304 Reply to Mr. Bankes's Remarks. 



animal, and to the usual description of its form added, that the 

 horn was moveable at the creature's pleasure; a circumstance 

 which, from the position of it, seems impossible. 



Linant still seems to cast a wistful eye on the White River, upon 

 which he had a great desire to have proceeded. A strange story 

 was told him by the Jellabs, and persons who had come from above, 

 that there is a place, where, after becoming immensely broad, this 

 Bahr el Abiad turns and flows to the westward, which is only 

 possible [?] by supposing a great lake, out of which two similar 

 streams proceed, one running westwards, and one falling into the 

 Nile. The Blue river, the Nile of Bruce (and, in justice to Bruce, 

 we must add of the people of the country), is so nearly dry at one 

 season, that Linant himself crossed it when there were but a very 

 few inches of water in the channel, the Bahr el Abiad having then 

 a full and strong current. * * * 



W. J. B. 



Remarks on the Inscription at Merge, in reply to Mr. Bankes. 



26th Nov. 

 My dear. Sir, 



I can only make out with confidence : IN MVLTOS. 

 ANNOS . FELICITER . VENIT . E . VRBE . MENSE . APR. 

 DIE . XVO.; then, perhaps, SEX . VIRIS . ADIVTVS. The 

 beginning is probably irrecoverable, but it may have been something 

 like C . ANT . HEMINA . COMITVM . AGRIPPINAE. I think 

 there was a Cassius Hemina (Pliny, iii. 30), but whether it was that 

 name or Apollinaris, or any other like it or unlike it, I will not 

 pretend to determine : but it would be glorious for your conjecture 

 if we could establish its being an attendant ofAggrippinafor many 

 years . . . with six assistants. I cannot make out any thing like TH 

 in the month, and I doubt \i Athor or Athyr could ever have been 

 contracted into ATR. Instead of Agrippina, or Agripina, perhaps 

 the word was AVRIFODINAE ; and, possibly, even AFRICA- 

 NAE : but it would be difficult to fill up the blanks on this suppo- 

 sition. What is become of your Homer ? 



Believe me, always, 



Very truly yours, T. Y. 



