The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-02-22
MARCH OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE uorv
LAND

French gentleman, who delights to freouent
the spots on which celebrated poets have dwe1t, or
whence they derived their inspiration has published
in the WOnteur account of his visit to the Gar
dens of Solomon First. he visited the sealed
fountains large subterranean reservoirs wherein
the waters springng from the mountains are col
lected, and whence the water is conducted to Jeru
salem by pipes :-'' At short distance from the
reservoirs are the celebrated gardens They extend
along valley which runs from El-Bourrach to
Dethlehem. 1t Is the most charming spot in all
falestme. Solomon was good Judge in more
senses than one There murmurine streams
winding through verdant lawns: there are the
cholcest fruits and flowers, the hvacinth and the
anem0ne, the Zig tree and the pine. Towering high
above the garden and contrasting grandly with its
SOFT aspect are the dark precipitous rocks of the
nelghborlng mountain, around whose SUBMITS yul-
lures and eagles necessarily scream and describe
spiral circles in the air. The rare plants and flow
efs winch the great enchaner Of the East collected
Wlthln these gardens were protected from the north
WIND by the mountain. Every gust of the south
wind was loaded with perfumes. With the first
breeze of spring the fig tree put forth its fruits and
the vines began to blossom 1t was. in the words of
Scripture, ga garden of delights" The negotiations
OF the north and the south were intermingled One
part OF the garden called the Walnut tree-waIk
Cor, as the English Scripture translation has it, the
Garden of Nuts) another is the Beds of Spices"
The writer's guide was a well educated Italian, who
informed him that the Gardens of Solomon are now
let to an Englishman. ''rhe present tenant he
said, SIS Mr. Goldsmith, Of the house of Goldsmith
gardens
mon on the Yorkshire system. You will be aston
lShed to see how successful he has been Here is the
house, perceived a bright brass knob shining in
the centre of small square Of porcelain let into a
Whlte wall" over this knob was the following SUI
prescription in the English language Ring the
bell This bell seemed to my Imagination rather
an anomaly in the gardens of Solomon-but that is
trllle. We did ring the bell, and we went in
Inc hrst thing that struck my ewes were red drain
ing pipes lying about, and bearing the mark of the
manufacturers, Samuel d Co., No. l2S Strand
Mr.. Goldsmith was draining the biblical valley, the
deW OF winch was so often brushed away by the
naked ieet OF the Shulamite. 1t was in the month
OF September. An American moving machine was
cutting second crop of artificial grass on the very
spot where the daughters of Jerusalem gathered
those lines OF the field which were more beautiful
than Solomon in all his glory. A patent reaping
machine was rapidly garnering the crop of that
gebe in which the sisters of Ruth and the daughters
OF Naomi were wont to CLEAN. | asked to see Solo
mons pavilion, but, alas, the cypress tmbers and
the cedar wainscotting had been taken down and
in their place there is a brick-but cottage with
ROOT OF red and green tiles. The entrance hall is
there is little parlour with a Bir-
mlngham carpet and drawing papered with
a red-bordered yellow paper, purchased in Paris,
Rue DIES Moineaux. The chimney is Prussian, and
the curtains are of Swiss muslin. Instead of the
servants of the spouse, found two mlrservmaids
one from Paris and the other from Florence. The
slave who prepares the tents of cedar now called
- john" He has red whiskers blacks his masters
shoes, scrubs the floor every day, and varnishes it
on Sundays; and if some romantic person should
inquire as had the naiciete to do about the dark
Shuamlte, he will be shown five sweet little Eng
sh children, redOlent of cold cream and Windsor
soap, as fair as floss silk, with their hair in cork
screw curls, and wearing prunella boots blue capes
md green parasOls. The cinnamon trees have been
cut down for irewood and the aromatic canes grub
bed up, but the five little misses do crochet work
lnder the shade of bon Cre'iep pear tree. Since
he Eastern war Mr.. Goldsmith has obtained the
custom of the Pacha of Jerusalem for vegetables.
last year he had seven crops of potatoes thanks to
lis wonderful drainage"