The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-06-22
Letter frsm palesfins.
THE .JAFFA roI0SIsTs.

10 the Editor OF the Press A
You naturally expect me to write about the
Maine colonists in Palestine. When travers-
ing France from Havre to Marseilles, and see
ing whole families in the fields, from the grand
mother of 40, in charge of few cows down to
the child OF 10 years, thought if our Maine
oolonists have to compete with such farm
population they must have uphill work of it,
And when in land nearer to them, Egypt,
saw the same system of agriculture pursued.
my hopes for our down-east friends became
couded. And when | landed at Jaffa and saw
the daughters of Palestine bearing burdens on
their heads and at work in the fields or sitting
on the ground selling fruit and vegetables, IN
stead of being at school, said this is not like
Washington County in the Old flne Tree
State sa .. .-ir4-
do not see how these colonists can succeed
as cultivators of the soil; for II they did put
wife and children into the field as the Arabs
do, thew could not live on the food which is
sufficient for the native. 1t seems to me that
even the introduction of improved implements
of agriculture added TO Yankee enterprise will
not counter balance the advantages the natives
have over the stranger. There is another OBJ
stacle in the way of our Maine colonists, and
that is the language which it will take some
time to acquire. If they raise vegetables for
the market, how can they sell them except
through native, whose account of sales would
probably leave but a small percentage of the
sum received? President Adams complains
even of the bad faith of the American Consul;
what would he probably say of a commercial
transaction with native? ..-----
The soil OF Palestine is very unlike that
which Maine farmers are accustomed to. 1t is
the adobe soil of Solano County in California,
county famous for its production of wheat
The colonists do not know how to work it. 1t
is said the natives with their little bits Of
things called plows can mako better
crops than the foreigner with his I'M
proved implements. This morning 1 met
man with one of these plows on his shoulder.
lie not only has the plow, but the yoke and
bows, and very light load at that A big
shanghai rooster can scratch up the earth about
as well as one of these plows
And now what have the colonists accom-
plished? Mr.. Adams, elder and president has
purchased village plot of five or six acres, and
on it eight or ten houses Of wood have been
built. The families that remain are comforta-
bly, housed, and they have each small garden.
Asyet if am rightly informed, they own not
a single farm, and for one of two good reasons
either there is no land for sale, or it is far be-
yond their means to purchase. They work on
shares several hundred acres; and at the pres
ent time gang of men are at work, in the
field of native, with a reapipg machine
With reaping as well as threshing and win
moving machines, the colonists may make a
little money for short season; but the natives
are proverbially sharp, as well as faithless in
bargains, and L fear the colonists will not re-
ceive as much as they deserve for such work.
Time will settle this, as well as the general
problem whether this is the country for Amer
lean colonists to prosper in; and would adj
wise any person down in the vicinity of Quod-
dy or anywhere alongshore, who is uneasy and
wishes to find new home, to settle down
somewhere under the broad wings of our re-
markedly widespread eagle. EHo.H-l f 1859
1t was only few minutes ago that person
made call on me under this splendid oak
wherc L am writing this letter ON my knee
and said one of the greatest hndrances to sue
cess in this country is the government He is
Prussian and came out here many years ago
as colonist. His brother m-law and wife
were murdered by the Arabs, and that broke
up their enterprise. A family of that colony
afterwards lived near me in New Jersey, and
on that account received the CALI This Prus
san keeps hotel, and he says this city is nc
place to make money in. 1t is only when we
go abroad that we find out what good gov
ernment ours is 3' .-'.-l.'' '.'l =rf-l..r
have bean in all the four quarters of the
globe and have seen the United States from
the tip end of Maine to the jumping off place
in California, and vote most decidedly for oul
dear old Uncle Sam. Ii one wishes to raise
big things fee "'... @ = 20 1uhera.a NO
tato will ill medium size vese table dish
where pears weigh over three pounds, ant
trees can be found that will make boards thir
ty-six feet wide. Ii it is your ambition to hav.
an orange orchard, go to Florida, or If yool
would be in the midst Of Jews try Chatham
street in New York. Sd --a. e .l a9s.. !
Let me correct one mis-statement in regart
to the Maine colony. 1t has been said that 2,
havedied. Fourteen is the true number o
deaths: of these, nine were children Forty
one seceders have already left P alestine am
twenty-four more will soon follow There are
enough remaining to settle the questicl
whether the colony can be made SUCCESS
Prudent people will wait; on any others, an,
more words might write would be wasted
President Adams is of course sanguine of sue
cess; but when the balance sheet of the year
work is made that will tell the story.
; have not taken into account the religious
creed of Elder Adams and his followers; wha
that creed is | do not know 1 have simpl
Il AZ L IL \. lrEL- -
} ton. Ii his creed makes it necessary for hin
. and his followers to live in Palestine, then 81
much the worse for his creed ..-7 -A4al
, have said nothing about the difficulties be
tween Elder or President Adams and tn,
American Consul at Jaffa, who is accused O
embezzling the funds of the cOlonists. Whel
the facts come out am of opinion that twill
appear that the consul transacted the bushes
according to the customs of the country ant
that the Board of Trade at Jaffa will decide il
! favor of the consul There is naturally good
deal of "gobbling up" in Turkey in maxim,
trades and what is considered fair here woul,
not pass muster before the Board of Trade a
; Portland. think it will also appear that
without being dishonest, President Adams is
poor tinancier. Ever since the days of mothe
I'c ohefe has uecil u ulspOSlL1On IN ner de
scendants to find a scapegoat for our mistake
and offences, and in this case the consul a
Jafia is the goat ,.,.. Boz. ..-f .r.l,. e....
; SO far as L can judge the State Department
at Washington has given this case all the at
: tention its merit demands. i do not think MI
Seward showed remarkable wisdom TO author
ize visiting clergyman to investigate til,
state the colony. People on the gronnt
have better facilities for getting at facts thai
strangers have-and if the American consu
, at Beirut cannot investigate and present a fai
! statement of the condition of the colony an,
: its prospects, nobody can. .. l-stu. ia, '~'t
: A word or two about Palestine in the vein
ity of Jerusalem. have been as far south a
Hebron, camping two nights at Solomon
Pools, in one of which had u good swim
endorse his wisdom in making that particula
pool On my way saw the tomb of Jonah
who escaped watery grave to find one NJ
country on land very high and dry. Under
Abraham's Oak, which marks the spot neal
spring where that distinguished old gentle
man was accustomed to refresh himself. L tool
lunch at noon May 18th, 1867. Near here
is the valley of Eschol which now, as in early
days, is devoted to the grape. The fruit is jus,
forming and measured cluster and made i,
II inches long; when grown, its length will be
considerably increased. The vine is cut off foul
feet lone iS Sunnnrtal Inv n forlrad Stiol,