New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-07-20
rTcH1NGs OF FOREIGN TRAVEL.

4 58eE &t% &yes rEG On THE NILE, -----------. 2,
Uea,, friend To-day, having just accomplished my
trim on the Nile, and only dating $ on the Mic Pc
canse we vet retain and inhabit our boat for lew
Avs ~ account Of the greater facility of making ex
lcursions to the Pyramids of Ghizeh and Sukhara,
and other great sights aud yet afont on its muddy
waters. Our boat the Lotus, came up from Alex
i andria and on the 10th December, with the American
i flag proudly Haunting in the breeze from the peak,
we turned our faces toward the equator sailing upon
the same river in the same description OF boat as the
gorgeous Pharaoh and the beauteous Cleopatra had'
centuries upon centuries before 1t was In the AFTER
noon, and the first sunset on the Nile small mol
soon forget l shall extract from my journal, Tor
have been foolish enough to keep one, the descrp'
/ ton wrote at the time ae@
As we dashed rapidly on, our large lattern sail hed
by a favorable wind, the coal-back, swarthy Nuban
sailors standing sitting in picturesque groups on
the deck, Boulae fell asern and was lost except
the graceful mnarets the eastern bank, at snort
intervals were palaces belonging to various Beys and
i Pachas not particularly handsome, but contrasting
with the foliage about them, for all stand in gardens
where the acacia the sycamore and the orange and
lemon trees form beautiful groves, and the opposite
side were large groves of the featherytopped palms
waving in the breeze whilst further away, skirting
| the narrow delta was the Yellow Desert the Pyra-
mds rising from the sand, their giant forms clearly
4 defined upon the amber and rose tinted sky, whilst
behind as high as the crest of the Mokattum Hills,
stood boldly out from the midst of the citadel the line
4 dome of Mehemet Ais mosque, its beautiful NINA.
rets shooting with fairy ghtness high up in the clear
4 air. Far away westward, beyond the Pyramids and
beyond the waste Of yellow sand, was the thin purple
4 outline Of the Lybyan Mountains, which from home
onward follow you like fate until, from Caro- you
turn to leave the land Of Egypt" Unclouded the
bright sun sunk behind them and manytinted twi-
light spread its delicate and beautiful hues over his
resting place; the colors were deepening and darken-
ing and looked for the pail of the coming night,
when 10 a radiance like the first blush of Aurora
foated up from the western horizon, and rose and
spread like veil of most delicate gossamer until 1t
covered the face of the heavens for little space,
like an angels presence oated DER the earth, and
then as if fitting heavenward, it gently passed away
and night drew her thin starspangled cloak over the
I face Of sleeping nature. ttG
The Nile scenery is little varied at some points
the Arabian mountains on the east or the Lybyah
: mountains the west approach near to and some
times oyerhang precptously the course of the river
and the delta widens and contracts accordingly The
banks here and there are green as an English park
the rivers edge and being often dotted with groves
J. of wide spreading trees many times remind me OF
the pleasant plantations the Bayou "eche, though
looked in vain for the hosptable mansions beneath
e the pleasant shade.
The days were for the most part pleasant, though
the change of the temperature between day and night
5 was very great sometimes reaching nearly 40 deg.
and rarely less than 20 deg and so we sailed plea
sanity on the way, with nothing to do but to read,
i and little disposition to do that. Sometimes took
| fnrh nd n the
course of my walks passing through strange places
and seeing many strange sights, but never meeting
It with any attempt at violence even ncivty from
the people, though was often two three miles in
l. land ana several miles away from the boat, sometimes
o alone and sometimes my servant with me.
Not very prudent that, l think hear you say but
+ dear friend is not all well that ends WE'LL and here
am safe and sound and better for the exercise So
pray do not scold me for it, Thus day followed day
until on the afternoon of the twentieth day, we
reached point little below Thebes. But had for
gotten my first sight of Egyptian antiquities was
y neara large town called Osivut. Back of it the
birthstone mountain rises high and in its face cut
h numberless tombs, some of them very large. They
r were once adorned with herogyphics and paintings
but by the tooth of time aud yet more by the hands
Of vanda vsitans, these have been almost entirely
destroyed They called by the Arabs Stab Antar
y 1t strange feeling as stood for the first time in
the presence of the works of centuries of ages past
h in the tombs of who had lived and breathed and
as toiled in the worlds YOUTH Up the steep ascent
which lay before me, the mortal remains of some Of
the great ones of the earth had been borne with al
the pomp and ceremony of glorious but heather age
and deposited in these vast sepuches; but every toni
e has been rifed and where those remains Sc
70 great endless and gloomy is this vista of the
Us past upon which the torch of history sheds light
~ that the mind strives in vain to comprehend it.
A. is the Niagara of Time, and oyereaps finite com
ID prehension.
n. When reached Thebes we were fortunate enough
er to have fine moonlight nights and the evening
y arrival, in company Of two of our party wen
Il, ont and visited the ruins of the Temple of OLE
ne Koornch. 1t is one of the Oldest in Egypt and very
at much broken and fallen but never shall forget thu
y night when beneath full moon, shedding radiance
nd almost as bright as day. first stood in the deel
n. silence of Natures rest before ruined Egyptian
by temple The melancholy of night seemed weighing
u upon my spirit; had desire to speak, to hea
sound of human voice, and remained silent befor
st the ruined portico, where eight columns (al tina
to rema stood like spectre guardians before the desc
on lated shrine; had scarce wish to enter and Sc
ct more nearly the pile of ruin before me, where tn
lily porco courts areas, walls, and the sanctuary som
er standing, some partly falling and piled heap
ne upon heapsa Of most determined destruction
ro showed ndistinctly in the uncertain light fain
\ through the broken roof. .a D. &c.
gu Through the broken portico, the broken courts an
the desecrated sanctuary the vision reached to tt
led dark barren hills in whose Sides deep in their roc
dy hewn tombs sleep thousands of the ancient race t
raised the wondrous of this strange land
old a fitting background for such scene,
Iol. As shall have to speak of other temples, W
M describe, as nearly | can, the first one that
visited, which is the most perfect in its parts of al
on in Egypt, that of Dendea, and must again turn
the my Journal
,Yn NRiding about mile and half from the riy
ate through fields of wheat barley, and kind of be-
we bearing blossom like sweet pea at home
ent approached mound of sand, BRICKS and broken ~
terry at the edge ofthe desert short distance oy
ion this brought us to pyon gateway covered wi
sculptures in low relief of gods and goddesses emit
rec ing this long avenue between high walls, we
GU preached the Temple From distance in the cent
ay of the massive cornice, we the Egyptian symt
to of eternity, globe with widely outspread win
The general effect, at first sight, must confess dis;
see pointed me; it not so grand had expectt
asst Reaching the entrance found we had to descend
re- long fight of steps before we stood upon the level