REPRESENTATIONS.

221

gathering the harvest. They use a hook, resembling a sickle with one third of its length broken off. The grain, which has more of the appearance of doura than of wheat, is cut very high, and bound in huge bundles. A man is seen near by winnowing the grain, and, in an agricultural representation which I observed in another tomb, the sheaves of grain are borne from the field on a sort of barrow carried by two men, which was probably the ancient method. This 'would indicate great cheapness of labour. Another company of labourers are engaged in pulling flax. They bow very low towards the ground, while the reapers, on the contrary, stand nearly upright. A man holds a small bunch of flax in one hand, which he evens with the other. One has a huge bundle upon his shoulder, which he is carrying from the field. Others are beating off the bolls.

Near by are represented the various processes of the vintage. In another part of the field a man is catching birds with a net, and he conceals himself, for this purpose, behind a bundle of palm branches, green and standing upright. A fisherman stands on the prow of his boat, drawing in a net full of fishes, and just by are the scullions cleaning fish and cutting up fowls, which they throw into an earthen pot to be cooked.

Another part of the tomb is devoted to scenes of more dignity. A gentleman and lady are seated in a fine saloon, and a master of ceremonies, dressed in the spotted skin of a leopard, which hangs down his back quite to the knees, introduces to them several personages, who advance for the purpose. A large company of both sexes are present, seated apart and very formally, in chairs with low backs. Each holds a lotus flower, with a very long stem, in his hand, and a servant is carrying these flowers to the different guests. A tempting collection of meats, fruit, cakes, &c., appears deposited near the host and hostess, destined to supply more substantial refreshment. Several persons with instruments

222

TOMB OF PHAROAH.

of music, among them harps with nine strings, occupy an appropriate place. In another tomb a funeral is represented: the weeping widow is near the bier, and the hired mourners follow in a long, disorderly train. On the opposite wall a dignitary is seated in a chariot drawn by a pair of beautiful oxen, with a long train of servants in attendBoats are seen in the river, propelled by oars and poles. A large sledge, pressed with an immense burden, is drawn by a multitude of men with strained sinews. One is pouring oil or water from a vase before the car, to diminish friction and facilitate its motion. A dead body is stretched upon a table, and the embalmer is preparing it for interment.

ance.

The sculpture and painting employed in these grottoes have no great excellence, a circumstance which goes to establish their high antiquity; yet I have seldom experienced a feeling of interest so absorbing in the midst of the choicest collections of art. I seemed to be introduced to a familiar view of the customs and improvements of the most ancient people of whom we have any knowledge, and I gazed upon these exhibitions of rural life with a degree of satisfaction which I am not accustomed to feel in contemplating the sculptured representations of battles and triumphs.

At the distance of half a mile from these grottoes, and nearer the river, is a small temple in a very ruinous condition. Upon the large blocks of sandstone, now lying in disorder on the ground, are many hieroglyphic inscriptions, which teach that Thotmes III., the Pharaoh with whom Moses negotiated for the release of the Israelites from bondage, was the founder of the temple, and men versed in this kind of lore have concluded that he was buried here. This, like several other discoveries made among the antiquities of Egypt, has been thought to reflect discredit upon the statements of the Bible. "It is the tomb of the Pharaoh

ZODIAC OF ESNEH.

223

who was buried in the Red Sea," is sometimes said in a sneering tone. I make no pretensions to the sort of learning requisite for the settlement of such questions, but I have had more than one occasion to remark the readiness-I might say eagerness-with which this and some kindred objections against Divine revelation have been credited, accompanied by apparent reluctance to be convinced that they are unfounded. Whatever may have been the end of the impious Pharaoh, the Scriptures do not affirm that he perished with his host in the Red Sea, and their silence on a point of such importance is sufficient evidence, perhaps, that he did not advance into the sea, and thus survived the ruin of his army.

February 8. In pursuance of our plan of voyaging in the night, and devoting the day to sight-seeing, we arrived at Esneh before morning, and made an early visit to the beautiful temple, which is its only attraction. I had seen it in ascending the river, but the light was then so bad that I was unable to obtain a clear view of that portion of the ceiling which is said to contain the signs of the zodiac. I have referred already to the grave deductions drawn by the French savans from the order and position of these mysterious signs. I was gratified this morning with a good view of a part of these debatable figures. Leo, Cancer, Scorpio, and Libra, appear quite distinct, and the colours are peculiarly fresh. The light was not so good upon the rest, and my eyes were too weak to trace them farther.

This was the most oppressive day we had yet experienced on the Nile, though the thermometer has several times indicated greater heat. The south wind has hitherto been cool, though debilitating. To-day it was warm, and produced a prostration, of which those of us who are least susceptible to the influence of such vicissitudes were now quite sensible. As for me, I rise and fall with the mercury-rather, I go down whenever that ascends, and rise

224

RETURN TO LUXOR.

when it declines, and I do not remember to have felt so painfully the terrible power of a sultry day. Our crew, half naked as they are, suffer nothing from heat; and having the prospect of several idle days at Luxor, and of the additional enjoyment of devouring a sheep which hangs temptingly upon the mast, and which we have promised them upon our arrival there, they pulled manfully at the oars.

A little after 8 o'clock in the evening we moored at a short distance from the old Roman pier. We had expected to find several Frank boats here, and hoped to hear the current news from Europe and America. Not a flag was to be seen, though we learned that an English boat, Lord's, was at Gornou. He had preceded us in ascending and descending the Nile. We had no prospect, therefore, of obtaining news from the West, though his lordship's personal adventures in these parts are likely to be mentioned, for a long time to come, as memorabilia.

Sunday.-Present State of the Site of Thebes.-Antiquity of Thebes.Magnificence of its Ruins.-Difficulty of describing them.--Drawings.— Long Avenue of Sphinxes.-Vestiges.-A Sphinx.-Great Number of other Statues.-Approaches to the Temple of Carnac.-Smaller Temples.-Beautiful Gateway.-Large Propylon.-Temple of Isis.-Dimensions, &c. Second Approach. -Three fallen Temples.-Statuary.Propyla and open Courts.-Colossal Statues.-Vandalism.-Third, or Western Approach.-Avenue of Sphinxes.-Immense Propylon.-View of the Ruins.-Geographical Table.-First Court of the Temple.-Side Chapel.-Solitary Column.-Fragments.-Colossi.-Great Portico.Dimensions and Number of Columns.-Roof.-Windows.-Ornaments. -Ruinous Courts.-Obelisks.-Statuary.-Peculiarity of this Temple.Truncated Obelisks.-Sanctuary.-Its exquisite Workmanship and Beauty.-Its Freshness.-Excellence of Egyptian Architecture.-Other Apartments of the Temple.-Statues.-Colonnades.-Gateway.-Dimensions and Magnificence.-Grand Combination of Temples.-Walls.-Ancient Habitations.-Profusion of Sculpture.-War Scenes upon the Walls.Interesting Inscription.-Artificial Lakes.-Antiquity of the Temple of Carnac.-Thebes, west of the Nile.-Village of Gornou.-Sepulchral Dwellings.

MONDAY, February 10. Yesterday was Sunday, and we made it a day of rest, though the privileges of "holy convocation" and public worship were not ours. This morning we went early to visit Carnac. Luxor, which is the harbour, and possesses one splendid monument of antiquity, we had seen with some attention on our ascending voyage. These two villages, which are more than one and a half miles apart, are on the site of Diospolis, as that portion of ancient Thebes was called which was situated upon the Arabian or eastern side of the Nile. Two other villages, Gornou and Medinet Habou, two miles asunder, are on the opposite side of the river, nearer the mountain than the shore. The number of people who now occupy the site of this most ancient of cities can hardly exceed two thousand, about the average population, perhaps, of other parts of the