A WONDERFUL CAVERN.

Evening Star, Issue 4156, 22 June 1876, Page 4

A WONDERFUL CAVERN.

; Colonel Playfair, the Consul at Algiers, m his narrative of a consular tour undertaken last; spring, which has-lately been printed with other consular reports, gives an account of the great cave of Djebel Thaya, in Algeria, never before, he believes, visited by English travellers. The entrance to the cavern is situated high up on the north-west side of Djebel Thaya. The entrance passage is spacious, and in no place less than'ten feet in height. At the opening, which is larger and higher than the passage itself, are numerous Roman- inscriptions, which are hardly legible. Nearly all begin with the letters B.A.S.—one . better preserved than the others has the "words "Bacaci. Aug. Sac," from which it is inferred that the cavern is dedicated to the god Bacax. It is further gathered from the inscriptions thatevery'year the-magistrates of Aqiuee Tibilitana; came with ceremony pilgrimage to Thaya "to offer a sacrifice to the god of the cavern. The inscriptions contain the names of consuls who were elected under the Emperors Caracalla and Gcta, a.d. 211, and from this date they are mentioned up to a.d. 268. One is commemorative of two brothers who were lost in thacavern. No one seems to kuow who the god Bacax was, but he is supposed to be a local deity (perha; s a deceased local authority) adopted by the Romans. Quantities of beautifuliy-leaf ferns adorn the entrance hall. On leaving the passage containing the inscriptions the cave descends at an angle of not less than forty-five degrees; the ground is covered with a thick layer of loose stones, which roll down with alarming velocity at almost every step taken in advance. Great care must be taken to keep well on the right hand, as on the left there is a deep abyss, which has never been explored, but which is of great depth and nearly vertical. From the foot of this the cave extends with many changes of level to ueaijy a kilometre in length, and I,oooft in perpendicular. The descent is extremely difficult, and even dangerous, as deep holes occur at numerous places, in which one might easily be engulfed. Sometimes the explorer has to drop down steep precipices by the aid of projecting.stalagmites, sometimei to slide down a muddy gradient, now to creep through small holes and narrow passages, and again to wade through pools of liquid mud. Vast halls, intricate passages, and chambers of every size and form are traversed. Groves of stalactites and stalagmites adorn the sides, whilo the lofty vaults arc hung with the most exquisite fretwork, like the roof of a Gothic cathedral. The ihiest of all is tint great domed chamber at the bottom, which gives to the cave its Arab name, Ghar-el-Djamaa—Cave of the Mosque. It is an immense, nearly cirenhr cavity, with domed roof adorned with the most exquisite stalagmites, like the truuks of palm trees. In the centre is a block of stone, supposed to be an altar. One of the most exquisite spots in the cave is a long narrow passage, in which one can just sit upright. The floor, is covered with a succession of small pools of clear water, enclosed in low banks ot stalagmite, and fitting as closely as the cells of a honeycomb. A comparatively small portion of the.cave has been explored, and -srabs eiay there is no end to it. Colonel Playfair spent five hours in exploring a portion only of its area.—' Pall Mall Gazette.'

" hen a r e sportsmen like fasliionab o tailors.? —When they make good ‘hags.” An irrepressible youngster woke up a wed. dia.; pa ty, among whom absolute sil rice rekc ed after the clergyman had concluded the ceiemony, by shouting, “ hj, my eye! how unspea - ably hap -y w all are ! ” ‘ U hen j ca ’t avoid a quarrel with a blackguard,’’ said an old gentlemah, who wanted to be complimentary to the leg - 1 piofession, ‘I always hand >t over t 0 my lawyer. No man ever thinks’of sweeping bis own chimney ! ” Naughty' • Boy—across the walnuts and the Wine.- Engaging Child : “ hj Mr Jenkins, do let us see you drink ! Mr Jenkins: “ Bee me drink! What for, my dear?” Engaging Child: “’Oh, mamma says you drink like a ■ fish.” t he newspapers state that a banker in Paris has absconded, leaving a large deficit behind. Mrs'Partington -thinks that it was Very good of the poor man to leave it, when he might have got o£( dear with eveaything,