Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-11

From The Neto York Sun.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 3.-The discoverie
which have been made in Jerusalem dur
ing the last few years, and the conclusion
at which those who have most deepl!
studied the subject have arrived in conse
quence, render it extremely desirable tina
Il new or revised description OF the Holy
City should be inserted in the tourists
hand books for Syria and Palestine. Iray
elers should be warned agains. drago-
mans who waste their time taking them
To see Christian sites which have no re'a.
ton to the facts they are supposed to com
memOrate, ana possess no interest OF any
Kind beyond the philosophical one mar
they illustrate The eNtracr0 nary cfeduhty
and superstitiOns which exist among the
professors Of Christianity IN the nine
teenth century. and which are certainly
not exceeded, even il they are paralleled,
by those OF any heather religion.
Jerusalem handbook 70 be OF any in
&erest should deal with the conclusions
resulting from the excavations aud re-
searches OF Sir Charles Wilson, Sir
Charles Warren, Capt. tOnder, NJ. Cler-
mont Gauneau and others, during the last
twenty years, and leave the traditions OF
the Latin and Greek churches out OF
the question altogether. Their re-
searches have settled nearly MI
the typographical questions connect
ed with ancient Jerusalem, which
had previously been the subject of so
much controversy and error, the doubts
and difficulties connected with them arts
ing from the fact that the city had been
more or less destroyed and built over 80
many times that the original foundations
Of its walls aud Temple could only b. DE-
termined by extensive and iabOrious eX-
cayatiOns; and ia the course OF these
many collateral discoveries were mRde.
These excavations were carried on I'M
der difficulties Of every kind, in face Of
and in spite OF continued feyers and lack
of funds. The mines were driven to eN-
traordin8ry depths; one at the southeast
angle of the Haram being 80 feet deep,
and another, near the northeast angle, be-
ing 100 feet beneath the surface, where II
reaches the solid rock. In consequence
Of the great depths, the scarcity OF
the mining frames, and the treach-
erOus character of the debris through
which the shafts and galleries were
driven, the work was one OF unusual
dan er and difficulty, requiring much
courage and determination. sir Charles
Warren and the nOn-commissioned
officers OF his staff worked constantly
with their lives in their hands, and often
operations from which the
native W0rkmen rec0iled. The prudence
and discipline OF the party, however,
secured valuable discoveries without an
accident, and it is generally acknowledged
that the results are OF an Importance
which fully repays the labor and difficulty
Of the operations.
a..
so cOurageOusly entered the desert of
Sinai after the late Egyptian war, when
be succeeded in capturing the murdeTers
Of Prof. Palmer, Capt. Gill, and Lieut..
Sharrington, and bringing them 10 Justice.
He has since been appointed TO the COM
y and OF the force operating in South
Africa against the Beers. The result OF
ais lEbors in Jerusalem and that of his
selloW explorers IS magnificent atlas,
Published last year By the Palestine Ex-
piQratlon Fund, containing most
elaborate series Of maps, plans, eleva-
lions and engravings, which reproduce
the sacred city 10 all its most striking
features, accompanied by a handsome
volume Of descriptive matter. We are
thus able TO base an account Of the an
cient topography OF the city on data more
exact than any previously acquired, and
10 read the ancient historic accounts BY
the light OF ascertained facts, instead OF
guessing at probabilities by the aid of
descriptions. which. however carefully
are still. as all descriptions must
be, vague where the student requires
most exacutude and deficient where he
most wishes for details.
With the assistance OF these publica-
lions a guide book might be compiled
which would enable the tourist TO order
bis dragoman 10 take him straight to the
places worth seeing, instead Of following
on the track of exploded traditiOn-going
with him like sheep 10 those that are not.
Much could be done 10 clear away exist
Ing confusion and prevent the perpetua-
tlon OF error by II change in the received
whereby things should be
called by their right names so far as they
are known, instead 81 by misleading APP
derived from the records OF
early pilgrims or the later Crusaders.
/ will take a few examples as illustra-
tions. Not far from the Church of the
Holy sepulchre the guide shows the
traveller an immense reservoir, now
being tilled up. This, he says, is
the Pool of Bethesda, but il
has only been thus designated
since the fourteenth century. In the
twelfth this pool was supposed to be a
cistern near the Church OF st. Anne, and
IN the tourth the site or Bethesda was
shown at the twin pools, northwest OF
Antonio. The fact is that there are only
two sites which may be regarded as pos
sible for Bethesda, one being the spring OF
En- Rogel, which has an intermittent ebb
and flow, and which is still frequented by
the Jews, who battle in IL To cure various
diseases. The other is the curious we'll
Immediately west Of the Temple enclosure
now called Hannah Esh-shefa, or the
Healing Spring, long reservoir reached
by shaft nearly 100 feet deep. None Of
the pools which have at various times
been selected by tradition, have any sup
ply Of living water, and none can we'll be
supposed 20 have any intermittent rise
and fall, such as we understand by the
moving OF the waters.
Again, take the tombs of AhsalOm and
81. James. There is nothing whatever 20
the first with Absalom. The
singular style Of its architecture shows
that IL cannot be the pillar "Absalom
reared up for himself during his lifetime
Ia the kings dale.n NJ. Clermont Gan
neau has made excavations uneovering
the bases aud pedestals OF the columns.
all OF which are purely Greek. Indeed, il
Is only since the twelfth century that ID
was called the tomb of Ahsalom al all.
The author OF the Jerusalem itinerary
calls II the tomb OF Hpzekiah.
and Adamanus in the seventh cen
fury calls II the tomb OF Jehos-
aphat. IL Is possibly the monument ~
famous spoken OF bv Jose
phus. So, too, the tomb of 81. James mas
nothing 10 DO with ~. James. for there has
lately been discovered on the facade an