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Excerpt from Reservoirs in the Valley of the Nile (With a Map): Prepared for the Committee of the Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt The passage printed on the title page (copied from an article by the Duke of Marlborough in the Summer number of the Pall Mall Magazine of this year) was written by Sir John Vanburgh. He was pleading for the preservation of Woodstock Manor House, which was to be destroyed on his being commissioned to build Blenheim Palace. But his words might almost be described as prophetical, so applicable are they to the present day, when a project is on foot for the formation of a great reservoir at Assuan, which will have the effect of submerging the Island of Philæ, of destroying its splendid buildings with all their historic association, and of destroying also many other great and interesting remains of ancient Egyptian civilization and art in the Valley of the Nile. The importance of the object which it is desired to attain, that of improving and extending existing means of irrigation in Egypt, will not be disputed. Measures to that effect have indeed been under consideration for a considerable time past. Under the auspices of Mohammad All, the founder of the existing dynasty, an important step was taken, some fifty years ago, by the construction of a dam at the apex of the Delta, on the plans and under the superintendence of a distinguished French engineer, Mougel Bey. The Barrage, by which name it is best known, did not at first fulfil the expectations of its designer, owing, it is only just to add, to causes for which he cannot be held responsible. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections