Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-05-25
LANCASTER, CIV. t. SATURDAY, MAY s5, ls44
INTERESTING DISCOVERY.

a work has just been pIblished IN
England, entitled "The Historical &C.
ography of Arabia" from which we
may expect much deeply interesting
matter 10 all persons engaged in Bibli-
cal studies. The author, Rev. Charles
Foster, has been engaged since 1889,
upon the work. He writes thus TO
Bishop Duane, Of New Jersey.
"As your copy Of The Historical
Geography Of Arabia WILL trust,
soon float across the Atlantic, should
leave it 10 tell its own story, was j,
not for one result SO beyond all hu-
man calculation, and therefore so like
ly to get abroad on the wings of ru-
NOR, that do not like il should first
reach you in anewspaper advertise
ment, of from any but my own PEN
The result alluded 10 the recovery OF
the long lost, aud once famous Hamy-
artic tongue; and in it Of inscriptions,
(perhaps the oldest monuments in the
world, containing full confession OF
the Patriarchal faith. and an anticipa-
ted Gospel. These wonderful remains
Of Arabian antiquity belong 10 peri
Cd Of the world, 10 reach which all the
internal evidences oblige us to ascend
$500 years, or within 500 years ofthe
Flood. For they arc records Of the
lost tribe Of Ad, the immediate descen-
dan,s of Shem and Noah; people OF
Arabia who persisted utterly, not only
long prior to all profane history, but
before the books of Moses were writ
ten The unknown Inscriptions
were published in Welisted's Travels
in Arabia, who discovered them on
the coast Of Hadramant, in 1854
Copies were forthwith transmitted TO
Germany, TO Professor Gesenius and
Rodiger; who, il appears, have been
a, work on them for years; as it turns
out, without decyphering single
word. Their existence first became
known to me last summer, when my
publisher sent down Weils.ed's book,
on the chance Of It's containing ma.eri-
ais for my work. After examining
the unknown characters closely, | had
laid the inscription aside, as altogether
uncypherable, at least by me; when j,
pleased Providence. in a way the most
unlocked for, 10 put the key into my
hands. found it, without dream Of
looking for ii, in the Monuments We
tus,iva Arabia of A. II. Schultcns.-
AT the first glance, | thought dctec-
ted in one Of these monuments an Ara
bic version Of the longest of Mr.. Wei
sted's inscriptions; and OF :his good
guess ! rellnqushed not my grasp, I'M
til conjecture had been converted into
demonslraliyc proof The results are.
the recovery of the Hamyartic alpha
bet and language; and, with these, OF
such testimony of revealed religion
as Job desired, xiv, 1927. How
wonderful the ways OF Providence
But for Schultens' incidental publica-
ton Of two snort Arabic poems, these
evidences Of revealed truth, cotempo-
rary with Jacob and Joseph, might
have remained a mystery TO the end OF
time. Knowing whence it comes, |
feel honored, at once, and humbled, by
my own success, TO have thus COM
pletely succeeded where first orlentials
in Europe have entirely failed, brings
to mind, in lower sense, the saying
of ST. Paul, |. Corinthians j. &c. For
details and vouchers you will wait the
arrival of your copy on the Della
ware"