The Birth of Modern Egypt 33
Napoleon himself, after a study of the French news-
papers, which were diplomatically delivered to him by the
English, decided to return to France, and sailed (August
22, 1799) with most of his lieutenants, leaving Kleber
in command. But Egypt and the Empire of the East
dominated his imagination until the end. He flattered
his dream with Mameluke body-guards, Arab chargers,
and Oriental intrigues, while the old campaigners of Egypt
always had a sure claim on his favour.1
Acre ended the Egyptian enterprise so far as concerned
Europe. It would also have ended it in Egypt had not
the British Government refused to ratify Sydney Smith's
Convention of El Arish (January 24, 1800) providing
for the repatriation of the French troops in Turkish ships.
In consequence of this refusal, the French occupation
took another lease of life. At Heliopolis (March 20,
1800) ten thousand French defeated eighty thousand
Turks. Another rising in Cairo, after several weeks7 siege,
was suppressed with sack and slaughter. Egypt was in
bitter revolt, and the tragedies of a century later were
anticipated when Kleber, a hard-headed, heavy-handed
soldier, was assassinated by an Azharite student. French
authority and administration were eventually restored,
and those egyptologists who had survived the riots in-
domitably resumed their cataloguing and collecting.
Menou, the Mahomedan, succeeded to the command,
and attempted a regime of conciliation and concessions.
But it is unlikely that fat, clever little Menou, with his
sham Orientalism, would have fared any better than did
British Liberals a century later in similar flirtations,
1 For subsequent dreams of Oriental conquest v. Vandal,
NapoUon et AUxqndye /.» vol. i.» Paris, 1891 ; Driault, LapoL or. de
Napoleon, Paris, 1904; Roloff, Die Qrientpolitik Napoleons L,
Weimar, 1916.