The Storehouses of the King

untry. From thence he went to Midian, where he did not remain idle, for there are mines there which he must have had worked. He was commissioned by the

rote inscriptions on the rocks-all resembling those he left in Thebes-in

l architectural remains. Travellers of our time are told by the Arabs that a great prince dwelt there, and they show them a noble edifice as Pharaoh's Castle, and another equ

ea, and still no man to oppose us. In front of the great temple, the pride and beauty of Petra, I saw a narrow opening in the rocks, exactly correspondin

place a little above, whence I began to pick my way, occasionally taking to the shoulders of my follower, and continued to advance more than a mile. I w

rely wide enough for two horsemen to pass abreast. At the end was a large open space, with a powerful body of light thrown down upon it, and exhibiting in one full view the fa

beauty and excellent condition of the great temple at Petra (Wady Mousa). The whole temple, its columns, ornaments, porticoes, and porches, are cut out from and form part of the solid rock; and this

ept at the narrow entrance, and an opening to the left of the temple, which leads into the

ple is richly ornamented, but the interior is perfectly plain, there being no ornament of any kind upon the walls or ceiling; on each of the three sides is a small chamber; and on the back wall of the innermost cha

e theatre, circular in form, the pillars in front fallen, and containing thirty-three rows of seats, capable of containing more than three thousand persons. Above the corridor was a range of doors opening to chambers in the rocks, the seats of the princes and wealthiest inhabitants of Wady Mousa (Petr

eauty of the work within; while here the door was always imposing in its appearance, and the interior was generally a simple chamber, unpainted and unsculptured.[52] I say that I could not distinguish the dwellings from the tombs; but this was not invariably the case. Some were clearly tombs, for there were pits in which the dead had been laid, and others were as clearly dwellings, being without a place for the deposit of the dead. One of

saw elsewhere, being a dark ground, with veins of white, blue, red, purple, and sometimes scarlet and light orange, running through it in rainbow streaks; and within the chambers, where there had been no ex

e, like the first, cut out of the solid rock, and, like the first, too, having for its principal ornament a large urn, shattered and bruised by musket-balls; for the ignorant Arab, b

dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days," and Joshua became their leader in the place of Moses. It is also recorded, that "there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses

nd one that affords, to such as are upon it, a prospect of the greatest part of the excellent land of Canaan), he dismissed the senate; and as he was going to embrace Eleazar and Joshua, and was still discoursing with them, a cloud sto

oses had these works executed that they might give ample proof of his presence in all those countries wherein the remains exist-countries far d

midable escort. The first place at which they halted for any length of time is in Persia, where there are unmistakable signs of his soj

and, leaving two tombs, one on the right hand and the other on the left of the road, came to the bed of a torrent, over which there seems to have b

the spring from which it issues the road is sustained by fragments of architecture, which are part

ference of six miles. This circumference enclosed a tract of plain, and a hill, on which the remains of the ancient citadel formed a conspicuous and commanding object. Whether by the

which formed a little plain of verdure and shrubbery, intersected, indeed, by the stream of the river. The opening between the two grand masses

the other was darkened, supported the left. Between both a distant range of mountains, whose rocks were terminated by a plain, fill

sal figures on horseback, carved on the superfices of the rock. The figure on the right was most injured; the only part, indeed, which we could ascertain with precision was one of the front and two of the hinder feet of a horse, standing over the statue of a man, who was extended at his full length, his face turning outwardly, and reposed upon his right

al and most interesting represents a figure on horseback, whose dress announces a royal personage. His head-dress is a crown, on which is placed a globe; his hair flows in very l

f a figure behind him, which stands so as to cover the whole hind quarter of his horse, and which is dressed in the Roman tunic and helmet. A figure, habited also in the Roman costume, is on its knees before t

could judge, with features more Egyptian than European. In the angle between the King's head and the horse's is a Victory dis

of which are carved three figures, the costumes and general physiognomies of which are all different. They

centre, and certainly represent his forces. The whole of this most interesting monument is sculptured in a very hard rock, which bears the finest polish, and which we pronounced to be a coarse species of

d betwixt his legs, on the pommel of which rests his left hand. On his right, on the uppermost of two long slips, are many men, who seem to be a mixture of Persians and Romans, the former conducting the latter as prisoners. Under these, in the lower step, are others, who by their wigs appear to be Persians. Their leader bears a human hea

The length is eleven yards four inches. On the left of this were two colossal figures on horseback carved in alto-relievo. The one to the right had all the dress, character, and features of the King above describ

lored, would discover innumerable secrets of antiquity. We were conducted by the peasants who were with us to the remains of a very fine wall, which in the s

upper stones. In this wall there is a window, which is arched by the formation of its upper stone. Behind this square building we traced most correctly the configuration of a theatre, thirty paces in length and fourteen in breadth. The place resembled, at

ry may be inferred from the interregnum, or unrecorded interval, between the Assyrian epochs of Nimrúd and Khorsabad. The supposed duration of that period is about sixty or seventy ye

to another, and he was likely in consequence to leave some of them to colonise, and to teach his doctri

Jews, and the people of Kafiristan are unmistakably Jews. These inhabit

ssulmans confound them all under the name of Caufir, or infidel, and call their country Caufiristaun. They also call one division of them Seeaposh (black-vested), or Tor Caufirs (black infidels), and another Speen Caufirs (white infidels). Bot

ot resemble any other with which I am acquainted. They believe in one God; but they also worship numerous idols, which, they say, represent great men of former

r the smoke of a sacrifice. Their festivals are often accompanied with a sacrifice, and always with a feast. They have no titles of th

a low back to it. There are also stools shaped like drums, but smaller in the middle than at the ends, and tables of the same sort, but larger. The Caufirs, partly from their dress and partly from habit, canno

through which flour, butter, and water were thrown on the stone. At length an animal was sacrificed, and the flesh was burned

ance of the race, their garb, the cast of their countenance, and the form of their beards. There is a belief, too, among them that Moses died in

e rulers, in those old days, if tradition and legend are to be believed, and the mighty monuments of a past grandeur, long anterior to the days when

ration, his observance of family ties and obligations, while for qualities of head and hand he is second to no Eastern race. As artificers, the pale, slim, sneaking deniz

n among their fellows. I allude to the Kashmiri Pundits-men of lengthy pedigree, of wealth and influence, who, thanks to their superior education and fitness for business, were largely emplo

were a variety of barbarous tribes, who resisted the entry of Moses and his followers, and many sanguinary battles were fought before they were subdued

this sacred language. He established classes or castes. The Brahmins in India occupied the same positi

about sixty-five miles long by forty broad, it was the scene of the adventures of the first princes, and the residence of the most famous sages. They extended their territory, which seems to have included at that time the districts of Oude, Agra, Allahabad, Lahore, and Delhi. The city of Oude, then termed Ayodha, was the capital. In course of time they moved down the peninsula, and subdued the Deccan and

southern colonists being swarthy, tall, and handsome, not unlike Ethiopians, whilst those of the northern latitudes were much fairer, and not unl

rsed in biblical history; and they even believe that Adam and Eve came to Ceylon after their expulsion from the garden of

and statuary. In Bangkok, the capital of Siam, the temples and all other religious buildings are evidently of Egyptian origin. The Siamese of the present time, from the King to

osing as the ruins of Thebes or Memphis, and more mysterious"; while another thinks that "one of these temples, a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by

erful ruins is taken from the work of a

in breadth. On either side of it are artificial lakes fed by springs, and each covering about five acres of ground. We passed through one of the side gates and crossed the square to a sala situated at the very entrance of the temple. Embosomed in the midst of a perfect forest of cocoa, betel-nut, and toddy palms, and with no village in sight, excepting a dozen or more huts, the abodes of priests having the charge of it; th

and intricate scrolls. Upon the western side is the main gateway, and passing through this and up a causeway (paved with slabs of stone three feet in length by two in breadth) for a distance of a thousand feet, you arrive at the central main entran

without cement; and so closely fitting are the joints as even now to be scarcely discernible. The quarry where the stone was hewn is about two days' travel-thirty miles-distant; and it is supposed the transportation of the immense boulders could only have been effected by means of a water communication-a canal or

mple itself through a columned portico, the fa?ade of which is beautifully carved in basso-relievo with ancient mythological subjects. From this doorway, on either side, runs a c

the Sanscrit epic poem of India, with its 25,000 verses describing the exploits of the god Rama and the son of the King of Oudh. The contests of the King of Ceylon, and Hunaman, the monkey god, are graphically represented. There is no key-stone use

rned towards the front; in the case of the men, one foot and leg are always placed in advance of the other; and I noticed, besides, five horsemen, armed with spear and sword, riding abreast, like those seen upon the Assyrian tablets in the British Museum. In the procession several of the kings are preceded by musicians playing upon shells and long bamboo flutes. Some of the kings carry a sort of battle-axe, others a weapon which much resembles a golf-club, and others are represented as using the bow

eculiar interest to this section is the fact that the artist has represented the different nationalities in all their distinctive characteristic features, from the flat-nosed savage in the tasseled garb of the Pnom, and the short-haired Lao, to the straight-nosed Rajaput, with sword and shield, and the bearded Moor, giving a catalogue of nationa

ith huge columns, crossing one another at right angles. In the Nagkon Wat as many as 1,532 solid columns have been counted, and among the entire ruins of Angkor there are reported to be the immense number of 6,000, almost all of them hewn from single blocks and artistically carved. On

ct one another. There are two detached buildings in this square. In one of the galleries we saw two or three hundred images-ma

ries crossing each other in the centre above which rises the grand central pagoda, 250 feet in height, and at the four corners of the court four smaller spi

nificent doorway to the rear of the temple, and walk round to our sala, not knowing which

alled Pentaphrohm, the citadel of Taphrohm, and near it is a wat styled Phrakeoh, or the Gem Tower, presenting the same combination of a royal and priestly residence as Angkor and Nagkon Wat. Some of these temples and p

hina is spread with ruins of more or less magnitude, beauty, and interest. Near the monastery of Phrakeoh is an artificial lake called Sasong (the royal lake), built by the kings of Pentaphrohm, and surrounded wi

, with broad flights of steps leading down to it, and in such places the huge masses of stone laid on each other are embellished by delicate chisellings, bearing the figures of serpents, eagles, lions (in their fabulous shapes as Naga, Kruth, Sinto) on the ends. In the middle of the lake is a small is

ties thereabouts is two immense stone griffins, one standing on each side of the path; and next we pass a small image with the head of an elephant and the body of a human being; it is the elephant-headed Ganesh-the god of wisdom of the

es, shrubs, and vines. From the summit we obtained an extensive view of the surrounding country. To the north there extended from east to west a range of low blue hills; to the south-ea

eyond the Ganges, the great Lawgiver evidently set his fo

of bravery and conquest, from the first invasion of Ind to the arriva

nomy, and pursued the study of that science

colony to protect them, and proceeded northward, where there are ample traces which clearly indicate the route. The c

of the Lawgiver propagated, so that the natives of the country to this day relate the fall of Adam, and all the particulars regardi

ded, but Satan appeare

ed, but Satan appeare

an Tha-nai pleased not

em, the dragon beguiled

said to ha

ceeded in deceiving-

ey say it

great dragon, and gave

eat dragon, and gave to t

mmands of God, and God t

rds of God-were deceived

aw of God-were deceived

from a written source, and there is n

chapters, and the consequence of this error is much confusion among believers. These expounders say that God created only one man at the creation of the world; and that when this man complained of enn

imals were created; they were without number. And the Almighty blessed them, and told them to multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it; to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: b

rd God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put this man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; th

d from the rest of negroland by the river Nile, which surrounded it entirely. During the heavy rains in this portion of Africa, the waters of the lakes overflow, the Nile, passing i

ng, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in t

e centre. The principal personage in this group is seated, and is addressing a man standing before him, as if giving the commandment above stated. The thir

l than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." He tempted the woman

tempted and seduced Eve was a man; and he made her commit two sins: she broke the commandment of God, and her troth

s, so that the Lord called for Adam, "and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told thee

erpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all

we see him now. The Almighty, in His pity, made coats of skins for Adam and Eve, and clothed them. This is another proof that this man and his wife were different fro

od. He was the historian of this nation, and it was for these people that he wrote his laws and ordinances of religion. Other nati

o the second chapter of the book of Genesis, has caused great mischief in the Church, resulting in disbelief of the Bible. If t

d in sin, and she called him Cain. She had another son after this, whom she called Abel. Cain had the vices of the serpent, and consequently hated this younger brother; and when they became old enoug

of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's bloo

out this day from the face of the earth; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive

m sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cai

nt of Adam and Eve, who were created by the Lord God in the second week, and placed by themselves in the garden of Eden. This la

ed Seth. In the Pentateuch the children of Adam and Eve are called the sons of God; and the d

ecies of snake called Pakúng-ba, from which the royal family claim descent. When it appears it is coa

ns of diminutive form it is a sign he is in good humour. Pakúng-ba is a snake by day, and by night assumes the human form. A house is prepared for it, and w

ia beyond the Ganges, in China, and other kingdoms as far as the western shores of America. This claim originated from their being the direct desc

hat all who seek the royal presence shall put off their shoes. Embalming the dead is also practised in Burmah, the members of the royal family, when they die, being

avages, ignorant of the arts and comforts of civilized life. He imparted to them the knowledge of agriculture and astronomy, arithmetic and navigation, and all the us

form of government resembling that of the other kingdoms he had founded on his route. And when he had reclaimed these savages and rais

a from time immemorial, and that ancient copies of the Pentateu

had conquerors so savage that they ordered all the books to be burnt, and compelled the people to adopt many strange customs, which prevail i

ginal Coreans were savages, like all their primitive neighbours; and here the god-like Lawgiver imparted to the ignorant men the same lessons he had given

m of caste prevails as in the Eastern parts of India. The colonist

was also most strikingly observable in a great number of children, whose handsome, regular features, rosy skin, blue eyes, and auburn hair really made it so difficult to distinguish them from European children that at first I could not account for the

inent of Asia. The people inhabiting the numerous isles which compose the kingdom of Japan were savages-ignorant and superstitious, like the rest of the chi

nd after giving laws and ordinances for their guidanc