Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/706

 68z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ted land. But the 8000 feet that ftill remained were not equally ufelefs, though not overflowed by the inunda- tion; for 4000 of the 8000, which lay by the bank of the ri- ver, could be overflowed by machines, and by the labour of man, when, for a certain time, the river was high enough to be within reach of machinery; fo that the value of this 4.C00 feet to the farmer was equal to the firft, minus the ex- pence and trouble it cofl him for watering it by labour; for this, then, he paid one half of the rent only to the land- lord.

Now, though it was known that the whole farm was 12,000 feet, yet, till it was meaiured, no one could fay how much of that would be overflowed by the Nile alone, and fo manured without expence ; how much was to be water- ed by labour, and fo pay half rent ; and how much was to be incapable of any fuch cultivation, and for that year e- qually ufelefs to landlord and tenant. I fpeak not of a fadt that happened in antiquity, but one that is neceiTary and in practice at this very hour ; and though a man, by this menfuration, attains to the knowledge of what his farm produces this fame year, this is no general rule, as his cul- tivated land next year may be doubled, or perhaps reduced to one- fourth ; and his neighbour, on the other fide of the Nile, may in his farm make up the correfpondent deficien- cy, or excels ; and the average quantity produced by them both being the fame, the degree of the Nilometer will be the fame hkewifc.

From this it is obvious to infer, that there are two points

of great advantage to the tenant : The one is, when it is

3 juft