368 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
nefs. On the contrary, the large plain near Acre is left almoft 
a marfh, and marks of idle magnificence have been fubftituted 
for the ufeful cares of agriculture. A ftriking contraft arifes be- 
tween his conduct and that of the Shech Daher, his predeceflfor, 
who raifed Acre from a village to a large town, and doubled 
the population of the diftrid. 
Jezzar was the firft governor in the empire who laid a tax on 
articles of confumptioh, as wine, grain, and the like. Even 
meat and fifh are materials of impoft. He has erected granaries, 
a laudable defign, but deficient in the execution ; for the grain 
being ill preferved, and the oldeft ferved out firft, it is not only 
difagreeable as food, but unprolific when diftributed for feed to 
the peafants. Thefe imports form the peculiar revenue of the 
Pafha J the other refources arifing as ufual from the tax on land, 
which amounts to about a twentieth of the rent, the capitation 
tax on Chriftians, and the cuftoms ; which laft in this govern- 
ment are arbitrary, and neither regulated by the rules of the 
Porte, nor the capitulations entered into by Europeans. Never- 
thelefs, the chief fource of the riches of Jezzar is the Pafhalik 
of Damafcus, which, by means of the ufual largelfes at the 
Porte, he contrived to add to his former government, a prece- 
dent very unufual in the Othman empire. His military force 
was once computed at twelve thoufand j but, at the time of my 
vifiting Acre, did not exceed four or five thoufand. 
Till the year 1 79 1 the French had factories at Acre, S^ide, 
and Beirut. At that period they were all expelled from the ter- 
ritory of Jezzar by a fudden mandate, which allowed them only 
three 
