Egypt ami Pcrfia. 343 



oiled by the order which C. Defcorches had given to the 

 eordi.il and French at Cairo, to repair provifioually to Alex- 

 andria, and put themfelves under the protection of the port 

 captain of the Grand Signior ; and to wait there until more 

 favourable cirenmftances mould enable the coniul to relume 

 his functions at Cairo, and the merchants their commercial 

 operations. We forwarded to the national garden of plants 

 a fourth box of the feeds from Egypt, Rhodes, Lero, and the 

 lhores of the channel of the Dardanelles, as well as a live 

 ichneumon which we had reared for four or live months. 



Peffia, a prey to the horrors of civil war fince the reigns 

 of the latter Sophis (the family of the Scphevi), gave reafon 

 to hope for a flouriihing kingdom under a monarch who 

 had triumphed' over all his rivals, and had deliroyed each of 

 them in fucceffion. The opportunity was then favourable 



" January 4, i-? Q . — On this day (Saturday) the Daniih traveller, 

 Captain Nordcn, with his attendants, arrived at Deir, or Dcrri, the firft 

 large village or town in Nubia, The cacheff of that place, a notorious 

 plunderer of all who fell in his power, conducted hi mfe If towards the tra- 

 in fo infamous a manner, as to oblige the captain to rclinquifli his 

 defigii of proceeding further, and return to Cairo. When difputing about 

 (bme of the exorbitant demands of the cacheff, one of the company re- 

 minds i him that they were under the protection of the Grand Signior. To 

 which he anfwered in a paffion; ' I laugh at the horns of the Grand Sig- 

 lvior : J am here Grand Signior myll-lf, and I will teach vou to rcfpccl me 

 as you ought. I know already what fort of people you art. I have con-, 

 fulted my cup; and I have found by it, that you arc thofe of whom one 

 of our prophets has faid: That there would co.ne Franks in difguife, who, 

 by little prefents, and by foothing and infinuating behaviour, would pafs 

 every wh< re, ■ x imine the ftate of the country, go afterwards to make a 

 re|iort of it, and bring at laft a great number of other Franks, who would 

 conquer the country, and exterminate all. But I will take care about that ; 

 and without further delay you muft quit my bark.' After being plundered 

 by him, in various ways, till the evening of the following Monday, the 

 traveller-, thought themfelves very fortunate in beinc permitted to efcapc 

 v. ith their lives. — [ ,';, . / , / '. man's Jranjlation of Norderfi 7; a<vt Is, 8m 



[757, VOJ. /'/'. /'. I :c.j KulT. 



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