whom one was Arthur O'Connor) were detained in cons finement.

In the mean time, occafional executions of rebels took place; but the lord-lieutenant, in the midst of judgment, remembered mercy. A well-known party accufed him of excefs of lenity, and wifhed for a governor who would be inclined to the adoption of more rigorous measures, To this party the marquis gave a new caufe of offence, by reprobating the acquittal of a yeoman who had been tried for the murder of a rebel, and diffolving the court-martial which had thus favoured the prifoner.

In the hope of preventing a renewal of commotions by a clofe conjunction of interefts, the king and his minifters have formed a determination of promoting an incorporative union between Ireland and Great Britain. Strong oppofition has been made to the proposal by different claffes of the community in the former realm; but, as it feems to promife beneficial effects, the majority of the nation, upon cool reflexion, will perhaps be induced to acquiefce in it.

While the extravagant expedition to Egypt occupied a great share of the public attention, the two councils of the republic were employed in various deliberations. Among other topics, the affairs of finance were repeatedly difcuffed. For the expected charges of the feventh year, 600 millions of livres were deemed requifite. On the 9th of October, it was ftated, in the council of five hundred, that means of raising 545 millions had been difcovered; and a confident hope was expreffed, that the whole fupply might be obtained without the neceffity of impofing a tax on falt. Of the means already provided, the chief article was the land-tax, the produce of which was eftimated at 210 millions; and the next article, in point of magnitude, was that of registration, amounting to 80 millions.

Sanction was given by the councils to a demand of the directory, for a levy of 200,000 men. An address to the nation was publifhed on this occafion, intimating the expe→ diency of the measure, for the humiliation of the enemies of France, and the completion of her triumphs.

A warm debate arofe in the council of five hundred, on the 4th of November, in confequence of a motion for confifcating the property of those who, having been fentenced

for tranfportation in 1797, had quitted the place to which they were tranfported, and for banishing in perpetuum all perfons of that description who fhould venture to return to France. Thefe propofitions were oppofed with vehemence by Rouchon, who was frequently interrupted in his fpeech by loud clamours; but the aflembly thought proper to adopt them.

About this time, an inquiry was made into the causes of an infurrection which had broken out in feveral of the Belgic provinces incorporated with the republic. It was affirmed by fome, that the new levy of troops, being compulfive, had occafioned the difturbances; but others maintained, that this was a mere pretence, and that a fpirit of fanaticism, and an attachment to the old fyftem of government in the Nether lands, had produced the commotions.

In the diftrict of the Waes, the peafants and other malcontents took arms, and declared their intention of oppofing the levy, as an arbitrary and oppreffive measure. Troops were quickly called out to quell the infurrection; and brifk fkirmishes enfued. The diforders extended to the diftricts of Mechlin and Louvain; and the conftituted authorities at Bruffels dreaded an explosion in the vicinity of that town, While general Beguinot was on his march against the infurgents, a party of them entered Mechlin, plundered the town-house, and filled the place with confufion; but he dispersed them with eafe, and the town became tranquil, though it was declared to be in a ftate of fiege. The rebels were diflodged from other pofts; and engagements frequently occurred. Cruelties were perpetrated by both parties. Many of the obnoxious fupporters of the government were facrificed by the peasants; and, on the other hand, villages were burned, and maffacres committed, by the troops of the directory..

The defeats of fmall bodies of the infurgents were magnified by the friends of the government into glorious victories; and, when the Belgians gained an advantage, their adversaries denied the circumftance, or endeavoured to prevent the propagation of the unpleafing intelligence.

No concert or regularity of plan prevailed among the rebels: the movements and operations of different parties were tumultuary and defuitory; and, while one body haraffed the government in one place, undifciplined bands rofe in arms in other diftricts, and divided the attention of the fatellites of directorial tyranny.

While these infurrections were yet unquelled, French vanity and ambition were gratified with difpatches from Egypt, relating the progrefs of the unprovoked invafion of

that country. As early as the 2d of July, the French had landed near Alexandria. They took fome pofts by affault, gained others by capitulation, and were mafters of the whole city in the evening. They wreaked their vengeance on the inhabitants, even for their fhort oppofition, by an atrocious maffacre of a great number of them: not only the active defenders of the town, but old men, women, and children, who had fled into mofques for fecurity, became victims of republican fury*.

For the promotion of his fuccefs, Buonaparte employed both conciliation and terror. He difperfed copies of a pro clamation (written in the Arabic language), declaring to the Egyptians, that his only view was to rescue them from the yoke of the beys, to whofe tyranny he imputed the wretched state of their country; and that the French were the allies of the Turks, and true friends to Islamism: he at the fame time intimated, that every town or village in which he should meet with oppofition, should be deftroyed.

Advancing towards Grand Cairo, the general was attacked, on the 21st of July, by Morad, one of the beys, with a fmall army of Mamelouks. These defcendants of Chriftian flaves fought with impetuofity; but they were overpowered by the invaders, who by this victory obtained poffeffion of the Egyptian capital. The inhabitants of Rofetta and Damietta were alfo obliged to fubmit to the difgrace of receiving French garrifons.

From the head-quarters at Cairo orders were ifsued for the regulation of the government of Egypt, as if the French had poffeffed themselves of the whole country. It was decreed, that in each province there fhould be a divan, confifting of feven individuals, who fhould act in fubferviency to the republican general; that there should also be in each province an aga, who should parade about the country with a body of armed natiyes, for the maintenance of tranquillity. and order; and an intendant, who fhould receive, for the ufe of the French, the revenues before paid to the beys. Amidft this ufurpation of power and prerogative, the gene ral pretended that he would fecure, to the pacha of Egypt appointed by the grand fignor, his dignity and his revenue. Here we may obferve, that, before the French invafion, the pacha had long been a mere cipher, the real power of the tate being in the hands of the beys.

Hommes, femmes, vieillards, jeunes, et enfans, tous font maffacrés. Letter from Boyer, Adjutant-General of the French Army, to his Relatives,

Confidering Cairo as fufficiently fecure, Buonaparte marched in purfuit of the bey Ibrahim, who was at the head of a body of Mamelouks. The bey fled as the French advanced, and they had only an opportunity of assaulting his rear, on which they could make little impreffion. He retired into the deferts; and Buonaparte returned to Cairo, It was during this excurfion that the intelligence of the difafter in the bay of Aboukir reached the general, whose mortification may eafily be conceived, as his retreat from Egypt, if a reverse of fortune by land fhould incline him to quit the country, was rendered impracticable.

For fome time, a report of the death of Buonaparte prevailed in Europe. It was affirmed, that, having affembled many of the inhabitants of Cairo, and infifting on a pecu niary contribution, he was shot by a native of Tripoli. But, in an official account published at Paris, after a long fufpenfion of intelligence, no mention was made of the death of the commander in chief, though it was ftated that an infurrection of the populace had taken place at Cairo son the 21st of October, that general Dupuy had been mortally wounded, and that hoftilities had continued till the 23d, when, after a great flaughter of the Egyptians, the French reftored tranquillity. But, though it may be true that they quelled the difturbance, they are certainly in a dangerous fituation. Their number must have been confiderably diminished by difeafe and hoftility; and the reviving spirit of the people may effect a counter-revolution.

HOLLAND.

It was apprehended by the French directory, that the commotions in Belgium might produce, among the Dutch, a defire of fhaking off the yoke to which, notwithstanding their nominal independence, they are really fubjected. But, though they have reason to be discontented, the Hollanders have remained quiet. It even appears, that they have adyanced money, at the defire of the directory, to facilitate the fuppreffion of the revolt of their neighbours.

GERMANY.

While the chief princes of Germany were invited by Great Britain to form a new confederacy against France,

5

the plenipotentiaries at Raftadt continued to treat of peace. In a note of the 5th of September, it was observed by the French minifters, that the chief difficulties which retarded an accommodation, were reducible to three queftions, viz. whether the forts of Kehl and Caffel fhould be reftored to the empire, the debts of the territories on the ceded bank of the Rhine be added to the burthens of the oppofite diftricts, and the laws against emigrants be enforced in the provinces given up to the French. In thefe points, the French made fome conceffions. At length, on the 12th of December, they announced the final fettlement of the first bafis of the negotiation, and declared their readiness to expedite the remaining part, viz. the adjuftment of the scheme of fecutarization and indemnity; a bufinefs which will probably occafion confiderable debate.

The emperor remains in a ftate of indecifion with regard to a renewal of the war; and the king of Pruffia firmly refifts all endeavours for engaging him in a new crufade. Both these princes, perhaps, are apprehenfive that, if they fhould not be fuccefsful in renewed hoftilities, a revolution unfavourable to monarchical defpotifm may take place in their dominions.

SWITZERLAND.

The efforts of the French not having fo completely fubjugated the cantons as the pentarchs of Paris wifhed, general Schauenburg, a ready inftrument of directorial ty ranny, undertook the talk of accomplishing the flagitious fcheme. In feveral of the cantons, the Swifs had concluded with that commander a convention, which appeared to fecure to them, in a great meafure, the enjoyment of their ancient rights: but, notwithstanding this agreement, he infifted on a full fubmiffion from those communities to the new conftitution. On their refufal of acquiefcence, he led an army, in September, into the diftrict of Underwald; and, aided by the treachery of many of the inhabitants, he defeated a fmall army of Swifs, who fought with the most determined intrepidity. Much blood was fhed on both fides; and the French, after their victory, committed horrible acts of devaftation and cruelty. Schauenburg then proceeded into the neighbouring cantons of Schwitz and Zug; and his approach produced the immediate fubmiffion of the inhabitants, whom he deprived of their arms.

The Grifons, the allies of the Swifs, were urged by