THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 193 



The fact is, that neither one nor other is the port, both be- 

 ing considerably farther to the northward. Nay, more, the 

 prefent town of CofTeir was no ancient port at all ; old Cof- 

 feir was five or fix miles to the northward. There can be 

 no fort of doubt, that it was the Portus Albus, or the White 

 Harbour ; for we find the fteep defcent from Terfowey, and 

 the marble mountains, called, to this day, the Accaba, 

 which, in Arabic, fignifies a fteep afcent or defcent, is pla- 

 ced here by Ptolemy with the fame name, though in Greek 

 that name has no Signification. Again, Ptolemy places *Aias 

 A Ions, or the mountain Aias, juft over CofTeir, and this moun- 

 tain, by the fame name, is found there at this day. And, 

 upon this mountain, and the one next it, (both over the 

 port) are two very remarkable chalky cliffs ; which, being 

 confpicuous and feen far at fea, have given the name of the 

 White Port, which CofTeir bore in all antiquity. 



I found, by many meridian altitudes of the fun, taken 

 at the cafcle, that CofTeir is in lat. 26 y ; 51" north ; and, hy 

 three obfervations of Jupiter's fatellites, I found its longi- 

 tude to be 34 4/ 15" eafl of the meridian of Greenwich. 



The caTavan from Syene arrived at this time,, efcorted by- 

 four hundred Ababde, all upon camels, each armed with two- 

 fhort javelins. The manner of their riding was very whim- 

 fical ; they had two frnall faddles on each camel, and fat 

 back to back, which might be, in their practice; convenient 

 enough ; but I am fure, that, if they had been to fight with* 

 us, every ball would have killed two of them, what their ad— 

 vantage would have been, I know not?. 



Vol. I. B b The 



*-Etolei». Geograpb. lib. 4. p. 103. 



