Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-09-02
Tn. p,.rus 81 Lesusts- Singular scenes On
yana.

I..A i~ 81
A letter dated at Jaffs, Pslesiiae, June
40, describes q visitation Of locusts ss fol
lows: -fi4f4
IN the month Of April last we observed
twice large dark clouds, resembling smoke
moving to aud fro as IL 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, bot the locus's
did not touch Il nor other vegctation.-
Soon after, however, II was observed that
they buried themselves 10 the soil aud there
deposited their innumerable eggs. The
Arabs and peasants saw the approaching
mischief, and went through the land In
thousand digging for these eggs; they sue
ceeded to certain degree, and destroyed |
incredible numbers with water and FIRE,
but all their efforts bad very little effect.
About the middle OF May small black |
creatures, at a distance resembling large
ants, we're observed sccumulstiug 10 large
heaps throughout The country, and a few
days after they had been thus seen they
began to leap, and manifested the coming
calamity and invasion of the fearful army,
People nov began to sweep them together
and bury or burn them 10 bitches dug for
the purpose. But all TO little or no effect
The roads were covered with them, all
morcbing 10 regular lines, like armies Of
soldiers, with their leaders in front. aud ell
the opposition of man TO arrest their pro-
gress was In vain.
They frst consumed the plantations
around Ramleb, LYDIA and all the smaller
villages near them, and then entering the
towns and villages consumed the victuals,
&c., 10 the market aud streets, by degrees
forcing themselves into the houses and
covering the walls outside as well as inside
II seems that every ything which is moistened
by their saliva is poisoned, for the cattle
that feed on the remnants which are left all
die. ], myself. saw fifty oxen dead 10 the
villages Of Delta, Daggon and 2 .ffarsh
that had fed on the remnant Of durah
{Indian corn) left by the locusts, they
we're seen to fearful extent oil round
Jaffrs, but still without wings. The town
for several days appeared forsaken, all
shops were shut, ell business suspended
Almost all the inhabitants had gone out TO
destroy and drive away the invading army |;
they made tremendous bitches, and buried
and burned countless myriads, but, as be.
fore, all in vain, for the more they destroyed
the more seemed 10 arise from hiding places
and as they grew in size SO they seemed TO
grew in multitude, and toward the ess,
from here they covered the ground for
miles and miles to height of several inches
As their wings are still too smsll to enable
them to fly and visit the several hundred
gardens within the cultivated part of The
district Of Jsffa, they have hiterio con
fined their distinctions to the outer gar
dens, of which about fifty have been com
pletely laid waste, every green leaf, vege
table, tree, and even the bark OF young
trees. devoured, and these beautiful gar
dens look like birch tree garden iu win
ter. tss.. ,a s,...r ,-.-a .lc
Our garden was one OF the FIRST attacked.
For several days we saw the destructive
host advancing; all our farm servants, a.
well as several laberers, were employed to
keep them off, TO drive them away, or
bury them, but we found them as Joel de-
scFihes them. chap. H., verse !. They shall
not break their ranks. Who can donbr
the Word OF God when we have these
evidences before our eyes1 True, our men
broke their ranks for moment, but no
sooner had hey passed the men, theg
closed again, and marched forward through
hedges and bitches, as if united by som.
mysterious power, causing them to open
before man aud to close again as soon as
they had passed him. On the 18th instant
they forced their way into the garden. de.
flying all human efforts to prevent them,
and in less than day the whole garden to
the extent of eight acres was covered with
them, and the trees, to the number of three
thousand, as we'll ss every other green
leaf, with the exception of the palm tree,
and the prckly pear hedges, were stripped
Whether eating or drinking, reading OF
writing, or lying awake in bed (for it is
impossible to sleepy one hears their noise
from without. Like the noise of armed
hosts or of the running of many waters.
and within they keep dropping in aud
around you. At meals am Kept busy
driving them away while drive haIfs
dozen away from the bread, as many will
jump into the sugar basin, or into my tea
cup, &C., and when undressing they will
jump out Of our very clothes without ou,
having known that they were there.
News has just reached US from Nabious;
the olive trees in those moantaius have
ali been stripped, and near the river Oudge
the soil is SO thickly covered with lhes,
creatures that many of tae animals led
there to drink refuse and Dass on