The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1852-01-22

THE SEW Nm WONDERS or THE WORLD
The following description of the Sew,
en- Ancisht Wonders Of the world, is from
an old buok priDted in 1886
The fret ancient wander ofthe world was
the Walls of Babylon. the ca 'ital Of the
ancient Kingdnm Of BaLylonia in Chal.
Iea. said To be built by Queen Semiramis.
mother of Minus; but ST. Augusline aud
Josephus say they were built by Nimrod,
who built the Tower of Babel The
city was surrounded with a quadrangle
with walls eighty feet in Thickness. Three
hundred aud fifty in height Il sixty Eng
lish miles. or four hundIed and eighty
furlongs in compass, each side an exact
square of fifteen miles in length, built
with lime and cement, which bound 10.
gelher like pitch or glue. and grew solid
by time. Six chariu,s could drive abreast
on The top. This wall was'encompassed
with vast ditch filed with water aud lin
ed with biicks.--There were one hun
dred gates round the wall. twenty. 6ve on
each side, oil of solid brass, between
every two gates were three towers. aud
four mure at the fur cnrLers of the great
square, aad three between each of these
cnrners, aud each nf these corners, and
each of these towers was ten feet highet
than the walls; in oil there were two hun
dred aud fifty tnwers. Three hundred
thousand men we're employed upon them
daily. Added to this, ancient historians
tell us Of the hanging gardens. built up
nn arches aud towers. wherein grew
rrees of great height; it was square Of
four hundred feet nn each side, ard con
sisling of terraces one ahhve another, as
high as the wall of the city;the ascent from
terrace to terrace was by step ten feet
wide. and was strengthened by wal
surrounding it un every side. twenty two
feet thick; and The floors IN each of them
were laid in order: first ON the tops Of the
arches, bed or pavement Of stones six
teen feet long and four feet broad; over
this layer ofreed mixed with earth; over
this tw0 courses nf brick; and then thick
sheets of lead. and On these the earth nr
mould. which was so deep as TO give rool
to the largest trees. Upperm"st of these
terraces was reservoir supplied by an
engine with water from The Euphrates,
This vas, city fell Ia decay soon after
Cyrus removed the seat Of his empire Ia
Shushan.
The second wonder was the Colossus oI
Rhodes, il was the static nr figure of a
man dedicated To the sun or Jupiter; il
was buill Of brass, seventy cuhils iu height,
and was twelve years in building. and fin
ished by Cares. a scholar Uf Lysippus.
It stood fitty.sx yeats, when it was
thrown down by an earthquake: in which
state il remained ill tho year A. ID. 272.
in the time of Pope Mratin the first. when
the Sarcens t0nk possession of the ls
land; they sold The metal To Jew, who
loaded nine hundred camels with it. IL
was built in such manner as to stand a.
stride the entrance of the harbor. that
ships might sail between its legs full fifty
feet asunder; a stair case was built up
inside of il; and in The right hand, which
il held out, was a basin ur dish To hold lire,
fingers on the hand were so large that
the stoutest man could scarcely clasp
them round.
The third ancient wonder was the Pyr.
amids oi Egypt. three of which stand be-
tween the city Of Memphis (now Cairo)
aud Delta. IL is related by PIiny and
Others, llat the bnilding of the largest
employed continually 364 900 men for
twenty years; that $50, 900 crowns were
paid for gaIlic, unions and nlher roots To
sustain the multitude. The foundation
stones "f the principal pyramid. we are
inf"rmed by Pompoui"us MaIa. were oi
marble aud lhuy feet iu size. On the
outside of this pyramid there is an ascent
by steps, which at the bottom are four
feet IL height. aud three broad. but the
higher they 60. they gradually diminish;
being so contIived that n straight liue.
stretched from any part "f the base lo
the top. would tnuch the edge of every
step. The breadth aud depth ofevery
step is one entire stone; several Of them
are thirty feet in length aud the number
Of the steps 207. The inside of the ryr-
amids have been but little explored, aud
indeed .thei, magnificent chambers, wher.
ever opened. .sn snou fill with bats and rep
tiles, that it is unpIe asant To re main with.
~ them but a short time. Sufficient can
be seen, however, to fill the traveller with
a vast idea of grandeur, no can never
experience elsewhere. The largest pyr
amid covered 22 acres. aud is supposed
To have belnrged to Cheops, king of
Egypt, the interior being lined with the
richest marble ur pophyry,and one Of the
chambers containing huge hollow mar.
bio tomb which when hammered upon
sounds like bell. and 10 81 constructed
that The most skilu artists aud mechan.
les have hitherto failed to discover any
lid or opening Ia it. An echo started in
The passage, is noted by travellers TO have
an extraordinary effecI; it being carried
along the distant passages ,n the centre
OF the pyramid. aud moi finding its way
out, il rebounds upon itself, causing con.
fused sounds, and strange circulation Of
air. which gradually lessons and dies a.
wHy, as the m'hinn ceases.
The fourth wonder is the Mansoleum,
built by A,temsia. wife of Mansolus.
king 0t Cairo. province of Greater