DESCRIPTIONS OF EGYPT. 20? 
Mr Legh is not the only traveller who is now 
endeavouring to penetrate Africa in this direction. 
At Siout, and near Dehr, he met a gentleman 
bearing the name of Shekh Ibrahim, but who was 
in reality a Mr Burchardt, employed in exploring 
the continent under the auspices of the African 
Association. He had first been robbed, and de- 
tained prisoner for six months among the Bedouin 
Arabs. Before the last interview he had been liv- 
ing in the villages of the desert, upon lentiles, 
bread and water, which had given him altogether 
the thin and meagre appearance of a common Arab. 
He set out, however, full of enterprise and enthu- 
siasm, for the southward. His spirit, knowledge 
of languages, and talent for observation, appeared 
to fit him very peculiarly for this undertaking. 
Another English gentleman, Mr Banks, has push- 
ed on as far as the second cataract, or that of Ge^ 
nadil. This is ground trodden by no modern Euro- 
pean ; for Bruce struck off near Chendi, and cros- 
sed the desert east of the Nile to Syene ; while 
Poncet travelled from Siout to Moscho, through the 
^desert, on the west of that river. Mr Banks's ob- 
servations are said to be very important. He dis- 
covered the remains of statues which somewhat sur- 
pass even the colossal proportions of the Memnoni- 
an. One, which was buried in the ground, pre- 
sented a head measuring twelve feet from the chin 
upwards ; which, allowing seven heads for the di- 
