The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-02-11
THE HOLY LAND.
Bringing Water into Jerusal em-thc
Truth of Sacred History.

THE HOLY LAND.
Bringing Water into Jerusalem-thc
Truth of Sacred History.
From the New York Times.
Among the many things donG by
Miss Burdett Coutts, for which her
name will be held in lasting gratitude,
her contribution for bringing water in
to Jerusalem will not be the least es-
teemed. The indirect rather than the
direct consequences of this gift have
proved the more important. Miss
Coutts' primary donation was placed
in the hands of a committee of gentle
men interested in Jerusale 4, and was
meant to defray the cost of surveys for
preliminary examinations. These were
to have been preparatory to costly and
substantial water works This scheme
has been defeated by the Turkish au-
thorities. Jerusalem, therefore, must
go for the present without water; or
rather must continue to depend on such
noisome sources of supply as her open
cisterns, which often throw off miasma,
the largest of which is known as the
Pool of Hezekiah.
Miss Coutts' benevolent purpose has
led to noble results, although not pre-
cisely the ones she intended. 1t fur
nished the original stimulus to what is
called the Palestine Exploration Fund,
and has led to the publication of q book
interesting to all the Christian inhabit-
ants of the world. This work, in which
several officers of engineers have had a
hand, and to which the introduction
has been written by DIR. Stanley, the
Dean of Westminster, has just appeared
in London, and is exciting much atten-
ton 1t contains the report of Cap
tains Wilson and Warren, r. E., con-
corning the water supply; accounts of
expeditions to the Hauran, by Captain
de Vogue, and to Mount Sinai, by Rev.
F. W. Holland; paper on the general
survey of Palestine, by Lieut.. Ander-
son; an account Of the famous Moa-
bite stone; descriptions of various ar
chitectural remains in the Holy Land,
by Mr.. Spiers; and, what may be deep
ly attractive, contribution by Rev. G..
J. Chester, on the pottery and glass
found In late excavations.
The Ordinance Survey O. Jerusa-
lem was made IN 1864-5, anG the re-
port of it accompanies the new book,
as does also Capt Watson's account OF
Excavations at Jerusalem" 1t has
been confirmed, it seems, through these
excavations, that the fountain of liv-
ing waters" supposed by Tacitus to
have been stationed within the lime
stone on which the city is built, could
never have existed. The water supply
contained in the cisterns of the Temple
Mount was in fact chiefly brought from
Solomon's Pool. In our day. during
the dry season, the precious fluid is sc
scarce in Jerusalem that half filled
goat skin costs about fourteen cents
The Temple Mount cisterns held
about ten millions of gallons, and
it was in searching for and ex-
aiming their locality that much
which is most instructive and interest
ing IN the publication referred to was
obtained. On the southeast side of the
Mount, near Robinson's Arch" at a
| depth below the surface of the soil of
| 80 feet, the Phnnician masons' trade
marks have been found on the stones,
together with other important relics !;
and the surprising probability is forced
upon us that underground Jerusalem
10 uCStlhtI1 INC L pen, 10 1uIIIlSIl
data of vital significance as affirming or
correcting existing records.
Rev. Mr.. Holland, one of the authors
named above, has been five times to the
peninsula of Sinai, and has taken ex-
| traordlnary pains to verify and eluci-
date the Biblical narrative of the wan
behring's of the children of Israel His
associates, too, have had wide expert
ence in like researches, and the work of
all has received the examination and
approval of DIR. Stanley. It will be
grateful TO many, and especially so at
this particular season, to hear that,
speaking for his companions as well as
himself, Mr.. Holland winds up his
contribution with the follow
ing momentous conclusion: "Not a
single member of the expedition re-
turned home without feeling more
firmly convinced than ever of the truth
of that sacred history which he found
illustrated and confirmed by the natur-
al features of the desert. The noun:
tains and valleys, the very rocks, bar
rem and sun -scorched as they now are,
seem to furnish evidences which none
who behold them can gainsay, that
this was the great and terrible wilder
ness through which Moses, under
Gods direction, took his people,