THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 8j 



Immediately behind this narrow ftripe, the white moun- 

 tains appear again, fquare and flat on the top like tables. 

 They feem to be laid upon the furface of the earth, not in- 

 ferted into it, for the feveral ftrata that are divided lye as 

 level as it is poflible to place them with a rule ; they are of 

 no confiderable height. 



We next paflcd Boufh, a village on the weft-fide of the 

 Nile, two miles fouth of Shenuiah ; and, a little further, 

 Beni Ali, where we fee for a minute the mountains on the 

 right or weft-fide of the Nile, running in a line nearly fouth, 

 and very high. About five miles from Boufh is the village 

 of Maniareifh on the eafl-fide of the river, and here the 

 mountains on that fide end. 



Boush is about two miles and a quarter from the river. 

 Eeni Ali is a large village, and its neighbour, Zeytoom, ftill 

 larger, both on the weftem fhore. I fuppofe this lafl was part 

 of the Heraclcotic nome, where * Strabo fays the olive-tree 

 grew, and no where elfe in Egypt, but we faw no appear- 

 ance of the great works once faid to have been in that nome. 

 A little farther fouth is Baiad, where was an engagement 

 between Huflein Bey, and Ali Bey then in exile, in which the 

 former was defeated, and the latter reflored to the govern- 

 ment of Cairo. 



From Maniareifh to Beni Suef is two miles and a half, 

 and oppofite to this the mountains appear again of confider- 

 able height, about twelve miles diflant. Although Beni Suef 



L 2 is 



Strabo, lib. xvii. p. g$6. 



