The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-26 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Herewith I hand you two further letters
from Lieut. Warren, R.E., in charge of the survey-
ing and exploring operations of the Palestine Ex-
ploration Fund at Jerusalem, which I shall be much
obliged by your kindly inserting in The Sun. The
second of the two is a duplicate of that which, in his
former communication, Mr. Warren stated had been
" buried at es-Salt."

I am very desirous to draw the attention of the
public to these communications, from which they
will gain some idea of the nature and extent of the
operations of the society, and by which I trust they
may be induced to contribute liberally to its sup-
port.—Your obeJient servant,
GEORGE GROVE, Hon. Sec.
Sydenham, Sept. 24.

• "Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 1867.
"My dear Sir,-1 send by Corporal Phillips
(who left here on Friday week) an account of the
excavations, to he posted at Alexandria. I send
now some sketches and plans which I had not then
time to get ready. You will be very much inte-
rested in the Wall of Ophel, and I am now making
arrangements to excavate between the tower and the
furthest point to the S.W. exposed, where I think
mother tower may exist.

" I am also excavating about 30ft. in front of the
single gate to the south, and have arrived at what
appears to be a passage leading north. I commenced
this excavation under the impression that there is
likely to be a gateway under the single gate leading
into the supposed lower yanks. As soon as we ar.
rive at the rock we shall drive a gallery up to the
llaram wall.

"1 am also excavating near the Golden Gate,
where a fellah says he found a tower, which may
possibly be the remains of steps; but it is too far

north for the remains of the Red Heifer-bridge,
which appears to have been a wooden bridge sup-
ported on pillars, just sufficient, I should imagine,
to keep it off the ground, as it is impossible there
could have been pillars 100 ft. high. 1 was quite
sceptical about the existence of such a bridge until
within the last fortnight-, but the Mishna is so
.xplicit about it that I have taken the matter up in
earnest. I have already excavated to a depth of
Lboat 201 t. below the present east side of the Haram
A.rea where there are two stones bulging out—
iomething like the springing of an arch—with no
result. The bridge I think must have commenced
from a point 600 ft. north of the south-east angle.
Ile graves are in the way there, and I cannot dig.
Do send the gallery frames out as soon as possible ;
there is no wood to be got in Palestine. I have
ient to Malta for 50 frames, but they will only help
us on a little.

" I told you that at the bottom of shaft No. 1, Ty-
ropeon Valley, we had come to the drain with a stream
of water running through it. Jam getting suspicious
about this stream. Its flow is too constant to come
from the baths, and it is not the waste from
Solomon's Pools, it must be from a spring at the
top of the Tyropo3on Valley. This will engage my
attention.

" I have made what I consider to be a very im-
portant discovery—viz., an ancient aqueduct,
south-east of the south-eAst corner of the Ccenacu-

lum, and about 59ft. above the present aqueduct--
1 have no doubt the original aqueduct from the
Solomon's Pools to the Hararn Area. We dug out
the earth from a cut stone shaft 2ft. square, and at
16ft. was a chancel running from the west to the
north-east, precisely similar in construction to the
passages under the Triple Gate. It varies very
much in size ; sometimes we could crawl on hands
and knees, then we had to creep sideways, again we
tay on our backs and wriggled along, but still it was
always large enough for a man of ordinary dimen-
sions. In parts built of masonry, in parts cut out
of solid rock, it is generally of a semi-cylindrical
shape; but in many parts it has the peculiar
shoulders which I have only seen under the Triple
Gateway, but which I told you in my last letter had
been noticed by Mr. Eaton in the channel leading
towards Tekoah. To north-east we traced the
channel for 250 ft., until we were stopped by a shaft
which was filled with earth ; to the west we traced
it for 200 ft., till it was stopped in the same manner.
In part of this passage we could stand upright, it
being 10ft. or 12ft. high, with the remains of two

sets of stones for covering, as shown by Mr. Piazzi
Smyth's work on the Great Pyramid ; the stones at
the sides being of great size-12ft. by Gft. This

channel cannot be so late as the Romans ; it is evi-
dently of most ancient construction. It is built in
little spaces, as if the work had been commenced at
two or three points, and had not been directed pro-

perly. The plaster is still in good preservation. I

shall have the passage cleared out, if possible, as
far as the city walls. I presume it goes into the
Ilaram at a slightly higher level than the present
aqueduct ; if so, by following it we may arrive at
some very interesting conclusioAs as to the original
method of supplying the Temple with water.
" This channel must have been of great come-
pence, in olden films, both from the distance it is
driven under ground, and from the well cut shafts
which lead to it. I think the question is to be
hazarded whether the supply of Jerusalem was not
obtained by this aqueduct, which is quite concealed
from au enemy.—Very truly yours,
" G. Grove, Esq." " CHARLES WARREN.
COPY OF LETTER LOST AT ES-SALT.

" Ain llemar, Aug. 4, 1867.

" My dear Sir,—On returning from the plain of
Philistia I found the works of excavation at a stand-
still, and as I had no more photography to do near
the city, I considered it better to make a trip to
Eitgedi and then to Jerash, so as not to be waiting
idle until I should hear from you. I consider that
the heavy expenses of these trips will be covered in
six months by the sale of photographs of places, of
which such views have never been taken before. I
will send a list of what have been taken already, and
hope that soon the ruins of Jerash will be added to
the number. We left Jerusalem on the 17th ult.,
under the guidance of Sheikh Goblan, and, crossing
the Jordan opposite Nitnrin, came up to Nebbeh by
fieshbon. I think there is little doubt about Nebbeh
being the height of Nebo, as I time upon the ruins
of an extensive fort and town about a mile west of
Nebbeh, of the same name ; and north of both, run-
ning west, is a deep wady, with a spring, named Ain
Musa (Spring of Moses). On the other side of Neb-
beh is another spring. 1 have also fixed the position
of Main, which is generally described as being near
lieshbon. 1 found it about 10 miles to the south, on
Wady Zerka. I went about a mile further down the
Zerka, but being already on the ground of another
L tribe Goblan refused to go on, promising to take us

round to Callirho3 by the Dead Sea. I can hear
nothing of the name Beth Jesiinoth, but there is a
ruin on the north-east of the Dead Sea called Swai-
meb, where there is a hot spring. Higher up, near
Keferein, we were shown a hot spring, temperature
96 deg.

" After leaving Nebbeh we went to Naur (?), and
after that for a week wandered among minor cities
south of Amman, only a few miles distant. I have
a list of altogether more than 150 names. We
reached Amman on Saturday, 27th, stopping there
four days. I made detail plans of the buildings,
and a relative site plan. In photography we have
been most successful, Corporal Phillips having pro-
duced some of the most perfect negatives I have ever
seen. The hot, dry air has, however, spoilt all the
photographic apparatus, and, with the exception of
the lens, it will be of no use after this tour till it is
repaired. The woodwork is all fallen to pieces, and
the leather is like tinder. On return to Jerusalem
I shall send Corporal Phillips home with the nega-
tives, which I think will number close on 200. My
great fear is now that some mishap may befall them
before we get safe across the Jordan. These people
are very queer. They take the Corporal in his tent
for a magician practising the black art, and very
little would induce them to stone him to death.

"I found some inscriptions at Amman belonging
to the triumphal columns, which appear to have
stood on the citadel. I will give you what I can
get from them, but I fear nothing can be made out.
A portion appears in the photograph. I also found
a sort of bas-relief of an animal—the back of a
cow and head of a pig. It was so much worn that
it could only be distinguished at a distance.
" I am convinced that surveying is the first object
east of the Jordan, beaause until the positions of
the places are determined it is difficult to know
where one is going when out of the beaten track.
I have now completed the survey of a small por-
tion whose limits are lines between Keferein, Neb-
beh, Main, Kurgeh (?), es-Salt, Amman, Ain
Hemar, and Nimrin. I wish I could stay here and
complete the survey up to the Hauran. I have just
had an invitation from the Sheikh of Kerak to visit
his country, but there are not enough points to pho-
tograph to make it pay for the surveying.
"I shall, I hope, complete the survey of the
plains on this side Jordan, but it is so disagreeably
warm down there that I am not very sanguine ;
even up here it is more than comfortable during the
day. For nine hours the thermometer ranges from
96 to 100 ; but at night it is cool. lam pushing
on for Jerash now, as I find that the soldiers with
the Kurds have got down to within a day's march
of it, and I want to get my work done before the
fighting commences. The tribes are gathering in to
Wady Soir (?), and matters look serious, as far as
my visit to Jerash is concerned.—Very truly yours,
" G. Grove, Esq." " CHARLES WARREN.
" WORKS IN PROGRESS, SEPT. 2.

"In line of Robinson's Arch. No. 5 shaft.—
After arriving at a depth of 24-6 ft. was abandoned,
it being dangerous, and another has been com-
menced 10ft. north-west. A passage was found
(floor at a depth of 14ft.) with small communications
leading north, west, and south, the last being a re.
cess like a baker's oven. At second shaft, a depth of
9ft., a tank has been found, 17ft. deep, probably
rock. Shaft 78ft. from Haram wall.

"In line of Robinson's Arch. No. 6 shaft, 132 ft.
from Haram wall. This has been excavated to a
depth of 26ft., and a large stone has been found to-
day 3ft. wide. It has not been examined ; looks like
a step.

" Single Gateway, 37ft. to south ; shaft 22ft.
deep.—The top stones of a passage (?) are exposed.
The shingle through which the shaft has been driven
for the last Bft. runs like water.

" Golden Gateway. Shaft about 100 ft. to east.—
Searching for steps. Found some large stones aft. by
2ft. by 2 it.
" Outside Dung Gate.—Commenced this morning
searching for passage (traditional). Shaft is being
sunk. No information ready.
" Shaft discovered south-east of south-east angle
of Ccenaculum, and 50 feet above present aqueduct.
Shaft 21t. square ; cut stone, 16ft. deep, opening into
an ancient aqueduct, which probably led from Solo
man's Pool to Temple Area ; traced 250 ft. to north-
east, and 200 f t. to west ; passage cut in solid rock in
parts, similar in all its details to the passages under
the Triple Gate.