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

SYRIiS, 7
EGYPT, GERMANY, See. 253
On the ."Oth Colonel Cupper and Major Bell,
in the service of
the Honourable East India Company, left Cairo on their way to
India.
During the present month of September there were fewer diseases
and less
mortality,
both among the inhabitants of Cairo and
the Turkish troops, than had occurred during the preceding
months.
Colonel Ilolloway, Major Hope, and myself, having projected
an excursion to Alexandria, a boat was for that purpose brought
up to the canal, and stationed near to our residence, on the 2d of
October. Every necessary preparation having been made, we em-
barked on the following afternoon, with a fresh northerly gale, in
a row boat, provided with twelve oars, and in the course of an hour
arrived at Boulac, where our boatmen took on board whatever was
necessary for the voyage. At half past five o'clock we left fimi-
lac ; and at nine in the evening arrived at Shellacan, or Charlacan,
where we reposed for the in
night our boat, it being made fast to
the shore. At three in the morning of the 4th we prosecuted our
voyage by the canal of Menouf, opposite to which place we arrived
at eight o'clock, and having landed, proceeded to the town,
where we paid a visit to the Aga, or governor. We were very
hospitably entertained by him with coffee and other refreshments 1
in addition to which he made us a present of fowls, and other stock
for our voyage.
While the French were in possession of Menouf, they erected
two round towers, one at each extremity of the town, the whole
of the country surrounding which was so completely overflowed by
the inundation of the Nile, that two villages had been entirely
swept away. This devastation having occurred immediately before
our arrival, we saw the wretched inhabitants, men, women, and
children, wading through the water, with their clothes on their
heads, and swimming across the spots which the canals had deepened,
to seek shelter at Menouf, and wherever they could find an
asylum. In this way several hundreds of them were in
employed
driving before them their buffaloes, cattle, and other live stock.
Here I should observe, that the buffalo is an animal very expert in
crossing rivers, and in wading through places where there are large
accumulations of water, on which account, as well as on many
others, it is admirably adapted to the Egyptian territory, exposed
as it is to an annual inundation. This creature may, indeed, he in
a great measure considered as amphibious, and is extremely fond