The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-08-11

u 3
I'm the former geographical articles
translated for the Observer BY Mr..
Strssny cki. of the Actor Library, W. havs
had rsfsrsBce made to ths cities described
below. The following is from an inter-
eating concentration BY n. II Mel
chion de Vogue and Washington, upon
the general results OF their voyage in the
East Published in the Revue Archao'
kgique:
II ask permission to tske Jon with Us
into the mountains between Antioch,
Aieppo, and Apsmse, on the right bank
of the Oropte, and which in the country
are designated under names Of Dj -Riha,
Dj-Als, Dj-Ahga, and Dj -Semsau. do
not think that in ell Syria there exists
series OF views to be compared with
those which the ruins of these districts
present. j am nearly tempted to refuse
the name of ruins to d number Of towns
almost intact, end whose view transports
the traveller to the midst of lost civil
zation, and reveals 10 him, so to say, all
Its secrets.
I'm exploring those deserted streets,
those abandoned courts, those portlcoes
in which the vine twines around mutila-
ted columns. an impression 10 felt similar
to that experienced at Pompeii; that feel
ing is, indeed, less complete, for tho eli
mate Of Syria has not preserved the
treasures of that country like the Ashes
of Vesuvius, bat 10 more novel, for the
civilization there contemplated 10 less
known than that Of the period Of Angus
tus. In fact. all those cities, 70 the mum
Der OF more than hundred aud fifty, in
space Of from thirty to forty square
miles. form a whole from which il II i'm
possible to dctsch anything, aud belong
TO the same style, same system, and same
date---that Of the primitive Christian
epoch, extncding from the fourth centu
ry TO the seventh OF our era The' spec
tator il transported into the midat Of
Christian society--not the hidden life Of
the caiscombs. nor the humiliated, tImrd.
aud suffering existence which Is gener-
ally imagined. but free. opulent, Artis-
tic life. in large stone houses perfectly
disposed, with galleries and covered bal
comics, handsome gardens planted with
vines, presses for making wine, cellars
and stone cisterps for containing it. large
underground kitchens and stables; in
squares, surou nded with porticoess are
elegant baths, magnificent colurnned
churches fanked with towers, and eucom-
passed by splendid tombs; crosses and
monogrAms are scuiptured 10 relief on the
doors. and numerous inscriptions may be
resd upon the monuments; from feeling
Of Christian humility, which contrast,
with the vain emphasis Of Pagan inscrip.
tions, they include NO proper names. buI
pious sentences, passages from the Scrip
lures, monog rams, and dates. The tone
OF those inscriptions indicates period
not distant from the triumph Of the
church; for an acOnt OF victory is per
ceptibe which raises tbs humility of the
man, and animates every line, from thu
verse Of the Psslmist, engraved in hand
some red letters upon door-post cover
cd sah sculpture, 10 ths sefAvi Of az OBJ
scure painter. who, in decorating koml
has TO try his brush. traced upon tn
sides OF the rock monograms OF Christ
and in his enthusiasm an emancipstet
Christian, writes the great words il
Greek, ,aSfo nika--'1his prevsila =
From one of those phenomena, Of whicl
the East offers such freque examples
all these Chriatiah towns were Abandone'
on the same day, probably At tbs periot
Of the Mussullnan invasion, and sine
then they have not been touched. With
out the earthquakes, which lave throw
down many walls and columns, noshin
would BE- wanting but the fittings an
foorings Of the houses. IN. Y. OF
server.