New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-12

Lsd NOT . iaDsfd before We were tasting The cool
morning air IN the delight o. race up and down
the shore. Cur olo GUIDE. however, was On his
donkey hett,f.es, and called Us OF 10 our inty.
We nsssed Kooruoh and assembled the eastern
90 ~ tho mountain 10 the tnnbs of the priests
I'D nrivate citizens OF I hebes. For miles along
tho MAINTAIN sloe. one sees nothing but heaps
ri sand and rubbish, with here and there an
Arab hut. built against the face OF tomb, whose
chambers serve as pigeon houses and stalls tor
asses The earth Is filled with fragments OF
,nuurnies and the bandsges IN which they were
wrapved. for even the sancuty Of death l.se'l IS
be,e ne,tber respected by the arabs nor the
Euroneans whom they initiate | cannot con
live me rassion which some travellers nave, OF
carving away withered hands and liz shess legs,
and disfgurInp the ab0des of the dead with theis
insirpifcant names should as soon think OF
carving nv initials Oh the back OF live Arab, as
ON these venerable monuments
The first tomb we entered almost cured us OF
the desire 10 visit another. 1t was that called the
Assssseef built by a wealthy priest, and 1t is the
LARGEST in the Thebes. Its outer court measures
lO3 by 70 feet, and Its passages extend between
eight and nine hundred feet into the mountain
We proped our way between walls as black as
ink. through long, labyrinihine suites OF cham
bers. breathing a death-li like and oppressive odor
The stairways seemed to lead into the bowels
of the earth, and on either hand yawDed pits OF
uncertain Il
vaults rumbed with sound like thunder, ana
hundred of noisome bats, scared by the !ight'
dashed against the walls and dropped at our
feet. We endured this for a little while, but on
reaching the entrance 10 some darker aud deeper
mystery. were so surrounded by the animals,
who struck their filthy wings against our iaceS'
that not for ten kings t0mbs would we nave
gone step further Ny inehd was Oh ane , PUh'
but persuaded him to wait till we had seen
that OF Amunoph. | followed the guide, VINO
enticed me by hatterng promises into grea.
many snake-like holes, and when he was urea
with crawling In the dust, sent one OF our water
carriers in advance, who dragged me IN ana out
by the heels The private tombs are AL inter
esting. and exhibit great variety In the char
acteI of their paintings. The one marked NO.
35, which we entered through an Arab novel,
contains a corridor about sixty feet III length
and twenty in hight, the walls OF whlch are
covered with figures, most admirably designed
and executed. Here the different nations OF the
earth are represented, with as faiIhiul hand
as in Belzonis tomb, and the pecullarltes OF
feature. complexion and expression are as
strongly marked as at the present day. La the
outer court is procession of persons Leading
variety of animals among which are the ele-
phapt. the giraffe and the ostrich We built a
fire of corn.stalks in the center of the corridor,
and brought out the dim figures on the wall In
the full glow of their vivid colorlng. Inc Arab
occupant of the tomb was very mnch lncensed
at this, but we quoted him with backshish and
epioved for sometime the marvellous effect we
had produced.
The temple of Medeenet Abou is almost con-
ceaed by the ruins of Coptic village,
among which 1t stands, and by which 1t Is par
italy buried. The outer court, pylon and nam
hall of the smaller temple rise above the mounds
and overlook the plain OF Thebes, but scarcely
satisfy the expectation OF the traveller, as ne
approaches. You first enter an Enclosure sur
rounded by a low stone wall, and standing In
advance of the pylon The back wall, facing
the entrance, contains two single pillars, with
ell.shaped capitals, which rise above II and
stand like guards before the doorway oil the
pylon. Here was another enigma Tor us. VINO
among modern architects would dare TO plant
two single pillars before pyramldai gateway
of solid masonry and then inclose them IN
plain wall, rising to half their hight Yet here
the symmetry OF the shafts Is not injured oy the
wall in which they stand, nor oppressed by the
ponderous bulk OF the pylon. On the contrary,
the light columns and spreading capitals, like
tuft Of wild roses hanging from the crevlce OF
rock, brighten the rude strength OF the masses
of stone with a CLEAN Of singular loneliness.
What would otherwise only impress you by It's
size now endears itself to you by It's beauty.
Is this the effect of chance, or the result OF a
finer art than that which fourlshes In our day !
l will not pretend to determine, but must con.
fess that Egypt, from whose RUNS had awaited
only a sort Of barbaric grandeur, has given me
new insight into that vital Beauty which is the
soul of true Art.
We devoted little time to the ruined court and
sanctuaries which follow the pylon, and 10 the
lodges of the main temple, standing beside them
like watch towers, three stories in hight. The
majestic pyon of the great temple OF Remeses
iii rose behind them, out of heaps OF pottery
and unburnt bricks, and the colossal hgure OF
the monarch in his car, borne by two horses into
the midst of the routed enemy, attracted us from
distance. We followed the exterior wall OF
the temple, for It's whole length OF more than
eco feet reading the sculptured history OF his
conGuests The entire outer wall OF the temple
presents series Of gigantic cartoons, cut IN the
blocks of sandstone, OF which 1t Is built. Rene
res is always the central figure, distinguished
from subjects and foes no less by his superior
stature than by the royal emblems which &C
company him. Here we see heralds sounding
the trumpet in advance Of his car, while his
troops pass in review before him there, with
lion walking by his side, he sets out on his work
of conquest His soldiers storm town, and
we see them climbing the wall with ladders
while a desperate hand-to-h hand conflict is going
on below In another place, he has anghted
from his chariot and stands with his loot on the
neck of slaughtered king. Again, MS vessels
attack hostile navy on the sea. One OF the
foreign Draft becomes entangled and is capslzed,
yet while his spearmen hurl their weapons
among the dismayed enemy, the sailors rescue
those who are struggling m the Hood. After
we have passed through these strange ana stir
ring pictures, we find the monarch rsposng on
his throne, while his soldiers deposit before
him the hands of the slaughtered and his scnbes
present to him lists of their numbers ana his
generals lead to him long professions Of fettered
captives. Again, he is represented as offering
a group OF subject kings to Amun, the lheban
Jupiter, who says to him: go, my cherished
and chosen, make war on foreign nations, be-
siege their forts ard carry of their people to live
as captives." On the front wall, he holds In has
grasp the hands Of dozen mona,chs, while with
the other hand he raised his sword to destroy
them. Their faces express the very extreme OF
grief and misery, but he is cold and calm as
Eato itsalf