EGYPT. 



SITUATION AND EXTENT, 



Miles. Degrees. Sq. Miles. 



Length 560 £ hptvceen 524 and 32 North latitude.' 

 Breadth 2 



60). , <J24 and 32 North latitude. / , _ _ _ 



50$ between 129 and 34 East longitude. $ 140 ' 700 * 



Boundaries... .It is bounded by the Mediterranean sea on the north ; 

 by the Red sea, east ; by Abyssinia, or the Upper Ethiopia on the 

 south ; and by the desert of Barca, and the unknown parts of Africa 

 on the west. 



-) Grand Cairo, E. Ion. 32. 

 /Bulac. [N.lat. 30. 



Divisions. Subdivisions. Chief Towns. 



Northern division contains< Lower Egypt. >Alexandria. 



I Rosetta, or Rashid. 

 {_ J Damietta. 



Southern division contains < Upper Egypt. > r- oss - re 



The part of Lower Egypt between the branches of the Nile and the 

 Mediterranean, was anciently called the Delta, from the resemblance 

 of its triangular shape to the Greek letter of that name. It is now 

 called by the Arabs Bahira and Rif. 



Mountains, deserts, oases.. ..Egypt, to the south of Cairo, is a 

 narrow valley through which the Nile flows, and shut in by mountains,^ 

 beyond which, on both sides, but especially on the west, are vast sandy 

 deserts. In some parts of these deserts, at the distance of one hundred 

 miles or more to the west of the Nile, are small fertile spots of culti- 

 vated land, situated like islands in the midst of an ocean of sand ; they 

 are called Oases, the name by which they were known to the ancient 

 Greeks, and by the Arabs Elwah. Those with which we are now ac- 

 quainted are in number three ; the Great Oases, in lat. 26 deg. 30 min. 

 N. the Lesser Oases, about 40 miles to the north of the former, and 

 the Oases Siwah, in lat. 29 deg. 12 min. N. long. 44 deg. 54 min. E. 

 The Great Oases is said to be twenty-five leagues in length, and four 

 or five in breadth. That of Siwah was visited by Mr. Browne in 

 1792 : it is about six miles long, and four and a half or five wide. A 

 large proportion of this space is filled with date ti-ees ; but there are 

 also pomegranates, figs, olives, apricots, and plantains, and the gardens 

 are remarkably flourishing. A considerable quantity of rice is culti- 

 vated here. This has been supposed to be the Oases where the fa- 

 mous temple of Jupiter Ammon anciently stood. Mr. Browne found 

 here the ruins of an edifice which appeared to be the work of the an- 

 cient Egyptians, as the figures of Isis and Anubis were conspicuous 

 among the sculptures. Here are also catecombs, or ancient places of 

 sepulture. This Oases has since been visited by Mr. Horneman, who 

 travelled under the patronage of the African society. .He observed 

 the ruins which had been discovered by Mr. Browne ; and from a 

 comparison of the observations of both these travellers with the ac- 

 counts of ancient authors, major Rennell seems to entertain no doubt 

 that this is the true situation of that celebrated temple. 



