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- V 
 
THE 
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 SIR SYDNEY SMITH, 
 
 Real Admiral of the Blue ; 
 
 CONTAINING A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF 
 
 HIS CONFINEMENT 
 
 - IN THE TEMPLE, 
 
 HIS 
 
 Extraordinary Escape, 
 
 AND HIS 
 
 [DEFEAT OF BONAPARTE 
 
 AT THE SIEGE OF ST. JEAN D'ACRE, 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 " The Parisian tyrant, foil'd, and stung 
 
 " With shame and desperation, gnash'd his teeth, 
 
 — And at the lightning of thy lifted spear 
 
 " Crouch'd like a slave." 
 
 Hontion : 
 
 PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG, 
 
 AT THE APOLLO LIBRARY, No. in, CHEAPSIDE, 
 
 AudT. HUGHES, No. i, STATIONERS'-COURT. 
 
 1806". 
 
«*o ! 
 
 Hummer ; Printer; Seething-Lanc, 
 
LIFE 
 
 o r 
 
 SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 JL o, trace the lineage of heroic men; to detail their 
 actions, and to ascertain their character, and even to 
 inquire into the fate, the fortune, and the situation of 
 their posterity, is a grateful task. We are eager to 
 know the merits, the talents, and the qualifications 
 that have placed them so high in the estimation of their 
 cotemporaries, or handed their names down with re- 
 nown from former ages. Concerning men of this de- 
 scription who live in our day, posterity will be eager 
 in their inquiries; and it befits us, and is a tribute we 
 owe to their well-earned fame to register their high 
 achievements. No man possesses a fairer claim to be 
 enrolled amongst the brave and enterprising characters 
 of his nation than Sir William Sydney Smith. Few 
 men have more engaged the public attention, or more 
 merited the admiration and esteem of their country- 
 men. Ever firm and undaunted — 
 
 " Or on the listed plain or stormy seas,'* 
 
 he has shone forth in deeds as great and glorious 
 as ever graced the British annals; it is from his coura- 
 geous exertions and animatng example that English- 
 men can boast, that the present ruler of France and 
 his vaunted invincibles have been conquered by Bri- 
 tish valour. The laurels gained at the siege of Acre 
 by Sir Sydney, ought, on the present occasion, to ani- 
 mate the heart of every Briton against the most cruel, 
 ambitious, and insatiable tyrant that France ever 
 groaned under. 
 
 The family of Sir Sydney Smith was originally settled 
 in Nottinghamshire, and some considerable estates in 
 that county are now in the possession of the elder 
 
 A Q 
 
4 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 branches. The grandfather of Sir Sydney Smith en- 
 deavoured to increase his fortune, that of a younger 
 son, by engaging in a manufactory; but the miscon- 
 duct of one of the partners of the house at once ter- 
 minated his hopes, and dissipated the small capital 
 which he had already embarked. A melancholy de- 
 pression of spirits was the consequence of this early 
 disappointment, Mr. Smith never recovered the ef- 
 fects of this incident. He lived some years after- 
 wards near London, but gradually falling a victim to 
 a melancholy which only gained new strength* with 
 time, at length departed to his place of rest. This 
 old gentleman was of a character no less singular than 
 that of his son, the father of Sir Sydney. He requested 
 in his will, that whilst a musket or a ship remained to 
 the country, his children would never embark in trade. 
 " The French nobility," said he, in a letter to his son 
 which still remains, " are compelled to deliver up their 
 swords when they become merchants or traders. The 
 rule is a wise one. Nothing so degrades the spirit of 
 a gentleman ; nothing so destroys that conscious pride, 
 which is its very root, as commerce. A Bourbon would 
 soon cheat if he became a trader." It must be con- 
 fessed that this sentiment has too much of the old ca- 
 valier. 
 
 Captain John Smith, the son of this gentleman; en- 
 tered early into the army. When captain of the guards, 
 and aid-de-camp to the late Lord Sackviile, be was 
 principally instrumental in twice saving the late 
 Duke of Brunswick from being killed or taken by the 
 French. Alike distinguished for, benevolence and a 
 high sense of honor, he commenced his military career 
 with uncommon promise ; but displeased at the manner 
 in which he conceived his friend, the Commander of 
 the British forces at Minden, had been treated on that 
 occasion, he resigned his commission in disgust, about 
 six weeks from the death of the late king, and after- 
 wards enjoyed a situation in the royal household. In 
 the year 1760 he married Miss Wilkinson, daughter 
 Pinkney Wilkinson, Esq. an opulent merchant. Sir 
 Sydney and his brother, the issue of this lady by the 
 Captain, were taken, almost immediately upon their 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 3 
 
 birth, to live with their grandfather. As the fortune" 
 of the Captain improved, he withdrew his children 
 
 from the house of ineir grandfather, and the latter, in 
 consequence, left the whole of his property to his se- 
 cond daughter/ Lady Camelford. 
 
 Captain Smith died in March, 1804. During many 
 of the latter years of his life he resided in apartments 
 excavated in the cliff, at no great distance from Dover 
 castle; a residence which bespoke the eccentricity of 
 its owner. 
 
 On the death of Captain Smith, Sir Sydney being his 
 second son, the paternal property devolved on Colonel 
 Smith, of VValmer. Mr Spencer Smith, who formerly 
 conducted the British interests at Constantinople is the 
 youngest son. 
 
 Sir W. Sydney Smith was born in the parish of St. 
 Arm's*, Westminster, in the year 1764. He received 
 the first rudiments of his education at Tunbridge 
 school, and was afterwards placed under the tuition of 
 Mr. Morgan, at Bath. In 1777 he commenced his ma- 
 ritime career. In 1780 he was promoted to the rank 
 of fifth lieutenant on board the Alcide, a ship of se- 
 ventv-four guns. In .1782 he was made a commander, 
 and on the 7th of May 1783, a post-captain. On his 
 last elevation, he was commissioned to the Nemesis ; 
 but a peace having taken place, the Nemesis was dis- 
 mantled ; and a rupture seeming to he approaching be- 
 tween Sweden and Russia, he entered, in 1788, with 
 the permission of his own sovereign, into the service 
 of the former of these nations. During the hostilities 
 that ensued in the Baltic, he distinguished himself 
 greatly, particularly in the battle of the gallies, and 
 in consequence received the honour of being made a 
 grand-cross of the royal military Swedish order of the 
 stvord. During the period that elapsed between the 
 Swedish war and the French war. Sir Sydney served 
 sis a volunteer in the marine of Turkey. Toward the 
 conclusion of the siege of Toulon, he came from 
 Smyrna for the purpose of offering his services to 
 Lord Hood, and acquired considerable reputation by/ 
 the bold and spirited manner in Which lie burnt the 
 
 A 3 
 
i LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 arsenals and dock-yards, together with several of the 
 vessels in the bason. In 1794 Sir Sydney was ap- 
 pointed to the Diamond, of thirty-eight guns, in which 
 ship he performed many eminent services. On the 
 3d of January 1795, Sir John Boriase Warren detached 
 him in this ship to look into the harbour at Brest, 
 whilst he remained at some distance with the rest of 
 the squadron. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, 
 three sail were observed, which proved to be French 
 men of war. At eleven, Sir Sydney passed within a 
 mile of one of the French ships, which he distinctly 
 discovered to be a ship of the line. About two in the 
 morning of the 4th, the Diamond was well up with the 
 entrance of Brest harbour. The ebb tide making 
 down before it was day-light, Sir Sydney was obliged 
 to keep off to prevent suspicion, being often within 
 musket-shot of the enemy. At day-light he stood 
 close in, and having satisfied himself that the French 
 fleet were at sea, he bore away. A corvette which was 
 coming out of Brest, hove to, and made a signal, 
 which not being answered by the Diamond, she re- 
 turned. Sir Sydney soon after passed within hail of 
 the line of battle ship, which was still at anchor: she 
 appeared to have no upper deck guns mounted, and 
 very leaky. He asked her commander, in French, if 
 he wanted " any assistance." To which he answered, 
 "no; that he had beep dismasted in a heavy gale, and 
 had parted with the French fleet three days ago." 
 Some other conversation passed, after which Sir Syd- 
 ney crouded sail, and stood out to sea. He had so 
 completely deceived the Frenchman, by the manner 
 which he had disguised his ship, that they had not the 
 smallest suspicion of her being an English man of war. 
 On the 17th of March 17Q6, Sir Sydney in the Dia- 
 mond, with the Liberty brig, and the Aristocrate lug- 
 ger, having received information that a convoy, con- 
 sisting of c corvette, four brigs, t%K> sloops and two 
 luggers, had taken shelter in the small port of Herqui, 
 near Cape Frehel, proceeded thither, notwithstanding 
 the channel was narrow and intricate. They stood in, 
 and attacked the enemies batteries, which were most 
 gillantly stormed and carried by a party of seamen and 
 
LTFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 7 
 
 marines, under Lied tenant Pine of the Diamond, and 
 utenaut Carter of the marines; both of whom were 
 badly wounded, the latter mortallv. The enemy's ves- 
 sels having run aground without a possibility of getting 
 them off, Sir Sydney ordered them to be destroyed. 
 
 Being stationed \off Havre-de-Grace, he attempted 
 on the night of the 18th of April, 1796, to bring off 
 a French lugger wivateer 5 but several guu-boat> and 
 other armed vessels, attacked the lugger and the boats 
 he commanded, and another lugger was warped out 
 against that which he had taken. Under these cir- 
 cumstances he was obliged to surrender himself a pri 
 soner of war. The French government thought pro- 
 per to deviate, in respect to him, from that established 
 system which directs the change of prisoners : Sir Syd- 
 ney was carried to Paris, and confined during two 
 years in a prison called the Temple. 
 
 An intelligent emigrant, who visited Sir Sydney af- 
 ter his return to England, has given us the following 
 account of his adventurer in Paris, as in the gailant 
 captairl's own words : — 
 
 u When I was taken at sea," said the gallant com- 
 modore, " I was accompanied by my secretary and 
 M. de Tr». ••, a French gentleman, who had emi- 
 grated from his country, and who, it had been agreed^ 
 was to pass for my servant, in the hope of saving his 
 life in that disguise. Nor were our expectations frus- 
 trated: for John (as I called him) was lucky enough 
 to escape all suspicion. 
 
 " On my arrival in France, I was treated at first 
 with unexampled rigour, and was told that I ought to 
 be tried under a military commission, and shot as a 
 spy. The government, however, gave orders for my 
 removal to Paris, where I was sent to the Abbaye, and, 
 together with my two companions in misfortune, was 
 kept a close prisoner. 
 
 11 Meanwhile, the means of escape were the constant 
 objects on which we employed our minds. Tl>e win- 
 dows of our prison was toward the street; and from 
 this circumstance we derived a hope sooner or later to 
 effect our object. We already contrived to carry on a 
 
8 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 tacit and regular correspondence, by means of signs, 
 with some women, who could see us from their apart- 
 ments, and who seemed to take the most lively interest 
 in our fate. They proposed themselves to assist in fa- 
 cilitating my liberation ; an offer which I accepted with 
 pleasure: and it is my duty to confess, that notwith- 
 standing the enormous expence occasioned by their 
 fruitless attempts, they have no less claim to my grati- 
 tude. Till the time of my departure, in which, how- 
 ever, they had no share, their whole employment was 
 endeavouring to serve me ; and they had the. address, 
 at all times, to deceive the vigilance of my keepers* 
 On both sides we used borrowed names, under which 
 we corresponded, theirs being taken from the ancient 
 mythology ; so that I had now a direct communication 
 with Thalia, Melpomene, and Clio. 
 
 u At length I was removed to the Temple, where my^ 
 three Muses soon contrived means of intelligence, and 
 every day offered me new schemes for effecting my 
 escape. At first I eagerly accepted them all, though 
 reflection soon destroyed the hopes to which the love 
 of liberty had given birth. I was resolved not to leave 
 my secretary in prison, and still less poor John, whose 
 safety was more dear to me than my own emaricipa- 
 tion. 
 
 " In the Temple John was allowed to enjoy a con- 
 siderable degree of liberty. He was lightly dressed as 
 an English jockey, and knew how to assume the man- 
 ners that correspond with that character. Every one 
 was fond of John, who drank and fraternized with the 
 turnkeys, and made love to the keeper's daughter, who- 
 was persuaded he would marry her; and the little 
 English jockey was not supposed to have received a ; 
 very brilliant education ; he had learnt, by means of 
 study, sufficiently to mutilate his native tongue. John 
 appeared very attentive and eager in my service, and 
 always spoke to his master in a very respectful man- 
 ner. I scolded him from time to time with much gra- 
 vity ; and he played his part so well, that I frequently 
 surprised myself forgetting the friend, and seriously 
 giving orders to the valet. At length John's wife, bin- 
 
LIFE OK SIR SYDNEY SMITH. J 
 
 dame de Tr...., a very interesting lady, arrived at 
 Paris, and made the most uncommon exertions to li- 
 berate us from our captivity. She dared not come, 
 however, to the Temple, for fear of discovery ; but 
 from a neighbouring- house she daily beheld her hus- 
 band, who, as lie walked to and fro, enjoyed alike in 
 secret, the pleasure of contemplating the friend of his 
 bosom. Madame de Tr • « • • now communicated a plan 
 for delivering us from prison to a sensible and coura- 
 geous young man of her acquaintance, who immedi- 
 ately acceded to it without hesitation. This French- 
 man, who was sincerely attached to his country, said 
 to Madame de Tr* •• •, 'I will serve Sydney Smith 
 with pleasure, because I believe the English Govern- 
 ment intend to restore Louis XVIII. to the throne; 
 but if the Commodore is to 6ght against France, and 
 not for the King of France, Heaven forbid I should 
 assist him.' 
 
 u Ch. L'Oiseau (for that was the name our young 
 friend assumed) was connected with the agents of the 
 King, then confined in the Temple, and with whom 
 he w(M always contriving means of escape, it was 
 intended we should all get off together. M. La ViU 
 heurnois being condemned only to a year's imprison- 
 ment, was resolved not to quit his present situation ; 
 but his brother and Duverne de Presle were to follow 
 our example. Had our scheme succeeded, this Du- 
 verne would, perhaps, have ceased to be an honest 
 man ; for till then he had conducted himself as such. 
 His condition must now be truly deplorable, for I do 
 not think him formed by nature for the commission of 
 crimes. 
 
 " Every thing was now prepared for the execution 
 of our project. The means proposed by Ch. L'Oiseau 
 appeared practicable, and we resolved to adopt them. 
 A hole twelve feet long was to be made in a cellar ad- 
 joining to the prison, and the apartments to which the 
 cellar belonged were at our disposal. Mademoiselle 
 I) , rejecting every prudential consideration, ge- 
 nerously came to reside there for a week, ami being 
 young, the other lodgers attributed to her alone the 
 
10 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 frequent visits of Ch. L'Oiseau. Thus every thing 
 seemed to favour our wishes. No one in the house 
 in question seemed to have any suspicions ; and the 
 
 amiable little child Mademoiselle D had with 
 
 her, and who was only seven years old, was so far from 
 betraying our secret, that she always beat a little drum 
 and made a noise while the work was going on in the 
 cellar. 
 
 i( Meanwhile L'Oiseau had continued his labours a 
 considerable time without any appearance of day- 
 light, and he was apprehensive he had attempted the 
 opening considerably too low. It was necessary, there- 
 fore, that the wall should be sounded; and for this 
 purpose a mason was required. Madame de Tr » • • • • • 
 recommended one, and Ch. L'Oiseau undertook to 
 bring hitn, and to detain him in the cellar till we 
 had escaped, which was to take place that very day. 
 The worthy mason perceived the object was to save 
 some of the victims of misfortune, and came without 
 hesitation. He only said, ' if [ am arrested, take care 
 of my poor children.' 
 
 iC ,But what a misfortune now frustrated all our 
 hopes ? Though the wall was sounded with the greatest 
 precaution, the last stone fell out, and rolled into the 
 garden of the Temple. The centinel perceived it— 
 the alarm was ""given — the guard was arrived — and all 
 was discovered. Fortunately, however, our friends 
 had time to make their escape, and none of them were 
 taken. 
 
 " They had, indeed, taken their measures with the 
 greatest care ; and when the commissioners of the 
 Bureau Central came to examine the cellar and apart- 
 ment, they found only a few pieces of furniture, trunks 
 filled with logs of wood and hay, and the hats with tri- 
 coloured cockades, provided for our flight, as those we 
 wore were black. 
 
 " This first attempt, though extremely well con- 
 ducted, having failed, I wrote," continued Sir Sidney, 
 " to Madame de Tr-- -•, both to console her and our 
 voung friend, who was miserable at having foundered 
 just as he was going into port> We were so far,. how- 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 11 
 
 ever, from suffering ourselves to be discouraged, that 
 we still continued to form new schemes for our deliver- 
 ance. The keeper perceived it, and I was frequently 
 so open as to acknowledge the fact. ' Commodore/ 
 said he, ' your friends are desirous of liberating you, 
 and they only discharge their duty. I also am doing 
 mine in watching you still more narrowly.' Though 
 this keeper was a man of unparallelled severity, yet he 
 never departed from the rules of civility and polite- 
 ness, lie treated all the prisoners with kindness, and 
 even piqued himself on his generosity. Various pro- 
 posals were made to him, but he rejected them all, 
 watched us the more closely, and preserved the pro- 
 foundest silence. One day when I dined with him, he 
 perceived that I fixed my attention on a window then 
 partly open, and which looked upon the street. I saw 
 his uneasiness, and it amused me : however, to put an 
 end to it, I said to him, laughing, 6 I know what you 
 are thinking of; but fear not. It is now three o'clock. 
 I will make a truce with vou till midnight ; and I give 
 you my word of honour, that till that time, even were 
 the doors open, I would not escape. When that hour 
 is past, my promise is at an end, and we are enemies 
 again.' * Sir,* replied he, ' your word is a safer bond 
 than my bars and bolts ; till midnight, therefore, I am 
 perfectly easy.' 
 
 " When we arose from table, the keeper took me 
 aside, and speaking with warmth, said, * Commodore, 
 the Boulevard is not far. If you are inclined to take 
 the air there, 1 will conduct you.' JYly astonishment 
 was extreme ; nor could I conceive how this man, who 
 appeared so severe, and so unsteady, should thus sud- 
 denly persuade himself to make me such a proposal. 
 I accepted it, however, and in the evening we went 
 out. From that time forward this confidence always 
 continued. Whenever I was desirous to enjoy perfect 
 liberty, I offered him a suspension of , arms till a certain 
 hour. This my generous enemy never refused ; but 
 when the armistice was at an end his vigilance was 
 unbounded, Every post was examined ; and if the 
 Government ordered that I should be kept close, ths 
 
12 , LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 order was enforced with the greatest care. Thus I 
 was again free to contrive and prepare for my escape, 
 and he to treat me with the utmost rigour. This man 
 had 9. very accurate idea of the obligations of honour. 
 He often said to me, ' Were you even under sentence 
 of death, I would permit you to go out on your pa- 
 role, because I should be certain of your return. Many 
 very honest prisoners, and I myself among the rest, 
 would not return in the like case ; but an officer, and 
 especially an officer of distinction, holds his honour 
 dearer than his life. I know it to be a fact, Commo- 
 dore ; and therefore I should be less uneasy, if you 
 desired the gates to be always open.' My keeper was 
 right. While I enjoyed my liberty, I endeavoured 
 to lose sight of the idea of my escape ; and I should 
 have been averse to employ for that object means that 
 had occurred to my imagination during my hours of 
 iiberty. One day I received a letter containing mat- 
 ter of the greatest importance, which I had the strong- 
 est desire to read ; but as its contents related to my 
 intended deliverance, I asked to return to my room, 
 and break off the truce. The keeper, however, re- 
 fused, saying, with a laugh, that he wanted to take 
 some sleep, Accordingly he lay down, and I post- 
 poned the perusal of my letter till the evening. Mean- 
 while no opportunity of flight offered ; on the contrary, 
 the Directory ordered me to be treated with rigour. 
 The keeper punctually obeyed all the orders he re- 
 ceived; and he who the preceding evening had granted 
 me the greatest liberty, now doubled my guard, in or- 
 der to exercise a more perfect vigilance. Among the 
 prisoners, a man condemned for certain political of- 
 fences to ten years confinement, and whom all the 
 prisoners suspected of the detestable capacity of a spy 
 upon his companions. Their suspicions, indeed, ap-' 
 peared to have some foundation, and I felt the great- 
 est anxiety on account of my friend John. I was 
 however fortunate enough soon after to obtain his ii- 
 berty. An exchange of prisoners being about to take 
 place, I applied to have my servant included in the 
 cartel ; and though this request might easily have been 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 13 
 
 refused, fortunately no difficulty arose, and it was 
 granted. When the day of his departure arrived, my 
 kind and affectionate friend could scarcely be pre- 
 vailed on to leave me; till at length he yielded to my 
 most earnest entreaties. We parted with tears in our 
 eves, which to me were the tears of pleasure, because 
 mv friend was leaving a situation of the greatest dan- 
 ger. The amiable jockey was regretted by every one : 
 our turnkeys drank a good journey to him; nor could 
 the girl he had courted help weeping for his depar- 
 ture"; whilst her mother, who thought John a very 
 qood youth, hoped she should one day call him her 
 son-in-law. I was soon informed of his arrival in Lon- 
 don ; and this circumstance rendered my life less pain- 
 ful. I should have been happy to have also exchanged 
 my secretary ; but as he had other dangers to encoun- 
 ter than those which were common to us both, he al- 
 ways rejected the idea, considering it as a violation of 
 that friendship, of which he has given me so many 
 proofs. On the 4th of September (18th Fructidor) 
 tiie rigour of my confinement was still further in- 
 creased. The keeper, whose name was Lasne, was 
 displaced : I was again kept close prisoner ; and, toge- 
 ther with my liberty, lost the hopes of a peace, which 
 I had thought approaching, and which this event must 
 contribute to postpone. At this time a proposal was 
 made to me for my escape, which I adopted as my last 
 resource. The plan was to have forged orders drawn 
 up for my removal to another prison, and thus to 
 carry me off. A French gentleman, M. de Phelipeaux, 
 a man of equal intrepidity and generosity, offered to 
 execute this euterprize. The order then being accu- 
 rately imitated, and, by means of a bribe, the real 
 stamp of the minister's signature procured, nothing 
 remained but to find men bold enough to put this plan 
 into execution. Phelipeaux and Ch. L'Oiseau would 
 have eagerly undertaken it, but both being known, 
 and even notorious at the Temple, it was absolutely 
 necessary to employ others. Messrs B • • • • and L- • • • 
 therefore, both men of tried courage, accepted the 
 office with pleasure and alacrity. With this order 
 
 B 
 
14 LirE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 then they came to the Temple ; M. B« • • • in the dresf 
 of an adjutant, and &£'L*M« as an officer. The 
 keeper having perused the order, and attentively ex- 
 amined the Minister's signature, went into another 
 room, leaving my two deliverers for some time in the 
 crudest uncertainty and suspence. At length he re- 
 turned, accompanied by the register (or greffier) of 
 the prison, and ordered me to be called. When the 
 register informed, me of the orders of the Directory, 
 I pretended to be very much concerned at it ; but the 
 adjutant assured me in the most serious manner, i that 
 the Government were very far from intending to ag- 
 gravate my misfortunes, and that I should be very 
 comfortable at the place whither he was ofdered to 
 conduct me.' I expressed my gratitude to all the ser- 
 vants employed about the prison, and, as you may 
 imagine, was not long in packing up my clothes. 
 
 " At my return, the register observed, that at least 
 six men from the guard must accompany me; and the 
 adjutant, without being the least confounded, acqui- 
 esced in the justice of the remark, and gave orders for 
 them to be called out ; but on reflection, and remem- 
 bering, as it were, the laws of chivalry, and of ho- 
 nour, he addressed me, saying, * Commodore, you 
 are an officer. I am an officer also. Your parole will 
 be enough. Give me that, and I have no need of an 
 escort.' ■' Sir,' replied I, f if that is sufficient, I swear 
 upon the faith of an officer, to accompany you 
 wherever you choose to conduct me.' Every one ap- 
 plauded this noble action, while I confess I had my- 
 self great difficulty to avoid smiling. The keeper 
 now asked for a discharge, and the register gave the 
 book to Mr. B»» ••• who boldly signed it with a proper 
 flourish, L'Oger, Adjutant-general. Meanwhile I 
 employed the attention of the turnkeys, and loaded 
 them with favours, to prevent them from having time 
 to reflect ; nor indeed did they seem to have any other 
 thought than their own advantage. The register and 
 keeper accompanied us as far as the second court ; and 
 at length the last gate was opened, and we left them 
 after a long interchange of ceremony and poliiene 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 15 
 
 We instantly entered a hackney-coach, and the ad- 
 jutant ordered the coachman to drive to the of 
 
 St. Germain. But the stupid fellow had not gone a 
 hundred paces before he broke his wheel against a 
 post, and hurt an unfortunate passenger; and this 
 unlucky incident brought a crowd around us; we 
 were very angry at the injury the poor fellow sus- 
 tained. We quitted the coach, took our portmanteaus 
 in our hands, and went off in an instant. Though the 
 people observed us much, they did not say a word to 
 us, only abusing the coachman ; and when our driver 
 demanded his fare, M. L , through an inadver- 
 tence that might have caused us to be arrested, gav« 
 him a double louis d'or. 
 
 u Having separated when we quitted the carriage, 
 I arrived at the appointed rendezvous with only my 
 secretary and M. de Phelipeaux, who had joined us 
 near the prison; and though I was very desirous of 
 waiting for my two friends, to thank and take my leave 
 of them, M. de Phelipeaux observed, there was not a 
 moment to be lost. I therefore postponed, till another 
 opportunity, my expressions of gratitude to my delw 
 verers : av»d we immediately set off for Rouen, where 
 M. R. • • • had made every preparation for our reeep- 
 tion. 
 
 " At Rouen we were obliged to stay several days} 
 and as our passports were perfectly regular, we did 
 not take much care to conceal ourselves, but in the 
 evening we walked about the town, or took the aijr on 
 the banks of the Seine. At length, every thing being 
 ready for us to cross the channel, we quitted Rouen, 
 and, without encountering any further dangers, I ar- 
 rived in London, together with my secretary, and my 
 friend M. de Phelipeaux, who could not prevail on 
 himself to leave us." 
 
 In the month of June following, Sir Sydney was 
 appointed to the command of the Tigre, of eighty 
 guns; and in November sailed from the Mediterra- 
 nean, in which he was honoured with a distinct com* 
 mand, as an established commodore, on the const of 
 EgTPt. 
 
 B 2 
 
lQ LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 Sir Sydney now entered upon a career of action b y 
 which all his former conduct, remarkable and brilliant 
 as it had been, seems to be thrown into shade; as the 
 defender of Acca, as the negoctator of El-Arish, as a 
 distinguished leader at Alexandria, this active officer 
 now presents himself in so jnany points of view, that 
 Me almost pass over as trivial the previous circum- 
 stances of his life. 
 
 His official report to the Ottoman Porte, respecting 
 the siege of the town of Acre, contains a full account 
 of the able proceedings of the British naval force in 
 that remote part of the world* 
 
 " Constantinople, May 23. 
 " Bonaparte, after quitting Salahich, employed eight 
 days in crossing the Desart. In this march he lost a 
 great many men and horses by bad provisions and the 
 want of water, as well as by the swords of the Arabs, 
 who never ceased to harass him. On leaving the De- 
 sart, betook possession of Larissa, and afterwards of 
 Gaza, Lidda, and Ramie, which last was very ill de- 
 fended by the troops of Ghezzar Pasha. On the 3d 
 of March he was close to Jaffa, which he took by as- 
 sault on the 7th, after having battered in breach. The 
 Turks made a vigorous resistance, and the French 
 were in a manner obliged to lay siege to every house. 
 The whole garrison were put to the sword ; but the 
 assault cost Bonaparte almost 1200 men. On the 17th 
 of March the General entered Cassa, and on the 18th 
 be invested St. John of Acre. Commodore Sydney 
 Smith left Constantinople on the' 19th of February, 
 arrived at Alexandria on the 3d of March, after stop- 
 ping some days at Rhodes, and taking on his passage 
 the French gun-boat La Marianne. On the 3-d Com- 
 modore Trowbridge sailed for Sicily, and Sir Sydney- 
 Smith took upon him the chief command of the naval 
 forces. On the 7th Sir Sydney proceeded towards the 
 coast of Syria, and on the 11th arrived before Cassa. 
 On the 15th he steered for St. John of Acre, to con- 
 cert with Ghezzar Pasha, having got the start of the 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY StfTTff. 17 
 
 French by two days, which lie employed in Dialing 
 preparations for the defence of the place. On the 
 lGth, about eighfin the evening, after a chace of three 
 hours, the Commodore took, off Cape Carmel, the 
 whole of the French flotilla, under the command of 
 Eudoun, chef de division, laden with heavy cannon, 
 ammunition, platforms, and other articles necessary 
 for Bonaparte's army to undertake the siege. This 
 artillery, consisting of fourty-four pieces, was imme- 
 diately mounted on the ramparts of Acre, against the 
 lines and batteries of the enemy, as well as on gun* 
 vessels. The latter were employed with the greatest 
 success against the enemy's flank, and forced them 
 to slacken their fire. The nature of the ground, how- 
 ever, permitted the French to carry their trenche* 
 within half a musket shot of the ditch of the place. 
 
 On the 14th of April Commodore Smith took a che- 
 bee from Damietta, laden with rice, flour, and biscuit, 
 for Bonaparte. 
 
 On the 30th of March the French, having formed a 
 breach in the north-east part of the town, endeavoured 
 to take it by assault, but were vigorously repulsed by 
 the garrison with considerable loss. The ditch was 
 filled with dead bodies. The troops of Ghe^zar Pasha 
 afterwards made three successful sorties ; the objject 
 of the last was to destroy a mine which the enemy had 
 constructed under the covered way lo the north-east, 
 in order to fill up the ditch near the old breach. The 
 English took charge of this enterprize; and while 
 2000 Turks effected the sortie, they jumped into the 
 mine, and finding that the works were not quite finish- 
 ed, tore down the supports, and destroyed the whole 
 construction. The English in this bold attempt lost 
 only Major Oldfield of the marines, and one private; 
 Lieutenants Wright and Jouverin of the navy, Mr. 
 Beatty, au officer of the marines, and twenty-one sol- 
 diers, were wounded. After that an uninterrupted fire 
 was kept up from the place, the artillery being served 
 by the English and Turkish artillerymen, who had set 
 out from Constantinople on the oth of March. The 
 enemy's fire then ceased entirely, sis Bonaparte wiabed 
 
 B 3 
 
18 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH* 
 
 to reserve his ammunition for a last effort, which gave 
 no uneasiness to Colonel Phelipeaux, the chief engi- 
 neer in the place." 
 
 The state of Acre by no means promised effective 
 resistance, in consequence of which the Pasha declared 
 his determination to inarch out and head 13,000 troops, 
 at some distance, and meet the French. Bonaparte, 
 however, would not only have prevented his doing so, 
 but would have surprised him in Acre, had not Sir Syd- 
 ney Smith descried the advanced guard of the French, 
 which, being in the Turkish dress, he at first mistook 
 for a relief to the Pasha ; but who, on discovering, 
 he dispersed by a well directed fire of grape from the 
 launch and barge of the Tigre, which shortly after 
 joined the Theseus at Acre, and continued, with aug- 
 mented exertions, the judicious measures adopted by 
 Captain Miller. The Pasha had agreed to give up to 
 the care of the English a small fort which commanded 
 the approach to Acre. The following letters will make 
 the reader acquainted with, the gallant defence of this 
 place; but we must leave it to the historian's more 
 ample page to record it with the dignity which it 
 merits. 
 
 When Sir Sydney Smith arrived at Acre, Ghezzar 
 Pasha declared himself ready to evacuate the city, at 
 the same time requesting Sir Sydney to bring off the 
 Pasha's treasures and the women of his seraglio. Sir 
 Sydney granted this, insisting, however, that before 
 Ghezzar left the place, it ought to be undermined^ so 
 as to afford no residence to the enemy. This being 
 done, the resolute Sir Sydney Smith declared, that 
 those mines were made both for and against him (the 
 Pasha) if he should attempt to quit the city. The Pa- 
 sha's courage revived, and he remained. 
 
 Extract of a Letter from Captain Sir Sydney Smith, dated 
 Acre, May 3, 1799. 
 SIR, 
 I have the honour to inclose you copies of my letters to 
 Earl St; Vincent, of the 7th of April and 2d instant, for the 
 information of my Lords Commissioners of thedmiralty; 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 1<> 
 
 as also a sketch of the position of the forces. The enemy 
 have made two attempts since yesterday morning to force 
 the two English ravelins, but were repulsed with loss. The 
 works have now cannon mounted on them, and are nearly 
 completed. We have thus the satisfaction of finding our- 
 selves, on the fourth day of the siege, in a better stale of 
 defence than we were the first day the enemy opened their 
 trenches, notwithstanding the increase of the breach, whu h 
 they continue to batter witheilect; and the garrison having 
 occasionally closed with the enemy in several sorties, feel 
 greater confidence that they shall be able to resist an assault, 
 lor which they are prepared, 1 have the honour to he, &c # 
 
 W. SYDNEY SMITH. 
 My Lord, 
 I had the honour to inform your Lordship by my letter 
 on the 2d instant, that we were busily employed completing 
 two ravelins for the reception of cannon, to flank the ene- 
 my's nearest approaches, distant only ten yards from them. 
 They were attacked that very night, and almost every night 
 since, but the enemy have each time been repulsed, with: 
 very considerable loss. The enemy continued to batter in 
 breach with progressive success, and have nine several times 
 attempted to storm, but have as often been beaten back with 
 immense slaughter. Our best mode of defence has been 
 frequent sorties, to keep them on the defensive, and impede 
 the progress of their covering works. We have thus been 
 in one continued battle ever since the beginning of the siege, 
 interrupted only at short intervals by the excessive fatigue 
 of every individual on both sides. We have been long 
 anxiously looking for a reinforcement, without which we 
 could not expect to be able to keep the place so long as we 
 have. The delay in its arrival being occasioned by Hassan 
 Bey's having originally received orders to join me in Egypt, 
 I was obliged to be very peremptory in the repetition of my 
 orders for him to join me here : it was not however till the 
 evening of the day before yesterday, the fifty-first day of the 
 siege, that his fleet of corvettes and transports made its ap- 
 pearance. The appearance of this additional strength was 
 the signal to Bonaparte for a most vigorous assault, in 
 hopes to get possession of the town before the reinforcement 
 to the garrison could disembark. The constant fire of the 
 besiegers was suddenly increased ten fold ; our flanking fire 
 from a-float was, as usual, plied to the utmost, but with 
 less effect than heretofore, as the enemy had thrown up ap- 
 paulments and traverses of sufficient thickness to protect 
 
20 I*** OF S,R SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 him from it. The guns that could be worked to the greatest 
 advantage, were a French brass eighteen pounder in the 
 li.-ht-house castle, manned from the Theseus, under the di- 
 rection of Mr.Scroder, master'* mate; and a twenty-four 
 pounder, mounted in the north ravelin, manned from the 
 'l'iore, under the direction of Mr. Jones, midshipman. These 
 suns, being within grape distance of the head of the at- 
 tacking column, added to the Turkish nrusquetry, did great 
 execution; and I take the opportnnity of recommending 
 these two petty officers, whose indefatigable vigilance and 
 leal merit my warmest praise. The Tigre's two sixty-eight 
 pound carronades, mounted in two germes lying in the Mole, 
 and worked under the direction of Mr. Bray, carpenter of 
 the Tigre (one of the bravest and most intelligent men I 
 ever served with) threw shells -into the centre of this co- 
 lumn with evident effect, and checked it considerably, otill, 
 however, the enemy gained ground, and made a lodgment 
 in the second story of the north-east tower; the upper part 
 beina entirely battered down, and the ruins in the ditch 
 forming the ascent by which they mounted. Day-light 
 shewed us the French standard on the outer angle of the 
 tower. The fire of the besieged was much slackened in 
 comparison to that of the besiegers, and our flanking fire 
 was become of less effect, the enemy having covered them- 
 selves in this lodgment, and the approach to it, by two tra- 
 verses across the ditch, which they had constructed under 
 the fire that had been opposed to them during the whole of 
 the night, and which were now seen composed of sand bags, 
 and the bodies^ their dead built in with them, their bay- 
 onets only being visible above them.— Hassan Bey s troops 
 were in the boats, though as yet but half way on shore. 
 This was a most critical point of the contest; and an effort 
 was necessary to preserve the place for a short time till their 
 arrival. I accordingly landed the boats at the Mole, and 
 took the crews up to the breach, armed with pikes The 
 enthusiastic gratitude of the Turks, men, women, and chil- 
 dren, at sight of such a reinforcement, at such a time, is 
 not to be described. Many fugitives returned with u. .to 
 the breach, which we found defended by a few brave Turks, 
 whose most destructive missile weapons were heavy stones, 
 which striking the assailants on the head, overthrew he 
 foremost down the slope, and impeded the progress of the 
 rest. A succession, however, ascended to the assault, the 
 heap of ruins between the two parties serving as a breast- 
 work for both ; the muzzles of their muskets touching, and 
 3fe spear head of the standard, locked. Ghwzar Pacha 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 21 
 
 hearing the English were on the breach* quitted his station, 
 where, according to the ancient Turkish custom, he was 
 sitting to reward such as should bring him the heads of the 
 enemy, and distributing musket cartridges with his own 
 hands. The energetic old man coming behind us, pulled us 
 down with violence, saying, if any harm happened to his 
 English friends, all was lost. This amicable contest as to 
 who should defend the breach, occasioned a rush of Turks 
 to the spot, and thus time was gained for the arrival of the 
 first body of Hassan Bey's troops. I had now to combat 
 the Pacha's repugnance to admitting any troops but his Al- 
 banians into the garden of his seraglio, which was become 
 a very important post, as occupying the terre-plein of the 
 rampart. There was not above two hundred of the original 
 thousand Albanians left alive. This was no time for de- 
 bate, and I over-ruled his objections by introducing the 
 Chifflick regiment of one thousand men, armed with bayo- 
 nets, disciplined after the European method under Sultan 
 Selim's own eye, and placed, by his Imperial Majesty's ex- 
 press command, at my disposal. The garrison, animated 
 by the appearance of such a reinforcement, was now all on 
 foot, and there being consequently enough to defend the 
 breach, I proposed to the Pacha to get rid of the object of 
 his jealousy by opening the gates to let them make a sally, 
 and take the assailants in flank : he readily complied, and I 
 gave directions to the Colonel to get possession of the ene- 
 my's third parallel or nearest trench, and there fortify him- 
 self hy shifting the parapet outwards. This order being 
 clearly uuderstood, the gates were opened, and the Turks 
 rushed out, but they were not equal to such a movement, 
 and were driven back to the town with loss. Mr. Bray, 
 however, as usual, protected the town-gate efficaciously 
 with grape from the sixty-eight pounders. — The sortie had 
 this good effect, that it obliged the enemy to expose them- 
 selves above their parapets, so that our Hanking fires brought 
 down numbers of them, and drew their force from the 
 breach, so that the small number remaining on the lodg- 
 ment were killed or dispersed by our few remaining hand- 
 grenades thrown by Mr. Savage, midshipman of the Theseus. 
 The enemy began anew breach by an incessant fire directed 
 to the southward of the lodgment, every shot knocking 
 down whole sheets of a wall, much less solid than that of 
 the tower, on which they had expended so much time and 
 ammunition. The groupe of generals and aid-de-camps, 
 which the shells from the sixty-eight pounders had ire- 
 
62 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 quently dispersed, was now re- assembled on Richard de 
 Lion's mount. Bonaparte was distinguishable in the centre 
 of a semi-circle ; his gesticulations indicated a renewal of 
 attack, and his dispatching an aid-de-camp, shewed that he 
 waited only for a reinforcement. I gave directions for Has- 
 san Bey's ships to take their station in the shoal water to 
 the southward, and mrAe the Tigre's signal to weigh, and 
 join the Theseus to the northward. A little before sun-set, 
 a massive column appeared advancing to the breach with a 
 solemn step. The Pacha's idea was not to defend the brink 
 this time, but rather to let a certain number of the enemy 
 in, and then close with them according to the Turkish mode 
 of war. The column thus mounted the breach unmolested, 
 and descended from the rampart into the Pacha's garden, 
 where, in a very few minutes, the bravest and most ad- 
 vanced among them lay headiest corpses ; the sabre, with 
 the addition of a dagger in the other hand, proving more 
 than a match for the bayonet ; the rest retreated precipi- 
 tately ; and the commanding officer, who was seen man- 
 fully encouraging his men to mount the breach, and who we 
 have since learnt to be General Lasne, was carried off, 
 wounded by a musket-shot. General Rombaud was killed. 
 Much confusion arose in the town from the actual entry of 
 the enemy, it having been impossible, nay, impolitic, to 
 give previous information to every body of the mode of de- 
 fence adopted, lest the enemy should come to a knowledge 
 of it by means of their numerous emissaries. The English 
 uniform, which had hitherto served as a rallying point for 
 the old garrison, wherever it appeared, was now in the dusk 
 mistaken for French, the newly-arrived Turks not distin- 
 guishing between one hat and another in the crowd ; and 
 thus many a severe blow of a sabre was parried by our offi- 
 cers, among which Colonel Douglas, Mr. Ives, and Mr. 
 Jones, had nearly lost their lives, as they were forcing their 
 way through a torrent of fugitives. Calm was restored by 
 the Pacha's exertions, aided by Mr. Trotte, just arrived ' 
 with Hassan Bey ; and thus a contest of twenty-five hours 
 ended, both parties being so fatigued as to be unable to 
 move. Bonaparte will, no doubt, renew the attack, the 
 breach being, as above described, perfectly practicable for 
 fifty men a-breast : indeed the town is not, nor ever has 
 been, defensible according to the rules of art ; but accord- 
 ing to every other rule it must and shall be defended ; not 
 that it is in itself worth defending, but we feel that is b} this 
 breach Bonaparte means to march to farther conquests.- — 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 23 
 
 *Tis on the issue of this conflict that depends the opinion of 
 the multitude of spectators on the surrounding hills, who 
 wait only to see how it ends to join the victor ; and with 
 such a reinforcement for the execution of his known pro- 
 jects, Constantinople, and even Vienna, must fed the shock. 
 Be assured, my Lord, the magnitude of our obligations does 
 but increase the energy of our efforts in the attempt to dis- 
 charge our duty ; and though we may, and probably shall 
 be overpowered, I can venture to say, that the French army 
 will be so much farther weakened before it prevails, as to 
 be little able to profit by its dear-bought victory. 
 I have the honour to be, &c. 
 
 \\. SYDNEY SMITH. 
 iRight Hon. Lord St. Vincent, 
 
 Tigrc, at anchor of Jaffa, May 30, 1799. 
 My Lord, 
 The providence of Almighty God has been wonderfully 
 manifested in the defeat and precipitate retreat of the French 
 army, the means we had of opposing its gigantic efforts 
 against us being totally inadequate of themselves to the pro- 
 duction of such a result. The measure of their iniquities 
 seems to have been filled by ,the massacre of the Turkish 
 prisoners at Jaffa, in cool blood, three days after their cap- 
 ture; and the plain of Nazareth has been the boundary of 
 Bonaparte's extraordinary career. He raised the siege of 
 Acre on the 20th of May, leaving all his heavy artillery 
 behind him, either buried or thrown into the sea, where, 
 however, it is visible, and can easily be weighed. The cir- 
 cumstances which led to this event, subsequent to my last 
 dispatch of the 9th instant, are as follow. Conceiving that 
 the ideas of the Syrians, as to the supposed irresistible 
 prowess of these invaders, must be changed, since they had 
 witnessed the checks which the besieging army daily met 
 with in their operations before the town of Acre, I wrote a 
 circular letter to the Princes and Chiefs of the Christians of 
 Mount Lebanon, and also to the Sheiks of the Druses, re- 
 calling them to a sense of their duty, and engaging them to 
 cut off the supplies from the French camp. I sent them 
 at the same time a copy of Bonaparte's impious proclama- 
 tion, in which he boasts of having overthrown ail Christian 
 establishments, accompanied by a suitable exhortation, call- 
 ing upon them to cfcoose between the friendship of a chris- 
 tian Knight and that ef an unprincipled renegado. This 
 fetter had all the effect thai I could desire : they immedi- 
 
24 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 ately sent me two ambassadors, professing not only friend- 
 ship but obedience ; assuring me, that in proof of the lat- 
 ter, they had sent out parties to arrest such of the moun- 
 taineers as should he found carrying wine and gunpowder to 
 the French camp, and placing eighty prisoners of this de- 
 scription at my disposal. I had thus the satisfaction to find 
 Bonaparte's career further northward effectually stopped by 
 a warlike people inhabiting an impenetrable country. Ge- 
 nem.1 Kleber's division had been sent eastward towards the 
 fords of Jordan, to oppose the Damascus army : it was re- 
 called from thence to take its turn iir the daily efforts to 
 mount the breach at Acre, in which every other division in 
 succession had failed, with the loss of their bravest men, 
 and above three fourths of their officers. It seems much 
 was hoped from this division, as it had by its firmness, and 
 the steady front it opposed in the form of a hollow square, 
 kept upwards of ten thousand men in check during a whole 
 day, in the plain between Nazareth and Mount Tabor, till 
 Bonaparte came with his horse artillery and extricated 
 these troops, dispersing the multitude oi' irregular cavalry, 
 by which they were completely surrounded. The Turkish 
 Chifflick regiment having been censured for the ill success 
 of their sally, and their unsteadiness in the attack of the 
 garden, made a fresh sally the n«xt night, Soliman Aga, the 
 lieutenant-colonel, being determined to retrieve the honour 
 of the regiment by the punctual execution of the orders I 
 had given him to make himself master of the enemy's third 
 parallel ; and this he did most effectually : but the impetu- 
 osity of a few carried them on to the second trench, where 
 they lost some of their standards, though they spiked four 
 guns before their retreat. Kleber's division, instead of 
 mounting the -breach, according to Bonaparte's intention, 
 was thus obliged to spend its time and its strength in reco- 
 vering these works, in which he succeeded after a conflict 
 of three hours, leaving every thing in statu quo except the 
 loss of men, which was very considerable on both sides. 
 After this failure, the French grenadiers absolutely refused 
 to mount the breach any more, over the putrid bodies of 
 their unburied companions, sacrificed in former attacks by 
 Bonaparte's impatience and precipitance, which led him to 
 commit such palpable errors as even seamen could take 
 advantage of. He seemed to have no principle of action 
 but that of pressing forward, and appeared to stick at no- 
 thing to obtain the object of his ambition, although it must 
 fee evident to every body else, that even if be succeeded U 
 
LllE OF SIR SYDNEY SMtTIK ,£5 
 
 take the town, the fire of tlie shipping must drive him f>ut 
 of it again in a short time. However, the knowledge the 
 garrison had of the inhuman massacre at Jaffa, rendered 
 them desperate in their personal defence. Two attempts to 
 assassinate me in the town having failed, recourse being 
 had to a most flagrant breach 'of every law of honour and 
 of war. A flag of truce was sent into the town by the 
 hand of an Arab Dervise, with a letter to the Pacha, pro- 
 posing a cessation of arms for the purpose of burying the 
 dead bodies, the stench from which became intolerable, and 
 threatened the existence of every one of us on both sides* 
 many having died delirious within a few hours after being 
 seized with the first symptoms of infection. It was natural 
 that we should gladly listen to- this proposition, and that we 
 should consequently be off our guard during the conference. 
 While the answer was under consideration, a volley of shot 
 and shells on a sudden announced an assault, which, how- 
 ever, the garrison was ready to receive, and the assailants 
 only contributed to increase the number of dead bodies in 
 question, to the eternal disgrace of the General who thus 
 disloyally sacrificed them. I saved the life of the Arab 
 from the effect of the indignation of the Turks, and took 
 him off to the Tigre with me, from whence I sent him back 
 to the General with a message, which made' the army 
 ashamed of having been exposed to such a merited reproof. 
 Subordina ion was now at an end r and all hopes of success 
 having vanished, the enemy had no alternative left but a 
 precipitate retreat, which was put in execution in the night 
 between the 20th and 21st instant. — I had above said, that 
 the battering train of artillery [except the carriages, which 
 were burnt) is now in our hands, amounting to twenty- 
 three pieces. The howitzers and medium twelve-pounders, 
 originally conveyed by land with much difficulty, and suc- 
 cessfully employed to make the first breach, were embarked 
 in the country vessels at Jaffa, to be conveyed coast-wise, 
 together with the worst among the two thousand wounded, 
 which embarrassed the march of the army. This operation 
 was to be expected. I took care, therefore, to be between 
 Jaffa and Damietia before the French army could get as far 
 as the former place. The vessels being hurried to sea, with- 
 out seamen to navigate them, and the wounded being in 
 want of every necessary, even water and provisions, they 
 steered straight to his Majesty's ships, in full confidence of 
 receiving the succours of humanity, in which they were not 
 
 c 
 
20 llTE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 disappointed. I have sent them on to Damietta, where 
 they will receive farther aid as their situation requires, and 
 which it was out of my power to give so many. Their ex- 
 pressions of gratitude to us were mingled wich execrations 
 on the name of their General, who had, as they said, thus 
 exposed them to peril rather than fairly and honourably 
 renew the intercourse with the English, which he had bro- 
 ken off by a false and malicious assertion that I had inten- 
 tionally exposed the former prisoners to the infection of the 
 plague. To the honour of the French army be it said, 
 this assertion was not believed by them, and it thus recoiled 
 on its author. The intention of it was evidently to do 
 away the effect which the proclamation of the Porte began 
 to make on the soldiers, whose eager hands were held above 
 the parapet of their works to receive them when thrown 
 from the breach. He cannot plead misinformation as his 
 excuse, his aid-du-camp 5 Mr. Lallemand, having had free 
 intercourse with these prisoners on board the Tigre, when 
 he cauie t» treat about them; and having been ordered, 
 though too late, not to repeat their expressions of content- 
 ment at the prospect of going home. It was evident to both 
 sides, that when a general had recourse to such a shallow, 
 and, at the same time, to such a mean artifice as a malicious 
 falsehood, all better resources were at an end, - and the de- 
 fection in his army was consequently increased to the high- 
 est pitch. The utmost disorder has been manifested in the 
 retreat j and the whole track between Acre and Gaza is 
 strewed with the dead bodies of those who have sunk under 
 fatigue, or the effect of slight wounds ; such as could walk,. 
 unfortunately for them, not having been embarked. The 
 rowing gun-boats annoyed the van column of the retreating 
 army in its march along the beach, and the Arabs harrassed 
 its rear when it turned inland to avoid their fire. We ob- 
 served the smoke of musketry behind the sand hills, from 
 the attack of a party of them, which came down to our 
 fcoats, and touched our flag with every token of union and 
 respect. Ismael Pacha, governor of Jerusalem, to whom 
 notice v/as sent of Bonaparte's preparations for retreat, 
 having entered this town by land at the same time that we 
 brought our guns to bear on it by sea, a stop was put to 
 the massacre and pillage already begun by the Nablusians.. 
 The English flag rehoisted on the Consul's house (under 
 which the Pacha met me) serves as an asylum for all reli- 
 gious and every description of the surviving inhabitants. 
 The heaps of unburied Frenchmen lying on the bodies o£ 
 
LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH, <>7 
 
 those whom they massacred two months ago, afrord another 
 proof of divine justice, which has caused these murderers 
 to perish by the infection arising from the ir own atrocious 
 act. Seven poor wretches are left alive in the hospital r 
 where they are protected, and shall be taken care of. We 
 have had a most dangerous and painful duty in disembark- 
 ing here, to protect the inhabitants; but it has been effec- 
 tually done; and Ismael Pacha deserves every credit for his 
 humane exertions and cordial co-operation to that effect. 
 Two thousand cavalry are just dispatched to harrass the 
 French rear, and I am in hopes to overtake their van in 
 time to profit by their disorder; but this will depend on the 
 assembling of sufficient force, and on exertions of which I 
 am not absolutely master, though I do my utmost to give 
 the necessary impulse, and a right direction. I have every 
 confidence that the officers and men of the three ships un- 
 der my orders, who, in the face of a most formidable ene- 
 my, having fortified a town that had not a single heavy gun 
 mounted on the land side, and who have carried on all in- 
 tercourse by boats, under a constant fire of ^musketry and 
 grape, will be able efficaciously to assist the army in its 
 operations. This letter will be delivered to your Lordship 
 by Lieutenant Canes, first of the Tigre, whom I have 
 judged worthy to command the Theseus, as Captain, ever 
 since the death of my much lamented friend and coadjutor 
 Captain Miller. I have taken Lieutenant England, first of 
 that of that ship, to my assistance in the Tigre, by whose 
 exertions, and those of Lieutenant Summers and Mr. At- 
 kinson, together with the bravery of the rest of the officers 
 and men, that seip was saved, though on lire in five places 
 at once, from a deposit of French shells bursting on board 
 her. I have the honour to be, &c. 
 
 W. SYDNEY SMITH. 
 Right Hon, Lord Nelson, Rear- Admiral 
 of the Blue, $c. 
 
 June 18, 1799, when the Grand Signior received the 
 news of Bonaparte's defeat, he presented the messenger 
 with seven purses, of three thousand florins. When the 
 Grand Signior heard the account of the carnage be/ore 
 Acre, he shed tears. His Highness sent a Tartar to Sir 
 Sydney Smith, with an aigrette and sable fur (similar to 
 that of Lord Nelson) worth twenty-five thousand piastres. 
 In besieging Acre, the French, by their mode of firing, had 
 succeeded in making a breach sixty feet wide. The bravery 
 
r3 LIFE OF SIR SYDNEY SMITH. 
 
 of the Turkish garrison was eminently conspicuous,. and the 
 number that fell is far from ueing inconsiderable : Bona- 
 parte's loss before the fortress, according to some letters* 
 is estimated at twenty-thousand men, including* many Jews 
 and Greeks; and his army is said to have been reduced to 
 seven thousand. His defeat in this instance is r in a great 
 measure, to be attributed to the gallantry of Sir Sydney 
 Smith, and the aid which he afforded to the besieged Pacha. 
 1 he heads of thirteen generals, and of three hundred offi- 
 cers, who fell into the hands of the Turks, were forwarded 
 to the Grand Signior, in the front of whose palace they 
 were publicly exposed. Seven bags full of the ears of the 
 French soldiers killed in Syria, were also sent as a present 
 to the Sultan. 
 
 Still watching over the fate of Egypt, Sir Sydney, in the 
 year i?99i entered into a convention for the evacuation of 
 the French troops, but which not being ratified by his Go- 
 rernment sufficiently soon, he was compelled to break. Of 
 the rupture, he gave immediate notice to the French gene- 
 ral at Cairo. Under the faith of the convention, the 
 Turkish army had advanced as far as Heliopolis, where the 
 French, having received Sir Sydney Smith's notice, gave it 
 battle, and defeated it. Sir Sydney's honourable frankness 
 towards the enemy so much displeased the Turks, that 
 the Capitan Pashaw insisted on our gallant seaman's being 
 withdrawn from the army. " From unaccountable preju- 
 dices/' says Sir Robert Wilson, " he (the Capitan Pashaw) 
 insisted on the recal of Sir Sydney Smith, the saviour of 
 the Turkish empire. The Turks probably never forgave 
 that generous honesty which would not betray an enemy,, 
 and they attributed to him the defeat of the Grand Yizier 
 at Heliopolis." 
 
 The history of this expedition, which was conducted by 
 Sir Ralph Abercrombie, does not belong to our present 
 subject ; but up to that period at which Sir Sydney, as we 
 have seen, was, with the regret of the army, under the ne- 
 cessity of retiring to his ship, he greatly contributed, by his 
 gallant and judicious services, to its success. 
 
 A general election of representatives in the United Par- 
 liament taking place immediately after the peace, Sir Syd- 
 ney was chosen among the number. The short peace 
 which followed the treaty of Amiens having ended, Sir 
 Sydney again eotered the career of public service, and was 
 promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Blue in October, 
 1805, and will doubtlessly establish many new claims to 
 British gratitude. J 
 
 FOUS, Pluramer, Printer, Seething lane* M 
 

 
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