ted that all
of these stones of such a span are highly polished, are set on an angle
of little less than 45 deg., and that the places we had to grip with our
hands and feet were often not more than two inches wide, and their
height above the ground more than 400 feet. A single slip of the foot,
and we all three must have been dashed to atoms long before we reached
the bottom. (This actually happened to an English traveler in 1850.) On
gaining the top, my guides gave vent to sundry demonstrations of
satisfaction, clapping me on the back, patting me on the head, and
kissing my hands. From this I began to suspect that something wonderful
had been achieved; and some idea of my perilous situation broke upon me,
when I saw some of my friends beneath, waving their handkerchiefs and
looking up with astonishment, as we sat perched upon the top, which is
not more than six feet square. The apex stone is off, and it now
consists of four outer slabs, and one in the centre, which is raised up
on the end and leans to the eastward. I do not think human hands could
have raised it from its bed, on account of its size, and the confined
space they would have to work in. I am inclined to think the top was
struck by lightning, and the position of the stone thus altered by it.
The three of us had just room to sit upon the place. The descent, as
might be expected, was much more dangerous, though not so difficult. The
guides tied a long sash under my arms, and so let me slide down from
course to course of these coverings of stones, which are of a yellowish
limestone, somewhat different from the material of which the steps are
composed, and totally distinct from the rock at the base, or the coating
of the passages."

EGYPTIAN OBELISKS.

Obelisks belong to the oldest and most simple monuments of Egyptian
architecture, and are high four-sided pillars, diminishing as they
ascend, and terminating in a small pyramid. Herodotus speaks of them,
and Pliny gives a particular account of them. The latter mentions king
Mesphres, or Mestres, of Thebes, as the first builder of obelisks, but
does not give the time; nor is this king noticed either by Herodotus or
Diodorus. It is probable that these monuments were first built before
the time of Moses, at least two centuries before the Trojan war. There
are still several obelisks in Egypt; there is one erect, and another
fallen at Alexandria, between the new city and the light-house; one at
Matarea, amo