The record-union., 1895-07-10
NAPOLEON'S DREAM.
His Failure to Capture the Key of
Palestine.

His Failure to Capture the Key OF
Palestine.
From earliest times Acre had been the
key OF Palestine; if Bonaparte should Sc
cure it he would become the arbiter OF
his own destiny and of tho worlds.
With Palestine, Egypt and India at his
feet, the tricOntinental monarchy of his
dreams was realiZable, or else, i'll the
Same case. he could return to Paris with
laurels unknown since the crusa6es, and
put the cOpestOn6 on the nearly COM
pleted structure of military domination
in France and Europe. To the end Of
his days he imagined, or represented
himself as imagining. that he would have
altered the worlds career by choosing
the part of Oriental cOnquerer. We may
call these notions dreams. or fancies, or
visions. or what we will; they were true
conceptions in themselves, although it is
not likely that England would have been
conquered in the loss of India. She had
been vigorous without it; she could have
survived even that blow. For the
moment the fall of Acre appeared to be
an antecedent condition to either of the
courses which We're in the mind OF Bona
parte.
But the siege was not prosperous. The
assault and the defense during the at
tack in March had been alike desperate
and French valor had been futile. A
fleet was now on its way from ConStan-
tinople to throw additional men and
provisions into the town. At the same
time Phelippeau had constructed new
girdle of forte inside the walls, and had
barricaded the streets. In the interval,
however, the French had brought up
some heavy guns from Jaffa and were
making preparations to renew opera
uOns.
a breach was easily effected, and few
Ill l. L.
controlled the outworks and curtain; but
the stOrmlng party was repulsed, and the
men in the tower, though they held it
for two days, were finally so reduced in
numb bers that they succumbe0. This
exasperated the French soldiers in
tensely. For the first two weeks of May
there was scarcely break in the success
sion of assaults. The fierce struggles
which occurred in the breaches, on the
barrcades, even in the streets, to which
the French once or twice penetrated, re-
suited in an appalling loss Of life; but
neither party quailed. Before long a
pestilence broke out in the French
camp, and the hospitals established at
Jaffa and elsewhere were crowded with
sick and dying.
On May 9Th Kleber's division was
called in 1or a conclusive onslaught, and
in the face Of double fire from Sir Sid
ney Smiths cannon and the guns on the
walls, both the first and second works
were scaled and taken. All was in vain.
Every house ralned bullets from en-
brasures made for the purpose. and the
entering columns retreated on the very
threshold of their goal. Three days later
a second equally desperate attempt like
wise failed. In all the siege lasted sixty
two days; the French assaulted forty
times. and twenty-six sallies were made
by the garrison, while 1900 soldiers and
four good Generals from his splendid
army were the sacrifice of human life
which Bonaparte offered at Acre to his
ambition. Finally, the squadron from
COnstantinople having safely arrived.
news came that another was fitting out at
Rhodes to retake Egypt itself. Nothing
was left but to retreat. and on the 18th
the siege was abandoned. The retreat
began on the Goth. At Jaffa Bonaparte
passed through the hospital wards calling
out in a loud voice: 1.-THE Turks will be
here in few hours. Whoever feels
strong enough let him rise and follow
."-Professor w. M. Sloane's Life of
Napoleon in the Century.