THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 349 



black ftones ; and I could no where obferve there were above 

 three fathom water, when it was full fea. The pilot in- 

 deed faid there were feven, or twelve at the mouth ; but fo 

 violent a tide ruflied in through the entrance, that no veffel 

 could efcape being driven upon the rocks, therefore I made 

 no draught of it. 



Dobelew is a village three miles fouth-weft of the har- 

 bour. It confifts of about eighty houfes, built of Hone 

 drawn from the fea ; thefe calcine like fhells, and make good 

 enough morter, as well as materials for building before 

 burning. All the houfes are covered with bent-grafs, like 

 thofe of Arabia. The 17th, I got my large quadrant a-lhore, 

 and obferved the fun in the meridian in that village, and 

 determined the lat.-ef its fouth-weft extremity, to be 1 j° 42- 2 z" 

 north; 



Irwee is a village flill fmallcr than Dobelew, about four 

 miles diftant. From this obfervation, compared with our 

 account, we computed the fouthern cape of Dahalac, called 

 Ras Sbouke, to be in lat. 15 27' 30" ; and Ras Antalou, or the 

 north cape, to be in lat. 15 54' 50'' north. 



The whole length of the ifland, whofe direction is from 

 north-weft to fouth-eaft, is thirty-feven miles, and its great- 

 eft breadth eighteen, which did within a very little agree 

 with the account the inhabitants gave us, who made its 

 length indeed fomething more. 



Dahalac is by far the largeft ifland in the Red Sea, as 

 none, that we had hitherto feen, exceeded five miles in 

 length, It is low and even, the foil fixed gravel and white 



land.- 



