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traverfed. For the space of two hundred leagues, we have feen a narrow valley, bounded to the right and left by two chains of mountains and hills. This plain, in its greatest extent, except near Fayoum, is little more than ten leagues wide, but every where rich in native treasures. The pyramids, extending from the neighbourhood of Gifa to Meidom, have firft drawn our attention. Thefe magnificent fepulchres, raifed by the power of the Pharoahs, have not prevented us from paying our tribute of admiration to the remains of lake Maris, dug for the happiness of the people. Advancing, we find ftately porticos and temples. The ruins of Thebes, with her hundred gates, next drew our attention, and raifed our thoughts high as her own monuments; we at laft approached Syene, never neglecting to remark the fine remains of antiquity we found in our route.

To what must we attribute the deftruction of taste and arts, under the fame climate, on the fame foil, amid the fame abundance? To what but the lofs of liberty; and to government; which, at its will, finks or raises the genius of nations? Egypt, become

part

part of the Perfian empire, was ravaged two hundred years by Cambyfes and his fucceffors. This barbarous prince, by destroying the temples and colleges of the priests, extinguished the sacred fire they had kindled, during paft ages, in this happy climate. While held in honour, they gloriously cultivated every kind of human knowledge; defpifed, they loft both their fcience and their genius. Governed by the Ptolemies, this genius revived not; becaufe, fixing their refidence at Alexandria, thofe kings placed their confidence wholly in the Greeks, and diflained the Egyptians. Become a Roman province, under Auguftus, Egypt was held the granary of Italy; and agriculture and commerce only were encouraged. The fovereigns of the lower empire, having embraced Chriftianity, governed it with a rod of iron, and overthrew fome of its fineft edifices. The Arabs conquered it from the bigot Heraclius, occupied by his theological difputes, and refufing to fend a fingle fhip to fuccour Alexandria, though the inhabitants, for the fpace of a year, implored his affiftance. The rich library was burnt; a subject of eternal regret to the learned of all countries and all

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ages.

ages. An ignorant and barbarous people were its laft masters; the Turks have, as much as in them lay, annihilated commerce, agriculture, and science. After all these evils, after the revolution of fo many ages, is there, Sir, a country ftill to be found in poffeffion of fo many antique monuments? Can the united world produce fo so many? This fole reflection will give you an idea of the people who once inhabited this country, and of the perfection to which they carried the arts.

I have the honour to be, &c.

LETTER

LETTER VII.

THE OASES, THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER
AMMON, AND THE ROUTES TO THEM,

DESCRIBED.

Situation of the Oafes determined by Ptolemy and the Arabian geographers. Defcription of thefe places, habitable in the midst of deferts. The journey of Alexander to the temple of Jupiter Ammen: an account of the temple, and the people near it. Destruction of the army of Cambyfes fent to pillage. The unfortunate expedition of this barbarous conqueror against the Ethiopians, and the lofs of part of his army. The Oafes places of exile, under the fovereigns of the lower empire, to which St. Athanafius and others were fent.

To M. L. M.

Grand Cairo.

THE defcription of Egypt, Sir, would not be compleat, were I to fuffer the Oafes, dependant on the Thebais, to pafs unnoticed. Strabo

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Strabo fays (x), "Africa, according to hif"torians, and Cneius Pifo, who governed it, "is like the fpotted skin of the leopard, and "fcattered over with small habitable places, "which the Egyptians name Oafes, fur"rounded by deferts.”

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Thefe remarkable places were known to the Arabian geographers, who call them Elouah. Abulfeda, their guide, defcribes them as follows (y). "Elouah, dependant on the Saide, are a kind of islands in the "midst of fands, and lie three days journey "from the fhores of the Nile, across the "defert. Yacout enumerates three, and places them weft of Upper Egypt, beyond the mountains, parallel to the river; " he adds, the first is highly cultivated, has many rivulets and hot fprings, with fields "covered by corn, and other surprising

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things, but that the people there are "wretched." Here, Sir, we fee the Oafes of the Greeks. We partly know their distances from the Nile. Ptolemy thus fixes their latitude (), the largest at (x) Strabo, lib. 2.

() Defcription of Egypt. (~) Ptol. lib. 4.

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