ground, and their general, cautioning them to be cool and steady, waited to receive the attack.

When the enemy came near enough for the muskets to tell, the brigade poured in a volley which staggered them, but they bravely continued to advance till the British prepared to charge. At the flash of the steel the French fell back, but advanced again, and this was repeated more than once, while they still kept up a musketry fire. Finding the red-coats could not be forced from their position, the enemy brought up two field pieces loaded with grape, which had murderous effect on the British brigade. The latter threw out skirmishers as the French retired, the rest of the men being ordered to lie down to avoid the grape shot which flew like hail, till one of the guns burst, or the ammunition exploded, killing the gunners, whose bodies could be seen blown into the air. The other gun was then drawn off, their infantry retiring with cavalry protecting their rear. Fortunately for them there was no artillery in that part of the British line to give them a parting salute.

The brigade in which the 92nd was placed had to their left rear the 8th, 18th, 90th, and 13th Regiments; on their immediate right were the Guards, to the right and rear of the Guards were Derrol's and Dillon's Regiments, and on the right front of these were Stuart's,* the 42nd and 28th Regiments. The whole of the above formed for a time the front line of the British army.

Meanwhile the battle was raging with still greater fury on the British right. The enemy had advanced against the Roman ruins, but were met by so heavy a fire that they fell back in confusion, their general being killed. A strong fresh column, however, at once advanced and, carrying on the broken troops, renewed the attack in greater force on the front and flank of the British who were defending the ruins. Menou (the French Commander-in-Chief) supported this attack by a grand charge with all his cavalry on the right and right centre. The 42nd was suddenly charged in flank by the French horse and broken, but the Highlanders formed in

Derrol's, Dillon's, and Stuart's were all foreigners serving in the British

little groups, standing back to back, and bravely resisted the Dragoons. The 28th were maintaining the fight to their front, when hearing French shouts behind them, the rear rank had just time to face about when it was assailed by a French regiment, which had got round under cover of the mist, and these gallant men, standing back to back, maintained this extraordinary contest for a considerable time.

Sir Ralph, who had proceeded to the right on the first alarm, had sent his aide-de-camps with orders to different brigades, and whilst thus alone he was attacked by some French Dragoons and thrown from his horse. An officer then rode at him and attempted to cut him down, but the veteran general seized the sword and wrested it from his hand, and at that moment the officer was bayoneted by a soldier of the 42nd.

A singular incident happened soon after, an aide-de-camp to General Cradock, whilst going with orders, had his horse killed. Seeing Sir Sydney Smith, he asked to mount his orderly's horse, when just as Sir Sydney was turning to tell the man to give it, a cannon ball struck off the dragoon's head.

Sir Ralph was wounded in the thigh, but only mentioned pain from a blow on his breast, supposed to have been received in the scuffle with the French Dragoon, and when the cavalry were repulsed, he walked to the redoubt on the right of the Guards, from which he could view the whole field of battle. A second charge of cavalry was attempted, but completely failed. The guns in the British battery had exhausted their ammunition, and some of the infantry on both sides were in the same condition; in one instance they actually pelted stones at each other, and a sergeant of the 28th was killed by one of these unusual weapons at the redoubt.

While this was going on to the right, a column of Grenadiers had advanced as soon as day dawned, supported by a heavy line of infantry, to assault the centre, and tried to turn the flank of the Guards; but the officer commanding them wheeled back some companies and checked this movement, and the advance of General Coote's Brigade compelled them to retreat,

Captain Sir Sydney Smith, R. N., was in command of the sailors who were landed from the fleet.

and terminated the important operations of this eventful day. General Menou, finding that everyone of his movements had failed, and that no serious impression had been made upon the British, retired in very good order to the heights of Nicopolis in his rear, under cover of the cannon placed on that formidable position. The want of cavalry, artillery, and ammunition on the part of the British was fortunate for the French, whose loss would otherwise have been very much greater. By ten o'clock a.m. the action was over.

Sir Ralph had remained in the battery, where several times he had been nearly killed by cannon shot. He had continued walking about, paying no attention to his wound. Officers came and received his orders without knowing from his appearance that he was wounded, unless when they saw the blood trickling down his clothes. It was only when exertion was no longer necessary that his spirit yielded to nature; he became faint, and was carried by a party of the Gordon Highlanders, who formed his permanent guard, to a boat, cheered by the feeling expressions and blessings of the soldiers as he passed. He was taken on board Admiral Lord Keith's ship, the Foudroyant, where he died on the 28th March, leaving a name enshrined in the grateful recollection of his country.* He was succeeded in the command of the army by MajorGeneral Hutchinson, but before his death he desired that officer to thank the whole of the troops "for their conspicuous and brilliant conduct in the action of the 21st, which has dismayed an insolent enemy, has raised the glory of their country, and established their reputation for ever."

The ultimate effects of the battle of Alexandria, though not immediately apparent, were very great and far-reaching. It increased the confidence of the British soldiers, and revived the military spirit of the nation, which supported it through the arduous conflict awaiting it, which lasted almost without intermission till it culminated in the battle of Waterloo. It taught Continental nations that the army of Britain was to be respected as well as the navy; it delivered Egypt from the French yoke, and decided to some extent the fate of the civil

Sir Ralph was brother to Colonel Abercromby, who raised the 75th Highland Regiment, now the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders.