FRENCH INVASION.

coast, opposite England. That country presented a navy, able to destroy at one stroke, any flotilla that should advance towards its shores; an army of 100,000 disciplined men, and an armed population of a million and an half of soldiers, to meet them on their landing. This project was abandoned, and the second adopted; the first serving at the same time, the purpose of concealing the other. On the 19th of May, 1798, a French armament, consisting of thirteen ships of the line, eighty-six frigates and corvettes, and 400 transports, with 40,000 troops, sailed from the French ports of the Mediterranean. Their destination and their objects were an entire secret. They were, as afterwards developed, designed to convert Egypt into a French colony; by which France could command the East India trade to Europe, by means of the Red sea, and establish a military position from whence they could invade the British East Indies by land.

Great Britain, however, had nothing to fear from this quarter, as no army could be marched across the Arabian and Persian deserts. A part of the scheme was to induce the Porte to believe that the French would act as allies in subduing the rebellious mamalukes, and Talleyrand was to be sent to Constantinople on this errand. This part of the plan did not succeed. The Porte considered the invasion as hostile, and declared war against France.

An armament landed in Egypt on the second of July, and took possession of the coast, embracing the whole region of the Delta, with little opposition; and on the 23d, Bonaparte fought a decisive battle with the mamalukes, near the pyramids, in which he put to flight their whole army, consisting of 20,000 men. The victory was so decisive that no further resistance was made; and Bonaparte took possession of Cairo on the next day. He immediately organized a government, professing himself a true disciple of Mahomet, and secured to the people the enjoyment of their property and religion. To the inhabitants of Egypt, who were capable of comprehending Bonaparte's objects and scheme of government, and the probable consequences of becoming a French colony, the subject was popular. To them it would be only a change of masters, and they had no fears of finding any worse than the Turks.

These prospects were suddenly blasted by the destruction of the French fleet at Aboukir, and by the combination of England and Turkey, to prevent Egypt from becoming a French colony. Cut off from any communication or aid from France, by the British fleet, Bonaparte had to contend with the combined force of Turkey and Great Britain, with the unhealthiness of the climate, with the plague, and with the remnant of the mamaluke force.

After struggling fifteen months with these complicated diffi

CAIRO. DELTA.

culties, he privately left Egypt, bequeathing to Kleber, his successor, the honor of surrendering the army to its enemies. Bonaparte's first successes broke down the mamaluke authority in Egypt so effectually that it never afterwards recovered. He took out with him a retinue of 2000 non-combatants, consisting of savans, (philosophers,) physicians, artists, mechanics, and laborers of all descriptions. One object was to explore as well the antiquities, as the present capacities of the country. From their researches much information has been obtained on these subjects.

CAIRO. Cairo is the principal city of Egypt, situated on the east bank of the Nile, 100 miles from its mouth, in latitude 30° north. The city, exclusive of its suburbs and gardens, is seven miles in circumference, enclosed by strong walls. The castle is built on a rock, containing Joseph's well, 276 feet deep, and is the residence of the pacha. The city contains 200,000 inhabitants, consisting of Arabs, Copts, Mamalukes, Greeks, Syrians, Jews, and natives of various countries in Europe. It is the centre of commercial communications between Europe, the Mediterranean sea, Asia, and the north of Africa.

DELTA. The Nile separates into two principal branches, seventy miles from its mouth, and forms the Delta, or what is called lower Egypt, being a triangle, the base of which, resting on the Mediterranean, is 170 miles long, and each of its sides seventy miles. On the west branch of the Nile, at its entrance into the sea, is the city of Alexandria, noted for what it has been, rather, than for what it is in modern times. It was built by Alexander the great, 300 years before the Christian era, and designed by him for the head of a mighty empire. Before a passage was found to the East Indies, by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, at the close of the 15th century, by the Portuguese, Alexandria was the centre of commerce between the East Indies and Europe. From that period, its wealth, population and importance have declined. It formerly contained 300,000 inhabitants, now only 13,000. An ancient canal between Alexandria and Cairo, has lately been re-opened by the Pacha Ali Mahommed, which has greatly improved its commerce. In the year 1824, 1300 ships visited this port, about one half of which were Austrians.

There are two other considerable towns on the Delta, Damietta, on the eastern, and Rosetta on the western branch of the Nile; the latter contains 13,000 inhabitants, and forms the medium of communication between Alexandria and Cairo. Aboukir is a small village, having a strong castle on the western side of a spacious bay, protected by a point of land extending into the sea, and several small islands. It lies on the coast ten miles east of Alexandria, and has a population of 100 Arabs.

ETHIOPIA.

It is noted only for being in the neighborhood of, and giving name to, the celebrated naval battle of the 3d of August, 1798, in which Nelson obtained a complete victory over the French fleet, and decided the fate of Egypt.

ETHIOPIA. South of Egypt is the country of ancient Ethiopia, bounded on the east by the Red sea and straits of Babelmandel, and extending south and west indefinitely. It is high table land, giving rise to the sources of the Nile, and several other rivers, running in different directions. Neither its present population or extent is sufficiently known to be the subject of any probable conjecture. It is spoken of in the Bible, and other ancient histories, as a country of much importance, and as being one of the most remote in the then known world. The principal information of its condition in modern times, is derived from two travellers, James Bruce, a Scotchman, and Belzoni, an Italian. Their relations are to be received with more than ordinary caution, as they are made without fear of contradiction from other travellers. Bruce, also, is said to be a very vain man, and proud of his discoveries, from whence may be inferred a disposition to magnify their wonders. He travelled in Ethiophia, in 1770, in search, as he says, of the sources of the Nile, and fouud, as may readily be supposed, the object of his search. There were some fountains, or ponds of water, on the highlands of Ethiopia, whose outlets led into the Nile. How many other waters more remote, there may be of the same description, is not known. Belzoni visited upper Egypt and Nubia, in 1817. From their publications, we learn that the country is much degenerated from its ancient condition; and that its inhabitants exhibit various grades, from the lowest point of the savage state, up to a degree of partial civilization. Among the lowest are the Troglodites, so called from their dens, or places of habitation, in the hollows of rocks. Trogla in Greek, signifying a cavern, or hollow place in a rock. These recesses, on the sides of the mountains, and on the coasts of the Red sea, form the ordinary dwellings of the inhabitants and their goats, which together constitute their whole property. The uncouth and singular sounds of their language, being a corruption of the Arabic, give them the appearances of howling and hissing, instead of articulating. They paint every part of their bodies, and ornament themselves with various shells hung round the neck, which they believe to have the power of protecting them from evil spirits. The rich among them subsist on goat's milk, and sometimes treat themselves with the flesh and bones of the goat, mashed together and boiled in a bag made of the skin, which forms their richest repast. The poor subsist on locusts, serpents and all sorts of reptiles. The Italian traveller gives this description of a fisherman, an inhabitant of the coast, as a specimen of that portion of the population. "He lived in a

tent five feet wide, with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law. He had no boat, but went to sea on the trunk of a tree, with a piece of wood fastened horizontally on each end, to prevent its turning over, and a small hole for a mast in the centre, and a shawl for a sail, managed by a cord. On this vessel, two fishermen go out, and with long spears take their fish."

GALLAS. Another nation equally degraded, but much more ferocious, called Gallas, occupy several provinces of Abyssinia. They subsist principally on raw meat, smear themselves with the blood of their enemies, and ornament themselves with their bowels strung around their necks, and interwoven in their hair. They are nomades, wandering tribes, whose incursions are sudden and destructive. They slaughter every thing in their way, excepting the male youth, whom they preserve and convert into eunuchs, and sell, to supply the Turkish harems. Ethiopia is the country from which Turkey is supplied with slaves of this description. Wars are frequently undertaken, the object of which is to obtain male children to supply this market; and instances are related where parents prepare their children, and dispose of them in this manner.

The Gallas worship the moon and stars, trees and stones. They believe in a future state, and in magic and sorcery. Their chiefs enjoy only a temporary and precarious authority, depending for its duration on the success of their enterprises. They give audience, seated on what they consider a throne, in their wretched hovels. Their guards and sentinels first beat with their bludgeons, any stranger who presents himself, and then introduce him into the royal presence, complimenting him for his fortitude in not being driven away by their acts.

SHANGALLAS. Another race equally degraded, but less ferocious, are the Shangallas, inhabiting the wooded heights of Nubia and Abyssinia. The visages of these negroes bear a striking resemblance to the ape. They are hunted as wild beasts, by their neighbors, who consider themselves more civilized. They spend a part of the year under the shade of trees, and in the cold season, take shelter in caverns dug out of the soft sandstone rocks. They go quite naked, and arm themselves with poisoned javelins, and subsist on locusts, and on wild beasts, either found dead or slain with their poisoned weapons. nature of the soil, alternately drenched in water and baked by violent heat, precludes all cultivation.

The

JEWS OF ETHIOPIA. In the western part of Abyssinia is an independent nation of Jews, having their own laws and government. They purchase this privilege of the negro prince of Abyssinia, by an annual tribute. Bruce found there a Jewish king called Gideon, and a queen, Judith, supposed to be the common names of all their sovereigns. They are a much higher

grade of population, and exercise the trades of carpenters, smiths, and cloth makers. They have the books of the old testament in the language of the country. Some portion of the inhabitants of Abyssinia are Christians; and highest in the arts of civilization of any in the country. Christianity early found its way into Ethiopia from Alexandria, and is there mixed with Judaism. They observe both the first and seventh days of the week, and practise circumcision.

GOVERNMENT. Another considerable portion of the inhabitants, particularly of Nubia, are Mahometans, knowing or practising little else of their religion, than their creed, which they often repeat. Their government is a severe despotism. The reigning prince of Nubia usually puts to death all the members of the royal family who may be supposed to be rivals, thereby securing to himself a quiet possession. The king and his courtiers demand from his subjects whatever they want, without ceremony, and without any fixed rule; if refused, they take it by force, and when the opposition is formidable, they murder their opponents. At Amhara, one of the principal provinces of the country, the king has his state prison. It consists of a deep valley, inclosed by mountains, containing near its centre a cavern, into which the state prisoners are let down by a rope, and where the king holds them in strict confinement. From this tomb of living men, the grandees sometimes select a prince to fill the throne.

NUBIA AND ABYSSINIA. Nubia and Abyssinia, though agreeing in their general features, and together forming what was ancient Ethiopia, are now distinct nations, independent of, and often at war with, each other. The principal city of Nubia is Semnar, supposed to contain about 100,000 inhabitants. The crown is hereditary, descending to the eldest son. A council of the grandees of the kingdom have the power of changing the succession, and of putting to death the reigning prince. The remnant of the mamalukes of upper Egypt, after the massacre of 1811, fled into Nubia, where they were pursued by Mahommed Ali, and most of them cut off. Mahommed conquered a considerable portion of the country, but soon abandoned it as not worth retaining. The military force of Nubia is estimated at 14,000.

The general complexion and features of the inhabitants of Nubia and Abyssinia, are that of the negro, with some variation, from those of western Africa. In one portion of Abyssinia, on the borders of the Red sea, is a race called Agarzians, of a bronze color, whose long hair, handsome features, and regular forms, resemble Europeans. From a seaport in this region, the queen of Sheba is said to have visited Solomon, and to have borne a son to the king of the Jews, whose posterity governed Ethiopia, until the year 960 of the Christian era.