No. XIX.

Au Grand Caire, le 10 Thermidor, an 6.

Le Contre Amiral PERRE' E, commandant la Flotille du Nil, à son Ami LE JOILLE, Chef de Division, commandant le Vaisseau le Généreux.

MON cher camarade, je profite de l'occasion de la Cisalpine pour te donner de mes nouvelles, comme je te l'ai marqué par ma derniere.

Je suis arrivé en cette ville le lendemain de notre armée, après avoir éprouvé toutes les privations possibles; nous avons été jusqu'à six jours sans avoir autre chose à manger que des pastiques, et pour dessert du pastique. La fusillade roulait toute la journée de la part du paysan, qui étoit commandé par des Arabes ou des Bédouins.

Je t'assûre que si ces hommes savoient tirer, nous ne serions pas revenus un seul. A présent ils sont plus raisonnables depuis que le Caire est à nous. Je regarde en ce moment le Nil comme certain, ce qui nous permettra la communication avec vous.

Tu apprendras avec plaisir que j'ai été promû au grade de Contre Amiral sur le champ de bataille, après l'affaire du 25. Assurément si j'avois été secondé par une autre canonnière il n'auroit plus été question de leur flotille, quoiqu'ils en avoient 7, et pour lors je n'avois que 6 bâtiments, dont trois ont été abandonnés et pris par les ennemis, qui ont eu l'audace de s'en emparer à portée de pistolet de moi.

Pour lors j'ai fait diriger toutes mes forces dessus,

fait couler à fond la canonnière de l'Amiral, et je les ai forcés à lâcher mes canonnières que j'ai réintegrées desuite. J'avois encore deux batteries de 12 canons de campagne dirigées sur moi à très-petite portée. Les troupes étoient très-éloignées et ne pouvoient me donner aucun secours. Le combat a commencé à 9 heures moins un quart, et a fini à une heure et demie que notre armée les a mis en déroute.

Je t'assure que nous avons été trompés beaucoup sur la navigation du Nil. Il ne peut y monter aucun bâtiment tirant plus de cinq pieds à l'époqued où j'ai monté ; tant qu'à la fertilité du pays je crois que l'on a beaucoup à décompter. La férocité des habitans est pire que les sauvages; majeure partie habillés en paille. Enfin le pays n'est pas de mon goût. Cependant après la peine, le plaisir; en ce moment je suis assez bien, tant pour les nourritures que pour les plaisirs. Les Beys nous ont laissé quelque jolies Arméniennes et Georgiennes, que nous nous sommes emparés au profit de la nation. Je te prie, mon bon ami, de m'envoyer une barique de vin: tu obligeras

Ton ami,

EM. PERRE'.

Assure de mon amitié à tous mes amis.

TRANSLATION.

Grand Cairo, July 28th

Rear Admiral PERRE'E, commanding the Flotilla of the Nile, to his Friend, LE JOILLE, Chief of Division, and Captain of the Généreux.

I TAKE

TAKE the opportunity of the sailing of the Cisalpine, my dear comrade, to give thee some account of myself, as I promised to do in my last.

Le Joille escaped from the hands of Lord Nelson, and had the good fortune, in his flight to Corfou, to fall in, and after an engagement of six hours and a half, to capture the Leander, a vessel at no time of half his force, and then enfeebled by her recent engagement, and with scarce two thirds of her complement.

This is all well known :-what is not so notorious, though it well deserves to be so, is the brutal behaviour of Joille to the brave men, whose invincible courage (for they did not strike till the Leander was absolutely ungovernable) would have entitled them to the respect of a generous enemy. Would it be believed, that the wounds of the gallant commander were not suffered to be dressed for several days, and that the surgeon of the ship had his instruments taken from him while he was employed in performing an operation upon one of our unfortunate countrymen !!! Yet all this, and more than all this, is perfectly true.

We are at a loss to know on what principle of sound policy, or in conformity to what chapter in the code of candour, these and other traits of wanton barbarity, of ferocious rapacity, on the part of the French, are suppressed in our public statements. We have heard of one council abroad, in which it was seriously proposed to soften or conceal the insults of France, lest that country should be irritated! and we have seen one paper at home, which

I arrived here the day after our army, after experiencing every degree of misery. We were six days without any thing to eat but water-melons-water-melons for our dinner, and water-melons for our desert! The peasantry of the country, commanded by Arabs or Bedouins, kept up a firing all day long about our ears. I can assure thee, that if these people knew how to level a musket, not a man of us would return alive. They have been a little more complaisant since the capture of Cairo. I now consider the Nile as open; our communications will, therefore, be more regular in future.

Thou wilt hear with pleasure that I was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral on the field of battle, immediately after the affair of the 13th. I am certain that

advised the same conduct.-Whether this was done through design or ignorance is not worth inquiry. We are surely too powerful to be insulted by the French, and we have too many means of retaliation in our hands to dread their irritation.

Let it also be considered, that the publicity for which we contend, is due to the brave men who are fighting our battles-it is also due to the civilized world, of whom the French are the terror and the pest-since there cannot be a more effectual method of counteracting a nation, which derives much of its influence, and more of its power, from the base and hypocritical cant of superior justice and humanity, than unfolding every act of unnecessary cruelty, which their innate thirst of plunder, and of blood, induces them to perpetraté.

We have gone out of our way to make these remarks; but we hope the importance of them will excuse us.

To return to Joille. We are happy to add, that he had not the satisfaction of possessing himself of the colours which Lord Nelson had put on board the Leander. They were sunk previous to the surrender of the vessel, together with the dispatches, and lotters of every kind,

if I had been supported by one gun-boat more, we should have seen the last of their flotilla, though they had seven and I had but six, three of which were deserted by the crews, and in the possession of the enemy, who had the audacity to seize them within pistol-shot of my boat; it was then that I exerted myself to the utmost, sunk the flag-vessel, and compelled them to abandon my boats; which I afterwards put into a state of service. I had besides, two batteries of six fieldpieces each opened upon me, at a very trifling distance; and the army was too remote to lend me any succour.* The engagement began at a quarter before nine in the morning, and finished about half after one, when they fled on all sides.

I can assure thee that we have been miserably des ceived respecting the navigation of the Nile. No vessel that draws more than five feet can ascend it at the period that I did; with respect to the fertility of the country too, great deductions must be made, or I am mightily mistaken.t The ferocity of the inhabitants

• This is not the fact it was the appearance of the army (though it might not be actually engaged) that saved him from absolute destruction...

It is curious to mark the progress of conviction amongst the French. Alexandria is universally allowed to be detestable,there are no doubts expressed of that-Oh! but then it will be "delightful when we get to Rosetta!" "No," say those who are stationed there, "Rosetta is not delightful at all, it is only a "little less wretched than Alexandria." "True! but then the "Delta! that is surely rich and beautiful; and then there is "Cairo, the wealthiest, the largest, and the most magnificent city "in the world!" "As for the Delta," says Perrée, "I have just "passed through it, and I can assure you, that it is any thing but "rich and beautiful." "And as for Cairo," exclaim a thousand