Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-08-12
The Plague of Locusts.
SINGULAR SCENES IN JAFFA.

A letter dated at Jaffa palestine
June 30, describes visitation of locusts
as follows
"In the month of April last we observ-
ed two large, dark clowds, resembling
smoke, moving to and fro as if swayed by
the wind. One morning these clowds
came down, and proved to be locus!s, so
great in number that the whole land was
covered with them. The grain at that
time was full in ear and nearly ripe, but
the locusts did not touch it or any other
vegetable. Soon after, however, it was
observed that they buried themselves in
the soil and there deposited their inumer-
able eggs. The Arabs and peasants saw
the approaching mischief, and went thro'
the land in thousands digging for these
eggs they succeeded 10 q certain degree,
and destroyed incredible numbers with
water and fire, but all their efforts had
very little effect,
About the middle of may small black
creatures, at distance resembling large
ants, were observed accumulating in large
heaps throughout the country, and few
days after they had been thus seen, they
began to leap, and manifested the coming
calamity and invasion Of the fearful army,
as described so emphatcally in Joel Ill
The people now began to sweep them to-
ge,her and bury or burn them in bitches
dug for the purpose. But all to little or
no effect, and as they grew a little larger
the extent Of their multitude began to be
seen, and the coming catastrophe could
not be mistaken. The roads were COW
cred with them, all marching in regular
line, like armies of soldiers, with their lea.
dcrs in front ,and all the opposition Of man
to arrest their progress was in vain.
They first consumed the plantations
around Ramleh, LYDIA and all the small
Ter villages near them, and then entered
the towns and villages consumed the Wit
uals, &C., in the market and streets, By
deg grees forcing themselves into the house:
and covering the walls outside as we'll a.
inside. 1t seems that everything which il
moistened by their silva is poisoned, fol
the cattle that feed on the remnants whicl
are left all die. Imysolf saw fifty oxer
dead in the village Of Delta, Daggon apt
Zaffarish that had fed on the remnant o
durrah Indan cOrn) left by the locusts
and the night before twenty more dice
from the same cause.
{ About two weeks ago they were seen t.
be fearful extent all arouad Jaffa, bu
still without wings. The town for severa
days appeared forsaken, all shops wer
shut, all business suspended. Almost al
the inhabitants had gone out to destro
and drive away the invading army ; the
made tremendous dit ches and buried AM
burned countless myriads, but, as before
all in vain, for the more they destroye'
the more seemed to arise from hidinI
places, and as they grew in size so the.
seemed to grow in multitude, and towarc
the east from here they covered the grouuC
for miles and miles TO height seVera
inches
Another letter of later date says, tha
"They are in nowise decreasing rath
0 er the opposite. Every Motive inhabitau
Y has been ordered by government to brin
Q fifteen pound weight Of locusts daily, an
those who do not are fined 81 sterliO
r each time"
50 s's~-