372 
good number of Coptic books; but 
his informer knew nothing of their 
Nature or contents., The clergy 
conceal these books with great care, 
lest the Catholics, as they say, should 
carry them off, and, after falsify- 
ing their contents, print them in 
Europe. Thus they have hitherto 
remained unknown. If those ec- 
clesiastics could be persuaded that 
we are not ail of the same party as 
the Pope, and were at the same time 
gratified with something to alleviate 
their extreme poverty, copies of the 
books in this hidden literary treasure 
might surely be obtained. 
Of the Arabians in Egypt. 
From the same. 
5 Aan Arabians appear to have 
conquered and settled in Egypt 
at several different periods, very dis- 
tant from one another.. Vestiges 
may still be traced which prove 
their ancient residence in this coun- 
try. ‘The shepberd-kings, whose 
memory was in abhorrence among 
the Egyptians, must have been lead- 
ers of troops of wandering Arabs. 
But whatever may have passed 
in those remote ages since Egypt 
was conquered by the Saracens, the 
greater part of its inhabitants have 
been Arabs. Of these, some are 
settled in the cities; others live in 
the villages, and cultivate the 
ground; and the rest wander. thro’ 
the country with their cattle, and 
encamp in tents. 
When I come to speak of the 
Arabian nation in general, I shall 
then have occasion to speak of its 
different branches, their manners, 
and customs:—bhere I shall only 
Mention some particulars relative 
to the !gyptian branch. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
The Arabian inhabitants of the™ 
cities of this province have nothing 
peculiar to distinguish them from 
those in the Other cities of the east, 
or in Arabia, in particular ;—and 
the Arabian peasant of Egypt equal- 
ly resembies the other peasants of the 
east: yet, the posterity of strangers 
settling in Egypt, are thought to de-. 
generate. Arabian horses, too, lose 
their strength and mettle here.— 
Egyptian peasant is a denomination 
of contempt through Arabia. 
The Bedouins, or wandering 
Arabs, being free, almost independ- 
ent, and rather the tributary allies. 
than subjects of the Egyptian go- 
vernment, are the most remarkable. 
branch of the nation. They are 
divided into tribes, governed by 
hereditary chiefs, called Schiechs ; 
and these subordinate to a great 
Schiech, who has authority over se- 
veral tribes. Upon paying a cer- 
tain tribute to government, the Be- 
douins are permitted to feed their 
flocks through the rich pasturage- 
grounds of Egypt:—but they fre- 
quently abuse this permission, and 
pillage without distinction, as well 
the husbandmen in the districts in 
which they encamp, as those travel- 
lers who have the misfortune to fall 
into their hands. They are ready, 
too, to take part in the dissensions 
which frequently arise in this mili- 
tary republic. When government 
attempts to punish them, or to con- 
strain them to their duty, they either 
defend themselves by force or retire 
into the deserts till their misdemea- 
nors be forgotten. 
They are almost always on horse- 
back, and armed with a lance,— 
at least the more considerable among 
them,—and ranging from place to 
place. The care of their catile, and 
excursions for either robbery or 
amusement, 
