The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1864-01-20
Babylon--A Sand Storm--The
Tower of Babel.

lowing picture of the desolation that sur
rounds and enshrouds the once might,
Babylonian Empire:
BABYLON.
In the distance, high ahoye the plain
doomed great mound Of earth. On
both sides of us lay what box ed like par.
alel ranges Of hills. These lines are
pronounced to be the remains of those
canals that once conducted the waters Of
the Euphrates over the length and breadth
of the ancient Babylon. What mighty
canals must they have been, that still
showed under the roll of.scenturies such
such substantial traces d not so much
as drop of water, no, nd 05eyen drop Of
heavens pearly dew ever glistens where
ships once must once have navicatcd.-
Those mighty banks that carried fertility
to every corner of the ancient kingdom
are now mere useless, sightless mounds.
No morning mist, moistening the thirsty
earth ever hangs over them, No rain
clouds ever shadow them, tcmpering the
rays of the fierce daily returning sun
The end of her that ''dwelt upon many
waters,' had been brought about only too
surely. The awful prophecies had been
fulfilled; and desolation, in all its naked
ness, in all its dreariness, was around us
After riding some two hours we arrived
at the foot Of the great mound that we
had seen in the distance in the morning.
We dismounted and scraIn bied to the top,
Tor we had even arrived at the tower Of
Babylon; and this great mound of earth
that we were on was the grave of the gol-
den city | believe from the summit
raised some hundred feet above the plain,
the walls of the ancient city may be
traced But hot wind, driving burning
sand and the impalpable dust of ages in
to the pores Of our skin, made every eff
fort to open an eye SO terribly painful
ttat we gave up the idea in despair of
either tracing walls, or, indeed, of look
ing about us much any where Tremem-
Der seeing, away TO the west. lines Of will
lows, and silver thread winding away
into the distance; and, near, some un-
slightly, bare mounds, looking as if vol
,ano fire had been at work underneath the
smooth surface Of the plain, and had
thrown these mounds up in the spirit of
pure mischief That silver thread was
the first glimpse of the waters of the Eu-
pirates, and the mt unds all that remained
>f the once beautiful hanging gardens of
Baby Ion; at least so the conjecture of
men Of research has accounted for them
But so completely have the prophecies
gecn fulflled-so completely has the
name and the remnant been cut of, Of
Ill pertaining to the once mighty city,
hat even the great city Oh which we were
standing, is only by conjecture supposed
% be the ruin of some great building or
'oyal palace that stood Within the walls
possibly the palace OF Semiramis
We descended from the great mound
md made for the lesser mouads Shich are
to be the site OF the hanging
gardens Of Nitocris and Semiramis. In
me spot-the only thing we saw in the
shape of a building in state of ruin
WAS mass Of vitrified hrickwork, pier
ing :he old soil and debris of centuries,
tngle upwards. The bricks were square,
II large size and beautiful make; the an
-les Of some clear and sharp, as if the
brick. had but left the kiln yesterday, in
stead Of nearly twice two thousand years
ago. Turning into little hollow way
between the mounds, we came suddenly
upon the colossal stone lion. Time, with
his leaden hand, had knocked away at all
sharp angles of the statute The features
Of the lion are completely obliterated as
are also those of the PROSTATE form that
lies so helpless, SO utterly and wholly be
meath the upraised paw of the king of
beasts. The group presents itself to the
eye, owing to the wear OF old Time, much
in the appearance of those vast blocks of
Carrara marble which the cold chisel of
Michael Angelo struck into, and then at
the point that the shapeless marble had
begun to assume the 'abozzo" of the
great sculptor's idea, the block was sud
denly abandoned, and left as wonder and
Il puzzle to future ages; SO does this
groupc of the lion and the man now bear
an unfinished, unwrought appearance, but
you can look at it a moment and instantly
avow the majesty and grandeur of the IDEA
that once lay there so mighty embodied.
This dark colored colossal statute, which
may once have stood under the gorgeous
roof of temple, and before which the
queenly Semiramis, proud and supremely
beautiful, may once have bowed, stands
now canopiei by the grandest of all can
opies, certainly-hish heaven-but never
noticed but by the desert wind that sweeps
moaning over it, and the jackals that yclp
around, and hold high revel over the
bones of some camel who had been good
enough to die in the vicinity.
A SAND STORM.
About an hour before sun set we were
standing on the bridge of boats, looking
down upon the Euphrates relling its dark
turbid tide below US. The heaven above
was without cloud but suddenly, in the
course of few minutes, as it appeared,
we became aware that the western sky
was becoming strangely obscure, and as
we looked in the direction Of the sun, we
saw his rays were waxing dim by reason
of vast lurid cloud that was surging up
from the western horizon at pace that
was terrific to behold. There was a sud
den rush of feet across the bridge, for the
people, men, women and children, were
flying in all directions, hoping to find
shelter from the deluge which they sup
posed would, in very short time, be
noured down upon the town from out the