The Sun.
London, England, 1801-05-06 00:00:00

LONDON, MAY 6, iBol.

IT was, we must acknowledge, with much
astonishment that we have seen the effect produced
on the Opposition Papers try the Official Dispatches
ree,2ive4 from Con;tallkinvie and from Egm. In-
stead of finding in them matte; for confidence and
for exultation, they discover nothing but grounds
for disappointment, and even for regret. Without
stopping to inquire whether the latter sentiment be
with them conneaed with the former, we would
ask, in what point, of any consequence, do these-
Dispatches diminish the ideas received in the be-
ginning of last week, respeaing the situation of
Affairs in Egypt ? The only four faits Qf import.

in

military view, among all the vague
KurPours which are always in extremes, whether ,the
new be good or bad, have- been. confirmed.; we
mean, . the Success of the Disembarkation,' that of
the Battle which took place on the 13th, the Cap_
ture of Akukir, and the Vidory gained on the
zest. Nothing in these respeets- tends to diminish
the fustre• and the advantage of this last action, for
the only material variation between the Dispatch of
Mr..T44,0,p,,,,and that of Lord acts, is
favour,,,theformeEestimating our loss at tico .Men
killed and woyided, the latter making it only
_
Five kundred.
• •

Our Oppositiori Papers have been sensible that
they could not, in fad, make, with probability in
their favour, any drawback from the Vidory of the
Ist ; they have, therefore, endeavoured to dis-
cover in the Dispatches which relate to anterior
events, some faa which-perverted logic, and still
more perverted dispositions, might turn to their
account. Two such fads have appeared to-them of
this nature, and of these they have taken particular
hold. One is, that MENOU having joined the
Garrisori of illexameliia with zoOo Horse, the Co—
mmunication must consequently not have been cut off
between that place and the bulk of the French
Army; the other is, that in the Battle-of the:alst,:
our Troops had only to engage the Garrison of
.1/exandria, and the. Reinforcement which the
Commander in Chief had brought it. These
Writers consider themselves as having established
these two fads, and have consequently shewn
thit unpleasant consequences must follow. It will
not be difficult to make it appear that they are de.
ceived in both respells.

Whoever is acquainted with -the Topography of
the Country which is the Theatre of the Wat in
gspyt,. .and -whOtWer has taken the trouble to ex-
amine Ai' Poil4Olfc'iwhich our Troops had there
taken, must -have seen that by it, they necessarily
cut off. the :dieter Communiction bet Ween Alex_
. aultia and the Western Branch of the Nile, and
consequently also between that City and laamania,
and Cairo. This din-ft Communication was the
only one which-our Troops were interested in; and
which they had the possibility of cutting off; for
they certainly could not think of advancing beyond
the Canal of Alexandria, and the French could con,
sequently continue to communicate with that place
along the,lat of the Canal, that is to say, by the
way' of the Desert. Thh fad, and the reasoning
which it suggests, are both.of them proved by the
Letter of Colonel ANSTRi;THER,'WhO says, in ea.
press terms, " Oar Past:tion cant eke Cvmmatmi-
catictz between Alexandria and the Nile, excelling
through the Desert."—ln these circamstances what
did M s NOV to maintain his Communication with
illexandr;a? He did that which is always done when
is necessary to get to a City which the Enemy arc
closely investing : he took with him all his Cavalry,
as a body which could move with more rapidity,
and which did not in its march require that baggage
which infantry cannot dispense with, and which
he could not have transported by the way of the
Desert. He thus effeaed his junEtion with the
Garrison of 4kxandria, in a manner which, we
again repeat;: it was neither the interest, not in the
power dfbiir -,Trocip,s to oppose ; but ins, doing, he
has na.:ie.eitablihhed the direct? Communication
between Alexamdii4.- and the Nile, a circumstance
which Sir I(Atrit Was interested in.opposing,
and which he hat succeeded in preventing. The
first consequences derived from the Position taken
by the latter on the 12th, remain, therefore, fully.
confirmed in all their extent, and
.all their ad.
vantage.

With respea to NIENou having on the 21st at.
tacked ‘s ith no more than the Garrison of Alex-
andria, supported by 2000 horse, no one can assert
that the ut is, or is not so, for we are not in pos.
session of the least account that throws any light on
that subje&. Supposing it even to be true, it must
be recollected that the Garrison of Alexandria was
4500 strong, and that therefore MENou must have
had in his attack.at least 6500 men, among whom
were all his Cavalry, the most valuable part of his
Army in his local and relative situation. If it be
considered that the total number of men which it is
calculated, he has at his disposal, does not exceed

is,ooo and if we take
.into account all that he
must have been obliged to leave on the side of
S)ria in UN& *ye, and towards Suez, it may
be concluded thai. thcforce which he was able to
leave aS Calitoniustillice been little more than was
necessaiy for-keepitie the inhabitants of that City
in a state Of'slibtiiissiOn. Indeed. hal it been other-
wise, however low the Military talents of MENou
are to be rated, it is not to be conceived that when he
had resolved to attack our TrOops from /14.randria,
he would have neglefied to avail himself of the co-
operation, or at least of the diversion which that
body Of Troops left by him at Cairo could have
afforded, as It had much more time than was reces-
sary for marching against Sir RALPH. -114!, in

the Vitiory obtained by the British General on the
2 rst, he must either have at once defeated the
two parts cf the Army of IVIENou, or else the
Forces at the disposal of the latter mast have been
almost entirely confined to the Garrison of Alexan.
drier, and to the zOOO men with which he had joined
it. In both • eases the-result is-equally favourable
to us, and to the same.dezreeas it was.in the-first
moment estimated.

In this view of the subject, we flatter ourselves
our Readers will neither accuse nr`btexaggeratitt
ilor of false confidence, but wilr. tti-as
merely drawing that inference fronuke 4ata which
we possess, which a considerate and impartial at.
tendon .enables us to do. We cannot predid what
may he the consequence of this Expedition; for it
is not in the power of the most able General to
enchain Fortune constantly to his car; but all we
say is, that considering the subject attentively,
there never were better grounds for conceiving
strong hopes. When the greatest difficulties have
been surmounted, when we have been vidorious in
three -sUccesSive Engagements, and when from-
si. es
p...iing the dominion. of ..the Sea, .every-• day,
1.
must improve our situation, and deteriorate that of
the ,Enemy ; surely the future may tile!), if ever,
be looked forward:to with.confidenee. The silence
of the .silioniteut, and the communications which
reach us from France, are. 'sUffiCient. proofS
,that
things were there viewed in the same light as they
are here by us, and we cannot help quoting a pas..
sage in a letter written by a.person at Paris, who
is not. unconnefted with the French Government:
ti We entertain," says the' Writer, "great uneasi
ness iespeeting the first successes of the English in
•Egypt, and still greater are our apprehensions from
knowing the mediocrity of Metio'u's talents, and.
the weakness of his Army. The SqUation at. Ton.
•
lon will have orders to attempt evervitilikagirt order
to convey to him succour." 'ThitvLftter.fri`eriti-.
which this is extracted, was Wore it".Wais
known at Paris that the French had 'teen tic-tenet
on 2lst ult. and it will be-readily admitted that
since that time there has been still greater cauiefoi
anxiety and alarm.

The Hambiergh Mail which became .due this
morning, had not arrived when this Paper was Pat'
to Press. :. `,l

. The QUEEN yesterday, 'accornpanied •by her,:
Royal Daughters, in their carriages,
,rode tlirottik-
. . .Fulham.
The Charlotte Yacht' will be 'ordered round
We 3- mou th , far die • r • ‘l,,
-,Fitmity when they .g0..0n -the water. *H. 13.-
NtALF., it is supposed, will be appointed toccira.'
amid her while she is employed 'on this; particular
.service.

Mr. SHA !RP E, late Consul at the Court or re;
tersburgh, is_going back again to Russia in the same'
capacity ; a Frigate being in, readiness at Tar.,
mouth to cpnrcy him to Petetsburgh. •
Lord /La DWICItt3 we..tuaderstaial: :rneans.sedet.
off for Ircland on Friday next.;

Lord CAR R t r °to g is resettled to Town fromiu
Seat at High Wycombe.
Lord and Lady Attavoit left Town yesterday* •
for their Scat at Dynevor Castle, in Wilts.
AU- the private accounts from rbittc;.ogrea
stating, that the French Governtnetn is, ,Aalyglyl. •
employed in Naval Preparations along the y
whole ,
line of Coast. Not only ships of ►al'; but gun.
boats, and flat.bottomed boats, ate equipping, ureter
the direition of the Maritime Prefetts. Letters
frnm the• Hague mention these circumstances, and
state, that it it supposed some
..Expedition will sail
from the Dutch Ports.' A considerable parr of the
Troops which have been withdrawn from Germany,
are filing towards the Coast. There are at /hese.
20,000 men ready for embarkation. At Rochefort
there are three ships of the line, among which is
L'Aij/e, of 8o guns,' ready for sea, and intended to
take troops onboard. On various points of the French
Coast likewise,- along the Channel, and through Flan.
ders, great bodies of men are as!embled. cren.is-
sEN-A is intended to have the chief command of the .
main body ; and it is thought that embarkations will
be tried, in order to alarm.our coasts,. in different'
parts.

It we compare with these fads the virulent lan.
guage which has appeared in some late Proclama_
no'. of the
.French Generals, and in the Official
Journ4l of -the Government, it seems evidentjhat:s:
some great attack is meditated against this Country.
The DtTicE of YORK, in his InstruCkions to the
Troops at Plymouth, desires; that not only light-
(-organic; are to be adroit in their particular exer-
cises, but divisions, of battalion, to be-occasionally
detached and instructed to. a& as !inkers, and. as
skirmishers, in attacking and repelling those.of the
enemy ; and that the troops shall be taught to•
provident of their ammunition, and not to fire buV:'
when they have a good aim. His .4etya,414,470E
further states, that it cannot be too much
on both Officers and SOldiers, that in' eiSe.otinva..
sign, our
.great objeet will be to attack-OS Eifdiki-' •
on the first favourable opportunity, and that not su
much by fire as by the bayonet.

The Second Regiment of Foot Guards had a field..
day yesterday in Hyde Park.

It is with pleasure we inform the Public that a
Subscription has been set on foot, in the Baltic
Fleet, for the relief of the widows and orphans of
the brave officers and men who fell in the attack of
the Danish Flotilla, at Copenhagen, on the 2(1 ult.
The Admiral has subscribed isol.—each of the
Captains Isl. and the Ward.room Messes 201. each.

!v.
NAVAL 54,
,
4--)- NEWS.

•~ -.~.~;
~~~~

Nom illi iNspethow pelagic Javadirtgue tiidesteok,
Sid snibi sole datum.

I', ors the LONDON GAZETTE. Mj 5, 180 I.

,
Admiral ty .0, c May 5:
•-
Cob ay a 14 4r from the lion. William Cornwallis,
Admiral o 2 the Blue, &lc. to Eva,: Nepease, Esq.
• dated ei Waist, 28th April, iBot.
SIR,

-I have enclosed a Letter from Captain Hotham,
of His Majesty's Ship Immortalite, giving an ac-
count of his having taken a French Privateer.
I have the Honour to be, &c.
W,. CORN WALLIS.
Immortality, at Sea, 7.

...,

`•IR,
—I have the Honour to inform you, that on 'the
t4th, in lat. deg. B.min, N. and long. r3.deg.
ss min. W. Yell in with and captured La LauTe
French Privateer Brig, of 14 guns, and 78 _men,
whohad.been fifteen days out from-Sr. Maloes, 'and
had taken nothing but a Portuguese Vessel from
Bristol bound .to Lisbon i but during her former
(Taus had made seventeen captures.
- •rlr have'th4'HOficiin: &e. `&c.
(signed). HENRY HOTHAM.
thi:Hoo. Admiral Con:4l4)4li') _

trc.

, I ty.O.fee, May si • "
Caty,of tir Letter from Lord -Amefius,Beaitclerk,Cai:
_ talq of. Hit, Majesty's Ship Forturie, to Event
• Neittim,. Esq, dated Spithead) the ut inst.

I acquaint you, for the information of the Lords
Couunissioners•of the Admiralty, in company with
His 'Majesty's Ship Trent and Dolphin Cutter, we
captured on the 2oth of April, after a chase of ten
both; St. Aubin's Bay, Le Renard
P-resfch)Fr:ioiitir'Slagger, from St. Maloes, pierces?
ibsyrAgiuis:g4Twhitti Vessel has been a great detri,
meat to pus qoasting Trade.
Y gni; Sk.
Akairalty.Ofte, Atgy S.
Copy, ol a Zeller from Lieutenant Loma, commattti-
ifis Majesty's Ship laton, to Evan Neteaz,
Ely. dated at Sea, the .Lit. init.

A. BEAUCLERK.

siR,
I have the Honour to acquaintyou, for the ir-
brnAtion of my Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
nitaltys of my having, at one o'clock this morn.
Itig, Cheri)burg bearing South, distant four leagues,
,apturrd La Dorad French prig Privateer, "noun:-
ng /4 brass six.poundera and 53 Men, commanded
iy Citoycn Fevre, from Cherbourg six hours,
ad bound for a Crutze off the Coast of Spain.
I bore the Hnnour to be, &c. &c.
WOODLEY LOSACK.