ANTIQUITIES. 
a barren desert, destitute of every 
remains that might mark its ancient. 
state, and inhabited, or rather ra- 
vaged, by wandering barbarians. 
Some physical cause must, there- 
fore, have contributed to the pre- 
servation of the antiquities of Egypt. 
Such a cause is discernible in the 
nature of the climate and of the soil. 
The air is dry; rain seldom falls, 
and frost is unknown. Wet and 
cold, therefore, whose destructive 
agency wastes away even the most 
solid works of human construction, 
have here no influence. 
The soil of Egypt, too, might 
furnish the inhabitants with the 
most durable materials for building. 
Through Lower Egypt, and in the 
Tising ground on its confines, cal- 
careous stones are found, of a par- 
ticular species, and full of small ca- 
vities. But of these, no building, 
except the pyramids, has been con- 
structed. In Upper Egypt, again, 
where the surface is unequal and 
elevated, are granites of all colours, 
the bardest known. The ranges of 
mountains are composed of granite ; 
and it was, therefore, easy for the 
Egyptians to employ in their build- 
ings large masses of stone, of a na- 
ture the most proper to resist the in- 
fluewce of all unfriendly agency, 
whether pbysical or moral. The 
modern inhabitants of Egypt can- 
not break a column of granite, to 
employ it in building a cottage, as 
. those of other countries break pillars 
of marble, for similar purposes. 
Besides, the ancient Egyptians 
‘@ppear to have spared no expence 
' or pains, in order to confer dura- 
diliiy oo the works which they 
reared. Their pieces of sculpture 
are all saliant, and all of a size and 
solidity, unusual in the buildings of 
‘the other nations of antiquity. ‘The 
inscriptions, although on so hard a 
Species of stone, are so deeply en- 
A39 
graven, that the authors must cer- 
tainly have incended them never to 
te effaced. 
Upper Egypt being more eleva- 
ted than the Lower, must bave been 
first inhabited. It seems to have 
been the principal seat of the an- 
cient Pharaohs, who were so pow- 
erful and magnificent; for in it are 
the most numerous and most superb 
monuments of antiquity to be 
found. Many travellers have de- 
scribed these interesting ruins. Po- 
cocke and Norden are the most e- 
minent :—they have carried their 
researches farthest, and have given 
the most exact and particular de- 
scriptions. 
I had not great opportunity of 
examining the curious antiquities of 
Egypt. All that [ could bring away, 
were a few of the figures that were 
worshipped as idols, of bronze and 
barnt clay; and these do no credit 
either to the taste or the skill of the 
Egyptian artists. In general, it ap- 
pears that this nation never ex- 
celled in the arts of design. Their 
paintings are remarkable for no- 
thing but glaring colours ; and their 
sculpture is equally faulty in the de- 
sign and in the figures. 
Of the Pyramids. 
From the same. 
F the antiquities of Egypt, the 
most astonishing, are, doubt- 
less, the Pyramids. The eye, if 
not pleased, is at least singularly 
struck by the appearance of those 
enormous masses. 
The three principal pyramids are 
seen from Cairo; and every strang- 
er who arrives in that capital, is 
tempted to approach and examine 
them. We have a number of de- 
scriptions of these pyramids alrea- 
‘dy, and { shall not eacrease the num- 
ber. I shall only mention some 
Ee4 observations 
