confidence can we have in treaties with her? A few years fince, the made a part of the chiefs of this republic perifh, contrary to all juf tice. Several amongit you witneffed that bloody execution, and fill bear the marks of it. Behold the blood of four of your colleagues, with which this marble we are this moment treading on is ftill red. 1o. day my death is order d To-morrow will be demanded the head of him who fall fill my place. T is is the moment to flake off the yok of a defpot, who, violating our privileges and our laws, feems to difpofe of our lives as he thinks proper. Let us join our arms to hofe of Ruffia. Let us free this rep.blic.from the domination of a barbarous mafier. Aid me with your efforts, and I will anfwer for the liberty of Eypt." This difcourfe produced all the effect that Ali had a right to expect from it; the fixteen beys of his paity exclaimed with one voice, that war muit be declared against the grand fignior. Such as were of a contrary opinion, unable to oppofe it, promifed to fecond it with all their power. The Pacha received an order to quit Egypt in four and twenty hours. The Scheik Elbalad communicated this refolution to the Prince of Acre, promiting to join his troops with thofe of Egypt, in order to conquer Syria.

"He had formerly, as we have feen, furveyed the Jemen, and the eastern coast of the Red Sea. Judging what advantages he might derive from the commerce and productions of thofe countries, if he could fubject them to his government, he levied two armies, the one of twenty-fix thousand cavalry, the other of nine. The command of the former he gave to his brother-in-law, and that of the fecond to Ifmael

Bey. Abou Dahab was to attack Arabia Felix, and the interior provinces; Ifmael, the maritime towns and the fea-ports. He gave the ge neral the plans they were to follow, and equipped a fleet to coast along the Red Sea, and fupply them with provifions. He had calculated like an able warrior, the obftacles they had to furmount, and fuccefs depended on their fidelity in carrying his orders into execution.he Egyptian cohorts left Egypt in 1770. Whilft they were on their march to the conqueft of Arabia, the Scheik Elbalad remained in the capital, where he gave up his whole attention to the internal police of the kingdom, and to the happinefs of the people.

The custom-houfes of Egypt had long been in the hands of Jews, who committed horrid depredations, and harrafled foreigners with impu nity. He removed them, and en. trufted their administration to Chriftians of Syria with a particular recommendation to favour the European merchants. He was fenfible how flourishing Egypt might be come by commerce. His project was to open it to all the nations of the world, and to render it the emporium of the merchandize of Europe, India, and Africa. To effect this, it was only neceff ry to provide for the fecurity of the caravans, and to put the merchants under the protection of the laws; which he did, by checking on every fide the vagabond Arabs, and by eitab ifhing at Grand Cairo, Selim, Aga, and Solomon, Kiaia of the Janizaries, to protect the merchants, and to fee juftice done them. With the fame view he ordered his generals to leave officers in the tea ports they might take, to receive the veffels from India, and to defend them against the natives of the country.

He was not long in reaping the fruits of his wife adminiftration. He had the happiness to fee the Egyp. tians relieved, ftrangers favourably received, the public fafety establifhed, agriculture encouraged, and the republic raised to a pitch of fplendour fhe never had attained from the first hour of her existence. "Whilst he was thus gloriously employed, his generals triumphed in Arabia. Abou Dahab conquer ed the Jemen in one campaign, deftroyed the Scherif of Mecca, and fubftituted in his place the Emir Abdalla, who, to pay his court to Ali, gratified him with the pompous title of Sultan of Egypt and the two feas. Ifmael, on his fide, made himself matter of all the towns bordering on the eastern shore of the Arabic Gulf. They returned to Cairo covered with laurels. The inhabitants received them with loud acclamations, and their triumphs were celebrated by fplendid festivals.

"Ali had not laid afide the expedition against Syria. In 1771 he fent Mohamed Abou Dahab to attempt that conqueft, at the head of forty thousand men. Whilst thefe troops were traverfing the defert, veffels, equipped at Damietta, tranfported to St. John of Acre, the neceffary fupplies for them Availing himfelf, like an able politician, of the prefent cire cumstances, the Scheik Elbalad wrote to count Alexis Orlow, then at Leghorn, to form a treaty of alliance with the emprefs of Ruffia. He offered the admiral on his part, money, provifions, and foldiers; requiring only a few engineers, and engaged to unite his forces with those of the Ruffians to overthrow the Ottoman throne The count thanked Ali, encouraged him in his glorious enterprize, made

him great promifes, which were never realized, and affured him that he fhould lofe no time in laying his difpatches before his fovereign.

He had deputed the year before a Venetian merchant, called Rofette, to propofe an alliance with the Republic of Venice, and to encourage her to retake from the Turks thofe iflands and delightful provinces fhe had formerly poffeffed in the Mediterranean. He promifed to aid her with all the forces of Egypt, and to re-establish there her ancient commerce; but the Republic declined this hardy enterprize.

"During thefe negociations, Abou Dahab, affifted by the coun fels and the fuccours of the prince of Acre, took all the towns of Syria from the Ottomans, and drove them before him like a flock of fheep.

He had long meditated the ruin of Ali, his patron, his brotherin-law, his friend. The defire of gaining the foldiery, by making them the companions of his vie tories, had alone induced him to take arms, and influenced all his measures. The intereft of Egypt, which the union with Syria would have rendered independent of the Porte, had no part in his projects. No fooner was he fure of his officers and foldiers, than, after making them take an oath of fidelity, he hoifled the standard of rebellion, He withdrew all his garrifons from the conquered places, and, render ing abortive the fruit of fo much blood fpilt, and of a whole year of conquefts, he re-entered Egypt, On his departure the Turks retook, without a fruggle, the cities he had taken from them, razed their walls, and added new fortifications, Abou Dahab, thus elated with fuccefs, did not dare at first to at

tack

tack the capital, where his rival was too powerful. He kept along the western coaft of the Red Sea, croffed the Defert, and marched into Upper Egypt. It was then he made an open difplay of his criminal intentions. He took Girgé and other important towns. By force or by addrefs, he gained the beys who commanded there, and defcended towards Cairo.

"Ali Bey repented, but too late, having followed the emotions of his heart rather than the dictates of prudence, by placing in the hands of a traitor a command with which he fhould never have entrufted him. He ftill had refources, and he haftened to oppose them to his enemy. Having collected twenty thousand men, he put at their head Ifmael Bey, on whofe experience and fidelity he thought he could fafely reckon. Abou Dahab was encamped near Gaza; Ali ordered his general to take poft near to Old Cairo, and prevent the enemy from paffing the river. Nothing was more eafy; but the perfidious Ifmael, bafely betraying the interefts of his patron, formed a treaty of alliance with Abou Dahab, and paffed over to his camp. The junction of the two armies was a thunderftroke for the generous Ali. In the first emotions of defpair, he determined to fhut himself up in the castle of Grand Cairo with his few brave adherents, and to bury himself under its ruins. The fons of Scheik Daher, who loved him, reprefented to him the folly of this refolution, and conjured him once more to escape with them to St. John of Acre. He felt the wifdom of their council, and followed it. He wrote inftantly to count Orlow, requefting him to fend fome warlike ftores, and fome officers to him into Syria.

He

entrusted these dispatches to the Armenian Jacob, who had already acquitted himfelf of a fimilar commiffion, collected his treasures, and loaded them on twenty camels. He fent to demand from Mallem Reifk, whom he had made intendant of the revenues of Egypt, all the money he had collected; but the knave had hid himself, and it was impoffible to find him. In the middle of the night, Ali Bey, accompanied by the fons of Scheik Daher, Tentaoui, Ruffuan, Haffan, Kail, Mourad, Abd, Errohman, Latif, Moustafa, Ibrahim, Zoulficar, Hacheph, Ofman, Selim, Aga, and Soliman, Kiaia of the Janizaries, all beys of his creation, and about 7000 troops, left Cairo for the third time, and fled across the deferts. He carried with him twenty-four millions of livres (about one million fterling) in gold and filver. After five days forced march, he arrived on the 16th of April, 1772, at the gates of Gaza, and his troops began to breathe. The treafon of two men, on whofe friendship he had the ftricteft claims, rent his heart with forrow. He fhuddered at the very name of Abou Dahab, and his blood boiled in his veins. This agitation, added to the fatigue of fo difficult a rout, brought on a ferious malady. A prey to the moft gloomy melancholy, he looked for death with a fort of confolation. Liberty procured to Egypt, Arabia fubmitted to his fway, juice establifhed in the cities, commerce flourishing, the good he had already done the people; all thofe advantages, which it was the wifh of his heart ftill farther to procure them, he faw for ever vanished, and this bitter reflection filled the measure of his misfortunes. While he was cruelly fuffering under thefe poignant cares, the Scheik Daher, that

re

refpectable old man, his faithful friend, his protector in adverfity, came to visit him in his tent. After mingling his tears with thofe of Ali, he called him his fon, and tried by exhortations full of fenie and tenderness, to communicate fome comfort to his forrows. He reprefented to him that his situation was not desperate, that the Ruffian fquadron was at hand, and that, with this fuccour, he might till regain the dignity from which he had been precipitated by treafon. How powerful are the tender confolations of friendfhip on fenfible hearts! It is a falutary balm that penetrates all our fenfes, and heals, as if by enchantment, the wounds both of the foul and of the body. Ali experienced its effects, and hope once more appeared to renew the lamp of life. The Arab prince had brought with him a physician, whom he left with his fick friend, and he recovered his health in a few weeks.

"A detachment of the Ruffian fquadron appearing before Acre, Ali took the advantage of this opportunity to write to count Orlow. He made the fame request as before, defiring him to fend him fome cannon and engineers, and a corps of three thousand Albanians. He affured him, that immediately after his reinstatement, all the forces of Egypt fhould be at his difpofal. Beides this, he addrefied a letter to the Czarina, in which he folicited her alliance, and propofed to her a commercial treaty with Egypt. Zulficar Bey, the bearer of thefe difpatches, was commiffioned to prefent to the Ruffian admiral three fine hofes, richly caparifoned. It is certain that if Ruffia had only fent this feeble fuccour to the Scheik Elbalad, he would have triumphed over his enemies, and

have been proclaimed king of Egypt. Nor can it be doubted from his character, and every concurrent circumflance, that he would have delivered into the hands of the Ruffians the commerce of the eastern world, and have ganted them ports in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. This alliance might have operated a total change of affairs in the Eaft. The Ruffian fhips fet fail for Paros the 18th of May, 1772, and conducted the ambaffador of Ali.

"The precipitate retreat of Abou Dahab had given the Turks time to regain their poffeffions, and to fortify them. Having formed a corps of fix thoufand men, he gave the command of it to the brave Tentaoui, and ordered him to attack eide. Scheik Labi, and Scheik Crim, one the fon, the other the fon in-law of the prince of Acre, joined the Egyptian chief, and marched in concert with him. In their route they fell in with the celebrated Haflan Pacha, who was expecting them, in an advantageous post, at the head of thirteen thoufand men. Notwithstanding their inferiority, they did not he hitate to give him battle. Their cavalry was excellent. They rufhed in a body on the Turks, broke through their ranks, cut a great number of them in pieces, and put the reft to flight. The fugitives conveyed the alarm to Seide, which inftantly opened her gates to the conquerors. Tentaoui leaving a garrifon in the town, under the orders of Haflan Eey, returned to the camp, where he received the compliments of Ali, and of the prince of Acre.

"On the 13th of Auguft, in the fame year, Ali marched against Jaffa, accompanied by the valiant fons of the Scheik Daher,

" After