SCHLIEMANN'S LATEST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1063, 8 September 1882, Page 4

SCHLIEMANN'S LATEST.

From tne New York Times. SVb nM friend Dr Sehfremnnn fo-leml •ait w»»1r -milking dhcoveiies. and the li-ites 1 news'fjom him is of imu-uid in-'tei-pst. He -writes tleit be has di-no. -pored rim ditv rit Persamos in the 'Hill of His-iollk This is the hill, or -mound, which contains the ruins oft 'Trov, nnd of the five later cities which -were built one on top of the other, ■with the ruins of Trov at the bottom of the Pile. Tills svstem of building ■one rity above another appears to’have been the custom of that part ofAsia Minor with which Dr Scldieaiftim is concerned an I that lie should 'have found Persamos. as well ns six, ■distinct Trov 3 , in the Hill of Hiss-ir-'Hk need not surprise us. That hill is simplv a mine of ancient cities, and in =all probability Dr. Sclil'emann will' find in it Antioch and Palmyra, and. "Tyre and Pidon. and anv other desir■nble ancient, city that the directors of: ithe* Berlin Museum may order. 'lni’-ortant as *his announcement of the d’scoverv of the city of Pi nramos Is, it is uninteresting in comparison ■with a still more extraordinary dis coverv which Dr. Schliemann has> made in the same Hill of Hissarlik This is nothing less than tin* discovery ■of Noah’s Ark in what would he regarded by UnitedStat.es naval officers accustomed to our crack naval vesse's, ns an excellent state 0 f repair. The importance of this discovery to Sunday School superintendents, scientific versons and naval architects can hardly he overrated. Ur. Schliemann was led to look for the ark in the Tread by a careful study of Greek mythology He perceived ■ that the Greek story of Denca'ion was 'only a variation of the story of thei ark, nnd although it wa« not. in hi~ opion. a historical narrative, he was • ready to accept the Deuc ion mvth r as evidence to the true leading-place •of >the aide, just as he accepted the l ‘ I liad’ as a correct guide-book to Troy, and the objects of interest therein, The close relation between ' “ Lion.” the Greek name of Trov, and “ alien,” the last half ol Deucalion’s mme, would be evident to any person not wilfully prejudiced against comparitive philology, and this relation cona inc<vl Dr. Schliemann that he should hlonkflor tlie ark and other relics of the Noah-Den cal on cruise on the site of foe ancient city of Troy. When Dr. Schlienuum digs for any ,■ particular thing, whether it is a city, : a tomb, or a set of jewellery he is morally certain to find it. He dug for Noah’s ark in (he Hill of Hissarlik, and he found it on the second dav. not more than 70ft heh w the sn-fnee. Later excavations have laid hare the i ntire ark, though, thanks to the great discoverer’s precaution in omting a board fence around it and in compelling his w-rkmen to dig with their evesbliudt bled, no one except Dr,.Pcldienianu and his wife has yet seen the ark. In a recent and strictly private letter Dr Pchlieman ’has given a full account of his last great discovery. I ’ e found that the ark, although some 20 feet of her bow had'been carried away, was of the precise dimensions given by the writer of Genesis, but that instead of having an immense threestory house on deck, wiHi a big trap door in the roof, through which the animals and Noah and his'family were' dropped, it had only the usual wheel house, chart room, and smoking saloon ■on the spar deck, and access was had fo the interior by the usual-companion-wavs and hatches. The wheel-house was on the bridge, and there were •c hat Dr Schliemann regards as indi- • cations that a*earn steering gear was -used, but In this matter it is probable that the Doctor’s enthusiastic disposi- ' tion has led him into error, since, in •spite of the fuel- that bridges are never found nowadays except on board -.steamers, there is no r ason to believe that the ark was ever propelled by •steam, or that Noah was ever acquainted with steam, except In -con-: inecrion wi f h the tea-kettle. The saloon was placed amidships oiir the main deck, where there is the least noise and motion, and was beautifnlfv fitted with revolving chairs, swinging lamps, and all ancient improvements. The staterooms, as well ns tho saloon, were empty, only such trifles being left in them as travellers ■iisuallv discard and stewards look upon with contempt In one of the fleckers of the steward’s pantry wa~ ioiind, however, a complete set of ivory -chips and several-packs of cards-of the ■well known Mosaic patten, and on the Tour of a statero mi was picked up a •memorandum signed •“ Ham,” and setting forth that die - iguer owed some whose name was not mentioned. “ 33 shekels, to be paid before taking a hand In the next game ” There weie stalls for the anima'son ■the main dock forward, and the two Mower decks had evidently been dewcrtedexclusivol v 'to animals. Xoticcs,! In the Hebrew language, of course, awnle still posted in various places, requesting persona nor to d'sturii the ; -.animals while sleeping or to umiov them with canes or run rellas. In the hold were scores ot bins labelled 41 c-v-n.” “oats.” “compressed bay.” *• Thru-ley's Food for Cattle”’ <fec,’ which were evidently used to-hold the luod intended for .the animals. Of tho identity of the vessel discovered by 'chliemann with the original ark there can be no doubt, inas«biHi as the name Ark is still on her 4btru in raised gilt letters. Ther 6

was ftlsoMbund entangled with a ringbolt -on her-starboard side, clone to her “ riimsnll’a mark.” a rubber wa'ch C'>at wi hj Noah’s name on the inside of ihe collar. Dr St-hliemanu is natuvn||y ve y proud of his discovery, a d lie is so much encouraged by it that lie is seriously thinking of discovering the garden with the remains of the orignal sen eut, together with Adam’s lawn-mower and other good tools, in the inexhaustible Hill of Hissarlik,