The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-05-11


hosts OF friends.
A large party from here will 60 down to
Nashville on Wednesday to attend the meet
ing Of the Southern Baptist Convention.
VIAToR.
Interesting Letter from Prof. Harris.
Correspondence Of The Richmond Dispatch.]
BEYRoUT, April 16, 1878.
What a treat it would be in this far-of
land to read your familiar columns. AS
that may not be, the next best thing is to
write word for them. It must be very
hasty, for the Apollo, which Is to take US to
Smyrna, is now in the bay and will sail in
the course OF few hours. They do not
have wharves over here, but steamers lie
half mile out and passengers have to get
of to them in row-boats. 1t is therefore
necessary to start from shore an hour or so
before the vessel is appointed to sail.
BEYRoUT
is CITY OF SO, 1000 inhabitants, the CONNER
eial and intellectual capital OF Syria. Fifty
years ago the Presbyterians OF America
established mission here, which has grown
in Influence and is doing much for the city
and surrounding country. They have a
good church, printing-press, and college,
with literary, medical, and theological de.
partments-all in full operation and well at
tended. The ladies OF England also-espe-
cially the Adventist wing OF the Established
Church-are doing good work. They have
nearly four thousand girls and young
women in their several schools in and
around Beyrout, and teach them not only
letters and the general principles OF Christi
anity, but the arts Of houseWifery. A we'll
to-do Arab gives for an ordinary wife about
S25O-baf to her father, the other half for
her trousseau-but a girl taught in one OF
these schools commands price OF $500 or
more. The greater part Of them, however,
do not at once marry, but devote themselves
to teaching other girls.
The massacre OF 1860 drove many Chris
tians here for protection, and this gave a
great impetus to the town. 1t is in many
res poets more like a European than Syrian
city. Hacks are seen on several streets, but
no drays. Barefoot porters carry on their
backs. or suspended between four, on
long poles, the heavy bales Of English fab
RIGS which are landed here and sent hence
to the famous bazaars of Damascus for sale
to Bedouin Arabs and American tourists.
T should have said that there is fine mac
adamized road, constructed by French
company, which begins half a mile from the
seashore and runs TO the outskirts OF Da-
mascus, with an unfinished branch to Zah-
ieh and Raalbek. This is the only work of
internal improvement in the whole country,
and has also helped to make Beyrout the
railway terminus, as it were, Of the great
east and west line Of travel and transporta-
ton.
NAuR Ell KELB.
Ten miles from Beyrout is one Of the
most interesting spots in the world. Dog
river, which is translation OF the Arabic
above, comes down from Lebanon through
wild, romantic gorge. It's southern bank
is high, bold cliff, iutting out into the sea.
Here, according to ancient tradition, stood
the stone statue Of a wolf that gave notice
by barking whenever an invading army was
approaching. The statue. unfortunately for
Berytus, was long ago cast into the sea, anu
only little portion now shows above the
blue water. The legend survives, and II
any one doesn't believe it ask him how else
he can account for the name OF the stream,
which the Greeks called potamoS tycaS, and
the Arabs as above.
INSCRIPTIONS.
But whatever may have been true OF the
river, it is quite certain that the promontory
was q great obstacle to the passage OF an
army either northward or southwark be-
tween the Mediterranean and the Lebanon
mountains. This is attcsted by dozen IN
scriptions and sculptures in the face OF the
rock, through which successive engineers
have hewn their way. Three OF them, large
square tablets, with figures In relief and
hieroglyphic Inscriptions, are attributed to
Sesostris or Rameses III. in the latter part
of the fourteenth century B. c. Six SINH
lar but smaller ones, with figures in bold
relief and well-preserved cuneiform char
acters, attest the passage OF Senasacherlb
about 500 BIC. One which copied tells
how the road was repaired under Antonlne
about $50 A. D. copied this, and any OF
YOUR readers who are Latin scholars Will,
hope, concur in my explanation. The name
| in seventh liue has been erased with some
rough tool, and the eighth is to me unlntel-
leible, as it also bad one or two letters worn
| out by time. 1t is rs follows:
IMP. cAEs. N. AvRELIys
ANTONINys PIvs FELIX AvGysTvs
PART. MAX. BRIT. MAX. GERM. MAXIMTS
| PoNTIFEX MAXIMYs
MONTIBvS INMINENTIBVS
LICoFLvMINI CAEsIs WAN DELATAVIT
| PER. -.
.~., ANTONINIANMSYAM.
| Two inscriptions are in Arabic, telling
how Selma T., about 1880 a. D., rebuilt the
| bridge and the road. And finally, one IS IN
| French, carved in 1S60-'6l, on one OF tne
Egyptian tablets, to celebrate the fame OF
Napoleon III.
WATER-WORKs.
An English company some time ago Sc.
cured for forty years the right to supply
| Beyrout with water. They draw the water
from Dog river, conducting it through
| tunnel half mile long to their pumps, and
thence to the city, eight miles, in pipes. AT
| ter seeing the Inscriptions | looked through
the water-works and found them ishall ! say
| it?) far superior to ours at Richmond. The
pumps are driven by turbine wheel, which
| is never interrupted by high water, and the
supply-ppc does not draw directly from the
| stream, albeit the water was not half SO
| muddy as that OF the tsnohle Jeems," but
/ from q large tank, into which the river
water is passed through filters, and SO goei
4 into the pipes as clear as crystal. But Ian
4 not an engineer md DOM mean to criticise
| especially as must heo off to get aboard M
j 4g 81 .s,5H n. II. q.
THE CIMBgIA.- Our Government viii no
Interfere with the Gimbria, though she ha
on board the entire personnel OF the Rus
sian navy. England and Russia are not a
wet at war, and the Cimbria wishes arms
Il. a. la. 2 Atx.n <n