Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/723

 RHENUS. Basle (Basilia), where the Rhine is about 800 feet above the sea, and here we may fix the termination of the Upper Rhine. The drainage of all that part of Switzerland which lies north of the Lake of Geneva and the Bernese Alps is carried to the Rhine by the Aar, which joins it on the left bank at Cohlem, one of the Roman Confluentes. From Basle the Rhine has a general north course to Bonn, where it enters the low country which forms a part of the great plain of Northern Europe. This may be called the Middle Rhine. In this part of its course the river receives few streams on the left bank. The chief river is the Mosel (Mosella), which joins it at 'Cohlem (Confluentes). On the right bank it is joined by the Nechar (Nicer), the Main (Moenus), which joins it at Maim (Mogun- tiacum), and the Lahn (Laugana), which joins it at Niederlahnstein. Below Bonn the river has still a general north course past Cologne (Colonia Agrippinensis) as far as Wesel, where it is joined on the right bank by the lAppe (Luppia), and higher up by the Roer ox Ruhr (Rura). Between Cohcjne and Wesel it is joined on the west side by the Erft. From Wesel its course is NW. and then west to Pannerden in the kingdom of the Netherlands. At Pannerden it divides into two branches, of which the southern is called the Waal (Vahalis), and the northern retains the name of Rhine. The Waal has the greater volume of water. It runs westward, and is joined at Gorcum on the left bank by the Maas (Mosa). The Maas it.self divides several times after its junction with the Waal. The main branch is joined on the right side by the Lech, a branch which comes from the Rhine Proper at Wyclc by Duurstede, and flows past Rotterdam into the North Sea. The Rhine, which was divided at Pannerden, runs north to Arnheim (Arenacum), above which town it communicates with the Yssel at Does- hurg by a channel which is supposed to be the Fo.ssa Drusiana, the canal of Drusus. [Flevo Lacus.] The Ysscl runs north from Doesburg to the Zuider Zee, which it enters on the east side below the town of Kampen. The Rhine runs west- ward from Arnheim, and at Wych by Duurstede, as already said, sends off the branch called the Leek, which joins the Maas. The Rhine divides again at Utrecht (Trajectum) : one branch called the Vecht runs northward into the Zuider Zee ; the other, the Rhine, or Old Rhine, continues its course with diminished volume, and passing by Leiden enters the North Sea at Kattcyck. The whole course of the Rhine is estimated at about 950 miles. The delta of the Rhine lies between the Yssel, which flows into the Zuider Zee, and the Maas, if we look at it simply as determined by mere boun- daries. But all this surfiice is not alluvial ground, for the eastern part of the province of Utrecht and that part of Guelderland which is between the Rhine, the Zuider Zee, and the Yssel contains small elevations which are not alluvial. This description of the Rhine is necessary in order to understand what the ancient writers have said of it. The first description of the Rhine that we possess from any good authority is Caesar's, though lie had not seen much of it. He says {B. G. iv. 1.5) that it rises in the Alpine regions of the Lepontii, and passes in a long course along the boundaries of the Nantuate.s, llelvetii, Sequani, Mediomatrici, Triboci, and Treviri, in a rapid course. The name Nantuates RHENUS. 707 is corrupt [Nantuates] . If we make the limits of the Treviri extend nearly !o the Netherlands or the commencement of the low country, Caesar has shown pretty clearly the place where the Rhine enters the great plain. On approaching the ocean he says, it forms many islands, and enters the sea by several mouths (capita). He knew that the Rhine divided into two main branches near the sea ; and he says that one of the branches named the Vahalis {Waal) joined the Mosa {Maas), and formed the Insula Batavorum [Batavoi;lm Ix- sula]. *He speaks of the rapidity of the river, and its breadth and depth in that part where he built his wooden bridge over it. {B. G. iv. 1 7.) He made the bridge between Cohknz and Andernach, higher up than the place where the river enters the low country. He crossed the Rhine a second time by a bridge which he constructed a little higher ud than the first bridge. {B. G. vi. 9.) Those persons, and Caesar of course, who said that the Rhine had more than two outlets were criticised by Asinius Pollio (Strab. iv. p. 192) ; and Virgil {Aen.m. 724, Rhenique bicorni.s) follows Pollio's authority. But if the Mosa divided as it does now, Caesar was right and Pollio was wrong. Strabo, who had some other authorities for his description of the Rhine besides Caesar, and perhaps besides Caesar and Pollio, does not admit Pollio's statement of the Rhine having a course of 6000 stadia; and yet Pollio's estimate is much below the truth. Strabo says that the length of the river in a right line is not much above one-half of Pollio's estimate, and that if we add 1000 stadia for the windings, that will be enough. This assertion and his argument founded on the rapidity of the stream, show that he knew nothing of the great circuit that the Rhine makes between its source and Basle. He knew, however, that it flowed north, but unluckily he supposed the Seine also to flow north. He also made the great mistake of affirming that the county of Kent may be seen from the mouths of the Rhine. He says that the Rhine had several sources, and he places them in the Adulas, a part of the Alps. In the same mountain mass he places the source of the Aduas, or Addua (Adda), which flows south into the lake Larius (Lago di Como). [AnnirA.] The most difficult question about the Rliine is the outlets. When Pliny and Tacitus wrote, Drusus the brother of Tiberius had been on tlie lower Rhine, and also Germanicus, the son of Drusus, and other Roman commanders. Pliny (iv. 14) speaks of the Rhenus and the Mosa as two distinct rivers. In another passage (iv. 15) he says that the Rhine has three outlets: the western, named Helium, flows into the Mo.sa; the most northerly, named Flevuin, flows into the lakes {Zuider Zee); and the middle branch, which is of moderate size, retains the name Rhenus. He supposed that there were islands in the Rhine between the Helium and the Flevum; and the Batavorum Insula, in which were the Canninefates also, is one of them. He also places between these two branches the islands of the Frisii, Chauci, Frisiabones, Sturii, and Jhir.sacii. The Hevum of Pliny corresponds to the Flevo of Mela [Flkvo Lacu.s], who mentions this branch and only another, which he calls the Rhenus, which corresponds to Pliny's li'licnus. Mela mentions no other outlets. He considered the third to be the Mosa, we may suppose, if ho knew anything about it Tacitus {.Ann. ii. 6) observes that the Rbina z z 2