fir, oblerved, with regard to the convention concluded at El-Arisch, points out to me the road which I have to purfue. You demanded the ratification of your court: I must also demand that of the confuls who now govern the French nation, for any treaty that might be concluded with the English and their allies. This is the only legal way, the only one admiffible in any negociations that may ever take place. As well as you, fir, I abhor the flames of war; as well as you, I wish to fee an end put to the mifery which it has caused. But I fhall never, in any point whatever, exempt myself from what the honour of the French republic and of her arms requires. I am fully con vinced that thefe fentiments must alfo be yours. Good faith and morality must prevail in treaties concluded between nations. The French republicans know not thofe ftratagems which are mentioned in the papers of Mr. Mories. They know not any other behaviour than courage during the combat, magnanimity after the victory, and good faith in their treaties. One hundred and fifty Englishmen are prifoners of war here; had I followed only the dictates of republican magnanimity, I would have fent them back, without confidering them as prifoners, for they were taken on the coaft of Egypt, not with arms in their hands, and I am fully convinced that the confuls would have approved of it; but your allies have detained citizen and chief of brigade Baudet, adjutant of general Kleber, whofe perfon ought to have been held facred, as he had been fent with a flag of truce. Contrary to my principles and my inclination, I have, therefore, been forced

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to reprifals against your country men; but they fhall be fet at ĺiberty immediately on the arrival of citizen Baudet at Damietta, who fhall there be exchanged against Muftapha Pacha, and several other Turkish commissaries. If, fir, as Į have no doubt, you have some influence over your allies, this affair will foon be fet:led, which interests your honour, and evidently endangers one hundred and fifty of your countrymen. I have the honour to repeat to you, fir, that with enthufiaftic pleasure I fhall fee the termination of a war which has, for so long a period, agitated the whole world. The Fr nch and English nation are destined mutually to esteem, not to deftroy one another ; but when they enter into negocia tions with each other, it must only be done on conditions which are equally honourable to both, and promotive of their welfare. Receive, fir, the very fincere asfurances of my esteem and high refpect. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) Abdallah Bey J. Menou.

unicated the intelligence to the grand vizier and the Öttoman minifters, in the terms in which you announced to me that fad event; and nothing less than the certainty and detail with which you communicated it could have induced their excellencies to credit the information. The grand vizier has declared to me, formally and officially, that he had not the flightest knowledge of those who have been guilty of the affaffination; and I am perfuaded that his declaration is true and fincere. Without entering into the particulars of this unfortunate event, I fhall content myfelf with answering the articles of your letter that relate to our affairs.

If the grand vizier has detained in his camp the aid-de-camp Baudet, difpatched to him at Jebil-il-Illam, it was because his excellency did not think proper to fuffer any perfon to quit his camp at the moment when he faw himself furrounded by his enemies, Baudet was detained at Jebil-il-Illam in the fame manner as the Turkish officers deftined to ferve reciprocally with him as hoftages, were detained at Cairo,

This aid-de-camp was fent to the Ottoman fquadron to be exchanged, according to your defire; and during that interval his excellency the captain Pacha having arrived here, the exchange was poftponed in confequence of his abfence from the fquadron. When his excellency hall have joined the fquadron, the exchange may be carried into effect, fhould you think proper, as the aidde-camp Baudet is off Alexandria; but I cannot perceive why you make the release of one hundred and fifty English, who were fhipwrecked at Cape Brulos, depend upon a tranfaction relating only to

yourfelf and the Porte. I expect from your good faith and your juftice, according to the regulations fettled between both nations relative to the reciprocal exchange of our prifoners, which we are authorized to enforce, that you will allow captain Buttal, his officers and crew, to return.

Your promifes expreffive of the hope of reciprocity on my part cannot apply to this circumftance, and I think it fuperfluous to offer you in return the affurance of my good offices in favour of any perfou who may be reduced to the painful fituation which I have myself experienced. I am convinced that the grand vizier will fanction with his generous and dignified approbation all the humane proceedings which we may adopt with refpect to one another. The tricks of warfare are unknown to us both, and while I fhall continue to behave to you with the fame candour and the fame good faith which I have manifested to the prefent moment, I fhall earneftly employ all my means to prevent any perfon on whom I may poffefs influence from purfuing a contrary line of conduct. fured that the hoftile difpofitions, which lrave been recently announced, and which have acquired extent and publicity, may be appeafed by the opportunities furnifhed to both parties by the prefent circumftances of mutual correfpondence and communication, and that we fhall at length be united by the ties of fincere friendship. In the mean time we fhall profecute hoftilities against you with the means which we have hitherto employed against you, and we shall endeavour to render ourfelves worthy of the efteem of your brave troops.

Q 3

Be af

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The hoftilities which you have committed without waiting for admira Keith's anfwer, who was unacquainted with the convention concluded for the evacuation of Egypt, have furnished us with a rule for our conduct. I had not demanded of my court the ratification of the convention; I merely was defirous to remove fome obftacles that might have opposed the return of the French to their country.

As general Kleber did not, in the late preliminaries which were agreed to, give us to understand that it was neceffary the treaty which was to have followed them fhould be ratified by the confuls, this condition now introduced by you in your preliminaries has the appearance of a refusal to evacuate Egypt, and the grand vizier has commiffioned me to require of you on that head a clear and precife anfwer. You with, as I do, for a termination to the war which defolates the whole world:

It is in your power to remove one of the obftacles in the way of peace by evacuating Egypt according to the terms agreed upon with general Kleber; and if you refuse, we fhall exert all our means, and thofe of our allies, in order to compel you to accept conditions which may not prove fo advantageous. I cannot fupprefs my regret at being forced to fulfil that duty; but the evacuation of Egypt being an object of fo much intereft to the caule of humanity, the mode of accomplishing it by correfpondence and conference is still open..

As the admiral, under whofe orders I am, is at a confiderable diftance, I am authorized to agree to fuch arrangements as the neceffity

of circumstances may dictate; and although, from the nature of events, I am not warranted in offering any new propofition, I am, however, ready and difpofed to receive all those which you may think fit to make. I can declare to you officially that fhall exert all my efforts to prevent any rath proceedings, and to oppofe all vexatious meafures, from whatever quarter they may arife.

I fhall literally adhere to all the inftructions of my court. I know its principles to be founded upon the moft punctilious equity and the most perfect good faith. My conduct, fhall be conformable to its principles, and all my exertions fhall be directed to the performance of my duty, by promoting its interefts,

As it is not yet decided in what direction I am about to act, I beg you will tranfmit me your answer in two dispatches, the one addreffed to Alexandria and the other to Jaffa, at the camp of the grand vizier.

(Signed) Sidney Smith.

poniard, while he was walking with citizen Protain, the architect, on the terrace which looks from the garden of the head-quarters into the fquare of Efbekier. Citizen Protain, in endeavouring to defend the general, received himfelf fix wounds. The firft wound which Kleber received was mortal. He fell-Protain ftill lives. The general, who was giving orders for repairing the head-quarters and the garden, had no aide-de-camp with him, nor any individual of the corps of guards: he had defired to be alone: he was found expiring. The affaffin, who was difcovered in the midst of a heap of ruins, being brought to the head-quarters, confeffed that he was folicited to commit this crime by the aga of the Janiffaries of the Ottoman army, commanded by the grand vizier in perfon. This vizier, unable to vanquifh the French in open warfare, has fought to avenge himfelf by the dagger, a weapon which belongs only to cowards. The affaffin is named Soleyman-el-Alepi. He came from Aleppo, and had arrived at Cairo, after croffing the defert on a dromedary. He took up his lodging at the grand mofque Eleafer, whence he proceeded every day to watch a favourable opportunity for committing his crime. He had intrufted his fecret to four petty cheiks of the law, who wifhed to diffuade him from his project; but who, not having denounced him, have been arrested, in confequence of the depofitions of the aflaflin, condemned to death, and executed on the 28th of last month (June 17). I appointed to conduct the trial, a commiffion ad hoc. The commiffion,

after conducting the trial with the utmoft folemnity, thought it proper to follow the cuftoms of Egypt in the application of the punishment. They condemned the affaffin to be impaled, after having his right hand burnt; and three of the guilty cheiks to be beheaded, and their bodies burnt. The fourth, not having been arrefted, was outlawed. I annex, citizen conful, the different papers relative to the trial.

At prefent, citizen conful, it would be proper to make you acquainted with the events, almost incredible, that have occurred in Egypt; but I must first have the honour of informing you, that general Kleber's papers not being yet in order, I can only inform you of thofe events by a fimple reference to the date of the tranfactions.When circumftances are more favourable, I fhall fend you the details; but it is fo neceffary that you fhould know our fituation, that I am determined to addrefs to you the following fimple journal;

Date of the Events which have occurred in Egypt from the Treaty of El-Arifch, inclufive.

Ift. Treaty concluded at ElArifch, on the 5th Pluviofe, and ratified by the general-in-chief on the 8th of the fame month, at the camp of Salahich.

2d. Conferences of Sebille Hallem, near Matharich. They continued from the 22d of Ventofe to the 27th of the fame month.

3d. The letter to lord Keith, printed and announced to the army on the 27th, with the proclamation of the general-in-chief, Kleber.

4th.