612 EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



valley of the Nile has been the object of a minute investigation on the 

 part of M. Lajard. Thus far researches of this kind have been unfor- 

 tunately too much neglected. Chipped flint had been, it is true, col- 

 lected in nearly every part of Egypt, but without having given rise 

 to a complete work. We hope that M. Lajard, extending his investi- 

 gations, will definitely fix the laws of the use of stone in Egyptian 

 antiquity. 



Egyptology has not been neglected in the institute. We owe to 

 M. Gr. Daressy several important memoirs, and to M. Ventre-bey the 

 raising of the question of the origin of the names of Memphis, of the 

 pyramids, of the Coptic people, of Egypt and the Egyptians, of papy- 

 rus, and of the Nile itself. 



M. Dutilh, specializing in numismatics, has read several communica- 

 tions of high importance on the unedited medals of the cabinet of 

 Gizeh, deducing with singular sagacity and a deep knowledge of 

 numismatics general questions of discoveries he had made on coins. 



In an ingenious paper Dr. Fouquet presented to the institute speci- 

 mens of the art of glass making, duly dated. One bore the cartouche 

 of Amenemhat IV (twelfth dynasty), the other that of Thoutmes III 

 (eighteenth dynasty). The special notions of Dr. Fouquet on the 

 enamels and glasses of ancient Egypt have absolute authority, and his 

 theories are of special interest. 



The Christian epoch is represented by a treatise of Count Max de 

 Zogheb on the history of the Church of Alexandria, a work of merit, 

 honoring its author. 



After the study of antiquity, for which I shall not omit the names of 

 Messrs. Brugsch-bey, Groff, Ahmed-bey Kiamal, whose judicious and 

 competent observations enlighten the discussions of the institute, I shall 

 speak of the communications relative to the Mussulman epoch, a branch 

 of archaeology in which the institute counts works of real value. 



His Excellency Yakoub-Packa Artin, continuing his researches on 

 Arab numismatics, has given to the institute a very remarkable memoir 

 on the series of the Mahdi and of the Khalife Abdoullah. 



Mr. Max van Berchem, apropos of the Corpus of Arabic inscriptions 

 of Cairo, has presented to the institute a number of texts collected on 

 the monuments of that city. This collection has a high historic inter- 

 est, and placed in the hands of an Arabist, as distinguished as is 

 M. van Berchem, it can only portend very happy results for the prog- 

 ress of the knowledge of the middle ages. 



M. Max Herz, the capable director of the Arab Museum, pursuing 

 his studies on the mosques of Cairo, has made the institute admire the 

 pleasing effects of polychrome in Arab architecture. 



This is the summary of the results of the labors of the Egyptian Insti- 

 tute during the two years just passed. All relate to Egypt, and though 

 they cover a narrow area my colleagues easily find a purpose for their 

 scientific activity. 



