II. The Gleanings In Antient History Respecting The Maritime And Commercial
Enterprises, And The Discoveries And Settlements Of The Egyptians, During
The Very Early Ages, To Which We Are At Present Confining Ourselves, Are
Few And Unimportant Compared With Those Of The Phoenicians, And
Consequently Will Not Detain Us Long.
We have already noticed the advantageous situation of Egypt for navigation
and commerce:
In some respects it was preferable to that of Phoenicia; for
besides the immediate vicinity of the Mediterranean, a sea, the shores of
which were so near to each other that they almost prevented the possibility
of the ancients, rude and ignorant as they were of all that related to
navigation and the management of ships, deviating long or far from their
route; besides the advantages of a climate equally free from the clouded
skies, long nights and tempestuous weather of more northern regions, and
from the irresistible hurricanes of those within the tropics - besides these
favourable circumstances, which, the Egyptians enjoyed in common with the
Phoenicians, they had, running far into their territory, a river easily
navigable, and at no great distance from this river, and bounding their
country, a sea almost equally favourable for navigation and commerce as the
Mediterranean. Their advantages for land journies were also numerous and
great; though the vicinity of the deserts seemed at first sight to have
raised an effectual bar to those countries which they divided from Egypt,
yet Providence had wisely and benevolently removed the difficulty arising
from this source, and had even rendered intercommunication, where deserts
intervened, more expeditious, and not more difficult, than in those regions
where they did not occur, by the creation of the camel, a most benevolent
compensation to the Egyptians for their vicinity to the extensive deserts
of Africa.
Notwithstanding the advantageous situation of the Egyptians for navigation,
they were extremely averse, as we nave already remarked, during the
earliest periods of their history, to engage in sea affairs, either for the
purposes of war or commerce; nor did they indeed, at any time, enter with
spirit, or on a large scale, into maritime enterprises.
The superstitious and fabulous reasons assigned for this antipathy of the
Egyptians to the sea [has->have] been noticed before; perhaps some other
causes contributed to it, as well as the one alluded to. Egypt is nearly
destitute of timber proper for ship-building: its sea-coasts are unhealthy,
and do not appear to have been inhabited [near->nearly] so early as the
higher country: its harbours are few, of intricate navigation, and
frequently changing their depth and direction; and lastly, the advantages
which the Nile presents for intercourse and traffic precluded the necessity
of applying to sea navigation and commerce.
Some authors are of opinion that the ancient Egyptians did not engage in
navigation and commerce till the era of the Ptolemies; but this is
undoubtedly a mistake, since traces of their commercial intercommunication
with other nations may be found at a very early period of history.
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