File:H.M. Ship Le Tigre.jpg

English: HMS "Tigre" in 1799, shortly after the siege of Acre.
Plate No 1. The annexed view of Acre, from the sea, represents that city as it appeared after the late siege. In the fore-ground is his Majesty's ship Le Tigre; and, at a little distance from her, is a country boat, with her colours displayed. The first important object on the left, is the palace of Jezzar, distinguishable by the flatness of its roof; below it, nearer the foreground, are some black stones, the remains of the ancient Ptolemais. A little to the right of Jezzar's palace, are the ruins of the palace ofRichard the First ofEngland, surnamed Cceur de Lion, built by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem under the cornice, above the arches, are figures of crowned heads in stone, according to the architectural style of those times. The large building with a cupola, in the centre of the town, is the governor's mosque, to the right and left of which appear the minarehs of smaller mosques. Towards the fore-ground, at this part, was a rope ladder up to one of the port-holes, through which the people sometimes went. After the second or third day of the siege, the ladder was removed. To the right of the grand mosque, and nearer to the sea, are some square bastions forming a part of the ancient enceinte. Between the first of these bastions and the minareh to the right of the mosque, is a caravanserai, or inn, the quarters of the English auxiliary party on shore during the siege. A little farther to the right is the south-west entrance gate, which, during the time of the blockade and siege, was fastened with only a single piece of timber. To the right of this is the harbour formed by an old mole ; and, still farther to the right, is a new bastion built since the retreat of the French army, who made a breach in the old wall, through which small boats sometimes passed. Below this were mounted two 68lb. carronades, two 321b. do, and a 24lb. howitzer, commanded by Mr. James Bray, carpenter of Le Tigre. To the right of the new bastion, in the harbour, is La Negresse, prize-gunboat, commanded, during the absence of Lieutenant Janverin, by Messrs. Simms and Spilsbury, junior, midshipmen: after experiencing a heavy gale of wind, their vessel was driven from her anchor off Yaffa ; all her sails were split to ribands, and she was helped into the harbour merely by a piece of her jib, and was obliged to remain there till she was supplied with a main-sail from Le Tigre. Above La NSgresse, a little to the right, is an old building which served the French for an hospital. Farther to the right are the light-house, and its battery, which were vigorously defended by Lieutenant Scroder, then a midshipman of his Majesty's ship Theseus; he kept possession of the battery until the guns were dismounted, and the castle itself a complete ruin. Considerably above the battery are the remains of an old building. Farther to the right, in the burial ground, is a small mosque, with a white cupola, where the French placed their ammunition. Between this mosque and the lantern-battery, are a three-gun and a fivegun battery. Three more batteries of five and three guns are concealed by the walls of the town. Considerably to right of the white mosque, is Richard Coeur de Lion's mound, on which the French threw up entrenchments. A little to the left, above the mount, where General Bonaparte was frequently observed during the siege, are the remains ofanother old building ; at the extremity of the picture^ to the right, are tents which were pitched by Jezzar, Pacha, after Bonaparte had raised the siege and retreated.