THE DISCOVERY OF MEMPHIS.

On the way,1 Achmet had told us 2 of a Frenchman who had been all the summer digging3 in the sand near Sakkara... We approached the workmen, where we met the discoverer of Memphis, M. M, who apologised for the little he had to 5 show us, since, on account of the Vandalism of the Arabs, he was obliged to cover up all his discoveries, after making his drawings and measurements.

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I asked M. M- what first induced 10 him to dig for 11 Memphis in that spot, since antiquarians had fixed upon 12 the mounds near Mitrahenny (a 13 village in the plain below, and about four miles distant 14) as the former site of the city. He said 15 that the tenour of an inscription which he found 16 on one of the blocks quarried out of these mounds induced him 17 to believe that the principal part of the city lay to the westward,18 and therefore he commenced excavating 19 in the nearest sand-hill in that direction. After sinking pits 20 in various places he struck on 21 an avenue of sphinxes, the clue to 22 all his after 23 discoveries. Following this,24 he came upon 25 the remains of a temple (probably the

1 On the way, chemin faisant- 2 "had spoken to us"-3 digging, occupé à faire des fouilles-4 where we met the discoverer of, et nous vîmes le savant à qui l'on doit la découverte de-5 for the little he had to, d'avoir si peu à-6 since......he was, étant-7 to cover up, d'enfouir de nouveau-8 making......and, avoir fait......et pris ses-9 "I asked to"-10 see note ", p. 6-11 to dig for, à chercher1 fixed upon, désigné-13 see note 6, p. 91-14 and about......distant, à environ...... de distance-15 he said, il me répondit-16 he found, il avait trouvée-17 induced him, l'avait porté-18 lay to the westward, était située vers l'ouest- 19 he commenced excavating, il avait commencé ses fouilles-20 after sinking pits, après avoir creusé21 he struck on, il trouva-22 the clue to, laquelle le conduisit à23 after, subséquentes-24 following this, partant de là-25 he came upon, il découvrit.

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THE DISCOVERY OF MEMPHIS.

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Serapeum, or temple of Serapis, mentioned by Strabo), and afterwards upon1 streets, colonnades, public and private edifices, and all other signs of a great city. The number of sphinxes alone, buried under these high sanddrifts, amounted to two thousand, and he had3 frequently uncovered twenty or thirty in a day. He estimated the entire number of statues, inscriptions, and reliefs at between four and five thousand.5 The most remarkable discovery was that of eight colossal statues, which were evidently the production of Grecian art. During thirteen months of assiduous labour, with but one assistant, he had made drawings of all these objects, and forwarded them to Paris. In order to be near at hand, he had 10 built an Arab house of unburnt bricks, the walls of which had just tumbled down 11 for the third time. His workmen were then engaged in clearing away 12 the sand from the dwelling of some old Memphian, and he intended spreading his roof over the massive walls, and making 13 his residence in the exhumed city.

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M. M- 's appearance showed what he had undergone, and gave me an idea of the extraordinary zeal and patience required to make a successful antiquarian.14 His face was as brown as an Arab's, 15 his eyes severely inflamed, and his hands as rough 16 as a bricklayer's. His manner with 17 the native workmen was admirable,

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1 And afterwards upon, puis-2 high sand-drifts, monts de sablesee note ", p. 11-4 see note a, p. 81-5 at between four and five thousand, à quatre à cinq mille-6 see note 6, p. 44-7 but one, un seul-8" and had"— near at hand, plus près-10 he had, il s'était11 had just tumbled down, venaient de s'écrouler-12 in clearing away, à déblayer-13 and making, et d'établir-14 required to make a successful......, qu'il faut à un...... ...pour réussir-15 as an Arab's, que celui d'un Arabe-16 rough, rudes au toucher—17 manner with, manière de traiter.

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saw.

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and they laboured with a hearty good will, which almost supplied the want of the 2 needful implements. All they had were straw baskets, which they filled with a sort of rude shovel, and then handed up to be carried off on the heads of others. One of the principal workmen was deaf and dumb, but the funniest Arab I ever He was constantly playing off his jokes on those who were too slow or too negligent. An unlucky girl, stooping down at the wrong time to lift a basket of sand, received the contents of another on her head; and her indignant outcry was hailed by the rest with screams of laughter. I saw the same man pick out of the sand a glazed tile containing hieroglyphic characters. The gravity with which he held it up before him, feigning to peruse it, occasionally nodding his head, as if to say, "Well done for old 10 Pharaoh!" 11 could not have been 12 excelled by Burton himself.

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Strabo states that Memphis had a circumference of seventeen miles, and therefore M. M and the antiquarians are right. The mounds of Mitrahenny probably mark the eastern portion of the city, while its western limit extended 13 beyond the pyramids of Sakkara, and included in its suburbs those of Abousir and Dashoor. The space explored by M. Mis 14 about a mile and

1 With a hearty good will, avec un entrain et une bonne volonté— which almost supplied the want of the, qui suppléaient presque au manque-3 and then handed up to be carried off on the heads of others, et qu'ils donnaient à porter aux autres sur leurs têtesplaying off his jokes on, à jouer quelque tour à-5 at the wrong time, au mauvais moment-6 her, "the"-7 and her indignant, etc.......laughter, et à ses cris d'indignation les autres répondirent par de grands éclats de rire-8 pick out of, ramasser dans-9 as if to say, comme pour dire-10 well done for old, à la bonne heure le vieux (or: ah! parlez-moi du vieux)—" P., Pharaon-12 see note ", p. 27-13 while its western limit extended, tandis qu'à l'ouest elle s'étendait-14 is, a.

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ORIENTAL CEREMONY.

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a half in 1 length, and somewhat more than 2 half a mile in breadth. He was then (1851) continuing his excavations westward, and had almost reached the first ridge of the Lybian Hills, without finding the termination of the ruins. The magnitude of his discovery will be best known when his drawings and descriptions are given to the world. A few months after my visit his labours were further rewarded by finding 7 thirteen colossal sarcophagi of black marble, and he has recently added to his renown by discovering an entrance to 10 the Sphinx. Yet at that time the exhumation of the lost 11 Memphis-second only in importance to 12 that of Nineveh 18-was unknown in Europe, except to a few savans in 14 Paris, and the first intimation15 which some of my friends in Cairo 16 and Alexandria had of it was my own account of my visit in the newspapers they received from America.

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BAYARD TAYLOR,

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Life and Landscapes from Egypt, etc.”

ORIENTAL CEREMONY.

On entering a17 Turkish divan, the traveller is merely required 18 to make a grave bow, placing his right hand. to his left breast,19 and to seat himself in the divan in

1 In, de-2 and somewhat more than, sur un peu plus de (see note 1, p. 67)—3 continuing, en train de poursuivre— the magnitude of his discovery will be best known, on sera plus à même d'apprécier l'étendue de ses découvertes-5 are, "will be"-" a few, "some"7 by finding, par la découverte de-8 he has recently added, il vient encore d'ajouter-9 by discovering an, par la mise au jour d'une10 to, de-11 the lost, may be left out-12 second only......to, qui ne le cède......qu'à 13 N., Ninive-14 in, à-15 intimation, nouvelle16 in Cairo, au Caire.

17" In a "" 18 required, requis-19 placing his right hand to his left breast, en se plaçant la main droite sur le sein gauche.

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"You are like one of

the Turkish style,1 which, for the information of those readers who have not been in the country, I should say is exactly that easy position which it seems in Europe tailors only are privileged to assume. When seated, he usually salutes the great man7 again in the same manner as before; but if the latter be of very high rank, it is better 10 to show respect 11 by placing 12 the right hand first to the lips and then above the forehead. A few complimentary speeches are now 13 exchanged, such as "How do you do?" "What a tall man you are!" "What a 14 fine beard!" us!" 15 welcome and thanks.16 sented to the traveller. The Pasha gives pipes to noblemen 17 at his own divan only; but every 18 Englishman has a right to expect one,19 or to smoke his own,20 at the divan of any of his subordinate officers. The Turk, if he is only a Katchef or Naze, ought to make a kind of half rise 21 from his seat when the traveller enters, but it is very seldom that 22 his pride and desire of appearing a great man in his little court permit him to show this courtesy. All the Turks possess, or have the power of assuming,23 an apparently natural dignity of manner.24 The liberated slave, raised suddenly to rank and autho

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Coffee is then pre

1 In the Turkish style, à la Turque-2 which, for the information of those readers who......I should say, ce qui, (see note 6, p. 56) soit dit comme renseignement pour ceux de mes lecteurs qui..... position, posture-4 only are privileged to assume, aient seuls le privilége de prendre-5 when seated, une fois assis-6 he usually salutes, il est d'usage de saluer-7 the great man, le grand personnage -8 the latter, celui-ci—9 “is”-10 better, plus convenable-11 respect, son respect-12 by placing, en se plaçant—13 now, alors14 what a, quelle-15 one of us, un des nôtres-16 welcome and thanks, on vous souhaite la bienvenue et vous remerciez—17 noblemen, gens titrés-18 see note ", p. 82-19 a right to expect one, le droit d'en attendre une-20 simply "his"-21 ought to make a kind of half rise, doit se lever à moitié-22 it is very seldom that, il est bien rare que 23 the power of assuming, la faculté de se donner-24 dignity of manner, air de dignité.