Q. What are the lakes?

A. Menzala, E. of the Nile, is 60 miles long and 12 broad. Lake Berelos, in the Delta and near the coast, is 32 miles by ten.

Q. What are the trees of Egypt ?

A. The fig, date, orange, lemon, olive, pomegranate, banana, apricot, peach, almond, and pistachio nut. The cotton tree and sugar-cane ought also to be mentioned.

Q. What are the animals?

A. The horse, ass, mule, fawn coloured cattle, buffalo, dogs, cats, sheep and goats, the tyger, jackal, antelope, deer, fox, and hare; the crocodile and the ichneumon; cameleons, scorpions, and insects without number.

Q. What are the minerals?

A. Marble, phorphyry, granite, and the Egyptian pebble. Q. What is the population?

A. It is estimated at 3,500,000.

Q. How is the population distributed?

A. Into the Copts chiefly in the Said; the Arabs; the Turks; the Mamelukes; the Jews; and the Berebbers in the upper part of the Said and in Nubia.

Q. What is the religion?

A. Most of the inhabitants are Mahometans. The Copts are Monophysite Christians, and have a patriarch at Cairo. It is doubted whether all the Berebbers of Africa both of Egypt and Barbary are not Pagans.

Q. What is the government?

A. It is in the hands of the Mamelukes, who are natives of Georgia and Circassia, and sold as slaves in Egypt. The Bedouin Arabs are divided into tribes, each having its own

shekh.

Q. What is the military force?

A. It should be about 20,000 infantry, and 12,000 cavalry, Q. What is the revenue?

A. About 2,000,000l. sterling.

Q. What is the appearance of the natives?

A. The Turks and Moors are swarthy. The Mamelukes incline to yellow and have flaxen hair. The Copts are of a dusky brown. The Arabs are of a very deep tawny. The Berebbers are of a shining jet black, with sharp noses, deep sparkling eyes, small lips and remarkably spare persons. Q. What are the languages?

A. The modern Arabic is spoken by the Arabs, Copts, Jews, Turks, and Mamelukes. The Berebbers have a peculiar language. The Copts use the ancient Coptic in their religious services. The Turks also speak Turkish.

Q. What are the manners and customs?

ence.

A. The Copts of the Said are husbandmen. Those of Cairo and the cities are writers. The Turks are artisans, priests, and military officers; are not numerous; and have no influThe Saracenic Arabs are husbandmen and artists. The Mograbian Arabs are in the Said, and are artisans, and husbandmen. The Bedouins live in tents, and are mere marauders. The Mamelukes are soldiers. The Jews are merchants and manufacturers.

Q. What are the cities?

A. Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, and Rosetta.

Q. Describe Cairo ?

A. It is on the east side of the Nile, a mile from its bank, and 10 from the Delta, and is 9 in circumference. The streets are crooked and narrow, and the houses of earth and brick. The population is 300,000. The body of the people are Saracenic Arabs. About 12,000 are Mamelukes. The com. merce is very extensive. Boulac, a large suburb of Cairo, is on the river's bank.

Q. Describe Alexandria?

A. It is 12 miles W. of the W. branch of the Nile, is on the shore, and is 6 miles in circuit.

Q. Describe Damietta?

A. It is on the E. bank of the E. branch of the Nile, 2 miles from its mouth; is healthy and well built; and has 80,000 inhabitants.

Q. Describe Rosetta?

A. It is on the W. bank of the W. branch of the Nile, 6 miles from its mouth; and is 3 miles long and 1 wide. It is well built, and has an extensive trade.

Q. What are the other towns?

A. Cosseir on the Red Sea, Siut, Girgeh, and Syene.
Q. What is the commerce?

A. From the cities on the Mediterranean, are exported drugs, linseed, linens, flax, sugar, grain, fruits, coffee, spices, hides, and precious stones. The imports are cloths, hardware, gun-powder, arms, wines, silks, paper, money, mirrors, and china-ware. Caravans go from Cairo to Marocco, to Mecca, to Damascus, to Sennaar, to Abyssinia and to Fezzan.

OF NUBIA.

Q. What is the situation of Nubia?

A. Nubia is a country of indefinite extent, lying S. of Egypt and N. of Abyssinia. The Red Sea, is its eastern boundary and the desert its western.

Q. What are the divisions

A. From the tropic in 23° 30' as far S. as Goos, in lat. 18* the Nile flows through a mere desert. This desert westward is a part of the Saharra; eastward, it reaches to the Red Sea. From Goos, southward as far as Abyssinia, is the Country of Sennaar.

Q. What is the climate?

A. It is neither pleasant nor healthy. The thermometer often rises to 120.

Q. What is the soil?

A. The country in Sennaar appears in the dry season a barren waste. In August and September it is every where verdant. Millet, wheat and rice are cultivated.

Q. What are the rivers?

A. The two great branches of the Nile, the Asrek or White fiver from the east, and the Abiad or Black river from the W. unite in 15° 45' N. lat. The latter is supposed to be the Niger. It is much the largest branch. is a large tributary from Abyssinia.

Q. What is the population?

The Atbara

A. The number of inhabitants is unknown. They are of three classes: the Berebbers, the Arabs, and the Shillooks. The Berebbers are the aborigines, and live in villages along the banks of the Nile. The Arabs live chiefly in tents; some of them also in towns, as at Gerri and Herbagi. The Shillooks are the ruling nation, and came in 1504 from the bank's of the Abiad or Black river, and subdued the country. Q. What is the religion?

A. All the inhabitants are Mahometans.

Q. What is the government?

A. The king of Sennaar is monarch of the whole country, and has absolute power. The kingly office is hereditary. The Arabs are divided into 10 tribes, all subject to a prince called the Welled Ageeb, who is a descendant of Mahomet. He is tributary to the king of Sennaar.

Q. What is the military strength?

A. The king of Sennaar has 14,000 infantry, armed with javelins and shields; and 1800 cavalry.

Q. What is the revenue?

A. It is paid in gold, and probably exceeds L.2,500,000 sterling: That of the Welled Ageeb is also very considerable. Q. Describe the inhabitants ?

A. The Arabs are of a light copper complexion. The Berebbers and Shillooks are black.

Q. What are the towns?

A. Sennaar is on the W. bank of the Nile, in lat. 13° 35', and covers considerable ground, El-Aice on the Abiad is

the capital of the Shillook country in lat. 13° 30'. Herbagi, on the W. bank of the Nile in lat. 14° 39' is the residence of the Welled Ageeb. Suakem is a port on the Red Sea.

Q. Is there any commerce?

A. A small caravan goes yearly from Goos to Suakem, and the Arabs carry ivory to Abyssinia.

OF ABYSSINIA.

Q. What is the situation and extent of Abyssinia ?

A. The S. W. limit is in lat. 7o N.; the Ñ. E. on the Red Sea in lat. 16° N. It is between 35° and 44° E. Its length from E. to W. is 560 miles; and its breadth from N. to S. 420.

Q. What are the boundaries?

A. Nubia is on the N.; the Red Sea E.; Adel, on the S. E.; and the Nile W.

Q. What are the divisions?

A. The country is divided into 12 provinces.

Q. What is the climate ?

A. There are two rainy seasons. The hill country is ge nerally healthy.

Q. What is the face of the country?

A. The middle and south is rugged and mountainous. The north is chiefly a flat country.

Q. What is the soil?

A. It is thin, but rendered very productive by the rains. Barley, fitches and wheat are cultivated.

Q. What are the rivers?

A. The Asrek or E. branch of the Nile rises in lat. 11.The Atbava, a tributary of the Nile, runs about 800 miles. Q. What lakes are there in Abyssinia ?

A. Lake Dembea, S. W. of Gondar, is 50 miles long and 35 broad. The Asrek or Nile passes through it.

Q. What are the mountains?

A. A chain of mountains runs along the coast of the Red Sea the whole distance from Suez to Babelmandel. In lat. 13° a spur pushes westward and crosses the Nile at its cataracts in 119 35'. The mountains in the S..are part of the Jibbel Kumra, or mountains of the moon.

Q. What is the population?

A. It is estimated at 3,000,000.

Q. What is the religion?

A. Professedly Christian. The patriarch is styled the Abuna, and always comes from Egypt. It is a very corrupt branch of the Greek church. The clergy are numerous and

very licentious. Few countries have as many churches. Q. What is the government?

A. An absolute hereditary monarchy. The Abyssinians believe their reigning family to be descended from Solomon by the queen of Sheba. Formerly all the blood royal except the reigning monarch were imprisoned in the high mountain of Geshen in Amhara.

Q. What is the military strength?

A. In peace 20,000; and in war 40,000. The country is almost always distracted by civil wars.

Q. What is the revenue?

A. It is paid partly in gold and partly in produce.
Q. What is the dress?

A. A pair of breeches, a long wrapper of cotton cloth round the body, and a girdle.

Q. What are their marriages?

A. The husband receives a dowry with the wife, and is obliged to give security to refund the goods if they separate. Marriage is dissolved by the dissent of either party. Nothing like personal purity is known.

Q. What is the manner of living?

A. The houses are of clay with thatched conical roofs.Cakes of unleavened bread and raw flesh are the chief articles of food. Their feasts always terminate in riot and debauche

ry.

Q. What is the capital?

A. Gondar. It is in lat. 12. 34 and long. 37. 33! on a hill of considerable height. It contains 10,000 houses and 50,000 inhabitants.

Q. What are the other towns ?

A. Axum the ancient capital, 140 miles N. E. from Gondar and 120 from the coast, has 600 houses. Masuah and Arkeeko are seaports.

Q. What is the commerce?

A. Gold, ivory, slaves, elephants and buffaloes' hides are exported. The imports from Arabia are blue cottons, Surat eloths, beads, cotton, mirrors, glass and antimony. A caravan goes yearly to Cairo.

OF THE EASTERN COAST OF AFRICA. Q. What country lies S. E. of Africa ? A. Adel. It reaches from the Straits of Babelmandel E. and S. to Magadoxo in about 5° N. The country is populous and productive. The people are of a deep tawny. Adel the capital is in lat. 8° 5' and long. 44° 20' on the Hawash, a large riyer emptying a little E. of the Straits.