The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-05-14
From The New Yotk Sunday Time.

1hEOne ana treasures Oh 9af0a4aop0lUEp
Mr.. Layard, the great OFientzlist, is now in As
syria, illustrating the prophecies and establishing
the truth Of Sacred History by the most renarka-
bic discoveries that have ever resulted from anti
quarian research. His last letters to his scientific
friends in England announce the exhumati0n Of
the throne Of Sardanapalus, the last of the Assy-
rian Kings, from the ruins Of his palace at Nimroud
or Nineveh The principal material Of the throne,
Mr.. Layard says, is ivory, the ornaments Of gold
Traces Of the cloth with which il was draped re-
main, and the gold thread with whicE the cloth was
sewn and embroidered is stilkin good state Of pre-
servation although full three thousand years must
have elapsed since the work was exeeutedl ss en
In the same ruin in which The thsone was dis
covered miscellaneous collection Of rich armor,
antique vessels, costly apparel and other treasures
were found, and an English paper says that their
perplexing confusion is perfectly unaecountable.
We do not think so at all. The rulers Of be-
sieged city, preparing 70 escape from its valla,
would naturally heap their treasures together in
this way for the purpose Of bearing them of an OBJ
iect which could hardly be accomplished, however,
if the irruption of the enemy sudden and
overwhelming as the prophecy Of Nahum against
Nineveh would lead Us to suppose. There is yet
another solution OF the difficulty suggested by =
young OrieHtalist, and founded on a passage Of
Diodorus Siculus. Sardanapalus, when the Medes
under Arbaces had entered Nineveh, through z
breach in its walls caused by sudden rise Of the
Euphrates, collected all his valuahles, his vest
ments, his armor his gold and silver vesses etc.,
into one vast funeral pile, the summit Of which
he seated himself with his wives, cOncubines, SER
wants, and ennuehs, and causing the torch beap-
piled, the whole was consumed. Byron's magni6-
cent drama Of +" Sardanapalus,s il will be reeal-
lected, terminates with this grand comp dc thsG-
rs-the poet, however, for the sake of dramatic
effect, representing the only companion Of the mon
arch to have been favorite concubine. The pas
sage from the Roman Historian is given ia ths
following condensed form by an English paper:
Doderus relates that Of the eg1eeh not ye. tined of
ton Co Bsbyonian priest the Of hs kinss
palace might be found enormous tEsaslre The ps;t went
s 5 = md rs%asaF sa S Ss n"n, p I
a % Re Of 4ia a ss bs q Bs hat he
Babyonians victorious he would coneey the ruins the
%ss So be s o q ne d
Nneyeh and landmark 70 those he naygated the
who was deseribed BY Diodorus a. posing noble and
% Se n II bea me r h bp e S
eunueh removed the greater part Of he treasure bHt the
The proceedings Of the priest were Of course
secret and therefore the investigation Of the ruins
could not have been complete as If it had been
| open. This circumstance may account for the
| incougfuous heap Of valuables exhumed by Mr..
/ Layard Assuming the hypothesis to be correct,
| ii will be seen that if the eunuch had mot had SO
strong dislike to the roasting process. Mr. Lsyard
MIGHT by this time have been in possession Of all
| the treasures of Sardanapalns. at --l.,
1t appears that the throne and the articles found
by Mr.. Layard bore no traces OF hre, fact which
seems to contradict the above theory. The palace
| in the ruins Of which they were discovered was,
however, ascertained, beyond al doubt, by the i'm
scriptions and other ndica to have been Of the
palaces Of the luxurious Assyrian although it may
not have been the in which the royal Gatod1fd
look place. 3H
A startling discovery, eon6rmatofy of the truth OF
the book of Jonah, has been made by Mr. Layard.
| In excavating the city Of Nneveh, he discovered
the name Of Jonah inscribed upon the ruins. That
to the people of Nineveh the destruction Of the city.
His eloquence converted many Of them, and God
repented him. of the doom He had pronounced,
and spared the city for that time Jonah then be-
came the prophet Of Nineveh, and was reverenced
| blythe inhabitants. As the Oriental custom,
| they doubtless inscribed his name in conspicuous
places on the walls of the public ediices. and the
| inscriptions engraved by Assyrian hands thou
1 sand years before the Christian era, have been
| found by Mr. Layard. This is one Of the most ex-
traordinary demonstrations Of the accuracy Of bibh-
cal history we have ever heard OF.
As vet we have only seen the beginning o. the
1 end The city of Nineveh has scarcely yet been
i entered and when the excavations sha have been
completed If Mahometan jealousy should ever per-
| nit that consummation may expect Illustrations
of the prophecies that will strike the world with
| Grsat credit IS due to the British government for
the munifcent spirit they have exhiolted in aiding
the labors Of Mr.. Leyard-placing n his command
vessels for the navigation OF the Euphrates, con-
| veying to England the magnificent sculptures
| which he has disentombed and afoFding him every
| facility which money or British authority could
/ secure. We should be glad to see similar spirit
exhibited by the government Of this country in
/ reference 10 American antiquities.
i .-.