The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-05-01

landscape like a CLEAN OF light Az
/ twenty-eight he had already discerned
| that the best way to affiict Great Brit
| ain was by destroying her influence in
! the East. Out Of this notion sprang his
project of conquering Egypt. Beyond
Egypt lay all Asia. Europe" said he,
lis molehill. There have never been
great empires and revolutions except in
/ the East, where there are 600. 600, 900
/ men" The Directory readily assented
/ 10 his wishes 1t is i'll evidence that that
body was more than willing to have the
| ambitious commander out Of Europe.
On the 18th Of April, 1898, Napoleon
was appointed General Chief Of the
Army Of the East Virtually he was to
go where he would, and accomplish
what he could. Tho matter once deter
mined, he brought everything to results
with the greatest rapidity. lie made
( Toulon the rendezvous for his army and
| fleet. He gathered to his standard ret
( niue of the learned, mostly members OF
the Institute He would disseminate the
civilization of the West in the effete
Orient. En- route, he would conquer
Malta, still rominally under the domin-
ion of the knights. That done, he
would debaIk at Alexandria, overthrow
the dominion Of the Mameluke Boys,
and conquer and cofonize the land Of the
Pharaohs. Admiral Brueys was called
to the command Of the feet. Napoleon
ordered his oquipage to be prepared as
fer a conQueror, a governor, man OF
letters.
The Egyptian expedition sailed from
TOulon on the l9;h Of May. The Gen
erals ship was tho Orient. On the 10th
of Jane, the squadron came to M>!ta,
and that place, with its strong defonses,
was-par;ly by intrigue and partly by
assault-taken from the knights. The
French flag was raised over tho fortress,
aud many of the Knights joined the OK
petition Meanwhile, an English fleet,
under command Of Nelson, passed the
French fotilla without discovering it;
sailed on to Alexandria; paused there,
and then turned to the northeast, be-
lieving that ErueJs had made for the
coast CT Syria.
All this Injured to the advantage Of
the French. Napoleon was ablo to reach
Alexandria without attack. On the lst
of July the column Of Septimus Severus,
rising in the distance, caught the sight
Of the French commander, and gave
token of a safe arrival The army was
hastily debarked; but not sufficient care
was taken to put tho French fleet In
defensible position. Without a mo-
ment's delay, the city was assailed by
tho invader, and after somo desu1tory
fighting was captured. The conqueror
Of Italy easily made himself master of
the city which Alexander had founded
as the capital Of the world.
But all Egypt was not to be SO easily
taken Bonnparte proclaimed his mis-
sion as that of lberator 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 institu-
lions should be founded; but the old in
stitutions, and in particular the Mo-
hammcdan religion, should be respect
ed. EXTEND to the ceremonies prescrib-
ed by the Koran" said the General to
his soldiers, land to the mosques tho
same federation which you have shown
to the synasogues-to the religion Of
onr cf Ia-,c rbriut ~
For six days Bonaparte bad his head
quarters in Alexandria He then remoy.
ed to the house OF the sheik of Daman-
hour, and there organized his expodi-
ton up tie Nile A fotilla was ordered
to ascend the 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 sup
port. On the l4th Of July, the Name
lukes, who, falling back from Alexan-
dria, had been organized into an army
under Murad Bey, made stand at the
village Of Chebreisse, and were forced
from that position by tho French; but
tho action was not decisive. Meanwhile,
the tiotilla was assailed by the enemy
from both banks of the Nile. The
Mamelulzcs mounted small cannon ON
camcls, and inflicted not little loss on
the Europeans. The French boats, sep.
arated from tho army, were CALLED by
these attacks. On the 23rd Of July, a
junction was effected, but not until a
great battle had decided tho campaign.
The conflict occurred on the plain
within sight Of the pyramids Of Gizeh.
1t was perhaps the most picturesque
battle of modern times. The French
army was drawn up i'll squares, Oh the
Egyptian sands. The artillery was
planted at the angles of the squares.
The commanders were Generals Desaix,
Alebar, Berthior, and Menou-under
tho eye Of the General-in chief. The
plains round about were covered with
heavy masses Of Mameluke borsomen.
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-
MD forty centuries Were looking dozen
up0n thc,n. The battle was bloody and
decisive. Tho Mamelukes were over
whelned by thousands. The officers on
tho French tlotilla, descending the river
on the next day, saw Oh the bank literal
heaps of the MamCluke dead which the
rising Nile was gathering and bearing
ont to Sea. Murad Bey fed to Upper
Egypt, and the French entered Cairo.
-Four days after the battle of the Pyra.
mids, Napoleon wrote to his brother Jo-
seph, saying. Egypt is richer than any