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 Ifle of Rodda. It is built of brick and mud," and has four or five minarets. This, according to fome, was t the very fpot 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 circumstance 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. Here is alfo 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 use of in order to hatch chickens.

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 contrary, fays our Author, I dare aver, from what I have feen with my own eyes, that there is no country whereTM 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 advantage from the overflowing of the Nile. But this yearly inundation not proving sufficient, 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, lakes-which, tho' now in fo decayed a condition, are ftill 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 less than a century, Egypt will be reduced to as miferable a state 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

Aa 3

pends

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 raises above 500 t purfes, yearly revenue, on these canals; yet no body, it feems, 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 ftate 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 Basha, whom he made abfolute governor of all Egypt, accountable to none but the Emperor himself, Twenty-four Beys were alfo established, to govern the provinces, with as absolute power as the Bafha; to whom alone they were answerable for their conduct. One of thefe, 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 fpeedy 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 difcharged 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

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, the, 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, ho pefty, and concern for the public welfare, which at firit made them what they are and if the fea returns apon them, their having exifled, 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 15g He poffelfed many good qua

lities, and was as learned as he was brave. He was the ninth prince of the Ottoman family, and the firit of the name of Sehm.

al

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 Janiflaries and Affaffs, between whom there fubfifts great jealoufy, which feems to proceed from the infolence of the former, who think the more highly of themfelves from the importance of their name at Conftantinople. Every porte, or clafs, 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 councils 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.

They have no naval force here; and not more than fix fortified places in all Egypt. The garrisons confist 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 injuftice, before a higher tribunal. At Cairo, befides the Cadi, is another officer, called Huali. The public markets, weights, and measures, fall under his cognizance. He traverses 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.

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, are 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

•K jim Mckâm, 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 agree ment they come and go into the towns, buy and fell, and have all the privileges they can defire; and are better used than the other fubjects of the Grand Signior; for they have nothing to lofe, and, as military men, they can make themselves 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 ealy, tribute. But thefe 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 commander, they return to the country they left, and pillage it. Engagements of this fort happen every year; in which the Be douins often get the better; and then they pay no tribute, but carrying away whatever they please, greatly diftrefs the people, particularly the Felacques, who, by this means, are not able to pay their tribute: which, therefore, the officers must 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 ot 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 authosity to them during his own life. They are exceedingly jeaJaus of their power, and fuffer not the Bey of Girge to enter their territories without asking leave: which they never allow him, unless it be to go to Kene, where he affifts at a feast; 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, and 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 daming which of them fhall be his fucceffor, the affair iş

referred to the Bafha of Cairo, who is fure to divide the inheritance among all the brothers. This sentence not being agreeable to them, they fight it out, and he that conquers, must have recourfe to the Bafha again, and pay a large tribute to be confirmed in his dominions. It is not to be imagined, that all this is as foon done as faid; for thefe difputes and proceffes laft fometimes for two or three generations. Such of the Arab Princes as are moft powerful, are most caressed by the officers of the Porte; who being liable to be removed, take care to behave in fuch manner towards these princes, that in cafe of neceffity they may have a fafe retreat among them.

We are now arrived at the conclufion of the first volume: the fecond is come to hand, and next month, a view of its contents will be laid before our Readers. We make no apology for the length of this article; the work is new and curious; is written in a foreign language; and the remarks, and explanation of Arabic words, which we have added, may be of ufe to thofe who fhall read Mr. Norden's performance in the original.

Conclufion of the Philofophical Transactions, begun in our last. See page 271, feq.

Art. 22. Extracts of two Letters to Thomas Holles, Efq; can cerning the late difcoveries at Herculaneum.

HESE Extracts are curious, but Art. 23. is more to our purpose, particularly Father Antonio's method of, unfolding the paper fcrolls lately discovered in the fame fubterraneous city.

This Friar, who is a writer at the Vatican, made a ma-, chine, with which, (by the means of certain threads, which being gummed, ftuck to the back part of the papyrus, where there was no writing) he begins, by degrees, to pull, while with a fort of engraver's inftrument, he loofens one leaf from the other, (which is the most difficult part of all) and * then makes a fort of lining to the back of the papyrus, with < exceeding thin leaves of onion, (if I miftake not) and with fome fpirituous liquor, with which he wets the papyrus, by little and little he unfolds it. All this labour cannot be well • comprehended without feeing. With patience fuperior to what a man can imagine, this good Father has unrolled a pretty large piece of papyrus, the worst preferved, by way of trial. It is found to be the work of a Greek writer, and