The Carthaginians, struck with terror, dared not land, but made all sail along these shores, and came to another region, which filled them with no less astonishment. The continent appeared to be all in a blaze ; torrents of fire rushed into the sea; and when they attempted to land, the soil was too hot for the foot to tread upon. One object in particular surprised them, appearing at night to be a huge fire mingling with the stars, but in the day-time it proved to be a mountain of prodigious height, to which they gave the name of the Chariot of the Gods. After continuing their voyage three days longer, they lost sight of these fiery torrents, and entered another bay, where, on an island, they found inhabitants covered all over with shaggy hair like satyrs. To these monsters they gave the name of Gorilla. The males evaded all pursuit, as they climbed precipices, and threw stones at their pursuers; but three females were caught, and their skins were carried to Carthage. Here the narrative closes, by saying that the further progress of the expedition was arrested by the want of provisions.

No voyage of discovery has afforded more ample room than this for the speculations of learned geographers. Many of the circumstances in the narrative, which at first wore a marvellous aspect, have been found to correspond with the observations of modern travellers. The fires and nocturnal music represent the habits prevalent in all the negro countries, pose during the heat of the day, and music and dancing prolonged through the night. The flames, which seemed to sweep over an expanse of territory, might be occasioned by the practice, equally general, of set

re

ting fire, at a certain season of the year, to the grass and shrubs; and the Gorilla were evidently that remarkable species of ape to which we give the name of chimpansé. Much difference of opinion prevails as to the extent of the coast traversed; some writers contending that the voyage did not extend south of the limits of Morocco; and others that it reached beyond Sierra Leone.

It does not appear that the Greeks and Romans ever navigated much along the western coast of Africa. The trade in this quarter was carried on chiefly by the Phoenicians. Ivory was so abundant that the natives made it into cups, and ornaments for themselves and their horses. The Phoenicians carried thither Athenian cloths, Egyptian unguents, and various domestic utensils. It was generally believed that the coast turned off to the east, from a point just beyond the limit of the Carthaginian discoveries, in a direct line towards Egypt, and that Africa thus formed a peninsula, of which the greatest length was from east to west. Curiosity and commerce also attracted the attention of the ancients toward the eastern coast of Africa. As early as the time of Solomon, voyages were made down the Red Sea to regions farther south; but whether the Ophir of the sacred Scriptures was in Africa, Arabia, or India, cannot be determined. All knowledge of these voyages became lost, and in the time of Alexander, navigation did not extend in that quarter beyond Cape Guardafui.

21

ANCIENT EGYPT.

EGYPT, one of the most celebrated spots on the face of the globe, occupies the northeastern corner of Africa, and lies between the Mediterranean Sea on the north, and Nubia on the south; and between the Red Sea on the east, and the deserts on the west. It is about 600 miles long, and 350 broad, and has an area of 186,000 square miles. It is a fertile valley, and its most remarkable feature is the Nile, which runs its whole length, from south to north, emptying itself into the Mediterranean Sea. This region has now a population of 2,500,000, scarcely exceeding that of New England. Its government is a stern despotism; though the present ruler, Mehemet Ali, has done something toward improving the condition of the kingdom in a political point of view, he has not greatly enlarged the liberties of the people.

It is chiefly in respect to its history, that Egypt excites our interest. It has been the theatre upon which some of the most interesting events in the annals of mankind have occurred. It is near the valley of the Euphrates, in which the descendants of Noah settled, and thence soon spread themselves over it. A few

centuries after the Deluge, it was the seat of a great empire, and became the centre of knowledge and civilization. Here schools of learning were established, men of profound science flourished, kings and princes built vast cities, made artificial lakes, constructed canals, erected temples of mighty magnificence, caused vast chambers, as depositories of the dead, to be cut in the solid rock, and raised mighty pyramids, which still defy the crumbling effect of time.

Thus, while America was unknown, while Europe was stagnating with bogs, or shrouded by impenetrable forests, Egypt was taking the lead in arts and knowledge. Here, 3,000 years ago, Homer and the master spirits of that age went to acquire learning, as do the scholars of our time to Oxford or Cambridge; here, 3,400 years ago, Moses was educated in a superior manner, and thus qualified to undertake the deliverance of the children of Israel, and the founding of their civil and religious code. Since this period, Egypt has experienced every vicissitude of fortune, though it seems, in all ages, to have been the tempting object of the spoiler. Cambyses, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Cæsar, Omar, and Napoleon have each in turn seized upon it, and made it the prey of their ambition. And, although it was in early ages the lamp of the globe, it has long been, itself, involved in the darkness of despotism and ignorance. In modern times, it has attracted the attention of the learned world, on account of its antiquities, and through the exertions of intelligent travellers, its hidden revelations have been disclosed to the admiring gaze of mankind. Of these we shall give a particular account in the succeeding pages.