INTRODUCTION. li 
which he received a French general’s sword as the only 
share for this capture, he being only a passenger in the 
Braave. On his arrival in the Red Sea, Admiral Blankett 
had quitted it for India; and he rejoined his old ship, the 
Fox, which was left to guard the straits of Babelmandeb. 
On the return of the Admiral in 1800, he intended to visit 
Sir Sidney Smith at Cairo, on the supposition of the French 
having evacuated Egypt, under sanction of a convention 
with that officer ; and in that idea, sent Mr. Tuckey in the 
Fox to Suez, to proceed over land from thence with letters 
for Sir Sidney; Lut on his arrival at Suez, he found it in 
possession of the French, in consequence of Lord Keith’s 
refusal to permit their embarkation. He therefore returned 
to Bombay. ‘The excessive heat of the Red Sea seems to 
have laid the foundation of a complaint which never left 
him. He writes from Bombay, “ it may surprise you to 
hear me complain of heat, after six years broiling between 
the tropics ; but the hottest day I ever felt, eitherin the East 
or the West Indies, was winter to the coolest one we had 
in the Red Sea. The whole coast of « Araby the Blest,’ 
from Babelmandeb to Suez, for forty miles inland, is an 
arid sand, producing not a single blade of grass, nor af- 
fording one drop of fresh water ; that which we drank for 
nine months, on being analyzed, was found to contain a 
very considerable portion of sea salt. In the Red Sea the 
thermometer at midnight was never lower than 94°, at 
sunrise 104°, and at noon 112°. In India the medium is 
82°, the highest 94°.” 
Towards the latter end of the same year he again 
proceeded with the expedition to the Red Sea, contrary 
lo the advice of the faculty, and arrived at Juddah in 
