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. It is
probable, however, that for a long time they themselves did not engage in
commerce, but were merely visited by traders from foreign countries; for at
this era it was a maxim with them, never to leave their own country. The
low opinion they entertained of commerce may be gathered from Herodotus,
who mentions, that the men disdained to meddle with it, but left it
entirely to the women.

The earliest account we possess of traffic with Egypt, is to be found in
the Old Testament, where we are