Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1856-11-13

Il
transported 70 he fAmOus esnelry Of Campo
santO at Pisa in he days Of The republic.
We then set ous By way Of the Damascus
gate 10 visit the stOmbs Of the kings. and jud.
gss." at the nOrsh OF the valley Of JehOsapbal
bali bour distant. These mOnaments are The
no't extensive aud remarkable Of any around
JerusAlsm, and much discussion has taken
Paes in regard 70 shat age and TO ssOn they
belong. Sons assign the krsl 10 the aBeisnl
kings. Others call il the tomb Of Helena, and
others still the monument Of HsrOd. which Jo-
ssPhus relates vas situated 10 Ibis direction
We entered large open area sEeaVAtsd out o.
the limestone rock, and then came TO the por-
tieo, sxquisitsly carved with clusters ofgrapes
various fruits and flowers and other ornamental
decorations. This is the Vestbule TO the tomb
within. The doorway iS low and so ObGtructed
with loose SIOnss that yOu are obliged TO sn~
ter upon your hands and knees. YOu then
end yourself Ia 9 noble hall. twenty feet square
with IN arehed ceiling overhead, jet only an
snts.ehambsr 70 the Sepulehrss. FIOn this
room q door leads into several smaller cham
bers designed Tor the depOsitalies Of the dead.
They have inches out In the walls and contains
fragments Of6nsly Sculptured marble SareOpha.
gi One hss diVan running eli around the
room for the reception Of the smbalmed bodies
Another leads BY . fight Of stone steps down
to second vault, where we found the broken
lid and fragments Of scarPOhAgus covered
with rich prOfusiOn Of ornaments, garlandS OF
flowers aud clusters Of grapes. wrought ia the
foliage Of the vine. These chambers we're all
closed by the massive stone doors fitted with
lemons and sockets in the rock, which have
been thrown down and broken BY thOSe scar
ching fOr the plundeT Of the tOmbs. We have
no evidence that the ancient Jews cultivated
the art Of sculpture in Larble 10 so great an
extent, and we must doubtless assign this splep-
did monument to tie age of HerOd the great
who introduced the Grscian and ROmac style
during bis reign in Judea. .......
We then visited the tOmbs Of the judges q
short distance beyond. They are Of similar
style OF ornament, containing also chambers
and many crypts and inches for the dead,
though less extensive and elabOratsly wrought
In enc found living fountain Of excellent
water gushing from the rock. Returning
thence We traced out the course Of the ancient
walls Of Jerusalem on the North, the remains
Of which are now nearly obliterated. After
ward we explored the vast subterranean
quarries underneath the walls and buildings Of
the present city. The entrance is BY a narrow
hole 10 the wall near the Damascus gate, and
has recently been discovered. We we're
obliged to draw ourselves thrOugh in hoTison-
tel position. and then maintain STOPPING
posture for q long distance, when vs came to
an immsnes cavern, an eighth Of mile in
length, sxcavatsd ia the rock under the ei'y.
We also discovered large 6ssure above, ap'
pareutly made BY an earthquake, probably at the
time of the cruci6xiou. when" the vail oi The
temple was rent in twain from the top 10 the
bottom, and the sarth did quake, aEd the rocks
rent, and the graves we're opened"
THIN we came to small cave filledw n VA
ter, strongly impregnated With lime. .andnausssu
Ito the taste. The air was exceedingly close
and the darkness dense, such as could be felt
We could only trace our direction BY remain
ing nesr the wall Of the rock. Far down bslO'
we found the bones OF one who had fallen and
been crushed Immediately to death. The an'
cient mode Of quarrying was easily tracsabler
and the huge blocks Of stone sbat have beer
removed. Immense broken fragments haVs
also fallen below. Nothing that we saw around
Jerusalem gave us such an idea Of the extent
Of the buildings Of the ancient city, as the ex'
plOratiOn Of these grand subtsrransan quarris'
whence the materials were taken. Perhaps
from hence were drawn the great stones thu
formed the foundation OF SOlomOn's temple
Having thas wandered far in this dense dark
cess, (which our lights could scarcely Pene
trAte. and not reaching The end. We Wsreglad
to return to the light and air Of the day again
s. C.E R.