Bonaparte established his headquarters at Gizeh, on the banks of the Nile, where Murad Bey had an imposing residence.  A considerable store of provisions was found both at Gizeh and at Embabeh, and the soldiers could make amends for their long privations.  No sooner had he settled in Cairo than he hastened to pursue the same policy which he had already adopted at Alexandria, and by which he hoped to gain the country.  The essential point was to obtain from the sheikhs of the mosque of Jemil-Azar a declaration in favour of the French.  It corresponded to a papal bull among Christians.  On this occasion Bonaparte exerted his utmost address, and was completely successful.  The great sheikhs issued the desired declaration, and exhorted the Egyptians to submit to the envoy of God, who reverenced the Prophet, and who had come to deliver his children from the tyranny of the Mamluks.  Bonaparte established a divan at Cairo, as he had done at Alexandria, composed of the principal sheikhs, and the most distinguished inhabitants.  This divan, or municipal council, was intended to serve him in gaining the minds of the Egyptians, by consulting it, and learning from it all the details of the internal administration.  It was agreed that similar assemblies should be established in all the provinces, and that these subordinate divans should send deputies to the divan of Cairo, which would thus be the great national divan.

Bonaparte resolved to leave the administration of justice to the cadis.  In execution of his scheme of succeeding to the rights of the Mamluks, he seized their property, and caused the taxes previously imposed to continue to be levied for the benefit of the French army.  For this purpose it was requisite that he should have the Kopts at his disposal.  He omitted nothing to attach them to him, holding out hopes to them of an amelioration of their condition.  He sent generals with detachments down the Nile to complete the occupation of the Delta, which the army had merely traversed, and sent others towards the Upper Nile, to take possession of Middle Egypt.  Desaix was placed with a division at the entrance of Upper Egypt, which he was to conquer from Murad Bey, as soon as the waters of the Nile should subside in the autumn.  Each of the generals, furnished with detailed instructions, was to repeat in the country what had been done at Alexandria and at Cairo.  They were to court the sheikhs, to win the Kopts, and to establish the levy of the taxes in order to supply the wants of the army.  Bonaparte was also attentive to keep up the relations with the neighbouring countries, in order to uphold and to appropriate to himself the rich commerce of Egypt.  He appointed the Emir Hadgi, an officer annually chosen at Cairo, to protect the great caravan from Mecca.  He wrote to all the French consuls on the coast of Barbary to inform the beys that the Emir Hadgi was appointed, and that the caravans might set out.  At his desire the sheikhs wrote to the sherif of Mecca, to acquaint