— 24 — 
The Blue Nile was at its lowest in April when it was discharging 
120 cubic metres per second. During its maximum in August and 
September it was discharging 8,200 cubic metres per second. Of the 
discharge of the Blue Nile in July, August and September, a consider- 
able part flowed up the White Nile which here has a slope of to oVoo an d 
a bed from 3,000 to 1,500 metres wide. It is for these reasons that 
the Blue Nile water does not hurry on to Assuan in its full strength. 
The mean discharge of the Blue Nile for the year was 2,350 cubic 
metres per second. Gauges and discharge tables at Eamlin on the 
Blue Nile, and north of Omdurman on the Main Nile, would be very 
much better than the Khartoum or Duem gauges of to-day which are 
both in back waters. 
The Atbara river was dry from January to May, in June the 
discharge was 200 cubic metres per second, rising to 2,300 cubic metres 
per second in August. In October, November and December it w r as 
dry. The mean discharge for the year was 380 cubic metres per 
second. When the Atbara river rises in flood it cannot flow down the 
Nile to Egypt in its strength until it has filled up the trough of the 
Nile as far as the 6th Cataract. Gauges up and down stream of the 
6th Cataract and at Shendy would be interesting when compared 
with Berber. 
The minimum combined discharges of the White Nile, Blue Nile 
and Atbara river were 540 cubic metres per second in April. The 
maximum combined discharges of 10,900 cubic metres per second were 
in August. The mean combined discharges for the year were 3,560 
cubic metres per second. 
The minimum discharge of the main Nile above Assuan was 440 
cubic metres per second in May and the maximum of 8,600 cubic 
metres per second was in September. The mean discharge for the year 
was 2,650 cubic metres per second. 
Table 25 gives the actual daily minimum and maximum discharges 
during 1902 and 1903 for each stream, with their dates. For the Blue 
Nile in 1903 they were 100 and 9,600 cubic metres per second ; for 
the White Nile 380 and 1,470 ; for the Atbara 0 and 3,100 ; and for 
the Nile above Assuan 420 and 9,000 cubic metres per second. 
Table 26 compares the discharges for a maximum year like 1878, a 
minimum year like 1877, and a mean year, at Khartoum, Assu&n and 
Cairo. The maximum discharges in 1877 were 5,300, 5,900 and 4,400 
cubic metres per second, at Khartoum, Assuan and Cairo. In 1878 
