Its site was
on a deep and secure bay, formed by the shore on the one side, and the
island of Pharos on the other; in this bay numerous fleets might lie in
perfect safety, protected from the winds and waves. The form in which the
city was built was that of a Macedonian chlamys, or cloak; the two ports,
one of which only was built by Alexander, though both (as has been already
observed) were projected by him, were formed and divided from each other by
a moat a mile long, which stretched from the isle of Pharos to the
continent: that harbour which lay to the north was called the Great
Harbour, and the other, to the west, was called Eunostus, or the Safe
Return. In order to secure the vessels from the storms of the
Mediterranean, even more effectually than they could be by the natural
advantages of these harbours, the piers on each side were bent like a bar,
so that only a small space was left for the entrance of vessels.
The successors of Alexander in the Egyptian empire followed his example, in
nourishing commerce and improving Alexandria. Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, as
soon as he took possession of Egypt, established the seat of government
there, and succeeded, partly by harsh and despotic measures, and partly by
offering great advantages, and by his just and humane character, to draw
thither a great number of inhabitants.
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