SOUTHERN AFRICA. 195 
body of troops on the eaftern borders of the Cafpian Sea, to a£t 
in concert with the French, it is difficult to fay where the mif- 
chief of their quixotifm might have ended. The minds of men.^ 
intoxicated with power and maddened by ambition, are not to 
be meafured by the fame motives which ufually guide the actions 
of mankind. It is certain that neither Paul nor Buonaparte 
regarded the great wafte of men that fuch a projed: would have 
occafioned. They mud have known that by no precaution nor 
exertion could they have made fure of a conftant fupply of pro- 
vifionsfor fo vaft a combined army j but fuch knowledge would 
not have prevented them from making the experiment, the lives 
of their people being objeds of little confideration with them. 
If, like the hoft of Xerxes, they fhould be compelled to feed on 
grafs and the fhrubs of the thicket, or, like the army of Cam- 
byfes, in their march againft the Ethiopians, be reduced to the 
ftill more dreadful neceffity of killing every tenth man to feed 
the reft, what remorfe would fuch calamities occalion in the 
breaft of that man, who could deliberately put to death by poi- 
fon the companions of his vidories, for no other fault than the 
misfortune of being difabled by ficknefs ? 
Yet, although vaft numbers would necefTarily perlfti in fuch 
an enterprize, the refult might, neverthelefs, be the means of 
fhaking our fecurity in India ; and this would be confidered as 
a moft ample compenfation for any lofs the enemy might fuftain 
in the expedition. The obftacles that have been urged againft 
it were, perhaps, equally great and numerous when the Mace- 
donian hero undertook to march his army acrofs the fame coun- 
tries ; yet he overcame them all. And if Alexander could fuc- 
c c 2 ceed 
