AFRICA. : i2i 
the foil, but even the grafs and the pebbles- 
This uncommon phenomenon ftruck me too 
much not "to be obferved with attention, and 
it brought to my mind certain accounts which 
I had formerly read, and gave rife to reflec- 
tions, the refult of which appeared to me in- 
terefting. 
According to the'learned traveller HalTelquift, 
there is no country in the world, if we ex- 
cept Poland, that contains in Its bofom fuch 
" a large quantity of common fait as Egypt, 
" The bottom of the foil is fcarcely compofed 
" of any thing elfe than mountains of it . • • If 
*' pits be dug at certain diftances, they yield a 
" reddifh fait, mixed with calcareous earth, 
^' called by the Egyptians of the prefent day 
*^ natron . , . They confider wells of frefli water 
as a miracle . . . Without the affiftance of the 
" Nile, Egypt would be uninhabitable ; as, 
" from the fame caufe, is a part of Eaftern. 
" Arabia . . . Even the blackeft foil contains 
" abundance of faline particles ; as is proved, 
*^ every morning before fun-rife, by the quan- 
" tity of white fait with which the furface of 
it is covered, almoft in the fame manner as 
one fees in Sweden, in the end of autumn, 
the 
