The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-24
THE PETRlFIED CITY.
Fables of Towns in Which Everythln
Was Turned to Stone.

Fables OF Towns in which Everything
Was Turned to Stone.
Among cities of fable the petritad
variety was interesting. We have tim
most parts of this world--our prosH
Islands knew it, but as submarine
curiosity. In the days when Londonel an
ioyed the presence of an ambassador
from Tripoli that parsonage astonish9d
the Royal society once at least. The
| famous traveller, DIR. Shaw, had m n
toned the story of a petritied will ne
near Cyrene. Scientific people deri1ed
it, scientific people upheld tin sh ut.
discussion arose. Some member Iof
the Royal society, recollecting That
there were grave and responsible iDhab!
itants of Tripoli within reach, pct the
| question before the ambassadorA He
| explained with a vengeance. One of dis
friends, a person, of course, whose h 81
or could not be impugned, was well ac-
quainted with the spot. Shaw made a
great mistake in describing 1t as a vii
lage. City was the proper word. TIE
walls inclosed an exact circle, num$-
Gus streets crossed at right angles, vii
shops and avenues of trees, and noEAc
| castle stood in the midst In the she =
and streets were people variously en-
ployed-the gentleman noticed in espe-
cial baker and his customers, loayes in
hand, a woman sucking her baby etc.
He entered the castle and found a Hg.
or somebody of rank, lying on a sor-
geous bed with guards about hiFf.! ~. :
mails abounded. such as donkeys, cam
els. oxen, sheep, birds. but everything
was stone of peculiar blush tint, even
the money lying on shop counters and
in peoples hands; witness brought a
quantity away, and the ambassador re-
GREETED that he could not find some
pieces presented to himself at the mo-
ment A description was forthcoming
however; the coins were as large as
| English shillings, with horses head
on one side and writing in unknown
characters on the other. A happy little
touch represented that many of the fig
ures had lost head or limbs-petrifac-
tons will not endure forever, of course.
The Royal Society expressed warm
| pTdJiIuUt lOE IlllS
1t is scarcely worth while to seek the
origin of a fable which is sufficiently eX-
planned by the vagaries Of Imagination.
That it was localized at Cyrene-among
countless other spots-rnay be due to
the presence of large and well-pre-
served metropolis there with many
statues erect in Shaw's time, if not now
He himself made a long and perilous
Journey to Harnam. in Numidia, where
as the Arabs avouched a Bedouin en-
campment was on view, surrounded by
oxen and sheep, all turned to stone. In
this instance no shadow Of foundation
for the legend could be found. But IT
was so widely diffused in those days
that rumors of the marvel reached the
court of France. and NJ. lie Marie, con-
sui at Tripoli, received instructions tc
inquire. He employed some Janis
saries, who even undertook to bring
away petrified Bedouin: but they
pointed out, very reasonably, that =
full grown specimen would be toe
heavy. The consul declared that g
baby would satisfy him, to begin with
at any rate. After many months Dur.
ing which his interest was kept UP BY
frequent drafts for expenses, the Jan
issaries returned, and, sure enough
they had stone baby-a very pretty
one, too, for it proved afterwards to be
little statue of Cupid found among the
ruins of Leptis; they had broken of
the wings and culver. Bruce also was
tempted to visit this spot, called Rss
Sem and Capt. Smyth, of her majesty's
ship Adventure, went in search of it, but
in another direction. The sultan OF
Fezzan told him story much like the
ambassadors. and he travelled, full Of
hope, nine days through a desert coun
try. In this, case. however. there were
really buildings and bas-reliefs of mer
and animals, if not statues.-Londor
Standard.