and on that fide which is the fartheft down, in refpect of the fea current. But if the river enter the fea, in a line perpendicular to its fhore, the opening, or bar, will be through the middle of the bank.

As the bank rifes to the furface, the opening increafes in depth and width, until it becomes abfolutely a continuation of the course of the river; fince its waters require the fame bread.h and depth to escape here, as in the upper parts of its courfe. And thus the upper part of the bank becomes gradually a portion of the firm land; whilst the outer part goes on accumulating, and the bar is gradually removed farther out: in effect, there will be a repetition of the fame order of things. And hence it will clearly appear, that the bank thus laid in the fea, by the current of the river, is, in reality, the germ of the growing alluvion.

The bars are ufually fwept away every feafon, by the periodical flood; which, although it cannot rife to a higher level than the fea, is increased in velocity, by the increase of the body of water, above : and alfo by that of its defcent; as the flood fwells to a greater height above, and therefore forms a flope towards the fea. Thefe floods alfo bring the greatest addition to the growing alluvion: and, not unfrequently, change the direction of the channel, and with it, of courfe, the pofition of the bar: their depofitions being laid farther out in the fea, by reafon of the greater velocity of the current.

'Having endeavoured to explain the mode in which the alluvion gains on the fea, we fhall next endeavour to explain the manner in which the changes and modifications of the exifting alluvions are wrought.

The alluvions thus formed in the fea, are, in their original state, flat, and are alfo on a level with the ordinary furface of the fea: but as the furge repels that part of the deposited matter, which rifes to the furface, it will be raised somewhat above the level: and as this agency has regularly operated on all the new-made alluvion, it must have formed one continued level, but for the interpofition of the periodical floods, which have formed it into a regular flope, correfponding with its own.

'As the alluvion, then, is extended into the fea, fo is its level gradually raised into a flope: an operation that is conftantly going forward, but which cannot keep pace with the extenfion, because every addition to it occafions a deficiency in the flope.

Until the new formed alluvion was confiderably raifed, it must have partaken very much of the character given it by Herodotus; who fays, that in ancient times, "the whole of Egypt, except the province of Thebes, was one extended marth :" Euterpe, 4: and that when the Nile rofe to the height of 8 cubits, all the lands above Memphis were overflowed." (Eut. 13.) Both of these traditions clearly point to a state of things that had exifted; although, probably, at a period too remote to be fixed: for there must have been a time when the Delta was not only a marfh, but was even co

vered with water; and when the sea must have advanced fo near to the fite of Memphis, as to allow the annual flood to rife no higher than 8 cubits, or 12 to 14 feet, at that place. He afterwards remarks that it rofe 15 or 16 cubits in his time; which was the natural progrefs of things: as the point of contact of the land waters, with thofe of the fea, was removed farther out.

So long as the alluvion of the Delta remained in the ftate of a marth, the waters of the Nile, through the want of declivity to carry them off, and the preffure of the fea water from without, when the river was low, may be supposed to have formed a tissue of canals, interfperfed with lakes and marshes. But when the land began to acquire fome degree of folidity in the upper parts of the Delta, canals, in the nature of drains, would be formed by the hands of men, and dykes raifed along the banks of rivers, in order to exclude the redundant waters from the appropriated lands. And this is probably the period referred to by Herodotus, when he defcribes the vaft and numerous canals by which Egypt is interfected;" and which he attributes to Sefoftris. Euterpe, 108. He was alfo told, that the fame prince made a regular diftribution of the lands of Egypt, affigning to each Egyptian a fquare piece of ground; and that his revenues were drawn from the rent, which every individual annually paid him.

As the land rofe by depofitions, the waters would naturally confine themfelves to fewer channels; fince the land, when in a firmer ftate, would require a greater force to divide it. At a time when the upper part of the Delta had acquired a degree of firmnefs and elevation, we learn from our author, that three natural channels, alone, conveyed the waters of the Nile to the neighbourhood of the fea; a quarter in which the alluvial land must ever be regarded as in an imperfect state of formation. At prefent, two alone convey it to the fame quarter, during the feason when the river is not fwoln; and one of thefe is growing fhallow. Can it be doubted, then, that a delta is (comparatively fpeaking) land in an imperfect ftate of formation; that the natural progrefs toward completion is that of the river's confining itself to fewer channels; and that the inundation, from being a complete mafs of water, fpread uniformly over the country, becomes merely an overflowing of the river, extending to a certain distance, and forming the country adjacent to each bank, into a flope of feveral miles in breadth, of which the highest part is the creft of the bank itfelf; from the circumftance of its depofiting more fediment near the bank, than at a distance from it? But as long as the alluvion continued too flat to communicate a fufficient velocity to the river, when in its low ftate, it would continue to feparate itfelf into many different ftreams, although one of them would probably furpafs all the reft in bulk. On the above principle, then, as the greater flope, defcribed in page 485, extends itself downwards, the Delta ought to retire from it: or, in other words, the river, in its courfe through the high level, fhould flow unique;

and the bafe of the Delta fhould gradually contract: and this, we truft, will be fatisfactorily proved in the fequel.' P. 488.

Obfervations of fimilar curiofity and importance alfo occur with regard to the currents in the fea on the African coafts, which the major has the high merit of firft applying to the illuftration of general geography. The fection relative to the Oafes is replete with information; but we were furprised to find the major (p. 563), in oppofition to his own map of Africa, affuming the pofition, which we had before afferted, that Santaria is the fame with Siwa. We wish that he would imitate our candour, and, when he points out our mistakes, at the fame time give us credit for our difcoveries.

We were yet more furprifed (in the twenty-firft fection) to find that the major was employing a whole army of engineers, and a battery of mathematical calculations, to establish this very point, which had long ago impreffed us, from comparing modern travels with the Arabic geographers. He has however the merit of demonftrating that the temple of Jupiter Ammon was really difcovered by Mr. Browne; a circumftance fince confirmed by Mr. Horneman, who, we fincerely hope, will be preferved from numerous dangers, and return with ample information concerning the interior of Africa. At the fame time, we must exprefs our with that the major would in future abandon a tone of decifion when treating of fo doubtful a fcience as the geography of diftant regions; for he will frequently find that the erection of mathematical principles upon fandy foundations is a most dangerous abuse. We particularly allude to his calculations upon diurnal journeys, in themfelves uncertain, as has been lamentably proved in the recent difcovery of the latitude of Mourzouk, which differs no less than two degrees, or near one hundred and forty miles, from the major's mathematical demonstrations. Such mifapplications of mathematical procedure are the more perilous, as they may difguife the groffeft error under the mafk of the most authentic truth. Sufpenfe is always unpleasant to the human mind, and a young writer may be pardoned for being a ftranger to the learned ignorance recommended by Mr. Gibbon; but even the formal engraving of a map gives it an afpect of reality; and it is far more fafe totally to omit what is uncertain, than, by giving ideal rivers and pofitions, to miflead the traveller, and perhaps induce him to propagate unintentional error. If we fuppofe, for inftance, that a river is laid down in any imaginary direction, a traveller may be induced to lose his time, and perhaps his life, in fearch of a non-existence; while, perhaps, if he had only trutted to his own fpirit of inquiry, he might have made a real and import ant difcovery,

The major (in page 679) computes that a day's fail among the ancients did not exceed thirty-five miles. On this and other occafions, he mentions the voyage of Nearchus without even a hint that the learned and refpectable Dr. Vincent has written one word on the fubject; and the tranflator of Hanno's voyage is only once mentioned. Thefe circumstances feem to favour of a monopolifing fpirit, and to imply that the major's greatnefs is not only fuper-eminent, but folitary; and that, as Pope faid of Addifon, he wishes to ftifle his biethren and reign alone.

On the fubject of the voyage of Hanno, we expected that the major would have ufed the work of Goffelin, which he might have procured a twelvemonth before his own work made its appearance. On this and other occafions we have fill deeply to regret the major's want of bibliographical knowledge. In treating of Babylon, he borrows his account of Beauchamp's difcoveries from an English magazine, apologifing for his ignorance where the originals can be found, while they first appeared, if we miftake not, in the Journal des Savans, and were thence tranfcribed into that common journal, the Efprit des Journaux,

As we have the advantage of poffeffing Goffelin's work, we fhall take the opportunity of giving a curfory collation of his fentiments on the fubject. Goffelin fuppofes that the voyage of Hanno did not extend beyond Cape Non; and he infers that the island of Cerné is now Fedal. Major Rennell, on the contrary, fuppofes that the fouthern Horn, or termination of the voyage of Hanno, was Sherborough Sound! Non noftrum eft tantas componere lites. We have little doubt that Goffelin has too much reftricted the voyage of Hanno; and perhaps major Rennell has extended the courfe too far; but, of the two opinions, we prefer the latter. In difcuffing the inland geography of the ancients, for inftance that of Scythia, it is fafe and proper to reftrict the boundaries; but this obfervation cannot be equally applied to maritime difcoveries, in which a thip may pafs from one headland to another without any knowledge of intermediate regions. The major infers that the island of Cerné is that now termed Arguin near Cape Blanco; yet Ptolemy places it midway between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands. The major fuppofes that Madeira is the Pea of Ptolemy; and, if fo, Cerné must have been one of the Canary Iflands. it is probable that Ptolemy, as well as more modern geographers, fometimes put down the fame object under different names, and fometimes in one latititude, fometimes in another, juft as he happened to calculate the day's fail or the day's journey. That geographer might alfo confound intelligence of remote periods, and depofit on

his maps in a mathematical form the fame ifland or the fame region under different names and with different longitudes and latitudes. But this fubject would require a differtation, and we have already exceeded our propofed limits. We shall therefore conclude with a few remarks on this laft fection, that there may be no occafion to return to this particular subject in a future article. When the major obferves (p. 729), that, if Cerné was only five ftadia in circumference, it could not have admitted a city and colony, he certainly forgets Tyre. The islands in the Gulf of Biffago (p. 730) can hardly be identified with the fingle large ifland mentioned in Hanno's voyage, rendered remarkable and eafily diftinguifhed by a lake of falt water. When the major proceeds in the next page to explain this away by alluvial changes, he only thows that the difficulty is very great; and when we learn from his note (p. 734) that the general maps of Africa err feveral degrees of longitude in the extent of the Guinea coaft, we have the lefs occafion to wonder at any ancient errors. His opinion, that the Horns of Hanno were bays or inlets and not promontories, as has been always fuppofed both in ancient and modern times, we shall not defend, but muft rather deplore his deficiency of knowledge in the learned languages. Of Bougainville he obferves that his judgement appears to have forfaken him entirely; but the fubject is fo full of difficulties, that any rigid cenfure cannot justly be applied even to the groffeft mistakes which may arife in its illuftration.

(To be continued.).

Effays on the Picturefque, as compared with the Sublime and the Beautiful; and, on the Ufe of studying Pictures, for the Purpole of improving real Land/cape. By Uvedale Price, Efg. Vol. II. Svo. Ls. Boards. Robion.

WE have often noticed Mr. Price's peculiar doctrines, and examined the firft volume of thefe effays in our XXIIId (N. A. p. 426). We thought we perceived a more conciliating manner in the letter to Mr. Repton, intended as a fupplement to the effays, and hoped for a little favour for the trimmed lawn and unbroken banks; but Mr. Price starts again into his former doctrines, and retains with rigour every part of his own fyftem.

Our readers will recollect, that this autifor opposes the doctrine and practice of Brown, in giving to grounds of every kind the famenefs and monotony derived from an exquifite polish; contending, that the picturefque requires management