Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-10-12
STANTON, VIRGINIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER r.. lsa3

tains, and just now with his orient beams tint
ing the dawn i'm your heavens, under which
dwell all that hold most dear on earth
his mild beams, which now fall almost leve
on me, could but convey To you what | fee
this moment it would be an epstle indeed
Blu, must hasten down from the Mount o
God and rest me in the monastery, built as ira
dtion says, where Moses beheld the burning
bush. There, hope to finish this letter, ant
say how have spent the day of the Lord il
his holy mountain, in a cleft of which | was
SO fortunate rs to find young, vigorous
shrub, planted by the hand of the Almighty
in his own holy hill, which have cut, am,
purpose, II God spare us to meet again, and
spend an hour of leisure together, TO present
| To you, and to explain at length why have
adopted the new route (the ssuthern) for Is
rael from Egypt to the Red Sea, route over
which no one, believe, has passed heretofore.
who has written expressly on the subject but
which has often been suggested by eminent
travellers. -who have felt pressed with the diff
culues OF the northern route by Suez, among
whom are Buckhardt and T.ahorde.
wish could sit here in this deep solitude
Tor an hour longer, but my companions and
one guide are gone, and the other, young
active Arab, is crouched at my fee, in aston
ishment at my writing and apparent earnest
ness; and seems to say, rs he casts glance
at the setting sun, The rag dozen is long ana
dangerous. So, must say, Farewell 10 Mec,
Sdnai! have stood upon the Alps, in the
middle of July, and looked around upon the
snowy empire-I have stood upon the Ap-
pennies, and looked abroad upon the plains
OF beautiful, evenllul llaly-I have stood up
on the Albanian mount, aud behed the scene
Of the Eneiad from the Circean promontory,
over the Campagna. 10 the eternal city and
the mountains of Tivoli-l have sat down
upon the pyramids of Egypt, and castmy eyes
over the sacred city of lIeliopolis, the land of
Goshen, the fields of Jewish bondage, and the
ancient Memphis, where Moses and Aaron, OH
the part oil God and his people, commended
with Pharaoh and his servants, the death of
whose "irst born of man and beast in one
night" filled the land with waiiing; but have
never set my foot on any spot, from whence
was visible so much stern, gloomy grandeur,
heightened by the silence and solitude that
reign around but infinitely more heightened
by the awful and sacred associations of the
first great revelation in form from God 10 man.
felt oppressed with the spirit that brea,hed
around me, and seems TO inhabt this holv
place. | shall never sit down upon the sum
init of Sinai again, and look upon the silent
and empty plains at its feet (; but shall go
down better man, and aim so to live as to
escape the terrible thunders at the last day.
which once reverberated through these noun
lalns, but have long since given way TO the
u"sPcl OIL peace. can scarcely tear myself
away from the haliowed summit. and wish
4 too could linger here forty days in converse
with the Lord.
.juOadSterU of 81 CoJbnri,o
promised to finish this letter here. and in
limaled that would say how had spent the
morning. But mus, forego this pleasure ill
see you, as have already filled nv sheet
may add, however, that spent it at hiob
mass, in the ancient church, built by The en-
peror Justinian, in the sixth century. think
the Greek Church is but little understood IN
our country; and its services in Syria and here
IN Sinai have strongly attracted my attention,
and have made diligent inquiries concerning
It's doctrines and worship, and hope to pro-
cure them further at Constantinoplc and A
thens.
have but one thing to regret since reach
eC Egypt, and that is, that Dr. Robinson and
MIR. Smith did not take the southern route
from Cairo TO the Red Sea, indicated in the
hrst part OF this letter for / must believe that
the traditions OF the country, presented in the
names OF Its mountains and valleys, as on the
east side OF the Gulf, together with the phys-
Cal agreement OF the passes with the history of
Exodus, would fully have satisfied their
minds, that this was the route Of the Israeites;
particularly, when to this evidence was added
the probability that Israel was encampcd near
Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital, where
Moses and Aaron and the elders of Israel SEEM
ed constantly TO be during their contention
with Pharaoh. Such conclusion, with the
reasons drawn up by the doctors mastery
hand, is all that is wanted to render perfect
their Incompatible volumes OF Biblca, Re-
searches in Palestine.
As | would still be remembered by nv
friends in America, you will oblige me. by
mentioning me to such, as are near you; or
it you prefer TO save yourself this trouble, YOU
can hand this letter TO the Advocate.
rs ever, yours, aflectionatev.
JOHN p. DURBIN.
JERUSALEM, March |, 1913.