DR. SCHLIEMANN.

Oamaru Mail, 13 March 1877, Page 4

DR. SCHLIEMANN.

w (Amtralcmcm.) Wfcaft to moat people will appear the strangest it m of the mail n^w*—-more a<> •van than chit which inform.* u* that Mr. W. RoupeM is in tra : n>n * for the pulpit i» the 'account given of Dr. iSehtitmann's astounding discoveries at iHveerire. JSinu.' time asp we gave a revb wo' the book it. wMchßr. S'chtiumanu related th,; particulars of his excavations ah t' e supposed lite of Tr»y, and tie wonderful success of bis exploration.** Since bum he. ha.-*, by permission of t':e Government, I'," n c xCttvating at Myeetwe, o:i. c:*• ? sit'.' it. liCftted &>y tradition a.* thar, <■>'{ t ;e tombs of Agamemnon and his companions. who- were all killed by <>rdo'' ( ,f hi..; win; Ctjtunwaestra,. while feastiu cat a banquet. The acccntnt we gat informs us that i.i* success ia the p'ains of Ilium ha* been fir surpassed hy that which ban rewarded his Stresent lahottcs. Ho hi Heves that he ha.* iscovered the tomb.'* of the rnnrd red heroes,, with their meuiori.-d tablets, and an immense go!I utiorv of artiebs of pun: gold that were presumably btubd with them. In fact, we an; told th;i.t ho ha.* •Tell fotmd the body of Agamemnon himself in a state of "wonderful preservation."' Really the- discoveries of th\ Schliemann are a little disturbing. Wnen it. has in the judgment of many great Scholars feeen so clearly proved that there was never arteh a man as Homer,, and that all tirre legends told in pontic form under his name are- mere ''solar myths "—chat .Achilles,. Agamemnon, am I the res'", were personifications of souk; of the pheuo.mma of dawn and day in their bug and con,■tantiy resumed struggle with the powers of night and darkness - it is rather discomposing to these theories when a nun goes and taya bore the ruins of Troy, produces the treasure of King Priam suitably scorched fey the coniia-rafum, and now goes and exhumes tho body of thy li King of Men"' himself.. E'eroapK. to many people,. tho most surprising circumstanceIS that the site of Troy, and even, its reality, together with ad the depen lent questions, "have been actively disputed for two- ©r three generations,. and it is only now that an attempt has been to test th > truth of the traditions by the <) po.-t£»rit>,-i, method of pick and shovel. It is pretty well three-quarters of a concur/ since Byron "Stood upon Achilles' tomb, And heard 'lroy doubted." And it is only yesterday that this matter-of-fact German took tools in his ban I and dbt ruined to dosonn th n ■; really piajtic I towards settling the dispute.