The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-05-15
LAKE MOERIS,
The Greatest Ancient work OF Engineer
Ing Skin.


Contemporary Review
The welfare OF Egypt depends on the
annual inundation of the Nile. A very
low inundation causes famine, a very
high one disastrous food, and it is not
seldom that the utmost level of the river
little exceeds that which portends fam
inc or falls little short OF the scarcely less
fatal food-height. There are, moreover,
many tracts in Egypt which the iuunda-
ton never reaches, unless the water is
raised by artificial means, and by such
means the inundated lands may again
be irrigated so as to produce a second
and third harvest. Thus the regulation
of the inundation, the construction of
canals and reservoirs, are the main
methods of benefting Egypt, naturally
an agricultural country. II was to
these objects thst the kings of the
Twelfth dynasty turned the force Of the
nation, Most Of all, Amenemhst III.
executed the greatest work OF ancien
engineering skill, the most useful one to
the country ever carried out in Egypt,
the lake Morris. About seventy miles,
measured on the course of the river, to
the south Of Cairo, the low edge of the
western desert opens and forms the en-
trance to an oasis; tertilized by the
waters of the Nile, which are conducted
into it by canal having many branches,
aud which finally empties itself into a
great island lake. As we now see this
oasis, the Feiyoom, we observe that
much of its soil is unwatered and IN
productive, though marked by the signs
of ancient plenty. This is because the
great hydraulic work of Amenemhat has
been allowed, since the Moslem rule of
Egypt, to fall into decay and ultimately
to disappear. 1t was only in the present
century that its remains were discovered,
and its true site fixed, by Mr.. Linsnt,
French engineer, 70 whose surveys we
also owe the excellent map of Egypt
published in Lepsius's Denkmaler."
The lake Meris lay in the southeast
of the Feiyoom. 1t is bounded on the
south and east by the natural elevated
edge of the oasis, on the other side by
great dikes which may still be traced.
Its shape was thus irregular, but some
idea may be formed of its size from the
fact that had it been square each side
would have measured about twelve
miles. Evidently the construction of
this vast work was aided by the natural
shape of the country, and it is possible
that it needed but little excavation yet
the construction IOf the dikes of the
strength necessary to keep vast body
from falling into the lower level to the
northwest must have been a work of
prodigious labor. The object of the
lake was to receive the waters of the
Nile, and convey them as it became
desirable over the country around. 1t
was also turned to good account IS a
fish preserve. NJ. Linant, the discoyerer
of the lake Meris, argued strongly in
favor of its restoration: This would in
volve the destruction of three or four
villages, and the loss of about &C, 900
feddass, or somewhat more than as many
acres, while it would Immediately render
cultiyable 100000 to 100000 tedddns, a
space equal to a quarter of the land in
Egypt now under cultivation. Yet
more, this vast reservoir would serve as
a valuable mesns Of drawing of the
watez8 of the excessive inundations and
emptying them into the lake of El-Karn
at tie northwestern extremity of the
FeivCom. It would thus modify the
dangerous effects of the highest inunda-
tons, and this much might, indeed, he
effected by existing canals and sluice,
which was used for this purpose after
the lake Morris had disappeared. The
simple work of restoration upon the
ancient lines has rot the snowy preten-
sions of other modern projects, but it
would far more benefit Egypt by pro-
duCiag results which would form a means
of measuring the fAr-sighted policy of
the old King AmeneBahat, who, we may
hope, is actually eoEmemOrated by bis
great work, the name MOeris being pos
Silly derived from his pI@nOmen.