Account of an Excursion to Thebes, 87 
used one of the chambers as a church ; and who, it appears, 
had industriously attempted to deface all the human heads ; 
but finding, probably, that it was rather a laborious undertak- 
ing, they fortunately had recourse to an easier and more harm- 
less method of satisfying their prejudices, and contented them- 
selves with plastering all the walls, pillars, and roofs, with a 
thick crust of clay, a great part of which remains in the in- 
terstices of the sculptures. 
Nothing more than the sight of the temple of Dendera is re- 
quired to convince one of the great injustice done to Egyptian 
architecture and sculpture, by comparing it with that of India. 
The style and character of their figures form a complete con- 
trast to the grossness and vulgarity of those met with in any 
piece of Hindoo sculpture. A reference to Mrs Graham’s etch- 
ings, in her Letters on Hindoo Mythology, will explain the 
kind of figures I allude to. The etchings in themselves are in- 
deed wretched, but no allowances which can be made will in the 
least degree alter the contrast The veiy large collection of 
statues, which Mr Salt is about to send to the British Museum, 
will lead to a better and more correct opinion of Egyptian sculp- 
ture, than has hitherto been entertained. 
On the 7th, we arrived late in the evening at Thebes; and 
in the following morning we got up very early to ride to the valley 
of Biban-ul-Motuc, where Mr B. resides. We reached it be- 
fore sunrise ; you will of course imagine that we had a very cool 
ride, and will perhaps be inclined to doubt my veracity, when I 
tell you, that the thermometer then stood at ] 02°, in the royal 
residence of Mr B., the entrance to a tomb of one of the ancient 
kings, and that it had reached about 15 degrees higher at lioon. 
This is, as you may well think it ought to be, by far the warm- 
est spot about Thebes, being in a very narrow part of the val- 
ley, where the rocks are very high on all sides. This hot-house 
was chosen by Mr B. on account of its vicinity to the splendid 
tomb lately discovered, in making representations of which, he 
and Mr — are now employed. In the entrance to the tomb 
it is quite cool enough ; and, as they remain there a great part 
of the day, they suffer but little from the heat of the valley. An 
acquaintance is very soon formed in such a place as that ; Mr 
B. and myself soon became very great friends. The three first 
