it’s stores, this alone became at length as rich in books as both
had formerly been. During the troubles of the roman empire it
was frequently plundered, and as often supplied with new books,
till at length the khalif Omar’s famous syllogism consigned them
all to the flames. ' If,’ said he to his general Amrou, who took
Alexandria, ‘ the books contain nothing but what is in the Koran,
they are useless: if they contain any thing contrary to it, they
ought not to be suffered: let them, therefore, be destroyed.’ In
consequence of this order they were distributed among the keepers
of the public baths, of which there were upward of a thousand,
and supplied a sufflcient quantity of fuel to heat them during the
space of six months.
As Alexandria was destitute of fresh water, ample reservoirs
were formed underneath the city, to contain J the water brouOght
from the Nile by a spacious canal. These reservoirs were arched
over with brick, and coated with a cement impenetrable by water,
of the same kind as is seen in the ancient baths and reservoirs at
Rome and other places. The greater part of these reservoirs are
now stopped up; a few only being left, sufflcient to supply the
wants of the inhabitants of the present town.
Beside thus furnishing the city with water, this canal formed
a safe and speedy communication with the Canopic branch of the
Nile, by means of which the more circuitous and frequently dangerous
passage by the mouth of the river was avoided. I t had
ceased to be navigable however for ages; but Bonaparte, when in
Egypt, cleansed it in some degree, so that during the inundation
he was enabled to send provision by it from Cairo to Alexandria,