Paris will extend out to St.Cloud." To render Paris the physical capital of Europe is, through his own confession, "one of his constant dreams." "At times," he says,[1180]"I would like to see her a city of two, three, four millions of inhabitants, something fabulous, colossal, unknown down to our day, and its public establishments adequate to its population....
Archimedes proposed to lift the world if he could be allowed to place his lever; for myself, I would have changed it wherever I could have been allowed to exercise my energy, perseverance, and budgets." At all events, he believes so; for however lofty and badly supported the next story of his structure may be, he has always ready a new story, loftier and more unsteady, to put above it.

A few months before launching himself, with all Europe at his back, against Russia, he said to Narbonne:[1181] "After all, my dear sir, this long road is the road to India.

Alexander started as far off as Moscow to reach the Ganges; this has occurred to me since St.Jean d'Acre....

To reach England to-day I need the extremity of Europe, from which to take Asia in the rear....

Suppose Moscow taken, Russia subdued, the czar reconciled, or dead through some court conspiracy, perhaps another and dependent throne, and tell me whether it is not possible for a French army, with its auxiliaries, setting out from Tiflis, to get as far as the Ganges, where it needs only a thrust of the French sword to bring down the whole of that grand commercial scaffolding throughout India.