The weekly union record., 1865-02-04
An Extinct Civilization.

The London Quarterly Review bas the fol
lowing in regard 10 an extinct civilization in
Cochin China and Cambodia
! Prior 10 the visit of Admiral Bonard in his
steamer, NJ. Mouhot had sailed through the
great lake Of Cambodia in a native boat, and
pronounced that it is more than l20 miles long
aud must be at least 400 in circumference. Its
Cambodian name is Touli-Sap. The entrance
! to it from the Me kong river Is by a branch of
that great stream, which joins the main river
about fifty miles south of the lake. For more
/ than five months of the year, the lake is full,
but it grows shallower by evaporation, its
width continuing nearly unal,ered. Its waters
are literally swarming with excellent fish of
every description.
On the banks of this immense lake. the in
habitants are of different races. There are
amongst tnem half Savages and nearly iude-
pendent tribes, of whose origin almost nothing
is known-a people ethnographically distinct
from the dominant race, and keeping aloof from
the most civilized communities. These people
are called Shiames by the Cambodians, and
are said to be of Malay origin, the descendants
of the ancient Tsiampois, who inhabited the
! once powerful kingdom of rsiampa or Ciampa.
Be this as it may, there is abundant evidence
TO show that great people once inhabited the
shores of this lake. for their remains are still
to be seen in the mighty ruins of Ongeor, which
NJ. Mouhot pronounces 10 be grander than
anything left to US by Greece or Rome.
These ruins are situated between the north
ern shore of the great lake and range of
mountains that divide the Laos territory from
Cambodia ; the most perfect OF them not more
than fifteen miles from the lake. After the
traveller has passed across an arid plain, and
through dense forest, the first objects Of inter-
est are seen at the angles OF an esplanade,
where the forms of two colossal lions sculptured
out of the solid rock astonish him by the ap-
pearance OF high art in the midst OF desolate
| wilderness. This is the entrance TO the Budd-
hist Temple of Ongeor, where gigantic fights
of steps lead up to a terrace with II futed
columns, surmounted by capitals formed in
every case by a single block OF stone. Their
basement, like the whole building is ornamented
with very beautiful sculptured mouldings,
varied in style, and entirely covered with deli
cate rose and arabesque carvings worked with
the chise, with a taste and skill equally won
derful. After passing through a grand portico,
a second and third terrace are reached by a
fight of steps, and at each landing extensive
galleries are seen with triple-rooied porticoes
and double colonades, having richly carved
mouldngs above the columns. On the walls
are bas-reliefs representing public events in the
ancient kingdom; besides multitude Of fabu
ous animals and groups OF men, ANIMALS and
birds, Illustrative of the dress, manner. and
customs of the people, of whose language and
authentic history nothing is at present known.
Here military procession-bodles OF soldiers
headed by chiefs, some mounted on elephants
others on horseback, and each corps carrying
J. LII i,
and bows-there triumpbal march-all de-
pcting the warlike character of the nation.
Again there are representations of the Hindoo
Paradise, Swarga, aud the internal regions,
Naralma; with the rewards and punishments
appropriate to each. Strange and wonderful
are these ruins, that seem now only to have
started into the light of day, being bid in the
gloom of barbarous ages. The author says:
The Temple of Ongeor is the most beautifuI
aud best preserved of all the remains and the
first, also, that presents itself to the eye OF the
traveller, making him forget the faiigues of the
Journey, filling him with admiration and delight
such as would be experienced Cd finding
verdant oasis in the sandy desert. Suddenly,
as if by enchantment, be seems to be trans
ported from barbarism TO civilization, from
darkness TO light What strikes the observer
regularity of these majestic buildings, is the i'm
mense size and prodigious number of the blocks
of stone of wbich they are constructed. 10 this
temple alone is as many as l332 columns.
W hat means of transport, what multitude Of
workmen. must this have required, seeing the
mountain out of which the stone was hewn is
thirty miles distant! In each block are to be
seen holes % centimetres in diameter and
in tta no
size of the blocks; but the columns and the
sculptured portions Of the building bear DO
traces of them. According to Cambodian
legend, these are the prints OF the fingers Of
giant, who. after kneadng an enormous quantity
of clay, had cut it into blocks and carved it
into a hard and at the same time light stone
BY pouring over il some marvellous liquid.
"Tbe principal entrance forms long gallery
with ce7tral tower, and two others Of less
altitude. The por.ico of each tower is formed
of four projecting columns with staircase. At
each extremity are similar porticoes, beyond
which, but Immediately contiguous thereto is a
high door or gateway, Oh the same level, which
served for The passage OF vehicles. From
constant use the wheels have worn two deep
ruts in the massive hagstones with which the
ground is paved.
"All the mouldings, sculptures and bas-reiefs
appear to have been executed after the erection
OF the buiding. The stones are everywhere
fitted together in so perfect manner that you
can scarcely see where the jennings are; there
is neither sign of mortar nor mark of the cblsel,
the surface being as polished as marble. Was
this Incompatible edi6ce the work OF single
genius who conceived the idea and watched
over the execution of it? One is tempted TO
think so for no part of it is deficient. faulty or
inconsistent. To what epoch does it owe its
origin! As before remarked, neither tradition
nor written Inscriptions furnish any certain in,
formation on this point; or rather, should
say, these latter are as a sealed book for want
of an interpreter and they may. perchance,
throw light on the subject when some European
ssvant shall succeed in decipheriDg them"