Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

214 TRAVELS IN ASIATIC TURKEY,
pods. The barley cultivated in patches was also very promising.
We saw an abundance of wild fowl on our route, in the prosecu-
tion of which we made but one halt.
Korin is a long village, in passing through which nothing is t©
be seen except the walls of the mud huts. There is only one build-
ing in brick, a decaved mosque. The complexion of the wretched,
half naked inhabitants, many of whom are afflicted with blind-
ness, is nearly black. Thev brought us water in white earthen
pitchers. Within little enclosures walled with mud thev have
various kinds of fruit-trees, such as the date, the Pharaoh fig, the
lemon, lime and orange, the lotus or lote,* and the pomegranate.
In passing through the village, we were nearly blinded by the immense
clouds of sandy particles which enveloped us on all sides.
The troops encamped at a little distance fr»m the village, to the
eastward. On one side of us lay extensive fields of wheat, barley,
and lupine, while on the other side a barren desert was in our view.
The soil of the cultivated spots was gravelly, but was covered in
some parts by the rich black mud which the inundation of the
Nile had left. I collected parcels of the lupine seeds and wheat, to
try the effect of their cultivation in England.
In our route we met with a considerable number of mud built
villages, surrounded by high walls made of earth or mud, so as to
form a square, at each of the angles of which there is either a
round or a square tower. Either there is a small hole for the en-
trance into each of the villages, or a ladder is employed to gain ac-
cess to it. Such is the uniform construction of the buildings, and
it is most probable for the following reasons : It was necessary, in
the first place, that the inhabitants shou:.
•
ure themselves, their
flocks and cattle, from the general inundation of the Nile ; and,
secondly, they had to dread the attacks of the Bedouin Arabs,
who were constantly
hostile to the Felkhs, or tribes of cultiva-
tors.
The inhabitants of Korin had recently suffered from the plague,
which was still making great ravages in several adjacent villages.
On the morning of the Sth the Grand Vizier and Reis EfFendi,
accompanied by Colonel HolkWaij and Major Hope, marched to
Belbeis, with a small part only
of their retinue. This sudden mea-
sure was occasioned by discontents which had broken out at the
above place among the troops of Mahomed Pacha, but which
* This tree bears a pod resembling a bean 5 the fruit, when ripe, has a sweetish odourj
att