EMIGRATION TO PALESTINE.

Southland Times, Issue 670, 15 May 1867, Page 3

EMIGRATION TO PALESTINE.

(From the "Scotsman.") It is seldom that intelligence of interest is recived from Palestine now-a-days, although there Is"a"' weekly newspaper printed, at Beirqut, which devotes no little of its space to local intelligence. We have now, however, come across a piece of news from the Holy Land, which, although - not important, is not wholly devoid of interest. It relates to the extraordinary emigration which, rei versing the ordinary flow . of that tide from east to west, has come from down east in the State of Maine to down east in Palestine. A colony of 156 Yankees, who are said to be the vanguard of a mighty host who, are coming up to possess the. land, arrived some time ago at Jaffa, the seaport of Jerusalem. They brought their houses with them, which they have set up on land. procured for them, and are well supplied with money ccjllCL ajgA~lUU.il/LH.al imflomonbl <vf thfl latest Yankee fashion. They are under the guidance o^ one who styles himself President Adams, and who ' is the chief office? of the peculiar religious sect to which they belong. This, sect is called the "■■ Church of the Messiah,'* and holds, among other peculiar points of faith, that j its members are of the tribe of Ephraim, and that,, as the curse is .now 'taken offi from Palestine, the time has come, for the j lost ten tribes to return to the land of their fathers. There is a similar or iden-. ticalsect in' this country, who claim that i the entire Anglo-Saxon race are Jews of ! the ten lost tribes, if which conclusion be correct, and the return to Palestine takes place; the country will be rather densely populated. The Yankee representatives ofEphraim's seed are somewhat disappointed at the condition of their fatherland. Although they are quite sure that the curse has been taken off from it, they find that thorns and thistles grow on every hand— that the land is not flowing, with milk, and honey, inasmuch as milk is only to be purchased at two piastres per ope, and honey is hard to get at any price, and that they must live by the sweat of their brow, unless they go into the IshmaeUte business, and live on the sweat of other men's brows. Nevertheless, they have set up their tents, or rather their wooden houses, and have gone zealously to work to prepare for the reception of their brethren who are to join them from America this year. The Turkish Pacha received them with great | kindness, and gave them aIL facilities for I settling in their new homes. They are strong in office-bearers, having one president and two bishops ; and stronger still in the faith that they are the people destined to fulfil prophecy, and to restore ancient glory to Palestine. They do not care about converting the Gentiles who now surround them, and who own the Ephraimitic inheritance, but say that they will in due time: dispossess them.