398 
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE. 
stations (or days’ journey), equal to two hundred and fifty Koman 
miles. From Barka to Alexandria — twenty-one stations, or five 
hundred and fifty M. P. From the promontory of Khanem (Cape 
Mesurata) to Barka — four hundred and eighty M. P. The interme- 
diate places between Barca and Alexandria, and between Mesurata 
and Barka, are, at the same time, mentioned in detail ; but as few 
of them correspond with the existing names of places in the same 
routes we have no means of checking the numbers as they occur, or 
of reckoning the distance of any known places in its neighbour- 
hood from the city of Barca described. If the distances, also, 
be taken in the aggregate, they will be found too considerable 
to fix the site of the city with any sufficient precision. Were the 
places of Aurar and Alhsal clearly decided upon we should 
have more available data; and particularly if distances had been 
given by Edrisi between Teuchira and Barca, and between Ptolemeta 
and the last-mentioned city. The other Arab accounts, which we 
allude to, of Barca, are as follows : — 
In the work of Azizi, as cited by Abulfeda, we are told that “ there 
are two mountains belonging to Barca, in which there is a great pro- 
portion of excellent soil, numerous springs of fresh water, and many 
tracts of cultivated land.” Provisions are mentioned as being at all 
times very cheap there, and the inhabitants exported wine, and pitch, 
extracted from the pine, to Egypt ; together with a great many head 
of cattle of a small breed. 
This refers to the district or territory of Barca ; and the city of 
that name is described by the author just quoted as “ situated in an 
