TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI. 
151 
phical miles, would bring us within two miles of Jiraif, and fourteen 
beyond Mahad Hassan ; while the number of days allotted by 
Edrisi, for the journey in question from Tripoly to Sort, which is 
eleven, would give a distance (on the computation of Major Eennell) 
of two hundred geographic miles only; and this would bring us 
within six miles of Mahad Hassan, that is, six miles to the westward 
of that place. These measurements, considered with reference to 
the places enumerated, would induce us to place the city of Sort 
either at Mahad Hassan, or at Zalfran, or perhaps in the neigh- 
bourhood of Jedeed ; for it is at these places that the greatest 
assemblage of ruins may be observed. 
To the westward of Mahad Hassan is the marsh, and at Jiraff 
there are nothing but sand-hills. Between Jedeed and Shuaisha * 
there are a good many scattered ground-plans, apparently of slightly- 
built dwelling-houses (which seem to be those pointed out by 
Signor Della Celia as the remains of the Charax of Strabo,) and 
many insulated forts, and other scattered remains of building, may 
be observed on the road from Jedeed to Medinet Sultan. 
It appears, on the authority of Leo Africanus, that there was 
nothing more remaining, in his time, of the city of Sort (or, as he 
writes it, Sert,) than a few inconsiderable vestiges of the walls f ; 
and, if this statement is to be taken literally, it will scarcely be 
* In this neighbourhood we must look for the Macomades Syrtis of the Itinerary. 
•f Serte (says Leo) e una citta antica, edificata, come alcuni vogliono, da gli Egitti, 
e secondo altri dai Romani , benche siano alcuni da oppinione che ella fosse edificata da 
gli Africani. Come si fu, hoi'a c rovinata, e credesi che la distrussero i Mahumettani ; 
ancor che Ibuu Rachik, historico, dice dai Romani ; ne altro in lei si vede fuori che 
qualche picciolo vestigio delle mura. — (L. Afr. in Ram., 5'“ parte.) 
