THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 193 



The fact is, that neither one nor other is the port, both, be- 

 ing confiderably farther to the northward. Nay, more, the 

 prefent town of Cofleir was no ancient port at all ; old Cof- 

 feir was five or fix miles to the northward. There can be 

 no fort of doubt, that it was the Portus Albus, or the White 

 Harbour ; for we find the fteep defcent from Terfowey, and 

 the marble mountains, called, to this day, the Accaba, 

 which, in Arabic, fignifies a fteep afcent or defcent, is pla- 

 ced here by Ptolemy with the fame name, though in Greek 

 that name has no fignification. Again, Ptolemy places *Aias 

 Mons, or the mountain Aias, juft over Cofleir, and this moun- 

 tain, by the fame name, is found there at this day. And, 

 upon this mountain, and the one next it, (both over the 

 port) are two very remarkable chalky cliffs ; which, being 

 confpicuous and feen far at fea, have given the name of the 

 White Port, which Cofleir bore in all antiquity. 



I found, by many meridian altitudes of the fun, taken 

 at the caftle, that CofTeir is in lat. 26 f 51" north ; and, by 

 three obfervations of Jupiter's fatellites, I found its longi- 

 tude to be 34 4/ 15" ea ft °f tne meridian of Greenwich. 



The caravan from Syene arrived at this time, efcorted by 

 four hundred Ababde, all upon camels, each armed with two 

 fhort javelins. The manner of their riding was very whim- 

 fical ; they had two fmall faddles on each camel, and fat 

 back to back, which might be, in their practice, convenient 

 enough ; but I am fure, that, if they had been to fight with 

 us, every ball would have killed two of them, what their ad- 

 vantage would have been, I know not. 



Vol. I. B b The 



Ptokm. Geograph. lib. 4. p. 103, 



