fcarce a tree, very little water, and the foil extremely fandy. Judea is full of mountains, and the val leys between them barren, uncultivated, and difa greeable.

CHA P. IV.

Voyage to Egypt; arrival at Damieta; with an account of Manfoura, Bulack, and Grand Cairo ; and fome obfervations on the Beys. The adventures of Circas Bey.

D

AMIETA is the first place in Egypt, and about 300 miles from St. John d'Acri. We were about five days on our paffage, but could easily have performed it in three, had our fhip been properly laden; but fhe was quite the contrary; for at the bottom of the hold was cotton, and on that wood and tobacco, fo that it was impoffible to turn to windward; for, on the leaft blaft fhe fell on her fide, fo that when the wind blew fresh in the evening, we were obliged to come to an anchor.

In this paffage we spoke with a Maltese galley, fome of which are always cruising in these feas, and take many valuable prizes. The commander told us, it would be adviseable to keep our lead going, and we accordingly took his advice.

ONE night however our rudder touched a fandbank, but no damage happened to the fhip. On the third day we perceived the colour of the fea to be. altered, from a mixture of the Nile water, being, turbid, and of a brownish caft.

In the morning of the fifth, the captain fent his boat on shore for fome germes. These are large flatbottom'd boats, ufed in carrying afhore goods and paffengers

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paffengers out of fhips, which they alfo tow up into the road. That evening we came to an anchor about fix miles from the road, in four fathom water; and on the fixth, the germes came along-fide, and brought our ship into the road. As foon as the fhip was fafely at an anchor, we went on fhore in one of the flat-bottom'd boats.

THIS road lies about four miles from the mouth of the river Nile; and the fhips in winter-time ride ten miles from this mouth; though at the time of the inundation of the Nile, they may anchor clofe to it, where, by the mud which the Nile fweeps away with it, they are inclofed as in a bay, and fecured from the rage of the fea, and other inconveniencies. For the water of the Nile difcharging itself into the fea, caufes a violent collifion, especially when a ftrong wind blows in from the fea against the current of the river; and in fuch weather, there are many instances of veffels being lost here. But it was our good fortune to have a remarkable fine feason, and light winds; fo that we eafily paffed this branch of the river. The diftance between this mouth of the Nile and Damieta is reckoned ten miles.

THIS branch of the celebrated Nile we entered between two caftles, which are in fo very indifferent a ftate of defence, that corfairs often carry off fmall veffels at anchor under their walls. We next came to Hisba, a village on the left shore of this branch of the Nile, and having a cuftom-houfe. Here winged kind of courriers are much in ufe; a letter being faftened to the leg of a pigeon, the bird was thrown up, and immediately flew to Damieta, carrying the tidings that a French veffel was arrived; and it is computed, that a pigeon performs this journey in one day, which an alert man on foot could hardly perform in fix. This method of conveyance is of long ftanding, being mentioned by Pliny, lib. x. cap. xxxvii.

THE

THE proceedings of the cuftom-house here are very different from thofe of Europe. For a Greek, who had concealed fome pieces of cotton by wrapping them about his body, was detected by the officer; but, on paying the ufual duties, he was fuffered to depart without any moleftation; whereas with us, befides forfeiting the goods, he would have been taught, by a heavy fine, not again to have attempted defrauding the public revenue, without which no government can fubfift. To land goods clandeftinely which are subject to duties, is here indeed looked upon as no more than a piece of addrefs.

In our coafting up the Nile, it was highly delightful to fee the fhores on both fides covered with the most beautiful verdure, being fowed with rice, and variegated with plantations of palm-trees. The land on both fides being low and flat, and both margins of the river covered with paftures and gardens, excited in us the pleafing idea of our native country; and these pleasing profpects continued till we arrived at Damieta.

On our arrival we immediately made use of a letter, with which the English Conful at Cyprus had favoured us, to a merchant here of the name of Fach; on which, not long after, the gentleman fent a renegado Jew, who was his factor, and took care of his affairs. He expreffed his furprize, that we had not previously apprized him of our coming by letter, as we might have been liable to very great inconveniences; for had we loft or mislaid our letter, we could not have appealed to any one, and from thence might have met with a great deal of ill treatment. But we told him we had nothing of that kind to fear, being furnished with a firman from the Grand Signior; and we were foon convinced of the benefit of this firman; for the receiver of the ufual charatz, or head-money, from the Chriftians and Jews, required it of us alfo; but we peremptorily refufed payment, tho' by the advice

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advice of a Jew, who every where accompanied us, and pretended that he was often ferviceable to us, we complied fo far as to pay the tax for our Armenian fervant. This Jew greatly impofed upon us, and we paid for several things which would otherwife have coft us nothing; and this taught us to decline all further offers of fervice from him.

WE were farther affured, that by walking about the town, we should unavoidably expofe ourselves to many infults; but we foon difcovered this to be only an artifice of the Maronite Chriftians, and particularly of the merchant to whom we had been recommended; tho' I dare fay the English Conful intended to do us fervice. Their intention is to deter the Franks from coming hither, that they may ingrofs the whole trade to themselves; and they do all in their power to perfuade the Turks not to fuffer any Frank to live here; as the cafe was formerly, when there was a French Vice-conful here, but fent away in a very fcandalous manner. For the Turkish and Greek failors obferving that the whole coaft-trade was carried on by veffels belonging to the French, who were fole owners of the dock, they applied themselves to the chief of the Dervifes; knowing that he owed the French Viceconful a grudge, for infulting one of his monks. Accordingly this religious inftigated the populous against the French, and they in the fury killed feveral of them, plundered their houfes, and drove them, together with their Vice-conful, out of the city.

IN the mean time we found that the accounts relating to our fafety were utterly falfe, for we freely vifited every part of the town, and the Turks were fo far from infulting us, that they fhewed us all kind of civilities. Some, thinking we were phyficians, defired us to feel their pulfe; and we did not endeavour to correct their mistake, but afked them several queftions, and gave them fuch advice as we were fure

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could do them no harm. We were even carried to the house of the Aga of the Janizars, who was afflicted with a cutaneous disorder in his arms and legs. To this illuftrious patient our advice was, to abstain from all hot and inflammable liquors.

THE town of Damieta is by fome thought to be the ancient Pelufium; and according to fome hiftorians, was, in one of the croifades, taken by a body of our countrymen. Some fay, that Damieta is twice as large as Marfeilles; but it is certainly equal to Rotterdam. It is handfomely built, and has a great many fpacious kanes, or manfions for merchants, and magazines for goods, and mofques, whofe minarets, give the town a grand appearance. The houses are all of brick, have feveral ftories, and are more fightly than thofe of Conftantinople.

THIS city lies on the weft fide of the Nile, and its chief trade confifts in rice, wheat, and coffee," which the Franks, however, are not fuffered to export, Its commerce renders it populous, and there is fomething very pleafing in the great number of small veffels, which are continually coming in and going out. Here is also a handsome and spacious bazar, or market, where all the neceffaries of life are fold very reafonable, except flesh, which is dear.

DAMIETA is governed by a Douannier aga, or collector of the cuftoms, a captain of the Janizaries, a cadi or civil judge, and a foubafci or fheriff. Its inhabitants, however, are looked upon as rude and mischievous, especially towards Franks; tho' it was our good fortune to experience nothing of it. As there is at prefent no Conful here, all Franks that come hither are without protection; and thus moleftations, oppreffions, frauds, infults, and even cruelties towards them, go unpunifhed; a fad inftance of which we were informed happened not long fince, in the cafe of an English fea captain, a perfon defcended from a good family, had great merit, and commanded

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