Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-11
VOL. XXXVII.
The 0belisk.

Cleopatra's Needle, presented to the United
States by lsmael Pasha, arrived safe and
unbroken in our harbor on the 10Th inst,
on board the steamer Dessong. The tax
ing of the Needle down and its transporta-
ton across the ocean has been under the
direction of Lieutenant Commander Cor
ringe, who purchased the steamer, a vessel
of English build, in Egypt, and had it
altered and modified there 10 suit the pur-
pose to which it was to be devoted. Since
the arrival of the vessel it has been laying
at anchor in the North River off Twenty
third street, where it has been visited
daily by many curious to obtain glimpse
of the famous Monolth. Captain Cor
rnge will continue in charge of the Obe-
lisk unit! it shall stand erect once more
upon its ancient pedestal. When the
exact site for it has been determined, the
steamer will be put upon the dry dock,
and through her open side the Obelisk will
be taken out, and by means of rollers
transferred 20 its destination.
Thus far the whole affair has been most
admirably managed, to the great credit of
Captain Gorringe and all connected with
with him. The Dessong left Alexandria
on June II, and reached Gibraltar on the
22d, where Lord Napier, the Governor
General of Gibraltar, Lord Ripon, and a
large number of others, came on board.
On the 9th of July, when in mid-ocean.
the shaft of the aft engine broke, and they
were obliged to lay to quietly for six days
making the necessary repairs. The voy-
age has thus been very favorable one,
for which large share of credit is due to
a. G., tt.,,,
most of the time.
Obelisks belong to the Oldest and most
simple monuments of Egyptian architec-
re,and are high four sided pillars. .dimn-
ishing as they ascend, and terminating
in small pyramid. Herodotus speaks of
them, and Pliny gives particular account
of them. The latter mentions King Mes
phres, or Mestres, of Thebes, as the first
builder of them. 1t is probable that these
monuments were first built before the time
of Moses, at least two centuries before the
Trojan war. There are still several obe-
lisks in Egypt. These. exclusive of the
pedesLals, are mostly from so to 100 feet
high, and of II red polished granite; few
later ones are of white marble and other
kinds of stones. Some are adorned on all
sides, and some on fewer, with hieroglyph-
les cut in them, sometimes to the depth
of two inches, divided into little squares
and sections and filled with paint. Some
are entirely plain and without hierogly-
phics. The foot of the Obelisk stands upon
a quadrangular base, commonly two or
three feet broader than the Obelisk, with
q socket in which it rests. They are COM
monty hewn out of a single stone, in
quarries of Upper Egyyt, and brought on
canals fed by the Nile, TO the place Of their
erection. According to the accounts of
travellers, there are still to be found in
Upper Egypt, old quarries with Obelishs
already hewn out, or with places whence
monuments of this form must evidently
have been taken.
OF their origin nothing is known with
certainty. Perhaps the first images of the
gods, which, at an early period were no.
thing but stones of a pyramidal form, gave
occasion to them. According to Herodo-
tus they were first raised in honor of the
sun. and meant to represent its rays.
The might also have been raised 10 per-
petuate the memory of certain events, since
the hieroglyphics contained the praises of
their gods and their kings, or Inscriptions
W tlltll hotlOuo. <hllCl
the conquest of Egypt by tho Persians, no
more were erected, and the succession of
Lagus adorned Alexandria with the Obe-
lisks of the ancient kings, frem whence the
Roman Emperors carried several of them
to Rome, Aries and Constantinople, most
of which were afterward overturned, but
have been put together and replaced in
modern times.
AT the top of the cabin stairway Of the
Dessong are two crabs of bronze. each
three feet long and less than one in width.
They are somewhat broken up, but have
survived their two companions, with whom
they once shared at Alexandra the task of
supporting the Obelisk above its pedestal.
This is said to have been Il Roman idea,
and has led TO the easy destruction of
many other Obclisks. The Egyptian
builders knew better, but the Romans
found the base of the Obclsk in crumbl-
ing state and bethought to lend it cruches.
few centuries in the history of other
Obelisks have settled the case OF the crabs
and left the columns in Il very equity con-
dition. On these two particular crabs
appear Latin and Greek inscriptions, which
are thus translated: