THE MYSTERIES OF EGYPT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1841, 24 April 1884, Page 4

THE MYSTERIES OF EGYPT.

M. Mam'KKO of the celebrated Boulak Museum in Egypt, has returned to Paris. In an interview this learned Egyptologist said: "Since I hive been in Egypt I have ascertained the existence of sixty pyramids heietoforc unknown. I have excavated twenty- two of them, and have been enabled to reconstruct the history of five Pharaohs. In one of these pyramids I ha\e found a mummy absolutely intact — a rare tiling at the present diy. I have completely cleared out a chinch dedicated to St. Jeremiah dating iiom the Fifth century, in which I have collected interesting desoiiptions ; finally, I have recognised and determined the site of the city of Memphis completely buried during a period of 6,000 yeais. But up to the present I have not been ible to extract many objects ; and j ancient Egyptian cities are composed of blocks (inauliu), and of quarters, in the centre of wliich was the temple ; the J houses were giouped round the place consecrated to the divinity— as in the niddle ages they were grouped round the fortresses ; but between these blocks .sti etched large spaces for the public, with immente gardens, which have been covered by layets of sand and earth. The city, which extended long the piesent Cairo Riilioad, measured about eleven kilometers (nearly spvpn miles) ; upon its sight there ri^es to-day a forest ot palm tivus .iliiiobfc impenetrable, and .Ihided l>y a few gla les, or open spaces. It is only in these glades that I was able to make ex?avatious ; I was forbidden to touch the palm-tiees, each one ot which h.is a value of each from 100 to 120 fiancs, which pioduce a piofit of from 13 fco 20 francs ami are taxed one franc a year by the Goxernmpnt. To carry out my enterprise, it would be necessary, according to my calculation, to upioot at least .1,000 palm trees, the purchase of which would icquire a sum of 500,000 francs ; I am thus forced to renounce my projects, at least for the present." Regarding the safety of the Boulak Museum during the Anglo-E<ryptian war. M. Maspero said that he had buiied the most precious objects and retained the thirty-two keepers in spite of the orders of the War Minister, who wanted to in corporate them m the army. In regard to the number of woikmen, he said : "I have several yards where about 400 fellahs are employed dm ing the season when the Nile is low ; they are better than their imputation. They accept the light punishments which it is necp&saiy to inflict upon them from time to time ; theipis only one thing they dread, that is being given up to the Cairo police, for | then the agents uf the Khedive apply the bastinado to them and keep them for months in horrible prisons, where they aie very badly tieatod " One desire M. _Ma«pero expiessed was to form in France a number of students and so propagate a taste for Kgyptologiol studies.