The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-06

Next came the horror of the plague
| With the fall Of Jaffa, the march was be
| gun against ST. Jean d Acre. The Arab
now made common cause with the Turks
| Lannes, pursuing the wild men into tn,
| passes Of Nablous, was ambushed. anC
| lost considerable number of men. Or
the 18th of March the Fronch arrived al
| Acre, and found that the Pasha Djezzal
had cut of the head of Napoleon's envoy,
and thrown his body into the sea. The
English under Sir Sidney Smith, as well
as the Turks, held the fortress and town.
The civilized enemies had some fruitless
negotiations, ending in challenge OF
Bonaparte by Sir Sidney TO fight duel,
a la Plantageneti To this Napoleon an.
swered that he had too many affairs on his
hands to trouble himself with SO small a
matterl
Acre was besieged until the 4th of May.
when the French ammunition began tr
fail. General Caffarelli, one Of Napoleon g
favorite officers, already one-legged from
heroism, died from the amputation OF an
arm. On the 10th Of the month tho French
made an assault, and gained the trenches.
During the sixty days OF the siege eight
storming parties were sent against the de-
fenses, and on ono occasion the town was
partly occupied; but General Duroc, who
led the assault, was wounded, and the two
hundred men who had gained an entrance
were driven out through the breach.
Twelve sorties were made by the be-
sieged, only to meet repulse. About the
middle OF May news came that one Of the
many Mahdis who have SO frequently
arisen In Egypt, had appeared In the Nile
valley. Intelligence camo also that the
Porte and the English government were
now at one against the French. Napo-
Icons guns were not heavy enough, and
his forces not sufficiently strong, to cap
ture Acre; and on the 20th Of May he
siege was raised. The losses of the FIR ch
In the Syrian campaign had reached near
ly three thousand men; those OF tho Turks
and the allies, perhaps five times that
number.
Napoleon was weak In the matter of re-
treat. He could not retreat we'll His
fallings back were likely to degenerate
into panic. This fact was exemplified In
his withdrawal from Palestine. The march
began on the goth Of May. The 22nd found
the French at C@sarea. Two days after
wards they reached Jaffa. There a pest
house had been established for those who
had the plague. Napoleon ordered the for
tifcations OF tho town to be blown up; but
what should be done with the hospitals
Man was never in a sadder dilemma.
Bonaparte well knew that those of his sick
soldiers who should be left behind would
be horribly butchered AS soon as the Turks
should re-enter Jaffa To take the infected
with him was only to spread the disease.
He went with his surgeons and aides into
the plague-house, and passed among the
dead and dying Ho struck his boot.tops
with his whip as ho went along, saying,
In few hours the Turks will bo here
Let all those who have strength enough
rise and como with u.s." None could arise
Then it was that, in hurried consulta-
tion with his physician Desgenettes, Bon.
aparte proposed to anticipate with a por-
tion OF laudanum and painless exit the
cruel death which be saw to be inevitable.
For this proposition he has been con-
demned by n sentimental world-against
oil reason and humanity. His project was
just such as humane man would propose
for his own brother under the cruel alter
native then presented.
The returning expedition reached Cairo
on the 14th Of June. Affairs In Egypt
were already In distracted condition
El Mahdi was crying out like a prophet in
Bohahireh. Tho fellahs and Arabs wore
rallying TO his standard Murad Bey was
returning with his forces from Upper
Egypt, to form junction with the NAH |
ii' rout at the Natron lakes. Meanwhile.
\ force Of about fifteen thousand, com. |
manded by Mustapha Pasha and under |
conduct Of English ships, arrived at Abou-
kir. "A division Of French, under General |
llarmnnf hnl Ia ~ H., L..
GER would be unable TO keep the city |
against the gathering forces Of the enemy. |
Napoleon hastily marched against the |
Turks and English at Aboukir. Here, on
ihe goth of July, 1899, with only five
thousand men, he attacked the enemy,
.hree times as strong In numbers, and
gained victory so signal as almost TO
the disaster of the year be.
iore, when Brueys's feet at the same place
was annihilated. In the negotiation that
followed between Bonaparte and the Eng.
ish Admiral, the former obtained q copy
,f the French Gazette, Of Frankfort. in.
forming him Of the condition Of affairs In
Europe. For ton months he had received
virtually no news at all from his own
country. The French army had Co all in.
ents been blockaded In Egypt and Pales.
N'NA'NhSf Ahb ptntIdl Out, |
my presontiment has been verified. The
ools have lost Italyl All the fruits of our
Victories are gone. must leave Egyptr'
IL was necessary that Napoleon should
20 secret as we'll as expeditions. He i'm.
ormod the divan Of Cairo that he should
20 absent briefly in ,he Delta. Afterwards
10 published bulletin 60 the army, say.
ng that he was going TO France. but
would soon bo back again The command
hould remain with General Klebcr. who
vas truly said TO have the confidence of
he Goneral-in chief. Berthier and Lannes
gere 70 accompany the commander 60
rance. Two frigates the Muiron and the
,arrere, were quickly prepared, and. on
he 23rd OF August, company Of about
We hundred men went on board with Ma.
oleon.
by keeping close Co tho African shore
he vessels were enabled 10 escape dotec.
on. Aftor twenty one days tho site Of
arthaRe was passed, and tho danger WAS
yer. On the lst of October tho ships were
riyen In at Ajaocio. Bourrienne narrates
he comical circumstance that the fretful
nd impatient Bonaparto was obliged for