Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1843-06-16
From The Western Chrisiian Advocate.
LETTERS FROM DIR. DURBlN.

LETTERS FROM DR.. DURBlN.
We have been kindly favored with
the perusaI Of letters rom Rev. ] P,
Durbin, addressed to his mother, of
Kentucky, with permission to publish
extracts. At present we only have
room for a short letter, dated in the
midst Of the Desert OF Arabia, February
Is, 1913.
| en- in the midat of the Desert, 10
which we have been now twenty t~o
days, travelling on cameIs and Sleeping
in our tents There are five Of Us, and
three servants, with eighteen cames,
We have all enjoyed perfect health, and
are on our way to Jerusalem, by the way
of the long lost city ol Petra, the ancient
capitol Of ffdom; thence to Hebron, and
Bethlehem, and Jerusalem; then north.
ward to tho sea Of Galilee, eastward to
Jericho and the Jordan; then toward
Nazareth, Samaria, Carmel, Lebanon.
BaIbec, perhaps Damascus. and finally
to Beyrooi, where we hope to embark
on the Austrian steamer, March %, for
Europe, and thence by ConsaninopIe
and Greece, to France, England, and
then 10 our beloved Amerca--Our
home,
wrote you long letter from Rome,
Stace then, | have visited Naples, Her.
culaneum and Pompii, two cities buried
at the loot Of Vesuvius for l,700 years,
but now nearly uncovered They are
great curiosities. also wandered over
The Phegean Fields where the ancients
placed their Paradise, and their He'll,
where crossed the river Slyx on the
back OF NeapoIitan We then sailed
IRON Naples. by Etna to Malta, whore
was The capitol of the Knights Of ST.
John and on which ST. Paul and his com
panions were shipwrecked on their way
TO Rome, he being prisoner, (see Acts
27, % chapts } From Malta we sailed
TO The Greek Island, and spent one Sab
bath in Syria, and thence we sailed 10
the ancient city Of alexandria in Egypt.
Here we we're on ancient ground indeed
we saw vast ruins OF the ancient city
here, and Two obelisks, one standing
yet, which probably adorned The palace
Of Cleopatra. From Alexandra, we as
cended the Nile in five days 10 Grand
Cairo the city OF the CaIphs, and Ihe
successors OF the ancient Babylon which
the Persians built on the Nile opposite
to Memphis, the Nopk Of Scripture -
Here we were indeed in the old world
where Moses and Aaron conlended with
Pharaoh, and at the commandment oI
the Lord inflicted plague after plague
on Egypt, until at last their first born
were all slain Sin one night and Israel
went out of Egypt with high hand
visited the Pyramids. end climbed
up to the top Of the largest, and looked
over the land OF Goshen, the ruins OF
ancion, Memphis, and Of ancient HeIeo'
polls, the On on Of Scripture; and sur
veyed the wonderful valley Of the Nile
1t was magnificent aud interesting
sight, heightened by the fact that the
lombs of 900 years ago were lying
all around me-. From the Pyramids o.
Ghe2eh, as thev are called, we proceed
ed Ten miles up the river 10 those oI Sa
hara, and entered the lombs and temples
cut in the rock under ground, | was
much interested in the vast vaults filIet
with mummy birds IN earlhen jars abou
the size aud shape ofa large sugar I"aI
There are millions of them. | sen
several home to our college, and purcb,
ased a mummy, also, but it was lnjure!
in coming to Cairo.
We now had completed our caravan
arrangements, and sci off from Cairo tt
follow The track OF the Children Of lsrae
from Egypt to the Red Sea, and exam
inc where they crossed it, and thence
follow them to Mt. SAM ! have no
time to write you an account now oi TIL
journey; but we came to Slant, and
went up into the mountain and worship
ed there in the hill OF the Lord, in viev
oflbe plain where lsrael was encamPe
al The giving Of the law, g. from "henc
they saw The terrible display Of thur
dering and lightning, fire and earth
quake, when the Almighty came dow
IN the presence OF the people. 1t wa
Sabbath day, February 5, when ! wa
, there, and | fingered so long that nigh
overlook Us ere we got down to the con
vent, | never can forget that day.
wrote Ietlerlo Bishop Waugh from III
summit of Sian; possibly you may Sc
it. cut stick Tor him, also, from
cleft OF the rock. and one for my ol
friend, DR.. Elliott, If | can possibly &C
them home They are not very nlc'
: but such as now and then are found o
the mountain as a great rarity, for q
9 the region scarcely produces a shrub
blade Of grass. II is a terrible wilde
,, ness.
u -: q: q: c.