and thus are the rays of these great minds reflected. But Arnaud truly is an all-comprehensive genius! After he has spoken a little about the way to make money, &c., it pleases him to fall into a kind of somnambulism, which will be attributed subsequently to feverish delirium—talks some hodgepodge about constellations and declining spheres, which he means, however, to put in order, and then all at once turns the conversation from stars to his property in the moon, or to a royal princess, whose favours he has refused—all in most beautiful harmony with what he tries, at other times, to impose on the world. During all this scene Sabatier sits in his cabin, and is nearly bursting with laughter. “_Relata refero_.” We navigate part of to-day with a good wind, and may, therefore, easily reach the Nile. The more I ascend the Sobàt, the more I am convinced how the shore and land fall away towards the Nile; and yet the former appeared to me high at first, without, however, being much higher; but then we came from the Nile, which is shoreless. The Sobàt on the tract navigated by us is like the shore of the Nile near Kàhira, and the more ancient high shores in Nubia. The greater gradation of its shores at a distance indicate a chain of mountains in the neighbourhood, or an unusually strong falling away of the slope in the highlands, which is certainly not far distant. That the Sobàt should still retain its old channel when on the point of discharging itself into the Nile, as it seems to do at the upper part, is very improbable, because I saw to-day from the deck merely a gohr on its left side, at the end of the forest above, and perhaps flowing into it as usual at high water. Moreover, the alluvial soil at the lower end of the Sobàt was contrary to the nature of such soft deposits, and very certainly belonged to that which I have considered a Nile lake, the reach of which might always elevate the Sobàt sufficiently high. The undulating ground extending from the river, and running parallel to it, displays still furrows caused by the marshes having ebbed away, and the Sobàt, rushing over it afterwards, flowed without opposition wherever it liked, and might even have separated into several arms. _27th March._—Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the mouth of the Sobàt, and remain here to-day to make observations; but if the strong north wind do not change, we shall not be able to advance. Yesterday evening another man was carried dead from our vessel, who would not eat, and drank nothing but water from the Sobàt. A species of marsh hyacinth, having scent, was found by Thibaut. It has little bulbs, but spreads and increases by shoots from the root. Arnaud, who is never at a loss for a name, declares that a beautiful water-bird, with perfect web feet, which we remark, is the Phœnix.