406 An Account of Mr. Brotun's Travels 



After paffing three days at Feium Mr. Brown proceeded 

 towards the lake, of which he wiflied to make the circuit. 

 It is the Moeris of Strabo and Ptolemy ; and the tcftimony 

 of the latter living in Egypt feems unqueftionable. How- 

 ever this may be, the lake now called Birket-el-kerun, pro- 

 bably from its extremities bearing fome refemblance to 

 horns, {hews no mark, as fome fuppofe, of being the pro- 

 du6tion of human art. The length, Mr. Brown fays, may 

 probably be between thiny and forty miles; the breadth, at 

 the wideft part he could gain, was 5000 toifes, as taken with 

 a fextant ; that is, nearly fix miles. The utmoft poffible 

 extent of the circuit muft of courfe be thirty leagues. Se- 

 veral fifhermen, in miferable boats, are conftantly employed 

 on the lake. The water is brackifh, like moft bodies of 

 water under the fame circumftances. 



From Feium Mr. Brown travelled fouth-eaft, and at Ha- 

 wara faw two fmall pyramids of unburnt brick. Returning 

 to Bedis he pafled, the day following, the pyramids of Da- 

 fliur; five of which appear fucceffively, befides thofe of Sa- 

 karra. The third, after thofe of Hawara, is that of Mcdun^ 

 which has been very elegant. It is compofed of large pieces 

 of the ufual i'oft frec-ftone, joined together with a little ce- 

 ment, and has been hewn off to a ftraight furface. It would 

 be extremely difficult to afcend to the top, which is now veiy 

 broad; but it is probable that there was another fquare com- 

 pleting its fummit, which has been removed. The fourth 

 is the moft foutherly of the four pyramids of Dafliiir, where 

 there are two large and two fmall. It is in the form of a 

 cone terminating in an obtufe triangle, and is now much 

 damaged. At Sakarra a great number exift, among whichf 

 ten are of a large fize *. 



* Speaking of the pyrjimids of Jiz^, well known to 3II whohsve vifitcd 

 Egypt, Mr. Brown fajs; " An abfurd opinion has recently been Tated, 

 that the pyramids are hewn out of the rock 011 which they ftand ; but the 

 firft ocular infpeftioii would fet afide this, the joinings of the ftones being 

 every-where m. rktd with cement." This is a flat contradiftion ci" what 

 has been aflerted by Bruce, 



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