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The Turks govern the city; the garrifons in both the Pha rillons, and another in the town, confift of Turks, who are under the command of an Aga. They have alfo a Cadis or civil magiftrate: the reft of them are either mechanics or little fhop keepers. They have few merchants among them; but thefe few are richer than they would feem to be. Robi omol

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have another tax upon houses, or goods, to defray the expences of providing for the common fecurity, and for recoms penfing fuch as may have fuffered by the infolence and oppreffion of the Turks. Thefe duties oblige them to raise the price of their commodities, and, confequently, lay them under a difadvantage, from which the English, who pay no duty but that to the Conful, are entirely free. The English live in a more familiar manner with one another, and with their Conful, than the French do. They are quiet, and mind their bufinefs; but if there is any thing to be got, they are fure to have their fhare: if any difficulties arife, they withdraw, and leave to the French the honour of determining them.

The Author here takes up almoft three pages, in tell ing a ftory of a Janiffary, Bravo to fome Greek women, who kept a houfe for the entertainment of failors. The French Conful finding it of very bad confequence to his countrymen, forbad them going to the house; which exasperated the Janiffary so much, that he infulted the French, wherever he met them. The government refused to meddle in the affair. The French, therefore, applied to the magistrates at Cairo, and procured a Sious* or black-head (Tête-noire) to be fent, who banifhed both the Greek women, and the Janiffary. But the wives of the Bravo fuppofing that their husband was fentenced to be drowned, gathered a mob, and attacked the Conful's houfe. The Janiflaries on guard there, could not protect it, till reinforced by others fent by the English Conful, and by the Sious. The commotion lafted till night; when, fatisfied that the fentence was only banishment, the rioters were appeared.

The Venetians and the Dutch had once an establishment here; but the Confuls themfelves became bankrupts. There are now but few veffels that arrive from those nations, or from the Swedes, who are likewife in alliance with the Porte; and they are all at the mercy of the person who farms the duties: except fame Venetian veffels which arrive under French colours, and are protected by the Conful of that nation.

Our Author knew of no other Europeans who traded to Alexandria. The Turkifh veffels that arrive here belong to the Sultan, and come every year for the Grand Signor's Ca ratt, which is paid in merchandize. The Bacha of Cairo collects it, and fends a Bey from Cairo to Conftantinople with it.

*Sija fignifies black in the Turkish language.

+ Charag or haraz, fignifies tribute, and by this name is always meant, the capitation, or poll-tax.

Whilft Mr. Norden was at Alexandria, a Turkish fleet came there, for three thousand men, which Egypt was to furnish, as its contingent, during the war between the Porte and the Emperor of Germany. Thefe foldiers, confifting of Aflaffs * and Janiffaries, committed many and great outrages in the two months they ftaid at Alexandria: they robbed and pillaged almost every body, and, in particular, a French merchant, of one thoufand Shequins, which the French Conful tried, but in vain, to recover.

There are two forts of veffels feen every day in the harbour; the larger, called Saiks, go to Damiette, and other ports of the Levant; the Vérgues †, or other veffels, are employed in bringing from Rofette, and Damiette, the merchandifes of Europe, or carrying to thofe ports the merchandifes of Cairo, that are defigned to pafs into Europe.

During the three weeks Mr. Norden ftaid at Alexandria, he frequently repaired to certain places that lay at no great diftance from the city, which enabled him to give fix drawings of different views of towns, mofques, and caftles, fituate in or near Delta: but we can fay no more of thefe copper-plates, than that the designs are finely executed by Tufcher, who engraved them, as well as a confiderable number of the leffer ornaments: of which there are a great many in this work.

Before our Author departs from Alexandria, to go into Upper Egypt, he gives his advice to travellers into this country; that they take care to get a good Banker; that they dress in the habit of a Turk, get a pair of whifkers, and affume an air of gravity and importance; and that they take into their fervice a Janiffary who talks Lingua Franka, knows the country, and will protect them against the inhabitants. As the Drogman belonging to the French is generally one that has been brought up in the country, and a perfect master of the language and customs thereof, he may be of great ufe to travellers. Three things they fhould carefully avoid; not to attempt the going into mofques, forts, or other prohibited places; not to dig about, or break any ancient monument, as the Turks will believe your design is to carry off fome great treafu e; not to indulge a paffion for the other fex: fome young merchants having been murdered on that account; and others, who were affured by their Janiffaries, that they had been favoured by women of great diftinction, have met with difeafes they could never be cured of. They muft alfo take care never to strike

* Azeb, fignifies a Centinel in the Turkish language.

Perhaps Barca or Barks. Rev. Oct. 1756.

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a Muffulman; for if they efcape with life, it will at least coft them all they are worth.

Cairo the capital of Egypt, is fituate to the eaft of the Nile, a little above the place where the river divides to form the Delta. There are two towns, one called New, the other Old-Cairo. As the defcription of this great city is fo well known, our Author contents himself with three remarks; the first relates to the opening the califh, or canal, which, during the time of the Nile's increafe, conveys the water to Grand Cairo. As this canal pafles through the country, it looks like a neglected ditch. In the city it has a better afpect, but is not very broad any where; at the place where the waters of the Nile enter, it may be about 15 or 20 feet wide. When the Nile rifes, the paffage which admits it into the califh is thut, by means of a bank of earth raised there, on which is marked the time for opening this, and all other canals in the kingdom. On the appointed day, the Bafha and Beys repair to this place, with a grand retinue, to affift at the ceremony of opening the canal. They are placed under a tent on one fide, and the Copts and Jews are employed in cutting the dyke. Some dirty fellows, in a miferable bark, throw nuts and melons, and other trash, into the water, as it enters; and the Bafha flings away fome parats (fmall pieces of money) while a poor fort of fire-work, confifting of about twenty rockets, is played off. The people on feeing the Nile rifen to that height which fertilifes their fields, and infures them an abundant harvest, indulge in a thoufand extravagances. In particular, they exprefs their joy by the most lafcivious dances: moreover, the tumult is fo great, that not a year paffes, in which fome one, or other, does not lofe his life. Thus ends this contemptible ceremony, which former travellers have defcribed in very magnificent terms. Of this feftival, our Author has given us a fine reprefentation among his defigns.

Our Author next mentions the famous well of Jofeph. Its mouth is 18 feet wide, by 24 long; but the whole depth, 276, from the upper wheel, to the bottom of the water. This depth is divided into two parts; for at 146 feet from the top, is a refting-place, to which height the water is raifed by means of another wheel, with a chain of earthen buckets: this fecond place is not fo large as above, being but 15 feet long, by nine wide; its height alfo nine. The whole well is cut out in the rock, and fo artificially performed, that the rock ferves as a wall, or

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*The Arabic name of this place is Maffer. Al Kehir, from whence the Europeans have made Cairo, fignifies fimply, THECITY; and is here ufed by way of pre-eminence for the metropolis of Egypt.

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rampart, in going down on the fide of the well; and at proper diftances, paffages are made for the admiffion of light, which comes from the mouth of the well; and the oxen go down the fame way to draw up the water by the fecond wheel. From this place to the bottom, is another defcent, in like manner as the first, only not fo large, being but three or four feet wide, and fix high, and without any parapet on the fides. It is entirel ly open, which makes the defcent very dangerous. At the bot tom of this laft defcent is the fpring, or bafon, which is about nine or ten feet deep. The water taftes brackish, and therefore is not used for drinking, but in time of fiege, or other diftrefs.

His third remark relates to weights and measures, and merchandife: for which, as there is nothing very entertaining in names and numbers, we refer our readers to the book itself; and proceed with our Author to Old Cairo.

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This antient city, of which Mr. Norden has three views, is fituated on the edge of a great canal, which detaches the island of Rodda from the main land. Its length, reckoning from the ma+ chine that raises the water of the aqueduct to Bafar*, is about a quarter of a French league; and its greatest breadth, taken from the Hofpitium to the canal, is about 500 common paces; the reft is very unequal, and its extremeties are bounded by common houses. Most of the buildings, excepting those in which the labouring people live, are receffes for people of diftinction, when the Nile overflows. There are many gardens; and datetrees, and arbors of vines, cover a great deal of the ground. The Turks have fix mofques here, adorned with minarets; the Jews a fynagogue; the Romanifts a convent, or hofpitium, occupied by the Fathers of the Holy Land; the Copts a diftrict, with feveral churches, in one of which is the cave, where, as tradition will have it, the bleffed Virgin repofed, when she went into Egypt: the Fathers of the Holy Land, pay a certain annual fum to the Copts, for the privilege of faying mass in this cave. The water-houfe is a work of the Saracens; and may once have been a palace. At prefent there are four mills, with chains of earthen pots: they are worked by oxen, and fupply the aqueduct that conveys the water to the caftle of Grand Cairo. One of the moft remarkable edifices here, is Jofeph's Granary. It covers a great deal of ground, is encompaffed with a wall, is divided into feveral apartments, and is the repofitory of corn, collected from the several districts in Egypt, as a tribute to the Grand Signior. As the top is open, the doves, and other birds, come daily, and in great numbers, to feed upon the corn. The doors are fhut only with wooden bolts, but the Infpectors of the granary, after they have fhut a door, take

Bafar is the market.

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