200
THK WKST SHORE.
July, 1675
taxed the highest excellence t plulo
logical scholarship. The city is sup
Kcd to have been once known as
Stl$$Hf anil In the days of Ahraham, to
ha e hecii the residence of Mclchicdck,
" K in of Salem." More than five
hundrtd years afterwards, when the
UnwlltCI took possession of Ihr prom
lied land, llu v found this point one of
the stronghold "f 'h'' COUHtry and in
the possession of the Jehusilcs, and it
was called by them Jtbus or yduisi.
A wry plausible theory is, that the
ntodtffl "Jerusalem" has been Com
pounded of Jehus and .S'iv;, with a
little modiflt alion, pel haps, for the sake
of CUphony, Dibit students are well
avvaie I li.it the natural situation of e-
ami from twenty-live to seventy feet
high. The circuit of the city, as de
scribed by the modem walls, would
measure nearly three miles. The
Hebron or Jaffa gate 011 the west side
is the chief entrance to the city, though
there are four lesser gates; one each
on the north and cast and two on the
south side. The houses are in some
respects peculiar. They are for the
most part built of a cream-colored lime
stone, curiously streaked with bright
red. They arc from two to three
stories high, With plain fronts, and no
windows in the lower story ; the ground
floon being divided into storerooms for
COartC article!, fuel, etc. At the present
time, Jerusalem is quite unimportant
to have contained several hundred thou,
sand inhabitants.
The last political disturbance of any
great moment occurred in 1832, the
people having, in that year, surrendered
themselves to Mehcmet Ali, Pasha of
Egypt. In 1841, the city was again re
stored to the Sultan of Turkey, and
still continues under the rule of the
Turks.
The accompanying sketch would
more appropriately have appeared with
my last letter, representing, as it does,
one of the many interesting remains of
a high antiquity. Oriknt.
The sickle that cuts down the green
things icicle.
ruaatem Anrdahei some of the finest and
moi beautiful tUuatratiooi used by the
sailed wiitns, and whelhei spoken of
literally 01 ngwMlvely, h occupies the
place oi n giand center-piece in both
the Old and New Testaments, the cyn
osure of all ages.
There are, perhaps, almut twenty
thousand people living within the walls
Of Jerusalem. Polly seven thousand of
these re Mohammedans, si thousand
Jews, live thoukand Christians, with a
sprinkling of Armenian, Swians,
I 'opts and 1'ioiestants. Tbeic is ety
little in 01 alout the city, now, that can
lie relied upon as of ancient date. The
present walU were built bj Sidy man,
the Magnificent, in 154J. They arc
probably fifteen feet thick at the base,
JBItUSH, PALESTINE.
commercially considered; although it
still tbc entrepot for caravans bc
tween Egypt, Syria and Arabia. Its
manufactures ure simple and primitive,
and, withal, of very little account abroad.
Soaps of vatlous kinds, oil of sesamum,
Uads, leather, and some kinds of pot
tery arc made to a considerable ex
tent. The Turkish government maintains
an army of about a thousand soldiers,
home and foot, armed and equipped in
the POaUMB Turkish style. When
compated with its ancient splendor,
Jerusalem of to-day it not Worthy of a
moment's consideration. During the
period intervening lctween 43 H.
and 66 A. I)., this city was in the
meridian of ,u gloiy.and la estimated
Mr. Thomas Gardiner, of the Oak
land Times is "doing" our State at
present. We have known Mr. Oardi
ncr for over fifteen years, away hack
in the time when the Sacramento
I'nion was at the zenith of its glory,
and when he was connected with that
journal. He is a thorough newspaper
writer, and will undoubtedly give a
prope r report of our growing State.
C. B. Watson, Esq., the senior ed
itor of the State Line Herald, pul
lished at Lakeyiew, Oregon, is visiting
Portland at present. The eraa
one of our most valued exchanges, and
is doing excellent work in calling the
attention of people abroad to the ad
vantages of Lake county, as a place for
settlers. As a descriptive writer, Mr.
W atson ha no equal in this State.