The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-12-07 00:00:00

PALERTINE EXPLORATION.

On Friday afternoon, a meeting was convened at
the Guildhall, to hears lecture by the Rev. F. H.
Scrivener,lof St. Jerrans, Cornwall, on retain' excava-
tions at Jerusalem, under the auspices of the
Palestine Explorati.n Fund, with • •iew to creating
an interest in the work that association has in hand.
J. Floyer, Esq., M.P., presided, and, considering the
weather, there wee A large attendance. We noticed
—The Rey. C. IW. Bingham, the Rev. T. W. Knipe
and Mrs. Knipe, the Rev. 11. Moult, the Eye. H. C.
G. Moule, the Rev. C. J. Bird, and Mrs- Bird, the
Rev. T. It. Shiskew and Mrs. Masker", the Rev. J.
Miller, and the Misses Miller, the Rev. W. Berne,
the Rev. It. G. Watson and Mrs. Watson, the Rev.
M. J. Green and Mee. Green, the Rev. T. A.
Fenner, the Rev. H. Rawlinsen, the Rev. F. A.
Raker, Mrs. Floyer, H. Williams, Esq., and Mrs.
Williams, the Mayor of Dorchester (J. F. Hodges,
Esq.), 0. Carme, Eeq., G. J. Andrews, Esq., H.
Erq., Mies Arden, Or. Aldridge, A.
Sperling, Esq., and Mts. Sperling, W. Coekeram,
Esq., Milli B. Campbell, Miss Oldfield, Miss Barnes,
Mrs. Shaw, Mime Adams Mr. and Mrs. Cunnington,
Miss Thereto°, hlies ThOrnas, he.
10 opening the proceedings, Mr. PLOVER said he
believed he should best consult their wishes, and,
certainly, his own feelings, by not attempting to
discues the interesting subject which brought them
together on that occasion. He should do his duty
most satisfactorily, he believed, by introducing at
once to them Mr. Scrivener. He (the lecturer) was
personally a stranger to those living in this part of
England, but he was well-known to all who had
ever been engagel, or who were attached in any way,
to the critical study of the Bible—(hear, hear). His
studies in that department had been continued with
great success for very many years ; and they had led
hiin to take especial interest in the reeearches sod
explorations which have been going on for some years
and are still continued in the neighbourhood of
mount Sinai, in different parts of Palestine, arid
espec ally at Jerusalem. He had come a long
distance in this—not unseasonable, but very wintry
weather to impart to them 8011111 of the information
with which he was provided, and to endeavour to
enlist their sympathies, and perhaps !something more,
in assisting the progress of this important work of
discovery. Ile need not ask their attention for his
learned and reverend friend—that he was sure they
would give him, and he hoped they would derive
pleasure, as be was sure they would instruction and
improvement, from the lecture be was prepared to
give—(applause).
Mr. SCRIVENER Enid he appeared before them at
at the request of the Palestine El ploratinn Fund, a
society fir the accurate and systematic investigation
of the 'archeology, topography, geology, and physical
geography. natural history, manners and customs of
the Holy Lend, for Biblical illustration. At the
beginning of the eciety, about five years ago, it had
the patronage of the Queen, many of the nobility,
high dignitaries of the church, and every Biblical
scholar of note. It was established mainly by the
efforts of Mr. Groves, the well-known secretary of
the Crystal Palace. Liberal donations were given,
and for • time the work went on with every pros-
pect of being carried to a successful issue. Bet
they bad made I little mistake. Great names did
not bring great funds, and they found it necessary
to enlist the sympathies of the general public. That
was his object in appearing before them, and he
proposed speaking on three points—l, the state of
our knowledge of the Holy Land at the time the
'Palestine Exploration Fund took up the work; 2,
what they have accomplished during their three or
four years' operations; and 3, what they purposed
doing if the public would support them. Ile pointed
out that the geogrephy at the Holy Land was at the
first period he mentioned peculiarly uncertain and
precarious. When the Palestine Eeploration Fund
began their researches the Governmentallowed them
to engage the services of Captain Wilson and
Lieutenant Warren, of the Royal Engineers, and
men ef the tame corps. On going to Palestine they
made & trigonometrical survey of the land, and fixed
the position of some of the most important places,
and obtained a knowledge of the external geography
of the country. But it was soon found that the
work ...as being conducted on too great a scale, and
that their efforts moat be concentrated; so. two
years ago, it was decided to confine their egplora-
tions to Jerusalem. By the aid of a neat little plan
of the city, a copy of which was supplied to each
person present, the lecturer .aras enabled to give a
tolerably clear notion of the work which has been
in progress. Ile observed that the plan he had sup-
plied them with showed, with greater distinctness
than usual, the rise and fall of the ground, and the
broken surfaces of the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
Beginning at the extreme south in the valley of
Hinnom: he pointed to En-rogel, also known as
the well of Joab and of Nehemiah. It was a
capacious well, and must have been important at one
time for the water supply of Jerusalem. It was
about 1,996 feet above the Mediterranean, forty
miles off. From this point looking northward
I they observed that Jerusalem was situated on a
I tongue of hilly land, and was embraced by two
I principal valleys—the valley of Hinnom, on the
south and west, • kind of ravine between two
tolerably high hills, " dark and gloomy, and full of
I dead men's bones," for it was made a burial place
amongst the Jews, and so the term Hinnom was
once or twice used to denote the place of eternal
punishment ' • and on the east was the valley of the
ICedron or ofJehoshophat,which was wider and more
interesting. Kedron valley separates the city from
the highest ground in the neighbourhood, the Mount
of Oliver. The lecturer exhibited • panoramic view
of Jerusalem taken from Olivet. In our Lord's
time there wets current running through this valley,
but it is now almost always dry. Another important
valley runs up from En-rogel into the city,
dividing it into two not very unequal peels—the
Tyropean valley, meaning the valley of the cheese-
waken or cbeeeemongere On the west of this
valley was the hill of Zion, and on the east Mount
Moriah, the place were Abraham went to offer op
his son lasee—where, subsequently, David, when
the people were stricken with plague, reared an
altar as an atonement for sin, in the thrashing floor
of Araunab the Jebusite—and it was afterwards the
site of Solomon's te.nple. It was 430 feet high, and
is commonly known by Christian writers by the
Turkish appelation Harem, which only mewls a
!sacred inclosure regarded with deep interest by
Mahometans. Till within the last ten years no
Christian was allowed by the Tukish Government
to set foot within the Harem inclosure, unless be
accepted one of two alternatives—to deny our most
holy faith, or to be put to death. But at that time
the Prinoe of Wales was permitted to enter it, and
ever since it has been accessible by paying • small
fee. Harem is an irregular oblong, it. side. varying
from 1,000 to 1,500 feet in length. The whole of
Palestine did not exceed in area our six northern
counties, and it was said that Jerusalem would
stand within Hyde Park. The gates of the city
bore the date 1534, and the name of Soloman the
magnificent, the Turkish Sultan, who constructed
them. Some of the walls were built in the time of
the Emperor Adrian, and many were 6th century
work. The principal streets of Jerusalem crow
each other at right angles about the centre of tbe
city. In the north-eastern quarter dwell the
Mahometans and the Turkish Government officials,
making a population of from 10 to 20,000. To the
south of the hlahometan district was the Jews'
quarter, occupied by between 2 and 3,000 of the
poorest and most squalid of the race. On the
western side were the Christians to the south
were those belonging to the English Church,
and the Armenian convents and people, and
in the north.weet quarter were the Greek
and Latin now In a space of 34 acres was
the site of the Holy Sepulchre and of Golgotha,
which had been brought under the roof of one carob,
the Mosque of Omar. After a careful examination
of the whole subject, he believed that what were in.
dicated as the sites of our Lord's death and resur-
rection were those very pieces. Lieutenant Warren
and bis party went along the Tyropeen valley to the
south-west angle of Mount Mortar where it abuts
on the vale. Rising to • height of 60 feet on the
western face of the mount they found • wall of
remarkable structure--it was composed of stones of
very considerable magnitude, the largest being not
less than 30 feet long, and four or five feet high.
They rested upon one another without any mortar,
and werq believed to have been placed there to
strengthen the hill, preparatory to receiving the
weight of the temple. And therm huge atones were
small compared with what were found in Southern
Syria, for at the temple of Baalbeo were stones 73
feet long, and proportionately high. The higher
part of the wall facing the mount was evidently
more modern, being bevilled, and was believed to
belting to the period et the listed', and the time of