notwithstanding the care that appears to have been taken of them, survived.

On the 5th of August Buonaparte quitted Alexandria for Cairo, to make final preparations for leaving the army. On the 18th, after a stay of 11 days, Buonaparte quitted the capital of Egypt, with Generals Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Marmont, and Andréossi, also the literary men (les savans) Monge, Berthollet, and Vivant-Denon, and on the 21st arrived at Alexandria,

With his usual utter disregard of truth where an object was to be attained, Buonaparte addressed to the divan of Egypt the following letter: " Being informed that my squadron is ready, and that a formidable army is embarked ; being convinced, as I have often said, that, until I can strike a blow which shall crush at once all my enemies, I shall not enjoy in tranquillity and peace the possession of Egypt, the finest country in the world, I have resolved to put myself at the head of my ships, leaving the command, in my absence, with General Kléber, a man of distinguished merit, and whom I have directed to treat the alemas and scheicks with the same friendship which they have experienced from me. Do all in your power to induce the people of Egypt to repose on him the same confidence that they have had in me ; and, upon my return, which will be in two or three months, I shall be pleased with the people of Egypt, and have nothing but praises and recompenses to bestow upon the scheicks." *

On the same day, Buonaparte writes confidentially to General Kléber : he expects to be in France in the beginning of October, and hopes that will be in time to save Italy ; adding, with good reason, " L'arrivée de notre escadre â Toulon, venant de Brest, et de l'escadre espagnole â Carthagène, ne laisse aucune espèce de doute sur la possibilité de faire passer en Egypte les fusils, sabres, et fers coulés dont vous aurez besoin, et dont j'ai l'état le plus exact, avec une quantité de recrues suffisante pour réparer la perte des deux campagnes." Kléber is then told that, should no news or reinforcement reach him by the month of May, and his army lose, by sickness and skirmishes with the natives, more than 1500 men, he is to endeavour to conclude a treaty of peace with the Porte, of which treaty the principal article is to relate to the evacuation. If possible, however, the execution of the order to evacuate is to be deferred until a general peace takes place. Should the Porte be inclined to listen to the terms which he, Buonaparte, has already offered, General Kléber is to continue the negotiation, requiring the Porte to withdraw from the coalition, to grant the French a free commerce in the Black Sea, to set at liberty all French prisoners, and to allow a six months' suspension of hostilities, in order that, in the interval, the ratifications may be exchanged. Then follows this paragraph: " Supposant que les

* For the original, see Appendix, No. 20.

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