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personal ascendancy in the field, while a number of strong measures evinced, more or less favourably, his fertility of expedient and strong determination. Of these, his affectation of Mahometan views, and his military execution of the Turkish prisoners at Jaffa, have been most condemned. The latter, although sanctioned, we believe by the rules of war on flagrant breaches of parole, was doubtless a very, sanguinary act; but it is absurd and ignorant to assert with some silly journalists, that it is unprecedented in modern history. From this critical field of action. Buonaparte released himself with his usual decision and activity; having received information of the disasters experienced by the republican armies in Italy and Germany, as also of the disordered state of parties in France, he took measures for secretly embarking in August 1799, and accompanied by a few officers, entirely devoted to him, he landed at Frejus in October following, and hastened to Paris. He immediately addressed a letter to the Directory, justifying the measures which he had pursued, and replying to the censures on the Egyptian expedition. This was evidently the period of his life, that formed the tide, which as Shakspeare observes, when "taken at the flood leads on to fortune. Courted by all parties, and by Sieyes and Barras, at that time the leading men of the government, the latter, who seems to have entertained an idea of restoring the monarchy, confided his plan to Buonaparte, who however had other objects in view. After many conferences with Sieyes and the leading members of the council of ancients, on whom he could rely, he disclosed his own projects, the consequence of which was the removal of the sitting of the legisleture to St Cloud, and the devolvement to Buonaparte of the command of the troops of every de-
