*»SSiS t D >«©0©* >2 f- 'i> I Uncial jpjmi»»||, | (0 <:■> ca / ♦ at* y ~tr . . ms'Mi •: I Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/narrativeofuniteOOIync . . r - SOURCE OE THE JORDAN". NARRATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’ EXPEDITION THE RIVER JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA, B Y W. F. LYNCH, U. S. N., COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. WITH MAPS AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. PHILADELPHIA: LEA AND BLANCHARD. 1849. * Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by LEA & BLANCHARD, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN. PRINTED BY T. K. AND P. G. COLLINS. (2) #tfis fflutalm is RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO JOHN Y. MASON, EX-SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, A SLIGHT TRIBUTE TO HIS PRIVATE WORTH AND PUBLIC EXCELLENCE. I PREFACE. The object of the Expedition, the narrative of which is here presented, was unknown to the public, until a very short time prior to its departure from the United States, when the indications were such as to induce me to apprehend that it was not appreciated. Nevertheless, I had an abiding faith in the ultimate issue, which cheered me on ; for I felt that a liberal and enlightened community would not long condemn an attempt to explore a distant river, and its wondrous reservoir, — the first, teeming with sacred associations, and the last, enveloped in a mystery, which had defied all previous attempts to penetrate it. As soon as possible after our return, I handed in my official report, and, at the same time, asked permission to publish a narrative or diary, of course embracing much, necessarily elicited by visiting such interesting scenes, that would be unfit for an official paper. To this appli¬ cation, I was induced by hearing of the proposed pub¬ lication of a Narrative of the Expedition, said to be by a member of the party. The permission asked, was (V) VI PREFACE. granted by tbe Hon. J. Y. Mason, Secretary of the Navy, with the remark, “ I give this assent with the more pleasure, because I do not think that you should be anticipated by any other, who had not the responsibility of the enterprise.” Feeling that what may be said on the subject had better be rendered imperfectly by myself than by another, I have been necessarily hurried ; and the reader will decide whether the narrative which follows was elaborately prepared, or written “currente calamo.” To E. Robinson, D. D., of the Union Theological Semi¬ nary, New York, I was indebted for letters to his friends in Beirut, and for much information furnished from his copious store. I have also to thank Professor Haldeman, of Columbia, Pa., for some valuable suggestions, which I adopted. To Mr. Stephens, of New York, the author of one of the most interesting books of travels which our lan¬ guage can produce, I return, in this public manner, my acknowledgments for a timely letter, written when the equipment of the Expedition was under consideration. While I am responsible for everything here advanced, it is proper to say, that I have occasionally used the notes of other members of the Expedition; and am particularly indebted to Mr. Bedlow, who accompanied the land party down the valley of the Jordan. The drawings are by Lieutenant Dale and Passed- Midshipman Aulick, — some of them complete, and some PREFACE. vii outline sketches. To Messrs. Gilbert and Gihon, of this city, who undertook the illustrations, I am indebted for the beautiful wood-engravings which accompany the volume. They are all true to nature ; each scene was taken upon the spot it was intended to delineate, and every portrait is a likeness. The maps were prepared by Mr. F. D. Stuart, of Washington, from copies furnished by Mr. Aulick, from the labours of Mr. Dale and himself. Through fatigue, privation and sickness, the officers and men of the Expedition acquitted themselves man¬ fully; and the only drawback to our grateful recollec¬ tions is, that one who shared our labours has not been spared to participate in the gratification of our return. Lieutenant Dale was an able and accomplished officer, and, by his death, the profession has been shorn of one of its proudest ornaments. His wife has since followed him to the grave ; but, in his name, he has left a rich inheritance to his children. I am wholly unskilled in author-craft, and have sought rather to convey correct ideas, than to mould har¬ monious sentences. I send this forth, therefore, in trepidation, yet with a confiding trust in that charitable construction which the people of this country have never denied to any one who honestly does his best. Philadelphia, May, 1849. LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION. W. F. Lynch, Lieutenant-Commanding. John B. Dale, Lieutenant. R. Aulick, Passed-Midshipman. Francis E. Lynch, Charge of Herbarium. Joseph C. Thomas, Master’s Mate. George Overstock, Seaman. Francis Williams, “ Charles Homer, “ Hugh Read, “ John Robinson, “ Gilbert Lee, “ George Lockwood, “ Charles Albertson, “ Henry Loveland, “ Henry Bedlow, Esq., and Henry J. Anderson, M. D., were associated with the Expedition as volunteers, after its original organization, — the first at Constantinople, and the other at Beirut. More zealous, efficient, and honourable associates could not have been desired. They were ever in the right place, bearing their full share of watching and privation. To the skill of Mr. Bedlow, the wounded seaman was indebted for the pre¬ servation of his life ; and words are inadequate to express how in sickness, forgetful of himself, he devoted all his efforts to the relief of his sick companions. ( viii) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. MAPS. Sketch-Map of the River Jordan . . . To face page 13 Sketch-Map of the Dead Sea . 268 PLATES. Source of the Jordan . Frontispiece. Camp on the River Belus . . To face page 126 5Ak!l Aga . 128 Sherif of Mecca . . * . 134 Caravan of the Expedition . 146 Tiberias . 154 Ruined Bridge of Semakh . 176 Jum’ah . 216 View on the Jordan . 234 Sherif Masa’d, Emir Nassir, and Beni Sukr Sheikh . 244 .Pilgrims Bathing in the Jordan . 262 Shore of the Dead Sea . 276 Ain Jidy . 290 Pillar of Salt . 308 A Tajamirah . 314 Mustafa the Cook . 318 Masada . 332 Christian Arabs of Kerak . 342 Sheikh of Mezra’a . 346 Wady Mojeb . 368 Greek Archbishop . 388 ► Tomb of Absalom . 398 Garden of Gethsemane . 416 Tombs in the Valley of Jehoshaphat . 418 Greek Priest at Nazareth . 462 Fountain of Nazareth . 464 Great Sheikh of the ’Anazeh Tribes . 494 Baalbec . 500 A (ix) . CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION'. Page. Application to the Navy Department — Favourable result — Vessel desig¬ nated — Preparations — Metallic boats — Selection of men — Officers — Orders for departure — Instructions for the Expedition — Detention of the ship — Time employed in various preparations — Water-bags — Boats, and the means of their transportation . 13 CHAPTER II. FROM NEW YORK TO PORT MAHON. Sail from New York — Pleasing anticipations — Currents and gales — The Azores — Trafalgar — Strait of Gibraltar — The Mediterranean — St. Roque — Algesiras — View of Gibraltar — Aspect of the town — Defences — Character of the population — Fort St. Philip — A rash vow — Retrospect — A disappointment — Small-pox on board — Port Mahon — Its disadvan¬ tages — Balearic Isles — Celtic Ruins . 16 CHAPTER III. FROM PORT MAHON TO SMYRNA. Departure from Mahon — Arrival at Valetta — Pleasing incident — Leave Malta — Enter the Egean Sea — View of the shores of Greece — Reflec¬ tions — Oriental scenes — Smyrna — Turkish women — Aspect of Smyrna — Turkish cemeteries — Punishment of crime — Its necessity — Revolting execution — Environs of Smyrna — Fertility of the soil — An excursion — A Turkish garden — Beautiful scene — The Jannissaries . 33 CHAPTER IV. FROM SMYRNA TO CONSTANTINOPLE. Embarkation for Constantinople — Motley group — Morning devotions — Shores of Greece — The Hellespont — Classic associations — Sestos — A fop on board — A Turkish effendi — Dardanelles — A disappoint¬ ment — Constantinople — Beautiful scene — Tophana — Turkish ladies — Caiques — Harbour of Constantinople — Minarets — An American resi (xi) CONTENTS. • • Xll dent — Improvements in agriculture — Slavery in Turkey — The Negro race — The slave-market — Kind reception — Excursion up the Bos¬ phorus — Scenery — The Black Sea — Tomb of Joshua — Superstition — Magnificent view — Probability of invasion by Russia — Servile condition of the Turkish women — Blessings of Christianity . 48 CHAPTER Y. CONSTANTINOPLE, AND VOYAGE TO SYRIA. Visit to the Sultan — Pipes and coffee — Disputed point of etiquette — Ser¬ vility of the officers — Presence of the Sultan — Sad reflections — Offer of a present — The American minister — Visit to the mosques — The Hippo¬ drome — Call of the Muezzins — Tomb of Sultan Mahmoud — Turkish reforms — Subterranean cisterns — Bazaars — Bargaining — Women in public — Visit of the Sultan to the mosque — His appearance — The barracks — The seraglio — Hall of ambassadors — Armory — Stables — Cemeteries — Variety of costumes — Environs of the city — Excursion up the Bosphorus — Barbarossa’s tomb — Cemetery of Scutari — Dancing dervishes — Necessity of religion — St. Stefano — Visit Dr. Davis — Village dignitaries — Receive our firman — Embarkation — Rejoin the “Supply7’ — Leave Smyrna — Gale — Scio — Riding on a rail — Ruins of Ephesus — Ayasalouk — Church of St. John — “Bishop’s Palace” — The river Meander — Visit to the Governor — Visit returned — Greek fashionables — Scala Nuova — Patmos — Cos — Lunar rainbow — Candia — Rhodes — Cyprus — Mountains of Lebanon . 71 CHAPTER VI. FROM BEIRUT TO DEPARTURE FROM ST. JEAN d’aCRE. Beirut — Visit to the Pasha — Preparations — Peculiar costume — Departure — Sidon and Tyre — St. Jean d’Acre — Mount Carmel — Dangerous land¬ ing — Extensive view — Convent of Mount Carmel — Grotto of Elias — Boats landed and tents pitched — Thieving — First night ashore — Arab horses — Brook Kishon — Akka — Visit to the American Consul — Appear¬ ance of the town — A drawback to personal charms — Governor of Acre — A conference — Difficulties — Arab curiosity — Audience at the palace — Singular mode of begging — ’Akil Aga — Attempt at extortion — Meeting with American travellers — Exciting reports — Deliberations — Troublesome visitors — Etiquette — Sherif of Mecca — Camels used for draught — Delays — Beautiful mirage — Letter to Dr. Anderson . 114 CHAPTER VII. FROM ST. JEAN D’ACRE TO DEPARTURE FROM THE SEA OF GALILEE. Disappointments — Effrontery of Sa’id Bey — Journey continued — Plain of Acre — Village of Abelin — Doubts and mistrust — Character of the village CONTENTS. xiii and surrounding country — Inhospitable reception — Embarrassing posi¬ tion — Relief — Arab morals — An escort — Blowing Valley — Picturesque views — Khan el Dielil — Castle of Sefurieh — Nazareth — Reflections — Mode of dealing among the Arabs — Equestrian exercises — Difficulties of the road — Turan — Mount Tabor — Meet Dr. Anderson — An Arab Repast — Music — Lubieh — Character of the country — Magnificent scenery — The Sea of Galilee — Thrilling emotions — Safed — Joseph’s Well — Tiberias — Reception — Visits from and to the Governor — Admin¬ istration of justice — Thraldom of the Jews — Chapel of St. Peter — Jewish Synagogues — Habits and costume of the Jewish females — Letters from Jerusalem — Firman from the Pasha — Express from Acre — Launch of the boats — Profound emotion — Hot baths — Ruins of Tiberias — Produc¬ tions of the plain — Excursion on the lake — Genesareth — Mejdel, or Magdala — Fish — Discouraging accounts of the Jordan — Filthy lodgings — Summary dealings — Preparations for the Expedition — Visit from an ogre prince — Assignment of duties — Departure of the land-party . 139 CHAPTER VIII. FROM THE SEA OF GALILEE TO THE FALLS OF BUK’AH. Departure of the boats — Scenery of the lake — Enter the Jordan — Mount Hermon — Bridge of Semakh — Dangerous situation of the boats — Cha¬ racter of the country — Arab hospitality — Formidable rapids — Trouble¬ some strangers — More rapids — Village of Abeidiyeh — Falls and whirl¬ pool of Buk’ah — Ruins of Delhemiyeh — Rejoined by the land-party — Predatory habits of the Bedawin — Account furnished by the land-party — Visit from Emir Nasser — Preparations for further progress — Night- encampment . 171 CHAPTER IX. FROM THE FALLS OF BUK’aH TO THE FOURTH CAMPING-PLACE UPON THE JORDAN. Daybreak excursion — Profusion of flowers — Gadara — Loss of a boat — Pas¬ sage of the cascades — Imprudence — Descent of the fourth rapid — the River Yermak — View' from a hill-top — Another frightful rapid — Bridge of the Place of Meeting — Ruined khan — Bedawin encampment — Con¬ tinued succession of rapids — Excessive heat — A noble Arab — Ruins of Gadara — Land of Issachar — Visit of Lieutenant Dale to Muhammed Pasha — Preparations for defence — Perilous situation of the Fanny Ma¬ son — Escape — Peculiar formation of the hills — Desert silence — Principal productions — Change of climate — Arab camp — Commotion — Extra¬ ordinary windings of the river — Starting of the caravan — Desolate aspect of the country — Heat and drought — A relief — Arab beauty — A pastoral entertainment — A Turkish camp — An unwelcome escort — Arab tents — Voracity of the Arabs — A false alarm 1* 186 XIV CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. FROM THE FOURTH CAMP ON THE JORDAN TO THE FORD OF SCKA. Start anew — Wonder of the barbarians — Windings — Rapid current — Beau¬ tiful scenery — Wild beasts — Birds — Management of the boats — Sand¬ banks and islands — Meeting with Akil — Perils of the voyage — Change of aspect — Eastern Mountains — The ogre prince and his tribe — Geo¬ logical features of the country — Prevailing productions — Numerous islands — Fish and Birds — Wild Boars — Indications of ruins — Pre¬ cautions — Dangers of navigation — Ruins of Succoth — True character of the camel — Route of the caravan — Fording the river — A Floral plain — Fresh difficulties and dangers of the river — Abundance of the thistle — General description of the country — Ford of Scka — Alarming intelli¬ gence — Exciting incident — Painful desolation — Vegetation on the Jordan — The zukkum — Botanical specimens — Muhammedan sects — Nocturnal anxiety — Arab fraternization — Description of the river — An Eastern scene — Picturesque view — Mournful music — A singular minstrel — The Emir’s love-song . 211 CHAPTER XI. FROM FORD OF SCKA TO PILGRIM’s FORD. Changes in the vegetation — Suspicious neighbourhood — Fresh perils — Roman bridge — Arab cookery — Mode of eating — Parting with the Emir — Aspect and productions of the banks — Singular caverns — River Jabok — Scripture localities — An alarm — A present received — More rapids — Cold — A night voyage — Disagreeable situation — El Meshra’a — A sacred spot — Capture of a camel — Gazelles — Jericho — Glimpse of the Dead Sea and mountains of Moab — Pilgrim’s Ford — False alarm — Army of pilgrims — Bathing in the Jordan — Happy meeting — Determination to proceed — Letter to the Secretary of the Navy . 245 CHAPTER XII. FROM PILGRIM’S FORD TO FIRST CAMP ON THE DEAD SEA. Further progress — Character of the river — Enter the Dead Sea — Gale — Arab tradition — Discouragements — Change of weather — Aspect of the shores — Night upon the sea — Apprehensions — A landing — Pleasing in¬ cident — Ancient caverns — Fountain of the Stride — Dismissal of our escort — Excursion — Painful Desolation — Arab honour — A Bedawin feast — Leave-taking — Unwelcome music — Arabs at prayer — Evidences of animated nature — Wretched appearance of proffered guides — Anxiety respecting the boats — Their safe return — Soundings of the CONTENTS. XV Dead Sea — Brook Kidron — Valley of Jehoshaphat — Cliff of Mukutta — Aspect of the shores of the sea — Fresh-water stream — Preparations for moving southward . . . . 266 CHAPTER XIII. FROM AIN EL FESHKHAH TO AIN JIDY (ENGADDl). Incidents at starting — Delightful spot — Vegetable products — Shooting at ducks — Quiet night scene — Intelligence from Dr. Anderson — Hills and ravines — Ruins — Remarkable caves — Wilderness of Engaddi — Disap¬ pointment — Fruits and flowers — Evidences of former cultivation — Cav¬ ernous mountain — Examination of the boats — Barometrical and ther- mometrical observations — Scruples of the Arabs in regard to pork — Their sobriety — Their habits of pilfering — Singular phenomenon — Arabs’ opinion of the cause of our visit — Commerce — Anxiety respect¬ ing provisions — Observe Easter Sunday — Atmospheric phenomena — Wild boars brought in — Inaccessible caverns — A welcome arrival — Currents in the Dead Sea — Magnificent sunset — An Arab dance — Kind¬ ness of Mr. Finn, the British Consul — An unexpected luxury — Illness of a seaman — Departure for the peninsula — Orders — Result of sound¬ ings — Description of the Peninsula — Geological formation — Total ab¬ sence of vegetation — Bushes incrusted with salt — The River Arnon — Discouraging information — Arab improvisatore . 282 CHAPTER XI Y. EXPEDITION AROUND THE SOUTHERN SEA. Start upon a reconnoissance — The escort escorted — Currents — General observations — Cliff of Sebbeh — Ruined fortification — Geological forma¬ tion of the western shore — Locusts — Moses’ stone — Fears and anxieties of the Arabs — Ruins — Distressing heat — A sirocco — Search for the ford — Landing at Usdum — Salt mountain — Pillar of salt — Bitter melon — Dismiss the Arabs — Muddy shore — Heat of the soil — Difficulties in taking observations — Complete desolation — Lofty hills — Remarkable phenomenon — Burning hurricane — Ancient mill-stone — Painful effects of the sirocco — Apprehensions of the Arabs — Physical conformation of the tribes — Insupportable heat and thirst — A dreadful night — Abate¬ ment of the heat — An alarm — A menaced attack — Zoar — Moab — Arabs’ ideas respecting the boats — Verification of Scripture narrative — Another sirocco — Scarcity of provisions — Usefulness of the Arabs — Atmospheric refraction — Tendency to drowsiness — Return to Ain Jidy — Intelligence from home — European news — Reflections — Dwellings in the rock — Egerian fountain — Delicious bath — Luxurious repast — Singular appear¬ ance of the sea — Density of the water — Experiments — Opinion of Galen — The osher, or apple of Sodom — Character of the north winds . 301 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XY. EXCURSION TO MASADA. Call to prayer — Party despatched to Masada — Firing of minute-guns in honour of Ex-President Adams — Remarkable changes in the aspect of the sea — Mode of reaping and threshing among the Arabs — Their hu¬ manity to animals — Singular illusion — Dangerous route — Ruins of Masada . . 328 CHAPTER XYI. FROM CAMP TO THE CAPITAL OF MOAB. The day of rest — Effects of the climate upon health — Heat and desolation — Irresistible drowsiness — Painful forebodings — Battle between two parties of Arabs — Friendly invitation from the sheikh Abd Allah — Benefits of bathing — Luxuriant vegetation — An Arab present — The fel- lahin tribes — Mezra’a — Christian Arabs — Mode of salutation — Interest¬ ing incident — Meteors — Damages to the boats — Preparation of speci¬ mens — Wild boar killed — Density of the water in the bay — Generous conduct of the Arabs — Zoar — Ancient ruins — Muslim and Christian sheikhs — Letter from Akil — Curiosity and superstition of the Arabs — Songs of welcome and war-cries — Fears of treachery — Preparations for defence — Inland excursion — Ancient fortification— Stupendous view — Appalling storm — Wild character of the scenery — Inexpertness of the Arab marksmen — Symptoms of cultivation — Entrance into Kerak — Filth and discomfort of the dwellings — Annoying curiosity — A Christian priest and chapel — Magnificence of the castle — The cemetery — Ambi¬ tious views of Akll — Discontent of the Muslim sheikh — Reasons for distrust — Oppression of the Christians of Kerak — Their appeal to the Christians of America — Nocturnal pleasures — Departure from Kerak — Insolence of the Arabs — Precautions — Muhammed made prisoner — Arrival at the beach — Letter to Akil — Extortion practised upon former travellers — Release of Muhammed — Embarkation . 335 CHAPTER XVII. CRUISE ALONG THE ARABIAN SHORE. The river Arnon — Lofty cliffs — Singular ravine — Fears of sickness — Sketch of the shores — Hot springs of Callirohoe — Delightful contrast — Privation and discontent — Reflections . 367 CONTENTS. XVII CHAPTER XVIII. FROM THE OUTLET OF THE HOT SPRINGS OF CALLIROHOE TO AIN TURABEH. Changes of temperature — Disappointment — Machaerus — Deep soundings — Arrival at Ain Turabeh — Return to the tents — Preparation for depar¬ ture — Intense heat — Sirocco — The bulbul — Increasing heat — The Ame¬ rican flag floating over the sea — Analysis of the water — Result of our labours — Hypotheses — Conviction of the truth of the Scripture narrative — Our last night on the Dead Sea . 372 CHAPTER XIX. FROM THE DEAD SEA TO THE CONVENT OF MAR SABA. Breaking up of our camp — Regrets at leaving — Incidents of the journey — Night encampment — Sherif tells his history — His character — Indebted¬ ness of the expedition to his fidelity — Monks of Mar Saba — Intelligence from the sick seamen — Rapid change of climate — Dreary scenery — Holy associations — Specimens forwarded — Painful alternations of tem¬ perature — The brook Kedron — Convent of Mar Saba — Plants and flowers — The hyssop — Thunder-storm — Accident — Sabbath rest — The coney . 381 CHAPTER XX. FROM MAR SABA TO JERUSALEM. Arab attendants discharged — Labours renewed — Rock)’’ cistern — The vir¬ tue of necessity — Desolate aspect of the country — Fulfilment of pro¬ phecy — A contrast — Painful reflections — Arab burial-ground — Tokens of cultivation — Arab encampment — Tobacco — Pilgrims’ road — The tribe Subeih — Curiosity of the people — Troublesome interference — At¬ tempted extortion — Pastoral scene — Highly cultivated valley — Inse¬ curity of the husbandman — An Arab’s love — Mode of courtship — Tales of jealousy and revenge — First view of Jerusalem — Impression pro¬ duced — Prominent objects — Character of the surrounding country — Well of Job — Mount of offence — Pool of Siloam — Fountain of the Virgin — Village of Siloam — Tombs of Absalom, Zacharias, and Jehoshaphat — Garden of Gethsemane — Valley of the Son of Hinnom — Traditionary spots — The Aceldama — Garden of Urias — Mount Zion — Hill of Evil Counsel — Tents pitched — View from the encampment — Night under the walls of Jerusalem . 389 XV111 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXI. JERUSALEM. Cold morning — Levelling proceeded with — Turkish military review — Tomb of the Empress Helena — Scenery on the Jaffa road — Convent of the Holy Cross — Ludicrous superstition — View of the city from this point — Description — Habitations of the lepers — Boats sent to Jaffa — Re¬ creation — Dr. Anderson leaves us — His praiseworthy conduct — Extract from the diary of one of the officers — His first day in Jerusalem — Via Dolorosa — Threatened attack — Mosque of Omar — Church of the Holy Sepulchre — Motley groups — Mendicity — Pious zeal of the pilgrims — Description of the interior of the Church of the Sepulchre — Ascent of the Mount of Olives — View from the summit — Visit to the Garden of Gethsemane — The Golden Gate — Fountain of the Virgin — Armenian convent — Splendid chapel — Character of the visitors to Jerusalem — Traditionary fables — Sacred localities, their claims to confidence — Re¬ flections — Skepticism and blind credulity — Speculations upon the future — Scripture predictions — Scientific labours continued — Description of interesting localities — Magnificent view from the Mount of Olives — A coxcomb out of place — Kindness of the British Consul — Scanty condi¬ tion of our wardrobe — Expedients — Pool of Bethesda — Picturesque scene — Varieties of costume — Singular marriage-procession — Pompous promenade of the foreign consuls — Walls of the city — >Muhammedan and Christian predictions — Visit to Bethlehem — Pool of Gihon — Well of the Magi — Plain of Rephaim — Convent of John the Baptist — Tomb of Rachel — Wilderness of St. John — Valley of Elah — David’s Well — Doubts as to the birth-place of the Messiah — Calmet’s views — Hill of the Annunciation — Ruth’s gleaning-ground — Lovely rural view — Treat¬ ment of pilgrims at Jerusalem — Restrictions upon Christians — Products of the surrounding country . CHAPTER XXII. FROM JERUSALEM TO JAFFA. Preparations for departure — Mizpeh — Affecting incident — Luxuriant vege¬ tation — Bridge of the Kidonieh — Picturesque scene — A cameleon caught — Restrictions upon the Arab tribes — Craft met by craft — Acute¬ ness of hearing of the Arabs — Peculiarities in their physical conforma¬ tion — The North American Indian — Results of education — The Arab and Indian contrasted — Chateaubriand’s opinion — Further progress — Character of the country — Scriptural localities — Meeting with a lady traveller — Execrable nature of the roads and accommodations — Kirjath- jearim — Attempt to stop our progress — An Arab robber sheikh — The olive tree — View of the Mediterranean — Exhilaration of feeling — Vale 400 CONTENTS. xix of Sharon — Visit from a sheikh — Pastoral scene — Improvement in the roads — Village of Latrun — Gaza — Kubab — Jackals — Singular mode of loading donkeys — Filthy habits of the people — Ramleh — Traditions — Environs of the town — Yazur — Dervishes and pilgrims — Fountain and mosque — Results of our operations in levelling — Jaffa — Proposed har¬ bour — Description of the town and its environs — Copt village — Muham- medan superstitions — Throwing the djerid — Funeral procession — Syro- American consul — Historical and mythological recollections of Jaffa — Traditions — Population — Dinner at the Consul’s house — A beautiful woman — Etiquette — Kindness and courtesy of the consul — Bridal pro¬ cession — Treatment of Turkish wives — Laws of divorce — Universal thraldom of woman — Turkish laws of inheritance — Seclusion of females in Syria — Dine at the house of the British Consul — Singular costume of his lady — Agricultural improvements introduced by him — Anecdotes — Supposed antediluvian rnin — Zodiacal lights — An estrangement — Boats launched — The estrangement explained — Treatment of slaves . 426 CHAPTER XXIII. FROM JAFFA TO NAZARETH. Preparations — An Arab’s toilet — Departure of the land-party for St. Jean d’Acre — Embarkation — Detention — View of Jaffa from the harbour — Start afresh — Meditations suggested by the scenery — Arrival at St. Jean d’Acre — Route of the land-party — Ruins of Apollonia — El Haram — Mukhalid — Es Skarki — Incidents — Ruins of Ceesarea — The river Zerka — Town of Tantura — Dreadful accident to one of the seamen — Castle of the pilgrims — Mount Carmel — Village of Haifa — Visit from Sherif and ’Akil — Visit returned — Arab entertainment — Start for Nazareth — Valley of the Winds — Annoying accident — Arrival at Nazareth — Scene at the Fountain of the Virgin — Franciscan convent — Traditions — De¬ scription of the town — Turkish tax-gatherer — Flowers collected . 454 CHAPTER XXIV. FROM NAZARETH TO THE SOURCE OF THE JORDAN. Start for Mount Tabor — Plain of Esdraelon — Village of Nain — Ascent to the summit of Mount Tabor — Ruins — Extensive view — Proceed onward — Ruined villages — Bid farewell to the lower Jordan — Sea of Galilee — Ruins of Tarrichsea and Kades — Hot bath of Emmaus — Tiberias — Dis¬ appointment — Fountain Bareideh — Magdala — Localities passed — Ruins of Khan Minyeh — Fountain of the Fig — Supposed site of Capernaum — Debouchure of the upper Jordan — Singular tents — Disturbed rest — Bethsaida — Aspect of the country — View of Mount Hermon — Lake Merom — Fountain of the Salt Works — The Golden Stream — Castle of XX CONTENTS. Honin — Roman bridge — The Ancient Dan — Copious springs — Deriva¬ tion of the word Jordan — Cesarea Philippi — Ruins — River of Banias — Fabulous legends — Improvements in culture and civilization — Town of Hasbeiya — Reception of visitors — Population of the town — Variety of sects — Religious discord — Persecution of Protestants — Horrors of Fanaticism — Visit from Prince Ali — Source of the Jordan — Magnificent scene — Costume of the prince — Dress of the lower orders — Terrace cultivation — The Druses — Their religious tenets — Their costume — Visit to the valley of the Litany — Pits of Bitumen — Women at the fountain — A trying transition . 464 CHAPTER XXY. FROM THE SOURCE OF THE JORDAN TO DAMASCUS, BA’ALBEK, BEIRUT, AND HOME. Joyful intelligence — Start for Damascus — Druse villages — Disappearance of cultivation — Character of the vegetation — Gorge of the Wistanee — Fine view — Cities visible — Abortive attempt to ascertain the height of Mount Hermon — Snow — Geological features — Mineral spring — Legend — Reappearance of cultivation — Approach to Damascus — Beautiful gardens — Description of the town — Meeting with an American — The flag of our country displayed — Pleasant quarters — A cafe — Curious scene — Multitude of dogs — Turkish insolence — The bazaars — A bath — Population — Entertained by American missionaries — A family history — St. Paul’s escape from Damascus — Antiquity of the town — Vicissi¬ tudes in its history — Jewish dwellings — Dress of the Jews — Distin¬ guished visitors — Leave the city — Striking and beautiful view — Cha¬ racter of the surrounding country — Village of Zebdany — Fine gardens — Traditions — Holy spring — A haughty Kurd prince — An Arab drunkard — Plain of Bfik’ah — Arab traditions — Ruins of Heliopolis — Lamartine’s description — Indisposition of some of the party — Enormous block of granite — Roman mound — Arab fellahas — Night encampment — Increasing sickness — Self-reproaches — Route continued — Numerous villages — Town of Zahley — Disheartening occurrences — Roman road _ Unexpected relief — Arrival at the sea -shore — Disappointment — Exhaustion and increasing illness — Medical relief — Convalescence — Anniversary of our country’s independence — Alarming illness of Mr. Dale — Kindness of Rev. Mr. Smith and Dr. De Forest — Visit from Dr. Vandyke — Case of unfeeling selfishness — Death of Mr. Dale — Prepara¬ tions to convey the remains to his native land — Painful accident and disappointment — Interment of the body in the Frank cemetery _ Embarkation — Tedious passage — Arrival at Malta — Kindness of the American Consul — Quarantined — Arrival of the Supply — Reembarka¬ tion — Uncourteous reception at Naples, Marseilles, and Gibraltar _ Arrival home — Conclusion . 48 1 T ^^Duval^tcarnM^ress /A/ bl.'.'J ;■■' // ,-//,■ r, : ,-jj. ■?;■;<■( or fhu/. y/rtuu/& 8KETCIHI HDAP of Taos uni j dirmh FROM THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE U.S.EXPEDITION UNDER THE COMMAND OF L!W. F.LY3( ii r.S.X 18 4 8 . Saule t>f ihi ee 'milvs. Axah Tents EXPEDITION TO THE DEAD SEA. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. On the 8th of May, 1847, the town and castle of Vera Crnz having some time before surrendered, and there being nothing left for the Navy to perform, I pre¬ ferred an application to the Hon. John Y. Mason, the head of the department, for permission to circumnavi¬ gate and thoroughly explore the Lake Asphaltites or Dead Sea. My application having been for some time under consideration, I received notice, on the 31st of July, of a favourable decision, with an order to commence the necessary preparations. On the 2d of October, I received an order to take command of the U. S. store-ship “ Supply,” formerly called the u Crusader.” In the mean time, while the ship was being prepared for her legitimate duty of supplying the squadron with stores, I had, by special authority, two metallic boats, a copper and a galvanized iron one, constructed, and shipped ten seamen for their crews. I was very par- 2 (xiii) 14 INTRODUCTORY. ticular in selecting young, muscular, native-born Ame¬ ricans, of sober habits, from each of whom I exacted a pledge to abstain from all intoxicating drinks. To this stipulation, under Providence, is principally to be ascribed their final recovery from the extreme prostra¬ tion consequent on the severe privations and great exposure to which they were unavoidably subjected. Two officers, Lieutenant J. B. Dale and Passed Mid¬ shipman E. Aulick, both excellent draughtsmen, were detailed to assist me in the projected enterprise. In November I received orders to proceed to Smyrna, as soon as the ship should in all respects be ready for sea ; and, through Mr. Carr, U. S. Eesident Minister at Constantinople, apply to the Turkish government for permission to pass through a part of its dominions in Syria, for the purpose of exploring the Dead Sea, and tracing the Eiver Jordan to its source. I was then directed, if the firman were granted, to relinquish the ship to the first lieutenant, and land with the little party under my command on the coast of Syria. The ship was thence to proceed to deliver stores to the squadron, and Commodore Eead was instructed to send her back in time for our re-embar- cation. In the event of the firman being refused, I was directed to rejoin the squadron without proceeding to the coast of Syria. The ship was long delayed for the stores necessary to complete her cargo. The time was, however, fully occupied in collecting materials and procuring infor¬ mation. One of the men engaged was a mechanic, whose skill would be necessary in taking apart and putting together the boats, which were made in sec¬ tions. I also had him instructed in blasting rocks, INTRODUCTORY. 15 should such a process become necessary to ensure the transportation of the boats across the mountain ridges of Galilee and Judea. Air-tight gum-elastic water bags were also procured, to be inflated when empty, for the purpose of serving as life-preservers to the crews in the event of the destruction of the boats. Our arms consisted of a blunderbuss, fourteen car¬ bines with long bayonets, and fourteen pistols, four revolving and ten with bowie-knife blades attached. Each officer carried his sword, and all, officers and men, were provided with ammunition belts. As taking the boats apart would be a novel experi¬ ment, which might prove unsuccessful, I had two low trucks (or carriages without bodies) made, for the pur¬ pose of endeavouring to transport the boats entire from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee. The trucks, when fitted, were taken apart and compactly stowed in the hold, together with two sets of harness for draught horses. The boats, when complete, were hoisted in, and laid keel up on a frame prepared for them ; and with arms, ammunition, instruments, tents, flags, sails, oars, preserved meats, and a few cooking utensils, our preparations were complete. CHAPTER II. FROM NEW YORK TO PORT MAHON. All tilings being in readiness, on the 20tli of Novem¬ ber we dropped down from the Brooklyn Navy- Yard, abreast of the Battery, and waited for a change of weather. Friday, Nov. 26, 1847. At 10 A. M. weighed anchor, and at 10.15, with a fresh breeze from W. N. W., under a press of sail, we stood down the bay of New York. Around us the ruffled water was chequered with nu¬ merous sails, and the shadows of detached clouds flit¬ ting before the keen and cutting wind, fit harbinger of the coming frost. Before us, the “ Narrows” open into Raritan Bay, and thence expand into the wide-spread and magnificent ocean. At 2, P. M., passed the light-house ; at 2.30 dis¬ charged the pilot; 2.45 braced our yards to the fresh and favouring breeze, and bade, as God in His mercy might decree, a temporary or a final adieu to our native land. In a few hours the low lands were sunk beneath the horizon, and at sunset the high lands of “ Navesink” were alone visible above the agitated surface of the water. The dry wind sweeping over the land, which had been saturated by the rains of the two preceding days, caused an evaporation so great as wonderfully to increase the refraction. The setting sun, expanding as it dipped, and varying its hues with its expansion, (16) THE LAND DISAPPEARS. IT assumed forms as unique as they were beautiful. Now elongated in its shape, and now flattened at its ends, it would, at times, be disparted by the white crest of an intervening wave, and present alternately the appear¬ ance of golden cups and balls, and jewelled censers tossing about upon a silver sea. As the minutes ad¬ vanced, the western sky, tint by tint, became one glorious suffusion of crimson and orange, and the disc of the sun, flattening, widening, and becoming more ruddy and glowing as it descended, sunk at last, like a globe of ruby in a sea of flame. I took this as an auspicious omen, although we sailed on Friday, the dreaded day of seamen. Why supersti¬ tion should select this day as an unlucky one, I cannot conceive. On the sixth day, Friday, God created man and blessed him ; and on Friday, the Redeemer died for man’s salvation : on Friday, Columbus sailed from Palos in quest of another world: on the same day of the week, he saw the realization of his dream of life ; and returned upon a Friday, to electrify Europe with the wondrous tidings of his discovery. As a harbinger of good, therefore, and not of evil, I hailed our departure upon this favoured day. With the setting sun, all vestige of the land disap¬ peared, and nothing remained but a luminous point, which, from the solitary light-ship, gleamed tremu¬ lously across the waters. As it sunk beneath the waves, our last visible tie with the Western World was severed. How gladly on our return, perchance a tem¬ pestuous night, shall we hail that light, which, flicker¬ ing at first, but at length steadfast and true, welcomes the weary wanderer to his home ! Without the least abatement of affection for, I turned with less reluctance than ever from, the land of my 2* b 18 PLEASING ANTICIPATION. nativity. The yearnings of twenty years were about to be gratified. When a young midshipman, almost the very least in the escort of the good Lafayette across the ocean, my heart was prepared for its subsequent aspirations. In truth, in our route across the Atlantic, in the silent watches of the night, my mind, lost in contemplation, soared from the deep through which we ploughed our way, to that upper deep, gemmed with stars, revolving in their ceaseless round, and from them to the Mighty Hand that made them ; and my previous desire to visit the land of the Iliad, of Alexander and of Caesar, became merged in an insatiate yearning to look upon the country which was the cradle of the hu¬ man race, and the theatre of the accomplishment of that race’s mysterious destiny; the soil hallowed by the footsteps, fertilized by the blood, and consecrated by the tomb, of the Saviour. Twice, since, at distant intervals, I contemplated making the desired visit. But the imperative calls of duty in the first instance, and a domestic calamity in the second, prevented me. As I have before said, in the spring of the present year I asked permission to visit the lands of the Bible, with the special purpose of thoroughly exploring the Dead Sea; the extent, configuration, and depression of which, are as much desiderata to science, as its miraculous formation, its mysterious existence, and the wondrous traditions re¬ specting it, are of thrilling interest to the Christian. The same liberal spirit which decided that the Expe¬ dition should be undertaken, directed ample means to be furnished for its equipment. With our boats, there¬ fore, and arms, ammunition, and instruments, I felt well prepared for the arduous but delightful task be¬ fore me. THE GULF STREAM. 19 The boats “ Fanny Mason” and “ Fanny Skinner,” of nearly equal dimensions, were named after two young and blooming children, whose hearts are as spotless as their parentage is pure. Their prayers, like guardian spirits, would shield us in the hour of peril; and I trusted that, whether threading the rapids of the Jor¬ dan, or floating on the wondrous sea of death, the “ Two Fannies” would not disgrace the gentle and artless be¬ ings whose names they proudly bore. Tuesday, Nov. 30. Spoke an English brig bound to New York. She had many passengers on board, and had evidently been a long time at sea. Poor fellows ! they were sadly out of their reckoning, and we endea¬ voured to correct their longitude, but the wind blew so fresh that I fear we were not understood. There are few things more exciting than the meeting of two ships on the lonely waters. Approaching rapidly, and as rapidly receding, but a few moments are allowed for friendly greeting ; but, in that brief interval, how many thoughts of home and its endearments crowd the mind of the anxious wanderer ! Thursday, Dec. 2. The wind freshened into a steady gale ; fragments of clouds flitted hurriedly across the sky ; and the ship, now riding upon the crests, and again sunk in the hollow of a wave, rolling and plunging, dashed furiously onward, like a maddened steed, instinct with desperation. The deep colour of the water, its higher temperar ture, and the light mist which shrouded its surface, showed that we had been for some days in the Gulf Stream, that wonderful current which originates from the multitudinous waters that are swept across the At¬ lantic before the trade winds, and impinge against the western continent ; thence, sent with a whirl along the 20 CURRENTS AND GALES. southern coast of the United States, they are inter¬ cepted by the Bahamas, and turned rapidly to the north and east, until, encountering the Grand Bank, they are deflected easterly towards the Azores, and thence, pur¬ suing different routes, one branch seeks the Mediter¬ ranean, and the other is lost in the sluggish Sargossa Sea. Our chronometers, invariably ahead of the reckoning, proved that we were accelerated by the current half a mile an hour. We occasionally met with patches of sea-weed (fucus natans), and one morning found several mollusca upon a branch of it. Between the coast of the United States and the inner edge of the Gulf Stream, we were swept forty miles to the southward, attributable, perhaps, to the great polar current setting along our coast to the south-west. This eddy current of the Gulf Stream may be the cause of the increase of cold experienced by navigators on reach¬ ing soundings. We were favoured with fresh north-westerly gales, frequent rains, and a heavy sea, but there had been no great falling of the barometer. When under close reefed topsails and a reefed course, with a high sea running, the barometer had only fallen A of an inch. On the approach of an easterly gale, a few days previous to our departure from New York, it fell A of an inch. • This day, tested thermometrical barometer, No 2. Temperature of air, 68°; of surface of the sea, 70°; of the sea, at 100 fathoms, 63°. Barometer, 30.6. Water boiled at 212.95. Salt hygrometer floated at 1.4. Latitude, 38° 40', north ; longitude, 43° 00', west. Tuesday, Dec. 7. The barometer gradually fell, and the weather became more and more tempestuous. THE AZORES. 21 Wednesday, Dec. 8. In the morning watch we were compelled to heave to, the ship labouring excessively. In the afternoon, the barometer had reached its mini¬ mum, 29.72, when the wind shifted in a sudden squall. Although the wind was fierce, the sky was cloudless, and the sea exhibited in magnificent confusion its top¬ pling waves, with their foaming crests and driving spray, which sailors call spoom-drift, flashing in the sunlight. The interest of the scene was heightened by several sperm whales sporting in the wild chaos of waters, and exhibiting their glossy hacks as they rose occasionally to the surface, and blew high in air volumes of water from their capacious nostrils. Thursday, Dec. 9. The fitful airs throughout the day indicated, apart from our observations, the near vicinity of the land. Friday, Dec. 11. This morning, made the islands of Corvo and Flores, the north-westernmost of the Azores, and by sunset we had reached the meridian of Flores, its brown and furrowed sides undecked with a single flower, and giving no indication of the origin of its name. Fearing that we should be becalmed if we ran to leeward of it, and the sea setting heavily upon Corvo, I determined to run between them, although we had no chart of the islands, and no one on board knew whether or not the passage was practicable. To this, I was induced by two considerations : In the first place, from the rounded summits of the islands, they were evidently of volcanic origin, and shoals are rare in such vicinities. In the second place, the sea ran so high, that it must break over any intervening obstacle, and present a dis¬ tinct and prohibitory line of foam. We therefore stood boldly through, and, as if to cheer us, the rays of the setting sun, intercepted by a rain-cloud which had 22 BEAUTIFUL NIGHT. swept over us, arched the passage with the best-defined and most vivid rainbow I have ever seen. It was so striking, that every draughtsman on board was imme¬ diately employed, endeavouring to catch the flitting beauties of the scene. In the middle of the passage, the how had faded away with the setting sun, leaving the sky less brilliant, but far more beautiful. In the east, directly ahead, rose the planet Jupiter, lustrous as a diamond, cresting with his brilliant light the line of vapour which skirted the horizon. Near the zenith, shone the moon in her meri¬ dian ; lower down, the fiery Mars ; and in the west, the beautiful V enus slowly descended, enveloped in the golden hues of the sun, which had preceded her. The gorgeous sun, the placid moon, the gem-like Jupiter, and the radiant Venus, bespoke the enduring serenity and the joys of Heaven; while the agitated sea, crested with foam, breaking loudly on either shore, which, in the gathering dimness, seemed in dangerous proximity, told of the anxieties and perils of this transitory life. We passed through unimpeded, at a glorious rate, and the next day, at 4 P. M., were abreast and in sight of the island Graciosa, the last of the group in our line of route, its rude outlines dimly seen through its misty shroud. The barren faces of these lofty islands present no indication of their fertility. They abound, however, in cereal grains, and produce an excellent wine. They are frequently resorted to by our whalers, and by homeward-bound Indiamen, for supplies. A case of varioloid made its appearance on board, but so slight as to create no alarm, and in the opinion of the surgeon, did not require isolation. I had my misgivings, for it is but the milder type of a disease as insidious as it is loathsome ; and, with the concurrence ASQUALL. 23 of the surgeon, purposed to have every officer and man vaccinated the first opportunity. Friday, Dec. IT. Made Cape St. Vincent, the “ Sa¬ crum Promontorium” of the Romans, the south-western extremity of vine-clad Portugal, as it is of Europe also. This is the second time we have made land upon a Friday. It was off this cape that Admiral Jarvis gained his celebrated victory, and from it was derived the title of his patent of nobility. During the night, the wind hauled to the southward and freshened to a gale, making it necessary to stand off from the shore. At 4 A. M., without an instant’s warning, the wind shifted in a squall, taking the sails aback, the most perilous position, with a heavy sea, in which a ship can be placed. Fortunately the courses were not set, and the noble ship, although pressed down and deeply buried, obeyed the reverse helm and paid off before the wind. Had she been less buoyant and seaworthy, she must have inevitably foundered. The squall subsided into a steady breeze, and passing Cape St. Vincent, we were, at meridian, abreast of the coast of romantic Spain — its mountains, towering as they receded from the shore, wreathed their craggy summits with the mist which floated in the distance. Sunday, Dec. 19. Made Cape Trafalgar, and sailed over the scene of the great conflict between the fleet of England and the combined fleets of France and Spain. Here, the great Collingwood broke the opposing line ! There the heroic Nelson, the terror of his foes and the pride of his countrymen, nobly, but prematurely fell — his last pulsation an exultant throb, as the shout of victory rang in his dying ear. He died gloriously, for he fell in his country’s cause, but prematurely for his own fair fame. Had he lived his noble nature would 24 TRAFALGAR. have freed itself from the thraldom of a syren, and casting aside the seductions of the beautiful daughter of sin, his after life would have been as morally great, as his early deeds were unequalled in daring achieve¬ ment. We have now a mottled sky above us, and ride upon a tumultuous but not a stormy sea. The waves, like clumsy, living things, rush and tumble along in the utmost seeming disorder, and we have only the sweep of the wind and the surge of the sea, as the waves topple and break around and before us. Then , the atmosphere was pure and the sky serene, and the gentle and undulating waves pressed the sides of the huge armaments they supported, their aspect lovely and their rippling sound melodious. The light breeze, bearing fragrance on its wing, wooed the upper sails of the advancing fleet in its soft embrace, and slowly propelled it towards the opposing line. A few brief moments, and how changed the scene ! The balmy air became murky, sulphurous, and stifling, and one dark cloud, concealing earth, and sea, and sky, en¬ veloped the commingled fleets, from whence came forth incessant flashes and resounding peals, which rivalled the red lightning and the loud thunder of an elemental strife. From amid this sound, frightful, yet stirring to the human heart, and appalling to every other creature, came other sounds, yet more harrowing — the shout of defiance, the shriek of agony and the yell of despair, — and fish, and bird, and every other living thing fled precipitately from the scene, leaving man, the monarch of creation, to slay his fellow man, the image of his august Creator ! Such is battle ! and he who rushes into it, impelled by other than the highest motives, perils more than life in the encounter. It is a glorious THE MEDITERRANEAN. 25 privilege to fight for one’s country ; but, the seaman or the soldier who strikes for lucre or ambition, is an un¬ worthy combatant. As the day advanced, the weather became tem¬ pestuous; huge clouds, swollen with rain, rose in rapid succession, and sweeping over, discharged themselves in heavy gusts. A mist of varying density, wreathed along the coast, was here and there disparted by a bold promontory, or sharp projecting rock. Fearful of being swept by the rapid currents upon the northern shore of the straits, into which we had now fairly entered, we hauled more to the southward, and soon, looming through the mist in gloomy grandeur, the mountains of Africa, lofty and majestic, rose upon the view. Keeping thence the mid channel, we soon passed Tarifa, the southern point of Europe, where the Sara¬ cens first landed under El Arif, from whom it derives its name. The waves were dashing wildly against its battlements, encircling them with a line of foam. Twice has this narrow strait been covered with Saracen flotillas. First, on their invasion of Spain, when they subjugated its fairest and most fertile por¬ tion ; and secondly, when, overcome by the wily Fer¬ dinand and the peerless Isabella, they fled disorderly from a land they had held so long, and loved so fondly. The Martello towers erected along the coast, attest the fears long entertained, and the vigilance long exercised to guard against invasion. 2.30 P. M. The clouds and mist, driven before the freshening wind, have left us a clear atmosphere. Ahead, is the blue expanse of the Mediterranean, held by the ancients, as its name imports, to be the centre of the earth. On either bow, is Calpe and 3 26 GIBRALTAR. Abyla, the pillars of Hercules, and termini of two continents. 2.40. The strong current, and yet stronger wind, have propelled us so rapidly onward, that the “Rock” and the bay of Gibraltar are now in full view to the east and north. As the bay opened, the towns of St. Roque and Algesiras greeted us to the north and west. The former, directly ahead, as we steered for the anchorage, is situated on the summit of a high, rounded hill, sepa¬ rated from the surrounding ones by a luxuriant, cir¬ cular valley. It is the most picturesque, and needs but foliage to be the most beautiful town, at a distance, I have ever beheld. 4 P. M. Anchored immediately abreast of the town of Gibraltar. The rock of Gibraltar, abrupt on this, its western side, and on the other absolutely precipitous, has a summit line, sharp and rugged, terminating with a sheer descent on its northern face, and sloping gradu¬ ally to Europa point at its south extreme. From an angle of the bay, this rock, 1400 feet high and three miles long, presents the exact appearance of a couchant lion ; — his fore-paws gathered beneath him, his massive, shaggy head towards Spain, his fretted mane bristling against the sky, and his long and sweeping tail resting upon the sea. Upon the debris on its western side, about one-third the distance from its northern end, the town is built, tier above tier, containing a crowded population of 15,000 souls, in a most contracted space. The houses, built of stone and covered with tile, are mostly small and incommodious, and their fronts are coated with a dark wash, to lessen the glare of the sun, which, from meridian until it sinks beneath the mountains of Anda- DEFENCES OF GIBRALTAR. 27 lusia, sliines full upon them. With the exception of the upper part of the town, where alone the suburbs are, the confined and narrow streets and dwellings are badly ventilated; hence, in the summer season, epi¬ demics are often rife and devastating. The entire water front of the hay is one continuous line of ramparts, and, from numerous apertures, the brazen mouths of artillery proclaim the invincible hold of its present possessors. It is said, that there is not one spot in the hay, on which at least one hundred cannon cannot he brought to hear. Its northern face, too, is excavated, and two tiers of chambers are pierced with embrasures, through which heavy pieces of ord¬ nance point along the neutral ground upon the Spanish barrier. This neutral ground, a narrow isthmus, at its junction with the rock, but soon spreading out into a flat, sandy plain, separates, by about half a mile, the respective jurisdictions of Great Britain and Spain. Just within the Spanish barrier is a small village, containing fifty or sixty houses, a few constructed of stone, but most of them of thatched straw. What a contrast it presents to the cleanliness, order, and air of comfort which pervade the fortress, so short a distance from it ! Ill clad, lazy men, lounging in the sun ; homely, dirty, dishevelled women, with yet filthier children, seated in the door-ways; and hordes of impor¬ tunate beggars, who, the dogs excepted, are the only active inhabitants of the place, all too plainly bespeak an unhappy and misgoverned country. South-west of the harrier, on the northern margin of the bay, are the ruins of fort St. Philip, erected during the siege of Gibraltar by the combined land and naval forces of France and Spain. Immediately north, on the first ridge of a mountain chain, which becomes 28 AN INCONSIDERATE VOW. more and more lofty in the distance until it is lost in the Sierra Nevada, is a rounded stone or semi-column, upon which, it is said, the Queen of Spain took her seat when the batteries opened upon the town and fortress of Gibraltar, solemnly protesting that she would not rise from it until the allied banners waved in the place of the blood-red flag of England. Like many another rash and inconsiderate vow, it was necessarily broken, and the mortification of defeat was enhanced by the recollection of her folly. About a mile west of the barrier, a narrow gully in the sand, which, in the winter, is partly filled with water, and in the summer perfectly dry, indicates the bed of the river Mayorgo, on the banks of which the populous city of Carteia once stood. Between these banks, how many a proud Roman and Carthaginian galley has passed, as the place fell alternately into the possession of either power! Of the thousands who inhabited that city, — of the houses they dwelt in, and the walls, towers, and citadel which encircled and defended them, not a single vestige now remains. How transitory and fleeting is the life of man ! In the midst of terrestrial cares, he is swept from existence, and the memory of the most favoured is scarce treasured beyond the first anniversary of his fall. Alas ! “ What sha¬ dows we are, and what shadows we pursue !” We here took observations, to ascertain the rate of our chronometers, and purchased some chemical tests and an herbarium, for the Expedition. Having only stopped at Gibraltar for some mathematical instru¬ ments, ordered from London, we were in hourly expec¬ tation of their arrival, when an untoward event com¬ pelled us to sail without them. One of the officers had been violently ill for some days, and the skill of the surgeon was baffled to detect the character of the SMALL-POX ON BOARD. 29 disease, when, on the morning of the fifth day, it deve¬ loped unequivocal symptoms of the small-pox. My first thought was to seek a place, to which those who might be attacked could he removed as soon as taken, and thereby, as much as possible, retard the dissemination of the pestilence among the crew. My next considera¬ tion was to protect the crowded town and garrison, where we had been so hospitably received. I therefore immediately interdicted all communication with the shore, and, as soon as the weather would permit, sailed for Port Mahon, where the flag-ship was, and where there are extensive hospitals. The sick man knew, however, that before it could be reached, he must pass the ordeal. His feelings can be better imagined than described. Prostrate with a disease as malignant as it is loathsome ; with a body inflamed and swollen, and a mind so racked with fever, that reason, from time to time, fairly tottered on her throne, he must naturally have longed to exchange his hard and narrow berth, and the stifling atmosphere of a ship, soon to be tossed about, the sport of the elements, for a softer and more spacious couch, a more airy apartment, and, above all, the quiet and the better attendance of the shore. After a boisterous passage of eight days, we reached Port Mahon, where the invalid was hoisted out of the ship, and taken in his bed to the Lazaretto, or Lazar House, the most cheerless, bleak, and dreary quarters ever occupied for such a purpose. The few dismal weeks he spent there, unable to read and incapable of writing, will, doubtless, be long remembered by him. Fortunately, there was but one additional case; and the ship, by repeated fumigations, and various modes of ventilation, was finally purged of the foul and fester¬ ing disease. 3 * 30 PORT MAHON. Mahon, so named from Mago, the father of Hannibal, is the chief town of the island of Minorca. It is beau¬ tifully situated at the north-west extremity of one of the most secure and spacious harbours in the world. This port, since the first introduction of a U. S. naval force in the Mediterranean, subsequent to the war with the freebooters of Barbary, has, with few exceptions, been the winter rendezvous of our squadrons stationed in that sea. Why it should be so, with the security of the anchorage its only recommendation, it is difficult to conceive. Other places there are, sufficiently secure, less isolated in their position, less tempestuous in their winter climate, abounding with classical associations and teeming with inducements to scientific research, far superior to Port Mahon. A place famed for the facilities it presents for acquiring, and the cheapness of indulging low and vicious habits: — famed for the circumstance that the senior officers, and all who can be spared from watch, abandon their ships and reside for months on shore ; while many of the young and the inexperienced, and some of their superiors, spend much of their time and all their money in the haunts of the dissipated and the vile. I do not mean to reflect upon the respectable part of the population of Mahon, for there is not a more kind-hearted or gentle people in the world. But ignorance of the language compels most of our officers to keep aloof from a society, which, if it do not increase the refinement of their manners, should at least protect them from moral degradation. Apart from all moral considerations, there are politi¬ cal ones why Port Mahon should not be the winter rendezvous of our squadron in the Mediterranean. Within twelve years, difficulties were once antici¬ pated with France, and twice with England; — with 31 ( DISADVANTAGES OF MAHON. tlie former power on the subject of indemnity, and with the latter on the questions of the north-eastern boundary and the disputed claim to Oregon. On these occasions, our depot was, and our squadrons mostly were, at this port, in a small island, two hundred miles distant from Toulon, the nearest point on the main land, and equi-distant from Gibraltar and Malta — all three strongholds of probable enemies. Its isolated position debars intelligence from the continent more frequently than once a month, and the first indication of hostilities might have been the summons of a hostile fleet. It is true that our commanders have received direc¬ tions not to winter at Mahon, but orders are fruitless while commanders of squadrons claim the privilege of exercising their own judgment without regard to the instructions of the authorities at home. We found the flag-ship here, and here it is believed that the squadron will winter. The islands of Minorca and Majorca, with the small one of Ivica, closely contiguous, form the Balearic isles, from whence the Carthaginians and the Romans, as they successively conquered it, procured their Baleares or slingers. It is said, that in Mahon Hannibal took the well-known oath of vengeance against the unrelent¬ ing foe of his country. The soil is thin, yet exceedingly productive ; but so great are the trammels, alike on agriculture, commerce, and every branch of domestic manufacture, that the people are deplorably impoverished. Numerous beg¬ gars, and the yet more painful sight of abject poverty peeping from beneath the ragged skirts of pride, every¬ where greet the eye. Every day presents scenes cal- 32 ANCIENT RUINS. culated to make the philosopher moralize and the Christian weep. Alas ! poor Spain ! Friday, Jan. 28. Lieutenant Dale and myself visited the talayots of Trepuco and Talatli, two Celtic ruins, with mounds and musse or altars. The first is in the midst of a circular fort with five bastions, behind which, tradition says, the inhabitants of the island de¬ fended themselves against the Moors. We thought the circumvallations more modern than the mound, or the musse or altars. These ruins, and others on the island, are either monumental tombs or altars of sacrifice, on which human victims were most probably immolated. The Druids, or priests of the Celts, derived their religion, perhaps, from the Egyptians. How much labour and ingenuity that ancient people evinced in quarrying, transporting and elevating such enormous blocks ! The exact manner in which they are placed with regard to the cardinal points, and being so accurately poised as to stand for many centuries, exhibit, also, no inconsiderable knowledge of geometry. Scarce a vestige remains of the nations that have subsequently possessed this island, while here stand these huge old stones and enormous piles, the mute, but expressive memorials of the most ancient people of all ! Mr. Dale took exact sketches of the mound of Trepuco and the musa of Talatli. The Balearic isles, believed to have been settled by the Phoenicians, if not by the Celts long before them, have fallen successively under the yoke of the Cartha¬ ginians, the Romans, the Goths, the Saracens, the English and the Spaniards, — under the latter three times. i CHAPTER III. PORT MAHON TO SMYRNA. Friday, Feb. 4th. At 10 P. M. left the harbour of Mahon with a light but favourable wind. Our stay had been so protracted that we gladly hailed the familiar sight of a boundless horizon before us. With me, impa¬ tience to reach our destination had increased with each hour’s delay, and my health was impaired by a most irri¬ table state of mind. When will we learn to submit, with¬ out murmuring, to what cannot be remedied ? When will we firmly believe, and prove our faith by practice, that, apart from the consequences of crime,