The violence of the wind forced the boat aground upon a shallow, at the entrance of a canal here, the only one I had seen for a month.  After toiling for an hour, the boatmen at length succeeded in getting the boat water-borne.  About an hour after noon the wind abated and the boat proceeded on her way under her foresail only.  We went at a great rate till an hour before sunset, when we put to shore on the east bank of the river.  The people informed us that we had passed Dongola, and, from their description of that place, we were convinced that the city we had seen this morning, upon the eminence on the east bank of the river, must have been the place we were bound to.  The people said that all the boats that preceded us had followed the march of the army of the Pasha, who was encamped, they reported, at two days’ distance from this place.  We therefore determined to proceed to join him, and not to return to Dongola, where it was probable we should only receive directions to proceed to the Pasha.  The country we saw to-day was not so uniformly fertile as that we have passed for several days past.  Sand was in some places visible.

1st of Rebi.  Made great way to-day, the wind being very strong till sunset.  We landed at evening on a large and fertile island which was well cultivated.  I observed here, at a considerable distance from the place where we landed, a large and lofty column, situated, as I then supposed, on the main land, on the eastern bank of the river.[17] The country we passed to-day, for about ten miles on the eastern bank of the river, is mostly covered by sand; that on the western bank is beautiful.  During the whole of the afternoon, however, the country we passed, on both banks, can be surpassed by none in the world for fertility; the appearance of numerous water-wheels and large plantations of durra and cotton, showed us that this fine territory was improved by a considerable population.  The face of the country continues still the same, an immense and fertile plain, bounded by the horizon and intersected by the windings of the river Nile.  We have seen no considerable eminence for many days, except that on which stands the old city of Dongola, which we passed yesterday; it is a fine military position.

2d of Rebi.  The wind to-day was right ahead, owing to the curious fact that the river here makes an eccentric bend to the left, toward the north-east, and presents itself as coming from that quarter instead of from the south or south-west, as usual hitherto.[18] The Rais attempted to advance by cordelling the boat; but the force of the wind and current prevented the boatmen from gaining more than two or three miles along the coast of the island, where we landed yesterday.  We were therefore obliged to pass a great part of this day and all night by the shore.  The island is about twenty miles long and very beautiful; it is called, as I have been repeatedly informed, “Argo.”