BELZONI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA, the well-known traveller, was born of humble parentage at Padua, about 1778. Much of his early youth was passed at Rome, with an intention of adopting the monastic life; but from this plan he was diverted by the French invasion. He came to England in 1803; and for some time obtained a livelihood as an athlete at Astley's amphitheatre and elsewhere, for which his colossal stature and extraordinary muscular power eminently qualified him. While residing at Rome he had paid considerable attention to the study of hydraulics, and with the view of constructing improved machines for the purposes of irrigation, he went in 1815 to Egypt, where he was employed by the pacha to construct an hydraulic machine for his garden at Zebra, near Cairo, which, however, proved an unsuccessful attempt. He was then employed by Mr Salt to remove the colossal bust erroneously styled the "Young Memnon." This he effected with much ingenuity, and shipped it for England. Pursuing his travels through Egypt, he was the first to open the temple of Ipsambul, an undertaking involving extraordinary personal exertion. During a second journey in Upper Egypt he made excavations at Carnac, which well repaid his labours. It is unnecessary here to recount his various and most interesting discoveries, as they
are detailed at some length in the articles EGYPT, NUBIA, &c. In 1820 he published a narrative of his operations; and in the following year he exhibited at London a beautiful model of the two principal chambers of the magnificent tomb he had opened at Beban-el-Molouk, near Thebes. In 1823 he again visited Egypt; but while making preparations for passing from Benin to Timbuctoo, he was attacked by dysentery at a place called Gato, and there he died on the 3d of December.