Bankes, &c. To this latter gentleman, however, geography is also indebted
for important additions to its limits; or, rather, for having illustrated
ancient geography. He penetrated, as we have already mentioned, as far as
the second cataract: he visited some of the most celebrated scenes in
Arabia, and made an excursion to Waadi Mooza, or the Valley of Moses. He
also visited Carrac; but the most important discovery of this gentleman
relates to the site of the ancient Petraea, which was also visited by
Burckhardt. Onr readers will recollect that this city has been particularly
noticed in our digression on the early commerce of the Arabians, as the
common centre for the caravans in all ages; and that we traced its ancient
history as far down as there were any notices of it. Its ruins Mr. Bankes
discovered in those of Waadi Mooza, a village in the valley of the same
name.
Since Mr. Burckhardt travelled, geographical discoveries have been made in
this part of the world by Messrs. Ritchie and Lyon, Lord Belmore and Dr.
Richardson, Messrs. Waddington and Hanbury, Messrs. Caillaud and Drovetti,
Sir Archibald Edmonstone, Sir Frederick Henniker, and by an American of the
name of English. The travels of Messrs. Ritchie and Lyon were confined to
Fezzan, and are chiefly curious for the notices they give, derived from
native merchants, of the course of the Niger, By means of the travels of
Lord Belmore and Dr.
Pages:
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833