Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-05-03
Ancient Tyre,


break, and assembled several barren and rocky
hills, stretching into the sea. From the summit
of the last and most elevated of these nscents,
Tyre is beheld, appearing at the extremity OF
vast and barren elevation. Between the sea
and last heights of Lebanon, which here rapidly
diminish, extends naked, barren plain OF about
twenty miles in length, and four and five in
breadth, of yellow tint, covered only with
thorny shrubs, browsed by the camels of the !
caravan on their passage. Tyre is built on PEI
ninsula stretching into the sea, and connected
with the continent By Morrow neck Of land
covered with golden sand, Hattcd BY me wind
from Egypt. This city, at present called Sour,
by the Arabs, is situated at the farthest extrem-
y of the above. mentioned peninsula, and seems
to rise out Of the waves At a distance, you
would still imagine it to be new, beautiful
white and animated city; but it is nothing more
than fine shadow, which vanishes on approach
| ing it. A few hundreds of falling houses, in
which the Arabs fold large focks OF sheep, and
black goats, with hanging ears, which defiled
before us on the plain, arc all that remain OF
Tyre She has no longer port on the sea, no
longer roads upon land: the prophecies respect
ing her have been long since accomplished.
We travelled on in silence, occupied by the
thoughts of this desoation, and of the dust Of
an empire which we trod under our feet Pass
ing along the paths between the ruins and the
gray and naked hills of Lebanon, which here
descend to the plain, we arrived at the city,
now flanked by sandbank, which seems its
only existing rampant, but which will, doubtless
ere long, bury the town under its mass. l
thought of the prophecies, and endeavorod to
bring to my recollection some Of those eloquent
warnings with which the divine spirit inspired
Ezekiel. could not recall the words, but dis
covered the meaning in the deplorable waste be-
fore my eyes.
had now before me the "black" Lebanon;
but said to myself my Imagination has de-
ceivcd me; zee neither tho eagles nor the vul-
lures which, according to the prophecies, were
to descend increasingly from the mountains to
despoil even the remains of the city, accused
of God, and the enemy of his people. AT the
moment made these reflections, something
huge, grotesqu3, and motionless, appeared at
our Left, on the summit of pointed rock, which
advanced into the plain not far distant, close Il
the route of the caravans it looked to me like
five statues of black stone, placed on the rock
as on pedestal; but from certain motions, al
most imperceptible, Of these colossal figures, we
fancied, on approaching nearer, that they were
five Bedouin Arabs clothed in their sacks OF
black goats hair, who were looking at us as we
passed. .~ -
When, however, we came at distance OF
fifty PAGES from the rock we snw one Of the five
figures display an immense pair of wings, which
tapped with a noise resembling that of a sail
shaking in the breeze, and it now became clear
that the figures were those of five eagles, of the
largest kim had ever seen in the Alps or me-
ma geres of our cities. They did not take flight,
but remained unmoved at our approach Seated
like kings Of the desert, they seemed to regard
Tyre as their proper prey. could not cease
from contemplating this prophecy in action
this wonderful fulflment Of the divine menaces
of which chance had rendered us witnesses
Never had anything more supernatural struck
my eyes or rivited my mind and it required ar
effort of reason, not to see behind these five gi
gantic eagles, the great and terrible figure oil
the poet of vengeance of Ezeklel-rising a
bove them, and pointing ont to them, with eye
and hand, the city which God had given to then
for a prey.
now found that my poeticnl imagination hat
exhibited to me the eagles of Tyre less faithful
. ly, less impressiycly, less systematically thar
E the fact warranted.
We arrived at noon, after march OF sever
hours, in the midst of the plain of Tyre, at
place called the wells of Solomon. All travel
. ers have described these wells; they consist o
three reservoirs of limped, running water whlcl
issue, al it were, by enchantment from low
dry, and barren soil, at the distance OF two mile
) from Tyre. Eaoh of these reservoirs, raised ar
tifcially about twenty feet above the level OF tn
plain, is full to the brim, and is indeed continu
ally running over. The excess Of the fluid
emploved to turn the wheels Of mills, and tn
! water is conveyed to Tyre by Ocqpeducts' hal
. ancient, half modern, which have beautiful
effect seen on the horizon. 1t is said that Sol
ONION ordered these walls to be made, to recon
pense Tyre and its King Hiram for the service
u" he had received from that monarch's navy ant
its artists, during the building of the Temple
These immense wells are each from sevent
to eighty feet in circumference; their depth
unknown, and indeed is said to be bottomles
r No one has ever been able to learn by whs
mysterious channels the waters from the mour
tains arrive, and there is at least every reaso
q to believe that there are immense Artesian we'll
i constructed thousands Of years before their dis
It covery by the modorns.-- LGmdriine's Pilgrim
= age.
n
{. Singular aud Astonishing Works Q
II Art