Delta all the towns had returned to a state of complete
submission. Murad Bey had driven from Upper Egypt the Turkish detachment
of Dervish Pasha. The vanquished everywhere trembled before the
conqueror, and expected a terrible chastisement. Kleber, who was humane
and wise, took good care not to repay cruelties with cruelties. The
Egyptians were persuaded that they should be treated harshly; they
conceived that the loss of life and property would atone for the crime
of those who had risen in revolt. Kleber called them together, assumed
at first a stern look, but afterwards pardoned them, merely imposing a
contribution on the insurgent villages. Cairo paid ten million francs,
a burden far from onerous for so large a city, and the inhabitants
considered themselves as most fortunate to get off so easily. Eight
millions more were imposed upon the rebel towns of Lower Egypt. The
army, proud of its victories, confident in its strength, knowing that
General Bonaparte was at the head of the government, ceased to doubt
that it would soon receive reinforcements. Kleber had in the plain of
Heliopolis made the noblest amends for his momentary faults.

He entered upon a second conquest, showing clemency and humanity on
all sides, and everywhere he laboured hard to encourage the arts and
industries and agriculture. He assembled the administrators of the army,
the persons best acquainted with the country, and turned his attention
to the organisation of the finances of the colony. He restored the
collection of the direct contributions to the Kopts, to whom it had
formerly been entrusted, and imposed some new customs' duties and taxes
on articles of consumption. He gave orders for the completion of the
forts constructing around Cairo, and set men to work at those of Lesbeh,
Damietta, Burlos, and Rosetta, situated on the sea-coast. He pressed
forward the works of Alexandria, and imparted fresh activity to the
scientific researches of the Institute of Egypt, and a valuable mass of
information was embodied in the great French work, the "Description
de l'Egypte." From the cataracts to the mouths of the Nile, everything
assumed the aspect of a solid and durable establishment. Two months
afterwards, the caravans of Syria, Arabia, and Darfur began to appear
again at Cairo.

But a deplorable event snatched away General Kleber in the midst of his
exploits and of his judicious government. He was assassinated in the
garden of his palace by a youn