The New York herald., 1878-03-04
GRANT IN THE EAST.
The Ex-PresidenIt's Nile
Journey.
RELIGION OF THE OLD EGYPTIANS.
Resemblances Between An
oient Forms Of Faith.
A VISIT TO KARNAK.
The bad Nile" and the Calam-
ity It Imposes.
AN ORIENTAL RECEPTION.
OF THE OLD EGYPTIANS.
A VISIT TO KARNAK.
AN ORIENTAL RECEPTION.


Our imaginatons had been dwelling all these days
on Thebes We read It up and talked about Il and
sand, ''whcn wc see Thebes shall of the
wonders OF tho world" We learned that Thebes was
city that covered both banks OF the Nile; that
IL was know TO Homer AS tho city OF the Hundred
Gates that 1t must havo had 900 tnhabtants and
that sent out 2O0 armed charos twas famed tor
Its riches and spendor until II was bss!eged. There
was the temple OF Memnon ana the colossal statue
which used TO sing It's oracles when the
Here was TO be found tho palace temple OF the great
Rameses the only ruin In Egypt known to have been
the home OF n king Here We would inc columns
Of Luxor, the twin obcisk to the Paris, the
stupendous ru ms OF Karnak ana tho tombs OF tho
kings 'Thebes a.one would repay us for our
long journeylngs; and talked ~ out Sesos-
tris aud the Pharaohs III Iamar manner,
rs though they knew we wcrc coming and would be
ut home. And when we became u ntile hazy
history and could not Ret kings exactly straight
and were not sure whether esostris was IN tho nine
'oenth or The twentynnh dynasy, we always cl back
on Brugsch, VINO knew oil the dynastes and was
ever-runbing spring Of intormation and always
gentle and willing us he WAS learned am afraid We
bothered Brugsca good deal about Pnaroah, ani
where Joseph lived, and whore Moses found in
tho bulrushes and whether there were any stI grow
ing and AT what point the Red Sea Pharaoh's host
and the destroying angel You sce these ques-
tons which the American mind with Sunday school
ideas about the past will ask about Egypt, and It is
some time before the truth begins 70 dawn upon you
that you walking among tho ruins Of
civilization which filed the world
turtles before Moses was born, and that the
rude stone beetle which the Arab insists upon
selling you was rcvereniy placed upon bosom Of
aking who regned before the days OF Joseph. 1t is
some time before you see tho horizon beyond tho
shorter catcchsm history, and so. as remarked, I
am afraid We bothered Brugsch with Sunday
school questions. BY the time we approached Thebes
We wers we'll out OF that stage and wore well up in
Rameses, and knew all about Thebes, the mighty, the
magnificent rnebes, the CITY OF worlds renowp, OF
which we had been reading and dreaming all these
years. And as Brugsch. leaning tn. rail- talked
about Thebcs We listened and watched through tho
clear for the FIRST sgn OF It's glory There the
mountains beyond, the very mountains OF
which We had read, and ,here tho plain.
But whero ThebcsY We looked through
our glasses ana saw AZ first only the
brown cavcrned hills, the parched fields and the
shining sand. We looked ag,in and there sure
enough, were the colossal statues OF Memnon, two
broken pillars SO they seemed, with clump OF
near them Only the fields, the and hills be-
yond; only the same clus,or Of novels tho shoro
NAMED Of the glory Of city that the glory Of
the anciont world.
RECEPTION AT LUXOR.
There was a, least that small company whose
Imagination fell and who could scarcely believe that
80 much splendor could only this barren plain But
this Is no time for moral reflections coming
into tho town OF Luxor fragment the old CITY,
and on the shore opposite 10 Memnon We are coming
10 the Shorc and we that have been expect, d.
The population of Luxor is the river bank; all the
consulates have their flags aying and the dahabee.
abs, ot which there are ivu or Six have
their flags up Right at tho landing place
10 neat three storicd stone building, pa.utod wnrc
with the American and Brazilian flags on tho root
Tho house ia all hung with boughs OF the dato palm
and decorated with lanterns Over the door there are
two American flags, and two soldiers are guard.
Evidently Luxor is in great excitement, for US we
come to tho wharf two soldiers the roof ro or
seven shots from their muskets. This is salute,
and as the plank Is ashore the vi Consul
comes on board with ths Governor and welcomes tho
General Then VIC go ashore, and call tho Wee
Consul We entor the house and pass over sto.e o
Qo0rs strewn with Turkish and Persian rugs
oi great value. We pass into the best cham
DOR OF the house, and we hear anoIher
series OF muskct shots. In this best chamber tho
host points out a picture oi tho General, which he
says In Arabic 10 OF his hous eold gods and that
the day which brought the Gencra under his roof will
be a Blessed day TO him. We noticed also PIC.
ture OF President Hayes We sat on the dvan and
the coffee brought, and after the coffee long pipes.
Thop, u: the request of our host, MI up to
the roof OF his house. where We had line Wow OF the
country the country which shone With tho mag
ninceuce of Thebcs but which IS now only valley be.
tween two ranges Of his--a valley OF sand aud
mari chpd 1o dc nor N RI luetc nj bnv. .Io
called village, hero and there ruin almost hidden
from Wow by the shadows OF the descending sun.
UNENviABLE coUSTRYMAN
After we had flushed hospitalities wrote our
names In tho Vice Consul's book. We noted tho
names Of Dom Pedro. OF Brazil, and famous Amcri-
cans like Mr.. washbuno and Mr.. Boxer. Then we
sauntered around tho town. There were iour or five
average houses from which flags were flying. These
were tho houses OF tho consular agents There was
one house In grove surrounded by trees which we
did not visit. Brugsch told that this house had
been occupied BY an American who lived In Luxor nf-
teen years, but had now gone away Noting the
ea2erness OF travellers Tor antiquities ho entered
Into their manuiactarc and would make mummy lids,
scarab@i, hIeroglyphic Inscriptions and IDOLS We
were sorry TO learn that fellow countryman had
pruclscd wooden nutmeg games In Egypt az an indus.
try but 1t was comfort to know that his imta
tions well done that only export could de-
tsct them. II IN American has character lot US
be grateful that he has skill This American had skill
enough mako money and 20 home, AND Luxor
knows him | suppose he 10 relormcr by
this time candidate TOR Congress and opposed 10
corruption. Bruesch grew eloquent In HIS dcnunc,a-
ton of the fabricaor Of antiquities, and his reveIa
tions quite dampcned any ambition may have had TO
become . collector OF Egyptian rciics
VANDALISM EGYPT.
The town OF Luxor IL Is called Is really coilcc-
lion Of houses tha have iasteued upon tho ruins OF
the old temple. THIS temple Is near the river, and
has nne facade II was built BY Amunoph ILL and
Ramcses H.. who re,gned between thirteen aud
ditecn hundred years before Christ am not very
particular about tho dates, because ! have learned
that century or two does not make much difference
IN writing about the Egyptian dynastca In fact tho
scholars themselvos havo not agreed upon their
chronology Tho only scholar IN whom we have any
iath ~ Bruesch ana when tells that this temps