Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-15
WASHINGTON N: SAT- URlAY, MAY IS, I


forcihly of the Salinas plsns in California In fact
there much in the general character OF this part Of
Syria to bring up "reminiscences Of California. The two
great ranges of mountains Lebanon and Anti Lebanon
skirtng the plain the yast all sides;
the genial sky and bracing atmosphere the long lines Of
mules, with their packs winding over the distant hill
sides the trails dyergng in all directions the parched
and stern character of the scenery, were not unlike
autumn view 10 the Valley Of San Jose OF San Juan and
stf more like the Valley Of Salinas. But here the re-
semblance ceases There is nothing here remind one
Of the ipdomitable energy, the life, vgor and spirit Of
progress strikngy apparent in California whatever
the pain Of Bukaa may have been in the days Of the
splendor Of Heiopols it is barren waste dotted
over with ruined villages and - s..ss
aspect Portions Of tare stH cul6sSted = rude man
neFY and told Wa susceptible being made
produce good wheat II Is almost snarey destitute Of
wood and water and the vages stand eat markedly In
the fplI blsze Nh a,in Ear inthe hstancewe
saw single column ataA solitary1object the broad
waste standing like somn lonely sentinel to remind the
traveller that his land MAS not always thus desolate
There is tradition among the Arabs that thiscolumn
carried hither after the destruction of Baalbek
the shoulders Of Boman who placed it where 1T now.
stands TO- the death Of her lover who was
slain the spot Her back must have been strong as
well as her love, for on near inspection we found the
column to be nearly If not quite as high as Pompeys
Pillar Though Of ancient material far as We could
judge the blocks of stone had been put together
in their present position recent date It stands
on an immense pedestal loosely built and many Of the
stones appear to have been thrown out pface by some
coysion Of nature The lower Block forming the base
is broken nearly to the niddie the gap having the
appearance Of being purposely made to- destroy the
column by fall Itis miraculous how thas 50 long
resisted Of the Winds which sometimes blow with
great violence this painaand - efla a9ScHs 5l4se
In about an hour more wefeached miserable
in sight Of the ruins Of Baalbek where We stopped to
lunch This the worst specimen or Syrian village
we had yet There pond Of green water close
by from which the stencil was nsaerable and ss to the
huts they literally filthy and poverty
stricken to degree that cannot many Of
them being holes cut in the mudbanks partially
walled up The inhabitants corresponded we'll with the
village, being ragged unWashed, sqfad set Of vaga
bonds lazy Arabs be, hut like all the 0rentas
Of handsome features and picturesque and digni6ed In
their rags Every man. with his tban and chibouk and
fine beard, was living picture Of the wsmenI cannot
say much. They were coarse and ugly enough, and
SO covered up in dirty rags that the effect was more ia
distance than proximity The Sheik was dignifed old
man. who in front Of his hove smoking with the quiet
air of Pasha orSulan And here, let meobservs that
have seldom Arab or Turk Of any rank above
the dregs Of society who not amode of good
manners; never evincing any thing ike in
the presence Of his supsros sefsuciepey over his
interiors The Sheks Of the villages dress quite plainly
the best Of the ordinary classes and can only be dis
ngushed by the difference shown them by the people
generally In their administration Of justice they seem
to be actuated by desire economic their power by
settling andculties icably and on the principles Of
common sense LAWS here dvested Of its tautoogy for
it is merely an accepted standard Of right and wrong
cognsed by the mass Of the community additionally and
the shek who acts with undue severity Or whO govern
ed by nequitabe selfish motives loses all power
and his mandates are disregarded : These village gov
ernents are In fact petty republics though nomnsliy
founded and conducted on The principle Of herediadss
potsms This hasreference however emily TO their
nicipa economy; they are all under the sway Of the
Psshas who govern the large cities virtue of the powers
given them from the Sublime Porte. Strictly the
women were watched they could restrain their curi
osity but crowded around the we entered the
village Their sovereignlords and then sharply re-
proved them and added furce the reproo wheni
too often disregarded by sharp slap the side of the
head As usual rngoman went to the best looking
hut, where he procured. tolcrably clean mat and
spread it the door sort of mud seat Here We
were surrounded by all the iders in the village Our
of eating excited the most undsguised astonish
ment especially the Of knives and forks which from
the chatter Of tongues imagined to be the subject Of
much interesting spsculaton Every mouhful watch7
ed from its ncpient carving ohe cutting upon the plate
the trip the fork the mouth its disappearance and
mascaton there and final passage down the throat and
presumed lodgment in, the stomach The sailing and
pepperng the nice turning with the fork, seemed to
be regarded mracle of fdexterity. IN suppressed
Mashallae were heard whenever two pieces could be.
pinned together and made to disappear at the time
Yusuf greatly mortified at this annoyance, and told
1t was the Arab fashion, but that these poor devils
were no better than KeIb dogs and had never seen
Christians eat before He took particulars pains toassre
us that respectable Arabs whom he claimed his
trymen had as much deiicacy about looking at people
while eating as any Europeans. ,,.-,-.t.- - -
Before reaching the village we had indstinct view
Of the columns of the grand Temple Of the but it
was not until we hsd approached to within few miles
that the whole magnificent pile of ruins and columns
looed in distinct outline against the slopes Of Anti
Lebanon 80 / -. -.-5 .4 ~ - .s-
1t soft pleasant evening entered the outer
walls, and drew 40 horses before the CASTLE Like
the Acropols atAhen all else seemed nothing compared
with the glorious Temple Of the Sun How grandiy it
towers amid the desoation Of ruins rising IN all its ma
jesty from the mighty monuments that lie moulderng
aroundt wthis yet magnificent columns standing out
in bold relief against the mountains; its massive walls
unshaken BY the tempess Of ages Its magic proportions
wrought by human hands, and its ruin by the tayages Of
war; Looking upwards through the Of ruins, the
rugged outline the mountains bathed in the rays
Of the setting sun and the whole heavens gowed with
soft colors Ear actos the broad wastes Of the valley Of
n.fu .~.ls