THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 9* 



CHAP. V, 



Woyage to Upper Egypt continued — AJhmounein, Ruins there — Gazva Kl~ 

 beer Ruins — Mr Nor den mijiaken — Achmim — Convent of Catholics 

 — Dendera — Magnificent Ruins — Adventure with a Saint there. 



THE Rais's curiofity made him attempt to prevail with 

 me to land at Reremont, three miles and a half off, juft 

 a-headof us ; this I underflood was a Coptic Chriflian town* 

 and many of Shekh Abade's people were Chriftians alfo. I 

 thought them too near to have any thing to do with either 

 of them. At Reremont there are a great number of Perfian 

 wheels, to draw the water for the fugar canes, which be- 

 long to Chriftians. The water thus brought up from the 

 river runs down to the plantations, below or behind the 

 town, after being emptied on the banks above ; a proof that 

 here the defcent from the mountains is not an optic fallacy, 

 as Dr Shaw fays. 



We paned Afhmounein, probably the ancient Latopolis, a 

 large town, which gives the name to the province, where 

 there are magnificent ruins of Egyptian architecture ; and 

 after that we came to Melawe, larger, better built, and bet- 

 ter inhabited than Afhmounein, the refidence of the Ca- 

 cheff. Mahomet Aga was there at that time with troops 

 from Cairo, he had taken Miniet, and, by the friendHiip 



M 2 of 



