CHAPTER III. Geographical Observations relating to Egypt. No part of the coast of Egypt, which fell under my observation, could be seen afar off. The mariners, in approaching it, estimate the distance by the depth of water; such a number of fathoms usually answering to the same number of leagues. That portion of it particularly, which lies betwixt Tineh, the ancient Pelusium, and the branch of Dami-ata, is exceedingly low, and full of lakes and morasses; agreeing so far, even to this day, with the etymology of the name. The lakes abound with a variety of excellent fish; which they either dispose of, whilst they are fresh, among the neighbouring villages, or else they salt and sell them afterwards to the Grecian merchants. Dami-ata is one of the most considerable cities for trade in Egypt. It lies upon the eastern banks of the Nile, at five miles distance from the sea, and about sixty to the N. N. W. of Tineh. From (Tin) clay or mud, rendered by the Greeks iev, from nλes, a word of the like signification in their language. neh. The branch that runs by it has been generally received for the Pelusiac, by mistaking this city for the ancient Pelusium; whereas Dami-ata seems rather to be a corruption of its ancient name Thamiathis, or Tau, as Epiphanius writes it. This branch therefore, as well from the situation as the largeness of it, should be the Pathmetic, or Phatnic, as Strabo calls it; betwixt which and the Pelusiac, were the Mendesian and the Tanitic; but of these I could receive no information. Sixteen leagues to the N. N. W. of the Pathmetic mouth, is Cape Brullos, where the Sebennitic branch is supposed to have discharged itself; after which follows the Bolbutic, at seventeen leagues distance to the S. W. by W. This is called at present the branch of Rozetto, or Rassid, as the inhabitants pronounce it, from a large and populous city, situated about a league above the mouth of it, Rassid however may import a cape or head-land, such as it might orginally have stood upon, before the additions, which will be hereafter mentioned, were made to it by the Nile. At Me-dea, the ancient Heraclium, four leagues further, there is another branch of the Nile, though much smaller than the former; and two leagues beyond it, in the same westerly direction, we have an inlet, with some ruins known by the name of Bikeer. As this place lies five leagues from Alexandria, and the branch of Me-dea seven, we may be induced, from the authority of Strabo, Strabo*, to take the one for the ancient city Canopus, the other for the branch of the same name. But, unless at the time of the inundation, this, no less than the Sebennitic and Pelusiac branches, are of little account; in as much as the Nile discharges itself chiefly through those only of Rozetto and Dami-ata. What was observed long ago, though upon a different occasion, concerning the drying up of these channels, is now literally come to pass. Nilus in extremum fugit perterritus orbem, Occubuitque caput, quod adhuc latet; ostia septem Ovid. Metam. de Phaeton. Scandarea, as Alexandria is called at present, has two ports; the new one, which the vessels of Europe resort to, and the old one, where those only from Turkey are admitted. The former is what Strabo calls the Great Port, lying to the eastward of the Pharos; the other is his port of Eunostus, where was also the Cibotus, which had formerly VOL. II. I Ετι ή απο Πηλεσιν ταραλία προς την έσπεραν πλέεσι, μέχρι μεν Κανωβικός τόματος, χιλίων π8, και τριακοσίων σαδίων, ὁ δη και βασιν τε Δελτα εφαμεν. Εντευθεν δ' επι Φαρόν τιην νησον αλλοι τάδιοι πεντηκοντα προς τοις έκατον. Strab. lib. xvii. p. 1140. [Canopus inde, ab Alexandria sc. duodecimo disjungitur lapide. Ammian. lib. xxii. c. 41.] Κανωβος δ' εςι πολις εν εικοσι και έκατον σαδίοις απο Αλεξαν δρειας πεζη ικσιν. Ρ. 1152. Μετά δε τον Κανωβον εςι το Ηρακλειον το Ηρακλεως έχον ἱερον. Είτα το Κανωβικον σομα, και η αρχη τε Δελτα. β. 1153. Μετά δε τομα το Κανωβικον εςι το Βολιτικον. Είτα το ΣεΒίννιτικον και το Φατνικον. τρίτον ὑπαρχον τω μεγέθει παρα τα πρώτα δυο, οις ώρισαι το Δελτα. Τω δε φατνικω συνάπτει το Μενδήσιον. Είτα το Τανιτικον, και τελευταίον το Πηλειακον. Ετι δε και άλλα τέτων με ταξύ, ώς αν ψευδοςοματα ασημότερα. Strab. ibid. + Strab. l. xvii. p. 1144-5. formerly a communication with the Lake Marcotis, that lies behind it to the south. The present city is situated betwixt them, upon what was probably the Septem Stadium of Strabo * whereas the old city lay further towards the N. and N. E. Considering the great devastations which have attended the Saracen conquests in other places, it is somewhat extraordinary, that the greatest part of the ancient walls, together with their respective turrets, should have continued entire, quite down to this time. In the same condition likewise are the cisterns, which, at the overflowing of the Nile, were annually supplied with water. These were of a great depth, having their walls raised, by several stages of arches, upon which likewise the greatest part of the city itself was erected. The grandeur and sumptuousness of the ancient Alexandria, may be further estimated from two rows of beautiful granate pillars, (several whereof were standing in 1721), which may be supposed to have constituted the street that is described by Strabo, and reaching from the Necropolitic† part of the city, to the gate of Canopus. The cryptæ, or catacombs, which gave denomination to it, are most of them remaining; being little different from those that have been described at Latikea, and were probably intended for the same use, and not for the reception of mummies or embalmed bodies, like those at Sakara near Memphis. *Strab. 1. xvii. p. 1141. + Id. p. 1145. Pompey's Pompey's pillar lies at a distance to the southward of the old city. It is of the Corinthian order, though the foliage of the capital is badly executed. In expectation, it may be presumed, of finding a large treasure buried underneath it, a great part of the foundation, consisting of several fragments of different sorts of stone and marble, has been removed; so that the whole fabric rests at present upon a block of white marble scarce two yards square, which, upon touching it with a key, in the same manner with the beautiful statue of at Rome, sounds like a bell. Some of the broken pieces of marble which I have mentioned, are inscribed with hieroglyphics; a circumstance which may induce us to suspect, that this pillar was not erected by the Egyptians, (who could not well be imagined thus to bury their sacred inscriptions), but by the Greeks or Romans; nay, later perhaps than Strabo, who would scarce have omitted the description of so remarkable a curiosity, which could not but fall under his observation. The Delta was computed to commence from the Canopic branch of the Nile, which fell in at Me-dea; from hence to Rozetto, the caravans are guided, for the space of four leagues, by a range of pillars, as in the Lake of Marks, p. 235. The channel which supplied Alexandria with water, lies all the way upon the right hand; and, for want of being employed as formerly, discharges itself chiefly into this of Me-dea. There are few or no tokens of the Nile's inundation to be met with, |