the island of Phila. From here came the colossal statue of Remeses, the columns at Rome, at Constantinople, at Paris, and at Alexandria. At Heliopolis we see the first of its race, and here, immediately east of Assouan, we see the last hewn out, but, like the mammoth stone at Baalbec, never removed from its birth-place. It is 100 feet long, and 12 feet square at the base. After it had been dressed a fissure was found at the top, for which reason, it is supposed, it never was removed. Notice the grooves made in it for the purpose of cutting it into single blocks. The color is light red, sprinkled with green. It is very hard, and susceptible of the highest polish.

Travelers must not expect to find a Niagara when they visit the cataract, but something more like the rapids of the St. Lawrence-a bounding, bubbling, foaming stream, some three or four feet in depth, comprising four distinct parts: the first has a fall of about six feet; the second, two feet; the third, eight feet; and the fourth, fifteen. The natives amuse visitors here by plunging into the river above the first fall and passing unscathed through them all. They are very importunate for backsheesh, and swarm around you in all their naked majesty. If traveling by steamer, we would advise taking a boat to the cataract, which is a short distance above Assouan. Make a bargain before you go for your boat and crew.

Seven miles above Assouan is situated the small island of Phile, only one quarter of a mile long, crowned with a long line of majestic temples and colonnades. Its principal ruin is that of the Temple of Isis, commenced by Ptolemy Philadelphus, and completed by succeeding monarchs. The whole is modern compared with the old Egyptian style of architecture. The temple very irregular in its ground plan, following the shape of the island. There is a double corridor supported by thirty-six pillars; notice that many of these were never finished. The corridor is succeeded by two immense pyramidal towers, gateways, staircase, and chambers, in a fine state of preservation. The traveler should here ascend to the roof and take a bird'seye view of the ruins and surroundings. In one of the rooms of the temple may be seen, on a small scale, a representation of the death of Osiris; also his embalmment,

burial, resurrection, and enthronement as judge of the dead. To the east of the great temple is a square open building, the four sides of which are composed of pillars supporting an architrave. This is the most perfect building on the island. The edifice is evidently unfinished; much of the sculpturing had been just commenced. It was here that the Romans signed, in 451 A.D., the articles of peace with the Ethiopian Bedouins, who were the last worshipers of Isis on the island. Notice, under the principal entrance of the first pylon, the inscription commemmorative of the advance of the French troops under Desaix: "L'an VI. de la Republique, le 12 Messidor, une Armée française, commandée par Bonaparte, decendue à Alexandria. L'armée ayant mis vingt jour après les Mamelouks en fuite aux Pyramides. Desaix, commandant la 1re division les a poursuivis au delà des Cataracts, où il est arrivé le 12 Ventose de l'an VII.”

From Assouan to the second cataract the distance is 220 miles. The Nile is not now the Nile of Egypt-the two ranges of hills inclose the river so closely that there is little or no cultivation. You now pass tombs continually, occupying the position of castles on the Rhine; they are nearly all on the west side of the river, if we except Derr, the capital of Nubia, Ibreem, and Farayg. Throughout the Nile valley now, the banks being so high, the water is raised by means of a sakia or shadoof. The sakia is a large wheel worked by a buffalo, around which a number of jars are attached; the revolutions of the wheel dip the jars into the river and empty them into the canal, whence the water becomes distributed over the surrounding fields; and as the natives use all the grease in the country to grease their long black hair, you have day and night the sound of the hum of a swarm of flies as lazily you float along beneath the rays of a tropical sun. The shadoof consists of a pole and bucket worked across a horizontal bar supported upon two pillars of wood: it is worked by the hand. The government levies a tax of 200 piastres on every sakia in operation.

The natives of Nubia are more ignorant and more honest than the fellahs of Egypt, and possess a more brave and warlike spirit; they are also more intemperate than their more simple neighbors, and not so

strict in regard to the injunctions of the Prophet.

The first ruins of any importance after passing Philae are those of Dabod, on the right hand or west side of the river as you ascend. These consist of a well-preserved temple commenced by the Ethiopian King Ashat-Amun, and dedicated to the same gods as the temple of Phila, and the picturesque ruin of the temple of Gertasse. We then pass the temples of Tafah, also on the right.

We next arrive at Kalabshee, where are the ruins of the largest temple in Nubia, with the single exception of Aboo-Simbel, It was erected during the reign of Augustus; Caligula, Trajan, and Severus also added to it, but it was never completed. Seen from the outside, has a grand and imposing appearance; the interior, however, is badly mutilated.

A quarter of an hour's distance from the village is the cavern-temple of Bet-el-Wally (the house of the saints), excavated during the reign of Remeses the Great, and dedicated to Kneph, Amunre, and Anauke. The sculptures of the interior, which are very fine, record the battles of Remeses against the Ethiopians. Next come the cavern-temples of Dendoor and Gorf, which are hardly worth a visit, and Wadi Sebua, formerly a temple of considerable importance, but nearly all now buried in the sand. The temple, which is entirely of granite, with the exception of the sanctuary, which is cut out of the solid rock, was constructed by Remeses II. There was formerly an avenue of sphinxes which led to it, hence its name. This is the last village where the Arabic language is spoken; the Nubian now commences.

Twelve miles higher we arrive at Korosko, situated on the eastern bank of the Nile. This is the first station of the great Nubian desert, 200 miles to Kartum, and, although well traveled, is one of the worst roads across the desert, water being found at one station only during the entire distance, and much frequented by a wild tribe of Bedouins which have never yet been quite subdued. 514

Having passed the temples of A made, Derr, and Ibreem, we arrive at the magniticent temples of Aboo-Simbel, the greatest work of the great Remeses, and by far the most interesting of all the ruins of Nubia, and, indeed, with the exception of Thebes, of all those throughout the Nile valley-for this reason, that almost every other Egyptian temple is more or less in ruins; these, from being hewn out of the rock, are in all their arrangements as perfect now as when they were left unfinished by Remeses himself. There are two temples: the smallest is dedicated to Hathor, who is represented under the form of a sacred cow; the façade is ornamented with six colossal statues of Remeses and his wife, with their children at their feet; the interior is divided into three principal divisions; the walls are decorated with sculpture, but much defaced; the entire depth is 84 feet. The second and larger temple is a short distance south of the smaller; the façade is 120 feet wide by 90 high; it is decorated with four colossal statues of Remeses, which, although seated, are about 60 feet high; the interior is divided into four compartments, with a depth of 185 feet; the entrance is nearly choked up with sand. Nearly opposite Aboo-Simbel, at Farayg, there is a small temple excavated during the reign of Amenophis III., and higher up the castle of Addeh, in a fine state of preservation. Nine miles farther there are also some ruins, at the village of Farras. Forty miles above Aboo-Simbel is Wadi Halfa, opposite which are some ruins, but little of sufficient importance to bring travelers above Aboo-Simbel. The second cataract is still some seven or eight miles higher up; they are nearly five miles long, and, if wishing to see them and the surrounding country to the best advantage, we would advise the climbing of the cliff Aboo-Sir, 300 feet high, where a most singular panorama can be obtained. The railroad along the banks of the Nile (in progress to Thebes) is now (1871) finished to Minieh, a distance of 151 miles.

WHETHER the traveler intends visiting Mount Sinai, where Moses delivered the Law to the assembled tribes of Israel, or not, we would strongly recommend his spending a day or two at Suez, and then taking a boat through the new Suez Canal to Port Said (where the steamers to the Holy Land touch). The time from Cairo to Suez by camel was formerly 30 hours; then a direct railroad was constructed, making the time 4 hours; that road was abandoned in 1870, making a detour, but passing through numerous populous villages. From Cairo to Suez via Benha, 9 hours 30 minutes; 116 piastres = 5 80. From Cairo to Suez via Zazazig, 10 hours; 116 piastres. From Cairo to Ismailia, 7. hours; 79 piastres == $2 75.

Suez is situated at the head of the gulf of the same name; the Red Sea dividing at its northern extremity into the Gulf of Akaba and Suez. The peninsular region inclosed between these two gulfs is a rugged mountainous wilderness, and the scene of the journey of the hosts of Israel; and Suez, from the nature of the mountains on the Egyptian side, must have been the spot where they crossed.

The town of Suez now contains about 6000 inhabitants; it has been brought into prominent notice of late years by the extensive travel on the overland route. The overland route is now all sea; the Suez Canal has also made it famous. It is likewise the place of embarkation for the Mohammedan pilgrims from Egypt and the countries of Northern Africa on their way to the holy cities. The sailing is excellent here, as you can always have a

SUEZ.

good breeze blowing; it commences usually from the land in the morning, and dies away about four or five o'clock in the afternoon.

There are nearly always four or five large first-class English steamers lying here, but they can not come within five miles of the city, there being no channel, and the rise and fall of the tide so much that any traveler can do as the Israelites did at certain hours of the day without the water coming much over his boots. We asked our boatman if he knew any thing about the host of Pharaoh and the Israelites: "Yes, he knew all about it; it was all a mistake." It was not the Egyptians who followed the Israelites, but a lot of rascally Bedouin Arabs;" that Moses knew all about the tide, and he arrived when it was low water; and when the Bedouins were in the gulf, the tide came up and drowned them; and to put the question beyond dispute and clinch his argument, "Wouldn't the boatmen have found the chariots when the tide went out?"

To visit the "Fountain of Moses (Ain Mousa), hire a boat instead of passing round the head of the gulf. You can run down with a fair wind, and land within two miles of the spot; walk up, and if you want a camel-ride, for twenty-five cents one of the fellahs who reside here on a small piece of land irrigated by the brackish water will supply you with the luxury, The sensation of a first camel-ride is very queer. The animal kneels down to enable you to mount, and when he commences to rise, it is with the greatest difficulty you retain your seat. The shore about here abounds with numerous handsome shells.

Near Suez, a little to the north, were the remains of the sluices of the ancient Canal of Arsinoë, which connected the Nile with the Red Sea. It was commenced by Sesostris and finished by Ptolemy Philadelphus. Subsequent to the time of the Romans it was neglected, and allowed to fill up with sand. It was reopened by the Caliph Omar for the purpose of sending corn to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Its course is directly north as far as the Bitter Lakes, or Shekh Hanaydik,

and almost parallel with, the sea, to the 'baths of Pharaoh' (Hammam Faraoon) a mountain with hot springs, 157° Fahrenheit, strongly impregnated with salt and sulphur. Not far from here the road takes a turn more inward, dividing into two, the one of which leads to the left over Sarabut el Kadem, the other to the right over Wadi Faran, but both to Sinai.

"The road to the left passes, near Sarabut el Kadem, an old copper foundery, where are various Sinaitic inscriptions. Sarabut el Kadem is a sandstone rock with a level summit, on which are discovered numerous ruins and many hieroglyphic tablets, with the names of Osirtasen I., Ramses the Great, Thotmes III., and oth

ers of the Pharaohs.

"Those Sinaitic inscriptions are still more frequently found on the other road, to the right. The rocks on the S. side of Gebel el Mokattab are more especially covered with them. They are also on other parts of the peninsula, and not only on the old pilgrim roads, but may be followed into the most desolate ravines. Rude signs, a foot high, with rough drawings of camels and goats between them, appear slightly cut in, and only to be recognized by their light color on the dark stone; they are not explained, but probably refer to the Amalekite pilgrims, who came to the beautiful vale of Faran and the holy mountain of Serbal. The first is the largest cultivated vale of the peninsula, is watered by a brook, which soon sinks into the sand, and contains many gardens with palms and other trees. On Serbal, a majestic giant mountain with five peaks, are likewise many of these inscriptions.

"After passing through long ravines we reach the plains of Er Raha, surrounded by rugged walls; thence, to the south, run two narrow, deep valleys, which, after a time, unite and form a large plain called Sebaich, The mountain they surround and separate from the higher neighboring summit is Horeb; its S. higher summit, beyond the larger plain, is Sinai. The Arabs call the two Gebel Moosa-the mount of Moses. Beneath, in the valley on the E. side, is the monastery, a fortress-looking building, with high walls, which from the inside are only overtopped by a few cypresses. It has no door, so that he who wishes to go in must

until he reaches a height of 30 feet. Inside are covered courts of different sizes, partly covered by vines; the very old church, in which is a chapel said to be the place where God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. The church is a basilica, has a double row of Corinthian pillars, a splendid altar balustrade, a mosaic-work picture of the crucifixion, a portrait of its founder, the Emperor Justinian, many silver lamps and candlesticks, a coffin with the remains of St. Catharine (found, as tradition says, in the neighborhood), the silver lid of a sarcophagus with the likeness of the Empress Anne of Russia, who desired to be buried here, etc. This monastery is inclosed by gardens, with high walls, in which are pear, apple, apricot, and pomegranate trees, and in the adjacent valleys the monks still have olive groves.

"The monastery is ruled by a superior, has generally twenty monks, and belongs to the Greek Church. Mohammed, it is said in a record now at Constantinople, on condition that those monks feed the passing pilgrims, recommended them to the good-will of his followers.

"A short distance from here is the stone out of which Moses caused water to flow, and on the summit of Sinai the cleft of the rock is shown in which he concealed himself when the glory of the Lord passed over him. The view from the mount is of more importance to us than these doubtful relics.

"A steep path, with occasional steps, and entering two arches of a door-way, leads from the monastery to a high plain behind the mountain, where are a well, a chapel consecrated to Elias, and a single cypress. From this plateau, which, toward the N., is overtopped by rugged cliffs, and falls nearly perpendicularly into the plain of Er Rahab, is a roundish rock, still over 100 feet in height. It is an enormous granite block, with the vestiges of a Christian church and a mosque. From this height, nearly 7000 feet above the level of the sea, we view the fearful, wild, brown and black mountains, and the yellow sandy plains of the desert in the north, the surface of the sea toward Akaba and Suez, and the Egyptian chain of mountains emerging from behind it, and, next, the gloomy, jagged Catharine Mountain to the S.W. Toward the S. termination of the peninsula