Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-06-10
NEW DISCOVERIES AT NINEvEH.

The London Assyran Excavation Society have just
issued satisfactory report Of the progress of their agent
in Babylonia. The following extract is of interest:
In addition to the discoveries mentioned by Mr.. Lof
tus, the committee have to announce that palace
has been found at Nineveh in the mound Of Kouyunk,
of which COL Rawlinson reports in the following terms
beautiful palace has been recently discovered at
Nneveh belonging to the son Of Esar Madden The scup
treatment and skill and decacy of execution every thing
whchhas been before found The palace also of
containing perhaps five hundred slabs and the
bles are generally in good state Of preservation.
" In another letter he adds:
"The palace by far the magnificent thing yet
discovered in Asyra Each hall and passage is de-
voted separate subject and whore the series is complete
and the sculpture well preserved not unfequenty hap
pens is of extraordinary interest In fact the variety
Of detail and decacy of execution cnte the PALACE
reckoned the CHEF doare Of Assyrian art Some Of the
pavement slabs most superb and the animals trees and
flowers the human gures much natural aud
free from conventionaes than any earlier palaces
There between two and three hundred cupured slabs
already uncovered and not above oneha of the palace is
yet explored.
Colossal bulls and lions there none, but monsters,
cenaurs hppogyphs &C. there as many you please
At Of the entrances there pair Of round
mented podestas which certainly supported columns but,
there are remains OF such columns they must have
been formed, suppose of wood
"0n slab there is city with double wall and with
in, temple faced with Of columns supported tho
backs Of animals On another there is mound, the top
Of which is castle, and, 70 give more extent to tho upper
platform, causeway from the top of the masonry
with pointed arches stretching down the eide OF the
mound.
"Another private letter from gentleman residing at
Mosu speaks in the terms Of praise of these
discoveries and adds further particulars regarding
the subjects Of the sculptures In speaking of the slab
representing the palace temple alluded to above he
represents very infinitely the exterior architecture
The second story built with pillars which have their bases
on the backs Of lions and human headed bulls with their
heads turned like those at Khorsabad.'
.He also mentions the representation of bridge with
three pointed arches and other particulars illustrative
of the architecture Of the period.
lone of the best executed slabs represents lion
hunt. In this scene he says the king is the prin-
cipal hunsman and is in the act Of striking lance into
lion sprnging upon his chariot, whilst others,
already pierced by many arrows Of which dead
and others dying most beautifully and naturally por
trayed upon the slabs On another slab they have
presented park with open gate through which is
seen the king hunting lions, executed very minute
SCALE rs if they intended it to appear far in the distance
He concludes by saying that the art displayed in the
treatment OF both and animals in these basrelef
surpasses every thing discovered in the ruins of Assya
'.Thc committee take this opportunity Of calling the
attention Of the subscribers the progress recently made
in the decphering Of the inscriptions which comprise
the Identification Of oil the Assyran kings mentioned in
tho Bible of many Of those whose occur in pro-
fame history extending the chronology Of Assyra to
period of about two thousand years before Christ An
almost perfect series Of the Of the ancient kings
Of Assyra has also been discovered and illus
racns Of the sacred Scriptures Of the highest interest,"