The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-07-16
CHI A R L E S TON.
THURSDAY MORNING. JULY 1s, 1868.
Modern Re.earche. in Palestine.

| 1uo I1Oly Lduuf oAlSl oo uanJ SeneoAASe,
! begins to yield up its hidden treasures.
I Until the time of DR.. EDWARD ROBINSON g
visit to Palestine, the geography of that
country was traditional, and it seemed i'm
| practicable to disinter the truth from the
rubbish of legend with which it was over
laid. The sites and names of the Scripture
lands were incorrectly indicated by the
ecclesiastical guides of modern times, and
it seemed impracticabls to recover the chart
of those antique historic regions which poe
try, romance and religion conspire to cele-
brate:
.Over whose acres walked those blessed feet,
That eighteen hundred years ago were nailed,
For our advantage, to the bitter cross"
The religious was startled by the discov-
cry made known by ROBINSON that Arab
tradition had preserved, in many instances
without any change, those names which had
been dropped out of the ecclesiastical rec
ords. Thus hundreds of localities were
identified, most Of them by the learned
Professor himself, and not few by the dis
ciples whom his spirit animated and his in
vestigations guided. WoIcorr first Of all,
STANLEY, VAN DER VELDE, PORTER, indeed
every subsequent traveller, American or
European, acknowledges that, more than to
any other man, he has been indebted to the
researches of our distinguished countryman.
A good deal of discussion. however,-not
wanting in bitterness-has been provoked
by RoBINsoN's scepticism in regard to what
are called sthe Holy Places" in Jerusalem.
To the satisfactiono of most critics, he proved
pretty conclusively that the knowledge of
these sites, except, indeed, that Of the jew
ish temple, at the southwestern angle ofthe
temple area, has been utterly lost. So far
as the latter is concerned, it is fixed with
absolute certainty by the position of the
temple bridge mentioned by JosEPHrs, and
the spring of its first arch still breaking
the level of the western wall; Us also BY the
antique portal on the south, partly built up
and hidden by masonry-the former being
discovered by DR.. ROBINSON, the latter by
another American, Mr. WoLcorT. The lat
ter also discovered, near the Damascus
gate, the long lost opening to, the .quarries
whence the stones of SoLoMoN's temple were
hewn The reality and value of these dis
coveries cannot be questioned. Other iden-
ti6cations have been accepted by scholars,
as that of the conduit of HEzEKIAH, which
man on horseback could traverse, discov-
cred in digging for the foundations of the
English church and consulate; Sculptured
fragments from the temple itself, discovered
some fifty feet or so beneath the surface of
the Tyropeon Valley; the ancient sewers
and aoueducts beneath the temple area,
which DR.. BARCLAY courageously penetra-
ted; and the successive rock basins of
"Enon near to Salim," sone six miles north
of east of Jerusalem.
But the strong arguments urged to prove
that the site of the Holy Sepulchre was un-
known, provokss something like indignant
astonishment
The English clergy, headed by the Arch
bishop of Canterbury, took advantage OF
the recent visit of the Sultan to Great Bri-
tain to secure the privilege of making e1-
plorations in the Holy City, as well as in
other parts of Palestine. The work was
] committed to Lieutenant BARrLErr-a gen.
tleman who unites tact and industry with
all the requisite scientific attainments. A
large number of Arab laborers has been
employed in striking shafts through the
immense heaps of temple ruins that were
hurled down into the valleys to the east,
south and west; in laying bare the ancient
streets and causeways, squeducts and reser-
voirs; in unesrthing the buried features of
the ancient temple hill, and in tracing the
outlines Of ancient buildings. Several i'm
portant discoveries have already taken
place, as the causeway, arch upon arch,
extending from MOriah to zion the deep
valley. heretofore unsuspected, lying to the