Page:History of Napoleon Buonaparte.pdf/9

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NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE.
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England through her Mediterranean possessions. It was adopted, and he sailed from Toulon to Egypt, on the 20th May, 1798, with an army consisting of 13 ships of the line, 14 frigates, and 400 transports, conveving 45.000 chosen troops. By a fortunate chance it escaped the pursuit of Nelson, and, on the 20 July, a debarkation took place at Narabout, nine miles from Alexandria. On the 7th, after a march of much suffering, the army came within sight of the Pyramids, and of the numerous army of the Egyptian general. The battle of the Pyramids, so glorious to the French, followed. The Egyptian cavalry found it impossible to break the line of bayonets, and in madness they dashed upon them, but the roll of musketry brought rider and horse to the ground. The soldiers gathered an immense booty on the field; and Lower Egypt was in their power.

On the 11th Feb. 1799, Buonaparte, at the head of an army of 10,000 'men, marched into Syria. Jaffa made a serious resistance, but yielded; 300 Turks were slain, and 2000 prisoners were drawn out in the vicinity and shot. After a most disastrous journey he arrived at Cairo on the 14th June, but he was soon sum(illegible text) action. The Turks had disem(illegible text) and taken possession of the