commenced putting the town of Acre, with its rotten and ruined walls, in the best possible state for resisting the attack of an European army. Encouraged by the presence of a British naval farce, particularly so by the zeal and activity of Sir Sidney and his friends, the pacha and the garrison seemed determined to make a vigorous defence. On the 17th Sir Sidney detached the Theseus to reconnoitre the coast to the southward, while he himself, with the boats of the Tigre, proceeded to the anchorage of Caïffa near the promontory of Mount Carmel, in order to intercept the maritime portion of the French expedition, which the commodore was convinced would soon make its appearance. At 10 p.m. he discovered the French advanced guard, mounted on asses and dromedaries, marching by the seaside. Sir Sidney immediately returned to the Tigre, and sent the launch, with a 32-pounder carronade and 16 men under the orders of Lieutenant John Bushby, to the mouth of the river Kerdanneh, to guard and defend the ford ; a service most ably and effectually performed.

On the 18th, at daybreak, the launch opened a fire on the French troops, so unexpected and vigorous, as to oblige them to retire precipitately to the skirts of Mount Carmel. The main body finding the road between the sea and the mount thus exposed, came in by the Nazareth road, but not without being much harassed by the Samaritan Arabs, who were more inimical to the French than even the Egyptians, and better armed. After being driven by the guns of the British ships, directed at the trenches, from making an attack along the coast to the northward, the French invested the town of Acre to the north-east, where the defences were much stronger.

The non-employment of cannon against the British boats convinced Sir Sidney, that the French expected their artillery by sea ; and on the very next day, the 18th, at 5 a.m., a French flotilla, consisting of one corvette and nine sailing gun-vessels, hove in sight of the Tigre. After a three hours' chase, the following seven gun-vessels, including one, the Torride, which had been taken from the British that morning, were captured:

These vessels were laden with battering cannon, ammunition, and every kind of siege-equipage, which they had brought from Damietta, under the escort of a corvette commanded by Captain Standelet ; the same officer who, at the Battle of the Nile, so treacherously set fire to the Artémise frigate after having struck

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