Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-12-26
Losr CIVILIZATIONS.
Ruins OF an Ancient City In NIaShOnR Land,
Central Africa.

Ruins OF an Ancient City In MaShOnR Land
Central Africa.
AS the world moves on discoveries
made from time to time strengthen the
supposition that all the earth's surface
has at varying periods been known to
civilized people, and that we are only
exploring what were once familiar
lands, which, with the decay of the
races that inhabited or visited them,
relapsed into darkness.
High up on the African plateau is a
fertile and well-watered country, cooled
by its elevation, and Astounding in
gold mines whose richness is yet
problematic, but believed by travellers
to be equal to those of California
or Australia. This is known as Mash
ona Land, and it is inhabited by the
fiercest and most warlike Of the Afri-
can natives. Owing to its dangers and
its isolation it was never entered by
white man until recent years, but now
its gold, its great elevation and its tenn
perate climate have tempted the En-
glish, who believe that If the European
can thrive anywhere in Central Africa
parties of hunters, gold-seekers, ex-
PAOAOhS anu aoNOAbuEOGo haN0 pOAO-
trated the country, and its distinguish
ing geographical features are becoming
comparatively we'll known.
A number Of years ago German trav-
eler passed through Mashona Land, and
he reported that he discovered there the
extensive ruins of an ancient city. His
statements were laughed at, and called
mere travellers tale by the learned
men OF Europe, who considered such re-
mains impossible in a land which had
for ages been inhabited only by wild
boasts and naked negroes. But the
Germans story has been proven to be
true, for now numerous Englishmen
have seen the same ruins, have accu-
rately described them, and have even
sent home many photographs Of them.
The ruins are in the center of the
wilderness, and lions, elephants and
other wild beasts have roamed among
them for no one knows how many
centuries, but there is enough left to
show that powerful and intelligent
people built the city, for the fragments
OF walls and houses are in a far better
state of preservation than those by
which some Of the lost cities of Syria
and Assyria have been identified. One
huge stone tower is standing in an al
most complete state, and portions OF the
| city wall are likewise unimpaired.
Here and there fragments of utensils
are found, among them what look like
crucibles for the converting of metals.
The savage natives know nothing OF
the origin of the city, but say that IT
has been handed down from father to
son that the ruins were always there
just IS they are now, and that in other
parts of their country there are similar
evidS0ces OF the works of an ancient
race Some have propounded the the.
DRY, and it has found many believers,
that ehis is the land of Ophir, were Sol.
omoS got his gold, and that these cities
were built by the Phoenicians, who in
the dawn Of history, were the great
traders, artificers, navigators and OK.
ploregs of the world, who sailed around
she Cape of Good Hope two thousand
years before Vasco di Cana was born
visited the farthest east, and perhaps
AmesAca, too. The theory is not I'M
probable and is certainly attractive
/ LOut willie COurier-Jou