J'avois le projet, fi aucun événement ne furvenait, de tâcher cet hiver d'établir un nouveau fyftème d'impositions, ce qui aurait permis de fe paffer à peu près des Cophtes. Cependant, avant de l'entreprendre, je vous confeille d'y réfléchir long tems. Il vaut mieux entreprendre cette opération un peu tard, qu'un peu trop tôt

Des vaiffeaux de guerre Français paroîtront indubitablement cet hiver à Alexandrie, ou à Brulos, ou à Damiette. Faites conftruire une batterie et une tour à Brulos. Tachez de réunir cinq à fix cent Mamelouks, que lorfque les vaisseaux Français feraient arrivés, vous feriez arrêter dans un jour au Caire, ou dans les autres provinces, et embarquer pour la France. Au défaut de Mamelouks, des btages d'Arabes, des Cheicks et **** qui par une raifon quelconque fe trouveraient arrêtés, pourraient y fuppléer. Les individus, arrivés en France, y feraient retenus un ou deux ans, verraient la grandeur de la nation, prendroient une idée de nos mœurs et de notre langue, et, de retour en Egypte, nous fourniroient autant de partisans.

J'avois demandé déjà plufieurs fois une troupe de comédiens. Je prendrai un foin particulier de vous en envoyer. Cet article eft très-important pour l'armée, et pour commencer à changer les mœurs du païs.

La place importante que vous allez occuper en chef,
Illegible in the original.

va vous mettre à même de déployer les talens que la nature vous a donnés. L'intérêt de ce qui fe paffe ici, est vif, et les résultats en feront immenfes fur le commerce et la civilifation. Ce fera l'époque d'où dateront de grandes révolutions.

Accoutumé à voir la récompenfe des peines et des travaux de la vie dans l'opinion de la poftérité, j'abandonne l'Egypte avec le plus grand regret. L'intérêt de la patrie, sa gloire, l'obéiffance, les événemens extraordinaires qui viennent de s'y paffer, me décident feuls à paffer au milieu des efcadres ennemies, pour me rendre en Europe. Je ferai, d'efprit et de cœur, avec vous. Vos fuccès me feront auffi chers que ceux où je me trouverais moi-même, et je regarderai comme mal employés tous les jours de ma vie, où je ne ferai pas quelque chofe pour l'armée dont je vous laiffe le commandement, et pour confolider le magnifique établissement dont les fondemens viennent d'être jettés.

L'armée que je vous confie est toute composée de mes enfans. J'ai eu, dans tous les tems, même au milieu de leurs plus grandes peines, des marques de leur attachement. Entretenez-la dans ces fentimens. Vous le devez à l'eftime et à l'amitié toute particulière que j'ai pour vous, et l'attachement vrai que je leur porte. BONAPARTE.

(Signé)

Pour copie conforme à l'original,

KLEBER.

TRANSLATION.

Alexandria, August 22d, 1799.

BONAPARTE, Commander in Chief, to General KLEBER. ANNEXED to this, Citizen General, you will find an order for you to take the command of the army. My constant apprehenfions left the English fleet fhould again appear on the coaft, compel me to haften my voyage by two or three days.

I take with me Generals Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Andréoffi, and Marmont; Citizen Monge, and Citizen Bertholet,

Enclofed you will find the English and Francfort. papers up to the 10th of June. You will fee by them,

It would feem from this (and indeed the whole tenour of this correfpondence proves it) that the Directory gave themselves as little trouble about Bonaparte, as if he had not obliged them by facrificing his gallant army to their common views. But for these papers (which were most probably given to him by fome unfufpecting British tar, who had better have kept them himself},

that we have loft Italy! that Mantua, Turin, and Tortona, are in a state of blockade. I have fome grounds to flatter myself that the first of these places will hold out to the end of November *; and I truft, if fortune

he would have been ignorant of what was doing in Europe. He refers Kleber to no information from the Directory; HE MENTIONS NO ORDERS FOR HIS RECALL-which would have been a fufficient plea, and which he would not have failed to urge, if he had received any-but bottoms the whole, upon the accidental acquifition of a few newspapers! Even in his farewell addrefs to the army, he gives no other reafon for his return, but the news; though fuch a circumftance must have been to them a moft cruel infult; as their prefence in Europe must have been full as necessary as his own.

Bonaparte may be pardoned for this conjecture, formed from an estimate of the time which it took him to reduce it, in his boasted campaigns. Mantua was invested by him for the first time on the 4th of June 1796; it did not furrender till the 2d of February in the following year, a space of eight months; nor then to the fire of the befiegers, but to that with which no courage, nor obftinacy, can contend-an absolute want of food! Compare this with the recovery of the fame town, in the prefent campaign. It fell, with a garrison of thirteen thousand men, after a close and vigorous fiege of only eleven days! Indeed, if the Auftro-Ruffian campaign in Italy be compared with those of Bonaparte, the latter dwindle into infignificance. With an immenfe army, powerfully reinforced by the difcontented and vicious of all nations, whom he attached to his standard by the lure of novelty and indifcriminate plunder, Bonaparte over-ran Italy in two years; let it be remembered, however, that all its fortreffes (with the exception of Mantua) were pufillanimously or infidiously delivered to him, before he had even captured the paltry town of Ceva, the first garrison in Piedmont; while

fmiles upon me, to be in Europe before the beginning of October.

You will alfo find enclofed, a cipher for your correfpondence with the Government; and another, for your communications with me.

I entreat you to difpatch Gimot fome time in the month of October *, together with the baggage which I have left at Cairo, and my domeftics. I fhould, however, have no particular objection to your taking as many of them as may fuit you, into your own fervice.

It is the prefent intention of Government, that General Defaix + should fet out for Europe in November

the Auftro-Ruffians have reconquered the fame country in the fhort space of nine months, with the addition of Alexandria, Tortona, &c. and the almoft impregnable fortreffes of Coni and Turin; the last of which had been treacherously seized by the execrable Joubert.

This, though pretty generally known, is mentioned here, for the exclufive benefit of Bonaparte's Jacobin admirers; who, reduced to defpife, with the rest of the world, his legiflative talents, pretend to found his claims to empire on his rapid and unrivalled victories!

*The General had forgotten that he promifed the foldiers (whom he took leave of with fuch heart-felt regret) that he would return to them forthwith (momentanément).

This is the perfon who, according to the joint reports of