TERANE, a town in Egypt, situated on what Mr Browne calls the left of the most western mouth of the Nile, at a very small distance from the river. Its latitude is 30° 24'. The buildings are chiefly unburnt brick, though there are also some of stone. The town and district, containing several villages, belonged, before the French invasion, to Murad Bey, who usually entrusted its government, and the collection of its revenue, to one of his Cashiers. That revenue arises principally from natrôn (See NATRUM, Encycl.), found in
in great quantities in certain lakes about thirty-five miles from Terané; and it is on account of these lakes only that the town is worthy of notice in this work; for though there are many columns in its neighbourhood, which indicate the site of ancient structures, none of them have inscriptions ascertaining their antiquity.
The eastern extremity of the most western lake Mr Browne found to be North. No vegetation appears, except reeds, on the margin of the lake, which is very irregular in its form; so that it is not easy to say what may be the quantity of ground covered with water. It is higher in winter than in summer; and when it was visited by our author, its breadth did not exceed a mile, though its length was nearly four. Towards the end of the summer, it is said, these lakes are almost dry; and the space that the water has retired from is then occupied by a thick deposition of salt. Not far removed from the eastern extremity, a spring rises with some force, which much agitates the rest of the water. Close to that spring the depth was far greater than Mr Browne's height; in other parts it was observable that it did not generally exceed three feet. The thermometer near this spring stood at 76, while in the open air it was 87. The more western lake differs not materially from the eastern in size, form, or productions. The colour of the water in both is an imperfect red; and where the bottom is visible, it appears almost as if covered with blood. Salt, to the thickness of five or six inches, lies constantly in the more shallow parts. The surface of the earth, near the lake, partakes more or less generally of the character of natron, and, in the parts farthest removed, offers to the foot the slight resistance of ploughed ground after a slight frost. The soil is coarse sand. The water of the lake, on the slightest evaporation, immediately deposits salt. There is a mountain not far from the lakes, where natron is found in inflated bodies, near the surface, of a much lighter colour than that produced in the lake, and containing a greater portion of alkali. How thick the substance of natron commonly is in the lake, our author did not accurately determine; but those employed to collect it report, that it never exceeds a cubit, or common pike; but it appears to be regenerated as it is carried away. If ever it should be brought to superfede the use of barilla, the quantity obtainable seems likely to answer every possible demand.