Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-29

mossue but in the absence of any better information
than that of dragoman had take it as such There
is high wall, enclosing space Of some hundreds Of
yards square, in which Of vast arches sustained
by pillars covering the entire interior Looking through
has the appearance of perfect forest Of
pillars Near the is little tomb built Of rough
stone apparently Saracenic construction upon end
of which inscription in Arabic Thisis said to be the
tomb of the Saadn the conqueror of the Chris
tan hosts on the fields of Hath and of Esdraelon.
did not read the inscription; am unable to tell you
what it means
There some few objects of interest in the way of
ruined walls arches containing patches of the antique
about through the town and the neghborhood
all of which we thoroughly examined; but they are
much like any other ruins that the interest depends mainly
upon their being Baalbek where every body cannot
| to them, as in Rome or Athens. @
| Tired of rambling about, / sat down eminence
overlooking the ruins and began think seriously and
sebery of all that had SEEM and to dvest myself Of the
first enthusiastic Impressions to arrive at
sonabe idea what Baabek must have been in the days
Of its glory Sober second thought is good deal like
written contract; brings both parties the imagination
and the judgmen to proper understanding and leaves
no room for visionary speculation loose Interpretation
That Baalbek was city Astounding in fine edifces is
sufficiently apparent from the magnfcence Of its ruins
temples, and the loss of the many works Of buried
there among which must have been Of the choicest
Of ancient times and while there is much left to adj
mire it is improbable that in the lapse of centuries
there may have been mufh destroyed equally worthy of
admiration But that Baalbek ever very extensive
very important city is not think rendered probable
by any evidence existing The foundations of the
ancient walls which be clearly traced embrace but
small of ground, certainly not sufficient for very
large city, and its position shut among the mountains of
Lebanon two days distant from any seaport and not
the usually travelled route from the interior cities Of Asia
Minor indicates that it supported by
is also probable that the Temple Of the Sun and the
Palace the most important of all the public edfces
and that the streets and badly paved without
side walks, in all the cities of the East and the resi-
denees Of ordinary construction; because small city
could not be embraced in so limited space with any
thing like fine streets large houses If the implements
Of agriculture good deal better than any that
exist in Syria at the present day. and it is said they
about the used in scpural times the plain
of Bukaa have been indebted Nature than
the cultivation Of for its reputed fertility Probably
there trees it, and gardens and vine
yards for the supply of the town The inhabitants
have lived something, and it is not likely they had
much else to eat except what they produced this plain
But there NO evidence of luxurious style of living If
ever there carriages they must have travelled in the
air with mules horses each end, they do now
for there is nothing to show that there roads fit
wheeled vehicles to Sometimes piece of an old
Roman road along the coast and poor enough it
must have been in its best day. but could discover
nothing of the kind about Baabek. think the inhab
tants Of the glorious City of the Sun rode donkeys At
al events donkeys must have been convenient climbing
through the Streets unless the style paving agood
deal better than any thing done throughout the East in
modern times of which there no evidence in the spe,
cmens that remain.
In sober truth the more thought about Baalbek as ii
was the more became impressed with the idea that
apt magnify the grandeur of every thing ancient
and encourage false impressions by feeding the mind with
the poetry Of the past There much reality then
as there is at present; human and all their
works human and the ruins of those works derive
much Of their effect from the lapse of time To ina
gnatve mind broken column is more beautiful covered
with the mould Of ages, than of precisely the same
form new and complete. There must have been time
when those works new, and when contemporary
architects and critics held the opinion of them,
compared with something antique, we do now of
what is done in day. compared with what was done
then The enchantment that distance lends lent to all
these temples and relics Of ancient grandeur with
liberal hand ! in Jerusalem picture of Baalbek
rebuilt as 1t originally stood, beautifully drawn by
petent artist and, comparing il with drawings Of the
ruins say that Baalbek in ruins with little
for the Imagination is much grander and imposing
than Baabek complete it existed in ages past with
nothing beyond mere reality TO look to-. S#
But il will not do to indulge in this train Of thought
Strip the past of all its romance and there is little left to
write about What reader viii be satisfied with plain
facts; what reader viii be satisfied with the simple
adorned truth-except the few that hope honor me
with perusa Of these pages and is only to that
but enlightened class that dare address such unpopu
lar views t na
In my rambes about the village Of Baalbek was
struck with the beauty Of the children and the extreme
youhfulness Of some Of the Arab mothers several
young females not than twelve fourteen years Of
age, with babies in their arms evidently their and
told that this quite throughout Syria Many
Of the very beautifui-much more SO think
than either the Circassian the Turkish women 1t was
quite enchanting their fine complexions dark eyebrows
and flashing eyes and for regularity and delicacy Of ea
lures have seldom them equaled except in other
parts Of Syria In Nazareth some Of the best form
ed and most beautiful women had ever seen in any
country; believe ii is noted as much for the beauty of
its female population among tourists as for its historical
interest; but at place did what really thought
approached the perfection of beauty in high degree
in Bethlehem. The women Of Bethlehem are absolute
y bewitching never such perfect proflcs, such
eyes and eyebrows, and such delicate little hands and
feet Not that mean to say that they at all to We
compared in all the higher attributes Of beauty 10 our
own fair countrywomen, for that would be sscrilege