THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. j|$ 



before it. It was afterwards rebuilt by the Shepherds of Beja s 

 then Chriftians, and again taken in the time of Salidan, and, 

 with the reft of Egypt, ever fince hath belonged to Cairo. It 

 was conquered by, or rather furrendered to, Selim Emperor 

 of the Turks, in 1516, who planted two advanced polls (Deir 

 and Ibrim) beyond the cataract in Nubia, with fmall garri- 

 fons of janiiTaries like wife, where they continue to this day. 



Their pay is ifTued from Cairo ; fome times they mafry 

 each others daughters, rarely marry the women of the coun* 

 try, and the fon, or nephew, or neareft relation of each cle* 

 ceafed, fucceeds as janhTary in room of his father. They 

 have loft their native language, and have indeed nothing of 

 the Turk in them, but a propenfity to violence, rapine, and 

 injuftice ; to which they have joined the perfidy of the Arab, 

 which, as I have faid, they fometimes inherit from their 

 mother. An Aga commands thefe troops in the caftle. They 

 have about two hundred horfemen armed with firelocks : i 

 with which, by the help of the Ababde, encamped at Shekh 

 Ammer, they keep the Bifhareen, and ail thefe numerous 

 tribes of Arabs, that inhabit the Defer-t of Sennaar, in toler- 

 able order. 



The inhabitants, merchants, and common people of the 

 town, are commanded by a cacheif, There is neither but- 

 ter nor milk at Syene (the latter comes from Lower Egypt) 

 the fame may be faid of fowls. Dates do not ripen at Syeae, 

 thofe that are fold at Cairo come from Ibrim and Dongola* 

 There are good filh in the Nile, and they are eafily caught, 

 efpecially at the cataract, or in broken water ; there are only 

 two kinds of large ones which I have happened to fee, the 



U 2 binny 



