The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-18
Explorations in The Holy Land.

DcrS, drains, sewers, WciiS anu TANKS.
A stream of running water was found,
showing that the fountains exist far
below the surface, and are still run
ming, a circumstance of interest, as
there is now tearth Of water in Je
rusalem. inscriptions in the PhGni-
elan characters in red paint were
found upon the walls, and many OBJ
jects Of interest werc gathered, such
as lamps, pottery, weights, seals,
gems and sepulchral chests some Of
them very beautiful, containing hui
man remains. An attempt was made
to determine the exact position of
parts of the temple and the site of
Solomon's palace; bot while the in-
vestigations have had the effect Of dis
turbing many of the previous theories
as to the precise locality Of places,
they have 1ot been sufficiently certain
to rem ,yc doubts or to dispense with
fur her inquiry. Much has certainly
been added TO our knowledge of the
ancient city but it must be admitted,
in view of the time, labor and money
that have been expended, that the re-
suits have not been as great as was
expected for the reasons already sta
ted.
During the three years that the cx-
plorations in ,Ierusclam were in pro-
gress Capt. Warner made several
reeonnoisanccs into the interior The
first was to the plains Of Phillistia,
living between Judea and the Medi-
terranean, the land of the ancient
Phili.tians. Here he found fertile
soil neglected, the existence of which
is threatened by the sand advancing
against it. One Of his objects was to
ascertain the site Of the city of Ge-
rar, where Isaac lived, but he failed
to find evidence Of it. He visited
GAIA. one of the most ancient cities
in the world, which was in existence
in the time Of Abraham, and fixed the
site of the ancient city as nearer to
the Mediterranean than the present
one, which is three miles from it. lie
also made researches in the country
about Ascalon His next reconnois-
ance was in the comparatively IN
known region east of the Jordan,
where he fixed the latitude and lon
gitude Of many places, and took
great number Of photographs ofruins,
temples, tombs, etc, 1t rs a country
of ruins. They are, he saws, every
where. Over tract of four miles
square there was never ending sue
ccssion OF ruins. On every rising
ground there has been a village; on
every hilltop temple He found in
the pointed arches proof that do
Tnesticated people lived here after the
fall OF the Roman Empire. 1t is now
occupied only by the Bedouin. His
visit was too shoit 80 enable him to
accomplish much The region is the
one now undertaken BY the American
society The third expedition was
an exploration of the Jordan, in which
he went up one bank of the river and
returned by the other, making geo
graphical observations especially with
reference to further surveys. His last
reconnaissance was in Lebanon and was
chiefly devoted to skc:ching and
measuring temples and the examina-
ton of Mount IIermon, Of which an
elaborate investigation was made.
THE PENINSULA OF SINAI.
The survey Of the peninsula Of 81
mai undertaken by Prof. Palmer and
DR.. Drake, is thus summed up:
L. That this peninsula was the
scene of the events. recorded in ExO-
dus, and its examination has certainly
furnished remarkable corroboratiOn
Of the truthfulness and accuracy of
the Biblical history.
Q That the country is extremely /
wild and rugged; that it has one Of
the most complicated systems of |
drainage in the world, and that the
present barrenness and desolation are
due to neglect; that formerly it was
we'll wooded, its mountain sides ter
raced with gardens; its rushing wa
ters regulated and utilized and that
this fertility lasted until comparative
" modern times
3. That Jebci Musa is undoubted- /
" the Mount whence the Law was
delivered, its form, position aud the
surrounding plain, indicating unmis-
takably that it was here that the mul-
titude assembled to listen to the
words of Moses. This last conclu-
sion is disputed by the learned DIR.
Beke, who says that Mount Sinai is
further 10 the northeast, in the de-
sert in the vicinity of Gulf of Aka
bah, and he is now collecting fund
in England TO enable him to 90 out
and search for it. He argues that
Mount Sinai, fcSm the account of it
in the Bible, must have been an ac.
tive volcano, in the time of the Exo-
dus, which be thinks is now extinct.
BY an arrangement with the Eng
lisb society the country lying east of
the Jordan and Of the Red sea has
been undertaken by the American
Palestine exploration society. IL EN-
braces the part of Palestine which is
least known, and is in territorial ex-
tent three times as great rs the c0un-
try surveyed by the English. 1t
abounds in ruins, inscriptions and OBJ ,
jects of great interest, and its explo-
ration will undoubtedly throw great ,
deal of light not only upon Biblical .
history, but upon the former history
of the whole country lying midway
between ancient Assyria and Egypt. ,
1t was here that the Moabite stone !
was found, the interest of which was ,
not alone the record Of long past /,
events which is inscribed upon it, but :
the fact that il sheds more light upon !
the invention Of our alphabet than !
anything yet discovered. In tie !
language of the late learned Mr. =
Deutsh, at illustrates TO a hitherto :
of degree" the origin and :,
history of the art of alphabetic and !,
syllable writing as We posses that :
priceless inheritance. The American !.
as l stated in my last ad- !.
dress, was placed by the American !;
society under the command OF Lieu !.