The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1880-11-19
Row the ryraInsess We're Built.

Brugsch Bey, the eminent Egyptole-
gist, says in his work on Egypt
From the tar distance you see the
giant forms of the Pyramids. as if they
were regularly crystaIlized mountains,
which the ever-creating nature has
called forth from the rock, TO lit them
selves up toward the vault Of heaven.
and yet they are but toumbs, built by
the hands of mea. which have been the
admiration and ,astonishment alike of
the ancient and modern world Per-
fectly adjusted to the cardinal points Of
tie horizon. they differ ID breadth AID
height, as shown by the measurements
Of the three Oldest, as follows J..
The Pyramid Of Khufa-height 405 IS
feet breadth, 746 feet. 2 Pyramid
Of Kfatra-heighf, AT 5 feet, breadth,
62O75 feet. 8. Pyramid OF Menkara
Height, 203 teet breadth, 352.7S
feet
The construction OF these enormous
masses have long been an insoluble
mystery, but the latter generations have
succeeded i'll solving the problem. Ac-
corning to their ancient uSsges and Gus
:ons, the Egyptians, while they still
:, s,.journed III health and spirits, were
ever mindful TO turn their looks to the
region where the departing Ra took
leave of lie, where the door of the
grave opened, where the body, we'll
concealed, at lengt,i found rest, to rise
again to a new existence, after an ap-
pointed time OF long, long years, Wills
the soul, though bound to the body,
was at liberty to leave the grave and re-
surn to it during the daytime, in any
form it chose. In such belief, it was
the custom betimes to dig the grave III
he form of deep shaft in the rock,
aud above this eternal dwelling te raise
sHeerstruetn:e of 2acriticial chambers
sometimes only hall, sometimes several
apartments, and to adorn them richly
with coiored writings and painted sculp-
lures, as was becoming a house OF pleas
nre and joy. The king began his work
from bis accession. KS soon as he
mounted the throne, tie sovereign gave
orders to nobleman, the master of all
the buildings of his .ald, 10 plan the
work and cut the stone. The kernel
of the future edifice was raised on the
limestone soil of the desert, in the form
of a small pyramid built in steps, of
which the well constructed and finished
interior formed the kings eternal dwell
ing, with his stone sarcophagus lying
on the rocky floor Let us suppose
tha: this first building was finished
while the haraoh still lived in the
bright sunlight. A second covering
was added, stone by stone, on the out
side of the kernel third TO this sec
ond, and to this even fourth aud
the mass of giant building grew greater
the longer the king enjoyed existence
and then, at last when it became al
most impossible to extend the area Of
tfe pyramid further. casing of hard
stone, polished like glass, ana fitted
accurately into the angles OF the steps,
covered the vast mass of the sepulcher,
presenting gigantic triangle Oh each
Of its four faces.
More than seventy sueh pyramids
once rose on the margin OF the desert,
each telling Of king Of whom, il was
At once the tomb and monument. Had
not tie greater number Of these sepni-
chers Of the Pllaraohs been destroyed
almost 10 the foundation, and had the
names Of the builders Of these which