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From the Virginia Argus. HISTORICAL LETTERS. THE EOISTOR OF THE VIRGINIA ARGUS. LETTER 1. In a series of historical sketches, some ac count of the globe we inhabit will, with pro riety, occupy the first place. There are div isions entertained relative to the du ration of the world; that is to sae, the interval between the creation and our day. This in terval, which embraces the whole history of the world, divides itself into two parts; that since Jesus Christ to our time, upon which all the world is agreed; and that subsequently to the creation until Jesus Civist, respecting which men’s opinions vary. Meanwhile holy writ forms the basis of all these opinions, and the different copies of it alone occasion the varia. The Hebrew text, which is the most gener ally adoped, reckons, for the creation to Jesus Christ, 4904 years, of forty centuries. The Samaritan text 4305 years, or 43 centuries: the translation of the Seventy or the Gareck text, $270 or fhrty-two cenuries. These variations have given place to differ ent systems of chronology, which divide meth of fearing, and it seems almost impossible to come at the truth. Divisions of Ancient Profane History. Ti, adopting the hebrew (cx, We reckon forty centuries from the creation in Jesus Christ, as there are seventeen centuries om the creation to the deluge altogether “uknown to profane history, it resists tha there remain but twenty-three centuries, which are Com monly divided into three parts, to wits _. The Times of Gncertain ty, in which is placed the ori gin of the most ancient nations, embracing 9. Fabulous or Heroic Times, or the times filled with mytho logy, embracing $. Historical Times, when history began to obtain some authenticity, which contains § centuries. 10 centuries. 8 centuries C. LETTER I. Of the Agyptiains. The Egyptains are allowed to be the most ancient civilized nation upon the earth: their commencement is unknown [to us: in search ing into their history we find them at an early period familiar with the arts and sciences, and with every species of human knowledge, which proves a long existing state of society. ‘They are themselves as ignorant as we are of the an tiquity of their orign, which they magnify into a duration of twenty thousand years. Their history is as tebuccus as their chronology. They represent to us that the gods were their first rulers; after that, the cemi-gods; and subse quently, numberless dynasties and a throng of sovertizis; in which are to be found much of fable,a great deal of obscurity, and very few incidents. They boast, however, of a Sesesiris, whose conquests, or, more properly speaking, whose military mach Gs we could give credit to it) embraced the major port of Asia, and who penetrated to the verge of Europe. Lo fiat as it may, it is at least certain that this is the only time that this people are mentioned as conquerors. Their destiny has uniformly been that of subjugation or submission. We naw reduce to three principal points, all that is worthy of observation of the numerous details which Bilthe aferent velumes that Ideal account of the Egyptsins, that is to say: Is. The state of their civilization. 2d. The colon ies which they founded —34. The monuments which they have left behind them. Civilization of the Egyptaine. The Egyptains lived a ernment they were acqual tribution of power into civil military, and re ligions; they had respectable magistrates, wise laws, established morals, and reigning customs. In a word, they possessed all those branches of order, which Characterise a state of complete civilization. Many of their laws and customs merit our attention as well as curiosity. The marvellous period of Egyptaan history, that which excites our astonishment and awa kens our admiration, ether by the wisdom of her laws or the immensity of her monuments, is precisely that which is least known to us, #t would be altogether unvailing to attempt to penetrate. We do not possess a single liter ary work of the ancient Egyptuins. All that we knew ancienly of these speople is derived from the Holy Scriptures, or from the Greeks, and chiefs from Herodotus, who saw the ob jects which he describes, and retéived those Lierd talens with respect to their monuments which he has transmitted to us. About three colmties thereafter, Manetho, an Egyptian, the high priest and guardian of the sacred archives, has given the history of his country, by order of one of the Ptolemiés. It is from him that we fear in the existence of the thirdy Dynasties, which, according to his calculation, gives to the Egyptuin monarchy, computing from its origin to the time of Alex ander the Uireat, a duration of 5,300 years. It is well, however, to observe to the reader, is, ereer to reputate his confidence in the asser tions of Manetho, that although high priest, he was not enabled, owing to the many revolutions that had occurred in Egypt, to do more than afford a general interpretation of the hierogy shics, ( ere remaining at the time he wrote 10 cithful tradition of the exact sense in which they were originally intended. Moreover,this wolk has bed fost, and we are no otherwise acquainted with it than by those fragments ci ted by Josephus, the Jewish historian. Much later still, than Manetho, and about the times of Augustus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo and Plinney wrote upon the same sub ject. The concurrence or disagreement of these different testimonies, constitute, and will most probably constitute at all future periods, the sum of our knowledge relative to the pri mative Egyptians. In vain the expedition of the French into Egypt, the talents and the zeal of those philosophers who followed in the train of Bonaparte’s army, held out the prospect of new discoveries! The labors of the French institutes at Cairo, the travels of M. Denon, the writings of Gen. Ardreossi, and those of several other Frenchmen and Singlishmen, were furnished us with a perfect topographical description of the country, and With accurate and curious details with respect to the Egyuan monuments; they have of us with in teresting dissertations, Ingenious hypotheses, and in a word, they have enriched the arts and the sciences; but they have thrown no new light upon the early period of the history of Egypt Colonies founded by the Eguptitan. All the world knows that the Greeks, those venerable mode's of good taste, of arts and of science, received from the Egyptians the first germs of their knowledge; and, if we may be promised to believe the plausible theory of M.de Guignes, the Chinese of our day were originally a colony from Egypt. M. de Guig nes thinks he has discovered that the sovereits of China are aot the same as those of Thebes in the Upper Egypt. He demonstrates a considerable resemblance between the Chi nese alphabet and the Egyptians hieroglyphics. Whether the conjectures of this gentlemen be true or not, it is certain that he has discovered a extraordinary similitude in the manners.tle genius, the morals and the characters of these two widely separated nations. Aionumente left by the Egysitiane These are the pyramids, the ubelisks, lake Marectis, the famous Labyrinth, kc. c. In general, all these celebrated works astonish more by their colossal immensity, and the pa tience possessed by those who erected them, than by their taste and their utility. Some of them are stil to be seen. On the road to Cziro three pyramids are in viow, which have resist ed the destructive interval of many thousand years. It is said that the largest of these is 2640 French feet in circumference and 500 feet in height, that 100,000 men were constant ly employed, and that the labor of erection en dured 30 years. The general opinion is that they were destined to be receptacles for the dead; but some have imagined that their is menace surface was intended to receive and per petuate, in hieroglyphcs, the annals and the earning of this astonishing people. What is remarkable, in a mathematical point of view, is that the four faces of these pyramids precisely correspond with the four cardinal points, are and that they in like manner designate the me ridian. As much uncertainty prevails relative to the period at which these pyramids were construc ted, as upon the subject of their utility, Hero ous, who was initiated among the priests of Egypt and to whom we are indebted for all the ideas of Egyptian antiquity which we at this time possess, fixes their construction about the time of the Trojan war; that is, about 1194 years before Jesus Christ. The obelisks are simple monuments of stone supposed to have been erected in a pol ished age, before the invention of alphabetical writing, by the kings of Egypt, principally at Thebes and Heliopolis. Several of them were transported to Rome by the Emperora; and the largest of the whole, which is to be seen in our day, was conveyed thither by the orders of Con stantius. The lake Mereotis, calculated for greater utility , was formed for the purpose of remedy ing the too great irregularity of the inunda tions of the Nile. The ancients compited that it was 240 miles or 80 leagues im circum ference, but the moderns appear to agree in the opinion that it is not more than 60 miles 0: 20 leagues. The ancients must have exager ated or the lake must have been considerably reduced in its dimensions by the revelations of aztire. The famous Labyrinth embraced a magnifi cient congregation of twelve palaces or three hundred halls, which communicated with each other by an almost infinite number of windings and intricate ways. HEMP WANTED. THE highest price will be given by the sub scriber in Cas or Grons, for good CLEAN HEAP, at his Store, ep the corner of Fifth Main streets near the Court House, where he offers for sale, a general assortment of Dry Goods, Groceries, Glass, Crock ery, Hard Ware, cc. at the most reduced prices. CHARLES L*’HOMMEDIEU. Cincinnati, April 3, 1811. WILLIAM WALLACE, TAYLOR W LADIES HABIT MAKER, INFORMS his friends and the public in general, that he now carries on the above business at the jail, in the most extensive manner, where those who favor him with their custom may rely on having their work executed on the shortest notice and neatest manner. Cincinnati, April 20, 1811. Sate of Ohio, Jamilton County, , Court of Common Pleas, April Verm 1811. Jesse Glancy, ve. d in Chancery,Kc. John Greer Hyde Parker, IT appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, that the defendants in this cause are mot in habitan's of this state—on motion of the*com plainant by this council, it is ordered,that the de fendants do appear here, on the first day of the next Term of our said Court, and answer the complainants bill, otherwise the same will be taken as confessed, and the matters thereof de creed accordingly:—and it is further ordered, that this notice be published in the Western Spy, printed in Cincinnati, 9 weeks. JOHN 8. GANO, Clerk ¢.€. P. 4. ¢. May 5th, 1811. EB. Grover, Attorney for finantés. The State of Ohio, Hamilton County, John C. Symmes, Te, Adam Bowyer, George Bowyer, Mary Bowyer, John Bowyer, In Attachment. Eve Bowyer, WtHLXEAS,on the 4th day of March 1811, a writ of Domestic Attachment, was issued out of the Court of Common Pleas in the above cause, in a plea of trespass on the case, dama ges $ 100 affidavit to 890. Notice therefore, is hereby given to the said Adam, George, Ma ry, John Eve, that unless they shall appear in said Court, Give Special bail, and receive a de claration, judgement ws be entered against them by defuit, and the property attached, soli but the bent of their creditors, Cincasiau, May 1sth, 1821. J HN 5S. GANO, Clerk ¢. ¢. 2. #. ©. ag. The State of Ohio, Butler County, Court of Common Pleas, April ‘Term, 1811. WILLIAM GORDON of the county afore said, having filed his petition, praying for the benefit of the act, entitled, ‘An act fer the re letet insolvent debtora.” Whereupon, it is ordered, that on the first day of the next term, to wit, on the third Monday of August next, at the court House in Hamilton, the court will proceed to Leer the said William on his said ‘son, at which time and place the creditors of the said Willian may appear and shew, if any thing they have, or can say, why the pray er of the said petition ought not to be granted, if they shall think fi: e. By the Court JOHN REILY, Cik. pre tem. Hamilton, May 18th, left. Taken up by Peter Mills, A brown horse, four years old, fourteen hands high, valued at twenty five dollars, by Jonathan Noble and Joseph Parsenet. Certified by JOHN LUDLOW, J. P. Hamilton County, * Mill Creek,May 11,1811. ) WHEREAS, my wife, Elizabeth Wat rell,has left my bed and board,without any just cause this is to forward any person from trusting her on my account,as I am determined not to pay any debts of her con tracting from this date. WILLIAM WARRELL. May 9th, 1811. Farmers, Look Here ! HEMP WANTED tha t HE subscriber respectfully informs the public, but he now caries on his busi ness on a large scale, at his New Rope lactory, In MAVNA STREET, above the Court House. He will give the highest price, one half cash, and the remainder in cordage, wine, or seines, for which he has a large assortment—iron, salt, castings, nails, or any kind of store goods, for any quantity of Merchantable Hemp. Those who have large quantities of Hemp”, and intend to export it themselves, may have it manufactured into ropes and cordage, on ve ry low terms, by applying to PETER LOVE. Cncinnati, April, 1212. N. B.All those indebted to me by note or book account, are requested to make immedi ate payment. The great expenses I have late ly incurred, prevents my giving any longer in dulgence. .. $1 ef. To Booksellers Singing Masters. THE subscriber will commence printing by the first of June, Smith Lurtre’s Patent Note Books, with the addition of a number of new TUNES, much approved of in Kentucky Ohio.~Booksellers may be supplied on very reasonable terms, by a plying to B. SMITH. i Cincinnati, April 20, 1811. COTTON MANUFACTORY THE subscribers respectfuly inform the lie in general, emi the friends of e Manufactures, in particular, that after ed ditional expense, they have improved Cotton Spining Machines materially, and sae are in full operation.—They have a quanti mR (cotton yarn, of different qualities, on bend they will sell at reduced prices. They now carry on the luc-Lycing Business, shortly expect to dye other colours—so persons may supply themselves with cola as well as with white, yarn, and likewiss ton goods by the piece. Cincinnati, May 6th, 1813 — C. WALDSMITH, Will engage 6 or 8 boys as apprentices to the paper-making business, from 15 to 1¢ y of age, of a moral character—he will give hundred dollars in cash, and a suit of day worth 25 dollars when free, and nine Monthy night schooling in the time. Rats will be received as formerly. Two Hundred Dollars Row and SLOLEN from the subse. Lorss living is Woodford county, (Ky.) on Saturday the birch inst. three likely Leproe Menang heavy Hursts——the negroes are by the names of TOM, DICK GFORGE, Tom is quick spoken, about five feete inches high.——Dick has a stuttering im big speech, is about five feet nine or ten in the high, very black and has a down joke.’ is about five feet one or ten inches Di. they have a variety of good clothing with them, among which are two dark colored Ercat Casis with lar, (apts, AIM) One EUs. tout coat, they also have two watches in a pair of boots,and a sword cane—they cs all read and write a little. They took with them four horses,two of them were somd geldings, one black mare, and one Lag mare. oe The above Negroes and Horses were so fer lve Qa Certain wee 7 = Ww 2 ORAS David Ferguson, about 23 years of age, 5 fteet 5 of 6 inches nigh—having black hair and black
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