bove Bamiata) are riling hills of faod, beyond which 
is perfed defert, upon the ^/r/Vfide> the Ltbyan. [High', 
er South I hare been told, there are Rocks nearer the 
River, and in fome places ftreighten it] but under thofe 
fands, is a yielding ftone, not much harder than Chalky 
tho not fo white, and very eafily manag d, as at the Mum-^ 
mzes, deep fpacious Vaults which were the old Repofito- 
ries for the Dead. And the like alfo may be faid of thofe 
Cells or Sepulchres which are hewn purely out of the 
rocky earth | mile on the South of Alexandria. Albeit 
nearer the Sea, there are ftones of a harder kind, and 
with which they build : but by their mouldring away^ as 
appears by the Remains of houfes within the Wails of 
the City, 'tisplain they can't endure the weather ^ which 
is fufficiently corroding there : The Iron which once pla- 
ted their thick wooden Gates being moftly eaten away, 
and the deep Charaders upon the fides of thefe very Por- 
phyry Pillars, exceedingly defaced. Indeed about Mem- 
phis i. e. by the Pyramids, they have a milder Air; and 
the Htero^lvphics cut in thofe ftones will laft well enough, 
till they fliall be removed into a rougher ; But then^theyl 
crizle and fcale, as I found by fad Experience. For ha- 
ving procur'd 4 ftones, the beft mark'd with thofe figures 
of Autiquity, I could meet with, and fent them down 
to Alexandrici in order to their Tranfportation iot Eng- 
land-^ Ifoiind them upon my lecond Voyage into Egypt 
very much injur d, being put into the Cuftom-houfe-yard 
("where they lye ftill embargo'd, ) by x\\^ Jga who de- 
manded an intoUerable Summ for liberty toAiip them, 
asyou may remember I told you the ftory. 
But yet farther in the Country there are Mountains of 
harderftone: In the M^r/<^w, now the Defert of St. M-s;- 
carius, and not far from the Lake where the Latroon or 
true ISIitre incruftates upon the top of the water, there 
are many; and fome of them not utterly unlike Por- 
phyry. That which neareftrefembles its Colour, tho not 
JP 2 its 
