30th. To-morrow we complete everything relating to the secret clauses; in which case I shall start that very night. December 26th, Paris: (To the President of the National Institute.) I am honoured by the vote of the distinguished members of your society. I am only too conscious that before becoming their equal I must long remain their pupil. Were there any stronger way of expressing the esteem in which I hold them, I would use it. The real conquests, those that leave no regrets behind, are those made over ignorance. The most honourable occupation, that which is most useful to nations, is to help on the diffusion of humane ideas. Henceforth the real strength of the French Republic must consist in not failing to make every new idea her own. 31st. On my return from Italy I took up my abode in a little house, Rue Chantereine. The Municipality of Paris ordered its name changed to Rue de la Victoire. January 1st, Paris: 1798 Paris has a short memory. If I remain longer doing nothing, I am lost. In this great Babylon one reputation quickly succeeds another. After I have been seen three times at the theatre, I shall not be looked at again; I shall therefore not go very frequently. 9th. I have laid a number of proposals before the Directoire relating to the composition of the army of England. 11th. All goes well. We are working hard at the reorganization of our navy, and at the formation of the army of England. Kléber, Desaix, Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Lefebvre, Championnet, are to be of the army. Joubert has gone to Holland. 29th. I will not remain here; there is nothing to be done. They will listen to nothing. I realize that if I stay my reputation will soon be gone. All things fade here, and my reputation is almost forgotten; this little Europe affords too slight a scope; I must go to the Orient; all great reputations have been won there. If the success of an expedition to England should prove doubtful, as I fear, the army of England will become the army of the East, and I shall go to Egypt. The Orient awaits a man! February 7th. I leave to-morrow to inspect the Atlantic coast. I shall be back in twelve days. 12th, Dunkirk: It is said that the Dutch have numbers of fast-sail ing flatboats; we must obtain from 150 to 250, with as many gunboats as possible. We must then get these vessels to Dunkirk at once, so as to be able to leave that port a month hence, with 50,000 men, artillery, supplies, etc. 23d, Paris: Whatever we do, we cannot command the sea for several years to come. To effect a landing in England without controlling the sea is the boldest and most difficult military operation ever attempted. It would seem, then, that the expedition to England is not feasible. We must therefore merely keep up the pretence of it, and concentrate our attention and our resources on the Rhine, or else undertake an expedition to the Levant so as to threaten the trade with India. And if none of these operations is feasible, I can see no other course than to make peace with England. March 26th. (To the Minister of the Interior.) Please give positive orders that all the Arabic type we have be packed immediately, and that citoyen Langlès take charge of it. I also beg you to give orders that the Greek type be packed; I know we have some, as Xenophon is being printed; and it won't matter so very much if Xenophon is held up for three months. 30th. I have just heard from Admiral Brueys; he left Corfu on the 25th of February with six French and five Venetian men of war. I hope these ships can start again two weeks after their arrival. April 5th. (To Monge.) We shall take one third of the Institute and many scientific instruments with us. I place the Arabic printing-press under your special care. 14th. I should like to take with me citoyen Piveron, who was for many years the king's agent at the court of Tippoo Sahib. We could try to get him through to India. 17th. (To Vice-Admiral Brueys.) I expect to join you during the first week of Floréal. Have a good bed for me, as I expect to be sick during the whole journey. Get good supplies. 18th. (To Eugène Beauharnais.) You will start at four o'clock on the 3d of Floréal. You should reach Lyons on the 4th before noon. Travel in mufti, and don't let it be known that you are my aide-de-camp. You will give out everywhere that I am going to Brest. (To General Kléber.) Orders for General Kléber and his staff to proceed at once to Toulon, where he will receive further instructions. 28th. Bonaparte, member of the National Institute, general-in-chief of the army of England, orders General Régnier to embark the men of his division at Marseilles on the 6th of May on the transports that will be there ready for him. May 10th, Toulon: Soldiers of the army of the Mediterranean! You are a wing of the army of England! You have fought among mountains, in plains, before fortresses; but you had yet to carry out a naval campaign. The Roman legions that you have sometimes rivalled, but never equalled, fought Carthage on this very sea and on the plains of Zama. Victory never forsook them. Soldiers! Europe is watching you! 11th. (To Admiral Brueys.) As the fleet is made up of 15 of the line, 12 frigates, and over 200 transports, you are to assume the rank and fly the flag of Admiral. 17th, on board the Orient: We have been riding at anchor these last three days ready to start, but a strong wind continues to blow from the wrong quarter. 19th, 7 A. M.: The frigates are at sea; the convoy is standing out; we are weighing anchor; the weather is lovely. 23d, between Corsica and Elba: English ships have been reported cruising off Sicily. I cannot believe they are in sufficient force to interfere with our plans. 27th. We have been becalmed these two days, ten leagues from the strait of Bonifacio. Our dispatch boat, Le Corcyre, chased an English brig, which was run on to the Sardinian coast and burnt. The crew of this brig speak of an English fleet. 28th, 8 P M.: We are carrying full sail and heading for our goal. (To the Directoire.) At dawn on the 10th we sighted the island of Gozzo. At night I sent one of my aides-de-camp to ask for the Grand Master's leave to water in the bays of the island. Our consul at Malta brought me his answer, which was a flat refusal. The need of the army was pressing, and placed the duty on me of employing force. General Lannes and chef de brigade Marmont landed within cannon-shot of the works. At daybreak our troops had landed at all points, notwithstanding a brisk but illdirected cannonade. On the 12th I began sending guns |