The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-08-28
THE RUINS OF KARNAC.

trics, we started Tor kaTnac. mere was
formerly broad road leading from the Por-
tai of Luxor to the great gate at Kamac.
We passed through fields Of long, bent
grass, and in half an hour reached village,
with its mud walls and struggling palms.
The dogs turned out, snarling and bowling
as usual. At first We could see nothing,
neither temples nor ruins. Every thing
seemed low and indistinct. Turning round
a bank, We arrived at The famous avenue Of
sphinxes, and here the first proPylOn Of the
great temple was before us, with the moon
streaming upon it, and its long, deep sha
dow sleeping upon the plain. As We came
nearer. it seemed by degrees to grow upon
us; but not ill We stood under il were its
colossal dimensions evident. The guides
and horses seemed like dwarfs. So match
less are the proportions, and 50 simple and
50 grand the form, that no idea can be
formed OF the size until il overwhelms one.
Passing through it, We entered small TEN.
pie, from the neighborhOod Of which the
view which presents itself is extraordinary.
Mass upon mass Of stones, fragments oil
pillars, blocks of granite, heaped in endless
confusion, meet the eye every where, look
ing as though shaken down by some super
human power. Wonderful must have been
their elevation, but more wonderful still
their fall
| 81 can give no accurate measurement oil
the size of some of these fragments, but
horse and rider would disappear behind
many of the single pieces. Beside the por-
tai are two sitting statues of granite, facing
each other. The great hall Of the temple
then appeared in all its sublimity. We
felt that to behold these magnifcen, remains
more than repaid us for what we had en-
dured. Tbe sigh, surpassed both all had
heard and all had anticipated. Who can
describe such majestic desolation p! How
came such enormous masses 10 be shaken
to their foundation No human power,
one would suppose, could have worked such
ruin. Dread, indeed, must have been the
scene and the hour of the downfall Of kar-
MAC; for column upon column. tower on
tower, walls, roofs, end even foundations,
broken up and cast down, lie on every side.
The 'abomination of desolation' sits
upon Karnac. The wind has carried the
drift Of the desert round about it, but still
the vast fabric remains Mountains of sand
could not conceal these vestiges Of an ear.
lier and mighty age. Wondrous must have
been the power and genius of the people
who raised them; and We, how signal is
their doom The Persians and Greeks
may have defaced, the Mahometan may
have mutilated the records Of the past, but
il must have been a mightier hand and a
stronger arm which accomplished this de
struction. 1t was not with the tramp OIL
war-steeds, the noise OF chariots, or the
march Of legions that the earth shook and
the temples reeled; but it would seem that
the judgment of Heaven descended upon
the land, and left an awful lesson to future
ages, to be read and pondered on among the
silent halls of this greatest Of earthly tenn.
pies. n Journey 10 Damascus, through
Egypt, DC, by Viscount Castlereagh.
| THE CHANGED ASPECT OF SYRIA.
"ln the morning we entered upon the
vast plain which stretches away towards
Suez on the left, and is bounded on the
right by the crags and precipices that over
hang the Gulf Of Akaba After three
hours riding we arrived at the Hadli-road
TO Mecca from Suez, which leads down to
the sea.
Moving on little, We came upon a
magnificent prospect Below us lay de.
file almost perpendicular, down which, in
a zigzag direction. our course lay. Far be.
meath us, the bright blue waters of the sea
were shining in the sun; opposite were the
torn and shattered peaks which overhang
Akaba; and on our left, far as the eve
could reach, stretched away the great Wady
ARABIA, a wide sandy valley between these
two ridges OF mountains. covered here and
there with shrubs of low brushwood, and
rising by gentle ascent till the eye could
follow il no more. Down this bed, now
covered with the sands of the desert, the
Jordan formerly is supposed to have poured
forth its glad waters into the bosom OF the
deep. At that time the riches Of the East
were conveyed along these plains to the
Red Sea. Large cities, now buried under
the desert drifts, populous and fourishing,
carried on their commerce and scattered
their navies over the ocean. This great
valley was the channel through which pass
ed caravans Of merchandise, the wealth OF
vast kingdoms. The mighty river, not as
yet checked in its course nor directly min.
istering to the Divine will, fertilized and
enriched the shores. Now the sacred
stream is confined to the land flowing with
milk and honey the region is deserted and
desola,e the very rocks look stricken with
ruin. The cities are gone. Their sites
even are unknown. Their names exist no
more; and you search in vain for Elath
and Ezion-Gebir among the sand-hills OF
the valley or the palm,groves of Akaba. y
ibid.
| THE SPIRIT OF ARAB WARFARE.
"Before starting, the tribe formed cir
Gle and said a prayer for success Sud
denly man appeared on the heights and
beckoned, as if to speak. Hussein des-
patched one Of his people up the mountain.
and these two met on the sky line. Whilst
was watching them Bussein came up to
me, saying, Now let us strike the tents and
move forwards This was before the con.
ference OIL the hill had ended. The old
chief was quite right in his decision, taking
advantage Of the hesitation Of the enemy.
The tribe all lent at hand, and in five min.
utes the tent was struck, the camels ranged,