A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and ...

MOHAMMED ALT. 321
interior of the sacred edifice, it had been con-
verted into an occasional stable for the cattle
which is brought from the upper country for
his Highness's use,—and precisely in that state
we found it.
Such are Mohammed Ali's ideas of preserving
the gems of Egyptian art ! and
this being the
case, it is scarcely to be wondered at that his
subjects evince such barbarian carelessness on the
subject. Even when these people do not destroy
—and they are too indolent, too apathetic to do
so—they allow every vestige of art to perish
around them for want of a little of that energetic
spirit of conservatism which has rendered Italy
the museum of the whole world.
Denderah is situated opposite to Kenneh, where
our boat is moored, and on the other side of the
river at some distance from the water's side.
The ride to it was delightful, through something
like green fields, with here and there a bouquet
of luxuriant date-palms ;—the sky so sunny and
the air so mild and genial that we could scarcely
persuade ourselves that it was New Year's Day.
On our return to the Dahabieh we found a newdy
arrived boat from Cairo lying alongside, and were
visited by its occupants, three English gentle-
men going to Dongola. Just as they took their
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