The native American., 1839-07-20

built up with regular masonry; and from the
broken columns in and around, it appears once to
have had small temple or portico erected over it.
1t receives its water from another pool, farther up
the valley by a subterranean passage cut in the
rock. The surplus waters Of this pool are said to
have been used to irrigate the garden OF King
Solomon below it.
Near this pool ii is said, the prophet Isiah was
buried. On the opposite or east side OF the valley
is long compact village Of mud huts, called 81
loan, occupied BY low Arab population.
| WeneXt came to the "upper pool of Sloan"
| 1t is an artificial cavern cut in the side of Mount
,Moriah, TO which we descended by flight OF stone
steps. Here we saw the aperture through which
the waters flow by the subterranean passage To the
/ lower pool. But where the water comes tlom that
supplies the upper pool is the question.
| There is large and copious stream that flows
into it from somewhere, by an under ground pas
sage. One authority says the spring rises within
the city, at no great distance from the Latin con-
vent on Calvary. 1t therefore must traverse the
whole north part Of the city, and the site Of the
incient temple from thence descending BY very
leep conduit to the upper pool
If this is really the case, the temple. no doubt
eceived its supply of water from this source, and
the stream may well be said to have flowed fast
/ by the oracle Of God"
| Immediately above this pool is the southeast
angle of the great wall which surrounds the sum-
nit of Mount Morab, the area of the ancient tenn
pie, and the present mosque OF Omar. This is the
highest point, rather the greatest depM from the
temple ground, to the bottom of the valley beneath
! it. Josephus says that from this point of the
valley the wall Of the temple rose three hundred
cubits (about 450 feet) From the enormous size
of most Of the blocks of hewn stone in this part
J of the foundation or terrace wall, | have little
doubt but that they are the same placed there by
Solomon. They may possibly have once been
partially thrown down, but replaced again in their
primitive position. On the opposite side Of the
valley, at the foot of Olive is extensive Jewish
emetery.-Every foot Of ground seems TO be oc-
cupied by the sleeping Israelites who come from
| all parts Of the world to repose on this spot until
the advent Of their expected Messiah or until tile
last trump shall awaken them, to be received
into the bosom of their father Abraham. The
Moslems have many customs, founded on tradi-
tions initiated or derived from the Jewish and
Christian faiths.
They believe, that on the day of resurrection
their prophet Mahomet will appear to them on the
summit Of the East wall which surrounds their
sacred mosque. They, therefore, like the Jews,
strive to getas near to this spot as possible when
they die; and being the present masters of the
country, they oblige the poor Israetes to take up
reposc in rows close beneath the eastern wall of|
Mount Moriah, and directly underneath the East
gate Of the temple, 10 wait there until The ha'
vest IS ripe," and when it shall be proclaimed
I" Let the heathen be Uahened and come up 10 the
Ualley of Jeshosaphat: for there IWW SIT to Judge
the heathen round about" Joel iii, r. 1t is no
wonder that the Christian monks have always
eschewed this valley of Tophet as place of burial
and resigned it to the infdel Jew and heather
Gentle. Their Metropolis is in the Terra Santa,
on the extreme point Of Zion, without the mod
ern walls The poor hereto Protestant, until very
lately, was denied this privilege, and left to find
his last resting-place among the other heathens in
the vale of Tophet, or any other unconsecrated
place he could Glance to find This has been very
lately remedied in part by the exertions of our
worthy missionaries here, who have, much 10 the
chagr.n OF their brethren of the Romish and
Greek creeds made conditional purchase from
the Turkish authorities of small spot upon Zion,
as place Of Protestant burial, near the tomb Of
David. IT there be any one place on earth where
the Christian, who has any such preferences, would
desire to rcpose until the last day. it surely must
be upon the heights Of Zion.
But there other tombs in this valley, belong
ing neither to Christian, Moslem, nor Christ-re-
jecting Jew. These tombs are cut from the solid
rock, and are four in number. They are of two
MINIS. S'lIt dlc CdfcTHOuS Excavations, one or /
which has colonnade in front similar to many I
have seen in Egypt, the columns being part of the
rock itself.
The other two insulated masses Of rock, de-
tached from the steep side Of the hill by excava-
tions, made around the two sides and back, and are
about twenty feet square. These masses of solid
rock were then shaped into architectural form by
the chisel, with columns, pilastles and capitals
One is snrmounted by dome, the other by pyra-
mid, both in mas'ny.
The interior OF each was followed out by the |
same means, the chisel alone. There has been
no original entrance found to either. One Of them
has been broken into through its rocky side the
other is intact. 1t is supposed that the true en-
trance is by subtenanean passage, not yet dis
covered
Tradition pretends to ascribe these tombs to the
patriarchs-Jehosaphat Absaom, Zachariah, and
Jacob; on what authority, cannot learn. There
appears to be reason for the identity Of that
of Absaom, for in ? Sam. xviii, Is, it is record
ed, that ".absalom IN his lifetime hnd taken and
reared up for himseya piHar which is IN the