The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1848-01-20
THE DEPTH OF JACOBS WELL.

The Rev. DR.. WILSON, Of England, who
has recently travelled through tho Holy
Land and published the results Of his tsav.
ole under the title "Thc Land Of the Bible
Visited and Described" presents the Col
lowing relation Of Jacobs we'll:
AT Shechem, DIR. Wilson found rem
nant Of the Samari,ans still, and had som,
interesting conversation with ono Of thci
priests. 10 shc immediate neighborhood i,
jacobs well, whore our Lord encountered
the woman Of Samsria, and with the sim
plest images instructed her in tho sublim,
mysteries Of spiritual truth. The well j,
situated amid the ruins Of a church which
once surrounded il. The mouth was GOV.
crsd with two large stones. Rolling away
these, tho travellers, with their attcndants
swung themselves down to kind Of plat.
form, where they kindled light, aud CON.
menced preparations for ascertaining the
depth Of jacobs Well.
alt was now time to disclose our plan oil
operation to our native attendants. Jacob,
said we, "a friend Of ours, and English irav.
sller and minister, (tho Rev. Andrew b..
mar, Of Collace,) dropped the five books Of
Moses and the other inspired records into
this well about three years ago, and If you
will descend and bring them up we shall
give you handsome bakshish.' Dakshish 2
ssid tho Arabs kindled ut the sound; If
there 10 to be a bakshish in the case, we
must have il, for we are the lords Of the
land well down you co. said we, throw
ing the rope over their shoulders, and YOU
shall have the bakshish.' Nay, verily,'
eaid they. you mean to hang us; let Jacob
Do what he pleascs.' Jacob was ready a,
our command; and, when he had tied the
rope round his body below tho shoulders,
b received our parting instructions. We
asked him 10 call cut to US tho moment tha,
10 might arrive ut the surface Of the water
and told him that we should 30 hold the
rope % to prevent him from sinking, il
thsre was any considerable depth Of the
element. We told him also to pull out one
q the candles with which no had stored his
breast, aud 10 ignite il when he might get
below. As be looked into the fearful pit
on the brink Of which be stood, terror took
hold Of him, and he bctook himself to pray.
o. in the Hebrew tongue. We of course
gave him no interruption in his solemn ex-
else, -, in the circumstance OF the case,
vs could not but admire the spirit Of dcvo.
ton which he evinccd. On q signal we
lot him 90. The Arabs held with us the
rope, aud We took care that he should dc.
scend a. gently as possible.
"When our material WIS nearly cxhnus-
ted, he called out, i have reached the bot
tom, and il 10 1t present scarcely covered
With water Forthwith he kindled his
light; and, that he might have every nd
vantage, wo throw him down quantity of
dry sticks, with which no made a blaze,
which distinctly showed W the whole of
the we'll from top to bottom.
"Wo saw the end of the ropc at tho low
Or part; and We put knot upon il at tho
margin above, that we might have the OK
act measurement when Jacob might come
up. After searching for abou, FIVE minutes
fos tho Bible among the stones and mud a,
the bottom, our friend joyfully cried on,
10 10 found! it 10 found it 10 found.' We
we're not slow, il may be supposed, in giving
him our congratulations. The prize he
put into his breast, and then he
declared his readiness, with our aid, to
mako tho ascent.
1--WE found il no easy matter to get him
pulled up, - We bad TO keep the rope from
Tho edge Of the well lest il should snap
neupder. When he came into our hands
b was unable TO speak. VIC laid him down
% the margin Of tho well that ho might
SOLICIT his breath. sWhese is tho bakshish?'
were the first words no uttered on regain
ing his faculty Of speech. II was immcdi-
Atsly forthcoming, to the extent Of about .
Dovereign, and to his fullest satisfaction.-I
a similar sum we divided among our Arab
assistants. Tho book from having been
% long stepped 10 the water and mud be-
low, was, With the exception of the boards
reduced 70 mass Of pulp. In our effort to
recover Il Nc had asccrtained the depth Of
lhe we'll, which 10 exactly seventy five feet
10 diameter 10 about nine feet. Il is is en-
lirsly hewn out Of the solid rock, and 10
work Of great labor. Il bears marks abou,
b Of great antiquity. The vol IL Deep
Vas the description given Of j, By tho wo-
man Of Ssmsria TO our Lord. Il still, as
DOW noticed, has the same character, III.
though to m extent il is perhaps filled with
lhe stones which are thrown into il TO sound
i b. travellers md pilgrims.
"The adventure which have now no
iced being over, we emerged from the
veil. and, sitting down at lis mouth, We
could not but think Of the scenes aud events
of other days. We were near 10 the yer,
parcel Of ground that Jacob gave Joseph.'
jacobs Well was here! Here Jesus the
Savior eat, wearied with his journey, sui.
)bsing from the inffrmities Of that lowly hu-
1nan nature be bad assumed, when he came
6o0 heaven 10 accomplish the work Of our