The wonders of the East

Front matter

I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

I ? ^y>^ f I

-. |ofigri#i |lo

Preface

wondrous land. Besides, from the circumstances of authorship, acquaintances, social and ecclesiastical relations, the author believes his work will reach hundreds that no similar publication would be likely to find.

In his travels in the Holy Land, he saw in its topography, customs, and usages of society, much that serves as a key to the better understanding of the Scriptures. It has accordingly been his design to so connect what he saw with the narratives and parables of the Bible as to explain many important texts of Holy Writ. In this way, some hundred and thirty passages have been referred to, many of which have received, in his observations, a beautiful solution.

In these Letters, which have now been revised, corrected, and in some instances enlarged, so as to embrace some additional important matter, the author has aimed to describe what he saw in the most concise and familiar style, so as to give the reader the plain unvarnished truth. As the Holy Land was the main object of his tour, his sketches of the various places he visited in Europe were intentionally very brief, embracing only their leading features ; and although he has been more minute in his description of what he saw in Palestine, yet he has sought to give the reader multum in parvo ; and he fully believes that there is no work of the same size, designed for general circulation, that contains more information than the present volume. Hoping that it may contribute toward spreading among the people a better knowledge of the customs, usages, topography, and geography of the Holy Land, the author confidingly places it before the public. J. I. s.

pONTENTS.

LETTER L

Crossing the Atlantic.

Anticipations — Separations — Feelings — Sea-Sickness— High Winds and Seas — Grandeur of the Ocean — Reflections 13-17

Sights in and about London.

London — A Funeral — St. Paul's Cathedral — Westminster Abbey — Its History — Its Eoyal Tombs — The Poet's Corner— England's Mighty Dead 36-45

Letter V

Sights in and about London — Continued. The Tower — Horse Armory — White Tower— Prison and Instruments of Torture — Noted Victim — Place of Execution — Jewel Office — Crowns and Sceptres — British Museum — Nimrod and Layard Saloons — The Rosetta Stone— Bunhill Fields — Tombs of Distinguished Personages .45 -57 vi

Letter VI

Sights in and about London — Continued. Westminster Palace — Eoyal Gallery — House of Lords — Peers' Lobby, etc — Central Hall — Westminster Hall — Windsor Castle — St. George's Chapel — Eoyal Tombs — Bound Tower— Eoyal Stables and Public Grounds 58-67

LETTER VII. Sketches on the Rhine

Rotterdam — Wind-mills — Ship-Canals — Statue of Erasmus — Dykes — Dusseldorf — Cologne — Its Churches — Mrs. Adocht's Burial and Eesurrection — The Cathedral — Bonn — Drachenpels — Eolandseck — A Famous Love-Story — Mayence — Frankfort — G tileries of Art— The Cathedral 67-76

Letter VIII

Sketches on the Rhine — Continued. City of Worms — Luther's Heroism — His Statue— Heidelberg — Its Castle, etc., etc — Strasburg — Its War Scars — Tombs — Cathedral — Astronomical Clock — Bale— The Alps— Geneva 77-86

Letter IX

Scenes in Italy, — From Geneva to Venice. Mt. Cenis Tunnel — Turin — Churches — Palace — Country Scenery — Milan — Its Cathedral — Painting of the Last Supper — Ancient Tombs — Library— Verona — Venice — Gondolas — Church of St. Mark — The Doge's Palace— Bridge of Sighs— Eialto 87-95

LETTER X. From Venice to Borne

Country View — Florence — Its Churches — The Pitti Palace — Pisa — Leaning Tower — Campo Santo— Eome— The Coliseum— Arch of Titus— Old Euins

Contents.

vii

— Palace of Caracul a — Heathen Temples— Palace of the Caesars — Golden House of Nero — Pantheon 95-107

LETTER XL

Sights in and about Rome.

St. Peter's — The Vatican — The Pope's Extravagance and Tyranny — St. John's Lateran— Scala Santa — Luther's Decision — A Better Future 108-117

From Naples to Alexandria.

A Storm — Island of Crete — Landing at Alexandria — The People — The City's former Grandeur — Obelisks — Pompey's Pillar — Catacombs, etc. .... ..146-155 viii

Contents,

LETTER XVI. Egypt

From Alexandria to Cairo — Scenes by the Way — Cairo — Its Inhabitants — Streets — Houses — Citadel — Joseph's Well — Mosque of Ali — Horrid Treachery and Slaughter by M. Ali — A fine View — Heliopolis — Temple of Hassen — Temple of Tayloon 155-165

LETTER XVII. Egyptian Scenes and Wonders

Tombs of the Caliphs— The Nile— Pasha's Palace— The Pyramids — Their Immense Size — Sphynx — A Temple — Memphis — Farming — Mud Huts, etc — From Cairo to Suez— The Country — Suez — The Bed Sea —The Tide 166-176

LETTER XVIII. What I Saw in the Holy Land

Discouraging Reports from Palestine — Jaffa — Population — Streets — An Old Town — Its Historical Incidents — Eamleh — Lydda — Plains of Sharon — Ajalon — Terebinth — Emmaus — The Mountains — Jerusalem—Church of the Holy Sepulchre 176-183

LETTER XIX. Bethlehem

Farm of Boaz — Shepherd's Grotto — The place of Christ's Birth — Stable and Manger — Pools and Gardens of Solomon — Cave of Adullum — Etam — Tomb of Eachel 183-187

Letter XX

Trijp to the Dead Sea and the Jordan. A Rough Boad— Marsaba— A Scene of Desolation— The Dead Sea — A Swim — The Sea's Appearance and Character — The Jordan— Its Size— Old Gilgal — Pisgah — Jericho — The Wilderness — An Ancient Inn 188-199

Contents.

ix

LETTER XXT.

Jerusalem.

Its History and Topography — Origin Unknown — Very Ancient — Captured by David — Stormed by Shishak — By Nebuchadnezzar — By Titus — Its Topography — Mount Zion— Moriah — Bezetha— Akra— Tyropean Valley— Gihon Valley 199-208

Is the Sepulchre now shown the true Sepulchre of Christ t

Difficulties in Settling the Question — Testimony of the Evangelist — Tradition — What Enemies Did — Quotations from Spencer, Williams, Ferguson, and Olin 227-235

LETTER XXV. Jerusalem— Continued

Mount Moriah — Temple Area — Mosque of Omar — Sacred Bock — Excavations — Solomon's Stables — Sea Under the Temple — The Jewish Place of Wailing at the Base of the Temple Wall — A Singular Document found in one of its Crevices — Its Translation — Strange Bevelations of Jewish Customs — An Old Aqueduct — Fountain of Hezekiah 235-249

X

Contents.

LETTER XXVI. Around Jerusalem — Valley of Jehoshaphat

The Tomb of Absalom— The Tomb of Jehoshaphat— Tomb of St. James — Tomb of Zacharia— Whited Sepulchres — Fountain of the Virgin — Pool of Siloam — Mount of Corruption— Well of Job — Hill of Evil Council — Aceldama— Valley of Hinnom — Pool of Gihon — Tombs of the Kings — Tombs of the Judges 249-263

Letter XXVII

Outside of Jerusalem, Tomb of the Virgin Mary — Garden of Gethsemane — Top of Olivet — Magnificent View — Reflections — Bethany — Its Appearance — Lazarus' Tomb — Road to Jerusalem — The Fig Tree— Spreading of Garments in the Way — Here Jesus Wept over Jerusalem 263-272

LETTER XXVIII. Northward in Palestine

Preparation to leave Jerusalem — Discouragements — Securing a Dragoman — How to make a Contract — Our Outfit — Feeling of Sadness — Roads — Site of Nob— Mizpeh— Gibeon— Gibeah 272-285

LETTER XXIX. Northwest through Palestine

Ramah — Bethel — Its Ruins — What it now is — The Country — Farming — The Mountains — Arabs — Old Paths— Old Customs— Fields and Vineyards. . . .285-296

LETTER XXX. Northward in Palestine

Shiloh— Plain of Moreh— Jacob's Well— Tomb of Joseph—Valley of Shechem— Mount Gerizim and

Contents.

xi bal— City of Shechem — City of Samaria— Its Extensive Ruins— Rough Roads — Plowing and Sowing ... 296-307

LETTER XXXL

Gabriel's Mishap— The Muleteer's Adventure— Dothan

—Reflections— Mount Hermon 307-314

LETTER XXXII. Tour through Galilee

An Arab House — Parable of the Lost Coin — Plains of Esdrelon — The Spring Harod — Mount Gilboa — Jezreel — Naboth's Vineyard — Shunem — Nain — Endor— Mount Tabor .314-329

LETTER XXXIII. From Nazareth to Tiberias

Cana — The Corn Field of Christ and His Disciples — First View of the Sea of Galilee — Our Quarters — Tiberias — Its Warm Springs — Sea of Galilee — Reflections — My Supper — Arab Customs in Eating and Sleeping 329-339

LETTER XXXIV. A Night in Tiberias

A Story of Robbery — Visitors and my Alarm — Lodgings—Farewell to the Sea of Galilee— Mount of Beatitudes — The Slavery of Women — Gabriel's Courtship and Difficulties— Beside Still Waters . 339-348

LETTER XXXV. Scenes in Galilee

Dividing the Sheep from the Goats— How, and why it is done— Our Quarters for the Night— The House and its Inmates, including the Hens and my Horse —The' Family and Fleas— A Sleepless Night. . ..348-357 xii

Contents.

LETTER XXXVI. Scenes in Northern Galilee

Farming Utensils — Season of Plowing — No "Wagons or Bridges— The Weather — Manner,of Collecting Salt — An Explanation of — "If the Salt have Lost its Savor" — Climate— Birth of Christ— A Telegraph — Woodland 357-367

My Experience in Palestine.

The Superior Interest of the Holy Land — My Toil and Privations— Food, etc. — My Constant Fear and Anxiety- Final Satisfaction 382-390