THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 8j 



Immediately behind this narrow ftripe, the white moun- 

 tains appear again, fquare and flat on the top like tables. 

 They feem to be laid upon the furface of the earth, not in- 

 ferted into it, for the feveral ftrata that are divided lye as 

 level as it is poflible to place them with a rule ; they are of 

 no coniiderable height. 



We next pafled Bourn, a village on the weft-fide of the 

 Nile, two miles fouth of Shenuiah ; and, a little further, 

 JBeni Ali, where we fee for a minute the mountains on the 

 right or weft-fide of the Nile, running in a line nearly fouth, 

 and very high. About five miles from Bouih is the village 

 of Maniareifli on the eaft-fide of the river, and here the 

 mountains on that fide end. 



Boush is about two miles and a quarter from the river. 

 Beni Ali is a large village, and its neighbour, Zeytoom, ftill 

 larger, both on the weftern ITiore. I fuppofe this laft was part 

 of the Heracleotic nome, where * Strabo fays the olive-tree 

 grew, and no where elfe in Egypt, but we faw no appear- 

 ance of the great works once faid to have been in that nome. 

 A little farther fouth is Baiad, where was an engagement 

 between HufTein Bey, and Ali Bey then in exile, in which the 

 former was defeated, and the latter reftored to the govern- 

 ment of Cairo. 



From Maniareiih to Beni Suef is two miles and a half, 

 and oppolite to this the mountains appear again of coniider- 

 able height, about twelve miles diftant. Although Beni Suef 



L 2 is 



* Strabo, lib.xvii. p. 936. 



