New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-05-25

] propose this evening 10 carry you back - a
remote antiquisy--to prehistoric age-a period
anterior to all authentic hist,ry, except the few
fragments that have been preserved in the bis
tor.cal ant prophetic books q the Old Testament
u summon from the dim Past tie spirit oi de-
Darred race 10 scan a strange, gigantic empire
that ICONS III the iarthest horizon Of the shsdowy
sea Of Time We shall wander amid the ruins Of
a greatness that had persisted when Rome was in
is infancy amid the memorials OF a civilization
which was already fading away When Greece be
gan 20 dazzle the world with her eloqgence. her
poetry, her philosophy aud her att We sha en-
ter palaces which were built by mOnarch5 at least
contempo raueous with the earlier Jewish Kings,
and shall stand in the presence Of tie monster
symbols Of q worship practlced before Abraham
had left tho plains Of Mamre. We shall trace IL
shad wv outlines the battles. seges end triumphs,
the physical characteristics. the manners occups-
tions and arts Of people the place Of whose sep
uichcr vas known only by vague tradition when
Christ appeared IN Judea. We shall 20 back be-
fore the ancien,s to the first generations after the
Flood.
The subject is inviting 10 the lover OF antiquities
dl ~ olpltilsn Oh hi'-Hiy nt+ W tiiN '-~iNN 49,
lures But It IS not to crafty literary taste Gu
riosity. however lsodable that ! introduce this
theme into the pulpit. II is that we may CRATE.
fully record the progress Of the human race in
know edge end the means Of happiness that we
may read an impressive lesson Of the vanity Of
human pride and power, and that may verify
the local AID historical illusions Of the Scriptures
by contemporaneous monuments, preserved for
more than $500 years, and now thrown open 10
our inspection.
The heart of Asia, or rather its western center
for the section TO which we refer, though lying
900 miles in the interior from Cons,antnople, is
no more the heart Of that vast continent than Gin
cinnati is the heart OF North America-this west
ern confer of Asis possesses an unrivaled interest
as the cradle of the human race, the Paradise OF
the first pair and the Of their temptation and
fall--the scene also of the food, where Ararat still
renrs It's snowy head--the birthplace Of Abraham
and in him Of the Jewish racc-the ancient seat
Of civilization and empire enriched BY commerce
and by conquest and the arena Of some OF the
most memorable and decisive battles in the his
tory Of the world. Says n distinguished French
writer (GuyotD on Comparative Physical Geog-
raphy
Asia the country OF the superior races, Western
Asia above ALL the country OF the white race IL also the
erode of the earliest civilized communities whose tx
istcnce il coInmcnoratcd 10y History
Tradition everywhere represents the earliest
mon, descending from the high table-lauds Of this
continent and it is in the low aud fertile plains y
ing at their feet that they unite themselves for the
first time in national bodies in tribes with fixed
habiiaiions. dovotng themselves to husbandry.
building cities cuiivating the afts-in word,
forming well.rcgulated communities. These alu-
ylsl plains, watered by twin rivers. were better
formed than all other countries OF the globe, to rem
der the first steps OF Man, al infant still easy IL
the career Of civilized ie 4 rich soil IN which
overflow ing rivers spread every year fruitful
loan and one where the plow is almost useless
SO movable and so easily titled is it, and warm
climate secure to the inhabitants OF these fortunate
regions plentiful harvests in return for light labor
Nevertheless the conflict with the river Itself
and with the desert which the banks Of
the Euphrates as those OF the Nile and
OF the Indus is ever threatening to invade the
cultivated lands, the necessity OF irrigation, the
Inconsistency OF the seasons keep iorethought alive
aud give birth to the useful arts and to the sciences
of obsery alton. The abundance OF resources. the
abscuce OF every obstacle, OF all separation be
tween the different parts OF these vast plains al
low the aggregation of great number OF men
upon one aud tie same space and facilitate the
formation OF those mighty primitive States which
amaze US by the grandeur OF their proportions
l. Ach of them finds upon its own scll ali that j.
necessary brilliant exhibition OF Its resources
We see these nations come rapidly forward and
a al .I
ture of which the temples aud the monuments OF
Egypt and of India and the recently discovered
pa aces of Nineyeh are living and glorious wit
ucsses.
Immediately after the Flood we find Noah and
his sons occupying the extensive plains q! this re-
gion, watered by numerous rivers and bounded by
lofty mountains. IL is impossible to identity the
first habtation of the posterity OF Noah, but the
probability Is that, coming down from the noun
tains Of Armenia they inferred into Mesopotama.
the land OF Shinar. As the population increased,
they scattered IN separate families to the South
and West Ham, the second son OF Noah was The
progenitor of the African race, but his descendants
tor some generations abode also in Asia. His son
Cush becat Nmrod. who is called the mighty
hunter before the Lord His iorays were direct
ed not ouly against wild beasts, but against the
little communities which began 10 be established
as men relinQuished the pastoral Tor agricultural
lie or as they clustered together for mutual sid
and protectiop He succeeded in reducing several
of these communities to a state OF suoJcction, con
sohdatinc them into one kingdom, and substitGt-
ing a monarchlcal government for the simple
pstriarchal form " hich had heretofore existed.
According TO some ancient versions, N'mrod was
"awarlike giant" and q terrible tyrant-s man
of prorcess-the leader of band Of adventurous
and lawless spirits" HIS name, which was prob
ably given BY contemporaries or by pOsterty 10
indicate his character, has passed into proyero.
It's literal signifc stiOn IS, the reoeAlous one or
more intensive, the extremely mplous reoei,
chsracterizing man who had thFewn OIL al re-
straint from ms fellow men snd from God himself
Nlmrod was the first nomad chief that founded
permanent monarchy. He was the Minus oi pro
iaue his;orv-fo- there seems 70 BE- no suihcieut
reason for DISTINGUISHING between the two-a war
nor conqueror, the builder OF cltles ana the
founder OF an empire. In Gen. <, We are tod 'ns'
the b,emmng OF his kingdom was Babel ana
Ers~n and Accad. and Calneh. IN the lAnd OF oN''
az. and them it is added, out Of that land "eh'
forth Asshur. and buiIdeth Nlueveh, and the CIT!
Rehoboth. and Calsh and Resen between Nlne-
veh aud Calah the same IS great city buI u
seems strange that AssluT, g son OF Shcnl, snouo
be thus introduced among the descendants @! nam
whose genealogy Moses IS here giving ana esp,
cialy that an event in the history OF Asshar snoUo
be narrated before the mention OF his orth' wnloh
first occurs ia the enumeration OF the descendants