The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

THE COMMANDMENTS ON MOUNT SINAI.

If the Wady Feiran, from its palm-grove and its brook, be
marked out as the first long halting-place of Israel, the high
valleys of Gebel Mousa, with their abundant springs, no less
mark out the second. The great thoroughfare of the Desert,
the longest, and csidest, and most continuous of all the valleys,
the Wady Es-Sheykh, would lead the great bulk of the host,
with the flocks and herds, by the more accessible though more
circuitous route into the central upland; whilst the chiefs of
the people would mount directly to the same point by the
Nakb Howy, and all would meet in the Wady Er-Rabeh, the
" enclosed plain" in front of the magnificent cliffs of the Ras
Sasafeh. It is possible that the end of the range Furera, to
which the Arab guides give the name of "Sena," may have a
better claim than the Ras Sasafeh, from the fact that it com-
mands both the Wady Er•Raheh and the Wady Es-Sheykh ;
and that alone of those peaks it appears to retain a vestige of
the name of "Sinai." It is said to contain a level platform
with trees, and undoubtedly any future traveller will do well
to explore it. But no one who has approached the lia.s
Sasafeh through that noble plain, or who has looked down
upon the plain from that majestic height, will willingly part
with the belief that these are the two essential features of the
view of the Israelite camp. That such a plain should exist at
all in front of such a cliff is so remarkable a coincidence with
the sacred narrative, as to furnish a strong internal argument,
not merely of its identity with the scene, but of the scene
itself having been described by an eye-witness. The awful
and lengthened approach, as to some natural sanctuary, would
have been the fittest preparation for the coming scene. The
low line of alluvial mounds at the foot of the cliff exactly
answer to the " bounds" which were to keep the people off
from "touching the Mount." The plain itself is not broken
and uneven and narrowly shut in, like almost all others in the
range, but presents a long retiring sweep, against which the
people could "remove and stand afar off." The cliff, rising
like a huge altar, in front of the whole congregation, and
visible against the sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of
the whole plain, is the very image of "the mount that might
be touched," and from which the voice of God might be heard
far and wide over the stillness of the plain below, widened at
that point to its utmost extent by the confluence of all the
I contiguous valleys. Here, beyond all other parts of the Penin-
sula, is the adytum, withdrawn as if in the "end of the
world," from all the stir and confusion of earthly things.
And as in the Wady Pekin "the hill" of Paran may be taken
as fixing with some degree of prcbability the scene of Rephi-
dim, so there are some details of the plain of Er-Raheh which
remarkably coincide with the scene of the worship of the
Golden Calf, evidently the same as that of the encampment at
the time of the delivery of the law. In this instance the tra-
ditional locality is happily chosen. A small eminence at the
entrance of the convent valley is marked by the name of
Aaron, as being that from which Aaron surveyed the festival
on the wide plain below. This tradition, if followed out,
Would of necessity require the encampment to be in the Wady
Er-Raheh, as every other circumstance renders probable. But
there are two other points which meet here, and nowhere
else. First, Moses is described as descending the mountain
without seeing the people; the shout strikes the ear of his
companion before they ascertain the cause ; the view bursts
upon him suddenly as he draws nigh to the camp, and he
throws down the tables and dashes them in pieces "beneath
the Mount." Such a combination might occur in the Wady
Er-Rabeh. Any one coming down from one of the secluded
basins behind the Ras Sasafeh, through the oblique gullies
which flank it on the north and south, would hear the sounds
borne through the silence from the plain, but would not see
the plain itself till he emerged from the Wady Ed-Deir or the
Wady Leja; and when he did so, he would be immediately
under the precipitous cliff of Sasitfeh. Further, we are told
that Moses strewed the powder of the fragments of the idol
on the " waters" of the " brook that came down out of the
mount." This would be perfectly possible in the Wady Er-
Rabeh, into which issues the brook of the Wady Leja, descend-
ing, it is true, from Mount St. Catherine, but still in suffi-
ciently close connection with the Gebel Mousa to justify the
expression, " Coming down out of the Mount." These two
coincidences, which must be taken for what they are worth,
would not occur either at Serbal or in the Wady Sebayeh.
In the case of the former, although there is the brook from
the Wady Aleyat, which would probably meet the description,
there is no corresponding contiguity of the encampment. In
the case of the latter, both are wanting.

With great pains and caution, Mr. Stanley traces
the circumstances and elucidates the localities of many
of the striking events which marked the sojourn of the
Israelites in the wilderness. He traces with praiseworthy
accuracy the physical features of the Eatintry, and
from these cautiously draws illustrative conclusions.
His book will be one of great value to biblical scholars.
and will repay with gratifying intelligence a careful
perusal by the general reader. It is liberally illus-
trated by maps and plans, which are so constructed as
to convey a lively idea of the physical "peculiarities of
the various districts ; including also, under this head,
the atmospheric effects of mountain district, of lake,
or valley,

Punch. Part CLXXV. London : The Punch Office.

The present part commences the thirtieth volume of
this really useful family miscellany. As has been the
case for a considerable time past, the war=the singu-
lar pretensions of the Austrian and Prussian neutrals
—and the " peace at any price" party at home, furnish
ample themes for the keen satire and graphic pencil
of the Punch party, who, while assiduously attending
to this branch of their foreign office, do not neglect
the home department, but are sensitively and cleverly
alive to the whims and oddities which prevail in our
various home circles. Every opportunity is taken to
" shoot folly as it flies," and no quarter is shown to
pretentious impudence. As usual, it abounds in fun
and racy humour, and its contents are so varied as to
meet the tastes of all.

The Family Economist, for Town and Country.
London : Office of the Family Economist.

This miscellany aims at being useful and amusing,
and its intention is modestly carried out. Valuable
hints on household economy, gardening and rural and
town affairs, interspersed with short tales and direc-
tions for cookery, form the staple of this cheap and
well-got-up miscellany.

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST Two ARMY
SURGEONS.—On the 14th, an inquest was held at the Queen's
Head, Brompton, on the body of William Stinson, a private
in the 38th Regiment, who, it was stated, met with his
death in the Garrison Hospital, in consequence of having had
a large dose of laudanum administered to him in mistake for
a dose of senna, and which mistake occurred in consequence
of the alleged culpable negligence of the surgeons on duty at
the hospital. It was also stated that another man to whom
the wrong medicine had also been given was not expected to
live. The jury returned a verdict of " Manslaughter" against
Augustus Frederick Turner and Henry Bedwell, and they
were committed to Maidstone gaol.
NEW CHURCH-RITES BILLS.—The first bill, the title of
which is too long for quotation, is brought in by Mr. Packe,
M.P., and the Marquis of Blandford, M.P. The preamble
recites the expediency of " abolishing church-rates made for
the support of the services of the church and making better
provision for the maintenance of the fabric and fittings of
parish churches," and on this distinction between the ex-
pense of supporting the " service" and the " fabric" of the
church the principle of this bill is based. Accordingly, no
church-rate is to be valid unless made for the " maintenance
and repair of the fabric of the church," or "the supply and
renewal of the necessary fittings" thereof. In the event of
the archdeacon notifying to the churchwardens that money is
required for the above purposes, and the neglect of the church.
wardens to take the hint by calling a vestry to make a rate
within two months of the notice, or the refusal of the vestry
to grant an adequate rate, the Court of Queen's Bench may
issue a writ of mandamus, compelling the levy of a church-
rate. The rates are to be assessed and levied like poor-rates,
and an appeal from the assessment will lie to the Court of
Quarter Sessions, although the latter tribunal will have no
power to decide on the validity of any rate ordered by man-
damus to be levied. Occupiers may deduct church-rates from
their rent, but, in the case of existing tenancies, the landlord
may balance the difference by adding it to his rent. Owners
of freehold estates may contract for the redemption of their
lands from the rates, and, when they have been levied annually
for 10 years, the redemption money is to be 20 years' purchase
of the average of 10 years, and where no annual rate has been
made, then 20 years' purchase of the rate, varying with the
number of sittings in the parish church. Lands will be for
ever free from the burden of church-rates, on payment of this
redemption money. This act is not to alter the liability of
any rector or lay owner of great tithes to repair the chancel of
a church as now required by law, nor will it enable a church-
rate to be made where the rate could not be made before the
passing of this act. •
THE FIRE AT RINGOON.—We have the following from
Rangoon, dated the 19th of December, 1855 :—" The leading
feature of this fortnight's budget from Rangoon is undoubt-
edly the fact that on Monday week last one-half of this
rising city, and the richest portion of it, was consumed
and destroyed by fire. The fire broke out about 4 p.m.,
among some loose hats in an unfrequented part, and was
unhappily carried by a northerly wind then prevailing to
a row of two-storied wooden houses in Dalhousie-street ;
the height of the buildings was such as to cause the
flakes of fire to be easily carried across to the south side of
the street, though it was 100 feet broad, and here commenced
the terrific and rapid work of destruction, for the flames did
not cease till they had gutted the contents of every ' pucka'
building and destroyed every wooden one within a square
containing six streets, and covering one quarter of a square
mile. The military were on the spot within half-an-hour
of the fire breaking out, and some two or three fire-engines
were brought down. In the'first place, there was no water,
the only one or two wells that happened to occur in that
neighbourhood (constructed by the Burmese before our rule
commenced) having been choked up with cocoanuts and
Burmese boxes, &c., to save them from the fire ; again, the
immense number of bamboo houses that were ignited burnt
with such rapidity and fury as to have rendered useless the
whole London fire brigade had it been there. The goods
inside several brick godowns' were destroyed by the ignition
of the roofs, which in many instances are composed of leaves.
Had the Moguls torn these roofs off in the first instance they
would
great deal of their property. The com-
merce have
of
fte sahetvoewd a
has beenn
thrown back, the merchants say,
at least two years, the native merchants are most of them
ruined, and the English firms who are their creditors on ac-
tount of piece goods sold, but not paid for, are great sufferers.
Doubtless there will be done now what should have been
done
eachsquare
before
;there
; there
will
willbeb? also fire-engines reservoirs of water formed within
e-enones ;
there will be
also some restrictions against the erection of bamboo and
leaf huts near valuable property i the use of tiles will be
insisted on, and the civil authorities trust not put a stop to
brick-kilns on the plea of their being a public nuisance.
The only comfortable view to take of this sad occurrence is,
that but for the happy cessation of the wind and the exer-
tions of two European officers and the soldiers, the whole
town would have been burnt, instead of half. Major Phayre
acknowledged in a very handsome letter the very valuable
-aid contributed by the officers and soldiers of the garrison ;
indeed, from the Brigadier and Commissioner downwards,
every one lent a hand in pulling down huts and taking off
roofs.— Calcutta Englishman.