The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-28

10 be a change IN the government ' ~ -
in,nrobable that the London company ever
wrote the threat mentioned py Sinful
The Campaign i'm Eden and Arnrat-
By LEONARD wooLsEY BACON.
!. would read strangely in the newspa-
rers. this story Of the summers fighting in
Asia Minor, il it were translated into the
terms OF ancient geography. Instead OF
reading that the Russian army crossed the
Caucasus, and moved upon ErZeroum by
way OF Kars, we should have sensation
headings:
Rapid Advance Of the Seythians! !"
Successful Passage OF the Pison " "Thc
Wnole Land of Haviah Occupied '.The
Men OF Togarmah Rally ut the Gihon! /"
..Fierce Fighting in Edcn!" "The In
yadcrS Defeated in the Mountains OF Ara
rat"
For. according TO the hest conjectures we
can make. the scene OF the murder OF Abel
nv Cain is the scene Of the struggle in Asia
between Russian and Turk; and the
fights at Delibaba and levin have been
among the mountains from which the pos
terity OF Noah went forth to repeople the
land: while the beleagured Russian garri-
son at Bayazid may sustain its patience by
looking up at the magnificent double peak,
clad in everlasting snow, which almost over
hangs them, and which the local tradition
points out as the very place where the ark
rested. and where Noah, the eighth per-
son." waited for the siege OF great waters
TO abate. ..
It IS not wise to be too minutely exact
when it comes 10 identifying the localities
OF such remotely ancient geography. But
this we may Say. with some degree OF con-
6dcnce, that in this plateau at the head
waters OF the Euphratcs and the TigriS we
are 10 tnl that country Of Eden, IN the
eastern part OF which grew the garden or
Para(i;sc that was the scene OF primeval
history. For as to one OF the rivers OF
Eden there is no doubt-the EuphrateS.
And as TO Hiddekel there is no reason for
doubt; for the common name OF the Tigrls
10 this day among the people who dwell
apon its banks is Ed-Dukhleh, and this, or
something like it, has always been its name.
And this undoubtedly is the river that,
rising beside the sources Of the Euphtates,
'.goeth eastward to Assyria.' Genesis H.,
"A, margin.) Neither do we have to look
far for the Gihon. 1t is natural name for
river in those regions, being derived from
a root signifying TO rush. 1t is the local
name Of the Oxus, but that rises thousand
miles away, flowing into the sea Of AraI.
But the Araxas, or Aras, whose source is
Just between the two uppermost springs OF
The Euphrates, and flows thence by rapid
and rushing descent towards the Caspian
sea, is certainly known to have borne the
same name Of Gihon. And though it does
not flow near Ethiopia, it does "compass.
the land OF the Cushites" Genesis H., 10,
lnargin), or Cossai, near the Caspian. AS
for the PiSon, ynn can take your chuice
among several streams that "compass the
land Of Hayilah, where there is gold"
Hayilah does not look, in English letters,
much like Colchis but to the eye OF phi
iologist they are alike. The FL is strong
cultural, that might be better written Kh;
The is more like u the final h is weaker
form OF the Greek CHI; the two as are a
subsequent addition Of "the scribes," and
the is of ColchiS is an unsuccessful terml-
nation. So that in ColchiS we get as near
to "HauiLah, where there is gold" as Colch
is near to khullch-and that is near enough
for all practical purposes. su-,..s H.. .
Now, Colchis is that land about the south
eastern corner Of the Black sea that was
noted in early legends as the very California
OF the primeval world-the land to which
Jason and. the Argonauts sailed in search OF
the golden fleece. For the river OF HaVl.
Iah, the Pison, some like 1or the SOUND OIL
the name, doubtless) the Phasis; others (be-t
cause it is so great and beautifully the Hays;
and others the Cyrus, flowing into the
Araxes. For my part, looking on the map
OF the region, and having as good right TO
nv own choice as any OF the rest, l pitch
upon the Jorak, or Acampsis, that rises IN
the same mountain with the AraXes and the
Euphrates, and bounds Colchis on the west.
And as look on Colonel Chesney's beaut-
full map of the region and see that the 'oIc
region OF Colchis is now the pashailk OF
4AEhaltskhe, I cannot help wondering whe-
ther the old name, under barbarous form,
is not clinging to it still.
Now take q look again at your War-map,
and YOU will see. that the springs OF ali these
rivers are within little space-the land OF
Eden, we may call it, in the eastern part OF
which lay the Paradise-and that it is Just
in this eastern part OF Eden that they are
ravaging and fighting at this season. Ihe
heart OF this region is the plain Of Ere
reum, stretching forty miles by twenty
along the head stream Of the Euphrates, and
elevated s,1O0 feet above the level OF the
Black sea.
NV first entrance into the land OF Eden
was got in climbing up the steep passes OF
the Taurus from old Nineyeh, toward the
eastern springs OF the Tigris, more than
twenty-five years ago. l mistrust my boy
ish impressions OF the time for two reasons
First, we had just escaped for our lives into
the mountains, having been hunted by Be
douins across the torrid, treeless plain of
Nincyeh; and, secondly, the thought that
we were just penetrating into the seques-
tered, mountain-girded plateau that seemed
10 have been walled oil by the Creator as the
nursery OF the humanracem may have kindled
my imagination.
But certainly when, on mounting hot
and4iresome ridge Of rocks, along the track
OF an ancient military road, we looked
down into the narrow valley OF Btlis, it
seemed both to my father and myself that
I'VE had never seen anything more paradi-
sale. Great fountains, yielding little river
at once, gusbed from the hillsides and ran
foaming down the valley to swell the
branches OF the Tigris. Thickets OF dell
cious verdure along the water-courses, and
trees for fruit and shade upon the slopes,
gave harbor to birds of various song and
feather. Outside the picturesque Oriental
town, with its towering castle, its mosques,
and its Armenian churches and monastc-
ries, were remains Of baths, Mosques, and
villas OF strangely diversified architecture,
representing many successive dynasty
that has ruled this region from the days OF
the Byzantine empire downwards.'
From Bitlis our course was still upward.
We waded our horses through the upper
springs OF fsmany an ancient river" and