_Jaffa, Sept. 30th, 1836._
I have at length set out to make a tour through Palestine, or at
least a part of it, and will send you some brief notices of what
may particularly engage my attention. The great heat which we felt
in this country, particularly on the plains, induced me to defer my
tour thus long, as I judged it not well to run unnecessary hazard
in my eagerness to see the chosen land, and to visit the places
referred to in the Holy Scriptures. The great heats of summer are
now past, showers of rain have already fallen, and the driving up of
clouds at one time from the north, and at another from the south,
betoken the approach of those copious showers, which the earth,
parched by a whole summer's sun, so much requires, and which man and
beast need to refresh their exhausted system.
We went on board a small vessel on the 28th, but the wind was so
light that we were only off the sands, and still in sight of Beyroot
the next morning. During the next day we had very little wind, and
made but slow progress. Towards night, however, a wind sprang up,
and we passed Sidon, but at too great a distance to have a good view
of it. I hope to obtain this on my return, as my plan is to return
by land, for the purpose of seeing as much as I can of the country.
The mountains appear to retain nearly the same height and appearance
as those near Beyroot. They seemed, however, to fall back from the
sea and leave a wider plain along the coast, and to the south they
appeared to decrease in height. Night came on, and shut out the
land from our observation. With the night, a fine wind arose, and
began to pass rapidly to the south. About midnight we passed Soor,
the ancient Tyre: we were thus unable to see it. It would have been
pleasant to have seen it from the sea, and to have been able to
make some observations on the plains and mountains, by which it is
surrounded on the land side. We passed Acre too early, and at too
great a distance to see it distinctly. It has a wide plain to the
east, and a little to the south-east the great plain of Esdralon
extends from the Mediterranean to the sea of Tiberias. Having a most
favourable wind, we passed on at a great rate, and just as the sun
rose we passed the north end of Mount Carmel. It is a mountain, or
hill as we should call it, a straight and regular ridge, eight or
ten miles long, running north and south; on the top and side next
us, almost wholly destitute of trees, and without cultivation. It
has very little rock on the surface except near the north end--much
less than Lebanon, and appears favourable for cultivation.
I should not have estimated Carmel to be more than eight hundred
or one thousand feet high. It is, however, usually said to be much
higher. This ridge is separated from the branches of the Lebanon by
a part of the plain of Esdralon. Indeed, Lebanon has come down from
the great loftiness which it has near Sidon, and has spread itself
over the country in small ridges. Carmel lies more west than the
Lebanon range. At its north end it forms an abrupt termination in a
bold promontory. On the top of this promontory, and near the end, is
a monastery belonging to the Latins. There are a few monks there,
how many I did not learn. It has an imposing appearance, but I could
see no other human habitation near it. There is a plain of varied
width between Carmel and the shore. It is almost wholly destitute
of trees, hardly a bush to be seen unless of a very small size. The
plain varies in width from one to two miles. Much of it, especially
near the shore, was covered with sand. I saw no human being, or
human habitation on it, except a few old ruins. A few miles south of
the monastery there were considerable ruins on a sandy point that
projects into the sea. It has, probably, been a fort.
At the distance of eight or nine miles from the promontory, the
ridge called Carmel suddenly sinks down, and gives place to a
wide-spread plain. Near the south end of the mountain, they point
out on the shore the site of the famous city Cesarea, which is often
mentioned in the New Testament--the place where Paul was detained a
prisoner many years, and made his admirable defence before Agrippa
and Festus. It was once a place of considerable importance, rose
suddenly to much celebrity, and almost as suddenly declined, and for
a long period has been in a state of utter desolation. I saw a few
pillars standing, and some other remains of departed greatness. The
plain which begins at the southern end of Carmel, is the celebrated
plain of Sharon.
We reached Jaffa about the middle of the afternoon, having had a
most expeditious sail from Sidon. The wind had served us a good
turn, in bringing us so soon to Jaffa, but we now experienced
another consequence not so pleasant; it still blew hard, and made
the sea so rough that we could not land. The harbour of Jaffa is not
good, or rather there is no harbour worth the name. We had to anchor
some miles out at sea, where there was a tremendous swell; there was
no help, we had to bear it as we could. We landed the next morning,
and were most kindly received by the American consul. He did all in
his power to render us comfortable.
Jaffa stands on a sandy point, which projects a little distance into
the sea. The ground at the point is more elevated than farther
back. It is a walled town, with a double wall and fosse in some
places, all, however, much out of repair. We saw but a few cannon
on the part of the wall which we examined, and those small and in
bad order. We passed a number of soldiers in our walks about the
town, and found a strong guard at the gate. Most of the houses
have a very old appearance, few of them are good; the streets are
narrow, crooked, and filthy, as in almost all the Turkish towns I
have visited. The houses are much crowded together, and cover a very
small space, considering their number. This is the case with most
of the Turkish towns in the East, especially their walled towns on
the coast. We visited the Latin and Greek convents, and were kindly
received, and had coffee and sweetmeats handed us. The bazaars and
shops appeared exceedingly poor, and to be scantily supplied with
articles of merchandise.
Jaffa is a place of interest, chiefly, as being the sea-port nearest
Jerusalem, and the landing-place of a large number of pilgrims that
annually resort, by thousands, to visit the holy places in and
about Jerusalem. It has also, in the noble plain of Sharon, a most
admirable back country. But what avails a country, however good,
if there be not people to cultivate it, and if the government be
so unwise and oppressive as to hold out no inducement for industry
among the people?
While looking at the city, we went without the walls as far as the
grave-yard. I had noticed on the shore, and in the street, great
quantities of a small but beautiful sea-shell, and at the grave-yard
I found them very abundant, and put to a singular use. They were
laid on the graves in great numbers, often forming quite a little
mound on the top of the grave, and in many cases, a newly-formed
stone, which is found at certain places on the shore, and which is
in great part made up of these shells, was set up at the head and
foot of the graves. It had a tasteful and pretty appearance.
The place was pointed out to us at a distance, where Bonaparte is
said to have shot several thousand prisoners. He has been much
blamed for it, and probably not without some cause. If, however, his
own account, as I have seen it given, be true, that they had before
been his prisoners, and had been set at large on parole, under
engagement not again to take up arms against him; that they had
broken parole and were again captured while fighting against him;
if this were the case, he is, according to the laws of war, less to
blame than many have supposed. Not that I would justify him, but bad
as he was, his opponents did not give him credit for the good he
did, and made the most of his bad actions. Had he lived until the
present time, on the throne of France, the state of Europe would
probably have been twenty if not forty years in advance of what it
now is, in knowledge and arts, in civil and religious liberty. Those
who have succeeded to the now divided power, which his powerful arm
wielded, have laboured and still labour to hold the people back--to
repress the spirit of enterprise and improvement, and especially
repress and root out the spirit of freedom.