OBSERVATIONS ON ALEXANDRIA. 45 7 
All these structures communicated with one another, as well as 
with the harbour and with the buildings beyond the harbour. One 
part of the royal edifices is the Museum, which has a walk, benches, 
and a spacious apartment, in which those persons who study there, 
take their repasts. Another part of the royal edifices is that called 
" Soma," which is inclosed, and contains the tombs of the kings and 
of Alexander.'* 
The ruins, at present remaining, along the shore of the greater, 
or, as it is now called, the new harbour, are sufficient to prove the 
accuracy of this description of Strabo. The land which gradually 
rises from Cleopatra's Needles to the spot, marked by the letter D, 
may be considered as the promontory of Lochias, on which the 
first royal palace was naturally built, as it was by far the most 
conspicuous and elevated station within the walls. Hence to the 
level ground at No. 1, the whole surface is covered with masses of 
brick mixed with small pieces of differently coloured marbles, por- 
phyrys and jaspers cut into figures, which evidently shew that they 
were formerly used in the rich mosaics of the royal apartments. 
The slight projection of No. 4, probably marks the spot opposite 
to which the small island of Antirrhodus formerly existed, as there 
can be little doubt, from the shape of the ruins at No. 5, that there 
was the private port appropriated to the use of the sovereign alone. 
The recesses for the reception of the galleys are still sufficiently 
distinguishable. The ruin No. 4 is the most considerable on the 
shore of the harbour ; it extends above one hundred feet into the 
sea, and beneath the water the foundations are visible still farther. 
The lower story was built on arches of stone, but the second story, 
of which a part remains, was of brick. Pipes of burnt clay are 
VOL. III. 3 N 
