The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-04-13
For the Wyandot Pioneer.
Extracts from Mr.. Dement'S Lecture.
EGYPT.
[Continued from our last.l
THEBES.


almost at the rivers side the ruins of the
temple at Luxor, in such strange and Of
fensive connection with mud huts, stables,
pigeon houses, squalid children, noisy
dogs, and such like things, which SO eff
fectually destroy all the romance with
which imagination is apt toinvest the relics
Of by gone ages; he gazes at the mutila
ted statues, and the magnificent obelisk,
fellow now graces the Place de la Con-
corde, in Paris, and he thinks as l did,
how much more noble and fitting this
splendid block of Sycnite granite appears
here, though in the midst Of ruins and ex-
posed to the ignorance of the villagers no
less than the culpable and disgraceful
thoughtlessness of some OF those who
traSe!, apparcrt' y. wiLhout.o~se,t tAanf;s
companion statue does in the midst of the
gay world of fashion and pleasure.
Leaving Luxor, he mounts his donkey
and riding in a northerly direction about
two miles, he arrives at Ksrnak, where
doubtless are the most ancient remains of
the glory and greatness of Thebes and
where the successive monarchs OF old
seemed to have lavished all their care
and strove each to out do the other, in
- works which add to the renown of the
metropolis, and carrying down their names
to the most remote generations.
Visiting this last of all, as I did, the
traveller finds Karnak to surpass all that
he could have imagined; and he is for a
time bewildered, and lost in the most pro-
found astonishment, as he wanders amid
ruins which cover SO vast space and In
dicate previous condition of glory and
splendor, far, far beyond all that the world
has ever since beheld. He spends some
days here in endeavoring to gain clear
idea of what is before him: and leaving
it with regret when his allotted time is ex-
pired, he is ashamed to acknowledge to
himself, how little, after all, lie has really
learned, and how incompetent he is to
pretend to speak with precision of what
it contains. Most thoroughly, too, does
the conviction force itself; upon his mind,
that to appreciate Thebes, one must take
up his residence here, and being well pre-
pared by previous study of Egyptian his
tory and antiquities, must give months
where he has had to be content with days
and even hours.-Zhe East
Of Medinot Haben Beartlelt speaks
thus:
"This immense group of buildings is SO
mixed up with mass Of later erections,
thatit is difficult to realize its original eff
feet. The principal edifce is the collosi-
al temple of Rameses III, but adjacent on
the south and on different plane is an
other and smaller one to which large
courts have been added by the ,Ptolemaic
kings. The pavilion of Rameses is very
singular and unique in point architecture,
while its decorated sculptors are very GU
rious. Two logss fanked the entrance to
the palace; on either hand pyramical bull
ding, resembling tower on the external
facades of which are sculptures represen-
ting the Egyptian conjuror, in act of smi-
ting vanquished foe, in the presence Of
God Amunre. The passage between these
towers goes under the northern or inner
part of the building consisting of differ
ent apartments, which with others now
ruined, form the pavilion of the king
The rooms are surprisingly small, but
exceedingly interesting for on the walls
are sculptures illustrative of the private
life of an Egyptian monarch, who is seat
ted among the favorites of his harem, al
standing after the oriental fashion, some
fan him and others present him with flow
ers.
The exterior architecture of these pa.
vihons IS very curious, half castellated ir
character ornamented with pointed shields
somewhat resembling the Saracen battle
ments of later times. The passage under
the building continued in line to tn,
great temple, which is entered between
two lofty propylons, adorned with scup
lures of similar import to those on the pa
vilion. This gives access to the frs
great court, lined on either side with col
umns half buried in rubish and termina
ted with another tower between which
we pass into second and very splendi,
erea. Some idea of its style may b
formed from what remains of it but tn
effect of court has been much defaced b
the destruction of the figures formerly al
tackled to the square, Osiride columns an
other portions, as well as by the pun
erections of the Christian date, whic
stand in curious contrast to the decaye
grandeur of the original building. !
beautiful corridor of circular columns rur
within the north side, on this the paintin
is much preserved and assists us in form
ing some idea of the entire effect of tn
original design which is Justly reparde
as very elegant though the scale after a
is of that vastness which seems necess,