The History of Arabia, Crichton Vol2 - The Search For Mecca

122 CIVIL HISTORY ANDand a camel's load costs two crowns. There is apartial supply of pit-coal, and even peat is used, butof so bad a quality as to require a mixture of strawto make it burn. The castle contains a mint, and aseries of prisons for persons of different ranks. Itis the residence of several princes of the blood.The battery consisted, when Niebuhr visited it, ofseven iron cannons, partly buried in the sand andpartly mounted upon broken carriages ; and these,with six others near the gates, which are fired onfestival-days, were all the artillery of the metropolisof Yemen.The first Europeans that visited the court of Sanaawere the deputation of a company of Frenchmerchants of St. Malo engaged in the coffee-trade,during their second expedition in 1711 and the twofollowing years. The residence of the imams wasthen at Mohaib or Mouab, a small town to the northof Sanaa, and eight days' journey from Mocha. Itwas built by the sovereign then on the throne, Mohammed,who was involved in perpetual wars ; andappeared remarkable for nothing but its palace, whichconsisted of two large wings three stories high. Thewalls and most part of the houses were of mud.That prince is described as an old man, eightysevenyears of age, of a complexion inclining totawny, and an agreeable aspect. In his dress hemaintained the greatest simplicity, never wearingany other habit than a fine cloth of a green or yellowcolour, without any ornament. His legs and feetwere bare, with the exception of slippers after theTurkish fashion. The only mark of distinction wasa kind of veil of white silk over his turban, whichcovered his head, and, falling down before, was tiedunder his chin like a woman's hood. The sameplainness and modesty of attire were observed inthe courtiers and other officers of the household.The grandees never approached him without takinghold of his right hand, which was laid upon his