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to the Captain of the frigate in which we were CHAP. to sail and a third to the Governor of Rhodes, containing, as he said, an order for boats to take us either to Stanchio, or to Scio. Thus provided, we continued our journey to Aboukir, along the sandy neck of land which stretches, in the shape of a ribbon, from the place where our army landed, entirely to Alexandria; having the Lake of Aboukir upon our right, and the sea upon our left. The whole of this tract is a desert, interspersed here and there with a few plantations of palm-trees. The dates hung from these trees in such large and tempting clusters, although not quite ripe, that we climbed to the tops of some of them, and bore away with us large branches, with their fruit. In this manner, dates are sometimes sent, with the branches, as presents to Constantinople. A ripe Egyptian date, although a delicious fruit, is never refreshing to the palate. It suits the Turks, who are fond of sweetmeats of all kinds; and its flavour is not unlike that of the conserved green citron which is brought from Madeira. The largest plantation occurred about half-way between

(2) The leaves of these trees, when grown to a size for bearing fruit, are six or eight feet long; and may be termed branches, for the trees have no other.

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CHAP. Alexandria and Aboukir, whence marched to attack the French on th of March: the trees here were very from the singular formation of their found it as easy to ascend to the top trees as to climb the steps of a ladder ever the date-tree is found in the deserts, it not only presents a supply food, for men and camels', but Nati wonderfully contrived the plant, tha offering is accessible to man alone. mere circumstance of its presence, i sons of the year, is a never-failing in fresh water near its roots. Botanist the trunk of the date-tree as full knots; but the fact is, that it is full e the vestiges of its decayed leaves, w within them an horizontal surface, flat : exactly adapted to the reception of th feet and hands; and it is impossible them without believing that HE, wh beginning fashioned3 "EVERY TREE,

WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF A TREE YIELDIN

(1) The Arabs feed their camels with the date stones, a them in their hand-mills.

(2) See Phanix dactilifera. Martyn's Edit. of Miller's

(3) Gen. i. 29.

、

as

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"MEAT FOR MAN," has here manifested one CHAP. among the innumerable proofs of his beneficent design. The extensive importance of the datetree is one of the most curious subjects to which a traveller can direct his attention. A considerable part of the inhabitants of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Persia, subsist almost entirely upon its fruit. They boast also of its medicinal virtues. Their camels feed upon the date-stones. From the leaves they make couches, baskets, bags, mats and brushes; from the branches, cages for their poultry, and fences for their gardens; from the fibres of the boughs, thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap is prepared a spirituous liquor; and the trunk of the tree furnishes fuel it is even said that from one variety of the palm-tree, the Phonix farinifera, meal has been extracted, which is found among the fibres of the trunk, and has been used for foods. We cut off a few djerids, and sent them for walking-sticks to some friends

(4) See Note, p. 407.

(5) See Roxburgh's Plants of Coromandel, as published by the EastIndia Company, under the direction of Sir Joseph Banks. Lond. 1795. (6) The name given by the Turks and Arabs to the midrib, or longitudinal stem of the leaf of the palm-tree. Hence the name of Djerid, given to the equestrian sport, wherein short staves are thrown by the combatants: these were originally Djerids; but this name is now common to all short sticks used as darts in that game.

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CHAP. in England, as memorials of the spot where our troops displayed such signal heroism. Beneath these trees, we found some of the smaller brass cannon-shot used by the French, when driven by our troops along this sandy district. Nothing can exceed the dreary nature of all the prospect between Alexandria and Aboukir, if we except these plantations: yet in this narrow maritime tract', the whole of which may be comprehended in one bird's-eye view, were Of the Ci- situate the cities of Nicopolis, Taposiris Parva copolis, and Canopus, mentioned by Strabo3. A person Parva, and actually surveying the country, considers the fact as scarcely credible; for where, in this

ties of Ni

Taposiris

Canopus.

(1) The shape of it may be compared to that of a band, or girdle; and it is worthy of remark, that Strabo, speaking of the district between the sea and the Canopican Canal, uses the expression orɛvý TIC Tawia: whether with reference to the territory between Alexandria and Aboukir, or not, others may determine.

(2) See the Vignette to this Chapter.

(3) Μετὰ δὲ τὴν διώρυγα τὴν ἐπὶ Σχεδίαν ἄγουσαν, ὁ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Κάνωβον πλούς ἐστι παράλληλος τῇ παραλίᾳ, τῇ ἀπὸ Φάρου μέχρι τοῦ Κανωβικοῦ στόματος· στενὴ γάρ τις ταινία μεταξὺ διήκει τοῦ τε πελάγους καὶ τῆς διώρυγος, ἐν ᾗ ἐστὶν ἥ τε μικρὰ Ταπόσιρις, μετὰ τὴν Νικόπολιν καὶ τὸ Ζεφύριον· ἄκρα ναΐσκον ἔχουσα ̓Αρσινόης ̓Αφροδίτης· τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν, καὶ θῶνίν τινα πόλιν ἐνταῦθά φασιν· κ. τ. λ. "Post fossam, quæ Schediam et Canopum ducit, est navigatio secundum maritimam oram ei, quæ a Pharo usque ad Canopicum ostium perducit, æqualibus semper spatiis opposita: angusta enim quædam fascia inter pelagus et fossam extenditur, in quâ est Parva Taposiris, post Nicopolim ac Zephy. rium, et promontorium ac Veneris Arsinoës sacellum habet. Hoc in loco dicunt olin urbem Thonim fuisse, &c." Strabon. Geog. lib. xvii. 1135. Oxon. 1807. p.

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confined and desert space, could those cities CHAP. have been placed? Notwithstanding the very general observation to which the whole district has been recently exposed, nothing is less decided than the locality of any one of those places. Until lately, we had not the smallest idea of the geography of this part of EGYPT*; and even now, when we are become acquainted with it, it exhibits only a long ridge of sand, extending east and west, for about a dozen or fifteen miles, which seems liable, at every instant, to be washed into the sea. If, as some have supposed, Aboukir denote the site of Canopus, the ruins engraved by Denon' under that name may have belonged to Parva Taposiris; or to the antient fane, alluded to by

(4) See any of the Maps of Egypt previous to the landing of the English army in 1801.

(5) See the "Survey of the Country between Aboukir and ALEXANDRIA," Map facing p. 340 of the Third Volume, Octavo edit.

(6) See the Notes to the Oxford edit. of Strabo, p. 1135, note 31. (7) See Pl. 8. Fig. 2. tom. II. of the large Paris edition.

(8) They were thus alluded to by Colonel Squire. "Three leagues eastward of Alexandria, immediately on the sea-shore, are the ruins of very superb and extensive buildings. It is imagined these formed part of the city of TAPOSIRIS PARVA. Here are also cut out of the solid rock a number of places which have the appearance of baths. Not far from this spot, at a short distance in the sea, may be seen the fragments of several pieces of antient sculpture, granite and marble Sphinxes, a colossal fluted statue with the head of a dog, an immense granite fist, and other relics, plainly indicating the site of a temple." Colonel Squire's MS. Letters.