The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-11-19

DO itca topic, ii is prefumed the following account
ofit will be acceptable 10 m1ny Of ny feaders
IN the year 65I, An1rcu, the Gen~1ol of
Omar, took Alexandria from the Romans, at
ter Gege of fourteen months, and the lois OF
z3,ceo men. All the brave Alexandrans per-
iihed fword in hand and the ci'y does not
contain 6ooo inhabitants, though in the time of
Augunus it contained 10000 free people be
fides ilaves. When the Turks f.ized it from
the Mamlucks, in the year 1917, they hung Up
its king, who was the twenty ltcond Of the Cir
caflian delcent.
The population of Egypt Is about four nil
lions two thirds Of thefe are Arabs, and their
tyrants do not exceed 8oo,oco.
An Egyptian s chief Judge and pontiR 10
bis own family, by all of whom his rights are
held in the mott facred refpea; in buinels, or
in Office, be trsnlaGfs his affairs during the NOR
ming, & almolt always without difpute or noiie.
Chcanery is unknown amonga them and at
torneys are unknown in Egypt Their whole
code Of laws confi1s in few clear, Precile
commands, Contained in the Koran, and each
man IS his own p'eader. An Egyptian is not
70 proud Of any other aPpellaton as that Of IA
ther on the birth Of a fon he Immediately re-
linquithes his owr name, and is called the IA
ther of fuch one.
The brightea, payef colours, are refervod
for the aged to fee i young man wear a fun
tuous habit, would 0amp him prohigate !:
they mourn the LOIS Of a parent long time,
and Rrsw his tomb every week with flowers
In our poliihed country, where family is d.
vided, and ieldom friendly in all its branches,
old age does not receive the relPe6t that IS 70
jufly due
The Arabs claim their deftent from Abra-
ham, BY Ihmael, and held him in great vene
ration
The aver,ion Of thefe people to Europeans in
general, is very great, and they particularly
diil,ke the French. MonC Elchaferiaux, feems
to forget that III. defendants of thofe who took
Louis the Ninth and his whole army priConers
in the Delta, are at this day inhabitants of that
country where bloodleis conquea IS not at
all probable
The Delta is the richeR diRriG in the world,
perhaps, and never over flowed the cultivator
has two crops Of rice every year, and three Of
lncern. The Nile is not, in any Of its branches,
navigable for European vefIrls. To Grand
Cairo, from Rcf-Ita, is four days fail, with a
feady north wind, which indeed prevails nine
months in the year.
The canal erroneouly called Amnis Trajaa
US, was dug by order OF Omar, after the reluc-
ton of Alexandra, in the leventh century. and
did extend to the Red Sea but now Il flows
no further than the birque, (pord) of The Nice
ca pilgrims, about three leagues beyond Grand
Caro- and to open it either to Colfum, or
Suez, would cot an iTnmcnf. fun after which,
70 hope for the AGatic trade to flow through
that channel, would be very viGonary.
Rofett2 IS the Rorc houfe Of Egypt for the
canal Of FloRa at Alexpndria, IS choaksd up
with mud and fand- AT The top Of the Delta
the Nile is two miles over. Here it divides
and e called Baten el B4karas, (the cows
belly) The Delta is divided into two proviuc-
Is, Meuouiia and Carbia. M=pont Is the cap
ital Of the fra, or upper province, and Maliala
Ell Kibiri Of The lower. Each province i gov
erne1 b. a Boy and though thefe governors
levy taxes fword in hand, they can bring great
numbers irto the field. The rice Of Roictla IS
reckonej the bcf in the world, except that Of
Patnia in India, and It IS fent to Stamboul,
(ConaanrisoPt) for the ule Of the emperor
AMI his cour;.
They coin gold at Cairo every year, 70 The
amoant Of about I5o.oooi. lterling it is in
pieces called fequins. of the fame value with
the Sultauia Of Conaantinople, about fix
fhllings and three penN acrling. They have
not any FLYER coinage, and only one denom-
nation of plated copper, called medin, valne
about three farthings. Yea may buy couple
Of very fine pigeons for three medins. The
gold dua from which they coin their gold, IS
brought by the AbYfIinan caravan, which ira
vcrles the deiert every year.
OF ALEXANDRIA.
The following partcuars arc taken from Nanevs lat.