lots 



BBKGUE1 \. 



IIKNMIASSAN-EL-QAHYM. 



the surface of the plain contain* a large body of fresh water, Raid to 

 run far into the earth, ami in some place* 30 feet deep. This cave 

 widens out into a spacious chamber, the sides of which have evidently 

 been shaped by tho chisel, and it rises to a considerable height. This 

 body of water has been supposed to be the Lethon or Ladoii River of 

 the ancient writers. The lake at the back of the town may probably 

 be the Tritonis of Strabo, but tho island in it on which stood the 

 Temple of Venus has disappeared. The neighbourhood of Bengazi 

 still offers much for the research of the intelligent traveller. Bengarl 

 Castle lies in 82 7' K. lat, 20 3' E. long. 



(Beechey's Expedition into Africa ; Delia Cella's .Varro/ire ; Pacha's 

 Voyage dam la ilafmarir/ue, la Cyrenaiqite, tc.) 



BENGUELA, a district on the west coast of Africa, is bounded on 

 the north by Angola, from which it is divided by the river Coanza, in 

 9 20' 8. lat. Some accounts however carry it no farther north than 

 to the river Louga in 11 S. Int., and others no farther than to the 

 river Catunibela, which falls into the sea a little to the south of 12* 

 S. lat It is commonly considered as extending southward an far as 

 Cape Negro, in 15 40' S. lat, 11" 53' E. long. The district imme- 

 diately to the south of it is called Mataman. To the east the old 

 accounts place the province of Rimba and the country of the Jagga 

 Kassangi, from which it is separated by the river CuuenL Some 

 authorities however extend tho eastern limits of the southern portion 

 of Benguela across a range of lofty mountains farther in the interior. 



Benguela is stated to have been formerly one of the provinces of 

 the kingdom of Congo, but it had effected it independence before 

 the arrival of the Portuguese, towards the end of the 15th century. 

 Benguela was again reduced to the rank of a province, subject to the 

 Portuguese governor-general, who resides at St. Paul de Loando, the 

 capital of Angola. There is a resident sub-governor at San Felipe, the 

 capital of Benguela. 



Benguela was visited in 1589 by the English navigator Andrew 

 PUttel, whose curious relation is given in Purchas ; in 1667 by the 

 missionaries Angclo and Carli ; in 1682 by Father Merolla; and in 

 1688 by James Barbot In modern times the coast has been surveyed 

 by Captain W. F. W. Owen and Captain Vidal. 



The interior of the country is said to be very mountainous. On the 

 coast immediately to the south of the mouth of the Coonza is a con- 

 siderable promontory called Cape Ledo. About a degree farther to 

 the south is the native capital, now called Old Benguela. The modern 

 capital, called San Felipe, or St Philip de Benguela, tho latitude of 

 which, according to a map prefixed to Mr. Bowdich's ' Account of the 

 Discoveries of the Portuguese in the Interior of Angola and Mozam- 

 bique,' is nearly 12 10' S., stands at the bottom of a somewhat deep 

 bay, called Bahia das Vaccas, and also Bahia de Torre, or Tower Bay, 

 from a rock ahaped like a tower. According to Battel, this bay affords 

 good and secure anchorage. 



Benguela is situated in an open bay, formed to the south-west by a 

 projecting point of cliffs, above which is Mount Sombreiro, known to 

 the English by the name of St Philip's Cap, on account of its peculiar 

 firm. The trade of the town has somewhat declined of late years. 

 The buildings in the town of Benguela are constructed of half- 

 baked bricks, with mud for cement, the whole coated by a thick 

 plaster of shell lime. When a house falls down it is not rebuilt, but 

 a new one is constructed. From this cause there are many ruins of 

 old houses in the town. The streets are straight and of considerable 

 breadth. The site of the town is a marsh, full of stagnant pools, and 

 very unhealthy : the population is about 3000, most of whom are 

 free blacks or slaves. The valley which stretches eastward from the 

 town is tortile. A large species of bullock is abundant in the district 

 There are also numerous goats. The wild animals include many lions, 

 tiger*, and bytonas, with some elephants ; and in a small river near 

 the town are hippopotami and alligators. 



The rivers that fall into the sea between the Coanxa and Cape 

 Negro, are the following, in the order in which they occur from north 

 to south : the Longa (immediately above Old Benguela), the Cuvo, 

 the Qunra (at the mouth of wh.. h. on tin- left bank, stands Fort 

 Novo Kedondo), the Quicombo, the Kgito, the Inhondanha, the 

 Cat umbels, the Maribombo (of which a southern branch is called the 

 Bandeoo), at San Felipe de Bengnela, the Copororo (into which the 

 Quianheoua falls from the south), the Rio dos Morte*, into wlii.-h the 

 Cobal falls from the south-east, and a large river, to which no name 

 is given, at Cape Negro. There are several other rivers which do not 

 reach the sea, but terminate in lakes a short distance inland. 

 Between the riven Copororo and don Mortes the savage tribes of the 

 ndos, the Mooorocas, and the Mneoanhocas are said to have their 



rendeoca ; and to the east of these is the territory of the Quilengue*. 

 To the south of the Rio dos Mortes are the wandering tribes of tho 

 CobaM, to the east of whom, divided from them by the Rio Cobal, i* 

 the territory of Donjau. To the south of Cape Negro are the 

 Miicuambundos, with the country called Hila, or Auyla, to the east 

 of them. 



The climate of Bengnela is described in tho old accounts as very 

 unhealthy for Europeans, but Mr. Bowdich states that according to 

 an unpublished memoir of M. de Soucas, who was governor-general 

 of Angola till 17HO, the interior of Benguola ia preferable to that of 

 Angola for salubrity r well as for commerce. The native* are repre 

 1 as cowardly in their disposition, and barbarous and brutal in 



their habits and manner of life. The Portuguese made une of 

 Benguela as a place of banishment for malefactors. In the interior 

 are several Urge forests ; lakes both of salt and of fresh water occur. 

 There are mines of silver; gold, copper, xulphur, and petroleum are 

 found. There are also mines of rock-salt The natural productions 

 are similar to those of the neighbouring countries. [A >xoo.] 



Turtle* are obtained on the sea-coast. 



I'.KNl HASSAN KI.-iJADYM, ,., -old Bcni-Hassan, a large village 

 of Egypt, near the east bank of the Nile, i '>'. Int., and 



30 55' E. long. It is called ' Old ' to distinguish it from auotlu r 

 village, a little to the south of it and nearer to the Nile, which appears 

 o have been founded about a century since, when the Mindu encroached 

 upon the ground around the village. The place is of no importance 

 jut as marking the site of the catacombs in the IKI;. . which 



arc among the finest and most interesting in Egypt The most 

 important of the.se catacombs ore in a mountain a little to the north 

 of Beni-Hassan-el-Qadym ; and near them, in what was once the bed 

 of a steep torrent, is a large natural cave. The mountain is con 

 of calcareous stone ig mmimulitcs, mil the ohnin to which 



it belongs is from 200 to 300 feet in height; but in front of 'I. 

 principal chain there U a lower one formed by the debris of the 

 shells, and sand. In this mountain are the excavations, about thirty 

 in number, all at the some height in li. tlnir 



entrances on the same platform. According to ) 

 grottoes must have been the cemeteries of the priuci).;il families of 

 Hermopolis, which town was directly opposite to them mi in- 

 side of the river. There are still remain* of stone roads, which lead from 

 the river's side in straight lines to the entrance of the principal gr. 



Many of the grottoes are of considerable extent, consisting of one, 

 two, or three apartment* each ; the largest of the apartment* i* about 

 60 feet in length by 40 feet in breadth. In front of the principal 

 vations ore small porticoes of four or more columns; other columns 

 which support the roof, that is, have been left there in the oxcavnt 

 the rock, are from 12 to 18 feet in height, but never more than 3 feet 

 in diameter at the base. They appear to represent four larg< 

 branches tied together near tho small ends, and set upright on the. 

 thicker cud*, with traces of other baud* at equal distances :> 1 

 way up. This contrivance, which is still actually employed by tho 

 natives in the construction of rcc.l-hut ,-, upjxurs to have HUggested 

 the first idea of this kind of column, which ia in such fivqn. n: 

 various ports of Egypt, as the column with what in called tin- ln>ll- 

 capital i* evidently in imitation of the trunk of the palm-tree with 

 its spreading branches. The columns are usually coveivd with 

 painted or sculptured hieroglyphics. Tl :ike the col 



Lave been covered with paintings, some of which are in perfect preser- 

 vation, and the colours as vivid a* if iccently applied, while others 

 have been much defaced. The interior of one of the principal 

 grottoes has been entirely covered with a thin coat of hard and 

 durable plaster, painted so oa to resemble variegated marble. Tho 

 pointings mostly represent scenes of familiar life, and afford . 

 interesting view of the habits and occupations of t ' 

 Egyptians. They display the processes which wore followed in tho 

 culture of corn, hemp, and flax, and in tho mamitV and 



ropes; they give views of boats navigating the Ni'.-. with scenes of 

 fishing, hunting, dancing, wrestling, sham-fighting, c. Some < 

 fishing scenes are very curious : besides the common mode of iisliin.- 

 with the drag-net, a superior personage U in some of them represented 

 as throwing his spear at the fish in the stream. Several hippopotami 

 are seen walking at the bottom of the riv T, or with th. ir heads above 

 w.iter ; while servants are paddling on their floats of rushes among 

 the sedges and reed* to drive these animal* away, in whieh they are 

 assisted by water-dogs. The fish arc delineated with great minutenex*. 



Among the most interesting of the representation* is a scene of 

 antelope hunting, where the animals are pursued by hunter* i 

 with spears, and leading greyhounds in leashes, a scene j., 

 similar to that which may still be witnessed among the Arab* in t !. 

 neighbouring deserts. Dancing is frequently repre 

 with men and women together, but generally separate. Tl. 

 ment* and attitude* of the men are in general very elegant. '!'!,. 

 dances of the women arc miieh more extraordinary ; their attitude* 

 being strained and unnatural. In tho gyinin-" , the 



amazing variety of postures and the expressive mann.-r in whieh they 

 are drawn, are oqu .- of the Egypt : 



this sort of amusement, and to the ingenuity of the artist 1: 

 of the grottoes there are no less than. 180 single combat* repre 

 each perfectly distinct from any other, and all executed with oipi:il 

 spirit. One curious scene cxliiliitna mail in the act of l.ein.: punished 

 with the bastinado; he lies ou his belly, and one man holds his legs 

 and another his arms, while a third inflict* the punishment : the .illuir 

 is altogether such as may now be seen every day at Cairo. The natives 

 as usual assign tho origin of these, work* to the genii. Although 

 these grottoes may in later times have been occupied by recluses, it 

 is evident that they worn in the first instance designed as cati. 

 for the remains of mummies have been found, even in the 

 chamber of the principal grotto, and all have in one or other of th. 

 apartments mummy-pits, or perpendicular gi 



holes have been perforated in the walls to serve a* ring-bolts for tin- 

 convenience of letting down the bodies. 



