Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1837-04-25
Extract of letter from young gentleman
of Philadelphia, dated
II. S, Friuate Constitution.
CApIz, Dec. 81, 1880.

CADiz, Dec. 81, 1880.
We spent the simmer in crulzlng along the
coasts of Italy and Syria. We made short
stays at Sidon, Beirou, Tripoli and Jalia, from
whence we went to Jerusalem | will now
give you description of our visit. We left
Jaffa for Jerusalem, distant forty-five miles,
about five O'Clock in the afternoon, about fifty
in company, armed with pistols and cutlasses,
mounted on mules, and arrived at Rainla at 10
o'clock in the evening, about l6 miles from
Jaiia it is q very mean, dirty place, but re-
markable as the place in which Joseph lived,
who begged the body of Jesus from Herod, &
placed it in new sepulchre-Matthew 81
We le1 there at ~, and TRAVELLED all night, s.
arrived ut Jerusalem about O'Clock in the
morning. The road is cut through the noun
tains, and only room foi one mule to pass al
time, and so bad in some places that we were
obliged to dismount and walk. The noun
tains are said 10 be infested with robbers. On
our arrival in Jerusalem, we took up our quar-
tiers in French convent, and were Obliged to
sleep on the floor.
We first visited the Church of the Holy
Scpuchre, built on Mount Calvary, over the
spot on which our Saviour was executed. liz
side of the Church is the sepulcbre in which
our Saviour was laid, and the hole in which
the cross was placed. They also showed US
the hole in the rock occasioned by the earth
quake when our Saviour gave up the ghost
| They have great many curlosities, among
which is the sword of Godfrey of Bouillon, the
first Christian king Of Jerusalem. We next
visited n heap Of rubbish, said 10 be the ruins
of the Temple Of Solomon, at one time the
most magnificent building in the world, which
is rendered remarkable from the saying Of our
Saviour, that not one stone should be left stan
ding on another. 1t was destroyed by the Ro-
mans, and upwards Of six thousand people per-
ished, having fed there for protection. Out
side of the city are the pools Of Bethesda and
Gileon, and the tomb Of the Virgin Mary. In
the valley of Jehosaphat is the tomb of King
Jehosaphnt, Absalom's pillar, the tomb OF Ia
chariah, and the Royal Sepulchre. We next
visited the Mount of Olives il was about one
mile from the city. In small building erect
ed on the spot from which our Saviour ascend
ed into Heaven, is n square stone, on which is
the print Of IA foot, said 10 be that of our Sa-
viour. l could distinguish the toes, and that
was ali. | also saw the Garden of Gctbsema-
ne, where our Saviour suffered such agony.
We next visited Bethlehem, the birth. place
Of our Saviour. They showed us manger,
said TO be the one in which our Saviour was
laid; also grotto in a rock in which the Vr-
gin Mary hid herself and babe when Herod
gave the order FOR all the little children to be
killed also the field in which the shepherds
were attending their focks when they heard
the voice informing them Of the birth of our
Saviour. Our stay was SO short that VIC could
not see every thing that we wished to. | pur-
chased some beads made GU, of olive wood, &
seine pear. shells, and had them consecrated
in the Holy Sopulclre
We sailed from Juffa for Alexandria, in E.
gypt at one time the greatest commercial city
in the world There is nothing OF interest 10
be seen but Pompey's Pillar, Clcopuira's Nee
die, and the Catacombs, where they preserved
their dead | went into them, and had to stoop
on all fours, & enter through small hole in
rock. There are large square chambers cut
inside in which they place the dead in an up
right posture. There is nothing in them now
but skeletons and bones. 1t was very drea-
ry place.
We arrived here on the 9th of December
Maj. Eaton, our Ambassador TO the Court oil
SPAN is staying here with his family, and he
has been here some time. He visited the ship
and we were al presented to him.