Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1856-11-13
Mnnnt Sinai.

IN the bosO,s, uf The mountains before us,
saw the well known shapes vi the cliffs
which iorm the front OF Sinai. AT each
successive advance, these cliffs disenvnge
themselves IRON The intervening aud snr,
roundrnv hills, and at last they stood out
should rather say the columnar mass which
they form. stood out -slone against The sky.
On each side, the sky encompassed l, round,
ms though il were alone in the wilderness.
Aud 10 this giant mass we approached
through wide valley, a long continued
p'ain, which enclosed as il was between
two precipltous mountain ranges vi black
nnd yellow granite. and having always a,
its ,nd this ,rodlgious mountain block,
could compare to nolhing else That the i'm
m.nse avenue, The ''droino>," Us ii is tic,
nical!y called, through which the appro ch
was made 70 the great Egyptian temples
One extraordinary sensation was The iufe-
knowledge at each successive opening oi
the view OF every object that would next APP
pear; a. cliff aud PLAIN, aud the deep gorgeS
Oh each side, and lastly the Convent with
its gardens bUrst before me, it was the un.
folding Of the sight al sights, Of which had
read AVID heard for years, till each part ui it
seemed as familiar as il had seen it again
und again. Was it the same or not? The
coiors, and the scale Of the scene, were not
precisely what should have gathered from
descriptions; the cclors less remarkable, the
scale less grand. But the whole impress ion
of that long approach was even more Won
derful than had expected. Whatever may
have been the scene Of the events in Exo-
dus, cannot imagine that any human being
could pass up that plain and not feel that he
WAS entering place above all others suit
ed for the most august of the sights Of earth.
We encumped outside the Convent. al the
point where the great Wady rs Sheykh falls
into the Wady Er.Raheh, Immediately un-
der the corner OF the cliff.
.fsseat of Gsbel .Vorsa and Of Ras Sdsa-
fk.
r. The next day we started for Gebel Mou.
ga, the Mountain Of Moses, the traditional
scene OF the Giving Of the Law. l shI
not 20 through all the steps Of the we'll
knowA ascent. There were two points
which especially struck me. First the I-
ile plain Just belnre the last ascent. The
long fl ghi OF rude steps, which lead from
tbs base Ia the summit, winding through
crngs OF granilc, at last brings You in sight
OF grand archwdy standing between two
OF these huge bluffs, somewhat like that by
which yo enter the desert oil The Clarircusc.
You pass this, and yet another, and tLen find
yourself in that world renowned spot. The
tall cypress, which stands IN the centre, had
already appeared towering above the rocks
before we came in sight Of the whole
There is ruined church on the slope Of
the hill, built over the so.called cave ot Eli
jai. and awell and tank an the u,her, also
ascrbed to him. 1t is n solemn aud beau
ttui scene, entirely secluded, aud entirely
characteristic, with the exception OF the ey-
press, which marks the hand oil strangers.
Next, the SUNNI, itself, whatever else may
be its claims, bears on its front the marks
OF being, OF having been, regarded Us the
spot most universally sacred on earth. For
there side by side, and from reverence for
The sans erent on which both religions are
fo1nfe1, stands the ruins OF a small Ma
homrdan mosque. From whatever point
we saw this famous peak, these two frag-
nents of Worship, almost always visible
nppn il. more distinctly than anything else,
told what it wa.
Aid now for (he question which every
one asks on &iat cnn-ecrnted spot. Is
this '.lhe top Of the mount described III
Exodus. ar mast we seek 1t elsew here!--
The whole on 'siiui lgrns an ano her qnes-
lion. whether there is plain below 1t agree
ing with the words OF the narrative. De.
Robinson, whn has the merit vi discovering
first tina. magnificent apprarch which have
before Described on HE other side Ut the
mountain. declares not; but Lab"rde and
nh-rs have so confidently Maintained that
there wa, large and appropriate place l"r
the enc mpm-nt below tins peak, that l was
fnly prepared Ia find, and 10 believe III the
cd rrXdhion. Thi- impression i sa Instant
ly oyeril.rown by The view Of the Wady
Seb'ayeh, rs one Looks down upon it froE
The preeipiee Of the Grbel MJu>a, that it
must be At once abandoned in favor OF the
view OF the grea. approach beiore described,
litIess either the view Of the PLAIN oI Er
Rabeh Was less imposing from above than
il WI. from below, az the plan OF Se5ayeh
more Imposing rran below Than it was from
above. the first thing 10 be done was.
therefore TO gain The summit Of the other
end Of lie range .eahitd tie Rrs Sasalrh
(Wilow Head overlooking The Er-kaleh
from above, The whols party descended
and alter winding through Tie various Oa-
sins and cliffs which make up the range,
we reached the rocky poiH. overlooking the
approach we had come the proceeding day.
The effect on us, as on every sne who has
seen and described II, was instantaneous. -
II was like the seat on the top OF Serial,
bnt with the difference, that her, was the
deep, wide, yellow plain, sweeping down
60 the very base of The ellis; exactly an
sweripg 10 the plain on which the people
removed and stood ofar off.
There IS yet ahigher mass Of granite iro-
mediately above fms point, which should be
assembled, Tor the greater completeness Of
view which il affords. The plain below is
then seen extending not only between the
ranges Of Tlaha and FHreis. bat also into
the lateral valleys, which, On the northeast,
unite it with the wide Wady Of the Sheykh.