[455] They have several methods of doing this; but the most common composition is the following, viz. Take 120 drachms of sumach, and boil it in 360 drachms of water, to the consumption of two-thirds of the liquor. In this decoction, when strained, infuse the following ingredients for some days; green vitriol, galls, allum, fresh branches of walnut-tree, of each 5 drachms. With this the beard being first washed, and well dried, is rubbed over, and the tincture suffered to remain on about the space of an hour, after which they wash with warm water.

[456] The composition is as follows. Put 60 drachms of oil into an earthen vessel on a gentle fire; and, when it begins to boil, throw in by degrees 60 drachms of galls: cover the vessel with a smooth stone, and let it remain on the fire till the galls become of a black, burnt colour. It is then to be removed from the fire, and what is found sticking to the cover being taken off, mixed with the finer part of what remains in the vessel. To this must be added the following ingredients, finely powdered, crude sal. ammoniac 20 drachms, æs. ust. 20 drachms, henna 120 drachms: the whole, by kneading with the hands, is formed into little pieces or tablets. It is applied with a little bit of wet stick.

[457] This is made of a mineral substance, called also Ispahany, from the place it is brought from. It appears to be a rich lead-ore, and is prepared by roasting it in a quince, apple, or trufle: then it is levigated with oil of sweet almonds on a marble-stone. If intended to strengthen the eyes, they often add flowers of olibanum or amber.

[458] The method of applying the henna is thus. They take some of the henna in powder, and making it into a paste with water, roll or spin it out into small threads; then they take a piece of leaven, and with a rolling-pin roll it out into a very thin cake, which they cut out into proper forms, for covering the hands, feet, fingers, and toes; and upon this the threads of the henna-paste are placed in the forms they intend to imprint upon the parts. A piece of the henna-paste is applied to the tip of each finger and toe; and then the pieces of leaven-cake, prepared as above, are tied on to the different parts they are intended for, and suffered to remain there for two or three hours; at the expiration of which all is taken off, and the mark of the several figures made with the henna are found imprinted on the parts to which they were applied. They then cover the whole hands and feet with a paste made of wheat-flour, a small proportion of crude sal ammoniac, and a little quick-lime, with a sufficient quantity of water, which in about half an hour turns all the parts that had been before dyed of a dirty red or yellow, with the henna, into a sort of black, or rather very dark green colour.

[459] Chinganas are a race of people, who are generally esteemed to be the same with our Gypsies. They very much resemble Arabs, and, like them, live under tents; but they are not acknowledged by them, or esteemed orthodox Moslems. They are extremely poor, and some few are lodged in tents round the skirts of the town all the year round, and hire themselves for labourers, and other menial offices; but the greatest number come thither in the spring from all parts, to assist in reaping the corn.

[460] Shorba.

[461] Kabab.

[462] Yahny.

[463] Kharoof Mahshee.

[464] Yaprak.

[465] Kheiar Mashsee.

[466] Badinjan Mahshee.

[467] Paloosa.

[468] Kennafy is a mixture of flour and water, made just thin enough to run through the holes of a vessel they have on purpose, held over a hot copper plate, which dries it quickly; so that it has the appearance of a number of threads. This is mixed with butter and honey, and baked in the oven.

[469] The fast of Ramadan happens successively in every season of the year: for as the Turks keep the lunar months, without any allowance, as the Jews have, to make them correspond with the seasons, so they lose about eleven days in every solar year; and by this means the month of Ramadan anticipates about that number of days every year. In other affairs, that are requisite to fall at particular seasons, as farming their duties on tobacco, &c. they observe the Greek months, which correspond to the Julian calendar.

[470] Sallah il Subh, at day-break.

Sallah il Dohr, at noon.

Sallah il Assr. The common opinion is, that this praying-time is mid-way between noon and sunset; but their true calculation, I have been told, is as long after noon as half the distance of time between Sallah il Subh and Sallah il Dohr amounts to.

Sallah il Muggreb, at sunset.

Sallah il Ashie, at an hour and a half after sunset.

[471] The Koran expressly says, that they shall have but four women, whether wives or concubines (Sale’s Koran, ch. iv. p. 60.); and most of the learned among them know this strictly to be their law: but what I have mentioned above being the common practice, the far greater part of the people believe it to be lawful. See Sale’s Koran, Preliminary Discourse, § 6. p. 133.

[472] The tokens of virginity are expected by all sects in this country, but more indecently exposed by the Turks than any other.

[473] Sheih here signifies a saint, or holy man; but the name is also applied to the head person in a village.

[474] Hara is the general name given to the different divisions of the city, which answers to our word parish.

[475] This service in English may be rendered thus. “O man, from the earth thou wert at first created, and to the earth thou dost now return. This grave being the first step in thy progress to the mansions of the other world, if in thy actions thou hast been benevolent, thou art absolved by God; but if, on the contrary, thou hast not been so, the mercy of God is greater than all things. But remember what thou didst believe in this world, That God is thy Lord, Mohammed thy Prophet, and in all the Prophets and Apostles, and pardon is extensive.”

The Curds have a different service; which though it does not so much regard the people of Aleppo, yet for its singularity I shall mention.

“If thou hast taken, thou shalt give: If thou hast done, thou shalt find: If thou believest not, thou shalt see presently.”

[476] Burgle is wheat boiled, then bruised by a mill, so as to take the husk off, then dried, and kept for use. The usual way of dressing it is either by boiling it like rice into a pilaw, or made into balls with meat and spices; and, either fried or boiled, these balls are called cubby.

[477] The Greeks, Syrians, and Maronites, are kept upon the same occasions, but differ as to the number of days. They are as follows:

The Armenian Lents differ considerably from the others, and are

Besides these Lents, all the native Christians keep fast Wednesdays and Fridays (one or two excepted), through the whole year.

[478]

[479] From the Italian word franco, free or exempt, in allusion to the privileges the Europeans enjoy.

[480] 1753.

[481] An officer of ceremony (in the nature of one among the Turks of the same name), who walks before the consul with a staff tipp’d with silver. He is also employed as a messenger, and takes care of all letters.

[482] Or interpreters.

[483] One of the Terra Santa, pretty large, whose church the French, and many of the natives of the Romish faith (when not prohibited by the bashaw) frequent.

The Jesuits College seldom has more than two or three.

[484] This is attributed to the dews, which fall in small quantities during the nights at that season, and which the natives who sleep abroad have nothing to shelter them from; and as the Europeans, who usually sleep on bedsteads, are exempted from this complaint, and, by lying abroad without this conveniency, have been seized with the ophthalmia, this conjecture seems to have some foundation in experience.

[485] Lowthorp’s Abridgment of the Phil. Transactions, vol. iii. p. 605.

[486] See Page 4.

[487] On the 16th of this month, the thermometer was unfortunately broke, and it was the beginning of September before another could be procured.

[488] The thermometer now used was a small portable one.

[489] A town in the gulf of Scanderoon, the chief port in that part of the country for landing goods from Egypt; the inhabitants of which have a good deal of commerce with the Curds, who dwell on these mountains.

[490] See the method in the chapter on the plague.

[491] From what I have since seen of the manners of the people, I have reason to believe that those symptoms were often concealed.

[492] A high part of the suburbs to the north-east.

[493] In a letter written, at Aleppo in the year 1719, by an English gentleman who had then been about thirty years in that country, the author says, that, since he had been there, the plague had never visited them oftener than once in ten or twelve years. Those within the memory of the people were in 1719, 1729, 1733, and the late one, which ended in the year 1744; since which time ten years are now elapsed without any appearance of it, either here or upon the coast of Syria.

[494] Some have told me, that the plague of 1719 came from the northward; but none of the journals or letters I have perused make any mention of this circumstance; though all of them confirm its raging at Tripoli, Sidon, &c. some months before it appeared at Aleppo.

In the year 1728 the plague made great havock in Egypt, and in the summer of that year it raged at Byass, and the parts adjacent; but did not break out at Aleppo till the year 1729.

At Tripoly, Sidon, and Damascus, the plague raged in the year 1732. It was 1733 before it raged at Aleppo.

For the progress of the last plague, see p. 191. concerning its coming to Aleppo; from thence it went to Damascus, and the coast of Syria, where its greatest force was exerted in the year 1744; at which time it was greatly abated at Aleppo.

[495] In the year 1719, the plague made great havock, and advanced so fast in the spring, that the Europeans shut up about the middle of March, and opened about the middle of July.

In 1729 the number of the sick being few, it was the middle of May before any shut up, and they were not above a month confined.

In 1733 the disease raged with violence, though not quite so much as in 1719. The Europeans, however, shut up, and got abroad again at the same seasons as in the former year.

In 1742 they were confined much about the same time as in 1729.

In 1743 the distemper raged with violence, though not quite to that degree as in 1733. The Europeans shut up the 11th of April, and opened about the middle of July.

In 1744 the number of the sick being inconsiderable, and the terror from the distemper much abated by being used to it, few of the Europeans shut up. The progress of the disease was just as above mentioned.

[496] Unde fit ut in peste fallat nos sensus, fallat ratio, fallant Hippocratis aphorismi; & ipse, ut puto, in his falleretur Hippocrates. De Febre Pestil. c. 5.

[497] Curds, or, as the English commonly call them, Gourdeens, are a race of hardy, robust people, who inhabit most of the mountains Amanus, and live chiefly by plunder, making excursions for this purpose into the neighbouring plains, and retiring to the mountains again whenever any force is sent against them.

[498] It is lawful for them to abstain from going into an infected city, but not to fly from one infected while they are in it.

[499]

Take of Sulphur, six pounds.
Orpiment.
Crude Antimony.
Litharge.
Cummin seeds.
Euphorbium.
Black pepper.
Ginger, of each four pounds.
Assa fœtida.
Cinnabar.
Sal Ammoniac, of each three pounds.
Arsenic, one pound.
Reduce these into a powder, to which add:
Of Raspings of pine wood, six pounds.
Bran, fifty pounds.