AND LOWER EGYPT. 23 



cannot admit ships of war, but is very commo- 

 dious for vessels of small draught of water. 



Towards noon, having got a fair wind, we passed 

 elope by Monte- Christ o, a barren and desert rock, 

 situated to the south, at no great distance from the 

 isle of Elba, from which it appears to have been 

 detached by some one of the mighty convulsions 

 that have not been un frequent in those seas. The 

 line which united these two islands may still be 

 traced by the Planosa (Planouse, or He Plate, Flat 

 Island), a ridge of rock scarcely appearing above 

 the water's edge, and reaching from the one to 

 the other. I was informed that this last-mentioned 

 ridge is the resort of a great quantity of sea-calves 

 and seals. 



We saw astern of the ship a flock of petrels, 

 known to navigators by the name of birds of storm*. 

 It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when 

 they first came near us ; the weather was fine, the 

 wind at south-east, and almost calm. But about 

 seven o'clock the wind came round to the south- 

 west, and blew furiously. The sky was overclouded 

 and lowering, the night set in extremely dark, and 

 repeated flashes of lightning increased the horror 

 of it ; there was a dreadful swell in the sea, and 



* Oiseau de temptte. Buffon, Hist. Nat. des Ois. & pi, en- 

 Ium. No. wi.—ProceHaria pelagka t Lin. 

 VOL. I, D 



