The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-09-20
are enquirer.
slcHMoND. SEPTEMBER 20. 1871.
F0R TIE N.WQ UI2EN.
az BE SURE OF rosa FACTS

~ ~ BE SURE OF foSR ACTS.
10 The * eader. .'@ fo~ -
oIR--ou nct,ne, lastcweek. discovery
was made when at first was calculated to
startie and astonish the good people of this
City. On 1i5sing an Ice hpuse. OH the edge
of ,.inckH Hill, nesr the Theatre, a stra.
tum of 6iaiss earth was struck, about 30
feet from the surface in which were found
a vast number of Sharks teeth, and some un
marine shells, in different states ;some had
der gone no change tsoever--~ythers were
petritied IN curious W ay. There were two
feriui'ikte shells, Tor instance, recognized at
once by heir twists and convolutiDns, as
we'll - a cookie she'll whose firm and par
ticuiarls heel, could nn be mistaken->these
sparked in the sun, and felt as heavy as a
metal. Yet this orilliancy and specific gra
witty were but deceptive appearances-ihey
we're NOT metals, Tor on exposing them 20
the heat OF a blow pipe, they went OFF in
strong 5uihhureous fumes. In what way
sulphur. which. has only the specific gravi
ty OF 1890, while that OF Tin 1921, should
can; DC condensed as To- acquire a
weight equa! to that of tin. leave to the
chem 10 determine t
Yet, sir, it was not the Sharks teeth
nor the sea-sheHS, which could surprise us
tor these as well as the bones of fish, are
very frequently found in digging our wells
in this city, below certain de pths--but,
it was a very curious coin, which was found
IN fhe san,e bed along with the SHARKS !eeth
and periainkie shells. A COIN, Yes, sir
lit s either one or very much IKE one ; for
II now lies before me---atId was certainly
drawn up =" from the bowels of the earth, ,"
en- the 18th inst. 20 feet at least below tine
surface. So "a b.
This piece is OF brass--thin, and, there
fore, not worth much n itself. Yet :" no one
cares abou; the NY in amber" says Peter
Piymiey; "the only question is. now the de-
vii did it get there!' OA one side is this
inscripioa, " ALEXAND MAC N" lin
plain English, .i!e-raader ike Great, en-
| cIrchng the mead OF 7varrior, with his
Helmet on, o., the otaer. Is the, mscripti
on Z" yOLL MUrH" encircling a Lion
below the line on when Inc Lion stands,
IS the letter l., the Roman character for
50----indeed, the whole! oE the letters are
goou, Roman letters--No doubt can exist,
tnar this piece zvas found in the blue scra I,
| tum Of earth. as l have said; because
have traced Ito the very hand which
picked 1T up. And whenit was found. il was
completely furnished. black, and coated
| blue-a little aquatorts soon washed 1t bright
md lett he figures and inscriptions clear
and fair 10 tne eye.
| A piece of money, suddenly dropt. from
tue c.uuds could not well nave astonished
u more. than did this subterrancan Stran-
ger, at first sight. What was 1t What
were its mysterious expressions, POlk Ilznth <
How long nad it lain buried in the Garth ?
Curiosity was aroused, md the virtuoso went
to works 3nfGuarius thought he had at
lasi HI upon clue IN This speaking curio
/ SHY. to lead him t. the age OF the very con-
tinent on which he trod- HistoricuS thought
OF Beet OF Alexander, which had been dri-
ven by the winds out OF the Medlterra-
mean. But it were idle to put down every
idle conjecture, which was forIned--yet it
seemed to be agreed on AL hands, that the
Antiquity of America stood now confessed
before os. 9.t
| Alas he heyday Of enthusiasfn caHno,
last forever! The "small, still voice" OF
common sense began to whisper III our ears !;
els this thing usclf SO very old as gu take
1t TO DC : Look at the qharacters--thcy
are Roman Now. if it had been struck by
the Romans, would they have s:ampt the
head Of .fief1nder on their CONS 2 Be
sides. what's the shafc Of these Roman
characters The Roman letters were not
always the same in the different Eras OF
! kome--ior it was not Til the An Century,
that the capital u was introduced until
that time, tney used the V----nay, on all the
Roman medals. even alter mat time, and e.
ven on the English Coips. down to tae reign
Of George 2ud, the u is not 10 be seen.
Does not the shape OF this single letter,
aod the absence of it fr1ia me Roman
coins, and indeed the elegance and mo
dersism OF the whole OF them, seem 70
show that this piece is not so very old as
you would imagine :"
Well! but VoR NUN! what the deuce
are they The classical student went IL
work--What ingenious conjectores what
profound etymoiosies, we're thrown out -
Some, indeed, as good as Swift's, that
" AleEandeT Inc Great Came rom HI
the, eggs under fhe Crate" None, howe
YER, were satisfactory The Grecian and
Roman lore was ransacked in vain. The
dead .icHered Classics were thrown out, al
hollow.
Perhaps, they are German" SAYS 4
shrewd man who saw then Wen. sir,
way we hied To German when, death
TO all our hopes ct immortality, he said
with a smile, - that he mad seen hundred.
Of s'ch Things in his country they were
mer play things for calldcen.' 'Sdeath
SIR, head Of Alexdndert1e Great sunk ~
to q. Toy Tor children rae nead of Man
lbrjpo turned into Har)gr's pason Thi