New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-27
ZIP THE NILE.
prNI UAssAN AND ASSIOOT.

,c,s,osAI CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBuNEI
lFRoM An oo0Ne'' CAIRO, April 10.
v,,,e after sunrise on our third day wear
~ ho. /, the distance appeared to he
- ,o,tifed city, with towers and tnriets' pas-
and lofty walls. Beyond and above rose
a cIifs of limestone, and when inc ooa'
toncbed the laudingplace jumped ashore a"u 20.
an hours start Of the PROCESSION LOT tnc 'oinDo
nj Uassan. Across fields OF the blue lnpih
ode for tile picturesque hills, and tired by 'he way
o. enlist the services Of some child OF nature as
onde bnt the youngsters ran screaming away I'm
III. evil ewes of the Giaour. As neared tna' WIZ
arueared like turreted town, 1t tur1ed ou' W
merely the ruins of village, maeniheu Wy No.
nositon on an imposing elevation, once the oann y,
=, - I'M, now a mile inland Ills village mad
for many wears disreputable recoru' ,' msa
+onts heiuc horde of thieves; so lbrahim facn"
I'll ,ha, higb. handed impartality common I'D INC
rost marched against the place, demohsneu H. anu
mr,dered the population indscrlmha1ey' D"'
rav IN the ruins above, where hue vi ca'0i"
nesp out of the ridges, and invite the curious ~
r,,n,, and examine them A thousand feet up anu
,,,u reach the ruined path that leads along INC Law"
of the cliffs aud skirts the famous tomps Vi D0n'
Uassan Iii not that these tombs compare ia GA
font OF splendor with those OF the kings ~ in0''
but they are centuries older, having ooo" y 600
vated as early as the twelfth dynasty; that's o'ooo
..''a,s hoforo the Christian era. The princes OF
Inner and Lower Egypt were then under one ruie
ond the pharoahs of that age the Userteseus anu
Amo,embats were great embellishers OF their
country and promoters Of the arts anu "o'i"'o ~
the Kingdom. The inscriptions on Iheso ''i"',
nroelaim them to have been excavated 1or te USE %
one family that of the hereditary governors VI 'Io
nrovince of Sab, known afterwsrd III the hon"n
DAYS as Aptinoe. They are square roOms' varying
I'm extent the roots of the most spacious oeing pup
,orted Inv columns OF curious design, ana inc
marches Of others similarly ornamented. One OF
,t,so hos become famous as the earliest known ex
o,,ols os The simple Doric and whether the Greeks
cav and copied from ii or not II is certain that IL
wa carved in this mountain side thousand years
bfore architecture had acquired the classic form IN
Greece.
The first acquaintance with these sngulariy
beautiful works is great surprise ana pleasure
although in the past the visitors and other Doths
have done their worst to dishgure them III 'iio
centre of each tomb, facing the entrance there
an altar IN the wall, where the figure OF inc uo
ceased once stood throughout they are proiusey
decorated with mural paintings. and IN the corner
of each is deep well. leading down to the .auit
wn.re the corpse was finally deposited. AS | en-
tered this Doric tomb brightly plumaged DlTd
Anttered ont il might have been the startled spirit
of the departed flying from the intrusion OF
mortal into the pure Odorous and oaiiny enough
here to be the atmosphere of Paradise.
From the path that skirts the tombs the view OF
the Nile valley is most extensive Groups OF pains
dot tho landscape and mark The site of distant VII
lages: long sweeps of the majestic river are lost IN
the horizon TO nor,h and SOUTH and from the foot OF
the mountains to the edge Of the Lyblan Desert 'he
whole country is radiant tableau of brilliant
colors mile or so to the left heap OF dust anu
some scattered ruins indicate the spot whore sl"ou
Antinoe the city reared by Hadrian to the memory
of his fayte and close by the place where. ne the
story runs the youth offered himself sacrifice 10
the angry fates. Doubtless AnIlnous was duly
fshed ont of the river AMI spleudidly embaimed ac-
eordipg to custom, but his handsome face is EN-
halmed more lastngly in the statue OF the Caplto-
line and the numerous busts that ad0Tn 80 many
collections of sculpture. Descending to the ruined
village and entering q gorge IN the hills you ma
among the excavations rock temple called the
Sneos Artemidos dedicated to the goddess Seket
Bast. This lady, represented with the face OF a
hon or cat embodied the fierce instinct OF mater
nitv. and in the Delta where she was rerered, IL
was in old times death to kill her sacred animal the
cat0eath not only fol- the cat, but for the unlucky
party who killed it.
Ia the gathering gloom of night we passed be-
meath the fantastic rocks of Tel Ell Amarna, and
razed into the deep. mysterious caves not long
since the favOr.te haunt OF the crocode. steam
bo,ts and Reningto have driven the monster
from his lair and he is only to be found now III
Nulia, or piOusy mummlhed IN some deep pit III
the hills. Again the cliffs recede, the river wuens,
and in magnificent bend OF the Hood we make last
ALONGSIDE the wharf of Stout or Assl0Ot everybody
spels il To salt HIMSELF the present terminus ~ me
ailway to the SOudan. abont 30 miles from caro-
II is clarmingly situated about mile from the
river on the vest bank. i'll the midst OF rlcn gar
deus luXuriant fields and a forest OF palms. lhere
are about %. 900 inhabitants IN Stout ana q great
trade is done by caravan with the interior HAND,
some pottery of brittle kind is made here. and
pipes of Assoot manufacture are to be found AT bhe
end of every orthodox ckibOuqde IN the country. II
was market day, and in the great square hundreds
Babel of people Of all conceivable shades of color
and every possible aud impossible costume. The
CONSUMPTION for the new Egyptian army was aist
going on at the Pachas residence, and there wa'
loud wailing and gnishng OF teeth among the GROVE
that gathered aud squatted round about the Dulid
ing. The unlucky men who we're drawn 10 serve
their country chained together forthwith ano
mt in ia lest the, shoud evade the distinction
thrust pom them before the authorities could dis
patch them to Cairo for military nlanulactuie
The unfortunate mothers and sisters OF these heroes
were IN an agony Of grief, tearing Their garments
heating their breasts and beapina dust ana mud
n3On their heads and faces. The spectacle wal
painful in the extreme. for although the lads are
only taken for a four years service, the grief o.
these poor women was poignant as II they ha'
been lost to them forever. In other places ate
this had occasion to observe that where q son wa
taken TO serve in the army: he was FORMALLY
incurred for many days by the mother and he
eympathlZlng friends. :,
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