American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-10-11
THE SEA OF GALILEB.

ihS uSccHt VI 1iuuit laDOr was steep ana
difficult. The sdmmit reached, we had that
sweeping view than which none in all the
world is more beautiful, certainly none rpoie
sublime. In the northeast was the glory Of
Hermon, snow-capped and towering in the
sky, on the north the Lebanon range stretch
ing away TO the sea on the northwest the
hills that surround Nazareth. and father
away the peaks that overlook Tyre and sar-
epta and Sidon. On the west was the plain
leading off to the Mediterranean, and here
and there the silver CLEAN of Kishone-"that
ancient river, the river Kishon.n On the
south side of the plain. and in the middle Of
it, were almost innumerable points of inter
est. Carmel bounded the horizon toward
the seashore. Between as and that hill lay
Taanach, Megiddo, aud all the points which
in the long battle history of Bsdrtelon made
it TO be looked on as a very plain Of strife
for armies, so that John in the Apocalypse
spoke of the hilof Megildp as the last gath
ering place of nations for combat. South of
Tabor lay Shunem, and beyond it the peaks
of Gilboa, looking down on Jezreel. Close
by Shunem was Main, and not far from that
Eudor and thence The eye swept eastward
and downward, for the + lain descended rap
idly all the fountains seem to f,lf swiftly
to the Jordan valley, and there, deep down
in the slopes, lying in a basin of emerald,
was the sea of Galilee.
1t lies in deep basin. The eastern shore
rises abruptly in high rocky Mountains, and
the land east of this is bnlren and dssolate
stretching away to the ruins Of Gadara, the
chief city Of the ancient Gnrdareues. The
lake is not large. Here the Traveller may be
disappointed. The word 'sea" has led them
to think of Genesaret as vast body Of
water lie is scarcely prepared Glr the little
lake over which his eye sweeps with single
glance But no lake on earth has shores 80
crowded with holy associations, and therefore,
there is no other lake or ocean where the OBJ
server looks across the water into such inf
mite distances of thought and memory, jjy
and sorrow. The lake is oval in form, lying
north and south. The Jordan enters it at
the northern and flows out Mt the southern
extremity. Around thcnorthern and north
western shores cluster the points of deepest
interest There were Chorazin and Beth
sada, and Capernaum. On the east was
the land of the Gardsrenes But the steep
ness of the mountains forbade the location Of
any cities there, except near the northern
and souther txtrtn it6s Of the lake. The
western shore must have beeu lined with
cities and villages. The ruins which are
found all along the banks, and especially
the vacant tombs in the rocky hillside, at
test the former wealth and populousness of
this coast Tiberias is not city Of the time
of Christ, although it can hardly be doubted
that it occupies the site of some wellSknown
place Of that day. 1t is the only rlace of
any Importance now on the shore of the sea-
On the southeastern side is small village
of mud huts but nowhere else on its whole
circuit is there any collection of human hab-
itations and fiDerus is but a ruin In the
time of the crusades it was walled town,
and the towers and wall remain shaken by
earthquakes into mournlul ruin. Breaches
admit friends and enemies through the old
delences at numerous points, but there is not
much within tottempt either class. No bus
mess is done here, and on the evening of
my arrival one solitary boat rudely built
open fishing boat was the only craft afoat on
the sea. Since that time travellers report
this boat as among the things Of the past,
and there is not even one small representa-
tive left OF the ancient shipping.