Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-02-02

I rii0si " caf oNii aDi.eii htGgUOnsS. SiCi-
~ IS the most considerable European isle,
Crete anti Cyprus rank also in the high.
est class. We must not forget the Bale
arc ssless nor Sardinia, that c0nfsrs a
crown; Corsica. that sent forth at The end
"t the last century yolinoti that van
pushed the world and Eiba, in siabt
oil the same isle. that received five-and-
twenty years after, that same will. ex
liausfeds like spent ball at the end of "A
long tight. But the struggles of modern
ages are forgotten ami,l the Achipelaoo
that marshaIled its chieftains 70 beleague,
I Troy. The isles Of Greece cleaning in
the waves, the seats of gods and muses.,
touch the eternal sympatIiies of man.
From the straights Of Gibraltar to the
coast OF Palestine is two thousand three
hundred miles. and in this expanse the
varying breadth Of the Mediterranean
Sea Is about from three TO nine hundred
hnndred miles. Its usual depth is one
thous md fathoms; but where it washes
the base of lofty mountains. as the Pyra-
nees and Alps, lis prolundity is much
increased. Describing it generally. the
| Mediterranean Sea is forsaed of two ba-
sins OF unequal size. The first terlni-
mates at Cape Bon aud the strai.hts of
Messna; the second, or inner basin,
which is twice the area of the first. ex-
tends from Sicily and Tunis to the Syri-
an or Egyptian shores, and expands, on
the north, into two celebrated waters. the
Airatic and the Grecan Archipelago -
he Nile and the Danube. the Borsthe-
mes and The Pc, the Rhone and the Ehro.
pour forth their fresh waters into this
sea, which is nevertheless as saline as
| the ocean. so vast is the influence of the
Atlantic stream perpetuailY pouring in
! through the Straights Of Gibraltar. 1t
yanqushes the original creators of this
inland sea; The SHOWS Of Abyssina. the
the Alpine glaciers, and the lofty tribute
Of Atlas and the Caucasus.
4 volcanic character nervades these
waters. The Greclan Archipelago evil
IDENTITY rose from the ocean like Aphro
dlte. len years ago. ct more, the writer
OF THIS page witnessed near Malta birth
of this marvellous character. An island
Suddenly sprang from the ocean, and
celebrated its nativity by a volcanic erup-
ton. The lava continued to Increase
the dimensions of She Territory, and after
a few months of continual aggrandise-
ment. just when one thought it might
have formed kingdom for future Ulys-
ses. it vanished in he night, and NAV be
still found suppose, at the bottom OF
the Mediterranean, with a beautiful
ny'ntli, perhaps, sitting i'll safety on its
extinsuished crater. Numerous volca-
hIc isles. indeed, are scattered over this
sea. a>3 the Lipari, for example, and all
OF them connected with those subterra-
mean fires that rise from Etna and We
suvlus, aud have placed en- the shores of
the Mediterranean the two most ceIebra-
ted volcanoes IL the world.
The climate of TIE Mediterranean is,
in general, very healthy and agreeable,
though infested with a wind. Which
blowing in different countries onIer diff
terent names, and modified In its char
acter@by various circumstances, still &C
qulres the noxious character, which it has
partially from the same cause it's pas.
sage over the Desert. SoIano in Spain.
and slrocco IN Italy: kamsin i'll Egypt
Samuel, or SImoom, in the Syrian Or A.
rablan wilderness. it seemed to me that
III all these countries Recognised an old
acquaintance. perhaps that easterly wind
that so modified, and comparatively
SO harmless ~in:England, affords us such
endless complaints and conversation.
But feel its desnoniac blast in Upper T.
gypt: MoIoch breathes over his furnace:
the elasticity of the air is suspended );
lassitude falls upon the frame j; the at
mosphere is pervaded with purple
tnge; at the first city at which YOU ar
rive you hear The plague has just broken
out.
But, with the exception of March and
April, Egypt is a healthy cline. Not
wlthstandng the fefvor of the atmos-
pierre, there is ever friendly breeze on
the river. trayellin. from the Mountains
OF the Moon to visit the Pyramids. In
Syria we find all climates. and at the
same time. The climate is, indeed. as
various as the formation Of the country.
/ In the plains is often experienced the
intense heat so fatal TO the Crusaders:
vet the snow that seldom falls on the le-
vel ground, or falls only to vanish, rests
upon the heights of I.ibanus; and in the
higher lands it is not difficult at all times.
to discover the temperature you desire
A Syrian spriug,, when the renovatine
rains have Just ceased, realises Eden
and on the whole. the air of Lebanon
doubtless retains somewhat Of that quail
ity that conferred, in the good3eid DAYS,
patrlarchal years. But for a residence.
easy of access, unrfvallssl for the purity
of ITS air, and rich in every sight and
thong ht that can charm and soften life,
there is no spot comparable with Attica.
Amid its olive groves and quarries OF
white marble. the nightingale of Euripi-
des still thrills in the clear, balny atmos-
phere. At all seasons, the magical tint