124 THEORY OF THE EAKTH. 



which this latter author describes them, and to 

 reduce the gulf in question to the form of a lake, 

 of six leagues in length. It is more certain, that, 

 since that time, things have changed still more. 

 The sand thrown up by the sea and winds have 

 formed, between the island of Pharos and the site 

 of ancient Alexandria, a tongue of land two hun- 

 dred fathoms in breadth, upon which the modern 

 city has been built. It has blocked up the near- 

 est mouth of the Nile, and reduced the lake Ma- 

 reotis to almost nothing ; while, during the same 

 period, the alluvial matter carried down by the 

 Nile, has been deposited along the rest of the 

 shore, and has greatly increased its extent. 



The ancients were not ignorant of these 

 changes. Herodotus says, that the Egyptian 

 priests regarded their country as a gift of the 

 Nile. It is only in a manner, he adds, within a 

 short period, that the Delta has appeared *. 

 Aristotle observes, that Homer speaks of Thebes 

 as if it had been the only great city in Egypt ; 

 and nowhere makes mention of Memphis f . The 

 Canopian and Pelusian mouths of the Nile were 

 formerly the principal ones; and the coast ex- 

 tended in a straight line from the one to the 



* Herod. Euterpe, v. and xxv. 

 t Arist. Meteor, lib. i. cap. 14. 



