The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-04-13


about one mile over beautiful green
field adorned with patches Of beans, corn,
caster oil, and other plants. This temple
was dedicated Arororesis the God of mu-
sic and hunting.
The propylon is quite perfect through
which we pass into splendid court, sur
rounded by thirty two lofty pillars. Be-
yond this is another portico, with anoth
er set of splendid pillars. the inner cham
bers of the main building are more than
half filled with the ruins of Arab huts
and filth; on the flat roof of this sanctu-
ary, live several families of Arabs, with
the cattle and dogs, where once the Pagan
priesthood performed splendid devotion,
now squalid poverty and degration has ta
ken up its abode.
THE QUARIEs OF sYENE.
Let us depart further up the river, and
call at the quarries of Syene. This place
is now called Assouan; here were cut the
obelisks that four thousand years ago
adorned the cities of Thebes and Hello
polls. Deep canals were anciently cut
from the river, through the quaries,
which emptied again in the sea below
Along the canals and in the quarry are
still to be seen numerous gigantic pillars of
various forms, finished and unfinished
which were never removed from their ma
tive locality. Syene was the southren
boundary of ancient Egypt; here the
mountains converge close to the stream.
The narrow pass from this place, farther
south was called the southern gate of
Egypt, on the east side of the river at this
pass it is said that anciently tower or
guard house was built to protect and de-
fend this pass, nothing of it however is
now visible. This is the tower to which
the prophet referred, when he foretold
that the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar
should extend from Migdol, which was
near the sea in the Pelusic department. to
the tower of Syene, upon the borders of
Ethaope. -
Not far above the quaries are a num-
ber of Island in the river, on one of them
stood the famous temple of Elephantina,
whose ruins still remain and beneath them
are interesting caves adorned with curl
Gus cul ptors but to describe them would
be but to repeat descriptions already Civ
en- Of other places. .4 aaa
"Elephantina contains colossal statue
of Sesostris seated in the midst of rubish
and broken pottery and features much de-
faced and looking altogether the fit mon
arch of such scene of lonliness and ru-
in. There is also the door of an Egyptian
temple formed of large masses of rose
granite and bearing an inscription to AL
exander, the son of the Macedonian con-
vuerer, but no other part of the edifce re-
mains ''-1As. Ronser.
Passing these Islands the scenery
around us changes, the converging noun
tains appear sugar loaf shaped ragged and
abrupt the current of the river is more
rapid and rocks frequently lift their brown
head above the surface
Here we are at the foot of the cataract
of the Nile, just above us is the Island OF
Philaea about half a mile in length
adorned with the ruins of splendid tenn
pies; this was shared spot to the ancient
Egyptians.
Here it is said, Osiris died and was bu-
ried. Here Isis, his beautiful wife came
to weep for him; but we are now in Nu-
bra, beyond the bounds of Egypt From
below the cataract we will turn the PROV
of our boat northward, spread our sails,
the breeze raise; the boatman's song and
again descend old sacred Nile, Island
quaries, mountains, mummies, tombs,
temples, with all their sculptured devices
of dark mysterious meaning, recede in the
far south, as we float down the turbid
stream:
How beautiful upon the the element
The Egyptian moonlight sleeps,
The Arab on the land hath pitched his tent
The lightwave dances, sparkling over the
deep,
The tall reeds whisper in the gale,
And DER the distant tide, moves slow the ST
lent sail.
MISCELLANY.
THE GODS OF EGYPT.-The oldest and
the most distinguished and by far the
most universal deity advared by the an
cient Egyptians was Ammon. No Am.
minoph or Ammon Ra, in allusion to Ham
! the father and founder of the nation
Grandually as the Greeks intermingled
with the Egyptians the name and quail
ties of Ammon were merged in those o
Osiris, whom the worshippers adored a.
the father of all the producers of vegita
ton and Of every good thing.
) Some times he is confounded with tn.
son whose genial influences upon th'
earth produce the results attributed t.
t Ammon, or Osiris.
} He is usually represented in the temple a
a human hainu with tho head and 1oipc n