VOL. LIV.l PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. fg 



taste, and did not dissolve in water ; but instantly disappeared, on bringing it 

 near enough to the fire to be slightly heated ; and was soluble in spirit of wine. 

 In the cavity of the abdomen were found several small pieces of bone, which 

 had the appearance of dry oak, mixed with crumbled pitch ; under this was 

 found more solid pitch, which adhered to the spine. After cutting away the 

 mass of cloth and pitch which covered the thorax ; it was found that the arms 

 had been laid straight down by the sides of the chest, and the ulna and radius 

 bent upwards, and laid with the hands across upon the breast, the right hand 

 being uppermost. The bones of the fingers were lost ; but the metacarpal 

 bones were found broken off, and fallen into the thorax. The filleting, which 

 went round the upper part of the body, included the arms also ; but they had 

 evidently been first wrapped separately, then laid up in the position in which 

 they were found, and the hollows which they formed filled up with pieces of 

 pitched cloth. In the cavity of the thorax there was also a considerable quantity 

 of crumbled pitch and splinters of dry bone ; and, as in the progress of this 

 examination Dr. H. continually found that some of the bones did, as he laid 

 them bare, separate into such splinters ; it is very probable that this appearance 

 was owing to the mummy's having been handled in a rough manner, and much 

 shaken, by the persons who had driven it full of nails, when they were em- 

 ployed to repair the outside of it. On first opening a way into the thorax, he 

 imagined the ribs were destroyed ; but, on a more accurate examination, they 

 were found entire ; but so bedded in the pitch, and so black and burned into the 

 mass, as to make it difficult to distinguish these very different substances from 

 each other. The bones of the spine and of the pelvis were in the same state 

 with the ribs ; only rather more burned. 



There was a considerable thickness of hard solid pitch lining the cavity of the 

 thorax ; this had been evidently liquified and poured in ; and retained that 

 glossy appearance on its surface which is observable on pitch that is suffered to 

 cool without being disturbed. On breaking through this hard crust of pitch to 

 examine the vertebrae and the ribs, the pitch which was under this crust and 

 nearest to the bones, was crumbly and soft ; and, on being exposed to the air, 

 grew perfectly moist in a very short time. The lower extremities were wrapped 

 separately in fillets to nearly their natural size, and then bound together ; the 

 interstices being rammed full of pitched rags. On cutting through the fillets on 

 the thighs, the bones were found invested with a thin coat of pitch ; and the 

 filleting was bound immediately on this. The tibia and fibula of each leg were 

 found also wrapped in the same manner, and the bones in actual contact with 

 the pitch ; excepting in one or two places, where the pitch was so very thin, 

 that the cloth appeared to adhere to the bone itself. 



The feet were fiUetted in the same manner ; being first bound separately, and 



