early Egyptian History, 189 



with a different title, an effectual distinction ; nor does the 

 name recur in any subsequent dynasty. M. Champollion 

 Figeac has, with mucli ingenuity, shown the probability of the 

 identity of the Mandouei of the ancient ruin with the Osyman- 

 dyas, Ousi-Mandouei, mentioned by Diodorus Siculus as an 

 Egyptian king greatly distinguished by his conquests, whose 

 reign M. Champollion infers, from the historical passages re- 

 lating to him, to have commenced 190 years before the Phoe- 

 nician invasion, or B.C. 2272 years ; a prodigious antiquity, 

 and of the very highest interest should it be established, since 

 there exist of this individual no less than three statues in 

 European collections, distinguished by the same name and 

 title : two of these are colossal, one at Turin, and a second at 

 Rome : a third is in the British Museum ; and as all particu- 

 lars must interest which relate to a statue, of which there is 

 at least probability that it is the most ancient existing in the 

 world, — the date attributed to it being earlier than the birth of 

 Abraham, — ^we copy from Burckhardt the following short de- 

 scription of its discovery: " Within the inclosure of the inte- 

 rior part of the temple at Karnac, Belzoni found a statue of a 

 hard, large-grained sandstone : a whole length naked figure 

 sitting upon a chair with a ram's head upon the knees : the 

 face and body entire ; with plaited hair falling down to the 

 shoulders. This is one of the first, I should say, the first 

 Egyptian statue I have seen : the expression of the face is ex- 

 quisite, and I believe it to be a portrait." — (J. L. Burckhardt, 

 IVavels in Nubia^ Ixxvii. Letter to Mr* W, Hamilton^ 20th 

 February f 1817.) — This statue is in the farthest corner on the 

 right hand side after entering the gallery of the Egyptian anti- 

 quities in the British Museum; and compared with other 

 statues in the same gallery, which are of kings of the eighteenth 

 dynasty, the dissimilarity of the features from the very charac- 

 teristic ones of the latter family is too striking to be questioned. 

 The problem of the age of this king Mandouei is, at all events, 

 a highly curious one ; and will probably receive its solution 

 amongst the many other valuable discoveries which cannot fail 

 to result from M. ChampoUion's projected visit to Egypt, in 

 which he will be accompanied by the sincere good wishes of 

 every one in every country, who feels an interest in tlie restora- 

 tion of authentic history. E. S, 



