PREFACE.

The accompanying pages are intended as an introduction to the magnificent Egyptian Obelisk which is about to take its place among the monuments of London. This Obelisk was hewn in the renowned quarries of Syené, at the extreme southern boundary of Egypt, and was thence floated down the stream of the Nile to Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. It was erected, as one of a pair, in front of the seat of learning wherein Moses received his education, and stood in that position for about 1,600 years. Shortly before the Christian era it was conveyed to Alexandria, where it has remained until the present time, and is now on its voyage to the banks of the Thames. Its age, therefore, may be computed at upwards of 3,000 years.

At that early period, when other nations had not yet awakened into the dawn of civilisation, Egypt had made substantial progress in architecture and sculpture; and the British Obelisk may be taken as an admirable example of their excellence. The hieroglyphs which adorn its surface, inform us that it was erected by a powerful Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty, Thothmes III.; and that, 200 years later, it was carved with the name of another illustrious Egyptian potentate, Rameses the Great. The sculptures of Thothmes occupy the central line of each face of the shaft from top to bottom, and those of Rameses the side lines; so that, at a glance, we are enabled to compare the art of sculpture at periods of two centuries apart.

Heliopolis was the On of the Bible, and one of the cities of the Land of Goshen, where Abraham sought refuge when driven by famine out of Canaan. It was at Heliopolis that Joseph endured his slavery and imprisonment, and was rewarded by the Pharaoh of his day with the hand of Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, a priest and ruler of On. Here he received in his arms his aged father Jacob, and Jacob fell on his neck and wept with joy at the recovery of his long-lost and well-beloved son: whilst in the neighbourhood of Heliopolis is still shown the venerable sycamore tree, under which, according to traditional report, the Holy Family took shelter in their flight into Egypt.

These are some of the interesting associations which will crowd into the mind when we look upward at this colossal monolith, and of which it was once the silent spectator. Ancient Egypt, Egyptian enlightenment and refinement, scenes and acts of Bible history—are, as it were, realised by the presence of this stately object of art in the midst of our ancient, although, compared with itself, very modern, city. This, however, is not all; for our Obelisk was a witness to the fall of the Greek and the rise of Roman dominion in Egypt, and revives in our memory the brilliant exploits of Nelson at Aboukir, and the grievous loss sustained by Britain in the death of Abercromby, at Alexandria.

After the battle of Alexandria, in 1801, it had been the eager wish of the British army and navy to convey this Obelisk to England as a memorial of their victory. Weightier considerations frustrated their efforts.

In 1820, the matter was revived, and the Obelisk was formally presented by Mehemet Ali to the British nation, through His Majesty George IV.[1]

In 1822, a distinguished naval officer, Admiral W. H. Smyth, F.R.S., drew up a statement of plans by which the transport of the Obelisk might be accomplished; and Mehemet Ali offered to assist the undertaking by building a pier expressly for the purpose.[2]

In 1832, the propriety of making an endeavour to procure the Obelisk was discussed in Parliament, and supported by Joseph Hume, a sum of money being proposed for the purpose.

In 1867, Lieutenant-General Sir James Alexander directed his attention to the same subject, and read a Paper on the existing state of the Obelisk, before the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[3] In 1875, he visited Alexandria for the purpose of ascertaining the actual condition of the Obelisk, and the possibility of getting it into British possession. A letter from Mr. Arthur Arnold to Lord Henry Lennox, First Commissioner of Works, dated April, 1876, and published in his book, entitled, “Through Persia by Caravan,” exhibits one of the results of Sir James Alexander’s exertions, and may be regarded as the most recent official report on the Obelisk question.[4]

While in Egypt, Sir James Alexander became acquainted with Mr. John Dixon, C.E., who had given considerable attention to the subject of the Obelisk and to the mode of its transport to England. Mr. Dixon had already made some successful explorations of the Great Pyramid, and had then brought his skill and experience, as a civil engineer, to bear on the practical question of the means and contrivance by which the transport of our Obelisk might be effected.

Such was the state of affairs in November, 1876, when Sir James Alexander first broached the subject to the author of these pages. Shortly afterwards the writer had an interview with Mr. John Dixon; succeeded by a conference, in which he was assisted by the judgment and advice of two valued friends—Mr. Charles Alfred Swinburne, of Bedford Row, and Mr. Henry Palfrey Stephenson, civil engineer. The conclusion arrived at in this conference was, that the undertaking was practicable; and an agreement was shortly afterwards (January 30th, 1877) signed, by which Mr. John Dixon engaged to set up the Obelisk on the banks of the Thames safe and sound.

The incidents of voyage, the shipwreck, the abandonment and recovery of the cylinder-ship “Cleopatra,” together with her subsequent adventures, form an episode of surpassing interest, which has already been partly analysed in the journals of the day; but must now be left, for the completion of its history, until the Obelisk shall have been safely erected in London, on a site worthy of its antiquity and symbolical significance, and of the dignity of the metropolis of Great Britain. A happy chance already points to the precincts of Westminster Abbey, with its harmonious architectural and classical surroundings:—Westminster Hall, the Houses of Parliament, the Government Offices, the Horse-Guards, the Admiralty, Trafalgar Square, the Thames, and the most beautiful of its bridges, as a possible site; and in very truth, no better place can be found for it in our great city, even should Queen Anne graciously condescend to step from her pedestal at St. Paul’s, to make way for her more ancient monumental companion.

In the compilation of these pages, the writer has availed himself of all the sources of information which his leisure has permitted him to consult; and he now takes the opportunity of expressing his especial obligations to the works of—Birch, Bonomi, Mariette, Sir Gardner Wilkinson, Sir Henry Rawlinson, George Rawlinson, Burton, Chabas, Pierret, Sharpe, Lane, Admiral Smyth, Rev. George Tomlinson, Parker, W. R. Cooper, Bayle St. John, Lady Duff Gordon, and Miss Edwards; although these authors represent only a portion of the writers in whose pages he has sought for instruction.

London.
December, 1877.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Alexander the Great and Alexandria[ 1]
The Cradle of Christian Theology[ 2]
Succession of Persians, Greeks, and Romans in Egypt[ 3]
The Ptolemies and the Cæsars[ 4]
Queen Cleopatra[ 5]
Cleopatra and Anthony[ 6]
Shakspeare’s Cleopatra[7]
Queen Berenice: Coma Berenicis[ 9]
Cleopatra’s Needles[10]
Inscription on the Bronze Supports of Cleopatra’s Needles  [11]
Date of Erection of Cleopatra’s Needles at Alexandria[12]
Cæsarium; or Palace of the Cæsars[12]
The British, or London Obelisk[13]
The Pharaohs, Thothmes III. and Rameses II.[14]
Signification of “Cartouche”[16]
Age of the British Obelisk[17]
Battle of Alexandria in 1801[17]
Cleopatra’s Needle in 1801[17]
Burial of the British Obelisk with Obsequies[18]
Obelisks and Needles[19]
Monoliths of Syenite[20]
Dimensions and Proportions of the Obelisk[21]
The Paris Obelisk[22]
Beauty and Durability of Syenite[23]
Injury done by Sand-storms[24]
Probable effect of British Climate[25]
Time required to complete an Obelisk[25]
Colossal Obelisks[26]
Obelisks Carved when Erect[27]
Pliny, the Younger, on Obelisks[28]
Transport of Obelisks[29]
Journey of the British Obelisk[29]
Adoption of Obelisks by the Greeks[30]
Export of Obelisks to Rome[31]
Galleys of the Greeks and Romans[32]
Maritime Prejudices of the Egyptians[33]
Circumnavigation of Africa[34]
The Emperor Constantine’s Love of Obelisks[34]
The Obelisk of Constantinople[35]
Ruins of Alexandria[36]
Pompey’s Pillar at Alexandria[37]
Diocletian’s Title to Pompey’s Pillar[38]
Cairo and the Delta[40]
Ismailia, a Health Resort[41]
The Marvellous Nile[42]
The Seven Cataracts of the Nile[42]
Lady Duff Gordon and her “Letters from Egypt”[43]
Christianity and Theology[44]
West Bank of the Nile[45]
Memphis and England’s Colossus[46]
The Great Pyramids of Geezeh[51]
The Patriarch of Pyramids[52]
The Colossal Sphynx[53]
East Bank of the Nile[56]
The Land of Goshen and Field of Zoan[56]
Heliopolis and its Obelisk[58]
Cartouches of the Pharaoh Usertesen[60]
Temple of the Sun, dedicated to Ra and Tum[61]
The Obelisk, Symbol of the Rising Sun and Life[63]
Pharaoh’s Needles[63]
Napoleon’s Address to the Army of the Pyramids[64]
What have the Obelisks looked down upon[64]
Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph in the Land of Goshen[65]
Village of Matareeah; the Virgin’s Tree[65]
Hot Sulphur Springs of Helwân[66]
Chronology of Ancient Egypt[68]
Manetho, the Egyptian Chronologist and Priest[70]
Analogies between Obelisk and Pyramid[72]
Ornamentation of Obelisks[74]
Scientific Knowledge evinced in their Construction[74]
Carving of the Obelisk[75]
Legend of the British Obelisk, by M. Chabas[76]
The Flaminian Obelisk, of the Porta del Popolo[79]
Legend of the Flaminian Obelisk[81]
Standard of the King[82]
The Grand Assemblies called Panegyries[86]
Legend of the Paris Obelisk[87]
Legend of the Alexandrian Obelisk[88]
Moses and the British Obelisk[89]
The Pharaoh of the Exodus[90]
Era of Joseph in Egypt[90]
Nile Voyage from Cairo to Thebes[90]
Habits of the Crocodile[91]
Geology of Egypt[92]
The Mighty Ruins of Thebes[93]
Memnonian Colossi; the Vocal Memnon[94]
Earthquake before the Christian Era[96]
Granite Colossus of Rameses the Great[98]
Queen Hatasou’s Western Obelisks[99]
Village of Luxor[100]
Tomb Architecture[100]
Reign of the Mummies[101]
The Pylon and Propylon[103]
The Architect of Karnak[106]
Colossal Statues and Sphynxes[107]
Obelisk of Thothmes I. at Karnak[108]
Obelisk of Hatasou, appropriated by Thothmes III.[108]
Usertesen’s Sanctuary[109]
Lost Obelisks of Amenophis III.[110]
The Luxor Obelisks[111]
Obelisks of Rameses II.[113]
Confusion of Thothmes and Hatasou, Seti and
 Rameses, and Rameses and Thothmes[114]
Sacred Scarabæi and Manufacture of Antiques[117]
Humanity of the Egyptians[119]
Symbolism of the Scarabæus[120]
Voyage from Luxor to As-souan[121]
Unfinished Obelisk at As-souan[122]
Mode of cleaving Obelisks from the Rock[123]
“Beautiful Philæ” and “Pharaoh’s Bed”[125]
Obelisks of Philæ[126]
The Bankes Obelisk[128]
Resistance of Religious Faith to Theodosian Violence[131]
Hieroglyphic Writing; how deciphered[133]
The Rosetta Stone[134]
Cartouches of Ptolemy and Cleopatra[135]
Apotheosis of Egyptologists[137]
Usertesen and his Obelisks, Heliopolis and Biggig[138]
Monolithic Monuments of the Hebrews[144]
Abyssinian Obelisks[145]
Inscription on the Biggig Obelisk[147]
Obelisks of Thothmes I.[148]
Obelisks of Queen Hatasou[148]
Obelisks of Thothmes III.[149]
Obelisk of Amenophis II.[152]
Inscription on the Syon House Obelisk[153]
Obelisks of Amenophis III.[154]
Obelisks of Seti I., or Osirei[154]
Obelisks of Rameses II.[156]
Obelisks of Menephtah I.[158]
Obelisks of Psammeticus I. and II.[159]
Obelisks of Nectanebo I., or Amyrtæus[160]
Obelisks of Nectanebo II.[162]
Prioli Obelisk at Constantinople[164]
Obelisk of Nahasb[166]
Assyrian Obelisks[166]
Ptolemaic Obelisks of Philæ[167]
The Bankes Obelisk at Kingston-Lacy Hall[167]
Albani Obelisk[168]
Roman Obelisks[168]
Obelisks at Alnwick[170]
Obelisks in the Florence Museum[170]
The Arles Obelisk[170]
Egyptian Founders of Obelisks[172]
Aggregate number of Obelisks[174]
Bonomi’s List of Altitudes of Obelisks[176]
Classification and Distribution of Obelisks[178]
Site of the British Obelisk[182]

APPENDIX.

PAGE
Extract from “Bombay Courier,” 1802[185]
Consul Briggs to the Right Hon. Sir Benjamin Blomfield, 1820 
presentation of the Obelisk to George the Fourth,
by Mehemet Ali[186]
General Sir James Alexander;
Paper read at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1868[190]
Plan of Transport of the Obelisk, by Captain Boswell, R.N.[193]
Report by Mr. Arthur Arnold, to Lord Henry Lennox,
respecting state of Obelisk and Plans of Transport, 1876[195]
Captain Methven’s Plan of Transport, and Estimate[197]
Admiral Smyth’s Plans of Transport[199]
Transport of the Luxor Obelisk to Paris, 1831-36[200]
Carrick-a-Daggon Monument,
in memory of General Browne Clayton,
one of the Heroes of Alexandria[205]
The British Ensign; half-mast, March 28th,
in memory of our gallant and victorious Abercromby[207]
Translation of the Legend of the British Obelisk,
by Demetrius Mosconas[207]
Ancient Heroic Poem in honour of Thothmes III.,
translated from the Tablet of Phtamosis[210]
M. Mosconas’ recent Work[213]

ILLUSTRATIONS.

British Obelisk ([Frontispiece]).
Alexandrian Obelisk ([Vignette on Title-page]).
PAGE
Paris Obelisk[22]
Obelisk at Constantinople[35]
Pompey’s Pillar at Alexandria[37]
The Colossal Sphynx[54]
Obelisk of Usertesen at Heliopolis[59]
Cartouches of Usertesen[60]
Standard of the King[82]
Memnonian Colossi, the Vocal Memnon[94]
Pylon of a House or Temple[103]
Propylon of the Temple at Edfoo[105]
Plan of Ornamentation of the Entrance of 
an Egyptian Temple[111]
Sacred Scarabæi[116]
Engraved Under-surface of Scarabæi[118]
Cartouches of Ptolemy and Cleopatra[135]
Obelisk at Axum in Abyssinia[145]
Cartouches of Thothmes III.[150]
Cartouches of Rameses II.[156]
British Museum Obelisks[161]
Obelisk at Arles[171]