Captains Morrison, Curry, and Hillyar, leaving their djerms at anchor abreast of Mencet el Mourcheé, proceeded with the armed flat boats and launches to Shimshara, and from the top of a mosque at that place discovered fourteen vessels, part of the enemy’s retreating flotilla, in the direction of Foua, a village then occupied by the republican troops. Returning to their djerms, they visited a sort of school, where girls are taught dancing, &c. to qualify them for the harems of their masters. These girls, called Almas, though described by M. Savary, in his romance concerning Egypt, as beautiful, elegant, and voluptuous, were found to be frightfully hideous, and ill dressed; their movements, instead of being graceful, were violent and disgusting; contortions of the body inspiring very different sensations from those they were intended to excite. Some little allowance, however, should be made for the effects of the brandy with which they had been treated by the English seamen, who, during their supper hour, had strolled thither, and shared their allowance with them.
The effective force of the allied armies now assembled in the neighbourhood of Rosetta, amounted to between 8000 and 9000 men. On the 27th, three companies of the Queen’s regiment were embarked on board the djerms, and conveyed to Etphiné, from whence the enemy’s advanced post was then distant about two miles[1].
On the 5th May, the combined force marched along the banks of the Nile to the neigbourhood of Derout, where they encamped in two lines, supported by the flotilla. On the following day, the enemy abandoned a very strong position at El Atph, having previously blown up several gun-boats, and obstructed the navigation by sinking others in a line between the east bank of the river and a small island, opposite El Atph, on which was found a battery of three guns. Captain Curry, who on a former occasion had met with a similar accident, fell overboard and was nearly drowned, whilst em-
- ↑ No stronger proof of the friendly disposition of the natives towards their deliverers will be required, when we state that Sir W. Sidney Smith and his associates were not only allowed to enter the mosques at Shimshara and Etphiné, but even to do so without uncovering their feet. Refreshments were brought to them at the former, and the enterprising Commodore displayed his vane on the top of the latter.
