Egypt and Perfta, 339 



through Armenia, Georgia, Ghilan, or Chirvan, to the 

 borders of the Caipian fea ; afterwards to traverfe Perfia from 

 north to fouth, and to return by the Perfian Gulph, Buf- 

 fora, Bagdad, Mefopotamia and Aleppo. As we did not, 

 however, hear from government, and could receive only a 

 part of our allowance, we confined ourfelves to excurlions to 

 different places in the neighbourhood of the fea of Marmora, 

 the channel of the Dardanelles, Troade, Tenedos, Scio, fome 

 parts of the coaft of Natolia, Mycone and Naxia, from 

 which we proceeded to Crete. 



Agreeably to our inllruclions, we had tranfmitted to Con- 

 ftantinople, to be reared in the garden of the ambaffador's 

 palace, plants of a kind of apple-tree with oblong fruit of an 

 excellent flavour, proper to be cultivated in any part of 

 France, but more particularly in the fouthern departments ; 

 plants of three kinds of oak not found in our forefts or gar- 

 dens — one kind proper for fhip-building — another a grand 

 cupule known in commerce by the name of avellonte, which 

 is the quercus tegilops ; and laftly, that which furni flies the 

 gall's of the Levant : we added alfo feveral fhrubs deftined to 

 enrich the national garden of plants. 



Though feveral well informed Europeans have traverfed 

 this part of the Ottoman empire; though many of them have 

 publiflied intereftingobfervations on the political relations of 

 the Turks, their manners, ufages, and religion; and though 

 we have excellent works on the plants and ancient hiftory of 

 thefe countries, we, however, found that there s flill an 

 abundant harvefl to be reaped, even in the beft known part 

 of natural hiflory, that is to fay, in regard to plants. But 

 when we reflect that the reptiles, river fiih, infects and ter- 

 reftrial (hells in thofe diftricls have not been obferved by 

 any traveller; that no one has made us acquainted with the 

 riches which the Turks poffefs in mineralogy, mines of iron 

 and copper, pozzolana, and coals at the very gates of the 

 capital, marble of all kinds exceedingly abundant in the 

 iflauds of the fea of Marmora and the Archipelago, a • 



Z 2 cornelians, 



