From the long neglected state of this singular place, added to the changes arising from the great river pass in Lower Egypt over a vast level plain, and the con stant operation of the sea and west winds on its coast, the ancient features must have been in general oblite rated, and others formerly unknown have made their appearance. Formerly, the waters of the Nile were discharged into the sea by seven mouths, viz. 1st, The Pelusiac, or Bubastic; 2d, Temitic, or Saitic ; 3d, Men descan, or Dylich ; 4th, Phanitic, ur Bucolic, (near Da mietta ;) 5th, Sebenitic, or Bourlas ; 6th, Bolbetine, (Ro setta ;) 7th, Canopus, or Aboukir. At present there are only two mouths, viz. Rosetta and Damietta. The shore of the Delta consists of a succession of shallow lakes, funned apparently by the westerly winds acting upon the sands, when kept in motion by the inundations.
The lake Mareotis, to the south of Alexandria, is con nected with the hake Aboukir hy a cut 120 yards wide, made by the English in 1801. This latter commuNi cates with the bay of Abotikir by the ancient Canopic mouth, about 300 yards wide, and 7 feet deep. To the eastward is lake Etko, with an entrance from the sea about 200 yards wide, and from 6 to 10 feet deep, and front 21 to 7 within the entrance. The Rosetta mouth has frofn 10 to 3i feet. Up to Rosetta the bar is not passable one clay in four. This branch, when confined within its banks, is not quite half a mile wide: the banks are from 4 to 5 feet high at low water. To the eastward of Rosetta, the lake Boorlas is entered by thc ancient Sebenitic mouth, with 7 feet water. It has at all seasons a communication with the interior by the canals Tabane, Gemassac, and Harinen. The Damietta branch is, during the low state of the river, still more imper fect than that or Rosetta. The great lake NIenzalech extends from near the eastern batiks of the Damietta branch to that of the ancient Pelusiac, and occupies that of the AIendesian ancl Tanitic. Its greatest length front cast to west is 52 miles; its smallest breadth is IC', miles. It communicates with the sea by the ancient Tanitic ancl Mendesian branches. The last has 7 feet water. During four months of high water, small ves sels pass along the lake to Damietta; at other seasons they discharge at Dybeh. The Tanitic mouth has 6 feet water. It is nnly navigable 60 clays of the Nile's increase. Besides these, another entrance, called False 111outh, has been formed, but the appio telt is intricate. The canal of Maez, or Moses, enters this great lake to 1;12 se!.:th-east of the isles cf :`,Iatheych, near the ancient Pancphysis. This canal proceeds from the upper pal t of the Damietta branch of the Nile, where it is about 328 yards in breadth. The canal is 164 yards; the depth for six leagues is about 16 feet. After passing. Fournigheh, it contracts to 65 yards; the depth remains the sante front Samnah to the lake. It is from 65 to 131 yards in breadth, and from 10 to 13 feet in depth. Dur ing nine months, the water of the Nile flows into the lake. For the latter three months it reflows towards the country. At full height of the river the largest vessels of the interior have a free navigation ; and for the latter part of the season, vessels navigating the lake can make a passage to Cairo in five days.
There are numerous other canals or channels in the eastern side of the Damietta branch; also between it and the Rosetta branch they are in general very imper fect. The Tabane is said to be 90 yards wide, and 7 feet deep, but in dry seasons 21 feet only. The canal of Mahadic, Ivhich falls into the 13oorlas canal, is said to be 30 yards wide at high waters of the Nile, and from 4 to 5 feet deep.
Between the Rosetta Nile and Alexandria, the whole shore is occupied by lakes Etho and Aboukir. The latter was formed in 1760 by the breaking of a wall. It now approaches so near the lake lareotis, as scarcely to leave room for the canal of Alexandria. This cele brated canal leaves the Rosetta Nile near Rharneneh. It passes a little south of Demanhour, (the ancient Her mopolis Parva,) and from thence by the north-east shore of the lake Marcotis to Alexandria. A little west of Rhamcnch, a branch passes off to the north-west, as does another between that place and Demanhour. Near the eastern extremity of Mareotis, a branch communi cates with that lake. From the memoir of the French engineers Lanoret and Chabrol, C learn, that in ap proaching Rhameneh, the Rosetta Nile separates into two branches, forming. a chain of isles. The eastern at m is most considerable, and remains always navigable; the other has been filled up about 12 years ago, so that it remains clry about 9 months in the year. About 1312 yards below Rhameneh the canal of Alexandria cam mences. The watet s enter by the two months, elevated about 9 feet above the lowest waters of the river, and distant about 656 yards from each other. The lowest is the most ancient. It has been abandoned, because the successive repairs had raised the ba.nks so much, that the sails of the barks could not receive the wind. At the commencement the new blanch is only 191 feet in width. It afterwards, at the riilage of Lemedis, has hie] eased to about 55 yards in breadth, and continues so for 21 leagues. The banks are here raised about 13 feet abose the bottom, and 10 feet above the surface of the ground. This part bears the marks of great antiquity. There are the remains of a w hal f and basin. It was here all the productions of the province of Bakhiroli were col lected ancl shipped lur the city. of Alexandria. For two leagues mote there is nothing worth notice. From Ga bel the canal for four leagues is 221 yards of mean breadth, and very tegular. At Leloha it is nearly of the same breadth ; but the adjacent plain lowers by de grees, until the bottom of the canal is in the same le el, and even above it; it again falls under the surface half a league before it reaches Alexandria. After vi siting Leloha, the canal widens. For half a league it has from 109 to 273 yards in breadth. The banks are scarcely elevated 61 feet, and so imperfect, that the water filtrates through them. Near Betla the canal is only 55 yards in breadth. The banks are 23 feet high, ancl covered with loose sand, which threatens to fill it up. At this place the canal is at a mean distancc of 109 yards from the lake Aboukir. It afterwards ap proaches the western extremity of the lake, and is only separated by a stone Ivan about 20 feet in thickness. Another wall of 55 yards forms a dyke on the side of the plain.