VII. 
378 ALEXANDRIA. 
CHAP, war, must yet be considered as the distinguish- 
ing characteristic of the French people, in their 
conduct even towards their enemies. We 
assured them, that although our business in 
Alexandria related to the literary acquisitions 
made for their nation by their army in Egypt, it 
had nothing whatsoever to do with the private 
collections or journals of individuals ; and there- 
fore we hoped they would allow us to compare 
notes with them upon certain points of observa- 
tion, in which we might be mutually interested ; 
and we further solicited permission to consult 
the splendid map of Egypt which their geogra- 
phers had completed. This proposition was 
not acceded to on their part ; nor, perhaps, was 
it reasonable, at that time, to expect that our 
request could be complied with. They very 
candidly confessed, that it would give them 
pleasure to satisfy our curiosity anywhere else ; 
but that, under the present circumstances, they 
could only consider our inquiry as likely to lead 
to additional demands on the part of our Com- 
mander-in-chief ; and for this reason alone 
they must decline acceding to our request. 
We had, however, a short conversation with 
them upon the subject of the Ruins of Sais, 
which their countryman Savary had mentioned 
among the desirable objects of discover}^ in 
