ROSETTO, or ROSETTA, a town of Africa, in Egypt, is pleasantly situated on the west side of that branch of the Nile called by the ancients Bolbuinum, affirmed by Herodotus to have been formed by art; the town and castle being on the right hand as you enter that river. Any one that sees the hills about Rosetto would judge that they had been the ancient barriers of the sea, and conclude that the sea has not lost more ground than the space between the hills and the water.
Rosetto is esteemed one of the pleasantest places in Egypt; it is about two miles long, and consists only of two or three streets. The country about it is most delightful and fertile, as is the whole Delta on the other side of the Nile, exhibiting the most pleasant prospect of gardens, orchards, and corn-fields, excellently cultivated. The castle stands about two miles north of the town, on the west side of the river. It is a square building, with round towers at the four corners, mounted with some pieces of brass cannon. The walls are of brick, cased with stone, supposed to have been built in the time of the holy war, though since repaired by Cheyk Begh. At a little distance lower, on the other side of the river, is a platform, mounted with some guns, and to the east of it are the salt lakes, from which great quantities of that commodity are gathered. At some farther distance, sailing up the river, we see a high mountain, on which stands an old building that serves for a watch-tower. From this eminence is discovered a large and deep gulf, in form of a crescent, which appears to have been the work of art, though it be now filled up, and discovers nothing but its ancient bed. Rosetto is a considerable place for commerce, and hath some good manufactures in the linen and cotton way; but its chief business is the carriage of goods to Cairo, all the European merchandise being brought thither from Alexandria by sea, and carried in other boats to that capital; as those that are brought down from it on the Nile are there shipped off for Alexandria; on which account the Europeans
ropeans have here their vice-consuls and factors to transact their business; and the government maintains a beigh, a customhouse, and a garrison, to keep all safe and quiet.
In the country to the north of Rosetto are delightful gardens, full of orange, lemon, and citron trees, and almost all sorts of fruits, with a variety of groves of palm-trees; and when the fields are green with rice, it adds greatly to the beauty of the country. It is about 25 miles north-east of Alexandria, and 100 north-west of Cairo. E. Long. 30. 45. N. Lat. 31. 30.