Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

pertains alfo to its commerce, augments its riches; and the luxury which follows thence is increased to fuch a degree, that gold is efteemed common; nor can the richeft manufactures of india give fatisfaction.

"Whatever, in another ftate, could only be the effects of an adminiftration well informed, and conftantly guided by the most falutary principles, arifes in Egypt from the nature of the foil. The riches of its productions fatisfy the avidity of its tyrants, and defend the cultivators from theit tyranny. The furplus of its corn, become abfolutely neceffary for Arabia-Felix, by furnishing its commerce with new and certain exchanges, affords its activity the most folid and independent batis. The principal ports of Egypt are Suez and Alexandria; but it is not in thefe that we can judge of the importance of commerce. Where there are no political regulations, there can not exist either individual companies, exclufive privileges, or fubaltern monopoly; commerce na turally finds its level; it is feized on by credit, the cultivator is its affociate; and its agents receive

Wages.

"The poverty of the cities I have just mentioned, may, without doubt, be referred to this principle; they are only the hired agents of commerce. Suez, efpecially, is remarkable for the penury of its inhabitants. The Arabs have ufurped the right of becoming the carriers of commerce, without renouncing that of plundering the merchants, as often as anarchy promifes them impunity.

"Befides the corn Egypt exchanges with Yemen, for the coffee with which Europe, but particularly Turkey, is fupplied, rice, flax,

1785.

falt of natron, employed in the tan neries, fal ammoniac, ufeful for tin-work, fenna and faffranum for dying, and the most valuable gums and drugs, are objects of com merce equally important.

"Sugar is the only article in which the industry of the Egyp tians is confined to what is necef fary for home confumption; and the little powder-fugar, which is exported to Conftantinople, gives no great idea of the goodness of that commodity, brought from the Higher Egypt and refined at Cairo.

"Delta, likewife, produces a great quantity of fugar-canes; but they are only cultivated for the pleasure of the inhabitants, who ufe them in their repafts.

"A more useful branch of induftry is that of the linen manufacture; it is under no regulations, and extends as far as the cataracts; as does the culture of indigo. In this burning climate, where no clothing is worn but a linen fhirt, or frock, which is always dyed blue, the furplus of this manufacture affords another article for exportation. The coafts of Syria, and the whole inland country, quite up to Damafcus, are fupplied with falt from the pits of the Lower Egypt.

It is worthy observation, that foreign plants, brought into Egypt, degenerate to fuch a degree as to be incapable of reproduction. This is the cafe of indigo; and, what is not lefs remarkable, is, that the fields of indigo, which are every year fown with fresh feeds, brought from Syria, furnish the Egyptians with a very fine dye, though this fame plant is of much inferior qua lity in its original foil.

"It is plain, from this remark,

that the indigo of Syria fhould be

F

tranf

tranfplanted, but that the richnefs of the foil, and heat of the fun, in Egypt, make that country a kind of hot-houfe, which damages the quality of the feed.

"To this fertility and richness of the productions of Egypt, muit be added a most falubrious air. We fhall be more particularly ftruck with this advantage, when we confider, that Rofetta, Damietta, and Manfoora, which are encompaffed with rice-grounds, are much celebrated for the healthiness of their neighbourhood, and that Egypt is, perhaps, the only country in the world where this kind of culture, which requires ftagnant waters, is not unwholesome. Riches are not there deftructive to the lives of

men.

"The researches I have carefully made, concerning the plague, which I once believed to originate in Egypt, have convinced me, that it would not be fo much as known there, were not the feeds of it conveyed thither by the commercial intercourse between Conftantinople and Alexandria. It is in this last city that it always begins to appear; it but rarely reaches Cairo, though no precaution is taken to prevent it; and when it does, it is prefently extirpated by the heats, and prevented from arriving as far as the Saide. It is likewife well known, that the penetrating dews, which fall in Egypt about midfummer, deftroy, even in Alexandria, all remains of this diftemper.

"It is only upon the fhores of the Mediterranean, to the diflance of ten leagues, within land, that rain is known in Egypt; very rarely does it extend farther. At Cairo they have hardly two hours gentle rain in a whole year. The noi e of thunder is never heard, and ftorms, no where frequent in E

gypt, always difcharge their fury on the deferts of Lybia and Arabia, where there is nothing to deftroy. Thus, every thing concurs to confer on Egypt the most precious gifts of nature. Birds, of every kind, and of the most rare fpecies, feem to haften thither in flocks, to enjoy the beauties of the country, and add their various melody to the gaiety of its inhabitants.

"The Nile offers a moft interefting picture of this kind. The banks of this river, as well as thofe of all the canals, are crowded with vast numbers of peasants; continually employed in watering the country, either by their own labour, or the management of those animals which relieve it. An infinite number of draw-wells, worked with a wheel, are contrived for this purpofe; the waters, which are raised, are poured into a channel, and diftributed among the grounds, at a distance from the river, by various canals, which the industry and activity of the cultivator prepares, with intelligence and conomy. Women, occupied with the cafe of their families, are feen carrying home water, for its ufe, in jars upon their heads; others wath their linen, bleach that which is newly made, fpread it out, and give themfelves up to that chearfulnes and gaiety, fo natural to them on every occafion, making the air refound with their fhrill voices, the ululatus of the Romans. The barges, which pafs from one city to another, the boats employed in the conveyance of commodities, and the navigation which commerce maintains, add to the variety and motion of the scene.

"This navigation is principally remarkable for the agility of the watermen, and the manner in which

they

they convey the pottery-ware, made in the Higher Egypt. It will be neceffary, before this is explained, to obferve, that the earthen pans, made to preferve water, ought to be the bigger, the farther thofe for whofe ufe they are intended dwell from the river; and as the inhabitants of the Lower Egypt refide at the greater distance, the potters, who dwell in the Higher, contrive, accordingly, the raft by which they convey their wares. The largest jars, faftened by their handles, form the first row of the raft; the middle-fized are placed next, and the leatt uppermoit; the proprietor contrives for himself a convenient itation, and, furnished with a long pole, commits himself to the course of the waters, without fearing running aground on a foft clay, which can do no damage. Thus he arrives at Delta, and foon gets rid of his pile of pottery, by the fucceffive fale of all the materials of which it is composed.

"The Egyptians, naturally mild and timid, are alfo fprightly and temperate. All their actions partake of this character; they are terrified by the least accident, and familiarized by the smallest encouragement. The taste of this people for dancing, has introduced into Egypt female dancers, who have neither modefty nor referve, and only please by the contrary extravagance.

"The Egyptians, were it not for the brownnefs of their tanned kins, would certainly have a fine complexion. Their perfons are genteel and well shaped. Both the men and women wim like fish. Their clothing is only a blue fhirt, which but indifferently conceals the pudency of the women; the men gird it round them, for convenience, while they labour; the chil

[ocr errors]

dren always go naked, and I have feen girls, eighteen years old, ftill children, in that respect.

"Mahometanifm is the principal religion of the Egyptians; but they have added to it an infinity of ceremonies, derived more from their own love of fhew than the precepts of the prophet. Fraternities of penitents, nocturnal proceffions with wax-candles, vestments proper for that kind of devotion, chantings and mournings at inter vals, and the epulum ferale, are fo many practices which belong more to the fuperftition of their anceftors than the new law they have received.

"The Egyptians, notwithstanding, have lefs ferocity in their prejudices than the Turks, who have lefs fuperftition; the reason of which is, that these latter are. proud, while the Egyptians are only weak. We may perceive, that the pomp which attends their ceremonies, is more regarded by them than the thing fignified; and that their gaiety and licentiousness have more part in the pilgrimages they undertake, than the faint to whol honour they affemble.

"The most revered of these are the Iman Chafi, at Cairo, and the Iman of Tinta, a city fituated in the centre of Delta. This last faint is called Sayd, Achmet, and Bedouit. In the month of July, more than two hundred thousand perfons, from the Higher and Lower Egypt, throng to this tomb. Commerce, which turns every thing to its advantage, has established near it a confiderable fair, where dancers and mountebanks are found, in plenty, during the time it lafts. Tinta then contains every thing which can contribute to the amufement of the pilgrims: and the shek of the mofque of Sayd, Achmet,

[ocr errors][merged small]

and Bedouit, gathers an ample harveft, by at once making his advantage of the devotion of fome, and the love of pleasure of a great many others.

"Each city of Egypt has, likewife, its faint, its proceffions, and its diversions, which are frequented by thofe of the environs, and authorized by the government. It will be perceived, that the faint of the capital enjoys his privileges as a metropolitan, and that his tomb is never without cuftom. But the devotion of the women, more fervent in every country than that of the men, is not confined, in Egypt, to the invocation of the dead; and as knaves are always encouraged by dupes, there are to be found, at Cairo, many faints in perfect health, to whom they prefer paying their addreffes.

"These predeftinated perfons take their station at the door, or in the court of the mofques; where, extended on a ragged mat, they feem loft in extafy, and in poflef fion of the joys of paradife, while this appearance of beatitude infpires veneration. Others, to give themselves more importance, walk, gravely, through the street, only covered with a long white woollen tunic. They preach up a contempt for riches, of which they infolently demand a share, and prophefy continually the end of the world.

"One of thefe Egyptian faints afforded a proof, that the habit of deceiving others may, at last, lead us to deceive ourselves. This impoftor had worked himself up to fuch a pitch of enthufiafm, as to declare to the people, that, on fuch a certain day, and hour, he would crofs the Nile, ftanding upright on his mat, only by pronouncing the name of God. Great numbers affembled on the banks of the river.

The faint presently funk to the bottom, and his toolith followers, for fear of interrupting him in working his miracle, fuffered him to be drowned without any affiftance.

"Humanity, though degraded, in Egypt, by thefe pious abfurdities, is, at the fame time, honoured by an unlimited foundation in fa vour of the blind; and it is on fo enlarged a plan, that all the blind in Egypt are affembled at Cairo. This has given birth to the opi nion, that this climate occafions blindness.

"They reckon about four thoufand, maintained by the mosque of fultan Haffan; and perhaps this number does not exceed that of other countries, in proportion to the number of the inhabitants. It must, however, be allowed, that in Egypt, the clafs of individuals who are accustomed to lie in the fireets, or on the terraces of houses, are particularly fubject to this misfor tune. A cold dew, which falls during the night, makes the eyelids tender, and difpofes them to ulcerate with the heat of the day. But the fight of those who lie under cover, does not fuffer fo much as it would by intemperance in other climates.

"After having confidered the monuments of Egypt, the ferenity of its fky, its population, the induftry of its inhabitants, and the riches of its productions, nothing remains but to caft an eye of centempt on its government.

"Georgian children, brought and fold in Egypt, replace thofe who die out of ten or twelve thoufand Mamalukes. This fmall number furnishes the beys, their ty. rants, the fubaltern officers, more cruel than their mafters, and the troops, who execute and aggravate their barbarous orders.

"From

"From an examination of the Canons, or Code, of Sultan Selim, it may be prefumed, that prince rather capitulated with the Mamalukes, than obtained a complete conqueft of Egypt. It is plain, that he left the government of the kingdom to the four-and-twenty beys, and only endeavoured to balance their authority by that of a pacha, whom he appointed governor-general and prefident of the council. This power fubfifted as long as the Porte could afford af

fiftance to its officers; but the de cay of its ftrength foon obliged it to endeavour, by dividing the beys, to maintain itself against their encroachments. Thus, by always taking part with the weakest fide, the Turks have continually created themselves new enemies; and these frequent errors have reduced the word pacha to a mere title, to which the Mamalukes fometimes pay homage, but always keep him, by whom it is poffeffed, in clofe confinement."

F3

CLAS

« FöregåendeFortsätt »