Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-05-02

mer. When the trees are in foil leaf and bios
som, empowering the houses in a wilderness Of
foliage and flowers, while the sweet odor is
waited through the streets and into every cham
Der, scene is presented Of unequalled beauty
the charm of an Eastern magical creation,
rather than a reality of nature and art Trav-
elers familiar with all Europe and western Asia
confess that they have never seen its like.
Sill a terrible fate seems TO await this city.
Enormous quantities of sand are washed up by
the waves on the south side of the cape, and
then, when dry, are taken up by the wind and
blown towards the city, forming entertainments,
which advance about ten feet year. Some
houses have already been buried mp; and others
pulled down and removed, while here and there
the tall palm thrusts up its shaft an tulied head
above the dreary waste, like a drowning man,
mploring aid.
Beirut is the most flourishng and cnterpris-
ing city between Smyrna and Alexandria
The population is estimated at 10000, aud is
rapidly increasing. Twenty years ago it was
only about $4,000. Being the port of Damas-
Gus, and furnishing most Of the merchandise of
all the other cities on the coast of Syria, lis ac-
tivity and enterprise, under the stimulus and
direction of numerous European merchants, i'm
part an air of American lie better than any
city in these old seats Of commerce.
All the Eastern religious secls have their
places Of worship here-the Armenians, both
Papal and Orthodox, the Greek, both Catholic
and Orthodox, the Latin, The Syrian, and the
Jewish while four or five mnareis, rising
from as many mosques, are the witnesses OF the
false Prophet Even the Druses have their
Khdlioch, or holy place, in which TO perform
the mysterious rites Of their worship. One Of
the mosques was an elegant church, built by
the Crusaders, and called after ST. James. In
visiting it some time since, ! observed the
words, in Greek, on the walls where the bap-
tsmal font was once situated "The spirit OF
God upon the waters" The Greek Catholic
Church is quite spacious and elegant, the funds
for building which were collected principally in
the United States by willy priest, who did not
forget himself in his devotion TO the church,
putting into his own pockets enough of the con-
trlbutlous to make himself and his associate in
the spunging operation itch. The only place
where the Gospel is truly preached, and where
those assemble who worship God in spirit and
in truth, is The American chapel, in which there
is one service every Sabbath in English, and
one in Arabic. A young Prussian minister has
recently been sent out, who breaches one Sab
bath in German and one in French 10 the
French and German Protesan,s. At present
he makes use Of the American chapel, at hours
when 1t is not occupied.
Fourteen Consuls of as many different nations
reside here, whose flags, raised on the Sabbath,
gaily futter in the wind while not less than
eighteen different languages are spoken in this
modern Babel. Those principally used are the
Turkish and Arabic. Many of the people speak
half dozen, which they seem 10 have acquired
without thought or effort.