Travels in Nortliern Africa and Western Asia. 145 



and composed of horizontal strata of shelly limestone, slaty clay, 

 and gypsum. The fossils which are observed in it are different 

 from those of the nutnmulitic limestones of the Pyramids and 

 Mokattam. There are found polyparia, echinodermata, bivalve 

 and univalve shells, but no nummulites. There is no Egyptian 

 jasper, and little sand, unless in crevices. The Nile is bordered, 

 from Siout or Lycopolis to Cairo, at least on its western banks, 

 by nummulitic limestone, which there forms the eastern slope 

 of the desert, and rises to the height of 50 or 150 feet above the 

 river. From Siout to Kineh, Dendera, and Esne or LatopoKs, 

 the same bank of the Nile presents only Jura limestone, without 

 fossils, and rising to the height of about 300 feet. It is well 

 known that these heights have the appearance of having once 

 formed an island between Farschiout, Dendera, and Luxor, at 

 a time when the waters of the Nile were higher. Opposite Den- 

 dera, on the other bank of the Nile, the same limestone forms 

 the heights of Birambar and Legeta, and fartlier on, there rise 

 mountains of breccia and greenstone, around Maksur-el-Benat 

 and Bir-Hamamat. To the east of Cairo, the nummulitic 

 limestone constitutes the heights of Mokattam ; and on the east- 

 ern bank of the Nile, red sandstone occurs near Cairo, not far 

 from the town, at Gebel-Achmar, in the mountain of Gebel- 

 Chesche on the'route to Suez ; and, before that city, the Jura 

 limestone predominates in the heights, around Emschsalis-el- 

 Bahhara, in the oase of Actahka, Touerik, and Wadi Amfuone. 

 The Gulf of Suez is bordered to the west, from Buko to the pro- 

 montory opposite the island of Jubal, by doloraitic limestone, 

 which forms prominences of 500 or 600 feet. Limestone exists 

 in Gebel Goaebe, Gebel Saferane, and Gebel Setie ; but be- 

 tween the two last groups, along the coast, rises behind, to a 

 height of 6000 or 8000 feet, the porphyritic group of Gebel 

 Ghareb. On the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez, there 

 arc mentioned as occurring near the sea only mountains of 

 limestone and marl, and tertiary deposits, excepting between 

 Scheratihb and Tor, where there is red sandstone again at 

 the foot of the porphyritic group of Sinai. The tertiary hills 

 rise to the height of from 300 to 500 feet. The red sandstone 

 forms the shores of the point of Ras Muhamed, in the peninsula 

 of Sinai. The same colour is given to the shore of Machmud 



APRIL JL^NE 1830. K 



