"The Nile," he says "after having flowed to the north from Meroe for the space of 2700 stades, turns to the south and southwest for 3700 stades, entering very far into Lybia, until it arrives in the latitude of Meroe; then making a new turn, it flows to the north for the space of 5300 stades, to the great Cataract, whence inclining a little eastward, it traverses 1200 stades to the small Cataract of Syene, and then 5300 stades to the sea.[Ap. Strab. p.786. The only mode of reconciling these numbers to the truth, is to suppose the three first of them to have been taken with all the windings of the stream, the two last in a direct line, and even then they cannot be very accurate.] The Nile receives two rivers, which descending from certain lakes surround the great island of Meroe. That which flows on the eastern side is called Astaboras, the other is the Astapus, though some say it is the Astasobas," &c. This ambiguity, it is hardly necessary to observe, was caused by the greater magnitude of the Astasobas, or Bahr el Abiad, or White [p.xxiii] River, which caused it to give name to the united stream after its junction with the Astapus, or Bahr el Azrek, or Blue River; and hence Pliny,[Plin. Hist. Nat. l.5,c.9.] in speaking of Meroe, does not say that it was formed by the Astapus, but by the Astasobas. In fact, the Astapus forms the boundary of the island, as it was called, on the S.W. the Astasobas, or united stream, on the N.W. WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE, Acting Secretary of the African Association. ERRATA. [Not included] CONTENTS. Journal of a Tour from Damascus, in the Countries of the Libanus and Anti-Libanus ...................................page 1 Journal of an Excursion into the Haouran, in the Autumn and Winter of 1810,.................................................51 Journal of a Tour from Aleppo to Damascus, through the Valley of the Orontes and Mount Libanus, in February and March, 1812...........................................................121 Journal of a Tour from Damascus into the Haouran, and the Mountains to the E. and S.E. of the Lake of Tiberias, in the Months of April and May, 1812..................................211 Description of a Journey from Damascus through the Mountains of Arabia Petraea and Desert el Ty, to Cairo, in the Summer of 1812........................................................311 Journal of a Tour in the Peninsula of Mount Sinai, in the Spring of 1816........................................................457 APPENDIX. No. I. An Account of the Ryhanlu Turkmans.......................633 No. II. On the Political Division of Syria, and the recent changes in the Government of Aleppo............................648 No. III. The Hadj Route from Damascus to Mekka....................656 No. IV. Description of the Route from Boszra in the Haouran, to Djebel Shammor..............................................662