Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-24

our operationsS as though they though
We were not doing the work with hal
the dispatch they could. l did not fee
inclined to question the truth of the init
mated proposition. To prove my faitl
by my words did not givethem chance
thinking that charity begins at home. U
all places ever seen that Damascus wa
the hardest place to reach. We rode anC
walked and walked and rode and still the
sun shown done on us and on Damascus.
There is an end to most things and at las
that happy goal was found. Severa
miles from the city the plain of Da.
mascus proper is entered. This plain is
| covered with groves of olive and other
fruit, with fields of rank wheat and grain
of various kinds Brooks run
through 1t and birds sing as most of birds
do-sweetly. Here as everywhere in
the East the little cheerful swallow was
found with the faithful dove and tricky
tame pigeon. Trees for timber being too
scarce, the fields, houses, ETC., are en-
closed with fences made of large blocks
of mud. In the East there is always
some incongruity. Our eyes would rest on
beautiful groves and flowers, and there are
ugly mud walls. The city is pretended
to be surrounded by walls, but not even
an Arab would be green enough to sup
pose that these would be more than child's
play for cannon, though the cannon were
Arab. In order to get to our camping
ground, we had to ride through the streets.
did mean to get off some lofty ideas
about the city which owes its origin to
Noah's enterprising grandson, but this
i ride forbade all such intentions. Single
file we marched through Arab men,
sqaws, and the productions of these
promising parents; through crowds of
dOnkies as humble looking as ever;
through crowds of complacent camels;
through myriads of dogs. The men
looked sullen; the squaws more
so; the productions shouted, spit
at and called us dogs, and
varied the performance by throwing
stones. The dogs howled, snarled, and
bit at our feet; the donkies cooked their
ears and smiled; the camels chewed their
tobacco, or something else, and gave
ominous groans. Take it all in all, there
never was, or will be, but one greater
specimen of pandemonium, and that is
1 NlC OliSlldf. NOulO AdNC hIOhu hHdL
a place he was rearing for generations
unborn, he surely would have taken pity
and desisted. Viewing Damascus, with
its lovely surroundings, from a distant
mountain, the same is fair to behold
yea, there are few like it. 1t is picture
with mountains in the background, plains
on either side, and the tints of many
kinds of foliage giving variety to the ex-
panse of green. Did distance ever lend
enchantment to the view, and clothe mud
walls in green hue, it is here. Once
within the walls, the charm is gone.
Sme1ling-bottles are brought in demand,
and the flat-fOoted walk no longer, but the
tiptOe. There are two or three toll
cradle streets in the Bazars. Moham-
med refused to enter the city after
seeing it from distance, because of its
beauty. 1t is well he did not. Sad would
have been his disappointment, provided,
of course, he knew better from worse. |
Not having read the Koran, l can't say
but there must be some provisions for
dogs. Everywhere in Syria there were |
enough, but here the enough is superb
bundance. In Damascus there are 40, 900 |
dogs, and all Musselmans, from the style |
IN which they snarl at Christians. The /
feeling, by the natives, of hatred towards /
Christians is very strong. Your readers |
will remember the massacre of 1860, in /
which 1000 Christians were put to death.
No city in the world is so oriental in peo-
pie, religion, dress and manners as this.
Here the world has stood still. There is
no change, except in religion, and it is the
same as for 200 years-indeed for 4, 900
in one sense. The boast is that the cross
never waved over Damascus. There are
several thousand rather well drilled, well
equipped, fine looking Turkish soldiers
garrisoning the place. The Mosques are
common. The Bazars are the great
feature, and are said to be among
the richest in the world. The /
quantity of silk is immense and of good
quality. Here, as in Cairo, each article
has its own street. Fine saddles and
brides are made here. But the Damas-
Gus razor has ''played." When grooming
under the pain caused by razors of dull
in the thought such would end forever
when was once in Damascus, but the hope
was not well founded. The genuine was
counterfeited, and with the result of all
cOunterfeits. The greatest picture of con-
tentment l know is the owners of some
of the bazars. Imagine plethoric, heavy
framed, rOund-shouldered, sleepy looking
native, sitting Cross-legged, with his slip
pers off, turban around his head and
smoking his hookah, and you have the
Arab merchant. If you don't look too |
closely at him he remains in statu quo,
but if any signs of fancy for his goods
are shown, he is like the tiger that has
tasted blood. If you get away without |
buying something it will not be because |
he hasnot started high and come down low
enough. Ten prices are asked with perfect
ComplaceDcy and when it is known they |
will not be realized. l found quite deal
of pleasure in watching the scamps grad
ually come down. When price is named
and you shake your head and walk away,
the clever salesman will cry out, "what i
will you give, what will you give" Eou
90 back and tell him. He shakes his turban /
and after cycling you comes down little.
You walk away, are called back, the price
is lowered and so the process goes on till |
nine times out of ten the article is bought |
az your original offer. Never offer more
than the first bid Some of these fellows
are first-clsss clerks. L. the best ba4ars |
the lien diess well. The biggest swells
l know of are in Damascus. Some of the |
dresses would excite the admiration of |
Nashville's greatest exquisite. The street |
called Straight still holds its own and is |
one of the best. But the name is a |
misnomer. The house of Ananias is still |
shown, as also the wall where Paul's |
friends played the clown trick of letting |
him down in basket. 1t would seem |
that people who still repeat the Arabian
Nights Tales ought to have more elo- |
quence, cleanliness and civilization gener-
ally; out so it is.
When l stood in Westminster Abbey, |
In London, saw the graves of men |
buried some 400 or 500 years ago. |
was burdened by the effort of trying to
go back that far. 1t seemed like getting
back to the time when the world was
young. But here, in a city Gas old as
history itself, , the leap up the stream of
time to point when the world was in its
bibs, was something could not do; there
was no use in trying-the effort would