Connaka And Zamorjete Bear From Each
Other N.W. By W. And S.E. By E. Distant About Six Small Leagues.
About
half an hour past ten, we reached a very long point of sand stretching
far out to sea, called Ras-al-nef, which signifies in Arabic the point
or cape of the nose.
There is no nigh land whatever about this cape, but
a vast plain field without tree or any green thing, and in the very face
of the point stands a great temple without any other buildings, and on
each side of it is a very clear sandy coast in manner of a bay. This
cape of Ras-al-nef is famous among navigators, as all their trouble
and danger ends on reaching it, when they consider themselves at home
and secure. We continued our course from this cape along the coast with
the wind at S.E. At noon my pilot took the altitude, and found our
latitude 24 deg. 10' N. at which time we were beyond Ras-al-nef about
three leagues, whence the latitude of that cape is 24 deg. N. From this it
appears that the ancient city of Berenice was built upon this cape
Ras-al-nef as Ptolomy places it on this coast under the tropic of
Cancer, making the greatest declination of the sun at this place
almost 23 deg. 50'. Likewise Pliny says that at Berenice the sun at noon in
the summer solstice gives no shadow to the gnomon, by which that city
appears to have stood under the tropic.[303]
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