ihrough 'Egypt and Syria. 243 



wt)aW be neceflary to return, as the people of the town were 

 in purfuit of them, and would not permit them to go and 

 difinter the trcafures of ArafchiL They neverthelefs conti- 

 nued their journey for two days, and at the end of that time 

 arrived at the place dcfcribcd to them. It was not far from 

 the plain of Gegabib. Mr. BroWn here found an ifland in 

 the middle of a fmall lake of fait water, which contained 

 mif-fhapen rocks in abundance, but nothing that he could 

 pofitively decide to be ruins; nor was it very likely that any 

 fuch fliould be found there, the fpot being entirely dellitute 

 of trees and frefli \vatci'. Mr. Brown, however, had the cu- 

 riofity to approach nearer to thefe imaginary ruins, and ac- 

 cordingly forced his horfe into the lake. The horfe, from 

 fatigue and weaknefs, or original inability to fwim, fooii 

 foimd himfelf entangled, and could not keep his head above 

 water. Mr. Brown fell with him, and was unable to de- 

 tach himfelf; and when he at length found himfelf on dry 

 ground, the circumftances he was under prevented him from 

 making any farther obfervation on this ifland and lake. 



After vifiting this place, Mr. Brown and his attendants 

 continued their journey fouth according to the agreement 

 made with the guides, but found the purfuit equally fruitlefs. 

 At the end of the third day, having arrived in lat. 38' 40', 

 or nearly fo, they became much diftrefled for water : they 

 remained a whole night in fufpenfe concerning their deftiny, 

 when at length a fupply of that neceflary refrefliment was 

 found. As they did not, however, difcover any thing that 

 bore the leaft rcfeniblancc to the objeft of their fearch, they 

 were obligi^d to think of returning, which they did ; and, 

 falling into the flraight road from vSiwa to Alexandria, ar- 

 rived at the latter on the 2d of April 1792 *. 



Mr. Brown, after remaining fume time at Alexandria, to 



* Mr. Brown fays, tint nn opinion h;is btcn rommunicatcd to him,thnt 

 Siwa is the Siiol>!im of Ptolemy, ami that the building dcfcribcd was pro- 

 bably coeval with the temple of Jupiter Amnion, and a dependency on it. 

 D'Aiuilk fuppofis Siwa to be Min-otis. 



K 2, recover 



