MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 433 
Vifited the coaft, either for the pur- 
pofe.of intercepting the traflic, or 
of plundering the property of the 
inhabitants ; and yet what tempta- 
tion could they prefent, unlefs flaves 
were a commodity? If fo, their 
perfons might be feized, provided 
there were any record of a market 
to point out where they were dif- 
pofed of; but the whole teftimony 
which can be colleéted, amounts. in 
m0 degree to a proof of a navigation 
like|that-of Nearchus from India to 
Perfia; and as this is the principal 
link in the: future chain of commu- 
nication with Europe, the merit of 
examining it feems wholly due to 
him as the original undertaker. I 
am not ignorant of a. much longer 
voyage in this very direction imput- 
ed to Scylax by Herodotus, from 
Pactya (the Pekeli of Renneli) in- 
to the Gulph of Arabia: but whe- 
ther this voyage was 'performed by 
the Perfians, or that other round the 
Cape of Good Hope by the Phe- 
nicians from Egypt, as recorded by 
him, is a point highly problematical 
in the opinion of every one who 
confiders the ftructure of ancient 
veffels, and their whole method of 
navigation. I believe the record of 
both, as preferved by Herodotus, to 
be evidence that the Perfians. or 
Egyptians knew, from communica- 
tion with the interior of the refpec- 
tive countries, that they were bound- 
ed by the ocean, and afforded the 
means of navigation; but that the 
voyages were actually performed 
requires more evidence, more par- 
ticulars, and a clearer detail of facts, 
-to enable us to form’ a judgment. 
Tlie bare affertion that the thing 
had been done, might lead Alexan- 
der to think it practicable; but the 
Perfian voyage produced no confe- 
ences whatever; and the Egyptian 
~ Vou. XXXIX. 
navigation led to nothing, unlefs we 
fuppofe the Portuguefe difcoverers 
influenced by the affertion, that a 
paflage round the Cape was practi- 
cable. 
Scylax ought to be a Greek by 
the place of his nativity, Caryanda, 
or at leaft am inhabitant of Atia Mi- 
nor; but we have no remains of his 
journal, and no other evidence of | 
his voyage but the report of Hero< 
dotus, which is very deficient in 
circumftances to confirm its, own 
authority ; and collateral evidence 
there is none. In regard to the 
circumnavigation of Africa, thers 
is one particular much infiited on 
by Larcher, Gefner, and other com- 
mentators; which is, the appear- 
ance of the fun to the north: a 
phenomenon dependent on every 
navigation within the tropics. The 
referve of Herodotus, in faying 
_that others may fuppofe this pro- 
bable, though he doubts it himfelf, 
is a caution worthy of fuch an hif- 
torian, and more. perfuafive than 
the boldeft afiertion. I muft, how- 
ever, notice a peculiarity in this paf- 
fage, which feems to have efcaped 
the fcrutiny of his commentators; 
for he informs usin another place, 
that| he went-up the Nile himfelf as 
far as Elephantine, in order to af- 
certain fome circumittances relative 
to the head of. that river, about 
which he thought himfelf impofed 
upon by a fecretary of the priefts at 
Sais. Now, is it not extraordinary 
that if he reached Elephantine he 
fhould not have vifited Syene, the 
very place at which he reprefents 
his doubts to exift ?—TIs it, not 
ftrange, that though he lived. prior 
to the conftruf:ion of the well at 
Syene, he fhould mention nothing 
of the fituation of Syene itfelf un- 
der the tropic? Had he been there 
Ee in, 
