Star.
London, England, 1801-09-25 00:00:00

ALEXANDRIA.

- t
As the fall of Alexandria has been Elated by
lime to depend on the Icarcity of water, the fo!-
lowing Estrad from Rollin's Roman lifitory, vol.
xiv. page 60, may not be thought unfeaTonable at
the prefent moment.
" Alexandria was fupplied with water from the
Nile by an artificial Canal. The water of this
river being generally muddy and anwholefome;
every houfe in the city was provided with a ciflern,
where the water was let in by the canal to purge,
Wilt, and thereby Lecume innoxinus and fit to
drink. The canal was in that part of the city
where the Egyptians were mailers, fo as to ren-
der it impoffible for the Romans to hold longer
oat. GANIMID, (the Egyptian Generaliffimo,)l
thought he had only to taint the water in the cif-'
terns of their quarter. Having formed this defign,
he began by clofing up all the ciaerns in his quar-
ter; then railing the fea water by wheels and other,
machines, he threw great quantities of it into the'
Roman cifterns thofe whofe houfes were neareff
the fea were the firft to perceive the alteration, and
were much furprifed to find their water tith, at the
fame time that the water oldie more diflant houfes
remained frefb as before. However the faltnefs
loon became general ; and the Romans were fo
frightened at it, that they thought of nothing but
leaving the city and retreating, notwithtlanding,
the difficulty and extreme danger of embarking in l
the face_ of an enemy. Cmseat comforted and en-
courages them; he told them " that the evil was
not fo great as they imagined, that there were al-
ways frelh fprings on the fea coaft, and that they
had but to dig to a certain depth to come at them.
That a retreat was equally detrimental to their
honour and their fafety ; and that if they found it
difficult to maintain their ground behind entrench-
ments againft a numerous enemy, to quit thofe
entrenchments and embark, was expofing them-
felves to certain ruin—laftly, that their fafety de-
pended on victory." Having finithed his difcourfe,
be ordered that no other work thould go on till a
iiifficient number of wells were dug in different
places. This met with the defired fuccefs, and
CMS Alt by this means, without much trouble, fruf-
trated the defigns of the Egyptians, which had
colt them infinite labour.
" GAN MED however was not dilleartened : as
he was fenlible, that the only means to conquer
was to prevent CMSAR'S receiving the reinf(tree-
ments he expeCted, and which muff come to him
liy fea, he relolved to have a fleet at any price, &c.
Page 65.—" About this time CMS Ilk received.,
confiderable reinforcement of troops, together
with a fupply of ammunition and provifiOns.—
However, the convoys in their paffige to him were
way-laid, and often furpriaed by the Egyptian
!hips aationed for that purpofe near Canopus,

Am ACCOUNT or THE iSLANDSor MADEIRA

The. Madeiras, African Iflands, lying in the At-
lantic ocean, between lat. 32. and 33. deg. N.
and long. t 6 deg. 49 min. W.—The largell of
them is called Madeira, or rather Mattera, i. e.
wood or foreff ; which name was given it by
Gotszatves ZARCO, a Portuguefe. who 6rft
covered it in 1420, as being overgrown with
trees. The ancients called it Cernee Atlantica.
It is about eighteen miles long,_ upwards of four
broad, and 120 in circuit. The woods having
been. burnt down, and the Maud fiuCtified by
means of the afhcs, the Portugnefe planted it
with vines, from which incredible quantities of
wine, called Madeira, are produced. This keeps
the belt of any in the hotteft weather and climate,
in which other forts Cu! n four; for which reafon
hardly any other is ufed in Jamaica, Batbadoes,
and the Caribbee Iflands, &c. _ _

The air here is far more moderate than in the
Canary Hands, and the foil more fertile in fugar
and fruit, betides the exuberance of wine already
mentioned ; and it is alike !pored with the fame
fort of cattle, birds, plants, and the trees from
which dragon's blood is extracted; alio maltic
and other gums. Here reigns a perpetual fpring;
send they make the heft fwectmeats in the world.
They have feveral fugar plantations; and this is
the firft'place where this manufafture was fet on
foot, and thence carried into America; but thefe
are moitly converted into vine yards, which yield
the Portuguefe immenfe profits. There is found
at Madeira a tree, called by the natives vignia-
tico, the Laura Indicus of Linnrus. The wood
of this tree can fcarcely be dittinguifhed f inn ma-
hogany ; which induces us to believe, that the
wood, called in England Madeira mahogany, is
this tree, its no mahogany is exported from Ma-
deira. There are no wheel-carriages here ; the
only refemblanse of them is a hollow board, that
may he called a fledge, and which ferves to carry
their wine-wads. The foil is In rich, and there
is fuck variety in the climate between the hills and
plains, there is no object of luxury which grows
either in India or Europe, that might not be cul-
tivated here. Walnuts, ebefnuts, and appl.cs flon-
iifh alma without culture upon the The
pine apple, the mango, the guava, and the banana
grow almolt fpontaneonfly in town. The
coin is large grained and tine, and it might he
produced in gicat abunilance, nevertllefs the
Freateft part of what is cei.funtri is imported.
fhe Beef, mutton. an.' pi.rl :.re likev.ife ranaik-
ably gond, particularly thi.
in this iiland there aie many 11:11, remarkably
the Pico Riiivo is near 5100 feet io jh. be.
irg nearly perpendicular from its be c. The:e
arc covered round with vines to a certain
liei•-tht, above aliiih there are great nunibev, of
choiriti- and pine-trees, and above them various
forts of timlier, In thick as to form large fore;is.
The mid inn ani ra.ibranio trces,ioundamongil
them, ale uakniurn in Europe.
. . .

Vne inli.ibitAnts are computed to be between
3nJ fq.,,r00; aosll the revei.nc arifinF frosi the
to amenot :0 20 or
fler!in;.; The inv.; of this itlaad ;:re
n c,:11-lat:er.tly arc of
cs. bc. b.!!, ot a vi:ie im.
ported horn t.rJct of the Inf.int of,

Portugal, Dow Hitirt. , is called Mad6a4Walm-
cey, a pipe of which cannot be bought an the fpot
fbr fiefs than 4c, or-4sl. Reding. It is ad exceed
in richlweet wine, and is only made in a (mall
quantity: The next fort is a dry wine, fuch as is
exported for the London market, at 3oL or 311.
aerling per pipe. Inferior forts for the Eaft In-
dia, -Weft India, and North American markets,
fell at 281. 251. and 201. fierling. About 30,000
pipes upon an average, are made every year, each
containing 110 gallons. About 13,000 pipes of
the befl forts are exported ; and all the rcll is made
into brandy for the Brazils, converted into vine-
gar, or confumed at home. The other illands
are very (mall, yielding but little wine. Thele
were planted (non after the firft difcovery by the
Portuguefe, and are fubjeft (till to the crown of
Portugal.
This ifland was divided by the Portuguefe into
four quarters, of which the mot} confiderable is
that of Funchal, which is In called from a city of
the fame name. The number of houfes in Ma-
deira, in the year 1625, was computed at 4coo.
This number has been greatly entreated, and ac•
cording. to a furvey taken in 1768, there were
63,913 inhabitants. Its harbour is very fafe, dur-
ing the whole year ; the mountains appear there
to have been formerly fubjea to volcanic eriptions.
It is watered by feven or eight rivers, and many
rivulets, which defcend from the mountains.

LONDON.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25.

PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK:
3 per Cent. Conf 3944-3 per Calt. 95—.0MIIIUD1 7 #•

PRICE OF STOCKS YESTERDAY :
3 per C. Conf. 59; Englith Tickets 161.
3 per C. Red. (hut Ira Tickets
5 per Cent. Ann. 94 I Omaium 7,1
Imp. 3 per Cent.— Conf. for Acc. 59 7I

This day we received Paris Journals to the ziR
inflant, inclutive. On the Igth, the Tier: Con-
pities were 48 1. 75 c.; on the aoth, 48 f. 6o c.
The following arc