ion of the manufactories of
steel, of arms, of powder, of cloth, of machines, and of instruments of
every kind which our army had to prepare for the occasion. If, during
our infancy, the expedients which Robinson Crusoe practised in order to
escape from the romantic dangers which he had incessantly to encounter,
excite our interest in a lively degree, how, in mature age, could we
regard with indifference a handful of Frenchmen thrown upon the
inhospitable shores of Africa, without any possible communication with
the mother country, obliged to contend at once with the elements and
with formidable armies, destitute of food, of clothing, of arms, and of
ammunition, and yet supplying every want by the force of genius!

The long route which I have yet to traverse, will hardly allow me to add
a few words relative to the administrative services of the illustrious
geometer. Appointed French Commissioner at the Divan of Cairo, he
became the official medium between the General-in-Chief and every
Egyptian who might have to complain of an attack against his person, his
property, his morals, his habits, or his creed. An invariable sauvity of
manner, a scrupulous regard for prejudices to oppose which directly
would have been vain, an inflexible sentiment of justice, had given him
an ascendency over the Mussulman population, which the precepts of the
Koran could not lead any one to hope for, and which powerfully
contributed to the maintenance of friendly relations between the
inhabitants of Cairo and the French soldiers. Fourier was especially
held in veneration by the Cheiks and the Ulemas. A single anecdote will
serve to show that this sentiment was the offspring of genuine
gratitude.

The Emir Hadgey, or Prince of the Caravan, who had been nominated by
General Bonaparte upon his arrival in Cairo, escaped during the campaign
of Syria. There existed strong grounds at the time for supposing that
four _Cheiks Ulemas_ had rendered themselves accomplices of the treason.
Upon his return to Egypt, Bonaparte confided the investigation of this
grave affair to Fourier. "Do not," said he, "submit half measures to me.
You have to pronounce judgment upon high personages: we must either cut
off their heads or invite them to dinner." On the day following that on
which this conversation took place, the four Cheiks dined with the
General-in-Chief. By obeying the inspirations of his heart, Fourier did
not perform merely an act of humanity; it was mo