OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERIPLUS. 259 
to a bad harbour, whence their land journey would also be ex- 
tended to treble the distance. 
The strange assertion of Monsieur GosseHn, that the author of 
the Periplus reckoned only eight hundred stadia, from Aduli to the 
straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, has been properly taken notice of by Dr. 
Vincent. It is indeed difficult to conjecture what could have given 
rise to the mistake ; a mistake, however, which became necessary, 
when his argument had carried Aduli to Assab, which is within 
fifty miles of the Straits. 
Dr. Vincent conceives that it was the difference of one hundred 
and twenty-one miles between the distances of seven thousand 
stadia or seven hundred miles, as given in the Periplus, and the 
real distance of five hundred and seventy-nine miles from Berenice 
to Aduli, that induced Monsieur Gosselin to carry the latter to 
Assab ; and he himself seems to feel a difficulty in reconciling them. 
It however appears to me, that this may be done by admitting that 
an Egyptian merchant used Egyptian stadia, and that he calculated 
the distances from the difference of latitude alone, without bring- 
ing to account the longitude, which was run down at the same time, 
as I think will appear by the following calculations. 
From Aduli to Ptolemais Theron is 3000 stadia ; 
From Ptolemais Theron to Berenice 4000 stadia ; 
which, at the Egyptian stadium of fifteen to a mile, will make the 
distance from Aduli to Ptolemais Theron two hundred miles ; from 
Ptolemais Theron to Berenice two hundred and sixty-six miles. 
If therefore Aduli be in IS^'Se', 
Ptolemais Theron will be 18° 56', 
And Berenice - 2,3° %2!. 
