99 (vi.)— DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NILE FROM THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE SUDAN TO GONDOKORO.

Section 1.— Halfa to Merowe.

The northern boundary of the Sudan (and of the Haifa Province), though nominally the 22nd parallel of north latitude, begins for administrative purposes on the Nile at Faras Island, 12 miles north of the point where that parallel crosses the river and 20 miles north of Haifa. Opposite Haifa the river is some 9(K) yards broad, and is navigable up to the loot of the 2nd cataract, 2(;i miles up stream.

Beyond the 2nd cataract the river runs through the broken rocky country of Batn El Hagar, and is full of rocks and rapids which require careful steering, even for small boats at high Nile, up to the Amara rapid. Beyond this the river is fairly easy till the 3rd or Kajbar Cataract is approached. At this point the Nile again works its way through broken hilly ground covered with boulders, and from thence it is plain boating, except for sandbanks, till Merowe.

A road, or rather a fair camel track — total 228 miles from Haifa to opposite Dongola — runs along the right bank of the river, taking short cuts across bends (notably for .'55 miles across the desert between Kosha and Abu Sari) all the way, but has naturally been considerably superseded by the railway. On the left bank there is also a through camel track, but it keeps further from the river and is less used than that on the other bank. (For detail, vide I.D.W.O.

map No. 148il, sheets Wadi Haifa, Kosha, Dongola, Debba, and Merowe.)

The railway (3 feet 6 inches gauge) extending from Haifa to Kerma (203 miles) was started in Ismail Pasha's time (1877), carried on nearly to Akasha in 1884-5, almost entirely destroyed by the Dervishes (1885-90) and rebuilt to provide means of transport for the Dongola Expedition in 189C. Of necessity it was rapidly and lightly laid, and it is now (1904) in a bad state of repair. Owing to the great cost which would be involved in its complete repair, it is to bo abandoned (see Chapter X, Section I).

(For administrative and economical details of the Haifa and Dongola Provinces, vide Chapters III and IX.)

N.B. — In the river table, in order to avoid fractions, as a rule only the nearest mile or kilometre is given.

Kilometres, where given, are in itaUcs : 5 miles = 8 kilometres.

From Vtiitto '/y) THE EASTERN' XII,E BANK, SOUTH OF HALFA. [M. Vinkrls.