5 2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



weft, till they end clofe on the banks of the Nile about 

 Turra. 



• 

 The Nile here is about a quarter of a mile broad ; and" 

 there cannot be the fmalleft doubt, in any perfon difpofed 

 to be convinced, that this is by very far *the narrowed part 

 of Egypt yet fcen. For it certainly wants of half-ar-mile be- 

 tween the foot of the mountain and the Libyan more, which 

 cannot be faid of any other part of Egypt we had yet come 

 to ; and it cannot be better defcribed than it is by f Hero- 

 dotus ; and " again, oppoftte to the Arabian fide, is another 

 " ftony mountain of Egypt towards Libya, covered with. 

 " fand, where are the Pyramids." 



As this, and many other circumftances to be repeated 

 in the fequel, muft naturally awaken the attention of the 

 traveller to look for the ancient city of Memphis here, I left 

 our boat at ShekhAtman,. accompanied by the Arabs, point- 

 ing nearly fouth. We entered a large and thick wood of 

 palm-trees, whofe greateft extenfion feemed, to be fouth by 

 caft. We continued in this courfe till we came to one, and 

 then to feveral large villages, all built amongthe plantation- 

 of date-trees, fo as fcarce to be feen. from the fhore. 



These villages are called Metrahenny, a word from the. 

 etymology of which I can derive no< information, and leav- 

 ing the river, we continued due weft to the plantation that 

 is called Mohannan, which, as far as I know, has no figni^ 

 fication either. 



All 



* Herod, lib. if.. p. 99. f Herod, lib. ii. cap. 8» 



