Chain II.

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of stone vaults. The want oftimber in that country wouldrender such construction almostnecessary.

In the time of the first Osir-tasen, who was cotemporarywith Joseph, the arch was made f|use of in the tombs at Beni Hassan . | f ..

In Egypt , then, we must Lacknowledge we find the firstrudiments of the arch ; andfrom that country it was broughtinto Europe . The principle ofthe arch, with all its voussoirsradiating to a common centre, iscertainly shown to exist in manybuildings which modern travel-lers have surveyed in Egypt .

The length of the tomb is14 feet 9 inches, the breadth is10 feet 5 inches, the height to Hg. 3'2.

the springing of tin; arch is 19 feet 4 inches, and from the springing to the top of the archis 7 feet 8 inches. A tube of earthenware in a stone stopper had formed an openingbetween the two apartments, and above it another, with a similar stopper in the arch, forthe purposes of ventilation.

The Pyramids of Middle and Lower Ryypt arc thirty-nine in number : they are situatedon the western side of the river, on desert hills, which form the western boundary of theNile . They are comprised within 29° 16' 56" and 30° 2' 30" north latitude, or a spaceequal to about 53 English miles.

Pyramid of Abou lloash is situated five miles to the north-west of those at Gizeh. Thebase, which is all that remains, is 320 feet square. The mass, formed ot hard chalk, otwhich the mountain is composed, has been cut into the form : this was cased with hardstone, none of which remains. There is an inclined entrance passage, and an apartmentlying east and west, cut out of the solid chalk, and lined with tine calcareous stone trom theTon rah quarries. The passage inclines at an angle of 22° 35', and is about 160 feet in length.The chamber is 40 feet by 15, above which was apparently another. I he level spacearound the pyramid is about 510 feet above the plain : the northern side has been slopedaway, and an inclined causeway, 4950 feet in length, and 30 in breadth, leads into the plainbelow: this causeway is in some parts nearly 40 feet in height, and wailed with masonry.

Pyramid of TLowyet cl Arrian has its base about 300 feet square, and in height its remainsare *61 feet above the rock : the material with which it is built is a hard limestone, inwhich are many fossil shells: the blockswi/e not squared, nor were they laid inregular courses, clay or loam being usedinstead of mortar.

Pyramid of Reegah is situated aboutthree quarters of a mile north-west fromthose of Abouseir ; its base measures 1 23feet 4 inches square. This pyramid hadtwo inclinations given to it: the lowerwas at an angle of 75° 20', and the upper,covered with calcareous stone, an angleof 52°.

Pyramids of Abouseir are three innumber: they are about seven milesS. S. E. of those at Gizeh, and threemiles X. N. E. of Saccara. The materialwith which they are built is the stonefound upon the spot, laid in Nile earthinstead of mortar. The exterior casingof all of them has been removed. Theinterior chambers and passages are similarto all the others.

The northern pyramid was originally257 feet square, and the perpendicularheight 162 feet 9 inches ; the angle of theeasing being 51° 42' 35".

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