GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 385 



columns would weigh about sixty or seventy tons, and the cap-stones 

 about fifteen tons. One of the columns had fallen, and he had a 

 fine opportunity to view its vast proportions and fine architecture. 

 From the principal street, a large number of other streets diverged. 

 They were all straight, and the buildings were of stone. The whole 

 of the city was entirely overgrown with cocoa-nut trees, which were 

 fifty and sixty feet in height. In the main street, pieces of common 

 earthenware were found. The island has been in possession of the 

 Spaniards for a long time. Six or seven Spaniards resided on the 

 island when Capt. F. was there. They informed him that the Span- 

 iards had had possession about sixtv years; that thev took the island 



I m W V 



from the knackas (natives,) who were entirely ignorant of the build- 

 ers of the city, and of the former inhabitants. When questioned as 

 to the origin of the city, their only answer was, ' There must have 

 been a powerful race here a long time ago.' Capt. Fisher also saw 

 on the island immense ledges of stone, from which the buildings and 

 columns had evidently been erected. Some portions of them exhibited 

 signs of having been worked." 



RELICTS OF ANCIENT NINEVEH. 



DURING the past year, Mr. Layard, the explorer of Ancient 

 Nineveh, has presented to the British Museum many additional 

 curiosities, illustrating the domestic economy and customs of the 



^T * 



ancient Assyrians. These principally consist of instruments and vessels 

 of bronze and earthenware, several in a very perfect state of preser- 

 vation, others thickly encrusted with rust and broken to fragments. 

 The use of some of them is quite inexplicable for the present, and 

 must be left for future ingenuity and study to discover. There are, 

 however, bowls and vases, many richly chased ; some dozens of earth- 

 enware studs of different shapes, supposed to be for harness ; a very 

 perfect bronze wine strainer, similar to those in use at the present 

 day ; the hinges of the gates of the palace ; legs and feet of 

 chairs ; a curious mask of iron or bronze ; richly ornamented bands of 

 various kinds ; a large wheel, or the bronze casting of it, broken into 

 many pieces ; one or two small glass vases of very beautiful colors ; a 

 quantity of cylinders about H inches in length, carved or inscribed, 

 one or two of them of a substance resembling plumbago both in 

 appearance and weight, but the greater part of them of earthenware ; 

 a statue of a priest in stone, about four feet high and much ornament- 

 ed, and with the peculiarity that the figure has no cap or covering on 

 its head, and is apparently bald ; and lastly, several slabs of inscrip- 

 tions. 



The discoveries of Dr. Layard at Ninevah have, it is known, inspired 

 the French with a strong desire to rival them. Recent accounts 

 from M. Place, their consul at Mosul, state that within the last few 

 months he has caused further excavations to be made at Khorsabad, 

 and that the result of these has been the discovery of a number of 

 colossal statues, bas-reliefs, (some of them brilliantly colored,) articles 



