A R A 
wtrieIV they founded" in feveral parts of Spain and Italy. 
The philofophy of the Arabians, before Mahomet, was 
Sabian, and included the f'yftem and ceremonies of that 
feift of idolaters. Their phyfic fucceeded the Grecian ; 
and their phyficians handed down the art to us, having 
made confiderable improvements, chiefly in the pharma¬ 
ceutical and-thy mica! parts. It is certain we owe to them 
moft of our l'pices and aromatics, as nutmegs, cloves, mace, 
and other articles of tire produce of India. Moft of tire 
gentler purgatives were unknown to the Greeks,, and rirlt 
introduced by the Arabs, as manna, fenna, rhubarb, ta¬ 
marinds, caflia, &c. They likewiie brought fit gar into 
vile in phyfic, where, before, only honey was ufed. They 
alfo found the art of preparing waters and oils, of divers 
fimples, by diftillation and fublimation. The firft notice 
of the fhrall-pox and the meafl.es is likewife owing to them. 
Laftly, the reiteration of phyfic in Europe took its rife 
from their writings. M. le Clerc has. given a (ketch, and 
Dr. Freind an ample hiltory, of the Arabian phyfic- We 
have alio a notitia oi all the Arabian phylicians-by Fabrieius". 
That the Arabs, had fome knowledge in the mechanical 
arts, appears from Strabo, who informs us, that the people 
of Tainna and the adjacent provinces had magnificent tem¬ 
ples, and elegant houfes, built in the Egyptian talk. The 
fame author likewife relates, that, in Arabia Felix, be- 
lides the hulbandmen, there were many artificers. The 
principal arms ufed by the Arabs were bows and arrows, 
darts or javelins, and broad fwords or feymitars. The 
bows and arrows were the moil ancient weapons; being 
ufed by Ifiimael liimfelf, according to Scripture. It is 
probable alfo, that fome of them were acquainted with 
every branch of the military art cultivated by their neigh¬ 
bours the Egyptians, Syrians, and Phoenicians. 
According to the modern geography of Arabia, it is 
1430 miles in length, and iaoo in breadth ; fituated be¬ 
tween 35 and 60 degrees call longitude, and between 12 
and 30 degrees north latitude; and contains feven hun¬ 
dred thouland fquare miles. The chief towns of Arabia 
are Suez, Mecca, Siden, Medina, Dhafar, Mocha, Sifeit, 
Hadramut, Caffeen, Segur, Mufcat, Jamama, and Elcalf. 
The mod remarkable mountains are thofe of Sinai and 
Horeb, in Arabia Petrrea, to the ealt of the Red Sea; and 
that of Arafat, or Gibcl el Orpkat, in Arabia Felix. There 
are few fountains, finings, or rivers, in this country, ex¬ 
cept the Euphrates, which wafhes the north-eaft limits of 
Arabia Deferta. It is almoft furrounded with feas ; as 
the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the gulfs of Perlia and 
Ormus. The chief capes or promontories are thofe of Ro- 
falgate and Mufledon. 
As a confiderable part of this country lies under the 
Torrid Zone, and the Tropic of Cancer palfes over Ara¬ 
bia Felix, the air is excefiively dry and hot, and the coun¬ 
try is fubjedt to fcorching winds, like thofe on the oppo- 
fite Ihores of Perlia, which often prove fatal, efpecially to 
Grangers. The foil, in fome parts, is nothing more than 
immenfe fands, which, when agitated by the winds, roll 
like the troubled ocean, and fometimes form mountains by 
which whole caravans have been buried or loft. In thefe 
deferts, the caravans, having no tracks, are guided, as at 
fea, by a compafs, or by the ftars, for they travel chiefly 
in the night. Here, fays Dr. Shaw, are no paftures clothed 
with flocks, nor vallies Handing thick with corn ; here are 
no vineyards or olive-yards ; but the whole is a lonefome 
defolate wildernefs, no otherways diverfified than by plains 
covered with fand, and mountains that are made up of 
naked rocks and precipices. Neither is this country ever, 
unlefs fometimes at the equinoxes, refreflied with rain ; 
and the intenfenefs of the cold in the night is almoft equal 
to that of the heat in the day-time. But the fouthern part 
of Arabia, delervedly called the Happy, is bleffed with an 
excellent foil, and, in general, is very fertile. There the 
cultivated lands, which are chiefly about the towns near 
the fea-coaft, produce balm of Gilead, manna', myrrh, 
caflia, aloes, frankineenfe, fpikenard, and other valuable 
£ums; cinnamon, pepper, cardamum, oranges, lemons, 
Fol. II, No. 55. 
B I A. *£ 
pomegranates, figs, and ether fruits.; honey and wax in 
plenty, with a fmall quantity of corn and wine. This 
country is famous for its coffee and its dates, which laft 
are found fcarcely any where in fuch perfection as here 
and in Perlia. There are few trees fit for timber in Ara¬ 
bia, and little wood of any kind. Their moft ufeful ani¬ 
mals are camels and dromedaries; thefe are-amazingly fit¬ 
ted by Providence for travelling the dry and parched deferts 
of this country; for they are fo formed, that they can throw 
up the liquor from their ftomach into their throat, by 
which means they can travel fix or eight days without wa¬ 
ter. The camels ufualTy carry Boolb. weight upon their 
backs,, which is not taken off during the whole gurney, 
for they naturally kneel down to reft, and indue time rife 
with their load. It is an obfervation among the Arabs; 
that, wherever there are trees, the water is not far off; 
and, when they draw near a pool, their camels will fmeli 
it at a diftance, and fet up their great trot till they come 
to it. The Arabian horfes are well known in Europe, and 
have contributed to improve the breed'of the Englilh. 
The Arabians, like, moft of the nations of Alia, are of 
a middle ftature, thin, and of a Ivvarthy complexion, with 
black hair and black eyes. They are IwIrt of foot, excel¬ 
lent horfemen, and are certainly a brave people, expert at 
the bow and lance, and, fince they became acquainted with 
fire-arms, good markfmen. The inhabitants of the inland 
country are “ zvild men ,” and live in tents, and remove from 
place to place with their flocks and herds, as they have 
ever done fince the days of their founder Ifiimael. But 
they are fuch thieves, that travellers and pilgrims, who 
are led thither from all nations through devotion or curio- 
fity, are ftruck with terror on their approaches towards 
the deferts. Thofe robbers, headed by a chief, traverfe 
the country in confiderable troops on horfeback, and af- 
fault and plunder the caravans; and we are told, that fo 
late as the year 1750, a bodv of 50,000 Arabians attacked 
a caravan of merchants and pilgrims returning from Mecca, 
killed about 60,000 perfons, and plundered it of every 
thing valuable, though defended by a Turkifh army. On 
the fea-coaft they are mere pirates, and make prize of 
every veffel they can mailer,' of whatever nation. Thus 
they evidently fulfil what was foretold of the defeendants 
of Ifiimael, “ that they fiiould be invincible, and have 
their hand againft every man, and every man’s hand again ft 
them's.The habit of the roving Arabs is a kind of blue 
fliirt, tied about them with a white fafii or girdle ; and 
fome of them have a veil of fur or fheep-lkin over it; they 
alfo wear drawers, and fometimes flippers, but no (lock¬ 
ings; and have a cap or turban on their head. Many of 
them go almoft naked ; but, as in the eaftern countries, 
their women are fo wrapped up, that nothing can be dis¬ 
cerned. but their eyes. Like other Mahometans, the Arabs 
eat all manner of flelh, except that of hogs ; and prefer 
the flelh of camels, as we prefer venifon, to other meat. 
They take care to drain the blood from the flelh, as the 
Jews do, and like them refufe fuch fifh as have 110 feales. 
Coffee and tea, water, and Iherbet made of oranges, water* 
and fugar, is their ufual drink; for they have no ftrong 
liquors. 
What is called the Defert of Sinai, is a beautiful plain 
near nine miles long, and above three in breadth ; it lies 
open to the north-eaft, but to the fouthward is clofed by 
fome of the lower eminences of Mount Sinai ; and other 
parts of that mountain make fuch encroachments upon 
the plain as to divide it in two, each fo capacious as to be 
fufficient to receive the whole camp of the Ifraelites. 
From Mount Sinai inly be feen Mount Horeb, where 
Mofes kept the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-law, when 
he faw the burning bulh. On thofe mountains are many 
chapels and cells, poffeffed bv the Greek and Latin monks, 
who, like the religious of Jerufalem, pretend to (lievv the 
very fpot where every miracle or tranfadlion recorded in 
feripture happened. - 
Mocha, the capital of Arabia Felix, is well built, the 
houfes very lofty, and forts covered with a chinam ci 
H ftucco, 
