not only comfort and pleasure, but an opportunity to give dead scientific
material a living interest for myself and others.

Monsieur Soury says romance is the mortal enemy of history; but this
sentence may have no more justice than the one with which I think myself
justified in replying: Landscape painting is the mortal enemy of botany.
The historical romance must be enjoyed like any other work of art. No
one reads it to study history; but many, the author hopes, may be aroused
by his work to make investigations of their own, for which the notes
point out the way. Already several persons of excellent mental powers
have been attracted to earnest Egyptological researches by "An Egyptian
Princess." In the presence of such experiences, although Monsieur
Soury's clever statements appear to contain much that is true, I need not
apply his remark that "historical romances injure the cause of science"
to the present volume.

Leipzig, April 19, 1875.

GEORG EBERS.



PREFACE TO THE FIFTH GERMAN EDITION.

Again a new edition of "An Egyptian Princess" has been required, and
again I write a special preface because the printing has progressed so
rapidly as unfortunately to render it impossible for me to correct some
errors to which my attention was directed by the kindness of the well-
known botanist, Professor Paul Ascherson of Berlin, who has travelled
through Egypt and the Oases.