NILE, a large and celebrated river of Africa, which flows through Nubia and Egypt. A general account of this celebrated stream has already been given in the article Egypt, and more particularly of its course below Assouan, where it enters the long valley of Egypt; but important information having been obtained from recent travellers, especially regarding the upper courses of its two main forks, the Bahr-el-Abiad or White River, and the Bahr-el-Azrek or Blue River, it is necessary to give here some account of each of these branches.

The knowledge which the ancients possessed of the river Nile was much more perfect than that which they had acquired of the river Niger. Eratosthenes, the librarian of Alexandria, who flourished about 220 years before Christ, had a knowledge of the entire course of the river more correct than has been attained by moderns until a recent date;^[1. “Eratosthenes,” says Colonel Leake, “was well infoιmed on the course of the Nile above Egypt, and particularly as to the great south-western bend of Dongola, which was scarcely known to the moderns before the journey of Burckhardt into Nubia. It was from Eratosthenes that Strabo derived his information on the peninsula of Meroë, and it was probably from the same source that Artemidorus of Ephesus learnt that the city of Meroë was fifteen days distant from the sea. Eratosthenes described the island of Meroë as formed of two branches of the Nile, named Astaboras, now Atbara, and Astapus; but added, that the latter was sometimes called Astasobas, while the name Astapus was applied to another river rising in certain lakes to the south, meaning the White River. This agrees with Ptolemy, inasmuch as he clearly attaches the name Astapus to the Blue or Abyssinian Nile, and derives the Nilus, or proper Nile, that is to say, the White River, from lakes situated far to the south. On the other hand, Artemidorus, Strabo, and Pliny, followed those authorities alluded to by Eratosthenes, who gave the name Astapus to the White Nile, and that of Astasobas to the Blue River. The latter name may be accounted for by the discoveries of late travellers; from whom we learn, that on the right bank of the Bahr-el-Azrek, or Blue River, a little above the fork at Khartum, there are some ruins called Soba, apparently" of the same age as those of Meroë; whence it would seem that Astasobas meant the river of Soba, and that the Ast, which enters into the composition of this and the two other names of the rivers ο» Meroë, implies river, having probably been introduced into that country by the Egyptian Greeks from Macedonia, where we find its elements, doubtless with the same import, in the names Astraeus, Strymon, and perhaps also the modern Vistritza. Astapus, in fact, was the name of a Macedonian city (now called Istib), and not improbably of the river also upon which the town is situated. When the Blue Nile had generally assumed the appellation of Astasobas, that of Astapus may still have distinguished the united stream as far as the junction of the Astaboras, and may at length have become attached also to the White River above the fork, by a process which has often changed the names of rivers, especially when formed of two nearly equal branches. The Scamander of Troy is a remarkable instance. The Simoeis of Homer was the Scamander of the time of Strabo.” (Journal of the Geographical Society·) ] and if his remarks be compared with those of Artemidorus, Strabo, and Ptolemy, it will be found that little information was ever added to that of Eratosthenes, regarding either the Nile or its branches, which form the great peninsula of Meroë. Eratosthenes distinguishes three great branches of the Nile; the first or most easterly being the Atbara or Tacazze; the second the Astapus or Bahr-el-Azrek; and the third the Nile proper, to which the two former are tributaries, namely, the Bahr-el-Abiad. He places lakes at the head of the Blue and white Rivers, and in so doing is followed by Ptolemy, who assigns an enormous extension southwards to the Blue River. In considering the White River the real Nile, he agrees with Herodotus, inasmuch as the historian states that the Nile came from the westward, and that the Automoli were at a distance above Meroë equal to that of Meroë above Elephantine; thus placing the Automoli on the White Nile, in the country now inhabited by the Denka. Under the Ptolemies the Gréeks exploded the vulgar error which prevailed in the time of Herodotus, of supposing that the rivers of Western Africa flowed to the Nile. The opinion that lakes were situated at the sources of the two main branches of this great river having been found correct with regard to the Blue Nile, there is some reason for presuming that the Nile proper may have a similar origin; “and if,” as Colonel Leake says, “we suppose Ptolemy tohave placed the two lakes of the Nilus, or White River, twelve degrees to the south of their real position, as he is proved to have placed the Lake Coloe at the source of his Astapus, or the Abyssinian branch, it will follow that the lakes of the White River are about the latitude of five degrees north.” This, of course, is merely conjectural; nor is it very philosophical to determine the latitude in which a river rises on the ground of a presumed error.

Our information regarding this great and unsolved problem of African geography, viz. the source of the Bahr-el-Abiad, is derived from three modern authorities, Browne, Linant, and Ibrahim Kashef, who headed a party sent out by the viceroy of Egypt in order to capture slaves in the distant regions of Soudan. Browne, it is well known, penetrated some degrees to the south of Darfur; and his inquiries went to prove that the sources of the river were situated about latitude seven degrees norta and longitude twenty-seven degrees east, not in lakes, but in many streams flowing from the Gibel-el-Kumri, or Mountains of the Moon. It may be remarked, that this is precisely the name given by Ptolemy to the mountains at the source of the Nile; and Denham also found it attached to a part of the same great range farther to the westward. Linant, who travelled for the African Association in 1827, surveyed the course of the White Nile from the confluence of the Blue River to Aleis, a direct distance of 132 geographical miles. But the most recent information is that of Ibrahim Kashef, who set out from Khartum, at the fork of the two great branches. This expedition, divided into two parties, marched for thirty-five days along both banks of the river. On the twelfth day they reached the first island of the Shilluks, traversed the territory of that people for fifteen days, and on the twenty-ninth day entered that of the Denka, from which they returned at the end of six days. The river was then shallow, and fall of islands, six hours in breadth, and there were no mountains to be seen. “The latter part of the march,” says Colonel Leake, “appears, from the description of Ibrahim, to have been in a direction nearly west; so that if the first island of the Shilluks, which they reached on the twelfth day, was not far from Aleis, as Linant’s journal gives reason to believe, the extreme point obtained by them was about twenty-nine degrees east longitude, and ten degrees north latitude. The result of the last expedition agrees with that of Browne’s, inasmuch as it gives an easterly course to that part of the river which lies to the south of Darfur, and as it makes the sources of the river to fall to the south-westward of that kingdom, not farther northward than seven degrees north. It supports the opinion also that Browne’s Donga is no other than the country of the Denka; that both the sources and mountains are more distant than Browne’s information supposed; and still leaves the possibility, therefore, that Ptolemy was right in describing the river as originating in lakes. In fact, the enormous breadth attributed to the river by the Turkish slaving party, although it may be an exaggeration, and is certainly not to be reckoned by the usual allowance of the itinerary hour, leaves little doubt that the river, at the extreme point of their journey, was much broader than at its junction with the Blue Nile; and indicates, therefore, that its conformation is of an extraordinary' kind, its origin being perhaps in a lake or lakes, which may be supplied [7:16:226]by streams flowing from a distant range of mountains. The existence of lakes having a communication with the river only in time of high water is rendered highly probable by a passage in the journal of M. Linant, which states, that at the time of the inundation of the White River, an incredible quantity of fish is brought down towards Khartum by the current."^[2. Journal of the Geographical Society, vol. ii. p. 26. ] This is all the knowledge we possess regarding the source of the Nile proper, which, in spite of Bruce, still remains the same problem as it has ever been. Regarding the Egyptian expedition, Colonel Leake observes, “As a want of success alone caused the return of the Turkish slaving party, the natives constantly eluding their pursuit, it seems evident, that if geographical discovery, instead of man-stealing, had been their object, they might have explored the river much farther; and that it might consequently be in the power of the viceroy of Egypt to arrive at the mysterious sources, or to escort an European mission thither, if a motive sufficiently powerful should ever prompt him to assist in the attempt. In the mean time, a route by water, in the direction of the sources of the White Nile, is now afforded from the westward by means of the newly-discovered branch of the Quorra, called Shary, or Shadda, or Tshadda, which, being one mile and a half at its junction with the Quorra, is probably navigable for a great distance above the confluence.”^[3. Ibid. ] There are great doubts, however, of the river Shary ever aiding in the discovery of the sources of the Nile, inasmuch as it probably has its origin in Lake Tshad, which is situated at least ten degrees west-north-west from the reputed sources of this great stream. Nor are our hopes that the problem will speedily be resolved at all raised by the Egyptian expedition; for the proceedings of the viceroy in hunting for slaves on the banks of the river has so exasperated the natives against the whites, that they will allow no opportunity of making reprisals upon them to escape. Such at least is the opinion of Mr Hoskins. “The source of the Nile could only,” he thinks, “be discovered by an armed force; and even that method would present great difficulties. It would require a large army to subdue the great extent of country through which the Bahr-el-Abiad probably passes. Not only the chiefs, but the whole population, instead of any of them joining the standard of the invader, or furnishing him with provisions, would resolutely oppose him. Each man would fight with desperation for the preservation of his property, family, and liberty.”^[4. Hoskins’ Travels in Ethiopia above the Second Cataract of the Nile, London, 1835, 4to. ] Besides, they thirst for vengeance on all Mahommedans and white men, and the circumstance of their being French or English would not avail. “They distinguish but two races, Pagan and Mahommedan, and two colours, black and white, their friends and enemies.”

The voyage of Μ. Linant along the Bahr-el-Abiad having thrown considerable light on its character near to the point of junction, we shall present a brief analysis of his journal. From the mean of this traveller’s astronomical observations, a small island placed just at the junction of the Bahr-el-Abiad with the Blue River is situated in latitude 15. 34. north, and longitude 32. 30. 58. east from Greenwich. On ascending the river, it was found in many places a mile and a half in width, and even then was far within its regular banks, which sometimes seemed about four miles apart, and were distinctly marked beyond a wide sandy beach destitute of any appearance of verdure. Even this is not the extreme breadth when the river is at its greatest height, as it then overflows the adjoining country to a considerable extent, especially to the westward, the eastern bank being the higher, although on both sides the general aspect of the country is flat. The farther banks are covered on the eastern side with wood of stunted growth, rooted chiefly in the sand; on the western side it is of larger size, growing on a better soil. The borders of the river were crowded with water game, such as wild geese, pelicans, swans, and the like. On being repeatedly sounded, the depth was always found to be from three to four fathoms. Farther up, the river was found to be somewhat narrower, the eastern shore to be lower, and both banks very richly wooded, with fine verdure clothing it close to the water’s edge. Fish were taken in abundance by the natives, and hippopotamuses and crocodiles swarmed everywhere. Numerous islands were passed at intervals, some of them beautiful spots covered with tall trees of a splendid green, and thickly set with herbaceous plants. Multitudes of birds were found upon them; and from the trunks of trees bee-hives were easily procured. The Shil∙ Inks came from a distance for the sole purpose of obtaining this honey, and chasing the hippopotamuses. Aleis was the highest point attained by Μ. Linant; and the following are the conclusions which he draws from the voyage: “The Bahr-el-Abiad is undoubtedly the principal of the two rivers which form by their junction the Nile of Egypt. It discharges a greater volume of water than the Bahr-el-Azrek; and although somewhat narrower immediately at the confluence than it is higher up, it is, even in this respect, equal to the Blue River. The colour of its waters is also that which characterises the conjunct stream in the dry season, the Bahr-el-Azrek being then of a greenish hue, while the Bahr-el-Abiad is always white, and as it were soapy, even during the inundations, when the Bahr-el-Azrek becomes reddish, from the nature of the detritus brought down by the Bahr-Toumat, which falls into it in the province of Fasuolo. And the Bahr-Mo-gren, or northernmost branch of the Nile, also brings down at this time a quantity of black earth, which influences the general colour.”....“1 have been unable,” he continues, “to obtain any precise information as to the origin of the Bahr-Abiad, none but the Arabs called Corouns and the Wed Abrof pretending to know any thing of it. Hassan, the sheikh of Fasuolo, a well-informed man for his country, and who has travelled a great deal in the adjacent districts, gave me, however, some particulars, which induce me to believe that it cannot rise in a lower latitude than Fasuolo.^[5. The journey of Ibrahim Kashef, already mentioned, is adverse to this opinion; and not less so the result of the oral information obtained from Mehemet Bey, by Μ. Kuppel, in Kordofan. ] For the merchants who go directly west from that province into the country of the Negroes, and those who traverse the countries south of Darfur and Kordofan, along nearly the same road, and in the same paral∙ lel of latitude, as the Coroun Arabs, the Bagarras, the Wed Abrof, &c. all agree in saying that they pass no river west of Fasuolo, excepting the Tournât, and some slight streams which are nearly dryS in the summer season; and that during the same season they have no water in their encampments along the skirts of the Ethiopian chain, which extends east and west a great distance, except what they find in the beds of torrents or among the rocks. When I asked them, also, why they did not rather follow the banks of the Bahr-Abiad, they always answered me that it passed a long way north of them; and that, beyond the Shilluks, it came directly from the west quarter.

“It is certain that, in the country of the Shilluks, there are other rivers which come from the west; and the following is a list of them in the order in which they are met in ascending the stream. First, the Eid-el-Fil i or Feast of the Nile, which passes close under the mountain called Guebel Dahir, or Mountain of the Round, so [7:16:227]called because it is ascended spirally. It is covered with negro villages, is situated in the country of the Tagal-la, and the river which passes to the south of it is said to flow from a great lake, to which I heard several names given, none of which I shall therefore recite. Several other rivers are reported to fall into it, the first called the Bahr-Soudan,^[6. In a former journey of Μ. Linant, he was informed by some Takrouri pilgrims from Dar Sille, that they travelled two months on the Bahr-Abiad before they arrived at Sennaar; that, before arriving at the Abiad, they followed the course of another river upwards; and that the Abiad had its rise in a country called Bahr-el-Lesse, from which some of the waters flow towards Marok, or Maiocco, that is, to the north-west. ] the second the Suar, the third the Hor-el-Karna, the fourth the Serat, and the fifth the Hor-el-Nahal, besides some others.

“The Sheikh Hassan of Fasuolo also told me, that south of the Shilluks the Bahr-Abiad is lost in some extensive lakes, which stretch away to the westward, and communicate with each other during the inundations, the intervening country being flat and marshy. And the remarks which I made on the stream agree well with this statement, neither gravel nor sand indicative of its being fed by torrents being found in it, and its shoals being all clay, proving that it does not come from mountains, but from a country of the same nature; or, at least, that if it does originate in mountains, it has a long subsequent course over a country of an opposite kind; whence its source cannot possibly be in the Mountains of the Moon, or, at least, in the place where they are marked in our maps. Besides all which, another remarkable fact seems to me to prove indubitably that it comes from a system of lakes; namely, the prodigious quantity of fish which arrive with the freshes at their first appearance; for these fish can only come from lakes, where they remain imprisoned when the waters are low, and escape when the inundation takes place.”

At the point of its junction with the Bahr-el-Azrek the Bahr-el-Abiad is about eighteen hundred feet across; but, as we have already observed, it enlarges much a little above, its banks being frequently three or four miles apart, and in some places during the inundations the waters extend twenty-one miles from side to side. “It is said that they are specifically lighter,” says Μ. Linant, “and more wholesome for use, than those of the Azrek; it is certain, at least, that the banks of the Abiad are much the more healthy.” The cause of the comparative heaviness of the waters of the Azrek here mentioned, is no doubt to be attributed to the presence of earthy matters held in suspension by the waters, being part of the “detritus brought down by the Tournai,” as described by Μ. Linant. But the statement regarding the superior salubrityjof the waters of the Abiad is quite at variance with that of Mr Hoskins. “I have been assured by several Arab merchants, and also Turks,” says he, “that the water of the river is less sweet than that of the Azrek, that the caravans stationed on what they call the island, between the two rivers, universally prefer the water of the latter. The Egyptians, therefore, are indebted to the Azrek for the singular sweetness of the waters of the Nile.”^[7. Hoskins’ Travels in Ethiopia, above the Second Cataract of the Nile. ] Mr Hoskins continues: “The Arabs’ invariable description of the Bahr-el-Abiad is, that it has waves like the Red Sea, but the currentis not powerful like that of the Blue River; that a boat would sail rapidly up, on account of the prevailing northerly winds, but it would be more difficult to descend. It is not improbable that the reason of the superior rapidity of the Blue River is its proximity to its source in the mountains, whilst the Bahr-el-Abiad may pass through immense districts, where the surface is more level and uniform.’^[8. Ibid. p. 119. ] The shores of the Abiad are in general very flat, especially on the western side; and the water is only deep towards the middle of the stream. On the western side the bank is composed a of deposit from the river, without any sand; but, on the opposite side, it is entirely of a yellowish sand, not brought down by the river, but by the south-east winds during the winter; and this being stopped by the river, forms hillocks, which give this side a greater elevation, and the descent from it to the water a greater declivity than on the opposite shore. Hence, also, the water on this side is a little deeper. The rise of the Bahr-el-Abiad is not perceptible till some time after that of the Bahr-el-Azrek. Below the junction the general aspect of the Nile has much more of the character of the Bahr-el-Azrek than that of the Bahr-el-Abiad, excepting in the colour of its waters during the dry season. In every respect it resembles the former as to the nature of its banks and adjoining scenery, its width, sinuous course, sand-banks, and the want of large shells, such as are only to be found on the shores of the Bahr-el-Abiad. Below, also, as well as along the banks of the Bahr-el-Azrek, there are comparatively few aquatic birds, whilst near the Bahr-el-Abiad they are innumerable. Lord Prudhoe thus compares the two rivers: “The banks of this river (the Bahr-el-Abiad) are low and flat, presenting a succession of grass lawn, and fine trees of the harrez (accacia). No scenery can be more unlike the Nile, whilst the Bahr<el-Azrek is its facsimile; the same high banks forming steppes from the annual inundations, bare of trees, but eminently fertile from the rich deposit of the river; whilst the Bahr-el-Abiad, stretching into wide lakes during the inundation, leaves the soil so sterile, that neither corn nor other crops, not even doorrah, can be grown when the waters subside; in lieu springs up grass, a production nearly unknown in Egypt. Here we saw a bird like the ibis, never seen on the Nile; it was black and white, with a curved beak, as represented in Egyptian sculpture. Many of the picus species were also flying about, with feathers of blue and red. The fish, too, of the Bahr-el-Abiad are peculiar to that river, and are not found in the Nile.”^[9. Journal of the Geographical Society, vol. v. part i. p. 41. ] Such is a summary of the facts ascertained regarding the main branch or artery of the Nile.

The Bahr-el-Azrek, the other branch, flowing from the south-east, rises in Abyssinia, and joins the Bahr-el-Abiad under the parallel before specified. The province of Gojam, in which it rises, is very mountainous; and numerous streams which have their origin in this chain flow first eastward and form the great lake of Dembea, one of the most conspicuous features of Abyssinian geography. That which appears to be the largest of these issues from two fountains in Sacala, near Geesh, and after flowing into the lake, and quitting it on its eastern shore, sweeps in a semicircular direction round the provinces of Damot and Gojam, flowing first in a westerly course, and then taking its main bearing, which is north-north-west. The result of about forty observations of Bruce places these fountains in east longitude 36. 55. 30. and 10.59. 25. north latitude. The mercury in the barometer stood at twenty-two inches, which indicates an altitude of more than two miles above the level of the sea. This river is considered in Abyssinia as the real Nile, and was so regarded by Bruce. AÍ1 the Portuguese travellers and missionaries, from whom alone our early information is derived, were impressed with the same idea. It is not, therefore, wonderful that Bruce embarked on his arduous undertaking of penetrating to its sources under this impression; and that, after having placed his glory in the discovery, he should have admitted slowly and with caution[7:16:228] the observation of D’Anville, that the Bahr-cl-Abiad, admitted to be the greater stream, even by the traveller himself, had in all respects the best title to be considered as the Nile of the ancients. But even granting that it is not, the admission will deduct little from the achievement of Bruce, whose journey to the fountains of Geesh, through wild and unexplored regions, must ever be regarded as one of the noblest instances of human daring, directed by judgment and science.

In its northerly course, the Bahr-el-Azrek, or Blue River, receives an accession of several considerable streams, amongst which are the Beto and Bahr-Tournât, flowing in on the western side, and the Dender, Rehat, and Rabat, which unite with it on the eastern side. The waters of the Bahr-Toumat are very considerable during the freshes, but at other times they are so dried up as not even to flow. When it begins to rise, however, it does so with such rapidity and violence as to carry every thing before it, the noise of its approach being thus heard at a considerable distance, and taken as a signal to escape from its banks with the utmost precipitation. At Sennaar, which is about one hundred milesabovethejunctionof the Blue and White Rivers, Bruce describes the former as a “delightful river, above a mile broad, full to the very brim, but never overflowing. Everywhere on these banks are seen numerous herds of the most beautiful cattle of various kinds.”...“The banks of the Nile about Sennaar resemble the pleasantest parts of Holland in the summer season; but soon after, when the rains cease, and the sun exerts his utmost influence, the dorra begins to ripen, the leaves to turn yellow and to rot, the lakes to putrefy, smell, and be full of vermin, all this beauty suddenly disappears.” The principal tributary of the united streams of the Azrek and the z∖biad, called variously the Tacazze, Atbara, Astaboras, Sittet, and Mugrum, falls into it in east longitude 34. 5. and in north latitude 17. 40. This river rises in Abyssinia, and flows through a great portion of it, draining all the high chains of mountains in its western part. The streams which combine to form the main river spread over a wide tract of country, and are very numerous, which is partly the cause of the Tacazze having so many names. Its principal tributaries are the Mareb and Mogreu (the Mareb of Bruce), the latter joining it not far from its confluence with the Nile. Here Bruce found it a quarter of a mile broad, and very deep, flowing through a parched, desert, and barren country, its banks having lost the beauty which clothed them whilst it flowed through Abyssinia. Mr Hoskins gives a more particular account of it. “Opposite to Unmatur is the junction of the Mugrum, the ancient Astaboras, with the Nile, which is comparatively clear at this season (March). I perceived also that the taste was different, and that it had a strong disagreeable smell.”...“The width of the Mugrum, as the Astaboras is now called, from what I could learn, is, at the time of the rise, about a thousand feet. At this season they tell rne it is almost stagnant. It swells many days earlier than the Bahr-el-Abiad or the Azrek; and I think the green colour that tinges the whole Nile for the first thirty or forty days after its rise may be attributed to the influx of the waters of this river. The chief province or district on its banks is called Atbara, evidently a corruption from the ancient name of the river, which is curious, as any analogy is rarely to be found between the modern and ancient names in this country.”... “From the best information I have been able to obtain, there are seven days’journey from the mouth of the Mugrum to Goss Radjeb, the principal village on its banks: for the first two days the direction of this river is nearly east.”^[10. Hoskins’ Travels in Ethiopia above the Second Cataract of the Nile. ] Mr Hoskins was also informed by some intelligent

Arabs, that the Mugrum abounds much more than the Nile in hippopotamuses and crocodiles, and that the western bank is infested with lions. This river, along with the Nile, and its branch the Balir-el-Azrek, encloses a tract of country called Meroë, which obtained from the ancients the name of Island. See Merge.

After the junction of the Bahr-el-Azrek with the Bahr-el-Abiad, the Nile takes a very remarkable bend, which, as it appears on the map, cannot be better described than by saying that it resembles an irregular letter, S, the upper part, inclining to the left. This immense tortuosity extends from about the sixteenth to nearly the twenty-third degree of north latitude. To give a detailed account of the Nile and its banks during this long course, would only be to present an ever-recurring picture of the same objects. The width of the Nile varies exceedingly, being sometimes more than a mile, and at other times only about a quarter of a mile, in breadth. It is studded with innumerable islands, some of which are of very considerable size, and clothed with the richest vegetation. The banks of the Nile, also, are often picturesque and beautiful; and the portions of land which may be said to be enclosed by the bendings of the river contain a much greater extent of cultivated soil, and support a larger population, than any part of Lower Nubia. The whole of the country, however, which has been subjected to cultivation, can only be described as a long and narrow oasis, that has been rescued from the surrounding desolation by the river which traverses it. Dongola is the name of the territory most remarkable for its fertility and beauty. High granitic rocks enclose the green and cultivated valley of Jarjar, which flourishes in freshness and fertility in the bosom of the wildest waste. Immediately beyond it there is a pass called the Water’s Mouth, particularly celebrated for the grandeur of its scenery. It is formed by a succession of huge detached masses of naked rock, and of large fragments scattered along the plain. Below is the large island of Argo, a spot of peculiar and striking fertility, forming in the bosom of the desert the most luxuriant natural garden. About ten miles above it is Ma-ragga, El Ourde, or New Dongola, the last name having been given to it by the Mamelukes, who, during their temporary occupation of this country, made it their capital.

Before the Nile enters Egypt there occur those cataracts of the river so celebrated in antiquity, and so much exaggerated by some modern travellers. The first is situated about three miles above the island of Elephantine, in latitude 24° north. The beauty of this green spot on the waters strikes all travellers with admiration; by the natives it is termed the Island of Flowers, and travellers call it the Garden of the Tropics. It presents, indeed, within the space of a mile in length and a quarter of a mile in breadth, a verdure and fertility equal to the finest parts of Egypt. Whether or not the body of water of the Nile has, in the course of ages, worn or rather broken down the precipices over which the river once rushed, we cannot say; but this is certainly not at all probable. However, the thundering sound of the cataracts which was said to compel the inhabitants to remove to a distance from the deafening commotion, is no longer to be heard. It does not appear that there is at present any considerable fall, the highest not being above five feet in perpendicular descent. A picturesque and extraordinary scene, however, is produced by the Mile dashing through the wild confusion of granite rocks, with which its bed for several miles is thickly strewed. The rocky chain which stretches along either bank, presenting projections of every form, meet and cross in the middle of its course. The river, which above flows in calm majesty upwards of a mile in breadth, is here narrowed to [7:16:229]half that space: and its stream, forcing its way through the innumerable islets situated above, amidst, and below the cataract, boiling and foaming amidst a thousand rocks, presents a scene of peculiar grandeur and effect. The water in the different channels is tossed about in every direction, forming numberless little cascades; and the noise, resembling that of a tempestuous ocean beating on a rocky shore, is in winter and spring very formidable, being heard at the distance of three miles. There are six of these cataracts enumerated by travellers, besides some falls of inconsiderable size, although not surrounded by picturesque scenery. The most celebrated is the second cataract, situated at Wady Halfa, in latitude 21. 50. north. This cataract has also disappointed travellers, who expected to find it a mighty waterfall. Like the first, it is formed by a multitude of rocky islands, through which the Nile dashes amidst clouds of foam, and is whirled and tossed in perpetual eddies. The rocks consist of a species of black marble, not of granite, and the islets being covered with patches of verdure, and several of them being even inhabited, produce a picturesque effect, which relieves the aspect of desolation characteristic of the first. The fifth cataract is not to be compared to either the first or second for picturesque effect. “There are here no mountains or even hills,” says Mr Hoskins, “and the fall at a little distance is scarcely perceptible. The sound is great, the rapids strong, and of such an extent, that at this season of the year (February) certainly no boat of any size could pass; when the Nile is high there would be little difficulty.” The other cataracts do not require any particular notice. It is clear that they are rather what the Americans call rapids than what we are accustomed to associate with the name of cataract; a series of inconsiderable falls, remarkable rather for their number and the picturesque scenery adjacent thereto, than for any other circumstance or peculiarity.

The Nile enters Egypt at Assouan, near the site of the ancient Syene, in latitude 24° north. It follows nearly a northerly course, and below Cairo (latitude 30. 15. north) divides into two main arms, the Damietta or the eastern, and the Rosetta or western branch. A description of this, the most important part of the course of the Nile,.has already been given at sufficient length in the article Egypt, to which the reader is referred, as well as for an account of the inundation and other circumstances connected with this great river. As to the length of its course, the distance from the confluence of its two head branches to the sea has been estimated at 1500 miles, and from its highest sources at 2500 miles. (r. r. r.)