Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 2, No. 12, May, 1851.Various
History
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 2, No. 12, May, 1851.
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
Belzoni went straight to Cairo, where he was well received by Mr.
Baghos, interpreter to Mohammed Ali, to whom Mr. Salt recommended him.
Mr. Baghos immediately prepared to introduce him to the Pasha, that he
might come to some arrangement respecting the hydraulic machine, which
he proposed to construct for watering the gardens of the seraglio. As
they were proceeding toward the palace, through one of the principal
streets of Cairo, a fanatical Mussulman struck Mr. Belzoni so fiercely
on the leg with his staff, that it tore away a large piece of flesh. The
blow was severe, and the discharge of blood copious, and he was obliged
to be conveyed home, where he remained under cure thirty days before he
could support himself on the wounded leg. When able to leave the house,
he was presented to the Pasha, who received him very civilly; but on
being told of the misfortune which had happened to him, contented
himself with coolly observing "that such accidents could not be avoided
where there were troops."
An arrangement was immediately concluded for erecting a machine which
was to raise as much water with one ox as the ordinary ones do with
four. Mr. Belzoni soon found, however, that he had many prejudices to
encounter, and many obstacles to overcome, on the part of those who were
employed in the construction of the work, as well as of those who owned
the cattle engaged in drawing water for the Pasha's gardens. The fate of
a machine which had been sent from England taught him to augur no good
for that which he had undertaken to construct. Though of the most costly
description, and every way equal to perform what it was calculated to
do, it had failed to answer the unreasonable expectations of the
Turks--because "the quantity of water raised by it was not sufficient to
inundate the whole country in an hour!--which was their measure of the
power of an English water-wheel."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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