Travels into the h^vA^i T. Part 11 
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Though commonly they eat but little Fifh at Aleppo, neverthelefs they 
have fomctimes great plenty ; but onely when they are brought from Eu- 
fhrates : The little River furnifhes feveral Trouts, which are not above a 
Fmgers length, and very fmall but exceeding good. They take good Eeles in 
it, which though they be but fmall are moft delicious : There are alfo a 
Crabs. great many Crabs in that River which are broad and flat, and pretty good. 
They are at no pains to fifh for them when the Mulberries are knit ; be- 
caufe thefe Crabs delighting in that Fruit, fail not to ramble about, and 
crawl up the Mulberry-trees, -eo feed on the fruit, and then it is no hard 
matter to catch them. 
Cucumbers. The Cucumbers are fo good in Aleppo^ that not onely the Countrey- 
People, but the Francks alfo eat them green, skin and all, and they do no hurt, 
though they be eaten in great quantity ; it is the fame all over Mefopota- 
mia. 
There is no fait uled in this City, but what is brought from a place a 
day and a halfs Journey of Caravan diflant towards the North-Eaft ; it is 
made of Rain-water, which in the Winter falls into a fpacious low place that 
makes a kind of a Pond ; and that Water having extracted the Salt out of 
the ground it covers, congeals, and is formed into Cubes of Salt, like to Sea- 
Salt ; it is brought to Akfpo on Mules, but is nothing near fo good as Sea- 
Salt. 
There is very good Turkey Leather made at Aleppo. There alfo afwell as 
at Damascus they prepare the Sagri, which is that we call Chagrine in France, 
•but much more of it is made in Verjia. They are fb jealous of their fecret in 
preparing of Turkey Leather, that they fuffer no body to enter their houfes. 
The way of -jj^g ^^^^^ jg niade of the crupper-piece Skin of an Aft, they fhave that skin 
making Cha- ^ ^^^^ ^jjj become fmooth, white and thin like Partchment ; but what 
' ' they do with it afterwards, is all myftery ; I did all I could to learn it but 
could not ; onely I was told by a Jev^, who trades in it and deals much 
with them, that they put fome very fmall grain upon the skin fo prepared, 
which being prelTed, makes at firft little dents in it, but thefe dents after- 
wards fillingup again, they make that grane which we fee in Chagrin ; but he 
alTured me that he knew not in the leafi what grain it was they made ufe of^ 
I came to know afterwards in Perfia, that when they make the Sagri^ after 
they have fhaved the skin, they wet it, and put it upon a little frame of wood, 
to which they faften it by ftreight cords ; then they lay the grain ( which 
perhaps is no more but fand ) pretty thick all over it, and fo expofe it to the 
Sun ; when it is dry, they beat off that fand or grain, knocking the 
back-fide of the skin with a ftick, and then they wet it again, and put the 
grain to it a fécond time, which fomctimes after they beat off again in the 
fame manner, and that's the whole myffery. 
They drive a pretty good trade,at Aleppo in Cabrons hair ( that is the hair 
under the belly of fome he Goats, which is very fine, and ufed in the making 
of hats: ) I was told that when they are put on board, great care mufl be 
taken that they be not wet, becaufe then they would be in danger of tak- 
ing fire of themJelves in a fliort time, like Hay that is brought in before it 
be dry; and fome Ships have been burnt by that means, though that hap- 
pen not always infallibly. 
Blew-Dye. The Dyers of that Countrey make a moft excellent blew dye. They 
put in it, as we do. Indigo, and Pomgranat-peels, but befides that they 
have this particular fecret. They fill their great fats, that are of Earth with 
water, and put into it two or three O^ues of Indigo, according to the big- 
ne(s of the fat, and the goodnefs of the Indigo ; and for fome time they ffir 
/ the liquour in the fat until the Indigo be all dilfolved and well mixt ; after- 
wards they put into it Dogs-turd prepared in this manner. They take about 
an Oque of that Excrement, and boil it in water, then they ftrain that water, 
and put it into the fat, adding afterwards fome of the water of dates. For 
making of that date-water, there is no more to be done but to put about an 
0^«e of Dates into water, and ftir them well, rubbing tfiem with the hands 
in the water, fo that all the fubflance of the Dates may be dilfolved, and 
nothing remain but the ftone ; then having palTed that liqueur through a 
ftrainer. 
