through Egypt and Syria. 407 



On the ift of March 1793 Mr. Brov.-n left Kahira to 

 proceed to Suez, which he reached after a tedious progrefs 

 of five days. The town is fmall, and built of iinburned 

 brick. It contains twelve mofqueS, fome of which are of 

 ftone, but the mofl are mean buildings. The fea near the 

 town is very fliallow, yet there is a fmall yard for fln'p- 

 building. The Arab mode of cbnftrufting fliips is lingular. 

 They have no art to bend the timbers ; none of them are 

 crooked, except naturally fo. They are very flender ; and, 

 where the upper and lower ribs join, do not pafs over one 

 another, but by the fide of each other. The fea here pro- 

 duces few fifh. Oyfters, indeed, and fome others of the 

 fhell-kind, are feen : the beft fifh do not come higher than 

 Cofsir. Meat is fcarce ; bread of an inferior quality, and 

 fometimes hardly eatable. Butter and milk are brought in 

 fmall quantities by the Arabs. Water is brought from three 

 feveral places. It is always bought by the fkin, at a con- 

 fiderable price ; and if a war were to arife with the Arabs, 

 none could be found. 



On the 8th of March 1793 ^-'^- Brown pafTed the ford 

 at Suez, and on the 14th arrived at Tur. On the 18th he 

 left Tur, and on the 22d, at half paft three in the morning, 

 reached the Monaflery of Sinai. The convent is large, 

 with a good garden, to which there is a fubterranean paf- 

 fage. Within the walls is a fmall. mofque for the conve- 

 nience of the Arabs. The mountain now called Sinai is 

 high and abrupt : on the north fide of it fome fnow was 

 vifible. The whole is a very remarkable rock of red granite^ 

 interfperfed with fpots to which foil has been brought by 

 human labour, or wafhed down by rain, and in which grow 

 almond-trees, figs, and vines. Numerous rills of excellent 

 water gufh from various apertures in the precipice, and 

 wander among the little gardens. Sinai has two fummits : 

 the highcfi, it is believed, may be the Sinai of Mofcs. The 

 weather being very clear, Mr. Brown obferved from Mount 

 jSinai the Eaflern Gulph of the Red Sea, which appears very 

 D d 4 fmall, 



