Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-12

The Story of King SolomOn's Mines
 Not Myth.
 London Correspondence of the New York
 world.l
 All those who have read Rider flag gard's graphic description of King Solo mons mines will be interested to know that the mines in question, far from being merely a product of that writer's fertile imagination, are reality, and that they have been traced and discovered by the Mashonaland expedition of the English Southeast African company.
 Zinbabye, an ancient city in Mashona- land, was visited many years ago by the German traveller Mauch, but he did not appear to have any knowledge of the exis- tence of gold mines, nor did he offer any hypothesis as to the ancient people who had inhabited the city. The next occasion of it's being visited by Europeans was when some members of the British South African company's pioneer force stumbled upon the ruins, which lie at the base of a striking and precipitous granite cliff of ''kopje" An outer wall about four feet high runs apparently around the entire "kopje," but owing to a dense jungle this wall could not be traced further than half a mile. Next come indications of a sec ond and inner wall which, for the same reason, was unable to be traced for any distance.
 Then amid perfect labyrinth of re- mains of smaller circular buildings stands high wall of circular shape, from thirty to thirty-fve feet high, forming a com plete inclosure of an area eighty yards in diameter. This wall is ten feet thick at the base and tapers to about seven feet at the top, is built of small granite blocks about twice the size of an ordinary brick, beautifully hewn and dressed, laid in per fect1y even courses, and is put together without the use of any mortar or cement whatever. This inclosure is entered by a mere gap in the wall, but which, at one time, was a well built entrance, as it is clearly shown by the rounded off courses.
 AN ANCIENT TOWER.
 Inside the building itself and close to the entrance and outer wall stands cone shaped tower thirty-five feet high and eighteen feet in diameter at the base, built of the same granite blocks, and consisting of solid masonry. On the southeast front of the wall and twenty feet from its base runs double zigzag scroll, one-third of the distance around, composed or the same sized granite blocks placed in diago- nal positions.
 The tendency to construct circular build ings would seem to indicate an absence of | intercourse with the ancient Egyptians, whose architecture was of an entirely diff ferent nature, cement being used between the courses and the houses being built ] square. Trees, centuries old, have grown in such profusion as to seriously impede systematic investigation of the inscrip | tions with view to determining the race to which the inhabitants of the city be longed. One thing is certain, that a large and semi-civilized population must once have dwelt in these lands, and under con ditions which make slave labor procurablt to an unlimited extent.
 The natives are densely ignorant anc hold no traditions as to the origin or pur pose of these strange ruins, but there is , tradition among the Portuguese whicl represents the ruins to have been the capi tai city of the land ruled by the queen O Sheba, and their ancient records are sait to make frequent mention of people liv ing in that part of southeast Africa ant established there long before there own ar