The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-06-01
s.The cedars OF fLebanon."

the East, is furnishing, through tho columns OF
tho National Mteligencer, some very in'eres-
tnga entertaining letters from that quarter
Of the globe; from one of which, written rom
Jerusalem in Dec 1851, we extract the follow
inc account of hisyisit 10 Mount Lebanon:
IL would be necessary TO go beyond the lin
It's of a mere letter To give an account OF our
ioprney for the last three days. We stopped
nj Jehel Batrom and Trpol long enough to
SEQ each town pretty thoroughly, and on the
third day commenced our ascent OF Mount Le-
banon.
Al Aheden. claimed by some as the Garden
of Eden. we were obliged TO take guide, the
path being altogether obliterated in some OF
the table grounds by recent floods of rain. AS
we approached the cedars we went down lnto
n rayino. and soon after passed along the ledge
of a profound gorge, extending to the depth OF
several hundred feet. A village, distant oy
Syrian measurement two hours from Aheden,
| lies on the left ofthe gorge, not far from when
is celebrated grotto, visited by many OF the
pilgrims as place of peculiar interest. Our
ti,s,e, however. being limited, we pushed on,
and in another hour entered the grove OF CO.
dars---a mere patch of green in the bare ana
desert hollow of the mountains, IL was cold
and gloomy within tho shadow enclosure, ana
quite deserted. Not living thing was to De
seen. and all was silent as death, save an oc-
bird among the branches. Entering by raw
inc below, we ascended some distance among
the Younger crawth of trees till we reached
an elevation few hundred yards higher up,
upon which stands rude stone chap.e,
built by some of the Frank monks, in the midst
of the ancient grove and still used by Christian
pilgrims in their annual visits OF devotion--
There are twelve veteran and storm. beaten
trees pointed out as the original cedars OF
Lebanon: and the best authorities, believe,
concur in admitting these to be the veritable
cedars referred to by the Scriptures. Certainly
they bear every indication of extraordinary
antiquity; and there is no reason to doubt tha'
they existed in very remote ages. From these
have sprung. during the lapse Of centuries, the
; surrounding grove consisting OF nearly iouf
hundred trees Of various degrees of antiquity,
but all of the same species This chapel was
3 quite deserted, the priests having left some
DAYS before for the moro genial climate ot Trip,
oil. II is the custom for all the lnhaDitpnts o.
: the vicinity to depart for the valleys below Oh
the approach Of winter, which is very severe
. and protracted Of this elevation. Our guide
: pointed out the height to which tho snow
u reached during the previous winter in some
J. the trees, and we Judged it to be not less thar
Q twenty feet 1t often covers the walls OF tht
chanel entirely up to the roof, completei.
blocking up all means osingress and exit: A
o such a time of course it would be very difficult
ifnot altogether impracticabe, TO exist III TIM
y region; but II we are 10 credit the strange mar
, ratives related 10 us by our Arabs, 1t has oeei
, done by the aid Of miracles and may be doh
y again. Eleas, one of our interpreters, assured
y Us that there was once a dark man who cam
p over from distant country, and who, IN con
!! sequence Of having committed great sir
~ was resolved TO expiate his offence by starving
himself TO death ia the hollow of one of the oil
cedars. There he fixed his abode, ana praye
le in secret. ard such was the efficacy OF hi
y prayers that he subsistcd for two years o
= nourshing waters that were sent down to hi
j from the branches OF the tree by mlracuiou
nc mower: and he suffered neither from heat nc
ce from cold, but at the expiration OF his voiu1
y. tary penauce took his departure, and returne
IL "a happv man to his own country. 10 rend'
ca the story strictly credible the hollow was poii
a. tod out to US and Eleas. who was IhrlstE'
Ms ofthe Greek Church, said his prayers und'
.s. the shadow of the old cedar. With 9th
'e strange histories Of a similar kind the sim2
OF natives entertained us, while we sat down III
,ot der the wide-branching trees, spread our clo
nc upon the ground, and refreshed ourselves
py ter the ride from Aheden.
m AS soon as we had finished our repast
nc set out to make moro thorough examina'l'
,p- of the ancient cedars, or the original twelve
ne which the chief interest is centered. IL
ouired no preat research 20 convince us of tht
ou great age, which is strikingly apparent in th'
guarded ana time-worn trunks Many ol I
branches hayo become sapless, and are Il
the rotting away; othors are broken oil by {
force Of many tempesls, or have fallen OF tn
nal own accord from sheer old age; now Oh
ace have sprung out, and new SHOOTS continue
ich supply the ravages worked by time; the trun
ers are of vast circumference, and are compos
inn of divers parts consolidated, somo OF them p
re- hans the growth OF different ages. All OF
au- old trees and many of the younger ones ha
ON LARGO niece cut out OF their trunk, upon wh
/: are carved the names of visitors who IRON Il
to, 10 time have been attracted to this remote
act gion. Among theso noticed the name of La
J g. ar,iue. said to have been carved by an Al
ork while the great sentimentalist was gong II
inn eestaces in his comfortable quarters De'o"
ract There were several American names, out h'
yer, Of very recent date--Only two withln TWO ye'
tho In the register which is kept on tho altar
600 tho chapel saw several English, French :
and Oriental names Some of the remarks W
till curious enough. One gentleman, who pro
lie blv imagined tho ccdsrs to be red or pl
i've with blue tops. like those in tho panoran
long inscribed bis namo on the register VIII
and niece of intelligence: "Visited the Cedars
de- Lebanon, and was greatly disappointed.
This other traveller Informed me that no could
anu much larger and inner trees at hone WIZ
lem- trouble or EXPENSE. What anybody expect
s TO see except the Cedars of Lebanon, l am
they loss to conceive. One does not travel tl
,ank days over bad roads to witness a raree-sl
. a or see simply few cedar trees because :
lock arc cedars. but if understand it, the onle
Of 70 ace the Cedars of Lebanon mentioned III
your Scriptures: and there they are without do
Gle, 'rbey can be seen by anybody who has eye
lsers soc: II is true they are only. cedars, but
plo are very wonderful, rs well from their
too antiquity as from the Scriptural interest att
is o. ed to them. ~ l
- Mossrs. Lansing and Burnett, Amer
Q en- missionaries at Damascus, visited tins re-
over last Summer, and carefully counted the ce'
the both old and young. They also made
measurements of very interesting chara