1 
 
 ■T- •• ' 
 
 AV 
 
\ 
 
N A R H A 1^ 1 \ E 
 
 Of THE 
 
 OPERATIONS AND RECENT DISCOVERIES 
 
 IN 
 
 EGYPT AND NUBIA. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 FRUNTEU BV IHO.MAS DAVIbO.S, WHITEFRIAKS. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2009 with funding from 
 
 Research Library, The Getty Research Institute 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/recentdiscovpyraOObelz 
 
;.^^V 
 
 
 Z^«y^«, Puhltxked bl,J Murrwy. Dec I /<9>.'/ 
 
N A RR ATI V E 
 
 OF THE 
 
 OPERATIONS 
 
 AND 
 
 RECENT DISCOVERIES 
 
 WITHIN THK 
 
 PYRAMIDS, TEMPLES, TOMBS, AND EXCAVATIONS, 
 
 IN 
 
 EGYPT AND NUBIA; 
 
 AND OF A 
 
 JOURNEY TO THE COAST OF TJIE RED SEA, IN SEARCH 
 OF THE ANCIENT BERENICE; 
 
 AND ANOTHER TO 
 
 THE OASIS OF JUPITER AMMON. 
 
 BY G. BELZONI. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN xMURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 
 
 1822. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 As I made my discoveries alone, I have 
 been anxious to write my book by myself, 
 though in so doing the reader will consider 
 me, and with great propriety, guilty of 
 temerity ; but the public will perhaps gain 
 in the fidelity of my narrative what it loses 
 in elegance. I am not an Englishman, but 
 I prefer that my readers should receive 
 from myself, as well as I am able to describe 
 them, an account of my proceedings in 
 Egypt, in Nubia, on the coast of the Red 
 Sea, and in the Oasis ; rather than run the 
 risk of having my meaning misrepresented 
 by another. If I am intelligible, it is all 
 that I can expect. I shall state nothing but 
 the plain matters of fact, as they occurred 
 to me in these countries, in 1815-16-17-18 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 and 19. A description of the means I took 
 in making my researches, the difficulties I 
 had to encounter, and how 1 overcame them, 
 will give a tolerably correct idea of the 
 manners and customs of the people I had 
 to deal with. Perhaps I have spoken too 
 much of the obstacles thrown in my way, by 
 the jealousy and intriguing spirit of my 
 adversaries, without considering that the 
 pubHc will care httle about my private 
 quarrels, which to me, of course, appeared 
 of the greatest consequence on the spot, in 
 these countries. But I hope that a little 
 indulgence may be allowed to my mortified 
 feelings, particularly when I reflect that it 
 was through them that I was compelled to 
 leave Egypt before I had completed my 
 plans. 
 
 I must apologize also for the few humble 
 observations I have ventured to give on 
 some historical points ; but I had become 
 so familiar with the sight of temples, tombs, 
 and pyramids, that I could not help forming 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 some speculation on their origin and con- 
 struction. The scholar and learned traveller 
 will smile at my presumption, but do they 
 always agree themselves in their opinions 
 on matters of this sort, or even on those of 
 much less difficulty ? Much has been written 
 on Egypt and Xubia by the travellers of 
 the last century, by Denon, and the French 
 scavans, whose general account of these 
 countries has scarcely left any thing unno- 
 ticed ; and by Mr, Hamilton, to the accu- 
 racy of the latter of whom I can bear the 
 most ample testimony. But what can I 
 say of the late Sheik Burckhardt, who was 
 so well acquainted with the language and 
 manners of these people, that none of them 
 suspected him to be an European ? His 
 account of the tribes in these countries is 
 so minutely correct, that little or nothing 
 remains for observation in modern Egypt 
 and Nubia. 
 
 I have, however, one more remark to 
 make on myself, which I am afraid the 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 reader will think very vain : it is this, that 
 no traveller had ever such opportunities of 
 studying the customs of the natives as were 
 afforded to me, for none had ever to deal 
 with them in so peculiar a manner. My 
 constant occupation was searching after anti- 
 quities, and this led me in the various trans- 
 actions I had with them, to observe the real 
 character of the Turks, Arabs, Nubians, 
 Bedoweens, and Ababdy tribes. Thus I 
 was very differently circumstanced from a 
 common traveller, who goes merely to make 
 his remarks on the country and its anti- 
 quities, instead of having to persuade these 
 ignorant and superstitious people to under- 
 take a hard task, in labours, with which 
 they were previously totally unacquainted. 
 
 My native place is the city of Padua : I 
 am of a Roman family, which had resided 
 there for many years. The state and trou- 
 bles of Italy in 1800, which are too well 
 known to require any comment from me, 
 compelled me to leave it, and from that 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 time I have visited different parts of Europe, 
 and suffered many vicissitudes. The greater 
 part of my younger days I passed in Rome, 
 the former abode of my ancestors, where I 
 was preparing myself to become a monk ; but 
 the sudden entry of the French army into 
 that city altered the course of my education, 
 and being destined to travel, I have been a 
 wanderer ever since. My family supplied me 
 occasionally with remittances ; but as they 
 were not rich, I did not choose to be a bur- 
 then to them, and contrived to hve on my 
 own industry, and the little knowledge I 
 had acquired in various branches. I turned 
 my chief attention to hydraulics, a science 
 that I had learned in Rome, which I found 
 much to my advantage, and which was ulti- 
 mately the very cause of my going to Egypt. 
 For I had good information, that a hy- 
 drauhc machine would be of great service 
 in that country, to irrigate the fields, which 
 want water only, to make them produce at 
 any time of the year. But 1 am rather an- 
 ticipating. In 1803 I arrived in England, 
 soon after which 1 married, and, after re- 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 siding in it nine years, I formed the reso- 
 lution of going to the south of Europe. 
 Taking ]\Irs. Belzoni with me, I visited 
 Portugal, Spain, and ]Malta, from which 
 latter place we embarked for Egypt, where 
 we remained from 1815 to 1819. Here I 
 had the good fortune to be the discoverer 
 of many remains of antiquity of that primi- 
 tive nation. I succeeded in opening one of 
 the two famous Pyramids of Ghizeh, as well 
 as several of the tombs of the Kings at 
 Thebes. Among the latter, that which has 
 been pronounced by one of the most di- 
 stinguished scholars of the age to be the 
 tomb of Psammuthis, is at this moment the 
 principal, the most perfect and splendid 
 monument in that country. The celebrated 
 bust of young jNIemnon, whicli I brought 
 from Thebes, is now in the British Mu- 
 seum ; and the alabaster sarcophagus, found 
 in the tombs of the kings, is on its way to 
 England. 
 
 Near the second cataract of the Nile, I 
 opened the temple of Ybsambul; then 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 made a journey to the coast of the Red Sea, 
 to the city of Berenice, and afterwards an 
 excursion in the western Elloah, or Oasis. 
 I now embarked for Europe, and after an 
 absence of twenty years, returned to my 
 native land, and to the bosom of my family ; 
 from whence I proceeded to England. 
 
 On my arrival in Europe, I found so many 
 erroneous accounts had been given to the 
 public of my operations and discoveries in 
 Egypt, that it appeared to be my duty to 
 publish a plain statement of facts ; and 
 should any one call its correctness in ques- 
 tion, I hope they will do it openly, that I 
 may be able to prove the truth of my asser- 
 tions. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 Having experienced the public con- 
 descension towards me, not only in the 
 acceptance of my Narrative, but in their 
 general approbation, I conceive it my duty 
 to express my sincere feeUng of gratitude 
 and devotion towards the British nation ; 
 and should chance again put me in the way 
 of dedicating my humble services to Great 
 Britain, I shall never fail to remember the 
 generous enthusiasm by which the simple 
 account of my operations, Sec. has been re- 
 ceived. I think it also my duty to make 
 some remarks on events which have hap- 
 
xiv PREFACE TO THE 
 
 pened since the publication of my work, 
 and which are calculated to strengthen my 
 opinion in various points, in particular con- 
 cerning the Temple of Jupiter Amnion in 
 the Oasis el Cassar, and on the Egyptian 
 Labyrinth. According to the descriptions 
 of my old guides, Herodotus and Diodorus, 
 I was led to suppose that the Oasis el 
 Cassar might have been the seat of Jupiter 
 Ammon, as I mention in vol. ii. page 210. 
 It agreed in all points — in its products, and 
 in the distance from the sea, mentioned by 
 Herodotus, cap. clxxxi. Speaking of the 
 Libyans who inhabited the sea-coast, he 
 tells us, that penetrating the Desert for ten 
 days' journey west, pillars of salt are dis- 
 covered, from the summits of which flows a 
 stream of water equally cool and sweet ; he 
 speaks also of the celebrated Fountain of 
 the Sun, which I mention in my Narrative, 
 vol. ii. page 215. The amazing quantity of 
 salt, the distance, and the fountain, together 
 with many other concomitant circumstances, 
 would have been sufficient proof to induce 
 
SECOND EDITION. XV 
 
 a hasty writer to conclude that he had 
 readied the seat of Jupiter Amnion ; but 
 as I do not possess either the talent or the 
 skill to enable nie to judge at first view, 
 caution is therefore the only method I can 
 adopt previous to giving my firm opinion. 
 The Oasis named Siewha was the only rival 
 to that of El Cassar ; its distance from the 
 sea, its situation and products, combined to 
 favour a supposition that it might have 
 been the seat of Amnion, though it has not 
 the above fountain. ^Nlr. Brown, the cele- 
 brated traveller, and Hermann, have visited 
 that Oasis ; but neither asserts positively 
 that place to have been the seat of Jupiter 
 Amnion. 
 
 1 have the pleasure to acquaint my kind 
 reader, that since my first edition has been 
 published, intelligence has been received 
 that ^Mahomed Ah, the Pacha of Egypt, 
 had sent an expedition of three hundred 
 soldiers to Siewha ; and that two European 
 
XVI PREFACE TO THE 
 
 travellers, Messrs. Linoii and llicci, took 
 that opportunity to visit the above Oasis ; 
 and that having examined it at their leisure, 
 they found but scanty and insignificant re- 
 mains of antiquity. Admitting, therefore, 
 that Siewha is not likely to be the sacred 
 spot where Amnion had his temple, what 
 other can it be in these deserts but that 
 which I visited ? There are, indeed, two 
 other Oases, that of Siout and that of Esne, 
 (the Augila and the Garamantes mentioned 
 by Herodotus, cap. clxxxii.) ; but these are 
 so situated that they confirm me in my 
 first opinion. According to that author, 
 the first is about ten days farther on from 
 the Oasis el Cassar ; and the second is at 
 other ten days from that, which is towards 
 the Lotophagi. Having considered all 
 these circumstances, with the ruins and 
 tombs I found in the Oasis el Cassar, which 
 has not yet been visited by any European, 
 I hope my reader will not condemn me if 
 I venture to assert, that the seat of Jupiter 
 
SECOND EDITIOX. XVU 
 
 Amnion cannot be any other than the 
 Oasis el Cassar, described in vol. ii. pages 
 
 oil 019 
 
 The next is the Egyptian Labyrinth. 
 There is scarcely any point in the various 
 opinions of the antiquarians which has been 
 so much disputed as this : the seat of the 
 Egyptian Labyrinth is so elaborately de- 
 scribed by Herodotus and Pliny, that one 
 would suppose one could go straight to it, 
 and find it there ; but to the disappointment 
 of travellers, there is not a single vestige 
 whatsoever left to prove its situation. 
 Many industrious antiquarians have formed 
 various conjectures on that subject, but none 
 give us a positive idea of the seat of this 
 stvq^endous edifice. INIany inquiries have 
 been made of me since the appearance of 
 my publication, and I have been almost 
 blamed for not having found its seat. One 
 of the northern journals supposes that I 
 have positively trod upon it, according to 
 
 VOL. I. b 
 
XVlil PREFACE TO THE 
 
 my own description, without perceiving 
 that I was on these magnificent ruins. This 
 the writer suj)poses to be that very place 
 which I called the city of Bacchus, as de- 
 scribed in vol. ii. page 158, and plate 23. 
 
 The supposition, which arose from the 
 circumstances of my having found several 
 cellars under ground, which would agree 
 thus far with the description of the Laby- 
 rinth, is very ingenious and fair from one 
 who has not seen that place ; but to prove 
 that I have not committed such an error, I 
 shall only refer to the description of those 
 magnificent ruins, given by Herodotus in 
 cap. cxlviii. and to the description I give of 
 several cellars constructed under ground of 
 sun-burnt bricks, and not more than ten or 
 twelve feet square : as I think the compa- 
 rison with these 1500 apartments, courts, 
 and stupendous halls covered with white 
 marble, of a subhme workmanship, will fully 
 persuade my reader, that the most enthu- 
 
SECOND EDITION. xiX 
 
 siastic mind could not find the smallest 
 ground to suppose that spot to ,have been 
 the great Labyrinth of Egypt. 
 
 The next, and perhaps the most interest- . 
 ing point, will give more ground to cri- 
 ticism than any other part of this work. 
 It is my asserting that the Egyptians knew 
 ho^v to form arches with the key-stone. I 
 must certainly acknowledge, that in an en- 
 lightened age and country like this, it is 
 somewhat presumptuous on my part, to 
 make an assertion which will, if proved right, 
 change the epochs and the origin of arches. 
 I had time to reflect ; I took the opinion 
 of many wise and learned men on this sub- 
 ject ; and I fully ascertained that they are 
 still in the dark as to whether the Egyp- 
 tians did or did not know the construction 
 of arches with the key-stone. The arches 
 I have described to be in Thebes are sup- 
 posed by some to be Koman, by others Sa- 
 racen ; but none can decide, or give any 
 other reason that the Egyptians did not 
 
 b 2 
 
XX PREFACE TO THE 
 
 know the use of arches, than that they built 
 no bridges ; and that the Greeks themselves 
 had no bridges, till a certain epoch, for want 
 of knowing how to make arches. 
 
 In the midst of all these several supposi- 
 tions, I beg my reader to permit me to give 
 my humble opinion, as it is said that every 
 one can speak his own. In the first in- 
 stance, I beg to observe, that the manner 
 of building and erecting walls, by the Egyp- 
 tians, is so totally different from that of any 
 other nation, that if any traveller please to 
 pay a little attention to all he sees in 
 Egypt, particularly on what is known to be 
 done by other nations, and then to com- 
 pare them with the Egyptian works, he 
 will find that there is a peculiarity in the 
 latter, which renders them totally distinct 
 from any other. I will not enter on the 
 stony works, as that would carry me too 
 far to explain the point intended ; but con- 
 fine myself to the brick work, as my prin- 
 cipal document, by which I shall endeavour 
 
SECOND EDITION. XXI 
 
 to persuade my reader, that the Egyptians 
 knew how to construct arches by the key- 
 stone, as we do in these days. The reason 
 I give in this volume, at page 273, will per- 
 haps be convincing enough to any one who 
 will go and make his observations on the 
 spot, as he will see clearly that none but 
 the Egyptians could have taken the amazing 
 trouble and labour to erect such walls, to 
 no other purpose than to enclose their 
 tombs ; and it cannot be said that the 
 Greeks built those arches in Thebes ; for if 
 the Egyptians had not known that art, the 
 Greeks must have been equally ignorant 
 of it. 
 
 The Komans are the only people who, 
 according to some, could have erected these 
 arches. I cannot agree with such supposi- 
 tion, as I cannot find a reason why the Ro- 
 mans should make such laborious work to 
 preserve the Egyptian tombs, at an epoch 
 when the Egyptian nation was almost ex- 
 tinct, and regarded by the Romans them- 
 
XXll PREFACE TO THE 
 
 selves as a conquered nation, and espe- 
 cially, when their old rites and customs 
 were almost lost in oblivion. I cannot see, 
 I repeat, what interest the Eomans could 
 have for so doing : I must therefore persist 
 in observing, that these works are so totally 
 different from the Roman manner of build- 
 ing, and so peculiar to the Egyptians, that 
 I am certain if any impartial traveller will 
 make the above observations in examining: 
 the difference of the works of other na- 
 tions, particularly the Saracens, which are 
 to be seen in various places in Thebes, and 
 indeed, near to these very arches, and built 
 with the same bricks from the ruins of the 
 Egyptians, he will not hesitate to conclude 
 that these arches were built by the Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 The only point which could be produced, 
 perhaps, against my assertion is, that the 
 Greeks might come to the knowledge of 
 the arch, and introduce it into Egypt at an 
 epoch when the rites and religious ceremo- 
 
SECOND EDITION. xxiii 
 
 nies of the Egyptians were still in force, I 
 mean under the early Ptolemies ; but how 
 this can agree with the epoch of the first 
 invention of the arch, I leave to others 
 more instructed than myself to consider, 
 and even then it still will prove that these 
 arches now existing in Thebes were made 
 by the Egyptians, 
 
Further Observations on the Arches erected 
 with Keifstones. 
 
 Since the publication of my work on 
 Egypt, &c. intelligence has been received 
 from that country, stating that Maho- 
 med Ali's expedition reached Dongola. 
 Some English and French travellers, who 
 followed these troops, observed several 
 small pyramids on each side of the Nile : 
 connected with which they found some 
 small temples, which, according to their 
 account, are erected on vaults or arches 
 with keystones. As the fronts of these 
 temples are of Egyptian architecture, and 
 connected with the said vaults, the arches 
 themselves must consequently have been 
 erected by the Egyptians, a circumstance 
 which strongly corroborates my opinion 
 given in vol. i. page 273. viz. that the 
 Egyptians were* acquainted with the use 
 
XXVI 
 
 of arches made with keystones, previous to 
 the time of the Greeks. 
 
 It would not be improper to observe 
 that we have no account of any other 
 nation beside the Egyptians, having erected 
 pyramids in Egypt or in Ethiopia. From 
 the latitude in which these monuments 
 are situated, they must be of the most 
 primitive ages, probably, long previous to 
 the invasion of the Greeks of these coun- 
 tries ; and as the temples are connected with 
 the pyramids, none but the Egyptians 
 could have erected them. 
 
 I hope that some more able antiquarian 
 than myself, will take this observation into 
 notice, and by his own more correct re- 
 marks prove to the lovers of antiquity and 
 the fine arts, that architecture in some of 
 its branches, is probably of earlier origin 
 than Vitruvius himself has stated it to 
 be. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 FIRST JOURNEY, 
 
 Arrive at Alexandria, 1. 
 
 Description of the plague, 2. 
 
 Departure for and arrival at Cairo, .5. 
 
 Visit the Pyramids — view from the top, 0, 7. 
 
 Excursion to the Pyramid of Dajior — return to Cairo, 8. 
 
 Become acquainted with Mr. Burckhardt, 10. 
 
 ^^^ounded by a Turk on horseback — observations on the 
 Moors from IMecca during my confinement, 10, 11. 
 
 Presented to the Bashaw — rebellion of part of his army, 12, 13. 
 
 Danger in proceeding to Cairo — confined to the house in con- 
 sequence of the revolution — description of it, 16, 17. 
 
 Commenced hydraulic operations, 18. 
 
 Soubra, chief residence of the Bashaw, 20. 
 
 His manner of living, 2 1 . 
 
 He is electrified — description of Zulfur Carcaja, governor of 
 Soubra, 24, 25. 
 
 His mode of curing diseases — marriage ceremonies and festi- 
 vals of the Arabs in Soubra, 2'», 27- 
 
 Arabian play and farce.. 29^ 30. 
 
XXVI CONTENTS. 
 
 Shot at by a soldier, 31. 
 A young lady shot by a soldier, 33. 
 Complete the water machine, 34. 
 The English consul arrives in Cairo, 34. 
 Decision of the Bashaw on the hydraulic machine — his frolic 
 with it — the Irish lad's thigh broke in consequence, 35,36. 
 Decided on ascending the Nile, 37. 
 
 Undertaking to remove the colossal bust, and received in- 
 struction, 4 1 . 
 Left Boolak for Thebes — saw Hermopolis — arrived at Mon- 
 
 faluth, 45, 4b". 
 Siout, description of it, 47,48. 
 Saw Gow — a curious interview v.ith the Cacheff of Acmin, 
 
 49, 50. 
 Arrival at and description of Dendera, 52. 
 Arrival at Kenneh — arrival at and description of Thebes, 58. 
 Begin operations for removing the bust of young Memnon, 
 
 63. 
 First interview with the Cacheff of Erments — his objection 
 
 against the removal, 64, 65. 
 Farther difficulties encountered, 66. 
 Begin the operation of removing it, GS. 
 Removed from its original place and put upon a car, 69. 
 Removed out of the ruins of the Memnonium — delay in con- 
 sequence of indisposition — works resumed, 70,71- 
 The Fellahs prevented from working by order of the Cacheff, 
 
 73. 
 Insolence and duplicity of the Caimakan, 74. 
 Account of a Turkish dinner in Ramadan time, 76. 
 Obtain a firman and again proceed in the works, 7s, "p. 
 Arrival of the great Colossus on the banks of the Nile, 79- 
 First visit to a Mummy Cave, 60. 
 
CONTENTS. XXvii 
 
 Preparations for departing to the first Cataract of the Nile, SO. 
 
 Visit to Khalil Bey at Esne, SG. 
 
 Arrival at and description of the ruins of Edfu, 88, 
 
 Distant view of Assouan — tradition relating to an ancient 
 King, 93,91. 
 
 Arrive at Assouan, or first Cataract, g4. 
 
 Description of the Aga of Assouan — description of the island 
 of Elephantine, Q6, QJ. 
 
 Difficulties in obtaining a boat to proceed to the second Ca- 
 taract, 98. 
 
 Set off for the isle of Philoe, 102. 
 
 Continue the voyage — alarmed by the natives, 103,104. Conti- 
 nuation of the voyage, and arrival at El Kalabshe, 105, 100. 
 
 Description of it, loO". Arrive at Garba Dandour — proceed 
 to Garbah Merieh — arri^•^l at Garba Gyrshe, and descrip- 
 tion of it, lOG— 110. 
 
 Arrival at and description of Dakke — Greek inscription, 113, 
 114. 
 
 Arrive at Meharraka, or Offelina — Greek inscription — curious 
 figures on an ancient wall, 114, 115. 
 
 Arrival at and description of Seboua — arrival at and account 
 ofKorosko, 116", 117. 
 
 Arrival at Deir — interview^ with Hassan Cacheff, 11/, 118. 
 
 Leave Deir — arrive at Ibrim, 121. 
 
 Continuation of the voyage, and description of the country, 
 121. 
 
 Arrive at and description of Faras, and the temple of Ybsam- 
 bul, 124. 
 
 Arrival at the village of Ybsambul — interview with Davoud 
 Cacheff — description of the natives, 12", 128. 
 
 First introduce money into the country, 130. 
 Further description of the natives, 131. 
 
.\ XV 111 CONTENTS. 
 
 rroceed towards the second Cataract^ 134-. 
 
 Arrive at Wady Haifa, 136,137. 
 
 Excursion by land on camels up the Cataract — view of it — 
 
 visit to the isle of INIainarty, 138. 
 Frighten away the natives, liO, 141. 
 Ascend the Nile against the eddies and current— visit the 
 
 Rock of Apsir, Ul— 143. 
 View of the Cataract from it — go on to the island of Gulge, 
 
 143. 
 Foundation of a Greek church on the island — return to 
 Mainarty — leave it and descend the Nile — arrive at Iskus, 
 144. 
 Interview with Osseyn Cacheff, 14G, 147. 
 Leave Iskus — return to the village of Ybsambul — description 
 of a small temple opposite it — endeavour to persuade the 
 natives to open the temple, 148. 
 Begin operations at the tem^jle, 149. 
 Difficulties encoimtered from the natives^ 1.50. 
 Embavrassment of the Cacheff in fixing the price of a sheep, 
 
 153. 
 He drinks wine for the first time, 155. 
 The natives come to work in great numbers — their ideas on 
 
 the treasure to be found, 156. ' 
 
 Attempt to rob the boat, 1.57. 
 
 Causes for quitting the works at the temple, and leave Yb- 
 sambul, 158. 
 Hailed and received letters sent by a soldier from Deraou, 160. 
 Proceed to Cardassy — return to the first Cataract — take pos- 
 session of a small obelisk and various other blocks of stone 
 in the island of Philoe, 162, 163. 
 Return to Assouan — visit the granite quarries in the moun- 
 tains, 165, 166. 
 
CONTENTS. Xxix 
 
 Discover ii Latin inscription on a column in the quarry — the 
 little knowledge they have of diamonds, 166. 
 
 Prepare to depart, 168. 
 
 Observation on the manners of the Arabs, 169. 
 
 Leave Assouan and arrive at Luxor— proceedings taken to 
 obtain a boat to convey the bust of Memnon to Alexandria, 
 172. 
 
 Works recommenced in Carnak, 174. 
 
 Secure a boat — beginning of discoveries, 176. 
 
 Count de Forblu, 178. 
 
 Description of the place where I first discovered the lion- 
 headed statues, 179. 
 
 Further proceedings in Carnak, 181. 
 
 Meet Khalll Bey on the Nile, 183. 
 
 Conversazione with the Bey and his court, 185. 
 
 Account of a dinner with him, 185. 
 
 Description of the sepulchres in Gournou and jNIedlnet Aboo, 
 188, 169. 
 
 First excursion in the valley of Beban el Malook — first dis- 
 cover the tomb of a king, 192, 193. 
 
 Description of the mountains round the valley — water de- 
 scends from the desert, 194, 195. 
 
 Further difficulties in obtaining a boat, 195. 
 
 Curious Incident by which the boat was obtained, 198. 
 
 Trial respecting the boat, ai>d decision in favour of the author, 
 199, 200. 
 
 Works recommenced in Gournou — embark the colossal bust 
 of Memnon, 205. 
 
 Preparations for departing to Cairo — Ophthalmia — leave 
 Thebes for Cairo, 208, 209. 
 
 Arrival in Cairo — leave Cairo for Alexandria, 209,210. 
 
 Arrive In Rosetta — l>oga?e — and in Alexandria — landed and 
 
XXX CONTENTS. 
 
 lodged the colossal head in the Bashaw's magazine ready 
 to be embarked for England — farther proposal to ascend 
 the Nile, 210—212. 
 Return to Cairo — account of Captain Cabillia's operations at 
 the Pyramids, 213. 
 
 SECOND JOURNEY. 
 
 Left Cairo for Thebes, 219. 
 
 Stopped at Tabeen and Boorumbol, 220, 221. 
 
 Description of an Arabian dance — arrival at Minieli, 222. 
 
 Arrival at Eshmounein, and sudden departure for Luxor, 224, 
 225. 
 
 A forced march to Thebes, 226". 
 
 Account of Bedoween horsemen and tlieir tents, 227. 
 
 Disagreeable consequences occasioned by the interpreter 
 omitting to send a letter to the Defterdar Bey, 229. 
 
 Another interview with the Cacheff of Erments — miracles 
 performed by a Santon, 233. 
 
 Further proceedings in Luxor, 235. 
 
 Description of the temple of Carnak, 23 G. 
 
 Further proceedings in Thebes, 239. 
 
 Description of the natives, and tombs of Gournou, 211. 
 
 Observations on the mode of discovery of the tombs, 242. 
 
 Further account of the natives — manner of the Fellahs mak- 
 ing their researches, 24-8. 
 
 Purchase two metal vases from a chief of the Fellahs, 250. 
 
 Further operations and discovery of lion-headed sphinxes in 
 Carnak, 252. 
 
 Iron sickle discovered under one of the sphinxes, 252. 
 
 Further knowledge acquired on the discovery of tombs — 
 Herodotus's description of mummies, 25/. 
 
CONTENTS. XXxi 
 
 Observations on the various classes and descriptions of mum- 
 mies, 260, 2fil. 
 
 Of animal mummies, 20 1 . 
 
 Of mummy priests, 265. 
 
 Mummies discovered in their original position, 206. 
 
 Further account of mummies, 266, et seq. 
 
 Their decorations — linen manufactures — enamelling, gilding 
 and other arts, 268. 
 
 Art of painting, 271- 
 
 Sculpture, 272. 
 
 Architecture, and knowledge of arches with a key-stone, 273. 
 
 Sculpture, 278. 
 
 Uncover the foundation of a temple in the waste of Gournou 
 — curious manner in discovering a tomb, 279, 280. 
 
 Description of a night's lodging in the tomb, 281. 
 
 Happiness of the natives of Gournou, 282. 
 
 Their preparations for a wedding, 2S4. 
 
 Proceedings in Carnak — discovery of a colossal head — accu- 
 mulate various articles, 28(3. 
 
 Arrival of the Defterdar Bey at Ganiola, and his orders — 
 receive information from the Sheik of Gournou, 287, 283. 
 
 Present a letter from the Bashaw to the Defterdar Bey, 288- 
 
 The Bey visits Thebes, 283. 
 
 He visits Medinet Aboo, 290. 
 
 His barbarous conduct towards the Sheik of Gournou, 293. 
 
 He ascends the Nile, and returns to Thebes, 296. 
 
 Interview with the Bey on his return from Deraou, 297. 
 
 Arrival of two of the fathers of the Propaganda at Thebes, 
 
 299- 
 Description of a whirlwind, 303. 
 Mirage, 30 k 
 
XXXIJ CONTENTS. 
 
 Locusts — deception of Defterdar Bey in issuing a firman for 
 
 men to work, 305 — 307. 
 Preparations for and departure to the island of Pliiloe— fur- 
 ther account of its monuments, .'i08, et seq. 
 Preparations for Ybsambul — arrival of Captains Irby and 
 
 Mangles, 314. 
 Celebration of the birth-day of his Majesty George III. — 
 
 leave Philoe, and arrive at Ybsambul, 315, 31 6. 
 Proceed to the second Cataract — combination of the natives 
 
 and boatmen to extort money, 317. 
 Return to Yl)sambul — arrival of the Cacheffs, Daoud and 
 
 Khalil — displeasure of Khalll — preparations for opening 
 
 the temple, 318, 319. 
 Commence opening the temple, 320. 
 Works stopped by the Ramadan — resolve to work ourselves, 
 
 322. 
 Visits from strange Cacheffs, said to be from I brim, 324-. 
 Their conduct, 325. 
 Works continued — entry into the temple— description of the 
 
 interior, 327 — 330. 
 Description of the exterior, 331. 
 Leave Ybsambul, 333. 
 Arrive at Tomas — return to Deir, 334. 
 Arrive at Almeida — ^return to Kalabshe — opposition of the 
 
 natives to our entering the temple, 336. 
 Arrival at Hindau, 337, 
 Arrival at Debod, and return to Philoe — descend the cataract 
 
 to Assouan — visit the granite quarries and tlie Latin in- 
 scription, 338, 339. 
 Departure from Assouan — pass Edfu — landed at Elethias — 
 
 description of it, 339, 340. 
 
CONTENTS. xxxiii 
 
 Return to Luxor, 342- 
 
 Return to Erments to obtain a firman for labourers to work 
 
 at Gournou — the Cacheff is displaced by the Bey, 343. 
 Commence searching for the kings' tombs, 31-5. 
 Description of the valley of Beban el Malook, 31-9. 
 Nimiber and description of the tombs, 34-9. 
 Further discovery of tombs, 352, 
 Arrival of travellers, 355. 
 Their visit to a newly discovered tomb, 355. 
 Recommence operations, and point out the spot where the 
 
 great tomb is found, 357. 
 Further proceedings, 358. 
 Enter the tomb, 359. 
 Further entrance, and description of its various apartments, 
 
 561, et seq. 
 Discovery of the sarcophagus of alabaster, 366. 
 Description of the entrance into the tomb of Psammuthis, 
 
 367. 
 Description of the various representations in the tomb, and 
 
 figures in sculpture on the walls, 368. 
 Painting — method taken for procuring a. fac simile of the 
 
 tomb, 371. 
 Description of the various figures, 372. 
 Dr. Young's discovery of the name of the tomb, 375. 
 Continuation of the description of the figures, 376, et seq. 
 Mahomet Aga visits the tomb, 381. 
 Unfortunate fate of the stones prepared to be taken from the 
 
 isle of Philoe, 384. 
 Arrival of a noble family and the consul at Tbebes — set oflF 
 
 for and arrive at Boolak, 386 — 368. 
 Meet with Count de Forbin, 389. 
 Despatches arrive from India, 39 1. 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
XXXIV CONTENTS. 
 
 Farther account of Count de Forbin, 392. 
 
 Transmit to Europe, by the Count, on account of his pro- 
 ceedings, 393. 
 
 Visit the Pyramids — reflection on the possibility of penetrat- 
 ing that of Cephrenes, and motive which induced the 
 author to undertake it, 395. 
 
 Difficulties encountered, 397. 
 
 Observations on the Pyramids, 399. 
 
 Mode of obtaining permission for the operation, 400. 
 
 Caution observed not to let the proceedings be known, 401. 
 
 Begin the undertaking, 403. 
 
 Foundation of a large temple discovered, 404. 
 
 Tedious operations without any prospect of success — first 
 discovery of an entrance, 405, 40/. 
 
 Disappointment, and determination still to persevere, 4'11. 
 
 Calculation by which the true entrance was discovered, 412. 
 
 Again resume the work — Arrival of ChevaUer Frediani, 413, 
 414. 
 
 Discovery of the blocks of granite belonging to the true 
 entrance — discovery of the true entrance, 415. 
 
 Difficulties in entering — description of the portcullis, 41G, 
 417. 
 
 Description of the interior — the sarcophagus found in the 
 great chamber, 418 — 420. 
 
 Arabic inscription observed on the wall of the chamber — 
 translation of it, 421, 422. 
 
 Bones found in the sarcophagus — place from whence the 
 stones have been taken for building the Pyramids, 42fi, 
 427. 
 
 Accounts of the Pyramids, 428, et seq. 
 
 The supposed purpose for which they were erected, 430 
 
 Their dimensions, 432. 
 
CONTENTS. XXXV 
 
 Opinion on there not being hieroglyphics on the Pyramids, 
 432. 
 
 Their coating-on their being surrounded by the Nile- 
 operation on the third Pyramid, 433, 435. 
 Preparations for a third journey to Thebes, 43d. 
 Set off for Thebes, 438. 
 
RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 
 
 FIRST JOURNEY. 
 
 We sailed from Malta on the 19th of May, 1 
 
 1815, and arrived at Alexandria on the 9th of 
 June following ; Mrs. Belzoni, myself, and 
 James Curtain, a lad, whom I brought with me 
 from Ireland, formed our party. The principal 
 cause of my going to Egypt was the project of 
 constructing hydraulic machines, to irrigate 
 the fields, by a system much easier and more 
 economical than what is in use in that country. 
 On entering the harbour of Alexandria, the 
 pilot informed us, that the plague was in the 
 town. To an European who had never been 
 in that country, this was alarming intelligence. 
 As I wished to have some information con- 
 
 VOL. I. B 
 
'2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ceriiing the state of the disease, we did not 
 land till the next day, when two European 
 gentlemen came alongside in a boat, and in- 
 formed us, that it was rapidly diminishing. We 
 accordingly landed, but with much caution, as 
 in our way to the French Occale, where we 
 were to perform quarantine, we had to pass 
 through the town. Fortunately, St. John's 
 day, which is the 24th of June, was not far 
 off; and on that day the plague is supposed to 
 cease. Some superstitious persons attribute 
 this to the power of the saint himself; but it is 
 too well known, that extreme heat checks the 
 plague in the same manner as the cold season ; 
 and I observed myself, that when the heat of 
 summer was not so great as usual, the plague 
 lasted longer ; while, on the other hand, when 
 the cold season lasted longer, the plague came 
 later. 
 
 The necessity of putting ourselves into a 
 voluntary prison ; the caution we w^ere obliged 
 to take, not to touch any person, or suffer any 
 one to touch us ; the strict order to be observed 
 in receiving any thing that came from out 
 of doors ; and the continual perfumes with 
 which we were regaled, to prevent the plague, 
 as they say, were extremely strange to a 
 novice in the customs of the country. We 
 
IN EGYFI, NUBIA, Sec. 3 
 
 were confined to our apartment, and for three 
 or four days no one came near us. We were 
 really sick, but I took the caution not to let 
 it be known ; for the plague is so dreadful a 
 scourge, and operates so powerfully on human 
 fears and human prejudices, that, during its 
 prevalence, if a man be ill, he must be ill of the 
 plague, and if he die, he must have died of the 
 plague : no inquiry is made, no examination 
 takes place. Accordingly, had the people of 
 the Occale come to the knowledije of our beinsr 
 indisposed, and particularly that we vomited, 
 they would have concluded, though it was 
 merely the effect of a new climate, that we had 
 caught the pestilence in passing through the 
 town ; and the whole Occale would have been 
 struck with terror, thinking the enemy was 
 within the gate. 
 
 The Occale is an enclosure of several houses, 
 so disposed as to form a square. There is no 
 entrance to the area of the square but by the 
 great gate, leading to a common staircase, 
 above which a gallery takes you to every house. 
 In plague time, the people of these habitations 
 must communicate with each other without 
 touching : no provision can enter without being- 
 passed through water, nor must bread be 
 touched whilst warm. The disease is so easily 
 
 B '2 
 
4 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 caught, that a piece of thread blown by the 
 wind is quite sufficient to infect the whole 
 country. Had it been known that we were ill, 
 no one would have come near us, except the 
 Arabs, who go in case of sickness indiscri- 
 minately to every one ; and are thus likely to 
 spread the plague, by giving it to those who 
 had it not. Many die the victims of neglect, 
 merely because every disease is taken for the 
 plague : others are victims of a different kind, of 
 the atrocious, interested views of their relatives, 
 who, profiting by their death, may take what 
 advantage they please, even by poison, as no 
 investigation takes place in any instance. *' He 
 died of the plague" is the general cry, what- 
 ever may be the disease ; and as several hun- 
 dreds perish daily, they are all carried away 
 without distinction. 
 
 After the 24th of June, called the great 
 St. John, the plague nearly ceased ; and as my 
 principal view was to reach Cairo, we hired 
 a boat, in company with Mr. Turner, an En- 
 glish gentleman, who was going up the Nile. 
 We sailed on the 1st of July, but, owing to 
 contrary winds, were brought back the same 
 evening. The next day we re-embarked, 
 and were then obliged to land at Aboukir, 
 in consequence of high winds. We visited 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 5 
 
 the place, where many a brave fellow had 
 fallen a sacrifice to the war, and to the 
 glory of his country. Human bones were scat- 
 tered here and there. 
 
 Continuing our voyage the same day, we 
 entered the mouth of the Nile, and landed 
 at Rosetta ; four days more brought us to 
 Boolak, within a mile of Cairo. Though our 
 eyes began to be accustomed to the sight of the 
 Arabs in Alexandria, the bustling scene here 
 was still more striking. The majestic appear- 
 ance of Turkish soldiers in various costumes, 
 without regularity or discipline, Arabs of many 
 •tribes, boats, canjeas, camels, horses, and asses, 
 all in motion, presented a striking picture. I 
 landed, and went immediately to Cairo ; and as 
 the holy fathers of the convent of Terrasanta 
 could not receive women within their walls, 
 we were accommodated in an old house in 
 Boolak, belonging to Mr. Baghos, to whom I 
 was recommended. He was the principal in- 
 terpreter of Mahomed Ali, and director of all 
 foreign affairs : a man of great acuteness of 
 understanding, and so well disposed towards 
 strangers, particularly Europeans, that it was 
 soon arranged, that on such a day I was to be 
 presented to his highness the Bashaw, to make 
 my proposal. Tlie house we inhabited was so 
 
6 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 old and out of repair, that I expected every 
 moment it would fall on our heads ; all the 
 windows were shut up with broken wooden 
 rails ; the staircase was in so wretched a con- 
 dition, that scarcely a step was left entire ; the 
 door was fastened simply by a pole placed 
 against it, having neither lock nor any thing 
 else to secure the entrance. There were many 
 rooms in it, but the ceiling in all of them was 
 in a most threatening state. The w^hole furni- 
 ture consisted of a single mat in one of the 
 best rooms, which we considered as our draw- 
 ing-room. We had mattresses and linen with 
 us, otherwise we must have adopted the Arab 
 method of sleeping : as no chairs are to be had 
 in this country, we sat on the ground ; a box 
 and a trunk served as a table : fortunately, we 
 had a few plates, as well as knives and forks, 
 which we had provided to use in the boat ; and 
 James, our Irish lad, bought us a set of culinary 
 utensils, of pottery. Such were our accom- 
 modations. 
 
 Though my principal object was not antiqui- 
 ties at that time, I could not restrain myself from 
 going to see the wonder of the world, the pyra- 
 mids. I took an opportunity of going with 
 Mr. Turner, who obtained an escort of soldiers 
 from the Bashaw to accompany us. We went 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 7 
 
 there to sleep, that we might ascend the first 
 pyramid early enough in the morning to 
 see the rising of the sun ; and accordingly we 
 were on the top of it long before the dawn of 
 day. The scene here is majestic and grand 
 far beyond description : a mist over the plains 
 of Egypt formed a veil, which ascended and 
 vanished gradually as the sun rose and unveiled 
 to the view tliat beautiful land, once the 
 site of Memphis. The distant view of the 
 smaller pyramids on the south marked the ex- 
 tension of that vast capital ; while the solemn, 
 endless spectacle of the desert on the west in- 
 spired us with reverence for the all-powerful 
 Creator. The fertile lands on the north, with 
 the serpentine course of the Nile, descending 
 towards the sea ; the rich appearance of Cairo, 
 and its numerous minarets, at the foot of the 
 Mokatam mountain on the east ; the beautiful 
 plain which extends from the pyramids to that 
 city ; the Nile, which flows magnificently 
 through the centre of the sacred valley, and 
 the thick groves of palm trees under our eyes ; 
 all together formed a scene, of which very 
 imperfect ideas can be given by the most 
 elaborate description. We descended to ad- 
 mire at some distance the astonishing pile that 
 
8 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 stood before us, composed of such an accumula- 
 tion of enormous blocks of stones, that I was at a 
 loss to conjecture how they could be brought 
 thither ; and presently we entered the pyramid: 
 but I must reserve for some other time the 
 more minute account of this wonderful work. 
 We went round the second pyramid, examined 
 several of these mausoleums, and returned to 
 Cairo with the satisfaction of having seen a 
 wonder, which I had long desired, but never 
 supposed I should have the happiness to behold. 
 A few days after we made a party of Eu- 
 ropeans, to go as far as Sacara by water, and 
 after visiting the pyramids of that place, the 
 party returned to Cairo, except Mr. Turner 
 and myself, who went to see the pyramids of 
 Dajior. These are considerably smaller than 
 the large ones, I believe in the proportion of 
 about one to six. One of them is of a different 
 form, as it has a curve in the angles, which 
 brings it to a perpendicular near the ground. 
 This, and those at Sacara, which appear like 
 hanging galleries, differ from the generality in 
 point of shape ; but the two of Dajior are in 
 better preservation than any of the rest. I ob- 
 served also near Sacara and Betracina, which I 
 believe to be the central part of Memphis, the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 9 
 
 remains of other pyramids, which, by their 
 dilapidated state, induced me to suppose, that 
 they are of an earlier date than any of the rest. 
 At this time I had no opportunity of visiting 
 the pits of the embalmed mummies of birds ; 
 but a Fellah brought us one of the earthen 
 vases that contained a bird, which I believed 
 to be a hawk by the shape of the bones. 
 The vase was so perfect, that we laughed at 
 the Arab for his attempting to impose on us. 
 Seeing that he could not sell his piece of an- 
 tiquity, and that he was laughed at besides, he 
 broke the vase before us, to show what con- 
 noisseurs we were of antiques. We overshot 
 the mark this time ; for the caution that had 
 been given us, never to credit what an Arab 
 says, made us disbelieve the truth. On our 
 returning towards the Nile, we passed by the 
 broken pyramid of sun-baked bricks ; and it 
 appeared to me, on examining it afterwards, 
 that it did not decay gradually, like the other 
 pyramids, but by large masses of the bricks 
 separating at a time from the rest. 
 . On our arrival at the Nile it was quite night, 
 and we had to pass several villages to come to 
 a place where we could embark for old Cairo. 
 Our road was through a cluster of palm trees, 
 which by moonlight had a most solemn effect. 
 
10 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Some of the Arabs were dancing to the usual 
 tunes on the tambourines ; and, forgetting per- 
 haps the slavish condition in which they are 
 held by the Turks, were happy for a while. 
 We took a small boat, and arriv^ed in old Cairo 
 before day. Two days after I was to be pre- 
 sented to the Bashaw on the subject of my 
 hydraulic project; and accordingly I went to 
 the house of Mr. Baghos, where I first became 
 acquainted with the late Mr. Burckhardt. This 
 acquaintance w^as a fortunate circumstance for 
 me, as the various and important information I 
 acquired from him proved to be of tlie greatest 
 service to me in that country, and I shall ever 
 remember it with the deepest gratitude. Going 
 to the citadel with Mr. Baghos, we had to pass 
 through several of the principal streets, which 
 are always crowded with people, and for this 
 reason a stranger supposes the capital to be 
 very populous ; but except these streets and 
 the bazars, the rest of the town is quite deserted, 
 and a great number of falling houses and much 
 rubbish are to be seen every where. We were 
 mounted on our asses, the most convenient and 
 only mode of travelling for Franks in that city. 
 We met a soldier on horseback, who, when he 
 came near, gave me such a blow with his stirrup 
 upon my right leg, tliat I thought he had cut 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 11 
 
 it in two. The stirrups of the Turks, which 
 are like shovels, cut very sharp ; and one of the 
 corners, catching the calf of my leg, tore off a 
 piece of flesh in a triangular form, two inches 
 broad, and pretty deep. After this he swore 
 two or three oaths at me, and went on as if 
 nothing had happened. Tlie blood ran out 
 copiously; and, instead of seeing the Bashaw, 
 I was taken to the convent of Terrasanta, as 
 the nearest Christian place I could go to. It is 
 to be remarked, that, at this time, there was 
 a great discontent among the soldiers against 
 the Bashaw, for having given orders, that they 
 should learn the European military evolutions ; 
 and, as I was in a Frank's dress, I suppose the 
 fellow paid me for what he had learned of Eu- 
 ropean figliting. From the convent I was taken 
 home to my house in Boolak, where I remained 
 under cure for thirty days, before I could stand 
 on my legs. 
 
 During my confinement in this house, I had 
 an opportunity of observing at some distance the 
 manners of the Arabs, who passed under our 
 window. Our house stood in a good situation, 
 where we could observe all the landina; from the 
 boats that came from Alexandria and Rosetta. 
 All the goods which went or came passed our 
 residence ; and the caravans of the Moors from 
 
12 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Mecca halted for several days in this place. It 
 was a strange sight for us, to observe these 
 people in their tents, living in separate families, 
 while their chief occupation was sitting on the 
 ground, smoking, singing, and saying prayers, 
 which I observed lasted sometimes three or four 
 hours, besides the ceremonial prayers, repeated 
 standing and kneeling. I did not make any 
 minute observations, for, as I have said, my first 
 occupation was with a different view; nor did 
 I expect at that period, that I should ever have 
 any thing to do with these people, as a traveller. 
 AVhen I recovered, I was presented to Maho- 
 met Ali Bashaw, who received me very civilly. 
 Seeing that I walked lamely, and being told the 
 cause, he said, such accidents could not be 
 avoided where there were troops. I made an 
 arrano-ement with him, and undertook to erect 
 a machine, which would raise as much water 
 with one ox, as the machines of the country with 
 four. He was much pleased with my proposal, 
 as it would save the labour and expense of many 
 thousands of oxen in the country; a matter of 
 importance, since these animals are scarcely of 
 any other use than working ; for, though they 
 are in pretty good condition, they are seldom 
 killed for food, the Turks eating mutton, and the 
 Arabs buffalo's flesh, when they can afford it. The 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 13 
 
 Bashaw was just returned from Arabia, where 
 he had conquered some of the Wahaby tribes, 
 and deHvered the holy cities of Mecca and 
 Medina from the Infidels. He himself con- 
 ducted the war till lately, when his son Ibrahim 
 Bashaw^ conquered some of the great chiefs, who 
 were taken prisoners, and sent to Constantinople, 
 where they were executed. Notwithstanding 
 this, I am of opinion, that Mecca will be to the 
 Turks, what Jerusalem is to the Christians ; for 
 unless a strong army be kept there, the croisades 
 of Mahomet Ali wdll have no better effect than 
 that of our Godfrey of Bouillon. 
 
 During the time that I was engaged in pre- 
 paring my hydraulic machine, one morning I 
 went on the road towards Cairo, and, to my 
 surprise, found a perfect silence, instead of the 
 continual confusion of noise and bustle of every 
 description. The boatmen were getting their 
 boats ready, as if to set off immediately. No 
 camels appeared to carry water to Cairo ; no 
 ass-drivers were seen ; no shops open ; and no 
 person in tlie streets. I could not conceive 
 what was the reason of this singularity, nor 
 could I inquire of any one, as no person was in 
 the way ; but, being Friday, I concluded it 
 might be some particular holiday with the Ma- 
 hommedans. I went on, and still met no one. 
 
14 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The distance from Boolak to Cairo is about a 
 mile through an open country; and midway is 
 a bridge, near which I found a group of soldiers. 
 I continued my walk without noticing them ; 
 one of them, however, levelled a gun at me, 
 and all the rest laughed at the idea of frighten- 
 ing a Frank. 
 
 I passed on till I entered Cairo. When I 
 reached the Franks* quarter, both gates were 
 shut ; but through tlie small door I observed a 
 Frank, engaged like myself in the act of peep- 
 ing, and who proved to be Mr. Bocty, the 
 Swedish consul-general, who was surprised to 
 see me. I could not imagine what all this 
 meant. At first I concluded, that a violent 
 plague had broken out, and that every one kept 
 his house : but the Mahommedans do not se- 
 clude themselves on such occasions ; so I was 
 at a loss what inference to draw. Mr. Bocty 
 anxiously inquired of me how I happened to be 
 there, whence I came, and what I had seen on 
 the road ; and he was not a little surprised, 
 when I told him, that I came from Boolak, and 
 did not see any thing particular on the w^ay. I 
 had not been at the door long, before we heard 
 a great noise in some of the streets, and a volley 
 of musketry discharged. I was then hurried 
 into the Franks' quarter, and the gates were 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 15 
 
 closely shut. I was soon informed, that a revo- 
 lution had broken out among; the soldiers against 
 the Bashaw, and that some of the troops were 
 in pursuit of him to the citadel, whither he had 
 retired for safety. Strange as it may appear, it 
 proved, that by our not communicating with 
 any body in Boolak, we knew nothing of what 
 passed in the morning at Cairo ; and it so hap- 
 pened, that at the very place where the revolu- 
 tion had begun, which was the seraglio, in the 
 Esbakie, no one was visible when I passed ; for 
 after the Bashaw had retired into the citadel, 
 all the soldiers ran after him ; and as to the rest 
 of the people, no one came out of their houses. 
 All the Franks in their quarter were alarmed, 
 and prepared for defence, in case the gates should 
 be attacked. I went to the house of Mr. Baghos, 
 in the same quarter, as I had business with him, 
 and he was not a little surprised to see me, 
 knowing where I lived. 
 
 I was much concerned for Mrs. Belzoni, 
 whom I had left at home with only James and 
 an Arab ; and though Mr. Baghos endeavoured 
 to persuade me to stop with him all night, I in- 
 sisted on returning almost immediately. I went 
 off unperceived by any one in the house ; but 
 at the gates of the quarter I found great diffi- 
 culty in having the door opened ; and no sooner 
 
16 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 was I out, than it was instantly closed after me. 
 I took the same road that I came, and had not 
 gone far, when I met a body of armed soldiers 
 running towards the centre of the town. Ad- 
 vancing further, I heard several muskets dis- 
 charsced in a street near, and manv others at 
 some distance ; indeed there was a continual 
 firing kept up. On my approaching the Esba- 
 kie, I saw several soldiers running towards the 
 seraglio, and others hastening towards me. 
 When they came up, one seized the bridle of 
 my donkey, while another took me by the collar, 
 and the rest were busied in rifling my pockets. 
 I had but a few dollars in my possession ; and 
 my pocket-book contained only letters and 
 passports, of which I know not how they have 
 disposed : but what principally drew their atten- 
 tion was a white topaz brooch, which I had in 
 the frill of my shirt, and which they took for a 
 brilliant. I kept in good humour with them ; 
 and when I perceived their attention to the 
 topaz, I began to move in order to depart. 
 I do not know whether I had reason to fear 
 they would call after me, suspecting that I 
 marked them so as to recognise them again : 
 but I proceeded, and nothing further happened 
 to me on the road. 
 
 For several days we kept ourselves close in 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. I7 
 
 the house, as we were advised by a friendly 
 Turk, our neighbour, not to be seen. During 
 this time, the soldiers plundered the shops in 
 Cairo, and the Bashaw sent the Syrian horse 
 against them, now known under the appellation 
 of Tartoor. These were the only troops faith- 
 ful to him ; but being mounted, they could not 
 follow the Albanians, who were posted in 
 ploughed fields between Cairo and Boolak. One 
 day the cavalry advanced and the Albanians 
 retired towards Boolak. Our house was so 
 situated, that from the upper part of it we could 
 see the firing of the troops on one side, and on 
 the other the confusion of the people, who had 
 taken to the boats, which were soon crowded 
 with them, and in the hurry many of them went 
 adrift. It was expected, that the troops would 
 plunder the place, if they entered it : in such 
 case, I depended on the appearance and ruined 
 state of our habitation, which I had reason to 
 think, would rather deter the soldiers from en- 
 tering it, lest it should fall on their heads, than 
 invite them to plunder. Besides, we had no 
 treasure with us, unless they had taken our 
 kitchen furniture of earthen pots, &c. There 
 was a universal cry among the people, and the 
 troops advanced to the very entrance of the 
 town ; but, fortunately, they were prevented 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
18 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 from coming in by the cavalry, who, by making^ 
 a circuit, had taken post on the road. The 
 confusion continued in this manner for several 
 days : at last, after having plundered and 
 ravaged Cairo at their pleasure, the troops re- 
 tired to their camps, and in a few days more 
 matters were arranged again. I have reason to 
 think, that the Bashaw knew who the chief in- 
 stigators of this insurrection were, for we found 
 that several persons shortly after died of sudden 
 deaths ; and, indeed, many of the Chiefs and 
 Beys disappeared. The discontented troops 
 were all sent to encampments in various stations 
 at a distance from Cairo, and part towards 
 Mecca ; but the European exercise, which was 
 said to have been the cause of the revolt of the 
 troops, was wholly abandoned, and consigned 
 to oblivion. Turks are averse to control of any 
 sort, and particularly to what is not the result 
 of Mahommedan customs. I was never more 
 amused, than when I saw our military evolutions 
 attempted by men, whose large trowsers are 
 peculiarly unsuited to our light motions. 
 
 When all was quiet again, I recommenced my 
 hydraulic preparations. The place, where I was 
 to erect my machine, was in Soubra, at the 
 garden of the Bashaw, on the Nile, three miles 
 from Cairo. We went to reside there, in a 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. [() 
 
 small house within the walls of the governor's 
 palace, which was closed at night by large gates, 
 something like the Occales in Alexandria. I 
 had many provoking difficulties to encounter, 
 before I became acquainted with the people of 
 the place, as they supposed, that the introduc- 
 tion of such machines into the country would 
 throw many of them out of work j consequently 
 I was not welcome among them ; and the very 
 persons who were to furnish me with what was 
 necessary in wood, iron, carpentry, &c. would 
 be the first to suffer by it, if the machine suc- 
 ceeded. It may, therefore, easily be imagined 
 that I had to contend with many obstacles, be- 
 sides the prejudice against all strangers, or 
 innovations in the customs of the natives. As 
 a proof of this may be cited the iron hydraulic 
 machine already in Soubra, sent as a present 
 from England to the Bashav/ of Egypt, which 
 is said to have cost ten thousand pounds. It 
 was neatly put up, though the engineer, who 
 was in charge of it, met with many difficulties 
 before he effected it. At last it was set to 
 work ; but as it was imagined that an English 
 machine would inundate the whole country in 
 an hour, the quantity of water raised was not 
 adequate to tlieir expectation, and it has been 
 left useless ever since. For my own part, I have 
 
 c 2 
 
so RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 no doubt, that the machine mio-ht have been 
 made to draw up more water, if the person who 
 constructed it could have seen the place and 
 situation in which it was to act. The failure in 
 this instance had given me an early surmise of 
 what might be my own fate ; and I was not 
 mistaken. 
 
 During my stay at Soubra I became ac- 
 quainted with many Turks, and in particular 
 with the governor of the palace, as w^e had our 
 house within his walls. The garden of the 
 Bashaw was under his care, and a guard was 
 kept at the gates. The seraglio is so situated, 
 that the front looks over the Nile : at the back 
 of it is the garden, which is under the care of 
 Greeks, who in a few years have brought it to 
 great perfection. There are beautiful alcoves, 
 made in form of cupolas, entirely covered with 
 plants ; and the water machines, which are 
 constantly at work, keep up a perpetual ver- 
 dure. There is a fountain in the European 
 style, and a great quantity of fruit, particularly 
 grapes and peaches ; but they never grow to 
 any size like ours, for many get rotten and fall 
 before they are ripe ; in consequence, the Turks 
 eat them green. 
 
 The Bashaw is in continual motion, being 
 sometimes at his citadel, and sometimes at his 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. qi 
 
 seraglio in the Esbakie ; but Soubra is his 
 principal residence. His chief amusement is 
 in the evening a little before sunset, when he 
 quits his seraglio, and seats himself on the bank 
 of the Nile, to fire at an earthen pot, with his 
 guards. If any of them hit it, he makes him 
 a present, occasionally of forty or fifty rubies. 
 He is himself an excellent marksman ; for I 
 saw him fire at and hit a pot only fifteen inches 
 high, set on the ground on the opposite side of 
 the Nile, thouo-h the river at Soubra is con- 
 siderably wider than the Thames at Westmin- 
 ster Bridge. As soon as it is dark, he retires 
 into the garden, and reposes either in an alcove, 
 or by the margin of a fountain, on an European 
 <;hair, with all his attendants round him. Here 
 his numerous buffoons keep him in continual 
 high spirits and good humour. By moonlight 
 the scene was beautiful. I was admitted into 
 the garden whenever I wished, by which means 
 I had an opportunity of observing the domestic 
 life of a man, who from nothing rose to be 
 viceroy of Egypt, and conqueror of the most 
 powerful tribes of Arabia. 
 
 From the number of Hghts I frequently saw 
 through the windows of tlie seraglio, I supposed 
 the ladies were at such times amusing them- 
 selves in some way or other. Dancing womei) 
 
22 
 
 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 are often' brought to divert them, and some- 
 times the famous', Catahmi of Egypt was in- 
 troduced. One of the buffoons of the Bashaw 
 took it into his head one day, for a froUc, to 
 shave ^his beard j which is no tiifle among the 
 Turks ; for some of them, I really believe, 
 would sooner have their head cut off than their 
 beard : he borrowed some Franks' clothes of 
 the Bashaw's apothecary, who was from Europe, 
 and, after dressing himself in our costume, pre- 
 sented himself to the Bashaw as an European, 
 who could not speak a single word either of 
 Turkish or Arabic, which is often the case. 
 Being in the dark, the Bashaw took him for 
 what he represented himself to be, and sent 
 immediately for the interpreter, who put some 
 questions to him in Italian, which he did not 
 answer : he was then questioned in French, but 
 no reply j and next in the German and Spanish 
 languages, and still he was silent : at last, when 
 he saw that they were all deceived, the Bashaw 
 not excepted, he burst out in plain Turkish, 
 the only language he was acquainted with, and 
 his well known voice told them who he was ; 
 for such was the change of his person, particu- 
 larly by the cutting off his beard, that otherwise 
 they could scarcely have recognised him. The 
 Bashaw was delighted with the fellow ; and, to 
 
\ IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. '-^3 
 
 keep up the frolic, gave' him an order on the 
 treasury for an enormous sum of money, and 
 sent him to the Kaciabay, to present himself as 
 a Frank, to receive it. The Kaciabay started 
 at the immensity of the sum, as it was nearly 
 all that the treasury could furnish : but upon 
 questioning this new European, it was soon per- 
 ceived who he was. In this attire he went home 
 to his women, who actually thrust him out of 
 the door ; and such was the disgrace of cutting 
 off his beard, that even his fellow buffoons would 
 not eat with him till it M'^as grown again. 
 
 The Bashaw seems to be well aware of the 
 benefits that may be derived from his encourag- 
 ing the arts of Europe in his country, and had 
 already reaped some of the fruits of it. The 
 fabrication of gunpowder, the refining of sugar, 
 the making of fine indigo, and the silk manu- 
 facture, are introduced, much to his advantage : 
 he is constantly inquiring after something new, 
 and is delighted with any thing strange to his 
 imagination. Having heard of electricity, he 
 sent to England for two electric machines, one 
 with a plate, the other with a cylinder. The 
 former was broken by the way ; the latter was 
 dismounted. The physician of the Bashaw, an 
 Arminian, did not know, though it was so easy 
 a matter, how to set it up. Happening to be 
 
24 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 at the garden one evening, when they were 
 attempting it, and could not succeed, I was re- 
 quested to put the several pieces together ; 
 and, having done so, I made one of the soldiers 
 mount on the insulating stool, charged the 
 machine, and gave the Turk a good shock ; 
 who, expecting no such thing, uttered a loud 
 cry, and jumped oiF, as much terrified as if he 
 had seen the devil. The Bashaw laughed at 
 the man's jumping off, supposing his fright to 
 be a trick, and not the effect of the machine ; 
 and when told, that it was actually occasioned 
 by the machine, he affirmed positively that it 
 could not be, for the soldier was at such a 
 distance, that it was impossible the small chain 
 he held in his hand could have such power. I 
 then desired the interpreter to inform his High- 
 ness, that if he would mount the stool himself, 
 he would be convinced of the fact. He hesitated 
 for a while whether to believe me or not; how- 
 ever he mounted the stool. I charged well, 
 put the chain into his hand, and gave him a 
 pretty smart shock. He jumped off, like the 
 soldier, on feeling the effect of the electricity ; 
 but immediately threw himself on the sofa in a 
 fit of laughter, not being able to conceive how 
 the machine could have such power on the 
 human bodv. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 25 
 
 The governor of Soiibra, Zulfur Carcaja, was 
 a Mamelouk of about sixty-five years of age, 
 and an instance of the promotion of one of that 
 body of men, who for so many centuries ruled 
 Egypt. His political conduct towards the Ba- 
 shaw procured him the place of governor of a 
 village, which contained the residence of the 
 Bashaw himself, and a vast tract of land, the 
 cultivation of which was entirely under his di- 
 rection. He was a learned man among the 
 Turks, and had a considerable portion of know- 
 ledge in agriculture, which I suppose to be the 
 cause of his continuing to enjoy the Bashaw's 
 favour. He had travelled a great deal in the 
 Ottoman dominions, and had acquired much 
 information ; which is uncommon for a Turk : 
 but the prejudices of his nation, and the super- 
 stitions of his religion, notwithstanding all this, 
 did not quit him an instant. At night I used 
 to go to his divan, or conversazione , to chat, 
 drink coffee, and smoke a pipe. We agreed in 
 many points ; but on that of the hydraulic 
 machine I could make no impression upon him, 
 as it was against his interest to be convinced. 
 He was one day taken very ill ; and as there 
 was no physician nearer than Cairo, he sent to 
 know whether we could do something for him. 
 As it was only a violent cold, Mrs. Belzoni sent 
 
^0 KESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 « 
 
 him a negus, which he Hked so well, that he 
 continued the medicine for several days. 
 
 Some time after this, Mrs. Belzoni had a 
 pain in her side. One evening, I went to his 
 divan ; and as he always inquired after the 
 health of his physician, I informed him of the 
 circumstance : upon which he assured me, that 
 it was nothing but what he would find a remedy 
 for immediately; and he rose and went into an 
 inner room, from which with all imaginable 
 pomp and devotion he brought out a book. 
 The Sheik of the mosque was present; and, 
 after turning over and over again the leaves of 
 this book, they concluded on what was to be 
 done. Three pieces of paper were cut in a 
 triangular form, the size of a playing card, 
 and tlie Sheik wrote on them several words in 
 Arabic. Of these pieces of paper, he told me, 
 that Mrs. Belzoni must fasten one to her fore- 
 head by a string, and one to eacli ear. He 
 then fetched a piece of the skin of a lamb, that 
 had been sacrificed during the feast of Bairam. 
 The Sheik wrote on this also, and it was to be 
 applied to the part affected. I thanked him 
 very much for his kindness, and brought away 
 the amulets, which we keep to this day, as a 
 memorial of the Turkish method of curin<r 
 pains. It happened, that Mrs. Belzoni was 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA. &c. 27 
 
 ^ 
 
 somewhat better a day or two after, and the 
 old Turk exulted in having repaid the obliga- 
 tion he had incurred, when cured by her of his 
 cold. 
 
 The Arabs of Soubra exhibit as much fes- 
 tivity, when a marriage of consequence takes 
 place, as those of any of the villages in Egypt. 
 Fortunately, one happened while we were there; 
 and as the window of our house overlooked the 
 very spot where the festival was to be celebrated, 
 we had an opportunity of seeing the whole 
 ceremony. Early in the morning of the grand 
 holiday, a high pole w^as planted in the centre of 
 the place, witii a banner belonging to the 
 village. A large assembly of people gathered 
 under it, and preparations were made for an 
 illumination with glass lamps, &c. The Arabs 
 from other villages came to the feast in proces- 
 sion, beating their tambourines, and waving their 
 flags. At some distance from the pole they 
 halted, and did not advance till a deputation 
 was sent to invite them to the feast. The 
 elders of the village seated themselves around 
 and under the pole, and the strangers at a little 
 distance. One of those standing near the pole, 
 who had an uncommonly good windpipe, began 
 to sing ; while the rest divided themselves into 
 two parties, forming two circles, one within the 
 
*2S TtESE ARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 other, round the pole and facing each other. 
 By each man putting Iiis arms over his neigh- 
 bours' shoulders, each circle formed a conti- 
 nuous chain. The outer circle stood still, 
 while the people of the inner circle kept 
 dancing and bowing in an orderly manner to 
 those in the outer. Thus they continued 
 three hours, and those who were not in the 
 circles made separate rings by themselves. 
 Some of the Hadgees, who were desirous of 
 exhibiting their powers in ceremonial devotion, 
 went on positively for two hours, and some 
 minutes, bending their bodies nearly to the 
 ground, and raising them up again with such 
 quickness, that it would be impossible for any 
 one, who was not accustomed to it, to undergo 
 such exertion a quarter of an hour. All the 
 women were at a distance by themselves, and 
 among them was the bride. When the dancing 
 and singing ended, they all sat down in large 
 circles ; and a great quantity of boiled rice was 
 brouglit to them in large wooden bowls, beside 
 a number of dishes of melokie and bamies*, 
 and three or four large sheep roasted, which 
 were immediately torn to pieces and d,evoured. 
 For the drinking department they had a number 
 of boys, who were fully employed in fetching 
 * Plants eaten in common by the Arabs as greens. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. i2<J 
 
 M-ater in large bardacks from the Nile ; but 
 some of the party I knew had a sly corner, to 
 which to retire for a drop of horaky ; for it is 
 in this private way they drink it. At night, the 
 pole and all the place around it was illuminated. 
 The people seated themselves in an orderly 
 manner, in the form of an am])hitheatre, the 
 women forming a part of the circle, separate 
 from the men. A band of tambourines and 
 pipes was continually playing ; and the enter- 
 tainment began with dancing, by two well- 
 known and distinguished performers. 
 
 This particular mode of dancing, I believe, 
 has never been described, and all who see it 
 properly must be excused from giving a faithful 
 picture of it. When the dancing was at an end, 
 a sort of play was performed, the intent of 
 which was to exhibit life and manners, as we do 
 in our theatres. The subject represented an 
 Hadgee, who wants to go to Mecca, and applies 
 to a camel-driver, to procure a camel for him. 
 The driver imposes on him, by not letting him 
 see the seller of the camel, and putting a higher 
 price on it than is really asked, giving so much 
 less to the seller than he received from the 
 purchaser. A camel is produced at last, made 
 up by two men covered with a cloth, as if ready 
 to depart for Mecca. The Hadgee mounts on 
 
30 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the camel, but finds it so bad, that he refuses 
 to take it, and demands his money back again. 
 A scuffle takes place, between the purchaser 
 and the driver, when, by chance, the seller of 
 the camel appears, and finds that the camel in 
 question is not that which he sold to the driver 
 for the Had2:ee. Thus it turns out, that the 
 driver was not satisfied with imposing both on 
 the buyer and seller in the price, but had also 
 kept the good camel for himself, and produced 
 a bad one to the Hadgee. In consequence he 
 receives a good drubbing, and runs off. — Simple 
 as this story appears, yet it was so interesting 
 to the audience, tliat it seemed as if nothing 
 could please them better, as it taught them to 
 be on their guard against dealers in camels, &c. 
 — This was the play ; and the afterpiece repre- 
 sented an European traveller, who served as a 
 sort of clown. He is in the dress of a Frank ; 
 and, on his travels, comes to the house of an 
 Arab, who, though poor, wishes to have the 
 appearance of being rich. Accordingly he 
 gives orders to his wife, to kill a sheep imme- 
 diately. She pretends to obey ; but returns in 
 a few minutes, saying, that the flock has strayed 
 away, and it would be the loss of too much 
 time to fetch one. The host then orders four 
 fowls to be killed J but these cannot be caught. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &Ci 31 
 
 A third time, he sends his wife for pigeons j but 
 the pigeons are all out of their holes ; and at 
 last tiie traveller is treated only with sour milk 
 and dhourra bread*, the only provision in the 
 house. This finishes the play. ^ 
 
 During my stay in Soubra, a circumstance 
 took place, which I shall remember as long as I 
 live, and which showed me plainly the country 
 I was in, and the people I had to deal with. 
 Some particular business calling me to Cairo, I 
 was on my ass in one of the narrow streets, 
 where I met a loaded camel. The space that 
 remained between the camel and the wall was 
 so little, that I could scarcely pass ; and at that 
 moment I was met by a Binbashi, a subaltern 
 officer, at the head of his men. For the in- 
 stant I was the only obstacle that prevented 
 his proceeding on the road ; and I could 
 neither retreat nor turn round, to give him 
 room to pass. Seeing it was a Frank who 
 stopped his way, he gave me a violent blow 
 on my stomach. Not being accustomed to put 
 up with such salutations, I returned the compli- 
 ment with my whip across his naked shoulders. 
 Instantly he took his pistol out of his belt ; I 
 jumped off my ass ; he retired about two yards, 
 
 * * Dhourra is the common grain of Egypt. 
 
S^ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 pulled the trigger, fired at my liead, singed the 
 hair near my right ear, and killed one of his 
 own soldiers, who, by this time, had come 
 behind me. Finding that he had missed his 
 aim, he took out a second pistol ; but his own 
 soldiers assailed and disarmed him. 
 
 A great noise arose in the street, and, as it 
 happened to be close to the seraglio in the 
 Esbakie, some of the guards ran up ; and on 
 seeing what the matter was, they interfered and 
 stopped the Binbashi. I thought my company 
 was not wanted, so I mounted my charger, and 
 rode off. I went to Mr. Baghos, and told him 
 what had happened. We repaired immediately 
 to the citadel, saw the Bashaw, and related 
 the circumstance to him. He was much con- 
 cerned, and wished to know where the soldier 
 was, but observed, that it was too late that 
 evening to have him taken up. However, he 
 was apprehended the next day, and I never 
 heard or knew any thing more about him. Such 
 a lesson on the subject was not lost upon me ; and 
 I took good care, in future, not to give the least 
 opportunity of the kind to men of that descrip- 
 tion, who can murder an European with as 
 much indifference as they would kill an insect. 
 
 Some little time after this, another circum- 
 stance took place, which I cannot omit relating. 
 
IN EGYF1\ NUBIA, &c. 33 
 
 A charming young lady, about sixteen years 
 of age, daughter of the Chevalier Booty, now 
 consul-general of Sweden, went out of her 
 house, in company with her mother, sister, and 
 some other ladies, to go to a bath. They 
 formed a cavalcade on asses, as is the custom of 
 the country ; and had not proceeded far from 
 their door, when they met a soldier, a monster 
 I should say, who took a pistol from his belt, 
 and, with the greatest coolness, fired and killed 
 the young lady. She was one of the most 
 amiable creatures, both in her manners and 
 person, that ever lived ; and was most de- 
 servedly lamented by every one who knew her. 
 This is quite enough, surely, to invite young 
 European ladies to that country ! I must say, 
 to the honour of Mahomed AH, that the monster 
 was taken and executed : but what satisfaction 
 could this be to her afflicted parents ? 
 
 About this time Mr. Bankes arrived in this 
 country, and proceeded almost immediately to 
 Mount Sinai, and thence to Upper Egypt; 
 but returned in three months, and went to 
 Syria. Mr. Burckhardt had for a long time 
 premeditated the removal of the colossal head, 
 or rather bust, known by the name of Young 
 Memnon, to England, and had often endea- 
 voured to persuade the Bashaw to send it as a 
 
 VOL. I. D 
 
.34 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 present to the Prince Regent ; but as it must 
 have appeared to a Turk too trifling an article 
 to send to so great a personage, no steps were 
 taken for this purpose. Mr. Burckhardt then 
 proposed it to Mr. Bankes ; but the reason why 
 this gentleman did not take it away I am not 
 acquainted with. 
 
 By this time the water machine was finished ; 
 and we waited the arrival of the Bashaw from 
 Alexandria, to give his opinion on the advan- 
 tages which might be derived from introducing 
 it into the country. It was constructed on the 
 principle of a crane with a walking wheel, in 
 which a single ox, by its own weight alone, 
 could effect as much as four oxen employed in 
 the machines of the country. I accomplished 
 this undertaking, notwithstanding the various 
 species of intrigue and difficulty which were 
 incessantly thrown in my way. The Bashaw 
 arrived at Cairo, but did not come to Soubra 
 till some time after. 
 
 At this period Mr. Salt, the consul-general 
 from England, arrived in that capital, having 
 business to transact in Cairo. I had frequent 
 interviews with Mr. Burckhardt ; and, knowing 
 the wish he had for the removal of the colossal 
 bust of Memnon, I repeatedly told him that I 
 would undertake its conveyance from Thebes 
 
IN f/;ypt, nubia, &c. 35 
 
 to Alexandria, so that it miglit be sent to 
 England. On the arrival of Mr. Salt, Mr. 
 Burckhardt proposed it to him ; and shortly 
 after having myself occasion to see that gen- 
 tleman, I repeated to him, before Mr. Burck- 
 hardt, that I should be happy to undertake the 
 removal of the bust, without the smallest view 
 of interest, as it was to go to the British Mu- 
 seum. The consul seemed inclined to comply, 
 but was indecisive for some time, saying he 
 would think about it. A few days after this, 
 he avoided all communication, keeping himself 
 in strict seclusion, as the plague had begun to 
 show itself in the streets of Cairo. 
 
 The Bashaw was now come to Soubra, ac- 
 companied with several connoisseurs in hy- 
 draulics. The machine was set to work ; and, 
 although constructed with bad wood and bad 
 iron, and erected by Arabian carpenters and 
 bricklayers, it was a question whether it did 
 not draw six or seven times as much water 
 as the common machines. The Bashaw, after 
 long consideration, gave his decision ; and de- 
 clared, that it drew up only four times as much. 
 It is to be observed, that the water produced by 
 this machine was measured by comparison with 
 the water procured by six of their own ; and 
 that, at the time of measuring, the Arabs urged 
 
SC) RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 their animals at such a rate, that they could 
 not have continued their exertion above an 
 hour; and for the moment they produced nearly 
 double the quantity of water, that was usually 
 obtained. Notwithstanding all this, the calcu- 
 lation of the Bashaw was to my satisfaction, as 
 it decided on the accomplishment of my under- 
 taking. Still Mahommed Ali perceived plainly 
 the prejudice among the Arabs, and some of 
 the Turks, who were concerned in the culti- 
 vation of the land: for instead of four hun- 
 dred people, and four hundred oxen, they would 
 have only to command one hundred of each, 
 which would make a considerable difference in 
 their profits : but, as it happened, an accident 
 occurred, that put an end to all their fears. 
 
 The Bashaw took it into his head to have the 
 oxen taken out of the wheel, in order to see, by 
 way of frolic, what effect the machine would 
 have by putting fifteen men into it. James, the 
 Irish lad in my service, entered along with 
 them ; but no sooner had the wheel turned once 
 round, than they all jumped out, leaving the lad 
 alone in it. The wheel, of course, overbalanced 
 by the weight of the water, turned back with 
 such velocity, that the catch was unable to stop 
 it. The lad was thrown out, and in the fall 
 broke one of his thighs. I contrived to stop 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. SJ 
 
 the wheel before it did farther injury, which 
 might have been fatal to him. The Turks have 
 a belief, that, when such accidents happen in 
 the commencement of any new invention, it is 
 a bad omen. In consequence of this, exclusive 
 of the prejudice against the machine itself, the 
 Bashaw had been persuaded to abandon the 
 affair. It had been stated to him, also, that 
 it cost as much as four of the usual machines 
 in making, while nothing was said of the ad- 
 vantages as to the oxen, that would be saved in 
 the working of it. The business ended in this 
 manner ; and all that was due to me from the 
 Bashaw was consigned to oblivion, as well as 
 the stipulation I had made with him. 
 
 It was with considerable pain to my feelings, 
 that I reflected on the idea of leaving a country, 
 which has ever been one of the principal points 
 of research among the learned. The fame of its 
 antiquity excited in me the desire of investiga- 
 tion ; but, under the circumstances I have men- 
 tioned, my purse would not afford the expenses 
 of a journey to any great distance; and having 
 Mrs. Belzoni with me, it required some de- 
 liberation, before I could decide, whether I 
 should proceed to the north or to the south. I 
 had been to visit the consul-general, but nothing 
 more was said respecting tlie colossal head j so 
 
38 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 that the project of removing it seemed to have 
 been forgotten. After having taken all matters 
 into consideration, and made a proper calcula- 
 tion of the expenses, I found, that in an eco- 
 nomical way I could make a voyage as far as 
 Assouan and back again. 
 
 From the circumstances that follow, the 
 reader will be able to form a proper idea of the 
 motives by which I was induced to undertake 
 the removal of the Memnonium bust, which is 
 now lodged in the British Museum; and for 
 what purpose I made the researches, and accu- 
 mulated the various remains of antiquity, which 
 will find a place in this volume. There will be 
 no occasion for me to enter into such particulars 
 as would call for the evidence of others to the 
 facts, as I am well assured, that a simple state- 
 ment of the case will make the reader perfectly 
 acquainted with it. 
 
 It has been erroneously stated, that I was 
 regularly employed by Mr. Salt, the consul- 
 general of his Britannic majesty in Egypt, for 
 the purpose of bringing the colossal bust from 
 Thebes to Alexandria. I positively deny that I 
 was ever engaged by him in any shape what- 
 ever, either by words or writing ; as I have proofs 
 of the case being on the contrary. When I 
 ascended the Nile, the first and second time, I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 89 
 
 had no other idea in my mind, hut that I was 
 making researches for antiquities, which were to 
 be placed in the British Museum ; and it is 
 naturally to be supposed that I would not have 
 made these excursions, had I been previously 
 aware, that all I found was for the benefit of a 
 gentleman, whom I never had the pleasure to 
 see before in my life. But what has displeased 
 me above all is, that while occupied in my 
 researches an advantage has been taken, and 
 a notion promulgated, the very reverse of the 
 real matter of fact ; and I am sorry I cannot 
 be silent on the subject, feeling it an indis- 
 pensable duty to myself, as well as the public, 
 to bring the truth to light. I am happy, how- 
 ever, to state, that I succeeded in putting all 
 the articles of my discovery on their way to the 
 British Museum, though not in the same manner 
 in which I thought they were to be entered in 
 that place at first, as w'as the case with the 
 young Memnon head. 
 
 The indecision, whether I should go up or 
 down the Nile, came at last to a point. I 
 know not what to call it, whether curiosity, or 
 that enthusiasm for antiquities, which I can 
 trace from my younger days while in Rome, 
 that spurred me on to decide to ascend the 
 Nile. 
 
40 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Agreeably to the resolution I had taken, I 
 hired a boat at a very cheap rate, with four 
 sailors, a boy, and the Reis, or captain. I made 
 provision for the voyage, and every thing was 
 ready for our departure. Any one may ascend 
 the Nile without being interrupted ; but it is 
 better to obtain a firman from the Bashaw, in 
 <;ase of the want of protection from any of his 
 Beys, Cacheffs, or Caimacans, in Upper Egypt ; 
 and Mahomet Ali was always ready to give a 
 firman to any one who asked for it. I commu- 
 nicated my intended departure to Mr. Burck- 
 hardt, who, on hearing that nothing more was 
 said about taking aw^ay the colossal head, 
 seemed to be quite disappointed. Being a 
 native of that part of Italy which had lately- 
 come under the Austrian dominions, I might 
 have applied to the Austrian consul, to obtain 
 a firman from the Bashaw : but as I enjoyed 
 the British protection, I applied to the British 
 consul. Going to his house for the purpose, I 
 found Mr. Burckhardt there : it seems he had 
 persuaded the consul to avail himself of the op- 
 portunity of my ascending the Nile, by offering 
 to pay half the expense. Accordingly, when I 
 informed the consul of my intended journey, 
 and that I came to request he would do me the 
 favour to obtain a firman for me from the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 41 
 
 Bashaw, he expressed his joy by exclaiming, 
 **This is a godsend indeed!'* and I was then 
 informed, that they had made up their minds to 
 have the colossus conveyed down the Nile, and 
 to offer it as a present to the British Museum, 
 if I would kindly undertake the removal of it. 
 I replied that my capacity was little, but that I 
 would use all my efforts to succeed in the enter- 
 prise ; adding that I should be happy at all 
 times to increase the British Museum with the 
 product of my exertions. To which the British 
 consul answered, " And I shall be glad to 
 do every thing in my power to promote your 
 wishes." This was all that passed on either 
 side. 
 
 As I was unacquainted with the upper 
 country, I received instructions concerning the 
 manner in which I was to proceed, to obtain 
 information, and to provide myself with imple- 
 ments for the purpose in view. The instruc- 
 tions were as follow : 
 
 " Boolak, June 28, 1816. 
 " Mr. Belzoni is requested to prepare the ne- 
 cessary implements, at Boolak, for the purpose 
 of raising the head of the statue of the younger 
 Memnon, and carrying it down the Nile. He 
 will proceed as speedily as circumstances will 
 allow, to Siout, there to deliver his letters, pre- 
 
4*2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 pared for that effect, to Ibrahim Bashaw, or 
 whoever may be left in the charge of the govern- 
 ment ; and he will, at that place, consult with 
 Doctor Scotto on the subject of his further pro- 
 ceedings. He will take care to engage sl proper- 
 boat for bringing down the head, and will re- 
 quest Mr. Scotto to provide him with a soldier 
 to go up with him, for the purpose of engaging 
 the Fellahs to work whenever he may require 
 their assistance, as otherwise they are not likely 
 to attend to Mr. Belzoni's orders ; and he should 
 on no account leave Siout without an interpreter. 
 " Having obtained the necessary permission 
 to hire workmen, &c., Mr. Belzoni will proceed 
 direct to Thebes. He will find the head re- 
 ferred to on the western side of the river, 
 opposite to Carnak, in the vicinity of a village 
 called Gornou, lying on the southern side of a 
 ruined temple, called by the natives Kossar el 
 Dekaki. To the head is still attached a portion 
 of the shoulders, so that altogether it is of large 
 dimensions, and will be recognized, — 1st, by 
 the circumstance of its lying on its back with 
 the face uppermost — 2dly, by the face being 
 quite perfect, and very beautiful — 3dly, by its 
 having, on one of its shoulders, a hole bored 
 artificially, supposed to have been made by the 
 French for separating the fragment of the body 
 
IN EGY1»T, NUBIA, &c. 43 
 
 — and 4thly, from its being a mixed blackish 
 and reddish granite, and covered with hierogly- 
 phics on its shoulders. It must not be mistaken 
 for another, lying in tliut neighbourhood, which 
 is much mutilated. 
 
 " Mr. Belzoni will spare no expense or 
 trouble in getting it as speedily conveyed to 
 the banks of the river as possible ; and he will, 
 if it be necessary, let it wait there till the river 
 shall have attained sufficient height, before he 
 attempts to get it into the boat. But, at the 
 same time, he is requested not to attempt re- 
 moving it, on any account, if he should judge 
 there would be any serious risk of either in- 
 juring the head, of burying the face in the 
 sand, or of losing it in the Nile. 
 
 " If, on arriving at the ground, too, he should 
 perceive that his means are inadequate, or that 
 the difficulties of the undertaking, from the na- 
 ture of the ground, or other^ causes, are likely 
 to prove insurmountable, he will, at once, re- 
 linquish the enterprise, and not enter into far- 
 ther expense on that account. 
 
 " Mr. Belzoni will have the goodness to keep 
 a separate account of the expenses incurred in 
 this undertaking, which, as well as his other 
 expenses, will gladly be reimbursed ; as, from 
 the knowledge of Mr. Belzoni's character, it is 
 
44 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 confidently believed they will be as reasonable 
 as circumstances will allow. 
 
 " The boat meant to carry the head should be 
 hired for a sufficient time to allow of its being 
 carried directly down to Alexandria ; but, on the 
 way, Mr. Belzoni will not fail to stop at Boolak 
 for further instructions. 
 
 " If Mr. Belzoni should ascertain the cer- 
 tainty of his being able to accomplish his pur- 
 pose, he is requested immediately to despatch 
 an express with the gratifying inteUigence to 
 Cairo. 
 
 " Henry Salt." 
 
 I beg leave to observe, that in the whole of 
 these instructions, thougli written in an as- 
 suming style, not a w-ord is said about any 
 payment to myself, which would certainly have 
 been the case, had I been employed in the way 
 that has been represented. 
 
 Every thing was ready in the boat for our 
 departure from Boolak. The whole of the 
 implements for the operation consisted of a few 
 poles and ropes of palm leaves, no other imple- 
 ments being to be procured in the place at that 
 time. Seeing I undertook the enterprise cheer- 
 fully, the consul did me the honour to request 
 something more, which was, to purchase what- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Sec. 4<5 
 
 ever antiquities I could on the road. I assented 
 to his wishes ; and for this purpose he supplied 
 me with money, as well as for the removal of 
 the colossal head. On the 30th of June we left 
 Boolak ; and as Mrs. Bclzoni determined to ac- 
 company me, we took with us the Irish lad, and 
 a Copt interpreter, who had been in the French 
 army. 
 
 The first ruins we arrived at were those of 
 Shak Abade, or the ancient xlntinoe ; for I 
 omit the pyramids for the present. Not to de- 
 preciate the works of Adrian, these ruins did 
 not surprise me at all. There are few columns 
 standing ; many are fallen ; and what are of 
 granite w^ere evidently taken from more ancient 
 edifices. I made a drawing of one of the stand- 
 ing columns, merely to give an idea of the 
 order, &c. (see Plate 32) ; and we crossed the 
 same day over to Ashmounain. Here is the 
 first Egyptian architecture that travellers meet 
 with on the Nile above the pyramids j and I 
 must say, that it has made a great impression 
 on my mind, though it is only a portico of two 
 rows of columns. The solitary place on which 
 it stands, in the midst of the ruins of Her- 
 mopolis, and the majestic appearance of the 
 columns, of a form so uncommon to a Euro- 
 pean, cannot fail to inspire veneration for the 
 
4(i 
 
 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 people that erected such edifices. It appears 
 to me, that these ruins are of remoter date 
 than those of Thebes ; which does not agree 
 with the opinion, that the temples in the Lower 
 Thebais were of later date than those of Upper 
 Egypt. From what I have seen of the tombs 
 in these mountains, I am of opinion, that Her- 
 mopolis was inhabited by some great people, as 
 nothing can give juster ideas of the condition of 
 the Egyptians than the quality of tlie tombs in 
 which they were buried. 
 
 On the 5t]i, in the evening, we arrived at 
 Manfalut, where we met Ibrahim, Bashaw of 
 Upper Egypt, son of Mahomet Ali, on his way 
 to Cairo. Having presented my letters, he 
 politely requested, that I would deliver them 
 to the Defterdar, who was left in command in 
 Siout. Along with him was Mr. Drouetti, the 
 ex-consul-general of the late government of 
 France. He was on his return from Thebes, 
 and had been in the habit of making a collec- 
 tion of antiquities during the many years he 
 resided in Egypt. He was already informed, 
 that I had undertaken to remove the colossal 
 bust, and he told me the Arabs would not 
 work at Thebes, as he had occasion to try 
 them. He then made me a present of a granite 
 cover of a sarcophagus, which the Arabs had 
 
INt EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 47 
 
 discovered in one of the tombs. He said that 
 he had employed several of them for many 
 days to take it out for himself, but they could 
 not succeed ; so that, if I could take it out, I 
 was welcome to it. I thanked him for his pre- 
 sent, and proceeded on my voyage. 
 
 On the 6th, in the afternoon, we arrived in 
 Siout. The Defterdar Bey was not there, but 
 was expected in two or three days. I waited 
 upon the physician of Ibrahim Bashaw, Mr. 
 Scotto, to whom I was referred for information 
 respecting boats, carpenters, &c. This person 
 had never seen Mr. Salt, by whom I was re- 
 commended to him. He behaved, however, 
 very well to Mr. Bankes, as I have reason to 
 believe, when he passed that way, and he did 
 also to me ; but as to taking away the colossal 
 bust, after gradually introducing the matter, 
 he made many difficulties : first, about obtain- 
 ing permission to have the necessary workmen ; 
 then there were no boats to be had ; and next, 
 the bust was a mass of stone not worth the 
 carriage : at last, he plainly recommended to 
 me not to meddle in this business, for I should 
 meet w^ith many disagreeable things, and have 
 many obstacles to encounter. I saw that I 
 could obtain but little help from this quarter ; 
 so I procured all that I wanted by means of my 
 
48 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 interpreter, and a few words of my own. I 
 provided [myself with 'a. Greek carpenter, who 
 agreed to follow us to Thebes ; and on the 
 sixth day the Bey arrived. He received me 
 very politely. I presented the letter to him 
 which Mr. Salt had obtained from Mahomet 
 Ali himself, and he furnished me with orders 
 to the CashefF of the province of Erments, to 
 whom the Fellahs of Thebes are subject. 
 
 While waiting ibr the Bey, I visited the 
 tombs of Issus. There are only two that are 
 worth notice, and these are so decayed inside, 
 that there is scarcely any remains of figures or 
 painting ; all the rest are small holes for the 
 lower class of people. Siout is the capital of 
 Sais, or Upper Egypt. There is a constant 
 commerce kept up by the caravans from Dar- 
 foor. Negroes, feathers, elephants' teeth, and 
 gum, are the principal articles brought to market. 
 The viceroy of Upper Egypt is always the first 
 to select what he pleases from the caravan ; for 
 which he fixes his own price, and pays what he 
 likes. The rest is for the merchants, who dare 
 not buy any thing till the viceroy has made his 
 choice. 
 
 This place is celebrated for the making of 
 eunuchs. As soon as the operation is per- 
 formed, the boys are buried in the ground, all 
 
IX EGYPT. NUBIA, &c. 49 
 
 but the head and shoulders ; and many, who 
 are not of strong constitutions, die with the 
 excruciating pain. It is calculated, that the 
 operation, during its performance or afterwards, 
 proves fatal to two out of three. 
 
 Besides the usual produce of the country, 
 wheat, beans, flax, and seeds, a great number 
 of wax-candles are made; and it is from hence 
 Cairo is chiefly supplied with this article. Ibra- 
 him Bashaw has latterly been the terror of the 
 people. AVhen an unfortunate culprit was brought 
 before him, after some few questions, he sent 
 him to the Cady* to be judged. This was the 
 signal for taking him to a particular cannon, to 
 the mouth of which he was tied ; and it was 
 then fired off*, loaded with a ball, so that the 
 body was scattered about in pieces at a con- 
 siderable distance. In the case of two Arabs, 
 who had killed a soldier, not without provoca- 
 tion, this Bashaw had them fastened to a pole, 
 like two rabbits on a spit, and roasted alive 
 at a slow fire : yet this man is now heir to the 
 government of Egypt on the death of Mahomet 
 All. 
 
 On our proceeding up towards Acmin, we 
 saw the columns at Gow ; which have since all 
 
 * An Arab Sheik, ^vho often decides trifling cases, 
 vol.. I. E 
 
50 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 fallen into the river, one excepted. I observed 
 there the largest monolite I have seen any 
 where. It was near twelve feet high, but of 
 very rough workmanship. The temple had 
 been very extensive, but the work not of the 
 best sort. 
 
 Next day, the 1.5th, we went to Acmin, to 
 visit the fathers of that convent. There is 
 nothing interesting in the place, except some 
 stairs, the only remains of the ancient temple. 
 One of the fathers told me, that at some di- 
 stance in the mountain there is a small lake, 
 which he had visited himself, entirely sur- 
 rounded by cassia trees. Among the rubbish 
 in the town are found a few trifling antiquities, 
 but nothing of any consequence. The fathers 
 took me to see the Casheff, or governor of the 
 place ; who, hearing that I was in search of 
 antiquities, said that he well knew there were 
 many in the town, for the Fellahs had often 
 told him so. I inquired of him where they 
 were? " Oh! but you cannot have them," he 
 replied : " they are all enchanted by the devil ; 
 and no one can take them from where they 
 are !" I told him, if he would but tell me 
 where they were, I would arrange the busi- 
 ness in the other quarter. " That is very 
 well," said he ; *' but no one here dares to tell 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 5l 
 
 you, for fear the devil should do him a mis- 
 chief." He then informed me, that in the 
 mountains, about six miles distant, there was a 
 large gold ring stuck into the rock, which no 
 one could take out : that some of his soldiers 
 went witli a cannon, and, after firing several 
 balls at it, were returning without success, 
 when by chance a man who was eating a cu- 
 cumber threw a part of it at the ring, which 
 immediately fell to the ground ; so that it must 
 have been fixed by enchantment there, and 
 nothins^ but the rind of a cucumber could make 
 it fall. This I received from the governor of a 
 province ! What sort of a country must that 
 be, which allows itself to be ruled by a man of 
 so elevated a mind ! 
 
 On the l6th we passed before Manshia, and 
 arrived at Gerge. There we procured some 
 provision, and continued our voyage. It was 
 from this place I visited Arabat, the ancient 
 Abydos, two years after, as I shall take a pro- 
 per opportunity of relating. 
 
 Near Cossar el Sajats there is a narrow passage 
 of the Nile, particularly at low water. The 
 wind here was so strong, that we made con- 
 siderable way against the current, even without 
 sails ; or, in nautical language, " scudding under 
 bare poles." 
 
 E Q 
 
5^2 
 
 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 On the 18th, at night, we arrived at Dendera, 
 where we saw a phenomenon that I never be- 
 fore heard of. A meteor appeared over our 
 heads, and took its course towards the south ; 
 but so slowly, that, from the time of its setting 
 off to that of its dispersion, to the best of my 
 reckoning, it was visible for about twenty se- 
 conds. It first appeared of a bluish colour, 
 then became white, and lastly red ; leaving, 
 apparently, many sparks on the way it had 
 passed. 
 
 On the 19th, early in the morning, my cu- 
 riosity was at a high pitch, the noted temple of 
 Tentyra being the only thought I had in my 
 head. Accordingly, we set off on asses, as 
 usual, and proceeded to the ruins, nearly two 
 miles from the Nile. Little could be seen of 
 the temple, till we came near to it, as it is sur- 
 rounded by high mounds of rubbish of the old 
 Tentyra. On our arriving before it, I was for 
 some time at a loss to know where I should 
 begin my examination. The numerous objects 
 before me, all equally attractive, left me for a 
 while in a state of suspense and astonishment. 
 The enormous masses of stone employed in the 
 edifice are so well disposed, that the eye dis- 
 covers the most just proportion every where. 
 The majestic appearance of its construction, 
 
IN EGYFr, NUBIA, &v. 53 
 
 the variety of its ornaments, and, above all, the 
 singularity of its preservation, had such an 
 effect on me, that I seated myself on the ground, 
 and for a considerable time was lost in admira- 
 tion. It is the first Egyptian temple the tra- 
 veller sees on ascending the Nile, and it is cer- 
 tainly the most magnificent. It has an ad- 
 vantage over most others, from the good state 
 of preservation it is in ; and I should have no 
 scruple in saying, that it is of a much later date 
 than many others. The superiority of the work- 
 manship gives us sufficient reason to suppose it 
 to be of the time of the first Ptolemy ; and it is 
 not improbable, that he, who laid the founda- 
 tion of the Alexandrian library, instituted the 
 philosophical society of the Museum, and studied 
 to render himself beloved by his people, might 
 erect such an edifice, to convince the Egyptians 
 of his superiority of mind over the ancient kings 
 of Egypt, even in religious devotion. 
 
 This is the cabinet of the Egyptian arts, the 
 product of study for many centuries, and it 
 was here that Denon thought himself in the 
 sanctuary of the arts and sciences. The front 
 is adorned with a beautiful cornice, and a frieze 
 covered with figures and hieroglyphics, over 
 the centre of which the winged globe is pre- 
 dominant, and the two sides are embellished 
 
^<1< RESEARCHES AND OPKIIATIONS 
 
 with compartments of sacrifices and offerings. 
 The columns that form the portico are twenty- 
 four in number, divided into four rows, including 
 those in the front. On entering the gate the 
 scene changes, and requires more minute ob- 
 servation. The quadrangular form of the ca- 
 pitals first strikes the eye. At each side of the 
 square there is a colossal head of the goddess 
 Isis with cows* ears. There is not one of these 
 heads but is much mutilated, particularly those 
 on the columns in the front of the temple facing 
 the outside : but notwithstanding this disad- 
 vantage, and the flatness of their form, there is 
 a simplicity in their countenance that approaches 
 to a smile. The shafts of the columns are co- 
 vered with hieroglyphics and figures, which are 
 in basso relievo, as are all the figures in the 
 front and lateral walls. The front of the door- 
 way, which is in a straight line with the entrance 
 and the sanctuary, is richly adorned with figures 
 of smaller size than the rest of the portico. 
 The ceiling contains the zodiac, inclosed by 
 two long female figures, which extend from one 
 side to the other of it. The walls are divided 
 into several square compartments, each con- 
 taining figures representing deities, and priests 
 in the act of offering or immolating victims. 
 On all the walls, columns, ceiling, or archi- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 5,5 
 
 traves, tliere is nowhere a space of two feet, 
 that is not covered witli some figures of human 
 beings, animals, plants, emblems of agriculture, 
 or of religious ceremony. Wherever the eyes 
 turn, wherever the attention is fixed, everything 
 inspires respect and veneration, heightened by 
 the solitary situation of this temple, which adds 
 to the attraction of these splendid recesses. 
 The inner apartments are much the same as the 
 portico, all covered with figures in basso relievo, 
 to which the light enters through small holes 
 in the walls : the sanctuary itself is quite dark. 
 In the corner of it I found the door, w^hich 
 leads to the roof by a staircase, the walls of 
 which are also covered with figures in basso re- 
 lievo. On the top of the temple the Arabs had 
 built a village, I suppose to be the more elevated, 
 and exposed to the air ; but it is all in ruins, as 
 no one now lives there. From the top I de- 
 scended into some apartments on the east side 
 of the temple. There I saw the famous zodiac 
 on the ceiling. The circular form of this zodiac 
 led me to suppose, in some measure, that this 
 temple was built at a later period than the rest, 
 as nothing like it is seen any where else. In 
 the front of the edifice there is a propylseon, 
 not inferior to the works in the temple ; and, 
 though partly fallen, it still shows its ancient 
 
.56 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 grandeur. On the left, going from the portico, 
 there is a small temple surrounded by columns. 
 In the inside is a figure of Isis sitting with Orus 
 in her lap, and other female figures, each with a 
 child in her arms, are observable. The capitals 
 of the columns are adorned with the figure of 
 Typhon. The gallery or portico, that surrounds 
 the temple, is filled up with rubbish to a great 
 height, and walls of unburnt bricks have been 
 raised from one column to another. Farther 
 on, in a right line with the propylaeon, are the 
 remains of an hypasthral temple, which form a 
 square of twelve columns, connected with each 
 other by a wall, except at the door-way, w'hich 
 fronts the propylaeon. The eastern wall of the 
 great temple is richly adorned with figures in 
 intaglio relevato : they are perfectly finished : 
 the female figures are about four feet high, dis- 
 posed in different compartments. Behind the 
 temple is a small Egyptian building, quite de- 
 tached from the large edifice ; and from its 
 construction I would venture to say, that it was 
 the habitation of the priests. At some distance 
 from the great temple are the foundations of 
 another, not so large as the first. The pro- 
 pylaeon is still standing in good preservation. 
 My principal object did not permit me to stay 
 here any longer j but I do not know that I ever 
 
IN EGYl'T, NUlilA, eV. o7 
 
 quitted a place with so much regret and wish 
 to remain. 
 
 When we again reached tlie Nile, tlie people 
 of Dendera were assembled in great numbers, 
 waiting our return from the ruins. On approach- 
 ing them they surrounded my interpreter, and 
 caught hold of him, some by the arms, others 
 by the garments, and insisted that he should 
 remain there, as he belonged to that village. 
 The fact was, that at the time the French were 
 there, a boy from that place went along with 
 them ; and, as our interpreter told them that he 
 had been in the French army, they concluded 
 he must be the same person ; nor could we per- 
 suade them to the contrary. I was not willing 
 to part with him, as I was but little acquainted 
 with the Arabic language ; but no reasonino- 
 with them would avail, and they were too nu- 
 merous for him to escape from them. At last, 
 I told them to call for the mother of the boy in 
 question. To this they answered, that she lived 
 at six miles distance, and they would not take 
 the trouble to go and fetch her. Presently, 
 however, they consented ; but they would not 
 release their supposed old friend from their 
 hands, telling him he had been long enough 
 among christian dogs. Some brought him milk 
 and bread, others dates, others sugar-canes, &c. 
 
38 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 At length the desired old woman arrived, ac- 
 companied with another son ; and, on her 
 coming up to my interpreter, he addressed her 
 in such a manner, that she soon acknowledged 
 he did not belong to her. 
 
 We set oft' the same morning, and arrived in 
 an hour at Kenneh. This place is well known 
 for its trade with India through Cosseir, and as 
 it is a halting-place for the Hadgees, is always 
 well supplied with provisions. The Aga has 
 under his command five hundred soldiers, to 
 escort the caravan through the desert to Cos- 
 seir. The Bashaw sends supplies of wheat to 
 his troops in Arabia, beside the usual trade in 
 sugar and silk ; and they bring coffee from 
 Mocha, with cottons and Cashmire shawls of 
 India manufacture. The Hadgees here take a 
 stock of provision sufficient to last them as far 
 as Mecca, and in the proper season the town is 
 crowded with them from all parts. The camels 
 for the caravans are furnished by the Ababdy, 
 who make it a profitable business with the Had- 
 gees. The best vessels for cooling water are 
 met with in this town. The slaves that come 
 from the upper country pay a duty of four 
 dollars for a boy, two for a woman, and one for 
 a man. 
 
 We continued our voyage, and arrived at 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, A.c. .YJ 
 
 Ganiola on the 21st at night. On tlie 22d, we 
 saw for the first time the ruins of great Thebes, 
 and landed at Luxor. Here 1 beg the reader 
 to observe, that but very imperfect ideas can be 
 formed of the extensive ruins oY Thebes, even 
 from the accounts of the most skilful and ac- 
 curate travellers. It is absolutely impossible 
 to imagine the scene displayed, without seeing 
 it. The most sublime ideas, that can be formed 
 from the most magnificent specimens of our 
 present architecture, would give a very incor- 
 rect picture of these ruins : for such is the dif- 
 ference, not only in magnitude, but in form, 
 proportion, and construction, that even the 
 pencil can convey but a faint idea of the whole. 
 It appeared to me like entering a city of giants, 
 who, after a long conflict, were all destroyed, 
 leaving the ruins of th.eir various temples as the 
 only proofs of their former existence. The tem- 
 ple of Luxor presents to the traveller at once 
 one of the most splendid groups of Egyptian 
 grandeur. The extensive propyleeon, with the 
 two obelisks, and colossal statues in the front ; 
 the thick groups of enormous columns ; the 
 variety of apartments and the sanctuary it con- 
 tains ; the beautiful ornaments which adorn 
 every part of the walls and columns, the battles 
 on the propylaeon, described by Mr. Hamilton ; 
 
Go KESEAKCIIES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 cause in the astonished traveller an oblivion of 
 all that he has seen before. If his attention be 
 attracted to the north side of Thebes by the 
 towering remains that project a great height 
 above the wood of palm trees, he will gradually 
 enter that forest-like assemblage of ruins of 
 temples, columns, obelisks, colossi, sphynxes, 
 portals, and an endless number of other asto- 
 nishing objects, that will convince him at once 
 of the impossibility of a description. On the 
 west side of the Nile, still the traveller finds him- 
 self among wonders. The temples of Gournou, 
 Memnonium, and Medinet Aboo, attest the ex- 
 tent of the great city on this side. The un- 
 rivalled colossal figures in the plains of Thebes, 
 the number of tombs excavated in the rocks, 
 those in the great valley of the kings, with their 
 paintings, sculptures, mummies, sarcophagi, 
 fissures, &c. are all objects worthy of the ad- 
 miration of the traveller; who will not fail to 
 wonder how a nation, which was once so great 
 as to erect these stupendous edifices, could so 
 far fall into oblivion, that even their language 
 and writing are totally unknown to us. 
 
 After having taken a cursory view of Luxor 
 and Carnak, to which my curiosity led me on 
 my landing, I crossed the Nile to the west, and 
 proceeding straight to the Memnonium, I had 
 
IM EGYPT, NUI5IA, &c. 6l 
 
 to pass before the two colossal figures in the 
 plain. I need not say, that I was struck with 
 wonder. They are mutilated indeed, but their 
 enormous size strikes the mind witli admiration. 
 The next object that met my view was the 
 Memnonium. It stands elevated above the 
 plain, which is annually inundated by the Nile. 
 The water reaches quite to the propylaeon ; and, 
 though this is considerably lower than the temple, 
 I beg leave to observe, that it may be considered 
 as one of the proofs, that the bed of the Nile has 
 risen considerably higher since the Memnonium 
 W'as erected ; for it is not to be supposed that 
 the Egyptians built the propylaeon, which is the 
 entrance to the temple, so low as not to be able 
 to enter it when the water was at its heisrht. 
 There are other proofs of this opinion, which I 
 shall have an opportunity of introducing in this 
 volume. The groups of columns of that temple, 
 and the views of the numerous tombs excavated 
 in the high rock behind it, present a strange ap- 
 pearance to the eye. On my approaching these 
 ruins, I was surprised at the sight of the great 
 colossus of Memnon, or Sesostris, or Osyman- 
 dias, or Phamenoph, or perhaps some other king 
 of Egypt ; for such are the various opinions of 
 its origin, and so many names have been given 
 to it, that at last it has no name at all. I can 
 
6^2 KESEAUCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 but say, that it must have been one of the most 
 venerated statues of the Egyptians ; for it would 
 have required more labour to convey such a 
 mass of granite from Assouan to Thebes, than 
 to transport the obelisk, commonly known under 
 the appellation of Pompey's Pillar, to Alex- 
 andria. 
 
 As I entered these ruins, my first thought was 
 to examine the colossal bust I had to take away. 
 I found it near the remains of its body and 
 chair, with its face upwards, and apparently 
 smiling on me, at the thought of being taken 
 to England. I must say, that my expectations 
 were exceeded by its beauty, but not by its 
 size. I observed, that it must have been ab- 
 solutely the same statue as is mentioned by 
 Norden, lying in his time with its face down- 
 wards, which must have been the cause of its 
 preservation. I will not venture to assert who 
 separated the bust from the rest of the body by 
 an explosion, or by whom the bust has been 
 turned face upwards. The place where it lay 
 was nearly in a line with the side of the main 
 gateway into the temple ; and, as there is an- 
 other colossal head near it, there may have been 
 one on each side of the doorway, as they are to 
 be seen at Luxor and Carnak. 
 
 All the implements brought from Cairo to 
 
L\ EGYPT. NUBIA, A:c. ()0 
 
 the Memnonium consisted of fourteen poles, 
 eight of which were employed in making a sort 
 of car to lay the bust on, four ropes of palm 
 leaves, and four rollers, without tackle of any 
 sort. I selected a place in the porticoes ; and, 
 as our boat was too far off to go to sleep in it 
 every night, I had all oiu' things brought on 
 shore, and made a dwelling house of the Mem- 
 nonium. A small hut was formed of stones, 
 and we were handsomely lodged. Mrs. Belzoni 
 had by this time accustomed herself to travel, 
 and was equally indifferent with myself about 
 accommodations. I examined the road by which 
 I was to take the bust to the Nile. As it ap- 
 peared, that the season of the inundation was 
 advancing very fast, all the lands which extend 
 from the Memnonium to the water side would 
 have been covered in one month's time ; and 
 the way at the foot of the mountain was very 
 uneven, and in some parts ran over the ground 
 to which the water reached, so that, unless the 
 bust was drawn over those places before the in- 
 undation commenced, it would become impos- 
 sible to effect it after, till the next summer ; a 
 delay which might have occasioned even still 
 more difficulties than I had to encounter at that 
 time ; for I have reason to assert, that an in- 
 
C) I RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 trigue was going on to prevent the removal of 
 the head. 
 
 On the 24th of July, I went to the Cacheff 
 of Erments to obtain an order to the Caimakan 
 of Gournou and Agalta, to procure for me 
 -eighty Arabs, to assist in the removal of the 
 young Memnon. He received me with that 
 invariable politeness which is peculiar to the 
 Turks, even when they do not mean in the 
 slightest degree to comjily with your wishes, 
 and which often deceives a traveller, who only 
 €fi passant takes coffee, smokes his pipe, and 
 goes away. It is not so these people can be 
 known. It requires an opportunity of dealing 
 with them, and in matters in which their in- 
 terest is concerned. There are exceptions among 
 them, as there are among the Christians of Eu- 
 rope ; and I often found myself deceived where 
 I least expected it. The smooth-faced pro- 
 testations of friendship and partiality for a per- 
 son, whom they never saw before, is so common 
 among them, that at last it becomes a matter of 
 course ; and no reliance is placed on it, except 
 by those who are unacquainted with the cus- 
 toms of the country. 
 
 I presented the firman from the Defterdar at 
 Siout. He received it reverently, and promised 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 65 
 
 to do every thing in his power to get the Arabs 
 to work ; but observed that, at the present sea- 
 son, they were all occupied, and it would be 
 better to wait till after the inundation of the 
 Nile. I remarked, that I had seen a great many 
 Arabs about the villages, who appeared per- 
 fectly idle, and who would be glad to gain 
 something by being employed. " You are mis- 
 taken," he replied, " for they would sooner 
 starve than undertake a task so arduous as 
 yours ; since, to remove that stone, they must 
 be helped by Mahomet, or they will never stir 
 it the thickness of a thumb. Now, at the rise 
 of the Nile, the Arabs of these banks are quite 
 unoccupied, and that is the best time to employ 
 them for such purposes." The next objection 
 was the Ramadan, which was just beginning; 
 and the third, that he could not spare any 
 Arabs, as they must work in the fields for the 
 Bashaw, whose work could not be interrupted. 
 I saw plainly, that I should have to encounter 
 many difficulties, but I was determined to per- 
 sist ; and I told him, I should collect men my- 
 self, accompanied by my Janizary ; and that all 
 the Arabs I might find idle and willing to come, 
 I should engage, according to the firman I had 
 received from the Bashaw. " To-morrow," he 
 then replied, " I will send my brother to see if 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
66 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 any men can be got." I told him I relied on 
 his word, and gave him to understand, that, if 
 he behaved in a manner conformably to the 
 orders of the Bashaw, he would receive a pre- 
 sent accordingly ; and, leaving my Janizary 
 there, to conduct the men who might be pro- 
 cured for me to the Memnonium the next 
 morning, I returned to Thebes. 
 
 The morning arrived, but no men appeared. 
 I waited patiently till nine o'clock, and then 
 mounted a camel, and went again to Erments. 
 I gave my interpreter some pov/der, and about 
 two pounds of raw coffee, to be produced v/hen 
 I should ask for them. I found the Cacheff 
 occupied in giving directions to build a tomb 
 for a Mahometan saint ; but it was of no use to 
 complain. I told him, therefore, that I came 
 to drink coffee with him, and smoke a pipe. 
 He was pleased, and we sat together on the 
 divan. I pretended to be quite unconcerned 
 about the removal of the colossus ; and at a 
 proper time I presented the powder and the 
 coffee to him, with which he was much gratified. 
 I then repeated to him, that, if he would obtain 
 men for me, it would be much to his advantage ; 
 and if not, he would lose the chance of reward, 
 and I should act accordingly. He promised 
 again that, on the next morning, I should have 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 67 
 
 the assistance I wanted, and gave me an order 
 for the purpose. I returned to Gournou on the 
 same evening, and sent the tiscarry, or order, 
 to the Caimakan of the place, whose business it 
 was to attend to it. This man was an old ac- 
 quaintance of a certain collector of antiquities 
 in Alexandria ; and, as he had immediate com- 
 mand over the Fellahs, gave me much trouble. 
 He had collected antiquities for this person for 
 many years at Gournou, was married and settled 
 there, so that I was by no means welcome to 
 him. Agreeably to the order, he also promised, 
 like his master, to furnish me with men : but 
 again, on the 26th, not one appeared. 
 
 I then sent for him, and with an air of indif- 
 ference, he told me, that men could not be pro- 
 cured that day, but he would do what he could 
 on the morrow or next day : at the same time 
 the Fellahs, who were idle, would have been 
 glad to be employed, as they came by twenty at 
 a time to see if permission were granted for 
 them to work. The Cacheff, too, instead of 
 sending the assistance he had promised from his 
 part of the country, sent only a soldier, to in- 
 quire whether I still wanted it ; and I replied, 
 that, if he did not supply me with some men 
 the next morning, I should write to Cairo. I 
 knew, that writing to Cairo would have been 
 
 f2 
 
G8 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to no purpose, for it would take a month before 
 I could receive an answer, and then it would be 
 too late, in consequence of the rising of the 
 Nile. I tried in vain to persuade those Arabs 
 whom I saw unemployed to work ; but, though 
 they were desirous of earning money, they dared 
 not do so, without permission either from the 
 CachefF or the Caimakan. 
 
 To the Cacheff I now applied again, and at 
 last on the 27th, he sent me a few men, but by 
 no means sufficient for my purpose ; yet, when 
 others saw them at work, by permission they 
 were easily persuaded to join the party. I ar- 
 ranged my men in a row, and agreed to give 
 them thirty paras a day, which is equal to four- 
 pence halfpenny English money, with which 
 they were much pleased, as it was more by one 
 half than they were accustomed to receive for 
 their daily labour in the fields. The carpenter 
 had made the cur, and the first operation was to 
 endeavour to place the bust on it. The Fellahs 
 of Gournou, who were familiar with Caphany, as 
 they named the colossus, were persuaded, that 
 it could never be moved from the spot where 
 it lay ; and when they saw it moved, they all 
 set up a shout. Though it was the effect of 
 their own efforts, it was the devil, they said, 
 that did it j and as they saw me taking notes. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 69 
 
 they concluded that it was done by means of a 
 charm. The mode I adopted to place it on the 
 car was very simple, for work of no other de- 
 scription coukl be executed by these people, as 
 their utmost sagacity reaches only to pulling a 
 rope, or sitting on the extremity of a lever as a 
 counterpoise. By means of four levers I raised 
 the bust, so as to leave a vacancy under it, 
 to introduce the car ; and, after it was slowly 
 lodged on this, I had the car raised in the front, 
 with the bust on it, so as to get one of the rollers 
 underneath. I then had the same operation 
 performed at the back, and the colossus was 
 ready to be pulled up. I caused it to be well 
 secured on the car, and the ropes so placed that 
 the power might be divided. I stationed men 
 with levers at each side of the car, to assist oc- 
 casionally, if the colossus should be inclined to 
 turn to either side. In this manner I kept it 
 safe from falling. Lastly, 1 placed men in 
 the front, distributing them equally at the fouj: 
 ropes, while others were ready to change the 
 rollers alternately. Thus I succeeded in getting 
 it removed the distance of several yards from its 
 original place. 
 
 According to my instructions, I sent an Arab 
 to Cairo with the intelligence, that the bust had 
 Jjegun its journey towards England. From the 
 
70 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS ~^ 
 
 great heat of the day I was unwell at night, 
 having never felt the sun so powerful before in 
 my life. Being in the hottest season, the air was 
 inflamed ; and even at night the wind itself was 
 extremely hot. The place I had chosen in the 
 Memnonium was worse than any, as the whole 
 mass of stones was so heated, that the hands 
 could not be kept on it. In the course of time 
 these places became familiar to me, as well as 
 the climate ; for I observed, three years after, 
 that I was often on the same spot, and at the 
 same season, without feeling the least incon- 
 venience, or being sensible of the intense heat 
 I had felt on my first arrival. When the Arabs 
 found that they received money for the re- 
 moval of a stone, they entertained the opinion, 
 that it was filled with gold in the inside, and 
 that a thing of such value should not be per- 
 mitted to be taken away. 
 
 On the 28th we recommenced the work. The 
 Arabs came pretty early, as they preferred to 
 work in the morning, and rest in the middle of 
 the day from twelve to two. This day we re- 
 moved the bust out of the ruins of the Memno- 
 nium. To make room for it to pass, we had 
 to break the bases of two columns. It was ad- 
 vanced about fifty yards out of the temple. In 
 the evening I was very poorly : I went to rest. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c, 71 
 
 but my stomach refused any aliment. I began 
 to be persuaded, that there is a great difference 
 between travelling in a boat, with all that is 
 wanted in it, and at leisure, and the undertaking 
 of an operation, which required great exertions 
 in directing a body of men, who in point of skill 
 are no better than beasts, and to be exposed to 
 the burning sun of that country from morning 
 till night. 
 
 On the next day, the 29th, I found it impos- 
 sible to stand on my legs, and postponed the 
 work to the day following. I had all our house- 
 hold-furniture, beds, kitchen-pottery, and pro- 
 visions, put on a camel, and returned to the 
 boat, in hopes that the air might be cool at 
 night ; but I remained very ill the whole 
 day, my stomach refusing to take almost any 
 thing. 
 
 On the 30th we continued the work, and the 
 colossus advanced a hundred and fifty yards 
 towards the Nile. I was a little better in the 
 morning, but worse again in the evening. 
 
 On the 31st I was again a little better, but 
 could not proceed, as the road became so sandy 
 that the colossus sunk into the ground. I was 
 therefore under the necessity of taking a long 
 turn of above three hundred yards, to a new 
 
72 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 road. In the evening of this day I was much 
 better. 
 
 On the 1st of August we still improved in 
 our success, as we this day proceeded above 
 three hundred yards. I was obliged to keep 
 several men employed in making the road before 
 us, as we went on with the head. The Irish lad 
 that was with me I sent to Cairo, as he could 
 not resist the climate ; but what is singidar, 
 Mrs. Belzoni enjoyed tolerable health all the 
 time. She was constantly among the women in 
 the tombs ; for all the Fellahs of Gournou make 
 dwelling-houses where the Egyptians had buriaU 
 places, as I shall have occasion to mention here^ 
 ^fter. 
 
 On the 2d the head advanced farther; and I 
 was in great hopes of passing a part of the land, 
 to which the inundation would extend, previous 
 to the water reaching that spot. 
 
 On the 3d we went on extremely well, and 
 advanced nearly four hundred yards. We had 
 a bad road on the 4th, but still w^e proceeded a 
 good way. On the 5th we entered the land I 
 was so anxious to pass over, for fear the water 
 should reach it and arrest our course ; and I was 
 happy to think, that the next day would bring 
 us out of danger. Accordingly, I went to the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 73 
 
 place early in the morning, and to my great sur- 
 prise found no one there except the guards and 
 the carpenter, who informed me, that the Caima- 
 kan had given orders to the Fellahs not to work 
 for the Christian dogs any longer. I sent for 
 him, to know the reason of this new proceeding ; 
 but he was gone to Luxor. It is to be observed, 
 that the spot where the head lay at this time was 
 expected to be under water in a few days ; and 
 that by delay the risk would be incurred of hav- 
 ing it sunk in the earth, so that it could not have 
 been taken out till the following year, and then 
 not without a great deal of additional trouble, 
 exclusive of the tricks that might be played 
 in the interval. Under these circumstances, it 
 may be imagined I was uneasy upon the subject, 
 and anxious for despatch. I afterwards learned, 
 that the rogue of a Caimakan had suggested to 
 the CachefFto take advantage of the situation, 
 when the head was to pass that spot, to put an 
 end to our proceeding. I took the Janizary 
 with me, and crossed the water to Luxor. I 
 there found the Caimakan, who could give me 
 no reason for his proceeding but saucy answers ; 
 and the more I attempted to bring him into good 
 humour by smooth words and promises, the 
 more insolent he became. My patience was 
 great, and I was determined that day to carry 
 
74 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 it to its utmost length : but there is a certain 
 point, which, if exceeded, these people do uot 
 understand ; and, in a country where respect is 
 paid only to the strongest, advantage w ill always 
 be taken of the weak : consequently if a man 
 carry his policy beyond that point, they mistake 
 him for a coward ; he is despised, and will have 
 the more difficulties to encounter. 
 
 This was the case on the present occasion : 
 my patience was mistaken ; and this man, after 
 having said all that he could against my nation, 
 and those who protected me, was so much en- 
 couraged by my forbearance, that he attempted 
 to put his hands on me, which I resisted. He 
 then became more violent, and drew his sword, 
 though he had a brace of pistols in his belt. 
 There was no time to be lost ; and as I had 
 received a good lesson at Cairo from another 
 Albanian like himself, I gave him no leisure 
 to execute his purpose. I instantly seized and 
 disarmed him, placed my hands on his stomach, 
 and made him sensible of my superiority, at 
 least in point of strength, by keeping him firm 
 in a corner of the room. The jDistols and sword, 
 which I had thrown on the ground, were taken 
 up by my Janizary j and after giving the fellow 
 a good shaking, I took possession of them, and 
 told him, that I should send them to Cairo, to 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. ^5 
 
 show the Bashaw in what manner his orders 
 were respected. He followed me towards the 
 boat, and was no sooner out of the crowd that 
 had assembled, than he began to be quite hum- 
 ble, and talk of matters as if nothing had hap- 
 pened. He then told me, that the order he 
 had given to the Fellahs not to work he had re- 
 ceived from the Cacheff himself, and it could not 
 be expected, that, being only a Caimakan, he 
 could disobey his superior. I did not stop one 
 instant, but ordered the boat to take me to 
 Erments immediately. 
 
 The reader, perhaps, may think my narrative 
 too minute ; but I beg to observe, that it is in 
 this way only the true character of these people 
 can be known. I remarked, that in almost 
 every thing he said to me nothing escaped him 
 against my religion, which is generally the first 
 thing with a Mahometan ; but I found after- 
 wards, that the friend in Lower Egypt, with 
 whom he had trafficked in antiques, from 
 whom he received money and presents, and 
 who influenced him on this occasion, was a 
 Christian ; and if he could have found the 
 means to interrupt my proceedings respecting 
 the bust, he would greatly have obliged this 
 friend, 
 
 I hastened to Erments, and arrived tliere be- 
 
76 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 fore sunset. As it was the time of Ramadan, the 
 CachefF had many of his principal officers, and 
 several Hadgees and Santons, at dinner with 
 him ; it being the custom of these Turkish 
 travellers, particularly at this season, to live at 
 great men's tables. There were about thirty in 
 that place. The dinner was prepared in a field 
 before the house, as no room within it would 
 contain so many persons. An old carpet, about 
 twenty feet long and three wide, was spread on 
 the ground ; and where we should put plates, 
 cakes were placed of fine white bread, made ex- 
 pressly for the occasion. On my arrival they 
 were just going to begin, the hour of dining 
 being always a little after sunset during the 
 festival of Ramadan, as they are then not 
 allowed to eat till the sun has wholly dis- 
 appeared ; so that I could introduce no business 
 at that time. There is certainly something in 
 the ceremonial manners of the Turks, that is 
 often peculiarly provoking. At the very mo- 
 ment that they order your throat to be cut, they 
 will not fail to salute you, apparently, with the 
 utmost cordiality. The CachefF received me 
 very politely, and invited me to dine with him. 
 I dared not refuse, as it would have been the 
 greatest affront I could have offered him. Ac- 
 cordingly, we sat all round the carpet, on the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 77 
 
 ground. The Turkish cookery does not always 
 suit an European palate ; but there are a few 
 dishes, that are equally agreeable with our 
 own ; particularly mutton roasted on a wooden 
 pole, at a wood fire. They have a particular 
 way of cooking it, putting it on the fire imme- 
 diately after it is killed, and before it has lost its 
 natural warmth ; and in this way it has a parti- 
 cular flavour, quite agreeable to the taste. The 
 soldiers and Hadgees tucked up their large 
 sleeves, and with naked arms dipped the fingers 
 of their right hands into the various dishes. 
 They never employ the left hand in eating, nor 
 do they eat much out of one dish, but taste of 
 all that are within their reach. They always 
 finish their dinner with pilau, and seldom drink 
 while eating. They wash immediately after, and 
 pipes and coffee being served all round, they 
 begin to converse on their usual topics, horses, 
 arms, saddles, or dress. 
 
 At a proper time I expressed to the CachefF 
 the necessity of my having an order for the 
 Fellahs, to proceed with my operations the next 
 morning. He answered with indifference, that 
 they must w^ork in the fields for the Bashaw, 
 and that he could not spare one ; but that, if I 
 would wait till the next season, I might have as 
 many as I liked. I replied to this, that as I 
 
78 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 could obtain no men from him, I would bring 
 over some from Luxor, and he would thus lose 
 the merit of what he had done ; and as I had 
 to return to Luxor that night, I must take my 
 leave. He observed, I had no reason to be 
 afraid, as I was armed with such a pair of fine 
 English pistols. I answered, they were very 
 necessary in that country, but they were at his 
 service notwithstanding, if he would be pleased 
 to accept of them ; though I had wTitten to 
 Cairo for a better pair for him, which would 
 soon arrive. At these words, he put his hands 
 on my knees, and said, " We shall be friends." 
 He ordered the firman to be written out imme- 
 diately, and set his seal to it. I left him, re- 
 turned to the boat, and arrived at Gournou be- 
 fore daylight. On passing before Luxor, we 
 were in danger of being drowned. The pier, 
 that protects these ruins from the force of the 
 current, on the swelling of the Nile is always 
 under water ; andour boatman, not being ac- 
 quainted with its situation, ran the boat against 
 it. The current was very strong ; no power 
 could resist it ; and the boat heeled so much, 
 that the water kept running over the gunwale. 
 As the rapidity in this spot is so great, that the 
 most expert swimmer, being once in the stream, 
 has no chance of reaching the shore, we appeared 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 79 
 
 to have inevitable death before us, but Pro- 
 vidence ordered it otherwise. At that moment 
 a fresh breeze arose, the advantage of which 
 was seized by the pilot, who hoisted the sail, got 
 the boat under proper management, crossed the 
 current, and escaped the danger. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 7th, I sent for 
 the Slieik of the Fellahs, and gave him the 
 Cacheff's order. The men were ready in an 
 hour after, and we continued the operation. 
 The bust advanced this day considerably more 
 than usual, owing to the men having rested on 
 the preceding day: and on the 8th I had the 
 pleasure of seeing it out of danger of being 
 overtaken by the water. 
 
 On the 9th, I was seized with such a giddi- 
 ness in my head, that I could not stand. The 
 blood ran so copiously from my nose and mouth, 
 that I was unable to continue the operation : I 
 therefore postponed it to the next day. 
 
 On the 10th and 1 1th, we approached towards 
 the river; and on the 12th, thank God, the 
 young Memnon arrived on the bank of the 
 Nile. Besides their promised payment, I gave 
 the Arabs a bakshis, or present, of one piastre 
 each, equal to sixpence English, with which 
 they were exceedingly pleased ; and they well 
 deserved their reward, after an exertion, to 
 
go RESEARCHES ANIJ OPERATIONS 
 
 which no labour can be compared. The hard 
 task they had to drag, such a weight, the 
 heavy poles they were obliged to carry to use as 
 levers, and the continual replacing the rollers, 
 with the extreme heat and dust, were more than 
 any European could have withstood : but what 
 is still more remarkable, during all the days of 
 this exertion, it being Ramadan, they never ate 
 or drank till after sunset. I am at a loss to 
 conceive, how they existed in the middle of the 
 day, at a work to which they were totally un- 
 accustomed. 
 
 Next day, in the morning, according to my 
 wish, some Arabs came to conduct me to the 
 cave, where the sarcophagus was which Mr.. 
 Drouetti had attempted to take out, and had 
 given to me as a present, if I could get it. I 
 was conducted into one of those holes, that are 
 scattered about the mountains of Gournou, so 
 celebrated for the quantities of mummies they 
 contain. The Janizary remained without, and 
 I entered with two Arabs and the interpreter. 
 
 Previous to our entering the cave, we took off 
 the greater part of our clothes, and, each having 
 a candle, advanced through a cavity in the rock, 
 which extended a considerable length in the 
 mountain, sometimes pretty high, sometimes 
 very narrow, and without any regularity. In 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 81 
 
 some passages we were obliged to creep on the 
 ground, like crocodiles. I perceived, that we 
 were at a great distance from the entrance, and 
 the way was so intricate, that I depended en- 
 tirely on the two Arabs, to conduct us out again. 
 At length we arrived at a large space, into which 
 many other holes or cavities opened; and after 
 some consideration and examination by the two 
 Arabs, we entered one of these, which was very 
 narrow, and continued downward for a long way, 
 through a craggy passage, till we came where 
 two other apertures led to the interior in a 
 horizontal direction. One of the Arabs then 
 said " This is the place.'* I could not conceive 
 how so large a sarcophagus, as it had been de- 
 scribed to me, could have been taken through 
 the aperture, which the Arab now pointed out. 
 I had no doubt, but these recesses were burial- 
 places, as we continually walked over skulls and 
 other bones : but the sarcophagus could never 
 have entered this recess j for it was so narrow, 
 that on my attempt to penetrate it, I could not 
 pass. One of the Arabs, however, succeeded, as 
 did my interpreter; and it was agreed, that I 
 and the other Arab sliould wait till they returned. 
 They proceeded evidently to a great distance, 
 for the light disappeared, and only a murmuring 
 sound from their voices could be distinguished 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
82 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 as they went on. After a few moments, I heard 
 a loud noise, and the interpreter distinctly cry- 
 ing, '* O mon Dieu ! mon Dieu ! je suis perdu r 
 After which, a profound silence ensued. I 
 asked my Arab, whether he had ever been in 
 that place ? He replied, " Never.'* I could 
 not conceive what could have happened, and 
 thought the best plan was to return, to procure 
 help from the other Arabs. Accordingly, I told 
 my man to show me the way out again ; but, 
 staring at me like an ideot, he said he did not 
 know the road. I called repeatedly to the in- 
 terpreter, but received no answer ; I watched 
 a long time, but no one returned ; and my situ- 
 ation was no very pleasant one. I naturally 
 returned through the passages, by which we had 
 come ; and, after some time, I succeeded in 
 reaching the place, where, as I mentioned, were 
 many other cavities. It was a complete laby- 
 rinth, as all these places bore a great resem- 
 blance to the one which w^e first entered. At 
 last seeing one, which appeared to be the right, 
 we proceeded through it a long way; but by 
 this time our candles had diminished consider- 
 ably ; and I feared, that, if we did not get out 
 soon, we should have to remain in the dark : 
 meantime it would have been dangerous to put 
 one out, to save the other, lest that which was 
 
IN KGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 83 
 
 left should, by some accident, be extinguished. 
 At this time we were considerably adv^anced 
 towards the outside, as we thought ; but to our 
 sorrow we found the end of that cavity, without 
 any outlet. Convinced that we were mistaken 
 in our conjecture, we quickly returned towards 
 the place of the various entries, which we strove 
 to regain. But we were then as perplexed as 
 ever, and were both exhausted from the ascents 
 and descents, which we had been obliged to go 
 over. The Arab seated himself, but every mo- 
 ment of delay was dangerous. The only expe- 
 dient was to put a mark at the place out of 
 which we had just come, and then examine the 
 cavities in succession, by putting also a mark at 
 their entrance, so as to know where we had 
 been. Unfortunately, our candles would not 
 last through the whole researches : however, we 
 began our operations. 
 
 On the second attempt, when passing before 
 a small aperture, I thought I heard the sound 
 of something like the roaring of the sea at a 
 distance. In consequence I entered this cavity; 
 and as we advanced the noise increased, till I 
 could distinctly hear a number of voices all at 
 one time. At last, thank God, we walked out ; 
 and, to my no small surprise, the first person I 
 saw was my interpreter. How he came to be 
 
 G 2 
 
81. RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 there I could not conjecture. He told me, that 
 in proceeding with the Arab along the passage 
 below, they came to a pit, which they did not 
 see ; that the Arab fell into it, and in falling 
 put out both candles. It was then that he cried 
 out, " Mon Dieu ! je suis perdu !" as he thought 
 he also should have fallen into the pit ; but, on 
 raising his head, he saw at a great distance a 
 glimpse of daylight, towards which he advanced, 
 and thus arrived at a small aperture. He then 
 scraped away some loose sand and stones, to 
 widen the place where he came out, and went to 
 give the alarm to the Arabs, who were at the 
 other entrance. Being all concerned for the 
 man who fell to the bottom of the pit, it was 
 their noise that I heard in the cave. The place 
 by which my interpreter got out was instantly 
 widened ; and in the confusion the Arabs did not 
 regard letting me see that they were acquainted 
 with that entrance, and that it had lately been 
 shut up. I was not long in detecting their 
 scheme. The Arabs had intended to show me 
 the sarcophagus, without letting me see the way 
 by which it might be taken out, and then to 
 stipulate a price for the secret. It was with this 
 view they took me such a way round about. 
 
 I found that the sarcophagus was not in 
 reality a hundred yards from the large entrance. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 85 
 
 The man was soon taken out of the well, but so 
 much hurt in one of his hips, that he went lame 
 ever after. Finding that the cover of the sarco- 
 phagus could be taken out, I set several men at 
 work to clear the passage ; but on the third day, 
 on my return from the king's tombs, I found 
 that the Cacheff had recommenced his old 
 tricks. He came to Gournou from Erments; 
 and, seeing the Arabs at work, he took them all 
 to the latter place, bound like thieves, and put 
 them into prison. I could not imagine the 
 reason of all this, after the promises I had made 
 him, and the protestations on his part which he 
 had made to me ; but, on inquiry, I found that 
 
 some agents of Mr. D had just arrived 
 
 from Alexandria and brought him presents. I 
 do not know what passed between them ; I only 
 state the case as it appeared. On my applying 
 to him again, he said that the sarcophagus was 
 sold to the French consul, and no one else 
 should have it. I feigned to be quite uncon- 
 cerned about the matter, as well as about the 
 Arabs he had put into prison ; for, if I had 
 appeared anxious, he would have kept them 
 longer, as his motives were all mercenary. I 
 told him I should write to Cairo about the sar- 
 cophagus. In fact, I had to write to Mr. Salt, 
 to have a boat sent to convey the colossus down 
 
86 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the Nile, as none could be had at that season 
 in Upper Egypt ; for they were all engaged, 
 and mostly for the Bashaw. 
 
 After having sent a courier to the consul 
 about the boat, I thought I could not employ 
 my time better than in going up the Nile, as no 
 extra expense would be incurred. The boat 
 which I had engaged might go where I pleased ; 
 and, by the time the answer from Cairo arrived, 
 I should be back again. I always had two 
 guards kept at the colossal bust day and night ; 
 but when I found that I could not get a boat to 
 embark it without writing to Cairo, I formed an 
 inclosure of earth all round it ; and on the 18tli 
 we set off for Esne. Our number was dimi- 
 nished in tliis voyage, as I had sent the Irish 
 lad to Cairo, and discharged the carpenter ; so 
 that we remained only with the Janizary and 
 the interpreter. The next day we reached 
 Esne, and I landed just in time to see Khalil 
 Bey on the same evening, whom I knew some 
 time before in Sou bra. He was appointed to 
 the government of the upper provinces, from 
 Esne to Assouan ; and having married one of 
 the Bashaw's sisters, he was quite independent 
 of the orders of the Deftardar Bey at Siout. 
 It was nearly night when I went to him. He 
 was just returned from an excursion into the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 87 
 
 country. I found him seated on a sofa made 
 of earth, covered with a fine carpet and satin 
 cushions, surrounded by a great number of his 
 chiefs, Cacheffs, and Santons. They had just 
 finished their dinner, and I could not have 
 arrived at a better time for conversation. He 
 was much pleased to see me, and offered to give 
 me letters to all the people under his command. 
 Understanding that I might perhaps proceed as 
 far as Ibrim, he caused a letter to be written to 
 Osseyn Cacheff, who was one of the three 
 princes residing in Nubia : and as Khalil Bey 
 received a yearly contribution from the Nubians, 
 he had sent his soldiers thither, so they were 
 now on friendly terms. The moment the troops 
 of Egypt enter Nubia to receive the tribute, 
 the princes march higher up the Nile, and are 
 never to be seen. 
 
 The usual conversation on horses, &c. was 
 laid aside ; and, as I was going to Nubia, the 
 topics were the various personages I should 
 meet with in that country, and the risk I ran of 
 being robbed by them, &c. After smoking a 
 few pipes, and drinking as many cups of coffee, 
 I left the Bey, and returned to the boat. 
 
 The next day I made a cursory inspection of 
 the temple in that town. It is much encum- 
 bered with rubbish, and only the portico of it is 
 
88 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 now to be seen ; but the beautiful variety and 
 fine shaped capitals of the columns, as well as 
 the zodiacal figures on the ceiling, announce 
 that it was one of the principal temples of 
 Egypt. The figures and hieroglyphics are 
 somewhat larger than those of Tentyra ; and 
 it is a great pity that such beautiful edifices 
 should be inhabited by dirty Arabs and their 
 cattle. 
 
 On the 20th we passed Elethias with a strong 
 wind, and therefore did not stop till we arrived 
 at Edfu. This temple may be compared with 
 that of Tentyra in point of preservation, and is 
 superior in magnitude. The propylgeon is the 
 largest and most perfect of any in Egypt : it is 
 covered on all sides with colossal figures of 
 intaglio relevato, and contains several apart- 
 ments in the interior, which receive light by 
 square apertures in the side. We have here 
 one of those curious subjects of inquiry, which, 
 in my opinion, have never yet been explained. 
 These square holes, or w^indows, viewed from 
 the inside of the chambers, appear to have been 
 made for the purpose of giving light to these 
 apartments, or to hold some particular orna- 
 ments or emblems, placed in them occasionally 
 on festival days ; consequently, it might be con- 
 cluded that they were made at the same time 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 89 
 
 with the building. Yet, on the outside, these 
 very windows come in contact with the colossal 
 figures which are sculptured on the walls ; and 
 part of these appear as if cut oft' where the 
 windows have been made : so that, from the ap- 
 pearance on the outside, it is to be inferred, 
 that these apertures were formed after the 
 building was finished. For my own part, I 
 think they were cut long after that period, and 
 made to give light to the apartments, which 
 were inhabited by people of a difterent religion 
 from those who built the temple. The pronaos 
 is very wide, and is the only one to be seen in 
 Egypt in such perfection, though completely 
 encumbered with Arab huts. The portico is also 
 magnificent ; but, unfortunately, above three- 
 fourths of it covered with rubbish. Through 
 some holes in the upper part of the sekos I 
 entered the inner apartments ; but they were 
 so obstructed, that I could not proceed far. 
 The Fellahs have built part of their village on 
 the top of it, as well as stables for cattle, &c. 
 The temple is surrounded by a high thick wall, 
 which extends from each side of the propylceon, 
 so as to inclose the whole building. Not only 
 the temple, but every part of the wall, is covered 
 with hieroglyphics and figures. On the side 
 wall of the pronaos I observed the figure of 
 
90 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Harpocrates which is described by Mr. Hamilton, 
 seated on a full-blown lotus, with his finger on 
 his lips, as in the minor temple at Tentyra ; and 
 on the west side of the wall is the figure of an 
 unicorn. This is one of the few figures of 
 beasts I observed in Egypt. The elephant is to 
 be seen only in the entrance to the temple of 
 Isis, in the island of Philoe : the horse, as a 
 hieroglyphic, is on the northern exerior wall at 
 Medinet Aboo ; and the camelopard is on the 
 wall of the sekos of the Memnonium, and on 
 the back of the temple at Erments. On looking 
 at an edifice of such magnitude, workmanship, 
 and antiquity, inhabited by a half savage people, 
 whose huts are stuck against it, not unlike 
 wasps' nests, and to contrast their filthy clothes 
 with these sacred images, that once were so 
 highly venerated, makes one strongly feel the 
 difference between the ancient and modern 
 state of Egypt. The minor temple is but of 
 small dimensions. It had a portico in the 
 front ; nothing of which is to be seen but frag- 
 ments of columns buried in the rubbish. Some 
 say this temple was dedicated to Apollo : but I 
 do not know why there is not as much reason 
 to suppose that it was dedicated to Typlion, as 
 that the temple at Tentyra was dedicated to 
 Isis. The square capitals on the columns at 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 91 
 
 Tentyra are adorned with beads of Isis ; and 
 this is one of the principal circumstances, that 
 indicate the deity to whom the temple was dedi- 
 cated. In the temple at Edfu the figure of 
 Typhon is placed on the capitals in a similar 
 manner ; and though there are representations 
 of the beneficent deeds of nature on the w^alls, 
 these may have been placed there by way of 
 contrast, to elucidate the destroying power of 
 the cruel god. Farther on to the south is part 
 of a building, which no doubt was a second 
 propylffion, as it faces the one now^ standing. 
 Farther still is a small temple, almost unnoticed 
 by travellers, which has an avenue of sphinxes 
 leading in a right line towards the great temple. 
 The sphinxes, several of which I cleared from 
 the surrounding sand, have a lion's body and 
 female head as large as life. There are vast 
 heaps of ruins all round these temples, and 
 many relics of antiquity may be buried there. 
 
 On our passing by Djebel Cilcilly we did not 
 stop, as we had a fair wind ; and I deferred 
 visiting that place till our return. On the 22d 
 we arrived at Ombos. The ruins that are now 
 left give a clear idea of what it has been. The 
 columns of the portico form one of the richest 
 groups of architecture I have seen : the hiero- 
 glyphics are well executed, and some still 
 
92 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 retain their colours. On the water-side are the 
 remains of a smaller temple, part of which is 
 fallen into the Nile. The stones of this little 
 temple are not so large as most of the rest ; 
 which proves, that the Egyptians paid great at- 
 tention to the proportion of masses, as one of 
 the principal points in the effect they were in- 
 tended for. The aspect of this little temple is 
 somewhat graceful ; and some of the figures re- 
 tain part of their coloiu's, though exposed to 
 the open air. In this temple the same state of 
 decay was apparent as in various others. The 
 altar is fallen down, and may be seen when the 
 water is low. It is a piece of gray marble, 
 without hieroglyphics. Close to the water-side 
 are some landing places, with covered staircases, 
 leading up to the temple ; but these are quite 
 filled up with sand. We have reason to sup- 
 pose this little temple to have been dedicated to 
 Isis, as there are the heads of that goddess on 
 the capitals of the two pillars, like those on the 
 columns at Tentyra. 
 
 Before our arrival at Assouan, we landed 
 on the western bank of the Nile. Here the 
 country has a more pleasing aspect than any 
 we had passed since the Chained Mountains. 
 There are palm-trees in great abundance, on 
 each side of the river, and some cultivated 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. QS 
 
 spots of ground, which extend from the Nile to 
 the mountains. The distant view of Assouan 
 presents a very gratifying aspect, perhaps in- 
 creased by the barrenness of the preceding 
 lands. The old town of Assouan stands on a 
 hill, which overhangs the Nile. On its left is 
 a forest of palm-trees, which hides the modern 
 town ; and on its right a distant view of the 
 granite mountain that forms the cataract. The 
 island of Elephantine seems to interfere with 
 the barrenness of the western bank, and fills 
 the ground with picturesque groups of various 
 trees ; and the high rock on the left, with the 
 remains of a Coptic conv^ent nearly on the sum- 
 mit of it, forms a view, to which travellers in 
 Egypt are not accustomed ; and this may be 
 the cause of their describing it with so much 
 partiality. We landed at the foot of the hill on 
 the left of the Nile, and went to see the ruins of 
 the convent, where I observed many grottos, 
 which had served as chapels for the Christian 
 worship. The convent is formed of several 
 small arched cells, separate from each other ; 
 and commands a very pleasing view of the 
 cataract, Assouan, and the lower part of the 
 Nile. One of the Arabian traditions relating: 
 to this place, I think worth notice. 
 
 There is in this spot, say the Arabs, great 
 
94 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 treasure, left by an ancient king of the country, 
 previous to his departure for the upper part of 
 the Nile, on a war against the Ethiopians. He 
 was so avaricious, that he did not leave his family 
 any thing to live on ; and he was in close 
 friendship with a magician, whom he appointed 
 to guard his treasure till his return. But no 
 sooner was he gone, than his relations attempted 
 to take possession of the treasure : the magician 
 resisted, was killed in the defence of his charge, 
 and changed to an enormous serpent, which de- 
 voured all his assailants. The king is not yet 
 returned, but the serpent still keeps watch over 
 the treasure ; and once every night, at a par- 
 ticular position of the stars, he comes out of the 
 caves, with a powerful light on his head, which 
 blinds all that attempt to look at it. He is of 
 an enormous size ; descends to the Nile, where 
 he drinks ; and then returns to his cave, to 
 watch the treasure till the king returns. 
 
 The 24th, on our arrival at Assouan, I made 
 application to the Aga for a boat to proceed to 
 Nubia ; but, it being the last two days of Rama- 
 dan, none could be had, for every body -was 
 feasting. I went the same evening to the old 
 town of Assouan, and found it more extensive 
 than it appeared from an external view. It 
 stands on a granite rock, and its situation is 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 95 
 
 extremely pleasant. The higher part commands 
 a view over the cataract, the Elephantine, and 
 the New Town. The granite quarries of the 
 ancient Egyptians are to be seen every where. 
 From this spot we have a full view of the cata- 
 ract, which, when the water is high, scarcely 
 deserves the name ; for it consists merely of 
 several rapids, where the river is divided in 
 its course by various granite islands scattered 
 about, and ascending gradually to the island of 
 Philoe, distant from Assouan about three hours* 
 journey by water, but two only by land. When 
 the Nile is low, the cataract has a different 
 appearance, as I shall have to describe in my 
 subsequent excursions. Above the New Town 
 are the remains of a small Egyptian temple, so 
 buried in the rubbish and stones, that it has 
 escaped the notice of many travellers. 
 
 On my return to the boat, I found the Aga 
 and all his retinue seated on a mat under a 
 cluster of palm-trees close to the water. The 
 sun was then setting, and the shades of the 
 western mountains had reached across the Nile, 
 and covered the town. It is at this time the 
 people recreate themselves in various scattered 
 groups, drinking coffee, smoking their pipes, 
 and talking of camels, horses, asses, dhourra, 
 caravans, or boats. The Aga came on board, 
 
9G RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 with as many of his followers as the boat could 
 hold. We treated them indiscriminately with 
 coffee, and a small portion of tobacco each. 
 As a present to the Aga, I sent to his house 
 about a pound of tobacco, some soap and raw 
 coffee, which he gladly accepted. His manners 
 were pretty free ; and, from motives of self- 
 interest, he proposed to furnish us with a boat 
 of his ow^n. This I preferred, because I sup- 
 posed we should be the more respected by the 
 people of Nubia, whither we were going. He 
 promised, that I should see the Reis of the 
 Nubian boat the same evening, but he did not 
 appear. Showy as the appearance of the Aga 
 was, the inside of his house was not in con- 
 formity with his dress, wdiich by no means cor- 
 responded with that of many persons in Cairo 
 employed by the Turkish government ; who 
 dare not make the least show of riches, lest 
 they should incur the suspicion of having de- 
 frauded their master. This proves, that the 
 fear of the Turks has in a great measure lost 
 its influence here. While remaining with our 
 boat, Mrs. Belzoni took an opportunity to visit 
 his harem, or seraglio, which consisted of two 
 houses ; for the old Aga had separated the old 
 wives from the young, though he still visited 
 them. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 97 
 
 Next morning early I went to see the island 
 of Elephantine, named by the Arabs El-Shag. 
 As I could get no boat from the shore where 
 we were, we went to the old town, and crossed 
 in the ferry-boat, which is made of branches of 
 palm-trees, fastened together with small cords, 
 and covered on the outside with a mat pitched 
 all over. There were nine of us in this boat. 
 Its length was ten feet, its breadth five, and it 
 might weigh about fifty pounds. It cost, when 
 new, twelve piastres, or six shillings. 
 
 On my arrival at the island, I went to see the 
 temple, supposed to be dedicated to the serpent 
 Knuphis ; and, I may truly say, the only anti- 
 quity in it worthy of mention. It consisted of 
 one chamber, with two doors facing each other, 
 and a gallery of square pillars all round. The 
 walls are adorned with hieroglyphics, and it has 
 a staircase in the front. I could not see the 
 pedestal with Greek inscriptions, mentioned by 
 Mr. Nor den. There was a subterraneous stair- 
 caise leading from the temple to the river ; 
 and, a little above it, two lateral parts of a gate- 
 way, made of square blocks of granite, sculp- 
 tured with hieroglyphics. Several large pieces 
 of granite are lying about, apparently as if there 
 had been a building of some magnitude. To- 
 wards the centre of the island is a kind of 
 
 VOL. T. H 
 
98 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 gallery, built of several square pillars of sand- 
 stone, full of hieroglyphics. The rocks of blue 
 granite, that project out of the earth, serve as 
 foundations. Not Tar from this temple, I saw 
 a statue of granite, I believe of Osiris, about 
 double the size of life. It is sitting on a chair, 
 witli some hieroglyphics on it, and its arms 
 crossing the breast: but it was so mutilated, 
 that it did not appear worth taking away. 
 
 I crossed the island, and on the west bank 
 found it to contain many trees of cassia and 
 sycamore. The ground is well cultivated, and 
 altogether it is pleasant enough ; but it has not 
 those beauties, which have been ascribed to it 
 by some travellers. In crossing the river, I 
 saw the rocks of granite, with the hieroglyphics 
 and the Kilometer cut on them. I returned to 
 our bark, and prepared for our departure. 
 
 August 25, in the morning, I waited to see 
 the Reis, whom the Aga had promised to send 
 to me the night before ; but no one came. In 
 the afternoon I went to the Aga, who repeated, 
 that I should see the Reis in a few minutes. I 
 waited patiently some time ; at length the Aga 
 himself came on board. After the usual cere- 
 monies and protestations, he gave me to under- 
 stand, that we must make an arrangement about 
 the money to be paid for the boat. I told him. 
 
 i 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 99 
 
 that I should be very glad to see the Reis 
 himself on the business. He answered, that if 
 I agreed with him, it was the same thing. He 
 added, that the bark was ready : but he de- 
 manded so exorbitant a sum, that I told him I 
 never would pay it, and that I would contrive 
 to provide myself with a Reis, who knew the 
 cataract, and would draw up our own bark. 
 He seemed very much dissatisfied with my 
 answer, and said, that the Reis of the Shellal 
 could agree with no sailors but their own. 
 
 I went with my Janizary and the interpreter 
 to the upper part of the cataract at Morada, 
 which is two hours distant. Two soldiers of 
 the Aga offered to accompany us, but I told 
 them we were not afraid, as w^e were well 
 armed. They almost insisted on coming, but 
 I would not permit them ; for I was aware, 
 that they wanted only to see what we were 
 doing, and to interrupt my plans if possible. 
 When we arrived, we found the boat not ready, 
 without a mast, and the Reis not there. On 
 inquiry we met with a man, who undertook to 
 pilot our bark up the first cataract, and as far 
 as the second, and back again, for twenty pataks, 
 which are equal to forty-five piastres, or four 
 dollars and a half. As we were returning, the 
 Reis of the first boat came, and protested, that 
 
 H 2 
 
100 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 his boat would be ready early next morning. 
 I asked him about the price, but he said, that 
 this was left entirely to the Aga. I was now 
 certain of the Aga*s tricks, and felt pleased 
 that I had a Reis to pilot our own bark ; but 
 I found myself much mistaken. While I was 
 absent on this expedition, the Aga had threat- 
 ened our Arab Reis, if he proceeded any far- 
 ther with his bark ; and he was glad to obey, 
 for he thought I should leave him and his 
 bark to wait at Assouan till my return, and 
 pay him his monthly money during the whole 
 time. I had scarcely arrived on board, when 
 the Aga came with great speed, attended by 
 his whole train of courtiers, in their rags and 
 finery. They were all clad in their gala at- 
 tire, as this was their grand feast of the Ra- 
 madan. 
 
 I cannot describe the motley confused manner 
 in which this great divan was decorated : one 
 had a new tunic of their brown cloth, and a 
 rago-ed turban : another had a fine turban, and 
 a ragged tunic : a third, without turban or 
 tunic, had a fine red w^oollen shawl round his 
 body : the Aga himself was uncommonly dirty 
 and showy, being dressed in green and red, and 
 without a shirt on his back. He came on board 
 with all his suite. I observed the Reis, whom 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 101 
 
 I luul brought from jMonida, advance to kiss 
 the hand of the Aga; but he refused with an 
 angry look, saying to him, " Do you dare to 
 hinder me from letting a boat?" — I then told 
 the Aga that, if my taking a boat from any 
 one but himself would cause a disturbance, I 
 would rather return back, as I was not anxious 
 to see a country, where there was nothing to 
 interest me, and which would occasion me such 
 enormous expense. At this he became all at 
 once very mild ; and still more so when I told 
 him, that I was determined to return, and not go 
 any farther, as my patience was worn out with 
 the number of obstacles thrown in my way. The 
 result was, that he offered me his boat at the 
 price a Nubian would have paid ; and with the 
 positive condition, that it should be entirely at 
 my disposal, to stop where I pleased, go where 
 I pleased, and take us to the second cataract 
 and back again ; that it mattered not how long 
 I should stay in a place, even a fortnight if I 
 liked it ; that the Ileis should be obliged to 
 bring on board four other sailors besides him- 
 self, supply them with provision, and give us 
 all the assistance and information in his power ; 
 and for all this accommodation I was to pay the 
 sum of two hundred piastres, or twenty dollars, 
 which was less than I should have had to pay, 
 
102 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 if I had kept the former boat from Cairo, as I 
 incurred no extra expenses. The first demand 
 of the Aga was fifty thousand paras, equal to 
 about a hundred and twenty dollars. Our 
 luggage was to be sent on board the next 
 morning on camels, and we ourselves set off in 
 the evening. 
 
 Early in the morning the Aga came again to 
 our boat, begging for a bottle of vinegar, which 
 I gave him, accompanied with a trifling sum of 
 money for his trouble, to induce him to take 
 care of the baggage we left behind till our 
 return. He was well satisfied, and promised to 
 do all in his power to expedite our departure. 
 The boat I had from Cairo was to go back ; 
 and I embraced the opportunity to write to the 
 consul, informing him of my scheme of ascend- 
 ing the Nile to the second cataract, during the 
 interval required for the arrival of the boat 
 from Cairo, which was to convey the colossal 
 bust. 
 
 We arrived at Morada in the evening, and 
 accommodated ourselves in the boat as well as 
 we could for the night. 
 
 In the morning of the Syth, long before the 
 rising of the sun, I stood at the stern, waiting 
 the light to unveil that goodly sight, the beau- 
 tiful island of Philoe. My anxiety to see the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 103 
 
 ruins was as great as my expectations; but, 
 when I beheld them, they surpassed every thing 
 that imagination could anticipate. We crossed 
 the water, and three hours elapsed, which ap- 
 peared to us as so many minutes ; but, as I in- 
 tended to inspect these ruins minutely on our 
 return, I only took a hasty view of the island. 
 I observed several blocks of stones, with hiero- 
 glyphics on them in great perfection, that might 
 be taken away, and an obelisk of granite about 
 twenty-two feet in length, and two in breadth. 
 I thought this also might easily be removed, as 
 it lies in a good situation, and not far from the 
 water-side. On our return to the boat we set 
 sail, and in about three hours arrived at Debod : 
 but I would not go to see the temple there, as 
 the wind was so favourable I did not like to 
 lose the advantage of it. This, therefore, I 
 also deferred to my coming back. We stopped 
 near the shore above Sardeeb el farras. 
 
 28th. — We passed several ruins this day on 
 the western bank of the Nile, which I shall 
 mention hereafter, and about noon we stopped 
 at a village on the eastern bank, I believe to 
 take in provision for the crew. The Ileis, the 
 Janizary, and the sailors went on shore ; Mrs. 
 Belzoni, the interpreter, and myself, remained 
 on board. Some time after, a few natives came 
 
104 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to our boat, and seemed anxious to see what 
 we had in it ; but as it was covered with mats, 
 they could not look into it so well as they 
 wished. After one of them had approached, 
 and examined every thing with attention, they 
 all retired ; but a few minutes had scarcely 
 elapsed, when we saw several of them return- 
 ing armed with spears and shields of crocodile 
 skins. As they came straight towards us, and 
 were joined by some others, their appearance 
 was rather alarming, and I thought it was time 
 to be on our guard. Though we were well 
 armed, we were only three in the boat: ac- 
 cordingly I took a pistol in each hand; Mrs. 
 Belzoni also seized one, and the interpreter 
 another. They approached us in their boats, 
 as if with intention to come on board. We 
 asked them what they wanted ; but, as they 
 had no knowledge of the Arabic language, they 
 did not understand us. I made signs to them 
 to keep off; but they appeared indifferent to 
 all we said or did. I then stepped forward, 
 and with my right hand prevented the first of 
 them from entering the boat, while I held the 
 pistols in my left. He began to be rather 
 rough in his manner, but kept his eyes on the 
 pistols, while the others behind were urging 
 him on. At last I pointed a pistol at him, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 105 
 
 making signs, that, if he did not retire, I would 
 shoot at him. On this lie drew back, and re- 
 mained with the rest for some time, apparently 
 in consultation. The Reis, the crew, and the 
 Janizary, now came on board. I told the Reis 
 what had happened to us, and he talked to the 
 men in their own language ; but, at the same 
 time, untied the boat, and we went from the 
 shore into the middle of the Nile. On my ex- 
 postulating with him upon the impropriety of 
 leaving the boat without any one who could 
 speak the language of the country, he said, 
 that these people had a dispute with their neigh- 
 bours, which was the reason of their being 
 armed ; and that they only wanted our boat to 
 go to another island, to fight with the inhabit- 
 ants, their adversaries. Whatever might have 
 been their intention, whether to attack us, or 
 to light others, neither would have been a plea- 
 sant adventure to us. 
 
 Proceeding on our voyage, we passed TafFa, 
 and entered the rocks of granite above that 
 place. Here the Nile seems as if a passao-e 
 had been cut for it throu^irh a chain of hia-h 
 mountains, which rise nearly perpendicular on 
 each side of the river, and open gradually to 
 the south, into another country. According 
 to late observation, this place is calculated to 
 
106 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 be under the tropic of Cancer. As we ad- 
 vanced forward, the view extended more and 
 more. On the right of the Nile there are several 
 groups of palm-trees, and a distant view of 
 the ruins of Kalabshe ; and in the centre, the 
 island of the same name, which has a formidable 
 appearance at a distance, owing to the ruins of 
 some Saracenic houses, which give it the re- 
 semblance of a castle. We arrived at this island 
 the same evening. 
 
 29th. — This day we arrived at the village 
 named El Kalabshe. At the foot of a rock, 
 and facing the river, stand the ruins of a temple, 
 which certainly must have been of later date 
 than any other in Nubia ; for it appeared to 
 me to have been thrown down by violence, as 
 I did not see that decay in its materials, which 
 I have observed in other edifices ; and what 
 remained standing clearly proved, that time 
 had had nothing to do with the destruction of 
 it. On the water-side, before the temple, is a 
 landing-place, which leads straight to the pro- 
 pylaeon, as the gate of this does to the portico. 
 The propylseon is in good preservation, but the 
 portico is quite destroyed. There are two co- 
 lumns, and one pedestal, on each side of the 
 door into the pronaos. They are joined by a 
 wall raised to nearly half their height, which 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 107 
 
 proves the late period when this temple was 
 erected, as such a wall is clearly seen in all 
 other temples of later date ; and I w^ould not 
 hesitate to say, that Tentyra, Philoe, Edfou, 
 and this temple, were erected by the Ptolemies : 
 for though there is great similitude in all the 
 Egyptian edifices, yet there is a certain ele- 
 gance in the forms of the more recent, that 
 distinguishes them from the older massy and 
 enormous works ; whence they appear to me to 
 have been executed by Egyptians under the 
 direction of Greeks. The pronaos and the cella 
 are detached from the main wall all round ; the 
 intermediate space forms a gallery, so as to 
 leave them isolated from the rest of the wall. 
 The roof has fallen down, except a small portion 
 on the chamber behind the adytum, in the wall 
 of which there are several cells, merely large 
 enough to contain a single person in each. 
 They must have been either prisons for men, 
 or places for the sacred animals. There are 
 groups of figures on the walls of the cella, which 
 retain their colours remarkably well j better 
 indeed than in any other temple in Egypt; 
 which I think is another proof of its being of 
 later date than many others. As we entered 
 this temple immediately on our landing, there 
 were none of the people at its door : but when 
 
108 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 we were coming out, we found a great number 
 of natives assembled at the entrance of the pro- 
 pylaeon ; and as we attempted to pass through 
 it, they closed it entirely, and demanded money. 
 They were all armed with spears, shields, hal- 
 berts, &c. I told them that I would not be 
 forced to part with money thus ; but if they 
 would let us pass, I would do what I thought 
 proper. I did not allow them time to reflect, 
 but immediately walked forward, staring them 
 in the face, and no one touched us. When on 
 the outside, I gave them a bakshis, and told 
 them, I was ready to give them a farther pre- 
 sent, if they would bring me some antiquities. 
 This they did, and I bought several tombstones 
 with Greek inscriptions. 
 
 They took us to see a smaller temple, a quarter 
 of a mile distant ; and we passed a great deal 
 of rubbish and stones, which indicate the ruins 
 of an ancient town, extending about a mile. 
 Mr. Burckhardt says, this seems to hav^e been 
 the town of Talmis. The quantity of pottery in 
 the ruins is all of Greek manufacture ; scarcely 
 any thing Egyptian is found among them : but 
 if this be not sufficient evidence that the town 
 was built by the Greeks, I can produce an in- 
 controvertible proof that the temple was a place 
 of their worship. It was only a few months 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. lOQ 
 
 previous to our arrival there, that one of the 
 natives, raising a stone among the ruins of the 
 temple, saw a piece of metal. He did not 
 know what it was ; but as whatever is found 
 in the ruins the natives always suspect to be 
 gold, he took this to be so. Not being certain 
 of it, however, he communicated Kis discovery 
 to others, who immediately claimed a share of 
 it, and of course a scuffle ensued. Some time 
 after, the circumstance came to the ears of 
 Ibrahim Basliaw, or his soldiers at Assouan, 
 who did not fail to take possession of it, on 
 their first tour to collect the Miri in that 
 country. The piece turned out to be a golden 
 lamp of Grecian form, with part of a chain at- 
 tached to it. It was sent to Cairo, and I be- 
 lieve money was made of it. This will prove 
 two points ; one, that the temple was used by 
 the Greeks ; and the other, that it was de- 
 stroyed by violence ; for if the temple had 
 fallen gradually by decay, the lamp would not 
 have been left there, to be buried under the 
 ruins. The small temple we saw cut out of 
 the rock", I think, is considerably older than 
 this, and of a construction more conformable 
 with the others of that country. 
 
 On the south of the large temple stands the 
 village, which consists of a few huts built of 
 
110 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 earth and of stones from the ruins. Near the 
 temple I observed an ancient wall, parallel with 
 the front of it, and having several divisions, 
 apparently the habitations of the priests. The 
 country round has a pleasing aspect, owing to 
 the groups of palm-trees, and their contrast with 
 the barren rocks every where else ; but the cul- 
 tivated grounds are very scanty. Behind the 
 mountain are valleys wdth some acacia trees, of 
 which the natives make charcoal : when the 
 Nile is at its height, they make rafts of the same 
 wood; and the charcoal, put into sacks fa- 
 bricated of palm leaves, or of a kind of rush, is 
 conveyed on them to Cairo for sale ; dhourra, 
 salt, and tobacco, being brought back in return. 
 
 We arrived on the same day at Garba Dan- 
 dour, where are the ruins of a small temple, 
 consisting only of a pronaos and two chambers 
 in the front. There is a small portal, and a 
 species of platform, which extends from the 
 propylason to the river, one hundred feet long 
 and fifty wide. This could not have been built 
 as a landing-place, as there are no marks of 
 stairs any where. The inner apartments have 
 a few hieroglyphics, and two columns. The 
 rocks here are pretty close to the water, and 
 for some miles without a spot of cultivated land. 
 
 We proceeded on to Garba Merieh, and early 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. Ill 
 
 the next morning landed at Gyrshe. This tem- 
 ple is partly hewn out of a rock, which rises 
 perpendicularly, facing the east, a quarter of a 
 mile from the river. In our way to it we crossed 
 the ruins of a small ancient town. I observed 
 the fragments of four lions, probably sphinxes, 
 which stood before the temple ; and a mutilated 
 statue, apparently of a woman. The portico 
 consists of five pilasters on each side of the 
 door, of mason work, each of which has a 
 striking figure before it, I believe representing 
 Hermes. In the front of the portico are four 
 columns, formed of several blocks of stone: the 
 pronaos is hewn out of the rock, and has three 
 square pillars on each side, in a line from the 
 entrance into the cella. In front of each of 
 these pillars stands a colossal figure, about 
 eighteen feet high, elevated four feet above the 
 ground. We may here see how the sculpture 
 of primitive ages differs from that of the more 
 modern school. The figure of these colossi in- 
 dicates that the artist meant to represent men ; 
 but this is all : their legs are mere shapeless 
 columns, and their bodies out of all proportion: 
 their faces are as bad as the artist could make 
 them from the model of an Ethiopian : they 
 have the usual mitres on their heads ; and are 
 adorned on the lower part of their bodies with 
 
112 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 curious appendages, not unlike the tobacco 
 pouches used among the Highlanders ; though 
 I hope no one will suppose, that I mean to sug- 
 gest a comparison between the two nations. 
 The place is blackened with smoke, I presume 
 from the fires made by the natives. Behind the 
 pillars are several niches cut in the rock, but all 
 mutilated. In the cella are two small chambers, 
 one on each side, cut also in the rock ; and at 
 the end two lateral doors leading into smaller 
 apartments, independent of the adytum. In the 
 wall at the end of this are four figures seated, 
 as large as life, and an altar before them, as I 
 have seen in other places, without hieroglyphics 
 or any inscription. The floor is in many places 
 dug up, I suppose by the Barabra or other na- 
 tions, in search of treasure. The natives of this 
 place are rather rough in their manners, but 
 were easily satisfied with a piece of soap, a pipe 
 of tobacco, and a few paras. Here we bought 
 some gargadan, a grain of the size of a small 
 shot, which the Nubians use as coffee. It is a 
 good substitute where no coffee is to be had, 
 and is much cheaper. A little above this place 
 is a dangerous passage of the Nile, a chain of 
 rocks running across the river, and making it 
 very alarming, when the waters are low ; but 
 as they were now high, we passed without dan- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. US 
 
 ger. The country here still continues quite 
 barren. 
 
 In the afternoon of the next day we arrived 
 at Dakke (see Plate L'l). The mountains at 
 this place stretch far from the Nile, and leave 
 a spacious plain, which no doubt has been for- 
 merly cultivated, but is now covered with sand. 
 A stratum of vegetable mould is visible, three 
 feet under the sand on the banks of the Nile. 
 The temple stands about a hundred yards from 
 the river, and has a very elegant appearance. 
 There are no hieroglyphics on the outside wall, 
 but the interior is adorned with beautiful figures 
 in basso relievo : it has a pronaos, an adytum, 
 and a cella. On the west side of the adytum 
 is a small staircase which leads to the top of the 
 temple ; and on the east a small chamber, with 
 figures uncommonly well executed : the walls 
 of the cella arc well covered with religious pro- 
 cessions. In the lower part I observed several 
 figures, not unlike hermaphrodites. From the 
 cella a door in a line with the first entrance 
 leads into an area, formed by a wall which sur- 
 rounds the edifice, except in front. On the east 
 side of the exterior wall is a door, which leads 
 to a passage across the temple, that separates 
 the pronaos from the adytum. The temple faces 
 the north, and at the distance of forty-eight 
 
 VOL. r. I 
 
114 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 feet is a propylaeon, with the gateway facing 
 the entrance to the pronaos. The isolated 
 situation of this edifice renders it still more 
 graceful to the eyes of the traveller, as it is 
 entirely free from any other building near it. 
 On the propylffion are several Egyptian, Coptic, 
 and Greek inscriptions, one of which is as 
 follows : 
 
 AOMISIOCAPPIANOC 
 
 CTPATICnsIPHflTOTPAN, 
 
 $HAIKOKAIAOMITI 
 
 OriOCMOTCTNT^nANrA 
 
 OIKwnPOCeKTNHOA 
 
 $eONMeriCTONeP]MH 
 
 KAAPIANOTKAICAPOC 
 
 TOTKTPIOTTTBIIH 
 
 We continued our voyage, and arrived in 
 the afternoon at Meharraka, or Offelina, where 
 stand the ruins of a small Egyptian temple, but 
 evidently built by the Greeks. It consists of 
 only a single portico, forty-two feet long and 
 twenty-five wide, with a row of columns round 
 the two sides and the back. On the right is a 
 winding staircase, the only one I recollect having 
 seen in any temple in Egypt or Nubia. The 
 columns are fourteen in all. It has served as a 
 christian chapel, as is shown by many figures of 
 the apostles which remain perfect on the walls ; 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 115 
 
 but on close examination I observed clearly the 
 Egyptian figures under the saints. The main 
 entrance is closed by an altar, no doubt built 
 by the Copts or Greeks at the christian epoch. 
 The wall facing the south is fallen down, but 
 the stones still adhere to each other. On one 
 of them I saw the fragment following of an in- 
 scription. 
 
 NHLL 
 
 VICIHROTNi- cTTc 
 TIODTOTKAITODNei-CeBec 
 TATCJ0NFON€C]0NKAIF-AIOT 
 
 r WIKrOTAAeA^CTKN 
 
 A O I T F w N A A e A * 1 1 
 
 A few paces to the east stands part of another 
 temple, on which is the figure of Isis, dressed 
 in the Greek costume, sitting under a tree. 
 Before her stands the figure of Orus, in the act 
 of offering to his mother. In a niche further 
 to the east is the figure of the Egyptian Isis ; 
 and in another small riiche above are a Greek 
 priest and priestess, and the Egyptian Priapus. 
 A greater proof than this I never saw of the 
 religion of the Egyptian and Greek nations 
 united (see Plate 29). On the south of this 
 temple is a large pedestal of granite, formed by 
 three steps, which appears to have been erected 
 
 i2 
 
116 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 for the purpose of supporting some large statue 
 or obelisk. 
 
 We i^roceeded with a fair wind to Wowobat ; 
 and the next day, the 31st of August, brought 
 us to Seboua. On our landing, the first thing 
 that attracted my notice was a propylaeon, at a 
 small distance from the Nile ; in the middle of 
 which interval are two standing figures eleven 
 feet high. These form the entrance to an 
 avenue of sphinxes with lions* bodies and men's 
 heads, that leads to the propylaeon, which is 
 much decayed. There is the usual entrance 
 or gateway into the pronaos, at each side of 
 which are five pillars, with figures in the front 
 of each, not unlike those in the pronaos at 
 Medinet Aboo. The wind has accumulated 
 a great quantity of sand, which has not only 
 covered the court, but closed the entrance to 
 the adytum and the cella. From what I could 
 discover, after a close examination from the top 
 part of this temple, it deserved to be opened ; 
 but as my principal views were bent on other 
 objects, which I thought of greater importance, 
 we continued our voyage towards Deir. The 
 country here is very barren, and few habitations 
 are to be seen any where. 
 
 Next day we arrived at Korosko. A few 
 
IN EGYPT. NUBIA, Ac. II7 
 
 miles above this place the Nile turns towards 
 the north-west six miles, and as the wind blew 
 mostly from that quarter, we had it right against 
 us, besides a very strong current, for the Nile 
 was nearly at its height. Though the day was 
 very hot, the night was exceedingly cold, con- 
 sidering tlie climate we were in. At this place 
 we found it very difficult to advance, for the 
 wind still continued strong ahead, and the sailors 
 could not track the boat by ropes on the shore, 
 as the bank was covered with thorns and acacia- 
 trees, so that it took us two days to reach the 
 territory of Deir, where the river resumes its 
 course again to the south. From the trees I 
 have mentioned we gathered a little gum-arabic j 
 and the Reis of the boat caught some cameleons, 
 which we intended to keep alive. They feed 
 on flies and boiled rice, and drink water j but 
 they do not agree together in confinement, for 
 they bit off the tails and legs of each other. 
 If put into the water, they swell like bladders, 
 and swim faster than they can crawl on the 
 ground. The generally live on palm-trees, and 
 descend in the evening to drink. We caught 
 about thirty, but they all gradually died. I saw 
 a female full of eggs, of the size of large peas, 
 eighteen in number, all attached to the matrix. 
 The 5th of September brought us to Deir, 
 
118 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the great capital of Lower Nubia. The town 
 consists of several groups of houses, built of 
 earth intermixed with stones. They are in ge- 
 neral not higher than eight or ten feet, a few 
 excepted, which are the habitations of the Ca- 
 cheifs of the country. The town is close to the 
 water-side. At the foot of the sloping and 
 rocky hill is a small temple ; but I could not 
 venture to go to see it, as I observed we were 
 closely watched. I went immediately to Has- 
 san Cacheff, who received me with an air of 
 suspicion, and wanted to know our business. 
 I told him, that we ascended the Nile merely 
 to seek for antiquities, and that we wished to 
 proceed as far as the Shellal, or second cataract. 
 This he said was impossible, for the people in 
 the upper country were at war with each other. 
 He then ordered his mat to be brought to him, 
 seated himself close before the door of his house, 
 and invited me to sit also. The first question 
 he put to me was, if I had any coffee. I re- 
 plied we had a little on board for our own use, 
 but that he was welcome to half of it. He 
 next asked for soap, and I made the same 
 reply. Then he inquired if we had any tobacco. 
 I told him we had but a few pipes, and we 
 would smoke it together ; with which he was 
 exceedingly pleased. The next question was. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 119 
 
 if I had any powder. To which I answered, 
 that I had very little, and could not spare any. 
 At this he laughed, and put his hand on my 
 shoulder, saying, " You are English, and can 
 make powder wherever you go." I was glad 
 that he thought so, and deemed it prudent to 
 leave him with this impression ; but I told him 
 I did not come there either to make powder or 
 to waste any. By this time my Janizary had 
 brought me some tobacco from on board ; so 
 we began to smoke ; and coffee of gargadan was 
 served ; but, notwithstanding this, he said my 
 sailors would not advance any farther, for they 
 were afraid to go into the upper country. I 
 told him, that if he gave me a letter to his 
 brother Osseyn, we should be out of any dan- 
 ger. I then showed him the letter of Callil Bey 
 at Esne to his brother : on which he observed, 
 that this letter did not mention where I was 
 going. Perceiving that the affair was likely to 
 proceed very dilatorily, I frankly told him, if 
 he meant to let me pursue my journey, I would 
 make him a very handsome present of a fine 
 looking-glass, some soap, and some coffee ; on 
 the contrary, if I were to return, he would lose 
 all, and incur the displeasure of the Bey of Esne 
 besides. His reply was, *' We will talk of this 
 
120 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to-morrow." So I returned to our boat without 
 any positive answer. 
 
 Early in the morning I went to him again. 
 When he asked me for the looking-glass, I re- 
 plied, that it was ready, if he gave me the letter 
 to his brother at Farras, which at last he did. 
 Previous to our departure from Cairo, I took 
 occasion to obtain all the information possible 
 concerning the country of Nubia, from the 
 natives who came to that city with dates and 
 charcoal ; and from them I learned, that a look- 
 ing-glass and a few Venetian beads would be 
 equal there to silver plate and pearls. Accord- 
 ingly we took a good stock with iis, though I 
 was not certain of entering Nubia. The look- 
 ino;-crlass I o-ave the Cacheif was twelve inches 
 long and ten broad, and was the largest the 
 people there had ever seen. It made a great 
 impression on them. Many, who never came 
 down as far as Assouan, had not seen a looking- 
 glass before, and it astonished them greatly. 
 The Cacheff was never tired of admiring his 
 bear-like face ; and all his attendants behind 
 him strove to get a peep at their own chocolate 
 beauty, laughing, and much pleased with it. 
 The Cacheff gave it, not without fear, to one of 
 them, with a strict charge to be careful not to 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 121 
 
 break it. — On my way to our boat I met a very 
 old man, who knew Baram Cacheff, the tyrant 
 of Deir in the time of Norden. He said, that 
 Baram died in his bed, but al> his descendants 
 were slain by the Mamelukes ; and that he was 
 a boy when Baram died. 
 
 We left Deir about noon ; and a few hours 
 brought us to Hafee, where the river flows from 
 the south-west. The country all tlie way from 
 Deir to this place is tolerably productive of 
 dhourra and dates, and furnishes also a great 
 deal of cotton, which is gathered, and sent to 
 Cairo. The sugar-cane is not cultivated here, 
 which I know not whether to attribute to the 
 laziness of the natives, or to the country being 
 too hot for that plant ; but I am inclined to 
 think the former is the real cause. 
 
 Proceeding onward, we came to Ibrim. This 
 place stands on a high rock, nearly perpen- 
 dicular, and forming the bank of the Nile. The 
 town is surrounded by a wall of sun-baked bricks. 
 The houses are all in a ruined state, having been 
 uninhabited ever since the Mamelukes made it 
 their abode on their retreat to Dangola (see 
 Plate 27)- Close to the water-side are several 
 chambers, not unlike sepulchres, hewn out of 
 the rock ; some of which have been painted, 
 apparently by the Greeks, and retain their 
 
122 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 colour remarkably well. The cultivated land 
 on the south side of the river in some parts 
 extends not more than two hundred yards in 
 width ; but it is thickly set with palm-trees, 
 producing dates, which are esteemed the best 
 in Egypt, and in which the Nubians carry on a 
 considerable trade. The northern bank is quite 
 barren, except a few date and acacia trees. 
 
 In my voyage from lb rim to the second ca- 
 taract I must entreat the reader's indulgence. 
 I noted down the names of all the villages we 
 passed, as they were given to me ; and thus I 
 lay them before the public, as I am not aware, 
 that they have been yet described by any tra- 
 veller. Messrs. Legh and Smelt, who were the 
 first to penetrate to any extent up this country 
 by water, did not proceed beyond Ibrim ; and 
 Norden has given a correct account of all the 
 villages and districts he passed only as far as 
 Deir. Above a league above Ibrim we came 
 to the village of Vady Shubak on the east, and 
 Mosmos on the west. The country on the east 
 continued to be covered with dates as far as 
 Bostan, but on the west it is quite a desert. 
 From Toske we saw several rocks in the plain 
 toward the east, which resembled so many pyra- 
 mids of various sizes ; and I should not wonder 
 if these suggested to the Egyptians the first 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 128 
 
 idea of this form. Some of them appear to be 
 about two hundred feet high. 
 
 We went on shore at Ermyne, on the west of 
 the river. The banks here are covered with 
 the thorny acacia, tamarisks, and palm-trees, 
 and some cultivated ground. Next day we saw 
 the island of Hogos. On this island are the 
 ruins of an ancient tower, which must have 
 commanded the whole Nile, as the river is not 
 very wide here, and the island is exactly in the 
 centre of it. The blocks of stone are not so 
 large as those in the temples in Egypt, but they 
 are well connected together. After this we 
 reached Formundy, a district extending on both 
 sides of the Nile as far as Saregg. At For- 
 mundy the river turns to the north-east, for two 
 leagues only; but we had as much trouble to pass 
 this place as we had at Korosko, the current 
 and wind being both against us. 
 
 I cannot omit mentioning the hard labour 
 these Barabra boatmen had on this occasion. 
 Tliey were continually in the water ; and, 
 though good swimmers, they had great trou- 
 ble in wading against the current to pull the 
 rope from under the trees, which cover the 
 banks in such a manner, that it is impossible to 
 track it along on the shore. They are a people 
 living very hardly, and eat any thing. They 
 
124 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 chew the rock salt, or natron, mixed with to- 
 bacco, putting the mixture between the front 
 teeth and the lower lip. The natron is found 
 in several parts of Egypt, and is one of their 
 articles of trade. The Laplanders are said to 
 be very filthy in their food, and I am sure these 
 people are not unlike them in tliat respect. 
 When we killed a sheep, I had sometimes the 
 pleasure of seeing the entrails opened, pieces of 
 which, dipped once into the water, were eaten 
 by them raw. The head and feet, with the 
 skin on, wool, hoofs, and all, were put into a 
 pot, which is never washed, to be half-boiled, 
 when they drank the broth, and devoured the 
 rest. 
 
 We fastened our bark to the shore in the dis- 
 trict of Formundy, and I mounted a high rock, 
 to have a view of the country round. I found, 
 on the west of the Nile, an extensive plain, with 
 low, isolated hills, in the form of sugar-loaves, 
 covered with black, smooth stones, something 
 approaching to basalt. Some of the stones are 
 about five feet in length. The country is every 
 where barren ; there are only a few date-trees 
 near the water. 
 
 Next morning we reached Faras, which we 
 left on the east, and went to see the temples of 
 Ybsambul on the west. As we crossed the Nile 
 
IN EGYFf, NUBIA, &r, 125 
 
 exactly opposite these temples, we had an op- 
 portunity of examining and having full views 
 of them at a distance (see Plate 42). In the 
 front of the minor temple are six colossal 
 figures, which make a better appearance at a 
 distance than when near them. They are thirty 
 feet high, and are hew^n out of the rock ; as is 
 also the large temple, which has one figure of 
 an enormous size, with the head and shoulders 
 only projecting out of the sand ; and notwith- 
 standing the great distance, I could perceive, 
 that it was beautifully executed. On the upper 
 part or frieze of the temple was a line of hiero- 
 glyphics, which covered the whole front ; and 
 above this, a range of figures in a sitting pos- 
 ture, as large again as life. The sand from the 
 north side, accumulated by the wind on the 
 rock above the temple, and which had gradually 
 descended towards its front, choked the en- 
 trance, and buried two-thirds of it. On my 
 approaching this temple, the hope I had formed 
 of opening its entrance vanished at once ; for 
 the amazing accumulation of sand was such, that 
 it appeared an impossibility ever to reach the 
 door. We ascended a hill of sand at the upper 
 part of the temple, and there found the head of a 
 hawk projecting out of the sand only to its neck. 
 From the situation of this figure, I concluded it 
 
126 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to be over the door. From the size of the head, 
 the figure must have been more than twenty 
 feet high j below the figure there is generally a 
 vacant space ; so that, with the cornice over 
 the door and the frieze, I calculated, that the 
 doorway could not be less than thirty-five feet 
 below the surface of the sand ; and this di- 
 stance would have accorded in proportion with 
 the front of the temple, which is one hundred 
 and seventeen feet wide. The sand ran down 
 in a slope from one side to the other, and to 
 attempt to make an aperture straight through it 
 to the door would have been like making a hole 
 in the water. It was necessary, therefore, to 
 remove the sand in such a direction, that it 
 might fall oflffrom the front of the door : but in 
 doing this the sand from above w^ould continue 
 to fall on the place whence that below was 
 removed, and render it an endless task. Besides, 
 the natives were wild people, totally unaccus- 
 tomed to such labour, and knew nothing of 
 working for money : indeed they w^ere igno- 
 rant of money altogether. All these difficulties 
 seemed such insurmountable obstacles, that 
 they almost deterred me from the thought of 
 proceeding : yet perseverance, stimulated by 
 hope, suggested to me such means, that at last, 
 after much exertion and two voyages thither, I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 127 
 
 had the satisfaction of entering the great tem- 
 ple of Ybsambul. 
 
 Having taken a proper measurement of the 
 front of the temple, and made a calculation, I 
 found, that, if I could persuade the people to 
 work with persevering steadiness, I might suc- 
 ceed in the undertaking. I did not examine 
 the small temple that night, as I wished early 
 to reach the village of Ybsambul, and to see 
 Osseyn Cacheff. The rocks out of which the 
 temple is hewn continue for about two hundred 
 yards southward, and then open into a flat 
 country, where are some good spots of culti- 
 vated land, on the banks of the Nile, abound- 
 ing with palm-trees. We embarked, and soon 
 landed at the village. I perceived a group of 
 people assembled under a grove of trees, who, 
 when I came near them, seemed to be somewhat 
 surprised at the sudden arrival of a stranger. 
 Having desired to see Osseyn Cacheff, for some 
 time I received no answer ; but at last was told, 
 that he who sat there was Daoud Cacheff, his 
 son. I saw a man about fifty years of age, clad 
 in a light blue gown, with a white rag on his 
 head as a turban, seated on a ragged mat, on 
 the ground, a long sword and a gun by his side, 
 with about twenty men surrounding him, who 
 were well armed with swords, spears, and 
 
128 RESEARCHES AND OPERATION'S 
 
 shields. A younger brother, of miicli inferior 
 rank and dignity, was among them, who be- 
 haved very roughly towards me. Some had 
 garments, others had none, and they altogether 
 formed a ragged assembly, by no means of 
 most encouraging aspect. These people have 
 no other employment, than to gather the im- 
 posts of their master from the poorer sort of na- 
 tives. The CachefF himself has nothing to do 
 but to go from one place to another to receive 
 his revenue ; and in every place to w^hich he 
 goes he has a house and a wife. He is absolute 
 master to do what he pleases : there is no law 
 to restrain him ; and the life of a man here is not 
 considered of so much worth as that of a cat 
 among us. If he have not what he wants, he 
 takes it wherever he can find it : if refused, he 
 uses force ; if resisted, the opponent is mur- 
 dered : and thus the CachefF lives. 
 
 They are not easily led by promises, for there 
 is so little faith among them, that what is not 
 obtained is considered as imaginary. It was 
 with such a race of people I had to deal ; and 
 from whom I had to obtain permission to pene- 
 trate into a place, and to carry on operations, 
 the thought of which appeared to them like that 
 of a madman. To persuade them to undertake 
 work for money was still worse, as their only 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 129 
 
 mode of buying and selling is by bartering 
 dhourra for dates, or dates for salt. It will be 
 recollected that Messrs. Legh and Smelt did not 
 think proper to go any higher than Ibrim, as it 
 was useless to penetrate into a country, where 
 money w^as of little or no use, which in fact was 
 the case at that time at Deir, and much more 
 so above that place. Daoud CachefF demanded 
 of me what business brought me there. I told 
 him I had a letter from the Cacheff, his uncle, 
 directed to Osseyn Cacheff, his father ; and 
 that I came into the country in search of an- 
 cient stones. He laughed, and said that a few 
 months before he had seen another man, who 
 came from Cairo in search of treasure, and took 
 away a great deal of gold in his boat ; and that 
 I came for the same purpose, not to take stones: 
 what had I to do with stones, if it were not that 
 I was able to procure gold from them ? I an- 
 swered, the stones I wished to take aw^ay were 
 broken pieces belonging to the old Pharaoh 
 people ; and that by these pieces we were in 
 hopes of learning, whether our ancestors came 
 from that country ; which was the reason of 
 my coming in search of ancient stones. I 
 thought this might serve as a good explanation 
 of the motives by which I was induced to open 
 the temple. He then asked where I meant to go 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
130 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 in search of these stones. I told him the place 
 in the rock had a door, and by removing the 
 sand we could enter, and perhaps should find 
 many stones there. Accordingly I proposed 
 to have the place opened ; and on a promise, 
 that, if I succeeded, he should receive a bak- 
 shis, he consented on his own part ; but still his 
 father remained to be persuaded, and then peo- 
 ple to be procured, who would work at such a 
 place without fearing harm from the devil. I 
 told him, that those who w^orked would gain 
 money. " What money do you mean ?'* said 
 he, *' money from Mahomet Ali, Bashaw of 
 Cairo ? what can we do with it ? we cannot buy 
 any thing here, or at Dongola." I said, the 
 money may be sent to Assouan, and there 
 dhourra could be purchased with it. " But,'* 
 replied Daoud, " if we do so, they keep the 
 money, and send us no dhourra." I could 
 scarcely believe, that they had so little faith, or 
 notion of commerce : but the fact is, that what 
 produce they carry to Cairo, Siout, or Esne, 
 they exchange for other articles, which they 
 send to the southern country of Nubia, and 
 never receive any money for it. 
 
 I produced a piastre, and showed it to some 
 of the people, who by this time had increased in 
 number all round, seated themselves in form of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. iSl 
 
 a crescent before us, and were staring me in the 
 face, observing all my motions. I went on en- 
 deavouring to persuade them of the advantages 
 they would derive from such money, if they in- 
 troduced it into their country. The CachefF, 
 however, seemed convinced, that it would do no 
 good ; for then, he observed, the people who 
 were not contented to stay in Nubia could sell 
 their cows and goats, and go and live in Egypt. 
 I believe he was right in this point ; but it was 
 certainly impolitic in him to make such a remark 
 before his subjects. One of them took the 
 piastre from my hands, and, after looking at it 
 for some time, asked me who would give any 
 thing for that small piece of metal. " Any 
 one," I answered, " will give you a measure of 
 dhourra for it, quite enough for a man to eat in 
 three days." " That may be so in your coun- 
 try," replied he ; *' but here I am sure no one 
 will give six grains of dhourra for so small a bit 
 of iron." I told him, if he went on board our 
 boat, and presented it to any one there, he 
 would get for it dhourra enough to suffice him 
 for the time I had mentioned. Off he ran like 
 a deer, and in a few minutes returned with the 
 dhourra folded in a rag fastened to his waist. 
 
 I had previously instructed the Reis of our 
 boat what he had to do, if any of the natives 
 
 k2 
 
132 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 should come with money to fetch dhourra; and 
 accordingly he gave him the measure so ordered 
 for a piastre. This experiment had a good 
 effect, not only on the minds of the people, but 
 also on that of the Cacheff j though, barbarian- 
 like, he was not yet thoroughly satisfied. He 
 observed, that a man who laboured a whole day 
 ouffht to have four times that measure for his 
 share ; therefore, if I would give them four 
 piastres a day each, he w^ould persuade the 
 people to work. At length, with much ado, 
 I made a bargain for two piastres a man. 
 Daoud told me that a man who came there a 
 few months before had left in his hands three 
 hundred piastres, to open that place for him; 
 but the people would not undertake the busi- 
 ness, as no one cared for such small pieces of 
 metal. On the traveller's return from Wady 
 Haifa, he expected to have found the place 
 open ; but Daoud gave him his pieces of metal 
 back again, as he did not know what to do with 
 them. I found afterwards, that the person who 
 had been there was Mr. Drouetti, the ex-consul 
 of France in Egypt ; and that in fact he re- 
 ceived his money back, as the people would not 
 work for it. 
 
 The next and greatest difficulty was to per- 
 suade Osseyn Cacheff to let us proceed; for 
 
IN EGY1>T, NUBIA, &c. 1,83 
 
 ^vithollt his consent nothino; could be done. 
 He lived at Eshke, a day and a half up the 
 Nile. That night we slept at Ybsambul, as 
 I wished to strengthen the disposition of the 
 Cacheif in my favour. Accordingly I sent him 
 a measure of rice, about four pounds weight, 
 three ounces of coffee, half a pound of sugar, 
 and a few leaves of a particular sort of tobacco, 
 called Tunny Djebel, from Syria, which the 
 Barabra chew, and consider it a great luxury. 
 
 In the evening we received on board some 
 sour milk, and warm thin cake of dhourra 
 bread. This is baked on a flat stone, eighteen 
 inches square, raised from the ground by a 
 small stone at each corner, so as to admit a fire 
 under it ; and when it is at a certain degree of 
 heat, the paste is laid on it, which being quite 
 soft, or nearly liquid, spreads in a sheet all over 
 the stone, and in one minute is firm enough to 
 be turned, which is done with great dexterity 
 without breaking it. As soon as one is baked, 
 another is placed on the stone ; and they are 
 pretty good if eaten while hot, but when cold 
 they are quite sour and disagreeable. They are 
 generally eaten with sour milk ; but if allowed 
 to get cold they are broken to pieces, put into 
 a bowl, and boiled lentils poured on them. This 
 forms the general food of the country. 
 
1S4> RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 In the morning of the 11th, we passed near 
 the ruined town of Adda, in a pleasant situa- 
 tion, commanding a view of the Nile, and a 
 considerable part of the country. It contains 
 a great number of houses, built like those at 
 Ibrim ; but the land on the east side is covered 
 with sand. The western bank of the Nile is 
 fertile, abounding with trees of various sorts, 
 acacias, tamarisks, and many thorny groups. 
 Farther on we came to the district of Kosko, 
 on both sides of the Nile ; then to Endana, or 
 Oddenham, Garba, Farras, and, a little farther, 
 to the island of the same name j beyond which 
 was Antero on the south, and above it on the 
 same side Diberet, and the island so called. 
 Here we passed the night. In almost all these 
 parts we observed the left side of the Nile quite 
 barren, except at Farras. On the right it is 
 pretty full of palm-trees, and some dhourra is 
 seen. The soil of the islands, however, seems 
 to be the most fertile. 
 
 We next morning reached Eshke, the re- 
 sidence of the CachefF, and certainly the best spot 
 of land above Ibrim and Assouan. The trees 
 are very thick here, and a large tract of land is 
 cultivated along the Nile, producing a great 
 deal of dhourra and cotton, which, being cleaned 
 and sent to Cairo, are exchanged for ready 
 
IN EGYIT, NUBIA, &c. 135 
 
 made lines, salt, and tobacco. On our arrival 
 we were told, that Osseyn Cacheff was not at 
 Eshke, but would return in a few days, as he 
 was only at a small distance. As I did not 
 like to go back to Ybsambul till I had an inter- 
 view with him, w^e advanced to the second cata- 
 ract, situated higher up. The Nile here turns 
 to the south-west, the lands as we advanced 
 still continued to be well cultivated, and the 
 few huts, which were visible among the trees, 
 were stronger and better built than tliose of the 
 Arabs of Egypt. We fastened our boat to the 
 shore, in the same district. 
 
 We set off early next morning, and with a 
 good north wind soon saw Aloanortis on the 
 right, and above it on the left Debrous. A 
 little farther on was an island of the same name; 
 and higher up on our left the district of Angosh 
 or Sukoy. I had expected, judging from the 
 rocky nature of the country about the first cata- 
 ract, to have seen the mountain of the second 
 at a great distance ; but to my surprise we 
 arrived at the very last district, without per. 
 ceiving any thing but a flat country before us. 
 The territory of Wady Haifa is the last on 
 the Nile, on this side of the cataract. In the 
 middle of the river is an island called Givarty, 
 after this another called Mainarty, and beyond 
 
136 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 these two others, named Genesap and Ennerty. 
 These four are cultivated ; but there are others 
 innumerable, which form the shellal or cataract, 
 that are all barren. Some present nothing to 
 the eye but bare stones and sand ; others a few 
 sycamore trees and sunt j but there are no 
 palm-trees, except in the four islands first men- 
 tioned. 
 
 About nine in the morning we made to the 
 shore, as near as possible to the last cultivated 
 land on the left, which is Wady Haifa. A few 
 of the natives came to see us, whom I requested 
 to bring some asses, that we might ride to the 
 cataract, — a request they complied with without 
 any difficulty. Mrs. Belzoni and myself (the 
 Janizary and interpreter advancing before us) 
 proceeded as far as the day would permit us, so 
 as to return in proper time to the bark at night. 
 We had many views of the cataract, and in dif.. 
 ferent directions. I mounted one of the rocks, 
 to have a distant view of the deserts j and as 
 far as I could see it is a flat country, except a 
 few rocks that project here and there, particu- 
 larly at the river's side, but they are of small 
 dimensions. Towards the desert we saw several 
 wild antelopes, which kept at a great distance 
 from us. As the Nile was high, the current had 
 not so great a fall, as when it is low j but I be- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 137 
 
 lieve the cataract is not navigable at any time 
 of the year. The rock forming this cataract 
 differs from that of the first, for here is no 
 granite, but a kind of black marble quite as 
 hard. Some say it is black granite, but I can- 
 not consider it as such : the grain of it is too 
 coarse, and not so compact as that of granite. 
 
 We returned to the bark after sunset, and 
 immediately crossed to the island Mainarty, 
 where we arrived at dusk. We saw fires and 
 people at a distance ; but when we arrived we 
 could not find any one. Their huts were left 
 with all they had, which consisted only of dry 
 dates, and a kind of paste made of the same, 
 which they kept in large vases of clay baked in 
 the sun, and covered with baskets made of 
 palm-leaves. A baking-stove and a mat to 
 sleep on were the whole of their furniture. 
 They had pots and leathern bags to bring water 
 from the Nile for their lands. Their settlement 
 consisted of four men and seven women, with 
 two or three children. They have no communi- 
 cation with the main land, except when the 
 water is low, for at any other time the current, 
 being immediately under the cataract, is so 
 rapid, as to render it impossible to ford itj 
 and boats never go to these islands, seldom 
 passing farther than Wady Haifa. They are 
 
138 IlESE ARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 poor but happy : knowing nothing of the en- 
 ticing luxuries of the world, and resting content 
 with what Providence supplies as the reward of 
 their industry. They have a few sheep and 
 goats, which furnish them with milk all the 
 year round; and the few spots of land they 
 have are well cultivated, producing a little 
 dhourra, which forms their yearly stock of pro- 
 vision. The wool they spin into yarn ; wind 
 the threads round little stones, and thus sus- 
 pend them to a long stick fixed in an horizontal 
 position between two trees, to form a warp ; and 
 by passing another thread alternately between 
 these fabricate a kind of coarse clotli, with 
 which they cover the lower part of their bodies. 
 I visited along with the Reis the whole of the 
 island, which is about an eighth of a mile in 
 length, and half as much in breadth. It was 
 quite late when we found this poor but truly 
 happy people. They had lighted a fire to make 
 their bread, and it was this fire which directed 
 us to that quarter. They were all hidden in a 
 hole under some ruins of an old castle, which 
 stands on the south side of the island ; and when 
 we approached them, the women set up a loud 
 scream through fear. Our Reis, who was a 
 native of the lower part of Nubia, could talk 
 their language, and pacified them : yet, not- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 139 
 
 withstanding this, we could not entice more 
 than one man out of the place. Their fear 
 was owing to some depredations committed by 
 the robbers of Wady Haifa a few years before, 
 who, at low water, forded over to the island, 
 and did all the injury that could be done to 
 such people. We assured them, that we were 
 not like the robbers of Wady Haifa, but came 
 only to get some one to show us the way to the 
 cataract. At this, they were more afraid than 
 ever ; and said, that it never happened that 
 boats passed higher than Wady Haifa, which is 
 at the beginning of the cataract ; it being im- 
 possible to proceed farther, owing to the quan- 
 tity of rocky islands. The Reis himself opposed 
 my wish to ascend higher, fearing more for his 
 boat than for our lives. At last it w^as con- 
 cluded, that the Reis should leave his son on 
 the island as a hostage for the two men, while 
 they came on board, to show us the way up. 
 They knew their way to these islands ; for at 
 low water they frequent them, to collect some 
 of the earth, from which they extract a sort of 
 saltpetre, which they use in their food. I had 
 reasons for not remaining at night with the boat 
 fastened to the main land, and consequently 
 preferred staying at the island. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 14th, we took on 
 
140 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 board the two men of the island, to pilot us 
 towards the cataract as far as the boat could go, 
 and then to show us the way we should proceed. 
 We went on with the same strong north wind ; 
 and as we had plenty of water, advanced with 
 our bark till we found ourselves so tossed about 
 by the different currents and eddies, as to pre- 
 vent our farther progress ; and at the same time 
 were so situated, that we could not return back, 
 for fear of being driven against some of the 
 rocks, which abounded on each side. Thus we 
 were confined to one spot for about an hour. 
 Sometimes we had a rapid start for a hundred 
 yards; then all at once were stopped, and 
 turned round, in spite of all our efforts, and of 
 the north wind, which blew very hard. At last 
 we were caught on a sudden in one of the eddies 
 of water, and driven against a rock concealed 
 about two feet below the surface. The shock was 
 terrible ; and I must confess, having Mrs. 
 Belzoni on board, I felt no small degree of 
 alarm, as I thought the boat was split in two. 
 For my own part, perhaps I might have swam 
 on shore ; but Mrs. Belzoni was no small charge 
 to me on this occasion. However, as it pleased 
 God, and to my astonishment, there was no 
 harm done. By crossing the rock we were on, 
 we succeeded in getting to the other side of the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Sec. 141 
 
 river as quickly as possible, and when we ar- 
 rived, forgot all the danger we had just passed. 
 We landed, and took our route on foot ; Mrs. 
 Belzoni, myself, the interpreter, the Janizary, 
 the two men from the island, and four boys be- 
 longing to the bark ; carrying with us some 
 provision and water. We proceeded, on the 
 rocks, and over a plain of sand and stones, till 
 we arrived at the rock called Apsir, which is 
 the highest in the neighbourhood of the cata- 
 ract, and commands a complete view of the 
 falls. The prospect from this spot is magni- 
 ficent. The several thousand islands which are 
 seen, of various sizes and forms, with as many 
 different falls of water, running rapidly on- 
 ward, while counter-currents return with equal 
 velocity, exhibit a diversified appearance, truly 
 grand. The blackness of the stones, the green 
 of the trees on the islands, intermixed with the 
 white froth of the water, form a fine picture, 
 which can scarcely be described or delineated. 
 
 Hence you see the four other cultivated islands, 
 which lie on the south, or the most remote part 
 of the cataract. They are named as follows : 
 Nuba, Gamnarty, Ducully, and Suckeyr : on 
 the north side are two others, called Dorge and 
 Tabai. These islands are inhabited by a race 
 of people who may be looked on as living in 
 
14'2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the most primitive state ; for no one ever goes 
 to them, nor do they ever quit their island. 
 They are very few in number — ^in some of the 
 islands not more than five or six ; and they live 
 on the produce of the few spots of ground they 
 find on them, which they continually irrigate 
 with the common machine named hade, con- 
 sisting only of a piece of sheepskin and two 
 sticks, by which they draw up the water. They 
 have also a few sheep ; and fabricate a cloth 
 from cotton produced in the islands, in the same 
 manner as they make that of wool. 
 
 On the left of the cataract the soil differs 
 from that on the right. It consists of soft whitish 
 stones and sand. From this spot it may be 
 seen, that the course of the river is for a consi- 
 derable extent among the rocks ; and the sum- 
 mits of two high mountains are to be seen at a 
 great distance. This part is not frequented by 
 travellers ; for there is no mode of conveyance, 
 and no inhabitants on that side of the cataract. 
 Boats never venture thither : when the water is 
 low, it is impossible ; and, when high, it would 
 require a very strong north wind, to stem the 
 rapid current against the boat. 
 
 We returned slowly to the bark, and took our 
 course towards the island we had left in the 
 morning ; but unfortunately the wind, being 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 143 
 
 very strong, drove us to the island of Gulg6. 
 The Reis wished to pass the whole night there ; 
 but in the evening the wind shifting a little, 
 we returned to the island we were at before. 
 But again, notwithstanding the proof we had 
 given of our harmless intentions, the natives 
 were not to be seen ; and even the two men 
 who had been with us in the boat no sooner 
 landed than they disappeared. The son of the 
 Reis, however, was preparing some food ; and 
 we were glad to have escaped the danger of so 
 many eddies and rocks. 
 
 I forgot to mention that on the island Gulg6 
 I perceived the remains of an ancient wall, in 
 the form of a church, and built of sun-baked 
 bricks. It was in the centre of the island, and 
 consisted of three divisions. — See Plate 32. 
 
 loth. — In the morning we would not leave 
 the island without seeing the inhabitants. The 
 men soon appeared for their bakshis ; and at 
 last came the women, to see Mrs. Belzoni, who 
 made them presents of glass bead-necklaces, 
 with Vv'hich they were wonderfully pleased : 
 tliough, as it is their custom to take all, and 
 give nothing, they did not even return us thanks 
 for what they received ; but took their presents, 
 laughed, and ran away immediately. 
 
 We now descended the river with a strong 
 
144 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 north wind against us ; and though some authors 
 assert, that the Nile has no waves, but runs quite 
 smooth, I can assure the reader, that we were 
 this day tossed about as if by a gale at sea. The 
 wind blowing fresh against a strong current na- 
 turally caused this effect. 
 
 We arrived in the afternoon at the village of 
 Iskus, and went to see Osseyn Cacheff, who 
 was returned, and to whom we had a letter 
 from his brother Mahomet at Deir. I had 
 landed with my interpreter and the Janizary, 
 and entered a kind of house made in the shape 
 of an angle of a propylaeon. These houses 
 would not stand the weight of an upper apart- 
 ment, if they were built perpendicularly ; for 
 the clay walls, of which they are made, would 
 fall outward. The CachefF*s house was adorned 
 with an old mat spread on the ground as usual, 
 a water jar, and a chain with two hooks made 
 in a particular manner. This was that same 
 Osseyn, who was one of the two brothers that 
 caused Mr. Burckhardt to return from Tinareh. 
 He was about sixty-eight years of age, five feet 
 eleven inches high, stout and robust, and able 
 to support the charge he was born to hold. He 
 was surrounded by thirty men, all armed, some 
 with matchlock guns and long swords, and some 
 with spears and shields instead of guns. He 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA. 4c. 145 ' 
 
 was clothed in a long tunic down to his feet, 
 made of white woollen cloth, with a belt round 
 his waist, to which his sword, flint, and steel 
 were attached. Over his shoulder he had a 
 long shawl, made of the same stuff as the tunic, 
 thrown partly over his head, so as to cover it 
 from the sun. He had also a red turban, and 
 on his feet a pair of ragged shoes. Notwith- 
 standing his dress, there was an air of supe- 
 riority about him, which distinguished him at 
 once above all the rest. It is worthy of ob- 
 servation, that even among barbarians great re- 
 spect is paid to superiors ; and those very men, 
 who would murder a fellow-creature in a dif- 
 ference about a few pipes of tobacco, almost 
 tremble at the frown of a single and sometimes 
 harmless old man. His inquiries concerning 
 my business were very minute ; but I soon 
 brought the affair of the temple forward, which 
 did not a little surprise him. He said he knew 
 the entrance into the place very well 5 that the 
 round ball on the large head was the door of 
 the great Dere, as he named it, and if removed 
 I could immediately enter. This round ball 
 was no other than the globe on the head of the 
 hawk-headed Osiris, which stood over the door, 
 as I mentioned before. At first he stated to 
 me the great difficulty, if not impossibility of 
 VOL. r. L 
 
146 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 opening this place; and at last, when I had 
 endeavoured to remove these obstacles, he made 
 me promise, that, if I found the temple full of 
 gold, I should give him half. To this I agreed, 
 on condition that if I found only stones, they 
 should be all my own property ; and he imme- 
 diately assented, for he said he wanted no 
 stones. Upon this he gave me a letter to his 
 son at Ybsambul, and when I left him, and 
 went on board, I sent him some trifling pre- 
 sents, which he received with pleasure, and 
 sent us a lamb. 
 
 When I came to the bark I found it crowded 
 with women, who had learned from our crew, 
 as we passed upwards, that there was a w^oman 
 on board ; and as soon as we arrived, on our 
 return, they all ran to the shore. Mrs. Belzoni, 
 not supposing they would come in such num- 
 bers, made a present of some glass beads to 
 one of the wives of the Cacheff. This was 
 enough : they increased in crowds, and we had 
 to please them all. 
 
 Next morning we continued our voyage, and 
 arrived very early at Ybsambul. I went to see 
 a small temple on the south side, opposite the 
 village ; but it is of no consequence, only it 
 may be remarked as the last on the Nile on this 
 side of the cataract. It has served as a chapel 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 147 
 
 to tlie Christian Greeks ; and the figures of the 
 Apostles remain nearly perfect painted on tlie 
 wall and roof. We crossed the river, and I 
 went immediately to Daoud Cacheff. Having 
 presented the letter from his father, he sent for 
 the men who were intended to work. I found 
 these people complete savages, and entirely un- 
 acquainted with any kind of labour. They had 
 changed their minds since I was there last ; 
 and, thougli I had the authority of the Cachefti 
 they would not work. My persuasion was of 
 of no avail ; first, because they were not in- 
 clined to such labour ; secondly, they did not 
 know the value of money, &c. At last I pre- 
 tended to give up my project, and go away. 
 When the Cacheff saw that I meant to go, and 
 that he should lose many a good present, he 
 began to talk to them ; and at last, with much 
 difliculty, reduced the payment to one half of 
 what they had demanded before. On my agree- 
 ing to this, they immediately insisted, that I 
 should employ as many as they chose. It was 
 in vain I told them, thirty were more than suf- 
 ficient for my purpose ; they would not hear of 
 less than a hundred. With this it was im- 
 possible for me to comply ; so I rose, and took 
 leave of the Cacheff, ordering the Reis to go 
 on board, and set of^' immediately. This, how- 
 
 L -2 
 
148 KESEARCIIES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ever, was not satisfactory to the parties; they 
 had still more to say, and at last it was con- 
 cluded, that I should take forty men, who were 
 to be at the bark before the sun rose next morn- 
 ing, as it was nearly two miles from the village 
 to the temple. I went on board, heartily wishing 
 I had done with these people. 
 
 17th. — ^Early in the morning when I ex- 
 pected to see these wild men, for such I must 
 call them, I was greatly disappointed : the sun 
 was very high, and no one appeared. I then 
 returned to the Cacheff, to inquire whether the 
 men meant to make a joke of the business, or 
 to work. Not being accustomed to be dis- 
 turbed so early, he rose very slowly, and sent 
 a party of his soldiers to search for the men, 
 some of whom at last made their appearance, 
 while others pretended they could not come. 
 Their excuse was, that they saw a Bedoween 
 in the desert, and they were all on the watch. 
 The day before they w^anted to be employed to 
 the number of a hundred, and to-day they were 
 unwilling to be employed at all. At length 
 some arrived by land, some by water, but very 
 late, and we went at last to the temple. I took 
 it patiently, and began the work in such a di- 
 rection, that the sand should fall off from the 
 centre of the front of the temple, where na- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &.. 149 
 
 turally the door must be. They liail a long stick, 
 with a cross piece of wood at the end, at each 
 extremity of which was a rope. One man drew 
 the long stick back, and another pulled it for- 
 ward. This is the method they use in removing 
 the earth in their cultivated ground, and 1 found 
 it very useful in clearing away sand also. As 
 it was the first day of our enterprise, they went 
 on better than I expected ; and all their thoughts 
 and talk were on the quantity of gold, pearl§, 
 and jewels, we should find in the place. I did 
 not discourage them in their supposition, as I 
 considered it to be the best stimulus they could 
 ha\ e to proceed. At noon I gave them some 
 boiled lentils, and bread soup, with which they 
 were pretty well pleased. The Cacheff, who 
 attended to the work himself, partook of what 
 I ate. At night I paid the men, and recom- 
 mended them to be there again early in the 
 morning. The CachefF and part of his court 
 came on board, and we returned to the village 
 for the night. 
 
 18th. — In the morning we went to the temple, 
 and the Fellahs came after us rather late, and 
 we began the w^ork again very slowly. I had 
 to use a great deal of persuasion this day ; for 
 the savages were led to think, they had laboured 
 too hard on the first day, so that they were ob- 
 
1,)U RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 stinate, and I had much ado to prevail on them 
 to continue. As they complained of being very 
 much tired, I promised, that they should not 
 work the next day, but be allowed to rest them- 
 selves. We ended this day's work before sun- 
 set, and returned to the village. Finding our- 
 selves but ill supplied with provision in this 
 place, I offered more than usual for a sheep, 
 but to no purpose : I was obliged to eat rice 
 and water, and very little of that, as we had 
 not much on board. Our stock of butter was 
 quite finished, and milk was very scarce. 
 
 19th. — In the morning I went to see the 
 Cacheff, to speak about some palm wood. I 
 found him quite changed in his behaviour, start- 
 ing a thousand difficulties ; in particular, that 
 the Fellahs would not come to work any more, 
 as it was useless for them to fatigue themselves 
 for a little money ; adding, that it was im- 
 possible to get any palm wood ; though at the 
 same time we were surrounded by it. I answered, 
 that this was not our agreement ; and, as I kept 
 my word, and paid the Fellahs according to our 
 first engagement, I expected them to perform 
 their part of the bargain. After much debate, 
 it was at last concluded, that I should see the 
 Fellahs at night, and try myself what could be 
 done, for lie could not serve me. In sliort, I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 151 
 
 could make nothing of him ; but his interpreter 
 soon gave me to understand, that all this dif- 
 ficulty arose from my not having made him any 
 considerable present; and the soldier who was 
 with me from Siout told me, that I ought not 
 to omit giving him a brace of pistols, or some 
 other valuable thing. I saw their meaning 
 immediately ; but I also knew that these people 
 never feel grateful for any thing after they re- 
 ceive it, but think only of contriving new tricks 
 to extort more, if possible ; so that it is just the 
 same whether you give or not. However, I 
 took a middle course, and told the interpreter, 
 that I would provide a good bakshis both for 
 his master and himself, if they would interest 
 themselves in my favour. In the afternoon 
 the savages were all assembled, and I was sent 
 for. The brother of the CachefF, whom I saw 
 the first time we arrived at Ybsambul, was 
 there : his behaviour however was altered, and 
 much for the better ; so that he, who at first 
 was rough, became smooth, and the smooth be- 
 came rough. I inquired about the wood, and 
 was told, that I must go to a place two leagues 
 off, where I should find some ; but this was 
 said only to start new difficulties, as I knew 
 there was plenty in the village. With respect 
 to the savages, I was informed, that they would 
 
152 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 not come to work so hard, unless I doubled the 
 numbers. It was in vain for me to tell them, 
 that a man does not work more when alone, 
 than when accompanied by multitudes. They 
 were obstinate, and I could do nothing with 
 them ; for had I consented to employ a hun- 
 dred, I should soon have been called on to 
 make it up two hundred. I promised to give 
 bakshis to the brother of the Cacheff, who began 
 to talk to them in their own language ; and to 
 my astonishment all at once they agreed to 
 come to the number of forty only ; on con- 
 dition, however, that I should give them the 
 sixth part of an ardep of corn to make bread 
 with. The CachefF seemed displeased with the 
 influence of his brother, and rose and walked 
 off. A barbarian from Deir, who was a stranger 
 in tlie island, and had come thither to cultivate 
 a piece of ground, had bought some wood to 
 build a sakias, or water machine ; but as he 
 could not agree with the savages at Ybsambul, 
 and was going away, he proposed to sell his wood 
 to me; and I gladly availed myself of the op- 
 portunity, and thus got over this difficulty. 
 
 Next day (20th), in the morning the people 
 came slowly to work, but upon the whole we 
 went on very well, though I had much ado to 
 make them proceed in the riglit way. The 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 15S 
 
 CachefF, with his attendants, came to see how 
 we were proceeding, and gave me to under- 
 stand, that he intended dining with me. I told 
 him I was very glad of his company, but had 
 nothing except boiled rice, unless he would 
 order his people to kill a sheep for us, which I 
 would gladly pay for. They consulted about 
 who could afford to part with a sheep, and re- 
 ceive piastres in payment, and at last the order 
 was given to an old man, who had five, which 
 was a greater number than any body else. When 
 the sheep was brought to us, the difficulty was 
 to fix the price of it. Being the first ever sold 
 for money in that place, to put a high price 
 on it would have increased the value of sheep 
 in general, and consequently would have been 
 against the interest of the Cachefi"; for when 
 he receives his revenue in these animals, he 
 sets them at a very low price, that he may have 
 the more given him. To estimate it at a low 
 price would be worse, for it would be against 
 them all in the exchange of sheep for dhourra 
 with the other villages. Finding it a dangerous 
 point to decide, it was at length resolved, that 
 no price at all should be put upon the sheep, 
 but that the man should make me a present of 
 it, and I should give any thing I pleased in 
 return. To prevent any standard being esta- 
 
154 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 blished from what I gave the man, I paid him 
 ill soap, tobacco, and salt. 
 
 At dinner the sheep was brought in pieces 
 in two wooden bowls, and the CachefF and his 
 attendants seated themselves in a circle on the 
 sand near the temple. The extremities of their 
 filthy hands were soon washed in the liquor, 
 and in a few seconds the whole was devoured. 
 Not being accustomed to this unceremonious 
 sort of feasting, I stood but a poor chance; but 
 in subsequent occurrences of this kind I con- 
 trived to take my share without interfering 
 with their scramble. Soon after dinner coffee 
 was brought up from the boat, and I went on 
 board to take my dinner with Mrs. Belzoni, 
 who had boiled rice and water for her fare, in 
 preference to the chieftain's mess of mutton. 
 In a short time the Cacheff' approached, and sig- 
 nified his wish to speak to me in secret. We 
 retired, and his principal interpreters were called 
 to us. The great secret was this : on the night 
 before, as he stood on the bank close to our 
 boat, he saw me drinking a coffee cup of red 
 liquor that I poured out of a bottle ; and having 
 inquired what it was, was told it was nebet 
 (wine). Now he had heard that the wine of 
 the English was much better than what they 
 made in their own country with dates j he 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 15.5 
 
 wished, therefore, to have some to drink also, 
 but in a secret way. Fortunately I had a few 
 bottles left from our stock in Cairo, which we 
 preserved for extraordinary occasions ; and I 
 sent my interpreter down to the boat to fetch 
 one. When the wine was first poured out 
 into a cup and presented to the Cacheff, he 
 sternly looked at the interpreter, and told him 
 to drink first. The interpreter, who was a 
 Copt, and had been in the French army for 
 several years, did not want much persuasion to 
 make a libation to Bacchus ; so with a smile 
 he soon convinced the CachefF of the purity of 
 the contents of the bottle, and the CachefF did 
 not hesitate to drink the next cup. At the first 
 taste it did not appear to him so strong as he 
 had supposed ; but at last he found it so good, 
 that in three days my scanty stock was nearly 
 finished. I had much reason to repent having 
 taken a Janizary with me, for instead of assist- 
 ing me in my dealing with these people, I found 
 he was the first to suggest to them what they 
 never would have tliought of. It is not to be 
 supposed that a ]\Iussulman will ever take the 
 part of a Christian dog, against any of his own 
 religion, unless he is responsible for the life of 
 the stranger ; and then he does it for his own 
 sake, and not from anv attachment to the Eu- 
 
156 RESK ARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ropean. The work went on very slowly this 
 day ; but altogether we had made a consi- 
 derable advance in the sand, towards the centre 
 of the front of the temple. 
 
 Next morning (21st), the people took it 
 into their heads to come in such numbers, that 
 I could not employ them all, as the work was 
 directed only to one point. There was warm 
 debating on the subject ; but, as I would not 
 spend one farthing more than I had promised 
 from the first, they agreed at last that the pay 
 should be divided amongst them all ; and thus, 
 instead of forty men, I had eighty for the same 
 price, which w^as less than sixpence a day. The 
 anxiety to see the inside of the temple, and to 
 plunder all that it might contain, brought the 
 two brothers on board very early in the morning. 
 They soon gave me to understand plainly, that 
 all that was there was their own property ; and 
 that the treasure should be for themselves. Even 
 the savages began to lay their account in the 
 division of the spoil. I assured them that I 
 expected to find nothing but stones, and wanted 
 no treasure. They still persisted, that, if I took 
 away the stones, the treasure was in them j and, 
 if I could make a drawing, or likeness of them, 
 I could extract the treasure from them also, 
 without their perceiving it. Some proposed. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 157 
 
 that, if there were any figure discovered, it 
 should be broken before I carried it away, to 
 see the inside of it. Thus I plainly perceived, 
 that, on entering the temple, I should not be 
 at liberty either to take notes of what was in 
 it, or to make any drawings, much less to take 
 away any statue, or any thing else that might 
 be found. We went on with our labour, how- 
 ever, and, as I made a palisade with the palm 
 wood I had bought, I had no need of so many 
 men, as they had only to clear the space between 
 the palisade and the temple. 
 
 In the course of the morning, two of the men 
 left the work, and went down the Nile to our 
 boat. Finding Mrs. Belzoni on board, with only 
 a little girl from the village, they were rather 
 impertinent to her, and attempted to go on 
 board in s})ite of all she could say to them, in- 
 tending to rob the boat. At last she presented 
 a pistol to them, on which they immediately re- 
 tired, and ran up the hill. She followed, but 
 they mixed with a number of their fellow sa- 
 vages, and it was impossible to find them out ; 
 for they were all like so many lumps of choco- 
 late seated on the sand at work, and not to be 
 distinguished the one from the other. At night, 
 when I paid the men, the Cacheff*s brother said, 
 the money must be counted all in one heap, 
 
158 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 before it was divided among the people. My 
 interpreter, who was also my treasurer, accord- 
 ingly counted the money on a piece of a ragged 
 shawl, which he had no sooner done, than the 
 Cacheff's brother threw himself on it, and seized 
 every piastre. The men looked at each other, 
 but no one dared to say a word about it ; and 
 he took it all away with him. I observed to 
 him, that his magic was much more sure in its 
 operation than mine, for obtaining money. But 
 I was pleased to find they had begun to know 
 the worth of it so well. 
 
 I naturally expected, that no one would come 
 to work the next morning '(22nd) ; but in this 
 1 was mistaken. So much of the sand had been 
 taken away, that the first palisade became use- 
 less. I made another, therefore, directly be- 
 fore the place where I supposed the entrance 
 to be, to prevent the sand from falling against 
 it. I now began to perceive clearly, that this 
 work would employ more time than I could 
 spare in that country, and the period I had 
 meant to dedicate to it was already elapsed ; 
 but this would not have deterred me from pro- 
 ceeding, and no doubt I should have accom- 
 plished my undertaking, had it not been for a 
 material cause which compelled me to quit the 
 work for a time. This was the want of that 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 15'J 
 
 very article which, a few days before, was so 
 despised and unknown ; and now I absolutely 
 could not proceed without it. It was money, 
 which, even here, had shown its usual power 
 among mankind, of exciting avarice, and of 
 w hich those wild people soon became very fond. 
 I had some water brought up from the Nile, 
 and poured down close to the wall over the 
 door. This stopped the sand from running, till 
 I had a hole made so deep, that I could per- 
 ceive it required a longer time to reach the 
 door than I could stay, and more money than 
 I could then afford. I had by this time re- 
 moved so much sand, as to uncover twenty feet 
 in the front of the temple. The colossal statues 
 above the door were completely exposed ; and 
 one of the great colossi sitting before the temple, 
 on the north side, which was buried in the sand, 
 appeared with his face and shoulders like his 
 companion on the south. Having obtained a 
 promise from the Cacheff', that he would not let 
 any one touch the place till my return, which 
 would be in a few months, I contented myself 
 with putting a mark where the sand was before 
 I commenced the operation ; and after taking a 
 drawing of the exterior of the temple, quitted 
 it, with a firm resolution of returning to accom- 
 plish its opening. We brought our boat to the 
 
l60 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 village, and, after making some trifling presents 
 to the Cacheff, set off the same evening. 
 
 We descended the Nile rapidly, as the cur- 
 rent was very strong, which was a fortunate cir- 
 cumstance for us, for we were almost without 
 provisions on board. Two hours after we left 
 Ybsambul, a Turkish soldier on a dromedary 
 hailed us from the right bank of the Nile; but, 
 without attending to him, we continued our 
 voyage. He turned back, and followed us a 
 considerable way ; and when he came to a place, 
 where the current brought us near the shore, 
 he fired a pistol, as a signal to stop. We were 
 greatly at a loss to conjecture who he could be, 
 as it was not to be supposed, that a Turkish 
 soldier w^ould venture alone into this country. 
 At length, as we drew near the bank, he said he 
 had letters for me from the Bey of Esne. This 
 was not true. He produced two letters in Arabic, 
 signed by two different persons not in existence, 
 which ordered me, in an insolent tone of com- 
 mand, to desist from any work I might have 
 begun in Nubia, and return to Cairo. The rea- 
 son why these letters were sent to me, by whom, 
 and for what purpose, is one of those mysteries 
 w^iich, for the present, must remain unknown. 
 
 The soldier came on board, and sent the dro- 
 medary back by his servant ; for in that country 
 
IN EGYPT. NUBIA, &o. l6l 
 
 every soldier has a servant, to take care of his 
 camel, horse, or asses, if he have any. Thus, 
 when a body of five thousand men marches 
 against an enemy, there are always at least six 
 thousand people more to encumber it, and eat 
 up the provision : for not only every common 
 soldier has a man, but every officer has two or 
 three ; and those of the higher rank, as Beys, 
 Cacheffs, &c. have ten or more. 
 
 As the current was so rapid, the next day 
 (2Sd), in the evening, we arrived at Ibrim, and 
 early on the 24th at Deir. I went to see the 
 temple, but in a cursory way, reserving my ob- 
 servations to my next visit. We took in some 
 provision, set off immediately, arrived in the 
 evening at Nobat, and the next night (25th), 
 stopped at El Kalabshe. Here we visited the 
 temple a second time, but rather too late for 
 much inspection. 
 
 Next day (26th,) we visited the two temples 
 at TafFa, my humble observations on which I 
 shall give in my next voyage in Nubia. Here a 
 barbarian, armed with a spear and shield, called 
 to me to stop, which I did, as he said he had 
 something to communicate. He demanded my 
 money in a resolute manner, and with a savage 
 look ; but when I made the interpreter inquire 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
162 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 of him if he demanded the money per force, or 
 as a voluntary bakshis, he laughed and ran off. 
 
 Continuing our voyage, at Cardassy I saw 
 the remains of some very extensive buildings, 
 and of some quarries, where a small chapel is 
 cut in the rock, containing many Greek in- 
 scriptions, which I regretted I had not time to 
 copy. We next came to Gamby, where, on the 
 east, is a small temple, but almost even with 
 the ground, and a few figures and hieroglyphics 
 on the stones. This temple, that of Deir, and 
 the one opposite Ybsambul, are all I have seen 
 on the eastern side of the Nile above the first 
 cataract. We came down to Deboude in the 
 afternoon, and went to see the ruins of that 
 place, as I shall describe in my next journey. 
 
 Next day (27th), brought us to the Shellal, 
 or first cataract. The soldier of Derow, who 
 brought the letters, set off immediately, and I 
 never saw him afterwards. I took particular 
 notice of a small obelisk which was lying before 
 the propylseon, and which, if brought to Eng- 
 land, might serve as a monument in some par- 
 ticular place, or as an embellishment to the me- 
 tropolis. I sent for the Aga of Assouan, and 
 a Reis who knew the channels in the Shellal, 
 and in the meantime took a general view of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, .^c. iGS 
 
 these superb ruins. I observed in the southern 
 part of the island the remains of a small temple, 
 quite in ruins, with blocks of stone scattered 
 here and there, and remarked, that a part of 
 the remaining wall contained the legs of several 
 figures in basso rilievo finely finished. I ex- 
 amined the blocks that had been thrown down 
 from the wall, and found they contained the 
 upper parts of the figures, which had formed a 
 group of seven in all. When the Aga and the 
 Reis came, I made an agreement with them 
 to have the obelisk taken down the cataract ; 
 but, for want of a boat, it could not be effected 
 that season. The obelisk is twenty-two feet 
 long, by two wide at the base ; so that it re- 
 quired a pretty large boat to convey it. It was 
 agreed, and perfectly understood, that I took 
 possession of this obelisk in the name of his 
 Britannic Majesty's consul-general in Cairo ; 
 and I gave four dollars to the Aga, to pay a 
 guard for it till my return. 
 
 I entreat the reader here to pause, and to 
 recollect what caution I took in securing this 
 piece of antiquity ; as he will find, in the course 
 of this work, that the obelisk in question has 
 caused me more trouble and persecution than 
 any thing else I succeeded in removing from 
 Egypt. Indeed, it nearly cost me my life ; and 
 
 M 2 
 
1G4 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 for such disinterested exertions I received, in 
 return, the meanest insults. Unfortunately such 
 was my situation in Egypt, that some of the very 
 people I had to deal with, though I was acting 
 for the credit both of their country and of them- 
 selves, could not restrain the impulse of jealousy, 
 which they nourished in their breasts, and which 
 always operated to my disadvantage. In a fu- 
 ture work, that I intend to lay before the public, 
 I shall perhaps unfold these matters ; so that any 
 one who has common feeling will wonder how I 
 could persist so long in my researches under such 
 circumstances. 
 
 The blocks of stone, which formed the com- 
 partment of fourteen feet long and twelve wide, 
 were twelve in number. When they were put 
 together on the ground, they were a beautiful 
 group, consisting of the great god Osiris seated 
 on his chair, with an altar before him, receiving 
 offerings from priests and female figures ; the 
 whole surrounded by flowers and hieroglyphics. 
 The blocks were three feet six inches long, and 
 three feet wide : but as they were two feet three 
 inches thick, they were too bulky to be em- 
 barked whole. As they could be easily cut, 
 being a calcareous gritstone, I made an agree- 
 ment for one hundred piastres, to have them 
 cut to six inches thickness. I left the money 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 16j 
 
 in the hands of the Aga ; and it was understood, 
 that these stones were to be embarked by the 
 first opportunity of a boat, and sent down to 
 Luxor. The Aga hinted, that he should be 
 happy to know what 1 meant to give him for 
 permission to take away the obelisk ; for though 
 I was authorised by the firman of the Bashaw 
 to take what stones or statues I pleased, yet 
 these fellows think they have a right to demand 
 something ; and if they cannot openly refuse, 
 still they have it in their power to throw such 
 obstacles in the w^ay, as to entirely defeat your 
 undertaking. It was agreed, that he should 
 give orders to the Sheik of the island to guard 
 the stones and the obelisk, so that no one should 
 injure them; for which guard, as before stated, 
 he received four dollars ; and that on the re- 
 moval of the obelisk he should receive three 
 hundred piastres, equal to thirty dollars. 
 
 Next day, the 28th of September, we came to 
 Assouan by land ; just one month from the day 
 on which we first entered that place. On our 
 arrival, we were informed, that there were no 
 boats to take us to Esne ; and, in spite of all 
 our haste, we were obliged to wait till some came 
 from the north. We therefore took another 
 tour in the island of Elephantine, and on the 
 next morning, (29th), I set off for the granite 
 
106 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 mountain, about two hours and a half south- 
 east of Assouan. I took an Arab of that place 
 with me as a guide, and walked about the 
 greater part of the day. I saw a great many 
 granite quarries, w^hich plainly showed, that the 
 ancients took the granite intended for the tem- 
 ples, statues, and ornaments, from these places; 
 and in one of these excavations I saw two large 
 basins in the rough, cut out of the rock, one of 
 which was ready to be taken away, as it was 
 nearly finished. It appeared to me, by what I 
 could observe, that the pieces of granite were 
 procured by cutting a line with a chisel, about 
 two inches deep, round the stone intended to 
 be removed, and then by giving a great blow 
 with some machine, which separated the part 
 like glass when cut with a diamond. In this 
 basin were pieces, which plainly showed the fact 
 of this operation. On my return towards the 
 west, I was fortunate enough to find a column 
 lying on the ground, with a Latin inscription, 
 as in the annexed plate. It proves, that the 
 Romans used to take granite from these quarries, 
 and, no doubt, chiefly for religious purposes, 
 like the Egyptians. 
 
 On my return to Assouan, no boat h.ad ar- 
 rived, and I became impatient, for I wished to 
 reach Thebes. We were seated under a grove 
 
IOMH\MMONI<.£NVBlDI 
 IVNlONl atClNAf i\N^ORSVfc 
 TVTELA HK MCNJESTtJvbf 
 PRIM ITER S\(BIMPtR.lOPRl 
 FELICIJ>'5IM0-.yAECVL0D'D 
 NNIMX/ICTOR IMPPSEVIERlE' 
 ANTONINIPIISSIMORVMAVCJC 
 ETO^!vl iSSi 
 
 1VLIAED0MNAEAV(dMK' 
 IVXSmPHILAS NOVAE 
 LAPICAEDINAEADINVEM 
 TAP TkACTAEQ«£SVNTFAW 
 ^TATICAEETCOLVMNAE 
 GR.ANDESETMOL-IAESVB 
 5VBKnAN0A<\VlLAE PRr 
 AEG-CURAMAfefNEOPDOMINlC- 
 AVREtHERACUO/^f DEC AL-f4^Vlt- 
 
 r» f'r, r,r /ufi/' Ifif vfe f 
 
 . 'iy,-4i/^ ,./■■ f ^'-ef 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. iGj 
 
 of palm-trees, eating our soup of rice and meat 
 witli the Aga, when an Arab came to him, and 
 whispered in his ear, as if he had something of 
 great importance to communicate. The Aga 
 rose, though his dinner was not finished, and 
 went away with the air of a man of great busi- 
 ness. Half an hour after he returned, accom- 
 panied by two other persons of distinction, and 
 the old man who came before. They all seated 
 themselves round me, and after introducing the 
 affair with a degree of caution, I was asked, 
 whether I wished to purchase a large piece of 
 diamond. I considered, that I was no diamond 
 merchant ; but in a case like this, I would have 
 contrived to become a jeweller, and have pro- 
 cured the money from Esne, if it had been to 
 my advantage ; for, in the times in which we 
 live, jewels are no despicable articles, if they 
 can be obtained at a cheap rate. I told the 
 Aga, that if the article were good, I would pur- 
 chase it, if we could agree ; but it was necessary 
 that I should see it. He said, the piece had 
 been found by one of the natives of that place j 
 and, as he was not in want of money, it had 
 been preserved in the family for many years. 
 This original proprietor being now dead, his 
 successors wished to dispose of it. I requested 
 to see it; so we retired some distance out of 
 
l68 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the way of the people. The old man then with 
 great solemnity took a small wooden box from 
 a pocket in his leathern belt. In this was a 
 paper, which he unfolded ; after that, two or 
 three others, till at last he opened the sanctum 
 sanctorum. I took its contents in my hands 
 with no small degree of expectation : but, alas ! 
 how did I look, when I saw it was only part of 
 the stopple of a common glass cruet, of the 
 size of a hazel-nut, with two or three Httle gilt 
 flowers on it ! All my hopes vanished ; and as 
 the others were anxiously observing my mo- 
 tions, they could not fail to see disappointment 
 so strongly marked in my countenance, as de- 
 cided their fate, and destroyed their great ex- 
 pectations of wealth from this invaluable jewel. 
 When I told them, that it was only a piece of 
 glass, the words affected their minds like the 
 unhappy tidings of some great misfortune: they 
 walked off in solemn silence, not without giving 
 me an inquiring look, to learn whether I were 
 really in earnest. But I also shared their dis- 
 appointment, and the smile on my face could 
 give them no hopes. 
 
 Another day passed, but no boat appeared. 
 At last I thought of bespeaking two camels, and 
 proceeding to Esne by land, with Mrs. Belzoni 
 and the interpreter, and letting the Janizary re- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. l69 
 
 main there, to follow by the first boat, and bring 
 the implements we should leave behind. But 
 when the Aga saw, that I had taken this reso- 
 lution, he sent for a boat, which was hidden 
 about a league distant, and there were two or 
 three more concealed in other places. I found, 
 that all this was done to keep us a few days in 
 that place for the benefit of the town, strangers 
 being of course obliged to spend money while 
 they are there. After the boat was hired, at a 
 great price, I found it belonged to the Aga 
 himself; and the Captain or Reis told us, after- 
 wards, that he ordered him to hide it, to compel 
 me to give what he liked for the hire of it. 
 
 Some travellers give us the notions they have 
 formed of the ^rabs and Berberys ; but it is to 
 be observed, that there is a very great difference 
 in the manner in which different persons travel ; 
 and the methods pursued in going through a 
 country may afford one more opportunities of 
 seeing and judging than another. 
 
 A traveller who has all the accommodation 
 possible, and nothing to do with these people 
 but in passing, can never judge of their ideas, 
 their system of conduct, and their rapacious 
 manners ; for in the little interval, and the 
 limited business he has to transact with them, 
 they do not appear to be the people they really 
 
lyO RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 are. Some travellers even receive civilities, 
 ■with which they are mightily pleased ; without 
 having time to discover, that the very persons, 
 whom they suppose to be naturally civil, are so 
 only to serve their own interested views. They 
 pass on, and in their journal of remarks say, that 
 they were received civilly at such and such a 
 place. But let a traveller deal with them in 
 any transaction, where their interest is con- 
 cerned, and where their execution of any un- 
 dertaking is required, he will soon find, that in 
 every point they are the most cheating people 
 on earth. Their deception is extreme. A tra- 
 veller passing by a village stops his bark for an 
 hour or two : what good people he finds ! Some 
 bring him a small basket of dates, others a few 
 eggs, another some bread and milk ; with which 
 he is so pleased, that he immediately gives them 
 five or perhaps ten times more than the worth 
 of what he receives, without being aware, that 
 it is through such an expectation they bring 
 him these things ; and exclaims, that in Europe 
 they do not treat a stranger so civilly. But let 
 him take the smallest of these presents without 
 giving any thing in return, or even no more 
 than it is worth, they will not fail to murmur 
 at him. If he give only double the price, they 
 Ii.'ivc the art of returning the money with scorn 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. I7I 
 
 and contempt, in order to shame him to give 
 more : — and if he take the money returned, or 
 give them nothing from the beginning, he must 
 not expect, that they will let him go away with- 
 out paying them for what they brought him. 
 All this is unknown to a traveller merely passing 
 by ; for there is no one in this character, who 
 would be so mean as to accept any thing, with- 
 out returning double or treble its value. From 
 these trifles it may be presumed what they are 
 in all their dealings : to-night one word for such 
 a thing, to-morrow another : their intrigues are 
 beyond description: they have the art of making- 
 one thing appear like another so well, that it is 
 very difficult to avoid falling into their trap. 
 
 There are two extremes in travellers. One 
 who is just arrived, has never before been in 
 the country, and of course has no knowledge 
 of customs and things, cannot see one-fourth of 
 what he should see : the other is so thoroughly 
 initiated into their customs and manners, that 
 those things which strike at first sight, lose their 
 effect on him ; he almost forgets his own ways, 
 and does not reckon any thing he beholds ex- 
 traordinary or worth attention, though perhaps 
 even of great consequence. 
 
 At last, after settling all my affairs with the 
 Aga, and satisfying his demands of oil, \inegar, 
 
17^ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 and some empty bottles, we left Assouan in the 
 morning of the 30th, and two days brought us 
 to Esne, the current being very strong. Khalil 
 Bey was not there, and his Hasnadar or trea- 
 surer did not know any thing about the orders, 
 which were sent to me in Nubia : but on seeing 
 the Bey sometime after, he said he never sent 
 me any such orders. On the morning of the 
 4th of October we arrived at Luxor. Seeing 
 that no boat had arrived from Cairo, though 
 the consul had sent me some money, I set off 
 next day in the same boat to Gheneh, arrived 
 there the next morning, and went to see Mr. 
 Sokiner, a person whom I knew, and who 
 served me much in this business. We went to 
 the CachefF, who could not give me a boat, in 
 consequence of a fresh order from Cairo to 
 press all boats that passed ; and I was therefore 
 obliged to despatch a courier again to Cairo, 
 for an order from the consul to obtain one. 
 
 On the 7th, in the morning, we endeavoured to 
 obtain a boat, but we lost the whole day in this 
 manner, and I was nearly despairing of success ; 
 but, repairing the next morning to the Cacheff) 
 I begged him to give me an order to press a 
 courier, and he complied immediately, for he 
 was of a very different cast from the CachefF of 
 J£rments. The courier received his despatch 
 
IN F.GYPT, NUBIA. Ac. 173 
 
 about noon, and was to go and return from 
 Cairo in sixteen days. He was on the point of 
 setting off, when a large boat appeared, which 
 brought Messrs. Jacque and Caliad, two agents 
 of the French consul, who were going to As- 
 souan. On inquiry I found that the boat was 
 at liberty to be engaged after it arrived at As- 
 souan. Accordingly I bespoke it of the Reis, 
 before the Aga, who made him promise not to 
 retract his agreement. The courier had not 
 yet set off, and there was now no necessity of 
 sending to Cairo, as I was assured of having 
 this boat. 
 
 On our arrival at Thebes, the boat happened 
 to be fastened to the bank, where the colossal 
 head was. I will not waste my time in de- 
 scribing the remarks made by the two French 
 agents of Mr. D., on seeing the head : suffice 
 it to say, they positively declared, in spite of 
 the evident mark it bore on its breast, that the 
 French invaders did not take it away, because 
 they thought it not worth the taking ! On hear- 
 ing of my fortunate success in collecting several 
 valuable pieces of antiquity, their Dragoman, a 
 renegado Frenchman, observed to me, that, if 
 I persevered in my researches, I should have 
 my throat cut, by order of two personages ; one 
 was the Cacheff of Erments, the other I sliall 
 
174 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 not mention at present. I told him I was greatly 
 obliged to him for his information, but did not 
 believe any one would make such an attempt. 
 They went to visit the soldiers, who lived in 
 the tombs among the people at Gournou, and 
 assembled several Arabs of that place before the 
 two agents, who told them plainly in my pre- 
 sence, that, if they sold any article of antiquity 
 to the English party, they would have them well 
 beaten by the CachefF of Erments, who com- 
 manded over them. From this moment I per- 
 ceived, that I should have much opposition and 
 many difficulties to encounter ; but as my stay 
 there was to be short, I did not regard them, 
 and continued my business, after Mrs. Belzoni 
 had been lodged in the house of an Arab at 
 Luxor. 
 
 The same day I w^ent to Carnak, and set 
 twenty men at work on a spot of ground, that I 
 chose according to a simple calculation I made, 
 of which I shall have to speak hereafter. I re- 
 embarked for Esne again, on board of the same 
 boat, as I had to conclude the contract with the 
 Reis of it, and to pay a part of the money as 
 earnest. The two Frenchmen were on board 
 also. We proceeded during the whole night, 
 being favoured with a good strong wind, and 
 arrived at Esne the next day at noon. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. J 75 
 
 I liope the reader will not think that I em- 
 ploy my pen in useless accounts, or to make a 
 display of the difficulties I encountered in my 
 operations, merely to enhance any merit on my 
 part : on the contrary, I can assure him, that I 
 study, by all means possible, to be brief, and 
 not to insert the least thing but what is neces- 
 sary to be known, as will be seen. I went to 
 the house where all the owners of the boats 
 were assembled, w4io at first were of one ac- 
 cord, that it was impossible to put the head on 
 board the boat, alleging that it would break it 
 to pieces, if such a mass of stone were placed 
 in it. They then strove to persuade me to leave 
 the stone, as they were disposed to believe that 
 there was no gold in it ; and, if I took it, and 
 found none after I had spent so much, I should 
 lose all. Notwithstanding their simplicity, when 
 I persuaded them that no accident would hap- 
 pen, and that I took all risks upon myself, they 
 -^did not fail to ask me an enormous sum for the 
 hitv^ of the boat. I was in a dilemma, fearing, 
 thai, if I missed this boat, I might lose the high 
 wa/er, which would have obliged me to Avait 
 tiy^ next year ; and in a country like this, 
 c/.ianging from one day to another its govern- 
 ment and way of thinking, I did not know what 
 might happen. I therefore thought it best to 
 
1/6 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 secure myself from any future extortion, and 
 give an enormous hire for the boat. This was 
 three thousand piastres, equal to seventy-five 
 pounds sterling, from that place to Cairo. 
 
 After all this was settled, and half the money 
 paid down, the boat was to ascend the Nile as 
 far as Assouan, to unload at that place, and to 
 return immediately. I sent my Janizary with 
 some presents to the Aga, and some trifles for 
 Osseyn CachefF, to be forwarded to him at Yb- 
 sambul, by the first opportunity from Assouan 
 to that place ; thinking by this trifle he would 
 be convinced, that I intended to return to that 
 country to finish the operation, and be induced 
 to keep his promise, not to let any one under- 
 take the accomplishment of what I had begun. 
 The Janizary was likewise to take on board the 
 twelve stones which I left there to be cut, &c. 
 AMien all this was arranged, I set off for Thebes 
 at night, and arrived there the next morning. 
 On my arrival, I went immediately to Carnak, 
 to see what had been done the day before by 
 the twenty men. 
 
 Here, reader, was the beginning of those dis- 
 coveries, which have caused me so much trouble, 
 not from the exertion and arduous labour re- 
 quired in these researches, but in the atrocious 
 persecution they have drawn on me, from ma- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, tec 177 
 
 lice, jealousy, and envy to such a degree, that 
 to this day, the very goddess Fortune, who has 
 been apparently so propitious to me, I had rea- 
 son to call barbarous and unkind. Notwith- 
 standing which, I did not relinquish my under- 
 taking, till I reached the accomplishment of my 
 wishes. Let me add, I have further enterprises 
 in view, which, I hope, will convince my adver- 
 saries, that their persecution has had no other 
 effect on me, than that of strengthening me to 
 perseverance in my undertakings. Had I not 
 determined to stand, like a pyramid defying the 
 wind, against all their numerous attacks, which 
 poured on me like a torrent, I should not have 
 been able to proceed, even from the commence- 
 ment. On the other hand, I must acknow- 
 ledge, that at the moment when I was perse- 
 cuted on one side, I received marks of kindness 
 and good wishes on the other ; and fortunately, 
 thank God, the well-disposed far outnumbered 
 the others, though few like to enter into, or 
 interfere with matters which do not concern 
 themselves. Many travellers of various nations, 
 at the time of my researches, witnessed, that 
 the greatest difficulties I had to encounter were 
 not in the discovery of antiquities, which I 
 consider the smallest part of my task, but in 
 controlling the complicated intrigues of my 
 
 VOL. I. N 
 
178 RESEARCHES AND OPERATION'S 
 
 enemies and false friends. I am more inclined 
 to excuse Count Forbin, as the erroneous and 
 false accounts he gives are so confused and 
 contradictory to the facts, that he openly ex- 
 poses himself to ridicule and contempt, than to 
 pardon some others, who should have been 
 above such paltry proceedings. 
 
 The works in Carnak were begun when I re- 
 turned from Esne, but nothing was found, and 
 there was no likelihood of finding any thing. 
 The place whence the French had taken their 
 lion-headed statues, at the time of the invasion, 
 is where a temple stood, surrounded on three 
 sides by a lake. It faces the avenue^ of the 
 great sphinx to the north, and not a single wall 
 or column remains standing. On the exterior 
 side of the wall are several fragments of the 
 above statues, which were there before the 
 French army invaded Egypt, but they made 
 some excavations on the east side of the temple, 
 and made discoveries, the fruits of which are 
 now to be seen in the British Museum, they 
 having been captured at sea. The Count de 
 Forbin asserts, that after all these sphinxes had 
 been discovered they were covered up again by 
 some French gentlemen who superintended the 
 work. But the Count did not mention the 
 names of those persons, for he knew very well 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 179 
 
 that no such thing ev^er took place. The ac- 
 count he published of the statues, which he 
 acknowledges to have been found twenty feet 
 below the surface, and backed by a strong an- 
 cient wall, was taken from my own letters, 
 which I gave him myself in Cairo, of which I 
 shall have to speak hereafter, and which he 
 promised to give to the world as they were. 
 Instead of this, tlie only use he made of them 
 was to throw all the facts into confusion, and 
 prevent the real truth from coming before the 
 public. 
 
 Now to more obvious facts. According to a 
 calculation I had made, I dug on the w'est side 
 of the temple, where no one had ever made any 
 excavation before, nor did any traveller pre- 
 vious to me take any thing thence but what 
 was in sight ; the French having taken theirs 
 from the east. The earth, bricks, and stones, 
 were so strongly cemented together by time, 
 particularly on the surface, that it clearly proved 
 the ground never to hav e been touched from 
 the earliest ages. In the course of a few days 
 I discovered about eighteen lion-headed statues, 
 six of which were perfect, and among them a 
 white statue as large as life, supposed to be of 
 Jupiter Amnion, which is now also in the British 
 Museum. 
 
 N 2 
 
180 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 I here beg lea\e to make an observation 
 which I hope will convince the world of the 
 erroneous statement of Count de Forbin. The 
 French Consul, Monsieur Drouetti, who had 
 been making researches for fifteen years in that 
 country, and who was naturally attached to the 
 interest of France, had been to Thebes twdce 
 previous to my arrival in Egypt. How was it, 
 that, in the course of so long a period, he never 
 came to know from the natives, that such sta- 
 tues had been found there by the French, and 
 covered up again ? and how happened it, that 
 the person who covered them up never men- 
 tioned it to him, or to any one else, even after a 
 general peace took place ? We should suppose, 
 that as soon as the seas were cleared of the 
 English crusiers, whose watchful eyes did not 
 let even a water-rat pass into France, there was 
 no fear that these statues should have been 
 taken, and thus a second loss incurred : but 
 independent of all this, there was nothing to 
 prevent Mr. Drouetti from bringing them safe 
 to Alexandria, as he did other antiquities, 
 which were the sole object of his ascending the 
 Nile. I should not enter on this subject, had it 
 not been for the petty means which have been 
 employed to depreciate every thing I have done, 
 and which are a compound of erroneous asser- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 181 
 
 tions, that I believe originated in the volcanic 
 brains of Count de Forbin himself. 
 
 The place where I found these statues must 
 have been the interior of the pronaos j but 
 there were many others in various places, and 
 it is difficult to determine their original stations. 
 In another temple in Gournou, which is yet 
 unknown, and of which I shall speak in this 
 work, I found several statues of the same 
 sort, and by the pedestals it appears they were 
 within the space from one column to another. 
 The same may have been the case in this tem- 
 ple. The situation in which I found them was 
 by no means their original place, and it was 
 clearly to be seen by their irregular positions, 
 that they had been brought thither in great 
 hurry and confusion. Some brick walls had 
 been built, as if to hide them from the destruc- 
 tive hands of an invader, and the white statue 
 lay among the rest in an irregular manner. 
 
 During the time of this excavation I scru- 
 tinized the ruins of Carnak, and perceived a 
 great number of spots that deserve digging. I 
 saw the famous altar, with the six deities men- 
 tioned in the great French work, and the colossal 
 arm, both of which I formed the project of re- 
 moving even at that period. Fortunately on 
 this side of the water the difficulty of obtaining 
 
182 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 people to work was less than I had found it on 
 the other. The CachefF was ready to do all he 
 could for me, and every thing went on very 
 smoothly. The only impediment here was that 
 the Fellahs of Carnak would insist upon com- 
 ing to work in greater numbers than those of 
 Luxor ; for they said the others had no right 
 to come to labour on these grounds, and some- 
 times this dispute ended in blows. These peo- 
 ple were quite the reverse of those in Gournou, 
 who, having become opulent by the trade in 
 antiquities, and tricking travellers, were not so 
 anxious to gain thirty paras a day. During the 
 same excavation I turned up a fine standing 
 colossus without a head, part of which projects 
 above the ground, and which had not been seen 
 by any body. For my part I think it one of 
 the most finished pieces of Egyptian sculpture 
 I ever saw. 
 
 It would be too tedious to the reader, to 
 mention all the particulars that occurred during 
 my researches. Unfortunately I was again 
 without money to proceed, and had to go to 
 Esne, to borrow some from a Greek I happened 
 to know in that place, who would supply me 
 ■with any sum j but as I expected a remittance 
 from the consul, I only took what was neces- 
 sary to transport the lion-headed statues from 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 183 
 
 Carnak to Luxor, ready for embarkation. On 
 my return to Carnak, I found, that an order 
 had come from the Cacheff of Gous to the 
 Caimakan of Luxor, not to let me take any 
 thing away : this being contrary to the order I 
 had from Mahomet Ali Bashaw, I set off for 
 Gous immediately; and finding, on my arrival, 
 that the Cacheff was gone to Gheneh, I directed 
 my course to that place. As the current was 
 very strong, we went on pretty fast. About 
 midnight we saw two cangias coming up. I 
 inquired what party it was, and was told it was 
 Calil Bey, my good friend, on his return from 
 Cairo. I was pleased at this circumstance, as I 
 meant to complain against the conduct of the 
 Cacheff; but, on approaching the cangias, I 
 found that the Cacheff was there also. Calil 
 Bey was well pleased to see me returned from 
 Nubia, and was anxious to inquire how they 
 received me in that country. I told him, that 
 they obeyed his firman, and that I had done all 
 I wished to do in respect to the temple at 
 Ybsambul ; but not being able to finish my 
 undertaking that year, I should return the 
 next. He desired to know, whether the two 
 brothers, Mahomet and Osseyn Cacheff, were 
 friends again ; a question to which I was un- 
 
184 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 able to reply j but I told him the country was 
 perfectly quiet at that time. 
 
 I returned to Gous with him, and the next 
 morning took an opportunity to inquire of the 
 CachefFthe reason of his sending the order to 
 the Sheik not to let the English take away any 
 thing that was found. He said, he knew no- 
 thing about it ; although I had seen the order 
 myself. However, he was ready to give me any 
 order I pleased. No doubt this was in conse- 
 quence of the Bey being there, otherwise I 
 should not have found him so easy to deal 
 with. 
 
 Calil Bey was an Albanian, who had married 
 the sister of Mahomet Ali, Bashaw of Egypt, 
 and held the command of the provinces in 
 Upper Egypt from Esne to Assouan ; and for 
 a Turk was much attached to European tra- 
 vellers. He was continually inquiring concern- 
 ing things he did not know, and had a degree 
 of sound judgment; a quality very scarce 
 among Turks : but for all this he was a com- 
 plete slave to superstition, and to the belief of 
 magical powers. On our arrival at Gous, he 
 took his seat in the garden of the Cacheff, under 
 an arbour of vines, shaded all round by banana 
 trees, which formed a very pleasing and cool 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 185 
 
 recess. A large mat was spread on the ground, 
 and on this a line carpet, and cushions, as 
 usual. The CachefF was seated at his right, 
 and a Turkish Sheik on his left. Two Hadgees 
 sat by the CachefF, and I was requested to take 
 my seat near the Holy-man. Next to me was a 
 Turkish merchant, and after him a fool or San- 
 ton'quite naked. All the rest of the followers, 
 soldiers, and attendants, stood in a crescent be- 
 fore us. Pipes were brought in for the Bey, 
 the CachefF, the Holy-man, and myself. Coffee 
 was served all round to the persons who were 
 seated, and the conversation turned on the har- 
 vest, that was to be the next season, according 
 to the inundation of that year. It was then the 
 beginning of November. They were wondering 
 at the great quantity of corn the Bashaw was 
 sending continually to be embarked at Alexan- 
 dria, particularly at this season. Some sup- 
 posed, that the Europeans were about to make 
 war against the Porte, and that, previous to 
 the declaration, they made provision of corn, as 
 without a supply from Egypt they would be 
 unable to maintain their troops. Others ob- 
 served, if this were the case, Mahomet Ali 
 would not send them corn, till he knew for 
 what purpose it was wanted. One said, he 
 thought the corn was sent into Russia, as he 
 
186 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 heard that the French had set all that country 
 on fire ; and he then inquired of me, whether it 
 were not so. I told him, that I did not know 
 what the French did in that country ; but I 
 knew that the corn was sent into Europe, in 
 consequence of a scarcity in the harvest that 
 year, through the whole of that quarter of the 
 globe. The Bey agreed it must be so, and 
 asked whether it would be the same the next 
 season. I told him I hoped not, for, in general, 
 after a scarcity came a plenty. Yes, says the 
 Bey, but the Bashaw will sell the corn at a 
 high price for three or four years to come, till 
 your granaries are filled again. *' But pray," 
 added he, smiling, " have you a scarcity of 
 stones also in Europe, that you come here to 
 fetch them away ?" I answered, that we had 
 plenty of stones, but we thought those of Egypt 
 were of a better sort. " O ho !" replied he, " it 
 is because you find some gold in them perhaps, 
 thank God !" This is the first instance of my 
 hearing the word " perhaps" employed ; for they 
 are so positive on this point, that they never 
 make any doubt of it. 
 
 The dinner was brought in a large tray. It 
 consisted, as usual, of very poor rice soup, 
 which, after eating three spoonsful, was taken 
 away, and a dish of roast mutton brought for- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA. Sec. 187 
 
 ward. No sooner had we begun to eat of that, 
 tlian a man came in with his hand full of large 
 green peppercorns, and let them fall on the 
 tray, which, being of metal, sounded like a 
 drum-head. After him came another, with 
 half-a-dozen onions peeled, which he let fall 
 in like manner, and they rolled about the tray 
 like billiard balls ; and a third followed with 
 peeled garlic, &:c. After eating the mutton, a 
 dish of very small fried fish was served up. They 
 were about half-a-dozen, and we were eight of 
 us, so that we could not eat too much of this. 
 It was soon removed, and a kind of tart was 
 produced ; but neither the Bey, the CacheiF, 
 the Sheik, nor myself, could eat a single bit of 
 it. The fruit consisted of a water melon, which 
 having demolished, they finished their repast by 
 washing their beards. It was rather too mean 
 to set before the Bey, as I have seen the CachefF 
 take a better for himself at other times ; but it 
 is a general system among these people, both 
 Turks and Arabs, always to make themselves 
 appear poor in the presence of their supe- 
 riors. As the Cacheff had furnished me with 
 an order for the Caimakan of Luxor to let me 
 carry away what stones I pleased, I took my 
 leave of the Bey and set off. 
 
 On my arrival at Carnak, the work to be done 
 
188 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 consisted only in transporting the six sphinxes 
 and the white statue to Luxor for embarkation, 
 a distance of nearly a mile, without a road. In 
 many parts the water had left a soft ground 
 where the statues had to pass ; and, as there 
 was no mechanical power to assist, the Arabs 
 had enough to do to carry them to the place of 
 destination. With this all my labour at Carnak 
 ended, in this voyage ; and while thus waiting 
 for the boat from Assouan, and the cash from 
 Cairo, I paid a daily visit to the tombs in 
 Gournou. These sepulchres are excavated in 
 all directions in the rocks, but generally with 
 the entrance facing the east, as the chain of 
 these mountains runs from north to south. 
 They are intermixed of all sizes ; and some of 
 them have porticoes hewn out of the rocks be- 
 fore the entrance ; but, generally, they are 
 within the outer door, which is most adorned 
 with well-finished figures and hieroglyphics, 
 and generally the watchful fox is represented 
 at each side of the inner door leading to the 
 grotto. Some of them are very extensive, and 
 run down in various directions, something like 
 winding stairs, having on each side, at regular 
 distances of a few paces, small chambers to de- 
 posit the mummies. Some have deep shafts, or 
 wells, with excavations on each side of the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 189 
 
 shaft to receive the mummies ; and at the bot- 
 tom of the wells are passages leading to smaller 
 apartments, with endless winding recesses. It 
 was here that I had first leisure to examine 
 and find the means of ascertaining where the 
 entrances were to many of the tombs, which 
 had been hidden for centuries from the eye of 
 mankind. 
 
 The extensive ruins of Medinet Aboo are, in 
 my humble opinion, best worthy the attentive 
 scrutiny of a traveller of any on the west of 
 Thebes. The descriptions given by Messrs. 
 Hamilton and Denon are sufficient to convey a 
 correct idea of these edifices, which contain 
 propylaea, temples, and dwelling-places. It 
 seems that here was the residence of some of 
 the sovereigns of Egypt ; for in no other 
 edifices of ancient Egypt have I seen the re- 
 mains of habitations as they are in this place. 
 There are two separate temples, of which the 
 first that meets the view going from the Mem- 
 nonium is of a less ancient date than the other. 
 On the west side of the portal are stones with 
 hieroglyphics upside down, evidently belonging 
 to a former temple. The pronaos is surrounded 
 by a portico of pilasters, at each side of which 
 are two chambers : one on the right of the en- 
 trance has been used as a Christian chapel. 
 
190 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The cella contains various apartments, quite 
 dark ; in one of which, on the right side, is a 
 monolite temple of red granite, without hiero- 
 glyphics. It is wider than the door, and must 
 have been placed there before the cella was 
 erected. The hieroglyphics and figures of this 
 edifice differ from those of the other temple in 
 proportion as the two temples differ from each 
 other. On the north side of this little temple 
 was a small lake, or rather a tank for water, 
 which is now filled up with earth and rubbish ; 
 and there must have been statues all round it, 
 as 1 found part of one and fragments of others 
 in an excavation I made in that place. Perhaps 
 it might have been used for the same purposes 
 as the small lakes near the temple of Carnak, 
 which may be supposed to have been the public 
 baths destined for the religious visitors to the 
 temple. On the south of these ruins is a build- 
 ing something like a square tower, with a large 
 gateway, which I opened and went through. It 
 is nearly in a line with the gates leading into 
 the great temple. Above the gateway is a 
 chamber with two square windows, looking 
 over it at each side. There are also two doors 
 opposite each other on the sides. Above this 
 chamber was another, with two windows like 
 those below J but the fore part of the upper 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, vS.o. 191 
 
 chamber is fallen in. There are recesses at the 
 sides of the windows, no doubt to place the 
 sluitters. No hieroglyphics are to be seen 
 within this building, though on the outside it 
 is every where covered with them. The two 
 lateral walls in front of this place form an 
 avenue to the gateway. 
 
 Further on, about two hundred yards to the 
 west, stands the great temple. There is a 
 large propylagon, with the entrance into the 
 inner yard. The walls are covered with hiero- 
 glyphics, deeply cut. The gateway, whicli is 
 also adorned in like manner, leads into a large 
 yard, with a wall opposite to the propylseon, and 
 a gateway into another yard. At each side of 
 this yard is a portico. On the right are seven 
 pilasters, with colossal figures before them ; and 
 on the left eight columns, with capitals in the 
 form of the lotus. Both of these porticoes are 
 also adorned with hieroglyphics, deeply cut. 
 The next yard has a gallery, or area, all round 
 it, of pilasters and columns. The walls are 
 beautifully embellished with battles, men on 
 chariots, captives, and slaves ; together with 
 which are distinctly visible procession offerings, 
 initiations, and sacrifices so well described by 
 Mr. Denon. The excavation of these works 
 shows, that they are of a very ancient period. 
 
192 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The hieroglyphics are uncommonly deep, more 
 so than any I have seen in other buildings in 
 Egypt. In some parts the figures retain their 
 colours pretty well, particularly in the ceiling 
 on the capitals of the columns. This edifice 
 has been used as a Christian church ; and the 
 rude columns, employed in a more modern 
 building within this yard, show the wonderful 
 difference between the arts of the two ages. 
 Further on, through the last gate, was the en- 
 trance to the pronaos and cella : but now these 
 are buried under the earth, and several Sara- 
 cenic buildings have been raised on it. The 
 exterior wall of these ruins is filled with histo- 
 rical subjects, such as land and sea fights, lion 
 hunting, processions of captives, and various 
 national emblems. Further to the south of the 
 town is a small temple, which now serves for 
 the shepherds to keep their cattle in at night. 
 The whole town, in my opinion, appears to have 
 been rebuilt twice or three times successively on 
 the ruins of the former. 
 
 It was at this period, that I began to make 
 some researches in the valley adjacent to that of 
 Beban el Malook. I had seen all the tombs of 
 the kings : as I did not go there, however, with 
 any intention of making researches, my curiosity 
 must have been greater than that of many who 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 193 
 
 had been there before, as I went into every 
 little recess of these valleys. It was in the 
 western valley that one of the French savans 
 discovered a large tomb, which he found open, 
 but was quite unknown before his time. I went 
 to visit this tomb, and found it very extensive, 
 and in pretty good preservation. My curiosity 
 did not end here. I went farther on in the 
 valley ; and in one of the most remote spots 
 saw a heap of stones, which appeared to me 
 detached from the mass. The vacancies be- 
 tween these stones were filled up with sand 
 and rubbish. I happened to have a stick with 
 me, and on thrusting it into the holes among 
 the stones, I found it penetrate very deep. I 
 returned immediately to Gournou, and procured 
 a few men, to open these places. Unfortunately, 
 both Mrs. Belzoni and myself had been much 
 afflicted for some time with the ophthalmia, 
 which was so severe on me at this time, that I 
 could scarcely see any thing before me. 
 
 I took the men into the same valley the next 
 morning ; but in consequence of my eyes being 
 so bad, it was some time before I could find the 
 spot again. On removing a few stones, we per- 
 ceived that the sand ran inwards ; and, in fact, 
 we were so near the entrance into a tomb, that 
 in less than two hours all the stones were taken 
 
 VOL. I. o 
 
194 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 away. I had caused some candles to be brought, 
 and I went in, followed by the Arabs. I cannot 
 boast of having made a great discovery in this 
 tomb, though it contains several curious and 
 singular painted figures on the walls ; and from 
 its extent, and part of a sarcophagus remaining 
 in the centre of a large chamber, have reason to 
 suppose, that it was the burial-place of some per- 
 son of distinction. The tomb consists of three 
 chambers, two corridors, and a staircase ; but the 
 remote situation in which it was found renders 
 it remarkable : and I declare, that I owe this 
 discovery merely to fortune, not to any preme- 
 ditated research, as I went into these mountains 
 only to examine the various places, where the 
 water descends from the desert into the valleys 
 after rain. It is singular to observe, that though 
 rain falls very seldom, perhaps not more than 
 once or twice a year, yet such is the effect of 
 the climate and the sun on the spots where the 
 water passes, that they are as strongly marked, 
 as if it were continually running over them, and 
 much harder than the rest of the masses. 
 
 The higher part of the mountain on the west 
 of Thebes extends in wide plains, which rise 
 gradually towards the west ; and when rain falls 
 upon them, the water takes its course towards 
 the Nile, descending into the valleys of Egypt. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUPJA, &c. 
 
 195 
 
 There are very few places in these mountains 
 where water gathers in such quantities, as in 
 the valley of Beban el Malook, and its ad- 
 joining branch on the west side. For some time 
 the water forms a small torrent, that carries 
 every thing before it. Mr. Salt superintended 
 the making of a road from the tombs of the 
 kings to the Nile, for the purpose of transport- 
 ing a large sarcophagus, and one of these falls 
 of water from the desert destroyed the whole 
 road. For the present, however, I shall leave 
 this valley, as I shall have to speak of it in an- 
 other part of this work, on my second journey 
 to Thebes and Nubia. 
 
 The time having elapsed, in which I expected 
 to receive letters from Cairo, I was rather un- 
 easv, and resolved to return to Kenneh. On 
 my arrival at this place, I found the courier had 
 just entered it. He brought me letters from 
 Mr. Salt, with an order for money on the Seraf, 
 or banker, of Kenneh. I quickly finished my 
 business there, and speeded to Luxor, where I 
 was pleased to find the boat returned from 
 Assouan, to take the colossal bust on board : 
 but I was soon informed by the proprietor, that 
 it was loaded with dates, and that he was come 
 himself from Esne, to return the money I had 
 paid as earnest j for they could not think of 
 
 o2 
 
196 
 
 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 taking that large stone into the boat, as it would 
 crush it to pieces. All my persuasions were 
 useless ; and though I had a written agreement 
 in my hands, they signified to me, that it was 
 of no use, they never would take the stone on 
 board. I had much to say to them, as may be 
 imagined in such a case ; for I was so circum- 
 stanced, that if the present opportunity of 
 transporting the bust were lost, the water in 
 the Nile would have become much too low, 
 and the conveyance could not have been ef- 
 fected till the next season. At the same time 
 I was informed by my Janizary, whom I sent 
 to Assouan in the same boat with the two 
 agents of Mr. D., that it was owing to them the 
 owner would not take the stone on board : for 
 they told him he would lose his boat, and never 
 receive any recompense for itj and that the 
 agreement I made with them was good for 
 nothing when in Cairo. In fact, these gentle- 
 men had so much warped the minds of the 
 crew, that they were resolved not to perform 
 their contract. 
 
 The twelve stones I had left in the island of 
 Philoe, and which were to have been conveyed 
 in the same boat, in like manner could not be 
 embarked, as the Reis said there were no small 
 boats to take them down the cataract : and I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 197 
 
 afterwards learned, that this also was owing to 
 the same influence. The unfortunate history 
 of these stones will not be read without exciting 
 sentiments of detestation towards the parties 
 concerned : they had been mutilated, and ren- 
 dered useless; how, and by whom, I shall men- 
 tion hereafter. My situation with regard to 
 the boat was far from pleasant, and I had no 
 resource, but to take the owner to Esne and lay 
 the case before Khalil Bey, who by this time 
 must have arrived at that place : but even then 
 I did not know how far he would interfere in 
 compelling these people to keep to their agree- 
 ment, as he had himself observed, that he thought 
 the stone would break the boat. This, how- 
 ever, was the only step I could take. 
 
 Fortune sometimes brings troubles on man- 
 kind merely that they may taste the fickleness 
 of her nature and uncertainty of the favours she 
 condescends to bestow on them. My vexation 
 was great, thinking all my efforts and exertion 
 in bringing the bust to the Nile were to no pur- 
 pose, and that very probably it would never 
 reach England, as the underhand machinations 
 against it were so powerful. At that moment, 
 however, a soldier arrived from Erments, ac- 
 quainting me that the Cacheff was returned 
 from Cairo ; and he gave me at the same time 
 
198 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 a letter from him, with a present which he had 
 sent of two small bottles of anchovies and two 
 of olives. Strange as it may appear, it will be 
 seen that the effects of a few salted little fish 
 contributed the greatest share towards the re- 
 moval of the colossus, which I had so much at 
 heart, and which, in all probability, but for them, 
 would not have been in the British Museum to 
 this day. The letter contained a very gratify- 
 ing invitation to a feast to be given by the Ca- 
 chefF, and the present was in token of a friendly 
 disposition towards me. I was not a little sur- 
 prised at this change, but I soon discovered the 
 reason. The soldier acquainted me, that the 
 Cacheff was in a terrible rage with a certain 
 correspondent and friend of his, a Frank, who 
 for some time had raised his expectation of 
 having some valuable presents sent him ; but, 
 instead of this, he received at last only a few 
 bottles of insignificant fish, which may be had 
 in plenty from the Nile, and a few olives, not 
 worth a pipe of tobacco. I took care, that this 
 should not be told to the owner of the boats ; 
 and, as it was arranged that we should go to 
 Esne for the decision of the affair, I took them 
 on board the little boat which I had hired, and 
 we set off for that place, leaving the large one 
 at Luxor. Knowing in what humour the Ca- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 199 
 
 cheff must be in from his disappointment, I 
 thought to strike while his mind was hot. 
 
 On our arrival before Erments I begged the 
 two owners of the boat to wait a Httle, as I had 
 business with the Cacheff of the village. It was 
 already an hour after sunset, and the village is 
 about a mile from the Nile. I took my interpreter 
 and Janizary with me, and set off alertly to my 
 anchovy and olive man. I found him seated on 
 a mat in the middle of a field, a stick fastened in 
 the ground with a lantern attached to it, and all 
 his attendants standing before him. On seeing 
 me, he made a great parade of compliments; 
 I suppose because he thought, that, as he was 
 disappointed of presents from one quarter, he 
 would make the best market he could by try- 
 ing the other. Pipes and coffee were brought 
 as usual ; and an offer was made me, to send 
 as many men as I liked to have to work, that 
 I might take away the great head early the next 
 morning, and the cover of the sarcophagus, or 
 any thing else I pleased. Had I requested him 
 to let me take the two large colossi of Thebes, 
 Tommy and Dummy, as the Arabs call them, 
 he would have had no objection to my putting 
 them on board my little boat that night. I 
 then introduced the affair of the boat, produced 
 the written agreement I had drawn up at Esne 
 
goo RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 with the two owners, and mentioned the money 
 I had paid, which amounted to half the sum of 
 what they were eventually to receive. He im- 
 mediately said, I need not go to Esne for the 
 decision, the affair belonging to himself, as the 
 boat was to be loaded on a bank in his province. 
 The two gentlemen from Esne were sent for, 
 and when they heard, that the cause was to be 
 tried at Erments, they were thunderstruck. They 
 considered the boat lost to them, though I re- 
 peatedly told them, that I would be answerable 
 for any damage that might be incurred in the 
 embarkation or landing ; but it was all to no 
 purpose. The Cacheff, however, insisted that 
 they should keep their agreement with me ; 
 and still more to accommodate matters, as they 
 were at a loss what to do with the dates, offered 
 them his canja, which would contain as much 
 as was necessary to be taken out of the boat, as 
 I did not wish to unload it entirely. Mean- 
 while, as he did not like to appear too openly 
 decided in my favour, he proposed that in the 
 morning the owners should be summoned, and 
 the case brought to a fair hearing. They then 
 retired to pass the night on board. In con- 
 tinuing his civilities and protestations of friend- 
 ship, the Cacheff came to an explanation of his 
 former conduct, and, in particular, of the letter 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 201 
 
 he sent to his brother respecting the sarco- 
 phagus. It was written, he said, before he saw 
 Mr. D. ; but now^ that he found how things 
 were, I might have the sarcophagus, or any- 
 thing else ; that he would guard it for me as 
 long as I desired ; that no one else should have 
 it ; and added a thousand other obliging things. 
 So extraordinary a change led me to suppose, 
 that Mr. Salt had made him some handsome 
 present when in Cairo; but I was mistaken, 
 for, a little after, asking him what he thought 
 of the consul, to my surprise he told me, that 
 he did not see him. The consul invited him, 
 he said, to his house, and prepared a dinner for 
 him ; but that, on the day he was to go, news 
 arrived of the death of Tusoon Bashaw, the 
 eldest son of Mahomet Ali ; and he was ordered 
 to come away immediately, which put an end 
 to the pleasure of seeing the consul, for he loved 
 him like his right eye. The story was equally 
 well invented, and well told ; and I saw plainly 
 he was so ashamed of his late conduct towards 
 me, that he could not face the consul. He 
 caused dinner to be brought, and carried his 
 civilities to such a height, that I began to be 
 alarmed, suspecting him of some diabolical trick. 
 On my thanking him for the bottles of ancho- 
 vies and olives, he said, they were the whole of 
 
202 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the French consuPs present to him while he was 
 in Cairo. I took the opportunity of observing, 
 that it would have been well for him, if, while 
 he was there, he had called on the English con- 
 sul. To which he replied, that he had been 
 told the consul had a fine brace of pistols for 
 him ; but that unfortunately it was out of his 
 power to go to see him. T answered, I had no 
 doubt he would make him some present when 
 the stone should reach Cairo ; on which he im- 
 mediately rejoined, that there was nothing he 
 would not do either for him or for me ; but I 
 must not think that what he did was with any 
 view of interest. I said, I was quite persuaded 
 of the contrary; and should trouble him for an 
 order to be given to the people at Gournou to 
 come to work. He protested he would comply 
 with all I wished ; but added, with a smile, 
 " What will you do, if the trial should go against 
 you?" I told him I should proceed to Esne, 
 where the agreement was made in the presence 
 of the Sharif, and show that I was in the right. 
 He laughed, put his hand on my shoulder, and 
 said, " You may sleep in peace, for to-morrow 
 I will myself see the boat unloaded of every 
 date that is in it, and you may re-load it at 
 your pleasure." I answ^ered, that I had no 
 doubt he would do what was just, and, taking 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 203 
 
 leave, I returned on board the little boat for 
 the night. 
 
 13th. — -In the morning I found him in his 
 chamber of audience, surrounded by several 
 Arabs, Sheiks of the village. He made me sit 
 down on his right hand, and coffee and pipes 
 were brought; for no judgment could be pro- 
 nounced without these luxuries. He had ex- 
 plained the cause to the gentlemen of the jury, 
 who said, without hearing the other side, that 
 what he intended to do was perfectly equitable, 
 and they would have said the same whether I 
 had been right or wrong; for these juries are 
 not so deficient in politeness as to contradict the 
 judge. The other parties came, and he received 
 them politely, but with a frown on his brow, 
 from which I have no doubt they sufficiently 
 augured their fate. However, not to keep them 
 in suspense, they were soon plainly told, that 
 the bark, except only eighty ardeps, an in- 
 dulgence to which I had agreed, must be un- 
 loaded ; and he saw no other way of settling 
 the business. He then referred to the gentle- 
 men of the jury, to know whether they had 
 any thing to say. To my astonishment they 
 answered, that, as the other parties made no 
 defence, they of course acknowledged them- 
 selves wrong ; and, having nothing more to do, 
 
204 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 they all instantly rose and walked off. The de- 
 fendants then partook of what was before them ; 
 but I believe never made a worse breakfast in 
 their lives. They began to talk about where 
 to find a boat, though they were obliged of ne- 
 cessity to hire one of the CachefF, being fully 
 aware of his design, which was to get the best 
 part of the money for himself. The contract 
 was soon made, and they paid him two-thirds 
 of what they were to receive from me, which, 
 indeed, they were glad to do, lest he should 
 scrutinise the business, and, finding the freight 
 to be double what was mentioned in the bill 
 of lading, they should thus lose still more. I 
 then took leave of the CachefF, that I might 
 hasten to Gournou, to settle what business 
 was to be done there. He had given me a 
 tiscary for the soldier to furnish me with what 
 I wanted, gave orders to the Fellahs to do all I 
 desired, and take out the sarcophagus ; and on 
 going on board, I found that he had sent me 
 two sheep, a jar of cheese, and some bread. 
 We set off immediately. One of the sheep 
 died in the evening, the other next day, and 
 the cheese was full of vermin. We arrived at 
 Luxor in the afternoon, and a few hours after 
 went to Gournou, and saw the Sheik el bellad 
 of that place. I sent my Janizary to the soldier. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &e. 205 
 
 and it was concerted, that the Fellahs I wanted 
 should be ready for me in the morning. 
 
 Early on the 14th, I w^ent again to Gournou 
 to begin the work, and was not a little sur- 
 prised when I saw no Fellahs assembled. By 
 one whom I met, I was told, that they were 
 afraid, being ordered not to work for the En- 
 glish. I applied as before to the soldier, who 
 sent a man to collect the Fellahs ; but it was 
 too late : they were all dispersed. Accord- 
 ingly, I contented myself this day with only 
 having the apparatus, necessary to embark the 
 head, conveyed over from Luxor. The Ca- 
 chefF*s boat from Erments arrived, and that at 
 Luxor came also to Gournou to unload. 
 
 15th. — The next day we collected, though 
 not without trouble, a hundred and thirty men ; 
 and I begun to make a causeway, by which to 
 convey the head down to the river side ; for 
 the bank was more than fifteen feet above the 
 level of the water, which had retired at least a 
 hundred feet from it. 
 
 Next morning a soldier came from the Ca- 
 cheff, to say that I was not to pay the Fellahs 
 any thing, as they were ordered to work for 
 me for nothing as long as I required, and that 
 he made me a present of their labour. I thanked 
 him, but desired the soldier to tell him, at the 
 
206 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 same time, that it was not my custom to have 
 the labour of men for nothing, nor would the 
 consul of England accept of such a present. I 
 this day finished the causeway down the bank, 
 and had the head brought to the edge of the 
 slope, ready to be embarked. 
 
 On the 17th of November, I succeeded in my 
 attempt, and the head of the younger Memnon 
 was actually embarked. I cannot help ob- 
 serving, that it was no easy undertaking to put 
 a piece of granite, of such bulk and weight, on 
 board a boat, that, if it received the weight on 
 one side, would immediately upset ; and this 
 was to be done without the smallest help of any 
 mechanical contrivance, even a single tackle, 
 and only with four poles and ropes : the water 
 was about eighteen feet below the bank where 
 the head was to descend. The causeway I had 
 made gradually sloped to the edge of the water 
 close to the boat, and with the four poles I 
 « formed a bridge from the bank into the centre 
 of the boat, so that when the weight bore on 
 the bridge, it pressed only on the centre of the 
 boat. The bridge rested partly on the cause- 
 way, partly on the side of the boat, and partly 
 on the centre of it. On the opposite side of 
 the boat I put some mats well filled with straw. 
 I necessarily stationed a few Arabs in the boat. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 207 
 
 and some at each side, with a lever of palm- 
 wood, as I had nothing else. At the middle of 
 the bridge I put a sack filled with sand, that, 
 if the colossus should run too fast into the boat, 
 it might be stopped. In the ground behind 
 the colossus I had a piece of a palm-tree firmly 
 planted, round which a rope was twisted, and 
 then fastened to its car, to let it descend gra- 
 dually. I set a lever at work on each side, and at 
 the same time that the men in the boat were pull- 
 ing, others were slackening the ropes, and others 
 shifting the rollers as the colossus advanced. 
 
 Thus it descended gradually from the main- 
 land to the causeway, when it sunk a good deal, 
 as the causeway was made of fresh earth. This, 
 however, I did not regret, as it was better it 
 should be so, than that it should run too fast 
 towards the water ; for I had to consider, 
 that, if this piece of antiquity should fall into 
 the Nile, my return to Europe would not be 
 very welcome, particularly to the antiquaries j 
 though I have reason to believe, that some 
 among the great body of its scientific men 
 would rather have seen it sunk in the Nile, than 
 where it is now deposited. However, it went 
 smoothly on board. The Arabs, who were una- 
 nimously of opinion tliat it would go the bot- 
 tom of the river, or crush the boat, were all at- 
 
208 RESEARCHES A>rD OPERATIONS 
 
 tention, as if anxious to know the result, as well 
 as to learn how the operation was to be per- 
 formed ; and when the owner of the boat, who 
 considered it as consigned to perdition, wit- 
 nessed my success, and saw the huge piece of 
 stone, as he called it, safely on board, he came 
 and squeezed me heartily by the hand. ** Thank 
 Heaven !" I exclaimed, and I had reason to be 
 thankful ; for I will leave it to the judgment of 
 any engineer, whether it would not be easier to 
 embark a mass ten times larger on board a 
 competent vessel, where all sorts of mechanical 
 powers can be procured, instead of being de- 
 stitute, as I was, of every thing necessary. 
 
 The boat then crossed the water to Luxor, 
 for what was to be taken in there, which was 
 done in three days, and on the 21st we left 
 Thebes on our return to Cairo. 
 
 I had just finished my business, when I was 
 again so affected with ophthalmia, that for 
 twelve days I kept myself shut up in the cabin 
 of the boat, so that I can give no account of 
 this voyage, till we reached Siout. I could 
 then just peep at the light; but it gave me 
 great pain whenever I attempted to open my 
 eyes. At Siout I went to see the Deftardar 
 Bey, to return him thanks for the firman he 
 had given me when I ascended the Nile. I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 209 
 
 found him in his tent in the middle of a field 
 of high clover, which had nearly reached its 
 growth, and his horses were all out at grass. 
 He was pleased to hear that I had succeeded 
 in my undertaking, and requested to be remem- 
 bered to the English consul, to whom he sent 
 a letter by me. 
 
 Next morning we set off for Cairo, and reached 
 it on the 15th of December, havinsj been twenty- 
 four days from Thebes. Thus I had been five 
 months and a half in continual activity and 
 exertion ; but I must not let pass the unjust ob- 
 servation made by the ever veracious Count de 
 Forbin, who asserted, that I employed six months 
 solely in taking the colossal bust on board the 
 boat. It is true, I was absent five months and 
 a half from Cairo, and six months had elapsed 
 before I reached Alexandria j but this time was 
 not all devoted to the removal of the bust, as I 
 employed only eighteen days in that operation, 
 and but a single day in embarking it : the greater 
 part of the time was spent in more arduous re- 
 searches ; and the various pieces of antiquity 
 which I brouglit down the Nile will bear in- 
 fallible testimony to my labour. 
 
 At Cairo I found that the consul was gone 
 to Alexandria, but had left with Mr. Beechey, 
 his secretary, instructions and letters for me. 
 
 VOL. I. P 
 
OlO RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 He requested, that every thing might be landed 
 and lodged in the consulate except the bust. I 
 could not conceive the reason of this distinc- 
 tion, as I thought that all the articles I collected 
 were to go to the British Museum. However, 
 I made no inquiry into the business, and every 
 thing was deposited as desired. The first hour of 
 my arrival I had the pleasure of seeing my good 
 and much lamented friend, Burckhardt, whose 
 death has been a great loss to me. He was the 
 most candid, disinterested, and sincere being I 
 have ever met with ; totally free from that in- 
 vidious and selfish disposition, which is so often 
 to be found in travellers, who wish to be alone 
 in one quarter of the world, to relate their story 
 agreeably to the suggestions of their own ima- 
 gination to the people of another. But Burck- 
 hardt had none of that littleness of mind : he 
 was a true explorer, and a hardy one, without 
 pride, or the ambition to be thought more than 
 he was. He made no parade of his knowledge, 
 as his works plainly evince. 
 
 Having prepared for my departure for Alex- 
 andria, we left Boolak on the 3d of January, 
 1817, and arrived in Raschid, or Rosetta, on 
 the 10th. There I had to land the colossus, 
 and embark it again on board a djerm ; but as 
 I had now some tackle, of which I was destitute 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 211 
 
 before, and proper people to work, I found it 
 quite an easy operation. Besides, I took care 
 to land it in a situation, that was advantageous 
 for embarking it again. Having done so, I set 
 oft' on board the same djerm, with the bust, 
 and was fortunate enough to reach Alexandria 
 two hours after sunset of the same day, which 
 was the fourth after our arrival in Rosetta. 
 That very day, above two hundred djerms came 
 out of the Nile, some of which had been wait- 
 ing for an opportunity of passing the bar above 
 eiglity days. Mrs. Belzoni went by land, ac- 
 companied by the Irish lad, and arrived the 
 next day. I will not mention the kind recep- 
 tion of the consul-general, and the under-consul, 
 Mr. Lee. I was fortunate enough to become 
 acquainted with a gentleman, Mr. Briggs, who 
 received me into his house in the most hos- 
 pitable manner, and was as much concerned 
 for the success of my affairs as it was possible 
 to be ; for he felt the pleasure of a true English- 
 man, in seeing one of the most finished monu- 
 ments of Egyptian art ready to be embarked 
 for his native country. 
 
 The next and final operation with respect to 
 the bust, on my part, was to land it, and have 
 it conveyed in safety to the Bashaw's magazine, 
 there to await its embarkation for England. I 
 
 p 2 
 
212 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 had some difficulty in landing it, as the pier 
 was much higher than the djerm, and the mo- 
 tion of the sea did not permit me to erect 
 any bridge. I was so fortunate as to procure 
 the crew of a British transport, which was there 
 at the time ; and with their help, with proper 
 tackle, and a hundred men besides, it was landed 
 safely. 
 
 Having finished my operations, and whatever 
 was necessary respecting the head, I proposed 
 to the consul, to make another trip into Upper 
 Egypt and Nubia, to open the temple at Ybsam- 
 bul. Nothing could be more pleasing to me 
 than to find, that my proposal was accepted ; 
 as I thought I might have an opportunity of 
 accomplishing the wishes I had formed, w^hich, 
 to a certain extent, were with particular views ; 
 though, as the consul has proved, no interested 
 motives governed my mind. The only stipu- 
 lation I made was, that, if I w^ere successful, he 
 should give me an official letter of introduction 
 to the Society of Antiquaries, when I should 
 return to England ; with which he promised to 
 comply. Thinking, however, I might be in- 
 dulging hopes that would not be realized, he 
 cautioned me against any expectations from 
 that quarter. I told him, I was not rich ; but 
 as I had no other view than to serve the nation 
 
IN EGYI^, NUBIA, &c. 213 
 
 at large, I intended to make certain proposals 
 to the members of that honourable society. On 
 this he again promised me the letter requested, 
 and in a few days we all set off for Cairo. There 
 the worthy Burckhardt would insist, that I should 
 receive a present, half of which he obtained 
 from the consul, as an acknowledgment for 
 my success with regard to the colossus; of the 
 general expenses attending which he paid a 
 moiety. 
 
 It was at this period that Captain. Cabillia 
 had ventured into the well of the first pyramid 
 of Gaza. His enterprise was hazardous and bold, 
 and nothing but an enthusiasm for discovery 
 could induce a man to take such a step. The 
 consul, with Mr. Briggs, Mr. Beechey, and my- 
 self, went to see the operations that were going 
 on. Captain Cabillia's circumstances were much 
 better than mine ; but he had no superfluous 
 wealth at command, to continue what he had 
 begun, which required a supply beyond his 
 means. Mr. Briggs was the first who generously 
 offered to furnish money for this purpose j and, 
 after a consultation with Mr. Salt, tliey agreed 
 to support the work to any extent that might 
 be required. This gentleman not only encou- 
 raged the undertaking at the pyramid, but has 
 exerted his influence with Mahomed Ali for the 
 
gl4 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 general advantage of the commerce of Europe, 
 as I shall have occasion to mention hereafter. 
 The enterprise of Captain Cabillia is worthy the 
 attention of every one interested in antiquities, 
 as he has solved a question, by which the learned 
 world has been puzzled for many centuries. 
 The famous well, which has given rise to so 
 much conjecture, turns out to be a communica- 
 tion with a lower passage leading into an in- 
 ferior chamber, discovered and opened by him- 
 self. He first descended the well to the depth 
 of thirty-eight feet, where his progress was 
 stopped by four large stones. Three of these 
 being removed, there was space enough for a 
 man to pass through ; but the fourth he could 
 not stir, though he had the help of Mr. Kabitsch, 
 a young man in the employment of Mr. Baghos, 
 who bore a share of the expense with the cap- 
 tain. Twenty-one feet below this place they 
 found a grotto, seventeen feet long and four 
 high ; and seven feet below this, a platform, 
 from which the well descended two hundred 
 feet lower. The captain went down, and at 
 the bottom found earth and sand : but from 
 the hollow sound under his feet, he judged, that 
 the passage must communicate with some other 
 apartment below. He then set some Arabs at 
 work, to remove the sand ; but the heat was so 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 215 
 
 great, and the candles so incapable of burning, 
 for want of oxygen, that they were compelled 
 to desist. The captain then turned his re- 
 searches to another quarter, and began to en- 
 large the entrance into the first passage of the 
 pyramid. For this operation he was well re- 
 warded ; for by it he found, that the passage 
 continued downward; and having employed 
 several men, and taken out a great deal of earth 
 and rubbish, at last, after a long and arduous 
 toil, he came in contact with the bottom of the 
 well, where he found the baskets and rope which 
 had been left there. The same day that this 
 occurred was that on which we had agreed to 
 visit the pyramids, and I had the pleasure to be 
 an eye-witness of the arduous task of Captain 
 Cabillia. Proceeding in his laborious researches, 
 he found, that the passage led into a chamber 
 cut out of the rock, under the centre of the 
 pyramid. 
 
 Captain C. made several researches round 
 the pyramids also, but none exceeded his toil in 
 uncovering the front of the great sphinx. He 
 found a small temple between the two paws, 
 and a large tablet of granite on its breast. The 
 tablet is adorned with several figures and hiero- 
 glyphics, and two representations of sphinxes 
 are sculptured on it. Before the entrance into 
 
216 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the small temple was a lion, placed as if to guard 
 the approach. Farther on from this front of the 
 sphinx is a staircase of thirty- two steps, at the 
 bottom of which is an altar, with a Greek in- 
 scription, of the time of the Ptolemies. At 
 each side of the altar was a sphinx of calcareous 
 stone, much mutilated. From the base of the 
 temple to the summit of the head is sixty-five 
 feet : the legs of the sphinx are fifty-seven feet 
 long from the breast to the extremity of the 
 paws, which are eight feet high. Forty-five feet 
 from the first altar, he found another, with an 
 inscription, alluding to the emperor Septimius 
 Severus ; and near to the first step was a stone, 
 with another Greek inscription, alluding to An- 
 toninus. Notwithstanding his own occupation 
 about the sphinx, Captain Cabillia employed 
 other people to carry on other researches. He 
 opened some of the mausoleums which were 
 choked up with sand, and found several small 
 chambers, with hieroglyphics and figures, some 
 of them pretty well executed, and in good pre- 
 servation. In one of the pits he found some 
 mummies, in their linen envelopes, and various 
 fragments of Egyptian antiquity. He also opened 
 some of the smaller pyramids, and from the sug- 
 gestion of Mr. Briggs to follow a certain direc- 
 tion, he succeeded in finding the entrance intQ 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c 217 
 
 one of them : but it appears, that it was so de- 
 cayed in the interior, he could advance only a 
 few feet in it. No doubt this led into some 
 chamber, or apartment, containing, perhaps, a 
 sarcophagus, &c. 
 
 I was then merely a spectator of the works 
 of Captain Cabillia. The consul, Mr. Salt, pro- 
 posed to me, to enter into the researches in con- 
 cert with the captain ; but as I thought it would 
 not be right to attempt to share the credit of 
 one, who had already exerted himself to the 
 utmost of his power, I declined. Besides, it 
 would have been a poor victory on my part to 
 enter into the field after the battle had been 
 fought, and conquest gained by another. I 
 contented myself, therefore, with hoping for a 
 better opportunity to try my skill, independent 
 of any one. Having got all things ready for 
 my departure, the consul proposed that I should 
 take Mr. Beechey with me up the Nile. Nothing 
 could suit me better than to liave a companion 
 in a young gentleman, with the prospect of 
 whose society, from what I had seen of him, I 
 had much reason to be pleased. I was fully 
 satisfied that, after having weaned himself from 
 those indulgences to which he was accustomed, 
 he would make a good traveller ; though it is 
 not easy, to one who is not accustomed to an 
 
218 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS, &c. 
 
 arduous life, to pass on a sudden from the ac- 
 commodation of a comfortable house to that of 
 a rough uneasy boat, and much less to a life 
 that is so irregular. However, Mr. Beechey 
 soon accustomed himself to the change, and in 
 a few months became quite indifferent to the 
 many inconveniences he had to undergo. As 
 to Mrs. Belzoni, I left her at Cairo, in the family 
 of Mr. Cochini, the British chancellor; and when 
 all was ready, we took leave of the consul and 
 Mr. Burckhardt. Alas ! I little thought it was 
 the last time I should see my friend ; but so it 
 was ordained. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST JOURNEY. 
 
RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 
 
 SECOND JOURNEY. 
 
 Having thus finished the account of my first 
 journey up the Nile, I shall proceed to the nar- 
 rative of my second. We set off from Boolak 
 on the 20th of February, I8I7. Mr. Beechey 
 had the stern of the boat well covered with 
 mats, and close lined all round, with a curtain 
 to the door from which we had light, which was 
 occasionally shut up, to prevent the dust or 
 wind from penetrating from any quarter; be- 
 side, another cover over all, rendering it entirely 
 secure, not only from the wind and dust, but 
 also from the rain, if any should happen to fall. 
 We had on board a Greek servant, a Janizary 
 from the Bashaw, and a cook ; all persons who 
 
220 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 never saw any necessity for economy in the 
 article of provision, and who would make as 
 much waste at Deir in Nubia as they would in 
 Cairo. The result was, our provision, which 
 was to last six months, began to fail at the 
 end of one ; consequently, with all the caution 
 we took, we were obliged to live on what the 
 country afforded. Indeed, while we were at 
 Thebes we had no reason to complain ; for there 
 is a good supply to be had of meat, fowls, and 
 pigeons : and, after the inundation, some greens, 
 such as bamies, malokies, beans, &c. 
 
 Our Reis and crew were Barabras, engaged 
 to go and stop where we pleased. They were 
 hired by the month, and had to find themselves 
 in provisions. As to the Janizary from the 
 Bashaw, we found him of so little use (as he 
 did scarcely any thing except treat the Christian 
 dogs with insolence), that we sent him back 
 after a few days trial. 
 
 Our departure from Boolak was attended with 
 a contrary wind, which veiy seldom happens in 
 going up the Nile, as the north winds prevail 
 there at least nine months in the year. We 
 passed the island of Roda, old Cairo, and all the 
 pyramids ; but such was the slowness of our 
 progress, that in four days we only reached 
 Tabeen, a village on the eastern bank, opposite 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA. &c. QQl 
 
 Dajior. AVe stopped at this place pretty early, 
 as the wind would not permit us to proceed ; 
 and it happened to be a situation so elevated, 
 that it commanded a distant view of Cairo, the 
 pyramids of Ghizeh, Saccara, and Dajior. I 
 took this opportunity to make a sketch, which 
 I humbly present to the reader (See Plate 22). 
 One day more brought us near Lafachie, where 
 we went to see a Bedoween camp. Hearing 
 we were only travellers in search of antiquities, 
 the Bedoweens were quite civil to us, as far as 
 these people can be. Our business was imme- 
 diately known to them from our servants and 
 the crew ; for no secrecy can be kept in that 
 country, owing to these persons. The Be- 
 doweens told us, that at Boorumbol, the next 
 village, there was a statue half buried in the 
 sand, which they had seen themselves. Next 
 day we came to this village ; and as we could 
 not proceed, owing to a calm, we landed, and 
 went in quest of the said statue. On our 
 arrival we were shown a piece of rock, which 
 had not the form of any thing. The Fellahs 
 told us it was once a camel ; that God turned it 
 into a stone ; and that the smaller ones which 
 lay round it were water-melons, with M'hich it 
 was loaded, and which were metamorphosed 
 into stones also. Perfectly satisfied with the 
 story, we returned to our bark. 
 
222 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 In the evening we arrived at Meimond ; and, 
 hearing the tambourine, went to see an Arabic 
 feast in the village (See Plate 30.) We were 
 introduced in front of the spectators. The per- 
 formers consisted of about thirty men, all in a 
 row, clapping their hands in concert, so as to 
 form a kind of accompaniment to their song, 
 which consisted of three or four words ; and 
 with one foot before the other keeping a sort of 
 perpetual motion, but without changing their 
 positions. Before the men were two women 
 with daggers in their hands, also in continual 
 action, running toward the men and then re- 
 turning from them with an extraordinary mo- 
 tion, brandishing their daggers, and waving 
 their garments. In this they persevered for 
 such a length of time, that I wondered how 
 they could support the exertion. This is a sort 
 of Bedoween dance, and is the most decent of 
 all that I ever saw in Egypt ; — but no sooner 
 was it ended, than, in order I suppose to please 
 us, they immediately began another, in the 
 fashion of the country, which fully compensated 
 for the extraordinary modesty of the first ; but 
 we returned to our boat more disgusted than 
 pleased with it. 
 
 For three days we had a strong southerly 
 wind, so that we advanced but a few miles, and 
 did not arrive at Minieh till the 5th of March. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 223 
 
 It was necessary for us to land there, to see 
 Hamet Bey, who has the command over all the 
 boats on the river. He styles himself admiral 
 of the Nile, and thinks himself as great as any 
 British admiral on the sea. One day at a 
 christian party in Cairo, the discourse happened 
 to fall upon Sir Sydney Smith ; " Ah !" said 
 Hamet Bey, " Sir Sydney is a very clever man, 
 and holds the same rank as myself.'* From this 
 great commander we had to obtain a protection 
 for our Reis, to secure him from having his boat 
 pressed while we employed it. We found him 
 sitting on a wooden bench, attended by two or 
 three of his sailors. He complied with our re- 
 quest, and gave a hint for a bottle of rum. We 
 sent him two, and he made a feast in high glee 
 with them. We went to the house of Doctor 
 Valsomaky, who distils aqua vita, and sells 
 medicines wholesale and retail. He also col- 
 lects antiquities from the Fellahs round the 
 country, and disposes of them to any one, who 
 chooses to buy them ; and it was in hope of 
 purchasing something of tliis sort, that we 
 visited him. There we saw two Copts dressed 
 like Franks, as they had been in France with 
 the army. They were employed by Mr. Drouetti, 
 the ex-French consul in Alexandria, who sent 
 them up the Nile in search of antiquities. 
 
224 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 As we did not wish to interfere with these 
 men, we set oif from Minieh immediately, and 
 on the evening of the next day arrived at Ra- 
 ramoun near Eshmounein, the ancient Hermo- 
 poUs, where we went to see Mr. Brine, an 
 EngHshman, who had introduced sugar-baking 
 into the country. After encountering many 
 obstacles, he had succeeded in purifying and 
 refining the sugar to great perfection. His 
 chief difficulties were to surmount the tricks 
 played off against him by the Arab sugar dea- 
 lers in that country, and to free the sugar from 
 a particular smell occasioned by the soil, which, 
 though not disagreeable, might retard its intro- 
 duction into Europe. At his house we learned, 
 that the two agents of Mr. Drouetti were 
 makino; a forced march to Thebes, of their 
 motives for which I was aware. They wished 
 to arrive there before us, and purchase all that 
 had been accumulated by the Arabs in the pre- 
 ceding season ; so that we should have had no 
 chance of buying any thing on our arrival. It 
 was not on this account however I was uneasy, 
 but because the spot, where I had been digging 
 and found the sphinxes and statues, was so evi- 
 dently pregnant with objects worthy the risk of 
 excavation, that I had no doubt, if they reached 
 Thebes before us, they would take possession 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 225 
 
 of that ground, and we should have no longer a 
 right to explore it. 
 
 The mode of travelling on asses or horses 
 is much more speedy than the progress of our 
 boat could be, so that we should certainly have 
 no chance of regaining my old spot of ground 
 where I found the statues. I was not long 
 therefore in considering the matter, and re- 
 solved to set off immediately, and by travelling 
 day and night was in hopes to reach the place 
 before them. Accordingly a horse and an ass 
 were got ready, and taking with me the Greek 
 servant, I left Mr. Beechey to come up in the 
 boat at his leisure. By this time it was mid- 
 night, yet we set off immediately, and forced 
 marches brought us on the next evening to 
 Manfalout. From this place we hastened with- 
 out delay, and arrived at Siout before daylight. 
 At sunrise we mounted again, and arrived at 
 dark at Tahta. Here we rested in the convent 
 for four hours, started afresh by the light of the 
 moon, and arrived at Girgeh in the night. We 
 resumed our journey at one o'clock in the 
 morning, reached Farshiout at noon, and after 
 a delay of four hours, in consequence of not 
 finding beasts immediately, arrived at night at 
 a village three leagues above Badjoura. Here 
 we rested two hours, set off by moonlight, and 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
OC)(') RESEARCHES AND Ol'EUATIONS 
 
 arrived at Gheneh at three. Having dined, we 
 proceeded onward, rested a couple of hours at 
 Benut at night, and arrived at Luxor the fol- 
 lowing noon. 
 
 The whole of our journey occupied five days 
 and a half, during which I slept eleven hours, 
 and all the rest of the time we were hastening 
 on with asses, horses, or camels, as we could 
 procure them on the road. The principal places 
 we passed in this journey were Manfalout, 
 Siout, Aboutij, Tahta, Menshieh, Girgeh, Far- 
 shiout, Badjoura, Gheneh, Copt, and Ghous. 
 Any one who has been in the country may form 
 some idea of the inconveniences a person must 
 undergo, travelling through a tract entirely de- 
 stitute of the necessaries of life. The fathers 
 of the convents of Propaganda at Tahta, Gir- 
 geh, and Farshiout, afforded great accommoda- 
 tion to me on this forced march. They pro- 
 vided me with beasts and provisions for the road 
 immediately on my arrival, for which I felt my- 
 self deeply indebted to them. The Arabs make 
 every stranger welcome when they are at their 
 meals ; and I generally took advantage of the 
 custom, whenever opportunity served ; but on 
 this occasion it would have caused the loss of 
 that time I was so eager to gain. In places 
 where there was no convent I went to the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. g-gy 
 
 house of the Slieik el balet, where travellers of 
 all sorts assemble at night. I was so fatigued 
 and stiff, that any place of rest was acceptable 
 to me. The bare earth generally afforded me 
 a bed, and when I could procure a mat it was a 
 luxury. I was refreshed one night with a few 
 pieces of sugar-cane, whicli, after passing the 
 torch where the juice has been extracted, be- 
 comes pretty soft, and affords a tolerable bed. 
 I was also regaled with sugar-canes as a dessert 
 after a repast of bread and onions. The sugar- 
 cane is pleasant at the first taste, but on press- 
 ing it to extract the juice, if gives an acid that 
 is not agreeable, and the flavour is rather in- 
 sipid. The people of the country eat of it con- 
 tinually, and are very fond of it. It is sold in 
 the markets as fruit when in season. 
 
 On the road between Siout and Tahta I met 
 a body of Bedoween horsemen. I never had an 
 opportunity of viewing these people to more 
 advantage than at this time ; and I must ob- 
 serve, that I never saw a finer set of men in my 
 life. The horses were very strong, though not 
 in full flesh. The riders were clothed only with 
 a kind of mantle, made of white woollen, of 
 their own manufacturing, which covered the 
 head, and part of the body. They had very 
 small saddles, contrary to the custom of this 
 
 q2 
 
228 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 country; were armed with guns, pistols, and 
 swords ; and were going to Cairo to enter into 
 the service of the Bashaw, who could find no 
 other expedient for suppressing this body of 
 freebooters than offering to give them good 
 pay, horses, and arms, and to send them to 
 Mecca. This proposal has had its due effect ; 
 for all the young men have embraced it, and 
 left the old men and women in the deserts. In 
 this manner the Bashaw entertains hopes of 
 getting rid of the greater part, if not all, of 
 these people, who are detested in the country, 
 and, in case of any insurrection, always avail 
 themselves of it to plunder. I passed through 
 their camp, at the time of their convention with 
 the Bashaw, so that I escaped unmolested, and 
 perhaps unnoticed, as I was covered with a 
 large burnoose of their own fashion, and my 
 beard was pretty long. Their tents consist of 
 four sticks set in the ground, about a yard in 
 height, to which is fastened one of their shawls 
 as a cover, with another behind, so as to form a 
 kind of shelter from the sun, wind, or dew. 
 They generally pitch their camps near a fertile 
 spot, but always at the foot of the desert, so 
 that in case of sui-prise they are soon in their 
 native country : like the crocodile, which en- 
 joys the land, but when disturbed, or at the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 229 
 
 approach of any person, immediately plunges 
 into the river, as a place of safety. The women 
 were all uncovered, and the children entirely 
 naked. They are very frugal in their diet, and 
 never drink any strong liquor. They are Arabs 
 but no more like the Arabs of Egypt than a 
 freeman is like a slave. The Egyptian Arabs 
 are accustomed to obey, but will not do any 
 thing unless compelled by force. They are 
 humbled, because they are continually under 
 the rod ; and indolent, because they have no 
 interest in any thing. But the wild Arabs, on 
 the contrary, are constantly in motion, and 
 labour to procure provision for their beasts and 
 themselves ; and being in perpetual war with 
 each other, their thoughts are incessantly em- 
 ployed in improving their arts of defence, or in 
 obtaining plunder. 
 
 I must here mention a circumstance, which 
 occasioned me so many unpleasant events, and 
 so much loss of time, and unnecessary labour, 
 that I would not undertake to go through the 
 business again for the discovery of another tomb 
 of Apis. This was merely in consequence of 
 an interpreter's not choosing to take the trouble 
 of writing a few lines. It will be recollected, 
 that, on my return from Thebes to Cairo, I 
 stopped at Siout ; and that the Defterdar Bey 
 
230 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 sent a letter on board our boat for the consul. 
 Previous to my return into Upper Egypt, I 
 urged to the consul the necessity of sending 
 some presents to the Bey, and in particular an 
 answer to his letter from Siout. The consul, 
 naturally thinking that his interpreter, who had 
 been many years settled in the country, should 
 know the customs of it better than myself, con- 
 sulted him ; and this man, merely to save 
 writing, told the consul there was no occasion 
 for it. Relying on him, my remonstrances 
 were of no avail. The Bey, whose pride was 
 touched to the quick at not seeing any present, 
 or receiving any letter, was exasperated at every 
 thing belonging to our party. I do not mean 
 to impute any neglect to the consul for not 
 sending a present to the Bey, as I know he in- 
 tended to make him one ; but the avaricious 
 mind of the Defterdar did not place any re- 
 liance on the future, particularly when he 
 found no reply to his letter, which he certainly 
 had a right to expect. On the other hand, our 
 opponents took every advantage, and neglected 
 no means of attracting the good will of the Bey, 
 sending him continually something or other, so 
 that he openly promoted their interest in every 
 respect. Such, with what follows, is the real 
 state of the case j and let the Count de Forbin 
 
IN EGYFr, NUBIA, Ac. 231 
 
 invent some otlier story to disguise the truth, if 
 he can. On my arrival at Luxor, I found the 
 Defterdar Bey had just passed, and, after having 
 inquired which was the ground where I dis- 
 covered the sphinxes, ordered it to be exca- 
 vated, and returned to Siout ; leaving his 
 physician, Doctor Moroki, a Piedmontese, and 
 countryman of Mr. Drouetti, to superintend 
 the work. I was not a little surprised, to see 
 the advantage which had been taken of us by 
 this intrigue ; and the Doctor, who was in the 
 plot, ashamed, I suppose, of his own mean con- 
 duct, told me, that what he found was for the 
 Bey, who had taken it into his head to be an 
 antiquary. Several sphinxes had been unco- 
 vered, and more were to be found, while I was 
 obliged to be a mere spectator of the operation, 
 made on the very ground I first opened. Yet 
 the Count de Forbin had impudence enough to 
 assert, that they were discovered by a gentle- 
 man, and covered up again, with other idle 
 stories from his own school. Many sphinxes 
 had been found in the Doctor's excavation, but 
 only four were worth taking out. Having 
 finished his operation, he left a guard to the 
 statues, and returned to Siout, as he was or- 
 dered by his master; but previous to his de- 
 parture he went to the west side of Thebes, and 
 
232 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 forbade the Fellahs with threats to sell any thing 
 to the English. On finding that I had already 
 purchased some articles, which I did immedi- 
 ately on my arrival, he took such a spite against 
 me, as he has not forgotten to this day. The 
 conclusion of all this parade about the Bey, the 
 Doctor, the statues, and the excavation, was, 
 that though the statues were for the Bey, yet 
 on the arrival of the agents of Mr. Drouetti (as 
 will be seen hereafter), they took possession of 
 them. Some time after the Doctor wrote me a 
 letter, to inquire whether it were really true, 
 that the agents of Mr. Drouetti had taken away 
 the statues he had found in Carnak, and pre- 
 tending to be quite shocked at their proceed- 
 ing. I plainly saw that the Doctor did not wish 
 to open my eyes, but, on the contrary, sent me 
 the letter to blind me entirely, and make me 
 believe, that he had no hand in the plot. But 
 what could he say, when he as well as we saw 
 Mr. Drouetti himself come to Luxor, and with 
 great coolness take away these very statues or 
 sphinxes, pretended to have been found for the 
 Defterdar? I leave the farce to be explained by 
 the veracious Count de Forbin, who may invent 
 some other puff to cover a trick so openly exe- 
 cuted. 
 
 During this time I was not idle. I set a few 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 233 
 
 men to work on both sides of Thebes, and went 
 to Erments to present to the CachefF the letter 
 I had from Cairo, On my arrival he received 
 me with much politeness ; and after the usual 
 ceremonious protestation of friendship, I took 
 the first opportunity of presenting to him the 
 letter of the Bashaw. He was a little alarmed 
 at first, and very anxious to know the contents ; 
 but was relieved when he heard, that I had 
 made no complaint against him, as his good be- 
 haviour just before my departure retrieved in 
 part the faults he had committed before. I then 
 reminded him of the behaviour of the Caimakan 
 of Gournou. He swore that he wouki punish 
 him, and, if I pleased, would turn him out of 
 his place. I said I did not desire him to do 
 either on my account, but for the future wished 
 to proceed in my business undisturbed, and we 
 concluded, that the next morning he should 
 come to Gournou, and settle the affair in a pro- 
 per manner. 
 
 He afterwards introduced to me one of those 
 wonderful saints, who work miracles by dozens, 
 catching scorpions, serpents, &c. This fellow 
 brought a serpent without teeth, and the CachefF 
 was much alarmed when he put it into his lap. 
 I took it, and opened its mouth without utter- 
 ing a word j but the wonder-worker understood 
 
*234< RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 me very well. We then went into a back room to 
 see a miracle performed. He began with a long 
 prayer, and after a few minutes stretched out 
 his hand in a corner of the room, and to the 
 great astonishment of the beholders produced a 
 scorpion. I observed closely this wonder-work- 
 ing saint, and saw clearly what was passing. 
 The scorpion w^as kept in the enormous large 
 sleeve of his garment, and being produced in 
 an instant, it appeared as if it came out of the 
 wall. We were now taken to see the apart- 
 ments all through the house, and he practised 
 the same deception over again. In a particular 
 lower room the son of this Santon pretended to 
 find a small serpent, but not being so adroit as 
 his father, he contented himself with protesting 
 that it had no teeth, which made me ask how 
 serpents could live in this country without 
 teeth. The Cacheff, I perceived, was a man 
 who w^ould swallow the grossest impositions. 
 He told me many stories truly ridiculous ; 
 among the rest, he said, that this caste of San- 
 tons were subjects to a king in the mountains 
 of Cossara, and had such power, that if caught 
 in a storm at sea, a calm was restored in a 
 minute ; and if a cannon-ball made a hole in 
 the ship, a Santon could stop it; that the 
 Venetian zechins are made by the magic of these 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. QS5 
 
 Santons j and that one of them being with the 
 Sultan at Constantinople, where the Persian 
 Ambassador had been to announce war against 
 the Porte, he said, that they would conquer 
 the Persians, ind that on his thrusting out his 
 finger, the sovereign of Persia should become 
 blind. 
 
 I left Erments and went to Luxor j and the 
 next morning I met the Cacheff at Gournou, 
 according to his promise. He gave orders to 
 the Caimakan on every necessary subject ; not 
 to threaten the Fellahs, if they sold me any 
 papyri, &c. and to furnish me with men to ex- 
 cavate in whatever place I pleased. The works 
 in Carnak were going on, and I had begun to 
 uncover one of the sitting colossi before the 
 second propylaeon, beyond the large avenue of 
 sphinxes leading into the great temple. I had 
 it cleared all round, and found it to be twenty- 
 nine feet high from the bottom of the chair ; it 
 is of a white calcareous stone, and very hard. 
 At the foot of the chair I found a sitting statue 
 seven feet high. It represented a female figure, 
 perhaps of Isis. Its head-dress, of enormous 
 size, differed from that of the generality of the 
 Egyptian statues, and from its style appeared 
 to be of a very remote age. The bust was 
 divided at the waist from the rest of the body 
 
^36 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 and chair, I took out the bust, and intended 
 to take out the chair, as soon as the boat ar- 
 rived with the implements. Having then set 
 the people to work in another direction, where 
 also I had hopes, I took the opportunity to ex- 
 amine at leisure the superb ruins of this edifice. 
 In a distant view of them nothing can be seen 
 but the towering propylaea, high portals and 
 obelisks, which project above the various groups 
 of lofty palm-trees, and even at a distance 
 announce magnificence. On approaching the 
 avenue of sphinxes, which leads to the great 
 temple, the visiter is inspired with devotion and 
 piety : their enormous size strikes him with 
 wonder and respect to the Gods, to whom they 
 were dedicated. They represent lions with 
 heads of rams, the symbols of strength and in- 
 nocence, the power and purity of the Gods. 
 Advancing farther in the avenue, there stand 
 before it towering propylaea, which lead to inner 
 courts, where immense colossi are seated at each 
 side of the gate, as if guarding the entrance to 
 the holy ground. Still farther on was the mag- 
 nificent temple dedicated to the great God of 
 the creation. It was the first time that I entered 
 it alone, without being interrupted by the noise 
 of the Arabs, who never leave the traveller an 
 instant. The sun was rising, and the long shades 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 237 
 
 from the various groups of columns extended 
 over these ruins, intermixed with the rays of 
 light striking on these masses in various direc- 
 tions, formed such delightful views all round as 
 baffle description. Plate SI will give a general 
 idea of these extensive ruins ; and the small 
 sketch, Plate 31, exhibits a small part of the in- 
 terior of the great temple. I was lost in con- 
 templation of so many objects ; and being alone 
 in such a place, my mind was impressed with 
 ideas of such solemnity, that for some time I 
 was unconscious whether I were on terrestrial 
 ground, or in some other planet. 
 
 I had seen the temple of Tentyra, and I 
 still acknowledge, that nothing can exceed that 
 edifice in point of preservation, and in the 
 beauty of its workmanship and sculpture ; but 
 here I was lost in a mass of colossal objects, 
 every one of which was more than sufficient of 
 itself alone to attract my whole attention. How 
 can I describe my sensations at that moment ! 
 I seemed alone in the midst of all that is most 
 sacred in the world ; a forest of enormous co- 
 lumns, adorned all round with beautiful figures, 
 and various ornaments, from the top to the 
 bottom ; the graceful shape of the lotus, which 
 forms their capitals, so well proportioned to the 
 columns, that it gives to the view the most 
 
238 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 pleasing effect ; the gates, the walls, the pe- 
 destals, and the architraves, also adorned in 
 every part with symbolical figures in basso re- 
 lievo and intaglio, representing battles, proces- 
 sions, triumphs, feasts, offerings, and sacrifices, 
 all relating no doubt to the ancient history of 
 the country ; the sanctuary, wholly formed of 
 fine red granite, with the various obelisks stand- 
 ing before it, proclaiming to the distant pas- 
 senger, " Here is the seat of holiness ;" the high 
 portals, seen at a distance from the openings to 
 this vast labyrinth of edifices ; the various groups 
 of ruins of the other temples within sight ; these 
 altogether had such an effect upon my soul, as 
 to separate me in imagination from the rest of 
 mortals, exalt me on high over all, and cause 
 me to forget entirely the trifles and follies of 
 life. I was happy for a whole day, which 
 escaped like a flash of lightning ; but the ob- 
 scurity of the night caused me to stumble over 
 one large block of stone, and to break my nose 
 against another, which, dissolving the enchant- 
 ment, brought me to my senses again. It was 
 quite late when I returned to Luxor, to the hut 
 of an Arab, who ceded to me part of his cham- 
 ber, and a mat, which afforded me an excellent 
 
 bed. 
 
 The change from those ruins to the Arab's 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 239 
 
 hut was not less than that from the elevated 
 ideas the sight of them inspired in me, to the 
 thought of procuring my supper, if I could. 
 
 By this time the two agents of Mr. Drouetti 
 had arrived. They immediately set to work to 
 take out the lower sphinxes, which the Doctor 
 had discovered, and commenced their labours 
 on a very extensive scale. The Bey had left 
 his orders with the Caimakan and the Sheiks, 
 and now scarcely a Fellah could be gotten for 
 us. Mr. D.*s agents had employed them aU, 
 and my remonstrances were to little purpose. 
 From the moment these personages came to 
 Thebes, I had a continual series of disagreeable 
 circumstances to encounter, which I could not 
 describe, were I to attempt it. Suffice it to 
 say, that the Bey, who had the command of the 
 whole country, made it a particular point, I 
 have no doubt, to thwart our views ; and con- 
 sequently took care to express his wishes, as to 
 each party, to the CachefFs and Caimakans, who 
 could not avoid obeying their superior. The 
 petty advantage taken on this occasion soon 
 showed me the characters of the persons I had 
 to deal with. I do not mean the first two agents 
 alone, who had arrived in Thebes, but those who 
 had given them instructions, and others who 
 were sent after them, consisting of European 
 
240 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 renegadoes, desperadoes, exiles, &;c. People of 
 this sort, under no restraint in any thing they 
 do, were sent to obstruct my proceedings ; and 
 met with every encouragement from the Bey, 
 and of course from his subalterns. 
 
 The first two agents, as I have said, begun 
 their researches extensively ; and, as I could 
 get but a few men to employ on the east side 
 of the Nile, I determined to try what could be 
 done on the west, as I had the good-will of the 
 Cacheffs there j but unfortunately the boat with 
 Mr. Beechey had not arrived, and I could not 
 proceed for want of money, having, from pru- 
 dence, as I came by land, taken but little with 
 me. Accordingly, I left my interpreter, with 
 instructions how to act with the few men I had 
 engaged, and set off in a small boat to meet 
 him. In twenty-four hours I arrived at Gheneh, 
 as the wind happened to be in my favour, and 
 had the good fortune to find him at that place. 
 
 It took us three days to reach Thebes, when 
 we moored our bark at Luxor, and I recom- 
 menced my operations with what Fellahs I could 
 obtain. The work at Gournou was continued 
 also; and I must confess occupied a greater 
 share of my attention than that at Carnak. 
 Could it but be accurately known, with what 
 a wretched set of people in these tribes tra- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 241 
 
 vellers have to deal, their mean and rapacious 
 dispositions, and the various occurrences that 
 render the collection of antiquities difficult, 
 whatever came from thence would be the more 
 prized, from the consideration of these circum- 
 stances. 
 
 The people of Gournou are superior to any 
 other Arabs in cunning and deceit, and the most 
 independent of any in Egypt. They boast of 
 being the last that the French had been able 
 to subdue, and when subdued, they compelled 
 them to pay the men whatever was asked for 
 their labour ; a fact which is corroborated by 
 Baron Denon himself. They never would sub- 
 mit to any one, either the Mamelukes or the 
 Bashaw. They have undergone the most severe 
 punishments, and been hunted like wild beasts, 
 by every successive government of Egypt. Their 
 situations and hiding-places were almost im- 
 pregnable. Gournou is a tract of rocks, about 
 •two miles in length, at the foot of the Libyan 
 mountains, on the west of Thebes, and was the 
 burial-place of the great city of a hundred gates. 
 Every part of these rocks is cut out by art, in 
 the form of large and small chambers, each of 
 which has its separate entrance j and, though 
 they are very close to each other, it is seldom 
 -that there is any interior communication from 
 
 VOL. I. a 
 
242 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 one to another. I can truly say, it is impossible 
 to give any description sufficient to convey the 
 smallest idea of those subterranean abodes, and 
 their inhabitants. There are no sepulchres in 
 any part of the v^^orld like them ; there are no 
 excavations, or mines, that can be compared to 
 these truly astonishing places ; and no exact 
 description can be given of their interior, owing 
 to the difficulty of visiting these recesses. The 
 inconveniency of entering into them is such, 
 that it is not every one who can support the 
 exertion. 
 
 A traveller is generally satisfied when he has 
 seen the large hall, the gallery, the staircase, 
 and as far as he can conveniently go : besides, 
 he is taken up with the strange works he ob- 
 serves cut in various places, and painted on 
 each side of the walls ; so that when he comes 
 to a narrow and difficult passage, or to have 
 to descend to the bottom of a w^ell or cavity, 
 he declines taking such trouble, naturally sup- 
 posing that he cannot see in these abysses any 
 thing so magnificent as what he sees above, and 
 consequently deeming it useless to proceed any 
 fai^iher. Of some of these tombs many persons 
 could not withstand the suffocating air, which 
 often causes fainting. A vast quantity of dust 
 .rises, so fine that it enters into the throat and 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 243 
 
 nostrils, and chokes the nose and mouth to such 
 a degree, that it requires great power of lungs to 
 resist it and the strong effluvia of the mummies. 
 This is not all ; the entry or passage where the 
 bodies are is roughly cut in the rocks, and the 
 falUng of the sand from the upper part or ceil- 
 ing of the passage causes it to be nearly filled 
 up. In some places there is not more than a 
 vacancy of a foot left, which you must contrive 
 to pass through in a creeping posture like a 
 snail, on pointed and keen stones, that cut like 
 glass. After getting through these passages, 
 some of them two or three hundred yards long, 
 you generally find a more commodious place, 
 perhaps high enough to sit. But what a place 
 of rest! surrounded by bodies, by heaps of 
 mummies in all directions ; which, previous to 
 my being accustomed to the sight, impressed 
 me with horror. The blackness of the wall, 
 the faint light given by the candles or torches 
 for want of air, the different objects that sur- 
 rounded me, seeming to converse with each 
 other, and the Arabs with the candles or torches 
 in their hands, naked and covered with dust, 
 themselves resembling living mummies, abso- 
 lutely formed a scene that cannot be described. 
 In such a situation I found myself several times, 
 and often returned exhausted and fainting; till 
 
 R 52 
 
244 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 at last I became inured to it, and indifferent to 
 what I suffered, except from the dust, which 
 never failed to choke my throat and nose ; and 
 though, fortunately, I am destitute of the sense 
 of smelling, I could taste that the mummies 
 were rather unpleasant to swallow. After the 
 exertion of entering into such a place, through 
 a passage of fifty, a hundred, three hundred, or 
 perhaps six hundred yards, nearly overcome, I 
 sought a resting-place, found one, and contrived 
 to sit ; but when my weight bore on the body 
 of an Egyptian, it crushed it like a band-box. 
 I naturally had recourse to my hands to sustain 
 my weight, but they found no better support j 
 so that I sunk altogether among the broken 
 mummies, with a crash of bones, rags, and 
 wooden cases, which raised such a dust as kept 
 me motionless for a quarter of an hour, waiting 
 till it subsided again. I could not remove from 
 the place, however, without increasing it, and 
 every step I took I crushed a mummy in some 
 part or other. Once I was conducted from 
 such a place to another resembling it, through 
 a passage of about twenty feet in length, and 
 no wider than that a body could be forced 
 through. It was choked with mummies, and I 
 could not pass without putting my face in con- 
 tact with that of some decayed Egyptian j but 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, *c. ^45 
 
 as the passage inclined downwards, my own 
 weight helped me on : however, I could not 
 avoid being covered with bones, legs, arms, and 
 heads rolling from above. Thus I proceeded 
 from one cave to another, all full of mummies 
 piled up in various ways, some standing, some 
 lying, and some on their heads. The purpose 
 of my researches was to rob the Egyptians of 
 their papyri ; of which I found a few hidden in 
 their breasts, under their arms, in the space 
 above the knees, or on the legs, and covered 
 by the numerous folds of cloth, that envelop 
 the mummy. The people of Gournou, who 
 make a trade of antiquities of this sort, are very 
 jealous of strangers, and keep them as secret 
 as possible, deceiving travellers by pretending, 
 that they have arrived at the end of the pits, 
 when they are scarcely at the entrance. I could 
 never prevail on them to conduct me into these 
 places till this my second voyage, when I suc- 
 ceeded in obtaining admission into any cave 
 where mummies were to be seen. 
 
 My permanent residence in Thebes was the 
 cause of my success. The Arabs saw that I 
 paid particular attention to the situation of the 
 entrance into the tombs, and that they could 
 not avoid being seen by me when they were at 
 work digging in search of a aew tomb, though 
 
24(3 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 they are very cautious when any stranger is in 
 Gournou not to let it be known where they go 
 to open the earth ; and as travellers generally 
 remain in that place a few days only, they used 
 to leave off digging during that time. If any 
 traveller be curious enough to ask to examine 
 the interior of a tomb, they are ready to show 
 him one immediately, and conduct him to some 
 of the old tombs, where he sees nothing but the 
 grottoes in which mummies formerly had been 
 deposited, or where there are but few^, and these 
 already plundered ; so that he can form but a 
 poor idea of the real tombs, where the remains 
 were originally placed. 
 
 The people of Gournou live in the entrance 
 of such caves as have already been opened, and, 
 by making partitions with earthen walls, they 
 form habitations for themselves, as well as for 
 their cows, camels, buffaloes, sheep, goats, dogs, 
 &c. I do not know whether it is because they 
 are so few in number, that the government takes 
 so little notice of what they do ; but it is certain, 
 that they are the most unruly people in Eg^^t. 
 At various times many of them have been de- 
 stroyed, so that they are reduced from three 
 thousand, the number they formerly reckoned, 
 to three hundred, which form the population of 
 the present day. They have no mosque, nor 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &e, 21-7 
 
 do they care for one ; for though they have at 
 their disposal a great quantity of all sorts of 
 bricks, which abound in every part of Gournou, 
 from the surrounding tombs, they have never 
 built a single house. They are forced to culti* 
 vate a small tract of land, extending from the 
 rocks to the Nile, about a mile in breadth, and 
 two and a half in length ; and even this is in 
 part neglected ; for if left to their own will, 
 they would never take a spade in their hands, 
 except when they go to dig for mummies ; 
 which they find to be a more profitable employ- 
 ment than agriculture. This is the fault of 
 travellers, who are so pleased the moment they 
 are presented with any piece of antiquity, that, 
 without thinking of the injury resulting from 
 the example to their successors, they give a 
 great deal more than the people really expect. 
 Hence it has arisen, that they now set such an 
 enormous price on antiquities, and in particular 
 on papyri. Some of them have accumulated a 
 considerable sum of money, and are become so 
 indifferent, that tiiey remain idle, unless what, 
 ever price they demand be given them ; and it 
 is to be observed, that it is a fixed point in their 
 minds, that the Franks would not be so liberal, 
 unless the articles were worth ten times as much 
 ^s they pay for them. 
 
248 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The Fellahs of Gournou who dig for antiqui- 
 ties are sometimes divided into parties, and have 
 their chiefs over each ; so that what is found 
 by any of the party is sold, and the money 
 divided among them all. They are apparently 
 very true to each other, and particularly in 
 cheating strangers ; but when they can find a 
 good opportunity, they do not scruple to cheat 
 each other also. One day when I had to pur- 
 chase some antiquities according to appoint- 
 ment, and was going to the tomb of one of 
 these companies, my guide told me by the way, 
 that he had some papyri to sell, which he had 
 himself found, previous to his entering into part- 
 nership with his associates ; and it was agreed, 
 that I was to repair to his house alone to see 
 them. However, I took Mr. Beechey with me, 
 and we had great difficulty to prevent those by 
 whom we were observed from following us ; as 
 it is the common custoni among these people to 
 enter each other's houses as they please, and 
 see and hear all that passes. In spite of all his 
 caution, they suspected that the old man had 
 a considerable hoard of papyri, and were per- 
 suaded that he wished them not to know the 
 large sum he was to receive for them. Accord- 
 ingly they did not fail to watch our coming out, 
 so that they might see what we purchased j and 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Sec. 249 
 
 when they saw we had nothing, they were aU 
 surprised and disappointed. One of the chiefs, 
 who was a favourite with the English, approached 
 the interpreter, to know what had passed ; and 
 when he heard that nothing had passed but 
 words, he said, the old man dared not sell any 
 papyri without the consent of the company, 
 and that all they had to sell, and all he had, 
 must be brought to us conjointly. They had 
 no idea how this veteran had deceived them ; 
 for other articles of consequence are so very 
 seldom found, that they did not suspect his 
 having any thing but papyri to dispose of. Age 
 and experience, however, had naturally ren- 
 dered him a greater adept in the art of deceit. 
 When Mr. Beechey, myself, and the inter- 
 preter, entered his cave, his wife walked out to 
 watch if any one approached. The donkey- 
 men, who brought us, were at some distance 
 from the cave, and not a single being was near 
 us. His dwelling was a grotto cut in the rock 
 like the rest, and black as any chimney. He 
 made us sit down on a straw mat, which is a 
 luxurious thing in Gournou, and after a little 
 ceremony, put into my hands a brazen vessel, 
 one of the finest and most perfect pieces of 
 Egyptian antiquity I have ever seen of the kind. 
 It was covered with engraved hieroglyphics. 
 
2.50 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 very finely executed. It was about eighteen 
 inclies liigh and ten in diameter. Tlie compo- 
 sition is extremely fine, and it sounds not unlike 
 the Corinthian brass. I was most agreeably 
 surprised, and could scarcely believe that I had 
 such a treasure in my hands. I conceive it to 
 be a sacred vessel used by the Egyptians. It 
 has a handle something like our common baskets. 
 We were examining it with astonishment, when 
 the old man took it from our hands, and pre- 
 sented us with another exactly similar to it. 
 The sight of a pair of antiques like these, their 
 admirable preservation, and the opportunity we 
 had of purchasing them, delighted us so much, 
 that the bargain with the old man was made in 
 a few words. The great difficulty was to take 
 them to our boat, which the old man promised 
 to do in the night, after all were asleep. We 
 returned to Luxor in high glee, from the ex- 
 pectation of having in our possession two of 
 the finest articles of metallic composition, that 
 ever were to be found in Egypt. At night the 
 old man did not come, which made me uneasy ; 
 but he came in the morning, and said, that he 
 could not bring the vases with him, as his com- 
 panions were watching, but that he would not 
 fail to bring them at night ; meanwhile he should 
 be glad, he added, to receive the money and 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 251 
 
 the present we had promised ; and we paid him 
 without hesitation, that he might not retract 
 his bargain. At night, however, no old man 
 came ; nor the next day did he make his ap- 
 pearance. I thought it necessary therefore to 
 go to his habitation. I found him at home, and 
 he said, as before, he would not fail to come 
 to us at night. Night, however, again arrived 
 without him ; but early the next morning he 
 brought the vessels to our boat. Some time 
 after, one of his companions inquired of me 
 what the old man had received for his antiques. 
 We wondered how he came to know any thing 
 of the matter ; when he informed us, the vessels 
 belonged to the company, and the pretence of 
 secrecy was a scheme of the old man to extract 
 from us the present of a turbouse*, in which 
 he had succeeded. 
 
 After having described the tombs, the mum- 
 mies, the rocks, and the rogues of Gournou, it 
 is time to cross the Nile, and return to Carnak. 
 Here we continued the work, as I mentioned 
 before. Our opponents had taken away the 
 four sphinxes, which the doctor had dug up, in 
 the name of the Defterdar-bey, from the ground 
 I had opened the year before, but had found 
 
 *" A red cap, or bonnet. 
 
252 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 nothing more, which is somewhat singular, con- 
 sidering the number of men they had employed 
 in their excavation. I now opened another 
 piece of ground, in a line parallel with the point 
 of the temple, and I was fortunate enough to 
 find another line of sphinxes. From the frag- 
 ments there w^ere probably twenty, but five 
 only were in good preservation. Among them 
 was a sitting figure of a young man nearly of 
 the size of life, of gray granite ; but though the 
 face, hands, and arms, were in good condition, 
 the chest and lower parts were quite decayed, 
 and the bust detached from the rest of the 
 body. In the same place I found two small 
 sitting figures of red granite, nearly two feet 
 high, and a stone irregularly shaped, but flat 
 and smooth on the surfaces. It is divided by 
 lines into many little squares of half an inch, in 
 each of which is a hieroglyphic, but all different 
 from each other. This piece, in my opinion, 
 might be of much service to Dr. Young in his 
 undertaking of the discovery of the alphabet of 
 the Egyptians, particularly in the advanced state 
 at which he has at present arrived. Two other 
 articles were found in this excavation, of which 
 one is a tombstone, and the other an iron sickle, 
 that I think worthy the attention of the anti- 
 quary. It is certain, that tlie burial-places of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 253 
 
 the Egyptians were on the west side of the Nile, 
 for not a single place is to be found on the eastern 
 side to indicate there having ever been a burial- 
 ground there : yet among these sphinxes was a 
 tombstone similar to those which are found in 
 the tombs on the other side of the Nile, and 
 probably, therefore, made to be taken to the 
 tomb of some family on the west. But the iron 
 sickle to which I would call the attention, was 
 found under the feet of one of the sphinxes on 
 its removal. I was present ; one of the men 
 took it up and gave it me. It was broken into 
 three pieces, and so decayed, that the rust had 
 eaten even to the centre. It was rather thicker 
 than the sickles of the present time, but exactly 
 of the common shape and size of ours. It is 
 now in the possession of Mr. Salt. The ques- 
 tion is, at what time were these statues placed 
 there? They could not have been deposited 
 subsequently to the age of the Ptolemies ; for 
 it appears, that since the time of Cambyses, 
 who destroyed the Gods of Egypt, the country 
 has never been invaded, so as to compel the 
 people to conceal their idols ; and it is evident, 
 that these statues had been hidden in a hurry, 
 from the irregular and confused manner in which 
 they lie. Now, as the sickle was found under 
 the statue above mentioned, I think it a suf- 
 
;254 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ficient proof, that there was iron in the country 
 long before the invasion of the Persians, since 
 the Egyptians had enough to make instruments 
 of agriculture with it. Sickles of the same form 
 are to be seen in many agricultural representa- 
 tions in the tombs ; but it does not follow, that 
 they were taken from sickles of iron, like the 
 one in question. I do not mean to decide this 
 point by my own suppositions : I lay the fact 
 before the reader, that he may form his own 
 opinion upon it; yet there are circumstances 
 that would destroy the conjecture, that might 
 be drawn from this discovery. It is very sin- 
 gular, if the Egyptians had iron in such abun- 
 dance, as to make sickles, that they did not 
 make instruments of war, and other articles for 
 their common use, of the same metal ; for if 
 they had done so, it is strange, that none are 
 to be found among the various specimens of 
 their manufacture. 
 
 I continued the work as fast as I could with 
 the few men I had, as I foresaw, that when the 
 Defterdar came to the knowledge of my success 
 he would put a stop to our proceedings by some 
 intrigue or other. My daily employment kept 
 me in continual motion. In the morning I used 
 to give my directions for the works at Carnak. 
 The Arabs generally come to work at the rising 
 
TN EGYPT, NUBIA, Scc. ^55 • 
 
 of the sun, and leave off from noon till two or 
 three o'clock. When I had many employed, I 
 divided them into parties, and set an overseer 
 over each, to see that they worked at the pro- 
 per hours, and on the allotted spots of ground, 
 which I had previously marked out ; but ge- 
 nerally some of our people were obliged to be 
 there, for no trust is to be reposed in the Arabs, 
 if they should find any small pieces of antiquity. 
 Before noon I used to cross the river and in- 
 spect the works at Gournou. Having been 
 there the year before, and had dealings with 
 these people, I was at home in every part of 
 Thebes, knew every Arab there, and they knew 
 me as well. Mr. Beechey had taken possession 
 of the temple at Luxor, without requesting per- 
 mission from the Gods, and we made a dwelling- 
 place of one of the chambers : I believe it must 
 have been the sekos. By the help of some mats 
 we procured a very tolerable accommodation, 
 but could not prevent the dust from coming on 
 our beds, and clothes, to which for my part I had 
 lone: before become indifferent. We could not 
 sleep any longer in the boat ; for in conse- 
 quence of the provision we had on board, such 
 quantities of large rats accompanied us all the 
 way to Luxor, that we had no peace day or 
 night, and at last they succeeded in fairly dis- 
 
^56 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 lodging us. We thought to have been a niatdh 
 for them, however, for we caused all the pro- 
 vision to be taken out, and the boat to be sunk 
 at Luxor, but as they were good swimmers, 
 they saved their lives, and hid themselves in 
 the holes of the pier ; and when the provision 
 had been put on board again, they all returned 
 cheerfully, a few excepted, and were no doubt 
 grateful to us for having given them a fresh ap- 
 petite and a good bathing. 
 
 In Gournou, our researches continued among 
 the mummies. Tlie Arabs had become quite 
 unconcerned about tlie secret of the tombs ; for 
 they saw it was their interest to search, as they 
 were rewarded for what they found, and those 
 who were duly paid were indifferent whether 
 ■we or their brethren found a tomb. The men 
 were divided into two classes. The most know- 
 ing were making researches on their own ac- 
 count, employing eight or ten to assist them. 
 They indicated the ground where they hoped 
 to find a tomb, and sometimes were fortunate 
 enough to hit on the entrance of a mummy pit 
 in the first attempt. At other times, after spend- 
 ing two or three days, they often found only 
 a pit filled with mummies of the inferior class, 
 which had nothing among them wortliy of no- 
 tice : so that, even to the most skilful explorer, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 257 
 
 it was a mere chance what he should find. On 
 the other hand, in some of the tombs of the 
 better class they found very good specimens of 
 antiquity, of all sorts. I met with some dif- 
 ficulty at first in persuading these people to 
 work in search of tombs, and receive a regular 
 daily payment ; for they conceived it to be 
 against their interest, supposing I might obtain 
 the antiquities at too cheap a rate : but w^hen 
 they saw, that sometimes they received their 
 pay regularly, and I had nothing for it, they 
 found it was rather in their favour, to secure 
 twenty paras (three pence) a day, than run the 
 risk of having nothing for their labour, which 
 often happened to those who worked at adven- 
 ture. 
 
 It was from these works that I became better 
 acquainted with the manner in which the Egyp- 
 tians regulated their burial-places ; and I plainly 
 saw the various degrees and customs of the divers 
 classes, from the peasant to the king. The Egyp- 
 tians had three different methods of embalming 
 
 o 
 
 their dead bodies, which, Herodotus informs us, 
 were according to the expense the persons who 
 presented the dead bodies to the mummy-makers 
 chose to incur. This father of history thus ex- 
 presses himself on the subject : *' Certain per- 
 sons were appointed by the laws to the exercise 
 
 VOL. I. s 
 
2.58 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 of this profession. When a dead body was 
 brought to them, they exhibited to the friends 
 of the deceased different models, highly finished 
 in wood. The most perfect of these, they said, 
 resembles one, whom I do not think it religious 
 to name on such an occasion ; the second was 
 of less price, and inferior in point of execution ; 
 the other was still more mean. They then in- 
 quired after which model the deceased should 
 be represented. When the price was deter- 
 mined, the relations retired, and the embalmers 
 proceeded in their work. In the most perfect 
 specimens of their art, they extracted the brain 
 through the nostrils, partly with a piece of 
 crooked iron, and partly by the infusion of 
 drugs. They then, with an Ethiopian stone, 
 made an incision in the side, through which they 
 drew out the intestines. These they cleansed 
 thoroughly, washing them with palm-wine, and 
 afterwards covering them with pounded aroma- 
 tics. They then filled the body with powder 
 of pure myrrh, cassia, and other spices, without 
 frankincense. Having sown up the body, it 
 was covered with nitre for the space of seventy 
 days, which time they were not allowed to ex- 
 ceed. At the end of this period, being first 
 washed, it was closely wrapped in bandages of 
 cotton, dipped in a gum, which the Egyptians 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, ftc. v<iJ59 
 
 used as a glue. It was then returned to the 
 relations, who enclosed the body in a case of 
 wood, made to resemble a human figure, and 
 placed it against the wall in the repository of 
 their dead. This was the most costly mode of 
 embalming. 
 
 *' For those who wished to be at less expense, 
 the following method was adopted. They neither 
 drew out the intestines, nor made any incision 
 in the dead body, but injected a liniment made 
 from the cedar. After taking proper means to 
 secure the injected oil within the body, it was 
 covered with nitre for the time above specified. 
 On the last day they withdrew the liquid be- 
 fore introduced, which brought with it all the 
 intestines. The nitre dried up and hardened 
 the flesh, so that the corpse appeared little but 
 ski:i and bone. In this state the body was re- 
 turned, and no further care taken concerning it. 
 
 " There was a third mode of embalming, ap- 
 propriated to the poor. A particular kind of 
 lotion was made to pass through the body, 
 which was afterward merely left in nitre for 
 the above space of seventy days, and then re- 
 turned." Such is the account given us by He- 
 rodotus. 
 
 Nothing can be more plainly distinguish the 
 various classes of people, than the manner of 
 
 s^ 
 
560 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 their preservation : but there are many other 
 remarks, that may be made to the same effect. 
 I shall describe how I have found the mummies 
 of the principal class untouched, and hence we 
 may judge how they were prepared and depo- 
 sited in their respective places. I am sorry 
 that I am obliged to contradict my old guide 
 Herodotus ; for in this point, and many others, 
 he was not well informed by the Egyptians. 
 In the first place, speaking of the mummies in 
 their cases, he mentions them as erect : but it is 
 somewhat singular, that in so many pits as I 
 have opened, I never saw a single mummy stand- 
 ing. On the contrary, I found them lying re- 
 gularly, in horizontal rows, and some were sunk 
 into a cement, which must have been nearly 
 fluid when the cases were placed on it. The 
 lower classes were not buried in cases : tl\ey 
 were dried up, as it appears, after the regular 
 preparation of the seventy days. Mummies of 
 this sort were in the proportion of about ten to 
 one of the better class, as near as I could calcu- 
 late by the quantity I have seen of both ; and 
 it appeared to me, that, after the operation of 
 the nitre, adopted by the mummy-makers, these 
 bodies may have been dried in the sun. In- 
 deed, for my own part, I am persuaded it was 
 so ; as there is not the smallest quantity of gum 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 26 1 
 
 or any thing else to be found on them. The 
 linen in which they are folded is of a coarser 
 sort, and less in quantity; they have no orna- 
 ments about them of any consequence, and they 
 are piled up in layers, so as to crowd several 
 caves excavated for the purpose in a rude man- 
 ner. In general, the tombs of the lower class are 
 to be found in the lower grounds, at the foot of 
 the mountains of Gournou ; and some extend 
 as far as the border to which the inundation 
 reaches. They are to be entered by a small 
 aperture, arched over, or by a shaft four or five 
 feet square, at the bottom of which are entrances 
 into various chambers, all choked up with mum- 
 mies : and though there is scarcely any thing 
 to be found on them, many of these tombs have 
 been rummaged, and left in the most confused 
 state. 
 
 I must not omit, that among these tombs we 
 saw some which contained the mummies of ani- 
 mals intermixed with human bodies. There 
 were bulls, cows, sheep, monkeys, foxes, cats, 
 crocodiles, fishes, and birds, in them (see Plate 
 44) : idols often occur ; and one tomb was filled 
 with nothing but cats, carefully folded in red 
 and white linen, the head covered by a mask re- 
 presenting the cat, and made of the same linen. 
 J have opened all these sorts of animals. Of 
 
262 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the bull, the calf, and the sheep, there is no part 
 but the head and bones which is covered with 
 linen, and the horns projecting out of the cloth ; 
 the rest of the body being represented by two 
 pieces of wood, eighteen inches wide and three 
 feet long, in an horizontal direction, at the end 
 of which was another, placed perpendicularly, 
 two feet high, to form the breast of the animal. 
 The calves and sheep are of the same structure, 
 and large in proportion to the bulls. The mon- 
 key is in its full form, in a sitting posture. The 
 fox is squeezed up by the bandages, but in some 
 measure the shape of the head is kept perfect. 
 The crocodile is left in its own shape, and after 
 being well bound round with linen, the eyes 
 and mouth are painted on this covering. The 
 birds are squeezed together, and lose their shape, 
 except the ibis, which is found like a fowl ready 
 to be cooked, and bound round with linen, like 
 all the rest. — (See Plate 44.) 
 
 It is somewhat singular that such animals are 
 not to be met with in the tombs of the higher 
 sort of people ; while few or no papyri are to 
 be found among the lower order, and if any 
 occur they are only small pieces stuck upon the 
 breast with a little gum or asphaltum, being 
 probably all that the poor individual could afford 
 to himself. In those of the better classes other 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. ^C)3 
 
 objects are found. I think they ought to be 
 divided into several classes, as I cannot confine 
 myself to three. I do not mean to impute 
 error to Herodotus when he speaks of the three 
 modes of embalming ; but I will venture to as- 
 sert, that the high, middling, and poorer classes, 
 all admit of farther distinction. In the same 
 pit where I found mummies in cases, I found 
 others without ; and in these, papyri are most 
 likely to be met with. I remarked, that the 
 mummies in the cases have no papyri ; at least, 
 I never observed any : on the contrary, in those 
 without cases they are often obtained. It ap- 
 pears to me, that such people as could afford it 
 would have a case to be buried in, on which the 
 history of their lives was painted ; and those 
 who could not afford a case were contented to 
 have their lives written on papyri, rolled up, 
 and placed above their knees. Even in the ap- 
 pearance of the cases there is a great difference : 
 some are exceedingly plain, others more orna- 
 mented, and some very richly adorned with 
 figures, well painted. The cases are generally 
 made of Egyptian sycamore : apparently, this 
 was the most plentiful wood in the country, as 
 it is usually employed for the different utensils. 
 All the cases have a human face, male or female. 
 Some of the large cases contain others within 
 
5(J4 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 them, either of wood or of plaster, painted. The 
 inner cases are sometimes fitted to the body of 
 the mummy : others are only covers to the body, 
 in form of a man or woman, easily distinguish- 
 able by the beard and the breast, like that on 
 the outside. Some of the mummies have gar- 
 lands of flowers, and leaves of the acacia, or 
 sunt tree, over their heads and breasts. This 
 tree is often seen on the banks of the Nile, 
 above Thebes, and particularly in Nubia. The 
 flower, when fresh, is yellow, and of a very hard 
 substance, appearing as if artificial. The leaves, 
 also, are very strong, and though dried and 
 turned brown, they still retain their firmness. 
 In the inside of these mummies are found lumps 
 of asphaltum, sometimes so large as to weigh 
 two pounds. The entrails of these mummies 
 are often found bound up in linen and asphal- 
 tum. What does not incorporate with the fleshy 
 part, remains of the natural colour of the pitch ; 
 but that which does incorporate becomes brown, 
 and evidently mixed with the grease of the body, 
 forming a mass, which on pressure crumbles 
 into dust. The wooden case is first covered 
 with a layer or two of cement, not unlike plaster 
 of Paris ; and on this are sometimes cast figures 
 in basso relievo, for which they make holes cut 
 in stone. The whole case is painted ; the ground 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 2G.5 
 
 generally yellow, the figures and hieroglyphics 
 blue, green, red, and black. The last is very 
 seldom used. The whole of the painting is 
 covered with a varnish, which preserves it very 
 effectually. Some of the colours, in my humble 
 opinion, were vegetable, for they are evidently 
 transparent ; besides, I conceive it was easier 
 for the Egyptians to produce vegetable colours 
 than mineral, from the great difficulty of grind- 
 ing the latter to such perfection. 
 
 The next sort of mummy that drew my at- 
 tention, I believe I may with reason conclude 
 to have been appropriated to the priests. They 
 are folded in a manner totally different from the 
 others, and so carefully executed, as to show 
 the great respect paid to those personages. The 
 bandages are stripes of red and white linen in- 
 termixed, covering the whole body, and forming 
 a curious effect from the two colours. The arms 
 and legs are not enclosed in the same envelope 
 with the body, as in the common mode, but are 
 bandaged separately, even the fingers and toes 
 being preserved distinct. They have sandals 
 of painted leather on their feet, and bracelets 
 on their arms and wrists. They are always found 
 with the arms across the breast, but not pressing 
 it ; and though the body is bound with such a 
 quantity of linen, the shape of the person is 
 
266 IIESEAIICHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 carefully preserved in every limb. The cases 
 in which mummies of this sort are found are 
 somewhat better executed, and I have seen 
 one, that had the eyes and eyebrows of enamel, 
 beautifully executed, in imitation of nature. 
 Among the various tombs, 1 discovered one 
 of this description in the valley adjacent to 
 Beban el Malook on the west of it, of which I 
 shall have to speak hereafter. 
 
 I found eight mummies, all untouched since 
 they had been deposited in their resting-place. 
 The cases lay flat on the ground, facing the 
 east, in two equal rows, imbedded four inches 
 deep in mortar, which must have been soft 
 when they were put into it ; for when I had 
 them removed, the impression of them remained 
 perfect. The opening of them I shall describe, 
 with that of the tomb. 
 
 The tombs containing the better classes of 
 people are of course superior to the others. There 
 are some more extensive than the rest, having 
 various apartments, adorned with figures repre- 
 senting different actions of life. Funeral pro- 
 cessions are generally predominant. Agricul- 
 tural processes, religious ceremonies, and more 
 ordinary occurrences, such as feasting, &c. are 
 to be seen every where. I shall not enter into 
 a minute account of these paintings, as they 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. ^267 
 
 have been so often described, particularly by 
 Mr. Hamilton, whose perspicuous observations 
 upon them give the best idea of their various 
 representation. It would be impossible to de- 
 scribe the numerous little articles found in them, 
 which are well adapted to show the domestic 
 habits of the ancient Egyptians. It is here the 
 smaller idols are occasionally found, either lying 
 on the ground, or on the cases of the mummies. 
 Vases are sometimes found containing the em- 
 balmed entrails of the mummies. These are 
 generally made of baked clay, and painted 
 over: their sizes differ from eight inches to 
 eighteen : their covers represent the head of 
 some divinity, bearing either the human form, 
 or that of a monkey, fox, cat, or some other 
 animal. I met with a few of these vases of ala- 
 baster in the tombs of the kings, but unfor- 
 tunately they were broken. A great quantity of 
 pottery is found, and also wooden articles in 
 some of the tombs, as if the deceased had re- 
 solved to have all he possessed deposited along 
 with him. The most singular among these 
 things are the ornaments, in particular the small 
 works in clay and other composition. I have 
 been fortunate enough to find many specimens 
 of their manufactures, among which is gold leaf, 
 beaten nearly as thin as ours. The gold appears 
 
^68 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to me extremely pure, and of a finer colour than 
 is generally seen in our own. It is somewhat 
 singular that no instruments of war are found 
 in these places, when we consider what a war- 
 like nation the Egyptians were. What has be- 
 come of their weapons I cannot conjecture ; for 
 in all my researches I found only one arrow, 
 two feet long. At one extremity it had a copper 
 point well fixed in it, and at the other a notch 
 as usual to receive the string of the bow : it 
 had been evidently split by the string, and glued 
 together again. 
 
 Among other articles too numerous to be 
 mentioned, the beetle, or scarabaeus, to all ap- 
 pearance a highly sacred animal, is found in 
 the tombs. There are various sorts ; some of 
 basalt, verde antico, or other stones, and some 
 of baked clay. They are scarce, particularly 
 those with hieroglyphics on them, which no 
 doubt contain some particular prayers, or the 
 commemoration of striking events in the life of 
 the deceased. It is supposed, that the Egyp- 
 tians hung the scarabseus to their necks when 
 they went to war ; but of this we have no clear 
 proofs. I must mention a circumstance on this 
 subject, which perhaps will solve the doubt. 
 The scarabaei are of such a peculiar form, that, 
 if they were among the ornaments of the warriors, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. QC)9 
 
 they would be easily distinguished. One soHtary 
 instance of this kind I have observed. There is 
 a sitting figure in tlie tomb of Psammuthis, which 
 I discovered in the valley below Beban el Ma- 
 look, that, by its splendid dress and ornaments, 
 may be intended to represent a king. It has a 
 square plate of basalt hung to its neck, with an 
 obelisk in the centre, and a figure on each side 
 of it. I was extremely fortunate in meeting 
 with one of these plates, I believe the only one 
 that ever was found of the kind. It has the 
 form of an Egyptian temple, and in the centre 
 is an elevated scarabaeus on a boat, guarded by 
 two figures, one at each side ; and on the re- 
 verse of the scarabeeus is an inscription over a 
 boat, on which are two other figures, exactly 
 like the former. The plate has the holes by 
 which it was hung to a chain or string. I found 
 also other scarabaei, with human heads, which I 
 never saw^ before. 
 
 The Egyptians were certainly well acquainted 
 with linen manufactures to a perfection equal 
 to our own ; for, in many of their figures, we 
 observe their garments quite transparent ; and 
 among the folding of the mummies, I observed 
 some cloth quite as fine as our common muslin, 
 very strong, and of an even texture. They had 
 the art of tanning leather, with which they made 
 shoes as well as we do, some of which I found 
 
270 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 of various shapes. They had also the art of 
 staining the leather with various colours, as we 
 do morocco, and actually knew the mode of 
 embossing on it, for I found leather with figures 
 impressed on it, quite elevated. I think it must 
 have been done with a hot iron while the leather 
 was damp. They also fabricated a sort of coarse 
 glass, with which they made beads and other 
 ornaments. 
 
 Beside enamelling, the art of gilding was in 
 great perfection among them, as I found several 
 ornaments of the kind. They knew how to 
 cast copper, as well as to form it into sheets, 
 and had a metallic composition not unlike our 
 lead, rather softer, but of greater tenacity. It 
 is much like the lead which we see on paper 
 in the tea-chests from China, but much thicker. 
 I found some pieces of it covered on both sides 
 with a thin coat of another metal, which might 
 be taken for silver, but I cannot believe it to 
 be so. It certainly is a proof of the scarcity 
 of this metal in Egypt, where, in my opinion, 
 it was less common than gold ; for it is seldom 
 found, whereas the latter is quite common on 
 the ornaments. 
 
 Carved works were very common, and in great 
 perfection, particularly in the proportion of the 
 figures ; and it is to be observed, that though 
 the Egyptians were unacquainted with anatomy, 
 
IN EGYPT. NUBIA, &c. 271 
 
 yet in these, as well as in their statues of marble, 
 they preserved tliat sweet simplicity peculiar to 
 themselves, which is always pleasing to the be- 
 holder. 
 
 In one of the tombs of the kings I found two 
 wooden figures, nearly seven feet high, of very 
 fine workmanship. They are in a standing 
 posture, with one arm extended, as if holding 
 a torch. They had many other carved works, 
 hieroglyphics, ornaments, &c. 
 
 The art of varnishing, and baking the varnish 
 on clay, was in such perfection among them, 
 that I doubt whether it could be imitated at 
 present. Articles of the best sort of this manu- 
 facture, however, were rather scarce, as there 
 are but few to be found ; while, on the con- 
 trary, there are great quantities of the inferior 
 sorts. Indeed, the few good ones I met with 
 were all in the great tomb of Psammuthis, and 
 these are of the most beautiful colour. 
 
 The art of painting was but simple among 
 the Egyptians, as they had no knowledge of 
 shadowing to elevate their figures ; but great 
 credit is due to them for their taste in disposing 
 their colours. There is great harmony even 
 in the red and green, which do not always agree 
 with us, and which they knew how to mingle so 
 well, that it produced a very splendid effect, 
 
^2JQ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 particularly by candle-light. Their drawings 
 and scidpture are but simple, and systemati- 
 cally done ; notwithstanding which, they knew 
 how to impart a certain vivacity to their pos- 
 ture, which animates their figures. They knew 
 little or nothing of perspective, and all that 
 was done was in profile. The wall, or what- 
 ever other place was to be ornamented, was pre- 
 viously prepared, by grinding it very smooth. 
 The first lines were done in red by a scholar, or 
 one not so expert as the master, who examined 
 the outlines, and corrected them in black. 
 Specimens of this are to be seen in the tomb 
 of Psammuthis, as I shall have to mention here- 
 after. 
 
 When the outlines were completed, the sculp- 
 tor began his work. He raised the figure by 
 cutting away the stone all round it. The an- 
 gles are smoothly turned, and the ornaments on 
 the figure or garments are traced with a chisel, 
 which leaves a slight impression, and adorns 
 the whole figure. The last was the painter, who 
 finished the piece. They could not find any 
 other colours than red, blue, yellow, green, and 
 black. The blue is divided into two sorts, the 
 dark and the light. With these colours they 
 adorned their temples, tombs, or whatever they 
 wished to have painted. As there is no colour 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Sec. QJ3 
 
 among these that could imitate the living human 
 flesh, they adopted the red for this purpose. 
 The ornaments were decorated with the other 
 colours ; and, though so few, I am sure they 
 are not all used in the same piece. 
 
 As to their architecture, I can only say it is 
 in conformity with their ideas. It is to be re- 
 collected, that they had a notion of returning 
 to life again, body and soul, after a period of 
 three thousand years : whence we may presume, 
 that they intended to make their edifices last so 
 long, that they might see them again in good pre- 
 servation. As to arches, can we not prove, from 
 the circumstance of their having made them in 
 a different form from ours, that they could also 
 have made them of a larger size, than we see to 
 this very day in Thebes ? Yes, I say, in Thebes 
 there are Egyptian arches. If any reader will 
 observe Plate 44, he will see an Egyptian arch 
 which exists at Gournou, under the rocks that 
 separate this place from the valley Beban el 
 Malook. The arch is made in a manner en- 
 tirely different from our own ; but if the Egyp- 
 tians were inclined to have arches in their 
 edifices, they might have constructed them in 
 their own manner, and of considerable sizes, 
 equal in proportion to the enormous blocks 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
• 
 
 274 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 which we see in their edifices. No, they did 
 not want arches — they preferred having their 
 temples crowded with columns, which formed 
 the finest embellishments of their edifices ; and 
 I assert, that the number of these columns is no 
 detriment to the beauty or magnificence of these 
 sacred places. On the contrary, without these 
 columns, their architecture would not have ap- 
 peared to the Egyptians so substantially firm, 
 which was their principal object. This, in my 
 opinion, was their reason for not erecting 
 arches. But I shall endeavour farther to prove, 
 that they knew how to make an arch with the 
 key-stone as well as we do. A traveller may 
 wander among the ruins of Thebes, and his 
 attention be so much taken by the magnificence 
 of the great edifices, as to overlook what is in- 
 ferior, especially what is constructed of simple 
 bricks, baked in the sun. Besides, he has a 
 preconceived notion, that the Egyptians were 
 ignorant of the art of turning an arch j so that, 
 if he should see one, or even pass under an 
 archway, he would take it for granted, that it 
 was the work of a later people. I shall now de- 
 scribe the situation of several arches, which are 
 to be seen in Thebes ; point out the purpose 
 for which they were evidently erected ; and 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 275 
 
 leave the reader to conjecture whether they 
 were made by the Egyptians, or by any other 
 people. 
 
 The mode of building enormously strong walls 
 with unburnt bricks is peculiar to the Egyptians. 
 Of this I trust there can be no doubt, from the 
 many instances clearly before our eyes ; but if 
 it be questioned, I would inquire of any travel- 
 ler, who has seen Thebes, whether he thinks 
 that the wall, which surrounded the avenue of 
 sphinxes, or lion-headed statues, which I dis- 
 covered at Carnak, could have been made by 
 any other people. There are even some of these 
 walls that enclose their sacred places : and if it 
 be objected to, on the supposition that some^sub- 
 sequent nation, who adored the same gods, may 
 have erected these w^alls to preserve the holy 
 edifices, I can boldly say : No, this was not the 
 case ; for the walls are so connected with the 
 Egyptian works, that it is plain they were con- 
 structed at the same time with them. But what 
 is still more to the point, at Gournou there are 
 various and extensive tombs, excavated not in 
 the rocks themselves, but in the plains at their 
 foot, twelve or fourteen feet below the surface, 
 and extending a considerable length under 
 ground. The way to these tombs is generally 
 by a staircase, which led into a large square 
 
 T 2 
 
Q'jG RESEARCHES AND CPERATIONS 
 
 liall, cut in the rock, in some instances ninety or 
 a hundred feet long ; and opposite the stairs is 
 generally the entrance into tlie tomb. It is to 
 be observed, that these halls entered into the 
 original plan of the structure : there was no- 
 thing to protect or to enclose them on any side 
 but a wall, by which they were completely sur- 
 rounded. Without this, they would have been 
 exposed to all the rubbish of other tombs, which 
 might have fallen in. The necessity of build- 
 ing these walls is evident ; and I have no doubt 
 many travellers will plainly see, that no other 
 succeeding nation would have built these 
 enormous walls to preserve the tombs of the 
 Egyptians. Now over the stairs, which lead 
 into the hall, there are some very high and 
 majestic arches, not only made of the same 
 bricks, but connected with the walls them- 
 selves ; consequently, made by the Egyptians, 
 and constructed with the same key-stones as 
 our own in the present day. There is also at 
 Gournou a great number of other buildings of 
 sun-burnt bricks, of a later date, which I hope 
 will not be confounded with the others. Some 
 of these are built with a smaller sort of bricks ; 
 others with bricks taken from the Egyptian 
 walls ; but their construction plainly shows the 
 difference of the people who erected them. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 277 
 
 If we extend our observations on the Egyp- 
 tian architecture, it will appear, that the Egyp- 
 tians undoubtedly have the merit of invention, 
 which I consider as the source of improvement, 
 &c. The Greeks may claim their having brought 
 the art to great perfection ; but it is well known, 
 that they took their principal hints from the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 The Egyptians were a primitive nation. They 
 had to form every thing without any model be- 
 fore them to imitate. Yet so fertile was their 
 inventive faculty, that to this day new orders 
 of architecture might be extracted from their 
 ruins. If we observe the Egyptian capitals, do 
 we not see a complication of orders in one mass, 
 which, if divided, would produce numerous 
 hints for new ideas ? If the lover of truth will 
 but inspect the various representations of the 
 lotus on the capitals, he w411 plainly see, that not 
 only the Doric and the Corinthian orders have 
 been extracted from them, but that more might 
 still be formed. There is reason also to believe, 
 that the Ionic order originated in Egypt. The 
 capitals of the columns of Tentyra, those in the 
 small temple of Edfu, and, lastly, the others in 
 the small temple of Isis, in the island of Philoe, 
 sufficiently indicate this. The name of the 
 deity, to which the first and third of these tem- 
 
278 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 pies are dedicated, seems to strengthen this 
 supposition. We well know, that Isis is the lo 
 of the Greeks, from whom the name of Ionic 
 was no doubt derived ; and it is very probable, 
 that he who introduced the order gave it that 
 name, as having been taken from the temple of 
 the goddess. 
 
 The wonderful sculptures of the Egyptians 
 are to be admired for the boldness of their exe- 
 cution. Their enormous sizes rendered it dif- 
 ficult for the artists to maintain their due pro- 
 portions, which were according to the height 
 of the figure. For instance, if a statue were 
 erected of the size of life, the head was of the 
 natural size ; if the statue were thirty feet high, 
 the head was larger in proportion to the body ; 
 and if fifty feet high, the magnitude of the head 
 was farther increased. Had it been otherwise 
 in statues of so great height, the distance from 
 the eyes of the spectator would have so much 
 diminished the size, that the head would have 
 appeared too small in proportion to the legs. 
 The tedious work of the endless hieroglyphics 
 which are to be seen in every part of every edi- 
 fice, the numberless figures on the temples, 
 tombs, obelisks, and walls, must have required 
 wonderful labour. They had only four sorts of 
 stones in general use for sculpture, the sandy. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 279 
 
 the calcareous, breccia, and granite. All ex- 
 cept the first are very hard, and what is most 
 singular is, we do not know with what tools they 
 were cut out. We have ocular demonstration, 
 that the tools of the present day will not cut 
 granite without great difficulty, and I doubt 
 whether we could give it that smoothness of 
 surface we see in Egypt. But I would observe 
 it is not unreasonable to suppose, that the gra- 
 nite and other stones were less hard at the time 
 of the Egyptians than they are at present. On 
 the calcareous stone the figures have angles so 
 sharp, that the best tempered chisel of our time 
 could not produce the like ; it is so hard that it 
 breaks more like glass than stone ; and the gra- 
 nite is almost impenetrable. 
 
 At the end of the above-mentioned plain in 
 Gournou, at the foot of the rocks which divide 
 that valley from Beban el Malook, the excava- 
 tion was going on at the end of an avenue where 
 sphinxes must have been. Here was found a 
 causeway gradually rising to some ruins, which 
 being uncovered, proved to be a temple, with 
 columns doubly octangular, the only one of such 
 form I saw in Egypt. The temple is evidently 
 ancient, but I dare not affirm it to be Egyptian, 
 though it has hieroglyphics, &c. It was probably 
 made by the Ptolemies ; for the proportions of 
 
280 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the plan, as far as I could see, and the order of 
 the columns, being totally different from any 
 others of the Egyptians, lead me to suppose this 
 temple to be of a later date. Farther on, just 
 under the rocks, we discovered a granite door 
 nine feet high by five wide, and one and a half 
 thick. It is covered with hieroglyphics and 
 figures neatly cut, and on the top it has the 
 winged globe and a cornice. It had been 
 painted, and was buried entirely under ground. 
 While my men were at work, I was in the 
 habit of searching among these tombs, and en- 
 tered all the places and holes I could possibly 
 squeeze myself into. In the large tombs I 
 caused the side wall or rock to be struck with 
 the large sledge hammer, to discover by the 
 sound if any cavity were near. One day the 
 hammer not only gave a hollow sound, but 
 made an aperture a foot and half wide into an- 
 other tomb. Having enlarged the hole suf- 
 ficiently to pass, we entered, and found several 
 mummies, and a great quantity of broken cases. 
 The stones which had fallen from the roof were 
 as sharp as a razor, and as my shoes were not 
 very strong, my feet were cut in several places. 
 These stones detach themselves from the roof 
 in flakes, which proves them to be much harder 
 than when first cut. In an inner apartment of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. ^81 
 
 this tomb is a square opening, into which we 
 descended, and at the bottom found a small 
 chamber at each side of the shaft. In one was 
 a granite sarcophagus with its cover quite per- 
 fect, but so situated, that it would be an ardu- 
 ous undertaking to draw it out. Among the 
 mummies I found some small papyri, and one 
 extraordinarily large. 
 
 When I did not choose to pass the river in 
 the night to our habitation at the temple of 
 Luxor, I took up my lodging in the entrance of 
 some of the tombs along with those troglodytes. 
 Nothing could be more amusing to me. Their 
 dwelling is generally in the passages between 
 the first and second entrance into a tomb. The 
 walls and the roof are as black as any chimney. 
 The inner door is closed up with mud, except 
 a small aperture sufficient for a man to crawl 
 through. Within this place the sheep are kept 
 at night, and occasionally accompany their mas- 
 ters in their vocal concert. Over the doorway 
 there are always some half-broken Egyptian 
 figures, and the two foxes, the usual guardians 
 of burial-places. A small lamp, kept alive by 
 fat from the sheep, or rancid oil, is placed in a 
 niche in the wall, and a mat is spread on the 
 ground ; and this formed tlie grand divan, 
 
28^ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 wherever I was. There the people assembled 
 round me, their conversation turning wholly on 
 antiquities. Such a one had found such a thing, 
 and another had discovered a tomb. Various 
 articles were brought to sell to me, and some- 
 times I had reason to rejoice at having stayed 
 there. I was sure of a supper of milk and 
 bread served in a wooden bowl ; but whenever 
 they supposed I should stay all night, they 
 always killed a couple of fowls for me, which 
 were baked in a small oven heated with pieces of 
 mummy cases, and sometimes with the bones 
 and rags of the mummies themselves. It is no 
 uncommon thing to sit down near fragments of 
 bones ; hands, feet, or sculls are often in the 
 way ; for these people are so accustomed to be 
 among the mummies, that they think no more 
 of sitting on them, than on the skins of their 
 dead calves. I also became indifferent about 
 them at last, and would have slept in a mummy 
 pit as readily as out of it. 
 
 Every human being can be happy if he likes, 
 for happiness certainly depends on ourselves. 
 If a man be satisfied with what he has, he is 
 happy ; but much more so when he thinks, that 
 there is nothing more to be got. It is somewhat 
 singular to talk of happiness among people who 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 283 
 
 live in caves like brutes, or rather who live in 
 sepulchres among the corpses and rags of an 
 ancient nation, which they know nothing of. 
 But this is trifling compared with their slave- 
 like state, subject to the caprice of a tyrannical 
 power, who leaves them no chance of receiving 
 any remuneration for their labour, and no pro- 
 spect of any change except for the worse. But 
 custom reconciles all this. The labourer comes 
 home in the evening, seats himself near his cave, 
 smokes his pipe with his companions, talks of 
 the last inundation of the Nile, its products, and 
 what the ensuing season is likely to be. His old 
 wife brings him the usual bowl of lentils and 
 bread moistened with water and salt, and when 
 she can add a little butter it is a feast. Know- 
 ing nothing beyond this, he is happy. The 
 young man's business is to accumulate the 
 amazing sum of a hundred piasters (two pounds 
 and ten shillings) to buy himself a wife, and to 
 make a feast on the wedding day. If he has 
 any children, they want no clothing : he leaves 
 them to themselves till mother Nature pleases to 
 teach them to work, to gain money enough to 
 buy a shirt or some other rag to cover them- 
 selves ; for while they are children, they are 
 generally naked or covered with rags. The 
 })arents are roguishly cunning, and the children 
 
284 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 are schooled by their example, so that it becomes 
 a matter of course to cheat strangers. Would 
 any one believe, that in such a state of life 
 luxury and ambition exist ? If any woman be 
 destitute of jewels, she is poor, and looks with 
 envv on one more fortunate than herself, who 
 perhaps has the worth of half-a-crown round 
 her neck ; and she who has a few glass beads, 
 or some sort of coarse coral, a couple of silver 
 brooches, or rings at her arms and legs, is con- 
 sidered as truly rich and great. Some of them 
 are as complete coquettes, in their way, as any 
 to be seen in the capitals of Europe. I often 
 noticed, that modesty was most apparent among 
 the ugliest. These do not care to let a stranger 
 see their faces ; as they have nothing to gain 
 by it, they deem it better to keep it covered ; 
 on the contrary, one who hopes to excite ad- 
 miration in the stranger, takes care that some 
 accident or other shall cause the veil, or cloth, 
 or rag, covering her face, to fall or turn aside. 
 The artifice having succeeded, she pretends to 
 be quite anxious to cover herself again ; but 
 she is satisfied the stranger has had his peep, 
 and she passes on, proud that he knows her to 
 be pretty. 
 
 When a young man wants to marry, he goes 
 to the father of the intended bride, and agrees 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 285 
 
 with him what he is to pay for her. This being 
 settled, so much money is to be spent on the 
 wedding-day feast. To set up housekeeping 
 nothing is requisite but two or three earthen 
 pots, a stone to grind meal, and a mat, which is 
 the bed. The spouse has a gown and jewels of 
 her own ; and, if the bridegroom present her 
 w^th a pair of bracelets of silver, ivory, or glass, 
 she is happy and fortunate indeed. The house 
 is ready, without rent or taxes. No rain can 
 pass through the roof; and there is no door, for 
 there is no want of one, as there is nothing to 
 lose. They make a kind of box of clay and 
 straw, which, after two or three days' exposure 
 to the sun, becomes quite hard. It is fixed on 
 a stand, an aperture is left to put all their pre- 
 cious things into it, and a piece of mummy case 
 forms the door. If the house do not please 
 them, they walk out and enter another, as there 
 are several hundreds at their command ; I might 
 say several thousands, but they are not all iit to 
 receive inhabitants. 
 
 While I was thus occupied in my researches 
 at Thebes, we received news that the Defterdar 
 was to come up the Nile again. By this time I 
 had arranged my operations, and they were 
 going on very well. At Carnak, one morning 
 previous to my crossing the Nile to Gournou, I 
 
286 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 set several men to work on a spot of ground at 
 the foot of a heap of earth, where part of a large 
 colossus projected out. Mr. Beech ej, who 
 sometimes visited the ruins, did me the favour 
 to superintend the work on that day ; and, on 
 my return from Gournou, I had the pleasure to 
 find the discovery had been made of a colossal 
 head, larger than that I had sent to England. 
 It was of red granite, of beautiful workmanship, 
 and uncommonly well preserved, except one 
 ear, and part of the chin, which had been 
 knocked off along with the beard. It is de- 
 tached from the shoulder at the lower part of 
 the neck, and has the usual corn measure, or 
 mitre, on its head. Though of larger propor- 
 tion than the young Memnon, it is not so bulky 
 or heavy, as it has no part of the shoulder 
 attached to it. I had it remov^ed to Luxor, 
 which employed eight days, though the distance 
 is little more than a mile. 
 
 I had by this time accumulated at Luxor 
 articles enough to fill another boat, as large as 
 that of the preceding year. Besides this head, 
 which is ten feet from the neck to the top of the 
 mitre, I procured an arm belonging to the same 
 colossus, which measures also ten feet, and with 
 the head, will give a just idea of the size of the 
 statue. 
 
IN EGYPT. NUBIA, See. ^287 
 
 I brought also t4ie famous altar, with the six 
 divinities, in alto relievo, which are the most 
 finished works of any I have seen in Egypt. It 
 was thrown from its pedestal in a small temple 
 in the north-east angle of the wall inclosing the 
 great temple of Carnak. The pedestal is still 
 there, and is of a kind of whitish marble. I 
 had also four large statues with the lion-heads ; 
 and the cover of the sarcophagus, of which so 
 much was said on my first visit. It cost some 
 trouble, as may be supposed, to remove a heavy 
 piece of granite from those abysses, through a 
 place scarcely high enough to allow a man to sit 
 on the ground, up an uneven and craggy ascent, 
 by the assistance of people, strangers to every 
 sort of order, and who had to contend with the 
 dust that rose under the feet, and the excessive 
 heat from the number of labourers. I had it 
 conveyed over the water to Luxor, ready to 
 embark, and it was well that I did so. 
 
 Fortune seemed to favour me so far this time; 
 for, no sooner had I finished the operation, and 
 made the above collection, than an order came 
 from the Defterdar Bey, who had arrived at 
 Gamola, three miles north of Thebes, to all the 
 CachefFs and Caimakans, who commanded on 
 both sides of Thebes, not to permit the Enghsh 
 party to accumulate any more antiquities, nor 
 
288 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to allow the Arabs to work or sell any thing 
 more to them on any account. 
 
 I must inform my reader, that the two agents 
 for the opposite party had gone to Gamola on 
 the arrival of the Bey, and requested him to 
 send this order, under the pretext, that they 
 ■ could not find or buy a single article in conse- 
 quence of the English, who laid their hands on 
 every thing. He did not want much persuasion 
 to this ; and immediately sent for the chiefs of 
 Gournou, Luxor, and Carnak, to whom he gave 
 strict orders as above. 
 
 The Sheik of Gournou came to tell us of the 
 order the Bey had issued. The poor fellow, 
 who was rather attached to us, was sorry for his 
 part, but said he must obey. It was too late to 
 set off that evening to see the Bey, so I waited 
 till early the next morning. On my arrival, I 
 found the mighty potentate seated in his divan, 
 surrounded by his Cacheffs, and a number of 
 other attendants. He received me more coolly 
 than on my former visit. He inquired whether 
 I had not yet made up my collection. I an- 
 swered, that, as long as I had his permission, I 
 would still endeavour to find something more. 
 
 I presented the letter from the Bashaw ; but 
 if I had brought him a present, it would have 
 had a better effect. As he saw the address pre- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. <289 
 
 vioiis to his taking the letter into his hands, he 
 dexterously turned the discourse on other busi- 
 ness ; and half an hour passed before I could 
 bring the subject on again, which he still con- 
 trived to divert. I was at a loss what to think 
 of his behaviour, and began to inquire, if there 
 were any reasons why our works were stopped 
 at Carnak, and orders given at Gournou, that 
 the English should not purchase any thing, and 
 on what account they were to be distinguished 
 from the opposite party. He looked at the let- 
 ter a second time ; and, with a smile, told tlie 
 Cacheffs what the Bashaw had written, but the 
 letter was expressed in a manner as if the old 
 Bashaw were in his dotage and quite childish ; 
 so that the Bey might do as he pleased in the 
 affair. He then put the letter aside, and began 
 to talk of other matters. I saw that he wanted 
 an excuse for his conduct towards us ; for he 
 said he had been informed that the Fellahs had 
 complained of being so exceedingly ill-treated 
 by us, that we drew our swords every moment 
 to cut off their heads, and that we beat them 
 continually. At this 1 rose from my seat, 
 and said I was surprised that a man of his good 
 understanding could believe such reports, and 
 condemn us without proof; that, if he would 
 inquire into the matter, he would find it to be 
 
 VOL. I. u 
 
gQO RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 all false ; and that it was his duty to do me jus- 
 tice. He answered, that we had bought nearly 
 every article of antiquity that could be obtained 
 in Gournou, while the other party could pur- 
 chase nothing, and therefore it was time to stop 
 our proceedings. I replied, what we had bought 
 had been voluntarily sold to us by the Arabs, 
 and beGTffed him not to believe what he heard 
 from our opponents, who played such tricks, 
 that we could not be aware of them. He con- 
 tinued to talk of other things, till at last I asked 
 him what he intended to do with respect to the 
 order for Carnak : to whicli he made no reply, 
 but inquired whether Gournou were far off. 
 On being shown the place out of the window, 
 six miles distant, he ordered horses, and in a 
 few minutes we set off for that place. We ar- 
 rived in two hours, and he went straight on to 
 Memnonium ; where he inquired about these 
 great " mosquees," as he named them, and put 
 several questions concerning the buildings and 
 the colossi that are there. He then proceeded 
 to the two colossi, and from them to Medinet, 
 whither I followed him, as I was determined to 
 have the order he gave to the Sheiks recalled. 
 I sought an opportunity to speak to him tete-a- 
 t^te, and indeed I had many, but all to no pur- 
 pose ; for the moment I began to mention the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, vie. 291 
 
 business, he put some other question, so that my 
 words were of uo effect. Still I was determined 
 not to lose my patience, as I saw this was what 
 he w^anted, and resolved not to leave him a mo- 
 ment ; for it is the character of the Turks, that 
 they must be importuned into compliance with 
 whatever is agamst their inclination. After a 
 general survey of the ruins, he seated himself 
 before the famous battle painted on the wall, 
 and gave his opinion respecting it ; observing, 
 it was impossible that the colouring could have 
 been done at the time the figures were made, as 
 it was so fresh, and the stones were so much 
 broken. I told him, it was owing to the climate 
 of the country that these things were preserved ; 
 but he persisted in his opinion, that it was im- 
 possible it could be so. Then, quitting his sta- 
 tion, he seated himself under the archway of the 
 first entrance, and called the Sheik of Gournou, 
 whom he knew to be our friend, and who had 
 received the order the night before. The poor 
 Sheik, trembling all over at this call, was asked 
 how many men there were in Gournou who dug 
 the ground in seai'ch of mummies. The Sheik 
 answered six or seven. I saw the Bey did not 
 know what to do to gratify his spleen ; and, as 
 he could not avoid retracting the order, the 
 poor Sheik was to suffer, and our party to be 
 
 u 2 
 
292 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 mortified. A diabolical thought came into his 
 head ; and he asked the Sheik if he could find 
 in Gournou a mummy that had not been opened. 
 The Sheik answered, that one might be found, 
 if he gave him time to search ; but the people 
 who find them always open them instantly. On 
 this the Bey flew into a great rage, and insisted 
 that one should be found immediately ; and, if 
 he did not find it, he would give him the bas- 
 tinado. The poor Sheik was ordered to dig 
 directly under his feet, and take out a mummy ; 
 but he answered, that the mummies were in 
 Gournou, and none were ever found in the place 
 where he stood : and it was well for him that 
 one of the attendants and a CachefF confirmed 
 what he said. The Bey then sent him to 
 Gournou, and told him to see that he found a 
 mummy, in its case and unopened ; and he al- 
 lowed him an hour for doing it. The poor 
 Sheik attempted to speak, but was turned out 
 by three or four soldiers. A little after, the 
 Bey began to ask some other questions respect- 
 ing the temple, particularly if we had taken any 
 drawings ; adding, that he could draw himself, 
 if he had paper and pencils. I told him I had 
 no doubt he might make some good sketches 
 from what was before him ; on which he asked 
 me for a pencil and some paper, which I gave 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. Q{)3 
 
 him from my pocket-book, and he made a sketch 
 of the capital of one of the coUimns that are be- 
 fore the gate. When finished, it was shown to 
 all around with great parade. He praised it 
 himself highly, and every one agreed, that it 
 was very fine indeed. He then gave it to me, 
 with an air of self-conceit, saying, " There, see 
 what I can do !*' I took it, put it into my 
 pocket, and have preserved it, as it may give an 
 idea of the person by whom it was executed. 
 We left Medinet Abou and came to Gournou, 
 and under a doum-tree saw the Sheik and some 
 of the Janizaries, with the mummy ready for 
 his highness. Before he drew near to ascertain 
 the fact, the Bey began to cry out that he was 
 sure it had been opened by one of the fellows 
 who search for mummies ; and it was in vain he 
 was told otherwise. I did not imagine things 
 would be carried to such an extreme. That 
 the case had been opened no one could suspect; 
 but the Bey wanted a pretence to beat the poor 
 Sheik for being our friend. Accordingly, he 
 ordered him to be immediately stretched on the 
 ground ; and such a scene ensued, that I heard 
 from the Turks themselves expressions both of 
 displeasure and disgust. I perceived that all 
 this was owing to the intrigues of our oppo- 
 nents, who had told the Bey, that the Sheik was 
 
294 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 our friend ; and as tliey brought him some tri- 
 fling presents to back their assertion, of course 
 he Ustened to what they said. I did not fail to 
 intercede for the unfortunate wretch, who all 
 this time was under the stick, but it was use- 
 less ; and I was persuaded, the more I entreated, 
 the more beating he would receive. The inter- 
 preter, not reflecting on what he did, ventured 
 to intercede in the name of Mr. Salt, the British 
 consul ; at which the Bey laughed. He then 
 begged in the name of his father-in-law, the 
 Bashaw ; and the Bey made answer, that he was 
 the sole commander in all business there ; add- 
 ing, to the man who was punishing the Sheik, 
 " Go on, go on, and hard." 
 
 By this time the poor fellow was like the 
 mummy that lay by his side, deprived of sense 
 and feeling ; and with a little more beating I 
 have no doubt would have remained there for 
 ever, and been buried where he lay. I leave to 
 the imagination of any friend of humanity to 
 what a height my blood rose, and what my 
 feelings must have been at that moment. I can 
 assure the reader I did not think I could have 
 stood so long without openly declaring them ; 
 but I reflected, that losing my patience would 
 answer no good purpose, and only expose me to 
 insults from the Bey, for all lie wanted was an 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 29.5 
 
 opportunity to justify him in acting as he Uked 
 towards us. Reason, however, subdued not my 
 rage, but it restrained the mere action of my 
 body, and I stood for a long time motionless. 
 The Bey was smiling, and I was afraid miglit 
 discover the state of my feelings, which would 
 have increased his pleasure. At last he told the 
 man to stop, and the miserable Sheik was carried 
 to his cave as into his tomb ; and was, indeed, 
 more fit for the tomb than for a house. The 
 Bey then caused the mummy to be opened, and 
 finding nothing, he exclaimed, if they did not 
 bring him one that was entire, he would throw 
 the Sheik into the river. Observing that I 
 avoided speaking to him, for I was too much 
 disgusted- even to continue near such a being, 
 he called another Sheik, and ordered, that 
 henceforth whatever antiquities were found in 
 Gournou should be sold to our opponents. On 
 my representing to him, that I now felt myself 
 under the necessity of writing to Cairo that very 
 night, he mounted his horse, called my inter- 
 preter, and bade him despatch a man to Gamola, 
 and he would send an order by him, to have the 
 men at work the next day. I told him, that I 
 should send to Cairo notwithstanding this appa- 
 rent change in his sentiments ; as it was incum- 
 bent on me to let the Bashaw know Jiow his 
 
Q.()C) RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 commands were obeyed. 1 then went to see 
 the Sheik, whom I found unable to speak ; I 
 did all I could for him ; but there was such fear 
 amongst the Arabs, that they dreaded having 
 any thing to do with us. 
 
 In the morning I was about to send the in- 
 terpreter to Gamola, when we saw the cangiar 
 of the Bey passing before Luxor, and the 
 Cacheft* of Gheneh just landing a man from 
 Gamola, who brought an order, that we might 
 have twenty men to work for eight days. When 
 I perceived that the Bey did not stop, I spoke 
 to the CachefF, to use his influence, that the 
 order might be enforced ; but he seemed de- 
 sirous of evading it, as he was aware it was 
 merely a pretext on the part of the Bey. He 
 told us plainly, that our opponents had calumni- 
 ated us to the Bey ; and protested, that if it had 
 been in his power, he would have befriended us. 
 Accordingly I gave him to understand, that it 
 would be to his advantage to be friendly to our 
 party, as well as to the other, and that the Bey*s 
 enmity would not last much longer, as it was 
 simply owing to some business which had pre- 
 vented the Consul from coming, who intended 
 to bring with him presents both to the Bey and 
 to himself, when all would be set to rights 
 again. At length my persuasions prevailed ; 
 
IN EGYPT. NUBIA. &c. *21)7 
 
 he ordered the men to work ; and in a few days 
 I collected all the pieces of antiquity together 
 on the quay of Luxor ; and caused a mud wall 
 to be made round them. 
 
 At this time the Fellahs of Gournou were all 
 in great consternation, in consequence of an- 
 other order they had received from the Bey not 
 to sell any thing either to us, or to the French ; 
 and to get three unopened mummies ready for 
 him on his return, which would be in a few 
 days. This was a pretext they had no doubt 
 for a general bastinadoing, as it was expressly 
 said, that the mummies were to be procured by 
 the men who worked for the English. The poor 
 .Sheik, who still could scarcely move, began to 
 fear that he should receive another beating ; 
 and we had just finished some works at Carnak 
 and Luxor, when, on the 3d of May, in the 
 morning, our gentleman made his appearance 
 at Luxor on his return from Derou. On land- 
 ing, he came to see our collection of antiques, 
 which certainly formed no inconsiderable group. 
 He made a remark or two, that the head was a 
 very fine piece, &c. and then, like a being be- 
 wildered, ran here and there among the ruins> 
 to seek for antiquities, without knowing where 
 he went. As he appeared to be a little more 
 disposed to hearken to what we had to say to 
 
298 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 him, we complained of our situation ; stating to 
 him, that in consequence of what he had done 
 to the Sheik on the other side of the water, the 
 Fellahs would not work, and that, although we 
 had brought strong letters of recommendation 
 from the Bashaw himself, we were without pro- 
 tection, exposed to the insolence of our oppo- 
 nents, and every one else, who thought they 
 might act as they pleased towards us with im- 
 punity. He inquired if any one had done us 
 any injury ; and we informed him, that our in- 
 terpreter had been beaten by the Fellahs of Car- 
 nak, and that the Caimakan, after it had been 
 proved, said he could do nothing to the assail- 
 ants, as he was afraid of incurring the displea- 
 sure of the Bey. He next asked, if I were dis- 
 pleased because he had beaten the Sheik of 
 Gournou. I said, it was not pleasant to see any 
 one beaten without cause, for the Sheik had had 
 no dealings with us, had not sold us a single ar- 
 ticle of antiquity ; but he might treat his own 
 people as he liked, for we had no business to in- 
 terfere either with his orders, or with them, so 
 long as they were not injurious to us. He then 
 wished to know what we wanted. We said, 
 that we wanted to be respected, and to be al- 
 lowed to proceed in our researches. We did 
 not wish to be treated with more favour than 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 299 
 
 our opponents ; but we were desirous of an or- 
 der to the people of Gournou, that we might 
 purchase antiquities as well as others ; and a 
 farther order for the CachefTs of Assouan and 
 Ibrim, as we intended to ascend the Nile ; with 
 which he complied, and set off. 
 
 On our return to Luxor I found two of the 
 fathers of the Propaganda whom I had met with 
 on my first journey from Redamont to Luxor, and 
 who were come to see the antiquities. As they 
 had treated me with civility on my journey, I 
 felt it my duty to return the obligation. Ac- 
 cordingly I went with them to all the places I 
 knew, and in particular to the tombs of the 
 kings, the Memnonium, Medinet Aboo, Car- 
 nak, Luxor, &c. To me it was in general a 
 source of pleasure to show these things to 
 strangers, to hear their remarks, and to observe 
 their astonishment and satisfaction, after com- 
 ing so far to view what cannot be seen any 
 where else ; at the same time no vexation can 
 be greater to a lover of antiquity, than when he 
 witnesses indifference even to what is most 
 striking, which is often the case. These two 
 holy fathers had been in the country for about 
 ten years, and their place of residence was only 
 at the distance of three days' journey from 
 Thebes; yet they had never thought of taking 
 
300 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the trouble of such a journey during all that time, 
 and probably never would have done it, had it not 
 been for my persuasion when I first saw them. 
 Such neglect of antiquities would be not a little 
 provoking to the travellers who come from Lon- 
 don, Paris, Vienna, and Petersburg, to see these 
 magnificent ruins. On arriving at the first tombs 
 through the entrance, which is truly magni- 
 ficent, the holy fathers, who had as much taste 
 for antiquity as the animals that brought them, 
 complained of being very much fatigued, though 
 they had been carried by two very good asses. 
 My attention was on the alert for the first bursts 
 of their astonishment j but how I was disap- 
 pointed ! They dismounted without taking any 
 more notice of these magnificent places, than of 
 a common building, or of the cloister of a con- 
 vent. They sent immediately for the boy who 
 had the bottle of aquavitae, and drank a glass 
 each. I thought they meant to take it easily, 
 and to examine every thing minutely, but I 
 was soon undeceived, for the only observation 
 they made was on the name of a friend they 
 happened to know, which was scrawled on one 
 of these sacred walls in charcoal. They ex- 
 pressed their wonder how he had come thither, 
 when he had been there, and so on; and al- 
 though they were surrounded by Egyptian an- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 301 
 
 tiquities, hieroglyphics, figures, fine paintings, 
 &c. all their occupation was to inspect the nu- 
 merous other scrawls on the stones, to see whe- 
 ther any more of their friends had been there. 
 On our arrival at the great hall, they could not 
 help observing the immense sarcophagus that 
 lies there, and immediately inquired whether 
 the body were still in it. On advancing a little 
 farther, and perceiving it had been emptied, 
 they concluded there was nothing worth seeing, 
 as there were none of the kings' bodies to be 
 found. At my request they cast their eyes on 
 the painting, otherwise they would have walked 
 out without knowing whether it were a tomb or 
 a cellar : in the mean time a friend of theirs, 
 who not being quite so anxious as the fathers to 
 see these antiquities, had seated himself near 
 the entrance, as he cared not about coming any 
 farther, was calling to the holy friars to make 
 haste, and wondered why they would waste so 
 much time in examining such things. It may 
 easily be imagined, that I was not only disap- 
 pointed in the taste of my companions, but also 
 provoked at their indifference ; and as I saw 
 there was no remedy, I hurried them out of the 
 tomb as fast as I could, to show them another 
 more magnificent, in hopes to have better suc- 
 cess. Accordingly I took them to see the most 
 
302 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 remarkable of the tombs, and that which is 
 reckoned the best. This tomb is truly grand ; 
 it is distinguished from the others not only by 
 its excellent state of preservation, but because 
 it contains eight small cells cut in the rock, in 
 the first passage on each side of it, in which are 
 painted a multitude of articles used by the an- 
 cient Egyptians, such as implements of war, 
 domestic and ceremonial dresses, decorations, 
 musical instruments, and in short all that was 
 conducive to utility, ornament, or convenience, 
 in their time, so as to give perfect ideas of their 
 mode of living, &c. The ground is white, and 
 the colours are so lively and striking, that we 
 cannot fail to wonder at them. Farther on you 
 pass through a long gallery, painted with the 
 most beautiful hieroglyphics, in as good perfec- 
 tion as the former ; and in the great hall lies an 
 enormous sarcophagus, of one single piece of 
 granite, measuring ten feet long, five wide, six 
 high, and six inches thick, covered with hiero- 
 glyphics inside and out. This is one of the 
 largest sarcophagi remaining in perfection at 
 this day. There are other apartments commu- 
 nicating with the great hall, all of which deserve 
 the attention of the traveller, for in them he sees 
 various groups of figures and hieroglyphics in- 
 dicating the manner of ]i\dng, agriculture, &c. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 303 
 
 On our entering I informed the fathers that 
 this was the finest tomb, and that it contained 
 paintings of the implements and other things of 
 the ancients, which are very interesting. They 
 passed the first corridor with the same apathy 
 as the first tomb, holding a candle into each of 
 the cells as they passed, and peeping in with 
 their heads, but without entering. The only 
 thing that struck their attention were the hasps 
 on a little box, somewhat like those which con- 
 tain large flasks for liquors. On coming out I 
 took the road over the mountain, which is a little 
 troublesome, but in a few minutes it brings you 
 to the summit, and then descends to Medinet 
 Abou. Having no better success here, I re- 
 turned with them to Luxor. 
 
 A strong wind that arose this day leads me 
 to mention some particulars of the phenomena 
 that often happen in Egypt. The first I shall 
 notice is the whirluiiids, which occur all the 
 year round, but especially at the time of the 
 camseen wind, which begins in April, and lasts 
 fifty days. Hence the name of camseen, which 
 in Arabic signifies fifty. It generally blows 
 from the south-west, and lasts four, five, or six 
 days without varying, so very strong, that it 
 raises the sands to a great height, forming a 
 general cloud, so thick that it is impossible to 
 
304 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 keep the eyes open, if not under cover. It is 
 troublesome even to the Arabs ; it forces the 
 sand into the houses through every cranny, and 
 fills every thing with it. The caravans cannot 
 proceed in the deserts ; the boats cannot con- 
 tinue their voyages ; and travellers are obliged 
 to eat sand in spite of their teeth. The whole 
 is like a chaos. Often a quantity of sand and 
 small stones gradually ascends to a great height 
 and forms a column sixty or seventy feet in dia- 
 meter, and so thick, that were it steady on one 
 spot, it would appear a solid mass. This not 
 only revolves within its own circumference, but 
 runs in a circular direction over a great space 
 of ground, sometimes maintaining itself in mo- 
 tion for half an hour, and where it falls it ac- 
 cumulates a small hill of sand. God help the 
 poor traveller who is caught under it ! 
 
 The next phenomenon is the mirage^ often 
 described by travellers, who assert having been 
 deceived by it, as at a distance it appears to 
 them like water. This is certainly the fact, and 
 I must confess, that I have been deceived my- 
 self, even after I was aware of it. The perfect 
 resemblance to water, and the strong desire for 
 this element, made me conclude, in spite of all 
 my caution not to be deceived, that it was really 
 water I saw. It generally appears like a still 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 305 
 
 lake, so unmoved by the wind, that every thing 
 above is to be seen most distinctly reflected by 
 it, which is the principal cause of the deception. 
 If the wind agitate any of the plants that rise 
 above the horizon of the mirage, the motion is 
 seen perfectly at a great distance. If the tra- 
 veller stand elevated much above the mirage, 
 the apparent water seems less united and less 
 deep, for, as the eyes look down upon it, there 
 is not thickness enough in the vapour on the 
 surface of the ground to conceal the earth from 
 the sight. But, if the traveller be on a level 
 with the horizon of the mirage, he cannot see 
 through it, so that it appears to him clear water. 
 By putting my head first to the ground, and 
 then mounting a camel, the height of which 
 from the ground might have been about ten 
 feet at the most, I found a great difference in 
 the appearance of the mirage. On approaching 
 it, it becomes thinner, and appears as if agitated 
 by the wind, like a field of ripe corn. It gra- 
 dually vanishes as the traveller approaches, and 
 at last entirely disappears when he is on the 
 spot. 
 
 The third phenomenon is the locusts. These 
 animals I have seen in such clouds, that twice 
 the number in the same space would form an 
 opaque mass, which would wholly intercept the 
 
 VOL. 1. X 
 
SOG RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 rays of the siiii, and cause complete darkness. 
 They alight on fields of corn, or other vegeta- 
 bles, and in a few minutes devour their whole 
 produce. The natives make a great noise to 
 frighten them away, but in vain j and, by way 
 of retaliation, they catch and eat them when 
 fried, considering them a dainty repast. They 
 are something like the grasshopper in form, about 
 two inches in length. They are generally of a 
 yellow or gold colour, but there are some red 
 and some green. 
 
 To return to our proceedings at Luxor. By 
 this time our opponents were preparing to de- 
 part for Cairo, at which we rejoiced, as we 
 thought we should remain quite alone. We 
 had written to Cairo, informing Mr. Salt, the 
 consul, of all that passed with the Bey; but 
 indeed, unless a person is present at such oc- 
 currences, he can feel no interest in them, nor 
 understand the disgust they excite. I had 
 written also to Mr. Burckhardt on the subject, 
 and from his answer I perceived, that the Bey's 
 conduct excited in him no surprise. 
 
 When at last we thought we should remain 
 alone, and pursue our researches in peace, I 
 made preparations for commencing our work at 
 Gournou. After having, in some measure per- 
 suaded the Shieks and the people of the place, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 307 
 
 that they would not incur the displeasure of the 
 Bey, as I had an order from himself, which per- 
 mitted them to work for us, and sell us antiques, 
 it was agreed, that all the Sheiks should meet 
 in the morning, and hear the order read. Ac- 
 cordingly, we assembled in the grotto, that 
 usually serves as a public place for strangers, 
 and a sort of exchange for buying and selling 
 antiques. A great number of the Fellahs also 
 came to hear the firman, which the great man 
 had written wuth his own hand ; and in con- 
 sequence of the example that had recently been 
 made of their Sheik, they were very attentive. 
 The firman had been kept by our interpreter 
 well secured in his pocket, as the most mighty 
 order that had ever been given ; and he often 
 boasted of having it in his possession. At last 
 it was produced, and put into the hands of the 
 only person among the Sheiks who could read 
 it. He first perused it to himself, that he might 
 read it fluently to the assembly; but had not 
 gone far, when he turned towards me a look of 
 astonishment : however, he proceeded to the 
 end, and then asked me whether he should read 
 it aloud to the assembly; and upon my answer- 
 ing in the affirmative, read nearly as follows : 
 
 " It is the will and pleasure of Hamed, the 
 Deflerdar Bey and present ruler of Upper Egypt, 
 
 X 2 
 
308 KKSEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 that no Sheiks, Fellahs, or other persons, shall: 
 from this moment sell any article of antiquity 
 to the English party, or work for them ; on the 
 contrary, it is hereby ordered, that every thing 
 that may be found shall be sold to the party of 
 Mr. Drouetti ; and whoever disobeys this order 
 will incur the displeasure of the Bey." 
 
 I need not inform the reader how I felt on 
 
 hearing this mandate, the very reverse of what 
 
 the Bey had given me reason to expect. Were 
 
 I sure of not returning to Egypt again, I would 
 
 explain farther how this happened, and what 
 
 means had been employed to influence the Bey : 
 
 but as I do not know what fate may attend my 
 
 future proceedings, I shall say nothing on the 
 
 subject till the proper season, when this and 
 
 many other things, of which the world has not 
 
 the smallest idea, shall be explained, and the 
 
 various intrigues be exposed to light, that were 
 
 darkly carried on against me by more than one 
 
 description of persons. 
 
 Under the circumstances I have stated, we 
 deemed it of no use to attempt a renewal of our 
 labours, and contented ourselves with writing 
 to Cairo, and entering on our intended journey 
 to the island of Philoe. I had suggested to Mr. 
 Salt, that, if he could send us a supply of money, 
 we would proceed to open the temple of Ybsam- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &;c. 309 
 
 bill ; a project that was deemed nearly ima- 
 ginary, a castle in the air, as no one supposed 
 any temple really existed there. After having 
 secured all our collection in one spot, and built 
 a mud wall round it, and covered it with earth, 
 we left an Arab Sheik to guard it, and, on the 
 23d of May, set off for Assouan. 
 
 As we intended to examine every thing on 
 our return, we went straight on, seeing scarcely 
 any thing except Edfu and Ombos. At Assouan, 
 we took a general view of Elephantine, and the 
 other islands, and proceeded to Philoe, as our 
 station to await the answer to the letters we had 
 sent from Luxor to Mr. Salt. On our way, we 
 took a good view of the cataract. One of the 
 principal falls at this season is about thirty feet 
 in length, forming an angle of fifteen degrees. 
 Small boats and cangiars can be drawn up or 
 down at all times of the year. 
 
 The prospect of the island of Philoe and its 
 ruins is truly magnificent, particularly at some 
 distance, though it is extremely barren. It is 
 surrounded by rocks of granite in all directions, 
 forming part of the main land, and part of other 
 islands. The style of the hieroglyphics proves, 
 that the edifice on it is of the last era of the 
 Egyptian nation : in my opinion, of the time of 
 the Ptolemies. There are reasons enough to 
 
310 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 remove all doubts of this, if any were enter- 
 tained : in particular, the peripteral temple, 
 supposed to have been at the landing-place 
 at the east of the island, is evidently of the 
 last school, and not half finished. The work 
 of the columns is in a much lighter style than 
 the old Egyptian, evincing, if that nation had 
 continued its existence, it would have im- 
 proved gradually ; and in due course of time, 
 by amalgamating the Grecian elegance with 
 the vast and lofty magnificence of its own 
 works of art, would have formed an architecture 
 of which we have no idea, but, no doubt, most 
 sublime. There are other proofs that this temple 
 is a more modern structure, formed of the ma- 
 terials of an older edifice. In one of the columns, 
 opposite the gate in the portico which leads to 
 the sanctuary, there is in the centre a stone, 
 sculptured with hieroglyphics inverted ; and 
 another stone of this kind is to be seen in the 
 same column on the west side, near the ground. 
 The whole edifice consists of two temples, nearly 
 united together. The small temple, dedicated 
 to Isis, is within the peristyle of the larger, 
 which was dedicated, I believe, to the same 
 goddess, to Serapis, and to the rest of the gods. 
 The building faces the south, with a large portal 
 or propylaeon, flanked by two porticoes or colon- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 31 1 
 
 nades, the capitals of the pillars of which are 
 different from each other. At the entrance of 
 the first portal lies the obelisk of granite, thrown 
 down, as mentioned before, its pedestal having 
 a Greek inscription on it, which is a complaint 
 of the priests, addressed to Ptolemy and Cleo- 
 patra, against the soldiers and the government 
 of the place, and proves that the Egyptian priests 
 had no influence in the government at that 
 period. The inscription was discovered by an 
 English traveller, Mr. Banks, who, not having 
 time to dig it out, left it, and Mr. Beechey took 
 a copy of it. Part of another obelisk and pe- 
 destal are to be seen in the mud wall opposite. 
 There are also two lions, of granite, which were 
 at the sides of the stairs formed by four steps, 
 that must have been in this situation, as I ob- 
 served, that the bases of the colonnades are 
 lower than the bases of the propylaea. 
 
 After passing the first portal is the entrance 
 to the pronaos ; on the west of which is the 
 small temple of Isis, surrounded by square pillars, 
 with the head of the goddess as the capital. The 
 inner part consists of three apartments : the por- 
 tico, the cella, and the adytum. The hierogly- 
 phics on it are nearly perfect, but almost co- 
 vered with mud, as it has served as a Greek 
 chapel. On the east of the pronaos is a gallery 
 
3l!2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 with several cells, no doubt for the use of the 
 priests ; and the north is the second portal, co- 
 vered with colossal figures like the first. On 
 passing this we come to the portico, which is 
 reckoned the most perfect and beautiful part 
 of this building. The liieroglyphics are entire 
 and highly painted, as are the capitals of the 
 columns, which are ten in number. The figures 
 on the wall of this portico are all divided into 
 several groups, forming compartments of five 
 feet high ; those on the columns forming the 
 ornaments of this hall are highly beautiful. 
 There are other ruins on the west of the island, 
 which formed the entrance into the temple by 
 the water-side ; and on the north-east are the 
 remains of three arches made by the Romans. 
 Here must have been the landing-place to the 
 island. The middle arch has fallen down. On 
 tlie key-stones the words " sanctum, sanctum, 
 sanctum," are cut ; affording clear evidence, 
 that this island served as a holy seat not only 
 to the Egyptians and Greeks, but also to the 
 Romans. There are palpable marks of the 
 whole temple having been fitted up for Chris- 
 tian worship. The walls are covered with mud, 
 to hide the hieroglyphics on them ; and some 
 figures peculiar to the Christian religion were 
 painted on this ; but time uncovered the hiero^ 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 313 
 
 glyphics again, as the mud lost its hold in several 
 places. At the back of the temple, or on the 
 north side of it, are the foundations of. a build- 
 ing that served for a Greek church, and was 
 formed of the stones from the ruins of the other 
 buildings, as is obvious from the hieroglyphics 
 on them. I cannot avoid observing, that this 
 island is the most superb group of ruins I ever 
 beheld together in so small a space of ground. 
 The whole island, which is not more than a 
 thousand feet in length, and less than five hun- 
 dred in breadth, is richly covered with ruins ; 
 and being detached from the other barren islands 
 which surround it at some distance, has a very 
 superb appearance. On the island to the west 
 of Philoe are the remains of a small temple, 
 which has also served for Christian purposes. 
 There are but few hieroglyphics to be seen, 
 and the remains of two sitting figures in granite 
 much mutilated. On the south of this temple 
 is a burying-ground, so much like that of Gour- 
 nou, that I was led to suppose it may have been 
 the burying-place of the inhabitants of Philoe, 
 though there are other tombs in the mountains 
 on the east of the island. 
 
 During our stay in Philoe I made a model in 
 wax of the portico of the great temple. The 
 beautiful capitals and other ornaments of the 
 
31 4- RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 columns induced me to do this. It was the 
 month of May, and the heat was so great, that 
 wax incorporated with resin could scarcely be 
 kept in a mass of sufficient solidity to be re- 
 duced into form. The thermometer stood as 
 high as 1^4° of Fahrenheit in the shade ; but 
 the mercury had risen to the top of the glass, 
 so that we could not judge what degree it would 
 have reached had the tube been longer. 
 
 An Arab now arrived from Cairo with a letter 
 from Mr. Salt. He had performed his journey 
 in eighteen days, all by land. The letter brought 
 us a supply of money ; and, to my great satis- 
 faction, Mr. Salt complied witli my wishes of 
 opening the temple of Ybsambul, which I had 
 so often suggested to him ; and I must give 
 him much credit for risking the expense of such 
 an undertaking, the uncertainty of which would 
 have deterred most people from doing it, par- 
 ticularly as he himself entertained strong doubts 
 of the existence of a temple there ; for he said, 
 in the same letter, that he thought we should 
 find no entrance, but that it would turn out to 
 be like some of the mausoleums round the py- 
 ramids. 
 
 A few days previous to this the two captains, 
 Irby and Mangles, had arrived in the island. 
 They were going up the Nile, as far as the second 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &t. 315 
 
 cataract, and as there was some difficulty in ob- 
 taining two boats, we made a joint party, and 
 contented ourselves with one only. We had 
 to send our interpreter to Esne for provision, 
 nothing being to be had at Assouan. The 
 fourth of June arrived, and our jolly com- 
 panions. Captains Irby and Mangles, proposed 
 to commemorate the birth-day of his Majesty 
 George III. Accordingly we took an old flag 
 we had in the boat, and planted it on the highest 
 propylseon in the island. At noon we brought 
 out all our fire-arms, and went through the re- 
 gular salute of twenty-one guns. Having only 
 five, we had to load them again immediately 
 after being fired ; and from the heat of the fire 
 and that of the sun, the barrels soon became 
 so hot, that we could not touch them with our 
 hands. At night we repeated our rejoicings, 
 and frightened all the natives round, who 
 could not imagine why we wasted so much 
 powder without killing somebody. However, 
 it convinced them, I believe, that we were well 
 prepared in case it should be requisite to make 
 our defence. The next day Mrs. Belzoni ar- 
 rived from Cairo, a voyage which she performed 
 accompanied only by the Irish lad, James. I 
 could not contrive to take her higher up the 
 Nile with us, as we had only one boat; and 
 
316 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 therefore left her in the island till our return. 
 The account of her stay there will be given by 
 herself. 
 
 On the l6th of June we left the island of 
 Philoe. Our company consisted of Captains 
 Irby and Mangles, Mr. Beechey, and myself; 
 two servants, and Mahomed, a soldier sent to 
 us by Mr. Salt. On our voyage up we had 
 much trouble with our crew, who were five 
 men and three boys, all of one family. 
 
 On our arrival at Ybsambul, we found that 
 the Cacheffs were not there, but at Tomas, op- 
 posite Deir. We sent an express to inform 
 them, that we were to open the temple, and 
 meanwhile we proceeded to the second cataract. 
 Previous to our arrival at Wady Haifa, or the se- 
 cond cataract, we followed the west side of the 
 Nile, as far as we could go with the boat, and 
 then landed, and walked three or four miles to 
 the Rock Upsir; for as I had seen such beautiful 
 views there on my first voyage, when the water 
 was high, I wished to see how they appeared at 
 this season, and to show them to my companions. 
 I found them not so interesting as the first time j 
 the islands did not appear so numerous ; nor 
 did the water form those foaming eddies, which 
 so finely interspersed the views with white and 
 green. Notwithstanding this, the whole was 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 317 
 
 very grand, and I was gratified in seeing it 
 again. 
 
 Having returned to our boat, we passed the 
 night on the same side of the river. The next 
 morning we crossed the water, and entered into 
 an inlet of the Nile, where we moored our boat 
 near the village of Wady Haifa. The crew 
 took it into their heads to extort money from 
 us by force, for which purpose they landed, and 
 said we might return by ourselves if we liked. 
 They knew we could not effect this without 
 some difficulty, as the boat was surrounded by 
 sand banks. AVe had intended to proceed by 
 land to see the cataract on the east side, as I 
 had done the year before, but under the pre- 
 sent circumstances we deemed it imprudent to 
 leave the boat, lest all we had in it should be 
 plundered ; for the crew had collected several of 
 the natives, who were apparently disposed to aid 
 them in their undertakings. We would not give 
 up to them, and they protested that they would 
 not come on board, unless we first gave them 
 some money. We then took the resolution to 
 try what we could do ourselves, but it was more 
 in appearance than reality, for we never could 
 have got the boat out of that place. However, 
 the appearance of our attempt to strike the sail, 
 which must be done to fall down the river with 
 
SI 8 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the current, had the intended effect ; for these 
 fellows immediately sent one of the crew to a 
 parley. We told him, if they took the boat 
 out into the middle of the river, we would give 
 them a bakshis, but not till then. This was 
 agreed on, and at last, after losing the whole 
 day in this business, we returned towards Ybsam- 
 bul. During this day the natives came to ex- 
 amine every thing we had on board ; but they 
 perceived that we were too well armed for 
 them, and quite ready for defence in case of 
 necessity. 
 
 On our reaching Ybsambul we found that no 
 answer had been sent from Mosmos. We waited 
 three days, and on the fourth a messenger ar- 
 rived on a camel. He said he came to see whe- 
 ther I were the same person, from the English 
 consul, who was there the preceding year, and 
 wished to open the temple. On recognizing 
 me, he returned immediately. 
 
 Three days after, the two Cacheffs appeared, 
 and took up their abode in small huts made of 
 rushes, on a sandy bank of the river. We waited 
 on their highnesses, and were well received, as 
 we were much respected for what we might bring 
 with us. We presented Daoud Cacheff with a 
 fine gun, powder and ball, a shawl, some soap, 
 and some tobacco. This distinction unfortu- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 3l9 
 
 nately caused a jealousy between the two bro- 
 thers. Khalil considered himself his brother's 
 equal since the absence of his father. I was 
 not aware of this, as the first year he was merely 
 an attendant on his brother Daoud. He was 
 in a terrible rage, and informed us, that he was 
 as great a man as his brother. We told him, 
 that we would give him one of our guns ; but 
 our endeavours to appease him were all to no 
 purpose. We passed the whole day without 
 knowing our fate. Daoud kindly insisted that 
 we should stop and dine with him j but I de- 
 clined it on account of his brother not beins: 
 there, who had retired to his hut. He went 
 over to bring him to dinner, but in vain. I 
 then went myself to speak to him, and after 
 much ado, I succeeded in making peace with 
 this great potentate. He took one of our guns, 
 and some powder and ball ; and it was con- 
 cluded, that we should begin to work in the 
 morning with thirty men. 
 
 In the morning the men appeared rather late, 
 but we recommenced the work at the temple 
 with much enthusiasm and good hopes. I per- 
 ceived the necessity of drawing the sand from 
 the sides of the door, so that it might run off 
 from the centre ; toward which, on the con- 
 trary, if the sand were taken from the centre. 
 
520 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 that from the sides would continually run. The 
 enterprising Count de Forbin, who never was 
 within five hundred miles at least of the place, 
 judged that the sand might have been easily 
 thrown into the river. I wish he had been 
 there once in his life, and then he might have 
 seen, whetlier it were such a trifle as he repre- 
 sents it. It was a mass of sand accumulated 
 by the wunds for many centuries, and to have 
 had it removed, and thrown into the river, 
 would have been an undertaking, that all the 
 people the adjacent country afforded could not 
 have effected in twelve months. I was con- 
 tented to make it my principal object to reach 
 the door, as the most speedy means of entering 
 the temple. 
 
 This day I divided the men into two parties, 
 and stationed one on each side of the colossal 
 figure that stood over the entrance. They 
 worked pretty well, but were so few that the 
 little sand they removed could scarcely be per- 
 ceived. Seeing that it would be a very tedious 
 business that way, in the evening I made a pro- 
 posal to the Cacheff to pay three hundred piastres 
 for opening the temple, which was agreed to 
 by the Cacheff and the working men. They 
 continued their labour for three days with much 
 ardour, for they supposed they could finish it 
 
IN F.CYPT, NUBIA, &c. 3'21 
 
 in that time, as their number was increased to 
 eighty by order of the CachefF; but on the 
 evening of tlie third day there was as little pro- 
 spect of seeing the door as on the first. They 
 got tired at last, and under the pretext that the 
 Ramadan was to commence on the next day, 
 they left us with our temple, the sand, and the 
 treasure, and contented themselves with keep- 
 ing the three hundred piastres, which were 
 partly paid to them previously to their begin- 
 ning, and partly on the third day. During this 
 time the Cacheffs dined with us. Our mess 
 was in company with them and all their fol- 
 lowers. Our banquet consisted of a small piece 
 of mutton, the water in which it was stewed, 
 some bread, and a little butter or fat. No 
 sooner was the dinner set on the ground, than 
 a scramble took place. Every one crowded 
 round the earthen bowl : the Cacheff was the 
 first to dip in his hand, and immediately the 
 rest followed his example. We four, the two 
 Captains Irby and Mangles, Mr. Beechy, and 
 myself, contrived to keep as close togetlier as 
 possible, that we might all eat out of the same 
 side of the dish, and by this means have some 
 chance of a cleaner meal. The Cacheff seeing 
 that we stood no chance against his people, who 
 at last plunged their hands into the dish from 
 
 VOL. I. Y 
 
322 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 all quarters, politely picked out the most fleshy 
 parts from the bowl, which he distinguished from 
 the bones by a squeeze with his hand, placed 
 them on the sleeve of his gown, and then con- 
 tinued to eat till the bowl was nearly emptied. 
 When all had done eating, he presented each 
 of us with a piece of the fleshy parts he had re- 
 served as a compliment, which we gladly de- 
 voured, as there was no other chance of our 
 having a morsel to eat till the next morning. 
 
 This day being the first of Ramadan, the 
 Fellahs could not work, but they could feast 
 according to their holy law ; for, though they 
 know very little of religion, they keep their 
 own festivals as correctly and as regularly as an 
 European. The next day again nobody came 
 near us, and the two Cacheffs Daoud and Khalil 
 went away. 
 
 From that time we took the resolution to 
 work at the sand ourselves. We were only six, 
 including the interpreter and the Janizary, but 
 the crew offered their services, and thus our 
 party amounted to fourteen in all. Finding 
 that one of us did as much work as in the pro- 
 portion of one to five of the Barabra, we were 
 well satisfied, and resolved to continue. We 
 rose every morning at the dawn of day, and left 
 off two hours and half after sunrise. Our per- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 323 
 
 severance and independence drew some of the 
 peasants, to offer their services, which we ac- 
 cepted ; but as many of them were from the oppo- 
 site side of the Nile, they could not agree with 
 those of Ybsambul, and there was a perpetual 
 warfare between them ; besides, from jealousy, 
 they increased to such a number, that we could 
 not employ them all, which gave rise to fresh dis- 
 putes, so that we resolved to dismiss them all, 
 and continue the work by ourselves. They still 
 persisted in offering their services to what num- 
 ber we pleased ; but we saw it would not pre- 
 vent their having quarrels and fighting every 
 dav, and we therefore refused their offer. 
 
 One day we observed a boat on the opposite 
 side of the Nile steering towards us, and as it 
 approached we perceived, that it was filled with 
 well armed men. After the Cacheffs of Ybsam- 
 bul left us, there was a man of that village, who, 
 in spite of their orders, still remained with us, 
 and occasionally helped us in the work. His 
 name was Musmar, which in English signifies 
 nail. Mr. Nail was a great man ; told us won- 
 derful stories of his astonishing courage ; gave 
 us to understand, that, when the Bedoweens 
 from the Desert attacked the village of Ybsambul 
 he was the first to resist them ; and vaunted, 
 that he was not afraid of any man in the world. 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 We were of course charmed at having such a 
 gallant knight with us. On the approach of 
 the boat he seemed agitated, and was very- 
 anxious to know who the people were. While 
 they were at a distance, he said no one dared 
 come where he was. When they were nearer, 
 and he might see distinctly who they were, he 
 could not conceive what they wanted on this 
 side of the water. As soon as they had nearly 
 reached the shore, still pretending he was un- 
 able to guess who they could be, he would 
 ascend the mountain to observe them better. 
 With this he took to his heels, and ran off as 
 fast as he could scamper. The men landed, 
 and ascended the hill of sand where we were. 
 We seized our arms, for this is the only way 
 to be respected by these gentry. They ap- 
 proached. — The first was an elderly man, who 
 had strong traits of resolution in his counte- 
 nance. He held out his hand, which I imme- 
 diately shook, according to the custom of the 
 country. They were the CachefFs of Ibrim, 
 father and son. They seated themselves on the 
 sand, and the others stood. 
 
 They appeared in greater style than our sove- 
 reigns of Ybsambul, and had more swords and 
 fire-arms. We were pleased to find them friends, 
 particularly as we knew they were at war with 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 325 
 
 Hassan CachefFand his sons Daoud and KhalH. 
 I perceived their disappointment, for our attire 
 did not bespeak riches. Besides, seeing us at 
 work like labourers, they concluded we were but 
 poor people. They told us they were friends 
 of Mahomed Ali, Bashaw of Egypt, and pre- 
 sented us with two small and meagre sheep. I 
 was not pleased at this, for I knew how the 
 politeness of such gifts always ends : we re- 
 turned this civility by paying the servant who 
 brought the sheep twice as much as they were 
 worth, and told the Cacheffs, that we were sorry 
 we had nothing to give them, as we had ex- 
 hausted every tiling, but that we should recol- 
 lect them on our return to the country. They 
 said, they did not come thither to have any 
 thing from us, and hoped on our return to Cairo 
 we would speak to the Bashaw in their favour. 
 We answered, we could not say any thing against 
 them, as they never did us any harm, or ever 
 saw us before. Soon after they rose, and we 
 gave them the usual salute, but they said they 
 were going to see the small temple below. 
 Our interpreter followed them, as the boat was 
 near that place ; and when they reached the 
 temple they took him aside, and told him, that 
 they were the masters of the country ; that if 
 the other Cacheffs killed one man, they killed 
 
326 RESEARCHES AND OrERATIONS 
 
 two ; they could stop, or let us proceed on our 
 works, as well as the other Cacheffs, for they 
 were more powerful ; adding, they knew we 
 gave guns, powder, shot, soap, and tobacco to 
 the others — therefore they expected we should 
 do more for them, as they were superior, and 
 we might expect the consequences of refusing 
 to comply with their demands. At such pro- 
 ceedings I thought we were in as bad a situa- 
 tion as ever respecting our works at the temple, 
 for we had nothing left to give these people. Ac- 
 cordingly w^e sent them an answer, that we had 
 nothing for them at present, but that they might 
 depend on our words, that we would bring them 
 something on our future visit to Nubia. They 
 replied, we had no business to come into the 
 country without written orders directed to them, 
 as they were the true masters of it. We informed 
 them we had a firman from the Bashaw, and sent 
 our interpreter with it to show it them. They 
 opened it, and looking at it said they could not 
 understand one word in it ; besides it was not 
 for them, and therefore was good for nothing, 
 and even if we had one, it would be to no pur- 
 pose, unless it w^as accompanied with presents 
 of more value than we had given to the other 
 Cacheffs. While all this was passing, the great 
 potentates and their honourable followers walked 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 3^7 
 
 towards their boat, and hinted, that we must 
 think on the business while thev were iroing; to 
 the village of Ybsambul. 
 
 We left off work at our usual time, and re- 
 sumed our labour in the afternoon, expecting 
 that we should have some interruption in our 
 proceedings ; but on the next day to our astonish- 
 ment we heard, that the great men were off at 
 night. We continued our operations regularly, 
 and in the course of a few days more we per- 
 ceived a rough projection from the wall, which 
 indicated apparently that the work was un- 
 finished, and no door to be found there. At this 
 the hopes of some of our party began to fail ; 
 nevertheless we persevered in our exertions, and 
 three days after we discovered a broken cornice, 
 the next day the torus, and of course, the frize 
 under, which made us almost sure of finding 
 the door the next day ; accordingly I erected a 
 palisade, to keep the sand up, and to my utmost 
 satisfaction saw the upper part of the door as 
 the evening approached. We dug away enough 
 sand to be able to enter that night, but sup- 
 posing there might be some foul air in the ca- 
 vity, we deferred this till the next morning. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 1st of August 
 we went to the temple in high spirits, at the 
 idea of entering a newly discovered ])Iace. We 
 
5^28 RF.SEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 endeavoured as much as we could to enlarge 
 tlie entrance ; but our crew did not accompany 
 us as usual. On the contrary, it appeared that 
 they intended to hinder us as much as lay in 
 their power ; for when they saw, that we really 
 had found the door, they wished to deter us 
 from availing ourselves of it: the attempt how- 
 ever failed. They then pretended, that they 
 could not stop any longer with the boat in that 
 place, and if we did not go on board imme- 
 diatel}^, they would set off with her and leave 
 us» On our refusal they knelt on the ground, 
 and threw sand over their faces, saying, that 
 they would not stop an instant. The fact was, 
 they had promised to the Cacheffs to play some 
 trick to interrupt our proceedings, in case we 
 should come to tlie door. But even all this 
 would not do. We soon made the passage 
 wider, and entered the finest and most exten- 
 sive excavation in Nubia, one that can stand a 
 competition with any in Egypt, except the tomb 
 newly discovered in Beban el Malook. 
 
 From what we could perceive at the first 
 view, it was evidently a very large place ; but 
 our astonishment increased, when we found it 
 to be one of the most magnificent of temples, 
 enriched with beautiful intaglios, painting, co- 
 lossal figures. Sec. We entered at first into a 
 
IN EGYPT, NUlilA, &c, 3^29 
 
 Inrge pronaos, fifty-seven feet long and fifty- 
 two wide, supported by two rows of square 
 pillars, in a line from the front door to the door 
 of the sekos (See Plate 43). Each pillar has a 
 figure, not unlike those at Medinet Aboo, finely 
 executed, and very little injured by time. The 
 tops of their turbans reach the ceiling, which 
 is about thirty feet high : the pillars are five 
 feet and a half square. Both these and the 
 w^alls are covered with beautiful hieroglyphics, 
 the style of which is somewhat superior, or at 
 least bolder, than that of any others in Egypt, 
 not only in the workmanship, but also in the sub- 
 jects. They exhibit battles, storming of castles, 
 triumphs over the Ethiopians, sacrifices, &c. 
 In some places is to be seen the same hero as 
 at Medinet Aboo, but in a different posture. 
 Some of the colours are much injured by the 
 close and heated atmosphere, the temperature 
 of which was so hot, that the thermometer must 
 have risen to above a hundred and thirty de- 
 grees. The second hall is about twenty-two 
 feet high, thirty-seven wide, and twenty-five 
 and a half long. It contains four pillars about 
 four feet square ; and the walls of this also are 
 covered with fine hieroglyphics in pretty good 
 preservation. Beyond this is a shorter chamber, 
 tljirty-sevcn feet wide, in which is the entrance 
 
330 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 into the sanctuary. At each end of this chamber 
 is a door, leading into smaller chambers in the 
 same direction with the sanctuary, each eight 
 feet by seven. The sanctuary is twenty-three 
 feet and a half long, and tw^elve feet wide. It 
 contains a pedestal in the centre, and at the 
 end four colossal sitting figures : they are in 
 good preservation, not having been injured by 
 violence. On the right side of this great hall, 
 entering into the temple, are two doors, at a 
 short distance from each other, which lead into 
 two long separate rooms, the first thirty-eight 
 feet ten inches in length, and eleven feet five 
 inches wide ; the other forty-eight feet seven 
 inches, by thirteen feet three. At the end of 
 the first are several unfinished hieroglyphics, of 
 which some, though merely sketched, give fine 
 ideas of their manner of drawing. At the lateral 
 corners of the entrance into the second chamber 
 from the great hall is a door, each of which leads 
 into a small chamber twenty-two feet six inches 
 long, and ten feet wide. Each' of these rooms 
 has two doors leading into two other chambers, 
 forty-three feet in length, and ten feet eleven 
 inches wide. There are two benches in them, 
 apparently to sit on. The most remarkable 
 subjects in this temple are, a group of captive 
 Ethiopians, in the western corner of the great 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, etc. 331 
 
 hall, the hero killing a man with his spear, an- 
 other lying slain under his feet, on the same 
 western wall : the storming of a castle, in the 
 western corner from the front door. The out- 
 side of this temple is magnificent. It is a hun- 
 dred and seventeen feet wide, and eighty-six 
 feet high ; the height from the top of the cor- 
 nice to the top of the door being sixty-six feet 
 six inches, and the height of the door twenty 
 feet. There are four enormous sitting colossi, 
 the largest in Egypt or Nubia, except the great 
 Sphinx at the pyramids, to which they approach 
 in the proportion of near two-thirds. From 
 the shoulder to the elbow they measure fifteen 
 feet six inches ; the ears three feet six inches ; 
 the face seven feet ; the beard five feet six 
 inches ; across the shoulders twenty-five feet 
 four inches ; their height is about fifty-one feet, 
 not including the caps, which are about four- 
 teen feet. There are only two of these colossi 
 in sight, one is still buried under the sand, and 
 the other, which is near the door, is half fallen 
 down, and buried also. On the top of the door 
 is a colossal figure of Osiris twenty feet high, 
 with two colossal hieroglyphic figures, one on 
 eacb side, looking towards it. On the top of 
 the temple is a cornice with hieroglyphics, a 
 torus and frize under it. The cornice is six 
 
SS2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 feet wide, the frize is four feet. Above the 
 cornice is a row of sitting monkeys eight feet 
 high, and six across the shoulders. They are 
 twenty-one in number. This temple was nearly 
 two-thirds buried under the sand, of which we 
 removed thirty-one feet before we came to the 
 upper part of the door. It must have had a 
 very fine landing-place, which is now totally 
 buried under the sand. It is the last and largest 
 temple excavated in the solid rock in Nubia, be- 
 tween the first and second cataract, or Egypt, 
 except the new tomb. It took twenty-two days 
 to open it, beside six days last year. We some- 
 times had eighty men at work, and sometimes 
 only our ow^n personal exertions, the party 
 consisting of Mr. Beechey, Captains Irby and 
 Mangles, myself, two servants, and the crew, 
 eleven in all, and three boys. It is situated 
 under a rock about a hundred feet above the 
 Nile, facing the south-east by east, and about 
 one day and a half's journey from the second 
 cataract in Nubia, or Wady Haifa. 
 
 The heat was so great in the interior of the 
 temple, that it scarcely permitted us to take 
 any drawings, as the perspiration from our hands 
 soon rendered the paper quite wet. Accord- 
 ingly, we left this operation to succeeding tra- 
 vellers, who may set about it with more con- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 333 
 
 venience than we could, as the pLace will be- 
 come cooler. Our stock of provision was so 
 reduced, that the only food we had for the last 
 six days was dhourra, boiled in water without 
 salt, of which we 'had none left. The CachefTs 
 had given orders to the people not to sell us 
 any kind of food whatever, hoping that we might 
 be driven away by hunger. But there was an 
 Ababdy, mIio lived in the village, and as he was 
 of a different tribe, he was not so much afraid 
 of disobeying the Cacheffs. He sometimes came 
 at night, and brought lis milk ; but he was at 
 last detected, and prevented from bringing any 
 more. 
 
 Great credit is due to Mr. Beechey, and the 
 two Captains, for their laborious exertions in 
 assisting me in the above operation. I must 
 not omit to mention, that, in the temple, we 
 found two lions with hawks* heads, the body as 
 large as life ; a small sitting figure, and some 
 copper work belonging to the doors. 
 
 We left Ybsambul on the 4th of August, and 
 did not stop at Ibrim, as we had seen it before. 
 On passing Tomas, a village on the western 
 banks of the Nile, we were told, that Daoud 
 CachefF was there. We found he was ready to 
 receive us, and came himself on board, entreat- 
 ing us to go on shore, which we did, thoueh 
 
334 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 not without hesitation, as he had not behaved 
 well to us. He wished us to stop all night, and 
 attempted to be very civil. We stated to him, 
 that we had not been well treated by the people 
 of Ybsambul ; to which he replied, hastily, that 
 he knew nothing of the matter. But how could 
 he be ignorant of it, when one of his men, who 
 came to see us at work, and inquired what we 
 lived upon, was at that moment standing by 
 his side, as well as others, whom we recognized 
 to have been of the party, and who came there 
 to raise a disturbance f Perceiving we knew 
 what he had done to us, he attempted to make 
 us amends, presenting us with a sheep and 
 a basket of bread ; and on quitting the place, 
 I received a present from his wife for Mrs. 
 Belzoni, of a milch goat, two small baskets, 
 and a carpet made of palm leaves. I gave in 
 return two pair of Turkish women's boots, and 
 two small looking-glasses. 
 
 On our arrival at Deir, we met Khalil Ca- 
 chefF, who crossed the Nile in a boat, and hailed 
 us, saying he would return to us very soon. By 
 this time it was quite dark, and we went to see 
 the temple immediately with candles, as we 
 hoped to set off early in the morning, and avoid 
 meeting such a sincere friend. On our return, 
 we attempted to procure some provision, but it 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 335 
 
 was too late at night. About ten o'clock, 
 Khalil returned, but we were asleep. Early in 
 the morning we were told, that he had sent us 
 some aqua vitas and a lamb. We were sorry 
 for this, as it retarded us. Some time after he 
 came on board, accompanied by his party. We 
 returned him thanks for what we had received, 
 but told him, that we could not give him any 
 thing in return, as we were destitute ourselves, 
 and that at Ybsambul we had lived on boiled 
 dhourra for several days, as the peasants had 
 refused to sell us any thing to eat. We knew 
 very well that all this was done by his order, 
 but he pretended, like his brother, not to know 
 any thing of it. We did not think proper to 
 say much, as we wished to be gone, and leave 
 these affectionate friends on peaceful terms. At 
 last, after examining our boat, and the strange 
 figure we had found in the temple, he with 
 great sorrow quitted us, and we set off imme- 
 diately. It is to be remarked, that all his civility 
 was out of opposition to his brother Daoud, in 
 hopes that we should bring him something on 
 our coming up again ; for it was plain to be 
 seen, that it was all forced politeness. 
 
 The temple at Deir is in a very ruinous state. 
 I saw but one or two figures entire : the frasr- 
 ments of the rest indicate, that it was dedicated 
 
33G RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to Osiris. There was a portico, with sixteen 
 pillars, twelve of which are fallen down. It 
 has a chamber, and a sanctuary, with two small 
 chambers, one on each side. 
 
 In about two hours we arrived at Almeida, 
 the ruins of a small temple on the north of the 
 Nile. The river there takes its course from 
 north-west to south-east. It is a small temple, 
 and has served for a Greek chapel. The hiero- 
 glyphics are pretty well finished, but nearly co- 
 vered with plaster by the Greeks. There are 
 other apartments, of unburnt bricks, which 
 served as a monastery to the works. Toward 
 evening we arrived at Seboua. The ruins of the 
 temple here I have described before. 
 
 Four days more brought us down to El Ka- 
 labshe. We landed, to visit the temple ; but 
 the Fellahs, seeing our boat at some distance, 
 gathered together at the entrance to the temple, 
 determined that we should not go in, unless we 
 first paid them for leave. We were accordingly 
 stopped, and money was demanded. We re- 
 fused to comply, but promised, that, if they 
 would let us in, we would give them a bakshis 
 afterward. As this did not satisfy them, and 
 they behaved in a very insolent manner, we 
 were returning to our boat, when our soldier 
 said, that he would remember them. On this 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 33J 
 
 their daggers were instantly drawn, and his gun 
 was seized. A scuffle took place, which gave 
 us something to do to rescue the gun from the 
 one who had taken it from the soldier, and was 
 endeavouring to decamp with it. On our ap- 
 proaching the boat, some of them, perceiving 
 our indifference whether we saw the temple or 
 not, came to offer to let us enter, while others 
 were of a different opinion ; but, as we had seen 
 the temple before, we did not think it worth our 
 while to venture to force our way into it. A\Tiile 
 all this was going on at the temple, others at- 
 tacked the boat ; but, as our people were armed 
 with pistols and guns, they retreated. One man 
 entered the boat with a drawn sword, but was 
 turned out. 
 
 Having left El Kalabshe, we passed by Taffa, 
 but could not land there, as the narrow passage 
 of the Nile did not permit us to approach the 
 shore. There are two small temples at Taffa, 
 which I had seen before. One consists of a 
 single chamber, and two columns, one of which 
 is not finished. The other has some few hiero- 
 glyphics in a good style : it serves as a stable 
 for sheep and cows. We arrived the same 
 eveninoj at Hindau, where we saw an extensive 
 wall, apparently made to enclose a vast build- 
 ing, or probably more than one. There are 
 
 VOL. I. z 
 
338 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the remains of a portal on the north side, and a 
 great quantity of ruins within. Coming down, 
 we saw several quarries and ruins ; in one of 
 which is a door cut in the rock in the Egyptian 
 style, and a number of Greek inscriptions, writ- 
 ten, I suppose, by some Greek workmen, and 
 which I think serve to prove that the Greeks 
 procured stones from this place. We observed 
 the remains of a temple, of which six columns 
 are standing, beautifully adorned with the lotus 
 and other emblematic devices of the Egyptians. 
 Farther down there is another column standing 
 alone. 
 
 In a few hours we arrived at Debod. This 
 temple has a portico and a sekos, which leads 
 into the cella, at each side of which is a small 
 chamber. In the portico also are two chambers, 
 and a staircase leading to the top. There are 
 a few hieroglyphics ; and in the sekos are two 
 monolite temples of granite. In the porch of 
 the building are three portals, one before an- 
 other. The whole building is surrounded by a 
 wall. On the water-side is a quay, with an en- 
 trance toward the temple. 
 
 We arrived on the same day at the island of 
 Philoe : Mrs. Belzoni went to Assouan by land, 
 and we resolved to pass the cataract in the boat 
 in which we came. The barbarians made ob- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 339 
 
 jections, and took some advantage, but they will 
 do any thing for money. Accordingly we set 
 off from the island, and began to take our course 
 gradually among the rapids and rocks of the 
 Shellal. As we advanced, we expected every 
 moment to arrive at the spot where the great 
 fall is ; but having passed over several rapids, 
 one, in particular, a little stronger, but not 
 more extraordinary than are seen in other rivers, 
 we were agreeably surprised to find, that in less 
 than an hour we were out of all danger. I have 
 seen the great cataract on the west side when 
 the water is low ; and its fall was then, in length, 
 about six hundred yards, forming an angle of 
 thirty or tlnrty-five degrees, divided by the in- 
 terspersed rocks into various branches. On our 
 arrival at Assouan w^e prepared immediately for 
 our departure ; but meanwhile we visited the 
 island of Elephantine once more, and in the 
 evening went to see the column with the Latin 
 inscription, which I discovered in the mountain 
 of Assouan. We had some difficulty to find it 
 again, as the guide conducted us by another 
 road, different from that which I took the first 
 time. Next day we left that place j and as 
 the current of the Nile (it being now near its 
 height) was very strong, we reached Thebes in 
 three days. 
 
 z Q 
 
340 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 On our passage we visited Edfu once more ; 
 and, farther down, we landed at Elethias, and 
 took a cursory view of its ruins and grottoes. 
 There is a high thick wall of unburnt bricks, 
 which surrounds the whole town. It is a square 
 enclosure of six hundred and seventy yards. 
 We saw the ruins of three or four temples. 
 One appears to have been very extensive ; but 
 only six columns of the portico remain (See 
 Plate 41), and part of the sekos of another. 
 This town was formerly much more extensive 
 than it is at present, as appears by its ruins. 
 I observed part of the walls of ancient buildings 
 at some distance from the great wall which sur- 
 rounds the town. Among the ruins of the 
 largest temple I noticed part of a large sphinx 
 of white marble, with the head of a woman and 
 body of a lion. There were also fragments of 
 several statues, and other ornaments of the tem- 
 ple, part of which are covered by its own ruins. 
 On the east of this temple was a small lake, or 
 rather tank, which perhaps was a public bath, 
 as we may likewise presume of those near the 
 temple in Carnak; but at present there is no 
 water in it. On the west of the town is an- 
 other building, of a later date, which extends 
 from the great wall to the river. There are 
 many ruins of houses with arches, but the walls 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 341 
 
 are inferior in point of size. The remains of a 
 pier or landing-place are visible when the water 
 is low ; and it appeared to me, that there had 
 been a causeway from the stair at the water-side 
 to the temple. 
 
 The country round the town is pretty flat, 
 and extends above a mile from the Nile to the 
 mountains. It must have been all cultivated 
 and fertile, as the few spots that are now in cul- 
 tivation are very productive. Some excellent 
 grapes are produced in this place ; and it is to 
 be remarked, that, from the representations in 
 the grottoes or sepulchres in the mountains, the 
 dressing of vines appears to have formed one 
 of the chief occiipations of the people. The 
 sepulchres in these rocks are numerous, and 
 several are much on the same plan as those of 
 Gournou. Some contain various agricultural 
 representations ; from which may be formed a 
 more exact idea of their manner of living than 
 I have seen any where else. The figures and 
 colours are in pretty good preservation. I can- 
 not say, however, that they can boast of any great 
 perfection in their sculpture ; and it is evident 
 that the dead deposited in those places must 
 have been husbandmen. I am of opinion that 
 this town had a communication with the Red 
 
342 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Sea J my reason for which I shall state here- 
 after. 
 
 One mile to the north of the town is a small 
 peripteral temple, situated in the midst of an 
 extensive plain, now covered with sand, but 
 which evidently was once cultivated. The rock 
 in which the tombs are cut forms a solitary hill, 
 that commands the surrounding country. From 
 its summit I could see an extensive plain of 
 sand, extending north and south of the town 
 nine or ten miles along the banks of the Nile, 
 and a mile and a half in breadth from the river 
 to the foot of the mountain. When the whole 
 of this land was cultivated, it must have pro- 
 duced provisions sufficient for a town of consi- 
 derable importance. Three miles to the north 
 of Elethias the rocks reach close to the Nile. 
 There is a village named £1 Khab, which in- 
 cludes the whole of the above-mentioned land, 
 with the ruins of Elethias. 
 
 On our arrival at Luxor we took up our for- 
 mer abode in the sekos of the temple, and found 
 ourselves at home again ; for Thebes was now 
 become quite familiar to me. We received let- 
 ters from Mr. Salt, by which we learned that he 
 was purposing to ascend the Nile. The two 
 Captains, Irby and Mangles, set off for Cairo, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 343 
 
 Mr. Beechey began to take drawings of the 
 different places, and I recommenced my re- 
 searches. 
 
 At Gournoii I found two more assents of Mr. 
 Drouetti busied in digging the ground in all 
 directions, and who had been tolerably success- 
 ful in their researches for mummies. These 
 agents were of a different cast from the two 
 Copts who had been there before. Both of 
 them were Piedmontese : one a renegado who 
 had deserted from the French army when in 
 Egypt, and entered the service of the Bashaw j 
 the other had left Piedmont after the fall of the 
 late government. I did not like to begin my 
 work in any place near these people, and there- 
 fore gave up the idea of prosecuting my re- 
 searches in Gournou. It was fortunate for me 
 I did so, and from that time I made the valley of 
 Beban el Malook the scene of my researches, 
 which is completely separated from Gournou 
 by the chain of mountains, that divides Thebes 
 from the valley. I went to this place quite 
 alone, and spent the whole day in making ob- 
 servations, the result of which confirmed me in 
 the opinion, that there was a sufficient prospect 
 to encourage me to commence my work. 
 
 It will be recollected, that, when we left 
 Thebes for the island of Philoe, we could not 
 obtain any labourers, in consequence of the 
 
344 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 orders of the Bey. Supposing the same would 
 be the case at this time, I sought the CachefF of j 
 Erments, to obtain an order to allow the men to 
 work. I found that the old CachefF had fallen 
 into disgrace with the Defterdar Bey, and was 
 displaced and gone ; consequently I applied to 
 the CachefF of Ghous, who had become ruler 
 over the great city of a hundred gates. He was 
 well aware, that to allow us to engage men to 
 work would not please the Defterdar Bey ; but 
 reflecting on the firman we had from the Bashaw 
 himself, and the barefaced distinction made in 
 favour of the opposite party, who had many 
 men at work, he could not well refuse me a 
 small number of Arabs. I accordingly obtained 
 from him a firman to the Sheiks of Gournou, to 
 furnish me with twenty men, with whom I 
 began my operations in the valley above men- 
 tioned. Here I entered upon an undertaking, 
 that appeared rather presumptuous, when I re- 
 collected, that many travellers had been there, 
 and many had inquired as to the possibility of 
 discovering more tombs, than were already 
 known, even from the time of Herodotus and 
 Strabo. The former speaks of the tombs as 
 being above forty in number. In the time of 
 Strabo not half so many were known to exist. 
 Having found by experience, that the reports 
 of ancient authors are not always to be de- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 345 
 
 pendecl upon, particularly when they speak 
 from hearsay, I put them out of the account, 
 and proceeded entirely on my own judgment 
 to search for the tombs of the monarchs of 
 Thebes. 
 
 I began in the valley to the westward of 
 Beban el Malook, near the same place where I 
 discovered the tomb the vear before. Here I 
 must acquaint my reader, that the only guide I 
 had in these discoveries was the knowledge I 
 had acquired in the continued researches for 
 tombs I made in Gournou. In these I found 
 that the Egyptians had a particular manner of 
 forming the entrance into their tombs, which 
 gave me many leading ideas to the discovery of 
 them. Besides, the supposition that many of 
 these tombs must have been buried under the 
 stones and rubbish, which continually fall from 
 the upper parts of the mountains, the great 
 quantity of materials cut out of the tomb accu- 
 mulated in considerable heaps in different parts 
 of the valley, might give various suggestions of 
 the spots where the entrance to the tombs was 
 to be found, as is justly observed by Mr. Hamil- 
 ton. But all these striking reasons it appears 
 were insufficient to lead any traveller to perse- 
 vere in the attempt, or to make the attempt at 
 all ; and indeed it would have been the same 
 
346 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 with me, had I not been acquainted with a more 
 secure mode of proceeding. 
 
 After a long survey of the w^estern valley, I 
 could observe only one spot, that pi'esented the 
 appearance of a tomb. Accordingly, I set the 
 men to work near a hundred yards from the 
 tomb which I discovered the year before ; and 
 when they had got a little below the surface, 
 they came to some large stones, which had evi- 
 dently been put there by those W'ho closed the 
 tomb. Having removed these stones, I per- 
 ceived the rock had been cut on both sides, and 
 found a passage leading downwards. I could 
 proceed no farther that day, as the men were 
 much fatigued, and we had more than four miles 
 to return to Thebes. The next day we resumed 
 our labour, and in a few hours came to a well- 
 built wall of stones of various sizes. The fol- 
 lowing day I caused a large pole to be brought, 
 and by means of another small piece of palm-tree 
 laid across the entrance, I made a machine not 
 unlike a battering-ram. The walls resisted the 
 blows of the Arabs for some time, as they were 
 not Romans, nor had the pole the ram's head of 
 bronze at its end ; but they contrived to make 
 a breach at last, and in the same way the open- 
 ing was enlarged. We immediately entered, 
 and found ourselves on a staircase, eight feet 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 3 1<7 
 
 wide and ten feet higli, at the bottom of which 
 were four mummies, in their cases, lying flat on 
 the ground, with their heads toward the outside. 
 Farther on were four more, lying in the same 
 direction. The cases were all painted, and one 
 had a large covering thrown over it, exactly like 
 the pall upon the coffins of the present day. 
 
 I went through the operation of examining 
 all these mummies one by one. They were 
 much ahke in their foldings, except that which 
 had the painted linen over it. Among the others 
 I found one, that had new linen apparently, put 
 over the old rags ; which proves, that the Egyp- 
 tians took great care of their dead, even for 
 many years after their decease. That which 
 was distinguished from all the rest, I observed 
 was dressed in finer linen, and more neatly wrap- 
 ped up. It had garlands of flowers and leaves, 
 and on the side over the heart I found a plate 
 of the metal which I have already described, 
 soft like lead, covered with another metal, not 
 unlike silver leaf. It had the eyes of a cow, 
 which so often represents Isis, engraved on it ; 
 and in the centre of the breast was another plate, 
 with the winged globe. Both plates were nearly 
 six inches long. On unfolding the linen, we still 
 found it very fine, which was not the case with 
 the other mummies ; for, after three or four fold- 
 
348 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ings, it was generally of a coarser kind. At last 
 we came to the body, of which nothing was to 
 be seen but the bones, which had assumed a 
 yellow tint. The case was in part painted ; but 
 the linen cloth covering it fell to pieces as soon 
 as it was touched, I believe owing to the paint 
 that was on it, which consisted of various de- 
 vices and flowers. The cases were sunk four 
 inches into the cement I have already mentioned. 
 Some of the painting on the inside of the cases 
 appeared quite fresh, as if recently done ; and 
 there w^as generally a coat of varnish, whe- 
 ther laid on over the colours, or incorporated 
 with them, I do not know. For what purpose 
 this tomb might have been intended, I cannot 
 pretend to say : perhaps it was originally de- 
 signed for one of the royal blood. It appeared 
 by the entrance to have been commenced on a 
 scale similar to those of the kings ; though it 
 seems to have been finished for a more humble 
 family. 
 
 The result of my researches gave me all the 
 satisfaction I could desire, of finding mummies 
 in cases, in their original position : but this was 
 not the principal object I had in view ; for, as I 
 was near the place where the kings of Egypt 
 were buried, I thought I might have a chance 
 of discovering some of their relics. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 349 
 
 The sacred valley, named Beban el Malook, 
 begins at Gournou, runs toward the south-west, 
 and gradually turns due south. It contains the 
 celebrated tombs of the kings of Egypt, and 
 divides itself into two principal branches, one of 
 which runs two miles farther to the westward, 
 making five miles from the Nile to the extre- 
 mity. The other, which contains most of the 
 tombs, is separated from Gournou only by a 
 high chain of rocks, which can be crossed from 
 Thebes in less than an hour. The same rocks 
 surround the sacred ground, which can be vi- 
 sited only by a single natural entrance, that is 
 formed like a gateway, or by the craggy paths, 
 across the mountains. The tombs are all cut 
 out of the solid rock, which is of hard calcareous 
 stone, as white as it is possible for a stone to be. 
 They consist in general of a long square pas- 
 sage, which leads to a staircase, sometimes with 
 a gallery at each side of it, and other chambers. 
 Advancing farther we come to wider apartments, 
 and other passages and stairs, and at last into 
 a large hall, where the great sarcophagus lay, 
 which contained the remains of the kings. Some 
 of these tombs are quite open, and others in- 
 cumbered with rubbish at the entrance. Nine 
 or ten may be reckoned of a superior class, and 
 five or six of a lower order. Strabo may have 
 
350 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 counted eighteen, as may be done to this day, 
 including some of an inferior class, which can- 
 not be esteemed as tombs of the kings of Egypt 
 from any other circumstance, than that of having 
 been placed in this valley. For my part, I 
 could distinguish only ten or eleven that could 
 be honoured with the name of the tombs of kings, 
 nor do I suppose when Strabo was told by the 
 Egyptian priests, that there were forty-seven 
 tombs of the kings of Egypt, they meant to say, 
 these tombs were all in the place, now named 
 Beban el Malook. In confirmation of this I 
 would observe, that similar tombs, and perhaps 
 even more magnificent ones, are to be found out 
 of this valley, which are open to this very day. 
 I do not mean the tombs in the western valley, 
 that forms the other branch of Beban el Malook ; 
 but those in Gournou, which the traveller seldom 
 fails to see. There are various tombs at that 
 place, which are worthy to be compared with 
 those in Beban el Malook ; and I will venture 
 to say, that there is one in Gournou far superior 
 to any in that valley, being more extensive, and, 
 from the fragments that remain, apparently of 
 greater magnificence. But the frequent expo- 
 sure to all sorts of injury from the various visi- 
 tors, owing to their being nearer to the Nile, has 
 reduced the tombs at Gournou to a state of the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 351 
 
 greatest dilapidation. From the besmoked and 
 defliced walls it is easy to see, that they have 
 been frequently visited and perhaps inhabited 
 by herds of Arabs at a time, who retired to these 
 recesses to escape the violent hands of their pur- 
 suers. If we add the tombs in the valley above 
 mentioned to those of the superior class at Gour- 
 nou, I will allow, that the Egyptian priests w^ere 
 right in their reports ; otherwise I must say, 
 it is my firm opinion, that in the valley of Be- 
 ban el Malook, there are no more than are now 
 known, in consequence of my late discoveries; 
 for, previously to my quitting that place, I ex- 
 erted all my humble abilities in endeavouring to 
 find another tomb, but could not succeed ; and 
 what is a still greater proof, independent of 
 my own researches, after I quitted the place, 
 Mr. Salt, the British consul, resided there four 
 months, and laboured in like manner in vain to 
 find another. I think therefore I may venture 
 to assert, that the whole forty or forty-seven 
 tombs of the kings of Egypt could not be in this 
 valley, but some of them were in various other 
 places. 
 
 One argument more I shall offer on this sub- 
 ject. If the tombs of Gournou above mentioned, 
 which are superior to those in the valley of Be- 
 ban el Malook in size, in variety of apartments, 
 
35^ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 consequently in number, and I will add, from 
 what now remains to be seen, in the excellence 
 of the sculpture, were not for the kings of Egypt, 
 what other person in that country could aspire 
 to such high honours, and presume to have tombs 
 superior to those of the kings ? If I maybe per- 
 mitted to give my humble opinion on the sub- 
 ject, I should conclude, that the tombs in the 
 valley of Beban el Malook were erected sub- 
 sequently to those in Gournou ; for I could 
 scarcely find a spot in the latter place adapted 
 to the excavation of another of the great tombs, 
 and it may be supposed, that when all the best 
 spots for large tombs in Gournou had been oc- 
 cupied, the Egyptians went over the rocks to 
 seek another situation in which to deposit their 
 kings. Certain it is, that the tombs in the val- 
 ley of Beban el Malook are in far better condi- 
 tion than those in Gournou. 
 
 Under these circumstances, reflecting on the 
 possibility of discovering some of the tombs of 
 the kings, I set the few men I had to work. 
 
 On the 6th of October I began my excavation, 
 and on the 9th discovered the first tomb : the 
 apparent arrangement of the entrance indicated 
 it to be a very large one ; but it proved to be 
 only the passage of one that was never finished. 
 The Egyptians, however, would not lose their 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBI\, &c. 353 
 
 labour, for they used it as a tomb notwitlistan cl- 
 ing. Though it is not extensive, they plastered 
 it very finely with white, and painted some very 
 fine figures on it in the most finished style. This 
 passage is ten feet five inches wide, and seventy- 
 five feet from the entrance to the part where we 
 come to evidently the unfinished work. From 
 the appearance, as it stands, it is plain, that they 
 intended to proceed, and that some particular 
 event caused the work to be stopped. The 
 painted figures on the wall are so perfect, that 
 they are the best adapted of any I ever saw to 
 give a correct and clear idea of the Egyptian 
 taste. This tomb lies south-east from the cen- 
 tre of the valley, and quite at the foot of the 
 large rocks, that overlook Gournou. As I had 
 several parties of Fellahs at work in different 
 directions, I hoped to make farther discoveries; 
 and indeed this first success gave me much en- 
 couragement, as it assured me, that I was cor- 
 rect in my idea of discovering the tombs. On 
 the same day we perceived some marks of an- 
 other tomb in an excavation, that had been bejrun 
 three days before, precisely in the same direc- 
 tion as the first tomb, and not a hundred yards 
 from it. In fact, I had the pleasure to see this 
 second tomb on the same day, the 9th. This is 
 more extensive, but entirely new, and without 
 
 VOL. I. A A 
 
354f RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 a single painting in it : it had been searched by 
 the ancients, as we perceived at the end of the 
 first passage a brick wall, which stopped the en- 
 trance, and had been forced through. After 
 passing this brick wall you descend a staircase, 
 and proceed through another corridor, at the 
 end of which is the entrance to a pretty large 
 chamber, with a single pillar in the centre, and 
 not plastered in any part. At one corner of this 
 chamber we found two mummies on the ground 
 quite naked, without cloth or case. They were 
 females, and their hair pretty long, and well pre- 
 served, though it was easily separated from the 
 head by pulling it a little. At one side of this 
 room is a small door, leading into a small cham- 
 ber, in which we found the fragments of several 
 earthen vessels, and also pieces of vases of alabas- 
 ter, but so decayed that w^e could not join one to 
 another. On the top of the staircase we found 
 an earthern jar quite perfect, with a few hiero- 
 glyphics on it, and large enough to contain two 
 buckets of water. This tomb is a hundred feet 
 from the entrance to the end of the chamber, 
 twenty feet deep, and twenty-three wide. The 
 smaller chamber is ten feet square : it faces the 
 east by south, and runs straight towards west by 
 north. 
 
 Several days before we received news, that 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 355 
 
 there were some English people coming up from 
 Cairo, and we were anxiously expecting them, 
 as we knew by letter from that place, that they 
 were three English gentlemen. Early on the 
 morning of the 10th they reached Beban el Ma- 
 look, accompanied by Mr. Beechey, who was 
 at Luxor, where they arrived the evening be- 
 fore. 
 
 Early on the next morning, the 11th, we be- 
 gan the tour of Thebes. We went to see the 
 tombs in Gournou, and the little temple in the 
 valley behind the Memnonium. About twelve 
 o'clock word was brought me, that a tomb dis- 
 covered the day before was opened, so that we 
 might enter it. On this we took the road over 
 the rocks immediately, and arrived in less than 
 three quarters of an hour. I found the tomb 
 just opened, and entered to see how far it was 
 practicable to examine it. Having proceeded 
 through a passage thirty-two feet long, and eight 
 feet wide, I descended a staircase of twenty- 
 eight feet, and reached a tolerably large and 
 well-painted room. I then made a signal from 
 below to the travellers, that they might descend, 
 and they entered into the tomb, which is seven- 
 teen feet long, and twenty-one wide. The ceil- 
 ing was in good preservation, but not in the best 
 style. We found a sarcophagus of granite, with 
 
 A A 2 
 
356 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 two mummies in it, and in a corner a statue 
 standing erect, six feet six inches high, and 
 beautifully cut out of sycamore-wood : it is 
 nearly perfect except the nose. We found also 
 a number of little images of wood, well carved, 
 representing symbolical figures. Some had a 
 lion's head, others a fox's, others a monkey's. 
 One had a land-tortoise instead of a head. We 
 found a calf with the head of a hippopotamus. 
 At each side of this chamber is a smaller one, 
 eight feet wide, and seven feet long ; and at the 
 end of it is another chamber, ten feet long by 
 seven wide. In the chamber on our right hand 
 we found another statue like the first, but not 
 perfect. No doubt they had been placed one 
 on each side of the sarcophagus, holding a lamp 
 or some offering in their hands, one hand being 
 stretched out in the proper posture to hold 
 something, and the other hanging down. The 
 sarcophagus was covered with hieroglyphics 
 merely painted, or outlined : it faces south-east 
 by east. 
 
 Next day, the 12th, the party could not pro- 
 ceed on their voyage, the wind being foul. On 
 the 13th I caused some spots of ground to be 
 dug at Gournou, and we succeeded in opening 
 a mummy-pit on that day, so that the travellers 
 had the satisfaction of seeing a pit just opened, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 357 
 
 and receiving clear ideas of the manner in which 
 the mummies are found, though all tombs are 
 not alike. This was a small one, and consisted 
 of two rooms painted all over, but not in the 
 best style. It appeared to me that the tomb be- 
 longed to some warrior, as there were a great 
 number of men enrolHng themselves for soldiers, 
 and another writing their names in a book. 
 There are also several other figures, &c. In the 
 lower apartment we saw the mummies lying 
 here and there, without any regularity. To all 
 appearance therefore this pit had been opened 
 by the Greeks, or some other people, to plun- 
 der it. 
 
 The same day we visited another mummy-pit, 
 which I had opened six months before. The con- 
 struction is somewhat similar to what I have just 
 described, a portico and a subterraneous cavity 
 where the mummies are. Here the paintings 
 are beautiful, not only for their preservation, 
 but for the novelty of their figures. There are 
 two harps, one with nine strings, and the other 
 with fourteen, and several other strange repre- 
 sentations : in particular, six dancing girls, with 
 fifes, tainbourins, pipes of reeds, guitars, &c. 
 
 On the l6tli I recommenced my excavations 
 in the valley of Beban el Malook, and pointed 
 out the fortunate spot, which has paid me for all 
 
358 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the trouble I took in my researches. I may call 
 this a fortunate day, one of the best perhaps 
 of my life ; I do not mean to say, that for- 
 tune has made me rich, for I do not consider 
 all rich men fortunate ; but she has given me 
 that satisfaction, that extreme pleasure, which 
 wealth cannot purchase ; the pleasure of disco- 
 vering what has been long sought in vain, and 
 of presenting the world with a new and perfect 
 monument of Egyptian antiquity, which can be 
 recorded as superior to any other in point of 
 grandeur, style, and preservation, appearing as 
 if just finished on the day we entered it; and 
 what I found in it will show its great superiority 
 to all others. Not fifteen yards from the last 
 tomb described, I caused the earth to be 
 opened at the foot of a steep hill, and under a 
 torrent, which, when it rains in the desert, pours 
 a great quantity of water over the very spot I 
 have caused to be dug. No one could imagine, 
 that the ancient Egyptians would make the en- 
 trance into such an immense and superb exca- 
 vation just under a torrent of water ; but I had 
 strong reasons to suppose, that there was a tomb 
 in that place, from indications I had observed in 
 my pursuit. The Fellahs who were accustomed 
 to dig were all of opinion, that there was nothing 
 in that spot, as the situation of this tomb differed 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 359 
 
 from that of any other. I continued the work, 
 however, and the next day, the 17th, in the 
 evening, we perceived the part of the rock that 
 was cut, and formed the entrance. On the 18th, 
 early in the morning, the task was resumed, and 
 about noon the workmen reached the entrance, 
 which was eighteen feet below the surface of the 
 ground. The appearance indicated, that the 
 tomb was of the first rate : but I did not expect 
 to find such a one as it really proved to be. The 
 Fellahs advanced till they saw that it was pro- 
 bably a large tomb, when they protested they 
 could go no farther, the tomb was so much 
 choked up with large stones, which they could 
 not get out of the passage. I descended, ex- 
 amined the place, pointed out to them where 
 they might dig, and in an hour there was room 
 enough for me to enter through a passage that 
 the earth had left under the ceiling of the first 
 corridor, which is thirty-six feet two inches long, 
 and eight feet eight inches wide, and when 
 cleared of the ruins, eight feet nine inches high. 
 I perceived immediately by the painting on the 
 ceiling, and by the hieroglyphics in basso relievo, 
 which were to be seen where the earth did not 
 reach, that this was the entrance into a large 
 and magnificent tomb. At the end of this cor- 
 ridor I came to a staircase twenty-three feet 
 
360 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 long, and of the same breadth as the corridor. 
 The door at the bottom is twelve feet high. At 
 the foot of the staircase I entered another corri- 
 dor, thirty-seven feet three inches long, and of 
 the same width and height as the other, each 
 side sculptured with hieroglyphics in basso re- 
 lievo, and painted. The ceiling also is finely 
 painted, and in pretty good preservation (See 
 Plate 2). The more I saw^, the more I was 
 eager to see, such being the nature of man : but 
 I was checked in my anxiety at this time, for at 
 the end of this passage I reached a large pit, 
 which intercepted my progress. This pit is 
 thirty feet deep, and fourteen feet by twelve feet 
 three inches wide. The upper part is adorned 
 with figures, from the wall of the passage up to 
 the ceiling. The passages from the entrance all 
 the way to this pit have an inclination downward 
 of an angle of eighteen degrees. On the oppo- 
 site side of the pit facing the entrance I per- 
 ceived a small aperture two feet wide and two 
 feet six inches high, and at the bottom of the 
 wall a quantity of rubbish. A rope fastened to 
 a piece of wood, that was laid across the passage 
 against the projections which form a kind of 
 door, appears to have been used by the ancients 
 for descending into the pit ; and from the small 
 aperture on the opposite side hung another, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, .<vc. 36 1 
 
 which reached the bottom, no doubt for the pur- 
 pose of ascending. We coukl clearly perceive, 
 that the water which entered the passages from 
 the torrents of rain ran into this pit, and the 
 wood and rope fastened to it crumbled to dust 
 on touching them. At the bottom of the pit 
 were several pieces of wood, placed against the 
 side of it, so as to assist the person who was to 
 ascend by the rope into the aperture. I saw 
 the impossibility of proceeding at the moment. 
 Mr. Beechey, who that day came from Luxor, 
 entered the tomb, but was also disappointed of 
 advancing any farther. 
 
 The next day, the 19th, by means of a long 
 beam we succeeded in sending a man up into 
 the aperture, and having contrived to make a 
 bridge of two beams, w^e crossed the pit. The 
 little aperture we found to be an opening forced 
 tlirough a wall, that had entirely closed the en- 
 trance, which was as large as the corridor. The 
 Egyptians had closely shut it up, plastered the 
 wall over, and painted it like the rest of the sides 
 of the pit, so that but for the aperture, it would 
 have been impossible to suppose, that there was 
 any farther proceeding ; and any one would con- 
 clude, that the tomb ended with the pit. The 
 rope in the inside of the wall did not fall to dust, 
 but remained pretty strong, the water not hav- 
 
362 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ing reached it at all ; and the wood to which it 
 was attached was in good preservation. It was 
 owing to this method of keeping the damp out 
 of the inner parts of the tomb, that these apart- 
 ments are so well preserved. I observed some 
 cavities at the bottom of the well, but found no- 
 thing in them, nor any communication from the 
 bottom to any other place ; therefore we could 
 not doubt their being made to receive the wa- 
 ters from the rain, which happens occasionally 
 in this mountain. The valley is so much raised 
 by the rubbish, which the water carries down 
 from the upper parts that the entrance into these 
 tombs is become much lower than the torrents; 
 in consequence, the water finds its way into the 
 tombs, some of which are entirely choked up 
 with earth. 
 
 When we had passed through the little aper- 
 ture, we found ourselves in a beautiful hall, 
 twenty-seven feet six inches by twenty-five feet 
 ten inches, in which were four pillars three feet 
 square. I shall not give any description of the 
 painting, till I have described the whole of the 
 chambers. At the end of this room, which I 
 call the entrance-hall, and opposite the aperture, 
 is a large door, from which three steps lead down 
 into a chamber with two pillars. This is twenty- 
 eight feet two inches by twenty-five feet six 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 363 
 
 inches. The pillars are three feet ten inches 
 square. I gave it the name of the drawing- 
 room ; for it is covered with figures, which, 
 though only outlined, are so fine and perfect, 
 that one would think they had been drawn only 
 the day before. Returning into the entrance- 
 hall, there is on the left of the aperture a large 
 staircase, which descended into a corridor. It 
 is thirteen feet four inches long, seven and a 
 half wide, and has eighteen steps. At the bot- 
 tom we entered a beautiful corridor, thirty-six 
 feet six inches by six feet eleven inches. We 
 perceived, that the paintings became more per- 
 fect as we advanced farther into the interior. 
 They retained their gloss, or a kind of varnish 
 over the colours, w^hich had a beautiful effect. 
 The figures are painted on a w^hite ground. At 
 the end of this corridor we descended ten steps, 
 which I call the small stairs, into another, seven- 
 teen feet two inches by ten feet five inches. 
 From this we entered a small chamber, twenty 
 feet four inches by thirteen feet eight inches, to 
 which I gave the name of the Room of Beau- 
 ties ; for it is adorned with the most beautiful 
 figures in basso relievo, like all the rest, and 
 painted. When standing in the centre of this 
 chamber, the traveller is surrounded by an as- 
 sembly of Egyptian gods and goddesses. Pro- 
 
S64 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ceediiig farther, we entered a large hall, twenty- 
 seven feet nine inches by twenty-six feet ten 
 inches. In this hall are two rows of square 
 pillars, three on each side of the entrance, form- 
 ing a, line with the corridors. At each side of 
 this hall is a small chamber : that on the right 
 is ten feet five inclies by eight feet eight inches; 
 that on the left, ten feet five inclies by eight feet 
 nine inches and a half. This hall I termed the 
 Hall of Pillars ; the little room on the right, 
 Isis' Room, as in it a large cow is painted, of 
 which I shall give a description hereafter ; that 
 on the left, the Room of Mysteries, from the 
 mysterious figures it exhibits. At the end of this 
 hall we entered a large saloon, with an arched roof 
 or ceiling, which is separated from the Hall of 
 Pillars only by a step ; so that the two may be 
 reckoned one. The saloon is thirty-one feet ten 
 inches by twenty-seven feet. On the right of the 
 saloon is a small chamber without any thing in it, 
 roughly cut, as if unfinished, and without paint- 
 ing : on the left we entered a chamber with two 
 square pillars, twenty-five feet eight inches by 
 twenty-two feet ten inches. This I called the 
 Sideboard Room, as it has a projection of three 
 feet in form of a sideboard all round, which was 
 perhaps intended to contain the articles neces- 
 sary for the funeral ceremony. The pillars are 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 365 
 
 three feet four inches square, and the whole 
 beautifully painted as the rest. At the same end 
 of the room, and facing the Hall of Pillars, we 
 entered by a large door into another chamber 
 with four pillars, one of which is fallen down. 
 This chamber is forty-three feet four inches by 
 seventeen feet six inches ; the pillars three feet 
 seven inches square. It is covered with white 
 plaster, where the rock did not cut smoothly, 
 but there is no painting on it. I named it the 
 Bull's, or Apis* Room, as we found the carcass 
 of a bull in it, embalmed with asphaltum ; and 
 also, scattered in various places, an immense 
 quantity of small wooden figures of mummies 
 six or eight inches long, and covered with as- 
 phaltum to preserve them. There were some 
 other figures of fine earth baked, coloured blue, 
 and strongly varnished. On each side of the 
 two little rooms were some wooden statues 
 standing erect, four feet high, with a circular 
 hollow inside, as if to contain a roll of papyrus, 
 which I have no doubt they did. We found 
 likewise fragments of other statues of wood and 
 of composition. 
 
 But the description of what we found in the 
 centre of the saloon, and which I have reserved 
 till this place, merits the most particular atten- 
 tion, not having its equal in the world, and 
 
366 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 being such as we had no idea could exist. It is 
 a sarcophagus of the finest oriental alabaster*, 
 nine feet five inches long, and three feet seven 
 inches wide. Its thickness is only two inches ; 
 and it is transparent when a light is placed 
 in the inside of it. It is minutely sculptured 
 within and without with several hundred figures, 
 which do not exceed two inches in height, and 
 represent, as I suppose, the whole of the funeral 
 procession and ceremonies relating to the de- 
 ceased, united with several emblems, &c. I 
 cannot give an adequate idea of this beautiful 
 and invaluable piece of antiquity, and can only 
 say, that nothing has been brought into Europe 
 from Egypt that can be compared with it. The 
 cover was not there : it had been taken out, and 
 broken into several pieces, which we found in 
 digging before the first entrance. The sarco- 
 phagus was over a staircase in the centre of the 
 saloon, which communicated with a subterrane- 
 ous passage, leading downwards, three hundred 
 feet in length. At the end of this passage w^e 
 found a great quantity of bats* dung, which 
 choked up the way, so that we could go no far- 
 ther without digging. It was nearly filled up 
 
 * Doctor Clark, the Professor of Mineralogy at Cambridge, 
 found the quality of the stone to be aroganitic, much rarer 
 than alabaster. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 367 
 
 too by the falling in of the upper part. One 
 hundred feet from the entrance is a staircase in 
 good preserv^ation ; but the rock below changes 
 its substance, from a beautiful solid calcareous 
 stone, becoming a kind of black rotten slate, 
 which crumbles into dust only by touching. 
 This subterraneous passage proceeds in a south- 
 west direction through the mountain. I mea- 
 sured the distance from the entrance, and also 
 the rocks above, and found, that the passage 
 reaches nearly half way through the mountain 
 to the upper part of the valley. I have reason 
 to suppose, that this passage was used to come 
 into the tomb by another entrance ; but this 
 could not be after the death of the person who 
 was buried there, for at the bottom of the stairs 
 just under the sarcophagus a wall was built, 
 which entirely closed the communication be- 
 tween the tomb and the subterraneous passage. 
 Some large blocks of stone were placed under the 
 sarcophagus horizontally, level with the pave- 
 ment of the saloon, that no one might perceive 
 any stairs or subterranean passage was there. 
 The door-way of the sideboard room had been 
 walled up, and forced open, as we found the 
 stones with which it was shut, and the mortar in 
 the jambs. The staircase of the entrance-hall 
 had been walled up also at the bottom, and the 
 
368 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 space filled with rubbish, and the floor covered 
 with large blocks of stone, so as to deceive any 
 one who should force the fallen wall near the 
 pit, and make him suppose, that the tomb ended 
 with the entrance-hall and the drawing-room. 
 I am inclined to believe, that whoever forced 
 these passages must have had some spies with 
 them, who were well acquainted with the 
 tomb throughout. The tomb faces the north- 
 east, and the direction of the whole runs straight 
 south-west. 
 
 To give an accurate description of the various 
 representations within this tomb would be a 
 work above my capacity. I shall therefore only 
 endeavour to describe the most remarkable that 
 are to be seen in the various parts of it. From 
 these may be formed some idea of this magni- 
 ficent excavation. 
 
 I beg my kind reader to observe, that all the 
 figures and hieroglyphics of every description 
 are sculptured in basso relievo, and painted 
 over, except in the outlined chamber, which 
 was only prepared for the sculptor. This room 
 gives the best ideas that have yet been dis- 
 covered of the original process of Egyptian 
 sculpture. The wall was previously made as 
 smooth as possible, and when there were flaws in 
 the rocks, the vacuum was filled up with cement, 
 
In EGYPT, NUBIA, .«to. SG9 
 
 which, when hard, was cut along with the rest 
 of the rock. Where a figure or any thing else 
 was required to be formed, after the wall was 
 prepared, the sculptor appears to have made his 
 first sketches of what w^as intended to be cut 
 out. When the sketches were finished in red 
 lines by the first artist, another more skilful 
 corrected the errors, if any, and his lines were 
 made in black, to be distinguished from those 
 which were imperfect. When the figures were 
 thus prepared, the sculptor proceeded to cut 
 out the stone all round the figure, which re- 
 mained in basso relievo, some to the height of 
 half an inch, and some much less, according to 
 the size of the figure. For instance, if a figure 
 were as large as life, its elevation was generally 
 half an inch ; if the figure were not more than 
 six inches in length, its projection would not 
 exceed the thickness of a dollar, or perhaps less. 
 The angles of the figures were all smoothly 
 rounded, which makes them appear less promi- 
 nent than they really are. The parts of the 
 stone that were to be taken oft* all round the 
 figure did not extend much farther, as the wall 
 is thickly covered with figures and hierogly- 
 phics, and I believe there is not a space on 
 those walls more than a foot square without 
 some figure or hierogly})hic. The garments, 
 
 VOL. I. B B 
 
370 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 and various parts of the limbs, were marked by 
 a narrow line, not deeper than the thickness of 
 a half-crown, but so exact, that it produced the 
 intended effect. 
 
 When the figures were completed and made 
 smooth by the sculptor, they received a coat of 
 whitewash all over. This white is so beautiful and 
 clear, that our best and whitest paper appeared 
 yellowish when compared with it. The painter 
 came next, and finished the figure. It would 
 seem as if they were unacquainted with any 
 colour to imitate the naked parts, since red is 
 adopted as a standing colour for all that meant 
 flesh. There are some exceptions indeed ; for 
 in certain instances, when they intended to re- 
 present a fair lady, by way of distinguishing 
 her complexion from that of the m.en, they put 
 on a yellow colour to represent her flesh ; yet 
 it cannot be supposed, that they did not know 
 how to reduce their red paints to a flesh colour, 
 for on some occasions, where the red flesh is sup- 
 posed to be seen through a thin veil, the tints 
 are nearly of the natural colour, if we suppose 
 the Egyptians to have been of the same hue 
 as their successors, the present Copts, some of 
 whom are nearly as fair as the Europeans. Their 
 garments w^ere generally white, and their orna- 
 ments formed the most difficult part, when the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 371 
 
 artists had to employ red in the distribution of 
 the four colours, in which they were very suc- 
 cessful. When the figures were finished, they ap- 
 pear to have laid on a coat of varnish ; though 
 it may be questioned, whether the varnish were 
 thus applied, or incorporated with the colour. 
 The fact is, that nowhere else except in this 
 tomb is the varnish to be observed, as no place 
 in Egypt can boast of such preservation, nor 
 can the true customs of the Egyptians be seen 
 any where else with greater accuracy. 
 
 With the assistance of Mr. Ricci, I have 
 made drawings of all the figures, hieroglyphics, 
 emblems, ornaments, &c. that are to be seen in 
 this tomb ; and by great perseverance I have 
 taken impressions of every thing in wax : to 
 accomplish the work has been a laborious task, 
 that occupied me more than twelve months. 
 
 The drawings show the respective places of 
 the figures, so that if a building were erected 
 exactly on the same plan, and of the same size, 
 the figures might be placed in their situations 
 precisely as in the original, and thus produce in 
 Europe a tomb, in every point equal to tliat in 
 Thebes, which I hope to execute if possible. 
 
 Immediately within tlie entrance into the 
 first passage, on the left hand, are two figures 
 as large as life, one of which appears to be the 
 
 B B 2 
 
372 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 hero entering into the tomb. He is received 
 by a deity with a hawk's head, on which are 
 the glohe and serpent. Both figures are sur- 
 rounded by liieroglyphics ; and farther on, near 
 the ground, is a crocodile very neatly sculp- 
 tured. The walls on both sides of this passage 
 are covered with hieroglyphics, which are se- 
 parated by lines from the top to the bottom, 
 at the distance of five or six inches from each 
 other. Within these lines the hieroglyphics form 
 their sentences ; and it is plainly to be seen, 
 that the Egyptians read from the top to the 
 bottom, and then recommenced at the top. The 
 ceiling of this first passage is painted with the 
 figure of the eagles, as in Plate 2. Beyond 
 the first passage is a staircase with a niche on 
 each side, adorned with curious figures with 
 human bodies and the heads of various animals, 
 &c. At each side of the door at the bottom of 
 the stairs is a female figure kneeling, with her 
 hands over a globe. Above each of these figures 
 is the fox, which, according to the Egyptian 
 custom, is always placed to watch the doors of 
 sepulchres. On the front space over the door 
 are the names of the hero and his son, or his 
 father, at each side of which is a figure with 
 its wings spread over the names to protect them, 
 as is seen in Plate 3. The names are distin- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 373 
 
 guislied by being inclosed in two oval niches. 
 In that of Nichao is a sitting figure, known to 
 be a male by the beard. He has on his head the 
 usual corn measure, and the two feathers ; on 
 his knees the sickle and the flail : over his head 
 is a crescent with the horns upward; above 
 which is what is presumed to be a faggot of 
 various pieces of wood bound together, and by 
 its side a group twisted in a serpentine form. 
 Behind the figure are what are thought by some 
 to be two knives, by others feathers ; but as 
 the feathers are of a different form, I for my 
 part think tliey are sacrificing knives, which 
 may have served as emblems of the priesthood, 
 for we know, that the heroes or kings of Egypt 
 were initiated into the sacred rites of the <]rods. 
 
 o 
 
 Below the figure is a frame of two lines drawn 
 parallel to each other, and connected by similar 
 lines, beneath which is the emblem of movinc; 
 water. 
 
 In the next oval on the right is a sitting female 
 fiijLire with a band round the head fastening; a 
 feather, and on her knees she holds the keys of 
 the Nile. Above the head is the globe, and 
 beneath the figure the form of a tower, as it is 
 supposed to represent strength. The faces of 
 both figures are painted blue, which is the colour 
 of the face of the great God of the creation. 
 
374 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 On each of the oval frames there is the globe 
 and feathers, and beneath it tv,o hieroglyphics 
 not unlike two overflowing basins, as they are 
 under the two protecting figures at each side of 
 the oval frame. 
 
 Next is the second passage, on the right hand 
 side of which are some funeral processions, ap- 
 parently in the action of taking the sarcophagus 
 down into the tomb, the usual boat, which carries 
 the male and female figures upon it, and in the 
 centre of the boat a figure with the head of a 
 ram, drawn by a party of men. 
 
 The wall on the left is likewise covered v*'ith 
 similar processions. Among them is the scara- 
 baeus, or beetle, elevated in the air, and sup- 
 ported by two hawks, which hold the cords 
 drawn by various figures ; and many other em- 
 blems and symbolical devices. The figures on 
 the wall of the well are nearly as large as life. 
 They appear to represent several deities ; some 
 receiving offerings from people of various classes. 
 
 Next is the first hall, which has four pillars 
 in the centre, at each side of which are two 
 figures, generally a male and a female deity. 
 On the right hand side wall there are three tiers 
 of figures one above the other, which is the ge- 
 neral system almost all over the tomb. In the 
 upper tier are a number of men pulling a chain 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. S'^5 
 
 attached to a standing mummy, which is ap- 
 parently unmoved by their efforts. The two 
 beneath consist of funeral processions, and a 
 row of mummies lying on frames horizontally 
 on the ground. On the left is a military and 
 mysterious procession, consisting of a great num- 
 ber of figures all looking toward a man who is 
 much superior to them in size, and faces them. 
 At the end of this procession are three different 
 sorts of people, from other nations, evidently 
 Jews, Ethiopians, and Persians. Behind them 
 are some Egyptians without their ornaments, as 
 if they were captives rescued and returning to 
 their country, followed by a hawk-headed figure, 
 I suppose their protecting deity. For this pro- 
 cession see Plates 6, 7» ii"d 8. 
 
 I have the satisfaction of announcing to the 
 reader, that, according to Dr. Young's late 
 discovery of a great number of hieroglyphics, 
 he found the names of Nichao and Psammu- 
 this his son, inserted in the drawings I have 
 taken of this tomb. It is the first time that 
 hieroglyphics have been explained with such 
 accuracy, which proves the doctor's system 
 beyond doubt to be the right key for reading 
 this unknown language ; and it is to be hoped, 
 that he will succeed in completing his arduous 
 and difficult undertaking, as it would give to 
 
376 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 the world tlie history of one of the most pri- 
 mitive nations, of which we are now totally 
 ignorant. Nichao conquered Jerusalem and 
 Babylon, and his son Psammuthis made war 
 against the Ethiopians. What can be more 
 clear than the above procession ? The people of 
 the three nations are distinctly seen. The Per- 
 sians, the Jews, and the Ethiopians, come in, 
 followed by some captive Egyptians, as if rcr 
 turning into their country, guarded by a pro- 
 tecting deity. The reason why the Egyptians 
 must be presumed to have been captives is, 
 their being divested of all the ornaments, which 
 served to decorate and distinguish them from 
 one another. The Jews are clearly distin- 
 guished by their physiognomy and complexion, 
 the Ethiopians by their colour and ornaments, 
 and the Persians by their well-known dress, as 
 they are so often seen in the battles with the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 In the front of this hall, facing the entrance, 
 is one of the finest compositions that ever was 
 made by the Egyptians, for nothing like it can 
 be seen in any part of Egypt. It consists of 
 four figures as large as life. The god Osiris 
 sitting on his throne, receiving the homages of 
 a hero, who is introduced by a hawk-headed 
 deity. Behind the throne is a female figure as 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 377 
 
 if in attendance on the great god. The whole 
 group is surrounded by hieroglyphics, and in- 
 closed in a frame richly adorned with sym- 
 bolical figures. The winged globe is above, with 
 the wings spread over all, and a line of serpents 
 crowns the whole. The figures and paintings 
 are in such perfect preservation, that they give 
 the most correct idea of their ornaments and 
 decorations (See Plate 19). 
 
 Straight forward is the entrance into another 
 chamber with two pillars. The wall of this 
 place is outlined, ready for the sculptor to cut 
 out his figure. It is here that we may plainly 
 see the manner in which the artist prepared 
 the figure on the wall ready to be cut ; and it 
 is almost impossible to give a description of the 
 various figures, which adorn the walls and pillars 
 of this chamber. There are great varieties of 
 symbolical figures of men, women, and animals, 
 apparently intending to represent the different 
 exploits of the hero, to whom the tomb was de- 
 dicated. 
 
 In the first hall is a staircase, which leads 
 into a lower passage, the entrance into which 
 is decorated with two figures, on each side, a 
 male and a female, as large as life. The female 
 appears to represent Isis, having, as usual, the 
 horns and globe on her head. She seems ready 
 
378 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to receiv^e the hero, who is about to enter 
 the regions of immortality. The garments of 
 this figure are so well preserved, that nothing 
 which has yet been brought before the pubhc 
 can give a more correct idea of Egyptian cus- 
 toms. The figure of the hero is covered with 
 a veil, or transparent linen, folded over his 
 shoulder, and covering his whole body, which 
 gives him a very graceful appearance. Isis is 
 apparently covered with a net, every mesh of 
 which contains some hieroglyphic, serving to 
 embellish the dress of the goddess. The neck- 
 lace, bracelets, belt, and other ornaments, are 
 so well arranged, that they produce the most 
 pleasing effect, particularly by the artificial 
 lights, all being intended to conduce to this 
 purpose (See Plate 18). 
 
 On the wall to the left, on entering this pas- 
 sage, is a sitting figure of the size of life : it is 
 the hero himself on his throne, having the sceptre 
 in his right hand, while the left is stretched over 
 an altar, on which are twenty divisions, as will 
 be seen in Plate 1. A plate in the form of an 
 Egyptian temple is hung to his neck by a string. 
 It contains an obelisk and two deities — one on 
 each side of it. Plates of this kind have been 
 much sought after, as they appear to have been 
 the decoration or breastplate of the kings of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 379 
 
 Egypt. Few have been found, and I have seen 
 only two, — one is in the British Museum, and 
 the other I was fortunate enough to procure 
 from an Arab, who discovered it in one of the 
 tombs of the kings in Beban el Malook. It is 
 of black basalt, much larger and superior in 
 workmanship to the other, which proves, that 
 they were of various sizes, and mo;'e or less 
 finished. It has the scarabaeus or beetle in alto 
 relievo on a small boat with a deity on each 
 side of it, and on the reverse is the usual in- 
 scription. Over the head of this figure is the 
 eagle w^ith extended wings, as if protecting the 
 king. On the upper part of each side of the 
 walls of the passage is the history of the hero 
 divided into several small compartments nearly 
 two feet square, containing groups of figures 
 eighteen inches high. The hero is to be seen 
 every where standing on a heap of corn, re- 
 ceiving offerings from his soldiers or companions 
 in war. Farther on is a small staircase leading 
 into a short passage, where the procession still 
 continues, and the sacrifice of a bull is to be 
 seen, as in Plate 13. The walls of both passages 
 are covered with hieroglyphics in separate divi, 
 sions. From this short passage there is an en- 
 trance into another much w^ider than the rest. 
 The charming sight of this place made us give 
 
380 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 it the name of the Room of Beauties. All the 
 figures are in such perfection, that the smallest 
 part of their ornaments can be clearly distin- 
 guished. The sides of the doors are most beau- 
 tifully adorned with female deities, surrounded 
 with hieroglyphics, and the lotus is to be seen 
 both in bud and in full bloom, with the serpent 
 on a half globe over it (See Plate 17). Farther 
 on is the great hall with six pillars, containing 
 on each side of it two figures as large as life. 
 The walls are adorned with the procession and 
 other symbolical figures. Over the door, in 
 the inside, is the figure of a female with ex- 
 tended wings, as in Plate 3. At each side of 
 this hall is a small cell ; that on the left con^ 
 taining various mummies and other figures, and 
 that on the right a cow of half the natural size, 
 with a number of figures under it, which form 
 a very curious group. The walls also are covered 
 with hieroglyphics. In the large hall close to 
 the door are a number of men carrying a long 
 slender pole, at each end of which is a cow*s 
 head, and on the pole, two bulls, as in Plate 15. 
 Still farther, the hall opens into the large vaulted 
 chamber. Here it would be impossible to give 
 any accurate description of the numerous figures, 
 which adorn the wall of this place. It was here 
 that the body of the king was deposited, as I 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 381 
 
 found in its centre the beautiful sarcophagus, 
 which is sculptured within and witliout with 
 small figures in intaglio, coloured with a dark 
 blue, and, when a light is put into the inside of 
 it, it is quite transparent. The ceiling of the 
 vault itself is painted blue, with a procession 
 of figures and other groups relating to the 
 zodiac. 
 
 The next is a chamber with a projection like 
 a side-board. It has two square pillars with 
 two figures on every side, as represented, in 
 Plates 4 and 5. The walls in every part of this 
 chamber are also beautifully adorned with sym- 
 bolical figures, a specimen of which is given in 
 Plate 2, which represents a compartment over 
 the door within the chamber. It is useless to 
 proceed any further in the description of this 
 heavenly place, as I can assure the reader he 
 can form but a very faint idea of it from the 
 trifling account my pen is able to give ; should 
 I be so fortunate, however, as to succeed in 
 erecting an exact model of this tomb in Europe, 
 the beholder will acknowledge the impossibility 
 of doing it justice in a description. 
 
 The Arabs made such reports of this dis- 
 covery, that it came to the ears of Hamed Aga 
 of Kenneh ; and it was reported to him, that 
 great treasure was found in it. On hcarino- 
 
382 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 this, he immediately set oif with some of his 
 soldiers to Thebes, generally a journey of two 
 days, but such was his speed in travelling, that 
 he arrived in the valley of Beban el Malook in 
 thirty-six hours by land. Before his arrival 
 some Arabs brought us intelligence, that they 
 saw from the tops of the mountains a great many 
 Turks on horseback entering the valley, and 
 coming toward us. I could not conceive who 
 they could be, as no Turks ever came near this 
 place. Half an hour after they gave us the 
 signal of their approach, by firing several guns. 
 I thought an armed force was sent to storm the 
 tombs and rocks, as no other object could bring 
 the Turks there ; at last, when this mighty 
 power reached us, I found it to be the well- 
 known Hamed Aga of Kenneh, for some time 
 commander of the eastern side of Thebes, and 
 his followers. Accordingly I was at a loss to 
 conceive what he wanted there, as we were on 
 the west, and under another ruler ; but I sup- 
 pose, in case of a treasure being discovered, 
 the first that hears of it seizes it as a matter of 
 privilege. He smiled, and saluted me very 
 cordially ; indeed more so than usual, I pre- 
 sume for the sake of the treasure I had dis- 
 covered, of which he was in great expectation. 
 I caused as many lights to be brought as we 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 383 
 
 could muster, and we descended into the tomb. 
 What was on the walls of this extraordinary 
 place did not attract his attention in the least ; 
 all the striking figures and lively paintings were 
 lost on him ; his views were directed to the trea- 
 sure alone ; and his numerous followers were 
 like hounds, searching in every hole and corner. 
 Nothing, however, being found to satisfy their 
 master or themselves, after a long and minute 
 survey, the Aga at last ordered the soldiers to 
 retire, and said to me, " Pray where have you 
 put the treasure?" "What treasure?'* "The 
 treasure you found in this place." I could not 
 help smiling at his question, which confirmed 
 him in his supposition. I told him that we had 
 found no treasure there. At this he laughed, 
 and still continued to entreat that I would 
 show it to him. " I have been told," he added, 
 " by a person to whom I can give credit, that 
 you have found in this place a large golden 
 cock, filled with diamonds and pearls. I must 
 see it. Where is it?" I could scarcely keep 
 myself from laughing, while I assured him that 
 nothing of the kind had been found there. 
 Seeming quite disappointed, he seated himself 
 before the sarcophagus, and I was afraid he 
 would take it into his head, that this was the 
 treasure, and break it to pieces, to see whether 
 
384 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 it contained any gold j for their notions of trea- 
 sure are confined to gold and jewels. At last 
 he gave up the idea of the riches to be expected, 
 and rose to go out of the tomb. I asked him 
 what he thouglit of the beautiful figures painted 
 all around. He just gave a glance at them, 
 quite unconcerned^ and said, •' This would be 
 a good place for a harem, as the women would 
 have something to look it." At length, though 
 only half persuaded there w as no treasure, he 
 set off with an appearance of much vexation. 
 
 Every thing must come round, and be told 
 in proper time. I shall now introduce what 
 happened previous to this period. It will be 
 recollected, on my first voyage up to Nubia I 
 took possession, in the island of Philoe, of six- 
 teen large blocks of stone, which formed a fine 
 group of various figures in basso relievo ; that 
 I had them cut thinner, to be taken more easily 
 down the Nile; and that the boat, which was 
 engaged to carry them, returned without them, 
 as the Reis did not intend to take the great head 
 on board his boat. On our arrival at the island, 
 on my second voyage, we found these stones 
 had been mutilated, and written upon in the 
 French language, *' operation manqticeJ* The 
 hand writing could not be ascertained, as it was 
 done with charcoal; but we knew there had 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 585 
 
 been only three French agents at the island, 
 Mr. Caliud, Mr. Jaqiies, and the renegado 
 Rosignana, all in the employ of Mr. Drouetti. 
 Ignorant which of the three to point out as the 
 perpetrator of this wanton and spitefid mis- 
 chief, we contented ourselves with writing to 
 the consul at Cairo, and nothing more was said. 
 But by this time Mr. Jaques, who had parted 
 from the others and was alone, came to us, and, 
 by way of exculpating himself, said that Caliud 
 was the man, who mutilated the figures with 
 his little hammer, which he always carried with 
 him to break stones. Mr. CaUud was now in 
 Cairo, and Mr. Beech ey wrote to the consul an 
 account of what had passed. Mr. Caliud, afraid 
 of being turned out of employment, assured the 
 consul, that he would prove his innocence in 
 the face qf Mr. Jaques, when he arrived in 
 Thebes. Sometime after Mr. Caliud reached 
 Thebes with a letter from the consul, stating 
 the promise he had made of clearing himself 
 from the imputation of Mr. Jaques concerning 
 the breaking of the stones ; but instead of con- 
 fronting j\Ir. Jaques, who was there, he con- 
 tented himself with abusing the English consul 
 for having spoken to him about the business 
 while in Cairo, and did not choose to meet Mr. 
 Jaques and us, or say whether the charge were 
 
 VOL. I. t c 
 
386 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 true or false. After abusing the consul, who 
 was now five hundred miles distant from him, 
 Mr. Caliud meditated more mischief before his 
 departure. He became the friend again of Mr. 
 Jaques, who wrote again to the consul, that all 
 that had been written to him by Mr. Beechey 
 concerning Mr. Caliud was not true, and that 
 he never told us any thing of the kind. On 
 the arrival of the consul at Thebes, Mr. Jaques 
 was questioned before us, whether he had not 
 told us, that Caliud mutilated the stones in the 
 island of Philoe. He again repeated to the 
 consul before us, that Caliud did break the 
 stones : and being questioned by the consul, 
 why he afterwards wrote, that such was not the 
 case, said with the greatest sang froidy that he 
 merely contradicted it at the request of Caliud. 
 One broke the stones ; the other first betrayed 
 him, then retracted, and lastly confirmed it again. 
 These were the sort of honourable Monsieurs I 
 had to guard against. 
 
 Twenty days after the tomb was opened, we 
 heard by the boats which came up the Nile, 
 that there were three maishes, or large boats, 
 coming up, with Englishmen on board ; and, a 
 few days after. Earl Belmore and family, Mr. 
 Salt the consul. Captain Cory, Dr. Richardson, 
 and the Rev. Mr. Holt, arrived at Thebes. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 387 
 
 In passing Kenneh they went to see Hamed 
 Aga, who told them of the new discovery of 
 the tomb. They were deHghted when they saw 
 it; and as his Lordship was anxious to find a 
 tomb, I pointed out two likely spots of ground 
 in the valley of Beban el Malook, but they turned 
 out to be two small mummy pits. This proves, 
 that small tombs were permitted to be dug out 
 in that valley, where it was supposed, that none 
 but the tombs of the kings of Egypt were to be 
 found ; and agrees with my former opinion, 
 that it was not in this valley alone the tombs of 
 the kings were excavated. During his stay, his 
 Lordship made many researches, and was pleased 
 to send down the Nile two of the lion-headed 
 statues I discovered in Carnak. Thus, with 
 what was found and brought by the Arabs, he 
 accumulated a vast quantity of fragments, which, 
 when in Europe, will form a pretty extensive ca- 
 binet of antiquities. 
 
 The consul was so enraptured with the sight 
 of the tomb, and, I suppose, of the sarcophagus, 
 that he also began making excavations in the 
 valley of Beban el Malook, in order to find some 
 more of the depositories of kings. He con- 
 tinued his research four months ; and what he 
 has found he will of course describe himself 
 with more minuteness than I could do. Lord 
 
 c c 2 
 
388 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Belmore and his family proceeded to Nubia a 
 few days after ; and I prepared to descend the 
 Nile, as I had business in Cairo. Such however 
 was the impression made on me by that beautiful 
 tomb, that I resolved to return to Thebes, and 
 form a complete model of it, of which I shall 
 speak hereafter. 
 
 Having embarked all that was found this 
 season, I left Thebes with another accumu- 
 lation of antiquities, I shall not describe this 
 voyage, as I think it useless to repeat almost 
 the same things over again. We arrived at 
 Boolak on the twenty-first of December, after 
 ten months absence. My business in Cairo 
 detained me longer than I wished, as I was 
 anxious to return to Thebes. Finding I could 
 not immediately despatch my little business 
 there, I sent up the boat, with the intention of 
 going my self by land. I had engaged SignorRicci, 
 a young man from Italy, who was very clever 
 at drawing, and who with a little practice be- 
 came quite perfect in his imitations of the hiero- 
 glyphics. He was to begin the drawings of the 
 tomb on his arrival at Thebes. Mrs. Belzoni 
 resolved to visit the Holy Land, and wait for 
 me at Jerusalem, to which place I intended to 
 go after finishing my model of the tomb. My 
 purse was now pretty well exhausted ; for all 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 389 
 
 my former stock of money was spent, and very 
 little remained of the present I received from 
 Mr. Burckhardt and the consul after my first 
 voyage with the colossal head. Mrs. Belzoni 
 set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by James 
 the Irish lad and a Janizary, who went to meet 
 a traveller in Syria, to escort him to Egypt. 
 
 At this time the celebrated and veracious Count 
 de Forbin arrived at Cairo. I then lodged at 
 the consulate ; and the Count visited the house, 
 to see the collection I had just brought down 
 with me, as well as what had been brought the 
 year before. The Count was not a little con- 
 founded at the sight of so many valuable things ; 
 and being Director of the French Museum, they 
 could not fail to be interesting to him. The 
 colossal head, the altar with the six deities, the 
 colossal arm, and the various statues, particu- 
 larly attracted his attention. 
 
 I was then in possession of some statues, 
 which I had brought from Thebes on my own 
 account, according to an understanding with the 
 consul. I intended to send them to my native 
 town ; for which purpose I had arranged for 
 their embarkation at Alexandria. The Count 
 made a proposal to purchase them ; and being 
 told they were destined for Europe immediately, 
 he urgently requested that I would dispose of 
 
390 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 them to him, saying he should be under great 
 obligations to me if I would comply with his 
 request. I recollected that I might find more, 
 and accordingly consented to gratify him. What 
 he paid me for them was not one fourth of their 
 value ; but I was fully satisfied, as I never was 
 a dealer in statues in my life. 
 
 At this time I received several journals from 
 Europe ; and found, to my great surprise, that 
 all my former discoveries and labours had been 
 published in the names of other people, while 
 mine was not even mentioned. I must confess, 
 I was weak enough to be a little vexed at this ; 
 for, after such exertions as I had made in Upper 
 Egypt, it was not pleasant to see the fruits and 
 the credit of them ascribed to others, who had 
 no more to do with them than the governor of 
 Siberia, except as far as related to supplying 
 me with money. Thinking all was not right, 
 and that people were by some means misin- 
 formed, I drew up a statement of the facts. I 
 gave this account of my operations in Egypt to 
 the Count de Forbin in the shape of a letter, 
 which he promised to have published in France ; 
 but it would have been better, if I had never 
 entrusted it to him, as the use he made of it 
 was quite the reverse of what was intended. 
 Every thing was again thrown into confusion 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBU, Ac 391 
 
 by the French journals, who confounded one 
 thing with another, so that the public knew but 
 little of the truth from that quarter ; and some 
 others of the European journals, which copied 
 and extracted from them, were also misled. I 
 had despaired of correcting these mis-state- 
 ments ; but the many travellers who afterwards 
 visited that country, and were impartial spec- 
 tators, wrote to Europe an account of what they 
 saw and heard ; and by these means the real 
 facts in time came out. 
 
 At this period IMajor Moore arrived in Cairo 
 with despatches from India ; and, as he could 
 not set off on the same day for Alexandria for 
 want of a cangiar, he came with me to visit the 
 pyramids inside and out. AVhile on the top of 
 the first pyramid, I descanted to him on the 
 various opinions entertained concerning the se- 
 cond, and what a pityit was,that,in an intelligent 
 age like the present, it had not been opened, 
 so that the interior remained quite unknown. 
 On Major Moore's departure for England, he 
 took with him the account of my operations in 
 Egypt, and some of the plans of the newly dis- 
 covered places, which he faithfully delivered 
 to Lord Aberdeen, president of the Society of 
 Antiquaries, agreeably to my request ; and this 
 was one source by which the truth began to be 
 known. 
 
392 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The Count de Forbin made much inquiry 
 about Upper Egypt, and expressed his wish to 
 see that country. I know not whether it were 
 my persuasions, or his own incHnations, but he 
 took the resohjtion to go up, though the whole 
 of his journey, from his departure to his return, 
 occupied only one month. Having done so, 
 he gave an account of the country, tlie city of 
 Thebes, its monuments, tombs, temples, colossi, 
 scarabsei, Europeans, &c. But he said his en- 
 terprising spirit of penetrating into Africa failed 
 him, when he saw European women walking 
 about Luxor. A very pretty excuse for a 
 traveller! At the time of Norden, European 
 women could not go about in Alexandria as 
 they can now in Thebes, yet Norden continued 
 to make his way as far as Deir. If the Count 
 wanted to signalize himself as a traveller, he 
 should not have scorned to enter the extensive 
 sandy ocean of Africa, merely because he saw 
 a European family walking freely at Luxor in 
 Egypt. If the Count look at the map of that 
 unknown country, he will find, that the civiliza- 
 tion of Egypt will diminish very little of the 
 glory he seems to wish to acquire by pene- 
 trating into Africa. 
 
 The Count mentions having found a colossal 
 arm in Thebes ; and that I, by advice of the 
 British consul, had it taken away, though it be- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 393 
 
 longed to him. Such an arm never existed. 
 But if the Count be ashamed to say, that he 
 has been in Egypt without finding a single 
 piece of antiquity, and returned without bring- 
 ing any thing to France except the statues he 
 obtained from me, I tliink he might have been 
 more candid, and have confessed, that the at- 
 traction of a more easy life did not permit him 
 to proceed any farther into Africa. The Count 
 abuses almost every one who comes in his way, 
 merely because he did not succeed in making 
 any thing of Egypt himself; but I should not 
 have mentioned his name, had he not impelled 
 me to it by the falsehoods inserted against me 
 in his journal. One thing more I must observe 
 respecting the Count. On his return from 
 Thebes I met him at Cairo, in the house of the 
 Austrian consul. I had begun the task of open- 
 ing the pyramids, and had already discovered 
 the false passage. The Count requested in a 
 kind of sarcastic manner, when I had succeeded 
 in opening the pyramid, which no doubt he 
 supposed I never would, that I would send him 
 the plan of it, as he was about setting off for 
 Alexandria the next day, and thence to France. 
 I thought the best retaliation I could make was 
 to send him him the desired plan, and I did so. 
 
394 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 as soon as I opened the pyramid, which was in a 
 few days after his departure. Would any one 
 believe, that the noble Count, on his arrival in 
 France, gave out, that he had succeeded in 
 penetrating the second pyramid of Ghizeh, and 
 brought the plan of it to Paris ? Whether this 
 be the fact or no will appear from the following 
 paragraph, taken from a French paper now in 
 my possession. 
 
 *' On the 24th of April, Mr. Le Comte de 
 Forbin, Director General of the Royal Museum 
 of France, landed at the lazaretto of JNlarseilles. 
 He came last from Alexandria, and his passage 
 was very stormy. He has visited Greece, 
 Syria, and Upper Egypt. By a happy chance, 
 some days before his departure from Cairo, he 
 succeeded in penetrating into the second pyra- 
 mid of Ghizeh. Mr. Forbin brings th.^ plan of 
 that important discovery, as well as much in- 
 formation on the labours of Mr. Drouetti, at 
 Carnak, and on those which Mr. Salt, the En- 
 glish consul, pursues with the greatest success 
 in the valley of Beban el Malook, and in the 
 plain of Medinet Aboo. The Museum of Paris 
 is going to be enriched with some of the spoils 
 of Thebes, which Mr. Forbin has collected in 
 his travels." Was this written in ridicule of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &o. 395 
 
 the Count de Forbin by some person in France ? 
 or is it an attempt to impose on the public by 
 a tissue of falsehoods ? 
 
 Before my departure for Thebes, I visited 
 the pyramids in company with two other persons 
 from Europe. On our arrival at these monu- 
 ments they went into the first pyramid, while I 
 took a turn round the second. I seated myself 
 in the shade of one of those stones on the east 
 side, which form the part of the temple that 
 stood before the pyramid in that direction. My 
 eyes were fixed on that enormous mass, which 
 for so many ages has baffled the conjectures of 
 ancient and modern writers. Herodotus him- 
 self was deceived by the Egyptian priests, when 
 told there were no chambers in it. The sight 
 of the wonderful work before me astonished me 
 as much, as the total obscurity in which we are 
 of its origin, its interior, and its construction. 
 In an intelligent age like the present, one of 
 the greatest wonders in the world stood before 
 us, without our knowing even whether it had 
 any cavity in the interior, or if it were only one 
 solid mass. The various attempts which have 
 been made by numerous travellers to find an 
 entrance into this pyramid, and particularly by 
 the great body of French savans, were examples 
 so weighty, that it seemed little short of mad- 
 
396 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ness, to think of renewing the enterprise. In- 
 deed, the late researches made by Mr. Salt him- 
 self, and by Captain Cabilia, during four months, 
 round these pyramids, were apparently sufficient 
 to deter any one. A short time before this 
 period the few Franks who resided in Egypt had 
 some idea of obtaining permission from Maho- 
 med Ali, and by the help of a subscription, 
 which was to be made at the various Courts in 
 Europe to the amount of at least <£20,000, 
 were to force their way into the centre of this 
 pyramid by explosions, or any other means that 
 could be suggested. Mr. Drouetti was to have 
 had the superintendence of this work. Indeed 
 it had created some difference among themselves 
 who was to have had the direction of the whole 
 concern. "Was not this enough to show the 
 difficulties I had to encounter, and to make me 
 laugh at myself, that the thought of such an at- 
 tempt should cross my mind? Besides, there 
 was another obstacle to overcome. I had to 
 consider, that in consequence of vvhat I had 
 the good fortune to do in Upper Egypt, and 
 under the circumstances above mentioned, it 
 was not likely that I should obtain permission 
 to make such an attempt: for if it could be 
 supposed, that there was any possibility of pene- 
 trating into the pyramid, the operation would 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Sec. 397 
 
 certainly be given to people of higher influence 
 than myself. 
 
 With all these thoughts in my mind I arose, 
 and by a natural impulsion took my walk toward 
 the south side of the pyramid. I examined every 
 part, and almost every stone. I continued to 
 do so on the west, — at last I came round to the 
 north. Here the appearance of things became 
 to my eye somewhat different from that at any 
 of the other sides. The constant observations 
 I made on the approach to the tombs at Thebes 
 perhaps enabled me to see what other travellers 
 did not : indeed, I think this ought to be con- 
 sidered as a standing proof, that in many cases 
 practice goes farther than theory. Other tra- 
 vellers had been also in various places where 
 I had been, and came often to the same spot 
 where I was, but perhaps did not make the ob- 
 servations I did. I certainly must beg leave 
 to say, that I often observed travellers, who, 
 confident of their own knowledge, let slip op- 
 portunities of ascertaining whether they were 
 correct in their notions ; and if an observation 
 is made to them by any one, who had not the 
 good fortune of having received a classical edu- 
 cation, they scorned to listen to it, or replied 
 with a smile, if not a laugh of disapprobation, 
 without investigating whether tlie observation 
 
398 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 were just or not. I had often the satisfaction 
 of seeing such travellers mortified by the proof 
 of being wrong in their conjecture. I do not 
 mean to say, that a man, who has had a classical 
 education, should think himself under a disad- 
 vantage in regard to knowing such things, com- 
 pared with him who has not ; but, that a man, 
 who thinks himself well informed on a subject, 
 often does not examine it with such precision 
 as another, who is less confident in himself. 
 
 I observed on the north side of the pyramid 
 three marks, which encouraged me to attempt 
 searching there for the entrance into it. Still 
 it is to be remarked, that the principal signs I 
 discovered there were not deduced solely from 
 the knowledge I had acquired among the tombs 
 of the Egyptians at Thebes ; for any traveller 
 will acknowledge, that the pyramids have little 
 in common with the tombs, either in their ex- 
 terior appearance, or in any shape whatever: — 
 they are two different things, — one is formed 
 by avast accumulation of large blocks of stones ; 
 — the other is entirely hewed out of the solid 
 rock. My principal guide, I must own, was 
 the calculation I made from the first pyramid, 
 and such was my assurance on this point, that 
 I then almost resolved to make the attempt. I 
 had been at the pyramids various times before, 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 399 
 
 but never with any intention of examining into 
 the practicabiHty of finding the entrance into 
 them, which was deemed ahuost impossible. The 
 case was now different, — I saw then what I had 
 not seen before. — I observed, that just under the 
 centre of the face of the pyramid the accumula- 
 tion of materials, which had fallen from the coat- 
 ing of it, was higher than the entrance could be 
 expected to be, if compared with the height of 
 the entrance into the first pyramid, measuring 
 from the basis. I could not conceive how the 
 discovery of the entrance into the second pyra- 
 mid could be considered as a matter to be de- 
 spaired of, when no one had ever seen the spot, 
 wliere it must naturally be presumed to exist, if 
 there were any entrance at all. I farther observed, 
 that the materials which had fallen exactly in the 
 centre of the front were not so compact as those 
 on the sides ; and hence concluded, that the 
 stones on that spot had been removed after the 
 faUing of the coating. Consequently I perceived 
 the probability of there being an entrance into 
 the pyramid at that spot. Encouraged by these 
 observations, I rejoined my companions in the 
 first pyramid. We visited the great sphinx, and 
 returned to Cairo the same evening. 
 
 I resolved to make a closer examination the 
 next day, which I did accordingly, without 
 
400 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 communicating my intention to any one, as it 
 would have excited great inquiry among the 
 Franks at Cairo, and in all probability I should 
 not have obtained permission to proceed in my 
 design. The next day's examination encouraged 
 me in the attempt. I was confident, that, if my 
 purpose had been known to certain persons, 
 who had influence at the court of the Bashaw, 
 I should never succeed in obtaining permission. 
 On the follov.ing day therefore I crossed the 
 Nile to Embabe, as the Cacheflfwho commanded 
 the province which includes the pyramids re- 
 sided there. I introduced myself to him, and 
 acquainted him with my intention to excavate 
 at the pyramids, if it met his approbation. His 
 answer was, as I expected, that I must apply 
 to the Bashaw, or to the Kakia Bey, for a firman, 
 without which it was not in his power to grant 
 me permission to excavate at the harrans, or py- 
 ramids. I asked him, whether he had any other 
 objection, provided I obtained the firman from 
 the Bashaw ; he replied, " none whatever.*' I 
 then went to the citadel, and as the Bashaw was 
 not in Cairo, I presented myself to the Kakia 
 Bey, who knew me from the time I was at Soubra, 
 and who, on my request for permission to ex- 
 cavate at the pyramids, had no other objection, 
 than that of not being certain, whether round 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 401 
 
 the harrans there were any ploughed grounds, 
 on which he could not grant permission to dig. 
 He sent a message to the above Cacheff at Em- 
 babe, who assured him, that round the harrans 
 there was no cultivated land, but that on the 
 contrary it was solid rock. 
 
 With such an assurance I obtained a firman 
 to the CachefF, to furnish me with men to work 
 at the pyramids. My undertaking was of no 
 small importance : it consisted of an attempt 
 to penetrate into one of the great pyramids of 
 Egypt, one of the wonders of the world. I was 
 confident, that a failure in such an attempt would 
 have drawn on me the laughter of all the world 
 for my presumption in undertaking such a task : 
 but at the same time I considered, that I mio-ht 
 be excused, since without attempting we should 
 never accomplish any thing. However, I thouo-ht 
 it best to keep my expedition as secret as pos- 
 sible ; and I communicated it only to Mr. "Wal- 
 mas, a worthy Levantine merchant of Cairo, 
 and partner in the house of Briggs. It is not 
 to be understood, that I intended to conceal the 
 attempt I wished to make on the pyramids, for 
 the effects of my work would plainly show them- 
 selves ; but being near the capital, where many 
 Europeans resided, I could not prevent myself 
 from being interrupted during my operations ; 
 
 VOL. I. D D 
 
% 
 402 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 and as I knew too well how far the influence 
 and intrigues of my opponents could be carried, 
 I was not certain, that the permission I had pro- 
 cured might not have been countermanded, so 
 as to put an end to all my proceedings. Ac- 
 cordingly having provided myself with a small 
 tent, and some provision, that I might not be 
 under the necessity of repairing to Cairo, I set 
 off for the pyramids. 
 
 My sudden departure from Cairo was sup- 
 posed to be an expedition to the mountain of 
 Mokatam, for a few days, as I had given out. 
 At the pyramids I found the Arabs willing to 
 work, and immediately set about the operation. 
 
 My purse was but light, for very little re- 
 mained of what I received as a present from 
 Mr. Burckhardt, and the consul ; and though 
 it had been a little strengthened by the two 
 statues 1 lately disposed of to the Count de 
 Forbin, who had paid me one third of the money 
 on account, my whole stock did not amount to 
 two hundred pounds, and if I did not succeed 
 in penetrating the pyramid before this was ex- 
 hausted, I should have been at a stand, before 
 the accomplishment of my undertaking, and 
 perhaps prepared the way for others stronger 
 than myself in purse. 
 
 Two points principally excited my attention : 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 403 
 
 the first was on the north side of the pyramids, 
 and the second on the east. There is on the 
 latter side part of a portico of the temple which 
 stood before the pyramid, and which has a cause- 
 way descending straight towards the great sphinx. 
 I thought, that by opening the ground between 
 the portico and the pyramid I should necessarily 
 come to the foundation of the temple, which in 
 fact I did. I set eighty Arabs to work, forty on the 
 above spot, and forty in the centre of the north 
 side of the pyramid, where I observed the earth 
 not so solid as on the east and west. The Arabs 
 were paid daily one piastre each, which is six- 
 pence English money. I had also several boys 
 and girls to carry away the earth, to whom I 
 gave only twenty paras, or three-pence, a day. 
 I contrived to gain their good will by trifles I 
 gave as presents, and by pointing out to them 
 the advantage they would gain, if we succeeded 
 in penetrating into the pyramid, as many visitors 
 would come to see it, and they would get bak- 
 shis from them. Nothing has so much influence 
 on the mind of an Arab as reasoning with him 
 about his own interest, and showing him the 
 right way to benefit himself. Any thing else 
 he seems not to understand. I must confess, " 
 at the same time, that I found this mode of pro- 
 ceeding quite as eflicacious in Europe. 
 
 u D ^i 
 
404 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The works on each side continued for several 
 days without the smallest appearance of any 
 thing. On the north side of the pyramid, the 
 materials which were to be removed, consisting 
 of what had fallen from the coating, notwith- 
 standing the appearance of having been removed 
 at a later period than the first, were so closely 
 cemented together, that the men could scarcely 
 proceed. The only instrument they had to 
 work with was a kind of hatchet or spade, which 
 being rather thin, and only fit to cut the soft 
 ground, could not stand much work among 
 stones and mortar, which latter I suppose, as it 
 fell from the pyramid, had been moistened by 
 the dew*, and gradually formed itself almost 
 into one mass with the stones. 
 
 On the east side of the pyramid, we found 
 the lower part of a large temple connected with 
 the portico, and reaching within fifty feet of 
 the basis of the pyramid. Its exterior walls 
 were formed of enormous blocks of stone, as 
 may now be seen. Some of the blocks in the 
 porticoes are twenty-four feet long. The in- 
 terior part of this temple was built with calca- 
 reous stones of various sizes, but many finely 
 cut at the angles, and is probably much older 
 than the exterior wall, which bears the appear- 
 
 *■ In spring and summer, very heavy dews fall at night. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 405 
 
 ance of as great antiquity as the pyramids. In 
 order to find the basis of the pyramid on this 
 side, and to ascertain whether there were any 
 communication between it and the temple, I 
 had to cut through all the material there accu- 
 mulated, which rose above forty feet from the 
 basis, and consisted of large blocks of stone and 
 mortar, from the coating, as on the north side. 
 At last we reached the basis, and I perceived a 
 flat pavement cut out of the solid rock. I 
 caused all that was before me to be cut in a 
 right line from the basis of the pyramid to the 
 temple, and traced the pavement quite to the 
 back of it, so that there was evidently a spacious 
 pavement from the temple to the pyramid ; and 
 I do not hesitate to declare my opinion, that 
 the same pavement goes all round the pyramid. 
 It appeared to me, that the sphinx, the temple, 
 and the pyramid, were all three erected at the 
 same time, as they all appear to be in one line, 
 and of equal antiquity. On the north side the 
 work advanced towards the basis ; a great num- 
 ber of large stones had been removed, and a 
 great part of the face of the pyramid was un- 
 covered, but still there was no appearance of 
 any entrance, or the smallest mark to indicate 
 that there ever had been one. 
 
406 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The Arabs had great confidence in the hopes 
 I had excited among them, that if any en- 
 trance into the pyramid were found, I would 
 give great bakshis, in addition to the advantage 
 they would derive from other strangers. But 
 after many vain expectations, and much hard 
 labour in removing huge masses of stone, and 
 cutting the mortar, which was so hard that their 
 hatchets were nearly all broken, they began to 
 flag in their prospect of finding any thing, and 
 I was about to become an object of ridicule for 
 making tlie attempt to penetrate a place, which 
 appeared to them, as well as to more civilized 
 people, a mass of solid stone. However, as long 
 as I paid them they continued their work, though 
 with much less zeal. My hopes did not forsake 
 me, in spite of all the difficulties I saw, and the 
 little appearance of making the discovery of an 
 entrance into the pyramid. Still I observed, 
 as we went on with our work, that the stones 
 on that spot were not so consolidated as those on 
 the sides of them, and this circumstance made 
 me determine to proceed, till I should be per- 
 suaded that I was wrong in my conjecture. At 
 last, on the 18th of February, after sixteen days 
 of fruitless labour, one of the Arabian workmen 
 perceived a small chink between two stones of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 407 
 
 the pyramid. At this he was greatly rejoiced, 
 thinking he had found the entrance so eagerly 
 souglit for. I perceived the aperture was small, 
 but I thrust a long palm-stick into it upwards 
 of two yards. Encouraged by this circumstance, 
 the Arabs resumed their vigour on the work, 
 and great hopes were entertained among them. 
 Thus it served my purpose, as the work now 
 went on briskly. I was aware, that the entrance 
 to the pyram.id could not be between two stones 
 in this manner ; but I was in hopes, that the 
 aperture would furnish some clew by which the 
 right entrance would be discovered. Proceeding 
 farther, I perceived, that one of the stones, ap- 
 parently fixed in the pyramid, was in fact loose. 
 I had it removed the same day, and found an 
 opening leading to the interior. This sort of 
 rough entrance was not more than three feet 
 wide, and was choked up with smaller stones and 
 sand, which being removed, it proved to be 
 much wider within. A second and third day were 
 employed in clearing this place ; but the farther 
 we advanced, the more materials we found. On 
 the fourth day I observed, that sand and stones 
 were falling from the upper part of this cavity, 
 which surprised me not a little. At last I 
 found, that there was a passage from the out- 
 side of the pyramid by a higher aperture, which 
 
408 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 apparently was thouglit to have had no com- 
 munication with any cavity. When all the rub- 
 bish was taken out, and the place cleared, I 
 continued the work in the lower part beneath 
 our feet ; and in two days more we came to 
 an opening inward. Having made it wide 
 enough, I took a candle in my hand, and, look- 
 ing in, perceived a spacious cavity, of v/hich I 
 could hot form any conjecture. Having caused 
 the entrance to be cleared of the sand and stones, 
 I found a tolerably spacious place, bending its 
 course towards the centre. It is evidently a 
 forced passage, executed by some powerful hand, 
 and appears intended to find a way to the centre 
 of the pyramid. Some of the stones, which are 
 of an enormous size, are cut through, some have 
 been taken out by small pieces, and others are 
 on the point of falling from their old places for 
 want of support. Incredible must have been 
 the labour in making such a cavity, and it is 
 evident, that it was continued farther on towards 
 the centre ; but the upper part had fallen in, 
 and filled up the cavity to such a degree, that 
 it was impossible for us to proceed any farther 
 than a hundred feet. At half this distance from 
 the entrance is another cavity, which descends 
 forty feet (See Plate 11), in an irregular man- 
 ner, but still turns towards the centre, which 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 409 
 
 no doubt was the point intended by the persons 
 who made the excavation. To introduce many 
 men to work in this place was dangerous, for 
 several of the stones above our heads were on 
 the point of falling ; some were suspended only 
 by their corners, which stuck between other 
 stones, and with the least touch would have 
 fldlen, and crushed any one that happened to 
 be under them. I set a few men to work, but 
 was soon convinced of the impossibility of 
 advancing any farther in that excavation. In 
 the passage below, one of the men narrowly 
 escaped being crushed to pieces. A large block 
 of stone, no less than six feet long and four 
 wide, fell from the top, while the man was 
 digging under it ; but fortunately it rested on 
 two other stones, one on each side of him, higher 
 than himself, as he was sitting at his work. The 
 man was so incarcerated, that we had some dif- 
 ficulty in getting him out ; yet, happily, he re- 
 ceived no other injury than a slight bruise on 
 his back. The falling of this stone moved many 
 others in this passage : indeed, they were so 
 situated, that I thought it prudent to retreat 
 out of the pyramid, or we might have reason to 
 repent w^hen too late; for the danger was not 
 only from what might fall upon us, but also 
 from what might fall in our way, close up the 
 
410 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 passage, and thus bury us alive. My expecta- 
 tion in this passage was not great, as I perceived 
 from the beginning it could not be the true 
 entrance into the pyramid, though I had strong 
 hopes that it would lead to some clew for the 
 discovery of the real entrance ; but, alas ! it 
 gave me none, and I remained as ignorant of it 
 as I was before I began. 
 
 Having spent so many days at the pyramids 
 without being discovered by any of the people 
 at Cairo, I did not expect that my retreat could 
 be concealed much longer, as there were con- 
 stantly Franks from Cairo making a Sunday's 
 excursion to the pyramids, or travellers, who, 
 of course, made it a point to see these wonders 
 on their first arrival at the metropolis. In fact, 
 the very day I was to have quitted this work, I 
 perceived, in the afternoon, some people on the 
 top of the first pyramid. I had no doubt they 
 were Europeans, as the Arabs or Turks never 
 go up, unless to accompany somebody, to gain 
 money. They saw part of my men at work at 
 the second pyramid, and concluded that none 
 but Europeans could be conducting such an 
 operation. They fired a pistol as a signal, and 
 I returned another. They then descended the 
 angle which led towards us ; and on their arrival 
 proved to be Monsieur L'Abb6 de Forbin, who 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 411 
 
 had accompanied his cousin, the celebrated 
 Count, into Egypt, but did not proceed higher. 
 With him were the father superior of the con- 
 vent of Terra Santa, Mr. Costa, an engineer, 
 and IMr. Gaspard, vice-consul of France, by 
 whom I was introduced to the Abb6. They all 
 entered into the newly discovered passage ; but 
 it gave the Abbe less pleasure than a cup of 
 coffee, which he honoured me by accepting in 
 my humble tent. Naturally, after such a visit, 
 all the Franks in Cairo knew what I was doing ; 
 and not a day passed without my having some 
 visitors. 
 
 I was determined to proceed still farther with 
 myresearches, the recent disappointment making 
 me rather more obstinate than I was before. I 
 had given a day's rest to the Arabs, which I 
 dedicated to a closer inspection of the pyramid. 
 It often happens, that a man is so much in- 
 gulfed in the pursuit of his views, as to be in 
 danger of losing himself, if he do not quickly 
 find the means either of an honourable retreat, 
 or of attaining the accomplishment of his in- 
 tended purpose. Such was my case. The suc- 
 cess of my discovery of the false passage was 
 considered as a failure. I cared little what was 
 thought of it, but I was provoked at having been 
 deceived by those marks, which led me to the 
 
412 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 forced passage, with the loss of so much time 
 and labour. However, I did not despair. I 
 strictly noticed the situation of the entrance 
 into the first pyramid, and plainly saw, that it 
 was not in the centre of the pyramid. I ob- 
 served that the passage ran in a straight line 
 from the outside of the pyramid to the east side 
 of the king's chamber ; and this chamber being 
 nearly in the centre of the pyramid, the en- 
 trance consequently must be as far from the 
 middle of the face as the distance from the 
 centre of the chamber to the east side of it. 
 
 Having made this clear and simple observa- 
 tion, I found, that, if there were any chamber 
 at all in the second pyramid, the entrance or 
 passage could not be on the spot where I had 
 excavated, which was in the centre, but calcu- 
 lating by the passage in the first pyramid, the 
 entrance into the second would be near thirty 
 feet to the east. 
 
 Satisfied with this calculation, I repaired to 
 the second pyramid to examine the mass of 
 rubbish. There I was not a little astonished 
 when I perceived the same marks, which I had 
 seen on the other spot in the centre, about 
 thirty feet distant from where I stood. This 
 gave me no little delight, and hope returned to 
 cherish my pyramidical brains. I observed in this 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 413 
 
 spot also, that the stones and mortar were not 
 so compact as on the east side, which mark had 
 given me so much encouragement to proceed 
 in the first attempt ; but what increased my 
 hopes was an observation I made on the ex- 
 terior of the front where the forced passage is. 
 I observed the stones had been removed several 
 feet from the surface of the pyramid, which I 
 ascertained by drawing a line with the coating 
 above to the basis below, and found the conca- 
 vity was inclined to be deeper towards the spot 
 where I intended to make my new attempt. Any 
 traveller, who shall hereafter visit the pyramids, 
 may plainly perceive this concavity above the 
 true entrance. Such has been the effect of two 
 different hints ; first my old guide from Thebes, 
 I mean the spots where the stony matter is not 
 so compact as the surrounding mass ; and, se- 
 condly, the concavity of the pyramid over the 
 place where the entrance might have been ex- 
 pected to be found, according to the distance 
 of the entrance into the first pyramid from its 
 centre. 
 
 I immediately summoned the Arabs to work 
 the next day. They were pleased at my re- 
 commencing the task, not in hopes of findino- 
 the entrance into the pyramid, but for the con- 
 tinuation of the pay they of course were to re- 
 
414 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 ceive. As to expectation that the entrance 
 might be found, they had none ; and I often 
 heard them utter, in a low voice, the word 
 " 7nagnoon,** in plain English, madman. I 
 pointed out to the Arabs the spot where they 
 had to dig, and such was my measurement, that 
 I was right within two feet, in a straight direc- 
 tion, as to the entrance into the first passage, 
 as will be seen from Plates 9 and 10 ; and 
 I have the pleasure of reckoning this day as 
 fortunate, as that on which I discovered the 
 entrance into the great tomb of Psammuthis at 
 Thebes. The Arabs began their work, and 
 the rubbish proved to be as hard as that of the 
 first excavation, with this addition, that we 
 found larger blocks of stone in our way, which 
 had belonged to the pyramid, besides the falling 
 of the coating. The stones increased in size as 
 we went on. 
 
 A few days after the visit of the Abb6 de 
 Forbin I was surprised by the appearance of 
 another European traveller. It was the Cheva- 
 lier Frediani, who, on his return from the se- 
 cond cataract of the Nile, came to visit the 
 great pyramids. I had known him at Thebes on 
 his ascending the Nile, and was much pleased 
 to see him, as I thought he might be an impar- 
 tial spectator of the event of my operations. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 41.5 
 
 which in fact he was. He greatly approved of 
 my undertaking, but after being two days with 
 me was ready to take his departure. I suppose 
 he had as much expectation, that I should open 
 the pyramid, as the Arabs who named me the 
 magnoon. It happened, that on the very day 
 he was to set off for Cairo, I perceived in the 
 excavation a large block of granite, inclining 
 downward at the same angle as the passage into 
 the first pyramid, and pointing towards the 
 centre. I requested the Chevalier to stay till 
 the morrow, thinking perhaps he might have the 
 pleasure of being one of the first who saw the 
 entrance into the pyramid. He agreed, and 
 I was pleased to have a countryman of my own 
 to be a witness of what passed on this import- 
 ant occasion. The discovery of the first gra- 
 nite stone occurred on the 28th of February, 
 and on the 1st of March we uncovered three 
 large blocks of granite, two on each side, and 
 one on the top, all in an inclined direction 
 towards the centre. My expectation and hope 
 increased, as to all appearance, this must prove 
 to be the object of my search. I was not 
 mistaken, for on the next day, the 2d of March, 
 at noon, we came at last to the right entrance 
 into the pyramid. (See Plate 9). The Arabs, 
 whose expectation had also increased at the 
 
41 6 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 appearance of the three stones, were delighted 
 at having found something new to show to the 
 visitors, and get bakshis from them. Having 
 cleared the front of the three stones, the en- 
 trance proved to be a passage four feet high, 
 three feet six inches wide, formed of large blocks 
 of granite, which descended towards the centre 
 for a hundred and four feet five inches at an 
 angle of twenty-six degrees. Nearly all this 
 passage was filled up with large stones, which 
 had fallen from the upper part, and as the 
 passage is inclined downwards, they slid on till 
 some larger than the rest stopped the way. 
 
 I had much ado to have all the stones drawn 
 out of the passage, which was filled up to the 
 entrance of the chamber. It took the re- 
 mainder of this day and part of the next to 
 clear it, and at last we reached a portculhs. 
 At first sight it appeared to be a fixed block 
 of stone, which stared me in the face, and 
 said ne phis ultra^ putting an end to all my 
 projects as I thought ; for it made a close joint 
 with the groove at each side, and on the top 
 it seemed as firm as those which formed the 
 passage itself. On a close inspection however I 
 perceived, that, at the bottom, it was raised 
 about eight inches fiom the low^er part of the 
 groove, which is cut beneath to receive it j and 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 41? 
 
 I found, by this circumstance, that the large 
 block before me was no more than a portcullis 
 of granite, one foot three inches thick. 
 
 Having observed a small aperture at the 
 upper part of the portcullis, I thrust a long 
 piece of barley straw into it, and it entered up- 
 wards of three feet, which convinced me, that 
 there was a vacuum ready to receive the port- 
 cullis. The raising of it was a work of no small 
 consideration. The passage is only four feet 
 high, and three feet six inches wide. When 
 two men are in it abreast of each other they 
 cannot move, and it required several men to 
 raise a piece of granite not less than six feet 
 high, five feet wide, and one foot three inches 
 thick. The levers could not be very long, other- 
 wise there was not space in the four feet height 
 to work with them ; and if they were short, I 
 could not employ men enough to raise the port- 
 cullis. The only method to be taken was, to 
 raise it a little at a time ; and by putting some 
 stones in the grooves on each side, to support 
 the portcullis while changing the fulcrum of 
 the levers, it was raised high enough for a man 
 to pass. An Arab then entered with a candle, 
 and returned saying, that the place within was 
 very fine. I continued to raise the portcullis, 
 and at last made the entrance large enough 
 
 VOL. I. E E 
 
418 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 to squeeze myself in ; and after thirty days 
 exertion I had the pleasure of finding myself in 
 the way to the central chamber of one of the 
 two great pyramids of Egypt, which have long 
 been the admiration of beholders. The Cheva- 
 lier Frediani followed me, and after passing 
 under the portcullis we entered a passage not 
 higher or wider than the first. It is twenty-two 
 feet seven inches long, and the works including 
 the portcullis occupy six feet eleven inches in 
 alL Where the granite work finishes at the 
 end of this passage, there is a perpendicular 
 shaft of fifteen feet, and at each side of the pass- 
 age, an excavation in the solid rock, one of 
 which, on the right as you enter, runs thirty 
 feet in an upward direction, approaching the 
 end of the lower part of the forced passage, as 
 will be seen in Plates 9 and 10. Before us we 
 had a long passage running in an horizontal di- 
 rection toward the centre. We descended the 
 shaft by means of a rope. At the bottom of it 
 I perceived another passage running downward 
 at the same angle of 26° as that above, and to- 
 ward the north. As my first object was the 
 centre of the pyramid, I advanced that way, and 
 ascended an inclined passage which brought me 
 to an horizontal one, that led toward the centre, 
 I observed, that after we entered within the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 410 
 
 portcullis, the passages were all cut out of the 
 solid rock. The passage leading toward the 
 centre is five feet eleven inches high, and three 
 feet six inches wide. 
 
 As we advanced farther on we found the sides 
 of this passage covered with arborizations of 
 nitre; some projecting in ropes, some not un- 
 like the skin of a white lamb, and others so long 
 as to resemble an endive-leaf. I reached the 
 door at the centre of a large chamber. (See 
 Plate 12). I walked slowly two or three paces, 
 and then stood still to contemplate the place 
 where I was. Whatever it might be, I certainly 
 considered myself in the centre of that pyramid, 
 which from time immemorial had been the sub- 
 ject of the obscure conjectures of many hundred 
 travellers, both ancient and modern. My torch, 
 formed of a few wax candles, gave but a faint 
 light ; I could, however, clearly distinguish the 
 principal objects. I naturally turned my eyes 
 to the west end of the chamber, looking for the 
 sarcophagus, which I strongly expected to see 
 in the same situation as that in the first pyramid ; 
 but I was disappointed when I saw nothing there. 
 The chamber has a pointed or sloping ceiling ; 
 and many of the stones had been removed from 
 their places, evidently by some one in search of 
 treasure. On my advancing toward the west 
 
 E E f2 
 
4^0 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 end, I was agreeably surprised to find, that there 
 was a sarcophagus buried on a level with the 
 floor. 
 
 By this time the Chevalier Frediani had en- 
 tered also J and we took a general survey of the 
 chamber, which I found to be forty-six feet three 
 inches long, sixteen feet three inches wide, and 
 twenty-three feet six inches high. It is cut out 
 of the solid rock from the floor to the roof, 
 which is composed of large blocks of calcareous 
 stone, meeting in the centre, and forming a roof 
 of the same slope as the pyramid itself. The 
 sarcophagus is eight feet long, three feet six 
 inches wide, and two feet three inches deep in 
 the inside. It is surrounded by large blocks of 
 granite, apparently to prevent its removal, which 
 could not be efi^ected without great labour. 
 The lid had been removed at the side, so that 
 the sarcophagus was half open. It is of the 
 finest granite ; but, like the other in the first 
 pyramid, there is not one hieroglyphic on it. 
 
 Looking at the inside, I perceived a great 
 quantity of earth and stones, but did not ob- 
 serve the bones among the rubbish till the next 
 day, as my attention was principally bent in 
 search of some inscription that would throw 
 light on the subject of this pyramid. We ex- 
 amined every part of the walls, and observed 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 4'il 
 
 many scrawls executed with charcoal, but in 
 unknown characters, and nearly imperceptible. 
 They rubbed ofFinto dust at the slightest touch ; 
 and on the wall at the west end of tlie chamber 
 I perceived the annexed inscription in Arabic. 
 
 The various interpreta- ^^ 
 
 tions given of it compel '^ *V^ 
 
 me to explain some points, W »«^ 
 
 which will perhaps lead to ^^ 
 
 a satisfactory explanation. 
 It appears to me, that all 
 the difficulty lies in the last 
 letters of the inscription. 
 
 3- i 
 
 iCLiexs ui Liie mscnpLiuu, k ■ _^ 
 
 which are supposed to be ^xl 4# •\ 
 
 obscure. This indeed is O t^ 
 
 the fact ; but I must say, ^^*?\ 
 
 that these letters were so ^U, 
 
 blotted on the wall, that •** 
 
 they were scarcely visible. ■ Ji % 
 
 The transcriber was a Copt, ^ 
 
 whom I had brought from ^ 3^ 
 
 Cairo for the purpose, as I ^*,„. 
 
 would not trust to my own ^ — ^ 
 
 pen ; and not being satis- '^%^ 
 
 fied of his protestations of — j 
 
 accuracy, though it was ^L^ •V 
 
 copied under my own eyes, Te 
 
 I invited many other per- ^^^ 
 
 sons, who were considered ^^ 
 
4>^'2 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 as the best skilled in the Arabic language of any 
 in Cairo, and requested them to compare the 
 copy with the original on the wall. They found 
 it perfectly correct, except the concluding word, 
 which indeed appeared obscure ; but if it be 
 considered how much that word resembles the 
 right one, we shall find a correct sense, and the 
 whole inscription made out. 
 
 Traiislation of the Inscription by Mr. Salamc, 
 
 " The Master Mohammed Ahmed, lapicide, 
 has opened them ; and the Master Othman at- 
 tended this {opening) ; and the King Alij Mo- 
 hammed at first {from the beginning) to the 
 closing up.*' * 
 
 I must add, that the circumstance of the py- 
 ramid having been again closed up agrees with 
 what I have said of my finding it so. 
 
 * The Arabic to Avhich I gave the meaning of these last 
 words, " to the closing up," is not spelled correctly in the 
 paper I saw, a fault which 1 attribute to the transcriber 
 
 from the stone. It ought to be ••vV" \j«i instead of 
 
 /O J '^y.£2-'^ } the latter word not being found in the Arabic 
 
 language. 
 
 The words between the parentheses in the translation are 
 not in the original. A. S. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 423 
 
 On several parts of the wall the nitre had 
 formed many beautiful arborizations like those 
 in the passage, but much larger and stronger. 
 Some were six inches long, resembling in shape 
 a large endive-leaf, as I mentioned before. 
 Under one of the blocks that had been re- 
 moved, I found something like the thick part of a 
 hatchet, but so rusty, that it had lost its shape. 
 At the north and south sides are two holes, 
 which run in an horizontal direction, like those 
 that are seen in the first pyramid, but higher up. 
 
 Returning out of this chamber we reached 
 the passage below. At the bottom of the per- 
 pendicular shaft were so many stones as nearly 
 to choke up its entrance, and after removing 
 these we found the passage running to the 
 north, at the same inclination as above, an 
 angle of 26°, as is to be seen in Plate 10. This 
 passage is forty-eight feet six inches in length, 
 when it joins an horizontal passage of fifty-five 
 •feet still running north. Half-way up this pass- 
 age on the right is a recess eleven feet long and 
 six feet deep. On the left, opposite to it, is 
 another passage, running twenty-two feet with 
 a descent of 26° towards the west. Before we 
 proceeded any farther toward the north, we 
 descended this passage, and entered a chamber 
 
424 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 thirty-two feet long, nine feet nine inches wide, 
 and eight feet six inches high. This chamber 
 contains many small blocks of stone, some not 
 more than two feet in length. It has a pointed 
 roof like that before mentioned, though it is cut 
 out of the solid rock ; for it is to be understood, 
 as I before observed, that, after we entered 
 through the portcullis, all the passages, and the 
 large chamber, as high as the roof, are cut out 
 of the solid rock of calcareous stone. On the 
 wall and roofs of this chamber are several un- 
 known inscriptions, as there are in the upper 
 chamber. They are perhaps Coptic. Reascend- 
 ing into the horizontal passage, at the end of 
 it we found grooves for a portcullis like the 
 former ; but the stone of granite which served 
 for this purpose had been taken down, and is to 
 be seen under the rubbish and stones near the 
 place. Passing the portcullis we entered into a 
 passage, which ascended in a direction parallel 
 with that above, as in Plate 10. This passage 
 runs up forty-seven feet six inches. Here we 
 found a large block of stone, placed there from 
 the upper part ; and by calculation I found, that 
 this passage ran out of the pyramid at its basis, 
 as, from the upper part of this square block, I 
 could perceive other stones, which filled up the 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, Ac. 425 
 
 passage to the entrance, so that this pyramid has 
 two entrances to it. Half-way up the horizontal 
 passage, which leads into the large chamber, 
 is some mason's work ; but I believe it to be 
 only the filling up of a natural cavity in the 
 rock. 
 
 Having made all my observations, we came out 
 of the pyramid with no small degree of satisfac- 
 tion ; and I was highly gratified with the result 
 of my labour, of very little more than a month, 
 the expense of which did not amount in all to 
 150/., though I had accomplished a task, which 
 was supposed would have required several thou- 
 sands. 
 
 The Chevalier Frediani went to Cairo the 
 same day, and the news of the opening of the 
 pyramid soon brought the Franks to visit its in- 
 terior. As I had no fear that the Arabian wo- 
 men would break the pyramid, I left the en- 
 trance open (^pro bono publico J ; and in that 
 place where the perpendicular descent, just in- 
 side the portcullis, is, I made a stone step for 
 the accommodation of visitors, leaving half of 
 the passage to enter into the lower chamber. 
 
 A young man of the name of Fieri, employed 
 in the counting-house of Briggs and Walmas 
 in Cairo, came the next day to visit the pyra- 
 mid, and, having rummaged the rubbish inside 
 
426 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 of the sarcophagus, found a piece of bone, which 
 we supposed to belong to a human skeleton. 
 On searching farther, w^e found several pieces, 
 which, having been sent to London, proved to 
 be the bones of a bull. Some consequential 
 persons, however, who would not scruple to 
 sacrifice a point in history, rather than lose a 
 hon moti thought themselves mighty clever in 
 baptizing the said bones those of a cow, merely 
 to raise a joke. So much for their taste for an- 
 tiquity. It has been stated also, that it might 
 be supposed these large sarcophagi were made 
 to contain the bones of bulls, as the sarcophagus 
 which w^e found in the tombs of the kings at 
 Thebes was of enormous size, and more fit for a 
 bull than a human body. I cannot agree in this 
 opinion, however, for if the person who made 
 the observation had an opportunity of seeing 
 and examining the cases and sarcophagi in which 
 the Egyptians were buried, he would find, that 
 the better classes of people had cases within 
 cases, some nearly double the size requisite to 
 contain one person ; and it is natural therefore 
 to suppose, that the kings of Egypt had more 
 cases than one or two, consequently the sarco- 
 phagus, which was the outer case, must have 
 been much larger than the rest, to contain them 
 all. 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 427 
 
 Outside of the pyramid I observed the rock 
 surrounding it on the north and west sides to be 
 on a level with the upper part of the chamber; 
 and, as the rock is evidently cut all round, it 
 appeared to me, that the stones taken from it 
 must have been applied to the erection of the 
 pyramid. Accordingly I am of opinion, that 
 the stones which seem to form these enormous 
 edifices were not all taken from the east side of 
 the Nile, as is supposed and mentioned by 
 ancient writers. I cannot conceive why the 
 Egyptians should be thought so simple as to 
 fetch stones at seven or eight miles distance, 
 and across the Nile, when they could have them 
 from much nearer points ; indeed from the very 
 spot where the pyramids stand. It is evident, 
 that stones of an enormous size have been cut 
 out of the very rocks around the pyramids ; and 
 for what purpose were these stones extracted ? 
 It might as well be asserted, that they were cut 
 to build old Babylon of Egypt, or to fill up the 
 vacancies in the quarries of the Mokattam. If 
 any traveller will go within less than half a mile of 
 the pyramids, particularly on the east and south 
 sides, he may see many places, where the rock 
 has been formerly quarried to a great length ; 
 and he will find that there is stone enough to 
 
1-28 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 build many other pyramids if required. It is 
 true, that Herodotus says, the stones to erect 
 the pyramids were brought from quarries on the 
 other side of the Nile ; but I firmly believe he 
 was misinformed on this subject, unless what he 
 asserts is to be understood of the granite alone 
 which must have been brought from Syene. 
 And as to the causeways in front of the pyra- 
 mids, said to have been made to convey the 
 stones for the erection of these masses, I believe 
 they were intended for the accommodation of 
 visitors, particularly at the time of high Nile ; for 
 if they were only to convey stones, the labour of 
 making them must have been nearly equal to 
 the erection of the pyramids. 
 
 So much has been already said about the py- 
 ramids, that very little is left to observe respect- 
 ing them. Their great appearance of antiquity 
 certainly leads us to suppose, that they must 
 have been constructed at an earlier period than 
 any other edifices to be seen in Egypt. It is 
 somewhat singular, that Homer does not men- 
 tion them ; but this is no proof, that they did 
 not exist in his time ; on the contrary, it may 
 be supposed they were so generally known, that 
 he thought it useless to speak of them. It ap- 
 pears, that in the time of Herodotus as little 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 429 
 
 was known of the second pyramid as before the 
 late opening, with this exception, that in his 
 time the second pyramid was nearly in the state 
 in which it was left when closed by the builders, 
 who must have covered the entrance with the 
 coating so that it might not be perceived. But at 
 the time I was fortunate enough to find my way 
 into it, the entrance was concealed by the rub- 
 bish of the coating, which must have been nearly 
 perfect at the time of Herodotus : notwithstand- 
 ing this we were as much in the dark in this 
 present age, as he was in his. We know, how- 
 ever, now, that it has been opened by some of 
 the rulers or chiefs of Egypt ; a fact that affords 
 no small satisfaction to the inquirer on the sub- 
 ject of these monuments. Some persons, who 
 would rather let this circumstance remain in 
 obscurity, regretted, that I should have found 
 the inscription on the wall, which proved it to 
 have been opened at so late a period, as very 
 little more than a thousand years ago; but I 
 beg them to recollect, that the present opening 
 has not only made known this very interesting 
 circumstance, but has thrown much light on the 
 manner in which these enormous masses were 
 erected, as well as explained the purposes for 
 which they were made. 
 
#. 
 
 430 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 The circumstance of having channbers and a 
 sarcophagus (which undoubtedly contained the 
 remains of some great personage), so uniform 
 with those in the other pyramid, I think leaves 
 very little question, but that they were erected 
 as sepulchres ; and I really wonder, that any 
 doubt has ever existed, considering what could 
 be learned from the first pyramid, w^hich has 
 been so long open. This contains a spacious 
 chamber with a sarcophagus ; the passages are 
 of such dimensions as to admit nothing larger 
 than the sarcophagus ; they had been closely 
 shut up by large blocks of granite from within, 
 evidently to prevent the removal of that relic. 
 Ancient authors are pretty well agreed in as- 
 serting, that these monuments were erected to 
 contain the remains of tw^o brothers, Cheops 
 and Cephren, kings of Egypt. They are sur- 
 rounded by other smaller pyramids intermixed 
 with mausoleums on burial-grounds. Many 
 mummy-pits have been continually found there j 
 yet with all these proofs, it has been asserted, 
 that they were erected for many other purposes 
 than the true one, and nearly as absurd as that 
 they served for granaries. 
 
 Some consider them as built for astronomical 
 purposes, but there is nothing in their construe- 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 431 
 
 tion to favour this supposition. Others main- 
 tain, that they were meant for the performance 
 of holy ceremonies by the Egyptian priests. 
 Any thing, in short, for the sake of contradic- 
 tion, or to have something new to say, finds its 
 advocate. If the ancient authors had advanced, 
 that they were erected for treasuries, the mo- 
 derns would have agreed perhaps more in con- 
 formity with the truth, that they were made for 
 sepulchres ; and they would not have failed to 
 see plainly those circumstances, which clearly 
 prove the facts, and which are not noticed as 
 they ought to be. I will agree with others thus 
 far, that the Egyptians, in erecting these enor- 
 mous masses, did not fail to make their sides 
 due north and south, and consequently, as they 
 are square, due east and west. Their inclina- 
 tion too is such as to give light to the north side 
 at the time of the solstice. But even all this 
 does not prove in the least, that they were 
 erected for astronomical purposes ; though it is 
 to be observed, that the Egyptians connected 
 astronomy with their religious ceremonies, as 
 we found various zodiacs, not only among the 
 temples, but in their tombs also. 
 
 By the measurement I took of the second 
 pyramid I found it to be as follows : 
 
43^ RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 Feet. 
 The basis .... 684 
 Apotome or central line down the 
 
 front, from the top to the basis 568 
 Perpendicular . . . 456 
 Coating from the top to the place 
 
 where it ends . . . 140 
 
 The circumstance of not finding hieroglyphics 
 in or out of it makes it appear, that they were 
 erected before this mode of writing was in- 
 vented ; for, strange as it may seem, not a sin- 
 gle hieroglyphic is found in all these enormous 
 masses. Yet I must beg leave to remark a cir- 
 cumstance, which perhaps will lead to the con- 
 jecture, that it might not have been the custom 
 of the Egyptians in that part of the country, 
 who might perhaps be even of a different reli- 
 gion from their countrymen, to put hierogly- 
 phics on their monuments ; for there are many 
 mausoleums round the pyramids, and some of 
 them very extensive, without an hieroglyphic to 
 be seen within or without them ; and I observed, 
 that those which contain chambers with hiero- 
 glyphics are evidently of a later date than the 
 former. All this would seem to prove, that till 
 a certain period subsequent to the building of 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, i.c. 433 
 
 the pyramids hieroglyphics were not known. 
 But what can be said when I assure the reader, 
 that in one of tliese mausoleums, which stands 
 on the west of the first pyramid, and which is so 
 decayed that it has fallen in, and is in a very 
 ruinous state, I saw and made others observe 
 some hieroglyphics and figures reversed in one 
 of the blocks, which formed that mausoleum ; 
 and the hieroglyphics so preserved within, as if 
 they were to be hidden from the view ? It cer- 
 tainly must be concluded, that this stone had 
 been employed in a building, which was adorned 
 with hieroglyphics, and consequently proves 
 that they were known previous to the erection 
 of these mausoleums, though they were without 
 any of these ornaments or inscriptions. This 
 being the case, it may be supposed, that the 
 people, who built the pyramids, were of the same 
 way of thinking as those, who built the mauso- 
 leums ; consequently nothing can be inferred 
 respecting the age of the pyramids from the 
 circumstance of their not having any hierogly- 
 phics. 
 
 It has been supposed, that the first pyramid, 
 or that of Cheops, was not coated. I must 
 agree in this opinion, for there is not the slight- 
 est mark remaining of any coating. As to the 
 
 VOL. I. F F 
 
4Si RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 coating of tlie second pyramid, I had an oppor- 
 tunity of investigating this subject in the exca- 
 vation I made on the east side of it, where 
 I found the lower part as rough as any of the 
 up])er, below the remaining coating, which con- 
 firms the account of Herodotus in this respect, 
 who says, that the coating was begun from 
 above ; and I believe myself that it never was 
 quite finished to the basis, for if it had, I should 
 have met with some below, as the accumulation 
 of rubbish over the basis would have kept the 
 stones in their places, or at least enough of them 
 to show there was a coating, as was the case in 
 the third pyramid, of which I shall have to 
 speak presently. 
 
 It is supposed, that the inundation of the 
 Nile surrounded the pyramids, so that they re- 
 mained like islands. I cannot say that it was 
 not so, for the situation of the pyramids is like 
 an island of rocks, separated from those on the 
 west only by a valley of sand, which might 
 naturally have been accumulated by the wind 
 in the course of so many centuries. I think 
 we cannot have a stronger proof of this than the 
 sphinx itself, the basis of which is so much be- 
 low the present surface, that if all the sand 
 around the pyramids were removed on a level 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. 43.) 
 
 witli it, I have no doubt the Nile must run 
 round them, which probably was the case in 
 the early ages. 
 
 Having thus finished my operation on the se- 
 cond pyramid, I felt a great inclination to have 
 a cursory view of the third. I observed, that 
 some one had made an attempt to penetrate it 
 by excavations on the east side. I commenced 
 my labours on the north side, and, after remov- 
 ing a great quantity of materials, found a consi- 
 derable accumulation of enormous blocks of 
 granite, which had evidently formed the coat- 
 ing. — Proceeding yet lower, as I cleared away 
 the rubbish I found that part of the coating 
 still remained in its place down to the bases. 
 The removal of these blocks would evidently 
 have brought me to the entrance into the pyra- 
 mid, but it required more money and time than 
 I could spare. 
 
 By this time the consul, who was at Thebes, 
 hearing of the opening of the pyramid, wrote to 
 me, that he was coming down the Nile ; and at 
 the same time Lord Belmore and family arrived 
 at Cairo. It is somewhat singular, and 1 men- 
 tion it with much satisfaction, that his Lordship 
 arrived at Thebes one month after my discovery 
 of the celebrated tomb of Psammuthis, and was 
 the first British traveller who entered it. On 
 
i36 RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS 
 
 liis return from Nubia, he arrived at Cairo a 
 little more than a month after my opening the 
 second pyramid, and was the first British tra- 
 veller M'ho entered this also. His Lordship and 
 family had been at Thebes for some time, and 
 had accumulated no small collection of antiqui- 
 ties ; indeed, I esteem it the largest ever made 
 by any occasional traveller. Dr. Richardson 
 had taken the opportunity of observing the 
 ruins of ancient Thebes at leisure ; and I be- 
 lieve, by his minute remarks, he must have 
 made himself well acquainted with many in- 
 teresting points not yet explained, and I have 
 no doubt his account will be highly interesting. 
 
 The Earl and family set off for Jerusalem by 
 way of the Desert ; and I prepared for my de- 
 parture for Thebes, my old residence, which I 
 knew better than any other place in Egypt. A 
 few days after, the consul arrived, and, in half 
 an hour after him, Colonel Fitzclarence, with 
 despatches from India for England. The consul, 
 Mr. Salt, would have been kind enough to have 
 paid all the expenses I had incurred in opening 
 the pyramid ; but this I positively refused, as I 
 thought it would not be fair and right that he 
 should pay for what he had nothing to do with. 
 
 I had the pleasure of accompanying the 
 Colonel in a visit to the pyramid, as described 
 
IN EGYPT, NUBIA, fee. 437 
 
 by himself in his account of his jonrney from 
 India to England through Egypt. He had suf- 
 fered many hardships on his journey, but did 
 not appear fatigued in the least. His short stay 
 in Cairo did not permit me to write a full ac- 
 count of my labours ; but at night I made a 
 hasty sketch as well as I could, and addressed 
 it to the Antiquarian Society of London, which 
 he was kind enough to take to England for me. 
 Mr. Salt, the consul, took the same opportunity 
 of sending an official account of my opera- 
 tions in Egypt and Nubia to the ministers in 
 England, I suppose because he had no oppor- 
 tunity of sending any correct account before 
 that time. 
 
 My next and principal object was to make a 
 small collection on my own account, and to take 
 drawings of the tomb of Psammuthis, with im- 
 pressions in wax of all the figures, emblems, 
 and hieroglyphics, the whole of which are in 
 basso relievo ; taking the colours exactly as in 
 the originals, so as to enable me to erect a fac- 
 simile in any part of Europe. This project de- 
 served my serious consideration, not only in 
 calculating the time that it would require to 
 complete it, but the expense I must incur. 
 However, though I was only in Cairo, I did not 
 
iSS RESEARCHES AND OrERATIONS IN EGYPT, &c. 
 
 want means of finding supplies for what I in- 
 tended to execute, and in a few days all was 
 ready for my departure on my third voyage up 
 the Nile ; when, having arranged my affairs 
 with the consul, I set off for my old habitation 
 among the tombs of Thebes. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED nv THOMAS DAVISON, WIMTEFRIARS. 
 
Icr-^J' 
 

The Getty 
 
 fotdout/map 
 not digitized 
 
JE