2 
and the dangerous and difficult passage of the bar of 
the Nile. 
As we had but little wind, the djerme did not make 
much way; and as we saw we could not arrive in 
time to pass the bar of the Nile before night, we 
anchored in the Bay of Aboukir, at four o'clock in the 
afternoon. 
At the western extremity of the bay stands the 
castle, which is an old fortress, with a high tower and 
some new breast-works. At its side is a village in 
ruins, and at a short distance are some houses sur- 
rounded by gardens and trees. There are a few pieces 
of cannon mounted upon the fortress: the garrison, I 
was informed, consisted of but eight or ten men. 
Opposite are some small islands, where the anchorage 
is good. 
At three o'clock in the morning of Friday 31st, we 
set sail; but the wind being slack, we did not arrive at 
the bar until seven. 
The bar of the Nile is nearly four miles in the sea. 
The billows are generally very strong; for it is a bank 
of sand, against which the waters of the sea and the 
Nile beat with prodigious force. Ships find very little 
water; and the straits which are passable shift continu- 
ally; so that there is a boat stationed upon the bar to 
indicate the passage. Notwithstanding this precaution, 
as the bar is so broad that it requires sometimes ten 
minutes to cross it, the boats hardly ever pass over it 
without touching the sand three or four times, when 
the water of the Nile is low, which causes much 
fatigue to the sailors, and exposes them to be lost. 
As the Nile was high, and the sea and wind tranquil, 
when I crossed it, I only distinguished it by the red 
line that the waters of the Nile, which are charged 
