BELZONI. 
^11 
the passage of the pyramid of Cheops. Follow- 
ing this indication, he at length, about noon of 
the 2d March 1818, discovered the true opening 
of this great pyramid. Proceeding along a nar- 
row passage, upwards of 100 feet in length, he 
reached the great chamber, 46 feet long, 16 wide, 
and 23 high, chiefly cut out of the rock. The 
most conspicuous object was a large sarcophagus 
of granite, half sunk in the floor, and containing 
a small quantity of what appeared to be human 
bones. On the walls was an Arabic inscription, 
importing that this pyramid had been opened 
and inspected in presence of the sultan Ali Ma- 
homet ; a remarkable fact, which is known now 
for the first time. The discovery of this sarco- 
phagus with human bones appeared to confirm 
the belief, that these stupendous monuments, as 
had been asserted by Strabo and Diodorus, were 
merely destined to contain the mortal remains of 
the kings of Egypt. But Major Fitzclarence, 
happening to pass through Cairo, went to see the 
new discovery, and used the freedom to carry off 
a few relics out of the contents of the sarcopha- 
gus. Among others he brought the fragment of 
a thigh-bone, which he presented to the Prince 
Regent ; and which being examined by the Col- 
lege of Surgeons in London, proved to be not 
human, but belonging to a cow. This extraor» 
dinary discovery leads to the suspicion, that this 
