The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-18
Direct Intelligence from the Jaia
Colony.
THE JAFFA ooLoNY-THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE PICTURE.



THE PICTURE. A
From the Bangor Times.l
The fastest reports from Palestne-indeed,
most of the reports from the nrst-have been
decidedly unfavorable to the success OF Elder
Adams's efforts to colonize Palestine, and NOT
at all complimt ntary to that gentlemans uls-
erection or honesty. These reports, however
have come from sources other than the ~;
mediate members of the Colony, and the p'o
ture has been drawn anything but pru.ta;ned
ly, To-day we give the other SIDE, q" pT,a,,
in the letters of members of the Colony. iney
nresent fine subject in different liSnl, a. VIII
ha seen The extracts are from letters SHOWN
70 NO NV a gentleman of this city to whom
they were forwarded by their recipients. vi
their genuineness we can Vouch. we give
the extracts without expressing any opinion
in the premises.
Cant. @. e. Cobb of South Orrington, and is
dated at Jafia, Dec 2. He commences by al
fusion TO what the Colony had accomplished
in the way of house building and sowing. The
soil is dark and rich. There are no rocks
Can have just as much land as they want.
Some of tue grain is up and looking finely
Everything works in their favor, although
there had Teen some sickness and few deaths
mostly children. Their meetings are at
~ many anu CoA-
suls. The mass of the people are friendly
An old Turk, his next door neighbor, volun-
tarlly offered him wheat and barley at the
lowest price, with the privilege to pay when
convenient. Another worth million dollars
said they could have all the money they want
ed. Their lot is not all fenced in, and any
one can come in that choOses-lumDer, iashs,
DC, lying about unguarded-yet none Is
stolen. Fruit gardens are all about them load
ed with oranges and all xmas Oh lruiI. Inc
letter concludes as follows: .glt -
"Itel YOU we are received with kindness by
all; still there are some tew-One or two
who want to get back to America. You will
ask what for? Because they cannot get
pork and beans, pound cake and such like
There is enough here to eat, but the articles
are not OF so fine quality as in America.
Seed wheat is 81 20 per brlshel; flour (goOd)
is from 81 to $40; rice cents per pound I;
eggs cents per dozen, and other things in
proportion. There are some things | shall
want you to bring me next year-will let you
know in time. L am well pleased with the
country. L don't put my hands to the pow
and look back" r
Another letter from g. W. Ames to his
brother at South Orrington, William Ames,
and dated at Jatfa, Dec. 10th, states that ten
or eleven houses have been built, and others
are in process of erection. Over $50 bushels
of grain had been put into the ground, and a
part of it was looking 'filst-rate." 1t was
pleasant there as in Maine during the sum-
mer. We quote:
Nothing was overrated tOu by Bro. Adams,
although some that were the most eager to
get to Palestine are the first to get discomfort
ed and apostacise from the faith Bro Ad-
ans says they never had any. They have for
gotten what they came to this land for. 1
think it glorious thing to live in country
where once dwelt the prophets, patriarchs, and
the Messiah himself One of the men, an ell
der in the Church, went so far as to say he
would not SOW kernel of wheat.
"We have have had hard time in relation
to some things, but it is as well as expected
We are favored by every one They offer us
land and grain and everything that they have
and tell us we may pay them when we gel
ready. The Arabs are our warmest friends
There are two or three of the Church who are
going back If they can, and they will bring
any amount of hes. know they will for they
have commenced it here. / have faith to be-
iieve that more will come out here next year
who can make up their minds to bear trials
and hard work for the first year or two.
In lew years there will be more business
carried on IN Palestine than in any other
country in Asia, Tor the French are coming
another year to build harbor he. and a rail
road to Jerusalem. tsii
ihC haulfCo DtS1n 10 see Jndt We
are friendly to them. They are glad to have
us come % their gardens, and nothing they
have is too good for us. The orange AM lem
on trees are breaking down under the weight
of fruit. If ANYBODY wants
t, live in such a sn-cursed country as the
United States let them, but prefer living in
this land. n You must not think
we are all disconnected; it is only few boo
bles." ... p
In another letter under date of Dec. %, il
reply TO one received from his brother, MI
Ames says 'to9 'l -'he'
'We are all quite well, and as happy as ca1
be. What country TO live in wher,
there is plenty of fruit and flowers al
through the winter! There has been abou
300 bushels of grain sowed already, and Bro
Adams has about 1900 bushels on hand now
and they cal SOW all they wish to- If VIVA
the natives say is true we can raise NOR
wheat here in one year than they can il
Maine in i've. Some of the colony are gettin
dissatisfied and want to go back, and the rea
son is they have never done DAVIS work. ar
faulttndlng and growing, and doing all the
can to injure Bro. Adams and all of us; and
wish they were back. The peonI
OF every name and creed are glad to meet IL.
except the sectarianS, and they are trying +
injure us, but we shall come Off conquerors
1t has been stated that the Turkish Govern
ment refused from the first to grant the co
ony privileges indispensable to their success
This is not SO. A tlrman was granted ther
by that Government, a copy of which is no,
at the State department at Washington pei
Knitting them to land their goods free OF dut,
and to pre-empt unoccupied lands on tn
same terms allowed the natives. This state
ment proving incorrect, may not others frol
the same source be placed in the same cate
CORY? nf os! l8o.it lsl, e ..9s.,...,...