In Egypt I found that all the above-quoted remarks held good; in particular that relating to heat. Though the degree of it be very considerably increased, I believe that, unless combined with intemperance, or some other cause, it very rarely is the exciting cause of disease. At Kossier, and in crossing the desert, the degree of heat was very great, and both the officers and men, from Madras, as well as Bengal, complained that it was more insupportable than they had ever felt it in the hottest seasons. Yet, at the above period, the army enjoyed an uncommon degree of health, though they necessarily were much exposed to the sun: but their minds as well as their bodies were at this time exercised. Not only on crossing the desert, but for some time after we reached the Nile at Ghenné, we all thought that we were in the neighbourhood of a division of the French army, and the Indian army was for some time kept in the constant hopes of being engaged. That simple moisture is noxious, the situation of the 61st regiment, in the Pharos, shewed; and that moist exhalations from marshes were active as causes of the diseases which prevailed, from the arrival of the army at Rhoda till their departure from El Hammed, the journal gives abundant proof. We received still farther confirmation of the very great influence which intemperance has as a cause of disease. We had demonstration how very little spirits are required, in a hot climate, to enable the soldier to bear fatigue, and how necessary a regular diet is. At Ghenné, and on the voyage down the Nile, (on account of the difficulty of at first conveying it across the desert,) the men had no spirits delivered out to them; and I am convinced that, from this, not only did they not suffer, but that it even contributed to the uncommon degree of health which they at this time enjoyed. From two germs, or boats, the soldiers one day strayed into a village, where the Arabs gave them as much of the spirit which they distil from the juice of the date-tree, as induced a kind of furious intoxication. It was remarked, that, for three months after, a considerable number of these men were in the hospitals. On the causes of the plague I do not mean to dwell. I may just mention, that, after seeing the first cases which occurred in the Indian army, and attentively studying the histories of some of the cases which subsequently appeared, it struck me that there were many points of resemblance between this disease and the destructive fever of the West Indies, which, some years ago, I saw a good deal of in several of the islands there. I would by no means, however, have it implied that I consider the diseases as the same. One of our medical gentlemen persevered in an opinion that the plague was not contagious. He made the first, and we sincerely hope the last, experiment of the kind to determine this question. Dr Whyte fell a victim to his own temerity.