510 De Bourrienne's Memoirs. [May, 
those who had exerted themselves for his preservation. Whenever amongst 
his deliverers was found a sailor who for some fault had incurred chastise 
ment, Bonaparte insisted that he should be exempted from his punishment, 
and that he should moreover receive a present of money. During the course 
of one very dark night a splashing noise was heard, apparently caused by the 
fall of some person overboard. Bonaparte instantly gave orders for the vessel 
to lie to, that the supposed victim might be snatched from a watery grave 
The most active exertions were made on all sides, the most minute precau- 
tions adopted ; and at length, after considerable difficulty, those employed on 
the occasion succeeded in rescuing—a magnificent quarter of beef, which had 
well nigh made its escape from the provision store to the bottom of ‘ the 
vasty deep. What was the conduct of Bonaparte? He ordered me to 
recompense with even more than usual generosity the sailors who had sig= 
nalised themselves on the occasion. ‘ It might have been a fellow-creature, 
observed he, ‘ and these brave fellows have not the less displayed real courage 
in their attempt to avert a supposed catastrophe.’ 
“ After a lapse of thirty years, these circumstances are as fresh upon my 
recollection as if they had occurred but yesterday. Such was the manner in 
which Bonaparte passed his time on board the Orient. It was about that 
period that he dictated to me the famous proclamation, or general order, 
which I give unmutilated and unchanged. 
“ © Bonaparte, Member of the National Institute, and General-in-chief on 
© board the Orient, 4th Messidor, year 6th of the Republic. 
« ¢ Soldiers:—You are about to attempt a conquest, the effects of which 
€ upon civilization, and the commerce of the world, will be incalculable. You 
* are about to strike the most certain and the most fatal blow to England, till 
“ the time come when you may be able to annihilate her power altogether. 
«* «We shall have some tiresome marches to endure—we shall have some 
“desperate battles to fight: we shall succeed in our enterprises—fate is 
‘for us. Ina few days after our landing, the Mameluck Beys shall cease to 
© exist—those beys who favour exclusively the commerce of the English— 
© who load our merchants with oppressive imports, and lord it over the unfor- 
* tunate inhabitants of the Nile. 
« « The people, whose land we are about to enter are Mahometans: their 
© first article of faith is this, ‘ There is no other God but God, and Mahomet 
“is his prophet.’ Do not contradict their religious belief. Act with regard to 
“them as you have acted with the Jews—with the Italians: treat their 
* Muphtis and their Imans with the same respect that you have heretofore 
© shewn to rabbins and bishops. Regard the mosques—the ceremonies pre= 
* scribed by the Koran, with the same toleration that you have shewn to the 
* convents—to the synagogues—to the religion of Moses, and of Jesus Christ: 
« «The Roman legions of old afforded equal protection to all religions. 
‘ The habits of the country we are about to enter are different from those of 
* Europe ; you will do well to accustom yourselves to them. 
« «The people with whom we are about to mix, treat women differently 
© from us ; but in every country aravisher is justly considered a monster. 
« € Pillage can enrich but a handful of individuals ;—it dishonours us at the 
“ same time that it destroys our resources, and loads us with the enmity of the 
* people whose friendship it is our interest to conciliate. 
« © The first city we shall enter was built by Alexander; each step we 
* tread will present to our imagination recollections of ancient times, the most 
‘ interesting, and worthy of exciting the emulation of Frenchmen. 
«« ¢ BoNAPARTE. ” - 
“ Several authors have asserted, that during his sojourn in Egypt, Bonaparte 
took part in the religious ceremonies of the Mahometans, and in the exterior 
forms of their worship; but nothing can be more absurd than the assertion 
that he celebrated the fétes observed on the occasion of the overflowing of the 
Nile, or of the anniversary of the birth of the prophet. At such fetes nothing 
