Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-08-10

scandal of the sober Turks, SOME of them
among other things. taking it into their heads 10
ascend the lofty ninaret Of the mosque, and i'm
| initiate the Muezzin cricr in calling out the
| hour of PRAYER; 10 both of which scrvices-zths
crying and the praying-they showed they
were equally accustomed; for some one. tossing
| his balance with his wit, fell headlong from the
top OF the mnnret and was taken up for dead, to
the no small deligh. of the insulted Mbslems,
who saw in the occurrence the hand Of Allah and
tho confirmation of his Prophet. The jnbilant
frenohmau, however, most surprisingly escaped
with his life. though not without serious dam
age to ribs and limbs. The sarcophagns j. iiow
on lis way to Paris, whore it will be added To the
vast collection of antiquities, which, by the libe-
raliy of the government, and the enterprise aud
public spirit Of ind sidual-, has been aeeunu
lating SO long, 10 make the pride of the nation
and an important attraction the city
In removing the sarcophngus from its dark
bed and bringing it into day light, large add
ton 10 the phpncian inscription was discovered,
giving to this monument of antiquity an almost
priceless value. 1t will be remembered that this
marble coffin is nbout eight feet in length, and
between two and three in width. On the head Of
the lid large face nsculpturpd every line OF
which remains in the most perfect preservation.
The inscription, beginning some distance below
the fnce, covers large part of the slab IL is
strange that another inscription escaped detec
ton, in the eager curiosity with which the snrco-
phagns examined. This found written
in very long lines, not on the lid, but running
round the perpendicular sides and head of the
coffin. and containing about an equal amount of
reading with the inscription on the lid. aud all
perfectly 1egible. There has not been time or
opportunity for TRANSMITTING the newly discovered
inscriptions but as soon the Sarccphagns
reaches Paris. there will be crowds of Swans
able and eager 20 give version Of the whole
Of all the objects of curiosity at the Paris Exhi
bition now in progress. nothing will attrnct the
eye of scholars like this marble coffin Of the old
King OF Sidon.
The true pccuniary value of the saIcophagus
cannot be fixed, indeed hardly approached
but they tnk of $4,000. and even more. A copy
Of tho first inscription having been sent TO tho
Chcvuer Bunscn of Berlin. III. Of the most
learned mon of The ugr. IL, wrni, hprk expressing
his er,nt del ght, and even uup1. p'ut, at the
discovery, al II period when II srrnit Il Impossible
to obtnin any further light upon the IT, pacan
language and nj the same time. prnnrnncing
thi, the largest, the most perfect aud The most
important fragment 81 l'hraican literature,
which has conn down to IA. What viii he think
when he is informed Of the additional inscription!
Your readers may be- ready to inquire. il moth
ing remains of the phanicinn language on stones.
pillars, monuments, the walls of ruined cities, or
IN the languages spoken NJ the present day, i'll
nacular and universal. and where letters had
even their origin. ltinay he stated in reply,
that not II trace Of the Phmnicnn Is diScernable
III any "i the languages; nor book nor parchment
remains, however iuconsidrrahini a3r in ali ii all
Client Phunea d1os line, ar word, or lrttt +, re-
main upon s,lb OF marble, ar any work of art
All that remnns Of the language ,te be found
in the Inscriptions Oh monuments and memorials
alone each coast oi the Mediterranean sea; and
even as far Us Codz beyond llS sea tho discovery
nj Silon has prompted the spirit of further rc
search, in the tolnbs 1nd old htn.ying grounds
th,re. and ii weuld be far from surprising
il discoveries were made; More surprising
would it be if they we're not. Bnt beyond th,s
nnuow precinct nothing now oru bo eApoctcd..
Eat though no lrlouoion writing or sculpture
ea inscription remains in Phqniciu. the Ian
gunge and letters she invented ungratefully r.
fg~ing 10 perprtuate her hist Jry, there is Il rock
near the city covered with inscriptions of very
eary date. About ten miles 10 the North, a CON
siderable river comes dnshlng down from the
precipiious sdcs of I"nanou, called LgcUs. or
Wof river lay the aucients and Nahr Il heib
or Dog river in recent times. Near 10 where
This river falls into the Mediterranean, a ragged
road wa, cut in The rock high above the seu. by
the Emperor Antonio. Above the road are hu-
mau figures scoopcd out of the reck in lew re
Hei with inscriptions in cuneinprm or arrow head
ehara tiers. They arr cut conspeinuslv on the
perpendicular side of the rock, ut different eleya
tions. Ono is in Egyptian heroslypheS. and be
longs IL The period of the conqueror Scsostrls,
who lived 1890 year, before the Christian era.--
Others are Assyriun, and belong Ia the times
when the Assylian mnnarchS marched their Ter.
cos along this coast. The characters resemble
those found in the monument of dislntcrred vi
neveh, and might be thought to have been exeeu-
ted by the same artist