CiiMMES F. READ c IL H. FRAZIER, EDITORS.
Tivri) spri4.
LETTER PROM REV. H. H. J'ESSIIP.
`CCANDEROO\, AtfAS ALIMANDUNTTF.,
February-4, 1856. .
• 4 f beautiful dayfin this towu*hich 'is inything but •
betiftliful.' We went ashore-at - • ten o'clock to ramble
and take exercise. Mr. Cbshatn, the yonng
Eaalishinan, who has , been our interpreter thus far .
i~r talking to the Frenchmen, leaves
,us here to go
ovotiltud-to Diarbekir, where he is to buy horsei and •
for the English Army. There are strong ru
ppr•,• peace prevailing here now, which we all hope •
re true. If they are, our friend *ill march to biar
hel.lr and then march back again. •
toe 'bore: - at Scandoroon is low and fiat, running_
udles, winding around the-bay until it fades in the
di,tince into a thin white line. Just inside. or the
thereds a marshy flat,. extending abou t half a
to the base of the mountain. East of the town
• wider, and slobs, up toward the mountain which
precipitous., and broken by earthquakes into fear
ful chaszns and ravines. On the flat there are scat
tered art-es and long reeds growiwin clumps, and at .
6, , lase of The mountain, there sifa small groves of
tir and oliv t e trees. The town itself is miser.
n 1::y htlilt, a mere.pile of mud and porous limestone.
Tn..- lower class live in houses which resemble coarse
wicker baskets mire than anything else, and theout
si.le is.vety skilfully plastered over with niridand.of
-11.!. The best house in the town, the residence of the
Enzlish Consul, *Mild hardly he thought good enough
for a stable inllontros;. When we called, we hesi
vued :shout knocking — at the, door, lest we had mista
l.,-n the caravansary for the house of this august dig
tlitary.: The consults a good natured Frenchman,
his wife is a -Greek woman limn. Aleppo. They
ezrered us • ppcs, coffee and citron preserves, the
j•ouPg ladies officiating as waiquintaids. After this
.:•ntertaintnent, we sau..; for them, and the daughters
: .ang for us in the Arabic and Turkish. I asked the
Consul whether he regarded this as a healthy place,
and he replied th r at if he could get away, it would be
the happiest day in his life. Last year all of his large
family and his servants were sick of fever at once,
mal his fbetors bill was lire hundred dollars. (
Luring the Con=ul': house, with a warning against
'zoin7 bur far from the town,We watulereti leisurely
t h e t iec h, picking upsbells and pebbles. The
p.. 1 'les were \of it beautifuligreenish black color,
oLsitlian and Rorpkyritia tnincrtle. I. collected rs
many 3.: I could carry, and I doubt not many, Of them
will ymtfintl their way across the Atlantic. ' Going to
easitrard of the town, we passed long caravans of
carav : ls, and I heard for the air.--t time the lowing or
of an obstinate camel who seenoal deter
mined not to kneel to receive his burden. Ills "voice
- v-a-s like a 'dying. groan, - or an expression of agony.—
. T.tVen all together, the camel Is . the inosi awkward
and repulsil' , e creature imaginable_ Ilis chitusy gait,
his long ungainly neck, his wide-reaching. legs, his
horizontal protruding head, and his bundled • ba n ek,
give, you a combination of , unseemly feature 4 which
only Mal pidliation is his utility and wondrolts endur
ranee as a beast of burden—the "ship of the des
ert." Soule of them tried to drink the, salt water
from the surf, 'and= their attendants were 'obliged to
tise the lash quite.seTerelY; befores they woUld-de
sist.
•
As we pttisetl'Eirther along, several rough, wild
Arabs passed us riding at full speed toward the eoun
try. The homes here seem trained to the most awk
ward, ialeotnfortable gait conceivable. A short, jerk
ing step, darting suddenly ahead and then stopping
as suddenly; halting swinging their •loti# ,necks
arouud, utterly regardless of.the rein. •they seem fit
ted oily for the wild reekle4 fellows who ride: them.
Mr. Holnes, our amateur
,friend,.who bee a real.
Yankee ingenuity iwknowinglow to do and try eve
rything, brought his revolved With him, and wander
ed on in -advance of us in quest of game. We were
unarmed, and Faring no guide, we preferred keeping
quite near to the tolin, and retraced our steps after
g-r!ing about a huadred rods, leaving Mr. Holmes to
return at his leisure. After continuing our ramble
until about tlikee o'clock we returned to the Steamer.
Howelver, we sett one ating that may interest you.--
It was a genuine Cbiental o.x-cart. The oxen resem
bled buffidOes,' and the cart was one of the most prim- .
itiry pattern. The wheels were- fastened to the axle
trees so that both re4dved together. This would be
enough, if - the filetrees were round where the
tart 'rested upon them. Instead of that, howev - ifr,.
thei7W-ere square, fit tu one end to thelother, and the
may mode of attachment to the cart, was by means
of four'wooden phis deiiren into the bottom boards of
the cart, against one ot -which the axletree was pres
sed, when the 'cart moved. There was nothing to
lubricate the axle; and it' was a great wonder to us
bow any power'-'ennid snore the clumsy vehicle when
loaded .down - Avith wet sand, on the soft beach. The -
Arab ox-drivers seemed about as stupid as their ox
en, and we passed-on with`a regret that such heath
obstacles to -civilization still exist, and the hope
that Christianity, - which carries eivilizatiOn wherever
it goes, may soon dawn on this benighted laud
` gun
\ h
On reaching the vessel, we woudered that Mr.
Holmes did not make his appearance, and after the
lapse of an holtr we began to feel somewhat anxious
about him. Nor was our anxiety at all lessened,
when we learned that a party of French and English
sea captains, who left their ships the day before to
visit in a boat the pillars which are said to mark the
spot where Jonah wa cast ashore, were suddenly
surprised and pursued by a crowd of ruffianly mis
creants frorn, the myrtle forest along the shore, and ,
barely escaped to - their boats with their lives. We
beetun'i more and more anxious. I remembered, too,
having heard Mr. Holies say that he proposed going
to that very spot; as he believed it to be the place
where the party of yesterday had such success in
hunting game. Our anxiety increased every moment.
All; the spy glasses on the vessel were called into
requisition, and we swept the shore from the town to
the forest, with the greatest assiduity, as no truce of
our friend could be seen. Only - :16 - 1 - hour and a half
remained before the steamer was to sail, and it was a
very long walk from the mountain to the town, as we
knew from our own slight experience, What could,
we do,. Conjecture after conjecture was made, but
all seemed to come to one point—that perhaps our
friend had fallen into the hands of the robbers, while "
straying too far froth the shore. Mr. Cohan), the
En ish lientenant, - happenedjust At this time to come
on - and hearing of the altair, added his owq
suspicions to ours,t\s t lulsaid that l he would go ashore
atom, and obtain . mined guard fnom the consul,
to go in search of him. As be left the' vessel, 1 tee
ished hlnu ell . _speed as our anxiety was 'hemming
ohnostiantal.\
If Ifehrtei had gone out with a trerty of sever,'
• rat armed men;:::the.re _would have been no thinger f
but he wasentiiely alone and went in thentoattlatt
geratutp.:isek dirertiart. Nr..Cosbaru wentasborc i
nwniknied the matter' to the consul, and, in a few
mainnenta'was mounted on "a spirited Arab steed, while
the consul geye forth hialorders-to his Janizaries, or
armed guards, to. - tut:yk out , at once and go :1n pursuit
of the rotrbere w so ci:eie supposed to have murdered
•
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•oting.Englishraan at the base of the mountain.--
The crowd around was greatly excited at hearing such
orders, and seeing such preparations, and there was
a general shaking of heads, whispering, andi jabber.
ir!, Greek, Turkish and Arabic.. We kept a con
stant look-out. from the .vessel; now toward_ the long
',sandy beach, now toward the town. Suddenly I des-
Maa r It man .dmaad in Frank costume sauntering
leisurely. along the - shore , at a great distance, and
thou4t that it might be our lost friend. gi-e . ry glass
1";:
was turned toward him: Some said it cies Holmes,
I thought it mist be he. Soon after this figure had
reached the town, and before we eaw the Guards set
out, a little boat put off from the shore at the landing
toward us, and all eyes turned toward it. • Nearer and
nearer it came, until at length we saw both Mr. Cos
ham and Mr. Holmes safely on board, and I ran as
sure you that we all breathed a . prayei• of gratitude
for thereturn of the lost one. When tire were seated
quietly at the table, Mr. H. very eAlndr .narrated his
experiette during the day, proving our anxiety to
have ben much better founded than we ourselve s
had supposed. On leaving us, he sent on quietly
through the long grass of, the plain, shooting game
v.:lth hi..:Colt's revolver, until he reached the tgise of
the Tle be met a man who made signs
to blitir tye nture up the' mountain,' at the
wine time - 'ng bis band across his neck, as if to
say, ".Go up there, and you will lose your heart"—
Heeding at pita thin unexpected and very friendly
advice, lie went another way, and wandered among
the hedges and groves for nearly miles. When
Quite fikr away from the shore, and in a very lonely
slmt, a man suddenly sprang into the path before
him, armed to thq teeth. He had a long gun swung
upon his sliouhl4, two pistols and a huge lknife in
his bi':oad leather:Fa:ll, and his eye flashed forth all
conc . eisaide meatwss, eon - ardiee and t cOttisb reek
ie=sness. Stepping up to Mr. 'llotmes, and taking
some small coins in his left hand, ail a large lnillet
in his right, he shook the coirei, and at thesametitue
stl-ttek the musket ball againit his" side; gicin= him
to understand that if
,his money was not given up,
that ball would be sent through his body. Mr. R.
very 'coolly took two large conical balk: from his rixlet
(such, as belong to Colt'a revokers) - and hoblingsthem
in his left hand, pointed at the robber's breast, at the
same time elevating his revolver, which has a single
barr4 and a revolving breech, and fired two balls in
sttece,•=sion from the same barrd. The mbber vraiz
thuoo-er. , :truck at 'seeing two discharges. from one bar
rel without rvloading,‘th'at t... 1 N' l eemed it Prudent to
withdraw, and moved away i f wly toward the fores.t.
Mr. Ilohn es thought it alsOp! , lent to retie t' from such .
t
a neighborhood, and, turning frequently ti look out
for the ruffianly miseveant, itiade rapi!lf s :pogress to
the shore. IL had quite a sum if ilnlouor in liitz
pnrse, and says that he .1
1 no db! )sition to Jose
either that or his life. AN:O - e're r l / 4 4 Palent in sup
posing it to he he that wa's walkiri t ein_ tli shore.—
Ile reached the town jest in the; NAAIst of the ex
eitettne^t thereon his behalf, and, all ..
nticonseious of
wbat was transpiring, waked to thq'latiding in time
to relieve the Janizaries and Mr. ' Ci' hanifrom the
unpleasant business of htinting fur 1 in the hatmts
- ofilotorions robbers. 1 '.s. • .
We all regard his escape as entirely Providential.
; .lf his pistol had mis;:led fire, or his course been other
than it was, he would in all human probability, have
I fallen a victim to this blood -thirsty scoundrel, 4,
After all were i.safe on board, we set sail for Merce
na
main, as the storm had prevented our getting - the
mail on our preris visit. •
/ These Mediterranean coasting stcaiii — ers do the most
of their sailing by night; in order to be in port during
t the day. It is vexatious to \be driven back and forth
in this manner, when so near our home, but patience
is a cardinal virtue and we will learn to wait. Paul
oneesailed.through these waters amid troubles greater
. than we have known. "in perils.of waters, in perils
of, robbers," "in perils in the itea," "thrice suffering
shipwreek, a night and a das in the deep," with trials
spiritual and temporal combined, such as we may
never be called to suffer, and who would complain?
Tae.siv, Feb. sth—The sun was shining serenely
from a clear sky on the lofty mountain summits of
Cilicia back of Tarsus_as we went ashore at Mercena
this morning. ' The French Consul gave us a seat in
; his boat, and when we-offered a bucirsheesh to. his
boatman he refused it. You can imagine the burst
of laughter r which followed, when a lazy Arab whol
stood on the shore, stepped up very coolly, and offer I'.
ed to take the money that we had offered to the
beatman. Perhaps American lounger s would-do the
same thing, but in all my acquaintance with 'New
York beggars, peddlers, hostlers and hitel+diiXers;
I never saw quite so cool a specimen of impudent as
,l
sumption.
Oar party presented quite a formidable appearance 1
on the journey. Our experience yesterday at Scan-
deroou has made us somewhat cautions. and we ilea
to be very well armed and equipped: Mr. Holmes
marks his revolver glistening in the sun ;..Mr. Frazer
with his fierce mustachio and 'whiskers has a long
musket, which was found in the Redan tower at Se
vastopol, strapped across his back ; Mr. Bliss carries
a cane and a basket, - and I have a large opera-glass t
belonging to Mr. Holmes, which the Arabs look upOn
as some new instrument of _destruction invented by 1
the Franks, which it is not safe to approach. We i
walked a long distance on the beach, collecting beau- I
tiful pebbles of green and red jasper, and now and
then firing at birds whose distance was abundant pro- i
section for their innocence. When we were stand- i
ing together on a mound in the midst of, a broad i
sand plain, we descried a suspicious looking party of 1
horsemen in the distance, and with my glass, I could
see that they were turning their attention toward us. i
Several long caravans of camels were in the distance 4
and we had become accustomed to strange sights, i
but this new crowd looked rather more belligerent i
than any we had seen. They were in the road which I
runs parallel to the sea and We were about thirty rods
from the road. When they were nearly opposliens,
• they suddenly halted, and one of them flourishing a
long rod over his head, put spurs to his horse and
rode directly toward us. The horse seemed almost
to fly, and the rider whirled upon his hand the rod,
which we thought to be either a gun or a lan4e,'un
- Ail he was Within about ten feet of us,when be halted
Avith a suddenness that startled us, and shouting the
Turkish salutation "good morning," wheeled again
and was off with as great speed as before. His lance
-turned out to be a pipe with a long wooden stem,
• and this display was merely fereffect, as his salutar
- Von proved. Howerer, I cannot say bow much
be might hare done, if some of tis had not been ana
-1 ed. Probably the opera-glass had the deeired'effect
in intimidating him, and if we could have heard his
description of our party as he returned to his &Ku.
reties, there Would bare been undoubtedly a sped
men of oriental eloquence which you wpuld consid,
er slightly eLtravegant. I do not think that I eball
' ever carry a weapon of any : kindwitittne;but it is
autdo3btedly true that ' when one is traveling in
1 this part of the world, the Act that Yee Pe arm
ed Will be l a ' protection t;ien though,' you would;
-'
never make Are of arms f urther than to give evidence
4i/swing them in your poisrasion. kart Akreho Cr
anyenumber of wild mountain pltunierers hear there;
port of td* . .sticcesse — ' l Ve discharges front a ,revolver,j
they conclude thrt the party have six guns, and they
d'ppEE[Dovig amp 1 2L10N4 lanalltJ ' io,Lavirlaw AKE) VlROrlano"
stay away. If I were to travel from Scanderoon to .
Aleppo, I should think it well to carry mine kind of
gun, simply for the purpose of making a show of abil
ity to defend myself in case of extremity.
On our return to the town, we met one of the ser
vants of.our old friend, the,Grand Turk, and he very
politely invited us to call upon his master. We
. did
so with great chemildness. Be conducted us up a
Bight of stairs on the outside of a large wooden build
ing, and drawing aside a heavy curtain, introduced
us into the presence of our august friend, who sat on
a broad divan ,surrounded by his customhouse pa
pers. He immediately called for the chibouks, ecif
fee and oranges, and laid aside several fine oranges
and a large citron melen Ufa golden yellow color, for
Mrs. Bliss ; whom he calls Madam. We were again
greatly pleased with the venerable man—and return
ed to one vessel, in time to set sail again for Tatakiah
at evening.
On Wednesday morn, we went ashorc at Tatakiab.
The view of the town from the water Is almost en
trancing. A gentle slope rising. from the Sea for
about a mile, and the distant blue mountains ia the
.tack ground, are very beautiful. While the rest of
the party went Ashore to ramble through the town,. I
took the boatman', boy .and took my position in the
harbor to sketch the old tower built by the crusaders,
which now form.; a very picturesque ruin.• After
sketching it, I clambered-nplts rough walls, and found
the old columns of granite andporphyry which were
brought flout Egypt by Sepdmus Severus, and long
after the original temple, of which they formed a part,,
bad crumbled into ruins, were used as foundation
stones for the crusaders. I !mike off fragments of
the_grauite and porphyry, which I will send to you.
I was greatly pleased with the appearance of the
people, with thel' clean' blue clothing, red fez caps
and white turbans. My impressions of Syria were
- greatly modified by thiS view of Tatatials. • It seems
more like home than anything I have yet seen. Er-
crything is Oriental and "not only ' so, but pleasing,
cheerful, and encouraging to one who has been in
the atmosphere of Seanderoon and Mcrceua. About
1 twenty females clothed in snow-white g..uments and
head.dres,scs, stood under an awning on the wharf, to
I bid farewell. to some friends who went with us on
board of the Steamer. The sight Was quite interest.
El
As we : Tatakialt, we hoped - to sec be.
fore Light, • .ut dark clouds catue up from the sea, and
completely concealed the town and the mighty range
of Lebanon from our *view, as we anchored in . the
at sundown. We could just diqtingnish a few
noy,ing light.. along the Aore, and that is all I saw
/Tripoli my future home, the place which I already
7 A,: with all my heart.
Ft!, 7111, 1 SZAI.-1 was al ous ed quite ear
ly this morning, I.y a conversation of familiar voices in
th. , ,,rabin.of the steamer, and looking through the
Mimi"; of my state room door, - I saw to my great de
light. Lorenzo Lyon.q, Mr. Aiken; who married Miss
Cole of Albany, and has been' in Beirut about 'six
weeks, and another gentlemen who I afterwards learn
ed was Mr. hurler. I made my toilet in livery short
time, and very soon grasped Lorenzo'; hand `with an
eagerness which you can imagine, but not thoroughly .
appreciate. It would be difficult to say which of us
felt the greater joy. At all events, as I stepped on
the solid earth and k-new that here at length is my
missionary field, my future hone, the people whom I
love, the noble missionary band,` z all of whom are faith
ful soldiers in their master's service, and that on these
mountains ranges of snowy and sunny Lebanon the
gospel is yet to beam forth with more than its origin
al glory and poweil i ; that here are to be witnessed
yet greater and greater triuniphs of the cross ; my
soul thrilled with a kind of exultant joy, and I could
say in truth, this was one Of the happiest days of my
life.
Though now far ter from home than ever before, in
one Sense, Lreally; feel more at home than ever be
fore. Hithertoi I have been anxiously longing for a
participation in preachit.g the gospel to the destitute,
and now I am nearer that work than ever", and hence
lam happy. lam not able yet to preach, far from
it. Many' months of severe study must elapse, before
I can hope to speak with confidence to the people in
their own tongue, but I came to prepare for my work,
:end I shall do it with a hearty good will.
When we reached the town, we met Dr. nukel
who is remaining here temporarily, on• his way to Me
, sal, in the Assyrian Mission, and Charles Smith, a son
of Ire Eli Smith. Mrs. Bliss rode up the hill on a don
, key, and the rest of ns walked. The ground rises
corteiclerably from the water to the suburbs where the
missionaries reside, and the streets through which we
passed are arched over in mativ places, having much
the appearance of tunnels rather than streets. The
houses are built of a yellowish white limestone, re
sembling the Malta stone, though much harder. . .
The view of Beirut from the water is almost a fairy
scene. Indeed I know alio place in America which
presents so beautiful an appearance as Beirut. The
town itself stands on a kind of cape projecting into
the sea,- and fronting chiefly toward the north, with
the blue Mediterranean in front and on the left, and
the craggy ranges dotted with white walled villages,
with the lofty snowy peaks of Lebanon, toward the
right. The business portion of the town is along the
water, and the principal residences of the people arc
on the bill in the midst of the most beautiful gardens
of mulberry, orange, carob, fig and alniond trees.—
The upper part is like a succession of county seats,
separated by stone walls covered with the prickly
pear. The roads between the gardens are like deep
ditches about six feet wide and in some places *feint
ten or twelve feet deep. The prickly pear overarch
ing renders these walks almost dark in cloudy weath;
er, and persons on horseback sometimes suffer from
ikting the sharp spines from the leaves in their eyes.
As you have already beard from L., the leaves are
very large and the trunks are like ordinary trees.
The most beautiful object I have yet seen, however,
is the almond ore in blosiom. I can now realize, as
never before, the force of that beautiful expression in
Ecclesiastes s,—with regard to the flourishing
of the almond-tree as an emblem of old age and its_
hoary locks. The almond tree under my window is
now snow white with large blossoms like our apple
trees, and is very attractive to the eye. The bkas
eoms.appear before the leaves, so that the tree is one
mans of pure-white flowers. I would gladly send you
a boquet of the flowers, but they are like many oth
er beautiful things in nature, as perishable and, frail
as they are beautiful
I tind horenzoys' house very pleasant i and delight
fully situated, The floors are all stone l and cement;
as is the practice here, and the rooms are high, airy,
and well whitewashed. The wood work is plain, but
quite well a tecuted. The court, or hall, which runs
through the middle of the bunging on the second
floor, is is large as an ordinary house, awl with its
arol4B and mosaic floors, seems like a public hall pr,
church.
On going to the Moine chapel, i found that the .
.ns/iye Protestant Ands from Sys were holding a
Conversion, after the American style, to elect a dale
gate to repreept them at a general COnvertOn of
the Protestantapf the Turkish Empire, to be held in
the spring in Conetantinopte: inte-gteatte suiprio• -
ed to see oath so intelligent body aloes. Btio
Atom ii/IVV, Au And intellectual- uoutuances u
you will ever find in America. 'They bad their own
MONTROSE, THURSDAY, APRIL 10,1856.
cbairman and secretary, and remarks were made by
the delegates from Sidon, Abeth; Bhamdon, Beirut,
and•otber'districte, with as much decorum and order
as yon have in public meetings in our own Republic.
This is the beginning of a very important movement
in the Empire. Men' are beginning to feel, to some
extent, that they are men, and have rights ; and it Is
now the wish of the Protestants to hare a head or
leading man in the Empire, to r►bom their matters of
importance may be entrusted. It is a wise move
ment. It will give them confidence and independ
ence. And as the Protestant community grows
stronger and stronger in the country, the adherents
of these old crumbling systems will fell less reluct
ance in leaving them, because there mill be less don-
-ger of persecution.
My ideas with regard• to the character of the Arab
race bare risen greatly since my arrival in Ileirut.—
They seem to be a noble people, and the specimens
of Christian - manliness which I hare seen ti:Hiar sat•
isty me more and more, that the spiritual and moral
elevation of this people will be worth all the sacrifice
which , the church Of -Quist can make in its behalf.—
Let those who say that missions are useless and a
failure, witne_•s such a spectacle as this, and their
doubts must vanish at once. There are also mission
schools here now, taught by native converts, in which
the Arab children are Latructed in the way. of life.—
I feel encouraged more and more to • labor with all
my heart and soul and mind and strength.
.'I met Dr. E. Smith at the weekly prayer meeting
this afternoon. lie is a pale, thin-fused, mild, christian
gentleman, with an intellectual' care-worn counten
ance, and I am only confirmed in all the sentiments of
love and respect I have so long cherished towards
him ? Again I
.ask you all to unite with me in the
prayer that his life and health maybe spared yet
many years that he marcomplete his gigantic under:
taking of translating the Bible itito the Arabic Lan
guage. In America be would be said to be in very
feeble health, but he still labors on day after_day in
his arduous work. The first part of the New Testa
ment is now for the first time going through the press
in its revised and 'completed.form.
Who can fill his place, is a question often asked,
but no one on earth can answer it. lie has been rais
ed up.for the work, and it is now only about half com
pleted.
On Thursday , evening, the weekly musical exercise
was held here, and Lorenzo gave the. young Arabs a
lesson in singing. It'soundedstrange enough to hear
the Arabs singing "do, ra, me, fa, sol,” and then us=
ing harsh guttural arable words when our - beautiful
melodious hymns are given out.
They all sing one part, and certainly sing very well.
At the cloy Lorenzo and I placed our melodeons fa
cing encl. other, and played together, both singing
the sable part in several familiar hymns and songs,
greatly to the amazement and delight of the Arabs.
At the cloie we joined in a grand chorus, and the
sound reverberated through the high rooms and
courts, like the thunder tones of an organ.
Saturday, Feb. stn.—At the earnest solicitation of
Mr. Aiken, and Mr. Bliss, Lorenzo and I rode with
them to day to the :Ye it rel Kdb, or Dog river. Our
horses were hired for us, and were as ignoble a set of
beasts as ever tried to do service. Most unfortunate
-ly for me, it fell to my tot to ridethe poorest horse
of all. r He was poor in more senses than ;one. - They
were all short and slender,, but mine Bras shorter and
more lank and shriveled than all thereat put togeth
er. The saddle was a kind of a compromise between
rags and leather, and the stirrups when let out to their
last limit, kept my legs bent at a very ungraceful an
gle, to say the kalif. I procured a good oak stick,
bra, before we were fairly out of the city, it was bro
ken to pieces in trying to urge on my poor horse, who
was leaving me so far behind the rest,- that I came
.near being lost several times. ' Occasionally he would
trot, and once he was known' to gallop for a few rods,
but a slow, thumping. jerking jog seemed to be abOut
the extent of. his capacity. I began- to despair of
reaching the Dog River, but perseverance triumphed,
and we at length arrived safely at the famous !mot.—
Just at the Mouth of the river a-spur of Mount Leba
non runs down, high and precipitous, quiie to the
1 water's edge, leaving no possible means ofpassing,
except by cutting a road along the, bank in the solid
rock. This has been done for several hundred feet
by the successive nations who have conquered and
held this land. Each king and conqueror rebuilt and
! improved this Thermopyke of Syria, and there are in
scriptions now discernible with more or less distinct
ness in the rocks, dating to the reigns of Sesostus,
the Asayrians, the Pheneelana, the Romans, and the
Saracens. Each strove-to obliterate the inscriptions
of the preceding, so that now only the last can 'be
read with any facility.- The precipitous rocks re
-1 semble somewhat the cliffs on the New York 1 Erie
Railroad along the Delaware, or Campbell's Ledge
at the head of Wyoming valley. The work would
not be considered remarkable in this age of gunpow
der, but when every cubic yard was cut out by hand,
it was a gigontic undertaking indeed. The , valley of .
Dog River is a deep ravine, which turns abruptly
above the stone bridge, so that the valley resembles
a vast amphitheatre. There are sixteen arches of an
old Ronvin aqueduct now standing, overgrown with
ivy and long mosses. Many of the rocks in that re
gion are richly fossiiiferous, but our equestrian equip
ment would not admit of our carrying home anything
heavier than ourselves. - We took our lunch in a
khan on the bank of the river, where Lorenzo con
versed in Arabic with the men who gazed upon us
as we sat on the ground. Our stay was quite limit
ed, as it was getting late, and we began to conclu e
that our Arab steeds would be even less likely to
sustain their national reputation on our return t h an
when we went oat. It was even so. Lorenzo had
exchanged with me during the latter part of the jour
ney out, and I now suggested that each of the other
brethren try my horse in turn, that the honor might
be eqiudly divided. Mr. Aiken tried him first, as he
bad a spur, and some hints were thrown out that I
did not make my appeals to the animal in the right
direction. But the venerable steed was not to be
moved by sPurring, The rest of us rode on at a
rapid rate along the sandy beach, our horses seem
ing to enjoy the run very much ; . but as we halted
and looked back, Mr. Aiken was almost out of sight
In the rear, and approached in a very deliberate man
ner, whipping, spurring and shouting, but almost
wholly in vain. It was evident, (u a well known wri•
ter remarked of a similar horse under similar circuit
riAncea) that though he was very slow and poor now,
he may bare had his "fast" day. .Much has been
said of Arab horses and the Y poetry of motion," but
when night is coming on, the dark clouds are pour;
ing their torrents of rain upon you, and you are Rev :
eral miles from the city, with a road of mad boles
and stone heaps to traverse, it is quite unpoetieal, if
not absolutely Prosaic, to be !inlayed by 606. an Atli
; mal as this. - Mr. Bliall rode hint into the eity for the
sake. 0 variety, and when we were suorly to the
litetY Putige, or khan, 0 4y lethargic bPrse suddenly
awoke, and darted forward with such vigor that Mr.
Bliss shouted to us to . get out of his way, as the
!tab had' 'trotted to 'Ave minutes, and 'was just
breaking into an utunistalutble gallop. We meshed
.'l
lime in a rein storm, but awe water proof clothing
protested at tllgielY, end I felt amply telbad fat my
ride, by the Wending anatttallre bad trisiewl, and the
vigorous Physical exercise I had taken ? even though
. .
some of it had been the consequence of the phys
ical inertness and stupidity of my &abbot charger.
Dnyklay, Feb. 14th:.--My Arabic teacher is here,
and Lorenzo has him for an hour, when I am to re
cite my fli.st lesson. You have no idea of the trial
which I experience in being unable to speak to the
people when I meet them in the street or as they
call. My only sustaining thought is , that I may be
able at some time to communicate with them fluent
ly and readily. The older missionaries encourage Ins
with this Lope, and I am assured that. I can do what
others have done, although the Arabic is the most
difficult of languages.
I have now seen all of the missionaries but Mr. ,
Wilson and Mr. Bird. They are noble, true-hearted,‘
intelligent men, and their families are patterns of
Christiau social elevation ang courtesy. I enjoy their
society greatly. On Monday eve ull the members of
the mission and the new missionaries, met at Dr.
Smith's to spend the evening. As they have tio mu
sical instrument I took my melodeon, which we all •
enjoyed. Dr. Smith's house is very near ours, being
across the gardens, and we are quite neighborly.
On opening one of my chests, I found the apples
which I packed as an experiment; in vety good con
dition, and I presented the large Baldwin-apple to
Dr. Smith. He was unwell at the time, and I took
it to him as he lay on the bed. lie. said . that it was
very refreshing, and reminded him of a great dinner
to which he was once invited in a convent in Ameri
ca, where the only dessert was one large apple, which
was passed around for each one to smell. They have
no apples here,txcept a small shrivelled, fruit, and
the night of a fine apple is a feast of itself.
The firkin of butter which I brought is as sweet
as when Mrs. Decker first packed it, and nearly all
of the Syrian missionaries have uttered her praise, as
worthy of all the Pennsylvania prizes.
I expect to practice the Photographic art, and if
I send you at any time a number of Photographic
views of interesting scenes iu Syria, yen may perhaps
sell them at a low price, and thus enable toe to pay
for my camera. I send for the instrument by to
day's mail to London, and the missionaries all tell me
that the value of such an art will be very great.-:
There arc numerous interesting scenes and ruins
throughout Syria which American Christians would
delight to look upon, and if I am able to send you
within the next &Is years the " Cedars of Lebanon,"
"Baalbec," "Mount Lebanon," "Mount Hermon,"
"The Valley of the Jordan," besides the faces and
costumes of these interesting people, I shall think
it time well spent. The process is simple, and copies
can be multiplied indefinitely without great expense,
so that I can send you a hundred .eopies to be dis
i posed'of in America. We expect to go to Tripoli in
the middle of April, and leave there for the moun
tains as soon as the hot weather comes on.
The little town, Ain Zehalta, where Lorenzo spent
the seamier, is greatly awakened about ;the Gospel
truCi, and the Greek priest has been compelled
,to
leave. W all expect that a great upturning will
take placela this whole region era many years have
passed. Oh, how I long to speak this language
Affectionately yours in Christ,
Timm HARRIS JEssre.
I.e9l*libe.
THE NEW LICENSE LAW.
Passed Mardi 29, 1856.
An Act, Cu regulate the sale of intoxicating
liquors. -
Section 1. Be it enacted, by the ;Senate
and:House of liepresentatives • of
.the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania, in General As
sembly met, and it is hereby enacted
. by the
same, That from and after the passage of this
act, it shall be tinlaw.tul to keep and maintain
any house; room; or place where vinous, spin:
ittIOSR, malt, or brewed liquors, or any ad
mixtures thereof, are sold or drank, except
es hereinafter provided.
Section 2. That no libensis her after is
sued to any venders of vinous, spirituous,
malt, or brewed liquors, or any admixtures
thereof, either with or without other goods,
wares, and merchandise ; shall authorize sales
of said liquors or any adinixtures thereof in
less quantities than one gallon, except as here
inafter provided, nor shall any lit.,nse, for the
said sales in any quantity be -gran=, to the
keeper of any beer house, theatre, or other
pluce of amusement. •
Section 3. That breweries and distilleries,
in all parts the State, shall be returned,
Classed, assessed, and licensed agreeably to
the provisions of the act of tenth of April,
Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred
and forty-nine, entitled-`,' An Act to create a
sinking fund and to provide fim-, the gradual
and certain extinguishment of the debt of the
Commonwealth," and the owner, proprietor,
or lessee of any and each of the said brewer
ies and distilleries, shall-he assessed and re
quired to pay annually, before obtaining a
'license, double
-the rates or tax asses.ed agree
ably to said act : Provided, That the same
shall not, in any case, be less than fifty dol
lars, nor shall such license authorize sales by
them of less than five gallons,• except malt
and brewed liquors, winch may be bottled
and delivered in quantities not less than one
dozen bottles.
Section 4. That the provisions of this act
shall nut apply to importers selling import
ed wines, brandy, liquors, or ardent spirits in
the original bale, cask, package; or vessel, as
imported ; and said importers shalLbe
turned, ch: /messed, and licensed as pro
vided b; act to provide revenue to meet
the den .ads on. the treasury and for other
purpost 4, passed the fourth day of May, An
no Domini one thousand eight hundred and,
forty-one, upon the payment of double flit
additional rate or tax in the tenth section of;:
said act mentioned.
13eetuan 5. That the provisions of this act
shall not extend to druggists and apotheca
ries who shall sell unmixed alcohol, or com
pound, or sell any admixtures of {sine, ales
hol, spirituous, or brewed liquors in the pre
paration of medicines or, upon the written
prescription of a regular praetleing physician :
Provided, That no druggist or apothecary
shall sell or keep for sale, under any name or
pretence,
any preparation or admixtures, as
aforesaid, that may be used as. a beverage,
and - any violation of this section *ball be pun.
ished in the manner prestribed in the twen
ty-eigbth section of thin act.
'Section That licenses to . venders of vi-
nous, spiritous, malt, or ;
,brewed liquors as
aforesaid, either With or witout - other goods,
wares, and merchandise, in quantities not len
. than one gallon, to keepers of hotels, inns,
andiaverna, selling in quantities lessthan 'a
Wien', and to , keepers, of eating houses for
F.tho saki of malt, and ; brewed liquors
,and do
mestic.wlnes shall only be granted to ,cit i.
r i zens of the United Slates, of . tereperate.lah
its and good moral character, end - not until
~. •
IFRAZIER PUBLISHERSL.-7-VOL 2. .1:45.1.8
the requirements as hereinaftti proVided shall
have beeti complied with.
Section 7. That licenses Tor sales of liq
uors as herein provided, shall be granted by
the court of quarter sessions of, the proper
county, except Philadelphia and Allegheny,
at the first or second session in each yea►r,and
shall be for one year. The said courts shall
fix, by rule or standing order, a time at
which application 'for said licenses shall be
heard, at which time all persons applying or
making objections to applications for licenses
may be heard by evidence, petition, remon
strance, or counsel : Provided, That, fur the
present year,-, licenses as aforesaid may be
granted at the third or any earlier session
of said courts.,
Section S. :I hat every person 'intending
to apply for a:licerise in any city or county
46)6 Cotunionwealth t from and after the
passage of this act, shall file with the clerk
of the court of quarter sessions of the prop:
er county, his, her, or their petition, at least
three weeks before presenting the same m
court or to the beard of licensers us the cage
may be, and shat! at thesanie time pay said
clerk 'twentv-five cents for 'publishing notice
thereof i ebnd said clerk shall cause to be pat.-
lished, three times, in two of the newspapers
of the proper city or county, a list containing
the names of all such appliwuts,their respect-
ire residences and kinds of licen-e. If not
more than one newspaper be published in
any county,th en said publication in it shall pia
sufficient, but if no newspaper be printed in
any, city or county, then the publication shall
be by printed handbills, in such manner as
the ei , urt may prescribe, and whether by
handbills or advertisement, the first publiea-
Op Anil be nt lent ten secular days before
the time fixed by the courts as aforesaid;
and in the rase of hotels, inns, or taverns,and
eating houses,. the petition shall embrace a
certificate, signed by at least twelve reputa
ble citizens of the ward o borough, Or town-
ship in which such hotel, inn, or tavern is
proposed to be kept, 4, if there be less than'
fifty taxables in any borough or township,by
six such citizens, setting firth that the same
is necessary to accommodate the public and
entertain strangers or travelars,and that such
. person is of good repute for honesty and temp
perance, and is well provided with house
room as hereinafter prescribed, and conven
iences for - the -accommodation of strangers
and travelers: Provided, where there
shall not be sufficient time between the pas
sage of this act and the next -session of the
said court thereafter, ivany county, to -file
petition . and make
. publication as aforesaid,
the said court shall order a special or ad
journed session at au early day, at which li
censes may be ., grnnted.
Sectan t, That no 'person shall be li
censed to keep a hotel, inn, or tavern in any ,
city, or county . town„ls aforesaid, which shall
not have, for the exclusive'-use of travelers,at
least four bedrooms and eight beds, nor, in
any other parts of the State, at least two bed
, rooms,nnd four beds for such use. •
ea on Irl That, before any license for
§
the sale of liquors under the provisions of
this act shall ,be granted, such person apply
ing for the same shall give a bond to the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. with:two
sufficient sureties, in the sam of one thousand
dollars where the license shall be above the
seventh class, end in five hundred dollars for
all in and below . that :class, conditioned for 1
the faithful observance of ail the laws of this 1
- CoMmonwealth relativ„47 to the business
. of 1
the principal. obligor, and a warrant of attor
ney to confess judgment; which bond and . :
warrant shall be approved by the said court
and be filed in the office of the clerk of, the
quarter sessions of the . , proper county ; and
whenever a judgment for
. any forfeiture or
fine shall have 'been .recovered, or convic
lien had for any violation of the provisions
of this act, or of any other law for the obServ
ance of which said bond shall be conditioned,
it shall be the duty of the district attorney
of the proper county to enter up judgment
and institute suit thereon, and'thereupon ,the
same proceedings shall be 'find, anewith the
like effect and with the same costs, as now
provided by law in the case of forfeited bonds
endrrecognizances in the several counties of
This Commonwealth. The bond to he given
by 'the keepers of eating houses as aforesaid
shall in all cases be in the sum of five hun
dred dollars.
Section 11. That it shall not be-lawful
fur the clerk of said court to issue any license
as aforesaid, until the applicant shall have
filed the certificate of the city or county treas
urer that the license fee has been paid:
Section 12. That the vendeis of vinous,
malt, or distilled liquors, tither, with or with
'out other goods, wares, or commodities, ex
cept as hereinafter provided, shall be classi
fied and rated as prescribed in an act to pro
vide revenue to meet the deMands on .the
treasury and for other
. purposeS,
.passed .the
fourth day of May; =Anne Domini one thous
and eight hundred and forty-one, and shall
pay double the additional rate or tax in the
tenth section of said act specified, but no such
license for sales in any amount shall be grant
ed fur a less Surathan fifty dollars.
• Secticut 13. That all hotels, inns, and -tar.
erns skill be classified. and rated according to
the estimated yearly rental of the house and
property intended to be occupied for said
purpose, as follow's, to wit ; All cases where
the valuation of the yearly rental of the said
house and property . shall he Len thousand
dollars, or more, shall constitute the first
class and pay onethousand dollars ; where
the valuation of the' yearly rental- shall be
eight thousand dollars 'and not more than
ten thousand 411ars the • second' class, and
shall pay eight4 - Jiundred dollars; where the
valuation of the rental-shall be. six- thousand
dollars.and not more than eight thousand
&Mars, the third class, and shall,pay six hun
dred dollars; where the valifittion! of -rental .
shall be four thousand doliara and not more
thin six :thousand.. fOurth
.and shall pay - far., hundred dollars; whore
the valuation of feittal squall be two. thousand
dollars anaiiot More than 'four thousand dol
lars, the fifth Cla.sB ' ,t.intl shall Oar three %bun
dred dollars; where the valuation of rental
shall be one thousand dollars and. not more
than two thousand dollars, the sixth class,and
- Page hundred:. and fifty dollars;
where the 'Valuation - shill be five hundred
dollars and not inOre than One thousand dol.
lancihe seventh elasiyanalitiall One hen..
dred dollarti; Where the 2 raluationa the rear
te i s h a g , b e three ihendred and Tint
MOM. than five hundred '.dollars,. \ the. eighth
class, and shall pay 64 - dollars ;. and where
the valuatiOn . of the; rental Shall be tuttrler
three hundred - 401ara1.: 1 . the ninth _class.' and
t
0
,~ I.
shall ply twenty-five didlors : Provided) That .
in the cities of Philadelphii find Pittsburg tte
license granted under the twelfth and thir
teenth sections of this act shall be for a less
sum than seventy-five dollars, nor in ahem.'
cities, towns, 'or-boroughs containing ova
two hundred tazables,less than fifty dolls=
Section 14. That no license shall be granf
edsfor the keeping of eating houses,
_except
where they may , be necessary for the sworn=
modation of the public and travelers, and •
'and shall only authorize the sale of dontedio
wines, , . malt, and brewed liquors; and id
persons bet licensed shall be claimified and rae
ted according to the provisions of the twee- -
second and twenty4hird sectilns of an - act to
create a sinking fund, and to provide tor - the
gradual and certain• extinguishment of the
debt of the Commonwealth, approved the
t, nth day of April, Anno Domini one thous
and eight-hundred and forty-nine, and shin
pay double the rates required to be paid by
said act : Provided, That no such license shall
be granted in the cities of Philadelphia and
Pittsburg, for a less sum than fifty Iloilo",
nor in other parts of the State for a less sumo
than twenty dollars.
Section 15. That all persons applying for
license and classified under the thirteenth seo ..
tip!) of this act, shjill be assessed and retaryfr
ed as provided , in the sixth, seventh, eighh,
and ninth sections oran act relating to intis,
taverns, and retailers of vinous and spirit- .
sous liquors, passed the eleventh day of
March, Anno Domini one thousand eight
hundred and thirty-four; and those ciassified
under the twelfth and fourteenth sectioni.of
this act, shall be assessed ana,,,retlined by
the persons and in the manner provided by
law in the several counties cif this, State for -
the apprziisenient of mercantile trues :Z/Iro-,-
vided, That in the city of Philadelphia and'
.runty. of Allegheny said assessment and _re
turns shall be made by, the^board of licensers,
as hereinafter.- - -prescribed : And, provi4ed:.
That where any applicant has not,- and can
nut, in due course of law, procure- his assess—
ment, rating, and classification before his ap
plication for license, during the present year,_
the properi court may' on 'inquiry fix the- .
amount of his license, .except in ihe city of
•PhiltidAphia and flit county of Allegheny.-
[Secti'Ons 'l6, 1'7,-18, 19, 20, and 21, re-•:.
. .
toting only . to - the city of Philadelphia and the.-
county of Allegheny, are here omitted.]
Section 22. That-every . person licenseds
i
to sell spirituous, -vinous ' matt, or breweal.•
liquoraxader this act,. sha ll frarne his license -
under a '`lass, and place the same so that it i
may atjall times be conspicuous in his chief
- .
place of making sales, and - no such license
shall authorize sales by-any person who shall]
neglect this requirethent.
Section 23. That ' the commissioners off -
the several counties, and board of licensers. -
shall. furnish a certi fi ed list of all persona so=
appraised; with the classification as made out
and - finally determined upon, to the treasur
ers of heir respective counties, Or of the : city
of Philadelphia, as the case may be,whO shall,
within twenty days thereafter, transmit to the
Auditor General a copy of such list, and shall ' _-
receive and collect the gums i_ to be
.paid . for
said licenses, in the manner directed by 1aw,..,
with, any fees payab
i le tbereen.
Section 24. That t• shall be the duty ,of
the Auditor General to charge tbe said city
or, scanty treasurers,,: , its, the case maybe,
with the amount pWable by the several per
sons in said lists, from the payment of any
part of which amount said. treasurers shall
only be exonerated by producing atisfacto-
ry evidence to the'department that the par—
ty or parties so returned failed to obtain a
license as aforesaid, . _
.Section 25. That it shall be tbs duty of.
the Auditor General to return to the legislit- -
lure, annually, in th month of January, a
statement, arranged rn a tabular form, of the
.:
number and classificitinn and lieenee rates.
of all importers, brewers, and distillers,keep,
era of hotels, - inns, or taverns, eating houses, . ..
:and - Venders of vinous, spirituous, and malt,..
or brewed liquors, either with or without:
other goods,-wares; and inerehandise r deeig- -
nating each county separately: .
Section,26. That where any license fitly
be granted, as aforesaid, under the elessifica- -
tions of the twelfth, thirteenth, and four
teenth sections of this act, it sball - not be Vain:,
terabit., nor shall it confer the right to dell
liquoriresaforesaid in any other house build-
ing or place than the.one mentionedithd dee,
seribed in the license, nor shall `thebar, or -
any apartment so called or used, - be' under- ..
let, but if the party so licensed shall die, re-,
move, or cease to keep said hotel, inn, tav
ern, eating house,-or store, the said court or-
Board of Licensers may grant a license .fOr
the remainder of the year, at any term of 3,
the court, to his or her successor,. who shall
comply with the law in other respects., ex
cept so flu* as relates to publishing of notice.
Section 27. That the number 'of licenses -
so granted to keepers of hotels; inns,' or Mt-
erns, in.the aggregate in the
citieibne to every one hundred taxables, nor
in the several counties of tho State, one to ..
every one hundred and fifty ,taxablesOthe
nutr.bey of said taxables to be taken from`As
returns of the preceding year; and it shall
be the duty of the courts of quarter sessicone
of the respective counties, (the city "of Phil*:
delphia and county of Allegheny ,excepted i
where the board of: licensers-shall perform
such duties) immediately after the passage
,of this act; to apportion the aggregate num
ber of- hotels, inns, or taverns, so to be li- -
- eensed - under the provisions herelf, 'among
1 the cities, boroughs, towns, and townships of
'their respective counties,. which apportion- ..
went shall be made with reference to the con : .
venience of the public - and the accotnatoda t.
tion of strangers, travelers, :and actiournep t
and the said court may from , timelto,tiree as
occasion: may arise alter, enlarge, and ebaegt
such -, apporttonment : Protti4ed, That the
number of licenses 4) keoliern of eating housy
e s shall not exceed, in any - city. -or county,
one-fourth of-the nuntber of licenses for hot"
tels, inns, end taverns-td -which. the said .oily
or county may be entitled. - .-
Section - ..fi That nay *le pada - of .14. -
nous, spiiituous i lmait t - or -brewed lignors h or
An y - admixtur e s thereat(*effort:l4 thA . Pro
lailoos-of_ this WWI shalt : ti e 11". to he It
. ulisderneanor, and upon: convieffon . , of the of -
firm in the Wort of qua?for:.:nessloOn •.34 . thvi -
paw!). 'of an city or county, the porborilso of,'
• fending sha ll to sentenced to:pay stile °foot
less Iliad ten nor more than one hundred del , -
lars - wity ,the costs cd - ,Piiiiec.i#lo l ltAmd to
etibmittCd until' the sOntifnoe - Of the.
Court 4s complied ' With,;: not. etPe4iiiit thirty;'
days, and upon a tho u any . .autspitnant:
conviction l - the]:. co 'Ofrallaitl liWif 4:-
11