Meroim — Ahn Hamed.

RECAPITULATOEY TABLE OF DISTANCES.

35 Intermediate. From Haifa.

Miles. Kilometres. Miles. Kilometres.

Faras Island 20 32 Haifa Camp 20 32 Foot of 2iK Catai-act 6i lOi ej lOj Head of „ „ 6| io| 1.3 21 Akasha 72 116" 85 137 Kosha 28 45 113 182 Da'go 7rt 125 191 307 Kaibar Cataract 12 19 203 325 Third (Hannek) Cataract 26 42 229 368 Dongola 51 82 280 450 Debba 91 146 371 596 Korti 45 72 416 668 Merowe ... 31 50 447 719 Section 2.- — Merowe to Khartoum.

Sub-Section (a). Merowe to Abu Hamed.

The distinguishing feature of the river between Merowe and Abu Hamed is the difficulty of navigation, and also of communications along either bank. A variety of rapids, mostly impassable except at high Nile, form the 4th Cataract, which extends practically from Belal to Shirri, a distance of about 67 miles, whilst there are little or no cultivation or supplies, except in patches on either bank. This (Rapids) portion of the river was ascended in whale boats by most of the River Column in 1885, and the right bank was traversed by General Hunter's flying column in 1897, when proceeding to attack Abu Hamed. Otherwise it is not now generally in use for communications,* owing to these obvious difficulties. A telegraph line now connects Merowe with Abu Hamed.

[The reader who may wish for further detail than that given below is referred to " N.O." 1st and 2nd editions ' 1897 and 1898), which give some additional reports by slightly different routes.]

Remarks on the Shaigia Cataracts.

(Lieiit. Poore, R.N., October, 1884.)

The prevailing winds are north-easterly and boats can rarely use their sails, excepting occasionally at high Nile when a southerly wind may blow for a few days.

Boats leaving Ambugol for Abu Hamed invariably have to tow the whole way. The pilots state the average passage of a nuggerf from Merowe to Abu Hamed as being from 35 to 40 days, but they appear to perform the journey in parties of about 10 boats, in order to supply their own hauling labour, thus considerably increasing the time of passage.

Nuggers generally leave Debba on the trip to Abu Hamed 20 days before high Nile and try to time their arrival at Abu Hamed as soon as possible after the river begins to fall.

Steamers should not leave Merowe for Abu Hamed later than 10 days after high Nile. Nuggers should not leave Merowe for Abu Hamed later than 15 days after high Nile. There are men in the village of Bela at the foot of the Gerendid Cataract and in a few of the villages near Merowe who are acquainted with the different cataracts, but would seem to be more useful as guides to point out the different channels than as pilots, their knowledge of boats or nuggers seeming very hmited.

It would be advisable to take pilots for the cataracts from the rais of nuggers. Supphes between the cataract of Gerendid and Abu Hamed are very scanty, a few scattered patches of date palms, wheat and dura constituting all cultivation.

Between the different cataracts the banks appear to be rocky and badly adapted for towing. The stream is swift with frequent sharp bends and the river studded with rocks and small islands.

* A reconnai.ssauce for a lailway oouliecting Merowe Vvith Abu Hamed » as carried out in April and May, 1904, by Lieut. Newcombe, Il.E. The amount of rock cutting necessary to lay the line neai- the river on the R.B. is said to be prohibitive, and the most feasiljle scheme seenjs to be to lay tlie line some distance "inland and a|jproach the river perhaps twice only between Abu Hamed and Merowe. The length of line would be roughly about 150 miles. It has been definitely decided to commence the construction of this line at an early date.

+ Nowadays (1904) nuggers nevei- make this journey.