Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-02-01
" The Land East of the Sun and West
ofthe Moon.

The Land East of the Sun and West
ofthe Moon.
Late correspondence from Moab,
where the British Exploration Commit
tee is at work, gives very interesting
details of the things brought to light
in that impressive land. Iiza, men
toned in the Ant0nilte Itinerary as the
station OF a squadron of cavalry. be-
came another center for exploration,
and from here was made a most inn
poTtant and remarkable discovery. The
ruins Of IA magnificent palace, far more
perfect than anything OF 50 early . date
hitherto discovered in Moab. were found
on the borders OF the desert, east-south-
east OF Hesbon, and furnish a new
problem Tor antiquaries at home. 4
quadrangle Of fr]eestones i%nclose Il
palace Of brick the quadrangle meas
ures 40 wards on every side, and is
furnished with semi-circular bastions.
On either side Of the only entrance is Il
facade Of carved work, $50 feet in
length and II feet in height. Animals.
birds, flowers, fruit, and even men are
chiseled with great thoroughness of
work and delicacy Of touch, and the
whole is in a marvellous state of preser-
walton. The yaulted roofs of eight Of
the chambers Of the palace yet remain,
and the plan and details have led Mr..
Ferguson to conjecture that the Persian
cOnqlerer Chosroes was tho founder.
Sir Henry Rawlinson questioned the
soundness OF this opinion, on the
ground that n military invader who
merely crossed this tract ON his a to
Egypt would not have had sufficient
hold upon the country to attempt such a
work, Be this as it may, the date OF
the building must be somewhere about
A. d, 600, The Arabic name, "Umm
Shetttah," gives no clue to the history
of the place.
To the west Of the pilgrim road
already mentioned, the gorge of the
Kallirhoe, the site Of the hot bath,
where Herod the great sought to Obtain
fl cure, was thoroughly explored. Thi,
gorge was not unknown before, bu'
Makaur, which from its modern nam
and the resemblance Of its position t,
the description given by Joseph, mus
also certainly be MachRrus, was reached
for the first time. Other travellers hav,
seen it from a distance, or more prob
ably have had the direction Of its sit
pointed ont to them, and have the
marked it enormously on their map
but Tristram is the first who in moderl
times stood upon the spot where job.
the Baptist suffered Imprisonment an,
death. The names and details Of Othe
ruined towns are far too numerous t
be given for AS Mr.. Stanford afterwar
expressed it, Tristram's report "pel
fectly bristled' with new facts, most {
which could only be conveyed clearl
by the aid OF plans and illustration.
Neither the American explorers undo
Lynch, nor the Fench under the Due d
Luynes, though both parties had boat
seemed to have observed the great di
similarity between the Judean and til
Moabite shores of this salt lake of tn
East. The western shore is well know
to be a desert Of glaring mari, almol
entirely destitute OF vegetation of an
kind. 1t now appears that the easter
shore, owing to a different geologic
formation and a comparatively abundal
supply Of water, is not only covere
with small plants and studded by d,
cidious trees, but has toward its nortl
ern extremity palm growing luxuriantl
in the clefts OF the rocks overhangin
the sea itself, and climbing far up I'll
mountains.
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