1826.] Philosophical Tramaetions for 1825, Part II. 221 



nasal bones, as in the instance under our consideration, as well 

 as in that of the head from Tripoh, already mentioned, or 

 through one of the orbits, the eyes being previously taken out, 

 and artificial ones substituted in their place, after the operation, 

 as in the instances of the mummies examined by Sir E. Home 

 and Mr. Brodie. The cavity of the cranium was repeatedly 

 washed out by injections with some fluid, which had the power 

 of not only bringing away every vestige of the substance of the 

 brain, but even of the enveloping membranes of it. Yet the 

 liquid could not have been of a corrosive nature, else the tento- 

 rium, or that membranous floor which supports the brain, must 

 have disappeared with the meninges ; ^whereas it is still in 

 existence, and does not appear to have been in the least injured. 

 A small quantity of hot liquid rosin was then injected into the 

 cranium. 



" C. The next step taken in the embalming process was to 

 cover the body with quick lime for a few hours, and after to 

 rub the surface of it with a blunt knife, or some such instrument 

 as would most effectually assist in removing the cuticle. The 

 scalp, however, does not appear to have been touched ; and 

 care was taken also not to expose the root of the nails to the 

 action of the alkali, as it was intended that these should remain 

 in all cases. In the mummy I have described, this point has 

 been so much attended to by the embahners, that the nail of the 

 principal toe of the right foot having been detached, it was 

 replaced and retained in its position by three or four turns of 

 thread passed around it ; and in this state it must have conti- 

 nued for the last thirty centuries. 



" D. The operation of removing the cuticle being accom- 

 phshed, the body was immersed into a capacious vessel, con- 

 taining a liquefied mixture of wax and resin, the former predo- 

 minating ; and some sort of bituminous substance being added, 

 not however essential to the process. In this situation the body 

 was suffered to remain a certain number of days over a gentle 

 fire, with the avowed intention of allowing the hquefied mixture 

 to penetrate the innermost and minutest structure ; nor can 

 there exist any doubt;, but that on this part of the embalming 

 process depended not only its great preservative power, but also 

 its various degrees of perfection. Thus, when the process was 

 properly managed and watched, mummies, such as tlie one 

 under consideration, would be produced ; whereas when neg- 

 lected or slovenly conducted, the mummy resulting from it 

 would present those appearances of dryness, blackness, and 

 brittleness, together with the carbonification of the muscles and 

 intimate adherence of the integuments to the bones, which have 

 been noticed by Dr. Hadley, Professor Gmelin, Blumenbach, 

 Hunter, Dr. Baillie, Mr. Brodie, Jomard, and others, when they 

 examined imperfect or inferior mummies. The fraudulent 

 subtraction oi the allotted quantity of wax equired for the prin- 



