Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-10-12

sides Sl2 Tor each camel, of which we hire
fourteen. The contract was written i'm Arab
! by Mustapha, the governors secretary, an
sealed by lIuscn aud the governor. Tn
next morning we marched out of the fortress
II camels and 81 men strong. Most of tin
latter were dressed in loose linen of blue cot
ton shirts, and coarse black aud white striped
capotes, oil the rudest constructions, with ,
matchbox slung around the shoulders. and Q
rude sword stuck in the belt. We halted a.
ma the ruins of Allah, which saw the fleet OF
Solsmon, depart once year to Ophir for
gold and silver, ivory, and apes and pea
cocks" what traffic for wise man, Here
we hal formal address from Prince Huscin.
TIC toid us we were with friends, that his
brother, Sheik Selim, would not leave us till
we were IN Hebron. He then touched his
breast, beard, and forehead, and rode away,
wh'ie our caravan: turned toward the Akaball
one OF the most remarkable tracts of this or
any other cOuntrv.--Again we were fairly
IN The desert, and pitched our tents in sight of
Mount SER, the Edom of the Scriptures, and
the inheritance Of Esau, in the bosom of which
lay the long lost city of Petra
| wish had time to give Won. from nv
journal, picture of IIusem and his Alouins.
who have been the terror of travellers. but
who must have improved very much, or else.
we found favor with them, for we preferred
them much to Tualb and his Tawarans. who
conducted us from Cairo to Akabah. Husein
is now advanced in years, small of stature,
Visage tim, eye calm and piercing, hand small
and exceedingly neat. He has a cool and de-
terlnlned address. great penetration, and an
unsuitable thirst for gain. His manner is
easy, elocution rapid, gesticulaton rather
graceful, and often vehement. | scanned him
closely, III return for like treatment, and con-
cluded that he was capable OF generous feel
ings and actions towards suppliants, Of willy
ana dlrciul revenge for IA wrong received and
worthy OF respect and command among his
people. We spent thirty-six days with these
princes and sons of the desert and | have
endeavoIed TO preserve a true picture of them,
with the enlivening incidents of our tourney.
for your perusal, should providence permit me
to return.
can barely refer to our movements toward
Jerusalem. On the evening of the third day
from Akabah, we encamped within full view
OF Gebel Haroun, or Mountain of Aaron, MI.
dor OF SCRIPTURE and at 9 O'Clock next morn
ing we were standing on its table summit.
assembled the tomb OF Aaron, and sat down
upon the venerated spot, where the first high
priest OF the Jews died, by the commandment
oil God, III the presence of his brother Moses
and his son Eleazer. No pen can describe
what Christian from the new world feels
when he stands where, without doubt. Moses
ana Aaron stood and talked together for the
last time.
Our cames and servants had gone before
us to Petra, which Law embosomed i'm the
mountains, at the Eastern base of Mt. Hor,
aud when we descended into tomb girt city,
we found our round cone-topped tents sitting
gracefully i'll the ancient forum, surrounded
by fallen columns and iacades of ruined tenn
plies and other public buildings. Petra is
wonderful place; but is not as is generally
supposed, enclosed on all sides by PERCEPTIONS
mountains, with but one entrance There are
other ways OF access, besides that on the East.
through the remarkable chasm in the rock.
we ourselves entered ii from the South over
the plains OF Aaron, 'Sutuh IIaroum," and DR..
ROBINSON departed from it Norhward over
Inc w hte Plains oil .'Sutuh Bcida." I'he rise
progress, prosperity, and ruin of this remark
able town can be easily explained by refer
ence 10 the state OF ancient society and COM
merce. When the Eastern trade took this di-
rectlon, The Pctrans were necessarily tie car
rers by their camels, she ships of the desert"
when It's course was changed, their prosperi-
ty passed away with it. The same causes
produced and ruined Kohzum, now Suez. and
Alexandria. The rock tombs owe their DOW
er to surprise and delight, not 10 their merit as
works OF ART, FOR they are mediocre in all res
poets, but to their romantic situation, and their
associations with deserted CITY. The ex.
tent OF the city and the geological formation
OF the valley had my close attention, as we
remained as long as we pleased without let or
hindrance
Near the ancient kadeSh Earnea we met an
armed caravan; our own being also armed.
there was every demonstration of a conflict.
but the wave of the chiefs standard was an
swered IN peace, and he went on But how
shall describe my feelings, when. having as
cendcd into the South country. and crossed
the rolling plains Of the ancient Gcrar, found
myself standing by the wells of Beersheba.
which Abraham dqged The curb stones
and watering troughs seem as if thew might
have been placed there hy.rle old Patriarch
himself for the hundred grooves in the for
mer, worn by the ropes in drawing water
were irom two to three inches deep, aud some
OF the latter were actually worn through the
bottom. The thought of having escaped from
the desert, and Of being there, amid nocks and
herds: as in the days of the son of 1'erab, fill
ed me with the most pure and exquisite delight,
and brought most wildly before my inaglna-
ZION the history of the pariarchs. This feel
ing was heightened as | advanced. At 9
O'Clock the EeXt morning, | saw Hebron in
the distance, and at II O'Clock we pitched our
tent ON the green slope oil the iiiDtiurain "be-
lore Mamrc, the same is Hebron cast nv
eyes upon the lofty massive walls of the
mosque within which Is the cave of Macpclah,