Letters from Palestine: Written during a residence there in the years 1836, 7 and 8Paxton, J. D. (John D.)
Religion
Letters from Palestine: Written during a residence there in the years 1836, 7 and 8
Paxton, J. D. (John D.)
Palestine -- Description and travel
The rock on this ridge was wholly limestone. As we approached the
top of it, and near the foot of the main ridge, the rock was very
soft and much broken from the action of the air upon it. This
continued to be the character of the rock over most of the main
ridge. In some parts it was broken very fine and formed beds of
loose rock; in which our mules sunk as if it were a bed of sand.
A little up the side of the main ridge rose a beautiful spring of
clear water, which served to produce verdure over a small district
below. There were a few trees and shrubs scattered over the ridge
almost to its summit; but in these upper parts they were few and
small, and far between. I saw a few stunted cedars among them. As we
approached the top, we passed through several large banks of snow.
The face of the mountain was not generally covered with it, but it
lay in large masses or spots where, from some cause, the wind had
thrown much of it together. Streams of water flowed from them. When
on the top we had satisfactory evidence that we were on one of the
highest points of Lebanon. The ridge was narrow at this part of the
mountain; there was no snow on the very summit, nor was there much
on the north-west side--much less than on the south-east, and much
less on either than on the Sun-neen, when I was there five weeks
ago. The entire upper region was destitute of vegetation, not a
bush to be seen, and but a small sample even of the thistle, which
of all other plants appears the most tenacious of spreading itself
everywhere.
From this eminence we had a most extensive view to the west--the
long, irregular slope of the mountain to the sea--the narrow plain
along the coast--and the wide-spread Mediterranean, till where the
heavens appeared to come down and fence in the waters. But the
object which among the first was sought for, was the cedars--the
far-famed cedars of Lebanon! where could they be?
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