The Sun.
London, England, 1821-08-24 00:00:00

EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES'.

Letters have been received from CATL-
MAUD, who is now travelling through Egypt anti
the neighbouring countries by order of the
French Government : they are dated from Don-
golah; the 14th of January, 1821. Beyond
Wadi-fialfa, the seat of the second cataract, he.
has made. *some discoveries, which extend still
further the domain of Egyptian antiquities. Not
far from Dongolah, the capital of Upper Nubia,
about 180 leagues above the town or Syene, there
exists a large Egyptian monument, which will
bear a comparison with some of those of the city
of Thebes. Its length is- more than 300 feet,,
and it contains 90 columns, upwards of 30 feet"'
high.- Every part of the monument is covered
with hieroglYphics and bas.reliefs : the majority
of the subjects represent the images which conti-
nually recur on the edifices Of-Egypt—oblations',
religious objects, the march of prisoners,
Besides figures of the Egyptian character, M.
Cailliaud remarked among the personages, ,here
and there, the physiognomy of the Black tace,
and occasionally that of the Caucasian race.---
The place where these beautiful ruins are situate
is called &lib or Ther'c. The- remains 'of the
monument have been measured, described, and
sketched by this traveller. •

Six other Egyptian ruins, not so conSiderthle,-
hpve been discovered on the: banks of the Nile
between the second cataract and, Donigotah';- in
neither-of them have Greek inscriptions heen.
found, nor any thing which den Otes-the residence
of the Greeks or Romans. It 'is remarkable that
these monuments are not• in such' goof preserva-
tion as those of Lower Arabia orof Egypt. This-
is to be attributed to the almost constant rains
which fall in this latitude:, as well as -to the.
perishable nature Of the free-stone with which
they are built.

• It is•-therefore proved by these discoveries of
Cailliaud, that the Egyptians have raised mo-.
numents considerably beyond the limits assigned
to these antiquities-. Scarcely four years ago,
we were far from suspecting the existence of a
subterraneous temple, like that of • ipsamboul,
between the two cataracts. Instead of taking
warning by this discovery, we came then to the
hasty conclusion, that no more Egyptian monu-
ments existed in the upper parts of-the Nile. And
w'!y ? Because, Burckhard t made no mention of any.
If this conclusion is already disproved, it should
operate as a caution to Us not to promulgate any
premature decisions on the state of the arts, and
the epoch of civilization in these countries, which
are not yet sufficiently explored; notwithstanding
we have the works or travets of Ludoff, Poncet,
Lenoir, Roule, Norden, Bruce, Lord Valentia,
Salt, and Burckhardt ; and Which countries were,
by the way, infinitely . better known to the
travellers and historians of antiquity, than they
are to the moderns. The monuments which are
daily discovered, especially those which contain
Greek inscriptions, add much to the information
'derived from authors. Have we not from one of
the inscriptions copied by M. Gall in Nubia, on
the Temple of Taint's, recently learned the ex-
istence ofa King of Ethiopia, entirely unknown in'
history, with the account of his wars and conquests ?
The point from which M. Cailliand set out was
the second cataract or Wadi-Haifa, about SO
leagues from-Syene, beyond which few modern
travellers have gone. It would appear by the
letters of M. Cailliaud that M. Drovetti, the
French Consul General, was the first who saw
the temple of Ipsamboul ; (he is stated to have
arrived there on the sth of March, 1516) and
that he then made preparations to explore it. He
was accompanied on that occasion by Al.Cailliaud,
whose journal will shortly appear, and which
makes mention of. this famous subterranean.
temple, afterwards opened with so much labour
and success, by Belzoni. He also speaks in his
journal of a temple, excavated out of a rock, like
that of Ipsamboul, distant about three, days'
journey from the second cataract. It is perhaps
one of those which are at Sebnai or Sebnat.

In his second journey, M. CaiMaud saw anti-
quities in six different places beyond .Wadi-
Haifa :--Ist, at Sebnai, or Selma, above the se-
cond cata:act, where there are two small temples;
2d, at Amara ; 3d, in the isle of Sai, which con-
tains a small monument 4th, two days' journey
farther to the south, he obseive;d the.remains of
a ruin, only oue column of• which is Standing,
and is covered with hieroglyphics.: the capita!
represents the head of Isis; sth, at Therbe or
Selib, about three parts of the distance. (nearly
75 leagues) between Wadi-Halfa and Dongolah,
and 155 leagues front. Syene : there the great
monument .before described was discovered ;.-
Gth, at Sesse, a day's journey farther to the
south, where the remains of a temple of 12 co-
lumns were found,- their capitals representing a
palm-tree;. three of.-thesencolumns are standing,
enclosing a piece of ground -.763 metres long,
which contained many habitations., The greater
number of these antiquities are not noticed on the
most recent snaps, more particularly those to the.
south cif the Isle of Sai.
M. Caillitiud has entirely re-ascertained the
course of the Nile from Assouan to Dongolah, by
numerous' observations-and unwearied widuity,
determining it also :by the positions of a great
many celestial bodies. From the result of . his
observations it appears, that the chart of Bruce,
is -almost entirely erroneous in this part, and that
the- position of Dongolah, as laid down in the
maps of D'Anville, is very far. from the true one.
After spending a montl: in visiting Dongolah
and its environs, especially thigreat isle of Argo,
containing a temple and two colossi of rose-
coloured granite, our traveller .means to go to
Chendy, to explore the Darfour and the country
to the westward ; he will then proceed to the
Red Sea, crossing over the fountains of the Nile
and the Isle ,of Maroe, and will afterwards -re-
turn to Egypt, coasting along the shores or phis Sea:
The army of sinae 1 Pacha engaged in the
conquest of Nubia, after having obtained pos-
session of' Dongolah,_ arrived at Chagny and
Korti on the 14th of January. Not far from the
latter place a large cataract was discovered.
Several Italians and other persons, who were
pertnittEd to follow the expeditioir,'-saw thq mo-
numents alluded to in this part of li4;•Cailliand's
cocamunicatiou. • Mr. Han.bury and Mr. Wad-,

'dington, who went still -farther, round at Chagny
some small pyramids and the ruins of two or
three temples. Thus the _Egyptians have left
sor►:e of ti►eir works at six leagues distance from
the cataract of Syene.

I Another letter from M. Cailliaud, dated from
Barbar, in Nubia, the 6th of March, 189.1, gives
the following details
" I wrote to you from Dongolah, and subsequently from the
Pro Vince of Chagny, which has just become the theatre of war,
and where his Highness the Son of the Paella has been victo-
rious in every battle against the enemy. 'I communicated to
you some particulars respecting the antiquities of Mount
Barka' and of Noun, where the ruins of seven temples and
TruaTr-srx TYRAKIDS are to be seen. To the expedition
now undertaken by his Highness, we owe the disco very of these
numerous monuments, which, but for him, "would have remain-
ed still longer unknown. To him also are we indebted for our
knowledge of the course of the Nileirithis Province, and in the
Kingdom cf Dongolah, for all the maps which have hitherto
be.on published =every inaccurate. -

" Two. English travellers have drawn a map of these coun-
tries, but they were in want of instrumeias to determine the
geographical positions of the different plases nor have they
taken many sketches of t43-IEIOIII./Intiltl.. .:q`hey are returned to
Cairo. Ills Highness will not now allow any more strangers
to come into this country ; and I am indebted for• the permis-
sion I have obtained of following the army, to the little know-
ledge I possess of mineralogy, and the hopes entertained by his
Highness of discovering some important.hiines.. We shall re-
thain here from fifteen to twenty daYS., proceed to
Ghendi and Senuar, wherein all probability the Prince will fix
the limit of his conquests." •