INTRODUCTfON. Ji 



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 Babehnandeb. 

 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 ; but 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, either in the Easrt 

 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 

 kfi the advice of the faculty, and arrived at Juddah in 



