4. The singular conformation of the Mound of Bubastis, in
Lower Egypt, proved by the French Sçavans.*
Although a part, only, of these discoveries, have been made by-
persons employed by the Association, yet it is probable that the
uentleman to whom we owe some of tire most brilliant of them, was
in part determined to the pursuit, by the discussions set on foot by
the Association ; which had been established some years before Mr.
Browne's travels commenced.
* T h e reader is requested to compare the description of this Mound in Herodotus,
(Euterpe, 137, 138,) with that in the Voyage on the Tanitic branch o f the Nile, in
the Mémoires sur L ’Egypte, p, 213, et seq. See also the Geog. System of Herodotus,
p. 313, for the application.
POSTSCRIPT.
W h e n the above Memoir was printed, I was ignorant that the
following passage occurred, in Mr. Horneman’s Letter of the 6th
April, from Mourzouk.
“ I spoke to a man who had seen Mr. Browne in Darfoor: he
gave me some information respecting the countries he travelled
through, and told me, that the communication of the Niger with
the Nile, was not to be doubted, but that this communication
before the rainy season, was very little; in those parts, the Niger
being at the dry period reposing, or nonfluens.’’
If the authority is to be depended on, it proves two facts: first, that
the Niger and Nile, (that is the western branch, or White River), are
by no means one and the same river; but, on the contrary, that their
fountains are perfectly distinct: for, it is agreed on all hands, that
the White River is a very large stream, at all seasons; whereas, we
are here told that the Niger discharges into the Nile, during the dry
season, only a very small portion of its waters : consequently, the
waters of the Nile must come from some other quarter than the
Niger.
The other fact is, that during the dry season, the waters of the
Niger aré generally evaporated in the inland country: a fact disbelieved
by many, from their not being well informed respecting the
powers of evaporation.
The communication above alluded to, may probably turn out to
be that, between the lakes of Wangara and Fittré; which is
described by Edrisi as a part of the track of the salt trade along the
the Niger. It may be proper to repeat, that the Misseldd of the
map, answers to the upper part of Edrisi’s Niger.
ERRATA IN THE GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR.
Page 130 line the last, for vahóle, read given.
148 — last but one, for and, read to.
.. — 171,172 for Met ho, read Metko.