74 TRAVELS TO THE EAST. 
good or bad fortune of the country depends on this 
day, in refpect to the plenty ol the water, it is 
juftly one of the moll folemn in the whole year. 
The Nile is entirely under the direction of man : it 
overflows the country, but wanders not at will : it is 
conduced to all parts of the countries which may 
want it, with prudence and circumfpeftion ; but the 
art of man cannot contribute to its encreafe. This 
is the work of nature. When the Nile begins, to 
encreafe, a dam of earth is call up at the opening 
of the ditch, which the Emperor Trajan made from 
the river, and goes through the city, which for- 
merly ended in the fea at Rofette, after having wa- 
tered the whole country through which the ditch 
was made. When the water hath rifen to a fuf- 
ficient height, which can be feen by the famous 
Nilometre, this dam is opened and the ditch filled 
with water, which is afterwards encreafed and led j 
over the whole country. The day this is done is a i 
feftival, and was now celebrated. 1 he feftival was 
not fo remarkable this year as in others, becaufe the 
Turks had now begun their Ramadan, when ever y 
body is filent and devout. The feene was com- 
monly performed in this manner : the Bafttaw 
Cairo, accompanied by a detachment of 1000 
more Janiffaries, with his Kiaja and other officer 5 ’ 
goes to the dam on horfeback at feven o’clock in tm 
morning, where he enters a TchioJk (an open fud* 
mer-houfe) and orders thofe that are to open tP 
dam to hold themfelves in readinefs. The honoP 
of opening the dam is divided between the TurK ; > 
Cophti, and Jews, and is opened by them in the 
turn. When every thing is ready for opening, tP 
Balhaw throws with his own hands afpade upon t 
dam. This done, it is removed by thofe who » l . j 
appoint 
