Democratic banner., 1850-12-04
Fross tie Duhsis Eairers;tF yN.sa<nae
The Eeaa sea aasd nae Jeraan. :,

a. -a- Il :
1 The Eead sea alsa nae Jeraan. q soa
| We d-cended BY steep path into the
plain, and passing a pool Of stagnant water.
surrounded by a mass If long dank weeds.
rode Through a few low thdrny bushes, ana
Preached the margin of the lake. There was
a hard Pebbly strand, strevsd shefs aud
there with dIAt wood; bare trunks eftrees.
withered and dry, covered With ee.,isg of
salt; small Jumps Of bitnminous. substance
we're scattered over the beach, GO sftera
wards found several other pieces fo.,iae on
the water The water itself y as clear ana
ilimpid, and the sun was reflected ftom its
surface with a dazzling glare; viewed from
this paint the Bshr Latho, a. the Arsb< call
iit, lost nothing Of its gloomy aspect. Girt,
or our left hand, by the dark range Of Mo-
,ab. continuation of the craggy heisAts we
had Just quilted folmed the barrier on, the
right, their black bituminous. cliffs rising
: abruptly from the lake, which stretched far
before US into the distance. till its leadsn n
hue, were blent with the hszy blue Of the
horiznn-Taste. water, crsg, monotonous
blue sky, the sole compoaents Of the cheer
less landscape. -s-- 's..i.
Heated and fatigued, We prepared for =
general battle; at least our private party,
tor the pilgrims determined to reserve their
energies for the sacred Jordan-the Lake
Of SodOm being held BY them in horror and
abomination, utterly unadapted to the ends
OF Cleanliness or comfort, as we afterwards
ascestained to our cost. The bad odor in
which the lake was held did not, however,
deter ns-and having called a halt, wr
plunged ike young ducks iato the liquid ell
sment, Paulo clucking like an old hen. on
the hank. We plunged Disastrous was
the plunge. Rapidly enough bead after
head popped up from the execrahle waters
hair matted, eyes smarting, and tongues
burning from the intense suiphnrous bitter
isaltnrss of the detestabie liquid in which We
were immersed; water il was not, nor btu
men, nor salt, nor sulphur, but disgusting
compOnna Of all ioar,--a hogshead Of it
would serve as "a emetic for eli Asia Minor,
and have some gallons 10 spare against the
next emetic. You could neither sink in Il,
nor swim in it. Talk Of fy in molassss,
or wasp in barrel Of tar-I can fiud no
parallel for bath in the Dead Sea.
brought home bottle Of it. aud sicken-
ed some scores Of my acquaintances. But
the suffermgs Of my companions were tri.
tie 10 what felt, cut and maimea in conse.
quenee Of my superior horssmsnship. |
jumped into the waters as raw as q beef
steak, and jumped out Of it as il were fay
ed alive; however, let me be Just TO this
abominable mixture; If I smsrted for il, my
wounds were well cautelized and complete.
ly skinned over; the cure was perfect to .
miracle. We dressed with the comfortable
sensation Of men who had been well coated
over with mutton suet-stif, greasy, and
Extremely out o: sorts, with tinsling creep
ing feel orsr the skin. and remountine,
turned our steps to the fords Of the Jordan.
Crossing the plains towards the right, we
reached the banks Of the river, which bur
rows, in its sinuous course, far below the
level Of the plain-the dense thicket Of
bushes, shrubs and trsss that grow out Of
its waters in many places scarcely out-top-
ping the bank. The stream is very rapid
and the water muddy. Leaving the river
to follow its meanderings, we arrived by a
shorter path at the celebrated fords, where
tradition tells US the host oflsrael trod dry,
shod through the depths, as the flood re-
tired before the ark of God; nor is It improb-
able that here John the Baptist was bapti-
sing, and that here our blessed Lord, as he
came out Of the waters, received the public
seal Of his ministry, "when the Holy Ghost
in bodily shape like dove came upon
him, and voice from heaven which said,
Thou art my beloved son, in thee am well
pleased" .u.,,. .....-. ...s....
At this part Of the river the banks are
low, and nearly on level with The stream;
here, also, the river is comparatively broad,
and shaded BY trees, which grow in great
abundance along its margin; near the bank
the water is shallow, but the current ex-
ceedingly rapid; on both sides the stream is
bordered by a dense thicket, with few o.
pen intervals; the Jordan willow is found in
gre at luxurisnce. The fords Of the Jordan
being the grand termination of our expedi-
ton, our pilgrims, who had taken only de-
votional whst at Mar Saba, now prepared,
with infinite gusto, for solemn ablution in
the sacred river. The Arabs had driven
our horses into the water, and were swim.
ming with them in great glee; we, too, got
ready for bath, anxious to wash off the
| Al