MODE 



MARBLE. 



415 



Many of the marbles used in the Egyptian mo- 

 numents appear to be of this description, and 

 Wad has divided them into two kinds, the densum, 

 and the lamellosum granular e. Of the former 

 are snow white, and yellowish white, reddish and 

 yellowish grey, and Isabella yellow, passing to 

 yellowish brown*. lie adds that the lapis Troicus, 

 of which, according to Strabo, the pyramids were 

 chiefly built, must belong to this sort, as Niebuhr 

 says they are constructed of limestone full of por- 

 pites, or nummulites, drawn from the mountains 

 called Mokattam, but anciently Mans Troicus. 

 But, according to many specimens and recent ob- 

 servations, the pyramids are built of a beautiful 

 fine limestone, which often contains shells. M. 

 Eicziere, an excellent judg^, in the abstract of 

 Egyptian mineralogy, which he presented to me, 

 'egards the two long chains of mountains, which 

 confine on either side the long valley called Egypt, 

 as being both of a calcareous nature, the sand- 

 stone only beginning about twenty leagues from 

 the cataracts, a little above the town of Esneh. 

 The celebrated tombs excavated at Thebes must 

 of course be in limestone. 



Among the modern marbles, the most compact 

 are those referable to the marlites, as being corn- 



* The African red is often compact. 



Ancient. 



Modern. 



