'Observations on the Passage to India, Through Egypt. Also by Vienna through Constantinople to Aleppo, and from thence by Bagdad, and directly across the Great Desert, to Bassora. With Occasional Remarks on the adjacent Countries, an Account of the different Stages, and Sketches of the several Routes on four Copper Plates.' [‎22] (45/360)

[ xx ii ]
hh cities, or enflaving his people. We may
therefore reafonably confider the Sherreef of
Mecca, as the principal author of this fcurrilous
libel^ who hoped thereby to keep the trade of
the Red Sea in its old channels
' ''
When our government thought proper to
comply with the requifition of the Porte con
cerning the trade to Suez, it is much to be
lamented, that our minifter at Conftantinople,
was not inftrudled to flipulate for fome delay
in ifluing the edidl, fo that a proper time might
be allowed for fending a copy of it to India:
for want of this precaution, fome merchants
going in the mean time from Suez to Cairo,
wereplundered and murdered by a body of Arabs.
. Suppofing even for a moment, what was not
the cafe, that the merchants had been informed
of the prohibition ; ftill they were not punilhed
in a regular manner, nor even according to the
tenor of the firmaun, which decrees only a
confifcation of their property, and an impri-
fonment of their perfons: whereas thefe unfor
tunate men were fome of them cut to pieces, and
others left to perifh of hunger and thirft on the
Defertj a mode of punifhment which plainly
ihews, that the maflacre Was made by a ban
ditti