ander the superintendence of the priests, who claimed a monopoly of a the cloth which was used for sacred purposes.

Not only dia Egypt export large quantities of grain, but also much of the produce of her looms. It was not a maritime commerce, or a trade carried on by sea. The country was nearly destitute of timber for ship-building; the sea-coast was healthy; the harbours were few and of difficult navigation; and such were the advantages which the Nile, with its numerous; canals, presented for intercommunication and traffic, that the Egyptians allowed this species of commerce to be wholly engrossed by foreigners. It is true that their maritime position

the Nizer. Notwithstanding these advantages, the Egyptians were decidedly averse to maritime affairs, whether commercial or warlike. They were an agricultural people, and could, at any time, command the introduction of foreign commodities. The superabundance of their agricultural productions, ensured for them a supply of such articles as their own country did not produce." Gold, ivory, ebony, and even slaves, were brought from Ethiopia and the Negro country to Syéne; incense was imported from Arabia, and spices from India; and these were sold to the Greek and Phoenician merchants at the northern ports. Though Egypt had no ships of her own,

**YORZONYONKONZON PEONMONEON CURAUADRO DEUFUA

BAS-RELIEF FROM THE HALL OF KINGS AT CARNAC.

on the Mediterranean, their own noble and navigable Nile, and at no great distance from it, the Red Sea, which was almost as favourable for commerce and navigation as the Mediterranean itself, offered many advantages for a wider and a freer traffic; but they neglected it. And so of their inand trade. "Though the intervening deserts of Nubia and Barca might at first seem to oppose insuperable obstacles to commercial intercourse with the interior of Africa, yet Providence had benevolently and wisely provided for the difficulty arising from this by the creation of the camel-that ship of the desert-by whose means intercommunication could be carried on with the regions beyond the deserts, even to the shores of

thither sailed the ships of all other nations; and so long as she was under the dominion of her native princes, Sidon, Tyre, Arabia, Palestine, Cyprus, Greece, Sicily, and Carthage, were all enriched by the trade carried on in her ports, and by the articles of commerce which could be obtained there, and only there. It is said, that after the time of Sesostris, the Phoeni cians carried on a large and lucrative commerce with Egypt, and that for a long period, they were the only people to whom her ports were open. Be this as it may, it is well known that Psammetichus was the first king who threw those ports open to foreigners in general. Commerce with the Greeks be particularly encouraged. This received a severe check b

Persian conquest, and suffered many interruptions until the
time of the Ptolemies, under whom it revived in all its former
greatness.
The Nile abounded in fish, and must have been, as an article
of consumption, the source of a considerable revenue. Nor
could those who were engaged in this species of traffic be
men of very little weight in the state, since they are named
next to the agriculturist. Hence it is that the prophet Isaiah,
in describing the miseries that were to befall Egypt, and her
Dopulation, represents the failure of the fishery as next to the
decay of manufactures, and the cessation of commerce.

"Then shall the waters fail from the sea,

And the river shall be wasted and dried up.

And the streams shall become putrid;

The canals of Egypt shall be emptied and dried up;

The reed and the lilies shall wither;

The meadow by the canal, even at the mouth of the canal,

And all that is sown by the canal,

Shall wither, be blasted, and be no more.

And the fishes shall mourn and lament;

All those that cast the hook in the river,

by open porticos; and, lastly, of caverns, grottos, and tombs. The Egyptians built for permanence and perpetuity. They shrunk from the idea of annihilation, and hence their mummies, and obelisks, and sepulchres. The ruins of Thebes are such as still witness to the extent and magnificence of their architectural design. The royal edifices of Karnac, Luxor, and Memnonium, with their sculptures, decorations, and distribution of apartments, may challenge comparison with any palaces of more modern times. (See No. 1). The temple of Tentyra, situated upon the Libyan shore of the Nile, is considered to be amost finished superstructure. (See No. 8). The façade or front of the building is seventy-two paces in breadth, one hundred and forty-five in depth, and seventy feet in height. A doorway of elegant form and workmanship leads into a portico which is sixty paces by thirty, supported by twenty-four columns of seven feet diameter, and fitty-five feet in height. The hall, into which this portico conducts, is twenty-four paces square. It is supported by six columns, whose capitals are each composed of four figures of the head of Isis, with the ears of a cat. There is a second hall, which measures twenty-four paces by ten; and a third of the same dimensions. In the

And those that spread nets on the face of the waters, shall languish. second hall there are two staircases, which lead to the terrace And they that work the fine flax shall be confounded,

And they that weave net-work.

And her stores shall be broken up;

Even of all that make a gain of pools for fish."*

Egypt made a boast of her river, and her soil, and her government, and her learning; but the prophet represents the besom of destruction sweeping over her, and leaving her destitute of all her ancient grandeur.

of roof; and from the third you pass into the inner sanctuary, which is twenty-four paces by six, and is insulated by a space on each side.

In the outlines and decorations of their columns, we pass from a simple bundle of reeds bound together with a cord, to hieroglyphics and triangular flutings. After this, we have elegant vase shapes, adorned with the stalks, leaves, buds, and blossoms of the palm, the vine, the papyrus, and the date. At the Memnonium, human figures were substituted for these columns, as was afterwards done by the Greeks. But in no instance did these decorations interfere with those outlines of the building which produced that imposing effect so peculiar to Egyptian architecture.

To the manufactures in metal, the Egyptians must have devoted considerable attention. Although iron appears to have been little known to them, they had a preparation of copper of such temper and hardness as rendered it fit for all the instruments of war, and of mechanical use. Nearly all the implements not made of gold or silver, as they are depicted on monuments and public buildings, seem to be either of copper or brass. The use of these metals is almost as old as the world, and in the first ages of human development were held of more utility than gold and silver. They could be turned to more practical account, and became objects of more general pursuit. It was enough that they were to be found in any country; people came from all parts in quest of them. When, where, and by whom these metals were discovered, we pause not to enquire. Certain it is that the Egyptians knew how to work them, and turn them to all the more important uses of SCULPTURE was practised life. The workmanship which they bestowed upon them was extensively among the Egypsuperior to that of any other nation at the same period of tians, and yet they made but time. "The forms of their beds and couches may even now be little progress in this beautaken as models; their harps far surpassed ours in the ele-tiful art. Their reverence gance of their shapes; the spindles and work-baskets of the for the bodies of the dead deladies inspire a high notion of the refinement of their domes- prived them of a sound knowtic life." The same may be said of their manufacture of ledge of anatomy or of the clay. Their pottery and earthenware were of the first de- structure of the human frame. scription. Their vases were of the most exquisite beauty and Nor did their laws permit variety; their shapes and colours seem to challenge compari- any innovation in the attison with the most elaborate and finished specimens of Grecian tude and figure of the objects of their veneration; while in their own persons they possessed no elegant or symmetrical standard whereby to model their taste. Hence it is that their statues are so uniform and alike, displaying no disposition of parts. Neither muscle nor vein is made to appear as such. The prohibition which applied to the human figure did not extend to animals; and hence they succeeded in forming the animal figure so as to exhibit correctness and elegance in every part. "It was the popular belief among them that the spirit, when separated by death from the body, hovered round its former tenement so long as it could be preserved from corruption, but quitted it as soon as it was reduced to dust. Anxious, therefore, to preserve this link between their earthly and spiritual nature, they not only embalmed their dead with the most successful skill, but placed them in costly sepulchres, laboriously adorned with ornaments, devices, and hieroglyphic

art.

Of NAVIGATION, the Egyptians knew but little. They had become masters of the Phoenician forests before ship-building was attempted. The boats with which they navigated the Nile were strong, large, and well worked. It is very likely that as their most extensive quarries were on the banks of the river, advantage was taken of the annual rise of its waters to raise and float those inmense blocks and masses of stone which composed their ancient edifices.

Respecting the origin and early progress of ARCHITECTURE, we know almost nothing. That it rose to considerable perfection in Egypt and in India is certain; but whether India borrowed from Egypt, or Egypt from India, is a question which remains still to be settled. But suppose we give the first place to Egypt, the history of its ancient cities, palaces, and temples, is all wrapped up in darkness and uncertainty. The ancient structures of Upper Egypt consisted of the simple pyramid; next of apartments enclosed by sculptured walls with flat roofs, supported by rows of columns, and connected

Isaiah xix, 5-10. (Louth's translation),

EGYPTIAN MUMMY.

-ent

sais -issez
seize
un
unite

d
owe

-evez

-issent

dég -oivent
deceive

hear
perd -ez
lose
mord -ent
bite

Nous cherch -ons seek

Vous port -ez

Ils

carry aim love, like

6. The present of the indicative has but one form in French, therefore Je chante, may be rendered in English by, I sing, I do sing, or I am singing.

7. The plural of the present of the indicative may be formed from the participle present by changing ant into ons, ez en. Ex.: chantant, nous chantons; finissant, nous finissons; recevant, nous recevons; rendant, nous rendons.

Fourn-ir, 2. to furnish;
Gard-er, 1 to keep;

3.

1. Votre mère aime-t-elle la lecture? [R. 11.] 2. Oui, Mademoiselle, elle l'aime beaucoup plus que sa sœur. de soie, et je porte un chapeau de paille. 6. Cette dame Quel chapeau votre neveu porte-t-il? 4. Il porte un chapeau aime-t-elle ses enfants? 6. Oui, Monsieur, elle les chérit. 7. Fournissez vous des marchandises à ces marchands? 8. Je fournis des marchandises à ces marchands, et ils me donnent de l'argent. 9. Vos compagnons aiment ils les beaux habits? [R. 11.] 10. Nos compagnons aiment les beaux habits et les bons livres. 11. Cherchez vous mon frère? 12. Oui, Mon8. This rule holds good not only in all the regular, but in sieur, je le cherche mais je ne le trouve pas. 13. Votre frère almost all the irregular verbs. 9. Verbs may be conjugated interrogatively in French (ex-perd-il son temps. 14. Il perd son temps et son argent. 15. Perdons nous toujours notre temps? 16. Nous le perdons cept in the first person singular of the present of the indica- très souvent. tive) [§ 98 (4) (5)], by placing the pronoun after the verb in dois assez, mais je n'en dois pas beaucoup. 19. Vendez vous 17. Devez vous beaucoup d'argent? 18. J'en all the simple tenses, and between the auxiliary and the par-vos deux maisons à notre médecin ? 20. Je n'en vends qu'une, ticiple in the compound tenses.

Do you sing well?

Have you sung well!
Have you not sung well!
Do you not sing well?
Does your father speak well ?

[Sect. 2, R. 6-Sect 4, R. 4.] 10. The verb porter means to carry. It means also to wear, in speaking of garments; apporter means to bring, and emporter to carry away; aimer means to love, to like, to be fond of,

and takes the preposition à before another verb.

Quel habit portez vous?

Je porte un habit de drap noir.
Votre frère qu'apporte-t-il ?
[Sect. 2, R. 6.]

Il apporte de l'argent à son ami.

11. A noun used in a general article le, la, l', or les.

Aimez vous le bœuf ou le mouton ?
Je n'aime ni le bœuf ni le mouton.

What coat do you wear?

I wear a coat of black cloth.
What does your brother bring!

He brings money to his friend.
sense [§ 77 (1)] takes the

Do you like beef or mutton!
I like neither beef nor mutton.

RESUME OF Examples.

Chantez vous une chanson italienne?

Do you sing an Italian song

Nous chantons des chantons alle- We sing German songs.
mandes.

Portez vous ce livre à l'homme?
Non, je le porte mon frère.
Emportez vous tout votre argent?
J'en emporte seulement une partie
Finissez vous votre leçon aujour-

d'hui ?

Do you carry this book to the man?
No, I carry it to my brother.
Do you carry away all your money?
I carry away only a part of it.
Do you finish your lesson to-day?
We finish it this morning.

Nous la finissons ce matin
N'aimez vous pas les enfants atten. Do you not like attentive children 1
tifs?

Je les aime beaucoup.

I like them much.

Ne recevez vous pas beaucoup de Do you not receive many letters? lettres ?

Nous en recevons beaucoup.

Vendez vous beaucoup de marchan

dises ?

Nous en vendons beaucoup.

We receive many letters.

Do you sell many goods?

We sell many.

je garde l'autre pour ma belle-sœur. 21. Recevez vous de l'argent aujourd'hui ? 22. Nous n'en recevons guère. 23. Votre menuisier finit il son travail de bonne heure? 24. Il le finit tard. 25. A quelle heure le finit il? 26. Il le finit à midi et demi. 27. Nous finissons le nôtre à dix heures moins vingt minutes.

EXERCISE 44.

does not like reading. 3. Does your father like good books? 1. Does your companion like reading? 2. My companior [R. 11.] 4. He likes good books and good clothes. 5. Do

you owe more than twenty dollars? 6. I only owe ten, but my brother owes more than fifteen. 7. Are you wrong to finish your work early? 8. I am right to finish mine early, and you are wrong not to (de ne pas) finish yours. 9. Do you receive much money to-day? 10. I receive but little. 11. Do we give our best books to that little child. 12. We do not give them, we keep them because (parceque) we want them. 13. Do you sell your two horses? 14. We do not sell our two horses, we keep one of them. 15. Do you finish your work this morning (matin)? 16. Yes, Sir, I finish it this morning early. 17. Does your brother-in-law like fine clothes? 18. Yes, Madam, he likes fine clothes. 19. Do you seek my nephew? 20. Yes, Sir, we seek him. 21. Does he lose his time? 22. He loses not only his time, but he loses his money. 23. How much money has he lost to-day? 24. He has lost more than ten dollars. 25. Does your joiner finish your house? 26. He finishes my house and my brother's. 27. Do you sell good hats? 28. We sell silk hats, and silk hats are good [R. 11]. 29. How old is your companion? 30. He is twelve years old, and his sister is fifteen. 31. Does your brother like meat? 32. He likes meat and bread. 33. Do you receive your goods at two o'clock? 34. We receive them at half after twelve. 35. We receive them ten minutes before

one.

SECTION XXIII.

1. There are in French, as in other languages, verbs which are called irregular, because they are not conjugated according to the rule, or model verb of the conjugation to which they belong [§ 62].

2. Many irregular verbs have tenses which are conjugated

Votre frère aime le boeuf et le Your brother likes beef and mutton. regularly.

3. The singular of the present of the indicative of the irregular verbs, is almost always irregular.

4. In verbs ending in yer, the y is changed into i before an e mute [§ 49].

Repeat the article.

6. All verbs ending in enir are conjugated like venir. 7. The student will find in § 62 the irregular verbs alpha-russe. betically arranged. He should always consult that table, when meeting with an irregular verb.

8. The expression, à la maison, is used for the English at home, at his or her house, &c.

N'envoyez vous pas vos habits chez Do you not send your clothes to your pendicular straight line drawn from the vertex of any angle of