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Rh Belzoni's prospects. The Viceroy abandoned the project; and all that was due to the ingenious introducer of the machine, as well as the express stipulation which Belzoni had made with the Viceroy, was consigned to oblivion.

Belzoni's spirit of enterprise, however, was not easily damped. He was not willing to leave a country which had been one of the chief fields of research among the learned. The fame of its antiquity excited in him an ardent desire for investigation, but, having Madame Belzoni with him, his purse would not afford the expense of a journey to a great distance. Fortunately it was at this time in contemplation to remove the colossal bust, known by the name of Young Memmon, to England. The task afforded a good opportunity to Belzoni's love of mechanics, as well as for his passion for investigating antiquities, and he readily undertook it. The means which he devised for the purpose were extremely ingenious, and were perfectly successful; and, after extraordinary labour, Belzoni had the satisfaction of seeing this gigantic specimen of ancient sculpture safely floated on the Nile.

Belzoni now pursued his labours in exploring the ruins, opening mounds and exploring the subterranean tombs so abundant in that country. Some of the most important of these labours were carried on at Gournou, a tract of rocks about two miles in length, at the foot of the Lybian mountains, to the west of Thebes, and which had been the burial-place of that ancient city. Belzoni's narrative of his researches in this singular region is strongly illustrative of his enthusiasm and perseverance. Many persons found it impossible to