Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-11-12

tFTceCe He ipllOW1ng GeSCii ipttnn Ot lHe IGTHC- non whcliw we extract from letter dated at Athens, will probably interest our readers There is an in- terest, ulmft sacred attached to the history of Gre cian art, aud the enthusiasm of the writer, from whose lettef we quote below, is calculated to com municate itsefte the render:
 |" How sltll introduce you to the holiest and most magnificent ruin the world contains2 The tenn pie of thc tuelary goddese of Athens and of Greece As l wound round the corner of the PropyGa. and caught he first full view of its stupendons remains the sentiments with which il filled me, were those of admiration and ave- which. as | continued to gaze in1eased in purity and depth till lost in one deliciouse glow of enthusiasm, scarcely knew whe- ther wal in the body or out of it. This is not aegeratioi. No painting. statue. or laudscape--l might alnpst add, m poetica description, or burst of eoqueice ever effected me like this first view of the ParthS Slon. Nor is the admiration accustomed by the cHire view. diminished by an examination of the pans Tn detail the contrary is if posSi- ble ncrealed for. you had before observed per
 feet harmlny running through the whole design you now perceive the same inimtable and uninterrupted perfection extended to lis minutes parts--the futines of the columns ihe swell of the capitals and all the endless ornaments Of the architrave, lreze and mace. But that which fills you with the purest de- light in this minute examination, is what remains of the hass.rekef sculpture the frieze of the cell in the Pronaos; the figures here for the most part equestrian. and though some asteess harharians haveknocked off pieces of them for specimens ma ny If them are still almost entire. There is nothing in Florence that surpasses and little that equals them. What fire whai truth what deicacvi what finish! Surely the chisel of Phidens must have given the lastouch 10 these maichesS productions; and though they have been exposed to the weather for more ihan twenty centuries, they still retain all the fresh ness with which they issued from hisunrivaed hand. The Parthenon has not suffered much from the war. hut the other remains within the Acropos, as well of fba e,t h.,o been considerably affected, some of them injured. and others benefited by it's devastatinns; while those within the city. remain nearly in the same state described by Ilobhouse in 1920"
 Spirc ofthc Catiedral ot StratsJurgh- The princi- pal curiosity of Straisburg is the spre ofits lrfam ed cathedral It Is the highest steeple in Europe: indeed, the great pyramid of Egypt exceeds il in altitude but about three feet It is formed of red sandstone, brought from quarres near the Rhine, and built in open ,rork each block of stone being pierced through and through, with large holes of dii ferent shapes. Many olthese openings are so large that iron bars placed across them, in order 10 secure those who ascend the spre. from falling ont l do not recollect 10 have had my nerves more excited, than when climbing the 635 steps which lead to the top of this tower. Gusts of wind rushed and howled with such fury through the open work. in the upper part of this pinnacle, that fearful of being blown out through the openings. or the whole fabric would be dashed to the earth though knew it had stood "unhurt amidst tho war ofele- menfs" for more than six hundred years. The Gothic work is so finely carved that it is difficult 10 realize that il should have lasted so long, or how the various parts support each other The tower is erect ed on one side of quadrangnlar base, of beautiful architecture about 300 feet high the top of which called the platform It seems to have been the ori- gnal design of the architect to build another spire, corresponding with the which now exists, the opposite side of the plalform but ii required 162 vepis to construct as much as is now compleied.- On the platform there is large cstern, kept always filled with water to be used in cases of fire. The prospect is bounded side by the dai> ,uou n.
 ains of tiel Black Forest nearer, the mighty river Rhine stretches as far as the eye can trace hroug richly cultivated fields dressed ont in all the ray of summer; and on the opposite side, meadows and castles, and villages, exhibi, picture equally beautiful