or Siwah, a town in Egypt to the westward of Alexandria, built on a small fertile spot, surrounded on all sides by desert land. A considerable portion of this space is filled with date trees, but there are also plantains, pomegranates, figs, apricots, and olives; and the gardens are in a very flourishing condition. The people cultivate rice, which is of a reddish colour, and different from that of the delta. The rest of the land furnishes abundance of wheat for the consumption of the inhabitants.

The greatest curiosity about Siwa is a ruin of undoubted antiquity, measuring 32 feet in length, 18 in height, and 15 in breadth, which does not appear ever to have been much larger. Mr Horneman estimates the dimensions of it at 36 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 27 high, which agrees with no other traveller whatever; and indeed Mr Horneman himself allows that the jealousy of the natives prevented him from pursuing any plan of accurate examination or admeasurement. The people of Siwa have no tradition respecting this edifice, nor attribute any quality to it, but that of concealing treasures, and as the haunt of demons. It has, however, been supposed, that Siwa is the *Sirocum* of Pliny, and that this building was coeval with the temple of Jupiter Ammon, and a dependency on it; yet neither the natives of Siwa, nor the various tribes of Arabs who frequent that place, know any thing of the ruins of that temple, about which Mr Browne made every possible enquiry.

The complexion of the people of Siwa is generally darker than that of the Egyptians, and their dialect is also different. They do not habitually make use of snuff or tobacco. Their feet is that of Malik. The dress of the lower clas is very simple, as they are almost naked; among those whose costume was discernible, it approaches nearer to that of the Arabs of the desert than the Egyptians or Moors. Their clothing consists of a shirt of white cotton, with large sleeves reaching to the feet, a red cap without a turban, and shoes of the same colour. Some earthen ware made by themselves, and a few mats, form the chief part of their household furniture, none but the higher ranks being possessed of copper utensils. They sometimes purchase a few slaves from the Mourzouk caravan. The rest of their wants are supplied from Cairo or Alexandria, whither their dates are transported, both in a dry state, and beaten into maff, which, when good, greatly resembles a sweet meat. They do not eat large quantities of animal food, and bread known to us is uncommon. They drink plentifully of the liquor extracted from the date tree, which they call date-tree water, though it has frequently the power of inebriating in the state in which they drink it. Their animals are the hairy sheep and goat of Egypt, the afs, and a very small number of oxen and camels. The women wear veils as in Egypt. After the rains, the ground in the vicinity of Siwa is covered with salt for many weeks.

Siwa has sometimes been compared to a bee hive, which it very much resembles, whether in respect to the general appearance of the eminence covered with buildings, the swarm of its people crowded together, or the confused noise, or hum and buzz from its narrow passages and streets, and which reach the ear at a considerable distance. North-west of the town there is a stratum of salt extending a full mile, and near it salt is found on the surface. There are numerous springs, and frequently a spring of water perfectly sweet is found within a few paces of one that is salt. The people, according to Hornean, are obtrusive and thieves. Siwa is situated in 29° 14' N. Lat. and 44° 53' E. Long.