Among the things suitable for the health of bodies is that it improves the perfuming and cooking of vegetables with it, and not with others, and dissolving soap with it for washing and the like. And in the River Seine, within Paris, there are three islands. One of them is called Jazirat al-Sinina, and it contained Old Paris. And al-Sabta, with a kasra on the sin and a sukun on the ya and a fatha on the ta, means the city. So it is as if it was said, "The island of the city." And how different this is from the Nile, al-Rawda, and al-Miqyas. For the pleasure of a person in al-Rawda and al-Miqyas is incomparable, because the canal passes through Egypt, and the Seine passes through Paris. However, the entire River Seine bisects Paris, and great ships sail on it, and it has good quays and cleanliness on its banks. Nevertheless, its beauty is not pleasing. And how different also is the water of the Nile and the Seine in terms of its general nature and otherwise. For the water of the Nile, if custom dictated that it be allowed to settle before use, as is the custom with the water of the River Seine, it would be one of the greatest remedies. And I also say that there is a great difference between the taste of the water of the River Seine and the water of springs, qata'ib, and streams in the lands of Upper Egypt, and in al-Mahalla, and in detail. There is a great difference between the soil of Egypt and Paris, and their waters and fruits, except in things like wool and their climate. If it were not for the ingenuity of the people of Paris, their wisdom, their skill, their good management, and their care in attending to the interests of their country, their city would be nothing. Look, for example, at the River Seine. Although it is a pleasure in hot days, in winter it can be sold at eight degrees of skins and ice, so much so that one can walk on it with skates. And look at the trees of this city; they are leafy in hot days, and in cold days you find them bare and unsightly, like diseased firewood. This is the case in all cold countries. And some said in this regard: I asked the branch why it is bare in winter, And appears in spring, while you are clothed.