210 
CHAP. 
V. 
' — r — ' 
Illustrious 
Travellers 
■who have 
visited the 
Pyramids. 
THE PYRAMIDS. 
Country — Theft detected — History of the Pyramid^-' 
Manner of the Investigation — Age of those Structures-^ 
Their Sepulchral Origin — Possible Cause of the Viola- 
tion of the principal Pyramid^— Historical Evidence 
concerning the building of Pyramids in Egypt — Fur- 
ther views of the subject — Hermetic Stelce — Mexican 
Pyramids. 
It is impossible to leave the Pyramids of Dfiza 
without some notice of the long list of Philoso- 
phers, Marshals, Emperors, and Princes, who, 
in so many ages, have been brought to view the 
most wonderful of the works of man. There 
has not been a conqueror pre-eminently distin- 
guished in the history of the world, from the 
days of Camhyses down to the invasion of 
Napoleon Buonaparte, who withheld the tribute 
of his admiration from the Genius of the place. 
The vanity o^ Alexander the Great was so piqued 
by the overwhelming impression of their ma- 
jesty, that nothing less than being ranked 
among the Gods of Egypt could elevate him 
sufficiently above the pride of the monarchs by 
whom they were erected. When Germanicus 
had subdued the Egyptian empire, and seated 
** a Roman praefect upon the splendid throne of 
the Ptolemies" being unmindful of repose or of 
triumph, the antiquities of the country engaged 
