Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-06-03
Suez and the Desert.

Pesident Fairfield, who is travelling in
the East, is writing some very readable
letters to the Morning Star, frcm one of
which we make the following extracts:
My stay in Egypt is necessarily brief,
as | have concluded, Providence permit
ting, to see New York and HilIsdale by
the 10th Of June. But | must look up-
on the Red Sea, and have at least a bet>
ter acquaintance with the desert. This
is now a less difficult matter than form
erly, for railroad from Cairo to Suez
takes you in six hours near to the place
at which the best authorities have con-
cluded that the children of Israeli crossed
over. So have been there, and come
back in one day. And my stay in the
Desert was quite long enough. Its utter
desolateness stand before me as an indeli-
BILE picture. There is no possibility of
forgetting it. Ninety miles ride out of
sight of any green thing or any object Of
beauty, is an experience that need not to
be repeated; yet it was, for the same
miles must be travelled in coming back
Through this desert railroad runs to
connect with the steamships on the Red
Sea; and thinking probably that our
good brother Phillip would sail from
this same post few months hence to
his old home, and the home of bis fu-
ture life-Heaven's best blessing be up
on him, is the language Of all our hearts,
and Of the tears which now drop down
upon this page--I looked about to see
where he would embark, and l said to
him even now in anticipation, (unless |
meet him in England as he gave me
some reason to hope) my warm and low
ing goodbye.
The desert is as level as a Western
prairie, but what a contrast in every 9TH
er respect There a rich soil is watered
by timely rains, here no rain, and no soil
to be watered. And yet if this same
surface were transformed to America, by
the action of frost and rain, i; would be,
covered with greenness in single year,
and with soil in a single generation that
would repay cultivation. Little do we
appreciate the rich blessing which our
winter frosts brings to US in aiding the
work of profitable and prolific culture.
No rains, no frost, no overlooking of the
Nile, and hence there is nothing but pull
verized mineral substance in all this wide
waste.
The desert is largely covered with
fragments of fint-some angular, some
rounded, some sharp--from the weight
of half an ounce to that of half pound.
This must have made the journeying Of
the children of Israel--barefoote as
they were-not a little uncomfortable (;
and somewhere in Deuteronomy the Di-
vine goodness in preserving them is re-
ferred to as an occasion of gratitude !;
neither did thy foot swell these forty
years The forty years were spent be
tween the Red Sea and the Jordan but
the surface there is similar to this and
as the stopping of the trair at different
points gave me an opportunity to gather
handful or two of flints as a memento
Of the desert, | could easily realize how
great mercy it was that Moses recalled
in their memory, in these words.
At Suez | saw the children of Israel
with Moses at the side of water, Pharaoh
and his host coming on behind them ;
the mountains on their right, the water
sweeping around at their left, and con-
sternation written upon their faces. l
heard their bitter words so full of taunt
Were there no graves in Egypt that
thou hast taken US away TO die in the
wilderness ? And l heard the sublime
and hopeful words of Moses-'Fear not,
stand still and see the salvation OF the
Lord, which he will show you to-day /;
for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-
day, ye shall see them no more forever.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace And then the
word from heaven fell upon my ear with
an impressiveness never before felt
Speak unto the children of Israel that
thew 90 forward ? | saw the sea divide;
the children Of Israel go through on dry
ground the hosts of Pharaoh follow on,
and waters from right aud left close in
upon them and then | heard the song
of triumph-'The horse and his rider
hath he thrown in the sea- What could
else than join in the song and the
shout-'Jehovah hath triumphed; bis
people are free.'
A canal is in process of construction
at this point, and could not fail to OBJ
serve how inefficient and spiritless the
workers seemed. Instead of horses and
scrapers, OF cart, or even wheelbarrows,
the dirt was removed in baskets which
were carried upon the shoulders of the
men. Women we're not employed
The movements were very sluggish and