The Storehouses of the King

e Pyramids which were built and used in the time of Joseph and Moses. A recent travell

ide with plank, and on the whole appeared well adapted for the intended purpose. Such dep?ts for corn, they (the C

ollowers during their sojourn there, still remain unopened after all these ages, even by the present generation of the Chinese, who conquered the country from the colonists left in the emp

veral remarkable rocks, nearly perpendicular on all sides, and about two hundred feet high, perfectly isolated, and unconn

, unless, perhaps, those prodigious masses of solid stone have been, at some very remote period of time, each the nucleus of a hill, in which case they must have been b

uge, when the globe suffered such dreadful disruptions and convulsions as, according to the Mosaic relation, to shake the very pillars of the earth, and to break up th

all these unexplored pyramids solitary rocks. There are such mounds or rocks in Ireland. Now that country was visited in ancient times by the Phenicians, who were originally a colony of Egyptians, and who must have witnessed the construction, or perhaps even assisted in the building of the Pyramids of Egypt, by command of

corn-fields, and, being planted with trees and white-thorn bushes, presents a stately object on the naked level. On the summit the Moate was flat, with an indentati

pute throughout the country, and is a favourite resort on fine afternoons, when hundreds may be seen sitting and lying on its sides; but not one of these visitors remains after dark, when the Moate of Lisserdowling, and the lane leading to it, a

n left to rot on the ground where it fell, no one daring to touch it, though in general the poor people are ready enough to appropriate to themselves anything burnable that th

tains many more than England or Scotland. The people call them moats, a word used in English to designate the ditch of a fortress. In Irish they are called 'raths,' a word bearing precisely the same signifi

ief here and there chose the deserted fastness for his dwelling-place. The learned are not quite so unanimous in their views as to the origin of these erections. Some go with the stream, and set them down to Danish account; oth

urope, in the infancy of their civilization, seem to have delighted in the erection of these artificial hills. The whole of Southern Russia is full of them, and we meet with them in Hungary, Turkey, Scandinavia,

f distinguished heroes and chiefs. From some it was customary for the law-givers and judges to announce their decisions to the assembled multitude, and on others kings were

uite enigmatical. Several, when opened, are found to contain passages and cells, of which it is difficult to guess what use they were inten

so much labour have been expended in giving it a conical form, and why not have bestowed more pains on the circumvallation. As a fortress it would have been the strangest and most ineligible that could have been

nehenge, which nobody ever took to be a fortress, is also surrounded by rampart and ditch. The circumvallation may have bee

country. After the departure of these Phenicians, Ireland was visited by the Moors, who were masters of Spain and Portugal. These Moors coming from the coast of Africa, opposite Spain, were a colony formerly from the heart of

purpose. There are round granaries in Africa, constructed with materials procurable in the place; but in Ireland they used stone instead

letely concealed by a thick yellow fog, which scarcely allowed us to see beyond the length of our boat. Nevertheless, my boatman brought me in safety to the little green island, which I was about to visit for the sake of its interesting ruins, and by the time we reached

was soon infected with a passion for round towers; but as this passion is one of which few of my friends in Germany are likel

into ruins; but those which remain tolerably complete are all from 100 to 120 feet high, from forty to fifty in circumference, and from thirteen to sixteen in diameter. At the base the wall is always very thick and strong, but becomes slighter towards the top. With

islands, sometimes on the side of a river, or a plain, or some secluded corner of a valley. The whole number of them, according to the map of Ireland published by the Society

s have called them 'pillar temples,' but this name assigns to them a designation which it is by no means certain that they bore. The characteristic pecu

st, and these, it may be inferred, were reared by Irish colonists. In the far east only we come to erections of the same ch

ing proves that they have existed from a very remote antiquity, and the most opposite conclusions have been adopted with respect to the period and o

hat round towers are found in parts of the island where the Danes never set foot, as, for instance, in Donegal and the rem

of a people undergoes less corruption and change in the course of a thousand years than do the records preserved in books. There is nothing very imp

e of the Turkish minaret, makes it extremely probable that the round towers have had an Oriental origin. Many have been staggered by the great antiquity which such an hypothesis would assign to the Irish towers, but they are buildings of wonderful solidity, an

upposed them to have formed chains of telegraph stations spread out over the whole island; but the absurdity of this notion is sufficiently shown by the position of some of the towers upon low gr

es of defence. The defenders within would have had to stand upon each other's heads, and their only means of annoying their enemies would have been the four small openings at the top, eighty or a hundred feet from the ground. Besides, had the round towers been military places of

re frequently found in close vicinity to the ruins of churches, yet no kind of steeple could be worse constructed for such a purpose, as the sou

osed to adopt this tradition, the more so as the pyreas of the Ghebers, according to the account of several travellers, bear the closest similitude to the Irish towers, and because the worship of fire is known to have been at one time the prevailing religion of Ireland. The dar

he sacred fire in an elevated position, as an additional mark of respect, and then the towers may have answered more purposes than one; from the windows at the top signal

a doubt, are of modern addition. That churches and cemeteries should so often be found in the vicinity of these towers is nothing surprising, for a building that has once become sacred in the eyes of a people, generally retains a portion of

ut not Roman Catholic Christianity-had been introduced into Ireland. This ante-patrician Christianity is said to have been introduced by the Apostle James, who first preached the gospel in Ireland, and established t

f true, it affords another remarkable proof of the early connection between Ireland and the East. In n

very old ancient place,' said one of the boatmen, as he was carrying me through the water on his shoulders, for we had come to a landing-place where the tide had left one foot of

is Saint Senanus, whose grave is still shown amid one of the ruins, and whose fame has been extended far beyond his native isle by one of Moore's melodies. These ancient ruins, however, have many graves of a

aptains of ships, and it would have been difficult to suggest a more appropriate place of interment for such men than this little island cemetery at the mouth of a great river, with the wide ocean rolling in front. Indeed, there is no other country in

e of them, that nearest the round tower, a stone strangely sculptured into the form of a human face had been introduced. Strange to say, it has completely the stiff, mask-like features and p

m. On the south side it is covered completely with mosses and creeping plants; on the north and west side it is bare, the heavy winds, as the sailors told me, making all vegetation impossible there. Lightni

been erected here to protect the mouth of the Shannon, the entrance to which river is defende

variety of currents, that the boatmen required all their skill and experience to carry their slight skiff in safety to the little port of Tarbert, whither we were b

hine. With the exception of our own little bark, which seemed to crest the waves like a bird, neither ship nor boat was to be seen upon the noble e

ybunian, whose marine caverns, at the mouth of the Shannon, are reckoned among the wonders of Ireland. These caverns stretch more than a mi

country to the seaboard, and crossed over to Spain-whence they visited Ireland-are to this day as savage in manners and customs as their forefathers were before they left Africa. The following description of the round con

confines of the Rohl, in the east, and in the territory of the Djour westwards beyond the large stream which, on reference to the map, will be seen as the largest feeder of the lake. I

used to proceed; and, consigning loads of ivory to them, in charge of a detachment of my Khartoumers, I sent them back to their own country. Levying in their stead a party of Djour for the transport of m

, divested of its reeds, was prettily stacked, consisting of different kinds of dourra of different colours-white, grey, and red-in separate batches. The stacks were formed with

ed of reeds and clay, from twelve to fifteen feet in diameter, and four feet in height, supported upon a strong wood framework some four feet from the ground. To preserve its contents from the rain, it was covered b

d roof, topped with wood carvings of birds. A wooden bedstead occupied its centre, and an oval-shaped hole, two and a half feet high, barely sufficient to admit

ed principally of a thick porridge, and a sauce flavoured with herbs and red pepper; but beef, whenever they could obtain it by barter for grain with the Djour, or meat from the chase, was preferred. Rats, mice, and snakes were highly

ns of which generally terminated in o or a, was entirely different from any that I had heard. The me

est possible amount; and when the Djour entered their village, the little hide ornament worn

rows, fearfully-barbed lances, and a variety of clubs. Some resembled the mace of the Middle Ages, whilst others, made of hard wood, were like the mushroom. The edges were firm and sharp

onsist in objects of iron, mostly in circular plates from nine inches to one foot in diame

oat is fine, and coloured frequently with large round spots of black, yellow, or brown upon white: they are

lorin. The young women are naked, but the married women wear large clusters of green leaves in front and behind, which, attached by a belt to the waist, reach to the ankles. Clean in

r numerous iron bracelets. The ankles are encumbered with bright heavy iron rings, fully one

th dressed buffalo-hides, were used only on occasions of universal rejoicing, or to sound the alarm in time of war. The sound could be heard miles distant. At ordinary times smaller instruments of the same kind were

ances of human figures, four feet apart; the first were largest in size, the others had on their heads wooden bowls. These figu

of the surrounding country was obtained. Surrounding the village, at a moderate distance, were the unfenced gardens of the villagers, in which cucurbits, vegetables, and seeds were grown; and

ge white boar, gazelles, antelopes, and giraffes. Elephants and buffalo I did not

look upon each other as almost separate tribes, holding little or no communication. They live in a state of continual feud, attributable to encroachments on hunt

abitation at noon, several boys returned to the village for extra weapons for the use of their fathers. The alarm spread instantly that a fight was taking place, and the women en mass

its turning against them-the opposing party being the most numerous. Many of the women hurried back to their homes, to prepare, in case of emergency, for flight and safety in the bush. For such an occurrence, to

On perceiving me they halted, and rent the air with shouts of 'The white chief! the white chief!' and I was almost suffocated by the embraces of the chief. My presence gave them courage to face the enemy again; a loud peculiar shrill whoop from

s, some yards apart from each other, within the confines of the bush, not a sound indicating their presence. Joining them, and inquiring what h

d blood, I could not resist my aid to the friends who afforded me an asylum amongst them. Marching accordingly into the open with

n instant we stood looking at each other. Although within range, at about two hundred yards' distance, I did not like to fire upon them; but in preference continued advancing, thinking the prestige of my fire-arm

urn of my hosts. In the course of an hour this took place; and as they advanced I shall never forget the impression they made upon me. A more complete picture of savage life I could not have imagined. A large host

he success already achieved-that of having beaten off a numerically superior force-and return to their homes. Their compliance was only obtained by an actual ref

the shoulder between the muscle and the flesh, his open eyes suggested that life might not be extinct. I felt his pulse, but it was imperceptible. At the same time a negro with his lance coolly severed the muscle, and extricat

eal the trail. It was secreted in the bush in the hope of its eluding the search of the enemy, leaving it to be devoured by beasts of prey; bu

anting a war-song, moved in measured steps round the tree. At each time, as the procession approached the heads of the victims, a halt took place, and insulting

ds were secreted in the bush in order to bleach the skull

s who built the Round Towers in Irela