New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-15
FROM NEw-YORK TO NINEvEH.
XIII.
FROM JArPA TO JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM, Thursday, April 20, 49,
Leaving the gate Of Jaffa, we rode east
ward between delightful gardens OF hg' c'"o"'
orange promegranate and palm. Inc 0O1 49,
for several miles around the city Is .o .he
Ieyel-part Of the great plain OF oharon-
gray mass Of building browning tue n'" .p .roon
tory is the only landmark seen ABOVE 'n r..d
~a,a.n.,ond IN looking toward the sea. Inc rOao
O.. E,.a 18th hedges of giant cactus, no" II,
- sh.ded OCCASIONALLY with broad armed
.. The orange. trees were IN bloom, and
',. go time laden down with ripe fruit. The
W" of Jsfa are the finest in Syria, and great
- If them are sent to Beyrout and other
- s,,tb,r north The dark foliage ofthe pome-
.,.nste fairly blazed with its heavy scarlet BIOS
so,ns and here and there a cluster Of roses made
GOOD the Scriptural renown Of those Of Sharon.
The road was filled with people, passing to and
fro and several families Of Jafia Jews were having
a sort ofpic-nic in the choice shady spots.
Ere long we came to q fountain, at point
where two roads meet. 1t was large square
structure of limestone and marble, with stone
trough in front, and delightful open chamber at
the side. The space in front was shaded with III
mense sycamore trees, TO which we tieu our
horses. and then took our seats IN the winuo"
above the fountain. where the Greek brought US
mar breakfast. The water was cool and declous'
ne were our Jaia oranges. 1t was charming
snot for as we sat we could look under the boughs
Of the great trees and down between the gardens
N Jsa, and the Mediterranean. After leavingthe
gardens, we came upon the great PLAIN oil Sharon,
on which we could see the husbandnen at WORK
far and near, blowing and sowing their gram In
some instances, the two operations were made
simultane ousy, by having sort of funnel attach
ed to the plow- HANDLE running into tube
which entered the earth just behind the share.
The man held the plow with one hand, while
with the other he dropped the requisite quantity
of seed through the tube into the furrow. The
people are blowing now for the in summer crops,
and the wheat and barley which they sowed last
winter are already in full head On other parts of
the plain, there were large focks Of sheep and
goats, with their attendant shepherds. So ran
the rich landscape, broken only by belts Of olive
trees, to the far hills of Judea. 1t was a beauti-
full pastoral scene, and called up the patriarchal
times Of the Bible.
Riding on over the long, low swells, fragrant
with wild thyme and camomile, we saw at last the
tower Of Rameh, and down the valley, an hours
ride to the north east, the mnaret of Ludd, the
ancient LYDIA. Still further, / could see the
houses of the village of Sharon, embowered in
olives. Ramleh is built along the crest and on the
eastern slope of low hill, and at a distance ap-
pears ike stately place, but this impression is
Immediately dissipsted on entering it. West OF
the town is large square tower, between eighty
and ninety feet in hight. We rode up to it
through an orchard Of ancient olive trees, and over
field of beans. The tower is evidently a nina
ret as il is built in the purest Saracenic style, and
is surrounded by the ruins Of a mosque. | have
rarely seen anything more graceful than the oma-
mental arches of the upper portions. Over the
door is Intel of white marble, with an Arabic
inscription. We clambered over the broken stones
numbering the entrance, and mounted the steps
10 the very summit. The view reached iron
--Jalfa and the sea to the mountains Jerusa
lem, and southwark to the plain of Ascalon-
great expanse of grain and grazing land, all bios
sOming as the rose, and dotted, especially nea
the mountains, with dark, luxurant olive. groves
The landscape had something Of the green pas
fural beauty of England, except the mountains
which were wholly Of Palestine. The mosque to
which the tower is attached is almost entirely de-
strOyed, and only part of the arches of corridor
around three sides of courtyard, with the foun-
tom in the center, still remain The subterranean
cisterns under the courtyard amazed me with
their extent and magnitude. They are no less
than twentyfour feet deep, and covered by twenty
four vaulted ceilings, each twelve feet square, and
resting on massive pillars. The mosque, when
entire, must have been one of the finest in Syria
did not tarry in Ramleh. had not even Gu
riosity enough to visit the Latin Convent, which
the menks claim to be built upon the site of the
house OF Nicodemus. The streets are narrow,
crooked, and filthy as only an Oriental town can
be. The houses have either fiat roofs or domes,
out Of the crevices in which springs plentiful
crop of weeds. Some yellow dogs barked at us
as we passed, children in tattered garments
stared, and old turbaned heads were raised from
the pipe, to guess who the two brown individuals
might be, and why they were attended by such a
fierce cauaH. Passing through the eastern gate
We were gladdened by the sight of our tents al
ready pitched in the meadow below the town, and
beside the pool which supplies it with water Der
wish had arrived an hour before us, and had every
thing ready for the sweet lounge of an hour, to
whichwe treat ourselves after a days ride.
watched the evening fade away over the blue hills
before us, and tried to convince myself that should
reach Jerusalem on the morrow. Reason said :
you certainly willp'-but to my faith the Holy
City was as far off as ever. Was it possible that
was in Judea : Was this the Holy Land of the
Crusades, the soil hallowed by the feet Of Christ
and his Apostles | must believe it. Yet it
seemed once that if ever trod that earth, then
beneath my feet, there would be thenceforth
conservation in my life. holy essence purer
inspiration on the lips, surer faith in the heart.
And because was was not other than had been
half doubted whether it was the Palestine of INV