ALE 



placed, who gives notice, \)y a flag, of t>ie (hips tlr.it are 

 coming into port. From this hill may bs fecii the fta, the 

 whole sxttiit of the city, and the parts in its vicinity. On 

 the fca-coall there is a large bafon, cut out of the rock that 

 forms the ihore, having on its fiJes two beautiful fah)ons 

 that arc hewn out by the chifcl with benches acrofs them. 

 A canal of a zijj-zag form, for l!ie purpofe of {lopping the 

 progrefs of the land by its diiferent windings, conveys into 

 them the water of the fca, pure and tranfparei^t ao cryllal. 

 The water rifes a little above the waiil, when a perfon is 

 fiated on the Hone bench, and the feet reft on a line faiid. 

 The waves of tiie fca da(h againft the ruck and foam in the 

 canal. The fwell enters, raifes you up, and leaves you ; 

 and thus altcri;ately entering and retiring, furnifhes a conilant 

 fupply of frefn water, and a coolnefs, which is grateful and 

 delicious under a burning )ky. This place is vidgarly cnlitd 

 the £>t:h of Cleopatra ; and forae ruins indicate its having 

 been formerly ornamented. 



The modern j^Iexiindria is built near the brink of the fea 

 on a kind of pcninfula, fituate between the two ports above- 

 mentioned. The new port, afTigned to Europeans, is clogged 

 up witli fand, wliich renders the entrance into it both diffi- 

 cult and dangerous, and in ftormy weather endangers th« 

 bilging of the (liips ; and the bottom is rocky, fo that the 

 cablesfoon chafe and part ; and thus vcifels are driven againtl 

 one another, and arc fonietimes loft. An inftance ot this 

 kind happened in March 1773, when more than 40 veflels 

 were dalhed to pieces on the mole by a north-weft gale. Si- 

 milar accidents have alfo happened at different times ; and 

 under the Turkilh government, which, as it is faid, ruins 

 the labours of paft ages and deftroys the hopes of future 

 time, no provifion is hkely to be made for preventing their 

 occurring again. Tile other port, or the Eunoftus of the 

 ancients, to tlie weftward of the Pharos, is called the port 

 of Africa ; it is iiuich larger than the former, and lies im- 

 mediately under part of the town of Alexandria. It has 

 ir.uch deep water, thougii many Ihips are continually thvow- 

 ing their ballaft into it ; and without doubt it will be at 

 length filled up and thus joined to the continent. Chriftian 

 Y^ffcis are not fufFered to enter this port; and the only reafon 

 is, leaft the Moorifti women fhould be feen taking the air in 

 the evening at open windows, and this has been thought 

 fufiicient to induce Chriftian powers to fubmit to the reftraint, 

 and to overbalance the conftant lofs of (hips, property and 

 men. The houfes at Alexandria, like thofe of the Levant, 

 have flat terrace roofs ; they have no windows, and the 

 apertures which fupply their place are alnioft entirely oh- 

 llrucltd by a wooden lattice projefling, of various forms, 

 and fo clofe, that the light can hardly force a palTage. In 

 thofe countries, more than any where elfe, fueh inventions, 

 whicii transform a manfion into a prifon, are rtAjealoiiJies, 

 as Sonnini calls them, or window-bhnds. Narrow and awk- 

 wardly difpofed ftreets are without pavement, as the city is 

 without pohce ; no public edifice, no private building arrcfts 

 the eye of the traveller ; and on the fuppofition that the 

 fragments of the old city had not attrafted his attention, he 

 woylci find no objcft in the prcfent town that could fupply 

 matter for a moment's thought. Turks, Arabians, Bar- 

 barefques, Cophts, Chriftians of Syria, and Jews, conftitute 

 a population which, according to Sonnini, may be eftimated 

 at 5000, as far as an eftimation can be made in a country 

 where no regifter of any thing is kept. Commerce attra£ls 

 thither befides, from all the countries of the eaft, fti-angers 

 whoferefidenceis very tranfient. This motley aftemblage of 

 perfons of different nations, jealous of and almoftalwayshoftile 

 to each otcer, would prefent to the eye of the obftrver a 



A L E 



fingular mixture of cuftoms, manners and drefs, if a rcfor^ 

 of thieves and robbers could repay the trouble of obfervation. 

 The prefent Alexandrians are, like their predeceftors ii> 

 fonner times, chargeable with a pronenefs to fedition, whicji 

 is awed and reftramed by the feverity of their government. 

 The Britilh and French nations carrj' on a conhderable com- 

 merce with Alexandria, and have each a conlul refiding 

 there. Some Venetian (hips aUo fail thither yearly, luidcr 

 tlie colours and proteftion of France. The iabjeCls of tliofe 

 kiiigdoms who have noconful here are fubjccted to a tax by 

 tlie Grand Seignior ; but tlie Jews indemnify themfelves fop 

 this difadvantage, bv felling tlieir commodities cheaper than 

 other foreigners can afford to do ; and they are alfo favoured 

 by the farmers of the revenues, who know that the Jews 

 have it in their power to lefTcn the quantity of merchandize 

 that comes into their port, for the period of two years, 

 which is the duration uf their farm. The language fpoken 

 at Alexandria is the Arabic ; but nioft of the Alexandrians, 

 and tliufe in particular whom commerce leads into an inter- 

 courfe with the merchants of Europe, fpcak likewife the 

 Italian. The morefca or lingua franca, which is a compound. 

 of bad Italian, Spaiii(h and Arabic, is likewife fpoken in 

 this place. The guveniment of Alexandria is like that of 

 other places in Egypt ; and is conducted by an aga, what 

 has under him a kadi and fub-baflia, all nominated by the 

 chief bafha. It has a fmall garrifon of foldiers, part of 

 W'hich are Janizaries and AlTafls ; who are haughty and in- 

 folent, not only to ftrangers but to the mercantile and in- 

 duftrious pait of the people. Thefc* are lodged in tlie 

 farillons or caftles that guard the port, where the aga or 

 governor that commands them alfo refides. But though the 

 Pharos, according to eftablilhed regulations, ought to bs 

 garnioned by 500 janizaries, it has never half that number, 

 and not moi-ethan four cannons for its defei>ce. The whole 

 of the fortifications might eafilv be beat down by a (Ingle 

 frigate ; but a foreign army would experience great difficulty 

 in maintaining pofTeffion of Alexandria for want of water j 

 as the city has not any befides that which is condufted by 

 canals into their refervoirs at the time of the overflowing of 

 tlie Nile ; fo that it would be neceffary to conquer the whole 

 country, or at leail thofe parts that lie on the banks of the 

 river. Alexandria was taken by aflault on the fourth of 

 July, 1798, by the French atmy, under the command of 

 Bonaparte, the prefent prime conful of France ; after putting- 

 to flight the Arabs and Mamalukes w-ho defended it, and 

 killing about joo of them. The troops, that were left in 

 poffefiion of the town, when the army began its march 

 acrofs the Defert, having been forbidden, under penalty of 

 death, from entering the houfes or mofques of the Turks, o& 

 committing any violence on their perfons, or thofe of their 

 families, built huts of palm-branches without the city, to 

 (hclter themfelves from the fun. The men of feience, who 

 accompanied the army, were lodged in the houfes of the few 

 Europeans refident at Alexandria, but a dozen of them 

 were crowde<l together in one chamber, under the heat of a 

 torrid climate. Miferably fupphed both with food and 

 water, molefted with the ftings of infefts, and fuiTounded 

 with filth and wretchednefs, tliey at the fame time contem- 

 plated in a city, once renowned for indufti-y, commerce and 

 activity, nothing but ruins, barbarifm and poverty ; ftupid- 

 looking citizens, with long pipes, indolently fitting in the 

 public places, half ftarved and naked children, and the forms 

 of bare-footed women, in blue ferge gowns, and black ituff 

 veils, flying the approach, or turning away with precipitation, 

 whenever they met a Frenchman. The French beheld every 

 where menumeiits of antiquity, but every where mifplaced ; 



pillar* 



