Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-03

The survey of Palestine has thrown
light on another most important question
concerning ancient Palestine-namely, the
relations of the present climate of the
country to that of Old Testament times.
This question has been fully worked out in
papers which will be found in the memoirs
of the survey, and the conclusions reached
may be briefly summarized. Palestine isa
small country, but 1t presents great vari-
cites of soil, climate, and water supply in
various districts. We have the tropical
Jordan valley and the arctic region of
Upper Hermon and Lebanon. We have
rich volcanic corn plains in Basham and
round Jezreel, and sandstones overed with
pines and cedars, and hard limestones over
which perennial streams flow between fine
woods OF oak and terebinth in Galilee, and
vet more in Gilead We have fiat mari
time plains, sandy and marshy, hot and
malarious, bounded by overriding dunes,
but well watered by sluggish streams from
the clear springs at the mountain foot.
These plains run from Carmel to Gaza
ever widening, and supporting rich har-
vests. We have the low chalk hills, with
their luxuriant olive yards and wells of liv-
ing water all along the eastern side OF the
maritime plains. Above rise mountains
5000 to 1000 feet high, and on the north
attaining to 10000 feet These are gen.
orally rugged and bare, but carefully ter
raced and partly cultivated. The vine
tiourishes on these higher ranges, where
the frost and mist aid the strong reflection
of heat from the rock to ripen the grapes.
But besides these richer districts, we have
the old deserts unchanged from the days of
Abraham and of David the fiat marty
plateau of Beersheba, where the nomads
feed their flocks and herds as Isaac did be-
fore them; the desolate peaks and gorges
of the Jeshimon where the dun partridge
and the brown ibex roam as they did when
David hid in these Businesses from Saul,
among the rocks of the wild goats" Ex-
ploration does not tend to countenance the
old ideas about great change in climate.
1t is matter for the naturalist and the
geologist to decide, and we know certainly
that brooks of water could never have
flowed on the surface Of the porous chalk
of some of these regions any more than
they can now We know also
that the land is still as fertile as
of DID, still well watered in Ger
tain districts; still with a sufficient rain
fall and that when a just and stable
Government exists las in the lebanon the
country still flows with oil and wine. But
what We do learn from a study OF the land
and OF history is the desolation wrought by
human means in Palestine. We find every
where the copse covering the wine press,
the thistles growing among the old field
Enclosures, the terraces in ruins, the old
vineyard deserted, the olive yards extermi-
mated and many of the ancient woods en-
tirely cut down. The forests which existed
in the times of Titus and of the Crusaders
are often entirely destroyed, and fine oak
woods are represented by acres Of stumps
and roots; the great Antonine cities be-
yond Jordan stand in wilderness full of
ruined villages, over which the Arab wan
ders with his herds OF camels in brief,
we see that poverty and decrease Of popu-
lation, the decay of roads and aqueducts,
the ruin of the old cisterns, the destruc-
ton of the woods, terraces and vineyards
are the causes of the present desolation.
This has often been pointed out, and ex-
perience proves that. given a just and
strong Government in the country, Paies-
tine might become, like Southern Italy, a
garden Of the world.-ICaptain Gender, in
the Contemporary Review.