_Jaffa, May 21st, 1838._
Having concluded to return during the ensuing summer to the United
States, and made my arrangements accordingly, I took passage from
Beyroot to this city, in a Greek vessel, April 20th. The families
of Rev. Messrs. Thomson and Hebard had preceded us, to attend the
annual meeting of the mission, which was to be held at Jerusalem.
It was not without feelings of sorrow that I left Beyroot. For
about two years I had considered it my home, and excepting while
making tours, which I occasionally did, I had remained there and on
the adjacent mountains. I had preached a good deal to the English
congregation at Beyroot, and aided, in all the ways I could, the
mission work. I had become acquainted with many of the natives,
more particularly with those who maintained a friendly intercourse
with the mission. I had enjoyed the acquaintance and friendship
of the consuls and English residents, and could not bid them a
final farewell without strong emotion. But circumstances made it
indispensable, and we parted, expecting to see each other no more.
We reached this place on the 22d, after a moderately short but
rough passage. To our great discomfort, we found that the plague
had broken out a few days before; the city was shut up, and we were
not allowed to enter. At first we were not permitted to land; but
after some entreaty we were permitted to land at the Lazaret, under
the watch of the health officers, who took us and our baggage into
that building. There were some cases of plague in the Lazaret, and
it was the last place we wished to be in; and, moreover, our room
had literally nothing in it. I wished to send word to the American
consul, whose hospitality we had more than once experienced; hoping
that he would be able to place us in a more comfortable situation,
and was told that he was at his country-house, about two miles from
town, and that we might go there if we chose; but that we must walk,
as all the animals had been used by the pilgrims, who were returning
in great numbers from Jerusalem, and might be infected. After a
most laborious walk through the sand, with our children--two of
whom we were obliged to carry--we reached the house of the consul,
but he was not there; his family being still in town and his house
shut up. It was too late to return to the Lazaret; and there was no
alternative, but to lodge, without bed or supper, on the floor of an
unfinished room that was designed for a kitchen.
In the morning, the consul came out with his family, and our
situation was made more comfortable. Through his aid we had our
baggage landed and conveyed to a place of safety, excepting what
we wished to take with us; and having procured animals, we set off
for Rumla about sunset, which we reached about ten in the night.
For once we resolved to make trial of the camel, and we all rode on
them; but before we arrived at Rumla, we were satisfied that the
horse, the mule, and the donkey, are each and all to be preferred
to the camel, as a riding animal. The motion of the camel is a long
swinging motion, with rather a sudden stop at each step; for a
little while it is pleasant, but soon becomes tiresome and at last
painful.
We were on our way at an early hour on the morning of the 25th,
and reached Jerusalem about five in the afternoon, where we were
kindly entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Nicolayson. We found the friends
well. The sessions of the missionary meeting were drawing to a
close. Professor Robinson, and the Rev. Messrs. Smith and Adger, had
arrived some days before from Egypt, _via_ Suez and Sinai.
One object I had in view in revisiting Jerusalem and its vicinity
before I returned to the United States, was to correct, as far
as I might be able, any errors that might exist in my former
descriptions, and supply any defects which a second visit might
suggest. I have not seen much that deserves special notice in the
way of correction or addition.
It struck me at the time that I visited the plain of Jordan and the
Dead Sea, that the descent from Jerusalem to them was greater than
that from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. It is now a pretty well
ascertained fact that the Dead Sea is lower than the Mediterranean;
and as the water of the latter sea is above thirty feet lower than
the Red Sea, it must follow that the Jordan never flowed through the
El Ghor into the Elanetic Gulf. Count Barteau, who has just returned
from a visit to Petra Acaba, and an examination of the district
between the south end of the Dead Sea and Acaba, states that a high
district crosses the El Ghor, and causes the water to run north and
south from it. Dr. Wilson and Lord Lindsay gave me substantially the
same information. From some experiments it is estimated that the
level of the Dead Sea is several hundred feet lower than those of
the Mediterranean. If a passage then were made connecting the Red
with the Dead Sea, the waters would flow into it, so as to cover all
the plain of the Jordan, and even raise the level of the waters of
Lake Tiberias. The question will naturally be asked, where did the
waters of the Jordan flow to, before the destruction of the cities
of the plain? what outlet did they find? The more common opinion
heretofore has been, that before the overthrow of those cities there
was no lake on the south end of the plain of Jordan. The Bible does
not, however, say so, but rather intimates the reverse. The Salt
Sea is mentioned before the account of the overthrow of Sodom and
Gomorrah. It seems to me most likely that there was a lake at the
south end of the plain, and that those cities were situate near its
borders; their destruction was followed by the enlargement of the
lake, and the ruin of some part of the plain on which they stood. It
is indeed an almost universal opinion among the Arabs, that some of
the ruins of these cities may yet be seen. Costigen found ruins, as
his servant declared, which he took for the ruins of those cities;
and Count Barteau states, that he saw at the south end of the lake
old cisterns, and other things that indicated the former existence
of towns. There is now not much doubt that we shall in due time have
the facts so examined into and certified, as to add another proof to
the many which have lately been given, of the verity and accuracy of
the Scriptural account of things.
While at Jerusalem, I had occasion to visit Jaffa. I rode down past
Rumla, and reached Jaffa in about ten hours. My horse was not a
good one; the day was warm, and I did not ride fast. I infer, from
the time spent on the road, that the distance must be at least
thirty-five miles, and possibly forty.
I returned by a road which separates from that of Rumla, a few miles
from Jaffa, and passes over the plain farther to the north. It led
us past several villages on the plain, among which was Lydd, the
ancient Lydda, where Peter healed Eneas. It is a small village, but
contains some better buildings than we usually meet with in such
small towns. It is surrounded by extensive gardens and orchards of
fruit-trees; and on the east side of the village is a good well,
much resorted to for water. The plain of Sharon on this road was
very fertile, and more of it had been cultivated than is usual. The
harvest was going on, and men, women, and children, were out in the
fields: some reaping with the common reap-hook--some pulling up the
grain with their hands--some binding up the grain in bundles--some
carrying it on their shoulders, or on donkeys, or mules, or camels,
to the thrashing-floor--and some thrashing out the grain by driving
the cattle over it. They use a thrashing instrument not unlike
a harrow. In its under side they have pieces of stone or iron
fastened which serve as teeth. These instruments are dragged by the
oxen over the grain, and thus separate it from the straw.
After leaving the plain, our road followed a ridge for a
considerable distance; a little west of the highest ground we passed
two ruined villages at some distance from each other, that were
called Beth-horon. They are, I doubt not, the upper and the nether
Beth-horon. This opinion is, I think, confirmed by the account given
of the defeat of the kings that were confederated against Gibeon.
It is said that Israel "chased them along the way that goeth up to
Beth-horon; and it came to pass that as they were in the going down
to Beth-horon, that the Lord threw down on them great hailstones
from heaven." Josh. x. 11, 12. Beth-horon lies on the west side of
the ridge, and Gibeon lies on the east side, and at the distance of
several miles from the top. The flight began from Gibeon, and was
first up to the top of the ridge on the road towards Beth-horon; and
from the top of the ridge it was down to Beth-horon, and on this
last part of the way, that the hailstones fell on them. Until I saw
the ground, I never understood the "_up_" and "_down_," as used
in the record of this flight and pursuit. Near Gibeon I saw some
sandstone, singularly mixed up with the limestone. It lay about in
large masses, but I saw no continuous rock of it. The ancient Gibeon
is now a small-village, inhabited by a few Mohammedan families. It
stands on the summit of a round hill, and from the steepness of its
sides is capable of being made very strong. There are various old
ruins and some arches of great size running into the sides of the
hill, forming rooms, in which various labours are now carried on. A
little out of town is a spring in a cave, and below it, on the side
of the hill, the remains of an old pool, which is probably the one
beside which Abner and Joab, with their men, sat down before the
battle in which Asahel fell.
The plague made its appearance in Jerusalem shortly after our
arrival. We did not pay much attention to it, excepting that we
were more careful in passing about the city not to come in contact
with the people. The monks from some of the religious houses left
the city, and took refuge in other places. We found the monks at
Bethlehem keeping quarantine, and there was plague in some of the
convents in the country.
A health officer from Jaffa visited the city on the 16th, and
declared his intention to shut up the gates and prevent egress or
ingress, until the plague abated. He gave us permission to leave,
provided we would do it early the next day. Having no wish to be
shut up even in Jerusalem, for a month or two, we made all possible
haste to get ready to leave town the next morning. We found some
difficulty in procuring animals, but at last succeeded, and bidding
farewell to all our kind friends, and the missionary brethren
resident there, we left the city and bent our course to Rumla. Our
animals proved miserable creatures, and one of our muleteers gave
us the slip and returned, leaving us to make our journey as best
we could. We had been informed at Jerusalem that we would not be
permitted to enter Rumla; but supposed that we should arrive in
season to consult with the consular agent, and obtain lodging in
the old tower, or some place in the vicinity. Our mules were so
intolerably bad, however, that it was dark when we approached Rumla.
To our frequent inquiries of the muleteer, as to where he was taking
us, we received the reply, "to the water," and supposing that we
would halt at some watering place near the town, we allowed him to
proceed. Finding from the length of the way that we must be taking
the road to Jaffa, we insisted on coming to an understanding of the
matter. He had no idea of stopping, but intended to land us safe
at Jaffa that night; after a great deal of noise on both sides we
prevailed on him to halt. He took us under an olive-tree near by,
saying, what he supposed was true, that if he took us to the town
they would cut his head off. Angelo set off immediately, to see if
he could gain admittance within the town. The children, worn out
with the fatigue of the journey, had lost all patience, and were
crying for their suppers. I seated them on the ground and began to
search about in the dark for the remains of our luncheon, which
there was much reason to fear the muleteer and his boy had eaten.
Presently Mrs. P. began to shake with an ague fit, and called out
to me that she should die with the cold if relief was not soon
obtained. I had procured some wine at Jerusalem, which I was taking
home as a sample of the wines of Palestine; and thinking this was
a time, if ever, when its use would be justifiable, I succeeded in
disengaging a bottle from our baggage and administered a quantity
of it to those "who were ready to perish." Drawing a small carpet
from the saddle of the mule on which I rode, I covered up my little
family, and with no enviable feelings waited the result. It was not
long before the well-known voice of Angelo hallooing in the distance
broke upon my ear. He came with one of the consul's sons, who
welcomed us to his father's house, assuring us there was no obstacle
in the way of our admittance. Thus our difficulties were removed,
and we were most hospitably lodged for the night. The next day we
arrived at the country-seat of our very kind consul at this place,
who has furnished us with a room, and is assiduous in his attentions
to promote our comfort and happiness.