Note 218 — Chapter XIII

Some writers have thought that the word Nile is applied to all great rivers; what foundation they may have for this supposition I am not learned enough to ascertain; but I know that among the African Arabs, there are but two streams, which are called Nile, and these have been made two separate rivers by Europeans only, for in Africa there is decidedly but one opinion respecting them, viz. that they are streams which communicate with each other, the Nile El Abeede being the greater, and running through a larger tract of territory than the Nile Cham, or Nile Massar, hence it is called Nile el Kabeer, the greater Nile; the Nile of Egypt, however, is not called the smaller Nile, but always the Nile Cham, or Nile Massar, i.e. the Nile of Egypt, Cham being also an Arabic name for Egypt when united to Syria and other countries.