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Article GHIVA.LET, ← Page 12 of 12
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Ghiva.Let,
great variety , such as there are surpass in richness any that I have elsewhere met with . " The olive continues to be extensively cultivated , so that Palestine may still be called " the land of olives . " Solomon gave 20 , 000 baths of oil yearly for the Tyrian hewers in Lebanon , and an equal quantity to King Hiram himself .
The whole country , at the present day , is very fertile ; the soil of the flat district along the sea-coast is composed of a rich brown mould , and , as the dimate is warm , would grow almost anything . The valleys of Galilee are small , but beautifully wooded ; Nazareth we have already described . On the north-west of the Lake
of Gennesareth is an extensive plain , forming a rich pasture-ground , which , on that account , is much frequented by the Bedouins . On the borders of Galilee and Samaria lies the great plain of Esdraelon called in scripture " the plain of Megiddo and valley of Jezreel , " which is exceedingly fertile and well adapted for corn . About four miles from Samaria is the vale of Shechem , between the mountains of
Ebal and Gerizhn , which is said to be watered by 365 springs ; and this spot is so very beautiful , that we may be allowed to quote the description given of it by a traveller , M . Van de Yelde , who approached this valley from the richer scenery of the north , and was not less struck by it than those who contrast it with the barren hills of Judaea : —" The awful gorge of the Leontes is grand and bold
beyond description ; the hills of Lebanon , over against Sidon , are magnificent and sublime ; the valley of the hills of JSTapthali is rich in wild oak forest and brushwood ; those , of Asher present a beautiful combination of wood and mountain-stream , in all the magnificence of undisturbed originality . Carmel , with its wilderness of
timbertrees and shrubs , of plants and bushes , still answers to its ancient reputation for magnificence ; but the vale of Shechem differs from them all . Here is no wilderness , yet there is always verdure , always shade , not of the oak , the terebinth , and the caroub tree , but of the olive grove—so soft in colour , so picturesque in form , that for its sake we can willingly dispense with all other wood . Here there
are no impetuous mountain torrents , yet there is water—water , too , in more copious supplies than anywhere else in the land ; and it is just to its many fountains , rills , and water-courses that this valley owes its exquisite beauty . "
The climate of Palestine is temperate , and the weather not very variable . The winter lasts from October to April ; and in summer ( May to September ) , there is a continuance of fine weather , with scarcety any rain , but very heavy dews fall in the night . With this slight notice of the Holy Land , and in connection with
the memorable names of places mentioned in various parts of our narrative , we may well- express a feeling of sorrow , that misrule should for so many centuries have impeded the natural result of industry in rendering it a happy and prosperous country .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ghiva.Let,
great variety , such as there are surpass in richness any that I have elsewhere met with . " The olive continues to be extensively cultivated , so that Palestine may still be called " the land of olives . " Solomon gave 20 , 000 baths of oil yearly for the Tyrian hewers in Lebanon , and an equal quantity to King Hiram himself .
The whole country , at the present day , is very fertile ; the soil of the flat district along the sea-coast is composed of a rich brown mould , and , as the dimate is warm , would grow almost anything . The valleys of Galilee are small , but beautifully wooded ; Nazareth we have already described . On the north-west of the Lake
of Gennesareth is an extensive plain , forming a rich pasture-ground , which , on that account , is much frequented by the Bedouins . On the borders of Galilee and Samaria lies the great plain of Esdraelon called in scripture " the plain of Megiddo and valley of Jezreel , " which is exceedingly fertile and well adapted for corn . About four miles from Samaria is the vale of Shechem , between the mountains of
Ebal and Gerizhn , which is said to be watered by 365 springs ; and this spot is so very beautiful , that we may be allowed to quote the description given of it by a traveller , M . Van de Yelde , who approached this valley from the richer scenery of the north , and was not less struck by it than those who contrast it with the barren hills of Judaea : —" The awful gorge of the Leontes is grand and bold
beyond description ; the hills of Lebanon , over against Sidon , are magnificent and sublime ; the valley of the hills of JSTapthali is rich in wild oak forest and brushwood ; those , of Asher present a beautiful combination of wood and mountain-stream , in all the magnificence of undisturbed originality . Carmel , with its wilderness of
timbertrees and shrubs , of plants and bushes , still answers to its ancient reputation for magnificence ; but the vale of Shechem differs from them all . Here is no wilderness , yet there is always verdure , always shade , not of the oak , the terebinth , and the caroub tree , but of the olive grove—so soft in colour , so picturesque in form , that for its sake we can willingly dispense with all other wood . Here there
are no impetuous mountain torrents , yet there is water—water , too , in more copious supplies than anywhere else in the land ; and it is just to its many fountains , rills , and water-courses that this valley owes its exquisite beauty . "
The climate of Palestine is temperate , and the weather not very variable . The winter lasts from October to April ; and in summer ( May to September ) , there is a continuance of fine weather , with scarcety any rain , but very heavy dews fall in the night . With this slight notice of the Holy Land , and in connection with
the memorable names of places mentioned in various parts of our narrative , we may well- express a feeling of sorrow , that misrule should for so many centuries have impeded the natural result of industry in rendering it a happy and prosperous country .