The Shasta courier., 1858-10-09
NUMBER 81.
Mr.. Graham's Discoveries.
A literary Journal supplies the following fro

A literary journal supplies the following from
the British Consul at Jerusalem
"At a late meeting of the Jerusalem Literary
Society, Mr.. Cyril Graham described his recent
travels TAR east to the Jordan. Descending from
Damascus, he proceeded, according to previous
concert, with the Rev. Mr.. Porter to Salkhut,
and into the Liza; thence emerging, skirted
along the eastern side of the Liza then to the
east side Of the Jebel Hauran, under the guild
ance of the Eastern Druses after which, to the
east side of the Suffah scarcely if at all known
before, and to the strange district called the
Hharran, volcanic region of large dark stones
almost close together. Most of these stones
sculptured with figures of animals and trees,
and inscriptions of strange languages and char
acters-some read from right to left, aad others
from left to right-some of the alphabetical char
acters resembling Greek. and others resembling
Hebrew, and yet not Palmyrene writing. After
this he penetrated through small region aboun-
ding in panthers, and thence named the Nimma-
rah, to hill called Omm- -el-Jereed, the most
remote of all the hills, from whence the desert
extends a clear plain for five days more to the
Euphrates. In all these regions are ancient
cities in abundance, hitherto unvislted, and in
excellent condition, with Greek inscriptions,
with occasionally Palmyrene or a Cutie vari-
ETY. among them. Returning westward, he cross
ed noble Roman road leading from Bozrah to
Bussorah, but found the wells all filled up with
stones. Arrived at series of ancient cities to
the north of Amman and southwest of Bozrah,
including Kerioth and Karathaim, (cf Jer 4S:
%, 24,) still bearing the names Of Kiriath and
kiriatain where the edifices are Of such gigantic
proportions and such primitive form as to in
duce strong conviction that they the work
OF the early Emins or giants the roofs being
formed of beams of stone in juxtaposition, twen-
ty-hve feet long, supported by square stone pill
lars, and the huge doors are slabs of a single
stone each. The principal one of these cities is
Omm-el-Jarnal, the Bethgamul of the above pas
sage in jeremiah. So numerous are the cities,
abandoned but still in excellent preservation, in
the countries traversed by Mr.. c. Graham, that
in FIVE days he came to thirty-seven Of them,
some being large as Jerusalem. Mr.. Graham
exhibited some curiosites of carved stonework,
including fragment of frieze with female fig
ures offering sacrifice, and Palmyrene inscrp-
ton below; which he bad himself dug from
tomb at Tadmor. Transcripts from the unde-
ciphered inscriptions at Hhatrah were presented
to the Society,""
" In the first towns visited, he saw no inscrip-
tions of any kind by which the names of the
places or their dates could be ascertained; but
in progressing further towards the northeast,
he came to tract covered with large basaltic
stones, on some of which were cut the outlines
in an unknown character. In the midst of this
wilderness of basalt he discovered large town
built of white stone. The inscriptions and draw
ings on the stones became there more numerous,
some of them being well executed, whilst others
were of the rudest workmanship. Mr.. Graham
was obliged to discontinue his researches from
want of water, of which none could be found in
the desert. His explorations extended toward
the south as well as towards the northeast of
Damascus, but he reserved his description of
that region for future occasion.
"Sir Henry Rawlinson said that the inscrip-
tions copied by Mr.. Graham from the stones
were in an early PhGnician character much
older, indeed, than any yet discovered, and in
dicated that they must have been made at Pc
! riod between 700 and 1000 B. c. The exist
ence of these towns in the midst Of desert
showed that the physical character of the coun-
try must have undergone great changes, which
have dried up the springs and altered the course
of the rivers. The upheaving and subsidence
of the earth is gradually going on in all parts of
the world, as is proved by numerous geological
phenomena and the remains Of these towns,
thus standing in desert, Sir Henry Rawlinson
considered an interesting subject for geological
! inquiry"