Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-01-23
nlisrcllaucous.
DR.. Layard's Researches in MINI
roud

rOud.
DR.. Layard summoned the kings and PEG.
pie of Nlneyeh through three thousand years
TO give their testimony against the skep-
tics of our age, in support of the divine rev.
aaiion He has been eninently successful
ia his excavations, aud has recently sent TO
London, as an addition to his former large
collection of relics of antiquity in the British
Museum, several very important pieces of
sculpture. Among them is a winged hui
. man-headcd lion, and a winged haman-head-
ed bull, sculpture in relief upon slabs. Oh
the latter, the Illustrated London News
says
"This animal would seem to bear some
analogy 10 the Egyptian sphynx, which rep
resents the head of the king upon the body
of the lion, and is held by some to be typl-
cal of the union OF intellectual power with
physical strength. The sphinx OF The e.
gyp,lans, however, is invariably sitting,
whereas the Nimroud figure is always repre-
scuted standing The apparent resem-
blance being so great, it is at least worthy
of consideration whether the head on the
winged animals of the Nineyites may not be
that Of the king, aud the intention identical
with that Of the sphynN; though we think it
more probable that there is no such connec-
ton, aud that the intention ofthe Nlnevites
was to typily their God under the common
emblens of intelligence, strength and swift
ness, as siguihed by the additional attributes
of,hc Bird
There is an inscription on the slab CON
tanning the lion, but II has not as yet been de-
ciphercd. That most acute antIquary, Ma
jor Re- vlinson, in an article in relation To
The di. coyeries which are now making IN
Asia, says:
" We have every prospect Of most I'M
portant accession to our materials, for every
letter get from the countries now being
explored announces fresh discoveries of the
utmost Importance. In Lower Chaldea,
Mr. LOTUS, the geologist to the commission
appointed TO fix the boundaries between
Turkey and Persia, has visited many cities
which no Europeanhad ever reached before,
and has everywhere found the most extraor-
diuary remains AT one place (Senkereh)
he had come on apayement, extending from
half an acre to an acre.. entirely covered
with writing, which was engraved upon
bakedti tiles, etc.
al Warka Cor Ur Of the Chaldees)
whence Abraham came out, he had found in
Vulnerable inscriptions; they were of ne
great extent, but they were exceedingly in
feresting, giving many royal namss previous
ly unknown Wurka (Ur OF Orchoe, seem
ed to be holy city, for the whole country
for niles upon miles, was nothing but O
huge metropolis In none of the excava
lions of Assyria had ever been found, but II
- ll..l,la, Il.
upon thousands. The story of Abraham's
birth at Wurka did not originate with the
Arabs, as had sometimes been conIectured
but with the Jews; and the Orentals hat
nunhefless fables about Abraham aud MIN
roud
4" Mr Layard in excavat.ng beneath ih'
great pyramid at Nimroud had penetrated
mass Of masonry. in which he had discoy
cred the topb of Sadanapalus, accompan
led by full annals of the monarch's reigr
engraved on the walls He had also founc
tablets of all sorts, and all OF them being his
torical; but the GROWING discovery he ha'
yet 10 describe. The palace Of Nineyeh
or koynuplh, had evidently been deslroye,
by FIRE, but one portion ofthe building seem
ed TO have escaped its influence aud Mr.
Layard, in excavaiing this part ofthe palace
had found large room with what appeare,
10 be the archives of the empire, which
were ranged in successive tablets of teri,
Gotta. the writings being as perfect as whei
the tablets were first stamped. They wer,
piled IN huge heaps from the floor TO tn
ceiling.
g From the progress already made i
reading the inscriptions, Il believe we shall b
able pretty well TO understand the conten,
Of these tablets at all events, we shall a.
certain their general purport, and thus gan
much valuable information. A passag
might be remembered in the book Of Ezr
where the Jews, having been disturbed i
building the Temple, prayed that scare
might be made in the house of records 70
the edlct of Cyrus permitting them TO re
turn 10 Jerusalem The chamber recent
found there might be presumed to be III
house of the Assyriau kings, where copit
Of the royal edicts were daily deposited
When these tablets have been examined an
decphered, believe that we shall have
better acquaintance with the history, N
religion, the philosophy aud jurisprudence ,
Assyria, 1900 years before the Christian er;
thaa we have Of Greece or Rome durin
any period of their respective histories"