The Portland daily press., 1869-04-07

ILLUMINATION OF THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK.
VIM, FL, Russell who reports the tour of the
Prince and Princess of Wales in Egypt for the
London Times writing from the fiotilla ON the
the Nile on Feb. 18th, says:
After dinner the Prince and Princess and
all the travelling party set out for the ruins of
the Temple of Karnak on donkeys and horses,
attended by footmen with lanterns and torch
es. There was moon but a few days old, but
capable still of casting strong shadow and
marking the outlines of the mounds of the de-
serted towns which lie outside the ruins of the
temple. The more enterprising spirits dashed
on ahead and woke up the night owls with i'm
itations, for the most part rather meritorious,
of the native war-cries. AT last, the dim out
lines of the Great Ruin commanded silence.
Still cantering on past the avenue of the
Sphinxes, the horseman plunged into the
darkness and were in among the columns of
the Temple, where dim shapes became visible
moving inside, and presently sang out the
voice of a British sailor, This is MT the way
in. Put your head about, if you please" In
fact, Colonel Stanton, Sir s. Baker, and a
band of Egyptian sailors, with the men of
the Ariadne, were there before us, with the
materials tor the surprise which was to await
the Princess. The horseman turned and
headed back the procession, which seen
street full of lights taking a walk
by ITSELF lamps and ALL
They turned down the avenue of Sphinxes,
and the sleeping peasants in the village they
skirted in their way must have felt strange
fear as they heard the tramp OF many feet
and the lights flashed through the chinks
of their humble dwellings. Then the lantern
and torch-bcarers were ordered to keep out
side the ruin, and the party, dismounting, en-
tered the solemn pile, and were LETT to the light
of the pale moon ard of the watchful stars
which had looked down on the sacred priest
kings who had built 1.-THE Pharaohs of 80
centuries ago. Suddenly there came on them
binding gleam of intense whiteness from a
recess in the temple. 1t grew in splendor and
in power. In moment more the towering col
umns of the porlico, the plinths and obelisks,
and grandiose blocks of carved stone, with all
their strange language in bird and beast, their
emblems human and animal, their secret his
tories were reve aled as if the sun had burst
out of the wall of hewn rock. What mass
of pale faces there, shimmering ghostlike,
screening their eyes from the dazzling won
der! What hum OF voices, swelling at las t
into chorus of admiration. From column to
column casting the blackest of shadows on the
confused order of their advance, as the Prince
and Princess slowly made their way
up to the colonnade, the brilliant wire threw
out its rays like fixed lightning, and when
they reached the end Of the Great Hall blue
lights burned on the projecting walls, and
from broken pillars and heaped-up ruins .ne
Egyptian soldiers held, motionless as statutes'
blazing torches, and extorted words OF aPPLo, nas
baton from the critical Jack Tars VINO drilled
them. Then flew rockets on high, crossing
over the obelisks in their fight, and throwing
dawn vi, sho GERS of many -colored stars on the
broken towers and walls, exciting fresh muir,
murs of delight, while Colonel Stanton and
Sir g Baker and other aspiring persons were
shown to US perched up on various "coigns OF
vantage" magnesium wire in hand. Then
for time the Temple was left to darkness,
and once more, when the party had turned in
to another hall, the illumination was renewed.
No idea can be formed OF the effect Of all this
through reading or writing many words, and
the Prince and Princess, who must be well ac-
ing scenic splendor. expressed as much pleas
ure as the other spectators. There was need
of repose after all this excitement, and seats
were placed and carpets spread in one OF ihe
Great Halls, and the moon was LETT to assert
its mild supremacy.