AX irxISII REXEGADE. 123 



I was highly delighted when I perceived the mate re- 

 turning to our vessel, and the Algerian squadron steering 

 their course t j the eastward. Towards evening we entered 

 the celebrated port of Agrigentum, and lay to for some 

 hours to receive despatches from Lord William Bentinck, 

 our ambassador at Palermo. 



The town of Agi-igentum (now called Grirgenti), is 

 about four miles from the port, and after breakfast we 

 went to see the remains of Agrigentum, which prove of 

 what importance this place was in the time of the 

 Eomans. Those antiquities are considered the most 

 considerable and interesting of any in Sicily ; but our 

 time was too limited to allow us to make a close inspec- 

 tion of them, and my head was too full of the prospect 

 of sport amongst the stags, wild boars, partridges, &c., 

 in Sardinia to appreciate properly those ancient ruins. 

 In short, I was no antiquary. Our guide showed us 

 the Temples of Venus, Concord, and Hercules. The 

 last shov/n us was that of Jupiter, the largest of 

 the four. The to-s\Ti of Girgenti is a poor miserable 

 place, and the streets narrow and dirty. We now ob- 

 served the blue peter hoisted, and made the best of 

 our way to embark, and the wind being favourable, 

 directed our course to the Gulf of Cagliari. On our ar- 

 rival at the entrance of the gulf, (which extends from 

 Pulor on the west to Cape Bartonaro on the eastern side, 

 a distance of twenty-four miles across, and about twelve 

 miles in depth), we were completely becalmed, and I 

 found the old adage verified, " Misfortunes seldom come 

 alone." The captain, who was as anxious as myself to 

 arrive at Cagliari, ordered the sweeps to be got out, and 

 all hands set to work to row the vessel to the port. Some 

 of the passengers assisted the crew, and I amongst the 

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