TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 105 



veries. The author argued that Lake Kura does not represent the equatorial ^Yaters 

 discovered by Burton, Speke, and Eaker, hut the lakes or marshes in about 9° 

 north latitude, at the junction of the Bahr el Ghazal with the Bnhr el Abyad, known 

 as Lakes No, Nu, or Berlcet el Ghazal. Ancient geographers placed much too far south 

 all the lakes connected with the iS'ile of which they had heard, their error being 

 caused by an incorrect computation of itineraries or estimate of distances. Lake 

 Kura, or No, was described by the author in 1840, in his paper on " The Nile and 

 its Tributaries," printed in the ' Journal of the Boyal Geographical Society,' vol. 

 xvii. p. 67. It is also laid do-mi in the map of the basin of the Nile (1859) accom- 

 panying his work, ' The Sources of the Nile,' published in 1860. 



On the PossihiVdy of Turning tlie Waters of the Nile into the Bed Sea. 

 Bij Cii.iELES T. Beke, Ph.D., F.S.A., F.B.G.8. 



It too often happens that a tradition which is founded on fact is so misimder- 

 stood and misrepresented by commentators, as to assume a character totally at 

 variance with the truth, and thus eventually to be regarded as a mere fable. The 

 separation of the original history from the commentary would at once prove its 

 fabulous character to have been derived from the latter ; but in many cases so in- 

 timately have the two become incorporated that it is difficult, if not impossible, to 

 distinguish rightly between them. 



The author referred to his work ' Origines Biblicse ' as showing how extensively 

 an erroneous construction was put on points of Biblical geography and history by 

 early_ translators and commentators ; and he now adduced a remarkable instance of 

 the like process with respect to the tradition that the rulers of Ethiopia possessed, 

 and had at times exercised, the power to prevent the waters of the Nile from flowing 

 down into Egypt and fertilizing its lands. 



The Egyptian historian, George Elmacin, in the l-Sth century, records that the 

 Nile having failed in the time of Michael, Patriarch of Alexandria (a.T). 1092-95), he 

 was sent byMustansir Billah, Khalif of Egyi^t, on a mission to the King of Habesh, 

 who at his instance caused the dam that had been constructed to be removed, so 

 that in one night the Nile rose three cubits, and the fields of Egypt were in conse- 

 quence watered and sown. 



In confirmation of this is the statement of the Emperor John Cantacuzene, in the 

 15th century. And further, in the beginning of the following centm-y, Albu- 

 querque, "\lceroy of India, applied to Emanuel, King of Portugal, for labom-ers to 

 be sent from the Island of Madeira, who were practised in digging canals, in order 

 thatthey might turn the course of the Nile towards the Eed Sea. That in the 

 opinion of the native Abessinians they always possessed the power to do so, is 

 evidenced by the representations made'to the learned Job Ludolf in the 17th cen- 

 tury by his Abessiniau friend, Abba Gregorius. 



AH these authorities point to the low countries lying to the north of Abessinia 

 as the general position of the scene of operations.' In opposition to them is the 

 circumstantial statement of the traveller Bruce, tliat about the year 1200, Lalibala, 

 King of Abessinia, intersected and carried into the Indian Ocean two large rivers, 

 which have ever since flowed that way, and that, had he lived, he would have 

 carried a level to Lake Zuwai, in the south of Shoa, where many rivers empty 

 themselves. Dr. Beke adduced conclusive proofs of the enth'e gi-oundlessness of 

 this statement ; which, however, is made so circumstantially and authoritatively as 

 to have caused the two secondary ideas of King Lalibala and Lake Zuwai to be 

 blended with the primary one, so that subsequent travellers and writers have treated 

 the subjectas if they were integral portions of the original tradition. 



Considering the tradition in its original form, unincumbered by any notions re- 

 specting King Lalibala and Lake Zuwai, Dr. Beke pointed out that the dominions 

 of the early sovereigns of Ethiopia extended in a northerly direction, probably as 

 far as 18° N. lat., where they bordered on the territories of the Sultans of Egypt ; 

 and he showed that it was to the ruler of this low and level country that the patriarch 

 Michael was sent. 



The river flowing through the dominions of this sovereign was neither the main 

 stream of the Nile nor yet its principal iibesshoiau branch/the Astapus, Blue Hiver, 



