‘EG YET. 
water the province of Fayyuin, the river was obliged to 
be taken higher up, and the canal Jufef was dug, which 
doubtlefs bears the name of the caliph who ordered this 
noble work: but at the fame time, fearing that Fayyum 
would remain permanently inundated, this prince raifed, 
from time to time, new dykes upon the old, fucli as we 
now fee, and dug the two canals of Boueke and Zaoyeh, 
to return the fuperfluity of the flood back into the river. 
“ When the French enjoy quiet pofleflion of the coun¬ 
try, (continues Denon,) we (hall probably make obferva- 
tions on all the different levels, and on the labours of the 
Egyptians at different periods; we may thus afcertain 
facts, inftead of forming conjectures, and (hew how much 
the Egyptians have at all times attended to the diftribu- 
tion of the waters, and how, even in times of barbarifm, 
they have preferved fome of their ancient fagacity. After 
this, if the Nile (ltould dill continue to lean to the right, 
and to increafe, as it has already done, the branch of Da- 
mietta at the expence of that of Rofetta ; if it at lead 
fhould abandon the hitter, as it has fucceftively left the 
channels of the dry river and thC branch of Canopus; if 
it fhould leave the lake of Berelos and empty iti'elf en¬ 
tirely into that of Menzaleh, or form new branches and 
new lakes at the eaftern part of Pelufium ; in fine, if na¬ 
ture, always more powerful in the .end than the refinance 
of man, has condemned the Delta to become an arid foil, 
the inhabitants will (fill follow the Nile in its courfe, 
and will always find on its banks that abundance which 
is produced by its beneficent waters.” 
The Delta is a ground which lias been rarely explored 
by any European, and, indeed, but imperfeClly by any 
other perfons, the inhabitants excepted ; even the mama- 
lukes tiiemfelves have feldom penetrated to the center of 
the Delta, in collecting the tributes, and regulating the 
avanies or fines. Denon, and his fellow favans, pafled 
through it for the purpofe of inveftigation. From its 
uncommon fertility, it is covered with an immenfity of 
villages, which have communication by a number of ca¬ 
nals. The principal town is Mnnfura ; but here are no 
ruins which can give the femblance of vaft antiquity to the 
foil. Bathen-d-Baccara , or the Cow’s Belly, the fouth point 
of the triangle of the Delta, where the French propofed 
to erect the new metropolis, is one of the mod beautiful 
fituations in Egypt. Belbeis is fituated without the 
Delta, under the Mokattam mountain. 
The ancient Egyptians fpeak of the encroachment of 
the funds and foil, under the fymbol of the myfte- 
rious entrance of Typhon into the bed of his lifter-in- 
law Ids; an inceft which, according to their tradition, 
is to change Egypt into a delert as frightful as thole 
by which it is encompalfed ; and this great event is to 
-happen when the Nile finds a lower level, through fome 
one of the furrounding valleys, than the bed in which 
■it now flows, and which is conftantly getting higher. 
This idea, which at firft appears extraordinary, may be 
thought more probable, when we conlider the local fitua- 
tion. The elevation of the Nile, and the rife of its banks, 
have made of it an artificial canal, which would Liy this 
time have put Fayyum under water, if the caliph Jufef, 
as above noticed, had not raifed new dykes upon the old 
ones, and dug a collateral canal below Benefeuf, to re- 
ftore to the river a part of the water which is every year 
poured by the overflowing into this vaft bafon. If it 
were not for the caufeways which flop the inundation, 
the great fwells would foon convert this whole province 
into a large lake, which adlually threatened to happen 
about twenty-five years ago by an extraordinary inunda¬ 
tion, in which the river had rifen over the banks of Hilaon, 
and it was much feared either that 'the province would re¬ 
main under water, or that the dream would refume the 
■«ld and dry channel, which it was evident it had occu¬ 
pied in remote ages. 
All the blefiings of Egypt appear to have been con¬ 
ftantly derived from the waters of the Nile ;—well, there¬ 
fore, might the indefatigable Bruce have volunteered his 
fervices to detefl its four.ee. Without this river, Egypt, 
furrounded on every fide with natural obftacles, fepa- 
rated on the eaft from Syria by moving funds, fkirted on 
the fouth and weft by immenfe tracts of deferts, and 
where it fcarcely ever rains, would be as uninhabitable as 
the dreary wattes of Lybia. It is navigable for boats ot 
confid.erable burden as far as the cataradts, and is a very 
convenient mode of communication fro 111,0ne extremity 
of the country to the other. The prevailing winds ge¬ 
nerally f?rve to fail up ; and in coming down, the cur¬ 
rent is of the greateft advantage, efpecially during the 
overflowing, when a large germe or bark will go down 
from Cairo to Rofetta, a diftatice of one hundre'd and 
fixty miles, in lefs than forty hours, without fail or oar 
to aflift its way. This noble river is therefore the great, 
and indeed the only, fource of wealth to the country ; 
and is the moft pleafant and expeditious manner of tra- 
veiling, 1 “particularly when.it is confidered, that there are 
no inns in the country, except a few miferable caravan- 
feras, difgufting to an European, where they nnift deep 
upon dirty carpets, covered with vermin, lying promif- 
cuoufty among Turks, Arabs, &c. Only that part of 
the country, which the Nile overflows, is inhabited ; as' 
is clearly perceptible by the (pace of cultivation on each 
border, and by the numerous villages built only along its 
banks. 
The annual rifing and falling of this river, and their 
caufes, have been for ages confidered as a myftery, and 
as one of the greateft Wonders of Egypt. Many fubtle 
reafons have been invented to account for this phenome¬ 
non; but it is now univerfally acknowledged to be en¬ 
tirely owing to the heavy rains which fall in Ethiopia, 
the extenfive elevated country above. With refpedl: to 
the time of its,increafe, it firft commences in May, yet 
no publi'c notice is taken of it till the latter end of June, 
when it has ufually rifen to the height of nine or twelve 
feet. The public criers then begin to proclaim it through 
all the Egyptian cities, and continue to publifh its daily 
augmentation till it rifes to the height of twenty-four 
feet, when the dam of the great canal at Boulac is opened 
with the utmoft folemnity, and the day is devoted to 
feaftings, fire-works, and other demonftrations of public 
rejoicing, by all the people of Cairo, and its feveral 
fauxbourgs. That the people might have an accurate 
knowledge of the daily progrefs of the water, and of the 
very hour when its increafe has attained the height of 
twenty-four feet, the public udometer was ereCted at the 
fouth extremity of. the ifie of Rlioda. If the river wants 
but one inch of this height, the Egyptians will not cut 
the dam, becaufe in that cafe no tribute is due to the 
Turkifh emperor for the lands which fhould have been 
watered, but which then will fcarcely maintain the cul¬ 
tivators. And upon this account the pacha is folely re- 
fponfible for the confequ'ence, if he cuts his dam before 
the water rifes to the proper mark. The udometer con- 
fifts of a large fquare refervoir, into which the water of 
the river enters at pleafure, and is encompaffed with a 
hand fome gallery. In the midft of the bafon is an octa¬ 
gonal pillar of white marble, divided into twenty-two 
equal parts, the firft of which is-l’ubdivided into twenty- 
four inches, and the others are all marked to the top of 
the column. This ndometer or mekkias was repaired 
by the French ; and over the entrance to the gallery is 
placed the following infeription in French, with an Ara¬ 
bic tranflation, and another in Perfian underneath it.— 
“ In the year 9 of the French republic, and of the > he- 
gira 1215, thirty months after the conqueft of Egypt by 
Bonaparte, Menou, commander in chief, repaired the 
mekkias. The Nile, when at the lowed, was at the 
height of three cubits ten digits of the meafure of the 
pillar, the 10th day after the folflice, in the year 8. On 
the 16th day after the fame folflice, it began to rife at 
Cairo : on the 107th day after the folftice it was two cu¬ 
bits three digits above the (haft of the pillar : and on the 
115th day after the folftice it began to decreafe.” 
