And on the Trojan Plain. 177 
The plain is about four miles broad in its 
widest part, but narrows towards the sea, 
where it is confined between the Sigean and 
Rheetean promontories to a breadth little ex- 
ceeding two miles. It is at present about 74 
miles long, but the shore, since the time of 
Homer, has gained considerably on the sea, 
and the bay between the two promontories 
has been filled up, or converted into a marsh, 
by the addition of alluvial matter from the 
Mender and Thymbrec. (15) 
The Scamander. 
THE river, formed by the junction of the 
Menderand Bournabashi, has universally been 
considered as the Scamander of Homer. 
But to which of these two streams before 
their junction, this title properly belongs, is 
a point which has been much disputed; for 
whilst the most ancient and most recent writers 
believe the Mender to be the Scamander, 
Chevalier and his followers, among whom 
rank Sir W. Gell and Mr. Morritt, maintain 
the Mender to be the Simois, and the Bour- 
nabashi the Scamander. 
This opinion is now so nearly exploded, it 
(15) See Rennell’s Observations, &c., page 69 to 75. 
Z 
