Pyramides d’Égypte : arrêt sur images, avec les frères John et Morton Edgar - III

Troisième partie de l'album des Edgar Brothers

"[This] photograph shows John in the act of passing under the Granite Leaf. By actual trial, we found it impossible to raise our heads on the inner or south side of the Granite Leaf, without first lifting our feet from the limestone floor, and placing them on granite. With the exception of two small limestone blocks in the upper corners of the south and east walls, this, the main portion of the Ante-Chamber, is formed entirely of granite."

"A (...) photograph taken inside the Ante-Chamber, with the camera placed on the flat upper surface of the east wainscot, shows the upper portion of the west side of the Granite Leaf where it fits into its groove in the granite wainscot of the west wall. Above this, on the right side of the photograph, are seen the upper and middle of the three limestone blocks which form the north wall of the Ante-Chamber.Of the two blocks shown above the west wainscot, the one to the north is limestone, and the other is granite. The extreme blackness of the granite roof is due to the smoke from the torches and candles of the countless visitors who have passed below on their way to and from the King's Chamber."

"One other photograph was taken in the Ante-Chamber. This shows on the right side a portion of the west wall with its broad shallow grooves and its broken pilasters, and on the left the low passage, only three and a half feet in height and eight feet four inches in length, leading to the King's Chamber.
The narrow rebates on each side of the doorway are clearly apparent, as also the four vertical and parallel grooves, measuring 3¾ inches in width by 2¾ inches in depth, reaching from the ceiling of the Ante-Chamber down to the fractured doortop. The five spaces marked off by these four vertical grooves and the two side walls, stand out distinctly, and are of equal width, namely, six inches. The white line across the floor at the further end of the low passage, is the dividing line between the granite floor of the entrance passage, and the granite floor of the King's Chamber beyond. The prominence of this line is due to the fact that the floor of the King's Chamber is three-quarters of an inch higher than that of the Ante-Chamber and the entrance passage."

"Afternoon tea" in the King's Chamber; showing part of the dark granite walls of the chamber ; also the Coffer."

"We photographed the mouth of the south air-channel of the King's Chamber as it appears on the south wall. The surface of the wall immediately above and to the east side of the mouth is much broken away, and the opening is therefore much larger than it was originally. This air-channel runs horizontally southward for a few feet, then takes a bend upward, and after a second short length still another upward bend, from which point it progresses in a straight line, and at a constant angle, to the south face of the Pyramid."

"We photographed the doorway of the small passage by which we had entered the King's Chamber. To show how small it is, Grace stood near it on the west side. The opening of the north air-channel can be seen on the left-hand side ; it will be noticed that its upper edge is in line with the top edge of the doorway."

"We secured a picture of the Coffer, with six of us sitting in it to give an idea of its size. On the right-hand side of this latter photograph, it will be noticed that a portion of the floor of the chamber is missing. Some of the floor-stones were raised from this, the north-west, corner of the chamber by early looters, who then excavated a large hollow in the soft limestone below the hard granite floor, in the hope of discovering hidden treasure somewhere under the Coffer. This excavation enables one to see that the granite walls of the chamber rest on limestone exactly five inches below the upper surface of the floor. On the walls behind the Coffer, and also above the doorway, a great many disfiguring names are visible. Names are scrawled everywhere in the Pyramid. Generally they are carved in the stone ; but in the King's Chamber the granite is too hard to make this easily possible, and consequently most of the names are painfed on its walls."

"The Well-mouth in the north-west corner of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, from the east; showing the horizontal joint between the upper and lower portions of the square-cut-off Ramp to the south (left) ; the fragmentary remains of the missing Ramp-stone in the north (right) corner ; and the upper end of the First Ascending Passage to the right ; also part of the floor of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber in the foreground."

"We photographed the small doorway of the Grotto from the inside, getting Judah to sit on the sandy floor on the west side with his head almost touching the roof.
Wedged in at the east edge of the deep hollow in the floor of the Grotto is a large granite stone, which, judging by its broken appearance, is a fragment of a larger block. It has two worked surfaces at right angles to each other, and, most wonderful of all, parts of two large holes drilled through it. The north-east upper corner of this stone may be seen at the lower left-hand corner of our photograph of the Grotto."

"In one of our photographs of the lower end of the Well, [a] larger stone may be seen lying further up the passage ; and part of one of the worked surfaces, and even the upper ends of the drill-holes may be discerned. Judah is seen reclining on the floor of the Descending Passage above the stone, supporting his head on the board which Mr. Covington had placed across the passage to keep back the debris when he was clearing away the rubbish below that point. This board, of course, is no longer required, as the entire length of the passage is now clear."

"[This] photograph (...) shows the details of a large section of the north end of the Grand Gallery very clearly. At the bottom appears the upper half of the doorway of the First Ascending Passage. Six of the seven overlappings of the walls are shown ; and it will be noticed that the lowermost on each of the east and west side walls is not developed on the north wall. Immediately above the third overlapping on the west (left) wall, there can be seen a small section of one of the pair of shallow grooves, which are cut opposite each other in the masonry of the east and west walls, and which run the entire length of the Grand Gallery. The original purpose of this pair of peculiar corresponding grooves is difficult to imagine ; the structural reason for their existence has not yet been satisfactorily explained ; but no doubt there is some symbolical significance in connection with them, as there is in connection with many other mysterious features in this immense and generally little understood edifice."

"The Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south, showing the method of ascending the sleep slippery floor by the aid of the Ramps. Judah, who stands on the floor of the
Horizontal Passage, is leaning against the sheer-cut-off, while John is seen ascending the very steep and slippery floor of the lofty Gallery, his feet placed in the shallow footholds, and his hands holding firmly to the East Ramp."

"The entrance of fhe Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, showing the sheer-cut-off of the Grand Gallery floor."

"The Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south, showing the sheer-cut-off of the floor, and the two Ramps ascending into the darkness beyond. The Ramps are exceedingly useful. The ancient builders carved out a series of large oblong holes on the upper surface of each of them, for what reason we do not know ; but they enable one to take hold of the Ramps more firmly."

"The drop or step in the Horizontal Passage leading to fhe Queen's Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. To show the difference in the height of the passage north and south of this step (which is between 20 and 21 inches in depth), we got Judah to stand in front of it with a two-foot rule in his hand. It will be noticed that his head just touches the roof. The extreme irregularity of the floor-surface in due to a thick layer of dust, which covers an excavation made by Col. Howard Vyse in search of a supposed secret passage or chamber under the step."

"In the Queen's Chamber we photographed the east wall, showing the full height of the "Niche", that most peculiar recess which measures 184 British inches in height, by 41 inches in depth, with a width at the bottom and top of 62 and 20 inches respectively. John is sitting at the entrance of a long horizontal excavation which is now largely filled with debris, while I am shown walking toward the door, the top of which, it will be noticed, is in line with the top of my head."

"The air-channels of the Queen's Chamber are very interesting. Their existence was not known till so recently as 1872 A.D., exactly six thousand years after the creation of Adam, according to Bible chronology. Scratched on the walls above them we read the words : "Opened, 1872." In Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth relates how Mr. Waynman Dixon, perceiving a crack in the south wall of the chamber, which allowed him at one place to push in a wire "to a most unconscionable length", set his man, Bill Grundy, to apply his chisel, with the result that before long the tool went right through into a cavity beyond. Further excavating proved the cavity to be the inner end of a neatly squared air-channel. Proceeding to
the opposite wall, Mr. Dixon discovered a second channel similar to the first. The builders had actually constructed two air-channels for the Queen's Chamber, but had not carried them through into the chamber itself. They had left the last five inches uncut. That this was their set purpose is proved by the fact that the orifices were not merely plugged, for there was no jointing, but, to quote Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, “the thin plate was a 'left', and a very skilfully, as well as symmetrically left, part of the grand block composing that portion of the wall on either side". This is well seen in the photograph which we took of the orifice of the north air-channel. Half of it is still covered by this five-inch thickness of once concealing stone. (This was the last flashlight photograph taken by us in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh)
What purpose could the ancient architect have had in view to induce him to expend so much time and trouble in constructing two long air-channels, in such a way that they would be useless as conductors of air until someone would seek, find, and remove the barrier ? For we must remember that the first part of the channels to be laid down in the process of building the Pyramid, would be those portions which are incomplete to the extent of the five inches of uncut stone ; and that all the hundreds of feet of carefully executed channelling which ascend from the Queen's Chamber at a steep angle, must have been added stone by stone as the Pyramid rose course by course. As even a casual examination of the various features of this great stone building convinces one that its erector was not by any means a fool, and that he had reason in everything he did, the problem of these air-conductors of the Queen's Chamber has puzzled the minds of many, even as numerous other features in the Great Pyramid have done."

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Pyramides d’Égypte : arrêt sur images, avec les frères John et Morton Edgar - II

Deuxième partie de l'album des Edgar Brothers

"The higher level of the floor of the Small Horizontal Passage above the terminus of the floor of the Descending Passage, is distinctly apparent in [this] photograph which we secured of the junction of these two passages on the west side. It will be noticed that the levelled cord stretched along the angle of the floor and the west wall of the Small Horizontal Passage, crosses at a point several inches above the lower end of the vertical rod, which is erected in the bottom corner of the Descending Passage floor.
The horizontal pencil-line which is drawn in continuation of the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage, is 1 7/8 inches above the upper end of the vertical three-foot rod. It will be noticed (...) that the flat margins are chipped and rounded off at the middle of their course. The corner angles are sufficiently well preserved, however, to permit accurate measurements of both the Descending Passage and the Small Horizontal Passage to be taken."

"The Subterranean Chamber of the Great Pyramid is roughly halved into two parts : an eastern and western. In the eastern half, the floor is excavated much lower than in the western. It is approximately in the centre of this eastern portion that the large deep shaft is situated. At the north-east comer of the chamber the floor is 12 feet, and at the south-east corner 14 feet, below the roof ; but at the middle of the east wall, opposite the shaft, it is 17 feet below the roof. In the western half, which begins about 21 feet from the east wall, the rocky floor rises in high receding mounds, which reach to within about 10 inches of the roof. In our photograph which was taken with the camera erected near the east wall and pointing directly west, it will benoticed that these mounds lie north and south, and are divided by a narrow trench, two and half feet wide, which inclines up the middle of the chamber, rather to the north of the centre, and terminates with a width of two feet at the west wall. John is sitting at the entrance to this trench on the north side, while Judah reclines on top of the north mound."

"Before John's arrival, I had taken two photographs in the Pit. One of these shows the doorway of the north entrance passage, with Hadji Ali Gabri sitting at the base of the north wall."

"The north edge of the large shaft in the floor can be seen in the immediate foreground ; and high up to the right at the top of the east wall, the rough projecting knob of rock referred to by Professor Flinders Petrie may be seen. [This] photograph was taken with the camera erected a few feet from the north wall, and pointing toward the south. The entire opening of the large shaft is visible ; and standing at its east edge is Hadji Ali Gabri, pointing to the doorway of the little south passage."

"The photograph which we secured of the doorway into the chamber shows John standing, indicating with his finger the point on the east wall at the roof termination of the passage, which we finally fixed upon as being the correct terminal for the whole passage, and to and from which we have made our various measurements. The short rod erected against the east wall is plumbed vertically in line with this point ; and the other rod lying horizontally on the floor, has its front edge square and at right-angles with that of the vertical rod. The vertical rod is 12, and the horizontal rod is 24, inches in length. The irregular south end of the floor already referred to as projecting into the Pit, is shown to advantage in this photograph. Previous to taking the picture, we had all the loose stones and sand cleared away from the floor of the Pit in the immediately vicinity of the doorway, so that the original rough character of the floor might be seen."

"After directing our workmen to clear away the mound of debris which covered the floor in front, and to the west of the doorway of the little southward passage, so that the original rough, uneven floor might appear, we photographed this south-east corner of the Pit, showing the full height of the wall and part of the ceiling. For the purpose of giving a correct idea of the extreme smallness of the bore of this south passage, John stood leaning against the south wall to the west of its doorway."

"Another photograph which we secured in the Subterranean Chamber, shows the entire extent of the east wall, and also a large section of the ceiling. The unevenness of the ceiling is apparent, but the roughness is somewhat exaggerated in the photograph owing to the strong shadows cast by the brilliant flashlight. Low down to the left, Stanley can be seen in the act of emerging from the north entrance passage into the Pit, while to the right side and on a Iower level, John is shown standing in front of the doorway of the south passage. Only a small section of the south wall is visible. Near the centre, and close up to the east wall, Judah is standing with his feet resting on the lowest part of the floor of the chamber, near the edge of the large deep shaft. He holds upright in his hand a six-foot rod, the lower end of which rests on the floor at his feet."

"When we desire to ascend [the First Ascending Passage], we leave the Descending Passage by the hole forced on its right or west side by Caliph Al-Mamoun, about ninety feet down from the Entrance. This hole is in line with the front of the granite stone which lies on the floor of the Descending Passage. The limestone block, which now rests against the upper end of the granite stone, forms a convenient step by which to gain entrance, for the lower edge of the hole is about two feet up from the floor of the Descending Passage. From here the forced hole tends upward and westward into a large cavernous space about twelve feet in height. Communicating with this space at the upper portion of its north-westward side is the inner or southern extremity of the long passage which Al-Mamoun caused to be excavated from the north face of the Pyramid. In order to reach the upper end of the Granite Plug, and so ascend the First Ascending Passage, we require to scale the south-east wall of this cavernous space. During my first week here, I secured two photographs showing Hadji Ali Gabri climbing this wall. In both of these he is seen standing with one foot on a ledge which is situated about three feet above the loose, sandy floor of the space, and the other in a notch. By taking advantage of this ledge and of the notches, we made the ascent at that time without undue difficulty. But now that we have had fresh notches cut, and the old ones deepened, the ascent and descent are much easier. One of the photographs presents a near view of the ledge, and also shows the lower end of the First Ascending Passage to better advantage than the other."

"I have just completed developing some more photographs taken inside the Great Pyramid. Three of these are of the Descending Passage where it joins the First Ascending Passage, showing the lower end of the Granite Plug as it appears in the roof, and below this the continuation of the Descending Passage, with Petrie's granite stone and its grill-door blocking the way. To the right of the grill-door, and above it, can be seen the forced hole which opens into Al-Mamoun's cavernous hollow. One of these photographs was taken before our men cleared the debris from the front of the granite stone, to enable us to take our continuous floor-measurement of the passage. Judah is sitting on this debris, which was level with the top of the granite stone, and concealed the limestone block which lay across the passage a few feet in front of it.
The second photograph shows this part as it appears now clear of debris. Only the upper end of the limestone block is visible, as it has been shifted from its former position, and now rests end-on against Petrie's granite block."

"In [this] photograph, John is shown standing beneath the Granite Plug, holding the upper end of a cord, which is stretched from the bottom edge of the Plug across the west wall of the Descending Passage, to show the line of the floor of the First Ascending Passage. The point where this line touches the floor of the Descending Passage is called the " point of intersection ".
The rod which lies across the passage holding the lower end of this cord, is three feet in length. John is also holding a "T" square against the bottom angle of the Granite Plug, from which a plumb-bob is hanging to the floor of the Descending Passage, thus marking the point on the floor which is vertically underneath the lower edge of the Granite Plug. We found this mark useful for certain measurements at this part. The roof of the Descending Passage above and below the lower end of the Granite Plug, is much broken away. The line of the roof of the Descending Passage can be seen progressing from above downward at the line where John's right hand touches the west wall of the passage. It was in the triangular-shaped space which lies in front of the lower end of the Granite Plug, that the limestone roof-block was fitted which for thirty centuries hid the entrance of the First Ascending Passage, and thus kept secret the existence of the upper passages and chambers."

"Besides these photographs of the lower end of the Granite Plug, I developed a number which had been taken at the upper end. One shows John stooping in the First Ascending Passage, and leaning with his right-hand on the fractured upper end of the PluG. He holds a candle in his left hand, and is looking downward along the west side of the Granite Plug where it has been exposed by Al-Mamoun's excavation. His head is nearly in contact with the roof of the First Ascending Passage. Two of the three great granite blocks which together form the Plug, can be distinctly seen in this photograph, the third being, with the exception of a little part of its upper end, hidden in the surrounding masonry.Some previous investigator has chipped away sufficient of the uppermost granite stone, to expose a portion of the smooth flat upper end of the second."

"Later in the day we resumed our work in the interior of the Great Pyramid. Placing the camera in front of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, we took a picture of it in order to show how dilapidated it now is after the wear of fully a thousand years' traffic ; for since the year 820 A.D., when Caliph Al-Mamoun forced his way into these upper passages, they have ever been free of access to all. This photograph also shows the low passage which leads from the Grand Gallery to the Ante-Chamber, and beyond this the second low passage leading out of the Ante-Chamber to the King's Chamber. The lower edge of the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber is also distinguishable."

"Originally the west wall, like the east wall, was continuous and unbroken from its commencement at the south wall of the Grand Gallery to its termination at the King's Chamber. The continuity of the east wall is shown in [this] photograph which we took with the camera erected on top of the Step to the west. This photograph shows the square but somewhat dilapidated doorway of the small passage as it appears in the south wall of the Grand Gallery, and to the left, part of the east wall of the Grand Gallery."

"We secured photographs of several parts of interest in the Ante-Chamber. One shows John standing in the twenty-one inch space between the north wall of the chamber behind him, and the Granite Leaf in front. He is leaning against the east wall, which at this part is, like the north wall, composed of limestone. The floor is of special interest. You will no doubt recall how Professor C. Piazzi Smyth and others point out that, while the floor of the King's Chamber is composed entirely of granite, that of the Ante-Chamber consists mostly of granite, but partially of limestone."

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Troisième partie

Pyramides d’Égypte : arrêt sur images, avec les frères John et Morton Edgar - I

John et Morton Edgar ne sont évidemment pas des inconnus pour ce blog-inventaire. Maintes fois, j’ai fait appel à leurs incontournables et célèbres clichés pour en illustrer le contenu. Pourtant, nonobstant la place prépondérante des frères photographes dans l’histoire de l'égyptologie, aucune note spécifique ne leur a ici été consacrée. Et pour cause...
La ligne éditoriale de Pyramidales suit un tracé qui se tient résolument à l’écart des théories dites “ésotériques”. Or, dans leur quête d'images en terre égyptienne, John et Morton Edgar ont été guidés par une orientation biblique et mystique, chaque détail architectural des pyramides étant à leurs yeux miraculeusement porteur d’un message spirituel. 
Empressons-nous de le relever : si une telle philosophie n'a pas sa place dans ce blog, les photographies qu'elle a inspirées gardent toute la richesse de leur contenu et se prêtent également à une lecture impartiale et objective.
Compte tenu de ces réserves, et maintenant que notre blog, faute de “munitions”, a entamé la dernière ligne droite de son inventaire, je me devais de rendre hommage aux Edgar Brothers. Pour ce faire, j’ai sélectionné une petite cinquantaine de leurs clichés et me propose de les reproduire, en plusieurs épisodes, en les accompagnant des propres commentaires de leurs auteurs, extraits du premier volume de leur ouvrage The Great Pyramid passages and chambers (1910).

"Mr. L. Dow Covington, an American, has been working at the Great Pyramid for the past eight years, off and on. When I came here a week ago, he was just completing some excavating work at the foot of the north side of the Great Pyramid, and you can appreciate my pleasant surprise when I beheld not only the three historical casing-stones discovered many years ago by Col. Howard Vyse, and now again brought to the light of day, but sixteen others, all of them in one continuous row. These stones demonstrate the fact that the Great Pyramid was formerly covered or cased with beautiful smooth casing-stones, a fact which formerly some had been inclined to doubt."

"The first three or four of these stones are immediately under the Entrance of the Pyramid, and are still in excellent preservation, though I notice that the small portion referred to by Colonel Howard Vyse as adhering with such tenacity, has disappeared. The others to the west of these show more or less signs of surface wear, especially the last five to the extreme west which are much broken."

"In one of the photographs, which shows a front and partly top view of the best preserved of the casing-stones, with Mr. Covington standing at the east end looking along the upper surface of the row, a large open fissure in the rock can be seen in the foreground.
According to the account of Col. Howard Vyse, this fissure had originally been filled in with rubble stone-work, and covered over with large inset stones, one of which may be seen in the photograph, partly fallen in. Over these inset stones which were flush with the levelled rock, the beautifully fitted pavement had been laid. It had been Col. Howard Vyse's intention to have blasted the rock to a considerable depth at this part in hope that he might discover a subterranean communication with a secret tomb-chamber under the Pyramid, supposed to have been alluded to by the Greek historian, Herodotus. He chose this part because it is in line with the Entrance Passage of the Pyramid, but the discovery of the fissure saved him considerable trouble and expense. He caused it to be cleared to a depth of 47 feet, and to a length of 74 feet from east to west, but without discovering a passage. He was therefore satisfied that there was no subterranean passage in connection with the Great Pyramid, save that of the Well-known Descending Passage leading down to the Pit, a hundred feet below the base of the Pyramid."

"In a second view of the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid, taken with my camera erected a little more to the east, Hadji Ali Gabri is seen sitting some distance up the side of the Pyramid, pointing to the entrance of Al-Mamoun's forced passage, which is situated in the seventh course of the Pyramid's horizontal core masonry. In the upper part of the section shown in this photograph, part of the great angular limestone blocks above the mouth of the Entrance Passage, may be seen."

"The relative positions of the casing-stones, Al-Mamoun's forced passage, and the Entrance to the Pyramid can better be judged, however, by [this] view which I took with the camera erected at a greater distance from the base of the Pyramid. But the square mouth of the Entrance, which lies some distance in from the face of the Pyramid, cannot be seen from the ground below ; also the angular blocks above the Entrance appear much lower down than they are in reality.This (...) photograph shows the ruinous and dilapidated condition to which this great monument has been reduced by the ruthless hands of the spoiler.
According to historical evidence, beautiful smooth limestone blocks, similar to those at the north base, encased the entire Pyramid up till 820 A.D., when Caliph Al-Mamoun, in his greed to gain possession of supposed hidden treasure, forced his way into the Pyramid's interior. This was the beginning of the destructive work ; and in the years that followed, the Pyramid's casing was tom off piecemeal for building purposes."

"I photographed the square Entrance of the Third Pyramid, together with two or three courses of the granite casing-stones which are still in situ alongside. Except at their joint edges, where narrow strips of the surface have been chiselled even and smooth, the outer faces of these stones have not been dressed down, but have been left very rough and projecting."

"Another photograph of this pyramid at the part immediately connected with its temple on the east side, shows a large area of the granite casing-stones dressed down to one flat surface, but, adjoining these dressed stones, a few are to be seen still rough, and others only partially dressed. In this photograph a portion of the granite pavement of the temple may also be seen.

Although many of these stones are large, none approaches in size to the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid ; nor do they present so beautiful an appearance. All round the Second and Third Pyramids great numbers of granite casing-stones lie partly buried in the large mounds of debris."

"This morning at seven o'clock, Mr. Covington and I measured the casing-stones at the north front of the Great Pyramid. Captain Norton, a friend of Mr. Covington, is making a sketch of these stones, and our measurements may be of service to him. We found that while they are of a uniform height, they vary greatly in both width from east to west, and in depth inward toward the core masonry at the back. The first stone to the east of the long row of casing-stones is by far the largest. It measures about 4 feet 11 inches high, and is 6 feet 9 inches wide from east to west. In depth it measures 8 feet 3 inches along the base line to the core masonry. This is only the apparent depth, however, for it extends inward for still another two feet beyond the core block to the east of it, and thus the actual base measurement from front to back is 10 feet 3 inches. The cubical contents of the block is about 200 cubic feet ; and its weight is approximately 19 tons. This weight is three tons more than Professor Flinders Petrie estimated ; he evidently was not aware that the stone extends beyond the core block to the east of it, the debris, now cleared away by Mr. Covington, having no doubt concealed the upper joint-lines. This extra depth can be seen very well in [this] photograph which I took with my camera erected on top of the first course of the core masonry, some distance to the east of the casing-stones."

"The casing-stones are simply wonderful. Morton says that when he arrived here, Mr. Covington was just completing his work of excavating them ; and he managed to secure a photograph showing Mr. Covington's black workmen removing the last few large encumbering stones. In [these two] photographs which Morton took with the camera erected very close to the largest of the casing-stones, these debris stones may be seen lying in front."

"Among other photographs, Morton secured a very good one showing Mr. Covington standing at the east end of the long row of casing-stones, and high up in front of the Entrance another man standing on the fourteenth course of masonry. This photograph, owing to Mr. Covington and the other man standing so far apart one above the other, is good for conveying some idea of the true perspective, for it is very difficult to realize the relative distances of the various parts, and the dimensions of the masonry courses, without some such aid. But however good photographs may be, they can never fully convey to the mind the proper sense of proportion, and the true beauty, which an actual visit to the place must do. You would require to be here to see how beautifully-finished and close-fitting the casing-stones are."

"The awkward stooping posture which it is necessary for one to assume when proceeding down the uneasy slope of the Descending Passage, is well illustrated in a photograph which was taken with the camera erected at the bottom of the Well-shaft, and pointing out eastward through the little passage, in the direction of the Descending Passage. It shows John walking down the steep floor, with his head just touching the low roof. John says he wasglad when the exposure was completed, as he felt very much like the "poor groaning creation " while posing for the picture."

"We took a photograph showing the square flat end of the Descending Passage ; and, in order to make apparent the very small bore of the Small Horizontal Passage leading southward from it to the Subterranean Chamber, John sat in its entrance, his back resting against the west wall." 

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