180 
eLAllKK’s TRAVELS. 
■iis v, ere then strangers, although it afterward became more fa- 
miliar^ Yet upon no future occasion did we ever behold this 
extraordinary illusion so marvellously displayed. The view 
of it afforded us ideas of the horrible despondency to which 
travellers must sometimes be exposed, who, iu traversing the 
interminable desert, destitute of water, and perishing with thirst, 
have sometimes this deceitful prospect before their eyes. 
Before we arrived at Rosetta, seeing a flag displayed upon 
the tower of Abu-mandiir, to the right of our route, we suppo¬ 
sed a part of our troops might be there stationed, and therefore 
climbed that mountain of sand, to visit them. Here we were 
unexpectedly greeted with an astonishing view of the Nile, the 
Delta, and the numerous groves in all the neighbourhood of Ro¬ 
setta: it is the same so wretchedly pictured in Sonnini’s tra¬ 
vels, and of which no idea can be formed from his engraved 
representation. The scene is beyond description. The, sud¬ 
den contrast it offers, opposed to the desert we had traversed, 
the display of riches and abundance poured ford) by the fer¬ 
tility of this African paradise, with all the local circumstances 
of reflection excited by an extensive prospect of the Nile, and 
of the plains of Egypt, render it one of the most interesting 
sights in the world. Among the distant objects, we beheld the 
English camp, stationed about five miles up the river, upon 
its western side; and all the country as far as the fortress of 
Rachmanie. Tire beautiful boats peculiar to the Nile, with 
their large wide-spreading sails, were passing up and down the 
river. Unable to quit the spot, we dismissed our guides, and 
remained some time contemplating the delightful picture. Af¬ 
terward, descending on foot, close by the superb mosque of 
Abu rnaiidur, we continued our walk along the banks of the 
Nile, through gardens richer than imagination can pourtray, 
beneath the shade of enormous overhanging branches of syca¬ 
more and fig trees, amidst bowers of roses, and through groves 
of date, citron, lime, and banana trees, to Rosetta. As we en¬ 
tered the town, Arabs, in long blue dresses, welcomed our com- 
derniers villages qui s’orfrent 3. votre vue, vous n’appercevez que la .terre : mais des 
que la surface du sol est suffisamment echauffee par la presence du soleil, et jusqid a 
ce que, vers le soir, elle commence a se refroidir, le terrain ne parait plus avoir le 
meme extension, et il parait termini a une lieue environ par une inondation generate. 
Les villages qui sont places au dela de cette distance paraissent comme des iles 
situees au milieu d’un grand Lac, et dont onserait separ6 par uue etendue d’eau plus 
ou moins considerable. Sous chacun des villages on voit son image renversee, telle 
ou’on la verrait eflectivement s’il y avait en avant une surface d’eau reftechissante.’* 
To this Monge adds, that the large masses only are distinctly reflected; but when 
the mirage is very perfect, the most minute detail, whether of trees or buildings, may 
be plainly perceived, trembling, as when the inverted images of objects appear i© 
water, the surface whereof is agitated by wind. 
