Newspaper Page Text
IVo. 37 Vol. V.]
Condensed for the Boston Reeorder,from the Mis
sionary Herald for February.
PALESTINE MISSION.
Journey of Messrs Fisk and King from Cai
i - ro to Jerusalem , through the Desert.
Messrs. Fisk and King returned to Cairo, from
their tour into Upper Egypt on the 24th of March,
3823. The following extracts illustrate the man
'gktrs, customs, and state of the country.
Near Shoobreh we met a crowd in the
■treet composed principally of women and
Children following sotne soldiers, who were
leading along a number of Arabs with their
l)<ind* bound. The women were weeping
and shrieking, and crying, “My liver! my
liver!” We found, on inquiry, that the
young men had been pressed as soldiers by
order of government. The process is this.
9ends out men to the villag
lag with orders to return with a certain
of soldiers. They go and seize the
•first promising young men they can find
®ne young man had fainted, and an old
Sian was carrying bim off, followed by wo-
Sinen who rent the air with their cries.—
We had scarcely left this crowd before we
|met a man carrying a corpse on a mule,
probably to bury it. It was merely wrap
sped up in a mat of reeds. The whole was
;fa piteous and affecting scene.
April 2. Made a visit to the Ewir Beshir
lat his retreat on the banks of the Nile
£ above old Cairo. He has with him a num-
I ber of attendants and soldiers from Mount
Lebanon, Druses and Maronites. He in
curred, some time9ince, the displeasure of
the Porte, ar.d an order wa9 9ent for bis
head. He, however, found a safe retreat
with (he Pasha of Egypt, through whose
mediation, and if our information is correct,
by means of a present of 100,000 dollars,
he hu9 obtained pardon and a firman restor
ing him to his former authority. He re
ceived us very favourably. He knew
something of America, aod when we told
him we were Americans, he gave us a salu
tation, and an expressive look,which flatter
ed our national pride. When he learned
that we intended going to Mount Lebanon,
he said he should expect to see us there,
named a place which he sard would be the
best for learning Arabick, and promised to
give us a letter for that place. We were
struck with the stout, robust appearance of
the Druses and Maronites.
April 3. Called on Osman Noureddin,
the President of the ,Pasha’s College. We
gave him some literary pamphlets, and Er
skine on the Evidences of Christianity in
French. He treated us very politely, but
received Erskine’s work with a look, which
showed that it was not very acceptable.
Called likewise to day on the Armenian
Bishop, Gregory. He gave us a letter for
Jerusalem.
[Messrs. Fisk and King were in Egypt
about three months, duriug which time
they distributed, or gave away for distribu
tion, 3,700 tracts. They also gave away
256 copies of the Bible or parts of it, aod
sold 644 (in all 900) for 2378 piastres, or
about 183 dollars.]
[We now commence the description of
their journey from Cairo to Jerusalem, in
the course of which they passed through
the same desert, though not through the
same part of it, which the children of Israel
passed through when escaping from Egyp
tian bondage to the promised land of their
inheritance and rest.]
Commencement of the Journey.
Monday , April 7, 1823. Soon after sun
rise an Arab Shekh came with our camels.
We had engaged 13, and were to pay six
dollars and a half for each, for the journey
from Cairo to Jaffa.—Four were for our
selves aud servant, one for our guide Mas
tapha, one for waler, one for prolusions,
four for our trunks of -books and clothes,
and two for the books of the Bible Society
and the Jews’ Society We had purchased
four goat skins and four leather bottles, in
which to carry our water.
We bad hoped to find a caravan going
through the deser{, hut finding it not likely
that one would go for some weeks, we pre
pared to set out alone.
At 9 o’clock we took leave of Mr. Salt
nnd his family, aod rode out of (own ; and
qfter arranging our baggage, commenced
our journey at ten in regular order for Sy
ria. A 4 we started, a Turkish Dervish and
two or three others joined our caravan.
Wc passed a little way from Matarieh, and
the obelislc of On or Horiopolis. Till one
o’clock we rode in the edge of thv* wilder
ness, with its immense extent stretching
nwav to the right,and the fertile plains of
the Nile to the left. At one our rond led
us iuto the fields, hot still near the desert.
At nearly 4 o’clock, after riding more than
five hours, course E. N. E. we pitched our
tent on the sandy plain near the village Abn-
Sabel. Here a number of Mussulmans and
several Armenians joined our caravan.
They had beeD waiting at the village fora
caravan to pass, with which they might go
through the desert.
In the evening we observed the monthly
concert of prayer.
Tuesday 8. We arose at 5, and at six
resumed our journey. At Bwe passed a
village in a grove of palm trees. At half
past 11, having rode on with our guide,
trotting our camels till we were almost out
of sight of the caravan, we stopped to rest
under the shade of a tree. Here we felt
the missionary.
the force and saw the beauty of the compar
ison, 11 like the shadow of a great rock in a
weary land.”—The caravan came up in
half an hour, and we went on. At one, af
ter riding seven hours, course N. and N. E.
we pitched our tent on the road near the
village Bilbes. Found the thermometer
io our tent at 85 deg. In our room at Cai
ro it had been for some time from 70 to 76
degs. We have hitherto had fertile fields
on our left hand, and the barren desert on
our right. In looking off upon the desert
we have observed at a distance the appear
ance of water. The illusion is perfect, and
did we not know that it is a mere illusion ,
we should confidently say that we saw wa
ter. It sometimes appears like a lake, and
sometimes like a river. As you approach
it, it recedes or vanishes. Thus are. the
hopes of this world, and the objects which
men ardently pursue, false and illusive as
the stream of the desert.
r Account of the Caravan ,
Wednesday 9. Bilbes being the last vil
lage before crossing the desert, our atten
dants were employed in getting things for
themselves ar.d their beasts, and we did not
setoff till half past nine. Several Turks,
Arabs and Armenians here joined our cara
van. After entering the desert, we counted
the persons belonging to the caravan, and
found the whole number 74, with 44 cam
els, 57 H9ses, one mule, and one hor*e.
Several of the camels are loaded with mer
chandize, and most of the camel drivers
perform the whole journey on foot.
At half past 2, after riding fiva hours,
we pitehed our tent on the plain called
Rode en Wolton. Thermometer in our
tent at 79 deg. Asked the Dervish Hadgi
Mustaphia, what a Dervish is. He replied,
” One that eats what he has to-dayj and
trusts God for the future.” “ Are they
priests?” They are among Turks what
priests are among Christians.” “ Are they
monks? or can they marry ?”“ Some marry,
others not, as they please.”
Journey in the desert.
Most of the time to day we have been ris
ing a gentle ascent, course E. and N. E
We are now in the desert out of sight of the
inhabited world. Its appearance however,
is not so perfectly barren as we expected
to find it. Almost every where we gee
thistles, grass and flowers growing ont of
the sand, though thinly scatiered, of stinted
growth, and of a dry and withered look.
When we stop, we select a good spot fyr
our encampment, rais our lent on its two
poles, and stretch out the ropes and fasten
them to the earth with pins, and then ar
range our trunks and boxes of books, so that
they serve us for tables, chairs, and bed
steads.
Thursday 19. When the caravarf stops,’
the camels are turned out to feed on the
thistles, weeds and gras which the desert
produces. At sun-set (hey are assembled
and made to lie down around the encamp
ment. Yesterday afternoon four of them
which carried merchandize for an Armenian,
went off and could not be found, and we ar
ranged our baggage so ns to give the Ar
menian one of ours. The rest of the com
pany, also, gave him assistance in carrying
hig baggage, and we et off at seven. Saw
a mountain at a great distance on our right,
and a village far off on our left. In the
course of the day (he four camels were
found at a distance, and brought into the
encampment at evening. At 2, after seven
hours travelling, we pitched our tent at
Mahsima.—Thermometer in the tents 84
deg., in the sun 10 } deg Here is a wolf of
what we call here io (lie desert good water.
The goat skins, which we took to carry
water in were new, and have given the wa
ter a reddish colour, and an exceedingly
loathsome taste.
[ln the evening they found, that the but
ler, which they had put up at Cairo for
their journey, had, like the manna which
the Israelites kept over night, “ bred
worms,” so that they could not eat it.
[Thrice, during the forenoon of the next
day, the passports of (he different compa
nies composing the caravan, were demand
ed, by Arab soldiers, patroling this part of
the desert for the purpose of stopping trav
ellers who were destitute of passports.]
Far off on our right hand, we saw a range
of mountains. Oar course in the morning
was nearly E.; afterwards it varied to near
ly N. Our road hitherto has been alter
nately loose moveable sand, and hard sand
mixed with gravel.
[The singular combination of events,
described in the following paragraph, took
place during his day.]
After some refreshments, we took a Per
sian Testament, and Genesis in Arabick, and
went to Hadgi Mobammed, the Dervish.
We sat down with him on his blanket spread
on the sand, with the sun beating on our
heads, and then showed him our books.
He reads well in Persian aod Arabick. Os
the other Dervishes not one knows how to
read. White we were reading with him,
most of the Dervishes, and several Turks
and Armenians gathered around and listen
ed. Mahotaraed read in Genesis, and said
it was very good. Another Turk then took
it, and read that God rested on the seveath
day, and said angrily, that it was infidelity
to say that God rested. Mr. Wolff tried to
explain, but to no purpose,till he said be
hat) given such a book to the Mufti of Jeru-
Os all the depositions and " and preach ‘l* ®“‘ pel *° eve T creator e.-Jesus Christ.
— which lead to political prosperity, fleUgion and Morality are indispensable supports.- Washington.
MOUNT ZION, (HANCOCK COUNTY, GEORGIA,) MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1824.
salem, who said it wasgood. This argu
ment silenced him at odfee. *We gave the
book of Genesis to M&homjmed. While we
were sitting with him, Elias, the Maronite
began to beat his mother, because she did
not cook his victuals as he wished. Mr.
Wolff went to him aod reproved him severe
ly for such conduct. The Turks said taunt
ingtyr “Heis a Christian.” We were glad
they heard Mr. Wolff’s admonition, in which
he showed them how inconsistent his be
haviour was with the commands of the Gos
pel.—The unnatural man at length relent
ed, and went to hie mother and kissed her
hand in token of acknowledgment. To
wards evening two Turks had a dispute
which finally led to blows. Hadgi Ibrahim
(the Aoakite) interfered,and, by loud words
and a few blows, settled the quarrel. Af
ter this the Dervish Mustapha became very
angry with his ass, and like Balaam fell to
beating bim, and concluded by calling him a
Jens.
[During the next day they beheld sever
al flocks of sheep and goats, guarded by Be
douin shepherds, and feeding on the scanty
vegetation which the wilderness affords.
One of the flocks trom which our travellers
purchased a lamb, contained about 300
sheep and goals. The Shepherd and two
boys were epinniog cotton with a small
spindle, as they walked about surrounded
by the objects of their care. They also
met a caravan otlso camels going to Cairo.]
[As they proceeded in a northeasterly
direction they found less vegetation, and
more sand and hills, thau heretofore.]
Monday 14. Hitherto we had generally
enjoyed a refreshing north wind, which has
served to mitigate the heat, and rendered
our journey less tedious than we bad feared
it would be. Thi9 morning a scorching
wind from the S.E. commenced ; it was in
deed distressing. The air sometimes seem
ed as if it iaued from the mouth of an oveD.
Many of the Arabs bound a handkerchief
over their mouths and noses v as a defence
.against it. After riding six hours and a
half, pitched our tents; th’r. stood at 99 and.
Fbe country wc passed was full Os sand
ill's. The wind sometimes blew the sand
over the hills like snow in a storm. This
h is been a dreadful day.
On the Shore of the Mediterranean.
Wednesday 16. Turning from the sea
shore, and passing a mountain of saod, we
came in a little while to El Arish, a village
situated in the desert. After riding ten
hours aod a hau, we piturcu our teur’ijn a
plain near the village. Ourshekb belongs
to tLis place. When he and his attendants
met with their friends, we had an op
portunity to observe a curious mode of salu
tation They took each other by the hand,
put their foreheads together, and smacked
their lips, but without bringing their faces
in contact. They repeated this joining of
foreheads and distant kissing 4 or 5 times,
saying, “Peace;” “Well?” “Thank
God;” “ How are you?” “Thank God;”
“Peace.” “ God give you peace.” “God
bless you.”
In conversation with the Greek, who is
from Tocat, he told u that there are in
that place 100 or 150 Greek houses, a bish
op. six priests, and two churches. One
priest is from Greece, and knows Greek;
the re9t understand only Turkish, thougb
they perform their service in Greek, re
peating the words parrot-like, without un
derstanding them.
[Messrs. and King represent the
Arabs as exceedingly profane in respect to
the. Divine Nanae, using it with very little
reverence and continually invoking it in
confirmation of trifles and falsehoods.
They now began to witness some cultiva
ted fields, and a degree of verdure, for
which the sand hills of the desert were
gratefully exchanged. About the middle
of the next day, which was Friday, and the
twelfth since leaving Cairo, they had a
shower of rain. Soon after they crossed
the valley of Zaaka.]
Entrance into Syria.
After riding nine hours and a half, we
pitched our tent at Bur el Khoor, a large
plain covered with grass and shrubs, on
which several large flocks of sheep and
goats were feeding, under the direction of
Arab shepherds and shepherdesses.—We
wa'ked up to the top of a sand hill near our
tent, where we had a delightful view of the
plain. After being so long io the wilder
ness, this view was indeed cheering. We
have now just left the dominions of Moham
med Ali Pa9ha, and entered modern Syria.
Whether we. are yet within the limits of
ancient Palestine or not, we do not koow.
The valley of Zaaka is no doubt a torrent
in the rainy season. Possibly this is the
river of Egypt. See Gen. xv! 18, and Josh,
xv. 4. If so, we are already in the promis
ed land. While in the desert, we have
found comfort in singing,
Guide me, O tbou great Jehovab,
Pilgrim through tbit barreu land.
From the top of the hill, near our tent,
we lifted up our eyes and looked “ north
ward and southward, and eastward and
westward,” and thought of the daogers we
had escaped and of the prospect before us.
How tryipgit must have been to Moses,
after wandering forty years in the wilder
ness, to be told he must not enter the good
land which his eyes beheld. In the even
ing, read the €tb, 7tb, Bth and 9th chapters
of Deuteronomy, which were extremely
interesting to os at this time. We are now
entering the land of Canaan.
Saturday 19.—1n the morning we found
that some bold Bedouin, had made his way
into our encampment, and carried off a sad
dle. Mustapha went out, and fiodiog a Be
douin, charged him with stealing it, and be
gan to chastise him.—He gave a signal, and
a number of armed Bedouins made their
appearance at a distance. The surround
ing country was full of them; and as all
would be likely to unite together in case of
a disturbance, it was thought prudent to
leave them in quiet possession of the sad
dle, and to proceed as soon as possible. At
half pastil, after crossing a mountain
which i9 called on one of our maps a con
tinuation ol Mount Seir v we came to the vil
jage Khan Yoanas (the Inn of Jonas,) the
first village we have seen in Syria. It is
surrounded by gardens, and is inhabited by
Mussulmans, who have a tradition that the
Prophet Jonas once was here.
From Khan Yoanas we travelled several
hours over a wide and beautiful plain, filled
with herds of camels, sheep, and goats,
which were generally tended hy Bedouin
women. This is the ancient land of the.
Philistines. Here we were continually har*
ragged by the Bedouins, who seemed to
spring up like Hydra 9 in every corner.
First came 10 or 12 armed with swords and
matchlocks. Their dress was merely a
turban on the head and a piece of cloth
tied round (he waist. They met our guide
and camel drivers, took each other’s hands,
and kissed, and had all the appearance of
friends. It was, however, soon found that
they wanted money. Our guide told them
they must exact nothing ‘"rom us, because
we were Englishmen; for we travel with
English passports, and though we tell our
attendants that we are Americans, yet they
know no difference between us and Eng
lishmen, having never before seen Ameri
cans, or heard of America. The name of
Englishman is so much respected even
among Bedouins, that we were not molested.
For two hours, however, as we moved
along, our attendants were engaged in loud
and violent disputes with these and other
companies of Bedouins, who came up after
they went away. They extorted a few
dollars from the Armenians and Greeks,
and at last took an ass from one of the Arabs.
Our 9hekh knew all these free-booters, and
it'iii?iiy^, ,a iWS Bfii l laittlfulnes"sTo’ uT/Ufat
they were so easily satisfied. He says
most of the Bedouins are much worse than
these, and yet he called these Satans (Sha
itan.)
Under a large Sycamore tree we saw
women and children threshing barley on
the ground with large sticks. Near by was
a shepherdess tending a large flock, with
her crook in her hand, and the skin of a
lamb, having (be wool on, thrown over her
shoulders for a shawl.
Country of the Philistines. —At half past
5, after riding 11 hours and a half, we ar
rived at Gaza; took two small dirty apart
ments in a large filthy khan, and put up for
the Sabbath, thankful (hat we were not
among deserts of sand, or bands of Arab
free-booters, so as to he obliged to travel
on the Lord’s day. Gaza is the city whose
gates Sampson carried away, and where he
slew 3000 Philistines at his death. We had
no very good opportunity to judge of (be
population of the place, but probably the
estimation, given by geographers, of 5000,
is not far from the truth. Mussulmans nev
er take a census, unless it be an enumera
tion of the houses in order to tax them.
The city stands on a little elevation. The
houses are all built of stone, but make a
very mean nppearance. The scenery
around is beautiful.
[At Gaza they found a number of Greeks,
and a Greek priest, to whom they gave 13
copies of the scriptures, and sold 25 But
one present knew the Greek language, and
to him they gave a Testament. The priest
said, that the church had been built twelve
centuries. They left Gaza on the fore
noon ofMonday, April 21st.]
We crossed a bridge over the bed of a
small river, now dry; and then passed
through groves of olives, and fields of grass,
wheat, barley, St tobacco. The plains were
agreeably diversified by gentle elevations
and small valleys. Five hours and a half
from Gaza, we saw on our left, the village
of Mijdal, near the rums of the ancient As
kelon, which is now uninhabited. Such at
least is the information given ns by the
Arabs. After riding eight hours and a half,
we pitched our tent near the village Es
dood, which, from its sitution, and from the
similarity of the name, we presume to be
the ancient Ashdod. It consists of 100 or
150 of what the people call houses,-miser
able cabins and holes, built of stooe, cover
ed with branches of trees, and roots, aod
these again with earth, so that vegetation
appears every where on (be tops of them.
The place is inhabited wholly by Maseol
maos
Tuesday, 22. In riding through tbit no
cient country of (he Philistines, we have
teen at a distance to the east, a range of
high mountains. The country around us
was green and beautiful, and the toil of a
good colour, which might, no doubt, be
made very productive by proper coltivg-
[Price $3 50 per ann.
(ion. We saw few villages, and those few
are small. There are no scattered houses,
i he popnlation appears not to he great.
Jaffa [ln ten hours and a hall ride af
ter leaving Esdood, they arrived at Jaffa;
and, word being seot to Mr. Damiaui, the
English consul, hia Dragoman came to pro
cure them admittance into the city. They
took lodgings in the consul’s house, which
stands by the sea-side, and, as is supposed,
at, or very near the place, where Simon
the tanner lived, and the Apostle Pelerwas
lodged. At evening the table was served
by a man of Greek origin, who was 100
yeais old, and had been 80 years a servant
in the family of Mr. Damiani and his father.
On the 24th they left Jaffa on mules and
asses, and, after a ride of four hours, arriv
ed at Rama, or Ramla, the Arimalhea of
he Scriptures, where they took lodgings
lor the night in an Armenian convent.
Approach to Jerusalem.
Friday , 25. At half past 5 we set out
for Jerusalem, comforted with the hope,
that this was the last day of our journey.
At 8 we crossed a hill, and then entered a
vailey, which we were half an boor in pas
sing. Soon after this, we came among >he
mountains. .Here we saw, at a distance, a
camp of Bedouins. As soon as they saw us,
one of their horsemen rode on swiftly, as if
to interrupt our path. He came into the
road belore us,halted and looked at us again,
and then rode off. Had we been Rayahs (i.
e. Christian subjects of the Grand Signor,)
he would not probably have left us without
money.
[A little past noon they came to a village
which Chateaubriand calls the village °of
Jeremiah. A little way from it was a pure
stream ot water flowing out of a rock.where
they stopped to quench their thirst, and eat
some bread and fruit.]
Thence we pursued our journey over
a road impassable for camels, and very dif
ficult tor mules and asses. After crossing
a high mountain, we passed through a deep
valley, where is a small village called Ka
oona. The mountains here are of a pecu
liar formation. They seem almost as if
built by the hand of man, and rEe gradually
by steps,like pyramids. Each sirp.however
is so tastened into the “ Et erlating Hills,”
as to show you that it was placed there by
the hand of Him, who existed “before the
mountains were brought forth.” On theso
steps, which are sometimes three or four
U, flAmptimnu Anl., . C _ . a
you see soil, which produces shrub*, and,
when cultivated, vines, figs, an d olives.
The country continued the #afn< . tiJ | we
were within halt an hour of Jerusalem,
when all at once Mount Olivet and the Ho
ly City, opened to our view. Thus it is of
ten with the last hours of the Christian. He
is obliged to pass over a rough and
wearisome way, where he is continually
exposed to the attacks* of enemies, till near
the close ot life, —till his feet are about to
stand within the gates of the New Jerusa
lem, and then he is favoured with some
bright visions of the place he is soon to en
ter.
They enter the Holy City.
With feelings not easily described, about
four o’clock we entered Jerusalem. The
scenes and events of 4,000 years seemed
to rush upon our minds; events, in which
Heaven, and Earth, and Hell, had felt the
deepest interest. This was the place se
lected by the Almighty for his dwelling,and
here his glory was rendered visible. This
was the “ perfection of beauty,” and the
“glory of all lands.” Here David sat and
tuned his harp, and sung the praises of Je
hovah. Hither the tribes came up to wor
ship. Here enraptured prophets saw bright
visions of the world above and received 1
messages from on high for guilty man. Here
our Lord and Saviour came in the form of
a servant, and groaned, and wept, and pour
ed out his soul onto death, to redeem us
from sin, and save us from the pains of hell.
Here, too, the wrath of an incensed God has
been poured out upon his chosen people, Bs.
has laid waste his heritage.
[Messrs. Fisk and King took lodgings ia
a Greek convent, called the Convent of St.
Michael the Archangel, situated but a little
distance from the place where it is suppos
ed the Lord Jesus was crucified. Their
windows looked cut upon (be Moont of Ol
ives, from whence he ascended to glory, &
where he commanded his disciples to “go
into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.” Mr. Wolff took lodg
ings with his brethren the Jews.
[The first part of their journal concludes
with the following request to their breth
ren, aod patrons in this favoured laod,which
will draw forth many prayers in their be
half to Him who beareth prayer, and whose
eye, doubtless, hath never been regardless
of the interesting land in which they now
dwell.]
Christian Brethren in America;— Pray
for us, that the word of the Lord may have
free course and be glorified, even a* it is
with yon; and that we maybe delivered
from unreasonable it wicked men ; for all
men bate not faith.
Description of Jerusalem.
By Messrs. Fisk anti King.
Jertwalem appears, in a general view, to
be situated oju the tide of a uiouotaio, dew
cendicg toward tfaa eptt, whore divided