Year: 1873

The American Palestine Exploration


party has arrived at Damascus. A cor


respondent of the London Times, writ


ing from that city under date of Sep


tenber 10th, says:


They have surveyed about five hun
/ dred and fifty square miles south of


Es-Salt. Their work has been carried


on in the midst of Arab wars and ru-


mors of wars, and they themselves


have been frequently assailed, fred on


and captured but they have thus far


escaped injury. They have gone on to


Lebanon above Beryout, and as soon


as the great heat is over they intend to


return to the prosecution of the sur


vey. The most important discovery


and Identification which they made


is that of Nebo (which will be describ-


ed in their forthcoming quarterly re-


port } and what is, perhaps, more in


terestlng, they express unqualified


scepticism with respect to the genuine


ness of the Shapiro collection of Moa-


bite idols"


The collection of inscribed pottery
at Jerusalem has been for some time a
subject of deep interest to archeolo-
gists. As a rule, English arch@ologists
have little confidence in the genuine
ness of the 'Moabite idols while on
the other hand the Prussians have pur-
chased for a large sum a portion of
the pottery. The Americans have
been the greater portion of their time
beyond Jordan, in the region from
which the pottery was said to have been
brought, but they state they have been
unable to find any trace of it. They
have interpreters who are excellent
Arabic scholars and who know the |
Arabs and their ways. Professor Paine !
has also seen u great deal of the people |
in his capacity of physician. From
morning to night the people come to !
him from far and near, bringing what
ever they can part with in return for |
medicine-wheat, bracelets, coin, ETC.; I
but though they made the pottery a
special subject of inquiry, they could |
hear nothing of it whatever. Profess /
sor Paine says he is morally certain
that nothing of the character of the
"Moabite idols has been taken across
the Jordan to Jerusalem during the
last six months.


"A special element of suspicion to
some minds with reference to the 'Moa-
bite idols" was the fact that the supply
followed Immediately on the demand
But this objection was met by the
statement that formerly the pottery
was taken TO Damascus and ground up
for cement. A singularly able article
appeared in the Congregation
aiist on these Moabite idols In this
article it is said: Camel loads unnum-
bered had been carried to Damascus,
where the powdered divinities were
used to line the cisterns. l have taken
special pains to ascertain the truth of
this statement. | visited the places
where the pottery is ground up in
Damascus, and was told that the city
had enough old pottery of. its own to
supply cement to the whole province
The Shapin collection may
be as genuine as it is extraordinary,
but the negative evidence to the con-
trary is certainly accumulating. On
the whole, the question is so interest
ing and important that it is worth tax
ing some trouble to discover the
truth"


Various practical experiments in
the domestic science will be tried soon,
now that the cold weather is coming
on. The refraction of the early suns
rays can be studied by those who are
obliged to get up early; and interest
ing facts concerning the effect of fric-
ton on matches, and heat on coal and
wood may be cleaned by those whose
duty it is to light the fire.