New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-15
SYE7UHES OF LECTURES.
LECTURE on THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO BiBLi
cU. SCIENCE FROM THE RUINS OF SiNEVEH.

~ Monday evening the following lecture was delivered
h.fe the Young Mems Christian Assoca'on' IN 'nei'
- IN s,uyvesant Institute to very numerous audi
go Who manifested their approval by close attention 10
che sneaker The following is the lecture in full;
T. tho nrocress Of human science almost every cousu
IL, ADVANCE upon the attachments 81 previous age nas
r,esepted iisef with relation To the science OF rsse
Eson in two successive phases In the hrst phssc We
soc the new discovery IN ITS early state cruue Au
sheren taken up by skeptcs and urged a an argune
sei -. 70, .lation At once the drum ecceslastl:
b.o- 10 arms theologians, sharpest Tor neresy reat u
zeal possibly less in knowledge, hasten 70 ieeu ;ao
on which seems the eye OF little faith 10 De IN JsoP
a1gumepts scientific assailed by objections thso-
iogceI The discoveries OF the microscope are reoueo "
,-ng noip,, in exegess; mathematical demonstrations
% siron,ed with metaphysical syllogisms ana me Jaw
~ a. ord which j. perfect and His testimony, which Is
mo are laboriousy compelled 70 contradict the re'ea
,ion of His glory in the heavens anu Inc "oiA u '
bf nds IN the frmament , I'D 49,,
By-andby the gradual progress both OF scenthc anu
of tie. logica research shows US uie "hoc nae'
, LIGHT The crudiiies of the discovery have been
ont away conf. eure has given place 70 evidence az
bvnotbesis TO demonstration. Wise Suspicion ana sa,l
dcule have had their day ana now a. as. e ~
800. Christianity instead Of being ccniounded, IN
81 IL, both Of its assaans and its defenders Is conhsu
and illustrated and the alarm when CRED oui asa.' 'e
hodn.s of scientific historical research Is seen ~ oe
kc that of the nicht-wanderer scared at the phantom
With outreched arms which turns out ON nearer vew
10 be nought but the guIdepost which decS HIS way an
assures him oi safety.
To this rule illustrated in the history of so many SET
.nces and of many poemcal dscussions me recent
xraordary discoveries in the history and antiquities OF
The Ass, rian empire form exception Achieved a. they
have been by under no special obligation oi consist
ency the Christian and prosecuting their parallel aoors
in ccum. ances such make collision "r mistake an
inn, sblitv the relation Of these discoveries to the Ath
Rev eato has been constantly and increasingly one OF
corobolaon and illustration. Inc 6olest sSepuGss a
has OF for one moment dared 10 claim turn upon It's sie
nor has the most timorous religious faith been terrified
into InyugnDg their authenticity Is perhaps TINS very
thing which will part for the fact that these con-
81. Uniy Sfrrtr he
complete combinations ever received by historical
docnuer-bave received much less than their due At
tention from the popular Christian mind. am confident,
gentlemen. that need make apology for making use
Of The opportunity with which you nave faVored me 20
Ireset in pain way, view of tc contrb"t,ons ~f'cn
Bfhcqi scHcc has red trom me rims OF NtnerN
onl, L., vour indulgence if sometimes 10 use too
nuh OF the latitude traveller at others, too much
/ I'll The dizziness OF compiler
The American traveller toward the river gri' finds MN;
self continually following up the stream 81 empire toward
liz source II he have the fortune 10 land NJ lasgow ne
finds himself at the extreme northwestern limit OF the no
man dominion where the tide of conquest first began to
,lb from The foot of the Grampian Hills until 1t was once
more COZ fined within lis ancient limits lie passes the
cnptas Of one another of her colonies, each more
auceI and less barbarous than the last ana rests hnay
in the vey sea; and center of her dominion. Thence
eastward passing the monuments OF cites ana natiohs
stretching further ahd further back toward the Original
DISPERSION of the race-beyond the rivers OF Eden AM TIC
repion of Arara-he reaches the place where the same
fod-tide broke at last against the savage mountains OF
kurstan and rolled back over the plains OF Mesopota
The ancient fortified city of Darbekr, the upper II
rs is the scene of the most splendid descriptions
! In Gbbon decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The eastern armies when invading Syria or Palestine
were acc usomed march first 10 the north above Meso
poiamia avoid the desert and then TO come "g~
toward SYRIA Ii is for this reason that they are 'eeu
Scriuture the armies of the North although Uneven
was in fact not much north OF Palestine IL Is rom his
,oi,, bnt The traveller begins his approach TO Assyrla
trouer At the foot of the black volcanic cliff ON which
the CITY is built flows the river IN broad ana apd put
shallow stream On this he embarks according To the
rrece Of that country for at least 1000 years upon
raf of inflated goatskns covered with hoor oil slender
poles and is rapidly carried DOWN. I'd by the current
! Soon the Tieris eners between lofty mountains. The
stream by rocks rushes furousy through ITS cha-
nell on either hand perpendicular precplces rise to an
enormous hight. her fantastic forms seem to INITIATE me
work of human builders In their sides caverns, sepul
atquity From chambers at midnight sairways are seen
uhi,l once ran down TO the water level but since they
ere emf the rand stream has worn down channel
as leave these landing places far above It, In theSe
caves are found wrciched race of TrOgodyes, having
their dw cling among the toubs, neither abide they III
aby house. In place decaylng city, IN another
ruined castle minaret and bridge OF vast anu massive
architecture attest the former spendor of the empire OF the
! cal.ILs. If, A.,
mountains begin to recede the bank OF the river,
/ leaving the broad plain of A-syria-
"Bsueaih the eonesVe of une0uded skies
In the midst of it, few broken cliffs spring up like
islands Floating slow down the now broad and naes-
tic river the eve of the traveller detects new feature IN
The scenery; high and broad mounds dsingushabe from
natural hills sometimes by slight regularity OF form,
sometimes by their rising with artificial abruptness from
the level of the plain and sometimes by lines OF grassy
rampant extending about them, and incoslng wide area
OF leOmerca heure.
Thee mounds have long been objects of wonder and CO.
rosiiy Not only has the wild Arab fingered beside them
to t,iher his horse his spear and recount strange le
gends OF Nmrod and his IDOLS but travellers from distant
and Christian lands have visited Them and returned nome
10 give cuOusly diverse reports OF them. Some enthus
astic spirits actually disposed TO think that SOME
where in this plain might have existed the ancient and
wonderful and exceeding great, city OF Nineveh. one
sagacous nan discovered them 10 be the remains OF
"Eouan camp of the time Of lladrian while some, less
credulous turned up their at the whole affair." de-
clared that the mounds nothing but peculiar natural
hills and that the whole story about NIneveh was myth
ONLY worthy Of the crodence of such simple people US ac
cept TIC Books Of Moses and the -Four Gospels
All this is changed The site of the greatest of the
cities of the East il identified The positions OF palaces
temples and mauso ums the of moas ranparts
ana canals instead of perplexing the traveller sngu
lar conformation Of land offer ground for plausible conec
iue the plan OF the city aud the long avenues OF
sculpured walls within give eloquent testimony TO the
truth the sacred records ana OF the doubtful and
dsputCd fragments which protane history had preserved
concerning the splendor Of the Assyrian empire.
As il has been my good fortune to be of the only
party Of American thai has succeeded in reaching
Tie ruins Nineyeh they discovered, 1t vii
net be Gmis, still detan you few moments from the
particular subject OF the evening describe the present
APPEARANCE OF the mounds to the eye OF Superficial
visitor. 800
Crossing the Tgris which Mosul is about the width
fId front Of you, al the dlstace of about MILE lons
mound extending about four miles in straight line, look
lug hot unlike grass grown railroad elnbankment o
twenty-five Thirty feet in hight. Ii is about thirty fee
in hight pierced here aud there by roads leading toward
tie mountains and by little stream which here falls mt
the 1igrs In several places the mound rises into sinai
pyramids like broken towers and twice swes into hOg
irregular SEE the smaller Of which stands the whit
mosque and village OF Ne0 Yunas while the larger
marked all IFS top by heaps Of fresh earth from th
excavation. within and in lis side, AT midnight by sundr
hole at