£4 
tC?YAGË TÔ SÊNEGAÎ, 
in tlie middle between the two banks is a passage from tO to BO 
fathoms wide, and six deep, by the north bank; and from seveti 
to eight on the south. On proceeding some distance you discover 
another pass, which cuts the northern bank at about one third of 
its length, and contains about five fathoms of water. The bay 
is only six fathoms deep ; tlie bottom is uneveft, and it is impos- 
sible to remain long here during the greater part of the year, on 
account of the heavy sea and breakers which are driven in by the 
-wind. The Dutch have erected a wooden fort at Portendick^ 
for which all the materials were prepared at Amsterdam. 
/irguin and Portendick have been disputed by several Euro-* 
pean nations with inconceivable rancour. The Portuguese were 
driven from them, after possessing them two hundred years, by' 
the Dutch, who took the isle and fort of Arguin in l638; but 
in 1665 they were captured by the English. The Dutch, how^^ 
ever, retook them in the following year^ but lost them in l678> 
after sustaining an obstinate siege fronj the French. The French 
destroyed the fort, carried off the artillery, with every thing else 
that was worth removing; but the possession of the isle was se* 
cured to them by the treaty of Nimeguen, concluded between 
France and Holland 1678. 
The loss of this factory did a seriows injury to the Dutch mer- 
chants, and they resolved to retake it ; but fearing to violate the 
treaty, they attacked it in 1685, under the mask of the flag of 
the elector of Brandenburgh, who had become king of Prussia* 
They then restored the fortifications, and kept the isle during the 
war, which began in 1688 and lasted till 1698, when it was ter* 
minated by the treaty of Ryswick. This war enabled the Dutch to 
renew their alliances with the Moors ; and the latter, who were en- 
gaged in the négociations, had their warehouses near the cisterns. 
The French company in ITQll, fitted out a squadron at L'Orient 
and Havre, to retake that valuable possession. It consisted of 
three ships of war, a frigate, and three sloops, with land forces j 
the squadron was commanded by M. P. de Salvert, who landed, 
and finding the Dutch disinclined to surrender, erected batteries to 
attack the fort. He was given to understand, that the Moors, who 
were then numerous, were determined to assist the Dutch, and pe* 
rish to a man, rather than surrender the place. After a vigorous bom- 
bardment, the Moors finding themselves incapable ot" farther de- 
fence, retired during the night, and passed over to the continent. 
The French entered the fort by the same ladder by which the 
Moors had left it. They found in it only two negroes, an old 
female Moor, and two children belonging to M. Both, the former 
French governor of Arguin. The Dutch governor, M. Jan dc 
Wine, voluntarily followed the Moors, who took with them 
prisoners to the continent, several Frenchmen who resided in the 
