loured cotton, richly worked in the interior, very large, always cool, and perfectly adapted to a country where there is little rain. After being refreshed there some time, he returned to his own camp.

April the 3d a violent gale of wind commenced, which lasted three days. The fleet was obliged to leave the coast, and several boats were lost in the bay; the tents and every thing were covered and filled with sand, although the wind blew north

west.

On the 5th the news arrived of the L'Africaine having been taken, which was soon communicated to the French.

On the 6th, certain intelligence having been obtained that the French had detached to Rosetta, the 2d regiment or Queen's were ordered to the support of Colonel Spencer. On the 7th, Major Wilson was sent with a flag of truce to the general commanding the out-posts, to declare, that unless the French videttes were withdrawn into the line from which they had advanced, General Hutchinson would be obliged to begin a species of warfare which was to be deprecated when it could be avoided, as an useless loss of lives. At the same time orders were issued for the cavalry of the reserve to hold itself in readiness to sweep off the enemy's line of posts. But the answer was returned, that as the videttes had actually advanced, they should be withdrawn into the original line, at the same time it was to be understood that their retreat was not the effect of the menace. April the 8th, three men having deserted of Hompesch's hussars, the corps was withdrawn from the out-posts, which caused an universal regret, as their intelligence and conduct had been always the admiration of every officer in the army. Several patroles had been sent to Beda; and about this time it being understood that the French were passing a convoy, a strong de tachment of infantry and cavalry marched along the canal, and

advanced

advanced to a village beyond and to the right of Beda, but where it was then ascertained that the convoy had passed during the night.

April the 10th, accounts came with the intelligence of the capture of Rosetta. Colonel Spencer having passed his army across the two ferries, had proceeded on the 7th to Edko, keeping his right upon the lake, and only detaching patroles along the beach of the sea, by which he also avoided the melancholy sight of the number of dead bodies thrown overboard from the hospital ships, and which the sea had unhappily yielded up again. He arrived at Edko without opposition. The Turks, however, had given him much uneasiness, as they kept by way of amusement firing constantly in the air with ball. On the morning of the 8th, the army arrived before Rosetta, after a painful march across the Desert, where frequently in the hollows of the ground the air was so hot as to excite the sensation of the vertigo, and where from the mirage it seemed a lake of water, reflecting even the shade of the date trees; an extraordinary deception which no reasoning or strength of sight could remove. The French, to the number of 800 men, were drawn up in front of Aboumandour, a very high sand hill above the Nile, to the southward of Rosetta, on which was an old tower; but as Colonel Spencer approached the greater part passed across the Nile in dgerms ready for the purpose, and the remainder retreated towards El Hamed: that body which had crossed the river drew up on the bank, and remained so posted until two guns were brought up, and fired at them, which killed and wounded several men. Colonel Spencer then detached the Queen's and five hun dred Arnauts to occupy Rosetta, and blockade Fort St. Julien, whilst he proceeded with the main body to El Hamed.

The position of El Hamed was remarkably strong, the right being on the lake, the left on the Nile, and the highest banks

of

of a canal in Egypt running along the front; but it must be understood, that these canals are not like those of Europe, as they have no water in them, except at high Nile, the level of the country forming their bed, and the banks being raised above it. They may properly be called canals of irrigation.*

When the army first arrived on the banks of the Nile, a dgerm was seen sailing up it from Rosetta, in which was the commandant. A great number of shots were fired at him, but he persevered, and escaped. The same evening several Turkish gunboats forced the Boghaz, obliging the French dgerms, which defended the passage, to sail away, and anchor under the walls of St. Julien.

The

easy conquest of Rosetta was an object of astonishment: it had been considered so important an acquisition, that its capture was deemed very precarious; indeed, Colonel Spencer's instructions were to abandon the enterprize; if he met with serious resistance. The French, had they suspected this movement, might have passed a corps round Lake Maadie, and leaving a post at Beda, advanced on the isthmus between that lake and Lake Edko, thus intercepting his retreat, whilst an attack in front would have placed him in a desperate situation; and had there been an enterprising partizan employed, he might have made much advantage afterwards of that movement, and considerably distressed the English, by destroying the ferry-bridge, &c. &c. and this occasion offered until the 21st of May, when Beda was occupied by 450 men of the Coldstream, and the 3d Guards, 20 dragoons, with four pieces of cannon: which detachment was commanded by Colonel Turner.

April the 11th, towards evening, the camp was thrown into some alarm by the firing of heavy guns, which proved to be a salute to the Imperial, Russian, and Spanish colours, hoisted in

* The beds of the canals are frequently of a higher elevation than the level of the country, that when cut, all the water may be let out.

the

the centre of the French position, as a proof of France being at peace with those nations, and a lure to the foreigners in the British army. The same day, as a French serjeant came to a vidette, with the view of circulating a paper to seduce the troops, many of which had been distributed, the vidette fired at, and wounded him.

April the 13th was a memorable day for Egypt. The mili tary position, commercial relations, and climate of Alexandria, have from thence to date their new æra. The position which the army occupied, required so large a force, that it was impossible to maintain it, and prosecute the new expedition. In General Roiz's pocket had been found a letter of General Menou's, anxiously expressing a fear that the English had cut the canal of Alexandria,* and thus let the waters of the sea into Lake Mariotis. From that moment it had become the favourite ob ject of the army, as, by securing the left and part of its front, the duty would be diminished, the French nearly cut off from the interior, and a new scene of operations opened. But there were very serious objections to the measure. First, the mischief it might do was incalculable. The Arabs could give no information where such a sea would be checked: the ruin of Alexandria was probably a consequence, and whilst it strengthened the British left, it secured the south front of the French position, except from a new landing; but the urgency of the present service at last superseded general philanthropy and more remote considerations. General Hutchinson reluctantly consented, whilst the army was in raptures; never did a working party labour with more zeal; every man would have volunteered with cheerfulness to assist. Four cuts were made, of six yards in breadth, and about ten from each other, a little

* The canal commences at Rhamanieh, and passes over fifteen or sixteen leagues of country; the bed of it is higher than the level of Egypt, but the land which lay between it and Lake Mariotis, was considerably lower than the level of Lake Maadie.

in

in advance of the farthest redoubt, but only two could be opened the first night. At seven o'clock in the evening the last fascine was removed, and joy was universal. The water rushed in with a fall of six feet, and the pride and peculiar care of Egypt, the consolidation of ages, was in a few hours destroyed by the devastating hand of man. Two more cuts were finished the next day, and three more marked out; but the force of the water was so great, aided by the removal of a few banking stones worked out by the foot of an officer (who justly thought that these partial measures would not complete the inundation for months) as soon to break one into the other; and now an immense body of water rushed in, which continued entering for a month with considerable force; it then found nearly its level, but from the sand absorbing the water, there was always a fall of nine or twelve inches at the entrance. The first boat which floated on this sca was one belonging to Lord Cavan, whose efforts had contributed so much to its formation.

On the 13th, in consequence of this inundation, the 18th, 90th, 79th, and detachment of 11th light dragoons, marched to support Colonel Spencer; on the 17th instant, the 30th and 89th followed; on the 18th Generals Craddock and Doyle were appointed to commands in the division of the army at Rosetta.

Colonel Spencer had continued in his position at El Hamed without any movement, except sending patroles forward as far as Dèroute to reconnoitre the enemy's position at El Aft; and in the Delta, Sir Sydney, with some dragoons, and Captain Marley, advanced to Scindioun, from whence they could distinctly view the enemy's position.

It was on one of these patroles the erroneous statement of General Menoù was ascertained respecting the canal of Birimbal, which he described to Buonaparte as being now, during the whole year, navigable from Lake Bourlos to the Nile, and descanted on the advantages to be derived from this great work ;

whereas