The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1873-09-19
A PnrRry1ED FOREST.

MIR. Wyman Dixon, English en8l-
neer in the employ Of the Egyptian
Government, announces the discov-
cry of q remarkable petri6ed forest,
located in the Libyan Desert, about
three days journey from the Great
Pyramid. From Mr., Dixon's narra-
tive, as recently published in Nature,
we condense the following facts re-
garding this natural wonder: On the
western horizon of the Libyan Desert,
and in full view from the summit of
the grand Pyramid Of Gheezah,
though removed from the route Of
desert travellers. there rises a conical
hill, which has long been regarded as
the ruins of pyramid. A nearer
survey Of this supposed ruin deter
mines il to be the conical end Of
prison-shaped hill, stretching west
ward, and standing boldly out of the
desert plain. It is upon the sides
and at the base of this hill that this
petrifed forest is located. Descend
ing the steep northern slope, the
travellers, Messrs. Dixon and Grant,
discovered, near the spot chosen for
their camp, three large stone trees,
lying PROSTATE on the sand. The
largest Of these was tifty-one feet in
length, and three feet six inches in
diameter at its widest end, and two
feet at its smallest. They were
branching, exogenous trees, appar-
emily species of pine. Passing up
the ''wady," or ravine, to the north
Of the hill, the whole desert was
found to be Uttered with fragments of
petrifed wood, from twigs the size Of
ones finger to sections Of branches
and trunks. On the northern flank
of the hill, hundreds Of immense
trees were lying half buried in the
sand. Some of these were seventy
feet in length, and in many instances
the bark was still attached. All of
them were exogenous trees, not a
single palm having been discovered.
From the absence of roots, it is pre-
sumed by the writer that these trees
had been drifted here by the sea.
From the evident origin Of this hill,
upon the summit of which similar re-
mains were also found, it was named
Kom ell Khashob-the Hill of Wood.
A careful survey determined its height
to be seven hundred and fifty feet
above the Niles level at Cairo, and
therefore one hundred and forty feet
higher than the summit Of the Great
Pyramid. In accounting for the ex-
istence of these remains and their
location, Mr.. Dixon states that the
formation of the land would lead to
the supposition that it had been the
ancient coast-line, and that the trees
drifted to where they are now found,
and were left in the briny waters Of
an evaporating sea or salt lake, and,
as the fibre of the wood deoayed
slowly away, the space of each cell
has been filled up by the crystalline
silica held in solution in the water"
We have already noticed the fact that
there have lately been found in the
sands Of the Toorkistan Desert, we'll
preserved specimens Of Marine Mo-
lusks, living specimens Of which are
still found 10 the waters of the Black
and Mediterranean Seas. In view of
these and other equally favorable evil
dences, the theory Of an ancient in
terror coast line is not without reason
and authority. 1t will be Of interest
to Eastern travellers to learn that this
newly-discoyered forestmay be easily
reached from the Great Pyramid,
being only yathree days journey either
by donkey, or camel. or horse being
alsoua winter days journey from
Cairo Were the magnificent carr
riage road which now leads to the
pyramids to be extended short dis
tance, the Kom ell Khashob would be
within an easy carriage ride from the
Egyptian capital. ati y 'i'