of Holland by an Anglo-Russian, and the entire conquest of Italy by an Austro-Russian army.

Contrary winds detained the frigates in port. Buonaparte took advantage of the delay in getting ready a felucca with a set of excellent rowers ; and which, on the evening of the 7th, when the frigates were enabled to proceed on their voyage, was taken in tow by the Muiron. Buonaparte had done this, in order that, should an engagement suddenly ensue between the frigates and any enemy's ships, he might be enabled to reach the French coast. On the 8th, at sunset, the coast of France was signalled ; but the joy this was calculated to inspire received a check in the signal which immediately followed, announcing that eight or ten large ships were in sight in the offing. Amidst the general consternation produced by this incident, Buonaparte alone, it appears, preserved his presence of mind. The danger appeared so imminent, that Rear-admiral Ganteaume was for tacking and returning to Corsica. " Non, non," replied Buonaparte, " cette manœuvre nous conduirait en Angleterre, et je veux arriver en France." * The two frigates immediately cleared for action and laid their heads to the north-north-west. The strangers whatever they were, disappeared ; and at midnight land was seen close ahead. The frigates now lay to ; and, at daylight on the 9th, Cape Taillat was in sight. On the same day Buonaparte and his suite disembarked at Fréjus. Leaving Buonaparte to make the most of his good fortune in having accomplished so perilous a voyage, we shall hasten back to the spot where he had left his army.

We formerly mentioned the visit of Buonaparte to Suez. On his return to Cairo, he left a small detachment of troops in possession of the town and environs of Suez ; and Kosseir, and a few other places along the coast of Upper Egypt, were similarly garrisoned. Much about the time that Buonaparte arrived at Suez, the British 50-gun ship Centurion, Captain John Sprat Rainier, and 18-gun brig-sloop Albatross, Captain Charles Adam, anchored in the road of Mocha, a seaport of Arabia, near the Straits of Babelmandel.

Early in the month of April Captain Rainier, with the Centurion and Albatross, made sail from Mocha, and on the 27th arrived in sight of the town of Suez. Here the boats of the British 50 and brig-sloop, covered by the latter, chased two French gun-boats into the harbour, but were unable to get at them owing to the shallowness and intricacy of the navigation. On the next day, the 29th, after the Albatross had sounded and discovered a safe anchorage, the two vessels brought up. We believe these were the first ships of war which had ever before been seen from the town of Suez, and their appearance created so much alarm to the French, that they began throwing up

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xi., p. 224.

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