The New York herald., 1870-02-21

acter are even fresher. but not painted with ths
taste and skill Of the former On the right OF The
entrance passage IL section OF the wall devoted tC
the Illustration OF generation and CESSATION which
prove the ancient Egyptians to have been FAR behind
| the moderns in human anatomy. On the wall be
hind the sarcophagus the youthful Ad0ns Is depicted
| seated gODe, and according TO Sir Gardner who
u learned IN Egyptoogue it Il Thought TO refer 70
the theory that dissolution Is followed by reproduc-
| ton lntOsllfe.
TOMB No. was open dnring the time OF the Greeks
In Egypt, and numerous are the inscriptions on the
| walls OF eminent Greek and Roman visitors. OF all
/ which are open this tomb is the most elegant. IL
descends on an incline OF i've feet IN Ity; you may
ride two horses abreast TO the furthest end OF the
tomb safely at hand gallop. most beautiful sar.
cophagus OF red granite s found at the end OF lne
tomb, little frayed on ono side by the rapacious
hands OF souvenir yathererA This tomb the great
resort for those who wish to lunch after visiting the
four best specimens Of kings sepulchres as these
are all that unearned in antiquity care 10 visit.
"By the life OF Pnaroah," repeat, those ancient
Se nto s oS. aO vss sams
clearer idea OF them the mind than all the books
nat could be read and they inspire respect and re-,
spectfnl admiration for them, Notwithstanding the
terrible aspect Of fr0wning c0lOssi the dread LOOK
or Pharoah while shifting his captlyes.
CATAcoMBs.
FROM tneSe royal ab0des OF death--thlS IOpnot
OF yaliey-travellers generally hasten " visit the
catacOmbs OF Assaseef. Sir Gardner praises
Sss 81 them most y Sss
many chambers and great nails; but since
that time the Arab miners nave destroyed the
nnest portions OF ~ 30 that IT is actually NOT worm
visiting, besides the mepnltc odor issuing out N
strong, deathly currents would Kill the keenest Of
nsn interesting. one ieeis inclined 70 laugh a. Sir
Gardner for his zeal. The paintings alone ~ NO. %
Will repay q visit
Medeeneh are very interesting and well worth the
trouble OF visit 70 tnem but have no space 10
describe them, other portions OF Theoes more I'M
p0rtant deserve attention.
The Ramesiuap or Memnonium lies directly below
the grortOes Of rKoorneh. Though in most ruin
GUS state with but the p0rticO and pr0pyl9 stand
Ing, the Bamesum Is q favorite with all visitors.
All admire the bell formed lotus n0wer capitals,
DO not present that heaviness which the crowded
state of others naturally had, and they
ter Ter proportion TO the slzs Of the por-
tico. From q distance the Raminesium looks
rs imposing as any In Egypt. One reason for this
higher than the red mounds OF debris which always
are found IN tho vicinity OF Egyptian temples. lhe
real grandeur and cnarms OF the temple RUNS OF
Egypt are obscured by these mounds, which, In very
many instances such as before Dendera and Abyaos,
rise higher than the ruins themselves For u par
allel case imagine the national capital at Washing
ton surrounded by refuse heaps rising TO level with
the summit OF the dome; where would the grandeur
and beauty OF it beS Do men light candle and put
Rameslum Is more freed from 0bstruetlng dust
hills and mud huts, and what Is left OF 1t Is seen to
good advantage from afar Is that travellers as soon
as they descry its ruins yearn TO view them closer.
This temple palace was 900 feet in length from
portco to circuit wall, by $50 feet IN BREADTH but
tne greater part OF It IL IN too rulnous state to
enter into details.
Before the p0rtlco lie the ruins OF the largest
statue IN Egypt or S81 tons In weight, SO says Sir
Gardner. 1t is monster statue OF sienite granite
polished AZ smooth mirror The iconoclastlc
hands Of the Arabs have been laid upon this also,
for they have constructed mllstones from the face
so mat this hero OF statue not even respected
when low. lron-hearted Csmbyses smote 1t at the
legs ana levelled fC from Its pedestal to the dust
but pagan Arabs with chisel and hammer dcfaced IT,
THE COLOssr.
From the Rameseuln TO the col0sn OF Memnon is
but step. Now you stand In the shadow OF the
famous colossus and repeat to yourself the sweet
tradition which fable has woven about It. There
are two colosst seated on thrones abous fifteen
PAGES apart. looking eastward but there Is only
vocal Nemnon, which Is the northernmost or the
one nearest to the kameseum. The story goes that,
every morning at sunrise sound issued from IL
similar TO tho breaking OF q harp string. StraDo,
whose curiosity must have prompted him to rise
Whstser nrocesded rom the statue or om some
one IN the cr0w-f0r there were curious people In
Thebes itsef-he was not certain But there were
not wanting those who afflrmed stoutly that the
sound emanated from Memn0n when the sun
touched its lips. Everv morning Memnon sung.
you 10 look Kindly az ts WE'RE
true. What charm Is there IN well devised story.
Sir Walter Scott has restored knight errantry from
the ob0quy into which the satiric pen OF Cervanes
had cast IL. Washington Irving has made all Eng
lish readers love the simple RIP Van Wlnklen out
here fable, with q simple story or two three
words, makes you reverence stone, while It's mate
much better preserved, Ia disregarded. The lips
eyes and the points OF Memnon's feet have been de-
stroyed Its entire body was also broken In pieces
by that mad Cambyses who has been the bane OF
Egypt but Severus restored 1t with huge blocks OF
sandstone cnseed In the form OF the deity we see
TO climb to the lap OF Memnon is . labor even to
active young men; but what young student would
not do II, that he could say he had sat in great
Memnon's lap When traveller visits Versailles or
the Trianon he must sit IN the chair OF Napoleon or
Madrid he must needs throw himself into the chair
OF Philip ~. and test the luxury OF lsabea's couch.
HOW much greater is the Noaor OF having sat IN the
lap OF Memnon, the dutliui son OF the morning
LOOKING DOWN ON THEBEs.
From the lap OF Memnon. twenty-five feet above
the green area OF the Ne valley the ruins OF Thebes
seen, with other ideas than that Of taking good
view. You may perhaps wish to restore Thebes in
ana Luxor are before you, Medeenet Aboo and the
Srygian Lake are on your right. The Rameseum,
the palace OF Koormeh are on your LETT Dayre 81
% the sas Of ns Kg and ns valley
nave put 70 lay an avenue Of spnlnXes, broad as
another from behind Msmnon to to the palace of Ra
meses, at the base OF the Llbyan Hills reconstruct
DetweeV the Kameseum and the furthest
edge OF the Styelan Lake reconstruct
Luxor and Karnak, with long lines Of sphinxes
between; I'LL the intervening space with the city Of
Thebes fifteen miles in circumference, with nuuef-
GUS oDelsks and statues rising above the houses I;
people, aud You have TheDes-royal Thebes-the
queen city Of Egypt which had her chariots by
the thousands, and her warriors by the hundred
1nousand; whose fame was sung BY Homer over
Greece lour thousand years ago, and lives still In
uudying verse and in her monuments.
The temple OF Medeenet AbOo 10 undoubtedly one
OF the most graceful and artistic In Egypt Battle
scenes and victories engraved three inches deep
on the walls Of this temple: Scrlbes reckon up the
hands OF the SLAIN and deliver the NUMBER u the
king VINO Is seated ON the hinder part Of chariot;
king OF colossal stature has host OF men ny
the HAIR Of the head whom he is about to smite TO
death; then he rides IN a chariot OF stats sur
rounded by his n0oes and 0flers sacrifices to the
gods alter his victory. over foreign enemies An
Egyptian king erected 1t some 700 years before
Christ. An Egyptian Pharaoh usurped the tnrone
and had his own figure sculptured over the former
Nectapeoo H. efYaced Lroakah's name and intro
duced his own instead; and succeeding Ptolemies
and Cleopatras have inscribed theirs among their
decessors, on the work was continued, Until
Egypt ceased to have king. Invading Arabs first
commenced the work OF rum Coptic Christians COM
pleted 1t. pylon OF granite, nanked by wo pyra-
mdal towers, two succeeding great courts and
noble hall OF assembly admit you into the holy Of
holes, the nayos and adYta- The second court 10
by tar the grandest within the temple. 1t measures
l23 feet by 1885, aud is surrounded by peristye OF
noble pillars, OF varied design. CorIDthian pillars
| Of Christian church stand here before noble
osirides and circular bell-topped Egyptian columns.
The Christians erected their church this and
framed their pillars out Of the solid arcnitraves,