Observations on the manners and customs of the Egyptians, the overflowing of the Nile and its effects, with remarks on the plague, and other subjects : written during a residence of twelve years in Cairo and its vicinity / by John Antes ; to which are added, Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt, 1798 ; interesting memoirs of Admirals Nelson and Keith, Sir Sidney Smith, ... &c. &c. ; with an enlarged account of the Battle of the Nile, ...

  • Antes, John.
Date:
1800
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the manners and customs of the Egyptians, the overflowing of the Nile and its effects, with remarks on the plague, and other subjects : written during a residence of twelve years in Cairo and its vicinity / by John Antes ; to which are added, Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt, 1798 ; interesting memoirs of Admirals Nelson and Keith, Sir Sidney Smith, ... &c. &c. ; with an enlarged account of the Battle of the Nile, ... Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    the origin of it, and I have afked many hundred people, but could never get a fatisfaClory anfwer, till fhortly before I left Cairo a perfon told me, that it originated from the death of Ali, Mahamet’s fon-in- law, viz. When the party of Omar had killed him, they cried out, Hadah Nahar Saad! which fignifies: This is a lucky day. The counter party faid, Hadah Haram ! or, this is unlawful, unpermitted, wrong, &c. This anfwer or explanation fcemed to me the moffc probable. Now, confidering this difficulty, and obferving the com- mon method taken by travellers to coiled; their materials, I muft own it made me exceedingly diffident of all hafty productions ; nay, I often thought no geographical defcription can be entirely free from miftakes, as it feems to be out of any man’s power to obferve every thing himfelf, or to qualify himfelf for being able to judge of all fubjeCts with equal precifion. But why do I detain you with thefe reflections ? They cannot be new to you. Having, as obferved above, not had the opportunity to qualify my- felf fufficiently, it has always made me exceedingly diffident of my own abilities; nor could I ever think myfelf capable of being of any fervice to the public, in endeavouring to reCtify fome of the errors we fo frequently meet with. * 1 have, therefore, never attempted to note any thing down with a view to lay it before the public, or I fliould have taken more pains to gather materials, and to have made a greater number of exaCl aimenfions, diftances, and meafurements, than I have done. But being in Germany after my return, in the year