The pop. of D. is at present supposed to amount to 200,000. A general committee of public instruction, which was planned and brought into operation between 1823 and 1825, established a madressa or college at D., and funds were assigned for its support by the central government; in addition to which, a sum equal to £17,000 was presented to the college by Nawab Islamaid-ood-Dowlah, minister of the king of Oude. In June 1827 there had been opened 247 schools in D. and its immediate vicinity, for the instruction of poor children. The number of pupils at the college, which in 1829 was 152, had increased in the following year to 257. More recently another school has been instituted, at which the children of the native gentry are taught the English language, and as many as 68 scholars attended in the first year of its establishment.

History.] The city of D. was taken by Mahmud of Ghuzni about the year 1011. The invasion of Hindostan by the Ghuznevides, however, consisted of little more than a few victorious forays across the Indus, made by that people. In 1206, the Gaurian inheritance was partitioned, and while one branch of the Afghan dynasty retained Gaur, and another Candahar and Cabul, a third, in the person of Cuttub, settled definitely in Hindostan, and in half-a-century more his successors held their splendid court at D. "At this point the Moguls appear on the stage; and it is ordinarily inculcated in histories of India, that the Moguls expelled the Afghans and succeeded them in their rule at D. This, however, is not precisely the fact. The Moguls strictly so called that is to say, the people of Genghiz Khan-never did prevail against the Gaurian kings; on the contrary, they were repeatedly repulsed by those sovereigns in their invasions from the NW, or, as they sometimes came, across the Nepaul hills; and more than one unfortunate prince, a fugitive from the swords of these terrible conquerors, found refuge at the secure court of D. When the days of Timur came, Moguls and Afghans were pretty much in the same predicament. The Mogul empire was tottering, and the Afghan empire was tottering too. Both were nearly in a state of dissolution, only the individual prowess of Timur proved too much for the individual Gaurian at D. Yet, after all, even Timur's conquest was little beyond a brief and objectless inroad, effecting nothing but the destruction of the sov. ereign on the throne; and it may be said that from this time to the time of Baber (1446-1525) there was a third period of Afghan rule. When Timur departed, the governor of Lahore established

himself at D., and he, his son, and grandson, held the sceptre some 80 years. Then came Baber, who put the finishing stroke to Afghan dynasties by slaying this grandson and proclaiming himself emperor of D. Now at length the reader will suppose that the Great Moguls' of his childhood's fancy are fairly seated on the imperial throne of India: nothing like it, we can assure him. Five times had Baber invaded India before he was triumphant, being impelled by just those motives which had been

influential with the first invader, Mahmud-viz., the pressure of as to conquer and slay the sovereign of D.; but his death, which very shortly after ensued, showed clearly what the character of this conquest really was. It was no subjugation of Afghans by Moguls, if Baber's people are so to be called: it was merely the incidental triumph of Baber over Ibrahim. The Afghan empire being, as we have said, in a state of dissolution, there were plenty of independent chiefs to be subdued, who gave Baber almost as much trouble as the emperor himself; and no sooner was he dead than they reasserted their power, and were very nearly leaving his invasion without any more influence or trace than that of Alexander. One of them, Shere, who was regent of Bahar, and who had made a private conquest of Bengal, quickly rose upon Humayoon, the son of the Mogul,' and drove him out of Hindostan. This done he seized the vacant throne himself, and by add

the Tartars on his western borders. At last he succeeded so far

ing his old lieutenancy to his new sovereignty, extended at length the imperial dominion from the Indus to the bay of Bengal. It from Roh in Afghanistan-did not take the place in our history of the Great Mogul. The newly improvised dynasty positively lasted through a descent or two, when Humayoon, who had been collecting his strength in Persia, actually reappeared after a quarter of a century's absence, and regained D. triumphantly

was a mere accident that the Great Rohilla,'--Shere had come

in 1554. Unluckily, he fell down his marble staircase the next year and broke his neck. The personal prowess and long reign (half-a-century) of his son Akhbar the Great did at length consolidate that empire which we know so well by name. Practically, however, it can hardly be said to have endured for a hundred years. Shah-Jehan confirmed it, and the famous Aurungzebe (1658-1707) carried it to its proverbial point of grandeur. The five years of Shah Aulum I. (1707-1712) preserved it in decent state, but after that it rapidly became a merely nominal dominion, and for years before we came in contact with the puppet emperor, Rohillas, Abdallis and Mahrattas had combined with rebellious subahdars to strip him of almost all the real attributes of sovereignty. It was very curious, though, how long the legendary authority of the Great Mogul lingered in Indian minds. Nabobs and governors with ten times his real power eagerly cov

eted titles of honour which he alone was considered capable of conferring. The vizierate was monopolized as an hereditary dis. tinction by the nabob of Onde, who was thus always called in history the nabob-vizier, until we graciously made him a king.

As late as 1772 the Mahrattas offered Zabita Khan the title of made the Mogul's dewan for the province of Bengal: Scindiah, at Ameer-ul-Omrah; the Company, in the person of Cilve, was the height of power, pretended only to the title of his vicegerent, which was thought to convey the legal sovereignty of India; and one of Wellesley's chief points in 1603 was to gain, along with D., the nominal authority of the Mogul,' which was jealously guarded and judiciously used by Scindiah and General Perron. The Great Mogul of our early struggles lived to owe his comforts and his comparative freedom to our protection. After Lake's wars he was settled in the ancient imperial city of D., from which he took the title of king, with the nominal sovereignty and the real revenues of a small surrounding district, together with some £10,000 a-year from the resident's treasury, and his own dewan to manage it all He died at an extreme age in 1806, and was succeeded by his son Shah Akhbar II., who, we believe, followed his father to the grave some three or four years ago, leaving a descendant to enjoy the same indulgences and the same protec tion. Such, and no more, were the Moguls of D., invaders like ourselves, and scarcely enjoying for more than a single century the dominion which we appear to be augmenting and confirming every successive year." [Times.] The emperor of D., the representative of the great Timur, though still recognised by the British gov. as a sovereign prince, has long been shorn of all his grandeur, and except within his own palace exercises no attribute of royalty, though looked up to and regarded by all the Mahommedan pop. of India with respect and attachment. Lord Wellesley, on the destruction of Scindiah's power, assigned to Shah Allum the great palace of D. as a residence, and for the support of himself and the royal family, he made over to him certain districts in the neighbourhood, which were to be placed under British management, but the emperor was to be allowed to check the accounts of revenue received from them. It is said that the revenue of these districts has now reached £300,000 a-year, while the emperor's allowance does not exceed £130,000; and that much of this latter sum is in reality spent in his name by the British resident.

The

DELHI, a township of Delaware co., in the state of New York, U. S., 77 m. WSW of Albany, intersected by the branches of the Delaware which form the Mohawks or W branch of the Delaware. surface is hilly, but the soil in the valleys is generally fertile. Pop. in 1840, 2,554.-The village is pleasantly situated in a plain, on the W side of the W branch of the Cooquago or Mohawks river. Pop. about 800. Also a small but fertile township of Hamilton co., in the state of Ohio, between Cincinnati and North Bend. Pop. 1,466.

DELHI-ABASS, a village of about 20 Bedouin Arab families, in the Turkish pash. of Bagdad, 25 m. S by W of Karatuppi, on a stream flowing SE to the Tigris, which Buckingham is inclined to identify with the Physcus of the ancients.

DELHI-İBRAHIM, a village and military station of Algeria, in the prov. and 7 m. WSW of Algiers. It was founded by the Duke of Rovigo, and colonized by German settlers from the Haut and Bas Rhin, chiefly Protestants. Pop. 875.

DELI, a kingdom of the island of Sumatra, stretching SE from Jambie-Aver, or Diamond Point, along the shore of the strait of Malacca. It is watered by the Lanksa, Lankat, D., Batu-Barra, Asahan, &c., and is extremely fertile, producing pepper, benzoin, and camphor in great abundance. It affords also considerable quantities of gold. It forms an independent state, and is governed by a rajah. The inhabitants are Malays, and addicted to piracy.-The cap., of the same name, is situated on a bay, at the mouth of the Deli, 65 m. NW of Batu-Barra. It is the residence of the rajah, and has an active trade in pepper.

DELIATITCHI, a town of Russia, in the gov. and 85 m. ENE of Grodno, district and 15 m. NNE of Novogrodek, on the 1. bank of the Niemen.

DELI-BABA, a village of Russian Armenia, in the prov. and 40 m. ESE of Erzerum, on an affluent of the Aras, which latter river flows about 2 hours N of the v. A pass between two stupendous rocks leads into the plain of D. from the v. of Dahar on the S.

DELIBUCKKOI, a town of Turkey in Europe,

in the prov. of Servia, sanj. of Pristina, on the N side of the Tchar-Dagh.

DELICETO, a town of Naples, in the prov. of Capitanata, district and 3 m. ESE of Bovino, and 21 m. SSW of Foggia, on a hill. Pop. 4,269. It contains a college and several charitable institutions. DELIKLITASH, a village of Turkey in Asia, in the sanj. and 30 m. S of Sivas, situated on the brow of a mountain, the ancient Olympus.

DELIKTASH, a village of Asia Minor, in Anatolia, in the sanj. and 39 m. SSW of Adalia, and on the W side of the bay of that name. At the N foot of the majestic peak of Adratchan, the Mons Phœnicus of the ancients, a small river, that winds by a succession of steep gaps through several parallel ranges of hills, enters the sea from between two rocky points, in the midst of many buildings more or less ruined, but having altogether a neat and comparatively modern appearance. Amongst these buildings the v. of D. is to be sought for: for the Turks who live here prefer occupying wretched huts, to the trouble of repairing these substantial dwellings. The name of the v., which signifies the Perforated Rock,' is given to it from a natural gateway in one of the points of the rock, through which passes the only road from the sea-coast to the adjacent valley. The opening between the rocky points through which the river flows, expands into a small circular plain surrounded with an amphitheatre of mountains, and filled with ruins of an ancient date, which, by means of inscriptions, were indentified by Capt. Beaufort with the city of Olympus. Here are a theatre, traces of several temples, and tombs innumerable.-About 2 m. from the v., a volcanic flame issues from the side of a mountain, the small and steady light of which may be seen at night from the sea. Pliny mentions this phenomenon: it must, therefore, have existed for ages. And Scylax, the geographer, mentions a temple of Vulcan which formerly stood on the spot. It is called the yanar, or 'perpetual fire;' and is described by Capt. Beaufort in his valuable notes on Caramania.-A few hundred yards beyond the perforated rock are a small custom-house, and the landing-place for boats trading to this part of the coast for wood, corn, tobacco, honey, and wax, the produce of the neighbouring country.

DE L'ISLE, a seignory of Lower Canada, in the co. of Beauce, watered by the rivers Chaudiere, Du Loup, and La Famine.

| cant. comprises 27 com. Pop. in 1841, 14,006.—The com. and v. are on the 1. bank of the Leine, 11 m. SE of Belfort. Pop. 965.

DELLIGSEN, a village of the duchy of Brunswick, in the circle and 15 m. NW of Gandersheim, on the Hülls. Pop. 1,250.

DELLY, or DILLY (MOUNT), a conspicuous headland on the Malabar coast of India, in N lat. 11° 59', E long. 75° 31', 6 m. W of the mouth of the Billiapatam, and 24 m. NW of Tellicherry.

DELLY, a fortified town of the island of Timor, Asiatic archipelago, on the N coast.

DELLYS, a circle and town of the prov. of Algiers, on the N coast of Algeria.-The town is 42 m. E of Algiers by sea, and 84 m. by land, in N lat. 36° 50'. The new town is built on a plain sloping E to the sea; the old or Arab town lies to the N of it, and is separated from it by a ridge called Beni-Shur. Pop. in 1846, 1,339, of whom 308 were Europeans. It is defended by 6 block-houses connected together by a wall; and contains barracks for 800 men, and a military hospital.-The circle is bounded on the E by the Beni-Thur; on the S by the Nessa or Buberak river; and on the W by the sea. It comprises the 4 Arab vs. of Thuabet, Tekedempt, Assuaf, and Beni-Wazerual. The v. of Old D. is supposed to occupy the site of Rusucurium, founded by Antoninus. DELLYS, or TEDELES (CAPE), a long narrow promontory, on the coast of Algiers, in N lat. 36° 55' 30", E long. 3° 55′ 22′′, 52 m. WNW of Cape Matifu, and 33 m. ESE of Cape Sigli. It forms a kind of mole to the anchorage of D., which it protects from the W winds. A fixed light, visible at 3 m. distance, has been placed upon it by the French.

DELMAR, a township of Tioga co., in the state of Pennsylvania, U. S. Pop. in 1840, 946.

DELME, a canton and commune of France. in the dep. of the Meurthe, arrond. of Chateau-Salins. The cant. comprises 36 com. Pop. in 1831, 12,982; in 1841, 12,640. The village is situated on the brow of a hill of the same name, 9 m. NW of ChateauSalins, on the road from Metz to Strasburg. Pop. 616.-Also a river of Hanover, which runs N, and flows into the Ochle 2 m. N of Delmenhorst.

DELMENHORST, a town of Hanover, cap. of a circle in the Grand duchy and 18 m. WNW of Oldenburg, on the 1. bank of the Delme. Pop. 1,600. It has 4 important annual markets.-The circle, which comprises an area 27 m. in length from NE to SW, and from 12 to 15 m. in breadth, is watered on the NE by the Weser, and by the Hunte, which runs to the SW. It consists to a great extent of marsh and heath land. It comprises 4 bail., viz. Berne, Delmenhorst (pop. 5,610), Ganderkesa, and Wildes

tants.

DELIVERANCE (CAPE), a headland of Rossel island, in the Louisiade archipelago, in the S. Pacific, in S lat. 11° 20', and E long. 154° 30'.

DELIVRANDE (LA), a hamlet of France, in the dep. of Calvados, com. of Luc-sur-Mer. Pop. 400. DELLAMCOTTAH, or DALIMCATA, a fortress of Hindostan, in Bhotan, situated on a mountain, at the foot of which runs the Dorlah, 82 m. SW of Tassisudon, and commanding the principal road into Bengal. It was taken by storm in 1773 by the English, but was soon after restored.

DELLAMENNE, a village of Hurrur, in the Somali territory, 85 m. S by W of Zeila, on the route to Hurrur.

DELLE, a canton, commune, and v. of France, in the dep. of Haut-Rhin, arrond. of Belfort.-The

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DELNITZ, a river of Saxony, in the circle of Meissen, an affluent of the Elbe.

DELOS, an island of the Grecian archipelago, the most memorable though the smallest of the group of the Cyclades. It is situated in 25° 17′ N lat., and 37° 24′ E long., and is separated from Myconi on the NE by a strait barely 2 m. wide, and from Rhenea on the W by a strait not exceeding half that width. It is nearly 3 m. in length from S by W to N by F; but nowhere exceeds 1 m. in breadth. Towards its middle it rises into a rocky ridge of gneiss and schistus-the ancient Cynthus-which, according to Spon, nowhere attains an alt. of 200 ft. above sea-level. There is no perennial stream on the island to be identified with the ancient Inopus: the whole island indeed presents little more than a mass of arid rocks, covered with mouldering walls and mounds of rubbish, and inhabited only by rabbits and lizards. Yet this island was once rich in architectural magnificence beyond even Athens itself, and formed at once

the common temple, treasury, and emporium of all Greece. Its inhabitants were held in special veneration as the chosen servants of the gods; and even the Persians, when they violated the temples of Greece, respected the neutrality and the sanctity of D., the birth-place and chosen shrine of Apollo and Diana. All the surrounding nations, and some at a remote distance, concurred in celebrating the honours of the Delian divinities; and, at the time of the great festivals, hostilities were laid aside, and mutual enemies might repair in safety to D. Not only the persons, but the property of those who entered its port was regarded as inviolate; and no duty was levied upon any imports. Hence D. became the commercial emporium of the Ægean. Cicero describes D. as "an island whither all repair with cargoes and merchandise;" and Strabo, speaking of its commercial importance, says, "Merchants freight a ship, despatch it thither, and every thing is sold." The triumph of Christianity completed the ruin of D. Pausanias writing in the 2d cent., says: "D., which was formerly the emporium of Greece, is now so completely deserted, that if the sacred deputations of the Athenians were discontinued, the island would be almost destitute of people counting Delians only." During the Middle ages it was the haunt of pirates; but in the 14th cent. the knights of Malta took possession of it as a military post. Spon, Wheler, and Tournefort, have described its ruins. The adjacent island of Rhenea is sometimes known as the Greater D. The Greeks and Turks call these two islands I DILI; and the Venetians and Genevese corrupted this term into SDILES, SEDILI, and ISDILES.

DELOW, a town of Sudan, in the kingdom of Mandara, of which it was formerly the capital, to the NE of Mora, 90 m. S of Affagay, and 130 m. S of Lake Tchad. Its pop. is estimated at 10,000 by Denham.

DELPHI. See KASTRI.

it,-a circumstance which has occasioned much discussion among geographers. Seven months were known to the ancients, of which only two now exist, and these appear to have been originally artificial, namely, the Rosetta or Bolbytinic mouth, having a general depth of from 4 to 5 ft.,-and the Damietta or Bucolic mouth, having an average depth of 7 or 8 ft. In its ordinary state the Nile cannot carry vessels of above 60 tons burthen; but, when the waters are in flood, there is a depth of above 40 ft. at its mouth, and caravels of 24 guns can sail up to Cairo; the navigation against the stream being facilitated by the strong N winds. The Lower Nile is well known, the Rosetta or Bolbytinic branch being, in the greater part of its length, the usual channel of communica tion between Alexandria and Cairo. It is navigated from Cairo to Atfeh at the extremity of the canal of Alexandria, all the year through, twice a-month, by small steamers for the transit service, and intermediately for local travellers. The steamers of the pasha and his family frequently ascend and descend the Damietta or Bucolic branch; but there is on it no regular passenger-service as on the Rosetta branch. In ancient times the triangle of the D. had its apex much farther to the S than at the present day, near to the site, it is probable, of the palace of Shubra, where the river first begins to bend to the W. Its right side was formed by the Pelusiac or Bubastic branch, which, detaching itself from the Nile higher up than the Damietta branch, at Damanhur, flowed into the sea at Pelusium near the E extremity of Lake Menzaleh. Herodotus states that the base of the D. extended "from the watch-tower of Perseus"-which probably stood on the point of Aboukir—“ along the coast to the salt-pits of Pelusium, a length of 40 schoenes," of 40 stadia each according to Rennell. The Pelusiac branch is now in great measure choked up, though it still serves partly for the purpose of irrigation, and is known as the canal of Abu Muneji, Damietta branch, were the Tanitic or Saitic branch of the ancients, now called the canal of Moes, and the Mendesian branch, or canal of Ashmun, both of which enter Lake Menzaleh, a vast salt marsh, 40 m. long, which communicates with the sea by several

It oc

DELPHINO, or DELFINO, a village and port of the island of Scio, on a bay of the E coast. cupies the site of the ancient Delphinium. DELPHIN'S NOSE, a promontory of Hindostan, in the prov. of the Northern circars, to the SE of Vizagapatam, in N lat. 17° 40'.

DELTA (THE), one of the great natural divisions of Egypt, the BAHARI or Maritime district' of the Arabs, stretching along the coast of the Mediterranean, and insulated by the diverging arms of the Nile, which, from its triangular form, and its resemblance in shape to the letter A, received from the Greeks the name of that fourth letter of their alphabet. Near Cairo, the chains which limit the valley of the Nile diverge on both sides; and in front of them a vast plain extends, composed of sands covered with the alluvial deposit of the Nile. At Batael-Bahara the river divides into two branches, the one flowing NW to Rosetta, and the other N by E to Damietta. The figure of the D. is now determined by these two branches; although the cultivated plain known by that name extends considerably beyond, as far as the sandy desert, on each side.

The different bogaz or mouths of the Nile have often changed their position, and are still changing

Between the Damietta and the Rosetta branch, numerous canals, large and small, intersect the country in every direction. Along the sea-coast, and to the E of the Rosetta branch, is another large salt lake or marsh, called Bourlos, communicating with the sea by a narrow outlet; and immediately to the W of the Rosetta branch, a smaller salt marsh, called Lake Etko or Edku, has been formed, which communicates on one side with the Nile, and on the other with Aboukir bay, by a broad deep channel, which corresponds perhaps with the old Canopic mouth. W of Lake Etko is the lake of Aboukir, which likewise communicates with the sea, and is divided from Lake Mareotis to the SW of it by an isthmus, along which passes the canal of Alexandria, which has been restored by Mehemet Ali. The sea was turned into Lake Mareotis by the English troops while in Egypt, as a means of defence against superior numbers, by 4 cuts each 6 yds. in breadth, and about 10 yds. from each other, when the water rushed in with a fall of 6 ft., and continued entering for a month with considerable force [Wilson]. It is said 44 villages, with their fields and gardens, were overwhelmed beneath the water, which is now again excluded by a wall or stone embankment erected by Mehemet Ali.

The greatest breadth of the D., or cultivated plain of Lower Egypt, is about 150 m. from E to W; its length from the bifurcation of the river to the sea is about 90 m. Its alluvial soil is generally about 5 ft.

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deep near the river, but increases gradually at greater distances from it. It rests upon a bed of quartzose sand 36 ft. deep, beneath which is the calcareous rock which forms the basis of this part of Egypt. The interior of the country, which is covered with fields, orchards, and plantations, exhibits different aspects according to the various seasons. The numerous villages and pigeon-houses, interspersed with palms and groves of sant, tamarisks, acacias, and sycamores,the tall minarets, and gardens of orange and bananatrees, which abound in the D. and along each bank of the Nile,-the numerous sails moving to and fro upon the broad surface of the river, the level lightgreen rice-fields, and golden wheat-fields-all seen under the transparence of an African atmosphere, afford an enchanting prospect to the eye, especially when contrasted with the Libyan sands of Alexandria. At the apex of the D., where the river divides itself into its two great branches, the prospect, says M. Champollion, "is magnificent, and the breadth of the Nile enormous. The pyramids tower in the W❘ above a forest of palm-trees,-while a multitude of boats and vessels cross each other on the water in every direction. In the E, the picturesque village of Schoraleh reveals itself in the direction of Heliopolis; and the back of the picture is occupied by Mount Mokattam, whose summit is crowned by the citadel of Cairo, and its base concealed by the numberless minarets of that great capital." The coast of the D. is mostly sandy or low marshy ground. The whole district has not been unappropriately compared to a fan, whose green centre, from the handle to its broad end, is represented by the cultivated ground; and the semicircular border by the successive bands of marsh, sand-hills, and beach; beyond which is the blue expanse of the sea [Wilkinson].

The rise of the Nile occasioned by the periodical rains in Central Africa is first observed in Lower Egypt about the summer-solstice, and it continues to increase till September, when it reaches its highest level. At that time its broad bed is entirely full, and the neighbouring banks are here and there covered with water; but as the water is everywhere restrained by dykes, the communication for foot-passengers and horsemen between the villages and towns is rarely altogether cut off. Should the Nile, however, rise a few feet above its customary elevation, the inundation often sweeps away the mud cottages of the Arabs, drowns the cattle, and involves the whole pop. in ruin; while, should it fall short of the ordinary height, bad crops and dearth are still more certainly the consequences. The inundation having remained stationary for a few days, begins to subside at the end of September; in October cultivation is commenced; and about the end of November all the fields are left dry, and covered with a fresh layer of rich brown slime. The first sowing of grain now takes place, and the crops are reaped as early as February and March. In April, grain crops are sown for the second time, and reaped before the succeeding rise of the river. In the intervening period, the harvest occurs of the grains sown in December and January. After the inundation, the sowing of cotton takes place. This plant is productive the first year; and the harvest begins in the month of July and is continued till winter. The seed is renewed every three years.

The climate of the D. belongs to the type of S. Europe. During our winter-months, which are the spring of Egypt, the D., as well as the valley of the Nile, is clothed with rich verdure, and enamelled with the blossoms of trees and plants. Later in the year the soil becomes parched and dusty; and in April the suffocating khamsin, a periodical and yearly recurring wind, which comes from the S and SE, and

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more rarely from the SW, begins to blow, sweeping along the fine sand, and giving rise to various diseases, probably depending upon an extraordinary accumulation of electricity in the air, until the rising of the river again refreshes the land. Showers are very rare in Egypt, except on the sea-coast, and during the winter-months: it then rains frequently at Alexandria, but only three or four times a-year at Cairo, and almost exclusively after thunder-storms. The nights, however, are always cool, and the dews heavy. In Alexandria, the temp. rarely attains 99°5; the mean temp. is between 70°-2 and 72°5.-The wind generally blows from N, NE, and NW, with a little interruption of E and W winds. It is only in the months of April and May that S winds occur. [Russegger.] The prevalence of N winds more than compensates for the rapidity of the stream in sailing upwards.

It is generally supposed that the D. has been formed, or at least considerably enlarged, by the alluvial soil brought down by the annual inundations of the Nile. This opinion prevailed in the time of Herodotus; and has been strenuously advocated by Savary. According to the early Greek historian, the D. was so low in surface, 500 years before the Trojan war, that 8 cubits' rise of the Nile were sufficient to lay it wholly under water; while in his own day a rise of 15 cubits was required. At this day 18 cubits are necessary to produce a plentiful crop. In the space of 3,200 years, therefore, Savary conceives the D. must have been elevated by the gradual deposits of the river 14 cubits. He likewise argues that the D. has increased proportionately in length as well as elevation; and adduces in proof of this the fact that Metelis, a port founded by the Milesians, at the mouth of the Bolbytinic or Rosetta branch of the Nile, and represented by the Messil of the present day, is now 9 leagues distant from the sea. Yet the advance of the coast does not appear to have been very great, if we may judge from the position of the old towns mentioned by the Greek geographers: on the side of Thamiatis, the old Damietta, the sea has certainly not retired above 2 m.; the sites of Pelusium, Canopus, and other ancient cities, are still in the vicinity of the coast; and at present, it seems ascertained that the coast of the D. does not advance, and that the currents which sweep along the N coast of Africa must prevent any permanent accession of alluvial soil on the Egyptian shore. Bruce, who has discussed this subject at considerable length, remarks, that as the upper country of Egypt is merely a valley bounded by rugged mountains, it is natural to imagine that the Nile would rather wash away the soil of the lower country than add to it. The gradual elevation of the soil of the D., and of the valley of the Nile, has in fact been much exaggerated. It does not appear to have risen above 7 or 8 ft. since the time of the Ptolemies; and the bed of the river has also risen in proportion. The height of the inundation requisite for the irrigation of the land, even making allowance for the difference of measures, appears to be nearly the same as in the time of Herodotus. From his own observations, Bruce infers that 15 cubits are now the minimum of the inundation or rise of the Nile; and this coincides with the accounts given by Herodotus, and long after his time in the days of Hadrian. It is true that the Nile does leave an alluvial deposit; which has in some places accumulated from 6 to 7 ft.; but the bed of the river has been gradually and proportionately raised also by the deposit; and the proportion of water annually brought down by the river has always and ever will be the same,-the only difference being that it now overflows a greater extent of land, and that there is now a larger tract of cultivable soil E