Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-04

fore his career was half expired, he con cedcd the dominion of tho ocean to his great enemy, Ever after tho Egyptian campaign, his endeavor looked more and more to the creation of q Continen- tai power which should countervail British supremacy on tho deep. Tho re- suit to him of the battle of tho Nile was i'll every way disastrous The effect of it was calculated to inspire distrust in France, encourage the Coalition, and to reauimato the Mamclukes.
 Complaints broke out ill the French army. Though victory came, depriva- tion camo also. Tho soldiers were scorchrd on tho clustering plains, and had little to cat but watermelons Nevertheless, Napoleon went steadily on with his scheme.
 On the 22nd of October, at a precon- Certrd signal, Cairo broke into insurrec- tiun. For while the French occupancy was endangered; but the revolt was suppressed, and q terrible vengeance was wrecked on its authors. Meanwhile, Napoleon conceived the project of mak ing q campaign into Syria, and attack ing the English strongholdS of Jaffa and St Jean d'Acre The situation was this: France and Turkey were nominal ly at peace. Napoleon had overthrown the Sultan'S rCbellious beys in Egypt Therefore he was a friend of the Sul- tan; and he of him. But the thick brain uf the Pert" at length cleared sufficient ly to Sce that Murad and lbrahim Beys Were not half so dangerous as the for eign lion that now sat on hls launches at Cairo, licking his mouth for moro. The Sultan perceived that the French must be expelled. Napoleon had seen that this conclusion would be reached, and that Turkish army might be ex- pectei to come against him out of Syria. Therefore he would better preoccupy Syria. Moreover. the hated English had got the coast of the Eastern Meditsrra- mean. The Turkish army might not be | expected during the winter; but the English were there already. Hence the Syrian expedition.
 Napoleon divided his forces He left about twelve thousand men to occupy Egypt, and with a like number set out, on the llth of February. l799. in the di- rection of Suez and Palestine. The
 
 | hardships- Al the wells of Messoudiah the French found water; and soon aft orwartls thu green and fertile plains of | Syria arose tn view. El-Arish was taken on the 1tA of February. On tha lst of March, Napoleon slept at the convent uf Ramlch llp passed within few miles of Jerusalem. and then made his way to Jaffa. A siege was immediately 1 begun. and on tho 9th of March the | place Was taken. with pillase and mas saCre About four thousand of the priS- l OnerS We're, after three days of delibera- | tion, set ill lines on he seaShore and 1 shot. This was done under the terrible necessity of the French to preserve themselves ill the enemy's country.
 Next came the horror of the plague. With tho fall of Jaffa, the march was begun against St. Jean d'Acra. The | Arabs now made common cause with the Turks Lannes pursuing the wild men into the passes of Nablous, was am pushed. and lost . considerable mum. Der of men. On the 18th of March the | French arrived at Acre, and found that the Pasha Djezzar had cut of tho head of NaPoleon's envoy, and thrown hi: body into the sea The English under Sir Sidney Smith. and the Turks, held the town.
 Acre was besieged until the 4th oi May, when the French ammunition be gan to fail. General Caffarelli, one ot Napoleon's fAvorite officers. already one legged from heroism. died from the am putation of an arm. On the 10th of th( month the French made an assault, anC gained the trenches During the sixty days of the siege eight storming partie were sent against the defenseS. and O one occasion the town was partly occu pied; but General Duroc. who led th assault, was wounded. and the two huI dred men who had gained an entranC were driven out through the breach. Twelve sorties were made by the b. sieged, only to meet repulse. About th middle of May news came that one ( the many Mahdis, who have so frequent
 ly arisen in Egypt. had appeared in th Nile valley. Intelligence came also thu the Porte and the English governmer were now at one against the French | Napoleon's guns were not heavy enougf and his forces not sufficiently strong. capture Acre; and on the 2oth of Ma , the siege was raised. The losses of ti
 French in the Syrian campaign ha reached nearly three thousand mel
 those of the Turks and the allies. pe , haps five times that number.
 Napoleon was weak in the matter retreat He could not retreat we'll. H
 PaIIin1S banE 1warn HkaIw tO daOanara , into panic, This fact was exemplifls
 !n his withdrawal from Palestine IT
 march began on the 20th of May. IT
 22nd found the French at Cesarea. Tv days afterwards they reached Jaf
 There a pest-house had been establishC
 for those who had the plagua Napolsc l ordered the Qualifications of the town