948 
one of the same saint, placed in an 
adjoining chapel, and executed at 
Rome by Melchior -Caffa, a native 
of Malta. People never leave this 
grotto without filling their pockets 
with pieces of St. Paul’s stone, to 
which the superstitious inhabitants 
ascribe all possible powers; they 
also affirm, that the mass never de- 
creases whatever quantities are taken 
from it. At the extremity of the 
Rabatto are the catacombs. ‘These 
are excavations divided into nu- 
merous passages, most of which are 
stopped up, as, otherwise, it would 
be very easy to lose yourself in this 
subterranean labyrinth, and, most 
probably, perish there. 
During the frequent wars and re- 
volutions which this island has ex- 
perienced, the catacombs have been 
used as a place of safe retreat. In 
them are still shewn the remains of 
a chapel, and of two mills for grind- ; 
ing corn; a small statue, said to 
be St. Peter; and a recess, near 
_ the entrance, where a centinel was 
* placed on the look out, to give 
alarm’on the approach of an ecne- 
my.” 
We hurry over our author's de- 
scription of the delightful Bay of 
Marmorice, which is, however, ex- 
tremely worthy the reader’s perusal, 
and hasten to his animated descrip- 
tion of the ever-memorable landing 
of the English force, on the 8th of 
March, at Aboukir ; a detail which 
must strike on every Briton’s heart, 
and which, if he have a spark of 
genuine patriotism, must cause the 
flush of honest pride to glow upon 
his cheek, at this recital of the va- 
jour of his countrymen. 
<¢ At two o'clock in the morning 
a rocket was fired from the ad- 
miral, which was the signal for all 
boats to repair to the appointed 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
ships. About half after three, the 
boats, being filled with troops, be- 
gan to move off towards the ren- 
dezvous. ‘Three armed vessels were 
stationed in a line opposite the 
shore, and out of gunsitot, round 
which the boats were to form, and 
wait the order for pushing to the 
Jand. Lach flat-bottomed boat con- 
tained about fifty men, exclusive of 
the sailors employed in rowing. The — 
soldiers were ordered to sit down 
on the bottom, holding their fire- 
locks between their knees. All the 
boats of the fleet were engaged 
either if towing the flats or car- 
rying troops. They might have 
contained, in all, near five thou- 
sand men. .Six thousand had been 
intended for landing, but above a 
thousand remained in the ships, 
from the want of means to. convey 
them. 
The moment was awful; and the 
most solemn silence prevailed, as 
the boats pulled to the rendezvous, 
a distance of about five miles. No- 
thing was heard but the hollow and 
dismal sound of the oars, as they 
dipped into the water. 
The boats continued coming up 
till a little after eight, when every 
arrangement being made, and as 
correét a line as possible formed, 
the centre boat, in which was the 
honourable captain Cochrane of the 
navy, who superintended the whole, 
threw out the signal to advance.— 
Every oar was instantly in motion, 
pulling eagerly towards the shore, 
In order to proteét our approach, 
the Tartarus and Fury bomb ves- 
sels commenced throwing shells as 
we passed them. Two gun-boats, ~ 
and three armed launches, kept up 
a constant firing for the same pur- 
pose, though with little effeét. We 
continued to adyance unmolested, 
oat Ine ~ and 
