The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-07-25

Exchange.
l must say word on the subject Of the
famous cemetery OF the Parsees. or. more
properly, Their lowers Of silence, az BON.
bay. These must not bu passed over uu-
noticed, the more especially as they have
e kind OF parallel relation 10 cremation 10
respect d. lesas to the underlying motive
promptIRg this mes: elIsulAr form OF East
trn burial--lf burial, indeed, il NAV be
justly called. -
The Dakhmas, or Towers OF Silence, arc
simply mas,ee VI masonry, built If nsru
blucss OF granite. and covered with white
chunam. The largest Of the tive towers il
about forty ieetIn diameter, and NO. mucn
over halt that height. The whole are EN-.
bessed IN luxusiaa. ioliage, rising Gus OF
an enormous and we'll kept garden. Tner.
Is SKIN tower, square IN shape, that
Stands quite spar. f,ulu the i've; ba. this
is reB.1ved only Tor the remains OF
convicted criminals. The whole Of
the towers have baen eYrclell within
two centuries. HTnrse Strange, ai!snt,
solemn structures sre eet in sea OF grace.
iul cyprtestH, palms and gorgeous blossom.
Ing plsnts, and that the 6rst glance 10.
ward the stfarges is startled to tee an er-
traordipary kind Of molding on the SUNNI.
Composed entirely OF vullures with their
htaas pointing upwards, and ususl|y ia
such perfect order aud iszy expectancy ,ha.
| lnty have been taken fus Il yrotttn.u orna
ment carved from the co1niee stoao,
The following ID An accur .te DESCRIPTION
OF the intsliol: "lmagiue massive cylin.
der, fourteen ieet high aud fa!l forty ises il
dismetsr, built throughout o! solid stone,
within the Cenlrs we'll Big feet acress,
leading down 10 an excavation under ,he
masonry, containing four draine, termins.
ted each by hollis flied with charcoal.
Round the upper surface OF the solid cir.
euIar cyliEder, and hiding the interior
from vIs", l5 BtoHs pa1ace! ton or twelve
feet high. This viewed from the OUTSIDE,
seems TO form one piece with the solid
stone work. The upper surface OF tbs
solid etone column is divided into seventy
two compartments, rsdia,lng like the spokes
Of wheel Iron, the cen.sal well, and
arranged in three coneentric rings
separated each from the other by narrow
ridge OF s!ons grooyed 10 40! ss channels
to convey all moisture from the receptacles
into the we'll. I. shouId he
noted that the number eeyeatyr.a o Is en-
.l.ma:;s ot the ssventy.tvu chup,u,p Of
4 ,Arster's Yssla, part Of the Z ndavests.
4 ,ah ,e'1cle Of stone &C fins is divided
IRON the reut b. q pathway, thus making
three circular pa,h4syu ropad the Central
well; AID these three pathways ara crossed
by another pathway conducting from one
door which admits the corpse bearers from
tho exterior la the ou,s7most circle Of
stone coflins are placed tho bodies OF
males, in the middle those OF females, and
IN the Inner and smallest circle those OF
Children"
sucn is, in briaf, the account given by
Mr.. Morier Willlsns, Baden professor Of
sanscris The bodies are deposited in the
open stone CT ilias, ard on being left there,
ths vultures, watching on the parapet
above, s~oop down, and, it 10 said, in i've
minutes ny up sgsin, leaving only skele.
ton behind. The bearers return iu.sbout
. fortnight, and with gloved hands place
ths dust Of the -ParsEes remains undis.
turbed for svernore.