THE

PICTORIAL WORLD.

THE MAMELUK E.

THE Mamelukes (from the Arabic word Memalik, which signifies a slave) were originally Circassian slaves, who were destined to household offices by their masters, and afterwards raised themselves to high dignities in the state, but they formed no separate or public body. But when, in the thirteenth century, Genghis Khan had overrun the greater part of Asia, and carried off a great number of the inhabitants as slaves, Nodjmaddin, sultan of Egypt, bought of them twelve thousand Mingrelians (Circassians) but mostly Turks, from the Kaptshak, whom he caused to be trained in all military exercises, and formed a corps of troops of them. They soon showed themselves licentious and rebellious. Already, during the reign of his successor, they interfered in state affairs, murdered the sultan, Turan Shah, and in 1254 proclaimed one of their number, the Mameluke Ibrg, Sultan of Egypt. The rule of the Mamelukes in this country lasted two hundred and sixty-three years, and the boldest of them generally obtained the supreme dignity. During this time they had made many conquests, and in 1291 expelled the Franks from the East. Selim the First destroyed this mighty empire, and took the capital, Cairo, by storm, in the year 1517. He appointed a Turkish pacha governor of Egypt, but it seems that he was obliged, from circumstances, to connive at the continuance of the twenty-four Beys, as governors of the different provinces of this country. This state of things lasted without any considerable change for about two hundred years. But in the latter half of the last century the power of the Mamelukes, in consequence of their increased number and their wealth, obtained such a preponderance over the Turkish government in Egypt, that the pacha nominated by the Porte was obliged to rule according to their will and pleasure. They were indebted for this superiority, since 1766, principally to Ali Bey, who ruled with unlimited authority, and was murdered in 1773. The Mamelukes, who were dispersed through all Egypt, and whose number amounted

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to ten or twelve thousand men, recruited their body chiefly from the slaves who were brought to Cairo from the countries situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian. They were forced to profess the Mahometan religion and to become soldiers. They afterwards were raised to high offices of state, and often became beys or governors of provinces; in fact, none but Mamelukes could be nominated to this last dignity. In the time of the French invasion, under Napoleon, the Mameluke Beys, particularly Murat Bey, played a distinguished part. They formed a formidable body of cavalry and attacked the French with great bravery on their first landing in the country. The French army formed into hollow squares, as there was no other mode of resisting their furious attacks; but these were scarcely formed, before the Mamelukes made a most desperate charge. Of one of these bold riders, such as we see in the print before the reader, the following anecdote is related by a sharer in the campaign: "One of the Mamelukes entered the square near where I was stationed. The ferocity of this man was scarcely to be imagined. When he found himself encircled, he fought so desperately, that his sabre was dripping with blood, his horse was in a violent perspiration, and wounded in several places with bayonets, but finding no hopes of escaping, he then threw his arms on the sand and dismounted, patted his horse's neck, and kissed it. His arms consisted of two pair of pistols, one pair in the holsters and the other round his waist, a sabre, a poniard, and a steel mallet, made fast to the holster, two feet in length, with a round head, having several sharp points about two inches apart, it weighed about six pounds and was as bright as silver." Several other Mamelukes penetrated the second circle and were killed. General Desaix lost a great number of men, and all by the sabre. So desperate were their wounds that very few recovered them. But this individual bravery could not long resist the artillery of the Europeans, and several soon joined the party of the French.

But the downfall of this restless and turbulent body of men was at hand. The singular man who now rules over the destinies of Egypt had conceived the idea of consolidating the power in his own hands, and was resolved to rule alone, not by the will of a lawless soldiery. He did not hesitate to use treachery of the most ferocious description for the destruction of his dangerous adherents. The Mamelukes received orders from Mohammed Ali to be present at a grand ceremony, previous to the departure of his son for Mecca. He played his part with great duplicity, addressed his intended victims with that easy flattery which is so dangerous in an Eastern despot; he called the Mamelukes the elder sons of the Prophet, and invited them, by the peace which subsisted between them, to celebrate with him the departure of his son for the Holy Tomb.

Meanwhile he had concealed a great number of his faithful Albanians upon the