The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-16
DISCOVERIES IN EGYPT.
Examining Portion of the Route of tn,
IsraeIites of the Exodus.

Examining Portion of the Route of the
IsraeIites of the Exodus.
At the midsummer meeting of the Vic
terra Institute in London, England, Major
General Tulloch, C.B., C.M.G., gave an
account of that part of Egypt in which he
lately carried out British War Office sur
vey with view to the defense of the Suez
canal in disturbed times. The land sur
veyed included that portion of Egypt
through which the route of the exodus was
said to have lain. In describing the pres
ent state of the land he pointed out that
the conformation of the country had some
what altered since that period, 3400 years
ago, but what especially came under his
notice was the action of a gale of wind
which had stopped all his survey work on
the borders of Lake Menzahleh; in few
hours the east wind actually carried the
waters of the lake beyond the horizon,
leaving all sailing vessels resting on the
bed of the lake. So unique an event was
not recorded by any modern traveller,
though in his paper on the Route of the
Exodus" read before the Victorja Insti-
tute four years ago, M. Naville had pointed
out that it was not an impossibility, for
history had recorded that the wind had in
the past century produced such phenom-
enon at the Geneva emo of the lake of that
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and it was pointed out that, wherever the
passage of the Israelites took place, yet the
possibility of water being influenced by
wind to so great an extent was demon
strated, says an exchange.
AS regards the exact spot at which the
crossing took place General Tulloch, as a
military man, enumerated the various
various investigations, and all these sup
ported the opinion of DR.. Naville had given
in his address published in the twenty
sixth volume of the Institutes Transac-
tons. In speaking of that portion of the
canal between the Bitter Lakes and Suez
General Tulloch pointed out that the old
bed of the Red Sea was only found to be
filled in by deep sand. Referring to the
battle of Tel-el-Kebir he saidsthat he ex-
pected that digging there would reveal the
old city of Memphis, that the land of
Goshen extended thence in northeast di-
rection, for he found the sand covering to a
depth of twelve and fourteen feet the most
beautiful soil for cultivation, once proba-
bly, titled by the Israelites. An interesting
discussion was commenced by DR.. Lowry
and Canon Glrdlestone and continued by
others. The chairman pointed out that
General Tulloch's opinion that the Red
Sea at one time extended into the Medi-
terranean was confirmed by the geological
survey he had made. After the discussion
Captain Petrie, the honorable secretary,
read two interesting communications in
regard to the intercourse of nations in
early times. showing that there was not
only evidence of the existence of land
trade 5000 years ago from India westward,
but also of trade by sea between the ports
of India and Ceylon and Alexandria, by
way of the Red Sea. During the meeting
vase with an archaic Chinese inscription
was exhibited. 1t had been found with a
mummy in a tomb discovered by DR..
Reichardt. an archaeologist long resident
in Egypt, and three archaeological friends.