an papyri, by M. Champollion, jeune.
The latter gentleman was on his way to Egypt with M. Rosellini, and
stopped two days with M. Sallier previous to proceeding to Toulon for
the purpose of embarking. During this short period he examined ten or
twelve Egyptian papyri, which had been purchased some years ago, with
other antiquities, from an Egyptian sailor. They were principally
prayers or rituals which had been deposited with mummies; but there was
also the contract of the sale of a house in the reign of one of the
Ptolemies; and finally three rolls united together and written over with
fine demotic characters, reserved, as is well known, for civil purposes.

The first of these rolls was of considerable size, and to M.
Champollion's astonishment contained a _History of the Campaigns of
Sesostris Rhamses_, called also _Sethos_, or _Sethosis_,
and _Sesoosis_, giving accounts the most circumstantial of his
conquests, the countries which he traversed, his forces, and details
of his army. The manuscript is finished with a declaration of the
historian, who, after stating his names and titles, says he wrote in
the ninth year of the reign of Sesostris Rhamses, king of kings, a lion
in combats, &c.

M. Champollion has promised, that, on his return from Egypt, he will fix
the manuscript on cloth for its future preservation, and give a complete
translation. The period of the history is close to the time of Moses;
and apparently the great Sesostris was the son of the king who pursued
the Israelites to the borders of the Red Sea; so that a most important
period in ancient history will be elucidated.

On the same MS. commences another composition, called _Praises of the
great King Amemnengon_. There are only a few leaves of it, and
they form the beginning of the history contained in the second roll.
This Amemnengon is supposed to have reigned before Sesostris, because
the author wrote in the ninth year of the reign of the latter. M.
Champollion had not time to enter into a particular examination of
these rolls.

The third roll relates to astronomy or astrology, or more likely to both
these subjects. It has not been far opened; but will probably prove of
the utmost interest, if, as it is expected, it contains any account of
the system of the heavens as known to or acknowledged by the Egyptians
and Chaldeans, the authors of astronomical science.

A small basaltic figure was purchased with the MSS., and it is
supposed found with t