‘On the 30th Vendemaire, year VII. (October 21, 1798), a multitude ran through the streets, and massacred all the French they met. Bonaparte repaired to the scene, and took measures to cut the communications between the different quarters of the city, which were in the hands of the insurgents. Fifteen thousand of them took refuge in the great mosque, and refused to surrender. A hail of bombs, shells, and bullets, threatened to engulph them under the débris of their last asylum. Soon they uttered lamentable cries, implored the mercy of the general-in-chief, and surrendered at discretion.’ Combe thus versifies this event:-- Mock liberty caus’d disaffection, And soon commenc’d an insurrection. According to our hero’s plan Of course a massacre began: The streets were clear’d, and all the men Ran to the mosques for refuge then. The troops, tho’, having forc’d the doors, Strew’d with combustibles the floors, And such indeed the conflagration, It was a grand illumination; With screams and groans the air was fill’d, For some were burn’d and some were kill’d-- All indiscriminately slain, Who had for quarter begg’d in vain. At length our hero was inclin’d Tho’ somewhat slowly, to be kind; He granted quarter, and he trusted All would be quietly adjusted. He knew, which certainly was verified, They had sufficiently been terrified. Cruikshank, of course, grossly exaggerates the fact, and represents the French soldiery savagely attacking, even with pickaxes, the Egyptians who are endeavouring to escape from the mosque. In November (12th) of this year, Rowlandson produced a plate called ‘High fun for John Bull, or the Republicans put to their last shift.’ This represents him as being in great glee at having captured so many ships, whilst the French are hard at work making fresh ones, which they are baking by batches in a _Dutch Oven_ (an allusion to their being built in Holland). A Frenchman, with a large trayful of ships, calls out, ‘Sacre dieu, Citoyens, make a Haste wit one autre Fleet, den we will shew you how to make one grande Invasion.’ Another, a Spaniard, with a tray of cannon on his head, says, ‘How! That Nelson, wit one Arm and Eye can take our Ships by Dozens, then vat shall we do against the autres, wid two Arms and Eyes, dey will have two dozen at a time.’ A stolid Dutchman is baking a batch, grumbling the while, ‘Donder and Blaxam to dis Fraternization; instead of smoaking mine Pipes and sacking De Gold, dis French Broders make me build ships dat Mynheer Jan Bull may have de Fun to take dem.’ Another Frenchman adds, ‘Well you may talk, make haste, when dat English Nelson take our ships by the Douzaine.’ [Illustration]