Volume 2

Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey between the years 1803 and 1807 / Written by himself [i.e. D. Badía y Leblich. Tr. from the French].

  • Ali Bey, 1766-1818.
Date:
1816
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey between the years 1803 and 1807 / Written by himself [i.e. D. Badía y Leblich. Tr. from the French]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    them on board the vessel, to convey them to Cairo. I opposed their design, and sent immediately some of my servants to the governor, who offered to give me every assistance ; but before the answer had arrived they disappeared. After having anchored an hour at Menouf, we began to tow along the bank, in consequence of a perfect calm, which lasted till night, when a little wind arose. We continued our course till ten, and then anchored in the canal. Sunday, October 9th. At seven in the morning we commenced towing, not having any wind. At nine we passed Gueleti upon the left bank of the canal, when I discovered the mountains of Cairo with my glass. Shortly afterwards we saw some hamlets with dove houses, which appeared to me to be formed of baked earth, and shaped like segments of circles, the diameter of each of which was a foot at the base. These flat-looking cones, the insides of which served as nests for the pigeons, were placed one upon another, and formed large cones like those at Rahmanich, the whole being cemented with mud. A window, placed on the outside, served as an entrance to the birds. The master of the building entered by a door placed in the side of the base, which served him for a habitation. There were a number of sticks fastened horizontally on the outside, which served as perches for the doves. Having passed the mouth of the canal, we entered the right branch of the Nile, which runs to Damietta, or Doumial, about ten o’clock. The canal of Menouf conveys the water from the right to the left branch of the Nile : it is extremely crooked; and its winding turns render its navigation very fatiguing, either when sailing, on account of the manoeuvring requisite, or when towing, in con- sequence of the difficulty of doubling the capes. Its general direc- tion is south-east; its average breadth appears to me to be about