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XL I. Jccount of ATttiquarian Researches in Egypt ly M. Bei.- 

 zoM, charged hy the British Government to make Collections 

 Jor the British Museum. Contained in a Letter from M.Bul- 

 zoNi to M. ViscoN-n *. 



I Cairo, Jan. 9, 1818. 



HAVE arrived from Upper Egypt, and am pre- 

 paring to return to Nubia for tlie third time. 



In my first journey to Thebes, in 1816, I had succeeded in 

 embarking on the Nile tlie upper part of the famous statue of 

 Memnon. This grand wreck, which has lain for so many cen- 

 turies amidst the ruins of the palace destroyed by Cambyses, is 

 now on its way to the British .Museum. It is a colossal bust, 

 of a smgle block of gxinite, ten feet in height from the breast to 

 the top of the head, and twelve tons in weight. Other travellers 

 before me had conceived the design of transporting it to Europe, 

 and renounced it only from not coiiceiving the means of effecting 

 It. The great dilHcuIty was in moving such a mass for the space 

 of two miles, Until its arrival at the Nile, whereby alone it could 

 be conveyed to Alexandria. I succeeded in effecting it, without 

 the aid of any macliine, by the sole power of the arms of some 

 Arabs, houevcr ill qualified this people, now sunk into the indo- 

 lence of savage life, may be for such rude labours. As such, it 

 has been the work of six months. 



From Thebes I went up towards Nubia, to examine the Great 

 Temple of Ybsambnl, which is buried more than double its height 

 HI the sands, near the second Cataract. There I found the m- 

 habitants very ill disposed towards my projects, and from whom 

 I prepared to encounter some difficulties. However, the season 

 being too advanced, was my sole njotive rn deferring this enter- 

 prise to another time. 



In the mean time I returned to Thebes, where I occupied 

 myself in new searches at the Temple of Karnack. There I 

 found, several feet underground, a range of sphinxes, surrounded 

 by a wall. These sphinxes, with heads of lions on the busts of 

 women, are of black granite, of the usual size, and for the most 

 part of beautiful execution. There was in the same place a 

 statue of Jupiter Amnion, in white marble. It was not until my 

 second journey, in 1817, that I discovered the head of a Co- 

 lossus much greater than that of Memnon. This head of gra- 

 nite, and of a single block, is by itself ten feet from the neck to 

 the top of the mitre, with which it is crowned. Nothing can 

 be in better preservation. The jjolish is still as beautiful as if 

 it had but just come from the hands of the statuary. 



After this, I again took the road to Nubia, where some severe 

 trials awaited me. The people of this country are quite savages, 

 ,, • From the Mone7(r»/r. 



Vol . 5 1 . No. 240. /Iprd 1818. Q without 



