New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-06-12

opposite, the ruined palaces OF the old Shygheean
Kings and the mud and stone novels Of modern
Meroe rose in picturesque piles above the river
bank aid below the red sandstone bluffs Of the
Nubian Desert, which Overhung them and poured
the sand through deep rents and assures upon
Their very roofs. The mosque, with tall circu-
lar minaret, stood embowered in n garden Of date
palms, under one OF the highest bluffs. Up the
rVer, which stretched glittering into the distance
the forest Of trees shut out the view Of the desert
except Djebsl Berkel, which stood high and grand
above them, the morning painting its surface with
red lights and purple shadows. Over the misty
horizon Of the river sing lie conical peak, far
away. The sky was a pale, sleepy blue, and all
that saw seemed beautiful ream-pictures-eve-
rywhere grace, beauty, spendOr of cOloring,
stepped in Elysian repose Ii is impossible to de-
scribe the glory of that passage across the river
1t paid me for all the hardships of the desert.
When We touched the other shore and mounted
the little donkeys we had taken across with US,
the ideal character OF the scene disappeared, but
left reality picturesque and poetic enough. The
beastswere without brides, and were only furnished
with small wooden saddles, without girths or STIR
rups. One was obliged to keep his poise, and leave
the rest to the donkey, who, however suffered him
self to be guided by striking the side of his neck
We rode under cluster of ruined stone building,
one Of which occupied considerable space, rising
pam-lke, to the hight Of thirty feet. The Shekh
informed me that it had been the palace of a
Shygheean king before the Turks got possession
Of the country. 1t is wholly dilapidated but
~.
lings which surround it. These clusters of shat
tered buildings extend for more than mile along
the river, and are all now knO an Meroe. Our
road led between fields of ripening wheat, rolling
in green pillows before the breeze one side, and
on the other. not more than three wards distant,
the bare sandstone walls OF the desert, where a
blade of gIass never grew. Over the wheat along
the bank of the Nile rose a long forest of palms,
so thickly ranged that the eye could scarcely PEN
citrate their dense, cool shade while on the other
hand the glarng sand-hlls showed their burning
shoulders above the bluffs. 1t was a most violent
contrast, and yet withal, there was certain har-
mony in these opposite features. At the end of
the town we came to a sort ofguard-house, shaded
by two sycamores. A single soldier was in at
to do, as he Immediately caught his donkey and
rode with us to Djebel Berkel.
We now approached the mountain, which Is be-
tween three and four miles from the town. Ii rises
from out the sands of the Nubian Desert, to the
hight of five hundred feet, presenting front COM
pletely perpendicular toward the river. 1t is mac
cessble on oil sides except the north, which in one
place has an inclinat on of 45o. Its SCARED and
shattered walls of make sandstone stand up stern
and sublime in the midst of the hot and anguid
landscape. As we approached, group of pyra-
mids appeared on the brow of u sand-h to the
left, and discerned at the base of the mountain
several isolated pillars, the stone-pies of ruined
pylons, and other remains of temples. The first
we reached is at the southeastern corner of the
mountain. Amid heaps of sandstone blocks and
disioin Ied segmcnts of pillars five columns of an
exceedingly old form still point out the court of
a temple, whose adyta are hewn within the noun
tain. They are not more than ten feet high and
three in diameter, circular and without capital or
abacus. unless larger block, rudely scuptured
with the outlines of TyphOn-head, may be con-
sidered as such. The doorway is hurled down
and defaced but the cartouches of kings may still
be traced on the fragments There are three
chambers in the rock the walls of which COW
cred with sculptures for the most part represent
ing the Egyptian diynities. The temple was
probably dedicated to Typhon, or the Evil Princi
ple. as one of the columns is still faced with a
caryatid of the short, Pump bg-mOuthed and
bat cared figure, which elsewhere represents him.
Over the entrance is the sacred-winged globe, and
the ceiling shows tie marks of brilliant cOloring
The temple is not remarkable for its architecture,
and can only be interesting in an antiquarian point
of view. Ii bears some resemblance in its general
style to the Temple palace of Kooneh, at Thebes
The eastern base of the mountain, which fronts
the Nile. is strewn with hewn blocks fragments of
capitals, immense masses of dark bluish-gray
granite, and other remains, which prove that
large and magnificent temple once stood there.
The excavations made by Lepsus and others have
uncovered the substuctions sufficiently to show the
general plan of two buildings. The main temple
was at the northeastern corner of the mountain,
under the highest point Of its perpendicular crags.
The remains of the small propylons stand in adj
vance about two hundred wards from the rock,
going toward which, YOU climb the mound formed
bv the ruins of large pylon, OF the foot of which
are two colossal ram-headed sphinxes Of blue
granite buried to their necks in the sand. Beyond
this is portico and pillared court, followed by
other courts and labyrnths of chambers. Several
large blocks Of granite all more or less broken and
defaced. lie on the surface or half quarried from
the rubbish. They are very finely polished and
o,+oin 6oures of kings evidently arranged I'm
genealogical order, each accompanied with his
name. The Sbekh had great deal to tell me of
the Franks, who dug up all the place, and set the
people to work at hauling away the lions and
r.ms, which they carried off in ships. looked in
vain for the celebrated pedestal it has probably
Iecoms the spoil of Lepsius.
While taking sketch Of the mountain from the
eastern side, | found the heat almost nsuppert-
able. The Shekh looked over my shoulder all the