14 ' ACRE. 
CHAP, made a final survey of the town of Acre^ 
J particularly of its market, which is well supplied 
iccoun'tof with most of the Eastern commodities. Cotton 
Acre. jg ^jjg principal export. Its tobacco is very 
highly esteemed; and coarse muslins, remarkable 
for the durability of their dye, are sold at a low 
rate. The inhabitants make use of wooden 
tubes for their tobacco-pipes, garnished with a 
swathing of silk or linen, for the purpose of ab- 
sorbing water. This, being kept moist, cools 
the smoke, as it rises, by the constant evapo- 
ration. This method of smoking tobacco is less 
deleterious than the Arab custom of using the 
koohay which generally consists of nothing more 
than a hollow gourd containing water, and two 
pieces of cane; but the whole of the smoke, in- 
stead of being drawn into the mouth, is thereby 
inhaled upon the lungs ; a practice which some- 
times causes asthma, where it has been long 
continued'. Marili, in the account of his journey 
(l) Shaw mentions this custom {See Travels, p. 234. Land. 1757. 
Note 9). He says the Arabs call it Shrob el Douhhan, that is to say, 
''^irinkiug- of smoke." It is a universal practice, not only in the Levant, 
but over all the Mediterranean. Like other intoxicating habits, when 
once aciiuircd, it is not readily abandoned. The effect produced 
resembles that of a dram ; causing, at the moment, distention of the 
nerves and vessels of the head, particularly of the eyes. The Greek 
who travelled with us, after thus conveying all the smoke he could 
collect fiJin a well-kindled pipe into his lungs, could retain it there 
for 
