New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-21
UP THE NILE.
RIVER. RUINS AND TOMBS.

CAIRO, April 10. :
1t was superb morning in February that L
found myself aboard the steamer Masr" ARABIC
for Caro-. side-wheeler. in shape something
between Scotch lake and Hudson River steam
boat. with all her passenger accommodations on the
main deck Soon after lunch, OH the first day Of
the voyage, the boat stopped at Badrashin, VII
lage from where we were to make our first excur-
sion. Donkeys were In waiting, and shrieking
of Arabs struggled furiously for the possession
OF the tourists until the whole party was mounted.
With wild howl of announcement to the beasts
and the application of young forest of sticks,.tho
procession started toward the great cemetery OF
Sakkara across the blooming odoriferous bean
fields. Badrashin and Milrahineh. both extensive
collections of mud huts stand upon hills OF rubbish,
the debris of part of the ancient city of Memphis.
the first capital of tho old Egyptian monarchy.
Memphis extended along the rivers bank for miles
the Greek writer's tell of its gories in their day, and
even as late AZ the twelfth century Abdellatlf
wrote of tho splendor of it's then existing ruins
Here was the famous temple 70 Ptah, or Vulcan,
and here was the centre of the worship OF Apis.
Cambyses stormed the city 800 years b. c.; nine
centuries later Thcodosius commanded the over
throw of its gods and temples; and then the VIC
torous Omar seized upon its sculptured stones and
lubm 10 gduh Va Iuo iA'oi w pu'iu
his Moslem capital And now, where stately tenn
pies and endless palaces covered the plain. the
placid sky looks down on blooming fields. or sees
itself reflected in tho rich overflow OF tho great
river Around Milrahneh there superb groups
of palms. 40 d here and there under their shadows
are scattered remnants OF tho ruined city. From q
wide-opcn grave Pharoah smiles in stone, and In
great hollow not far away colossal Rameses lies
face downward III the ater Here and there n few
founds tons crop out of the SOIL and these, with the
thoughts they suggest all that arc loft TO tell of
tho vast city.
Two miles OF so through Towering lupins and lem
ts and skirtod the village of Sakkara through
odors of all things villanously Arabian and squalid.
butcher was dissectng bullock as 1T lay in its
hide the ground. and around the man and the
dead beast was a vocieratng crowd. dlckering for
portions OF the carcsss Tall graceful women clad
in an only garment gazed with thoir grand luminous
eyes: the children vocfcratcd bakshish," and she
babies walloH ed oyously in the mud But from the
vile stencil of tho purlicus to the sweet smelling
desert was but step, and soon | was among the
sands hcapcd above the graves OF the buried multi
tude
The entire limestone ridge that borders the cult
vae PLAN for twelve miles mort h and south Of SAX
kara il a vast graveyard and boasts more than
forty pyramids from GzeL TO Meydoum. Doubtless
before the sacred ground invaded by the desert
it was laid ont with the same order and beauty
that regulates Greenwood but now all Is waste,
tho monuments are buried deeply by the constantly
invading sands and few objects Of great Interest
only arc kept clear for the inspection of the
traveller. Much. however, has been done by
Marette and others and great tIca Cres ~ sculpture
and stella have been found and conveyed to the
various museum, of Europe. The statues Of III and
..f.f e.,
here. and the mastaba or tomb of IT is tho only
one OF which every part be inspected with facil
lty. In this de,olate waste Marictte built himself
a house and lived many years, deyoting himself to
snbterranean discoveries and hero he uncarthed the
Scrapcium with its Greek philosophers now in the
Lonvrc and discovered the marvellous rock
tombs OF tho Apis bulls. 10 this marsueum the
Arabs lead the way. and n ragged crow follows
Offering bits of pottery. moudy copper CONS ana
aantcekas" Of yarIJus suspicious shades OF lmita-
ton.
tic r.ign of Psamiik OF the twenty-siXth dynasty.
but an earlier SeTapeum was 1oun by Marietta
and closed again. as most OF the vaults were in 50
Tuinous n condition. | visited next the tomb OF l.
which the kindly desert has pIcso we'd almost intact
for tho delight of the people OF to-day. once lt
stood upon the surface soil, but engulied and hidden
for centuries. II finally disntcrrod by Marietta
IL consists OF a little chape OF pnrc white limestone
with long passage with lateral chambers with
every square foot of their surfaces cfaIminRly
sculpturcd in has relief. III was chamberlain TO
three consecutive luOnarchs OF the NTH dynasty
and originally a person OF humble origin but he
amassed great possessions III various parts OF the
Nilc valley, and became, according 10 tho inscrlp-
tons, priest of~the pyramids. privY councillor
and enthroned in tho heart of his lord II must
have icaihcred his life nest pretty well, for no mar
red lady of the royal family. aud Mrs II is alice
tinnatey pictured the walls and docketed as
" the palm of amabilty toward her husband For
these facts take the assertions of the EgYptOO-
gists; but the sculptures on the chambers commend
themseyc, to the interest without any interpreter.
and "a complete panorama of the old lie OF Egypt Is
unrollrd before our eyes.
Out of the depths again and ell ronte to the river.
we passed under the great shadow of the so-callcd
step pyramid II is constructed III six tiers of brick
each some thirty feet III height with base of three
hundIed; but its builder and its object are un-
known. There are vaults and corridors in the IN
terror which have led some to conjecture that II
was once the earliest tomb of Apis. but all that Is
really asccrtaned Is that with ITS compeers OF Das
hour il is the oldest structure in existence.
GEORGE FAWCETr ROWE.