Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/517

 POBT SAID. 419 IsMAIMA — El-KaNTARA. At Nefish, in the same district, the road and the Freshwater Canal running to Suez turn towards the south-east, whilst another branch of the canal takes a north- easterly direction to the new city of hmailia, on the shores of Lake Tiinsah. While the great canal was in progress Ismailia enjoyed great imix>rtance as a chief centre of the supplies for the hands engaged on the works. But at present it is far too extensive for its reduced population. Its open spaces are deserted, and its streets, fringed by shady trees and skirted hero and there by gardens and shrubberies, resemble the avenues of a jmrk more than the thoroughfares of a commercial town. Nevertheless, Ismailia might again become inhabited, were the stream brought by the Freshwater Canal made more generally available for the irrigation of the oasia already reclaimed from the surrounding desert. Nor is this artery much used for navigation, although it has a normal depth of 10 feet and a width of about 180 feet, sufficient to give access to vessels of 400 tons burden. Some traffic, however, is carried on by means of the Suez Canal, and the port and open waters of the lake are often crowdetl with large vessels riding at anchor in these inland waters. Exclusive of the transit trade, the movement of the port of Ismailia amounted, in 1882, to over two hundred and seventy steamers, with a gross tonnage of nearly 600,000 tons. Along the line of the canal from Ismailia to Port Said the only station deserv- ing the title of village is El-Knntara, or " the Bridge," so named from a small structure of this sort which here fonnerly crossed a channel flowing between I^kes Ballah and Menzaleh. Standing on an isthmus between inundated tracts, El- Eantara formed an indispensable station for all caravans along the main highway between Asia and Africa. This station is even still annually use<l by several thousand camels, which are watered at the great reservoirs that the Company has here constructed near the banks of the canal. In Lake Ballah, to the west of El-Kantara, a large " gare," or shunting station, is to be formed for the conve- nience of steamers using the canal. Port Said. Port Said, which, like Ismailia, is a new town, but full of life and bright pro8|x»cts, thanks to the constantly increasing navigation of tho great marine high- way, has been founded on the narrow strip of sand seiwiratiug Lake Menzaleh from the Mediterranean. The creation of this city on a surf- beaten strand fully twenty- four miles from all freshwater streams, from any cultivated lands, or the smallest clump of trees, may be regarded as one of the triumphs of motlern industry. Ljing between the open roadstead and the inner basins of the harbour. Port Said consists of some fifty islets, sejrarated from each other by broad streets disposed mainly at right-angles. Most of the houses, built either of wood, brick, or iron, are used as warehouses and depots for all kinds of produce and provisions, as rich and well-stocked as similar structures in the European trading-places.