trees, and every thing on them. The mould and sand, being
washed away, are deposited in some place where the current
slackens, extending thè limits of the shore, or giving rise to new
islands, destined perhaps on some future occasion to be removed
in a similar manner, and" transferred to a different situation. Such
occurrences happening before our eyes in the present day certainly
tend to confirm the opinion, that the Delta itself is an an-
ciént gift of the Nile.
MANNERS, CUSTOMS, &c.
The ancient government of Egypt, at least in the time of the
pharaohs, which is as far back as we are able to trace it, bore a
striking resemblance to our own. To use the words of Dr. Rutherford,
whose able investigation of it is eloquently delivered in
the true spirit of history, ‘ it was not despotic; it was indeed truly
monarchical, from the principle and form of it’s constitution ; and
it is the single government of all antiquity, which corresponds to
our idea of monarchy. Limits were set to the royal power by the
laws; the order of succession was regulated; the king had not the
right of judging or pronouncing sentence in any civil cause; the
administration of justice was confined to a particular body, whose
credit could counterbalance all the authority of the pharaohs.
Thus, to use the language of Montesquieu, the powers were divided.
The judicial power was separated from royalty. Thirty
judges formed the august tribunal, which decided concerning the
lives and fortunes of the people. They had fixed revenues, and