Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1849-05-18
4 Buried City ReYHaled,

~ Mr. baVnrn new wOrk-'NlneYeh and its
Remans'-Just reproduced by Putnam in New
York. is jnSlly reckoned among the most valua.
bile and interesting publications of our day. To
the author and NJ. Bottles. belongs the honor Of
having discovered the site Of Nineveh. and ol
having cxhuned from the tomb Of ages, the
great and magnifcent metropolis Of the Assyri.
an empire.
The Burden Of Nneveh' was sung by the
prophet Nahum more than 1900 years ago.
On the vas plain of Assyria. on The eastern bank
OF the FgrlS, nearly opposite tho pres mt city Of
MoSnl, stood that exceeding great city of three
days Jnurney.' having a superficial area great.
er than that of BltyIon, the centre of wealth,
of commerce. of power. and Of civilization.
Rnr it persisted. and no trace Of even the place
where il stood has heen found. until The revea.
lions Of Mr. Layard aud Brtes The Indepen-
dent speaking Of The work before US saws:
With what strange emotions do we find our.
selves transported by the graphic pen and pencil
of Mr.. Layard, into the presence Of these mon
umpRts of Il hoarv aud unknown antiquity.
Here we stand in the midst of chamber wall.
ed with marble slabs. sculprured with as-reie(.
porraying bstlles. and seiges, and lriumphs
There is eunuch with beardIeSs and eff .minate
counlenance. waiting upon his rough visaged
sovereign; and here captive perhaps female
suppianl al his feet. These warriors were no
mean race. 0l powerful muscle and stern,
fierce cnuntenance. they are terrible and dread
fu'-rhey shall scott al the they shall deride
every stronghold their arrows are shrrp and
all their bows are bent (Habakkuk.) But
see Here are coIOrs. too. fresh as if Just laid
on by the pencil. though fading on exposure 10
The air; men portrayed upon The wall. The ina
gps Of ChaIdeans portrayed with vermion;
girdIed with girdes upon their lOins. exceeding
IN dyed attire upon their heads. all of them prn-
ces To look TO. aIler the manner of the Babyo.
mans of Chadea. the land of their nalivily.'
Ezekiel xiii, IA l5.) In this quarter fire has
devoured and the stone crumbes the instant we
touch it. And here, at the portals OF this tenn.
ple.paacr are the winged h1Il aud the human
headed lion. illusions To which in the prophetic
writings have so offer p"rplcxed US. As we fol-
low the diggrrs with brealhles interest IN their
excavations, and suddenly fnd ourselves before
massive figure, carved with minute accuracy.
now lifting its gigantic head from the dust of
5000 years, we are ready to cry out with The as.
lonished Arabs, 'Wallah. it is wonderful, but il
is Irue! They have found Nimrod himself! we
have seen him with our ey es. There is no God
but God. This one Of The idols which Noah.
peace be with him! cursed before the food
SAYS Mr.. Layard, i used TO contemplate for
hours these mysterious embems, and muse over
their intent and history. What mure sublime
images could have been borrowed from nature.
by men who sought, unaided by The light Of re-.
vealed religion, 10 embody their conception Of
the wisdom, power and ubiquily Of Supreme
Being! What more noble forms could have
ushurcd the people into the temple Of their de.
liesl They could find no better type of intel.
lect and knowledge than the head Of man Of
q man Of strength, than the body Of the lion;
Of rapidly Of motion than the wings Of the
bird, These winged and human headed lions
were not idle creations, the offsprings of mere
fancy; their meaning was written upon them.
, They had awed and instructed races who -four
ished 5000 years ago. Through the portals
which they guarded, kings, priests and warriors
had bourne sacrifices to their aIIars, long before
the wisdom Of the east had penetrated 10 Greece
aud had furnished its mythology with symbols
long recognized by The Assyrian voIaries. They
may have been unknown, before the foundation
Of the Eternal City. For twenty-five centuries
they had been hidden from the eye Of man, &
they now stand forth once more in their ancien
majesty. But how changed was the scene a
T round them! the luxury and civilization OF &