bastis, the goddess of all animals of the cat kind. Being informed that there were mummies of cats in the environs, I went to the spot that was pointed out to me, and some of my companions began to rake up the ground with their hands and take out the cats. These animals were wrapped up by dozens in pieces of embalmed linen; but they were very much reduced in size. The dogs were not less numerous than the cats; and I recognised among them several heads of that beautiful species of greyhound, the representation of which I had admired in the most remarkable tombs of Beni-Hassan. When the light pierced through the suite of rooms, I saw a great quantity of cats' bones piled up, which left no doubt that this was the last resting-place of cats of high life."

After relating some instances of the pasha's rapacity, M. Le-Normand says, We had the pain of finding Antinoe razed to the ground, and Ashmounein, Antropolis, and Elephantine, destroyed to procure lime. Luxor is sold to a saltpetre manufacturer. The theatre, the two large streets with porticos, and the triumphal arch of Antinoë, have disappeared. The colossal portico of Ashmounein has been transformed into the locks of a canal and a sugar refinery. You may judge of the impression which our visit to Antinoë made upon us. As to Ashmounein, we would not even descend there; for we were too sure of the loss which archæology and the arts had suffered. But Providence had reserved a consolation to us for the evening. There exists, near Antinoë, a Pharaonic city, whose streets, houses, and edifices, are quite entire ; its inhabitants abandoned it for an unknown reason. This city is built with plain bricks dried in the sun. With such fragile matter the Egyptians, favored by their climate, have constructed immense and almost indestructible monuments, such as the sacred enclosure of Saïs, which we saw at Cairo. What seemed most curious, and deeply attract ed my antiquarian attention, were the remains of the interior ornaments of several houses, and particularly the traces of painting round several rooms, as fresh as if it had just been traced. These walls were merely washed with lime, in the Arabian manner, and the painting was traced upon this plaster rather thickly, forming a sort of tasty fringe."

Of the paintings at Beni-Hassan M. Champollion speaks with rapture.

"We gradually discovered the most ancient series of paintings in the world, all relating to civil life, the arts and trades, and, what was quite new, to the military class. I made an immense harvest in the first two hypogæums; yet a still richer one awaited us in the two more distant tombs toward the north. In these, the entrance is preceded by an open portico, hewn in the rock, and forming columns which resemble the Doric of Sicily and Italy: they are fluted, with round bases, and nearly all of beautiful proportions. These antiquities bear the date and belong to the reign of Osortasen, and consequently are as old as the 9th century before Christ. I will add, that a beautiful portico, that of the hypogeum of Nehothph,-is composed of these Doric columns, without a base, as at Pæstum. The paintings of this tomb are real watercolored drawings, of remarkable delicacy and beauty of design. I have not yet seen any thing in Egypt to equal them; the quadrupeds, birds, and fish, are painted with so much elegance and truth, that the colored copies which I had taken of them resemble the tinted engravings of our finest works of natural history. We shall need the testimony of the fourteen witnesses who have seen them, to induce people in Europe to believe in the fidelity of our drawings, which are perfectly correct. In this hypogæum I found a most interesting picture: it represents fifteen prisoners, taken by one of the sons of Nehothph, and presented to this chief by a royal scribe, who offers at the same time a roll of papyrus. These captives, who are tall, and of a peculiar physiognomy, most of them with an aquiline nose, were fair, compared with the Egyptians, since the flesh has been painted with yellowish red, to imitate what we call flesh-color. The men and women are clothed in very rich stuffs, painted like the tunics of the females on Greek vases. The head-dress and sandals of the female prisoners also resemble those of the Greeks; and the male captives, with pointed beards, are armed with bows and arrows, and one holds in his hand a Greek lyre. Are they Greeks? I firmly believe they are: that is, Ionian Greeks, or some people of Asia Minor living near the Ionian colonies, and participating in their manners and customs."

The ruins of Dendera excited this admiration in their general aspect, while some of the accessories were viewed with disgust. He says, “I shall not attempt

to describe the impression made upon us by the grand propylæum, and, above all, by the portico of the great temple; one may measure it, indeed; but to give an idea of it is impossible: it is grace and majesty combined in the highest degree. We passed two hours there in ecstasy, traversing the great halls, and endeavouring to read the external inscriptions by the light of the moon. On renewing our survey, we were employed for the greater part of a day in close examination. What was magnificent by moonlight, was still more so when the beams of the sun enabled us to distinguish all the details. I immediately perceived that I had before me a masterpiece of architecture, covered with sculptures in the very worst style. Be it said without offence to any one, the basreliefs of Dendera are detestable; and this could hardly be otherwise; for they are of an age when the art was in its decline. Sculpture had already degenerated, whereas architecture, less subject to change, had remained worthy of the gods of Egypt, and of the admiration of all ages.

Syout, which is now the capital of Upper Egypt, exhibited to its new visitants a great appearance of bustle and activity, but did not sufficiently reward their curiosity. Its ugly mosques had no attractions for men of their taste, and the monuments in the mountains made little impression after the sight of those of Beni-Hassan. The country, however, had a much more favorable aspect than is generally imagined, being by no means a frightful desert.

"The ruins of Coptos and Apollinopolis Parva (says M. Le-Normand) occupy a space of about six leagues in circumference, circumscribed by two chains of mountains, which divide into two unequal parts a majestic river, and in the distance are seen masses of columns and gigantic ruins. In the midst of the plain are two columns, one of which has acquired celebrity under the name of the Colossus of Memnon. There are several subterranean monuments, and in one of the valleys are the tombs of some kings. To the left, two miserable villages partially cover the imposing remains of Luxor and Karnak. A ruinous heap, nearer to the mountain, indicates the extreme point of the ancient city of Thebes, the circuit of which could not have been less than that of Paris."

With regard to the changes in the

Egyptian works of art, this writer says, "The reign of Moris is certainly not one in which the most astonishing conceptions of art were developed; but it was one remarkable for the most finished works. Every thing achieved during this reign was executed in the most graceful and beautiful manner; and the same character was long maintained.

"The chef-d'œuvre of the historical bas-reliefs of Thebes is the return of Mandoueus after his conquests, sculptured on the outside of the palace of Karnak. The king is in his car, drawn by two beautiful horses, and followed by the principal officers of his army, who are preceded by the vanquished chiefs in chains. He advances toward Egypt, which is indicated by a transversal representation of the Nile, just as the Greeks, would probably have done in their best days on a similar occasion. On the other side of the river the priests and the military chiefs are advancing in two lines, the former bowing to the king, and presenting nosegays of lotos, and the others with their arms raised, as a sign of joy. If a cast of this bas-relief should be sent to France, a great alteration would take place in the ideas, which_have been formed there relative to the Egyp tian art; for never were dignity of representation, correctness of movements, or the disposition of the masses, executed with finer effect. It is biblical sculpture, which has all the majesty of the prophecies, and all the truth of Homer.

"It was in the reign of one of the predecessors of Mandoueus that those immense monuments were constructed which made our soldiers clap their hands on their approach. Art lost somewhat of the elegance which characterised it during the reign of Moris; but it maintained itself in a remarkable degree until the time of Aménophis II. The monuments of this period have been much worse treated than the others by time. There now only exist the irregular ruins of a large palace, which he built on the western bank, and the most ancient part of the palace of Luxor, with some colossal pillars. Enough, however, remains to enable us to fix the reign of this prince as the intermediate point between the finished and graceful style of Maris and the colossal conceptions of Sesostris.”

of its inhabitants.

The Blue Mountains are situated between one and two hundred miles from the opposite coasts of Coromandel and Malabar; they are about forty miles in length, and fifteen in mean breadth. The ascent is rocky, and was very difficult before passes were cut for the convenience of crossing. Tigers, bears, and dogs, are the wild animals of this territory, while the tame ones are buffaloes and oxen. Iron and gold are among the mineral products; vegetation is vigorous, and excellent timber-trees and salutary plants abound; and the climate is very favorable to health.

There are three tribes of inhabitants, -the Thodawurs, Buddagurs, and Kothurs.-"The first (says Mr. Hough) are in appearance a noble race of men, their visages presenting all the features of the Roman countenance very strongly marked, and their tall athletic figures corresponding with the lineaments of the face. Some of them stand upwards of six feet high, and differ in every respect from all the tribes of Asiatics with which we are at present acquainted. The countenances of a few are strikingly Jewish; but, instead of attributing that origin to the Thodawurs, I think that they may be found to be the remains of an ancient Roman colony. We know that that indefatigable and enterprising people visited the western coast of India as early as the commencement of the Christian æra, and carried on a commercial intercourse with its inhabitants to a considerable extent. There is reason to believe, also, that they settled in many parts of South India; and it is not improbable that one colony was formed on the Neilgherries. In that case, it is by no means a fanciful con

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jecture that the Thodawurs are their descendants. I mean not to assert that we have sufficient data to support such a conclusion; yet, I think, striking points of resemblance may be discerned. I have described their contour as Roman; a description in which I venture to anticipate the concurrence of every one acquainted with Roman paintings, statues, and coins. They wear no turban, their fine black bushy locks forming a sufficient protection to the head, whether exposed to the vertical sun or to a pelting storm. Their bodies are well proportioned, and their limbs remarkably muscular, possessing Herculean strength. I have seen two of them carry a large tree that no six natives of the plains could have borne, and toss it off their shoulders with perfect ease. They are very playful, and often prove their strength with their immense buffaloes. It is one of their diversions for three or four youths to select the largest of the herd, run him down, and then, seising him by the hind legs, to throw him to the ground, which they do with great ease and dexterity. It is beautiful to observe the agility with which they bound over the hills, shaking their black locks in the wind, and as conscious of liberty as the mountain deer or any true-born Briton. They are remarkably frank in their deportment; and their entire freedom from Hindoo servility is very engaging to the Englishman, and cannot fail to remind him of the 'bold peasantry' of a still dearer land. When before you, they are constantly smiling, and are addicted to immoderate laughter. If amused with any thing they have heard or seen, they will retire to a short distance, throw themselves on the ground, and laugh till they seem literally convulsed. The women, with the exception of the mouth, which is wide, possess handsome features, and their complexion is fairer than that of the men. Their teeth are beautiful (which is quite an anomaly in India), and great vivacity sparkles in the eye.

"They are singers as well as dancers; but their songs and dances are uncouth. Of the dance an idea may be formed from the representations we have of dan. cing satyrs. They merely turn the body half round, with a jump, and back again, grinning all the time, and raising the hands about the height of the head. The theme of their song it is difficult to understand, and its tune owes very little to the science of harmonics. Their gamut con

sists of five or six gruff tones, which they run through in a breath, over and over again, without variation.

"Their form of marriage is simple, and unattended with any religious cere mony. The bridegroom presents one or more buffaloes, according to his circumstances, to the parents of the bride, who, after merely touching his head, deliver to him their daughter. This completes the contract, and he takes home his bride. But the practice of polygamy prevails among them, the woman being obliged to receive as her husbands all the brothers of the family into which she marries, while they possess only this wife amongst them. She is allowed also to choose a gallant from any other family, to whom her husbands must on all occasions give the precedence.

"Though they entertain little idea of religion, they are superstitious enough to distinguish between fortunate and unfortunate days. Accordingly, if a person die on an inauspicious day, his funeral is deferred to a favorable one. When that arrives, the relatives are assembled, and the ceremony commences with loud lamentations over the dead. The body is then burned, with all the ornaments of the deceased, and on the following day the ashes are buried, with a few gold or silver coins, and a large stone is placed over the grave. The scull, and cap of the knee-joint bones, are preserved two or three months, and sometimes even a year, until the relatives shall have collected a sufficient number of buffaloes, and other things necessary for the celebration of the final ceremonies in honor of the deceased. When all things are ready, a great company assembles, and the bones that were preserved, are produced, and placed in the centre of the group, as the representatives of their de parted friend. They then take their seats on the ground, and feast on rice, or whatever the relatives can afford to give them. The more wealthy distribute clothes also among the visitors. While thus employ ed, now and then two or three start from their seats, lead a buffalo by the horns round the bones, and then, with frantic gestures, fall upon the animal, striking him with enormous clubs until he falls to the ground. When these funeral rites are concluded, the scull and knee-bones are burned in a cloth, and then buried near the other ashes."

The Buddagurs are inferior to the former tribe in stature and in dignity of de

portment. They have mild and sometimes handsome features, their countenances, especially the nose, being of the Grecian cast. The girls, and very young women also, are not unhandsome; but hard work, and exposure in all weathers, soon begin to alter their features, and the visages of some of the elder women are frightful. They have a singular mode of salutation, the inferior touching the chest of the superior with the crown of his head, which the superior immediately raises with both hands. Their language is a corrupt, dialect of the Canarese.'

They have a stronger sense of religion than the Thodawurs. "Their principal object of adoration is named Hettee-du, who, they affirm, was a man of their own cast that lived about a thousand years ago to a very great age, At his death, his wife resolved not to survive him; and, having ordered seven small holes to be dug and filled with water, she walked round them, performing some cerɛmonies, and then strangled herself. They build a hut to Hettee-du, in which a light is kept continually burning. They regard him as the god of health, and perform a trifling ceremony to him once a year. A new cloth is then presented to him, and kept in the house till the next anniversary, when it is given away. Another cloth is then put in its place, to be disposed of (in the following year) in the same manner. They worship another god, whom they call Herear-du, and imagine that he was the deity who conducted them to the Neilgherries. They have an old mirror and a brass cup, which they brought from their native hills, and preserve with great care, as the representatives of Herear-du. These relics are locked up in a chest, and are brought out and cleaned once a year. After this ceremony the men sit down and eat, with the mirror and cup placed before them, and then carefully deposit them again in the chest. Beside these objects of worship or respect, they rever ence all the gods of the neighbouring tribes. Though they suppose their gods to possess the human form, yet they make no images to represent them. One, on being asked where God resided, replied, that he could not tell, and that, if he knew, he would be always with him. Why? Because then I should be always happy:'-a sentiment worthy of a better creed."

The Kothurs are a more uncivilised