The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-23
KING SOLON0N'S MINES
RIDER HAGcARDs TALE or FICTION
FOUNDED UPON FACTS

wenAsrfus Hufns in Africa Of What
Must Have Been the Famous Mines
81 Ophir-Traees Of Civilization fer
Centuries Baek-Expsctea Revelations.
The Royal Geographical Society, aided
by q grant from the British Association,
10 sending Mr.. Theodore Bent, well known
a. an Archaeological and explorer in Asia
Minor and the Greek islands, to investi-
gate the remarkable ruins In South Gen.
trail Africa, OF unknown date, supposed
by the older geographers to be the re-
mains OF the palaces Of the Queen OF
Sheba.
These ruins, generally known as those
Of ZImbabye, are situated In Mashonaland,
about $50 miles west Of Sofala, and were
occupied, at the time of the Portuguese
expedition into the interior In 1905, by
people denominated by them Moors, but
who appear to have been Arabs, reigning
ever = subject race OF Kaf1rs probably
the ancestors of tho present dwellers in
that region: but the dominant race. the
Moors of the Portuguese, have apparent
ly disappeared, although some modern
explorers trace them In . yellow race
found further In the interior.
The Portuguese historians were loud In
their praise OF these ruins; but In one Of
their expeditions Zimbabye, having boon
evacuated by Its then inhabitants, was
taken by Baretto, the Portuguese COM
mander, sacked and burned. After this
nothing was heard OF 1t until 1t was re-
discovered and described by the German
traveller, Carl Mauch, In 1871. Mauch,
however, was not allowed TO explore the
ruins, which are regarded as sacred by
the natives; but he made sketches OF one
or two portions Of them, which were after
ward reproduced.
The account excited some interest at the
time; but the difficulties and dangers at
tending explorations In these remote dis
tr!cts prevented travellers from following
up the discovery, and the matter was al
lowed to fall into oblivion until now, when
the expedition of the Chartered Company
OF British South Africa has once more
opened up and made practicable route
to these interesting remains OF an ancient
civilization.
Zimbabye, as described Is an extensive
mass Of ruins, covering the western slope
Of a granite hill, and extending across a
plain for about 800 yards, where stands
another mass of ruins upon an elevated
terrace. AS far as can be traced, these
ruins consist of labyrlnthine walls, one
within another, often terminating in cul
de sac, and inclosing In one part a conical
tower still thirty feet high, on which no
entrance has been discovered, although
perhaps there may be one, partly buried
beneath the debris. suse1sa-
But remarkable as are the ruins OF Zim-
babye they do not stand alone. but appear
to be connected by a chain of forts with q
similar mass Of ruins near Tati. fully 800
miles farther to the west, so exactly SINH
lar In structure, design and ornaments
ton as to leave no doubt whatever that
they were the work OF the same people,
while similar masses Of ruins are reported
near Manica and also in the Transvaal
east Of the Mushroom.
The whole of these are built Of hewn
granite blocks, the size Of bricks, and
without mortar, and when we consider
the immense amount OF labor this would
entail we may be certain that the builders
must have been very numerous, quite
settled In the country and far advanced
in civilization.
Whatever people may have been the
builders Of these wonderful structures in
the heart OF savage Africa, it is quite GER
tain that they were attracted thither by
gold, and that these masses of masonry
were constructed partly for the protection
OF the miners, and partly for the storing
and extracting the precious metal In the
immediate neighborhood of every one of
these forts old workings abound, and near
Tati they are met with in thousands;
whilst in several OF the rooms OF the forts
furnaces have been found for extracting
the metal; the only objects met with be-
sides being very coarse pottery, and
stone basins with round stones, such as
are still used by the Kaffirs for crushing
corn, but which. from their much worn
appearance, may also have been used for
crushing ore after it had been roasted in
the furnaces.
That the buildings have been entirely
abandoned for centuries Is demonstrated
by the fact that they are generally over
grown with dense bush, whilst every
where trees OF great size and probably
two or three centuries old have forced
their way through the walls. Mr.. Bent Is
inclined to attribu tie these remains to the
Persians, in the reign Of Chosroes H., in
the Seventh century of the present era;
but the brilliant reign of that monarch
seems far too short to allow Of the works
represented by these ruins; and after his
death Persia was in too chaotic condi-
ton to allow the maintenance of so re-
uuOIo u COlOuy VIII It's necessarily large
garrison.
Failing Arabs and Persians, we are
thrown back upon the old Phpnician n.y.
pothesis for the origin OF these remark
able buildings. It is very evident that
Hiram, King of Tyre, had one well-known
depot from which he drew his supply of
precious metals, his ivory and his almug
trees, and starting from on-Gebir, on
the Red Seq, he would be quite as likely
to sail along the coast Of Africa as far
south as Sofala, which from time immem-
orial has been gold port, as to sail east
ward to India which has been the rival of
Africa as the Ophir of Scripture.
The Queen of Sheba has always been re-
garded as an African potentate, and it
would be reasonable to suppose that she
would have heard of the wealth and wis
dom of Solomon from the merchants who,
from Tyre, sought gold within her domin-
ions, whilst the gold fleet would provide
her with the necessary means of trans
port. 1t is not little noteworthy that in
this part of Africa there are still several
female sovereigns, one of whom Majaja,
has recently submitted to the Beers of
ha Tra al vUhiIa In oil -