1798
Bonaparte'sdeparturefromParis—Hisreturn—TheEgyptianexpeditionprojected——GeneralDesaix—ExpeditionagainstMalta—MoneytakenatBerne—Bonaparte'sideasrespectingtheEast—Monge—Non-influenceoftheDirectory—MarriagesofMarmontandLaValette—Bonaparte'splanofcolonisingEgypt—Hiscamplibrary—Orthographicalblunders—Stockofwines—Bonaparte'sarrivalatToulon—MadameBonaparte'sfallfromabalcony—Executionofanoldman—Simon.
BonaparteleftParisforthenorthonthe10thofFebruary1798—buthereceivednoorder, thoughIhaveseeniteverywheresostated, togothere—"forthepurposeofpreparingtheoperationsconnectedwiththeintendedinvasionofEngland." Heoccupiedhimselfwithnosuchbusiness, , , —himself, Lannes, Sulkowsky, , inthe 'Moniteur' ofthe10thFebruary, anarticlegivinggreaterimportancetohislittleexcursionthanitdeserved.
"GeneralBonaparte," saidthe 'Moniteur', " [uponEngland].ItmaybestatedthathewillnotreturntoRastadt, andthatthecloseofthesessionoftheCongressthereisapproaching."
, Ambleteuse, Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk, Furnes, Niewport, Ostend, , smugglers, andfishermen, andlistenedattentivelytotheanswershereceived.
WereturnedtoParisbyAntwerp, Brussels, Lille, ."Well, General," saidI, "whatthinkyouofourjourney? Areyousatisfied? Formypart, IconfessIentertainnogreathopesfromanythingIhaveseenandheard." Bonaparteimmediatelyanswered, "." OnhearingthisIalreadyfanciedmyselfinCairo!