Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

SYRIA, EGYPT, GERMANY, &C. 95
Wc weighed anchor, and bore away on the following morning
at half past eleven, with a south-west wind; and on the 30th, at
noon found, bv our dead reckoning,
that we had run a hundred and
three miles since our departure from Limesol, in the space of some-
what more than twenty-four hours. We were then in the latitude
of 32 decrees, 56 minutes, and without sight of land. During the
night the wind was scanty ; and this occasioned us to experience a
very unpleasant motion from the rolling of the transport.
On tne 1st of July an observation was taken at noon and we
found ourselves in the latitude of 31 degrees, 28 minutes. The seamen
at the mast-head fancied they could perceive the land on our
starboard bow, in consequence of which we shaped our course to
the south-east. In a little time the land was seen distinctly ; but
our pilot was utterly at a loss to conjecture where we were. It was
suspected, however,
that we were below Gaza; atxl that the land
descried was Ascalon. We in consequence hauled up to the north-
east at six in the evening.
On the morning of the 2d, our pilot was still in the same state of
incertitude as to our absolute situation; but on a supposition that we
were too far to the southward, our course was somewhat altered.
At seven o'clock we saw a sail ;
strange and at ten descried several
others at anchor off Jaffa, which was now distinctly in our view.
At a quarter past one, we anchored off that place, in fifteen fathom
water; and found lying there twenty vessels of different burthens,
chiefly Russian, but none of them English. We saw the Grand
Vizier's encampment distributed in the outskirts of the town, which
stands on a circular eminence close to the sea shore. The houses
are white, and are all of them provided with domes and square
towers. The colours of the different nations were flying over the
houses of the consuls. The soil in the vicinity of Jaffa is sandy,
and presents a
dreary
and forlorn aspect. I shall have occasion
very
details relative
shortly to enter into some particular and interesting
both to the town and to the surrounding country. We landed in
the
evening, and proceeded to the house of the British consul,
where we found Mr. Morier, secretary to Lord Elgin, with whom
we took up our immediate abode. We were now debarked on the
Syrian coast, to be the spectators of
great military events, in which
we were ourselves to be engaged;
and that in a country on which
history, both sacred and profane, has conferred the highest ce-
lebrity.