New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-08

the country is the innumerable odd-shaped
granite hills which some CONFUSION Of the earth's
crust has forced up through the everything strata.
These low solitary peaks were chosen by the
prehistoric miners as their places Of residence,
and they strengthened the natural advantages OF
their position with the most elaborate defensive
structures Mr. Bent supposes that the care they
took in this matter was due TO the fact that they
were few in a country populated by their natural
enemies. the natives. But certainly no modern
colony, though few, would deem it necessary to
build walls Thirty feet high, and almost half us
thick of solid granite, 20 repel any savages, no
matter how crafty. Possibly he might add to
his hypothesis the conjecture that the vast mass
Of the population under the control OF the LORDS
Of these castles the hilltops were slaves forced
to labor in the mines. In the course of time such
% servile race could not fail to become practically
as intelligent and as capable Of using arms as
their masters Against SUCH men, irritated by
ages Of suffering, the oppressor would ma the
best defences none too good. On the other
hand. when one remembers how architecture
ran riot in Egypt and Mesopotama, one wonders
whether any explanation Of the massiveness OF the
Newfoundland structures is necessary beyond tile
historic fact that the rage for such things affected
civilized men in Asia and Africa about the same
period There is fact about the fortresses not
TO mention the vast extent Of the gold digglngs,
which shows that the builders had long en-
perience in the land where they settled. They
were familiar with the manufacture and use OF
cement, for they made concrete pavements OF
powdered granite that have resisted all the
ravages Of time, bit when they set about build
ing their walls they rejected mortar. and placed
the dry granite bricks skilfully that TO tins
day hardly plant can find crack TO cling IN
Only when some baobab tree has forced It's huge
bulk up from below has the wall been destroyed
by plant life. Such trees are not uncommon III
these walls, and if the scientific dispute is ever
settled as TO their period OF growth they may
furnish criteria respecting the antiquity Oh 'he
structures " hch they have demolished
A curious feature of the walls is that the
blocks of granite used in them are hardly larger
than ordinary bricks Mr.. Bent infers from this
fact that the builders had been accustomed to
the use of bricks in their native country. III
they had gone from Egypt, that land OF expert
ouarrymen, they would surely have known now
70 cut and handle Huge blocks even OF the
hardest stone The method they adopted marks
them rather as related to the people OF the
Eunhrates Valley Mr.. Bent's inference, how
ever. NAV not be correct. These men were
miners. not quarrymen, and the TOOLS 'heS
nossessed may have been adapted only to working
small pieces Of rock This conjecture IS strength
ened rather than otherwise by relics of ancient
tools obtained by the explorers, and figured IN
the illustrations of their book The smallness oil
the blocks used rendered the task Of the ancient
builders the more difficult and their success 'he
more wonderful. Among the most remarkable OF
their work is what the explorers call the temple
and fortress at Ximbabwe, not far from fcr'
Victoria The temple, standing at the 1901 OF
the HILL is an irregular elhpse, with walls that
in places are still thirty feet high. The interior
IL a labyrinth of narrow passages, through when
the ancient worshipper had to make his way 70
the open space where stood the altar and near
il two conical solid towers OF stone. The larger
OF these towers had diameter exactly equal
to the circumference OF the smaller one and on
this fact Mr. Swan bases an argument TO show
that the various curves OF the whole structure
were carefully proportioned TO each other. with
a view TO the movements Of the heavenly bodies,
particularly the sun. The outer wall is marked
also by an ornamental pattern between the two
extremes reached by the suns rays at his rising
in the winter and summer solstices. pattern
Of a similar kind marks the corresponding portion
of a wall on the hilltop which surrounds an
altar place portion Of the walled pahSageway
from the temple TO the acropohs is stu pre-
served The builders made Use OK narrow
cleft in the granite mound, and their super
Huous industry is shown in the traverses ana
buttresses they made. and the care they took 70
fill I'D chance cavities in the living rock with
masonry The approach of an enemy to the
summit OF the hill was made practically I'M
possible: but even if he reached il he only en-
countcred moro walls and bcwidering passage
WAYS from which his own escape was hopeless
In the most remote rccesses OF the fortress was
the Mace whore the gold was melted, and here
! the explorers were lucky enough 10 find some
small clay crucbes used by the unknown re-
Gners From these. fortresses the gold was
transported Mr.. Pent suggests, to Sabaea, the
inhabitants Of which were allied, not only by
race but in commerce, with the fhoeniclans
Ancient Mashonaand was but one Of the con-
tributors TO the treasures Of that corner oil
Arabia. which enriched Egypt and Solomon ana
Rome in turn and the ancient invaders OF
MashonaIand were sun-worshpping Scmi'es
And now, if any one finds striking parallel
between Kafiir folklore and that of Egypt or
the Semitic races he would do well to think
twice before he speaks Of IL a. accidental Inc
nroblem of human evolution may after all 10
historic, not organic.