Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Syria, from the year 1792 to 1798 / [William George Browne].

  • William George Browne
Date:
1799
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Syria, from the year 1792 to 1798 / [William George Browne]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    are commonly of more than one ftory, and well adapted to the mode of living among the inhabitants. Though rain occa- fionally fall in the autumn, a flat roof is found to anfwer every purpofe of fecurity from the weather, and accordingly it is the general form of the dwelling-houfes. Of the deep and capacious refervoirs, which preferved the water of the Nile during the annual fubfidence of that river, and of which there was probably a feries, continued from one to the other extremity of the city, not more than feven remain fit for ufe. From thefe the citizens are at this time fupplied ; and, as they are fome way removed from the inhabited quarter, a few of the poorer clafs obtain a fubfiftence by drawing the water, and carr^’ing it on camels from houfe to houfe ; and for each camel’s load they receive four or five paras^ about two- pence. The roofs of thefe cifterns or refervoirs are fupported bv mafly timber. They have probably been thus conftrudbed at the beginning, as it is difficult to fuppofe that the modern Alexandrians fhould entirely have changed fo cflential a part, and have chofen to fubftitute wood for ftone, in a place where the former is extremely fcarce, and the other very abundant. Tlie elevation of the city above the level of the fea is finall ; and it Teems very difficult to render it capable of offering any formidable refiftance to an external enemy. TTie foil, wherever a vegetable mould is dlfcoverable, is light, and favourable to any kind of culture ; but it has apparently been brought there for the purpofe, as the natural foil Teems
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