The shores, and many of the islands
we passed to-day, were such as we should have contemplated with greater
pleasure, if we could have employed our eyes and thoughts upon any thing
beside the perils by which we were environed. They are fertile, verdant,
and in many places truly picturesque.

We put to shore this day, as said before, about an hour before sunset.
When we disembarked, we found ourselves upon a large and beautiful
island, almost covered with trees of various kinds. The view from this
island ranges over an immense green plain, bounded only by the horizon,
and presents a great river winding in several branches through islands
and shores composed of as fine a soil as any in the world, and covered
with trees, among which the date tree bore a small proportion. Dongola,
we were told, was but a few hours distant from this place.

21st of Safa. At sunrise, quitted the land and proceeded up the river,
which we found very wide and shallow. Its middle was occupied by an
almost continual range of islands, in my opinion without superior in any
river whatever.[16] The country bounding the river is a beautiful plain,
as far as the eye can reach, as fertile as land can be, and covered with
a great variety of trees, plants, and fields of corn. We sailed on with
a fair wind till within half an hour of sunset, without coming in sight
of Dongola. This, after the information we had received yesterday,
somewhat disappointed us, but we consoled ourselves by observing the
islands and shores we were passing, comparable to which, in point of
luxuriant fertility, Egypt itself cannot show. The whole country is
absolutely overwhelmed with the products of the very rich soil of which
it consists.

22d of Safa. Quitted the land at an early hour and proceeded up the
river, in hourly expectation of coming in view of Dongola, which we had
been given to understand was a considerable town. After sailing with a
good wind till the middle of the afternoon, without seeing any thing but
a very fertile country, resembling that we passed yesterday, the people
on shore, on our landing and demanding whereabouts Dongola was, informed
us that we were in Dongola, meaning the country so called. On our asking
where was the city or town of Dongola, they pointed to a large village
in the distance on the west bank of the river, and told us that village
was called "New Dongola," and that Old Dongola was farther up the river.
They informed us that the Pasha ha