Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-26

git to-morrow-he ductor." | got rid of
him by going up faster than he, and
thought / had succeeded in not being
further annoyed when the water-carrier
appeared. refused water, and made such
haste up the incline that in little over
ten minutes from the time of starting
steed on top of the highest monument of the
werld. This is the 'Great Pyramid" 1t
covers thirteen acres, and was originally
4Sl feet, 4 inches high, so feet of which
has been removed. Its builder is not
known. The internal ascent to the cham
Der of the King fatigued me more than the
scramble up the outside The tenn
perature was $50 Fahrenheit inside,
and l070 outside. Some of the party were
exhausted, and promise never again to
climb higher than their heads. No un-
seen estimate can approximate the dimen-
sions of this vast stone structure. 1t has
teen estimated TO contain 100000 cubic
feet of solid contents. Pliny saws $4,000
men were employed to build the three
pyramids Of Cheops here, and that it re-
quired 6S years and four months to COM
plete them.
A i've minutes walk southeast OF the
great pyramid brought us to the Sphinx.
The sand has recently been cleared away,
and the whole Of the head and body ex-
posed to view. 4 part of the platform be-
/ tween the paws is also visible The lion
body is 40 feet long, and the human head
30 feet from top to chin. The paws be-
tween which was the sanctuary, are 30
! feet long, and from under the left one a
passage leads to the great pyramid"
The q Temple of Sphinx" is nearest to
the southeast, but only the crypt walls re-
main. Stones from 12x16 to Sx3O and
eight feet high compose the inclosure.
Numerous mourning chambers wereshown,
cut out of solid granite and alabaster
| Thirty-three centuries ago the smoke oil
sacrifice still rose from the affairs of tie
Sanctuary of Sphinx, and from this temple
then in its architectural glory, came the
priests TO lead their deluded votaries to
worship the Egyptian deities Forty cen.
turtles ago some Of these pyramidal monu-
ments cast their somber shadows from Their
sandy beds over this luxurious valley Of
The Nile. When Cheops succeeded to the
throne he closed all temples. and forbade
the people to offer sacrifice.
Nothing remains of Memphis besides
the statues of Rameses /. and H., except
the site where it stood, now palm grove
We rode over miles of the Metropolis
Cemetery of Memphis, and passed the
pyramids of Sakhara, and entered the
Apis Mausoleum. This vast subterranean
gallery, with its mortuary chambers and
stone sarcophagi, was excavated and fitted
to serve as the tomb of the sacred bulls
The deceased animal was brought to the
sanctuary of the Temple of Apis, which
stood above it, and there the most sacred
funeral rites were performed, and then
followed by priests, Kings, Queens and
princes, was embalmed and laid in the
stone coffin made Tor the purpose, and SET
into the chamber dedicated to him during
his life. Upon the sarcophagus was writ
ten in Egyptian hieroglyphics the history
Of the deity, and the praise of his attri.
butes and power. | saw "a sarcophagi in
the third Apis gallery. They are Is feet
in length, by feet inches in breadth
and II feet in hight. By means of a lad.
der | entered one of them, but not YES
tige of the interment remains.
More than 1000 years ago there lived
in Memphis priest of very humble or
igin, by the name of Tih. He married
Neferhotep, Of the royal family. His
tomb is here, and in the same gallery, that
of his wife The walls are covered with
sculpture-writing, some of which shows
the beautiful colors of ancient paintings
My letter is becoming too long to give any
Interpretation of tie writing, except to say
that it tells of the life Of Tih and of the
times in which he lived. The tomb OF
Oonas has but very recently been uncov-
erred from its sandy bed, is in splendid
condition, and the hieroglyphics and
adornments exceed those even of the tomb
of Tih. This late discovery has awakened
new interest among psychologists, and as
soon as the stupid Sultan of Turkey can
be aroused from his superstitious dread
there will begin excavations that will en-
rich the world.
! At Heliopolis nothing of interest is to
be seen except the obelisk of On Joseph
married the daughter of On, the priest of
the temple at Heliopolis. The obelisk is
about Z, 800 years old.
Between the site of the ancient city and
Cairo in garden is shown the very (?)
sycamore tree under whose shadow rested
the Holy Family after the flight into
Egypt. The day before q Coptic priest
took us to a cave under his church and
showed us the very niche in the wall
where the same rest occurred.
Life in Cairo is so diversified that a vol
ume could be written upon it with both
interest and profit. Orientalism is here
seen in every mood, from the beggar on
the street corner to the Khedive in his
royal palace. Wretchedness filth, dis
ease, vermin on one hand, and luxury, tidi-
ness and royal paraphernalia on the other.
There goes a beggar, there princely fop.
The beggar cries for bread; the fop orders
him away. The fop boastfully squandered
$500 francs in night, and in that night
the beggar died for want of food. There
goes poor woman carrying burden on
her head that is crushing her to the earth,
and as she hastily steps aside,
there passes the chariot of an Off
cial, with his gold CARRIED eunuch
forerunner, who lives in splendor
from the exorbitant taxes collected of
poor people like her, from every piaster's
worth produced by her industry.
I | will take but space to add that we are
off for the Wells of Moses by the way
taken by the Israelites, and are permitted
to look upon the left arm of the Red Sea
where they so miraculously escaped from
Pharaoh and his armies. From there we
go by rail to Ismailia, then by steamer
through the Suez Canal to Port Said,
where we take passage on the Austrian
Lloyd for the Holy Land.
II. J. BECKER.
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