Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-08-25

GUS III '>SIla, gives renewed interest 10 thc
history of that ancient city. The phiadcl-
phia Bulletin says
Damascus was an important place at least as
carly as the time Of Abraham, 50 that it is not
less than four thousand years old Etymolo-
giSts dispute about the meaning of the name
1t was the ancient capital of Syria, and was
thus the quintcSScncc of the quickwttcd race
it represented 1t is called by some the most
ancient city in the world This is, no doubt
eastern cxa@gcrltion, but the fact that every
thing said by the oricntalis.s about this ia
nous capital is exaggerated, only shows how
stongly its real attractions had taken effect
upon their vivid maginations \ celebrated
cpStlc of an ancient writer calls it the
grand and sacred city of Damascus, surprising
every city both in the beauty of it's temples
and the magnitude of its shrincs, as well as
the timclincSs of its seasons, the limpidncss
Of its fountains, the volume of is waters, and
the richness of its soil" Its people call it
"a pearl surrounded by cmcralds" "Of all
the cities of the East, it is perhaps the most
oriental
The descriptions of Buckingham arc not
considered entirely reliable. But there has
seldom anything been written with human pen
moro beautiful than his picture of the plain
of Damascus. He compares it is an English
scat in thccountry, surrounded by an immense
park. The visitor inquiries for the family and
finds that they have been for year in italy
Meanwhile the place has been most dclightful-
ly unkcpt. Its rich cultivation is everywhere
partially grown up the trees untrmmcd and
dipping their branches in the sparkling rivu-
let's; the roses grown almost into trees and
covered with innumcrablc blossoms Every
where is seen rich vcrdurc, luxuriant growth
with but such touch of wildncss as to give
tho finishing grace to the landscape Such,
he says, is Damascus in the spring of the
year.
Damascus was conquered by David, who
made it tributary After being held by Solo
mon, it rcyotcd, and afterwards was at the
head of thirty and two kings, 1t was subsc
qucMtly taken by Assyria and Persia. After
the battle of Issus, it fell into the hands Of
Alexander the Great, and Pompcy annexed
it to the Roman Empire After being ccc
bratcd for its wealth and splcndor under the
Greek Empcrors, it was conquered by the Sar,
acons, and became for time the capital of
the Mahommcdn world The sccptor of Is
lam passed over to Bagdad, but Damascus is
still famous in the history of Saadin
1t was bcsicgcd by the Crusaders in the
twelfth century, but they failed to take it
Later still, it was captured, with crcumstan-
ccs of rrcat borboritv. bv Tomcrlonc and fin
ally fell into the hands of thc Turks nndrr
SGim |. 1t possesses, too. hich moral in.
tcrcst, for on that beautiful plain it was tbot
st. Paul became obcdicnt to the heavenly
vision"
Among the points of interest connected
with this famous city arc the Damascus blades.
so mallcable that they minht he hont 70 =
RIGHT anelc without losinr thcir elasticity. go
keen that they would sever down. or "nazc
floating in the air. or divide iron witbomt do
thcir monpr,ctnro vas rn,no,nn Go,,sn'i
Nnossor in tLr I,r.l n,on,tai',s ,nwn,,a'.
euccoclnl in lr;+c roccnt t;,nns ~ ,,I.;,,,. >
sword ,vhich sanncd 70 oon,I tI,o Lost na,,in,o
cns with = Il,Jcnf rotinmi.,tnJ T,,,. a,,',b
rs al,v,vs onnc,rcd on tbc Gnost non,asn,,.
l,iaJa,.-, iru.,f sfrin.s onj sbo,v;no. Lr,,rht
oildcd reflection IIn emf thronoh ,,a3yc
handkerchief in the air. and c,rTf homes md
nails feots which cannot bc ncrfn,,ncd with
the best English steel" Anderson. in his
recent travels in Siberia. states however that
the secret died with AnassoT as tbcsc swords
arc NOT now modcot Damascus
Another noint of interest is tbo frrous D,.
mosl; stu1s Tbrv orc nroncrl, eiu, thorob
sometimes made of other fairies LARGO
quantities of silk are still manufactured and
the Damasli roses have lost NOTHING of their
'''mc''o'i"' rI peuu'y'
"cie Is ~ '"'i'Scus Us 4 conS'oTr'plc 1'"uc Ii
h,aht 49,, tl pa; a"'o' c,If inu.'