The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-05-04

Strange that this astounding geography
was not coincident on his part with igno-
rance of the authors referred toi
The Egyptian expedition sailed from
Tuulun on the 18th of May. The Generals
ship was the Orient. On the 10th of June,
the squadron came to Malta, and that
place, with it's 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 the expedition. Mean
while, an English fleet, under command
Of Nelson, passed the French flotilla with
out discovering it; sailed on to Alexan-
dria; paused there, and then turned to the
northeast, believing that Brueys had
made for the coast of Syria.
All this Injured to the advantage of the
French. Napoleon was able to reach Alex
andria without attack. On the lst of July
the column of Septimus S~everus, rising in
the distance, caught the sight of the
French commander, and gave token of a
safe arrival. The army was hastily de-
barked; but not sufficient care was taken
to put the French fleet in a defensible po-
sition. Without a moments delay, the
city was assailed by the invader, and after
some desultory fighting was captured.
The conqueror of Italy easily made him
self master of the city which Alexander
had founded as the capital of the world.
But all Egypt was not to be so easily
taken. Bonaparte proclaimed his mission
as that of liberator and pacificator. The
Turks and Mamelukes should be expelled:
but the people of Egypt should otherwise
have peace. The nation should be raised
from tho dust. New institutions should be
founded; but the old institutions, and in
particular the Mohammedan religion,
should be respected. Extend to the cere-
monies prescribed by the Koran" said the
General to his soldiers, and to the
mosques the same liberation which you
have shown to the s~ynagogues-to the re-
ligion of Moses and of Jesus Christ"
For six days B%onaparte had his head
quarters in Alexandria. He then removed
to the house of tho sheik of Damanhour,
and there organized his expedition up the
Nile. A fotilla was ordered to ascend the
river, while the army marched up the left
bank. BY a strong wind from the north
the boats were driven ahead, and the land
forces were obliged to advance without
naval support. On the 14th of July, the
Mamelukes, who, falling back from Alex
andria, had been organized into an army
under Murad Bey, made a stand at the
village of Chebreisse, and were forced from
that position by the French; but the ac-
ton was not decisive. Meanwhile, the
hotilla was assailed by the enemy from
both banks of the Nile. The Mamelukes
mounted small cannon on cdmets, and in
ficted not Il little loss on the Europeans.
The French boats, separated from the
army, were CALLED by these attacks. Or
the. 23rd of July, "A junction was effected,
bat not until a great battle had decided
the campaign.
The conflict ccurred on the plain with
In sight of the pyramids of Gizeh. 1t was
perhaps the most picturesque battle O.
modern times. The French army wa.
drawn up IN squares, on the Egyptian
sands. The artillery was planted at thu
angles of the squares. The commander
were Generals Desaix, Kleber, Berthier
and Menou-under the eye of the General
in-chief. Tho plains round about wer
covered with heavy masses of Mameluk
horsemen. Bonaparte addressed his sol
diers after his manner, in a sort of Pin
daric apostrophe. He called their atten
ton to the setting of the scene, and re
minded them that from the summit Q
Khufu's pyramid forty centuries Wer
looking dOirn upOn them. The battle wa
bloody and decisive. The Mamelukes wer
ONorNHtliutu ny lHOuSdluS. IHc OllC6F
on the French notilla, descending the rive
on the next day, saw on the bank litera
heaps of tho Mameluke dead which tn
rising Nile was gathering and bearing on
TO sea, Murad Bey fled to Upper Egypt
. and the French entered Cairo.
. Without a moments delay Bonapart
. set to work at tho herculean task of reol
a ganizing Egyptian society. He divided
I the country into provinces, and over eaC
, province appointed a divan, or council, c
seven persons. To each he assigned a bod
, of JaniZaries. Over each a civil intendaT
i was appointed to levy the taxes. A finanC
department was organized, under dire'
) ton of French officers. Desaix was ordel
+ cd to pursue Murad Bey into Upper Egyp
+ Bonaparte himself marched against Ibr,
ham Bey, and, falling upon him at S;
lehyeh, defeated him and drove him bac
y on El-Arish. The French authority wa
0 rapidly widened and confirmed through
1 out the country.
. Four days after the baltic of the Pyri
; mids, Napoleon wrote to his brother j
seph, saying, Egypt is richer thar an
u other country in the world in corn, ric
I, vegetables and cattle. But the people a
in a state of utter barbarism. We can n,
procure money, even to pay the troops.
W0U OG an france an thcO mOHtHS. ~
II gage for me q country-housc near Paris
II in Burgundy, where / mean to pass I'll
} winter" To this was added a list
~ things necessary to be sent out fro
France, as follows: "A company of actor
" a company of dancers; three or four dea
4 ers in marionettes; a hundred Frenc
~ women; the wives of all the men Ell
y ployed in the corps; twenty surgeon
" thirty apothecaries; ten physicians; son
~ founders; some distillcrs and dealers
~ liquor; fifty gardeners with their familie
y all kinds of vegetable seeds; each party
W bring two hundred thousand pints
~ brandy; thirty thousand ellis of blue al
"a scarlet cloth; a supply of soap and oil
~ The purpose of the General to return
40 France, but to leave an army of occup
~ ton in Egypt, is sufficiently shown
o these orders, in which the comedy of W
3 Is g~rotesquely figured OIL the backgroul
IA of craftsmanship.
D JOHN CLARK RIDPATH.
" HIS BILL.