.148 



selves, have both the name of Naga : 

 1 have no doubt that they are the re- 

 mains of tlie ancient town of Naka. 

 Three of tlie temples are in pretty 

 good preservation ; one consists of a 

 piece, with a pylone in front, and in- 

 teresting from the subjects that form 

 its decorations. The figures have a 

 costume very different from what we 

 see in Egypt; the robes, however, are 

 like those of the figures which I have 

 explained to you before, and such as 

 are seen in the Pyramids. 



The second temple is larger, with a 

 sphinx avenue ; the third is an iso- 

 lated portico, very curious, but of a 

 less ancient construction. The archi- 

 tecture is a mixture of tlie Greek and 

 Egyptian style; we find Corinthian 

 chapiters on it. The other temples 

 are in a ruinous state. 



In a largo valley of the Desert, six 

 liours' journey from the Nile, and eight 

 hours' journey south-south-east of 

 Chendy, are other ruins, much more 

 considerable, which I think likely to 

 be tlic remains of the Place of Study, 

 or College of Meroe : they consist of 

 eight little temples placed in aline, by 

 galleries raised on terraces. This is 

 an immense construction, compre- 

 hending a multitude of chambers, 

 temples, courts, and galleries, sur- 

 rounded with double inclosures. I 

 can only give you here a slight sketch 

 of these ruins. From the temple in 

 the centre there is a communication 

 ■with the others, by three galleries or 

 terraces, 185 feet in length : each tem- 

 ple has its particular apartments; 

 these arc continued in aline. In toto, 

 we may connt eight temples, thirty- 

 nine chambers or habitations, twenty- 

 six courts, twelve escaliers, &c. The 

 ruins cover a space, the circumfe- 

 rence of which would occupy about 

 3500 feet. 



But in this immensity of niins every 

 thing is of a small proportion, the mo- 

 numents, as well as the materials 

 employed ; the stones are in lays of 

 nine inches in height, and often square. 

 The largest temple is only thirty-seven 

 feet in length. On the columns are 

 figures in the Egyptian style; other 

 columns of the same portico have 

 flutings as in the Grecian architecture. 

 On the base of one of them I thought 

 I could distinguish the remains of a 

 zodiac. Gemini, the Twins, appear 

 very plain, and there is a resemblance 

 to Sagittarius : I have taken a correct 

 drawing of it. The weather and de- 



Novelties of Foi'etgn. Literature. [March I, 



structivc elements that have effaced 

 the antiquities of Saba, and so many 

 other monuments, seem desirous to 

 retain the observatory ofMerbe ; with- 

 out removing any thing, a complete 

 plan of it may be taken. At present 

 there is no water to bo had here : my 

 whole provision of it is fetched from 

 the Nile. 



At the distance of some liundred 

 feet from the above ruins are the re- 

 mains of two other little monuments, 

 and the vestiges yet discernible of a 

 large reservoir of water, surrounded 

 with large mountain-stones, to secure 

 it from the sands. But here are no 

 traces of a town, either as to its site, 

 or the remains of ruins, or of any 

 tombs. If the town of Mcriie had 

 existed on this spot, the Pyramids 

 would hardly have been two days' 

 journey further. I incline to think 

 that this place was the College of 

 Merbe; the forms and the structure 

 give similar indications of it; but (he 

 town was near the tombs wiicrc the 

 forty-five pyramids are, exactly ip tho 

 latitude assigned by the ancients to 

 Merbe ; that of these ruins is at a con- 

 siderable distance. 



In all these ruins we are surprised 

 to find so few hieroglyphics; they 

 appear only on six columns that form 

 the portico of the middle temple: all 

 the other walls and parts are destitute 

 of sculptures. 



During the time that 1 was in the 

 country, the Chouery and Bycharyeh 

 Arabs had revolted against Ismael 

 Pacha, and the inhabitants about the 

 Nile were the victims of their daily 

 depredations. These Arabs were once 

 in chace of M. Linant, but we had 

 the good fortune to escape them. This 

 induced me to relinquish the project 

 I had formed of proceeding to Goz- 

 Redgeh, on the Athara, and into the 

 Desert of the Red Sea, where the 

 Bycharyes were all in a state of 

 revolt. 



I have finished my labours at Barkal. 

 When at the upper part of the province 

 of Sokket, I advanced to Selima, 

 which is an Oasis, three days' journey 

 in the Desert, expecting to find some 

 antiquities: I found, however, only 

 the remains of a Christian habitation, 

 divided into eight little chambers, with 

 about two hundred date-trees in its 

 neighbourhood. Solimais a station of 

 the great caravan of Darfour, and has 

 some inhabitants. 



In the course of this journey, which 

 waS) 



