LETTERS. 4 2t 
me in Sweden. This Author made me believe, 
that I fhould find a botanical magazine in Egypt, 
but this is not the cafe. Egypt has very few indige- 
nous plants. The greateft part of thofe to be feen 
here, and which are noticed by Alpinus, are cul- 
tivated by art ; for this reafon we find here a Flora 
ceconomica, which is without doubt one of the 
richeft under the fun. The quantity of corn, 
•wheat, barley, beans and peas, the abundance of 
rice, the fuperfluity of f ax, which this country 
yearly produceth, are evidences of this ; befides 
the quantity of indigo , fafflovser, dates , caffia, and 
fenna, with which the country enriches its poffef- 
fors. The firuation of the country and feafons is 
fuch, as will not permit many fpontaneous plants 
to come forth, of which I hope to give you my 
obfervations more circumftantially another tune. 
I have gathered the flowers and feeds of every 
thing planted here, and defcribed and collected 
every thing I found wild. What pleafeth me 
moft of any thing I have found here in the vege- 
table kingdom, is, the knowledge I have got of 
the Date-tree, and fcripture fycamore , two plants, 
which aione might deferve a Botanift’s journey 
to Egypt. With refpedt to the former, 1 have with 
tolerable eafe collected every thing that was ne- 
cefiary •, but the latter has given me more trouble. 
This is a tree which in its fructification, manner 
of growing, living and dying, is doubdefs one of 
the moft Angular in the vegetable kingdom. I 
have opened, not hundreds, but thoufands of its 
figs (Reccptacula) before I could get an idea of 
its fructification ; I have however at length acquir- 
ed fome infight with refpedt to it : it has herma- 
phrodite and male flower cups diftindt one from 
the other, as the common fig ; but the latter dif- 
