160 



EENEST W. GURNET MASTERMAN, ON 



tried a draught of water, then it is possible he may have been 

 justified in his verdict ; but as the people here do not rely only 

 on that method of quenching their thirst, they do not complain 

 of this. On very hot days the water, if taken in the heat of 

 the day, is a little warm, but not nearly so much as might be 

 expected. The great reservoir is not far from the city, and the 

 water starts from that quite cold and runs rapidly. But there 

 are two simple remedies applied to meet this : either to take 

 the water at night, as some I know do, or cool it down in the 

 houses. We, in our house cool our water by letting closed 

 bottles of it down into a cistern, when it comes out as cool as 

 any one could wish ; other people cool it in porous water 

 bottles, but the water is at all times not only fit for drinking, 

 but far superior to the water to which the people here haA^e 

 been accustomed. 



May I in conclusion briefiy enumerate the details of the great 

 boon which in my opinion this new supply is to people here, 

 especially to the poor, who form our great majority. We have 

 had two exceedingly bad " w^et seasons " and the country htis 

 seldom been more dry and parched ; many springs have dried 

 up, others are much diminished ; it has therefore been a time 

 when suffering in this city at this season, i.e., at end of the dry 

 summer, would ordinarily have been acute. After far better 

 rainfalls I have seen great distress through the actual want of 

 water for domestic purposes, and at such a time the drinking 

 water used by the poor is filthy to a degree. 



What has been the case this season ? 



(1) The water sold by the water carriers has been 

 considerably cheaper, and has been of a far superior quality, 

 being fresh spring water, instead of being cistern water of most 

 doubtful quality — often from cisterns not cleaned for years, and 

 containing all kinds of horrible filth ; or the brackish water of 

 Bir Eyub. 



(2) Among those who have time and patience it has been 

 possible for any one to fetch water for nothing at all, either at 

 the taps at the Birket es Sultan, or at the public fountain near 

 the Haram. 



(3) As good water has been more ol)tainable, the commoner 

 water from doubtful cisterns has been freely used for watering 

 the streets. Hence the greater part of the Jafta road that has 

 been incorporated into the town has been liberally watered night 

 and morning, far more freely tlian in past years. 



(4) For the more well-to-do it has been possible, without any 

 charge except the cost of carriage, to have house cisterns re-filled 



