ME.  HOEJfEE  ON  THE  ALLUVIAL  LAND  OF  EGITPT. 
63 
I have  considered  it  sufficient  in  the  illustrations  of  all  the  sections  of  the  soils,  given  in 
this  second  part  of  my  memoir,  to  distinguish  these  two  main  kinds  by  two  shadings, 
the  varieties  of  them  by  letters,  and  the  accidental  mixtures  of  fragments  of  limestone, 
brick  and  pottery  by  subordinate  marks.  I have  prepared  a list  of  the  varieties  of  the 
soils,  which  precedes  the  explanations  of  the  Plates  of  the  Sections.  To  have  given  the 
Sections  according  to  a true  scale  was  obviously  impossible  within  a moderate  space, 
but  I have  shown,  in  the  explanation  accompanying  each  Plate,  the  distances,  in  yards, 
that  intervene.  By  this  method  the  variety  of  the  soils  that  occur  in  the  same  plane  will 
be  more  readily  seen  than  by  mere  verbal  descriptions. 
In  the  Pit  No.  2,  there  were  met  with,  at  a depth  of  13  feet  from  the  surface,  a 
fragment  of  Assouan  granite,  sculptured,  and  an  architectural  carved  ornament  of  lime- 
stone. 
In  No.  3,  at  a depth  of  12^  feet,  a female  foot,  carved  in  white  limestone,  and  an 
ornamental  vase  of  red  pottery. 
In  No.  4,  at  a depth  of  7 feet  2 inches,  they  came  upon  the  surface  of  a course  of 
large  blocks  of  a red  sandstone,  resting  upon  pure  sand,  succeeded  by  a layer  of  sedi- 
ment ; at  9 feet  2 inches,  a second  course  of  large  blocks  of  the  same  sandstone ; and  at 
II  feet  8 inches,  a third  course  of  the  same  kind. 
In  No.  6,  at  depths  of  8^  feet  and  15  feet,  several  small  statuettes  in  stone  and  bronze; 
at  26  feet,  a fragment  of  wrought  limestone;  at  27^  feet,  several  bones  of  a hog;  at 
33^  feet,  a tablet  of  calcareous  sandstone,  with  portions  of  an  inscription  in  hieroglyphics ; 
and  at  35  feet,  fragments  of  pottery. 
In  the  lowest  part  of  No.  17,  between  11  and  12  feet,  the  right  humerus  of  an  adult 
man ; but  this  pit,  it  will  be  observed,  was  sunk  on  the  west  of  the  Bedreshin  burial- 
grounds. 
Pits  across  the  Valley  in  the  Parallel  of  Memphis. 
Twenty-seven  pits  were  opened  in  ground  below  the  inundation  level  of  1851,  in  a 
line  across  the  valley  from  the  foot  of  the  Libyan  Hills  on  the  west  to  the  skirt  of  the 
Arabian  Hills  on  the  east  of  the  Nile,  nearly  in  the  parallel  of  the  colossal  statue  of 
Eamesses  II.,  and  embraced  within  an  area  extending  about  five  miles  from  west  to  east, 
and  one  mile  from  north  to  south.  Each  pit  was  5 feet  square,  and  the  excavation  was 
continued  until  stopped  by  the  filtration  water.  Sections  of  these  pits  are  given  in 
Plate  III.,  accompanied  by  the  necessary  explanations. 
Pits  across  the  Valley  in  the  Parallel  of  Heliopolis. 
Extensive  as  the  researches  had  aheady  been,  I was  desirous  of  having  further  trials, 
made  lower  down  the  river,  in  the  parallel  of  Heliopolis ; and  the  consent  of  the  Pacha 
having  been  obtained,  through  the  kind  and  zealous  intervention  of  Mr.  Mukeay,  and 
afterwards  of  his  successor,  Mr,  Beuce,  Hekekyax  Bey,  with  unabated  energy,  under- 
took to  conduct  the  further  operations  in  the  year  1854,  partly  by  excavations,  but  chiefly 
by  borings. 
K 2 
