Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-09-07


and finally, on the 1st of August, at early
dawn, discovered the naked masts of the
French feet at anchor in the Bay of Abukir,
SIX leagues from Alexandria, and close to the
mouth of the Nile.
Bonaparte had already disembarked the
army and marched across the desert toward
| Cairo Admiral Brueys commanded the
feet, which consisted of seventeen large men
ofwar, four frigates, and a great number of
lighter vessels. Every instant he expected
the appearance of the English squadron His
superiority in the number of ships and weight
/ OF metal, in the equalized quality of his crews,
would, under any other circumstances, have
induced him to seek an encounter with Nelson
in the open sea, and dispute the sovereignty
| of the Mediterranean. But naval battles are
subject to casualties, which the positive in
structions of Bonaparte and the objects of the
| expedition forbade him to encounter The
| French feet, at once the support and arsenal
| of the land army, cons .ituted the sole base of
! their operations The destruction of this
fleet deprived them of their only means of
communication and hope of succor. They
| had no other bridge between France and
| Egypt. To expose the ships, therefore, to
be destroyed in open sea. would be to betray
at one blow the army they had transported,
| and the country that expected their return
| Bruyes after fruitless attempts to enter the
! inner harbor Of Alexandria, which was not
| then supposed deep enough to receive vessels
of so much draught of water determined to
moor his feet in the Bay of Abukir, the sand
banks of which he had fortified. Six vessels
at anchor, ranged in Il concave crescent, ac-
cording to the sweep of the shore, were sup
ported on one flank by the little island of
Abukir, a natural fortress armed with cannon,
on the other, by an advanced arm of the bay.
They formed so many immovable citadels,
presenting their broadsides to the sea- Their
combined force might be brought to bear upon
each single ship of the advancing ennemy
unattackabe from the land side, according to
the conviction of Brueys, this line of defence
gave to a naval battle the solid impregnabili-
ty of a rampant of fire.
At two, p. NJ, on the 1st of August, the
French Admiral, apprised by signal of the
apI arance of Nelson in sight Of the Egyptian
coast, recalled every sailor Of his crew on
board. He ordered two brigs, the AIeyfe
and Railteur, which drew little water, to re-
connoitre the English feet within cannon shot,
then to seek refuge in the bay over the shoals,
hoping that the leading vessels Of the pur-
suing enemy would follow their exact course,
and run aground in the mouth of the Nile
But Nelson was well aware of these dangers,
and escaped the snare Without bestowing
any attention on the brig, he advanced in
order of battle again s.. the head of the French
line, as 10 direct ssault upon the C ntre oe
position. Then varying a little from his
course, without sounding, hesitIting, or firing
shot he passed betwcenss the moorings of
Bruyes and the slet of Abukir in full sail,
with half his squadron, leaving only the Cul-
io1eB behind, which went aground on the
| c,,,I lonl-- A. II Shi,c flooroI tbo
sage, they anchored successfully in rear of
their opponents. The remaining half divid-
ed, and ranged up the outer side in front
of the French vessels, who were thus attack
ed simultaneously both tanks, and the
thunder of double FIRE poured into their i'm
movable hulls The T. ench feet tLu5 Gepriy-
ed, by the error Of thor chief of the protec-
ton tley expected fr IN the land, and with
out tie power Of motion by teing at anchor
saw at once the disaster that awaited them.-
Nothing remained but to perish gloriouslv,
and to cnvelop in their own destruction as
many of the enemy's ships as possible. They
proved themselves wot thy of their fate. Com
niandeI still by the brave warriors of the Re-
voution, they raised then selves to the level
of ancient heroism, and presented another
Saamis, to which ro hing was waiting but
the presence of Then list cleS! TIE SpaJtiate
the Frank n, the OricI.t, the TJnnant, re-
spord d on the right and left to the double
broadsdes of the English seventy -fours,
strewed tbs decks Of Nelson with sha tered
masts ard yards, with dead and wounded
sailors Victory was less the prize of naval
superiority than the fatal mistake ofengaging
at anchor The French marine never con-
quered more gloriously than they now sub
mitted. Every single ship became Their
,no,,yI.a for the combatanES foupht no loOpor
for victory, but for death On every deck
the captains, the officers, the gunnersf fell sue
cessiyely at their posts, and left nothing to the
English but ifeless bodies and enormous fu
neral piles Admiral Bruyes, severely
wounded by an carly discharge of grape-shot
remained erect on the poop of his flag ship,
surrounded by the remains of his staff, and
invoking death to cover his misfortune A
cannon ball cut him in two, still with his dy-
inc hands he opposed the action of those who
would have carried him below. ''No, nof"
he exclaimed "a French admiral ought to
die upon hi quarterback" His fag-captain,
the noble Casa Blanca, fell moment after
on the body of his chief The Orient, de-
prived of her commander, still fought as if
her own accord Nelson fell, wounded in the
head of splinter, the blood covered his face
and the skin of his forehead FILLING over his
remaining eye, plunged Linn in total dark
ness. which for moment he conceived TO be
the harbor of death.
Confident of the victory, but believing his
hurt to be mortal he summoned the chaplain
OF the Fan3uard, and charged him to deliver
his remembrances to his family. A moment of
terrible and anxious silence pervaded the ship
while the surgeon probed the wound. A cry
of ioy burst from every mouth when they dec