THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 699 
not any one of them what he conceives, nor is the Mikeas 
divided unequally. 
As for Mr Humes, who had lived long at Cairo, I would 
by no means be thought to infinuate.a-doubt of his veracity :, 
There may, in change of times, be occafions when Chriftians 
may be admitted to the Mikeas, and be allowed to meafure 
exactly. This, however, muft be with a long rod, divided 
and brought on purpofe, with a high ftool or fcaffold, and 
this fort of preparation would be attended with much dan- 
er if feen in the hand of a Chrifluan without, and much more 
if he was to attempt to apply it tothe column within. At Cai- 
roa Man may fee or hearany thing he defires, by the ordinary 
means of gold, which no Turk can withftand or refufe 3; but 
often one villain is paid for being your guide, and another 
villain, his brother, pays himfelf, by informing againit you; 
the end is mifchief to yourfelf, which, if you are a ftranger, 
generally involves alfo your friends. You are afked, What did 
‘you at the Mikeas when you know it is forbidden? and your 
filence after that queftion is an acknowledgement of guilt ; 
fentence immediately follows, whatever it may be, and execu- 
tion upon it. I rather am inclined to think, that though feve- 
ral Chriftians*have obtained admiflion to the Mikeas, very 
few have had the means or inftruments, and fewer {till the 
courage, to meafure this column exactly; which leads me to 
believe, as Dr Shaw fays, he procured the number of feet in a 
letter from Mr Humes, that the Doctor has miflaken «8 for 38, 
which, in a foreign hand, is very cafily done ; it would then 
be 38, inftead of 58 Englifh feet, and to that number it 
might approach near enough, and the difference be account 
ed for, from an aukward manner of meafuring with a trem- 
bling hand, there being then only a little more than one 
foot of error. | | 
AT 2 From 
