At one extremity of this apartment M. Savary saw an empty marble sarcopha gus, composed of one piece, but without a lid, and fragments of earthen vases lay scattered over the floor of the room ; they also visited a second chamber, situ ated beneath that just described, and of smaller dimensions, which contained the entrance of a conduit, then filled with rub bish. Satisfied with the progress they had made, the party descended by the passage already noticed, and with some difficulty avoided a deep and dangerous well on their left hands ; on their arrival in the open air, each person observed that his companions were pale and exhausted by the heat they endured, when immured within the frightful abyss they bad just explored.
After having rested their weary limbs, and recovered their strength and spirits, the party began to ascend the exterior of the pyramid, which consists, according to their enumeration, of above 200 grada tions of stone, varying from two to four feet in height. This operation, fatiguing and severely laborious, occupied an hour ; but, on their reaching the summit, they had the satisfaction of seeing, that the rays of the approaching sun were darted on the points of Mokaltam, and not lung after they beheld it rise from behind that mountain ; the landscape, thus illuminat ed, they perceived, with infinite pleasure, the Nile and the adjoining fruitful fields, Gizeh, Grand Cairo, and part of the Del ta, forming a striking contrast with the remainder of the view, composed of sterile hills and widespreading sands, with the intervening pyramids of Sakkara, three leagues from their then situation.
Fully sated with the rich prospect be fore them, they cut their names on the up per stones of the pyramid, and descended with the utmost caution, as this was a far more dangerous undertaking than the ascent ; having reached the base in safe ty, they paced around it, and contemplated the rugged mass with terror, which strongly resembles a vast pile of detach ed rocks when near it, but at a distance, the inequalities are lost, and the sides ap pear plain surfaces. The form of this im mense monument prevents an accurate measurement of its dimensions, without severe labour and imminent danger ; con sequently, those authors who give them, may have judged from mere conjecture. Herodotus mentions its reputed height, in his time, to have been 800 feet, and the width of each side of the base the same ; Strabo made it 625 feet ; but Diodorus re duces it to 600; modern observers have agreed with Strabo, and some of those bring it below Diodorus ; if, however, an average may be permitted of these vari ous accounts, that will amount to more than 500 feet.
One cause of the difference between the assumed heights is, that the pyramid is measured or observed on different sides ; the north-east angle is most fre quently ascended, being the least damag ed, but this part is exposed to the deserts of Libya, whence vast quantities of sand are driven by the wind against it, and the number of visible gradations are dimi nished by its accumulation ; it is, there fore, evident, that all admeasurements should be made at the opposite angle, where it is probable the rise in the earth has been less considerable ; and yet, to arrive at any degree of accuracy, that should be ascertained by digging. Stra
bo mentions, that the stone which closed the entrance to the apartments within the pyramid, was situated nearly half way up one of the sides ; were this the fact, a very great rise in the neighbouring earth must have occurred, as it now appears to be not more than 100 feet from the base. Herodotus informs us, that the great and next pyramid, in size, were covered with white marble ; and Diodorus and Pliny supposed, they were wholly formed of that rich material ; enough still remains on both to confirm the truth of the former assertion, which has escaped the labours of the Arabs, to whose indefatigable researches, to discover supposed trea sures within, we are indebted for the finding the entrance to the passage, and that the pyramid was intended as a se pulchral monument for the Egyptian princes.
Denon, who accompanied the ever-me morable expedition from France to Egypt, is the last visiter of the pyramids, and to him we are obliged for the following par ticulars of their present state.
General Buonaparte had determined to examine the great pyramids of Gizeh, and ordered an escort of near 300 men. Denon had the address to become one of the party, and they proceeded on the un dertaking rather late in the day, owing to the difficulty of assembling the persons who composed it. Boats were procured to convey them, and they passed through the inundating trenches of the Nile to the boundary of the desert, within half a lea gue of the pyramids. As they approach ed them, Denon perceived that their Slop ing and angular forms had the effect of reducing their real height, which the eye was thus prevented from measuring with accuracy ; besides, as there are no other objects in their vicinity, by which a com parison can be made, the mind is led to think of nature's grandest production, the mountain, and in Consequence, the pyra mid shrinks into insignificance. This im pression was, however, very soon effaced, for as Denon advanced, he saw an 100 persons assembled near the base, the de ception instantly vanished, a comparison was formed, and the stupendous pile as sumed all its appropriate majesty.