301 
INHABITANTS OF THE HAOURAN. 
one hundred and twenty. In the year 1812, the Miri, including 
some extra demands, amounted in general to five hundred piastres 
the Fedhan. 
The second tax upon the Fellahs is the expense of feeding sol 
diers on the march ; if the number is small they go to the Sheikh’s 
Medhafe ; but if they are numerous, they are quartered, or ra 
ther quarter themselves, upon the Fellahs : in the former case, bar 
ley only for their horses is supplied by the peasant, while the 
Sheikh furnishes provisions for the men, but the peasant is not 
much benefited by this regulation, for the soldiers are in general 
little disposed to be satisfied with the frugal fare of the Sheikh, and 
demand fowls, or butcher’s meat; which must be supplied by the 
village. On their departure, they often steal some article belong 
ing to the house. The proportion of barley to be furnished by 
each individual to the soldiers horses, depends of course upon the 
number of horses to be fed, and of Fedhans in the village : at Aaere, 
in the year 1809, it amounted to fifty piastres per Fedhan. The 
Sheikh of Aaere has six pair of oxen, for which he pays no taxes, 
but the presence of strangers and troops is sofrequentat his Medhafe, 
that this exemption had not been thought a sufficient remuneration, 
and he is entitled to levy, in addition, every year, two or three Gha 
rara of corn, each Gharara being in common years, worth eighty 
or one hundred piastres. Some Sheikhs levy as much as ten 
Gharara, besides being exempted from taxation for eight, ten, or 
twelve pair of oxen. 
The third and most heavy contribution paid by the peasants, is 
the tribute to the Arabs. The Fahely, Serdie, Beni Szakher, Serh 
han, who are constant residents in the Haouran, as well as most of 
the numerous tribes of Aeneze, who visit the country only in the 
summer, are, from remote times, entitled to certain tributes called 
Khone (brotherhood), from every village in the Haouran. In re¬