THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 209 



afterwards into Europe, and were called the Oriental, till 

 they were confounded with the * Peruvian, by the quantity 

 of that kind brought into the Eaft Indies, by the Jews and 

 Moors, after the difcovery of the new Continent. 



But what invincibly proves, that the ancients and we are 

 not agreed as to the fame ftone, is, that .f Theophraflus 

 fays, that in the Egyptian commentaries he faw mention 

 made of an emerald four cubits, (fix feet long,) which was 

 fent as a prefent to one of their kings ; and in one of the 

 temples of Jupiter in Egypt he faw an obelifk 60 feet high, 

 made of four emeralds : and Roderick of Toledo informs 

 us, that, when the Saracens took that city, Tarik, their 

 chief, had a table of an emerald 365 cubits, or 547! feet 

 long. The Moorifh hiftories of the invafion of Spain are 

 full of fuch emeralds. 



Having fatisfied my curiofity as to thefe mountains, 

 without having feen a living creature, I returned to my boat, 

 where I found all well, and an excellent dinner of nfh pre- 

 pared. Thefe were of three kinds, called Biffer, Surrum- 

 bac, and Nhoude el Benaat. The firft of thefe feems to be 

 of the Oyfter-kind, but the Ihells are both equally curved 

 and hollow, and open with a hinge on the fide like a muf- 

 fel. It has a large beard, like an oyfter, which is not eata- 

 ble, but which fhould be flript off. We found fome of thefe 

 two feet long, but the largefl I believe ever feen compofes 

 the baptifnial font in the church of Notre Dame in Paris J. 

 The fecond is the Concha Veneris, with large projecting 



Vol. L D d points 



Tavernier vol. II. Voyag. f Theophraflus Il£giA<0«v, | Clamps, 



