The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-11-27
Babylon.


A writer in Biackpood paints the follow
ing picture of the desolation that surrounds
and enshrouds the once mighty Babyloniap
empire
In the distance, high above the plain.
doomed great mound of earth. On both
sides of US lay what looked like long paral
lei ranges Of hills. These lines are pro
nounced to be tho remains OF those canals
that once conducted the waters of the Eu
pirates over tho length and breadth of the
ancient Babylona What mighty canals
must they have been. that still showed un.
der the roll OF centuries such substantial
traces now not go much as drop of water
no. not even drop OF heavens pearly dew
ever elisteus. where once ships must have
novigated. These mighty banks that carried
fertility to every corner of the ancient king
dom. are nos mere useless. sightless mounds.
No morning mist. moistenine the thirsty
earth. ever hangs over them. No rain clouds
ever shadow them. tempering the rays of q
ierce daily returning sun. The end Of her
that "dwello,h upon many waters" has been
brought only too surely. Tho awful pronb.
ccics had been fulfilled, and desolation. in
all its drearincss. was around us, After rid.
ing some two hours, VIC arrived at the foot
OF the grea, mound that We had seen in the
morning. We dsmounted and scrambled
| to the top. for we had even arrived at the
ruins of Babylon and this great mound o,
earth that we were on was the grave of tho
golden city.
believe from the summit raised some
hundred feet above the plain. the walls o,
the ancient city may oe traced. But a hot
wind. driving burning sand and the impal.
pab'e dust of ages into tho pores of our
skins. made every effort to open an owe 90
terribly painful. that wo gave up the idea in
! despair ofeitber tracing walls. or indeed OF
looking ubout US much anywhere.
] remember seeing. away to the west
limos OF willows, and a silver thread winding
away into distance; ard nearer, some un.
slightly bare mounds. looking as il volcanic
fire had bcen at work underneath the smooth
surface Of the plain. and had thrown these
mounds up in tho spirit Of pure mischief
That silver thread was our frst glimpse o.
tho waters ofthe Euphrates and tho mound
all that remained of the once beau ham o
ing gardens of Babylon at least go the con
jeciure of men of research has accounted
for them. But 80 completely has the rroph.
ecies been fnlfilled-so completely has the
name and tho remnant been cut off" Of all
pertaining to the once mighty city-tha,
even the great bill on which we were stand.
ing is only by conjecture supposed to be the
ruin of some great building or royal palace
that stood within the Walls-possibly the
palace of Semiramis.
We descended from the great mound and
made for those lesser mounds which are
supposed to be the site of the hanging gar
dens Of Ntocris and Semramis. In ons
spot-the onlv thing we saw in the shape o.
a building in a state of ruin-was mass ot
vitrifed brickwork, piercing the old soil and
debris of centuries. angle upwards. The
bricks we're square, of large SIZE and
beautiful make; the angle of some clear
and sharp. as if the brick had but left the
kiln yesterday. instead of nearly twice two
thousand years ago. Turning into a little
hollow way between the mounds we came
suddenly upon the colossal stone lion -
Time with its leaden hand had knock ed
away all the sharp angles of the statue. TIE
features of the lion are completely o5litera
ted, as are also those of tho prostrate form
that lies so helpless. so utterly and who'll,
human. beneath the upraised paw of th,
king of beasts.
The group presents itself to the eye, owing
to the wear of old Time, much in the appear
ance of those vast blocks of Carrara marble
which the bold chsel of Michael Angelo
struck into. and then, at the point that the
shapoless marble ha d began to assume the
merest "abozzo" of the great culptor's idea
the block was suddenly abandoned and left us
a wonder and puzzle to future ages, so duet
this group of tbs lion and the mau now bea,
an unfinished, unwrouebt appearance; bu,
YOU cannot look at il a moment. and not in
staptIy avow the nightly embodied. Thit
dark colossal statue. which may once have
stood under the gorgeous roof of temple
and before which the queenly semramis
proud and supremely beautiful, may once
have bowed, stauds now canopied by the
grandest of canopies, certainly-high heaven
-bu: never noticed but by the wind that
sweeps moaning over it, and the jackals that
yelp around as they hold high revel over
the bones of some camel who has been good
enough TO die in the vicinity.
The Illinois Election.
The Coppsrneads were badly Hogged al
the recent election in Illinois. Official re.