AND LOWER EGYPT. £3 



CHAP. III. 



Departure from Toulon — Come to an anchor — Coast 

 of Corsica — Genoa — The Opera — Elba and the 

 adjacent islands — Gale of wind — Arrival at Pa- 

 lermo. 



At ten o'clock of the evening of April 26th, 

 1777, the frigate Atalanla, one of the finest in 

 the French navy, set sail from the road of Toulon. 

 She was under the command of M. Durfort ; her 

 crew consisted of near three hundred seamen, and 

 she mounted thirty-two cannon. Some persons 

 from Versailles, Monsieur and Madame Tesse, 

 M. d'Ayen, M.Mcung, had obtained permission to 

 embark with us, and were to be carried to Palermo, 

 to Malta and Syracuse. These persons were for- 

 rnerlvdenominated the Great ; but they had divested 

 themselves of the pride of courts, and were become 

 very agreeable people. Madame Tesse, one of the 

 wittiest women of her day, gave the tone to this 

 little colony of courtiers; and the politeness, the 

 frank and graceful probity of the commander, the 

 select character of the other officers, rendered the 

 company on board the Atalanta, the most amiable 

 society that can be imagined, and such as could 

 Jiardly be expected at sea. M. Tott, for his part, 



c 4 had 



