NAPOLEON I: (1769-1821) French Military and Political leader, Emperor of France 1804-14, 1815. A very fine D.S., Bonaparte, as General in Chief of the Army, three pages, folio, Cairo, Egypt, 27 Fructidor, year 6 (13th September 1798), in French. The lengthy manuscript document is in the form of a report prepared for Napoleon, providing plans for the loading of a cargo to be made of products from Egypt and to be sold in Smyrna and Salonika, giving very detailed instructions for the transportation of the Egyptian produce, comprising rice, ammonium salt, incense and coffee, to markets in Greece and the Levant and for the subsequent use of the local monies generated in income, the report justifying the selection of produce ‘Because the English, in case they come and visit, would be more easily persuaded that this shipment belongs to locals who never allocate all their funds to one good’ and ‘because the coffee would facilitate the outright sale of all the rice, in case it was abundant in Smyrna and in Salonika, where a lot of it is shipped and sold when there is a lack of rice from here. From then on, buyers who would like to buy coffee, since it is a much sought-after commodity, would have to buy a quantity of rice equal to the quantity of coffee they would ask for. This way, the deal would only be quicker, and infinitely more profitable’, further stating ‘Ammonium salt would find its place, for there is such a lack of it in the Levant, where they haven’t received any of it from England for a long time……And although it is expensive here, it deserves our attention, especially if the quantity produced could be larger. Incense, because of its great consumption by the Greeks, in their homes and in their churches, would be an excellent good. We would need fine quality, and white. This constitutes, at all time, an easy trade’, adding that ‘The same applies to good quality hemp, since I have heard there won’t be any of it shipped to Turkey, as well as seeds and other drugs in Constantinople, but as it is not a good time to put together a large shipment because of its scarcity, we can choose goods that are easier to obtain, while making sure to give preference to the ones that can facilitate the trade of rice, which should be the base of the load’. The author of the report also remarks ‘This shipment’s net proceeds would be spent right away on wet goods such as wine, spirits, fine linseed oil. I would buy the wine in Santorini, Naxos, or any other island in the archipelago where they produce it in great quality. I would prefer these islands to Tenedos, because although the wine there is as good in colour and in taste, they are less busy - I could make purchases and load the ship in much less time. Besides, the load would look like it is destined to be shipped to Russia, which they do in that area now and again. This pretext would hide the destination all the more since I have known the merchants of the said islands for several years; they know I was conducting business in the Black Sea when I was settled in Bucharest’, continuing to inform Napoleon that ‘I could also load dry fruits, such as figs and various types of raisins. I will arrive just as the shipments to Russia begin, and very certainly nobody will assume that what I bought was to be shipped to Egypt. It will, moreover, be up to me to take all the precautions, for a swift and fortunate return, the season we are about to enter being the most favourable for such venture’ also adding various reasons why he is ‘convinced that I would easily escape our enemies’ vigilance’ and recommending a sailing ship and Captain named Hadgi Ourea Dipsara based in Alexandria, whom he has known for a long time, adding ‘It would be his decision to choose a suitable night to slip away without being seen’ and concluding ‘He would certainly succeed thanks to his vessel being in a superior running order, and well-found since he has 25 men, then would go to the harbour to find the 250 barrels, which is more than adequate for the goods referred to above. They will be loaded in appearance for various Greek and Turkish recipients, and branded as such. To add more credibility to the operation, each part will have an accompanying letter written in the oriental style.’ At the conclusion of the report appears a statement in another hand, reading, in full, ‘Desirous of favouring the said commercial undertaking, as much as to have news of what is happening on the archipelago as to procure wine for Egypt, Citizen Poussielque will draw up a report for me concerning the means at our disposal for procuring the above mentioned cargo’. The instruction is signed by Napoleon at the conclusion. A document of fascinating content. Some very light, extremely minor age wear and one very small, neat tear to the upper right corner of the final page, only very slightly running through two lines of text, VGIn 1798 Bonaparte led a military expedition to Egypt which was to serve as a springboard to his goal of achieving political power (a coup was orchestrated by Bonaparte in November 1799 with the result of him becoming First Consul of the Republic). In August 1798, the month before the present document was signed, the British Fleet commanded by Horatio Nelson had captured or destroyed all but two French vessels in the Battle of the Nile which had severely damaged Napoleon’s desire to strengthen the French position in the Mediterranean. His army had succeeded in a temporary increase of French power in Egypt, although it faced repeated uprisings. Citizen Poussielque served as the Chief Administrator of the French Army.
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