64 
Lieut.-Col. Straton on the Subterranean 
He holds in both hands the sacred Tor, or crux ansata, and has 
a crown on his head : under his left hand is a female figure in 
alto relievo, measuring 5 feet 1 inch ; and under the right, a 
staff, with a fox’s head at the top. The deception, arising from 
the correctness of the proportions, is such, that these figures do 
not appear one half of their real height. 
Two heroes in sculpture, having the bird with expanded 
wings over them present to Osiris, with one hand, a figure re- 
sembling a monkey, and hold up the other hand. 
On the entablature are sculptured, bulls, geese, hawks, grass- 
hoppers, Anubis’s, hieroglyphics, &c. &c. On the summit of the 
cornice are seated figures of monkeys, or possibly of Typhons, in- 
differently executed. The cornice bears sculptures of serpents, 
surmounted by globes. From the cornice to the architrave, 
the space measures 65 feet : the height of the fayade may be 
100 feet. 
We enter the temple through a small hole made in the sand, 
under the architrave, part of which has been chipped off to 
facilitate the entrance, which is much choked up by the sand. 
The fayade, as well as the entrance and interior of the temple, 
are all cut out of the rock, and the great colossal figures, though 
projecting so considerably, form a part of the same rock. 
The first chamber has eight square pillars resting on pedes- 
tals, which do not appear in the plan, but which are merely 
square projections extending 6 inches or so beyond the pillars. 
Each of these pillars has on its front a large colossal statue of 
the same block with the pillar. These statues, which are about 
22 feet high, have their arms crossed, holding the crooks and 
flagellum : they wear the mitred cap, and are, in all I’espects, 
well formed ; the pupil of the eye is painted black ; and also the 
eye-brow, which, beyond the natural arch, is ei^tended artificial- 
ly by a straight line in black. They are naked to the ceinture, 
which is fastened by a clasp ; below it is a close-fitting dress, 
reaching nearly to the knee, bearing an ornament or pouch in 
front, not unlike that of the present Highlanders of Scotland. 
These statues are covered with stucco, painted in rich and varie- 
* This bird seems to be the tutelary genius of the hero ; it invariably accom- 
panies him. We shall call it the Winged Concomitant. 
