The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-03
OPHZR.

1-yxHT 20. 1e60.--gome years ago there
.-.,eaYed In, think, "NOtes and Queries" an
sssount Of trip to the ruins Of an ancient
~,y in Africa which has since been suggested
ts be the ophir. Of Scripture; and IL may be
interesting 10 some OF your readers TO know
s.eb particulars Of these ruins as could be
eeeertained by q traveller who did not 40
sally reach the site himself.
~fsst June was at the small town OF Leyden-
Nsre. In the Transvsal or South African Re-
public, and showed q copy of the story to the
key. - Nachtigal, of the Berlin Mission,
~hoae station is there, and who, as the story
sold. was. with his fellow missionary, Mr..
Nsreuski. the author of the expedition; he
..,ilsd al many OF his statements, such as
Il pcdents about baby elephants and ill-treated
haboons following his party; but told me that
the story was founded on fact, and gave me
m outline of his journey. From his account,
-hioh had confirmed entirely by one Kafr
and in narts by others, gather the following,
tLa nnblicitv of which may induce future
Aravallars and sportsmen to see further for
themselves, and perhaps even leave the South
Afr;can cold fields for what would certainly be
A most interesting trip. :,
FROM Lev denberg an explorer can take his
bull ock-wagou three days (say sixty miles) in
. nortbsrlv direction, and must then, with the
assistapoe of Kafrs, travel on foot through the
youeh country. Nine days' easy walking will
bring him to the Limpopo, Oori, or Bsmbe
river (being known by the latter name); but
before crossing this he will see the ruins of a
small town, which, however, have been almost
{o,aiiv DESTROYED. Two or three days more
vill take him TO another set Of ruins Of a simi-
lar nature. The missionaries passed over these
without noticing more than that they had
been ancient buildings, aud could not have,
nor is there any probability that they had,
been the work of natives. Their object was
% Nha lar nf tho inc Hna
10 be in that country, as the short winter
season allowed them but q limited time. AS,
however, fever was very prevalent among the
natives, and some of their own party were
ill, when they were within sight of these
ruins, on the north bank of the Kuisi or
Saba, a river running eastwards, they were
compelled to return, but noticed that there
were buildings of masonry and cut stone
work, with one block like q tower and
several other considerable portions standing.
The name of these deserted ruins is Bunyoai,
situated in about latitude 20 deg. 80 min.
south, longitude 32 deg. east, and the peo-
ple living near them are the Banyai or
ouarri-quarri Kafrs; they show no hostility
20 the white man, unless he is a Dutch Boer,
who could not safely venture into their ooun-
try; and think it is partly because the Beers,
who are as rule the pioneer hunters of
South Africa, and partly because no African
that no better accounts have been brought
down: and that these ruins hsve hot been ex-
amiped. The natives are mixture of diffe-
rent tribes, partaking both of the Bssuto and
the Zulu type and language-the two chief
divisions in Southeastern Africa, and which
appear to have started from common origin
further north, and emigrated southwark in
swo streams, divided by the great range of the
Drakensberg, or Katlamba.
J.. 81 saI 80 80
from several points in their language, and one
ia almost inclined to believe that the real
aiagamma Of Greek philology is to be found
among these savages on the east coast; in such
words, for instance, as ''to go'': among the
Amalupga tribe, or Knobnoses, fnmba; in the
aussi tribe two hundred miles south, aamba,
almost Uambd; further south, Zulu, hamba,
more or less aspirated; and in Natal, ambd.
To stranger, the language Of the Basutos,
sounds peculiarly different from that Of the
2ulus, who cannot pronounce that letter; but
q very short examination shows the close
alliance between the two lauguages-the let
ter "r' being constantly substituted for the
Zulu opp in such words as (Zulu) umlilo,
Sire" Basuto amriro, and often the change of
"t" into 'r," as in (zulu) inyati, "buffalo;"
Basuto, 'nhari. Both languages have also the
eausative, reciprocal, and other formations of
che verb.
The existence OF the ruins above referred to,
OF similar ones, has been known for many
years, and they have been alluded to in seve.
raj old travels; and apparently in connection
with the gold trade, but of course such
accounts must be taken for what they are
worth, as they contain many absurditiss. Ir
s'The Modern Part Of an Universal History
<LOndOn, l70l), the most considerable gold
mines are placed in the district OF Maniea tn,
name of either the river Saba or the Linn
popo; and In ga Collection of Voyages an,
Travels" (London, 1746), and several etbe
similar works, is an account Of q Portuguese
journey in 1853, In which reference is mad
70 ruins OF structures built with stone
lime and timber" being met with in differen
parts of the country, and in one accouu
the name Afur is given as that of one act {
ruins, or perhaps OF the whole district; but
cannot ascertain whether this name existe
there on the first discovery by the Portu
guese, or whether they called 1t Afur becaus
they wished 1t to be the real Ophir. Froi
this coincidence, however Qf it Is one), an
the name Of the river Saba (unde Sheba
combined with the recent discovery OF larJ
gold fields in the same neighborhood, SON
persons 90 SO far as to conclude that the Bib
cal account is but short history of Bunyoa
What are these ruins? Are they the remain
Of defensive buildings, or mercantile empol
INNS Of q past civilization, or the works
some ancient religious orderi
As this part of Africa is now being draw
Into notice, and many are leaving Englan
some attracted by the prospects of gold a
or trading venture-it would be well il q u
weller could be induced to make notes Of q
compare such things as he may observe in
Auatoyoa and languages of these tribes with