2-4An Explanation of the Iron Road and the Means of Travel on it
First they laid out a road, making it firm and level. Then they stretched across its width crosspieces of heavy wood placed a cubit or two apart. On top of them on both sides, to the right and the left, they laid iron bars going the length of the road, securing them to the crosspieces with iron rings nailed into them from below so that the bars would not move from their place; and so it is from the beginning of the road until its end.
首先，他们铺设了一条路，使其坚实平整。 然后，他们用厚重的木板横跨路面，木板之间相隔一两立方厘米。 在横木的左右两侧，他们铺设了横贯道路的铁栏杆，用铁环从下面钉在横木上，使铁栏杆不会移动；从道路的起点一直到终点，都是如此。
Then they laid down sand or earth, so that only the two rails stand out. They constructed a small engine, not the same as the steamer of the ocean, but having in it the force to turn the wheels and nothing else. Three men ride inside, driving it. They made car- riages, similar to but finer and larger than those drawn by horses, adding to them wheels that go along the iron road. The wheels of the carriages are just like the wheels on each side of the engine and the distance between the wheels crosswise is the same as the width of the road, so that the edge of the wheel comes down on the protrud- ing iron bar. The outside rim of the wheel is hollowed out, strength- ening its bond with the iron bar, so that it does not deviate to the right or the left. And the wheels of all the carriages are like that.
然后，他们铺上沙子或泥土，这样就只剩下两条铁轨了。 他们建造了一台小型发动机，与海洋上的蒸汽机不同，它只具有转动轮子的动力，而没有其他动力。 三个人坐在里面驾驶它。 他们制造了类似于马拉车的马车，但比马拉车更精细、更大，还在马车上加了沿着铁路行驶的轮子。 马车的轮子就像发动机两侧的轮子一样，轮子之间的横向距离与道路的宽度相同，这样轮子的边缘就落在突出的铁条上。 车轮的外缘是空心的，加强了与铁条的结合，这样车轮就不会左右偏离。 所有马车的车轮都是这样的。
These carriages are connected to one another with couplings and heavy chains of iron, making one long line with the steam engine in the lead. The people ride inside. Each carriage has two or more sep- arate compartments, with benches facing each other for people to sit on. There are windows of clear glass on both sides which may be opened or closed, permitting full light and view. Moreover, if travelers have loaded carts, they may take them along on a convey- ance having wheels like the [other] carriages.
这些车厢通过联轴器和沉重的铁链相互连接，形成一条长长的队伍，蒸汽机走在队伍的最前面。 人们乘坐在车厢内。 每节车厢都有两个或两个以上的独立车厢，车厢内的长凳面对面，供乘客就坐。 两侧都有透明玻璃窗，可以打开或关闭，光线充足，视野开阔。 此外，如果旅客有装满货物的手推车，他们也可以将手推车放在与[其他]马车一样有轮子的运输工具上。
When we were about to depart, the chief (ra'is) started the en- gine, and it carried along whatever was joined to it at a speed we had never experienced, almost like a bird flying through the air. We covered the distance between Orléans and Paris in two and a half hours. When we looked at the sides of the road, we could not see what was there; it looked like an endless ribbon moving along with us, and we could not distinguish the rocks or anything. We tried as hard as we could to read the signs at the side of the road that mea- sured off the miles-even though they were marked on white rocks in heavy black letters the height of a finger-but we were unable to fix our eyes on them because of our speed. They claim that if this road of iron extended from Marseille to Paris, it would take only a day and a night to cover the [entire] distance.
当我们准备出发时，酋长（ra'is）启动了发动机，它以我们从未体验过的速度带着我们前进，就像鸟儿在空中飞翔一样。 我们在两个半小时内走完了奥尔良和巴黎之间的路程。 当我们观察路的两侧时，我们看不清那里有什么；它看起来就像一条无尽的丝带，随着我们前进，我们无法分辨岩石或任何东西。 我们拼命想看清路边标明里程的路标--尽管这些路标是用一指高的黑色大字标在白色岩石上的，但由于我们的速度太快，根本无法看清。 他们声称，如果这条铁路从马赛延伸到巴黎，只需要一天一夜的时间就能走完全程。
Many engines come and go on this and other iron roads, but each one has an appointed time of departure, lest two of them meet head on at the same place and prevent the other from passing. Generally, they make tracks for two on a single way, and each goes on its own track; if the two draw alongside one another, one will be going and the other coming, so that when they meet they will not ram into one another because each is in its own place. Perhaps they could even make room for three.
在这条铁道和其他铁道上，许多火车来来往往，但每辆火车都有指定的出发时间，以免两辆火车在同一地点迎面相遇，妨碍另一辆火车通过。 一般来说，他们会在一条路上为两辆车铺设轨道，每辆车在自己的轨道上行驶；如果两辆车并排行驶，则一辆车开走，另一辆车开来，这样，当它们相遇时，就不会因为各自在自己的位置上而相互碰撞。 也许，它们甚至可以容纳三个人。
This roadway is reserved for the steam engine, and neither walk- ing nor [horseback] riding on it is permitted. It is guarded carefully, for fear that the engine will collide with something. If someone walks there heedlessly, it is impossible to warn him before the en- gine reaches him, because of its great speed. For that reason they give the engines whistles, which they blow from afar to warn who- ever might be unmindful of its coming; also, if there is another en- gine heading toward it, they will be aware of its approach. If the chief wants to stop the engine in the middle of the road he may do so. At times he is obliged to stop, to change the water whose steam drives the wheels. Along the way they have made certain places on the iron rails where he may turn off if the need arises.
这条路是蒸汽机专用通道，禁止在上面行走或骑马。 因为担心蒸汽机会撞上什么东西，所以要小心看守。 如果有人漫不经心地走在上面，由于蒸汽机速度极快，不可能在它到达之前向他发出警告。 因此，他们会给发动机装上哨子，从远处吹响哨子，提醒可能不注意发动机到来的人，而且，如果有另一辆驶向发动机，他们也会注意到发动机的接近。 如果车长想把发动机停在路中间，他可以这样做。 有时他不得不停下来，换水，用蒸汽驱动车轮。 沿途，他们在铁轨上设置了一些地方，如果需要，他可以在这些地方停车。
Another thing about that road is that it must be level and smooth, with no bumps or dips. When it comes to a mountain, the slope rises gradually for some distance so that the hill is done away with. If they cannot do that and are obliged to pass that way, they cut the road through the belly of the mountain under the earth, bor- ing through completely to the other side. Then with great skill and exactitude they build a domelike structure over [the roadway], and the engines pass through. We rode on another iron road from Paris to one of their gardens. 59 On the way we passed beneath the mountains in many places, finding ourselves in such heavy darkness that we had to light the lamps although it was daytime. We traveled for half a mile under the earth. When we emerged we [looked back and] saw that trees, buildings, and farmlands had been above us as we passed beneath.
关于道路的另一件事是，它必须平整光滑，没有颠簸或崎岖。 如果是山路，坡度会在一段距离内逐渐升高，这样就没有了山丘。 如果做不到这一点，又不得不从那里通过，他们就从山腹下的土层中凿开道路，完全穿透到另一边。 然后，他们用精湛的技术在[路面]上建造一个圆顶结构，让发动机通过。 我们乘坐另一条铁路从巴黎前往他们的一个花园。 59 一路上，我们经过了许多地方的山下，发现自己身处一片漆黑之中，尽管是白天，我们也不得不点亮灯。 我们在地底下走了半英里。 当我们出来时，我们[回头看]，发现树木、建筑和农田都在我们的上方，而我们正从下方经过。
There are two kinds of iron roads. One type is built by the state that is to say, what we call the "state treasury." The other type, which is the more common, is built by (private] businessmen and is a form of commerce there. They get together a group who are in agreement about doing it, and then estimate how much it will cost. If they say it will be a million [francs], for example, they then divide that million among ten people, each one giving a hundred thou- sand. Then they write out ten papers, specifying the agreement in writing, so that it is known that whoever holds one of these papers has paid for building such-and-such road. Likewise, he will draw from its profits in proportion to what he has paid in, such as a tenth in this case. After they write out the papers they sell them for a hun- dred thousand [francs] each, until all the papers are sold. The mil- lion is then collected, and they pay it out bit by bit, for the workers and for whatever else is needed in the way of materials and so on. When it is completed and people begin to travel on it, they must pay a fee. Whatever profit comes from it is divided among the payers of the capital, each receiving an amount in proportion to what he paid in. This is only after the Sultan, or whoever is responsible, gives them permission to do this and sets a limit on the amount to be paid by the travelers and the length of time it may be collected. When the time is expired, the road returns to the state, which then takes the profits or allows people to use it for free.
铁道有两种。 一种是国家修建的，也就是我们所说的 "国營"。 另一种比较常见，由（私人）商人修建，是当地的一种商业形式。 他们先召集一批意见一致的人，然后估算需要花费多少钱。 例如，如果他们说需要一百万[法郎]，那么他们就把这一百万分给十个人，每个人出一百法郎。 然后，他们写出十张纸，以书面形式说明协议内容，这样就可以知道，谁持有其中一张纸，谁就为修建这样那样的道路支付了费用。 同样，他也可以从利润中按比例提取他所支付的费用，比如在这种情况下是十分之一。 写完后，他们会以每张一千[法郎]的价格出售，直到所有报纸都卖完。 然后，他们会把这些钱一点一点地付给工人，以及其他所需的材料等。 竣工后，人们开始在上面旅行，他们必须支付一定的费用。 无论从中获得多少利润，都会在出资人之间进行分配，每个人都会按照自己的出资比例获得相应的金额。 只有在苏丹或任何负责任的人允许他们这样做，并规定了旅行者应支付的金额和收取费用的期限之后，他们才能这样做。 期满后，道路归国家所有，国家将从中获利或允许人们免费使用。
If someone owning a paper wishes to sell it, he may do so. If it yielded much profit and interest it will be much coveted, so that he may resell it for more than he paid; or the opposite may be true. The buyer then takes the place of the seller and receives the profit. They also do this with the building of bridges; all the new bridges we saw, the traveler had to pay a toll when crossing. This kind of commerce goes on until the time expires and the [investors] remove their hands from it and people begin to use the bridge without pay- ing, as they do with the old bridges. They also do the same thing with mining ventures. Nor is [the buying of shares] limited only to the rich; sometimes they make many papers and reduce the price of each, to make it easy for people to buy. Then each person buys what he can pay for, even if it is only one percent.
如果拥有一张纸的人想卖掉它，他可以这样做。 如果这张纸产生了很多利润和利息，那么它就会受到很多人的垂涎，这样他就可以以高于他所支付的价格转手出售；或者情况恰恰相反。 这样，买方就取代了卖方，获得了利润。 他们在造桥时也是这样做的；我们看到的所有新桥，旅客在通过时都必须支付通行费。 这种商业活动一直持续到时间到期，[投资者]撤出他们的手，人们开始不付费使用桥梁，就像他们使用旧桥一样。 他们对采矿企业也是这样做的。 购买股票]也不只限于富人；有时他们会发行许多股票，并降低每张股票的价格，以方便人们购买。 这样，每个人都能买到他能支付的股票，哪怕只有百分之一。
Our travel by the iron road came to an end with our arrival in a great high room that was within the walls of the city of Paris. This is the place where the engines of steam arrive and depart that is, their home port-just like the one from which they set out in the city of Orléans. We entered Paris at midday Sunday, the twenty- eighth day of the month of Dhu al-Hijja al-Harām, the end of the year 1261, corresponding to the 28th of December, the end of the year 1845 since the birth of Jesus, peace be unto him, according to the calendar of Rüm. Our trip from Marseille to Paris took seven days, and from Tetuan to Paris, fifteen days.
随着我们到达巴黎城墙内的一个高大房间，我们的铁道之旅也就结束了。 这里是蒸汽机进出的地方，也就是它们的母港--就像它们从奥尔良市出发时的母港一样。 我们是在周日中午进入巴黎的，这一天是 1261 年末的 Dhu al-Hijja al-Harām 月的第 28 天，相当于 12 月 28 日，根据吕姆历法，这一天是耶稣（愿主赐福之）诞生以来的第 1845 年末。 我们从马赛到巴黎用了 7 天，从德图恩到巴黎用了 15 天。
On our return, 2 after leaving the carriages [pulled by] the steam engine we went by coach, taking a different route. One of the cities we visited was Toulon; we did not mention it before because we visited it only on our return from Paris. When we reached Aix, we left the road to Marseille and went instead in the direction of Toulon by a route that was difficult and exhausting because of the steep mountains. The way was sparsely settled, being mostly vineyards and olive groves, with a few orange trees at the approach to it.
回程时，在离开[由]蒸汽机拉动的车厢后 2 分钟，我们乘坐长途汽车，走的是另一条路线。 我们游览的城市之一是土伦；我们之前没有提到它，因为我们是从巴黎返回时才去的。 当我们到达艾克斯时，我们离开了去马赛的路，改走土伦方向，由于山路陡峭，这条路既难走又累人。 一路上人烟稀少，主要是葡萄园和橄榄树林，临近的地方还有几棵橘子树。
Toulon is home port for their marines and their ships of war. Although the port is small, it is heavily fortified with double walls, and in front is a deep, wide trench. The gate to the city is on the other side of the trench, and [to reach it] one must cross over a bridge which is raised at night and lowered by day. The town is encircled by fortifications bristling with cannon. There is no com- merce there, and only a small market, for its main purpose is as a naval base. The port itself is very large and is situated in an inlet between the mountains, which shelter it from the wind. It is well protected by fortifications, and its shore is built up on all sides. Near the port are storehouses and a repair shop for ships and their equip- ment, which they call an arsenal These are very tall, huge rooms which a warship can enter in its entirety. Once it is inside the room, they raise it up on wooden posts to repair it. It is drawn out of the water by a moving force and lifted onto a wooden cradle, which they pull into the room. When the work is completed, it is returned to the water in the same way.
土伦是其海军陆战队和战舰的母港。 港口虽小，却有重兵把守，有双层城墙，前面是一条又深又宽的壕沟。 城门在壕沟的另一侧，[要到达城门]必须通过一座夜间升起、白天降下的桥梁。 该城被大炮林立的防御工事包围。 那里没有商业，只有一个小市场，因为它的主要用途是作为海军基地。 港口本身非常大，位于群山之间的入海口，可以遮风挡雨。 港口有完备的防御工事，海岸线四面都有建筑。 港口附近有仓库和船只及其设备的修理厂，他们称之为兵工厂。 战舰进入房间后，他们会用木柱把战舰抬起来修理。 战舰被一股移动的力量从水中拉出，然后被抬到一个木制的摇篮上，再被拉进房间。 工作完成后，再以同样的方式将其放回水中。
On our arrival the chief of a ship, whom they call amiral, in- sisted that we visit some of the ships in the port. We had to comply, and they chose for us some of their best launches. We rode in one up to a steam-powered warships and boarded. We saw its artillery pieces and cannon and the rest of its equipage, the fitness of its sol- diers, the setting of everything in its proper place, the speed and obedience with which they followed the captain's orders, the en- ergy, discipline, and precision of the men, which goes along with their enormous power, their singleness of purpose, and their readi- ness for any eventuality.
我们抵达时，一艘船的船长（他们称之为海军上将）要求我们参观港口的一些船只。 我们只好答应，他们为我们挑选了几艘最好的汽艇。 我们乘坐一艘蒸汽动力军舰登船参观。 我们看到了军舰上的火炮和大炮以及其他装备，看到了舰员们的体能，看到了他们把所有东西都摆放在合适的位置上，看到了他们听从船长命令的速度和服从性，看到了他们的精力、纪律和精确性，这与他们巨大的力量、坚定的目标和对任何突发事件的准备是分不开的。
Before leaving this ship we saw one of the strangest things we found there. They were sweetening the seawater until it became drinkable. They did this by bringing it up from the sea by some means and putting it in a vessel inside an oven to boil. I saw what they did with it after that; it came out of another spigot cold and sweet. It might take the place of fresh water, but it was not the same in sweetness, although one could make do with it if necessary. We asked their chief about it and he told us this: they let the water drip until its saltiness rises to the top and its sweetness stays below-or perhaps it is the opposite but I could not verify it at the time be- cause of the lack of a fluent interpreter. He also told us that rain- water rises from the sea with its saltiness removed by the sun's heat. Here the heat of the fire replaces the heat of the sun. This is what he said, but he did not convince us of the truth of how it was done, although he tried. Indeed, one's own experience is the best measure of truth.
在离开这艘船之前，我们在那里看到了一件最奇怪的事情。 他们在给海水加糖，直到海水可以饮用。 他们用某种方法把海水从海里提上来，然后放在一个炉子里的容器中煮沸。 我看到他们之后是怎么做的；从另一个水龙头流出的水又凉又甜。 它可以代替淡水，但甜度却不一样，尽管必要时可以用它来做饭。 我们询问了他们的酋长，他告诉我们：他们让水滴到咸味上升到顶端，而甜味停留在下面--或许正好相反，但由于没有流利的翻译，我当时无法证实。 他还告诉我们，雨水从海中升起时，其咸味会被太阳的热量带走。 在这里，火的热量取代了太阳的热量。 他是这么说的，但他并没有让我们相信这是真的，尽管他尝试过。 事实上，自己的经验才是衡量真理的最好标准。
We went up on that ship to the sound of music and drums; and afterward, when we returned to our launch, they raised the flag of our Sultan to the top of the mast above their own. And they fired cannons of rejoicing more than a hundred and thirty times. Then we went to another, a huge man-of-war with a hundred and two guns, so immense and well-equipped that it is difficult to imagine. All in all, this ship is a fortified city at sea, and we found there mu- sicians and soldiers in great number. After we came aboard, they raised our flag above theirs and asked us to tour the ship to see what was there, for it is their nature to delight in showing off what they have, and they never leave a thing, whether significant or otherwise, without pointing it out. As for our reception on that huge ship, on the surface they manifest nothing but pleasure, but inside they fear us as well as delight in us. Praise be to God that we have no fear of them, for it is only God that we fear.
我们在音乐和鼓声中登上那艘船；之后，当我们回到自己的船上时，他们把我们苏丹的旗帜升到了桅杆顶端，高过他们自己的旗帜。 他们发射了一百三十多次欢庆的大炮。 然后，我们又去了另一艘船，这是一艘拥有一百零二门大炮的巨型战舰，其规模之大、装备之精良难以想象。 总而言之，这艘船就是一座海上坚固的城市，我们在那里发现了大量的医生和士兵。 我们上船后，他们把我们的旗帜升到了他们的旗帜上方，并要求我们参观船上的一切，因为他们的天性就是喜欢炫耀他们所拥有的一切，他们从不放过任何一样东西，不管是重要的还是不重要的，他们都会一一指出。 至于我们在那艘巨轮上受到的接待，他们表面上只表现出高兴，但内心却对我们又怕又喜。 感谢上帝，我们并不惧怕他们，因为我们惧怕的只是上帝。
They showed us the manner in which they fire the guns on this ship. If they wish to do battle, each man has his special task and appointed place, either sitting or standing, and if another is in it, he is remiss. When the captain comes around, they stand at attention and then each goes about his work: the one in charge of gunpowder busies himself with setting the charge in the gun to which he is as- signed, and not another; likewise the one who aims the gun, and the one who pulls and pushes it [back into place]. As soon as they find their posts they get to work, and so it is with each cannon and its crew. The upshot of this is that each one has his assigned task and does nothing else, each crew has its own gun and works only that one. If their captain comes around they do not stand before him and say, "What should I do?", nor do two of them undertake the work of one, nor do they all gather around one gun and leave an- other unused, for that is idleness. At the very moment when their chief bellows at them, they pull the cannon from its slot and fire it in an instant, as if they were a single man. They repeat this in a flash, so that one does not hear the sound of a single cannon but a contin- uous thundering roar. They fire, and then fire again, in the shortest time possible and with the greatest precision, exactitude, and atten- tion. They have no special strength in their bodies that others do not have; perhaps they are even weaker than others. But they have a concern for organization and an aptitude for putting everything in its place. They construct all things on the firmest basis possible, and anticipate things before they happen. Only he who witnessed all this [with his own eyes] would accept the truth of it.
他们向我们展示了他们在船上开炮的方式。 如果他们要战斗，每个人都有自己的特殊任务和指定位置，或坐或站，如果其他人在位置上，他就会失职。 当船长走过来时，他们立正站好，然后各司其职：负责火药的人忙着把火药装进他所负责的火炮里，而不是其他人；同样，瞄准火炮的人和把火炮[推回原位]的人也是如此。 他们一找到自己的岗位就开始工作，每门大炮和炮组都是如此。 这样做的结果是，每个人都有自己的任务，不做其他任何事情，每个炮组都有自己的炮，只负责那门炮。 如果他们的队长来了，他们不会站在他面前说 "我该怎么办？"，也不会两个人干一个人的活，更不会都围在一门炮旁，让另一门炮闲着，因为那是无所事事。 当他们的首领向他们吼叫的那一刻，他们就会把大炮从炮膛里拉出来，并在瞬间开火，就像他们是一个人一样。 他们在瞬间重复这样的动作，因此人们听到的不是单一的炮声，而是持续不断的雷鸣般的轰响。 他们在最短的时间内，以最精确、准确和专注的方式发射，然后再发射。 他们的身体没有其他人所没有的特殊力量，也许他们甚至比其他人更弱。 但他们注重条理，善于把所有东西摆放到合适的位置。 他们把一切都建立在最坚实的基础上，在事情发生之前就能预料到。 只有亲眼目睹这一切的人，才会接受其中的真理。
When they tired of this we returned to our boats and circled around the port amongst the ships. Whenever we drew alongside a ship its troops would line up on deck and greet us with music. Over fifty warships were there, for the French have no [naval] port on the Small Sea other than this, although they have other ports on the coast of the Great Sea, for the land of France extends along two seas. Our stay in Toulon was one whole day, not counting the day we arrived and the day we left. We left it for Marseille, which we reached in six hours. Praise be to God the Provider of good fortune and the Guide to the straight path.
当他们厌倦了这一切后，我们回到自己的船上，在港口的船只之间绕圈。 每当我们靠上一艘船，船上的士兵就会在甲板上列队，用音乐向我们致意。 那里有 50 多艘军舰，因为法国人在小海没有其他港口，尽管他们在大海之滨也有其他港口，因为法国的国土绵延两海。 我们在土伦停留了整整一天，这还不算我们抵达和离开的那一天。 我们离开土伦前往马赛，六个小时后到达马赛。 感谢上帝，他是幸运的赐予者，也是正确道路的指引者。
NOTES：
59. This was the railroad line between Paris and Versailles, the scene of a terrible rail disaster in 1842. Schivelbusch, Railway Journey, p. 131.
60. The bayt al-mal, the depository for the Sultan's wealth. In precolo- nial Morocco the treasury was located in three places-Fes, Meknes, and Marrakesh. Izz, 1. glossary, p. 401.
61. On financing French railroads, see F. Braudel and E. Labrousse, eds., Histoire économique et sociale de la France, vol. 3: L'avènement de l'ère industrielle (1789-1880), part 1 (Paris, 1976), pp. 257-62; Pinkney, Decisive Years, pp. 36-37,45-46.
62. Aş-Şaffär interjects here his narrative of "the return," so that his report on Paris, which follows, is set apart as the high point of the jour- ney.
63. In Arabic, țarsana. This word came originally from Arabic, dar şan'a, a "house of craft," but in the special sense of "an establishment for the construction and equipment of warships." It then passed into European lan- guages (Italian arsenale, French arsenal) and later returned to Arabic in a new form. Dozy 1:420; EI 2, 5.v. "Dar al-Şinā'a."
64. Al-mirand, from the French amiral, another word borrowed from Arabic (amir al-, "commander of") which later returned to it in another form. Muqaddimah 2:37.
65. Bābür qurşal. This vessel was the Descartes, described as "a fine steamship of 540 horses" by Pourcet, who added that the Moroccans "ex- amined every part in detail, asking for explanations about everything." AAE/CPM 16/35-37, Pourcet to Guizot, 2 March 1846.
66. Näbyūs, probably from Spanish navio, "ship." This was the Jem- mapes, which had participated in the bombardment of Tangier two years before. See Introduction, note 61.
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