Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-05-21

tinople in order to uncover the column which
lies buried in the ground between the Obelisk
and the Hippodrome. 1t is the famous column
which Gibbon calls very singular fragment OF
antiquity. and which he describes as 'the bodies
of three serpents twisted into one pillar brass.
The guardians of the most holy places, he says.
would rejoice if they were able toproduce such
chain of evidence as may be alleged on this
occasion. The original conservation of the tri-
pod and pillar in the Temple of Delphi may be
proved from Herodotus and Pausanias. The
Pagan Zosimus agrees with the three ecclesiasti-
cal historians, Eusebius, Socrates and Sazomen,
that the sacred ornaments of the Temple of Del
phi were removed to Constantinople by the or
der of Constantine, and among these the serpen-
tine pillar of the Hippodrone is particularly men
toned All the European travellers who have
visited Constantinople, from Buondelmonte to
Bococke. described it in the same place, and al
most in the same manner. Mahomet III broke
the under Jaw of one of the serpents with o
stroke of his battle-axe."
The last link has Just been added to this chain
of evidence. 1t was known from Herodotus
that, after the battle of Plat@a, this brass col
umn, supporting golden tripod, had been e.
rected at Delphi, and the ancient historian men
tions particularly that the name of the Tenians
(the inhabitants of the Tenos, small island near
Delos) was placed among the names engraved on
the tripod, because by giving the first news of
the approach of the army OF Xerxes, they were
considered as having contributed to the defeat of
the Barbarian. The tripod is lost and tits known
that it was carried off by the Phoe@ans. But
on that part of the column which has just been
disinterred, few faint traces of inscriptions
were discovered. On the second spiral line all
that could be read was amprak.. fo... and tits i'm
possible to find any meaning in these dislolnted
letters But on the seventh coil of the serpents,
curious accident has preserved the very name
of the Tenians, for there can be little doubt that
tenio which is all that can be read, in spite OF
the corrosion which has destroyed this ancient
monument, is the name of the inhabitants OF
the little island of Tenos, whose honorable men,
ton among the conquefers of XerXes seemed to
require explanation as early as the time Of Hero
dotus-Atteae,tm.
SRCRETs OF THE PEAAT-Boa far down in
the depths of the moor there lies many secret
of olden time. Below the grim, ghastly surface
below the waters, below the black remnants of
countless plants, lie the sad memorials of ages
unknown to the history of man. Huge trees
stand upright, and their gigantic roots rests upon
the crowns of still older forest giantss In the
inverted oaks Of Murten Moor, in Switzerland,
many see the famous oak woods that Charlie
mango caused to be cut down, now more than a
thousand years ago. For centuries the moors
have hid in their silent bosoms the gigantic
works of ancient Rome, and posterity has gazed
with wonder at the mastery roads and massive
bridges like those built ofmperishable wood by
Germanicus, when he passed from Holland into
the valley of the Weser. Far, in the deep, lie
buried in the stone, hatchets and flint arrow
heads of Frisians and Cheruski by the side OF
the copper kettle and irod helmet of the Roman
soldier A Phoencian skiff was found of late,
and alongside of it q boat laded with bricks
The skeletons of antediluvian animals rest there
peaceaby by the corpses of ancient races with
sandals on their feet and the skin of animals a.
round their naked bodies.
Hundreds of brave English horsemen, who
sought an honorable death in the battle of Sol.
way were swallowed up, horse and man, by the
Unsuitable moor, And in years bygone, Dan.
ish King Harold, called the Blue Tooth, allured
with foul treachery fair princess of Norway,
Gunhildo, to Jutland. She came and she van
ished from the memory of man. History had
forgotten her, tradition had even begun to fade,
but the peat-bog opened its long closed lips, and
accused, late but loud, the bloody king of his
wicked deed. The poor princess was found far
below the peat, strangled and tied to post,
where her merciless foe had buried her. as he
thought, forever, in the abyss. 1t is strange
and most melancholy charm that these low cham
bers of death have for the careful, observation
English paper.
Jup M,vop.s Co,,p, ,,yr Poor IF is tho