nearly the same dimensions, three feet in thickness, and each of them weigh ing about forty thousand pounds weight, France is actually in possession of the first, and part of the second stone, containing all the Zodiac, the twelve large figures that appear to attach it to the cieling, and the hieroglyphics that belong to them.

M. Lelorrain furnished by M. Saulnier with saws and other engines and instruments, made at Paris expressly for the occasion, was employed by him to convey the circular Zodiac, as uninjured as possible, from Egypt into France, his letters of recommendation procured him an introduction to the Pacha, from whom he obtained a firman, and commenced his undertaking with the utmost ardour, He laboured to reduce the thickness of the stones by about a foot, and sawed off the piece he wished to possess by sacrificing some ornaments of very little importance. He had intended to possess himself of the whole of the cieling, but the fear of failing in his principal object, if he attempted the execution of so grand a project, led him to secure the Zodiac: his prey would certainly have escaped him, but for this precaution. An attempt to convey it from the terrace of the temple by means of the stair-case, which was rendered impassable by the fallen rubbish, would have been useless; M. Lelorrain therefore caused it to be drawn on a machine down a steep declivity, which is used instead of a road to reach the terrace. The larger stone of the two is about eight feet long, and six wide; the other is only half the width, but about the same length. The whole is about six thousand pounds weight.

Mr. Salt, the English Consul-general in Egypt, who conceived that he alone had a right to any part of the monuments at Dendera, made use of his diplomatic authority to seize the prize, that had nearly cost M. Lelorrain his lite; for his health had been unequal to the heat of the season and the labour necessary to ensure the success of his enterprize. The Pacha of Egypt was constituted judge of the dispute by the complaining parties, and he decided in M. Lelorrain's favour. The Pacha was astonished that Europeans should so warmly dispute for that which is a matter of perfect indifference to the inhabitants of Egypt, and he declared, laughingly, that if the stones of his country were often to cause such high disputes, he must beg of the Porte to send him an assistant to terminate them. It is very probable that M. Lelorrain

would have totally failed in his undertaking had he persisted in his attempt of carrying away the whole cieling. While he was at work an Anglo-American Envoy arrived at the temple as a virtuoso; M. Lelorrain naturally presumed that this person would not fail to speak of what he had seen on his arrival at Cairo, and this intimation would have proved a great impediment to his success. He therefore only secured the Zodiac, and the event justified his caution. The remainder of the cieling might surely be obtained; and as the King of France has purchased this interesting remain of antiquity, and has placed it in the Louvre, where it is fixed for the benefit of the public, surely he will not fail to possess himself of every thing appertaining to this extraordinary specimen of the prospe rity of ancient Egypt.

The Temple of Dendera was also visited by that enterprizing traveller, M. Belzoni, and we will give his interesting account in his own words.

"On the 18th July, 1816, at night, we arrived at Dendera.

"On the 19th, early in the morning, my curiosity was at a high pitch, the noted temple of Tentyra being the only thought I had in my head. Accord ingly we set off on asses, as usual, and proceeded to the ruins, nearly two miles from the Nile. Little could be seen of the temple, till we came near to it, as it is surrounded by high mounds of rubbish of the old Tentyra. On our arriving before it, I was for some time at a loss to know where I should begin my examination. The numerous objects before me, all equally attractive, left me for a while in a state of suspense and astonishment. The enormous masses of stone employed in the edifice are so well disposed, that the eye discovers the most just proportion every where. The majestic appearance of its construction, the variety of its ornaments, and, above all, the singu larity of its preservation, had such an effect on me, that I seated myself on the ground, and for a considerable time was lost in admiration. It is the first Egyptian temple the traveller sees on ascending the Nile, and it is certainly the most magnificent. It has an advantage over most others, from the good state of preservation it is in.

"This is the cabinet of the Egyptian arts, the product of study for many centuries, and it was here that Denon thought himself in the sanctuary of the arts and sciences. The front is adorned with a beautiful cornice, and

a frieze covered with figures and hieroglyphics; over the centre of which the winged globe is predominant, and the two sides are embellished with compartments of sacrifices and offerings. The columns that form the portico are twenty-four in number, divided into four rows, including those in the front. On entering the gate the scene changes, and requires more minute observation, The quadrangular form of the capitals first strikes the eye. At each side of the square there is a colossal head of the goddess Isis with cows' ears. There is not one of these heads but is much mutilated, particularly those on the columns in the front of the temple facing the outside: but notwithstanding this disadvantage, and the flatness of their form, there is a simplicity in their countenance that approaches to a smile. The shafts of the columns are covered with hieroglyphics and figures, which are in basso relievo, as are all the figures in the front and lateral walls. The front of the doorway, which is in a straight line with the entrance and the sanctuary, is richly adorned with figures of smaller size than the rest of the portico. The ceiling contains the Zodiac,inclosed by two long female figures, which extend from one side to the other of it. The walls are divided into several square compartments, each containing figures representing deities and priests in the act of offering or immolating victims. On all the walls, columns, ceiling, or architraves, there is no where a space of two feet, that is not covered with some figures of human beings, animals, plants, emblems of agriculture or of religious ceremony. Wherever the eyes turn, wherever the attention is fixed, every thing inspires respect and venerarion, heightened by the solitary situation of this temple, which adds to the attraction of these splendid recesses. The inner apartments are much the same as the portico, all covered with figures in basso relievo, to which the light enters through small holes in the walls: the sanctuary itself is quite dark. In the corner of it I found the door, which leads to the roof by a staircase,

the walls of which are also covered with figures in basso relievo. On the top of the temple the Arabs had built a village, I suppose to be the more elevated, and exposed to the air; but it is all in ruins, as no one now lives there. From the top I descended into some apartments on the east side of the temple. There I saw the famous Zodiac on the ceiling. The circular form of this Zodiac led me to suppose, in some measure, that this temple was built at a later period than the rest, as nothing like it is seen any where else. In the front of the edifice there is a propy læon, not inferior to the works in the temple; and, though partly fallen, it still shows its ancient grandeur. On the left, going from the portico, there is a small temple surrounded by columns. In the inside is a figure of Isis sitting with Orus in her lap, and other female figures, each with a child in her arms, are observable. The capitals of the columns are adorned with the figure of Typhon. The gallery or portico, that surrounds the temple, is filled up with rubbish to a great height, and walls of unburnt bricks have been raised from one column to another. Farther on, in a right line with the propylæon, are the remains of an hypæethral temple, which form a square of twelve columns, connected with each other by a wall, except at the door-way, which fronts the propylæon. The eastern wall of the great temple is richly adorned with figures in intaglio relevato : they are perfectly finished: the female figures are about four feet high, disposed in different compartments. Behind the temple is a small Egyptian building, quite detached from the large edifice; and from its construction I would venture to say, that it was the habitation of the priests. At some distance from the great temple are the foundations of another, not so large as the first. The propylæon is still standing in good preservation. My principal object did not permit me to stay here any longer; but I do not know that I ever quitted a place with so much regret and so much wish to remain."

wife of the French Ambassador to Constantinople. They have, in a great measure, the peculiar charm, which so eminently distinguishes the letters of Lady M. W. Montague. Arrived at the place where Ilion stood, the author thus speaks:

"Will you now accompany us to the sacred ground we are going to travel over? Take with you Homer; follow him in his poetry, in his exquisite and accurate descriptions, and your heart will beat like our's, at the aspect of these noble ruins, and your imagina. tion will restore to these desolate shores the superb palaces which embellished them, and the demi-gods who made them illustrious. The most ordinary object acquires interest in this place, where every thing breathes love, glory, and poetry. This stone, perhaps, has been wetted with the tears of Andromache; here repose the ashes of Dio. mede; farther on, Old Priam embraced with his trembling hands the knees of the implacable Achilles. M. de Chateaubriand, during his stay at Tunis, heard the sound of a French violin floating over the ashes of Dido and the ruins of Carthage. I am witness, now, of the giddy gaity of some young officers, on the ruins of Ilion.-The Ambassadress and myself, mounted on a carriage, resembling the cars of the Ancients, the wheels of which, are plain boards, without spokes. This carriage is drawn by two oxen, that, in swiftness, rival even horses. A feeling of admiration filled our minds at going out of the village of Yeni-Keny, when the plain of Troy offered itself to our eyes, anxious to see the theatre of so many battles, the history of which three thousand years has not effaced. We saw the canal, made by the orders of Assan-Pacha, then Capitan-Pacha. We passed by the countryhouse inhabited by this Pacha, whose father, wishing to try the courage of M. Choiseuil-Gouffier, the then French Ambassador, caused a tame lion to appear suddenly before him. The Ambassador, without betraying the least fear, coldly regarded the enormous beast, and said to his host, 'You have a beautiful animal there.' The Pacha could not help exclaiming, 'The French are brave.""

The author of these Letters has contrasted several charming descriptions, with anecdotes upon the Plague; on this subject and says:-" Here, we had the sad conviction, that the plague is, indeed, a terrible scourge.-A very handsome young man, nephew of the Neapolitan Minister, who was travel

ling, in consequence of having committed some political faults, died yesterday of this fatal malady. Some think he caught it in a Turkish batb, which he went into without taking any precaution; others say, he caught it at the house of a Jewess, which he often visited. What renders this last supposition more probable is, that water is a powerful preservative against the plague. On returning from this woman, he felt the most acute pain, which soon brought him to the grave. When M. Choiseuil-Gouffier was Ambassador, a young man attached to the embassy met his death from a bunch of flowers, sent to him by a beautiful Jewess." "Can we think of danger," says the author, "when we love?" He inhaled the perfume of those flowers with delight; the unfortunate man was far from foreseeing, that his fate was enclosed in the calix of a rose. “The plague," observes the author," is still more dreadful, as the sufferer must die without those consolations that generally soften the last moments of existence; no friend is there to close the languid eyes; the tender mother cannot receive the last sigh of her beloved child. Delivered over to mercenary hands, the victim of this horrible dis order is transported to a hospital, where death brandishes bis menacing scythe; Religion alone, celestial maid! superior to every fear, watches at the foot of the death-bed, with treasures of charity and ineffable consolations, when every other earthly feeling is extinct."

Otti Giorni a Venezia. — Eight Days at Venice. By Antonio Quadri. 12mo.

This work is intended as a guide to foreigners who visit Venice. The author with infinite precision and method points out every object that merits the stranger's attention. The work is divided into two parts. In the first is described all that is remarkable in this ancient and unhappy city; the second, contains an abridged history of Venice. Each part contains eight divisions, which the author calls days in the first part, and epochs in the second. It is impossible to read this work, without experiencing a feeling of horror and compassion in compar ing the ancient state of this republic with its present degraded condition. It would be useful and interesting, if every principal town in Italy possessed a similar work, which, in pointing out to foreigners every remarkable object,

would at the same time remind the inhabitants of the liberties they formerly enjoyed. Comparisons thus drawn could not fail of being useful and instructive, and in the end might lead to a better state of things.

Sei Mesi, &c.-Six months in Spain; in Letters from Giuseppe Pecchio, to Lady G. O. Madrid.

These letters treat of the actual condition of Spain, at least such as it appears to an emigrant Italian, who travels all over the kingdom, and who is grateful for the hospitality he receives and is an attentive observer of the manners and condition of the people. The principles of the new government, the present public administration, the character, manners and prejudices of Spaniards, the interest direct and indirect that they take in the general constitution, and still more in the independence of the nation, and even a certain excess of confidence in their own stength and resources, which might expose them to dangers they affect to despise; in a word, every thing that relates to the grand interests of the nation is described with equal spirit and truth. The author in his last letter says, "The Spaniards are ignorant, they do not know that the sound of bells attracts lightning, they do not understand the use of the thermometer and the barometer, nor the utility of vaccination &c." They possess, nevertheless, sufficient good sense and discrimination to discern that a government, however imperfect and irregular, is preferable to the yoke of a foreigner, and that civil war is the most dreadful evil as well as the worst of crimes, unless waged for the purposes of ensuring general prosperity, and consolidating public liberty!

been the principle incentive to M. Chateauvieux's journey, he has not forgotten to make frequent mention of the antiquities and manners of the country. We think the perusal of this work absolutely essential to those who wish to be thoroughly acquainted with the present state of Italy.

Poème Lyrique sur la Mort de Napoléon.-A Lyric Poem on the Death of Napoleon. By Pierre Lebrun. 8vo. Paris.

He, who for five and twenty years held the destinies of Europe in his hands, exists no more; his life now belongs to history. But how difficult is it, while the fame of his elevation and the remembrance of his fall are yet fresh in the memory of man, and while his astonishing influence yet exists, to judge this extraordinary being, and to venture either upon praise or blame! Such, however, is not the intention of M. Lebrun. "I wrote these verses," says he in his preface," because I' could not resist the impulse; I have written them in solitude, in the country, the instant that the surprising news reached me; I neither chose nor meditated on my subject, I felt touched, my emotion was expressed in verse, and thus my poem was written." In touching on this subject, the author has sought neither to awaken dangerous remembrances nor to nourish culpable hopes; nor has he, while the earth is yet fresh that covers the tomb of the hero of Marengo, dared to add his reproaches to those of men, who, by their perfidious counsels and slavish adulation, contributed greatly to his fall. But the fact of a soldier, in an age of civilization, conquering and obtaining one of the finest uations in the world, and then proving by his fall, that "vaulting ambition oft o'erleaps itself," his dying on an isolated rock apparently forgotten equally by his friends and enemies, an astonishing contrast of the highest elevation and the most dreadful reverse, are subjects well calculated to excite the imagination of the poet. M. Lebrun bas yielded to an involuntary enthusiasm, and he found in his subject the most eloquent inspirations. This poem is well worthy of perusal, and the versification is beautiful. The author with laudable gratitude, from the recollections of his youth, has related some particulars of a brighter hue, which form a kind of episode in his poem. Perhaps he may be said to have pub

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