The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-08-06
f1G PtThirteU CITY.
Explorers Have Failed to Find the Tabled
Town

Town.
! Among cities OF fable the petrifed
variety was interesting. We have
it in most parts of the world. Our
prosaic islands know it, but as q
submarine curiosity. In the days
when London enjoyed tho presence
OF an ambassador from Tripoli that
parsonage astonished the Royal So
ciety once at least. The famous trav-
eler, DR.. Shaw. had mentioned the
story of a petrified village near
Cyrene. Scientific people derided
it; scientific people upheld it. In
short, discussion arose. Some
members OF the Royal society, recol-
Letting that there were grave and
responsible inhabitants of Tripoli
within reach, put the question be-
fore the ambassador. He explained
with a vengeance. One of his
friends, a person, of course, whose
honor could not be impugned, was
we'll acquainted with the spot. Shaw
made great mistake in describing
it as village. City was the proper
word. The walls inclosed an exact
circle. numerous streets crossed at
right angles, with shops and ave.
nues of trees, and a noble castle
stood in the midst. In the shops
and streets were people variously
employed-the gentlemen noted in
especial baker and his customers,
loaves in hand, a woman sucking
her baby, etc. He entered the castle
and found a king, or somebody of
rank, lying on a gorgeous bed, with
guards about him. Animals abound
ed, such as donkeys, camels, oxen,
sheep, birds. But everything was
stone of peculiar blush tint, even
the money lying on shop counters
and in peoples hands Witness
brought quantity away, and the
ambassador regretted that he could
not find some pieces presented to
himself at the moment. A descrip-
ton was forthcoming, however.
The coins were as large as English
shillings, with horses head on one
side and writing in unknown char
acters on the other, A happy little
touch represented that many of the
figures had lost head or limbs-pet-
rifactions will not endure forever,
of course. The Royal society ex-
pressed warm gratitude for this
communication.
! 1t is scarcely worth while to seek
the origin of fable which is sufi-
GENTLY explained by the vagaries of
imagination. That it was localized
at Cyrene, among countless other
spots, may be due to the existence
! of large and we'll preserved necrop-
oils there, with many statues erect
in Shaw's time, if not now. He him
self made long and perilous jour
ney to Harnam, in Numidia, where,
as the Arabs avouched, Bedouin
encampmentw was on view, surround
ed 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 diff
fused in those days that rumors of
the marvel reached the court of
France, and M. le Marie, consul at
Tripoli, received instructions to in
quire. He employed some janiza-
ries, who undertook to bring away
a petrified Bedouin, but they pointed
out, very reasonably, that full
grown specimen would be too heavy.
The consul declared that a 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
janizaries returned, and, sure
enough, they had a stone baby-a
very pretty one, too, for it proved
afterward to be a little statue of
Cupid, found among the ruins of
Leptis. They had broken off the
wings ard culver. Bruce also was
tempted to visit this spot, called
Rai-Sem, and Captain Smyth of her
majesty's ship Adventure went in
search of it, but in another direo-
ton. The sultan of Fezzan told him
a story so much like the embassa-
doris that he travelled, full of hope,
nine days through desert country.
In this case, however, there were
really buildings and bas-reliefs of
men and animals, if not statues
London Standard.
The National Capital.