1842.] THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE. 231 



grain, are immensely numerous. Tl)ey seem lo have been all petrified standing, 

 and then fallen. Tha subject, however, requires a much more copious description 

 than I can give at present, even if I possessed, which I am sorry to say I do not, 

 the requisite geological knowledge. 



No. 12. — One piece, being the trunk of a desert shrub, which has undergone a 

 curious process of transition or petrifaction, being turned into sand. I picked it 

 out with others where they had grown ami were still in a vertical position, from the 

 second cataract. Nubia. 'I'he same shrub was growing wild in the immediate vi- 

 cinity, and I infer the transition to be recent and one constantly goin^ on there. 



No. 13. — Three pieces sculptured limestone, fragments found in 1839, by Per- 

 ring, in an ineifectual attempt to penetrate into the sun-burned brick pyramid of 

 Dashoor, Memphite Necropolis. They formed part of a non.shattered monolith 

 sanctuary in the basement of the pyramid, and are amongst the oldest pieces of 

 sculpture in Egypt. The date of this pyramid is tlirown back into the night of 

 early times, but the discovery of these fragments proved two things: 1st, That 

 hieroglyphic writing was in use at the epoch of this pyramid ; and that 2dly, tha 

 style of sculpture was correct and good, as also painting. This pyramid belongs 

 to that remote period to which the rest are known to appertain, i. e. ages before 

 2000 B. C. I got them on the spot. 



No. 14 — Petrified shells and bones from various parts of Egyptian hills and 

 valleys, but chiefly (and especially the oj'sters and bones) from the valley of tho 

 wanderings " VVady et Tyh," between Cairo and the Red Sea, Eastern desert. 



N. B. In offering the above fragments oi monuments to the National Institution, 

 it is necessary for me, who have reprobated so fiercely the habits of travellers in 

 chipping Egyptian ruins to obtain specimens, to state that all these pieces were 

 picked up from the ground, and were not chipped off by me. While their interest 

 may perhaps be enhanced by the associations connected with the monuments of 

 which they formed part, I ox\\y offer them to the National Institution as bpecimens 

 of Egyptian geology. 



Stones. — Each having (i. e. accompanied by) tho name of locality. From Hadjan 

 Silsilis, Mount Sinai, Wady Wurseyt, Gebel, opposite Manfaloot, Alabaster frag- 

 ment from tombs of Memphis, Grotto at Gibraltar, Valley of tiie Wanderings Be- 

 nihassan. Mount Sinai, Wady Menhale, Tbebes, Desert Sinai, Ramlieych, Valley 

 of Wanderings, Ruins of Sais, Mount Horeb, Ancient Granite Sluices, Canal of 

 Sesostris between Red Sea and Nile, Suez, Basaltic Rock, bed of second cataract 

 Nubia, Alabaster from quarry at Psinanla, Tel-el- Amarna. 



One Nubian basket work tray or dinner table, Aswan. 



One piece of a beautiful mummy case I found the Arabs about to burn at Sac- 

 c^ra. I was not in time to save the rest, beyond half the cover. 



One dromedary riding stick, Bisharree Desert, Arabs, " Blemmyes," (?) Nubia. 



Sacred ram's horns, tombs of Memphis. 



One ostrich egg, Bisharree Desert, Nubia. 



One mummied crocodile, and a bundle of small mummied idem, brought out by me 

 from the pit at " Margarat-es-Samoon," opposite Manfaloot. This extraordinary 

 cavern runs along at about twenty feet below tho surface to a distance I measured 

 four hundred and thirty-eight feet. For an account of the dangers, imaginary as 

 far as my experience goes, save of fire, see Legh's travels, St. John's Egypt and 

 Mohammed All, and letters from the Old World, by a lady of New York. At tha 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia there are human skulls, &c., 

 taken from the same spot. 



One black leopard skin, from Abyssinia. It is in a wretched condition now 

 from moths, and when I got it it had served as a cover for a dromedary saddle ia 

 a journey from Gondar to Khartoom and Cairo. The animal is very rare, never has 

 been alive in Europe. Few skins have reached Europe. George IV had a pelisse 

 of those skins sent him by tho Ras of Abyssinia, through Lord Valentia ; two others 

 were brought to Europe by the celebrated Riippel. These are all I have heard of. 

 In Abyssinia only the Royal Family dare wear them. It was from one of these last 

 the skin now sent was procured in exchange for a gun. 



Two sticks cut from trees in the Convent Garden, Mount Sinai. 



One stick taken by me from the tomb of " Shcykh Henedic," salt lakes, isthmua 

 Suez. 



Twelve ancient porcelain idols, tombs of Memphis. 



One piece, part of an ancient wooden sword, Memphis. 



