Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-05-03
CorrtspoMdemft.

!
The following letter is from DR.. &. X.
Higgins. and was written to his brother of
Mt. Desert. We have been requested I'd
publish 1t. for the information 1t gives of
matters and things in that far of isnd.--
We judge that he does not have much prsc-
tice. nor much work to do, Or he never
could find the time to write SO long letter:
JAFrA. SYRIA March I'd. 1867.
DEAR BRoTHER.-We are all alive and
we'll with the exception of Lizzie; she has
fever and ague but not very had. with that
exception we have lad nb sickness in DUR
family worth mentioning since we arrived
at this place. Fever and ague or inter-
militant fever is the prevailing disease here
during the winter and diarrhea in. the sum.
mer, though we have almost every other
disease here that We are afflicted with ia
the States, and as much like thcm, rs the
climate will admit,
The climate ii very niiii. There has
been but very little frost this winter and
| there has been no snow hut once dr twice!
1t has Hailed very. little, but lie rald 1T
was said We Should liavc no rain in Pal
estine) think never saw go much raid
for so long a time together AZ has fallen
here since we have been Here The rains
commenced earlier and continued longer
and more rai! fell than had been seen hy
any Of the natives living here. 1t has
rained 80 much that it has been very diff
cult 70 piant and sGw the potatoes and
grain, and some Of the wheat they say has
been spoiled from tile rain.
The members Of the Colony have plough
ed and scwn to wheat and barley over
three hundred acres OF land and kno,s
they have had l25 bush. Of POTATOES for
planting and they probably hase Rad sSikS
30 busll. more than that. The time for
planting corn, beans, sesem, &C.. has not
come yet but will lie as soon as the ram
stops long enough for the ground to get id
order to plough.
The wheat is heading out now and wiz
he ripe for harvesting in April. The po-
tatoes are looking nice. Grass is growing
finely but they do not cut grass to dry hers
hut feed hcrses on cut straw during the
dry season and when they keep them up
for riding or working.
Butter is plenty here now and is selling
for fifteen tG twenty five cts. but oh what
stuff, it is put up without salt and is full Of
milk, and not "a little dirt and HAIR We do
not use any of it or have not thus far. Milk
sells from three to ten cts per quart the
price depending upon the amount Of water
that is put in it and who they sell it to. II
can get good milk for four or five cents
quart Wheat sells for about 800 to lao
per bushel, good -four 50 to$ $40 by 200 lbs.
barley is now selling for less than fifty cts.
per bushel. potatoes are dear every thing
sells by the pound or rather by the roth
which is six and one-hals lbs. Eng. POta-
toes are two cts. a pound, rice four or five
cts. sugar. tloafsugar,y is ten t6twtIse cts:
a pound, ,cofec.from fifteen to twenty three
cts. tea is very dear and but very little in
the place, SODA or salcratns is not to he
had at any price in Jaffa and is very
dear atJcrusalem or Bcyrut say from twtn-
ty to fifty cts. n pound, eggs are selling
for eight cts. Il doz. will be cheaper soon.
lamb or mutton is about ten Cts, beef eight
cts. pig meat six Cts. a pound. and the
price Of camel meat have never asked
but have seen plenty OF it in the marl
ket and think it is cheaper than cows
meat but it is eaten only by the Arabs;
fish. fresh and picked are quite plenty and
are rather high priced at present. but we
hope the price ~t fish will be less soon. as
some of the colony have jnst got the
netting set around the Weir and We
hope they will come in Tomorrow with
good fare of fish sr,ch as will astUnisr slr,
natives. Their weir is on TIE river Ogre.
about three miles f:om Jaffa.
We have here cabbage very plenty and
can buy Que head for cent that will
weigh seven or eight lbs. and that with
all the loose leaves off. YOu can 90 into
the gardens ana pick them just a. they
come for a cent IA head and same are very
large Radish is plenty, and cheap say
ten for cent OniMrs are plenty frG,u
one to two cts. per lib. turnips and Car
rotts are plenty tomatoes grow the year
round and in the summer YOU can hny
from ore to six LIS. fvr one cent apples
grow here hut not very plcnty the gar
dems are planted witt. oranges, lemons and
pomcgrantc trccs; generally some apple,
apricots, dailrson and great many fig
trees. Tire oranges and lemons ara NOT
all gathered yet and new blossoms are on
the orange trees; beside the ripe orans.
aud little lemons are growing beside those
that are six ntcAIths old. Oranges ate
selling here from 81 to 81 for IA thousand
aud then they say they piN in 500 to every
1000 so as to make them hold out all
sound. Last week the Steamer refused Ia
take the oranges to Alexaulria. $50 milss
for seventy five Cts. freight per hox which
would holl from two tD three hundred Ind
, about the s,.,lte time We had u heavy wiut
and shook off n great many oranges and
the consequence was oranges wcre offered
. very cheap, say ten large ones Il u 6sc ccut