Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-05-08


 landscape like 2 gleam of light At twenty eight he had already discerned that the best way to af1lict Great Brit ain was by destroying her influence in the East Out of this notion sprang his project of oonquering Egypt. Beyond Egypt lay all Asia. Europe, said he, 'is molehill There have never been great empires and revolutions except i'll the East, where there are GOO, GOO, GOO men. !" The Directory readily assented to his wishes. tis i'll evidence that that body was more than willing to have the ambitious commander out of Europe.
 On the 12th of April, 179S, Napoleon was appointed General in Chief of the Army of tho East Virtually he was to go where he would, and accomplish what he could Tho matter once deter mined, ho brought everything to results with the greatest rapidity. He mado Toulon the rendezvous for his army and fleet. He gathered to his standard a ret inue of the learned, mostly members of the Institute. He would disseminate the civilization of tho West in the effete Orient. En route, ho would conquer Malta. still nominally under the demin- ion of the Knights That done, he would debark at Alexandria, overthrow the dominion of the Mameluke Beys, and conquer and eolonize the land of the Pharaohs Admiral Brueys was called to the command of tho fleet. Napoleon ordered his equipage to bo prepared as for conqueror governor, man of letters,
 Tho Egyptian expedition sailed from Toulon on the 10th of May The Gen. erals ship was the Orient On the 10th of June, the squadron came to Malta and that place, with its strong defenses, was-partly by intrigue and partly by assault-taken from the Knights. The French flag was raised over the fortress, and many of the Knights joined tho ex- petition. Meanwhile, an English fleet, under command of Nelson, passed the French flotilla without discovering it; sailed on to Alexandria; paused there, and then turned to the northeast, be- lieving that Brueys had made for the coast of Syria.
 All this inured to the advantage of the French. Napoleon was able to reach Alexandria without attack. On the 1st of July the column of Septimus Severus, rising i'll the distance, caught the sight of tho French commander, and gave token of safe arrival The army was hastily debarked; but not sufficient care was taken to put the French fleet in defensible position. Without mo- ment's delay. the city was assailed by tho invader, and after some desultory fighting was captured. The conqueror of Italy easily made himself master of the city which Alexander had founded as the capital of tho world.
 But all Egypt was not to be so easily taken. Bonaparte proclaimed his mis- sion as that of liberator and paeifcator. The Turks and Mamelukes should be expelled; but the people of Egypt should otherwise have peace. The nation should bo raised from tho dust. New institu tions should be founded; but the old in, stitutions. and in particular the Mo hammedan religion, should be respect cd Extend to the ceremonies preserib- ed by tho Koran, said the General to his soldiers, land to tho mosques the same federation which you have shown to tho synagogues-to the religion of Moses and of Jesus Christ. !"
 For six days Bonaparte had his head quarters in Alexandria. He then remov- ed to tho house of the sheik of Daman- hour, aud there organized his expedi- tion up the Nile. A flotilla was ordered to ascend tho river, while the army marched up the left bank By strong wind from the north the boats were driven ahead, and the land forces were obliged to advance without naval SUD- port. On the 14th of July, the Name lukes, who, falling back from Alexan- dria, had been organized into an army under Murad Boy, made stand at tho village of Chebreisse, and were forced from that position by the French; but the action was not decisive. Meanwhile, tho flotilla was assailed by the enemy from both banks of the Nile The Mamelukes mounted small cannon on cdmCls and inflicted not little loss on the Europeans The French boats, sep- arated from tho army, were galled by these attacks On the 23rd of July, a junction was effected, but not until great battle had decided the campaign
 The conflict occurred on the plain within sight of the pyramids of Gizeh. It was perhaps the most picturesque battle of modern times The French army was drawn up in squares, on the Egyptian sands The artillery was planted at the angles of the squares The commanders were Generals Desaix, Kleber, Berthier, and Menou-under the eye of the General in chief. The plains round about were covered with heavy masses of Mameluke horsemen. Bonaparte addressed his soldiers after his manner, in sort of Pindario apos- trophe. He called their attention to the setting of the scene, and reminded them that from the summit of Khufu's pyra- mid foIty centuries accre looking doWn upon them. The battle was bloody and decisive. Tho Mamelukes were over