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

SYRIA AND EGYPT. 359
This storm was preceded by hazy and sultry weather ; the hazi-
ness came from the southward.
During the first fortnight
of this month the weather was moderate
and pleasant,
and the mission healthy.
In the course of the
last fortnight the weather was very variable, stormy, and rainy,
with fine warm days occasionally.
Feb. 23. The weather became very variable, stormy, and rainy,
for two or three days together, succeeded by warm days, and cold
nights and mornings.
The Ottoman army marched from Jaffa on the 25th February,
on its way to Egypt. Consequently the principal part, or, indeed,
the whole of the sick, were doomed to remain at Jaffa, or make
their best way homeward.
The only means which the Turks have to carry their sick or
wounded is upon camels, in a kind of covered cradle, one of which
is placed at each side of the animal. Each camel carries four per-
sons, two in each cradle, sitting a la Turc, as there is not length
The motion appears extremely uneasy and
sufficient to lie down :
wearisome. There are few of these conveniencies, when compared
to the numbers which compose the Turkish army. They are principally
carried for the officers and their suite. The Turks have
neither hospitals, nor hospital tents, set apart for the use of the sick.
To introduce such establishments, or attempt a medical reform in
The common soldier who
their armies, appears utterly impossible :
may unfortunately fall sick on the march, has no means pointed out
to him to get forward ; and if he stays behind, he is exposed to
perish through want. Consequently a Turkish in army motion
must be the least encumbered with sick.
A military
artificer stationed at the camp of El-Arish, with Captain
Lacey of the
royal engineers,
died the 21th February, with
malignant fever, after four days illness.
The month of March commenced with stormy weather, rains,
thunder and lightning.
March 3. A woman belonging to the mission died at Jaffa, after
an illness of thirty-six hours, under suspicious symptoms. The
whole of the women and children belonging to the military mission,
who were left in a house in that place for the present, and who
amounted to thirty in number, adopted the oily frictions, and every
necessary precaution to prevent the disease from spre^djag; happi-
ly no serious consequences followed.