412 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



a part of these buildings, whose 

 high elevation, by contracting the 

 space they ought to occupy, and 

 overwhelming them, as it were, 

 by disproportions, destroys their 

 effect. The cornice, which termi- 

 nates them, resembles, in its in- 

 flexion, the waving branch of the 

 palm-tree: the distinct parts are 

 executed with infinite care. It is 

 covered with pictures both within 

 and without, apd it leads to the 

 small palace which has been already 

 mentioned. It consists of fifteen 

 apartments, lighted sparingly by 

 windows, which are never seen in 

 the temples. A double range of 

 rams leads to the south gate, of the 

 same proportion as the lions situ- 

 ated before the gate of granite. 



Account of ike Sepulchres of Thebes 

 in Egypt ; from the same. 



THE whole of the mountain 

 Libycus which begins at half 

 a league to the west of the Memno- 

 nium, and ends immediately oppo- 

 site to Medinet-abou, is pierced 

 from its base to three-fourths of its 

 elevation with a great number of 

 sepulchral grottos. Those which 

 are nearest the surface of the ground 

 are the most spacious, as well as the 

 most decorated; those which are in 

 the most elevated part of the moun- 

 tain, are much more rudely con- 

 trived and executed ; while such as 

 hold the middle place, bear an ad- 

 justed proportion of space and orna- 

 ment. Those which belong to the 

 poor are the most interesting, be- 

 cause they always contain some re- 

 presentation of the arts which flou- 

 rished, and the trades which were 

 practised at that epocha. The plan 

 of these grottos is in a great mea- 



sure the same. A door, opening 

 towards the east, displays a gallery 

 of about twenty feet in length, 

 which is sometimes formed in a 

 straight line, and at other times 

 runs off from the entrance in a right 

 angle: it is indifferently supported 

 by columns or pilasters, of which 

 the number varies from four to ten. 

 At the extremity of the gallery is 

 a well which leads to the cata- 

 combs, where the mummies are de- 

 posited. The depth of these wells 

 varies from forty to sixty feet, and 

 they are connected with long sub- 

 terraneous passages, rudely shaped 

 in the rock, which terminate in a 

 chamber of about thirty feet square; 

 whose sides are supported by pilas- 

 ters, and contain large remains of 

 the mummies. There are evident 

 traces of numerous other subterra- 

 neous communications, which pro- 

 bably lead to other chambers, that 

 are at present concealed. 



In the upper gallery are sculp- 

 tured in basso-relievo, or painted in 

 fresco, a crowd of subjects relating 

 to funeral ceremonies. The most 

 interesting pictures, which are seen 

 there, oft'er a detail of circum- 

 stances connected with the ancient 

 inhabitants of the country. There 

 are represented their first occupa- 

 tions, such as the chace and the 

 fishery: thence we may trace the 

 progress of civilization, in the em- 

 ployments of the Sadler^ the cart- 

 wriglit, the potter, the money- 

 changer, the husbandman, and in 

 the duties and jiunishments of mili- 

 tary life. Each grotto is adorned 

 with a ceiling painted with subjects 

 of fancy, and whose design is ex- 

 actly the same as that of the 

 paper-hangings which were fa- 

 shionable in France about thirty 

 years ago 



