y stamp of mankind. His energy was admirably
calculated for quelling a revolt; but, on the other hand, though he was
able to master the confusion of a retreat, he knew not how to avoid it.
Such was his military incapacity that he was incapable of foreseeing
anything. In a short time he expended all the money in the military
chest, impoverishing all the districts through which he passed, paying
nowhere and holding up the name of his master to universal execration.
At the action of Horns, the mass of his forces were not engaged, so that
there yet remained 40,000 regular troops; but the field-marshal
allowed an army to perish, to which Horsen Pasha had given a tolerable
organisation. Instead of taking any measures of defence, he set out for
Antioch, with the view of effecting a junction with some troops in the
neighbourhood of Aleppo; but finding no provisions in those districts,
he returned by forced marches to Alexandretta, after fatiguing his
troops by a march of eight hundred leagues.

However, Ibrahim was advancing, having recalled all his garrisons, and
made new levies in the mountains. As he advanced, the whole country
declared in his favour, and the castle of Aleppo was delivered up to
him. His conduct was marked by great skill and generosity. Under his
protection the numerous Christians began to raise their heads. There
now only remained, to complete the entire occupation of Syria, to seize
Antioch and Alexandretta; but his operations were pushed forward with
extreme slowness, because he always expected from Constantinople a
decision favourable to the pretensions of his father-in-law. The Turkish
field-marshal had thus plenty of time to stop his passage into Carmania.

Antioch offered a position for an entrenched camp; but this he
disregarded, and made his advanced posts fall back upon the defile
of Beylau. This defile, formed by a deep valley, is so narrow in some
places that a camel can scarcely pass. Nevertheless, this is the grand
route of the Mecca caravan. Nothing was more easy than to defend it; yet
on the 5th of August the Egyptians made themselves masters of it, after
an action of two hours. The passage of the Beylau delivered to the
conqueror Alexandretta, its immense magazines, and one hundred pieces
of cannon. The Turks, instead of rallying in the rear, in the favourable
positions which the ground afforded, fled in the direction of Adana.
Ibrahim pursued them with his cavalry, which passed the Djihun a