The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-07-10
PALESTINE.
English Explorations i'm the Holy
Land-RemarkabIe and Very
Important Discoveries.
From the London Times, June IL.

| IesteIuay SfeHluS uectluS Was uelu,
under the presidency Of the Archbishop of
York, in support of the Palestine explora-
ton fund, which has for its purpose the
| accurate and systematic investigation of
the archaeology, topography, geology, and
! physical geography Of the Holy Land.
The secretary, Mr.. Holland, read the re-
port, which stated that though there had
been on increased number of subscribers,
the amount received in the year had fallen
short of the sum required to carry out the
whole scheme of operations proposed, and
the committee had been compelled mainly
to confne their attention to explorations IN
or near the city of Jerusalem. In spite
of the many difficulties, Lieutenant
Warren had succeeded in carrying on
extensive excavations with little Interrupt
ton, and had made discoveries of the utmost
importance, which not only tended to throw
new light upon the original features of the
Temple Hill, but led to the hope that before
long sufficient data would be obtained for
forming tolerably accurate opinion upon
the various sites in the Holy City, which
had been so long matters of dispute. " For
the first time," the report went on to say,
"the actual streets of the ancient city have
been reached, underground passages which
have been hidden for centuries by the mass
of superintendent ruins have been brought
to light, and by degrees complicated net
work of drains and reservoirs is being laid
bare, which, when fully explored, will no
doubt aid very considerably in settling
many difficult points connected with the
level of different portions of Jerusalem. In
the valleys of the Kedron and TyrolGam,
by succession of shafts, many of them
sunk to enormous depths, discoveries of in
tense interest have been made with regard
to the original course and character of those
valleys. The limits of the hill and position
of the wall Of Ophel have been in q greet
measure ascertained, and shafts sunk on the
south of the wall Of the Haram area have
shown that the account given by Josephus
of the giddy height Of the battlements of
the ancient city at this point is not, after
all, the gross eXaggeration that up to this
time it has always been believed to have
been" The report went on to speak of the
difficulties to be met with in carrying out
such an exploration as this among popu-
lation like that of Observation-Disclosures
which had been increased by the treache-
rous character Of the soil and the imperfect
nature of the apparatus which had to be
|
Lieutenant Warren in overcoming these
through his ability the field for excavation
at Jerusalem had never appeared SO open;
while, at the same time, the discoveries Of
last year gave the surest promise Of future
excavations being attended with still more
interesting results and if, as Lieutenant
Warren hoped, we should be able to dig in
the HaraIh area ITSELF it was impossible to
overrate the interest of the discoveries that
were in store. The researches of Jerusa
lem had caused other operations to be sus-
pended, but several surveying expeditions
had been made, and Lieutenant Warren
had thoroughly surveyed the Philistine
plain as far north as GAIA, together with
large tract of country to the southwest of
Jerusalem. He had also surveyed portions
of the Jordan and its valleys. The report,
after stating other general facts as to the
operations carried on by Lieutenant War
rem, went on to say that the work had been
supported by subscriptions from many
classes, and, among others, by the large
and influential body of Free Masons who
had encouraged the attempts being made to
search out the sites of the works erected by
the famous operative craftsmen Of that an
cient Order. The excavations carried on by
Lieutenant Warren, who would start on Sa-
turday for Palestine, would entail q cost Of
t300 month therefore it was earnestly
desired that further subscriptions should
be given; and it was proposed, it was said,
to found o museum Of the euriosities found
in the Holy Land:
Lieutenant Warren was then called upon
10 NIX fo n n ha
daily cheered. He proceeded to read q
length, and he explained the works being
carried out by means of small map Of
Jerusalem, Of which every visitor had
copy. He said there were at present en-
gaged ON the works two corporals Of en-
gineers and about seventy Mussul-
mans of different races and though the
latter required great supervision, yet, what
with the jealousies of race and religion,
the dragoman being Greek and the over
seers Jews, anything going wrong s3on
cropped out:' Very few articles found
| in the works had come to hand, and what
had been found consisted mostly of pottery,
bronze, nails, and glass-the former OF
many different dates, and the glass of the
third and fourth centuries of the Christian
era-hut few Hebrew coins had been
turned up. Among the findings was seal
with characters showing it to be that of
"Aiggai, the son Of Shebaniah," and it was
supposed in Jerusalem to be of the time of
Ezra. However, the main object Of the
work was with regard to neither Je-
rusalem in its topography, and it was
desired particularly to find out where
the Temple stood. [Cheers.] In study
ing the Holy Land it was most disap-
pointing to find dearth Of evidence as to
sites of places, and the more the matter
was locked into the more difficult it became.
There were points which were known be-
yond contradiction, such as Jatfa, Jerusa-
lem, and others ;.sbut when details were
sought, there was the most conflicting esi-
dence. All parties agree that the Temple
stood somewhere in rectangular spot called
by the names of HaraTa and Moriah, and
that the Mount Of Oil yes was on the whole
or part of a hill indicated on the map. 1t
was probable, too, that the valley of the
| Kedron osuld be traced; but about all other
made use of Biblical names in speaking of
places, he did so because they were gene
rally-received names, and not because they
were established as such. The explorers
must be content, he feared, to be baff1ed and
perplexed for a long time to come before
they could bring out Jerusalem as it was,
for, startling as it may appear, they had
not yet single fixed point from which
to commence. For instance, though the
,yo. lyroup -ba on a NOR