Letters from Egypt. ATs 
the changes occafioned in the land by the winds of Lybia. 
The ruins have furnifhed them a much more abundant har- 
veft, The thoufands of columns which every where occur 
have prefented them with granites, breches*, and Egyptian 
marble of the greateft beauty. The monuments, aflonifh+ 
ing on account of their bulk, which are feen here, have al- 
ready given us a fpecimen of the wonders we {hall behold in 
Upper Egypt. Pompey’s pillar, and the column called 
Cleopatra’s needle, do not, however, make fo much im- 
preflion as an Egyptian vafe covered with hieroglyphics, and 
in perfect prefervation. This vafe ftands in the great mofque 
of the Arab town; and I hope that you will fee it in Paris, 
notwithftanding its enormous weight. 
I have examined with C. Champi the ftones of which 
the walls of the Arab town are built. They are corroded to 
the very centre in fuch a manner as might induce people to 
believe that faltpetre here is very abundant; but we were fur- 
prifed to find fcarcely any thing except fea-falt and a very 
{mall quantity of a nitrat, thenature of which we have not 
been able to determine, as we had not the neceflary means, 
but which, in all probability, is niirat of lime.’ IT am em: 
ployed in getting repaired the boxes which contain our che- 
mical apparatus, and which have fuffered confiderably. 3 More 
than half of the fulphuric acid has been loft, and has in- 
jured the boxes. 
The aftronomers are employed with the eftablithment of a 
folid bafe, that is to fay, with the conftruétion of two pillars 
of mafon-work. They will depart foon, in order to form 
the triangles neceflary for making a map of the country. 
The military, civil, and geographical engineers are how 
conftructing a plan of Alexandria and the environs, | 
Conté is employed in collecting fpecimens of all the arts 
of the country. He has formed a plan alfo of a very fimple 
* The French give this appel!ation to a very fhiri: ig hard kind of mar. 
ble found-in the Pyrenees, Enrr. 
, telegraph, 
