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26 chapters
PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The Author had no intention during the cruise of writing such a book. His reasons for now engaging in it are, in addition to those common on such occasions, a belief that the public take a very deep interest in the countries which he has visited, and would be pleased to have further means of information respecting them. The circumstances under which his excursions into Egypt and Syria were made, though limiting his observations to a few cities, gave him some unusual advantages in examining those
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ERRATA.
ERRATA.
The Reader is requested to make the following corrections: Page 105 , line 12, for “ten” substitute one hundred. 106 , “ 14, “ “case” “ cause. 111 , “ 13, “ “are” “ were. 114 , “ 2, “ “water” “ lake. 153 , “ 22, “ “extensive” extreme. 155 , “ 26, strike out “thirty miles from Jerusalem.” 159 , “ 27, for “whirling” read wheeling. 311 , “ 29, “ “filled” read piled. EGYPT. EXCURSIONS TO CAIRO, JERUSALEM, &c....
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
Approach to Egypt. Plague in Alexandria. Determination to visit Cairo and the Pyramids. Boghaz Bey. Canal of Mahmoudieh. Policy of Mohammed Ali. The abject state of his subjects, and his apology for it. Night on the Canal. First view of the Nile. Angelina’s opinion of it. Ex-Dey of Algiers. “Land O!” was cried from our mast-head on the morning of the 13th of July; and at the end of an hour, a dim yellow line, resting on the southern horizon, might be discovered from our elevated decks. When anot
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
Boats on the Nile. Our enjoyments on the river. Water of the Nile. Villages. Ovens for hatching chickens. Egyptian bricks and case of the Israelites. Singular costume of the females. Thievish boatmen. First view of the Pyramids. Stupendous undertaking of Mohammed Ali at the Barage. Approach to Cairo. Moonlight scene. The boats of the canal are confined exclusively to its waters, and we here found it necessary to look out for other conveyances, a necessity to which our last night’s experience mad
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
Cross to Boulac. Splendid hospitality of the government. Our cavalcade. Kindness of Mr. Gliddon. Description of his house. The Baldac. On the morning of the 20th, the U. S. Consul at Cairo, Mr. Gliddon, Jun., came over, and our boats were soon after removed to the opposite side of the river. And here commenced a series of hospitable attentions on the part of the government, which contributed most materially to our comfort during the time that we remained at Cairo. On the bank we found waiting a
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
Visit to the Governor of Cairo. Court of the Mamelukes. Their massacre. Schools in the Citadel. Court of Justice. Palace of the Pasha. View from it. The “City of Tombs.” A human monster. Plain of Memphis. Heliopolis. Mosque of the bloody baptism. Joseph’s Well. Mint. Manufactory of Arms. The Citadel. “The Lions.” Early in the morning of the 21st we found the grooms with our horses in the court below, and after breakfast mounted for a visit of ceremony to the Abdi Effendi, the governor of the cit
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
Visit to the Cotton factories. Iron foundries. Palace of Ibrahim Pasha. English garden on an island in the Nile. Stables of Ibrahim Pasha. Arabian horses. Bazaars. Slave market. Madhouse. The maniac butcher. The Egyptian monarch is fond of having his improvements inspected by foreigners, and our own inclinations being in no wise averse to this, we gave the 22d to an examination of a variety of objects of this kind bordering on the Nile. Leaving the city by the Boulac gate, we turned soon after d
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
Preparations to visit the Pyramids. Audience of leave with the Governor of Cairo. Visit of the ladies of our party to the Sultana. Description of the Harem. The 24th was a day of bustle, a large portion of it being spent at home, superintending the storing of wines and fruits, the cooking of fowls and eggs, and the preparation of all the et ceteras that would be required by a few days’ residence on the desert. The plan, as formed by our good friend, Mr. Gliddon, was to make an early start on the
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
Visit to the Pyramids. Their diminutive appearance as we approached. Effect when we reached the base. Pyramid of Cheops. Visit to the interior. Pyramid of Cephrenes. Belzoni’s forced passage. His successful researches. Large stone enclosure east of this Pyramid. Tombs adjoining on the west. Dine in one of them. Earliest dawn on the 25th found us up, and our court filled with animals of all shapes and sizes, from the towering dromedary to the wee bit of a donkey; and each one was allowed to choos
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
Some interesting facts in our own country in connexion with these Pyramids. Pyramids of Micocatl in Mexico, and of Quanhuahuac and Cholula. Their history. Notices of a deluge, and confusion of languages, in the picture writing of Mexico. Pyramids in the Polynesian islands. “High Places” of Scripture. Temple of Belus. Universality of this kind of structure explained. Our western mounds. View from the Pyramids of Ghizeh. The Sphinx. Visit to the plain of Memphis, and the Military and Naval School
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
Rest on the Sabbath. Visit to the Pasha’s summer residence at Shubra. Exceeding beauty of the ground. Lake, and sports of the Pasha. Pic-nic in one of the Kiosks. Pear tree from the Pasha’s place of nativity. Brief history of Mohammed Ali. Departure from Cairo. Regret at parting with Mr. Gliddon. Sunday, 27th, was a day of rest, which our previous severe exercise made unusually refreshing. In the afternoon Gen. Seguira and family, Mr. Taylor, an English gentleman, and his lady, and the French co
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
Return to Alexandria. Ruins about that city. Pompey’s pillar. Cleopatra’s needles. Modern improvements in Alexandria. Arsenal. Harbor of Alexandria. Rail road to Suez. New law for protecting his subjects. Presentation to the Pasha. Description of his person. Our return to Atf occupied four days, one day more than our voyage up the stream; as the wind still blew strong from the northward during the day, our progress was chiefly during the night, when we took advantage of the lull, and dropped dow
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
First view of the coast of Judea. Anxieties as we approached. State of the Country. Recent Rebellion. Investment of Jerusalem. Character of the Natives. Earthquakes. Taking of the City. English and American Missionaries. Death of Mrs. Thompson. Defeat of Ibrahim Pasha. Re-capture of the City. Conscription. Strange conduct of our Consul at Jaffa. He is dismissed from Office. Jaffa. Large clusters of Grapes. Eastern Story-tellers. Gardens and Watermelons of Jaffa. The Cactus. We left the coast of
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
Start for Jerusalem. Appearance of our Cavalcade. Djerid play near Jaffa. Plain of Sharon. Night ride. Ramla. The Cadi’s theory about Earthquakes. Beth-Horon. Entrance to the Hill-Country. Aboo Ghoosh. David’s Brook. First view of Jerusalem. Difficulty in getting accommodations. Greek Monastery. Distressful night. Our joy at finding all obstacles removed, and that we were actually going to visit Jerusalem, was great indeed. The visit had been a subject of pleasing anticipation from the beginning
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
Morning view of the city. Glance at the localities. Question with regard to the place of the Crucifixion. Its practical nature. Scene usually sketched in the mind. The event probably more humiliating in its attendant circumstances. Traditions forced upon the visitor to Jerusalem. Their effect on the mind. Danger of such visits to those who will not separate truth from error. “El Devoto Peregrino.” Dr. Clarke. I arose early on the morning of the 16th; the sun was shining bright, and the atmospher
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
Localities in Jerusalem that are certain. Valley of Kedron. Mount Moriah. Valley of the Cheesemongers. Mount Zion, its ancient limits. Present remains of its northern boundary. Line of the “Old wall.” Acra. Gate of the Gardens. Limits of the city at the time of the crucifixion. Bezetha and the wall of Agrippa. Monument of John. Whither our judgment, unassisted by tradition, leads us as regards the place of the crucifixion. Rocky Knoll. Not called Mount Calvary in the Scriptures. Tradition. Concl
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
Commencement of our visits. Hospital of the knights of St. John. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Reputed tomb of the Saviour. Marble sarcophagus. Effect of this visit on us. Question whether this is the real tomb, or only a representation of it. Removal of the floor two centuries since. Greek chapel “the centre of the world.” Origin of the various incredible traditions. Charity to be exercised. Cave where the cross is said to have been discovered. Fissure in the rock. Tradition about the head of A
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
Dimensions of the Modern City. Ground within the city, and in its environs. Its picturesque appearance. Continuation of our visits. Via Dolorosa. Sentence of the Saviour from Salignatius. House of Veronica and Picture of the Napkin. House of “the Rich Man.” Arch of the Ecce Homo. Pilate’s House. Mosque of Omar. The Locked-up Stone. Pool of Bethesda. Place of Stephen’s Martyrdom. The Golden Gate. The Emperor Heraclius in a dilemma. The modern Jerusalem is about three fourths of a mile at its grea
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
Valley of Hinnom. Potter’s field. Singular properties attributed to its earth. Will not act on the citizens of Rome. Gloomy character of the valley. Job’s well. Pool of Siloam. Fountain of Siloam. Periodical in its flow. Stones and columns belonging probably to the court of the ancient temple. Monuments of Zachariah and Absalom. Tomb of Jehoshaphat. Burial-place of the Jews. Valley of Jehoshaphat. View from the Mount of Olives. Plain of Jordan, and the Dead Sea. Garden of Gethsemane. Tomb of the
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Visit to the Mount of Olives to procure olive root. Cabinet work from it. Attempt, by a Fancy spell, to raise up again the ancient city of Jerusalem. Its appearance. Fortifications. Towers. Royal palace. Stupendous wall supporting the Courts of the Temple. Outer Cloister. Solomon’s Porch. Court of the Gentiles. Inner Cloister. Gate called “Beautiful.” Court of the Jews. Court of the Priests. Altar. The TEMPLE. Its dazzling façade. Noble entrance. Skill of the Architect. Vestibule. Grape-vine of
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
Visit to Bethlehem. Well of the Star. Monastery of Elijah. Rachael’s Tomb. Plain of the Shepherds. Town of Bethlehem. Character of its inhabitants. Church and Cave of the Nativity. Traditions. The Turpentine Tree, &c. Manufactures of the Bethlehemites. Tattooing. Country northward from Jerusalem. Cave of Jeremiah. Hill of Bezetha. Tombs of the Kings. Dr. Clarke’s subterranean Chapels. Ancient quarries. Tombs of the Judges. Thorn from which the Saviour’s crown is supposed to have been mad
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
Departure of the first party. Mohammed Ali’s firman, and alarm of the Governor. Sickness of Mr. M. and Mr. Nicholayson. Trials of Missionaries. Their general character and qualifications. Moonlight view of Jerusalem, and reflections. Arrival of the second party. Interview with the Governor. Visit to Bethany. Departure from Jerusalem. Our party, with a good store of relics, olive canes from the Mount of Olives, and other memorials of their visit, left Jerusalem on the morning of the 20th; their e
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
Accident on our return. Visit to St. Jean D’Acre. Also to Tyre. Prophecies respecting Tyre fulfilled. Visit to Sidon. Lady Hester Stanhope. Her letter of invitation to us. Visit to her residence at D’joun Beirout. Missionary families at Beirout. Striking feature in the Protestant Missionary operations. Their schools and printing presses. An accident, by which one of our party was seriously hurt, on our way back, damped the gratification of our visit and retarded our progress; but having left the
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
Party to Damascus. Ascent of Mount Lebanon. The roads. English carriage. Scenery of the mountain. Its inhabitants. Maronites. The Druses. Aaleih. Horns worn by the women. Princesses of the mountain. Beautiful night scene. Bhamdoon. Plain of Coelo-Syria. Anti-Lebanon. Characteristic of Americans. A dilemma. First view of Damascus. The great plain. Gardens. The city. “Street that is called Straight.” St. Paul. About noon on the first of September, a party of us might have been seen winding along t
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Late fanaticism of the people of Damascus. Change. Mr. Farrah’s house. Agreeable disappointment. Costume of the natives. The Cobcob. Mr. Farran, the English Consul General. Visit to the palaces. Palaces of Abdallah Bey, &c. Official visit to the Governor, Sheriff Pasha. Handsome reception. Promises of the Pasha with respect to Americans in Syria. Mr. Farran’s beautiful country residence. Bazaars. Damascus blades—not to be had. Departure from the city. Night at Mr. Farran’s. Having rested
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Sunrise on the plain of Damascus. Mountain Mosque. Superstition of the natives of Damascus. Mountain course of the Barrady. Tomb of Abel. Fountain of Rosalyn. Toils of travel. Comforts on the road to Pompeii. Ruins of Balbec. The great Temple and its courts. Stones of prodigious size. A gem in Architecture. The circular Temple. Gleanings with regard to their history. Pasha of Balbec. Marshal Bourmont. Cedars of Lebanon. Town of Zahle. Night in our tents on Lebanon. Attack by the natives. Return
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