f

UNIVERSITY

of

CALIFORNIA

mtLkHY

TRAVELS
IN

VARIOUS COUNTRIES
Of

EUROPE ASIA AND AFRICA

BY

E.D.

CLARKE

LL.D.

GREECE EGYPT AND THE HOLY LAND

SECTION THE SECOND

FOURTH EDITION

VOLUME THE FIFTH

LONDON
PRINTED FOR
BY
R.

T.

CADELL AND
THE STRAND

W. DAVIES
EAR.

IN

WATTS CROWN COUKT lEMrU.

MDCCCXVIJ.

ADVERTISEMENT
TO THE

PRESENT EDITION.

HE Author
to

gladly avails himself of the oppor-

tunity offered
his "Work,

by a new Edition
acknowledge
traveller,

of this part of

his obligation to a

very celebrated
for

John Hawkins, Esq.

a valuable

communication, respecting

La

whose account oi Athens, published Reader will find mentioned It seems that the critiin the twelfth chapter. cisms made by Spon upon that publication did not pass unregarded by the editor of La GuilGuillitiere ;

in Paris in 1675, the

letieres

narrative
full

but that they elicited an

answer,
severe

of very bitter animadversion, and

satire,

upon Spons own work

to

to

which

the latter replied with even greater asperity

and he endeavoured
tended La
Guilletiere

prove that the precharacter,

his foot in

and that
which

was a fictitious no such person had ever set

name,
a 2

Athens; but that the account of

its antiquities,

bears his

was nothing

more
the

than a spurious publication,

made from

iv

ADVERTISEMENT
observations of the Missionaries.

La

Guilletiere s

" Account of y7//ie?2.9" had been edited by his brother, Gnilkt

iS/joTz,
;

and

it is

this Guillet

who

attacked

after the

pubhcation of his work, md^critique

entitled, " Letlres ecrites sur iine Dissertation

dim

Voyage de
jlntiquaire
les
;

Grece Jmhlie par

M.

Spon,
les

Mt'decin

avec des Remarques sur

Mtdailles,

Inscriptions,

VHistoire ^ncienne et
la

Moderne,

la

Geographic,

Chronologie,

et

une Carte des

Detroits de Constantinople,
couvertes de

selon les nouveiles

Dc-

V ^ntiquaire
this

i'

a Paris, l()7P-

\1mo.

pp. 2S8,

In

critique,

which

is

evidently

the production of a writer of talents,

and which
of wit,
its

abounds with the

author
refutes

liveliest

sallies

the

objections

made by Spon
and he
several
raillery,

against the accuracy of

La

Guilletiere;

adduces, with great force of

blunders which the former had committed, in

history,
in

chronology,

and

in

geography.

During the same year, Spon published his answer to Guillet, with this title, " Rcp'ui.sc a la
Critique puhliee

par M.
:

Guillet, sur le

Voyage de
le

Grece de Jacob Spon

onesme sujet,
le

avec Quatre Lettres sur

d' Angleterre

Journal
des

du

Sieur

Vernon,

et

la

Liste

Erreurs commises par

M.

Guillet dans son jlthhnes ancienne et nouvelle."

1

a Lyon, 1679.

2mo.' pp. 322.

This controversy

excited considerable sensation at the time;

but

TO PRESENT EDITION.
so
little is

known

of

it

at present, that, with the

exception of the two copies in the valuable Library

of Mr. Haivkins, there
in
is not,

perhaps, another

any collection of Great

Britain.

Although

they served to throw considerable light upon

the state of Greece,
little

visited

when that country had been by modern travellers, no allusion

publications

to

these two

has anywhere oc-

curred.
the

Indeed, so entirely unexpected was

communication respecting
felt in

hem, and so

great the gratification which the writer of these

pages

perusing
it

tlie

pleadings of the rival

to

disputants, that

seemed

him as

if

the

two

authors had been called from their graves to

talk of the travels they

had performed near a

;

century and a half ago

reality,

or as
*'

if

he had, in

been admitted

to a

dialogue in the

shades.'
ing the

few general observations concernare,

two publications

however,

all

that
It

the limits of this advertisement will allow.

must therefore be
briefly to state, that
in the first instance,

sufficient,
if

for the present,

Guillet

had the advantage

irony,

by his successful
in
Spoil's

and
the

by the address he manifested

errors

in ridiculing the

he had detected

work,

latter finally

triumphed, by his greater learning

criticism.

and more judicious

a list of

He

has

made out

one hundred and twelve errors, which

vi

ADVERTISEMENT
he pretended to have discovered
Athens: but
in

La GuiUetiere^

many
;

of these hardly deserve the

name

may be found in any book of travels, especially in his own and in one instance his charge against La Guilof errors

they are such as

letiere is

founded upon an untruth, for he affirms

"

that there are no remains of a graduated Coilon

in the Stadium at Athens
:

//

ny

reste" says

he', " pourtant, que

la situation

du

lieu et quelques
degrt's.''

restes des doubles murailles,

mais point de

The principal charge brought against GuiUetiere,

respects his autopsy
;

but

this

charge

is

by no

means
to his

satisfactorily supported.

Another relates

having maintained that an inscription

existed in the Parthenon
;

''AyvcoG-TM Q&aJ

yet, for

the existence of this inscription in the year 1669,

La

Guilletiere

adduces^ the testimonies o^ four

persons; namely, Barnahy and Simon, two

chins, who resided long at Athens
;

Capu
liirent

and Monsieur
" qui

De Monceaux and Monsieur LAine,

plusieurs fois la

mesme

inscription.'
1

Spon did not

67 6; and his

arrive iw Athens until the year

antagonist, mentioning this circumstance, says%

(1)

R^ponsc

Ma Critique
une

du Voyage
Va\a,2;e

<Je GretTf,

p.

316. h Lyon,\G''^.

(C) Dissertation sur

(.5)

de Crcce, p. 128.

Parh,

167.').

Ibid. p. 130.

TO PRESENT EDITION.
" Dans un
peut-elle
intervalle de six
estre detachee,
I' injure
d,

VJj

sept ans,

V inscription

pas

on par un scrupule des

Turcs, ou par
core vingt

du temps.

Je luy

citerois en-

changemens plus considerables dans la

Falloit-il

masse de nos Bdtimens de Paris.

cela

pour

donner

le titre

d'lmposteur a

La GuilletiereP At

this distance of time,

being appealed to for the

probability of the existence of such an inscription,

any impartial

traveller,

who

has witnessed
exhibited

the frequent instances

of forgeries

by the Eastern Christians, would surely say it was highly probable that the Monks of Athens, who made use of the Parthenon as a Church, before it became a Mosque,
reliques

under the name of

had
the

left

a legend of this nature in the temple

to exhibit as
St.

which they had been accustomed

real
inscription

observed by

Paul.

It

was exactly the

sort of imposition

which would

have been characteristic of the priests of that age and country, and of their ignorant followers and
:

such, perhaps,
tiere

was the

inscription
;

read by Guille-

and

his

companions

but which had disap-

peared when Span was at Athens, having been removed by some traveller, or destroyed by the The most curious part of Spons answer Turks.
to Guillet,
is

that in

which he undertakes

to
in

prove that the famous Eleusinian fragment was

reality the Statue of Eleusinian Ceres,

and not one

viii

ADVERTISEMENT TO PRESENT EDITION.

of the Cariatides, as Guillet maintained that
it

Here he musters all his erudition, and quite overwhelms his antagonist and had the author of the present work been aware of the
was'.
;

powerful authority upon which this point rested,

when he published
the Statue of Ceres,''

his

**

Testimonies concerniui^

he would never have venIt is,

tured to undertake the discussion.

ever, highly satisfactory to

how-

him

to find, after so

many years have

little

elapsed since he ushered his

treatise before the public, that all

he has

said

upon the subject

is

supported by the supe;

rior judgment of so great a scholar

with whose
will here-

judgment the opinions of posterity

after

probably coincide.

(1)

"

J'ay quelque chose a debiter de plus curieux touchaiit la

d'architecture que
fait

rf^flexion

M.

Guillet sur

une statue de Ceres que

lorsque je parle des

j'ay decrite et

que je doune en taille-douce,

mazures d'Eleusis.
faute,
ce

I'entetidre parler, j'y ay comniis

est

une

efFroyable

ayant

pris

pour une statue ce qui

oui

une

Cariatide.
si

Voyons

si

nouvenu Vitruve ne se trompe point luy-mcsme, et

3

j'en duis

moins croire a mes

tique

qu'fl ses

raisonnemens."

Ripoitse h la Cri-

du P'oyage de Grecef p.

137.

Lyon, 1679.

Cambridge,
September
2, 1816.

PREFACE
TO TUC

SECOND SECTION OF PART THE SECOND.

1 HIS addition

to the

Second Part
Reader
to

of these
tole-

Travels, will enable the

form a

rable estimate of the probable

entire

compass of the
complete his

Work

and

it

may

serve to prove, that

live to

the author,

if

he should

undertaking, will not have exceeded his original

estimate, in the account of a journey through
forty-five degrees of longitude,

and nearly forty

omitted observa-

degrees of latitude.
trate the subject, he

In his endeavour to concen-

may have

which a particular class of Readers would have preferred to those which have been inserted.
tions

He

has

sometimes, for

example,

sacrificed
his-

statistical

notices, that he might introduce

torical information,

where Antient History is pre-eminently interesting; and again, on the

other hand, he has purposely omitted

much

that he had written on the subject of Antiquities, that he might insert a few remarks

upon the

Egyptian and Grecian scenery, and upon the

PRKFACE TO SECOND SECTION

manners of the people.
well be
to

General observations,

as applied to the inhabitants of Greece, cannot

made

characterize

population.

would be a vain undertaking one view such a various Throughout every part of the
:

it

in

country, there

may be

observed, not only a

dif-

ference of morals and of habits, but also peculiarities

of religion

and of language.
in another,

In the

mixed society of one

ter

island, the Italian charac-

seems

to

predominate;

Turks or

Albanians have introduced their distinctions of

manners and customs.

Perhaps

this

may be
fine cli-

one of the causes which, added to the

mate of the country, and to its diversified landscape, communicate such a high degree of cheerfulness during a journey or a voyage in Greece : for whether the traveller be upon its
continent, or visiting its islands, a succession of

new

objects

is

continually presenting itself ^; and

in places

which are contiguous in situation, he may witness a more striking change, both as to natural and to moral objects, than would be
found
if

in other countries, for

example

in Russia,

he were to traverse a very considerable porAfter

all,

tion of the globe.

an author, in the

(J)

'*

Where'er we tread,

'tis

haunted, holy ground.

And one

vast realm of

wonder spreads around."

Childelldrofd's Pilgiimage, p. 105. Land. 180r..

OF PART THE SECOND.

arrangement of his materials, cannot be supposed capable of making any exact calculation,
as to

xi

what

his

Readers may deem

:

it

proper for

him

to omit, or to insert

but so far as experi-

ence has enabled the writer of these Travels to

determine,

he

has
;

endeavoured

to

obviate
into the
all

former objections

first,

by disposing

form of Notes
citations;

all

extraneous matter, and

and secondly, by compressing even

these, as

much

as possible, both

by diminishing

the size of the type, and

by the omission of
to the in the

Latin interpretations of Greek authors, which are

often erroneous.

With regard, however,

to his

numerous additions made

form of Notes,
for
all,

Work

it

may be

proper to

state,

once

that they are exclusively his own, with

the exception of the extracts

Manuscript Journals of his

tliese

made from the Friends and when

:

occur,

the

name

of the

traveller has

always been added, to

indebted
for the

whom

the author

is

passage inserted.

He has

been
no

induced to mention
person
those errors and
solely to himself.

this circumstance, that

may be made

responsible for any of

imperfections which belong

In addition to the Manuscript Journal of Mr.

Walpole,

this part of the

Work

will

be found

xii

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

to contain also a

few Extracts made from the

posthumous Papers of the late Lieutenantcolonel JoH.Y Squire, of the corps of Royal Engineers who met with a melancholy fate, in
;

the service of his country, at Truxillo in Spain,

in the thirty-third

year of his age.

The death
to

of

Colonel Squire was owing

Never was the
loss

a fever

occasioned by excessive fatigue at the siege of

Badajoz.
of any officer

more deeply and sincerely lamented by his friends and fellow-soldiers. To be employed in fighting the battles of his country was his rulingpassion and in fighting them he had been
;

nobly engaged for the last thirteen years of his

life.

During that space of time, he served on

under Sir
J. Moore,

the several expeditions to the Helder, to Egypt,

to South America, to Sweden,

to Portugal
to

and Spain, under the same general,

Zealand, and a second time to the Spanish

Peninsida,
career.

where he terminated his honourable The active mind of Colonel Squire

the

did not content itself with

acquirements

proper to his profession only, but was impelled

by
all

a large and liberal curiosity to obtain every

sort of useful or of interestino- knowled];-e.

In
full

the countries which he visited, he kept a

and accurate journal, not only of military

but
of everv
thing
else

affairs,

either

curioii?

or

OF PART THE SECOND.

important.
literary
It
is

xiii

to

Colonel Squire that the

owes the discovery of the upon the pedestal of Pompcys Inscription Pillar, near Alexandria, which had eluded the
world
all

ingenuity of

former travellers.

The

Catalogue of the Patmos Library, com-

municated by the Marquis of Sligo; and the Remarks made by Mr. Walpole, not only upon
this Catalogue',

but also upon the Libraries of

is

Greece;

will,

it

hoped, be considered

P.s

valuable additions to this

Work.

The author

is

desirous also to mention his obligation to the

last of these

Gentlemen,

for the assistance

he

has rendered in the illustration of

Inscriptions.

many

of the

Nor can he pass

his

in

silence the

advantages he has derived from the Manuscript

Journal
of
;

friend

and

companion,

Mr.

Cripps

particularly in that part of his Travels

which

relates to

Egypt where
;

the continuation

(1)

The

original copy

is

written in the form usually adopted by the

;

Modern Greeks
containing

in their cursive style

abounding
If the

in contractions,

and
his

many orthographical
title

errors.

Reader only direct

attention to the
that

of in\e Manuscript therein mentioned, namely,

\\\\\

of Diodorus Sicuius, he

he convinced of the importance of

making further inquiry

for

into the state of the Pft/wiw Library; such,

example,

as tlie

French Nation caused to he instituted, when they

J'ilinixoii,

despatched the celebrated Hellenist,

A/ou7il Athos.

to the Monasteries

<!

xiv
of his

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

own

narrative
illness.

was

often interrupted by

fatigue or

by

A more

accurate representation of the appear-

ance of antient Inscriptions upon Greek Marbles,

than had appeared in former books of travels,
is
it

presumed has been adopted. For this purpose, a new species of type was invented by the
author, and used in former publications.
It

has

already received

the

approbation of literary

men

the Society of Antiquaries having applied

to the University of Cambridge for the loan of

these types,

when engaged

in publishing the

late Professor Porson's restoration of the cele-

brated Rosetta Inscription.

tion has also

Considerable atten-

been paid towards making im:

provement

in the Plates

and a new mode of

representing Hieroglyphics will be found in the

Fac-Simile of a Tablet

discovered

among

the

Ruins of

Sais^.

It

may, perhaps, be deemed a bold acknowto confess, that the

ledgment
polis,

account of Helio-

and of the Memphian Pyramids, was writ-

ten without consulting a single page of Jacob

Bryants " Observations upon the Antient His-

(1)

See the

<2u;;vtt)

Edition-

OF PART THE SECOND.

tory of Egypt.''

XV

The author

has, however, since

bestowed
has

all

the attention he could

command,
it

upon that learned

Work
3.

and the perusal of

made known

to

him the source of Lurcher a

Pseudo- Heliopolis

opinion concerning

m Arabia,
although

together with his reasons for placing the re-

nowned

city of that

name

in the Delta,

the French writer did not acknowledge

whence
ela-

they were derived.

Now the whole

of Larchers

pretended discovery, and of Bri/ant's most

borate dissertation,

query; namely. Whether

may be reduced we be at

to a single

liberty to
in

alter the received text of

an antient author,

such a manner, as to transpose the names of

If we be not allowed this freeiVome-s"? dom, the opinions thereby deduced have no

two

weight.

After

all

the labour bestowed upon

the subject, the truth

must

rest

upon the exa-

mination of a few brief extracts from Herodotus,

Strabo, Ptolemy,

and the Itinerary of Antoninus,

compared with the modern geography and existing antiquities of Egypt, with which Bryant was but little acquainted. It will always be
as

urged, to use his

(2) Heliopolites

own words ^

that ''Strabo

was

and iMtopnlites.
upon Antient History, p. 120. Lond. I767.

{3) Observations
also, p.

So

123 (Note).

" Stralos authority must he

valid

he was an

eye-witness of what he speaks of; and seen\s to have been very

inquisitive and exact."

Strabo docs, however, sometimes describe

i.oiiutries

xvi

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

upon the
that "
spot,

and very
in

inquisitive,

and

very-

minute and diligent

his

description;"

and

we

cannot suppose him to have been

grossly mistaken."

Bryant believed that

Pelusiac

tlie

whole

space between the

branch of

the Nile and the

Red Sea was such a sandy

never could have
*'

waste, that the habited

Jeivs,
it:

Israelites

in-

although he confesses that

the

who, during the Captivity, betook themit

selves to this country, thought

no despicable

spot to settle in
cities of

:"

and although the present

Old and Neiu Cairo, by their situation,

this district has

prove that

now
''

the preference,

he asserts that there were

no Nomes, nor

places of any repute," in that part of Egypt *. " AVhen they were occupied," says he -, " it

was

chiefly

by

foreigners,

who

obtained leave

of the princes of Egypt to take

tation

up

their habiit

within

them."

Wherefore

should
this ter-

appear that the presumed allotment of

ritory to the Israelites

would be

strictly

con-

sistent with the antient usages of the countrv.

<

ouutries of which he was i^iioraut, from the report? and

w ritin^s of

others; as in the account he gives of j4rgolis in Pchponnesus, where

he acknowledges

this,

and proves

his

want

of information, by affirm-

ing that there existed in hi^ time no remains of the city of Myccntr.
(l) See Observations, Clc. p. loj).
02) Ibid. p. 107.

OF PART THE SECOND.

xvii

The
near

positions of HeliopoUs, and of the places

to that city, in y4rabia,

are

by no means

doubtful;

since

they are always mentioned

together, and in the clearest manner,

dotus,

by

Slrabo,
in

by

Joseplms,

by Heroby Ptolemy, and by

Cellarius

Antoninus,

his

Itinerary.

places

Phacusa, Bubastus, and HeliopoUs,

in

Arabia;

upon the authority of Ptolemy.

sures him for so doing
;

Bryant cen-

and knowing nothing of

"
in

the rich borders

stationing

of Arabia, accuses him' of

the

provinces

desertsT

The

authority of Cellarius ought not to be superseded

by

the

mere opinion even of such a scholar

especially
if

as Bryant;

opinion be

unsup-

ported by matter of fact: and in this instance, the principle of the " malim errare'' is very
admissible.
HeliopoUs, as

The evidences deduced from

for the position of

Herodotus, Straho,

Ptolemy,
follow.

and the Itinerary of Antoninus, are as

" To one going upwards from

Herodotus*,

HeliopoUs,''

says

"Egypt
11'.'.

is

narrow, owing to the

(3)

See Observations, p.

Note

7.
ItrTi

(4) 'A'ra oi'KXiovvroT.iiis

etv^^

titri,

irrsivn

AiyuTmsai

'r^ ftXy

yap

Tr,;

Apapittii opos TfapariraTxi, r. X.

h tm

xai

Xi^o7i>(t'iai iyiist,

i; to.;

"Zvpafn-

%a4

x.a.ra.Tfi.r^iuaa.t

tki

MsAt?/.

HcrodoLi Euterpe,

c.\u'i.

pp. 9'2,93-

Land.

167>.

VOL.

V.

xvtii

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION'

Mountain of ^Irahia.
quarries

In this mountain are the

whence the stones were taken for building- the Pyramids of Memphis." The mountain, mentioned by Herodotus in this passage, is evidently Mokatam : and Letopolis, Latopolhy
or Lhopolis, which Bryant thinks
^

derived

its

name from

those quarries
it,

(q. d.

AieonoAIS),
Heliopolis

being- near to

is

mentioned with

by
cir-

other writers.

We may
by
Straho^:

now

consider the

cumstances of association under which Heliopolis is

citsa

noticed

" These places (PA-

and Phithom) are near to the vertex of the Delta : there is the city of Biihastus and the

Nome; and beyond this^ the Nome of Heliopolis, where the City of the Sun is situate.'
Bubastic

After describing the temple and the antiquities

of the city, he continues of the
Nile

by

giving a description

beyond the Delta; speaking of Libya as being upon his right, and Arabia upon his left. Then he adds this remarkable observation: "Wherefore the Heliopolitan Nome is in
Arabia^
After
this,

he introduces the Lito-

(1) See Observ.

upon Ant.

Hist. p. 123.

Note

5.

Land. 1767Autov
o

(2) QuToi
(iccffros
'

01 t'ottoi

vXriffia^ouiri rri

xtpvfH tou A'iK<7a.

xai uv\f ahroZ

Si

xai Bouvifiii-

XoXi;,

kcci

Bov^ao'riTtis

vo/ic;'

'HXiD^oXiTti;

i'.)ira,u6tt.

S' itrrit

rou n^iov mkis, x. t. X.

Slrab'jti,

Gcog.

lib. xvii.

l>.

1141.

edit. Oxoii.

1807.
Sic

{3) 'rxifctuToZ.

MS.

Par.

Med.

iv.

Vid. p. 11 11. cd. Qjcon.

OF^

PART THE SECOND.

the Babylonian fortress, as next

xix

politan

Nome and

in succession to the Hcliopolitan

upon the Ara-

bian side of the river.

This position of the Nomes in Lower Egypt

equally authorised

is

by Ptolemy.

He

enumerates
giving

them
after

as they occurred from

Strahos,

north to south*
;

them
its

in this

order; " the Bubastic Nome, and

method of description

metropolis
its

Bubastus: the Heliopolilan Nome,

These, toge-

and

metropolis Heliopolis."'

ther with Aphroditopolis, he places in Arabia''.

The same

position

is
;

assigned to them

by

the

Ituierary of Antoninus
In^

Arabia.
.

Aphroditopolis,

Scenas

Mandras

m.p. xx.
m.p. xii.

Babylon
Heliu
.

M.P. XII.
effect, if

Other evidence
Josephus.

to the

same

necessary*

may be deduced from

Diodorus Sicuhcs, and from

C4) Vid.

Ptolem.Gco<s.
'E
'

lib. iv.

p. 212.

Paris, 1546.

(5)

fiS^opiSj)

'Afxfila; ai
BcefiuXdv,

Alppodiro-ToXteu;,

'HXiiVToXi;.

Ftolem. Geog.

lil>.

iv.

p. 212.

Pant,

1.'46.

b 2

XX

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

In the observations upon Alexandria,

some
added
in the

additional remarks will be found concerning the

Soros of Alexander the Great, so fortunately
to the trophies of

our victories
it

in

Egypt,

very moment when

veying
to Paris.

was clandestinely con-

Since the original publication

of the Testimonies respecting this most interesting

monument, the Editors of the Edinburgh

and have, by means of their valuable
it

Encyclopedia have considered the evidence as

decisive
;

work, given
erity,
little

a passport to the notice of post-

which the writings of the author were

likely to afford.

Occasionally, indeed,

it

has been urged, that some

unknown personage,

belonging to the British Museum, does not coi^

cur in the opinion thus maintained concerning
this

remarkable

relic.

The author has been

is

sometimes asked,
of Alexander,
into the

Why it

not called the Soros

the Catalogue of Antiquities put

visit that stately

hands of strangers who

?

repository

How

shall

he venture to answer so

formidable an interrogation?

May

he not also
it is

propose another, equally redoubtable ?

this

Why has
its

even the historical evidence, touching

?

discovery, been so unaccountably omitted

Wherefore has the circumstance been withheld

from notice, that the Arabs held
nary veneration, as the
it

in traditio-

Tomb

of

Alexander?

OF PART THE SECOND.

xxi

The reason why

tion of a Soros
is

it

has not received the appella-

easily explained.

The meaning

word had never been duly underthe Tomb arrived in England; stood*, although this be precisely the name given by Herodian to the conditory of Alexanders body neither had it then been heeded, that what
of
this

when

Herodian termed a Soiios, Juvenal, according to

a custom of the Romans, mentioned by

tinus^,

Aiigiis-

had himself alluded

:

tion of Sarcophagus^

under the appellanay, so remarkable was

to

the ignorance of a few persons the opinion

who opposed
b.s

now

entertained of this Soros, that

because
cistern in

it

had, at a later period, served

its

Egypt, they doubted

;

original sepulto deny, in

chral use

and some even ventured

all

direct contradiction of

history,

\h.2ii

Alexander
the Cataare

was buried

in

Alexandria^.

When

logue appeared, in which the Antiquities

enumerated, finding that

(1)

it

had not been deemed

This can only be disproved by shewiiijj that in some publication

its real signification.

dated anterior to 1805 this word had

(2)

" Quia enim

c. 5.

area in quft rnortuus ponitur, quod onmes

jam

2fioipayov
lib. xviii.

vocant, 2joj dicitur Gra;c(^."

Augustin. de Civit;ito Dei,

(3) (4)

" Sarcophago contentus

erit."

Juicnal.

For the removal of the body from Memphis to Alexandria, see

Kui rot 'AXi^dvopov nxpov euro;
la Mifofihs.

(jinntus Curtius, Pausanias, &c. &c.

xxrayayav
lAps. i6ys.

viv

Pausan.

-Ittica,

c.vW. p. 17. edit. /iV<n.

xxii

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

advisable to state any particulars, even regarding the

modern

history of the Alexandrian Soros,

fact of its

and that the remarkable

sidered

being conthe author

of

their

by the Arabs as City had been

the

Tomb of the Founder

suppressed,

wrote
British

to request, that a

few copies of a Letter

he had addressed to the Gentlemen of the

Museum upon the subject, might be disby the porter at the door but he was answered, that this would not be approved. The question may therefore now rest, and, as it is humbly conceived, not on the test of authority, but of evidence. If mere authority
tributed gratis
:

could have any weight, the author might safely

adduce the opinions which have fallen, not from obscure individuals, but from illustrious and renowned men; from a Porsox, and a Parr, and a Zouch^; from scholars of the highest
(1)

Dr. Znuch's opinion

upon

this

subject occurs in a Letter

tl.

written by the present Earl of Lonsdale to the Rev.

Sutterthxvuite,
;

of Jesus College, Cambridge, Chaplain in Ordinary to His Mitjesty

who

coniniuuicated

it

to the author.

Although the testimony of such

the author had no personal acit is

a scholar as Dr. Zouch (with

whom

quaintance) he hig;hly flattering, yet

it

hoped that the insertion of

may he pardoned
made

as

it

alludes to a fact of

some importance
visited gt/pt),

in the

evidence concerning Alexander's Tomb; namely, the remarkable allusion

to the Soros by

Juvenal (who himself

is

uudor

the appellation of Sai-cophagics,

Lord Lonsdale's Letter

as follows; it

was dated
Cottesniere,

My
Tomb
of

Dear

Sir,

*'

Jan.

6,

1806.

" As Dr. Zouch's opiDion of Dr. Clarke's Alexander may not be unacceptable to you,
I

history of the
I

send you the

following Extract from a Letter

received from

h-m

a few days ago."

'

bave

OF PART THE SECOND.

eminence both
at home and abroad who have approved his testimony, and have aided and encouraged him in making it public. It is upon
;

xxiii

the evidence alone

that

this

question can be

decided

and

this is so simple,

and so concluIt

sive, that it is
,

open

to

every apprehension.

merely amounts
held sacred

to this:

Whether
as
sort

the Cistern

by

the Arabs

the conditoi-y of

Alexander, be, or be not, the

of receptacle

which Historians teach us

tain his body.

to believe did con-

Any

one
'

who had
Purchas

read even

such a compilation as

his Pilgrimsy

and had therein found

it

stated, probably

from
*'

Leo

Africanus,

that in Alexandria
Chappell, luherein

there

yet

remaineth a

little

they say that

the Great lies

the high Prophet,

and King Alexander

would surely have been curious to inquire what was really exhibited by the Arabs as the Tomb of the founder of their city and if,
buried,"
:

during

its

examination,

this

turn

out to be

have been

much

gratified with reading a

College,

history of the

Tomb
it.

of Alexander by Dr. C/arke, of Jestts

I

Cambridge.

Indeed,

scarcely

laid

dowu the volume

the precious
it to

until

had

gone through
it

He

seems

to

have proved his point; at least to have rendered

that

highly

probable,

monument
he.
I

deposited

in

the British

Museum

is

what he thinks

cannot but believe that Juvenal

expressly alludes to this splendid Tomb, in which the remains of the

Macedonian Hero were interred

'

Cum

tamen a

figulis

munitam

intraveril mliera

Sfi) cop.'iag-o

contentiis erit.'

: ;

xxiv

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

nothing oi Arabian workmanship, but, in reality,
the particular kind of

have actually ascribed

as
it is

Tomb which Historians to Alexander, a Sorosj

mentioned hy Herodian\ covered w4th

being, therefore, an imcription in

hieroglyphics;

the sacred ivriting' of the Priests,

by

whom

it
;

had

been more antiently guarded and revered

this

if

prove to be the case,

it

will

be found a very

difficult

matter to prevent the public from iden-

tifying

such a

relic,

consequence

may

be,

however unsuitable the to the views and feelings

Powerful evi;

of any private individual, or set of individuals,

belonging to the British Museum.

dence bears down

for opinion
;

all

opposition
assent.

it

asks not

it

demands

It
tories

has indeed been urged, that other condiof the

same kind were found

in

Alexandria

one of a similar description being

with the Alexandrian Soros
but this
is

now

placed

in the British
if it

Museum

not true:

and even

were, no

other can lay claim to the tradition which so

remarkably

distinguished

this.

The
Cairo,

other

antiquities alluded to,

came from

and

from
(1)

Upper Egypt:
In

that,

in particular,

now

describing the
vest
;

visit

paid to

it

by Caracal/a, who placed

upon
Hist.

it

his purple

tTifr.xt

rn IkiUou

SOPni.

yid, Herodian.

lib. iv.

Hitt.

Rom.

Script, np.

H.

Steph. 1568.

(2) 1o7} ri 'Upoi;

yptcfifisc^iy.

See the Inscription on the Rosella Stone.

OF PART THE SECOND.

this, is the well-known which was formerly called the " Lovers Fountain," and stood near to the Castle of Kallat

XXV

placed by the side of

Cistern

el

Kabsh

in

Grand Cairo \
less

Other remains of the

preserved,

same

nature,

perfectly

came

from Upper Egypt; whence they were brought

by the French
It

to Alexandria.

had been somewhat loosely affirmed, that

and the author, noticing
this

the Egyptians always buried their dead in an

upright posture

egregious error in his " Testimonies concerning

Alexander

s Toinb,^'

maintained that the opinion

could neither be reconciled with the appearance

of the To7nbs of the Kings of Thebes, nor with
the evidence afforded by the principal Pyramid
at

Memphis*. Since that publication appeared, Mr. Hamilton has incontestably proved that the affirmation was loose indeed, for that the Egyptians never

buried their dead in an upright pos-

ture*.

A writer, however, in one of the Monthly

a

(3) Sec

correct representation of

it,

as

engraved

in

Bowyers

Work, entitled Sir Ruhert AiitsUe's from Drawings by Luigi Mayer.

(4) Toxsi\iol

Collection of

Views

in

Egypt, ^c.

Alexander.

Introd. p. 7-

Crtm&. 1805.

(5)

See

p.

227,

Note

(7),

of this Volume.

^gyptiaca,
ton,

p. 317. Land. 1809.

"

It

See also Hamilton's was evident," says Mr. Hamilhorizontally, not

"

that the bodies had been placed

upright:
the

consequently the

passage

of

Silius Italicus,

quoted to

assist

contrary

xxvi

PREFACE TO SECOND SECTION

Journals ^ attacked the author for having dis-

puted, although upon his

stration,

own

ocular
the

demonbodies.

the upright position of

''

" Surely," said he,

it

will surprise the reader,

to learn, that one of the principal writers

by

whom

the fact above alluded to has so loosely

been affirmed,

was

Herodotus.''
if this

It

might, indeed,
:

surprise any reader,

assertion
is

were true

but the

groundless, and altogether founded

upon the most glaring misconception of the

text of that author
;

as

it

is

not only admitted

by every
Egypt.

scholar, but decidedly manifested

by

the appearance of the bodies in the sepulchres of

Herodotus does not say that they were
in the tombs,

placed upright

but

in the private

houses of the Egyptians'^, after the

persons emit

ployed to embalm the body had delivered

into the care of the relatives.
It is well

known

that the Egyptians frequently kept the bodies of

their

dead,

after the funeral rites

were perto

formed, for a long time, in this manner in their

dwellings.

Sometimes they made them

be

contrary supposition, must have alluded to the posture in which the

deceased were kept, while yet retained in the houses of their relations."

The same

is

maintained hy Palw; Philos. Duss. vol.U.

p. 39.

Lond. 1793.
(1)

Seethe

Critical Reviciv for

Jtili/

1805. vol. V. No. 3. p. 2*6.

(2) See

Pauw,

Philos. Dissert, vol. l\. p. 39.

Lond. 1T95.

OF PART THE SECOND.

present at their feasts'.

xxvii
it is,

And hence

that

Herodotus, alluding to this practice,

relations take the

says,
it

the
in a

body home, and place

chamber appropriated
it

for its reception, " setting

upright against the luall*"

Upon

these last
its

words, the absurd notion was founded of

upright position
in

the sepulchres

of the count??/;

a notion entirely exploded, and contradicted by

the evidence of the sepulchres themselves.

Upon reviewing

the observations
is

made upon
aware that

the Grecian Theatres, the author

they might have been more

collectively dis-

posed, instead of being dispersed in different

parts of his

Work

but the business of a trahe should register

if

veller requires, that

facts,

rather than write dissertations:

his

remarks be

deemed worth
rials,

preserving, others will not be

wanted, hereafter, to collect the scattered mate-

and give them a more connected form.

" Et k mensis exsanguem baud separat umbram."
Sil. Ital. lib. xiii.

(3)

(4)

'lffTa,'jTis

IfSet

pos

voTxet-

Herodol.

Hist. lib.

ii.

c. 86.

p. 120.

Lond. 1679.

Cambridge,

May

24th, 1814.

LIST
OF

EMBELLISHMENTS AND VIGNETTES

IN VOLUME THE FIFTH.
TO SERVE AS DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

General

Outline of the Route

....
I.

to face the Title.

CHAP.
Le Bruyn

Page

Remains of an Edifice with Pointed Arches,

at

Acre; from
1

CHAP.
Arahs
raising

IT.
into their Plantations;

Water from the

iV^iZe

from Denoti

45

CHAP.
Tombs
of the Sultans near Cairo

Ill,
;

from Deuon

...

99

CHAP.
Denon

IV.

Entrance to the Amnis Trajanus from the Nile; from

135
j

The Obelisk of HeiwpoUs, near Cairo from a Drawing made upon the Spot by the Author etched by
;

Li'lilia

Byrne

to face

148

CHAP.
designed by the Author

V.
as

Remarkable Form of one of the Pyramids of Saccdra;

209

Aniient Egyptian Sepulchre, having the Hemispherical

Form of

the Primeval

Mound

from a Sketch made

by the Author
Transition from

220
the Shape of the Primeval

Mound,

in

Antient Sepulchres, to the more Artificial Structure of

the Pyramids
;

designed by the Author

....

221

L.VIBELLISHMENTS
Hieroglyphic Tablet, as
closing the
it

AND VIGNETTES.
at

was discovered
the

Saccdra,

Mouth

of one of the Catacombs or

Mummy
by
to face

Pits;

from a Design

by

Author;

eLched

Elizabeth Byrne
Lares, Beads, Amulets, &c. found at Saccdra
;

237

designed

from the Originals, by R. B. Harraden

L. Byrne

etched by
toface 241

CHAP.

VI.

Antient Peribolus of Sdis, formed by High Mounds of Earth, as seen from the Nile; from a Sketch by the

Author
Antiquities found at Sa'is
;

271 from
a

Drawing by Harraden
to

etched by L. Byrne

face 293

Fac-Simi!e of an entire Hieroglyphic Tablet, as found at

Sdis

the Delia;

taken with Printer's Ink, by an

}

Impression on the original Stone

and afterwards etched

toface 301

by L.Byrne

CHAP.
View Denon
of the Obelisks called

VII.
s

Cleopatra

Needles; from

323

Inverted Position of Hieroglyphics, as seen upon the Four

Sides of the Square

Mass of Breccia
;

beneath

the

Pedestal of Pompey's Pillar

from

Sketch by the
toface 355

Author; etched by L. ^yrwe

Plan of the Catacombs of Necropolis at Alexandria, as

surveyed by the French
;

engraved by Necle, from a

JVilkins
. .

Drawing made by the Rev. George

toface 3S8

CHAP.
Land around Ahoukir, and from Denon
^

VIII.
of the

a Birds'-eye View

Town

404

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

PART
SECT.

11.

II.

VOLUME THE

FIFTH.

PREFACE
List

to the

Second Section of Part the Second.

of Embellishments

and Vignettes

in

this

Volume.

CHAP.
P.
1.

I.

VOYAGE FROM SYRIA TO EGYPT.

The Romulus makes preparation for
leave of Djezzar
the
sailing

The Author takes

Existence of
in the
to

Further Account of Acve

in the

Pointed Arch
Accident

Holy Land, and elsewhere Romulus

East

Anecdote of Deare, an English Sculptor

Voyage

Egypt

which

hefel

the

Arrivdl at

Aboukir
to

The Braakel

receives Orders to convoy a

Squadron

Marseilles

French Prisoners Author

to

narrowly escapes

being conveyed

France

Worship o/Astaroth upon Mount

Libanus
the Nile

Dangerous Passage of the Bar at the Mouth of

Fort St. Julian

State

Price of Provisions

Manufacture of
Prolable
Pilgrimage

of Affairs
'Coffee

in Rosetta

Curious

Re-

mains

of Pointed Arches

Consequence of the

Interruption

of Mecca

Exhilition

of the

PsYLLi, or Serpent-Eateis.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

CHAP.
p. 45.

II.

VOYAGE UP THE NILE, TO CAIRO.

Example afforded hj a Naval
of Egypt
Triple Harvest
the
Officer

Inaccuracy of the Delta Mode

Halih of

in the

Maps

of raising

Ficus Sycamorus Etesian JFinds Motubis Dancing IVomen Debe Sindion and Dekuul Turkish Cavalry Aral Customs Foua Rachmanie Description
Arabs
of the Country
Facilily
visiting

Water from

Nile

Summer

the

Egyptian

Diseases Upper Egypt of Amuus Birds Singular Animal KouM ScHEKiFF Appearance Plants El Bukedgiat Remarhable Phcsnomenon Tumllers Ahundunce of Corn Southern Point Bulac yiew of the Pyramids of the Delta Aniual French Reis Efendl House of Visit Jewel Market of Cd'ivo Jugglers Trees Incense
at
to

the

the

Institute

Interior

Gum
British

Arabic

Plagues
India

of Egypt

Statistics

of Cairo

Army from

Dinner given by
in

the

Commander-

in-chief

Discovery

made by Brahmins

Upper Egypt

Examination of an Abyssinian concerning Bruce's Travels

Fidelity of that Traveller s Observations confirmed.

CHAP.
GRAND
Arabic LangJiage, as spoken
CaiVo
State of Society
in

III.

P. 99.

CAIRO,

Egypt

Ululation in honour of the

Houses Gardens Ceremony of Dead Exaggerated Descriptions

to

Dress of the IVbmen

in

of the Country

Book Market
the

Arabs

in

Streets

Enormities

Supposed Sacrifice of a Virgin the Nile Antient Medals circulation Custom of passing a Bridge Appearance of JVomen the
in in

practised by

the

Discovery of a curious Manuscript

CitadelPointed Arches

Turks

Extortions

Interesting Inscription

of the ArtJoseplfs

JFell

Mosaic PaintingPresent State Origin of the Citadel View

from th^Ramparts.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

CHAP.
HELIOPOLIS,
IV.

P. 135.

AND THE PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

Passage along the Canal

Pillar of

f^isit to

On

Heliopolis

Matarea
its

Of explained Symlols Kircher

cerning them
the

Style of the Hieroglyphics

Intelligence con-

their Archetypes

Crux Ansata
origin
q/'

meaning
Other

the

Hieralpha

and the Testudo

Minerals of Arabian Desert Doubtful Egyptian Jasper Dates and Corn Almehs Of and cry of lamentation Voyage Pyramids Appearance presented by principal Pyramid Objects from
History of the Obelisk
Petrifactions
the Alleluia,
to the

the

seen

the

Extraneous
its

summit Nature of the Limestone used

Fossil described by Strabo

in its construction

Mortar

Labours
Visit

of the French
to the Interior

Army Theft
its

committed by an Arab

Observation Well ExaChannels Chamber of SepuU of some chre The Soros demolition attemptedThe Sphinx painted Discovery of an Antient Us surface found Custom of painting antient Statues Extract
violation

of the largerPyramid
passages

Notions

entertained of

at the

?nination

inferior
its

the

to

be

Inscription

from Pauw,

CHAP.
P. 209.

V.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
Illustrious Travellers

who have
to

visited the

Pyramids

Audience
of
the South

Saccara Vizier Voyage of an Arab Village Appearance of

the

Nocturnal

Festivities

the Country to

of Cairo

Indigofera

seen am,ong the

Pyramids

The
C

Situation of

Memphis

Tumulus

most antient Sepulchres not

VOL. V.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

pyramidal

Village

of Saccara

Difference

between

the

Pyramids of Saccara and those of Dji'za Descent into the Catacomls Notion founded on a Passage in Herodotus
Evidence for the Horizontal Position of the Bodies
ficulty of ascertaining the truth

Difthe

Cause of Interment Hieroglyphic Tablet Antelope Antiquities found by Arabs Horses of History of Pyramids ManCountry Theft Age of ner of Structures
Birds
their

Repository
the the

of Emlalmed

detected

the

Investigation

those

their

Sepulchral Origin
principal
building

Possible Cause of the Violation of Pyramid Historical Evidence concerning

the the the

of Pyramids in Egypt
Steles

Further

views

of

subject Hermetic

Mexican Pyramids.
VI.

CHAP.

p. 271.

GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

Monastery of the Propagandists
to

Marriage Procession

Visit

the Reis EfFendi

First Intelligence concerning ^^e Alex-

andrian Soros

Preparation for
the

Departure

Arrival

of

the Covering for

Caaba at Mecca
the Nile

Escape

Ladies
IVater

Passage
and

of Four

down

Mud

Bronze Relics Aratriform Sceptre of Priests and Kings of Egypt Hieroglyphic Tablet Enumeration of the Archetypes Curious Torso of an
Sais
the
Anli(/uities

of the River

Remains

Chemical Analysis of the

of tlw City of

antient Statue

Triple Hierogram with the

Symbol of

the

Cross

its

meaning explained MahMet Abouaii

Chickens
at

Ovens
brecki

Birds

for hatching

Tombs
at
this

Berinbal
sails

at

Massora Shi-

ylrrival

Rosetla

Mr. Hammer
season

for
year.

England

State of

Rosstta

of the

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

CHAP.
VII.
p. 323.

ROSETTA TO ALEXANDRIA.
Voyage
to

Aboukir

Fisit to

Lord Keith

Journey

to

Alex'With

andria

Arrival at the British

Camp
into

Communication
Visit

Lord Hutchinson
Wretched
state

Entrance
of the

the

French Garrison

of the Inhabitants

Merchants

Discovery
its

from a party of
CirIts situation
its

Tomb

of Alexander

cumstances of
the

removal by the French

upon

Authors arrival
antiquities

Internal
collected
Pillar

Other
Needles

evidence of

authenticity

by the French

Pompey's
it

Discovery of
Romans

Cleopatra'^
its

the Inscription

Sepulchral origin of the Column

Manner of

support

of

Proof that
death of

was

erected ly the

Restoration
to

the legend upon the pedestal Events that occurred after

the

Pompey

Shrine constructed by Caesar

Historians Hadrian'^
the

Testimony
his

of the Arabian

monument

PiUar founded on horse Traditionary name of Surrender of evidence Interview with Menou
Tablet
Intercourse between the armies

historical

the Rosetta
Institute

Catacombs of Necropolis

and

o/"

Aram on

Cause

Descent into theCvypice

accounts of the

Remarkable Symbol Imperfect Conduct of Alexandrian

of
such
elaborate

Serapeum of

French
Racotis

Of Hades

sepulchres

Antiquities

the

Capudan Pasha.

CHAP.

VIII.

p. 404.

ALEXANDRIA TO

COS.
to

Preparations for leaving Egypt Journey

Aboukir

Cities

of Nicopolis, Taposiris Parva, and Conopus

of their Topography

Uncertainty

ThonJs

Changes which have taken

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

place upon the Coast

Heraclium Aboukir Bay Turkish Persons composing her Crew Discipline at Sea Bay of Finica Meteoric Phcenomena Eastern Coast of Rhodes Lindus Southern Shores of Asia Minor Bay of Marmora Rhodes Cos Town of Stanchio Situation French ConsulAntient Sculpture hiscriptions of Asclepieutn Votive Offerings Singular of Mohammedan Law Population, commerce, and produce
Frigate
the
article

the

of Cos,

Appendix, No.
p. 453.

I.

On

the Discovery,

by Colonel

Antient Pagan Superstitions in

those

Capper, of the Mount Libanus,

of Venus.

Existence of
particularly

which

relate to the IForship

No.
Passport granted
to

II.

P. 460.

Messrs.
o/"

Clarke and Cripps,

Alexandria,
to

to

pass and

repass the Outer Gate

and from

/AeBritislj

Carnp.

ItriiKiini

of a Cltnrch at Acre.

CHAP.

I.

VOYAGE FROM SYRIA TO EGYPT.

The Romulus makes preparation for
takes

sailing

The Author
Holy Land,

leave

of Djezzar

Further Account of Acre

in the

Existence of the

Pointed Arch
the

and elsewhere

in

East
to

English Sculptor
hefel the
receives

Voyage

Anecdote of Deare, an

Egypt

Accident which

Romulus
to

Arrival at Aboukir

The Braukel

Orders

couvoy a Squadron to Marseilles

escapes

French

Author narrowly France Worship of Astaroth upon conveyed Bar Mount Libanus Dangerous Passage of Fort Julian Mouth of
Prisoners
to

leing

the

at

the

the

Nile

St.

State

VOL.

V.

JB

nf

ACRE.
of Affairs in Rosetta
mifacture

of

Coffee

Price of Curious Remains

Provisions

Mao'

of Pointed

Arches

Prohalle Consequence of the Interruption of

Mecca

Pilgrimage

Exhibition

of the Psylli,

Serpent-Eaters,

CHAP.
'

'Pjje most active preparation for sailing

'

was

muius

^rado^^'
or sai

mg.

made upon our return to the Romulus frigate. Upwards of sixty bullocks were on board, and forty more were afterwards added to the numEvcry excrtiou was then made to get in ^^^^
the

necessary

supply of fresh water.

We

bought great part of the freight of melons from

the Jaffa boat, to carry to the fleet off Ahouhir

and a more acceptable donation can hardly be imagined, for almost all its supplies came from
England:
scarce.
fruit

and vegetables were particularly

the Author takes leave of

jn

Quj. last visit to

old Djezzar, '^

we

found his

health visibly on the decline;

but there was

Djezzar,

seemed more anxious to conceal from the knowledge of his subjects. The wellknown fable of the dying lion was constantly present to his imagination; and no one better
nothing he

understood
generality

its

moral application.
antient
fables,
it

Like the
is,

of

in

fact,

strikingly applicable to the policy

and manners

ACRE.
of Eastern nations'.
stillness

Although the repose and

to
'

chap.
y

of his

charem were better suited

life

the preservation of his

duties of his palace,

than the public

he knew too well the

his in-

consequences of a rumour purporting

ability to transact the affairs of his

government,

and therefore more readily granted audience to

persons requesting admission to his presence;
continuing his usual practice of cutting watchpapers, but being less ostentatious of his bodily
vigour,

and the exhibition of

his

Herculean
but

strength^.
feet bare,

We
than

found him, as before, with his

his side
;

and a bottle of water by

ordinary

a more

covering

of

turbans

appeared about his head and neck.

thanked him
journey,
for the

Having had

many

obligations he

conferred upon us, he inquired concerning our

late

and seemed

to

possess

great

knowledge of the country, as well as some

degree of information respecting
tory.
its

antient his-

Adverting to the dispute which took place

between the Author and one of the escort, in the Plain of Esdraelon, (of which he had been informed,) he cautioned us against the imprudence

(1) In the

time oi Aristophanes

there,

were three kinds of fables;

the Si/bantic, and the

the Libyan, which was the

uEsopian.
(2)

most antient,

See p. 84 of

Volume

IV. 8vo. edit.

B 2

ACRE.
of striking- an
^

CHAP,
'

Arab,

unless with
;

power

to

ly

put him instantly to death

adding,

" If you

had been anywhere but

and under
lived to
tell

in

Djezzars dominions,

his protection,

you would not have

the story.

know

the inhabitants

of this country better than any man, and have

long found that they are not to be governed

halves.
trust
I

by
I

have been deemed severe; but

you have found

my name

respected^ a n

even beloved,

notwithstanding

my

severity."
;

This last observation was strictly true

spite of all his cruelty, such

for,

in

was the veneration in which they held the name of Djezzar in the Holy Land, that many of the Arabs would have sacrificed their lives for him. As we were about
to take leave,

he acknowledged,
asking us

for the first time,

that he did not feel himself well,

and complained
if

of

want of sleep

we

perceived

any change

in his health.

His Interpreter told

us that he had never before known an instance

of a similar confession
;

and augured, from

this
it;

circumstance, that he would not long survive

which proved

to

be

true, although his

death did

not immediately follow'.

His

last

moments
company with
last

(l)

He was
it

afterwards visited by Colonel Squirt, in

Artillery,

Major Leake of the

gentlemen,

and Mr. Hamilton.

The

of these

seems, as Private Secretarj' of the Earl of Elgin, had

to

some diplomatic arrangements

make

with Djezzar, and wished to

gain

ACRE.
were
son
characteristic of his former
life.

The

per^

chap.
.y.

whom

he fixed upon for his successor was

commerce and
in

gain information with respect to the

Syria.

condition of

These circumstances are related

is

Colonel Squire's AIS.

Journal, from which the following

an Extract.

The

party sailed

from Alexandria, on Monday, April the 5th, 1802; and came to anchor oflF the town of Caiffa on the morning of April the 9th.

At noon

{April 9th)

moment we could not see him for the day {Friday) being the Mohammedan Sabbath, he was engaged at theMosque. In the interval, we proposed to make a small tour without the town ; but we were told that the gates were then
see the Sheik {Governor) of Caiffa.
;

we went on At

shore, and endeavoured

this

to

shut, and that they would not be opened until the prayers at the

Mosque were ended

the East
;

this, as

it

appears,

is

custom

in

many

parts of
in the

for they fear that while the

Mussulmen are engaged

duties of their religion, the Christians

may

enter secretly, and take the

a tradition to this effect.
of the

place

by surprise

indeed,

they have

After the noon-prayer was concluded,

Sheik, in a miserable

we had an audience

search and inquiry,

with coffee

and

as

smoked chamber ; the key of which, after a great was with some difficulty procured. He regaled us there was only one extra pipe for the accommoit

dation of his guests,

was passed from one person to another

and

we smoked

alternately.

During
its

our conference, an unfortunate

swallow, which had taken up

abode in the Sheik's mansion, was

In the course of conversation,

constantly hovering over our heads*.

the Sheik observed, that he was born

near England, as he was a

native of Algiers: he alluded to our fortress of Gibraltar; for the

Turks consider

all

our foreign possessions as England.

After coffee and pipes,

Ismael Pasha,

a respectable Turk, declared he had been in England, because he had

once visited Gibraltar.

Mount Carmel.

This mountain, which

is

we proceeded towards may perhaps be two hundred

it
is

feet above the level of the sea,

covered with a variety of shrubs and

the air as wholesome as
;

aromatic plants, which grant and agreeable

:

may render

fra-

the ascent was by a slope

and

this,

although

now

covered with weeds and brambles, appears to have been, formerly,

a regular
For the universality of the superstition with regard to the swallow, the Reader is also requested to refer to p. 265, and Note, of Vol. II. of these Travels, 8vo. edition
:

to V. 149 of the Electra of Sophocles, where the

same bird

is

called Aior aiy^Xo!-

See

the end of Chap.

vii.

Vol. IV.

ACRE.
CHAP,
V

among

the

number of

his prisoners.

Having

i,yi,;

sent for this man, he

made known his intentions

its

a regular road to the Convent on

the ascent,

summit.

In the beginning of

we observed

a sort of grotto excavated in the rock.

On

the point immediately above the sea, are the remains of a well-built

Monastery, which, since the appearance of the French in these counHelow this there tries, has been entirely destroyed by the TiirJts.
is

a smaller Convent.
into a

It

is

inhabited by a Turk, and

:

its

church has

been converted
rock
;

mosque

it is

excavated from out of the solid

bein? about

fifty feet

long, twenty-five feet wide,

and twenty

feet in height.

On

our return to Caiffa, along the sea-shore, at the

foot of the mountain,

we observed

a range of Catacombs in the rock,

in the

which had probably been the burying-place of an antient town

neighbourhood
embrasures
:

on the floor of these Catacombs were

cavities for

the

reception of bodies.
in the

Near

this place

is

a tower of masonrj-, with fire

:

lower part, for the defence of the anchorage

at

present, no guns are

mounted

there.

"

Caiffa itself

is

a miserable village, close to the sea-side, and oppoof an oblong figure

;

site to

Acre

it is

its

longest side, parallel to the

its

sea, being about

two hundred yards

It
is

and

shortest, one

hundred
a small

and

fifty

yards in length.

completely inclosed by a stone wall

about

fifteen feet high,

with square towers at the angles.

On

eminence immediately above the town, and completely commanding

it, is

a square tower, which, as well as the towers of Caiffa

its

itself,

has

been dismantled of
the French in Si/ria.

guns by the Pasha of Acre, since the arrival of

From

the

summit

of

Mount Carmel the view of

the Bay of Caiffa was picturesque in the extreme.

side

On

the opposite

and beyond, the towering heights of the Anti-T^bannn, with a small chain of mountains intervening, which seemed to retire
;

was Acre

and lose themselves in the interior of the country. Borderin" on the bay appeared an extensive plain, with the River Kishon meandering through the middle of it. From the roof of the Convent on the summit of Mount Carmel, Acre bore n. e. by n. distant seven miles
;

Mount Saphet,

e.

and by

n. distant fifteen
s. s.

miles

a town on a pre-

lecting point on the coast,

w. distant four miles.

Mount Carmel
flint."

consists of hard limestone, varied

sometimes by thin strata of

On

the 12th of April, Colonel 5y?/He sailed from

Caiffa {or Acre.

His Journal then continues.

" Wind

E. s. E. light breezes.

At

half past six a. m. weigh anchor;

and

ACRE.
him telling him, at the same time, that he would never enjoy a peaceful dominion while
to
;

chap.
^

Acre.

and at half past seven, bring-to at the entrance of the harbour of A boat came from the town, which undertook to bring the

vessel into the harbour.

Our

pilot, it

appeared, was a sort of harbourfor his assistance.

master, and has constantly twenty

men employed

As soon

was moored, the Captain of the port stripped himself, made a dive under the vessel's bottom, and told us there were
as the vessel

four feet of water between the keel and the anchoring ground.

The
and

man was

extremely old

and we were surprised at

off his

his activity

attention: however,

upon

inquiry, he said, that he obeyed the orders

of Dj'ezzar,

who would immediately take

tlie

head should an acciAfter a

batteries,

dent happen to any ships moored in

salute of thirteen 'guns,

harbour of ^cre.

which was returned by Djezzar's

we

landed, with a view to pay our compliments to the Pasha.

sitting in a small

Djezzar

was

apartment at the farther extremity of a court in

the upper floor of the Seraglio.

The court was planted with orange and

manner
saying, that he
;

lemontrees,and other shrubs

andoneside was occupied by the Charem.

;

" Djezzar

received us in a very gracious

had always loved the English, because they were a brave nation

and

seemed to insinuate that

that he was independent of
of his

his
all
;

friendship was perfectly disinterested^

that he had plenty of guns and troops

own;

in short, that

he was able to defend himself without the

inquired with respect to the march of

assistance of others.

When we
I

the Vizier through Syria, and his return from Egypt to Constantinople,
*
*
'

he
at

replied,

'

know not which way he

will scarcely leave a

is

gone

they say he

is

now

Damascus ; he

beard or mustachio in

any town that he

desired
seller

passes through.

me

to send timber for his

army:

When he was at Cairo, he my reply was, / am not a

own
in

'

of wood.'
;

So thzX Djezzar fully explained his situation and his

praises
' ;

politics

continually launching forth in his

at the

same
hfe

-time that he abused the Vizier and his creatures.

* ' *
'

The

Vizier {said he)

;

has rich dresses and precious ornaments

carries all his wealth

abundance

but

on his person.

am

a Bosniac, a rough unpoin

lished soldier, not

accustomed
field.
T

to courts

and politeness, but bred

camps and
shawls
:

in

the

have no handsome pelisses nor fine

I

' '

my

troops, however, are well paid, and numerous.

am

expert {added he) in the

stroke of

management

of a sabre:

with a single

my

sword,

have cut in two the barrel of a musket.*

*'

Djezzar

ACRE.
CHAP,
.

certain of the princes of the country existed.

-y- -'

These men were then

living

as hostages, in

*'

Djezzar sat

in the

upper corner of the apartment

;

close to his

hand was a four-barrelled piitol, very richly mounted behind him Avere two muskets, a sabre, and an axe; a silver spitting-cup was in
his left

hand

and

in

another part of the room, a drinking-mug of

:

wooii,

made by

himself, and always kept in the apartment

the ceil-

ing was ornamented with landscape-painting of his

own

invention.

The Divan
with a thin

(the part raised a few inches above the floor)

was covered

common

carpet; the other part of the chamber with a

mat.

Djezzar leans on a low crutch, placed under his right arm,

fine

which he said he had always used instead of the

of the rich and indolent.

downy cushions
his

He was

dressed in an
;

old darned pelisse,

with blue cloth trowsers, in the Turkish style

and a red shawl on

head as a turban.
our salute
;

He remarked,

that he

was sleeping when we

fired

that he had been rather unwell; that the report of the

frona

guns awoke him, and that the grateful sound had revived him
his indisposition.

" Djezzar may

prominent nose
;

be between seventy and eighty years of age

he has

lost the greater part of his teeth, has a respectable grey beard,

and a

and though, when he smiles, he may impose upon

his counte-

one the appearance of good-nature, the ordinary cast of

familiarity
leave,

nance, with his wrinkled brow, sufficiently denotes his well-known

with conspiracies and assassination.
After taking our

we

visited the fortifications of ^cre,

towards the land, with the

Dragoman
directed.

of Djezzar

who

pointed out to us the position of the

French camp, and the different points against which the attack was

The camp was in the plain, about two miles south-east from the town, extending itself, from the sea, as far as the remains of a church near the aqueduct which once conveyed water to Acre. Part of this building was destroyed by Buonaparte : that part which was
near the town has been levelled by Djezzar since the departure of the French, that he might render the defences of his works as open and
clear as possible.
trees in the neighbourhood."

With the same view he has levelled most of the {N. B. Here Col. Squire enters into a
by Djezzar about
is

very detailed account of the fortifications of Acre.

" The Mosque,

built

fifteen years ago, has a large

dome, and both outside and within

wry

richly

ornamented.

We

observed

ACRE.
Djezzars power. " You will not like to begin your reign," said he, " by slaughtering them;
-

chap.

observed in the walls larje pieces of Verd-antique, aud specimens of

many

different kinds of marble: the

g^ay

ornaments within are

light,

and

painted in very

colours

the whole building has more the appear-

ance of a fine theatre, than a place for devotion.

mitted to ascend the minaret
call
:

We

were not per-

here

it is

the

office of

a blind person to

the people to prayers, that there

to

elevated situation

observe

the

may be no women in

opportunity from this

the

Pasha's Charem.

Before bein^ admitted into the Mosque,

thin slippers, and wear

we were

obliged to purchase

them

as a

mark

of respect, leaving our boots at

is

the entrance.

The

court of the Mosque, in the centre of which

a
is

neat fountain, and a small plantation of palm and cypress trees,

surrounded by a sort of

cloister,

and small apartments,

These also serve

in

which are

deposited the books of Djezzar.

for the chief people of the law.

as lodging-places
is

Under the Mosque

is

a large reser-

voir for water

and we were informed, that, at present, a ten years'

collected in

supply of water for the town

the different cisterns.

to the entrance of the

Without the gate of the Mosque, and opposite

Seraglio,
is

a handsome fountain, with basons of white marble, and

furnished with drinking cups, very convenient for the inhabitants.

Since the campaign of the French in Syria, the fortifications of Acre

have been repaired, and considerably increased

those which have

been abided are

much more
wrought,
it

substantial than the old; the masonry,

is

though not

finely

solid

and well executed

the stones

which compose

are taken from the walls and foundations of the

antient Ptolema'is.

The whole
:

of the ramparts are

surmounted with

a sort of battlement, which Djezzar told us

was very useful when the

being loosened, were

enemy mounted

to the assault

for these stones,

tumbled down upon the French, and occasioned very great confusion.

When
Bourge

the French besieged Acre,

their attack was directed on the

Ait, at the north-east angle;

and the besiegers took advan-

tage of irregularities in the ground, of the garden walls, aud of a

small ravine, and more particularly of the remains of an aqueduct

which once conveyed water to Acre.

rience, has entirely levelled the

Djezzar, profiting by this expeis

aqueduct near the town, and

deter-

mined

that, for the future, the

enemy

shall not have the smallest

shelter.

" The Bay

of Acre, or Caiffa,

is

seven miles in width, and perhaps a

league

10
CHAP.
I will

ACRE.
do that business
for

you

:"

accordingly, he

ordered them to be brought before him, and

league and an half in length

the sweep

is
;

nearly semicircular: the

sounding,

in general,

ten or eleven fathoms

and the holding-ground

near the village Caiffuy on the south side, excellent.

"A

low sandy ridge, projecting from the south point of the bay,
is

forms a secure roadstead abreast of Caiffa, and

always preferred.

Two

small streams discharge themselves into the Bay of Acre: one

about a mile east of Caiffa, supposed to be the Kishon of the Sacred

Scripture: the second, called the River ef Acre, discharges
itself into
is

the sea, perhaps a mile and an half from the town.

shallow,
inconsiderable, and frequently changes
its

This stream
direction.

The

beach of the hay does not seem convenient for landing, being
exposed to the westerly winds,
flat

much
surf.

and shallow, with a continual

" w as

^n7

the 13th.

Soon

after breakfast

we

visited Z);ezra-,

who
;

very talkative, and showed us several specimens of his ingenuity

in

he cut out,
formances

our presence, a gun, in paper, with a pair of scissars

told us he was a great adept at this art,

:

and would

let

us see his per-

these consisted of vases and flowers, very neatly cut, and

adorned with different inscriptions from the Koran, and had been
further decorated by a painter in the town: he also showed us the model of a powder-mill to be worked by horses, of his own invention. When we made him a compliment on the gallant defence of Acre, by

himself and Sir Sidney/ Smith,

God.
*

'

Ah

{replied he) all events are

;

from

Fate has always favoured Djezzar

and confident

in

my own

'*

I never feared Buonaparte. Nor do I care for when he marched through this part of Syria, he did not dare to approach Acre; for he knew 1 wa? well able to receive him.' " After having taken our leave, we wished to visit the fortifications towards the sea: we were however told, that it would be better to
*

strength and means,

the Vizier:

walk without the town ;

safety within, as
it

for

Djezzar could not be responsible for our

festival (the

was the time of a

Kourlan Jieiram,
fire

the sacrifice of lambs), during which the soldiers

eontiiiualiy (always with
ball),

their pistols

and perhaps some accident might

to

befal us.

Mr. Hamilton returned to Djezzar,

;

make some

diplo-

matic arrangements

while Major Leake and myself took a walk on

the north side of the fortifications.

"

Djezzar' h

Dragoman

(Bertocini,

Genoe.ie)

informed

us,

that

thirteen \car? ago, ou account of a suspected conspiracy between his

Alamaluke

ACRE.
they were put to death
afterwards he died
;

11

his presence.

Soon

chat.
I.

leaving, as he

had predicted,

v.

Mamaluke slaves and his Georgian and Circassian women, he put them all to death, eleven females, by throwing them alive into a well, and thus leaving them to expire he also mutilated a vast number ol them, by cutting off their noses, who had had the smallest communi:

cation with the Mamalukes.

It

is

sui)posed that Djezzar has thirteen

women
billet

in his

Charem

their dresses being

made

in the

town, and a

being sent to the

workmen

for a dress for

such a particular

number.

" At four
*'

p.

M.

we re-embark.
After breakfast,

April

X.h^

14th.

we

visited i3/V^2rtr.

We

brought
t<>

with us a packet, which we requested him to forward by a courier

Aleppo.
'

'

Am
me

I
?

(said he,

in a violent rage) the Suis Bnshi (Chief

of the Couriers)

you
*

visit

as a friend

Your conductjs very extraordinarj'. The first day you make me no present. You suspected
;

my

friendship from the

did you anchor at

first.

Instead of coming directly to Acre,

?'

why

Caiffa

[We were prevented by the wea'

ther,
'

and our
visit

pilot's entire

ignorance of the harbour.]

see the plans of

On
;

the

second

you desire

to

*
' ' *

while the two others go Avithout, and

{addressing himself to

you Mr. Hamilton) remain with me, open the

my fortifications examine my fortifications,

make peace with

and

object of your mission, and wish

me

to

the Druzes;

a subject

I
;

cannot bear to advert

to.'

Mr. Hamilton attempted an

his inquiry

explanation

and told him that the simple subject of

was,

whether
or not
;

Sir Sidney

Smith had interfered

in the affair of the

Druzes,

of that nature

that Lord Elgin was extremely sorry to have heard a report that the conduct of those persons who had com;

municated with the enemies of Djezzar should be strictly inquired into: and he concluded by observing, that he hoped Djezzar would
receive an English Consul at Acre.

This, indeed, was the subject of

the conversation of yesterday.

Djezzar had mistaken the whole:

like a true tyrant, always filled with jealousy

and suspicion, he imato

gined that we were emissaries from the English, and wished to reestablish the affairs of the Druzes.

He would hearken
it

no expla-

nation

but entertained suspicions which we saw

would be wholly

impossible to erase.

The Emir Bechir

(Prince) of the Druzes,

who
the

governs the Mountains (of the Lehonon) inhabited by this people and

12

ACRE.
his

CHAP,
^
._

the

undisturbed possession of a very extensuccessor, Ismael Pasha.

sive territory to

the Maronites,

is

continually at war with Djezzar, and he refuseJ the

contributions annually levied in the Mountains.

Djezzar retains two

nephews of the Emir

hostility should

in his Seraglio, as hostages, in case

any act of

be shown by the Prince of the Mountains.

When

the

French were before Acre, they attempted to bring over the

alliance.

Druzes and Maronites to their

Sir Sidtiey Smith, gaining

intelligence of this, very prudently despatched emissaries to coun-

teract the French intrigue in the Mountains

and made ample proThis people

mises of his friendship and piotectiou to the Druzes.

bad always been the declared enemies

sighted policy of the tyrant

of Djezzar ;

and the short-

made him most

inveterate against Sir

Sidney and the English, on account of their

correspondence in the

Mountains.

"
' *

can {added Djezzar)

let
I

the English know, that

faithful

ara

as

powerful in
ships.

my
I

enmities, as

am
?

Am

to be dictated to
I

and sincere in my friendI, who have held the sword over the and be humbled by the English?
all.

'

heads of the Beys, shall

lower

it,

'

No! {exclaimed

he,) I

can withstand them

I will

I will

have no com-

'

munication with the English.

approach within gun-shot of

have no Consul of that nation;

'

not one of their ships shall come into

my

harbour

they shall not

still

my

fortifications.'

Mr. Hamilton

attempted to explain
it

was not with Sir

and at last, Djezzar went so far as to say, that Sidney Smith that he was oflfended ; that it was
:

with a Mr. JVright, Lieutenant of the Tigre, and the Vice-Consul of

Tripoli, a

Frenchman,

whom

he considered the cause of the breach

'

between him {Djezzar) and Sir Sidney.

'

Mr. Wright {continued

;

he)

and the other had been to

visit

the Chiefs of the Druzes

had made

'

arrangements with them, and had even returned with some of the
Princes to Acre; and Sir Sidney ought certainly to have prevented
this

communication

however {said

he) I

am

not offended with him.*

In short, in his extreme anger, he frequently contradicted himself.

Leake and myself smiled upon some observations between ourselves.

Djezzar became furious.
'these
'

who have been a Pasha of three tails who have defeated twelve thousand Druzes with twenty horsemen, am I to be insulted in this manner ?
'

I,

five

years;

I,

(said he)

'

am

speaking seriously.

Am

to

be laughed at and derided

'I

am

ACRE.
hmael
is

13
travellers,

described

by English

who

chap.

have since visited

jlcre, as

a very amiable man,

and

in

every respect the very reverse of this

his time.

Herod oi

After our last interview with Djezzar,

we

* *

I
I

* * *

an old man you are children. Look at my beard. I am choleric ; know not what may be the consequence Had I not been in my own house, I should instantly have bursted forth and died with

am

indignation

am now

in

such a rage, and have talked so much,

!'

that

can neither see nor distinguish any of you

His mouth, at

different times,

was so parched with anger and exertion, that be took large draughts of water, and remarked, that he had never drank so

much water

in his life.

After a violent conversation of two hours, in

this

which the cruelty, the tyranny, the ingratitude of

displayed in their blackest colours,

monster were
;

we took our departure

the evening.

telling

him, that we would repeat our

visit in

" In the course

*

of this morning's interview, he told us, that he

'

was

a just man, and fond of order and regularity.

If

my

soldiers

touch

me, or have the appearance of

diately order

offering the smallest insult,

If a

* * *
*

them
is

to be beheaded.

punishment
sence, and
I

the same.

If I desire a

man man to

insult a
sit

1 immewoman, his

down

in

my

pre-

go out of the apartment, and he quit his seat before

is

my

return, the loss of his head

the consequence.'

" In
Pasha
;

the afternoon,

we again

landed, with an intention to visit the

his

but we were told by the Dragoman, that he had gone into

visible this

Charem, and would not be

to the ship.

evening:

we

therefore returned

"
visit

y^pril 15th.

After breakfast

we went

ashore, with an intention to

but we were told by his Dragoman, that he had issued orders, at the gates of the Seraglio, to refuse our admission. We then

Djezzar

inquired

if it

the Dragoman answered in the negative

security for our persons.

were possible to hire horses, to pass by land to Tripoli: for there would be no ;

We

and proceed to

Tripoli by sea.

then determined to get under weigh, At one p. m. we were unmoored, and

got out of the bay, with a small breeze from the northward."

14

'

ACRE.
made
a
final

CHAP,
J

survey of

the

town
is

of Acre^

particularly of its market,

which
Its

well supplied

iccoun'tof
Acre.

with most of the Eastern commodities.

jg
^jjg

Cotton
is

principal export.

tobacco

very

highly esteemed; and coarse muslins, remarkable

for the durability of their dye, are sold at a
rate.

low

The

inhabitants

make use

of

wooden

tubes for their tobacco-pipes, garnished with a

swathing of

silk or linen, for

the purpose of ab-

sorbing water.
the smoke, as
ration.
it

This, being kept moist, cools

rises,

by the constant evapois

This method of smoking tobacco

less

deleterious than the

koohay

Arab custom of using the

which generally consists of nothing more

than a hollow gourd containing water, and two

pieces of cane; but the whole of the smoke, in-

stead of being drawn into the mouth,

inhaled upon the lungs
;

is

thereby

a practice which someit

times causes asthma, where

continued'.

has been long

Marili, in the account of his journey

(l)

Shaw mentions
9).

this

Note

He
all

says the Arabs call

is

custom {See Travels, p. 234. Land. 1757. it Shrob el Douhhan, that is to say,
Like other intoxicating habits, when

''^irinkiug-

of smoke." It

a universal practice, not only in the Levant,

but over

the Mediterranean.
it is

once aciiuircd,

not readily abandoned.

;

resembles that of a dram

causing, at the

The moment,

effect

produced

distention of the

nerves and vessels of the head, particularly of the eyes.

The Greek
it

who

travelled with us, after thus conveying all the

fiJin a well-kindled pipe into his lungs,

smoke he could
there
for

collect

could retain

ACRE.
from
Acre
to

15

Mount

Carmel,

mentions

the
'

chap.

exportation to

Fenice of the sand of the River

Belus, for the glass-houses of that city.

"It

is,"

says he%

**

to

this

river,

Beliis,

that

we

are

indebted for those magnificent plates of glass

which Fenice manufactured,

apartments of Europe."
river Kardane.

to embellish
j4rabs
call

the
this

The

In Acre
in

we observed

several

individuals engaged

manufacturing the kind

of leather

known

in

England under the vulgar

as the
it

appellation of

Red Morocco ; and

whole

process was publickly exhibited,

regretted that
the articles

may be

we did not pay more attention to made use of in preparing the dye,

which produced the most lively and brilliant scarlet we had ever beheld. The skins were
constantly exposed, during the operation, to the
hottest

beams

of the sun, in

the

most

sultry

season of the year.

Before
will

we

conclude our remarks upon Acre,

it

be proper

to state, that the pointed arches

for a

rendered back the smoke, in curling volumes, through his

nostrils.

few seconds, and sometimes drink a glass of water, before he lips and

The Mohammedans

are so delighted by the effect of inhaling

it,

smoke, that, when they have emptied their lungs of

they exclaim,

" Alhandillah," God

(2) Mariti's Travels
V>.

be praised!

through

Vi/prns, Syria,

an<J Palcestine,

vol.

IL

124.

Lond. 1701.

16

ACRE.
of a lofty building represented in the Vignette of
this Chapter,
1.

CHAP.

^ Existence
of the Pointed
the

belong to the edifice noticed by Le

arches,

Bruyn\
delineated

Arch in Holy Land:

The pointed by that very

so

accurately

able artist, have been

a stumbling-block in the

way

of

some modern

theories, respecting the origin of Gothic archi-

tecture ^

But these are by no means the only

style in

examples of the pointed

the Holy Land,

which

refer to an earlier period than the erec-

tion of such arches in England.

The author
instances,

has already enumerated

old as
and elsewhere in
the East.

other

as

the age

of Justinian^,

if

not of Con-

stantine.

There are similar remains, of equal

in

antiquity,

Cyprus and in Egypt.

It

may

indeed be matter of surprise that such works

should have been ascribed to the labours of
English workmen, in the time of the Crusades,

when

foreigners, or
in

the

pupils of foreigners,

were employed
of the kind,

Engkmd, for every undertaking

Henry
the

so late as the reign of

(1) See the

engraving in

Le

Brut/n's Travels.
so.

(2)

And

will
;

continue to be

Acre was taken by the Saracens,

A. D. 1291

the Christians have never been permitted to gain a footing

;

there since that event

therefore

tiie

pointed arches noi'ieedhy Lc Brui/n

last six

belong to an edifice which has been a ruin during the

hundred

and twenty
(3)

years.

The author
is

of "Munimctita /Intiqua" notices />oj<e<f arches in

Vol. IV./;. 75.

an aqueduct of Justinian. See

pointed arch

Nofe\. Lmid. 1805.

The

also seen in aqueducts built

bvTRAMN,

ACRE.
Eighth; nor can any hypothesis be formed more
liable to dispute than that

17
^-hap.
^

origin of an?/ style

which deduces the of architecture from the North

>

-^'

of Europe

"

whence nothing ever came but the

sword and desolation*." Six Oriental cities may be named, where this kind of architecture

was formerly in use these are, Nicotia in Cyprus Ptolemdis, Dio Ccesarea, and Jerusalem, in the Holy Land; Rosetta, and Cairo, in Egypt.
:

In

all

these
style,

cities,

there are
relate
to

remains of the
a
in

pointed

which
its

much

earlier

period than

introduction

England.

further acquaintance with

will,

Oriental architecture
light

assuredly,

bring to

instances

than those

many other which have now been

adduced.

In the north of our island, indeed, a

greater degree of antiquity

may be

claimed for
its

the pointed arch, then even the advocates for

English origin have ever assigned to
it.

were

first

brought into

Masons England by a monk, the

Bede,

preceptor of the venerable

about

the

middle of the seventh century, together with the

arts of painting

and of

glazing'.

About

this

^4)
(o)
fir.st

De
the

ChdteaubriamVs Tr&veh,

vol. II. p. 124.

Lond. 1811.

" Benet the Monke, and maister

crafte of Painting, Glasing,

of the reverend Beda, brought

and Masons, into

this land."

Stow's

Summary
A'.

of the Chronicles of England, pp. 27, 28. Lond. 1598.

VOL.

18

ACRE.
time the monastery oi Ely was founded,

and

the abbeys of Abingdon, Chertsey, and Barking,

The monastery of Gloucester was also established ^ But before this time, Idna, upon the western coast of Scotland, was
were builded'.
a seat of letters: the writings of Adamnanus,
its

abbot, have been often cited in these Travels.

There can be no doubt^ therefore, but that an

abbey church existed

in that island prior to the

foundation of the monastery at Rly.

Adamnanus
seventh

was

born,

in

the

beginning of the

century^ at Rathboth,

now

called Raphoe, in the

County of Donegal, in Ireland ; which country he As at that left when he became abbot of Idna'*. time the model of every Christian sanctuary was
derived

from the Holy Land, and generally

from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre *, where

the pointed style

may

yet be discerned in the

(1)

Stow's

Summary

of the Chronicles

of

England, pp. S7,

2(3.

Lond. 1598.
(2) Ibid.

(3) A.

D. 626.
Lives of the Saints, vol. IX.
interesting:
p.

(4) Butler's

303. Edin. 1799.

(5)

Witness the

though almost unnoticed model of the

Church of the Holi/ Sepulchre, called " the Round Church," in CamKnights of Jerusalem, and shewing precisely the form of the building as it existed in the seventh century. See the Plan
bridge, built by the

given by Adamnanus, apud Mabillon.

Scpc, 3.

Acta Sanctor.

Ordin. Benedicti,

Par.

2.

p. 505.

L. Par. 1672.

ACRE.
superstructure
it

IQ

covering

the Sepulchre itself,

chap.

is

surely probable that Idna,

so

whose nhbot.
all

drew up
holy places,

accurate an account of

the

tion of its

would preserve something- in imitamost sacred edifices. The author

of these Travels once visited Idna; and in the

numerous vestiges of ecclesiatical splendour which he there observed, in the rude bas-rehefs
of
its

sepulchral monuments, in granite coffins,

all,

but, above

in

the remains of the pointed

Gothic style exhibited in the ruins

upon that

island \ a traveller there mis^ht rather imasfine

himself viewing the antiquities of the Holy Land^

(6) See PococA:e'* Travels,

and the Engravings already given

in

this

work.

The

curious work of Bernardino,

" Trattato

dellt

Piante et

Imtnag-ini de sncri Edi/izi de Terra Santa," published at Florence, in

1()20, gives

the rules and exact dimensions for the

construction of

sanctuaries after the model of the Holy Sepulchre, which, at the time

of Bernardino'^,

visit

to Jerusalem,

was

entirely surrounded

with

pointed arches.

The pointed arches

of the ISllhlas, in the Isle of

Rhonda, near

Ca'iro,

are of the ninth century, as will be proved in a

subsequent Note.
that the pointed

Many

other instances might be adduced to prove

stifle

iu architecture existed in ail

the oldest Saracenic

structures

but the Eastern origin of the pointed arch has been so

satisfactorily

Antiq.&ic.)
[Olserv,

demonstrated by Whittingtox, {Hist. Surv. of Eccles. by Haggitt, {Lett, on Gothic Architect.) by Kerrich,
the Churches

on

of Italy,

Archceol.

Vol.

XVI.)

and by
that an

Hawkins,

{Hist, of the

Orig-.
is

&c. of Gothic /Architecture,)

obstinate denial of the fact

merely the struggle of ignorance against

the acknowledgment of error.

(7)

Sec Pennant's Hebrides, Plates xxii and xxiii. p. 253.

Chcslei;

1774.

C 2

20
CHAP,

ACRE.
and of
stantine,

edifices erected

by

the mother of Cow-.

than of an ecclesiastical establishment

in the Hebrides;

upon a small island

an island,
guished,
too,

and upon
distin-

which was already thus

the

before

inhabitants

of

England

could be said to be converted to Christianity

at an
eera

when

the king of the East Angles

was

actually sending into Burgundy for mis-

sionaries to

preach the Christian

faith'.

The

state of Jdna, indeed, at that period, can only

by the intercourse which was then maintained with the Holy Land by all As a seat of parts of the Christian world. learning, Idna was so renowned, that its abbot
be
accounted
for

was appointed

to

act

as

ambassador from
and
it

Ireland to an English monarch";

is

well

known that Bede borrowed his account of the Holy Land from Arculfe's, testimony, as afforded
by Adamnanus. We may therefore with ask, " Has it been proved, that, prior
justice
to the

introduction of the Saxon arch in the southern

l)
("i)

5<02t''s

Summary, &c.
(called Al'JJrid

p. 27.

Land. 1598.

Bede, as cited by Alabdlon, mentions the embassy of

Adamnanui

to Euldfrith

by Bede), king of the Northumbrians, a

short time before the abbot's death, iu 705.

" Adanuiunum moranno Dccv

tuum

esse paullo post suani

legatinnem ad /Jld/riduni ,

defunctiim, teste
iniplelo."

Bedu

in lib. v. cap. 19.

amio regidsiii vigesimo necdum

3.

(Vide Mahdlon. Acta Ord. S. Bened. Ssc.

Par. 1. p. 500.

L. Par. 1672.)

ACRE.
xt2/k

21

provinces of our island, no instance of the pointed chap.

adorned those ecclesiastical establishments

',

y-.

in the north, which, having no connexion with the

Saxons,

were erected
model?

at

an earlier period, and

conceived that this

after a different

It is

question cannot be answered, by urging that the

pointed style originated in our country from the
intersection of circular arches.

The

fact of the

existence oi pointed arches, before the period as-

signed for their invention in England,

is

a plain
it

document, which cannot be superseded^:

rests

upon the evidence of pointed

arches situate

(3) See the very recent

but most satisfactory elucidation of this

the Society of Antiquasince published
in

subject, by the Rev. T. Kerrich, read before

ries,

May

11,

18,

and June

1,

1809,

and

the

XVIth volume
Gilpin,
I

of

their Archaologia.

Speakin<? of the

supposed

English origin of Gothic architecture, Mr. Kerrich says, " The late Mr.
believe, first

broached this notion, (Sec Gilpin's Northern

it

Tour,

vol. I.)

at least he first delivered

to the world in print

he

had never been out of England: he was theiefore excusable: but how people who had travelled, and had visited the other countries of
Europe, could patronize such a notion,
is

really surprising

they

must know,
the

unless they voluntarily shut their eyes, that, throughout

Low

Countries, from St. Omer's to Cologne, the old churches are

;

all Gothic

and many of them immense structures, and wonderfully

such as the cathedrals of dntwerp and Mechlin, St. Gttdnle's

beautiful

at Brussels,

and
is

St.

Bavon's at Ghent, and numberless others.

The
emi-

whole of France

covered with them, from Calais to Lyons, and quite

is

to the banks of the Rhine, where the cathedral of Strashurg

nently light and beautiful.

The

cathedral and church of St. Nicaise

at Rheims, the cathedrals of Amiens, Rouen, and Evreux, are also well

known

as buildings of extraordinary

dimensions and elegance in this

Ponz's Voyage de Espaiia, and the

style of architecture.

According

to

22
CHAP,
V,.

ACR
in countries then

E. to Englishmen; as in

unknown
in the

.y

.'

the

Tombs

of Oriental Tartary ; also of pointed

arches in

Egypt and

Holy Land,
;

in the ex-

amples already alluded

to

and there are others

which have not been adduced.

The roof of a
it

chamber
Egypt,
is

in

one of the pyramids of Saccara, in

so constructed, that the section of

lancet

would exhibit a

form

the sides being in-

clined at an angle of about sixty degrees'.

But

even with reference

twelfth century,

to buildings erected in the to the

and especially

mosque and
suffi-

sepulchre of Sultan Zakir, near the eastern gate

of Cairo", will the assumption be
cient
to

deemed

account for the pointed arches

they

the writings of other travellers, the case

kin;'dom of Spain."
scribes
its

is

the very same in every

its

Mr. Kerrich then proves

all

existence, and de-

remains, over

Germany and

Italy.

See Olisei'uatMis on

Gothic Buildings: and Jrchiteclure, by the Rev. T. Kerrich, Pfincipal

Jjihrarian of the Unwemitt/ of Qtmbridge,
logia, vol.

M.A. F. S.A.

Arche.o-

XVI. p. 299,

et seq.

Lond. 1811.
visit

(ij

The author

himself saw this roof, in his subsequent

it

to

those Pyramids; but having neglected to notice

in

his Journal,

and

preserving only a doubtful recollection of the fact, he consulted his

friend Burckhardt,
existence.

now

travelling in
is

Egypt, upon the subject of

its

The
in

following

an Extract from a Letter, dated Cairo,

July 10, 1815, containing Mr. Burckhardt's answer.

large

" There

is

one of the Pyramids to the south of those which are commonly called Pyramids of Sacc^ra,' the roof of which is formed by the inclination of the two sides; which meet above, at an angle of

room

'

about

sixty or sixty-five degrees."

Burckhardt's

MS.

Ijetter.

(2) Vid.

Museum
</<'////!

JVorsleyanum, p. 87.

Aonef. 1794.

Caliph

Za Air

lived in the

century.

ACRE.
exhibit
;

2.3

that " the Caliph

who built

them, perhaps

chap.
v-

employed some Christian slaves

in the icork.''

The
if

supposition itself involves an absurdity; for

an intolerant Moslem had given such a preference to Christians

who were his

slaves,

these

men

must have been supernaturally inspired with architectural knowledge for the undertaking.
Acre has been described as the scene of a
very interesting story
in English history,

which

may, however, be destitute of any real foundation in truth. It is related by Speed\ that
Eleanor, wife of

Edward

the First,

here drew

the poison from her husband's arm, after he had

been poignarded by an assassin

lips to the wound.

" Pitie

it is,"

applying her says Fuller*, " so

;

pretty a storie should not be true (with

miracles in Love's legends)!
get himself no credit,

all

the

and sure he

shall

who undertaketh

to con-

fute a passage so sounding to the

honour of the

sex; yet can

it

not stand with what others have

the
physician,
to the

written ^

How

dresse his

wounds, spake

who was to Lord Edmund

(3)

See Speed's Hist, of

Edward the First.

Holy Warre, book
iv.

(4) Fuller's Historic of the

chap. 29, p. 230.

Camb. 165K
(5)

See Fox, Martyrolog. p. 337.

24
CHAP,
<

ACRE.
and the Lord John
.

Foysie, to take

away Ladie

Elenor out of the prince's presence, lest her

pitie

should be cruel towards him, in not sufto

fering his sores

be searched to the quick.

out,
'

And though
hands,
'

she

cried

and wrung her

be contented
:

Madame,' said they,

it is

better that one

while, than that

woman
all
:'

should weep a

little

the realm of England should

lament a great season

her out of the place."
which, after
all,

and so they conducted

The

tradition,

however,
evi-

is

not disproved

by the
rise to

dence Fuller has adduced, has given

of the finest
existing in the world': and as

one

specimens of modern sculpture

it

affords, per-

haps, the only remaining proof of the surprising

AnecJote
!in

abilities of

an Ensrlish

artist

(snatched from the

Eugihk

pursuit of fame in the very opening of a career

which might have classed him with the best

sculptorsofAntient Greece), the author considers
it

a patriotic duty to pay some tribute to

its

(l)

The work

of John Deare, who,

at a very earlj- period of life,

attained to a surprising decree of perfection in scul})ture and desi^^n.

He
full

died a few years as:o, at

Rome,

at the very

time when the

first
its

proofs of his genius began to obtain the patronage necessarj' for

developemeut.

The

particular

executed in the marble of

Corbet, a English baronet,

work alluded to is a Carrara. It was purchased by

bas-relief,

Sir Corbet

and belongs now to his collection. This brief allusion to a young artist, who would have been an honour
to his country,
is

perhaps the only biographical document concerning

him

likely to

be made public.


FROM SYRIA TO EGYPT.
merit,

25
of
its
<

and,

thereby, to

the

memory

chap.

author,

to

'

Our voyage from

udcre

was

as prosperous as Voyage
Egyjit.

the former one had been from Egypt.

The

se-

renity of the Mediterranean, at this season of the year,

is

surprismg'ly contrasted with the treprevail during the vernal

mendous storms which

with every
sail

and autumnal equinoxes.

extended
;

We

steered for Egypt

but were impelled by

such gentle breezes, that the motion of the

frigate
first

was scarcely perceptible. On the twentyof July, at seven o'clock p, m. we were

to

\mder weigh, and about ten came

Cape
Carm.el.
sail

anchor off

The next morning,

again,

at four a. m.

we made

and continued our progress all that day and the following night, without any On the morning of occurrence' worth notice.
July the twenty-fourth, at seven a.m. the Island

of Cyprus

was

visible,

bearing n. n. w. distant

At five a.m. of the following morning, the same island was still in view, and nearly at the same distance, bearing
ten or eleven leagues.
3c.

and by

e.

July the twenty-sixth, at seven

tlie

p.

m.

we

hailed

Thld-e frigate.

This day, being Sunday,

to the

we

accompanied Captain Culverkouse

gun-

26
room,
to his

VOYAGE FROM 8YRIA

to dine tlicrc

with his

officers,

according

weekly custom.

As we were beginning

our dinner, the voice of a sailor employed in

heaving the lead was suddenly heard calling
^'

half oar

f r

The Captain,
ship
in

starting up, reached

the deck in an instant;

and almost as quickly

stays,

putting the

she went

about.

Every seaman on board thought she would be stranded as she came about, all the surface of the water exhibiting a thick black mud and this
; ;

extended so widely, that the appearance resembled an island.

At the same

time, no land

was

really visible, not even from the mast-head, nor

was

there any notice of such a shallow in any

chart on board.

The

fact

is,

as

we

learned

afterwards, that a stratum of

for

mud, extending

many

leagues off the mouths of the Nile,

exists in a

moveable deposit near the coast of

Egypt, and,
it

when

recently shifted

by currents,

sometimes reaches quite

to the surface, so as

to alarm mariners with

sudden shallows, where

These shallows, how-

the charts of the Mediterranean promise a consi-

derable depth of water.

ever, are not in the slightest degree dangerous;

vessels no sooner touch them, than they are

dispersed

and a

frigate

may ride

secure,

where
In the

the soundings would induce an inexperienced

pilot to believe

her nearly aground.

TO EGYPT.
evening- of this

27
and saw the chap.
'

day we made

land,

eastern

fort

at

the entrance of the Damiata

"

branch of the
or eight miles.

Nile, bearing n.

w. distant seven

Jiihj

the twenty-seventh, at ten a. m.

in

we were

employed
and
it

answering signals from the Heroine;

interesting to us landsmen, to

was very

observe the

facility

with which the commanders

of frigates, separated from each other

an immense distance that their

scarcely
visible
to

by such vessels were

held

the

naked eye,

conversation

with each other.

light

weather with
twenty-ninth,

had calm breezes during this and the

July the
cutter
s.

We

following day: no land v/as visible.

observed a strange
s.

to

leeward, and land bearing

w. and by

sup-

posed
miles.

to

be Cape Brule, distant six or seven

July the thirtieth, about three p. m.

we

made
to

land from the mast head, which proved

Berelos, bearing
s. s.

be Cape

w. distant about

ten or twelve miles, the town of Rosetta being

at the

same time w. and by

s.

half s. distant ten

or eleven miles.

July

the

thirty-first,

a calm and a strong

current compelled us to anchor east of Rosetta,

in

five

fathoms and a half water.

On

the

28

COAST OF EGYPT.
first

CHAP, following morning, being the

t '_
;

o^ August,

at

fipvpn A.
p.

TVT

weighed, and made

fleet
ofl"

sail.

At four
plainly-

Arrival at

M.

saw the

Aboukir,

and

observed the Admiral's ship.

ing, at eight o'clock,

The same evento

we came

anchor nearly

in the station held

her sailing for

by the Romulus previous to the coast of Syria. Here we rehad reached us in Syria.
when, taking leave of

ceived the joyful intelligence of the surrender of

Cairo, reports of which

Presently

after.

Captain Clarke came alongside,

;

in the Braakefs barge

our kind friends,

we

regained once more a com-

fortable birth within his cabin.

We
The Bra a. tlic
kel receives

had not been here many days, before

Keith,
to

Braakcl reccivcd orders from the Admiral,

orders to

Lord

n convoy the French prisoners

i
/

^ur/ron
^Kiiies.'

captured at Rachmanie and the different forts

upon the
as

Nile, including the garrison of Cairo, to

Marseilles; and, at the

same

time, to take

in,

with

many

of those prisoners as possible, their

artillery,

arms, baggage, &c. and to

sail

with

all

possible expedition.

So rapid were the measures

for this purpose, that

adopted by Captain Clarke

he was ready before any of the other vessels

appointed to convey the prisoners had obtained
their cargo; and,
to all the convoy,

making the

signal for sailing

he was ordered to proceed on

COAST OF EGYPT.
his voyage, without waiting for the other ships.

29'

The scene which ensued on board

upon the
'

arrival of the French prisoners, baffles

every

effort of description.

...
never
J^ollaire,

the Braakel,
^'^"c/t

Prisoners.

Strolling players,

collected

in

a barn,

exhibited

more
in

ludicrous dresses, or a better burlesque of the

military

character.

dressed

his

pasteboard helmet, with his laced coat and long

dirty ruffles, to represent, in one of his

own
was a

plays, the person of Alexander the Great,

hero,

compared with some of the

soldiers of the

French army.
their

There were many who made

all

appearance with the most ghastly visages,

colours,

beneath helmets of

covered with

horses' tails pending over their wrinkled cheeks

and shrugged-up shoulders.

Every one imaspirit,

gined he should testify a proper degree of

and perhaps ingratiate himself with a

as soon as he set his foot

British

crew, by the ejaculation of some English oath,

When

upon the quarter-deck. drawn up, in three lines, to be reviewed, and their respective births were assigned to them, some of the new comers were found to be abandoned women, wretchedly
they were
all

dressed in the tattered habits of French soldiers.

Other females, more

clothes; but these
girls,

pitiable,

came

also in men's
Circassian

were Georgian and

once the secluded pride oi Turkish Chararis,

so
CHAP,
V

COAST OF EGYPT.
but afterwards the more lamentable slaves of
the lowest rabble of the French army.

-yL

.1

They

were desirous of going anywhere, rather than to remain in Egypt, where they were sure of
being immolated by the
encounter.
first

Moslem they might

As soon as matters were somewhat adjusted, and the wounded men taken care of (among

whom there were

that they died
tation,

a few in so terrible a condition

upon the following day), a depufrom all the prisoners, waited upon the
and requesting his permission
every

Captain, to ofter him a band of music every day

during dinner;
to

exhibit

a club-cVarmes, for fencing,

morning; and a comcdie every evening.

was there any thing to good-humour of these poor Frenchmen. All singing, dancing, animosity was laid aside fencing, and acting, became the order of the day; even the wounded, when able to come upon deck, shewed signs of the joy which animated their
;

Never equal the gaiety and

comrades
officers

in the

thoughts of returning to France.

thing to gratify
tlie

They would do any

and men.
played " God save

English

Sometimes^ when
the King,'' the

their

band

members of

the theatrical party, in the forecastle, sang out,

in

broken English, " Send him vicforiousf'

COAST OF EGYPT.

31

'The moment came, however, which was to chap. The Braakel create a pause in all this mirth. got micler weigh and a stiff gale causing more

motion than suited either the dub-cT annes or

the comcdie, every Frenchman

was indisposed.

Nothing was then heard but groans and curses,

were out of tune; and the deck was soon abandoned to the active sailors
the instruments

AH

belonging to the ship's crew.

It

had been CapSelim^

tain darkens intention, in tacking out of Abouhir

Roads, to put us on board the Sultan

commanded by

the Capudan Pasha, with

;

whom

we were
tion,

acquainted

but this proved to be

great consterna-

impracticable.

To our very
so far

we

found ourselves, upon the morning of

the seventh of August,

advanced

in the

voyage

to France, that

we were

already out of

sight of the fleet.

The Captain
;

told us there

was
AuUior
"s^clpes^

only this alternative

Marseilles, or to

either to go with

accept of a small boat,

in this,

him to which he

would willingly give us, and, the wind to the Mouth of the
lent

run before

vTyedt^""
-''"''

Nile.

The turbuall

appearance of the sea did not at

tempt
last;

us to try so hazardous an experiment as the

for if

we had

so done, and had escaped the con-

sequences of our
tainous

own ignorance among mounshould

inevitably

waves,

vv^e

have

perished in the surf upon the coast.

We therefore

could

only lament

the

loss

of our intended

23

COAST OF EGYPT.

CHAP, journey in Egypt, and retire into the cabin with ^' General La Grans^e, to whom we made known our very embarrassingsituation.

While

we

were thus ruminating- upon

chano^e in
all

the

unexpected
standing

our plans, a cry upon deck ana

sail

nounced

that

was

in

sight,

towards Aboukir. This proved to be the Diadem,

of 64-guns, Captain Larmour, from Cyprus, with

wood and
us,

water, which presently

drew near

to

and was hailed from the Braakel.

to the fleet: this
difficulty

We

re-

quested a passage

and with some

was granted, we got on board. Here

vra found Colonel Capper, the bearer of overland

despatches from India to the British ^rmjinEgi/pt.

He

gave us an account of his very arduous ex;

pedition

and communicated some interesting

particulars, concerning the existence of antient

Worship of

Po^a/i suDcrstitions in
larly those of

Mount

Libanus, particu-

upon
.Libanus.

Venus or Astaroth.

These were
'

alluded to in the preceding

Volume

and as a

renewal of the subject here might be deemed

irrelevant, the author has reserv^ed his observa-

tions

upon Colonel Cappers discovery

it

for

the

Appendix^:

relates

to

a very

interesting

relique of the antient

mythology of Syria.

1)

See Vol. IV. p. 204.

Note

1.
I.

(2j

See the .Ijfcmlix

to this

Volume, No.

COAST OF EGYPT.

*ji

Upon our
ship
;

return to the

fleet,

Captain Larmour
to the Admiral's s
Ceres,

chap,
.y
>

accompanied Colonel Capper and

we

revisited

the

where we
Russel,

found our valuable friend Captain

the great grief of his
all

to

officers

and crew, and

in

who had

the happiness of

knowing him,
had much

such a state of indisposition as put an end to

every hope of his recovery.

ficulty in obtaining a

We

dif-

passage to Rosetla on board

or boats belonging to

one of the

cljerms,

the

Nile; but, at length, permission

to sail in

was granted us

one of these vessels, from the Eurus^

Giiion,

Captain
liteness

who

treated us with that po-

we had

so often experienced from the

officers of the British

Navy.

We

left

the

Bay
Dangerous
Passage of
the
the

of Abouldr, August the eighth, about ten o'clock

mouth of the Nile, we observed that the signal-boat was not out^ So many lives had been lost upon the bar by not attending to this circumstance*.
A. M.
to the Rosetta

As we drew near

Bar at Mouth

ofthe.vi/e.

(3)

During the Egyptian Expedition, a boat with

passable.

a signal-flag

was
the

always anchored on the outside of the mouth of the Nile,

surf

when

upon the bar was

lives

(4) Scarcely a day elapsed, during our first visit to Rosetta, in

which

some
A^ile,

were not sacrificed, owing

to

the inattention paid to the

signal.

It

was even asserted, that the

including those both of the

loss of men at the mouth of the army and navy> who were here loss in all the

sacrificed,

was greater than the total of our

engagements

that took place with the French troops in Egypt,

VOL.

V.

34
CHAP,

MOUTH OF THE

NILE.

and such positive injunctions issued by the Commander-in-chief against attempting to pass

when
back

the signal

was removed,

that

we supposed

the Arabs belonging to the djerm would take us

to

the fleet.

The wind was, however,

against our return; and the crew of the boat

persisted in saying that a passage

cable.
It

was practiwas accordingly attempted but the

;

surf soon drove us back,

and

we
it.

narrowly

escaped being overwhelmed by

side of the river's mouth.

second

attempt was then made, nearer to the eastern

We

prevailed upon

some English

sailors,

the Arabs have their

who were on own way, and

board, to let not interfere

with the management of the djerm, however

contrary
it

might seem to their usual maxims.

fearful sight,

Never was there a more

nor a

scene of greater confusion, than ensued

when

we

reached the middle of the tremendous surf a

second time.

The

yells of the Arabs, the oaths

of the sailors, the roaring of the waters, the

yawning gulphs occasionally disclosing to us the bare sand upon the bar, while we were tossed upon the boiling surf, and, to complete
the whole, the spectacle afforded

by

anothei-

djerm
as

swamped and wrecked

before our eyes,

we

passed with the velocity of lightning,

onable to render the least assistance, can nevef

EGYPT
be forgotten. dangerous

35

We

surf, in

had often read accounts of chap. I. books of voyages, but enterencounter in such a

tained no notion in any degree adequate to the

horrors which mariners

situation
;

nor

is

there any instance

known

of a

more

frightful

surf than this river sometimes

exhibits,

by

its

junction with the Mediterranean.

point, or

No

sot^ner

had we gained a certain

tongue of land,

advancing from the eastern

shore of the river to^vards the north-west, thaa

a general shout from the Arabs announced that

every danger was over

as serenely along as

presently

we

sailed

of any lake.

upon the calmest surface The distance of the mouth of the

Nile from the station of the British

armament

is

considerable; but while

in the

Bay

of Aboukir,

we remained at anchor we could perceive the

the fleet

ships stationed near to the Boccaz; and in like

manner we here observed the masts of

in the bay.

As we entered
called
in

the Nile,

we were amused by
the
:

seeing an Arab fishing with

sort
this,

of net

England a

casting-net
in shape,

without

any difference either

rials,

size,

or mate-

he was throwing exactly after our manner,

to

which may be urged

this

prove the antiquity of

mode

of fishing.

Pelicans appeared in great

D 2

3G
CHAP,
.

EGYPT.
number
Levant
;

at the

mouth

of the river; also that

is

kind of porpoise which

this

called dolphin in the

may be

seen sporting in the Nile,

Rosetta.

as high

up as the town of

The

first

object, after entering the Rosetta branch, is the

Fort^^
'^"''""'

Castle, or Fort St. Julian.

In digging for the

fortifications of this place, the French

discovered

the famous Triple Inscription,

now
it

in the British
if

Museum':

this will

be ever valuable, even

the

only information obtained from

to a solitary fact;

were confined

namely, that the hieroglyphic

characters

do exhibit the writing or the

This truth will
;

PRIESTS of Egypt^.
longer be disputed
pellation
for

now no

therefore the proper apin

inscriptions

these

characters,

ought rather to be Hierograms, than Hieroglyphs.

surprising

number

of Turkish gun-boats

were

stationed opposite to Fort St. Julian at the time

we

passed

and when the beautiful prospect of

to our view, the

Rosetta

opened

whole surface

of the river, in front of the town, appeared also

covered with gun-boats and with djerms.

Upon our

arrival,

at five

o'clock

p.

m.

we

(1) See pp. 6, 7.

Chap.

I.

of

Volume

IV.

8vo.edit.

(2) See the words of the Greek inscription

upon that stone, TOIC

TE

'IEP0I2

rPAMMASlN.

.i^:

R OS ETTA.
found
aji

37
effect of

amusing proof of the

nihilating all civil distinctions.

war anThe house we

chap.
'

had formerly occupied was

diers,

full

of sailors, sol-

Jjaj^s^
"^ R'^^cua.

and other tenants

our apartments had

filled

been converted into Charems, and were

with Georgian,
these
Circassian,

and Egyptian

girls;

we

found

sitting unveiled

upon the

floor

some working embroidery, others chattering

and laughing.

One

of them, a beautiful female,

taken from a tribe of Bedouin Arabs, exhibited a

fine

countenance disfigured with those blue

scars

which were described

in the

account of

Bethlehem.

They were marks,

as she pretended,

which

entitled her to a very high consideration

among

the Arabs of the Desert.

These

women

had been presented by the French prisoners to the officers and men of our army and navy.

They appeared
as
if

to

be as much at home, and as

tranquil, in the protection of their

new

masters,

they had been thus settled for

life.

most lamentable part of the story is, that our people were compelled to abandon them, they were put to death by the Moslems. A

The when

woman who
Christian is

has admitted the embraces of a

never afterwards pardoned.

for the first

It is

lawful,

and deemed laudable,

Turk

or Arab

who meets
life.

with her, to deprive her

instantly of

In this scene of confusion

we

38
CHAP,

EGYPT.
were constrained
to take

up our abode

there

being no alternative; until

we

could complete

our preparations for a voyage up the Nile to

Grand

Cairo.

Indeed,

we had

reason to be
;

thankful for such acconunodations

considering

the disordered state of affairs at this time in

Rosetta.

We

hired a djerm in the evening of

our arrival; and

made

application the next day,

August Qth, to the Commissary of the army, for

his permission to

purchase provisions,

in

the

market.
ing.

This

we had

great difficulty in obtainto consider,

The Commissary seemed

and

perhaps with reason, at

this critical juncture,

every application which did not relate to the

business of the army, as an unwarrantable intrusion.

Some degree

of rudeness, however, in

the

manner of

his refusal, struck us the

more

forcibly; as v/e
civilities

bad experienced the greatest

from his worthy predecessor,

who had
cli-

recently fallen a victim to the effects of the

mate.
tion

Having urgent

letters of

recommenda-

from the Commanders-in-chief, both of the

army and of the navy, we made our situation known to Mr. Wills, purser of Captain Russefs
ship the Ceresy then acting as Commissary for the
fleet,

behalf.

who interested himself warmly in our To his kindness we were indebted for

being able to prosecute our intended voyage

HOSETTA.
with expedition as well as with comfort
indeed, without his aid
;

39
and,

we

should not have been

allowed the use even of the djerm which

we had

engaged

for the undertaking.

We
fitting

employed the remainder of this day in up a kind of tent, or cabin, by means of

lining
it

mats and the branches of palm-trees, upon the

stern of our vessel
nets, to protect
;

with our mosquitoe-

us from the swarm of those

river.

insects

upon the

The

inundation

had

begun, and the rapidity of the current was

thereby exceedingly increased.
,
.

every

f,

article

oi

provision

Illbecome had

The

price of pwceof
Provisions.

very

high, since our last visit to Rosetta.

For half a

pound
pounds

of tea

we were
The

obliged to pay near two

difference

sterling-.

between the

markets of

this place

and Damiata was astonishin stating the

ing, considering the short distance that separated

the two towns.

This will appear

;

value of a dollar

which, in Rosetta, was equi-

ralent, either to half a sheep, or to three geese, or

four fotvls, or eight hundred eggs. In Damiata, for

the

same sum, might be purchased, either two hundred eggs. The coj^ee of Mocha, when Rosetta was first capsheep, SIX geese, iwelvefotvls, or eight

tured, might be obtained almost for nothing

but

it

had been

all

sold,

and a great deal of

it

40

EGYPT.
was
sent in presents to England.
sights in Rosetta

most curious
Manufacture of
Cojfee

One of the was the manufaccoffee, it

;

ture of
is

this article.
in

After roasting the

iron

pounded

immense

mortars

three

Arabs working at a time, with enormous pestles, each as large as a man can raise. The capacity
of the bottom of the mortar being only equal to
the reception of one of these at a time, the pestles are raised
air

according to the measure of an

sits

sung by an attendant Arab, who

their labour

near to

the mortar.

The main purport of this curious

is,

accompaniment of
the hand and

to prevent

arm of a boy, kneeling by the The mortar, from being crushed to atoms. boy's arm is always within the mortar, which allows room for each pestle to pass in turn
without bruising him,
against the side
if

he place

it

in

time

of the vessel; but, as after

stir

every stroke he

must

up the powder

at the

bottom with his fingers, if the precise period of each blow were not marked by the measure of
the song, his

arm v/ould be struck

off.

Intoxi-

cation, happily, is a vice with

which Arabs are

unacquainted

or else, the constant attention of

a whole party, thus employed, being necessary

for the safety of the

poor

child,

it

may be

con-

ceived what the consequences of drunkenness

would

be,

in

a manufactory where

many

of

ROSETTA.
these mortars are used.
is sufficient

41
of this process

A sight

chap.
.

to

explain the cause of the very

impalpable nature of the

Turhei)
;

coffee powder used in where the infusion more resembles the

appearance of

chocolate,

than of

coffee,

as

we

prepare them for beverage in England.

After

visiliii^- this
.

manufactory,
,

see a buildmg oi very great,

IP although or un,

we went

to

Curious

Remains

poimed
Arches.

known,
with
arches,

antiquity,
It

used

as

warehouse
of

for

keeping stores.
the

has a vaulted stone roof,

remarkable

appearance

pointed

caused by imitating the intersection of

:

palm-branches
trees,

the sculptured trunks of the

ramiiications proceed, are

whence these
by the
curious

represented as
corners, and
ber.

being

stationed

in

the four

sides, of the vaulted

chamhas

This

architectural

relique

never

been

noticed
it is

nor

described

by

any
use.

author; therefore

impossible to learn either

its

the age of the building, or

original

Quaresmms

is

altogether silent

upon the

subject.
it

He

was called Scheida'. This place may soon become of more importance than it is at present in consays only of antient Rosetta, that
;

sequence of the
(l)

total cessation

of pilgrimages

" Ab

antiquis, at in

mundi theatrn

legitur, Scheida fuit appel-

lata."

Quaresmii Elucid. Terr. Sanct,

torn. JI,

p. 1003.

Antv. \6Z9.

42
CHAP,

EGYPT.
to Mecca.
all

The Wahcihee

Jrcihs

have destroyed
than

v*^
^

the wells which formerly supplied the cara;

Co".se-

vans with water

and nothing

less

an

Iho'in^rruption of

army

is

necessary for their restoration'.

Qua-

Mecca

I'll

Yesm'ms, in mentioninjr the estimation in ' ^

which
is

giiniage.

Hosetla, as the birth-place of

Mohammed,

held

by

the Moslems, long ago predicted, that

whenit

ever the journeys to Mecca were interrupted,

would become the resort o^ Moslem pilgrims".

For the reception of such a multitude, Rosetta
is

much

better

provided than Mecca

for

it

is

by all travellers % and among these by our countryman Sandys*, that " no place
attested

(1)

"

It

is

now

five

years since the Tfahahees Iiavc prevented the

tlieir

pilgrims from performing

journej' t) Mecca.
;

They have deworkmen. This more than

stroyed the cisterns in the Desert

repaired, without sending an

and
to

it is

impossihle to have these

army

protect the

condition will hardly ever be fulfilled, as

there are not

10,000 soldiers in

all

Syria; and the fVahabee Ch\e{ has, at any time,

at his disposal.

more than 100,000 men, mounted on camels,

interruption of this pilgrimage
of the approaching desolation
is

The

considered by the Turlis as a sign

of the TurJdsh

Empire."

3TS. Letter
3, 1811.

from Rurcklmrdt,
(2)

the African Traveller, dated Aleppo,

May

" Fertur

in partibus illis, ex

ea civitate originem traxissc

Maho-

raetem, p=cudo-prophetam Turcarum et aliorum Infidelium caput; ac

ideo illani inagni trstimant.
esse

Quare,

si

Mecha, ubi sepulchrum dicitur

(^uaream. Eluc.

Mahometis,

h.

Christianis caperetur, et ad illud interdicta essst

ipsorum peregrinatio, Rosetum peregrinarentur."

T. S.
(3)
torn.

H. p. 1008. Anlv.

163;).

"

In optima uberiqne rcgione sita, onini

honorum genere ad
Jlitt.

opulente vivendum affluente, carnibus, piscibus, fructibus, &c.""

(4) 5a^y.v' Travels, p. 166.

Land. 1637.

110 S
lender heaven
is

ETTA.
I

43
chap.
^

better furnished with Gfrainc,

flesh, fish, sugar, fruits, roots,"

together with
life.

all

other necessaries and luxuries of

Durinj^-

our former

visit to Rosetta,

we
''

nesf- Exhibition
rsyiu, or
Eaters.

lected to notice the particular

day of the year

on which a most singular exhibition of the Serpent-eaters,

dotus^

or Psylli,

as

mentioned by Hero-

and many antient authors ^ took place.

of our

tumultuous throng, passing beneath the winhouse,

attracted

dows

our

attention

towards the quay: here

people following

we saw

a concourse of

men

apparently frantic, who,

with every appearance of convulsive agony,

were brandishing live serpents, and then tearing them with their teeth snatching them from each other's mouths, with loud cries and dis;

torted features, and afterwards falling into the

arms of the spectators, as

if

swooning; the

women

all

the while rending the air with their

(5)

Denon

says, this exhibition takes place during; the

annual pro-

cession of the Feast of Ibrahim, at Rosetta.

He

regretted not having

I.

been there

at the time.

See Denon's Travels, Eng. Edit. Vol.

p. 123. Lond. 1803.

(6) Herodot. lib.iv. cap. 173.

(7) Strahon.
lib. ix. c. 14.

Geog.

lib. xvii.

iMcan.

ix.

vv.

894, 937.

Pausan.
&c. &c.

Dio

Cass. lib. li. c. 14.

Aul. Cell.

lib. xvi. c. 1 1,

44
CHAP, lamentations.
glers
'

EGYPT.
Pliny often mentions these jugtheir tricks
it

and as

have been noticed by

other travellers,

is

only

now necessary

to

attest the existence of this extraordinary

rem-

nant of a very antient custom.

(l)

PUn.

Hist. Nat. lib.

vii.

c. 2.

lib. viii.

c. 2.5.

lib.

xxv. c. 10.

lib. xxviii.

c. 3.

Arabs raising Idutr from

the ^'iIe.

CHAP.
VOYAGE UP THE
Example
afforded ly a

II.

NILE,
Naval

TO GRAND CAIRO.
Officer

Maps

of Egypt

Inaccuracy Triple Harvest of Delta Mode

the

in the

Etesian Wnids Mo^\5nls Dancing IVomenDebe Sindion and Derr^Il Turkish Cavalry Arab Customs Foua Country Diseases Rachmanie Description of Koum Scheriff Upper Egypt of Amrus Birds Singular Animal Appearance Plants El Buredgiat Remarkable Phcenomenon Tumblers Abundance of Corn Southern Point of Delta Arrival Bulac View of Pyramids
Egyptian Arabs

of raising Water from the Nile Summer Habits of the

Ficus

Sycamorus

the

Facility

visiting

the

at

the

Visit to the

Reis


VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

4G
lleis

Jewel House of French CdiroJugglers Trees Market of Gum Arabic Plagues of Egypt of Cairo Dinner given the Anny from
EJfeiidi

ilw

Inst'uiite

Interior

Incense

Statistics

British

India

lij

Commander-in-chief

Discovery

made by Brahmins

in

Upper Egypt Examination cerning Bruce' Travels

s

of an Abyssinian

con-

Fidelity of that

Traveller's

Observations confirmed.

CHAP.
'

W
His
^

left Rosetta

on Monday, August the

tenth, at

seven a. m. and called upon Captain Hilhjar,

who had
upon the
Example
a Navli
<Jiher.

the

south of the town, and

river,

command of some gun-boats to the whom we found stationed

on board one of those vesselsin

late

arduous services,

several engage-

ments with the enemy, were then the subject of ^g^y general conversation. The Capudan Pasha
in

testimony of the gratitude of the Turkish

Government,
trifling

presents.

had conferred upon him some But that m hich particularly

all

excited the wonder of

his

contemporaries,
to

and which

will

convey the name of Hillyar

posterity, with honours

more
by

lasting than

even

those obtained

by

his valour

and
this

his victories,

was the example

officer

offered

distinguished
in proving'

to the navies

of the world,

the

possibility

of fighting the battles

of

his-

TO GRAND CAIRO.
country,

.^7
CiiAi-'.
i
.

and maintaining unrivalled discipline

without the utterance of an
the ship he

among

his crew,

oath by any

man on board

com-

manded.

We
Nile,

had convincing evidence of inaccuracy

in inaccurncy
of E-i/pt.'

oiir best

maps of the Delta, and of the course of the from the earliest comparisons we made in
That of
Kaiiffer,

the country.

published at Conit

stantinople in 1799, is
is

extremely incorrect; but

less so than preceding

documents.

Soon

after

leaving /?o^e,

we passed some
to lands

extensive canals,

conveying water
river
:

above the level of the

by wheels, sometimes turned by oxen, but more generally by buffaThey are banked by very lofty walls, loes. One constructed of mud, hardened by the sun. of them, upon the western side of the river, exThe land, thus tended to the Lake Maadie.
these are supplied

Triple

watered, produces three crops in each year

first

the xh^Ddu.

of clover, the second of corn, and the third

of rice.

The rice-grounds
cast

are inundated from

:

the time of sowing nearly to harvest

is

the seed

upon the water, a practice Balaam twice alluded to in Sacred Scripture. prophesied of if rae/', that "his seed should
Numhers

commonly

(l)

xxiv. 7-

48
CHAP.
^^,

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

^E
^^'

MANY

WATERS."

In the directions given

it is Avritten', by "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."

for charity

the son of David,

When
Method
of

the rice-plants are about two feet high.

they are transplanted.

Besides the method of

tciftShe raising
^iie.

water into the high grounds near the

of buckets fastened to a wheel,
is

river,

by means

where the land

not

much

elevated above the

surface of the Nile, they use a simple, and pro-

bably a very antient contrivance", of

*a basket lined

lifting it in

perhaps with close matting or

with leather^ Two men, holding the basket between them, by a cord in each hand fastened
to the

edge of it, lower

it

it

into the Nile,

it

and then
the

swing
city

between them
to

until

acquires a velo-

sufficient

enable them to throw

(l) Ecclesiastes xi. 1.

See the Vignette to this Chapter. They wlio are interested in tracing resemhlances between the customs of the Chinese and Egyp.
(3)
tians,

may

be informed that this manner of irrigating land, which

certainly possesses

something of singularity,

is

practised

upon the

rivers in China, without the smallest difference.

An

engraved repre-

sentation of

it

is

given in the account of Lord Macartney's Embassy.

See

vol. II.

p. 359. Lond. 1797.

(3)

lining.

Those baskets are made capable of containing water without " The Mahrea Arabs have the art of making wicker baskets
milk,
water, and

of so close a texture, that they carry in them,

bouza."

See Note

to

p. 189 of Browne's Travels, Lond. 1799.

TO GRAND CAIRO.
water, over a bank, into a canal near the river,

40
chap.
II
'-

The regular continuance of

their

...
;

motion gives

them, at a distance, the appearance of automaton figures, rather than of living beings.

They

work

stark naked, exposed to the sun s most

powerful rays, during the whole day

repeating

one of their Arabian songs

for

they seem to

have a peculiar

air

adapted to every labour.

clothing,

As

to their
it

summer

when they wear

cotton shirt,

any,

consists

only of a blue

girded by a belt round the waist.

whom we saw

occasionally near the

The Avals river, wheSometimes

twelve at a

ther alone or in company,

made

their appear-

ance without any kind of covering.

they were seen
as they
in parties of ten or

time, walking together,

young and old, as naked were born, without seeming sensible of

in their

any indecency
Fahrenheit's

appearance.

thermometer,

observed

in

the

shade, this day at noon, indicated a temperature

of ninety degrees.

Our

course,

by a very good
Clar/iC

boat-compass, given to us by Captain

the Braakel,
half an hour,

of

was

at this time south, half east.

to

In

we found it

be east and by north.

We
form

observed several trees of a very singular

:

they resembled, by the spreading of their

boughs, the shape of a fan, and looked, at a

VOL.
v.

50
CHAP,
II.

V-OYAGE UP
distance, like

THE

NILE,

expanded.

enormous peacocks with their tails As we drew near and examined

or Sycamore Fig

them, they proved to be, every one of them, the

Ficus Sycamorus.

Ficus SycamoTUs,

and of

this

species, although so

common

in Egypt,

there

was

scarcely a single specimen in any British

It attains

herbary, until our return to England.

an enormous

size

near Cairo ; particularly in the

Isle of Rhonda,
larofer

where some of them appear

than the stateliest oaks of our forests.

The
but

fruit
it is

resembles the

common

fig in

shape;

smaller, very dry,

insipid,

and rarely

eaten.

The

peculiar form of the trees in this

is

part of Egypt
Eieoian

owing entirely to the north and

and
for a considerable length of

Dorth-wcst, or Etesian winds, which prevail with

Winds,

much
this

violence,

time, during the

months of July and August. As monsoon happens annually, at the period

offers for the

of the Nile^ inundation, the wonderful advan-

commerce of the country exceed any thing, perhaps, known upon earth, A vessel, leaving Rosetta, is driven by it with
tages
it

extraordinary velocity against the whole force

of the torrent to Cairo, or into any part of Upper

Egypt.

For the purpose of her return, with

it

even greater rapidity,

take

is

only necessary to
to

down mast and

sails,

and leave her

be

carried against the

wind by the powerful current

TO GRAND CAIRO.
of the river.
It is

51

thus possible to perform

to

the whole voyage, from Rosetta,

Buhk

the
in

quay of

Cairo,

and back again, with certainty,

;

about seventy hours

a distance equal to four

hundred miles'.

At

half-past one p.m.

we came

in

view of
Moiubis.

Motubis, sometimes written Metuhis, or Metahis",

famous or infamous

for those

dancing-women

Dandng

called Almehs, which, however, are

common

in

When the French army most parts of Egypt. marched to Cairo, General Menou halted here,
and, in the true spirit of French licentiousness,

pretending

business with the

Sheiks,

but in

reality to gratify himself

and

his

soldiers, de-

manded an exhibition of these prostitutes.

Sheiks of the place

The
in

wished to be spared, even

Motubis, the degradation attending a public dis-

play of such dances,

and raised

difficulties

Denon\ "the presence of the generals, and especially of two hundred soldiers, removed the obstacles." In
against their attendance; but, s^ys

order to heighten the profligate sensuality of

(1)

Shaw makes

the distance from Rosetta to

Z/Owrf.

Caho

equal to 200

miles.

See SAaw's Travels, p. 294.

1757.

(2) See Dewon's Travels, vol.1, p. 77. Lond. 1808.

(3)

Ibid. p. 78.

e2

52
CHAP,
L

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

this Canopic festival,
.

brandy was administered

which, says the
If,

.\

to the

women
writer,

in large glasses,

same

they drank like lemonade.

therefore, in the scene that followed, something

ensued which was deemed revolting, even to

the feelings of French soldiers,
it

should be con-

sidered rather as characteristical of the Parisian

rabblement

who were

present, than of the na-

tural habits of the people of the

country.

As

we approached

Motubis, our course altered from

south-east to south-west. According to ^wz^^r's

map, the course

from
Rosetta.

is

south-east towards this place

arrived at

We

two

o'clock p. m.

and

observed
but

here

some

troops of English

cavalry;
landing.
Bebe.

continued our voyage without

Opposite to the town of Motubis, but

farther towards the south, stands Dcbe.

generality of these towns

The upon the banks of the

Nile are small, but there is a pleasing variety

in their

appearance

for

they have no resemall

blance to each other, although

of

them be

shaded by groves of date and sycamore.

Sindion
^

We
river.

passed Sindion and Derru/, two towns opposite

to

each other, on different sides of the

Svairy.

Sindion we had the pleasing sight of a party TurMsh cavalry upon their march and were ^^ awhile amused by considering the gratification their appearance would afford, if we could have

At

TO GRAND CAIRO.
Temoved them,
flying;
in their full

53
^\
v

costume, to one of chap.

their colours

the London theatres.

They had

yellow and green.

villages,

Passing through the they continued to beat small kettlein a

drums; proceeding always

sluggardly manto their chins

ner, with their knees quite

up

being evidently annoyed by a situation so hostile

to their natural indolence as that in tain

which a

cer-

degree of active exertion was unavoidable.

Their ludicrous

appearance was a source of

mirth to the cavalry of the French army, even

among whom the order for making a charge was frequently expressed, according to their natural levity, by the words " Bas les Pasteques /'' Down with the fVaterin the heat of battle
;

melons

alluding to the appearance presented

their large turbans,

by the bulky swathing of

which give to
their

heads something of a simi:

litude to those

enormous melons

but of this
the result;

order the Moslems rarely awaited

they fled as soon as they heard

it,

in the

utmost

dismay and confusion.

The

ylrab

crew of our boat washed

teeth, before

their ^rab

cus-

hands, faces, and

and

after eating;

cleansing their teeth with

wood

ashes, which
fire for

they collected for this purpose from the

boiling our kettle.

The common

fuel

used by

64

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

the inhabitants of the country
is

prepared from

a mixture of camels' dung, mud, and straw: these ingredients, being

made

into a paste, are

collected in the form of balls,

which are

after-

wards
cakes.

flattened

upon the walls of their huts

for

drying in the sun, and thus formed into circular

From

the ashes, after burning these

is

cakes, the

Ammonia

obtained, which

is after-

The process is briefly and perspicuously described by Shaw, in the Appendix to his Travels'. About four miles to
wards sent
to Europe.

the south of Sindion, the Nile had overflowed

its

banks, and was making rapid progress over the

adjoining fields.
seventeenth
It

began

to

rise

upon the

day of June.

The canal

of Co/iro

was

cut upon the eighth of August, the day of our

arrival in Rosetta

from the Holy Land ; with the

the Nile

usual observance of public festivity;

having then attained

this,
all

its

proper height.
cut,

After

the banks

were

and the dykes

CaJiro to

opened, to receive the inundation, from

the sea-.

Our course here was

No. X.
p. 480.

e.n. e. towards

(1) Collectanea,
(2)

^/mw's Travels, Land. }~57.

curious to

The Reader may perhaps be

know what
making

the symptoms

are in the Nile (when at the lowest ebb) denoting the incipient flood.

We were

in Rosetta at the precise period for

the observation.

This happened upon the sixteenth of May.

v)v^ter in the river wjjs yery shallow,

For several days before, the

and seemed to stagnate.

The
smell


TO GRAND CAIRO.
the village of Foua^ falsely
in all the

.^S

marked
village.

as a

town
op-

chap.
.

maps.

Soon afterwards, we steered

It is

south-east,

and passed that

posite to Rachmanie,

now

celebrated as the scene

of action between our troops and those of the

enemy under General Le Grange. This officer was raised by Buoymparte from the ranks high respect is due to him for his conduct upon many
:

occasions

but, in particular, for his subsequent

humane and exemplary treatment of the wife of one of our commanders in the JVest Indies, who became his prisoner while her huband was engaged with him
it

in the

warmest

hostilities.

If
it is

be a Christian duty to love our enemies,

surely incumbent upon every Englishman to

oherish the

memory
flag

of actions which thus exalt

the character of a soldier to that of a hero.

The English

was

flying
;

upon the

castle of the

fortress oi Rachmanie

and a party of our troops

was
hour

stationed there, to guard the town.

Irish soldiers,

We

*poke to some
;

asking them the

and were much amused by the reply

is it

*'To be sure, at sun-set

smell of

not half past four ?'

its

it

was like that of an unwholesome pool, and

surface be-

came

partly covered with a green slime.

little

By

attentively observing it

about this time, a number of

in diameter,

whirlpools, not

more than an inch

visible,

might be occasionally noticed, suddenly becoming

and as suddenly disappearing.

earliest indications of the

Tlie Arabs pointed to these, as the

coming torrent.

56

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

n^^'

'

Opposite to Rachmanie there

^

is

a small island,
vessel with

in the

middle of the

river.

A large

three masts Nile

is

was stationed near

rapid

the town.

The

here very broad, and the current was at

;

this time prodigiously

yet the strength

its force,

of the Etesian wind enabled us to stem

and
Desciip-

to

proceed with very great velocity.

Vil-

lages, in an almost uninterrupted succession,

Couiury."^

denoted a
imagined

much
this

greater population than

country to contain.

we had Upon each

with such

side of the river, as far as the eye could reach,

we saw
watery

rich fields of corn

and

rice,

beautiful

groves,

seeming to

rise

out of the
settle-

plains,

and to shade innumerable

ments

in the Dtlia,

amidst never-ending plantaall

tions of

melons and

kinds of garden vegetaits

bles, that,

from the abundance of

harvests,
in

Egypt may be deemed the richest country

the world.
the
native

Such

is

the picture exhibited to

inhabitants,

who

are

seasoned to

withstand the disorders of the country, and can

bear with indifference the attacks of myriads of

all

sorts of noxious animals

to

whom mud

and

mosquitoes, or dust and vermin, are alike indifferent

;

who, having never experienced one

comfortable feeling in the midst of their highest

.

enjoyments, nor a single antidote to sorrow in

the depths of their wretchedness, vegetate, like

TO GRAND CAIRO.
the bananas and sycamores around them.
strangers,

5;

But
of

chap.
.

and

especially

the

inhabitants

Northern countries, where wholesome air and

cleanliness are

among

the necessaries of

life,

must consider Egypt as the most detestable Upon the retiring of the region upon earth.
Nile, the

country

is

one vast swamp.

The

at-

mosphere, impregnated with every putrid and

offensive

exhalation,

then stagnates, like the

it

filthy pools

over which

broods.
;

Then,

too,

Diseases.

the plague regularly begins

nor ceases, until

Throu2fhout
the

the waters

return

aofain'.

spring, intermitting fevers universally prevail.

About the beginning of May,

disgusting vermin".

certain winds

cover even the sands of the desert with the most

The
land,

latest

descendants of
evils

Pharaoh are not yet delivered from the

which

fell

upon the

when

it

was smitten

by the hands of Moses and Aaron: the "plague

(1)

General Lc Grange assured us, when on board the BrauTtel, that

the ravages in the French army, caused by the plague, during the

month
day.
(iJ)

oi Jpril, at

onetime amounted

to

an hundred

men

in a single

Sir Sidney

Smith informed the

author, that one night, pre-

ferring a bed
village of

upon the sand of the desert to a night's lodging in the Etko, as thinking he should be more secure from vermin, he
in

found himself,
scorpions

the morning, entirely covered by them.

Lice and

abound

in all the

sandy desert near Jle.randria.

,08
^'Ij^f'

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

of frogs/' the " plague of lice," the
flies,"
'*

"

plague of

the " murrain, boils, and blains," prevail,

is

so that the whole country

" corrupted," and

EARTH BECOMES LICE, UPON MAN AND UPON BEAST, THROUGHOUT THE
DUST OF THE

" THE

LAND OF Egypt."
of existing evils
;

This application of the words

of Sacred Scripture affords a literal statement

such an one as the

statistics

of the country do
cation, an appeal

now warrant. may be made to

In

its justifi-

the testimony

of

all

those

who have
;

resided in the country

its

during the very opposite seasons of

rity

prospe-

and privation

during the inundation, and

;

when

the flood has retired

or before

it

takes

place, in the beginning of the year.

At the
drink the
called

period of the overflow, persons

who

water become
''prickly heati'

subject to
this often

disorder

terminates in those

dreadful

Writings,

wounds alluded to in the Sacred by the words *' boils and blains."
July,

During the months of June,

and August,

many
try.

individuals are deprived of sight,

owing
for

to a disorder of the eyes peculiar to this coun-

Europeans, having no other

it

name

it,

have called
afflicts.

Ophthalmia, from the organs

it

There was hardly an individual who

malady.
It

did not suffer, more or less, the consequences

()(

this painful

commences with a

TO GRAND CAIRO.
sensation as
if

,50

trains of sand
.

had been cast

into

chap.
n.

the eyes'.

At

this season,

also, the
;

dysentery

begins to

number its victims and although some be fortunate enough to escape the worst
effects of this disorder,
it

proves

fatal in

many
visit
Facility of

instances".

traveller

may

escape most of
:

these evils

by proper

attention

and

if

he

the country so as to profit

by the

Etesian winds

at the time of the inundation,

for his constant residence

and hire a djerm

^uH^y
^^''^"'

may

venture into

upon the river, he Upper Egypt, and visit its stu-

pendous remains of antiquity with greater ease and comfort than he ever performed any other
expedition.
scarry

The

never-failing

monsoon

will

him

along, sitting in

a cool and comforta-

ble cabin, with every convenience for reading

or writing,

for food, or rest

and the current

of the river alone will operate as favourably for

his return.

We

considered the time

we

spent

(1) It

is

said even yet to exist in this country, as a contagious dis-

order brought by our army from Egypt.

(2)

The

best remedies for this terrible complaint are, first a swath-

ing of flannel, in

many

folds,

about the abdomen

and, secondly, a

drink of water, in which rice has been boiled, carefully strained from the grains of rice, which should not be eaten. The very worst effects

may

be apprehended from brandy, or any of those heating cordiaU

usually administered, by ignorant people,

upon these occasions. Riceresorted to by the ^Irnbs

water and abstemious diet are the

themselves.

reniedic:-.

W
CHAP,

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

upon the Nile as the most pleasing part of all our travels but that which was passed during
;

our residence on shore, as the most disagreeable

;

notwithstanding the commodious accom-

modations
Cairo,

we met with,

in the cities of Rosetta,

and Alexandria.

After passing RacJwianie, darkness deprived

us of the very interesting landscape with which

we had been
day.
night,

continually gratified during the

We

continued sailing almost the whole

under the care and guidance of our steady

who, as master of the djerm,
post until morning dawned.
his

pilot at the helm,

remained

at

Four men, besides himself, constituted the whole of the crew all of whom were Arabs. During
;

the time they remained in our service, they

diligent,

were
their

industrious,

faithful,

always

sober,

obliging, and very

vessel.

skilful

in

managing

When
for

day-light appeared,

day, August the eleventh, they told

upon Saturus they had

anchored

some time

at a village, fearful of

being boarded by pirates during the extreme

darkness that prevailed, especially as the light

in our cabin

rendered the

cljerm visible

from the

sides of the river.

Knum
schcriff.

About eight

o'clock a. m.

we reached a miserable town, called Koum or Komme Scheri^, built entirely with mud. Soon

TO GRAND CAIRO.
afterwards

Gl
also
^

we passed

the

town of Amrus,

chap.
-

constructed of mud, and containing a number of

lofty conical pigeon-houses,

"*

similarly built; exin

hibiting a novel

and remarkable appearance

the approach to this place. Pigeons dung, every-

where valuable as manure,

acquisition
;

is

here an important

the

little

by mixing it with the sand upon islands left by the torrent in the midst
for
soil
is

of the river, a

formed, capable of pro-

ducing water-melons'.

The
little

birds which frequent the Nile,

if

we

ex-

Birds.

cept the account given by Hasselquist\ are but

known

and our observations

will

not

supply what

is

here wanted for the natural his-

tory of the country.

most superb

collection

was, however, forwarded to England, under the

patronage and by the immediate orders of Lord

Hutchinson.
It

had been formed, with consumprincipally noticed pelicans,

mate

skill

and labour, by a person of the name

of Savigmj.

We

from the mouth of the Nile, as far as RacJvmanie. The Sterna Nilotica, or Egyptian sea-swalloiv, appeared, in immense flocks, near the sides of the

(0 Sec
(C?)

also

Baron

De

ToU'->

Memoir?,
IT'i'i.

vol.11. p.'^lS.

Loud. 1735.

Sec Travels,

p. 193.

Lond.

62
river.

VOYAGE UP THE
Afterwards

NILE,

we saw many beautiful birds, of whose names we are entirely ignorant par;

ticularly one of the plover kind,

whose plumage

displayed the most lively and variegated colours

'.

The

pigeon-cones increased very

much

after \)^ssmg

furnished with them. Buffaloes,

in the Nile, afford a singular

Amrus ; almost every village being swimming about

sight,

with their

black noses sticking out of the water, snorting

as they cross from side to side
their bodies being concealed.
singuLy
Appearanc
;

all

the rest of

But the most

remarkable appearance of living beings,

uotlccd

may be

by dipping a ladle or bucket into the midst of the river, which is everywhere dark Vvdth mud, and observing the swarms of animals
contained in the torrent.

Among
is

these, tadpoles
that, rapid as

and young frogs are so numerous,

the current flows, there

no part of the Nile

where the water

Plants.

is

destitute of them.

The ad-

ditions to our herhary

were not of any import-

ance

for the season

was

too far

advanced^.

(1)

Probably the

" Tringa uEgyptiaca"

of Linnceus,
p. 199.

"

longirostris,

fusco albidoqice variegata."

(2) In the

See Hasselq.Tr&v,

account of our journey from Aboukir to Rosetta, {See

p. 367. 8vo. edit.) five new species were omitted, which may be noticed here, although perhaps not found so high up

Cliap.YK.. Vol.lW.

the Nile.

The

first

genus

is

not mentioned iu Professor Martyn's

I.

edition ol Miller's Dictionary.

non-

TO GRAND CAIRO.
The
rice-plants,

63
;

however,

may be

excepted

they

chap.
^'_
.

had not attained maturity, being now about two feet in height, and resembhng a species of
Typha,

common

in large
cdX\Q.(\.

ponds

in the south of

England, vulgarly

Jlags; as these appear,

when young,
the

rising

from the water.

We

made
ther-

usual observation upon Fahrenheit's

bcinj a new species of Polypogon

I.

A non-descript grass,
in little tufts,

growing

about two inches high.

J

We

have called

it

Polypogon
of Natural

FUMiLUM. (See the character of

this

genus

in the Flora j4Uantica oi

M.

Desfontalnes,

Professor of Botany in the

Museum

History at Paris.) This was found nearRoSETTA. Polypogon pumi-

htm, pa7iiculd ovatd cnarcUitd,

gioribits.

aristis cuJyce hirsuto

C'ulini

fere duplo lon-

Radix annua fibrosa.

numerosi geniculati, fere ad

apices foliosi.

Folia glabriuscula striata, longe vaginantia, supra

plana, patentia.

Stipule lacerata, nitida.

Panicidce incequalts,

superior es tineas sex

\\.

ad nnvcm

longce

infer lores dimidio

minores.

non-descript species of Lotus,

with shining silky leaves, very

closely

have called

crowded together towards the tops of the branches. WiThis was found between it Lotus polyphyllus.
Lotus caule
siiffrit-

Aboukir and Rosetta, in the month of April.

tescente ramoso, folds Uneari-paraboUcis obliquis, imlricutis,

ceis,

seri-

nitidis internodiis longioribus; floribus subternis;

leguminihus
adscendentes

gialris calyce hirsutissimo paido longioribus.

flcxxiosi,

Rami

deorsum

casu foliorum cicatricibus notati nudi; supraFoliola tineas tres longa, utrinquc sericeu.

dense foliosi, hirsuti.

Stipules foliolis simillimce.

solitarii.

Flores folds

pnrum

longiores,

interdum

Legumina turgida

stylo persistente coronata.

l\\.

A magnificent
and above a
iNsiGNis.

non-descript species of Orobanciie, with a furrowed

scaly stem, and a close spike of flowers about three inches broad,
foot in height.

We

have called
-Ihoukir

it

OROBANCnn

This was also found between

Orobanche caule simplici,

and Rosetta, at

the same time.

corollis infatis, recurvlt,

bracleis quinquefidis, laciniis integerrimis, calycibus quinqtiepartitis, antherts ternis quaiernisve, spied imbricatd, oblongd, crassissima ;
hii'sttlis.

IV.

A ron-

i#-

64

VOYAGE UP THE NILE,

mometer, at noon, just before arriving at El Buredgiat, and found the temperature equal to
that of the former day; ninety degrees. This vil-

lage

is

placed accurately inKanffer'^ map.

We

steered south-east and by south.

Proceeding

towards Nadir,
steered due east.

the

course altered,
river here

and we
like

The

appeared

IV^

non-descript shrubby species of Salsola,

belonging to that
dis-

division of the

genus esWcA Siteda by Forshahl and Pallas, and

species

tinguished principally by the want of the

membranaceous wing

to

the calyx.

The
;

is

very

much branched, with

;

the bark of

an ash colour

the smaller branches very leafy; the leaves two to

little

three lines long, a

convex below

the flowers are attended by

three small bracts, and generally ternate, but are found also soli-

tary; the seeds black and shining, very small.

it

We

have called

Salsola nitida. This was found

in the

neighbourhood oiRoseita.

Salsola fruticosa, fuliis ovatis supra planiusculis, glabris, oblusis

floribus axillaribus sulternis
cu7inivenlibt(S
;
;

cnlycihus fructiferis inappendiculatis^

seminibus re7iiformibits turgicUs,

v.

non-descript species of Wall-Jlower, (Cheiranthus Limi.) the

short stems of which spread upon the ground, and seldom extend

beyond the radical leaves

inches in length
;

these measure

two and a half or three

the flowers in loose racemes, with purple petals,

broad and notched at the end, and interwoven with dark veins
the pods compressed, an inch to an inch and a half in length, with

a large three-cornered head, and thinly covered (like every part

of the plant, the petals, stamens,

and roots excepted) with white

Cheirantiius humiiis. This
Cheiranthus pubescens,

forky hairs.

We

have called

it

grew

in the
,

neighbourhood of Rosetta.
dichotomis
:

humilis
tifidis
;

pilis

foliis

angustis ehngatis omnibus pinna-

siliquis compressis, linearibtis, Iricuspidatis calycibutqite

pu-

bescenlibw.

TO GRAND CAIRO.
an immense lake.
grossed
all

05
chap.
II

A singular
One

pheenomenon enof those

immense columns of sand, mentioned by Bruce, came rapidly towards us, turning upon its base as
upon a pivot
crossed the Nile so near to us, that the whirlwind by which it was carried
:

our attention.

it

placed our vessel upon

its

its

beam-ends, bearing

large sail quite into the water,

and nearly
in
It

upsetting the boat.

As we were engaged
column disappeared.
fall

righting the vessel, the

is

not probable that those columns

suddenly

upon any particular spot, so as to be capable of overwhelming an army or a caravan but that, as the sand, thus driven, is gradually accumulated, it becomes gradually dispersed, and, the column diminishing in its progress, at length
;

disappears.
precipitated

A great
;

quantity of sand

is

no doubt

as the eftect, which gathers it, weaker but, from witnessing such becomes phaenomena upon a smaller scale, it does not seem likely that the whole body of the sand is
at

once abandoned.
Parties of

young Arabs continually accompa-

Tumbiew.

nied our cljerm this day, running along the banks

of the river, and tumbling, to obtain a few par^j, as

we
VOL.

see children in

many
r

parts of England;
their

sometimes walking upon their hands, with

V.

66
CHAP,
.

VOYAGE UP THE NILE

heels in the air
;

at others, whirling

upon

their

hands and feet, to imitate the motion of a wheel.

Judging from the appearance these presented, the Jrab complexion, at a very early age, is
tawny, and almost black.

They swim and dive

remarkably well
all

but these are arts in which

Eastern nations excel those of the Western

world.
at
Abua.
**^

About three leagues before oar arrival Kafrakadia, there was such an amazing quanof corn in

tity

heaps near the

river,

that

it

Cum!

extended nearly
for extracting a

to the length of a mile.

At

this

last-mentioned place there was a manufactory

dark

blue dye

from the indigo

plant.

Here girls of fourteen or fifteen years

walked the
streets,

of age

with jars of water

upon

their heads, perfectly naked.

Our course
s.e. to s.\r.

latterly
Southern

had varied occasionally from

six p. M.

At half-past
^

wc

reached that part of

ndta

the Nile

where the

river divides, so as to inclose

the Delta
Its

by

the Rosetta and Damiata branches.

appearance above the point of separation was truly noble, being at this time three miles

town of Beersamps stands upon the southern point of the Delta. Koutomey is upon the western side of the main river, and Kafranamooh upon the eastern. After we had passed the point of Beersamps, our course
wide.
village or

The

along the undivided bed of the

Nik was

s.

e.

TO GRAND CAIRO.

6/
;

We

midnight Bulac arrived at Buldc at midnight; having thus

chap.

performed a voyage from Rosetta to the quay

against the utmost of Cairo in thirty-six hours, agai
force

"
\alc.

and rapidity of the

torrent.

fVednesdau, the twelfth of Aus-ust, we were ^ ^ & roused, as soon as the sun dawned, by Antonio,
'

On

'^'''^^'

"f

the

Pyra-

"

our faithful Greeh. servant and interpreter, with

the intelligence that
''

the

Pyramids were
cabin
;

in

view

"

We

hastened from the

and

never

will the impression,

made by their appearreflecting the sun's

ance, be obliterated.

By

rays, they appeared white as snow; and of such

surprising magnitude, that nothing

we had

pre-

viously conceived in our imagination had pre-

pared us

for the sight of these

monuments.

We

were instantly convinced, that no force of description,

no accuracy of delineation, can convey

is

ideas adequate to the effect which

in

produced

beholding them. The formality of their strucis lost in their

ture

prodigious grandeur.

The

mind, elevated by wonder, feels at once the

force

of an axiom, which, however disputed,

experience confirms,
ever be
its

that
there

in vastness,

whatso'.

nature,

dwells sublimity

(l)

" Sublime
!^-c.

objects are vast in their dimensious."

Bmlte

on the

Sublime,

Sect. 27-

Part

3.

p. 237.

Lotid. 1782.

F 2

68
CHAP.
^
-'
i

GRAND CAIRO.
Another proof of
their indescribable

power

is,

that no one ever approached

emotions than those of terror

source of the sublime'.
irritable feeling, this

them under other which is another

In certain instances of

impression of awe and fear

rather

has been deep enough to cause pain,

than pleasure^
;

of which

we

shall

notice a

remarkable instance

in the sequel.

Hence, per-

haps, have originated descriptions of the Pyra-

mids which represent

them

as

deformed and
either taste

gloomy masses, constructed without

or beauty.

They, who

derive no satisfaction

from the sight of them,

of their
felt

may

not be conscious,
is

that the uneasiness they experience

a result

own

sensibility.

Other individuals have

different,

impressions

widely

made by

every wonderful circumstance of character and

(1)

Burke on

the Sublime,

ibid.

(2) Confirming, in a striking

manner, these words of Burke, con:

cerning the distinctions of greatness and beauty

ideas of a very different nature
;

" They

are indeed

one being founded on pain, the other on

pleasure."

(Ibid.) Having referred to the opinions of this truly great man, upon a subject so interesting to every reflecting mind, it may

not be unseasonable to insert here a brief comparison between the

theories

of Longivus

and Burke.
as

There appears to be

as

much

difference

between them,

between

mechanism

and

intellect

between the operations of a piece of clock-work, and those of human reason. Longinus directs us to the effects of the sublime; Burke
points out
its

causes.

Longinus teaches us to seek

it

for the

sublime
it

without us; Burke, to create

in
its

within ourselves.

Longinus views
us to
its

broad and vell-knnvn clutnnel;

Burke conducts

source.

GRAND CAIRO.
of situation.

69
persons,
in

There

have

been

chap.

almost
the

all

the ages

which have elapsed since

PYRAMIDS were erected, who have retired from a view of them under very opposite sensations
:

the ideas excited in their minds, have

;

been those of the most dignified simplicity

miraculous power
tual, that,
if it
;

of

and of duration, so perpeto

were permitted

compare a

result of

human

labour with the immortality

which
WAS,

is

of Almighty origin,

we

should say of

them, that they belong to an Eternity,

"which

AND

IS,

AND
we

IS

TO COME."

As soon
from

as

landed,

we met

several officers

India, belonging to the sixty-first regiment,

then stationed in the Isle of Rhouda, in the A^zVe;

where the Indian army was encamped. They had been riding upon asses, to Cairo. We profited by their return, to hire the same animals, with their drivers, in order to be

con-

ducted to the house of the Reis Effendi.

guage, and spoke French remarkably well.

The

Visit to the

Reis understood something of the English Ian-

jendi.

He

had been

in

England; and had written a work

upon the manufactures, manners, customs, and laws of Great Britain. Of this curious manuscript
it

we

could never obtain a sight; although

often sold,

had been

among

the other manu-

70
CHAP,
i

GRAND CAIRO.
scripts,
tinople.

by

the booksellers in Cciiro and Constan-

this

Perhaps the Reis did not choose, at time, to make our countrymen acquainted

with his sentiments upon such subjects.

told us,

He

he found every thing very

especially veal and
cider;

good

London,

but that

nothing was cheap.

letter

him a from the Capudan Pasha; and he promised

delivered to
all

We

to render to us
'Qis, janissaries

the service in his power.

us, at

conducted

our request, to

Colonel HoUoway, who, with Major Hope, and

other officers of the artillery, were quartered in
House of
instituh\"

a large building, where the French

Members

of

the Institute held their sittings, during the time

they were in possession of Cairo.

sented our letters to

Having prethe Colonel, we were re-

ceived by him with great politeness, and were

afterwards indebted to him for every civility
it

was in his power to shew to us. duced us to Dr. fVittman, who has
to forward our letters to England,

He

intro-

since pub-

lished an account of his travels; and undertook

and

to pre-

sent us to the Grand Plzir.

In the court be-

longing to the house where these officers resided,

were several interesting articles of antiquity, which had been abandoned by the French, upon
the surrender of the city.
the
stele

of porphyry

Among them, was which is now in the

GRAND

CAIRO.

7]

Vestibule of the University Library at Cambridge,

chap.

Colonel Holloway kindly permitted us to remove

this to England.

We

placed

it

in the

prow of

our djerm; thereby giving to the vessel the

appearance of a gun-boat, to awe the pirates

upon the

river,

during our subsequent voyage,

in returning to Rosetta.

There were also

in this

court certain fragments of Egyptian sculpture,

formed

of

the

substance
is

commonly

called

Antient basaltes; which

a variety of trap, ex-

ceedingly compact, and susceptible of a very

high polish.
of the

But the most remarkable

collection,
it is,

relique

whole

since

unaccountably

neglected, (for

in all probability, still lying

where we
with an
tian,

left it,)

was a veiy

large slab, covered

inscription, in

the Hieroglyphic, the Egyp-

and the Greek characters; exactly similar

famous
trilinguar stone

to the

now

in the British

Museum\

(1)
It

Its

being

left in

E^ypt

is

a circumstance wholly unaccountable.

also the

was once Colonel HoUoway's intention to have allowed us

privilege of couveyiiig this interesting piece of antiquity to our

own

country.

We

did not afterwards discover the reason which prevented

;

the fulfilment of this liberal design

to his politeness

and we were too much indebted

any other cause than
it

and hospitality
its

to attribute it to

a desire to ensure
better provided with
Crt'/ro,

safe transportation,
for its removal.
it,

by entrusting
But, as
it still

to

men
in

means
being
this

remains

some notice should be taken of

its

that measures

may

be

adopted to prevent

finally lost.

It should also be added, that

the inscriptions upon

stone

are

much

effaced.

The Grerk
characters

72
CHAP.

GRAND
Upon

CAIRO.

the following day, Thursday, August the

thirteenth,

we

again visited the

Reis Effendi;

who promised us an

escort to the Pyramids,

and said that a day should be appointed for our

presentation to the Fizir, at this time in Cairo.
Jewel Market.

Afterward,

we

visited the bazars, expecting to c i

obtain from the jewellers' shops of this city

some

of the precious minerals of the East,

at a rea-

sonable

rate.

Not even a

single

specimen,

worth
haps

notice, could

be procured.

The French
and per-

had bought up almost every thing;

the frequent disturbances, in the city,

had

caused the concealment of every valuable commodity.

Among
value
;

the goldsmiths

we

found only

two antique
very
little

intaglio

gems; and a few medals of

ot

such as large copper coins

the Ptolemies.
in

The cotton shawls manufactured

England would find a ready sale in this place. They asked two hundred piastres even for old
turbans

which had been mended.

In the fruit-

market we saw fresh dates, some very fine grapes, and peaches. Sausages were dressed,
and sold hot
characters are so

in the streets, as in

London: but

little legible,
is

that the author could not succeed in

copying them.

But there

a manifest difference between an oppor-

tunity offered for this purpose,

when exposed

to the heat of an open

court at Cairo in the middle of August, and such an examination of

the surface of the stone as might take place in a milder climate,

with leisure for the undertaking.

GRAND CAIRO.
whether the ingredients were of pork, or of any
other meat,

y^
chap.
^^'
,
.

we

did

not inquire.

To

describe

the interior of the city would be only to repeat

^"terior of

what has been

with

often said of

all

Turkish towns

this difference, that there is

not perhaps

upon earth a more dirty metropolis.

place
is

Every
particles

covered with dust; and

it

its

are so minute, that

rises into all the courts

city.

and chambers of the

destitute of
like a series

The
:

streets

are

any kind of pavement

they appear

of narrow dusty lanes, between

gloomy

walls.

Europeans were formerly com-

pelled to walk or to ride

upon

asses, through

these streets

nor had the practice been wholly abandoned when we arrived although some of our officers appeared occasionally on horseback,
; :

many

of

them ambled about,

let

in their uniforms,

upon the donkies

these,
it

for

hire

by

the j4rahs.

Horses were not easily procured.

To

ride

was first necessary to buy them. And even when riding upon asses, if a favourable opportunity offered, when our military were not
in sight, the attendants of the rich Turks, run-

ning on foot before their horses to clear the

way, made every Christian descend and walk,

until

the bearded grandee

had passed.

We

Jugglers.

noticed several jugglers, exhibiting their craft in

the streets of Cairo; bearing in their hands a

r4
^^^^-

GRAND
kind of toy,

CAIRO.
England, consisting of a

common

in

^V

-^

number ofpieces of wood, in the shape of playingcards,

strung together,
;

and revolving

from

top to bottom
trick-track,

such as are called, by children,

to display the

and are often painted

Cries of London.

the Arabs

These toys seemed to delight who considered them as put togeFor the rest of the exhibition,
the shows of our mounteits

ther
it

by magic.

much resembled
;

banks

each party having

Merry Andreiu, who

endured hard kicks and

of the populace.

cuffs for the

amusement

By means
city,

of the canal which intersects the

filled

and was now

with

its

muddy

water,

we

visited a great part of Cairo in a boat.

The
it

prodigious

number

of gardens give to

so

pleasing an appearance, and the trees growing

in those

gardens are so

new

to the eyes of a

European, that, for a moment, he forgets the

innumerable abominations of the dirtiest city in

the whole world.
Trccs.

xMany of the most conspi-

cuous of thcse trees have been often described;

but not
all

of them.

The most

beautiful

among

them, the Mimosa Lehbeck, has not even been

mentioned
Cairo
;

any account yet published of which is the more extraordinary, as it

in
its

grows upon the banks of the canal; and

GRAND

CAIRO.

75

long weeping branches, pendent to the surface of chap.

the water, could not escape notice. the seeds of
it

We

brought

to the

Garden of Natural History

it

at Cambridge,

where

has

since
little

flourished.

This plant has been hitherto so

known
it

in

Europe, that although cultivated in

some botanic
has

gardens for more than half a century,

never been properly recognised.

years ago,
Professor
of
it

About

thirty

Jacquin,

who

received
deof

some seeds
scribed
it

from

the East Indies,

as a

new
;

species, under the

this

name
is

Mimosa
grows
also the

speciosa

and by
the

name
the

it

still

distino^uished

in

Ermlish

catalosfues.

It

promiscuously

with

Gum

Arabic

Acacia, or Mimosa Nilotica: both of these, and

Mimosa Senegal, are seen adorning the

HasseJquist says, that he

sides of the canal.

saw

the two last growing wild in the sandy desert,

near the antient sepulchres of the EgyptiansK

The Mimosa
tities,

Nilotica^ or
It is

Acacia vera, produces

incense,

the frankincense.

gathered in vast quan-

from trees growing near to the most

at

northern bay of the Red Sea,

the

foot of

Mount
the

Sinai;

dealers in

by the Egypt, from Thur and Thor, which is

it

and

is

called Thus,

name

of a harbour

in that

bay; thereby

(1) Travels to the

East,

p. 2oO.

Lond. ITT6.

76

GRAND
comes from Saez\
quist,

CAIRO.

being distinguished from the

Gum Arabic which

These gums, says Hasselparticulars besides their

differ
;

in other
first

locaUties

the

being hmpid and colourless;

dirty-

the latter less pellucid, and of a brown, or

yellow colour ^

We

purchased a considerable

quantity of the white gum.

diffused in burning
it

is

The fragrant odour well known but its

;

operation, as an enlivener of the spirits, in per-

weak health, does not seem been much regarded. Perhaps the
sons of
antidote
it

to

have

pleasing

affords to the effects of foul air in

crowded assembly-rooms, may possibly hereafter

give

it

a place

among

the

luxuries of

London and

Paris.

Hitherto the sacred Sahcean

for the

odour has been exclusively reserved

religious ceremonies of the

churches

Greek and Roman and that which was once considered

an offering worthy the altars of the most High

God, now scarcely obtains any

notice.

Fifteen
sera,

hundred years before the

Christian

the

ordinances concerning incense' were delivered

to the leader of the Jewish nation
;

and the

his-

tory of the most antient Pagan rites also bears

(1) Travels to (2)

the East, p. 250.

Lond. 1776.

Ibid.

(3)

" And thou

1.

shall

make an

altar

to

burn

incense

upon.'

Erocl. XXX.

GRAND CAIRO.
testimony to a similar custom.
dent, from the
It

^^
seems
evi-

chap
II.

words of sacred Scripture, that

the practice of burning incense,

among
to the

the Jews^

was introduced with reference

following the ordinance for
that
its
it

supposed
stated,

salutary nature of the exhalation.

use,

Immediately
it is

the time

of burning

shall

be at the

dressing and lighting of the lamps*;

when an

offensive smell, thereby created, might probably

have pervaded the temple.

Whatsoever may
introduction

have been the cause of

its original

among

the sacrifices, whether of the Jews or

its

Healhens,

being appropriated to the service

it

of the Temple long caused

stitious veneration.

to

be held in super-

Many

medical properties,

which
to
it
;

it

never possessed, have been attributed

and,

down

to the latest ages, considered

it

as an offering acceptable unto Heaven,

has
or,

been celebrated as giving efficacy to prayer,

in the

language of poetry, as wafting to Paradise

the orisons of men*.

" And Aaron
lighteth the

(4)

shall

burn thereon sweet incense, every morning

he shall burn incense upon
it.

-.

when-he dresseth the

lamj^s,

And when
it
;

Aaron

lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon

perpetual incense before

the Lord, throughout your generations."

Exod. XXX.
(5)

7, 8.

Alexander the Great, after the conquest of Arabia, sent a ship

laden with incense to his preceptor Leoiiidus, for the service of the
temples;
altars

and

his

early prodigality,
is

in

heaping incmse
Plltiy,

upon the
lib. xii.

of Uis

country,

noticed

by

(Hist.

N'at.

cap.

7S
Tlie

GRAND
mercury
in

CAIRO.

Fahrenheit's
It

thermometer
go**

seemed
r^vp^^

at this time fixed.

remained at

foi"

several days, without the smallest percep-

tible

change.

Almost every European suffered

from inflammation of the eyes.

troubled with cutaneous disorders.

Many were
The
prickly

heat was very common.

to drinking the

This was attributed

muddy

water of the
Their

Nile, the

inhabitants having no other.

mode

of

purifying
the

it,

in a certain degree, is

by rubbing

inside of the water-vessels with bruised

:

mud, but it is never quite clear Many persons were afflicted with sores upon the skin, which were called "boils of the Nile;" and dysenterical complaints were universal. A singular species of
almonds
this precipitates a portion of the
'.

cap. 14. to}7i.U. p. 18. L. Bat. 1635.)

iosnphi/,"

Aubrey, in his "Hermetick Pkip.

printed for the second time, in London, in 1721,

172, says
as rich

Good

Spirits are delighted

salts,

and allured by sweet perfumes,

gums, frankincense,
and

&c. which was the reason that the priests

of the Gentiles, and also the Christians, used

sacrifices."

them

in their temples

It

is

a curious

fact,

that this superstitious notion,

respecting a fragrant
pastillas of

gum, should
which
is

also exist in South America.

The
Evil
is

Lima, used by the

priests to destroy the influence cf

Spirits, consists of a

gum

used as incense

when High Mass

solemnized at their altars.

(1)

The cause

of this chemical agency in the

;

oil

of the

Amygdalus

communis has not been explained

owing, perhaps, to our ignorance

of the chemical constituents of this fruit, which has not been subjected to a regular analvsis.

GRAND CAIRO.
lizard

79
every chamber,
chap.
ir.

made

its

appearance

in

having circular membranes at the extremity of its feet, which gave it such tenacity, that it

walked upon window-panes of

the surfaces of pendent mirrors ^
sight

glass,

or

upon

This revolting

was common

to

every apartment, whe-

ther in the houses of the rich or of the poor.

At the same time, such a plague of flies covered all things with their swarms, that it was impossible to eat without hiring

persons to stand by

every table with feathers, or flappers, to drive

them away.
glass
;

Liquor could not be poured into a

the

mode

of drinking was,

by keeping

the

mouth
it

of every bottle

covered until the

;

moment

was applied to the hps and instantly covering it with the palm of the hand, when removing it to offer to any one else. The utmost attention to cleanliness, by a frequent
change of every
article

of wearing apparel,

could not repel the attacks of vermin which

seemed

to infest

even the

air of the place.

gentleman made his appearance, before a party

he had invited to dinner, with
lice

swarming

(2)

similar

membrane termmates each

foot of. a

common
air

fly;

beneath which, a vacuum takes place, and the animal maintains a

footing
this

upon

ceilings,

owing to the pressure of the extefnal

iipou

membrane.

80
CHAP,
II.

GRAND
upon
his clothes.

CAIRO.

The only explanation he could

give as to the cause, was, that he had sat for a short time in one of the boats upon the canal.

Perhaps objection may be made to a statement, even of facts, which refers to no pleasing theme
but the author does not conceive
it

possible to

give Englishmen a correct notion of the trials to

which they will be exposed in visiting this country, without calling some things by their names.

The

insects of the Nile are

to the

many

of

them

also

common

Don: other instances

of simila-

rity in the

two

rivers

have been before noticed'.

The gardens of Cairo are filled with turtle-doves, whose melancholy notes suit the solitary disposition of the Turks.

Their national music has

the

same

plaintive character.

The houses of

the city are larger and better built than those

of Constantinople ; the foundations being of stone,

and the superstructure of bricks and mortar;

but they have the same gloomy appearance
externally.

timber.

The interior consists principally of The French had pulled down many
:

houses, in order to obtain fuel

owing

to this,

and

to the

commotions that had taken place, a

considerable part of the city appeared to be in

(ij

See Vol.

I.

Chap. XIII.

p.

355.

8vo, edition.

GRAND
ruins.

CAIRO.

8T

The

inhabitants generally ride

upon mules chap.

.

or asses: the latter are so active in this country,

and possess such extraordinary strength, that for all purposes of labour, even for carryino-

^I^^'l''*^^

heavy burthens across the sandy desert, they are next in utility to the camel, and will bear

work

better than horses.

The horse

in E.gypt is

rather as an animal of parade, than for essential

service.

The vast army of the TVahabees in the desert were said to be mounted upon camels and upon asses. The population of Cdiro consisted
at this time o^ Arabs

nw&Mamlukes,

for the chief

part; and, besides these, were Copts, Jews, and

Greeks,

together with the

adventitious

multi-

tude caused by the events of war, which had

filled

the streets of the city with the Sepoys and

Italians,

various casts of India, with Turks,

French

and English

soldiers, merchants,

and adventurers
Briihk
""

of every description.

The

Indian army, under

in

General Baird, was encamped

Rhouda, and presented the
tacle
it is

the Isle of

indll.

first
;

military spec-

possible to conceive

offering a strik-

ing contrast to the appearance of the troops

from England, which were encamped upon the

Alexandrian Plain.

The

Indian army, in posses-

sion of abundant supplies,

and having

all

the

comforts which wealth and power could bestow,

might be considered
VOL. V.

ratlier as

an encampment

82
CHAP,
^

GRAND CAIRO.
of powerful princes than of private men.
tents of its

The
to the

subalterns

were superior

marquees of

general-officers in the English

army,

where the Commander-in-chief lived as the poorest soldier, and wretchedness and privation were the standing orders of the day'. Every morning, at sun-rise, as in Lord Hutchinson's army, a gun was fired, and the whole line of the troops from India were under arms, amounting
to

3000 men.

At

this hour,

we

often resorted

to the Isle of Rhonda, to

parade^.

An

view the magnificent immense grove of the most enor-

(1)

The luxury and pomp

of the Indian

army may be conceived, by

simply stating the fact, that glass lustres, manufactured in London,

exported to India, and thence conveyed, after a voyage up the

Red

Sea, upon the backs of camels across the desert from Cosseir to the

NUe, were suspended

cbief.

in the audience-pavilion of the

Commander-iu-

Breakfasting with a lieutenant of the sixty-first regiment,

we

were regaled with white bread, and fresh butter, made upon the spot
for the occasion, (which perhaps
fruit,

had never been seen before

in

Egypt,)

cream, tea,

coffee,

and chocolate.

The impression made by

advancement of our po-

external splendor, upon

men

characterized as are the inhabitants of

the Turkish empire,

litical interests in

is

more

effectual for the

the East, than the operations of war.

ideas of

An

ignorant

Moslem attaches higher

than to any
(2)

power to the appearance of wealth,

effect of military strength.

The author may here

notice the visit he made,

upon one of these

occasions, to the Jllikias, or Nilometcr,

upon
it

this Isle, in
|

company
to

with Mr.
cealed

Hammer,
is

As the

interior of this building

was long con-

from the observation of Europeans,

may be proper

men-

tion, that the roof

supported by pointed arches erected early in the

ninth century.

Air.

Hammer

copied some Cuphic inscriptions upon

the

GRAND
mous
forest trees',

CAIRO.

83

sycamore fig-trees, larger than any of our chap.

secured almost the whole army from the rays of the sun. Troops in such a
state of mihtary perfection, or better suited for

active service,

were never

seen,

not even in

the famous parade of the chosen Ten-thousand

belonging to Buonapartes legions, w^hich he

was

so vain of displaying, before the present war,

in the front of the Thuilleries at Paris.

Not an

unhealthy soldier was to be seen.

The English
and the sepoys

inured to the climate of India considered that of

Egypt as temperate

in its effects

seemed as fond of the Nile as of the Gans:es. After General ^a/rc? had inspected, the line, the sepoys were marched to Cairo, where, having piled their arms before one of the principal
mosques J they
all

joined the Moslems in their

the walls, stating, that the building was constructed Ly the Caliph

Al-Mamoun,
of our sera.

in the year 211 of the Hegira, answering to the year 833

The same

fact

is

attested by the observations of

at
/.

Le Pere^
de
lit

as read to the French Institute

{.Voy.

Cairo,

January the

11th, 1799'
viii

Decade Egyptienne, tom.W.

For the
it

278. au Ka\re,

An

RSpuhliquc.)

rest, the building

has been

recently so often

described, that

was not thought necessary to give a particular

account of
(3)

it.

The Editor

of Hasselquist's Travels has mistaken his measure of

circumference for diaineter:

fifty feet thick."

" This

is

a huge

tree, the

stem being often

it

See Hasselquist's Trsivels,

p. 259.

Land. 1766.

cannot surely be intended that the sycamorC' trees oi Egypt were nearly
nineteen yards in diameter.^

g2

84
devotions

GRAND CAIRO.

to the surprise

and

satisfaction of the

Turks and Arabs,

who

speedily circulated a re-

port over Cairo, that the English

army was

filled

with soldiers belonging to the

men were

all

volunteers

These and no instance had

Faithful.

ever occurred of their being conveyed so far

from their native land at any former period.

Dinner
given by
the

Com-

dinner o sfiven by General Baird to all the j officers, and others of our countrymen English
p^

in-Chief,

in Cdiro,

took place while the

Isle oi Rhouda.

camp remained
invited:

upon the
the scene

We

were

and

was so extraordinary, that it ought to The dinner was given in the pavithis was illuminated by lion before mentioned glass lustres suspended from an enormous
be noticed.
:

bamboo cane, sustaining the inner covering of the

tent
;

and by wax candles

with port,

in

glass cylinders.

English porter, roasted pigs, and other English

fare, together

claret,

and Madeira

wines, appeared upon the table.

The dinner

was cooked by
near the tent
;

Indian servants,

upon the sand

and a view of the extraordinary

cleanliness observed

of their peculiar habits,

curious parts of

by these cooks, as well as were among the most the exhibition. Having drawn
The
rules of their cast

a Ime around them, they suffered no person to

pass this boundary.

GRAND

CAIRO.

85
chap.
'

enjoined that none of the cooking vessels should

be touched, except by their own hands.

dinner, the officers

After

pipe had

its
;

peculiar

smoked the hooka: every attendant upon the outside

of the tent

the long flexible tubes alone being

brought under the sides of the pavihon to those

seated at table.

The servants

in waiting

were

principally negroes, dressed in white turbans with muslin jackets, but without stockings or

shoes.

The upper part of the

;

pavilion

was

adorned with beautiful net-work

the hangings

were of green
Indian mats.

silk,

and the

floor

covered with

hogany
form;

The tables were of polished maand the company present in full uniassociation of things so incongruous

an

with the natural horrors and barbarism of the

upon the border of an interminable desert, and in the midst of such a river as the Nile, where persons from India and from England were met to banquet together, that perhaps no similar result of commerce and of conquest is ever likely to occur again, in any part of the
country,
habitable globe.

Upon
fact,

this occasion,

we heard

Discovery

the extraordinary

maintained and confirmed ^lalmLs

^^g^pff

by indisputable testimony, that cexidiixi Brahmins who had accompanied the Indian army in its march from the Red Sea to the Nile, from Cosseir to Kene, saw at Dendera the representation of

Sd
CHAP,
their

GRAND CAIRO.
God
Fishnu
;

among

the antient sculpture

of the place'

by

their

and were with difficulty restrained officers from assaulting the j^rabs, on
his

account of the neglected state in which

temple, as
thei/

supposed, was suffered to reof General Baircfs

main.

The

officers

army

spoke highly of the accuracy of Bruce s observaand the General himself assured us, that tions
;

he considered Great Britain as indebted to Bruce s valuable Chart of the Red Sea, for the
safety of the transports

employed

in

conveying

the British forces.

Exatnination of an

At
au

this

timc

tlicrc

happened

to arrive in Cairo.

Abyssinian
Bruce's

jibijssinian

Dean, a negro, who had underfor religious pur-

takcu hls

immense journey

poses, and then resided in the monastery be-

longing to the Propaganda Friars*.

The author
frmii
this

had been often engaged

in

noting,

man's account of his country, some information

respecting the state of Christianity in Abyssinia;

and had purchased of him a manuscript copy of

(1) It

were to be wished that some

officer

belonging to the Indian

arnny,

who was

present upon that occasion, would specify what parti-

cular 6gure the Brahmins conceived to be a representation of Fishnu.

(2)

There are two monasteries

in Cairo; one called the Terra SancUt,

and the other the Proj,aganda, Monastery.

GRAND
the Gospel of St. John,

CAIRO.
together with certam
:

87

chap

prayers in the jibyssinian language

nuscripts are
Oxford.

these ma-

now

in the Bodleian

Library at

As General Baird had

to allow us the

a copy of Bruce s

Travels then in his possession, and was kind

enough

use of

it,

a better oppor-

tunity might rarely offer of submitting Bruce s narrative to the test of a comparison with the

evidence afforded by a native oi Abyssinia.

therefore appointed a day for this purpose
;

We
and
In

sent an invitation to the Abyssinian Dean.

order to

make

the inquiry as public as possible, the

we

also

requested

attendance

of

Mr.

Hamilton, secretary of the Earl of Elgin, of

Dn

Wittman,

and of Mr. Hammer, a celebrated

Oriental scholar, during the investigation.

One
at first

of the Propaganda Friars served us as our inter-

preter with the Abyssinian priest.

It

was

disputed whether any mention should be

of Bruce, or not
;

made
^

but at length

we

resolved that

a series of questions should be put from Bruce

work, without any mention being made

sight of his

of him,

or any allusion to his travels in Abyssinia.

The
our

volumes on the table were not likely

clue, respecting the purport of

to offer

any

inquiry, to an Ethiopian

who
it

had never seen a

life,

printed quarto before in his

and

to

whom

the

language

in

which

was written was

88
CH^^P'
'

GRAND CAIRO.
His testimony, therefore, as a native oi Abyssinia, to the accuracy oi Bruce s description of the country, will not be disrealtogether unknown.

garded

and the following result of our conver-

sation with

him mav terminate

this chapter'

(l)

There has not been an example,

in

the annals of literature, of

unfair and disgrareful hostility than that which an intolerant and invidious party too sui.-cessfuily levelled, during a considerable period,

more

against the writings of Bruce.

Soon after the publication of

his

"Travels

to discover

the Source of the Nile," several copies of the

as

work
year

were sold
1791.

in

Dublin

waste paper, in consequence of the calumnies

circulated against the author's veracity.

This happei.ed

in the

In the year 1800, Mr. John ^ntes, of Fulnec

in Yorkshire,

publess

rished a small

volume of " Observations on Egypt:" a work not

and genuine worth, than
for

remarkable
it received.

for its fidelity

the

little

notice

Speaking of i?yMre, that author observes:

.'ibyssinia^
I

"When
I

Mr.
and
I

Eruce returned from

pleasure of his

was

at

Grand

Cairo.

had the

company

for

three months,

almost every day:

having, at that time, myself an idea of penetrating into Aiyssinia,

was very

inquisitive about that country,

on hearing many
I

tilings

from

him which seemed almost

incredible to me.

used to ask his Greek

servant Michael [a simple fellow, incapable of any invention) about the

same circunistames, and mu^t sav that he commo.nlv agreed with HIS master in the chief points." {See Observat. on the Mann, and
Oust, of the Egyptians, by

John

.-/nteSyEsq. p. 17.

Lond. 1800.)

Many
to his

stronger testimonies in favour oi Bruce''; accuracy have also at different

times been adduced,

Travels)-^

particularly

by Mr. Browne

'See Pref.

and the work has consequently risen very considerably in

"^ome travellers, indeed, have attempted to

the public estimation.

invalidate certain of his assertions, which, after all, are not of

much

moment, whether they be

true or false

such, for example, as the

in

circumstance related by Bruce of the part he took

country; and of the practice he witnessed of taking

the wars of the

flesh

from a living
fully
It is

animal

as

an article of food

this last has,

however,

now been

confirmed by the statement of the native priest, as given above.

,

probable

GRAND CAIRO.
Our
birth
;

89

first

questions related to the place of his cmap.

left

and of his usual residence before he

in tlie

jihyssinia.

In answer to these, he stated, that

Gellebeddn'^,
is

he was born at

province of

TiGKE, whose capital

or seventeen from

Adoiua^, distant twenty-

five or thirty days from the Nile,

and sixteen
the

Red Sea that his usual place of residence, and to which he should return, after leaving Cairo, was a village about fifteen days' journey from Gondar.

Masmah upon

We

asked him

v\^hat

kind of coin was circulated

:

in his

native province
in Tigrh as

he said that

fossil salt

was used

a substitute for

money

probable

tliat
if

linics would never have encountered the opposition he

his writings

met

with,

egotism.

Baron De
;

Toft's

had not been characterized by offending work experienced a similar fate, from the
last,

same cause
which, by
(2)

and has similarly obtained, at

^reat merit,
is

the consideration to

its

it is

justly entitled.

This place
^/^w/Vr,

mentioned

in Mr.Salt'fi

Narrative, as published by

Lord

and written GuLLYBUDDA.

it

{See

vol. \\l.

jo.

71.

LonA.

I8O9.) tion."
(3)

He

describes

as

"

a place of considerable extent and popula-

Bruce

also describes

Adnwa,

as

bein^ the capital of Tigre.

view of the town accompanies Mr. Salt's Narrative, in Lord Valentlu's

Travels,
(4)
vol. III.
p.

76.

Lond. 1809.
it

Mr. Salt, speaking of a manufacture of cloth at AJowa, says,

circulates as
is
is
;.

money through the country

one dollar."
t;o/.

but he adds,

" Each
its

piece

about sixteen cubits long, and one and three quarters wide:
thirty pieces of salt, or

value

Valentia's Travels,

vol. III.

78. Land. 1809.

Also in

III.

;>.

54,

"The

small currency

(at

Antalow) consisted of wedges of rock-salt, each weighing two or three

pounds, and estimated at l-30th of a dollar."

90
CHAP.

GRAND
Our next
'

CAIRO.

inquiry related to the long-disputed

fact,

of a practice

among

the Ahyssinians of
its flesh,
it

BrucX
filmed.

cutting from a live animal slices of

^'^ article
rpj^-g

as

t?o'!iTcon"-

of food, without putting

affirms

to death.
in

jQ^uce

that he witnessed,

his

journey from Massuah to

Axum \ The j4byssinian,

soldiers

answering, informed us, that the

of the

country, during their marauding excursions, sometimes

maim
their

coius

after

this

manner

taking

slices

from

bodies,

as a favourite article of food,

to

without putting them

death at the time :

and

that

during the banquets of the jibyssinians, raiv meat,

esteemed delicious throughout the country,
quently taken
is

fre-

from an ox

or a coiv, in such a state

;

that the fibres are in motion

and

that the attendants

continue to cut slices until the animal dies.

This

answer exactly corresponds with Bruce s Narrative he expressly states that the persons whom
:

he saw were

soldiers'^,

and the animal a

cow".

Such a coincidence could hardly have happened,

(1)

Bruce' s Travels,
this in

vol.

HI. p. 142. Edlnh. 1790.

I

" When
it

I first

mentioned
lieved.
I

England,

was told by

my

friends

was not be-

asked the reason of this

disbelief,

and was answered, that

others well

people

who had never been out

of their

own country, and

acquainted with the manners of the world, for they had travelled as

far as France, had agreed the thing was impossible; and therefore was so." Ibid. p. 14-1.
(2) truce's Travels, ibid. p. 142.
(3) Ibid.

it

GRAND CAIRO.
unless the practice really existed.
if

91

We inquired
;

chap.

other animals were thus treated

in the

and were
is

answered
boiled
;

negative.
is

Mutton
in

always

and veal

never eaten,

any way\
eat

In times of famine alone the inhabitants

boiled blood.

Among

other

absurd

accusations

brought

against Bruce,

a very popular charge at one

time was, that some of the plants engraved in

his

work never existed

in nature,

but were the

offspring of his

own

fertile

imagination.

We
name
It

therefore resolved next to exhibit

the engra-

vings to our Abyssinian, and desire him to

the plants,

and

to describe their properties.

was impossible

that this

man

should read, and

much

less

comprehend, the Abyssinian names

which Bruce s engraver had inscribed upon the margin of those plates.

The

first

plates offered to his notice

were
recog-

those which represent the Sassa\

nised the plants
;

He

but knew nothing of the name

;

Bruce had given to them

and denied that any

(4) This agrees with the account published by

Lord Valentia, from

p. 159.

Mr.

Salt's Journal.

See Valentia's Travels,

vol. III.

Lond.

1809.
(5) Bruce'a Travels, Appendix, p. 28.

92
CHAP,
II.

GRAND CAIRO.
The inquiry proceeded more successfully when the next He named the following were shewn to him. the same account of them instantly and gave that Bruce had done; namely, Frgett Dimmo;

gum was

produced by them.

Ergett

el

Krone;
all

Ensete

Kul-Quall ;

Gir Gir;

Kantvffa; &c.

of

whose appellations he pro-

nounced exactly as Bruce had written them. The Ergett el Krone, he said, grew near to the

Lake Tzana, and in every part oi Abyssinia; but that it was of no use to the inhabitants. He
described the leaves of the Ensete as resembling
those of the Banana ; but the plants as yielding
as a garden

no

fruit.

They

boil the root of

it,

vegetable,

with mutton.
;

The Kol-Quall he
it,

named

instantly

saying, that, on beating

is

it

yields a quantity of milk, which

poisonous,
join-

but may be used as a cement, capable of

ing two pieces of stone.
Its

smaller branches,
;

when

dry, are used for candles

and

its

wood
and

serves for timber, in building houses.

It prO'

duces no gum'.
adds,
that

Bruce relates

all

this;

upon cutting two branches of the

which

Kol-Quall with his sabre, not less than four

English gallons of the milk issued out
;

(0

Therefore not the Euphorbia officinurum oi Linnaeus. See Brace's

Tiav. Append, p. ^A.

GRAND CAIRO.
was
were
so caustic,
that although he

93

washed the
left it".

sabre immediately, the stain never

We

by the eager quickness with which our Abyssinian recognised and named the
amused
Kantuffa;
of
its

telling

us

all

that

Bruce

relates

thorny nature, as

if

he had his work by

Ralsam-tree,

heart.
tirely

The Balesscm, or unknown to him.

in

was

en-

He had

seen the

Papyrus

Emhcira,

in

the province of Lebot

growing

in

marshy

lands.

Concerning the
s

other plants engraved in Bruce

work, his ob-

servations agreed with those of Bruce, with very

little

exception.

He

denied that the

mode

of

raw meat was by wrapping it up in cakes made of TeJ^. These cakes, he said, were used
eating
for plates, or as

bread only for

women and
beer

sick

persons.
Teff,

The Abyssinians do not make

from

according to his account, but from a plant

called Selleh.

Bruce mentions

different sorts

of

Teff'^,

of which, perhaps, Selleh

may be

one.

The

Abyssinian concurred with Bruce, in attri-

buting the frequency of worm-disorders, in his

country, to the practice of eating

raw

flesh*.

<2) Ibid. p.

4:5.

(3) SecBtuce's Travels, vol. III. p. 280. (4)

Edinb. 1790.
See Travels, Append, p. 80.

Bruce entertained the same opinion.

Edinb. 17D0.

94
CHAP. This
'.

GRAND CAIRO.
is

considered always as a luxury; and

it.

therefore the priests abstain from

In his

own

village,

he

said, the soldiers

and principal

people prefer raw meat to every other diet;

that before he

became a
it
;

priest,

he had himself
it

eaten

much of savoury when the

and healthy.

that he considered

as very

animal from which

it is

taken

is fat

He

professed himself to be

ignorant of the virtue ascribed

by Bruce

to the

fVboginoos^, now called Brucea antidysenterica; although he knew the plant well, and said it

cured

all

disorders

caused by magic

but he
Cu^so^,
it

verified all that Bruce

had related of the

or Banksia Abyssinica; and added, that

was
it

customary

to drink

an infusion made from

every two months, as a preventive against the

disorder noticed

by Bruce.

When shewn
;

the

Walkuffa, he mentioned a curious circumstance,

which Bruce has not related

bark of
substitute for soap.

namely, that the

a
nothing of the
to

this plant serves the Ahyssinians as

He knew
said

word

Carat,

as a

name

by Bruce
gold.

be

given, in the south of Abyssinia, to the bean of

the Kuara-iVQQ, and used in

weighmg

(1) See

Bruce's Travels, Appendix,

p. 73.

p, 69.

(2) Ibid.

GRAND

CAIRO.
plants,

95

Having thus discussed the

branches of natural history.
us as

we directed

his attention to the quadTiipeds,

and other His answers gave

birds,

much
It

reason to be convinced of Bruce

in

accuracy

in this, as

the former part of his

work.

would take up too much of the

all

reader's attention to detail

the evidence

we

collected for this purpose.

rhinoceros

He
by

added, that the

ihe, jibyssinicms

was

called CJiartiet

and said that

to poison.

its

horn, used for lining the interior

is

of drinking-yessels,

considered as an antidote

When

the engraving representing

the Ashkoko

was placed before him, he recogits

nised the animal, and related the circumstance

mentioned by Bruce^ of
unclean, both

being considered as

Speaking of
tinction
;

its

by Christians and by Mohammedans. name, he made a curious disit is

saying that

called Ashkoko in the

Court language, but Gehre in the vulgar tongue.

be a part of Bruce's work which is apparently fabulous, from its marvellous nature,
If there
it is

the account he has given of that destruc-

tive fly, the Zimb, or Tsaltsahja^; yet in the his-

tory of this insect, as in every other instance.

(3)

See

J5"Mce's

Travels, Appendix, p. 145,

(4) Ibid. p. 188.

See also

vol. I. p. 388.

00

GRAND
confirmed
subject.
its
all

CAIRO.

the testimony of the jibijssinian

that Bruce
told us,
;

Dean

strictly

He

had written upon the that horses and cows were

that there

principal victims

were not many

;

of those insects in his native province

but that
in

he had heard of armies being destroyed sequence of

this

con-

terrible

scourge.

We

quessaid

tioned him concerning the plant which

to render persons invulnerable
to
its

is

serpents or
leaves.

scorpions, merely
replied,

by chewing

He

knew the plant well, but had that it resembled hemp, forgotten its name he had often made use of it to prove its and that virtues but he added, that it must be chewed
that he
;
;

at

the time

of touching the serpent or the

scorpion.

Previous to the introduction of any inquiry

concerning the source of the Nile,
to

we shewed

him

Bruce's

map

of the Lake Tzana, and of

the surrounding country.

gratified.

At

this

he was highly

He knew

all

the places

mentioned

in the territories of Belessen,

Begemder, Gojam,
to

and Agows; and, attempting

situation of

shew us the

GoNDAR,

actually pointed out the

spot marked by Bruce for the locality of that

city.

GRAND

CAIRO.

97

The Nile (which before its junction with the chap. Lake Tzana he called ^leaoui) he described as having but one source\ in a marshy spot, upon
the top of a mountain, about five or six miles

from the lake, and upon its south-eastern side. He had not been there himself, but had often
visited that side of the lake.

There are many

villages in the

neighbourhood of the place.

all Christians;

The
any

inhabitants are

but they entertain

neither

no veneration
river.

for

the

spot,

are

honours whatsoever paid to the source of the

There

are, indeed,

many

springs which

are medicinal, and said to be the gift of certain

saints
;

but he had never heard that the fountain

of the Nile

was one

of these.

(1) Bi-uce'5 account of the origin of this river will perhaps

after all,

be found,

sinians

more correct than any we can obtain, even from the Ahysthemselves, who do not reside near enough to the spot to have
Mr. Salt mentions the
little

made

personal observation.

reliance

he

could place in the various accounts given to

him upon
all

this subject.

" When

found," says he, "that

I

must give up

hopes of peneinquiries,

trating beyond the Tacazza,

took every occasion to

make

of such persons as were likely to give

the.

me any

intelligence, respecting
it

Nile.

Their accounts generally agreed with each other; but

appeared to

me

that they spoke from what they had heard, and not
Its situation

from personal knowledge.

the surrmmding countnt
to

near the village of Geesh: the

it

marshiness of the plain ; the elevation of the spot whence

,-

flows above

its circuit

from Gojam

were points familiar

them

all

hut they dij/'ered, considerably, as to the

it

number of the foun-

talns

from which

spring t

.-

.wfte speaking

of three, others of four, and

vol,

one person of five."

Lord

J^alentia's Trav.

HI. p. 160.

VOL. v.

98
CHAP.
ir
^

GRAND
as

CAIRO.
investigation, as far

Here we terminated our

it

related to Bruce s account oi Abyssinia;

it left

and

the result of

a conviction upon our minds,

not only of the general fidelity of that author,

but that no other book of travels, published so

long after the events took place which he has
related,

and exposed

to a similar trial,
its

would

have met with equal testimony of

accuracy \
(l) In the interesting

truth and

memoir
its

of

Mr.

Salt's

Journey

in Abyssinia, as

published by Lord I'alentia,

author has assailed the veracity of

those

Bruce,
jSa/i's

in a

manner which may be lamented by

:

who hold Mr.

re-

Narrative in the highest estimation

and

for this reason; that,

with an evident disposition to dispute the correctness of Bruce's

presentation, no writer has contributed

more

effectually to the esta-

blishment of Br itce's credit. Mr. /S'a/< speaks in the most positive terms
of the accuracy with which firwce has detailed his historical information.
[^See

Lord
also

Valent'ia's Travels, vol.\\\. pp. 163.209. ^c. S^c.

Lond.

1809.)

He

mentions the astonishment of the natives

:

at his

own

knowledge of their history

considered by

(Ibid.

2>.

227.) and, above

all,

that he was

them

as a superior being,
(Ibid.)

when he

exhibited Bruce's

drawings of Gondar.

In

many
{See

other instances he bears ample

p. 460. 480.
S(c.;

testimony to Bruce's accuracy.

pp.
1

vol. II.

vol. III.

63. 2 11

217.

See also the instances adduced in the Edinb. Encyclop.

vol.Y.

Parti, pp.9^10.)

When

to all this

is

added the evidence afforded

his Travels), in

by the celebrated Browne (See Pre/ace

of his

to

support of

the few facts which are questioned by Mr. Salt, and the opinion given

work by

the Commander-in-chief of the British

army sent from

surely consider

India by the

Red

Sea, as before alluded to,

we may

the writings of this illustrious traveller to be placed beyond the reach

of cavil
:

and we ought

to

agree with that profound scholar, (See

Vincent's Periplus of the Erythr. Sea, p. 93.) who, maintaining that

jBrwce's

work "bears throughout

it

internal

marks of veracity," con-

not to treat with ingratitude those WHO EXPLORE THE DESERT FOR OUR INFORMATION."
sidered
to be a duty
**

Tombs of

the SvUans.

CHAP.

III.

GRAND CAIRO.
Arabic Language,
as

spoken

hi

Egypt

Houses Gardens Dead Exaggehonour of Ceremony of Uhdation rated Descriptions of Country Supposed Nile Book Market Antient of a Virgin Custom of Arabs passing Medals a Bridge Appearance of IVbmen DisEnormities practised by Turks Extortions Manuscript Citadel Pointed covery of a Mosaic Painting Arches Art Joseph'^ Well Origin of the Present State of Citadel View from Ramparts.
Women in Cairo
State of Society
in

Dress of the

the

the

Sacrifice

to

the

in circulation

the

in

in

the

Streets

the

curious

Interesting Inscription
the

the

Any
Arabs

Englishman hearing a party of Egyptian

in

chap.
III.
^^

conversation,

and being ignorant of

their language,

would suppose they were quar-

h2

100
CHAP,
III <^ wm^^
^angua<re,
fn

GRAND CAIRO.
relling.

The Arabic,

as spoken

by Arahs,

is

more

guttural even than the Welsh; but the dialect

^^ ^gVP^ appeared to us to be particularly harsh,

^^ ^^

E^?^

always spoken with a vehemence of ges-

ticulation,

and loudness of tone, which

stately

is

quite

a contrast to the

sedate
:

speaking

among

the

Turks

manner of we were con-

stantly impressed with a notion that the Arabs,

in conversation,

were quarreUing.
them; when
it

More than

once

we
to

ordered the interpreter to interfere,

pacify

and

appeared that
nothing

we were
anger.
ear,

mistaken,

and

that

was
than

further from their feelings, at the time,

The effect is not so unpleasing to the when Arab women converse although the
;

gesticulation
Rosetti\

be

nearly

the

same.

Signer

whose hospitality to strangers has been celebrated by every traveller in Egypt during
nearly half a century, introduced us to a Venetian family, of the

name

of Pini ^ in which there

were many beautiful young women, and with

(1) M.T. Bruce

mentions him {Trav.

vol.1, p. 30.

Edinb. 1790.) under

the

name

of

"

Carlo Rosetti, a Venetian merchant, a young

man

of

capacity

and

intrigue."

Bruce was

in Cairo in the

beginning of
Zfj-wt'e,

c/u/y,

1768.

S\^TiOT Rosetti told us

he well remembered

and enter-

tained no doubt as to the truth of the narrative which he published

concerning his travels.

(2)

" There

is

also at Cairo a Venetian Consul,

all

and a house of that

nation called Fiwi,

excellent people."

Bruce's Trav. vol.1, p. 26.

GRAND

CAIRO.

101

whom we

the Arahic, as

had frequent opportunity of hearinospoken by the most polished

chap.
-'
.

females of the city.

ladies

The dress of those younowas much more elegant than any female
in the East,

Dress oj
in

caiv^"

costume we had before observed

and

borrowed from the Antients. zone placed immediately below the bosom
it

was

entirely

served to confine a loose robe, open in front, so

as to display a pair of rich pantaloons.
feet

The

were covered with embroidered slippers, but the ankle and instep were naked and round
;

the lower part of the leg, above the ankle, they

wore cinctures of massive

gold,
in

resembhng the
a tomb near the
in

golden cincture discovered

Cimmerian Bosporus, and represented

part of this

a former

work^
state of
""^ ^'

Denon speaks of the pleasurable sensations daily excited by the delicious temperature of
Cairo,

causing Europeans,

who

arrive with the

in the place,

intention of spending a

few months

to remain during the rest of their

lives,

without
it.

ever persuading themselves to leave

persons, however, with

Few

whom we
in

associated,

were disposed

to

acquiesce

the

opinion

of this very amiable writer.

Those who are

(3)

See Vol.

II.

Chap.

II. p. 73.

Octavo edition..

102
^^T^^'

GRAND CAIRO.
desirous of uninterrupted
repose, or

who

are

able to endure the invariable dulness which prevails in

every society to which strangers are ad-

mitted, may, perhaps, tolerate, without

ing,

murmurit

a short residence in the midst of this dull

city.

and dirty
the same

The
all

effect,

whether

be of

climate, or of education, or of government, is

among

the settlers

in

Egypt, ex-

cept the Arabs; namely, a disposition to exist

without exertion of any kind

to pass

whole

days upon beds and cushions;

counting beads.

smoking, and
Maillet

This

is
'

Le

vrai genie Egyptienne

what and

termed

that

it

may be

acquired by residing
bitants of
Cciiro,
is

among

the native inha-

evident from the appearance

exhibited

by Europeans who have passed some

city.

years in the

Upon our

first

coming,

we had no

other place

of lodging than

what our djerm

afforded.

This

was stationed, during the day, at Buldc, and it was guarded by our faithful Arabs. Every night these men moved our vessel over to the
Isle of Rhouda,

and anchored close

to the

camp

of the Indian army, with a view to avoid the

(l) Description de

YEgypte,

torn. II. p. 220.

a laHaye, 1740.

GRAND CAIRO.
mice,
flies,

103
chap.
III.

vermin, and dust, which infested us

rest.

from the quay, and prevented our

after a short time,

But,

we procured

a large house,
officers, in

which had been inhabited by French

residence of Signer Rosetti.

a very populous part of the city, near to the

This greatly

in-

creased our

facility of

seeing the city, and of

its

observing the manners of

inhabitants.

The best houses

in Cairo

correspond with the

Houses.

description given in a former part of this work,

of the palace of an Armenian merchant, at Nicotia

in Cyprus'^.

The
is

taste

shewn in decorating

their

apartments
this,

of the kind

called Arabesque:

although early introduced into England

is

from the East,

It
is

not Saracenical, but Egyptian^.

Greeks

a style
;

which the
it

themselves

adopted

and

was received amongst the

Where the Romans in the time of Augustus. windows are glazed, which more frequently exhibit an open lattice-work, they are ornamented with coloured glass representing landscapes and animals, particularly the lion, which seemed to be a favourite subject in works of
;

(2) See Part II. Sect. 1. (3) See the observations

Chap.

xi.

of these Travels.
1.

oi Deno7i, Trav, in Egi/pl, \o\.

p. 211.

Lond. 1803.

104
this sort.

GRAND CAIRO.

No

writer has paid any attention to

the origin of the painted glass in Cairo; yet the

glaziers of this city
art,
Gardens.

seem
to

to

have preserved an

which

is

supposed

be imperfectly known

in Europe.

From

the open terraces in

ilat

many
roofs

of the principal houses, and from the

common

to all of

them, the view

is

extended

over the numerous gardens of the

city.

But
is

every thing
fortable,

is

disfigured,
:

and rendered uncom-

by dust
it
;

all

the foliage of the trees

covered with

and the boasted vegetation of

and particularly

Cairo, (instead of displaying that pleasing ver-

dure

with which European'^,

fill

Englishmen,

their imaginations,

when reading

descriptions of a city

crowded with groves and

gardens), rather exhibits the uninviting and uni-

form colour of the desert.

Ceremony
of Vlulation in ho-

Durinsf the ^

first
. .

evening after our removal to ^

our

ncw

habitation,

we were

serenaded by a

Dead.

spccics of vocal mclody, which

we had never
sun-set;

heard before.

It

commenced about
little

and was continued, with

ceeding nights and days.
ful

intermission, not

only throughout the night, but during

many sucdoubt-

We were first

whether the sounds we heard were expres-

sions of joy or of lamentation.

A sort of chorus,
by the

interrupted by screams, yet regulated

GRAND CAIRO.
beating of tambourines,
ear,

IO5

now

swelling upon the

chap.
III.

now
heard

expiring in cadences,
;

continually

and as often as

it

was repeated seemed to cease,

we

it

again renewed with increased ve-

hemence.
told

Having inquired the cause, we were that this howling was nothing more than the
performed by female mourners hired
This remaining example of
it

usual ceremony of lamentation for a deceased

person,

for the occasion.

the Uhdation of the Antients,

may be

sup-

posed,
notice.

was not

suffered to pass without further

We

sent our interpreter to the house

whence the sounds proceeded, desiring him to pay particular attention to the words used by
the performers in this plaintive chorus.
told us,

He

upon his return, that we might have the same ceremony repeated in our apartments that the singers were women, hired to sing and to lament in this manner the wealthier the family, the more numerous were the persons
;

hired,
tions
:

and, of course, the louder the lamentathat those female sinoers exhibited the
frightful

most

distortions

having their hair

dishevelled,

their clothes

torn,

and
:

their fea-

tures disfigured with paint and dirt

that they

were relieved
larly

at intervals
;

employed

by other women simiand thus the ceremony may be

continued for any length of time.

principal

106
CHAP,
III.

GRAND CAIRO.
part of their art consists in mingling with their
Ululation

such affecting expressions of praise such a pathetic narrative of the em-

and

pity,

ployments, possessions, and characteristics of

the deceased, and such inquiry as to his reasons
for leaving those

whom

he professed to love

during

life,

as

may

excite the tears

and sighs of

the relations and friends collected about the

corpse.
It is therefore evident,

that this cus-

tom, like the

caoineadh

of the Irish\ and the are remains of

funeral cry of other nations ^

See an account of the Ceremony of Ululation

among

the Irish,

as

taken from the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, in Dr.

Clarke's Edition of

Adam

" Harmer's

Observatioiis,"

vol. III. p.

40.

Land. 1808.

Among

other expressions used by the Irish mourners,

they continually repeat the words "Ullaloo! Ullaloo!

THOU DIE?"
oolooleh of

" The
hh'<

why

didst

Ullaloo of the Irish," says the learned Editor of

Harmer's work, "

is

the same, both in sense and sound, with the

<U

J,

the Arabians, the ululo of the Romaiis, the oXoXi^a of the

yalal of the Hebrews."
;

Greeks, and the

(2)

The custom seems to have been universal for it has been observed among the descendants of the three great families ; the /4rab, The Arab, as here related. The Tahtar, the Tahtar, and the Goth. (See Olearius, lib. iii. p. 143. Lond. 1662.) The Goth, as in Russia. Gets, or Greeks, as we learn from Homer. It prevails, also, among the Albanians; and is found even among the Greenlanders, and in " The women continue their weeping and lamentation. Abyssinia.
Their
h/jwl
is

all in

one tone

as

if

an instrument were to play a

the semitones.

tre-

mulous

fifth

downwards, through
little."

all

Now and
vol. J.

then

they pause a

See Crantz's History of Greenlaiid,

,-

p. 239.

Lond. 1767.
p,25l. Svo.

See also Salt's Travels

and Part

I.

of these Travels,
in Russia.

edit, for

an account of the same custom


GRAND CAIRO.
ceremonies practised in honour of the dead in
almost every country of the earth
:

107
chap.

they are the

the death of

'

same

that

Homer describes

at

Hector^; and they are frequently alluded to in

the Sacred Scriptures^:

'^Call for the mourn-

ing WOMEN, THAT THEY MAY COME; AND SEND FOR CUNNING WOMEN, THAT THEY MAY COME: AnD LET

THEM MAKE HASTE, AND TAKE UP A WAILING FOR US, THAT OUR EYES MAY RUN DOWN WITH TEARS, AND OUR EYELIDS GUSH OUT WITH WATERS."

As one
,

writer of travels has copied another,

1

tne

same exaggerated descriptions have been

That
its

rated

ExaggeDesmptions
country.

continually given of the luxuries of Egijpt, during

the inundation of the Nile,

gardens,
in

from the novelty of the plants found

them,

are sometimes pleasing to the eye of a European,

may

be admitted

and

it

has been before acrender a

knowledged, that the plantations adorning the

sides of the canal

may

for a short time

filth

stranger unmindful of the

and wretchedness

(3)

riaja V

ti(rav uoiSoh;,

0]va!v i%oi.py^<iUi, otTi (rrovoitrrav aoion>

O'l

/Av cL^ y^wiov,

Itt) Ti ffTivx;^^otTO

yvvccTxt;.

" Juxtaque coUoc&runt cautores Luctfis jiriiicipes: hi flebile carmen, Hi quidein lamentahaiitur insuperque gemebant mulieres." Homeri lliados, lib.xxiv. />.425. Ed. Sfond. Basil. 1606. Judges xi. 39,40. See also 2 Chron. xxxv, 25. (4) Jer. ix. 17, 13.
:

^tnos V. 16. also

Mark

v.

38. &c. &c.

108
CHAP,
III
c

GRAND CAIRO.
of the citv.
>

But the boasted

lakes, or rather

-'
-

mud-pools, into which the waters of the river

are received, particularly the famous Eshequir
Birket ',
in

would certainly be considered nuisances

civilized world.

any part of the

arrived

The dam
still

of the canal had been cut about three days,

when we
telling"

and every one was

of the rejoicings and ceremonies which

that event
all
Supposed

had occasioned.
that
it

These have been

so fully described,

would be useless

avirghiio
the Nile.

of our officers saw mud, which is raised every year between the dyke of the canal and the Nile, called Anes, or The Bride^, and which is afterwards carried away by the current, when
to

renew the
pillar,

subject.

Some

the

or statue,

of

the water from the river

the canal.

is

suffered to
is

fall

into

This curious custom

said to have

(1) It

this place,
n'est

amusing to read some of the accounts published of and to contrast them with the real appearance. " Rien plus agreable que de voir un terrein, qui pendant hu/t mois de
is

quite

Vannce
aiitres

est

un prodig%eux hassin rempli d'eau, devenn pendant

riant
et

les

quatre

un jardin

perpStuel."

D^script. de

YEgypte par
of

Maillet, toni.I. p. 26'3. a la

Hay e,

1740.

The same author speaks

the houses ornamenting the sides of this lake; whereas Z>eno observes,

"

the less the houses were visible, the

vol.
I.

more they would please."

Trav. in

Egypt,

p, 105.

Lond. 1803.

In fact, nothing can be

more
a

wretched than either the one or the other; the

lake; or the hovels, described by
buildings.

filthy pool called

many
I.

authors as stately and elegant

(2) See Niehuhr's Travels, vol.

p. 69.

Edoih. 1792.

GRAND
sacrifice of a

CAIRO.

109
chap.
^

given rise to the fabulous story of the annual

virgin
to

the

Nile\

Niehuhr

says, however, that the pillar of earth serves as

a sort of Nilometer, for the use of the

people"*;

common

and

this is

probably the only use for

which

it

was ever intended.

We

entered the

canal, in our djerm, about noon,

on the fifteenth

oi August; and after making the tour of nearly

the

whole

city,

by means of the

canal,

and a

(3) See iVde6?/?*;'s Travels, vol.

p.

I.

p. 69.

See also

De

Tott, vol.11,

243. Jjond. 1785.

sacrifice Arroussee,

preserved in the

This name, he observes, is still more humanized ceremony. Moreri (Did. Hist.
JEgyptiens idoldtres s'imaginoient que lenr dieu
:

De Tott says, The New Bride.

the ancient Egyptians called the

^om.VII. ^.1041. Paris, 1759) thus speaks of the sacrifice, as having

really existed;

" Les

Serapis

etoit

I'auteur de ce dehordement merveilleux dii Nil

ainsi

lorsqu'il letardoit, its lui sacrijioient

une fille,

S^c.

Cette larhare divo-

tion flit alolie, disent les historiens Arabes,

par

le

Calife

Omar."
this

Nei-

ther Moreri, however, nor any other author by

stance
is

whom

circumMentelle

related,

mentions his authority for the

441.

fact.

(Geogr. Ana.

torn. II. /).

Paris, 1789) alludes to the

same cus-

tom.
''

The whole

story seems to be

founded upon a passage in the

a legendary account of the
in terms of

writings oi Murtadi, an Arabian,

who gave

Wonders of Egypt," which is nevertheless mentioned commendation by Gibbon (Chap. li. Note 128. Hist. Hfc.)
in the 13th century,

This work

was composed
virgin

and was afterwards translated by

sacrifice of

Vatier at Paris, I66G.

Murtadi affirms that the annual

was abolished by the Caliph Omar,

But human

sacrifices

were
45.

never tolerated by the antient Egyptians.

Herodotus reproaches the

c.

Greeks with having entertained a contrary opinion (Euterpe,

p. 106. ed Gronov. L. Bat. 1715)
sacrifices
;

and

it

is

less

probable that sudi

were suffered
Christians

to

take place at the time of Omar's conquest,

in possession of

when the

were
I.

Egypt.

(4) Niebuhr, vol.

p. 69.

10
CHAP,
III.

GRAND CAIRO.
series of

dykes

filled

with the

muddy water

of

the river,

we

at last entered the Eshequir Lake,

or Birket ilEzbequie, at six o'clock p.m.

Having

crossed this piece of water,

the house

we

landed, and

observing went to everywhere the same wretched appearances of dirt and degradation. The inhabitants, rejoicing in the expulsion of the French, and enjoying
hired;

we had

the festivity of the season, were carousing the sides of the numerous channels then

by

filled

with the
Nile,

muddy and Some degree of

who where

stagnant water of the

danger, too, might be

apprehended from the turbulent mirth of Turkish

soldiers,
firing off their tophdikes in
all directions;

otherwise the sight of so

many

cheerful groupes afforded a

more pleasing spec-

tacle, than either the buildings of the city, or

its

But how Europeans, describing Cairo, can call any thing magnijicent which is surpassed even by the poorest parts of To read some of Venice, is really surprising. the accounts which have been published of this
boasted canal.
city
',

one might believe that they were derived

(l)

" Cette GRANDE ET iLLUSTRE viLLE,"

says f'amleb,

(p.

117.

Nouvelle Relation d'un Voyage en Egypte,

Paris, 1677.)

"Ei.le est
(Ibid.

SITUEE DANS UNE PLAINE LA PLUS DELtCIEl'SE DU MONDE."

p. ISO.)

GRAND CAIRO.
from the pompous
descriptions

HI
of

Arabian

chap.
>

writers; who, having never seen any thing finer

than Cairo, speak of it as the " Wonder of the world" the " Delight of the imagination," "the Great among the great," the Holy City ^. Irt fact,
it

may be
it

said of Cairo, as of

Egypt

in general,

that
tion,

has always been the subject of amplificaits

from the earliest periods of

history'.

We often visited the book-market, and observed

nothing more remarkable than the
beautiful
sale*.

Book

number

of
for

manuscripts

constantly offered

We purchased many of these manuscripts.

works
in History, Astronomy,

Writings of any celebrity bear very high prices,

especially famous

Geography, and Natural History.

lukes are

The Mamamore fond of reading than the Turks;

their libraries, in Cairo,
at

and some of

contained

volumes valued

immense

prices.

The French

(2) See Z)ww's Trav. vol.1, p. 103,

(3)

Lond. 1S03.

"

never saw a place

liked worse, nor which afforded less

pleasure or instruction, than Cairo; nor antiquities whicli less an-

swered their descriptions."

1790.
(4)

Bruce's Travels,

vol. I.

p. 33.

Edinb.

Catalogue, published in the /Jppendix to the First Section of

will serve

this

Part of our Travels,

to render the

great variety of

works

in Oriental literature,

which are upon daily

it

sale in the cities of

XheEast, more known than

pendix, No.
III.

has hitherto been.

See Vol.

III.

Ap-

Octavo edition.

112

GRAND CAIRO.
had been so often guilty of plunder, that the
booksellers, and other tradesmen, had for

some
only

time concealed their most valuable property.

The best manuscripts were,

beginning to be exposed for

therefore,

sale.

During our

inquiry after a complete copy of the " Arabian

Nights,'' a bookseller said

he knew where to find

its

a copy of this work; but that

carefully concealed
it,

owner had
is

through fear of the French.

pro-

The
Lila.

title

of this compilation, in Arabic,

in Cairo,

nounced, by the dealers

Alf Leela o

To our great

satisfaction, this manuscript,

or rather collection of manuscripts,

to us,
in four quarto cases,

was brought containing One

into

hundred and seventy-two Tales, separated

One thousand and one portions,
the
for recital

during

Each case contained about fifty numbers, sewed up like so many loose manuscript sermons. The whole was fairly written and the price set upon it amounted only to the moderate sum of one hundred piastres, (about seven pounds English,)
of Nis-hts.
;

same number

according to the state of exchange at that time.

We

bought

it

and

its

lamentable fate has

been before

related'.

This

maybe

the

more

(l)

See Preface to Vol. HI.

p.

x\v.

Nbt

(2).

Octavo edition.

GRAND CAIRO.
regretted, because

II3
tales* related to

many of the
in

chap.
III.
'

Syrian and to Egyptian customs and traditions,

and have not been found

the same work.

any other copy of

A few
finds

cursory observations

may now be

in-

troduced, as they were made, and as the author

them occurring

in his journal.

Who

would
Amient
drcuiaVom

have believed that antient Roman coins were

still

in circulation in

any part of the world? yet

this is strictly true.

We

noticed

Roman copper
in the

medals

in Cairo given in

exchange

markets

among

the coins of the country, and valued at

something less than our halfpenny.

What

is

more remarkable, we obtained some of the

higher value, but in the same manner.

larsre

bronze viedals of the Ptolemies, circulating at

The

silk and cotton handkerchiefs had been taught to the inhabitants by the French.

manufacture of

Such handkerchiefs were then sellinj? for seven shillings English each and it was in buying these
;

that

we first

noticed the circulation of the antient

custom of

among the modern money of Egypt. The Arabs, who generally sing during labour, use an antient
Hebrew invocation of the Deity while they are

t^J^^^l^ Snige.

(2) See the List given in

No. IV. of the Appendix to V.l.

II

F.

of

these TrareU.

VOL.

V.

114
^
'

GRAND
P^^^"^8'' "^ their boats,
'

CAIRO.

m^"
V

beneath a bridge; calling

in

out

E hi/

Elo'i!

(pronounced Eloiie!)

a plain-

Appearance of

tive tone of incantation'.

in

The

females oi Cairo
.

Women

arc oitcn
,

scctt, in

the public streets, ridmg upon

,
^
.

the Streets.

asses and upon mules: they

line

sit

ni the

mascu-

attitude,

like
Italy.

the

women

of Naples and

other parts of

Their dress consists of a

feet,

hood, and cloak, extending to the

with a

stripe of white calico in front, concealing the

face and breast, but having

two small holes

if

for

the eyes.

In this disguise,

any man were

to

meet

his

own
;

wife, or his sister, he

would not
were
to

be able

to recognise her, unless she

speak to him

and

this is

seldom done, because

the suspicious Moslems, observing such an intercourse, might suppose an intrigue to be going

on;
Enormities
ity

in

which case they would put one,

if

not

both of them, to death.

The Turks had comfirst

the Turks.

mitted great enormities in Cairo, from the

moment
city.

of their arrival, after the capture of the

If they

found an unfortunate female, of

whatsoever rank, who had admitted the embraces of a Frenchman, or of any other Christian,
they put her to death, without the smallest

(l) See Genesis xxxiii, 20.; also

Mark
it

xv. 34.

who

uses the S?/ro-

Chaldaick dialect of the Hebrew, as

was

in use in

the time of our

Saviour

Elo'i for Eli.

GRAND
compunction.

CAIRO.

11.5

A young man who lived in the same house with us, was wounded by a musketball on the day of our arrival. He had
been looking from the terrace
below,
shot him.
at

chap
in.

some Turks

when one of them fired off his piece, and The only excuse made was, that
In like
Christian in

they mistook him for a Frenchman.

manner they strangled a

public baths; offering the
act they hadT committed.

one of the
for the

same apology

Notwithstanding the
being at that time
it

circumstance of the

city's

was not safe to venture alone into the streets. We were ridina* one day with a priest of the Propaganda monastery, being mounted upon asses; when
garrisoned by our troops,

suddenly a party of Bosianghies, belonging to a

Turk of
passed.

distinction,

and running before his horse,

positively

ordered us to descend until the grandee had

This

we

refused to do;

upon which, not daring to meddle with us, they vented all their rage upon the poor priest, whom they dragged from his ass, and chastised with their white wands in our presence. Complaint

was accordingly made

garrison,

to

the

officers

of the

and

to the Fizir;

and a promise was

obtained from the Turks of better behaviour

future;

upon which, however,

little

reliance

could be placed.

The
1

English had a very small

116

GRAND CAIRO.
force, at this time, in Cairo',

CHAP,
III

prudent not to

was deemed exasperate a fanatical mob, by

and
it

any

violation of their pride or their prejudices,

it

when

could be avoided.

The events

that

took place afterwards, in Egypt, fully justified

this precaution.

Nevertheless, orders had been

issued, that no Englishman should be compelled

to

descend and humble himself before a Moslem,

to offer the resistance

which caused us
made.

we had

Soon

after this adventure,

descending from

our house to a part of the canal where our djerm was stationed, intending to make an
excursion upon the water,

we

found the vessel

completely

filled

by a party of dastardly Turks;

who had

expelled the worthy Reis, to

whom

the

boat belonged,

together with his crew,

and

had taken full possession of her, for their own These grave personages were seated, use.
quite at their ease,

with their tobacco-pipes

off in great state, as

kindled

and were moving

idle parley;

we

arrived.

There was not much time to be

so

lost in

any

we

all

leaped, from

the side of the canal, into the midst of the selfconstituted divan,

whose members

instantly sur-

rendered, with great seeming humility,

and,

being landed, scampered off with more speed

GRAND CAIRO.
and
less

117

composure than usually characterizes

deportment.

Turks

in their

The

matter, how-

ever, did not end here.

Watching- the opporReis

tunity

when our good

foot,

was again
cljerm,

left

alone

to the guardianship of his

they bound

him hand and

in the

and carried him to a house

neighbourhood, where they bastinadoed

him most unmercifully, by way of wreaking their vengeance upon us, for the indignity they had experienced nor could we ever bring the
;

offenders to justice, or obtain, for the person

they had thus injured,

the slightest redress.

Such was the

city.

state of affairs in

Grand

Cairo,

at

the time the English were in possession of the

It

may be

easily imagined, therefore,

its

the situation of
be,
its

Christian

what inhabitants must

when all things are left Mohammedan masters.

extortions practised
all

to the discretion of

The
exceed

upon the inhabitants

French, at one time,

Extortions.

credibility.

The

levied a contribution of ten millions of piastres;

and of

sum a single merchant paid fifty thousand dollars. The same person, upon the
this

subsequent arrival of the Grand Vizir with his

army, was compelled to pay the enormous sum

of three hundred and sixty thousand
dollars.

118
CHAP.
III

GRAND

CAIRO.

Neither Buonaharte nor Kleber distressed the

people oi Cairo, by their extortions, so

as did Menou; who,
in the latter

much

part of his

tyrannical

government, omitted no measures

whereby he might plunder the inhabitants of Nothing was too mean for his their property. avarice; nothing vast enough for his rapacity.
In addition to
citizens
all

the privations and horrors the

its

had endured, the plague spread

in

ravages to every corner of the city, and thirty-

two thousand persons,

victims.

one year, became

its

disorder, not less fatal than

the

plague, (the dysentery,) begins to prevail

the plague retires;
strangers.

when

but

this

principally attacks

Colonel Stewart's regiment, quartered

Pyramids,

at Dj'iza, near the

this

was reduced by
from
three

complaint,
to

in

one

month,

hundred men
lodged

seventy.

in the palace

fice it is difficult to
it

The Colonel was Bey. Of this edigive an idea by description

ofMurad

contained barracks capable of quartering sixtv

thousand men, including a very great proportion

of cavalry;

together with a cannon-foundry,

for

and every thing necessary

the

immense

system of warfare carried on by that prince, who rivalled in wealth and power the antient
sovereigns of Egypt.

GRAND
Upon the Mr. Hammer

CAIRO.

119
chap.
l

nineteenth of August, our friend

breakfasted with us, and brought

.^1

with him a valuable Arabic manuscript, presented to him by the Consul

Roselli,
.

discovery
ous

of very
.

Manu-

script.

diminutive

size,

but most exquisitely written.

it,

The

translation of

by Mr. Hammer, has

England;

since

been published
although hitherto

in

and

this

work,

little

regarded by the public,

It professes to explain

merits particular notice.

the hieroglyphics, and
giving,
priests,

many

antient alphabets;

moreover, an account of the Egyptian

their classes, initiation,

and

sacrifices

'.

It

illustrates
in the

the origin of placing

embalmed
a circum-

birds

catacombs of Saccura;

stance that will be again alluded to, in describing

those subterraneous repositories.

We

then set out for the Citadel.

After the
it

citadel,

numerous

accounts published of this place,

(l)

For Uiis publication, the world

is

indehted to the munificent

patronage of Earl Spencer and of Sir Joseph Batiks, at whose expense,

principally, the

undertaking took place

also to the literary care of

Dr. C. TVilkins, Librarian to the East-India Company.

count given of
is
it

(See the ac-

in the

Naval

Chronicle, vol.

XXII. p. 'Sd^J

The

title

as follows:

" Antient Jlphahets and Hieroglyphic Characters

explaijied;

with an Account of the Egyptian Priests, their Classes, Initiation, and Sacrifices, in the Arabic Language, by Ahmad Bin Abubekr Bin

Waushi
1806."

and inEnglish,

% Joseph Ham:mer, Secretary

London.

to

the Imperial

(Austrian) Legation at Constantinople.

Nicoll, Pall-Mall,

120

GRAND
were useless
of
it'.

CAIRO.

to write a particular description

The most

interesting parts of

it

to

an

English traveller, as connected with the history of the

architecture

of his

country,

are

the

splendid remains of buildings erected

by the

antient Caliphs of Egypt, particularly the edifice

vulgarly called
Salah ed din,
Pointed Arches.

''

Joseph\s Palace,'' built

by Sultan
arches^

or

Saladine,

whose name was

the

Joseph'^.

Here we beheld those pointed

which,

although constructed soon after

by a fanatic Moslem^, (now ranked among the Mohammedan

middle of the twelfth century,
Saints, for his rigid adherence to all the pre-

judices of Islam*,) certain

English antiquaries

(l)

"

Aloft,

and neere the top of the mountaine, against the south

stands the Castle, (once the stately mansion of the

end of the

citie,

Mamaluck Sultans, and destroyed by Selvmns) ascended unto by one way onelj', and that hewne out of the rocke, which rising leisurely
with easie
step*;,

and spacious distances, (though of a great height)

Sandys' Travels,

maybe on

hor>.ehacke without difficullie mounted."

p. 122- Loud. 1637.

The

reader

may he
;

referred to Lord f^akntia's

Travels for the he^t account of the place

and, above
it,

all, for

the ac-

curate and beautiful views of the buildings iu

published, after Mr.
p. 372.
i(c.

which
spot.

his lordship

Sitlt'%

designs
also

made upon the

vol.
\.

See

vol. III.

Lond. 180y.

See

Nivbuhr,

p. 59. Edin. 1792.

(2) Niebuhr, ibid.

(3)

"
"

In a fanatic age, himself a fanatic."

Gibbon,

vol.

XI. p. WO.

Lond. 1807.
(4)

All profane science

was the object of

his aversion."

Ibtd.

p. 113.

GRAND CAIRO.
would
English
fancifully

121
the

attribute

to

labours of
.

chap.
'^^^

workmen^
to the Interest excited

To add

by the examinaMr.

tion of Sultan Saiadines magnificent palace,

(5) See Milner on the Eccles. Architect, of England. Not that, by the removal of this solitary ohjection to the English origin of the

pointed arch, any satisfactory conclusion

could be drawn, as tc the

want
its

of

its

existence elsewhere in the East.

its

This kind of arch, ac-

cording to

very best proportions, as defined by the advocates for

p. 104,

English origin, (See Milner, as above,

in

Note

",)

and

as it

become fashionable

England between the end

century,
in
is

of the thirteenth

and

the latter part of the

fi/fef 71th

a peculiar characteristic of

the architecture of the Siiracens

ings.

Egypt,

all

their oldest build-

fSec the designs of Luigi Mayer, as puhlished by Sir R.Anslie.) It moreover exists in some of the sepulchres in Upper Egypt, and

among

the ruins oiTahtar edifices, in the remote district otMadsfiar?/,

between the

Kuma

and Byvalla
Plates
style

rivers.

See Pallas's Travels in the

South of Russia,
th'i

vol. I.

xii, (/ xiii.

and Fignette

6.

See also

remains of the same

/>.

of nrchilectwre, Frngmens des Voi/ages,

la the
^'

PL XX..

430. Berne, I73"2.

f'oyages de

Chord in," tome

troisieme, are several views of the interior of different Persian palaces,

of caravanserais, bridges, &c. of the pointed arch.

Each

of these plates aflFords specimens

all

There

is

a remarkable curve in

these arches.
its

At about two-thirds

of the distance from the spring of the arch to

to

summit, the curvature becomes convex

the interior of

the arch.

The same remark

and section

is

applicable to

some pointed arches

in the elevation

of a sepulchral

monument

at MosslofKuut,

on the river

Podkuma,
xiv.

at the foot of Caucasus, as given in Pallas's Travels, Plate

This curious circumstance of the convex curvature, between the

its

spring of the arch and

pointed arch in the East:

vertex,

is

not, however, peculiar to the

in the be-

it is

found in buildings erected

ginning of the fifteenth centiiry in England.

old church of the Holy Trinity,

An

instance occurs in

the arched niches, for the reception of images, above the altar of an

now

the Rectory church, at Harlton in

Cambridgeshire.

122
CHAP. in

GRAND CAIRO.
Hammer had many Arabic
the satisfaction to discover, amonoinscriptions yet remaining in the

...

...

Interesting
Inscription.

o'reat hall of the buildinof, one in excellent &' & preservation, and in large characters, which he

copied, with this legend;

salaheddix, destroyer of infidels and heathens:

so that the origin of the building

and

its

date,

which before rested,

dition, is

in

great measure, on tra-

thereby established.
it

Had

it

not been

for these inscriptions,

might have been consirespects,

dered as of higher antiquity than the age of

Saladine;
for,

in

many

it

resembles

edifices erected in
Mosaic
Paintinff.

the age of

Justinian;

and

particularly in the profusion of Mosaic painting,

whereby
Mosaic.

its

stately

ceilings

and walls are

of the
in

ornamented.

We

collected specimens of this

The

French,

who made use

it

building as an hospital, had torn

down,

many

places, during their residence here,

it

and

scattered

among

the

rubbish.

It

corre-

sponded, in a remarkable manner, both by the

nature of
its

composition, and

by the

style of

the workmanship, with the Mosaic ornaments of

St.

Sophia at Constantinople ; containing the

same
mor-

gilded and coloured fritta,

tar,

imbedded

in fine

as white as snow.

The

principal remains

GRAND

CAIRO.

123
to

of Mosaic paintijig were in a

room opposite
gardens,

chap.
^^^

the great hall; and the objects so represented,

wece

castles,

houses,

trees,

fruit,

flowers,

and animals.

Among

the different

substances used for this kind of work,

we

ob-

this

served pieces of the shell called Mother of Pearl: may be considered, perhaps, peculiar to
it

the Mosaic of the age of Saladine; as

does not

appear among the tesserated pavements of the Antients, nor in the Mosaic of St. Sophia. The
materials of antient Mosaic generally consisted

of small

pieces

of variously

coloured glass:

although, in

some parts of
in

St. Sophia, the tessercu

are of marble of different hues.

art of painting

The curious

Mosaic existed in a very

remote period.
it

Several writers maintain that

originally

was derived

from Persia

'

in

proof

of this, they cite the

of Esther,

first
is

chapter of the book

where

it

said of the palace of

Ahasuerus^, that "the beds

silver,

were of gold and upon a pavement of red, and blue, and

and black marble."
Pliny,

white,

however,

attributes the invention to the Greeks \

Works
An 2de

(1) See

Winkcbnann,

Hist, de I'Art, torn.

II.

p. 157.

Paris,

la R^publique.

(2) C.
(3)

I.

V. 6.

" Pavimenta

originetn

apud Graecos habent elaborate

arte,

pictura^ ratione,

donee lithostrota expulSre earn."

Plin. Hist. Nat.

lib.\xxv\. r.2ru

L.Bat. 1635.

124
CHAP,
.

GRAND
in

CAIRO.

Mosaic were by the Greeks appropriated to

the pavement of their temples and dwellings.

Many
have

of the floors in the houses at Pompeii

this

kind of covering.

It

was

in a later

age that the same sort of ornament was used

for the

facing of walls,

and

for

coating the

interior of

domes and vaulted

in

buildings'.

In

process of time, tables were thus constructed,

which, being fixed

marble frames, might be

tessera.

moved
artists,

without looseninsr the

Cele-

brated pictures in Mosaic, the work of Grecian

existed

among

the Romans^.

This ad-

mirable invention, capable of giving perpetuity

to

works

in painting,
;

has survived the downfall

of letters
Present
state of ths
i

but

it

has never been practised

exists in Iia/y,
-i

bcyoud the ^Ips: i

it

it still
-i ,

where
r
j

Art.

has been carried to a degree oi perfection

in

unknown

any former age.

The

finest

works

of Raphael, and of other great masters, have

(1)

"
:

Pulsa deinde ex liumo paviraenta;

(Ibid.)

in

cameras

transi^re, e

vitro

novitiuin et hoe inventum."

" Ensuite

elle

a servi k

revStir les

vo6tes

des

b&timens."

TVinkelmann, Hist, de I'Arl, uli

supra, p. 158.
(2) Witness the celebrated worli of Sosus ol Pergamus, mentioned hy Pliny, (lib.xxw'i. c. 25.) of The Dnve drinkinjj out of a Vase of Water, found in /Adrian's Villa at Ttvoli, and lately preserved in the

Capitol at i2ome ;
in

the celebrated works of jDwscor/We of 5<wno5, found

Herculaneum ; and the famous Mosaic of Palesh'ina, See JVinkelmunn, lib.'iv. c. 8. sect.A~t. also lib. \\. c.7. sect. \E, Sfc.

GRAND CAIRO.
been thus copied; and these copies may defy the attacks to which the originals were hable,
while they preserve
all

125 chap.
^"'
.

_.

their perfections.

Mi-

niature painting of the

most exquisite colouring

tesserce

has also been executed in the same manner; the

artist

using vitrified

of different hues,

instead of liquid colours.

The

gilded

tesserce

which we procured from the Mosaic of Saladines

palace, resembles, in size

and appearance, those

of the

Mosaics which invest the

domes

of

buildings in Ro7?ie, Ravenna, Milan, Fenice, and

Constantinople;
all

of these were the works of

Grecian artists, as the inscriptions yet remaining

imply.

Each

tessera is

a cube of glass, of the

size of our

common

playing dice, traversed by

thin film of gold, in

such a manner that the gold

leaf does not lie coating the exterior surface,

but appears through a

vitrified superficies.

One of the marvels of Es:vpt, in former ^^^ was the fountain belonging to the Citadel,
''Joseph's Well;'

times, called

Joseph Well.

but since the country has been

it

accessible

to

enlightened travellers,

is

no

longer considered as any thing extraordinary^

(3) It

is

not, in fact, the only

hood of Cairo.
nature, in the

work of the kind in the neighbourThe Consul MaiUet found five other wells, of the same " J'en ai deconvert cinq h-peu-pr^s ruins of old Cairo.
semblables

126

GRAND CAIRO.

A regular

descent,

by

steps, has

been cut

to

it,

through the soft calcareous rock on which the

Citadel stands, to the

depth of two hundred and

of

seventy-six feet.

The mouth
in

the well

is

twenty-four

feet

length,

and eighteen
of

in

breadth \

As an example
it

human

labour,

Niehufir considers

to

bo not

at all

comparable
cut

to the works of the antient Indians,

who have

^\io\e pagodas in the very hardest rocks".

it

Yet
skill

must be confessed
has

that few similar designs

have ever been attempted;

and

if

the

which

been
for

shewn

in

conducting

the

excavation be taken into

perforations

consideration,

the

admitting

light all the w^ay

down, and the general perfection of the work itself, it may be compared rather to the labours of the antient Egyptians, than to any modern
vmdertaking.

Other parts of

this Citadel afford reason to

believe that an establishment

was made here

semblables dans

les

ruines

du vieux
lis

Cairo, au pied des

lesquelles la ville s'^levoit depuis les bords

montagnes vers du Nil, par un esp^ce d'encreus^s dans le roc, et

torn. I. p. 269.

viron trois-quarts de lieue.

sont de

meme

d'une profoudeur ^tonnaute."

Descript. de

V Egypte,

la

Haye,

740.

(1) A^orrftn's Travels, vol.1, p. 65.

Lond.X'ibT.

(2) A'jetti/o'i Travels, vol.

1.

p.

:)9.

Edbib. 1*99.

GRAND CAIRO.
long before
the time of the Saracen Caliphs.

12/

Not

to insist

inscriptions

upon the appearance of hieroglyphic mentioned by Paul Lucas^, and

remains of

which
edifices yet,

perhaps belonged to the

brought hither as building materials;

size of

from the

some of the stones upon

its

which a modern superstructure has been raised,

as well as from the conformity of

general

appearance, as an Acropolis, to the plans of the

most antient

cities,

it

may be

inferred that a
settle-

citadel existed

here before any Saracen

in this part of

ment had taken place

Egypt.

The
than
it

subject seems to merit

more

attention

has yet received,

^l-dol

Ccdiph, in his

History of Egijpt^, ascribes both the Well and

the Castle to Saladine^; but Shaw,
this

who mentions

circumstance, says,

it

was

the restoration

of the Citadel, rather than

its

construction, which

should

be ascribed to

Saladine.
the city and

Savary,

upon the authority of an Arabian

tains that the origin of

writer, maincastle

of

Cairo

must be ascribed to the

Saracens^.

Yet,

(3)

"

J'appercfis

m^me,

sur quelques-uns de ces pierres, plusieurs

I'oi/uge

caracteres hiernglyjMqiies qui sont de la premiere antiquity."

du Paul Lucas,
(4) P. 85. (5

torn, II.

p. 126.

Jtnst. 1714.
vol.

See 5Aaw's Travels,

n.

p. 265.

Lo7id.\Tol.

Salah Oddin Joseph

Ehn

Job, as written
I.

by Shaw.

(6) Lettres sur

VEgypte, torn

p. 84.

Paris, 1786.

128

GRAND
the Citadel of Cairo

CAIRO.
Oriental
researches,

notwithstanding Savnrys

may

stand upon the spot

once occupied by the Acropolis of the Egyptian

Babylon: this opinion, maintained by Shaw in
opposition to Pococke,

who

assigned a different
is

position for the Babylonian fortress',

further
in the

confirmed by the style of the work used

structure;

by the skill manifested in hewing the rock upon which it stands, for the way up
to
it;

for the

well:

and

for other purposes.

hill

Pococke affirmed that the

itself

seemed
this

to

have been separated, by

extremity of

art",

from the eastern

Mount Mokatam; and

name,
heivn,

according to Shaiv^, signifies " a mountain

or cut through.'"

Such immense labour

is

more
and

characteristic of an Assyrian colony, than of the

Arabiaris, in

any period of

their history:

that such a settlement w^as actually

made many

ages before the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs,

is

clear from the evidence of Diodorus Siculus^,

o^ Strabo\ and of Josephus^.

But long before

(1)

Old Cairo seems

I

to

have succeeded to the town and

fortress of

Bahylon, which

imajine to have been on Mount Jekusi, at the south

Pocoche's Description nf the Easty
vol. I.

end of Old Cairo."

Tjond. 1743.

p. 25.

(2) Ibid. p. 32L

(3)

Shaw's Travels, ubi snpra.

i.

(4) Diod.Sic. lib.

(5)
(G")

p. 52.
lib. xvii.

Hanov. 1604.
p. 1143.
lib.
ii.

Strahon. Geo^.

Ed.
),").

O.ioyi.

1807-

Josrphus de Antiq. Jud.

v.

Ojlon. l9l.

GRAND

CAIRO.

129
chap.
III.

the foundation, even of the Egyptian Babylon, an estabUshment had taken place upon the same
spot.

The

situation of

the Citadel of Cairo

corresponds with the locaUty of a city ahiiost

as old as Memphis.

stands

The district in which it Land of Goshen, or Rameses of Scripture, assigned by Joseph unto his father was
the
his brethren,

and

that they might be near to

the seat of the Egyptian kings ^

Their
at

first

settlement
the

was

in the

same

territory,

On^

Bethshemesh

of the Prophet Jeremiah^,

both of which names are rendered, in the Septuagint, Heliopolis'";

but

in their departure,

according to Josephus, they passed by the ruins

of a city called Letopolis
,

upon the

site

of

which Camhyses afterwards erected the Egyptian

Babylon '-.

(7)

" And thou

shalt be near unto me,

thou and thy children."

Gen. xiv. 10.

(8) t/o5e/5/j; uses
(9)

the words
13.

t>

'HAIOTnoAEI.

Jntiq.

lib. ii.

cap, A.

Jerem.

xliii.

(10) 'HXiBv-roXis.
(11)

So called from

Atiroij;,

Latona Dea.

It has

been confounded
vol. II.

with LatopoUs.
p.
1

See the Notes to the Oxford edition of Strabo,

Might not the annual sacrifice of a f^irgin to the Nile, which is said by some authors to have happened here, at the period of its inundation, have some reference to the mythological history of the
143.

persecution of Latona by the Serpent Python?

(12) Joseph.
kvii\({.

lib.

ii.

cap. 15.

Colon.

VOL.

V.

130
CHAP.

GRAND CAIRO.
Amongst
nary
all

m.
the^Ram-"'
parts.

the sights which this extraordito

is

country presents

the

eyes

of

an

Europecin traveller, there

x\\^Yi

nothing more novel

the viev/ of objects beheld from the CitadeV,

very

considerable

district,

whether
is

the
dis-

spectator regard the

Emt
is

or the South,

tinguished by one uniform buff colour. Tov'ards

the North, this colour

opposed by the most

can
conceive;
are

vived

green
all

that imagination

covering

the Delia.

Upon

the JVest

seen the Pyramids, reflecting the sun's beams,

and as white as snow.

In order that the reader

may comprehend
is

the exact situation of all that

seen from hence, this Chapter

may

conclude

by a

detail of the relative position of the different

objects, as they

were observed by a mariner's

(1)

After the author's return to England, he often endeavoured to

direct the attention of

some Panorama painter

in

of

London

to this curi-

ous spot; being convinced that a more surprising- subject for that kind

of painting could not be found

any other part of the world.

Some

years afterwards, a View of Cairo, painted by Mr. Barher, after desi;i;ns

by Mr. Salt, was exhibited in Leicester

Fields.

The effect/howand especially the

ever,

was

deficient.

The

objects
;

represented,

Pyramids, were too diminutive

the remarkable contrast of colour,

and the peculiar hues displayed by the original scene, were not preserved ; and the general cast of the scenery had too much the air of an

European landscape.
beheld,

As a picture, considering the difficulty encountered by an artist in the representation of a scene he had never
it

was a work of great merit; but to delineate with

is

fidelity

that which

like nothing else, the artist

must himself

visit

Egypt.

GRAND
compass.
This

CAIRO.
of description

131

mode

was

fre-

chap
III.

quently used by the celebrated JVheler, in the

account he published of his Travels in

Greece'^-,

and

it

will

be occasionally adopted

in

the

remaining Chapters of this Section.

YiEwfrom

the

Citadel of Cairo.
East.

very unusual and striking spectacle;

all

the landscape being of a buff, or bright stone-

colour

and the numerous buildings

In
the

in

view

having the
stand.

hue of the plains on which they

distance
is

an arid

desert,

without a single mark of vegetation.

to the
Obelisk

Nearer

eye appear immense heaps of sand, the

of HeliopoUs, and the stately mosques,

minarets,

and

sepulchres,

belonging to a Coemetery
Cairo,

of the

Caliphs

in

suburb of

called

Beladeensan ; a place

crowded with buildings of

a sino-ular form'.

South East.
Hill

and broken mounds, disposed,

in vast

masses, with very great grandeur.

(2) See fVheler's Travels, pp. 410, 442, 449, &c.

(3j

Land. 1682.

See Plate 24.

the larje Paris editiou of Denon's Travels.

k2

132

GRAND CAIRO.
South.

grand scene of desolation; the same buff

In the
are the
lofty quarries of
castles,

colour prevailing over every object.

fore-ground

Mount
below,

Mohatam, with ruined

mouldering domes,
far into the

and the remains of other

plain.

edifices, above,

and stretching beneath the heights,

More distant, appear the mountains of

and a wide misty view of the
South West, and West.
Said.

Upper Egypt, flanking the eastern bank of the

Nile,

Immediately beneath the eye

Aqueduct, supported

is

seen the

by

arches, and extending

to the Citadel;

two miles

in length,

from the Nile

together with mosques, minarets;

and immense

heaps of sand.
in this

But the grand object, viewed direction, is the Nile itself. At this
its

time,

having attained

greatest

elevation,

extending over a wide surface,

and flowing

with great rapidity,

it

appeared covered with

barges belonging to the army, and the various

vessels of the country, spreading their enormous
sails

on every part of

it.

The Ruins of Old

the river appears

Cairo, the Island

and groves of Rhouda, enrich

this fine prospect.

Beyond
fig,

the town of Djiza, amidst the most beautiful

groves of sycamore,

and palm

trees;

still

GRAND CAIRO.
c-ara;

133
chap.
^^^'
. ,

more remote, the Pyramids of Djha and Sacand, beyond these, the great Libyan Desert, extendmg to the utmost verge of the
visible horizon; a vast

ocean of sand.

North West, and North.

The green

plains of the Delta

occupy

all

the
so

distant perspective in this direction,

like

many

islands, covered with groves

edifices;

and gardens,

and adorned with white

among these

the djerms, the canjas, and other beautiful boats

of the Nile, are seen sailing.

North East,

The whole City of Cairo, extending from the

North towards the North East, and surrounded,
in the latter direction,

by heaps of sand.
is

Im-

mediately beneath the spectator

seen a grand

and gloomy structure,

The Mosque of Sultan Hassan, standing close to one of two lakes, which appear among the crowded buildcalled

ings of the city.

Such

is

the surprising and highly diversified

Citadel of

view from the

not be too

Grand

Cairo.

It will

much
by the

to affirm of this extraordinary

prospect, that a scene

more powerfully

affecting

the mind,

singularity of its association,

134
CHAP,
is

GRAND CAIRO.
not elsewhere to be contemplated;

pro-

fusion of Nature, amidst her

tion
;

most awful privaand Bedouin

a disciplined

army encamped amidst lawpavilions,

less banditti;

British

tents; luxurious gardens,

and baiTcn deserts; the pyramid and the mosque; the obelisk and the
the sublimest

minaret;

monuments

of

human

industry, amidst mouldering reliques of Saracenic

power.

Eiiirance to

(/jc

Amiiis Trajani;?, jrom the N\

CHAP.
HELIOPOLIS,

lY.
DJIZA.

AND THE PYRAMIDS OF

Visit to

Passage along the Canal

Pillar o/On Style of concerning them

ligence
its

Heliopolis

Mat area
-Intelthe

the Hieroglyphics
their

Archetypes Crux Of Hieralpha and meaning explained ansata Other Symbols Kircher History of Testudo Minerals of Arabian Desert Doubtful Dates and Origin of Egyptian Jasper Almehs Of and Corn of lamenta Voyage Pyramids Appearance presented principal Pyramid from by Limestone used consummit Nature of Extraneous by Strabo French Army Theft comMortar Labours of
the

the

Obelisk

the

Petrifactio7is

the Alleluia,

cry

tion

to the

the

Objects

seen

the

the

in

its

struction

Fossil

described

the

mitted by an Arab

Notions entertained of Well Examination of passages Observation some Sepulchre Channels Chamber of The Soros demolition attempted The Sphinx
Pyramid
its

Visit to the interior

cf the larger
Its

violation

at the

inferior

the

its

its

136
it.i

GRAND CAIRO.
surface found
to be

painted

Inscription

Custom

Discovery of an
antient

antient

of painting

Statues

Extract from Pauw.

ciiAr.

Our
street,

house in Grand Cairo stood

in a principal

IV

near the northern bank of the Canal; so

instead of a carriage
it

that our djerm, being always at hand, served us,

like a gondola at Venice,

and we frequently used

to visit the different

parts of the city accessible

by

canals.

Upon

the twenty-first of August, the inundation being

nearly at

its

height,

we

attempted a passage

by water

to the

utmost extremity of the Amnis

el

Trajanus \ in the direction of the Birk

Hadjee,

(1) The Khalig, or principal Canal of Cairo, believed to be the TPAIANOS noTAMOS oi Ptolemy, (Fid. Geog. lib. iv. c. 5.) and called Savari/, upon the authority of also, by some writers, Fossa Traiana. Elmacin, an Arabic historian, attributes this work entirely to Omar, and says it was Adrian, rather than Trajan, who caused a caoal to be

dug near Cairo.

(Lettres sur VEgypte,

torn. I.

p. 94. Paris,

1785.)

There

is,

however, reason to believe that Omar's work w as merely a

It
is

restoration of the antient dyke.

extends eastward of the

JVile, to

the distance of twelve miles, and

terminated by the Pilgrim's Lake.

Formerly
Sea.

it

was continued to HeroopoUs, upon the btrnks of the Red

Sesostris, carried
Its last

This undertaking was begun by

finished by Ptoletny Philadelphus.

on hy Darius,

and

restoration took place

lib. xvii.

in the year 644, P'

1

under Caliph Omar.

See
also the

fStrabon. Geog.

^om.

II.

140. Edit. Oxon.

Notes in the Oxford edition of

is

St}-abo.)

The

history of this great undertaking, in its origin,

thus related by

Pliny,

who

says the design was abandoned through fear of inundating

" Daneon partus, ex quo Egypt with the waters of the Red Sea. riavigabilejn alteum pcrducere in Nilum (qud parte ad Delta dictum
decurrit

HELIOPOLIS.
or Pilgrims Lake, which

137
first

was the

station of

chap.
^^
,

the great Caravan, in

its

journey to Mecca,

We

soon found our progress obstructed by the arch

of a bridge, which

was

so low, that our djerm

it,

could not pass beneath

pelled to return.

and we were com-

The next
Janissary,

day, having obtained horses and a

set out again, in the

visit to

we

same

direction,

by

land,

desirous

of

seeing the remains

of

Heliotolis, one of the most antient

cities of

the world of which a vestige can now be traced.

More than

eighteen hundred years ago,

its

ruins

decurrit LXii titilLpass. inlervallo, quod inter

interest)

fiumai

et

primus omnium

Sesostris

jEgypti rex cogitavit

Rnhrum mare mox Darius

:

Persarum: deinde Ptolemceus sequens: qui et duxit fossam latitudine pedum centum, altitudine triginta, in longitudinem xxxvii mill, d pass,
usque ad fonfes amaros
tribus cuhitis
:

ultra deterruit imcndationis metus,

excelsiore

Rubra mari comperto, quam terra ^^gi/pli."

cap. 29. torn.
I.

(Plin. Hist.

Nat.

lib. vi.

p. 331. L. Bat. 1G35.)

Accorilinj to the

passage which Savari/ has translated from Elmacin, Omar's lieutenant,

Amrou^ opened the communication between the Red Sea and the Nile and a navigation, bearitig the produce (;f by means of this canal Egypt, actually commenced. " Les bateaux partant de Fostat, port e;

rent dans la

Mer

de Colznum

les

denrees de VEgypte."

(Voy. Lett, sur

I'Egypte, tom.l. p.96.

origin of that

Paris, 11 93.)

"Such,"
travellers,

says Savary,

"

is

the

famous canal, which

copying each other,

in

have called Amiius Trajanus."

this

Be

it

remembered, however, that

all

number

are Pococke and

Shaw: and with

deference to Savory's
it

great abilities, and to his predilection for Arabic histories,

may he

presumed that neither of these writers was unacquainted with the sources whence the French author derived his information.

138
;

HELIOPOLIS.

CHAP,

^y*

most enlightened Nearly thirtytravellers of Greece and Rome. years before the Christian sera they were visited
attracted the regard of the

by

Strato;

and

his description of
this

that the

condition of

them proves once famous seat

of science

was almost
If,

as forlorn then as at the

present period.

as Shaiv has ingeniously

soil,

attempted to prove', the accretion of

from

the annual inundation of the Nile, ''have been

in

a proportion of somewhat more than afoot in a

years,''

hundred
the

we might

search for some of

Straho,

antiquities

mentioned by

at

the

depth of six yards below the present surface.

But when Pococke visited the

antient

place, he observed
in the

the fragments of Sphinxes yet remaining,

way

leading to the eminence on which

the Temple of the Sun stood, between the principal entrance to its area,

and the southern side

it".

of the obelisk standino- before

The
a

Sbhinxes

which Pocochc saw, were,

Straho so

in

fact,

part of

the identical antiquities that were noticed

by
is

many

centuries before'';

whence

it

(0

Travels, Socond Edition, p. 338. Ch.

11.
I.

sect. 3.

(2) Pocnch.i'.i D2scriiit. of the East, vol.

(3) A(a
Ss

p. 23.

Loml. 1743.

rou

[.'Ax-avi

truyro;

e^j?,-

l^'

iKKTipa toZ TXcirav; ir^iyyis l^^uvTm

dXXt.i.av ^/^ov(rKi,
sj

Xihtai, T'/,^iis uaairri, n fiiK^ci -xXi'iov;

*;;/a
iitcti

a-jr

aaf

iva fiiv Ix

(TTiKcv {arolx.o'^) ~oJy (r^iyyaiv,

'itia 2'

iuarJuuy.

" Per totam

vero

loii;:it'.'.di"cm ilcinceps

cs utraque latitudini> parte sunt positse lapide;e

sp!;injcs.

HELIOPOLIS.
reasonable to conclude, that very
little

139
labour chap.
IV

would be necessery to excavate even the paveFrom the observations ment of the temple*. made by Fdcocke, he deduces an inference, that
the utmost height to which the soil has accu-

mulated does not exceed seven feet and a half \ At the time of our visit to Heliopolis, all the
area of the antient temple
that any search of this kind

was under water so was thereby pre;

vented.

Our road
fertile

to this place

from Cairo was along

the southern side of the canal, through the

most

gardens, and amidst thick groves of olive

trees.

and orange
to

In our way,
is

we

halted at
Malaria.

Malaria, a village which

generally believed
site

occupy a part of the

of the

antient

city^

Here

travellers

are entertained with a

number of absurd

superstitions, similar to those

already described in the account of the Holy

iphinges, vicenis cubitis, vel paulo pluribus inter se distantes

ut altera
lib, xvii.

sphin^um
torn. 11.

series sit a dextra, altera a sinistra."

JEdit.

Strah. Geog.

p. 1142.

Oxon.

(4) Ibid.

(5) Descript. of the East, vol.

I.

p. 23.
railcs

(6) This place

is

said

by Quaresmius to be ten geographical

torn. II.
it is

from Cairo,

(Fid. Elucid. Terr. Sanct.

p. 948. Antv. 163.9.)

five

meaning, probably, from Old Catro; as

Cairo, according to Bernardino.

only

from Grand

140
CHAP.
IV
^

HELIOPOLIS.
Land.
visit

The

principal

number

of Christians

who

Matarea are pilgrims, attracted by the

spot,

supposed sanctity of the

Fountain of the Sun\

as

connected

with the history of our Saviour.

The celebrated
city itself

whence the

seems

(1) Called

Ain Scheynps by the Arabs, which agrees with the name

iiTirc/ter;

oi Heliopolis, as found in ^ftw^erfa, and cited by the learned

^gypt. tom.lU. ;>. Heliopolis, quam et Ociiluyn

CEdip.
uostris desolata est,

331.

i?om. 1655.

"Ain

Schemps, sive

seu fontem Solis ajipellant, temporibus neque sunt in ea habitationes uUae ; et dicitur,

quod

fuerit civitas Pharaonis:

sunt in ea insignia anliquitatis

saxis

monu-

menta, constructa ex lapidibus et

maximis

inter caetera verb

(id

columna quadrata,
etiam ibidem
Nili."
It
villa

qua?

vocatur Acus Pharaoyiis

est Oleliscus),
est

longitudo ejus 30 cubitorum, estque k Ca>/70 ferS media mergala;

dicta Matarea,
sita

ad latus sinistrum Orientalis

may be proper

to notice here a very extraordinary doubt of the

it is

learned Lurcher concerning this city, as

expressed in the Table

Geographique, published in the Appendix to his Translation of jF/i?ro(fo<tf5.

M. Larcher
Heliopolis
site of

asserts,

in opposition

to

every preceding writer, that

was situated in the Delta, and that Matarea stands on the

itisignijicant

an

town of the same name, which has been concity.

founded with the more renowned

offers

For

this assertion

M. Larcher
ut-

no proof whatsoever

but refers his reader

to a separate disser-

tation,

which he intends to publish upon

this subject.

With the

most deference

to that profound scholar, it

may be
to
it

surely urged, that

will

what Kircher, Pococke, and Shaw, considered

not be hastily abandoned.

be established,

In additioa to this

may

be asked, do
de-.

not the remains of Sphinxes, noticed by Pucocke, confirm the

scription

given by Slrabo oi the ruins of Heliopolis?

is

Do

not the

stupendous Obelisks, one of which

token
cate,
to

Ro7ne, Vid. Strahon. Geog.

now standing, {two others were Ub.wW. p. 1142. Ed. Oxon.) indithe vestiges of no
iticon-

beyond a
?

possibility of contradiction,

siderable city

The
;

observations of Stralo concerning the situation

of the 'Hkioi-oXiTn;

yafics,

and the

rou 'HXiou roXis,

are given with re-

markable precision

and when these are compared with the observations.

HELIOPOLIS.
to

141

have

been originally named,

and whose

delicious water attracted the earliest settlers to

the eastern side of the Nile, was, according to

Monkish legends, only known from the time It that the Holy Family came into Egypt.
burst forth, they say,

when

the

Virgin with

tions
city

made by modern
complete
;

travellers, the evidence for the position of the

is

and nothing seems

likely to

supersede

it.

He

is

describing the country along the Pehisinc branch of the Nile ; and

coming
its

to the

Canal between that river and the

Red

Sea, he deduces

origin from a period anterior to the Trojan

War.

The
Sinus
its

subject leads

him ioArsinoe, near which

city this canal joined the

Heroopolites.
eastern side,

Thence returning

to the Nile,

he speaks of places on

which are near to the southern point or vertex of the Delta; mentioning first liubastus, then Ueliopolis, Letopolis, &c. and their respective
names
;

enumerating these
as being

as they occurred

from the North towards

;

the South, until he reaches the Nile beyond the Delta

and speaks of

Libya

on the right, and

.-Arabia
is

upon the
can

left

" Wherefore"

says he,
t TJ)

"

the Heliopolitan district

IffTiv.

in Arabia."

'H fAv oZv 'KXioTroXlns

it

'Apajiia

After this observation,

be affirmed that

Heliopolis

was

in the

Delta

of Strabo
Maillet,

may

be cited,

Another very remarkable observation with reference to antiquities observed by

?

which seem

to prove, not only that

Mataria denotes the

site

of Heliopolis, but
district:
it is,

also that

Old Cairo stands within the LetopolUan

the mention he

makes
among

of certain Caves, or pits, for

astronomical observations, lying in the Letopolitan prcEfecture, beyond

Heliopolis.
pits

Maillet discovered,

the ruins of Old Cairo, several

excavated to a very great de])th in the rock, after the manner of

{See the Note top. 125 of this volume.)
at present entertained of the

Joseph's Well.

These corre-

spond with the notions

of the Antients
to by Strabo.
;

astronomical wells

and perhaps they are the Astronomical Caves aUuded

concerning Heliopolis, see Herodot.
c.

For other particulars

lib. v.

Euterpe;
fyc.

Diodorus Siculus,

57

Ptolemceus

Stephanus;

Sfc.

142
CHAP.
IV.

HELIOPOLIS.
Joseph and the infant Jesus here rested, in their
flight

from the fury of Herod.

We

breakfasted

beneath the shade of a sycamore

is

fig-tree,

which

said to have opened and to have received

the fugitives, the spot

when

closely pursued

'

and upon

we

listened to

many

other stories of

the

same

nature, the repetition of which even

old Sandys considered to be " an abuse of time,

and a provocation of

his reader ^"

However,

by

imitating the

conduct of the pilgrims, in

breaking off and bearing away with us a few

scions of this venerable tree, (as Sandys says',
'*

all to he

hackt for the wood thereof, reputed of

vei'tue,'')

soveraigne

we were enabled

to gratify

our botanical friends in England with very rare

specimens

for

their herbaries*.
to

The well of
in the

Matarea

is

supposed

be represented

(1) See ail

Engraving of the

ffell; the edifice erected over it;

and

of this tree

in Bernardino^s Trattato delle

Piante

et

Imniagini de sacri
representation in-

Edifizi di Terra Santa, ^c.

Firenze, 1620.

The

Balsam Gardetioi Bernardino was in Egypt in 1597.

cludes the iamous
(2) Sajj<7^s' Travels,
tij

Cleopatra, which no longer exists.

p. 127.

J^nd. 1G37.
all

The
it

reader,

who wishes

consult a complete detail of

its

the Christian superstitions concern-

ing Cairo and

Terr. Sanct.

neighbourhood,
Aiitu. 1639.

may

find

in

Quaresmlus, Elucid.

torn. IJ.

His account of the Sanctities of

Matarea
f4)

is

given in p. 948 of that volume.

(3) Ibid.

See Chap.

II.

p. SO.

HELIOPOLIS.
famous Mosaic pavement of Prc^neste^ where a view is also given of the Temple of the Sun, or
Bethshemesh
obelisks,

143

of

sacred

scripture^,

with

the

as they stood before the vestibule of

the building-.

We
On^
work

then went to
or Obelisk

renowned pillar of of Heliopolis, (the only great

visit the

Piikr of

On.

of antiquity

now remaining
upon the
first

o/'Goi/iew^) standing

Land spot where the

in all the

Hebrews had their

settlement^.

All the

surrounding plain was at this time inundated,

so that the Obelisk appeared as in the midst of a

The water was, however, shallow, and we rode upon our horses towards its base. The ground being here rather elevated, the author was enabled to gain a precarious footing
lake.

(5)
tlie

Shaw's Travels,

sect. 7.
in

eh. 2. p. 424.

Lond. 1757.

See also

history of this

pavement

Montfaucon' s Antiquities,

vol. xiv.

(6)
fiouse,

" He

shall

break also the Images of Beth-shemesh

is

{\.e.the
xliii. 13.
:

or City oftheSuti) that

in the land oi

Egypt."

Jer.

(7)

" And Pharaoh

called Joseph's

name Zaphnath-paaneah

and

he gave hiui to wife Asenath, the dauj^htcr of Poti-pherah priest of On." Ge7i. xli. 45. This name of the city is rendered 'UXiovriXtu!

by the

LXXH.

as

is

also the

Hebrew word Beth-shemesh, mentioned

II.

in

the preceding Note.

(8)

See Shauj's Travels, torn.

'Svji'i^a^ricriv

chap. 5.
tixvuv

(3)

auTM

0v

fiira. <ruv

h HXmu^oXu'

"Concessit
lib. ii.

ei

cum

liberis suis HeliopoU?t habitare."

Josephi Antiq. Jud.

cap. 1.

torn. I. p. 95.

Amst. ^r. 1726.

144
ill

HELIOPOLIS.
the

midst of the pool,

the
hieroglyphics

and

leisurely

to

delineate

which are

rudely

sculptured upon this superb monument.

These

have been already engraved, both by Norden and by Shmu ; but in neither instance with
accuracy'.

From

the coarseness of the sculp-

ture, as well as the history of the city to

which

this obelisk belonged, there is reason to consider

it

as the oldest

monument

of the kind in Egypt*.

feet';

Its height is
its

between sixty and seventy

breadth, at the base, six feet:

the whole

being one entire mass of red granite.

its

Each of

four sides exhibits the

characters, and in the

faces the south

same hieroglyphic That which has been the least affected by

same

order.

decomposition; and
that the

it is

from the southern side

is

author's

design

taken.

He

has

endeavoured

to imitate the

rude style of the

( 1)

The same may be

said of the engraving of this obelisk in Kirchcr'g

is

iEdipus ^gypliacus, \vhere the scarabccus p'dulurius

introduceJ, in-

stead of the rude symbol wliich appears upon the original, and uhiab

was probably intended to represent that

(2)

insect.

"Antiquissima

fuit,

ut origo etiam ad fabulas referatur." Cellar.

Lips. 1706.

Gtog. tom.M. Pars

(o)

3. p. 42.
its

Shaw makes

height equal only to sixty-four feet; (Trav,

p. 336.
it

Lond. 1757.) although he says " other travellers have descriled

to be

upwards of seventy."
it

Pocoche ascertained

its

height, by the
Deta-ipt.

quadrant, and found

of the East,
vol. I.

to be sixty-seven feet and a half.

p. 23.

Lond. 1743.

HELIOPOLIS.
antient sculpture,

145
as nearly as

and

to

exhibit,

chap
.^

possible, a faithful representation of the original.

After the

remark made by
left

Strabo,

concerning

the hieroglyphics of Heliopolis, that they

nmch

resembled the works

by the

Etrurians and

by
in

the antient Grecians^ a curiosity to see these

particular
is

naturally

xcited.

They

are
styicofthe

remarkable for the rudeness of their style of

sculpture; but ni the representations given

Qij,hics.^

them
to

in

books of Travels, the simplicity of the

original

work has been sacrificed, in attempting express, from more perfect models, the
in the

intended delineation of the antient sculptor.

Thus,

view of

this obelisk, published

by

Shaw, and also by Norden,

many

of the hiero-

glyphic figures are fancifully restored,

under a
;

notion

of

improving

their

appearance
In the

and
oval

some are altogether omitted.

rude figure,

first

inclosure, from the top of the obelisk, there is a

something

like

what

is

vulgarly
it.

called a bird-bolt,

with a circle above

Shaiu

believed this to be intended for the scarabceiis

pilularius,

which

is

so

frequently seen upon

(4)

'

AyctyXupa;

5'

'iy^ovirii

o'l

ToT^oi

outoi

fiiytk>.uv

ii^uXav, ouo'iut

TCiT^

Tv^^>lviKo7;,

xx) to'; ci^^aioii

gip'oi^a.

tuv va^a.

ro7; "EXXyitrt ^rif/.tov^yn/iaruv.

Hi parietes iugentium simulacrorum sculpturas habent, Etruscis et

antiqiiis
/).

CrcocicB operibus

per similium."

Slrabon.

Geoff,

lib.

xvii.

111'.'.

Jul. O.ron. 1807.

\'Or..

V.

14G
CHAP.
IV.
/

HELIOPOLIS.
Egyptian monuments
:

accordingly,

he com-

pletely restored the figure of the beetle,

it

making
also did
in their

appear as a more perfect representation of

what he had seen elsewhere'. Norden the same^ Possibly they were right
conjectures as to the figure intended

by

the

antient artist; but one proof of the great anti-

quity of this

monument

rests

upon the

style of
this, in

the workmanship; and to misrepresent

copying the

hieroglyphics,

by any aim

at superior

delineation, is as barbarous as to exhibit an

archaic inscription in

modern

characters'.

The

reader's curiosity to

with the

become acquainted hidden meaning of the symbols upon

perhaps quite equal to that of the
that Kircher has written for
to
this effect,
if all

this obelisk is

author; and
its

illustration
is

be adequate

no-

thing

easier than to transcribe his observa-

tions*.

Butlsis long ago declared, that no mortal

(1)

See the Plate facing p. 365, in Shaw's Travels.

Lond. 1757.

(2) iV(</ewV Travels, Plate facinjj p. 14.

Lond. V,ol.

(3) If the reader believe Hasselquist, he was able to distinguish every species of bird upon this pillar, which he calls the handsomest
obelisk in

Egypt.

"

could know," says he,

'*

a strix (owl) which

to the

stood uppermost on the top of the obelisk."

p. 99.

See Trav.
these

East,

Loud. 1766.

All other authors,

p. 330.

;nid

among

Kucher, have

made the

slrix of Hassclquist

a vulture.

(4) (Edipus

Mgyptiacus,

Romcc, lGo4.

HELIOPOLIS.

147

had ever removed her veil*; and the hnpenetrable secret seems not Ukely to be divulged. One solitary fact has been vouchsafed to ages
of restless inquiry upon this subject; namely,
that the hieroglyphic characters constituted a
luritten

language^, the signs of an antient alpha-

bet,

expressed according to the most antient

of writing,
in
capital letters'^:

mode

and

it

is

probable that the more compound forms were a

series of monograms, like the inscriptions

upon

the precious stones

worn by the High Priest of the Hebreivs, which were ordered to be made after the manner of "the engravings of a SIGNET ^" and thus to contain within a very small compass, " as stones of memorial ," even upon "two onyx-stones, the names of

fs) Tov

Ifiov

'TirrXoi ouiiii -ra ^tnros a.-yrix.d.Xui^i)/.

Plutarch, de hide ct

Osir. cap. 9.
(6)

See the words of the Greek Inscription upon the Ptolemaic tablet

found near Rosetfu.

(7)

The

letters of the

most antient written languasje of Egypt, ac.-

cording to Diod/irun, were derived from the Ethinpinns

all sorts

and represented

of beasts, the

parts of the hiiinan body,

and divers instru-

ments.
in the

The capital letters of the Armenian alphal)et (as published grammar printed by the Propaganda Fidei) are represented by
:

animals

and

it is

observed by Pocncke,

who mentions

this

circumthat

staace, (Descriptinn of the East, vol.1, p. 228.

London, 1743,)

"

the
(8)
{!))

names of some antient Exodus xw'iW. II.

Ibid. ver. 12.

letters

are the names of beasts."

l2

148

HELIOPOLIS.

THE ciirLDiiEN OF Israel'. Slraho\^ observation upon the Heliopolitan sculpture is here ol
importance: he says,
it

resembled the worksimilarity

manship of Etrurians: and by the

already noticed ^

between the

letters

of the

Elruscan alphabet and the characteirs observed

upon Fhcenician

signets,

as well as the evident

agreement of the signs upon Phoenician coins'

with the Egyptian
ferred that the
hierog/ij/j/iics,
it

may be

in-

by the priests of Egypt corresponded with that which Moses caused to be engraven upon the stones
of writing used
for the

mode

ephod, and for the breast-plate of judg-

ment, which are expressly and repeatedly described* as " THE WORKS OF AX ENGRAVER IN

STONE, LIKE THE ENGRAVINGS OF A SIGNET."

But with reference

to the inscription

the obelisk at HeliopoUs,

and

to the

upon numerous

examples of the same kind which have been

noticed

among

the antiquities of Egypt, altliough

(1) Ej:ridi;s xxviii.

9.

(2) Sec Vol. IV. of tlicse (3)

Tnivcls

p. 34.

Octavo edition.
a.

Witness the appearance of the Cni.r anso/ii uyion

in Cvi'uus.

J'ficrtiician

medal found
Travels.
(4)

See T'lsnclU-

to

Chap.

\l.

I'ol. IV.'

of theic

Octavo etUlwn.
xxviii.
1

Exodus

1, i'l.

HELIOPOLIS.

149
their
'

we

be unable
in

to

explain

any thing of

^^-^^
- .^

original import, there is one

mode

of considering

them,

which a careful examination of the

signs thus represented

may be

attended with

amusement,
sists, first,

if

not with instruction.

This conarchetypes

ot the

Vl^etypes Hie-

in ascertaining

what the
to

-rosiii/p'^ics.

were of the several

figures

used

denote letters:

these are sometimes clearly exhibited, but often

confusedly sketched, as
viation;

if

with a view to abbre-

and secondly,

in using these

documents,

not only to illustrate the manners of the most

antient nations, but also to prove the existence

of

many

antient

customs from
the

their

existing

relics.

In this point of view,

the discoveries
hieroglyphics

made by Denon^ among

of

Upper Egypt are valuable. The light thrown upon the history of antient Architecture, and of
the Arts and Sciences,

by the

figured represen-

tation of things as they existed in the earliest

periods, will gratify a laudable curiosity, and

also answer the

may

more important purpose of con-

veying historical information.

The

hieroglyphics

(5)

See Denon's account of the hieroglyphics in the Sepulchres of

Trarcls in Upper

the antient Kings of Theces.

vol. \\. p. 173.

and Lower Egypt,

'^

London, 1803.

Also of the hieroglyphics of

Tentijru,'*

where he discovered the first models of the style of decoration improperly termed Arabesque, such as were e\e'juted in painting at the Haths of TdtiSy and copied by Raphaei. See vol. I. p.lW,

150
of Heliopolis

HELIOPOLIS.
perhaps
afford
less
illustration

of this kind than any other characters of the

same nature
is

because the

style of sculpture

here so

rude, that

many

of the archetypes,

whence

the types of the inscription were de-

rived, cannot

now be

ascertained

but,

owing
dis-

to their great antiquity, the

few that can be

cerned are worth

of the
<^'-"j"

notice.

In the very summit

obelisk,

beneath the figure of a vulture,

the Crux ansata\

may be observed

The

original

ansatu.

(l)

" Sed

iKin erat ulliim teinpluin, in

stepiiis viseiida

quo

iion figura crucis (msal(r,

ut earn eruditi vocant,

occurreret, bodieqne in ruderi-

bus ac

ruiiiis

etiamiium occurrat.
istaiii

Ejus
in

h.-Ec

est

ppeeies

-f-

....
teniplis

Crucem

vero

ansatam, quae

omnibus /Et;v|)tiorum
sac'crdi)talis,

Siepius ficta et picta extahat.

quam

si;;^na

Deoruni /E^yptidnun nianu

iiiljil

tenere solent,

(|ua5 (larteni I'acit

ornatu^

aiiud esse
1.

quam

plialluin,"

&e.

{Fide

Jablonski

Panth.

^gypt.

282.)

Jamblichus thinks the Cru.r onsata was the name of the Divine Being.

Sozomen,
lib.\u. c
figure,

ami oiher Chrislinn writers, 'T'ide Sozomen.

15.

Eccl. Hist.

Ruifiii.

Eccl Hist.

lib. \i.

c.

^9.)

conceive the whole

life to

or at least the cross, to

be expressive of the
it

cnnie

;"

deriving this opinion from the explanation given of

by those of

tlie

Heathens who understood the

Christianity.
tircle, as al)ove

hierogly/ihics,

and weie converted to

Sometimes
;

it

is

represented by a cross fastened to a

letter

in

other instances, with the

T" only, fixed in

this
j>.

manner

-j-

to a circle.

By the

circle,

says Kircher (Prod. Copt.

ids),

as the

is to bf- understood the Creator and Preserver of the world ; wisdom derived from him, which directs and governs it, is

signified by tlie

4-

the monogram, as he further conjectures, of

Mercury,

ThntI,,

Taaut, or <|>T Ptha.

"

It i>

certainh

very extra-

ordinary," (says Shaw,

u!)on this subject,)

who

has collected almost ever)

information

" and worthy of our notice, that this crux ansata should be so often ia their symbolical writings; either alone, or held

HELIOPOLIS.
of this curious type

151

was the

sort of ley in use

among
nexed

the Antients, which generally appears

fastened to a ring.

Sometimes

it

is

seen an-

to a rosary of beads, as in the

remarkable

instance where the

same symbol appears upon a

in the Isle of

Phoenician medal* found at Citium

Cyprus, of which an engraving

was given
is

in the

preceding section'.

This kind of key

;

not en-

tirely banished from modern use

and such

instruments have been discovered in the ruins

of antient cities.

They

are often seen in the

hands of Egyptian statues.

glyphical tablet found near the

Two were
upon a

reprehiero-

sented, as pendent from hooks,

Pyramids by Paul
this

Lucas*.

The archetype of

symbol
It is

may
not

possibly therefore have been a key.

the less likely to answer to Jablonski's explanation of

it

on

this

account \

We

have historical

Beetles, in the hands, or suspended over the necks, of their deities. and such other sacred animals and symbols, as were bored through,

and intended
them."
considers

for,

amulets, had this figure frequently impressed upon

{See Sfiatv's Trav. p. 360.

it

Lond. 1757.)

The same author

to

be the same with the ineffable image of Eternili/,

noticed by Svidas.
(2) It

Vide Euseb. PraJ Etnn.

p. 69.

seems to have

as mucli reference to Phanicia, as to

Egypt.

Upon
(3) f4)

a medal of Sidon, the cross appears carried hy Minerva in a boat.

See Vignette to Chapter

II.

Vol. IV. Octavo edition.

See the Engraving of this in the Second Volume of his Travels,

as published at
(5) See

Amsterdam

in 1744,

tom.

II.

p. 130.

Note

in opposite page, containing

an extract from Jahlonski,

npou

152

HELIOPOLIS.
information relative to the meaning of the Crux
arisata.

Indeed,

it

may be

considered as the

only hieroglyphical type concerning

we have any
among

certain intelligence.

whose import The singular

appearance of a Cross so frequently recurring

the hieroglyphics of Egypt, had excited

the curiosity of the Christians in a very early

period of ecclesiastical history'; and as some of

the
priests ^

who were
the

acquainted with the

meaning of the
to
Christianity,

hieroglyphics,

secret

became converted " The transpired.

Scholasticus',

converted Heathens'' says Socrates

upon the
which

nieaiiiii^

of the Crux ansata.

;

The women
tliis

of Naples w?ar

it

as

a pendant for the ea

Jal,lon.ski

annexing to

ornament the

signification

has given of the Cfux ansata: but the use of the

metaphorical verb Chiavare, in their language, proves that the same

interpretation
is

ap

icable

to a
is

key.

An

observation

occurs

in

Athenaus where the

(1) It

letter

deemed

obscene.
38.9.

The Serap^um

at yflexandria

was destroyed about the year

was at the destruction of

this

building that the Christians first

of the Cross

became acquainted with the meaning

tian hieroglyphics. (2)

among

the

Egyp-

No

liberty

is

here taken, either with the text of Rvffinus or of

;

Socrates, in savins: the priests

because no others possessed a know-

ledge of the sacred writing.

(3)
Tourai*
Ti

af/.fHiT^ttTovuiiiuv,

rivi;

reu*

'EA.X))va>y

tm

XfurrianfftZ
Toy

^rpafsXfovTis,

Tec

ispiyXvfiKm

ypifiu-arei
^<)ri

I'jriffrafe.iyoi,

^iipfitinuatris

ffravpoud^ ^ap.XTiipa, 'iXiyov ffn/nxniiv

/>;^o^s>)v.

" Duni

hiec.

inter

illos asitalur controvt-isia, quidam ex Gentiliuni errore ad Christi fidem couversi, qui hujusmodi literarum uotitiam hahebant, notam lianc crucis forma depictam interpretantes, vcuturam vitani significare

docuerunt."^'

HELIOPOLIS.
'

153
it
t^ii-^i'-

explained the symbol; and declared that

*

signified

life to come.'

"

RuJJinus

mentions

the

same fact\
to

Kirchers ingenuity had guided

him

an explanation of the

Cmx
He

ansata, as a

monogram, which does not militate against the

signification

thus obtained.
<I>T,

says,

it

con-

sisted of the letters

denoting Ptha, a

name

oi Mercury^ ; and the

name

of this deity, as a

conductor of the souls of the dead, might well be

used with reference to a state of

death.

existence after

But as every Egyptian monogram had its some animal, or instrument of common use, and the original of the Crux ansata seems to have been a key^ we may perhaps, by
archetype in
attending to this curious circumstance, arrive at
the origin of those allegorical allusions to a key,

which, with reference to a future

are introduced into the

state

of existence,

Holy Scriptures.
of
Christ'^.

Such

an

illusion is

made

in the

prophecies of Isaiah,

concerning the kingdom

Our Saviour

docuerunt."
Paris, 1668.

Sncrat. Schulast.

Hisior. Ecctesiast.

lib. v. c.

17. p- 27fj.

The reader
ler}'

will

do well to consult the whole chapter,

which
(4)
lib.
iii.

c<)iitaiii>,

curious inl'orination.
Eccl.
lib.
ii.

Ihiffin.

Hirt.

c. 20.

See also

Ifeliod.

.Ethiop.

p. 148.

(5) Kircher. Prod. Copt. p. 169.

See also a former Note upon

tiie

Crux
(G)

ansatiji.

" The

hey of the house of Dai'id wH)

lay

upon

his shoulder."

/saiah xxii.

2'2.

I."34

HELIOPOLIS.
says unto Peter\ "
'

^^jy^*'

<v~ THE

KEYS OF THE

will give unto thee KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:"

if

and the author of the book of Revelations, as

the sacred symbols of antient Egypt had sug-

gested the image to his mind, describes the

Angel of
a key.

the Resurrection' as

having in his hand

Also, in the sublime prophecy concern-

ing the second advent of the Messiah, a similar

may be noticed^: "I am he that AND WAS DEAD; AND, BEHOLD, I AM ALIVE FOR EVERMORE, Amen AND HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL AND OF DEATH."
allusion

LIVETII

Among the
upon
this

other signs used to express words

is

monument, there
is

one, respecting

which our information

not attended with the

iiieyuipha.

same certainty as in the preceding instance, although its meaning be not entirely unknown. This is the curious monogram, called Hitralpha by Kircher\ composed of the Greek letters A and A,

(1)

Matthew
**

xvi. 19.

(2)

of

tlie

saw an anjel come down from heaven, having the key bottomless pit, and a great chain iu his baud." Revel, xx. 1.
I
i.

And

(3) Revel,
(4)

18.
significat,
ex.

" Hie character idem

quod

'Aya(af Auiftui, id

est.

Bonus Genius; et compoiiitur

prodiicitur

iuitialihns Uteris
in se

et A.

Si

enim

litera, fiat

A,

quod

monogrammatic^ contiuet A
et

HELIOPOLIS.

155
to
its

which he explains, from Plutarch, Jgatho Daemon, and to have had for
type an
Ibis, in

signify

archeIt

a particular attitude*.

may

be observed near the centre of the obelisk, immediately above another figure of the Crux ansata, similar to that which has been already
described.
admitting, at

Pauw ridicules Kirchers notion the same time, a resemblance beof the Greek alphabet and

tween the

first letter

the Thebcm plough\

fact,

Now

the plough was, in

an archetype of the symbol which Kirchcr

et

A;

iiiveiiitur

autem

haec

litera

hieroglyphica
ct

in

omnibus

feri;

jE^yptiacis insciiptiouibus, &c.

voL-abitnus."
torn.

quam

HleruIpJtam impttsteruiu
Hieroghjphicuni^
tlie

{Kircher.

CEdip. ^gtjpt.

Theatriim

HI. p. 50. Rom. 1654.)

Also (in Prod. Copt. p. 231.)

A, ex

same
nul!i

autlior sa\s,
lion
ubelisci)

" Hoc

iAo/oyfK/i./iiiv

et

composittuii,

in

IVequentissiinum,

jE^yptiarum vocum

.JjV^^OC
sis;-

.^GJULOIt,
iiaiit,

quihus boiium geniuiii

Delta Nili seu /K'^ypti

index;

cum

pra!ter

dictarum

vocum

capitale?

literas,

ejus

quoque JEgnpti
dictum
(5)

portioiiis

fi^uram

quam A passim

vocant,

dare

fcovoypai/./Aov

expriuiat."

'l/3<5

xoiit Tri

Tav
/bis

-jroowt ocffafratrn "Tr^oi aXX'/sXev;, kcsi

vrpo;

to o'lyxii

iff'o'!f>.ivfi>v

rpiyi/'jav.

"

pedum

divaricotione eorutn inter se, et cunt

refert
Iv

rostro

cnmparatione,
5.

trianirulum
Xiyirai QiZy

(Fquilaterum."

Plutarch.

Sympos.
010
Koc.]

Also

'Ep/iyis

AiyvTrTcu ypafifitcrx vjiwrjy I'v^nv,

"l,"iv y^dipova'i,

TO Tuv

ypa-ftfidreav

AlyvtTtoi ^^utov

ag *Ef^ t^'AycJ-

c^ciifioii)

v^orwovtoLi.

" MeiTurius primus Deorum

Agatbodasmoni, coiivenientem."
j^gypt.

in ^E2,ypto tradi-

tur iuveiil^se literas, alque adeo Ibiu .^jyptii

primam

literam faciunt
Id.

Mercurio,

videlicet

in

lib. \\.

Sympos.
;>.

2, 3.

See also Kircher CEdip.

Theat.

Hieroglyph.

43.

Rom.

1654.

(6) Philosoph. Diss. &c. vol. II. p. ICl.

Lond. 1795.

156
CHAP,
'

HELIOPOLIS.
calls Hieralpha:

and although Pamm; have proved

be added
confirmation.

this

pomt, perhaps beyond dispute, yet some-

thing

may

still

in

its

The

sort of hand-plough, represented as a sceptre

in the
is still

hands of the priests and kings of Egypt\

used by many of the
it

Celtic tribes.

The

author has also seen

form,

in Lapland.

It

has this

V which

precisely corresponds (although

in an inverted position) with the sort of sceptre

mentioned by Diodorus, and denominated

Hieralpha

by

Kircher.

There are also a few symused by modern

their

bols rendered interesting in the representations

they offer of instruments

nations, without
Testudo.

still

any deviation from

most

antient form

such, for example, as the Testudo,

or Cichara, of the Antients, a two-stringed lyre,

constructed of the shell of a land-tortoise, com-

mon

to all the shores of the Mediterranean.

It

corresponds with the Balalaika of the Russiansy

and is ment

in
is

use among the

believed
It

Cahnucks''.

This instru-

to

be

the

Horner^.

may be observed
ihid.

about half

WPMIFH of way
Tilullus,
lib.'i.

{\)

PMosnph.

Diss.^-c.

Vid. Diod. Sic.

solerti I'tcit Osiris,

lih.'w.

" Primus
See Part

aratra

manu

Et tenerain
(2)
I.

ferro solicitavit iiuinum."

of these Tia\els, Chap. XII. p. 244.

is

Second Edit.

(3) Tlie author

indebted for this observation to a letter he

received froi" H. P. Kni!;ht, Esq. soon after the publication of the

First

HELIOPOLIS.

up

the face of the obeUsk, upon the left hand,

placed by the side of an axe or hatchet.

sort of
staff,

The

capped with the representation of an animal's head, which is seen in the hands
of Egyptian deities
figures,

among

their

hieroglyphic

and frequently delineated upon Greek vases, as a badge of distinction worn by Grecian
Hierarchs,
is

yet in use

among
;

the Patriarchs

and Bishops of the Greek Church

politan pillar.

and

this

may
he
re-

be observed in two instances upon the Helio-

For the
for

rest,

the reader,

if

have patience

the

inquiry,

may be

ferred to Kircher':

who has

written a particular

First Part of these Travels.

<}(

Alludinfc to the account ;ivvn in p.

3'2()

Vol.

I.

(8w.

edit.)

of a two-stringed lyre represented in the Cnhmtck

to be

paintings,

the

Mr. Knight said that he considered this instrument same which Homer mentions, under the name of '^o^y-iylToio'tf
111

ftlo'ffsiiri

Tat; (pi^fiiyyi Xiytim

Iliad. 2.569.

'Ifii^etr xi^doi^s.

(4)

J'id.
/;.

Sipitagrna
.330.

viii.

Thent.

Hieroglyph.

CRdipi uTlgyptiaci,
obeli.yfc

^>. 111.

R(mi.\(JM.

Kircher's
1.

account of this

in

divided into four distinct chapters:

litrtni."

" Be

origine Olteiisci Ntdioyn,1.

2.

" De

errctione et men.surd Ohelisci."

Ohelisci."

" /Irnnvientvni
t!ie

hujus Ohelisci."

4. Interp^-elatio

Of

these,
first:

read<'r

will in all probability rest

satisfied

with the two

these, beini>will offer

historical, are valuable.

An examination

of Kircher's

work

a striking example of the patient research and amazinj,^ ernditiou which characterized the learned labours of tin' Jesuits ; but when he
pTOceeds to the interpretation of the hierngbjphics in detail, his reveries may be cotn]iarcd to the feverish dreams of a scholar, who, from
intense api>licatiou to his studies,
is

visitcil

with a continual recur-

rence

i)\'

postulates unattended by a single conclusion.

\iiS

HELIOPOLIS.
dissertation

CHAP
IV.

upon

this obelisk,
its

aiul,

in his
detail,

en-

deavour to explain
broiipht together
all

symbols

in

has

that his vast erudition enit

abled him to communicate; although

must be

evident, since the discovery of a Greek translation of hieroglyphics

upon the

Rosetta Stone, that

the interpretation proposed

by him,

of these

characters, cannot accord with their real signification.

With
is

the description of this obelisk the author

compelled to terminate his very limited obis

servations concerning Heliopolis: for such

solitary

the

remnant of a

city

and of an University

v.here Herodotus

was

instructed in the

wisdom
hundred
in

of the Egyptians; and vvhere, eighteen

years ago, the

schools^

of Plalo and oi Eudoxus

travellers
;

were shewn

to

Roman

as,

some

future age, the places

where a Locke and a

Newton held their disputations

out

may be

pointed

among

the mouldering edifices of Oxford and

of Cambridge.
entitled

That other monuments, equally

to consideration,

may

possibly exist

(1)
cjiirc

AIATPIBA!

(Hciiiitiir
rr-cii

rhilosophorum congressus ac disputationes,

Pint. S;aTj;/3a/
dicitur.

\oyiu;.
\i'g.

Item locus, in quo

har^ifiot/tri

vn^i ri,

A!ATP!BH
jtar

Sic

Strab.

'F.ku 5? tci'iKiutro c" rs Tut U^iuy T?<

XWoiruvt; xp) E;'Jr^;y

"oiarQipizi.

" Osti'iidcbantur ergo

et Piato egerant."

ibi

sacerdotuin

dcs, ac domicilia in quibus

lib. xvii.
,'.)>.

Eudoxus

Slrabon. Geog.

11.

;'.

IH".

Ed. Oxon.

HELIOPOLIS.

159
chap.
^

around

this

pillar,
soil,

concealed only by a thin

superficies of

can hardly be doubted; and

travellers

these, succeed

ng

may

bring to

light.

The

antiquities

observed by Pococke are proYet,

if

bably anKmj, the number.

continue to

this

alone

mark

the situation oi Htiiopoiis, the

evidence
will
city.
'

it

affords,

when added
it is

to other proofs,
ct"

be

sufficient to identify the locality

the
tlie ul'(!U.<ik.

Indeed,

when

considered that Helio-

^J'^!'','^,"^

polls

was

altogether a deserted city so long ago

as the time of Sirabo", and that the

ried from

Egypt so many of
remains
in

its

Romans carantient monu-

ments,

it is

surprising that this obelisk, stupenis,

dous as

it

its

original position.
this

Among

several

trophies
to

of
Itali/,

description,

which were removed

ruins of Heliopolis^.
first

Sirabo mention:^
to Ro7ne

two obelisks that were carried

from the

According to Pliny, the

iji

monuments

of this kind that were raised

this city*;

Egypt were placed within

and the

(2)

Tiitnoyii^o;

/)

mXi;

" Omnino

urbs

deserta

est."

Strab.

Gcog.

lib. xvii.

torn. II. p.
"iio y.xi
;':

1142.

Ed. Oion. 1807.

el

(3) ^O.v

'V^pctjn Ixsfitff^tto'ay,

fin xixKXv/jt,ivoi rlXia;.

" Quo-

rum duo Romam

delali sunt,

non omnino conupti."

Ibid.

(4) " Primus omnium id instituit M'tlres, qui somnio jussus et hoc ipsuin iiiscriptum est in
:

in Soils urhe rcjnali.it, eo

:

ctenim

sculiilura^
a!ii

ilia elTigiesque,
roifuni

quas

\iile:nus,

Egvptis sunt liters.

Plinii

Postea et
xxxii.
c.

in

supra dicta ur1)c."

Hist. A'at.

lib.

8.

(vm. III. p. iZl.

L.

Bill.

ir,d3.

160
CHAP,
y

HELIOPOLIS.
elevation assisrned *
>

by him
-'

to

each of the four

nearly cor-

IV. --.

obehsks erected here by

Sochis, so

responds with the measure of the one which

now

remains, that, making allowance

its

for

its

pedestal,

height would be the same

'.

Owing*

to this circumstance, Pococke^

and Shaw^ con-

sider

it

as one of the four mentioned

by

Pliny.

Diodorus relates*, that two other obelisks were

by Sesostris; but each of these was one hundred and twenty cubits in an elevation, height, and eight in breadth
erected
at Heliopolis
;

therefore,

much

too considerable to correspond

pillar.

with the present appearance of this

After leaving this place, the author w^as so

much exhausted by
Cairo,

fatigue, that

he returned to
of the
desert
all

across the sandy

lies east

plain

which

of the city, and extends

the

way from

the Nile to the

Red

Sea.

Mr.

Cripps,

(0 That

is

to say, 48 cuhits;

and

atlinittin^ the
ol)eli-:k

Emnnn
which

cubit to
feet.

etiual 18 inches, tlie

whole height of the

tliat

would he 72
is

Pocucke found

tlie

height of

part of the obeli'^k

above

the surface of the soil to equal

S'Aatff

took

its

elevation

'^

(jT feet, lueasuriug it by a quadrant. hy the proporlion of .shndnu's" aud made it

only sixty-four feet;

thereby allowing eight feet for the pedestal.

Pococke'a mensuration allows ou]\ Jiie.

(?) Descript. of the </a/, vol.1, p.
(;?)

2,1.

Land. 1743,

Travels, p. 35C.

Lond. 1757.
lib.
i.

(4)

Z>wc/. Sio. BIblioth.

\^.

:ii.

Hanoi; 1604.

'

EGYPT.
accompanied by Mr. Hammer, and by Mr. Hamilton, then secretary of our Ambassador at Constantinople,

161

chap.
'

continued their journey as far as the

is

Pilgrims Lake, whence the canal

supposed to

have extended to the Red Sea; and returned afterwards by the route which the author had
taken.

They

found, at the lake, the remains of

Cai-avanserai,

a very large

and discerned the

traces of a canal, bearing thence towards the

south-east, in the direction of Suez.

But the

most curious objects noticed in this part of the day's journey were presented to our w hole party
where we
markable
variety
Pebble,
;

least expected to find

any thing

re-

namely, in the mineral productions

itself.

of the desert

A beautiful
commonly

and well-known
called

Minerals

of jasper,
is

Egyptian uanDe-'

found in such abundance,

among
ivood,

*^'"*'

masses of the most curious mineralized

upon the surface of the sands, over all the district eastward of Grand Cairo, even to the borders of the Red Sea, that specimens might be obtained in sufficient abundance to serve as ballast for a vessel bound from Suez to England. The author had collected almost enough to load
a camel before he arrived at the walls of the
city
;

but

when

the rest of the party returned,

they brought with them a more considerable

burden.
VOL. V.

Among

these were large blocks of

162

EGYPT.
petrified palm-tree, of

which Mr. Cripps had

col-

lected a very great variety.

uons'^"'^'

They found

these

masses lying
stratum,

in

detached fragments among the

the
face of

loose sand, wholly disengaged from any other

and

scattered over

the

desert.

In the same manner, but more fre-

quently, appeared the large pebbles of Egyptian

jasper,

being

almost

always
is

of

flattened

ovate shape.
require a
Doiihtini

This mineral

too well
;

known to
but

more

particular description
origin
?

who
re-

can explain

its

The received

opinion,

i^^ptian
jaspcr.

and that which daily experience confirms,

specting siliceous concretions in general,

is this,

that they have been deposited, after a stalactical

process, in the fissures and cavities left

in substances of anterior formation.

by

air

Admitting,

therefore, that every one of these Egyptian peb-

bles once occupied such cavities, in strata

now

reduced

to a pulverized state,

the sand of the desert,

and since become what idea can be formed

Unlike

of the antiquity of this kind of jasper P

other flinty substances,

it

seems

to

be almost

incapable of decomposition by exposure to the

atmosphere

having, as an exterior crust, a thia

colour,

mvestment of a reddish brown

differs in

which
being
silex.

appearance only from the nature of the

its

stone itself;
precisely

chemical

constituents
of

the

same.

Masses

pure

EGYPT.
and some
posed
to

163

chalcedonies containing

almost as

much
and

chap.
IV.

alumine as the Egyptian jasper,

the

when
of

thus exair

continued

action

moisture,

gradually

decompose, and assume

to the matter of
division.
sileoc

the white colour

common

when

in a state of

extreme

But these
falls

pebbles,
nightly

although constantly exposed to the

dews of a country where water

the

during the night as abundantly as heavy rain,

and
tion.

to

powerful rays of a burning sun

little

during the day, have sustained

or no altera-

They have

also another very remarkable

character.

Although they be destitute of that

is

whitish surface which

ceous

common

to

every

sili-

body long acted upon by the atmosphere,

characterized

they are always

by a

lighter
;

colour towards the center of each pebble

this is

and

sometimes white. They vary

in their size,

from that of a hen's

e,^^ to the e,^^ of

an ostrich;

but are rarely larger, and always appear more

or less flattened, so as to exhibit a superior

and

an inferior

elliptical surface

upon each specimen.

The masses

of mineralized or petrified ivnod had

no regularity of shape, except that parasitical form which the mineral, thus modified, had
derived from the vegetable whose fibres
penetrated
it

had
their

when

in

a fluid state.

It is evident,

therefore, that these pebbles

do not owe

m2

104

EGYPT.
spheroidal shape to the effect of any previous
attrition in

water

because the masses of minedegree of hardness

ralized wood, possessing a

inferior to the jasper,
it,

and being associated with

recently,

would

also

have undergone a similar change.

Pococke,

and,

more
the
first

that

intelligent

traveller Broivne, noticed these appearances in

the deserts
last

on the Arabian, and the

]Siile\

on the Libyan side of the

to

Pococke

seems
to,

have observed the examples he alludes

they occurred in the

upon the same spot where we found them,

it,

or very near to

for

first

part of his journey from Grand Cairo to Suez^.

Shaw

mentions,

also,

his

having

observed

instances of the

between Cairo

same kind, on the isthmus and Suez; and the fabulous

petrified

accounts of the famous Ras Sem, or

village in the Cyrendica, are

have derived their

mena'.
petrified palm-tree

supposed by him to origin from similar phsenodistinguished from

Shaw notices a method by which the

may be

(l)
(J)

Travels in Africa, from the year 1792 to 1798, by JV. G. Browne.

"

observed in the road

1

many stones

that looked like petrified

wood
body of a tree."
(3)

saw one piece that seemed to have been a large

Descript. of the East,
vol. I. /?.I31.

Lond. 1743.
cili/,

See S/tuiv'i nccount o{ the petri/ied viUaife, or

at

Ras Sem,

in the province of

Dosha,

in the

kingdom

of Tripoly. Travels, p. 155.

Lond, 1757.

EGYPT.
any other mineralized wood.
fibres,

165

He

says*, the

chap.
>

as

in

the living plant,

" do not run

;

straight

and parallel as

in other trees

but are

for the most part oblique, or diverging from one

another, in an angle of about ten degrees."

In the gardens and cultivated grounds near

the Nile, the inhabitants were

Dates and

now
;

beginning

{August 11) to collect the dates

but the corn

in

was

still

out, in

some

places.

The mercury

the thermometer, at noon this day,

when

ob-

served in the desert east of

Heliopolis,

did not

stand higher than 87" of Fahrenheit.

in Ensrland this in the

The heat

has been sometimes almost equal to

month

of September.

The facility with which the Arabs run up and down the date-trees, at first sight surprises a stranger; but when the attempt is made, nothing
can be easier.

series of cavities in the

if

bark

of those trees, as

purposely excavated to
feet,

admit the hands and

render the ascent,

and descent, as practicable as upon the steps of

a ladder.

We

frequently climbed to the top of

the tallest palm-trees

staircase.

by means

of this natural

(4) Ibid. p. 161.

166
CHAP.
IV.

GRAND CAIRO.
In the evening after our arrival,

some

of our

party went to an exhibition of the Almelis, or

Almehs.

Dancing women, at the house of a lady of some

distinction,

and where

it

was believed

this cu-

ceremonies might be unattended with those violations of

rious remnant of antient Egyptian

decorum by which they are generally characterized. This, however, was not the case. The
dance was, as usual, destitute of grace,
or
activity,

decency.

It

consists wholly of gestures,

calculated to express, in the most gross and

revolting manner, the intercourse of the sexes.

In any part of Europe, if it were tolerated, it would be thought a degrading and wretched

performance

yet the ladies of Cairo, accus-

tomed

to the introduction of these

women upon
If

festival days,

regard the exercise of the Almehs

with amusement, and even with applause.

we may judge from

the representations

upon

Grecian vases, the female Bacchanals of Antient

Greece exhibited in their dances a

much more
:

animated and more graceful appearance

yet

the manner of dancing practised by the Almehs, however offensive in the eyes of civilized nations, is the

most

antient.

Hence

the observa-

tion of Cicero\

"Nemo
(1) Orat.

saltvvt sobrius, nisi

pro Murcmd.

GRAND

CAIRO.

167
^y^^-

FORTE insanit:" and if the history of this exercise be traced to its origin, it will be found to have nearly the same character all over the
world.
the

In the anger of Moses at the dancing of

in the

Israelites'^;

reproach cast upon David,

by Michal the daughter of Saul, for his conduct when dancing before the ark'; in the gratification afforded to Herod by the dance of Salome*; we may perceive what were the characteristics
of primaeval dances
:

and

if

curiosity

should

lead any one to inquire

what

sort of dancing is

found among modern nations, where the exercise

has not been refined by

civilization,

his

attention
Italy,

may be

directed to the Tarantella of

of Spain,

the Fandango

the

Barina

of

Russia, the Calenda of Africa,

and the Timorodee

of Otaheite.

Egypt, where no lapse of time

seems

to

have effected change, where the con-

stancy of natural phaenomena appears to have

been always accompanied with the same uniformity of manners and customs,
serves
its

Egypt prelicentious

pristine attachment to a
it

dance

and exhibits that dance as

was beheld,

above three thousand years ago,

in the annual

(2)

Exod.

xxxii. I9.
\\.

(3) 2
(4)

Samuel

20.
vi.

Matth,

xiv.

Mark

Joseph. Atitiq. Jud.

lib. xviii.

c. 2.

158

GRAND

CAIRO.
the female votaries

CHAP, procession to Buhastus,

<,.

when

-yi

of Diana distinguished themselves in the cities

through which they passed by indecency and

dancino'.

Considered therefore with reference

to the moral character

and habits of the people,

entitled to

as well as to
tice of the

their

antient history, this prac-

Almehs

may be
is

some
in the

notice.

Indeed, the part they sustain

scale of society in Egypt

so considerable, and

the partiality
it is

shewn

to

them so inveterate ^ that

impossible to give a faithful account of the

country without some allusion to these women.

They wear upon

their lingers little bells,

like

(1) Herodot.

Euterpe,

f.

60.

(2)

"

11 n'est j)omt de fete sans elles ; point de fest'm dont elles

ne fas-

sent rornSmeiit

Les Alme sont appellees dans

assistent

tous les
el

Harem.
dans

Les

Alme
et

aux cMmonie de marriage,

le

marckent
aiissi

devant la mariee enjouant des instriimens.

les

Elles jigurent

enterremens,

accompagnent

convoi en chantant des airs funebres.

I.

Elles poiissetit des gemissemens," &c. Savari/, Lett, sur VEgypte, torn.

pp. 150, 152, 154.

some time in Ca'iro, however disgusted by the exhibition of the Almehs at first, gradually adopt the taste of the native inhabitants. Of this we find an
Paris, 1785.

Strangers

who

reside for

instance in Niebuhr's Travels.

" However much

first
; ;

disposed to receive

entertainment, they did not please us at

their vocal

and instrudis-

mental music we tliought horrible

and their persons appeared

gustingly ugly, with their yellow hands, spotted faces, absurd orna-

ments, and hair larded with stinking pomatum.

But by degrees we

learned to endure them, and, for want of better, began to fancy some
of

them

pretty, to imagine their voices agreeable, their

movements

graceful,

though indecent, and their music not absolutely intolerable."

vol. I. p. 140,

Travels in Arabia,

Edinh. 1792.

GRAND
and Spaniards do
also

CAIRO.

169

small cymbals, which they use as the Italians

their casiagnettes.

chap.
^^'
,

tambours of different kinds.

They have The form of

one of these seems to have been derived from that of the common pumpkin, which is frequent

among the vegetables of Egypt) for, although tambour be made of wood, it has exactly
with a skin bound over
hollow pumpkins,
contain water:
durable, and
it.

the the

appearance of half a large pumpkin, scooped,

The Arabs use

as
bottles
to

when

dried,

these becoming hard, are very

the use of a

may have preceded

The dances

hollow hemisphere of wood, in the manufacture

of a tambour.
of the Abnehs are of
the
Aildu'iu

accompanied by vocal as well as by instrumental music; if that may be termed vocal,

andcryof
uon.'^

which consists of a continual recurrence of the

same

shrill

sounds,

caused

by

trilling

the

tongue against the roof of the mouth, without

the utterance of any distinct words.
singular

Yet
is all

this

mode

of expressing joy

that

constitutes the Allelma of the Antients.

When

Lord Hutchinson

first

entered Cairo, after the

capture of the city, he was met

by a number of

women who
their

greeted him with Alleluias: they

streets, clapping

accompanied him through the

hands,

and making and

this

extraordinary
It

noise, in a loud

shrill tone.

seems

to

be

170

GRAND
al;

CAIRO.

a constant repetition of the

same

syllable,

i7,

or

uttered in this

manner,

jilalalalalalalalal,

with the utmost rapidity, and without interruption or

pause of any kind.

The person who

is

is

able to continue this kind of scream for the

longest time, without drawing breath,

supsort

posed

to

be the best performer.

is

The same

of singing

practised

by i\ie. Almehs
jilleluia,

at funerals,

with this difference:

the

or cry of joy,

consists in a repetition of the syllable al; and

that

which

is

used

to denote grief, is

formed by
ul,

a similar repetition of the syllable

constituting

or

e/,

the long protracted

elelelelelii,

or

The tone of voice continues the ululation\ same through both of these the Alleluia, and the Ululation: but there seemed to be this distinction in the manner of delivering the sounds that in the former, it was a tremulous note ascending; in the latter, the same note descending in continual cadences. However, it
: ;

is

exceedingly

difficult,

as perhaps the reader

has already perceived, to convey, or to obtain,

ideas of musical sounds

by means of a mere

verbal description.

(1)

In the Prometheus F'inctus ol jEschylus, lo utters this cry of

lamentation, 'EXiXiXiUXtZ, which the Scholiast denominates Qfiiuhs

Wi'phyi/.a..

See Pauw's^schj/lus, to7n.l.

Sfc.

;.

88, 877.

Hag. Com.

IT 45.

Stanley, Blomfield,

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

171

Upon the twenty-third of ^wo-M^; we set out for the Pyramids, the inundation enabling us
.

chap.
^^'
,

to approach within less than a mile of the larsrer Voyage * ' *^

to the

Pyramid,

in

our djerm.

Messrs.

Hammer and

Pvramids.

Hamilton accompanied us.

We

arrived ^tDjiza

by day-break, and
officers

called

upon some English

who wished to join our party upon this occasion. From Djiza, our approach to the Pyramids was through a swampy country, by
means of a narrow
deep enough;
obstacle,
canal,

which however was

at the

and we arrived without any bottom of a

at nine o'clock,

sandy slope, leading up to the principal /)z/rm2W.

Some

Bedouin Arabs,

receive us upon our landing, were

who had assembled to much amused

in

by the eagerness excited

prove

our whole party, to

who

should

first

set his foot

summit of
near
its

this artificial

mountain.

upon the As we drew Appearance

'^

base, the effect of its prodigious magni-

by\'he
^p'yramid.

tude, and the

amazement caused
used
fear,

in

viewing the

enormous masses
pression of
sure.

in
;

its

construction,
it

affected every one of us

but

was an im-

awe and

rather than of plea-

In the observations of travellers

who
the

had recently preceded us,

we had heard

Pyramids described as huge objects which gave

no satisfaction to the spectator, on account of

their

barbarous shape, and formal appearance:

172
CHAP,
IV

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
yet to us
it

appeared hardly possible, that per-

sons susceptible of any feeling of sublimity could

behold them unmoved.

did

we survey

the vast surface that

With what amazement was prearrived

at this

sented to us,

when we

stu-

pendous monument, which seemed to reach the Here and there appeared some Arab clouds!
guides upon the immense masses above us, like
so

many

pigmies, waiting to

shew the way up

to the

summit.

Now

and then
;

we
it

thought

we

heard voices, and listened

but

was

the wind,

in powerful gusts, sweeping the immense ranges

of stone.

Already some of

our party had

begun the ascent, and were pausing at the tremendous depth which they saw below\ One
of our military companions, after having sur-

mounted the most difficult part of the undertaking, became giddy in consequence of looking

down from

the elevation he had attained; and

being compelled to abandon the project, he

engaged an Arab to
descent.

assist

The

rest of us,

him in effecting his more accustomed to

the business of climbing heights, with

halt for respiration,

many

and many an exclamation

of wonder, pursued our

mit.

way

tow^ards the

sum-

The mode of ascent has been frequently

and yet, from the questions which
it

described;

are often proposed to travellers,

does not

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

I73
chap.
IV.

appear to be generally understood. The reader may imagine himself to be upon a staircase,

every step of which, to a man of middle stature,

is

nearly breast high

is

'

and the breadth of each

:

step

equal to
is

its

height

consequently, the

footing

secure; and although a retrospect, in

going up,

be sometimes fearful to
to look

persons
conside-

unaccustomed
rable
falling.

down from any

is

elevation, yet

there

little

danger of
required
to avoid

In some places, indeed, where the

stones are decayed, caution

may be

and an j4rah guide

is

always necessary,

a total interruption; but, upon the whole, the

means of ascent are such, that almost every one may accctmplish it^ Our progress was impeded

(1)

" The

stones, wherewith the

Pyramids are

built,

are from five

less

to thirty feet lon^.

tfdrfy feet),

(Herodotus mahes none of these stones

feet high."

than

and from three to four

Shaw's Travels, p. 367.

Land. 1757.

when we reached the top of the pyramid, who had abandoned the undertaking, urging him to renew the attempt. After some time, the messenger returned, but without our companion. The author, hearing this, went down to him, and found him in the entrance to the
(2)

Upon

this account,

we

sent an j4rab with a short note to the officer

pyramid,

sitting

with some Arabs in the shade afforded by the large

;

projecting masses of stone

and, having with some difficulty prevailed

upon him
top.

to renew the attempt, succeeded in conducting

him

to

the

He

expressed himself unwilling to return without having grati-

fied his curiosity

by a view from the summit

but confessed that the

effect

174

PYRAMIDS OF
by other causes.
.

DJIZA.

CHAP,
^^'

We
as,

carried with us a few

instruments;

such

our

boat-compass,

thermometer, a telescope, &c.; these could not

be trusted

in the

hands of the Arabs, and they

instant.

were
length

liable

to

be broken every
tier,

At
Here

we

reached the topmost

all

to the great

delight and satisfaction of

the party.

we found

a platform, thirty-two feet square;

consisting of nine large stones, each of

which

might weigh about a ton;

although they be

much
of
all

inferior in size to

some of the stones used

Travellers

in the construction of this pyramid.

ages, and of various nations, have here

inscribed their names.

Some
a few

are written in

Greek;

many

in French;

m Arabic;
in Latin.

one

or two in Ens-lish;

and others

We

effect

produced upon his mind, by the stupendous ijht around him,

jiainful
it

was rather

than pleasing, and had rendered him wholly unfit

required.
It is to this
\\.

for the exertion

circumstance that allusion

it

was before made (See Chap.

p. 45)

and

confirms the truth of

Mr. Burke's observations,

liable,

upon the impressions to which men are

to the

who, without the smallest personal danger, are exposed

contemplation of objects exceedingly vast in their dimensions.

Mr.

Burke describes the impression produced by the sublime upon a sensation of pain illustrating this by reference
;

as bordering

to a person

standing in perfect security beneath a precipice,

and looking up toOrigin of our

3. p. 2,37,

wards

its

summit.

fSee Philosophical Enquiry

into the

Ideas of the Sublime, i{c. by

^c.

Edmund Burke.

Sect. 27.

Part

Land. 1782.

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.

176

were as desirous as^our predecessors' to leave chap. a memorial of our arrival it seemed to be a trii^' bute of thankfulness, due for the success of our
;
,

undertaking; and presently every one of our party was seen busied in adding the inscription
of his

name^
point
it

Upon this area, which looks like a when seen from Cairo, or from the Nile,
extraordinary that none of
those

is

numerous

hermits fixed their abode,

tops of columns,
solitudes

who

retired to the

and

to

almost inaccessible

upon the pinnacles of the highest It offers a much more convenient and rocks. retreat than was selected by an ascetic secure who pitched his residence upon the architrave
of a temple in the vicinity of Athens.

The

heat,

according to Fahrenheit's thermometer, at the

time of our coming, did not exceed 84";

the

and

same temperature

continued during the

time

we

remained, a strong wind blowing from

the north-west.

The view from

this

eminence

(1)

'Apresque nous e{imes grav6 nos nonis sur

Savary
Lett, sur

le

somniet de

la

pyramide, nous desceudtmes," &c.

i>.

VEgypte,

torn. I.

188.

Par. 1785.

(2) In order to prove

how commodious a

station this place affords,

it

may be mentioned,

that the author was enabled to write upon the sfwt

a letter to a friend in England.

176
CHAP,
.

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
amply
fulfilled

our expectations;

nor do the
it,

accounts which have been given of

the uovclty and grandeur of the sight.

as

it

the

^^i'frm Sum-

appears at this season of the year, exaggerate

All the

mit.

region towards Cairo and the Delta resembled a sea, covered with innumerable islands. Forests
of palm-trees were seen standing in the water;

the

inundation spreading over the land where

they stood, so as to give them an appearance

of growing in the flood.

To

the north, as far

as the eye could reach, nothing could be dis-

cerned, but a watery surface thus diversified

plantations and

by

by

villages.

To

the south

we

saw the Pyramids of Saccdra; and upon the east of these, smaller monuments of the same kind,
nearer to the
JSile.

An

appearance of ruins

might indeed be traced the whole

way from
if

the Pyramids of DJiza to those of Saccdra ; as

they bad been once connected so as to constitute

one vast coemetery.

Beyond

the Py-

ramids of Saccdra

we

could perceive the distant

mountains of the Said; and upon an eminence near the Libyan side of the Nile there appeared a monastery of considerable size. Towards the
west

and

souih-ivest,

the eye ranged over the

great Libyan Desert, extending to the utmost verge of the horizon, without a single object to
interrupt the dreary horror of the landscape.

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
except dark
floating

177

spots,

caused

by

the

chap.
IV.

shadows of passing clouds upon the sand.

Upon

the

south-east

side

is

the

gigantic

statue of the Sphinx, the most colossal piece of

sculpture which remains of

all

the works exe-

cuted by the Antients.

The French have unall

covered
the

all

the pedestal of this statue, and

:

cumbent or leonine parts of the figure these were before entirely concealed by sand. Instead, however, of answering the expectations

raised concerning the

work upon which

it

was
be a

supposed

to rest, the pedestal proves to

wretched substructure of brick-work, and small

pieces of stone,
insignificant

put together
of

like

the

piece

modern masonry,

most and

wholly out of character, both with respect to

the prodigious labour bestowed upon the statue
itself,

and the gigantic appearance of the surobjects.

rounding

Beyond
vestiges

the

Sphinx

we

distinctly discerned,

amidst the sandy waste,

of

the

remains

and

a magnificent

building;

perhaps the

Serapeum.
in

sort of

chequered work appeared

the middle

of

many

of the stones belonging to this ruined

It is

edifice.

unnoticed by every author

who

has written upon the Pyramids.

observation of Geoffroy,
VOL.
V.

Indeed, the

as given in a Rapport

1/8
CHAP,
IV

PYRAMIDS OF
niade to
the
Institute

DJIZA.

of Es^ypt,
is

during the

residence of the French at Cairo',

that
to
all

very just;

preceding travellers have attended only

the principal objects, in their visits to the

They have disregarded a number of other remains, less entire, and more diminutive, but calculated to throw considerable light upon
Pyramids.
the

history

of

those

antiquities

which here

occupy such a surprising extent. Strabo, whose observations were certainly made upon the
spot,
his

as will hereafter be proved, has given, in

account of Memphis,

a description of the
applicable

situation of the

Serapeum, pointedly
it;

to this position of

indeed

it

seems almost
it

identified

by

liis

remark.
hills

He

says

stood in a

place so sandy, that

there

of sand were heaped

by the winds; and mentions the remains of Sphinxes, as markmg the place where it stood ^ A writer of somewhat later date, the author of the Sibylline Verses, which are believed

(l)

" Rapport k
I'ancienne

I'lnstitut siir les recherches k faire dans I'enaplace-

ment de
tures."

Memphis,

et dans toute I'etendue des ses sepul-

Foy. CourUr de

I'Egypte, No. 104. p. 3.

Au

Kairc, de

V Imprimerle Natlonale.

xi^fiuv

tru^iiiffta,,

a-p

Zi

a',

(T^plyyif k.t.X.

" Est

etiani Serapiuni, in

loco valde arenoso, adeo ut aren;c colles a ventis

exaggereiitur
1145.

ibi

vidimus Sphinges," &c.

Slrab. Geog.

lib. xvii.

;;.

Ed.

O.vo7i,

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
to

I79

be a composition of the second century,

may
'

chap.

rather allude to the Serapcum at Memphis^ than

to the temple at Alexandria,

by the

situation he

assigns to Serapis^.

Immediately beneath
tombs, that

our view,

upon the
so

eastern and western side,

we saw

many

we were
above
it.

unable to count them;

some being

half buried in the sand, others rising

considerably

All

these are of an
like the

oblong form, with sides sloping,

of European houses.

roofs

A plan

of their situation

and appearance

is

given in Pocockes Travels*.

to

The second pyramid, standing

the southits

west, has the remains of a covering near

vertex, as of a plating of stone which had once

invested

all

its

four

sides.

Some
;

persons,

deceived by the external hue of this covering,

have believed
appearance
is

it

to

be of marble

but

its

white

owing
*

to a partial decomposition,

affecting the surface only.

Not a

single frag-

ment of marble

can be found anywhere near

(3)

KaJ

trv

"Si^avi, x'lSois WtKii/*.in.

lib. v.

" Tuque Serapi sedans

p. 41.

in saxis."

SibijUina Oractda,
(4) (5)

ad Jin.
Lond.\~'i^,.
for buildings in very autient times.

Description of the East, vol.1. Plate xvi.

Marble was not used

"

Jt

does not appear," says Shaiv,

artists,

"

that marble was used by the Grecian

either in sculpture or building,

before the

15th Oli/ipiady

X 2

^- ^-

:v^0

PYRAMIDS OF
this

DJIZA.

CHAP,
IV

pyramid.

It

is

surrounded by a paved

court, having walls on the outside,

and places
;

as for doors, or portals,

in the walls

also

an

advanced work, or portico.

of

third pyramid,

much

smaller dimensions than the second,

appears beyond the Sphinx, to the south-west

and there are three others, one of which

is

nearly buried in sand, between the large pyra-

mid and

this statue, to the south-east ^

Having thus surveyed the principal objects, as they appeared from the summit of the greater
pyramid,
the

we proceeded

to the examination of
its

substances

which composed

exterior

surface.

Limestone
constructgrfatVr^

The stoncs of

the platform

upon the

top,

as

wcll as most of the others used in constructing

^^c dccrcasiug ranges from the base upwards,

Pyramid.

B.C. 720.
that time.

D(cdnlus\i statues of Hercules and T'enus were of

idols

wood

of
till

which, or of rough stone, were likewise their

and temples,

The antient Temi)lo of /Jc/y*/;* was built about the 65th Olympiad, B.C. 520, or 513 years alter the Temple of Solomon." See Shaw's Trav. p. 368. Note 5. Land. 1757.
(l) In

what other
doing
:

mentioning these particulars, the author may possibly repeat travellers have said before, without being conscious of so

indeed, it is hardly possible to avoid repetition, upon a subject which has been discussed by thousands, although the utmost vigilance be used.

PYRAiMIDS OF DJIZA.
are of soft limestone; a
little

181

more chap. IV. compact, than what some of our English masons ^
harder, and
^-'
_.

>

vulgarly call chinch

whereof King's College

Chapel
colour

at

Cambridge,
is

and great part of Ely

It is

Cathedral,
;

built.

of a greyish white
that,

and has

this

remarkable property,

when broken by
it

a smart blow with a

hammer,
dark

exhales the fetid odour

common

to the

limestone of the
places
;

Dead

Sea,

and of many other

very

owing

to the

disengagement of a gaseous
This character
is
it

sulphureted hydrogen.

uncommon
It
is

in white limestone, although

may

be frequently observed

in the

darker varieties.
that the

now very

generally admitted,

stones, of

which the Pyramids

consist,

are of

the

same nature as the calcareous rock whereon

in

they stand, and that this was cut away

to

order

form them

Herodotus says they were brought

from the Arabian side of the 7Vi/e^

Another
found in

more compact variety of limestone

exactly as
it is

is

detached masses at the base of these structures,

described by Strabo
;

seeming to

consist entirely of mineralized exuvicE, derived

from some animal now unknown.

the

We

did not

observe this variety among the constituents of

Pyramids themselves, but

in loose

fragments

(2)

Euterpe,

c. 8.

182

PYRAMIDS OF
upon the sand'.
are
lenticular.
fossil

DJIZA.
petrifaction

CHAP,

The forms of the

We

noticed

an

extraneous

of the same nature in the Crimea, which

Pallas'*.

has also been described by

Slrahos

description of this substance corresponds, in so

striking a manner, with its present appearance,

that his account of

it

may be

noticed as afford-

ing internal evidence of his visit to the spot.

Extraneous
Fossil dc-

Auioug thc woudcrs," sayshc^

"which
1

w^e
1

scribed by

saw

at thc

Pyramids, there

is

one which ought

on no account to pass without notice.

are heaps of stones, lying

There
petrifac-

among

the ruins before

little

the Pyramids, in which are found

tions, in

form and

size exactly

resembling the

natural appearance of lentils.

that these lentils

The

tradition

is,

are the petrified remains of the

food o-iven to the workmen."

the

Notwithstandins^
of late

throng of travellers,

particularly

years,

who have

resorted to

the

Pyramids,

(1) The author has since beeu informed that it has been observed among the stones of whicli the principal pyramid i> built.
(2) It has received

the appellation of Lapis Nummularivs, from the

resemblance of these lenticular forms to small coins.

Chap. V, p. 228. Octavo Edition.
(3) "E
Ss

See ybl.

II.

Tuv o^aHvrcJV
rrjs

u^' tifiuv in
iru^ai

'ra.'s

Tlu^au'ici rTapuco^un oIk

u^o*

croL^aXtinTv.

'Ex yao

XuTvzm
sea)

rni;

^^o

tcov Tluaufci^uv

xtTyreu' ty
Ssi

voUTBis

"S

ib^iirKtrai

-^vy/mTa

tu-Tm

kcc) /jLiyihi (fctxaitiri'

'X>u(r) S'

hioi;

xai ii
rjfs Ti/v

'XT'idfta,

oiov fi/ziXl^ia-rtuy

l/Tor^i'^u.

atoXiSufrivai ?.ij^ava
j).
1 1

loya'^ofiifut TQop?,;.

Sti'abon. Gcog. lib. xvii.

46.

Ed. Oxon.

PYRAMIDS OF
almost
all

DJIZA.

183
chap. .IV.

of

whom

have borne away some me-

morial of their visit to the place,

not a single

specimen of this very curious variety of limestone has yet been observed in any collection of
minerals,

public or private*.

Shaw mentions

the mortar used in the construction of the Pyra-

mids*; although a very erroneous notion be

prevalent, that the

still

most antient buildings were

erected without the use of cement.

to this kind of test has

A reference

been frequently made,

with a view
architecture.

to

ascertain the age of antient

All that can be asserted,

this

how^

ever,

upon

subject,
if

with

any degree of
examples of
of
Egi/pt
is

certainty,

is,

that

the

most antient architecexhibit

that

ture of Greece sometimes

masonry without mortar,

very differently

characterized.

As we

dein

scended from the summit,

all

we found mortar

the seams of the different layers upon the

;

outside of the pyramid

but no such appear-

ance could be discerned in the more perfect

Of this mortar we masonry of the interior. detached and brought away several specimens.

(4)

scriptkiu, because he did not observe these petrifactions.

Greaves was almost disposed to doubt the truth of Strabo'scle^ " Were not

Slrabo a writer of
graiiies."

much

gravity,

should suspect these

lG"4(i.

petrified

Pyramidog. p. 119.

Land.

(5) Travels in the Levant, p..5'^8.

Lend. 1737.

184
CHAP.
"

PYRAMIDS OF
It is
I

DJIZA.

of a coarse kind
terra cottn.

and contains minute

Grohert says
it

fragments of

does

not differ from the mortar

believed
it

to consist of

now in use'. Sfiaw sand, wood ashes, and

lime^

Labours of
Ari^'^^'"'''

Thc

Freiidi

had been very assiduous

these buildings.

in their

researches

among
;

They even

attempted to open the smallest of the three prin-

and having effected a very Pyramids considerable chasm in one of its sides, have left
cipal
this

mark behind them,

o\ their

as an everlasting testi-

mony
of our

curiosity and zeal.

The landing

army

in

Egypt put a stop

this

to their labour.

Had it not been for

be now submitted

circumstance, the interior

of that mysterious

monument would probably

which has long
literary

to the inquiry

been an object among

men.
in

were employed for a considerable time a very useless manner, by endeavouring

We

to

measure the height of the greater pyramid. This we endeavoured to effect, by extending a small cord from the summit to thfc base, along
the
angles

formed

by the

inclination

of

its

(1) See De/ion's

Voyage,

as

published by Peltier,

torn. II.

p. 80.

Jppend.

Lond. 1802. Lond. 1757.

(2) Sec 5Aau.''5 Travels, p. 3G8. also p. 206.

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

'

185
chap.
^]'
,

planes; and then measuring the base as accurately as possible,

inclination

together with the angle of

mid.

subtended by the sides of the pyraThe result, however, as it disagreed with

satisfy
all

any account hitherto published, did not us^ It is a curious circumstance, that
counts of
its

ac-

perpendicular height differ from

each other.
successively

Some
all

French engineers measured

the different ranges of stone,

from the base to the summit.

their observations,

According to

the height of this pyramid

equals four hundred and forty-eight French feet *.

We now

proposed

to enter this

pyramid

and

as an inquiry into the origin and antiquity of

these buildings will be reserved for a subse-

quent consideration,

(after a careful

examination

(3)

" Although

these

for the preceding three days,

immense masses had heen within our view and we gradually approached them iu
in regular courses,

the boat, on our arrival we were more astonished than ever: the protlijious stones

which are piled one upon another

and joined together with cement, are continued to such an exceedingheight, that some persons on the top of the great pyramid appeared
to us immediately under
it,

as

if

they were birds."

Squire's

MS.

Journal.
(4) Descript. des

Edit. oiVoijage en Eg'jpte

Pyram. de Ghize, par J. par Denon, Append,

Grobert.
torn. \l.

See Peltier's
p. 62.

Lond.

i802.

186
of the

PYRAMIDS OF
Pyramids of

DJIZA.

Saccdra, as well as of those

little

of Djiza,) a few brief remarks, containing

else than a

mere description of
all

objects, as they

appeared to us, are

this

that will be

added

to

Chapter.

As we ascended the sandy slope that extends from the mouth of the pyramid, on each side, towards the ang^les at the base, we observed
that the ^rahs

had considerably increased

in

number
Theftcom-

^' Arab!

were very claOuc of them, while we were meamorous. suring the pyramid, had stolen the boat-compass
since our arrival, and

given to us by Captain Clarke; an irretrievable

loss in such a situation.
its

We
;

offered ten times

us,

value to the Sheik

who accompanied
besides,
it

but

the thief had disappeared

possible to

was im-

make an Arab
The
Bedouin,
it

sensible of the sort of

instrument for whose recovery the reward was

proposed.

who had

stolen

it,

no

doubt considered

to

be a box of masric or of

divination, whereby infidels were guided to the knowledge of hidden treasure in search of which
;

they always believed us to be engaged.

They

had the same opinion of the thermometer which

they saw us carry to the summit.
parts of Turkey, this last

In
to

many
be
c^n

was believed

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

187

instrument for ascertaining distances durinpf a

journey.
Having- collected our party upon a sort of

char
lY.

visit to ti,e

platform before

the

entrance of the passage

the larger
''^'^'*
'

leading to the interior, and lighted a

tapers,

number

of

we

all

descended

into its

dark mouth.

In viewing this entrance, the impression

made

upon every one of us was,

that no persons could

thus have laid open the part of the pyramid

where this channel was concealed, unless they had been previously acquainted with its situaand for obvious reasons First, because tion
;
:

its

position

is

almost

in the centre of

one of

its

planes, instead of being at the base.

Secondly,

that no

trace

appears of those dilapidations

result of

which must have been the

as

any search

for a passage to the interior; such, for example,

now remain

for a

memorial of the labours of

smaller pyramid,

the French near the

which

they attempted to open.

The opening has been

effected in the only point, over all the vast surface of the great

pyramid, where, from the

appearance of the stones inclined to each other

above the mouth of the passage, any admission

to

the interior

was

originally intended.

So

marvellously concealed as this entrance must

have been,

shall

we

credit the legendary story

188
CHAP,
'
.

PYRAMIDS OF
of an uirahian writer, who,

DJIZA.
discoursing of the

Wonders
this

ot Egypt^,

attributed the opening of

pyramid

to yilmamon, a

Cahph

of Babylon,
?

about nine hundred and

fifty

years since

single observation of Strah overturns its credit

in

an instant; as the same passage w^as evi-

dently

known

to

him, above

eight

centuries

before the existence of the said Caliph.

He

describes

not only the exact position of the

mouth

of the pyramid, but even the nature of

Qn'/.ri,

the duct leading to the

or Soros, in such a

manner, that

it is

impossible to obtain, in fewer

It

words, a more accurate description".

also true, that
this

seems

opening had been made

before the time of Herodotus, although his testi-

mony be

less

decisive.

He

speaks only of

(1)

G. Jlmcc. Hint. Jinh. ex edit. Erp,

See Greaves's Pvramiuo:

grapliia, paij. 44.

Loud.

10'4(>.

7I/i//pMiad a similar notion

" Ce

fut

done sans doute sous

les

Princes ^!a!lom^tans, et par le Calife

et

Mah-

mout,
que
le

(jui reg'noit

h.

Bagdad,

qui

mourut

I'an

de rEL;yre 205, ainsi

rapportent
l'

les

auteurs Arabcs, que cette impiety fut conimise."

torn. I.

Description de

Egypte,

p. 319.

"40.

gi^ty^tirri a'xoXia

i^'^x?.'

~'>'

^^'*ij-

"

I'l

media

fere latcrum altitudine, lapis

exemtilis est: eoque sublato obliqua fistula usque ad loculuin."

Strab.

Geog.

lib. xvii.

;>.

1145.

Ed. Oxnn.
in

The
evpnl
IffTi

Oxford Editor cf Strabo,

ffKoXik

commenting upon
(

the

words
the

fiizc

'='^5

^>i!j'.

justly observes

Vid. Xot.

'27.

ibid.)

coincidence between kirabo's description of the entrance, and that givcu

by Greaves and Lc Bru^n,

PYRAMIDS OF
subterraneous chambers
sible
';

DJIZA.

198

but
of
first

it

were imposexistence,

to

know any

thing

their

unless the pyramid had

been

entered.

Hence
rior

it is

evident, that a passage to the inteearliest age in

had been obtained from the

which any account was given of this pyramid

and perhaps
be
effected.

it

never was so completely closed,

little

but that with a

difficulty

an access might
this

Proceeding down
to a

channel

(which may be compared

chimney about a
affirms*,

yard wide, inclined, as Greaves

the entrance,)
large

by an

angle of twenty-six degrees to the platform at

we

presently arrived at a very

:

mass

of granite

this

appears to have

been placed on purpose to choke up the passage; but a way has been made round it, by

which we were enabled

to

ascend into a second

direction, to-

channel, sloping, in a contrary

wards the mouth of the

Greaves calls the
tion
is

first.
';

This

is

what

Jirsl gallery

and

his descrip-

so exceedingly minute, both as to the

admeasurements and other circumstances belonging to these passages, that it were a useless

(3) Herodot. Euterpe, c. 125.

(4) Pyramidographia, p. 85.

:(5) Ibid.

Land. 1G46.

p. 86.

IDO
CHAP,
IV.
-

PYRAMIDS OF
.

DJIZA.

waste of the reader's time to repeat them here.

Having ascended along this channel, to the distance of one hundred and ten feet, we came to
a horizontal duct, leading to a chamber with an
angular roof, in the interior of the pyramid.
this

In

passage

we

found, upon our right hand, the

oi-servation at the

mysterious well, which has been so often men'^

Well.

tioned.

Pliny

makes the depth

with a
line,

of
;

it

equal to

one hundred and twenty-nine feet

in

but Greaves,
able

sounding

it

found the plummet

feet.

rest at the

depth of twenty

We were
all

to ascertain the

cause of failure in Greavess

others

observation, and in those of almost

who have attempted

this

to

measure the depth of

it

well.

The mouth of
it

is
it;

barely large
but, as
it

enough

to

admit any one into

is

is

possible to descend,

to

be regretted that

the French, during

all their

researches here, did

not adopt some plan for the effectual examination of a place likely to

throw considerable

light

upon the nature of the pyramid, and the foundastands. Tjiis would require more time than travellers usually can spare, and more apparatus than they can carry with them. In the first place, it would be necessary
tion

upon which

it

to fasten lighted tapers at the

end of a long
as a

cord, to precede the person descending,

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

191

precaution whereby the quality of the air below

^?y ^"
'

may be proved, and

those fatal effects prevented

s>'

which often attend an improvident descent into wells, and subterraneous chambers of every
description.

Many

hands, too, would be re-

quired above, to manage and sustain the ropes

by which any adventurer, during the experiment, must remain suspended. The greatest danger to be apprehended would consist in the hazard
of an exposure to mephitic air; but due precaution, in a careful attention to the tapers
first,

lowered

might obviate

this.

We threw down
at

some
about

stones,

and observed that they rested

the

depth which Greaves has mentioned; but

being at length provided with a stone nearly as

large as the

mouth
weight,

of the well, and about

fifty

pounds

in

we threw

this

down, and

that, after striking upon the spot where the other stones rested, after a length of time which must have equalled some seconds, it produced a loud and distinct report, seeming

observed

to

come from a spacious subterraneous apartment and it was accompanied by a splashing

;

noise, as if the stone

had been broken

into pieces,

and had

fallen into a reservoir of

water at a very
experience
left

considerable

depth.
to

Thus

does

always tend

confirm the accounts

us by

lO-l

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA,
the Aiitients; for this exactly answers to the
description given
all

CHAP,
IV.

by

Plimj of this well

it

'

and, in

probability, the depth of

does not

much
feet,

differ

from that which he mentions, of eighty-

six cubits, or

one hundred and twenty-nine

cubit

making the

equal to eighteen inches.

i\7/e

Pliny says that the water of the

lieved to communicate with this well.

was beThe

inundation of the river

height.

May

it

was now nearly at its be supposed, that, by some

it is
?

hitherto unobserved and secret channels,

thus conveyed to the bottom of this well

It

seems more probable, that the water is nothing more than the usual result of an excavation in a
stratum of limestone, carried on to the depth at

which water naturally

lies in

other

v.^ells

of the

same country
Joseplis JVell,
hill

as, for

example,

in the pit called

in the Citadel of Grand Cairo\ whereon this pyramid stands, is elevated about a hundred feet above the level o-f

The

the plain country through which the Nile flows

and, allowing for the height of the

mouth of the

well above the base of the pyramid,

we

shall

(1)

"

InPyramitle maxiniA est

illo

iiitus

puteus octoginta sex cuhiPlin. Hist. Nat. Hb.'xxxvL

torum,flumcn
V. 12.

ailniissum arbitrautur."

L.

fiat. 1635.

PYRAMIDS OF
sunk below the bed of the

DJIZA.
for

193
a shaft
chai*.

have nearly the distance required

river.

while

Some of the officers belonging to our party, we were occupied in examining the well,
bearing off from this passage to the east
(like

Examination of

some
rior
nels.

infe

had discovered two or three low ducts, or channels,

Chan-

and west,

those intersecting veins called

by miners
vellers.

cross-courses,)

and which they be-

lieved to have been overlooked

by former

tra-

Certainly there
in

is

no accurate notice
given by Sandi/s,

of

them

the descriptions

Greaves, Fiansleb, Pococke, Shaw, JSiebuhr, Maillet,

Lucas,
that

Norden,

Savary,

or

any other
Perhaps the

author
French,

we

have consulted.

engineers employed under Menou in the examination of the Pyramids,

by removing the stones which had closed the mouths of these channels, have laid them open. We undertook a most
laborious and difficult task, in penetrating to

the extremities of these ducts.

The entrance

being too low to admit a person upon his hands

and knees,

by lying
and

was necessary to force a passage flat upon our faces, gradually insiit

nuating our bodies, by

effiDrts

with our arms

difficulty, too,

feet against the sides.

The

was increased by the necessity of bearing

VOL. v.
o

lighted

194

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

tapers in our hands, which

were
in

liable to

be

extinguished at every instant,

the

efforts

made
in this

to advance.

As we continued

to struggle

manner, one after another, fearful of being

at last

jammed between

the stones, or suffoair,

cated by heat and want of

bats,

a number of

alarmed by our intrusion, endeavoured to

their escape.
it

make

This

we would
faces,

gladly have

permitted, but

was not
and

easily effected. Flying

against our hands

they presently
After

extinguished some of our tapers, and were with

difficulty suffered to

pass by us.
little

all

our

trouble,

we observed

worth notice at the

In one, which the

end of any of these

cavities.

author examined, he found, at the extremity of

the channel, a small square apartment, barely
large

enough

to allow of his sitting upright; the

floor of

which was covered with loose stones,

promiscuously heaped, as by persons

who had
thi-

succeeded
ther.

in clearing the

passage leading

All these trifling channels

and chambers

more than so many vacant spaces, necessary in carrying on the work during the construction of this vast pile, which the
are perhaps nothing

workmen
ceeded
;

neglected to

fill

as the building pro-

like the cavities

behind the metopes in

the Parthenon at Athens, which, although usually

PYRAMIDS OF
filled

DJIZA.

I95

in Grecian temples,

were, as

we

find in

chap.

certain instances, left void.

After once more regaining the passage whence chamber

these ducts diverge,
at the

we examined
all

a chamber

sepulchre.

end of

it,

mentioned by
is

who have
Its roof

described the interior of this building.

is

angular; that
of

to say,

it

is

formed by the

inclination

large masses
like the

of stone leaning

toward each other,

appearance pre-

sented by those masses which are above the entrance to the pyramid. sage altogether,
difficult

Then

quitting the pas-

we climbed

the slippery and

is

ascent which leads to what

called the

principal chamber.
perfection,

and

its

The workmanship, from its immense proportions, is truly

astonishing.

All around the spectator, as he

proceeds,

is full

of majesty, of mystery, and of

wonder.

The
This

materials of this gallery are said

of white and

by Greaves
marhle\

to consist

polished

we

did not observe.

in

Pococ^e also

mentions

pilastres

an anticloset before the

principal chamber'; circumstances which are

inconsistent with received opinions respecting

(1) Pyraraidographia, p. 90.

Land, 1646.
I.

(2) Description of the East, vol.

p. 45.

/^wrf. 1743.

o 2

196

PYRAMIDS OF
antient architecture.

DJIZA.

The
;

pilaster is

beUeved

to

be of modern date

and

marble,

according to

some

writers,

was not used by architects before

Presently
it

the fifteenth Olympiad'.

that ''glorious roome," as
Greaves'^, Mdiere,

we

entered

is

justly called

by

" as within some consecrated

to

oratory, Art

may seem

have contended with

Nature."

It stands " in the very heart and

all

centre of the pyramid, equidistant from

sides,

its

and almost
are
all

in

the midst between

floor,

the

basis and the top.

The

the sides, the roof

of

it,

made

of vast and exquisite tables

of

Thehaick
is

marble.'

By

Greaves s Thebaich

marble

to

be understood that most beautiful

variety of granite called,

Granito rosso\

which

is

by Italian lapidaries, composed essentially of

It is often called

feldspar, of quartz,

and of mica.
no

Oriental granite,

and sometimes Egyptian

in

granite,

but

it

differs

respect from

European

(1)

Before Christ, 720.

See a former Note ia this Chapter.

It

should be said, however, that Shaw,

p. 368, JVote 5.

who makes
it

this

remark, {Trav.

Lond. 1T57,) applies

to the

Grecian, and not to

Egyptian
in the

artists.

There are Doric

Altpceiias's Villa,

pilasters, of the age of

Augustus,
capi-

remains of

near

Rome ; and

the

immense

tals discovered

among

the ruins of a temple at GirgetUi evidently

belonged to 2>ilasters of
(2)

much

earlier date.

Pyramidographia,

p. J}5.

(3) See Fwfrw's Travels, p. 226.

LonJ. \''G.

'

PYRAMIDS OF
graiiite,

DJIZA.

197
^!l^^'

except that the red feldspar enters more

of Europe\

largely as a constituent into the

usual

in the granite

mass than is So exquisitely

are the masses

of this granite fitted to each

other upon the sides of this chamber, that, being

without cement,

it

is

really impossible to force

the blade of a knife between the joints.

This

has been often related before

tried the experiment,

but
it

we
to

actually

and found
twenty
is

be true\

There are only

floor to the roof,

six ranges of stone

from the

which

is

feet high;

and
or

the length of the chamber

It is also

about twelve yards.

about six yards wide.

The roof

ceiling consists only of nine pieces, of stupen-

dous

size

and length, traversing the room from

side to side,

and

lying, like

enormous beams,

across the top.

(4)

The author

has seen granite of the same kind, and of equal

beauty, in fragments, upon the shores of the Hebrides, particularly at

Icolmkill.
(5) Diodorus

particularly alludes to the

same

thing.

" But
its

this

work," says he,

"

is

not only worthy of praise on account of

mag-

nltude, but wonderful for the skill displayed, and remarkable for the

nature of the stone

fissure

since that in so To
rri

much
'i^yef

vastness there was not a

fAoioti

nor a blemish visible."

ccXXa, kx)

Js

revra fih

uvai

xara

to

(jXyiioi a.'K^i^ti a^iii,

n^fri
firiTi

^avficairToii,
iiteipvcci/i;

Kat
fir,rt

rri

roZ

X'lSou

(pien

itufi^ov, u; av
{iiao6vi^itn;.

rnXixouriu fnyiht
lib.\.

*>|X(Jo;

firi^tfiiai

Diod.Sic.

c.At.p.bl.

ed. TVeiselingii.

Anist.\1^.

198

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

Near the western side, stands the Soros, of the same kind of granite as that which is used
The
Soros.

for the walls of the

chamber, and as exquisitely

polished.

It is

distinguished

by no

difference

of form or dimensions from the

common

appear-

ance of the
towns,

Soros, as

it is

often seen in Turkish

when employed by
**
',

the inhabitants to
It resembles, as

supply the place of a cistern.

Greaves has remarked
together,

two cubes,
;

finely set

and hollowed within being cut smooth

without sculpture or engraving of
Its length

and

plain,"

any kind.

on the outside
its

is

seven

feet three inches

and a half;

depth, three feet

it

three inches and three quarters; and

is

the

same in breadth.
This beautiful

Its position is

north and south.

relic

troops were landed in Egypt.

had refused

to violate

when our Even the French a monument considered

was
entire

by

travellers of every age

and nation as conse-

crated

by

its

antiquity; having withstood the

ravages of time above three thousand years,

and

all

the chances of sacrilege to which

it

was

exposed during that period from wanton indiscriminating barbarity.

It is

therefore painful

(1) See

Pyramidog.

p. 96.

PYRAMIDS OF
to relate, that
soldiers
it is

DJIZA.

I99

now no
of

longer entire.

The
^

chap.
IV
' .

and

sailors

our

army and navy

to

having had frequent access to the interior of the

rJ'
break
to
taste,

t?onTf 'iiie
'^'''"'*'

pyramid, carried with

them sledge-hammers,

^*"

...

tempted.

off pieces, as curiosities to

be conveyed
its

England; and began, alas! the havoc of

demolition*.

Had

it

not been for the classical

and the laudable interference, of Colonel

Stewart, then commanding-officer

now General
in

that district,

who

threatened to

make an
officer

example of any individual, whether

private,

or

who should

disgrace his country

by

thus waging hostility against History and the

Arts, not a particle of the Soros

mained.

would have reYet, as a proof of the difficulty which

thus
left

attended this worse than Scythian ravage, the

persons
riail

who

behind them a sad

memo-

of the British name, had only succeeded in

accomplishing a fracture near one of the angles.

It >vas

thus disfigured

when we

arrived

and
has

every traveller of taste will join in reprobating

any future attempt to increase the injury

so lamentably sustained.

it

(9)
little

During the same week

pieces of granite were

in

which

this

Chapter was printing,

as

shewn to the author,

"

Ills

of King

PharaolC

To7nb," which were taken fioni this sepulchre.

200
CHAP.
/^

PYRAMIDS OF
Having quitted
selves

DJIZA.

this Pyramid,

we amused
the rest
to
;

our-

by a cursory survey of cerning which we have nothing

that

con-

communicate

would not be

mere

repetition of

what has

been already related by many other writers.

We

then descended into some of the smaller

sepulchres.

The walls
hieroglyphics.

within

these

were

adorned with

In some instances,

we

noticed the traces of antient painting, an art

that seems to have been almost co-eval with the

human

Tiie

Sphinx.

The most remarkable instance of this kind was discovered by the author in a situation where, of all others, it was least to be upon the surface of the Sphinx. As expected, ^^ drcw near to view this prodigious colossus, a reddish hue was discernible over the whole mass,
race.

quite inconsistent with the

common

colour of

the limestone

used

in

building the Pyramids^

itself is

and of which the Sphinx

Its surface

formed.

This

iuduccd US to cxaminc more attentively the

supcrficics of
tlic

painted.

statuc

and having succeeded

in climbing beneath the right ear of the figure,

where the surface had never been broken, nor in any degree decomposed by the action of the
atmosphere,

we

found,

to

our very great sur-

prise, that the

whole had once been painted of

a dingy red or blood colour, like

some of the

PYRAMIDS OF
Herculaneum\

DJIZA.
in

201
Pompeii and
,

stuccoed walls of the houses

chap.
^^'
;

Upon

this painted surface there

(1) See

Rode and Riem " On

"
It
is

the Painting nf the Antients," p. 53,

Berlin, 1787.

really astonishing' that a people,

which,

if

we
its

except the obstacles arising from

priests

climate and the despotism of

and

its

rulers, possessed

such abundant means of elevating; the

little

Arts to the highest degree of perfection, did so

to use these means.

understand bow

In these glowing colours, of

which the original

quality remains unaltered and entire, after thousands of years, in these

so well-preserved colours of the royal

tombs of BiBAN el Moluch, of

the ceiling at 'Ientvra and Syene, and in the colours of the fallen

Sphinx near the antient Heliopolis, are discovered resources of which

few nations have been able to boast, and which Count Caylus supposes
to consist in certain sharp and corroding materials, which united the

colours so firmly with the body, that centuries would produce no alteration in their substance*.

This supposition

is

perhaps erroneous.
l)ul

Corroding materials do not always preserve the colours,

certain kinds, or at least change them,
in
I

destroy

such a manner, that they

will

are far from remaining what they were.

venture a supposition,

which, however,
that purpose,
I

mean

to try previously,
I

by an experiment whii?h,for
I

propose to make.

think, namelj-,

may

conjecture,

not without reason, that the Egyptians did not put on the colour in
the manner in which
entirely
it is

done novv

because the
left,

(ise

of the pencil was

in this respect,

unknown
the
is

to

them.

Nothing was

them,

Lut to unite a
colours, that
colours.
It

plastic

viscid

mass so thoroughly with the simple

whole mass which they put on contained those

same, whether this consisted of a kind of
as stone,

precisely' the

wax, of cement-earth hard

or of something similar.
;

This

they could easily put on, by means of their instruments

but painted

and indeed

the easier, as they knew of no mixing and of no shading of colours,

all

in utiiform

colours, red, yellow, or otherwise.

The

plastic mass, or ceraent-earth,

hardened either by encaustic treatment,

itself.,

which was not unknown

to

them, or by

This must very natu-

rally preserve the colours in equal strength, as they

were bound to-

gether and rendered permanent by the mass

jporated into
it,

itself,

and quite incor-

which
Ctti/Jus,

is

particularly true of stoneabove-quottd passage, Vol.

and earth-colours.

Toward
*
in the
I.

p. 351.

202

PYRAMIDS OF
situation beneath the

DJIZA.

CHAP, was also an Inscription; but so concealed,

L

by

its

/-

'

enormous ear of the Sphinx,

STnTn-^
tient/.
scriptton.

and so out of the reach of observers viewing

^jjg

statue from below, that no notice has yet

'

been taken of

it

by any preceding

traveller.

As

to the age of this inscription,

the reader
time,

must
it

determine for himself.

At the same
it

may

be proper to add, that

bears the characteristic

manner of applying the writing. There is a passage in the Book of Deuteronomy which proves that the custom of writing upon plaister existed in the fifteenth century before the Christian sera. The Israelites
of a high antiquity in the
are thus instructed to write the

Law

and

it is

very probable that Moses had learned the art from the Egyptians.

UP GREAT STONES, PLAISTER And thou shalt write upon THEM all the WORDS OF THE LAW'." The two first lines are Coptic; the rest is Arabic. The characters were of considerable size, and
:

"Thou shalt set thee AXD PLAISTER THEM WITH

Toward the end

which,
in

of this work,

shall

make my
\*s

readers acquainted

with such a kind of cement-earth, and describe

hardness,
is

whole composition, not inferior to any sandstone, emits sparks when struck, and to which, with soft and plastic treatment, one may

give not only the complete appearance of a

work composed

of

raw

sandstone, but also

all

the colours, and

all

the firmness, hardness,

and durability of stone."

(1)

Deut. xxvii,

2, 3.

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
they were inscribed in black paint upon the
red surface of the statue.
all

203
chap.

The author bestowed

making the

possible care and attention in

following copy of them, as a facsimile.

H ^1
e~^ c
c_-^

CO

204
CHAP.
,

PYRAMIDS OF
Above
written,
these,

DJIZA.
ear,

and closer under the

conspicuously,

were

very

these

curious

monograms.

^
O
in

probably also Arabic, but

their

appearance

somewhat resembling the kind of writing preserved among the Inscriptiones Sindicce, as pubAccording lished by Kircher and by Pococke\ to Pococke, this was not engraven, but painted, or stained, upon the rock where he saw it.
Custom of
painting

"Whatsoever
ters, the
,
.

may be
ot

Antient
Statues.

specimen

the these charac^..age of i-i-iiby the pamtmg exhibited

i

superficies of the stone

is

of

still

higher anti-

quity

not merely because the inscription ap-

pears upon the painted surface, but from the

(1)

See Plate LV. Inscript. 86. Descr. of the East,

vol. I.

p. 149.

Land. 1743. Giou ^K^axra

inscription

" The Greeks," says Pococke, " call this inscription y^d/ifiara, " The words of God engraved." The same may also be found in Kircher's Prodromus Copticus.

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

205

resemblance which the style of colouring bears chap. to other examples which may be mentioned, l 1

The

statues of the Parthenon at Athens

originally painted

and

gilded'-;

were and however

our notions

contrary the practice

of taste,

may seem

to

a custom of painting statues,

and of

gilding the hair of

images representing

celestial

beings, has continued, without intermission, from

the age of Pericles and the golden-haired Apollos

of Greece,

down

to the sera of those Italian artists

who

filled

our old English churches with ala-

baster monuments, where, besides the painted

effigies

of our

ancestors %

may be

seen the

figures of angels
hair.

with gilded wings and gilded

are subjects which, to a writer

But these

(2)

" Avant que

des Grecs,

ce

marbre pr^cicux
la

eftt

^t6 nettoy^,

il

conservoit

des traces, Doti-seulement de

I'usage

couleur encaustique dont, suivant

la

on enduisoit

sculpture,

niais

encore d'une
;

veritable

peinture dont quelques

parties
I'art,
les

^toietit

couvertes

usage

qui

tieiit

aux proc^d^s de renfance de

dont

il

ne s'etoit pas enet

core d^barra<;s^.

Le

foi^d 6U)\t

bleu

cheveux

quelques parties
inedits.

du

corjis

ETOiENT DORES."

/wy.

Monumcns Antiques

De-

scription d'un Bos-Relief

du Parthenon, par A. L. MilHn.

Traces of

gilding are
(3)
Z/or<f

still

to be perceived

on tbe hair of the Venus de Medicis.

splendid raoiiumcnt of this kind, erected over the bodies of

his family,

Surrey the Poet and

may be

seen in Framlingham

Church, Suffolk.
tice, in the

Shnkspeare has

fiiielj'

availed himself of this prac-

image of Herntione

(IP'tnter's Tale):

"PAUL.
The statue Not dry
is

O
but newly

patience;
tlic colimr 's

fii:t,

_"

206
IV
I

PYRAMIDS OF

DJIZA.

CHAP, fond of pursuing the mazes of antient history,

.^
'

offer

such alluring deviations from the main

route, as might lead both

him and
:

his reader

into almost endless digression

the vestiges of

antient art, and the remains of antient customs,

visible in our daily

walks and
that,

in

every haunt of

society,

so frequently suggest themselves to

if

philosophical reflection,

due attention

were paid
written.

to them,

whole volumes would be

only, selected from

inadequate to the dissertations that might be

A few observations
;

the pages of an author

similar observation
illusti"ating

who

has expressed a

and who, most learnedly

of painting
',

the

arts

and writing

among

the antient Egyptians

has concentrated

within a small compass whatever might have

been added upon these topics

this chapter.

may

terminate

Extract

<
,

The numbcr of

things to be spoken of here

.

from

Pahw.

will not
for it is

permit us to treat of each in particular;

necessary sometimes to neglect details,
to essentials only, that a

and confine ourselves

chapter

what might otherwise reThe loss of the greater quire a whole book.
contain

may

(1)

Philosophical Dissertation
vol.
I.

on the Egyptunis and Oiinese, by

De Pauw,

pp. 187, lfe8, 189, 190, 202, 203.

Lond. 1795.

PYRAMIDS OF

'

DJIZA.
is

207
a
chap.
IV.

part of the history of the Arts in Egypt

circumstance truly lamentable.

All the

wrecks

now remaining form

only a mutilated body.

" Pliny has fallen into an unpardonable contradiction,

writing

when he maintains that the art of had been known from all eternity^, and
at the

denies,

same time,

that the Egyptians

practised painting during six thousand years.

Plato finds no difficulty in believing
it

to

have

been known

to

them

for ten

thousand years'.

When
mous

Plato, in his Dialogues,

makes an anonythen seen in

interlocutor assert that ten thousand years

had elapsed since some pictures

were painted^
applied in
all

Egypt
parti-

we

should observe, that colours,

their natural purity

on the

tions of the Thehan

grottoes,

might really be

capable of supporting so long a period.

The

fewer mixtures are admitted in colours termed

native,

and appertaining neither

to the vegetable

nor animal kingdom, the less they are subject

(2)

De Pauw

is

evidently here aiming at the

introduction of his

own

sceptical notions with respeCt to chronology.

We

are to under-

stand Plitiy's use of the word eternity only as referring to a period

antecedent to existing records, or those of the uvTox^ont'- an observation necessary to rescue

many

of the antient philosophers from the

absurd notions imputed to them.

(3)

De

Legibus, Dial. 2.

208
CHAP,
'

PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA.
to change,

penetrate.
tions

where the rays of the sun do not This was the case in the excavacited,

we have

where many

tints

could be

distinguished, of a beautiful red, and of a particular blue.

Colours have remained until our

day

in

some royal sepulchres of Biban-d-Moluh,

which, in
before
edifices,

my

opinion,

have been constructed

the

Pyramids.

The
rather,

walls

of

great

when once
;

coloured, remained so for

for

many

centuries

or

ever.

The

Egyptians do not seem to have used any particular procedure for

making the colours and

gilding adhere to the wall or the bare rock, as

Count Caylus some people have supposed. says, that the manner of laying them on, practised by the Egyptians, was not favourable". Like all the Eastern artists, they employed only
virgin tints,

and coloured rather than painted."

(l) Jntiq. Egtjpt. Etrusc. tfc.

vol, I.

Reviarkable

Form of

one of the Fyraviids of Sacrira.

CHAP.

V.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
illustrious

Travellers

who have

visited

the Pyrdrnids-'^

Audience of the Vizier

Festivities

Voyage
seen

to ^a.cc-dva.-^Noctttrnal

of an Arab Village

Appearance
the

of the

Country

to the

South of Cairo Indigofera

Situation

of

MemphisTumulus

among

Pyramids

The

most-antient

Sepulchres not

pyramidal

Village of
Notion
of ascer-

SdiCcixdi Difference between the Pyramids of Sacc^ra

and

those

of Di'izsi

Descent
in

into the

Catacomls

founded on a passage

Herodotus
Bodies

Evidence for the

Difficulty

Horizontal Position of the

taining
the truth
their

Cause of

Repository of Embalmed Birds Interment Hieroglyphic Tablet AnteHorses of

tlie

lope-Antiquities found by the Arabs

VOL.

V.

Country


210

'

THE PYRAMIDS.

History of the Pyramid^-' Manner of the InvestigationAge of Structures-^ Their Sepulchral Origin Possible Cause of the ViolaCountry
detected
those
tion

Theft

of the principal Pyramid^ Historical Evidence

concerning the building of Pyramids in Egypt

ther views

of the

subject

Hermetic

Fur-

Stelce

Mexican

Pyramids.

CHAP.
V.
'

It

is

Illustrious

impossible to leave the Pyramids of Dfiza

list

without some notice of the long

of Philoso-

Travellers

phers, Marshals, Emperors, and Princes, who,

in so

who

have

visited the

many

ages, have

been brought

to

view the

Pyramids.

There most wonderful of the works of man. has not been a conqueror pre-eminently distinguished in the history of the world, from the

days of Camhyses
Napoleon

down to the invasion of Buonaparte, who withheld the tribute

of his admiration from the Genius of the place.

The vanity o^ Alexander the Great was so piqued by the overwhelming impression of their majesty,

that nothing

less

than

being ranked

him sufficiently above the pride of the monarchs by whom they were erected. When Germanicus had subdued the Egyptian empire, and seated ** a Roman praefect upon the splendid throne of
the of Egypt could elevate

among

Gods

the Ptolemies" being unmindful of repose or of

triumph, the antiquities of the country engaged

THE PYRAMIDS.
all his attention'.

211
pilgrim, pacing
is

The humblest

chap.
V.

the Libyan sands around them, while he

con-

scious that he walks in the footsteps of so

many

mighty and renowned men, imagines himself to be for an instant admitted into their illustrious
conclave.

Persian satraps, Macedonian heroes,

sages,

Grecian bards,
warriors,
gion,
all

and

historians,

Roman
reli-

of every age, and nation, and

in

have participated,

common with

him,

the same feelings, and have trodden the same

ground.

Every spot

that he beholds,

every
the
arts.

stone on which he rests his weary limbs, have

witnessed the coming of

fathers of law,

men who were

and of the

of literature,

Orpheus, Musceus, Homer, Lycurgus, Solon, Pythagoras, Plato, Plutarch, contributed

by

their pre-

sence to the dignity of the place.

Desolate
tra-

and melancholy as the scene appears, no

veller leaves
it

without regret,

and many a

retrospect of objects which call to his

mind such

numerous examples of wisdom, of bravery, and To this regret, on our part, was of virtue. added the consciousness that v/e had now

(1)

" Caeteium Germanicus

pra?cipua fuere
:

aliis

quoque miraculis intendit animum,

effigies,

quorum
instar

Mcmnonis saxea

ubi radiis

solis icta

est, vocjilem

sonum reddens disjectasque inter et vix pervias arenas, montium eductae Pyramidi-s, certamine et opibus regum."
lib,

Tacit. Annal.

u.

e. 6.

torn. I.

p. 308.

Paris, 1682.

V2

212
CHAP,

GRAND
interesting country

CAIRO.
this

reached the utmost limit of our travels in

;

for,

with the exception of

a visit to the Pyramids of Saccdra, our journey

towards the south was here terminated.

We

had now traversed about forty degrees of latitude, and principally by land; through countries,

however,

in

which

little

of the refinements

of civilized nations had ever been experienced

and we returned from Djiza

rest of our travels in Greece.

to Cairo, to con-

clude our observations in Egypt, previous to the

The
Rosetti,

next day

we

all

dined with

Signor

who

sent a messenger to the Sheik of

the Bedouin Arabs at Saccdra, stating that

we

were desirous of seeing the Pyramids and Catacombs of that place, and begging to be informed
on what day
ready
for us.

we might find guides and horses On the following evening, August

The
Sheik

the twenty-fifth, his answer arrived.

sent two

men

of his tribe, one to conduct us,

to

and the other

return with

our message,

fixing the time for our visit.

The Arab who

be our conductor ran away, but we procured another who happened to be then in

was

to

Cairo.

In

all

the great houses of this city, the

earthen vessels for containing water are per-

fumed.

This becomes quite a ceremony.

They

GRAND
first

CAIRO.

213
chap.
^

put into the vase some mastic, and a subis

stance called Makourgourivic, which

brought
it

from Upper Egypt.

;

The name

is

written as

but perhaps it was pronounced more than one word. They then

consists of
clarify the

water with almond-paste, cool

porating
drinking.
jars,

it

by the evafit

and thus

it

is

made

for

On

the twenty-seventh

we purchased every
could obtain from the

variety of seed which

we

gardeners of Cairo.

After this

we

visited a

manufactory of sabres, wishing to learn the art

by which

the Mamaluke blades are ornamented

with a sort of clouded work.

city of Damascus,

Sabres thus

enamelled are said to be damascened, from the

where

this

in the greatest perfection.

work is carried on We saw the artifipurpose, v/hich

acid,
it;

cers use a red liquid for this

appeared to

be some powerful

from the
but they

caution they observed in touching

would not allow us

to

examine

it.

We
Vizier.

then paid our long-promised visit to the

Audienee
vizier.

This venerable

man had
them.

lived so

much

with our artillery

officers,

that he entertained

very sincere regard

for

We

made our

appearance before him

in

company with Colonel

214
CHAP.'
V.

GRAND CAIRO.
Holloicay

and Major Hope.

He welcomed

these

officers as if

they had been his brothers.

He

had

lost

an eye when he was young, in playing

of Djirit.

the game

He

regaled us in the usual

Oriental style;

and conversed cheerfully upon

the subject of his marches with our countrymen

in the Desert; also of his

own

exploits in battle.
in

He
silk

was magnificently dressed,

;

robes of rich

and wore, instead of a turban, a high

;

purple cap

such as the Grand Signior puts on

occasions.

upon public
used
sand
for
piastres ;

The pipe which he

at seven thou-

smoking was valued

and his poignard was ornamented

with the largest emerald

being equal
in size to a

we had ever seen, walnut. He resided in

a new and magnificent palace, the windows of which were ornamented with beautifully stained
glass.

His couch consisted of ebony, inlaid

;

with mother of pearl ment.

than
is

and a magnificent mirror,

covered with a gauze net, decorated his apart-

His attendants were more numerous

usual with other Pashas; but, in his man-

ners, there

was

neither the pride, the stateliness,

nor the affected pomp, which

in the
Viceroys of Cyprus,

we had remarked

of Jerusalem, and of

other places.

In the evening, at six o'clock,

we

again set

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
out in our djermy upon an excursion to the Pyramids of Saccdra, accompanied

215
chap.
.

by Mr. Hammer
about ten

^\

and Dr. Whittman\

We

arrived,

y^y^g^t"
Saccara.

o'clock, in the village of Sheik Jttman ;

and were
girls Noctumai
or^TJiTab
^"^^^^^^

much gratified, upon our

light scene,
in

landing,

by a fine moon-

which two beautiful Arab

were performing a dance called Rack, beneath

a grove of palm-trees, to the music of a tambour,

and a pipe made of two reeds which the Arabs call Zumana. A party of Arabs was seated in a
circle

round them, as spectators.

The

rest of

the inhabitants were sleeping, either in the open

air

beneath the trees, or collected

in tents, pell-

mell,

among

asses, mules,

their children

palm-trees,
ladders,

Some of were running up and down the as if these had been so many
and dogs.
bunches of ripe dates
for

to gather

the circle round the dancers.

face of the Nile reflected the

The broad surmoon s image, and

most beauwalk

conduced
tiful

to the perfection of this

spectacle.

The Arabs

suffered us to

among them, without being interrupted in their Some of them amusement or their repose.
brought us
ments.
fruit,

and offered other refreshall

The women were

prostitutes,

and

(1)

This genUeman has since published an Account of his Travels

in Turkey.

216
CHAP,
i

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
almost naked:
_,

they wore coral necklaces, and

^'

large

ivory

bracelets.

An ^rab

joined the

dance, which

we had never

seen any of the

men

do before:

he began by exhibiting a variety of

attitudes with his

drawn sabre
in a

and then pro-

ceeded
ner,

to

express the tenderness of his passion

for the female

dancer

very ludicrous manlike

squeaking,

and howling

some wild
received us

animal.

One

of the Sheiks

who had

upon our

arrival

went

to a

neighbouring village,

to procure

some additional horses for the next morning. The music and the dancing continued during the whole of the night. Our boat was
anchored opposite to the farthest pyramid,
to-

wards the south;

lu the
to

Cairo being

still

in sight.

Appear-

moming

of August the twenty-eighth.

Country

^^ ^vc o'clock, as the

sun was rising

in

great

tlrc^ivo.''

splendour behind the mountainous ridge of M?kntam, we went round the village, which consisted
entirely of

mud

huts.

Near

to these

were

sefor

veral gardens, in

which we gathered radishes

varieties of the

We noticed also some dwarf Palm\ which we had not before observed, growing in clusters among the taller
our breakfast.
trees,

and

bearing abundance of

fruit,

but

(l) Phoenix dactylifera.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
hanging: so low that
it

217
chap,
V.

might be reached by the

called Balack MahacU:

hand.

One
feet.

variety

was

the average height of this did not exceed ten or

twelve

Another bore the name of Balack

Seawee, which

grew somewhat

taller.

A femate

of

uncommon beauty made

such a

her appearance out

of one of the huts, without any veil; and, to add

to the rarity of
sight,

her complexion
that of a Cir-

was

fair,

much more resembling

vassian than of
tity of

an Egyptian woman.

The quanis

pigeons hovering about these villages

quite astonishing.

We
was

also

saw

flights of larks

of a very large size.

the eye extended,

All the country, as far as

so covered with water,

that no particular course of the Nile could be

perceived

it

was more

like a sea than a river.

The Pyramids of Saccdra appeared in the distant view, beyond a country rich in plantations and
full

of villages

they are less regular in their

structure than those of Dfna.

of the Nile
is

The Arabian
the Libyan.

side

not so

fertile as

To-

wards Mokatam, the country below the heights seemed to be quite a desert. Mount Mokatam
is itself

variously perforated
:

by cavernous ex-

cavations

these were either the habitations or

the sepulchres of the earliest settlers upon the

eastern side of the Nile.

village,

At a neighbouring

called Etterjile,

two gun-boats, and one

218
CHAP,
.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.

indigofcra.

now building^. Near this grew a great quantity of Ixdigoff.ra, ^vhich the Jmhs call Nile. Under a similar appellation it was mentioned, at the close of the
smaller vessel, were
village

sixteenth century, as an object of inquiry,

by

Richard Hahluyt^', for at that time

it

was not

known
Indigo^.
*'

in

England what plant produced the

Instructions
if

were therefore given,

be a
if it

to

know

Anile, that coloureth blew,

natural commodity;

and,

be compounded
Nil, or

of an herbe, to send the seed or root, with the

order of sowing/'
Anil, is

It is

remarkable that

the American

name

of the Indigo plant-

The

Portuguese

have adopted their Anil,

In Chinese
it

or
is

Anileira,

from the American.

called Tien

Laam, which

signifies sky blue.

The

Arabs, in Egypt,

sow the seed

;

of this plant only

t^vo crops

once in seven years

and they obtain

from

it

in

each year.

They
is

cut

it

green,

when

about two feet

in height:
:)

(they were cutting

some
this

at this time

it

then put into boiling

after

water, and
it

left in

jars for several days:

acquires the blue colour.

to boil the plant,

The French
and use the

had taught them

scum

for a dye.

(1)
(2)

A. D. 1582.

See Martyn's edition of -Vi/fev's Dictionary.

Art. Indigo/era.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.

219
chap.
.

it

We saw two jirahs crossing; the Nile, where was at least half a mile wide, by means of empty gourds, which they used instead of bladders, with their clothes fastened upon their heads. It was nine o'clock before we steered
our djerm into a canal leading towards Saccdra.

.\

We

passed the village which Savory believed

situation

to denote the situation of antient

Memphis, and
city^.

phu.

concurred with him in his locality of the

Causeway and the Lake,
the village
is

His description of the place, particularly of the

is

very accurate.

But

not called Menf, or Menph, as he

pretends, but Menshee a Dashoo*.

The

LaJce at

this time was, in great measure, become a part

of the general inundation.

We

sailed the

whole

way

to the Pyramids of Saccdra, with the excep-

tion of about half a mile,

which

it

was necessary

to ride over, to the

Mummy

Pits.

Just beyond Menshee a Dashoo

struck

we were much

Tamuius
seen

by

the appearance of a Tumulus, (stand- among the

mg to

the south oi a large graduated pyramid,)

which, instead of being pyramidal, exhibits a less

artificial

and therefore a more antient form of

(3)
(4)

Porocke also places

it

near the same spot.

This seems to have been Pococke's

vol. I.

" ElMenshich Deshour."

See Dcscr. of the East,

p. 49.

220
CHAP,
sepulchre

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
than any of the Pyramids.
It is

simple hemispherical mound.

We

saw

after-

wards others of the same kind.

Tlic most

antient 6;.
]>ulclircs

larity of structure

Comparing these appeara;nces with that regulawhich characterizes the Pyraat

not pyra
inidal.

mids of Djiza, and also with another style of

architecture observable
transition
Saccdra,

where

may be

discerned between one and

the other, (the curved outline not having wholly

disappeared, nor the rectilinear form prevailing

altogether,)

we may
series
lie

establish a rule for ascer-

taining different degrees of antiquity throughout

the whole

of these

monuments.

The
all

most antient

towards the south.

Almost

the buildings of Saccdra, of whatever size or

shape, whether hemispheroidal or pyramidal,

seem

to

be older than those of Djiza: and, as

in

we

proceed

surveying them from the south

towards the north, ending with the principal

pyramid of

Dj'iza,

we

pass from the primevej

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
mound, through all arrive at the most
following sketch.
its

221

modifications, until

we
;

chap.

artificial

pyramidal heap

.^

something after the manner represented by the

Priiiieral Moun<l.

Pyramid of Saccira.

Pyramid of

Dj'iza.

The same
in

monuments America, which have been held sacred among

rule will apply to similar

the inhabitants of that great continent from the

earliest periods of their history.

In

fact,

the

Scythian Mound,

the Tartar Tcpt, the Teutonic

them preserve a monumental form which was more

Barrow, and the Celtic Cairn,

do

all

of

antiently in use than that of a Pyramid, because

it

is

less artificial

and a proof of

its

alleged

antiquity

may be deduced from

its

the mere cir-

cumstance of

association with the Pyramids

222
CHAP.
.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
o{ Egypt,

even

if

the testimony of Herodotus

were

less explicit as to the

remote period of
nations'.

its

existence

among Northern
to the

Village of

We
Near

came

wretched

village of Saccdra.
is

to this place,

towards the south, there

an antient causeway, composed of stones twelve

yards wide, leading up the short ascent to the
plain on

which the Pyramids stand.

left

Several of
us.

the Arabs

their

huts to

accompany

When we

reached the principal cluster of them,

which is behind the village towards the west, we were conducted to the mouth of one of the
Catacombs; and prepared for a descent, as into
the

mouth of a

well,

by means
soil

of a rope-ladder
for that purpose.

which we had brought with us

Tlie

sandy surface of the

was covered with

terra cotta, pieces

a quantity of broken vessels of

of

human

bones, sculls, bits of antient glass,

ruins.

and heaps of

These Pyramids appear

of the
Dj'Lza also belonged.

to

be a continuation
to

same great coemetery

and

which those of
four or five

They extend

miles, both to the north

to the south of the

(l) See

tlie

account given by Herodotus of the Scythian mode of

sepulture.

Melpomene,

71.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
village of Saccara.

223

of them are rounded was observed by Pococke"^, " do not look like pyramids, but more like hillocks cased with stone/' One of these is graat the top, and, as
it

Some

bctweentite

oSnccdm
and those
vi'

duated, like the principal pyramid o{ Dj'iza; but

Dj'iza.

with this difference, that the gradations here

are

much
;

larger,

although the

pyramid be

smaller.

It consists

only of six tiers or ranges

of stone

the pyramid itself being an hundred

and

fifty feet in

height \

The ranges or steps

are twenty-five feet high, and eleven feet wide.

The

rest of these

structures are so fully and

accurately described

by

Poeoche, that

little

will

be added here
is

to his description of them.

one, built also with steps,

There which he believed

Dj'iza.

to

be as large as the principal pyramid of

The works

at Saccara, independently of the dif-

ferent forms

which characterize them, appear to

be older than those of Dj'iza; the buildings

being more decayed, and the stones crumbling,
as
if

they were decomposed by longer exposure

to the action of the atmosphere.

Four miles

to

the south of Saccara stands a pyramid built of

unburned bricks.
state.

This

is in

a very mouldering
shells,

The bricks contain

gravel,

and

(2)

Descr. of the East, vol.

I.

p. 50.

(3) Ibid.

224

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
chopped straw they are of the same nature as the unburned bricks in modern use in Egypt.
:

Pococke concluded, from

that this pyramid

its

present appearance,

only

it is

was built with five gradations of the same height as the other gra-

duated Pyramid of six degrees.

Descent
'cJtacombt.

Our ropc-laddcr was not more than fifteen fset in length, and yet, when placed in the mouth of a catacomb near the graduated //z/ramzWj

we

found

it

reach low enough to enable us to

first

descend into the

row of chambers.
mummies:
tier of

We
wh^n
about

entered a room containing scattered bones, and

fragments of broken
entire,

these,

had evidently been placed

sort of shelf or

horizontally,

upon a

stone,

breast high, formed in the natural rock, and

extended the whole length of

apartment.

this

subterraneous

Beyond the first chamber were others on the same level, exhibiting similar remams and below these was a series, extend;

ing, in like

manner, beneath the upper range.

The

smell in these catacombs

it

was

so exceedingly

offensive, that

speedily drove us up again;

it

although

we

could not explain the cause, for

it

seemed very improbable that

(1) Descr. of the East, Vol.

could originate

I.

p. 53.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
in

225

embalmed bodies deposited there so many chap. ages before. We saw enough, however, to be -^<-

'

convinced that an erroneous notion has been

derived from a passage
in Herodotus,

which has
of placing

been supposed

to relate to the

mode
It

mummies

in these repositories*.

was imposset upright

sufficient

sible that the

dead could have been

for there

upon

their

feet,

was not
tlie

space between the roof of

cavern and the

place where the bodies were laid.

From

a
Evidence
rizontai

former view of the Soros

in the Dj'iza
it

pyramid, and

also from the appearance here,

became
in

evi-

dent that the position of the corpses

sepulchres

Egyptian

hTb^L

was not
in

vertical,

but horizontal; and

that the passage referred to in Herodotus relates

to the

manner

which the bodies were placed,

not in the catacombs, but in the houses of the

deceased persons, after being emThe testimony now given is, moreover, confirmed by many other writers. Kircher has given an engraved representation, made from a view of the Mummy Crypts, by Buralrelatives of

balmed.

tinus;

delineated, as he says, with the utmost

(2) KaJ
e^fct
*goj

xaraKXriiraiTi; cSra, inrav^'i^ovei

TsTxiv.

sv

e'x.ftu.art

fftiXKiu,

ifrifrif

" Inclusumque
el

ita,

reponunt in conclavi
Herodot. Hist.

loculis
lib. ii-

talibus dicato, statuentes

e. 86.

rectum ad parietem."
TVesseling.

p. 143.

Ed. Falchen.

Jmst. 1763.

VOL.

V.

226
ciiA.p.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
accuracy S in which the bodies are
'

all

represented

'

cumbent, with their faces upwards. Denons description of the Cryptce to the north-east of Thebes
is

of the

same nature^.

^*

At the bottom of the

insulated, of a

galleries, the sarcophagi stood

single block of granite each, of twelve feet in

length and eight in width, rounded at one end,

squared at the other,

in Alexandria^

like that of St.Athanasiusy

And

again, in his long

and

diffi-

cult search to discover " the

manner

in

which a

mummy

was placed

in

its

sepulchre," having

ventured into

cryptce where the bodies had been disturbed, he found ^ them " placed never upon the ground^ and allowed as much space as

could contain them in regular order."

Vococle,

describing the Catacomhs of Saccara, speaks of

" benches about two feet above the passages,"

on which

"he

supposes they laid the

"*

mum-

mies;" but, being desirous of adapting even

these appearances to a notion of their upright posture, he adds^ " Probably the inferior per-

(1) Vifl.

(Edip. ^3Lgypt.

syntagma

xiii.

c. 4.

torn.

III.

pf 400,

Rom.

1654.

(2) Dewoji.

Trav. in Etii/pt,

vol. II. p. I74.

Lond, 1803,

(3) Ibid. p. 226.

(4) Descr. of the East, vol.

(5) Ibid.

I,

p. 54.

Lond. 1743.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
sons were piled one upon another, and the heads of the family set upright in the niches." The
suggestion
is

227
chap.
s_..^-.,-

borrowed from

Maillet,

who menthis is

tions " several niches,"

wherein the bodies " des

mailres de lafamiUe'

very easily said;

were placed ^ All and it is all without

in
its

proof.

The

fact

is,

that no traveller, as far as

we

can

learn, ever did

succeed
within
it,

observing the posicrypt\

tion of a
if

mummy

The Arabs,
mummy.

they can avoid

will suffer

no one to behold

what the French^ writers

call a virgin

(6) D^scr. de (7) If

VEgypte,

torn, II. p. 21.

la

Haye, 1740.

any traveller could have succeeded

in

making observation

to

this efFoct, it

would have been Mr. TV. Hamilton, during'

his travels

in

Upper Egypt.
'

In reply to the author's inquiry upon this subject,

he says,

never was in a situation to see

;

mummies

in a constructed
I assisted at

catacomb, or crypt

but a few miles above Philce,

grave, full of

the

opening of a

common

mummies,

lying upon their backs:

these were covered with the

common

sand of the desert.

The

sculp-

tures in the Egyptian temples, which frequently represent mourners

around a

mummy,

always place the

latter in

a horizontal posture." The

testimony of one of Mr. Hamilton's fellow travellers at Saccara also

confirms what has been said of the difficulty of making these observations.

"

We

did not see the

mummies

of

human

bodies

those pits

which the Arabs generally shew are

with bones, and not at
all

filled

up with sand, interspersed

interesting to examine.

The

places in

which
of

tliere

are

perfect

mummies
to

are covered over with palm-

branches and sand, with a view

sort

conceal their situation.

are

There

is

mummy

trade

among the Arabs; and jou

likely to procure

one at Cairo than at Saccaua."

much more Squire's MS.

p. 149.

Journal.
(8)

See Denon,

vol.

H.

p. 224.

Vansleh (Relation d'Egypte,

Par. 1667) has a

different expression,

" Un puils

vierge."

q2

228
CHAP.
V.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.

Denon

says',

^'

It ivas

a particular which they con-

cealed with the utmost obstinacy T

tions the

same

difficulty^.

different attitudes

Maillet menWith regard to the assigned by Maillet and by

it

Pococke to the bodies of the rich and the poor in

Egyptian sepulchres,

may

generally be re-

marked, that the

more magnificent an Egyptian

is

tomb
of the

is

found to be, the more striking

it

the

evidence

contains for the horizontal position

:

body

witness the Soros of the principal

pyramid of Dj'iza, and the Sarcophagi mentioned

by Denon

in the sepulchres of Thebes^.

Upon the whole,

cile existing facts

therefore, as

with the

we cannot reconcommon notion which

it

has been derived from the text of Herodotus,

is

more reasonable

to

admit that

his

meaning
fact,

has been misunderstood, than that the text

itself involves

an error; that he alludes, in

to the

position of the

mummy

in

the private

dwellings of those

among

the Egyptians

who had

no sepulchre
This

for its reception.

In their private

houses the Egyptians placed the bodies upright.

we

learn from Diodorus Siculus,

who says%
Lond. 1803.

(1) Travels iu

Egypt, Eng. Edit.

p.

224. vol.

II.

(2) D^scr. de VEgijpte, toni. II. p. 22.

la Harje, 1740.

(3)

Voyage en Egypte,
Diodor, Sic.
lib,
i.

torn.
c.

I.

p.

236.

Paris Edit.

U)

92.

Jmsl. 1746.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
**

229

They who have not sepulchres

Silius Italicus

huilt^,

make a

chap.

new

building in their oivn houses, and place the

alludes also to this

chest upright."

standing postured

After our descent into

these catacombs,
pits;

we

were taken
in all of

to other

mummy

but the smell

them was

offensive,

and the appear-

ances were merely repetitions of what

seen before.

we had

Every one of these places had been opened, and ransacked, by the Arabs. We
observed a beautiful
fibres, of

crystallization, in diverging

some white substance, upon the wall

it,

of one of the chambers, perhaps ^Jibrous carbo-

nat^fsoda; but in our endeavours to remove

the specimen was destroyed:
diately
it

broke imme-

upon the

slightest touch.

We were

then

conducted to the mouth of one of those subterra-

neous repositories

in

which the embahied

birds
Repository

were deposited. Like the entrance

to all the other

catacombs, this resembled that of a well.

We

e/jjuds

descended^ as before, by our rope ladder, to the

depth of twenty feet

and here found a

level, or

horizontal duct, along

which we were compelled

(5) Kriftis.

Ibid.

(6)

" iEgyptia tellus

Claudit odorato post funus stantia busto

Corpora,"

230
to

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
creep upon our bellies, to the distance of
feet,

about sixty
place,

when we came

to a central

where several passages diverged'. These were almost choked by sand, by a number of broken jars, and by a quantity of swathing and of embalmed substances, looking like so much tinder and charcoal dust, which had been
taken out of those jars.
intricate
last to a

windings of these channels,

passage ten feet

As we followed the we came at

and
filled,

in height,

six in

width, where the whole space

the floor to the roof,
state, as

was

from

by

the jars, in an entire

they were originally deposited.

These
all

have often been described.

lying horizontally, tier

They were
tier,

upon

the

covers

(l)

" The

well itself

15

about

six feet

square

the sand, and stones,

and broken pottery, which are constantly

extremely inconvenient.

falling,
it is

render the descent

At the bottom of
is

a small bole, which,

:

by those who are

at all corpulent,
it
is

passed with very e;reat difficulty

indeed, each time

necessary to clear the sand from the hole,

which constantly

iilk

up the entrance.

Here, having taken

off

our

coats, with candles in our hands, our faces to the ground, our feet

foremost, and an Arab pulling our legs from within,

way through a passage about twenty yards

at the place

in length, until

where the sacred birds are deposited.

we worked our we arrived The whole is

excavated out of the solid rock, and of an inconceivable extent.

We

did not wander far from the entrance, fearful of being lost in the
labyrinth.
as

To

the right and left of the entrance are passages, which,

oft'

you advance, branch

in

various

directions."

Squire's

MS.

Juurnal.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
being towards the outside, after the manner in

231
chap.
'

which quart bottles are often placed

cellars.

in

our

We took down
:

several of them; but as

fast as

behind

we removed one row, another appeared it and, as we w^ere told by the Arahs^
their prodigious

such

is

number, that

if

hun-

dreds were removed, the space behind them

would appear
appearance
all
is

similarly filled up.

The same

presented at the extremities of

the removal of the jars.
in the pit.

these galleries, the passages having been,

cleared only

by

We
were

opened several of them

For the

most

part, the contents of all these vessels

the same;

but there were some exceptions.

Generally, after unfolding the linen swathing,

we found
thers

a bird, resembling the English

curleiVy

having a long beak, long legs, and white featipped with black.
It
is

certainly the

same bird which Bruce has described", called by the Arabs, Ahou Hannes^. In some of these
(2)
vol,

See the plate and description of this bird in Brock'*- TravelSy

p.

v.

172.

Edin. 1790.
entire specimen of this bird, taken from
its

(3)
state,

The only

embalmed
Mr. John
all

was obtained from one of the Egyptian jars

by

/earww, Surgeon, of London; who, having carefully removLtl

the

linen swathing, and every extraneous substance, succeeded in the entire

developennent of the perfect animal.

Mr. Pearson cutnmuuicated his

observations upon the subject to the Roi/ul Socicti/,

Trunsactiojis

among whose
representatioa

they were

published

accompanied

by an engraved

232
jars,

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
however, instead of a
bird,

were found

parts of other animals, carefully embalmed, and

wrapped
a
cat,

in linen

as the head of a monkey ^ or of

without the entire body.

Such appearseveral larger

ances are rare.

Pococke relates, that, in one of

the irregular apartments, he

jars,

saw

which might be intended

:

for dogs, or for

other animals

of these, says he,

some have

been found, but they are now very rare *.

We

saw none

of those larger jars: they

all

appeared
inches in
after

to be of equal size, about fourteen

length, of a conical form,

and made
this
it

the

same manner, of coarse earthenware.

fastened on the cover
:

luting

luting has

been
to
It

described as mortar, but

seems rather
of the Nile^.

have consisted of the

mud
in

required considerable labour to

move about a

dozen of these jars with us,

representation of the bird, as

our passage back

it

appeared after the covering was

entitled Histoire

removed.

See
et

also

a very interesting publication,

de
/'luis;

Nclurelle

MyOiologiqKe

par

Jules-Cesar

Savignv,

Memlre

de F Institut d'Egypte. 8vo. with Plates exquisitely drawn and Paris, 1805.
I.

coloured.
(1)

Description of the East, vol.

p. 53.

Land. 1743.

" The pottery itself, although three thousand years old, appears as new as if it were of yesterday. We broke several of the pots, and found some very perfect birds. We met with a wing of the Ihis,
(2)

having the feathers

exposed to the
air,

still

on the pinion
fell

as soon, however, as this

was

the plumage

to pieces,

and was

lost."

Squire's

MS.

Journal.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
to the

231}

mouth of the repository but we suein rolling them before us, until we regained the rope-ladder, when they were easily
;

chap.
.

ceeded

raised to the surface, and

afterwards sent to

England, to be distributed

among our
to

friends.
fulfilled;

Another obligation now remains

be
the

namely, that of endeavouring to account

singular deposit of these birds in

for the

manner

which has been described.

A
flies

reverence for certain birds that destroy

''

and serpents seems common

all

to the inhabiall

Cause of the Interment of

the Ihin.

tants of

countries.

In almost

parts of the

world,

it is

considered as an unpropitious

to put to death the sivalloiv or the marten.

omen The

same respect has generally been paid to the At stork, the heron, and their different species. this day, the coming of these birds is hailed as a lucky presage over all the North of Europe particularly in Denmark and in Holland, where
;

the nests of the stork

roofs

may be

observed upon the

in

of cottages
village.

and farm-houses,
to

almost

every

It is

observed by Pamu*, that

the Turks, who do not pretend

be

idolaters,

are as careful in preventing the Ibis from being

(3)

Philosophical

Dissertations

on

the

Egiiplians and

Chinese,

vol. II. p. 100.

234

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
destroyed as were the Greeks and Romans.
It

would have been well if this writer had explained what particular bird he alluded to under this
appellation; becaase
antiently called
Ibis
it is

believed that the bird

is

become very
says Paiiw
of a
Ibis,
',

rare in

Turkey.
of

The
the

Egyptians,

instead

being

inventors

superstitious

reverence for the stork and the

brought this

with them from JEthiopia

together with the

the ichneumon, the
screech-oiul ;

worship of the

cat,

the

iveasel,

sparroiv-hawk, the vulture,

and the

worship founded on the

" It

utility of these animals.

"-,

was absolutely necessary," says he *' to put them under the protection of the law, otherwise the country would have been altogether uninhabitable.' The Mahomjnedans, according to Shaiv^, have the stork^
in

the

highest

esteem and veneration

it is

as sacred

among

them as the
no
less

was among the Egyptians; and profane would that person be accounted,
Ibis
kill,

Avho should attempt to

nay, even to hurt

(1) Philosophical
voi. II. p. 100.
(2)

Dissertations on

the Egyptians

and

Chinese^

Lond. 1795.

Ibid.

(V^ Travels, p. 410.

Lond. 1757.
is

(4)

"

Leldeli, or I.egh'g,

the

name

that

is

commonly used by the

all

Arahian

autiiors,

although Bel-arje

])rcvails
it

over Barbary,

liachart {Ilicrog.

lib. ii.

cap. 29.) suppo?eth

Jbld.

to be the

same with

the Kasida of the Scriptures."

Note

6.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
or to molest
Pliny,
it'.

235

We

are moreover told

by
Ibis

that

the

Egyptians

invoked

the

against the approach of serpents ^ In the earhest

ages of Egyptian history, the same regard was

paid to the
Ibis,

and
bird
as

for the
in

same cause.
to
all

Josephus

mentions

this

the beginning

of

his

Jewish Annals,

harmless

creatures,

except to an army

serpents.

He relates

that Moses, leading

into

Ethiopia,

made use

of the Ibis

to destroy a

swarm

of serpents that infested his

passage \
Ibis^
;

Cicero alludes to this property in the

in

and Pliny speaks of the reverence

it

which
for

was

held.

The punishment

in ThessaJy

having occasioned the death of one of these

was equal to that for homicide ^ Thus we have the most ample testimony as to the veneration in which these birds were univerThe peculiar circumstances which sally held.
birds

(5) Travels, ibid. (6)

" Invocant

et jEgyptii Ibes suas contra serpentium adventum."

I.

PUn.

Hist. Nat. cap. 28. torn.

p. 530,
c.

L. Bat. 1635.
10.

(7) Josephi Hist. Antiq. Jud.

lib. ii.

Colon. I69I.

It

is

how-

ever maintained by Savign?/, from the

bird could not liave
(8^

anatomy

of the Ibis, that this

swaUowed

serpents.

"

Ibes

maximam vim serpentium

Ed. Lamb.
lis

con6ciunt," &c.

Cic.

de Nat.

Dear.
(9)

lib. i.

p. 210.

" Honos

serpentium exitio tantus, ut

in Tbessalia

capilale

uerit oceidisse,
Hist. Nat.
lib. x.

eademque legibus poena, qua3

c.

in

homicidam."

Plin.

23. torn.

I.

p. 527.

L. Bat. 1635.

236
cirAP.
\',

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
occasioned the remarkable burial of so
their bodies in the Catacombs of

many

of

Egypt are ex-

plained

says, that

by Ibn TVashi, an Arabian writer; who it was usual to embalm and bury an

Ibis at the initiation of the priests'.

When we

reflect

officiated in

upon the number of the priests who the temples and colleges of the

country, and the lapse of ages during which the

practice continued, extending even to the con-

quest of Egypt by the jirabs,

we may

easily

account for the astonishing number of these

birds

thus

preserved.

Plutarch,
Ibis,

moreover,

mentions the burial of the

animals held sacred
says,
it

and of other

among

the Egyptians.

He

was sometimes a private, and sometimes a public ceremony". The Ibis, with other sacred animals, was put to death by the priests, and
privately buried,

as

an expiatory sacrifice to

avert pestilential diseases.

public

The

burial

was

when any

particular species of the sacred

animals was to be interred ^

(1) See the

work of Ibn

TVashi, on Antient Alphabets, &:c. as trans-

lated

by Mr. Hammer.

The same

writer

is

mentioned by Kircher^

under the name of Abeii Vaschia,

(2) Plutarch, de hid. et Osh: (3) Ibid.
c.

73.

Camh. 1744,

UNIV^^RSITY

of

CAbiFORNIA

LOS Ai'GBLEiS LIBRARY

-"J^IV.

^oiLJUiii

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.

237
chap.
'

We had
Ibis,

no sooner

left .the

sepulchres of the
horse-

than

we observed Mr. Hammer, on

back, coming towards us, followed by a large

party of Arabs,

who were
It

dragging after them a

large stone, which had closed the

mouth

of one
Hierogiy-

of the Mummy-pits.
glyphical tablet
;

was a very fine hieroand as Mr. Hammer wished

^ "^

very

much to send it to the Orzewia/ Academy of Vienna, we assisted him in moving it towards
it

the djerm, and succeeded in getting

I

on board.

was afterwards
;

sent to Rosetta, and to the

English fleet
it

but
its

we

are yet ignorant whether

ever reached

destination.

In the fear that

in

it may have been

lost,

and at the same time

to

the hope of making

belongs,
if
it

known

whom

it

properly

now

exist in other

hands than
it,

those for

whom

Mr. Hammer intended

a few

words may be added as a description of it, accompanied by an engraved representation of the

stone.

It

seemed, from

tlie

rude and angular style

of the sculpture, as well as from the substance

itself,

upon which the characters were engraved,

It

to

be of the highest degree of antiquity.

slab of

was a

common grey
and two

limestone,
in breadth.
(for

about
Cer-

four feet in length,

tain of the inscribed characters

example.

238
^^^;^^^

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
lAi
'

and

lAi)

are so evidently written letters, that

-V

if this

single tablet alone remain, as a

specimen
reason

oOueroghjpliic writing, there will be

to

little

doubt the use of these characters.

Among

the four figures in the upper department, yJnubis

appears with an egg upon his head, and the

Crux ansata

in his left

bears in his right

left

by his side, hand the fiagellum, and in his

hand.
Osiris,

the crooh.

Upon
;

the right and left of these

ligures,

on either
flower
in the

side, is

seen an altar supporting

the

lotus

and,

beyond

these,

are

two

figures,

attitude oi Ahnehs^ uttering the

Eleleu at funerals, but perhaps intended to re-

present a similar ceremony as practised by the

priests,

who

are distinguished

by

the baldness
it

of their heads.

Herodotus says that

was

the

peculiar custom of the Egyptian priests to shave

their

heads

'

it

was transmitted

from

the
still

Heathen into the

Christian Church, and

remains amonof the Monastic orders of the Roman

Catholics.

St.

Jerom^ and St. ylmbrose\ both of

(1) Herodol. Eufcrpe,

c. 36".

Evdn.rus shaved not only his beard,

but his evebrows, during the time that he resided with the priests of

Egypt. Diogen. Laert.

relates [Euterpe,
c.

lib.\\n. segme7it.%T.

p.bAh.

Ileiodotus further

37.) that the priests

shaved their whole bodies every

third day.
(2) Hieron. in

Com.

in

E:ek.

c.

44.

(3) Amlros. Ep. 36. ad Sahin.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.

230
its

whom
mony

were well acquainted with

of the priests of his.

Pagan
of this

chap.
V.

origin, inveigh against this

custom, as a cere-

The whole

symbolical picture
chral subject
:

may have

related to a sepul-

meaning was explained by inscriptions placed above the figures, and in

its

other parts of the tablet.

Anuhis with the e^^y

come in his
left

and the type of Life

to

hand\
which
as

may

typify that
its

embryo

state of the soul

;

precedes
also the

revivification after death

may
An-

unexpanded flower of the

Lotus.

other symbolical picture, below

this,

exhibits a

solemn procession,
Plutarch describes*

perhaps the same which

as taking place annually,

upon the nineteenth of the Egyptian month

Pachon
;

when

the priests carried rich odours

and spices

to celebrate the priding of Osiris, a

the Resurrec-

ceremony much resembling that of

tion

in the Greek

Church

the Christos voscress

all

of the Russians.

Inscriptions occupy

the rest

of the tablet, either engraven in regular lines

beneath, upon the lower part of the stone, or

above the heads and by the sides of the

tured figures. This very curious

pic-

relic, therefore,

(4) See
(5)

Chap. IV.
Lid.
et

pp. 15'2, 153, of this

Volume.

De

Odr. p. 39.

Camb. 1744.

240
CHAP,
'

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
shews
.

us,

not

only

the

sacred writings

but

also the sort of symbolical painting

used by the

priests of Egypt.

At the same

time, in rude-

ness of design, and in the forced exhibition of

profile,

the style of delineation resembles that

is

which

seen upon the most antient

(fictile)

vases, found in the sepulchres of those Grecian

colonies that
Italy.

were established

in the

south of

Antelope.

Somc youug^rahs brought

which they had recently caught.
chased of them for three
shillings of
its

us an antelope, This

we

pur-

piastres;

about four
so bruised
all

our money.

They had

legs with cords, that, notwithstanding

our
it

endeavours to preserve this beautiful animal,

lived with

us but a short time.

The poor
its

creature, after being compelled to exchange

free ransfe of the desert for a confined birth

on

board the djerm, grew tame, and seemed seneible of

the kindness

of

its

keepers;

for

it

actually died licking the hands of the person

who

fed

it.

The people
idols,

of Saccara brought us also

beads,

several antique

amulets, &c.

found

about the Pyramids, and

these
able.

in the Catacombs.

Of

we

shall briefly notice the

more remark-

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
1

241
signets,

Scarahcei,

formed of

onyx-stones,

with

chap.
^Antiquities

containing hieroglyphic characters, but exe

cuted

in the coarsest

manner

the stones

being at the
that they are

same time so decomposed, become of a whitish colour,

and
externally

the Arabs.

quite

opaque,

resemble

common
the

limestone.

Of

this

nature were
Plutarch,
1,

signets

mentioned
'.

by

as

worn by
Plate.
2.

soldiers

See Nos.

and

2,

of the

Small lachrymatory vessels of

terra-cotta,

formed of pale-white clay, without varnish.

3. 4.

Vessels of libation, of the same materials.

Knife-blades
of bronze.

These are

fre-

quently represented in hieroglyphic

5.

\^riting.

Small
to

idols,

formed of blue

glass,

shaped

resemble the form of the

Mummy -chests.

See No. ^.
6.

Smaller images oi Anuhis, of the same substance, bored to be

worn

as ear-drops, or See No. 4.

See No. 5.

amulets round the neck.

7. Similar figures of Orus.

8.

Sculptured

idols,

formed o( limestone, repre-

senting the double image oi Leo and Virgo,

crowned by an

orb, as the

Sun. See No.

6.

(l)

De

Isid. et Osir.

c.

10.

Lut. 1624.

^0L.

V.

242
CHAP.
^

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
9.

Similar figures of Isis.

See No. 7

-^-

10.

Beads of white
seven blue spots.

glass,
.See

each of which has

8.

No.

11.
12.

Beads of white

g]ass,

without spots.
idols of

Deformed images, resembling the

India

and China.

See No. 9.

13. Phalli,

and

indecent

images

of
All

Osiris,

as

mentioned

by Plutarch\
bored,
to

these

are of blue glass,

be worn as

amulets.
14.

Small amulets of the same substance, and

similarly bored,

which are very numerous,

horse's head.
J^irgil

representing a

This

is

the

symbol which

mentions as being
in

found by the Carthaginians

digging for
It is

the foundation of their city'.

repre-

sented upon the medals of Carthage, which

probaby suggested
Ftrgirs mind.
Soros,
It

the

circumstance to

also appears

upon the

called the

Lovers Fountain, which

(l) XlavTcc;;^ov
a'lhlu,

Ti xa.) av^pu'Tofiiippov 'OiripiScs

Tpofii//,ov.

olyaXfia ^uxvvturiy, llW/a^av

Isid.

tm

ha

70 yivi/xoy xai to

Plut. de

et Osir.

c.

51.

L/Ut.

1624.
(2)

" Lucus

in

urbe

fuit

media,

laetissitnus

umbr^.

Quo primum

jaotati undis et turbine, Poeni

EflFodere loco signuni,

quod regia Juno

Monstrarat, caput acris equi."

^neid.

I.

445.

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
was found near
in Cairo,

243
el

the castle of Kallat

Kahsh

chap.
V.
'-

and

is

now

in the British Aktseiim.

Nor

are

Ceres,

we without its who was the same

It
is

explanation
as
Isis,

for

was wor-

shipped under the form of a horses head in

Skill/.

therefore

only one of the

modifications

under
the

which the Antients

Pantamorpha
Mater.

recognised

Lis,

amulets were curiously adorned with small eyes of antient bronze.

Some

of

these

See Nos. 10,

15.

IL
resembling No.
5.

Sculptured images, formed of an opaque

vitrified substance,

only

and covered with hieroglyThese were about four phic characters.

larger in size,

inches in length.

See Nos. 12, 13.

The horses

of our ^rab guard

;

we had
prefer

ever seen

were the finest p not even exceptmg those oi

.

Horses
of the country.

Circassia.

In choosing their steeds, the Arabs

:

mares

the Turks give the preference to

The Mamalukes and Bedouin Arabs are perhaps better mounted than any people upon
stallions.

earth

and the Arab grooms were considered,

officers, as

by many of our
our

superior to those of
affirm that

own

country.

These grooms
lie

their horses

never

down, but sleep standing,

when they

are fastened

by one

leg to a post;

R 2

244

PYRAMIDS OF SACCARA.
and that the saddle
as
is

never taken

off,

except

for cleaning the animal.

We

give this relation

we heard

it,

without venturing to vouch for

its truth.

After paying the Sheik for the horses

we had hired, and the peasants for their labour, we returned hx our boat to Sheik hitman, where we had rested the preceding night; and found,
as before, a party of Almehs, with bells
their fingers, exhibiting the

upon

noticed, as

if it

dance we had then had continued, without interfirst

mission, from the time of our

coming

to

the village.

Several Turkish soldiers had ar-

rived from the Vizier, to collect straw for his

cavalry.

While our servant was conversing

with one of these men,

who was

seated upon

the ground observing the dance, an Arab, un-

derstanding the Turkish language, joined them,

and entered

into conversation.

This

man

con-

trived to steal from the servant his purse, conTiieft de.

taioiug four sequins of Holland.

Upon being
it
;

tecled.

accused of the

theft,

he denied

but

all

the

Turks, indignant at the audacious manner in

which the

theft

had been committed, insisted

upon a general search.

under a date-tree

The money was found

beneath his pillow,

in the Arab's shoes, placed

;

and the purse, where he bad

thrown

it,

at the distance of a quarter of a mile.

Upon

the following morning

we

left

the village

HISTORY OF THE PYRAMIDS.

as soon as daylight appeared, and at eleven
A. M. again entered the canal of Cairo.
^

245
chap,
^'
.

Having thus concluded our observations upon

the

Pyramids

of Saccara, as well as those of

Dj'iza,

the remainder of this chapter will be

appropriated to a few observations upon the

history of these remarkable monuments.

After the numerous accounts which, duriner

so

Hisiory

many

ages, nave

been written to
it is

illustrate Pyramids.

the origin of the

that any
attention.

Pyramids,

not probable

new remarks will meet with much Yet how few, among all the authors
to investigate this

who have undertaken

ject,

sub-

have ever ventured to express an opinion

Struck by the magnitude of the

of their own.

objects themselves;

by their immense
been
veiled,

antiquity;
in

and by a consciousness of the obscurity

which

their history has

every suc-

ceeding traveller contents himself with a detail

of the observations of his predecessors, only

shewing the extent of the labyrinth wherein he

Yet something, perhaps, might be accomplished, were it allowable, upon good

is

bewildered.

authority,

to

annihilate

most

redundant
this view,

source of error and imposture.

it

With
all

may be

advisable to abandon

that

the

246
CHAP.
V,

THE PYRAMIDS.
Grecian historians have written upon the subject'.

The arrogance and vanity

vi^ith

which
con-

they endeavoured to explain every

sistently

thin?^-,

with their own fables and prejudices,

caused the
Solon

well-known observation made to

priest,

who, according to " Greeks were always Plato, maintained that the
children,

by an Egyptian

and had no knowledge of antiquity."

Hence

originate those difficulties mentioned

by

Pauw, as encountered by persons who study the

monuments

of a country concerning which the

moderns have

conspired with

the

antients

to

give us false ideas.

he-,

''The latter indeed," says

" were probably deceived

by being

at the

discretion of a set of

men

called

Interpreters,

whose college was established in the reign of Psammetichus, and who might be compared to those people called Ciceroni at Rome. Travellers who went and returned, like Herodotus, without knowing a word of the language of the
country,

could learn nothing but from these

Interpreters.

These men, perceiving the

inclina-

tion of the Greeks for the marvellous,

amused

them, like children, with stories inconsistent

(1)

"Minim

est

quo procedat Graeca credulitas.

ut teste careat."

Nullum tam impulib. viii. c.

dens mendacium
iom.l. p. 425.

est,

Plin. Hist. Nut,

20.

J..

Bat. 1635.

(2) Philosoph. Diss, on the Egyptians

and Chinese,

vol. II.

p. 43.

Lond. 1795.

THE PYRAMIDS.
with

247
of
the
,

common

sense,

and
If

unworthy

chap.
^''
,

majesty of history."
authentic

we would

obtain

information

concerning- the

earhest

history of the Egyptians,

to glean from other

we must be
;

contented

sources

and principally

from Jewish and Arabian writers.

The

Jews,

by
in

the long residence of their forefathers in Egypt,

and also by the constant intercourse offered

of

the contiguity of this country and Judcra, were

all

people the most likely to have preserved

antiquities
:

some knowledge of Egyptian

and

the Arabs have preserved not only the names

bestowed upon the Pyramids from the

times, but also
for

earliest

some traditions as to the use which they were intended. By the dim light
in other countries,

thus afforded, and by comparing the existing re-

mains with similar works

with the knowledge
of
all

and

we

possess of the customs

nations in their infancy,

we may

possibly
to

attain

something beyond mere conjecture, as

the people

by whom the Pyramids were erected, and the purpose for which they were intended. The epocha of their origin was unknown when the first Greek philosophers travelled into Egypt\
"
quam omnia,
quae de conditoribus Pyramiesse incertissima.
et

(3)

Nihil certius est,

dum
Ipsi

prodita nobis sunt ab jE^yptiis et Graecis,

id Veteres fatentur."
jo.

Perizonii /Egypt. Orig.

Temp,

antiquiss.

Investigatio, cap.w'i.

386.

L. Bat. 1711-

THE PYRAMIDS.
They
more antient than the age of the earUest writers whose works have been transare even

mitted to us.
at

That we may

arrive,

therefore,

any thing hke satisfactory information conthe followmg order of inquiry

requisite:

cerning them,

may be deemed
Manner of the Investigation.

j^

Who
Egypt

wcre the
in the

hihahitants of this part of

remote period to which these

refer?

monuments
II. Is

there any thing in the Pyramids, as they

now
jii.

appear, which corresponds with any

of the

known customs

of

this

people ?

Did any thing occur in the history of the same people which can possibly be adduced
to explain the present violated state of the

principal pyramid?
IV.

Doth any record or

tradition attribute the

origin of the Pyramids to this people, or to

a period equally remote with that of their

residence in Egypt?

If the three last of these queries

admit of an
re-

answer

in the affirmative,

and a satisfactory

ply can be given to thejirst, the result will surely

be, either that

we do

possess documents

suffi-

cient to illustrate this very difficult subject, or, at

least,

that a very high degree of probabihty

THE PYRAMIDS.
attaches
to

249
suggested
this part of
is

the

opinion thereby
in

and that the obscurity

owing
to the

which

antient history has been involved,

principally

cause assigned by Pauiv\ namely,

to a train of theories

founded upon the bewil-

dering fables of the Greeks.

To

proceed, therefore, according to the pro-

posed method of investigation:

I.

Who

were the Inhalitants of

this

part of Egypt,

in the

remote period to luhlch these 7nonuments refer P

The kingdom

of Egypt, according to the best ^ge

of the

pyramids.

authorities admitted in chronology",

had lasted
in

about seventeen hundred years at the conquest

of Camhyses^.

The

first Princes

spoken of

Sacred Scripture are those " of Pharaoh," mentioned in the books of Hoses'^, near two thou-

sand years before the Christian

sera.

The

Jirst

pyramid, according to Herodotus^,

Mceris, the last of a line of kings

was

built

by

from Menes to

(1) Philo^ioph. Diss. &c.

vol.11,

p. 43.

Lond.lldb.

(2) See the calculation of Constantine Manasses.

(3) B. C. 525.

(4)

"The

Princes also of Pharaoh."

c,

Genes,

xii. 15,

(5) Herodot. Euterpe,

101.

250
CHAP.
V.

THE PYRAMIDS.
Sesostris;

and therefore

it

must have
the

been
war.

-^-

erected

some ages

before

Trojan

Without, however, placing any rehance upon

this record, or

attempting to assign a particular

epocha

for

any one of these monuments,

fact,

we

may

venture to assume, as a
all

upon the

authority of
ticed, that

writers

by

whom

they are no-

they existed above sixteen hundred

years before the birth of Christ.

Almost a
prosperity of

century before
Joseph,

that

time,

the

then a ruler in this

city to

country,

and a

dweller in the very

which these monu-

ments belonged, is described as having extended "unto the utmost bounds of the ever-

lasting HILLS."

These words', as applied

and the seat of
his

to the place of his residence,

posterity, are very remarkable.

all

He

" bought
all

the land of Egypt for Pharaoh,'' reducing

its

independent provinces into one monarchy.

entire administration of this

The

empire was
In the

entrusted to him; for Pharaoh said^ " Only in

the throne will
I

be greater than thou."

remote period, therefore, to which the Pi/ramids

refer, "Joseph

dweltin Egypt, he, and his father's

house." It

is

said of them', that they "increased

(1)

Gen.

xlix. 26.
i.

(3)

Ibid. xli. 40.

(3)

Exod.

7.

THE PYRAMIDS.
abundantly, and multiplied, and
ing mighty, and the land

251

waxed exceed- chap.

was tilled with them." The customs of embalming bodies, and of placing them in sepulchral chambers, were for Jacob* was embahued, and then practised
;

*'

gathered unto his fathers in the cave of the

of Ephron.''

field

At the death of Joseph, he too

was embalmed^ but not " gathered unto his fathers." He was entombed, to use the literal
expression of the Septuagint^,
Egypt.
^

thi sopoi, in

And

this

mode

of his interment sug-

gests a reply to the second question before pro-

posed.
II.

Is there

any thing

in the
luith

Pyramids^ as they now appear,

which corresponds
this

any of

the

known Customs of

People P

The nature
explained,
Inscriptions

of a Soros has been repeatedly

sepuichrai

upon the indisputable authority of

the^PrBA*^'^'

where

this

name has been assigned

in the

to a particular kind of receptacle for the dead,

one of which now exists

principal pyramid.

chamber of the
rounded, and

This kind of coffin has someextremities

times

one

of

its

(4)

Exod.

L.

2.

(5) Ibid.

l. 26.

(6) Ibid.

L. 26.

252

THE PYRAMIDS.
sometimes both are squared but
;

its

dimensions

are almost always the same, and

rally monoUtlial, or of

it is

very geneis

one stone.

This

the

kind of

coffin

phagus

'

which the Romans caJled Sarcoand any doubt as to its use, seems to
Soros, in
its

be without reason; because the

instances,

has borne,
it

not only

many name inbut also

scribed upon

in legible characters,
it

the purport for which

was intended.

The
which

principal pyramid therefore contains that

corresponds with the

known customs
because

of a people

who

inhabited Egypt in the remote period to

refer,

which the Pyramids

Joseph's

body
origin

was put
of those

r^ So^sy.

And on
is

this fact alone, if

no other could be adduced, the sepulchral

monuments

decidedly manifesto
III.

jyid any thing occur in the History of the same People

which can possibly he adduced

violated state of the principal

to

explain the present

Pyramid P
this question,

Previous to the consideration of

it

may be

proper to mention, that the custom

(1) Jugustin. de Civil. Dei,

I.

xviii.

c. 5,

JuUiis Pollux, x. 150.

(2)

" Communion

ergo
lib. i.

sententia fuit,
p. 40, 41.)

sepulchra fuisse

Regum

(Ptde Diodorum Sic.

jllis

quod ex

solio seu saudapila in

c.

residua satis constat."

Perizon. Orig. jEgypt,

21. p. 393.

li.

Bat. 1711.

THE PYRAMIDS.
of heaping an
artificial

253
chap.
V,

mound, whether of stones

or of earth, above the Soros, after interment,

common

practice of the Antients.

was Examples
The
not

of this kind have been previously alluded to in

the

former volumes of these

this sort of

Travels.

most antient form of

pyramidal.

mound was

However

antient the pyramids may-

be, a simpler hemispheroidai or conical

form
an-

seems

to

have preceded the more

artificial

gular structure.

Among

the Pyramids of Saccaray

which appear

to

be more antient than those of

Djiza, there are instances, as

we have shewn,
but of
its

not only of this primeval

modifications, until
it

pile,

various

assumed the pyramidal

noticed

shape.

One example has been

in its

among

the Pyramids of Sacc&a, of an

immense mound,

which corresponds
all

form with the

common

appearance presented by antient Tumuli almost

over the world,
as they are found in coun-

tries

troduced.

where the pyramidal shape was never inBut to proceed, in the discussion

of the third question.

The body oi Joseph being thus placed

and buried according
af the Egyptians (as
to the

\v

r^ '^o^c^,

Possible
the vioia*

accustomed usage

manifest by the existence

pHndpai
^^'^'"""'

of one of their antient sepulchres containing the

receptacle in
question),

was not intended

to

'254

THE PYRAMIDS.
remain
in

CHAP,
^

Egypt.

The

Israelites

had bound

themselves to him by an oath, that when they

left

the land, they would " carry his bones" with

\

them

Accordingly

we

find, that

when

a cenliis

tury and a half had elapsed from the time of

burial, the sepulchre, which during
all this

period

had

preserved

his

relics

in
Israel.

opened by the children of

was Their numSoros,

ber amounted to six hundred thousand

men
the

when they went out

mixed multitude by
opening oi
cially

of Egypt,

besides

whom
if it

they were accom-

panied"; a sufficient army, surely, even for the

di

pyramid
the

were necessary, espeemployed

for

when

persons

the

undertaking were acquainted with the secret of

its

entrance; having, from the very

moment

of

the patriarch's interment, been under a solemn

engagement
mined,
it

to

remove the body which they had

there placed.
is
is

no sooner
read'
him."

" Moses

However this may be detercertain the tomb was opened; for their departure mentioned, than we
took the bones oi Joseph with

Here, then,

we have

a record in history,

(1)

" And Joseph

L. 25.

took an oath of the children oi Israel, saying, God

will surely visit

you, and you shall carry up

my

bones from hence."

Gen.
(2)

Exod.

xii.

37, 38.

(3) Ibid.

xiii. 19.

THE PYRAMIDS.
which impUes the
violation of a sepulchre,

255

and
.

chap.
/
.

the actual removal of an embalmed body from the Soros in which it is said to have been deposited.

The

locality,

too,

of this sepulchre

seems

to

coincide with that of the particular

tliis

coemetery where

pyramid has

for so

many

ages unaccountably borne the marks of a similar

violation
;

its

secret entrance being disclosed

its Soros

to view; and

always empty \
this

It is

by

no means here presumed that

will

circumstance

account

for

its

violated state;

but

it

fur-

nishes a curious coincidence between the present

appearance of the pyramid, and a fact recorded

in antient history

which may

possibly be urged to

that effect.

No

other pyramid has been thus

is
it

opened;

neither

probable that any such

violation of a sepulchre

formerly tolerated

so

would ever have been sacrilegious was the

all

attempt held to be among

the nations of

antiquity, Egyptians, Jews, Greeks,

and Romans \

(4)

habitatione
p. 390.

" Locus quoque, in quo conditae sunt Pyramides, ab Israelitarum minime fuit alienus." PerizoniiOriginesjEgyptiaco!, c.21.
L. Bat. 1711.
i

(5)SeeCliap. vni. p.384, and Notes, of the preced

Travels.
Thfocrit, Idyll.
'

ng;

Volume

of these

207.

also the denunciations contained in

violate a sepulchre. iMuratori
fol-

Inscriptions agjainst those

who presumed to

has preserved an

in--criptii)n

found upon a tomb \n Athens; and the

it in his

lowing extract from the Latin version of

work,
:

will

shew what

the feelings of the Antients were in this respect

" Si

quis spoliaverit
lioc

256
CHAP.
i
>

THE PYRAMIDS.
At the same
time,

there are

many weighty

arguments against the opinion that such a stu-

pendous pyramid would have been erected by Joseplis posterity over his remains, even if they

had worshipped him as a god, when it was known that his body was not intended to remain in the country: but the honours paid to
the dead in Egypt were, in certain instances, as
it

beyond our conception; and there is no saying what, in a century and a half, the piety of some hundred thousand indiis

evident, almost

viduals might not have effected, especially

when

aided by the Egyptians themselves,

who

equally

revered the

memory

of Joseph, although they

became,

at last,

inimical to his descendants.

is
:

This part of the subject

tial to

not altogether essen-

the end proposed

it

has been introduced

rather as a curious inquiry suggested

by

the

Itoc

sepulcrvm, vel aperiet, vel

sibl

edam

aliquid aliud dimovehit, vel ipse, vel

per alium, nee terram

amhulanti, nee mare naviganti (propitia

babeat), sed erndketur in omni generatione, omnia

mala

e.cperialur, et

horrorem,

et

felrim,

et

quartanam,

et

elephantiasim, et cuncta mala, et

illi,

quaccumque hominilus accidunt, ea eieniant

sepulcro aliquid dimovere."

qui ausus fuerit ex hoc

p, 1298.

Muratori Thesaur. Vet. Inscript.

Medial.

No.

The very name of such a ^iolated monument was used, even amon^ the Jsraelitt's themselves, to denote whatsoever was revolting and horrible. Thus David, speaking of his enemies, says, "their throat is an open sepulchre;" a
d. vol.

HI.

class, ly.

1740.

passage of Scripture which loses

all

its

force

and beauty, unless

it

be

understood with reference to this species of sacrilege.

THE PYRAMIDS.
which appears to exist between the Pyramids and the history of the Hebrews: it neither affects nor alters the main argument, as
connection
to the nature of these

257

monuments
IV.

in general.

Doth any record or

tradition attribute the origin of the

Pyramids

to the

Israelites, or

to

a period equally

remote loith that of their residence in Egypt P

This brings us to the last article of the

quiry.

in-

Historical

For the
'

record,

we have

only to refer to
it

concerning
the buildi'^

Josephus

who

expressly states

as one of the

of

pi*"

rcnnids grievous oppressions which befel the Hebrews ^"""^ Egyp.

were compelled to labour in building Pyramids"; and the curious memorial, as given by the Jewish
after the death of Joseph, that they

Historian,
in the

is

sustained by collateral evidence

books of Moses.
is

The

principal labour of

the

Israelites

described

in Exodus^ to

be a

daily task

of making

bricks,

without being
straiv

allowed a requisite portion of

manufacture.

for their

The mere circumstance

of six

(1)

" Ego

certe Josepho, Israelitarum tempore factas eensenti acces-

serim."

Perhon. Orig: ^gi/pt. c.2l. p.3i'.

fi/iuv

L.But.MW.
*

(2) Uvaafil^a; t avoixo^of^ouvris i^iTnvxo^

to yivo;.

PyraniidibllS

ctiara exstruendis

homines nostros adhibeutes deterebant."

Edit, Havercampi,
torn. \.

Joseph*

Antiq.Jud. lib.W. c.9.

(3)

p. 91.

lTi'(>.

Exod.

V. 16.

VOL.

V.

258

THE PYRAMIDS.
hundred thousand persons bemg employed
at the

same time
rials

in

making

bricks,

affords of itself a

proof that the building for which these mate-

were required could be of no ordinary

This happened, too, after the death

magnitude \

of one of the kings of Egj/pt'^, at which time, it is said, they began " to sigh, by reason of their

bondage."

It is therefore

very probable that

matter of conjec-

the pyramid at which

sepulchre of this king:

they laboured was the

this is

ture; although

it

may
The

be added, that one of the

is

Pyramids near Saccdra

chopped straw \

built of bricks, coyitaining

fact for present attention

(l)

" Quid vero

iis

taiito

temporis intervallo tot millia

nisi

hominum
triuni

per-

fecerint,

non reperimus,

munitionem duarum

vel

urbium,

quae ab

intra paueissimos annos facillime perfici potuit.

Debuerunt
quodque

etiam aliud quid maximae molis, laboris, temporis,

conveniens esset aliquot centenis millibus

praestitisse,

hominum

longissimo et

continuu tempore ad opus adactis.

Nihil autem majus et operosius ia

iEgypto. atque ejus Historia invenimus exstructione Pyramidum, quas

ab

aliis,

aut alio tempore exstructas minime constat."

0.

Perizon. Orig.

Mgypt.
,

21. i.388.
ii.

L.Bat. 1711.

(2)

Exnd.

23.

Lond. ] 743. It stands about three miles and a half to the south of the Pyramids oi Saccara, near the village of Mcnshieh Dashour, and is called Ktoube-el-Menslieh,
the bricks of Metishieh.
It is

(3) See Pococke'sDescript. of the East, vol. I.p.bS.

mentioned by Herodotlis (Euterpe,

c.

136).

Greaves, whi), though an accurate writer, was not always an accurate observer, alfer two visits made tu the Pt/i a }}i ids, and haviuo^, as he
says, {Pre/.
desert,
this as

loPyramidog. Lond. 1646.) examined

not the existence of
this

t'.7i

the iicighhovring

knew

pyramid.

And he

urges

a reason for not subscribing to the opinions f those modern

writers

THE PYRAMIDS.
is

95()

the record

preserved

by
for

Josephus,

which

chap.
V.

attributes to the

Israelites

the origin of certain

Pyramids

in

Egypt:
to
in

and

other evidence,

proving them
the country,

have existed in a period equally

remote with that

of Manetho,
Josephus,

which

this

people inhabited
testimony
respected by
as

we may

refer

to the
is

whose authority
his

and who, from

situation

an

Egyptian priest *, had access to every record

preserved in the sacred archives of the country.

these structures were begun by the fourth king of Egypt, during the which carries their antiquity first dynasty';
affirms,

Manetho

that

writers (Spondanus de Coemeleriis Sacris, Uh.\. par.l. cop. 6.

t!pigr. Greec. tU vxohs)

Brodceus

who

believed the Pi/ramids to have been erected

says he,

hy

t\\^ Israelites:

"The

Sacred Scriptures,"

"

clearely exbrick,

pressing the slaverie of the Jewes to have

vfhereas all these

consisted in

making

Exactly after
lentils

Pyramids consist of stone." (Pyramidographia, p. 1 .) the same manner, he neglected to notice the petrified
;

described by Straho

and then accounts

in sand."

for their disappearance,

by supposing them to have been "consumed by time, or scattered ly

the wifids" ! !! or,

"buried

Ibid. p. 119.

(4) Josephus says, that the care

and continuance of the public re{P'id. lib.

i,

cords were the peculiar

province of the priests.

cont.

Apion.

Manetho belonged
t/os^/>/(Ms

to the College at Helinpnlis, the very seat

of Egyptian science.

His testimony was preferred by

Marsham

to

that of

himself.

However,

it

should be acknowledged, that

Perizonius,

who considered the Dynasties of Manetho as fabulous, atMarsham upon this ground; describing him as " absurdissima quxBque Manethonis recipiendi studiosior, quam speciosa JosepM." Vid. Jac. Pcrizonii ^gypt. Orig. Invest, c. 21. p. 384. L.Bat. 1711. (5) " Etenim Manetho jam in dynastia i. quartum ejus regem Viiiepheri, S 2
tacked

260
CHAP,

THE PYRAMIDS.
back
to

a period

earlier

than

the

age

of

Abraham\ quired by

Of

this

nature are the records re-

the last question in the proposed

inquiry, without having recourse to

any of the
to

writers of Greece or Iialy.

As
in

for the traditions

which

refer the origin of these

Israelites

monuments

the age of the not only

Egypt, these exist

among

the Arabians, but also

among
in his

the Jews and Egyptians.

entitled

The author of a book

Morat Alzeman, cited by Greaves

**

Pyramidographia^, speaking of the founders of

the Pyramids, says,

Joseph,

Some

attribute

them

to

some

to Nimrod."

The Arabians

distin-

guished the Pyramids by the

appellation

of

Djebel Pharooim, or Pharaoh's Mountains^',

and

there

is

not one of these Oriental writers

who

does not consider them as antient

sepulchres*.

Upon

these

premises,

thus

derived

from

fienephen, Pyratnidos erexisse tradit

ac dein, in dynastia
exstrusisse."

iV.

regem

secundum, Suphin,
^gt/ptiactE, cap. 21

pyramidum

maximam

Perizon.

by MaTsJiam,

is

This authority, admitted j. 383. L. Bat. 1711. contemned by the author from whom it is now cited.

(1) Ibid. p. 384.

(2) P. 6.

Lond. 1646.

(3) See also

Egmont and HeymavH?,

Travels,

vol. II.

p. 83.

Lond.

1759.
(4) See the Extracts
as given

from Ibn Abd Alhokm, and the Arabian authors,

by Greaves, &c. &c.

THE PYRAMIDS.
sources that are
not liable to the objections

261
CHAP.

urged by Pauw, being wholly independent of

any notions which he supposes the Greeks

have blended with
mids,

to

their accounts of the Pyra-

the

following

conclusions

may

perhaps

appear to be warranted:

1.

That the Hebrews inhabited Egypt

period to which the
referred.

in the

Pyramids may be

2.

That the Pyramids contain an existing

document corresponding with the mode of

interment practised by this people, and

3.

were therefore intended as sepulchres. That the present state of the principal Pyramid may possibly be owing to the
circumstance related in their history, of
the

removal of Joseplis

relics

from the

Soros in
4.

which they had been preserved.

from the tradi-

That from the records of Jezvish and Egyptian historians, as well as

we may attribute the origin of some of the Pyramids to the and may assign to Hebrews themselves
tions of the country,
;

others a period even

the age in which this

more remote than

people inhabited

Egypt.

202
In

THE PYRAMIDS.
the principal

point

to

be determined,

namely, the use for which these structures were

vi'ewofthe
Subject,

erected by the Antients, there cannot remain

even the shadow of a doubt.

sepulchres,

That they were

and
in

has been demonstrated beyond the

;

possibiUty of a contradiction
this,
all

proving

the

best authorities have long con-

curred'.

In their whole extent ixom. Djiza to

Saccdra, the

Pyramids, and

all

their contiguous

subterraneous catacombs,

constituted

one vast

coemetery, belonging to the seat of the

Memphian

kings % the various parts of which were constructed in different periods of time.

Some
on the

learned writers,

however, as Shaw, and the

author of Philosophical Dissertations

Egyptians and Chinese, have exercised their erudition in attempting to prove that the Pyramids

were mythological repositories of Egyptian superstitions and they have described the Soros,
;

in direct opposition to Strabo, either as a tomb

of Osiris^, or as one of those

kIo-tui hocc) in

which

(1) See the authorities

ami arguments stated by Perizonius, Origines

1.

^gyptiuccE, caj).2l. p. 39:5. L. Hal. 17I graphia, p. 43. Lond. \M6, H^-c.i^c.
(2) Taipoi ruv
(ixa-iX'iuiv.

Also Greaves's Pijramido-

(Strabon. Geog.

lib. \\\\.

p.WAa. Ed.

O.con.J
v.6.)

In the threatenings denounced against the Israelites (Hosea,

it is

c. ix.

said,

(3)

" Memphis shall rury them." See Vavw on t/ieEg?/pt. and Chinese,

vol.11, jp.48.

Lond. 1795.

THE PYRAMIDS.
the Priests kept their sacred vestments*.
perhaps,

203
Nor,
chap.
V.

would these
so
visionary,

conjectures
if

have ap-

peared

those

distinguished

writers had carried the investigation

somewhat If the connection between antient further. mythology and Jeivish history had been Egyptian
duly traced, an evident analogy, founded upon
events

which have reference

to

the earliest
manifest.

annals of the Hebrews, might be

made

The

subject, of itself sufficient to constitute a

separate dissertation,

would cause too much

digression; although an endeavour

to

may be made
object

concentrate

some of

its

leading features

within the compass of a note\

The main

(4) (5)

See

^S'Afl 2^*5

Travels, p. 371.

Lond-lthl.

Perhaps, with due attention to facts collected from antient and

writers, the whole connection

modern

might be traced between the

For
that Fossius has written

history of Joseph, and ihe Egyptian mythology founded thereon.

this purpose, the reader

may be

referred to

all

upon the subject fP'id. lib. i. cap. 29. torn. I. p. 213. de Theologid Centili: Amst. \Mi), yiho cons'ulevs the Egyptian Xvis as a symbol He supports his opinion by authority from of the Patriarch.
RuFFiNUS
placed an
( Histories Ecclesiasticce,
lib. ii.

C07J.

33.);

and derives evidence

from AuGUSTiN, (Script. Mirah.

I. i.

c. 15.)

to prove that Wvi Egyptians

It appears also,

Ox

near the sepulchre of Joseph.

from

Suidas {voce SajaT/j), that Apis was by some considered a symbol of

Joseph

" Quo

ut magis inclinem /acit," observes Vossius,

" quod

Josephus Deuteronomii cap. penult, commute 17, hos vocetur, secundum

eodices Hebrceos."

But

if

Apis were the same as Joseph, so must also

it

be Serapis (or Sarapis, as

was written by the Greeks) and Osiris

for these are but different names of the

snme mythological personage. "Factus

264
CHAP,
'->

THE PYRAMIDS.
at present is to

prove the intention for which

;

the Pyramids were erected

and

in this,

it

is

" Factus

est

Joseph quasi rex

{(Edip.

(otitis

j^gt/pti, et vocaverunt turn /Jpis"

p. 1J)6.

says Kircher

^gypt.

torn. I.

gives us from Varro the reason

why he was

called Serapis

Rum. lGo2); and he " (2uia

:

Area
'So^is,

(inqiiit

Varr.) in qua positus erat, Grace seu ^gyptiace dicitur

quasi Area Apis, deinde, una. lilerd tnutatd,
'Si^a.-ri;

unde

'S,o^a,-;ri$,

dictus est."

Also, accordiag to Strubo, Apis was the

xa.) 'Oifl^i;

same

as OsiRis.

"Of
it

iiTTtv

{"a^i;) S ocutos

[lib. xvii. ^J.

144.

Ed. Oxon.)

Hence
of Apis

may be

inferred, that as Joseph, together with the

also bore that of Osiris,
loss

names

and Serapis,
took place
in

the annual mournings which

Egypt for the an empty Soros upon those

the
loss

of Osiris' body, and the exhibition of

occasions, were ceremonies derived from

of Joseph's body, which had been carried away by the Hebrews

left

when they

the country.

Julius Firmicus,

who

flourished under

the two sons of Constantine, endeavours to explain the reason {De

Error. Profan. Relig.)
to the origin assigned

why Joseph was

et Osir.
v,^as

called Serapis.

In opposition
it

by f^arro, for the name Serapis,

c.'zQ.)

may

be ob-

served, that

Plutarch {De Isid.

derides a notion which

prevailed, maintaining that Serapis

no God, but a mere

name

for

the sepulchral chest where the body of APis was deposited:

Giou Tov '^d^afiv,

Ot)* iTnai

iXXa

tjj

'AHIAOS SOPON

ovtu;

ovDfiat^irfai.

But things

which were rejected by the Greeks, as inconsistent with their religious

opinions,

may come much

nearer, on this account, to truth, and to our

own.

A very

popular notion has long been entertained, concerning

an extraneous idol brought to Alexandria, by one of the Ptolemies, from the coast of PoNTUs, which received the appellation of SeJTy^w

upon
there

its

arrival in Egypt.

But the word

torn. I.

Stnuipis

is

\t\ire\y

Egyptian

(Vid. Jabhnshi Panth. jEgypt.

is

p. 232.

Francof. 1750);

and

something extremely improbable

in the circumstances of the

importation.

That any

of the Ptolemies, cooped as they were in

Egypt,
l.\.

should insult the inhabitants of the country {Macrobius Suturnal.

c. 7.)

by the introduction of a strange Divinity from the EuxiNE, has

Jablonski has refuted the opi-

always worn an appearance of fable.

nion, by proving that Scrap'ts was worshipped in Mejnphis long before

the time of the Ptolemies (Panth, Egypt,

lib. li.

c. 5. />.

233. Franc.
.

nso).

THE PYRAMIDS,
hoped we may succeed.
only monuments
If these

2 Go

were the
v

chap.
V,

of the kind belonging to the

1750), and by shewing from Enstathius that the whole story of this
Sinnpic Deity

was derived from Sinophtm

gtid

uear Memphis.

Thus

TAcrrt's,

" Sedem, ex
38. vol. V.

transierit

(Serapis)

Memphin

perhibent,

incltji.am oUtn, et veleris

EgypH cohtmen."
priests oi

Yet Gibbon seems to imply

{Hist.
idol

c.

p. 90,

Lond. I8O7) that both the name and the

were alike strangers to the

Egypt ; and he
fibid.

sneers at the

notion of f'osdun, that the Patriarch Joseph had been adored in the

country as the Bull Jpis, and the God Serapis.

See Note 3C.)

The

reader

may

consult the learned observations of Bochart upon this

subject ( Hieruzo'icon,
also of JahloHski,
ticism,

torn. I, l.W. c. 34. />/?. 345, 346, 347, 348), and upon which Gibbon may have grounded his scepalthough he have not mentioned his authors. The following

passage ai Jlpollodorus, as cited by Bochart, proves the

name

Serapis to

be of antieut date in Egypt

latus est."

'*
:

Jlpis, relalus inter

Deos, Sarapis appel-

Upon
et

the identity of Serapis and Joseph

many

learned

writers

are agreed.

" Sunt

dui

AnM

et

Seiupidem unutn
;

Numen

putdrint,

per Serapidem Josephum intellexerint

nec veritati
Heh. ^nnot.
Inthis opinion

CONTRARIA viDETUR
Nicolai,
c.

HEC

OPINIO."

( Cuncfus de Repuh.

17.

not.li,

Thes. Anliq. Sac.UgoUni,

Venet.MAb.)

deed, the
is

number

of authors and commentators by

whom

maintained

may be

considered as more than a counterpoise to the

objections of Bochart and of Jahlonshi.

Sever, p. 59.

Tieincs, (Annot. in Sulpit.

in addition to the authorities
:

Ed. Horn.
patet,

L. Bat. 16b4.)

above cited, mentions also Pierius and Baroniiis

serves,

and he further ob-

" Idque

turn ex

nomine Serapis quod Bovem notat

turn ex

nomine Jrsaph, quo

facta

teste Plutarcho, Osiris vocabatur, levi

:

commutatione ex Joseph

tum

ex Hieroglyphicis, quibus Osiri-

dem
Quae

designabant, puta figura bovis

:

seu

vituli,

notis

Lunae

et

Solis

insigniti
in

item juvenis imberbis

cum modio
et spicas,

et

calatho in capite.

Josephum, ejusque boves

et a!tatem, et astrologiae

peritiam, ad amussim quadrant.

Snbscribunt Clemens Alexandrinus,

Augustinus,

Lapide, et Boufrerius."

See also Spencer de Leg.

Cultti,

Heh.

lib. 111.

pp. 270, 271.

edit.

Beyer, Hen. FFeghorst. de Fero Dei

pag. m. 25.
edit.

Kilon. 10'71.
li^c.

Michael. Not. ad Gaffarcll. Curiosilales,

Hamburg,

i^c.

20()

THE PYRAMIDS.
antient world, and

we had

not the

evidence

afforded

by the

Soros in the principal

Pyramid,

a greater degree of difficulty might oppose the

undertaking.
offered

But, in addition to the testimony

by

this

remarkable
evidences

relic,

we
all

are enabled,

by

collateral

derived from

other

countries, to establish,

beyond

controversy,
It

the truth of their sepulchral origin.

has been

already shewn, that, of themselves, they constitute

but remaining traces of a custom com-

mon

to all the nations of antiquity'.

for

An

antient

Tumulus

men

of princely rank seems very

generally to have consisted of three parts; the

Soros, the Pile, or Heap, and the Stele.

these,

Of

Homer mentions two

at once;

as being

those parts of a Tumulus which were externally

visible.

As

the practice occasionally varied

among
used

different nations, only

one of these was

In

to denote

an antient burying-place.
Soros,

Asia Minor, the

of gigantic proportion,

sometimes stood alone, without the Pile and the

(l)

" Apud
;

majores, nobiles, aut sub montibus, aut in

uncle

montibus,

sepeliebantur
iierent,
l^irgil.

natum

est,

ut supra cadavera aut Pyramides

Servii

aut ingentes collocarentur, columnae."

Cumment. in

(3) Xv/ifoM

n,

2ta.-/) re.

II.

n. 45G.

See Greek Marbles,

*p. 2. Ca7nb.

i8Q9.

THE PYRAMIDS.
StclP.
tries,

267
chap.
V.
v^

InScvTHiA, and
the
File

many iVbr/Aer?2 couiionly appears*. In Greece

in

perhaps,

although

no
Stele,

instance

is

decidedly
pile,

known, the simple

without the

might

serve to denote the grave of a deceased person \

The

Pile, or

Heap, was generally nothing more

than a lofty

mound

of earth.

More

rarely,

it

was a magnificent pyramid. A square platform was left, in some instances, upon the tops of
those Pyramids, as a pedestal for the
Stele.

This

seems

to

have been the case upon the summit

of the principal
originated

Pyramid
appellation

of Djiza^.

Hence
Stelce

Heimctk
Stels.

the

of Hermetic

(because Hermes had the care of the dead), and

all

the

Grecian

Mythology

connected

with

(3) See the

account of the sepulchres at Telmessus, in the former

Section, Ch. VIII. Vol.111. 8vo. edition.

(4)

See the Vignette to Chap.

xi.

Vol.

I.

8vo. edition.

(5) Ka) Irny^nv

alru
^reat

yiviaSai,

eta, tfix^u.

Clem.

j4lex.

Strom,
^'

lib. v.

Oxon. 1715.

The
in a

Column

at Alexandria,

called

Pompey's

Pillar" may possibly be an example of the

will

Slel4, standing alone; as

be shewn

subsequent Chapter.
this

(6) Vansleh

mentions marks of

kind, which he supposes were

les enfonc^-ures qui

intended for a Colossus.

" On remarque encore

eont, lesquelles servoient pour tenir fernie la base

estoit pose."

Relation d'Egypte, p. 141.

du Colossc qui y It was in all Paris, 1677.

DescrijH. of the East,

probability n Stele;

but we did not perceive any such appearance;

I.

neither did Pecocke, as he confesses, p. 43. vol,

Land. 1743.

268
CHAP.
.

THE PYRAMIDS.
them\
this

In America, pyramids were built in

antient inhabitants of that

manner by the
is

great continent.
temples,

That those pyramids were also

because
all

true;

antient sepulchres

were objects of worship, and tombs were the

Mexican

Origin of temples^.
first

The

Spaniards,

when they
Gage de-

arrived in Mexico, found pyramids as temples

there; but they

were sepulchres.

scribes one of these':

"It was," says he,

fifty

"a

square mount of earth and stone,

of Egypt, saving that the top

fathoms

long every way, built upwards like to a pyramid

was not
up

sharp,

but plain

and

flat,

and ten fathoms square.

to the top."

Upon

the west side were steps

By

the account Gemelli gives'* of the Mexican

at

Pyramids

Teotiguacan

(signifying,

in

the

language of the country, a Place of Gods, or of jidoration), they were erected, like the Egyp-

tian Pyramids, for sepulchres. The first he saw was a Pyramid of the Moon, about one

(1)

SeeVol.III. of theseTravels,
tlie

p. 73.
StiJlae,

Octavo

edit.

A rfo^

is

often

represented upon

sepulchral

as a tvpe of the

Egyptian

Mercury.

Tliis

Deity appears upon Egyptian monuments, represeuteil

with a dog's head.
7.5.

by a human

fij^ure

(2) See Vol. II. of theseTravels, p.

(3)

Octavo

edit.

Survey of the TVesl Indies, Chap.

ii.

xii.

Lo7id. 1677.

(4) Travels, lib.

c. 8.

Part

6.

THE PYRAMIDS.
hundred and
fifty
**

269
*'

feet

in

height.
steps,

It

was

made," he says,

of earth, in

hke the
it

Pyramids of Egypt ;" and on the top of

great stone idol of the Moon.

was a The Pyramid of

the Sun was about forty feet higher, and upon

the top of
it

a vast statue of the Sun:

And

as

these Pyramids were erected for devotion,

so

were they
the

for

sepulchres^

The same author

Pyramid of

further informs us, that within the

Moon were vaults where their kings ivere buried, for which reason the road to them is called MiCAOTLi, that is to say, The Way of the Dead. Precisely, too, after the manner in which
the Pyramids of Egypt are surrounded by sepulchres of a

more diminutive form,

tells

Pyramids have, as Gemelli

several
little artificial

the Mexican " about them, us,

mounts, supposed to be

burying-places of lords."

Another instance of a
for

similar nature,

and more remarkable

the

similitude

it

bears to the principal pijramid of

Egypt, was found in the same country, about

thirty years ago,

by some hunters. may

This

is

the

great Pyramid of Papantla, mentioned

holdt; for,

by Hutuedifice of

in this, mortar

he discerned in the
It is

interstices heiiveen

the stones.

an

very high antiquity, and was always an object

of veneration

among

the Mexicans.

Humboldt

270
CHAP,
V.

THE PYRAMIDS.
says' " they concealed this
turies,

monument,
the

for cenit

from the Spaniards'" and that

accidentally,
in

was
that

discovered

manner

has been mentioned.

(l) Travels in

N'ew Spain,

vol. II. p.

259.

Antient Peribolus of SaVs, furmed hj

High Mounds of Earth,

as seen

from

the Nilr.

CHAP.

VI,

GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

Monastery of the Propagandists
Visit to the Reis Effendi

Marriage Procession

First Intelligence concerning

the Alexandrian

Soros

Preparation for Departure

Arrival of the Covering for the Caaba at Mecca

EiScape of four Ladies

Passage

doivn

the

Nile

Remains of City of Sais Antiquities Bronze RelicsAratriform Sceptre of and Enumei'ation Kings of Egypt Hieroglyphic Tablet Archetypes Curious Torso of an Statue of Triple Hierogram with Symbol of Cross meaning explained Mahallet Abouali Berinbal Massora Ovens for hatching Chickens Tombs
River
the
the Priests
the

Chemical ylnalysis of the Water and

Mud

of the

antient
the

the

its

at

Shibrecki

272
Shlbrecki
sails for

GRAND CAIRO.
Birds

Arrival

at Rosetta

Mr. Hammer
of the

England S/a/e of Rosetta

ai this season

year,

CHAP.
VI

After

our return to Cairo,

we

visited the

library of the Propaganda Society, in a

of the Pro-

monas-

tery belonging to the xMissionaries, and found a

^,q[\q^^^q^ q^

pagan

nts.

books as

little

worth notice as that

It consisted
faith,

of the Franciscans at Jerusalem.

the volumes being mixed together

wholly of obscure wTitings on points of

in a confused
it

manner.
possessors.

From

their appearance,

was

evi-

dent they had not been opened by their present

We

were shewn some drawings

of the Costumi of Cdiroy which had been

made

by one of the Monks, very

seeing,

ill

done, but worth

as they contained
in

a representation of

every thing remarkable

inhabitants of this city.

the manner of the The church belonging to the convent is kept in very neat order. The Copts have a place allowed them for baptism, near to the altar. The Coptic language is now

preserved only in their manuscripts.

We purside,

chased a

folio

manuscript copy of the Gospels,

finely written,

which had the Arabic on one

and the Coptic on the other.

In the Coptic

service of the church, the prayers are read in

GRAND
j^rabic,

CAIRO.

273

and

the gospels in Coptic.

Browne, who

has written the best account of Cairo, computes

the

number

of its

mosques

at

more than three

hundred, and the

total population of the city as

equal to three hundred thousand souls'.

In our

road to the English head-quarters,

Maniage
'*****''

from the convent of the Propagandists, we met a marriage procession. First came a person bearing a box, looking like the kind of
is

show which

carried about the streets of London, covered

The use of this Next followed two boys, superbly dressed, and mounted on very fine horses richly caparisoned. Two grooms were in attendance upon each of these horses. Then followed a great number of men, on foot. After these came the bride, beneath a canopy supported by four men, and preceded by a female

with gilding and ornaments.

could not learn.

we

attendant, who,

as

she walked,

continued to

fan her with one of the large

semicircular fans

of the country,
feathers.

made The bride was

of differently

coloured

entirely covered

by

a veil of scarlet crape, spangled from head to

foot:

she was supported on each side by a

Lond. 1799.

(1) Travels in Africa, p. 7

I.

The

reader, wishing for

a further statistical detail,

this faithful, intelligent,

may

be referred to the volume published by

traveller.

and most enterprising

VOL. v.

GRAND CAIRO.
female, veiled, according to the

common

cos-

tume of the country. Then followed a band of musicians, playing upon hautboys and tambours.
u4lmehs,

After the musicians,

came a party of

screaming the

Alleluia, as before de-

scribed.

The procession closed with a conall

course of people of
Visit
tlie

descriptions.

to

Re is

On Monday,
on a

August the

thirty-first,

we were

Effendi.

visit to the Reis Effendi,

a minister of the

Turkish government, holding a situation which

answers

to the office of our

Secretary of State.

Two
were

of the principal officers in the Turkish

sitting

army

The garden belonging in which Kleber was to this While we were conversing with assassinated. the Reis, a Tahtar came into the room, saying,
with them.

house was that

in the TwrArz^A language,

^'

Alexandria

is

taken

!'^

Mr. Hammer, who was with us, interpreted what the Tahtar had said. To our great amazement,
these Turkish officers received this important
intelligence in total silence, without the slightest

change of countenance, or even a look towards

each other.

Mr. Hammer

said,

he believed

they did not wish the people of Cairo to

that the English

know

were the captors. After a few minutes thus passed in silence and gravity, they began to whisper to each other, and then wrote

GRAND
the news.

CAIRO.

171

with a reed the name of the Tahtar who brought o

Afterwards, addressing us, the Reis
the

asked

if

we had understood what

Tahtar

had
*'

said.

We
I will

answered

in

the

affirmative.
faith in the

do not," said he, " place much

;

news
if

but

send to the Vizier, and inquire

he has received any despatches." Having done

an answer came, stating that Alexandria
;

this,

was not taken

place,

but that an armistice had taken

in treaty for the

and that the French were

city.

surrender of the
information

With

this

welcome

we

took our leave, and determined

instantly to hasten to the British camp, and to

make Lord
particulars

Hutchinson
that

acquainted with some

to

had come
antiquities
all

our knowledge

respecting

the

French in Egypt,

of

by the which we knew to be

collected

deposited

in Alexandria.

Previous to our departure,

to
collect as

it

was necessary
to

much
as

additional information as

possible,

and especially with regard

Tablet^;

the

Rosetta

there

is

no

doubt

but
our

every

artifice

would be used

to prevent

(l) See the

account given of tke discovery by Bmtchard, Vol. IV. of

I.

these Travels, Ch.

p. 7.

Note

(3).

T 2

276
CHAP.
._

GRAND CAIRO.
Commander-in-chief from becoming acquainted
with the place of
its

conceahnent.

report

had already been industriously circulated, that We therethis stone had been sent to France.
fore

waited upon the only person capable of

furthering our views in this respect, and

whose

name it is no longer necessary to conceal \ This person was no other than the intelligent Carlo
Rosetti,

whose

inquisitive

mind and

situation in

the country had enabled him to become ac-

quainted with
French army.

every thing belonging to the

In the course of a conversation
Stone,

with him on the subject of the Rosetta

which he maintained to be

still

in Alexandria,

he

informed the author, that something even of a more precious nature was contained among the
First Intel.

French plunder

that they

had removed, by

ih?"Xx^
andrian
SOKOS.

force, a relic long held in veneration

among

the

inhabitants

oi^

Alexandria, after every entreaty

had

failed for that effect;

and that they enter-

tained considerable apprehension lest any intelligence concerning

it

should reach the English

officers,

army: that Menou, and some other of his

had used every precaution

to prevent the people

its

of Alexandria from divulging the place of

(I) See

" Tomb

of Alexander ^" p. 31.

GRAND CAIRO.
concealment,
before
it

277

could be conveyed be-

yond the reach of our

forces.

Signor Rosettis remote situation with regard

to

Alexandria

prevented his giving a more

explicit account of this

monument, and of the

It

place where
said, of

it

originally stood.

was, he

one entire piece of stone, of an astonishing size, and of a beautiful green colour:
the French had taken
it
it

from some mosque, where

addressed to one

had been long venerated by the Arabs : and

I'etter

he ended by giving us a

of the principal merchants

who, upon our arrival in that city, would communicate any other information we might require
in Alexandria,

upon

this subject.

The
ture.

following day

was passed

in taking leave

Prepara-

of our friends, and in preparation for our depar-

Departure

We

had another audience of the

several
inquiries
if

Fizier,

who made
any thing

concerning

the

Pyramids, and very kindly asked

there were

else in Cairo, or in its neighbourhood,

which we might wish to see. He then added a few questions respecting the embalmed birds
found at Saccara; requesting, at the same time,
that

we would

send him one of these birds.

This very rare curiosity in a Turk surprised us;

278
CHAP,
VI.

GRAND CAIRO.
for, in general,

nothing can exceed either their

ignorance or their indifference, as to literary

intelligence.

We
Ibis,

sent him one of the jars which

contain the
the lid

unopened; and another with

visible, that

removed and the interior

its

he

might examine

contents,
it

if

he wished to pre-

serve the other vessel as

was found.

When

we rose to

take leave, the attendants presented

each of us with an embroidered handkerchief,

according: to the usual '&

custom

in the East.

Arrival of

This day the tapestry destined for the cover"^& ^^ ^^^

atantinopk,

ingforThe
Caaba^&t

Caaba at Mecca arrived from Con-

by the way of
it is

Syria.

We
Ca:iTo

were
of the

desirous of seeing the entry into

cavalcade by which
it

accompanied, but found

to

be impossible, from the extreme danger

it.

attending

Mr. Hammer, although

in

the

Arabian dress, dared not to venture into the

fanatical

and furious mob that had assembled

city.

upon the outside of the

from
greet

The people ran

Cairo,

every
its

house

and corner of

to

coming; and happy was the Moslem

of the camel
it

who

could get near enough to kiss a part of

tail

the trappings, or even the

by

which
to

it

was

carried.

After parading
it

through

the principal streets,

was taken

to the Citadel,

be kept

until the great

Caravan of Pilgrims

GRAND
began
Cairo,
its

CAIRO.

279

march

to

Mecca.

Every house

in
.

upon

this occasion,

displayed the most

chap. ^
'

gaudy hangings; but the principal colours were blue, scarlet, crimson, and yellow. The whole city was one scene of festivity. In several houses we saw a figure made up of wool or
cotton, to resemble a sheep, but could not learn
for

what purpose

it

was so

placed.

On Wednesday,
twelve o'clock,

September

the

second,

at

we

set out from Cairo, passing

along the Canal in our djerm, and having on

board four
tection

ladies,

recommended

to us for pro- Escape

Ladies,

by the Propaganda Missionaries. Mr. Hammer was also on board, and rendered us great service in this dangerous undertaking, by
being in his Oriental habit.

We

placed the

women

in

our cabin, concealed by lattice-work

rest of our

and boughs, Mr. Hammer and the

party standing before the entrance.

The banks

of the canal were covered by Galeongies and

Turkish troops, carousing, and discharging their

tophaikes.

Had

they only suspected the pre-

sence of females in our boat, the consequences

would have been dangerous to us but the lives of these ladies depended upon the success of
;

the plan adopted for their escape

many women

being daily sacrificed by the Turks, in conse-

280
CHAP,
i

FROM GRAND CAIRO

quence of having been married
to,

or having

been with Frenchmen.

In order to avoid being

searched, or giving rise to suspicion,

we had

chosen the most public time of the day for

passing the canal.

Our ^rah boatmen had

entered the boat,

promised their assistance, and they were very

faithful.

When we

we

be-

heved, from their appearance, that our passengers were old

They sat muffled up, and completely concealed by coarse and thick
women.
veils,

their

which covered not only their faces but When we had cleared the persons.
and reached the open channel of the
they took off their
veils,

canal,
river,

and we were
all

surprised to find that they were

young.

One

of them was very beautiful

;

she had been

married about four years before but her husband

dying of the plague, during the
last

summer,

had

left

her a widow.

far as Bulac;

pagandists
Cairo,

They accompanied us as when meeting with two of the Prowho had assisted their escape from
size of
offer

and being unable, from the small

our djerm, to

them

suitable

means of con-

veyance

for their

passage to Rosetta,

we engaged

the cabin of a large barge preparing to descend

the Nile, where, secluded from the observation
of the other passengers, they might have secure

and convenient accommodation,

'

TO ROSETTA.
Upon our
arrival

281

at

Bulac,

we met Lord
and two

chap.

Hutchinsons brother upon the quay,

other English officers,

^v

who had

just arrived with

despatches for the Grand Fizier, containing news

of the capitulation then pending between our

Commander-in-chief and
the surrender of

General Menou,

for

Alexandria.

As they were

unable to speak the language of the country,

we
in

sent our interpreter to hire a party of Arabs to

conduct them to the English head-quarters

Cairo.

At

six o'clock p. M.

we embarked
Its

again, and,

rassage

having lowered the

sails,

committed our djerm

course might

down NUe.

the

to the rapidity of the river.

rather be described as a torrent than as a current.

Although a strong contrary wind pre-

vailed during the whole of our voyage

Nile,

down

the

than

we descended with even greater we had sailed in coming from

w^ater in the Nilomeler of

rapidity
Rosetta.

The
time

Rhonda had risen

at this

nine feet during the

it

month

oi August:

wanted only two inches of elevation to cover entirely the whole of the Corinthian column on which the height of the inundation is
measured, and

twenty days.
subsided
;

was expected to rise yet for The great heats had evidently
it

although the mercury in Fahrenheit's

282
CHAP,
VI.

FROM GRAND CAIRO

thermometer,
desrees. "O
this

day

at noon, stood at ninety

As we

left

Bidac,

we had one
crowded with

of the finest

prospects in the world, presented

surface of the Nile

by

the wide

vessels,

the

whole

city of Cairo, the

at the quay, the Citadel

busy throng of shipping and heights of Mokatam,

the distant Said, the Pyramids of Dji a and of

Saccara,

the Obelisk of Heliopolis, and the

of the Sultans ; all these were in view at time; the greater objects being tinged with the

Tombs the same

most

brilliant

effect

of light

it

is

possible to

conceive;

while the noise of the waters, the

shouts of the boatmen, and the moving picture

everywhere offered by the

stedfast majesty of

Nile,

gave a cheerful

contrast to the stillness of the Desert, and the

monuments, beautifully de-

scribed
lity."

by

a classic bard as " looking tranquil-

We

continued our progress during the

evening and the whole of the night.

morning, September the third,
at Terane,

The next
little

we
to

found ourselves
procure a
filled

and went on shore

our breakfast.

milk

for

Here we

two

large earthen jars with Nile water; and having

rendered them
fully

air-tight,

we

luted
:

them carethe vacant

with the mud of the Nile

in

then placing
all

them

wooden

cases,

we

filled

TO ROSETTA.
spaces with the same substance.

283

The mud soon

.

chap.
^^'
.

became

dry, and very hard

thus preserving

the jars from the danger of being broken

by

any shock which the cases containing them might sustain and also, by the total exclusion
;

of atmospheric

air,

preventing any change from

taking place in the chemical constituents of the

water. In this state they were sent, one to the

University of Cambridge, and another to Professor Jacquin at Vienna.

It is

not yet

known

what chemical union takes place in Nile water, when the addition of pounded almonds causes it
to precipitate the

substances
:

it

holds in a state

of imperfect solution

this is the

common mode
The
chemical
of'Thr'^

adopted in Egypt
only result

for clarifying the water.

we have been
it

able

to

obtain,

from the most careful chemical analysis of the

Nile water, proves
to contain the carbonates of

m^IToTiL
^"'""

Magnesia, Lime, and Iron;

the Muriat of Soda

and a small portion of

it is

Silex

and

jilumine.
;

But

one of the purest waters known

remark-

able for its

easy digestion by the stomach, and

for its salutary qualities in all the uses to

it

which
this

is

applied'.

The mud,

or slime, left

by

(1)

" L'eau du

Nil jouit d'une grand puret^

cette qualitt^ la rend

bien pr^cieuse, non seulement pour la preparation des alimens, mais

encore pous

les arts

chymiques ou

elle

peut remplacer l'eau de pluie

dont ce pays est priv^, et l'eau

torn. I.

distill^e."

La Decade

Egyptienne,

p. 266.

/^M Kaire,

An

7.

284
CHAP,
.

FROM GRAND CAIRO

water
X

is

found to consist principally of Alumine

it

-^--

in a state of great purity:

contains nearly
;

half

its

weight of

this

substance

the rest

is

carbonate of LimCy

Water,

Carbon, Iron oxide,

Silex, and carbonate of Magnesia.

The persons
it

concerned
dung':

in agriculture, in

Egypt, regard

as

a sufficient manure,
this

without any addition of

they reserve for other purposes,

for fuel.

and principally

Remainsof
'

Haviug
the spot

rcceivcd

information,

from

some

^ ^

Sa^is.

Bedouin Arabs inhabiting the Delta, of Ruins on

marked by D'Anville

as the situation

of the antient City of SaYs,

visit

them.

They are near

el

we determined to to the village now

called Sc'l Hajar, or Se

literally
Sa'isJ"

translated,

may

signify

Hajar^: this name, " The antient

These Ruins were not observed by the

:

French during their residence in Egypt

they
their

seem

to

have been

ignorant

even of

(1)

" Agri

ita

pingue

fiunt,

ut sterooratione non egeant."

torn.
I.

f Prosper

Alpinus.)
(2)
jilace

Voy. Decade Egypt,

p. 9,19 this

Mr. Hamilton, perhaps more judiciously, writes the name of

Sd-el'Haggar.

fSee^gyptiaca,

p.'S60.

Land. I8O9.)

It

has

been here written

as nearly as possible to

the manner in which the

name
of it;

is

pronounced upon the spot.

as Selhajar
;

But the Arahs make one word

to call it Silhajar.
it

and some of them seemed

{vol. II.
jy.

Egmont and Hcyman

Hajer.

113.

Land. 1759.) wrote

Sa

el

TO ROSETTA.
existence ^

285

occurs

in

them by Europeans the Travels of Egmont and Heyman*',

first

The

notice of

and Mr. Bryant

those Dutchmen,
locality of

refers to the account given

in

by

his observations

upon the

Zoan\

not laid down in

The situation of Se'l Hajar is any modern map; but bur boat-

men were acquainted with it, and they informed Us that we should not reach it before midnight.

We

therefore ordered

them

to

anchor as soon

as they

came near

to the village,

and

to

remain

there until day-light.

The

velocity with

which

wind quite astonished us. Our boat lay upon the water with her broadside to the current, and was generally held in this position by the crew; but sometimes she was suffered to float as the
stream carried her, turning about
directions.
in all possible

we proceeded

against a violent north-west

The next morning, Friday, September the fourth, being told by our boatmen that we
were close
in

with Sel Hajar,

we

rose a

little

(3) See Dtnon's account of the observations

made by the French

Vol.
II.

in

Upper and Lower Egypt.

(4) Travels through Part oi Europe, Asia Minor, &c.
p. 11
1

Land. 1759.
(5)

See Observations relating to various Parts of Antient History, by

p. 312.

Jacob Bryant,

Camb.nGl.

286
'^

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

^^^"^^'^

vt^'
^.

day-light, to take a hasty breakfast,

and

-v-

~*

set out for the

Ruins.

As soon
south

as the

dawn

appeared,

we

landed upon the eastern side of

little

the river, a

to the

of Rachmanie

near to the place where a canal, passing across

the Delta, joins the Damietta with the Rosetla

branch of the Nile.

the shore

About

half a mile

from

we came

to the village of Se 7 Hajar,

and found the Arab peasants already at their work. They were employed in sifting soil to
lay

upon

their corn land,

of antient buildings.

among evident remains The present village of

in the

Sel Hajar seems

to

be situate

suburban

district of the antient city ; for as

we proceeded
soon discerned

hence, in an eastern direction,

its

we

vestiges.

Irregular heaps, containing ruined

foundations which had defied the labours of the

peasants, appeared between

the village

and

some more considerable remains farther towards the north-east. The earth was covered with fragments of antient terra cotta, which the labourers had cast out of their sieves. At the distance of about three furlongs, we came to an immense quadrangular inclosure, nearly a mile wide, formed by high walls or rather mounds of earth, facing the four points of the compass, and
placed at right angles to each other, so as to

surround a spacious area.

In the centre of this

RUINS OF

SAIS.

287
chap.
VI.

was another conical heap, supporting the ruins of some building, whose original form cannot

now be

ascertained.

The ramparts

of this in-

closure are indeed so lofty, as to be visible from

the river

although at this distance the irregu-

larity of their

appearance might cause a person

ignorant of their real nature to mistake them for natural eminences '. In their present appearance, they

seem

to

correspond with the account

given of a similar inclosure at San, or

Tanis *,

(1)

See the Vignette to this Chapter.

(2) It

may be proper

to mention, that the learned Jacob Bryant, in

his dissertation

upon the situation of Zoan, distinguishes tliis city from Tanis, and confounds it with Heliopolis (See Observations
:

relating

to

various Parts of Antient History, p. 301.

shall

Camb. 1767.)

Until

M. Larcher

have written his promised dissertation upon

the two cities which bore the

name

of Heliopolis, and better evidence

be given for the notion of a Pseiido- Heliopolis upon the Arabian side
of the Nile, the following localities will be here assigned for the three
cities, Sa'is,

Tanis, and Heliopolis:

for the

first,

Si'l

Hajar;

for the
this

second. Saw; for the third, Matarieh.

M.Z/rc/ier's doubts

upon

subject are so closely allied to the following remarks

made by Bryant,
origin
:

that

it is

impossible to believe they had not a

common

indeed,

the French writer seems almost to have literally translated Bryant's

words.

" There were two

cities

named

Heliopolis

of which
* *
all

SHALL HAVE A GREAT DEAL TO SAY HEREAFTER.

is

This
the
Sfc.

a circumstance that has escaped the notice, not only of

moderns, but of most of the Antients."

p. 82. Note 2.

(See Bryant, Observat.

villes," says

Camb. 1767-)
.

" de

ce

nom

(Heliopolis)

*****

"

l\

y avoit deux

Larcher,

Ceci auroit besoin d' tre

fort

appuyt de preuves, mais comme cela exigeroit une dissertation

longue, JE LE FERAI PROBABLEMENT DANS DNE

MEMOIRE A PART.

Table

Chgraphique de

I'Histoire

d'Wrodotc, pp, 171, 172.

Paris, 1786.

288
CHAP,

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

by a
friend of our party,

who

visited the Pyra-

mids with us, and

down the Nile among the Ruins

river, in

who was engaged in a voyage at the time we were employed

of Sais
'.

The water of the

consequence of the inundation, had

obtained access to this inclosure, so as to form

a small lake around the conical heap of ruins

which stood
haps
it

in the

middle of the area.

in antient times

Per;

was thus admitted

elevation, render

as
its

the vast rampart of the inclosure, both in

bulk and

it

well calculated to

contain water.

The

description given

by Hero-

dotus of a sepulchre'^ at

Sais

is

so applicable to

the general appearance of this place, that per-

haps the evidence

it

affords

may be deemed
city.

almost conclusive as to the locality of the

(1) ff^iiliam

Hamilton, Esq. F. A. S. one of his Majesty's Under'*

Secretaries of State, autliur of

Remarks on

several Parts of

Turkey ,"

of which only Part the First, under the title of ^^gyptiaca, has yet

appeared.

Jt

is

to be

hoped that Mr. Hamilton's other important

avocations will not prevent the continuation of this valuable work.

For
of

his

account of the situatian of San, and the present appearance

/?.

its

ruins, see JEgi/jHiaca,

382.

Lotid. I8O9.
as they

A Map

of their

Topography, and a Plan of the Ruins,

Plate

were discovered by the

In the same

French, are given in Plate xvii of Denori's large work.

may be

seen also a Plan of an Inclosure and Ruins near JBeibeth,

wliich exactly represents the present appearance of the inclosure at

Sais.
(2)

Herodot. Euterpe,
to

c.

170.
this

Herndottis says he

was not permitted

to

name the person

whom

sepulchre belonged.

RUINS or

SAIS.

289
chap.
VI.

He

says

it

stood

within the sacred inclosure,

behind the temple of Minerva; mentioning also a shrine ^ in which were obelisks ; and near to
those obelisks a
in size to the
lake,

flanked with stone, equal

Lake

Trocho'is at Delos.

But

the

form of the

lake, according- to him,

was

circular.
it,

Nocturnal solemnities were exhibited upon

according to a custom

still

kept up at Grand

Cairo, at the overflowing of the Nile.

The
all

soto

lemnities of Minerva at Sais

were reckoned

hold the third rank in importance

festivals

among
were

the

of Egypt
*
;

*.

It
its

was

the metropolis of
origi-

Lower Egypt

and

inhabitants

Egmont and Heyman found here a very curious Inscription" in honour of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, its benenally an Athenian colony.

factor, certain of whose

titles

are given

^:

AYTOKPA-

(3) Ti/itya;.

Euterpe,

c.

170.

(4) Herodot. ibid. c. l69.

The

principal solemnities
Busiris, in

Were held at
/$t,

Bubastus, in honour of Dia7ia.

held the second rank.

Those of

honour of

Minerva was worshipped

at Sa'is

under the

uame
j>.

of Neith, according to Piato and Plutarch.

Jt

(5) Ka)

ti'ii finTf'ovoXi;
OjL'on.

rn;

xdru

X'^i'S'

Slrubon, Geogr,

lib. xvii.

1137. ed.
(6)
(7)

Egmont and Heymati's

As
this Inscription
\s

Travels, vol.

II.

p.

112.

Lond. 1759.

the only one which has leen foand by the

;

moderns at
rially

Sais, in

any legible characters

and
;

is,

moreover, mate-

connected with the history of the city

and

as the

work which
contains

VOL. V.

290
CHAP.
,
.

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

^J-

AYTOKPATOPAKAICAPA MAPKONAYPHAIONANTXINEINON

CEBACTONAPMHNIAKONMHAIKON nAP0IKONMEriCTON HnOAICTONEYEPrETHN

They saw
broken
also the colossal statue of a female,

with hieroglyphics, the head of which had been

off

and removed

to

Cairo.

Fourteen

camel-loads of treasure were said to have been

found among the Ruins.

antiquities was,

Our inquiry

after

however,

for a long time

unsuc-

cessful

and we began

to despair of carrying to the antient

from
city,

Sdis

any thing belonging

excepting our description of the place,

slight sketch of the inclosure, as

and a

seen

contains

it is

will not be

BOW become rare; the author hopes its repetition here deemed superfluous. Another In-icription, of much greater

in

celebrity,

is

preserved by

Plutarch (De
which
it

Isid. et

Osir. c. 9.), as it

existed

upon the

pedestal of Minerva's statue at Sais.

Kircher has
It was, in
it

attempted to shew the manner

all probability,

was engraven.
;

written
it

in

the Sacred
its

characters

but,

if

were a
of the

Greek inscription,
letters,

might, from

antiquity and the

number

have stood

in

the following orderI

ErnEi M HANTorEr ONOZK A ONKAI EZO

I

MENONKAITONEMON nEnAONOYAEiznno
NHTOZAREKAAYH^EN

RUINS OP
from the river'.
parts of
the

SAIS.

291
so
often

The French had

that,

stripped and terrified the inhabitants of other

Delta,

although Sdis

had

hitherto escaped their visitation, the

mere com-

ing of strangers

filled

the Arabs with distrust

sight of a few newly-

and alarm.
sions,

However, the

coined paras presently subdued their apprehen-

and we were surrounded by men, women,

at Saccara, a

and children, bringing, as

of curious antiquities.

number

Among

these were va-

rious fragments of antient sculpture, formed of

dark grey Granite, oi Horhlende Porphyry-, and

of the sort of Trap which
others" have called green

JVink e Imam r and

This last

hasaltes.

substance has been described as one of the

hardiest materials of antient art
:

it

is

certainly

one of the most durable,

for the

works executed

(1)

See the Vignette to this Chapter.

(2) This substaiice'is the Nh-' e bianco of the Italian lapidaries {See

Ferber's Trav. in Italy, p. 217-

Lond.

177fi.)

It consists

of white

opaque

crystals of Feldspar,
in

imbedded

which owe their colour to decomposition, black Hornblende. The word Porphyry may now be

used to denote any compound mineral containing crystals of Feldspar. Thus we have. Hornblende Porphyry, Pitchstone Porphyry, Serpentine
Porphyry, &c. &c.
'

(3)

Oiuvres de TVinkelmann,

torn. I.

p. 1(38.

Puiis,

An

2 de la

R^publique.
(4)

"

Basalles Oiientalis viridis." {Ferber,ubi supra, p. 233.)

"Ex-

tremely hard, homogeneous, and compact, without any crystallizations."

u a

292
in
it

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

retain their original polish as perfect as

when they
tor.

issued from the hands of the sculp-

We

procured also a number of bronze

the
state of decomposition
in

relics.

From

which these appeared, as well as from the circumstances of their form, they seemed to be of
high antiquity.

The
is

bronze itself has

since

been analyzed, and

with twelve per

found to consist of copper^

of
tin
;

cent,
all

compound com-

mon

to

almost

the

bronze works of the

Antients.

We

bought of the peasants a bronze

tripod, originally intended for a lamp; also a

small bronzehust of PTHA, the Mgyptian Vulcan\

Perhaps
weight.

this Its

last

was

originally an

antient

very great antiquity

may be

deter-

mined by the shape of the ivings, which are curved upwards from the back of the figure.
This peculiarity
artists
is

found only

in the

works of

belonging to the earliest ages, as

we

learn from the sculpture and coinage of Greece,

They brought also a bronze image of Orus, formerly worn as an amulet, together with a number of Lares and
particularly of Corinth.

other amulets, similar to those already described

in

the

account of the

antiquities

found at

(l)

See Nos.

and

2, of Plate

auuexed.

'

RUINS OF
SaccAra.

SAIS.

293

One

of the former, in the shape of a

^^^'
'

Mummy,

similar to Nos. 12

and

]3, in the Plate

representing the Antiquities found at Saccdra,

but of larger
notice ^

size,

deserves more particular

of
it

The substance

is

porcelain, re^

sembling the sort of earthenware called Delft; and it offers, perhaps, the most antient speci-

men

of the art in the world.

The

interior exis

hibits a pale

baked

clay,

and the exterior

covered with a highly

near the feet
It

vitrified varnish.

The
off

lower part of the figure has been broken

;

but

all

the upper part

is entire.

has a long narrow beard, hanging from the

;

extremity of the chin

five

and below the breast are

lines of

an hieroglyphical inscription.

The

hands are crossed upon the breast; sustaining

against either shoulder such perfect models of

the symbol which Kircher has denominated Hieralpha^, that

it is

^ratn/orm
Sceptre.

impossible

we

can remain any

longer in doubt respecting

its real signification.

to"*;

The

subject has been before alluded

but

something

may yet
it

be added

for its illustration;

for, in fact,

is

here rendered more evident

than an antient plough was the archetype of an

(2) See Nos. 3, 4, of Plate annexed,

(3)

See A, B, of No.

3.

(4) See

Chap. IV. of

this

volume,

p. 154, et sec[.

294
CHAP.
-'
'

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

Egyptian
writing.
character,

common
complete
;

in

hieroglyphic

Upon

this figure the entire

is

model of
the

the

instrument

and even

twisted cordage, binding the plough-share to

the handle,
is

distinctly represented
ail

'.

But, in

order to remove
this

remaining doubt concerning

left
is

symbol,

we

perceive in the

hand of the
suspended
shoulder ^

figure a stouter

cord% from which

the

a harroiu hanging behind

left

We

see clearly, therefore, the kind of instruDiodorus*,

ment mentioned by
priests

who

says the
in the

and kings of Egypt bore a sceptre

form of a plough.

An
-S"^.

instrument of this kind

was The
it

said to be in use

among

the Celtic tribes \

inhabitants of

Kilda, in the Hebrides,

use
in

as a sort of spade, or hand-plough.

But

the north of Siveden and Finland, a different race

of

men use

a plough of the
:

larger scale

it is

there

same form, upon a drawn by cattle and

;

(1) See

m,

n, of

No.

3, in

the Plate annexed.

In

the heautiful

designs hy Roncalli, of the Obeliscus Ca:mpensis, engraved by /Inloniniy

for Zoega's

work " De Origine

et

Usu Obeliscorum," published at

is

Rome
No.

1797) the delineation of this symbol, as a plough,

so dis-

tinct, that even the rings attached to the cordage are visible. 5 of the Plate, as copiedj'rom that work,

Set

(2) See X, x, of Nos. 3.

and

4,

(3) See z, of

No.

4.

(4) Diodor. Sic. lih. iv. (5)

See p. 156 of this Volume.

RUINS OF
it

SAIS.

29.'5

is

further distinguished

by having a

double,
^

chap.
-,-

instead of a single plough-share.

Linnceiis first

observed

this

very antient model of the plough,

;

during his travels in his native country

and a

representation of the Finland plough has been

here introduced, as
his

it

was copied from one of

relic therefore pre-

drawings

^.

This curious

serves a model of one of the most antient in-

struments of agriculture
world;
held

known

in the

world

^;

the primeval plough of Egypt, and of the Eastern

in

veneration
all

from the earliest

;

ages, and

among
;

nations

considered as a

sacred symbol
nity
;

an emblem of power and digfit

a sceptre

for

kings,

and even Gods,

to

(6) See

No. G of the preceding

is
)

Plate.

(7) Osiris
{lib.
i.

said to have

constructed his
first

own plough.

Tihdius

eleg. 7

makes him the

husbandman.

There were two

;

methods

of using tlie very simple instrument here represented

one

being the more antient, but the shape of the plough remaining the

game
iron,
It

which was that of an

/ilpha, with

one side shorter than the

other.

As a hmul-plough, the vertex was capped with brass or

the;

which

husbandman
in

forced into the ground with

hU
is

foot.

was then hold

this position,

and

in this

manner

it

now
iige,

used by the natives of St. Kilda.

When

used as a draft- plough, which

of a later
it

must have been suggested by the improvement

in this positiu:i, -<f
'

the

shorter Ivihh of the Alpha was tipped with metal, and

was then held

inhabitants of

"

as

it

is

now used by the

its

Ostro-BoUaua.
tient st-eptre
;

Tlie htindplough was of course the an-

not only on account of

antiquity, but as being the

ou\y portable instrument.

296
Vv'ear
'

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

;

a type of Nature's bounty, and of peace

on earth'. be referred

To
all

this veneration of the plough

the mysteries of Ceres,

may and many

Such
in
it

of the most sacred solemnities, the rites and

the festivals, of Egypt and of Greece. the

is

explanation

of Kirckers Hierolpha,

symbolical view.

That, as an archetype,

subse-

quently gave birth to an alphabetical sign, which

was introduced among

Egyptian writing,
is

the characters used in

;

very probable

for

a gra-

dual change from the pictured forms of visible

objects to written types,
is

manifest to any one

who
to

will give himself the trouble to collect

and

compare the various modifications which the

have sustained'.

hieroglyphics

(1)

"

In antient times, the sacred plough employ'd

The Kin^s, and

(2) (3)

awful fathers of mankind."

Thomson.

"And

they shall beat their swords into plough-shares." /ya.ii.4.

rolls

Mr. HiiniiKon'i ohservations upon the

oi Papyrus which

are found in the

Mummies'of the Thehald confirm this opinion, in a remarkable manner." Of the four," says he, " which 1 brought to
England, one
is in the British Museum the possession of ; another in the Society of Antiquaries: the other two are but frajcments of ; one them written in the common Egyplic character, that of the other

approaching much more to the hieroglt/phical mode of writing. " This circumstance had first induced me to consider, in a Memoir
ly^upia, ypifAfiarit, of antient

submitted to the Society of Antiquaries, the vulgar character, or Egypt, as having- derived its origin from

the picture-writing of earlier ages:

and

am

further inclined to that

opmioq

RUINS OF

SAIS.

297
chap.
'

Having by this time gained the coniidence and good-will of the Arabs, we might have extended our researches by making an excavation
within the antient
inclosure, if

our time had not

been

They told us, that it was their frequent practice, when they dug up stones with hieroglyphic figures, to bury them again.
limited.

And were
that
all

this not true, it is

very improbable

works which once adorned the city of Sais have been removed or deFrom the account given of them by stroyed.
the colossal
Herodotus,

we may

conclude that subsequent

generations were unable to carry oiF such stu-

pendous masses of
demolition.

stone, for nothing less than

to

gunpowder would have been equal

their

Amasis constructed at Sais a pro-

pyl(vum in honour of Minerva, which in magni-

opinion by the observation of

many

peculiarities in

which they

still

resemble

tliese

resemblances becoming more and more distant, in

of'

proportion tn (he remoteness

the period of such

writings

from

the

original institution 0/ their hierogti/phical archett/pe.

In some

rolls of

Papyrus, almost every letter bears a faint resemblance to some visible

object, as an eye, bird, serftent, knife, &c.; whereas in others it
is

very

difficult to

trace

it

and at

tiie

date of the Inscription on the

Rosetta Stone, the copy seems so much to have degenerated from the original, as to leave no means whatever of forming a comparison

between the two

and we know that thrrc are instances of both cha-

racters being applied to the

same use

having already been published, written

Character."

in

some few what is

rolls

of Papyrus

called the Sacred

Sec Hamilto-ys ^ygt/ptiaca, p.iOJ. Lond.]B09.

298
CHAP,
>

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

tude and grandeur surpassed every thing before
'

v'

seen, of such

enormous

size

were the stones

in its foundation.

employed

in the building

and

Herodotus, enumerating the decorations given by

Amasis to this

edifice,

mentions colossal statues

statue of this kind

of prodigious magnitude, under the appellation

of Androsp hinges \

discovered soon after

we

left

Egypi^.

was But the

most surprising work

at Sais

was a monoUthal

shrine ^ brought from Upper Egypt; in the con-

veyance of which, from Elephantine, two thousand persons were

years*.

employed,

during

three

celebrated colossus, given

hy Amasis
its

to the teraple of Vulcan at Memphis,

had also
and

duplicate at Sdis, of the

same

size,

in the

same

attitude \

Within the sacred

inclosure

were

"Vovra Se, xiXiffirov; fiiyaXov; ku.)

'ANAP0S<l>INrA2

mpifir,Kia.s

aninxi'
ibi-

"

5^-.iiiietiam

ingeutes colossos, et iminancs

ANDROSPHINGAS,
Galei.

dem

posuit."

Herodot. Euterpe,

c.

175.

Ed,

(2) (3)

See Hamilton's jSgyptiaca, p. 382.

Lond. 1809.
this

Count Caylus wrote a dissertation upon

I'''uy.

extraordinary struc-

ture.

Mim.

de

I'

Academie,
c.

8fe.

torn. xxxi.

Hist. p. 23.

(4) Herodot.

Euterpe,

175.

(5) Ibid. c. 176.

The

colossal

hand

oi granite, wliich

is

now

in

the

British iMuseum, was found by the Fretich

upon the

site of

autieut

Memphis, between Djiza and Sacc/ira, ami believed by them to have belonged to one of the statues meutioneJ by Herodotus, as being near
the Temple of Fulean.

RUINS OF

SAIS.
Sditic

299
dynasty";
chap,
VI
>

buried the sovereigns of the

and

it

may be supposed

that

tlie

ransacking of

such a coemetery would lead

to the discovery of

many

curious antiquities, and even give proba-

bility to the narrative related

by the inhabitants Egmont and Heyman\ concerning of Se'l Hajar the camel-loads of treasure which were found
to

upon the

was directed towards the mosque; suspecting that, in the materials employed for this building, something more might come to light. After a slight hesispot.

Our next

inquiry

tation,

they also granted us permission to carry

on our researches here, and admitted us to

view the
walls

interior of the structure.

The

fragin the

ments of some antient columns appeared

;

and

in the

steps, before

the entrance,
Syenite.

we

noticed

large

slab

of polished

Having with some

turned the stone,

difficulty
it

extricated
to

and

Hierosii</-

we found

be the base or

uiet.

pedestal of one of those upright statues which

seem

to

correspond with the notion entertained

of the Androsphinxes mentioned

by Herodotus;
its

although

it

does not answer in

size to the

proportion necessary for the colossal figures

(6)

Herodot. ibid,

c.

169.
torn.

For an account of
i.

this tlynasty,
165!?.

see

Kircher, GSdip.
(7)

^gypt.

c. 10.

p. 91.

Rom.

See Egmont and fl(?ym's Travels, vol.11,

p. 112.

Land. 1759.

300
CHAP,
VI.
-^

RUINS OF

SAIS.
It is

alluded to by the historian.

now

in the

Vestibule of the
hridge\

University Library at Cam-

One

foot only belonging to the statue

this pedestal.
is,

now remains upon

it

What
it

renders

peculiarly

interesting

that

exhibits,

among
which
of the

the characters of an hieroglyphic tablet

is

quite entire, a perfect representation

Ibis.

The other

signs are also such accu-

rate figures of visible objects, that almost all

their archetypes

may be enumerated

either

by

comparing them with things found among barbarous nations; or with natural phaenomena; or
with existing antiquities
facts derived
;

or

by explaining the

ideas they are intended to convey, according to

general.

from the study of antiquities in That the Reader may therefore comhieroglyphics,

pare a few observations upon this subject with

an engraved representation of these

order
Plate.

they will be given according to a numerical

corresponding with
ciphers

upon the

(1)

See " Greek Marbles," No.

II. p. 3.

Camh. 1809.

UNIVERSITY

of

CALIFORNIA

LOS AKGELKy

LIBRABY

ggi

HIEROGLYPHIC TABLET FOUND AT

SAIS.

301
CHAP.
VI.

N. B.

See the Plate.

No.

1.

HE Segment

of a Circle,
all

thus

placed,

is

EnumeraArchetypc$.

believed by almost

writers
to

upon

the subject of

Egyptian Hieroglyphics,
the

signify
it

the

Sun

in

Lower Hemisphere.
?

May

not therefore de-

note a period of time

is

Sometimes a small Orb

No. 31.
as

placed within

it,

as at

2.

An

Egyptian Sistrum, with four Chords, or Bars,

described

by Plutarch fDe

Isid,

et

Osir.

c.

63.)

the

sound of which was believed

to

avert

and

drive

away Typhon.
account of

Plutarch has given a par-

ticular

this instrument.

" Quid nunc j^gyptia prosunt

Sistraf
3.

Two

Battle-axes,

fashioned like weapons

brought
to

from the South Seas, with stone blades, fastened

wooden
4.

handles.

The Scaralcean Ball

of the Sun.

among the Egyptians,

Mgypt.&c,

a type

See KircherCEdip.

5.

Perhaps an antient Auger, used in boring stones for

lapidary inscriptions, &c.

t).

An Eagle,
The

as seen

on Medals of the Ptolemies.

the
o/j^uty^

7.

Testudo, or two-stringed Lyre;

of

Homer.
8.

Another Musical Instrument.

302
CHAP.
*
1^

HIEROGLYPHIC TABLET
9.

supposed Type of the Su7i

^

in the
1.

Upper Hemi-

sphere, as contrasted with ^

10.

No.

The Sacred
their Kings.

Inclosure of Sa'is,

and

Coemetery of

See Herodotus, Struho,

&c.

11.

CLimbent Sceptre, or

War

Instrument.

12. Tesiudo,
13.

and Battle-axe.
as seen here,

The appearance of a Line, some of the hieroglyphic

thereby

inclosing
are

characters,

which

separated from the rest,

may

possibly be

nothing more than a parenthetical mark.

are

These

common on
No.

the Obelisk of HeliopoUs.

represent
Vessels

The

characters so
Ball, as at

included
4.

the

Scnrahcean

and two

of Terra Cotta,

with forms often observed

Earthen-ware.
14.

among

antient Vases of

Represents the

same instrument
like those

as at

No.
are

2.

and

a copper Knife-Hade,
in the

which

found

Catacombs of Saccdra, and other Sepulchres

of Egypt.
15. Slime as
16.

No.

4.
j

Fillet,

seen upon representations of Apis

with

the

square Soros, or Chest, in which his remains

were deposited.
17.

An

Owl.
as

18. Forceps,

found in Greek sepulchres;

used

to

fasten garments.
in.

Same

as

No.

1.

20.

The Horns of Apis. ( " Et comes in pompa Coiniger Apis eraf." ) Such was the symbol of Power and

FOUND AT
Divinity over
all

SAIS.

303
chap.
.
,

the Eastern world. "And the TEN HORNS WHICH THOD SAVVEST ARE TEN KiNGS.

Rev. xvii. 12.

Dan.
21.

vii.

24

See also Fsalms 18, 12, 75, Sec. &c.

10.

^xes

for

beheading Victims.
in

Instruments of the
cattle

same form were used

Carnival.

beheading

during the

public festivals of Venice;

particularly during the

22.

Entrances to
Kircker,
torn.

the
I.

Advta -^Egyptiorum.
Rom. 1652.)

(See

p. 393.

"And

he

brought me to the door of the court: and when i looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now AnD WHEN I HAD DIGGED IN IN THE WALL. So I WENT IN, THE WALL, BEHOLD A DOOR. AND saw; AND BEHOLD, EVERY FORM OF CREEPING THINGS, AND ABOMINABLE BEASTS, AND ALL THE IDOLS OF THE HOUSE OF IsRAEL, FOURTRAYED UPON THE WALL ROUND ABOUT." Ezekiel,
ch. viii.
7, 8, 10.

See also Eusehius,

lib.

ii.

Prcep.

Evaiig. Justin. Qucest. ad Orthodoxos ;

^c.

23. Small Vessels of pale Clay, exactly of this form,

baked only by the Sun's heat, are found in digging

among

the Antiquities of Sais,

and also in the

Catacombs of Saccdra.
24.

This strange-looking figure can only be compre-

hended by comparing
tinctly delineated.

it

with other representations

is

of the same thing, where the object

It is

more

dis-

intended for an angle of

304
CHAP.
>

HIEROGLYPHIC TABLET
the elbow, with the lower part of the

arm and hand

-,

extended horizontally; the hand containing a cup,

or small vase.
It is

very perfectly represented in

Zoega's Plate of the Obeliscus Campensis,

25.
26.

Two
Same
Same

Battle-axes.
as as

No.

10.
5.

27.

No.

28. Vessels of Terra, Cotta.j as found at SaIs. 29.

Same

as

No.

4.

The mark towards the centre exfound

in almost all hiero-

hibits only a convexity

glyphics, rising

from

their inferior surface.

30. Is an Astronomical Sign

antient

and

it

proves that the

symbol of Byzantium was derived from Upon the Byzantine medals, the Star Egypt.
appears above the Crescent, which
is

here given in

an inverted position.
walls of the

It

is

still

seen

upon the

Grand

Signior's palace at Constanti-

nople

near the gilded iron gate in the Gardens

of the Seraglio, by which the Sultan enters from

his

winter apartments.
their

upon

banners.

The Turks display it The very antient tradition

'

preserved in Athenceus, of

the Sun'?,

sailing over

the Ocean every night in a Cup,'

refer

may

possibly

to

this

part

of the Egyptian Mythology.

(See Athen. p. 4G9.

p. 81.)
It

Also Bentley upon Phalaris,

seems

to

correspond with representaIsis,

tions seen

upon heads of
Orl
is

and also of Ceres,

where an

entire

placed within a Crescent.

POUND AT
31.

SAIS.
only by contalnine;
"

305
chap.
VI.

Same

asA'o.

l.

distinguished

an Orb, or Scarahcemi Ball.

32. Similar to No. 30.
33.

Same

as

No.Z\.
as

34. Triglyph,
figure

This occurs as a written character in the antient vernacular language of Egypt.

as

seen

in Doric Architecture.

35.

&36. Same
Same Same
The
as

No. 31.

37.
38.

No. 29.
1.

as No.

39.

Serpentf zs described by Herodotus ; held sacred

still

in Sinhenl Egypt, and

venerated by
represented
by Serpents:

its

modern
the

inhabitants.

Ceres was
a

among
and

Greeks

in

Car draivn

our

Saviour used the expression, "

pents,

Be

ye wise as ser-

and harmless
as

as doves.

40.

Same

No.

9.

41. Perhaps a

Dyke, or Canal.

42.
43.

An

Owl.
as as

Same Same
Same

No. 10.
No.
7.

44. 45.
46.
47.

as

No. 98. No. 29.

Ostrich, and of an
sign,

Same

as

Head of an

Ox

or Heifer.

48.

well-known

used

by the Antients, upon

Sea' have

their medals,

gems, vases, &c. to denote Water.

The

representations of

'10 crossing

the

frequently no other sign to signify water than this

type beneath the figure of the Heifer.

VOL.

V.

306
CHAP.
^

HIEROGLYPHIC TABLET
49.

The

Coluber Cerastes, or

Horned Viper,
p. 221.

a native of

^'

Egypt.

See Hasselquist,

Lond. 1766.

Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 217.

50. 51
.

Same

as

No. 20.

A Lachrymatory,
ment used

between two

Strigils.

52. Perhaps the Bow-slrivg;

In the East.

an instrument of punish-

53. 54.
55.

An

Egyptian Altar.
as

Same

No. 24.
representation of the
Ibis.

A perfect
Dr. Shaw
far

That which
is

has given, as found upon a Sardonyx,

faithful a portrait of this

from being so

animaU
Lond.

See Shaw's Travels, Plate facing p. 409.

1757.
56. 57. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63.
64.

Same

as

No. 23.

& 58.

Unknown,
1.

Same as No. Same as No. Unknown. Same as JVo,

5.

1.

A Dove.
Same Same Same
as

No.

1.

65. 66.
67'

as as

No. 28. No. 29. No. 40,

Same
p. 277.

as

accompanied by the Thyrstis

Scyllocyprius.

See Kircher, CEdip.

^gypt.

torn, I.

Ttom. 1652.

68. 69.
7.0.

Unknown.

An

Obelisk.
as

Same

No.

3.

FOUND AT
71.

SAIS.
in the Uppei- Hemisphere
.

307
CHAP,
^^'
.

Here the type of the Sun

is

introduced between the figures of a Bird and one of those Crosses, but without a handle, which are
Ruffinus,

mentioned by
lib. V.
c.

and by Socrates

Scholasticus,

17.

72.

73.
74. 75.

Same as No. 22. Unknown. Same as iVb. 9. Same as No. 69.

76. Three Axes. 77. 78.

79.

Same

as No. 1.
^/rc? appears at iVb. 7
1 .

The same

Unknown.
in this

Shews the only instance which occurs,

Hieroglyphic Tablet, of the
Priests

mode by which

the

compounded several archetypes into one The Fillet, as at No. 16, is thrown over a sign of the Sun in the Upper Hemisphere^, as at No. 9 ; and these form a pedestal, supporting a Dove, as at No. 63; and the Blade of a Knife, somewhat similar to that seen at No. 14.
symbol.
80.

Seems

also a part of the

compound

figure in

No. 79>

being in the same line with the extremities of

the Fillet.

81.
82. 83.

Unknown. Same as No. 9. Same as No. 69.

( 1)

By the

sign of the

Sun

in

the Upper Hemisphere, the Egyptians

denoted Am.mon'; by that of the -Sm in the Lower Hemisphere, according

to Jablonski, Serapis

was

typified.

See Jabhnshi's beautiful illustration

'235.

oiWiC^e i\gn^,Panthe<m /Egypt, tom.l. p.

Franco/,

n HO.

X2

308
CHAP-

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

VL

The reader

will

perhaps deem these observayet surely the

first

tions of little importance;

step towards any chance of discovering a key to the Hieroglyphic characters will be that which

enables us to determine the archetypes whence

the
letters

were severally derived

for

although

these

may appear somewhat

plainly delineated

upon this very antient Tablet, they are by no means so universally. As soon as the full outline was modified, and approached nearer to signs used as letters, the original forms were so
altered
that they almost disappeared.

Thus

we

find

examples, in the manuscripts taken

of a

from mummies,
visible

mode

of writing, where the

representation of an animal, or of any other

object,

only

now and

then appears,

mingled with the

traced
'.

letters,

and very imperfectly

Nor was this the onXy change that took place. The inscription upon this Tablet, as it is evident, was intended to be read vertically,

or from top to bottom, according to the

in the vulgar writing of the
:

form now observed

CahruLcks'^,

and some other Oriental nations

but

(1) See Hamilton's ^g^f/ptiaca, p. 407, &c.

(2)

Lond. 1309.
read from left to risht,

The

sacred writing of the Calmuchs

is

like

our owu.

See Vol.

I.

of thcie Travels, p. 436.

Octavo Edit.

RUINS OF
in

SALS.

3O9
cijap,
.

process of time, the horizontal manner of

tracing the signs

t\ie inscriptions

was introduced,
^/7/e/

as

we

see by

^^^.
,

found at Saccara^; and the characters were then read from left to
right, if

\x^on the

we may judge from

among

the position of the

figures introduced

the hieroglyphics upon

that stone.

had agreed with the Arabs for the purchase of this Tablet, and for its safe conveyance on board the djerm, we prepared to examine the interior of the Mosque. Here we
found,
cmious
aiuient

When we

among other

materials loosely put to-

gether for the purpose of supporting a stone

table, the finest piece of

Egyptian sculpture

we

had yet seen.

Oriental basalt.

This was the Torso of a statue

of the kind of trap mentioned before, or green

that the polish

glass.

So perfect is its preservation, upon its surface equals that of

covered
with
its

A
is

zone,

hieroglyphics

fastens the apron

round

waist;

and

this

apron

believed to represent the leaf of

some

Egyptian plant.

But

that
is

which particularly

distinguishes this Torso,

it

the curious exhibition

offers

of the

process used
in

by the

antient

sculptors of Egypt

graving the hieroglyphical

(3)

See

p.

239, and the Plate.

310
CHAP,
_.

'

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

;

symbols
as

a part only of the graved work being

completed, and the rest of the figures sketched,

delineations

upon the
accuracy,

stone,

with great

ingenuity and
incision.

preparatory to their
circumstance,

Another

remarkable

but generally characterizing the best hieroglyphical

sculpture,
this Torso.
all

may be
them

distinctly

observed

upon

Although the engraved chaintagliated,

racters be

of

and

may be
is

considered as

intaglios,

yet a bold convexity

perceivable within each figure, rising in relief

from the

inferior surface, like the

workmanship

of a Cameo\

There

is

a third point of view in

which
regard

this curious
is

fragment of the finest sculp-

ture of Egypt
;

also entitled to

not only in

more particular the University where it is

now placed, but from literary men in general, and among all those who are interested in EcdesiasTripie

Sierogrnm with the

t/JcRo&l

The very first hieroglyphical character engraven upon the back oi this statue, is the Crux ansata; the identical type mentioned
tical

history. "

(l)

Johnson writes this word Camaieu, from Chamachiiia ; but

sufficiently naturalized,

it is

now become
of
its

under

its

present form, to admit of pronouncing

being written according to the

Nicols, in bis

common mode

the word.

Cambridge in
Editors oi the

" Lnpidnry," chap.xxv. p. 131, fprinted at 1652,) wrote it both Chamehuia, and Cameus, The Edinburgh Encj/clopedia, vol.\. Parti. Edin. 1912,

have adopted the word C'amdo,

RUINS OF

SAIS.

311
^"^p.
'
'-

by

early

writers
stir

of

the

Church, as having

caused such a

among

Christians

and Pagans^

.-'

at the destruction of the

Heathen temples in

Alexandria'^
Socrates,

From

the time of Ruffinus, of

this

and of Sozomen,

type has occa-

sionally exercised the

dition of the

ingenuity and the erumost learned scholars \ It is seen suspended from a hook, which is fastened by

(2)

See Chap. IV.

p. 150, of this

volume.
it.

(3)

Jamhlichus, in an earlier period, had endeavoured to explain

Among the moderns, Kircher, Jablonski, our countryman Dr. Shaw, De Pauw, and others, have all written upon this subject. It is the
jewel of
X.\i^

Royal Arch among Freemasons, and

is

expressed in this

manner,

UJ
;

a sign consisting of three Tatts joined by their feet at

thus completing the

right angles

monogram
;

of Thoth, or Tamit, the

symbolical and mystic

name

of hidden wisdom, and of the

Supreme
Greeks.
p. 170.

Being,

among the
17.'>2.)

antient Egyptians

the

EOS

of

the

" Numen
Franco/.

illud," says Jallonski,

( Punth.

^gypt.

torn. III.

"

erat ipse Phthns, Vulcanus /Egyptiorum, Spiritus

"

infinitus,

rerum omnium creator et conservator,

pater ac princeps."
It
is

ipsorumque

" Deorum

amusing

to
is

trace the various

modifications by which this type of hidden wisdom

expressed.

Some23a),

times, as the sun in the lower hemisphere, f See Jablonski,

it

torn. I. p.

appears in hieroglyphic writing under this sign, \;^>j-^.

it

At other

times

weis written

^^^ hence we see

in the

clearly
it.

what
Its

is

meant by

an antient patera with a knob

varieties were,

bottom of
Hr-I
.

other principal
me<lals

M^ -^
owe

~P" [
written

j'-!

Upon Greek

we

find the last

monogram

J-j

However,

as all the sacred

mysteries seem to

their origin

to

those sources

whence the

human

race derived the

of the Bishop of

means of subsistence, the following remarks Clogher may, with reference to an instrument in
explain
all

agriculture,

simply

that was intended by the earliest

representations

312
CHAP,
VI.

FROM GRAND CAIRO TO ROSETTA.

its

other extremity to a glohe or

'

hall,

evidently

intend ed for the Sun

Admitting, therefore, the

explanation of the Crux ansata, as given to us,

upon the testimony of converted Heathens, by Riiffinus and by Socrates Scholaslicus^, and supposing the meaning of these figures to be
symbolical in this instance rather than
literal,

we

may

explain the signification of this triple hiero;

glyphic without further conjecture

for

it

plainly

indicates that

Life to come proceeds from,

OF LiGHT.

AND DEPENDS UPON, THE GiVER

The
this great truth

Christians, says Socrates^, perceiving that

signs,

was couched under hiei-oglyphical and that the same signs did also proits

gnosticate the downfall of the Temple of Serapis

whenever

meaning became known, exulted

and made
it

in the discovery,

the ground upon

which many of the Heathens were converted.

After the same manner, continues the historian %

did the Apostle

St.

Paul convert

many

of the

representations of this symbol.

" As

to the

Crux ansata
it is

(says he)

which hath so much puzzled the learned world, &c.

Hieroglypldcs, p. \2\.
(1) See (2) See

no more than
See Origin of

a setting-stick for planting roots and larger seeds."

Lond. 1753.

No.

7, of

the last Plate.

p. 152, of this

Chap. iV.

volume.
c. 17.

(3) Socrates Scholasticus, lib. V. (4) Ibid.

p. 276.

jPffm, 16G8.

RUINS OF
Athenians to the faith,

SAIS.
for his

313
purpose
inscrip^

by using

chap.
y.,/

a Heathen
tion

"To

which he found with an THE UNKNOlVN GoD."

altar,

Having also purchased this Torso, and conveyed it on board the vessel, as the day was

now

far

advanced,

parture from Sais;

of the place,

we prepared for our demuch gratified by a view and by the acquisitions we had
short

made
whole

in

so

space

of

time.
;

The
the

Arabs expressed
village

equal

satisfaction
to

for

assembled
;

accompany us as
dancing, singing,

far as the river

the

women
;

and clapping

their

hands

and the men playing

upon reed
of these

pipes, called here Ziimana\

Many
;

women wore
the

large bracelets of ivory

same indecent gestures which we had noticed among the dancing-girls They remained dancing in our visit to Saccdra. upon the shore until we lost sight both of them and of Se'l Hajar. The Nile was truly boisand
exhibited
terous,

and the rapidity of our descent rendered

it

our loss of time of less consequence:

like a

was

passage of the rapids

in

some of the

rivers

that

fall

into the Gulph of Bothnia; and,

towards

(5)

It is

the same instrument which we noticed at Saccara, under

the

name

Zabitna.

314

FROM GRAND CAIRO

evening, the turbulence of the waves induced

our boatmen to anchor, for a short time^ at the

village of Mahallet Abouali.

violent after sun-set

The wind was less and we passed Rachmame

during the night, regretting that

we

could not

see the great Canal which supplied Alexandria

with water from the river.

Bcforc day-light in the morning, September
the
fifth,

BeHnhai.

we went

to the village of Berinbcd, to

by placing their eggs in ovens, so frequently mentioned by authors, and so well described by one of our
see the
poultry,

manner of hatching

oldest

travellers,
this,

George Sandys

'.

Notwith-

standing

the whole contrivance, and the

it,

trade connected with

are accompanied
it

by
re-

such extraordinary circumstances, that

quired
Ovens
for

all

the evidence of one's senses to give

them

Credibility.

We

were conducted

to

one

chickeifs.

of the principal buildings constructed for this

purpose

and entered by a narrow passage, on each side of which were two rows of chambers,
;

in

two

tiers,

one above the other, with cylin-

drical holes, as passages, from the lower to the

upper

tier.

The

floor of the

upper

tier is

grated

(l)

See
lG'37.

"

Relation of a Journey

began

A. D.

1610,"

p. V2-

Lnnd.

TO RO^ETTA.

315

and covered with mats, on which is laid camel's chat. VI. dung; somewhat resembling the manner of
placing hops,

houses.

We

Oastcounted twenty chambers, and in

in

for

drying,

English

each chamber had been placed three thousand eggs

;

so that the aggregate of the eggs then

hatching amounted to the astonishing number

of sixty thousand.

Of

these,

above half are

destroyed

in the process.

continues from
all

autumn

until spring.

the eggs are put in

The time of hatching At first, the lower tier. The

consists, of

most important part of the business

course,

in a precise attention to the requisite

:

temperature

this

we would

willingly

have

ascertained by the thermometer, but could not

adjust
it

to the nice test

adopted by the ^rab

His manner of

superintendant of the ovens.

ascertaining
it is

very curious.

Having closed

one of his eyes, he applies an egg to the outside

of his eyelid
;

and

if

the

heat be not great

all

enough
safe
;

to

cause any uneasy sensation,

if

is

but

he cannot bear the heat of the egg

thus applied to his eye, the temperature of the

ovens must be quickly diminished, or the whole

batch will be destroyed ^

During the

first

eight

(2)

We may

therefore suppose the temperature about equal to

blood-beat, or lOO" of Fahrenheit.

:iI6

FROM GRAND CAIRO

cuj^v.
>

,-

days of hatching, the eggs are kept carefully

'

turned.

At the end of
is

that time, the culhng

begins. Evei*y egg

then examined, being held

;

between a lamp and the eye

cast away.
fire is

and thus the

good are disting-uished from the bad, which are

Two

days
;

after this

culhng, the

extinguished

then half the eggs upon

to

the lower are conveyed

the

upper
in

tier,

through the cylindrical passages

the floor

and the ovens are closed. In about ten days more, and sometimes twelve, the chickens are
hatched.

At

this

time a very singular cereyirab enters the oven, stoop-

mony

ensues.

An

ing and treading upon stones placed so that he

may walk among

the eggs without injuring

;

them, and begins clucking like a hen

continu-

ing this curious mimicry until the whole are

disclosed.

We

heard this noise, and were

equally surprised and

amused by the singular The chickens thus adroitness of the imitation.

hatched are then sold to persons employed in
rearing them.

Many

are strangely deformed;

and great numbers

die, not only in rearing*,

but

even during the sale; for, to add to the extraordinary nature of the whole undertaking, the
proprietors of these ovens do not give themselves the trouble of counting the live chickens,
in order to sell

them by number, but dispose of

TO ROSETTA.
them, as

317
;

we

should say, by the gallon

heaping-

them

into a

tity, for

measure containing a certain quanwhich they ask the low price of a para

more than a farthing of our money. Four soldiers were at this time stationed at Berinbal
rather
to protect the inhabitants

from being pillaged

by our

allies,

the Turks,

Near to this village we noticed the superb tomb of some Santon, or Sheik, standing upon
the banks of the Nile.

^'^'"'^'^

^*

^'^ii'recki.

The form

of the dome,

so prevalent in these buildings, seems to have

been

originally

borrowed from the shape either

;

of a pumpkin or of a melon
surface,

the external fluted

fruit,

and almost the entire form of the

being modelled by the architect.

also of surrounding a principal

The custom tomb with humbler sepulchres, as it existed in ages when the Pyramids were erected, seems, by the appearance of
this coemetery, to

have been common

is

in

the country.
brecki.

The place

called Massora Shi-

in

Other travellers have observed, not only Egypt, but also in Syria, and particularly in
corresponding,

the neighbourhood of Damascus, a form of sepulchre precisely

though upon a

smaller scale, with the graduated structure of

the Pyramids; being

all

of

them pyramidal, with

decreasing ranges, o^ four or more steps, like

ni8
CHAP,
VI to

FROM GRAND CAIRO

the principal Pyramids of Saccara
'.

It is

proper

mention

this,

because

it

tends to confirm

what was before

the Pyramids;
is

said of the sepulchral origin of

also

and

because

this peculiarity

not observable in the coemetery at Massora

Shibrecki,

which might be supposed

is

to

exhibit

the usual form of Oriental tombs.

The shapC

here of the smaller sepulchres than pyramidal.

rather cylindrical

A
it

little

below Berimhal, there

".

extends to the Lake Berelos

is a canal which At the mouth of

we saw some

birds of exquisite beauty, to

Sicsack
;

which the Arabs give the name of

Colonel Squire mentions
this

but

(1)

circumstance twice

in his

Journal
iu

once
his

in describins^ the Ccemeteries of

Damascus, and a second time

Speaking of the
latter,

account of the Pyramids of Saccara.

he
is

says,

" To

this

day the inhabitants cover the spot where the body

interred with a sort of

form of a pyramid.
stages,
it is

monument, which is evidently takea from the The large pyrumid at Sacc&ra is formed in four
Indeed,
all

and

is

flat at

the top.

the Pyramids, although, as

may have been cased with a smooth stone surface, At are built with steps, and many of them are flat on the summit. present, the common tombs of the inhabitants of Egypt and Syria are
reported, they
built in this form.

In the towns, the

work
\n

is

masonry

in the vil-

lages, they are constructed of

mud

but they retain, in either intheir forms.

stance, a resemblance to the

Pyramids

This, joined

to other

cirrumstances, seems to afford a strong proof

originally

that the

Pyramids were
Squire's

intended as receptacles for

the dead."

MS.

Journal.

(2) See the

Map

facing p. 290,

in

Vol.

II.

of the 4to. edition of

th&se Travels.

TO ROSETTA.
could learn nothing further of their history,

319
chap.
-

Also a species oi Ardea, entirely of a white

colour,

by some mistaken

for the Ibis;

Ibis

but the

bill is differently

shaped, and the

has gene-

rally,

if

not always, some black feathers near

Hasselquist described the Ibis as a spe-

the

tail.

cies of Ardea, of the size of a raven ^

He

says

that

it

eats and destroys serpents ^ small frogs,

;

and insects that it is very common

almost peculiar to that country.

in

Egypt, and

We

saw

also

the Egyptian Plover, or Tringa JE,gyptiaca of the

same author. The rest of our voyage to Ro... sella was so expeditious, that we arrived there by eight o'clock in the same morning; and repaired to our former residence upon the quay. As soon as we landed, Mr. Hammer heard that Sir Sidney Smith was upon the point of sailing
,

11

Arrival at

Roselta.

for

England;

and being unable

to see,

to

resist

the

opportunity thus offered of visiting a country he

so

much wished
for

he gave up the plan he

had formed

an expedition to the Oases, and

set out immediately for the British fleet.

While

he was employed
self

in

procuring camels for him-

and

his servant,

we wrote

a few letters of

(s) Hasselquist's Travels, p. 198.

Land. 1766.

(4) See Savigny's observation upon the anatomy of the /Jw, denying
this property.

320
introduction for

R OS ETTA.

ents in

some of our correspondthe University of Cambridge, and in

to

him

other parts of England; and with great regret

took leave of our valuable friend.

"We found an evident difference of climate

between

this place

and Grand

Cairo.

The dates
in Fahren-

were not yet

ripe

and the mercury

fallen

heits thermometer,

when we made our

five

usual

observation at noon, had

degrees

lower than

it
;

stood at Grand Cairo only four

days before
the
first
;

being at eighty-nine upon September

this

and

day, September the

of English

fifth,

at

eight!/ -four.

The number
at

women that

had assembled

Rosetta

from the different

ships in the fleet, and

were walking daily upon

in

the strand, offered a singular contrast to the

appearance exhibited by the Arab females,

their passage to

and from the Nile

for water,

and

in the

markets of the town.

To

these were

also occasionally

added the women of the Indian

near to Rosetta, wearing

army,

now encamped

large rings in their noses, and silver cinctures

about their ankles and wrists; their faces, at

the

same

time, being frightfully disfigured

red streaks, traced above the eyebrows.

by Each
shall

party of these females doubtless regarded the

other two as so

many savages; and who

ROSETTA.
say which was the most refined?

321

had undergone other alterations, and

it

The town chap. was much _

'

improved as a place of residence since we

in the beginning oi August.

left

An

Italian

had

opened a coffee-house, which was the resort of

the officers both of the

army and navy.

it

A promany
sell-

spect of tranquillity had brought back

families,

who had

before deserted

and Arabs

were seen in great number in the streets,

ing sugar-canes,
fruit,

and other vegetables

and employed in making chairs, tables and bedsteads, from the branches of the date trees \ We had no time to spare for any further inquiry into the history of the place, or the antiquities
it

might conceal

^
;

yet, in spite of

every

vest of Upper as well as of

emporium for the surprising harLower Egypt. Mr. JVills, acting as Commissary for our fleet, to whom we were indebted for many acts of civility, at this time received an order for corn, to the amount (J
(1) Rosetta
wi^?,

again become an

seventeen thousand pounds sterling.

This gentleman informed us,

Cairo ardepls of wheat;

and

said

he was convinced of the truth of the statement, that Upper

five millions of

Egypt could annually supply

each ardept being equal to Jive bushels of our measure; besides a great
supply of barley and rice, the precise quantity of which he was unable
to ascertain.
(2) Colonel Squire arrived atRosetta in the

evening of the same day

on which we
*'

left it.

The

following remarks occur in his Journal.

it
is

The town

of Rosetta, or Rasckid as
;

called by the Jrubs,

in

was
:

built in the year of Christ 875

tlie

and

is

now

a very ruinous state

;

houses, which are built of burned brick, are high

and the

streets,

as

VOL. v.

322
CHAP,
VI.

ROSETTA.
exertion
andria,
to

prosecute our expedition to Alexdetained three days in prepar-

we were

ing and packing cases, containing the collection

we had made, and

to convey

in

procuring another djerm

;

them

to the fleet

the boat in which

we came

having been pressed for the service of

it

the army, as soon as

arrived.

as in all Turkish towns, narrow.

bited, although trade

At this time it is but thinly inha(now the ports of Egypt are relieved from a
:

blockade) seems about to revive

provisions of all kinds.

the shops

are well stocked with

in

Wild fowl maybe had

would

abundance.

It

may

easily be conceived thattthe eye

revel in a prospect so refresh-

ing as the Delta, (after contemplating the sandy deserts of Aboukir,

trast by

and the neighbourhood of jllexandria,) forming So delightful a conits verdure and cultivation. Of late years, the desert has
even here, considerably on the town
is
;

encroaclied,

and the west

Squire's 31S.

side of Ilosetta

completely skirted by sand hills."

Journal.

oj

al IL\

<i

is

CHAP.

Yir.

ROSETTA TO ALEXANDRIA.
Voyage
to

Aboukir

Visit

to

Lord Keith

Journey

to

Alexandua.-^Arrival at
cation with

the British

Camp

CommuniFrench

Lord Hutchinson
state

Entrance
the

into the

Garrison Wretched

from

a party of Merchants

Discovery
its

of

Inhabitants Visit

of the

Tomb

of

Alexander

Circumstances of

removal by the French

arrival

Its situation
its

upon the Author

Internal

evi-

dence of

authenticity

Other

antiquities collected by
Pillar

the French

Cleopatra's

Needles

Discovery of the Inscription

Pompey's Sepulchral origin

Proof
that

of the
it

ColumnManner

of

its

support

was

erected by the

Romans

Restoration of the legend upon

that occurred after the death

the pedestal Events

of

Pompey
the

Shrine constructed by Cajsar

Testimony of
to

Arabian Historians

Hadrian's
Y 2

monument

his

horse


324
liorse

FROM ROSETTA

Traditionary

historical

evidence Interview

name of

the

Pillar foimded on

ivith

Menou

Surrender

of the Rosetta Tablet

'

Intercourse between the armies

o/'Necropolis

of Racotis

Ca/ocow^5 Serapeum Cause of such Descent ReImperfect accounts of Alexanonarkable Symbol Antiquities Conduct of Capudan Pasha.
V\Q\\c\\ Institute

Of Hades and of Ammon

into

elaborate sepulchres

the

Cryptae
the

drian

the

CHAP.
VII.

ILarly on

the

morning of September the eighth,

in a large djerm.

we
to

got once
all

more under weigh,

Voyage

having

our Egyptian collection of antiquities

on board; and saw the beautiful prospect of

Rosetta disappear, as

we

sailed

between the

Isle

of Sarshes^

and the Delta.

it

We

had

little

wind, but

the fearful bar at the

was favourable mouth was

and as we passed
of the Nile, there

was not
pelicans.

the smallest surf.

small

isle at

the

entrance of the river

entirely covered with

About

half

way between
;

the boccaze
all

and the
said, of

fleet,

we

observed a salute from

the

Turkish ships at anchor

in honour, as it

was

some Moslem festival. The mud of the immense torrent now pouring* into the Mediterranean, at the highest period of the Nile's inundation,

extended over the surface of

this part of

(l) See the Mcq' facing p. 290

of the

Second Volume of these

Travels, 4to. edit.

TO ALEXANDRIA.
the sea
;

325
at a con-

and the water tasted fresh

frigate

chap.
VII.

siderable distance from the embouchure.

As

,^-

Captain Clarices

no longer remained
steered our vessel

among among

the

transports,

we

the merchant ships lying nearer to the

came alongside the Felicite from Smyrna, laden with stores. Here we were hospitably received by our friend Mr. Schutz, of that city, who was on board, as supercargo; and by a worthy Ragusan, who was master
coast towards Aboukir, and
of the merchantman.

The next morning, Wednesday,

ninth,

September the

Visit to

we

waited upon Lord Keith, to thank him

for the civilities

he had shewn to us, and to take

told us that no vessels

our leave.

He

would be
and the

permitted to

sail

into the port of Alexandria,

ciij,

until the French

had evacuated the

magazines been properly secured by our army

as he

knew

that there

were not

less than fifty

or sixty ships,

manned by

Greeks and

Turks,

waiting for the sole purpose of plunder.

\ye

could not therefore obtain permission for the

Felicite to

take us thither

and

we

returned, to

undertake the journey by land.

delay, and

contrary

wind, with a heavy sea, had caused so

much
in

had given us so much labour

to the Admiral's ship, that

working up

we

did

326
CHAP,

FROM ROSETTA
not get back again until the day was far ad-

_'

vanced.

We

passed that night upon the deck

;

of the Felicite

the cabin

swarming
set out

to

such a

degree with bugs, that the table, during dinner.

Arrival at the Uritish

\vas covcrcd with thcm.

We

very early,
tit

Camp.

September the tenth, accompanied by Mr,

n Sc/iutz,

camp by day-break. The Commander-in-chief was on horseback, inand reached the

British

specting the lines.

We

waited in his tent until

he returned, when he received us with his usual

condescension and kindness.

He

told us that

our friend Mr. Hamilton had also reached the

camp

that morning,

and had been furnished

with a passport to enter Alexandria.

tulation for the surrender of that city

The capihad been

protracted by the contumacy of the French

General, Menou,

who was

unwilling to deliver
the English

up the
and

Antiquities

demanded by

his reluctance, in this respect,

was conside-

by observing the increasing nature of those demands for as the French had carefully concealed what they possessed, fresh mtelligence continually came to Lord Hutchijison
rably augmented
:

concerning the

acquisitions they

had made,

and gave

rise to

of our army.
stripped of
all

some new exaction on the part Thus finding himself likely to be

the Egyptian trophies with which

he had prepared to adorn the Museum at Paris,

TO ALEXANDRIA.
Menou gave no bounds to his rage and mortification. Sometimes he threatened to bury himself and his troops in the ruins oi Alexandria,
sooner than accede to the proposals he had
received
;

327
chap.

at other times he

had recourse

to the

most ridiculous gasconade, and threatened to meet Lord Hutchinson in single combat. The
valuable
Tablet

found near Rosetta, with

inscription,
article,

its

famous trilinguar
remonstrances
*'

seemed

to

be,

more than any other

;

the subject of his

because

this,
;

he maintained,

and therefore as was his private property exempt from requisition as the linen of his
wardrobe, or his embroidered saddles
'."

We
we

then ventured to inform his Lordship, that

had reason
the French
this

to believe there

was

somethino: con-

cealed in Alexandria, for the possession of which

were more anxious than even for Tablet', and making known to him the
and endeavour
particular
to

nature of our errand, received his orders to set

out instantly for Alexandria

discover, not only

where the

monu-

ment was hid to which we

secreted in the city.

alluded, but also what-

soever other antiquities the French might have

He

gave us also authority

(l)

These were nearly Menou

'i

own words,

as they are given in the

sequel.

328

FROM ROSETTA

CHAP., from himself to receive the Rosetta Tablet, and

v,-.y.

to

copy

its

inscriptions
it,

fearful
it

lest

any

accident might befal

either while

remained

in the possession of the

enemy, or

in its pas-

sage home.

His Lordship had already obtained

an impression frcfm the stone, made with red

chalk,

upon paper, by some member of the

Institute
;

French

but the characters so im-

pressed were too imperfectly marked to afford

faithful representation of the original: this

he

consigned to our care, as likely to assist us in

the undertaking.

While we were thus engaged

in,

in receiving his Lordship's instructions. Colonel

Montresor came

and undertook

to

procure

for us the horses

and forage which Lord Hut-

chinson

had ordered.

Having then given us a

lines

passport for quitting the English

entering the city,

and
and

we were conducted
Royal

to the
;

tent of Colonel Probyn, of the

in a short time,

Irish

Colonel Montresor, from

before

whom
most
and

we had
friendly

often

experienced

the

attentions,

arrived with

horses,

every thing necessary for our conveyance.

Thus provided, we
armies,
andria.

left

the British camp, and,

crossing the valley which

separated the two drew near to the outworks of JllexOur sentinels, being then advanced

TO ALEXANDRIA.
close
to the
;

329
chap.
^^^'
.

fortifications

of the place, chal-

lenged us

and having- given them the word,

we were
Arabs,

suffered to pass on.

the gates of the city,

As we approached we saw a vast number of

of

who were

stationed on the outside

the walls, with baskets of poultry and

provisions,

other

waiting

for

permission from the

English to

supply the inhabitants,

who were
At
Entrance

then greatly distressed for want of food.

the gates, a French sentinel received our passport,

and conducted us

to an officer for its exa- French

it

mination;

who

directed us to present

again,

when we should
the city.

arrive at head-quarters, within

In the desolate scene of sand and

ruins which intervenes between the outer gates

and the
rally, to

interior fortifications,

we met

a party of
lite-

miserable Turks,

who were endeavouring,

their

crawl towards their camp'.

They had
dun-

been liberated that morning from

geons.

The

legs of these poor creatures, swoln

to a size that

was
;

truly horrible,

were covered
were
terrible,

with large ulcers

and

their eyes

from inflammation.

Some, too weak

to advance.

(l)

Some

repetition will perhaps be noticed of observations

made

in a former

work {Tomb of Alexatider,

p. 38.);

but the author did not

consider any thing which occurred in a preceding publication as

authorizing the omission of a part of his Journal upon the present

occasion.

ALEXANDRIA,
had
fallen

on the sand, where they were ex-

posed to the scorching beams of the sun.

mediately

Im-

on

seeing us,

they uttered such

moans
but

that might have pierced the hearts of

their cruel oppressors.

we had none

to give

They begged for water, them for, eager in

;

the pursuit of our object,

we had

neglected to

supply ourselves with provisions.

We

suc-

ceeded, but not without difficulty, in prevailing

upon some Arabs

relief could

to take
'

care of them, until

be obtained

and

at eleven o'clock,

A. M.

we

passed, through the inner gates, into

the great square of Alexandria.

Wretched
state of the

Wc

found the inhabitants in the greatest dis^

. .

inhabitants

""

driaf

waut 01 provisious many of them had not tasted meat or bread for several months. The French, who were better supplied for some time, were now driven to such straits, that they had put to death fifteen horses every day, for
trcss for
:

many days
with food.

past, to supply their

own
of

soldiers

The

families

to

whom we had
misery
to the

brought

letters

were

in

a state
first

hardly to be described.

We

went

house of the Imperial Consul.

They asked us

(l)

We had

aftrrwards the happiness of hearing

tliat

they reached

the Turkish camp.

ALEXANDRIA.
eagerly
city
:

331
enter the

when

the English were to

and being told that some days would

elapse before this could take place, they burst

into tears.

Every individual beneath the Consul's roof exhibited proof of the privation which fallen cheeks clothes his family had sustained
:

hanging loose, as

if

too large for their bodies

and a general appearance of wretchedness and

dejection.

The Consul

said, that his family

tasted neither bread nor

that their principal food
onions.

meat

for

had many months

rice

had been bad

and

Upon

the landing of our army, most of

the inhabitants

were under the necessity of

making

biscuit for the support of their families;

but as soon as this was known to Menou, he

ordered the whole of

of the garrison.

it

to

be seized for the use

inquired what other

When we

measures the French had adopted to maintain themselves, we were informed, that they had
seized
all
;

the specie, plate, and merchandize in

the city

and given,
and

in lieu thereof, bills

upon

their one

indivisible

Republic
at

thus having
prices,

the

means of buying up,

article of food

enormous

whatever

the Araks, or appear in

might be brought in by the markets of the place*.

(2)

The

following prices were given, upen the day of our arrival,

for provisions; which, of course, the

'

merchants were

precliKlecl

from

hiiyinj.

332
CHAP.
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
If the capitulation

had been prolonged another

for,

fortnight,

every merchant's family would have

been found destitute even of clothing;

fortnight, additional

every

exactions were

made by
else

the troops

and already every thing

It

had
forty their

been seized.

was

calculated, that of the Turks,

then prisoners in the

perished daily.
cruelty to these
mities;

city, upwards of The French had carried

men

to

the

severest extre^-

mills,

making them work, like horses, at their in drawing water. All the male inhabitants had been compelled to assist in the duties of the garrison, and to bear arms, upon
and
pain of imprisonment
if

they refused

a species

of oppression which, perhaps, might have been

expected from any troops similarly situated

neither

would

it

be altogether

fair to

judge of

burin^, as they had been stripped of every thing likely to be accepted

in echange.

L,
For One pound of beef

s.

d.

English.

One bottle of wine One ditto of brandy One pound of bad rice One ditto of cheese

.... ....
...

10
1 1

....

..010
9
5 8
at

10

fish

(the size of a mackarel)

One egg
Neither bread nor wood could he obtained
soldiers

any price

the French

were then employed

in pulling

down

the houses of the inha-

bitants for fuel.

ALEXANDRIA.
Frenchmen in general by the sample which their

333
^yj^^*
*"'

army

Egypt aftbrded; collected as it had been, from the refuse not only of the French Republic, but of all the rovers and banditti of
in

v -^

the Levant \

So desirous were the French

sol-

diers of abandoning Alexandria, notwithstanding

the obstinacy of their General, Menou,

whom

they detested, that they had been seen to seize

Arabs by the beard,

plies of food

who

arrived

by

stealth with

provisions, and beat them, in order that sup-

might not be the means of pro-

tracting the surrender of the place.

We had

scarcely reached the house in which

a party of the mer-

we were to reside, when chants, who had heard of

Imperial Consul,

our arrival from the

came

to congratulate us

upon

the successes of our army, and to offer any

assistance in their power, for expediting the

entry of the English into Alexandria.

these waited until the room

Some

of of

was cleared

other visitants, brought by curiosity,

before
fur-

whom

they did not think proper to make

ther communication.

But when they were gone,

(l)

The subsequent conduct, however, of

the French armies, in

their treatment of the inhabitants of the countries through which their

armies have passed, has been invariably such as to degrade the

of a soldier iutQ that of a robber.

name

3.34

ALEXANDRIA.
speaking with circumspection,

CHAP,
V

and

in

a low

->

voice, they asked if our business in Alexandria

related

to

the subject of contention betweea

Lord Hutchinson and Menou; namely, the Antiquities

collected

by the French

in

Egypt

Upon

being answered in the affirmative, and, in proof

of
it,

the copy of the Rosetta Stone being pro-

duced, the principal person among them said,

Discovery of die Tom* oiAieK-

" Docs your Commandcr-in-chief know that

they have the

Tomb of Alexander f
:

We desired

them to describe it upon which they said, that was of one entire and beautiful green stone \ shaped like a cistern, and taken from the Mosque
it

of St.Athanasius; that,
this cistern

among

the inhabitants,

had always borne the appellation of

Alexander s Tomb.

Upon further conversation, it

to

was evident
the identical

that this could be no other than

which our instructions from Cairo referred. We produced the confidential letter entrusted to us upon this
subject.

monument

The person
;

to

whom

it

was written

was not present

us to his house.
possession

but they offered to conduct

We

had hitherto carefully

its

concealed the circumstance of

;

being in our

and, for obvious reasons,

we

shall

(l)

The
;

fact is,

that the stone, being a mass of breccia,

it

is

varie-

gated

and partsof

only are of a green colour.

'

ALEXANDRIA.
not mention, even now, the
vidual to

335
of the indi" It relates
<

name

chaf.

whom

it

was addressed.
and

then," said they, " to the particular object of

our present

visit

we

will

put

it

in

your
its

power

to

get possession

of

it."

They then
they betheir

related the unjustifiable measures used for

removal by the French, upon

whom

stowed every degrading epithet which

veneration in which
the Moslems had

indignation could suggest; telling us, also, the

always

held

it,

and the tradition familiar

its origin.

to all of

respecting

Indeed, this
it is

them tradition had

it

been so long established, that

marvellous

had been so
of Europe"^.
to the

little

noticed

among

the Academies

Leo Afrtcanus, long subsequent conquest o^ Alexandria by the Saracens,

tradition';
to Livy,

had recorded the

in his

and Freinshemms, had admitted the

Supplement
*.

authority of Leo

That

it

should particularly
is

excite the attention of Frenchmen,

plained.

easily ex-

Their

own countryman,

Rollin,

had

(2)

Many were
"

mi=led by the words of Juvenal

figulis

Cum

tamen a

munitatn

iiitraverit

urbem

" Sarcopkago contentU3 erit."

supposing the allusion to be iatended rather for Babylon, than for

.4kxcmdria, where Juvenal had himself visited the Tomb.
(3) Alexandria Tieicn^t. torn.
(4) Lib. 133. torn. v. p. 637.
IJ.

lib. 8.

p. 67T.

Ehev. 1632.

edit. Crsvier.

336
CHAP,
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
directed
their

regard towards

it,

by counte-

nancing the opinion and testimony of Freinshe-

So eager were they to obtain it, that the most solemn treaty was infringed, whereby they had guarantied to the Moslems the inviolable possession of their sanctuaries. The Mosque
mius\

by a party of their pioneers, with battle-axes and hammers; and the "Tomb of Iscaxder, fouxder OF THE CITY," was boriic away, amidst the howling and lamentations of its votaries . But we must turn our attention, at present, from the circumstances of its removal by the French, to
of
St.

Athanasius

was

forcibly entered

pursue a narrative of events which ultimately

placed
in

our possession a trophy,

still

destined,

in their sanguine

expectations, to
the

grace their

national

Museum\ At

moment

of our arrival

(0

Rollin. vol. v. p. 137.

(2) See also the

commuuication made

to

Dr. Henlry, by General

Turner, respecting the last instance of devotion paid to the Tomb by

many Moslems of distinction, at its departure from Alexandria. Append, to Tomb of Alex. No. II. p. 144.
(3)

Perhaps few of our countrymen have yet attended to the lan-

this subject. The following extract from an account of the French Expedition to Egypt, by Charles Norry, architect, one of the members of tho " Societe Philotechnique," attached

guage they hold upon

to the Expedition, will

oflfer

a spt'cimen of the hopes entertained in

France

" Sans doute valuable monument. CE MoNL'MEST NOUS SERA APPORTE AU MfSEUM DE PaRIS AU MGINS EST-iL DEJA uEsiGNE POUR l'orner t'N jour" See Peltier's edit, of
for the recovery of this
! ! !

Denon's Voyage in Egypt,

torn. II.

Aj^end. p. 129.

Lond. 1802.

ALEXANDRIA.
in the city, not a single individual of our

army
that

or navy, nor even in Great Britain,

knew

the monument at vAixoh Leo Africanus had himself

done homage, as a Mahommedan, and which had so long been venerated by Moslems under the
remarkable appellation of the

Tomb

of Alex-

ander, existed

in

Alexandria".

We
letter

then visited the person to

whom

our

from Cairo had been addressed, respect-

ing the communication to be

arrival;

made upon our

and found that every information had been anticipated by the intelligence we had already received, excepting that which related
to

the

place where this valuable

relic

was

now

deposited.

This, however, they readily

told that
it

gave us.

We
;

were

was

in the hold in the

of an hospital ship, inner harbour

named La

Cause,

and being provided with a boat, we there found it, half filled with filth, and covered with rags of the sick people on board *.

(4) This is evident, from the total silence respecting' it in all the works published concerning Egypt since the campaign ; neither was

there any thing

it

known concerning
in the

the history of this

monument

after

was deposited

British

Museum,
in the

until

the period of the

author's publication
(5)

upon the subject

it

in 1805.

Mr. Hamilton afterwards saw

same

situation.

" We

were conducted," says he, " alongside of a large hospital ship, on board of which was the celebrated /Alexandrian Sarcc^hn^uf it had

VOL. V.

been

3'S8

ALEXANDRIA.
I^

^vn^*
-^

proved

to

be an immense monolithal

;iarco^

phagus, or, according to the

name borrowed by

the Greeks from the antient language of Egypt,

a SOROS
its

'

converted, in ages long posterior to

cistern,

formation, into a

according to a cusin

tom which has been universal

wherever such receptacles
been discovered.
the

the East,

for the

dead have

The nature
concerning

of the stone,
history,
:

and

testimonies

its
^

have

been already before the public

tion has therefore

some

repeti-

the whole of a

now occurred but to repeat detail which was then unavoid;

ably elaborate, would be considered not only as

tedious, but altogether as a
gation.

work of supereroplaced where

it

The
it

Soros

is

now

is

open

to the observation of

any one who

may
in-

deem

an object of curiosity.

All that the

author wishes to insist upon, as conveying

disputable evidence concerning
it,

is

the corre-

sponding testimony afforded by the remarkable

been for several months in the hold, and was intended to be sent to

Prance the
not without

first

opportunity.
regret, as
in
it

Tiiis

monument was

resigned to us

much

had long been considered one of the

Hamilton's /Egyptiaca,

most valuable
p. 403.

curiosities

Alexandria."

Lond.l&09.

(1) See Jablonski, Bochart, Kircher, &c.

(2)

See" The Tomb

af Alexander," as [mbiished by the author in

1605.

ALEXANDRIA.
nature of the conditory, with the tradition men-

339
^vn^'
^
'

and preserved among the Moslems to the hour of its removal a species of evidence which may fairly be deemed
tioned
Africanus,
'
:

by Leo

%'

"

internal

because

it is

impossible that a set of

ignorant barbarians could

be aware that the

object of their veneration was, in fact, that particular kind of coffin,

which Herodian, speaking

of the

term Soros

Tomb of Alexander, has designated by the still less that the same Soros, in;

scribed with the sacred writing of the

priests,

is

(3)

The Arabs
calendars;

retain both the

calling

name and

the aera of Alexander in

bicornis;

their

him, always,

^jjliljj

and

Golius explains the true cause of this appellation,

" Arahes eum

Jovis

Bicornem vocant, non tam ob partum Orientis et Occidentis imperium, quam a Ammonis filius
c, 25,

cornutd Alcxandri

effigie,

nummis exhiUtd, ut
lib. ii.

agnosceretur."

{Vid. Annot. in

Sulpit. Sever,

p. 343.

Edit. Horn. L. Bat. 1654.)

so expressed, appears

The image of Alexander, upon the medals of Li/simachus, and was comit
is

mon
very

to

many

States after his death, although

always falsely

considered as the head of some other person.

His image also appears

commonly covered with the

it is

spoils of a lion;

when

it

is

impro-

perly considered as a

young Hercules: sometimes,

ridiculed

also, it is seen

armed

with a helmet, and then

confounded with the figures oi Minerva.

for introducing

Le Brun has been censured and

what has

been called a head of Minerva, upon the figure of Alexander, in his celebrated paintings of his battles ; whereas it is, in all probability,
a genuine portrait of that hero.
Tailor's Story before

Alexander

is

thus alluded to in the

the Arabian Tales.
is

the Sultan of Casgar,

will

in

"

Sir," said he,

*'

you

be pleased to

know

that this day

Friday,

tlte

IRlh of the

month

Saffar, in the year 653 from the retreat of

our grea,t Prophet from Mecca to Medina, and in the year 7390 of THE ErOCHA or THB GREAT ISKENDER WITH TWO HOHS."

Z2

840
CHAP,
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
thereby demonstrably the tomb of some person
deified

by the

Egi/ptiaiu, as Alexander incontest'.

ably was, after his interment

In the evening of the same day, about five

o'clock,

we

waited
la

upon Monsieur Le Roy,

in

Ordonnateur de
receiving,

Marine,

consequence of

by Menous Aid-de-camp, an order

antiqui-

from the French General to see the other

ties

which

their

army had

collected to send to

France, and which they had been compelled to

surrender.

This gentleman

treated us with
to

great politeness,

and conducted us
:

some
of the
in

magazines near the old port

relics

here

many

were then deposited which are now

our national Museum.

Soros,

brought from

Grand

Cairo,

was upon the beach near those

off,

magazines,

together with part of another from

as soon as

Upper Egypt, ready to be shipped

(0 See Lucian,
the Grcftt,

vol. I.

p. 290.

edit.

Amstehd. Blaeu.
to

Marcus
Alexander

Aurclius Alexander Severus was born in a temple sacred

and thence received the name of Alexander. and the additional evidence of the
tlie

See also the

various proofs o{ Alexander's deification adduced in the

Tomh of Alexfact, as

under, Camb. 1805

lished by Dr. Henley, in

Appendix to that work.

far. Hist.

"

pub-

''ETuV/t 'A?.e^-

aoj; /juXsra/ ho; uta., igrca his-

Quandofpiidem Alexander vult esse

lib. ii.

Deus, esto Deus."

ZElian.

cap. 19.

See

also

Vossius, de Cultu Alexandri Alagni,

)(J42, i^c.

torn. II.

cap. 17. p- 802.

Amst.

ALEXANDRIA.
an opportunity might
also placed a granite
offer.

341
chap.

of a colossal statue

was fragment, being the hand discovered by the French

to these

Near

>

engineers upon the site of antient Memphis'^, and

supposed
Vulcan^.
this,
is

to have belonged to the Temple of Another fragment, exactly similar to

yet lying

among some Ruins upon

site

the

shore to the east of Alexandria, believed by the

French to denote the

intentional

of

Canopus'^.

An
main-

reserve has been

their writers,

carefully

tained
all

by

upon the subject of

in

the antiquities that

came

our possession

on

this account, the places

still

where some of them

in this

were discovered are

try.

unknown

coun-

We

saw, also, three large Syenite statues,

holding the CruxAnsata
these were representations of

each

in a sitting attitude,

in the left

hand

the twofold symbol worshipped

by the Egyptians

(2)

Where
The

the villages of Metrdhenny

and Moliannan are now

situate.
(3)

reader will find this Colossus mentioned in the

le

" Rapport
in the

fait

au Premier Consul Bonaparte, par

Peltier'' s edit,

Citoyen

Ripaud"
Its

Appendix to
Lotid. 1802.

oi Denon's Travels in Egypt, tbm. U. p. 38.

specific description.

but without any

alone are stated

tion."
(4)

" Un

dimensions

Colosse (Tenviron

trente-cinq pieds de propor-

It

is

represented, with part of a Sphinx, and other broken pieces

of sculpture, in one of the plates belonging to the large Paris edition

of

Denon's Travels.

See

torn, II.

Plate

3.

" Ruines

de Citni>pe."

342
CHAP,
'

ALEXANDRIA.
with a
.

lion's

head'.

The

largest

statues

of

this

form are those of Thebes, about four hunto the

dred miles
has

south of Cairo % one of which

called

been commonly
the drawings
it is

Memnons

Statue.

From

made

Denon^,

plain that

by neither of them were

of those figures
;

represented with

human heads

but that they

corresponded with the double image of a human

figure with a lion's head,
antiquities of Egypt
;

common among

the

the nose and under-jaw

of the leonine bust belonging to each of

them

having

fallen off,

but the rest of the head being

similar to that

which appeared upon the statues

to our national
it

here shewn to us by Monsieur- Le Roy, and

since
is

removed

Museum*.

This

so evident, that

is

remarkable none of the

travellers

who have
to

visited Thebes

have paid

attention to the fact.

led,

by expecting

They were perhaps misfind the image of a human

form, as belonging to the supposed statue of

(1)

See the Plate representing Antiquities found at Saccura.

(2) According to Norden, 405 miles,

to

who makes the distance equal

l^'c.

\3h French leaj^ues.

See Drawings of some Ruins,

9.

puhlislied

hy the Royal Sucicly in 1741, p.

(3)

See Plate 44 of the large Paris edition of the Foyage en Egypte

par f^ivant Denon.

(4) See also the Plate of the Antiquities

found at Sacc&ra, as before

referred to.

ALEXANDRIA.
Memnon. Indeed Norden, in the desiofn he made upon the spot, as appears by the etching he
afterwards engraved from
faint dehneation of the
it*,

343
chap.
VII
-'
^

-^

>

has attempted a

human countenance, by
restoration

introducing an

imperfect

of

the

features, as they

were suggested
appearance
of

to his ima-

gination

by

the
still

the

stone.

Pococke used

greater freedom''; but Denon

accurately delineated the figures as he found

them.

According

to his plate, there is not the

smallest trace left of

any human countenance

in

and the back of the head,

Strabo,

each statue, agrees

with those figures which have the leonine bust.

who was
was a

himself at Thebes, and mentions

these colossal statues, does not say that either

of them

statue of

Memnon

but that they

were near the Memnonhnn; and that a sound issued every day from one of them \
Within the magazine

we saw many

other

(o) See A'bn^t^w's Etchings, tab.

(6) Pococke's Observations

I.

as before cited.

Land. 1*41.

upon Egypt.

(7) Slrahon. Geogr. lib.wW. p. 1155.

Ed. Oxon.

Tiie observation

o( Slrabo

may remove

the difficulty that has always attended any en-

deavour to reconcile the statue from which the sound issued with that
of an actual statue of

by Tacitus.
sound
him.
to

Memnon. Memnonis saxea effigies, as mentioned The persons who heard the sound might attribute that Memnon, without considering the statue to be a statue of

344
CHAT,

ALEXANDRIA.
antiquities; particularly the

head of a colossal

image of the
a

Rcnriy

or of

Ammok, whose name

absurd and fabulous
Also, two oblong

and worship, derived from Ethiopia ', became

source of the most
history
slabs

among
of

the Greeks \

stone,

adorned

with

hierogbjphical

sculpture, together with an Egyptian coffin of

stone,

adapted to the human form

and the

fragment of a Soros; both brought from Upper

Egypt.

Also other antiquities, the description

afford very pleasing

of which might

employ-

ment: but a volume, rather than a chapter, would be required for the undertaking and all
;

these relics are

now under

the guardianship of

(1)

See

f'ossius de Orig.

el

Prog.
3.

Idol.

lib. ii.

c.

11.

Amst. lC42.
Philos.

Kircher

CEdij).
iii.

^Egypt. Synt.
sect. J.

cap. 6.
d:c.

Rom.

1652.

Pauw
may

Disc, part.
sult

Lond. 1795,

&c.

The

reader

also con-

DiouoRUs, and the ^thiopica o/'Heliodorus.

this curious subject,

Kircher has cited

Abt/s^iniaji,

a very remarkable communication, made to him by au

upon

which he has thus translated mtu Latin:

dicere aliquid deDiis ^thiopiim.

" Quo7uam a me

petiistitihi

Noveris

gi'hd patres iiosiri

cum

Gentilibus et
;

Paganis passim commiscerentur,

sibi

inceperunt discere opera eoruin

et

Jecerunt

Deos privates,

el

ado-

raverunt

eos,

sculpluram
in

manu

hominis perfectam
vidi
;

Et
eratit

ego adhuc

multa inj^thiopia

Barnagasch Jntjusmodi
JLeenis et Arielis
est, velle
;

autem magna

ex parte referentia caput

(2)

7iomen eorum^

Amuna."
Graecis:

" Plan^ ridiculum

^A^toZv

Ammonis uomen petere k

Herodoto."
p. 362.

CLUB jEgyptii ipsi

appellent, teste etiam

<;.

Vussius

dc Orig.Sfc. Idolat.

lib. ii.

11.

torn. I.

Amst. 1642.
is

The
first

name

of the

Supreme Eeing amonj the Brahmins of India

pronounced

the

sellable only of this word,

AM.

ALEXANDRIA.
scholars
curiosity

345
ciiap.

amply

qualified to satisfy the public

their

concerning

history.

At the
afterwards
;

house of General Friant,

we were
other
in

shewn two statues of white

Marcus
Severus,
^4ureliusy

marhle

one of

and the

of Septimius

which are also now

England.

The next morning, September

with Mr. Hamilton,
to the

the eleventh,

another French officer attended us, in company

Obelisks,

commonly
is

called Cleopatra's Needles.

One

alone

now

standing;

the

other,

lying

down,

measures

seven feet square at the base, and sixty-six feet

in length.

They

are so well known, that

it

is

not

necessary to

give a very particular de-

scription of them*.

They

are covered with

(2) After the

English were in possession of Alexandria, a suliscrip-

tion was opened

among the

officers of the

army and navy,

for the pur-

pose of removing the cumbent Obelisk to Great Britain.

money thus
sunk
its

raised they purchased one of the vessels that

.-

With the Menou had

for

in the old port ol Alexandria

this tliey raised,

and prepared

reception.

The work went on

rapidly

the Obelisk was turned,

and
It

its lower surface was found to be in a high state of preservationwas then moved, by means of machinery constructed for the purLord Cavan presided pose, towards the vessel prepared to receive it.

in this

undertaking.

A- naval officer. Captain Stejjhenson,

who was

present upon the occasion, brought over to

England

the plans pro-

jected for conveying this splendid trophy of the success of our arms
to the Metropolis of this country
;

and there

is

every reason to believe

the design would have been accomplished.

in consequence of

Its interruption

took place
at

an order preventing the

sailors

from assisting

the

work.

346
CHAP,
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
hieroglyphics, cut to the

depth of two inches into

;

the stone, which consists of red granite

but,

owing
its

to a partial

decomposition of the fe/dspar,

red colour has faded towards the surface.

A similar decomposition has frequently

the decay of other antient
offers

hastened
;

monuments
;

and

it

proof of a fact worthy the notice of per-

sons employed in national architecture

that granite
duration,
is

namely,

less

calculated

for

works of
or

than pure homogeneous marble,

limestone.

common

The
but
it

action

of the atmo-

sphere conduces to the hardness and durability

of the two latter
;

never

fails

to corrode

decompose substances where feldspar is Examples may be adduced of a constituent. marble, after continual exposure to air and
and
to

moisture during two thousand years,

taining

still

re-

the
;

original

polish

upon

its

surface

unaltered

but

granite,

under similar circum-

stances, has not only undergone alteration, but,

in certain cases,

has crumbled, and fallen into

Instances of such disintegration

the form of gravel, owing to the decomposition

of the feldspar.

may be
Troas,
general.

noticed

among
all

the ruins of Alexandria

district

and over

the

of Troas in

Some

of the granite columns used

by

the Turks in the fabrication of their cannon-balls

have been found

in

such a state of decompo-

ALEXANDRIA.
sition,

347
chap.

that,

although sufficiently compact to

admit of their receiving a spheroidal form, yet,

when
shot,

fired at

our ships, the substance shivered,

in

and flew about

proving

small pieces,

like canister

a very destructive

species

of

ammunition'.

were now desirous of visiting the stupendous Column so long distinguished by the appellation of "Pompey's Pillar." It is visible from almost every spot in the neighbourhood

We

pmpey\<:

of Alexandria.
(containing, as

The

Inscription

upon

its

pedestal

name of the Emperor Diocletian) was not then known to exist, although it had been mentioned by the Consul Maillet^, and after him by Pococke^. The circumstances of our visit may therefore be deemed curious as Mr. Hamilton was one of our party, who afterwards assisted in the development of this important record, and who
believed, the
;

many have

himself discovered the name, believed to be

(1) The auUiorhas specimens of this decomposed granite, which the Turks employed against our fleet, ducing its passage of theDardanelles,

under Admiral Duckworth.

and the mass
is is

The

feldspar has entirely lost

loosely cohering

its

colour;

become

friable, like

breccia.

The

Strand Bridge

built of a

decomposed granite.
tome
vol.
I.

(2) D^scr. de I'Egypte,

(3) Descr. of the East,

p. 180. p. 8.

la

Haye, 1740.

I.

J/)nd. 1748.

348

ALEXANDRIA.
that of Diockiian,

soon
'.

after

the

Inscription

When we had gratified was again recognised our curiosity by a general survey of this surprising monument, and had gazed for some time in utter astonishment at the sight of a column of granite, whose shaft alone, of one entire mass,
with a diameter of eight
feet,

measures sixty-

three in height ^ Mr. Hamilton expressed a wish

to find

something remaining of the

Inscription
this,

mentioned by Pococke.

In search of

we
the

examined the four sides of the

authors have described
to

pedestal:

western side seemed to be corroded, as

it

many

be

but not a trace

stress

of any existing inscription could be discerned.

The author wishes

to

to lay

some

upon

this

singular fact, that due merit

may be

attributed

those

who have

since

so remarkably reInscription
;

covered the characters of that

it

after

had also

baffled every research of the French,

in

during their long residence

their

the country, as

own

writers

do

acknowledged

Mr.

(1)

Mr. HcaniltoH communicated

this

circumstance in a Letter to

tlie autlior.

(2)

The height
is

of the whole coiuinn, including; the capital, shaft,

and pedestal,
engineers.

eighty-eight feet six inches, as measured by the French

(3) See particularly the

" Rapport par

Charles Norry," in the Apit

pendix to Peltier's edition of Denon'9, Tra\cls, [Land. 1802.) as

was
read

ALEXANDRIA.
Hamilion,

349
chap.
VII.

who

participated the labour, has since

:

pubhshed an account of the transaction but the

person to

whom

the hterary world has been

exclusively indebted for Jirst making

known
its

tlie

actual existence of the Inscription, after

sup-

posed disappearance, has never yet been mentioned as the discoverer of

it,

in

any of the

publications that have appeared

ject.

At the time of our

illegible,

visit, it

upon the subwas considered

not merely as

but altogether as lost

neither Mr. Hamilton, nor the author, nor any

other individual of our party, being able

discern even the part of the pedestal where

to
it

had been inscribed. This may serve to explain the difficulty which aften\'ards attended its
recovery,

when

a whole day

was frequently
in Alexandria, as

required for the purpose of obtaining a single

letter.
it

Mr. Hamilion arrived

has been related by him % after the Inscription

for

had been found, and the undertaking

ing
it

copy-

had been begun.

;

He

himself assisted in
it

nuking a facsimile of it
before stated,

and

was

he, as

was

who observed

the letters which

read before the Institute.

"

It

is

greatly

to be

regretted, "

says

Nmry, "

that an inscription formerly placed on one of the sides of

the pedestal should be no longer legible."

(4) ^gyptiacfi,

p. 403.

Lond.

lf?09.

350
CHAP.
vn.

ALEXANDRIA.
are

now

believed to complete the

Diocletian.

name
indeed,

of the

Emperor
mentioned

There
Inscription

is,

good

reason to conjecture that Diocletian's

in

that

means necessarily follows that erected by him and some reasons will be given in the sequel to shew that the legend admits of At a different, although a doubtful, reading.
;

name is but it by no the pillar was

present, in justice to the

memory

of a distinis

guished, but

now lamented
all

officer, it

neces-

sary to prove that

Discovery < the Inscription.

the information afforded

by the

Im^c.yiption

itself

would have been conbut for the imthe late Lieutenant-

signed to everlasting oblivion,

portant discovery
colonel
Squire

made by

some remaining characters upon the pedestal, while Mr. Hamilton, and his companion. Major Leake, were in Upper Egypt '.
of

(l) This circumstance

is
I

mentioned

in a Letter to his Brother, in

the, following words

"

belie\e the Paper presented to the Antiqua-

rian Society contains the best history of the discovery of thtt Alexandrian

Inscription"
subject by

{alluding

to

the misi-epresentations

published vpon

the

Colonel fValsh

and Sir R.

TVilson).
;

"

wish not to be
is,

brought forward in any literary dispute

the letters were discovered by

but the

fact

that most of

me

while Messrs. Hamilton and Leake

in Pococke's

were

in

Upper Egypt.

had seen the same Inscription

of
its

Travels before, and

knew

existence from that book.

The next

Extract
Brgrther,
tion
;

is

taken from a former Letter written by Colonel Squire to his

from Alexandria:
is

it

relates to his discovery of the Inscrip-

and

dated Alexandria, Christmas Day, 1801.

**

" Here

let

roe

remark," says Colonel Squire,

that

it is

not impossible but that part

of

ALEXANDRIA.
Therefore, whatsoever
intelligence

351
nature of the

may be the
it

chap,
VII.

derived from any subsequent exwill

amination of those characters,

the
first

be due

in

place

to

the

individual

who made
;

known

the circumstance of their existence

for

not only the

Members

of the French
in

Institute,

but all who were with our army

almost every traveller

Egypt, and
visited Alex-

who has

andria since the time of Pococke, did consider

the Inscription as being entirely

lost.

As

for the

Column

itself,

the shaft

is

of

much

earlier antiquity than either the capital or the

pedestal.

similar shaft, of the

same kind of

granite,

and nearly of equal magnitude, has been

of the Inscription on the g^reat pillar

may be

read

IT

and

are legible

enough
that

and by other remains

these characters

at"

characters,

I can

plainly perceit^

the Inscription consisted of four lines, in Greek.

With

sulphur,

an impression of

might be taken, and perhaps some-

thing satisfactory discovered.

tainly endeavour to

make

the experiment.

Before we quit the country, 1 will cer"

all

The
its

public will therefore perceive that

is

idea of attempting tUc

discovery

due to Colonel Squire

Maillet, about
:

that he had the greatest share in

is

execution, and

that even the device of the sulphur

fifty

due to him.
bos de

The Consul
fot the

years before, had

de certain,

recommended wax
c'est qii'au

same purpose

" Ce quil y a

son

fitt, dti cote

de I'ouest, ou trouve une inscription Grecque, dont je ne

croix pas qti'on ail encore lirS de copie

seroit,
(i

Le

seul

moyen de

I'avoir,

inon avis,

d'en prendre Vempreinte sur de la cire molle."

1.

Description de VEgypt^, torn.

p. 180.

hlaHaye,

IT U>.

352
^yr\^'

ALEXANDRIA.
already describecl
'

among

the ruins of another

city,

built also
like

remaining,

by the founder o^ Alexandria this, alone, without any con-

tiguous architecture serving to prove that a

pillar of

such vast dimensions belonged to any

temple, colonnade, or other edifice of the antient

city.
It

was before suggested,

relic,

in

the account

given of that remarkable

that each of these

:

columns

may have

supported a statue
is

but

this

notion of the use of a single pillar

not found to

be warranted by any evidence on which

rely.
It is certain that

we

can

some conspicuous

relic

was placed upon the capital of the Alexandrian Column a circular cavity having been there discovered, proving that there was formerly a
;

projection for its support \

question then
antient inha-

naturally

arises

Whether the
to

bitants of Asia Minor, of Egypt,

and of

Greece,

were accustomed

use

pillars
?

for other

pur-

poses than those of architecture

(1) See

This question

Chap.VI. of the r/mv? Volume of these Travels, pp.188,

circular cavity,

18c).

Octavo Edition.
(2) Norry describes a summit j " which," says

two inches deep, upon the

but this

he, "gives reason to suppose that there has

stafue,-

formerly been a projection on the top for supporting a

li

merely conjecture."

fSee "Rapport "

^'c.

as before cited. J However,

this subject, as will

w-e

have reason for more than conjecture upon

;

be

manifest in the sequel

not indeed that a

statice

was here placed,

whose pedestal would hardly have been

for the foot of

circular,

but a cinerary urn,

which a circular cavity

is

peculiarly suitable.

UNIVF-TISITY of
I

CALIFORNIA

A LOS ANGELES MEJIARY

ALEXANDRIA.
may be
The
decidedly answered in the affirmative.
of the
Steliu

353

Antients had precisely the

this

form of the shaft of

pillar of

Column

although no

instance has yet been observed of a sepulchral

such magnitude.
they were as so
;

Indeed, until lately,

the

StelcE
:

themselves had been remarkably over-

looked

many

stumbling-blocks
literary tra-

to antiquaries
vellers

and nothing puzzled

more than the numerous examples of email pillars of granite, porphyry, and marhlcy
scattered over the shores of the jEgean Sea:

these were found generally in the vicinity of

toinhs,

or near to the
;

tombs were situate

where being always insulated, and

walls of
cities

generally without capitals or pedestals.

Turks,
imitating

The

the customs of their prede-

cessors, have introduced

teries.

them

into their coeme-

Now

and
sttla-

then a modern structure

of different sizes, collected

exhibits several
together, and

made

to serve as

props for the

building: in such instances,

in barbarous taste,

co/j/V^/^ 2aid pedestals,

and of various materials,

them.

tiave

been added

to

kind

may be

discerned in

Remains of this some of the edifices

erected in the lower ages of the

Possibly, then, this
u-as erected
pillar,

Roman Empire.
it is,

stupendous as

a sepulchral

upon some memorable occasion, as monument. A few observations will

VOL. V.

A A

354
cnAr.
VII. *.-V

ALEXANDRIA.

'

yoon shew whether this ^ possible illustration of its origin be also probable : nay more whether
.

we have
prove,

not strong presumptive a

evidence,

to

that

monument

of

this

form was

actually erected in this place, and for the purpose

of a

i7r/{-

or sepulchral pillar.

After a vain search

for

the Inscription,
itself

we

observed that the pedestal

did not rest

upon the sand

this,

but that, by removing some of

get beneath
it,

we might
its

and examine the

manner of

support.

Here, to our surprise,

this

we found
consisting
capital,

that the

whole of

immense
shaft,

pile,

of three parts, pedestal,

and

was sustained upon a small prop

it is
',

of stone,

about four feet square, exactly as

described

by Paul Lucas although positively contradicted by Norden^. Around this central base, but in
very irregular positions, had been placed other
masses, the fragments of antient Egyptian monuments, which did not appear to contribute to the

support of the Column, but to have been brought

thither for the purpose of maintaining the prop in
its

adjusted situation until the pedestal could be

(1)
yilmst.

Voyage
1744.

fait

par Ordre

de Louis XIV. en 1714. torn.

II.

p. 33.

(2) Travels iu

Egypt and Nubia,

vol.

I.

p. IG.

Lond. 1757.

ALEXANDRIA.
raised upon it. The prop itself consists of a mass of that beautiful kind of breccia, called, peculiarly, Egyptian. The four sides of it are

355
^^^^'

inscribed with hieroglyphic figures

tion of these figures
original

but the posi-

shews

that the prop has its

for

base

uppermost,

they appear

in-

verted

thus affording a complete proof, that

the stone, whereon they are inscribed, belonged

other more antient works and that these must have been in ruins before the Column was erected upon its present basis'. But this
to
;

is

not

all

the intelligence

we

derive from the

topsyturvy position of the hieroglyphics :

in this curious

we

have,

circumstance, most satisfactory

it

evidence that this Column was not set up, as

now

stands,

either

by the

antient inhabitants of

Egypt, or by the people of Alexandria under the

Ptolemies

for nothing
in

would be more absurd,

an age

than to suppose that,

superstitions

when Egyptian
hieroglyphics

were revered, and the

were regarded as sacred, such sacrilegious work would have been tolerated, as the burying of the holy images and symbols, pell-mell^ to prop and to support a Corinthian pillar, even if it

(3)

See the /"/< annexed, where those kierogli/p/iks are represented,

desiji;ii

accordins: to a
as

wh'c}i the author

made

of

them upon the

spot,

accurately as

the diiRculty of the

situation,

and the lOiperfert

state of those rude symbols,

would admit.

A A 2

356
CHAP,
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
could be admitted that such an order of architecture then existed.

Hence

it

is

manifest,

without further inquiry, that this monument, as

it

must be attributed entirely to the Romans; since the warmest advocates for

now

appears,

the arts and ingenuity of the Arabs will not venture to ascribe a
in
all

work of

this

kind to the Moslems,

any period of
Inscription

their history.

This

is

nearly
it.

the intelligence

we

can obtain concerning

its

The

upon the pedestal, as

in

cha-

racters

were obtained

consequence of Colonel

Squires discovery, gives us no information as to

tlie

origin of the Column, although

light

it

may throw
its

some
form.

upon

its

restoration under

present

The only
'

visible part of the legend is as

follows

COTATONAYTOKPATOPA TO TONnOAIOYXONAAGZANAPeiAC TON AlO .... lANONTON enARxocAirYHTOY no

In the third
line,

the fourth,

fifth,

sixth,

and

seventh

letters,

being indistinct, were supplied

by dotted

characters*, in order to complete a

(1)

See the communication made by Dr. Haiyte to the Society of

Jntiquaries, as read before the Society, Feb. 3, 180

(2)
lAters

According to the plan pursued by Taylor, when he added the

supposed

to

be wanted in the Marmot Sandvicaise.

ALEXANDRIA.
supposed reading of
ror,
is

367

AIOKAHTIANON.

But
it,

this introduction of the

name of a Roman Empe-

without an
;

epithet

immediately preceding

and when letters are thus to be added by conjecture, or in consequence of some imagiunusual

nary resemblance,
original
legend,

in the indistinct traces of the

to

the

characters which have

is

been substituted, every person

at liberty to

make
the

his

own

hypothesis

provided only that a

reading be produced which shall contain exactly

number of letters requisite to fill the vacant spaces upon the stone. For example, the per-

pendicular line of the dotted K, as proposed in

the paper read to the Society of Antiquaries ^

may with

equal authority be written

The wto

lines of the

bar of the

A may also belong to A. The cross H may be the lower line of h., and the
equal probability be written p; and
granted, the reading becomes, eviis

T may with
when
this

dently,

AIONAAPI ANON.

The use

of AIOI, as

an epithet, answering to divvs, so frequently

bestowed upon Roman Emperors, and especially

Vi^on Hadrian\ although authorised in this sense

(3) See Dr. Raine's

(4) Sic passim.

communication,

as above.
in

"UtDivusHadrianus
Dig.

quadam

oratione ait," &c.

'

(Ulpianu.1,

lib.

50,

tit,

15. de Censlbus, 8(c. ^-c.)

/Intiq.

IMP

CAESARI

DIVI H ADRI ANI &c.

iVb.16.

Donii Inscript.

ub Goroi.

Claisis terlia,

See

also NosAl,\2,y!i{c.

Florent. \1Z\.

358
CHAP,

ALEXANDRIA.
by Hesiod and by Homer,
Greek prose.
is

perhaps unknown iu

Hadrian was called, by the Greeks ',

AAPIANOC OAYMniOC OAYMmOC. The epithet Aiog

both
quently appropriate*;
poetical
;

and

0EOC

was consewas and the more

so, as it

the language of poetry being often

in

adopted

Greek inscriptions,

which are very

At the same commonly written in metre'. time, it must be confessed that there is this
powerful objection to the reading
that

among

all

the epithets

now proposed; applied to Roman

and

Emperors, which are preserved by Gronovius,

Goltzins, Gorius, Muratori, Faillant, Harduin,

Eckhel, there

is

not an example where A/ocis thus

used.

In this uncertainty with regard to the

four letters
this

which immediately follow AlO in Inscription, it must remain for some future

(l) See Muratoi'i's

/?.

" Thesaur.

Vet. Inscript." torn. II. p. mlix. iVo. 2.

7.
8fc.

MLxvi.

A'o. 4.

/?.

MLXXViii. A'o.

Mediolani.

1"!

40.

Harduin.

IVum.y^nHq.p.329. Perm, 1684.

Ij.Par.}6i)S.
inscription
to

kho

Faillant.

Ntim. Imp. pp. 34, 3S.

this

Spanlieim mentions an /Jthenian medal with

Hadrian

De

Preeslantid et

OATMniON SilTHPA Usu Num. p. 384. Amst. 1671.

:

TON'

ETEPrETHM

(3)

The Bishop
and on

of Cloqher, in his Essay on the

" Origin of Hiero-

glyphics,

Heathen Mythology" p. 116. Land. 1753. has the following observation. "In Greek, the word A'a; signifies the same as
the

the wordi)u'*
(3)

amung the

Latins; that

is,

a divine person.
in

Such inscriptions are commonly found

Sect.

Asia Minor, and

among
See

the ruins of Paphos in Cyprus; also in the Island of Rhodes.

Part

II.

I.

of these Travels ;

vol. III.

chap,

8.

Octavo edition.

ALEXANDRIA.
traveller
to

359
chap.
v.i.

determine what the true readinsf ^

is

really

is.

The probability
but

certainly strong for

is

VI]. .y >

AIOKAHTIANON,
certain;

this

by no means
it

and

in

favour of

A80NAAPIAN0N,

maybe

urged, that Sicard, as cited by Brotier\

the Inscription long ago, declared

who examined

the fourth letter to be N, instead of K.

In order

to account for the introduction of Diocletian^

name, the supposed gratitude of the people of

Alexandria to Diocletian, for an allowance of com,

has been mentioned^; but there

is

no authority

in History, either for the tribute itself, or for the

feelings thereby believed to have

been commefor

morated.

Hadrian,

on the contrary,
to
their city,

the
pre-

services he rendered

was

eminently entitled
is

to

their

gratitude.

This

evident,

from his own observations, when

(4) Sicard believed the

name

to be that

oi Dionyshis PloIeiit(nis,

brother of Cleopatra, by whose order

Pompey was

assassinated.

" Scra-

peum

fuit in vico, cui

iiomen Necropolis, prope Coluninam Pompeii, ut

verius

vulgo loquuntur;

quam

columnam

Dionysii Ptolemai dicerent,

ut ex semesis inseriptiones

literis

observavit P. Sicard egregius iEgyp-

tiacaruni antiquitatum indagator." (Vid. Brotier. Annot. in Tacit. Hist,

lib. iv.

cap. 84.)

The circumstance

of Sicard's maintaining' that the

name

at the beginning of the third line of the Inscription was Dionysil's,

least, that

&c. proves, at
C"))

he read AION, and not AIOK.

in that part uf the hi/itory

"The

occasion

may perhaps he found

Emperor, where, after having severeh/ chastised the inhabitants (if .Hexandria who had rebelled against the government, he established
of this

a public allowance of corn for the city at two millions of niedimni. See
the

Memoir rend to the

Society of .Intiqitaries , Feb. 3, 1803, as before cited.

360
CHAP,

ALEXANDRIA.
Huic ego cunctA ^COXCESSI, VETERA PRIVILEGIA llEDDIDI, NOVA
speaking o^ Alexandria'
:

'*

SIC ADDIDI,

UT PR.ESENTI GRATIAS AGERENT.''

performed
desar had
to

Hadrian,
funeral

according to Dio Cassius,

rites

Pompey".
it is

Julius

done the same^; and

related, both

by Lucan'*

and by Valerius Maxinius\ that when the head of PoMPEY was brought to him in Alexandria^ he
caused
it

to

be burned with odours and the most

solemn
Sfpnichrai
origin
^^^

rites,

and
It

its

ashes to be enshrined

witliiu
.

an urn^.
j-v

sometimes was customary

the Co-

With the Romans to place their cinerary urns

conspicuous situations,
lofty

11*

upon the pinnacles of and magnificent monuments. The famous

Vatican at Rome,

Cone, or Pine-apple, of gilded bronze, preserved

in the

and originally placed

(1) Ejjistola

Hadriani j^ug.

Serviatio Cos. JEgypt,

WA.
Hamb.

Vopisc. in

Saturnino, p. 245.
(2)

Dio

Cuss. Hist.

Rom.

lib. Ixix. vol.

H.

p.

1159.

1750.

(3) Ibid. lib.

(4)

xlii. c. 8. vol. I. p.

310.

(s)

De Bell. Civil, lib. ix. ad " Caput autem plurimis

yalcrii Ma.vimi,
'

fin.

et pretiosissimis odorihus

cremandura

curavit."
(6)

lib. v.

p. 246.

Parin, 1679.
lit)re

Et

placate

c;i|iiit,

ciiieresque in

fusos

Coiiii^ite,

atque unaiD sparsis date tiiauibus urnaui,"

Ltiruni

Dt Bell.

Civil

lib. ix.

1092.

Lips. 172(;-

Fabriciiis , lu

his

Notes to Dto

Cassitts {lib. xW'i.

i\We 50.) mentions

Pompeii inveleri

an antient gem, the subject of which represented the bringing of Pom pey's head to
CfliSAii.
''''Icon

oblati

Ccesari capitis

gemma apicd

Licetuni," p. 248.

ALEXANDRIA.
upon the Mausoleum of Hadrian, was perhaps intended to contain the ashes of that Emperor and in the examination of ihe, jilexandrian Column^
:

361
ciiap,
v

we

find the extraordinary coincidences, first, of

is

the workmanship, which

decidedly Roman;
is

secondly, of

its

form, which

that of a Stele or

sepulchral pillar; thirdly, of a circular cavity dis-

covered upon
an urn;
all

its capital,

as for the reception of

its

agreeing with

remarkable tradi-

tionary appellation of
little

Pompey's Pillar. Some

in

variety, as

might be expected, appears

the accounts given

with regard to

by writers the manner

to

of different ages,
in

which funeral

honours were rendered

Pompeys head by

Julius C^sar.

Lucans however consistent with the Roman custom of burning instead of burying the dead and it is
allusion to an urn is
;

supported by the earlier testimony of Valerius

Maximus.
the head

Appian, who flourished during the

buried; but

subsequent reigns of Trajan and Hadrian, says

was

he adds the remarkable

fact of a shrine constructed over it^ in a situation

(7) T^
ra^sja/j

S5

xi^aXiif rou Tlofjcv^'iov

fr^ij(rip!^>fiiv/iv
"proo

eu^

vrritrrn,

aXXa

rr^eftrcc^i

xai

awri?

TEMEN02 /3ja;^u,
o-^ip lor'
if/.o'O

Tri;

ToXiui

pfl^trifiv,

NEME2EI1S
T^aixvof,

TEMENOS
l|XXJvTa TO
Xiiitl

IxaXiiro'
it

xara.

'Pcofin'icav

aliToxoareoa.
I;

Aiyi^TM

'lovSaiat

yivo;,

VTO tuv 'louoaiat

Ta; roj TeXtftpv

Cas<\r,

xiirn^ii<ph.

" Caput autem rompeii oblatum

aversatur

sepeliri

362
CHAP,
'i
i.^.N
'

ALEXANDRIA.
exactly answering to that of thin pil/ar, which
Ccesar dedicated to Nemesis, the protecting god-

dess of the relics and the

persons.
This,
it

memory of deceased
explain the cause of
It is also

seems, was overthrown in the

time of Trajan; which

its

may

restoration

hj Hadrian.

worthy of
which

notice, that Pococke

this

mentions a name given to

historians,

monument by Arabian
it

bears testimony to the event recorded hy Appian;

inasmuch as
therefore

attributes the origin of the

work

to Julius CcBsar^.

The presumptive evidence is somewhat striking, as to the corresponding testimony borne by the monument itself to the

funeral honours rendered to

Pompey bothbyJ'w/m^

C^sar and by Hadrian, whatsoever be the legend of

\hQ Inscription upon
its

pedestal.
in

A circumstance
life

recorded by Dio

Cassius,

his

of Hadrian,

may also
in the

prove that

age of that

sepulchral dignity

monument was, Emperor, no unusual mark of for when he wished to honour

this kind of

sepeliri jussit in suburbis, sacelhtmqvie ibi

dedicav'it

Nemeseos

qnod

nostra Betate,
tur,

quumTrajanus Augustus Judsos

exitiali bello persfcjucre^Ippitini

Hist.De
(l)

abhisob praesentem necessitatem est dirutuin." Bell. Civil, lib. ii. vol. U.p. 299. Ed. Schwelgh.

Rom,

Lips. 1785.

" Some

/Jrabian liistorians, on wh^tauthoriti/1

know

not,

call it
I.

the Palace of Julius Cssar."

p.
8.

(PococJic's Descript. of the East, vol.

is

Lond. 1743.)

The
(De

authority

dearly found in the circumstance

90. Lips. 1785.) of the shrine

related by Jppian
{t'iia-m,)

Bell. Civil,

lib. ii. c.

constructed by Julius Casar at

tlic

funeral of Potnpey's head.

ALEXANDRIA.
his horse Borystkene.'^ with funeral rites

363

worthy

chap.
'^

of a deceased hero,

it

is

related that he set

up

^-

>

Stile

upon

his tomb''.

From
head

the different accounts given

by

histo-

rians of the disposal of Fompeijs remains, (his

being
^

honoured

with funeral

rites

at

Alexandria^
writers,

and his

body,

according to some

burned and buried near Pelusium*, while others maintain that its ashes were conveyed to

Rome\)

the place of his sepulchre

is

involved in

uncertainty^; but every thing connected with

the historical evidence touching the funeral rites

offered to his

Alexandria^

is

clear

memory by Roman Emperors in and decisive and when Dio

;

Cassius relates that Hadrian, in a

copy of verses

which he composed, boasted he had repaired

iavonTi

yaf alrou

xcci ra.(pov

KaTitrmuatrt, xat

2THAHN
c.

tsTr,tri

xai iTiyoaf^fietTei

iTiypcf^iv.

Dio

Cass. His/.

Rom.

vol.JI. lib. \xix. 2'-ll59.

lib. ii.

Hamburg. 1750.
Valerius

(3) Appian.

De

Bell. Civil,

90.

Lips. 1785.
l' 26.
lib. xvii.

Maximus.
(4)
y?rf.

/vZicon.

De

Bell. Civil, torn. II.

lib.ix.

Lip.':,

Slrahon. Geog.

lib. xvi.

p.

1081.
vol.1,

p. 1130.

O.ron. 1807.

Dio. Cass ii,

lib. xlii.

c. 5.
ii.

p. 30.9.

Hamburg.
Lucan.
tov

1730.

///v.ii^/e.r.De Bellis Civil,

lib. viii,

lib.

p. 481.

Par.

1.'.93.

De

Bell. Civil,

&c.
TloiAVviiau Kc^v/iXlei
ii^xf/.ivn

(5)

Ta

Sk

Xii-^avcc tou

xoy-isdyTa,

"ffi^i

'AX/3avy

tlrtx-ii.

Plutarclu in
erit

fit-

Pomp. Par. 1624.

(6)

" \tque

iEgyptos populis fortasse nepotuin

TatH tnendax Mugni tuniulo,

quam

Creta Tonantis."
\ui.

LtTANi De

li'll.

I'ivi!.

lib.

p.^ll.

J^ps. 1726.

304
CHAP,
VII.
tlie

ALEXANDRIA.
monument formerly
probable that
;

raised to

Pompey',

it

is

lie

alluded to this sepulchral

pillar

bearing, besides its traditionary name,

the marks of restoration, and the most characteristic features of the

purpose

for

which

it

was

erected.

A few remarks, with regard

Inscription, will

to the rest of the

conclude the whole of our obsermagnificent and interesting

vations

upon monument.

this

The
tion

epithet at the conclusion of the third line

could not be ascertained at the time the Inscrip-

was again recognised; but there appeared

five characters

to

be

wanted.

These

five cha-

racters have

been ingeniously supplied by a

(l)

Ka) ra

fivti/^x

aurov %it^Sa^[i.im 1750.)

avMxo^o//.>iffiv,

{ Dio Cass. Hist.

Rom.

lib. Ixix.

vol. II.

Hamburg.

Jt should at the

same time be

observed, that Spartian,

v.'riters,

c. 14.

together with Appian, and some other

speak of a restoration, by Hadrian, of Pompey's sepulchre, at

Cassiiis;

Pelusium, near Mount

body
is
:

that

is

to say,

the sepulclire of

Jits

the information concerning' which, as derived from the Antients,

not only uncertain, but contradictory.

But Appuin

also

mentions

another distinct sepulchral tsuius, erected over the head of Pnwpey at Alexandria by Julius Casar. This was ruined in the time of Trajan:

and

it

is

to the restoration of this

monument, hy Hadrian, which

p.irif/.a.

JDeo

Cassius seems to allude, under the words

(2)

auToiJ.

See the Paper read to the Society oi Antiquaries, Feb.

3, 1803.

ALEXANDRIA.
learned
friend

305
for

of
first

the
five

author',
letters

thev are
the
v^rord

chap.
VII

evidently the

of

CEBACTON.
Ilof^'?njiog

The

Praefect's
line,

name, at the beto

ginning of the fourth

;

was supposed^
found
to

be
C,

but the third

it

letter is

be

and not M, and

was thus read by

Pococke,

Having therefore noc, many years before*. we may read noCTOMOC. This name is found in
Gruter, in several instances, written Postumus^.
It

occurs in an inscription discovered upon an

which contains the famous Zodiac at Dendera in IJppei' Egypt\ as the name of a Prsefect who lived under Augustus. We have,
edifice

moreover, in the Dendera

formulciy

Inscription,

a sort of
line,
tlie

enabling us to supply the last

which

is entirely

wanted.

We

there read

(3)

The Rev. George Adam Browne, M.A. Fellow

,

oi Trinity College,

Camhridiii

the

intimate friend of the late Professor Posow, and of

Dr. Raine,

iate of the Charier

House,

Mr. Browne

also proposed the

substitution of nosrofcos for

(4) See Paper

Ho/i-r, in

the fourth line.

(2).

mentioned

in

Note

(5) See Pococke's copy of the Inscription.

vol. I. />. 8.

Description of the East,

IVoie (d).

Land. 1743.

(6) See Gruter. Inscvipt. 113. (7) See

sieveral

1. 173.

10, &c. &c.

Jir.Ft.

170T.

Denon, Hamilton, &c.

The

Inscription was also copied by

of our officers Avho

It

is

there written
.

Marcus

Clodius Posiumus.

came with the Indian army to Egypt. Denon wrote the name

nOCTOTMO

366
CHAP,
^_'
.

ALEXANDKIA.
words OTAnOTHSMHTPOnOAEllS, " The Peoph
of the Metropolis^ Upon the whole, then, that has been before adduced, and with the aid of the

document alluded to, it is proposed to read the Inscription upon Pompey's Pillar in the following manner; the Reader being left to use his

own judgment

as to the introduction o^ Hadrians

Diocletian, in the third line.

name, or that of
already given.

We

have rather preferred the former,

for tl>e reasons

TONTIMICOTATONAYTOKPATOPA TON nOAIOYXON AAEHAN APEIAC AIONAAPIANONTONCEBACTON nOCTOMOCEnAPXOCAirYHTOY KAIOIAnOTHCMHTPOnOAEXlZ

"POSTUMUS PR.EFECT OF EGYPT, AND THE PEOPLE OF THE METROPOLIS, {' honOUr') THE MOST REVERED EMPEROR, THE PROTECTING DIVINITY OF ALEXANDRIA, THE DIVINE HADRIAN AUGUSTUS."
Interview with

In the forcnoon of this day, the author waited

Mdnou.

upon General Menou, requesting a passport, that might enable him to pass and repass the outer
gate, to

y-t

and from the

British

camp

and

at the

ALEXANDRIA.
same time made
copy the
application for permission to
Inscriptions

307
chap.
VII.
v.

upon the Rosetta

Tablet,

which was still carefully concealed. One of the Aid-de-Camps conducted him into a small tent,
pitched in a spacious area, or square, near the
niner gates of Alexandria,
the garrison
as
it

where the parade of

This tent, small

was

daily held.

was, had been separated into two parts by

;

a curtain, behind which Menou had his Charem

giving audience
entrance,
in

the outer part, near to the

where there was hardly room enough Having waited some time, to stand upright. during which women's voices were heard in
conversation behind the partition, the curtain

was suddenly

raised,

and Jaques Abd'allah made

more grotesque figure can He wore a flowered emhardly be conceived.

his appearance.

broidered waistcoat,

with flaps almost to his

knees, and a coat covered with broad lace.

Elevating his whiskered face and double chin,

in order to give all imaginable

pomp and

dignity

to his squat corpulent figure, which, covered with

finery,

much resembled that of a mountebank, he

in

demanded,
souhaiie-t-il.

an imperious tone of voice,

'^

Que

Monsieur Clarke?'"

Having explained
it

the cause of the visit, as far as

related to the

passport, and being directed to apply for this to

368
CHAP.
VII

ALEXANDRIA.
Rhic, General of Brip^ade, the author ventured
.

to introduce the subject of the Rosetta

stating, that

Stone;

he was about to return to Lord

Hutchinson, and wished to obey the orders he

had received from his Lordship, for copying the At the very mention of this Stone, Inscription.

Menou gave vent

with choler,

to his rage

and, ready to burst

You may tell your Commander-in-chief he has as much ris^ht to make this demand, as a highwayman has to ask
exclaimed,
for

"

my

purse!

He

has a cannon in each of

in
I

my

ears,

and another

my mouth

let

him

take what pleases him.

have a few embroishirts

!"

dered saddles, and a tolerable stock of

perhaps he

may

fancy some of these

The

author assured him that he could be the bearer

of no message of this kind
;

but whatever he
should be

might think proper

carefully conveyed,

to

put

in writing,

and as punctually delivered.

Having
Rene

left

the tent, and waited upon General

for the passport, while this

was

preparing',

a note came from Menou for Lord Hutchinson.

With

this note the

author and his companions

set out for the English

camp

and arriving at

(l) See a copy of the original, in the Appendix.

ALEXANDRIA.
head-quarters,

369
his

presented
at the

it

to

Lordship,

same time, all that had transpired concerning the Soros from the Mosque
of
St. ^thanasius,

making known,

chap, vn.

together with the intelhgence

to the

which had been obtained with regard

other antiquities.

To Menous
;

note his Lordship

transmitting only

disdained making any reply

a verbal message, cautioning

of sending any

him to beware more messages or letters to him,

but to obey the conditions proposed for the

surrender oi jilexandria, upon pain of having not
only his

own baggage, but

the Antiquities,

that of

all

the officers

of the French aimy, submitted to an examination.

All
to

without reservation,
;

were

be delivered

to the English

and

to this

demand was added an order

whatsoever other

for the collection of

specimens belonging to Natural History, and

literary acquisition

had been
His Lord-

made
ship

in

Egypt

for the French Nation.

directed that the most diligent inquiry

should be
nature':

made concerning every

and having given orders

thing of this
for a

supply

(2)

The

follo^in^ Inscription

was found hy a private of the 42d

indebted for this copy of
is

Regiment, upon a Stone which he discovered in the entrenchments of

the English army.

The author

is

it

to

Colonel Draper,

A part

of the same Inscription

also preserved in

Colonel Squirc'% MS, Journal.

The

stone was very large, and the

Inscription

VOL. V.

9 B

3;o
CHAP,
of provisions to

ALEXANDRIA.
accompany us upon our
return,

offered the use of his horses while

Inscription appeared in two parts,

we remained

upon different
stars.
its

has, therefore, been

marked by

sides of it. The division The Arabic numeral 7 can have

nothins; to do with the second part;

meaning

is

therefore

unknown.

C^SARI I. SEPTIMIO SEVERO PERTINACI AUG. PONTIF. MAX. TRIE POT. II.
IMP.
IMP.
III.

COS.

II.

PROCOS.

P. P.

VETERANI LEG. II. TR. FORT. MISSI HONESTA MISSIONE QUI MIL'Tare CGEPERUNT APRONIANO ET PAUL" Q.UIBUS ET PERPETUUM
CON. V.

CELERIANA M. GABINUS MAX. FLAMMIT.

7 7 L. PIIILIPPIANI

AURELIUS CAPRIMONIA C. VALERIUS C. FIL. APOLL. 7 SEVERIANA M. AURELIUS POL. ISIDOR. f. POMPEIUS POL. SEREN. 7 SERVILE. PUDENTIO P. AURELIUS POL. PROCIOK. ALC, C. JULIUS C. F. POL. HERMIAS T. AURELIUS T. F. SAKAPAMON T. FLAVIUS F. APOLLINARIS M. PURFANIUS M. F. COL. LO.
T.

MARINIANA

M. AURELIUS POL. HERODES CON. VI.

lOCTAVI AVELLIANI M. AURELIUS POL. PROCION.

M. AURELIUS POL. SARAPAM M. AURELIUS POL. GERMANUS 7 AURELI FLAVIANI 7 HARION. POL. DEMETRIUS C.
M. M.
7 SECUNDIANA AURELIUS PO. APOLLOS AURELIUS ALEXANDU.

<

CON. VII. VIRIUS CASTRIS SOLON

It

ALEXANDRIA.
and a srroom to assist us in takino: ^ care of them. After this, we had an opportunity
in Alexandria,
.

371
chap.
VII.
v

.y

,/

of witnessing- the sort of fare which the

Comso

mander-in-chief of a British army,

liberally

who had

provided for others,

allowed for his

own

use.
;

table

gave us a general invitation to his adding, " If you have appetite enough to

He

dine with a soldier, you will this day have

something more than usually substantial."

dinner was served in his tent, and
it

we

sat

The down
:

consisted of the remaining half of a cold pie,

of the privates the day before, conin a

made by one
taining

some lumps of meat encased

above an
inch thick,

durable
coarsest

crust
flour
:

of the

a surprising contrast to the magnificent

entertainment

we had

experienced with the

Anglo-Indian army in the Isle of Rhonda.

of the officers informed us that such
daily diet
;

Some
was
his

and that

it

rarely differed from the

It

is

thus preserved by Colonel Inquire:

IMP CAESARI SEPTIMIO SEVERO PERTINACI AUG PONTIF MAX TRIB POT II IMP III cos II PROCOS P P
.

VETERANI LEG II TR FORT MISSI HONESTA- MISSIONE QUI MILITARE COEPERUNT APRONIANO- ET PAVLO QVIBVSETPERPETVAM


372
CHAP,
VII.
-^-'
.

ALEXANDRIA.
allowance

made

to the

army.

In the evening,

quite dark, and the

common soldiers of the we returned. It was but we gates were shut

;

found no

difficulty

in obtaining admission,

by

means of our passport.

Saturday, September the twelfth.

This day

the flesh of horses, asses, and camels, sold, in the market, at a price nearly equivalent to half

a guinea of our money, for a single

to

rotola,

equal

about a pound and a quarter.

Mr. Hamilton

went with us
undertook
visit

to the French head-quarters,

and

to

mention to Menou the result of our

to

Lord Hutchinson,

We

remained near

the outside of the tent;

and soon heard the

remonstrating

French GeneraFs voice elevated as usual, and

in

strong terms of

indignation

against the injustice of the

demands made upon

him.

The words

^'^

Jamais on

na pillc

le

monde!""

diverted us highly, as coming from a leader

of plunder and devastation.

He

threatened to
all

publish an account of the transaction in

the

Gazettes of i^wro/je ; and, as Mr.

//7/777/07i

with-

drew,

we heard him

vociferate a
in

menace of
combat
bien pres, je

meeting Lord Hutchinson

single

"Nous
Turnery

nous verrons, de bien pres

de
in

vous assure!''

However, Colonel, now General,

arrived also
Alexandria,

who had

ALEXANDRIA.
with orders from our Commander-in-chief respecting the surrender of the Antiquities, soon

373

brought

this

matter to a

conclusion.

The

different forts

were now occupied by our army

and the condition of the garrison was such, that Menou did not deem it prudent to resist any
longer:
,

he reluctantly submitted to the loss of

his literani trophies.

The

Rosetta Tablet

taken from a warehouse, covered with mats,

.of
was
us,

Surrender
the

Roseua

where

it
;

had and

been
it

deposited

with Menou's
to

baggage
a French

was surrendered

by

officer

the streets of

Member of the Institute, in Alexandria; Mr. Cripps, Mr.

and
it.

Hamilton, and the author, being the only persons

present, to take possession of

The
its

officer

appointed to deliver

it

recommended

speedy

conveyance
soldiers,

to

some place

of safety, as he could

not be answerable for the conduct of the French

if
it

were suffered

to

remain exposed
this

to their indignation.

We

made

circum-

stance

known
for its

to

Lord Hutchinson, who gave

orders

immediate removal

given in charge to General Turner,

direction
all

was under whose

;

and

it

the

quity, resigned to
lation,

monuments of Egyptian antius by the articles of the capituto

were afterwards conveyed

England^

(I)

See Hamilton's JEgi/ptUtca, p. 402.

Lond. I8O9.

'

374
CHAP.
,

ALEXANDRIA.
to

Every thing now seemed

indicate

the

speedy evacuation of the garrison

The

officers

and soldiers

by the French ^ were ac^i cly em-

ployed

in selling

the plmider they had made.

Negro
of the

slaves of both sexes, watches, jewels,

horses, camels, sabres,

city.

were bartered in all parts plain silver watch might be

;

bought

for three or four dollars

a fine Arabian

horse, for about five and

twenty.

French

General sold two horses, of perfect beauty, with

their saddles

and
in

bridles,

to

an English clergyfor
fifty

man, chaplain

the

fleet,

dollars.

Several valuable camels, from the great scarcity

of every kind of provender, were turned
to find
adrift,

owners without the gates

walls.

no purchasers
the charge of

being found,
Intercourse

who would undertake

them withiu the

A better
Some

understanding,

between theArmieg.

howcvcr, began to subsist,

the contendinof forces.

at this time,
stra^sflers

between
from the

French

army advanced, during

the day-time,

into the neutral

ground between the two armies,

their Egyptian

and there offered

there,

sabres,
:

and

other articles, for sale to the English

here and

even in the

British

camp, might be seen

v.-ith

a French officer joining in conviviality

our

(1)

The

first clivision

of \.hc French aiiuv

embaikid

zl .dbs:ik:y

on

the

4th of September.

ALEXANDRIA.
troops; drinking toasts for the health of King
George, the success of the capitulation, and a

375
chap.
VII
.

speedy deliverance from the government of Menou. The utmost harmony and good-humour
prevailed
at

these

meetings

and a sincere
the

desire to quit the country

was evident on
;

part of the French soldiers

every one of

whom

seemed
footing,

to consider himself as

upon an equal

even with the Generals of his own

army^
In the course of this day,

we

visited

the

French

Members

of the French Institute, at the house

their sittings
;

where they held

packing
a

and found them

inspecting and

assembled round a long

table,

maps^

number of drawings, plans, and We were very politely received, at our

(2)

Creole trumpeter,
Italy

who had

served under Buonaparte in his

to

campaigns of

and Egypt, and pretended

have been always

about his person, came one day, and asked, when the garrison of
Alexandria would
sail for

France?

As we could neither answer

this

question, nor were disposed lo pay any attention to the account he

sjave of himself,

he said

"

If

you should mention the name of you

will

U Esprit

to the little Corsican,

find that I

am

pretty well

known to him :" and, by way of proving his importance, he added, ** Quand j'arriveiai a Paris, je lui ferai expliqtter pourquoi it me laissa dans ce maudU payS'Ci."
(3)

The

FRENCH INSTITUTE
severally consisting of the

of

Egypt was

divided into four

Physics, Political

sections;

Mat hematics,

Economy,

376
^HAP.
entrance,

ALEXANDRIA^
by Le
them
Fere, Architect, Director of the
:

Class of Civil Engineers

and

we

experienced

from

all

of

that urbanity, which, in despite

Economy, Literature, and the Fine Arts.

its

The

following persons were

Members.
(Tliose

marked with an

asterisk

had

left

Egypt

at the time

of our

arrival.)

MATHEMATICS.
Andreossy.

Costa;?.

Mains.
Monije.

Buonaparte. Fourier, perpetual

Secretary of the
Jnstilut^

Girard.

Lancret.

Le Pere.
* Le Roy.

Nouet. Quesnot.

PHYSICS.
* Beauchamp.
Delisle.

Dubois (phe),
Geoffroy.

* Berthollet.
Bi)udet.

Descotiis.

Des^enettes.
(pere).

Larrey.
Savigjtiv.

Champy
Cont^.

* Dolomieu.

POLITICAL ECONOMY
Corancey. * Du:na. * Fauvelet-Bourienne.
Jacotin.

Revnier.
Tailieri.

* Poussielque.

LITERATURE
* Denoi). Dutertre.
Protaiii.

and

ARTS.
Ri^o.
Riffel.

* Parseval.

Le

Pere.

Norry.

Don-Raphael. Redout^.

Ripaut.

To

these Sections of the Institute were also annexed the followirrg

persons, under the several beads of

Librarians.

Commission of Agricnllrzre,

Coqucbert.

Mechain.

Champy
Nectous.

(pert).

Delisle.

ALEXANDRIA.
of the impressions and prejudices caused by the

377
chap.
.

consequences of

hostility,

and the lawless deeds

of a promiscuous soldiery during- the ravages of

COMMISSION
Anliquaries.

of

ABTS

and

SCIENCES.
Bert re. Lecesne. Laroclie. Faurie.

GeograjMcal Engineers.
Jacotiii.
Sinioiiel.

* Ripault.
Balzac. Pere.

* Pourlier.

Architecls.

Le

Norry. Piotuiu.
Aslro7iomers.

Levesque.
Joniard.

Corabeuf.

Nouet. * Quesnot.
Deslisle.

M^chain
Jiulanists.

(jUsJ-

Engineers' Constructors.

Boucher.
Cliauniiint.

* Gresl^.

Oriental Eiterature.

Nectoux.
Chemists.

Coquebert.

Marcel. * Juubert.
Belletele.

Raige. Delaporte.
Literati.

* BertlioUet.

Descotils.

Champy
* Dubois. Labate.

(pere J.

Cliampy

(JilsJ.

Surgeons.

* Denon, * Parseval.
Cont^.
Adnits fperej .
Aiu)^.
Collin.

Lerouge.
Mechanics.
Coutelle,
Artists.

Lacypierre.

Artist fur Design.

Dutertre.
Geomrlricians.

Adn^s

fjllsj.

Couvreur.

* Mon^e.
Fourier.

Costaz. C'orancey.

Engraver. Fouquet.
Civil Engineers.

C.Lcile f .Mechanical Engineer). Lenoir (Mathem. Instrument Maker).

Musicians.
Rigel.
Villoteau. Mineralogists,

Le

Pere.

Caristie.

* Dolomicu.
Cordier,

Roziere,

Girartl.

Favier.

Dupuy.
I^^aturalixt.'!.

Faye.

Dubois.
Devilliers.

LePere {Gratian).
Martin. Saint Genis, Lancrct.
Fevre. Chabrol.
Jollois.
'

Moline.

Geoffroi.

Savigny.

Duehanoy.
Alibert.

Painters, Redo ubte, ( Painter of Nat. Hist.)

Regnault. Bernard,
Potier.

Rigo.
Apothecaries.

Boudet.

Rouhicres.
Sculptor.

Raffeneau. Arnolet.

Viard.

Casteix.

; ;

378
CHAP,
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
war, must yet be considered as the distinguishing characteristic of the French people, in their

conduct

even

towards

their

enemies.

We

assured them, that although our business in

Alexandria related to the literary acquisitions

made for their

nation

by

their

army

in

Egypt,

it

had nothing whatsoever

to

do with the private

;

collections or journals of individuals

and there-

fore we hoped they would allow us to compare notes with them upon certain points of observation, in

which we might be mutually interested

solicited permission to consult

and we further
the splendid

map

of Egypt which their geogra-

phers had completed.

This proposition was

;

not acceded to on their part

it

nor, perhaps,

was

reasonable, at that time, to expect that our

request could be complied with.

candidly confessed,

that

it

They very would give them

pleasure to satisfy our curiosity anywhere else

but

that,

under the present circumstances, they

could only consider our inquiry as likely to lead

to additional

demands on
;

the part of our

this

Com-

mander-in-chief

and

for

reason alone

they must decline

acceding to our request.

We

had,

however, a short conversation with

them upon the subject of the Ruins of Sais, which their countryman Savary had mentioned

among

the desirable

objects of discover}^ in

ALEXANDRIA.
Egypt
'

379

although Egmont and Heyman had pub-

lished their notice of

them twenty years before

Savary began the account of his travels in the

country-.
their

These Ruins had altogether escaped

observation.

They

said that their

re-

searches had always been restricted to the march

of their army, and therefore, in Lower Egypt, had

been principally confined to the western side of the Nile ; that they had heard of the ruins at
S'el Hojtir,

but did not conceive them to be so

as

considerable

we had

found them.

Being

asked

whether

any of them had seen the

sepulchre,

interior of an Egyptian

containing
the

mummies, before
s\vered in the

the

position of

bodies

had been disturbed

by the Arabs, they annegative. With this information

we

took our leave of them, accompanied by

one of the younger Members of the Institute, who kindly offered to accompany us to the

Catacombs of Necropolis,
o{ Alexandria.
to examine.

lying

westward

These we were now desirous

Among
brated

all

the antiquities of this once cele-

crypttc
polis!^*^"^

city,

which

after

the

destruction

of

(1) See S?flr/s Letters (2; Snvary'^ first Letter

on
is

'5i(/>t',

vi.l.

II.
'.'4,

Lett. 73.
1T77.

L-^nd. \1%6.

dated Ju^;/

380
^yj^'

ALEXANDRIA.
Carthage ranked next to

Rome

in

magnitude and

population, the Cryptte of

least

Necropolis are the

known, and the most wonderful.

in

They
of

have been incidently but not frequently mentioned,

the

various

descriptions
'

given
;

Alexandria in books of modern travels

but the

Antients have

left

us

much

in the

dark concernafter

ing their history.

Strabo indeed,

giving

an account of a navigable canal which extended

from the Old Port to the Lnlce Mareods, carries

his observations luestward,
combs,

and notices the CataIn the

under the name of Necropolis*.

is

very brief description which he has given of

them, enough
racteristic

said to prove that every cha-

of the

most antient coemeteries of

to

Oriental nations belonged

them;

for

they

were suburban, and were

situate in the midst

(1)
tt

See the ^'Description

1740.

ile

VEgypte," par Maillet,

Land. 1756, &c.

torn. I. p.

169.

la

Hay e,

Pococke's Descr. of the East, vol.1.

J^iid. 1743.

iVorrfe'5 Travels, vol. I. p. 17.

Suvari/'s Letters

on

^iyP^i ^'ol- L }). 43. Lond. 1786. An Extract frum Savary may afford a specimen of the manner in which these Catacombs have been generally
noticed.

This writer does not seem to have ever entered them.

is

"At

half a league's distance to the southward of the town,

into
tlie to

the descent

Catacombs, the antient asylum of the dead,

ffinding passages

lead

the subterraneous grottoes

ri

where they were deposited."

(2) eT/

NsxjosroX/;, ro -r^aaiTTvov {sic leg.

Cod.MSS. Medic. Esc.

xjjrToi

et

Paris

Vid.

Led.

Var. in Slrabon. edit. Oxon.)

Jv

-rnXXoi

ica.)

TH^a,) x,ai

ttaTKyaiya), t^o; ra; rx^i^^iix; tmv n^^^ean

Irrtrr^iieci.

Slraboi. Giog, lib. X\ii.

;\1123. ed. Oxon. 1807.

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
of gardens'.

381
severe
^^,^^*
VII.

Enough remains,

also, in the

simplicity of their structure,

and

in

the few

Egyptian symbols found within them, to shew

that they are of earlier antiquity than the foundation of Alexandria

by the Macedonians, even if we

to

had not the most decisive evidence

prove that

the regal sepulchres of the Alexandrian monarchs

were within the

city.

As

repositories of the

(3)

"And

be was buried
In the

in his Sepulchre,

in

the Garden of Uzza,"

(^Kings xxi.

:2G.)

same chapter,

ver. 18, it is said oi

Manasseh,

that " he slept with his fathers, and was buried iu the garden of his
house,
in

own

the Garden oi Uzza:" that

is

to say,

in

the garden of the

sepulchre of his own house, or famili/;

tlie

coemeteries of the Jews e\-

htbiting always a series of gardens, each of which belonged to

some

particular family.
religious worship.

Among
Thus

the Heathens such gardens were places of

in Isaiah, [c. Ixv. 3.)

" A people that provoketh

me

to anger continually to
is

my

face,

that sacrificeih in gaj-dens."

An

illustration

hereby suggested of a remarkable passage in Ezekielf

(c.xiii. 19, 20.)

" And

will

ye pollute

slay the souls that should not die

....

Behold

me among my people ... to I am against your pillows,

wherewith

hunt the souls into gardens." The Garden to j e there which our Saviour " oftimes resorted with his Disciples," at^the foot of the Mount of Olives, "over the Brook Cedron," {John xviii. 1, 2.) was,
hi all probability, a place for pious meditation,
i?i

the midst of Tombs;

for the antient Jewish sepulchres extend over all the base of the

moun-

tain opposite to Jerusalem.

bis
t\\z

Hither he retired to pray, the night before

his

crucifixion.

And when

body was buried, " as the manner of

the sepulchre wherein they

Jews

is

to bury,"
in

(t/oAw xix.40, 41.)

laid

The same custom of adorning coemeteries with gardens, and resorting to them for meditation and prayer, still exists among all the Eastern Jews, who write upon the tomb of a deceased person, " Lt his soul be in the garden of Eden ;" also among
him was
Garden."
the Moslems over
all

"a

the Turkish Empire.

It is said also of

theMexicans

(See Purchas's Pilgrim, p. 804.

Lond. 1614.)

"The

places where they

buried them were their Gardens."

382
CHAP.
VII.

ALEXANDRIA.
dead, they were consequently places of wor-

whose dark and subterraneous caverns were aptly suited to the ideas entertained of
ship,

serapeum
uj

Hades, the invisible abode of departed spirits'. Of such a nature was the Setapeum of Racotis,
described as of

Kacotis.

much

earlier antiquity than the

temple of the same name founded by one of the

Racotis was in ruins before the building of Alexandria'; and the Crypice of NePtolemies'^.

cropolis, from their situation, can be attributed

only to that antient city\

Having before shewn

that the worship of Serapis in Egypt anterior

that
to

was long by

the

introduction of an idol under

as related

name

by Ptolemy Soter\

(1) VLxXiZfiii

oi TOM

alrlv touts*

xoci

'Papain* TCf ai^n oriXotori.

ufiCToc xai iixaioraTa.

fTplt c> fnffir

aiu vopiuirScu ra; ^v^a; tuv (iiucatTuv,

alio

nomine Serapim
:

vocaiiius, et qui est uiltii,

" QueiU DOS sub aspeetuui minimi

fid.

cadens

ad

quem

Plato sublimes ait evehi illorum animas, qui (]uam

optime justissimeque vixerunt."

Jublomki Panth. ^gi/pt.
(2)

Juliamis Imp. Orut. iv.p. 136.

2Z7.

torn. I. p.

Franco/. 1750.
Isidi

" Fuerat
'

illic

sacellum SerapiJi atque

antiquitus sacratum."

Titcit. Hist. lib. iv. c. 84.

(3)

Nam

Racotis, quee postea nonni-^i

suburbium Alexandrise
illic

fuit,

diu ante
Juhlnjiski

urbem banc re^iam ab Alexaiidro erectam,

Panlhenn .^gyptiorum ,
torn- I. p.

steterat.

fid,

231. Francof.
p. 432.

1750.
lib.

Also
xvii.

the authors by bim cited.

7'. .'545.

Pausanias,

lib. v.

Strabo,

Plinitis, lib.v.

c. 10.

Clemens Alexandrinus, Protreptico, p. Z\.

ifc. ^"c.

Slejihanus Ethnicngraphus , in voce 'Vaxurvst

(4) t/ublonski, &c. ubi supra.
(5)

See Chap. V.

p.

263, Note (5), of this volume.

In addition to

the evidence there offered for the antiquity of the worship of Serapis
in

Egypt, may be also cited the follo\vinj powerful argument,

as

urged

by

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
Tacitus^,

383
chap.
VII.
v

and also mentioned the authorities which

refer its origin to the death of the Patriarch Jo^e/)/i'>

it

.,

,/

will

be proper briefly to notice the opinion of

Jablonshi, as to this part of the ^7//;^fa7z mythology

because a symbol which

we

discovered, forming Remark^ ""

VoX.

a central and conspicuous ornament of the Catacombs,

may seem

to strengthen his opinion,

and

thereby shew that here was the Serapeum of

Racotis.

He endeavours to prove,
by

from various

authorities, but principally

a passage

which
that

he has cited from the Saturnalia oi Macrohius^,

that
is

Serapis was a type o^ ihe

sun during
or
loiuer
;

infeiiial sun,

to say, of the

its

course through

the

hemisphere,

winter signs of the

or path of

Zodiac as

Ammon was of the supernal,

bv Cuper

in

his Ilarpocrates, p. 83. Ulrecht, 1687.

" Ante advectum

ex Ponto Serapin, alius in ^Egypto eodem nomine deus colebatur.

Pausanias,
lib.
i.

scribit

Athenicnses Serapidis cultum a Ptolemaeo

aj;(;;a/'rari>

accepisse, et templuin ejus s'T'Pavav(fTaTa esse Alexandrinis,

Ss

Mifi(p!i:

unde abs([ue dubio sequitur, ante Ptolemsium Lagi

F. si

is,

ut plerique tradunt, Sinopensem deuni advehi curavit, Sarafin in

/Egypxo cultum fuisse."

(6)
7'i/cit.

Histor.

lib. iv.

cap. 84.

Chap V. of this volume, as above cited. (8) " Hoc art^umeiitum ^i!:g-yptii lucidius absolvunt, ipsius simulacra pinnata finijentes ; quibus color apud iUt^ noa unus
(7) See

soJis
est.

Alterum enim caernlcA

specie, alterum

clarA fingunt

ex his clarum
Soli datur,

superum,*et cjerulemu inferum vocant. Inferi autem

ncmen

cum
va(.

in inferiore hemisphasrio, id est

hyematibus

signis,

cursum suum

peragit; superi,
lib.
I

cum partem

Zodiaci ambit sestivam." Macrob. Salur-

e. 19.

,.

384
^^!^^'

ALEXANDRIA.
Hence the name of Hades, bestowed upon Serapis by the Emperor Julian^, and the analogy between this
the sun during the

VI

summer months \

deity and the Pluto of the Greks\

Macrobius, the Egyptians

According to
to represent

were wont

the sun, in their winged images of that luminary,

with two colours'*; one being

of

white, as typical
Z;/2/e,

^mmon

or the supernal sun ; the other

s

to

denote Serapis, or the sun

during winter,
of infernal^.
that

descent into Hades

when

it

received the appellation

It is a

very curious circumstance,

of colour mentioned
all

the

distinctions

by

Macrobius

may be noticed in

the mythological

paintings of the Taktars,

the Chinese,

and the

fl)

"

Sol .??<;>7 et

clams

est

Ammon.

Sol caeruletis et in/erus est

torn. I.

ut mihi persuadeo, Serapjs."

Franco/. 1750.
(2)

Jablmsk. Panth.^gypt.

p. 235.

See the observation of Julian upon Serapis, as before

Alexund. adversus Julian, p.
1

cited.

See

also

Cijrill.
'

3.

(3)

Scriptores plerique, ubi ad Sernpidcm

eorum

deflectit oratio,
Jablonslti, ubi

eum

fer^

semper Phitonem interpretari

soliti

fuerint."

supra, p. 23S.

See also the authors by him cited.

Diodorus,

lib. i.

p. 22. Clemens Alexandr. in Protreptico, passim.

Eusebius, Prcpparat

Evang. lib.m.
p. 13S.
Cyrill.

c.ll. p. 113.

P&rphyrius Juliamts,
in Julian, p. 13.

Imp. Oral.

4.

Alexandr.

lib.'i.

Aristides, OratiatLC in

Serapim, passim.
(4) Vid.
(5')

Mdcrob. Saturnal. ubi supra.

Hence, perhaps, the very antient superstition of the blue colour of flame at the approach of departed spirits, coming from Hades. One
of the Witches in Macbeth begins her incantation,
U'hite!"
Sj'c,

"Blue

spirils

and

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
people of Japan, where an image of the Sun
introduced;
is

385
ciiap
\ II.
,
'

but with this difference, that the

colours, instead of being while and blue, are ivJdte

and red ". The inhabitants of some parts

as
it is

of India,

well known,

who

are worshippers of the as well as the

visible

Sun,

revere

the

invisible

luminary; the former of which answers to AIAH2

and AOPATOS of the Egyptians and the Greeks\ This notion of J<'/Z'/omA7 concerning Serapis is by him opposed to an opinion of the Fathers, which maintained that Serapis was a symbol of
Joseph: but even admitting
fullest extent,
it
it

to

be true

in its

will rather serve to confirm that

opinion,

if

attention be paid to the titles

which
of the

the Egyptians were accustomed to bestow upon

their
deified

princes.

The language

valuable Inscription on the Rosetta Tablet will set

this truth in a

very clear point of view:

we

there
made

(6)

The

reader

may

see such representations in the engravings

tribes. [Vol.
I.

from the sacred Pictures of the Calmuck

p. 320, octavo edit.)

of these Travels,

In three of those pictures, this double representa;

tion of the

Sun

is

introduced

although the plate have not been coloured,

andtheminutiasof the distinction werelittleattended toby the engraver.

In the original drawings, one orb
is

red,

and the other white.

The

author at
(7)

first

supposed they were intended for the Sun and Moon.

u'X'arov

^^a^sa Tov ToivTuv

^lov

'ififiiv

idai,

'HiXisv Se 6ioiu;,

Die Deorum omnium supremum esse lao,

Quem hyeme orcum

.(Estate

vocant, iaeunte

autem vere Jovcm,

"

porro Solem.

Jam

VOi.. V.

C C

386
CHAP,
i

ALEXANDRIA.
find the
''

deceased sovereign mentioned, as being

"

LIKE THE GREAT Vulcan'." He is said to be EVEN AS THE SuN, THE GREAT KING OF THE
aiid his
If,

UPPER AND LOWER REGIONS";" is called " Son of the Sun^"

successor

therefore, the

Sun

m Hades,

according to the most antient

my-

thology of Egypt,

was

called Serapis, Joseph

having descended thither, and being *' even as th e

Sun," according to a style of

deification

which

was

invariable in Egypt,

where the customs of

its cli-

the country were almost as unalterable as

mate, would receive the appellation of Serapis,

after the

same manner

in

which the name of

Vulcan,

father of the Sun*, was, so

many

ages

*'

Jam bene

intelligitur,

quam bene

et recte auctor versuura allatorum

aiSv,

affirmet,

Solem ab jEgyptiis, tempore hyberno vocari

eum, qui non

videtur,

quoniam nempe lux ejus, illo anni tempore, sub terram demersa est. Eundem Pseudo-Callisthenes di\\t Kipamv tou 'Sivur'iov,
Eustathius vero, eodem loco
coli-"

invisibilem in Sinopio.

allatus, testatur

Serapim in Sinopio Metnphi

pp. 236, 238.
(1) Kafid^ip
(2)
Ka^tiTfifi

Jablonsk. Panth.

^gypt.

torn, J.

Franco/. 1750.
"Uipaiffros o f/iya;.

"hXioi, fiiya;

jicctriXiii}

rav ri avu xat

tuii

ri

y.oiru

^^fuu

The word x'^f'^''>

in this Inscription, has been usually translated disiricts,

with reference to the division of Egypt into upper and lower; but this division is of modern date ; and the Sun would hardly be styled " Kin"^

of Upper and Lower Egypt." The expression seems to be metaphorical, and rather applicable to the antient notions concerning Sol Supenis

and Sof In/erus;

(3)

as

mentioned by MacroUus.

t'loZ <rou 'HX'mu,

(4) See

Note

(1).

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
after,

38/
of

applied to Ptolemy,

by

the

priests

chap.

We

will detain the

;

Reader no longer with

Descent
^crlpta.

but proceed to a survey of the surprising- repositories that have given rise

such observations

to them,

and which received among the Antients

the appropriate appellation of the " City of the Dead." Nothing so marvellous ever fell within

our observation

but in Upper Egypt, perhaps,

works of a

similar nature

may have been found.

The
dicea,

Cryptce of Jerusalem, Tortosa, Jehilee, Lao-

and Tehnessus\ are excavations of the

kind, but far less extensive.

same
us,

They enable

however, to trace the connection which

the nations bordering the eastern coast of
;

antiently existed in the sepulchral customs of

all

the Mediterranean

from the shores of Carthage

to Palcestine, to Phce-

and of Cyrene, to Egypt, nicia, and to Asia Minor.

An

inclination

comof

mon

to

man,

in

every period of his history,

the
patriarchal
ages,

but particularly in

being finally " gathered unto his fathers/'

explain
the

may
in

prodigious

labour bestowed

(5)

See Chap. VII. of the Fourth Volume of these Travels,

;

p.

323,

&c. Octavo Edition

also the observations in

Note

(4) of the

same

page, as to the situation of such sepulchres,

C C 2

388
CHAP.
VII
\\iQ

ALEXANDRIA,
construction of these
.

'

brimevai
.

sepulchres.
-^

Wheresoever the roving Phoenicians extended their colonies, whether to the remotest parts of Africa, or of Europe, even to the most distant
islands

of their

descendants the
rigid

Celtce in the

Northern Ocean, the same

and religious

adherence to
noticed
'.

tliis

early practice

may

yet be

The Alexandrian guides

the

to the Catacombs will

not be persuaded to enter them without using

precaution of a clue of thread, in order

to secure their retreat.

provided with a ball

were therefore of twine to answer this

dark cham-

We

purpose; and also with a quantity of wax tapers,

to light our passage through these

bers.

They

are

situate

about half a league

along the shore, to the icestward of the present

qjty.

The whole
in ruins.

coast exhibits the remains of

other sepulchres, that have been violated, and

are

now

The name

of Cleopatra s Bath

(l)

Among

the Wild Irish, every avocation yields to the paramount

its

duty of conveying a corpse to

destination, whatsoever
its

mav be

the

distance of the place designed for

interment.
fulfil

When

the bearers

arrive with a coffin, which, in order to

the wishes of the deof the country,

ceased,

is

to be carried to

some distant

]iart

thev
rest,

deposit

it

in the middle of the first village or

town at which they

its

whence

it is

immediately forwarded by others who become

volun-

tary supporters.

'\Al.aCJSSj\?J.mmi

A'.'f //^/VYj)/!^///^ /Jr,1^/r/

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
has been
sriven to

389
into
citap.
VII.

an

artificial
;

reservoir,

which the sea has now^ access

reason
tained:
if it
it it is

but for what

has been so called, cannot be ascera bason

hewn

out of the rock; and

it

ever were intended for a bath,

was, in

all

where they washed the bodies of the dead before they were embalmed.
probability, a place

Shaiu

maintained that the Cryptce of Necro-

polis were not intended for the reception of

niummies, or embalmed bodies*;

is

in

which he
iS'^ra^'o^

decidedly contradicted by the textof

Perhaps he was one of those who had been induced to adopt the erroneous notion that

mummies were

placed upright upon their feet

in Egyptian sepulchres,

and therefore was

at a

loss to reconcile the horizontal position of the

Thecce with his preconceived notions.

We

shall

presently have very satisfactory evidence of the

manner

in

which embalmed bodies were

laid,

when

deposited within these tombs by the inha-

bitants of Egypt, before the foundation oi Alexandria.

closed,

The and

original entrance to
it

them

is

now
from

is

externally

concealed

{2) " The Ciypla, &c. were not intended for the reception of mummies or embalmed bodies." Shaw's Travels, p. 293. Lond. 1757.

(3) Kai KOLrayaytii, Tpof ras ra^i^^sla} ru> iiK^m itirmitou.

Slrobon.

Geogr.

lib. xvii.

p. 1128.

Oxon. 1807.

390
CHAP,
observation.
to

ALEXANDRIA.
The only place whereby admittance
is

the interior

practicable,

may be

found

facing the sea, near an angle towards the north:

it is

a small aperture,

made through

the soft

and sandy rock, either by burrowing animals,

or

by men

for the

purpose of ransacking the

is

ccemetery. This aperture

to admit a person

barely large enough

upon

his

hands and knees'.

encounter
jackals,^

Here

it

is

not unusual to

escaping from the interior,

when alarmed by
this

any person approaching: on

a gun, or
kind.
tapers,
pistol, to

account the

guides recommend the practice of discharging

prevent any sally of this

Having passed this aperture with lighted we arrived, by a gradual descent, at a

filled

square chamber, almost

right

with earth

to the

and

left

of this are smaller apartments,

:

chiseled in the rock

either side of
it,

each of these contains on

except that of the entrance, a

Soros for the reception of a

mummy;
all

but owing

to the accumulation of sand in

of them, this

part of the Catacombs cannot be examined with-

out great

difficulty.

Leaving the
still

first

chamber,
either

we

found a second of

larger dimensions,

having four Cryptce with

Soroi,

two on

(l)

Seethe aperture marked A,

in the

annexed Plan of the Cata-

coiobs.

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
side,

391
chap.
'

and a

fifth at its

extremity towards the

south-east.

the

ivest,

From hence, penetrating towards we passed through another forced

conducted us into a square without any receptacles for dead
passage,

y.

aperture, which

chamber
bodies
;

thence, pursuing a south-ivestern course,

we

persevered in effecting a

over

heaps of sand, from one chamber to another, admiring everywhere the same extraordinary
effects of labour

and ingenuity,

until

we found
passages,

ourselves bewildered with so

that our clue of thread

many

ance than
be.

we at At last we

first

believed

became of more importit would prove to

which had every
for a regal repo-

reached the stately antechamsepulchre,

ber of the principal

appearance of being intended

sitory.
It

was of a

circular

form^ surmounted

by a

beautiful dome,

hewn

out of the rock, with

exquisite perfection, and the purest simplicity of

workmanship.
observed

In a few of the chambers

we

pilasters, resembling, in their style of

architecture, the Doric, with architraves, as in

some of the most

salem
solid
;

antient sepulchres near to Jeruall

but they were

rock.

integral parts of the

The dome covering

the circular

(2)

See

of the annexed Plan.

392
CFiAP.
^.
y
>

ALEXANDRIA.
chamber was without ornament
to
it
;

the entrance

being from the north-west.

entrance was a handsome
;

Opposite to
square Crypt

this

with three Soroi

other
Crijptce,

and

to the right

and

left

were

similarly surrounded with places

for the dead.

Over the entrance

the
relief,

to this sepul-

chre

we
\,

observed

remarkable
2v'uh

symbol,
extended

sculptured in
tvhigs

of an Orb

It is to this hieroglyphical sign that allusion

was before made

for this

seems evidently to

represent the subterraneous Sun, or

Rus, as mentioned
latter

Sol ixfeand
if

by Macrobius
it

^
;

the

be

Serapis, as

is

maintained to be by
cir-

JablonsJii\

we have

almost a proof that the

l)

In one of Colonel Squire's Letters to his brother, dated Alexit is

andrin, Christmas-day, 1801,

stated, that he

saw

"

Crescent" over

the entrance to the circular chamber, and

tliat it is

perhaps on that

account vulgarly called " the Temple of Diana." Perhaps Colonel Squire mistook the Orb for a Crescent, by discernine: only a part of
the symbol above mentioned.

The

author's description of the intewritten from

rior of these Catacombs was, of necessity,

memory ;

it

being almost impossible

certainl y saw the
it,:

to

n)ake notes while exploring them.

He

symbol of the Orb with wings,

were over the Entrance

as he has described

but whether

it

to the circular

Temple, or

within the

Dome

of the

Temple over

the entrance to the

" handsome

square Crypt" mentioned above, he cannot positively affirm.

(2) Saturnalia, lib.
(Z)
i.

c. 19.

VanMa. ^gypt.

tom.L

p. 235.

Franco/. 1570.

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
cular shrine

393
chap.
^^^'

was

the antieut Seraphim o^ Racoth,

All the rest of the his-

alluded to by Tacitus\

tory of these Catacombs seems to be involved in darkness, impervious as that which pervades

every avenue of the excavated chambers.

We

endeavoured

to

penetrate farther towards the

south-west and south, and found that another

complete wing of the vast fabric extended

in

those directions; but the labour of the research

was

excessive.

The

cryptce

upon the

south-west

side corresponded with those

which we have
In the middle

described towards the north-east.

between the two, a long range of chambers extended from the centra and circular shrine, to-

wards the
to

north-west;

and

in this direction

appears

have been the principal and original entrance.

it,

Proceeding towards

we came
fabric,

to

a large

room

between the supposed Serapeum and the main outlet, or

in the

middle of the

portal,

towards the
elaborate

sea.
;

Here the workmanship

to the right

was very

and

and

left

were chambers, with receptacles ranged paralFarther on, in the same lel to each other.
direction,
is

a passage with galleries and spa;

cious apartments on either side

perhaps the

KATArarAI mentioned by
(4)

Straho for

embalming

Tacit. Histor. lib.

iv.

c.

84.

394
CHAP,
VII. ^'

CATACOMBS OF NECROPOLIS.
the dead
priests,
;

or the chambers
.

belonging to the
.

who
but

constantly officiated in the Serais

peum.

In the front
;

a kind of vestihulum, or
difficult to ascer-

porch
tain

it

is

exceedingly
nature

precisely

the

of the

excavation
in

towards the main entrance, from the manner

which

it is

now choked with

earth and rubbish.

it

If this part were laid open,

is

possible that

something further would be known as to the

design of the undertaking
;

and, at

all

events,

one of the most curious of the antiquities of

Egypt would then be exposed

tion
it

to the investigasix hours

merits.

Having passed about

in exploring, to the best of our ability, these

gloomy mansions, we regained, by means of

our clue, the aperture by which

we had

entered,

and quitted them

for ever.

We

have now concluded almost

all

that reto our

lates to our residence in Alexandria,

and

observations in Egypt.

A journey
;

to the Oasis

would have been a desirable completion of the African part of our travels but our friend Mr. Hammer, in whose company we hoped to have made it, had left the country and neither our health nor the disposition of the Arabs were
;

favourable to the
noticing

undertaking.

We

forbear

many

interesting objects of curiosity in

ALEXANDRIA.
Alexandria, particularly
its

395
cisterns,
^}}^^^' VII.

prodigious

which are coeval with the city, because they have so often been described. The difficulty of " knowing when to have done," is perhaps
never more sensibly
fertile
felt,

than in a territory so

of resources as that
is

The time

perhaps not

now leaving. distant, when Alex-

we

are

andria alone, a city once so vain of

its

great

reputation and the rank

states, shall again

it

held

among

the

Pagan

become the

resort, if not the will dedicate

residence, of learned men,

their time

who

and
its

their talents to a better investi'.

gation of

interesting antiquities
its

So

little

are

we

acquainted with

valuable remains,

that not a single excavation for purposes of dis-

covery has yet been begun

excepting
the

nor
its

is

there any
his-

thing published with regard to

tory,

modern
that

observations

have

resulted from the hasty survey

lorn and desolated havens,

made

of

its for-

by a few

travellers

whose

transitory visits
their

ended almost with the

Scarcely had

days of

arrivaP.

we

felt

(1)

A local work

of this kind, restricted entirely to the Antiquities

might complete one of the most splendid and valuable publications which have yet been added to the archives of taste and
of Alexandria,

of literature.
(2)

very curious instance

is

afforded by Bruce,

who wrote an

account of Alexandria, and,

the city.

literally, did

not spend one entire day in

He was

at sea

on the morning of the twentieth of June, 1768,

previously

S1>G

ALEXANDRIA.
^^^

^vu"'

importance of more accurate and careful

inquiry, than, like our predecessors,

we

also

prepared for our departure.

the French garrison

few days before

to

march out with the honours of war, we set out upon a visit to the Capudan Pasha, who was encamped
with the Turkish troops, in the rear of the British

was allowed

army.

He had
we

promised us a passage, on
to

board a Turkish
Archipelago; and

frigate,

any part of the

hastened to receive a letter

from him

to the Captain, previously to the ves-

sel's sailing for Constantinople.

As soon

as

we

reached the Pasha's tent, he asked after the

author
s

brother. Captain Clarke, and desired to

see him.

Being told that he had sailed with a

part of the French

that

army

to Marseilles, he

begged

we would convey

a verbal message to Sir

Richard Bicker ton, then in the old port of j4lexandria.

This message contained nothing less

than a rquest that the Turkish fleet might have

permission to enter that port before the surrender

of the city to the English army.

We

had con-

sequently to return back to Alexandria, and give

up our own business

for the present.

previously to
vol.
I.

liis

landing at Alexandria

fSee Bruce' b
left

Travels,

p. 7. Edin,

MQO.J

and

in the afternoon

that city ior

Uosetta.

ALEXANDRIA.
Arriving on board Sir Richard's ship,

S97

we

de'

chap.

livered our message, and were invited into his

cabin to dinner

but being desirous of carrying

his

back
the

his

answer that evening, we dechned

polite offer.

He had

before positively refused Conductor

:

same request from the Pasha

for
it

its

renewal

<^

Pasha.

was
nent
to

therefore troublesome, and even imperti;

was well known

to Sir Richard,

and

it had no other design for its payment of the Turkish GaleonThe Capudan gies by the plunder of the city. Pasha was a person upon whom no reliance

Lord

Keith, that

basis than the

could be placed, although he had not then manifested

all

the atrocity of his character

Beijs
'

by the

murder of the

however, he received us

(l) This

happened soon after our departure.

are thus detailed by Colonel Squire,

transaction, in

a Letter
1801.

to his

The circumstances who was an eye-witness of tha Brotlier, the Rev. E. Squire, dated Alexof the real or supposed
this, in

andria, Oct,

\,

None

massacres of

Buonaparte can he said to have equalled

treachery or atrocity.

We

are

now
you

eng'asjed in a sort of warfare with th^Turlts.

will

Before
to

this arrives,

have heard the cause

but as you

may wish

have an accurate account of

the principal circumstances.

this horrible affair, I shall detail to

you

The Capudan Pasha, whose encampvisit.

ment was

in

the rear of the English, wrote to some of the Beys at

Cairo, requestinff

them

to

honour him with a

had

They accepted
an intimacy

his invitation, although they

been frequently admonished by

in too great

Sir J. (now Lord) Hutchinson, not to engage

with the Turks.

They were escorted from

Rosetta to the

Alexandria, by an English guard, and ,they remained with the

camp off Pasha

under our immediate protection.

retuTH to
Ca'm-o,

Two

days previous to their intended

the Pasha proposed an excursion to Jlerandrta.

During

398
CHAP,
^^..^

ALEXANDRIA.
with great politeness, but returned this brief

and pithy answer

which presumed
to

that

''

the first Turkish ship

ivas sur-

enter,

before the city

During
proof of
assassin

their visit, the

civility

and kindness.

Turk had loaded them with every pretended The very day on which this dastardly
by
at
his

perpetrated his black design, he swore

of the Beys

beard, in

presence

who were

breakfasting

his table,

and

by the
friend

holy

Koran which was before him, that he was

their firm

and supporter.

When

the entertainment was nearly concluded,

an attendant came into the Pasha's tent, to inform his Highness that
a sufficient

number

of horses and trappings could nut be procured for

the whole of the retinue.

highly incensed at the messenger

The Pasha, hearing " However,"

this,

pretended to be

said he,

"Gentlemen,

we wiU

not le disappointed in our excursion

my

boats are in the lake,

close to the

camp, and we may proceed

to

Alexandria by vrater, where

us in the city."

your Mamalukes, and

my

attendants,
:

may meet

The

cunning of

this

is

evident

he separates the Beys from their body-

guard, that there

may

be no prospect of an effectual resistance.

The

poor unsuspecting Beys embarked with the Pasha, and, attended by

four or five boats, steered towards the inundation.

Scarcely had they

advanced a quarter of a mile from the "shore, when a boat arrived,

with a messenger who pretended
to

have a particular despatch for the

the

Pasha from
letter,

Constantinople.

The Turk immediately opening

apologized to the Beys, saying that he was obliged to answer

the despatch, but that he would afterwards follow them to Alexandria.

In this manner he
the

left

the Beys, and returned in the small boat to

camp

by this

artifice avoiding the

exposure of his

own person

in

the scuffle that was to ensue.

alter their course,

Shortly after his departure, the boats

for Aboukir

and steer

Bay, with an intention of

putting the Beys on board the Sultan Selitn, there at anchorage.

The
first

Beys now perceived the whole design of

remonstrated
;

this

dark plot.

They

then resisted

and, exclaiming they were betrayed, a

discharge of musketry was poured upon

them from two

or three of

the boats.

Endeavouring
fought

to

defend themselves, they were attacked

by the crew of the Pasha's boat with swords.

this,

Notwithstanding

all

they

manfully

with

their

poignards.

Osman Bev

ToMBOURGEE, The event of

succcssor to

MouRAD Bey,

received seventeen wounds.

this affair was, that of seven

Beys, and a Cashef or

Prime

ALEXANDRIA.
rendered, would instantly he sunk.''
It

399

sun-set

when

the author reached once

was towards more the

magnificent Turkish pavilion of audience, stationed on the borders of the Lak<^ of Abouldr,

Prime Minister, two were killed with the Cashef, one was most cruelly wounded, and two were drowned. Two only remain, who were made
prisoners by the

hired assassins of the Pasha,

The whole

of this

transaction being reported to Sir J. {noyi Lord) Hutchinson, he

diately waited
calling

imme.

upon the Pasha at the head of

his troops, and, after

him, to

his face, liar, coward, villain, assasnn,

and using every

were dead, as well as of the

who Thus intimidated by the spirited behaviour of the English General, the Pasha delivered up the three The three dead bodies, togetlier with the persons of the living. bodies were interred, with military honours, within the city. Thus
the Beys; of those
living.

menace and other opprobrious expression burst into tears, he demanded the bodies of

until the

mean

traitor

the English have taken a very decided part in favour of the

lukes,

Mama-

and God knows what

;

will

be the event.
'is

We are

in

complete

possession of ^/e^awrfria

no armed T'wrA

permitted to enter the

Ca'iro.

town.

The same
all

sort of scene has

been attempted at

The
.

Vizier pretended to invite the Iieys,'?Lnd to present

them with

pelisses

they have

been seized, although

have not yet heard that any

Sir J. Hutchitison has

violence has yet been offered to their persons.

threatened,

it is said,

to

march an army against

the Vizier,

if

he do

not immediately release the Bei/s from their confinement.

Whatever

may have been

the policy of England, our General has conducted

HIMSELF WITH HONOUR AND PROPRIETY.

He

could not havc remained

an inactive spectator of such base transactions.

his

The Beys were under

laws of hospi-

immediate protection; therefore, by the

common
tfieir

tality,

he was bound to declare himself their guardian.

His own
I

honour, and that of his country, were pledged for

this

safety.

saw
did

INFAMOUS TRANSACTION from our camp.

of the

was witness to the

I

firing

musketry

but not suspecting what was passing,

not take particular notice of the circumstaoce."

Colonel Squiie's

MS.

Correspondence,

400
CHAP,
.

ALEXANDRIA.
near to the place where the sluices were cut

through the Canal of Alexandria, for inundating The Pasha the old bed of the Lake Mareotis.

was out on horseback and the officers of the pavilion, drawn up in two lines, from the en;

trance of the tent to the rich cushions placed

for

the

Pasha at the upper extremity, were

tricks of a buffoon

amusing themselves with the

kept by the Pasha,
state

ceremonies of
;

who was mimicking the his master when giving

was
if

audience

consequently, one of his frolics

the Pasha

to receive the author as

had been

present.

This unusual facetiousness on the

part of the Turks

was soon put

to flight

by the

arrival of the great

man

himself, with his Inter-

preter

who no

sooner heard the answer to his

message, than, acting with

than his buffoon,

much
on
quitting

less dignity

he

spat

the

ground',
the
tent.

stamped,

and,

abruptly

(I)

The malediction

of the Turks, as of other Orieutnl nations,

is

frequently expressed in no other way than by spitlim on the ground,

of which an instance will he related in the next Chapter.
this explain the reason

IMay not
bless,

why our

Saviour, (who taught to

"

and

curse not," and who, in the annihilation of Heathen superstitious,

frequently uiade the outward sign subservient to opposite purposes of

grace and benevolence,) when he healed the blind and the deaf,
to have
viii.

is

said

"

spat

on the ground."

See John
Chap. IX.

ix. 6.
f'ol. I.

Mark

vii.

33.

and

23.

See also a Note in

is

of these Travels,

where allusion
Christeuinr.

made

to

this

custom, as practised at a Russian

'ALEXANDRIA.
hurried on board a covered boat upon the lake, in

401
^yll'
*

which he was accustomed to pass the night, and made his appearance no more on that
evening.
frigate

'^''

'

All hopes of a passage on board the

at

seemed therefore, for a moment,

an end.

But

Isaac BcT/,

the Capudan Pashas interpreter

to his

and secretary, conducted the author

tent, and, pleading a

own

the part of his

date matters
;

sudden indisposition on master, promised to accommo-

begging, at the same time, that

the Pashas behaviour might not be noticed at

head-quarters,

and desiring us

to

call

again

upon the

sixteenth.

curious adventure befel us upon our return

for the

second time

this evening,

Monday, Sep-

tember

the fourteenth,
sentinels

into

Alexandria.

The

English

had

advanced
of the

from their
French army

former stations, close to the gates of the garrison;

the

first

division

having this day embarked at Aboukir.

for the night,

The

luord

as given

for passing the gates,

by the French General was " Citoyen'' As the

indistinctly,

author rode up to the Rosetta Gate, hearing a

distant

challenge

somewhat
all

and
in-

supposing he had passed

tinels,

the English sen-

he gave the

zvord as

he had been

.structed to

do hy the French. Presently, drawing D D

VOL. v.

402
CHAP,
>

ALEXANDRIA.
nearer,
ling his

he plainly perceived a soldier

level-

musket

at his breast, exclaiming at the

same
that

says Citoyen? gee

time, with a broad Scotch dialect, "

the richt ivord, or

JVhds
re

you

deed

man I''

Had

this

happened during the

not,

negotiation for the surrender of the city, the

honest Highlander would

acted with so

perhaps,

have

much

forbearance; but the French

and the English sentinels were then standing close to each other, and it was probably nothing

more than a vaunt

curred at the

of his

patriotism in the
too, oc-

presence of his enemy.

Some difficulty,

inner gates, which had never

before happened; the sentinels there refusing

to lower the

drawbridge without a written order

from Menou.

shew our passport, signed by General Rene; but must have passed the night upon the sands, if one of our party
offered to
to a stratagem,

We

had not resorted

and pretended

being the bearer of despatches to the French

Commander-in-chief.
to enter
;

We

were then allowed

and being conducted by a sentinel to

to return to our lodgings.

head-quarters, were permitted, after explaining

what had happened,

The
voyage

fifteenth

was passed

chiefly

in

taking

leave of our friends, and in preparations for our

to

Greece.

We

obtained permission,

ALEXANDRIA.
through the kindness of Signor
Fontossi,

403
from
chap.
VII.

whom we

received

many

civilities, to

trace with

a pencil a beautiful plan of the Catacombs of

Necropolis, which had been finished by one of

the chief engineers belonging to the French Instituted

A poor
^

Negro

girl,

who had been

sold

as a slave
this

to

some Frenchman, endeavoured

day
;

dow

to throw herself from a very high winbut being alarmed in the attempt, by the

depth below her, held by her hands, and remained suspended in that situation until her
cries brought

some persons

to her assistance.

(1) It

is

Uie same from which the Rev. G. TVilMns completed the

for this work.

drawing of those Catacombs that was engraved

(2)

The officers of the French army purchased a number of these slaves. The Negro women were particularly in request among them, and many were conveyed to France. The cause of this singular taste has been explained by one of their own Savans, in the Appendix to
Peltier's Edition of

Denon's Travels.

V D 1

CHAP.

VIII.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
Preparations for leaving Egypt
Cities

Journey

to

of Nicopolis, Taposiris Parva,

and

Canopus
Aboukir

Thonis Changes which have taken Coast Heraclium Persons composing Aboukir Bay Turkish Frigate her Crew Meteoric SeaBay of Rhodes Lindus PhcBnome?ia Eastern Coast
Uncertainty of their Topography
place iipon the
Discipline at
Finica
o/"

Cos Town of Stanchio of Antient Sculpture French Consul Singular Asclepidum of the Population, commerce, and produce Mahomedan Law
Rhodes
Situation
the
Inscriptions
article

Southern Shores (f Asia

Minor 5a7/ of Marmora

Votive Offeiings

of Cos.

CHAP.
,
.^,.1
/

\^
left

the morninof of September the sixteenth,

we
tw

Alexandria

taking back our horses,

3:c.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
the British camp.

405
chap.
.

Chiaoux, or constable of

the Turkish army, rode with us from the gates.

This

man expressed
:

great indignation that the

French were permitted to capitulate for the surrender of the place he said it was very evident
that the Djowrs (Infidels)
cert with each other,

were

all

acting in con-

and that

their apparent

enmity was a mere device to deceive the Turks. Being asked what the Turks would have done, if the whole management had been left to them

he answered, " fVe should have

heads, to be conveyed to the

cut

off' all

their

Grand Signior ;
into

or have
the

stripped them naked,

sert.''

and turned them

In our

way through

the British

Decamp, we

called

upon Lord Hutchinson, and endeavoured

to express our gratitude for his unceasing pa-

tronage, from the

moment
in the
;

of our

first arrival in

Egypt, bestowed

midst of his more im-

portant avocations

and we hope that

disinterested memorial

this now may prove that his Lord-

ship's kindness has not

been forgotten.

We

then visited a few other friends,

rejoicing in the prospect of a
tion to one of the severest

who were

speedy termina-

campaigns which

British soldiers are likely to encounter nation, too, that covered

a termiThe

them with

glory.

number of

the

enemy

expelled by our army

from Egi/pt,

after all the losses

he had sus-

406

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
^^"^^^' "^^^^ greater than the aggregate of the

^vm y '

English combined forces

landed dX Aboukir\

It

when they were first was a contest against

which our

veteran troops, under every circumstance of

privation; a species of warfare to
soldiers

were unaccustomed
in full

carried on against

men who were

tory,

possession of the terri-

were inured to the unhealthiness of the climate, and had all the advantages of position.
Succeeding generations

may
for

indeed exult in
our country
;

.the

triumph thus obtained

for,
it

so long as the annals of our

Empire endure,

shall be said, that " lance to lance, and horse

to horse,"

the

legions

of France,

who had

boasted themselves to be

invincible, fled, or fell,

before the youth of Britain.

From the British, we went to camp and again had an audience

;

the Turkish
of the Capu-

dan Pasha.

He had
own

recovered his composure

letters
;

and he gave us three

tain of his

one to the Cap-

ship, the Sultan Selim; a

second

exceed 15,000 men.

eflfective force of our army did not The French, an enemy well established in a country full of resources, embarked from Cairo 1.3,000; from *^ferandriaimirubile dictul) 10,000. We must perhaps deduct 5000, for the civil tribe and the merchants, who followed the army there will then

(l)

"When we

lauded, the

remain 18,000
respondence,

for their effective force."

Colonel Squire's

MS.

Cor-

Letter dated Alexandria, Oct. 5, 1801-

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
to the Captain of the frigate in to sail
;

407
chap. ^"^'
. .

and a third

to the

which we were Governor of Rhodes,

containing, as he said, an order for boats to take

us either to Stanchio, or to

Scio.

Thus provided*
journey to
^*''*'''-

we

continued our journey to Ahoukir, along the

sandy neck of land which stretches, in the shape of a ribbon, from the place where our

army landed, entirely to Alexandria; having the Lake of Aboukir upon our right, and the sea upon our left. The whole of this tract is a
desert, interspersed here

and there with a few

plantations of palm-trees.

The

dates

hung from

these trees in such large and tempting clusters*

although not quite ripe, that

we

climbed to the

tops of some of them, and bore

large branches*, with their
ner^ dates are
fruit.

away with us
In this man-

sometimes

sent,

with the branches,

as presents to Constantinople.
date,

ripe Egyptian

although a delicious

fruit, is

never refresh-

ing to the palate.

It suits the Turks,

all

who

are

fond of sweetmeats of
is

kinds

and

its

flavour

not unlike that of the conserved green citron

is

which

brought from Madeira.

occurred

The

largest

plantation

about half-way between

(2)

The

leaves of these trees,

;

are six or eight feet long

when grown to a size forbearing; fruit, and may be termed branches, for the trees

have no other.

408
CHAP.
Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
and Aboukir, whence our army marched to attack the French on the thirteentfi of March : the trees here were very lofty, and, from the sing-ular formation of their bark, we
found
it

as easy to ascend to the tops of these

trees as to

cHmb

the steps of a ladder.

is

Wheredreary

ever the date-tree

deserts,
it

found

in

these

not only presents a supply of salutary

camels', but Nature has so
its

food, for

men and

wonderfully contrived the plant, that

offering is accessible to

first

man

alone

and the
all

mere circumstance
sons of the year,
fresh water near
is

of

its

presence, in

sea-

a never-failing indication of

its roots.

Botanists describe
as
full

the trunk of the date-tree

knots; but the fact
is,

of rugged

that

it is full

of cavities,

the vestiges of

its

decayed leaves, which have

flat

within them an horizontal surface,

and even,

exactly adapted to the reception of the

feet

human
in

and hands; and

it

is

impossible to view

them without

believing that he,

who

the

beginning fashioned

'"every

tree, in the
SEED,'"

WHICH

IS

THE FRUIT OF A TREE YIELDING

(1)

The

/irahs feed their camels with the dale stories, after grindiug

them
(3)

in their hand-mills.

See Phoenix dactilifera. Marli/n's Edit, of Miller's Diet.

Land.

1807.
(3)

Gen.

i.

29.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
as

409

MEAT FOR MAN," has here manifested one among the innumerable proofs of his beneficent
^^

design.
tree is

The extensive importance

of the date-

one of the most curious subjects to which a

traveller can direct his attention.

A considerable
its fruit.

part of the inhabitants of Egypt, of Arabia, and

of Persia, subsist almost entirely upon

They boast
leaves*

also of its medicinal virtues.

date-stones.

Their
the

camels feed upon the

they make
mats, and brushes;
for their poultry,

From

couches,

baskets,

bags,

from the branches, cages

for their

and fences

gardens

from the

Jibres of the

boughs, thread, ropes,

is

and rigging; from the sap

tuous liquor;
nishes fuel:

prepared a

spiri-

and the trunk of the tree furis even said that from one it
extracted,

variety of the palm-tree, the Phoenix farinifera,

meal

has

been

which

is

found

among
used
sent

the fibres of the trunk, and has been

for food*.

We

cut off a few

to

djerids^,

and

them

for walking-sticks

some

friends

(4) See
(5)

Note, p. 407.
i\iG

See Roxburgh's Plants of Corowandel, as published by

East-

India Company, under the direction of Sir Joscpli Banks. Lond. 1795.
(6)

The name

given by the Turks and Arabs to the midrib, or lon-

gitudinal stem of the leaf oi the palm-tree.

Hence the name

this

of Djern/,

given to the equestrian epmt, wherein short staves are thrown by the

combatants

these

were originally Djerids; but

name

is

now

common

to all short sticks

used as darts in that game.

410
CHAP,
viii.
^

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
ill

Ens-land, as
.

memorials of the spot where

, .

our

troops

displayed

such

signal

heroism.

Beneath these trees, we found some of the smaller

brass cannon-shot used by the French,
driven

when
all
if

by our troops along

this

sandy

district.

Nothing can exceed the dreary nature of

except these plantations

the

prospect between Alexandria and Ahoukir,

:

we

yet in this narrow

maritime tract

',

the whole of which

may be

comprehended
Of
ties

in

one

bird's-eye

view^ were

the Ci-

situate the cities of Nicopolis, Taposiris Parva,

of Ni-

copoiis,

and Canopus, mentioned by Straho '.

.

person
i

Taposiris

Parva, and
anojtus.

actually

survcymg the country, considers the

credible; for where,
in
this

^^^^ ^^ scarcely

(1)

The shape

of

it

may be compared

to that of a hand, or girdle

>'

and it is worthy of remark, that Strabo, speaking of the district between the sea and the Canopican Canal, uses the expression imin
VII raiyia:

whether with

reference

to the territory between Alex-

andria and Jboukir, or not, others

may

determine.

(2) See the Vignette to this Chapter. (3) Msri

S rttt

^luguya

rriv

la-/

2;j;S/av
T>)
a-pra

ayaufav,

l|
'''"''

tTt

to Kavufitf

rXov; irri ifa^aX,X>iXet

fMtro;' ffnyh

rri -rixpaXia,

<t>apou f^ixi'

K.atu^i*iiv ffrorri;

yap

Taivla fitra^u

^mxn

tou ti vi?.dyiiu; xai

eiupuytSt t

IffTtv fj

Tt fttxpa, Taviffipi;,

^tra

Ttiv 'iiiKo<roXtv

xai to Ziipupiot' axpx taiffxot

<rita

ip^Bvffx ^Aptttons 'A^poBirns' to St

raXaicy,

xa.)

Qaylt

^okiv

hraZfa

Ifarn'

X. .

A..

*'

Postfossam, quae Schediam et

ei,

Canopum

ducit, est navi-

gatio

secundum maritimam oram

fascia inter pelagus

quae a Pharo usque ad Cano:

picura ostium perducit, sequalibus semper spatiis opposita

angusta

enim quasdam

et

fossam extenditur, in qu& est

et

Parva Taposiris, post Nicopolim ac Zephyrium,

Veneris Arsinoes sacellum habet.

promontorium ac

Hoc

in loco

dicunt olim

urbem

Thonim

fuisse,

&c."

Strabon. Geog.

lib. xvii.

p. 1135.

Oxan. 1807.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
confined and desert space, could those cities

411
chap.
.

have been placed

Notwithstanding the very

general observation to which the whole district

has been recently exposed, nothing

cided
places.

is

less de-

than the locality of any one of those

Until lately,

we had
are

not the smallest

idea of the geography of this part of Egypt*;

and even now, when

with
it,

we

become acquainted
about a dozen or

it

exhibits only a long ridge of sand,

east

extending

and

tvest,

for

fifteen miles,

which seems
into the

liable, at

every
as

in-

stant, to

be washed

sea\

If,

some
of

have supposed", jibouhir denote

Canopus, the ruins engraved
that

the

site

by

Denon'' under

name may have belonged

or to

to

Parva Tapo-

siris^;

the antient fane,

alluded to

by

(4) See

any of the Maps of Egypt previous to the landing of the

in 180.

English army
(5) See the

" Survey

of the Country between

Moukir and Alexedit.

andria,"

Map facing p. Z^O

of the Third rolujnc, Octavo

edit,

(6) Sec the

Notes to the Oxford

of Straho, p. 1135, note 31.

(7) See PI. 8. Fig. 2. torn, II. of the large Paiis edition.
(8)

They were thus alluded

to

by Colonel Squire.

" Three

leagues

eastward of Alexandria, immediately on the sea-shore, are the ruins

of very superb and extensive buildings.
part of the city of Taposiris parva.
solid rock a
It is

imagined these formed

also

Here are

cut out of the

number

of places

which have the appearance of baths.

far from this spot, at a short distance in the sea, may be seen the fragments of several pieces of antient sculpture, granite and marble

Not

Sphinxes, a colossal fluted statue with the head of a dog, an immense

granite fist, and other relics, plainly indicating the site of a temple."
Colonel Squire's

MS.

Letters.

41-2

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
Straho\
at the Zephyrium

criAP.

Promontory, where
if this

Thonis formerly stood.

But,

be true,
in

where are the vestiges of the channel

the

which

annual devotees performed their voyage

It is

from Alexandi'ia to Canopus-P

Aboukir stood on the

evident this
if

could not have been the Alexandrian Canal,

site

of Canopiis

for this

Canal has no connection with Aboukir.

Was

it

then a Canal which, traversing the bed of the

jie?u

Lake,

now

called that of Aboukir,

commuis

nicated with the Alexandrian P

All this

very

uncertain. Neither the observations

madeduring
in

the time that our troops remained in Egypt,

nor by the French

who preceded them, have

this

any degree elucidated

seems
to

very

difficult

part of

the antient geography of Egypt.

itself

The country

have been subjected to the most

state of Nelsons Island,

mighty revolutions, from the convulsions of

Nature.

The present

and of the

antiquities found

upon
it

it,

prove that

a very considerable part of

has been swal-

lowed by the waves. a very considerable

the last thirty years.

The Lake o Aboukir, now

inlet

of the

sea,

is

the

result of an inundation

which happened
is it

w^ithin

How

possible, there-

(l) See St7-abo, ubi supra.

(ji)

Sirabon. Geog.

lib. xvii.

p. 113G.

0,f(7.

807.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
fore, to settle the

41cii
.*.:*.

topography of places whose

this time,

remains are, perhaps, at

under water?

'.

The changes which

will render
it
it

the coast

has undergone
certainly,

no very easy task; and,

has not yet been determined.

Whenever we

undertook the inquiry, our investigation proved

fruitless
;

and

it is

therefore better to state our

uncertainty, than to aim at illustration, where

there

is

so

little

chance of precision.

Perhaps
Mis-

the difficulty

may have been

increased by con-

sidering Abouhir as the antient Cannpus\

led by this opinion, the traveller

is

withdrawn

from the
Strabo.

line

of observation

marked out by

His route from Alexandria to Canopus,

instead of being in the direction oi Aboukir,

may

possibly have been along

the course

of the

Alexandrian Canal; and

if

this

be the AinPTH on

which the Canopican

celebrated %

festivities

were annually

we must

look for Canopus, and also

direction of Utko

for Heraclium\ rather in the

(3) See Vol. in. of these Travels, Chap.

(4) 'Ev %t^tZ
%\
TJij Kasvsu.G/xnj

I.

p. 3-

Oclaio
Iffrit

edit.

5ryX>j; \\tovrt,

h ^tufu%

h sti Kdvafior

ruvd'^'rouffa. rrt Xifiv7i.

"

Canoplcu

portii

exeunti ad dcxtram est fossa,

Slrnb. Geog.
lib. xwii.

quie lacui jimgitur, ct

Canopum

fert."

p. 1155.

Oxon. 1807.
(5) liira
d\ Ton

Kdvufiov
jj

Xtfrt

r 'HpcixXiiov ro 'llpanXuv;

vfv hpov'
est

uta

Kw/5/o

arofjia.,

xai

eipx,h

rou LiXret.

" Post
est

Canopum

Heraciium,

quod Herculis templum habet.

IJf'la 'nVn'nmt.^'

Inde
lib.

Canopi'cum
p. 1136.

ostiuvi, et ipsius

Strnlon. Hcog.

wU.

Oion. 1907,

414

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
and of
Rosetta,

CHAR
V

towards the Delta; or of Rack-

VIII. -^- ^t

manie, rather than in that of Ahoukir.

was about sun-set when we reached the Here we hired a Greek shore near Ahoiikir.
It

boat, to take us to our former station on board

the

Felicite

merchantman,

lying

among

the

transport ships,
o'clock

the

where we arrived at seven same evening. The good old

Ragusan Captain gave us a hearty welcome to his cabin, and prepared for us a supper of

Lord Keilh had sailed about four dayfe before for Malta, which prevented our taking leave of him, and of the officers of his ship, from whom we had exroasted quails and pilau.

perienced

many

civilities.

Dew

fell

in

such
as

abundance, that

the decks were wetted

:

during a heavy shower

nevertheless, from the

very animated state of the cabin,

passing the night in this

we

preferred

damp

situation;

and

experienced from

it

no inconvenience.
the
until

We

were detained

in

fleet

the

tiventy -third.

Upon

the seventeenth, Mr. Schutz,

who had been

During
the
it

our companion since

we

left

Rosetta, quitted the ship,

and

set out for Smyrna.

whole

of

the

seventeenth

and

eighteenth,

blew with such violence from the

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
north-ivest, that our frequent endeavours to reach the Turkish squadron proved ineffectual.

4I5

char
,

During one of these attempts, the crew being quite exhausted with rowing, and a considerable
swell meeting the boat from the
north-ivest,

put about, and hoisted

sail.

In this manner

we we

were
that

carried, unawares, so

much to

the leeward,

we soon found ourselves approaching the surf. The first symptom we had of this was in a wave which broke over our boat, A djerniy whose course we had imprudently followed,
stood nearer in towards the shore, and gave

us notice of our danger, by being stranded in

view of

us.

These accidents happen so

It

fre-

quently to the Arabs, that they are under very

little

alarm when they occur.

instance

we had

witnessed of the

was the second same nature'.

The crew of the swimming towards

their boat,
surf.

djerm were presently seen

the shore, having abandoned

cargo, in the midst of the
all

and

its

We

saw them
In the

reach the land in pertime, having strained

fect safety.

mean

every sinew, by dint of hard and continued

exertions with our oars,
in

we succeeded
from
this

at last

extricating

ourselves

perilous

(1) See

Chap.

I.

p. 34. of this

Volume.

416
CHAP,
situation.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
The
old Ragusan,

when we came on

board, was very angry

with his

men

and said

he had been watching the boat with his glass,

expecting every

moment

to see her

meet the
success,

same

fate

which the djerm had experienced.

nineteenth,

Upon
ships,

the

we had

better

being enabled to reach the English transport

and

to take leave of several of our friends.

We

for our voyage some Adriannple tongues, and some English porter all these were consumed by the Turks, nearly as soon as they were taken on board the frigate in which we were to

also

purchased provisions

a little biscuit,

The porter had been sent as an adventure from Malta, and was sold in bottles, at the rate
sail.

of thirty shillings per dozen. are fond of

it
;

because they

Many of the Turks may drink it withKoran

prorice
'of all

out violating the prohibitory laws of the

respecting wine.
Potatoes, the best

visions for a sea voyage, could not be

had

was very scarce

chased.

and tea was not

to

be pur-

Encouraged, however, by the splendid

promises of the Cajmdan Pasha,

so liberal to us

who had been

upon a former occasion', we

thought upon our means of

bestowed very

little

(1)

See Vol.

III.

Chap.

III.

p. 30.

Odaioedit.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
subsistence;
the sequel.
little

417
chap.
.

expecting what befel us in

The
in

nineteenth

was passed
the

in look-

ing over and transcribing

Notes

for

our

buying a few books, taken on board a French prize, which had been destined
Journals
;

and

for the use of the Institute in Egypt.

tiuentieth,

the wind being less violent,

Upon the we set out

Turithh
^"s***-

for the Turkish frigate, called Sai/ Yaat Ebarey,

on board a large barge belonging

to the Felicite.

We pulled
board,

to

windward
sail.

as far as Nelsons Island,

and then hoisted

When we

arrived on

we were where we were

ordered into the ward-room,

permitted to sling our cots.

This birth (although contrary to the orders given for our reception, which had assigned us
a place in the Captain's cabin) proved an ad-

vantageous one to us, as

the interior

it

enabled us to view

management of a Turkish ship of was the rendezvous of all the officers on board two of whom were Raguscms. These
war.
It
;

men, although entirely under the dominion of

the Turks, conversed freely upon the ignorance

and incapacity of
imbecility.

their masters,

and often enter-

tained us with an account of their blunders and

They

told us,

that the superan-

nuated Captain of the frigate had never been to

sea before his present voyage
;

that, at the

age

of seventy, he had espoused a relation of the

VOL.

V.

E E

iSt

418
CHAP.
VIII.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
Capudan Pashas, and obtained,
appointment to the frigate
;

in

consequence his

that his nephew, a

young man, had rather more experience, and

held a station similar to that of First-lieutenant

on board one of our ships.

of steering
the
vessel

All the business

left

was

to

the

two

Ragusans^ and to an old pilot

who had never

;

consulted a chart in his

life

the

Captains

nephew having

the

management
rigging.
irons,

of the crew,
prialoft

and the care of the soners were kept in

in

few French

ready to be sent

rough weather.

sturdy buffoon,
burlesquing the

To these were added, who might be considered

of boatswain
;

a
as
his

office

it

was

duty

to preserve the

by

all

sorts of tricks
to

good-humour of the crew, and jokes to promise, and

;

sometimes

distribute,

backshish^,
in

when any
aid of the

additional hands

were required
aloft,

French prisoners
sailors refused, as

and when the Turkish

they constantly did, to ven;

ture from the deck

saint,

an ideot, held sacred as a

for

and kept on board

;

good luck

couple of dervishes
daily in

an auctioneer, employed
for sale

hawking commodities
;

between

the decks an immense concourse of passengers.

(l)

An

expression answering to drink-money u) English.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
from
all

419

parts of the Levant

pilgrims,

upon

chap.
VIIT.

their return

from

Mecca

Tahtars, as couriers

sixty jirabian horses, belonging to the Capudan

Pasha,
coffee

with their Arab

grooms

venders of shops

and tobacco,

who had

regular

established in different parts of the

ship;

and, to

sum up

the whole, a couple of English

travellers, with their interpreter,

a Greek,

who

was

continually crossing himself at the scene of

confusion he witnessed.

The
frigate,

first

day

after

our arrival on board this

small distance from the
to

we

received information that the Ceres

at

was

stationed
fleet.

Turkish

We hastened

pay our respects

but

once more

to our excellent friend Captain Russei,

;

and

to the officers of his ship

it

was

to

take a last farewell of him.

We had

the melanin his

choly spectacle of beholding him almost

last

moments.

The

fever

which he had caught

left

in Cyprus

had scarcely ever

him

and Mr.

(now Dr. John) Hume, the skilful surgeon of his ship, had given over every hope of his recovery.

On

the twenty-second,

we

received a visit from

:

Captain Culverhouse of the Romulus

with him,

returning

we

spent the day where

we had

before been so long and hospitably entertained,

in

company with the

captains of other ships then

E E 2

420
CHAP,
VIII.
V

ALEX/\NDRIA TO COS.
at anchor in the bay.

.y

,/

news

of Nelson's

glorious

...we
Here

received

the'

victory at Copen-

hagen, adding to those triumphs of our beloved

country which
the

we had witnessed

in

Egypt

and

more highly

gratifying to us, as, during our

residence in Alea:cmdria, the French had industri-

ously circulated a report that Nelson had been

defeated.

Upon
fleet.

the tiventy-third, at day-break,

we were under
the British

weigh, and soon lost sight of

Having thus detailed every particular of our voyage and travels in the most interestino- reoion which it was our fortune to
visit,

and perhaps more minutely than was- often

necessary, the remainder of this section, relating

to the rest of our observations

and adventures
to

m\hQ

East,

may be

given less circumstantially;

because they will be found to have reference

countries better known,

and where

strict
if it

attention to every notice of time and season,

ever be of consequence,
little

is

here certainly of

moment.
had not been long on board the Turkish we began to perceive what sort

We
of fare

irigate, before

we were likely to expect. Every article of food we had brought with us speedily disaproom.

peared among the motley tenants of the ward-

Muddy

coffee,

unsophisticated

by any

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
ingredient which
quaHties,

421
its

might add

to

nutritive

chap.
VIII.

could be purchased at any time, in -small cups, each containing as much of the
liquid as

would

fill

a dessert spoon, the rest

:

being substantial sediment

this,

and the fumes

on board

of tobacco, promised to be the whole of our

sustenance.

At

night, the spectacle

was perhaps one

of the most striking which

persons unaccustomed to venture with Turkish mariners can possibly witness. The ship

seemed
asleep,

to

be

left

pretty

much

to her

own

disfast

cretion; every officer of the

watch being

the port-holes

all

open, an enormous

quantity of canvas let loose,

and the passengers

lanterns, slumbering

between decks, with paper

over their lighted pipes
;

while the sparks from

these pipes, with pieces of ignited fungus', were

flying
in
all

directions.
roll called

Now

and then, an
ejacu!''

unexpected

forth

murmuring

lations of "Alia!" or "

Mahmoud

and a few

were seen squatted singly, numbering their prayers, by the beads upon their Te.spies\ Upon
one of these
occasions,

the weather

being

(1)

Commonly

called Ariuuhu, the Boletus igniarius,

as tinder
;

used

all

over

Europe aud./
England.
(2)

although rarely applied

to that

purpose ia

See Chap. VII. Vol. IV.

p.

305, Note (2,\ Octavo edit.

422
CHAP,

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
somewhat boisterous and the night very dark, a
gun was suddenly heard close under the ship's bows, and the snorers were presently in uproar. What had happened, or what was to be done,
no soul on board could tell. A message came speedily into the ward-room, ordering the two
djowrs (infidels)
all

and

their interpreter to

go with

haste to the Captain.

We

found him, with

his long white beard

and flowing dress, sur-

rounded by

all

the paper lanterns that could be

arms upon the deck, Before he could and scolding the buffoon.
collected, extending his

articulate a

word

of his business with us, the

report of another gun

der, and,
this

came

like a clap of thunit,

by the

flash

which accompanied

second discharge seemed to be pointed

tow^ards the frigate.

agitation,

He

then asked us, in great

what those

signals

were

and what

would be the consequence of his not answering them ? We told him we knew not wdiat the
signals w^ere
;

but that

if

he delayed answering

them,

it

was

possible the next

panied with shot.

to

He

said

would be accomhe had been ordered

advised him by

answer a friend by four stern lanterns, placed

one above the other.

We

all

means
self

to

answer as

to a friend;

and

after

general " hue

and cry," the old Captain himpoop,

the lanterns

ascending the

were

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
displayed
;

423
to the

but whether according

proper

chap.
VIII.

form or

not,

was never

ascertained.

We

heard

no further cause of alarm.

When

tranquillity

was somewhat

restored, the old Captain, peer-

ing to leeward, affected to see what no one else

could discern, and called out, with great seeming satisfaction,

one! a
little
''

Kootchuk ! Kootchuk!'' a
it

little

one! as possibly

might have been;

viz. one of our English cutters, whose crew were perhaps amusing themselves with the awkwardness of our manoeuvres, and the panic

they had occasioned.

There was no log-book

refer, as in

to

whieh we could
little

our former voyages, on board English

;

men-of-war
mercury,

consequently,

we had

oppor-

tunity of adding to nautical observations.

in

The
stood,

Fahrenheit's

thermometer,

September 27, at 7S", rt noon: yet, coming from

a warmer climate, we
winter clothing.
the weather
tain

felt cold,

and put on our

this day,

Towards evening,
squally,
in a

became

and the old Capfew reefs of his

would gladly have taken

set
to

wide-spreading canvas:
cordingly
plished
shivers.
;

the buffoon
this

was

ac-

work, to have

accom-

in the

mean time, the fore-sail went to Never was there a scene of greater
In
the

confusion.

midst

of

it,

one of us

424
CHAP,
t.iiwy'

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
attempted to
Captain.
infidel at
assist,

and even spoke

to the

His rage, upon being addressed by an

this
critical
first

moment, exceeded
upon the deck', then

all

bounds.

He

spat

into

the sea, attributing the accident entirely to our

presence on board, and cursing the whole race

of Christians, as the authors of
all

the ill-luck

he had ever experienced.

but
it

The

gale increased;

came on from
it,

the

north-west
it

with more
in poop,

steady violence, and, by taking

and

running before

according to the invariable

practice of the Turks,

we were

secure as long
It

as sea-room could be found.

this

continued in
;

manner

durinsf one entire niaht

and
'28th,

if it

had not abated the next morning, Sept.

ship, being suffered to drive,

the

would have been

This day,

wrecked upon the

first

lee-shore that intervened

in her course towards the south-east.

at noon, the author having found an excellent

sextant in the ward- room, which had been taken

from a French prisoner, made an observation of

the ship's latitude
;

and

calculating, as well as

he was

able, the course she

had made, upon a

(1)

The

Oriental

Allusion has been already

mode of cursing, by spitting vpon the ground. mads to this practice in the former Chajiter.

See

p.

400, Note (l).


ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
chart belonging to one of the Ragusans, ascertained her position, Lat.
48'*.
34''. 50',

425
chap.
VIII.

French Long.

As

the pilots on board, being out of sight

of land,

knew

nothing of her situation, he sent

the chart,

with a respectful message, to the

distance

Captain, telling him the ship's latitude, and her

probable

from

Rhodes,

Finica

Bay,

Cyprus, &c.

Upon

this,

he was summoned, with

the Ragusan, into the cabin, and immediately

asked,

how he

could pretend to

ship then

was?

ascertained this

know where the Having stated that he had by means of a sextant found in

a drawer of the ward-room, and a calculation of

the
ship's

course according to the

observations daily
other
ships,

the

common made on board English and Ragusan was despatched to

bring the thing called sextant instantly before

the Captain.

This instrument being altogether

incomprehensible to him, he contented himself

with viewing
in

it

in

every direction, except that

;

which it might be used and, stroking his long beard, said to the Ragusan, " Thus it is
always with these poor djowrs
can
(infidels),

they

make nothing

out without some peeping

contrivance of
require

this

kind
ivc,

now
Vsav^^-

we,

Turks,

no sextants

(pointing with his

finger to his forehead)

Aere."

we

our sextants

426
CHAP.
VIII.
/

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
The wind changing, we continued
tion,

drifting

about, with occasional apprehensions of starva-

drowning, or being blown up by the ship's

fire.

taking

The

first

land

we saw was

ascer-

tained to be a part of the mountainous coast of

Caramania, or Lycia.
Chelidonian Isles,
Bay of
Finica.

Passing in view of the

and Promontorium Sacrum,

we

stood in to Finica Bay, whither the

fleet,

Turkish

lying at Abouhir, had resorted for fi'esh

falls into

water from the river Limyrus, which

the bay, near to the village or town of Finica,

where Limyra formerly stood. Here we were becalmed; and being near enough to see the
land, that

we applied for permission to we might examine the remains of Limyra, and also of Myra, which stood near
houses on shore,

the

mouth

of another river,

side of the bay.

upon the western Our Captain, by the advice of

a true seaman,
;

his pilots, acted for once like

and would allow no one

as.

to land

intending, as

he

said, to get farther

out to sea as soon as

a
;

possible.

As

the

evening advanced,

land

breeze carried us again from the bay

before night

but

came on, it blew only in hot gusts; and being upon deck, we were in utter astoLycian coast, and the awful pheenomena by

nishment at the indescribable grandeur of the

which we were surrounded. Stupendous moun-

ALEXANDRIA TO
tains, as the

COS.

427

to the ship,

shadows increased, appeared close chap. towering above our top-masts the ^"^'
;
,

higher parts being covered with snow, or partly

concealed by thick clouds; the

air

around us

becoming every instant more sultry and stagnant. Presently the whole atmosphere was illuminated. The mountains seemed to vomit
fire.

Meteoric
^'^i^""

pale but vivid lightning darted innu-

merable flashes over every object, even among

the masts and rigging.

a scene elsewhere exhibited!

pilots

Never surely was such The old Greek

but comforted us
this

crossed themselves;

with the assurance that

kindling elements

appearance of the
this coast

was common upon

and that
heard

it

denoted favourable weather.

We

little

thunder; but streams of living light

ran continually from the summits of the mountains

towards the

sea, and,

seeming

to separate

before they reached the water,

filled

the air
this
it

with coruscations.

Since, reflecting

upon

circumstance as characterizing the coast,

seems

to explain a fabulous notion ^

which the

chimam
or
llie

Antients entertained of the ChimcEra disgorging

Autieub.

flames upon the Lycian territory

',

alluded to

by

(l)

"In

Lycia

igitur,

ji

promontorio ejus oppidum Siniena, wo^

Pliii. Hist.

Chimara noctibus
jo.

flagrans."

Nat.

lib. v,

c.

27. torn,

I.

271.

L. Bat. 1635.

428
CTiAP.
^

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
Qyici^

in the wandering- of Biblis \

It is true,
;

-' that
it is

a volcano might suit the story better

and

thus explained by Servius, with reference to

a burning mountain in the neighbouring region

of

Carta

the topographical

history

of the

by some writers attributed to Caria, and by others to Lycia but the existChimcera being
;

ence of this volcano has not yet been ascertained

:

indeed, such

is

our ignorance of the

to

whole coast of Asia Minor, from Cnidus

TARfiU?, including
all

the mariti-xie districts of

Carta, Lycia, Pamphylia, and Ciltcia, that

we have no

account either of

its

ruins or

its

natural history ^
Eastern Coast of Rhodes.

SaiUns: weslward the whole nio^ht ~

'-'

and followJirst,

j^g day, on the morning of October the

sun-rise,

at

we made
this

the

eastern

coast of the

Island of Rhodes, and put the ship's head to the

north.
sailing,

During

day we had some pleasant

:

within twenty miles of the shore

clear,

the

atmosphere being exceedingly

to survey the
its

we seemed
extremity.

whole island
its

in

one view, from

southern

towards

northern

(1)

Quid.

(2) In the

Metam. lib. ix. number of English

it is

travellers

now

visiting the

Eastern
will

shores of the Mediterranean,

to be

hoped that soin^ one

be

induced to explore these regions.

RHODES
Coming opposite
calm, the author
to

LINDUS.

429
^^,^^' viir.

Ltndus, the weather being

to

was enabled
It

complete an

outline of this once-favoured land % according to

its

bearing at the time.

embraces nearly

its

whole extent, from north

relative position of

to south;

shewing the

the appearance exhibited

and broken land, as

tion.
is

Ltndus and Rhodes, and by its rough, craggy, compared with the features

of other islands represented in the former sec-

The country immediately around Lindus

territory.
It

described by Philostratus as being the most

rugged of the Rhodian

vine and

was par-

ticularly favourable for the cultivation of the

i\\Q Jig-tree,

but

ill

adapted to other pur-

poses of agriculture, and impassable for carts

and waggons. In this, perhaps, it resembled the Land ofJudcea, where corn has always been cultivated by means of terraces formed upon
the sides of the mountains.

From

the nature

of the land about Lindus, the whole island re-

ceived the appellation which it bears in Statins*, of " the rugged Rhodes.'' Our pilots pointed out
to*
"US'

the eminence on which the remains of

antient
rarities

Lindus

are situate.

The

collection of
tlie

once dedicated in votive offerings at

et libera

(3)
Jj.

" Puicherrima
In

Rhodos."

Plm.

Hist. Nat.

I.

v.

e.

3\.

Bat. 1635.
(4

See also Lucian.

Domitietni,
lib.
ii.

Equo

430
^^j^F'

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
shrine of the Lindian Minerva,

must have
sights to

ren-

dered the temple, considered as a

only, one of the

museum
which
and

most curious

the inhabitants of Greece resorted.

Vessels o

antient bronze, military trophies, armour,

weapons, were frequently suspended as donatives,

in their sanctuaries.

But such was the

gifts

antiquity of

some of the

in

the Lindian

temple, that one of them, a bronze caldron, had

been presented by Cadmus; and

guished by an inscription
ters'.

it

was

distin-

in Phoenician

charac-

An
to

offering of Amasis, king of

Egypt

seems

have been regarded as the principal

marvel of the temple, notwithstanding the pictures of Parrhasius and of Zeuxis,

by which

it

had been adorned

this

was a

linen thorax of

net-work, each thread consisting of as

filaments as there are days in the year.

many
The
tes-

Consul Mutianus, says Pliny, had himself unravelled one of these threads, and

had borne

timony to the

fact^.

(1) Diodorus Sic. lib.

ii.

Herodot.

lib.

ii.

(2) " Mirentur hoc, ignorantes in jEgyptii quondam regis, quem Amasim vocant, thorace in Rhodiorum insulft ostendi in teinplo Minervae cccLxv fills singula fila constare. Quod se expertum nuper Romae prodidit Mutianus ter Consul, parvasque jam reliquias ejus

superesse bfic cxperientium injuria."

Plin. Hist. Nat.

lib.

xh, e.l,

L. Bat. 1635.

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.

431
chap.
.'

From

the eastern coast of Rhodes, our Captain

stood over once more towards the coast of

Lycia and the Seven

October the second,

Capes.

we

In the morning of shoitTf found ourselves in the miw^

midst of islands and promontories, placed upon

the bright expanse, as
is
it

were, of a mirror.

It

quite impossible to afford,

any ideas of such scenery.

by description, The impression

made upon our minds, who had beheld these sights before, was new again. The immensity
of the objects
ritory over
all
;

the varied nature of the terthe

southern shores of Asia

effect

Minor

the prodigious

of

light
;

and
the

shade, in masses

extending for leagues

sublime effulgence and the ineffable whiteness

of the snow-clad summits, contrasted with the

dark chasms on the sides of the mountains

the bold precipices, and the groupes of

nume-

rous islands

the glorious brightness and the

intensity of colour diffused over the horizon;

these, indeed,

may be enumerated,

but they can-

not be described.

We

continued surveying
first

them, as
time.

if

we had

then seen them for the

The Turkish practice of keeping near the shore, when land is in sight, enabled us to view the whole coast of Lycia and of Caria. As we proceeded towards Doris, the eye commanded,
in

one prospect, the whole of that part

432
9^j^^'
^
'

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
of Asia
'

Minor, even

to

the Triopian Promon-

tori/,

or Cape Crio, together with the islands of

Rhodes, Si/me, Sicklia, Telo, and even Scarpanto,

lying at the distance of thirty leagues in the

Carpathian Sea'.

During
ing the

we were employed in crossmouth of the Gulph of Glaucus,

this day,

Continuing our voyage towards the north-west,

we
Bay of

found ourselves becalmed near the entrance

Bai/ of Mar mora, antiently that of

of

tlic

Per.ea,

the
to

the Egyptian Expedition.

it

memorable rendezvous of our fleet, previous The magnificent

affords has
it

harbour
writers
;

been described by other

but as

remained so long unknown,

these stormy seas, the author

and may always prove an important place of refuge for vessels

in

again availed himself of the tranquil situation of

the ship to sketch the appearance of the coast,

and

to note the bearing of the land

It will

when

the

view was made^

(1)

shew

the mountainous
dcdit." Plin.

" Rhodiorum
lib. V.

insula", Corpathu!;,

qus mari Domen

L. Bat. 1635.

Hist. Na,'.
(2)

c.

31. tnm.

I.

p. 280.

short extract from Colonel Squire's

;

MS. Correspondence

will

afford the reader a description of this bay

and the curious circum-

stance of the " myrtle fascines," prepared for the attack in Egypt,
will not pass

without observation.

It is

taken from a Letter to the

Rev, E. Squire, dated Marmorice Bay, Jan. 21, 1801."

" Our present

be imagined
:

situation
is

is

as

charming and picturesque

as

can well

the bay

completely landlocked, and, from within,

appears

ALEXANDRIA TO COS.
course of the territory opposite i^Aoc/e^; although
the features of Nature do not here present so
gigantic an appearance as to the eastward of
v

433
chap.
.y.
/

the Seven Capes.

favourable for

The wind afterwards becoming Rhodes, we stood for the town

to
it,

and coming

close

fired

gun,

as

signal for a boat to put off to the ship.

When

the boat arrived,

we

represented to the Captain

the necessity of our landing with the despatches

from the Capudan Pasha, which he had charged

us to deliver with our

own hands
its

to

the

Go-

vernor; but the wary old Turk, apprehending

at least the possibility of his

being an order for

own
to the

execution ^ delivered the despatches

slieet of

appears as a

water, or lake, surrouiuled by lofty niouutains,

wooded
.a clear,

very summit; but iiLPe and there divided by deep impe-

netrable valleys, thick

with shrubs of every description

to

which

yet constant stream, imparts frt'hness and verdure.

is

Someadd to

times one heiglit

separated from another by a lar^e extensive plain,

divided into fields, and covered with an abundance of cattle:

these, the little

town of Marmmice, with

its

mosque and minaret, the

fro,

shipping at anchor, the boats passinij to and

the tents on different

parts of the shore, and the variety of objects, will be found to

com-

pose a picture that can never be surpassed.

On

the vhifh instant,

my

brother

officers

and myself were landed, and encamped with a party of

for the

two hundred

artificers,

purpose of making /ascines, and pre-

paring our particular branch of the service for the ensuing campaign.

Would you

believe that

most of ourjascines are of the most beautiful

myrtle; and that, probably, in a few weeks,

we shall be plantlng
Colotiel

OUR CANNON
Squire's
(3)
is

IN

MYRTLE BATTERIES BEFORE ALEXANDRIA.'"

of Turkey are

MS.

Correspondence.

The grandees

sometimes sent to Rhodes, when

it

necessary to get rid of them, with an order to the Governor for their

own

execution.

VOL. V.

r F

434
CHAP.
VIII.

ISLAND OF COS.
to the

boatmen, and, without waiting

for

any

answer,

made
to

from the
conduct

island.

away The Ragusans explained his us; for it seemed otherwise unacall

the sail he could to get

countable that he should thus wantonly disobey

his

time, he

commanding officer, to whom, was so nearly related.

the following morning,
little

at the

same

On

we found

that

we
by

had made but

progress, being

off the

Island of Episcopia, or Piscopij, called HeUika the Turhs, and Telo

Town

of

Stunc/tio.

by the modern Greeks, anThence doublins: ao^ain the tientlv Telos'. Promontory, we came once more in Triopian sight of Cos, and arrived near the town of Here a Stan'chio, Sunday, October the fourth. Dervish, who came with us from Egypt, wished
-^
_

to go on shore
in Greece,

and as we had

still

much

to

do

and were very desirous of leaving the

Turkish frigate,
the

we renewed

our applications to

Captain

to

enable us to land with the

Dervish.

He

told us not to lose a

;

moment,

if

such were our intentions

as the small boat

which he had prepared was incapable of containing many persons, and it was filling very
fast

from the port-holes.

We

committed some
I'art II. of

(l) Sie Plate faciiig'p.

'2'20

of the First Sectioi! of

the

Quarto Edition of these Travels,

'

ISLAND OF COS.
of our trunks to his care, to be conveved to
^

435
<^"^^p-

VI 11.

Constantinople ;

and taking with us as few necesin

saries as possible, leaped into the midst of the

crowd in the boat, at the moment was leaving the ship. Fortunately,
perfectly calm; for

which

it

the sea

was

we

soon found that with the

all

smallest motion

we

should

go to the bottom,

the water being already even wdth the boat's

edge; and

it

required the utmost caution, in

rowing her three miles from the ship to the so deeply was she shore, to prevent her filling
;

laden.

A
our

Greek bishop had arrived in Stanchio since

last visit,

to

whom we were

introduced.

He began

already to wish for the

money which

bis preferment

had cost him; having gained

Constantinople,

nothing by the bargain, excepting a fine painted

and gilded Jirman, from

one respected.
magistrate

which no
as he

He

intended, however,

told us, to reimburse himself in his capacity of

;

the bishops in the Isles acting as

all

justices of the peace, in

Greeks,

disputes

among

the

and generally taking care to be well He accompanied us to paid for their trouble. the Governor; where, having obtained an audience,

we produced
enjoining
all

a letter from the Capudar.

persons,
F F 2

Pasha,

as

far

as

the

436

ISLAND OF COS.
Turkish
''

^vm* . y

power by sea extended,

travels.

to render

us

assistance during our

W^

told the

Governor, that

we had no

other favour to ask of

him, than to procure for us some vessel which

we might

hire

by the month.

He

said there

was nothing

suitable at present in the harbour;

but desired our Interpreter to accompany one

of his officers to the opposite port of Briidriin

(Halicarnassus), where
to find
this

it

might be possible

something suited

to

our undertaking.

To

we

agreed, and hired a set of apartments

near the bishop's house, where

we

remained,

waiting the return of our messengers.

Situation

of the

The next day we received

old friend the French Consul,

a visit from our

to wel-

French
Consul.

who came

come our

arrival,

and, poor as he was, to offer

his services.

He had

not received a single sous

since he

from his Government

the island
arrears
;

had resided upon

nor was there any prospect that the

paid.

would be

While he remained

with us, he received information that a transport ship, with French prisoners from Egypt,

having separated from the convoy, had put

for

in

water and provisions.

We

told him, that a

proper opportunity

now

offered
;

of obtaining
as they had

some supply from

been allowed
to

his

countrymen

remove

to France the wealth

ISLAND OF COS.
which they had acquired
and, doubtless, had
in

437
^"^^'

Egypt by plunder,
treasure on board.

much

smiled at the idea of receiving assistance from any of the " Heroes of the RepuhUc !'' but

He

allowed us to make the experiment

first

stating

a memorial of his
it

case in writing,

and

addressing
transport.

to the officers
this

With

and privates in the document we hastened

on board

and being conducted into the cabin,

found there a General of the French army,

who
and
dis-

had

lost a leg in

one of the

late actions,

w^as confined to his cot, surrounded

soldiers,

by French
all

some of whom were

officers,

puting and talking at once.

obtained a hearing,

As soon

as

we had

we presented our
urge

petition,

and endeavoured
us with
all

to

the suit entrasted to

the persuasion

we

could

use.

It

was

to

no purpose.

The Consul, they

said,

might be a man of merit; he had served his

country faithfully; but there was nothing in
their situation, or in his, that could

warrant an
republic

interposition on their part

between

tlie

and
to

its

agents.

We contended, that it ought not

in

be considered as an interference

State

matters, but as a

work

of

common
:

charity,

and

as an act of real patriotism

charity

but these terms,

After

and

patriotism, as

they were to be paid

8

foTy

were not very graciously received.

438
CHAP,
w
'

ISLAND OF COS.
a few

more appeals and

repulses, bows, protes-

tations,

and grimaces, we were forced to return

without having accomplished the object of our

mission.

During four days that we were detained upon the island, we renewed our search after
antiquities,

and

particularly

after

Inscriptions.

We

had every reason

to believe that

remains of

this kind

might be found within the Castle; but

our entrance was, as usual, strictly prohibited.

The Consul himself had never obtained admission

;

so cautious are the Turks in preventing

foreigners

from inspecting their

fortifications.

We
as

ventured, however, upon the drawbridge

;

which crosses the moat on the land side

and

we drew

near to

the

gateway, observed,

above the entrance,

Aiitient

Sculpture.

exquisite sculpture: ^

six masks', of the most some of these were repre^

sented with beards.

tinctly,

We

saw, also, very disInscription

the letters
tff

of a Greek

on

each side
A

the enitrance^

(1)

part of the/j7e;e mentioned in

the former Section of these

Travels, Vol. JII. Chap. VII. p. 26S, Note (l).

(2)

As neither of these

Inscriptions has
traveller,

been observed or published

by Spon, or any other former

their insertion here.
It

no apologry

is

nece^^sary for
distri-

may be

said, that, a

more methodical

bution of the subject of these Travels would ha\e required their introduction into the account of Cos, as it was published in the former
Section
:

ISLAND OF COS.
These
dition,

439
^"j^/""
^

Inscriptions,

notwithstanding the expealso, requisite in

and the circumspection

" v- -'

tracing them, the author believes he has copied

tions.

with accuracy.
nently virtuous
the
left

The

first

is

a most affecting piety in an emiin the wall,

and beautiful memorial of

filial

woman.
It

It is

on

side of the Castle-gate,

facing the entrance.

a person sets forth, that " the

to

SENATE AND PEOPLE HAVE HONOURED SUETONiA THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF CAIUS, WHO HAS LIVED CHASTELY AND WITH DECORUM; BOTH ON ACCOUNT OF HER OWN VIRTUE, AND THE BENEVOLENCE SHE HAs' SHEWN TOWARDS HER FATHER." The Icgcud is as follows; containing an instance of a Latin word gr<ecised in
'PT^stf^ocv;

signifying " the eldest"

ABOYAAKAIOAAMOZ ETEIMAZANSOYHXn
N

lANrAIOYGYTATEPA

nPEINANZHZAXAN
sn<s>P0NnzKAiK05:

MlilZAIATETANAYTAZ APETANKAIAIATANEZ

TONRATEPAAYTAZ SOYHTHNIONEPNEI
ANEYNOIANTEJMAZXAPIN
Section
Vol.
I.
r

but in the very besintiin? of his undertaking- (See Part

the author promised to

I.

p. 3.)

make

his

Work

''

as similar as

possible to the state in wliic/t A'otes tal-en on the spot

were mude ;" and

he

is

not conscious of having ever deviated from his eujajenient.

440
^vit/''
^

ISLAND OF COS.
^^^
/

^^^^

right-hand
to
this,

side
is

of the

gate,

exactly
of a

v-

opposite

another

Inscription

commemorating the exemplary conduct of a woman towards her husband; purporting that "the people erect anaxiNAEA DAUGHTER OF EUAEON, AVIFE OF CHARMYLUS, ON ACCOUNT OF HER VIRTUE AND CHASTITY AND BENEVOLENCE TOWARDS HER HUSBAND." This is the order of the legend
similar nature,
:

OAAiMOZANE0HKE ANAZINAHANEYAIONOZ rVNAlKAAEXAPMYAOYTOY XAPMYAOYAPETAZENEKAKAI

2:X2<l>POZYNAZKAITAZnOTI

TONANAPAAYTAZEYNOIAS
What
an exalted idea do these records convey

where the private virtues of the inhabitants were consiof the state of society, in a country

dered as public benefits, and were gratefully

and publickly commemorated by the Senate and the People; where the filial piety and the chastity of its women were thus honoured and rewarded! Even amidst the depraved state of
public morals, in the

modern

cities of

Europe,

were these virtues estimated at as high a price, each nation would have to boast of an Anaxinaa
and a
Suetonia.

Let there be only an equal

excitement to virtue, and human-nature would

ISLAND OF COS.
be found the same
in

44

every age.

The subhme chap.

^"^*
,

and

affecting institution of national honours for

less effec-

exemplary morals would not operate

periods of Grecian history

tually in this enlightened age than in the best

and although " the price of a virtuous woman be far above rubies," yet in such an institution even female virtue
;

would
praise

find its value:

"her own works would

" strength and

her in the gates," and

honour would be her clothing."

We

found other

hiscriplions in

our second

visit

to this island, but of less consideration.

Upon

a slab of Cipolino marble, forming a bench near

to the old

Greek Monastery,

we

observed an

some length, relating to one of the vessels employed in a bath; beginning HriTAAOI, and followed by a list of names. Others upon Near to an arch votive altars were numerous. at the entrance of the Market, we saw an altar
Inscription of

of Parian marble, ornamented with bulls' heads,

having bands or

fillets,

as for sacrifice, falling

on each side

and supporting festoons of flowers,

It

beautifully sculptured.

had

this Inscription

H PAKAEI
I

AOYTOY

APTEM AIIPOY AAEEANAPEnZ

442

ISLAND OF COS.
These, with fragments of porphyry,
breccia,

and

other materials of antient sculpture, lying about

the

modern town of
all

Stanchio,

and already alluded

to \ are
Asci^nim.

Of

noticed upon this occasion. Asclepieum, mentioned by although it be Straho ^ we could find no traces
that

we

the reuowucd

reasonable to expect that the remains of such a

building
ate
in

may be

here discovered

it

was

situ-

a suburb of the antient

city;

not of

Astypalea, the first metropolis of the people of

Cos

for

that

city stood

elsewhere'

but

of
to

Cos, a city built

upon the point of

its

Scander'ia,

the westivard; so that

suburbs probably occuthe original site of

there

pied the situation of the modern town. Possibly

the Mosque
the

may now occupy

to
it

Asclepieum: near

was

a grove,

consecrated to ^sculapius\
sins of

One

of the assasQ.

Julius C^sar, Puhlius TuruUms,

Roman

senator, cut

down almost

all

the trees for ship

timber

but afterwards, being delivered up by

his friend Anthony to Augustus, he

was put ta

death.

In the uncertainty which prevails with

(1) See Vol. III.

Chap. VII.

p.

266.
lib. xiv. p.

(2)

'ASKAHniEIOxV. Kaav

Strabon. Geog.

941.

Oxon. 1807.

(3) 'H Si TU1

viy.t;

iKxXtTra to -rx/.atfy 'Ajrru'ra.Ka.nt, kx) iiKuro

aXA.y Toyai.
(4)

Ibid. P- 910.

Dio

Casdtis,

ISLAND OF COS.
regard to the age of trees
the
Plane-tree,
*,

443
S^f/*'

and particularly of
to

which

is

known

exist

for

'

>-

centuries, perhaps the marvellous tree ofStanchio,

alluded to upon a former occasion ^

if it

be not
denote

a venerable remnant of this grove, may, as a

spontaneous produce resulting from

its

it,

The conjecture seems to be warranted by the number of antient altars still remaining about the body of this tree. The AscLEPjEUM was filled with the most costly voivs; and, among the number, the most famous paintings of Apelles his Antigouus, and his Fenia Anadijnviene. Augustus removed the last picture to Rnme and there consecrated it, in the
actual situation.

shrine of his father ^

The custom of suspending pictures in churches,

representing hair-breadth escapes from casual
disaster or disorder, as
I'otive

^"<""'
Offerings.

offerings to patron

Saints

who

are believed to have been propitious

(5)

Cou'per speak* of an ok wliich bail flourii^hed from the time of

Hni/let/'s lAfe
ha-;

the Conquest (See

1806.); and allu?^ion

of Cowper, vol. III./?. 166. Chichest. been alreaily made to the famous olive-tree la

the Citadel at /ilheus, that existed from the foundation of the city.
(6) See Vol.
(7)

HI.

p. 249.
lib.

Strabon. Geog.

xiv. p. 941.

Oxnn. 1807.
in

" Venerem exeun-

tem

e niari

Divu^ Augustus diravit

delubro patris Cae-aris, qufe

Anodyo-.ncne vocatur." Plin.Hist. Nat. lib.wxv.cnpAO. L.Bat.\6S5-

The same circumstance

is

also related

by Quintilian,

444
CHAP,
'

ISLAND OF COS.
to the donors, is
still

common in many countries,

:

particularly
religion
is

professed

where the Greek and the Catholic in the same manner,

models

in

wax, or sculptured representations of

parts of the

human body, such

as the hands or

the feet, recovered from disease, are often placed

before an image, in small shrines near to the

road

side, in the defiles of

mountains, particufact con-

larly in the ^/ps.

The most curious

practice
is

nected with

the

this,

that

it

is

Such offerings have been made from time immemorial by the Hindoos ^ but among the Greeks, it was customary to devote within their temples something more than the mere symbol of a benefit received inscriptions were added to such signs, setting forth the nature of the remedy that had
older than the time of Hippocrates \
: ;

much

been successful, or giving a description of the

peculiar grace that had been accorded\

In the

(1) It

was

also a

custom among the Romans,

as

we learn from

Tihvllus:

Dea, nunc succurre milii;

nam

posse metlcri

Picta docet templis multa tabellatuis."

T, hull. Elfg.
(2)

iii.

III.

1.

The women,
present,

in

many

parts of India,

hang out

dfierings to their

Deities; either a string of beads,

trifling

or a lock of

liair,

or

some other

when a

child, or

any one of their family, has been

recovered from
(3)

illness.

"Among the remains

of antiquity which offer themselves to the

notice

: f

ISLAND OF COS.
churches of the North of Europe, and especially
in those of

445
^^f/*

Denmark and

Norjvoj/, the traces of

notice of the traveller in his journey thro;hGieeceai\d y^a, there are

some

hitherto not sufficiently regarded

and yet they ara of importhis

tance, as being connected with the religious opinions of the Antients,

and

as

being prototypes of a custom existing at

1

day

in

Christian

countries.

allude to the votive offerings which were

presented to

some

Deities, on the restoration to health, after a bodily complaint or

disease.

The

eyes, the feet, the hands,

sometimes* the whole body,

to a presiding Deity.
-f,

were, as soon as health returned to the invalid, formed in marble,

earthenware, and other materials, and

oflfered

In Italy, and in other Roman- Catholic countries

prevails;

this

custom

still

and

in

the Greek churches we have witnessed similar repre-

seatatious, in silver, wax, and other substances, dedicated to patron

saints.

"A

question here arises concerning the antiquity of this practice

it

In what country, and at what period, did

these points

first

commence
:

On
we
are
it

we
it,

are in possession

of an authentic fact, by which

at least,
;

are enabled to answer, in some degree, the question

we

informed by
prevailed
in

that the antiquity of the custom

is

great

and that

the East, and was

thence probably introduced into

Creece.

" When
them.
priests

the Philistines had taken away the Ark of the

;

God

of Israel

the hand of the Lord, we read, was heavy upon them

and he smote

When
what

they determined to send back the ark, they asked their

offering they should

make

to the Lord, that they

might

be relieved from the disorder which attacked their bodies, and from
the other calamity, that of mice, which destroyed the land.
priests answered,
*
'
'

Ye

shall

images of your mice that

the

The make golden images of youremerods, and mar the land and ye shall give glory unto
;

God

of Israel

peradventure he will lighten his hand from off

you.

In the Island of Saniorin there are

some

singular representations, on the rock.

Tomauni

gives the votive fi;;ure uf a

man

in a dropsical state.

t"Eaquippe licentia, (says Baronius,) quaDeorum dclubra in Ecclesias Christianorum sunt laudabiiiter commutata, alii quoque ritus a nobis benedictionibus cxpiati
divine sunt cultui consecrati."

446
CHAP,
.

ISLAND OF COS;
this antient
.

-'

dona votiva

custom may yet be observed; the being often suspended in the form of

*you.
*

And they
and the

'Jul

so

and they

laid the

Ark

of the

Lord upon the

cart,

coffer with the

mice of gold, and with the images of

the earliest mention of the custom

their emerods*.'

" This, we have no doubt,

are considering.

is

we

^Ve have observed at Phoccpa in the antient Lydia,

of Greece, holes

at JEleusis, at jithnns, and other parts

of a square

form, cut

ill

the limestone rOck,

:

f(>r

the puipose of receiving these

feet,

vo/ifc offerings

sometimes the offerings themselves, ejes,

hands,

have been discovered.

feet

At Cyzicum there
inscrijition
;

is

a representation of two

on marble, with an

probably the vow of some person

who bad performed

which are seen two

a prosperous journey.

The same

subject

is

referred to in the engraving of a tablet

feet,

published by Tomasini, on
letters,

accompanied with these

it

QVIE

lANAE H

D, shewing that
:

was an offering by a person of the nam?

of Janii to Hi/geia

and

if

the

word

Quit-

be

properly explained,
to a journey

quiescentU, the whole has reference, as

we have observed,

performed with safety.

" Women,

after child-birth,

made

votive offerings; and a represen-

tation of the girdle was consecrated to

DiANAf.

j^vavtherus exjilains

the subject of a niari)le, in which a person of the naivVe of Laomedon

makes an
wife.

offering to the Locldan

Diana, on the safe delivery

of hL<

"All these
recovery from

offerings,
it,

which were made either during illness, or after were termed p^a^iffrfi^ia t^s curx^las the words 'iu^*>
-.

^a^nrfia, avaSni/^a,
**

were also used

and

in Latin,

Donn, and Donaria.

votive tributes of those

As the temples of Neptune received the

whu had escaped the dangers

of the sea; so the temples of ^scxilapiui

were adorned with tablets presented by persons restored to health. Invalids were allowed to sleep in tlie porticoes, and the interior, of the
fanes of Isis and JEscalupius
;

and there, by the way of drenm, they

received

SamaW
vel

metu

" Solcbant Veteres, (says Bocharl, on this passaRe.) aliqvt periculo defunoli, lurEteritoiuni malorum insignia ac monumenta illis DiU
vi. 5,11.

onspciarc, aqnibus
t

se liberatos putabant."

Hieroz. Uh. xi.

Latin,
first

c.

36.

Cali'd Diana Avait^wvo^.

lUe Greala,
it

'/.unam solvere, in

has reference to

marriage

among

rcfeircd to tkebirtli of tlie

child.

Scali^er on Catullut.

ISLAND OP COS.
pictures representing hair-breadth escapes,

447
a chap.
'

dehverance from banditti, or a recovery from

received advice concerning the

their health.
*

remedies they should use

to

procure
;

'

Julian (says an old inscriptiou)

:

vomited blood

and
of a

was

g;iven

over

the

God

told

him to come and take the cones

for three days.
in

pine-tree,
*

and eat them, with honey,

He

received

his health,

and came and returned thanks

the presence of the

people,'

Valerius Aper, a soldier, was blind.

The God

told

the blood of a white cock

to

mix

it

with honey, and

him to make an

take
oint-

ment of
sight,

it

and apply

it

to his eyes for three days.

He

gained his

and came and returned thanks.'

these,

" On
offerings

and similar occasions, we must suppose the votive

in

were presented; many of which are found

Greece and

Asia*.

They were

fixed, as

we have

observed, sometimes in the rock,

near the sacred precincts of a temple; sometimes appended to the

walls and columns of the temples
:

they were fastened also, by wax, to

the knees, or other parts of the statues of the Gods f " When we sa}', that the offerings were made in the temple of

liis,

we must understand, that the honour was paid particularly to Serapi.'i, joint-tenant of the temple, as the God of Medicine. 'Ego Medicind
a Serapi
utor,' says
fai-i'ol.

See also Cicero, in his second book,

De Divinat.

Nor

did those only

who recovered from

;

illness

pay their

votive tribute of gratitude to the Gods

their friends often united with

them in this act " The period

this

of dev(>tion. of the first introduction into the Christian church of

in

custom, once so prevalent

Pagan

Italy

and Greece, cannot be

precisely fixed.

sage in his
in

But Theodoret, one of the Greek Fathers, has a pasTherapeutics^, which attests the existence of the practice,
century,
of

the

fifth

Christians

offering,

in

their

Churches,

representations
.

* Tlie medicine itself was sometimes placed in tlie temples as in the case of a goldsmith, who, on his death-bed, bequeathed an ointment to a temple, which those Tetr. xi. Serin. 4. who were unable to see the physicians might use. ^fius,
;

Juven, Sat. x.

54.

.Pradott. contra
c. s.

Tarn. Adv.
Lib.

lib.

in.

."

An

Symm. lib, i. Lucian. Philop. .^sculapius, an Scrapis, potest praescribcie per

Cicero dc Divin..

somnium
t

ciiralionem valcludinis."

viii.

448

ISLAND OF COS.
sickness
inscribed
;

CHAR
vjir

and these pictures are frequentlywith

the
particulars
It

of

the

case
list

thereby commemorated.

was from a

of

remedies collected
crates of Cos

in the temples, that

a

Hippo-

framed

regular set of canons

for the art of medicine,

tice of

and reduced the prac-

physic to a system'.

representations of parts of the body restored to health

says,
*
*

*
:

Some,' he
;

offer
;

up

effigies

{ix.TWjru-j.ocra.')

of eyes

others,

of feet

others,

of bauds

made

of gold aud silver.'

feeling;

to

" The same spirit of relij^ious make the offerings we have

in
everj' transaction

which prompted the Pagans under the

adverted to, urged them to consider

themselves,

and situation of

life,

as

presiding care of

some Deity

to

festation of gratitude was due, in

whom, consequently, some maniall successful undertakings. The

husbandman,
poets,

after harvest, otTered up his instruments of husbandry; and men of genius, consecrated their harps, lyres, and volumes,
;

to Minerva and Apollo

in war*.

conquerors presented some of the spoils

won

The temples
Banks
in gold
:

of the Greeks were,

we know,

used, by different
in

States, as

to this circumstance
;

was owing,

pan, the vast

wealth which they contained

offerings
-}-

and

this

was increased by the costly

and

silver,

presented on various occasions."

Walpole's MS. Journal.

(l)

" Tunc

earn revocavit in

luccm

H/jipocrafcs,

genitus in insuld
Js,

Coo, in primis clarA ac valid&, et /Eseulapio dicata.

cum

fuisset

mos, liberatos morbis scribere in tenipio ejus Dei, quid auxiliatum

esset, ut postea similitudo proficeret, exscripsisso ea traditur,

atque

(utVarro apud nos credit) jam templo cremato, banc, quae C//7nce vocatur." Plin. Hist. Nat.
p. 187.

instituisse
?.

medicinam
to7n.\l\,

xxix.

c.\.

L. Bat. 1G35.
is

* Of this description

Alpheui, at Olympia, by Mr. Alotritt ;

the antient Arj^ire helmet found in the alhivial now in the possession of Mr. Knight.

soil

of tlie

t One of the most antient oiferings in Greece was that hearing an inscription, in Cadmean letters, on a tripod, at Thebes. Ihrod. lib. v. p. 400. 'Aix(p,T(>iu>v ^i' aveBriKev Itov Una TnXf/Soaux, \wv is the emendation of Bal^iuirnera, veun is preferred by

VUloiion, {Ante, n, 129.) with

oi/eftjive.

'

ISLAND OF COS.

449

remarkable cause was tried while

;

we were
'

chap.

in Cos

and a statement of the circumstance on

it

was founded will serve to exhibit a very pa'rfoVThe Mohammedan law namely, Sl'X" that which relates to " Homicide by implication^
singular part of the
;

which

An

instance

of a similar nature
it

was before

noticed, v/hen

was

related that the Capudan

Pasha reasoned with the people of Samos upon

the propriety of their paying for a TurJcish
fri-

gate which
*'

was wrecked upon their territory because the accident would not have happened
This
as a
characteristic feature of
it

unless their island had been in the way."

was mentioned
say,
it

Twr/twA justice, and so

really

was; that

is

to

was

a sophistical application of a prin-

ciple rigidly

founded upon the

Jifth species
;

of
or
is

homicide, according to the Mohammedan law

^'Homicide
strictly the

by

an intermediate canse," which

it

name

bears ^

The case which

occurred at Cos

fell

cognizance of this law.

more immediately under the It was as follows.

A young man

desperately in love with a girl

;

of Stanchio, earnestly sought to marry her

but

(2)

See the communication made to the author by M^. Keene, as

III.

published in Note (l), pp. 2^2, 243, of Vol.

Octavo edition.

VOL. V.

G G

450
CHAP,
I..

INLAND OF COS.
his proposals
'

were

rejected.

In consequence of

,.

his disappointment, he

bought some poison and

destroyed himself.
arrested the father

The Turkish police instantly of the young woman, as the

:

cause, by implication, of the man's death

under

the fifth species of homicide, he

became therefore

amenable
literally

for this

act

of suicide.
it

When

the

cause came before the Magistrate,

was urged

by the accusers,
had a daughter,
;

that ''Ifhe, the accused,

tlie

had

not

deceased woidd not

have fallen in love

been disappointed ;

consequently, he would not have

consequently, he icould not have

swallowed poison
died

consequently, he would not have

but he, the accused,

had a daughter ; and

;

the

deceased had fallen in love

Jjointed
;

and had been

;

disapdied.'

and had swallowed poison

these counts, he

and had

Upon
pay

all

the price of the

being fixed at

was called upon to young man's life and this, the sum of eighty piastres, was
;

accordingly exacted.

Popuiamerce, and
Coi.

Cos had much diminished Thcrc were formerly 20,000 of latc ycars. inhabitants and of this number only eight or

The population

of

ten thousand

now remained.

Three thousand

had been carried off by a severe plague the year before; and great numbers had been
draughted,
to

serve

as

soldiers in

the

war.

ISLAND OF COS.

451
:

The
corn

island contains five villages

it

produces

^^J.'^^'

and

cattle.

Its fine rich

grapes were

now

**

selling for less

than a halfpenny the pound

pomegranates and melons were in great abundance, and of delicious flavour.

sists in the

Its trade con-

manufacture of
brandy,

barrels,

and

in the

sale

of

7vine,

raisins,

lemon-juice,

pre-

served fruit, &c.

Corn sold
the

for iour piastres

and

a half the

quilot^:'

average

price

was

reckoned

at seventy or eighty paras.

(1)

The

quilnt,

according to Tourneforl,
is

is

a measure of three
is

panaches; each panache

eight agues;

and each vque

;?.

twenty-five

pounds.

SeeTournef.Voy. du Lev. tom.W.

109.

Lyon,\1\.1.

G G 2

APPENDIX.
No.
I.

DISCOVERY, BY COLONEL CAPPER,

OF THE EXISTENCE OF

ANTIENT PAGAN SUPERSTITIONS

IN

MOUNT

LIBANUS,

PARTICULARLY THOSE WHICH RELATE TO THE WORSHIP OF VENUS.

1 HE superstition discovered by Colonel Capper

can be considered as nothing- less than the expiring

embers of those holocausts which once

j4startl'\

blazed in honour of Sidonian

The

Venus of Lihanus was called Asthoreth, from the

Astara,

(l)

Astart6,

Aslarothy

Asldaroth, Asthorefh,
to

fSee

the

Inscriptions

communicated

Part

I.

of these Travels, hy Charles

jo.

Kklsall, ^sy. from the Cimmerian Bosporus,

Aestar, f whence our word Aestf.r
:

402. Second Edition.)

See chap. X. p. 317. Note 2, of the

the
Gentiles,

fmmer

I'oiume

also

GaleV

(Mirt of

B.

ii.

c.

2.)

Nothing: tends more to elucidate and simplify Heathen mythology, than

the constantly bearing in recollection the identity of

idols

all
;

those

Pagan

which were distinguished by these several names

less

(to

which may

be added the other

Goddess;)
viz.

similar appellations of the

Isis,

same Phccnician

Aler satis, Juno,

Hecate, Proserpine, Ceres, DianUy

lib.'m.)
J'enxis,

Europa,
{ Ovid.

( Cicer. dc Nalur. Dear,

lib. iv.)

Urania, Dercetis,
called her Alilat,

Metam.

axul Lu7ia.

The Arabians

and

still

preserve their Alituia.

Among

the Chaldeans she was called

MilUta.

454

APPENDIX,

NI.

number
mentions
built
in

of sacrifices offered to her.

this situation of

Eusebius
:

her temple

it

was

the

most secluded solitude of that

Constantine overthrew the temple,
its

mountain'.

and, according to Augusthie'^, abolished

testable rites
;

de-

but these, however, have

in

some

measure survived, and remain at the present day among those wretched superstitions which
degrade a multitude of human beings,
the
to

whom

Holy Scriptures have been hitherto denied. However impious and abominable these superstitions at last

became, they were,

;

in their origin,

of a purer nature

having resulted solely from

the veneration paid

luminaries of

by a grateful people to those heaven, whence they supposed all

be derived.
Before the coming
it is

their blessing to

of the Jews into the Promised Land,

dent, from Scripture,

evi-

that the worship of the

original inhabitants

Moon^ was cultivated by the

(1) Eusebius

(le

Laudib. Constant, Orat. et de Prap.

lib. iv.

cap. 7.

(2) jJugustm. de Civitate Dei. lib. iv. cap. 10.

(3)

It

was from the Phanieinns and Canaunites that the JsraelUes

learned this worship,

" The

children gather wood, and the fathers

to

kindle the

fire,

and the women knead their dougli, to make cakes

{Jerem.
vii. 8.)

the Queen of Heaven."

ciftns called

The

Canaunites and Phoeni-

the

wwon
;

Ashterothy^starte, Baaltis.
is

Lucian expressly

says, thdX Astarte, that

to say,

tlie f^'enus
[lib. 5.)

of Libnmts, or Queen of
calls Astarte,
'

Heaven, was the moon

as
it is

and Herodotus

Atrr^ed^x''

said by

Herodian that the Carthaginians

did,

who

afiirmed her
tQ

APPENDIX, NT.
of the country
;

and there cannot be pointed

out a truth connected with their history more

capable of demonstration, than that the

Dea
the

Syria who

obtained,

by her

ten thousand appelall

lations, the epithet of

Myrionymus, with

fabulous history of her favourite u4donis, or the

Earth*, was, under
all its

modifications, but so

many

testimonies of this antient worship \

The

numerous instances of popular Pagan superstitions retained in the Greek and Roman
churches have been often before noticed
;

these

were made subservient

to the

propagation of a
faith
:

more enlightened system of

the

and

as,

in

our reformed religion, a part of the Liturgy of

Roman Church has been preserved,

in

so

it

may be

said that certain of the external forms,

and even of the prayers ^

to be the same with the moon.

use among the

This deity was worshipped by the

PMlistines in the shape of ajish.

in Phoeniciii
;

Lucian (Dea Syria) saw the image

the upper part resembling a

woman;

the lower, ajish.

in the following

And
line
:

to

tliis

Horace has been supposed

to allude,

"

Desinit in piscem mulier formosa super?ie."

(4) Macrob. Saturn. UL.\. cap.'2>\.

(5)

See particularly (he Ilarpocrates of Cuper, {p. 108. Utrecht , 1687,)

figure of his, as engraved by him.

and the
(6)

The Glwspody Pomilui

it

of the Russians, and

" Lord

have mercy

upon us !" as

stands in our Liturgy, was a part o{\hePaga7i Litany.

Fbl.ll. p.l. Ijond. 1734.)
Ao^simj says, that

f See Young's Diss. ifc.

Y^u^n
iXi/i(ro

was au usual form of prayer among the Gentiles as well as

Jews.

456
Heathens, are

APPENDIX, NM.
still

retained.

Roman-catholic,

however,

who

prostrates

himself

before

wooden crucifix, or a member of the Greek Church making the sign of the cross, will not readily admit that the figure of a cross was
used, as a symbol of resurrection from the dead,

long before the sufferings of our Saviour.

Alhericus examining the writings
either of

Like
',

of Abelard

them reading such an assertion would deem it pregnant with the most noxious heresy; and yet, exactly after the manner in which
Abelard refuted the charge of Alhericus^,

have only to open a volume of one of

Fathers, to prove that this
is

their

we own

indisputably true^

Jews.
atirS

So

A If inn
\>.itifo\i'

{Epict. lih.W.
*^

C.J.)

To>

Qiov

Wiy.ay.oif/.fji;

hifitfit

Kvon

Calling upon God, toe pray.

Lord have mercy upon

us !"
(1)

See that most entertaining Histury of the Lives q{ j^belard and

as

Heloise,

compiled from orifiual documents, by the Rev. Joseph

JBerrington, printed at
is

Birmingham

in 178".

The passage

alluded to

in page 13S,

and contains a salutary lesson Mr. Berrington's

for bigots of every sect

and denomination.

Work

perhaps comprises the

state

most able survey extant, and certainly the most amusing, of the
of literature in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
(2)
p. 137.

See Berrington'i Hist, of

tlie

Lives

of Abelard

and Heloise,

(3) Soa-ates Scholasticus,

lib. v.

cap.l". Camb.

\'i!20.

See

"Greek

Marbles,"

/.

78.

The

learned author of
(f^ol. II.

"An

Historical Dissertation

on Idolatrous Corruptions,"

p. 5S, Note.

Lond. 1731) says.

The Cross

in

Egyptian Hieroglyphics denoted Life Eternal ; and that

upon

APPENDIX,

NI.

457
ago endea-

The enemies
voured

of Christianity

long

and blaspheme its rites, by pointing out a resemblance between the history of our Saviour's death and resurrection, and
to vilify

the annual lamentations for Adonis, followed

by

the joy expressed for his supposed resuscitation*.

But the

fable of Adonis,

although afterwards

the foundation of detestable and degrading superstition, originally typified nothing

more than

the vicissitudes of winter and

summer ^
;

the

seeminof death and revival of Nature

whence a

doubtful hope

was

occasionally excited of the

soul's existence in a future state.

This expecta-

tion so naturally results

from the contemplation

it

of such phaenomena, that traces of

may

be

discerned

among

the

most barbarous nations

light,

Some

glimmering, therefore, of a brighter

fully

which was afterwards

manifested in the

upon

this extraordinary coincidence

instrument of our Saviour's death,

verted to Christianity.
Eccles. Ub.xW.
c.

between a Pagan symbol and the many of the Gentiks were conlib. ii.

See Riiffinus,

c.

29.

Sozomen. Hist.

15.

(4) Julius Firmicus de Errore Profan. Relig. &c.

{5) Macrob. Saturn. lib,\. cap. 21.

L. Bat. 1670. hope of the

:

(6) Beattie enables his Minstrel to derive a

soul's

im-

mortality, from observing the vicissitude of the Seasons

"

Shall

be

left

abandon'd

in the dust,

When

Fate, relenting, lets the flower revive?"

Minst. xxvii. p. I6.

Edin.

807.

458
Gospel,

APPENDIX,

NI.

must naturally have occasioned indistinct traces of similitude between the Heathen mythology and the Christian dispensation. It was owing to such coincidence that St. Paul declared to the Athenians, "That God whom
ye ignorantly worship, him declare
ther or not
I

unto you."

In viewing these occasional resemblances, whe-

we be permitted

to investigate their
is

causes, the fact of their existence

indisputable.

iVo one, duly considering the solemnities ob-

served at Easter by the antient Saxons prior to

the introduction of Christianity \ or viewing at
this

day the ceremony of the Greek Church, par-

ticularly that of Moscozv,

when

the priests are

occupied
the

in

searching for the supposed body of

to a declaration

Messiah ^ previous
call to

which

ushers in the festivities of a whole empire, but

mind the circumstance related by Gregory Nazianzus, of the manner in which popular Pagan rites were made subservient to as well the advancement of the Christian faith
must
^
;

as the remarkable fact*, that, on a certain night in

the

same season of

the year, the

Heathens similarly

(1) See Gale's Court of the Gentiles,

Book

ii.

ch. 2.

(2) See Vol.

(3)
(4)

1.

of these Travels, Chap. IV.

p. 74.

Octavo Edition.

Orat.de Vit4 Greg.TJiaum.

torn. III. p. 574.

Vid. Jul. Firmic. de Errore Profan. Relig. &c.

APPENDIX, NT.
laid

459
numbering
upon a

an image

in thei?' temples, and, after

their

lamentations according to

the

beads

string,

thus ended the appointed days of privation

andsorroiv; that then light luas brought in; and the

high-priest delivered

an expression, similar

in

its

import, of resuscitation

and deliverance from

grief.

In tracing such resemblances, the celebrated

Middleton,

writmg from Rome, observes,

"We

see the people worshippmg, at this day, in the

same temples at the same images

ceremonies

the

same

altars,

as the old Romans.''

and

sometimes

always with the same


460
APPENDIX, NMI.

No.

II.

PASSPORT
GRANTED

TO MESSRS. CLARKE AND CRIPPS,

TO PASS AND REPASS THE OUTER GATE OF ALEXAKDRTA,

TO AND FROJI THE BRITISH CAMP.

"//rwee d' Orient.

" Au
Le 24

Quartier-General a Alexandrie,

Fructidor,

An Q de

la

Repuhlique Francaise.

" RENE,

General de Brigade,

Chef de

I'Etat,

Major-

G(^neral de rArniee,

" Les

Postes de I'Armee Francaise laisseront lihrement

et

passer et rcpasser Messieurs Klarkej Crypps,

Officiers

Schutz,

Anglais.

" RENE."

XD OF VOLUME THE

FIFTH.

Primed
Crown,

lj

t'oitrf,

R. WATTS, Temple Bar.

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