The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-04-08
From the Liverpool Observer.
THE EASTERN WORLD.

hI. buckingham, VINO was some years
ago the editor OF the Calcutta Journal, and
who is now known as a traveller in the
East, and as the talented and interchangeable
editor OF several excellent periodical works,
gave his hrst Lecture on the Eastern
World, on Monday evening
! In this, his first opening Lecture, he dwelt
exclusively upon Egypt-a country whose
antiquities and grandeur had made so deem
an impression upon Heredotus, the ancient
historian, that it led to the writing Of one
OF the most excellent histories which is now
eXtant. Egypt was country calculated to
call up sentiments the most sublime, and
F even awful. Long before Greece began to
rise to grandeur, Egypt was pre-eminent.
1t was indeed the earliest situation of civil
ization in Africa, for while Egypt sent forth
arts and sciences to the world, the rest of
thot inInvnor Continent re.noinvui il, a state
! OF comparative barbarity.
! Egypt he remarked, comprised one en-
tire valley, about 5000 miles in length; and
owed It's great fertility three crops of corn
annually to the deposits left by the over
tlowings Of the Nile. That river had ex-
cited great interest among the ancients,
and whole armies had beer sent to solve
the grand problem of its source. This riv-
er, supposed by some to be coeval in its
source with the Niger-the two rivers
forming the grand boundaries of Africa on
the west and the north-hoWs for 500 miles
without receiving any tributary stream -
and imparting fertility wherever it luns.
MI. Il. next alluded to the navigable Ca
nails OF Egypt, its Lakes, and works of Art.
In adverting to the towns, he stated that
| ancient Alexandria was half as long again
as London yet was only third or fourth
rate town in Egypt. 1t was fifteen miles in
length, and 8 in breadth. Pompey's Pillar
was column supposed to be erected by
the people to commemorate the bounty of
= Severus. The obelisks of Egypt he next
noticed-one of which, though brought 800
miles by the Egyptians, modern army of
100000 men were unable to remove. Men,
phis was in ruins before Alexandria was
destroyed-and, what is curious, the an
clent Egyptians permitted no body to be in
tered In lands producing animal susie
nance. Our subsequent notice of Mr.. BIS.
! Interesting lecture we must confne to a
mere analysis.
\ The pyramids are twice as high as St.
PauPs. The base of one of these monuments
of industry and superstition is 800 feet and
they may be assembled by a flight of stairs,
From the summit of one Of these, Orpheus
is said to have enjoyed prospect of the
rising sun, which gave origin to one of his
happiest productions.
Tho nnun'n,ieS of Egypt woro peculiarly
remarkable. Their notions of futurity in
duced them to preserve their dead embalm-
ed, in immense caverns, excavated by hu-
man hands, the passages to which under
! ground, are frequently above a mile III
I length.
The Egyptians, such was their ardor in
great national works, excavated reser-
voir, to supply, upon emergencies, the de-
! iciences of the overflow Of the Nile, of
circuit Of $50 miles.
The Lecturer, in adverting to the archi-
lecture of Egypt, mentioned that so beauti-
( full was the portico of Hermopolis, that
peasant on first seeing it was heard to ex-
claim, This is a place worthy of gods
and not of men," At another city, Koum
Ombos, was lighthouse for the guidance
of vessels on the Nile, the only one on
record in ancient times. The great gate of
Edtou was so immense that there was ac-
tualy riNage on the top oft.
The average breadth of the whole val
ley of Egypt, Mr.. B. states to be 9 miles.
I The approach to Carnac is by an avenue
tt0o miles in length, lined on each side with
sphynxes. Mr.. b, who had his doubts of
the existence of work SO truly astonishing
in magnitude and art, was struck with awe
on beholding it. There is here a gate IS
feet in height; and every building seems to
have been constructed and intended for the
accommodation of giants, who are there con-
sidered by the common people, at the pres
ent day, to be the ancestors of the English,
from the circumstance of so many English
travellers coming there to pay respect to
these temples.
Some estimation may be formed of the
extent Of the grand temple in Carnac, by
the statement of the fact that the magniti-
cent pillars Of the portlco of st. Paul's in
London, are not more than 3 feet in diane
ter, while those at Carnac are IL feet. The
whole of st. Paul's might be put within the
portico Of Carnac.
The temple of Thebes has 1876 pillars, and
is two miles in circumference.
One part of Egypt is never visited by
rains, and Mr.. B. saw the chalking of sculp-
ture by the ancient Egyptians, upon stone,
with red ochre, which it is undeniable had
remained unobliterated for period of 1000
years.
The camels of Egypt are emphatically
termed by the Arabs, {" the Ships of the
Desert"
1t appeared to the Lecturer that God had
not created any race of men land he deriv-
ed his opinions from his observations in u
country where mankind were most civillzed)
who were not capable of all the virtues and
capacities that defy human nature.
Egypt was at the present time, four times
more wealthy than it was twenty years ago.
This arose from the policy of those at the
head of the present government, who en-
couraged artists from Europe, and promot-
ed them lin abrogation Of the former policy
Of its governors) and in peculiar manner
gave II judicious impulse to commerce.