The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-10

Mr.. George Smith, notwithstanding his
name, deserves to be called the most distin-
guished historian who ever lived. Who was
Herodotus, compared with the man who can
go back in time some four hundred and thirty
two thousand years and fix in the most exact
manner possible the schedule Of dynastic chro-
nology as the kings came to and fell from the
throne of Assyria? We fear very much that
Herodotus and his contemporaries will have to
take "back seats" after this neat historical
triumph of Mr.. Smith, for it shows the value
of critical antiquarian knowledge as compared
with the clumsy manner in which the his
torians of the Christian era have been wont
to cloud and mystify even such modern epochs
as those marked by the deeds of King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table, the Iron
Mask OF the question of "Have we Bourbon
among us?" Berosus, it seems, with due
regard for the archaeological cravings of the
nineteenth century compiled from the tablets
sculptured nearly half million years ago an
exact and succinct account of the reigns Of
our Assyrian forefathers. There were ten
of these dynasties, and so little did the mod
ern element Of strife between families repre-
senting such principles as "Divine Right"
'.Bonapartism' or 'the Republic" enter into
the polity of the period that each dynasty held
the reins Of power during forty-three thou
sand years-that is the ten dynastiss accord
ing to our Mr.. Smith, did not become defunct
until they had occupied four hundred and
thirty-two thousand years in the pages OF
history The first King in the list-and the
earliest on earth, so far as we know-was called
Aorus; certainly very respectable and
pronounceable name. The head of the fifth
dynasty, though not SO closely allied to
euphony, rejoices in the appelation Of Anne
galarous, according to Berosus; but Mr.
Smith prefers to believe that slight error
has been made in photography after the lapse
of such brief period. and he assumes that
His Majesty was none other than Amid-ur-
gal {meaning man of Urgal). After dispos-
ing of eighty-s1 reigns under the second
dynasty, covering period Of thirty-four thou
sand and eighty years (the months and days
are not given), Mr.. Smith goes into the ETY.
mology of the names themselves, and after
wards introduces us to Kudur- nauhundi
and EIamite, who conquered Bsbylonia
in the twenty-third century B. c. But
this is coming too near the year
1873 A. D. to be pleasant reading, and
hence we will not weary the reader with any
further summary Of cuneiform history &C
cording to Mr.. Smith. But the facts we have
taken the liberty Of recording are taken from
an elaborate paper read before the British
Biblical Archaeological Society by Mr.. Smith,
Sir Henry Rawlinson in the chair. They ex-
hibit the character of Mr.. Smiths labors in
Assyria in the service of the London Daily
Telegraph; and if we are not prepared TO be-
lieve all that Mr.. Smith deduces from the
tablets, we are at least bound to commend the
enterprise and generosity of our contemporary
in sending the leading arch@ologist Of Britain
to the East Mr.. Smith is about to proceed to
Asia Minor again in the service Of the British
Museum. We cannot doubt that he will re-
turn again with information that will render
his accounts of Alorus and his descendants,
and his dispatches on the Deluge, as insight
ficant as reporters record Of yesterdays