nstruction, to
exclude the atmospheric air; and the soil, in which they are
constructed, should be essentially conservative, the air being
never changed, is constantly of the same temperature, very dry, and
not subject to the variations of humidity, which affect the
external air: this, with other necessary precautions being
observed, they will preserve the corn twenty or thirty years
perfectly sound. In countries, (like that of the Cape of Good
Hope,) subject to drought, inundations, or locusts, these mitferes,
or catacombs are indispensable, as they preserve corn as a reserve
stock, in the event of scarcity, or famine, produced by any of the
before mentioned calamities, or providential visitations. It is
211 more than probable that this singular art of constructing mitferes,
was derived in ancient times from the catacombs of Egypt, and that
Joseph might have preserved Pharaoh's corn[154] upwards of seven
years, in similar magazines. The Emperor Seedi Muhamed, who
possessed considerable talent, and had a perfect knowledge of the
disposition and character of his subjects, used to say in the
(_em'shoer_,) place of audience, before all the people, in the
latter part of his reign:--"You complain of my decrees; but when I
am departed from this world, you shall seek for one day of Seedi
Muhamed's reign, but you shall not find it." This prediction has
been literally verified throughout the respective reigns of his
sons Muley Yezzed, and Muley El Hesham, and even his son the
present Emperor has often manifested an anti-commercial system, and
has accordingly (probably by the advice of the Fakeers belonging to
the divan) prohibited the exportation of most articles of clothing,
and provision, such as wool, Fas manufactures, corn, olive oil,
raisins, &c.[155]

[Footnote 151: Barley and wheat imported from different ports
of England and from the Continent into London (which is more
than is imported into Great Britain) in 1818, was 6,179,330
quintals or saas of Barbary, which are equal to 7,415,390
fanegues $.]

[Footnote 152: Genesis, xli. 9.--"And Joseph gathered corn as
the sand of the sea very much."]

[Footnote 153: I descended into a mitfere in the Arab province
of Duquella, and remained there whilst the Arab ex