984 Phyfical Observations &c. 



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

 The Garden of^o bc fouttd ill thcfe Parts oi ^rahia. The ik/o;^^^ indeed of 

 ^^y'fJlfui. Sinai, in a longProcefs of Time, have covered over with Dung 

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

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

 and all Kinds of Pot-Herbs, as any Soil and Climate 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 Kairo , that 

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

 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 little 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 llothful 

 have always fuffered to be fo. 

 &c. ?nhe Yet the Deficiencies in the feveral ClafTes of the Land-Plants, 

 Red Sea. arc amply made 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- 

 Madfeporesffity of Mudvepores y Fucufes , and other marine Vegetables 

 prefented themfelves to the Eye , that we could not forbear 

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

 Water. The branched Madrepores particularly, contributed 

 very much to authorize the Comparifon ; for we palled over 

 feveral that were eight or ten Foot high, growing fometimes 

 pyramid ical, like the C^iprefs^ at other Times had their Branches 

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

 which, like the creeping Plants, fpread themfelves immediate- 

 ly over the Bottom of the Sea. 

 TA* Fungi, To thefe Species, which are branched, we may joyn the 

 Fungi, the Brain-Stones, the .^roiie- Madrepores, with other 



I Nafcuntur& in mari (Rutro) frutices arborefque, minores in noftro, Rubrum enim, 

 & totus OrientisOceanus refertus eftSylvis. ** In mari vero Rubro Sylvas vivere, laurum 

 maxime & olivam fercntem baccas; & cum pluar, fungos, qui fole tadi mutantur in pumi- 

 cem. Fruticum ipforum magnitude, ternorum eft cubitorum, caniculis referta, ut vix 

 profpJcere e navi tutum fit,remos plerumque ipfos invadentibus. Plin. I.13, cap.2f. *Q£od 

 per totam Rubri Maris oram maritimam arbores in profundo nafcantur, lauro & oleae perfi- 

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

 quod eo fit mirandum magis, quia tota fuperjacens regio arbuftis carer. Qgod Mare Rubrum 

 profunditatem non habet j nam duas orgyas non excedit ; unde herbida eft fiiperficies, 

 dum plantse fefe exferant. Chrjfoft. ex Strah, Geogr. 1. 16. p. 213. Ed. Hudf 



Coralline 



