SOUTHERN AFRICA. 197 
to be occafioned by the great difficulty of procuring provlfions 
and tranfporting the biggage and ammunition that would be 
required for fo large an army. But even thefe are difficulties 
which, by an enterprizing and determined mind, would be fur- 
mounted. 
Whether the French really intended to march an army by 
land, in the event of their having reduced Acre and got poflef- 
fion of Syria, feems to be doubtful ; but it is pretty evident they 
entertained hopes, at one time, of being able to co-operate with 
the Sultaun of Myfore by the Red Sea, though it does not ap- 
pear that any previous plan had been concerted for tranfport- 
ing their troops from Egypt to India. The whole expedition, 
indeed, fhould feem to have been, in the firft inftance, a mo- 
mentary thought, without any further plan or defign than that 
of diverting the original intention of an armament, which was 
vauntingly called the Army of England. The fad: feems to be, 
that the power and the influence of Buonaparte, who had the 
command of this army, had rendered him the object of jealoufy 
and hatred to theDiredory, who were equally glad with himfelf 
to have an excufe for changing the current of thefe vaft prepara- 
tions from a hazardous, almoft hopelefs, enterprize, whofe 
failure would have ended in equal difgrace both to the Directory 
and their general, into a romantic expedition that had the fanc- 
tion of the old government for the attempt, and, at all events, 
was more promifing of fuccefs than the pretended invafion of 
the Britifh iflands. The fame of Buonaparte required, in fact, 
to be fupported, at that time, by fome new and fignal adven- 
ture which might be the means of refcuing him from the fe- 
condary 
