18 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



As we had no fear of him or his party, we neither court- 

 ed nor avoided them. We palTed near enough, however, to 

 give them the ufual falute, Salam Alkum; to which the 

 leader of the troop gave no anfwcr, but faid to one of his 

 fervants, as in contempt, Bcdowe! they are peafants, or coun- 

 try Arabs. I was much better pleafed with this token that 

 we had deceived them, than if they had returned the falute 

 twenty times. 



Some inconfiderable ruins are at Aboukcer, and fecm to 

 denote, that it was the former lltuation of an ancient city. 

 There is here alfo an inlet of the fea ; and the diftance, fome- 

 thing lefs than four leagues from Alexandria, warrants us 

 to fay that it is Canopus,. one of die moil ancient cities in 

 the world ; its ruins, notwithftanding the neighbourhood 

 of the branch of the Nile, which goes by that name, have 

 not yet been covered by die increafe of the land of Egypt. 



At Medea, which we fuppofe, by its diftance of near 

 feven leagues, to be the ancient Heraclium, is the paflage or 

 ferry which terminates the fear of dar.ger from the Arabs 

 of Libya ; and it is here *fuppofed die Delta, or Egypt, be- 

 gins. 



Dr Shawj is obliged to confefs,. that between Alexandria 

 and the Canopic branch of the Nile, few or no veftiges are 

 feen of the increafe of the land by the inundation of the 

 river ; indeed it would have been a wonder if there had. 



Alexandria, 



* Herod, p. 108. flaw's Travels p. 293. 



