Travels to discover the source of the Nile

Voyage to Upper Egypt continued-Ashmounein, Ruins there-Gawa Kibeer Ruins-Mr Norden mistakenAchmim-Convent of Catholics-Dendera-Magnificent Ruins-Adventure with a Saint there.

THE Rais's curiosity made him attempt to prevail

with me to land at Reremont, three miles and a half off, just a-head of us; this, I understood, was a Coptic Christian town, and many of Shekh Abadé's people were Christians also. I thought them too near to have any thing to do with either of them. At Reremont there are a great number of Persian wheels, to draw the water for the sugar canes, which belong to VOL. II. A

Christians. The water thus brought up from the river runs down to the plantations, below or behind the town, after being emptied on the banks above; a proof that here the descent from the mountains is not an optic fallacy, as Dr Shaw says.

We passed Ashmounein*, probably the ancient Latopolis, a large town, which gives the name to the province, where there are magnificent ruins of Egyptian architecture; and, after that, we came to Melawé, larger, better built, and better inhabited than Ashmounein, the residence of the Casheff. Mahomet Aga was there at that time with troops from Cairo ; he had taken Miniet, and, by the friendship of Shekh Hamam, the great Arab, governor of Upper Egypt, he kept all the people on that side of the river in their allegiance to Ali Bey.

I had seen him at Cairo, and Risk had spoken to him to do me service if he met with me, which he promised. I called at Melawé to complain of our treatment at Shekh Abadé, and see if I could engage him, as he had nothing else to employ him, to pay a

* Ashmounein, in Arabic, signifies Shmoun duplex, or the two Shmouns, from Shmoun, in Egyptian, signifying eight. These cities were named after Smin, or Smoun, the eighth and last of the Egyptian Dii Majores. This Deity was the Sun, considered as the generative power of Nature, and accordingly distinguished by the title, Entes, or Mentes, "the Propagator." The symbol of the god was a live he-goat; and his image was a goat standing upright. Mentes, or Mendes, was worshipped with great immorality in the Mendesian nome in the Delta. Under the name Entes, or Antæus, he was revered at Antæopolis in the Thebaid; at Shmun, the present Ashmunin; and likewise at another Shmun, called by the Greeks, who could not pronounce the Egyptian sh, Chemmis, Chemmopolis, or Panopolis, to day Achmîm. Mendes was the Grecian Pan, whose hairy figure, goat's legs, and cloven hoofs, have assisted the Christian vulgar in forming their pictures of the Devil. E.

visit to my friends at that inhospitable place. This I was told he would do upon the slightest intimation. He, unfortunately, however, happened to be out upon some party; but I was lucky in getting an old Greek, a servant of his, who knew I was a friend, both to the Bey, and to his Patriarch.

He brought me about a gallon of brandy, and a jar of lemons and oranges, preserved in honey; both very agreeable. He brought likewise a lamb, and some garden-stuffs.. Among the sweetmeats was some horse-raddish, preserved like ginger, which certainly, though it might be wholesome, was the very worst stuff I ever tasted. I gave a good square piece of it, well wrapt in honey, to the Rais, who coughed and spit half an hour after, crying he was poisoned.

I saw he did not wish me to stay at Melawé, as he was afraid of the Bey's troops, that they might engage him in their service to carry them down, so went away with great good will, happy in the acquisition of the brandy, declaring he would carry sail as long as the wind held.

We passed Mollé, a small village, with a great number of acacia trees, intermixed with the plantations of palms. These occasion a pleasing variety, not only from the difference of the shape of the tree, but also from the colour and diversity of the green.

As the sycamore in Lower Egypt, so this tree seems to be the only indigenous one in the Thebaid. It is the Acacia Vera, or the Spina Egyptiaca, with a round yellow flower. The male is called the Saiel* ;

The name, Sont, is Coptic, as is Saiel; it signifies hard.This is the shittim wood of the scriptures; shittim is the plural, and means trees of the acacia. It is peculiar to the Hebrew dialect of the Arabic to leave out the letter n, before consonants. E.

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