Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-09-08

from superstition, and perhaps from fear
that the display Of any article of great value
taken from the cave might cost them their
secret, they removed none of the mummies
or the rolls OF papyrus. and even refrained
from laying hands on a magnificent leather
tent covered with inscriptions which once
sheltered King Pinotem. In the end. how
ever, the sale Of beautiful statuettes. recop-
nized by Psychologists ~ genuine and of
exceptional worth, aroused suspicion. One
OF the feliah brothers was arrested by baud
facha, Governor of the Province of Zehue,
and imprisoned until he consented 10 dis
close the secret. The cavern was visited hy
the Governor, who perceived at once the
great value of It's contents. lie telegraphed
the khrdiSe. who dispatched to the spot
Herr Brugsch, Director of the Boulak Mu-
scum of Egyptian Antiquities Herr
BrugSch, or Brusoh Bey as he is called in
Egypt. will be remembered By people who
visited the Centennial Exhibition at Phila-
delphia, as the commissioner in charge of
the Egyptian Department. lie is German,
has devoted his life TO the study of Egyp-
tology, and is universally recognized a. one
of the best authorities on the subject.
Herr Brugsch has examined the mum
mics found in the cave sufficiently to learn
their names and give to each its proper
place in Egyptian history There are tlrr-
ty-nine Of them IN all. and man, are in
state Of perfect preservation, the delicateIy
pencilled inscriptions On the cases being a.
bright and distinct a. il the artists brush
had just touched their green. yellow and
orange hues. An the objects found will be
removed To the Boulak Museum. and the
work Of deciphering the papyrus rolls will
not be begun until October That these in
sCriptions will throw much fresh light on
what Is known a. the Middle Period of
Egyptian history We cannot doubt Per
haps they will also furnish some traditional
records Of the First Period. and settle the
old and tiTesome quarrel Of the long and
short chronologists. as TO whether the sew
euteen dynasties which succeeded MeneS
were all consecutive, aud thus solve the
chief remaining important problem OF Nile
history. There can be little doubt that the
royal mummes we're not originally placed
in the secret cavern. The ancient Egyp-
tians did not hide their dead in this way.
The explanation 81 Herr Brugsch j. prob
ably correct, that on the occasion of some
foreign inv asion Of the Nile country, the
tfifANfN ~ AAAf hltt+N tue titttl Capital 1T
Thebcs we're opened aud their contents re-
moved and concealed IN the cave to pre-
serve them from the enemy. Among the
ROYAL mummic. the oldcs, Is Ming Raskcnen.
one Of the latest monarch. Of the Seven
tccnih DYNASTY. According to Marirtte
thu, dynAst, ended Is. e. l-uJ. A. Ra,kc.
men was not the last Of hi, line. We shall
not be far out Of the wal in saving that his
mummy. with It's fine linen STROUD and its
three carved eases fitting together like a
nest u boxes, Is about $500 wears old
-Four hundred wears before the Israelitrs
crossed the Red Sea this monarch ruled in
Th-bc,. Nearly all that We know IL the
duiugs d humanity upon the earth has tax
en- place since he was oiled and pcrfumed
and laid ava, in has painted boxes, Yc, We
can touch his hands to-da, and look into
his face and read ms history written all over
his coffin
Next IN antiquity to King Ra.keren are
the mummies Of Ming Aahmcs l.. v ho drove
out the Shepherd Ming, and founded the
brilliant Eighteenth Dynasty. aud his wife
Queen Aahmrs Nofent Ar. their son Prince
Na-.Nmmon, and their daughters Queen Ar
hntcp aud Princess Sat-Ammon Accord
lng 10 the Marci'e chronology the reign Of
Alhmcs began 3 - wears ago. The other
ROYAL parsonage. discovered belong to the
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Dynasiies, but
there /, High Priest who i A. recent a.
the Twenty first The period covered by
the mummics must be no, les. than 200
wears. and embraces the mos, brilliant epoch
Of Egyptian history. Among the rnyal
mummies Is that Of ThOtmes the Great, in
,.t i.I. =
her power and civilization. aid that of
kam>es H.. the Pharaoh Of the Jewi,h cap
tIsits. II Is not improbable ha, among the
inscriptions on the burial case, Of the latter
monarch. or on some Of the papyrus rolls
will be- found the official Egyptian account
81 the sojoun of the l,racliies ia the Nile
country. Believers in the lnfalibllitv Of
the Mosaic records will eagerly scan the
ranslalions Of these inscriptions for CON
hrmation Of their faith, while railonalists
viii expect assistance from them in their at
tempt to Danish the miracle, Of the plaques
and the passage Of the Red Sea To the do
main Of legend.
The Well-stnckcd museum. Of Europ, will
probably receive no addition, from these
new Ihehan discoveries. Egypt no~ care
fully guards her auiiquttics and her Gov
eminent museum at Ho4IAk will gather into
is halls all that j. really worth Keeping in
these nca found treasures II any countr,
we're permitted a. share il the richie, Of the
IhebAn cavern It would probably be
America. for which the khcdnr has recent
y shown his liking b, giving q, the
Obellsk. Il is possible that a timely request
might obtain from him for the Metropolitan
Museum some Of the object, which Herr
Brugsch is nov studying and arranging
AZ all events, there y uuld he no harm in
making an No.. i. Thu. direction.