MALTA AND SICILY. 
219 
smaller, and of a flatter form. The marks 
are also more regular and distinct. 
We crossed the harbour to procure some 
of the reed, called the papyrus, which the 
ancient Egyptians used as a substitute for 
paper. On the other side we entered a 
narrow muddy river, and ascended it for a 
mile or two, not without some difficulty, 
from the strength of the current, and the 
banks were so overgrown with tall canes, 
that it was impossible to tow the boat from 
the shore. We found abundance of the 
papyrus growing in large patches close to 
the river. The stems of this most beautiful 
plant are eight or ten feet in height, and more 
than two inches in thickness at the root, 
tapering gradually, without knot or blemish, 
to the top, where an infinite number of fine 
branches, or filaments, spring out from a 
centre, forming a globular head two or three 
