The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-04-12

lated 10 endange it, Let him be assured that his
would only lay The train to fire and explode the building
nr. Giiddons Second Lecture.
The second lecture Oft last night, and under more
favorable circumstances The weather was finer, the
night charming, the audience more crowded, and
the lecturer himself finer feather We favored with
the following sketch OF this interesting lecture;
Having established in his first discourse (reported in our
columns of Fnday) the place which Egypt now occupies in
the worlds history according to the archaeological prin
cipes endorsed by the most distinguished OF Egyptian
,svans in the year 1851. Mr. Giddon commenced last
evenings lecture by pointing out and explaining the
enormous array of illustrations to elucidate the pyramids
&c.. suspended round the walls. which formed beaul-
full and singular coup DIAL. dwelling at first on the
great pyramid-one of the 81 tombs OF ante Abrahamc
soyereiKns who ruled over Memphis far back
as the third dynasty, upwards OF $500 years ago.
1t has been ascertaned that this enormous structure
covers more than thirteen of ground at the base,
and that the masonry before the smooth outer casing
was partially destroyed by the Arabs, between the 18th
and 10th centuries of measured nearly
cubic feet and weighed s4s, 900 tons Even now, alter
the ravages of five thousand years, it embraces
than soo000oO cubic feet of masonry, weighing consld
eraby more than 100000 tons Its original height was
$50 feet No doubt exists that it was the tomb of the
monarch whom the Greeks call Cheops. who belonged
the fourth Memphis dynasty, and lived died. and was
buried in it about B. c. 5000 years His hieogyphcal
name (Shoopho found in the interior by Col Vyse
and facsimile Of the inscription was shown 10 US from
the gre al Prussian work, together with copy OF his
golden sIgnet.
One fact connected with this extraordinary structure
which, if it converted into brick. would furnish
enough Of that material to build the whole city OF Phia
depha and still leave granite sufficient 10 face all the
public edfcess, that the chambers and galleries cut in
il are only one-sxeen hundredh part OF the whole
Yet it is but one tomb out of 81 similar, OF all Sizes
angling from about 60 to $50 feet high, a minimum
a nd maximum The lecturer gave accounts of the
grea, distance whence some materials had been brought
the granite GAO miles, the white limestone about is,
the Nile.
II was shown how nothing about the pyramids was
certain until ls25-le until Col Vyse explored 80 Of
them in ls37-40 which brought to Lepsiuss discov-
cries among these monuments in 1S43. He ascertaned
that % pyramids had been overlooked by preceding
ayelers-ihe supestrucures having been carried away
by the Arabs. &c.. long ago.
Mr. Giddon explained the process Of building the
pyramids upon black board (see his Ota page a2a30
Of the monarchs reign We do not dwell upon this SIM
pie but most important law of construction, because the
woodcu, on Mr.. Gibbons programmes explains the
method Lepsus established thereby that large pyramids
are the tombs OF kings who lived long ,me-sma
OF those whose reigns short DR.. Lepsus discov
cred the sites of twenty EIGHT pyramids which. added TO
the hiry-n explored by vyse, make sixty seven
all ,ombs OF kings who had reigned and been gathered
r.. haEo. ,h,,sa xy,s;,f NJ
G. explained the reason why the Penta,euch makes no
mention oil them The Arabs, who born the spot
If asked who bull, them, get rid OF the question by
.wering SATAN In the mind OF the modern Arab the
pyramids excite no emotion for he is accustomed to the
sight of them and So no doubt il with the Israel
ties Yet Job I'll. l4) probably aludes to the word pys-
mid in the Hebrew tex, where our version has "deso
late places"
The ancient burial ground Of Memphis, 22 miles in
LENGTH came next under review. The details were most
curious The regal pyramids which lie on this space,
and were the last resting places Of monarchs, are sur
rounded each by its separate system OF private ndi-
vduals tombs In these tombs buried the house
hold OF the king the nobility OF those ancient days-a
succession OF generations existing long before Abraham
extending backwards for 500 years. from the 22i
fury before the Christian era II clearly shown
ha, the sand which exists along the brow OF the
Lbyan hills on which stand the pyramids, is the
mutation OF the last 1900 years, and tina, there was
little or none in the primitive ages OF which he was
treating.
But the most interesting portion OF the lecture TO
us wa. the explanation of one hundred and thirty
private tombs opened by Lepsius in the year lsa3,
most OF them belonging to the fourth hfih and sixth
dyaastes ranging from 2s TO "a centuries b. T. These
,ombs contain complete histories OF their occupants. with
infinite pictorial details of these antique Egyptians lives
and tDes-sometimes for six successive generations
great grandfather grandfather, father grandson
and great gra ndson. Mr. Gddon exhibited copy made
by Lepsus of scene in the oldest tomb known 10 exist
in the world, and now. with three others OF century
later. built into the of Berlin, Il is tina, OF a
royal prince of the third dynasty, $500 years c. HE'S
represented his leopard skin robes embematca OF the
priesthood and is the centre OF group Of seris and de-
pendants from whom he is receiving the renrol OF his
estates 1t is beautifully coored From stamps which
were taken from the tombs carried by Lepsus to Berlin
and exhibited by Mr. Gliddon there remains no doubt
that the Egyptians in conformation genuine eau
eaan race and that they, and other nation, built the
pyramids Specimens of the limestone OF which these
monuments are constructed, and OF the granite which
line. them 1.-THE latter brought down the Nile GAO mles)
were exhibited Among the former was fragment of
the altar found by Mr. Perrng at the brick pyramid OF
the date OF which in the third dynasty, 5000
n. .,n in tory pltnfn pppls