The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1865-08-25
THE PLAGUE OFLOCUSTS.
SINGULAR SCENES IN JAFFA.

A letter dated at Jaffa (Palestnc),
June 20, describes visitation Of To-
Gusts as follows:
In the month of April last We OBJ
served twice large dark clouds rcsem.
bling smoke, moving to and fro, rs if
swayed by the wind. One morning
these clouds came down and proved to
be locusts, 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 locusls did
not touch it or any other. vegetation.
Soon after. however, it was observed
that they buried themselves in the
soil and there deposited their innumer-
able eggs. The Arabs ard peasants
saw the approaching mischicfand went
through the land in thousands digging
for these eggs. They succeeded to a
certain degree, and destroyed incredi-
bic numbers with water and fire, but
all their effort had very little effect.
About the middle Of May smalI'blacl
creatures, at distance resembling
large ants, were observed accumulat
ing in largo heaps throughout the coun-
try, 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 de-
scribcd so emphatcalIy in Joel H. The
people now began to sweep them to-
gether and bury or burn them in
bitches dug for the purpose; but all to
little or no effect, and as they grew y
little larger the extent Of their multi
tude began to be seen, and the coming
catastrophe could not be mistaken
The roads were covered with them,
marching in regular lines, like armies
of soldiers, with their leaders in front,
and all the opposition ofman to arrest
their progress was in vain.
They frsfconsumod the plantations
around Ramlch, LYDIA, and all the
smaller villages near them, and then
entering the towns and villages con-
sumod the victuals, etc, in the market
and streets, by degrees forcing them
selves into the houses and covering the
walls outside as well as inside. 1t
seems that everything which is mo-
istened by their saliva is poisoned, for
the cattle that feed on tho remains
which are left all die | myself saw
fifty oxen dead in the villages Of Delta,
Daggon and Zaflariah, that had del on
the remnant of durrah (Indian Corn1
left by the locusts, and tho night before
last twenty more died from the same
cause.
About two weeks ago they were
seen to fearful extent all around Jaffa,
but still without wings. The town for
several days appeared forsakcn, all
shops were shut, all business suspcn-
ded. Almost all the inhabitants had
gone out to destroy and drive away
the invading army they mado ire
mendous ditchs, and buried and burned
countless myriads, but rs before, all in
vain, for the moro they destroyed the
moro semes to arise from hiding
places, and as they grew in size so they
seemed to grow in multitude, and
towards the East from here they
covered the ground for miles and miles
to hight of several inches AS their
wings arc still too small to visit the
several hundred gardns within the
cultivated part Of the district Of Jatta,
they have hitherto confined their de-
structious to tho outer gardens, OF
which about fifty have been completely
laid vast every green leaf, vegetable,
tree, and even the bark ofyoung trees
dovourcd, and these beautiful gardens
look like II birch tree forest in winter.
Our garden was one of the first at
tackled. For several days wo saw the
destructive host advancing; all our
farm servants, rs well as several hired
laborcrs, were employed to keep them
off, to drive thom away, or burn thom,
but we found them as Joel describes
them, chap ii, yer. 7, "Thoy shall not
break their ranks" Who can doubt
the word of God, when we have these
evidences before our eyes? True, our
men broke their ranks for % moment,
but no sooner had they passed the mon
then they. closed again, and marched
forward through hedges and bitches,
Us if united by somo mysterious power,
causing thom to open before wan and
to close again as soon as they had
passed him. On tho 18th instant
they forced their way into tho garden,
dcfying Hll human efforts to prevent
them, and in less than day the
whole garden, to tho extent Of eight
acres, was covered with thom, and the
trees, to tho number Of thrco thousand,
as well as cvory other groom leaf, with
the exception Of the palm trees and tho
prickly pear hodges, were stripped.
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