The commerce of Aleppo, as has already been inti mated, has much declined horn what it was in former times. It is still the emporium of Armenia and Diar beker. It sends caravans to Bassora on the Euphrates, to Damascus, and Scanderoon. Its exports are chiefly raw or spun cottons, silk stuffs, copper, goats' hair from Natalia, the gall-nuts of Curdestan, Indian shawls and muslins, :ld pistachio-nuts, for which Aleppo has been fatuous since the days of Galen. The British factory was established at Aleppo in the time of Elizabeth; but tl.c French have got the advantage of them, it is said, both by the superiority and cheapness of their manufac tures. The French have a consul and seven counting houses at Aleppo, the English and Venetians two, the merchants of Leghorn and Holland one.
The Aleppines are more tolerant, with regard to reli gion, than the other Turks. The Armenians, Greeks, Syrians, and Maronites. have churches in Aleppo; the two former have a bishop. The Jews have a synagogue, in tit hich is preserved a manuscript of the Old Testa ment, to which they acribe high antiquity. A speci
men of it was sent to Dr Kennicott, who did not see reason to admit its pretensions.
The plague is supposed to appear at Aleppo about once in ten years, and sometimes makes terrible havoc. There is also a disease peculiar to Aleppo, and therefore called the Mal d'Aleppo. It consists in a very trouble son* eruption, which frequently leaves an unseemly scar: and, from this disease, scarcely any, either natives or foreigners, arc exempted. Pocock supposes it to arise hum toe quality of toe water. For lamer parti culars, icspecting Aleppo, we might reit'. to Tale: nier, Pocock, VoIney, 17iil1lfiIs, and Malay UtherS WC beg leave to icier those n ho wish for a most minute and particular description of Aleppo, of its inhabitants, productions, merchandise, &c. to Ar Russel's hits! ury of Aleppo, in 2 \o s. Ito, oil whose authority tte have chiefly depended. See also Gibbon's //is/. vol. ix. p. 510, chap. SI ; to!. x. p. 82. chap. 52 ; vol. xii. p. 18. chap. 65. (g)