cination for him. He therefore
employed the resources of the Army of England to prepare for an
expedition to Egypt, and the Directory yielded to his wishes, partly
no doubt, through the desire of getting him away from France. But
their aggressive policy was at the same time fast bringing on another
European war. The expedition sailed from Toulon on May 19, 1798,
captured Malta from the Knights of St. John by treachery, and,
escaping by great luck from the British fleet under Nelson, arrived at
Alexandria on June 30th. The army was disembarked in haste, for fear
lest Nelson should arrive, and on July 8th Napoleon marched on Cairo.
He defeated the Mamelukes at Chebreiss and the Pyramids, and entered
Cairo on July 24th. He then occupied himself with organizing the
government of Egypt, but his position was rendered very hazardous by
the destruction of the French fleet on August 1st by Nelson at the
battle of the Nile, and he saw that his dream of founding an empire in
the East could not be realized. He thought, however, that he might
create a revolution in Syria, by the aid of which he might overthrow
the Turkish power, and march in triumph back to Europe through Asia
Minor and Constantinople. He accordingly entered Syria in February,
1799, with 12,000 men, but was brought to a standstill before St. Jean
d'Acre. Failing to capture that fortress, supported as it was by the
British squadron under Sir Sidney Smith, in spite of the most
desperate efforts, he was obliged to return to Egypt. After his
return, Napoleon defeated a Turkish army which had landed at Aboukir,
but learning the reverses that had been suffered by the French arms in
Europe, he resolved to leave Egypt and return to France. He embarked
secretly on August 22d, leaving a letter placing Kleber in command of
the Army of Egypt, and landed in France six weeks later.

He found matters at home in great confusion. The wars had been
mismanaged, Italy was almost lost, and the government, in consequence,
was in very bad odor. The revolution of the 18th Brumaire followed
(November 9, 1799), when the legislature was forcibly closed, and a
provisional executive of three consuls, Sieyes, Roger-Duclos, and
Bonaparte, formed to draw up a new constitution. This was promulgated
on December 13th; the executive was vested in three consuls,
Bonaparte, Cambaceres, and Lebrun, of whom Bonaparte was nominated
First Consul for ten years. He was practically paramount, the two
remainin