Kléber views the situation of the expeditionary…

Kléber views the situation of the expeditionary force with pessimism and, like many of the soldiers, wishes to return to the theater of war in Europe.

On January 24, 1800, he signs a convention with Sir Sydney Smith by which the French are to evacuate their troops from Egypt.

However, Smith, the British naval commander in the eastern Mediterranean, has exceeded his powers and is instructed by his superior officer, Admiral Lord Keith, to require the French to surrender as prisoners of war.