Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/299

Rh conveniently can without pressing or fatiguing your troops; you may march by detachments, and let them be ever so small there can be no difficulty in making your rendezvous at Gizeh which I have occupied entirely for your convenience. You have only to intimate your wishes to Colonel Stewart" (Commandant of Gizeh) "and everything will be procured for you that the country affords."

With respect to his own movements General Hutchinson stated that his army had marched on the 9th and would arrive at Rosetta about the 29th. Thence he intended to proceed without loss of time to besiege Alexandria.

On receiving this letter General Baird lost no time in ordering all the troops up from Kosseir. Amongst those who responded to his call were four companies of the 61st Regiment, two of the 80th, the Horse Artillery from Bengal, and the Artillery and Pioneers from Madras, — recently arrived at Kosseir. I may mention that Colonel Champagné and the provision ships had not even then arrived; and that the Susannah, the ship in which Colonel Arthur Wellesley was to have sailed, was lost on her passage! Never certainly was an attack of fever more opportune than that which prevented the future conqueror of Napoleon from taking part in this expedition.

On the 24th July General Baird despatched Colonel Quarrill with the 10th Regiment to Girgeh with instructions to enquire, on his arrival there, into the state of the roads and of the inundations; he was further directed, that if he should find he could with safety proceed to Siout or to any town capable of furnishing