Star.
London, England, 1807-08-13 00:00:00

EGYPT.

Although we are aware that we (hall not contribute to the gratifi-
cation of the generality of our teaders, by dwelling on the late
proceedings in Egypt; yes, the following letter, which we have
lately received, will place fome &es in a new light, and be fa.
tisfadtory to the panics ccnneeted with that expedition.

" May 4, z 807, off Alexandria.

gg After the capture of Alexaadria, it was deemed
neceffary to poffefs Rofetta, Rhamanie, and Damietta.
An expedition was accordingly prepared, under the
Generals Wauchop and Meade, confill ing of the 3IR
Regiment ;too !Prong, Claaffeurs Britanniques Soo,
to Dragoons, 10 Artillery, too feamen, and ionic
Arabic Guides. This force went againft Rofetta,
and attacked it by form ; but were driven back
with the lofs of 500 men killed, wounded, and' pri-
foners. Among the killed was General Wauchop;
General Meade was badly wounded; the latter or.
dered a retreat, which was done 'irregularly, and
therefore gave an eafy opportunity to the enemy's
horfc. The Turks cut off the heads of all the killed,
and of the wounded who could not welk. The pri-
foners and wounded, that could walk, were obliged
to carry the heads to Cairo.

" The troops•were teen from the fqoadron, re-
treating to an old caravanfera. Thither Captain
Nicolls of the marines was fent, with a carronade
and r marines to cover the retreat, and to keep the
poll until another expedition could be got ready.—
The troops that compofed it were, the to battalion
of the 3111 regiment, the 2d battalion of the 78th,
De Rolle's regiment, 5o of the artillery, 30 dragoons,
200 tailors, and fome Arabic guides; in all about
3000 men, under the command of l3:igadier•General
Stewart. Captain Nicolls's poft was reinforced to
4o men, and appcioted firft depot.

" The expedition fat dowdbefore Rofetta on the
zd of April, and continued to batter the town ; not-
withftanding feveralloities from the garrifon, which
were always repulfed with lofs.
" On the tgth, a reinforcement of raw men, came
down the Nile, and
,polled.themfelves oppofite El
Hamet, a poft occupied by Major Vortigen and 300
of De Rolle's tegimcnt, for the purpofe of covering.
our convoys and (upplies, from the interior and lake
Eckoe. They made an attack cn his left the fame
night. but were repulfed With lofs.
.• On the matting of the Zoth, they attacked and
turned his right ; and in conlequence of De Rolle's
light company *giving way, 70 of them were cut to
pieces. Seeing the pott could not be kept without a
reinforcement, Captain Nicolli rode to the General
and informed him of the fituation of things. The
latter fent Colonel M'Leod rf the 78th, with 400
men. On the approach of this force the Turks un-
covered our right, and retired to a spoil in front of
our left.

" On the morning of the 2IR, CVLII.eI M‘Leod
fent word, that the enemy had landed an immenfe
reinforcement out of a large veffels, and 6o Dgerms,
to the amount of ro,ooo, and that he Mutt retire, as
he was in want of ammunition ; and advifed the
General to break up his camp at Rofetta, and meet
him at a certain point. A few camels with ammu-
nition were fent to the Colonel, with orders to retire.
The enemy, having all the country under their eye,
cut them off; and before the General could make a
dernondratiem in his favour, the Colonel was fur.
rounded and cut to pieces, excepting too men on the
right, who furrendered on terms. The General fee-
ing this gallant officer had fallen with 600 men,
formed a hollow fquare with a gbn in each angle,
the baggage and wounded in the centre ; and al-
though furrounded on all fides by Ave times his num-
ber, made an orderly retreat to Captain Nicolls's
rift, where the dgerms were to receive his gallant
troops. He faced about (nee during his retreat and
charged the Turks, who did not dare to clofe, but
gave way on all fides, keeping up a cowardly difiant
fire. During the retreat, the garrifon of Rofetta, to
the amount of 2500, joined the purfuers. All cur
lots, in a retreat of 18 miles of loofe land, was about
25 wounded.

" Had the Mamelukes, according to their romife,.
joined us, the event would have been different. Our
only want was cavalry. It was miferably provoking
to fee the enemy's horfe galloping round us, and
firing their long thot at us. Yet the brave remains
of the gallant 78th, brought many of them down,
and before Colonel M'Leod's corps fell, they killed
upwards of loco Turks.
" Our force is now concentrated at Alexandria, asl
Mohammed Ali has threatened to befiege us with
14,000 men. We have nominally 4000 troops; but
three regiments are foreigners, one of the three a
Sicilian corps, that cannot bear the fight of a flint ;
we have fent for a reinforcement. If to,ooo could
have been fent, inflead of 5000 men, half of them
would have been ready for other fervices. The Arabs
laugh at the idea of conquering with soco men a
kingdom, which Bonaparte found 40,000 barely fuf.
ficient to fubdue. They cannot conceive why Sir
Sidney Smith was not left with us, as his name is
a holt; They fay he always behaved to them with
good faith, and would ever command their zealous
fervices ; a jealoufy of his well earned fame cer-
tainly exills in fome parts of this fea. A certain
officer, hearing that Sir Sidney Smith advifed the
ufe of the pike and bayonet, inflead of the fabre, in
the attack of Turkifh gun=boats, was guilty of a
coarfe exclamation againti that gailant hero."

It appears now by the filling up of the eommiffions
of fome of the officers who fell at El Hamet, on the
a ill of April, and who fir( were returned as only
wounded and milling, and not among the prifoners,
that Government has received authentic accounts of
their death ; and it is underdood alfn, of the parti-
culars of that unfortunate battle, in which a whole
detachment of a Britifh army was cut off; not one
man efcaping.
Lieutenant• Colonel *Leon, who fell at El Hamet,
was univerfally beloved and elleemed in the army,
as an officer of 'great fpirit and talefits. From his
earließ youth he had diainguifhed himfelf, in aftive
fervice, in the Low Countries ; at the Cape of Good
Hope, in 1796, where he artained the appointment
of Fort Maj .r, though then fearce of age ; in the
Eaff Indies, where he ferved for ftveral years, and
wai known as 3 great oriental feholar, at well as an
excellent officer ; and 1111 year, at the battle of Maida,
`where he was wounded at the head of tits regiment.