New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-24
GOTERNOR Stewards JOURNEY FROM
EGYPT TO PALESTINE.


Fro- Tze Afbasy ErsaiS0 JosrAaL
We have been permitted to copy the following ex-
tracts from two letters lately received from Governor
Seward;
Or BOAED II W. BEO0kA,
MEMBERSHIPS sEASrse0H, Sept. IL, ls59.
A. no steamboat would serve for fortnight, and
l would not so relnquish sight Of the Holy
Land, took passage yesterday together with an En-
glish officer and my courier on board this vessel
frut-boat belonging to Jaa, the ancient Joppa IL rs
cruEe like voyage TO Labrador, but attended With
much greater privatons and inconvenience. The ship
If a schooner Of about twenty tuns, her name The
Blest is her only good trait There is the captain and
seven seamen, all Roman Catholic Christian Arabs,
speaking the Arabic language only. Although we
chartered the vessel exclusively were persuaded
let half dozen Of the Jaffa people go home on her
deck. The captain crew, and all are very civil and
kind TO u.s. There are no berths, beds, no tables,
no provisions no dishes. We hastily extemporized our
arrangements. A dozen chickens, bologna sausage,
Pix dozen eggs with rice and bread and tea constitute
stores -Four pieces of mating, ad two under u.s.
one over u.s. and wrapped round the corner, serve
for our beds. The cabin is filled with dry sand for
ballast and ants, cockroaches and all kind OF vermln
iuhabit it, We therefore sleep as well as slt on deck
The courier is our cook half barrel is our table, but
we do not approach il too near least may expose MS
10 yermin For lack Of chairs sit down on the deck
and screen ourselves from the sun as well az we can
by the shade of the sails. | am using my hat on my
knee for a wrtng-csk. Scanfy as our comforts are,
with the other persons board. They lie ana sleep
in sun or shade and eat l know not how or what.
They prove themselves 10 be not Mussumen, put
Christ ans by having cross on their rosarles, out IN
all else they are as veritabe Arabs the followers of
Jslam could REQUIRE At least they seem. The days
are bot, the nights delicious: The waters blue and
blood-warrn. The moon and stars magnihcent, ana
inst now fine breeze. The length Of our voyage IL
about 800 niles We day out and rs yet only hity
miles advanced toward our destination winds ana
| waves forbid my writing more now.
SATURDAY, 18Th, ]
STILL or BOARD THE NAH BRooKA. J .
Ulysses in the Odyssey laments that as he had made
| no vows and chad no victims slain, Fate long with
held favorite gale. But We, though equally mplous
| have had fair winds. On the first day we made our
exit from the harbor of Alexandria which ls rendered
very dangerous by rocks and breakers. We passed
the sle of Pharos and for many miles more the coast
marked with the ruins of the forts and other deiense
| built by the French in Bonapartes memorable cam
papn Of 1904 We passed through he Bay OF ADouklr
ibe scene Of the memorable battle of that name. Yes
terday morning we lost sight Of Alexandra and its
lighthouses and in the evening We passed hoseua, an
| important seaport in the Delta. ms morning. .ne
| third day of our voyage we looked out upon coast
ndented with sand-his and thronged with many ships
Soon Dametts which is az the eastern mouth Oh the
| Nile appeared in view. The coast is low and sandy,
the mouth Of the river unseen, but the erowd OF snp
ring ind ate a great seapor. We are creeping from
that por toward Jaa, having probably taken le2Ve OF
Africa 'Jrever. The English and French have con,
tested for supremacy often on its coasts az Greeks and
| BeFfdQR.
sure that Africa will never fall under, or permit Eu-
Korean sway Neither its sandy coast nor IT'S peculiar
baf.gayage people will ever admit of European hab-
| tations under the sway of Europeans.
! We still live on good terms with our Syrian seanei
They are polite and attentive TO u.s. But we I'VE IN
| distinct granps Syrian Christian old woman - the
only female She lives under the lee oil the small ood
| on The deck wrapped in blanket. Sne moves us
tanee of ak feet 10 get the necessary change OF shade
Two Turks Mohammedans sleep at the further END Oh
the boat in their costly embroidered blue dresses con
tIually sea-sck. The Syrian fruit merchant, win mn
nice little grandson, lives IN the small boat nlght shd
| fsv and tGey have opened il to me. AT the present
hour il is very attractive by being the only place ID
which can enjoy the breeze and be protected by the
| sa,ls from the eastern The seamen sing contm
| naly Arabic SONGS. The old woman is mother to one
of the seamen. She quarres with her son and scodr
the whole IN her occasional waking hours dnrihs
The day and at night gathers all the watch around her
and dscouIses most merrly, to the annoyance of ns
honest sleepers. OF Damieta, the sea Is dirty ana
muddy from tie flood Of the Nile Bat since we nave
| Ia,sed Il at point the blue as The violet Inc
lights are balmy and the skies bright. L wonder
moi that the dwelers the Mediterranean shore nave
ALWAYS been poetic and devotional. Farewell Egypt
long sought for seen at last. Farewell Africa the
only region Of tbe world which Providence seems 70
| have fortified against civilization
| ON BosRD THE NAB BRO0K1, SUNDAY 18th.
Light breezes but fair, all night; stars multiplied,
large and more brilliant than ever saw The milky
way an irregular white heece stre'eMng 9sl'e aeros'
the heavens. The habtual temper of the East Is pa
tenee and indifference 10 natural developments. Tins
il the third day of our voyage the beynaing Oh the
fourth. "Jopps tomorrow = lnqaiped 3l Tue zap
| "IfCod pleases-" We see no land These primitive
sailors carry compass take no observations keep no
reckoning but steer by landmarks when the coast n
visible and by the sun, moon, and stars when OUT al
sea We have sssn no land since passed Damletta,
but we know by the rate at which we have sailed hat
we are st of the African coast. II we are fortunate
the fret land that shall look upon Will be IN SYRIA
Palestine, the high nils thai overlook 1a] u
| behind AskalOn.
The sea Is a strange reconciler of conflicts always
thought that the understanding so early oe
tween ST. Paul and his profane companions, the crew
.l Messengers Of che vessel that was conveying nm
prisoner 10 Rome WAS the fruit Of the experience OF
| eo1mon fears and dangers. The Odd man ana ooy
whom took for Greek Christians turn outto oe Jew
fathers 10 await its promised restoration UNDER Mes
sah yet 10 come As The evening draws on we are no
longer obliged TO seek hiding psees from The sun All
the nassengsrs ard gather near the alter deck,
and Een they hold wha. seems to US pleassnt con-
yersfou forgetting all their hatreds, Jews, hassui-
| men Greek, and Catholic Christians All exhibit q
degree Of reverence for sacred names and things un-
known in our part Of the world, snd all seem animated
| BY splsit Of genial Kindness ~, .
We bs.procaie courtesss with all. dreamy life is
this Of foating under eanvas IN Eastern climates am
becoming quite an Arab. 4 eat without q fork with
considerable sueeess and IJeep soundly, shielded in
my or the deck, with The bright moon and starr
Neyer1ha,ess Mai Brocka /" Ship of the Blest" |
pray thee sten Joppa the seat Of JaPhet the son
Of Noah Eor am weary of The Land Of Ham.
JERrsALEs Sept. 26, 1889.
| | have messioned already one monastery or more IN
ere Holy IAn1 Tie early Eaoepean Christians cob
oeiyed thai tbase was great merit IN visiting, by way
al pilgrimage .he scenes Of the sufierngs Of the IA
yior but they 1nd the whole eoastry in the hands OF
fesocious and sewage enemies 70 the religion OF the
Cnoes. Travel eonld not be safely performed here,
nor could entertae be found Esropean strangers
| ard religious men founded monasteZss everywhere,
Often strongly fortified places Of sazety for the pl-
nrrn md 81 hnsnitsiify and these vet remain. They