070 JOURNEY FROM
writers, and by others who flourished after the occupation of
Northern Africa by Roman colonies, appears to be greatly exaggerated
: that it possesses, in fact, he terrors peculiar to itself, at least,
not that we are acquainted with ; and no difficulties which may not
be readily surmounted by those who are acquainted with the nature
of the country, and will adopt the precautions which are necessary *.
From the regions of the Greater Syrtis let us pass to the Gulf
itself; and of this we may remark, that the accounts which have
come down to us of its peculiarities do certainly appear to be much
better founded than those which we possess of the country along its
* The want of accurate information which has hitherto obtained, respecting the
Gulf and the Shores of the Greater Syrtis, has not only occasioned their being incorrectly
laid down in modern maps, but has necessarily subjected the observations of
modern writers upon them to errors which would not otherwise havebeen made.
In alluding to the breadth across the mouth of the Greater Syrtis, Major Rennell has
remarked as follows :-r—
“ Scylax reckons it à passage n f three days and nights across its mouth > which,
however, measures no more than one hundred and eighty geographic miles on the best
modern maps. This allows about sixty miles for each day and night collectively.”
But the actual distance across the Gulf, from Mesurata to Bengazi, is two hundred
and forty-six geographic miles, instead of one hundred and eighty, and this Would give
a rate of eighty-six miles per. day (considered as twenty-four hours).
Again—the same author observes—u Strabo says that Cato had tén thousand men,
which he divided into separate bodies, that they might more conveniently obtain ^ Supplies
of water in that arid region. That they marched on foot, and completed ¡the tour
of the Syrtis from Berenice in thirty days. Those who examine the distance will find
that the rate of marching Was eleven and a half geographic miles in direct distance, or
about one mile above the mean of ordinary marches, which is 10.6.”
But as the circumference of the Greater Syrtis is ascertained (as above stated) to be
four hundred and twenty-two geographic miles, it will follow that the rate of marching
must here have been, in actual distance, about fourteen geographic miles for each, day.
shores. Herodotus, although he has minutely described the people
who inhabited the coasts of the Syrtes, has left no account of the
Gulfs; but we learn from Strabo, that the dangers which presented
themselves to navigators, in the Gulfs both of the Greater
and Lesser Syrtis, were occasioned by the frequent occurrence of banks
and shallows, formed by the flux and reflux of the sea, on which vessels
were continually Striking, and it rarely happened that any of them
were got off •‘» For this reason,” he adds, “ it was usual to keep
away from the coast, in order to avoid being embayed *■”
What we must here understand by the flux and reflux pf the sea,
is not (we should imagine) the usual, action of the tides, which i®
very trifling in the Mediterranean, compared with that which is
observable in other seas; but the inset occasioned by violent winds
blowing for any long continuance on shore, and the subsequent reaction
of the sea in regaining its original level.
As northerly winds are very prevalent, and very strong on this
coast, which fronts the widest part pf the Mediterranean, they
might no doubt occasion the accumulation of spil alluded to in this
passage of Strabo; and we certainly find that a great part of the
coast is so exceedingly shallow as to make the landing very hazardous
and difficult. I t is probable, also, that this accumulation of
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The word axatyos here used, though it means literally boat, appears to be applied in
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