Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-11
IMAGINARY SPOTS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE LANDS OF
WAKING DREAMS.
Stories Of the scotch, the Creeks
the Natives of Hindostan, the
Cells, and Others Hesaroin@ Nv
No-Mun's-Lnnds.
Household words.)

Household Words)
In giving TO an imaginary SPOT Ia o"'
OF his Scottish novels. the title Oh AeH-
naquhair." Sir Walter Scott has very
happily translated into Scotch the name
OF place which has no latitude or ionsi-
tude In physical geography. II Is me
land of know not where a Suitable
region wherein to place all that Is 100
wonderful or too beautiful for ordinary
earth. All the Utopias OF philosophers
are weary, stale, and Improbable,
when placed by the side of the living and
lovely ideal worlds which have arisen
from the heart Of nations and are pic
tured in their popular creeds.
The Greeks, who had all sorts OF mar
vels. had also "No-man's-land," which
they called the Garden OF the Hespe-
rides" and placed far away, near the
setting sun. AS to its exact geograpni-
cal position some diversity of opinion
prevailed; and Hercules. the great under
taker OF impossibilities. had to inquire
his way on the journey. One old writer
placed IT beyond the ocean," but If plu-
rallty Of votes Is 70 count. its site was
at the foot Of Mount Atlas. Here, in the
country where, says Diodorus, all the
gods Of antiquity received their birth;
where lofty mountains shelter from
screening blasts. and where streamlets
flow on all sides around; there bloomed
fair garden, where grew an manner Oh
delicious fruits, md the poet Ovid, pleas
ing the fancy rather than the palate,
makes trees, foliage, fruit, all OF gold.
The beings who presided over this far
scene were the Hesperides, sister nymphs,
guarded by sleepless dragon. This mon
ster was killed by Hercules, who carried
some OF the golden apples back with him
into Greece.
The natives Of Hindostan have a story
Of a great city named Baly submerged In
the sea, the gilded pinnacles OF which
were seen by their forefathers glittering
above the waters. and the streets OF which
are still visible In the clear depths or
ocean. But no one deposes to have per-
sonally inspected the submarine abode.
albeit the best Of divers are on these
coasts.
We pass on TO another story which bears
some resemblance to that Of Jonah and
Nipeveh. Amid the burning wastes OF SAND
which lie between Abyssinia and Alden
there once existed. say Mohammedan
| writers. a great city and lovely gardens,
called the Paradise Of Iren. The King and
| ueople OF the place-the tribe OF Ad-were
very wicked; so that the prophet Haud was
| sent to threaten them with Judgment. but
| they would not repent, and accordingly all
| except the prophet, were destroyed; Or az
| cording to another version, turned INTO
| apes The city, we are told. is stni slaliu ,
inc I'm the desert of Alden, but T. is only
| visible TO such as are privileged by Allan
TO behold It. One favored mortal VINO had
seen II related to the Callph that, in seek
inc a lost camel, he found himself on
sudden at the gates OF the city. ana Gu
| terine Il saw not one inhabitant; at WINCH
being terrified he stayed no longer tnan
| TO take with him some fine stones WHICH
he showed to the Caliph.'
Turning TO the Celtic races, even II VIC
pass over as apocryphal Macpherso,l
! legend of the FIath-innis, or Noble Is
land, authentic records snow US an ,.,
the Welsh a belief in some golden lanu
hevond the ocean. Looking from their
native mountains. they beheld the sun
setting IN glory over the waters OK me
| western sea: and II was FAR away upon
those sunset waves that they placed tner
| ITtopian realm. This they called the
1 Green Spot of tho Floods, and they DEEM
cd II a fairyland of bliss, where dwelt
! tha souls OF good Druids, VINO, beins
| Pagans. were not permitted to enter the
| Christian Heaven. Yet they considefeu
that its happy shores were accessible 10
| rnor,als. and he who succeeded IN retch-
| ing them imagined on his return thae nc
had been absent only few hours, "neh,
in truth, whole centuries had passeu
away. At times these fortunate Isles
were visible from land III you take
turf" saws an old author, from st.
/ I'd stand
on the seashore, you behold these Islands.
one man" he adds, "once got sight OF
them by this means, and forthwith put 10
sea in pursuit; but they disappeared, and
| his search was vain. Nowise daunted, he
returned. looked at them again from the
enchanted turf again set sail, and again
/ was unsuccessful The third time he
took the turf on board with him, and
stood upon 1t till he reached them"
This fable might have originated in
the preyasent tradition or the lost At
| lantis in the western ocean, or In vague
| rumors of the American Continent. But
the Welsh took it seriously, and It Is re-
corded i'm their Triads that three seve-
raj expeditions were undertaken for the
| discovery of the Happy Islands The
| first of these was the expedition OF Ma
doc a Welsh prince, who sailed for the
| "far West" and who IS believed to have
reached Mexico. The second was that
of Prince Gafran, who avowedly went
I'm search of the Green Spot The third
was thai OF the far-famed Merlin, and
his bards. who set sail for the West in a
ship OF glass.
The Bretons had similar legend-if 1t
he a. Cegend, and not a. yeritable account
of a voyage OF discovery ages before that
| of Columbus. But, according TO the
chro,icle. "St Malo, after having been
the disciple Of St. Brandin, accompanied
ais venerable master in his voyages over
tho sea, 10 discover q great island, stu
ated In the middle Of the ocean, which
was believed to be peopled by happy
souls. The desire TO lead there celestial
life induced ninety-hve persons TO ac-
| company them. All embarked upon an
immense ship, and traversed the sea du-
| ring seven whole years. At the end OF
that time they made the Orcades, and
| returned TO their own country"
II was some such vision that lured OF
the wanderers, in William Morris's poem
of the Earthly Paradise:
All. then it was indeed when first 1 knew
| When all our widest dreams seemed com
ing true.
And we had reached the gates or paradise
$500 EnNr -