New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-02-26

not till after strong assurances that this MOUND
is Of too late date for that structure that one
becomes willing TO think of founder in the more
modern DAYS Of EsarhaddOn The range Of
mounds is Of considerable extent, the chief
cone standing al the northwest corner of the
palace grounds. The remains of wall are
seen surrounding level plain nearly az large
az that which marks the site OF Uneven
near Mosul. We were much Weared as We
dismOunted near the excavations, and lay
down in one Of the trenches 10 repose- We
soon revived MrW fastened 70 view the ex-
cavations. and in the darkness had a fall which
somewhat injured him. An eagle and jackal
starred I'D az We were walking about the great
tomb and We saw thus fulfilled the Scripture
prophecvi This mausoleum has not been fully
explored. but trenches have been so cut as 20
leave little doubt Of the nature and design OF
the structure. It was built doubtless for the
same reason "a the Egyptian pyramids-to gio-
rify the kingly dead. Several rows Of large
gray sandstone blocks, bevilled after the an
Gent PbRDician fashion, stand az its base,
which is about one hundred feet square.
Over these large blocks high wall of bricks
was placed and surrounded By many successive
LAYERS of clay These bricks are about fourteen
inches long and four inches thick, and all bear
the same cuniform character, denoting the name
of the builder. They are as hard as American
limestone and present a very agreeable appear
ance when laid together. About half OF the
bricks had fallen, leaving large mass of Debris
around the tomb. At the southwest corner
We noticed quantity Of sand very similar to
that deposited on the banks Of the river, and
strongly suggestive of the belief that the Tigris
once washed the walls of the city. Still, am
inclined 10 think, from the position of the dam,
that this cOnglomeratiOn might have been de-
posted about the time Of the destruction Of the
city. or afterward, when the rise of the water
carried the pebbles along the trenches cut for
irrigation, 10 the place where they are now col
lected. account for the alluyial appearance
of the plain by the superstition of the occasional
foods Of the Tigris but can by no means be-
lieve the river, since the birth of man, flowed
over il as bed.
The trenches from which Mr. Layard took
his specimens now deposited in the British mu-
scum have been mostly filled up, and did not
get the full impression which walk through
the old halls would have produced. These halls
appeared { be quite narrow, but ofgreat ex-
tent. The blocks Of gypsum which faced them
we're about seven feet high and four vide, and
across the middle Of each were cut the same
arrow-headed characters beautifully executed,
occupying about foot in width in several lines.
The builder evidently resolved TO be immortal
in the memory Of man. The brickfaced well
in the kitchen of the n. w. palace was very
interesting object The stones of the floor
were laid in bitumen. The blocks and bulls in
the S. w. palace gave plain evidence OF hav-
ing been exposed to fire; indeed it is
a ruin, while the slabs Of the other
buildings are almost as perfect as on the day OF
their inauguration noticed some bulls OF red
sandstone there, while all the others were
sculptured Out OF the gypsum, which is so abun-
dant in this region The most interesting OBJ
iects saw were the deities carved upon the
slabs-tbe eagle, beak and wings, the narrow
pointed tongue, the bushy hair of the neck, the
tuft of feathers on the head, the fir-cone in the
right hand, the square Ornamented workbag sort
of vessel in the left, the long stole fallingfr0m
the shoulders TO the ANGLES, and decorated with
frnges and tassels the sandals on the human
feet. What these objects all represented, OF
course know not, but it is certain they were
emblematical of a religion having many analogies
with that promulgated by Zoroaster.
The great winged Lions, with human heads
and curly beards-the tasselled girdles around
their loins-the firm legs Of each, that the spec
tatOr might have both q side and front view
what lofty images to embOdy the old ideal deity
The human head, the symbol of intelligence;
the wings of the bird, of swiftness; the lions
body, OF might.
The sculptures exhumed last winter were
mostly covered up again for the purpose of pre-
servation. The gypsum is rapidly decomposed
by water We were about to visit the south
east part of the mound, said to be the grave
ground of the old Kings, when a violent whirl-
wind came sweepingover the ruins and drove US
into the sepulcher The air was filled with sand
and flying stubble, and We expected TO be obliged
TO sleep that night in the trenches But
storm subsidized as suddenly as il arose,
and we prepared TO eat chicken which Kudhr
had roasted on q spit, after the fashion OF the
ancient Greeks, when the cry of Arabs Arabs |
rang through the aisles Of the sepulcher. We
stepped cut and discovered party OF horsemen
in their long loose nantes, spear in hand and
with a shrill cry galloping toward us They
approached from part OF the plain behind
the mound, and We could not at first discern
their number. | counted forty, and laughed
from very terror Mr.. w. hid his gold watch
in niche Of the tomb; ! felt in my pockets for
something 10 save but concludedifthey took all
had with me it would hardly pay them for their
trouble. khudhr, who last year was with DIR.
Bacon's party in the Kurdish Mountains, and
had a knife drawn across his throat because
he would not reveal their secret treasury,
jumped and screamed as though he expected
this time 10 realize his former fears, while Ere
miah, though fully persuaded they had come to
plumber having twice been through the opera
ton. was as Indifferent as the very donkey
driver who brought our fruit and water, and
who soon suspected was the cause of their
approach. l charged him with il, aud
went to my ssddlebags as if for pistols,
whereupon he told some of the horsemen We
were not alarmed at them. and they rode on TO
the top Of the mound. We each seized leg or
wing Of the chicken, and without looking for
pepper and salt hastily swallowed il, partly by
mastication, with the aid of water. and prepared
for rapid ruH TO the city. We had just got
under way when we saw the Arabs galloping
over the plain and heard them singing their
chant of victory Whether true or not, do
nor know bur a yillAcer told us there vss an