The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-09-27
WAsHrseros, Sept. &c, Is45.

To he Editor Qfhe Union;
The account given in your paper, few days
sncs of the coat worn by our Saviour, with sundry
sharks against Popery, being gratuitously present
n n the world, leaving many persons in error as
~ II, identity Of the garment and the connexion OF
Il, church OF Rome with the subject, have to ask
,ls insertion Of this communication.
W Nm he road from ST. Jean d'Acre to Jerusalem,
I'd few miles west of Nazareth, stands the
oa,, Of Sephoury, in which is situated the church
ofS Joachim and st. Ann, the father and mother
ofhe Virgin Mary, all Of whom resided at this
Mace. Sephoury was ancienty called Zph, Joshua
w. 55( A tradition prevails at Sephoury, that
: mnsgni6cent church was erected where the house
AZ tbe Virgins parents Stood Il is in ruins, and
seems to have been one of the finest structures IN
Palestine. We entered the building beneath lofty
massive arches of stone. The roof Of the building
WAS of the same material. Some fragments of the
original decorations of the church lay upon the al
lar among which, we were surprised TO notice an
ancient painting The subject is the saluta,ion OF
Elizabeth by the Virgin in the house Of Zacharias-
A Young female coming into the house, and up
proaching the table 10 communicate intelligence; her
eA hand raised towards heaven. Upon the table
,ppears Hagon of wine, some radishes, and other
oricles Of food Elizabeth is represented holding
class cup, half filed with red wine, and the Vir-
So,s right hand rests upon loaf of bread A
Chandelier, with lighted candles, hangs from the
ceiling The great antiquity this picture Is man
ilest, and supposed to have been furnished by the
builder of the church, who, doubtless, was the EN-
peror Constantine, or his mother Helena. The
picture is on cloth, pasted on wood with cement,
and vanished. Its preservation, with other relics,
is probable from the fact that all nations have, in
ali ages, respected everything connected with the
birth, life, and suiferings of the Redeemer of the
world; and the same may he inferred Of the preser-
vadon ofthe "hoy coat" the pious care of those
in charge of it. Its elasticity 30 remarkable as to
have been worn by him from his cradle to his
grave is not at all out Of the range Of probability.
On the other hand it occurs to me, from the dress
now worn by the gentle inhabitants of the ancient
Galilee, and which corresponds with the same worn
ancienly, that no coal was ever worn by our Sa-
viour The dress ancienty worn, and still the cos
tune Of the country, is blue shirt, descending be-
low the knees, the legs and feet exposed; the feet
sometimes covered with moccasns or sandals. A
cloak is worn Of very coarse and heavy camel's hair
coth almost universally decorated with broad black
and white stripes, passing vertically down the back
This Of one square piece, with holes for the arms
1t has seam down the back made without
this seam, it is considered of great value. Here
then, perhaps, we behold the form and maieri-
ais of our Saviours garment, for which the sol
dlers cast lots, being ''without seam, woven from
the TOP throughout" 1t was the most ancient
ules3 VI INC lunaoltauts OF tue country. Upon
their heads they wear small turban, or handker-
chief one corner Of which hangs down, and is
frnged with strings, knots, and tasses. The
women from Acre to Nazareth, are hideous in their
appearance, wearing long blue shift; their breasts
exposed, resembling nothing human. Upon their
heads they wear two Observation-Disclosures as a tur-
ban, and the other bound over it, as fllet, around
the temples. They wear small button, studded
with abrilant, hanging to the cartilage Of the nose,
to which they sometimes hang large curtain ring,
covering their mouths Their faces, hands, and
arms are iattooed, and covered with hideous scars
and their eyelashes, eyebrows, and eyes are paint
ed black and blue. Their lips are dyed of deep
blue, their teeth jet-black, their mills and FIN
gers deep red; their wrists and ankles clasped with
metal rings, studded with knobs and pieces of
glass. Ponderous rings hang from their ears; 50
that, altogether, they resemble demons rather than
the loveliest work Of creation. C.