Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-09-01

wealth, thought tlatis not a very common
thing among them.
The custom Of wearing ornaments. a.
m0ng the water-carrels Of the Nile. is no
doubt very old one. and may be traced
back further. perhaps, than the time of
Rebekah, when she came forth, with or
naments, to draw waters
The Arabs have other drinks than wa
ter alone, such as sherbet of various
kinds. coffee, beer, aud sometimes wines.
though this last, being prohibited beve-
rage. is rarely taken in public, if at all,
by the faithful. Coffee is always passed
around to guests. after sherbet and pipes.
among the Arabs as well as by the Syri-
ans and Turks, all of whom seem to be
exceedingly hospitable.
But to return to the great store-houses
o! the Pacha. which are not quite SO ex-
tensive, probably, as were Pharaoh's in
the sunny times of Joseph, though there
appeared to be no lack of corn in Egypt
even in these degenerate days; and the
Arabs were engaged in carrying it from
the Pacha's gra AIRY to his wind,nilIs. "a
bout two hundred of which stood along
upon the beach, overlooking the sea near
by, and giving to that quarter very sin
gular appearance.
The loose and wastefui manner in
which the simple process OF carrying corn
to mill was conducted BY these loyal sub
jec:s CT the Pacha. who. it is said, work
tor nothing and board themselves, illus
trated clearly enough to our minds, that
very little regard was paid to economy in
point of time or the saving of corn.
An Arab, with little loose basket
holding scarcely twenty quarts. started
off at lazy walk from the granary.
strewing the corn by the way at every
step till he reached the mill.
This seemed to excite no surprise, as
it was a common thing among them all !:
SO that they literally walked upon bed
of corn'from the store-houses to the mills.
The streets had become excessively
muddy, from the powerful, rains that had
been pouring down in floods the day be-
fore; and we observed, as we drove "a
long, crowds of Arab women and chill
dren, scrapins up the mud in the streets
with their hads, collecting it into baskets.
pots. pals, and any thing else that they
could get fer the purpose, and bearing it
Of upon their heads.
This to nae was novel mode of clean
ing streets, and observed to Mrs. Fir
kins, that it was really pity that those
poor creatures should be obliged to Clear
rae streets of the mud and filth with no
other implements than their own hands
thou ght the Pacha ought at least to fur
nlsh them with hoes, wooden shovels, or
something of the kind, TO save their hands
from such rude and hard usage.
90 - says Mrs. Firkins, 'sthoss wo-
men were never SO happy in their lives.
They look upon that mud, which they are
scraping up with their hands. and bear
lng off on their heads, as a kind of God
send, some What with the same kind of
pleasure, perhaps, with which the chill
dren of Israel gathered the mama in the
desort.''
"How is that ?: said F; care they
net cleaning the streets for the Pacha -
"Cleaning the streets for the Pacha -
replied Mrs Firklns; 'snobody ever
heard of such a thing. The Pacha never
has the streets cleaned. There ARE no
street-sweepers or scavengers in Alexan-
dria, except thpse overlooking dogs you
see lying about the streets, SO much to-.
the annoyance of every body"
Why" said to Mrs. Firkins, edo
they not destroy those dirty dogs, OF COM
pei their masters to take Care of them,
and keep them out of the way p "Mas-
ters," said Mrs. FIrkns, ''they have no
masters, and Iurk OR Mussulman
would no sooner-klll dog than he would
put knife to his own throat. Consecu-
emily the dogs roam about the streets
from one YEARS. end to the other, gather
ing such bits OF meat as are thrown out
from the Butchers stalls, and other gar
bage, with an occasional crust from some
who take pity upon them. sUbsisling ia
that way without house, home, or master,
through their whole lives. The only pro-
vision that is made for the dogs at the
public expense,' IS supply ofwater which
{. carrier is paid for putting into the deg
IL
contribution on the part of lnhab tants in
the neishborheod where these trou chs are
established. What is little curious.
these dogs farm themselves -iilto clans, or
companies, for mutual protection. Each
of these clans confines its operation to a
particular part of the city, and seldom Or
never leaves it.; while a strange dog,
I who dares to show his head in the pre-
cinots of its Jurisdiction, is SIRE to fare
roughly. if ever lie escape with his life. ,"
This struck US, at the time, as being a
singular trait in the manners and cas-
toms of the Egyptian dogs, and droll
whlm en- The part OF the people. who snf-
fered the canine race to go on in that
useless way, without insisting upon re-
form. We found, on visiting other towns.
that it was no popularity of Alexandria;
but. on the contrary, there were fewer
houseIess dogs in that city. doing bust
mess on their own account, than in almost
any to vn, in proportion to its inhabitants,