=The Calcutta Medal.=--Like the medal of Mysore, there are two varieties of the Seringapatam medal owing to mistakes on the part of the die-cutters. The sun at its meridian, a significant and symbolic feature in the Soho medal, is omitted in that struck at Calcutta; moreover the medal is not so large, being only 1⅛ in. in diameter, is thinner, has a loop for suspension by a cord, and, what is very important, of inferior craftsmanship--so that in considering the value or authenticity of a medal for the famous battle of Seringapatam the collector has to remember several important features, since while he may hold in his hand two medals differing somewhat in size, design, and quality of craftsmanship, he may find that both are perfectly genuine. The Calcutta mint issued 83 gold and 2,786 silver medals, so that the collector must carefully consider what he is about when a silver-gilt medal is offered for sale; only 185 _bona-fide_ medals of that quality were issued, but of the 850 British-struck silver medals many have been gilded to simulate the rarer medals, while a number of the smaller and inferior Indian-struck medals have been gilded and offered as original gilts. Despite the large number of tin medals issued (45,000), I have seen many fetch £1 each at auction. No bronze or tin medals were struck from the Calcutta die. =Egypt, 1801.=--Napoleon, with an eye upon our Indian Empire, invaded Egypt in order "to conquer the East and take Europe in the rear." Fortunate in eluding Nelson, who was cruising in the Mediterranean, he managed to disembark his troops, but he had to suffer the humiliation of Nelson's brilliant victory in the Bay of Aboukir (on August 1st, 1798), by which he lost practically all his fleet. This famous sea battle is known as the Battle of the Nile. It left Napoleon stranded in Egypt with his army, which he marched across the desert. He stormed Jaffa and besieged Acre for two months, but Sir Sidney Smith and his garrison of British and Turks not only held the fort, but in so doing caused the loss of 4,000 of Napoleon's finest troops. Falling back on Egypt he found disquieting news awaiting him, so he returned to France and proclaimed himself First Consul. Meanwhile his troops had to prepare to meet the British expedition which, under Lieutenant-General Abercromby, had been dispatched to evict them. The total British force which landed under the brilliant but fated General was 15,330 men, but of these, it is stated, only about 12,000 could be counted as fighting units. The French had made formidable preparations to resist the disembarkation, and the seamen had to row the troops ashore under a hail of round shot, grape and shell. Many a boat-load of brave men was sent to the bottom, but those who reached the shore rushed through the surf, formed line, fixed bayonets, and, led by Major-General Moore (who found a soldier's grave at Coruña), charged up the slope, drove