impression which these wonderful remains made upon me, on my first
visit to them. I should begin by stating, that they are all under
ground. To get at them, Mr. Layard has excavated the earth to the
depth of twelve to fifteen feet, where he has come to a building
composed of slabs of marble. In this place, which forms the
northwest angle of the mound, he has fallen upon the interior of a
large palace, consisting of a labyrinth of halls, chambers, and
galleries, the walls of which are covered with bas-reliefs and
inscriptions in the cuneiform character, all in excellent
preservation. The upper part of the walls, which was of brick,
painted with flowers, &c, in the brightest colors, and the roofs,
which were of wood, have fallen; but fragments of them are strewed
about in every direction. The time of day when I first descended
into these chambers happened to be towards evening; the shades of
which, no doubt, added to the awe and mystery of the surrounding
objects. It was of course with no little excitement that I suddenly
found myself in the magnificent abode of the old Assyrian Kings;
where, moreover, it needed not the slightest effort of imagination
to conjure up visions of their long departed power and greatness.
The walls themselves were covered with phantoms of the past; in the
words of Byron,'Three thousand years their cloudy wings expand,'
unfolding to view a vivid representation of those who conquered and
possessed so large a portion of the earth we now inhabit. There
they were, in the Oriental pomp of richly embroidered robes, and
quaintly-artificial coiffure. There also were portrayed their deeds
in peace and war, their audiences, battles, sieges, lion-hunts, &c.
My mind was overpowered by the contemplation of so many strange
objects; and some of them, the portly forms of kings and vizirs,
were so life-like, and carved in such fine relief, that they might
almost be imagined to be stepping from the walls to question the
rash intruder on their privacy. Then mingled with them were other
monstrous shapes--the old Assyrian deities, with human bodies, long
drooping wings, and the heads and beaks of eagles; or, still
faithfully guarding the portals of the deserted halls, the colossal
forms of winged lions and bulls, with gigantic human faces. All