covered volcano is seen in the distance, rising to the height of 17,360 feet.

This pyramidal tower resembles in no small degree the Temple of Belus, as described by Herodotus, inasmuch as it consists of eight stories, each forming a platform on which stands the one above it.

At Teotihuacan, eight leagues north-east of the city of Mexico, are two large pyramids, surrounded by several hundred small ones, ranged in files or lines, running due east and west, north and south. The two large pyramids consist of four platforms, each of which was formed into a number of steps, the edges of which are yet distinguishable. The great mass appears to be composed of clay mixed with small stones; the casing is a thick covering of a porous amygdaloid. On the summit of each of these two pyramids was a colossal stone statue covered with plates of gold; the gold was carried off by Cortes' soldiers, and a zealous Franciscan iconoclast broke the statues in pieces. The one is said to have been dedicated to the Sun, the other to the Moon. In a thick forest near Teotihuacan, there is a pyramid which appears to have escaped the dangerous notice of the Spaniards. It is entirely built of well-hewn stones of a very large size; three flights of steps lead to the top; it seems to have had seven platforms, and the casing of the platforms is adorned with hieroglyphic sculptures. Its height is fifty-nine feet, and each side of the base is eighty-two feet.

Besides the pyramids mentioned, there are in Mexico other monuments and works of a most magnificent character, which attest the high degree of civilization which must have been attained by the aborigines of

The pyramidal form of building is not peculiar to Egypt. Pyramids, not inferior to those we have described, and some even of larger dimensions in their plane and base, exist in Mexico. The great Teocalli, or pyramid of Choluta, has a base whose side is 1440 feet, very nearly double that of the pyramid of Cheops; it stands in an extensive plain, at an elevation of more than 7000 feet above the sea. This pyramid consists of four receding platforms of equal elevation, and appears to have its sides opposite the four cardinal points. The perpendicular height is, according to Humboldt, only 177 feet; and as the receding terraces are very wide, and the area of the upper platform or terrace small in comparison with the base, the outline of the whole does not present that of a continuous pyramid. On the highest platform of the pyramid there was an altar dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the god of the air. The pyramid being now covered with vegetation, it is difficult to determine in what manner it was constructed. The early Spanish historians of Mexico state that the whole is made of brick. Humboldt found, in the lowest platform, where a broad way had been cut through it, that it was composed of alternate layers of clay and of brick, either sun-baked or only slightly burnt. In cutting this road, a square stone chamber, supported by posts of cypress, was found in the interior of the pyramid. This chamber contained two dead bodies, two basalt idols, and a great number of vessels varnished and painted. There was no apparent entrance to this chamber. The west side of the pyramid is in the best state of preservation, and when the monument is viewed from this direction, the snow

covered volcano is seen in the distance, rising to the height of 17,360 feet.

This pyramidal tower resembles in no small degree the Temple of Belus, as described by Herodotus, inasmuch as it consists of eight stories, each forming a platform on which stands the one above it.

At Teotihuacan, eight leagues north-east of the city of Mexico, are two large pyramids, surrounded by several hundred small ones, ranged in files or lines, The two running due east and west, north and south. large pyramids consist of four platforms, each of which was formed into a number of steps, the edges of which are yet distinguishable. The great mass appears to be composed of clay mixed with small stones; the casing is a thick covering of a porous amygdaloid. On the summit of each of these two pyramids was a colossal stone statue covered with plates of gold; the gold was carried off by Cortes' soldiers, and a zealous Franciscan iconoclast broke the statues in pieces. The one is said to have been dedicated to the Sun, the other to the Moon. In a thick forest near Teotihuacan, there is a pyramid which appears to have escaped the dangerous notice of the Spaniards. It is entirely built of well-hewn stones of a very large size; three flights of steps lead to the top; it seems to have had seven platforms, and the casing of the platforms is adorned with hieroglyphic sculptures. Its height is fifty-nine feet, and each side of the base is eighty-two feet.

Besides the pyramids mentioned, there are in Mexico other monuments and works of a most magnificent character, which attest the high degree of civilization which must have been attained by the aborigines of

those in the great pyramid, reached the main chamber, which is cut out of the solid rock. It is 46 feet 3 inches long, 16 feet 3 inches wide, and 23 feet 6 inches high. The covering is made of blocks of limestone, which, meeting in an angular point, form a roof of the same shape as the pyramid. The chamber contained a sarcophagus, formed of the finest granite, but without a single hieroglyphic. Some bones were found in it, which on examination proved to be those of an ox. An inscription on the wall, in Arabic, showed that this chamber had been entered by some Arab ruler of Egypt, who had again closed the pyramid. Belzoni also discovered another chamber in this pyramid. The style of building of the second pyramid is inferior to that of the first, and the stones used in its construction were less carefully selected, though united with nearly the same kind of cement. A considerable portion of the outer coat, or what may be termed the casing, still remains on this pyramid, which appears to have been formed by levelling or planing down the upper angle of the projecting steps, and was, as Herodotus remarks, consequently commenced from the summit. This covering, which is of compact limestone, at a distance appears to have a spotted appearance, partly produced by the dung of birds, and partly a reddish-coloured lichen, which has not been described. The ascent of this pyramid is difficult, in consequence of so much of the outer coat remaining as leaves no doubt it was the intention of the architect that these buildings, when finished, should neither be entered nor ascended.

Mr. Wilde's description of his ascent of the second pyramid in 1839 is so graphic in its detail, that we prefer giving it in his own words.

"I engaged two Arabs to conduct me to the summit, one an old man, the other about forty, both of a mould which, for combination of strength and agility, I never saw surpassed. We soon turned to the north, and finally that part where the outer casing still remains on the west side. All this was very laborious, though not very dangerous. But here was an obstacle that I knew not how the guides themselves could surmount, much less how I could possibly master; for above our heads jutted out like an eave or coping the lower stones of the coating, which still remain, and retain a smooth polished surface. As considerable precaution was necessary, the guides made me take off my hat, coat, and shoes at this place. The younger then placed his raised and extended hands against the projecting edge of the lower stone, which reached to above his chin; and the elder, taking me up in his arms as I would a child, placed my feet on the other's shoulders, and my body flat on the smooth surface of the stone. In this position we formed an angle with each other, and here I remained full two minutes, till the old man went round, and by some other means contrived to get over the projection, when, creeping along the line of the junction of the casing, he took my hands, drew me up to where he was above me, and then, letting down his girdle, assisted to mount up the younger, but less active and less daring climber of the two. We then proceeded much as follows: one of them got on the shoulders of the other, and so gained the joining of the stone above, which was often five feet asunder; the upper man then helped me in a similar action, while the lower pushed me up by the feet. Having gained this row, we had often to creep for some way along the