A long bamboo with a large weight of earth at the extremity, is fastened to the end of the Jantu next the river, and passing over the gallows before mentioned, poises up the Jantu full of water, and causes it to empty itself into the gutter. This machine raises the water three feet, but by placing a series of these one above another, it may be raised to any height, the water being plunged into small reservoirs sufficiently deep to admit the Jantu above to be plunged low enough to fill it. Water is thus conveyed to the distance of a mile or more." A more efficient machine than this, and even more ancient is the iSwape, or common balance-pole, which is employed so universally in the wells of our own country, and which was employed thirty-four centuries ago, by the

6 PRELIMINARY ESSAY.

Egyptians, as appears from sculptures dating back to 1532, B. C., on which these machines are represented, and more especially from the remains of one recently discovered by Mr. Wilkinson in an ancient tomb of Thebes. All nations, ancient and modern, employed this machine and the Long Island and New Jersey farmer now raises water ;

from his well, by the same contrivance in use in the time of the Pharoah's.

The Swape is still in constant use on the Nile, particularly in Upper Egypt, where the banks are more elevated, arid in which consequently, successive basins of rock or

puddled earth are made to receive the contributions of each bucket. The average lift of the Swape is seven feet, and by a series of these, one above the other, the water is finally delivered on the summit of the bank, thence to irrigate the vast plains beyond. The chain of pots is also seen side by side with the Swape, and is the more efficient mechanism, by delivering the water at once at the summit.