The New York herald., 1873-12-02
THE METHODIST MINISTER'S.

A New Palestine Exploring Expedition
The Great Biblical Want OF tho Age, .
Good Map or the Holy Land.
The Methodist preachers met yesterday in large
numbers TO listen to an address by Dr.. Strong, OF
Drew Theological Seminary on his proposed ex-
ploring expedition to the Holy Land. committee
had been appointed at the previous meeting TO
issue an invitation to ministers and literary and
scientific OF other churches and organizations,
so that the company assembled yesterday was
larger than usual An hour was very prohtably
spent In devotional exercises and the narration OF
personal and pastoral experiences At halfpast
eleven O'Clock Professor Strong took the moor and
gave general and humorous invitation to all per.
sons present to accompany him to Palestine The
cost for the round trip including hotel bills and
everything else, is $l70O per head, and the
journey takes in one month In Egypt
and another in the desert, and seven
months divided among Palestine sites,
the Jordan the land OF Moab Italy, Greece and the
trip outward and homeward-nine months In ali.
The real question to be answered is, WHAT can be
done TO promote q knowledge Of Bible landss
Palestine, he said, has been q study with us rom
our earliest years. We need, before all things q
good map OF Palestine. IL is true we have an
abundance of maps but they are not reliable. The
Doctor then gave brier sketch OF Robinson and
Smiths map, which was the earliest and which
was measured by the time OF travel OF mules-a
very incorrect way Of measuring distances. The
best map now In use is yandevelde's, published in
Gotha, and which is the standard in all our
schools and colleges, but this has not been made
after any typographical survey, but is drawn very
much after fancy and at least east OF the Jordan 1t
is wholly unreliable. The Doctor gave sketch
OF the organization and laDors Of the British
PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND SOCIETY,
which has been operating on the peninsula lor the
$4,000. The American society was organized at
meeting In DR.. Adams church here in 1870, but for
the right man as engineer. Finally in September.
1872 they secured the services or Lieutenant
Steever, OF the United States Typographical sur.
travelled over some 900 miles OF the territory
and accurately surveyed or no 70 square
has e' caused a temporary suspension Of the
society's operations, and Lieutenant Steever
is NOW IN the @ as es MoTR
should be done by governments; but as they
fail It must be done BY individuals or BY societies
cording to the methods Of the present exploring
partes and he was not willing to wait so long,
when ne n map NAP e
twelvemonth. But the society VIII need $4,000
for the next years operations besides $1,000
worth OF Instruments now on the ground
which must be brought home unless the
public win sustain the society and send Lieutenant
Steever out again. The Doctor gave brief sketch
OF what has been done and the territory surveyed
by the English and American societies. and illus
trated the feasibility Of his own idea by what the
government had done In the South during our late
war, when its war maps were made somewhat
after the manner that he purposes to make his.
REV. PROFESSOR HITCHCOCK
said that in 1865 the British society was organized
and began survey Of the holy LIZ Land ,a They nave
the district east OF the Jordan and are mapping
the country after the measure Of an inch to
was done partly before. vandevede's map east
OF the Jordan is worse than wOrthless-it Is mis-
leading. DR.. Hitchcock then referred to the or
ago, and said that Lieutenant Steever had already
trianguxted 600 square miles east OF the Jordan in
the English way. SO that when the work OF the
two societies ls completed the results which are
after one measure can be put together and cor
incorrectness Of the other maps, Dr. Hitchcock re-
marked that Dr.. Robinson says there are 1000
square miles west Of the Jordan and 5000 east OF
ties named show that there are 5000 square miles
west OF the Jordan and 5000 square miles east Of
since It's organization, about 900; but 1t will
want for the next year at least $20, 0O0 and for
~ eaas % To1s
completed in six or seven years. each taxing
strip Of 900 square I miles. But II WIZ take every
out its design as II has begun. The sites Of Nebo
and Pisgah have been nxed by It's engineer. These
have an interest for us, he thought, which can be
turned to pecuniary profit
DR. CHAMBERS QUERY.
DIR. CnamDer6 asked Dr. strong WnaL metnOQ OF
measurement he proposed The latter responded,
"By pedometer, or loot measure, which Is not 80
correct the other, but is vet sufficiently correct
for all practical purposes until the societies can
produce their correct map. We know" he said,
''where Jerusalem, Beyroot and some other places
are and it should not be very difficult to fix the
sites OF intermediate paces.n He proposed to 60
from the Nile TO the Red Sea and the forks OF the
Jordan and Antioch. 1t can be done in SIX months,
and at cost Of s. 900 or $4,000. And II he were
map publisher he would undertake the task as
speculation. He does not propose to aDtagonize
either of the other societies. but merely to give
the Church something which may serve its pur-
poses until their more complete and reliable sur
December 20
Rev. Thomas Penrose, Of England was intro
duced and briefly addressed the meeting. Sabbath
afternoon services in Allen street Methodist Epis-
copal church were announced, and o meeting in
regard to revivals was held at two p. N.
rrnvrYffTnAY