I haftened to the camp of my generous Bedouin Sheick, who appeared aftonifhed at feeing me again fo foon, and paid him what I owed him, to which I added a few yards of cloth. While I was taking with him the frugal repaft, which he obliged me to accept, he fent to the boat, without my knowledge, a fheep and fome other provifion. From this, worthy man I parted full of admiration and gratitude. Let him, who is indignant at the corruption of our cities, the vices that prevail in them, poorly difguifed by hypocrify, the falfe virtues which are cried up, that division of petty interefts, which makes a fociety of men an affembly of enemies, ceafe to calumniate human nature. Still, for it's honour, there are men, who, not concealing great faults, unite with the open practice of them the exercife of the moft commendable qualities. Under the rude tent of the Bedouin, on the parched fand, which ferves him as a floor, we must look for fimple manners, generous habits, and the virtues of hospitality. I had an opportunity of feeing a fingular remedy, which the fellahs, or Egyptian peasants employ for fore eyes. They fufpend a little ball of coral to their head-drefs by a thread, so that it hangs directly oppofite to the difeafed eye, which is ftedfafily fixed upon it, and ftruck by it continually. If perfon wifhed to render himself blind, he could not not choose a better method than this whimsical fpecific. Leaving Etris at four o'clock in the afternoon, two leagues lower down we faw Abounefchabè; and opposite to it, on the eastern bank, Tahone. Between these two villages the Nile is very broad, but fhallow. My boat, though without any lading, ran aground, and remained faft a confiderable time. At nine o'clock we reached Iagnoufs, a pretty large village on the eaftern bank, half a league from Tahone. At Tagnoufs I tafted for the first time a fmall fruit called nebka. The tree that bears it, is a large species of rhamnus,* growing higher than a * The nebka being yet little known, and the work of Forskal not being in the hands of every one, I prefume it will not be unacceptable to the botanical reader, if I copy what has been faid of it by this gentleman, who examined it on the spot where it grows. ( RHAMNUS NABEĆA. Variat. (a) Rh. divaricatus; foliis fe mipollicar. Caulibus ad fingula folia divaricatis; fpinis validis, Jæpe geminis. (b) Rh. rectus; ramis rectis; spinis aut nullis aut folitariis ad latus petioli, rectis patentibus; foliis pollicaribus. Utriufque caudex arboreus; fructu drupa, nuce biloculari; folia crenulata, trinervia, glabra, ovata, obtufa, alterna, difticha, petiolata; ftipula fetacea. Arab. prior. Sidr, vel Ghaft, aut Alb. Alter Ardj vel Orredj. Forfkal, Flora Egypt. Arab. Suppl. p. 204. Rhamnus napeca. Rumph. Arab. 2, tab. 42. plum plum-tree, the bark of which is gray, and not unlike that of willows. It's leaves are alternate, obtufe, trinervated, and of a deep green colour. The fruit resembles a small round apple* in appearance, and has more of the flavour of an apple than of a plum. When it is not thoroughly ripe, it has an acerb taste, like that of the crab; and when over ripe it is taftelefs; but if it be eaten in a proper state of maturity, it is pleafant enough. The ftone is round and covered with afperities. Oppofite Iagnoufs the Nile was almoft covered with ducks; and I was much astonished to fee in the midst of them flights of common pigeons, an incredible number of which are bred in Egypt, pitching on the water every moment, even in the ftrongest part of the current, and remaining upon it's furface often more than a minute. This habit, which I never obferved in any other place, and which is probably owing to the great heat of the climate, is common in this hot country, to all pigeons of this fpecies. * Savary, who appears never to have seen this fruit, fays it is a fmall pear, of a fourish tafte. Lettres fur l'Egypte, tom. ii. page 43. CHAP. CHAP. XXX. Voyage on the Nile continued-Terrana-Dovecots -Wagtails-Ducks-Crows-A funeral-New Species of plover-Ruins—Antique figures-Foua -Banks of the Nile-Return to Roffetta. Ο N the 20th in the morning we refumed our voyage toward Roffetta, as foon as a very thick fog, during which it was impoffible to diftinguifh objects at the fmalleft diftance, was dif perfed. When it cleared up a ftrong gale came on from the north, which raised a fwell in the river, and prevented our boat from driving down with the ftream. Below Iagnoufs the Nile runs north by weft. Half a league from Iagnoufs is a place called Ikmas, and half a league further is Terrana, where I stopped. Terrana, or Terane, as it is called on Danville's map, is a well-enclosed town, confifting entirely of mud-walled houses, like all the villages in these parts, and the residence of a Kiafchef. In the environs, the vestiges of the ancient city of Terenuthis appear in fome ruins, known in the country at prefent by the name of Aboubellou. The inhabitants of Terrana are ferocious and malignant. The abfence of the Kiafchef, who was with the army, rendered them ftill more dangerous. We were both threatened and infulted there. They had heard of my journey in the defert, and had been told, according to cuftom, that I had dif covered treasures in it. With thefe my boat was fuppofed to be laden, and the inhabitants of Terrana formed the defign of carrying her off in the night. We kept upon our guard; a few people roved along the shore, but no one ventured to approach us. There was a Turk here, who manufactured very fine gun-powder. This poor fellow, though young, had a feeble voice, and the hair of his beard was white. These were the confequences of a fright, into which he was thrown by Ali Bey, who, fufpecting him of furnishing fupplies of powder to the Bedouins, whom he wished to deftroy, ordered his head to be cut off. The tyrant revoked his order the fame inftant, yet fuch were the ftrong impreffions it left behind. I faw fome herons, gulls, and flights of ducks. The ducks did not ftop near Terrana, for, as the Nile is broad there, and its courfe ftraight, there is commonly a great deal of wind, which raifes a fwell, to which they are averfe. The direction of the |