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Excerpt from Otia Ægyptiaca: Discourses on Egyptian Archæology and Hieroglyphical Discoveries Lecture VI. First of "Three Discourses on the Art of Mummification among the Egyptians: its Origin, Nature, and Development" - Egyptian Topography, and geognostical peculiarities: Rock, Sand, Alluvium, and Water - Egyptian Columnar Architecture: palm-tree and papyrus - Origin of Mummies traced to Sand-burial - Appendix on Geology, illustrated by a sectional diagram drawn by Mr. Bonomi - Remoteness of the age in which humanity might have first occupied Egypt, proved by Nilotic alluvials, &c. Lecture VII. Second on Mummification - Refutation of Dr. Pariset's Theory - Utility of the Art of Embalment: prolonged during 5,000 years; and productive of 500 millions of Mummies - Mr. Birch's classification of Sarcophagi, Mummy Cases, &c. - Introduction of Bitumen, owing to Pharaonic conquests over "Nineveh, Shinar, Naharina, Babel," &c. - Importance of Mummification in Egyptian History - Vindication of the intellectual and physical attributes of the denizens of Egypt - Letter from Mr. Birch, on "Various Archaeological Criteria for determining the Relative Epochs of Mummies." Lecture VIII. Mummification concluded - Cost of Mummies - Linen-cloth - No hereditary "Castes" in Egypt - Egyptian Priests and Priesthood: their vast revenues; and interests vested in the prolongation of the art of embalment - Animal worship, precursor of Animal embalment - Philosophical origin of these practices; traced to the absence, from its non-invention, of the pure-Alphabet - The "Winged Globe," and Hebrew Melakim, Kerubim, and Seraphim - Egyptian theological conceptions - Explanation of divine attributes, and rationalism of their pictorial expression - Vulgar superstitions profitable to, and perpetuated by the Hierarchy. - Appendix on Alphabets - Theory of the order of development in human Writings, elucidated by a Table - Note on Hieroglyphical and Cuneiform Writ