^g^ Phyfical Ohfervations &c. 



Dews, for their Nourifhment ; for Soil, properly fo called, is not 

 The Garden ofto bc foufid ill thefe Parts of Arabia. The Monks indeed of 

 ^^^"fj^^l Sinai, in a long Procefs of Time, have covered over with Dung 

 and the Sweepings of their Convent, near four Acres of thefe 

 iiaked Rocks ; which produce as good Cabbage, Roots, Salad, 

 and all Kinds of Pot-Herbs, as any Soil and Chmate whatfoever. 

 They have likewife raifed Olive, Plum, Almond, Apple and 

 Pear Trees, not only in great Numbers, but of excellent Kinds. 

 The Pears particularly , are in fuch Efteem at AWiro , that 

 there is a Prefent of them fent every Seafon to the Βίφαιι/, 

 and Perfons of the firft Quality. Neither are their Grapes in- 

 feriour in Size and Flavour to any whatfoever : it being fully 

 demonftrated by what this httle Garden produces, how far an 

 indefatigable Induftry can prevail over Nature •, and that feveral 

 Places are capable of Culture and Improvement, which were 

 intended by Nature to be barren, and which the lazy and flothful 

 have always fuifered to be fo. 

 &c. ^offhe Y^t the Deficiencies in the feveral ClaiTes of the Land-Plants, 

 Red Sea. are amply madc up in the Marine Botany : no Place perhaps af- 

 fording fo great a Variety as the Port of Tor. In rowing gently- 

 over it, whilft the Surface of the Sea was calm, fuch a Diver- 

 Mldfepo/eifity of Madrcpores , Fucufes , and other marine Vegetables 

 prefented themfelves to the Eye , that we could not forbear 

 taking them, as Winy ' had done before us, for a Forreft under 

 Water. The branched Madrepores particularly, contributed 

 very much to authorize the Comparifon •, for we paiTed over 

 feveral that were eight or ten Foot high, growing fometimes 

 pyramidical, like the C/prefs-, at other Times had their Branches 

 more open and diifufed, like the Oak ; not to fpeak of others, 

 which, like the creeping Plants, fpread themfelves immediate- 

 ly over the Bottom of the Sea. 

 TheFMngi, To thefe species, which are branched, we may joyn the 

 Fungi, the Brain-Stones, UiQ^flroiie- Madrepores, with other 



I Nafcuntur& in mari (Rwire) frutices arborefque, minores in noftro. Rubrtim cnim, 

 & totus OrientisOceanus refertus eftSylvis. ** In mari vcro Rubra Sylvas vivere, lauruni 

 maxime & olivam fercntem baccasj & cum piuat, fungos, qui fole tadi mutantur in pumi- 

 cem. Fruticum ipforum magnitudo, ternorum eft cubitorum, caniculis referta, ut viic 

 profpicere e navi tutum fic.remos plerumque ipios invadentibus. Pihi. I.13. cap. 25. * Quod 

 per totam Rubri Maris oram maritimam arbores in profundo nafcantur, Luro & oles perfi- 

 miles ; quae in refluxibus ex toto detcguntur, in affluxibus nonnunquam ex toto obruuntur, 

 quod eofu mirandum magis, quia tota fuperjacens regie arbuftis carer. Quod MarcRubrum 

 profunditatcm non habet j nam duas orgyas non excedit ; uude herbida eft fuperficies, 

 dum planiae fefe exferant. Chryfofl. ex Strab. Geogr. \.i6. p. 213. Ed. Hudf 



Coralline 



