Show W W wim it 11 AFRICA the tb emm r from rom the st james gazette we rave gave a few days aeo azo some description deye script fou of tho the rains of ye an ancient city in Masho which was visited many years ago i by the german traveler slach and not noi seen been again by europeans until it was visited last august by some members ol 01 the british sooth south africa companas comp anys pioneer foneta force now encamped atmos nt hampden Vamp den Masho A fuller fa her description of the ruins than has bits hitherto been published is 13 furnished furni sued abed by the dent with the pioneer force lie ile writes the ruins rums themselves lie at the base of a striking and precipitous granite 11 kopjo 11 inhabited by one of the ila shona tribes under a chief called Mog habl i the first feature to bo be noticed on approaching tho the kopje kopie is the ex existence stance of an outer wall about four feet dign running apparently parent ly right round the entire kopie kopje 11 but bat owing to the high gras grass and dense lull jungle gle like undergrowth it was found foun impossible to trace the wall more than half a mile next came indications of a second nd inner wall which it was also impossible to trace for any distance dist knee for the same game reasons reasone then amid amida a perfect labyrinth of remains of small circular buildings a mighty maze bat but not apparently without some plan south th west of the kopja and yards from ita its base wo we find ourselves oura elves confronted with the startling and main features of these remains name namely y a high wall of circular shape front f om 30 feet to 35 33 feet high forming a complete enclosure of an area eighty in diameter chis wall about 10 feet in in thickness at the base and tai tapering paring la to about 7 feet or 8 feet at the top is is built of small granite blocks about twice the size of an ordinary trick beautifully hewn and dressed laid in perfectly even clursea cour COUT sea and put together without the use of a sindie atom of either mortar or cement this strai strange age enclosure is is entered on its eastern side by what at first sight eight appears to be a mero gap in the wall which closer examination reveals to be what was once evidently a well defined narrow entrance as shown clearly by the rounded off courses inside the building itself which is moal difficult to examine thoroughly owing both to the dense undergrowth and the presence of quantities of trees hundreds of years old which conceal traces of seemingly a aceues set ies of further circular or elliptical walls and close to the entrance traice en and outer wall here 30 feet high stands a conical shaped hoped tower or turret 35 feet in be height and 18 feet in diameter atthe at the base I 1 built of the same granite blocks and consisting of solid masonry on the southeastern front of tho the wall and 20 feet from its base babe runs a double zigzag scroll one third of the d distance istance round composed of the same sized granite blocks alabed ia la biag onal or ial position agn the kopje kopie and an hillside hil laide itself too there are numerous traces of remains remains of similar character circular buildings building 8 wedged in among boulders of rocks walled terraces rac e a at A t least nine in number and built bu it on the very summit un an enormous mass of granite blocks to be used apparently as a fort and which owing to tho complete absence of any disintegrating forces in this climate is in an almost perfect state of preset tho the view obtainer eI 1 from the summit of the kopie commands a panorama probably unrivalled la in bouth african scenery its counterpart may perhaps ba be found in what is generally regarded as the gem of such scenery the mailco district in the transvaal Tram Tran vaal ivaal what may beahe boche origin history and intention of theao these curious ruins and in particular P a reticular of tho the large circular building with ita its cone shaped turret I 1 ia aa a a far as tho the members of the present exhibition are conce concerned ined a perfect mystery one thing is certain however that the area covered by the fhe numerous walls and circular buildings points clearly to the t V existence at some time of a largeant large and aemi civilized population at ata a tima time when sla slave ve was procurable to au an un unlimited limite lex extent tent from the natives themselves we can glean no information whatever abate ver ro to pecking Pec ting these ancient relics relies under bose very shadow they dwelt nor cothey do they appear to entertain any superstitious reverence for them they found found them there ay as did their forefathers and their interesting inte them and information begin and end it is satisfactory to learn that efficient steps have been taken to protect them both from the of the visitor and the philistinism of any prospector or adventurer the portuguese Porta gueso have suggested that these ruins form portions of the remains of the city and palace of the queen of sheba in in the thelan lani i of ophir again A gum ancient portuguese records refer repeatedly to the people in this part of southeast I 1 M africa rica whom they found to be established long before their own arrival and represent to bo working for gold in the tar far into nor to these people they give the name nao of morisco 7 moors the meaning of the word Zin babye is to held to bo be a palace |