[Illustration:  083 Bedouins in the desert]

The squadron of Admiral Brueys consisted of thirteen sail of the line, and carried about forty thousand men of all arms and ten thousand seamen.  It had water for one month and provisions for two.  It sailed on the 19th of May, amid the thunders of the cannons and the cheers of the whole army.  Violent gales did some damage to a frigate on leaving the port, and Nelson, who was cruising with three sail of the line in search of the French fleet, suffered so severely from the same gales that he was obliged to bear up for the islands of St. Pierre to refit.  He was thus kept at a distance from the French fleet, and did not see it pass.  It steered first towards Genoa to join the convoy collected in that port, under the command of General Baraguay d’Hilliers.  It then sailed for Corsica, to call for the convoy at Ajaccio commanded by Vaubois, and afterwards proceeded to the sea of Sicily to join the division of Civita Vecchia, under the command of Desaix.

Bonaparte’s intention was to stop at Malta, and there to make by the way a bold attempt, the success of which he had long since prepared by secret intrigues.  He meant to take possession of that island, which, commanding the navigation of the Mediterranean, became important to Egypt and could not fail soon to fall into the hands of the English, unless they were anticipated.

Bonaparte made great efforts to join the division from Civita Vecchia; but this he could not accomplish until he was off Malta.  The five hundred French sail came in sight of the island on June 9th, twenty-two days after leaving Toulon.  This sight filled the city of Malta with consternation.  The following day (June 10th) the French troops landed on the island, and completely invested Valetta, which contained a population of nearly thirty thousand souls, and was even then one of the strongest fortresses in Europe.  The inhabitants were dismayed and clamoured for surrender, and the grand master, who possessed little energy, and recollected the generosity of the conqueror of Rivoli at Mantua, hoping to save his interest from shipwreck, released one of the French knights, whom he had thrown into prison when they refused to fight against their countrymen, and sent him to Bonaparte to negotiate.  A treaty was soon concluded, by which the Knights of Malta gave up to France the sovereignty of Malta and the dependent islands.  Thus France gained possession of the best harbour in the Mediterranean, and one of the strongest in the world.  It required the ascendency of Bonaparte to obtain it without fighting; and it necessitated also the risk of losing some precious days, with the English in pursuit of him.