By Michael Avery
L’ Italie
Napoleon was a firm believer in his “presentiments,” as he called them. He was referring to his prophetic waking dreams. One day, for example, word reached him from Egypt that one of his Nile boats, L’Italie, had run ashore, and its French crew had been executed. Napoleon was very concerned. He saw this as a sign that his plans to annex Italy to France would fail.