THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 44* 



Kneated by Dr Halley, he was ftaggered upon confidering 

 that the whole diflance, which employed a vefTel in Solo- 

 mon's time for three years, was a thoufand leagues, Scarce- 

 ly more than the work of a month. He, therefore, fuppofes, 

 that the reafon of delay was owing to the imperfection of 

 the velTels, and goes into very ingenious calculations, rea- 

 sonings, and conclufions thereupon. He conjectures, there- 

 fore, that the fhips employed by Solomon were what he 

 calls junks* of the Red Sea, made of papyrus, and covered 

 with hides or leather. 



Pliny f had faid, that one of thefe junks of the Red Sea- 

 was twenty days on a voyage, which a Greek or Roman 

 vefTel would have performed in feven - r and Straboj had 

 faid the fame thing before him. 



This relative flownefs, or fwiftnefs, will not folve the dif- 

 ficulty. For, if thefe junks || were the vefTels employed to 

 Ophir, the long voyage, much more they would have been 

 employed on the fhort one, to and from India ; now they 

 performed this within a year, which was all a Roman or 

 Greek vefTel could do, therefore this was not the caufe. 

 Thofe employed by Solomon were Tyrian and Idumean vef- 

 fels, the belt fhips and failers of their age. Whoever has 

 feen the prodigious fwell, the violent currents, and flrong 

 fouth-wefters beyond the Straits of Babelmandeb, will not 

 need any argument to perfuade him, that no vefTel made of 

 papyrus, or leather, could live an hour upon that fea. The 



Vol. I. 3 K junks, , 



* Vide L'Efprit des Loix, liv. xxi. cap. 6. p. 476. f PliP- ] > b - vi - ca P- Z1 - X Strabo, lib. xvi 

 ; I know there are contrary opinions, and the junks {flight have been- various. - Yide-S-aIp.1-. - 



