The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-05-07

MIR Wild has directed our thoughts back 10 times OF
great antiquity and land peculiarly interesting Our
attention been specially drawn 10 those gigantic
uments which seem beacons warning US lest IN our
pride OF learning and civilization we should forget that
our days are hceting and our inquest aAnens Hansi'
Few questions have been more difficult TO answer
than those which have been aud anon proposed re-
specng the uses OF the pyramids. II Is matter com
parayey OF less Importance who built them than II is
Tor what purposes they were erected Whe heiodo-
and other ancient writer's tell oil Iheops and ms
successors even in the historical accounts transmitted TO
US the mind turns with dissatisfaction IRON The IN
qiry. who raised the smallest OF the three az Gihen
II Cornlh had Las, Egypt had RhodoPe 'iiac SUM
pyranidum mir acua," says Pllny "supIemumquc liuu
ne qus regum opus, mrelur mIninam ex MS sed Tau
dalissimain, Rhodope merercula iactam
The OF The pyramids appear TO have been thIee'
fold, although ancient writers speak oil then ohiy Dr.
sepulchres. Plato, however, mentions Their having
served gnomons That besides The purpose Of sepul-
they used by the priesthood IN Their religious
rles be little oubt and as IN those days the
priests were the learned only IN lbeH special voca
on but in the sciences, there Is as e reason 10 doubt
that these monuments bore certain relation 10 as'foho
N.Y. Apart IRON p1fna face evidence, the calculations
which been recently made appear TO demonstrate
this opinion; and in presenting abstract OF these com.
pulaons we have to ackno Wedge The letter already re-
ferred to-
The pyramids of Gizeh. nearly opposite Cairo, are
raised upon OF terrace OF limestone, OF which The
l., ban mountains are composed ihey are me chel OF
all the pyramids and OF those standing three claim pre-
emnence. The largest, or the Great Pyramid, was me
first erected and the others situated near H. In some
respects they all equally interesting Tor each confirms
the opinion that their design was made suDsefvieht
great scientific purpose and that their geographical posi-
ton determined to this end their relative poportons
The first astronomical truth which flows out OF an ex
animation OF these works the fact that the eas axis
has not changed since they were erected ms day
the four cardinal points indicated By their sides Let
examine what other scientific laws appear 70 nave
guided in their formation.
Suppose draw vertical section Of any one OF them,
the Inquire will be isosceles triangle. Now, 1t IS IN
eresting to observe that the angle OF inclination OF the
IN tna ha "A
allows the northern side TO be Illuminated by me suns
direct beams between The spring and au'nmnal equnoxes
the first impact OF the solar rays upon that aspect being
The day from which the Egyptians computed the com
mencemenl Of their year. The pyramids Of Gizeh sua-
ted in north Ia tude 80 deg required Tor this end that the
angle should be 80 deg, or half the complement OF a
quadrant and II Is so,
In this somewhat elementary inquiry we thus 6nd two
grand OF the pyamds-he indication OF the cardi-
nal points, with the deduction OF the stability OF The
earts axis, and the index the o! the
solar year But these ALL IL necessary that
the meridian should be accurately determined; and much
the way watch the transit OF star across
the wires OF the telescope do the Egyptians appear 10
have made the observation. The star nearest to the pole
the most likely TO be chosen, and II is IN the
northern side OF the pyramids that we find the en-
trance.
A mere entrance. however, not sufficient. 1t
necessary that the passage should incline like the
axis OF equatorial telescope or the axis OF the earth
and in the pyramids examined this is the arrangement
folio yedhe inclination of the entrance passages OF the
largest being respectively 26 deg min, Is deg So min,
~
important that should be brought forward in conDtx-
ion with others.
This angle j. interesting in its bearing upon a fact
pointed by Sir John Hersche Tie star which to us
10 the pole "a Urse Minores) not the
pole star 10 the Egyptians; and THIS arises from what Is
termed The procession OF The equ,noxes-an apparent mo.
ton the stars, slow but Granting that nearly 900
years have passed since these mighty structures were be-
gum the influence OF this change would be very decided
alteration the Longitude OF the polar star The largest
in the constellation Draco though by no means very
bright one a. qual TO third magntuds,) would then APP
poach nearest to that spot round which the starry sphere
seemed iurn aud then It's polar distance would
equal deg 81 min Is sec. Deducng this angle from
the latitude OF Gizehvz 30 deg SO min Is sec.we find
that the star in question mu-t then have reached IFS lower
elimination al angle OF 81 deg. mn.-an angle which
would enable observer within the pyramids TO watch
It's transit OF the entrance.
We come now TO consider another astronomical fact
which may be proved by direct experiment, extending,
however, over heightened period We refer 10 the
change which Is taking place IN the oblquity OF the
eclplc That this angle has been diminishing is proved
by the observations handed down from the earliest
epochs and, making all allowance for the mperecon
OF instruments IN these days, certain degree OF credit
must be attached TO the results transmitted to Frat.
osthenes mentions that the obquiy OF the eclpc two
centuries before the Christian amounted 10 % deg 81
min. IS and quarter OF century ago Dr. Pearson
computed at % deg ~ min ~ -ec Reducing thus 10
annual rate. Nader estimates the retrogaiaton
OF the tropic al 0475S sec-an extremely small, yet
important quantity; and this angle reckoned the merd
ian is equal TO or very nearly is English eet
- Egyptian cubs. The importance OF this fact IN its
bearing upon the astronomical uses OF the pyramids will
be Immediately perceived.
By most happy circumstance, an Egyptian cubit
discovered in the temple runs of Memphis, aud this has
thrown much light UPON the measurements OF those
cient monuments. This cubil, which is divided into rs
equal pafs, measures exactly lib English feet and IL
little interesting 10 observe that this length null
uplsd by 2s gives exactly the merdona yearly relroga
dallou referred TO-
This rerogr esson OF the tropics amounting TO 2s
bits annually is of course equal TO IA IN the half year
and the entrance the Great rand is exactly IA cub,s
the eastward OF the mesia e OF the northern aspect
the of the longer division OF the base the
shorter being consequently 2S cubis and the entire leagb
AS eubits
Descending the entrance passage, we come TO another
leading the chambers the inclination Of which amounts
10 &c deg is mia. Mr.. Wild has pointed out that this
difference between the angles of these passages-vz %
minis equal to the dminuuon OF the eclptic during
period Of 2 900 years We cannot however, understand
why this number should have been chosen rather than
$4,000, which would have been very nearly submulu.
pie OF the grand <poch when the complete circle OF the
procession OF the equinoxes shall have been completed
So far iben the relation between the angles OF these
sages may lot be astronomical ~ mbol
The two lesser py rsmids appear 10 have served an
equally important purpose. They monuments de-
monstralng by their dimensions, as powerfully as II IL
written upon hem in characters that the Egyptians
understood the rerop radiation OF the ascendant node OF
the equator in the ecliptc.
The entrance 10 the second pyramid lies asa cubts 10
the eastward OF the meria line and, allowing day for
cubt, II will be found that in tweaty five days and hall
this node has refrigerated 2O6 cubs 10 the equator,
half the length OF the base OF the second pyramid and
the epte length OF that vi the third pyramid for The
ond is twice the length OF the hrd.
The position OF the entrance OF the third pyramid il
some distance to The eastward giving excess Of 81
cubs 10 the larger portions OF the base and as in the
former case, allowing day for cub the retrog ada
ton during fyone days is equal TO Ala cubits, or the