Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-05-13
Che Dailp Direinian.
Visit TO the Pyramids.

l. y ~ " III yam lIep't VI 'he GNtHiHR L oht,
rs Journeying in the East. From an exceed.
ingly interesting letter, published in that paper
we copy the following account of Mr.. Bry.
ants visit to the pyramids:
1t is almost the first business oftravellers in
Egypi to visit the pyramids Of Ghzeh, and we
made II ours but do not suppose that am
going to weary you with description of them.
We sci out on one OF the glorious winter days
OF Egypt. with one eyed dragoman at the
head of liltle train brandishing long stick
and aitired in costume, which, though con
sderably The worse for wear was very
Snowy at little distance Three brown Ara b
boys, in blue shirts and close fitting dirty
white caps, came trotting and screaming after
US to urge on the donkeys We rode. For two
or three miles We kept along the Nile, among
trees and gardens, and then crossing to the
west bank in boat manned by three men, one
OF whom, fine looking Arab, in single gar
ment Of coarse white linen, handled the sail,
and his two companions the oars. As they
rowed, one sang God is great" to which the
other responded God. give me strength. =
Arriving on the other side, we rode through a
village, where The dogs barked at US fercely
from the top OF the mud cottages, and the dir
ty inhabitants squattlng by the way, clamored
Tor backshish, as we appeared, the children
running after u.s.
We passed through palm grove where tur.
tie doves were flying about. and The hoepee, a
bird OF beautifully speckIed plumage descen
ded IN search ofits food close TO our path, and
then struck out upon the fields where the pen
SAINT women and children were watching their
camels and buffaloes, tethered and grazing a
mong the clover and nerva hevagrass. We
came at length to where an ancient canal, now
a broad hollow with little water in it,wound
along not far from the western edge ofthe fertile
country. A score of Arabs. Bedouins from
neighboring village, came upon us, prepared
to carry US over on their shoulders. could
not but admire the fine figures of these men,
with their muscular, shapely limbs, uniting
strength with lightness,and their striking coun
tcnances. A sculptor could not find better
,Aodel, as it seemed to me, ,lor the perfection Of
the human form. Throwing off their upper
garments, and fastening theirlower ones consid
erably above the waist; two Of these strappng
fellows lifted me up by the legs, while sup.
ported myself by the hands on their shoulders.
and in this way waded with US through the
mud and water. The others were carried o.
yer in the same manner, as well as gentleman
and lady who had come up with US just as we
were about to cross
We Were soon on the bare sands, ascending
gradually to the range OF rocks sklring the
desert, on the brow of which the pyramids are
placed. Ofcourse we climbed TO the top of the
great pyramid "Ifyon no go up, what for
you come to pyramid p asked one the Arabs
who spoke little English aud the question
seemed to me very pertinent one. From
the summit OF this vast pile of hewn stones.
which would cover all Washington Park with
its base. we looked over the green Delta,
stretching forth, with dark groves spotting in
like broad shadows of clouds. To the west Of
US as The Lybian desert, a waste of rocky
hilltops and sandy holows TO the north rose
the SUBMITS Of pyramid after pyramid, and
eastward lay Cairo, below the pinnacles OF the
mosque OF Mehemet Ali, beyond which CLEANS
the white edge of another desert.
As | stood amidst the pyramids. where, all
around, the skirts of the desert are one vast
cemetery, full Of tombs and mummy pits, ard
remains OF otpyramids of small size, could moi
but wonder that there should ever have arisen
any doubt as to the design of these immense
structures. They were meant as monuments Of
the dead, and In my opinion nothing mora.
They are the same In shape as some OF the
smaller monuments, and no more exceed then
in size than the kings to whose bones they
were erected exoeled in power and riches
the most distinguished of their subjects
A day or two afterwards we visited the
pyramids of Sakkara, lying to the north ct
those OF Chizeh We had letter to M. Mar
iette, who is here employed by the French
Government in making excavations among the
tombs ard other remains OF The ancient GENE
terry OF Memphis. He received usvery politely,
and ordered the tomb of Apis to be lighted up
for US: We descended into the rocks by All
inclined passage leading from portral craven
with numerous hieroglyphics. A gallery Of
about four hunlred feet in length lay before US
regularly archcd overhead, with chambers,at IN
tervals on each side the floor Of which was about
five #. below that of the gallery. Each OF these
chambers contained its sarcophagus OF black
or gray granite, exquisitely polished, about
twelve feet, in length ten in height. and seven
in width. They were covered with hero.
glyphic characters On each lay massive ND
OF the same material. weighing tons, which