Napoleon and the Scientific Expedition to Egypt | Linda Hall Library
Claude-Louis Berthollet may have initially
chided Napoleon for requiring him to return to Paris with Bonaparte while the chemist was investigating the natural phenomenon of the Soda Lakes in Egypt. This, however, allowed Berthollet to
lobby for support of the sciences by Napoleon and his cronies.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...uis-Berthollet.
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Napoleon showered Berthollet with honours, including a senatorial appointment, medals, and the title of count. In 1806 Napoleon also bailed him out with a considerable loan to settle debts Berthollet had incurred after turning over his financial affairs to his wife. Thanks to income from his position as a senator, he soon recovered his fortune and used some of it to outfit his Arcueil laboratory. In his declining years, Berthollet was accused unjustly of having abandoned his benefactor in 1814, when he signed the Senate’s bill deposing Napoleon after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Berthollet’s final years were plagued by financial and health problems.
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Berthollet did
fumble with his politics after Napoleon lost power and suffered for it. He probably had to
borrow money from his more politically astute colleagues.