D'Athanasi, Giovanni; Salt, Henry [Editor]: A brief account of the researches and discoveries in Upper Egypt: To which is added a detailed catalogue of Mr. Salts collection of Egyptian antiquities (London, 1836)

94

VICEROY OF EGYPT.

deeper sunk in its bed, however, a higher rise
would be required to enable it to overflow its
banks in this way, and the altitude actually
marked upon the Nilometer in question appears
to have been amply sufficient to account for the
devastating flood which, as I imagine, caused the
destruction of the ancient city in question, and the
accumulation of soil to the depth of sixteen feet.

At the time when the Viceroy of Egypt had
determined upon opening a canal from Libya,
from the first cataract, to Alexandria, as a provi-
sion in case of drought, to inundate the soil
of Egypt, he dispatched an ingenious Frenchman
named Lignon into Upper Egypt, for the purpose
of examining the differences in the inclination and
in the deposits of the Nile in each province, in
order to form a just idea of the position of Upper
and Lower Egypt before opening the canal. On
arriving at Gebel Silsili, where the ancient Egyp-
tians used to hew the stones with which they built
the temples of Egypt, Mr. Lignon commenced his
observations from this spot, and the result of his
calculations was, that he found a difference of six-
teen feet, such as I have already spoken of.

An Italian traveller also, Count Carlo Crotti,
from Milan, is of the same opinion. I only men-

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