Draughts News. An Ancient Draught Player.

Otago Witness, Issue 1840, 25 February 1887, Page 29

Draughts News. An Ancient Draught Player.

Tho " finds" of Egypt have often a apecfal as well as a wide-world 3iguincauce. The special historic Interest as far as this column is concerned must give the palm to the extinct and embalmed Pharaoh, Kameses 111 of tho twentieth Egyptian dynasty, who 5b suppose;! to have lived and enjoyed lite some 1200 years betore tho Christian era, and who whs disinterred at the village of Bulak, a well-kuo*n auburb of «. airo, in the presence of the Khedive and bis Ministers, the r.irkfsh Prime Minister (Mukhtur Paclia), gin Henry Drummond Wolff, and other notables. The occasion must have been to the Khedive one of unusual importance, as the circumBfcanoe would at once confront him with an historic ancestor of 3000 years ago. Our r flections can hardly take form hero, or we might picture to ourBelvea the poliiical and social conditions of Wgjpt during his dyn«Bty, as it is affirmed with a considerable 6how of reason that, he was a near descendant, possibly a son, of the celebrated Pharaoh of holy writ, and may havo seen with his own eyes Moses, the great lawgiver of the Jews. At all events it would bo fresh his ory in his time of the escape of tho Jews from his country, and probably would View with regret the hardness of the lmart of his father, who w. uld not yive thnm their freedom, aa we in this ag« contemplate the n»rrownoss and bigotry of our forefathers, who gave a deaf ear to the cry of the voice of liberty. The art of emba'ming, which the Egyptians knew so well how to give effect to, has preserved 'his human trame iv his sarcophagus saMy for 3000 veare, and with its unearthing the story of national eventß and details of his life, written on imperishable tablets of stone, has been brought to view. The ci.amber of death, has been carefully laid bare by competent hands, and we his deeds recorded on the walla ; his enemies trampled under his feet ; 6hoobing others with arrows in the fie cent of the battle ; dragging his fallen foeß after his conquering chariot ; and caressed, perfumed, and fanned by his attendant femals. Then in another sculpture we see him enjoying his spare time in playing draughts with a favourite. What game he is playing will ever remain a conundrum, as no # record of any of Rnmeses problems have come down to us. We fancy, however that Wyllie or Martins. Smith or Jackson, Gardner or Strickland would make 6hort work of him. We 6hall not attempt to find out what games were in vogue at that ancient time, but we are not without hope that something may yet be discovered to throw a ray of light upnn the method then in fashion. Fgypt is the craole of mnch that nas baffled t>>o wisest of moderns, and we may, after thla, t-afe y conclude that the game of draughts was Played in"thn land of the Nile when the Western not em- reed out of barbarism.—Manchester Weekly Poet. w E. Truax, M.D.— This enthusiastic player is ehvnplmi of Minnesota. The * 4 Herd Lnddle.' ( — Ihirino; a fortnight's stsya* Lelth Mr Wyllo played 455 games, -winning 464, 20. and losing one ti> John Duncwu for-