ALE 



nortli-wcft, ea!V, nort'i-"aft, or foutli-eafl, the lica* is ex- 

 tremely opprcffivc, and tlie .-".ir is dry and fcorching, as if it 

 proccc<Ld from an oven. Tlie eyes, lips, and uoftrils are 

 parch.-d, and it produces a lafiitiide, attended with an op- 

 prefiion at the bread, of wliich the natives are not k-ls fen- 

 iible than the Europeans. It is iifir.il to exclude thefc hot 

 winds by fliutting the doors and windows. Tliey do not, 

 however, occur every year, nor do they produce Inch fatal 

 effeiV. as the defeit wind, named Simoolv. At the end of 

 Auguil tlie Nile clouds, as they arc called, make their ap- 

 pearance, and are often attended witli dew. About the 

 autumnal equinox the air is refredied by (lioucrs, whicli are 

 termed the lirlt rains, and are ul'ually preceded by irregular 

 guils of wind that raife the dull in vortices. Thefe are fuc- 

 cceded in 20 or 30 days by the fecond rains, which are more 

 plentiful than the firil, and after them the weather becomes 

 variable and much cooler. The tranfition from the Autumn 

 to the Winter is flower tlian that from Spring to Summer. 

 The trees retain their leaves till the beginniiig of December, 

 and the moll delicate perfons have no lires till the middle of 

 this month. The rigour of winter commences about the 

 middle of December, and lalls forty days ; but though there 

 is almoll always fome frofl; in winter, many years pafs without 

 fnow. The narcjfTus is in flower during the grcatell part of 

 the winter, and violets and hyacinths are plentiful in January. 

 Although violent ftorms of wind are rare at Aleppo, fqualls 

 accompanied vrith heavy (liowers, and fometimes with tiiun- 

 der, are frequent in the Spring and Autumn. Lightning, 

 imaccompanied with thunder, is frequently feen in the night 

 during the months of September and Odlober ; and it is 

 fometimes feen in Summer ; but the nofturnal (ky, in the 

 hot months, is almoft always ferene, exhibiting a glorious 

 fceneto the aftronomer, who may indulge his ftudy, and at 

 the fame time enjoy the cool air on the terrace. There are 

 few years in which earthquakes do not occur at Aleppo ; 

 but they are generally flight and do no injui-y. 



The nature of the foil near Aleppo has been already 

 mentioned : Jn the more diftant plains, it confifts of a reddilh, 

 fometimes of a blackifh, light mould, and produces the fruits 

 of the earth in great abundance. The fields near the city 

 yield, in confequence of much manure, two or three crops 

 of different kinds ever)' year ; but without manure, they are 

 fown only once a year with different forts of grain alter- 

 nately, but are feldom fuffered to remain fallow. They 

 begin to plough in September ; and the plough is drawn by 

 one or two fmall cows, or by a (ingle afs, in furrows fo 

 ftraight, that one would imagine a hne mull have been ufed 

 in tracing them. They fow wheat, barle)-, lentils, chiches, 

 beans, chichling, fmall vetch, a fmall green kidney bean, 

 and Indian millet. The earliefl wheat is fown about the 

 middle of October, and barley fo late as the end of Fe- 

 bruary. They feldom ufe the harrow ; the grain being co- 

 vered by repafllng the plough along the edge of the fnnow; in 

 fandy foil, they fow firfl, and tlien plough. The barley harveft 

 commences in May, about 10 or 14 days before that of the 

 wheat, and early in June corn of every kind is taken off 

 the ground. Amongfl the reapers in Syria, a cuftom prevails 

 of accofting apaffmg traveller and prefentingto him a handful 

 of corn, with a general (hout ; and a fmall prefent is cx- 

 pcfted in return. The corn, when reaped, is carried on 

 aTes to the fummit of the neareft hill, and being laid on hard 

 even ground, it is feparated from the cl.-aff, not by tlirefhing, 

 but by means of a fledge fixed on two or three rollers, and 

 armed with feveral iron rings, with ferrated edges, fo fharp 

 as to cut the draw. This macliine is drawn by oxen, mules, 

 or alTes, and driven by a man feated on the fledge, and as it 



ALE 



pafTcs circularly over the corn fpread beneath, the grain, by 

 repeated operation, is trodden out, whflethe Iti-aw is chopped 

 by the iron rings. The chaff and briiifcd fpikcu are then 

 feparated from the gi'iin, by throwing up the whole into 

 the air with wo>den fljovels, when the wind blows mode- 

 rately. The fpikcs that have been imperfeflly trodden arr 

 afjaiii fubinifted to the fledge. When the grain has been 

 afterwards more perfectly winnowed and feparated from lite 

 ftrjw, it is thrown together in a large heap, and is then di- 

 vided in a llipulated proportion between the hulhandmaii 

 and the landlord. The cattle em|)loyed in the harvcll are 

 left unmuzzled at the heap, as the Scripture mentions. See 

 L.owth's Com. on Ifaiah, ch. xxviii. v. 27. z8. Notes, p. 

 130. The grain is then removed to granaries, which are 

 fubterraneous grottoes, with one round opening at top, 

 which, when the maga/.ine is full, is (hut clofe and co- 

 vered with earth, and thus completely concealed from the 

 enemy. Tlie corn is chiefly ground in mills wrought by 

 mules, though there are fome water-mills upon the nver 

 Kowick, and among the lower people by hand-mills. Wind- 

 mills are unknown. 



The olives produced at Aleppo refcmble the SpanifR 

 olives, but are not fo large, and the annual prodtice 

 of them is inconllderable. The city is fupplicd wjth oil 

 from other parts, and particularly from Edlib and adjacent 

 villages, where the olive plantations are more extenfive. 

 "Ijarge quantities arc employed in making foap, and theaflio 

 employed in this manufacture are brought from the Defcrt 

 by the Arabs. The gardens afford feveral varieties of grapes ; 

 thofe that are ripe appear in the market in September, but 

 the vintage is not at its height till the middle of November. 

 The dried fruit of the vine affords part of the food of th; 

 inhabitants ; it is eaten with bread and ufed in flierbets ; a 

 large quantity of raifins is alfo confumed in the diftillerv, 

 carried on both by Turks and Chriflians. Ani- 

 feed is added in the diftillation, and the fpirit, which is 

 very ftrong, is called araki. The infpiffated juice of the 

 grape is much ufed by the natives ; it is called ilibs, and 

 much refembles coarfe honey in appearance. It is brought 

 to town in goat flcins, and fcrves for the common people in- 

 flcad of honey. The piftachio tree is diligently cultivated, 

 and the nuts reckoned fuperior to thofe of any other part of 

 the world. Pliny (lib. xiii. c. 5. lib. xv. c. 24.) fays, that 

 piftachios were firll brought from Syria into Italy, by Lu- 

 cius Vitclhiis, in the reign of Tiberius ; and Galen fDe 

 Alim. I'acult. lib. ii. c. 30.) mentions Bercra as famous for 

 that fruit in his time, l^argc quantities are exported from 

 hence to Europe. The nuts of the wild ))iftachio are brought 

 to tpwn from the mountains ; the trte not growing near 

 Aleppo. The white m.nlbcri-)' is coinnion in the gardens, 

 and brought to market in May, and the fruit of the red 

 mulbeny, which is not ripe till two months later, is deh- 

 cious. Very little filk is made at Aleppo ; that wliich is 

 exported from hence to Europe, by way of Scauderoon, iit 

 chiefly the produce of Antioch and the adjacent mountaiiw, 

 or it is brought to Aleppo from placts more diftant. The 

 pomegranate is common in all the gardens, and is ripe to- 

 wards the end of Augufl. Tlie markets aj-e plentifully 

 fupplied with feveral varieties of i'gs ; but the middle fizcd 

 yellow fig is the moil ellecnied. Tlie gardens alfo produce 

 other fruits, as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples, 

 pears, quinces, cornehan clien-)', almonds, walnuts, liazcl- 

 nuts, jujubes and fumacli ; the former ijf thefc two la(l bcir.g 

 much valued as a medicine, ai.d the latter as an ingredient in 

 cookerv. Oranges, lemons, and citrohs, were formerly pro- 

 duced in the orchards of Aleppo ; but as they are not no'.r 

 4 G 2 cultivated, 



