eastern branch of the Nile, in order to complete a water-communication between India and Alexandria.  This canal, however, was never completed; probably on account of the tedious and difficult navigation towards the northern extremity of the Red Sea.  He therefore altered his plan, and instead of Arsinoe fixed on Myos Hormos, as the port from which the navigation to India should commence.  The same reason which induced him to form this port; led him afterwards to the establishment of Berenice; he was farther led to this, as Berenice was lower down in the Red Sea, and consequently ships sailing from it reached the ocean sooner and with less difficulty.  It appears, however, that till the Romans conquered Egypt, the greatest portion of the trade between Alexandria and [Egypt->India] was carried on through Myos Hormos.  The route in the time of Ptolemy and his successors was as follows:  vessels passed up the Canopic branch of the Nile to Memphis, and thence to Coptus; from Coptus the goods were transported in caravans to Myos Hormos:  from this port the vessels sailed for Africa, or Arabia in the month of September, and for India in July.  As the country over which the caravans travelled was the desart of Thebais, which is almost destitute of water, Ptolemy ordered springs to be searched for, wells to be dug, and caravanseras to be erected.

In order to protect his merchant ships in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, he fitted out two great fleets, one of which he constantly kept in each sea.  That in the Mediterranean was very numerous, and had several ships of an extraordinary size:  two of them in particular had 30 oars on a side, one 20, four 14, two 12, fourteen 11, thirty 9, &c., besides a great number of vessels of four oars and three oars on a side.  With these fleets he protected the commerce of his subjects, and kept in subjection most of the maritime provinces of Asia Minor; viz.  Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria.  The names of some of the most celebrated geographers who were patronized by this monarch, have been handed down to us:  Pliny mentions Dalion, Bion, Boselis, and Aristocreon, as having visited Ethiopia, and contributed to the geographical knowledge of that country; and Simonides as having resided five years at Meroe.  Timosthenes lived in this reign:  he published a description of the known sea-ports, and a work on the measure of the earth.  He sailed down the coast of Africa, probably as far as Madagascar, certainly lower down than the Egyptians traded under the Ptolemies, or even under the Romans.

The reign of Ptolemy Euergetes was equally distinguished, with, those of his predecessors, by attention to commerce, and a desire to extend it.  As the navigation of the Red Sea had now become a source of great wealth to his subjects, he deemed it necessary to free it as much as possible from the pirates that infested it’s coasts; for this purpose, as well as to preserve a communication between Egypt and the countries