The New York herald., 1872-12-26

They spoke OF a town that site; but Strabo says
1t was one that had been built by the Eolian
Greeks, about 600 b. @. It Is probable DR.. Schlie-
mann has found some traces OF that; but he should
not nave spoken SO confidently Of the HOmertc
city He might have remembered the crowd OF
critics who have refuted or disputed those old
classic ideas and beliefs. Jacob Bryant-one who
had less faith In the Homeric story than his name
sake, the best Homeric translator OF our time
many poets; and Gilbert Wakefield and others
have followed on the same side. So that while
praislng the enthusiasm OF DR.. Schltemann any
one may see that he lessons his own merit by try
ing to show that his walls and other remnants on
that site belonged to the city Of Priam and Hec-
No doubt it was, and viii be stin. rather discon-
certing to be told that there was no such Troy as
the H0meric bards described. 1t was SO to Lord
Byron who said:-
And rrov oGa s NH ASSs' SSnbs o
this last hemistich being non seQuitur and mere
poetry. But the "wind-swept niumn was really no
more than Carleon.upon.Usk, or the Ceylonese
one OF the names Of that ancient thing, the cave
temple" which Moses, the Magi, the Druids and
smother M % under new narratives 3 Of T versions % Of
nams-tns name bura Of the Egphrates. the Tara % Of
mond. the Daire Of the Miksdo Of Japan-that is, Q
sacred enclosure, Pergamos, an ARK, Birs.
lDara), which Is the same In the Hebrew 1t had
originally the meaning Of 'abomination," though
&C. But the civiizers, as have said did like It,
and they made variety OF popular stories In prose
gends and formulas OF the early races.
To make q long story short, would say that "the
purpose, for the benefit Of the ..base Pnryclan
Turk" Tho monk Geonrey Of Monmouth wrote
his history Of the Breton to the same end The
means ''cave-temple' in Celtic speech. SO Arthur
was to be remembered by those obstinate Welsh
MEAN anc the
thing-"cave- -temple.n All the legends OF men are
full OF these double meanings. AS for lion, it
the Welsh Lam and the German Kolsa-a cayetem-
PIE nrst; and then building OF the later church
Frenchman would see in it his e own ; word Egiise.
church DR.. Schleimann thinks Iios had some
connection with nelfos, the sun. But fancy he
go many Others who believed in sun-worship-a
false gloss upon the terminology OF the rude old
the ground, and therefore very hard to over
throw. Our remote ancestors never troubled their
heads much nc about the sun or the moon either, but
gave all their attention to themselves and their
own % anairs in their days. aso 1.-THE proper study
epopee at the gate OF the Heilespontf Because oar
or de'e meant strait-as 1t still does on that
ground-as well as '.cave temple" It is the first
speech. II is the narrow passage from mans
poetry the early tribes OF men is largely founded
ON the double meanings OF language, which were
found very convenient when the reiormers OF ma
lions wished 10 change the order OF the worlds
ideas.
But while freely express my opinions in this
mire the energy OF the learned and cosmopolite
Ut. Schliemann, and hope some OF those rich peo-
pie who love the science OF literature will help him
70 go on with his excavations. Even II he cannot
find the 'sblack bowl' or tankard OF Priam, or the
hand mirror that sparkled for Helen" or discover
ss sooa IN the be rabSsS 10
Of those Phrygans who, In the ages succeeding the
5oy ss as on
BROOKLYN. W. D.
A Sceptic on Schliemann's Discoveries-
A Believer fn Homer's Story.
To THB EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Referring to the letter from DR.. Schliemann, de.
ecrbing his researches and discoveries at the site
Of Novum ium, published In your issue OF the 2ist
inst. II may be well to point out the manifest error
Of DR.. Schliemann and others before him In taking
this site to be that OF the ancient and Homerc
nium.
THIS theory was refnted By Demetrius OF scepsis,
who ID quoted by Strabo in his description OF the
TrOad The main and insuperable objection to II
Is the distance Of NOvum Iium from the shore OF
the HeIespont. The distance at the present day
Is about two and half miles but Strabo mentions
Book xiii) that the aliuvium brought down By the
bad extended from the Trojan war to
his time over distance Of six stadia-neariy three
quarters OF mile. Deducing, therefore, from
these data the rate OF increase OF the alluvia de-
posit, we shall not be far wrong In supposing an
increase from the Trojan war to the present day OF
u miles.
What Is now the lower part OF the Trojan Plain
was therefore, at the time Of the Trojan war a
bay. II then, from the present coast line we meas.
ure inland this distance OF and seventh eRhths
miles, We shalt be brought to the ancient shore
line. the head OF the bay, upon which the Greeks
dragged up their ships and formed their camp.
The average Of the estimates made by ancient
writer's Of the number OF the Greek army IN
10000, and Homer tells as shat the number OF
ships was l,ls8. The ships, he says, were drawn
up ''in rows, one behind the other, and filled the
WIDE mouth Of the entire shore % much az the
promontories enclosed" Such was the width OF
the camp; its depth-that Is to say, the distance
from the shore 70 the defensive wall erected by the
Greeks before their ships-cannot have been less
nveeighths OF mile. Adding this distance to the
alluvial increase we shall arrive at point two
and half miles from the present coast line; but
we have already seen that this s the distance OF
Novum lftum rom the shore; therefore the Greek
defensive wall was close up against the walls OF
the city they were besieging-a reducii0 ad ao-
fuTdum.
We know there was o considerable stretch or
plain tactuaily about stx miles, between the hostile
camp and the besieged city, which was the battle
Held OF the heroes. In this plain were fought the
four separate pitched battles described in the
lhad-batties OF extensive man9uvres and OF alter
nate advance and retreat. In which chartots took
conspicuous part. Hector, wounded by Ajax In the
third battle Is carried back to the ford or the
Scamander, midway between Troy and the camp,
city 70 the camp TO beg the body OF hs son in his
Chariot and stops on the road TO water his horses
ana mules In the river. Again, at the end OF the
AZ nightlal to the city but encamp In the plain lie.
tween the ships and the river. But II Is useless to
multiply the proofs OF wide extent Of plain be.
tween the 0recian camp and the city, the most
careless reader Of the Had would az once recog
The reason adduced seems to me to be quite SUI.
nclent TO explode the theory OF DR.. Bchliemann
without bringing forward many others almost
cOgent. Among them, however, may tie mentioned
tne identification beyond all doubt or the remark.
aDe sprlnGs OF BOnnarbaschi with the hot and cold