Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-03-11
NARRATIVE
REsrrcTING RoNApAnrE.
(Coaciisdcd. ]

tONctfsICG.J
Nonr country" he said, = has accused ne OF
taFinS murdered the Sick and wounded OF my
army az Jafia BE assured that Il ,lad ccni-
m,,teu such horridact. my very soldiers theni-
serves W"oiu nave eNecrdted me, ana might
nave looked 10 their ceaSng to UHey me. acre
Is 20 Ccrati"nce of hie 30 which i give more
punilcitH Than thus. NOu have AN Cihcer, Sir
houeit v, lisOu, who has written very copiousiy
on Tue Suuject OF my campaign Iii Egypt. AS
he repeated the last sentence he ASSUMED an
AIR anu tone OF sarcastic ,acunTitv. aud then
asked ms 1t had read Sir Roberts publication.
replied i'll the affirmative. II is possible,
ne SAID, " that lie wrote from the testimony 81
other people, equally prone 20 error rs himself I;
nc cannot pretend 20 have done IL from Iis own
observation. Can You tell me, continued Ma
p0ieon, " whether SIR Sidney Smith, III any ei-
hciai communications TO your government, at
tempted, in ANY way, to corrouorate the tssti-
mony OF Sir X. Wilson - l could mot at the
moment, sufficiently the parpor, OF iiis
dispatches todetcrmlne tue point, but replied
as felt, tlat he had not" This reply, how
ever, undecisIve as IL was, appeared To afford
him considerable satisfaction, as he instantly
repeated, " DelleYe sofor Sir Sidney Smith
IS "A brave and gust man." l here observed,
tii.ii " there are many in England WHO ina
Stne your Jealousy and haired of Sir Sidney
smith influenced your conduct towards that
officer. "--fle smied with astonishment at
such an idel-the Thought OF coupling the
Two names appeared never Ia have entered
MS imagination Ridiculous nomsensel" was
.A'> AttAN. TIC lilsA4 GnlCttu OIL Tie IOiAON
narratives
" On raisin. t3e siege OF ST. jean de Acre,
t'e ARMY retired upon alta. II had become d
matter OF urgent necessity. The occupation OF
i"ls town for amy length OF time was ,mpracli-
cable, from tie force tllat ezha Pacha was en-
aD,ed TO brlng forward. The sick and wound
eel were numerous, and their renloN al was my
hrst consideration. Carriages the most c0nvt,-
nieni that could be formed, were appropriated
10 the purpose. Some of rheln were sent ~
water TO Dame'sa, and the rest were accom-
mcdated Ia the best possible manner, 10 accom-
pany their comrades in THEN march through
the Desart.-SercR men, however, occupied q
quarantine hospital, who were infected with
the plague, whose report WAS made me by the
chief Of the medica. stall Il think it was De-
genette.) he further added, that the disease
had galnen such stage of maignaucy, that
there was not the least probability of their con
tiau.ng alive beyond 10 hours" 8 4 here eN-
claimed IN dubious tone, The word Scrca! aud
immediately asked whether / was 10 under
stand that there were no lnure than seven p
perceive, the replied that you have heard
Il different account. -" Most assuredlV cenc.
raj. Sin Robert Wilson states 81 or ~ aud
speaking more colectveiy-your whole sick
and wounded He then prOceedsd-'' The
urks Werc numerous and powerful, and their
cruelty pfoferbial tngous Out the army. Their
practice OF mntIiauns au,i bGrharcuSly treating
tiieiT CHRISTIAN prisoners ~ particular, was well
hnpWn among my troops, and had a prsserva-
i've influence on my mud aGd conduct, and
w AtttltH tiidt ttktic were otiF seven sufferers
whom citcuiiiSta ncGs compelled me 10 leave a.
ShOrt-nVed sufferers al Jana. they were i'm
tlat stage OF the disease which rendered their
removal utterly impraCticabie, exclusive OF the
uissemnation OF the disease among the healthy
troops. Situated as } was, cOuia not place
them under the protection OF the English 1
therefore desired TO see the senior medical OF
hcer, and observed TO him that the affections
OF thei. disease would be cruelty aggravated bv
the conduct of the Turks towards them. and
That n imOOgSfhlp
OF the town; desired HIM To give me his best
advice ON tue occasion. | said, tell me what IS
10 he done lie heSitated for some time and
then repeated, that these men, who were ,he
objects Of my very painful soIicitude could not
survive forty eight hours. / then suggested
(Nvhat appeared to be his opinion, thenyh he
might not choose 10 declare il, bat wait with
Tie trembling hope 70 receive il from me- the
pFopriety, because felt IL would he humanity
tosherten the sufieTings of these seven men by
administering opium. Such relief / added
:n similar situation, | should anxiousiy solicif
tor niyseh. But, rather contrary 20 my expec-
ta;ioa, the proposition was opposed, and conse-
queniiy abandoned ] accordingly halted t,Ie
army one day longer than intended: and ~,
my quitting Ja'ia lett strong rear guard. who
continued IN that city till the third dav. At
the expiration OF that period an officers re aort
reached me, that tie men were dead" ''ri,en.
general, Il could not resist excIain,i,,,l M on,'
uhi was gwen The emphatic answer re-
ceiyeu vas" = q, none "a report was brought
me mai me men dIed before the rear guard had
evacuated Tie city" l again INTERRUPTED him
ny mentioning, that Sir Sidney Smith when he
afterwards entered Jafia, found one OF two
FtenclnneD alive. = " ell, - he answered - that
alter al, may be posslblel' 1t was. / tl,iuk' AZ
tins period OF the conversation, that he stated
MS Dein@ IN possession of a letter from Sir Sid
hey smith, written III very complimentary Ian
eUage, which expressed the writer's astonish-
ineut as well ia praise, on the accommodations
which were contrived and executed to trans
port the French sick and wounded from Acre
10 JdiiA, and thence across tine Desart. here
.ooA 1ccaSIon 70 observe, :" that late English
traveller, a distinguished scholar and LEANED
professor OF the University OF Cambridge had
excited d very general doubt respecting the ac-
clfdcy OF this particular part of Sir Robert
Wilson's narrative. Doctor Clark, the person
~ "Hom allude, had" I said, =" travelled
through Turkey, aud, as believed, bv file rout
ut HieppO and Damascus to Jerusalem. and
from thencc to .ialfa, where he remained some
time. This gentleman, whose character stands
nigh ~ tie world, may be said to contradict
tis testimony Of ms coUutrymap SIR Robert
fe-pcciinS the Charge which the former may
% -aid 60 have brought forward against Won.
Trough lie merely states that lie ncverhear
81 the cruel transaction, but very naturally Oh
serves, that II such an extraordinary event Lad
occurred as the murder OF such a uun,her of
fenchDeH ny their own general, some traces
or recollection ot so horrd an event. and of
SIch recent occurrence, must have Transmitted
aud been communicated 70 him during his re.
sidence there 4 question instarfaneousIv
followed" Has thls traveller said any. fins, -
III ArlSh| Ny memory did not serve ,oo suf.
hc'entiy TO give an answer" Well" he contin-
ued, you shall also hear liIe particulars of Ej
Arish aud the garrison of Isfta." Won Lacc
read without doubt OF my having ordered Inc
J urks 70 be Shot at Jafia." :" Yes. indeed .
replied, a." have often heard Of that msss3cro
IN England 1T was general topic at tbC Time.