a handful of dirt, and put their feal to it. Some stone is ufed in this building, but, for the greateft part, it is built of bad bricks, and mud; and therefore has no pretence to be deemed fo antient, as the name it bears might import: it muff have been a work of the Saracens.

The canal is of great antiquity; it reaches from Bazar to the water-house, is a quarter of a league long, and 200 common paces broad. When the Nile is low, you may pafs the whole length of the canal on foot, without being wet; but when the waters of the Nile rife, you will fee the canal covered with all forts of boats, and even barks.

The Mokkias, or Mikkias, is a work of the Saracens and derives its name, which fignifies meafure, from its ufe which is, by means of a graduated pillar, to fhew the degrees of the increafe or decrease in the waters of the Nile, which are proclaimed, at different hours, in the city, by public criers. The bafon is in a fquare tower, environed by a gallery, with feveral windows; the whole terminated by a vaulted roof, after the manner of the Arabians: our Author has given us a fine fection of this building. The Arabic infcription at the entrance, was thus explained to Mr. Norden; "The entrance into this “place witneffeth, that there is no other God but one God, "and that Mohammed is his embalador." On one fide of the Mokkias is a grand mofque, and on the weft fide of this mofque are stairs, leading down to the water and here the people make their obfervations; for the mokkias itself is fhut, and not readily opened to every one,, Lunn, orð haf nitial

It is called by the Greeks, Nilometron. Abdalaziz, brother of Caliph Abdalmalek, of the family of the Ommiads, erected one at Hulvan; but this was of no fervice, and therefore Solomon the Caliph, who was fon of Abdalmalek, built another in the island, where the river divides, one branch going to Cairo, the other to Gize. The Caliph Al-Mamon, of the family of the Abessides, built one in the Saïd, or Thebaid, near Banbenouda, in a place called Sourat, and repaired another in the city of Akhmim. In the 245th year of the Hejira, Motavakkel, fon of Motaffem, ninth Caliph of the family of the Abeffides, hearing that the Nilometre erected in the ifland of Cairo, by Salomon, fon of Abdalmalek, was spoiled, buil one at Gizè, which is now called Mekias Algedid, or the New Nilometre: that by Soliman being called Mekias Alâtik, or the Old Nilometre. Moradi, an Arabian poet, fitting on the banks of the Nile, near the Mekias, and reciting his verfes, was observed by an Egyptian, who fuppofing him to utter fome incantation to hinder the increafe of the Nile, threw the unfortunate poet into the river, and drowned him. See Herbelot's Bibliotheque Orientale. şelila to

Our Author, amongst other defigns, gives us a view of Gize, a large town on the weft fide of the Nile, oppofite to Cairo, and the Ife of Rodda. It is built of brick and mud, and has four or five minarets. This, according to fome, was the very spot on which the antient Memphis ftood; but it is not half fo big as Old Cairo, and the plains about are overflowed by the waters of the Nile: a circumftance the antient authors would have recorded of Memphis, if it had been fituate in this place. Half a league to the fouth of Grand Cairo is feen the great mofque of Otter-Ennabi; the Mohammedans have a great veneration for it, because they believe, that the firft Calif, Omar, in defcending upon the fpot where this mofque has fince been founded in honour of him, left the impreffion of his foot upon marble. Near this place is the town of Deir Etiin, which, as fome pretend, fignifies a convent of figs. Upon this occafion Mr. Norden tells us, there are feveral kinds of figs in Egypt; but that which differs most from the common fort, grows on the ficamore, called giomez, in Arabic. This tree is as tall as the beech, and bears its fruit in a manner different from all other trees for the figure, and further description, of this tree, we refer to our Author. d. Here is also a print of Adam's fig-tree, commonly called bananas, and of two cyprefs-trees at Old Cairo: alfo of fome other trees, and infects, and utenfils, and inftruments of husbandry with a plan of the ovens made ufe of in order to hatch chickens.ro

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It is a great miftake to fuppofe, that Egypt, by its natural fertility, and the annual overflowing of the Nile, requires, like Paradife, little or no labour to bring forth its productions; on the contr fays our Author, I dare aver, from what I have feen with my own eyes, that there is no country where the land requires more culture, than the land of Egypt." The beft land is in Delta, because it is more cultivated, and better inhabited, and from its low fituation, receives greater advanrage from the overflowing of the Nile. But this yearly inundation not proving fufficient, the natives have contrivances for faving water. The antients fucceeded wonderfully in their inventions for preferving and diftributing the waters of this river, to different parts of the country; witness their canals, aqueducts, Takes-which, tho' now in fo decayed a condition, are fill of prodigious advantage. They, however, approach fo faft towards ruin, that if the Arabs are not, by extreme neceffity, obliged to work for their prefervation, in lefs than a century, Egypt will be reduced to as miferable a ftate as the leffer Barbary, in the neighbourhood of the cataracts, where no one labours, or tills, beyond twenty or thirty paces from the fides of the river. The profperity of a province here de

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pends upon the care taken of the canals; but every one endeavours to gain what he can by them, infomuch, that the Bey of Gize actually raifes above 500 t purfes, yearly revenue, on these canals; yet no body, it seems, takes any thought about keeping them in repair: fo that they are continually decaying, and the fertility of the land decreases in proportion to their ruin.

After this account of the natural and improved state of Egypt, our Author proceeds to confider the civil government of that country,

Selim I. Emperor of the Turks t, conquered Egypt in one compaign; and, to fecure his conqueft, he erected a Bafha, whom he made abfolute governor of all Egypt, accountable to none but the Emperor himfelf. Twenty-four Beys were alfo eftablished, to govern the provinces, with as abfolute power as the Basha; to whom alone they were answerable for their conduct. One of these, as we obferved before, was obliged to attend the Carats, or tribute, fent every year to Conftantinople; another to conduct the caravan to Mecca, and fuch as were not otherwife engaged, were to affift once a week at the divan, or council of the Bafha, to receive the Grand Signior's orders, and to determine upon the moft speedy and effectual means of putting them in execution.

When Egypt fupplies any troops for the fervice of the Emperor, they are commanded by thefe Beys, or Begs, and the office of High Chancellor cannot be discharged but by one of them. The title of Bey they retain for life, but their continuance in any office depends upon the will of the Bafha. The power of thefe officers would be too great for fubjects, but their charge feldom continues for more than one or two years, and the army is not at their difpofal. When Selim had defeated the Mamalukes, and established this fort of government

About 30,000 1. fterl.

but

Mr. Norden might have compared Egypt with Holland. The prefervation of both depends upon the care they take of their dykes and canals; nor is there any work in the former, fo great as the building fuch a city as Amfterdam, upon piles in the fea as both are against nature, fhe, in the end, will get the better of them; and that foon of the latter, if the inhabitants depart but a very little more than they have already done, from that induftry, honefly, and concern for the public welfare, which at first made them what they are: and if the fea returns upon them, their having exifted, will be known only from tradition, and books.

+ He was born in 1472, and conquered Egypt a few years before his death, which happened in 1519. He poffeffed many good qualities, and was as learned as he was brave. He was the ninth prince of the Ottoman family, and the firit of the name of Selim.

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already defcribed, he put the militia upon the fame footing as it was in other parts of the empire, mixing the natives with Turks drawn from other provinces they were divided into different claffes, called Portes; the two principal of which are the Janiffaries and Affaffs, between whom there fubfifts great jealoufy, which feems to proceed from the infolence of the former, who think the more highly of themselves from the importance of their name at Conftantinople. Every porte, or class, is commanded by an Aga, who is chofen by the corps, and receives his Caffetah, or commiffion, from the Grand Signior. His power extends no farther than his own class, or divifion. He affifts at the divan, and prefides in all couneils of his own corps; and has under him other officers, called Kiaja, or Kieche, and Sious; of the laft, which are the lowest in command, there may be fome hundreds to each clafs, or porte. 10 They have no naval force here; and not more than fix fortified places in all Egypt. The garrifons confift of Janiffaries, and Affaffs, commanded by an Aga, with fubalterns, called Shorbafhies. Their power is, ftrictly speaking, limitted to their fort; but they find the means of extending it to whatever paffeth within their reach. In civil matters, the Cadi, as judge, determines all caufes, without appeal; but not without apprehenfion that the parties may have powerful friends, who may call him to account for any injustice, before a higher tribunal. At Cairo, befides the Cadi, is another officer, called Huali. 10The public markets, weights, and measures, fall under his cognizance. He traverfes the city day and night, attended with fifty officers; and has the power of life and death, without being accountable for any thing he does.

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The government of provinces is generally committed to the Beys, but many places have only Cafheffs, or Caymakans *: the former have the care of three or four towns committed to them; the latter only one. Their power is the fame as that of the Beys. In affairs of religion, Egypt is governed by the Mufti, and the Doctors of the law.

The Arabs in Delta, and higher up, beyond Cairo, care divided into Felacques, and Bedouins. The firft are peafants, who live in towns, and are obedient to the Governors. The others live in tents, are divided into troops, each under the command of a chief they call Sheck, and every band forms a little camp. As they have no property, they often change their fituation. When they continue any time, they agree with the Bey, or Cacheff, or Caimakan, at a certain price

* Kajim Mekám, locum tenens, a Lieutenant,

by the year, for leave to cultivate a quantity of land, fufficient for corn, and for pafture for their cattle. Under this agrees í ment they come and go into the towns, buy and fell, and s have all the privileges they can defire; and are better used than the other fubjects of the Grand Signior; for they have nothing to loft, and, as military men, they can make themfelves feared. It would be well for Egypt if all the Arabs were to behave in this manner: the land would be better cultivated, and the officers receive greater, and more eafy, tribute. But these Be douins are of too roving a difpofition, and not honeft enough to continue long in a place. When they have either done or received an injury, they decamp, and join other bands of Arabs, till they are become very numerous; and then, chufing a good it commander, they return to the country they left, and pillage it. Engagements of this fort happen every year; in which the Bel douins often get the better; and then they pay no tribute, buto carrying away whatever they please, greatly diftrefs the people, particularly the Felacques, who, by this means, are snoto able to pay their tribute: which, therefore, the officers, mufti make good; for the Bafha, and the Grand Signior, admit of no defaults. Befides thefe Bedouins, there are other Arabs, who live upon the mountains oppofite Ell-guzone. They are amphibious robbers, plundering all they can, both by land and water. The Bey of Girge is continually in pursuit of, but can: o: extirpate them.

The Arab Princes, called Shechs, command all that part of Egypt which lies on both fides the Nile, between Girge and Efuaan. They are tributary to the Grand Signior, and pay an acknowlegement to the Bafha, when they fucceed upon the death of a former Shech, but not if he conveys his authority to them during his own life. They are exceedingly jears lous of their power, and fuffer not the Bey of Girge to enter their territories without afking leave: which they never al-> low him, unless it be to go to Kene, where he affifts at a feaft; a or to give his advice, when they think proper to afk it. There are a great many of thefe princes, the chief of which are those of Negadi, Achmin, Efna, Farcinth, Nichee, Berdis, mand Uladjeche. They frequently confult together, for the common good of themfelves and their fubjects, and generally agree; but if fome are obftinate, and difagree, it ends in an open war. In thefe difturbances they do not permit the Turk to affift either fide with his troops: but then he often foments their divifions, and by fuch policy keeps them in proper fub- › jection. When a Shech dies, and leaves ten fons, with Out naming which of them fhall be his fucceffor, the affair is

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