of January, 1800. The minutes of it still exist. Desaix, although deeply
grieved, was swept along by the torrent of popular opinion, gave way
to it himself, and affixed his signature on the 28th of January to the
convention of El Arish.

Meanwhile preparations were being made for departure; Sir Sidney Smith
had returned to his ship. The vizier advanced and took possession,
consecutively, of the entrenched positions of Katieh, Salahieh, and
Belbeys, which Kleber, in haste to execute the convention, faithfully
delivered up to him. Kleber returned to Cairo to make his preparations
for departure, to call in the troops that were guarding Upper Egypt, to
concentrate his army, and then to direct it upon Alexandria and Rosetta
at the time stipulated for embarkation.

While these events were occurring in Egypt, the English cabinet had
received advice of the overtures made by General Kleber to the grand
vizier and to Sir Sidney Smith. Believing that the French army was
reduced to the last extremity, it lost no time in sending off an express
order not to grant any capitulation unless they surrendered themselves
prisoners of war. These orders, despatched from London on the 17th of
December, reached Admiral Keith in the island of Minorca in the first
days of January, 1800; and, on the 8th of the same month, the admiral
hastened to forward to Sir Sidney Smith the instructions which he had
just received from the government. He lost no time in writing to Kleber,
to express his mortification, to apprise him honestly of what was
passing, to advise him to suspend immediately the delivery of the
Egyptian fortresses to the grand vizier, and to conjure him to wait
for fresh orders from England before he took any definite resolutions.
Unfortunately, when these advices from Sir Sidney arrived at Cairo, the
French army had already executed in part the treaty of El Arish.

Kleber instantly countermanded all the orders previously given to the
army. He brought back from Lower Egypt to Cairo part of the troops that
had already descended the Nile; he ordered his stores to be sent up
again; he urged the division of Upper Egypt to make haste to rejoin him,
and gave notice to the grand vizier to suspend his march towards Cairo,
otherwise he should immediately commence hostilities. The grand vizier
replied that the convention of El Arish was signed; that it must be
executed; that, in consequence, he should advance towards the capital.
At the same ins