462 
OBSERVATIONS ON ALEXANDRIA. 
The hills of rubbish undoubtedly conceal many fine remains of 
ancient art, and every day a few are brought to light. I observed a 
very beautiful sarcophagus of red granite, highly polished, lying 
level with the surface, near to the spot where the two great streets 
crossed each other. It was Grecian, ornamented with festoons of flow- 
ers, and perfect ; I therefore sought out the owners, and purchased it 
from them for one thousand paras, although without any hopes of 
being able to carry it with me to England, but trusting that, on some 
future occasion, I might be more fortunate. The Turks and Arabs 
have no attachment to any of the splendid objects which still adorn 
their country, and excite the admiration of strangers. The French, 
had they been able to gratify their national vanity by carrying off, 
as they wished, the column of Dioclesian, would not have excited 
a single regret in the breast of any inhabitant of Alexandria ; and 
they observed, with similar apathy, the preparations made by the 
English army, to remove the obelisk of Cleopatra to their native 
country, where it would have remained a perpetual monument of 
their victories. Knowing, as I well do, the indifference of the natives 
on this occasion, I cannot but regret that the plan was not carried 
into effect. Had they prided themselves on the possession of such a 
monument, the affair would have been different, and the reproaches 
cast against the French for their universal system of rapine, would 
have justly deterred the English army from doing any thing which 
could lead to a comparison between them. 
Strabo only says of the Serapeum, that it was included within 
the canal that united the Kibotus and the Lake ; but Professor 
White has, perfectly to my satisfaction, proved from the Grecian 
mi Arabic authors, that the second library of Alexandria, which 
