3l6 
TRAVELS IN 
session of Syria, seems to be doubtful ; but it is pretty evi- 
dent they entertained hopes, at one time, of being able to 
co-operate with the Sultaun of Mysore by the Red Sea, 
though it does not appear that any previous plan had been 
concerted for transporting their troops from Egypt to India. 
The whole expedition, indeed, should seem to have been, in 
the first instance, a momentary thought, without any further 
plan or design than that of diverting the original intention of 
an armament, which was vauntingly called the Army of 
England. The fact seems to be, that the power and the 
influence of Buonaparte, who had the command of this army, 
had rendered him the object of jealousy and hatred to the 
Directory, who were equally glad with himself to have an 
excuse for changing the current of these vast preparations 
from a hazardous, almost hopeless, enterprize, whose failure 
would have ended in equal disgrace both to the Directory 
and their general, into a romantic expedition that had the 
sanction of the old government for the attempt, and, at all 
events, was more promising of success than the pretended in- 
vasion of the British islands. The fame of Buonaparte re- 
quired, in fact, to be supported, at that time, by some new 
and signal adventure which might be the means of rescuing 
him from the secondary part the Directory had reserved for 
him, by the command of a pretended expedition against their 
only remaining enemy. In this situation some of his friends, 
it is supposed, suggested to him the conquest of Egypt, 
which had long been an object of the French Government 
under the monarchy. The brilliancy of such a conquest was 
well suited to the enterprizing spirit and ambitious views of 
the Corsican. It is supposed, also^ that the memoir which 
