A very large scale map of Lower Egypt published by William Faden, one of the most successful publishers of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. It appeared in the later editions of William Faden’s ‘General Atlas’. The ever growing threat of General Napoleon Bonaparte at the close of the eighteenth century had the idea of threatening the British position in India by invading and conquering Egypt and thereby controlling access through the Middle East. The expedition famously included a cultural part with many scientists, educators, and technical specialists. It included a surveying party to judge the feasibility of cutting a ship-canal between the Red and Mediterranean Seas. About three weeks after his landing a British fleet of 14 ships under Horatio Nelson, which had been scouring the western Mediterranean Sea looking for the French fleet, finally came upon the 15 French ships being used to support the invasion of Egypt. The ‘Battle of the Nile or Aboukir Bay’ (August 1-2, 1798) saw the British fleet under Rear-Admiral Nelson defeat a French fleet, stranding Napoleon’s army in Egypt. French losses have been estimated to have been as high as 1,700 dead (including Vice-Admiral Brueys) and 3,000 captured. British losses were just 218 dead. The battle established British naval superiority during the remainder of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was an important contribution to the growing fame of Admiral Nelson.

The Egyptian city of Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleon’s expedition of 1798. The French troops stormed the city on the July 2, 1798, and it remained in their hands until the arrival of the British expedition of 1801. The Battle of Alexandria, fought on March 21 that year, between the French army under General Menou and the British expeditionary corps under Sir Ralph Abercrombie, took place near the ruins of Nicopolis, on the narrow spit of land between the sea and Lake Abukir, along which the British troops had advanced towards Alexandria after the actions of Abukir on March 8 and Mandora on March 13. The British subsequently advanced upon Alexandria, which surrendered on 2 September 1801 (Wikipedia).