Murat had been previously sent to Paris to present to the Directory the first colours taken by the French army of Italy in the actions of Dego and Mondovi, and it was on this occasion that he got acquainted with Madame Tallien and the wife of his General.  But he already knew the beautiful Caroline Bonaparte, whom he had seen at Rome in the residence of her brother Joseph, who was then discharging the functions of ambassador of the Republic.  It appears that Caroline was not even indifferent to him, and that he was the successful rival of the Princess Santa Croce’s son, who eagerly sought the honour of her hand.  Madame Tallien and Madame Bonaparte received with great kindness the first ’aide de camp’, and as they possessed much influence with the Directory, they solicited, and easily obtained for him, the rank of brigadier-general.  It was somewhat remarkable at that time Murat, notwithstanding his newly-acquired rank, to remain Bonaparte’s ‘aide de camp’, the regulations not allowing a general-in-chief an ‘aide de camp’ of higher rank than chief of brigade, which was equal to that of colonel:  This insignificant act was, therefore, rather a hasty anticipation of the prerogatives everywhere reserved to princes and kings.

It was after having discharged this commission that Murat, on his return to Italy, fell into disfavour with the General-in Chief.  He indeed looked upon him with a sort of hostile feeling, and placed him in Reille’s division, and afterwards Baragasy d’Hilliers’; consequently, when we went to Paris, after the treaty of Campo-Formio, Murat was not of the party.  But as the ladies, with whom he was a great favourite, were not devoid of influence with the Minister of War, Murat was, by their interest, attached to the engineer corps in the expedition to Egypt.  On board the Orient he remained in the most complete disgrace.  Bonaparte did not address a word to him during the passage; and in Egypt the General-in-Chief always treated him with coldness, and often sent him from the headquarters on disagreeable services.  However, the General-in-Chief having opposed him to Mourad Bey, Murat performed such prodigies of valour in every perilous encounter that he effaced the transitory stain which a momentary hesitation under the walls of Mantua had left on his character.  Finally, Murat so powerfully contributed to the success of the day at Aboukir that Bonaparte, glad to be able to carry another laurel plucked in Egypt to France, forgot the fault which had made so unfavourable an impression, and was inclined to efface from his memory other things that he had heard to the disadvantage of Murat; for I have good reasons for believing, though Bonaparte never told me so, that Murat’s name, as well as that of Charles, escaped from the lips of Junot when he made his indiscreet communication to Bonaparte at the walls of Messoudiah.  The charge of grenadiers, commanded by Murat on the 19th Brumaire in the hall of the Five Hundred, dissipated all the remaining traces of dislike; and in those moments when Bonaparte’s political views subdued every other sentiment of his mind, the rival of the Prince Santa Croce received the command of the Consular Guard.