INTERESTING TOUR THROUGH THE HOLY LAND, 1819. From the Monthly Magazine, Feb. 1820. will be surprised to receive a You letter from me at such an immense distance, and out of Europe. If I were to give you an account minutely of this most interesting of all journeys that I have taken, I should fill quires of per. Let me then run over hastily a short account of the countries through which I have passed. pa Last August I left London for Paris. From Paris I sailed down the Rhone for Marseilles. Here I embarked for Egypt was nearly lost in two gales of wind off Candy and Malta. In six weeks I arrived at Alexandria, where I saw Pompey's Pillar, Cleopatra's Needle, the spot on which poor Abercrombie laid down his life, and every object of interest in that celebrated place. I then crossed the Desert, arrived first at Aboukir Bay, where Nelson fought his great battle; and, after a weary journey across a desert of sand, I got safe to Rosetta. When at Alexandria, I was introduced to the Pasha or King of Egypt, a man of remarkable talent. At Rosetta I embarked in the Pasha's barge, and sailed up the Nile; and, For this letter (says the Editor of the Oxford Herald) we are indebted to a gentleman of this city, who a short time since received it from an old acquain cance. B ATHENEUM VOL. 7. after two days' sail, I arrived at Grand Cairo, the capital where the throng in the streets appeared to me greater than that in the streets of London. I visited the Pyramids, scrambling in and through them; and in the last, opened by Signor Belzoni twelve months ago, are stupendous objects truly. After remaining here ten days, I sailed down the west branch of the Nile, and arrived at Damietta, where I was detained a fortnight by stormy weather. I embarked here,and afterwards landed at Jaffa; and as inns, and such like places of accommodation, are totally out of the question, I put up, in the future stages of my journey, at the convents: the one here is said to be built on the spot where the house of Simon the Tanner stood. I next proceeded to Ramah, in the neighbourhood of which is the tomb of St. George, tutelar saint of England; and thence to Jerusalem, going along the most frightful path I ever encountered, through rocks and precipices. I remained a fortnight at this most interesting place; saw every thing of a sacred nature pointed out; was on the Mount of Olives, Mount Calvary, the Holy Sepulchre, &c. of the Nativity; to the famous Cisterns of Solomon; and, after passing Ramab, I arrived at the Wilderness of St. John the Baptist, and saw his grotto. I went to Bethlehem, saw the Cave I first arrived at Cana, "where the modest water saw its God, and blushed;" next to the Mountain of Beatitude, named from the excellent sermon our Lord delivered, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," &c. Then to the spot called "the Multiplication of Bread," from the miracle which occurred in feeding the multitude with the few loaves and fishes. The governor of Jerusalem having Galilee, more remarkable than any othgiven me a military escort, I proceeded er district of the Holy Land, from the to Jericho, through a wild solitary frequent visits of our Saviour. country; and at this place the governor gave me an additional strong military escort, with which little army I went to the banks of the Jordan, and the Lake of Death or Dead Sea,- -a water eightyeight miles in length and twenty-five broad, covering Sodom and Gomorrah, and other cities. Every thing around shews the terrible judgment of God: a dead terrific silence. Nothing grows on the plain, though Scripture says it was formerly well watered, and called "the Garden of the Land." The water is salt, the bitumen burns, and smells like brimstone. No boat was ever seen on it. It is indeed an awful place! But you shall hear more at meeting. I left Jerusalem finally, and took a northerly direction. I came, after some days' journey to Bethel, where Jacob took the stones for his pillar. Afterwards I got to Samaria, and saw the well where our Saviour had the remarkable conference with the Samaritan woman. On each side of the town, beautifully situated in a valley, stands Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, mentioned in Scripture as the places where Moses commanded benedictions and maledictious to be pronounced. I next entered the grand Vale of Esdraeton, beyond any thing I have seen, called in Scripture the Galilean plain, probably fifty miles long and twenty-five broad; which from the time of the King of Assyria down to the disastrous journey of Bonaparte from Egypt to Syria, has been the chosen spot for every action respecting the country. I visited Mount Hermon, at the foot of which stands Nain, a small village, where our Saviour raised the widow's son to life; two miles from which is Endor, where Saul had the interview "with a woman of familiar spirit.” I arrived at Nazareth; where, you know, our Saviour was in subjection to his parents. It is a small village on the brow of a hill, looking down on a valley, and has a population of 2,000. Many objects of interest are shewn there. I then set out to make the tour of Six miles farther on, the Lake of Tiberias, or Sea of Galliee, opened up. I entered the town, which is walled round, and on the edge of the Lake, and could find no other place than an old church to repose in, built on the spot where the house of Peter stood. The Lake is fourteen miles long and six broad, in a deep hollow territory. I rode to the end of it, where the Jordan (entering the upper part) leaves it; and, what is odd, though the Jordan passes through the Lake, the waters mingle. I stripped, bathed, and washed my clothes in the Jordan. never The whole scenery around has something in it religiously solemn and impressive. It was here our Saviour said to Peter" Follow me ;" where the miraculous draught of fish took place ; where he rebuked the winds and waves: where, in short, he walked on the very water! I After passing two days here, I proceeded; and, after a day's journey, got to Mount Tabor, where the Transfiguration took place,-a mountain of great altitude; and no pen can describe the grandeur of the scenery. was on the very top of this mountain. The day was glorious; and I was feasted with the delicious prospect around. The plain of Esdraeton is under your feet. Mount Carmel, Mount Hermon, Nain, Endor, Mountains of Samaria: the whole of Galilee, Capernaum, Nazareth, Tiberias, and Mount Lebanon, (like Ben Lomond, in Scotland,) majestically in the background. In the whole globe there is not to be seen, as from this Mount, so much holy ground at one time. Never will the scene be forgotten by me. |