This able and interesting traveller, descended from a respectable
Roman family, was born at Padua, whither his relations had many years
previously removed. Being designed by his parents for some monastic
order, he was at a very early age sent to Rome, the original abode of
his ancestors, where he received his education, and spent the greater
part of his youth. Here the sciences would appear to have obtained
a decided preference in his mind, over every other branch of study;
particularly hydraulics, to which he owed the reputation which he
afterward acquired in the world, and a success which was by no means
equal to his deserts. The invasion of Italy, and the capture of Rome by
the French, disturbed the peaceful but insignificant plan of life which
he had traced out for himself. Instead of a monk he became a traveller.
Departing from Rome in the year 1800, he for some time wandered about
the Continent, deriving his subsistence, as he himself observes, from
his own knowledge and industry, and occasional remittances from his
family, who, though by no means wealthy, seem to have been generously
disposed to afford him a support, which he, in a short time, no less
generously refused to accept.
In the year 1803 he arrived in England, where he not long afterward
married. In this country he supported himself, as is well known, by
performing in public feats of prodigious strength, and by scientific
exhibitions; still, with a manly independence, preferring the gaining
of a precarious subsistence by these means to the idea of draining the
slender resources of his family, or of resorting to those more easy
but less reputable sources of gain which too frequently employ the
talents of foreigners in England. Having remained nine years in Great
Britain, Belzoni conceived the desire of visiting the south of Europe;
and, taking his wife along with him, travelled through Portugal, Spain,
and Malta. It seems to have been during this part of his travels that
he learned, from what he considered unexceptionable authority, that his
scientific knowledge might be turned to good account in Egypt, where an
hydraulic machine would be of the greatest utility in irrigating the
fields, which want water only to make them produce at any season of the
year.
He accordingly took his passage on board of some ship bound for Egypt,
and arrived in the harbour of Alexandria on the 9th of June, 1815. The
plague, he was informed, was now in the city, but gradually decreasing
in malignity. St. John’s day, the 24th of June, was likewise at hand,
on which it usually ceases entirely, through the interference, as the
vulgar believe, of the saint, but in reality from the intense heat of
the sun, which has by that time exhaled those damp miasmata which are
the immediate cause of the plague. Belzoni, who was accompanied by his
wife and a young Irish lad, named Curtain, landed, notwithstanding the
disease; and having remained secluded in the occale, or khun, until
after the 24th, set off for Cairo. On reaching this city, where he
meant to make an offer of his services to the pasha, to whose principal
interpreter he brought letters of recommendation, he obtained lodgings
in an old house, which from its vast size and ruinous condition would
have made a handsome figure in one of Mrs. Ratcliffe’s romances. Though
antiquities, as he observes, were not at that time his object, he could
not refrain from visiting the Pyramids. He accordingly accompanied an
English gentleman to the spot, where they passed the night, and long
before dawn had ascended the summit of the highest pile, to behold the
sun rise over the land of Egypt.
“The scene here,” says he, “is majestic and grand far beyond
description: a mist over the plains of Egypt formed a veil, which
ascended and vanished gradually as the sun rose, and unveiled to the
view that beautiful land, once the site of Memphis. The distant view
of the smaller pyramids on the south marked the extension of that vast
capital; while the solemn endless spectacle of the desert, on the west,
inspired us with reverence for the all-powerful Creator. The fertile
lands on the north, with the serpentine course of the Nile, descending
towards the sea; the rich appearance of Cairo, and its minarets, at
the foot of the Mokatam mountain, on the east; the beautiful plain
which extends from the Pyramids to that city; the Nile, which flows
magnificently through the centre of the Sacred Valley; and the thick
groves of palm-trees under our eyes, altogether formed a scene of which
a very imperfect idea can be given by the most elaborate description.”
A few days after his return to Cairo he was to have been presented
to the pasha, but on the way to the citadel was attacked and wounded
by a Turkish soldier in such a manner that he was compelled to defer
his presentation for thirty days. Mohammed Ali had not at that time
properly established his power; for, when informed of the injury which
had been inflicted on his guest, he only observed that such accidents
were not to be prevented in cities filled with troops. This point
was very soon made still clearer. In a few days the soldiers burst
out into open rebellion, pillaged the inhabitants, committed every
description of atrocity, and pursued his highness himself into his
castle, where they for some time held him besieged. When this storm
had blown over, Belzoni, whose hydraulic project was highly approved
of by the pasha, commenced the construction of his machine in his
highness’s gardens at Soubra, three miles from Cairo. As Mohammed Ali
is not bigotedly attached to oriental fashions, he freely permitted
Belzoni to be witness of his amusements, which he was sometimes even
called upon to multiply. During his stay at Soubra business frequently
required his presence at Cairo, where, on one occasion, he narrowly
escaped being shot by a Turkish soldier. The ruffian having struck
him in the street, he returned the blow; upon which the Turk drew his
pistol, fired at him, singed his hair, and killed one of his comrades
who happened to be standing behind the traveller. The man was next day
apprehended by the pasha, and never more heard of. When the hydraulic
machine was completed, its power was made trial of in the presence of
Mohammed, who, perceiving that as an innovation it was regarded with
extraordinary dislike by the Turkish and Arabic cultivators, abandoned
the project altogether, without even remunerating the traveller for the
loss of time and money which he had incurred.
Notwithstanding these circumstances, which reflect but little honour
on Mohammed Ali, Belzoni found, upon calculation, that his finances
would still enable him to ascend the Nile as far as Assouan; and was
about to proceed up the country when Burckhardt and Mr. Salt, who had
previously discussed the point together, determined upon the removal
of the colossal head of young Memnon to England, for the purpose of
being presented to the British Museum; and requested our traveller,
as one of the fittest persons that could be thought of, to undertake
the task. The expenses Burckhardt and Mr. Salt were to defray between
them. A report was, it seems, circulated even during the lifetime of
Belzoni, and previous to the publication of his travels, that in this
affair he was merely the paid agent of Mr. Salt (for, as a professed
Mohammedan, Burckhardt did not choose to appear). This, however, was
clearly not the case. The expenses incurred in the undertaking they
could do no other than defray. Mr. Salt’s instructions are written,
as Belzoni himself observes, in an assuming style, but nevertheless
have not the air of being addressed to a paid agent. But the testimony
of Sheïkh Burckhardt, which I insert in justice to the memory of an
enterprising and worthy man, completely sets the matter at rest. In
a letter addressed to the African Association, dated Cairo, February
20th, 1817, he says, “You will be pleased to hear that the colossal
head from Thebes has at last, after many difficulties, safely arrived
at Alexandria. Mr. Belzoni, who offered himself to undertake this
commission, has executed it with great spirit, intelligence, and
perseverance. The head is waiting now at Alexandria for a proper
conveyance to Malta. Mr. Salt and myself have borne the expenses
jointly; and the trouble of the undertaking has devolved upon Mr.
Belzoni, whose name I wish to be mentioned, if ever ours shall, on this
occasion, because he was actuated by public spirit fully as much as
ourselves.”
Few things are more interesting in themselves, or less captivating
in description, than a search after antiquities. Belzoni, after
visiting Hermontis and Dendara, arrived at Thebes, which, from the
time of Germanicus to the present moment, has excited the wonder and
admiration of every traveller who has beheld it. “It is absolutely
impossible,” says Belzoni, “to imagine the scene displayed, without
seeing it. The most sublime ideas that can be formed from the most
magnificent specimens of our present architecture would give a very
incorrect picture of these ruins; for such is the difference, not only
in magnitude, but in form, proportion, and construction, that even the
pencil can convey but a faint idea of the whole. It appeared to me
like entering a city of giants, who, after a long conflict, were all
destroyed, leaving the ruins of their various temples as the only proof
of their existence.”
After a brief examination of these mighty ruins, he crossed to
the western bank of the Nile, where, amid the vast remains of the
Memnonium, was the colossal head which he was to remove. He found it,
he says, near the remains of its body and chair, with its face upwards,
and apparently smiling on him at the thought of being taken to England.
The implements which he had brought from Cairo were sufficiently
simple: fourteen poles, eight of which were employed in making a sort
of car to lay the bust on, four ropes of palm-leaves, and four rollers,
without tackle of any sort. Their boat lying too far to be used as a
lodging every night, they established themselves in the Memnonium,
where, as the traveller remarks, they were handsomely lodged in a small
hut formed of stones. Mrs. Belzoni seems, in fact, to have been as
enterprising and romantic as her husband, and made no difficulty about
the rudeness of their accommodation. Into a detail of his laborious
exertions, or those of the Arabs in conveying the head to the Nile, I
do not think it necessary to enter. It will be sufficient to state,
that after incredible toil and perseverance, it was at length brought
to the edge of the stream on the 12th of August, 1816.
This object being effected, he made an excursion to the sepulchral
excavations in the mountain of Gornou, celebrated for the quantity of
mummies which they contain. Into this vast labyrinth he entered with
two Arabs and his interpreter. They were in search of a sarcophagus
which was said to have been discovered by Drovetti; but, in roaming
about amid the dreary passages, lost their way, which, without
extraordinary good fortune, might have been the first step to losing
their lives. In labouring to find a passage out, they came to a small
aperture, through which the interpreter and one of the Arabs passed
easily, but Belzoni, who was a very large man, found it too small.
“One of the Arabs, however, succeeded, as did my interpreter; and it
was then agreed,” says he, “that I and the other Arab should wait till
their return. They proceeded evidently to a great distance, for the
light disappeared, and only a murmuring sound from their voices could
be distinguished as they went on. After a few moments I heard a loud
noise, and the interpreter distinctly crying, ‘O mon Dieu! O mon Dieu!
je suis perdu!’ after which a profound silence ensued. I asked my Arab
whether he had ever been in that place. He replied, ‘Never.’ I could
not conceive what could have happened, and thought the best plan was to
return to procure help from the other Arabs. Accordingly, I told my man
to show me the way out again; but, staring at me like an idiot, he said
he did not know the road. I called repeatedly to the interpreter, but
received no answer. I watched a long time, but no one returned, and my
situation was no very pleasant one.”
At length, however, by dint of laborious perseverance, they issued into
upper air; and as the sarcophagus, which they had discovered, could not
at that moment be removed, our traveller conceived the design of making
a small excursion into Nubia. Accordingly, he proceeded up the river
to Assouan, where, after much altercation, he procured a fresh boat to
carry him to the second cataract. He admired, in passing, the beautiful
island of Phile, rich in the ruins of antiquity. On the next day
several natives, armed with spears and shields of crocodile skins, came
in boats to attack them on the river; but observing them, Mrs. Belzoni
and all, to be armed with pistols, they very prudently retired. At
Deir, the capital of Lower Nubia, our traveller purchased with a small
looking-glass permission to continue his voyage. Previous to this,
many of the people of the country had never enjoyed the gratification
of contemplating the reflection of their own countenances, unless,
like Polypheme, they made a mirror of the glassy stream. On arriving
at Ipsambul, he saw with amazement the great rock-temple discovered
by Burckhardt. He immediately conceived the design of clearing away
the sand which obstructed the entrance into the temple, and made the
proposal to the villagers, promising, in order to excite them to the
task, a present in money; but soon found that he had at length arrived
in a region where money had ceased to be omnipotent. The people stared
at his piasters as they would have stared at a letter in an unknown
language, and inquired who would give them any thing for such small
bits of metal as those? However, he by degrees succeeded in convincing
them that money possessed over civilized men, and all who came within
their influence, a mysterious power which they could not resist, and
thus awakened in their souls the “accursed thirst of gold.” This
seemed at first to produce a good effect; but the love of money once
excited, they knew not where to stop; and their avarice, which he had
reckoned his best ally, soon exhausted his means, so that before he had
half-completed his undertaking he was compelled to desist, and continue
his voyage up the Nile to Ibrim and the first cataract.
Having gratified his curiosity with a glance at these celebrated spots,
Belzoni returned to Assouan, and from thence proceeded to Thebes,
where he immediately put in train the measures necessary for conveying
down the river the Memnon’s head, and various other antiquities. The
obstacles which were thrown in his way by the obstinacy of the natives,
and the intrigues of Drovetti, and other collectors of antiquities,
were numerous, and highly disgraceful to their originators.
Nevertheless, on the 17th of November, 1816, he succeeded in placing
the head on board of a boat, in which he set sail on the 21st for
Cairo, where he arrived on the 15th of December, after a voyage of
twenty-four days. All professions reckon among their members many
knaves and many fools; but the antiquarians with whom Belzoni came in
contact deserved, in several instances, to be sent to the galleys. His
labours were, as a matter of course, depreciated by several foreigners
of this cast, who absurdly misrepresented his researches. In this
number must be reckoned Count Forbin, who was frightened away from
Thebes by beholding the apparition of an English waiting-maid in a
blue pelisse among the ruins. This gentleman, in his absurd “Travels,”
represents our traveller as having employed six months in placing the
colossal bust on board the boat, although he knew, or should have
known, that the operation did not occupy a sixth part of that time. The
origin of this contemptible fiction was the jealousy which the idea
of seeing this extraordinary piece of antiquity in the possession of
the English inspired. An able writer in the Quarterly Review, after
animadverting in a very spirited manner upon the meanness of these
proceedings, observes, “But detraction, it would appear, is not all
that Mr. Belzoni has had to sustain from this irrational jealousy. M.
Drovetti, French consul, has, as Count Forbin observes, two agents at
Thebes,--the one a Mameluke, named Yousuf, originally a drummer in the
French army; the other a Marseillese renegade of the name of Riffo,
‘small in stature, bold, enterprising, and choleric; beating the Arabs
because they had neither time nor taste to understand the Provençal
language.’ These persons are more than suspected of being concerned
in a plot against the life of Mr. Belzoni, who was recently fired at
from behind a wall, while employed in his researches among the ruins
of Carnac, where these two fellows were then known to be lurking. The
affair has been brought before the Consular Court at Cairo; and we
trust that M. Drovetti, for the sake of his own character and that of
his country, will not interfere with the judicial proceedings, nor
attempt to shelter his agents from the punishment which awaits them.”
From Cairo Belzoni proceeded with the bust down the Nile to Rosetta and
Alexandria; from whence, after having placed his charge in the pasha’s
warehouses, he quickly returned, for the purpose of proceeding on a
second voyage up the Nile. It was on this occasion that he had the good
fortune to become known to Mr. Briggs, with whom he returned to Cairo.
Captain Caviglia had at this period commenced his researches in the
interior of the first pyramid of Ghizeh; but was about to discontinue
them for lack of means, when Mr. Briggs munificently engaged to furnish
funds for the purpose, in which he was seconded by Mr. Salt. It was
proposed by this latter gentleman that Belzoni should join Captain
Caviglia in his researches; but our traveller, with commendable
ambition, preferred some undertaking in which all the credit should
redound to himself; and, having left his wife at the house of a friend
at Cairo, he once more ascended the Nile, accompanied by Mr. Beechey,
to whom he had been introduced at Alexandria.
At Eraramoun, near Ashmouneir, Belzoni obtained intelligence that two
agents of M. Drovetti were hurrying on towards Thebes, in the hope of
forestalling him in the purchase of antiquities; upon which he hired
two asses, and, leaving Mr. Beechey to come up slowly with the boat,
hurried off by night. On reaching the ruins, after an incredibly
fatiguing journey of five days, he found that, although the agents were
not arrived, Mr. Salt’s neglect, in not paving the way with a handsome
present, had so completely irritated the bey, that he had appropriated
to the French ex-consul the very ground upon which Belzoni had
commenced his excavations during his first journey. Into the details
of these wretched squabbles, which it is humiliating to the lovers of
art even to peruse, I shall of course not enter. Belzoni, it should be
observed, was forced into them much against his feelings; for he was
an educated, liberal, and high-minded man, altogether averse from low
caballing and intrigue, which appear to have formed the native element
of Drovetti and his congenial coadjutor, the Count de Forbin.
The most interesting transaction, perhaps, in which our traveller was
anywhere engaged, was his visit to the Necropolis of Thebes, in the
mountain of Gournou. This is a tract of about two miles in length, at
the foot of the Libyan ridge. Every part of these rocks is scooped out
into a sepulchre, which, however close it may be to other sepulchral
chambers, has rarely any interior communication with them. It is
impossible, as Belzoni observes, to convey by description an adequate
idea of these subterraneous abodes and their inhabitants. No other
sepulchres in the world resemble them. There are no excavations or
mines that can be compared with those astonishing places, which, when
once seen, for ever after haunt the imagination, like a glimpse of the
regions beyond the grave. Few travellers see more of these catacombs
than the exterior chambers, from which the dead have been removed.
In the interior sepulchres the air is suffocating, and frequently
causes fainting. The dust of decayed mummies, which is so fine that
it quickly penetrates in vast quantities to the lungs, and causes a
difficulty of respiration; the strong effluvia of decomposed bodies;
the dark, dismal, lonesome nature of the place;--every thing tends to
discourage the intruder. Belzoni was not, however, to be deterred. In
describing the difficulties which he here encountered, he observes, “In
some places there is not more than the vacancy of a foot left, which
you must contrive to pass through in a creeping posture, like a snail,
on pointed and keen stones that cut like glass. After getting through
these passages, some of them two or three hundred yards long, you
generally find a more commodious place, perhaps high enough to sit.
But what a place of rest! surrounded by bodies, by heaps of mummies, in
all directions, which, previous to my being accustomed to the sight,
impressed me with horror. The blackness of the wall; the faint light
given by the candles or torches for want of air; the different objects
that surrounded me seeming to converse with each other; and the Arabs
with the candles or torches in their hands, naked and covered with
dust, themselves resembling living mummies,--absolutely formed a scene
that cannot be described. In such a situation I found myself several
times, and often returned exhausted and fainting, till at last I became
inured to it, and indifferent to what I suffered except from the dust,
which never failed to choke my throat and nose; and though fortunately
I am destitute of the sense of smelling, I could taste that the mummies
were rather unpleasant to swallow. After the exertion of entering into
such a place, through a passage of fifty, a hundred, three hundred, or
perhaps six hundred yards, nearly overcome, I sought a resting-place,
found one, and contrived to sit; but when my weight bore on the body
of an Egyptian, it crushed it like a bandbox. I naturally had recourse
to my hands to sustain my weight, but they found no better support; so
that I sank altogether among the broken mummies, with a crash of bones,
rags, and wooden cases, which raised such a dust as kept me motionless
for a quarter of an hour, waiting till it subsided again. I could not
move from the place, however, without increasing it, and every step
I took crushed a mummy in some part or other. Once I was conducted
from such a place to another resembling it, through a passage of about
twenty feet in length, and no wider than that the body could be forced
through. It was choked with mummies, and I could not pass without
putting my face in contact with that of some decayed Egyptian; but as
the passage inclined downwards, my own weight helped me on. However, I
could not help being covered with bones, legs, arms, and heads, rolling
from above. Thus I proceeded from one cave to another, all full of
mummies, piled up in various ways, some standing, some lying, and some
on their heads. The purpose of my researches was to rob the Egyptians
of their papyri, of which I found a few hidden in their breasts, under
their arms, and in the space above the knees, or on the legs, and
covered by the numerous folds of cloth that envelop the mummy.”
Belzoni continued indefatigably making new researches both at Gournou
and Carnac, but was at length put to flight by the machinations of
the French, who had succeeded in gaining over to their party the bey
of the province. He then resolved once more to ascend the Nile to
Ipsambul, and was fortunate enough to meet with two English travellers,
Captains Irby and Mangles, who were desirous of performing the same
voyage. They hired a boat between them at Philo, where they celebrated
the birth-day of George the Third, and setting out together in high
spirits, visited the second cataract, and then returned to Ipsambul.
Here the wrong-headedness and quarrelsome disposition of the Nubians
considerably obstructed their labours in clearing away the entrance
to the temple. But at length, having dismissed the native labourers,
and undertaken the task themselves, they succeeded, and enjoyed the
satisfaction of beholding one of the most perfect and beautiful
rock-temples in the world.
Having completed this laborious operation, our traveller returned to
his old station at Thebes, where he continued his researches in the
valley of Beban el Malook. Here, among other remarkable antiquities,
he discovered one relic of the ancient world, which certainly appears
to rank among the most beautiful that have ever been exhumed. “It is,”
says he, “a sarcophagus of the finest oriental alabaster, nine feet
five inches long, and three feet seven inches wide. Its thickness is
only two inches, and it is transparent when a light is placed inside
it. It is minutely sculptured within and without with several hundred
figures which do not exceed two inches in height, and represent, as I
suppose, the whole of the funeral procession and ceremonies relating
to the deceased, united with several emblems, &c. I cannot give an
adequate idea of this beautiful and invaluable piece of antiquity, and
can only say, that nothing has been brought into Europe from Egypt that
can be compared to it. The cover was not there; it had been taken out
and broken into several pieces.”
Of the tomb in which this extraordinary monument was found a model
was many years afterward exhibited in London, and so exceedingly well
executed was the representation, that had it not been for the crowds of
visiters, one might easily have imagined one’s self in the sepulchres
of the Egyptian kings. Belzoni wanted but one thing to render him one
of the greatest antiquarian collectors in the world: this one thing
was money. But for the lack of this, many of his most arduous and
well-planned enterprises came to nothing.
From Thebes, with which he was now as familiar as he was with London,
he some time after this proceeded to Cairo. He had by this time
acquired quite a passion for excavations, tomb-opening, and all those
other pursuits by which travellers aim at diving into the mysteries of
Egyptian manners and arts; and reflecting upon the success of Captain
Caviglia in descending into the well of the Great Pyramid, the project
of attempting the opening of the second occurred to him. It were
beside my purpose to describe the difficulties which he encountered
and overcame in the execution of this design. His labours were
incessant; his expenses considerable; but, at length, after success had
frequently appeared hopeless, the entrance to the interior chambers
was found. “After thirty days’ exertion,” says he, “I had the pleasure
of finding myself in the way to the central chamber of one of the
two great pyramids of Egypt, which have long been the admiration of
beholders!”
This object having been happily effected, Belzoni again set out for
Thebes. There he was made acquainted with the history of a pretended
discovery, which became a motive for a journey to the coast of the
Red Sea. The history of this expedition is given in a very few words
by a writer in the Quarterly Review whom I have already cited. “A
French mineralogist, of the name of Caillaud, had accompanied some
Arab soldiers sent by the pasha of Egypt in search of emeralds among
the mountains between the Nile and the Red Sea. On their return, this
person gave out (as we learn from an intelligent correspondent in the
Malta Gazette) that in this expedition he had discovered the ancient
city of the Ptolemies, the celebrated Bernicé, the great emporium of
Europe and the Indies, of which he gave a magnificent description. Mr.
Belzoni, doubtful of the accuracy of the story, set out from Edfoo,
with one of the former party, to visit the supposed Bernicé; where,
instead of the ruins of 800 houses and three temples, as stated by M.
Caillaud, he could find no more than eighty-seven scattered houses,
or rather cells; the greater number of which did not exceed _ten feet
square_, built with unhewn stones, and without cement; and the only
appearance of a temple was a niche in a rock, without inscription or
sculpture of any kind; there was no land for cultivation, nor any water
within twenty-four miles; no communication with the sea but by a rough
road over the mountains of twenty-four miles; and the shore was so
covered with projecting rocks for twenty or thirty miles on each side,
that there was no security even for the smallest boats, much less for
ships trading to India. These, therefore, he was quite certain, could
not be the remains of Bernicé.
As, however, the site of this celebrated city had been fully described
by the ancient writers, Mr. Belzoni determined to prosecute his
researches; and at the end of twenty days he discovered, close to the
shore, the extensive ruins of an ancient city near the Cape Lepte
Extrema, the Ras el Auf of the present day; the projection of which
forms an ample bay (now named Foul Bay), having at the bottom an
excellent harbour for vessels of small burden. These ruins, which are
beyond dispute those of the celebrated emporium founded by Ptolemy
Philadelphus, were four days’ journey from the rude cells of the
quarrymen or miners, which M. Caillaud is stated to have so strangely
mistaken for the magnificent vestiges of the ancient Bernicé. Several
wells of bitter water were found among the ruins; and between them and
the mountains was an extensive plain fit for cultivation. The remains
of more than 3000 houses were counted, about the centre of which were
those of a temple with sculptured figures and hieroglyphics.”
Having made this discovery, he again returned to the valley of the
Nile, where he was for some time occupied in the removal of various
antiquities. He then descended to the seacoast, and on the 20th of
April, 1819, set out from Rosetta, on an excursion to the district
of Fayoum, and the Oasis of Jupiter Ammon. After roaming about the
shores of Lake Mœris for some time, for he had no leisure for making
researches, he visited the ruins of Arconde, consisting of a few
granite columns and fragments and mounds of burnt bricks. He then
prepared to cross the desert to the Oasis, which was an affair of
some difficulty. Nevertheless, he at length succeeded in completing
his preparations, and commenced his journey, accompanied by a Bedouin
guide, and three or four other persons. Even here, in the desert,
ruins of Egyptian edifices, beautifully sculptured with hieroglyphics,
were found. The scene at first lay among low rocks, sandy hills, and
barren valleys, which were gradually exchanged for a plain of sand, as
level as the sea, and thickly strewed with brown and black pebbles.
They continued during five days their journey over this dreary waste,
at the end of which time they perceived the rocks of the Oasis, and
beheld two crows coming, as it were, to meet them. In the afternoon
they entered the valley, which is surrounded by high rocks, and forms
in the midst a spacious plain, about twelve or fourteen miles long,
and about six in breadth. “There is only a very small portion of the
valley cultivated on the opposite side to that which we reached, and it
can only be distinguished by the woods of palm-trees which cover it.
The rest of the valley is wholly covered with tracts of sand, but it
is evidently seen it has once been cultivated everywhere. Many tracts
of land are of a clayey substance, which could be brought into use
even now. There are several small hills scattered about, some with a
natural spring at the top, and covered with rushes and small plants.
We advanced towards a forest of date-trees, and before evening we
reached within a mile of a village named Zaboo, all of us exceedingly
thirsty: here we observed some cultivation, several beds of rice and
some sunt-trees, &c. Before the camels arrived, they scented the water
at a distance; and as they had not drank since they left Rejan, they
set off at full gallop, and did not stop till they reached a rivulet,
which was quite sweet, although the soil was almost impregnated with
salt. I observed here a great many wild birds, particularly wild ducks,
in greater abundance than any other.”
The first man who perceived them after their entrance into the valley
evinced a disposition to shoot Belzoni; but, upon the explanation of
the Bedouin guide, consented to conduct them to the village. “We
advanced,” says our traveller, “and entered a lane between these
plants; and as we penetrated farther, we entered a most beautiful
place, full of dates, intermixed with other trees, some in blossom and
others in fruit: these were apricots, figs, almonds, plums, and some
grapes. The apricots were in greater abundance than the rest, and the
figs were very fine. The soil was covered with verdure of grass and
rice, and the whole formed a most pleasing recess, particularly after
the barren scenes of the desert.”
His reception at this village was equivocal: there being several
sheïkhs, each of whom made pretensions to authority. Some were disposed
to treat him kindly, while others, more morose, kept at a distance; but
a few cups of coffee, judiciously distributed, and followed by a sheep
boiled in rice, reconciled the whole; although they next morning, when
they were again hungry, relapsed into their former rude manners. Like
all other ignorant people, they supposed that he must necessarily be
in search of treasure, and for some time refused to conduct him to the
ruins of which he was in search; but upon being assured that whatever
treasures might be discovered should fall to their share, while all he
stipulated for were a few stones, they consented to accompany him. The
ruins, which, with much probability, he concluded to be those of the
temple of Jupiter Ammon, now served, he found, as a basement for nearly
a whole village, in the vicinity of which he discovered the famous
“Fountain of the Sun,” which is warm at midnight and cold at noon.
This is a well of sixty feet deep by eight square, which, overflowing
in a considerable rivulet, serves to irrigate some cultivated lands.
All around it is a grove of palm and other trees. The temperature of
the water, however, continues at all times the same; all its apparent
changes being accounted for by the greater or less degree of heat in
the atmosphere.
From this excursion Belzoni returned to Egypt, from whence he embarked
for Europe about the middle of September, 1819. After an absence of
twenty years he returned to his family; whence he departed for England,
where he completed and published his travels. A few years afterward
this enterprising and able traveller fell in an attempt to penetrate
into the interior of Africa.