1829. ] De Bourrienne’s Memoirs. 513 
horror—the future with uncertainty and dismay—should not produce on his 
mind a deep and painful impression? The panegyrist of Napoleon blasphemes 
his idol, when he would incense his shrine by imputing to him at such a 
moment a degree of apathy so unnatural. Such eulogy is satire. To be truly 
great, must the feelings of human nature be divorced ?” 
The following anecdote will serve to convey an idea of the character 
of the Egyptian Chiefs :— 
“ General Kleber sent on board the Orient the cherif of Alexandria, Sidy- 
Mohamed el Coraim, arrested by order of Bonaparte, and charged with 
treason. 
“ The following sentence was pronounced against him. 
« «The General-in-chief having obtained proofs of the treason of Sidy- 
£ Mohamed el Coraim, whom he had loaded with favours and obligations, 
* decrees as follows :— 
“ © Sidy-Mohamed el Coraim is condemned to pay a contribution of 
£ 300,000 francs: in default of payment by him of the said contribution within 
‘ five days from the publication of the present order, he is condemned to be 
* beheaded.’ 
* Coiaim was to repair from Aboukir to Cairo, having demanded and 
obtained permission to plead in justification against the charge. On his 
arrival at Cairo, he was again required to pay the 300,000 francs as a justifi- 
cation. This he positively refused. I one day signified to him through the 
medium of Venture, our interpreter, that,if he wished to save his life, he must 
pay the demand made upon him, in order that his defection might be over- 
looked. I moreover assured him that the general was determined to make 
an example. Coraim was a remarkably fine-looking man, and his situation 
interested me. ‘ You are rich,’ said I to him through Venture, ‘ therefore 
make this sacrifice.’ ‘If,’ said he, with a sneer, ‘ it be my fate to die now, 
nothing can save me, and my piastres would be sacrificed to no purpose: if 
it be not my fate to die, why should I make any sacrifice ?? He was executed 
at Cairo, at twelve o’clock at noon, on the 6th of September, 1798: his head 
was exposed in the streets of the city, with this inscription— 
“ © Coraim, Cherif of Alexandria, condemned to death for having betrayed 
‘ the oath of fidelity sworn by him to the French Republic, and for having 
* engaged in a treasonable correspondence with the Mamelucks whom he 
* served in the capacity of spy. 
«« « This is the punishment reserved for traitors and perjurers.’ 
‘© Nothing of Coraim’s wealth was found after his execution: he had taken 
his precautions. -The example, however, facilitated the collection of the 
subsidies, and intimidated the other Egyptian Creesus, who were not alto- 
gether such decided fatalists as Coraim. ‘Three,or four millions were speedily 
raised for the supply of the army.” : 
The following may be taken as a specimen of some of the chit-chat of 
M. de Bourrienne’s memoirs :— : 
* Towards the middle of September in the same year, Bonaparte assembled 
in the house of Elfey-Bey half-a-dozen Asiatic women, of whom report spoke 
highly on the score of grace and beauty: their clumsy towrnure, however, soon 
obtained their dismissal. A few days afterwards he became violently ena- 
moured of Madame Fourés, the wife of a lieutenant of infantry. She was 
extremely handsome, and her charms were still further enhanced by the great 
scarcity in Egypt of women formed on a model to please the European taste, 
Bonaparte furnished’ a house for her close to the palace of Elfy-Bey, which 
we inhabited. He frequently took it into his head, towards three o'clock, to 
order dinner at her house: on such occasions I went thither alone with him 
at seven o'clock, and retired at nine. 
“ This intrigue soon became the standing topic of the quarter, and the 
subject of general conversation. 
M.M. New Series—Vou. VII. No. 41. 3 U 
