<ro2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



the waves ran high as in the ocean. All the country, on 

 both fides of the Nile, to Girge, is but one continued grove 

 of palm-trees, in which are feveral villages a fmall diftance 

 from each other, Doulani, Confaed, Dcirout, and Berdis, on 

 the weft lide ; Welled Hallifi, and Beni Haled, on the eaft. 



The villages have all a very pieturefque appearance 

 among the trees, from the many pigeon-houfes that are on 

 •the tops of them. The mountains on the eaft begin to de- 

 part from the river, and thofe on the weft to approach near- 

 er it. It feems to me, that, loon, the greateft part of Egypt 

 on the eaft fide of the Nile, between Achmim and Cairo, will 

 be defert; not from the rifing of the ground by the mud, 

 as is fuppofed, but from the quantity of fand from the 

 mountains, which covers the mould or earth feveral feet 

 deep. This 24th of December, at night, we anchored be- 

 tween two villages, Beliani and Mobanniny. 



Next morning, the 25th, impatient to vifit the greateft, 

 and moft magnilicent fcene of ruins that are in Upper Egypt, 

 we fet out from Beliani, and, about ten o'clock in the fore- 

 noon, arrived at Dendera. Although we had heard that the 

 people of this place were the very worft in Egypt, we were 

 not very apprehenfive. We had two letters from the Bey, 

 to the two principal men there, commanding them, as they 

 would anfwer with their lives and fortunes, to have a fpe- 

 cial care that no mifchief befel us; and likewife a very 

 premng letter to Shekh Hamam at Furlhout, in whofe ter- 

 ritory we were. 



I pitched my tent by the river fide, juft above our bark, 

 and lent a menage to the two principal people, firft to the 



one, 



