234 Captain Pringle's Route to India 



this law. If that shall be confirmed by ulterior experiments, 

 we may conclude that it is only in the transition of a body 

 from one state of aggregation to another, that this law is not 

 regulated by the compressions. 



Copenhagen, 9th September 1825. 



Art. IX. — Route to India, by Egypt and the Red Sea. By 

 Captain Trtngle, Royal Engineers. Communicated by 

 the Author. 



The contradictory statements which I received respecting 

 the above route, induced me to note down the inquiries which 

 I made up on the subject ; and their result will, perhaps, be 

 useful to such officers as may have an intention of proceeding 

 by Egypt and the Red Sea to India. 



The season in which vessels sail from the Red Sea to In- 

 dia is confined to the short space of about two months, ex- 

 tending from the first of July to the first week in September ; 

 and this is done, that they may have the benefit of the south- 

 west monsoon in the Indian seas, and of the steady weather 

 which is then prevalent. It will be requisite, therefore, to 

 regulate all the previous proceedings of the journey, in order 

 to suit the above season. 



It will be necessary, then, to arrive at Mocha either before 

 or within that period. It might be possible, indeed, even 

 after that time, to get round the southern shore of Arabia to 

 Muscat, from which place there are vessels sailing to Bombay 

 at all seasons ; but such a voyage would be attended with 

 difficulty and danger. In coming from ports higher up the 

 Red Sea, all vessels, I believe, touch at Mocha ; at least all 

 that are proceeding to British India, as the Company have 

 their resident there. The vessels employed in this trade are 

 chiefly Arabs. A few of them are square rigged, but the 

 greater part are Buglas, similar to the Indian Donie, which 

 is a sloop, or large boat, with an unwieldy sail. Many of 

 them, however, have airy poop-cabins. 



The Buglas are almost the only vessels used in communi- 

 cating betwixt the different ports of the Red Sea. The 



11 



