New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-20

twgs are long and plant, and armed with small
though most cruel thops. ! had to pay for gath.
ering some Of the fruit, with torn dress and
bleeding fins ers. The little apples which it bears
are slightly acid and excellent for lie rating thirst
also noticed on the plain a variety Of the night
shade. with large berries of golden color. The
spring flowers so plentiful now in all other parts of
Palestine, have already disappeared fro n the val
ley of the Jordan.
Rihah is vile little village OF tents and mud
huts, and the only relic of antiquity near it is
square tower, which may possibly be of Roman
origin. There are few gardens in the place and
a grove Of superb fig trees. We found our tent
already pitched beside ril which issues fro the
Fountain Of Elisha. The evening was very suItry,
and the musketoes gave us no rest. We purchased
some milk Of an old man who came to the tent,
but such his mistrust Of us that he refused to
let US keep the earthen vessel containing it I'M
til morning. As we had already paid the money
to his son, we would not let him take the milk
away until he had brought the money back. lie
then took a dagger from his waist and threw it
before us as security while he carried of the YES
sci and returned the price. | have frequently
seen the mistrustul spirit exhibited in Egypt
Our two Bedouins, to who gave some tobacco
in the evening, manifested their gratitude by steal
ing the remainder of our stock during the night.
This morning we followed the stream to its
source, the Fountain of Elisha, so called as being
probably that healed by the Prophet. If so, the
healing was scarcely complete. The water, which
gushCs up strong and free at the foot of a rocky
mound, is warm and slightly brackish. 1t spreads
into a shallow pool, shaded by fine sycamore
tree. Just below, there are some remains of old
walls on both sides, and the stream goes roaring
away through a rank jungle of canes fifteen feet in
hight. The precise site of Jericho, believe, ha'
not been fixed, but the city of the palm-trees,'
as it was called, was probably on the plain, near
some mounds which rise behind the Fountain.
Here there are occasional traces of foundation
walls, but so ruined as to give no clue to the date
of their erection. Further toward the mountain
there are some archeS which appear to be Sara
Genie. As we assembled again into the hill coun-
try, observed several traces Of cistems in the
bottoms Of ravnes which collect the rains. Herod,
as is we'll known, built many such cisterns near
Jericho, where he had palace. On the first
man tower yet standing. The view, looking back
over the valley of Jordan is magnificent, extend
ing from the Dead Sea to the mountains of Gilead
beyond the country Of Ammon. ! thought L
could trace the point where the River Iabbok
comes down from Mizpeh of Gilead to join the
Jordan.
The wilderness we now entered was fully as bar
rem, but less rugged than that through which we
passed yesterday. The path assembled along the
brink of deep gorge, at the bottom of which
little stream foamed over the rocks. The high,
bleak SUBMITS toward which we were climbing,
are considered by some Biblical geographers to be
Mount Quarantana, the scene of Christ's fasting
and temptation. After two hours we reached the
ruins of large khan or hostelry, under one Of the
peaks, which Franc DIS stated to be that from
which the Devil pointed out all the Kingdoms of
the earth. There is a cave in the rock beside the
road, which the supersttious look upon rs the
ori6ce out of which his Satanic Majesty issued
We met large numbers of Arab families, with their
iocks, descending from the mountains to take up
their summer residence near the Jordan. They
were all on foot, except the young children and
goats which were slowed together on the backs
OF donkeys. The men were armed, and appeared
to be of the same tribe as our escort, with whom
they had good understanding.
The morning was cold and cloudy, and we hur-
red on over the hills to a fountain in the valley
of the Brook KedroD where we breakfasted Be
fore we had reached Bethany n rain came down
and the sky hung dark and lowering over Jerusa
lem as we passed the crest of Mount Olivet. |
ell. . o.t,
ceeds any thing have seen, even in the Orient.