110 DESCRIPTION OF EGYPT. 
them have often been subject to Egypt, their ter- 
ritories at an early period formed no part of 
its proper domain. An ancient quarrel between 
Egypt and Libya, concerning their boundaries, 
was referred to the decision of the oracle of Am- 
mon, which restricted the Egyptian territories to 
the region inundated by the Nile. The autho- 
rity of the oracle, however, has passed away, and 
as the Libyan tribes have dwindled into insigni- 
ficance, the name of Egypt may with propriety be 
extended to those sterile districts which on the 
east stretch along the Red Sea as high as the lati- 
tude of Syene, which extend towards Nubia on 
the south, and Cyrene on the west, and acknow- 
ledge a very precarious subjection to any power. 
Egypt lies between the 48th and 53d degrees 
of longitude, and the 24th and 33d degrees of 
north latitude. The bare and unsheltered sur- 
face of the country, and its small elevation above 
the level of the sea, combining with its exposure 
to the rays of a vertical sun, render it much 
warmer than many countries in the same lati- 
tude. The hot season continues from March to 
November ; and during this period, while the 
sun remains above the horizon, the atmosphere is 
inflamed, the sky is cloudless and sparkling, and 
the heat is rendered supportable only by the pro- 
fuse perspiration which it excites. In summer the 
medium heat at Cairo is from 90° to 9^°, and 
