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Ch. VII.]
the Emperor Napoleon.
69

Leipsic is considered to have been one of the most disastrous defeats on record, but probably the good citizens of Paris were not so well aware of this at the time the china was presented to him as they now are. His campaign in Egypt furnished subjects for some of the illustrations. The ibis was introduced in several of these Egyptian scenes, and happening to have heard that that bird was worshipped by the Egyptians, I asked him if it were not so. He smiled, and entered into a long narration of some of his adventures with the army in Egypt, advising me never to go there, as I should catch the oplithalmia and spoil my eyes. I had also heard that he had professed Mahometanism when there, and I had been prompted by some one to catechise him on the subject. I at once came out with the question in my Anglo-French, "Pourquoi avez vous tourné Turque." He did not at first understand me, and I was obliged to explain that "tourné

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