Washington telegraph., 1853-06-22
Visit to the Pyramids.

Visit to the Pyramids.
w C. Bryant, Esq, of the Evening Post" is
journeying in the east From an exceedingly in
teresting letter published in that paper, we copy
the following account of Mr.. Bryants visit to the
Pyramids:
1t is almost the first business of travellers in
Egypt to visit the pyramids of Ghizeh, and we
made it ours; but do not suppose that | am going
TO weary you with description of them. We
set out of the glorious winter days of Egypt,
with one-eyed dragoman at the head of our lit
tie train. brandishing long stick and attired in
costume, which though considerably the worse
for wear, was very snowy at little distance
Three brown Arab boys in blue Shirts and close
fitting dirty white caps, came trottng and scream
ing after US to urge on the donkeys we rode. For
two three miles we kept along the Nile among
trees and gardens; and then crossed to the west
bank in a boat manned by three men, one OF
whom, fine looking Arab, in single garment of
coarse white linen handled the sail, and his two
companions the oars. As they rowed, one sang,
"God is great,u to which the other responded,
"God give me strength" Arriving on the other
side we rode through a village, where the dogs
barked at freely from the tops of the mud cot
tages and the dirty inhabitants, squatting by the
way clamored for bacashish, we appeared, the
children running after us.
We passed through palm grove where turtle
doves were flying about, and the hoe pee bird
of beautiful speckled plumage, descended in
search OF its food close to path and then struck
children We're watching their camels and buifa-
loes tethered and grazing among the clover and
nerva helvagrass. We came at length to where
an ancient canal, now broad hollow with little
water in it, wound along not far from the western
edge of the fertile country. A score of Arabs,
Bedouins lTorl neighbonng- village, came about
us, prspar-., Q carry over their shoulders.
l could not but admire the fine figures of these
men, with their muscular, shapely limbs. uniting
strength with hghtness, and their striking counte-
i i.oL4a III
as it seemed to me, for the perfection of the human
form. Throwing off their upper garments, and
fastening their lower considerably above the
waist, two of these strappng fellows lifted me up
by the legs, and while supported myself by the
hands their shoulders, and in this way waded
with us through the mud and water The others
were carried over In the same manner, as wei! as
a gentleman and lady who had come up with
US Just as were about to cross.
We were soon on the sands, ascending gradual
" to the range of rocks skirtng the desert the
brow of which the pyramids are placed Ofcourse,
we climbed to the top of the great pyramid IF
YOU no 90 up, what for you come to pyramidH
asked one of the Arabs, who spoke little Eng
lish and the question seemed to me to be very
pertinent one From the summit of this vast pile
of hewn stones, which would cover all of Wash
inoton Park with its base, we looked over the
green Delta, stretching forth with dark groves
spotting it like broad shadows of closds. To the
west of us was the Lybian desert waste of
rocky hill tops and sandy hollows, to the north
rose the SUBMITS of pyramid after pyramid, and
eastward lay Cairo, below the pinnacles of the
Toosoue of Mehemet Ali, beyond which CLEANS
the white edge of another desert.
~As stood amidst the pyramids where all
around, tomhs and mummy pits, and remains of
pyramids of small size, [ could not 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 nv
opinion nothing more. They are the same shane
pfc pJ
exceed them IN size than the kings to whose bones
they were erected excelled in power and riches
the most distinguished of their subjects
A day or two afterwards we visited the pvra
mids OF Sakkara, lying to the north of those of
Ghizeh. We had a letter to NJ Mariette. who is
here, employed by the French government in
making examinations among the tombs and other
remains of the ancient cemetery OF Memphis. He
received us very politely, and ordered the tomb
of Apis to be lighted up for us. We decended in
to the rocks by an inclined passage leading from
portal craven with numerous hyeroglyphics
A gallery of about four hundred feet in enotb Law
before us, regularly arched overhead, with cham.
bers, at intervals each side the floor Of which
was about FIVE feet below that of the ealIerv-
Each of these chambers contained its sarcophagus
of black or gray granite, exquisitey polished
about twelve feet in length, ten in height, and
several IN widtn, l Ihey Were covered with hy
of the same material, weighing tuns which had
been showed aside by IRON levers the marks of
which are yet visible. giving US an opportunity of
looking into the interior. 1t was empty. This"
said NJ. Mariette, "was done by the Persians, by
order of the King of Cambyses, to show his con-
tempt for the worship OF the Egyptians
One of the Sarcophagi was found which had
escaped the general desecration NJ Mariette
had ordered it to be opened, and its contents were
lying on the lid when l saw it. They were the
bones of the sacred bull of the ancient Eevptians.
the Apis, for whom this tomb was destined
Every one of these enormous chests of stone had
formerly contained similar remains which, thou
sands of years since. had been dragged forth and
scattered and trampled upon by foreign soldiery
from the north.