Adte i, rats of the three Powers Wall be at liberty to replace them by Naval Officers of t►e Lune rank, at the moment of their embark a:tun. 9. the Antics and carnets which the corps under the com mand of Gcnrral BELLIA ID thail have left in Fgypt, than, at the moment of the ernbarkatioo i be feet back to Cocamtliarkol &pros:fled hi the Allied Powers for receiving them. 10. It it undrrltood that the fartifiembna (hail be given up ot withou ou t being damsel; oittl tho mien pototal out to Wan Done aa the 57th of Jane, 510t...9 and 16 Sir--: zl6. (Signed) Does tsar, General of Brigade, MORAUD, General of Brigade, T , Chief of Brigade, lone Hors, Bricadier-G mer g, OSMAN Bre, and ISAAC BIT. Agreed to, (Signed) Odd. J. HILT HITCRINIOH, Gem ni (a Agreed to, OD the pert of Lord KILTS, (Signed) Janes 8T 11011, Captain In the Royal Nary. Agreed to, (Signed) HEADY" Yee sov r ZIA, Vizier. Agreed to, (Signed) Horny , Para Capoutan-diryi. &Mar MADE BY THE MINISTIR AT WAR TO TIM CONSULS, ON THE 12Th, SEPT. " Citizen RLONIRR, Commiffary to the Army of the EaR, informs me from Toulon, where he is performing quarantine, that conformably to the [4th Article of the Convention with the Bri tills and Turks by General BILLIARD, he had come to France with the Chief of Brigade of Engineers, H•UTPOULT, to announce to the French Govern.. ment the fpeedy arrival of the troops under the command of General BILLIARD. The number of thefe troops is about za,sor), comprifing Greeks, Copts, and Syrians, who determined to follow the Army. The Ick are about zOOO. Annexed to this Report, is a Ratement of the condition of the troops who muft fpeedily attire in France. (Signed) " BER.THIER." Officers of the Staff and of every dekripdon 943 lion-eorensisaa Mass ark Soldier*, - - io ,t of whams 665 are is the Hofpitals. Perform, enrioyed in Civil Departments, eacept the Treater? - 37 S 12,185 Note—The =Rabat of Syrian, Greek, and Copt Trucia amounts only to Spy. •••• PAM SWIMMER aj. NIANUTACTURAII ♦ND THI ♦NTI. Yefterday the Minifter of the Interior prefented to the Confuls the Committee chapged with the examination of the productions of French induftry, and the Manufadurers and Artifis to whom prizes have been aligned. Citizen COSTAS, Prefident of the Committee, delivered, on this occafion, the following fpeech : ••• " Citizen Cousins—We prefent to you the re. fults of the examination of the prodations of French induftry, expofed at the Palace of the Sciences and Arts, during the Supplementary days of the ninth year of the Republic. This folemn and memora ble exhibition ought to.calm all inquietude refpel. ing the future condition of our commerce, and ought to have the effect of impofing filence on thole men who amufe themfelves by predifting the ruin of French induftry. Many arts in watch France knows no rivals, then difplayed their pro dudions. The arts which have been fuccefsfully cultivated by other nations, have been naturalized among us. On all fides we fee the efforts of in. duftry crowned with fuecefs. New machines are invented; the laws of chemiftry, and the proper. ties of thofe fubftances which our foil produces, are applied to the production of articles necelfary in commerce.—The national inflitute has for fome years pall judged it neceffary to propofk a prize for the improvement of our potteries; we have the fatisfadion to inform you that many fpecimens have been exhibited on the examination executed in a (Lyle fuperior to the productions of any other country. Manufactories for fpinning cotton-twig, and making cotton Ruffs, are ellablifhed in dif ferent departments, and are in a profperous way. Manufactories of hooks, laws, files, and all the articles which, under the name of hardware, form_an important branch of commerce, are alfo eftablifhed in France. In general we have re marked a fenfible amelioration in the articles, the fabrication of which demands precifion, art d in thole which depend op chemillry, or which fup. pole a previous knowledge of defign. The de partments of the Seine, of the Lower Rhine, of the Somme, of Eure, oiAube, Marne, Seine, and *he Mof.dle, are particularly diflinguifhed by the auty of the produCtions they have exhibited to the public. The lawns, cambric., gauzes and lace of the department of Aifne, Du Nord and Dyle, &c. completely fuflain their reputation. We can satire you that this precious defcription of induftry will long be the exclufive property of the French nation. We have feen beautiful filks fabricated at Tour's, and it is with infinite regret that we have to notice that none have been prefented from Ly ons. We have, however, feen works of the higheft value of this defcription exhibited by Citizen Lc. Tact,. It, merchant at Paris, diftingutfhed by that fine tafte which he never ceafes to difplay in all his articles. It is with the fame regret that we can fay nothing of the induftry of the Departments of Gard, Herault, Lot, Vauclufe, and other depart ments of the South, celebrated for their manufac tures, but who on the prefent occaficin have not attended to the Proclamation of the Milliner of the Interior. Citizen Confuls, an annual exhibition of the productions of national induftry, is an initi tution of the higheft intereft.. It gives birth to emulation among artifts ; it augments their know. ledge; it forms the tape of the confumers by gilt.. ing them a knowledge of what is beautiful, and bydevprorera ofe arts."elop g ingthe t treft and molt energetic ceafes of the Gold, filver and copper medals have been grantolto thokmanufadurers and artiftswho have been judged worthy of them. The Minifter of the Interior liimfelf bellowed them. Thofe Iwho ob tained the gold medals were invited to dine with the Cats, Conant.. The Cats r Corsut converted with the different artills on the price of the articles produced by their workfhops, on the aaual quantity of produetions now in their poffeifion, on the hopes they enter tained of extending their mannfaltories, on the number of workmen they employed, &c. He told them that he hoped the exhibition of rii-xt year would be as fuperior to the prefeat as the prefent was to the year fix ; that he expelled to tee the cbefi d'•rvrrr of the manufstaures of Lyons and the cities of the fond', who had fent none on the pre. fent occafion, probably becaufe the prelei2 of the exhibition bad not been loon enough made known to them. He added,, that it was his intention for the future, that at the time of the exhibition there thould be a lair, at which a:Whit:l4 manufalturers might receive the fruit of their labours, and pur chafers find produdions at fupcnot qoality and I Dior; Iluoderace price, V