The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-03
BATTLE OF THE NILE.
ITS EFFECT AND ITS INFLUENCE
WERE FAR-REACHING.
The Continent of Europe Was Con-
vulsed From End to End When
the News Was Known-Honors to
the Victors.

OF Is French ships of the line all but
two were taken or destroyed. The fleet
was annihilated. Victory" said Mel
son, justly, lis certainly not a, name
strong enough for such a scene as l
have passed. In completeness of inn
mediate results upon the field, no fleet
action has ever equalled the battle of
the Nile. Upon the fortunes of the
particular enterprise which elected it
Bonaparte'S oriental eXpeditiOn-the
effect was absolutely decisive. 1t be-
came impossible, and was by expert
ence demonstrated to be impossible,
to afford the eXpeditionary force the
renewal of men and supplies upon
which depended not only the prosecu-
ton of the undertaking, but even the
maintenance of the position already
achieved.
The influence of the battle of the
Nile was more far-rea ching still; the
continent of Europe became cOnvulsed
from end to end as soon as the news
was received Elated by BOnaparte's
career of victory in Italy, and by the
submission of Austria to terms of
peace, the French government had en-
tered upon d course of arrogant ag-
gression toward other countries-of
which the unprovoked Egyptian eX-
petition was only one example-that
had aroused the wrath of all nations.
Even the United States was forced
from its attitude of benevolent neu-
trality, which had depended upon the
tradition of the war of independence
and the adoption by France of repub
lican Institutions.
The general resentment in Europe
was, however, curbed by experience of
the might of the French revolutionary
movement, ard of the French armies
when welded by a man like Bona
parte, and there was wanting tho
demonstration of some power capa bic
of imposing an absolute check upon
their future progress. The battle of
the Nile gave such a demonstration.
AS Nelson said, it was more than a
victory; it was a catastrophe. The
French fleet was annihilated, the Med
iterranean passed into the absolute
control of Great Britain. the flower
of the French army and the inVincible
BOnaparte were cut off hOpelesSly from
France. Turkey. previously overawed
by the fleet, declared war in a month.
Austria. Russia and Naples had al
ready drawn together in coalition.
They We're emboldened, as the per-
manence of the conditions due TO the
battle became evident. TO pursue their
military enterprises upon a scale
which brought the republic to the brink
of ruin, from which it was saved only
by the unexpected and fOrtuitOus re-
turn of BonaDarte, and his accession
to supreme power. a year later. Before
the year 1898 expired a combined Rus
sian and Turkish fleet entered the Med
iterranean from the Black sea, and
undertook TO wrest the Ionian Islands
from France. In India the movements
against the British domination which
had been fomented by French negO-
tiations. and which Bonaparte expected
TO foster. fell still born when the dis
aster became known there. Nelson,
aware of the Importance of the news
to British interests, had at once dis
patched a special messenger overland
to Bombay.
The general satisfaction. not to say
eXultation, was shown by the honOrs
and rewards showered from all sides
upon the victor. The sultan and the
car, the king of Sardinia and of the
two Sicilies. sent messages of con-