The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-06-28
rHs JAhA ooIoI1sTs.

| e.
We find In the Portland Prss letter from
Jerusalem. tPalesiinsl dated May -, which
contains some information relative TO the
Jaffa colouis,s from this Statc. We make
few extracts from Il. Speaking OF
the condition Of tho country tho writer
says:
When traversing France from Havre TO
Marseilles, and seeing whole families IN
the fields, from the grandmother Of ~, IN
charge Of few cows, down TO the child OF
ten years. thought IL our Maine colonlsts
have To compete with such q. tarm popula.
ton they mus, have uphill work ofit,-And
when in land nearer to them. Egypt ]
saw the same system OF agriculture pursti-
ed, my hopes for our down-east friends DO.
came clouded. And when ! landed at
Jaila and saw the daughters Of Palestine
bearing burdens on their heads and at work
In the fields or sitting on the ground sell.
! Ing fruit and vegetables, instead Of being ut
school, | said this b not like Washington
County in the old Pine Tree Smto.
Tho soil Of Palestine Is very unlike that
which Maine farmers are accustomed 10. 1t
IA the adobe soil Of Solano County, In Cali
fornia, county famous for iu production OF
wheat. Tho co,onists do not know how to
work. Il is said that the natives with their
little bits Of things called plows, can make
better crops than the foreigner with his i'm
proved implements. This morning | met o
man with ono Of these plows on bis shout
der. He not only had the plow, but the
woke and bows, and very light load at
that. A big Shanghai rooster can scratch
up the earth about o. we'll a. ono OF these
plows,
And now what have the colonists accom-.
plished? Mr.. Adams, elder and president,
has purchased q village plot OF i've or SIX
acres, and ON 10 eight or ten houses OF wood
have been built. The families that remain
ar. comfortably housed, and they have each
a small garden. And yet, II ! am In
formed rightly, they own not single iarm,
and for one OF two good reasons: either
there is no land for sale. or IL Is fur beyond
their means ~ purchase. They WORK on
shares several hundred acres; and ut the
present time q gang Of mon arc at work In
the field Of a native with reaping machine.
With reaping. as we'll as threshing and win
moving machines, the colonists may make q
little money for short season; but tho ma
tiyes are proverbiaily sharp. a. well as NTH.
less in bargains, and fear the colonists will
not receive rs much as they deserve Tor such
work. -,
have heen In all the four quarters OF the
rlobe and have seen the United States from
the tip end Of Maine to the jumping Oh
place in California, and vote most decided.
" for our dear old Uncle Sam. II ono wish
e. to raise big things let him 80 to Caifior-
mia where q pntato will Oil medium size
vegetable dish, where pears weigh over three
and trees Gun DO found that Will
make boards thirty.six feet wide II It is
YOUR ambition to have IN orange orchard, 20
to Florida, or 10 you would Do In the midst
OF Jews try Chatham street in New YORK.
Lot mo correct one is-statement in 70.
gard to the Maine colony. Ii has been said
that q have died. Fourteen Is the true
number of deaths: OF these, nine were
children. Forty.one seceders have already
Left Palestine and twenty.four more will
soon follow. There ore enough remaining
TO settle the question whether the colony can
be made q success. Prudent people will
wait; on any Others, any more verbs !
might write would 30 wasted. "Prcsident'
Adams is Of course sanguine OF success
but when the balance sheet Of the years
work 10 made that viii tell the story. |
I have not taken into account the religious
creed of Elder Adams and his followers
what that creed 10 do not know. have
simply taken the bread and butter view OF
the question. II his creed makes II nee
essary for him and his followers to live In
Palestine then % much tho worse Tor his
creed. 49, -,
I have said nothing about the difficulties
between Elder or President Adams aud the
American Consul ut J ala, who 10 accused 81
embexzlins the funds OF the colonists.
When the facts come out am OF opinion
that IL will appear that the consul tran
sacted the business according to tho customs
Of tho country and that the Board OF Trade
at Jafia will decide in favor OF the consul.
There is naturally good doal OF "gobhlinS
up" in Turkey in making trades, and what
is considered fair hero would not pass mus.
ter before the Board OF Trade at Portland.
A word or two about Palestine in the
vicinity Of Jerusalem. l have been as lar
south rs Hebron, camping two nights at
Solomon's Pools, in one OF which had
good swim. I endorse his wisdom in ma.
king that particular pool. On my way l
saw the tomb Of Jonah, who escaped a
wntery grave to find one up country on lan,i
very high and dry. Under Abraham's Oak,
which marks the spot near ~ ring where
that distinguished old gcntleman was nc
customed to refresh himself, I took lunch
ut noon May 18th, 1867. Near here Is the
valley OF Eschol which now, rs in early
days, Is devoted to the grape. The truit -
Just forming and measured cluster and
made il IL inches long when grown, It's
length will bc considerably increased. Tho
vine is cut of four feet long and is support.
cd by forked stick. In France they cut
the vine one foot long. '
They aro rcaping wheat now not with
such n shaped instrument as our sickle, hut
with hook. Il is used very rapidly. but
little Il cut at stroke. When good hand
fiil Is cut, It is bound and thrown in pile.
Near by stands the faithful camel waiting to
take homc the pile. IL the camel Is not "a
thing OF beauty, no is M joy forever, TO
these Arabs; for he lives on chaff and this
ties. and never complains Of his board. !.
When, good many years ago, never mind
how long, used to stand Mt certain pinnos
In your beautiful city and accompany Miss
So.and.so in singing a song In which were
these lines, -. .....,....r
.singing from Palestine. hithsr como, =,
Lady love, lAdy lore, welcome mo home" v
I did not then ever expect to hum those
words while galioping over tho hills OF Pal
estihe." ' ~ 80
w. no,,,. ,h., IN. Democratic