Notwithstanding these testimonies, however, this opinion has been decidedly rejected by the ablest geographers. A more recent hypothesis, the fame of which has nearly absorbed every other, is that by which the Niger is supposed, after a long course to the south, to discharge itself into the Atlantic through the Congo or Zaire, which empties in lat. 6° S. This opinion is founded on the vast quantity of water which that river pours into the ocean, and on the fact that a great rise takes place at a period when no rains have fallen on the south side of the line. These arguments had so much weight with the British government, that they determined, in 1816, to fit out an expedition on a great scale, to settle this grand question in modern Geography. It was divided into two parts, one of which, of a military character, was commanded by major Peddie, and was destined to penetrate across the country to the Niger, and to descend its stream; the other, of a naval description, under captain Tuckey, was to ascend the Congo in boats. The hopes which were raised of the success of this expedition have been sadly disappointed. The party of captain Tuckey, overcome by fatigue and the heat of the climate, were seized with a pestilential disorder, which proved fatal to most of them. All the leaders of that of major Peddie fell also a sacrifice to the climate, before they had even approached the Niger.

The Senegal rises in the mountains of Kong, near the sources of the Niger, and flowing in a northwesterly direction, discharges itself into the Atlantic ocean under lat. 16° N. after a course of more than 1,000 miles.

The Gambia rises also in the mountains of Kong, and discharges itself into the Atlantic under lat. 13° 30′ N. after a course of about 600 miles, for 400 of which it is navigable.

Deserts.] Africa is distinguished from the other quarters of the world by its immense sandy deserts. The Sahara or Great Desert stretches from the Atlantic on the west, with few interruptions, to the Nile on the east, a distance of 3,000 miles; and from the Barbary states on the north to the countries watered by the Niger on the south, a distance of 800 or 1,000 miles. It is thus by far the most extensive desert in the world, and presents, almost throughout, the spectacle of a naked, burning plain of sand, destitute alike of water and vegetation, except in the few fertile spots, called oases, which are occasionally interspersed, and serve as resting and watering places for the caravans in their journies over these dreary wilds. When the caravans are disappointed in finding water at these places, in consequence of a peculiarly dry season, they frequently die from thirst. In 1805 a caravan of 2,000 men and 1,800 camels entirely perished.

71

EGYPT.

Situation and Extent.] Egypt is bounded N. by the Mediterranean; N. E. by Asiatic Turkey; E. by the Red sea, which separates it from Arabia; S. by Nubia; and W. by the Libyan desert. It lies between 22° and 32° N. lat. extending along the banks of the Nile for about 700 miles, from its mouth upward. It nominally comprehends also a breadth of 200 or 300 miles, from the Red sea to an ill defined boundary in the Libyan desert, but the only territory of any value is that lying immediately on the banks of the river. The area is estimated at 190,000 square miles, of which only 19,000, or one tenth part of the whole, is capable of cultivation.

Divisions.] The cultivated region is divided by nature into two parts; Lower Egypt, composed of the Delta of the Nile; and Upper Egypt, which extends more than 500 miles along the river above its separation.

Face of the Country.] Upper Egypt consists of a long, narrow belt of land, intersected by the Nile, and interposed between two parallel ranges of mountains, which stretch along the opposite sides of the river, usually at the distance of 8 or 10 miles from the banks. As they approach Lower Egypt the two chains, still following the course of the river, diverge from each other, one branch running in a N. W. and the other in a N. E. direction to the Mediterranean. The country beyond the mountains, both to the east and west, is a sandy desert.

River.] The Nile is the only river in Egypt, and its overflowings are the source of all its fertility. The rise of the river begins about the middle of June and continues till the beginning of September, when it is at its height, and all the level parts of the country are overflowed. The waters then gradually retire, and leave behind them a thick mud or slime which is peculiarly fertilizing. It is a clayey substance, and is capable of being formed into bricks, and also into pipes or vases of different kinds. The water of the Nile is peculiarly light and wholesome, but during the inundation it becomes muddy, and cannot be drunk without being clarified. The cause of the inundation is the periodical rains, which fall in Abyssinia from June to September. The river is navigable to the borders of Nubia for vessels of 60 tons.

Lakes.] The coast is lined by lakes or lagoons, separated from the sea by long, narrow sand banks. That of Mareotis or Alexandria, the most western, is not more than 18 inches deep in winter, and in summer is quite dry. Lake Menzaleh, the largest and most eastern, is nearly 50 miles long and 12 broad. It communicates with the sea through several narrow inlets.

Climate.] The climate is characterized by the entire absence of rain; when a few drops fall they are viewed by the inhabitants almost as a miracle. Thunder and lightning are almost equally rare. The prevalent winds are from the north, but is

T

the spring, for about fifty days, Egypt is liable to the simoom, a terrible wind from the desert, which from its intense heat and dryness, threatens, when long continued, almost the extinction of animal life; fortunately, however, it seldom lasts above three days. The heat of summer is more intense in Egypt than in other countries under the same latitude. This circumstance, with the want of cleanliness and of all precaution, probably generates the plague, a malady which is supposed to be indigenous in this country, and to spread its ravages from thence as from a centre. The opthalmia, a severe disease affecting the eyes, is also peculiar to Egypt, but the cause of it is not yet satisfactorily ascertained.

Agriculture.] The lands inundated by the Nile require scarcely any labor; the ground, softened by long moisture, requires only to be slightly stirred, and the seed being thrown in, sinks by its own weight, and produces abundantly. Great attention, bowever, is everywhere paid to irrigation, In Upper Egypt, where the river is confined within high banks, the water does not overflow, but is raised by artificial means, and distributed over the lands. In Lower Egypt there are numerous canals, dug by human labor, which intersect the country in every direction and everywhere circulate the waters of the inundation.

Productions.] The soil produces the fruits both of the torrid and temperate zone. Corn and rice grow in perfection in the Delta, while wheat and barley flourish in Upper Egypt. The best fruits are the orange, the lemon, the citron, the apricot and the tamarind.

Chief Towns.] Cairo or Grand Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is near the east bank of the Nile, with which it is connected by a canal, about 10 miles above the upper angle of the Delta. The streets of this famous city are narrow, crooked, unpaved, and interspersed with large, open spaces, which become lakes during the inundation of the Nile, and are gardens during the rest of the year. It is the most populous city in Africa and carries on an extensive commerce, by means of caravans, with Syria, Arabia, Abyssinia, the Barbary States and the interior of Africa. The city contains 300 mosques, all adorned with lofty minarets, and 300,000 inhabitants.

Alexandria is situated 125 miles N. W. of Cairo, on the long and narrow neck of land included between lake Mareotis and the Mediterranean. It has two harbors and communicates with the western arm of the Nile by a canal, which at once supplies the city with water, and affords facilities to its commerce with the interior. This city was founded in the year 331 before Christ, by Alexander the Great, who conceived the grand idea of making it the centre of commerce to all the three continents. For many centuries it engrossed the trade of India, the goods being brought up the Red sea, and carried across to the Nile, where they were embarked and conveyed down the river and through a canal to the city. Alexandria became, at the same time, the centre of science, and was distinguished for its immense library, and for nu

merous splendid architectural monuments, many of which still remain, particularly Pompey's pillar, the two obelisks called Cleopatra's needles, the catacombs, and the reservoirs for the supply of the city with water. In the height of its splendor it is said to have contained 600,000 inhabitants; now, the population is estimated at only 10 or 15,000.

Rosetta is situated on the great western arm of the Nile, called by the ancients the Bolbitine, within a few miles of its mouth. It is a handsome city and contains 12,000 inhabitants. The maritime trade of Egypt is carried on principally from Alexandria ; but Rosetta forms the medium of communication between that city and Cairo.

Damietta is situated on the great eastern arm of the Nile, called by the ancients the Phatnitic, 6 miles from its mouth. It carries on an extensive commerce with Syria, Cyprus, and other parts of the Turkish empire, but suffers for want of a harbor, vessels being obliged to lie in the road at the mouth of the river, where they are exposed to all winds. This arm of the Nile is also becoming annually shallower, and it is feared that in a few years it will cease to be navigable for boats of large burden. The country around Damietta is a perfect garden and the rice is the finest in Egypt. The population is estimated at 40,000.

Suez is on the gulf of Suez, at the northern extremity of the Red sea. It is in the midst of a desert, and from the tops of the houses the eye cannot discern a single tree or the smallest spot of verdure; yet it is a place of considerable commerce, being visited by the caravans, and several vessels being employed in the navigation between this port and Jidda in Arabia. The population is estimated at 5,000.

Cosseir is a port on the coast of the Red sea, 300 miles south of Suez, in lat. 26° 8' N. The harbor is inconvenient, and the country in the vicinity frightfully desolate, but the place is important as forming the principal point of communication between Egypt and Arabia.

Kene or Kenne, the centre of the trade of Upper Egypt, is on the Nile, almost due west of Cosseir, from which it is 120 miles distant Most of the goods destined for India were formerly brought up the Nile in boats to Kene, whence they were carried over land to Cosseir, and embarked on the Red sea, but this commerce has now greatly declined. The town is now chiefly supported by the great caravan from Western and Central Africa, which passes annually through it, bringing numerous pilgrims destined for Mecca and Medina.

Siut or Siout, on the west bank of the Nile, in lat. 27° 10' N. is the rendezvous of the caravans which proceed from Egypt southward into the interior of Africa. It is also remarkable for the spacious excavations made in the neighboring mountains, supposed to be sepulchres. The population is about 25,000. Girge, on the Nile, in 26° 20′ N. lat. was formerly the capital of Upper Egypt, but is now in a state of decline.

Luxor, on the east bank of the Nile, in lat. 25° 30' N. occupies part of the site of ancient Thebes. This celebrated city extended along both banks of the Nile and was 27 miles in circumference. Its magnificent ruins are now scattered over this whole space, and recent travellers represent it to be impossible by any description to give an idea of the grandeur of the scene. The ruins consist of a vast assemblage of temples, columns, obelisks, colossal statues and sphinxes, paintings, sculptures, tombs excayated from the rock, and other astonishing specimens of the power and skill of its ancient inhabitants. The bust of Memnon, consisting of a single mass of stone weighing 10 or 12 tons, has been recently sent from this place to England by Mr. Belzoni.

Esne, on the Nile, in lat. 25° 17' N. is chiefly remarkable for the ruins of the ancient Latopolis, of which it occupies the site. Syene or Assuan, on the E. bank of the Nile, in lat. 24° N. is celebrated for the well which was sunk by the ancient Egyptians to mark the time of the summer solstice.

Antiquities. The objects which, above all others, attract the attention of the traveller in modern Egypt are the stupendous monuments of ancient grandeur with which it is covered. The ruins of Babylon, and of other capitals which were once the glory of Asia, are distinguishable only by enormous piles of rubbish accumulated upon their site. The masterpieces of Grecian and Roman architecture have reached us in a very shattered and imperfect condition; but the edifices of Egypt, which ascend to an era prior to any record of authentic history, bear scarcely any marks of the thousands of years that have passed over them, and display to us entire the arts and the power of the first generations of men.

The most gigantic of these monuments are the pyramids, which commence immediately south of Cairo, but on the opposite side of the Nile, and extend in an uninterrupted range for many miles in a southerly direction, parallel with the banks of the river. They are built on a hard, rocky plain, which is elevated 80 feet above the territory inundated by the river. The three principal pyramids are situated in the neighborhood of the village. of Geeza, at the northern extremity of the range. The base of the largest is 693 feet square, covering an area of a little more than eleven acres; the perpendicular height is 499 feet. The external part is chiefly built of great square stones, compacted together solely by their own weight, without lime, lead or cramps of any metal. At first view the pyramids present the appearance of solid masses; and it seems to have been the intention of the founders, that the openings which they contain should remain perpetually closed. The ingenuity of successive ages, however, has succeeded in finding the entrance of the great pyramid, and in tracing several long galleries which terminate in spacious chambers.

The second pyramid, which is 655 feet square at the base and 398 feet high, defied, till lately, all attempts to penetrate into its interior. In the year 1818, however, Mr. Belzoni succeeded in