The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-03-27
Miate1lAn &pms.
From the Biblical Treasury.
The ShOpUer of Stones.

There have been Incidents, accompan
led with the falling through the air OF
bodies, stony or mineral, which induce
some persons to suppose that the sacred
historian in this passage Joshua x II, J
"And it came to pass, as they fed from be.
fore Israel, and were in the going down to
Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down
great stones from Heaven upon them unto
Azekah, and they died they were more
which died with hailstones than they
whom the children of Israel slew with the
sword" refers not to a terrible storm Of
hail, as has generally been supposed, but
to the falling of something more substan-
tial and destructive. In Normandy, in
1903, for instance, there was a fall of
several stones, containing an alloy of iron
and nickel, described as weighing from
ten to seventeen pounds each. Most COM
moGly, however, these falls are of heavy
hailstones, or masses of ice, one of which,
at Constantinople, iu 1881, is thus de-
scribed by Commodore Porter, envoy to
the Turkish court:
awe had got perhaps mile aud half
on our way (down the Bosphorus0 when
cloud rising in the west gave indication
of an approaching rain. In few minutes
we discovered something falling from the
heavens with heavy splash, and of a
whitish appearance. could not conceive
what it was, but observing some gulls
near, | supposed it to be these darting
for fish, but soon afterward discovered
that they were large balls of ice falling
Immediately we beard a sound like rumb.
ling thunder, or ten thousand carriages
rolling furiously over the pavement. The
whole Bosphorus was in a foam, as
though Heavens artillery had been dis
charged upon US and our frail machine
Our fate seemed inevitable ; our umbrel-
las were raised to protect US, the Jumps of
ice stripped them into ribands. We for
tunately had bullock's hide in the boat,
under which We crawled, and saved our
selves from further injury. One man of
the three oarsmeu had his hand literally
smashed, another much injured in the
shoulder, and all more or less injured. A
smaller kaiok accompanied, with my two
servants They were both disabled, and
are now in bed with their wounds the
kaick was terribly bruised. 1t Was the
most awful and terrific scene that l ever
witnessed, and God forbid that I should
ever be exposed to such another. Balls
of ice as large as my two fists fell into the
boat aud some of them came with such
violence as certainly to have broken an
arm or leg had they struck US in those
parts. One Of them struck the blade of
an oar and split it. The scene lasted may
be five minutes, but it was five minutes
of the most awful feeling that | ever ex.
perienced When it passed over,
we found the surrounding hills
covered with masses of ice, I cannot
call it hail the trees stripped of their
leaves and limbs, and everything looking
desolate. We proceeded on our course,
however, and arrived at oui destination
drenched and awestruck. The ruin had
not extended SO far as Candalie, and it
was difficult to make them comprehend
the cause of the nervous and agitated con-
dition in which we arrived The Refs
Efendi asked me if was ever so agtated
when in action. 1 answered, Mo- for
then had something to excite me, and
only human means to oppose. He ask ed
the minister (who was standing by his
side, and who had been at sea- if he ever
was so affected in a gale of wind at sea-
He answered, No for then he could ex.
ercise his skill to disarm or render harm
less the elements. He asked him why he
should be soaffected now. He replied, From
the awful idea of being crushed to death
by the hand of God with stones from
Heaven, when resistance would be vain,
and when it would be impious to be