DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4372#0086
nothing but a square space at one corner of the town, surrounded
by a stone wall for the greatest part in ruins, and ocupied by
private houses, but without powder, arms, or ammunition. At
the castle gate the Aga would frequently regale us with dates
and coffee, and often during our stay here would express his
curiosity as to the real object of our journey. He could never
reconcile our intimacy and confidential communications with
Elii 1'ey, with the Firmahn we had received from the Vezir, and
could not be cured of Ins suspicions, that our eagerness in search
of antiquities was only to mask the political objects of our mission.
As he seemed to be fond of books, I gave; him an Arabic trans-
lation of the Psalms of David : he said it was one of the four
good books; the three others being the Pentateuch, the Koran,
and the Gospel. He was greatly surprised and pleased to learn
that we entertained the same opinion with regard to three of
them that he did; asked if the Russians did the same; and seemed
shocked to hear that the French had no book of the kind which
was hallowed and respected by them.
The climate of Es Souan is healthy- and much milder than might
be expected from its nearness to the equator; the air is less sul-
try than in the higher latitudes, owing to the constancy and
violence of the North wind: this is seldom or never inter-
rupted by those deadly blasts from the South and South-east,
from which in other parts of Egypt animal and vegetable life
suffer so severely. The neighbourhood also is scarcely ever vi-
sited by the plague, which seldom penetrates higher than Ksue;
and we were assured that, even should a stranger come among
them affected with that disorder, he would not communicate it to
the inhabitants. There are many instances of these last living to
a very great age.
The chief productions of the soil are Doura, a little wheat,
barley,
by a stone wall for the greatest part in ruins, and ocupied by
private houses, but without powder, arms, or ammunition. At
the castle gate the Aga would frequently regale us with dates
and coffee, and often during our stay here would express his
curiosity as to the real object of our journey. He could never
reconcile our intimacy and confidential communications with
Elii 1'ey, with the Firmahn we had received from the Vezir, and
could not be cured of Ins suspicions, that our eagerness in search
of antiquities was only to mask the political objects of our mission.
As he seemed to be fond of books, I gave; him an Arabic trans-
lation of the Psalms of David : he said it was one of the four
good books; the three others being the Pentateuch, the Koran,
and the Gospel. He was greatly surprised and pleased to learn
that we entertained the same opinion with regard to three of
them that he did; asked if the Russians did the same; and seemed
shocked to hear that the French had no book of the kind which
was hallowed and respected by them.
The climate of Es Souan is healthy- and much milder than might
be expected from its nearness to the equator; the air is less sul-
try than in the higher latitudes, owing to the constancy and
violence of the North wind: this is seldom or never inter-
rupted by those deadly blasts from the South and South-east,
from which in other parts of Egypt animal and vegetable life
suffer so severely. The neighbourhood also is scarcely ever vi-
sited by the plague, which seldom penetrates higher than Ksue;
and we were assured that, even should a stranger come among
them affected with that disorder, he would not communicate it to
the inhabitants. There are many instances of these last living to
a very great age.
The chief productions of the soil are Doura, a little wheat,
barley,