—­[Sir Walter Scott informs us that Josephine, when she became Empress, brought about the marriage between her niece and La Vallette.  This is another fictitious incident of his historical romance.—­Bourrienne.]—­

Shortly before our departure I asked Bonaparte how long he intended to remain in Egypt.  He replied, “A few months, or six years:  all depends on circumstances.  I will colonise the country.  I will bring them artists and artisans of every description; women, actors, etc.  We are but nine-and-twenty now, and we shall then be five-and-thirty.  That is not an old age.  Those six years will enable me, if all goes well, to get to India.  Give out that you are going to Brest.  Say so even to your family.”  I obeyed, to prove my discretion and real attachment to him.

Bonaparte wished to form a camp library of cabinet editions, and he gave me a list of the books which I was to purchase.  This list is in his own writing, and is as follows: 

Camp library.

1.  Arts and science.—­Fontenelle’s Worlds, 1 vol.  Letters to a German Princess, 2 vols.  Courses of the Normal School, 6 vols.  The Artillery Assistant, 1 vol.  Treatise on Fortifications, 3 vols.  Treatise on Fireworks, 1 vol.

2.  Geography and travels.—­Barclay’s Geography, 12 vols.  Cook’s Voyages, 3 vols.  La Harpe’s Travels, 24 vols.

3.  History.—­Plutarch, 12 vols.  Turenne, 2 vols.  Conde, 4 vols.  Villars, 4 vols.  Luxembourg, 2 vols.  Duguesclin, 2 vols.  Saxe, 3 vols.  Memoirs of the Marshals of France, 20 vols.  President Hainault, 4 vols.  Chronology, 2 vols.  Marlborough, 4 vols.  Prince Eugene, 6 vols.  Philosophical History of India, 12 vols.  Germany, 2 vols.  Charles XII., 1 vol.  Essay on the Manners of Nations, 6 vols.  Peter the Great, 1 vol.  Polybius, 6 vols.  Justin, 2 vols.  Arrian, 3 vols.  Tacitus, 2 vols.  Titus Livy, Thucydides, 2 vols.  Vertot, 4 vols.  Denina, 8 vols.  Frederick ii, 8 vols.

4.  Poetry.—­Osaian, 1 vol.  Tasso, 6 vols.  Ariosto, 6 vols.  Homer, 6 vols.  Virgil, 4 vols.  The Henriade, 1 vol.  Telemachus, 2 vols.  Les Jardin, 1 vol.  The Chefs-d’Oeuvre of the French Theatre, 20 vols.  Select Light Poetry, 10 vols.  La Fontaine.

5.  Romance.—­Voltaire, 4 vols.  Heloise, 4 vols.  Werther, 1 vol.  Marmontel, 4 vols.  English Novels, 40 vols.  Le Sage, 10 vols.  Prevost, 10 vols.

6.  Politics and morals.—­The Old Testament.  The New Testament.  The Koran.  The Vedan.  Mythology.  Montesquieu.  The Esprit des Lois.

It will be observed that he classed the books of the religious creeds of nations under the head of “politics.”