146 
The weather was cloudy; we suffered a great deal 
from the violent storms and showers of rain, which at 
half past eight was so heavy that it penetrated into my 
tent. The thermometer was at 14°, the hygrometer 
at 100°. 
Mansouria and Fidala represent a square formed 
of high walls, with towers. Each of these squares has 
about 65 fathoms at every side, and contains a mosque 
and some houses, which are considerably inhabited, 
considering the little extent of the spots. The inhabi- 
tants, amongst whom are a number of Jews, are in a 
miserable condition. I went to the mosque of Fidala 
and found it rather handsome. 
Monday, 12th March. It rained very hard all night 
and part of the morning, we therefore could not set oft 
till one in the afternoon. Our road inclined S.S.W. and 
shifted afterwards to S.W.; at half- past two we crossed 
a small river, and at half- past four part of large marshes. 
We arrived about six at Darbeida, and passed there 
another small river. 
The country was like that which I had traversed du- 
ring the last days, full of small hills undulating over vast 
plains, intermixed with extensive marshes. The road 
kept almost continually along the seashore, and the 
coast is so difficult to land on, that it afforded no other 
port than that of Darbeida, which is but small. 
The ground is clay mixed with sand, in which some 
pure sand appears. Now and then chalky rocks are 
met with, and at other times slaty clay. The sea-sand 
is absolutely a composition of shells. 
Vegetation was advanced in the same degree, but not 
so varied in the different sorts of productions as else- 
where; it consisted chiefly of a kind of palm plants. 
The weather was rather mild in the afternoon; but 
