Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-03-23

Hermon rose on our sight; aud on its north ac-
cIivlty lay the village Of Min. A round hill
dropped over with old oaks, was Mount Tabor
Villages were well placed on such rising grounds
as there were amid the plains; and our track
lay broad, and level, and green, among rows
Of tall artlchokes and patches of rich cuva-
ton
When about two-thirds of the WY over, we
t crossed the grelt caravan track from Egypt to
Damascus. We hid been to Egypt, and were
going to Damascus; but we did not follow this
track We held on northward; to the Gllilean
hills
We entered among these hills about an hour
before we reached Nazareth, winding up and
down, and around the blse of one, and the Shout
der of another, sometimes among scattered wood,
sometimes over stony tracts, and always in sight
Of many goats. After mounting a very steep
pass, and coming to a well, and winding round a
hill once more we came suddenly in sight of
pretty N " reth Its basin of fertility is charm
ing its little pI1in, full of gardens and groves
and fields, surrounded as it seemed, completely
by hills. The town is, in fact, poor one but
built of ST. he, and covering a good deal of
ground, and extending little way up the west
ern slopes, it looks well from above.
Here, then, we had before our eyes the scene
ny amid which Jesus grew up, Its character
lnnot have changed very much since his day.
A fertile blsn among the everI lstng hills, and
the primitive little town which they protect, must
belr much the slm9 aspect from aye to age
The gre 1t addition IS the convent and church of
the L,tin monks; but these buildings do not
stand out Extensively to the eye, but minge well
with the fl lt-ro0fed stone houses of the town.
t., chic ,yoh ,d ~ 10 nm obnyo
We lon red to pitch our tents on the green be-
low the town; but there was apprehension of
rain, and it was thought better to 90 under the
convent roof which is truly hospltahle one.
do MT know VII 1t it is about the services of
this church which is 50 affecting to strangers;
but observe That all travellers speak of the strong
emotions excited here Few believe that the
places under the church are whit they are said
to be- Few believe that the little caves shown
by the monks are the kitchen and sitting-room
Of the parent of Jesus; and that the spots mark
ed out by two granite pillars, are those where
Mary and the angel stood at the time of the An
nuncaron do not at all believe that these
pl ices were thus consecrated; yet | hive seldom
been so moved as | was this afternoon in the
Church of the Annunclaon at NlZ reth. We
were at least in the place of residence Of Jesus,
and saw what he s1w every day; the hollows of
the valleys the outlines of the hills the streams
in their courses, and the wild il>wers, which ey-
erywhere on the slopes spre I'd under foot We
were in the place which he led home. Eater
ing the church with these Impressions on our
minds, we were saIuted with chant from full
chor-a chant sonorous swelling and exact; the
5 best music, inconplrably, that heard abroad
1t told upon our very he rts
Of course, we visited the rocky recesses be.
low the church, which are called the abode OF
Joseph and NJ iry; and saw no re lsun to suppose
that, while citizens of Nazareth, they lived in a
grotto, rather than house. We were shown,
too, portrait of Jesus, which the monks believe
to have been copied from an original taken in
his life time! As if there had been portrait punt
ING of that kind in these days. Aud as if the
: Jews would hive considered it lawful if there
hid. Such ignorance on the part of the monks
prevents our relying on any traditions given by
them; and will therfole sly thing Of the eth
: er places pointed out as sacred by them. Nlz-
t areth is sacred enoungh; and it is merely often
$ sive to ones feelings to speak of some of the
strange stories the monks tell, and really believe
about Jesus and his family, in exhibiting what
they declare to be the scenes of his life and da.
y actions
The next day, the uppermost feeling through.
out was Of delight at the thought Of the nltua
beauty amid which Jesus was reared From the
heights above the town we looked down into dells
full Of verdure, and abroad over the rich plain
we d crossed the day before, and over toward
Crmel. where We were going to-day. We rode
among the hills for two hours, observing tint
cIumps of forest trees bee lme more frequent, anC
n thlt the scenery was changing its Character
r And then we entered upon tract which WAS 81
: like the outskirts Of an Z lglsh nobemln's pqrk
t tint could hlrdly believe we were in the Holy
: Lind, Rich grasses covered the Slopes and lev
e els, and clumps of lex wooded every recess
r We wonnd along under these cumps, and aIone
the q ldes of the scattered forest, and upon bro
IS ken banks, and then again through reaches @
S chequered sh lde. And how could we heir
/, thinking, at every step, who had once been here
q before us!
We were almost sorry to leave these park-likt
y hills though we were descending into the plail
k of Zcbulon, and Carmel was IRE us, and W.
were about to cross tie old river Kishon, which
Y Eliilh knew so well when he lived in this region
r and the blue sea was in sight-that from
j which Ely his servant saw the cloud arise which
e was no biz ger.thn a nuns hlnd.
h We rode at The foot of CrnaI, keeping the
!, river Klshon for the ost ptrt on the right hand
There could not be finer place Of assembllg
e thln this plain for the children of Israel and thu
. worshipPers of the sun, (Bal) when EIiilI
h summoned them to meet, From the foot o
is Mount Carmel, which stands out boldly into tn
e sea, the beach stretches northwlrd in a fin
J. sweep Of fifteen miles to Acre and the old Tyre
J. The lieln bills, Carmel, and the sea, held thu
e assembled multitude on that great day. Th
worship of the sun was very imposing n all tn
r countries where it snbsisted. We have all helrt
it of it as the worship of Apollo in Greece. say
re mighty temples to the same god under the mann
y of RI, in Egypt ami Nubir and under the nam
o. of B lal at BIaIbec, few days journey from thi
e place, at the foot of Carmel, where his host a
b. priests was deded by Elijah. Il Kings, xviii,
E. Here stood his four hundred and fifty prophets il
v all their pomp
d Next we assembled the mountain itself; and W
spent two nights in the convent on its height;
Is 50 that the whoc scene is we'll impressed on m
H. memory. We went down the mountain side thu
0, afternoon, to see the cave where the schools
ID the prophets used to be, where the young me