The genius of Egypt appears with splendour at the very southern boundary of the empire ; for the island of Philee, situated in the river Nile above the first cataract, (300 yards in length, and 140 in breadth,) has been wholly covered with temples. It was reckoned the se pulchre of Osiris, and deemed so sacred, that priests only were allowed to enter it, Some of the edifices ap pear very ancient, and others as if they had never been finished. In the latter, the sculpture is most perfect. Here the symbol of the hawk is very frequent.
A little to the north of Philee is the isle of Elephan ta, (2600 yards long, and 800 broad.) It was in a cham ber in the middle of this island that the nilometer was placed. The temple has been dedicated to Horns, the Egyptian Apollo. The sculptured figures have more of the negro than in any other place. A granite statue of Osiris found here has never been finished. There is here a small peristyle temple apparently very ancient. Strabo found half the inhabitants of this island to be Ethiopians. Depot) says, the temple was dedicated to the god Cneph, or the good genius, and that the symbols are serpents ; and he thinks temples of this sort the most ancient. At Onibus, which is situated on the eastern side of the Nile, a temple has been dedicated to the cro codile.
Continuing down the valley, we arrive at Apollinopo lis. It is situated on the western side of the Nile, in which is one of the finest, and, next to Thebes, the lar gest temples in Egypt. It was dedicated to Horus. The two moles which ornament the entrance are nearly in contact. The door is higher than in ,any other tem plc. It opens into a vast court, surrounded by columns, in form of a peristyle. The lodgings for the priests were behind the peristyle. The portico is formed of six columns in front, and three deep. The interior is arranged similar to Dendera, or Tentyra.
At Edfou, is a small temple to 'Typhon. There arc here figures of the bad genius. The pictures represent the triumph of Hippopotamus.
Still moving northward on the western side of thc ri ver, is Latopolis, which has a beautiful portico of six co lumns in front, and four deep ; (see Plate CXLVI1I.) the capitals differ, but are all elegant. The temple was dedi cated to Jupiter Ammon. Here were found emblems of sacrifices of rams. There arc four entire zodiacs at this place. On the other side of the river facing Latopolis, is a small temple, i emarkable for having a gallery formed all round in the thickness of the wall.
At Thebes, there are magnificent ruins on both sides of the river ; but Karnac and Luxor are on the eastern side, distant from each other about two miles. Karnac, (see Plate CXLVIII.) the greatest edifice in Egypt, De non says, was dedicated to Priapus. The mole looks to wards the Nile ; it is 140 paces in length, and 25 in thick ness : this leads to a court 110 paces in length, and the same in breadth. Two ranges of six columns, conduct to a portico composed of 136 columns. The two mid dle ranges of these are eleven feet diameter, the others are seven feet ; the length of this vestibule is 7S paces, the breadth the same as the mole ; it leads into a court, where there are four obelisks, and twelve colossal figures, each with a cross on its breast. Two other courts con duct to what is supposed the apartments of the kings ; those of the king and queen are distinguished by doors of black granite. Adjacent to the great palace are many other buildings of great extent, connected with it by ave nues of sphinxes, lions, and rams ; some of the avenues extended towards Luxor, a distance of 1200 yards. The alley of lions is well preserved ; they are 90 in number, and each is 15 feet long, placed couchant upon a pedestal, about 3 feet in height, and 10 feet asunder. Facing the moles, which conduct to the court of obelisks of the great palace, are two, and sometimes four colossal statues of sand stone, or granite; they are either seated, or in the act of marching, the arms hanging upon their sides, arm ed with a crooked poignard. The pictures which deco rated the exterior of these different palaces, represent military subjects, sieges of cities, combats, offers of peace and submission by barbarians, triumphs of heroes who have conquered; the hero is represented by a young man of six feet high, mounted on a car precisely of the form used by the Greeks. The soldiers are scarcely one-fourth of this size. The enemies, put to the route, are men with beards, with a cap like the Spaniards. The Egyptians are armed with arrows ; the barbarians with a buckler ; they have also crooked sabres, lances, javelins, and a straight sword ; the bridle of the horses resembles those still used in Arabia.