6 7 6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



defert, between Gooz and Syene, we faw huge pillars of this 

 light fand ; their bafe in the earth, and heads in the clouds, 

 crofling the wide expanfe in various directions, and, upon 

 its becoming calm in the evening, falling to pieces, and bu- 

 rying themfelves in the Nile, with whofe ftreaui they mix- 

 ed like an impalpable powder, and were hurried down the 

 river, to compofe the many fandy iflands we fee in the 

 courfe of it. 



It feems to be an eftablimed fact, that water of every fort,, 

 frefh and fait, that of rivers, and what is ftagnant, has from 

 early times fenfibly diminifhed through the whole world ; 

 if then the land of Egypt has been continually rifing every 

 year, while the quantity of water that was to cover it has 

 become lefs, or at leafl not increafed, dearth in thefe latter 

 years mil ft have been frequent in Egypt, for want of the 

 Nile's rifing to a proper height; but this is fo far from being 

 the cafe, that, in thefe laft 34 years*, there has not been one 

 feafon of fcarcity from the lownefs of the Nile, although the 

 rife having been too great, and the waters too abundant, have 

 thrice in that time occafioned famine by carrying away the 

 millet.. 



If the land of Egypt increafed (as Herodotus fays) one 

 foot in 100 years, this addition muft have appeared in the 

 moft ancient public monuments : now, the very bafe of all 

 the obelifks in Upper Egypt, are bare and viable, and even 

 the paved plane, laid vifibly on purpofe to receive the Gno- 

 monical lhade, is not covered, nor fcarcely out of its level, 



and 



* Several Arabian MSS. atteft this. 



