£2 M. Arago's Historical Eloge of Joseph Fourier. 



Fourier with the charge of uniting together and arranging the 

 scattered materials, and of writing the general introduction. 



This introduction was published under the title of Preface 

 Historique. Fontanes said that there were united in it les graces 

 cTAthenes et la sagesse de VEgypte. What could I add to such 

 praise ? I shall only say that we find in a few pages the prin- 

 cipal features of the government of the Pharaohs, and the re- 

 sults of the subjection of ancient Egypt by the kings of Persia, 

 the Ptolomies, the successors of Augustus, the emperors of 

 Byzantium, the first Cahphs, the celebrated Saladin, the Ma- 

 melukes, and the Ottoman Princes. The different phases of 

 our adventurous expedition are described in particular with the 

 greatest care. Fourier carries his scruples so far as to try to 

 prove that it was legitimate. I have only said to trij, for on 

 this point the second part of the praise accorded by Fontanes 

 might be somewhat diminished. If, in 1797, our countrymen 

 experienced at Cairo or Alexandria, outrages and extortions 

 which the Sultan either would not or could not repress, it may 

 assuredly be admitted that France ought to obtain justice for 

 herself, that she had the right to send a powerful army to bring 

 the Turkish custom-house officers to reason. But it is a very- 

 different thing to allege that the Divan of Constantinople should 

 have encouraged the French expedition, that our conquest was, 

 in some measure, to restore Egypt and Syria to it, and that the 

 -taking of Alexandria and the battle of the Pyramids would add 

 to the renown of the Ottoman name. However, the public has- 

 tened to absolve Fourier from whatever was doubtful in this 

 small part of his beautiful work. They sought its origin in 

 political necessity. In plain terms, they thought they saw, be- 

 hind certain sophisms, the hand of the former gen eral-in- chief 

 of the army of the East ! 



Napoleon, then, would appear to have shared, by giving ad- 

 vice or even imperative commands, in the composition of Fou- 

 rier''s paper. What was not long ago merely a matter of plau- 

 sible conjecture, has now become an incontrovertible fact. 

 Thanks to the kindness of M. Champollion-Figeac, I had 

 very lately in my hands some parts of the first proofs of the 

 Preface Historique. These proofs were sent to the Emperor, 

 who wished to look carefully over them before reading them 



