ioo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



gathered in the fame feafon ; a prodigious difproportion, if it 

 holds throughout. The wheat, however, was not much 

 more forward in Upper Egypt, than that lower down the 

 country, or farther northward. It was little more than 

 four inches high, and fown down to the very edge of the 

 water. 



The people here wifely purfuing agriculture, fo as to pro- 

 duce wheat in the greateft quantity, have dates only about 

 their houfes, and a few plantations of fugar cane near 

 their gardens. As foon as they have reaped their wheat, 

 they fow for another crop, before the fun has drained the 

 moiilure from the ground. Great plenty of excellent fi£h 

 is caught here at Achmim, particularly a large one called 

 the Binny, a figure of which I have given in the Appendix* 

 I have feen them about four feet long, and one foot and a 

 half broad. 



The people feemed to be very peaceable, and well dif- 

 pofed, but of little curiofity. They exprefled not the leafl 

 furprife at feeing my large quadrant and telefcopes mount- 

 ed. We paHed the night in our tent upon the river fide, 

 without any fort of moleltation, though the men are re- 

 proached with being very great thieves. But feeing, I fup- 

 pofe, by our lights, that we were awake, they were afraid. 



The women feldom marry after fixteen ; we faw feveral 

 with child, who they faid were not eleven years old. Yet 

 I did not obferve that the men were lefs in fize, lefs vigor- 

 ous and active in body, than in other places. This, one 

 would not imagine from the appearance thefe young wives 

 make. They are little better coloured than a corpfe, and 



look 



