The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-06-26
NEW YORK HERALI SUNDAY, JUNE &C. l87o-TRIPLE SHEET

sword and q dagger There are no ROBBERS mere tbat
any one has heard OF for TWO or three years put as
says y Y vs 20 &C. Us on
fast donkey II seemed he had small DEBT 70 coect
at Khorsabad and was glad or FRANCES e p 70
90 there although ft IL only seven miles ou ferhaps
also he Mad Vague s0Ve OF getting backsheesh. lie
also was armed 20 the teeth. 80.
, seyssNDlD SCENE. 1865, ~
we had amp.e opportunity to fix the sceae in our
memory, we were riding over gently undulatlng
plain 5ounded on either SIDE BY ysEses Of low hills
cal-shaped hill rose above the general level, and,
covered with green heritage, broke the monotony OF
the landscape. Each or those hillocks contains the
remains of what was once palace or temple or
path or some splendid public building. Even the
shape Of these structures can be imagined by one faD
liar with Aslac architecture. And, letting these
''oaseless iabrcs remain In your minds eve. d, up
groves Of scented trees and fields Of mlet and sesame
and wheat, mapped on by walls Of mud and guarded
by tne houses OF their owners-square hat-rOofed.
Is Nneveh.
1t must not be supposed that Nineveh Is now
desoate waste. Mosul may be Regarded as its egitl-
mate descendant, and 1t must be confessed that
great deal OF busy life still fingers there. And all
about here the land ss occupied and titled. At
landscape ia rather dreary, appearing only
as an expanse OF brown ploughed ground. But
ans ana 70 look rpoa ur
with plenty. 1t would. be prettier, perhaps,
II i were dotted with farmhouses as are our own
agricultural DISTRICTS but both Tor security and
Tor the sake OF being close neghbOrs the people live
only IN villages. riding out on their donkeys with
Their sckles perhaps four OF fiveWlles TO gather in
After an hours ride we crossed little stream.
more mud than water apparently, but which
was stronG enough 10 turn the wheel OF q small
mill, built OF stone ana very old. Soon afterwards
we came fairly in sight Of NJ. Bottas mound. which
habanrs had to be indemnided for the cost Of their
forced removal. Two Arab villages now stand near
this mound; but the one called Khorsabad is the
nearest and largest, and 10 this We proceeded In
der TO procure local guide and leave our horses.
After sitting in the SheiKh's house long enough to
smoke out sebeel and watch some half dozen
AraD damsels very pretty with Clearly cut inteli-
gent features and clear cOmpleyions) spin lew
yards or cotton yarn from their wheels, we all
Shelkh, Thomas and some dozen v8gers--ad-
Journed TO the mound
THE TOP OF THE MOUND
The top OF the mound Is still pierced win scores
OF huge shafts and the passages into the mound are
perfectly visible though so filled up with earth,
washed down by the rains that man can scarcely
crawl through them. Having brought candles es-
pecialy Tor the purpose ventured In little way;
but the earthen arches over our heads seemed so
shaky, and the Arabs from the Outslde) SO loudly
proclaimed the peril In which we were pacing our
selves, and, above an there was SO evidently moth
ing 10 see, that we came out again.
Lying about the mound IN every direction, are
fragments OF sculpture eXhumed by M. Botta. but
left behind as being too vaueless or too heavy to
carry away. The best OF these Is colossal horse
with feathered wings and breast OF conch Shells but
with the head broken or Another stone is carv-
Ing OF huge human head, the face Of the familiar
Assyrlan type. There are also some ten or a dozen
other marbles OF heads and bulls and battle scenes
The carving all of these is still clearly cut and
perfect as when they left the hand OF the sculptor.
Many OF them were Inscribed with the well known
cuneilorm character. Bricks and broken pottery,
some OF which also bore inscriptons are strewn
over the mound In the greatest prousion-enough to
furnish handsomely all the curiosity shops OF
Europe.
Leaving Khorsabad the Arabs told US to call on
our way back at little hil which they pointed out
to us, and which they said contained a much finer
figure than any we had seen. Canering smartly for.
ward we soon reached The mound Indicated II was
some hundred feet In height and covered with grass
flock OF sheep, shaggy with years fleece, were
grazing at its base, tended by man and a compile
OF boys, all Of whom were armed with the crook
familiar TO the readers OF pastural romances.
Mounting the hill and descending "a huge eXca-
yatlon treat. indeed; awaited us. We were
face to face with an enormous marble
fifteen feet height, was open to view, though pas
sage on each side led into the mound round IL and
enabled us TO see that it was twenty twenty
nve leet IN length 1t IS indeed one OF the TWO or
three figures which Messrs. Layard and BOtta eX-
humed and admired and wished to carry away, but
were unable TO do so on account OF their weight The
figure is that Of a bull a horse, whichever anti
quarians have decided it to be- the breast covered
with conch shells the shoulders adorned with feath-
cred wings and The head human in shape with AS
syrian features and huge curled beard The head
is crowned. All round the sides OF she figure there
are long cuneiform inscriptions. The carving, as
with the figures at the other mound. is still per-
fecI as when first chiselled
JONAHS GRAVE.
had almost forgotten 10 say that at the village Of
Nineveh the spot where The miraculous gourd grew
Is st pointed out. The same spot, according to
Mosem tradition, is the site OF Jonan's grave, and
mosque, not very handsome, has been erected upon
II. We succeeded after great deal OF trouble, in
getting order from the Pacha to view the interior
and, greatly TO the disgust OF the guardian of the
shrine. he had to let US H. making us, however take
Off our boots, and grumbling loudly that never before
had Christian foot deiled the mosque. But we saw
nothing worth describing. The reOuted tomb is
covered up with rich draperles, which are never
moved.