The Yazoo City Whig., 1845-05-23
Intelligence.
From the Boston Evening Transcript,
Astonishing Facts in ReIa-
ton to the Egyptian PyPEmids.

Astonishing Facts in ReIa-
tiOn to the Egyptian Fyrmids.
The materials of which the pyramids are
afford scope for long disserta-
l on. because, independently of lie science
and skill requisite for their adaptation, the
distances from which most OF them were
brought proves that each monarch's sway ex.,
tended all over Egypt and Lower Nubia, if
not beyond; and IN relation to this subiec
we gather the following facts from the Sc.
cond lecture Of Mr.. Glddon's now course:
Geologically considered, Egypt is very
peculiar country, the Quarres Of different
kinds of stone lying at great distances from
each other IN distinctly marked localities
If you see piece of basaLt on the beach
of the Mediterranean, you know that there
| is no basaltic quarry nearer than between
the first aud second cataract and, when you
find block of granite at Memphis, YOU
know thatnO granite exists but at the first
calaract-neare: than the peninsula Of
Mount Sinai. Every civilization and ex-
tended dominion is indicated in these facts,
and when we reflect upon them, we almost
think we witness the work Of transportation
going on that we see the builders, and the
buildings themselves IN process Of erection.
The blocks of Arabian limestone useO in the
interior of the pyramids were brought from
the ancient quarters Of TOorah, on the op-
lposite side Of the Nile, distant about Is or
20 miles from each pyramid. These very
Iquarres are vast halls, as it were, excavat-
led in the living rock, wherein entire armies
might encamp, are dorned with now mutiai-
Cd OIL thon of@ff fbpir
tive opening by different Pharaohs not only
show the pery beds whence the stupendous
blocks OF some OF the pyramids were taken,
but are themselves works as wundroUs and
sublime as the MemphIte pyramids! nay, al
the very foot Of these QuarTes lie the count
less tombs and sarcophagi of numbered gen
IeratiOns ofancientquaHymen! These quar-
Tles are of intense archaeological interest, be
, cause the tablets in Them record that stone
was cut in them for Memphis, on such day
such a month, such year of reign of sucl
king; and these kings being from the 'e
mote times before the si>teenth dynasty
ana, at different intervals, come dow
through the Pharaonic period with many Q
the Others, til we reach the Ptolemaic epoch
and end with Latin inscriptions similar t
others in Egypt. allestng that "these quar-
ries were worked" in the propiiious era o
our lords and emperots SeTvetus and Anton
j mus, thus enabling us TO descend almos
step by sep from the remOte antiquity Q
2 200 yeais b. C.. down TO 20U years aite
the Christian era The hand OF modern bal
Ibarlsm, prompted by the deslructiveness Q
Mahommed All, has, since 1880, done NOR
to deiace these tablels-to blow up man
}. Iof these halls N sheer wantOnness, han ma
been effected by time in 4 900 years!
Ever, atom OF The hundred thousand tons {
gr4n,te used in the pyramids was cut
iSeyene, the frs, cataract, distant $40 miles
. The blocks. some of which are 40 feet Ion.
had 10 be cut out OF their beds with woode
wedges and copper chises; then polishe
(. with emery I'LL they were as smooth as loo'
inc glass, and then carried by land halt
mile To the river placed On RATS and hoa
ed down $40 miles TO MemPhis-brought
canals 10 the foot of the Ll blan chaln-co
], veyed by land over gigantic causeways fro
on. mile TO three in length TO be pyrami'
for which they were intended, and then ell
vated be machinery and placed IN their pr
= sent Dosition, with a skill and masonic pr
cis,on that has confounded The mOs sclen
fc European engineer with amazemer
The yer, basGh sarcophagI that once ne
The mummy Of the Pharaohs, in the ILmc
recessss Of these Pyramldal mausolea'
feet long by 80 broad anO 3 deep, were
: brought from Lower Nubia, from The basi
tic ouarries of the second cataract, not ne'
ed er than $50 miles up the river!
6a Lacking into the interior of The pyrami'
there is still muchto stagger beliet-lo
Gle our admiration. In the pyramid OF Il
steps, The supper beams tha support the e
NJ of ihe chamber are of oak, larch, and ced
y mol one of which trees grow IN Egypt
Sn establish he fact of The timber trade
ls' IlIyria, Asia Minor, and Mount Lebanp
in ages long before Abraham! In the s
ments of nanny the cloth is found to
T. talurated with "Pisasphaltum '--je" 9 Pn
or bilumar Judiacum, compounded OF vel
table pitch from The Archioelago, and Of !
I phaltum of the Dead Sea Palestine; we I
eugs arabic that does not grow nearer Il
le. 900 miles from the Pyramid, atiesiine &C
ag- merce with upper Nubia. The gold =
on came from the mines Of Suakih on the
g Sea, or from remote Fazogla. The lIq
which cleansed out the body Of the mum
was cedria, the fuid rosin Of the pinus,
drus that grows not nearer than Syria.