The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-01-30

modern times.
We went to Memphis; sunk in the mud
was the statute of Rameses. We brought
home a piece as memento. In Cairo we
found a stately obelisk the oldest in Egypt
"a solid shaft of granite, forty or fifty feet
high, six feet square at the base. The
sharp edges of the hieroglyphics carved on
the obeliSk, would cut your fingers. The
rock is so hard that one fellow cut one year
to get piece and only cut one inch, and
gave it up. AND this is all that is left of
Egypt, the most wonderful country on the
earth.
On the high plains of Moab are 1000
acres of as fine land as you ever saw. The
Arabs wont cultivate it. In all the tropi-
cal country around Jericho not foot is
cultivated, there is not human habitation.
So all around the Ded Sea and up to Beth
any. 1t is because the Arabs wont let the
people cultivate it. There is some beauti-
full land about the plains of Moab.
Such beautiful grain never saw before.
Heavy heads, with three or four rows of
seed around it as large as your thumb.
Only scratch is made on the ground in
cultivation, with wooden pillow. Other
soils produce grape vines and mulberries.
In the northern part of Palestine, in Leba-
non, the Maronites, or Christians, raise
silk, and are very industrious and thrifty
people. They are good, honest fellows,
but they are SO oppressed by taxes that
they have to mortgage their silk crops to
get along. 1t is ruined land. There is
no escape from it, all is crushed by the iron
heel of Tyranny.
We ascertained the locality of Goshen
and Rameses (Which have always been in
doubt; also the place of the passage Of the
Israelites across the Red Sea. The partic-
ular place We think was not at Suez, but
lower down, below the rocks of Migdol,
which shut them in, rendering escape i'm
possible, except to pass through the sea.
We followed the route of the 1sraelites
through the desert. One place was only
fifty feet wide, another only thirty feet,
where they had to pass. The valley of
Paran is charming place, as also is Rep
hidm. We saw the rock that Moses smote
to get water for the thirsty Israelites. We
saw Mount Sinai, bold and bluff, like an
immense pulpit, where the law was deliv.
cred to Moses. 1t was a fit place for the
delivery of the law in the heart of that
wide, voiceess desert.
Jerusalem is small place; you can go
across it in twenty minutes. The edict has
gone forth from the Turkish Government
that the walls shall be pulled down. Ten
years hence there will be nothing of them
but miserable heap of rubbish. 1t filled
me with sadness. They are pulling down
the walls of GAIA now. New Jerusalem.
the Russian part Of the city, is being re.
built in neat and pretty manner in the
Northern part of the city. All the sacred
localities are huddled together and covered
with tinsel. They have to me very little
of interest. The position of Calvary, and
the tomb where Christ was laid, are little
like what we expect to see. Ancient Jeru-
salem is buried 10, Is, or 20 feet under
ground, and if you wish to find it, you
must dig for it. So with Rome and other
ancient cities. If the point of the e1ac'
locality of the sacred places is ever settled,
it must be dug for. and here is chance for
those Oriental societies to spend all the
money they can get.