A Memoir on the Commerce and Navigation of the Black Sea and the Trade and Maritime Geography of Turkey and Egypt (Volume 2) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1819 Excerpt: ... EGYPT. Egypt is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean, on the south by a chain of mountains which separates it from Nubia; the Red Sea and the isthmus of Suez form its eastern limits; and it is terminated to the westward by the deserts of Lybia, in the midst of which stood the temple of Jupiter Ammon. Its greatest length is from Sienna, or Syene, situated under the tropic of Cancer, to Cape Burlos, which forming the most advanced point of the Delta, almost terminates the thirty second degree of latitude. This distance is about two hundred and twenty five leagues. Its greatest breadth is sixty eight leagues, drawing a right line from the ruins of Pelusa to the "Tower of the Arabs," formerly called Taposiris. Ancient and modern geographers have not been agreed as to the precise limits of this country. Accordingly, some have assigned to its length, from north to south, five hundred miles, and to its breadth about half that measure. Egypt is divided into upper and lower; the first is only a long valley, which begins at Sienna, and ends at Grand Cairo. Two chains of mountains, which take their rise from the last cataract of the Nile, form the vast contours of that country. Their Vol. ii. 42 direction is from south to north, until they reach the latitude of Cairo, where separating to the right and left, one of them takes tiie direction of Mount Colzoum, the other terminates, in hanks of sand, near Alexandria. The former is composed of high and steep rocks; the latter of sandy hillocks, over a bed of calcareous stone. Bevond these mountains are deserts, bounded by the Red Sea on the east, and on the west by Africa; in the midst of which is that long plain, which is no more than nine leagues broad, where it is the widest. It is there that the Nile flows, betwee...