286 Mr Maclaren’s Account of the Ancient Canal 
its existing vestiges. Herodotus says it required four days for a 
vessel to sail through it. The actual length being about 92 miles, 
this supposes a day’s sail to be about 28 miles, which is very 
consistent with modern experience. It may be fairly assumed 
that the vessels were towed, except in the Bitter Lakes, where 
sails were probably employed. Herodotus says the canal was 
broad enough to admit two triremes sailing abreast ; Pliny esti- 
mates its breadth at 100 feet, and Strabo at 100 cubits, or 150 
feet. All three may be correct, because the breadth must have 
varied with the nature of the ground, and, as the vestiges still 
show, did actually vary from 100 to 200 feet or upwards. With 
regard to the depth, Strabo says it was sufficient to afford water 
for the myriophoroi , or ships of the largest size. Pliny speaks 
more precisely, and mentions 80 feet. In fact, as the natural 
bottom of the canal in the Wadi Tomylat would be for many 
miles 2 or 8 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, and as 
the walls must have been high enough to receive and confine the 
floods of the river, which in this valley are computed to rise to 28 
feet above that level, it is obvious that one portion of the canal 
during the height of the inundation had in all probability the 
full depth which Pliny assigns to it. Between the Bitter Lakes 
and the Gulf the depth would be much less. 
About the year 644 of the Christian era, the canal was re- 
established by the Caliph Omar, upon a greatly improved plan. 
Instead of being connected with the Nile at Bubastis, it was 
carried south to Cairo, by a branch called the 46 Canal of the 
Prince of the Faithful,’'’ but afterwards the 44 Canal of Cairo.” 
(See the Map). The water being thus taken from the river at 
a point where it had at least six feet of greater elevation than at 
Bubastis, the navigation would of course be kept open a much 
longer time. It is doubtful, however, whether this branch did 
not exist as far back as the time of the Ptolemies, at least for 
the purpose of irrigation. Parts of it still remain, and the French 
in their plan proposed to restore it. The navigation from the 
Nile to the Red Sea continued open under the Mahomedan 
princes for more than 120 years. It has now remained shut 
above 1000 years, though the project of re-establishing the canal 
has been repeatedly entertained by the Turkish government. 
Had the French retained possession of Egypt, there is little 
doubt that they would have effected what the Turks have never 
