The Sun.
London, England, 1803-06-10 00:00:00

THE SEARGRAYE O rotsrAcH y HALL.

Mr. ERSKINg stated, that the Plaintiff in this
case was possessed of a. Pleasure Yacht, called the
Camilla ; and the Defendant was the rroprietor of.
a West India Ship, called the S,rlly. The itaion
was brought to recover a compensation in damages
for the mischief done to the yacht, by the Sdly
running fool of her in the river. The yacht was
coming up the river with a foul wind ; the Deceit.
dant's ship was going in the contrary course, with
a fair wind, and could have chosen her course through
any part of tite channel. Instead of doing this she
chose to run foul of the Plaintiff's yacht, which,
was just then passing frown the Kent shore, the
wind out of her sails, and not under the guidance
of the helm. It had long been settled, he said,
that there was a law of sailing as well as of driving
on the toad. The ship which had the wind, and
could deviate with little or no inconvenience, Was
always to give way to the vessel working up
against the wind. So the Defenda'nt's vessel ought
to, havellone in the present case; instead of, which,
against all the rules of navigation, she ran foul of
the yacht, and must therefore pay the damages.
To prove this case, he galled THOMAS NirsTox,
the Captain of the yacht ; but, bet Ore they rrn.
ceeded, it WAS agreed to refer the cause tO Mr.
HARRISON,

SIR ROBERT IPILSON's ANStrER.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR.

IN the official correspondence lately published,
there appear some remarks which the French Am.
bassador was instruded to.make on my History, of
the Expedition' to Egypt, and of which I feel called
upon to take notice, not in personal controversy.
With General ANbRICISSY, for, conscious of the
superior virtue of my ',cause, I find- myself neither
aggrieved nor irritated by the language he has used
bur that the Public may not attribute tny silence to
a desire of evading further discussion, anti thus the
shallow mode of contradiftion adopttd by the
Clit F CoNsut, acquire an unmerited consideration.
The Ambasiador observes, " That a Colonel in
the English Army has published a Work in "England
filled with the most atrocious and disgusting calum-
nies against the French Army and its General.—
The lies it contains have been contradieted by the
reception which Colonel SEBASTIAN! experienced,
The publicity' of his 'Report was at once a refutation
and reparation which the French Army liada right
to expect."
Pitt surely a new signification must have ken
attached in. France to the word Calumny, when such
a term is adplied to my account of the conduit ofof the
French Trqops in Egypt, and the consequent dispo.
sition of the inhabitants towards them!

Irdcpendcor, howoier, of the proofs to he ad-
&cut in corroboration of my Statement,, Europe
rnay justly appretiate the- probable truth of what I
have written, when she reeolleCts the unpatalleled

er•dured by the unoffending countries into
which, during the last War, a French Army pene.
traced, and slit• will at .feast. hesitate to Believe
that the same Armies tliuuld voluntarily ameliorate
their c.,nduet in a country more remote; where the
atrucicics they tn,;ght commit would be less liable to
publicity ; -and that this, extraordinary change should
be in favour of a people whose principles and resist.
once might have excited the resentment of more ge.
nerous invaders.

I will not enter into an unnecessary detail of the
numerous f*tls which I could urge ; but I,Arpeal to
the • Honouf of every British Officer eml)loyed in,

Egypt, whether those Observations are not "sacredly
true which describe the French as being hateful to
the inhabitants of thet country, which represent
them as having merited that hatred. from the ruin
and.devastatitin with which their progress through
it 41as been marked ; and I am 'ready, if there be
one who refuses to sanction this relation, to resign
for ever every pretension to honourable reputation,
and submit, without a further-struggle, to that
odium which should attach to calumny and wilful
perversion of truth. • * •
But, Sir, I feel-confident there is no individual
who will not amply-confirm all that I. have written
on this subject; and perhaps Europe IniSa right to
condemn me for not having made* the accusations
still stronger, 'When I can tir.odlce frequent general
orders of the French Aoniy for the destruction of
villages, and theirinhabitants ; when -I•can prove,
that above 29,000 of the. natives perished by the
swords of the french Soldiery; and that, evcr-2.-
of violence was comniittedand-particularly in Up.
per Egnit; Which could outrageltuditinityr and
grace the Charader of ciiilised When
writing art history of the 'Campaign, vas it positik,
not to ..express
.indignatidO it3lust the Ilith°o of
such calamities ? Woold,it have been natural nor to
have felt the animation of that virtuous pride, which
a rellekttion oei the Llifroetit.conliuktt .of the -Brititth
:Soldiery most inspire-in the hreist of Britoil.?
. I have± asserted that a ;British Soldier could traverse

Mont through ey part of Egypt, or even penetrate
into the desart, secure from injury or insult. I hive
described the natives-aveonsideringthe.British.their-
beriefaCtors .and prhteaonr, Aolicitlug,opport,unitie4
to Malifc.:St their gratiti‘dei and esteeming :their
uniform Is sacred hs the turban of Nitahometani.sm ;
and, I may venture to predict, that. hereafter, the
French trAvellervill be eouvraled to:conceal ths..,
uame his-v.:gibs.", and ovite hit .security-to the as
514011,1i0n -of the .-British chara6ter.:
But, Sir, doe*s' the circa. of ColonelSE 11 ACT t AN I'S
Reimrt justify the Cut. • CONSUL'i. -concithlop,
" that it is a complete refutation of what Lhave,
advanced, even if we attach to that Report iiniAieir
belief in its candour and veracity Pi .4 it pty.sibfe.
that the.CH LEP CONSUL 'can suppose the world wilt
trace respect for the French natne:in the eiretitn.
etancc which occurred, to Colonel,,Se BAST I tar
Caro, and which rendered it necessary for him to
demand protetlion from the Vizir ?,or,. would he
• imagine, .that the apologue of DI.G.EzzArS Pacht,
,vv.as not intelligible even previous to the instruaions
being pOlished, which M. "FAILIVRAN.D t„;;:ilt to
the French (omnercial Agent