14 M. A.rago's Historical Eloge of Joseph Fourier. 



tory decided on depriving the country of its best troops, and 

 sending them forth on an adventurous expedition. To remove 

 to a distance from Paris the conqueror of Italy, and thus put an 

 end to the strong demonstrations of popular feeling which his 

 presence always called forth, and which, sooner or later, would 

 have become truly dangerous, was at that time the sole wish of 

 the five chiefs of the republic. 



On the other hand the illustrious general did not merely 

 dream of the immediate conquest of Egypt ; he wished to re- 

 store the country to its ancient splendour, to increase its culti- 

 vation, perfect the processes of irrigation, create new branches 

 of industry, open numerous outlets for commerce, stretch out 

 a helping hand to the miserable population, deliver them from 

 the degrading yoke under which they had groaned for centu- 

 ries, and finally, to bestow on them without delay, all the bless- 

 ings of European civilization. Such great designs could not 

 have been accomplished with the mere materials of an ordinary 

 army. It was necessary to make an appeal to the sciences, li- 

 terature, and the fine arts ; it was necessary to ask the assist- 

 ance of some men of intellect and experience. Monge and Ber- 

 thoUet, both members of the Institute and professors of the Po- 

 lytechnic school, became, with this view, the chief recruiters for 

 the expedition. It may here be asked, did our fellow mem- 

 bers really know the object of the expedition .? I could not po- 

 sitively assert this, but I know, at any rate, that they were not 

 allowed to divulge it. We are going to a distant country ; we 

 shall embark at Toulon ; General Bonaparte shall command the 

 army ; such was, in form and substance, the limited confidence 

 so haughtily communicated to them. On the faith of such vague 

 information, and with the chances of a naval combat in the 

 distance, try at the present day to enrol a father of a family, 

 a learned man, already celebrated for useful works and placed 

 in some honourable situation, or an artist in possession of 

 the public esteem and confidence, and I am much mistaken 

 if you meet with any thing else than a refusal. But in 1798 

 France was just emerging from a terrible crisis, during which 

 her very existence had been frequently endangered. And who 

 was there, moreover, who had not been exposed to imminent 

 personal danger? Who, that had not himself seen truly despe- 



