New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-06
EGYPT REVISITED.
BAYARD TAYLOR ON EGYPTIAN ANTlQul'
TlES

CAIRO. Ami 2.-In tne DegiuliiR vi NoN0""'''
1881, as | was slowly podding along on donkey
over the sandy spurs of the Desert between the
Pyramids and Sakkara, the Fellahs who accom-
panied me had much TO say of strange Frank who
had hired people to dig holes in the earth in the
hope of finding golden chickens. paid no great at
tention TO these stories until reaching the sandy
plateau behind the village of Mtrahenny 1.-THE site
of ancient Memphis). i saw number of Arabs
carrying sand in baskets, and my donkey-drivers
cried out, " There is the Frank " On the brink OF
the excavation overlooking the workmen. stood
man of 2S to 80 years of age, tall, blonde, terrlpy
sunburnt and apparently worn with exposure and
the endless annoyances of his task. approached
him and entered into conversation. He was French,
and seemed little reserved in his manner, unl the
accidental mention of my being an American ana
not an Englishman restored his confidence and
cOmmunicativeness. We descended the excavation,
walked two hundred Yards in one of the exhumed
streets of Memphis, and there learned OF the mag
nitude of the discoveries he had already made. rev
men have ever given me such an impression OF
patient enthusiasm. At that time only few
scholars knew of his labors, and when he wrote IN
my notebook the name "Auguste Marietta" 1t was
as new TO me as TO the world at large.
Since then there has been pause in NJ. Narcotics
devotion to his self-imposed task. He was at first
supported by contributions from France-very in
adequate and irregular, suspeCt-and was Obliged
to work without the favor of the Egyptian Govern
ment if not covertly opposed by the influence OF
England. European diplomacy i'll the East moves
in ways that are dark and oftentimes contemI-
rather let finish the word otherwise)-latlve.
During the reign Of Abbas Pasha, NJ. Marietta
worked steadily against discouragements under
Sayd Pasba there came new if incomplete freedom;
and finally the Khedive, lsmal Pasha, has turned
the dauntless archaologst into Marietta Bey, Dl-
rector of the Department for the Preservation of
the Antiquities of Egypt" granted him an annual
sum for the prosecution of his researches founded
an Egyptian Museum at Boolak and promises
further support which may be given in case no more
vicere cal marriages take place within the next few
years.
Knowing how ruthlessy Egypt has been plum
dered, since the days of DenOn-what obelisks,
statues and sarcophal have been conveyed TO Lon
don Paris and Berlin-how BezOni, LepSius, Alb
b0tt and many others have rummaged temples,
tOmbs and pyramids for the sake of their pockets
and button-holes, and, moreover, how the rage of
Winter tourists for relics has not only exhausted the
legitimate supply of scarabo, papyri aud pottery,
but given rise TO a manufacture of new articles of
the soTt,-I prepared 10 find the Museum at
BOOak only a depository Of cast-away odds and
ends as confused and unsatisfactory as the collec-
tons you in the Louvre the British and Berlin
Museums. These latter, every traveller knows are
not Egypt any more than an old Roman brick is a
part of the majesty of the Coliseum. But never
quite understood their lack of interest, even TO one
who has seen Denderah and Karnak, until the exact
historical arrangement of Narcotics collection had
opened my eyes.
Now-one can say without fear of contradiction
the most valuable Egyptian Museum in the world is
in Cairo. That which was previously carried away
being for the most part easily accessible proves to
belong the later rather than the earlier dynasties
Il
the records of the Ancient Empire, and to SHOW
what we never before suspected-that the glory OF
Egvptan Art belongs to the of Cheops and only
its decadence TO the age Of Rameses III. lSesostIsl
Not only the Art but the Culture, the Religion, the
political organization of Egypt are carried BACK TO
the third Dynasty 1850 d. c. and Menes. the first
historic king dawns upon our knowledge, not as
primitive barbarian, but as the result OF long stage
of unrecorded development. l do not hesitate TO
say that since Champollion discovered the key TO
the hieroglyphcs, no scholar has thrown such
broad and clear light upon Egyptian life and history
as Mariette 1t is understood that the Museum at
Boolak is only temporary. 1t hardly contains half
of the inestmabe collection, and some of the halls,
undermined by the current of the Nile, have already
been vacated in order 10 preserve their contents
The Khedive promises spacious ana appropriate
building, fronting on the great square OF the
Ezkebiyek and he cannot have II erected too soon
III makes one shudder to think what Irreplaceable
wealth is accumulated between those low mud walls
at Boolal and how easily some accident might lose
it TO the world.
There has been much discussion in regard to
the chronology of Ancient Egypt, that few words
Oh this point may be an advantage to the reader in
perusing the brief account which must necessarily
give of the more ancient monuments Let me,
therefore repeat what many already know, and
some may have forgotten, that our only former au
tbority was 'Manetho, Egyptian priest who lived
under the Ptolemes. Softer and Philadelphus in the
beginning of the third century before Christ. He
wrote III Greek, a complete History of Egypt. COM
piled from the records preserved in the Temples of
Memphis and HcliopOlis. This work. which is
quoted by Josephus, Eusebius and other authors is
unfortunately lost, except chronological table OF
thirty dynasties beginning with Menes, and ter
Ininating with the invasion of Egypt by the Per-
slams This table gives the names of the kings aud
the length of their reigns and the total is so
immense, carrying the duration of the Egyptian En-
pire TO such remote poiut in the past, that most
scholars have shrunk from accepting it, preferring
suppose that number Of the dynasties cotom-
pOraneOus that Is existing side by side in Upper and
Lower Egypt, and not successive.
For the sake of convenience will take Mariette's
division of the dynases into historic periods toge-
ther with the dates conjecturally given for the
mencement of EACH by the older scholars, by Bun
sen, and finally by Manetho and Mariette
Ancient Empire O e: a4SS $50 s5 sss 5 SS; g. e
Middle Empire. WI saoOD.o. seaSB.c. soelBc
Late, Empire. r XVI lssoD.c- ,sa'D.c. ,7oan.c.
XXXII