New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-14

distant olive orchards; here the water gu'nea
from stone fountain and flowed into al un-g"uou
pool. around which the Syrian women were WIZ"
ing their garments; there, garden oil ORANGE
lemon 6g and DO negranate trees in blossom, was
= sr,;,g of sweet odors, which overlooked the
whole land. We rode into some of these ieres's'
for they were no less and finally pitched our tent
in one Of them, belonging to the palace Of Tue
former AbdaIah Pasha, within mile oil ACRE.
The old Saracen aqueduct, which still conveys
water to the town, overhung our tent. For an
hour before reaching our destination, We had seen
it on the left, crossing the hOOws on light stone
arches. In one place counted % and in another
l03 of these arches, some OF which were oV ieeI
high. Our camp was charming place nest OF
deep heritage, under two enormous 6g-trees, and
surrounded by balmy grove of orange and citron'
In the morning we rode to Acre, the fortihca-
tons of which have been restored on the land sde'
ponderous double gateway Of stone admitted
us into the city, through what was once, appar-
entity, the courtyard of fortress The streets
of the town are narrow, terribly rough and very
dirty, but the bazaars are extensive and well
stocked. The principal mosque, whose heavy
dome is visible at some distance from the city, IS
surrounded with garden, inclosed by pllared
corridor, paved with marble. All the houses OF
the city are built IN the most massive style, OF
hard gray limestone or marble, and this circum-
stance alone prevented their complete destruction
during the English bombardment in 1911. The
marks of the shells are everywhere seen, and the
upper parts of the lofty buildings are completely
riddled with cannon-bals, some of which remain
imbeoded in the stone. We made a rapid tour of
the town on horseback, followed by the curious
glances of the people, who were in doubt whether
to consider us Turks or Franks. There were
dozen vessels in the harbor, which is considered
the best in Syria.
The baggage. mules had gone on, so we galloped
after them along the hard beach, around the head
of the bay. 1t was brilliant mornings delicious
south eastern breeze came to us over the howery
plain of Esdraelon; the sea on our right shsae
blue, and purple and yiolet-green, and black, as
the shadows or sunshine crossed it. fisherman
stood on the beach in a statuesque attitude, his
bare legs bathed in the frothy swells bag of fish
hanging from his shoulder, and the large square
net with its sinkers Of lead in his right hand
ready for cast. He had good luck, for the
waves brought up plenty of large fish and cast
them at our feet, leaving them to struggle back
into the treacherous brine. Between Acre and
Haifa we passed six or eight wrecks, mostly of
small trading vessels. Before reaching the line of
palm-trees, girdng the foot of Mount Carmel
we forded the River Kishon, on whose banks the
prophet Elijah slew the priests Of Baal. The
town of Hai, the ancient Caiapha, is small, dirty
and beggarly. looking but it has some commerce,
sharing the trade of Acre in the productions of
| Syria. 1t was Sunday, and all the Consular flags
were flying 1t was an unexpected delight to find
the American colors in this little Syrian town
flying from one Of the tallest poles.
We assembled to Mount Carmel. The path
led through grove of carob trees from which the
beans, known in Germany as st. Johns bread, are
produced After this we came into an olive
grove at the foot ofthe mountain from which long
fields of wheat, giving forth ripe summer SMELL
flowed down to the shore of the bay. The olive
trees were of immense size, and | can well be-
lieye, as Fra Carlo informed us, that they were
probably planted by the Roman Colonists, estab-
lished there by Titus. The gnarled, veteran
boles still send forth vigorous and bossoming
boughs. There was all manner of lovely lights
and shades chequered over the turf and the wind
ing path we rode. At last we reached the foot OF
an ascent sleeper than the Ladder of Tyre. As
our horses slowly climbed to the Convent of st.
Elijah, whose French flag we already saw float
ing over the shoulder of the mountain, the view
opened graRdly to the north and east, revealing
the bay and plain of Acre. and the coast as far as
Ras Nukhara from which we first saw Mt. Car
mel the day previous. The two views are very
similar in character, one being the diverse of the
other We reached the Convent-Dayr Mar
Elias, as the Arabs call tat noon, just in time
to partake of bOuntifll dinner, to which the
monks had treated themselves. Fra Carlo, the
good Franciscan who receives strangers, showed
us the building and the Grotto of Elijah, which is
under the altar of the Convent Church, small
but very handsome structure of Italian marble
The sanctity of the grotto depends on tradition
entirely, as there is no mention in the Bible of
Elijah having resided on Carmel, though it was
from this mountain that he saw the cloud, " like
a mans hand, rising from the sea. The Convent
which is quite new-not yet completed, in fact
is a large, massive building, and has the aspect Of
a fortress.
AS we were to sleep at Tantura, five hours dis
tant, we were obliged to make a shsrt visit, in
spite of the invitation of the hospitable Fra Carlo
to spend the night there. In the afternoon we
passed the ruins of Athlit town of the Middle
Ages, and the Castel Pelegrino of the Crusaders
Our road now followed the beach, ne irly the whole
distance to Jalla, and was in many places for
leagues in extent, solid layer of white brown,
purple and rosy shells, which cracked and ratified
Under our horses feet. The next morning We
passed the ruins Of ancient Cesarea, a small
cape, backed by plain completely oyergrown with
camomile, hrysanthemam and wild shrubs. The
principal remains of the town consist Of a massive
wall, flanked with pyramidal bastions at regular
intervals, and with the traces Of gateways, draw