Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-08-29
The Plague of Locusts.
SINGULAR scENEs IN IAFrA.

/ A letter dated at Jaf4 ,Paestine), June Goth
describes a visitation of locusts as follows
"ln the month of April lost we observed twice
/ large dark Clouds resembling smoke, moving tC
and fro, as # swayed by the wind One morning
taese clouds came down and proved to be locusts
so great in number that the whole and was Gov
cred with them. The grain at that time was full
/ in ear and nearly ripe, but the locusts did not
touch It or any other vegetation. Soon after,
/ however, it was observed that they buried them
selves in the soil, and there deposited their lnnu-
merable eggs. The Arabs aud peasants saw the
approaching mischief, aud went through the land
in thousands digging for these eggs they sue
ceeied to certain degree, and destroyed incred-
ible numbers with water and fire, but all their ef-
forts had very little effect.
about the middle Of May, small black crea-
lures, at distance resembling large ants were
observed accumulating in large herds 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 emphatically in Joel il. The
people now began to sweep them together and
bury or buru them in bitches dug for the pur-
pose. But all to little or no effect, and as they
grew q little larger the extent of their multitude
began to lie seen, and the coming catastrophe
could not be mistaken. The roads we're covered
with them, all marching in regular lines, like ar
mics Of soldiers, with their leaders in front, and
all the opposition of man TO arrest their progress
was in vain
"1'hey first consumed the plantations around
Ramleh Lydda, and all the similar villages near
them, and then entering the towns and villages
. ~ Eo in hn
streets, by degrees forcing themselves into the
houses and covering the walls outside as well as
inside. 1t seems that everything which Is mols-
tened by their saliva is poisoned, fer The cattle
that feed on the remnants which are left all de.
myself saw fifty oxen dead in the villages OF
Delta, Daggcn and Vaffirish that fed on the rem
n.nt OF durrah Qndian corn) left by the loousls,
and the night before last twenty more died from
the same cause.
About two weeks ago they we've seen to
fearful extent all round Jaira, but still without
wings. The town for several days appeared tor
saken, all shops were shut, and business suspend
ed. Almost all the inhabitants had gone out to
destroy and drive away the invading army they
made tremendous bitches, and buried and burned
the countless myriads but, as before, all 10 vain,
for the more they destroyed the more seemed to
arise from hiding places, and as they grew IN size
so they seemed TO grow in multitude, end to-
wards the east from here they covered the ground
! for miles and miles TO height OF several inches.
As their wings sTe still too small TO enable them
to fly and TO visit the several hundred gardens
within the cultivated part of the district OF Jaii,
they have hitherto confined their distractions to
the outer gardens, OF which about fifty have been
completely laid waste, every green leaf, vegetable
tree, and even the bark Of young trees, devoured
and these beautiful gardens look like birch tree
! forest in winter
sour garden was one Of the FIRST attacked
For several days we saw the destructive host ad'
vancng all our farm servants, as well as seyera
hired laborers, were employed to keep them of
to drive them away, or bury them, but we found
them as Joel describes them, chap. H., yer. I
{ They shall not break their ranks. Who can
doubt the Word Of God when we have these evi-
dences before our eyesP True, our men broke
their ranks for moment, but no sooner had they
passed the men than they closed again, and
marched forward through hedges and bitches, as
il united by some mysterious power, causing
them to open before man and to close again as
soon as they had passed them. On the l4th IN
slant they forced their way into the garden, de-
fying 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 well as every
other green leaf, with the exception of the palm
trees and the prickly pear hedges, were stripped.
"Whether eating or drinking, reading or wri.
ting, or lying awake in bed (tor il is impossible TO
seep) one hears their noise from without, like
the noise Of armed hosts or oil the running OF
many waters, and within they keep dropping on
and about you. At meals am kept busy driving
them away while drive half dozen away from
the bread, as many will jump into the sugdr.basiu,
or even into my cup OF tea, &C, and when undress-
ing they leap out Of our very clothes without our
haying known that they we're thero
"Ness has Just reached US from Nablous the
olive trees in those mountains have all been
stripped, and near the river Oudge the sci is so
thickly covered with these creatures that many of
the animals led there to drink refuse to pass on. "
Anotl el letter Of later date says that
"Ihey are in no-wise decreasing, rather the
opposite. Every native inhabOn, has been or
dered by government to bring fifteen pound
weigh, Of locus;a daily, and those who do not are
fined ( sterling each time