those other revolutions by which has been considerably reduced since the strata containing the bones it was deposited in the Museum, have been laid bare. Hence it having originally measured nearly clearly appears," he adds, "that no double the size, and weighed about argument for the antiquity of the two tons. As described by Mr. human race in those countries, can Konig, the whole had very much be founded either upon these fossil the appearance of a huge nodule bones, or upon the more or less disengaged from a surrounding considerable collections of rocks or mass; and the situation of the earthy materials by which they are skeleton must have been so supercovered." ficial, that its presence in the rock The occurrence of human skele- on the coast had probably been intons at Guadaloupe was first an- dicated by the projection of part of nounced by General Ernouf in 1805. one of the arms. The rock has a The skeleton in the Museum was de- reddish hue, caused by the detritus scribed in the Philosophical Trans- of a madrepore of that colour. actions, in 1814, by Mr. Charles Several shells were also found in the Konig, the same gentleman, we pre- rock, along with the fragment of a sume, who, till lately, superintended tusk, a piece of basaltic stone, and the Natural History department of a small quantity of powdery matter the Museum. The paper is accom- of the nature of charcoal. In repanied by an accurate representa- ducing the slab to convenient dition of the skeleton, a fair tran- mensions, its resistance to the tool script of which is given in Mantell's showed it to be harder than statuWonders of Geology. The skeleton ary marble. Dr. Thomson found wants the skull, and it is a curious phosphate of lime in the stone, fact, mentioned by Sir Charles derived, doubtless, from the bones Lyell, in his Travels in North America, in 1842, that in the Museum at Charleston, South Carolina, he was shown a fossil human skull from Guadaloupe, imbedded in solid limestone, "which they say belongs to the same skeleton of a female as that now preserved in the British Museum, where the skull is wanting." Dr. Moultrie, of the Medical College of that State, has described the bones, together with the entire skeleton disentombed from the limestone deposit at Guadaloupe, and is of opinion-taking for granted the relation of the skull at Charleston to the headless trunk in London-that the latter is not the skeleton of a Carib, as has been generally supposed, but that of one of the Peruvians, or of a tribe possessing a similar craniological development.

The slab of limestone in which the skeleton is imbedded is 4 feet 2 inches long by 2 feet in breadth; it

of the skeleton. The vertebræ of the neck have been lost along with the head, and the bones of the thorax are considerably dislocated and shattered. The vertebræ of the spinal column are all present, although they are individually not well defined. The bones of one of the legs are in a good state of preservation; those of the other are less entire. Both the arms are broken, and their parts displaced. But notwithstanding these and other defects, the outline of the skeleton is sufficiently complete to indicate to the least practised eye, that when these imprisoned bones were united by ligaments, and clothed with muscles and sinews, and the system was permeated by blood-vessels, and instinct with nervous sensibility, the life which animated the whole was humanthe spirit which inhabited the mortal frame, was immortal-and survives! Mr. Hugh Miller, in his

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too brief sketch of the British!tions, and interprets bass-reliefs, Museum, finely apostrophises this "prisoner of the marble, haply once an Indian wife and mother:""Mysterious framework of bone, locked up in the solid marble, unwonted prisoner of the rock!-an irresistible voice shall yet call thee from out the stony matrix. The other organisms, thy partners in the show, are incarcerated in the lime for ever,-thou but for a term !"

THE NINEVEH SCULPTURES IN THE

the

BRITISH MUSEUM.

sculptured in the infancy of art, twenty centuries before the Christian era; and describes Assyrian arts and manners which long afterwards effloresced into the myths and symbols of the Greeks. Nineveh, the metropolis of the Assyrians, had been levelled with the ground before the period of authentic profane history began; even its site was involved in doubt when Xenophon and his army encamped upon its ruins, (for the Mespila of the Anabasis is understood to have been the ancient Nineveh,) during Antiquarian and archæological the celebrated retreat of the Ten research is treading hard after the Thousand. According to the chroinvestigations of geology itself. For nology adopted by Mr. Layard, purpose of establishing the suc- whose authority we shall follow, cession and superposition of rocks, and of whose singularly interesting as first elaborated in our own island, work we shall freely avail ourselves geologists have extended their ex- in the notice of his discoveries, it plorations from the back woods of was in the year 606 B.C. that NineAmerica on the west, to the con- veh was captured by Cyaxares, fines of Asia on the east-demon- king of Persia and Media, a date strating the vast and prolonged pre- which agrees with the period asparations made by Creative Wis- signed both by the Sacred Scripdom and Benevolence to fit the sur-tures and by Herodotus to the conface of the globe for becoming the habitation of rational and immortal beings;-and what an august light does science thus shed on the power and progress of creative agency! Where geology terminates the record of creation, archæology begins to illustrate the history of God's Providence in his dealings with the early races of man-"the gray fathers of the world." Carrying us back to the earliest era of post-diluvian history, and setting us down in the country which was the cradle of the human race, it disentombs from the oblivion of ages confirmations the most unequivocal of the statements of the Sacred Writings, historical and prophetic, respecting the first dwellers on the plains of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It places before our eyes the monuments on which the Assyrian kings recorded their victories-deciphers inscrip

quest and destruction of "that great city." Of the history of Nineveh few particulars that can be relied on have descended to us in profane history. The extraordinary feats related of Ninus and Semiramis, the two founders of the Assyrian empire-the vast armies of men at their command, their immense treasures, their stupendous buildings and hanging gardens, are evidently in a large degree fabulous. It is from the incidental allusions to Nineveh in the Bible that we derive our chief knowledge of the actual condition of the Assyrian capital; and the corroborative light reflected upon the statements of the Bible by the discoveries of Mr. Layard, is probably the most important and valuable contribution of modern times to the external evidences of the Divine origin of our holy religion.

There is monumental evidence | Nineveh acquired its greatest extent that of the various buildings which in the time of the kings of the sehe excavated, that of the palace of cond dynasty, that is, of the kings Nimroud was older by several cen- mentioned in Scripture ; it was then turies than the edifices of Khorsa- that Jonah visited it, and that rebad and Kouyunjik, which he also ports of its magnificence were caruncovered, and which he proves by ried to the west, and gave rise to the same undoubted evidence to the traditions from which the Greek have been built by a later dynasty authors mainly derived the inforof kings. The palace of Nimroud mation which has been handed represents the original site of Ni- down to us." neveh. To this, the first palace, At different periods between the the son of its founder added a years 1812 and 1820, the late Mr. second; subsequent additions are Rich, the East India Company's recorded in the inscriptions; and resident at Bagdad, partially exthe place at last attained the di- amined some of the mounds on the mensions ascribed to it by Jonah site of Nineveh, and to his investiand Diodorus. "If (says Mr. Layard) gations we owe the little knowledge we take the four great mounds of we possessed of these ruins up till Nimroud, Kouyunjik, Khorsabad, the present time. Mr. Layard comand Karamles, as the angle of a menced his explorations in 1845– square, it will be found that its four his education, his indomitable enersides corresponded pretty accu-gy, his knowledge of eastern manrately with the 480 stadia, or 60 ners and languages, acquired during miles of the geographer, which prolonged journeyings in Asia Mimakes the three days' journey of nor and Syria, and his strong antithe prophet." Within this space quarian tastes, all qualifying him there are many mounds, ruins of for the task he had undertaken. edifices, vestiges of streets and gar- In one respect the monuments of dens; and the face of the country is Assyria appear in striking contrast strewed with fragments of pottery to those of Egypt. On the banks and bricks. As to the number of of the Nile rise the stupendous inhabitants, mentioned in the book structures of the Pyramids, the only of Jonah to be above 120,000, a edifices built by the hand of man number apparently incommensu- which appear likely to last as long rate with a city of such magnitude, as time lasts. The vast plains of the Mr. Layard remarks that cities in Tigris and the Euphrates only exthe East are not like those in Eu-hibit at distant intervals green and rope; for a place like London or shapeless mounds, the ruins of anParis would not contain above a cient towns and villages. Mr. Laythird of the number of their inha-ard counted, from the walls of an upbitants. The women have separate land fort, "above a hundred mounds apartments from the men; there is throwing their dark and lengthena separate house for each family; ing shadows across the plain ;— and gardens and arable land are these were the remains of Assyrian inclosed by the city walls. Hence civilization and prosperity." The it is mentioned in Jonah that there difference between the monumental was "much cattle" within the walls, remains of the Egyptians and the and of course there was pasture for Assyrians, shows how much a nathem.___ Damascus, Ispahan, and tion's architectural taste may be other Eastern cities are thus built modified by the geological features at the present day. The existing of a country. The Egyptians emruins, our author adds, "show that bodied their conceptions in granite

NINEVEH SCULPTURES.

311

and marble. The Assyrians had freshness and brilliancy. It is innot the means of building in either, teresting to notice that it is to these else, our author is of opinion, they upper walls that the complete coverwould have rivalled or excelled the ing of the building, and the consePyramids. They lived upon an quent preservation of the sculpalluvial soil, sufficiently tenacious tures, is attributed by the excavato be formed into bricks, with the tor, who observes that when the addition of a little chopped straw, edifices had been deserted, they fell and which, being dried in the sun, in, and the unbaked bricks, having furnished the building materials again softened and assumed their for their houses and palaces. But original earthy consistency, incased a more compact and durable mate- the whole ruin. The structure of rial was required for their sculp- the edifices has been so satisfactures and written characters, and torily examined, that no part of such a substance was found in the them has been left to conjecture coarse alabaster or gypsum occur- except the roof, which is naturally ring abundantly in the plains of supposed to have been formed of Mesopotamia, and which was cut beams supported by the walls. The into slabs and used for the orna- apartments were long and narrow, mental parts of the public build- one at Nimroud being 160 feet in ings. It is of this material that the length by 35 in breadth; and it apmonuments brought to this country pears that they must have been by Mr. Layard chiefly consist. The lighted from above. We conclude are generally slabs of from nine to by quoting Mr. Layard's descriptwelve feet in height, and of a dark tion (or restoration) of an Assyrian yellowish colour, resembling lime- palace, premising that these buildstone. Some of the monuments are ings were of a monumental characindeed limestone (carbonate of ter, in which the chronicles of the lime), the rock named gypsum or empire were inscribed, the achievealabaster being sulphate of lime. ments of heroes were commemoThe alabaster slabs, which were rated, and the power and majesty covered with carved figures or in- of the nation's deities were celescriptions, occupied the place of brated. The author supposes a panels in the walls of the palaces. stranger ushered for the first time The walls themselves, constructed into the palace of the Assyrian of sun-dried brick, were from five kings:to fifteen feet in thickness. The slabs stood upright against the "He entered through a portal walls, and were carved after being guarded by colossal lions or bulls, placed in their position, as is shown of white alabaster. In the first hall by continuous series of figures and he found himself surrounded by inscriptions. The door-ways were sculptured records of the empire. formed of human-headed lions and Battles, sieges, triumphs, exploits bulls, from ten to sixteen feet in of the chase, ceremonies of reliheight, the wall being carried some gion, were portrayed on its walls, feet above them. In excavating the sculptured in alabaster, and painted ruins, it was observed that the in gorgeous colours. Under each upper wall was built of baked bricks picture were engraved in characrichly coloured, or of sun-dried ters filled up with bright copper, bricks covered by a thin coat of inscriptions describing the scenes plaster, on which were painted va- represented. Above the sculptures rious ornaments. These colours were painted other events had lost little of their original king, attended by his eunuchs and

the

FANS.

Thomas Coryat's story about the use of forks in Italy, and his introduction of those cleanly and convenient implements into England, whereby, and "for no other cause,' he obtained the nickname of Furcifer, is very generally known. The following description of fans by the same odd, fantastic traveller, which goes to prove that paper fans were not used in England at the time of his tour (1608), and that we borrowed them as well as forks from the Italians, has been less noticed.

"Here I will mention a thing

warriors, receiving his presents, ! entering into alliance with other monarchs, or performing some sacred duty. These representations were inclosed in coloured borders of elaborate and elegant design. The emblematic tree, with winged bulls, and monstrous animals, was conspicuous amongst the ornaments. At the upper end of the hall was the colossal figure of the king in adoration before the supreme deity, or receiving from his eunuch the holy cup. He was attended by warriors bearing his arms, and by the priests or presiding divinities. His robes and those of his followers were adorned with groups of figures, animals and flowers, all painted that although perhaps it will seeme with brilliant colours. The stranger but frivolous to divers readers that trode upon alabaster slabs, each have already travelled in Italy, yet bearing an inscription recording because unto many that neither the titles, genealogy, and achieve- have beene there, nor ever intend ments of the great king. Several to go thither while they live, it door ways formed by gigantic will be a meere novelty, I will not winged lions or bulls, or by figures let it passe unmentioned. The first of guardian deities, led into other Italian fannes that I saw in Italy apartments, which again opened did I observe in this space betwixt into more distant halls. In each Pizighiton and Cremona; but afterwere new sculptures. On the walls wards I observed them common in of some were processions of colossal most places of Italy where I trafigures, armed men and eunuchs fol- velled. These fannes both men and lowing the king, warriors laden with women of the country doe carry, spoil, leading prisoners, or bearing to coole themselves withall in the presents and offerings to the gods. time of heat, by the often fanning On the walls of others were por- of their faces. Most of them are trayed winged priests or presiding very elegant and pretty things. divinities, standing before the sa- For whereas the fanne consisteth cred trees. The ceiling was divided of a painted piece of paper and a into square compartments, painted little wooden handle; the paper, with flowers or figures of animals. which is fastened into the top, is on Some were inlaid with ivory, each both sides most curiously adorned compartment being surrounded by with excellent pictures, having elegant borders and mouldings. some witty Italian verses or fine The rarest woods, in which the emblems written under them; or cedar was conspicuous, were used of some notable Italian city, with for the woodwork." a briefe description thereof added thereunto. These fannes are of a meane price, for a man may buy one of the fairest of them for so much money as countervaileth our English groate" (Coryat's Crudities.)

For the practice of ceiling, or panelling, or wainscoting with cedar wood, reference is made by the author to Zephaniah ii. 14, Jeremiah xxii. 14; 1 Kings vi. 15;

vii. 3.