boards and bureaus are made. The forefts are let upon leafe by the king. The principal leflee of thefe kinds of wood, during my ftay in India, was Maitu Tarraguen, a Christian native, poffeffed of great property. "The cardamom is an aromatic production of a triangular form, and a hot fiery taste. This plant is about three or four feet in height, and has at the top a few broad, green, prickly leaves. Its ftem, which is fmooth, has neither leaves nor branches. From its root, concealed by the earth, there arife a few fibres, which bend backwards in a parabolic direction, and bear fome Imall pods, that contain the feeds in clofed in four different fmall capfulæ. This production is ftronger than pepper, and of more value. It is found at the bottom of the Gauts, at Maleatur, Codomangalam, Vaypur, and various other places. It is fond of growing under the fhade of large thick-leaved trees, through which the fun cannot penetrate, and where the foil is manured by the fallen leaves that have rotted in the moisture. Pepper and cardamoms belong to the vhandaraga, that is, the royal revenues; and no private perfon is permitted to trade with either of thefe articles. The king makes a real monopoly of them. Formerly thofe who fiuggled them out of the country had their nofe and ears cut off;. but at prefent they are punished only with imprisonment. In regard to all the other productions of India trade is free; because the kings, in ancient times, were of opinion that it was contrary to their dignity to caufe them to be fold on their own account. The modern kings, how. ever, are not afhamed to act the part of merchants; but from this conduct their dominions derive very little benefit. "It appears, from what has been here faid, that the inhabitants of Malayala are fupplied with every neceffary which their climate of manner of life can require; that the country produces much more than is annually confumed; and confequently that the inhabitants fell a great deal to foreigners, and receive in return every year confiderable fums of money. Befides what they use themselves, they annually fell 10,000 bags of rice, and 1000 candil of pepper, to the Eng lifh alone; who, in my time, paid for each candil, of 500 pounds, ninety rupees. The English alfo gave to the king of Travancor, for each candil of Malabar cinnamon (called the old caffia lignea), eightỵ rupees; and Malabar fupplied at leaft 500 candil. To this may be added 1000 candil of pepper fold every year to the Dutch; and 1000 candil more which the king deliver "Since the English have taken from the Dutch the island of Ceylon (Singhala), and got poffeffion of the real cinnamon tree, laurus cinnamomum LINN. they will make Little or no ufe of the Malabar cinnamon, laurus caffia LINN. which is perhaps only a variety of that of Ceylon. The Malabar cinnamon will in time be totally forgotten and banished from commerce; as the real cinnamon tree, as well as thofe which produce nutmegs and cloves, have been raifed from the feed, and planted feveral years ago the ifles of Reunion and France (Bourbon and Mauritius), and alfo in the Sechelle ifles, Guadaloupe, Jamaica, and the northern Circars. This much is certain, that the Malabar cinnamon has rot fo aromatic a fmell, and does not contain fo many par ticles of ethereal oil, as that of Ceylon. The former, hitherto, has been in ported to England only through neceflity, in order to prevent the fale of the latter." ed ed to the Chinese, Arabs, and other merchants, who fold it again on their own account. "I fhall fay nothing of the fale of teka wood, which the Arabs and Perfians employ for building their fhips; nor of the trade carried on with cardamoms, as well as copra, large quantities of which are every year fent to Perfia, Arabia, and other eastern countries. Anandacetti, a merchant at Mattinecra, always kept by him, for sale, teka wood to the value of five lacks of rupees*. The stuffs and different articles of cotton which he had in his warehouses, without reckoning other merchandise, were worth four lacks more. This man purchased and fold, fometimes in a quarter of an hour, a whole fhip's cargo valued at five millions of rupees. Such inftances are not uncommon in India. The merchants flow to each other catalogues of their goods; felect the principal articles by which they think they can acquire profit; mark and erafe, fell, exchange and purchase, according as they find it for their advantage; and in this manner gain often in a fingle hour incredible fums. The king of Travancor purchases every year, from the Europeans. iron, cannon, and cloth for the ufe of his foldiers; but as the merchandife which he gives in return amounts to much more than the value of these articles, the English and Dutch are always in his debt. This in general is the refult in regard to the balance of the Malabar trade; and we here fee where the French crowns, the Dutch ducats, the Venetian fequins, the Spanish piaftres, and the Portuguese lifabonines at lalt remain." PARTICULARS Concerning the DJEOUABY ARABS and the BEDOUINS. [From MEMOIRS relative to EGYPT, &c. by the LEARNED and SCIENTIFIC MEN who accompanied the FRENCH EXPEDITION.] "THE HE banks of the Natron lakes are frequented every year by the Dejouabyst, a hofpitable tribe who lead a fhepherd's life, and encamp there every winter with their flocks. They are employed during this time in carrying natron and prickly reeds; they alfo have fome traffic in dates, which they fetch in caravans from Sioua in the Ammonian Oafis: it is a jour ney of twelve to fifteen days. Thefe Arabs are marabouths or peaceful people, who wander here and there to find water and pafture for their cattle. This tribe has more than any other preserved their ancient cuftoms; they are merely fhepherds, and refuse to cultivate the foil. Their manners are mild, and partake of the fimplicity of their way of life. They "A lack amounts to about 12,5001. Aerling.” "The Djeounbys have for their leaders Karamit-aboughalch, chief fheik of the tribe, Hhadjy-thanh-aloudihil and Hhadjy-ica-abou-ali. This tribe is composed of about two thousand men, and poffefles about fixty horfes." "They never make war, and only take up arms to defend themfelve, and even this but rarely; they almost always trade for money.” are not however exempted from the turbulence of the paffions, and efpecially that of love, which in every country, and especially in the Eaft, is clofely allied to jealoufy, and this fometimes hurries them into the most cruel exceffes *. "The clothing of the Djeouabys confifts of an ihram and a bernous, a kind of cloak fimilar to the furplice which is worn by thofe that officiate in the Romish church; it is made of white wool. This ftuff, which is used to clo be both men and women, is manufactured in Barbary: it is bought at Cairo, but chiefly at Alexandria. The women fpin the wool from their own fheep to make the cloth ufed for their tents, and other common purposes. The wealth of the Djeouabys, and in general of the Arabs of the Defert, confifts in camels and fheep, whilft that of the Arabs who inhabit the villages is in large cattle; for these laft have but few camels. Who would imagine that in the midst of deferts a ftyle of eafy circumstances eftablishes the fame diftinctions as with civilized people, and turns afide natural pro penfities? The Arabian women do not all fuckle their own children, the more opulent employ wet nurfes. "Thofe mothers who do not abandon their children to hired nurfes appear equally fufceptible of the fame feelings towards this tender age as the more civilifed people. At the attack of an Arabian camp, which was surprised by fome of our troops, the men took to their horfes and fled with precipitation towards the Nile, abandoning the women to their fate. Thefe, whether by the impulfe of the moment, or from reflection, thought to protect themselves from the fury of the foldiers, and retard their progrefs, by laying their chil dren at the feet of their pursuers. This, however, did not ftop our brave men; for in the midft of purfuit they lifted from the ground these little innocents, gave them into the arms of their mothers, and continued as before to follow their enemies. "It is very difficult to prevent diforder from reigning in a camp taken by affault. In thefe cafes the Arab women, under the apprehenfion of fubmitting to the defires of the conquerors, have been known to have recourfe to a fingular ftratagem in order to infpire difguft, that of befmearing over their faces with cowdung. "Haoud, a refpectable old man, head of a large family, and a dependent on Bhadjy Taha, had his only fon affaffinated in the arms of his wife. She had had a former hufband who repudiated her on trivolous pretences; but filled with love and rage, this atrocious wretch fwore that he would kill with his own hand every one who should marry her, and he kept his word. Haoud, not being able to bear the fight of the mur derer of his own fon, had retired to Upper Egypt, and, without wifhing it, he had drawn with him feveral families. This unfortunate father, perceiving that his retirement occafioned diforder in the tribe, has rather chofen to fupprefs his refentment than injure the common intereft, and has returned to Bhadjy Taha. But he appears always melancholy, his eyes filled with tears, and he drags out a languishing existence." "There "There is no kind of convention which binds the members of any tribe to the chief; he is almost always of an ancient family, and refpected as fuch; but to maintain his authority as the head of the tribe, he must employ perfuafion, addrefs, accommodating manners, in a word, all the art of an experienced leader: he has, however, the right of making peace or war, and is charged with what concerns the general welfare of the tribe. "As foon as peace is made with a tribe, or a treaty commenced, the chief is invefted with a cloak, or peliffe; and this cuftom of making prefents is fo fully established, that the contract would not be thought binding without this diftinction. "The Arab fheiks negotiate with a fort of dignity, or rather referve, like all other knaves. What has been called eating bread and falt with their new friends, and which has been thought fo facred a pledge, is, in fact, a mere farce, confecrated by custom. The Arabs on each bank of the Nile have shown that they pay no regard to the facredness of an oath: they violate their own treaties whenever fear or intereft impels them to it. "When the Arabs prefent them felves before a perfon whom they refpect, they leave their horfes at about a hundred paces diftance, and then advance on foot. "They know no other laws than that of retaliation. Where there are no penal laws, nor magiftrates to put them in execution, murder would go unpunished, if affaffination did not in fome degree fupply the want of public energy. Hence it is that this, which with us is looked upon as a bafe crime, becomes a legitimate act of vengeance, which is purfued by the re lations of the fufferer from generation to generation These murders conftantly foment warfare between different tribes, or between the wandering tribes and the villages. It is then called having blood between them. "Sometimes, to ransom the blood and to restore peace, a payment is made as a compromife; but this is accounted fhameful, and thus the weak, or pufillanimous, become doubly tributary to the stronger. "The villages that refufe to pay are liable to be pillaged three times. Thefe plunders ftrike the country with terror, and make the inhabitants regard the Arabs as fome of the most formidable fcourges with which they are afflicted. I afked a fheik if he had had the plague this year in his village? We have had,' faid he, the plague and the Arabs.' "The Arabians, like all the inhabitants of the Eaft, are much addicted to pæderafty. The Arabs fay five prayers in the day: they eat in the forenoon, and again before the fifth prayer, or at the end of twilight. Two inhabitants of the villages will confume as much food as ten Arabs. These make but little bread-to grind their corn they ufe hand-mills, furnished with fmall grindstones. They eat dates, drink little water, and camel's milk in preference, and fleep about fix hours. Flesh meat is a rarity to them. They make no fumptuous entertainments; a roafted sheep fet on table entire, all but the head, which is cut off, is the principal difh, and that is ferved up whenever a fheik is of the party. "The Arabs only measure their day by the stated times for prayers. They meafure time by the length of their fhadow: the fhadow is G4 measured measured with their naked feet, which they place alternately one before the other. Their rules for eftimating are: That in the fummer folftice, mid-day is one foot from the vertical point; that in winter, at the fame hour, the fhadow is nine feet in length; that in fummer the fhadow which anfwers to the middle point of the interval from noon to funfet is feven feet beyond the place of the fhadow at noon-These measurements are exactly conformable to the latitude of the country. "Thefe people, ignorant and credulous, are perfuaded that the treatment of a fever, and other difeafes, confifts in placing under the head of the fick man a flip of paper containing fome myftic words, written by a dervife; and the patient lies down full of confidence in this receipt, and ftill more in Providence. "The women, when arrived at the full term of their pregnancy, find what affiftance they require in delivery, among perfons of their own fex, who make it their profeffion. I was affured, that if the unmarried women or widows become pregnant, they are killed by their relations, unless they deftroy themfelvés. "The Arabs, have a great dread of the small-pox and the plague: those who have not had these difeafes take great pains to avoid those that are fuffering under them. The fmall-pox leaves very confiderable pitting in their faces. Notwithstanding the prejudices of religion, the bodies of thofe dead of the plague are burnt with the greateft care. "The ages of their children are dated from certain events or periods: us thofe born this year will date from the entry of the French into Egypt. The Arabs have a kind of chronicle which comprehends about ten years. They have no public registers. The date of the birth of their children is written on a flip of paper over a page of the Koran, and that of the children of the village on the gates or walls of the houses. "The want of chirurgical inftruments gives rife to a very fin. gular cufto in gun-fhot wounds, the intention of which (however fulfilled) is to fupply the place of forceps to extract the ball when it has only made a flesh-wound. This cuftom is to make an incifion in the hinder parts of a frog, of a correfponding fize with the lips of the wound, and unite the whole with a good ligature. They pretend that this procefs, and the convulfive movement of the dying animal, draws to the furface the ball that made the wouud. They then drefs the wound with oil or butter, and burn it with verdigrise, to hinder it from clofing too foon. It is for the fame purpofe, and in order to promote fuppuration, that they put in the wound a small ftone, which is the fame with the cautery which is employed in Europe. "The Arabs always carry with them that which makes the greater part of their riches, and with which they provifion their dwelling camps. They preferve their chopped ftraw and their grain in large pits dug under ground. The neighbourhood of a well of fresh water, a few flips of land of a fcanty product, or falt lakes that can be worked with fome profit, determine the fite of thefe encampments. The Arabs poffefs befides, at four or five leagues from the margin of cultivated countries, store. |