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"The reader muft not here figure to himself a number Egypt of complicated and artificial movements; fuch as those which, within the last century, have reduced war with us to a science of fyftem and calculation. The Afiatics furd me are unacquainted with the firft elements of this conduct. th d of Their armies are mere mobs, their marches ravages, carrying their campaigns inroads, and their battles bloody frays, on war. The ftrongeft or the most adventurous party goes in queft of the other, which frequently flies without niaking any refiftance. If they ftand their ground, they engage pell-mell, difcharge their carbines, break their fpears, and hack each other with their fabres; for they have feldom any cannon, and when they have, they are but of little fervice. A panic frequently diffufes itfelf without caufe; one party flies, the other shouts victory; the vanquished fubmit to the will of the conqueror, and the campaign often terminates without a battle.

“Such, in a great measure, were the military operations in Syria in the year 1771. The combined army of Ali Bey and Sheik Daher marched to Damafcus. The Pachas waited for them; they approached, and, on the 6th of June, a decifive action took place: the Mamlouks and Safadians rushed on the Turks with fuch fury, that, terrified at their courage, they immediately took to flight, and the Pachas were not the laft in endeavouring to make their efcape The allies became matters of the country, and took poffeffion of the city without oppofition, there beng nei ther walls nor foldiers to defend it. The catle alone refifted. Its ruined fortifications had not a ingle cannon, much lefs gunners; but it was furrounded by a muddy ditch, and behind the ruins were ofted a few musketeers; and thefe alone were fufficiat to check this army of cavalry. As the befieged, however, were already conquered by their fears, they apitulated the third day, and the place was to be furrend red next morning, when, at day-break, a moft extraordinary revolu tion took place."

Egypt. by a young Venetian merchant, of rendering Gedda, the port of Mecca, an emporium for all the commerce of India; and even imagined he should be able to make Proposes to make Mec- the Europeans abandon the paffage to the Indies by ca the en the Cape of Good Hope. With this view, he fitted porium of out fome veffels at Suez; and manning them with Eaft Indian Mamlouks, commanded the bey Haflan to fail with commerce. them to Gedda, and feize upon it, while a body of cavalry under Mohammed Bey advanced against the town. Both thefe commiffions were executed according to his wifh, and Ali became quite intoxicated with his fuccefs. Nothing but ideas of conqueft now occupied his mind, without confidering the immenfe difproportion between his own force and that of the Grand Signior. Circumstances, it must be owned, were at that time very favourable to his schemes. The Sheik Daher was in rebellion against the Porte in Syria; and the pacha of Damafcus had fo exafperated the people by his extortions, that they were ready for His expedi-a revolt. Having therefore made the neceffary preparations, Ali Bey dispatched in 1770 about 500 Mamlouks to take poffeflion of Gaza, and thus fecure an entrance into Paleftine. Ofman the pacha of Damafcus, however, no fooner heard of the invasion than he prepared for war with the utmoft diligence, while the troops of Ali Bey held themselves in readinefs to fly on the first attack. They were relieved from their embarrassment by Sheik Daher, who hastened to their affiftance, while Ofman fled without even offering to make the leaft refiftance; thus leaving the enemy matters of all Palestine without ftriking a ftroke. About the end of February 1771, the grand army of Ali Bey arrived; which, by the reprefentations made of it in Europe, was fuppoVolney's fed to confist of 60,000 men. M. Volney, however, account of informs us, that this army was far from containing his army. 60,000 foldiers; though he allows that there might be two-thirds of that number, who were claffed as follows: 1. Five thoufand Mamlouks, conftituting the whole effective part of the army. 2. Fifteen hundred Arabs from Barbary on foot, conftituting the whole infantry of the army. Befides thefe, the fervants of the Mamlouks, each of whom had two, would conftitute a body of 10,000 men. A number of other fervants would conftitute a body of about 2000; and the rest of the number would be made up by futlers and other ufual attendants on armies. It was commanded by Mohammed Bey the friend of Ali. "But (fays our author) as to order and difcipline, thefe mult not be mentioned. The armies of the Turks and Mamlouks are nothing but a confused multitude of horsemen, without uniforms, on horfes of all colours and fizes, without either keeping their ranks or obferving any regular order." This rabble took the road to Acre, leaving wherever they paffed fufficient marks of their rapacity and want of difcipline. At Acre a junction was formed with the troops of Sheik Daher, confifting of 1500 Safadians (the name of Shaik Daher's fubjects, from Safad, a village of Galilee, originally under his jurifdiction). These were on horfeback, and accompanied by 1200 Motualis cavalry under the command of Sheik Nafif, and about 1000 Mogrebian infantry. Thus they proceeded towards Damafcus, while Ofman prepared to oppose them by another army equally numerous and ill regulated: and M. Volney gives the following defcription of their operations.

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This was no lefs than the defection of Mohammed Defection Bey himself, whom Ofman had gained over in a con- of Ali Bey's ference during the night. At the moment, therefore, general. that the fignal of furrender was expected, this teache rous general founded a retreat, and turned towards Egypt with all his cavalry, flying with as great recipitation as if he had been purfued by a fuperir army. Mohammed continued his march with fuchcelerity, that the report of his arrival in Egypt reachd Cairo only fix hours before him. Thus Ali Bey (und himfelf at once deprived of all his expectaties of conqueft; and what was worfe, found a trait whom he durft not punish at the head of his forces A fudden reverfe of fortune now took place. Sever veffels laden with corn for Sheik Daher were take by a Ruffian privateer; and Mohammed Bey, whomie defigned to have put to death, not only made his efpe, but was fo well attended, that he could not be atcked. His followers continuing daily to increase in Amber, Mohammed foon became fufficiently ftrong march towards Cairo; and, in the month of April 772, having de- He is drifeated the troops of Ali in a renceater, entered the ven out of city fword in hand, while the latt had fearce time to make his escape with 800 Mamlos. With difficulty culty gets he was enabled to get to Syri by the affiftance of into Syria. Sheik Daher, whom he immeately joined with the

troops

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ed by his own inipatience.

Egypt. troops he had with him. The Turks under Ofman were at that time befieging Sidon, but raifed the fiege Defeats the on the approach of the allied army, confifting of about Turks, and 7000 cavalry. Though the Turkish army was at leaft three retrieves times their number, the allies did not hesitate to attack his affairs. them, and gained a complete victory. Their affairs now began to wear a more favourable afpect; but the military operations were retarded by the fiege of Yafa, a place which had revolted; and which, though defended only by a garden wall, without any ditch, held out for eight months. In the beginning of 1773 it capitulated, and Ali Bey began to think of returning to Cairo. For this purpofe Sheik Daher had promiled to furnish him with fuccours; and the Ruffians, with whom he had now contracted an alliance, made him a He is ruin- promife of the like kind. Ali, however, ruined every thing by his own impatience. Deceived by an aftrologer, who pretended that the aufpicious moment when he was highly favoured by the ftars was juft arrived, he would needs fet out without waiting for the arrival of his allies. He was also farther deceived by a ftratagem of Mohammed, who had by force extorted from the friends of Ali Bey letters preffing his return to Cairo, where the people were weary of his ungrateful flave, and wanted only his prefence in order to expel him. Confiding in thefe promifes, Ali Bey imprudently fet out with his Mamlouks and 1500 Safadians given him by Daher; but had no fooner entered the defert which feparates Gaza from Egypt, than he was attacked by a body of 1000 chofen Mamlouks who were lying in wait for his arrival. They were commanded by a young Bey, named Mourad; who, being enamoured of the wife of Ali Bey, had obtained a promife of her from Mohammed, in cafe he could bring him her husband's head. As foon as Mourad perceived the duft by which the approach of Ali Bey's army was announced, he rushed upon him, attacked and took prifoner Ali Bey himself, after wounding him in the forehead with a fabre. Being conducted to Mohammed Bey, the latter pretended to treat him with extraordinary respect, and ordered a magnificent tent to be erected for him; but in three days he was found dead of his wounds, as was given out; though fome affirm, perhaps with equal reafon, that he was poisoned.

120 fucceded After the death of Ali Bey, Mohammed Bey took upby Moham- on him the fupreme dignity; but this change of mafters nied Bey proved of very little fervice to the Egyptians. At firft he pretended to be only the defender of the rights of the Sultan, remitted the ufual tribute to Conftantinople, and took the customary oath of unlimited obedience; after which he folicited permiffion to make war upon Sheik Daher, the ally of Ali Bey. The reafon of this requeft was a mere perfonal pique; and as soon as it was granted, he made the moft diligent preparations for war. Having procured an extraordinary train of artillery, he provided foreign gunners, and gave the command of them to an Englishman named Robinfon. He brought from Suez a cannon 16 feet His expe- long, which had for a confiderable time remained ufegainst Sheik lefs; and at length, in the month of February 1776, he appeared in Syria with an army equal in number to that which he had formerly commanded when in the fervice of Ali Bey. Daher's forces, defpairing of being able to cope with fuch a formidable armament, abandoned Gaza, which Mohammed immediately took

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dition a

Daher.

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Egypt.

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Account of

method of

poffeffion of, and then marched towards a fortified town named Yafa. The history of this fiege M. Volney gives as a specimen of the Afiatic manner ducting operations of that kind. Yafa (faya he), the fiege of the ancient Joppa, is fituated on a part of the coaft, Yafa: a the general level of which is very little above the fea. fpecimen of The city is built on an eminence, in the form of a fu- the Afiatic gar loaf, in height about 130 feet perpendicular. The befieging houfes, diftributed on the declivity, appear rifing above towns. each other, like the fteps of an amphitheatre. On the fummit is a fmall citadel, which commands the town; the bottom of the hill is furrounded by a wall without a rampart, of 12 or 14 feet high, and two or three in thickness. The battlements on the top are the only tokens by which it is diftinguished from a common garden wall. This wall, which has no ditch, is envi roned by gardens, where lemons, oranges, and citrons grow in this light foil to a moft prodigious fize. The city was defended by five or fix hundred Safadians and as many inhabitants, who, at the fight of the enemy, armed themselves with their fabres and muskets; they had likewife a few brafs cannon, 24 pounders, without carriages; these they mounted as well as they could, on timbers prepared in a hurry; and fupplying the place of experience by hatred and courage, they replied to the fummons of the enemy with menaces and cannon-fhot.

"Mohammed, finding he must have recourfe to force, formed his camp before the town; but was fo little acquainted with the business in which he was engaged, that he advanced within half cannon-shot. The bullets, which showered upon the tents, apprizing him of his error, he retreated; and, by making a fresh experiment, was convinced he was ftill too near. At length he difcovered the proper diftance, and fet up his tent, in which the most extravagant luxury was difplayed: around it, without any order, were pitched thofe of the Mamlouks, while the Barbary Arabs formed huts with the trunks and branches of the orange and lemon-trees, and the followers of the army arranged themfelves as they could: a few guards were diftribu-ted here and there; and, without making a fingle en- trenchment, they called themfelves encamped.

"Batteries were now to be erected; and a fpot of rifing ground was made choice of to the fouth-eaftward of the town, where, behind fome garden walls, eight pieces of cannon were pointed, at 200 pacesfrom the town; and the firing began, notwithstanding the mufketry of the enemy, who, from the tops of the terraces, killed feveral of the gunners.

"It is evident that a wall only three feet thick, and without a rampart, must soon have a large breach in it;: and the queftion was not how to mount, but how to get through it. The Mamlouks were for doing it on horfeback; but they were made to comprehend that this was impoffible; and they confented, for the first time, to march on foot. It must have been a curious fight to fee them, with their huge breeches of thick Venetian cloth, embarraffed with their tucked up beniches, their crooked fabres in hand, and piftols hanging to their fides, advancing and tumbling among the ruins of the wall. They imagined that they had conquered every difficulty when this obftacle was furmounted; but the befieged, who formed a better judgment, waited till they arrived at the empty space÷

between:

Egypt. between the city and wall; where they affailed them from the terraces and windows of the houfes with fuch a fhower of bullets, that the Mamlouks did not fo much as think of fetting them on fire, but retired under a perfuafion that the breach was utterly impracticable, fince it was impoffible to enter it on horfeback. Morad Bey brought them feveral times back to the charge,

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The town taken and

the inhabi tants maffacred.

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Death of

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med Bey.

but in vain.

"Six weeks paffed in this manner; and Mohammed was diftracted with rage, anxiety, and defpair. The belieged however, whofe numbers were diminished by the repeated attacks, became weary of defending alone the cause of Daher. Some perfons began to treat with the enemy; and it was propofed to abandon the place, on the Egyptians giving hottages. Conditions were agreed upon, and the treaty might be confidered as concluded, when, in the midst of the fecurity occafioned by this belief, foine Mamlouks entered the town; numbers of others followed their example, and attempted to plunder. The inhabitants defended themfelves, and the attack recommenced: the whole army then rushed into the town, which fuffered all the horrors of war; women and children, young and old men, were all cut to pieces, and Mohammed, equally mean and barbarous, caused a pyramid formed of the heads of thefe unfortunate fufferers to be raised as a monument of his victory."

By this difafter the greatest terror and confternation were every where diffused. Sheik Daher himself fled, and Mohammed foon became mafter of Acre alfo. Here he behaved with his ufual cruelty, and abandoned the city to be plundered by his foldiers. The French merchants claimed an exemption, and it was procured with the utmost difficulty: nor was even this likely to be of any confequence; for Mohammed, informed that the treasures of Ibrahim Kiaya of Daher had been depofited in that place, made an immediate demand of them, threatening every one of the merchants with death if the treasures were not inftantly produced. A day was appointed for making the research; but before this came, the tyrant himself died of a malignant fever after two days illness. His death was no fooner known than the army made a precipitate retreat, fuch as has been already mentioned from Damafcus. Sheik Daher continued his rebellion for fome time, but was at laft entirely defeated, and his head fent to Conftantinople by Haffan Pacha the Turkish high-admiral.

125 The death of Mohammed was no fooner known in Hiftory of Egypt from Egypt, than Morad Bey haftened to Cairo in order that time to difpute the fovereignty with Ibrahim Bey, who had to the year! been entrusted with the government on his departure 1786. from that place for Syria. Preparations for war were made on both fides; but at laft, both parties finding that the contest must be attended with great difficulty, as well as very uncertain in the event, thought proper to come to an accommodation, by which it was agreed that Ibrahim should retain the title of Shaik El Beled, and the power was to be divided between them. But now the beys and others who had been promoted by Ali Bey, perceiving their own importance totally annihilated by this new faction, refolved to fhake off the yoke, and therefore united in a league under the title of the House of Ali Bey. They conducted their matters with fo much filence and dexterity, that both Moaad and Ibrahim were obliged to abandon Cairo. In

N° 110.

a fhort time, however, they returned and defeated their Egypt. enemies though three times their number; but notwithstanding this fuccefs, it was not in their power totally to fupprefs the party. This indeed was owing entirely to their unfkilfulness in the art of war, and their operations for fome time were very trifling. At laft, a new combination having been formed among the beys, five of them were fentenced to banishment in the Delta. They pretended to comply with this order, but took the road of the defert of the Pyramids, through which they were purfued for three days to no purpose. At laft they arrived fafe at Miniah, a village fituated on the Nile, 40 leagues above Cairo. Here they took up their refidence, and being masters of the river, foon reduced Cairo to diftrefs by intercepting its provifions. Thus a new expedition became neceffary, and Ibrahim took the command of it upon himself. In the month of October 1783, he fet out with an army of 3000 cavalry; the two armies foon came in fight of each other, but Ibrahim thought proper to terminate the affair by negociation. This gave fuch offence to Morad, who fufpected fome plot against himself, that he left Cairo. A war betwixt the two rivals was now daily expected, and the armies continued for 25 days in fight of each other, only feparated by the river. Negociations took place; and the five exiled beys, finding themselves abandoned by Morad, took to flight, but were purfued and brought back to Cairo. Peace feemed now to be re-established; but the jealoufy of the two rivals producing new intrigues, Morad was once more obliged to quit Cairo in 1784. Forming his camp, however, directly at the gates of the city, he appeared fo terrible to Ibrahim, that the latter thought proper in his turn to retire to the defert, where he remained till March 1785. A new treaty then took place; by which the rivals agreed to fhare the power between them, though there was certainly very little probability that such a treaty would be long obferved. Since that time we have no accounts of any remarkable tranfaction in Egypt; nor indeed can we reasonably expect any thing of confequence in a country where matters are managed, as M. Volney expreffes himself, by a series of "cabals, intrigues, treachery, and murders."

Of late Egypt has been vifited by feveral travellers, all of whom have published defcriptions of the country, its productions, inhabitants, &c. The latest are M. Savary, M. Volney, the baron de Tott, and Mr Bruce; and from the accounts published by those gentlemen the following geographical defcription is principally compiled.

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This country is ftill divided into two principal parts, Account of called the Upper and Lower Egypt. According to M. the country. Savary, the former is only a long narrow valley beginning at Sienna and terminating at Cairo. It is bounded by two chains of mountains running from north to fouth, and taking their rife from the laft cataract of the Nile. On reaching the latitude of Cairo they feparate to the right and left; the one taking the direction of mount Colzoum, the other terminating in fome fand-banks near Alexandria; the former being compofed of high and fteep rocks, the latter of fandy hillocks over a bed of calcareous ftone. Beyond thefe mountains are deferts bounded by the Red Sea on the cait, and on the west by other parts of Africa; having

ia

ing them by removing the mud depofited by the river Egypt. fince the Turks have made themfelves matters of Egypt, the country they pafs through would be again fertilized, and the Delta recover a third of its greatnefs."

Egypt. in the middle that long plain which, even where wideft, is not more than nine leagues over. Here the Nile is confined in its courfe betwixt thefe infuperable barriers, and during the time of its inundation overflows the country all the way to the foot of the mountains; and Mr Bruce obferves that there is a gradual flope from the bed of the river to those mountains on both fides. The baron de Tott fays, that the mountains four leagues from the Nile, and facing Cairo, " are only a ridge of rocks about 40 or 50 feet high, which divide Egypt from the plains of Libya; which ridge accompanies the courfe of the river, at a greater or leffer distance, and feems as if only intended to ferve as a bank to the general inundation."

127 Craft of E

gypt ex

tremely

low.

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Of the fer

cient and modern Egypt.

Lower Egypt, according to M. Savary, comprehends all the country between Cairo, the Mediterranean, the Ifthmus of Suez, and Libya. "This immenfe plain (fays he) prefents on the borders of its parching fands a ftripe of lands cultivated along the canals of the river, and in the middle a triangular island to which the Greeks gave the name of Delta;" at the top of the angle of which the Baron de Tott informs us the rocks of Libya and the coafts of Arabia open and recede from each other towards the east and west, parallel to the Mediterranean. This great extent of country, from the kingdom of Barca to Gaza, is either overflowed by the river, or capable of being fo; which thus fertilizes in a high degree a tract of country feemingly devoted to perpetual barrennefs on account of the want of rain and the heat of the climate.

According to the teftimonies of both Mr Bruce and M. Volney, the coast of Egypt is fo extremely low, that it cannot be discovered at fea till the mariners come within a few leagues of it. In ancient times the failors pretended to know when they approached this country by a kind of black mud brought up by their founding-line from the bottom of the fea: but this notion, though as old as the days of Herodotus, has been discovered to be a mistake by Mr Bruce; who found the mud in question to arife while the veffel was oppofite to the deserts of Barca. All along the coaft of Egypt a ftrong current fets to the eastward.

In former times Egypt was much celebrated for tility of an-its fertility; and there is great reafon to believe, that were the fame pains beftowed upon the cultivation of the ground, and the diftribution of the waters of the Nile in a proper manner, the fame fertility would ftill be found to remain. The caufe of decrease in the produce of Egypt we fhall defcribe in the words of M. Savary. "The canals," fays he, fpeaking of the Delta," which used to convey fertility with their waters, are now filled. The earth no longer watered, and continually exposed to the burning ardour of the fun, is converted into a barren fand. In thofe places where formerly were feen rich fields and flourishing towns, on the Peluliac, the Tariêtic, and the Mendefian branches, which all ftrike out from the canal of Damietta, nothing is to be found at this day but a few miferable hamlets, furrounded by date-trees and by deferts. These once navigable canals are now no more than a vain refemblance of what they were: they have no communication with the lake Menzall, but what is merely temporary, on the fwelling of the Nile; they are dry the remainder of the year. By deepen VOL. VI. PART I.

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the forma

Concerning this ifland, it has been the opinion of a Savary's great many, even from very ancient times, that it was acco. nt of produced by the mud brought down by the inundation of the tions of the Nile; and this opinion we find adopted in Delta. the strongest manner by M. Savary. His account of the fuppofed rife of the Delta, and indeed of the greateft part of Egypt, is to the following purpose. In thofe early ages where hiftory has not fixed any epoch, a certain people defcended from the mountains near the cataracts, into the valley overflowed by the Nile, and which was then an uninhabitable morafs overgrown with reeds and canes. In what manner, or from what motive, thefe people were induced to defcend from their ancient habitations to fuch a place, or how they found means to penetrate into a morafs which he exprefsly tells us was impenetrable, we are not informed, neither is it to our prefent purpose to inquire. At that time, however, the fea bathed the feet of thofe mountains where the pyramids are built, and advanced far into Libya. It covered also part of the Ifthmus of Suez, and every part of what we now call the Delta formed a great gulph. After many ages the Egyptians, by what means is unknown, at leaft not specified by our author (though they ought to have been fo, as the country it feems was then overflowed not only by the river but by the ocean), formed canals to carry off the ftagnant waters of the Nile; oppofed ftrong dykes to its ravages; and, tired of dwelling in the caverns of rocks, built towns and cities upon fpots elevated either by nature or art. Already the river was kept within its bounds, the habitations of men were out of the reach of its inundations, and experience had taught the people to foresee and announce them. One of the kings of Egypt undertook to change the course of the river. After running 150 leagues between the barriers already mentioned, meeting with an unfurmountable obstacle to the right, it turned fuddenly to the left; and taking its courfe to the fouthward of Memphis, it spread its waters thro the fands of Libya. The prince we fpeak of caused a new bed to be dug for it to the eaft of Memphis; and by means of a large dyke obliged it to return between the mountains, and difcharge itself into the gulph that bathes the rock on which the caftle of Cairo is built. The ancient bed of the river was ftill to be feen in the time of Herodotus, and may even be traced at this day across the deferts, paffing to the weftward of the lakes of Natrum. The Arabs ftill beftow upon it the name of Bahr Bela ma," or fea without water," and it is now almoft choaked up. To the labours of this monarch Egypt is indebted for the Delta. A reflux of the fea was occafioned by the enormous weight of the waters of the Nile, which precipitated themselves into the bottom of the gulph. Thus the fands and mud carried along with them were collected into heaps; and thus the Delta, at firft very inconfiderable, rofe out of the sea of which it repelled the limits. It was a gift of the river, and it has fince been defended from the attacks of the ocean by raifing dykes around it. Five hundred years before the Trojan war, according to He3 D

rodotus,

ing up the gulph into which it falls, has placed in the Egypt. middle of the land the town of Miletis, formerly a celebrated harbour. It is thus that the Tigris and the Euphrates, let loofe from the Armenian hills, and fweeping with them in their course the sands of Mefopotamia, are imperceptibly filling up the Perfian gulph."

Egypt. rodotus, the Delta was in its infancy; eight cubits of water being then fufficient to overflow it. Strabo tells us, that boats paffed over it from one extremity to the other; and that its towns, built upon artificial eminences, refembled the islands of the Egean Sea. At the time that Herodotus vifited this country, 15 cubits were neceffary to cover all the Lower Egypt; but the Nile then overflowed the country for the fpace of two days journey to the right and left of the island. Under the Roman empire, 16 cubits performed the fame effect. When the Arabs came to have the dominion, 17 cubits were requifite; and at this day 18 are neceffary to produce a plentiful crop; but the inundation ftops at Cairo and the neighbouring country, without being extended over the Lower Egypt. Sometimes, however, the Nile rifes to 22 cubits; and the caufe of this phe nomenon is the mud for fo many years accumulated no the island. Here, in the space of 3284 years, we fee the Delta elevated 14 cubits. Our author wrote in 1777, and informs us that he twice made the tour of the island during the time of the inundation. "The river (fays he) flowed in full ftreams in the great branches of Rofetta and Damietta, as well as in thofe which pafs through the interior part of the country; but it did not overflow the lands, except in the lower parts, where the dykes were pierced for the purpose of watering the plantations of rice. We must not, how -ever, imagine, as feveral travellers pretend, that this ifland will continue to rife, and that it will become unfruitful. As it owes its increafe to the annual fettling of the mud conveyed thither by the Nile, when it ceafes to be overflowed it will no longer increafe in height, for it is demonftrated that culture is not fufficient to raise land.

may

"It is natural to imagine that the Delta has increased in length as well as in height; and of this we look upon the following fact to be a remarkable proof. Under the reign of Plainmiticus, the Milefians, with 30 veffels, landed at the mouth of the Bolbitine branch of the Nile, now called that of Rofetta, where they fortified themselves. There they built a town called Metelis, the fame as Faoüe, which, in the Coptic vocabularies, has preferved the name of Meil. This town, formerly a fea-port, is now nine leagues diftant from the fea; all which space the Delta has increafed in length from the time of Pfammiticus to the prefent. Homer, in his Odyffey, puts the following words in the mouth of Menelaus. In the ftormy fea which washes Egypt, there is an inland called Pharos. Its diftance from the fhore is fuch, that a veffel with a fair wind may make the paffage in a day.' From the way in which he fpeaks of this ifland in other places, alfo, we may fuppofe that the island of Pharos, in his time, was not lefs than 20 leagues diftant from the Egyptian coaft, though now it forms the port of Alexandria; and this fentiment is confirmed by the most ancient writers.

"What prodigious changes great rivers occafion on the furface of the globe! How they elevate, at their mouths, iflands which become at length large portions of the continent! It is thus that the Nile has formed almost all the Lower Egypt, and created out of the waters the Delta, which is 90 leagues in circumference. It is thus that the Meander, conftantly repelling the waves of the Mediterranean, and gradually fill

nion.

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There are the reafons affigned by M. Savary for Mr Bruce's thinking that the Delta, as well as the greatest part of reafons for the Lower Egypt, have been produced by the Nile; the conbut this opinion is violently contefted by other late trary opi travellers, particularly Mr Bruce, who has given a pretty long differtation upon it, as well as many occafional remarks through the courfe of his work. He begins with obferving, 1. That the country of Egypt is entirely a valley bounded by rugged mountains; whence it might feem natural to imagine that the Nile, overflowing a country of this kind, would be more ready to wash away the foil than to add to it. 2. It is obferved by Dr Shaw, and the fame is confirmed by our author, that there is a gentle flope from the middle of the valley to the foot of the mountains on each fide; fo that the middle, in which is the channel of the Nile, is really higher than any other part of the valley. Large trenches are cut across the country from the channel of the river, and at right angles with it, to the foot of the mountains. 3. As the river fwells, the canals become filled with water, which naturally defcending to the foot of the mountains, runs out at the farther end, and overflows the adjacent level country. 4. When the water, having attained the loweft ground, begins to ftagnate, it does not acquire any motion by reafon of the canal's being at right angles with the channel of the Nile, unless in the cafe of exceffive rains in Ethiopia, when the water by its regurgitation again joins the ftream. In this cafe, the motion of the current is communicated to the whole mafs of waters, and every thing is fwept away by them into the fea. 5. It has been the opinion of feveral authors, that there was a neceffity for measuring the height of the inundation on account of the quantity of mud brought down annually by the waters, by which the land-marks were so covered, that the proprietors could not know their own grounds after the river fubfided. But whatever might be the reafon of this covering of the land-marks in ancient times, it is certain that the mud left by the Nile could not be fo in the time of Herodotus, or during any period of time affigned by that hiftorian; for he affigns only one foot of increafe of foil throughout Egypt in an hundred years from the mud left by the river: the increafe during one year, therefore, being only the hundredth part of a foot, could not cover any land-mark whatever. Befides, the Egyptian lands are at this day parted by huge blocks of granite, which frequently have gigantic heads at the ends of them; and thefe could not, at the rate mentioned by Herodotus, bę covered in feveral thousand years. 6. The Nile does not now bring down any great quantity of mud; and it is abfurd to fuppofe that it can at present bring down as much as it did foon after the creation, or the ages imme. diately fucceeding the deluge. Throughout Abyffinia, according to the teftimony of our author, the channel of every torrent is now worn to the bare rock, and almost every rivulet runs in a hard ftony bed, all the loose earth being long ago washed away; fo that an annual

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