Egypt. provided for, or opening it before the proper time, which would hinder the increafe of the river. In like manner, that which conveys the water to Fayoom is watched, and cannot be opened before that of Cairo, which is called the Canal of Trajan. A number of other canals, only taken care of by those who derive advantage from them, proceed from that arm of the Nile which runs to Damietta, and fertilize the province of Sharkia; which, making part of the ifthmus of Suez, is the most confiderable of Egypt, and the moft capable of a great increase of cultivation. The plains of Gaza which lie beyond, and are poffeffed by the Arabs, would be no less fertile, were it not for the exceffive inclination these people have to destroy, so that they make war even with the fpontaneous productions of the earth. A number of other canals run through the Delta; and the vestiges of those which watered the provinces to the eastward and weftward, fhow that in former times these were the beft cultivated parts of Egypt. "We may also prefume (fays the Baron de Tott), from the extent of the ruins of Alexandria, the conftruction of the canal, and the natural level of the lands which encompass the lake Mareotis, and extend themselves weftward to the kingdom of Barca, that this country, at prefent given up to the Arabs, and almoft defert, was once fufficiently rich in productions of every kind to furnish the city of Alexandria with its whole fubfiftance." 746 Air and The air and climate of Egypt are extremely hot, limate of not only from the height of the fun, which in fummer Egypt. approaches to the zenith, but from the wantof rain and from the vicinity of those burning and fandy deserts which lie to the fouthward. In the months of July and Auguft, according to M. Volney, Reamur's thermometer stands, even in the moft temperate apartments, at the height of 24 or 25 degrees above the freezing point; and in the fouthern parts it is faid to rife ftill higher. Hence, he fays, only two feafons fhould be distinguished in Egpyt, the cool and the hot, or fpring and fummer. The latter continues for the greatest part of the year, viz. from March to November or even longer; for by the end of February the fun is intolerable to an European at nine o'clock in the morning. During the whole of this season, the air feems to be inflamed, the fky sparkles, and every one fweats profufely, even without the leaft exercife, and when covered with the lighteft drefs. This heat is tempered by the inundation of the Nile, the fall of the night-dews, and the fubfequent evaporation; fo that fome of the European merchants, as well as the natives, complain of the cold in winter. The dew we fpeak of does not fall regularly throughout the fummer, as with us; the parched fiate of the country not affording a fufficient quantity of vapour for this purpofe. It is firft obferved about St John's day (June 24th), when the river has begun to fwell, and confequently a great quantity of water is raised from it by the heat of the fun, which being foon condenfed by the cold of the night air, falls down in copious dews. It might naturally be imagined, that as for three months in the year Egypt is in a wet and marshy fituation, the exceffive evaporation and putrefaction of the ftagnating waters would render it very unhealthy. But this is by no means the cafe. The great drynefs N° 110. of the air makes it abforb vapours of all kinds with the Egypt. utmoft avidity; and thefe rifing to a great height, are carried off by the winds either to the fouthward or northward, without having time to communicate any of their pernicious effects. This dryness is fo remarkable in the internal parts of the country, that flesh meat expofed to the open air does not putrefy even in fummer, but foon becomes hard and dry like wood. In the deferts there are frequently dead carcafes thus dried in fuch a manner, and become fo light, that one may eafily lift that of a camel with one hand. In the maritime parts, however, this drynefs of the air is not to be expected. They difcover the fame degree of moisture which usually attends such fituations. At Rofetta and Alexandria, iron cannot be exposed to the air for 24 hours without rufting. According to M. Volney, the air of Egypt is alfo ftrongly impregnated with falts; for which opinion he gives the following reason. "The ftones are corroded by natrum (mineral alkali), and in moist places long cryftallizations of it are to be found, which might be taken for falt-petre. The wall of the Jefuits garden at Cairo, built with earth and bricks, is every where covered with a cruft of this natrum as thick as a crownpiece: and when this garden has been overflowed by the waters of the kalidj (canal), the ground, after they have drained off, appears sparkling on every fide with cryftals, which certainly were not brought thither by the water, as it fhows no fign of falt either to the taste or by diftillation."-But whatever may be the quantity of falt contained in the earth, it is certain that M. Volney's opinion of its coming thither from the air cannot be juft. The falt in queftion is exceffively fixed, and cannot be diffipated into the air without the viclent heat of a glass-house furnace; and even after this has been done, it will not remain diffused through the atmofphere, but quickly falls back again. No experiments have ever fhown that any falt was or could be diffused in the air, except volatile alkali, and this is now known to be formed by the union of two permanently elaftic fluids; and it is certain that a faline air would quickly prove fatal to the animals who breathed it. The abundance of this kind of falt in Egypt therefore only fhows, that by fome unknown operation the heat of the fun forms it from the two ingredients of earth and water, though we do not yet underftand the manner, nor are able to imitate this natural operation. 147 To this faline property of the earth M. Volney a-why exotic fcribes the exceffive quickness of vegetation in Egypt, plan's will which is fo great, that a species of gourd called karanot thrive will, in 24 hours, fend forth fhoots of four inches in in Egypt. length; but for the fame reason, in all probability, it is that no exotic plant will thrive in Egypt. The merchants are obliged annually to fend to Malta for their garden feeds; for though the plants thrive very well at first, yet if the feed of them is preferved, and fown a fecond year, they always come up too tall and flender. By reafon of the great drynefs of the air, Egypt is exempted from the phenomena of rain, hail, fnow, thunder and lightning. Earthquakes are also seldom heard of in this country; though fometimes they have been very fatal and deftructive, particularly one in the year 1112. In the Delta, it never rains in 2 fummer, |