Palestine Rich in Gold and Other Minerals, Says British Naval Officer

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Palestine has gold mines and precious stones and is a veritable Transvaal, is the opinion expressed by Commander C. Crawford, a British naval officer who spent twenty years of search in Palestine.

Lecturing to the United Services Institution Commander Crawford said he found the lost lands of Ophir whence the Queen of Sheba brought to Solomon her magnificent gift of thirty-three tons of incense, spices, gold, jewels, apes, peacocks, pearls and other valuables. Ophir, he said, is in Arabia, about 400 miles east of Aden.

The city, with its ruined temple of God, is now little more than ruins, which have been visited by many seamen and political agents, he said, but they have never identified it. The commander suggested that excavations on the site would be richly repaid, and said that the land, which was minerally wealthy, should be developed.

“The city is ideally situated.” he said. “It has a harbor to the north and has a river which gives wharf space for a seaport. But a thin ribbon of coral sand is drawn across the harbor mouth. It is this strip of sand that strangled the life of Ophir. There is great wealth in Ophir still.

“Palestine now is the Palestine of King Saul. It lies in our power to develop the land to the prosperity of Solomon.”