Chap. II.

EGYPTIAN.

11

The entrance to the Great Pyramid is at a height of 49 feet from the base, and the distancefrom its centre is 24 feet 6 inches from the centre of the pyramid. It is nosv accessible bymeans of the accumulation of the rubbish at the base.

Ilie opening by which it is entered is only in breadth 3 feet 6 inches, and in height 3 feet11 inches. Over it, to discharge the weight, lies a stone lintel, 12 feet 6 inches in length,and 8 feet 6 inches in height; above which lies another horizontal stone, not quite solong, over which four others, inclined in the manner of a pediment, act as an arch. Thetwo lower of these inclined stones are 7 feet in height, and the two upper 6 feet 8 inches.(See fig. 10.)

The passage from the entrance con- - __

tinues of the same size as the aperture,and descends, at an angle of 26° 4C, tothe length of 320 feet 10 inches, whereit terminates in a chamber, the roof orceiling of which is 90 feet 8 inches belowthe base of the pyramid. The length ofthis chamber from east to west is 46 feet ;its breadth from north to south, 27 feet

I inch ; and its height 11 feet 6 inches.

Tiie northern side of this room, hollowedout of the rock, is 8 feet from the centre £of the pyramid northwards, and its easternside is 26 feet from the centre of the py-ramid eastwards. This chamber was leftunfinished; and in the wall opposite theentrance is a small passage, extending52 feet in a southerly direction ; and inthe floor has been recently excavated awell 36 feet in depth, which has not ledto any further discoveries in that direc-tion.

In the inclined passage, at about 100feet from the entrance, a granite blockcloses up the way, which has occasionedan opening to be made at the side of it :passing through this is the ascent to thegreat gallery, on entering which to theright is a well, communicating with the

inclined passage which led to tiie lower Fig. 10.

chamber: this passage is 28 inches square; at first vertical, then inclines, is again vertical,and then, with two other inclinations, unites with that below : the well is nearly -00 feetin depth, and by it the workmen arc said to have descended, after they had closed the lowerend of the upper passage with the block of granite above described: they then descendedto the lower passage, followed it to the mouth, and made their exit.

Passing the entrance, and proceeding about 63 feet, instead of a continued descent, thereis an ascent by another passage, which commences at this point, and which is in length124 feet 4 inches, which conducts to the great gallery of the king’s chamber. The angle atwhich this passage inclines is about 26° 18', its height is 3 feet 11 inches, and its breadth3 feet 5| inches.

The great gallery follows in the same inclination with this passage, and is in length156 feet; the breadth 3 feet 5.V inches, besides the breadth of each ramp, which is 1 foot8£ inches; and the vertical height of this inclined gallery is 28 feet.

At the foot of the great gallery, or rather where it unites with the passage thatinclines upwards, there is at the point of junction another horizontal passage, 109 feet

II inches in length, which conducts to what is called the queen’s chamber, which measures,from north to south, 17 feet; from east to west, 18 feet 9 inches; and the height, to thecommencement of the roof, is 14 feet 9 inches ; the extreme height is 20 feet 3 inches. Theroof is formed of blocks of calcareous stone, resting, like those over the entrance, withtheir ends against each other. This chamber is situated nearly under the apex of thepyramid ; and the stones are so well squared that their joints are hardly discernible. Thefloor is about 408 feet below the original summit, and 71 feet below that called the king’schamber, which is at the top of the great gallery, and entered by a horizontal passage, inlength about 22 feet. This horizontal passage is in height 3 feet 8 inches, and in width3 feet 5^ inches: at the end are four portcullises, in granite, each 12 feet 5 inches in height,which slide in grooves cut hi the same stone at the sides, and which, when closed, com-pletely blocked up the entrance to the king’s chamber, which is in length, from eastto west, 34 feet 3 inches, and in breadth, from north to south, 17 feet 1 inch ; the height is

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