MRS. A.-He was advised to send some Europeans to the Red Sea, who might bring him word whether it were worth while to proceed in the discovery of sulphur. A Monsieur Caliud undertook the task, and set off, accompanied by an escort of soldiers, and miners from Syria. But he found the mines as sterile as they had been described, and returned back; not neglecting, however, to visit the emerald mountains in his way, according to instructions he had received from his former employer, Mr. Drouetti. BERNARD.-I do not much like Monsieur Caliud, mother, now that you say he had been employed by that troublesome Mr. Drouetti. MRS. A.-He found several caves or mines in those mountains which had evidently been left by the ancients. EMILY.-Did Belzoni see Monsieur Ca liud? MRS. A.-Yes; and his account tempted him to commence his expedition. Monsieur Caliud told him that there were mines in the country, and also that he had visited a place called Sakiet Minor, situated in a valley near the sea, and surrounded by high rocks. From the account he gave Belzoni, a notion became impressed on the minds of many antiquaries in Egypt that it must have been the ancient city of Berenice; and from the moment that our friend heard this report, he conceived the idea of making an excursion into those deserts on a visit to Berenice, and only waited a proper time to execute his intended journey. EMILY.-When did he set off, mother, and how did he travel? And why did Monsieur Caliud fancy that the city of Berenice was in that valley? MRS. A.-Time had almost destroyed every remnant of it; but Caliud reported that he had discovered the remains of eight hundred houses, and several temples, as well as a small chapel cut out of the rock, and that the ruins resembled those of Pompeii. Of course, our enterprising antiquary was anxious to inspect the remains of this once celebrated place, and having hired a boat to take them to Edfu, they embarked near Gournou. The company consisted of himself, Mr. Becchey, a doctor who was going to cross the Desert, two Greek servants, a miner, and two boys to take care of the baggage. EMILY.-What, were they going to cross a great sandy desert! That will be delightful! Will you be so good as to wait whilst I open the atlas, mother? There, now I have put my little finger at Gournou, just by Thebes, and I am going to follow them either to the sulphur mines or emerald mountains, or Sakiet Minor, as you please. MRS. A.-It so happened that they were to behold one of the greatest calamities that have occurred in Egypt in the recollection of any one living. The Nile rose this season three feet above its usual height, with uncommon rapidity, and carried off several villages and some hundreds of their inhabitants. EMILY. And did Belzoni witness this distressing scene? MRS. A.-Yes: he says that he never saw any picture that could give a more correct idea of the deluge than the valley of the Nile at this season. The Arabs had expected an extraordinary inundation this year in consequence of the scarcity of water the preceding year, but they did not apprehend it would rise to such an height. BERNARD.-I thought you had told us that they generally make fences of earth and reeds around their villages, to keep the water from entering their houses. MRS. A. So they do. But the force of this inundation baffled all their efforts. Their cottages, being built of earth, could not stand one instant against the current, and the water had no sooner reached them than it levelled them with the ground. The rapid stream carried off all that was before it; men, women, children, cattle, corn, every thing was washed away in a moment, and left the place where the village Agalta stood, without any thing to indicate that there had ever been a house on the spot. Belzoni says, they appeared to be in the midst of a vast lake, containing various islands and magnificent edifices. On one side they beheld the high rocks and the temples of Gournou, and on the other the vast ruins of Carnac and Luxor. He saw several villages in danger of being destroyed like that of Agalta. The rapid stream had already carried away their fences, and the unfortunate inhabitants endeavoured to ascend the highest parts, with the little they could preserve from the water. Their distress was very great. Some of them had only a few feet of land, and the water was expected to rise twelve days more, and after that to remain twelve days at its height, according to the usual term of the inundation. OWEN.-How melancholy it would have made me to see them, mother! Could they not have contrived little bridges from one island to another-little bridges of beams, you know, like that upon which Belzoni crossed the pit in the tomb? MRS. A. It was a most distressing sight. Some poor wretches crossed the water on |