The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-17
KING SOLOM0N'S MINES.
RiDM hAesARDs IAlE OF fiction
FOUNDED pPon FACTS.


n-ss have b.sA shs F..s-s lEi...
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c.hs.<i.s s.E-Ezbssssa h.v.l.sis.s.
ne Royxi 0sorrApnIsal soeisty, sidsd
By . grant from the British Association.
IL sending Mr. Theodore Bent. well known
a. an arcb0oloRist and explorer In Asia
Minor and the Greek Islands. 70 investi-
gate the remarkable ruins In South Con-
trail Africa. Of unknown date. supposed
by the older geographers to Be the re-
mains Of the palaces Of the Queen Of
Steba.
These ruins. generally known e. those
Of Zmbabye, are situated In Mashonaland,
about $50 miles west Of 6ofala. and were
occupied. at the time Of the Portuguese
expedition into the interior In 1903. By =
people denominated BY them Moors. but
who appear to have been Arabs. reigning
over subject race Of Kaflrs, probably
the ancestors Of the present jewellers In
| that region; hut the dominant racs, the
Noors Of the Portuguese. have apparent
~ disappeared. although some modern
| expiurers ttace them III : yellow raoo
found further In the interior. it
The Portuguese historians were loud ID
their praise Of these ruins; but In one Of
their ekpbditions Zlmbabye. having been
SvAcuat1d- BY IL then lnhAbltants. was
taken ~ Baretto. tho PortnRdAse com
mander. sacked and burned. kftsr this
nothing was heard OF It until u was 70
discovsrsd and Described By The German
| tray<lbr. Carl NAh6h. h ls1E Whnch.
however, was nos allowed to explore the
Tuins. which are fegar1ea - sAered By
the natives; blt hemade Stretches Of one
L - . Nlk
ward reproduced. .
| time: bus The diGleultiee annd sdahg efsl 81
tendinR explorations n these remote dis
| tricts prevented travelera from following
up th2 discovery, and tie matter WGs ~
lowed 70 fall into Oblivion until now, whom
The expedition Of the Chartered Company
Of British South Africa has once more
opened mp and made practicable route
70 these interesting remains Of an ancient
i civilization r1Af ~ 49,
Zlmbabye, e described, 10 IN extensive
/ mAho Or ruins. coveting the W6etsrn elope
/ Of granite hill, and extending across Z
plain for about 900 yards. whore Standa
i another mass Of ruins upon On elevated
j terrace. A far a. can b traced. tfi6ol
4 ruins consist Of iabyrinthinS waits. one
i within another, oftsn terminating In oul
4 Do 60, and inclosing In ono part conical
| tower sfill fshiFfH lSst shi4h P Whicn NJ
i entrants his EbSSAl ditc6t6ttd. dlth0ugf
DerhapS there may b one. partly buried
osDSess ~ 49, IN. .hSrahsf IN
i 70 b connected By . chain Of forts with I
/ iimilar mass Of ruine near Tati. fully 81
miies farther to The west, b exactly slmi
i lar In structure, design and ornamenta
i tiou g t0sieav0s no A0obt Nhtteytk thal
i they woe the N6rk 3oe 4he sklhe people
Whils similar im1Sses Of ruins are reported
near Manica and aiso IN the Transyaa
i east Of the Nylstro6m.
i The whole Of these are built Of hewr
granite blocks, the size Of bricks. and
without mortar, and when We consider
hoimmenso amount OF labor this woulf
entail We may be certain that the builders
must have been very. numerous. guilt
settled In the country and Tar advAncet
In civilization,
Whatever people may have been thu
z builders Of these wonderful structures Ii
!, the heart Of savage Africa. 1t ID quito Ger
tain that they were attracted lthither b.
gold, and that these masses Of masonry
were constructed partly for the protection
OF the miners, and partly for the storing
L
immediate neighborhood Of every one o
these forts old workings abound. and nea
Tati they are met with IN thousands
whilst In several Of the rooms of the fort
furnaces have been found for extracting
the metal; the only objects met with be
sides being very coarse pottery, ant
| stone basins with round stones such al
are still used by the Kaffirs for crushing
. corn, but which, from their much worI
Il appearance, may also have been used fol
crushing ore after 1t had been roasted ii
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
j two or three centuries old have forcet
their way through the walls. Mr.. Bent Ii
inclined to attribu to these remains to tn,
Persians. In the reign Of Chosroes H., II
the Seventh century Of the present era
but the brilliant reign Of that monarch
seems far too short to allow Of the work.
represented by these ruins; and after hi
death Persia was In too chaotic a0ondi
tion to allow the maintenance Of so re
mote Q colony with its necessarily larg,
garrison.
Failing Arabs and Persians, we ar,
thrown back upon the old Phdnician by
pothesis for the origin OF these remark
able buildings. 1t is very evident tina
Hiram, King OF Tyre, had one we'll known
depot from which he drew his supply o
precious metals. his ivory and his almut
trees, and starting from Ezion-G ebir, Oh
the Red Seq. he would be quite as likel,
to sail along the coast OF Africa as fl
south as Sofala. which from time immem
orial has been gold port. as to sail east
ward to India, which has been the rival o
Africa as the Ophir Of Scripture.
The Queen Of Sheba has always been re
garded as an African potentate, and i
would be reasonable to suppose that Oh,
would have heard Of the wStlth and Wis
dom Of Solomon from the merchants who
from Tyre. sought gold within her domin
Ions, whilst the gold Heat would provid,
her with the necessary means Of trans
tpert It IL not a little noteworthy that II
this part OF Africa there are still severa
female sovereigns. one Of whom. Majaja