Ijl- HISTORY OF 



The Nile takes its rise in the kingdom of Gojam,' from a sinai! 

 aperture on the top of a mountain, which, though not abuvu a 

 foot and a half over, yet was unfathomable. Tliis fountain, 

 when ai'rived at the foot of the mountain, expands into a river; 

 and being joined by others, forms a lake thirty leagues long, and 

 Es many broad ; from this, its channel, in some measure, winds 

 Dack to the country where it first began ; Irom thence, precipi- 

 tating by frightful cataracts, it travels through a variety of desert 

 regions, equally formidable, such as Amhara, Olaca, Damot, 

 and^ Xnoa. Upon its arrival in the kingdom of Upper Egypt, 

 it runs through a rocky channel, which some late travellers have 

 mistaken for its cataracts. In the beginning of its course, it 

 receives many lesser rivers into it j and Pliny was mistaken in. 

 saying that it received none. In the beginning also of its course 

 St has many windings ; but, for above three hundred leagues 

 from the sea, it runs in a direct line. Its aimual overilowings 

 arise from a very obvious cause, which is almost universal with 

 the great rivers that take their source near the line. The rainy 

 Reason, which is periodical in those climates, floods the rivers ; 

 and as this always happens in our summer, so the Nile is at that 

 time overflown, p'rom these inundations, the inhabitants of 

 Egypt derive happiness and plenty; and, when the river does 

 /lot arise to its accustomed heights, they prepare for an indiffer- 

 ent harvest. It begins to overflow about the seventeenth of 

 June ; it generally continues to augment for forty days, and de- 

 creases in about as many moi'e. The time of increase and de- 

 crease, however, is much more inconsiderable now than it was 

 among the ancients. Herodotus informs us, that it was an hun- 

 dred days rising, and as many falling; which shows that the in- 



liad the better claim to bf regarded as the head o' main branch of the Egyp- 

 tian river was long disputed. The name of the Nile indicates its relation tu 

 the Blue River rather than to the other stream. M. Calliaud, a Frencli 

 traveller, »vho accompanied a predatory excursion of the pasha of Egypt's two 

 sous into Nubia, states iliat two cou-idirable rivers, the Tournat and tha 

 Jabousse flow from Abyssinia into the lilue River, — the latter at the distance 

 of two days and a half southward of Fazoale,— a circumstance Aviiich rendeis 

 it impossible that the Azreek should have its rise in Abyssinia. But, wher«. 

 ever the most distant sources of the Nile are actually situated, it appears to 

 be chiefly fed by the rivers of Ahysainia, and to these its inundations arJ' 

 cliiefly owing. We may regard therefore the Abyssinian Nile, or the Blui 

 ttiver, as the head-streani of the river of Egypt. 



1 Kircher, iMiirid. Subt. vol. ii. p. 72. 



