The Portland daily press., 1867-10-02
Faiiure Of ts.e JnHa Colony.

10 We Edlt0f OF We fFeSS.
The Maine Colony in Palestine, of which J.
wrote you from Jerusalem last May, has come
to grief. You remember suggested the un-
wisdom of Mr. Seward in commissioning a
travelling minister to investigate the affairs OF
the colony. That gentleman thought the sur
est way to fluid out the true condition OF things
was to go strsight to Elder Adams and ask
him all about it; for who indeed could know
more about it than the man who managed its
affairs? So Rev. DR.. Bidwell took up his abode
with Archbishop Adams, where he found no
lack of provender; neither did he find short
commons in any of the houses where the Ed
or arranged for him 10 dine. He was taken
out to sec five hundred acres of land that the
colonsts had taken to cultivate for one-fourth
of the products, and he never, in all his expe-
rience in the city of New York, saw greener
potato vines nor more promising wheat. Though
he met some people who said they had given
food to some of the hungry colonists, he found
none in extreme want and being assured by
his hospitable host that everything was right,
he wrote home in private letter, which some
how got into the papers, that the colony was in
q flourishing condition. And he really believ-
ed it; for wherever he went he expressed that
belief When called on the American Con-
sui at Geneva, he had just parted from DR.. Bid
well who was on his way to Paris. That
consul told me that DR.. Bidwell represented
the colony to be success.
1t is quite remarkable how successful Adams
has been in humbugging American travellers
Jaffa is famous for its fine orange gardens and
these Adams would exhibit TO the wondering
traveller. While Oh the continent, fell in
with not few Americans who had been in
Palestine, and when hinted that the colony
was failure, they would Immediately begin to
talk about these beautiful orange gardens; as
if the fact that excellent oranges grown in
Jaffa would help the coonists.
The sudden grief into which the colony has
come, has been produced by an utter failure
of potatoes and wheat. OF the former, they did
not get the seed they planted; and of the lat
ter they got little else than straw diet well
suited to the camel, but not fit for men. 1t
should be borne in mind in this connection,
that Adams and his followers went to Palestine
to teach the Arabs how TO cultivate the soil and
from the result of the first years experiment
it seems the natives could have taught them.
The Arabs eed their wheatfelds by hand, a
thing the Yankees never heard Of; and they
have succeeded while their new neighbors
have failed in raising crop. Besides intro
ducing into Palestine a new system of agricul-
ture the colonists proposed to introduce inn
proved implements and among them was the
feaping machine. l wrote in May that they
had one at work; l am now informed that it
soon broke down, and as they had no means
of mdnding it, the accident left them wrecked.
Concerning Elder Adams's creed let me say
by way of introduction that in my judgment
the nineteenth century has not as yet produc-
ed more remarkable creature than an average
doctor OF divinity. We had one of them in our
party, and he being of the samechurch which
Adams recently seeded from, naturally inquir-
ed into the Elders belief. This, the Reverend
Doctor informed me was perfectly sound lie had
grated upon an orthodox creed, some peculiar
views as to the return ofthe Jews to Palestine.
But month later received in a brief formula
the Archbishops creed as set forth by i'm
from his own pulpit. Seeing clergyman
present in his meeting, Adams said,gT suppose
you will go away and tell people what believe
Now will tell you what we believe. We be-
leve in things past! Ia long and solemn pausel
we believe in things present. [another pausel
and we believe in things to come! [and here
Adams, who has been an actor, struck an atti-
tude of the most whitening triumph
Two or three of the young men of the colony
worked their passage home in the steamer on
which l returned to the United States. l ask
ed one Of them what doctrine Elder Adams
teaches. His reply was, "0ne Sunday you
would take him to be Methodist and the next
Sunday Universalist." He is without doubt
a man of very broad views; truly a broad
church man.
The colony, as community, is failure; but
presume Adams and very few others will
remain little longer Mt Jaffa. Subscrpti IN
papers are open in all the American bankers
offices in Paris and also in other parts of Eu-
rope where there are Americas, soliciting
funds to bring the pennless colonists to the
United States. 1t is probable some will return
in the Quaker City, and we hope all will be
able to celebrate the next Thanksgiving IN the
good old Pine Tree State.
j. s. OF MAINE.