AND LOWER EGYPT. 95 



CHAP. XLIir. 



Tomkh — Aloutige — Uolhcrs — Tahta — Copht-^ 

 Sick nian^ and the method in ivhich the author re- 

 pressed his arrogance — Catholic Cophts — The per- 

 secutions which they suffer — Engraved stones and 

 medah — Apples — Melons — Down Saidi — $pecies 

 of palm-tree of Theha'is — Different species of the 

 leprosy. 



After a considerable residence at SioiU, during 

 which I was ill half the time, 1 thought of con- 

 tinuing my route to the south of Egypt. But as 

 there were in that port no hoats ready to ascend 

 the Nile, I was obliged to alter my mode of tra- 

 velling. 1 hired two camels and six asses to con- 

 vey me to Echmnnm. We departed from Siout the 

 23d of May 1778, a little before mid-day ; and 

 pursuing a road which sometimes conducted us 

 toward the winding course of the Nile, and 

 sometimes carried us to a distance from it, we ar- 

 rived at Tomieh toward nine o'clock at ni^ht. This 

 is a very small market-town, the residence of a 

 Kiaschef. A very large number of date and other 

 trees surround it ; and this enclosure of foliage 

 and verdure, so useful in tempering the ardour 



of 



