Going to the West mound there are two higher humps with an opening between them, tons of limestone chips, sandstone blocks with Rameses II.'s name; so that I take this for the site of the great pylon. It is exactly opposite the obelisk, and distant, I should guess, 600 yards. Site of S. pylon to obelisk, 106½° mag. bearing = 16½° S. of E. Pole of N. pylon to obelisk, 109½° mag. bearing = 19½° S. of E. So I think probably the remaining obelisk is the northern one (_cf._ Horner, "Phil. Trans.," MDCCCLV., pp. 124 and 131), and the temple axis was directed 289½° mag. bearing with corr. 5½° = 284° = 14° N. of West true amplitude." [10] Amenenemāt I., the founder of the sanctuary of the sun, entreats, after he has begun the great work (which was not finished till the time of his son, Usertesen), "May it not perish by the vicissitudes of time, may that which is made endure!" This desire of a great king which has come down to us through the leathern roll now preserved at Berlin, has not been fulfilled; for of his magnificent structure, built for all eternity, nothing remains but the obelisk we have seen, and a few blocks of stone scarcely worth mentioning. The Persian Cambyses is unjustly accused of having destroyed the temple and city of the sun, for the city was minutely described in detail long after his time, and the temple was still flourishing; nay, many remains of the sanctuary, that have now long since vanished, were described even by Arab authors.--Ebers, "Egypt," p. 190. [11] "Ninive et l'Assyrie," par Victor Place. Imprimerie Imperiale, 1867. [12] "Monument de Ninive," par Botta and Flandin. Imprimerie Nationale, 1849. [13] From a magnetic chart which has been prepared for me by the kindness of Captain Creak, R.N., F.R.S., of the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty, it seems that the variation at Nineveh and Babylon may be taken as follows:-- Nineveh. Babylon. 1800 8° 25′ W. 8° 25′ W. 1900 0° 0° 25′ W. The values for intermediate dates may be roughly arrived at by an interpolation curve. [14] "Journeys in North China," Williamson. Vol. II., chap. xvi., by Edkins. p. 253. [15] "Stonehenge: Plans, Descriptions, and Theories," 1880, p. 20. [16] Ferguson: "Rude Stone Monuments." [17] _See_ especially "The Golden Bough," by J. G. Fraser, for the midsummer and Beltaine fires. [18] "Antiquities," b. 8, c. 4, p. 401, Whiston's edition. [19] Josephus, "Antiquities" III., c. 8, § 9. [20] The italics are mine--J. N. L. [21] "Antiquities" III., c. 8, § 9. [22] Warren: "Underground Jerusalem." [23] Acosta, in his "History of Indies," lib. vi., p. 459. quoted by Maurice ("Observations Connected with Astronomy and Ancient History and Ruins of Babylon"), states that some of the stones in the Mexican temples to sun and moon measure 38 feet by 18 feet by 6 feet. [24] _See_ "Palmyra and Baalbek." R. Wood, 1827. Plates.