422 NOTES. 



Courts, plaintive founds were heard iffuingfrom a breaft of ftone, 

 at the firft rays of Aum-a, and the coloflal Memmn fighing at fight 

 of his mother. 



The faél is too well attefled, and is of too long duration, to 

 admit of being called in queftion. Neverthelefs, many of the 

 learned have thought proper to afcribe it to fome exterior and 

 momentaneous artifice of the priefts of Thebes. Nay, it appears 

 that Sirabo, who witnefled the noife made by the ftatue7 hints 

 this fufpicion. We know, in reality, that ventriloquifts are able, 

 without moving the lips, to utter words and foundb which feem 

 to come from a conûderable diftancc, though they are produced 

 clofe by your fide. For my own part, however durable the mar- 

 vellous efFeâ: of Memnori's ftatue may be fuppofed, I can conceive 

 it produced by the Aurora, and eafily imitable, without being un- 

 der the neceffity of renewing the artifice of it, till after the lapfe 

 of ages. It is well known that the priefts of Egypt made a par- 

 ticular ftudy of Nature ; that they had formed of it a Science 

 known by the name of Magic, the pofleffion of which they re- 

 ferved to themfelves. They were not ignorant, afluredly, of the 

 effect of the dilatation of metals, and among others of iron, 

 -which is contrafted by cold, and lengthened by heat. They might 

 have placed, in the great bafis oï Mamion'à ftatue, a long iron rod 

 in a fpiral line, and fufceptible, from it's extenfion, of contrac- 

 tion and dilatation, by the flighted aftion of cold and of heat. 



This medium was fufficient for extraéling found from fome 

 metallic compofition. Their colofTal ftatues being partly hol- 

 low, as may be ken in the fphinx, near the pyramids of Grand 

 Cairo, they could difpofe in them machinery of ever}' kind. 

 The ftone itfeU cï the ilatue of Memnon being, according to P//«y, 

 a bafaltes, which poffefTes the hardnefs and the colour of iron, 

 may very well have the power of contracting and of dilating it- 

 ielf, like this metal, of which it is apparently compofed. It is 

 certainly of a nature different from other ftones, as Pocock, who 

 had made obfervation of all forts of thefe, affirms that be had 

 never ktn the like of it. He afcribes to it a particular charaéler 

 of hardnefs and porofity, which arc, in general, attributes of fer- 

 ruginous 



