The New York herald., 1874-11-01

great clinical struggles which history constantly
brings about, and round this struggle so honora
Ole to the Hellenes clustered all their proudesl
and most heroic associations and traditions. which
crystallized into poems and finally resulted IN the
'lliad the production OF an epoch centuries poste-
nor TO the actual events. Its admissible that the
author OF this poem visiting the reputed battle
neld OF ten years. war found the ruins OF an an
cient city, perhaps known to all his contemoora-
ries as Troy, and he made the plan Of the liad ac-
cord with the locality. This is not only admissible
for the sake OF discussion and investgation' Dut
every way probable as historical fact.
Then having admitted so much. we may further
admit that the 'Iliadr is guide TO the locality OF
Homer's Troy. But the site which Scheimann mas
excavaIed ON Is irreconcilabe with the 'lliad."
There IL no possible dispute on this question the
only site which agrees with the indications of the
Homerlc poems Is that identified by Hahn, Man
duit Choiseu Counter and NicoiaIdes, among re-
cent Investigators, and Alexandre de SEepslr
among older writer's, and which is that known as
Bounerbashi. The evidence OF this, OF course Will
be found in the poem ITSELF
The city was situated near the junction OF the
Hellespont with the Egean Sea, the southern
point OF which is Cape Sigeium, just inside which
cape the Scamander-the river which has formed
the plain of Troy-empties into the HeEespont
The Greek camp according to Homer. was pitched
and the ships drawn up between Cape Sigeium and
q point OF land higher up the Hellespont, called
Rhocteiun, and occupying the whole width OF the
delta which was narrow as we are told, so that
the ships had to be placed in several parallel lines
Schleimann, in placing the camp at Sig9um out
on the 4Egean shore, denes Homer and the
weather, for no neet could be oeached there IN
stormy weather. There is no port nor any
kind Of protection; and, moreover, Homer
Is explicit on the question. Schleimann
satisfied himself that the Mendini was
the Scamander and not the Sinois, but
NicolaYdes proved that years ago, and the Doctor
must have been very ignorant OF Homeric litera-
ture not to have been quite assured on tins point
without ten days. investigation. He was, how
ever right, SO far as the river was concerned but
then, to reconcile all his hypothoses with the
proven position OF the Scamander, he puts the
camp on the wrong side to account for having the
river between the city and the camp. Homer Is
clear on two ponts-that the camp was on the
shore OF the Hellespont and between the two pro-
montories, and that the Greeks, to reach Troy,
had to cross the river These two incontroverti-
BILE indications are in themselves con-
elusive against the Identity OF Schiemanu's
site. But Homer goes iurtner He tells US
that IN Hector's attack on the Greek fleet,
while the Trojan army was beaten on the right,
"Hector knew nothing OF these disasters, because
he maintained the combat on the extreme left OF
the army on the banks OF the Scamander." Under
Schleimann'S hypothesis the Trojan army marching
Oh the neet lying ar Sigaum would have the Sea-
mander behind it. but at the right rather than the
left. Homer also makes the Trojan hero say, in
reply to . remark OF Poly damas, that he saw an
eagle dying to The LETT, an omen OF evil ~ give
myself no anxiety II the birds ny TO my right, to-
the vast shadows showing that he was marching
north, with the river stn on his lett hand. 1t Is
tnen clear that the camp and feet were to the east
OF the Seamander, while Schleinann puts them at
the west
We see further on that, when Hector is finally
wounded by the stone thrown by Ajax,
he is carried to his chariot and driven
back TO Troy. .'when they arrive at
the clear margin o; the winding Scamander
the friends OF the hero take him down from the
chariot and battle HIM with fresh water.n Again,
when Achilles, having put the Trojaus to flight
pursues them toward the city, he falls on them at
the ford OF the Scamander, and In the river Kills
many, among whom Asteropaios; alter which ne
pursues them on the other aide, oivcing them into
two parties one OF which goes to the city, and
another is driven back toward the river, And
finally, when Priam comes TO the tent or Achilles
to beg the body OF his Hector, he stops his
beasts TO allow them to drink in the river, and,
again returning, "they arrive at the ford OF the
beautiful ecdyrng river" where Mercury leaves
them.
Taking Homer as Witness then, Troy was at the
site now known as Boolarbashi, where the
Pelasgic walls excavated by Eahn demonstrate
the existence OF very ancient city. Against this
evidence DR.. Schleimann advances the folio wing
reasons for believing that HIssarlik is the ancient
or Homeric Troy
Fust-He found no ruins on the heights OF
BocnarbashL Yet there are the Cyclopean walls,
Oldest of all structures in the old Greek
world. indisputabe evidences OF the existence
OF an important and very ancient city. In
deed, the very fact or finding any remains ON
hll site Ike this, known and resorted to thou.
sands OF years, should make one very doubtful, ir
1t could be Troy. Pace OF pigrtmages from
Homer'G day at least until the time OF
the extension OF all classic associations. what
mound would have existed unsearched, and what
relic that was movable remain Mycaenes, the
capital OF Agamemnon, is tradiuonally contem-
poraneous with Troy, and there is on the whole
hill top scarcely soil enough to cover the bed rock
aud so Of many cities which are cotraditional
with Troy-Argos, Gnossus, Poyrrhenia said to
have ueen founded BY Agamemnon) there is ab-
solutely nothing lett that IL not critically recog-
been carried away.
Second-The tumuli there, called after Rector
and Priam, have been opened and remains
found. But these tumuli are hasty cairns OF
stone, under which not even bones could have
resisted the elements so long as we must suppose
them to have endured II Homer ,s any authority
Besides this 1t Is almost certain that no mound
cound have escaped searching, even in the times
OF Alexander or Xerxes.
Schleimann finds the site insufficiently large;
but he must have visited few ancient fortified
towns II he supposes that the walls OF de-
fence inclosed the whole population, and must
have more definite ideas OF the population or Troy
than other people If he can say whether IL had
lo, 600 or 100000 people. He says indeed, that his
approved site would only have contained about
5000 people.
Thtrd-rhe citadel Is too steep for the race be.
tween Hector and Achilles and the character OF