,,letters ,,from ,,palestine            
,,letters    ,,from    ,,palestine3     
,,written      ,,during ,a ,,residence  
,,there ,,in ,,the ,,years    #ahcf1 #g1
 ,,and #h4      ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,j4   
,d4 ,,paxton4      ,,london3            
,,charles ,,tilt1 #hf1 ,,fleet ,,street4
    ,,mdcccxxxix4            ,,london3  
,,bradbury ,,and ,,evans1 ,,printers1   
,,whitefriars4          ,,letters ,,on  
,,palestine4          ,,letter ,i4      
,beyroot1 ,june #ahth1 #ahcf4    ,after 
a stay of twenty-four hours at ,cyprus1 
rendered pleasant by  the several       
interviews which we had with the        
missionaries at that  place1 we sailed  
about three o'clock ,p4 ,m4 with a fine 
wind1 and  before night1 the isle1 and  
even the mountains of ,cyprus1 were     
sinking out of view in the north-western
 waters4 ,in the night our  winds became
 light4 ,at a little past five in the   
morning ,i went on  deck1 hoping to see 
the top of ,mount ,lebanon1 which1 from 
our run1  ,i thought must be within the 

reach of the eye2 but a dull heavy fog  
lay on our eastern horizon1 and limited 
our view4 ,just as ,i was  finishing my 
breakfast1 the captain put his head down
 the hatchway1  and let me know that the
 mountains could be seen4 ,i ran on     
deck1 and  could see the faint outline  
of the top of ,mount ,lebanon1 peering  
above a long line of fog that spread    
like a wide circle round the  horizon4  
,the upper part of the fog was breaking 
into irregular  masses and rolling off2 
at times the mountain could at some     
points  be seen very clearly2 then1     
again1 the fog or clouds would close in 
upon it1 and hide it from our view4 ,the
 highest parts of it were  partially    
covered with snow4 ,it lay1 however1 in 
parts and parcels2  and often in long   
irregular forms4 ,this was owing1 most  
probably1  to the form of the ground on 
which it lay2 being most abundant in    
hollows1 and on the north sides of      
ridges4    ,great is the power of       
association4 ,from my childhood1 ,i have

 been  taught to read the book of ,god1 
and prize its precious truths2 and ,i   
bless ,god1 and thank my dear and       
beloved parents1 more for this1 the     
religious instruction they gave me1 and 
their prayers1 than for all  other      
benefits received through them2 and they
 have not been few4  ,mount ,lebanon ,i 
found often1 very often1 referred to in 
that best of  all books2 and1 from the  
various ways in which it is introduced1 
it  associates itself in my mind with   
many parts of ,scripture history2  with 
some of its most touching incidents2    
with many of its most  precious and     
consoling truths4 ,how often in my      
boyhood1 and even in  more mature days1 
have ,i wished1 like ,moses1 that ,i    
could see that  goodly mountain and     
,lebanon6 ,now1 indeed and in truth1 ,i 
saw it  rising into view1 and hoped     
before long to land at its foot1 and in 
due time to traverse its ridges1 visit  
its cedars1 and drink of its  pure snow 
waters4 ,i was born and grew to manhood 

among mountains1  and it is natural for 
me to love mountain scenery4 ,a         
landscape is  to my eye1--,i was going  
to say1 defective1--that does not give1 
at  least1 a glimpse of a mountain4     
,i was often much struck with my        
feelings on this matter1 during  the ten
 or fifteen years ,i have spent in      
situations in which no  mountains could 
be seen4 ,when a journey of business or 
pleasure led  me to the neighbourhood of
 mountains1 they appeared to have a     
beauty  and a charm in them1 that rose  
paramount to all that the wide and      
extended plains could have4    ,but     
never did ,i feel such pulsations of    
delight from beholding a  single        
mountain as now from looking at that    
goodly mountain and  ,lebanon--that     
,lebanon so associated with patriarchs  
and prophets1  with the ,land of        
,promise1 with the ,temple of the ,lord1
 and with  those thousand things which  
give such ever newness and freshness to 
the oracles of ,god4    ,as the day     

passed away1 we drew nearer and nearer1 
but our winds  were so light1 that our  
approach was slow1 and a peculiar       
haziness  of weather much impeded our   
view of the changing aspect of the      
mountain4 ,beyroot came in view towards 
night2 but1 owing to the  lightness of  
wind1 and that against us1 we did not   
reach it until  about sunrise next      
morning4    ,beyroot lies at the south  
side of the river ,beyroot1 which runs  
in  from the mountains4 ,the coast      
recedes at this place1 and forms a      
wide1 open1 halfmoon-like kind of a bay4
 ,a small part of the town  lying near  
the water appears pretty closely built2 
but much of the  town1 or very many     
houses1 stand out over the gentle rise  
of the  hill1 with gardens connected    
with them4 ,indeed1 the whole face of   
the plain and ridge1 on which the town  
stands1 is quite covered with  trees4   
,the trees are not large1 being many of 
them mulberry1 almond1  7the pride of   
,china ,i think it is called71 a few    

olive and apricot1  c4 ,i have seen no  
place in the ,east that struck me more  
pleasantly  than ,beyroot4    ,the      
mountains behind it rise in succession4 
,they have a good many  trees on them1  
but are not entirely covered4 ,they     
appear to be  rather confined to spots  
as if planted by man1 and cultivated for
  special purposes4 ,with the help of a 
glass1 ,i can see that1 while a  small  
growth is more generally spread over the
 side of the mountain1  there are many  
places where a much larger growth may be
 seen4 ,but ,i  must omit farther notice
 of this until ,i have rambled over     
them1 and  ascertained their true       
character4    ,we learned1 on           
communicating with the shore1 that there
 had been  several cases of plague1 that
 the quarantine was strict1 and that we 
should have nearly two weeks' quarantine
 to pass1 before we would be  allowed to
 have free intercourse with the friends 
we hoped to find  there4    ,in the     
course of the day our consul came off1  

and informed us that  he had procured   
for us a house in a healthy and airy    
part of the  suburbs1 in which we must  
pass our quarantine4 ,mr4 ,b4 also1 who 
is  connected with the mission at this  
place1 came off to see us4 ,from  him we
 learned that the ,rev4 ,e4 ,b4 ,smith  
and lady had1 within four  or five days1
 left this for ,smyrna1 partly on       
account of ,mrs4 ,s4's  health1 which   
has lately failed much2 and that the    
other families  were on the mountains1  
about three or four hours' ride from    
town4          ,,letter ,,ii4           
,beyroot1 ,june #bgth1 #ahcf4    ,we had
 hoped to get out of quarantine to-day1 
or at least to-morrow1  when to our     
discomfort we heard that they had added 
four days to  our time1 owing to        
information which they had received from
 ,smyrna4  ,there is no better way to   
manage such matters than patiently to   
wait  until the time is out4 ,but as    
they give me more of quarantine1 ,i see 
not why ,i may not tell you more about  

it4    ,through the kind agency of our  
consul we were not put in the           
,lazaretto1 which is said to be a       
miserable place at best1 and  worse now 
as the plague is there2 but had a very  
comfortable house  assigned us1 to the  
west of the town1 on the side of the    
hill1  nearly a quarter of a mile from  
the walls4 ,the whole side of the  hill 
where we are is cut up in plots1 which  
form gardens planted  with trees1 and   
here and there is a dwelling-house4 ,we 
had all our  baggage landed and carried 
by the crew to our house1 except a  few 
boxes1 which being wood were not        
infectious1 and were carried  by        
porters4 ,two guardians are assigned    
us--one of them must be  always at the  
house1 to see that no person touches us1
 or any of  our articles2 the other we  
may send on errands1 such as to do our  
marketing4 ,they are not to touch us1   
nor we them4    ,they bring us what we  
want1 lay it down1 and we take it4 ,they
 bring  us water1 wood1 jugs1 pitchers1 

dishes1 provisions1 fruits3 these  are  
not infectious--but cloth1 paper1 c4    
are4 ,they bring us notes1  papers1     
books2 but we cannot send such articles 
without a special  observance4 ,for     
instance1 if we wish to send a letter to
 any one1 or  a note not as big as your 
finger1 with the name of any article on 
it  which we may need1 the guardian may 
not touch it4 ,he takes a small  box2   
you put it in2 he takes it to the       
health-office1 where it is  smoked with 
sulphur1 and then it may be received and
 read4 ,or1 you  may write on a small   
board1 or on a slate2 the guardian may  
touch  them4 ,while there is care to    
avoid touching you or anything that     
conveys infection1 there is1 in other   
respects1 a free intercourse4  ,we      
received many visits--our friends come1 
and sit down1 a few feet  from us1 and  
remain as long as they please1          
conversing with us1 and  thus helping to
 while away the time4 ,they furnish us  
with any books  that we may need1 and we

 at the end of our quarantine can       
restore  them4 ,we are allowed to walk  
as much as we please1 taking one of our 
guardians with us1 who sees that we     
touch no one or anything that  conveys  
infection2 availing ourselves of this   
privilege1 we have  rambled about a good
 deal1 and made ourselves acquainted    
with the  neighbourhood4    ,to the west
 and south-west1 at a quarter of a mile 
from the town1  commences what may be   
called the sands1 which gave me a better
  idea of the sands of the desert than  
anything ,i have before seen4  ,the     
whole surface is a bed of fine sand4 ,it
 includes the highest  part of the      
promontory1 and much1 if not all the    
south-west side of  it4 ,there is1 at   
places1 occasionally1 a weed or bush1   
but much of  the surface is very fine   
sand1 which is moved more or less by the
  wind2 and as the wind blows much from 
the south1 the sand has the  appearance 
of approaching nearer and nearer the    
town--at the place  where it stops1 and 

the gardens begin1 the sands are a good 
deal  higher than the gardens1 ten1     
fifteen1 or twenty feet2 and the bank   
advances1 owing to the sand that is     
carried forward by the wind1 and  rolls 
down towards the gardens4 ,some houses  
and fields have been  covered1 and      
others are in danger1 and must soon be  
overwhelmed with  it4    ,the side of   
the hill next the city1 and west of it1 
is all cut up  into small plots2 and    
much labour has been expended in making 
these  plots level4 ,the side of the    
hill is thus thrown into terraces  one  
above another1 but without any order or 
regularity4 ,the plots  are of various  
sizes and shapes4 ,a stone wall is built
 up at the  lower side1 and the earth   
drawn to a level4 ,on the tops of the   
wall  is often planted the ,indian fig1 
or prickly pear1 which abounds  here4   
,few of these gardens have either       
flowers or vegetables in  them--have1 in
 fact1 little else beside               
mulberry-trees1 with a few  fig1 olive1 

apricot1 pomegranate1 and other         
fruit-trees4 ,from the  appearance of   
the hill side1 ,i am disposed to think1 
that it was  once covered more with     
houses than it now is--that the         
levelling  of the ground may1 in part at
 least1 have been made to fit it for    
houses1 which have now disappeared4     
,there are some old cisterns1  pillars1 
c41 which indicate this4    ,i have met 
with several things which struck me with
 some force1 as  illustrating           
,scripture4 ,the roofs of the houses are
 flat1 and a way  is made to ascend to  
the top1 which is a most pleasant place 
for a  walk in the cool of the evening4 
,samuel called ,saul to the top of  the 
house4--#a ,sam4 ix4 #b1 #f4    ,a      
number of the houses have a kind of a   
tent on the top1 made of  reeds1 c41 in 
which they sit1 and ,i believe sleep4   
,they spread  ,absalom a tent on the top
 of the house4--#b ,sam4 xvi4 #bb4      
,there is usually a small railing1 or   
elevation1 round the edge1 to  prevent  

any from falling over2 and the law of   
,moses required them to  make a         
battlement for this purpose4--,deut4    
xxii4 #h4    ,while some have tents on  
the top of the house1 others have them  
out  under the trees2 and the fig-tree  
and the vine1 having large shady        
leaves1 are very favourable for this4   
,thus they sit under their  vine and    
fig-tree4 ,and where they do not use    
tents they are very  fond of sitting out
 under the trees4 ,they usually take out
 a straw  mat or small carpet1 which    
they spread down2 sometimes on this they
  lay their beds1 and sit on them4 ,they
 have not feather beds1 as we  have1 but
 a kind of wool mattress1 which is      
easily folded up and  removed4 ,mr4 and 
,mrs4 ----1 who are of our party1 are   
natives of  this place1 and hopefully   
pious4 ,they often take out their mat1  
and  spread it down under a tree1 and   
spend much of the day there4 ,in our    
walks we see many thus under the vines  
and fig-trees1 whiling away  their      

hours4    ,almost every night we hear   
music and dancing at no great distance  
from us4 ,the music is hardly worth the 
name--is a kind of beating1  accompanied
 with some wind instrument1 and serves  
to keep the time4  ,the dancing1 as it  
is called1 is not much more than a slow 
walking1  stooping1 changing of         
position4 ,it has none of that active   
and  fatiguing action which dancing has 
in the western world4 ,the men and      
women do not join together in it4 ,it is
 done almost wholly by men2  and often  
old men4 ,the women sit by and look on4 
,the ,sabbath night  appears more       
especially a favourite time for this    
amusement4    ,the promontory on which  
,beyroot stands is low at the south-east
  side1 where it joins the main land1   
and on that low part1 which once  may   
have been covered with water 7making the
 promontory an island71  there is much  
sand4 ,on a part of this there are many 
pines2 a few of  them are large2 and a  
large space is covered with small ones4 

,there  is some care taken of them1 and 
persons are not allowed to pillage      
them4 ,the larger ones are trimmed up   
very high1 and have a large1  flat1     
bushy top1 which gives them a rather    
singular1 but pretty  appearance4       
,the sycamore here is a different tree  
from that which bears the name  with us4
 ,the wood is valuable1 being hard and  
very durable4 ,it is a  low tree1 with a
 thick body1 many branches1 shaped a    
little like the  apple-tree1 the leaf   
large4 ,it bears a fruit which is to    
some extent  valuable4 ,one of the      
prophets said he was a gatherer of      
sycamore  fruit4 ,it would seem that    
much of it was used1 and gathering of it
  a business4    ,there are few1 if any1
 springs here1 as we should call        
them--but  wells2 at least1 in all my   
walks ,i have not seen any4 ,there is a 
low  place a little out of the city     
gate1 where there are three or four     
wells4 ,they are walled up1 with a large
 flat area over them1 in  the middle of 

which is a hole1 large enough to let    
down a bucket4  ,there is no pump1 or   
windlass1 nor even a well-sweep2 but a  
rope4  ,the vessel used almost          
constantly for bringing water1 is a     
large  jug with two handles1 and a small
 mouth4 ,it may hold from two to  four  
gallons4 ,they tie the rope to the neck 
or to the handles1 and  let it down4 ,it
 fills1 and they draw it up4 ,in passing
 these wells1  especially in the evening
 or morning1 you find a crowd of people 
drawing water4 ,some have mules and     
donkeys on which they carry  it--usually
 having four of these water-pots1 two   
swung in a wooden  frame on each side of
 the animal4 ,the others carry the jar  
on their  shoulders1 or rather on the   
back1 held over the shoulder2 but one   
hand is raised to support it4 ,you see  
no one carrying anything in  his arms1  
as is the custom with us1 but upon the  
head or shoulder  when not too large1   
otherwise upon the back--even children  
are  carried in this way--it is amusing 

to see the little things riding  upon   
their parents' shoulders4 ,there is no  
vessel attached to these  wells2 and    
thus we see the force of the saying of  
the woman1 ,thou  hast nothing to draw  
with1 and the well is deep2 and thus    
,rebecca  came out with her pitcher upon
 her shoulder4 ,a large proportion of   
those whom we saw drawing water were    
females4    ,the ,turks are usually a   
grave and silent people4 ,they talk less
  than the ,greeks1 and indeed than     
almost any other people that ,i  have   
been among4 ,it was therefore rather a  
novelty to meet with one  who was of a  
different cast of temperament4 ,both our
 guardians are  young ,turks1 ,i should 
think about twenty2 and very            
good-looking4 ,one  of them is rather of
 a grave cast2 a genuine ,turkish1 but  
withal  an unusually mild aspect4 ,the  
other is as full of life and glee  and  
innocent mischief as he can hold4 ,the  
first day or two he did  not show it    
much1 except in occasionally playing off

 a little of  his humour on his         
companion4 ,he then began upon ,angelo1 
my ,maltese  servant1 whom ,i had       
engaged at ,smyrna4 ,the ,maltese       
language is a  dialect of the ,arabic1  
and they could therefore converse with  
him4  ,our establishment having but two 
rooms1 one of which being occupied  by  
the ladies1 and the other by the        
gentlemen1 ,angelo had to take  up his  
lodgings in the porch where some of the 
baggage was placed4  ,the guardians     
slept in the yard under the tree4 ,they 
pretended  that they would do all sorts 
of bad things to him at night1 and      
excited his fears not a little4 ,on     
finding it out ,i interposed1 and       
assured them1 through an interpreter1   
that if they did not desist  from thus  
working on his fears1 ,i would report   
them to the police4  ,they assured me   
they were only in fun1 and would not    
trouble him4  ,angelo had more spunk    
than ,i expected2 he got a large knife  
to  defend himself with--we took it from

 him4 ,i told him to sleep in our       
room--he would not4 ,i told him to sleep
 close to the door1 which ,i  left open2
 no1 he would sleep at his selected     
place--and he did4    ,when we walk out1
 one of our guardians always walks with 
us1 and  generally the lively and       
talkative one chooses that office4 ,he  
amuses himself and us in various ways1  
and usually contrives to put  in a claim
 for a boksheesh 7a present7 at the     
close of the walk4  ,as he does not     
always get it1 it is amusing to observe 
in how many  ways he contrives to let us
 know that it would be very acceptable4 
,at times when he does not get it1 he   
pretends to his companion that  he has2 
and thus has sport with him1 in refusing
 to let him have any  part of it4 ,they 
are very obliging--,i have seldom seen  
more perfect  good-humour than they     
manifest4          ,,letter ,,iii4      
,beyroot1 ,july #dth1 #ahcf4    ,i think
 ,i informed you that ,beyroot is a     
walled town1 and has a  strong garrison4

 ,it is held under ,ibrahim ,pasha1 and 
for his father  or step-father ,mahommed
 ,ali of ,egypt4 ,ibrahim spends most of
 his  time north of this at ,aleppo1    
,tripoli1 ,scanderoon1 and ,tarsoos4 ,he
  is erecting a palace not far from     
,aleppo1 and may possibly purpose       
making that his home4 ,beyroot is the   
most important port on the  coast1 but  
still its trade is small4 ,the walls are
 of considerable  height1 appear strong1
 and have several strong towers         
connected with  them4 ,the number of    
troops at this place ,i have not been   
able to  ascertain with certainty2 there
 must be several thousands1 possibly    
from #cjjj to #ejjj4    ,i have been    
equally unable to ascertain the         
population of the town  and suburbs2    
nearly one-third of the population1 ,i  
should think1  live without the walls1  
in what is called the ,gardens4 ,the    
houses  without the walls are much more 
pleasant1 at least in summer1 than      
those within the town4 ,they stand      

apart2 have gardens and trees  about    
them1 are higher and much more cool4    
,the town stands in a  low spot1 is much
 crowded with houses1 has narrow filthy 
streets1  and during the hot weather the
 heat is considerable1 which causes     
sickness4 ,the gates of the town are    
guarded1 and at an early hour in  the   
night all but one are closed4 ,this one 
is kept open to a late  hour4    ,at the
 quay1 or public landing-place1 there is
 an immense number  of old1 broken      
pillars4 ,the wall fronting the bay is  
for thirty1  possibly fifty yards1      
composed almost wholly of them4 ,most of
 them  are more or less broken4 ,many of
 them have been connected1 no  doubt1   
with buildings of consequence1 as their 
high finish seems  to indicate2 a number
 of them are fine ,egyptian marble4     
,they are of  various sizes1 but most of
 them of the largest kind4 ,broken      
pieces  of pillars and other work in    
marble are to be seen in many places    
about the town1 both without and within 

the walls1 all indicating  that1 at some
 period1 this was the seat of wealth and
 taste1 of  luxury and splendour4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,brumanah1 ,mount ,lebanon1 ,july #bjth1
 #ahcf4    ,after getting out of        
quarantine1 and spending ten or twelve  
days  in ,beyroot to see the place1 ,i  
came up to this village1 where the      
mission families are spending the summer
 months4 ,it lies about three  hours'   
ride from ,beyroot1 on the top of one of
 the ridges which runs  down from the   
main ridge of the ,lebanon towards the  
sea4 ,it may be  about one-third of the 
way to the top1 and one-third of the    
height  of ,jebal ,sun-neen1 the highest
 point of ,mount ,lebanon4 ,we have from
  ,bru-ma-nah a fair view of the        
mountains1 as they rise above us1 and   
run far to the north-east and           
south-west3 a long sea coast spreads    
out before us--the town of ,beyroot--the
 shipping that lies off the  town on the
 face of the smooth waters1 all rise    

into view1 and give  a rich and         
beautiful variety to the prospect4      
,nearly one-half of the village is      
composed of ,greeks1 and the other  half
 about equally divided between the      
,druses and ,maronites4 ,they  all speak
 the ,arabic1 which is indeed the       
vernacular language of  this region4    
,the people appear friendly1 and but for
 the influence  of the priests would1 no
 doubt1 give more proof of their        
friendship4  ,the missionaries have     
opened a school among them1 which       
promises to  do good4 ,the females wear 
what is called the tantoor on their     
heads4  ,it is very like those tin horns
 which are often used by hunters to     
call their dogs2 stage-drivers at times 
use them4 ,the tantoor is a  foot long2 
the largest part is fixed to the        
forehead1 and by means  of a small piece
 of wood1 or some such thing1 which     
passes over the  head1 and is fastened  
to the hair1 the whole is made to stand 
upon  the head like a horn4 ,it usually 

leans forward1 and reminds one of  the  
figure of the unicorn4 ,the horn is of  
silver1 and has at times  various       
ornamental devices engraved on it4 ,the 
chief use of it seems  to be to sustain 
the veil1 which is universally worn by  
the women  here4 ,it is thrown over the 
horn1 and hangs down over the shoulders4
  ,when men are present1 they draw the  
veil with one hand close over  the      
mouth1 so as to cover the lower part of 
the face1 leaving but  one eye exposed4 
,while they are thus careful to cover   
the face1  they often1 ,i might say     
usually1 leave the breast most          
shamefully  exposed4 ,indeed1 they seem 
to have pride in exposing that part of  
the body4    ,sometime before ,i got out
 of quarantine1 there was a death in the
  ,emeer family of this village2 and1 as
 is the custom1 the people are  not     
allowed to wash their clothes for forty 
days--as they are not  much given to    
cleanliness at any time1 this was an    
order grievously  out of place4 ,about  

the time ,i came up the people were most
  fearfully dirty4 ,the days of         
restriction are1 however1 past1 and it  
is thought the people have been using   
water4 ,it is a rare evil for  people to
 get habituated to--a disregard of      
cleanliness--for it is  hard to correct 
the evil4    ,most1 if not all1 of the  
houses here are of one story--a few1    
indeed1 that stand on the hill-side1    
have a small room under the  elevated   
side of the main floor4 ,the floors are 
uniformly1 as far  as ,i have seen1 made
 of clay1 as also is the roof4 ,they wet
 it and  make it into a kind of mortar1 
and have a heavy stone roller with      
which to make it smooth4 ,for the roof1 
pieces of timber are laid  across1      
mostly a few strong beams1 then across  
them smaller pieces  of boards1 and flat
 stones2 and on these the earth is laid1
 in a  wet state1 and the roller made to
 pass over it1 until with that  and     
their feet they make it hard and smooth4
 ,all the roofs are  flat1 having some  

little channels to collect the water1   
and a low  place at one side to let it  
off4 ,there is a way of ascending to    
the top1 which1 in large houses1 is a   
fine place for walking and  taking the  
air4 ,these roofs do very well in dry   
weather1 but in  the rainy season the   
water1 it is said1 comes through1 and   
gives  much annoyance to the inmates4   
,the sides are usually made of stone1   
very coarsely put together2 very little 
mortar is used--often none4  ,they      
plaster the inside with clay1 such as   
they use for making the  floors2 and    
give it a slight coat of whitewash4 ,it 
is1 to be sure1  done in poor style2    
still the houses do pretty well for a   
summer  residence4 ,generally they have 
but one room1 but occasionally they     
have two or three4    ,these flat roofs 
and their earthen materials illustrate  
what was  meant by the grass upon the   
house-tops--grass does often spring up  
in the wet season1 but the heat of the  
sun withers it and it comes  to nought4 

,shall men give into your bosom8--,the  
usual dress here1 is a long  robe1 not  
much unlike a woman's gown4 ,it is      
fastened about the  waist with a girdle4
 ,this is a long1 large piece1 often as 
large1  and even much larger than a     
sheet1 but of a fine texture2 usually   
of the shawl kind4 ,they wrap this round
 them four or five times1  forming a    
band from four inches to a foot wide1 as
 the taste of each  may be1--then give  
such a fastening to the end as each may 
choose4  ,it is odd1 and to us laughable
 to see them putting them on4 ,i have   
seen them fasten the end of their long  
girdle to a door1 post1 or              
table--adjust its folds--regulate its   
width--put one end to their  body1 and  
turn round and round until they have    
wrapped it all to  their liking4 ,yea1  
,i have seen them do it on the road4 ,on
 my visit  to ,nice1 not long after ,i  
left that plain1 ,i passed a man on the 
road who from some cause wished to      
adjust his girdle4 ,possibly it  was a  

preparation before he entered that city 
of ancient name4 ,he  had stopped1 taken
 off his girdle1 adjusted its width1    
arranged  its folds1 fastened one end of
 it to a bush1 drew it out to its  full 
length1 applied the other end to his    
side1 and holding it1  turned round and 
round carefully1 attending to its width 
and the  adjustment of its folds4 ,i    
felt strongly disposed to laugh1 and    
had there been any one to join me in it1
 ,i doubt not should have  laughed      
heartily1 the danger of offending the   
gravity of the ,turk  to the contrary   
notwithstanding4 ,but there is no fun in
 laughing  alone2 and my old ,greek     
guide looked as grave as if he saw      
nothing  amusing1 in seeing a man       
winding himself in a shawl4 ,but to the 
point ,i meant to illustrate4 ,the part 
of the dress above the girdle  having an
 opening1 is used for stowing away all  
sorts of things2  handkerchiefs1 when   
they have any2 bread1 fruit1 c41 nothing
 comes  amiss2 they put it into the     

bosom4 ,as the receptacle goes all round
  the body1 it is equal to three or four
 of those large pockets our             
great-grandmothers used to wear4        
,,letter ,,iv4        ,bru-ma-nah1 ,july
 #bc;d1 #ahcf4    ,i have just returned 
from a tour of four days among the      
mountains4  ,the ladies rode on donkeys1
 which are not much larger than the     
largest kind of sheep2 they have great  
strength and a pleasant gait4  ,they are
 also sure-footed1 which in such rough  
roads is no small  recommendation4 ,i   
hired a mule1 the owner of which1 as is 
usual in  such cases1 went along to take
 care of his animal4 ,the other two     
gentlemen had their own horses4 ,it is  
not here as in ,europe1 where  you can  
find taverns and beds4 ,there are no    
such things here4 ,we1 of  course1 had  
to take all things needful for eating   
and sleeping4 ,we  carried two          
tents--one for the ladies1 the other for
 the gentlemen2  our bedding1           
provisions1 utensils for cooking1 a pot1

 a pan1 plates1  knives1 forks1 spoons1 
coffee1 tea-cups1 sugar1 salt1 towels1  
c4  ,we required1 of course1 two or     
three mules to carry these1 and a       
servant to take care of them and cook   
for us4 ,although our plan was  to take 
no more than was really necessary1 we   
made quite a cavalcade4    ,you have1 no
 doubt1 heard that coal has lately been 
found in the  mountains near ,beyroot4  
,the chief mine that is worked lies near
  a village called ,corneil1 about three
 or four hours' ride from  ,brumanah1   
and up near the main ridge of the       
mountain4 ,our first  object was to     
visit those mines which lay south-east  
of ,brumanah4 ,we  passed up the ridge  
on which ,brumanah stands1 but gradually
 wound  along its south-east side1 until
 we reached the bottom of the ravine    
which separates it from the ridge which 
lies to the south4 ,much of  the higher 
part of the ridge on which ,brumanah    
stands is of the  sandstone formation2  
it is1 however1 singularly mixed with   

patches  of limestone4 ,we found the    
ravine a most rugged and rocky one1 and 
almost wholly of limestone4 ,we saw many
 loose masses of green stone  at the    
bottom1 which must have been brought    
from some distance1 as  there was no    
appearance of that rock in sight4    ,in
 crossing the next ridge1 we passed a   
village1 in the midst of a              
well-cultivated spot4 ,there were more  
trees1 and vines1 and garden  herbs1    
than ,i had seen at any of the villages 
that ,i had passed4  ,the prince of this
 village has a pretty good-looking      
palace1 of  considerable size4 ,we      
passed close by it1 and as the people   
within  assembled to see the party of   
,franks1 it gave us an opportunity to   
see them4 ,after ascending about half   
way up this ridge1 we again  passed into
 the sandstone formation1 which occupies
 the top1 except  some small locations  
of limestone1 which appears in some     
strange  way to have got out of its     
proper place4 ,but of this hereafter4   

,we  passed over this ridge1 and at the 
foot1 near the lower part of  the       
sandstone formation1 we found the coal  
mines4 ,mr4 ,brattle1 the  ,english     
superintendant1 received us most kindly1
 and took us through  and showed us the 
mine4 ,he has made four or five         
openings1 and finds  ample stores of    
coal4 ,it is from three to four feet    
thick--dips a  little into the          
mountain--has several considerable falls
 in the  strata1 which will require more
 labour in working it4 ,there is        
another mine south of the next ridge1   
which is also now worked4 ,the  coal is 
not1 however1 as good as at the one we  
visited4 ,none of the  coal yet found is
 as good as the ,english coal1 but most 
probably a  further search may discover 
coal of a better quality4    ,it is     
about ten or fifteen years since this   
coal was first  discovered4 ,several men
 were sent to examine it1 but were not  
skilful1 and did not report favourably4 
,there was an attempt to work  it a few 

years since1 but no good resulted4 ,at  
length ,mr4 ,brattle1  who is acquainted
 with the business1 was induced to come 
out1 and  under his direction they are  
becoming more and more important4 ,he   
labours under great disadvantages1 from 
the absence of most of those  aids and  
facilities which are so needful in      
carrying on such work4  ,he has proved1 
or is proving1 however1 that they are   
valuable4  ,this coal is carried on     
mules and donkeys to ,beyroot1 over a   
most  villanous road4 ,were a good road 
made1 and proper coal wagons used1  it  
would greatly facilitate the matter4    
,but that day is not yet  come4 ,there  
is no such thing as a wheeled conveyance
 here1 at least  ,i have seen none1 nor 
the track of one of any description4    
,there is a great irregularity in the   
sandstone strata near and  above the    
coal1 it is thrown about in all sorts of
 ways4 ,but ,i  shall have occasion to  
notice this repeatedly in my tour4      
,after  spending several hours at the   

mine1 ,mr4 ,brattle took us to his      
house at ,corneil 7the old palace1 the  
best house in the village71  and        
entertained and lodged us with great    
kindness and hospitality4  ,from the    
terrace of the palace1 which looks      
towards ,beyroot1 we had  one of the    
most splendid views ,i have ever seen4  
,we saw the sun set  in the ocean behind
 ,cyprus2 could distinctly see the      
island in the  full blaze of the setting
 sun4 ,it lies so far to the west1 that 
it is only in peculiar states of the air
 it can be seen4 ,corneil  stands on a  
rocky knoll on the top of a ridge4 ,at  
this place the  limestone is thrown up1 
while both above and below on the ridge 
the sandstone prevails4 ,it is          
surrounded with vines1 mulberry1 fig    
and other kinds of trees4 ,but they stop
 here4 ,this is the highest  point on   
this part of the mountain where trees   
are seen4 ,almost  immediately after    
leaving ,corneil we saw no more trees1  
not even  bushes1 except occasionally a 

very low evergreen1 which appeared to   
be a kind of thorn4 ,it grows in        
bunches1 spreads over the ground1  but  
seldom rises above from six inches to a 
foot4 ,occasionally we  saw some heather
 and fern in wet places1 and more       
frequently furze  and thistle2 a few low
 flowers appeared1 and some other       
mountain  plants that were new to me4   
,the whole face of the mountain was     
bare rocks1 rocks1 rocks4 ,the ridge on 
which ,corneil stands leads  up to a    
very high point of the mountain called1 
if ,i recollect  right1 ,jebal ,knee-se4
 ,there are now1 it is said1 the remains
 of a  church and monastery on the top4 
,it was a place of some interest as  an 
ecclesiastical establishment4 ,it really
 must have looked like  literally       
getting up1 if not to at least towards  
heaven1 to  live upon the top of a      
mountain which is supposed to be from   
nine  to ten thousand feet above the    
level of the sea4 ,it was1 no doubt1  a 
monastic establishment4 ,why it was     

deserted ,i know not4 ,i felt a  wish to
 visit it1 but the labour would have    
been considerable1 and  as another point
 which lies several hours' ride         
north-east is still  higher1 and is the 
one that is usually ascended1 and as we 
thought  the ascent of one would be     
quite enough for our invalids1 we passed
  round the foot of the high peak of    
,jebal ,knee-se1 and made for the  top  
of the ridge1 at a low place between    
,jebal ,knee-se and ,jebal  ,sun-neen4  
,the upper part of ,jebal ,knee-se is   
regularly stratified limestone1  and    
horizontal4 ,it has many shells in it2  
we stopped and collected  some fine     
specimens of four or five different     
kinds4 ,about the  middle of the day1 we
 reached the top of the ridge of        
,lebanon1 at  the low place between the 
two points before named4 ,this place is 
above the limits of trees and           
cultivation4 ,the mountain is barren    
even of bushes4 ,there are1 however1    
some of the smaller plants which  ,i    

mentioned a few lines above4    ,we had 
from this place a fine view of the      
,bokar1 or plain of  ,celo-,syria1 which
 lies between ,lebanon and              
,anti-,lebanon4 ,it is a  long and      
narrow plain--narrow compared with its  
length4 ,it may be  from fifteen to     
twenty miles wide1 but must be several  
hundred miles  long4 ,it looked like a  
dead level4 ,we could see many villages 
in it1  and groves of trees1 and the    
green fields4 ,it was a lovely sight4   
,we pitched our tents on the top1 and   
made our dinner1 enjoying the           
delightful view which lay around us on  
all sides4 ,the cultivation on  the side
 next the plain ascended much higher up 
the mountain than  it did on the        
north-western side4 ,there were fields  
of grain but a  short distance below us1
 so near indeed that one of our         
muleteers  took down his mule1 and let  
it feed on the grain1 and even brought  
up a bundle of green wheat which he     
procured there4    ,the place on which  

we pitched our tents was the upper part 
of the  sandstone formation4 ,there was 
a good deal of sandstone1 breccia  or   
puddingstone1 but near us on all sides  
the limestone formation  was seen4      
,after the heat of the day was a little 
over1 we set out  north-east along the  
top of the ,mount for the ,sun-neen1 the
 high  point which is usually ascended1 
and on which the most snow is  found4   
,there is a little flat1 or nearly flat1
 space along the top1  on which we found
 a footpath1 much beaten4 ,all over     
these high  places the sheep and goats  
and cattle are driven for the sake of   
pasture4 ,we saw more flocks on these   
upper parts of the mountain  than we did
 on the lower parts4    ,not far from   
our encampment1 we passed a place near  
the upper part  of the sandstone        
formation1 where strata of a peculiar   
character  cropt out4 ,it split easily  
into lamina as fine as paper2 was       
peculiarly elastic4 ,you might roll it  
up in rolls1 and it would1  when let    

loose1 spring back to its former state4 
,it burnt freely4  ,you might almost    
make torches of it4 ,it was1 no doubt1  
bituminous  shale4 ,in some places it   
had more of these properties than       
others4  ,the strata was of considerable
 thickness1 as we could see on the      
sides of the hollow on which we found   
it4 ,it lay on the north-west  side1 a  
little below the top of the ridge4 ,most
 likely1 as the  strata was horizontal1 
it cropt out also on the south-east side
 next  the plain of ,celo-,syria4       
,two or three hours brought us to the   
foot of ,jebal ,sun-neen1 and up  near  
the foot of the snows4 ,here we selected
 a good spot1 and again  pitched our    
tents2 intending to employ the next day 
in our ascent  to the top and return to 
the same place4 ,we found it much colder
  than it was in the lower parts of the 
mountain4 ,we really needed  fire2 but  
it was with difficulty that wood enough 
could be procured  to make our tea1 much
 more to make a fire to warm            

half-a-dozen  people in the open air4   
,we had1 however1 expected this1 and    
brought  clothing accordingly1 so that  
we did not suffer much4    ,in the      
morning1 we began the ascent2 we rode   
nearly an hour1 and  took a donkey still
 farther for the benefit of the ladies2 
but  then left all our animals1 and     
betook ourselves in good earnest to  the
 matter of ascending the ,mount4 ,on the
 side which we ascended1  between where 
we encamped and the top1 are two or     
three offsets1  then the mountain falls 
off and leaves a kind of level4 ,these  
general levels have small ridges and    
round hills on them1 and many  deep     
valleys and sink-holes1 or holes of that
 peculiar kind which  abound in         
districts where a horizontal limestone  
stratum lies on  the surface4 ,in these 
deep sink-hole places1 and in the       
valleys1  and on the sides of the       
ridges1 the snow was accumulated in     
great  quantities1 but it did not cover 
the whole surface of the mountain1  as  

,i had supposed it might4 ,but a small  
part of the mountain had  snow on it4   
,it lay in patches1 and possibly not    
over one-twentieth  part was covered    
with it4 ,i saw no ice--all was snow4   
,from the  action of the sun and wind1  
it was just hard enough to walk on with 
safety4 ,the foot would sink in it one1 
two1 or three inches--seldom  more4 ,i  
walked on it in my shoes without        
inconvenience4    ,we were three hours  
in reaching the top--we proceeded       
slowly1 and  stopped frequently to allow
 the ladies rest4 ,we found the summit  
much like the offset1 which ,i have just
 described4 ,there was what  may be     
called a general level1 of a mile or two
 across1 with many  rises in it1 and    
full of deep holes of various shapes1   
some nearly  round1 others long and     
narrow4 ,these were full of snow4 ,it   
was  usually much melted at one side1   
and the largest masses were1 as a       
general thing1 found lying on the west  
or south-west side of the  hollow4 ,what

 appeared most singular1 was the fact1  
that for the most  part1 the outsides of
 this great cone appeared the           
highest--around  it were the highest    
knolls1 while the inner parts were      
lower1 and  its holes and sinks more    
deep4 ,the rain and snow water does not 
seem  to flow over and down the outside 
of the cone1 but sinks in it1 and  finds
 its way out as it can4    ,the whole   
upper part of the ,mount1 from where we 
pitched our tents1  which was near the  
sandstone formation1 is limestone with  
its  varieties4 ,it lies horizontally1  
and is stratified with unusual          
regularity4 ,this can be seen with great
 distinctness on the west  side of the  
,mount1 where the deep hollow1 in which 
a branch of  the river ,beyroot heads1  
terminates against the cone1 and makes a
  regular1 steep1 sloping descent of1 ,i
 should think1 from four to  six        
thousand feet4 ,near the top1 on the    
west side1 ,i saw a small  spot of fine 
white marble--much of the rock1 indeed1 

approximates to  marble4 ,high up1 at   
the north-east corner1 we found some    
limestone  breccia1 and saw1 also1 in   
various places1 much arragonite1 which  
is  a peculiar and rare variety of      
crystallised limestone4    ,but what    
gave us most interest were the shells   
which we found at  many places as we    
ascended1 and also on the top itself4   
,we found  some very fine specimens of  
them--four or more varieties4 ,i        
procured  several1 nearly as large as a 
common conch shell2 all of them were    
petrified4 ,at various places on the    
side1 and also on the summit1  we saw   
rocks that appeared little else than a  
mass of shells4 ,as  to when and how    
they got there1 ,i have at present but  
little to  say4 ,of one thing1 however1 
,i am fully satisfied1 that they do not 
contradict the ,mosaic account4 ,it is  
possible that they may1 with  other     
facts which are collecting1 prove1      
finally1 that in some  points we have   
put a wrong construction on the ,mosaic 

account4  ,thus it was when the newly   
received system of astronomy was first  
brought forward4 ,it was assailed with  
more zeal than knowledge1 by a  certain 
class of religionists1 who insisted that
 it was at variance  with the ,bible1   
which said the sun rose and set2        
whereas1 this new  system made the sun  
stand still and the earth turn          
round1--and not  only the anathemas of  
the church1 but the fire and fagot were 
called  into requisition1 to maintain   
the good old received opinion1 that  the
 earth stood still for the quiet of man1
 and the sun1 moon1 and  stars1 which   
had nothing else to do1 went round and  
round to give  him light4 ,it was1      
however1 found out at last1 that the    
truth in  astronomy was not at war with 
truth in revelation--that the earth     
might turn round1 and move at the same  
time in its orbit1 without  infringing1 
in the least1 against the truths of the 
,bible4 ,thus1 ,i  doubt not1 it will be
 found with the geological fossils1     

which are  now accumulating1 and some of
 them are truly singular4 ,they will be 
found to coincide with revelation4    ,i
 do fear1 indeed1 that some weak heads  
will be injured by these  facts1 and    
that some minds wishing to find occasion
 against  religion1 will eagerly seize  
these facts1 and take it for granted    
that they are inconsistent with the     
,bible account1 and will  throw off all 
regard for that most precious book4     
,such persons  ought to recollect that  
geology is a science that is yet in its 
infancy4 ,that on some of the most      
important questions that bear  on its   
relation to the ,mosaic account1 there  
is not only a want  of agreement among  
geologists1 but much contrariety of     
opinion4  ,farther1 this eastern world1 
where the main examination ought to  be 
made1 has been but little examined2 and 
still1 the ,bible will  admit of any    
explanation1 in agreement with these    
facts1 on the same  principles on which 
explanations in common life are daily   

received4    ,the view from the top of  
,sun-neen was most splendid4 ,we had a  
most  extensive view of the ,bokar1 as  
the ,celo-,syria plain is now called4   
,the great range of the ,anti-,lebanon  
stretched along the farther  side1      
running parallel to that of the         
,lebanon4 ,parts of the former  had snow
 on them1 and especially a high point   
that lay a good deal  to the south4 ,on 
the general range of the ,anti-,lebanon1
 there was  less snow2 and ,i should    
think it a good deal lower than the     
,lebanon4  ,it has the same naked and   
rough appearance1 and ,i am told is even
  more rough1 more destitute of forests1
 and less occupied with  villages4 ,to  
the south1 we could see as far as ,mount
 ,hermon and the  mountains about the   
sea of ,tiberias4 ,to the north1 the    
plain ran  out till it met the horizon4 
,the whole plain of ,celo-,syria        
appeared  to be a dead level4 ,the      
mountains rise from it as if they rose  
out  of a sea4 ,in this it reminded me  

of the plain of ,ephesus1 which         
stretches up almost to ,smyrna4 ,baalbec
 can be seen from ,sun-neen1  but the   
state of the air was not favourable to a
 distant view on the  plain4 ,north of  
the point of ,sun-neen1 on which we     
stood1 the main  ridge of the ,lebanon  
sinks a good deal1 as it does on the    
south4  ,beyond this low place1 at a    
considerable distance1 ,i should think  
a day's travel1 say fifteen or twenty   
miles1 it throws up another  high point1
 or mass of mountains4 ,on this last    
point1 which may be  about as high as   
the ,sun-neen1 grow the famous cedars so
 much spoken  of4 ,our plan was to have 
extended our tour so as to visit them   
and  ,baalbec1 which stands nearly      
opposite them1 on the other side of the 
plain1 but some engagements and matters 
of duty did not allow all  the company  
to proceed thus far4    ,our descent    
from the top was much more easy and     
expeditious than  our ascent1 owing in  
part to an experiment we made with      

complete  success4 ,on the south side of
 the point a hollow ran up almost to    
the top2 on the west side of this hollow
 was a large field of snow1  which      
extended from near the top to the foot  
of what ,i have called  the cone1 or    
down to the second general level4 ,we   
made a trial of  how we could descend on
 the snow1 and found that1 by keeping   
near  the edge1 and walking with care1  
sticking the heel with a little  force  
in it1 we could get along with much more
 ease and expedition  than we could over
 the rough and exceedingly rocky ground4
 ,our  descent to our horses was soon   
accomplished2 and just as the sun  went 
down under the western wave1 we arrived 
at our tents1 a little  tired it is     
true1 but greatly gratified in having   
reached the top  of that goodly mountain
 and ,lebanon1 perhaps the most         
interesting  mountain in the world4     
,while we were on the ,mount1 the day1  
as it shone on us1 was  perfectly clear2
 the general state of the air1 when we  

were shaded  with an umbrella1 or under 
the shade of a rock1 was pleasant4 ,the 
direct force of the sun was1 however1   
warm4 ,we were above the  clouds1 and   
had a most interesting view of their    
forming far1 far  below us1 and         
especially on the sea4 ,soon after      
mid-day they began  to form on the far  
distant horizon over the sea1 and       
continued to  increase until a large    
part of it was covered2 and about the   
time  we reached the foot of the cone1  
where we had left our horses1 the       
clouds exhibited a most brilliant       
spectacle4 ,a small strip of the  sea1  
near the foot of the mountain1 had no   
clouds on it4 ,it lay  smooth1 like a   
frozen lake4 ,the remainder1 in all     
directions as for  as the eye could     
reach1 was covered with immense masses  
of clouds1  which appeared to us like   
hills of cotton or wool upon the waters4
  ,it reminded me of some of those great
 plains of the valley of the            
,mississippi1 covered with its immense  

forests1 as seen from some  high point  
of the ,alleghany or ,cumberland range1 
after the fall of a  heavy snow4 ,the   
clouds appeared about as high above the 
water as the  western groves rise above 
the plain--the irregularity of hill and 
dale1 and the fleecy whiteness of the   
clouds1 as we looked upon the  upper    
part1 which was strongly illuminated by 
the sun1 corresponded  well with groves 
loaded with the new-fallen snow in all  
its virgin  purity4    ,to make the     
scene still more interesting1 a wind set
 in from the  sea1 and drove the masses 
of clouds against the mountains4 ,we saw
  the plains covered and again laid     
bare1 as masses of clouds1 like  the    
irregular columns of an army1 passed    
over it--drove against  the             
mountains--rose higher and higher up its
 sides--and at last  swept over us and  
by us in huge piles4 ,it was not one    
large dense  cloud1 but a multitude of  
clouds of various sizes1 and at         
different  heights4 ,the sun pouring its

 flood of light upon these masses1 so   
various in height and density and       
rapidity of motion1 presented the  most 
brilliant and perpetually varying       
spectacle that ,i have ever  seen4 ,we  
had all the variety of tints and        
colouring that light and  shade can     
make1 and that ever-changing aspect     
which is presented by  the kaleidoscope4
 ,there was1 however1 no rain2 for while
 we often  have clouds on these         
mountains1 there has no rain fallen     
since ,i  reached ,beyroot1 which is now
 more than six weeks4    ,we spent the  
night at the foot of the snows1 where   
the former night  was passed2 and having
 packed our minerals1 shells1 and       
flowers1  which we had collected1 set   
off for ,bru-ma-nah4 ,we took a more    
direct road than the one by which we    
came1 as we wished to see as  much of   
the mountain as possible4 ,we passed    
along a great ridge  that ran from our  
tents1 at the foot of the cone1 with    
various  irregularities1 on to          

,bru-ma-nah4 ,we found it much as the   
ridge on  which the coal-pits of        
,corneil are situate4 ,the upper part of
 it  much of the way is of the sandstone
 formation4 ,on the higher part  of this
 is a stratum of very fine puddingstone4
 ,almost everywhere1  in this sandstone 
formation1 we find petrified wood1 much 
iron ore1  iron stone1 and at many      
places slate1 and all the indications of
  coal4 ,there can be no doubt that coal
 exists extensively in this  formation2 
and1 from the tour which we made1 ,i    
should think that  from one-sixth to    
one-fourth of this ridge was of the     
sandstone  formation4 ,it lies about    
midway up the mountain2 has1 generally  
considered1 a horizontal position2 but  
is at many places most  singularly      
thrown out of its place4 ,at the heads  
of hollows1 and at  the points of       
ridges1 and often in other places1 the  
limestone seems  forced up1 but retains 
its horizontal position3 at other       
places1 the  sandstone is suddenly cut  

off1 and begins again at a great        
distance  above or below2--but my paper 
is full4          ,,letter ,v4          
,bru-ma-nah1 ,aug4 #b1 #ahcf4    ,last  
,saturday1 ,i went down to ,beyroot1    
mainly to spend the ,sabbath  with the  
small number of ,franks that usually    
meet at the ,american  consul's for     
worship4 ,i had been on the mountains   
about three  weeks1 and found the       
general temperature pleasant4 ,the      
thermometer  seldom rose to #ge ,fahr4  
,the direct action of the sun was1 it is
  true1 considerable1 but ,i seldom1    
except when travelling1 went  out during
 the greatest heat of the day4 ,i found 
the heat greater  at ,beyroot2 from five
 to eight1 and at times ten or more     
degrees4  ,still the thermometer does   
not give the whole difference4 ,there is
 a  closeness--an oppressive something  
in the air in the town that makes  it   
more trying than the same degrees of    
heat would produce on the  mountains4   
,there is also a very manifest          

difference in the heat1 and  oppressive 
character of the air1 in the town1 and  
in what is called  the ,gardens--the    
numerous dwellings that lie without the 
walls1  and are scattered for several   
miles round the city1 mentioned in a    
former letter4    ,i have repeatedly    
witnessed since ,i came to the mountains
 an  appearance in the setting sun which
 ,i never before saw1 nor have ,i  ever 
seen it noticed in books4 ,in this dry  
season of the year we  have but few     
clouds1 and the sun usually clear2 but  
in setting1 it  very often assumes      
strange and singular appearances4 ,they 
begin  about the time the lower part of 
the sun touches the line of the         
horizon4 ,the lower part1 at times1     
appears to flatten up2 the  upper1 to   
flatten down2 and at times1 the sides   
flatten in--so  that the disk of the sun
 forms nearly a square2 it seldom1      
however1  took this form4 ,more         
frequently about the time that one-half 
of  the disk is sunk below the horizon1 

a portion of the upper part  of the     
remainder appears to separate from the  
body of the sun1  and often assumes the 
form of an inverted cone1 or rather that
 of  a common washbowl1 set on the sun1 
and at times separated from  it by a    
black mark1 of1 say an inch in diameter4
 ,this crown-like  appearance1 at times1
 is distinctly visible after the disk of
 the  sun has disappeared2 at other     
times the body of the sun appeared to   
be surrounded with a groove and a band1 
giving it the appearance  of the capital
 of a pillar4 ,i have seen it again and 
again1 as it  sank under the line of the
 horizon1 flatten down1 and spread out  
horizontally1 until in truth it did not 
look wider than a large  walking staff1 
while it appeared nearly a yard in      
length--the  length of the strip of     
luminous matter appeared really longer  
than  the usual apparent width of the   
disk before it began to take the  new   
form4 ,but the most singular fact of all
 remains to be told4 ,we  have several  

times seen1 for it is the most rare     
appearance1 the  sun appear distinctly  
under the horizon1 after the luminous   
aspect  was wholly gone4 ,it appeared as
 a dark mass1 nearly of the shape of    
the sun1 but much larger4 ,it seemed    
under the water1 and gradually  to sink 
deeper and deeper4 ,this sinking of it  
below the line of  the horizon causes it
 to appear to approach nearer the       
spectator4  ,i saw it on one occasion   
most distinctly1 when the distance of   
its  upper edge appeared a full yard    
below the line of the horizon4 ,it  then
 gradually became fainter and fainter1  
until it disappeared4  ,i am not sure   
that ,i am philosopher enough to account
 for these  strange appearances4 ,they  
do not appear every night2 and seldom   
for two nights together are the forms   
the same4 ,the general cause1  ,i       
suppose1 is the peculiar state of the   
body of air through which  the rays of  
light from the setting sun reach us on  
the mountain4  ,we are in a high1 pure1 

and elastic atmosphere4 ,at the foot of 
the mountain1 and the plains on to      
,beyroot1 over which the rays  pass1 the
 earth must be greatly heated1 and sends
 up a heated and  rarefied body of      
air--then1 farther on1 is the ocean1    
which must  keep the stratum of air over
 it cooler4 ,to this ,i may add1 that we
  see the sun set over ,cyprus4 ,this   
island lies at the very edge of  our    
horizon1 as seen from ,bru-ma-nah2 so   
distant that it is only  at times that  
we can distinctly see it4 ,now ,cyprus  
is an island of  considerable size1 and 
not having much growth is greatly heated
 by  the action of the sun4 ,this may1  
by the rarefied volume of air which  it 
presents to the rays of the sun1 tend   
still farther to vary their  course4    
,thus passing two or three warm and     
rare1 and as many cold  and dense       
strata1 may be the cause of all the     
variety of phenomena  above described4  
,i leave it however for others to solve 
the problem4    ,it will soon be two    

months since ,i reached ,beyroot1 and   
few things  have struck me more than the
 uniformity of the weather4 ,there has  
not been a drop of rain4 ,there has been
 scarcely any weather that  we should   
call cloudy4 ,true1 some clouds do at   
times collect over  the sea1 and at     
times they rest on the mountain1 but    
they are clouds  without rain4 ,they    
very seldom spread over the face of the 
heavens1  so as to withhold the light of
 the sun2 they are mostly confined to   
one part1 and leave the remainder in its
 usual clearness4 ,i have1  again and   
again1 been reminded of the fact1 that  
one day is almost  precisely like all   
the others4 ,we have no opportunity to  
say this  is a fine day1--all are fine4 
,we may suppose that when there is for  
so long a period no rain1  and when the 
sun1 almost without exception1 pours on 
the earth its  full blaze of light and  
heat1 the air would become very dry4 ,it
 is  so2 but not to an unpleasant       
degree--at least ,i am not sensible  of 

any unpleasant effects from it4 ,plants 
and vegetation do1 it is  true1 feel    
it--they wither and droop2 and those who
 wish to preserve  them in their        
freshness and beauty1 must resort to the
 means of  watering them4 ,but1 as      
regards comfortable feeling from the    
air1 ,i  have found few places that were
 to be preferred to ,mount ,lebanon4    
,the clearness of the air is a most     
striking characteristic of these        
regions4 ,it is most striking1 and is   
manifested in many things4 ,it  is seen 
in looking at the starry heavens4 ,the  
stars are numerous1  and the face of the
 heavens has a clearness in it1 that    
makes the  impression on the mind that  
we can see further into the deep and    
pathless abyss by which our little earth
 is surrounded than we can  in other    
countries4 ,it agrees in this with the  
,italian sky1 but  is1 ,i think1 still  
more clear4 ,this clearness of the air  
is also  manifest in looking at distant 
objects4 ,they appear much nearer  than 

they really are4 ,i am almost           
perpetually struck with this in  looking
 from ,bru-ma-nah down to ,beyroot1 and 
the long line of coast  which lies to   
the north and south4 ,when ,i stand on  
some one of  the points of the ridge    
that runs out towards ,beyroot1 as ,i   
often  do1 especially in my evening     
walks1 the town appears so near1 and    
the bay at such a short distance below  
me1 that ,i can hardly get  clear of the
 impression that ,i could throw a       
finger-stone into the  bay4 ,the ascent 
and descent1 three or four times        
repeated1 has1  however1 given the      
matter-of-fact proof that it takes      
nearly four  hours of hard travel to    
pass the space that lies between        
,bru-ma-nah  and ,beyroot4 ,the air1 it 
is true1 is not always equally pure and 
transparent2 a dulness and obscurity1   
like that which is often  observable in 
other countries1 at times exist here4   
,the air here  is1 ,i think1 at least in
 the dry season1 less liable to it2 how 

the rainy seasons may affect the air in 
all these respects1 ,i am  not as yet   
prepared to say2 as ,i have had no      
opportunity of making  observations4    
,but little dew falls at this place2 and
 from all that ,i saw in  ,beyroot1     
there is but little there1 at least in  
the dry season2 ,i  have not noticed it 
in the form of drops on the leaves1     
indeed ,i  have at this place hardly    
observed it in the form of dampness2 a  
slight degree of this is observable in  
the evening after sunset4  ,this is our 
usual hour for walking1 and ,i have     
observed that our  clothes were a little
 damp on our return4 ,i was struck1     
however1  with the fact1 that the nights
 we were encamped at the foot of the    
cone of ,jebal ,sun-neen1 there was an  
abundance of dew4 ,our tents  were wet2 
and the grass and vegetation1 and even  
dust of the roads1  bore witness to it4 
,how it happened that there was so much 
of it  up there1 and so little of it    
down here1 ,i leave for the wise to     

decide2 possibly the cause may be in the
 neighbourhood of the  fact1 that the   
heat here and at ,beyroot is remarkably 
uniform4 ,it  varies but few degrees in 
the twenty-four hours2 at our place of  
encampment1 referred to1 the variation  
was much greater2 we had  great heat by 
day and almost frost at night4    ,the  
more usual and valuable produce of the  
mountains is the silk4  ,much of their  
best ground is planted with the         
mulberry-tree1 the  leaf of which is    
used for feeding the worms4 ,not much of
 the silk  is manufactured here2 most of
 it is exported to ,italy1 ,france1 and 
,england4    ,the principal grain grown 
here is the barley1 and a kind of       
bearded  wheat that looks much like it4 
,i have not1 however1 travelled enough  
to make observation to much extent4     
,they raise some tobacco--almost  every 
one here1 as you no doubt have heard1   
smokes--the pipe is  everywhere one of  
the most common things seen2 they have  
long  handles1 usually made of the      

cherry-tree2 the finer kind are nearly  
as long as the owner is high1 and are   
tipped with a mouth-piece of  amber4    
,they often use a kind of pipe called   
the nargely1 in which  the smoke is     
drawn through water4 ,much of their time
 is spent in  smoking and taking coffee4
    ,i am told that in the plains of the
 ,bokar' or ,celo-,syria1 a good  deal  
of ,indian corn is grown4 ,i have not   
seen any of it on the  mountains1 nor   
did ,i notice it on the plains of       
,beyroot as ,i passed  and repassed4    
,the mountains do not raise bread-stuff 
sufficient for  its own consumption2    
grain is brought from the plains4 ,they 
appear  to me1 indeed1 to live on very  
little up here2 and ,i have often1      
while looking on their simple fare1     
thought of the poet's lines3        ,man
 wants but little here below1      ,nor 
wants that little long4    ,still a     
people may have too few wants1 they may 
be too indifferent  as to comforts and  
conveniences2 and the absence of these  

excitements may lead to idleness and    
almost complete indifference  towards   
all things4 ,if it be not good for man  
to be alone1 it is  still worse for him 
to be idle2 and he who in great kindness
 to man  gave him the woman to be with  
him1 in the same spirit of love gave    
him employment--to dress the garden and 
keep it4 ,the devil1 it is  said1 finds 
employment for idle people2 and1 even if
 that were not  his peculiar business1  
the idleness of many must1 ,i should    
think1  put a sore temptation in the    
devil's way1 to give them something to  
do4 ,i have often heard the devil       
charged with tempting people1 but ,i  am
 inclined to think1 that the temptation 
is not all on one side2 ,i  suspect that
 people often tempt the devil4 ,had our 
first mother ,eve  been attending to her
 domestic matters as she ought2 or1 in  
company  with her goodman1 been helping 
to take care of the garden1 she  would  
probably have escaped the evil into     
which she fell4    ,but to return from  

this digression4 ,the people of these   
mountains  are greatly given to         
idleness2 it may result1 in part1 from  
the  kind of culture they pursue4 ,the  
silkworm can employ but little of  their
 time1 and much of the remainder is     
unemployed4 ,it would be  better for    
them were they employed more constantly4
 ,the pasha1 it  is true1 gives many of 
them employment in connexion with       
working  the coal-mines1 and taking coal
 to ,beyroot2 and1 while there may be   
hardship in the manner in which he      
presses them1 with their mules  and     
donkeys1 into the service1 ,i am not    
sure that in a more enlarged  view of   
things it may not be to their advantage2
 were companies of  the idlers kept at  
work constantly in making roads on the  
mountains1  and keeping those made in   
good repair1 the benefit to the whole   
region would be great indeed4 ,but all  
improvements travel very  slowly in     
these ends of the earth4    ,i have long
 since read of the big-tailed sheep1 but

 do not recollect  seeing any until ,i  
reached this place4 ,the sheep is about 
the usual  size4 ,on the rump and around
 the root of the tail1 there is a large 
mass of soft loose flesh or fat1 which  
appears to be but loosely  connected    
with the body1 except as kept in        
connexion with it by the  skin4 ,it     
hangs loose1 and shakes about like the  
udder of a good  milch cow1 and         
altogether has a very singular          
appearance4 ,i have  not often1 if at   
all1 seen flocks of sheep on these      
mountains4 ,the  goats are often seen in
 flocks with their keeper1 but the sheep
 are  usually seen singly1 or but two or
 three together1 having a string  about 
their necks1 by which they are fastened 
when at the house1 and  led and managed 
when out at pasture4 ,we may see them   
led about in  the gardens and vineyards1
 and out on the mountain side1 where a  
tuft of grass is to be found2 a boy or  
girl is usually in attendance  upon each
 sheep4 ,in the evening1 ,i have often  

seen them bringing  the sheep to the    
springs and pools of water1 and pour the
 water  plentifully over them1 ,i       
suppose to cool them4 ,the sheep appear 
to  take it very kindly1 seemingly      
accustomed to it4    ,the goats are much
 used for their milk4 ,the cow is indeed
 used1 and  possibly its milk is        
considered the best1 but the goat1 as   
the more  thrifty animal1 is most easily
 kept1 and suits the spare vegetation   
which is found on the mountains4 ,they  
are seen in considerable  numbers1 and  
some of them have uncommonly long ears1 
which are of a  speckled whitish colour1
 and hang down from eight to twelve     
inches4    ,the camel is much used here 
as a beast of burden4 ,it is a tall1    
raw-boned1 long-legged1 and long-necked 
animal1 but of a patient1  quiet spirit4
 ,it shares with the donkey and mule the
 hard service  which the people of these
 lands exact of their cattle4 ,i have   
been  surprised to see what masses of   
timber they carry down from these       

mountains on the backs of camels--beams 
for houses1 shipping1 and  all sorts of 
things4 ,i have seen a beam from fifteen
 to twenty feet  long1 and from eight to
 ten1 twelve1 or fourteen inches in     
diameter1  laid on the back of a camel1 
one end projecting forward before the   
head of the animal1 and the other       
reaching far behind1 and somehow        
fastened with ropes to the huge         
pack-saddle which he carries4 ,thus     
loaded he is made to pass over roads1   
which require some fortitude  for a man 
to ride1 and pass up and down descents  
that are most  fearful for such loads3  
one driver attends each1 who may at the 
more  dangerous passes take hold of the 
beam and aid in keeping it steady4  ,the
 poor animal usually reaches his place  
of destination in safety  with his      
lumber--,i say usually1 for at times1   
over-loaded or worn  down with the      
length of the way1 or missing his step1 
he falls1 and  is crushed to death by   
the merciless load upon his back4       

,who has not heard of the scorpion8 and 
yet who has seen one8 ,it was  not until
 after ,i reached ,beyroot that ,i saw  
one1 and that occurred  in a way that   
took me a good deal by surprise4 ,one   
evening during  our quarantine1 the     
scorpion happening to be mentioned as a 
reptile  that abounded1 ,i expressed a  
wish to see one4 ,this was reported to  
our guardians4 ,the next morning1 soon  
after ,i was out of bed1 ,i was  called 
to the porch1 and to my no small        
surprise1 mixed with some  apprehension 
of danger1 ,i saw one of the guardians  
having a handful  of them1--literally a 
handful of scorpions4 ,he may have had  
from six  to ten of them4 ,they were all
 small4 ,they are a short reptile--these
  were about the size of a common       
locust2 the body short and flat1  with a
 tail rather longer than the body4 ,the 
sting is in the tip of  the tail4 ,they 
strike forward with the tail4 ,they     
appear rather a  slow1 dull animal1 and 
do not appear eager to strike or do     

mischief4  ,when held in the hand1 they 
cannot strike1 and the pressure of the  
hand appears to produce a dull1 heavy   
disposition4 ,the guardian  handled them
 as he pleased--he took hold of the     
lower part of the  tail1 with a quick   
motion1 and then held them close in his 
hand1  piled one on the other4 ,they    
have a way of taking them1 ,i am told1  
by putting a stick to them that is      
covered with bees-wax4 ,the  scorpion   
strikes his tail in it1 it sticks fast1 
and he is taken4  ,their sting produces 
pain1 it is said1 but is not often1 if  
ever1  fatal4 ,it is but seldom that    
persons are stung by them4    ,and who  
has not heard of the chameleon1 that    
wonderful animal that  one traveller    
declared was blue1 and another that it  
was black1 and  its owner asserted that 
it was green1 but which1 when produced1 
was  of a different colour from any of  
those mentioned6 ,the chameleon is  not 
the only thing which has been made more 
marvellous by report  than nature made  

it4 ,it is a lizard1 of a size rather   
larger than  those little four-legged1  
long-tailed animals1 that in the spring 
and summer are seen about old fences and
 trees1 nearly the colour  of the       
moccason snake4 ,the chameleon is1 in   
its usual colour1 not  unlike the       
above-mentioned lizard1 rather          
lighter--more like the  rattlesnake as  
to colour4 ,it is a perfectly harmless  
reptile1 may  be handled at pleasure4   
,it is rather slow in its motions1 and  
when  you touch it1 it will swell and   
blow at a great rate1 but does  nothing 
else4 ,as its passions are excited by   
handling1 its colour  is in a slight    
degree changeable1 and it may be still  
more so when  seen in different kinds of
 light4 ,the change1 however1 has been  
much magnified2 and were it not that as 
changeable as a chameleon  has become a 
proverb1 and every one expects          
something1 hundreds of  people might see
 and handle it1 and not observe any     
change in its  colour4 ,they are often  

found about houses1 and are said to be  
fond  of flies--what their art of       
catching them may be1 ,i know not2 their
  motions appear too slow to make a     
living in that way4    ,i had heard1    
long before coming to ,asia1 fearful    
accounts of the  annoyance ,i must      
expect from fleas1 bed-bugs1 and other  
similar  sorts of gentry2 ,i have as yet
 only come in contact with the fleas1   
and an occasional musquito4 ,but really 
the number and pertinacity  of the fleas
 will well make amends for the absence  
of the other  tribes of annoying        
insects4 ,i know not to what it may be  
owing1  but the flea does seem to       
multiply in a way that is astonishing4  
,they abound almost everywhere1 and it  
appears to be a matter of  impossibility
 to get wholly out of their reach4 ,the 
evil may be  increased by the earthen   
floor1 and the peculiar character of    
their  houses1 and1 above all1 the      
unclean habits of the people2 and as    
all the ,frank families have native     

servants1 and are visited a good  deal  
by the natives1 it is not easy for those
 families to keep  their houses free    
from the annoyance4 ,i have heard1      
indeed1 a very  significant saying1 that
 the king of the fleas resides at       
,beyroot1  and his pasha at ,jaffa4 ,i  
suppose it signifies those are the      
favourite places with these light-footed
 gentry4    ,the fruit season is now    
coming on1 and we have some fine        
varieties  of fruit brought to market4  
,the district of country a little on    
this side of ,jaffa1 is the place most  
famed for the water-melon4  ,there are  
but few grown on these parts of the     
mountain4 ,i have seen  but few vines1  
and these bore a small and inferior     
kind4 ,but the  quantities that come    
from the vicinity of ,jaffa are very    
great2  vessels arrive at ,beyroot      
almost daily with them4 ,they are sold  
for  a mere trifle4 ,they are carried   
all through these mountains1 and are  a 
very fine fruit of the kind4    ,i have 

never seen the plum any where to be     
compared with those here4  ,they grow1  
however1 near ,damascus4 ,that place is 
famed for fruit of  various kinds1 and  
great quantities of it are brought to   
,beyroot1  and other towns on the coast4
 ,at this time of the year1 when the    
fruit is ripe1 it is a considerable     
business to carry fruit and  supply the 
market4 ,the plum to which ,i refer is  
nearly as large as a  hen's egg1 and has
 a fine rich pulp4 ,it is of a deep red 
colour1 and  does credit to the land    
where it grows4    ,the apricot abounds 
at ,damascus2 and they are brought in   
large  parcels for the supply of this   
market4 ,it is a fine fruit4 ,i have    
not seen many growing on this part of   
the mountain1 nor have ,i seen  the     
apple or the peach growing in very large
 quantities4 ,the best  used here are   
brought from ,damascus4 ,i have not seen
 any apples to  be compared with our    
best2 the apple season1 however1 is not 
yet  come4    ,the grape grows well1 and

 there are some fine vineyards4 ,the    
grape  that abounds most1 as far as ,i  
have observed1 is a large white  grape4 
,the single grape is often nearly as    
large as a partridge's  egg4 ,the       
branches contain a noble collection of  
these grapes1 and  more than once the   
large size of the bunch has made me     
think of the  cluster which the spies   
took from ,eshcol1 as a sample of the   
fruit  of the land4 ,some wine is made  
on these mountains1 and of a very  good 
kind1 as is said1 for ,i have not so far
 forgotten my temperance  habits as to  
use1 unless very occasionally1 and under
 peculiar  circumstances1 the wines of  
any of the countries through which  ,i  
pass4 ,the wines1 ,i am told1 are       
peculiarly free from alcohol1  and have1
 if any1 but a very small portion of the
 intoxicating  principle4 ,they are not 
so strong as the well-made cider of the 
middle ,states4    ,these mountaineers  
have a peculiar way of baking bread4    
,they dig  a hole in the ground1 about  

the size of a large bottle--put a  thick
 coat of plaster around the side and on 
the bottom1 and then  let it dry4 ,it is
 very much in the shape of a large pot1 
a little  bulging in the middle4 ,a fire
 is made in the bottom of it1 of small  
branches1 and kept up until the sides   
are well heated2 the flames  are then   
suffered to go down1 leaving the mass of
 coals in the  bottom4 ,they have the   
dough ready1 and take a piece of it1    
about as  large as a biscuit1 and laying
 it on a board1 press it out as large   
as a common-sized plate1 and nearly as  
thin as the blade of a thick  knife4    
,they place it on a round pillow or     
cushion1 7it is so thin  it cannot be   
handled otherwise17 and strike it       
against the inside of  this potlike     
place4 ,it sticks1 and in about one     
minute is baked4 ,it  is then taken off1
 and another put on4 ,there are1        
usually1 several  women engaged at it at
 the same time1 and they put them on    
with  great quickness4 ,you may see     

three or four of these wafer-like cakes 
sticking round the tan-moor1 as it is   
called1 at the same time1 and  changed  
for others every minute4 ,they soon bake
 bread for a meal4          ,,letter    
,,vi4        ,beyroot1 ,august #bfth1   
#ahcf4    ,i have just returned from a  
tour to ,damascus1 ,baalbec1 and the    
far-famed ,cedars of ,lebanon1 and will 
attempt a brief account of  these       
places1 and my adventures by the way4   
,i had the company of ,mr4 ,b----1      
,angelo to cook for us1 and a  muleteer1
 who took care of our mules1 and who    
ought to have been our  guide1 but who1 
on trial1 was found not to know the way 
himself--a  state of things not uncommon
 in this country--and did it not  extend
 to higher matters than to find the road
 from one place to  another1 it would   
not be so bad2 but from all ,i see and  
hear1 it is  most dolefully the case in 
the great matter of finding the way to  
everlasting life4 ,guides there are many
 in religion1 but few1 if  any1         

understand the way of salvation through 
our ,lord and ,saviour  ,jesus ,christ4 
,it is1 indeed1 astonishing how far the 
great mass of  those who in these       
regions call themselves ,christians1    
have sunk  in darkness and ignorance    
respecting the most plain and leading   
principles of the word of ,god4 ,the    
priests are blind leaders of the  blind4
    ,as we set out for ,damascus1 from  
,bru-ma-nah on the mountain1 we  did not
 follow the usual road to ,damascus from
 ,beyroot1 but took  a more direct      
route4 ,we made for the lower part of   
,mount ,lebanon1  between the ,sun-neen 
and ,jebal ,knee-se4 ,i had before      
passed over  part of this1 on my tour to
 the ,sun-neen1 some account of which ,i
  have already given you4 ,part of our  
way1 however1 before reaching  the top1 
was new1 but did not differ much from   
what ,i had before  seen4 ,we passed a  
considerable village1 where the ,jesuits
 are said  to have a school4 ,it is in a
 lovely1 romantic spot1 and near a most 

tremendous precipice4    ,the descent   
from the top to the plain is much       
greater than ,i  supposed1 when on the  
top4 ,it took us above two hours to     
reach  ,zahle1 which stands on the lower
 part of the mountain1 and at some      
distance above the level of the plain4  
,the side of the ,lebanon  next the     
plain is not quite as rough and rocky as
 the other2 in  other respects it does  
not essentially differ4 ,the cultivation
 may  possibly extend farther up--the   
rock more disintegrated1 and the  strata
 not as distinctly marked1--the general 
course of the ridge  was more regular   
and uniform4 ,the road1 as we approached
 ,zahle1 was  better than any ,i have   
seen on the mountains--it passed through
 a  considerable extent of vineyards1   
and labour had been expended upon       
it--it was very passable1 a rare thing  
in these parts4    ,a little above      
,zahle1 and in and near it1 a number of 
fine springs  arose1 and their effect on
 the vegetation was most striking2 while

  the whole face of the mountain        
presented a most dry and parched        
aspect1 with only here and there a bush 
to be seen1 the heads of the  little    
hollows about ,zahle--a small district  
near the town1 and a  narrow slip along 
the waters1 widening as it approached   
the plain1  were rich in verdure1 and   
abounded with the ,lombardy poplar1 the 
willow1 the white walnut1 and a variety 
of fruit-trees4 ,you could  trace most  
clearly where there was water by the    
vegetation which  there covered the     
ground4 ,yea1 you could point out most  
distinctly  where the water was carried 
along the hill sides1 in trenches1 by   
the verdure which covered the whole     
district below1 while all above  was    
almost destitute of vegetation4 ,the    
rising of water above and  near the     
town1 being very considerable1 and being
 carried along the  hill sides1 and     
extensively used in irrigation1 a larger
 district  about this town was covered  
with trees1 and bore more marks of      

productiveness than any ,i have seen in 
these quarters4 ,a little  below the    
town were some mills on this            
water-course1 and many lovely  gardens  
lay on all sides4 ,the town ,zahle      
contains from eight hundred  to one     
thousand houses4 ,they are crowded      
together1 with narrow1  crooked streets2
 and1 like all other towns in this land1
 it has  no claim to cleanliness4       
,judging from what ,i saw1 the houses   
are  universally built of unburned      
brick1 made with a good deal of short   
straw mixed with them1 no doubt to      
prevent them from breaking to  pieces4  
,the houses are of one story1 have flat 
roofs1 where people  are often seen     
walking or lounging1 and on which       
various things are  deposited4    ,it   
being about sundown when we entered the 
town1 we made some  inquiries for       
lodging4 ,there are usually in the      
towns1 and  occasionally on the roads1  
houses built for the accommodation  of  
travellers1 called khans4 ,they have    

rooms1 but are entirely  unfurnished1   
and the traveller is expected to provide
 for himself4  ,they are beginning to   
keep1 at some of them1 the more         
necessary  articles of food for man and 
beast1 which the traveller may obtain   
at a reasonable price4 ,having1 in some 
of my former tours1 been  greatly       
annoyed with fleas1 and knowing these   
khans are the  very head-quarters of    
such gentry1 we were rather on the      
watch1  and made inquiry before         
alighting1 whether they had any fleas in
  their establishment8 ,they assured us 
that they had a plenty6  plenty6 ,we    
declined stopping1 and passed on amidst 
the laugh  of the bystanders4 ,it began1
 however1 to grow dark about the time   
we got out of the town1 and after       
passing down the stream1 among  the     
gardens1 for some time1 and not finding 
a place that offered a  good encampment1
 we were constrained to put up at a     
house on the  road side1 and sleep in a 
kind of open court4 ,we found1 to our   

discomfort1 that we had not much mended 
the matter4 ,we were most  grievously   
beset with fleas1 which were as greedy  
as if it was the  first ,frank blood    
they had tasted1 and feared it might be 
the last4    ,we found in the morning   
that we were in the immediate           
neighbourhood  of a considerable body of
 the pasha's troops4 ,their             
parade-ground  was over against us2     
arranged along one side ,i counted      
thirty-six  cannon drawn up1 and as we  
passed1 we saw a considerable number of 
artillery-men1 five or six in a company1
 manoeuvring1 each under the  direction 
of an individual4 ,several of these     
groups had a little  carriage1 not more 
than a foot long1 a perfect toy1 with a 
string  to it1 and were drawing it about
 and manoeuvring it in place of the     
cannon4 ,it was laughable to see five or
 eight great awkward fellows  pulling   
about a little toy1 like a waggon1 which
 a baby could have  thrown about at     
pleasure4 ,this is the ,egyptian version

 of ,european  tactics4    ,there was   
near this place1 which was on the edge  
of the plain1 a  most noble             
threshing-floor4 ,it was a large space  
of several acres1  and there may have   
been from a dozen to twenty floors1     
without  any partition between them4 ,on
 some of them people were employed  in  
threshing grain1 others separating the  
straw and chaff from the  wheat2 on     
others lay great piles of grain1 some   
clean1 and others  mixed with the chaff 
and straw4 ,they separate the wheat by  
throwing  it up and letting the wind    
blow the chaff away4 ,of course they    
must  wait for a wind4 ,i saw no        
instrument to make wind4 ,the threshing 
instrument is a board1 about three feet 
in width1 and six or eight  feet in     
length2 at the fore end it is turned up1
 a little like a  sleigh4 ,the board is 
about three inches in thickness4 ,on the
 under  side many holes are cut in it1  
from an inch and a half to two  inches1 
and in these are fastened pieces of     

stone1 flint1 or iron2  these project   
nearly an inch from the face of the     
board and serve as  teeth1 to tear the  
heads of the grain in pieces4 ,oxen are 
fastened  to the front of these boards1 
and driven round the floor1 drawing     
this instrument after them4 ,the driver 
of the oxen usually sits or  stands on  
the instrument4 ,this is the common     
threshing-machine in  these countries4  
,i see it everywhere--and ,i have seen  
no other4 ,it  would seem that it is the
 same instrument that was used in the   
days  of the prophet1 who speaks of a   
new threshing instrument having  teeth4 
,the oxen are usually without muzzles1  
and often1 as they  pass round1 take up 
a few straws and feed on them4 ,thou    
shalt not  muzzle the ox that treadeth  
out the corn4 ,i do not recollect of    
ever seeing the horse used on the       
floor--the oxen very often4    ,as we   
passed the threshing floor1 in and      
around which were many  cattle1 ,i could
 not but notice a fact of which ,i had  

often heard and  read1 but had not      
before seen--the collecting the manure  
that fell  from the cattle and preparing
 it for fuel4 ,a female was employed in 
collecting it with her hands1 working it
 into balls1 and sticking  it in flat   
cakes against the walls of the houses to
 dry--when dry1  it was collected in    
piles and laid on the house-tops1 or    
made in  little stacks in the yard4     
,when well dried it burns very well1 and
  will make a fire sufficient to boil   
coffee4 ,on some occasions1  during our 
tour1 we were glad to get it1 and found 
it did very well4  ,this throws light on
 a passage in ,jeremiah1 where he is    
directed  to prepare his food with fire 
made of human excrement--the prophet    
entreated1 and was allowed to take cows'
 dung4 ,this is a common kind  of fuel  
in many parts of this country4 ,the     
prophet was only directed  to do as his 
people generally did4    ,our course    
took us directly across the celebrated  
plain of  ,celo-,syria4 ,it is nearly a 

dead level--we were about two hours and 
a  half in crossing it1 which1 at three 
miles an hour1 the usual rate  of       
travelling on mules1 will make it about 
eight miles wide4 ,this  is less than ,i
 stated in a former letter4 ,i mentioned
 then what a  gentleman who had crossed 
it gave as its supposed width4 ,i now   
give  what ,i found it to be4 ,it may1  
however1 vary in width at different     
places1 and no doubt does4 ,there are   
very few trees on the plain4  ,near the 
villages1 and there are usually several 
in sight1 some  trees may be seen1 and  
at a few of the villages are            
considerable  groves of them4 ,as       
regards the great body of the plain1 not
 a tree  or a bush is to be seen--not a 
fence--not a hedge--not a house1  except
 at the few villages4    ,on the plain1 
where we crossed1 there was a little    
water4 ,the stream  which flowed in from
 ,zahle is parted and carried into the  
plain1  and used in irrigation2 and it  
would seem nearly if not wholly         

exhausted in this way4 ,near the farther
 side of the plain1 we  passed several  
channels that contained water1 but the  
amount was  not great4 ,the water had   
but a slow1 dull current1 and the ground
  being soft1 we had a little difficulty
 in crossing1 as we feared  swamping4   
,there appears to be a stream of water  
entering the plain  from the            
,anti-,lebanon1 a few miles north-east  
of ,zahle2 for on that  side of the     
plain we found most water2 and when we  
entered the plain  on our return from   
,damascus1 which was half a day's       
journey to the  north-east1 we saw      
scarcely any water1 except this stream  
passing  in--south-west4 ,the channel   
shows that more water flows in at times1
  but it is never more than a small     
stream--never deserves the name of  a   
river4    ,much of the plain appeared to
 have been cultivated with small grain4 
,it was now gathered about the          
threshing-floors1 several of which  were
 seen in different directions4 ,i saw   

also several lots of ,indian  corn1 and 
a field that looked almost precisely    
like what with us is  called broom-corn4
 ,it is1 ,i believe1 the millet1 here   
called durah4  ,the corn was a most     
diminutive kind1 and the same is the    
case with  all the corn ,i have seen in 
the ,east4 ,it was beginning to tassel  
and  silk1 and yet its general height   
was not above four feet2 with us  such a
 field of corn would not be thought     
worth anything4 ,it was1 ,i  believe1 of
 the usual size and promise4    ,we     
passed several fields of the castor-oil 
plant1 and were informed1  on inquiry1  
that they extract the oil from it4 ,it  
did not seem to  grow as well as ,i have
 seen it in other countries4    ,we saw 
several encampments of ,bedouins on the 
plain4 ,their tents are  said to be made
 of goats' hair4 ,they are black--black 
as the tents  of ,kedar1 thought ,i4    
,there were many flocks of sheep and    
goats  about their tents4 ,the ,bedouins
 look almost as black as their tents4   

,they are a dirty-looking set4 ,we spoke
 to several of them1 and  tried to get a
 drink of milk4 ,they1 however1 were so 
indifferent and  slow1 and showed so    
little inclination to serve us1 that we 
passed  on4 ,i noticed before one of    
their tents1 a huge skin1 suspended on  
forks4 ,it either had been taken off the
 animal nearly whole1 or had  been sewed
 up4 ,it was full of milk1 which they   
were shaking1 and  thus churning it1    
making butter1 or something of that     
sort4 ,i did  not much envy the eaters  
of it--but every man to his liking4     
,the whole plain lay open2 and as far as
 we could see1 without any  landmarks to
 point out the special property-rights1 
which particular  persons may have to   
parts of it4 ,there are no fences1 nor  
hedges1  nor even ditches1 for the      
purpose of designating property4 ,there 
are1 it is true1 channels cut in        
different directions through the  plain 
for the purpose of irrigation2 but only 
for that purpose4 ,the  flocks that     

wander over the plain1 are under the    
care of keepers2  whose business it is  
not to allow them to commit trespass on 
spots  under cultivation2 except there1 
the flocks go pretty much where  they   
please1 and eat whatever they can find2 
and really they appear  to have a poor  
chance to find much2 the above spots    
excepted4    ,the ,anti-,lebanon lies on
 the south-east side of this plain2 and 
is  very much such a mountain as        
,lebanon4 ,it is1 perhaps1 as a general 
thing1 not quite so high4 ,still1 to the
 south of us it attains to  a great     
elevation1 and its upper part in that   
direction has much  snow upon it4 ,these
 two mountains1 the ,lebanon and        
,anti-,lebanon1  are nearly of the same 
appearance2 and are nearly parallel to  
each  other1 having between them the    
plain1 nearly level1 of an average      
width of from six to ten miles1 in the  
part that ,i have seen4 ,our  road1     
which was but a path for mules and      
donkeys1 led us directly  up the        

mountain1 winding and crossing a hollow1
 that ran up to the  top4 ,the ascent   
was steep and fatiguing1 and took us    
about three  hours4 ,there were a few   
thin bushes1 and as we got up into the  
mountain we found a good many           
oak-trees--a few of them of the size  of
 a small apple-tree1 but most of them   
were only six or eight  feet high4 ,as  
we approached the top1 these were       
discontinued2 and  over the whole of the
 upper part of the mountain1 there was  
almost  a total want of vegetation4 ,a  
few stunted thistles and bunches of     
furze were almost the only vegetable    
growth to be seen4    ,on the top of the
 ,anti-,lebanon1 where we crossed1 there
 was a  general level of four or five   
miles4 ,possibly this may not be a fair 
sample of the width of the mountain1 as 
we may have passed over  an unusually   
wide place4 ,as far1 however1 as we     
could see1 there  appeared to be a wider
 flat on the top than any ,i had seen on
 the  ,lebanon4 ,the rock1 as far as ,i 

observed1 was wholly limestone4 ,it is  
all of the secondary formation1 and     
appears to be of a softer kind  than    
that which composes the great mass of   
the ,lebanon4 ,it is much  more affected
 by the action of the weather1 and is   
greatly broken  into fine pieces3 this  
is the case on the top2 we often passed 
over  beds of fine broken stone almost  
like gravel4 ,the stratum1 from the     
yielding character of the rock1 was not 
so clearly to be traced as  on the      
,lebanon4 ,at some places1 however1 it  
could be seen2 and the  general position
 of the stratum approached the          
horizontal4 ,there  were1 however1 many 
deviations from it3 ,i noticed several  
small  locations which had the dip to a 
very considerable degree4 ,this was     
especially the case in some small       
elevations1 or secondary hills1  next   
the plain4    ,we had a pretty long1 and
 part of the way a rough1 descent to    
the narrow and beautiful valley of the  
,bareda4 ,the rock1 as we  descended1   

retained much of the character which it 
had on the  top4 ,there was1 in places1 
much rock on the surface2 tremendous    
precipices2 piles of rock heaped on each
 other1 as if mountains of  earth had   
been washed away and all the rock left4 
,in the plain1 at the point where we    
reached it1 is the town of  ,zebdane4   
,it is near the head of the plain1 and  
is well watered by  the upper springs of
 the river ,bareda1 or ,bariade1 as it  
is at  times spelled on maps4 ,the town 
has several hundred houses1 mostly      
inhabited by ,mohammedans4 ,the waters  
are here taken out of the bed  of the   
river1 and spread over the plain4 ,there
 is quite a grove  of trees in and near 
the village4 ,the houses are not so     
crowded  together as we often find them 
in other villages2 many of them have    
gardens1 which are filled with          
trees--the mulberry1 poplar1 willow1    
hickory1 apple1 plum1 and other         
fruit-trees4 ,much of the town is1      
indeed1 well furnished with shade2 and  

is a most lovely spot1 in the  midst of 
a dry1 parched land4    ,after six      
hours' exposure to the burning sun1 the 
cool shades  of ,zebdane1 its flowing   
waters and rich gardens had powerful    
inducements to stop us4 ,in truth1 we   
needed both rest and  refreshment4 ,we  
had set out early from ,zahle1 that we  
might cross  the plain1 and ascend the  
mountain before the heat of the day set 
in1 intending to breakfast on or near   
the top of ,anti-,lebanon2 but  when we 
reached the summit we found no water1   
and our muleteers had  neglected to fill
 our leathern bags4 ,there was no       
alternative but to  go on4 ,the burning 
sun on the top1 added to the fatigue1   
made us all  suffer for water2 but none 
was found until we were close to        
,zebdane4  ,when about to begin our     
descent1 however1 we met several        
muleteers  with mules loaded with fruit1
 which they were carrying probably  to  
,beyroot or ,tripoli3 in the fruit      
season1 much fruit is brought  from     

,damascus to ,beyroot1 ,tripoli1 and    
other places on the coast4  ,supposing  
that the mules had fruit in their packs1
 ,i was casting in  my mind how we could
 induce them to let us have some1       
especially for  quenching our thirst1   
when the foremost muleteer1 while yet   
eight or  ten yards from me1 put his    
hand into his bosom1 took out a handful 
of apples1 and1 with a kind salutation1 
handed them to me4 ,i know  not that the
 apples were better than usual1 but ,i  
know that ,i have  seldom eaten apples  
with a finer relish2 they were most     
refreshing4  ,feeling much in need of   
our breakfast and rest1 we passed       
through a  part of ,zebdane1 hoping that
 we could find a cool and comfortable   
place for both these purposes4 ,we      
wished1 in short1 to get into  some one 
of the gardens1 and under its trees     
loaded with fruit1 and  near the cool   
streams of water we saw flowing through 
them1 take  our rest2 but no one invited
 us in2 and to one or two applications  

we received a refusal4 ,we stopped under
 a large tree in the street1  and were  
about spreading our carpet1 when a very 
good-looking female  came out of a      
garden near us1 and very kindly invited 
us in4    ,a stream of water ran through
 her garden2 near it was a small fire1  
and preparations for washing4 ,she had  
been washing clothes4 ,a young  female1 
whom ,i took to be her daughter1 and a  
little boy1 her son1  were with her4    
,although her clothes were rather       
soiled1 they were  of a texture that    
indicated wealth3 both she and her      
daughter wore  rich ornaments4 ,the     
daughter had a clasp of silver on each  
arm1 of  an inch and a half in width2   
and two of gold1 about three quarters   
of an inch wide2 with rich ear-rings1 c4
 ,their manners had the ease  and       
frankness of well-bred persons who have 
been much in company4  ,they pointed out
 to us a good place to spread our       
carpets1 gathered  us some fruit1 and   
sat down near us1 and conversed         

pleasantly and  cheerfully4 ,they spoke 
of our clothes in a complimentary       
manner2  said they would be very pretty1
 were it not that our pantaloons  were  
too tight4 ,this last was a hit at me   
mainly1 as my companion1  ,mr4 ,b41 had 
on the ,persian pantaloons1 which are of
 most ample  dimensions4 ,it was said   
with great good-humour1 and even a      
little  apparent blushing1 by the good  
ladies4 ,mr4 ,b41 who acted as          
interpreter1 enjoyed the laugh at my    
expense not a little4 ,i felt  half     
inclined to retaliate on them--that even
 tight pantaloons  were more modest than
 absolutely naked breasts4 ,but ,mr4 ,b4
 was not  inclined to interpret it for  
me1 and1 on second thought1 ,i let it   
pass4 ,fashion is an odd thing6 ,my     
pantaloons were of the ordinary         
size--what1 indeed1 many would call     
large2 yet they were not thought  modest
 by these good1 oriental ladies1 as     
showing too plainly the  shape of the   
lower parts of the body2 while they     

themselves had  their breasts almost    
wholly exposed6 ,such is the fashion of 
the  ladies here4 ,indeed1 ,i have often
 been not a little provoked at the      
exposure which females here make of the 
upper parts of their bodies3  they cover
 their faces1 and expose their breasts4 
,but thus it is  in the ,east1 or in    
this part of it2 and fashion has its    
influence  here as well as in the       
western world4 ,if there be no disputing
 about  taste1 there may be some little 
about fashion4    ,when our breakfast   
was ready1 we had quite a company of    
people to  see us eat4 ,we gave them but
 a poor sample of ,frank manners1 as    
from necessity we had to eat -la-turque1
 at least in part4 ,they  were much     
interested with the looks of our loaf of
 white sugar1 and  we had various       
applications for small pieces4 ,but as  
it was a fast  with them--that is among 
the ,greeks1 and our visiters were      
mostly  of that church--they did not eat
 the sugar we gave them1 but laid  it   

away until the fast should be over4 ,the
 same took place with  some sweet-bread 
we gave them4 ,they would not let the   
little boy ,i  mentioned eat what ,i    
gave him1 but took it from him to keep  
until  the season of fasting was over4  
,i doubt whether he will ever get all   
of it4    ,the valley in which ,zebdane 
is situate may be on an average from    
three quarters to a mile wide2 there are
 several other villages  in it2 and it  
extends five or six miles in length4    
,its general  direction is from         
north-east to south-west1 nearly        
parallel to the  plain of the ,bokar4   
,the parts of this plain that are       
irrigated by  the waters of the ,bareda1
 and the several springs that rise along
  the foot of the mountains1 appear     
productive1 and are covered with        
vegetation1 and a space for a mile below
 the town is covered with  gardens and  
trees of various kinds4 ,the remainder  
has rather a  sterile and naked         
appearance4 ,the mountain that lies     

south-east1  has especially the most    
utterly barren aspect of any district   
that  ,i have ever seen4 ,above the     
little green spots1 that along its  foot
 mark the places where water rises1     
there is hardly a trace of  vegetation  
to be seen1 all a naked1 sun-burnt      
surface1 desolation  could hardly be    
more desolate4    ,the gardens about    
,zebdane are almost universally inclosed
 with  well-made hedges4 ,the thorn is  
much used for this purpose4 ,they are   
plaited together in such a way as to    
make a most ample defence4 ,they  have  
gates1 which have also a kind of        
fastening1 and are thus made  very      
secure4 ,they are the best hedges ,i    
have seen in the ,east4 ,a  similar     
protection1 ,i observed1 was in some    
degree extended to the  fields of       
,indian corn1 the castor oil plant1 and 
other spots under  cultivation4    ,we  
had a fine sample of irrigation here4   
,the corn fields are from  time to time 
covered with water4 ,it is let in upon a

 field1 and  runs until the ground is   
well saturated1 then turned off to      
another  field1 which1 in its turn1     
gives place to another2 and thus the    
water is transferred from field to      
field1 and garden to garden1 to  the no 
small benefit of the trees1 and         
vegetation of all kinds4  ,nothing can  
thrive in these lands without being from
 time to time  thus watered4 ,the       
righteous man is well compared to a tree
 planted  by the rivers of waters4 ,it  
is eastern imagery1 to the life4 ,about 
#d ,p4 ,m4 we left the garden1 and took 
leave of the good lady who had  received
 us with so much kindness4 ,we made her 
a small present1  which she very        
thankfully received1 and intimated that 
at our return  we might enjoy again the 
accommodation of her garden4    ,a      
little more than an hour brought us to  
the end of the plain1 where  the ,bareda
 turns short to the east1 and passes by 
a narrow and deep  defile1 through the  
mountain4 ,the road follows the stream4 

,the  whole mountain1 as seen on both   
sides of the pass1 is of a peculiar     
character4 ,the stratum of the rock is  
very irregular2 at places it  has the   
dip1 but with much irregularity4 ,the   
rock is limestone1  of a very soft1     
yielding kind1 and breaks to pieces     
readily from  the action of the         
atmosphere4 ,much of it is a very coarse
 kind of  breccia--appears to have been 
broken into small pieces1 and again     
combined with a soft cement4 ,some of   
the pieces seem to have been  subjected 
to the action of water1 while in a      
separate state4 ,but a  great deal of   
the mountain has all the appearance of  
an immense mass  of marl1 and much of it
 is in a very soft state1 so as to be   
easily  reduced to a fine white dust4   
,in some places the road is worn or cut 
ten1 fifteen1 or perhaps twenty feet1   
down through this marl-like  rock4      
,there are at some parts of the pass    
considerable precipices of rock  on one 
or both sides1 and on the face of some  

of these rocks and at  a considerable   
height from the ground we saw the       
entrances of tombs4  ,it must have been 
difficult to cut such holes in the face 
of the  rock at such a height4 ,near the
 end of the pass we crossed a good      
arched stone bridge1 and soon found the 
valley beginning to open4  ,the         
character of the rock continued the     
same1 and the whole face  of the country
 was peculiarly barren1 except a narrow 
strip along  the river4 ,the waters of  
the river1 even in the mountains1 were  
taken out of its bed1 wherever it could 
be done1 and made to water  a little    
space on both sides1 which space was    
more or less covered  with trees4 ,we   
saw indeed in two places1 channels cut  
across the  face of the rock above the  
road1 which ,i am of opinion was for the
  purpose of carrying the water thus    
high1 that on clearing the pass1  it    
might be used for watering a wide space 
of country on the eastern  side4 ,if    
this was the case1 the neglect of modern

 times has let go  to ruin what may     
formerly have given fertility to a wide 
district  east of the mountain1 now     
almost utterly barren4 ,many things have
  fallen back greatly in this country4  
,as the valley opened below the  pass1  
the water was taken out1 and made to    
keep nearly a horizontal  course1 along 
both sides of the channel1 and used to  
water all the  district between it and  
the former bed1 and on this district    
were  fields1 corn1 vines1 fruit-trees1 
poplars1 willows1 and grass for  the    
flocks of sheep and goats1 and other    
domestic animals4    ,we passed one or  
two small villages1 and night began to  
set in4  ,after looking in vain for the 
cover of a good tree1 in such a         
situation as we wished1 we spread our   
carpets on a little elevation  about    
fifty yards from a small village1 and   
made our beds for the  night4 ,a few of 
the villagers came to look at us2 but   
they did not  seem to have as much      
curiosity or politeness as our good     

friends at  ,zebdane4 ,they were rather 
a shabby set4    ,about the time we had 
finished our supper and were going to   
bed1  some cause of dissatisfaction     
among the villagers1 or a family        
quarrel1 took place2 and for a short    
time there was a terrible  strife of    
tongues4 ,it died away in part1 and ,i  
hoped was about to  terminate2 but was  
revived or continued mainly between one 
man and  woman1 as the voices indicated2
 and such a scold ,i have seldom  heard4
 ,the woman appeared manifestly to have 
the advantage4 ,her  tongue was like a  
sharp sword4 ,it must have been used    
before1 or  it could not have been      
wielded with such terrible power on the 
present occasion4 ,i thought of the old 
saying1 that the tongue is  the only    
instrument that grows sharper and       
sharper by daily use4  ,the adversary1  
whether neighbour1 or brother1 or       
husband1 ,i know  not1 but suspect it   
was the latter1 appeared to feel that he
 had a  losing case4 ,he yielded1       

lowered his tone1 let her do two-thirds1
  three-fourths1 and1 towards the last1 
a still larger portion of the  talking4 
,such a storm could not last always1 it 
gradually passed  away and the voices   
became silent4 ,how many such storms    
daily take  place on earth6 but not one 
in heaven1 no1 not one6    ,it was a    
,mohammedan village1 and this probably a
 ,mohammedan wife1  maintaining her     
rights against an unkind or petulant    
husband4  ,verily1 we of the western    
world are far from the truth in the     
judgments we form about the domestic    
manners and intercourse of the          
,mohammedans1 and especially their mode 
of treating their wives4 ,we  not only  
take it for granted that the            
,mohammedans believe their  women have  
no souls1 7which is not true17 but we   
suppose they have  no rights1 no        
privileges1 and dare hardly look at     
their lords1 much  less speak to them1  
under fear of losing their heads4 ,now1 
all this  is wide of the mark4 ,the     

,mohammedan ladies have their rights1 as
  well as our own fair ones1 and know   
how to stand up for them--and  the      
female tongue is fully as powerful an   
instrument in the ,east as  it is in the
 ,west4 ,judging from what ,i used to   
hear when a boy about  the ,mohammedans1
 ,i should have expected to have seen   
this fair  one put in a sack and thrown 
in the river1 or1 as water is rather    
scarce here to be used for drowning     
scolds1 ,i should at least have         
expected to have seen her head cut off1 
and her tongue nailed up  in terror to  
others4 ,but it was plain that the good 
lady was in no  fear of such treatment2 
and the good people of the village1     
instead  of coming to the relief of the 
man1 were glad to keep out of harm's    
way2 and the ruler of the town1 if it   
had any1 knew better than  to           
intermeddle with other people's matters2
 and the man himself  received a lesson 
which ,i hope may do him more good than 
it did me4    ,on that night could not  

the king sleep6 ,and so it was with me4 
,whether it was owing to the train of   
thinking which the strife of  tongues   
occasioned2 or whether that ,angelo had 
made my tea too  strong1 which he is    
almost sure to do1 for ,i can't get the 
notion  out of his head that the        
stronger and the richer his dishes are1 
so much the better2 or whether other and
 unknown causes tended to  chase sleep  
from my eyes1 ,i know not2 but so it    
was1 ,i could not  sleep4 ,and really it
 was worth remaining awake to look on   
the face  of such a sky4 ,we lay on the 
summit of a little hill2 not a bush or  
a green leaf near us4 ,we had a fair    
horizon1 and one of the clearest  skies 
that ,i ever saw4 ,it seemed that ,i    
could see farther than usual  into the  
deep abyss1 over which the stars are    
scattered in wild1  irregular1 but      
beautiful confusion4 ,i do not wonder   
that astronomy  began in the ,east1 and1
 admitting the very strong and general  
tendency of mankind to idolatry1 ,i the 

less wonder that1 in this  eastern      
world1 with such heavens nightly spread 
over them1 there  should have been so   
strong a tendency to the worship of the 
host of  heaven4 ,it has much more show 
of reason than the worship of stocks    
and stones1 the work of men's hands4    
,when we arose in the morning1 there was
 a scarcely perceivable  dampness on our
 bedding2 but the dust in the road was  
not laid4  ,the case was1 however1      
different on our return4 ,we slept out  
near  ,zebdane1 and not far from a      
district irrigated by the waters of the 
,bareda4 ,then our bedding was wet1 and 
we all felt chilly4 ,the dew  was most  
copious4 ,this was no doubt owing to the
 low situation1  and its vicinity to a  
large district over which the water had 
been  thrown4 ,it was also near the     
trees and gardens which for a mile or   
two cover the plain4    ,we had about   
four hours' ride from our place of      
lodging to ,damascus4  ,our course was  
south-east1 and1 for the most part1 we  

followed  the course of the ,bareda4    
,this stream runs in a channel depressed
  below the general level of the        
country4 ,the country indeed rises  into
 hills1 and small mountains1 all of     
which1 without exception1  are wholly   
destitute of trees4 ,indeed1 it is rare 
to see a bush on  them under which a    
lamb could be shaded4 ,there are a few  
stunted  thistles1 and furze1 and an    
occasional tuft of grass4 ,i have often 
noticed the fact1 that the thistles1 a  
small stunted thorn1 and the  furze1    
which has on it many prickles of a      
thorn-like character1  are more         
uniformly to be found than any other    
plants4 ,thorns and  thistles shall it  
bring forth to thee4 ,it is even so in  
these  eastern regions4 ,they grow where
 nothing else will1 but some places  are
 too bad for them4    ,the rock through 
this whole district is of a soft1       
friable nature4  ,much of it has that   
puddingstone appearance1 which ,i       
mentioned as  abounding in the mountain 

through which we had just passed4 ,i was
  inclined to think it that kind of     
limestone called aolite4 ,many  of the  
hills were so white1 and washed so      
easily1 that ,i doubted  whether they   
did not belong to the chalk formation4  
,they reminded  me of the chalk cliffs  
of ,dover1 and the general appearance of
 the  chalk formation as seen near      
,dover4    ,when near the top of the    
last high range of hills1 near          
,damascus1 we  had1 on looking back1 the
 most striking view of a naked and      
barren  district that ,i ever saw4 ,the 
whole range of country1 up to the top   
of the mountain through which we passed 
on leaving ,zebdane1 and  far to the    
north and south1 was in full view2 a    
range of fifteen  or twenty miles in    
diameter1 perhaps much more2 and1 except
 the  little green strip that at some   
points could be seen along the river    
,bareda1 there appeared to be neither   
tree nor bush1 nor any green  thing4 ,i 
called ,mr4 ,b----'s attention to it1   

and asked him if he  could point out1   
with the exception just made1 one green 
thing--tree  or bush4 ,he could not4 ,as
 the river runs in a deep channel1 and  
the  trees along it are small1 it was   
only at a few places that their  tops   
could be seen4 ,a more dry1 parched1    
desolate landscape ,i never  saw4       
,our approach to ,damascus was from the 
north-west4 ,the general course  of the 
plain on which it stands is north-east  
and south-west4 ,the  northern part1    
near ,damascus1 is bounded by a high1   
steep1 and  precipitous mountain2 the   
suburbs and gardens of the city         
extending  close to its foot4 ,it was   
not until we had reached the top of this
  range of mountains1 from which the    
whole region we had passed over  for the
 last five or six hours rose to view1   
that we saw on the  other side1 along   
the middle of a most noble plain1 a wide
 district  covered with verdure1 fields1
 gardens1 and a forest of trees1        
extending eastward towards the          

,bahr-el-,mrdj or ,sea of ,meadows1 as  
far as the eye could reach4 ,in the     
midst of this1 encircled with  gardens  
for miles around1 rose the old1 the     
famous city of ,damascus1  with its many
 gilded domes glittering in the sun4    
,the sight was  most delightful and     
refreshing2 and the more so from the    
absolute  barrenness and desolation by  
which it was surrounded4    ,damascus is
 a walled town2 but on some sides the   
town has spread far  beyond the walls1  
and forms extensive suburbs4 ,the       
north-west side1  through which we      
passed on entering the city1 and in     
which most  of the ,franks live1 is     
thought to contain1 if ,i recollect     
aright1  nearly twenty thousand people4 
,this1 however1 is the most populous    
part4 ,the walls have once been of great
 strength1 and were defended  on many   
parts1 if not entirely around1 by a deep
 foss and rows of  towers4 ,they are now
 much out of repair4 ,the gates are     
falling to  pieces1 or approaching that 

state4 ,the foss is much filled up at   
many places1 and the towers have lost   
their beauty and strength1 and  possibly
 in great part their use--sic transit   
gloria mundi4    ,the streets are       
narrow1 crooked1 and miserably dirty4   
,but little  effort is made to remove   
filth and produce cleanliness4 ,in      
truth1  throughout this whole eastern   
world1 the people appear to have very   
low ideas of neatness and cleanliness4  
,while the city abounds with  water1 and
 a fountain of it is seen in most of the
 good houses1 you  meet with filth      
everywhere1 and are often most          
grievously annoyed  with the stench of  
dead animals in the roads and streets4  
,some of  the streets are paved1 but in 
a very indifferent way1 and from the    
great accumulation of dust they are not 
in a comfortable condition  for passing 
over4 ,some allowances1 however1 must be
 made for this  abundance of dust in    
streets1 roads1 and open places1 and    
even in  the houses4 ,it is now nearly  

three months since ,i reached ,beyroot1 
and not one drop of rain has fallen--the
 sun has not1 with the  exception of a  
few hours1 been so covered with clouds  
as to be hid  from sight--most of the   
days it has1 without ceasing1 poured its
  burning rays upon the earth4 ,what    
marvel if the earth be roasted1  and    
except when water abounds1 be converted 
into dust6 ,the roads are  indeed dusty 
to a most uncomfortable degree4 ,so are 
the streets--and  we need not be        
surprised if the dust should find its   
way into  courts1 parlours1 and even    
bed-rooms4 ,one of the main streets1    
called ,straight1 is shown as the one in
 which ,paul was found by  ,ananias4 ,i 
did not find a full agreement about its 
name1 some saying  it was so called1 and
 others that this was its usual name4   
,different  names1 it would seem1 are   
given to different parts of it4    ,most
 of the houses1 when seen from the      
street1 have an old and very  shabby    
appearance4 ,many of them are made up of

 patch-work--mud1  wood1 and stone4 ,the
 mud1 however1 as the cheapest article1 
is  most abundant4 ,occasionally1 you   
may see the lower part of the  building 
of good hewn marble1--which soon gives  
place to a miserable  patch-work kind of
 half stucco and half mortar4 ,the      
door-frames are  very often found of    
hewn stone1 and sometimes arched1 and   
this may  be the only stone that you see
 in the building4    ,the precise number
 of mosques in ,damascus ,i did not1    
while with  those who could have        
informed me1 think of asking4 ,as ,i    
left the  city1 however1 and ascended   
the mountain1 which gives such a fine   
view of it1 ,i made an attempt to count 
the minarets4 ,i made about  thirty2 and
 possibly this may be an approximation  
to the true number4    ,while under the 
guidance of the man who showed us the   
house of  ,ananias1 and the window      
through which ,paul made his escape1 we 
were  taken to see several other things1
 especially some graves1 which  were not

 far from the gate4 ,in one of the large
 vaults1 which was  in part open1 we    
could see the skeletons of various      
persons--their  winding-sheets in part  
rotted off--the flesh all gone1 and the 
whole  exhibiting a spectacle most      
humbling to human nature4 ,in health    
man is the most beautiful of animals1   
and in corruption the most  loathsome4  
,but death will lose its victory through
 ,christ1 to the  believer4 ,we were    
also taken to the grave of the          
gate-keeper1 who  ought to have known   
how ,paul made his escape1 but did not4 
,while he  watched the gate1 ,paul1 it  
would seem1 by the help of some friends1
  escaped by the window4 ,the poor      
gate-keeper knew and of course could    
tell nothing about the matter4 ,but that
 very ignorance1 as it was  with the    
soldiers who kept ,peter1 was brought in
 charge against him4  ,he ought to have 
known1 and was put to death for not     
knowing4 ,the  gate-keeper1 however1 has
 fared rather better than the soldiers4 

,posterity has sainted him--has erected 
a neat tomb over him--put a  paling     
around1 and a cover over it4 ,it is     
considered as a sacred  place1 and      
little offerings are deposited within   
the paling4 ,i saw  some pieces of money
 that were placed on the tomb4 ,i had   
often  heard1 that with the papists1    
ignorance was the mother of devotion1   
but here it was the cause of saintship4 
,when will the measure of  folly1 under 
the name of religion1 have come to its  
full8    ,bad as the falsely so-called  
,christian saints may be1 they are not  
so shameless as the living saints1 which
 are at times seen--the  ,mohammedan1   
men who have been to ,mecca1 and set    
themselves up to  be saints1 are often  
seen here4 ,i did not happen to see one 
at  ,damascus1 but saw one in ,beyroot1 
who passed about the streets  and       
bazaars in a state of perfect nudity4   
,with the most perfect  shamelessness1  
they will pass among females1 and even  
enter the  houses and apartments of     

females1 without so much as a fig leaf  
to  cover their nakedness4 ,their       
supposed holiness gives them great      
consequence2 and at times and places of 
peculiar sanctity1 at  special          
processions and in the mosques1 they put
 themselves forward  and take the most  
honoured place4 ,poor human nature6 how 
low it can  and will come down1 where   
grace does not prevent4    ,there are1  
just outside the walls of ,damascus1    
some mills1 that  looked better than any
 of the buildings of the sort ,i have   
seen in  the ,east4 ,they stand on the  
main channel of the river1 and avail    
themselves of its waters to work their  
machinery4 ,the bread of  ,damascus is1 
for the ,east1 good4    ,one of our     
longest walks was in the after part of  
the day1 along the  river1 and among the
 gardens and shady trees which line its 
borders3  ,i could not but notice how   
the people were walking1 sitting1 or    
lying along the side of the stream1 and 
how they appeared to enjoy  its         

refreshing coolness4 ,they were beside  
the still waters4 ,near  the eastern    
side of the city ,i was much interested 
in meeting with a  field of hemp4 ,it   
was just beginning to blossom4 ,it was  
the first1  and ,i may add1 the only    
field of hemp ,i have seen in the ,east4
    ,most of the houses have balconies1 
or places projecting out on the  front1 
having windows at the three sides4 ,they
 serve the double  purpose of giving    
access to the air1 and enabling the     
people to  see what is going on in the  
streets4 ,these are more or less common 
as fixtures in houses1 all through this 
eastern world4 ,the greater  part of    
them have also courts that are open to  
the heavens2 these  in several of the   
best houses that ,i have visited were   
paved with  marble1 and had noble       
fountains of water in the centre4 ,some 
have  more than one fountain2 and the   
house in which ,i lodged had one        
perpetually flowing in the room in which
 ,i slept4 ,there is water  enough to   

keep their houses and persons clean1    
would the people but  use it4    ,i was 
struck with the great contrast between  
the outside of the  houses and the      
appearance within4 ,without all looked  
old1 rusty1 and  ready to fall to       
pieces2 but within there was often a    
richness and  beauty in the marble      
pavements1 the gilded ceiling1 and      
fanciful  carvings1 that was striking4  
,to what this may be owing ,i know not4 
,possibly1 in part to avoid the         
oppressive exactions which all  through 
these lands is apt to follow the track  
of wealth1 or the  outward show of it4  
,noticing that the roofs and upper parts
 of many houses were greatly  injured1  
and sadly in need of repairs1 ,i        
inquired1 and learned that  last winter 
was one of very great severity at       
,damascus1--that an  unusual quantity of
 snow fell1 and by its weight did great 
injury to  the houses4 ,their mode of   
building is not adapted for durability4 
,their mud walls do not well stand the  

rainy season1 however they  may abide   
the dry4 ,the wood they use for joists1 
and for supporting  their flat mud      
roofs1 is in great part the ,lombardy   
poplar and  willow1 which is their most 
abundant growth1 except perhaps the     
mulberry4 ,this wood they put in1 full  
of sap1 bark and all1 and of  course in 
a few years it must rot1 and fall out of
 its place4 ,when  it is entirely       
defended from the air and moisture1 it  
may last some  time1 but when1 as in    
most cases1 it is almost entirely       
exposed to  both1 no marvel if the house
 needs repairing nearly every year2 and 
this ,i am told is not uncommon4    ,the
 bazaars or streets1 where the stores   
and shops are placed1 are  generally    
covered over1 so as to exclude the sun4 
,the streets not  being more than ten or
 fifteen feet wide on an average1 a roof
 is  thrown across1 at ten1 fifteen1 or 
twenty feet above--not a very  close    
roof1 but one that keeps out the sun1   
but lets the air have  more or less     

circulation4 ,all through these         
countries there is a  great care to     
procure a shade from the scorching rays 
of the sun2  for this purpose the       
streets are made narrow1 and in many    
places  are covered1 so that those who  
pass may have shade4 ,this narrowness   
of the streets1 and the covering of     
them1 does1 it is true1 give a          
closeness to them1 and operates against 
a free circulation of the  air2 but this
 is supposed to be compensated1 in part 
at least1 by  the protection they give  
from the direct action of the sun4    ,i
 was taken to the house1 as was said1   
where ,ananias dwelt4 ,it is  a kind of 
cellar1--a poor1 miserable place2 and ,i
 am sure that so  good a man deserved a 
more comfortable residence4 ,i doubt    
altogether  whether it was his house4   
,but ,i did not judge it worth while    
discussing the matter with the ,catholic
 priests1 who claim the  ownership of   
it1 and show it4 ,i also went to see the
 window through  which ,paul is said to 

have been let down in a basket4 ,it is  
over one  of the gates4 ,i had as little
 faith in this as the other4 ,there is  
indeed1 ,i think1 strong evidence       
against it4 ,i did not go out to the    
spot at which ,paul is said to have been
 converted4 ,the day was hot1  the      
distance considerable1 and nothing      
marked the place4 ,there is a  thousand 
chances to one against it being the real
 place4    ,the population of ,damascus 
is not certainly known4 ,from all ,i    
could learn from several resident       
,franks1 it may be #abe1jjj2 and  in the
 one hundred and seventy-three villages 
which lie round  ,damascus there may be 
an equal number4 ,a gentleman who has   
paid  some attention to the matter1 and 
has been some time a resident in  the   
country1 supposes the population of all 
,syria to be about one  million and a   
half4 ,the chief data used in forming   
the estimate is  the number of men1 the 
heads of families1 who pay the tax      
levied on  such4 ,they are about #be1jjj

 in ,damascus1 and may form one-fifth of
  the population4 ,this1 at least1 gives
 an approximation--the best  we have    
when no census is taken4 ,the majority  
of the population  is ,mohammedans1 but 
the proportion ,i either did not get1 or
 have  forgotten it4 ,there are a few   
,jews1 and some of all the various      
sects of ,christians found in these     
regions4    ,damascus has long been     
considered by the ,mohammedans as one of
 their  sacred cities2 and it is not    
many years since when their bigotry  was
 so great that ,christians had to use   
much caution to avoid its  outbreakings4
 ,there is a great change in this       
respect4 ,christians  may now go about  
with little danger4 ,we rode repeatedly 
through the  crowded bazaars1 and no one
 appeared to take the least offence2 and
  generally gave their salaam with      
indications of kindness4 ,still1 it     
will sometimes show itself4 ,it is not  
long since that ,mr4 ,calman1 a  ,jewish
 missionary1 when engaged in selling the

 ,scriptures1 was taken  up by the      
bigoted ,mohammedans1 and for a time    
feared that he might  be put to trouble1
 but was released without much          
difficulty4    ,the main1 if not the    
only river which waters the part of the 
plain  where ,damascus stands1 is the   
,bareda4 ,it rises near ,zebdane4 ,we   
followed its course1 as ,i have before  
informed you1 until it entered  the     
plain4 ,there it is divided into three  
parts1 which are led at  a distance from
 each other for the purpose of watering 
the plain4  ,from these channels a      
multitude of smaller ones are led in all
  directions1 so that every part of the 
plain within reach of the  water may1   
from time to time1 receive its          
life-giving influence4 ,the  main       
channel passes through or near the city1
 and its waters are  carried by pipes to
 every part of it4    ,to the south and 
south-east other streams are said to    
enter and flow  through the plain2 but  
we did not visit those parts4 ,they must

 be  small streams4 ,indeed the ,bareda 
is a small stream4 ,it would with us  be
 called a good mill stream4 ,we would   
rather term it a creek than  a river4   
,it is mostly confined in a channel of  
eight or ten yards  wide1 and then may  
be waded without coming above the knee4 
,much of  the water of these rivers is  
exhausted in irrigation4 ,they flow     
east1 and after rendering a noble plain 
very fertile and productive  for twenty 
or thirty miles1 form a lake or         
marsh--they have no  outlet4 ,i wished  
much to ride eastward through this plain
 and see  the country about the lake1   
but the time of the year and other      
causes prevented4    ,it was the sickly 
season1 and there was much sickness in  
,damascus4  ,visiting the city at such a
 time was not classed with a high       
degree of prudence and caution1 while to
 have spent a week or so  in exploring  
the plain1 and visiting the many        
villages along the  ,bareda1 would have 
been considered almost madness--a       

tempting  of ,providence4 ,i therefore  
spent but one night and two days in     
,damascus1 and then hurried back to the 
high ground on the great  mountain of   
,lebanon--not1 however1 without a       
lingering purpose that  when the heats  
of summer are passed1 ,i may take       
,damascus in my route  again1 and see   
more of its wide-spread plains1 and     
thickly-planted  villages4    ,the whole
 country east of ,damascus1 on the      
,euphrates1 is1 ,i am  told1 much like  
what ,i have seen in the part already   
passed over4  ,as a general thing1 it is
 wholly destitute of trees and even     
bushes--and during the summer there is  
but little verdure2 much of  it is      
covered with sand4 ,there are1 however1 
spots where water is  found1 and at all 
these vegetation is produced4 ,where    
these spots  are of any size there are  
villages1 and man contrives to live4    
,these  green spots are like small      
islands scattered over the face of the  
ocean1 and may be found all the way to  

the ,euphrates1 and down that  stream   
past ,bagdad to the gulf4    ,the ruins 
of ,palmyra lie two or three days'      
travel north-east of  ,damascus4 ,they  
have often been visited lately1 and the 
danger is not  great4 ,still it is too  
great to be lightly hazarded4 ,a party1 
of  whom a friend of mine was one1 were 
robbed in an attempt to go there  about 
five months ago4 ,a slight skirmish took
 place between them and  a large party  
of ,arabs1 in which they were           
overpowered and robbed2  some were      
wounded1 but happily none killed4       
,indemnification has been  had from the 
tribe who robbed them4    ,an attempt is
 about being made to establish a regular
 communication  between ,damascus and a 
point on the ,euphrates1 beyond         
,palmyra2  which1 if successful1 will   
throw much more light on the interior of
  this region1 and may make it an easy  
thing to visit that far-famed  river1   
and the many antiquities that abound on 
its banks4    ,damascus is a famous     

rendezvous for caravans4 ,the caravans  
for  ,mecca1 ,bagdad1 and various other 
places1 either pass or start from  this 
place4 ,some had come in just before we 
were there1 and others  were preparing  
for their departure4 ,this gave some    
activity to the  business of the place4 
,the shortness of my stay1 for the      
reasons  above assigned1 did not allow  
me to see much of them4 ,i had not time 
to go out to the edge of the desert1    
where they usually encamp1  and there to
 see the grotesque appearance1 the odd  
mixture1 and  pell-mell state of things 
produced by such assemblages of men of  
all  nations1 and such herding together 
of man and beast4    ,damascus1 and the 
region about it1 is somewhat celebrated 
for its  fruit of various kinds4 ,the   
grapes were fine--the apricots good1    
and abundant--the plums the largest and 
finest ,i ever saw1 being  nearly as    
large as a hen's egg4 ,i saw but few    
peaches1 they are said  to be good--the 
figs were fine of course--the apples    

indifferent4  ,the white mulberry-tree  
is much cultivated in this section of   
the  country1 not for its fruit1 which  
is but little esteemed1 but for  feeding
 the silk-worm4 ,the silk forms a       
considerable branch of  the ,damascus   
trade1 and the manufacture of it carried
 on to some  extent4 ,the black mulberry
 is found in considerable quantities1   
and  is cultivated for its delicious    
fruit4 ,the white walnut is with  the   
natives a favourite tree4 ,the nut is   
rich and of a pleasant  taste4 ,the tree
 gives a fine shade1 grows well near the
 water1 and  is larger than most of the 
other trees4 ,the sycamore is found     
here4  ,the plane-tree is also found1   
but not very common--this is often      
called the sycamore with us4 ,there is a
 very large one in ,damascus  near one  
of the gates4 ,we measured              
it--thirty-six feet around4 ,the        
karoob-tree is a variety of the locust4 
,the fruit is the husks which  the      
,prodigal ,son would have eaten--a      

bean-like pod with a sweetish  meat in  
it4          ,,letter ,,vii4            
,beyroot1 ,sept4 #eth1 #ahcf4    ,we    
left ,damascus by the same road by which
 we had entered it1 and  continued on   
the same way as far as ,zebdane4 ,having
 already made  some remarks on the      
characteristic features of this         
district1 ,i will  say no more about it4
    ,from ,zebdane1 we kept up the      
valley1 which ran a north-east          
direction4 ,it becomes narrow very soon 
after leaving that place1 the  ridges   
from the mountains on both sides close  
in and often almost  meet1 leaving but a
 small portion of level ground4 ,passing
 the  sources of the streams1 the       
quantity of water diminishes fast4 ,the 
trees almost cease except at occasional 
spots1 where care has been  taken to    
plant them4 ,the ground for about an    
hour's travel is rough2  the plain then 
opens again to a considerable extent1   
and is more or  less cultivated4 ,there 
are a few houses2 but this part is but  

poorly  supplied with water1 and without
 that the regions must be barren and    
desolate4    ,we soon found ourselves   
passing over the highest part of the    
plain1  and beginning to descend4 ,in   
short1 we found that this little plain  
was at the separating point of the head 
waters of the ,bareda which  flows to   
,damascus1 and those of the ,el-,kanne1 
which flows into the  ,bokar through the
 ,anti-,lebanon east of ,zahle4 ,we soon
 came to the  head branches of this last
 stream1 which is formed of a set of    
most  noble springs1 rising in the      
middle of the plain4 ,there is quite  a 
cluster of them rising near each other1 
and throwing off enough  water to turn a
 mill2 fine1 pure1 cool water4 ,as is   
usual1 it is  carried in channels       
through different parts of the plain4   
,there is a  little cluster of trees1   
and the whole district over which the   
water  can be thrown is cultivated1 and 
rich in verdure4 ,a small village       
stands just below1 and we found some    

females at the spring engaged  in       
washing4 ,for a small present they      
allowed us the use of their  fire to    
prepare our food2 and again a good deal 
of interest was  excited to see the     
,franks eat4    ,the mountains continued
 very bare of trees1 and shrubbery of   
every  kind4 ,in the few places where   
water rose1 there were a few trees1  all
 else was a barren1 sunburnt surface4   
,after passing the village1  which was  
poor in its appearance1 the plain became
 more barren and  rough1 and the        
cultivated district more and more       
narrow4 ,at the  end of half an hour it 
terminated at a rough1 narrow pass1     
nearly  due west1 and directly through  
the ,anti-,lebanon4 ,we followed the    
waters through this pass4 ,the sides    
were steep and high1 and the  rock      
thrown about in wild confusion4 ,the dip
 of the rock was very  variable at      
different places4 ,along the stream were
 a few trees1 and  we saw several large 
flocks of sheep and goats1 under the    

care of  shepherds and their dogs4      
,after following the pass for an hour   
and a half1 it bore to  the south-west2 
we left it1 crossed a pretty high ridge 
to the  north-west1 and entered the     
,bokar4 ,on reaching the top1 the plain 
opened to view1 and we had been led to  
expect that we should find  ,baalbec at 
the point where we entered the plain4   
,but no ,baalbec was  to be seen4 ,we   
found1 to our no little discomfort1 that
 we had about  two hours' ride          
northward1 along a dry plain1 under a   
burning sun1  before we could reach this
 far-famed ruin4    ,we passed several  
most extensive threshing-floors4 ,their 
threshing  instruments and mode of      
cleaning the grain1 were the same as has
  been already described4 ,i might add1 
that in bringing their grain  to the    
floor1 and in carrying away the straw1  
they use mules and  donkeys1 and at     
times the camel4 ,i saw1 in no instance1
 the use  of a wheel-carriage4 ,the only
 wheeled-carriages that ,i have seen  in

 ,syria were those for cannon at ,zahle1
 and ten or fifteen carts  which ,i saw 
at one time passing a street in         
,damascus4 ,these carts  were of a      
coarse1 strong kind1 belonging to the   
,pasha1 and were then  employed in      
carrying materials for the castle which 
he was repairing4    ,our road lay over 
the ridges1 at the foot of the          
mountains1 along  the eastern side of   
the plain4 ,the soil over which we      
passed was  thin4 ,there was much rock  
on the surface1 and in many places there
  were wide-spread masses of a very     
coarse puddingstone1 that appeared  to  
have once formed a huge bed of          
water-worn rock1 bowlders1 and  pebbles1
 and owing to some cementing matter     
which had come over  it1 had become a   
solid rock4 ,as we approached ,baalbec  
this rock  discontinued1 and gave place 
to a very thick stratum of massy        
limestone of a peculiar kind1 which is  
mainly used in the walls of  ,baalbec4  
,baalbec stands near the foot of the    

,anti-,lebanon1 a little above the      
general level of the plain4 ,the ridges 
of the mountain lower down  gradually1  
and spreading out1 form a general level1
 which merges  insensibly into that of  
the plain4 ,it is on this elevated level
 that  the ruins stand2 about a mile    
from them1 on the side of a hill1  is   
the quarry that has furnished the stone 
for these stupendous  buildings4 ,a     
little to the east arises the finest set
 of springs  that ,i have seen in       
,syria4 ,they boil up over a            
considerable surface1  and send off a   
stream of water sufficient to set in    
operation  various kinds of machinery1  
if applied to that purpose4    ,the     
ground on which the ruins stand is      
nearly a dead level2 a large  district  
has been surrounded by walls1 traces of 
them remain4 ,the  space covered by the 
ruins of the temple1 or set of temples1 
and  possibly theatre and other         
buildings1 is about nine hundred feet   
long1 and six hundred broad4 ,the area  

is not1 however1 a regular              
parallelogram1 there are off-sets at    
some of the towers--towers  having      
apparently been added when the place was
 fortified1 and  converted into a fort4 
,a foundation or platform of great      
thickness1  ,i should say not less than 
ten feet1 seems to have been laid over  
this large space1 and upon this         
foundation the temples have been        
reared4    ,the stones in this          
foundation and wall1 as in the walls    
still  higher1 are many of them of a    
most enormous size2 at the west and     
south-west corner especially1 they are  
almost incredibly large4  ,where all    
were so large1 we did not think it worth
 while to measure  very many4 ,in one   
row1 and that one at some distance from 
the  ground1 are three stones which we  
measured1 and made them about  seventy  
feet long each1 and about fifteen feet  
wide4 ,the thickness  we could not      
certainly tell1 but we inferred it to be
 about fourteen  feet4 ,these stones are

 much of the same shape and appearance1 
they  are precisely like one which lies 
nearly cut out in the quarry1  which we 
were1 from its position1 enabled to     
measure accurately4 ,it  was seventy    
feet six inches long1 fourteen feet two 
inches thick1  and seventeen feet nine  
inches wide at one end1 and thirteen    
feet  eight inches at the other4 ,we    
were at once struck with its perfect    
likeness to the three stones in the     
wall2 all of them were wider  at one end
 than the other4 ,i suppose that these  
four large stones1  the three in the    
wall and the one in the quarry1 were    
originally  intended1 either for        
obelisks1 pillars1 images1 or some such 
thing2 that their being now in the wall1
 is owing to a subsequent  arrangement1 
when the place was converted into a     
fortress1 and those  stupendous outside 
walls put up1 which now fill us with    
wonder4    ,under these three immense   
stones are seven others1 which almost   
equal those above them in width2 their  

thickness also1 judging from  what is   
seen at the corner of the building1 does
 not much fall  short of a due          
proportion4 ,in truth1 they are upon a  
most gigantic  scale4 ,this row extends 
along the south-west side nearly one    
hundred  yards1 forming a most solid    
foundation1 ten or twelve feet high1    
which1 however1 on this side1 is not    
built upon out to the edge1  the wall   
going up about twenty feet inward4 ,the 
above-mentioned  are the largest stones 
,i saw in these ruins2 but many others  
are  enormous1 and1 as a general thing1 
they are very large4 ,as a sample1  ,i  
measured one of a large row of stones at
 the south-east corner  of the most     
perfect building now standing1 7it was a
 corner stone1  which enabled me to     
ascertain the thickness17 and found it  
to be  twenty-eight feet long1 six feet 
six inches wide1 and four feet  six     
inches thick4 ,i was not at all certain 
that ,i might not1 on  measuring1 have  
found many still larger4    ,the most   

perfect temple1 now standing1 is on the 
south-east side  of the above wide      
foundation4 ,it is one hundred and      
fifty-seven  feet long1 seventy-eight   
wide1 and the walls now may be sixty-six
  feet high4 ,we inferred its height    
from the length of one of the  fallen   
pillars1 with a row of which it was1 and
 still is in part1  surrounded4 ,the    
pillar is forty-nine feet eight inches2 
the capital1  six feet two inches2 the  
entablature and the pediment may be ten2
  making--say sixty-six feet4 ,these    
pillars formed a portico all round      
it--a covered way2 the pillars being    
connected with the temple by  enormously
 large stones resting one end on the    
pillars1 and the  other on the walls4   
,the lower faces of these stones were   
most richly  wrought with various       
devices4 ,the pillars are six feet four 
inches  in diameter at the bottom1 and  
five feet eight inches at the top2  most
 of them are in three pieces4 ,the door 
of the temple is at the  east2 the      

pillars there are fluted2 the porch     
before the door was  wider than at the  
sides--a noble arch was sprung over it1 
and in  the centre1 and on the lower    
face of what is called the keystone1  7a
 stone of most gigantic size17 was      
carved a majestic wide-spread  eagle4   
,this stone has sunk out of its place1  
and threatens to fall  from the arch4 ,a
 modern wall has been put up1 about ten 
feet east of  the door1 and at the end  
of the walls1 no doubt for the purpose  
of  defence4    ,in the inside of the   
building1 and half sunk in the walls1   
are  fluted pillars1 and at the corners 
they are so cut as to appear  double1   
the piece being one4 ,at about fifteen  
or twenty feet from  the west end1 two  
noble fluted pillars have stood at some 
distance  from the sides1 evidently     
making part of a separation of a more   
sacred apartment4 ,they are fallen1 but 
enough remains to show  that the sanctum
 sanctorum stood there4 ,there is no    
roof on this  building1 and from the    

fact that there are no windows in it1   
and  other reasons1 it may be doubted   
whether it ever had one3 on this1       
however1 ,i hesitate to give an opinion4
    ,the south-east row of pillars      
belonging to this temple range with  the
 wall that rose from the deep wide moat1
 by which the whole  mass of buildings  
was surrounded4 ,opposite this temple1  
on the  north-west side of the          
foundation1 are the remains of a still  
larger  temple1 or building of some     
kind4 ,but a small part of it remains2  
along the north-west wall is a row of   
pillars1 or rather parts of  pillars1   
the spaces between which have been      
filled up with large  stones1 forming   
thus a solid wall4 ,opposite this1 and  
nearly half  way to the temple1 on the  
other side of the foundation1 stands a  
row of pillars1 now reduced to seven or 
eight1 the remainder having  fallen4    
,they are about the size of those       
described--possibly they  are larger4   
,the foundation on which they stand must

 be eight or ten  feet higher than that 
of the temple above described4 ,these   
pillars  have the capitals on1 and are  
connected by their richly-carved and    
magnificent masses of entablature4 ,how 
they have survived those  convulsions   
which have prostrated their companions1 
,i know not4 ,the  ruins which lie      
about1 the broken rows of pillars and   
walls1 show  that this edifice has been 
of great extent4 ,its sides1 ,i am      
inclined  to think1 have not been solid 
walls1 but composed of these rows of    
columns1 and most probably the whole    
building has been open to the  heavens4 
,there is near the temple ,i have first 
described1 and but a few yards  from its
 north-east end1 a large building with  
very high and strong  walls4 ,it        
projects out a good deal into the ditch1
 and has some  loop-holes4 ,it is1 as   
the arabesque work about the door shows1
 an  ,arabic or ,mohammedan building4   
,it is badly lighted2 it was used as a  
granary or magazine for the troops      

stationed here1 and we were thus        
prevented from examining it4    ,around 
the outside of the whole of the above   
wide foundation1 and  on the outer edge 
of it1 a wall of most enormous stones is
 run up  to a very great height2 much of
 it1 it is true1 is fallen1 but it  was 
originally from forty to fifty feet     
high4 ,at the corners were  towers1 and 
in various places loop-holes2 at the    
east end a most  stupendous archway ran 
far in1 having its floor nearly on a    
level  with the ground without4         
,possibly there were two of them        
originally1  but one was partly closed1 
leaving a small entrance4 ,such great   
changes have been made on these ruins1  
by the fitting them up for a  fort1 that
 it is not easy to know what their      
original plan and uses  were4 ,the whole
 is surrounded by a deep wide ditch1    
which could be  filled with water2 it is
 now much filled up with rubbish4    ,a 
wall has originally extended from the   
south-east1 and possibly  also from the 

north-east1 across the narrow plain     
which lies between  the ruins and the   
hill to the east4 ,this wall1 much of   
which  remains1 has been of great       
strength4 ,on the side of the hill is a 
very large pediment1 and about it lie   
many pieces of a stupendous  column     
which once stood upon it4 ,no mortar or 
cement was used in the  construction of 
these works4 ,the rock has been cut so  
smooth1 and  fitted so exactly1 that it 
is impossible to insert the blade of a  
penknife between them4    ,i had heard  
that there were large columns of        
,egyptian granite among  these ruins4 ,i
 saw some fragments of small columns of 
that kind1 but  the large columns were  
all of the rock which abounds in the    
quarry  near4 ,there is1 in an old      
mosque not far from these ruins1 a      
number  of columns of ,egyptian granite1
 but none of them of a very large  kind4
 ,still they were large enough to start 
the inquiry how they  could have been   
brought from ,egypt to this place--how  

could masses  of rock1 three feet in    
diameter and ten or fifteen feet long1  
be  brought over ,mount ,lebanon1 which 
is so steep and high that it is a  great
 labour for man unloaded to pass8 ,that 
it is the true ,egyptian  granite1 all  
who know that rock will at once         
admit--no such rock is  found in ,syria4
    ,within the wall1 and among the     
rubbish1 is a small village4 ,the       
houses are indifferent1 and the         
population must be small4 ,the          
,christians live in one quarter1 and the
 ,mohammedans in another4    ,rather to 
our surprise1 on reaching ,baalbec1 we  
saw to the east of  the ruins a number  
of tents1 and other appearances of an   
encampment4  ,we learned in due time    
that there was stationed here a body of 
four  or five hundred ,egyptian         
troopers1 and that they had made this   
their head-quarters for several years   
past4 ,they lodged in tents  separated a
 little from each other1 so as to give  
room for fastening  their horses4 ,the  

tents were pitched in rows and the      
horses arranged  with some regularity4  
,all had a very pretty appearance4    ,i
 was interested in the contrivance for  
feeding their horses4  ,wood is not to  
be had here2 and it would be labour for 
a ,turk  to make a trough for his horse 
out of stone4 ,they have found a  softer
 material4 ,they take earth1 and making 
it into mortar1 form  a pile of about   
three feet in diameter1 and nearly the  
same in  height--the sides are then     
raised1 leaving a place within like a   
mortar1 in which the horse's food is    
placed4 ,there are rows of these        
horse-troughs1 as they may be called1   
all through the encampment1  and the    
horses regularly fastened to them4 ,as  
we walked round the  ruins one morning  
to get an entire view1 we passed near a 
tent1  before which1 under the shade of 
a tree1 sat several ,turkish  officers4 
,from their dress1 and some badges of   
honour which one or  two of them had on 
their breasts1 we took them for persons 

of some  distinction4 ,they kindly      
called us to come to the tent4 ,they had
  two very good chairs1 which they made 
us occupy1 seating themselves           
-la-turque4 ,they entered freely into   
conversation1 and made us  take a cup of
 coffee1 after which we pursued our     
walk4    ,we had intended to take up our
 quarters among the ruins1 but finding  
so many soldiers near1 we did not deem  
it prudent4 ,we therefore  applied to   
the ,latin convent1 but on pretence of  
being full they  did not admit us4 ,an  
offer was made us of a room in a house  
near  the convent1 but on examination it
 was so close1 dark1 and filthy1  that  
we preferred taking up our lodgings on  
the top of the house4  ,there we spread 
our carpets and spent two nights2 we    
found it a  very pleasant place4 ,it was
 cool and pleasant1 and no dew fell     
worth  mentioning4 ,the only            
inconvenience we experienced was1 in    
dressing  we were exposed to the gaze of
 all those who felt a wish to see how   

the ,franks put on their clothes1 shave 
their beards1 and do those  other things
 that are usually done in one's chamber4
    ,our route from ,baalbec was to the 
far-famed cedars4 ,they grow on  the    
,lebanon1 and on the side next the sea4 
,our road was directly  across the      
plain1 as the cedars are nearly opposite
 ,baalbec4 ,it  took us about two hours 
and a half to cross the plain4 ,this1 at
 the  usual mode of counting1 would make
 it nearly eight miles wide4 ,we  found 
scarcely any water in the plain2 there  
was indeed a small dry  channel1 and not
 far from it a slight trace of water1   
which was led  along so as to water some
 districts2 the quantity was small1 and 
must soon have been exhausted4 ,the     
noble body of water which came  from the
 set of springs near ,baalbec was       
separated near those ruins3  one part   
was carried to one side1 and the        
remainder to the other2  a considerable 
district through which they flowed was  
rich with  verdure4 ,a pretty line of   

trees marked for a mile or two the tract
  of the plain through which the water  
passed1 but at the end of a few  miles  
they appeared to be exhausted4 ,as the  
trees and richness of  verdure ceased1  
the plain below assumed its dry and     
parched aspect4  ,in these sunny plains 
the exhaustion of water must be very    
great2  and ,i now the less marvel to   
find lakes which have no outlets1 and   
rivers which are lost in the sand4 ,they
 become exhausted4    ,when we had      
nearly reached the foot of the ,lebanon1
 we saw a large  solitary pillar        
standing in the plain4 ,we saw no ruins 
near it4  ,we were told by a peasant    
that it was just like the pillars in    
,baalbec1 but what it was doing there   
alone he was unable to tell4    ,the    
ascent of ,mount ,lebanon was a most    
toilsome matter4 ,we had to  cross over 
one of the highest points of the        
mountain4 ,there is  another way which  
is more easy1 but farther2 we preferred 
crossing  the highest place1 as we might

 not cross here again1 and wished  to   
see the mountain in all its majesty4    
,the first ridge which we  ascended had 
more natural growth on it than any      
district ,i have seen  in this country4 
,it was pretty well covered with shrubs 
and low  trees--most of them oak4 ,the  
tops of most of the large ones had been 
cut off1 ,i suppose for fuel4 ,they     
appear to pursue a plan here1 much      
followed in some parts of ,france1      
,savoy1 and ,italy1 of cutting off  the 
tops of the trees for fuel2 and when the
 branches which shoot  out have grown to
 the thickness of a man's arm1 they are 
again cut  off for the same purpose1 and
 the same course still followed4    ,the
 rock on this ridge was wholly          
limestone4 ,as we approached the  top of
 it1 and near the foot of the main      
ridge1 the rock was very  soft and much 
broken from the action of the air upon  
it4 ,this  continued to be the character
 of the rock over most of the main      
ridge4 ,in some parts it was broken very

 fine and formed beds of  loose rock2 in
 which our mules sunk as if it were a   
bed of sand4  ,a little up the side of  
the main ridge rose a beautiful spring  
of  clear water1 which served to produce
 verdure over a small district  below4  
,there were a few trees and shrubs      
scattered over the ridge  almost to its 
summit2 but in these upper parts they   
were few and  small1 and far between4 ,i
 saw a few stunted cedars among them4   
,as we  approached the top1 we passed   
through several large banks of snow4    
,the face of the mountain was not       
generally covered with it1 but it  lay  
in large masses or spots where1 from    
some cause1 the wind had  thrown much of
 it together4 ,streams of water flowed  
from them4 ,when  on the top we had     
satisfactory evidence that we were on   
one of the  highest points of ,lebanon4 
,the ridge was narrow at this part of   
the  mountain2 there was no snow on the 
very summit1 nor was there much  on the 
north-west side--much less than on the  

south-east1 and much  less on either    
than on the ,sun-neen1 when ,i was there
 five weeks  ago4 ,the entire upper     
region was destitute of vegetation1 not 
a  bush to be seen1 and but a small     
sample even of the thistle1 which  of   
all other plants appears the most       
tenacious of spreading itself           
everywhere4    ,from this eminence we   
had a most extensive view to the        
west--the  long1 irregular slope of the 
mountain to the sea--the narrow plain   
along the coast--and the wide-spread    
,mediterranean1 till where the  heavens 
appeared to come down and fence in the  
waters4 ,but the  object which among the
 first was sought for1 was the          
cedars--the  far-famed cedars of        
,lebanon6 where could they be8    ,the  
,lebanon1 at this place1 makes on the   
side next the sea a  considerable bend1 
having the concave part next the sea4   
,we stood  opposite the deep and wide   
hollow that comes up from ,tripoli1 and 
down which flows a stream1 the head     

springs of which rose far below  our    
feet4 ,the mountain1 both to our right  
and left1 threw out high  and long      
ridges towards the sea4 ,we had a steep 
descent before us  of1 ,i should think1 
at least two thousand feet2 on the sides
 of  which not a bush was to be seen4   
,then1 there was a small level in  which
 several springs of water took their    
rise2 and from the lower  side of this  
level another deep and rough hollow     
opened1 with  stupendous precipices on  
its sides4 ,below this1 and along the   
sides1  we saw trees and a considerable 
village4 ,near the middle of the  little
 plain1 at the foot of the steep descent
 below us1 we saw a  clump of trees1 but
 they looked too few or too small for   
the cedars4  ,they resembled a small    
orchard of evergreens4 ,we found1       
however1  on reaching the plain1 that   
they were the cedars we sought4 ,they   
stand in irregular groups1 spread over  
several little stony knolls1  and may   
possibly cover eight or ten acres of    

ground4 ,they are not  what with us is  
called the cedar1 but a variety of the  
pine4 ,it is  a resinous tree bearing a 
cone4 ,the wood is of a white pine-like 
appearance4 ,we spread our carpets1 and 
spent the night under one of  the       
father-trees of this grove4    ,it is   
not easy to decide how many old trees   
there are2 eight or  ten have a more    
venerable appearance than the remainder2
 still  others approach them so nearly  
in size and marks of age1 that it is    
difficult to say why one should be      
called old and the other young4  ,i once
 thought of counting the grove1 but from
 the irregularity  of the ground1 and   
the situation of the trees1 this was no 
easy  matter--especially for a man who  
had crossed the ,lebanon the same  day4 
,i counted1 however1 a small section1   
and am disposed to think  that there may
 be from #cjj to #ejj trees that are    
more than a foot  in diameter--possibly 
#aej that may be above two feet--and    
about #ej  or #fj that may be from three

 to four feet in diameter4 ,a few we    
measured2 the largest was #ci feet in   
circumference--one #cb--one  #bi--one   
#bh1 and one #bc3 these may serve as a  
sample4 ,most of the  large ones forked 
near the ground1 and were rather        
assemblages of  trees from the same root
 than a single tree4 ,those of the third
 size  had some of them fine1 straight  
bodies1 and ran up to a considerable    
height4 ,we procured some specimens of  
the wood1 and a sample of the  cones1   
and then bid adieu to this              
much-talked-of grove4    ,it is pretty  
certain that this grove did not furnish 
wood for  ,solomon4 ,it lies opposite   
,tripoli1 which is two days north of    
,beyroot1 and ,beyroot is north of ,tyre
 and ,sidon4 ,it lies up far  from the  
sea1 and has a piece of country between 
it and the sea1 as  rough as can well be
 found anywhere4 ,the grove does not    
appear to  be diminishing1 but rather   
increasing4 ,i saw no stumps of fallen  
trees1 and young ones are springing up4 

,there is a kind of religious  reverence
 for these trees among the neighbouring 
villagers4 ,they  have a singular       
appearance standing alone in the midst  
of a small  plain on which no other     
trees grow1 with no other trees above   
them1  nor for a considerable space     
below4 ,another singular fact is1 that  
there is no water running among them4   
,there is a stream on the  side of the  
plain1 but it comes not near them4 ,the 
ground appears  enriched with the leaves
 that fall from them1 and looks         
precisely as  the soil usually does in a
 pine grove4    ,leaving the cedars1 we 
passed down the valley2 a most rough and
  steep descent4 ,we passed a village   
well watered1 surrounded with  mulberry1
 poplar1 willow and fruit trees of      
various kinds4 ,the state  of           
cultivation on both sides of the valley1
 for some distance down1  was much      
better than ,i have usually seen in     
these mountains4 ,several  villages were
 in sight4    ,i noticed that the       

females here had a new kind of horn4 ,it
 was  only about six inches long1 but   
much larger than those worn at  ,beyroot
 and ,bru-ma-nah4 ,it was like the crown
 of a very small hat1  with the front   
part a little enlarged like the mouth of
 a bowl4  ,it is fastened on the top of 
the head1 but a little back1 and  has   
much ornament upon it4 ,in our descent  
we passed a sandstone  formation2 there 
were no pines upon it1 as upon those    
formations  near ,bru-ma-nah4 ,near the 
mouth of this hollow1 the rock becomes  
very irregular1 and has the dip much    
more near the top4 ,this is  especially 
the case with the secondary ridges and  
the irregular  hills which rise between 
the main ridge and the sea4 ,there is a 
plain of some extent between ,tripoli1  
which stands on the sea-shore1  and the 
foot of the mountain1 interspersed with 
vineyards1 fields1  villages1 and fine  
groves of olive4 ,there is much rock on 
the  surface2 their mode is to throw the
 rock out of the fields and  vineyards  

into the road1 to the great annoyance of
 the traveller4    ,we passed a very    
high rock in the middle of the plain    
which had  a wide1 high1 flat face to   
the south--in that face ,i counted the  
mouths of nearly thirty tombs4 ,most of 
them were from ten to twelve  feet high4
 ,there was a house on the top1 said to 
be a convent4    ,we also passed an old 
city1 which must once have been a place 
of  great strength4 ,the walls are      
nearly perfect and very strong4 ,there  
are but few people in the city4 ,it     
stands there almost alone4  ,most of the
 houses within are gone1 and cultivated 
spots occupy  their place4 ,it is said  
to be the city of ,gebal1 ,ez4 xxvii4   
#i1  now called ,jebail4 ,the plain     
along the coast is rough--has a few     
villages--several small rivers enter4   
,on the banks of one1 ,nahr  ,el-,kelb1 
or ,dog river1 which has a good bridge  
over it1 we saw some  figures cut on the
 face of the rock4 ,they are very       
ancient1 and it  is said that the       

,persian arrow-head may be seen4 ,i did 
not stop to  examine them4 ,they are too
 much defaced to be deciphered          
correctly4          ,,letter ,,viii4    
,beyroot1 ,september #ab1 #ahcf4    ,we 
have had a very pleasant visit at this  
place from the ,american  squadron1     
consisting of the ,constitution1 the    
,united ,states1 and  the ,john ,adams1 
under the command of ,commodore         
,elliott4 ,the general  regret was1 that
 its stay was so short--less than one   
week4 ,it is  seldom that vessels of    
war1 except those of ,mohammed ,ali1    
visit  this place4 ,the ,english1       
although they keep a large force in the 
,mediterranean1 have not sent one ship  
of war to this coast for  several years1
 and the last one sent was of a very    
small size4 ,the  ,delaware1 under      
,commodore ,patterson1 was here two     
years ago1 and  made a very good        
impression of ,american character and   
power4 ,at  that time the stay was      
longer1 and ,i was told by a gentleman  

of the  place1 who had the best         
opportunity of knowing1 that he supposed
  about forty thousand persons visited  
the ship during ,commodore  ,patterson's
 visit4 ,a very large number visited the
 vessels during  the few days that they 
remained here under ,commodore ,elliott4
    ,i was on board the ,constitution on
 the ,sabbath1 and present at  public   
worship4 ,several from ,beyroot         
attended1 and it was pleasing  to see   
full attendance of officers and men1 and
 the perfect quiet  and respectful      
attention which the crew exhibited4 ,the
 youngest  child of the ,american consul
 had not been baptized1 and he expressed
  a wish to have it baptized on board   
the ,constitution1 and by the  chaplain 
of that vessel4 ,this was done at his   
request1 and the child  named           
,washington2 and thus1 as was pleasantly
 remarked to him1  he has now a good    
constitutional child4 ,in the afternoon1
 the  ,commodore and some of his        
officers attended worship on shore at   

the  consul's1 where service is         
regularly performed1 usually by one of  
the ,american missionaries1 or some     
other preacher of the gospel who  may be
 present4    ,the commanders and        
officers deserve great credit for the   
readiness  they manifest to satisfy the 
natural but almost troublesome          
curiosity of the many who go off to see 
the vessels4 ,it is really  no little   
trouble to be employed from morning to  
night1 and that  from day to day1 in    
receiving company after company--it may 
be  having three or four companies on   
board at the same time--taking  them    
through the ship1 and showing and       
explaining to them whatever  excites    
their notice4 ,it is not to be wondered 
at1 that in the  public vessels of most 
of the ,european powers1 this privilege 
is  allowed but to a few4 ,the ,american
 commanders have1 very wisely1 ,i       
think1 adopted the plan of indulging and
 gratifying the curiosity of  the       
people1 although at the expense of      

trouble to themselves4 ,the  ,american  
flag is not much known as yet in these  
seas2 the nation is  not much known4    
,of the few ,americans scattered around 
these shores1 a considerable  portion   
are the missionaries and their helpers1 
who are labouring  to dispel the        
darkness that rests on these countries2 
to impart  correct knowledge of religion
 and morals2 to break the chains  which 
gross superstition has here laid on the 
human mind1 and to  promote all kinds of
 useful knowledge and improvement4 ,most
 of  these missionaries are regularly   
educated men1 and all of them of  good  
repute as to morals and religion4 ,from 
the peculiar state  of superstition and 
bigotry in these countries--from a      
watchful  jealousy of a corrupt and     
dominant priesthood1 it must be expected
  that a jealousy will be felt towards  
missionaries1 and efforts made  to      
counteract their labours to do good4    
,the occasional visits of  the ,american
 squadron to those quarters where these 

benevolent  men are labouring1 the      
pleasant and profitable intercourse     
which  the officers may have with the   
missionaries1 and those among whom  they
 labour1 has a most kindly influence4   
,so far as ,i have had an  opportunity  
of learning1 and my opportunities have  
extended to most  of the mission        
stations1 the visits of these public    
vessels have  been most grateful to the 
missionaries4 ,the commandants1 and many
  of the officers1 have manifested so   
much good will to missionaries  as      
individuals1 and such interest in the   
success of their efforts  to improve the
 moral and religious condition of these 
countries1 as  encouraged them in their 
work1 and is not without its good effect
 on  those among whom they are          
labouring4          ,,letter ,,ix4      
,beyroot1 ,september #bj1 #ahcf4        
,yesterday1 ,ibrahim ,pasha reached this
 place in an ,egyptian frigate  from    
,tripoli1 on his way to the south4 ,he  
landed about the middle of  the day1    

under a salute from the forts1 and was  
escorted by a body  of troops to a large
 house outside the walls1 and near the  
sands4  ,in the afternoon1 the ,american
 consul1 who was about to call on the   
,pasha1 as is usual with the consuls on 
such occasions1 was so kind  as to call 
and take me with him4 ,we found a       
company of soldiers  before the door1   
and a number of officers and dignitaries
 of various  kinds1 in waiting4 ,we were
 asked into a carpeted room1 with a     
divan1  that is1 a low seat covered with
 cushions1 on all sides4 ,the ,pasha    
was seated in one corner2 several       
consuls with their suites were  in the  
act of leaving when we entered4 ,he     
returned our salutations  with an       
inclination of the head1 and a slight   
motion of his hand to  his breast1 and  
pointed us to seats on the divan a few  
feet from  him--the consul on his right 
and myself on his left4    ,the ,pasha  
is a short man1 but heavily built1 and  
,i should judge from  his appearance    

that he has considerable muscular force4
 ,he has a  coarse1 homely1 round face1 
but none of its features can be called  
striking4 ,his skin is rather rough and 
coarse1 and looks as if it  would bear  
washing more frequently than it receives
 it1 and would  not be the worse if some
 soap were at times added to the water4 
,this was the case also with his hands1 
which looked as if they had  never known
 a glove4 ,they were fleshy--the fingers
 short but thick1  and indicated a      
powerful grasp4 ,he wore the ,turkish   
dress1 which1  as you know1 consists of 
a long robe open in front1 and also at  
the  sides from the knees down1 showing 
the large loose trousers worn  under    
them4 ,his outside garment was of a     
flesh-coloured silk2 the  second1 which 
showed itself at the breast1 was striped
 silk4 ,his  girdle was a variegated    
,cashmere shawl1 forming a bandage round
 him  of a foot in width4 ,this shawl   
was not of the finest kind4 ,he had  a  
plain red fez on his head1 with no other

 ornament upon it than  the usual blue  
tassel4 ,he wore plain stockings and a  
pair of red  slippers4 ,in truth1 his   
whole dress was far inferior to that of 
a  number of persons who came in and    
paid their respects to him while  we    
were there4 ,most of them1 however1 wore
 the large ,turkish cloak2  he was      
without any4 ,take him all in all1 the  
man and the dress1 and  ,i think that at
 least one half of those who came in    
while we were  there1 were his equals1  
if not his superiors4 ,he conversed     
freely1  laughed a good deal1 and       
several times very heartily4 ,i could   
not  understand enough of the           
conversation to know what things had the
  power of pleasing and amusing him4 ,at
 times1 ,i thought a sour  and severe   
expression gathered on his countenance4 
,he spoke with  interest of the         
,american squadron1 and the politeness  
of ,commodore  ,elliott in showing him  
everything about his vessel4 ,he was    
evidently  struck with the style and    

equipment of our vessels4 ,he mentioned 
with much satisfaction some small       
present the commodore made him4  ,the   
visiters were announced by an officer in
 waiting1 and approached  him usually   
one at a time4 ,when they were ,turks1  
and possibly the  case was the same with
 all but ,franks1 they kneeled on one or
 both  knees1 making the ,turkish       
salutation1 and kissed his hand1 which  
he  held out to them2 then rose1        
repeating the application of the hand   
to the forehead and breast1 and retired 
to the part of the room or  divan to    
which he pointed them4 ,the more        
respectable persons were  invited to be 
seated4    ,one of his objects in coming
 to ,beyroot is1 to visit the coal-mines
  in this vicinity4 ,he referred to this
 object1 saying with a laugh  that he   
was going to ,corneil to turn           
coal-merchant4 ,he has for  some time   
been trying to make the coal-mines of   
advantage to his  close-run treasury2   
but he is a poor manager1 and until he  

adopts a  better plan he is not likely  
to make a fortune at the coal-trade4    
,he has the mines worked mainly by      
mountaineers pressed into the  service1 
who are1 at the end of a few weeks or   
months1 changed  for others2 and thus1  
as soon as they learn how to work1 they 
are  changed for those again who must be
 taught4 ,ibrahim ,pasha is1  however1 a
 man of some force of character1 and has
 a mind more  fit1 it is said1 for the  
department of a soldier than that of a  
statesman4 ,he has for many years led   
the armies of his father  ,mohammed     
,ali1 and1 in many contested fields1 he 
has won laurels  which do not fall on   
the head of every general4 ,the regions 
of  ,upper ,egypt1 the plains of        
,arabia1 the land of ,palestine1 the    
interior of ,asia ,minor1 not to mention
 ,greece and the ,isles1 have  felt the 
desolation caused by his troops4 ,it is 
said1 however1 that  the father is the  
man who plans--that without him as the  
head1 the  son will make but a poor     

business of it2 and those who thus      
consider  the matter1 infer1 that when  
the father dies1 the wide domain which  
now submits to his sway will fall in    
pieces1 and become the prey of  those   
who may have the power and skill to come
 in for the spoil4  ,i know not how much
 ground for these opinions may          
exist--but one  thing we know1 that     
power acquired and perpetuated by crime1
 usually  terminates in the ruin of     
those who have wielded it4    ,with     
respect to his private character1 ,i    
have not learned much2  but part of what
 ,i have learned is not much to his     
credit4 ,it is  generally admitted that 
he is a very intemperate man1 and often 
under the influence of strong drink4    
,the ,turks1 indeed1 are1 many  of them1
 fond of ardent spirits1 and the law of 
,mohammed to the  contrary1 will1       
notwithstanding1 take strong drink when 
they can  get it4 ,when among the ruins 
of ,baalbec1 a soldier came1 and for    
some time hung about us4 ,we could not  

tell what the man wanted1 at  length he 
asked for spirits4 ,we had none1 and    
told him so1 asking  him if he was not  
ashamed to violate his religion in      
drinking what  it forbids8 ,oh1 he said1
 he could not read1--he did not know    
what  might be in the ,koran4 ,i have at
 other times seen them drink1 and do  it
 with a great apparent relish4 ,from all
 ,i see1 ,i am inclined to  the opinion 
that ,mohammedanism is fast losing its  
hold on thousands  of its followers1 all
 through these regions1 and the same    
holds  good with that corrupt system of 
,christianity which prevails here4      
,there are an increasing number who are 
having their eyes opened to  see the    
grossness of its superstition--who see  
and understand more  and more the tricks
 of the priesthood2 and most of them1   
having no  idea of pure1 ,bible1        
,protestant ,christianity1 are likely to
 plunge  into scepticism and downright  
infidelity4 ,there is need of a tenfold 
increase of active effort1 to spread    

abroad among these communities  the pure
 word of truth--the knowledge of        
,christ--the healing1  purifying        
doctrines of the ,gospel4    ,i have    
heard of several tricks of ,ibrahim     
,pasha's1 which show  something of the  
man4 ,it is an object constantly kept in
 view with  him1 to increase his army4  
,this is done in great part by seizing  
persons1 mostly young men and boys1 and 
making soldiers of them4  ,this is      
confined to the ,mohammedans4 ,a report 
got out1 however1  that he intended to  
take a number of the ,ansairi for       
soldiers4 ,they  occupy a district of   
the mountains north of ,tripoli1 and    
onward to  ,aleppo4 ,the ,ansairi took  
the alarm1 and fled to their fastnesses 
and  strong places in the mountains4    
,his troops1 that were in fact sent  out
 as a press-gang to take them1 returned 
with very few--it was a  failure4 ,then 
did the wily ,ibrahim set his trap1 and 
use these few  for the bait4 ,he        
inquired who they were1 and being       

answered that  they were ,ansairi1 he   
ordered them to be freed1 saying that he
 did  not want such--he wanted none for 
his armies but good ,mohammedans4  ,the 
,ansairi are a mongrel sort of ,turks1  
who have a strange medley  of religious 
notions and practices1 which are but    
partially known1  and not1 as yet1      
satisfactorily classed--neither         
,christians1  ,mohammedans1 nor ,pagans1
 but a little of all4 ,the liberated    
,ansairi  were greatly pleased at their 
escape1 reported it to their brethren1  
who came down from their mountains1 and 
were taken in great  numbers4 ,the      
person who related the fact saw nearly a
 thousand of  them marched into ,aleppo 
in chains1 to be drilled and trained for
  soldiers4    ,the most important      
religious sects in this region are the  
,greeks1  ,maronites1 ,druses1 and      
,mohammedans4 ,the ,greeks are divided  
into the  ,greek and the ,catholic      
,greek4 ,the ,greeks differ from the    
,catholic  or ,roman church in several  

things4 ,one of the chief points of     
difference is about the procession of   
the ,holy ,spirit1 which they  hold to  
be from the ,son only1 and not from the 
,father and ,son1 as  held by the ,roman
 church1 and in which the ,protestant   
churches are  mostly agreed with the    
latter4 ,the ,greek church allows the   
free use  of the ,scriptures2 rejects   
images in worship2 but are madly set on 
the use of pictures4 ,they reject the   
authority of the ,pope4    ,the ,pope   
and his missionaries have long made most
 strenuous efforts  to bring the ,greek 
church to an agreement with him and a   
subjection  to his authority4 ,they have
 for centuries employed missionaries and
  agents of all sorts to accomplish     
this4 ,nor have these efforts been      
wholly without effect4 ,throughout the  
,east1 where the ,greek church  exists1 
there are a portion who have been       
prevailed on to admit the  authority of 
the ,pope1 and more or less modify their
 ,greek notions  to a nearer conformity 

to the popish standard4 ,these are      
called  ,greek ,catholics4 ,they are    
pretty numerous in many places1 and have
 a  good deal of influence all through  
these regions4    ,the ,maronites take  
their name from an individual who       
somehow  contrived to be the head of a  
party1 and to leave it his name as an   
inheritance4 ,they differ1 ,i am told1  
but very little from the ,roman         
,catholics2 hardly as much as the       
distinctive character of their name     
would seem to indicate4    ,it is not   
yet fully decided what the ,druses are4 
,some assert that  they are worshippers 
of the calf4 ,they have a secret which  
is  imparted only to a part of their    
people4 ,this part is what may be       
called the enlightened--the             
initiated--the knowing--and they1 like  
the freemasons among us1 are most       
careful not to divulge the secret4      
,they form a large part of the          
population of ,mount ,lebanon4 ,they    
appear to be a quiet and well-disposed  

people1 but it is not easy to  find out 
what are their real religious principles
 and belief4 ,they  are charged by some 
with modifying1 or pretending to modify1
 their  opinions to suit those with whom
 they may be4 ,with a ,mohammedan  they 
are ,mohammedans1 and with a ,christian 
they are almost1 if not  altogether     
,christian4 ,but in this they may plead 
the example of many  who have gone      
before them1 and modelled their creed to
 suit the  circumstances of the times4  
,the ,mohammedans are the followers of  
,mohammed1 who lived in the  early part 
of the seventh century1 and introduced a
 new religion4  ,his system borrows some
 things from ,judaism1 and some from    
,christianity1 but in many important    
matters differs from both4 ,nor  is it  
,paganism1 having a most decided        
aversion to idolatry4 ,it  would take   
more time than ,i can at present spare1 
to give a full  account of it4 ,it may  
suffice to say1 that ,mohammed          
acknowledged the  truth of the ,jewish  

religion--all the ,jewish prophets he   
received  as prophets of the ,lord4--,he
 admitted that ,jesus ,christ was a     
great prophet1 yea1 the greatest prophet
 that up to his time had  come into the 
world1 and that the religion he taught  
was the true  religion4 ,but he         
pretended that he himself was sent as   
the last and  greatest of all prophets1 
and authorized to make such changes in  
the  religion of the ,jews and          
,christians as to justify its being     
called  a new religion--and that his    
system as set forth in the ,koran is    
now1 since he came1 the only true       
religion4 ,he made circumcision a  rite 
in his system4 ,they give much honour to
 the saints of the ,old  ,testament1 the
 church and the apostles4 ,their worship
 is plain4 ,they  are wholly opposed to 
the use of images or pictures4 ,their   
chief  day of worship is ,friday4 ,they 
pray much1 have long fasts1 allow a     
plurality of wives2 but in practice this
 is not as common as many  have         

supposed1 and is confined to a          
comparatively small number4    ,one of  
those things that immediately strikes   
the notice of a  traveller in these     
regions1 is the number of monasteries   
and  religious houses1 and the          
peculiarity of their situation4 ,there  
may  be eight or ten counted from       
,beyroot2 and how many may be within    
the range of twenty or thirty miles1 ,i 
cannot well conjecture4 ,from  the      
number ,i passed in going to the top of 
,lebanon1 and returning  from the       
,cedars by ,tripoli1 ,i must suppose    
them to be from one  to two hundred4 ,a 
friend of mine counted sixteen from a   
place  near ,nahr-,el-,kelb2 and a      
native assured me that from the top of a
  mountain near ,nahr-,el-,kelb1 nearly 
one hundred could be seen4 ,the  number 
of houses for men is much greater than  
those for women4  ,there must of course 
be a considerable number of monks1 but  
it has  occurred to me that the actual  
number is not as great as the number  of

 houses would seem to indicate2 many    
houses have but a scanty  number of     
inmates4 ,to the inquiry1 which ,i have 
often made1 whether  the monastery      
system is not losing its hold on the    
public mind8 it  has generally been     
answered1 that no very perceptible      
change could  be noticed4 ,i am still1  
however1 of the opinion1 that the system
  is not as favourably received as it   
was in times past2 and ,i shall  be     
greatly disappointed if it does not1 and
 that before long1  appear that the     
system is wearing out4 ,general         
developments have  been made1 which show
 that these houses are seats of         
corruption  and abomination1 and that   
the best interests of the church and of 
society would be promoted by the        
system's coming to an end4    ,beyroot  
has been the main seat of the ,palestine
 mission4 ,this has  been the usual     
residence of the missionaries1 and here 
and in  the vicinity most of their      
labours have been expended4 ,good1 no   

doubt1 has been accomplished4 ,it has   
been1 however1 a hard soil to           
cultivate4 ,there are peculiar          
difficulties to be met with in the      
character1 habits1 and especially the   
ignorance and deep-rooted  religious    
prejudices of the people4 ,the ,arabic  
language1 which is  the one almost      
universally spoken here1 is a language  
difficult  to acquire so as to use it   
freely in preaching4 ,of course1 some   
time must be lost before a missionary   
can so master the language  as to do    
much in clerical addresses to the       
people4 ,a part of their  efforts have  
been directed to schools1 and in this   
place have made  some progress4 ,they   
had a number of schools1 and were       
through them  operating well on the     
minds of the people4 ,about three months
 ago1  at the same time that the        
movement was made against the           
missionaries  in ,greece1 ,smyrna1 and  
the adjacent parts1 a similar movement  
was  made here1 and the effect has been1

 the suspension of most of the  common  
schools4 ,i have no doubt that is a part
 of a wide-spread  plan to counteract   
and break up1 or render unavailing1 if  
possible1  all missionary operations in 
and around the ,mediterranean4 ,i hope  
it will fail1 and ,i doubt not but that 
it will4 ,it may1 however1  make the    
missionary work more difficult1 and1 for
 a time1 less  productive of its desired
 fruit4 ,i have no doubt the hand of the
  ,roman ,catholics is in the           
matter--for in all places and at all    
times  they have greatly withstood      
missionary efforts4    ,there is a      
mission press at this place4 ,it has    
laboured under great  difficulties for  
the want of many things to make complete
 their  ,arabic fonte1 and from the     
impossibility of procuring them here1   
and  the delay in getting them from     
,america or ,europe4 ,the distribution  
of books is one of the ways of          
operating4 ,something has been done  and
 is still doing2 but the watchful       

adversary is now opposing this  mode of 
working4 ,much suspicion is excited     
against their books1 and  from time to  
time we hear of some being burned4 ,in a
 late tour we  had some books with us1  
but found that in most of the villages  
the  people had been warned against     
receiving them4 ,all these things are   
to be expected4 ,it is not to be        
supposed that the enemy will quietly    
see the light of the gospel poured upon 
his dark empire of ignorance  and       
superstition4 ,i should not wonder at an
 effort being made to add  more severe  
measures than burning books and         
withdrawing children  from school4      
,indeed1 there was an effort made about 
three months  since1 to drive the       
mission families from the mountains1    
where they  had gone to spend the sickly
 season1 and were about opening schools 
for the summer4 ,the prince of the      
village1 at the instigation1 as  he     
admitted1 of the ,catholic priest1      
forbade his people to have any          

intercourse with them1 to buy or to sell
 to them1 and threatened  to burn down  
the houses in which the missionaries    
might reside4  ,the ,american consul    
laid the case before the ,emeer         
,busheer1 the  head prince of the       
mountains1 and claimed for them1 as     
respectable1  well-conducted ,american  
citizens1 who had for health gone to the
  mountains for a few months1 the right 
of protection usually enjoyed4  ,the    
,emeer sent an officer and inquired into
 the case--reversed the  orders of the  
local prince1 and assured them of his   
protection4  ,it was a lesson which ,i  
hope the local authorities will not soon
  forget4 ,the prince who made the      
attempt to oppress and oppose  them had 
not long before become a ,catholic4 ,the
 ,emeer ,busheer who  protected them is 
not a ,catholic2 he was until recently  
considered  a ,moslem1 but now professes
 to be a ,maronite ,christian4 ,thus the
  ,lord can raise protectors and helpers
 from whom he pleases--make of  stones  

children to ,abraham4    ,a few nights  
since we had our attention called to a  
very pretty  spectacle4 ,as it began to 
grow dark1 we observed bonfires lighted 
in the neighbourhood1 and other tokens  
of festivity4 ,we went to the  terrace  
on the top of the house1 which commanded
 a most extensive  view of ,mount       
,lebanon1 a view of nearly thirty miles4
 ,along the  whole range we could see   
the bonfires glaring4 ,they looked1 on  
the  dark side of the mountain1 like    
stars on the face of the deep blue      
vault of heaven4 ,i made several        
attempts to count them2 but it was  much
 like counting the stars1 which1 when a 
boy1 ,i often attempted  to do1 but     
almost always abandoned1 before ,i      
reached a hundred1 from  a strange      
feeling of the difficulty of continuing 
the enumeration1  when the objects lay  
thus without order4 ,these bonfires were
 of all  sizes1 and were often marked by
 fitful blazes of light1 as new fuel    
was thrown on them4 ,others would       

glimmer and expire1 while new ones      
would burst forth1 and soon attain to   
the first magnitude1 and then  die away1
 or be subjects of those fitful flashes 
that indicated the  addition of fresh   
fuel4    ,on inquiry ,i learned that    
this was the feast of the ,cross1 and   
that these illuminations and bonfires   
were in commemoration of the  finding of
 the true cross by the ,empress ,helena4
 ,it is said that  on her way to        
,jerusalem she gave orders that         
preparation should be  made that1 in    
case she was successful in finding the  
cross1 the  event might be made known by
 bonfires1 and thus the intelligence  be
 communicated to ,constantinople4 ,much 
of the religion of these  people        
consists in such things4 ,their         
fasts--their attending  mass--their     
worshipping and kissing the             
pictures--keeping the holy  days--and   
counting their beads1 constitute the    
principal part of  their religion4 ,as  
to the pure service of the heart--faith 

that  worketh by love--regeneration by  
the ,spirit--a new moral nature1        
effected through the word of truth under
 the agencies of the ,holy  ,spirit1    
with most if not all the other elements 
of real genuine  piety1 they are almost 
wholly ignorant4 ,it is1 indeed1        
astonishing  that a people1 who have the
 book of ,god in their hands1 should so 
long remain in utter darkness and       
ignorance of that spirituality  which   
beams forth from all parts of it4 ,this 
whole region is yet  in the dark ages4  
,let any one who wishes to form a       
correct idea of  the state of things    
here1 read a well-written account of the
 middle  ages--the preliminary          
dissertation to ,robertson's ,history of
 ,charles  the ,fifth1 and ,hallam on   
the ,middle ,ages--and he will have     
before  him the leading features of the 
state of the church and society  now    
found here4 ,the agreement will not1 it 
is true1 hold good in  all points1 but  
in the main there is a strong family    

likeness4  ,may the ,lord soon raise up 
reformers6--and may the truth soon go   
forth as the light1 and his revelation  
as a lamp that burneth6 ,the            
reformation in ,europe was preceded by  
many things which betokened  the coming 
of day2 and there are many things now   
which bespeak the  approach of a time of
 light1 life1 and salvation1 for these  
regions  that have long lain waste4 ,the
 last ten years have witnessed great    
changes1 and we hope the next ten will  
record still greater4    ,you have often
 heard of the ,sherock1 or ,siroc1 as it
 is often  spelled4 ,the weather had    
become much cooler1 but this strong     
south  wind has brought it back to its  
greatest summer heat4 ,it does not      
usually blow more than two or three days
 at a time2 but we have had  it now for 
four or five days1 and it still         
continues4 ,many persons  complain much 
of it--feel it in every nerve4 ,it does 
not affect  me1 except as it makes the  
air warm and oppressive4    ,last night1

 for some unknown cause1 connected      
probably with the  ,sherock1 7which is  
made to bear the blame of all sorts of  
evils1  and ought in fairness get credit
 for some good17 we had the most  heavy 
dew at ,beyroot that ,i have seen in    
,syria4 ,this is the more  remarkable1  
as the dews have usually been very      
light4 ,it fell  copiously soon after   
sunset1 and this morning the earth      
looked as  if a little shower of rain   
had fallen4 ,there was also this        
morning1  for the first time since ,i   
came to ,beyroot1 a dense fog--one of   
the  most dense ,i ever saw--this also  
is to be ascribed to the ,sherock1 ,i   
suppose4    ,yesterday ,i visited the   
ruins of ,dair-,el-,kollah1 which lie   
near a  village called ,bate-,meiry1    
about three hours' ride from ,beyroot4  
,they are of the same style of building 
as those of ,baalbec1 but on  a much    
smaller scale4 ,it has most likely been 
an old temple4 ,the  stones are         
enormous1 but not equal to the largest  

at ,baalbec4 ,most  of the wall has been
 thrown down1 but one or two of the     
lower rows  lie in their places4 ,the   
stone is put together without cement1   
and  the face1 like those of ,baalbec1  
made so smooth1 that you could  not put 
a knife in the crack4 ,the pillars      
before the building were  large1 but not
 equal to those of ,baalbec4 ,they were 
composed of  three pieces2 the lower    
one1 about twelve feet long1 alone      
remains  standing4 ,the rock is a coarse
 marble1 and ,i saw a few fragments of  
granite4 ,these ruins are on the top of 
the secondary ridge1 about  half way to 
the top of ,mount ,lebanon2 a church now
 stands on part of  them4               
,,letter ,x4        ,jaffa1 ,sept4      
#cjth1 #ahcf4    ,i have at length set  
out to make a tour through ,palestine1  
or at  least a part of it1 and will send
 you some brief notices of what  may    
particularly engage my attention4 ,the  
great heat which we felt  in this       
country1 particularly on the plains1    

induced me to defer my  tour thus long1 
as ,i judged it not well to run         
unnecessary hazard  in my eagerness to  
see the chosen land1 and to visit the   
places  referred to in the ,holy        
,scriptures4 ,the great heats of summer 
are  now past1 showers of rain have     
already fallen1 and the driving up of   
clouds at one time from the north1 and  
at another from the south1  betoken the 
approach of those copious showers1 which
 the earth1  parched by a whole summer's
 sun1 so much requires1 and which man   
and  beast need to refresh their        
exhausted system4    ,we went on board a
 small vessel on the #bhth1 but the wind
 was so  light that we were only off the
 sands1 and still in sight of ,beyroot  
the next morning4 ,during the next day  
we had very little wind1 and  made but  
slow progress4 ,towards night1 however1 
a wind sprang up1  and we passed ,sidon1
 but at too great a distance to have a  
good view  of it4 ,i hope to obtain this
 on my return1 as my plan is to return  

by land1 for the purpose of seeing as   
much as ,i can of the country4    ,the  
mountains appear to retain nearly the   
same height and appearance  as those    
near ,beyroot4 ,they seemed1 however1 to
 fall back from the  sea and leave a    
wider plain along the coast1 and to the 
south they  appeared to decrease in     
height4 ,night came on1 and shut out the
  land from our observation4 ,with the  
night1 a fine wind arose1 and  began to 
pass rapidly to the south4 ,about       
midnight we passed ,soor1  the ancient  
,tyre3 we were thus unable to see it4   
,it would have been  pleasant to have   
seen it from the sea1 and to have been  
able to  make some observations on the  
plains and mountains1 by which it is    
surrounded on the land side4 ,we passed 
,acre too early1 and at too  great a    
distance to see it distinctly4 ,it has a
 wide plain to the  east1 and a little  
to the south-east the great plain of    
,esdralon  extends from the             
,mediterranean to the sea of ,tiberias4 

,having a most  favourable wind1 we     
passed on at a great rate1 and just as  
the sun  rose we passed the north end of
 ,mount ,carmel4 ,it is a mountain1 or  
hill as we should call it1 a straight   
and regular ridge1 eight or  ten miles  
long1 running north and south2 on the   
top and side next  us1 almost wholly    
destitute of trees1 and without         
cultivation4 ,it  has very little rock  
on the surface except near the north    
end--much  less than ,lebanon1 and      
appears favourable for cultivation4     
,i should not have estimated ,carmel to 
be more than eight hundred  or one      
thousand feet high4 ,it is1 however1    
usually said to be much  higher4 ,this  
ridge is separated from the branches of 
the ,lebanon by  a part of the plain of 
,esdralon4 ,indeed1 ,lebanon has come   
down from  the great loftiness which it 
has near ,sidon1 and has spread itself  
over the country in small ridges4       
,carmel lies more west than the         
,lebanon range4 ,at its north end it    

forms an abrupt termination in a  bold  
promontory4 ,on the top of this         
promontory1 and near the end1 is  a     
monastery belonging to the ,latins4     
,there are a few monks there1  how many 
,i did not learn4 ,it has an imposing   
appearance1 but ,i could  see no other  
human habitation near it4 ,there is a   
plain of varied  width between ,carmel  
and the shore4 ,it is almost wholly     
destitute  of trees1 hardly a bush to be
 seen unless of a very small size4 ,the 
plain varies in width from one to two   
miles4 ,much of it1 especially  near the
 shore1 was covered with sand4 ,i saw no
 human being1 or  human habitation on   
it1 except a few old ruins4 ,a few miles
 south of  the monastery there were     
considerable ruins on a sandy point that
  projects into the sea4 ,it has1       
probably1 been a fort4    ,at the       
distance of eight or nine miles from the
 promontory1 the  ridge called ,carmel  
suddenly sinks down1 and gives place to 
a  wide-spread plain4 ,near the south   

end of the mountain1 they point  out on 
the shore the site of the famous city   
,cesarea1 which is often  mentioned in  
the ,new ,testament--the place where    
,paul was detained a  prisoner many     
years1 and made his admirable defence   
before ,agrippa  and ,festus4 ,it was   
once a place of considerable importance1
 rose  suddenly to much celebrity1 and  
almost as suddenly declined1 and for  a 
long period has been in a state of utter
 desolation4 ,i saw a few  pillars      
standing1 and some other remains of     
departed greatness4 ,the  plain which   
begins at the southern end of ,carmel1  
is the celebrated  plain of ,sharon4    
,we reached ,jaffa about the middle of  
the afternoon1 having had a  most       
expeditious sail from ,sidon4 ,the wind 
had served us a good  turn1 in bringing 
us so soon to ,jaffa1 but we now        
experienced  another consequence not so 
pleasant2 it still blew hard1 and made  
the sea so rough that we could not land4
 ,the harbour of ,jaffa is not  good1 or

 rather there is no harbour worth the   
name4 ,we had to anchor  some miles out 
at sea1 where there was a tremendous    
swell2 there was  no help1 we had to    
bear it as we could4 ,we landed the next
 morning1  and were most kindly received
 by the ,american consul4 ,he did all in
  his power to render us comfortable4   
,jaffa stands on a sandy point1 which   
projects a little distance into  the    
sea4 ,the ground at the point is more   
elevated than farther  back4 ,it is a   
walled town1 with a double wall and     
fosse in some  places1 all1 however1    
much out of repair4 ,we saw but a few   
cannon  on the part of the wall which we
 examined1 and those small and in  bad  
order4 ,we passed a number of soldiers  
in our walks about the  town1 and found 
a strong guard at the gate4 ,most of the
 houses  have a very old appearance1 few
 of them are good2 the streets are      
narrow1 crooked1 and filthy1 as in      
almost all the ,turkish towns ,i  have  
visited4 ,the houses are much crowded   

together1 and cover a very  small space1
 considering their number4 ,this is the 
case with most  of the ,turkish towns in
 the ,east1 especially their walled     
towns on  the coast4 ,we visited the    
,latin and ,greek convents1 and were    
kindly  received1 and had coffee and    
sweetmeats handed us4 ,the bazaars and  
shops appeared exceedingly poor1 and to 
be scantily supplied with  articles of  
merchandise4    ,jaffa is a place of    
interest1 chiefly1 as being the sea-port
 nearest  ,jerusalem1 and the           
landing-place of a large number of      
pilgrims that  annually resort1 by      
thousands1 to visit the holy places in  
and  about ,jerusalem4 ,it has also1 in 
the noble plain of ,sharon1 a most      
admirable back country4 ,but what avails
 a country1 however good1  if there be  
not people to cultivate it1 and if the  
government be  so unwise and oppressive 
as to hold out no inducement for        
industry  among the people8    ,while   
looking at the city1 we went without the

 walls as far as the  grave-yard4 ,i had
 noticed on the shore1 and in the       
street1 great  quantities of a small but
 beautiful sea-shell1 and at the        
grave-yard  ,i found them very abundant1
 and put to a singular use4 ,they were  
laid on the graves in great numbers1    
often forming quite a little  mound on  
the top of the grave1 and in many cases1
 a newly-formed  stone1 which is found  
at certain places on the shore1 and     
which is  in great part made up of these
 shells1 was set up at the head and     
foot of the graves4 ,it had a tasteful  
and pretty appearance4    ,the place was
 pointed out to us at a distance1 where 
,bonaparte is  said to have shot several
 thousand prisoners4 ,he has been much  
blamed for it1 and probably not without 
some cause4 ,if1 however1 his  own      
account1 as ,i have seen it given1 be   
true1 that they had before  been his    
prisoners1 and had been set at large on 
parole1 under  engagement not again to  
take up arms against him2 that they had 

broken parole and were again captured   
while fighting against him2  if this    
were the case1 he is1 according to the  
laws of war1 less to  blame than many   
have supposed4 ,not that ,i would       
justify him1 but bad  as he was1 his    
opponents did not give him credit for   
the good he  did1 and made the most of  
his bad actions4 ,had he lived until the
  present time1 on the throne of        
,france1 the state of ,europe would     
probably have been twenty if not forty  
years in advance of what it  now is1 in 
knowledge and arts1 in civil and        
religious liberty4 ,those  who have     
succeeded to the now divided power1     
which his powerful arm  wielded1 have   
laboured and still labour to hold the   
people back--to  repress the spirit of  
enterprise and improvement1 and         
especially  repress and root out the    
spirit of freedom4          ,,letter    
,,xi4      ,october #eth1 #ahcf4    ,we 
left ,jaffa in the afternoon for ,rumla1
 which lies about half way  from ,jaffa 

to the commencement of the hill country1
 on the road  to ,jerusalem--leaving the
 gate of ,jaffa1 7and ,i may add1 there 
is  only one gate on the land side17 we 
took a north-east direction4  ,the point
 of land on which ,jaffa stands1 a kind 
of sandy knoll1  is higher than the     
country back of it4 ,we of course made a
 small  descent1 and for a considerable 
distance passed through gardens1        
enclosed lots and fields1 many of them  
well filled with trees1 as  fig1 orange1
 lemon1 pomegranate1 palm4 ,the ,indian 
fig was much used  for forming          
enclosures1 and generally planted on a  
ridge of sand4  ,it makes a very good   
fence1 as the prickles with which it    
abounds  prevent man or beast from      
coming much in contact with it4 ,some of
  these gardens had wells and           
water-wheels1 many of which were at     
work1 mostly with oxen1 raising water   
for the benefit of the trees  and       
vegetables4 ,there is much sand on the  
district that borders the  coast1 and in

 many places directly on the coast the  
sand has fairly  taken                  
possession--nothing is seen but fields  
of white sand4    ,at the distance of   
half a mile from the shore1 the ground  
is very  little higher1 ,i should think1
 than the surface of the water2 and a   
number of things indicate that this low 
district was once a marsh1  or at least 
much subjected to water4 ,and now1 in   
the rainy season1  much water would     
collect on it were it not for its loose 
and sandy  character1 through which the 
water easily runs4 ,the abundance of    
water1 found at a very little distance  
below the surface1 may arise  from the  
fact that it is but little below the    
level of the sea2 and  the sandy        
character of the district allows the    
water to percolate  freely1 and thus    
supply what is taken up by man and      
vegetables4    ,it may be nine or ten   
miles from ,jaffa to ,rumla4 ,the road  
is good2  it is over a plain1 and except
 a little waving of the surface1        

forming slight elevations and           
depressions1 such as we often find on   
the sea-coasts1 and on the flat         
districts which border large rivers1    
one would say it was level4 ,these      
elevations suggest the idea  that the   
water may have once covered this plain2 
and in retiring  gradually from it1 left
 those graceful elevations and          
depressions  which give a beautiful     
variety to its surface4 ,but a small    
part1  after passing the gardens1 was   
cultivated4 ,from time to time we       
passed portions that had been sown with 
grain--none of it1 after  leaving the   
gardens1 was enclosed--all lay open4 ,we
 passed several  places where there were
 a few trees2 they formed1 however1 but 
little green spots on the face of this  
wide-spread and noble plain4  ,the      
greater part was destitute of verdure2  
the burning heats of  summer having     
burned up the grass2 the crops1 except  
an occasional  cotton field1 being all  
gathered in4 ,i think ,i saw no ,indian 

corn1  although ,i had seen it on the   
,bokar1 but of a very diminutive kind4  
,the cotton fields were few and small1  
and held out the promise of  but a light
 crop4    ,the plain is highly fertile1 
and if under proper cultivation would   
yield largely4 ,the soil is rich1 deep1 
and very free from rock1 at  least      
sufficiently so for all purposes of     
cultivation4 ,we do not1  indeed1 often 
meet with a finer district of land2 but 
it is thinly  inhabited4    ,rumla is a 
town of considerable size1 and has some 
pretty good  houses4 ,it stands on a    
slight elevation1 and commands a fine   
view of  the plain out of which it      
rises4 ,it is surrounded with gardens1  
many  of which are protected by hedges  
of the ,indian fig4 ,there are some     
olive groves about the town2 other      
fruit-trees1 and the palm1 are  also to 
be seen4 ,around the present town are   
ruins1 walls1 cisterns1  and other      
indications that the town was once      
spread over a much  larger space than it

 now covers4 ,it is supposed to be the  
ancient  ,arimathea mentioned in the    
,new ,testament1 ,john xix4 #ch4    ,the
 ancient ,lydda lies within a short     
distance of ,rumla1 not above  three or 
four miles2 but ,i had not time to visit
 it1 as my company  were urgent to      
proceed4 ,it is1 ,i am told1 a poor     
village1 and has  nothing to give it    
interest1 unless it be the fact that is 
mentioned  of it in ,acts1 ix4 #cb1 #ch4
    ,i ought to have mentioned          
respecting ,rumla1 that there is near   
the  town a very remarkable tower1 old1 
and of a singular structure1  with some 
large apartments under ground connected 
with it4 ,at what  time it was built1 by
 whom1 and for what purpose1 is not now 
known3  probably1 however1 as a place of
 defence1 and when built1 the town      
extended to1 if not beyond it4 ,the     
history of many things in these  regions
 is lost--irrecoverably lost--until that
 great day shall come  when the whole   
history of man shall pass in review1 and

 all shall be  judged according to their
 works4    ,the ,american squadron left 
,jaffa only the day before we reached   
that  place4 ,the commodore and a party 
of officers visited ,jerusalem4 ,a      
large party spent a night at ,rumla with
 the ,american consular agent1  and had 
made him a present of a large and       
beautiful flag1 with a  notice of its   
presentation written on its border4 ,if 
what was told  me at ,jaffa be true1    
that some of the officers1 on their     
return from  ,jerusalem1 rode from      
,jerusalem to ,jaffa in five or six     
hours1 it was  a matter-of-fact proof   
that the distance is less than the old  
books  of travel have stated4 ,ten hours
 was named at ,jaffa as the usual       
time--that would make thirty miles1 at  
the usual mode of counting  three miles 
to the hour3 this is probably the real  
distance4    ,we spent a ,sabbath at    
,rumla2 but as there was no ,protestant 
worship1  and ,i could not have received
 much if any benefit from attending a   

service in an unknown tongue1 ,i        
remained in my room all day1 and  found1
 although thus alone1 that the ,sabbath 
of the ,lord is a most  wise and        
gracious appointment of ,heaven for the 
benefit of man4 ,he  needs times which  
may call his thoughts from worldly      
things1 and  consecrate them more       
especially to ,god1 and the things that 
relate  to the welfare of the soul4 ,i  
have1 therefore1 whenever ,i could1 in  
travelling1 rested on the ,sabbath day1 
and found it good so to do4  ,in almost 
every step ,i take in this country ,i   
find myself on ground  referred to in   
,scripture2 and it is with no little    
interest ,i walk  over places where the 
events recorded in ,god's word took     
place4 ,but  even in those scenes ,i    
find it good to observe the ,sabbath of 
the  ,lord4 ,i do not even go out to    
look at these places on the ,sabbath3   
the other six days may suffice for that4
 ,the ,lord's day is better  spent as a 
day of rest and devotion4    ,we left   

,rumla on ,monday morning for           
,jerusalem4 ,our course was still  a    
little south of east4 ,the general      
character and condition of  the plain   
was much as the part of it already      
described1 with the  difference that    
there was much less sand4 ,indeed there 
was little1  if any1 to be seen--the    
soil was a fine1 rich1 black mould4 ,the
  state of cultivation was rather       
better1 but still only a small part  was
 under the care of man4 ,the country    
began more regularly to  rise as we     
approached the hill country4 ,the rise  
was however very  gradual4 ,irregular   
and rounded hills became more numerous1 
but none  of them were steep4 ,a road   
could pass over them in any direction2  
they were rather pleasant swells than   
hills4 ,more stones and pebbles  were   
mixed up with the soil1 but not in      
quantities that would impede            
cultivation4 ,in truth1 this part of the
 plain1 that is from ,rumla to  the     
hills1 forms one of the richest and most

 lovely districts that  ,i have seen4   
,we were above three hours in going from
 ,rumla to the  hills1 which would make 
the distance from ,jaffa about eighteen 
or  twenty miles4 ,the road however does
 not cross the plain at right  angles1  
but declined considerably to the south4 
,we passed no village worth naming4 ,we 
did1 indeed1 pass a few huts  at one or 
two places1 but too few to deserve      
notice4 ,we passed  several places that 
appeared to have once been occupied1 and
 saw  several villages at a distance1   
but they appeared small4 ,in short1  the
 plain--the noble and celebrated plain  
of ,sharon1 appears to be  almost       
deserted2 and while it has a fertility  
and extent1 were it  occupied and       
properly cultivated1 sufficient to      
sustain a nation1  it is now roamed over
 by a few flocks--has small patches of  
it  cultivated1 and here and there a    
small1 poor village to sustain4  ,with  
regard to trees1 c4 the eastern part of 
the plain was on a  par with the        

western4 ,it was only on little spots1  
and at a great  distance from each      
other1 that a few olive and other trees 
were to  be seen4 ,they were mostly     
confined to the immediate vicinity of   
the  villages1 or where villages have   
once stood4    ,while passing over the  
plain of ,sharon1 it would have been out
 of  all propriety not to have thought  
of the rose of ,sharon and the lily  of 
the valley4 ,i did think of them1 and   
was on the watch for them2  and so eager
 was ,i to get one1 that could ,i have  
met with any sort  of a flower that     
would in any fair way have admitted the 
name1 ,i  would most willingly have     
reported it1 but not one could ,i find4 
,i consoled myself1 however1 with the   
thought1 that ,i only shared  the       
disappointment which other travellers   
had experienced4 ,for what  traveller in
 these regions has not sought the rose  
of ,sharon1 and  the lily of the valley8
 ,and what one has been able to assure  
and  satisfy the public that he has     

found them8    ,as we approached the    
hills1 the face of the plain became more
  uneven2 the points of the ridges ran  
out irregularly1 and more  rocks began  
to appear on the surface4 ,the line of  
hills is however  more regular than is  
usual1 and the transition from the plain
 to  the hills is more gradual than is  
usually found on the borders of  large  
plains4 ,we passed over a low1 rocky    
point of a ridge1 and  saw some ruins2  
and at one place the large hewn stones  
and broken  pillars indicated buildings 
of some consequence4 ,the hills are  not
 continuous ridges1 but knobs1 not very 
high1 nor very steep2  the top rounded  
over4 ,many of them are separated from  
each other  almost to the base2 but a   
greater number join at one or more      
sides1  at various heights from their   
bases4 ,taking the hollows1 and the     
passages between the hills1 7and in some
 places there are little  level spots17 
as the level of the country1 ,i should  
say that the  general level1 as we pass 

east1 rises2 and the height of the hills
  above this general level1 continues   
about the same for a great part  of the 
way from the commencement of the hills  
to near ,jerusalem4  ,this district is  
well called the hill country of ,judea4 
,nothing  could better express it4 ,they
 are usually in books called mountains2 
but their size1 that is their height    
above the general level of the  country1
 hardly entitles them to that           
appellation4 ,they are rather  hills    
than mountains4    ,as we rode among the
 hills1 we began to see a few small     
shrubs and  bushes of oak4 ,most of     
them1 however1 were small2 few as high  
as a  man on horseback4 ,there were     
also1 at some places in the hollows1    
where1 during the rains1 water flows1   
some bushes1 thistles1 and  other kinds 
of vegetation1 but small of size and few
 in number4 ,as  we passed farther in   
among the hills1 the vegetation         
increased1  both as to size and         
quantity2 it however never amounted to  

much4  ,we saw1 from time to time1 some 
orchards of olives1 and a few           
scattering trees2 as we approached the  
higher part of the hilly  district1 we  
saw some hills that were to some extent 
covered with  the olives4 ,still but a  
small1 a very small part of the country 
was thus made to minister to the wants  
and comfort of man4 ,as we  advanced1   
the rock became more abundant2 it was   
all limestone1 mixed  in some places    
with veins of flint2 usually horizontal1
 and often  projecting out on the sides 
of the hills1 and much stratified2 and  
the various strata being of different   
degrees of firmness1 causing  them to   
have a singular appearance4 ,the soft   
stratum had in many  places             
disintegrated1 and formed a stratum of  
earth1 which entirely  concealed the    
rock2 while the hard stratum formed a   
kind of wall1  and in many places1 from 
its regularity in thickness and         
direction  round the side of the hill1  
it had much the appearance of having    

been the work of man4 ,in some places   
again1 where a hard stratum  lay        
directly over a soft one1 the crumbling 
away of the soft one  formed a kind of  
natural cave under the hard one2 places 
could be  seen where a man might find   
shelter from the rain under rocks thus  
hollowed out by the wearing away of a   
soft rock1 while its more  sturdy fellow
 above held on to its proper size and   
shape4 ,a ride  of between two and three
 hours1 from the time we entered the    
hill  country1 brought us to the higher 
part of the district4 ,our road  still  
lay along what may be called a hollow1  
and on each side of us  the hills rose  
to a considerable size4    ,we passed on
 this high district one or two villages4
 ,in one of  them were some pretty good 
houses1 and an old ruin1 which1 from    
its size and form1 seemed once to have  
been a building of some  importance4    
,the country around this village was in 
a better state  of cultivation2 more    
trees1 figs1 and vines1 than ,i had seen

 since  leaving ,rumla4 ,from a part of 
this high ground we had a most          
extensive and fine view of the seabord2 
the deep black sea1 till  where it met  
the sky2 the white sand-hills along the 
shore1 and the  wide and long plain of  
,sharon1 extending as far as the eye    
could  reach1 to the north and south1   
and coming up to the hilly district1  on
 the top of which we stood4 ,the view   
was interesting1 and  especially so when
 we thought how often the pious         
,israelites1 when  going up to the house
 of the ,lord1 must have stopped at this
 place1  and looked back on that rich   
and lovely part of their inheritance4   
,the flocks of ,sharon was a term which 
then expressed much2 but now  few flocks
 feed there1 and those of an inferior   
kind of cattle4    ,after taking this1  
as ,i supposed1 farewell-look at the    
plain of  ,sharon1 the sea-bord1 and    
wide-spread ocean behind it1 we set     
forward1 and thought we must soon reach 
a point from which we could  see        

,jerusalem4 ,we found1 however1 that we 
had to descend a hollow1  wind along it 
for some distance1 and then a long      
ascent to make1 to  gain about the same 
level from which we had taken our       
farewell-look  at the vale and sea      
behind us4 ,above half an hour must have
 been  spent in doing this4 ,this is    
said to be the valley of ,elah1 where   
,david slew the ,philistine4 ,the       
precise spot where the engagement  took 
place is not known4 ,we now found       
ourselves on ground which was  nearly as
 high as any near us4 ,we had passed to 
our right1 at some  considerable        
distance1 a cluster of buildings on the 
top of a hill1  called the tomb of the  
,maccabees4 ,it looked like a fort1 or  
place  of defence1 and was1 as ,i am    
told1 not long since1 the residence of  
,aboo ,goosh1 who used to make free with
 the property of other people2  in other
 words1 was a notorious robber4 ,but    
,ibrahim ,pasha has taught  such gentry 
a good lesson4 ,he has nearly1 if not   

wholly1 put a stop  to such practices2  
he has taken the matter into his own    
hands4 ,what  people have to spare1 he  
himself takes1 or has taken from them2  
and1 indeed1 much more than they are    
willing to part with2 but as  to every  
fellow who chooses taking for himself1  
as was the old way  of doing things1 why
 that is not now permitted4 ,the time   
was1 when  a company could hardly have  
passed from ,rumla to ,jerusalem1 as we 
did1 without having been relieved of    
some of their cash1 and perhaps  clothes
 into the bargain4    ,we passed a      
district where an immense quantity of   
stone had been  quarried and removed2   
the refuse stone lay in piles1 and the  
excavations showed that large quantities
 had been procured4 ,the face  of the   
high ridge1 or kind of table land1 over 
which we now passed1  was almost wholly 
destitute of vegetation4 ,a few thistles
 and an  occasional small thorn-bush    
might be seen2 but a more naked district
  ,i had not seen in the holy land4     

,several miles to the right1 ,i saw  a  
hill or hills pretty well covered with  
trees of some sort--olives  ,i thought  
from their looks2 and at a greater      
distance on our left ,i  saw several    
patches of trees on the side of a high  
and long ridge1  and a small village or 
two near them2 but more immediately     
about  me1 and over the whole face of   
the ridge which ,i was passing1 all  was
 naked--all was destitute of vegetation1
 except a small enclosed  spot4 ,i was  
struck not only with the absence of     
vegetation1 but  with the enormous      
quantity of rough rock that almost      
literally  covered the face of the      
ground4 ,much of it lay in irregular    
patches1  projecting from eighteen      
inches to five or six feet above the    
little  earth that could be seen4 ,it   
really appeared as if the district  was 
given up to be occupied by rocks1 to the
 exclusion of all  other matter4 ,we    
soon began a slight but gradual descent1
 and after  a little1 some towers came  

into view4 ,these were the parts of     
,jerusalem first seen4 ,presently we saw
 the top of the walls--the  minarets1   
the domes1 and the whole city4          
,jerusalem stands on the east side of a 
high1 flattish ridge1  which runs nearly
 north and south4 ,to the west of the   
city1 and at  some distance above1      
towards the top of the ridge1 a small   
hollow  begins1 and running south-east1 
deepens rapidly1 and forms the  southern
 boundary of the city4 ,this is the     
channel of the rivulet  ,gihon4 ,in it  
are the pools1 the upper and lower2 but 
it is only in  wet weather that there is
 water in them4 ,the lower part is      
called  the valley of the ,son of       
,hinnom4 ,the brook ,kedron1 or the     
valley in  which the water would run1 if
 there were any water1--for you must    
know except during the rains it is a dry
 channel1 runs nearly north  and south1 
and has a deep channel1 with high steep 
banks4 ,the valley  or ravine of ,gihon 
falls into that of the ,kedron1 nearly  

at right  angles1 with a high point     
forming the angle between them4 ,on this
  point the city of ,jerusalem stands4  
,it fills1 or did originally1  the space
 that lies between these two ravines1   
for some distance up  both of them4 ,the
 ground on which the city stands has a  
considerable  declination to the east1  
and is on the side of a hill1 on the    
lower  end of the ridge1 when it        
terminates abruptly at a deep ravine1   
both on the south and east4 ,the site   
has other inequalities4 ,at the         
south-east corner1 next the ,gihon1 was 
the highest point4 ,that is  the hill of
 ,zion4 ,part of it is now without the  
walls1 and used as a  burying-ground4   
,the missionaries have recently procured
 a small plot  on ,mount ,zion for a    
burying-place1 to be appropriated to    
,protestants  who may die at ,jerusalem4
 ,a little north of ,mount ,zion1 and   
close on  the bank of the ,kedron1 is   
,mount ,moriah1 or an elevation so      
called4  ,on this the temple stood1 and 

on the same site now stands the mosque  
of ,st4 ,omar4 ,this elevation was      
formerly separated from ,mount ,zion  by
 a considerable valley4 ,it is now      
nearly filled up1 at least  that part   
within the walls1 and much so without2  
still it is very  perceptible without   
the walls1 and especially at the pool of
 ,siloam1  which lies at the junction of
 this ravine with the valley of the     
,kedron4 ,mount ,zion was once connected
 with ,mount ,moriah by a bridge  or    
elevated causeway2 but the filling up of
 the ground within the  walls has       
covered it1 or supplied its place4      
,there is a large space around the      
mosque of ,st4 ,omar which forms a  fine
 promenade1 but ,christians are not     
allowed to enter it4 ,they are  not     
allowed to enter the mosque1 or at least
 this is the general  understanding4 ,in
 many cases1 however1 it has been       
entered lately2  a party of ,english had
 been all through it1 under the special 
protection of the governor1 but a few   

days before my arrival4 ,there  is      
little doubt that in a few years1 unless
 some reaction takes  place1 free       
admission will be allowed1 and many     
other foolish and  unreasonable customs 
and prejudices of the ,mohammedans will 
pass  away4    ,jerusalem has a high1   
strong wall around it1 and is occupied  
by a  large body of the ,pasha's troops4
 ,there are at present but four  gates  
open and used1 several having been      
walled up some time since4  ,the ,jaffa 
gate1 by which we entered2 the ,zion    
gate being east of the  ,jaffa1 and on  
,mount ,zion2 ,st4 ,stephen's gate1     
which opens next the  valley of ,kedron 
and north of ,mount ,moriah2 and the    
,damascus gate1  which lies on the north
 side of the city4 ,the highest part of 
the  city is a little west of the ,jaffa
 gate1 at the point where the wall      
leaves the top of the hill near ,gihon1 
and runs north and north-east  toward   
the ,kedron4          ,,letter ,,xii4   
,jerusalem1#ahcf4    ,one of the first  

objects that we visited after our       
arrival was the  ,church of the ,holy   
,sepulchre4 ,it so happened that the day
 after  our arrival was one of the many 
days1 which for some reason ,i know  not
 what1 is called a festa1 and this      
church was opened4 ,this was  what we   
desired1 as it is not accessible at all 
times4 ,this church  is said to be built
 over the place where our ,lord was     
buried2 and  it also includes the place 
where he was crucified--that is1 it     
includes that part of ,calvary on which 
the crosses of our ,lord and  the others
 who were crucified with him were       
fixed--and the garden  in which         
,joseph's tomb was placed4 ,it ought1   
therefore1 to have  been without the    
city1 as our ,lord was crucified and    
interred  without the city4 ,heb4 xiii4 
#ab1 and ,john xix4 #da4 ,the excuse for
  its being in the city is1 that the    
city does not now occupy the  same      
ground that it did at that time--its    
walls were farther west  and north--and 

the present walls take in what the old  
walls1 when  those transactions took    
place1 left out4 ,it appears to me very 
manifest1 that the places now shown as  
the places of crucifixion and           
interment1 must have always been within 
the city4 ,a wall so run  as to leave it
 out1 would be located in a way that no 
wise builder  would ever think of in    
running a wall to defend a city situated
 as  ,jerusalem is4 ,these places are   
not on a hill1 but rather in a low      
place or hollow1 and the wall in passing
 to the east of it would  leave so much 
higher and better ground close to it on 
the west1 and  would so straiten the    
space between it and the ground occupied
 by  the temple1 and take so irregular  
and winding a route to enclose          
sufficient ground to hold the city1 that
 ,i must believe that a  wrong place has
 been fixed upon as the spot where those
 memorable  things transpired4 ,it is1  
however1 a matter of trifling           
importance2  we know they took place    

near ,jerusalem4 ,there is no virtue in 
the  spot where they took place more    
than in any other4 ,but the poor1       
blind1 superstitious people believe1 and
 are taught to believe1 that  there is  
great1 yea1 saving virtue obtained in   
visiting these places4    ,the church of
 the ,holy ,sepulchre is a large1 and in
 some respects a  good-looking building1
 especially the circular room with the  
large  dome over the holy sepulchre1 as 
seen from the inside1 for it is         
surrounded with other buildings1 and so 
connected with them without  that it    
makes but a feeble impression4 ,it needs
 to be large1 as it  contains a chapel  
for each of the ,christian sects which  
prevail in  the ,east1 as the ,greeks1  
,latins1 ,armenians1 ,copts1 ,syrians4  
,we entered at the north side4 ,there is
 a small open space before the  door1   
which once belonged to the church1 but  
most of the pillars are  removed4 ,the  
doors of the church are large1 and there
 is usually  one or more ,turks acting  

as door-keepers4 ,as there are always   
monks and priests in the church to take 
care of it1 attend to the  lamps1       
perform the sacred offices1 c41 there is
 a small opening  through the door1 by  
means of which food and other           
necessaries are  passed to them at those
 times when the doors are shut4 ,some   
monks  and priests1 it is said1 spend   
weeks1 and it may be months1 in the     
church1 without once going out of it2   
they no doubt think this a  most        
meritorious act4    ,immediately on     
passing the door of the church1 we came 
to a large1  flat1 marble stone1 a      
little elevated from the floor1 having  
small  marble pillars at the corners1   
and an ornamental covering above it4    
,this is called the stone of unction4   
,it is pretended that the body  of our  
,lord was laid on it while he was       
anointed1 or rather when he  was taken  
from the cross1 and rolled up in linen  
with the spices1  by ,joseph and        
,nicodemus4 ,east of the stone of       

unction1 and within  a few yards of it1 
there is an ascent of several steps1    
called  the ascent of ,calvary2 and on  
the top1 which is called ,calvary1      
three holes were shown1 said to be the  
holes of the three crosses1  on which   
our ,lord and the two thieves were      
nailed4 ,the middle  one stands rather  
in advance of the other two4 ,below     
this1 in a  cave-like place under the   
spot where the crosses stood1 is shown  
the  split in the rock caused by the    
earthquake1 which took place at his     
death4 ,these places are1 however1 so   
fenced about with metal plates1  doors1 
bars of iron and wire network1 that you 
can barely see and  touch them1 and that
 with a poor light2 all arranged to     
prevent too  close an examination--all  
adapted to increase the superstition and
  blind credulity of the people4    ,the
 ,empress ,helena1 ,constantine's       
mother1 was the great patron  of all the
 holy places1 and built churches upon   
them4 ,how she  ascertained for a       

certainty the precise spots is not so   
clear2 but  that she selected certain   
spots and had churches erected on them  
is  admitted4 ,so great an advocate for 
such matters1 ought of right to  have   
some honour shown her4 ,they have1      
therefore1 east of ,calvary1  and at a  
few yards' distance1 prepared a chapel  
for her4 ,it is  a low1 damp place1     
quite under ground1 and does not do her 
much  credit4 ,it was down in this      
place1 however1 that she found the true 
cross1 it is said1 and an odd thing is  
told about her identifying  it4 ,three  
crosses were found1 and the question    
was1 to which one  of the three was our 
,lord nailed1 for it would have been a  
fatal  mistake to have selected for such
 deep veneration1 amounting nearly  to  
worship1 the one on which the thief was 
nailed1 instead of the  one on which our
 ,lord hung4 ,helena was not more       
zealous in hunting  for places and      
things1 than fertile in expedients to   
identify them4  ,a child1 either sick or

 dead1 was brought and laid on the      
crosses1  and strange to tell6 it was   
made well when it touched a certain one4
  ,this was ample proof that it was the 
true cross4    ,another thing was found 
in this place1 now set apart as the     
chapel  of ,helena4 ,she found ,adam's  
skull1 which came out of the rent made  
in the rock caused by the earthquake4   
,how she identified it1 the  account1 as
 ,i received it1 did not relate4 ,no    
doubt she contrived  some way to do it4 
,many such things are gravely told to   
the poor  deluded pilgrims that resort  
here1 and many believe them4 ,and to    
tell all such folly and nonsense1 and to
 fill their minds with them1  is the    
business of the monks and priests1      
instead of teaching them  the great     
leading truths of the word of ,god1 and 
urging the nature  and necessity of     
personal holiness and practical         
religion4    ,we returned from the      
chapel of ,helena to the stone of       
unction4 ,a  wall is run up between this

 and the main body of the church1       
forming  the place in which it lies into
 a kind of entry or antechamber4        
,passing a few steps to the west1 we    
turned short to the north1  and found   
ourselves in the body of the church1    
which is large and  nearly circular1    
with a large dome over it1 and lighted  
chiefly from  above4 ,in the middle of  
this large room stands a small building 
called the holy sepulchre4 ,it may be   
sixteen feet by ten1 and ten  or twelve 
feet high4 ,it is divided into two      
rooms4 ,the first1 which  is to the     
east1 forms a kind of entry1 and is     
entered at the east  side4 ,in the      
middle of this first room is a place or 
seat1 not  unlike a little table or     
stool4 ,this stands on the place where  
the  stone lay1 after the angel had     
rolled it from the door and sat on  it4 
,there are twelve or fifteen lamps      
burning in this room2 and  through the  
walls are several holes1 out of which   
the light or holy  fire comes1 while the

 bishop plays off that lying miracle to 
the  poor deluded pilgrims4 ,this       
miracle is performed at ,easter4 ,the   
second room is the sepulchre4 ,on the   
north side of it lies a large  marble   
tombstone1 about as high from the floor 
as a common tombstone  would be4 ,the   
remainder of the room is not much larger
 or wider  than will allow two persons  
to pass each other with ease4 ,in this  
room are about forty lamps1 which1 with 
those in the outer rooms1  are the      
property of different leading sects1 as 
the ,greeks1 ,latins1  and ,armenians4  
,for much as they hate and quarrel with 
each other1  matters are so arranged    
that each shall have a chapel in the    
church  and lamps in the holy sepulchre4
    ,east of the holy sepulchre and     
separated by a slight partition1 is  the
 ,greek chapel4 ,this is the best chapel
 of the establishment--is  neatly fitted
 up1 and has some pretty good paintings4
 ,in the middle  there is a kind of     
pillar1 and on the top of that is marked

 the  centre of the world4 ,how they    
found out the precise spot my guide  did
 not tell me1 nor who was the happy     
finder4 ,possibly the good  ,helena who 
found so many things1 for she had a     
wonderful talent for  such matters4     
,to the north of the holy sepulchre lies
 the ,latin chapel4 ,it is  richly      
furnished1 and possesses some antiques  
that are among the  curious1 such as the
 sword and spurs of ,godfrey of         
,bouillon4 ,this  chapel has also a     
pretty good organ1 and the organist was 
so polite  as to play us several tunes4 
,at the west end of the holy sepulchre1 
and in contact with it1 is a  small     
chapel for the ,copts4 ,it is but a few 
feet square1 and is like  a shed or     
tent-like place1 put up against the end 
of the sepulchre4  ,this chapel stands1 
of course1 within the large circular    
room in  the middle of which the holy   
sepulchre is placed4 ,to the west1 and  
only separated by a slight wall1 is a   
small chapel for the ,syrian            

,christians4 ,it is a small dark place1 
seldom if ever used4 ,adjoining  it is  
the tomb of ,nicodemus1 a little dark   
hole quite in keeping  with his fear of 
the day when he came to ,jesus by night2
 but as he  afterwards came out openly  
in favour of his lord1 he deserved a    
better tomb than they have allowed him4 
,to the south of the holy sepulchre1 but
 raised so as to permit  the entrance to
 pass under it1 is the chapel of the    
,armenians4 ,it  does not equal that of 
the ,greeks or ,latins1 but far exceeds 
the  ,copts and ,syrians'4 ,thus the    
large and nearly circular area with a   
dome over it1 in the middle of which the
 holy sepulchre is placed1  is          
surrounded with chapels1 separated from 
it by single walls1  through which they 
are entered from the large area4 ,all   
this mass  of building is called the    
church of the holy sepulchre4 ,there are
 a  number of other places pointed out1 
in and about it1 as places at  which    
some of the facts recorded are said to  

have taken place--as  where the         
centurion stood1 who declared his belief
 that ,jesus was  the ,son of ,god4 ,but
 ,i have said enough about these places4
 ,my memory  was so burdened with these 
things1 it would not be strange if ,i   
should have lost some on the way1 and   
possibly ,i may have misplaced  some of 
them1 not designedly however1 in giving 
this brief detail4    ,there are nearly 
twenty convents in and about ,jerusalem4
 ,the ,greeks  have1 if ,i recollect    
aright1 thirteen4 ,most of them are1    
however1  very small4 ,their large one  
is directly adjoining the church of the 
,holy ,sepulchre2 and the top of the    
church 7not the dome7 may be used  as a 
terrace for its inmates4 ,from the top  
of the convent ,i passed  over most of  
the top of the church1 or of the chapels
 contained  within its walls4 ,this     
large monastery is able to receive and  
entertain many pilgrims--this is one    
design of those establishments4  ,the   
,latins have a very large monastic      

establishment4 ,it covers  several acres
 of ground2 is so constructed as to be  
capable of  making a good defence2 is a 
strong fort4 ,it is a community of      
itself1 and has within it provision for 
carrying on all kinds of  work4 ,it has 
smiths1 carpenters1 shoemakers1 tailors1
 millers1  bakers1 chandlers1 and ,i    
know not how many other artisans within 
it4 ,the ,armenians have a large        
establishment of a similar kind1  which 
is said to be equally capacious1 and in 
good condition4 ,while  these           
establishments no doubt are of use in   
the way of entertaining  pilgrims1 they 
are most corrupting2 as it is their     
interest to  promote superstition among 
the people4 ,from their number1 wealth1 
and influence1 they are able to effect  
almost any object they  please1 and     
defeat any one that falls under their   
displeasure4  ,they will1 humanly       
speaking1 be one of the greatest        
obstacles to  all missionary efforts to 
spread the light of truth in ,jerusalem1

  and dispel those dark and foul        
superstitions that have long been       
gathering over these1 so called1 holy   
places4    ,a few days after our        
arrival1 we set out one morning to make 
a  tour of the city4 ,we went out at the
 ,jaffa gate1 which is situate  at the  
south side of the southern corner1 and  
near the edge of  the valley of ,gihon4 
,up this ravine1 a mile or more1 is the 
upper  pool of the fuller's field1      
mentioned in #b ,kings1 xviii4 #ag4 ,it 
is  made by running a strong wall across
 the ravine1 walling the sides  and     
covering them with a water-proof cement4
 ,there was no running  water in this   
ravine at present1 nor is there often   
except in the  rainy season4 ,a little  
east of the ,jaffa gate is the lower    
pool4 ,it  is made in the same way as   
the upper pool4 ,the wall is used as a  
bridge--the road passing the ravine on  
it4 ,there is no water in this  pool4   
,the valley of the ,gihon becomes deeper
 as it passes eastward to  where it     

meets the ,kedron4 ,below the second    
pool it takes the name  of the ,valley  
of the ,son of ,hinnom or ,tophet4 ,it  
was formerly used  for many unclean     
purposes--some of the most abhorrent    
kinds of  idolatrous worship was once   
practised here--the burning of children 
to ,moloch1 ,jer4 vii4 #ca4 ,the valley 
appears to have been much  contracted by
 the great quantity of rubbish of all   
kinds which has  been thrown into it    
from the city4 ,a road from the ,jaffa  
gate passes  down the valley1 dividing  
at the lower pool4 ,one part passes to  
the  south side1 and winding along the  
top of the bank for some distance1      
crosses the plain southward to          
,bethlehem4 ,the other winds down the   
valley until it reaches the bottom--then
 along the valley until it  meets the   
one from the valley of ,kedron1         
following the course of the  united     
valleys towards the ,dead ,sea4 ,on the 
south side of the valley  of ,hinnom1   
and near its junction with ,kedron1 is  

the potter's field4  ,it is a small     
parcel of ground near the top of the    
bank with an old  ruined house on it4   
,there was a small level spot thirty    
feet below  the top of the bank1 at the 
bottom of a thick stratum of horizontal 
rock4 ,walls have been made enclosing a 
part of this--the face of  the rock     
forming the south wall of the building4 
,the roof1 which  is flat1 is on a level
 with the top of the bank2 and in it are
 a  number of holes1 through which they 
used to throw the dead bodies4  ,it is  
not used now as a place of interment1   
and is fast going to  ruin1 part of the 
walls having fallen in4 ,all along the  
south side  of the valley are to be seen
 old tombs cut in the rock--some are of 
considerable size1 having several       
rooms--some are so large as to be  used 
by mules1 donkeys1 and other animals1 as
 places of refuge from  the noonday heat
 of the sun4    ,at the junction of the 
valley of ,hinnom with that of the      
,kedron1  which is nearly at right      

angles--the ,hinnom running nearly east 
and  the ,kedron nearly west--there is a
 level space of several acres1  laid out
 in gardens1 and well set with trees4   
,these gardens and  trees continue up   
the valley of the ,kedron1 which is     
wider than that  of the ,hinnom1 for    
some distance2 this rich and            
beautiful-looking  spot1 watered by the 
fountain of ,siloam1 is called the      
,king's  ,dale4 ,these valleys have all 
steep1 high banks4 ,to the east of  the 
,kedron lies ,mount ,olivet1 which runs 
north and south1 and is  separated from 
the hill on which the city stands only  
by the deep1  narrow valley of the      
,kedron4    ,mount ,olivet terminates   
abruptly1 or rather a break is made     
through  it nearly in a line with the   
valley of ,hinnom1 bearing a little to  
the south of east4 ,at the mouth of this
 new valley1 which lets off  the water  
7when there is any7 to the eastward1 is 
a small pool1  and adjoining it is a    
kind of resting or lounging-place1 now  

much  neglected--and close by is the    
well of ,nehemiah1 which is very deep1  
and we infer from indications about it1 
that formerly it was much  used2 but it 
is now almost entirely neglected4 ,this 
is supposed by  some to be the ,en-rogel
 in #b ,sam4 xvii4 #ag4 ,down this      
valley there  are a number of gardens1  
and fig and olive trees4    ,turning up 
the valley of the ,kedron1 we passed    
some pretty gardens  and lots of ground 
well set with the fig and other fruit   
trees4 ,a  few hundred yards brought us 
to the pool of ,siloam4 ,it lies in the 
mouth of that little ravine ,i mentioned
 as separating ,mount ,zion  from ,mount
 ,moriah1 and is now much filled up     
within the walls1  which cross it at    
some distance from its mouth4 ,it has1  
no doubt1  been much filled without the 
walls1 still it is very manifest on  the
 outside1 and near its mouth4 ,there is 
quite a high bluff on the  ,moriah side1
 near the pool4 ,this valley was        
formerly called the  valley of the      

,cheesemongers4 ,it was over this valley
 that ,solomon  is said to have made    
that splendid ascent to the house of    
,god from  ,mount ,zion1 where his      
palace stood1 that struck the ,queen of 
,sheba  with so much astonishment4 #a   
,kings1 x4 #e4 ,the pool of ,siloam is  
small1 not more than twenty or          
twenty-five feet long1 and ten or       
twelve wide4 ,it may be eight feet deep1
 with only eighteen or twenty  inches of
 water in it4 ,it is fed by the fountain
 of ,siloam1 which  rises about three   
hundred yards farther up the valley1 and
 is taken  under ground through the     
point of the hill which projects into   
the  valley from ,mount ,moriah1 and    
comes out at this place4 ,the water     
passes through the pool1 and is conveyed
 by a channel to the edge of  the valley
 of the ,kedron1 7for the pool is a     
little up the valley of  the            
,cheesemongers1 say twenty-five or      
thirty yards17 then it passes  through a
 set of troughs1 where the people come  

to obtain water for  themselves and     
their cattle4    ,a considerable part of
 ,mount ,zion1 the part which forms the 
point of  the angle between the valley  
of ,hinnom and that of ,kedron1 is not  
now included in the city4 ,the wall no  
doubt formerly ran down the  valley of  
the ,gihon to the point keeping close on
 the edge of the  precipice1 up the     
valley of the ,kedron1 crossing the     
valley of the  ,cheesemongers at the    
mouth1 and keeping on the precipice1    
passed  ,mount ,moriah4 ,the remains of 
the basement of the wall that crossed   
the mouth of the valley of the          
,cheesemongers may yet be seen1 south   
of the pool of ,siloam1 near the large  
trough into which the water  flows from 
that pool4 ,the present wall of the city
 leaves the edge  of the bank of the    
valley a little east of the ,jaffa gate1
 and  traversing for a little space the 
higher part of the hill of ,zion1  but  
leaving a large part of it to the right1
 takes nearly a straight  course across 

the upper part of the valley of the     
,cheesemongers to  ,mount ,moriah1      
leaving out most of this valley1 and    
also the angle  of ,mount ,moriah1 which
 is between the valley of the ,kedron   
and the  valley of the ,cheesemongers4  
,much of this space is now made the     
depository of rubbish and filth of all  
sorts4 ,the whole face of  the hill1    
both on the ,gihon and the ,kedron side1
 is evidently much  enlarged1 and made  
to project into the valley1 from the    
quantity of  rubbish thrown over it4    
,once it must have been a high and      
almost1 if  not altogether1 a           
perpendicular bank1 but now the rubbish 
has almost  wholly hidden the face of   
the rock1 being visible only in one or  
two  spots2 thus forming a steep but    
sloping bank of rich1 soft earth4  ,some
 parts of it are planted with trees1 and
 portions are used for  cultivating     
vegetables of various kinds4 ,the       
present walls were1 if  ,i mistake not1 
built by ,caliph ,omar1 the successor of

 the celebrated  ,saladin1 who warred so
 bravely against the ,crusaders1 and    
wrested  ,jerusalem and most of their   
possessions in ,palestine from them4 ,we
  saw in the lower part of the wall on  
,mount ,moriah1 many rocks of a  very   
large size2 but none that equalled those
 at ,baalbec4 ,the style  of building in
 the walls at ,jerusalem reminded me of 
those parts of  the walls of ,baalbec of
 a more recent erection1 especially that
 on  the east side and adjoining the    
great temple4    ,a few hundred yards   
north of the pool of ,siloam1 we came to
 the  fountain of ,siloam4 ,this is a   
small spring on the city side of the    
valley1 and nearly opposite the corner  
of the city wall1 where it  meets the   
precipice1 and includes the space       
occupied by the temple4  ,milton        
therefore was nearly right when he spoke
 of        ,siloah's stream1 that flowed
      ,fast by the oracle of ,god4      
,this fountain is in a place like a     
cave1 artificial1 however1 as  all the  

appearances indicate4 ,you descend eight
 or ten steps which  lead down into the 
side of ,mount ,moriah--there you find a
 stream  of indifferent water4 ,the     
quantity of water is not large1 and it  
is said that it has more water in it one
 part of the day than in  the other1    
more1 for example1 in the morning than  
in the afternoon4  ,what is the cause of
 this is not certainly known4 ,possibly 
it may  be the syphon form of the       
passage through which the water flows4  
,there are many cases of syphon springs4
 ,it may1 however1 arise from  some     
connexion which this fountain has with  
the water1 brought by an  aqueduct to   
the mosque of ,st4 ,omar1 on ,mount     
,moriah4 ,the quantity  of water brought
 is too great to be all used in the     
service of the  mosque1 and as none     
flows from the platform1 it has most    
likely some  passage under ground1 and  
may possibly find its way to the        
fountain  of ,siloam4 ,the depth of the 
fountain below the surface of the ground

  does not allow the water to flow off4 
,a passage is cut on a level  with the  
fountain1 large enough to admit a man to
 walk erect for  some distance4 ,it     
passes into the hill1 and under that    
high point of  ,mount ,moriah which lies
 between the valley of the ,kedron and  
that of  the ,cheesemongers1 and comes  
out at the pool of ,siloam4 ,when this  
work was done is not known4    ,the part
 of ,mount ,olivet near and opposite    
,mount ,moriah1 is very  much covered   
with ,jewish graves4 ,it is the         
favourite ,jewish place  of interment4  
,the rock is horizontal1 and in many    
spots next the  valley1 much of the face
 of the rock is bare4 ,parts of the     
stratum  are sufficiently thick to allow
 tombs to be cut in the face of it1  and
 by hollowing the softer stratum1 caves 
have been formed for  the deposite of   
the dead4 ,there is at one place a      
little village  almost entirely made up 
of old tombs that have been altered more
 or  less4 ,near the fountain of        

,siloam1 are several sepulchral         
monuments  of more distinction than the 
mixed multitude that cover the side  of 
the mountains4 ,the most remarkable are1
 the tomb or pillar of  ,absalom1 as it 
is called in #b ,sam4 xviii4 #ah1 that  
of ,zechariah1 and  ,jehoshaphat4 ,the  
tomb of ,absalom is in the form of a    
house about  twelve feet square1 hewn   
out of a solid rock1 except the top1    
which  has a round cover of stones1     
neatly put together1 and rising like a  
short cone4 ,it is hollow1 and appears  
originally to have had but one  small   
entrance1 high up in front1 which was   
probably stopped with a  stone made to  
fit it4 ,several large holes have been  
broken through  the sides4 ,the side    
walls appear to have been from eighteen 
inches  to two feet thick1 leaving      
within quite a neat little room4 ,it was
  probably designed as a place of       
interment for himself4 ,he found  one1  
however1 in a very different place1--in 
a pit1 and1 instead  of resting in the  

neat stone chamber he had prepared with 
so much  care1 he had a great pile of   
stones thrown on him4 ,we saw here a    
striking sample of the ,arab custom of  
throwing stones at the graves  of       
persons whom they abhor for their       
crimes4 ,there are large piles  of      
stones in and about this monument1 which
 persons in passing have  thrown at it1 
to express their hatred of ,absalom for 
his unnatural  rebellion against his    
father4 ,the stratum of rock at this    
place  is much more thick and compact   
than is usually met with in these       
regions4    ,the tomb of ,zechariah is  
much like that of ,absalom1 and stands  
but a short distance south of it4 ,the  
style of architecture is not  precisely 
the same--there is no door to it that ,i
 could find1 and of  course could not   
ascertain whether it was hollow4 ,there 
is behind  it1 in the open space that   
has been cut between it and the rock    
from  which it is separated1 a hole1    
which descends1 but so winding that  it 

is soon lost4 ,it was so filled up that 
we could not descend it4  ,it may have  
some connexion with the inside of this  
building1 and  have been intended for a 
secure place of interment4    ,about    
half way between the pillar of ,absalom 
and the tomb of  ,zechariah1 is the tomb
 of ,jehoshaphat4 ,the same compact rock
 is made  use of1 but it is of a        
different order of building4 ,in this   
case1  several large rooms are hewn out 
of rock connected with each other4  ,a  
large front door or opening separated by
 pillars1 and enriched  with carved     
work1 is cut in the face of the rock1   
eight or ten feet  from the ground4 ,the
 way of access is through a small1 low  
hole1  at the outside1 near the tomb of 
,zechariah4 ,after entering a few  feet 
the space becomes larger1 soon you can  
walk erect4 ,the passage  ascends a     
little1 and opens into a fine large     
room1 in the front  of which is the     
large door that ,i have described4 ,this
 room is of  course well lighted1 and   

would make no uncomfortable habitation4 
,from this front room1 doors and        
passages lead to others that lie        
farther in the hill1 and of course are  
dark1 except the little light  they may 
receive from the antechamber4 ,i wonder 
that this place is  not occupied as a   
residence1 as it must1 ,i think1 be much
 better  than any of the tombs a little 
to the south1 that are thus occupied4   
,three or four hundred yards north of   
,absalom's pillar we came to  the place 
pointed out as the ,garden of           
,gethsemane4 ,it lies on  the ,mount    
,olivet side of the valley1 not far from
 the bottom4  ,there are four or five   
acres at this place1 partly in the      
valley  and partly on the foot of ,mount
 ,olivet1 that have been laid out in    
gardens1 and some of them are still     
cultivated4 ,there are a number  of     
olive-trees1 some of them old and large4
 ,they point to one of  the enclosures1 
as the ,garden of ,gethsemane1 where our
 ,lord was in  agony1 and where ,judas  

led the band who took him4 ,as is       
customary1  the priest will tell you the
 precise spot where the disciples       
slept--where our ,lord withdrew--and    
where ,judas betrayed him4 ,that        
somewhere here was the place where those
 transactions took place1  is not       
unlikely1 but it is all idle folly to   
pretend to be able to  designate the    
precise spots4    ,a little north of    
this is a chapel under ground1 said to  
be the  tomb of the ,virgin ,mary4 ,it  
is near the valley1 a little on the     
,mount ,olivet side4 ,a small part of   
the top of the building is above        
ground1 but the great body is below4 ,we
 descended a wide1 noble  flight of     
steps for ten or fifteen feet1 and then 
we had a great  display of lamps and    
other rich ornaments1 with a large altar
 in  front4 ,at our right was a recess  
or little room1 shown as the tomb  of   
,mary2 and about half way up the steps  
were recesses on both  sides1 said to be
 tombs of--,i forget whom--,anna1       

perhaps1 and other  females mentioned in
 the ,gospels4 ,when this place was     
made1 or by  whom1 ,i am not able to    
say4 ,it is1 however1 one of the best   
pieces  of under-ground building that ,i
 have seen1 and is in good keeping4     
,but how all these good people were     
found1 after centuries had passed  away1
 is not for me to tell4    ,the gate of 
,st4 ,stephen is nearly opposite the    
tomb of ,mary1 and  a road leads up from
 near the tomb to the gate4 ,about      
two-thirds  of the way from the gate to 
the bottom of the valley1 they point    
out the place where ,stephen1 the first 
martyr1 was stoned4 ,it is  rather      
singular that they have erected no      
monument over it4 ,it is  designated by 
a ledge of rocks1 which projects from   
the ground4    ,mount ,olivet is higher 
than most of the ground on which the    
city  stands--higher than ,mount        
,moriah1 and about as high as the ground
  above the ,jaffa gate on the top of   
the ridge4 ,there are a few  olive-trees

 scattered over the mount1 but not as   
many as ,i had  been led to suppose4    
,there is a mosque near the top of it1  
nearly  opposite ,mount ,moriah1 and    
what is singular1 there is a small      
church  in the inside of the mosque4    
,the mosque is not used at present1  and
 was probably a part of the church      
formerly4 ,the church is said  to be    
built on the spot from which our ,lord  
ascended2 and they  gravely showed us   
what they said was his track1 or the    
print of his  foot4 ,we know1 however1  
that the ascent was nearer ,bethany1    
which  lies on the east side of the     
mount4 ,luke xxiv4 #ch4    ,while the   
,jews chose ,mount ,olivet as their     
burying-ground1 the  ,mohammedans love  
to inter their dead on ,mount ,moriah1  
outside the  wall1 and as near as they  
can to the mosque of ,st4 ,omar4 ,they  
extend  these interments beyond the gate
 of ,st4 ,stephen1 as there is more     
room outside the walls1 north of this   
place1 for this purpose4 ,thus  the     

,jews bury on ,mount ,olivet1 the       
,mohammedans on ,mount ,moriah1 and     
north of it along the outside of the    
city walls1 and the ,christians  on     
,mount ,zion4 ,there may be other       
burying-grounds occupied by each  of    
these classes of persons2 but these     
appear to be the ones most in  use at   
present4    ,the north and west sides   
are the most assailable parts of the    
city4  ,the wall there runs on ground   
nearly level2 it is1 however1 high  and 
strong4 ,the rock for making it appears 
to have been raised from  a space twenty
 or thirty feet outside the wall1 and   
thus a pretty  deep ditch has been      
formed1 which gives much strength to the
 wall as  a means of defence4 ,there is 
north of the city an extensive grove of 
olives1 and a few other trees4 ,it seems
 to me almost certain1 that  the city   
must once have extended farther north   
and north-west4 ,the  old ruins and     
cisterns indicate that buildings have   
extended in that  direction4    ,i had  

often heard of the ,sepulchres of the   
,kings1 and took this  occasion to visit
 them4 ,they are about a mile north-west
 of the  city wall4 ,instead of being on
 the side of a hill as ,i expected1 ,i  
found them on a level part of the plain4
 ,that part of the plain1  as indeed is 
usual1 is based on a horizontal stratum 
of rock4 ,at  this place the rock is    
more firm and compact than usual4 ,a    
space1  perhaps forty feet square1 has  
been cut down fifteen or twenty feet1   
perhaps originally twenty-five or thirty
 feet1 and the whole of the  rock       
removed1 leaving the sides regular and  
smooth1 like the walls  of a house4     
,parallel to the south side1 and at the 
distance of  eight or ten feet1 a       
graduated road has been made fifteen or 
twenty  feet wide1 on a moderate        
descent1 which brings it down near the  
south-east corner1 to nearly the same   
level with the floor within4 ,a  noble  
archway is hewn through this wall1 wide 
enough to admit three  or four men      

abreast4 ,the whole is evidently much   
filled up--enough  remains to show that 
it was well planned and well executed4  
,within this house-like place that ,i   
have described1 and at the  western     
side1 about eight feet of the upper part
 is covered with  sculpture of various  
kinds1 wrought on the face of the rock4 
,it  is rich1 and of admirable          
execution4 ,the part under this is hewn 
away1 and a kind of portico made1 twenty
 feet long1 ten or twelve  feet wide1   
and twelve feet high4 ,i give these as  
the probable  dimensions1 as ,i did not 
measure them4 ,at the south end of this 
portico1 the rubbish1 which had         
accumulated several feet1 has been      
removed1 and an opening was found cut   
through the solid rock4 ,only  so much  
of the rubbish was removed as would     
enable a person1 by  creeping1 to enter4
 ,after creeping a few feet1 we entered 
a room of  considerable size1 say twelve
 feet square4 ,from this room doorways  
opened to another room1 and from this to

 others2 most of them on the  same      
level1 but some of the passages lead to 
rooms below1 and1 in  one place1 the    
hollow sound which the floor gave       
clearly showed that  there were yet     
other excavations beneath4 ,these rooms 
had niches all  around for receiving the
 dead4    ,originally these doorways had
 stone doors1 with stone hinges4 ,the   
place for hanging the doors was obvious1
 and we saw several of the  broken doors
 made of a single stone slab4 ,in one of
 the inner rooms  we saw some richly    
carved covers of a sarcophagus2 the     
sarcophagus  itself was gone4 ,the door 
of this room was lying there nearly     
entire2 it was richly carved1 and       
wrought in a kind of panel-work4  ,the  
stone hinges were like those wooden     
hinges which we often meet  with in     
cabins1 stables1 c4 ,on one side of the 
stone a piece is  left at both ends to  
project out a few inches2 holes are cut 
in  the doorway of such a size as will  
receive these projections1 the  upper   

one made deep1 the door put in1 and made
 to turn on these  points4 ,these tombs1
 although called the ,tombs of the      
,kings1 are  not believed to have been  
the place where the kings of ,judah were
  interred4 ,we are told that they were 
usually buried in the city of           
,david1--that is1 on ,mount ,zion4 #b   
,chron4 xxiv4 #af4 ,we know not why     
they are so called2 possibly because    
they are the most remarkable  sepulchres
 that are known in the vicinity4        
,learning that at the distance of a mile
 or two to the north-west1 on  the same 
plain1 there was a remarkable set of    
sepulchres1 called the  ,sepulchre of   
the ,judges1 we concluded to visit them 
also4 ,there are  extensive beds of rock
 in this part of the plain1 and in many 
places  its upper surface is six1 eight1
 and ten feet above the level of the    
soil4 ,the rock is softer than that at  
the sepulchre of the kings1  being of   
that soft1 friable limestone1 which1    
from the ease with  which it is worked1 

is so much used in building4 ,i could   
see that in  all directions it had been 
quarried and removed4    ,advantage was 
taken of a place where the rock rose    
eight or ten  feet above the ground4 ,it
 was cut so as to make a plain1 smooth  
front4 ,then a little porch-like place  
is hewn out1 not unlike that  described 
at the sepulchre of the kings1 the rock 
being left above  for a cover4 ,a door  
was then cut in1 with some rich carving 
over it4  ,this led into a large room1  
around which were a number of niches for
  depositing the dead4 ,doorways opened 
at the three sides to other  rooms1 and 
around these were niches--from these    
again to others4  ,passing down through 
a hole in the corner of the first large 
room1  we found that there was one under
 it of nearly the same size4 ,it  was in
 a less finished state than any of the  
others4 ,it is usually  said1 that there
 are seventy or seventy-two of those    
niches for  corpses--the number of      
judges in the ,jewish sanhedrim4 ,we    

could not  make out that number4 ,we    
found sixty-eight or sixty-nine1 if my  
memory be correct4    ,many ruins are to
 be seen on this plain to the north and 
north-west  of the city4 ,there are many
 olive-trees scattered over it2 and     
wherever the massy1 compact limestone   
rises to a height and size  that will   
admit of it1 you are almost sure to see 
tombs cut in it4    ,there are several  
pools in the city4 ,about half way from 
the ,jaffa  gate to the church of the   
,holy ,sepulchre there is one of large  
dimensions2 it is surrounded by houses1 
and is1 ,i think1 called the  pool of   
,hezekiah4    ,an aqueduct can in part  
be traced from the upper ,gihon to the  
city  in the direction of this pool1 and
 possibly it may be the work of         
,hezekiah1 mentioned in #b ,chron4      
xxxii4 #cj4 ,he stopped the upper       
water-course of ,gihon1 and brought it  
straight down to the west side  of the  
city of ,david4    ,the pool of         
,bethesda lies near the gate of ,st4    

,stephen1 and almost  adjoining the     
large open square1 on which the mosque  
of ,st4 ,omar now  stands4 ,it is now   
dry1 and has not the appearance of often
 having  water in it4 ,it is a small    
place4 ,several arched places are shown 
at  one end1 as a part of the five      
porches mentioned in the ,gospel4    ,in
 truth1 ,jerusalem is badly1 very badly 
supplied with water4  ,most of the      
houses have cisterns for rain water1 but
 there is but  little of good spring or 
running water4 ,the fountain of ,siloam1
  which is small and not good1 is the   
only spring ,i have seen in the         
neighbourhood of ,jerusalem4 ,water is  
brought in for the use of the  mosque of
 ,st4 ,omar in pipes from the pools of  
,solomon1 not ,i think  for general use4
    ,the streets of ,jerusalem are      
narrow and filthy2 the houses have an   
old and weather-beaten appearance4      
,there is one peculiarity about  them   
which is rather singular4 ,i saw        
something of it at ,jaffa and at        

,rumla4 ,the dome roof is almost        
universal4 ,to me it has a pretty       
appearance1 and is a much better defence
 against rain than the flat  roofs which
 are so universal at ,beyroot1 and all  
the towns and  villages in the northern 
part of ,syria4    ,this mission find   
their chief employment in distributing  
books  and conversing with the people1  
and find a good deal to encourage  them 
in their work4 ,there is an increasing  
disposition among the  ,mohammedans to  
have intercourse with them1 and to      
converse with them  on the subject of   
religion4 ,this is a promising          
circumstance4          ,,letter ,,xiii4 
,jerusalem1 ,october #ajth1 #ahcf4      
,we left ,jerusalem early on the morning
 of the #hth1 for a visit to  ,hebron4  
,being informed that there might be some
 danger of robbery or  evil treatment on
 the road1 we applied to the governor   
for a guard1  and received an order to  
the commandant at the pools of ,solomon1
 the  place where the dangerous district

 begins1 for a guard4    ,we left the   
,jaffa gate1 and crossing the valley of 
,gihon1 passed  down a pretty plain to  
the south of ,jerusalem towards         
,bethlehem4  ,this plain is very        
fertile1 but does not appear to be under
  cultivation to any great extent4 ,on  
several parts of it we saw  orchards of 
olive and other trees4 ,when near       
,bethlehem we took the  direct road to  
,hebron1 intending to visit that place  
on our return4    ,in the vicinity of   
,bethlehem is the tomb of the beloved   
,rachel4  ,it is a high1 oblong mass of 
masonry1 of an old and venerable        
appearance4 ,a neat stone building with 
a dome has been erected over  it4    ,we
 saw an encampment of soldiers under the
 olive-trees to the west  of ,bethlehem1
 and learned that ,ibrahim ,pasha had   
attempted to disarm  a powerful tribe of
 ,arabs that reside near the ,dead ,sea2
 that they  had proved refractory1 and  
that he had ordered a considerable force
  to the neighbourhood1 and directed    

some of the powerful tribes that        
acknowledge his authority to aid in the 
work4 ,there were in the  vicinity of   
,bethlehem several thousand men1 and the
 disarming of the  tribe was going on4  
,the whole district about ,bethlehem is 
exceedingly rocky2 more so  than usual  
in this rocky country4 ,this continued  
the case most of  the way to the pools4 
,the country to our right1 that is west 
of us1  rose higher1 and on the side of 
the ridge were several villages2  most  
of them had pleasant groves of trees    
near them1 and there were  extensive    
districts abounding with the olive1 and 
plains finely  adapted for cultivation4 
,the pools of ,solomon are situate about
 three miles from ,bethlehem1  on the   
road to ,hebron4 ,they lie in a ravine  
that runs east from  a little plain     
surrounded on all other sides by        
moderately high  hills4 ,a small spring 
rises in this plain1 and the water from 
it was  probably made1 formerly1 to pass
 through the pools4 ,at present1 the    

water from the spring1 or from some of  
them1--for there are probably  more than
 one1 although sealed up and conveyed   
away under ground in  such a way that   
the water can be seen in but one or two 
places1--is  conveyed in earthen pipes1 
set in rock1 and under ground along the 
side of the pools1 until it passes them1
 and is then made to unite  with the old
 aqueduct that took the waters from the 
pools to the  city4 ,most probably the  
temple was supplied with waters in this 
way1  and that the pools were made for  
this purpose4 ,the distance direct  is  
about nine miles1 and must be increased 
by the windings necessary  to find a    
water level4 ,ibrahim ,pasha1 since he  
took possession of  this country1 has   
had the aqueduct repaired4 ,the pools   
are called  the ,pools of ,solomon1 but 
it is not with certainty known that he  
made them4 ,they are in plan and        
structure much like the pools in  the   
valley of ,gihon1 called the upper and  
lower pool4 ,they are three  in number1 

and lie one below another2 each may be  
about six hundred  feet long1 and three 
hundred broad4 ,there is a large        
building  adjoining them1 which may have
 been intended for a khan4 ,it is now   
occupied by the guard of soldiers that  
are usually stationed here4    ,the     
order for a guard was safe in our       
pockets1 but on reaching the  place not 
a soldier was to be found--what were we 
to do8 ,there were1  counting our       
servant and muleteer1 and one or two    
persons who had  joined us on the way1  
as we supposed for the sake of enjoying 
our  protection1 six or seven of us and 
two brace of pistols--we did not        
therefore hesitate to push forward      
without a guard2 and saw no cause  to   
regret it4 ,the district we now entered 
was more rough1 rocky1  and hilly1 with 
less cultivation and more wood upon it1 
than any we  had yet seen4 ,the trees   
were small1 not much higher than a man's
  head when mounted on a good horse4 ,it
 looks much as if it had been  stripped 

of its trees and the sprouts allowed to 
grow unmolested  for about two years4   
,much of the fuel that is used in       
,jerusalem is  obtained from this       
district4 ,we met many mules and donkeys
 loaded  with wood going to the city1   
and this1 ,i may add1 is the usual mode 
of transporting wood through this       
country4 ,everything is packed on       
animals4 ,wheel-carriages they have     
none4 ,we also met a number of  females 
with large parcels of wood on their     
backs1 making their  way towards the    
city4 ,in some cases they must have to  
carry it from  six to ten miles4 ,what a
 labour for females6 ,it is now1 as in  
the  days of old1 the women and children
 sink under the wood4 ,lam4 v4 #ac4     
,from many of the hills over which we   
passed1 we had repeated views  of the   
,dead ,sea lying in a long narrow strip 
from north to south4  ,for about two    
hours we passed through a district hilly
 and very  rocky1 and mostly covered    
with bushes4 ,in many places these were 

so abundant as to justify the use of the
 word thicket4 ,these are  the places   
which are considered the most dangerous1
 as the robbers  can conceal themselves1
 and thus with more ease perpetrate     
their  crimes and escape pursuit4 ,this 
whole region has once been under        
cultivation1 and a portion of it is yet4
 ,that portion1 however1 is  small4 ,on 
the sides of the hills were the remains 
of terrace-work1  and in many places old
 buildings and mounds of rock1 which    
showed  the labour of man4 ,we saw      
several villages in the distance1 and   
far to the east on a high hill1 towns   
and other indications of  inhabitants4  
,we passed one of the largest and best  
springs in  ,palestine4 ,it rises at the
 foot of one of the thickest and softest
  strata of white limestone rock that ,i
 have seen4 ,a number of tombs  were cut
 in the face of this rock1 which may    
have been eight or ten  feet thick4 ,on 
first seeing them ,i thought1 from the  
soft character  of the rock1 that they  

might lead to extensive excavations1 but
  on examination found this was not the 
case4 ,we were now within an  hour or   
two of ,hebron4 ,the face of the country
 improved1 more pains  were taken to    
collect the loose rock into piles or    
fences1 and more  ground was under      
cultivation4 ,many villages were seen1  
at a distance  from our road4    ,when  
about three miles from ,hebron we turned
 a little off our road  to the west1 to 
look for an old ruin which was said to  
be worth  seeing4 ,this led us on higher
 ground2 and gave us a more extensive   
view of the country2 and ,i was not a   
little surprised and pleased  at having 
a fine view of the whole district to the
 west1 embracing  a part of the hill    
country of ,judea1 the southern part of 
the plain  of ,sharon1 and the          
wide-spread ,mediterranean sea beyond   
it4 ,i was1  in fact1 on the highest    
ridge of the hill country1 which runs   
north  and south1 and could see below me
 the secondary ridges and hills1  which 

extended about half-way to the sea1     
becoming lower and lower  as they       
approached the plain--then the plain    
beyond1 and the white  sand-hills and   
banks along the shore4 ,i fancied that  
,i could see the  south-east corner of  
the sea near ,el-,arish1 where it turns 
to the  west--possibly this was fancy4  
,the view1 however1 was most extensive  
and interesting1 as ,i knew that my eyes
 were ranging over1 not only  a large   
and rich portion of the inheritance of  
the tribe of ,judah1  but also part of  
the land of the ,philistines1 those     
inveterate  and powerful enemies of the 
people of ,god4 ,oh6 how often has the  
district which ,i now beheld1 witnessed 
the mustering1 and marching1  and       
warfare of the ,philistine against      
,israel1 and the ,israelite  against the
 ,philistine4    ,we now entered a      
gently declining valley4 ,the soil did  
not appear  better than usual1 but much 
care and labour had been bestowed on it1
  and evidences of this increased as we 

passed through to the south4  ,the      
stones were gathered off--good stone    
fences were made along  the road--the   
ground was well set with vines1 and for 
miles we had  nothing on either side of 
the road but a succession of vineyards  
loaded with the most delicious grapes4  
,surely1 thought ,i1 this  must be the  
valley of ,eshcol4 ,it was here the     
spies procured the  vine loaded with    
clusters1 which they carried into the   
wilderness  to the astonishment of the  
whole camp4 ,if my conjecture was not   
entirely correct it was nearly so1 if   
the ,jews of ,hebron are to be          
believed1 for this1 if not the valley of
 ,eshcol1 terminates in that  valley    
about a mile from ,hebron4 ,this valley 
through which we passed  became wider   
and more rich in its fruits until it    
joined the other  valley1 which comes in
 more from the west4 ,this second valley
 is  the widest1 has a considerable     
breadth of level1 rich soil finely      
cultivated1 interspersed with trees1 and

 covered with vineyards4  ,this is      
called ,eshcol1 as we learned from the  
,jews with whom we  lodged1 and who took
 us out to see it4 ,about a mile up this
 valley  is pointed out the tree under  
which they say ,abraham received the    
angels1 ,gen4 xviii4 #d-h4 ,it is the   
largest tree in the vicinity1 is  of the
 oak kind1 which here grows low and     
sends out many branches1  and looks at a
 little distance not unlike a large     
apple-tree4 ,if it  be the self-same    
tree under which ,abraham entertained   
the angels1 it  must have attained a    
good old age4 ,i am1 however1 slow to   
believe  it1 although assured of it by a
 descendant of the patriarch4 ,it  may  
be a descendant of that tree thus       
honoured1 either direct or  collateral1 
but that it should have lived until now1
 does not agree  with the great law of  
mortality which spares no living thing1 
neither man nor beast1 animal nor       
vegetable1 since death entered  this    
world4 ,these1 however1 are the plains  

of ,mamre1 and the good  old patriarch  
long sojourned1 and somewhere on these  
plains his  tent was pitched1 his altar 
raised1 and his worship went up with    
acceptance to the ,god who was his      
shield and exceeding great  reward4 ,how
 many generations have passed away since
 that time1 and  yet his name is known1 
is dear to the people of these          
lands--seeing  the memory of the        
righteous is blessed6 ,abraham had his  
trials--he  was ordered from the land of
 his nativity1 and1 although ,canaan    
was promised him1 he was made to live as
 a stranger in it1 and at  the          
sufferance of others--while he saw the  
nations which possessed  it building    
cities1 increasing their defences1 and  
using means to  secure it as an         
inheritance for their children1 he was  
not allowed  to secure a foot of it1    
except a burying-place for himself and  
family2 and although he was promised a  
numerous posterity1 yet  he saw himself 
and wife getting old1 passing the age in

 which men  become parents1 and not one 
son born to them4 ,yet he believed and  
loved and served ,god1 and the event    
proved that not one word of  ,god's     
promise fell to the ground4             
,following this united valley a little  
to the south-east1 we came to  ,hebron4 
,the country about it is better         
cultivated than any district  ,i have   
seen4 ,there are many enclosures and    
vineyards2 olive groves  and fig-trees  
abound4 ,as we drew near the town1 we   
passed several  wells2 these1 we were   
told1 were1 one the well of ,jacob1 one 
of  ,isaac1 and one the well of         
,abraham2 so each of the patriarchs has 
one4 ,it at least shows their regard for
 the memory of these good  men4 ,hebron 
stands in the valley2 but at a place    
where the two  ridges1 which bound it on
 either side1 are not uniform1 but      
rather  like separate hills placed near 
each other4 ,while most of the town     
stands in the valley1 its edges rise in 
a small degree on four of  the hills by 

which it is surrounded1 but in the      
greatest degree on  the hill to the     
south-east4 ,the town has a very old    
appearance2 the  streets are narrow and 
dirty1 and to a great extent arched     
over1  especially the bazaars4 ,few of  
the houses look well2 they are placed   
uncomfortably close to each other1 and  
are badly aired and lighted4  ,the      
bazaars appeared poorly supplied with   
goods and provisions2  and1 on the      
whole1 it was a poorer place than ,i was
 led to expect1  from the improved state
 of the country around it4 ,much the    
largest  part of the population is      
,mohammedan4 ,there are few ,christians 
in  ,hebron2 we were told1 but one      
family1 and that was the family of  the 
secretary of the governor4 ,we had a    
letter to him1 and expected  to find    
lodgings with him1 but to our regret he 
was not at home4  ,while inquiring for  
him1 the governor passed1 and           
ascertaining that  we were travellers1  
and were recommended to his secretary1  

he sent  a soldier with us to introduce 
us to a respectable ,jewish family1  who
 were ordered to take care of us4 ,we   
were kindly received and  provided for4 
,they showed us the synagogue1 which was
 near our  lodgings4 ,we found a school 
in operation in the synagogue2 the      
scholars were reading in the ,hebrew    
,bible4 ,they showed us a most  splendid
 roll of the law1 which they had        
recently received4 ,it was  fixed on two
 rollers1 so as to roll off the one as  
it rolled on  to the other1 leaving such
 a part exposed as might serve for the  
lesson to be read4 ,the whole put nicely
 in a case1 and fastened with  clasps1  
and laid away in a closet not far from  
the reading-desk or  pulpit4    ,a few  
years ago1 when ,ibrahim ,pasha's troops
 took ,hebron1 they  committed great    
outrages on the ,jews1 by plundering    
them of all they  could find4 ,they     
broke into their synagogue1 and opened  
all parts of  it in which they thought  
anything could be found1 mutilated and  

tore  their roll of the law1 and        
perpetrated many other enormities4      
,hebron  is esteemed by the ,jews as a  
sacred city2 and they think it a great  
privilege to live here4 ,they pretend   
that persons1 when old1 if they  come   
and live at ,hebron1 can renew their    
age4 ,they need not go far  for         
materials to correct the opinion2 for   
some of them had about  them ample proof
 that old age and all its infirmities   
come upon  people at ,hebron as         
certainly and as fast as at other       
places4    ,the great mosque1 which was 
probably once a ,christian church1      
stands  over1 as we were told1 the cave 
of ,machpelah4 ,we were not allowed to  
enter it4 ,it is a very large building1 
and the lower part contains  stones of a
 very large size4 ,it stands on the side
 of the hill1 at  the south-east part of
 the city4 ,the palace of the governor  
joins  it2 and it is not improbable that
 the palace in which ,david reigned  for
 seven years was in that quarter4 ,near 

the mosque is a very large  cistern1    
which the ,jew1 who was our guide1      
pretended was ,sarah's  bathing-house4  
,it was1 however1 of much more modern   
formation2 the  declaration of the ,jew 
to the contrary notwithstanding4    ,at 
the south end of the town is a fine     
pool4 ,this is the pool1 as  is         
supposed1 over which ,david hung the    
hands and feet of ,rechab and  ,baanah1 
the murderers of ,ishbosheth4 #b ,sam4  
iv4 #ab4 ,it appears to  have been      
formerly fed by a stream through a small
 aqueduct1 that  comes into it2 but the 
stream is now dry1 and the aqueduct out 
of  order4 ,a short distance to the     
north of this pool1 is another of a     
smaller size2 but the water in it does  
not appear as good1 nor is it  as much  
used4    ,while rambling among the      
olive-trees that almost cover the hill  
to  the south-west of the town1 we came 
to the ruins of an old building1  which 
must have been a place of some          
consequence formerly1 but is  now wholly

 deserted4 ,our guide took us into it1  
and in one of the  rooms showed us a    
small hole in the wall1 which he told us
 was the  tomb of ,jesse1 the father of 
,david4 ,the ,jews1 who were with us1   
certainly showed much reverence for the 
place1 pulling off their  shoes1 and    
performing other acts of regard4        
,whether this be the  grave of ,jesse   
none can tell1 nor is it worth much     
inquiry4 ,it is  not impossible that    
,jesse may have died at ,hebron1        
notwithstanding  ,bethlehem was his     
usual place of residence4 ,when ,david  
came under  the jealousy of ,saul1 and  
was obliged to flee1 his family fled    
with him1 and ,david had to provide for 
and protect his father and  mother4 #a  
,sam4 xxii4 #a-d4 ,it is not unlikely   
that while he reigned  in ,hebron1 and  
the sons of ,saul over the rest of      
,israel1 his family  may have resided   
with him2 ,jesse1 who was an old man    
when ,david was  anointed1 may have     
finished his days while his son lived   

and reigned  at ,hebron4    ,i could not
 but notice in passing1 some piles of   
wood of a larger  kind than any ,i had  
seen in ,palestine4 ,it was pine1 and   
cut into  pieces of four or five feet in
 length4 ,many pieces were from a foot  
to eighteen inches in diameter1 which1  
in this country1 is large  growth4 ,i   
noticed also over their shops1 and at   
other places1 pine  branches used as a  
protection from the sun4 ,on inquiry ,i 
was told  that1 a few hours to the      
south-west1 there was much wood of that 
kind4 ,as the pine1 in these countries  
at least1 is seldom found  except in    
sandy districts1 there must be a        
sandstone formation in  that quarter4   
,hebron1 indeed1 lies far south in      
,palestine1 and on  the borders of the  
wilderness1 and probably the limestone  
formation  terminates not far south of  
this1 and gives place to the sandstone1 
which accounts for the immense regions  
of sand which are met with  in that     
district4 ,had time allowed1 ,i would   

gladly have made a tour  of a day or two
 to the south1 and taken a glimpse of   
that waste1  howling wilderness in which
 ,israel1 for their rebellion1 were made
  so long to wander4 ,the peculiar      
circumstances of my companion1  ,mr4    
,b----1 whose aid ,i needed as          
interpreter1 imposed on us the          
necessity of limiting our time4 ,there  
is a pretty good road from  ,hebron to  
,gaza and ,el-,arish on to ,egypt1 which
 may be traversed on a  dromedary in    
four days4    ,we wished on our return  
from ,hebron to take a route more to the
  east1 and pass ,tekoah and the region 
of the ,dead ,sea4 ,we learned1         
however1 that that district was now in a
 troubled state1 as the  population on  
it were among those whom the ,pasha was 
disarming1  and some of the more        
desperate were for keeping out of his   
reach1  and might1 in their ill-humour1 
injure those who fell in with  them4 ,as
 we had no guard1 we thought it the part
 of prudence to  keep out of harm's way1

 and accordingly returned as far as the 
pools of ,solomon by the same route we  
had traversed in going to  ,hebron4     
,from the pools we went down the hollow 
in which they are  situate1 and followed
 the course of the aqueduct4 ,this led  
us over  a new district1 and brought us 
to ,bethlehem on the other side4 ,the   
district over which we passed was       
exceedingly rough and rocky4 ,the       
hollow1 along the side of which we      
passed1 became deep1 rough1 and  had    
very little level space at the bottom1  
and the sides of the  hills that        
bordered it really appeared given up to 
rocks and stones4  ,the little earth1   
however1 that was to be seen1 was       
fertile1 for the  rock was a soft       
limestone1 which always forms a good    
soil4    ,about half way from the pools 
to ,bethlehem1 we passed a place where  
the valley spread out so as to leave1   
for a few hundred yards1  a strip of    
level land from twenty to fifty yards   
wide4 ,this was  divided into lots1 and 

walls made across it to prevent the     
washing  away of the earth4 ,trees and  
garden herbs were planted1 and the      
whole had a most pleasing appearance    
among the wilderness of rock by  which  
it is surrounded4 ,on the adjoining hill
 were a few low huts1  some of them more
 in the ground than above it1 where the 
owners of  this green spot dwell4       
,the hills in the immediate vicinity of 
,bethlehem were finely  terraced1 and   
many olive and fig trees planted4 ,i    
could not but  notice the number and    
beauty of the watch-houses or little    
towers1  which were placed in the       
vineyards--some of them were round and  
some  square--made of stone1 from ten to
 fifteen or twenty feet high4  ,these   
serve as places from which a watch is   
kept on the vineyards  during the season
 of the grape4 ,it is common to watch in
 this way  their gardens and            
fruit-trees1 as otherwise they might be 
pillaged4  ,reference is made to these  
towers in ,scripture1 as a cottage in  a

 vineyard1--as a lodge in a garden of   
cucumbers1 ,isaiah i4 #h2  built a tower
 in it1 7the vineyard17 ,matt4 xxi4 #bc4
 ,the ground  on which ,bethlehem stands
 is rough and uneven4 ,it is a          
poor-looking  place1 and has but a small
 population4 ,it was swarming with the  
,pasha's troops when we were there1 and 
that1 as well as other  reasons1 made   
our stay short4    ,the principal object
 of attraction here is the ,church of   
the  ,nativity4 ,this is a large        
establishment1 and includes in it both a
  monastery and church4 ,it properly    
belongs to the ,latins1 but is1  in     
part1 a joint concern1 as the ,greeks   
have a chapel in it1 and  probably some 
of the other ,christian sects4 ,they    
pretend to show you  the place where our
 ,lord was born1 and the manger in which
 he was  laid4 ,the church is built over
 them4 ,they may be said to be under    
the level of the ground1 and in a       
grotto1 as almost all their holy  places
 are4 ,you descend ten or twelve feet1  

and approach the place  of nativity     
through a narrow passage1 which is      
paved1 and the sides  faced with        
polished marble4 ,the place itself is   
small1 and used  somewhat as an         
altar1--a little recess in the wall4 ,it
 is almost  filled with lamps1 which are
 kept always burning4 ,the manger is a  
few yards to the right1 on the other    
side of the passage4 ,it is also  very  
richly ornamented1 lined in part with   
silk1 and illuminated  with many lamps4 
,from these places a way leads into the 
,latin and  ,greek chapels4    ,no      
sooner was our arrival announced than we
 were beset by a number  of persons with
 all sorts of trinkets for sale1        
crosses1 large  pieces of               
mother-of-pearl1 with the likeness of   
some holy person or  thing carved on it1
 beads1 and snuff-boxes4 ,they followed 
us into  the church1 waylaid us in the  
passages1 and beset us in the streets4  
,a great part of the population are     
engaged in manufacturing such  things1  

and they form the chief article of trade
 at this place4 ,they  were really      
troublesome in their efforts to induce  
us to buy1 and  they took care to ask a 
good price4    ,when about to start1    
some of our party were detained in the  
church  after ,i came out4 ,i waited on 
my horse1 and1 as the day was hot1 and  
the sun beat down with great power1 ,i  
spread my umbrella over me4  ,this      
excited the curiosity not only of the   
boys and common soldiers1  of whom the  
place was full1 but of some of the      
inferior officers4  ,they gathered about
 me in crowds1 and looked at the        
umbrella on all  sides--wished to       
understand the mechanism for raising and
 letting  it down--tried it1 and held it
 over them4 ,they examined my clothes1  
especially my shoes1 and on the whole1  
gave the ,frank a pretty close          
examination as to his exterior4 ,they   
exhibited great good-nature in  doing   
it1 and appeared much pleased with my   
willingness to gratify  their curiosity4

 ,after leaving the town1 we passed many
 soldiers and  horsemen under the       
olive-trees which abound in the         
vicinity4 ,one  of the horsemen joined  
us in the ride1 and took a hat from     
,angelo1  which he put on his own head1 
and caught hold of the umbrella of  one 
of the company1 and spread it over him1 
assuming in pleasantry  great dignity1  
to the no little amusement of his       
companions4 ,i have  heard it said that 
the ,turks seldom laugh1 and ,i believe 
they do  laugh less than ,franks2 yet ,i
 have met with several samples of the   
humorous and droll among them that was  
not a little amusing4    ,on our return 
to ,jerusalem we learned that a ,french 
prince1 one of  the sons of ,louis      
,philippe1 the present king1 had just   
arrived1  escorted by the governor of   
,rumla4 ,the governor of ,jerusalem and 
a  number of important personages had   
gone out to meet and welcome him2  the  
,catholics were especially assiduous in 
their attentions--as the  ,french king1 

infidel as he is1 is considered the     
protector of the  ,catholic church in   
the eastern part of the ,mediterranean4 
,there has  also been a little          
excitement lately between the ,catholics
 and the  ,greeks1 as the ,catholics    
have attempted to take possession of    
some  holy places 7they say1 only get   
back7 which the ,greeks claim4 ,the     
,latins had contrived to get an order   
from ,mohammed ,ali1 it was said1  in   
favour of their taking them2 but the    
,greeks were not disposed to  yield     
willingly what they had long possessed  
and considered as of  right belonging to
 them4 ,the presence of the son of      
,louis ,philippe  at such a time was    
important4    ,the great quantity of    
rock on the surface1 and the little     
earth  that is at times to be seen1 must
 at first strike the observer as  a     
great objection to this country1 and may
 lead to the inquiry1  how could such a 
rocky land be called the land flowing   
with milk  and honey--the glory of all  

lands8 ,there are many districts that   
are sadly encumbered with rock1 yet the 
soil among these rocks is  of a very    
superior kind1 and were the rock        
somewhat broken up1 the  large pieces   
piled and the small mixed with the soil1
 it might be  made very productive4     
,there is very striking proof of this in
 some  districts1 as that about ,hebron1
 which abounds with rock1 and yet  is   
covered with the most productive        
vineyards4 ,as to such a rocky  country 
being so spoken of in the days of the   
patriarchs1 ,i suppose  that it was in  
truth1 at that time1 the finest of      
lands2 that the  rock which now lies    
bare in so many places1 was then all    
covered  with earth of the richest kind1
 which has gradually disappeared in  the
 wastings1 and tillage1 and pasturage1  
of four or five thousand  years4 ,the   
more ,i see of ,palestine1 the more ,i  
am persuaded that it  was once one of   
the first countries in the world4 ,the  
time was1 ,i  doubt not1 when all these 

rocks were covered with a fine vegetable
  mould4          ,,letter ,,xiv4       
,jerusalem1 ,oct4 #acth1 #ahcf4    ,we  
have just returned from a visit to      
,jericho1 the ,jordan1 and the  ,dead   
,sea1 and ,i now set myself to the work 
of giving you a short  account of these 
places4 ,if you wish for a full and     
detailed account  of these celebrated   
places1 ,i must send you to books and   
the makers  of them4 ,my object is to   
give you such brief notices1 as ,i have 
time  to commit to paper4 ,the ,rev4    
,mr4 ,lanneau of the ,jerusalem mission 
joined us1 and made a very agreeable    
addition to our party2 we took  also two
 soldiers as a guard1 this district     
being notorious for  robbers4    ,we    
left ,jerusalem by the gate of ,st4     
,stephen1 passing between the  chapel of
 the ,virgin ,mary and the garden of    
,gethsemane4 ,we crossed  ,mount ,olivet
 a little to the south of the church of 
the ,ascension1  where there is a slight
 depression in the mount2 the part south

 of  this is called the ,mount of       
,corruption4 ,on it ,solomon built      
places  for his heathen wives1 to       
practise the heathen rites4 ,they point 
out a place where they say he had a     
large establishment for these  strange  
women4 ,the ,mount of ,corruption6 very 
well named1 when  put to such uses2 a   
very corrupt business it was--bad enough
 at  any place1 but still worse at the  
holy city1 and by the ruler of  the     
chosen people6 ,solomon was1 no doubt1 a
 very wise man in some  things1 but he  
did not show it in his relation to      
females4 ,in that  respect he behaved   
very foolishly4 ,it is the dictate of   
wisdom for  a man to have one wife1 it  
was thus intended by his ,maker2 and  he
 will be the happier and even the better
 man1 all other things  being equal1 for
 being thus connected4 ,if he uses a    
little wisdom  in making his choice1 and
 a little more in treating and taking   
care of his wife1 as every good man     
ought to do1 he will find1 nine  times  

out of ten1 that his wife will be a     
great comfort and help to  him1 and do  
him good all the days of his life4 ,but 
what is to be  expected of the man who  
is so very foolish as to gather them    
about  him by the score1 yea1 the       
hundred8 ,and then1 what a selection    
from  all the idolatrous nations within 
his reach6 ,i doubt not they were  a bad
 set1 a very bad set of women2 but what 
right had he to  expect a better from   
the quarter whence he obtained them8    
,had he  gone to some good old pious    
father of his own people1 and married   
his well-raised1 virtuous1 and pious    
daughter1 and confined himself  to one  
wife as a wise man ought to do1 and a   
good man would do1 he  might have been  
happy in the married life4 ,but behaving
 as he did1  there is no wonder that he 
was unhappy4 ,it is not at all courteous
  and gallant in him1 in these          
circumstances1 to show his spite in     
making hard speeches about the ladies1  
as if there was no fault on  his own    

side4    ,mount ,olivet1 where we       
crossed it1 had a few trees on it1 and a
  portion was laid out in gardens and   
vineyards1 but a great deal of  it      
evinced neglect4 ,it has a wide1 flat   
top1 over which we passed  for some     
time1 before we began our descent4 ,we  
had a pretty good  view of the northern 
end of the ,dead ,sea1 the valley of the
 ,jordan1  and the mountains of ,moab1  
which run north and south1 not far east 
of the ,jordan and the ,dead ,sea4      
,these mountains do not appear to be    
very high2 ,i should judge them to be   
about the height of the hills  to the   
west of ,jerusalem4 ,my attention was   
arrested by the apparent  straightness  
of the range1 and the uniform height of 
the ridge4 ,the  top of it1 from the    
south to the north1 as far as it could  
be seen  with distinctness1 appeared    
almost perfectly level4 ,it forms a most
  beautiful eastern horizon to a person 
on the high grounds about  ,jerusalem4  
,on the eastern side of ,olivet1 a      

little on the descent1 is ,bethany1     
where ,lazarus and his sisters lived4   
,it is a low1 miserable village1        
containing only a few families1 and most
 of these live in the lower  rooms and  
cellars of old buildings4 ,not one good 
house did ,i see in  the village4 ,it is
 little else than a mass of ruins4 ,an  
old ruin  is pointed out as the house of
 ,martha4 ,we were shown the grave of   
,lazarus2 it is an excavation in the    
rock1 narrow at the mouth1  barely      
allowing a person to enter2 we descended
 eight or ten steps1  and there found a 
small room1 in which was a place that   
served for  an altar1 on which service  
is at times performed4 ,in one side of  
this room is a small hollow place1 rude 
enough certainly1 in which  we were told
 the body of ,lazarus was deposited4    
,the whole concern is  certainly a very 
poor one1 much less like a place of     
interment than  many we had seen1 but   
may have been intended for that purpose4
    ,our course was now nearly due east4

 ,we had a very steep descent to  make  
on the eastern side of ,olivet4 ,we     
found some cultivated ground1  and a few
 olive and fig trees4 ,among the        
limestone on the surface  we saw many   
masses of silex1 much of it of a        
variegated and fine  kind1 which had the
 appearance of the coarser kinds of     
agate4 ,we  passed from the ,mount of   
,olives into a deep hollow1 which runs  
east  towards the valley of the ,jordan4
 ,near the head of this hollow is a     
spring of water1 with a ruin in the     
vicinity1 which appears to be a  great  
stopping-place for those who are passing
 to and from ,jerusalem  and ,jericho4  
,we found there a company of ,arabs and 
muleteers4 ,our  road led us down the   
valley4 ,the hills on both sides were   
steep1  and the valley narrow4 ,from    
this place there is a change in the     
character of the rock1 and a            
corresponding one in the character of   
the soil and the aspect of the country4 
,the rock becomes a friable  limestone  

of the softest kind4 ,this continues    
most of the way to  the valley of the   
,jordan4 ,it is easily disintegrated1   
and of course  but little of it appears 
on the surface4 ,a fine-looking soil    
covers  the face of the country1 the    
hills are rounded over1 and but few     
rocks are seen projecting out4 ,those   
veins of silex1 which ,i have           
mentioned1 form an exception2 and there 
are several of them1 one  above another1
 at a greater or less distance4 ,they   
vary from two  or three to twelve or    
eighteen inches in thickness2 and1 in   
some  places1 form a kind of cord-like  
appearance round the hills4 ,while1     
however1 the land looks more favourable 
for tillage1 it does not  show the      
evidences of it--far otherwise--we saw  
less and less of  its surface under the 
care and cultivation of man1 and fewer  
traces  of a resident population2 no    
villages1 no houses1 no vineyards nor   
olive trees1 and but occasionally a spot
 that had been made to yield  grain4    

,about half-way from ,mount ,olivet to  
the plain of ,jordan1 we  passed a      
district that exhibited rather a        
singular aspect4 ,the rock  on both     
sides of the narrow valley down which we
 were passing1 was  thrown much out of  
the horizontal position1 which is the   
general  state of the rock in this      
district1 and forced up in the middle1  
a rod or two it may be1 and made to have
 much the appearance of a               
regularly-formed arch4 ,it was manifest 
especially in the siliceous  stratum    
before-mentioned4 ,in some places you   
might count many of  these arches along 
the side of the hill1 on both sides of  
the  valley1 and in part corresponding  
with each other4 ,they had all the      
appearance of having been formed by the 
action of some great force  from below1 
acting partially on small locations4 ,i 
noticed the same1  but on a more        
extended scale1 on the road by which ,i 
returned from  the ,dead ,sea1 which lay
 considerably to the south of this4 ,it 

was1  however1 as far as ,i could judge1
 about the same distance from the       
valley of the ,jordan4 ,it is1 indeed1  
the same district1 and may  possibly    
exhibit a similar appearance both north 
and south to a much  greater extent4 ,it
 deserves an examination from some one  
who has  leisure and the desire to gain 
a perfect knowledge of the geology of   
,palestine4    ,the west side of the    
valley of the ,jordan is bounded by a   
very high  hill2 it might well be called
 a mountain4 ,it cannot be less than    
from #ejj to #hjj feet high4 ,the rock  
of these hills is limestone1  so very   
soft and white that ,i hesitated whether
 it did not more  properly belong to the
 chalk formation4 ,as the valleys       
approach  this abrupt border of the     
plain1 they cut deep into the earth1 and
  some of them form most tremendous     
chasms4 ,they reminded me much of  the  
mouths of the streams in some parts of  
,kentucky1 and on the  ,kanhawa4 ,they  
are all destitute of trees1 and hardly a

 bush is to  be seen that would shade a 
goat4 ,this nakedness of the banks and  
precipices gives them a wild appearance4
 ,on the sides of these deep  chasms you
 occasionally see ledges of rock jutting
 out1 and caves1  either natural or     
artificial1 entering under them--a noble
 place  for thieves and robbers4 ,the   
descent from the hills to the plain of  
,jordan is abrupt and steep4 ,to our    
left was a most tremendous gorge1  with 
a small flow of water in it4 ,the face  
of the hill towards the  plain1 was     
almost entirely destitute of vegetation1
 and deeply  furrowed1 from the washing 
of its soft and yielding soil4 ,directly
  before us1 and a short distance from  
the foot of the hill1 we saw  some      
ruins1 and the remains of a wall which  
enclosed a considerable  district4      
,whether this was the remains of some   
old village or city1  we could not tell1
 as our road turned north of it1 towards
 ,jericho1  and we had not time to visit
 it and examine it more minutely4 ,we   

crossed the rivulet flowing out of the  
deep gorge to our left1 as we  descended
 the hills2 on its banks were some old  
ruins1 and1 to our  right1 was a large  
and very high mound1 which1 from its    
regularity1  had the appearance of being
 artificial1 and was much like some of  
those large mounds that are seen in the 
valley of the ,mississippi4    ,a few   
small trees adorned the banks of the    
rivulet within the gorge1  and marked   
its course through the plain4 ,this     
noble1 wide-spread  plain lay almost as 
much at waste1 especially toward the    
hills1 as  if there was no man to till  
the ground4 ,it had the appearance of   
having been fertile1 and not wholly     
deprived of its fertility1 but  as worn 
a good deal with former usage4 ,there   
was1 as is usual with  plains near      
water1 a scattering of water-worn       
pebbles over it1 but  not so many as to 
be at all in the way of tillage4 ,as we 
entered  more on the plain1 we passed   
some spots that bore marks of having    

yielded grain not long since4    ,after 
travelling about three miles1 we reached
 the village which is  called ,jericho4 
,just before entering it1 we crossed a  
small brook  which flows from the       
north-west1 and has its rise in the     
fountain  pointed out as that which     
,elisha healed4 #b ,kings1 ii4 #ba4     
,about this  brook1 and spreading out   
over the plain1 were a number of bushes1
  mostly of the thorn kind1 and not     
unlike what ,i have heard called  the   
white thorn in some parts of the ,united
 ,states4 ,the largest of  them were    
about as high as a peach tree1 but were 
rather a clump  of branches growing out 
of one root1 than branches from the same
  stem4 ,they have many very sharp      
thorns on them4 ,some of them bore  an  
apple1 of a whitish colour1 larger than 
a grape4 ,there was also  another bush  
with prickles on it1 which grew from    
four to five feet  high4 ,it bore a     
yellow fruit1 about as large as the     
apricot1 that  looked very rich and     

pretty1 enticing the appetite1 but the  
taste  was unpleasant and indescribably 
nauseous4 ,when cut1 they were soft  and
 watery4    ,the village called         
,jericho1 may stand about mid-way from  
the hills  to the ,jordan4 ,it is one of
 the most miserable villages that ,i    
ever  saw4 ,the houses are low1 dirty1  
miserable places1 hardly deserving  the 
name4 ,piles of rubbish1 ashes1 and     
filth1 lie all about4 ,there  is one    
building now occupied by the soldiers   
stationed there1 that  has high and     
strong stone walls1 but is much out of  
repair4 ,the  village has1 however1 some
 gardens about it1 and a number of fig  
and  other fruit trees4 ,of the many    
palms which may once have decorated     
this city1 but one remains4 ,we encamped
 near the house used as a  fort by the  
troops1 under some fine spreading fig   
trees4 ,there were  some cattle in the  
village1 but we were not able to procure
 any milk  that was fit to drink2 a     
small vessel which they sent to us1     

being  so bad that we would not have it1
 but sent it back to the owner4 ,we     
have usually found it difficult to      
procure milk4    ,we set out in the     
morning to visit the fountain of ,elisha
 before  we went down to the ,jordan4   
,it lies about three miles north-west   
of ,jericho4 ,as our guide did not know 
the way1 we tried to engage  a person   
from the village1 and on inquiring for a
 boy1 they told  us they had no boys2   
all their boys and young men were taken 
for  soldiers4 ,they are all            
,mohammedans in this village2 and it is 
only  ,mohammedans1 or ,druses and      
,ansairi1 who are next-door neighbours  
to  them1 that the ,pasha honours with a
 forcible incorporation into his        
army--a happy deliverance for the       
,christian4 ,after some inquiry1  a     
woman engaged to be our guide so far as 
to put us in the right  road4 ,the      
spring is a fine large one1 near a small
 hill1 half a  mile in the plain4 ,there
 were some appearances of ruins in the  

piles of stone that lay about its head4 
,the water is clear1 but not  cold2     
there is a considerable spreading of the
 waters by means of  small channels1 and
 also from the level character of the   
ground4  ,this district is for some     
extent covered with the thorn-bush ,i   
have  mentioned1 together with some     
intermixture of other growth4    ,mount 
,quarantania1 which is one of the       
highest and roughest parts  of that     
range of hills that border on the plain1
 has a peculiarly  desolate appearance1 
and is full of holes and caves4 ,this is
 the  mountain into which1 as the monks 
tell us1 our ,lord was led1 after  his  
baptism1 to be tempted of the devil4    
,between its base and the  fountain are 
a number of old walls and buildings1    
which indicate  that a place of some    
consequence may once have been situate  
there4    ,the ,french prince whom ,i   
have mentioned before as on a visit to  
,palestine1 we learned1 had spent the   
night at the fountain with his  retinue4

 ,he had come the day before from       
,bethlehem to the ,dead ,sea1  and from 
thence came up past ,jericho to the     
fountain of ,elisha1 and  was off this  
morning for ,jerusalem before we        
arrived4 ,it would seem  that even to   
unbelievers this land has a most intense
 interest2 and  well it may1 for what   
land ever witnessed such wonders as have
 taken  place in ,palestine8    ,we took
 a south-east direction across the      
plain1 which differed  but little from  
the district we had already passed over1
 in the  sterility of its aspect4 ,this 
appearance may in part have been  owing 
to the circumstances1 that we were now  
at the close of the  summer1 and these  
plains had been parched with a six      
months burning  sun1 without the        
protection of a good covering of        
vegetable growth1  and not favoured with
 a shower of rain4 ,this was enough to  
parch  the life out of almost anything4 
,parts of the plain had been under      
tillage1 and on some spots the stubble  

on the ground showed that a  crop of    
grain had been gathered1 but the greater
 part lay untilled4  ,it no doubt       
serves1 as much of the best lands of    
these regions  do1 for pasturage--a     
matter1 in the estimation of the people 
of  this country1 equally1 if not more  
important than land employed  in        
tillage4 ,this is not the season for    
flocks to be seen on the  plains1 as    
they are too much burned up2 and ,i know
 not where they  can find districts at  
present that are not4 ,at the distance  
of a  mile and a half from the ,jordan  
we made a descent of eight or ten  feet4
 ,the descent was rather irregular1 the 
edge of the strata much  washed1 and    
there were many irregular parcels of    
earth along the  edge1 that had resisted
 the wastings which had removed the     
strata to  this extent4 ,the whole      
surface of this part of the plain was   
very  destitute of vegetation4 ,at the  
distance of nearly three quarters of  a 
mile we made another descent1 nearly as 

great as the former2 the  edge of it had
 much the same washed and irregular     
appearance4 ,the  land on which we now  
entered had many of these irregular     
mounds of  earth that ,i mentioned as   
lying along the water edge of the former
  descent4 ,it looked as if the whole   
plain had once been on a level  with the
 part above the first descent1 and that 
a sweeping torrent1  extending out to   
where the first bank is1 had passed over
 it1 and  swept away about ten feet of  
earth1 except a few hard spots near  the
 edge2 then1 that another torrent had   
come down1 reaching out  only to the    
place where the second bank is1 and     
within its range  had carried off about 
ten or twelve feet of earth1 leaving a  
large  number of spots that resisted it2
 for the mounds between the first  and  
second banks nearly agreed in height    
with the plain above that  bank1 while  
those below the second bank agreed in   
height with the  land between the first 
and second banks4 ,in the space between 

the  second and third banks much of the 
ground looked as if it was often        
covered with water1 like the dried mud  
on which water has long  lain2 this was 
not the general character of this       
district4 ,there  were at places many   
small bushes1 and on some parts of it a 
pretty  considerable crop of dry weeds4 
,we made a third descent near the       
stream1 of about the same depth4 ,on and
 near this last bank1 down  to the      
water's edge1 there were many bushes of 
various kinds2 among  them considerable 
quantities of the willow1 the willow of 
the  water-courses4    ,the ,jordan1    
where we visited it1 may be twenty or   
twenty-five yards  wide4 ,it is1        
however1 very various in its width1 but 
,i should think  what ,i have given     
embraced its common width4 ,it had a    
strong current  at this place1 and was  
very muddy2 whether this is its usual   
colour1  or was in consequence of a     
considerable fall of rain two days      
before1 ,i am unable to say4 ,after     

amusing ourselves in the water for  some
 time1 we thought it would not do to    
come away without crossing  it4 ,we swam
 to the other side1 and cut some rods   
from the willows1  on the other side of 
,jordan4 ,we could have waded across1 if
 it had  not been for the rapidity of   
the current1 which swept over a gravel  
bar into a deep hole4 ,many lives1 it is
 said1 have been lost at this  place4   
,we1 however1 swam over and returned in 
safety4 ,i gathered  twelve stones from 
the ,jordan1 and cut half a dozen stems 
from the  willows that grew on its      
banks4 ,we looked at the water1 and the 
banks again and again1 as if we were    
fearful we might forget how  they       
looked2 and at last1 yet with           
reluctance1 set off for the ,dead  ,sea4
    ,we saw the ,jordan at the place    
usually visited by the pilgrims1  three 
or four miles from its mouth4 ,its      
course makes it enter the  ,dead ,sea   
somewhat east of the middle of the      
plain4 ,it may be that  some visitors   

follow the course of the stream1 and see
 it at its  entrance2 we1 however1 did  
not do this1 but made for the ,dead     
,sea1  at a point about midway from the 
entrance of the ,jordan to the  western 
side of the plain4 ,i may here remark   
that the valley of  the ,jordan appears 
to be very uniform in its width4 ,the   
ranges of  hills which border this      
valley or plain1 run nearly parallel to 
each  other4 ,the ,dead ,sea fills up   
this valley nearly from ridge to ridge1 
leaving but a small border of land along
 its shores4    ,in going from the      
,jordan to the ,dead ,sea1 for a        
considerable  space1 not a blade of     
grass or vegetation was to be seen4 ,it 
was  so soft and dusty1 that the horses 
sank to their fetlocks2 and in  some    
places it was rendered uneven by the    
irregular mounds--many  of which did not
 seem to know what vegetation is4       
,whether this  peculiar barrenness was  
owing to the unfavourable nature of the 
soil ,i know not2 possibly this may be  

the case4 ,i did not see any  other     
indication of salt1 which has been      
reported as found on the  surface of the
 ground1 until very near the sea4       
,between this barren  district and the  
,dead ,sea1 there was an evident change 
in the aspect  of the ground--we found  
some dry grass and small bushes2 and as 
we  came nearer the shore the bushes    
increased in size and number1 and  some 
spots might be called thickets4 ,we saw 
also a cane brake and a  variety of     
other growth4 ,to my very agreeable     
surprise1 ,i found the  shore fine1     
smooth1 gravelly1 and deepening very    
slowly1 so that a  person might wade in 
for some distance4 ,there was along the 
shore  drift-wood1 most of it small1 but
 still larger than any ,i had seen  on  
the ,jordan4 ,this would seem to        
indicate that somewhere on its  shores  
there is more timber than we found in   
the spot we visited4  ,the water was not
 only very salt but exceedingly bitter1 
as much so  as most travellers have     

stated4 ,the great density of the water 
was  amply proved by its power to bear  
up the body4 ,there is some truth  in   
the saying1 that it requires an effort  
to keep the feet and legs  under1 so as 
to use them with advantage in swimming4 
,some writers  have1 however1 stated the
 matter in rather too strong terms4     
,i could lie on my back in the water1   
with my head1 hands1 and feet1  all out 
at the same time1 and remain thus as    
long as ,i pleased  without making any  
motion whatever2 this ,i could not do in
 any other  water that ,i have been in4 
,still it is carrying the matter too far
  and beyond the truth1 when it is said 
to be so heavy1 or so dead1  that it    
never rises in waves1 but always lies   
smooth and unruffled1  let the wind blow
 as it will4 ,the drift-wood thrown out 
is evidence  to the contrary4 ,the shore
 exhibited proof that but a day or two  
before the waves had run high2 but the  
best proof of all was the  ocular and   
sensible one that they were then chasing

 each other out  on the shore1 as they  
do in all other seas--true they did not 
run  high1 but then there was not much  
wind to make them4 ,the water was  so   
clear that the bottom could be seen with
 great distinctness4 ,in  wading in     
there was1 at some places1 more softness
 at the bottom  than ,i was led to      
expect from the firm character of the   
shore4 ,there  were1 however1 some spots
 on the shore where the soil gave way   
under  our feet1 and exhibited a kind of
 quicksand1 as ,i demonstrated by       
getting into one of them over my shoes4 
,still the bank1 the water1  and the    
bottom1 so far as ,i saw and tried it1  
had much less of the  terrible1 fearful1
 and unnatural1 than ,i had expected4   
,instead  of that dark1 gloomy1 and     
turbid spread of water1 that from my    
childhood ,i had imagined1 it struck me 
as a very pleasant lake4  ,it reminded  
me of the beautiful lake of ,nice4 ,as  
to the deep and  fearful gloom which    
many writers describe as hanging over   

it1 ,i  must think that it is mainly    
found in their imaginations4 ,it is not 
wonderful that a place1 which1 for its  
great wickedness1 was doomed  to such a 
fearful catastrophe as were the cities  
which stood on this  plain1 should be   
long looked upon with fear and horror4  
,it is a wise  provision of our nature  
that it should be so4 ,it operates1 and 
no  doubt is designed so to do1 as a    
check to that fearful wickedness  that  
calls down such a doom4 ,it is not an   
uncommon thing for people  to think that
 there is something fearful and gloomy  
in places where  they know awful crimes 
have been perpetrated1 and on this      
principle1  perhaps1 we may account for 
the fact that so many travellers  have  
dwelt on the deep gloom which hung over 
the water1 and the  fearful desolation  
that reigned over the whole region4 ,now
 to me  it did not appear thus2 the     
shore1 the waters1 and the lake1 had  a 
natural and even a pleasing             
appearance--the more so as1 from my  old

 habits of thinking1 ,i expected        
something of the fearful1 if not        
terrible4 ,the district was1 it is true1
 rather destitute of trees  and         
vegetation2 but not more so than many   
districts that ,i have  seen2 not more  
so than the district from ,mount ,olivet
 to the plain  of ,jordan1 and a very   
large district near ,damascus1 which ,i 
noticed  in a former letter4 ,there are 
more small trees1 bushes1 canes1 and    
other vegetable growth1 for a quarter of
 a mile along the shore1  than there are
 on some districts north-west of        
,damascus1 perhaps  ten miles square1   
leaving out the narrow slips of land    
irrigated by  the water of the ,bareda4 
,there is quite a cluster of small trees
 or  shrubs at a point on the edge of   
the water1 where it is soft and  swampy4
 ,the question whether there are any    
living things in these  waters is one   
that ,i am not able to decide from my   
own observation4  ,i saw none4    ,there
 is a small island fifty or a hundred   

yards from the shore1  rising six or    
eight feet above the level of the water1
 and appears  to have some stones at the
 upper part of it4 ,we thought we could 
see most distinctly another island1 far 
to the south4 ,as similar  statements   
have often been made1 and again         
contradicted1 we looked  at it the more 
carefully2 and our conclusion was1      
notwithstanding  all the declarations to
 the contrary1 it must be an island1 and
  one of considerable size1 unless      
connected with the other shore by  a    
very low neck of land1 which the great  
distance prevented our  seeing3 this    
time will show4 ,it is a singular fact1 
that a piece of  water1 which for ages  
has excited more intense interest than  
any  other in the world1 should yet be  
so little known1 and so few should  have
 been found who have made a serious     
attempt to explore it4 ,there  has not1 
as far as ,i know1 been but one boat on 
the waters of the  ,dead ,sea for ages1 
if from the days of ,abraham2 there may 

have been  in the days of the ,jewish   
nation1 but ,i have not seen it         
confirmed  by any writer4 ,last year an 
intelligent ,irishman took a boat across
  from ,acre to the lake of ,tiberias1  
and after amusing himself with  it on   
that lake1 he passed down the ,jordan to
 the ,dead ,sea1 and  spent some days in
 exploring it4 ,how far he went to the  
south1 and  what discoveries he made1 is
 not known4 ,he had the misfortune to be
  taken sick1 owing in part1 it was     
supposed1 to his imprudence and  useless
 exposure4 ,with much difficulty he got 
back to ,jericho1 and  was then carried 
to ,jerusalem1 where he died4 ,he had   
taken but few  notes1 which were        
unintelligible to all but himself4 ,when
 inquired  of concerning his expedition 
on the ,dead ,sea1 he declined answering
  until he should recover1 when he would
 tell them all about it4 ,but  death    
closed up the communications for ever4  
,the boat was taken  out and carried up 
to ,jericho1 as ,i have since learned4  

,i did not  know it was there1 or ,i    
should have ascertained its fitness for 
another voyage4 ,were some one1         
acquainted with navigating a small      
vessel1 and capable of taking soundings 
and making a proper survey  of the lake1
 to spend a month or two in doing it1   
and to publish  a full account1 with a  
correct map of the sea and the coast1 he
  would confer a very great favour on   
the ,christian world4 ,it would  be so  
easy of execution1 and of so universal  
interest when done1  that ,i wonder that
 none of those men who long for public  
fame have  not before now thought of it4
 ,it would be a curious matter1 were    
some of the ruins of those ancient and  
devoted cities yet to be  seen4 ,several
 of the old authors have mentioned them 
as to be seen  in their day1 and it is a
 current report among the natives that  
they are now to be seen beneath the     
water4 ,travellers now begin to  pass to
 the eastern side of the ,dead ,sea1 and
 visit ,kerek at its  south-east corner1

 and ,petra the capital of ancient      
,edom4    ,on our return we took a      
course much more to the south1 than the 
road  by which we went down--having in  
view to visit and spend the night  at a 
celebrated monastery1 the ,san-,saba1   
which lies south-east of  ,jerusalem1   
and on the borders of the ,engedi       
region4 ,we therefore  ascended the     
hills near the north end of the ,dead   
,sea4 ,several beds  of torrents lay in 
our route1 which1 although now dry1     
exhibited  evidence that they do at     
times carry much water into the ,dead   
,sea4    ,we had a striking proof of how
 little the people here knew of the     
country out of the common track4 ,in    
ascending the hills1 which  were high   
and steep1 and of the same soft yielding
 character before  described1 we had    
near us1 on our right1 a very deep      
gorge4 ,it  struck me that this might be
 the ,kedron2 and on asking our guides  
they at first hesitated1 but after      
consultation1 agreed that it was4  ,we1 

however1 found to our satisfaction      
before we reached ,jerusalem1  that this
 could not be the case1 as we left this 
hollow far to our  right in passing over
 the hills2 and still found that the    
,kedron was  on our left as we          
approached ,jerusalem4 ,i could not but 
often think  during the tour of the     
expression1 going up to ,jerusalem1 and 
going down to ,jericho4 ,it is down1    
down1 all the way to ,jericho2  and up1 
up1 all the way to ,jerusalem4          
,having reached the top of the first    
steep ascent from the ,dead ,sea1  we   
entered on a more gradual one1 which    
continued for several hours'  travel4   
,our course was south-west--the ,dead   
,sea lay to our left1  and could be seen
 extending far to the south4 ,the       
district we were  passing over1 was     
almost wholly without trees4 ,there was 
a little  grass1 and some thistles1 and 
an almost innumerable multitude of      
snails about the roots of the weeds and 
small thorn bushes4    ,this district   

appeared to be used only for pasturage4 
,we saw signs  of sheep and goats1 and  
passed one or two wells1 that had       
recently  been used for watering flocks4
 ,this whole district appeared  fertile4
 ,the rock was a very soft limestone2   
but ,i saw no signs of  cultivation1 and
 not a village was to be seen4          
,before we reached the monastery1 the   
night came on--and our guides  became   
doubtful as to the way4 ,we passed a    
grave-yard1 but when the  people had    
lived1 who had been interred1 no one    
could tell4 ,after  hunting our way for 
some time1 we concluded that we must be 
wrong1  although our guide still        
insisted that we were going in the right
  direction4 ,we ought to have yielded  
to him4 ,the majority1 however1  were so
 confident that our course was wrong1   
that we turned back1  and took another  
road1 which we had passed2 after        
following this for  some time1 we came  
to a full halt1 as our muleteers        
affirmed that  it was not the right way4

 ,while we were debating the merits of  
the  case1 the horse of one of our      
guard1 who had alighted1 got his foot   
fastened in some part of his harness1   
and taking fright at it1 made  a most   
ludicrous affray4 ,the ,turkish soldier1
 who was previously out  of humour with 
the guide1 on account of his not knowing
 the way1 now  lost all patience2 and   
while his horse was like to break his   
neck in  floundering1 he fell to beating
 the guide with the but-end of his  gun4
    ,our whole case was unpleasant4 ,we 
were lost1 and our guard was  likely1 in
 his fury1 to injure our guide4 ,we     
loudly commanded the  peace1 and after a
 little1 things began to look better4   
,the horse  broke the straps that had   
alarmed him4 ,the soldier ceased beating
  our guide1 and a muleteer1 who had    
gone out to explore the road1  returned 
with the assurance that he had found the
 right one1 and  that we were not far   
from the monastery4    ,we again set    
out1 and soon reached ,san-,saba2 but   

there new trials  awaited us4 ,it was   
now near midnight1 and the gates were   
shut4 ,we  knocked loud and long before 
any one took notice of us2 at last a    
small window1 above one of the gates1   
was cautiously opened1 and  inquiry made
 who we were and what we wanted4    ,it 
was too dark for them to see us         
distinctly2 and in our eagerness  to get
 the gate opened1 we all talked and     
urged our suit1 each in  the language   
which he could best use--,english1      
,italian1 ,turkish1  ,arabic1 and       
,greek1 were all put in requisition4    
,the good fathers  were evidently in    
doubt of us--who we could be1 and       
wherefore come  at such an untimely     
hour6 ,all our entreaties did not move a
 bar  of the gate4 ,we pleaded1 which   
was true1 that we were suffering  for   
water4 ,a small jar of water was let    
down by a rope4 ,this was  soon         
emptied--it was let down a second and   
third time4 ,this1 in  some degree1     
satisfied our present wants2 but our    

animals were not  supplied1 except the  
horses of our guard1 who poured water in
 their  red caps and gave it to them to 
drink4 ,the jar was drawn up1 and the   
window shut1 all our entreaties to the  
contrary notwithstanding4    ,we had no 
alternative but to wait until morning4  
,we were hungry1  but our provisions    
were exhausted4 ,we could not cook1 for 
we had no  water4 ,we felt a good deal  
of displeasure at the fathers who thus  
refused us admittance4 ,we lay down at  
the gate and waited for the  morning4   
,about sunrise1 after seeing that we    
were ,franks1 and but  few in number1   
they opened the gates and gave us       
admittance4 ,the  superior apologised   
for their refusal to admit us in the    
night4 ,he  said most of the monks were 
absent1 it being the season for making  
their wine--that there were but a few   
old men in the monastery--that  the     
district about them was in a disturbed  
state--and they did not  know who we    
were--they knew not but that it might be

 a stratagem of  some freebooters to get
 in and rob the monastery--that had we  
sent  them word from ,jerusalem that we 
were coming1 they would at once  have   
admitted us4 ,i thought that there was  
much reason in what they  said2 and     
this1 together with the readiness with  
which they provided  us refreshments1   
and showed us all parts of their        
establishment1  made me cordially       
forgive their seeming rough treatment in
 refusing  to admit us before4    ,the  
monastery of ,san-,saba stands on a     
narrow1 deep ravine4 ,it takes  in part 
of the ridge on both sides1 and has a   
very high and strong  wall1 which       
crosses the ravine at two places1 so as 
to include the  valley for a            
considerable distance4 ,in the valley   
within the walls1  is a small spring1   
the only one that is near4 ,on the hills
 are  towers connected with the walls4  
,there are many buildings within1  and  
rooms sufficient to hold several        
thousand persons4 ,there are  a number  

of chapels1 several of which are richly 
furnished1 and  they1 as well as most of
 the ,greek monasteries in ,jerusalem1  
have  lately received rich presents from
 ,russia4 ,above twenty boxes were      
lately sent to the ,greek church in     
these regions1 filled with rich         
chandeliers1 censers1 crosses1 altar    
cloths1 and priests' garments4  ,they   
showed us a chapel1 in which was a pile 
of human skulls1 said  to be of monks   
and martyrs4 ,there was an altar before 
them1 on which  religious service seemed
 to be at times performed4    ,most of  
the chapels had many pictures in them4  
,the ,greeks make much  use of pictures 
in their worship4 ,i was especially     
struck with a  picture of the ,last     
,judgment4 ,god was represented as an   
old man--a  fiery stream came out from  
before ,him4 ,the apostles were acting  
as  judges--the dead were rising1 and a 
halo of glory was around the  head of   
the righteous--,peter was opening the   
gates of ,heaven to  the righteous1 and 

the fiery stream was beating on the     
wicked1 and  forcing them into the mouth
 of a monstrous serpent4    ,there were 
many artificial caves in the sides of   
the ravine on which  ,san-,saba stands4 
,these were formerly inhabited by monks1
 it is said1  but their number now not  
being great1 they can find accommodation
  within the building4    ,with the     
history of this monastery ,i have very  
little acquaintance4  ,it is an old     
institution1 but still in good repair4  
,the whole  district about ,san-,saba1  
and from that to the ,dead ,sea1 and ,i 
may add from that to near ,jerusalem1 is
 unusually destitute of  vegetation4    
,in several places the rock had the dip1
 and not unfrequently veins  of flint   
were seen in the limestone rock1 and in 
many places the  rock was nearly as     
white and soft as chalk4 ,the whole     
district from  the foot of ,mount       
,olivet to the plains of ,jordan1 and   
from the end  of the ,dead ,sea to      
,jerusalem1 past ,san-,saba1 seems not  

to have  been cultivated1 at least in   
modern times4 ,the soil appears good1   
but from some cause it lies neglected2  
while west and north of  ,jerusalem1    
where the soil does not seem better1 and
 where there is  much more rock on the  
surface1 there are many villages1 and   
much of  the ground is under tillage4   
,to the south of ,san-,saba1 we saw the 
,frank mountain4 ,it rises much  above  
the neighbouring hills--has a sugar-loaf
 appearance1 and is  said to have many  
ruins on and about it4 ,still farther to
 the south1  lie ,engedi and ,maon1 and 
a second ,mount ,carmel1 the one        
referred to  in the life of ,david4 #a  
,sam4 xxv4 #b4          ,,letter ,,xv4  
,nazareth1 ,october #ag1 #ahcf4    ,we  
left ,jerusalem1 and passed northward2  
and having in view to visit  ,nabloos1  
,samaria1 ,tiberias1 ,nazareth1 and many
 other interesting  localities1 on our  
return to ,beyroot4    ,our route led us
 near the tombs of the kings1 and ,i    
could not but  notice the immense       

quantities of loose stones that lay over
 the  district west and north-west of   
,jerusalem--most of them are small4     
,they often form immense piles4 ,what   
may have caused such banks of  them is  
not known4 ,possibly they indicate that 
buildings were once  spread over this   
district--or it maybe that much rock has
 been taken  from the upper stratum1 and
 these piles are the refuse rock--or  it
 may be that in the many sieges which   
,jerusalem sustained1 the  besieging    
armies may have collected them for      
embankments1 or for the  purpose of     
defending their camps4 ,to the north of 
,jerusalem there  are some fine orchards
 of olives4 ,the country is rolling1 but
 not  too much so for cultivation2 and  
we passed a succession of small  plains1
 which were fertile and under tillage4  
,at the distance of about six miles1 we 
passed ,rama1 the city of  ,samuel the  
,prophet4 ,it stood to our left1 and on 
one of the highest  points of the hill  
country of ,judea4 ,it is now a poor    

,moslem  village1 surrounded with groves
 of olives and other fruit trees3 the   
,mediterranean sea1 and a long stretch  
of the plains of ,sharon1 may  be seen  
from ,rama4    ,near ,rama1 and         
north-west of it1 stands ,gibeon1 the   
city of the  ancient ,gibeonites1 who   
made peace with ,israel under ,joshua1  
and  practised a deception on them4     
7,joshua ix47 ,it stands on the top  of 
a small sugar-loaf hill1 and is capable 
of being made a strong  place4 ,it is   
now a poor village--several other       
villages lay to our  left1 the names of 
which ,i do not now recollect4    ,to   
our right we passed several villages1   
but most of them lay  at some little    
distance from the road--as ,anathoth1   
the town  of ,jeremiah1 now a poor      
,mohammedan village--,geba1 and ,gibeah 
of ,saul--,michmash1 where ,jonathan    
defeated the garrison of the            
,philistines--,rimmon1 in which the     
,benjamites found refuge when  ,gideon  
was destroyed4 7,judges xx4 #de47    ,at

 the distance of ten or twelve miles    
from ,jerusalem we came to  ,beer1 the  
town to which ,jotham is supposed to    
have fled from his  brother ,abimelech4 
,in approaching it1 we passed over a    
fine plain1 a  part of which was under  
cultivation2 near the town were orchards
 of  olive and other fruit trees4    ,we
 had intended to spend the night here1  
but we found several  thousand ,turkish 
horsemen encamped on the plain near the 
town4 ,they  were spread over the whole 
district adjoining the springs2 and men1
  horses1 camels1 and donkeys1 mixed    
together in the most irregular  manner4 
,some of the officers and men had tents1
 but the majority  of the army either   
had none or did not think it necessary  
to pitch  them4 ,the town1 which is not 
large1 was overrun with troops4 ,we     
thought it1 on the whole1 not best to   
lodge with such company1 and  passed on 
to ,ain-,brood4 ,this led us past       
ancient ,bethel1--there is  now a small 
village there1 and many ruins that show 

that it has  once been a place of       
considerable size4 ,it stands near the  
top of  the ridge1 and commands a fine  
view of the adjacent country4 ,it was   
here that ,abraham pitched his tent soon
 after entering the land of             
,canaan--and from this place he was made
 to look north and south1  and east and 
west2 and was assured that all the land 
he saw should  be given to him and his  
seed4 7,gen4 xii4 #h1 and xiii4 #c-ad47 
,and  here ,jeroboam set up one of the  
golden calves1 and induced ,israel to   
worship before it4 7#a ,kings1 xii4     
#bi47    ,the precise situation of it1  
which lies a little to the east1 is not 
known4 ,there are ruins in several      
places1 but a doubt remains as to  which
 is the site of the city first taken by 
the ,israelites on the  hill country4   
,the country about ,bethel is slightly  
diversified with small plains  and      
ridges2 it is fertile1 and well adapted 
to tillage--olive  orchards1 fruit      
trees1 and vineyards are more numerous  

than in most  parts of ,palestine--the  
country is1 moreover1 better watered    
than  the parts of the hill country that
 lie more to the south4    ,it became   
dark before we reached ,ain-,brood      
7,cold ,spring74 ,the  village of that  
name stands a little off the road1 on   
the top of a  hill4 ,it is a small      
place1 and has nothing that             
distinguishes it1  unless it be the     
excellent vineyards1 and olive-orchards1
 and fruit  trees with which it is      
surrounded3 to which may be added that a
 good  deal of labour has been expended 
in gathering off the stones1 which      
abound on the surface1 and forming low  
walls around these vineyards4  ,in some 
places the rock had been broken up about
 as fine as would  suit for a           
,macadamized road1 and earth mixed with 
it1 and thus lots  are prepared that    
produce fine grapes and fruit trees4    
,as the night was clear1 which is always
 the case in ,palestine during  the     
summer1 we did not take the trouble to  

hunt for lodgings2 but  getting over one
 of these low stone fences with our     
horses1 we  spread our carpets1 and made
 our beds under a large fig-tree1 and   
there spent the night4    ,knowing that 
the company of troops that we had left  
at ,beer were  moving northward1 we     
concluded we would make an early start1 
and try  and keep before them4 ,in this1
 however1 we were disappointed4 ,we  had
 not gone many miles before we saw some 
horsemen not far behind4  ,we whipped up
 our animals1 but it would not do2 they 
gained on us  continually3 and in a few 
hours we had them pouring by us in all  
the  confusion of the ,turkish march4   
,they1 however1 were perfectly civil1   
and some of their officers entered      
pleasantly into conversation with  us4  
,they had been to the south of          
,bethlehem1 disarming a tribe of ,arabs 
that frequented the country near the    
south end of the ,dead ,sea2 and  having
 accomplished that service they were    
returning to the north1  where most of  

them lived4    ,they were much          
scattered1 and altogether regardless of 
order on  their march2 and it was       
several hours before they all passed us4
  ,between ten and twelve o'clock we    
descended a long steep hill into  a     
plain of some extent4 ,near the foot of 
the hill was a spring1 and  when that   
came in view there was a kind of rush   
made for the water2  and it was a       
striking spectacle to see such a body of
 horsemen  pouring down the hill1 each  
trying to be the first1 or at least not 
the last1 to water his horse1 and obtain
 a portion for himself4    ,we were     
willing to let the men of war be        
satisfied before we  approached4 ,they  
then rode to a fine growth of           
olive-trees that  covered a part of the 
plain1 and then separating themselves   
into  small companies1 dismounted and   
placed themselves and horses in the     
shade to pass the heat of the day4      
,we pursued our journey and passed      
several villages1 and one or two  of a  

larger size than are usually met with4  
,the country was more  hilly1 and       
intersected with deeper valleys1 than it
 had been near  ,jerusalem2 but on the  
whole it was fertile1 and a considerable
  portion set with vineyards and        
orchards1 or bearing marks of           
cultivation4 ,passing over a ridge from 
the plain in which we left  the troops1 
we entered a wide plain1 which ran north
 and south4  ,the hills which bounded   
the plain on our left were of           
considerable  height1 and had several   
villages on their sides4 ,on the east   
side  of this plain1 the hills were     
lower1 and appeared to become still     
more so as we proceeded north4 ,after   
several hours' travel along  this plain1
 which was a fine one1 and partly set   
with cotton1 we  reached a place where a
 small plain came in from the west at   
right  angles4 ,the hill on the north of
 this small plain is the ,ebal1 and     
that on the south the ,gerezim1 of the  
,scriptures2 and this is the  place     

which ,moses pointed out as the place at
 which the ,law was to  be read1 while  
six tribes stood on the one side to say 
amen when the  blessings were read1 and 
six on the other side to say amen when  
the  curses were read4 7,deut4 xxvii4   
#ab-ad47    ,i do not understand it as  
meaning that all the people stood on    
the top of the mountains2 ,i suppose    
they were divided into two  parts--one  
part stood on one side of the priests1  
who probably  occupied the middle of the
 plain1 and the other part on the other 
side1 and occupied the sides of the     
mountains as far as might be  necessary4
 ,the place is most admirably adapted   
for such a thing2  possibly a more      
suitable place could not be found4 ,in  
this plain the  ancient ,sychar or      
,shechem stood4 ,it is now called       
,nabloos4 ,it may  have #f1jjj or #h1jjj
 people2 the most of them are ,moslems4 
,at the mouth of the small plain is     
shown the piece of ground ,jacob  bought
 when he came from ,padanaram1 and which

 he1 at his death1  gave to his son     
,joseph2 7,genesis xxxiii4 #ai2 ,john   
iv4 #e47 ,there are  some sepulchral    
monuments on it2 and nearer the city    
they show what  is called ,jacob's well4
 ,a little east of the town is a spring1
 the  waters of which flow eastward2 and
 close to the town1 on the west  side1  
is a fine spring1 the waters of which   
flow west1 and fall into  the           
,mediterranean4 ,there are fine olive   
orchards1 and other fruit  trees about  
the town1 and some fine gardens1        
especially on the west  of the town4    
,i saw at the gate of ,nabloos eight or 
ten lepers4 ,they were covered  with    
spots that looked like raw flesh2 had a 
most disgusting  appearance2 they seemed
 to be shut out from the city1 and were 
most  importunate as beggars4 ,they were
 the only lepers that ,i recollect  to  
have seen in ,palestine4    ,there are  
remains of an old ,christian church     
here1 which must have  been a most      
splendid building4 ,the pillars1 and    

other parts which  remain1 have a       
richness of workmanship about them that 
excels  anything that ,i saw in         
,palestine4 ,not much of them1 however1 
remains4 ,there are many indications    
about the town1 and on the  mountains1  
that a large city once stood here4      
,passing west along the narrow plain for
 a few miles1 we then turned  due north1
 and at the distance of eight or ten    
miles1 we came to the  site of ancient  
,samaria1 the capital of the kingdom of 
,israel4 ,the  country around it is     
rocky1 but very fertile4 ,the rock is   
the soft  limestone1 which disintegrates
 so easily that very little is seen on  
the surface4 ,there are about it more   
extensive orchards of olive and  other  
fruit trees than are usually met with1  
and the whole aspect of  the country is 
fine4    ,samaria stood on a low1 broad1
 sugar-loaf hill4 ,it seems to have     
been terraced all round1 and all the way
 to the top2 but the  terraces were so  
wide as to admit a row or rows of       

houses1 and  a street4 ,these rose one  
above another1 and1 when filled with    
houses1 must have had a fine appearance4
 ,all are now gone but a few  ruins1    
piles of rock and rubbish1 and a few    
pillars4 ,this hill is  surrounded with 
a narrow plain1 except at the east side1
 where a  low ridge connects it with    
some adjacent hills1 which1 at a little 
distance1 border this plain4    ,samaria
 was the seat of great wickedness while 
the capital of the  kingdom of ,israel1 
and now it lies desolate4 ,it deserves  
notice1  that the capital of both the   
kingdoms of ,israel and ,judah stood on 
the hill country1 and distant about     
forty miles from each other1 and  each  
of them about midway from the           
,mediterranean to the ,jordan4          
,jerusalem is on the highest ground1 but
 ,samaria on the most fertile4    ,north
 of ,samaria1 we passed over a high     
hill4 ,there is more  brushwood on this 
hill than is usually met with1 and among
 it some  small oaks4 ,on the north of  

this hill1 the country presented a      
variegated1 rolling surface1 with more  
natural growth than usual1  and a number
 of small villages and ruins4 ,many of  
the small plains  were very fertile1 and
 we saw some fields of cotton4    ,as it
 grew dark1 we reached a fine spring of 
water1 and about it  grew a good many   
fig and olive trees4 ,we spread our mats
 and made  our beds under one of them1  
and there spent the night4 ,a number of 
other travellers encamped at the same   
place1 and all slept under the  trees in
 the open air4    ,next morning we      
pursued our route three or four hours   
northward1  to the plain of ,esdralon2  
we passed over two or three plains of   
considerable extent1 separated by hilly 
districts4 ,the plains  were very       
fertile1 and on some of them cotton was 
growing4 ,the  hills were low1 and on   
some of them were small villages1 and   
ruins  indicating that villages or towns
 had once stood there4 ,in much of  this
 district the rock was of that soft kind

 which ,i have often  mentioned4 ,many  
of these hills exhibited remains of the 
ancient  terrace-work1 and showed that1 
in days past1 more labour was  expended 
on them1 and much more of them were     
cultivated1 than at  present4    ,we at 
length approached the great plain of    
,esdralon4 ,a row of low  hills1 with   
small spaces between them1 separated a  
strip of the  plain to the south4 ,this 
portion was especially rich2 a good deal
  of it had the appearance of having    
once been under water4 ,it looked  like 
the bottom of a lake1 from which the    
water had been removed4  ,it being the  
latter part of the long dry season1 the 
ground was so  shaped in many places1   
that ,i really felt a fear that my      
animal  might step in some of the cracks
 and fall1 or break a limb4 ,the  soil1 
as seen in the edge of these cracks1    
seemed as rich as soil  could be4    ,we
 reached the edge of the great plain at 
a considerable town called  ,jeneen4 ,it
 stands on the point of a ridge1 a      

little above the level  of the plain4   
,the similarity of the name made me     
think it might be  the ancient ,jesreel4
 ,its distance from ,carmel would agree 
with this  supposition1 as ,ahab passed 
from ,carmel to ,jesreel in a part of a 
day1 when ,elisha ran before his        
chariot4 7#a ,kings1 xviii4 #dj-df47    
,there are ruins about the town which   
indicate that it may have been  larger  
in time past than it is now4    ,there  
is near this village a large garden     
spot1 well inclosed1 and  planted with  
various trees1 which grow so thriftily  
as to show how  easy it would be1 with  
proper care1 to raise trees of various  
kinds1  in such quantities as greatly to
 contribute to the comfort and          
advantage of the population of this     
country4    ,we passed from ,jeneen     
north-east across the plain4 ,but a     
small part  of it is cultivated--around 
its edge a few villages were to be seen1
  with their vineyards1 olive and other 
trees about them4 ,we saw some  flocks  

and herds on the plain1 but not in as   
great numbers as ,i had  been led to    
expect4    ,to our right the point of a 
ridge ran out considerably into the     
plain4 ,this is ,mount ,gilboa1 on which
 ,saul and his sons fell in  battle     
against the ,philistines4 ,bethshan1 the
 village to which the  ,philistines     
fastened their bodies1 lies a few miles 
north-east of  the end of this hill4    
,the battle seems to have begun on the  
plain1  and when overcome1 ,israel fled 
to the hill1 and then ,saul and his     
sons fell4 ,i could not but notice1     
while looking on the mount from  the    
plain1 how it accorded with the         
statement1 that the chariots and        
horsemen followed hard after ,saul on   
,mount ,gilboa4 ,the ascent from  the   
plain is such that horsemen and chariots
 might pass up even to  the top of this 
hill4    ,the plain of ,esdralon may be 
thirty-five or thirty-six miles by      
forty4 ,our course led us to the east of
 a rough and very rocky  hill1 that     

rises in the plain a little south-east  
of ,mount ,tabor4  ,as soon as we passed
 the south-east corner of this hill we  
entered  on a district that was         
evidently volcanic4 ,the lava was very  
old1  and much disintegrated1 so as to  
make a most excellent soil4 ,this       
continued all the way to the edge of the
 lake4 ,we did1 indeed1 for a  short    
distance1 as we passed close by the foot
 of ,mount ,tabor1 get  off1 for a short
 distance1 the bed of lava4 ,mount      
,tabor did not to  me appear volcanic4  
,i did not1 however1 ascend it4 ,it was 
,saturday  afternoon1 and wishing to    
reach ,tiberias to spend the ,sabbath1  
,i  had not time to make the ascent4    
,we1 however1 wound round nearly        
one-third of the mountain at its very   
foot1 and examined the stone  that cropt
 out1 and the stone that had rolled down
 from its sides1  and saw no signs of   
its being volcanic4 ,how the matter may 
appear on  its top ,i know not4 ,there  
are ruins there1 and as much lava lies  

on  the plain a little east of ,tabor2  
and as it is used in the buildings  of  
several villages1 the fact that some of 
it may be found on the  top of the      
,tabor would not prove that the mountain
 was volcanic4  ,it may have been taken 
up as building stone4 ,tabor is a       
sugar-loaf  hill1 and rises to a        
considerable height4 ,it is supposed    
that our  ,lord was transfigured on this
 mountain4    ,a small branch of the    
,kishon rises north of the ,tabor1 flows
 east of  the mountain1 washing its     
foot1 and then runs south and west1 and 
falls into the ,mediterranean ,sea at   
the north end of ,carmel4 ,the  ,kishon 
is at best a small stream2 and the      
branch which we crossed at  the foot of 
the ,tabor was about the size of a good 
spring4    ,near ,tabor we passed a     
small village called ,nain1 the place   
where  ,christ brought to life the      
widow's son4    ,leaving ,mount ,tabor1 
we passed over a high part of the plain1
  covered with disintegrated lava4 ,part

 of this plain had been  cultivated4 ,it
 is1 perhaps1 the most fertile district 
in ,palestine4  ,in many places the     
weeds were nearly as high as a man's    
head1 a  thing of rare occurrence in the
 ,east4    ,the descent to the lake from
 the level of the plain is very         
considerable--,i should think from five 
hundred to eight hundred  feet1 opposite
 the town of ,tiberias2 at the southern 
end of the lake  of course it is much   
less1 as the plain lies like an inclined
 plane  towards the south4    ,it was   
night before we reached the town2 but we
 were readily  admitted by the guard of 
soldiers who kept the gates4 ,we found  
some difficulty in finding a place to   
lodge in4 ,after employing  several     
persons to look for a place1 and waiting
 some time1 we were  conducted to the   
court of the ,greek church1 and told we 
might lodge  there4 ,it might be called 
a church-yard4 ,it was a space before   
the  church1 inclosed with a wall1 with 
a gate to it2 but all open to  the      

travellers4 ,it was in part at least    
paved with rock4 ,we found  other       
travellers there1 with their animals4   
,as the air was mild1 and  there was no 
danger of rain1 the case was not as bad 
as some might  suppose4 ,we had slept   
out every night since we left           
,jerusalem--and  in places not more     
comfortable than ,tiberias4 ,it did     
indeed appear  rather hard that in the  
heart of a walled and garrisoned town we
  could not find a house to lodge in4   
,we found a great merry-making going on 
in the town4 ,nearly the whole          
population were gathered before what we 
learned was the governor's  palace4 ,on 
inquiry we were informed that the       
merry-making was  in honour of the      
circumcision of the governor's son4 ,the
 ,moslem  religion has borrowed the rite
 of circumcision from the ,jews2 and    
they perform it on all their male       
children--at the age of thirteen1  if ,i
 remember right4 ,they usually honour   
this occasion with some  festivities4   

,they had various kinds of musical      
instruments--some  that were bad enough 
in all reason4 ,they had dancing2 and   
some1  especially the women1 made a     
singular noise1 somewhat like a short1  
shrill whistle4 ,i was especially struck
 with one thing which took  place4 ,it  
was a procession of a considerable body 
of persons1 who  bore torches4 ,i was   
told that they were ,jews1 and did it in
 honour  of the occasion4 ,it reminded  
me of the parable of the virgins who    
took their lamps and went out to meet   
the bridegroom4 7,matt4 xxv47    ,in the
 morning of the ,sabbath1 before we had 
dressed and finished  our breakfast1 the
 people began to come to church4 ,our   
situation  was even worse than it had   
been at ,baalbec1 where we had to make  
our toilette on the house-top1 in the   
face of all who chose to look  at us4   
,here we were1 with men and women1 and  
children1 all crowding  about us1 and   
looking and thinking more1 ,i fear1     
about us than they  did about the       

church-service that was going on4 ,we   
hurried and got  things put to rights as
 soon as we could1 and deemed it proper 
to be  present at their service1        
although we could understand but little 
of  it4 ,it consisted of a great variety
 of prayers1 and crossings1 and  bowing 
before the pictures and kissing them2   
and reading portions of  ,god's word4   
,there was a great want of reverence in 
the worshippers2 and1 for  the most     
part1 the reading was so hurried and    
indistinct1 that  not much of it could1 
,i should think1 be understood4 ,the    
whole of  the service was not performed 
by the priest himself2 from time to     
time he called on some one to read      
portions of the service4 ,at its  close1
 the priest and a number of his people  
remained for some  time1 in part to look
 at us and talk to us4 ,we asked him why
 he did  not preach to the people1 and  
instruct them in religion8 ,he seemed   
surprised that we should think this     
necessary4 ,we reminded him that  the   

apostles preached and taught the people2
 at this he shrugged up  his shoulders1 
and said somewhat significantly--,oh6   
that was before  the church was         
regulated as it now is4 ,this was       
getting out of the  difficulty with more
 tact than we had expected from him4 ,it
 must  be a bad regulation1 however1    
that sets aside the preaching of the    
gospel6    ,as we were a good deal      
annoyed with the multitude of people    
that  came into the court to see us1 and
 as our baggage was not altogether  safe
 unless we kept a watch over it1 we     
requested the priest to  allow us to    
take up our quarters in the church2     
which he permitted1  on our engaging    
that we would take care that nothing was
 injured4    ,this church is said to be 
the house of ,peter4 ,it is an old      
building1  with an arched roof1 but has 
no just claims to an origin so early as 
the days of the apostles4 ,there is1 ,i 
think1 another reason given  why it is  
called the house of ,peter1 that is1 it 

stands on the place  where our ,lord    
appeared to the disciples1 and put the  
searching  question to ,peter--,lovest  
thou me8    ,among those travellers who 
spent the night in the court of the     
church1 was a sick man for whom we felt 
most deeply4 ,he lived near             
,constantinople1 and had visited the    
,holy ,land as a pilgrim4 ,he had  left 
a family at home2 was well dressed2 rode
 a good horse1 and  travelled with a    
company of the better sort of pilgrims4 
,he had been  unwell for several days2  
but as his company could not or would   
not  stop1 his great unwillingness to be
 left induced him to travel on1  when   
under a raging fever4 ,on ,sabbath      
morning he was utterly unable  to       
rise--and seldom have ,i seen a person  
that more needed medical  aid4 ,we tried
 to do what we could for him2 but ,i had
 not the medical  knowledge which his   
case called for4 ,while ,i stood over   
him and  felt his pulse1 he gazed on me 
with a brightening countenance2 no      

doubt in the hope that ,i might give him
 relief4 ,he tried to make  me          
understand the nature and seat of his   
pain2 but he spoke modern  ,greek1 and  
we had no one that could interpret2 and1
 moreover1 his  case was one that was   
utterly beyond my skill4 ,never did ,i  
feel  so deeply my need of medical      
knowledge2 never did ,i feel more       
deeply how impotent is man to save his  
fellow-man4 ,when ,i turned  from him in
 despair of doing anything that would at
 all benefit  him1 he seemed to read my 
feelings2 and never did ,i see a deeper 
disappointment than was expressed in his
 looks4 ,it seemed to say1  ,you see ,i 
am dying1 and yet you do not save me4   
,we gave him some simples1 which might  
possibly afford momentary  relief4 ,his 
company had left him4 ,we prevailed on  
the ,greek priest  to take him into his 
family1 and had him conveyed there4     
,what became  of him ,i know not4 ,there
 was little prospect of his living4     
,the lake is a pretty sheet of clean1   

fresh water1 about twelve miles  long   
and six miles broad1 of an oval shape4  
,the water deepens very  gradually on   
the western side where ,i visited it4 ,i
 saw many small  fish in it2 but saw no 
means for taking them4 ,it is said1     
however1  that the ,jews have a fishery 
at the southern part1 and take a good   
many4 ,i saw but one boat on the lake4  
,it would hold eight or ten  men--it lay
 off the town--but ,i saw no one in it  
during the time ,i  was there4    ,the  
banks of the lake were more precipitous 
on the eastern than on  the western     
side2 and as it seems to have been on   
the eastern side  that our ,lord healed 
the demoniac1 and permitted the devils  
to enter  the swine1 ,i could not but   
think that it did argue that the swine  
were possessed1 that the whole herd     
should leap from the top of such  a     
precipice into the sea4    ,the town of 
,tiberias stands on the western side1   
about mid-way  of the lake1 and on the  
edge of the water2 it is walled1 and has

  a small garrison in it4 ,the          
population is but a few thousand1       
possibly not above #c1jjj4 ,most of     
these are ,moslems2 there are a few     
,christians of the ,greek church1 and a 
small number of ,jews4    ,the whole    
district about the lake1 as far as ,i   
saw it1 is volcanic4  ,the walls of the 
town1 and of most of the houses are     
built of lava1  and most of the rock    
that lies about the town1 and the bottom
 of  the lake is lava4 ,there is a      
mixture of limestone among it2 for the  
whole district is based on limestone4   
,the volcanic district extends  north of
 the lake1 and also far to the east of  
the ,jordan1 according  to my best      
information4    ,there were originally  
many towns about this lake--most of them
  have disappeared2 and the very sites  
of ,chorasin1 and ,bethsaida1  and      
,capernaum1 on which the ,lord          
pronounced a woe1 are not with          
certainty known4    ,the ,jordan rises  
some distance to the north-east of      

,tiberias1 and  passes through another  
small lake called the waters of ,merom4 
,it  was by it that ,joshua defeated the
 second confederacy of kings4  7,joshua 
ii4 #e47 ,passing through this lake1 the
 ,jordan enters the  lake of ,tiberias  
at the north-east corner1 and leaves it 
at the  south end1 and passes through   
the plain of ,jordan from sixty to      
eighty miles1 and falls into the ,dead  
,sea4 ,there is no outlet to  this sea4 
,the waters are carried off1 as is      
supposed1 by evaporation4    ,there is a
 fine district of country1 it is said1  
about the waters of  ,merom1 and        
formerly the towns of ,cesarea and      
,philippi stood there4    ,north of lake
 ,tiberias1 and on the top of a high    
mountain in sight1  stands ,safet1 a    
town of considerable size4 ,this is one 
of the sacred  cities of the ,jews2 and 
more ,jews are found here than in any   
place  in ,palestine4 ,the whole        
district about it is volcanic1 and has  
been a good deal disturbed by           

earthquakes4 ,on the western side of    
the lake1 and a mile or two south of the
 town1 are some copious  springs of warm
 salt water4 ,they are so hot as to     
require to be  tempered when used for   
bathing4 ,there is a good bathing-house1
 and  a considerable resort here for    
that purpose4 ,on the east side of  the 
lake1 and a little from it1 is another  
spring of warm water2  and1 if ,i was   
rightly informed1 there is another west 
of the lake1  and ,i think on some part 
of the hills near ,mount ,tabor4 ,the   
whole  district is a good deal subject  
to earthquakes1 and gives evidence  of  
internal fires4    ,the road from       
,tiberias to ,nazareth runs nearly west2
 and the  distance maybe about twenty or
 twenty-five miles4 ,at the distance  of
 six or eight miles1 we passed a low    
hill to our right1 with two  little     
elevations on it2 this is called the    
,mount of ,beatitudes4  ,it would afford
 a very good place to take a seat and   
address a  large assembly collected on  

the plain below4 ,we cannot be certain1 
however1 as to the sermon on the mount  
having been preached here4    ,our road 
passed north of ,mount ,tabor1 and the  
range of hills  called the hills of     
,nazareth4 ,the plain over which we     
passed was  fertile4 ,it was uneven on  
its northern side1 where the ridges of  
the  ,anti-,lebanon shut it in4 ,we     
passed several villages1 both to our    
right and left1 but most of them were at
 a distance1 and their names  did not   
accord with those of the ,bible4 ,but a 
small part of the  plain was cultivated4
 ,a few miles before reaching ,nazareth1
 we came  to ,cana of ,galilee1 the     
place where our ,lord turned water into 
wine4  ,it is a small village1 and has  
nothing that gives it much interest1    
except the above fact4    ,at a large   
well below the town1 we saw a fine      
sample of their mode  of drawing water1 
and pouring it into troughs1 and        
allowing their  flocks and herds to come
 up in succession and drink4 ,thus the  

shepherds were engaged as we passed the 
well4 ,they allowed us to  ride up1 and 
let our animals drink of the water which
 they had drawn4    ,cana lies on the   
north side of the hills of ,nazareth1   
and ,nazareth  lies on the south side1 a
 mile or two farther to the west4 ,this 
range of hills is not high1 and         
,nazareth is built on the side of  it1  
and1 in part1 on a little level space   
that is somewhat elevated  above the    
small plain that spreads out before it4 
,a ridge of the  hills runs to the      
south-east1 so as nearly to shut out    
,nazareth from  a view of the great     
plain in which it stands4    ,nazareth  
is one of the best built towns that ,i  
saw in ,palestine4 ,at  its east end1   
and on the edge of the little plain that
 lies before  it1 is a spring or well2  
and here1 it is said1 the angel appeared
 to  ,mary2 and here she often came1    
accompanied by the infant ,saviour1 to  
draw water for family use4    ,there is 
a church over the place that is shown as

 the house of  ,mary1 and adjoining it  
is a ,latin convent4 ,we lodged in this 
convent1 and were kindly entertained4   
,there was a paper in our room1  stating
 that the convent was authorised and    
required by the ,pope to  receive all   
persons who were devoutly visiting the  
holy places1 and  entertain them three  
days2 after which1 it was expected1 that
 such  persons would pass on their way4 
,the church was the best we saw in      
,palestine2 the organ was good1 and well
 played2 and the religious  service was1
 on the whole1 better conducted than any
 one ,i had seen  in ,syria4    ,near   
the middle of the church1 a wide flight 
of stairs descends  for about twelve or 
fourteen feet2 there stands an altar4   
,passing  a door1 we entered a small    
room1 in which is another altar4 ,on    
both of these1 religious service appears
 at times to be performed4  ,passing    
through another door1 we were in a low  
cave1 that has been  hewn out of the    
soft limestone rock4 ,the wall on all   

sides is rough2  made so1 perhaps1 by   
the pilgrims breaking off pieces of the 
rock  to carry home as holy earth4 ,this
 is shown as the room in which  ,mary   
lived and raised the infant ,saviour4   
,it did not appear to me a  comfortable 
place for a residence2 and ,i could not 
but think that  ,joseph must have loved 
his wife1 and prized the privilege of   
raising  the ,messiah1 to such a degree 
as to have induced him to provide for   
them a more suitable place4 ,the whole  
appearance of the place was1  in my     
view1 against its being the true        
locality4 ,we know they lived  at       
,nazareth1 but as to the precise spot1  
the ,bible is silent1 and we  are left  
in doubt4    ,they show the synagogue in
 which our ,lord read the law2 and1 a   
little out of town1 they show the       
precipice over which the enraged  people
 wished to cast him4 ,the situation of  
the town on the hill1  and the height of
 the hill1 agrees with the account      
recorded1 but  which is the precise spot

 may not be perfectly certain4 ,they    
show  also the shop in which ,joseph    
followed his trade1 with some other     
things that need not be specified4      
,,letter ,,xvi4        ,beyroot1 ,oct4  
#bc;d1 #ahcf4    ,we left ,nazareth by  
the same road that we entered it2 but on
  reaching the top of the ridge north of
 the town we took a north-west          
direction into the plain which we had   
left1 which is here broken  with hills1 
and can hardly be said to be continuous4
 ,some of these  hills are very much    
covered with rocks4 ,after a few miles  
we passed1  on the top of a hill on our 
left1 the ruins of ,sefora1 which was   
at one time a place of note4 ,there is  
more natural growth on these  hills than
 on those more to the east4 ,this       
district is stony2 but  appears to have 
had more labour bestowed on it than most
 of those  that are better adapted for  
cultivation4 ,the plain of ,zebulun1 a  
little farther on1 is separated from the
 great plain by some hills1  which are1 

however1 not very high4 ,it is a most   
lovely and fertile  district4 ,on one   
side of it were many olive-trees1 and a 
part of  it was cultivated with cotton4 
,the cotton appeared to have had but    
little labour bestowed on it1 and       
promised a corresponding small  return1 
notwithstanding the fertility of the    
plain4 ,between this  place and the     
plain on the coast1 and lying between   
,acre and the  hills1 we crossed a      
considerable distance that was hilly2   
the hills  were not very high1 but      
spread pretty generally over the face of
  the country4 ,most of them have more  
or less rocks on the surface1  but1 as a
 general thing1 they are not so rocky as
 the country about  ,jerusalem4 ,from   
this low hilly district we entered the  
plain which  lies east of ,acre1 and    
spreads along the coast4 ,this is a     
noble  plain of considerable extent1 and
 is generally exceedingly fertile4  ,on 
entering this plain we saw ,acre1 nearly
 before us1 on the shore  of the sea4 ,a

 little to the right of the city1 and   
out near the  middle of the plain1 were 
some good-looking buildings with gardens
  about them1 and others partly         
finished4 ,i have seldom seen a finer   
set of orange and lemon trees4 ,there is
 an aqueduct that brings  water from the
 hill1 across the plains1 to ,acre4     
,this water is used  for watering the   
gardens1 which1 we were given to        
understand1 belong  to ,ibrahim ,pasha4 
,at some distance to our left1 we had   
the north  end of ,mount ,carmel in     
view1 with the ,latin monastery on the  
top  of it4 ,between us and that point  
was a fine spread of plain1 which  might
 be called either the plain of ,acre or 
the plain of ,esdralon4  ,this plain1 as
 ,i have before stated1 crosses the     
whole district  from the lake of        
,tiberias and the ,jordan to the        
,mediterranean4 ,it  comes to the coast 
directly at the north end of ,carmel1   
and there  the plain is a wide and noble
 one4 ,the plain of ,esdralon1 on the   

eastern side1 is higher1 except at the  
south-east corner near  ,gilboa4 ,it    
lies toward ,safet1 a high1 rolling     
table land1 most of  which is           
exceedingly rich4 ,the ,lebanon1 or     
rather the ,anti-,lebanon1  7for ,i     
think the ,lebanon may be considered as 
terminating north of  the river         
,leantes1 which comes out of the ,bokar 
near ,soor17 lowers  down at the high   
points near ,safet1 and spreads its     
still lowering  ridges towards the      
middle and western part of the plain1   
between the  lake ,tiberias and the     
,mediterranean4 ,there are various      
hills1 rather  separated from each      
other1 on the plain1 which may be       
considered as  belonging to it1--the    
,tabor1 the mount south of it1 and the  
hills  near ,nazareth2 but the          
terminating ridges are more continuous1 
north  and north-west of ,nazareth1 and 
run down south1 so as to narrow the     
western side of the plain of ,esdralon4 
,i doubt not1 indeed1 that the          

mountains which rise south of the plain1
 and cover the whole middle  district1  
from north of ,sebaste to south of      
,hebron1 forming the hill  country of   
,israel and ,judah1 may with propriety  
be considered as the  southern          
continuance of the great ,lebanon chain4
 ,it is there lowered  down much1 and is
 more spread out1 and more like an      
elevated table  land1 with many low     
hills covering its general surface4     
,it would have been highly satisfactory 
to me could ,i have proceeded  to the   
north of ,safet1 far enough at least to 
see the southern end  of the plain of   
the ,bokar1 and ascertain how the       
mountains1 ,lebanon  and ,anti-,lebanon1
 dispose of themselves and their        
branches at that  place1 and in their   
further progress south4 ,i am inclined  
to think1  that our usual maps are not  
very accurate in their delineations of  
this northern district4    ,acre stands 
on a sandy point which projects out in  
the  ,mediterranean4 ,it is strongly    

fortified1 having a most stupendous     
wall1 and a deep ditch4 ,it is a place  
of great strength1 and is  under the    
keeping of a considerable body of the   
,pasha's troops4  ,there was some       
shipping there1 but not much4 ,the city 
is much  crowded together2 and to be    
comfortable ought to be spread over     
twice or thrice as much ground--the     
streets narrow and filthy--the  bazaars 
poor1 and badly supplied with goods4    
,there is a large open  square within   
the city1 which appeared appropriated   
for the use of  troops and cavalry4 ,a  
new bazaar was pointed out1 which was   
said to  have been put up by the present
 pasha4 ,it was1 compared with the      
others1 pretty good2 but needed that    
comparison to make it pass  muster4     
,acre is interesting from its location  
on the coast--has a  fine back country1 
and1 under a proper government1 might   
become a  place of some importance4 ,a  
great effort was made by the ,french1   
under ,buonaparte1 to take this place4  

,he attempted several times  to carry it
 by assault1 and it was mainly owing to 
the efforts of  ,sir ,sidney ,smith that
 he failed4 ,the name of ,smith is still
 held in  great respect by the natives  
of this region4 ,they say of him1 that  
his word was like the word of ,god--it  
never fell to the ground1  that is1 he  
always did what he said he would do4 ,so
 true is it1  that while people tell    
falsehoods themselves--and the people of
  this country have no little propensity
 that way--they still have a  regard for
 those who are known to adhere strictly 
to the truth4 ,this  place was long held
 by the ,crusaders1 and was one of the  
last places  in ,palestine that was     
wrested from them2 and there may be1 and
 no  doubt are1 ruins in the town and   
vicinity that may be referred to  the   
period of their power4 ,i had not time1 
however1 to make much  research         
respecting them4 ,the pasha has some    
public works going  on here4 ,we saw a  
good deal of timber in an open square1  

but did  not learn the use it was       
intended for--probably for the building 
of a vessel1 from its size and          
appearance4 ,we lodged in the ,latin    
convent1 which is a place of some size1 
and would contain many  persons1 though 
much out of repair4 ,we found only two  
or three  monks1 and a lay brother1 who 
appeared to act as steward1 servant1    
factotum1 c4    ,from ,acre we went     
along the coast1 towards ,soor1 the     
ancient ,tyre1  which lies about        
twenty-five miles to the north4 ,the    
first part  of our route was over the   
noble plain by which ,acre is bounded on
  the west4 ,it is1 as to its general   
character1 good2 and ought1 and  would1 
if properly cultivated1 richly supply   
,acre with bread-stuff  and many other  
necessary articles4 ,much of it1        
however1 lies in  a neglected state4 ,in
 several places there are small         
districts1  that are more improved--a   
few garden spots that are beautiful1 and
  several elevations near ,acre that    

have buildings or ruins on them1  and   
were1 probably1 in the days of warfare1 
places of much more  importance than    
they now are4 ,about three hours' travel
 brought  us to the termination of this 
beautiful plain1 and we began to  ascend
 a high promontory called ,capo ,blanco1
 or ,white ,cliff1 from  the whiteness  
of the rock of which it is composed4    
,this is made  up of the softest        
limestone ,i have ever seen1            
interspersed with  nodules of flint4 ,it
 was well for our nerves that a barrier 
had  been left between us and the       
precipice1 for sometimes there was a    
perpendicular descent from the road     
above1 to the sea below1 which  was     
dashing and foaming at its base4 ,from  
this point1 or ridge of  hills1 we      
entered the plain of ,soor4 ,this plain 
is narrow at first1  but gradually      
spreads out1 and presently has a wide   
extent1 with  a gentle rising of its    
eastern side into hills1 with mountains 
towering beyond4 ,the soil is rich and  

productive4 ,there are some  villages1  
on the hills1 but none of any size4 ,we 
passed several  places near the shore   
where there had evidently once been     
villages2  in one or two of these there 
were remains of walls and other relics  
of former habitations4 ,as we approached
 ,soor1 the mountains and  hills fell   
back1 making a kind of amphitheatre2    
rising more or less1  as it approached  
the mountains2 but forming a rich and   
valuable back  country to this former   
mistress of the sea4 ,night came on     
before we  could reach ,soor1 and a     
small part of the district nearest the  
town1  was1 of course1 not subjected to 
that close inspection which1 under      
other circumstances1 it would have      
received4 ,we passed a fine flow  of    
water1 on which there appeared to be    
mills or other buildings2  but it was   
too dark to allow us a clear view of    
what they were4  ,there are1 it is said1
 several remains of ruins on the south  
of the  town1 which the darkness        

prevented our seeing4 ,as we approached 
the  town1 there was a much wider border
 of sand along the coast4    ,soor      
stands on the point of a projection that
 runs out1 it may be1  a half or three  
quarters of a mile into the sea4 ,its   
outer part  is broader and less covered 
with sand than the neck of land that    
joins it to the main land4 ,about half  
way from the main land to the  extreme  
point1 a wall crosses the isthmus1 and  
through a single gate  in that wall1 you
 enter the village which stands on the  
extreme  point4 ,the site of old ,tyre  
was1 as we learn from history1 on the   
main land4 ,when hard pressed1 the      
inhabitants1 availing themselves  of    
their shipping1 moved their more        
valuable articles to this point1  which 
was then an island1 and there built a   
town1 and escaped the  capture which    
threatened them4 ,this first capture of 
,tyre1 and the  escape of the people    
with their riches to the island1 is     
referred  to in ,ezek4 xxix4 #ah2 where 

the army of ,nebuchadnezzar is said to  
have served a hard service1 and yet to  
have got no wages--failed  to obtain the
 wealth of the captured city4 ,the new  
city was also  taken in after-times by  
,alexander the ,great2 and his army had 
a hard  service4 ,being on an island1   
and having command of the sea through   
their vessels1 they braved the power of 
the ,grecian king for a time4  ,but he  
resorted to a stratagem which was       
successful4 ,he constructed  a wide     
causeway from the main land to the      
island1 and thus made a  way for his    
soldiers1 who soon took the city4 ,for  
centuries past1  as all travellers      
during that period assure us1 it has    
been almost  completely desolate4 ,the  
old site on the main land is so now--not
  one house1 and scarcely a vestige     
remains to mark the spot4 ,it is        
scraped as a rock1 and probably was thus
 treated by ,alexander1 to  get         
materials for the stupendous causeway he
 made4 ,the city1 on  what was once an  

island1 was also almost wholly forsaken1
 as many  travellers assure us1 and thus
 the prophecy has had its fulfilment4   
,there is1 however1 a new village       
growing up on its site4 ,it has  much   
increased within a few years4 ,there may
 be between one and two  hundred houses1
 the quarter part of them very miserable
 things1 but  a few tolerably good for  
this region4 ,the pasha has established 
some  factories here1 and the place is  
evidently reviving4 ,three or four  of  
the ,european powers have consuls       
residing here1 and the ,americans  have 
a consular agent4 ,the old harbour1     
which once contained the  first trading 
ships in the world1 lies on the north   
side of the  town1 and was once         
surrounded by a strong wall1 some small 
fragments  of which still remain4 ,the  
harbour is much filled up1 so that only 
vessels of small burden can come within 
it4 ,it does not1 indeed1  appear to    
have much trade of any kind4 ,the water 
at the extreme  point of the island is  

very shallow--a considerable space      
barely  covered with water4 ,there are  
some ruins on a part of this1 and some  
fallen pillars--whether it was once     
covered with houses1 ,i am unable  to   
say4 ,to the south1 the water is deeper1
 but still so shallow as  to oblige     
vessels to lie off at a considerable    
distance from the  shore4 ,the neck     
which joins the island to the main land 
is little  else than a bed of sand4 ,the
 part next the village1 and without the 
wall ,i have mentioned1 is full of old  
walls1 mounds1 cellars1 and  all the    
indications of having once been covered 
with houses4 ,there  are1 indeed1 one or
 two huge old buildings still standing  
on it4  ,the part of this neck adjoining
 the main land is so low as to have     
considerable pools of water in it4 ,we  
passed a number as we coasted  along the
 edge of the sand from the south1 on    
approaching the  village4 ,there is all 
the appearance that the water once came 
out to  the steep bank at the edge2 but 

the passage between the island and  the 
main land being stopped1 the sand1 both 
to the north and south1  has been thrown
 up so as to form a wide1 flat beach1   
extending out  near the island as far as
 what was formerly the east side of the 
island4 ,the whole space here shows     
great changes4    ,the most remarkable  
and interesting relic of antiquity which
 ,i saw  at ,soor1 was the remains of   
the church of ,origen4 ,it stands at the
  south side of the village1 and makes  
part of the wall at that place4  ,much  
the larger part of it is fallen and     
removed4 ,the remaining  fragments show 
that it has been of very great size4    
,there are a few  small huts on the     
ground on which that part of the church 
that has  been removed stood4 ,there is 
some richly-wrought stone in the walls  
and about the stairs that run up at one 
part of the building4 ,the  stone is the
 soft spongy limestone which abounds on 
this coast1  and ,i may add1 through    
most of ,palestine4 ,it is a stone that 

works  easily1 but wastes away under the
 action of water1 and is especially     
liable to be saturated with water1 and  
to form damp walls4 ,no part  of the    
ruins of this old and celebrated church 
more interested  me1 than the stupendous
 granite pillars which were once        
connected  with it1 but now lie on the  
ground1 and some of them almost buried  
in it1 and by the ruins which covered   
this quarter4 ,these pillars  were of   
the fine ,egyptian granite1 of great    
length and thickness4  ,they formed     
masses of stone of a most enormous      
weight4 ,we seldom  saw pillars of a    
larger size4 ,there must have been some 
regard  for ,christianity at ,tyre when 
its citizens erected this splendid      
edifice4 ,but oh6 what changes have     
passed over these lands since  those    
days1 when ,origen ministered here1 and 
raised his voice to the  thousands which
 this church was capable of holding4 ,a 
deep darkness  now rests on all these   
regions--the ,moslem rules1 but his     

pride is  humbled--his strength         
broken--and he appears conscious that   
the  day of his glory is past1 and not  
likely again to return6 ,the few        
,christians that are now found in these 
regions have lost the spirit  of        
,christianity4 ,it is with them a body  
without a soul--a form1 and  a greatly  
altered form1 without the spirit and    
power which makes it  a transforming    
principle among mankind4 ,but the       
darkness is passing  away--rays of light
 are breaking upon these regions--and we
 doubt  not the day is not far remote   
when the religion of ,christ will1 in   
its enlightening and transforming power1
 revisit these regions1 and  make them  
revive and flourish like the garden of  
the ,lord4    ,from ,soor we made our   
next stage to ,saida1 the ancient       
,sidon1 which  is so often mentioned in 
connection with ,tyre--,tyre and ,sidon4
 ,it  is a day's travel distant4 ,we    
found the northern part of the plain  of
 ,soor not much different from the      

southern1 which we have already         
described4 ,in many places along this   
coast1 there are old mounds  of rubbish1
 or piles of stones1 that bespeak former
 buildings4 ,on  the whole1 ancient     
,tyre had a fertile district adjoining  
it1 and  was1 no doubt1 more or less the
 seaport for the lower part of the      
great valley of the ,bokar1 through the 
passage on the borders of  the river    
,leantes1 which flows out of that valley
 and passes into  the sea a little north
 of ,soor4 ,the district of mountains   
that  border the plain must also have   
contributed its share to the market  of 
this port2 for in these countries and   
among these nations1 the  mountain      
districts are often better cultivated   
than the plain1 and  are occupied by a  
more enterprising and efficient people4 
,about  midway from ,soor to ,saida1 a  
ridge of hills comes into the shore1    
much like the one between ,acre and     
,soor4 ,the plain is superseded by  a   
rough and hilly district4 ,it is1 for a 

short distance1 exceedingly  rough and  
rocky1 and for a still greater space1   
the level along the  shore is narrow and
 much covered with sand4 ,gradually the 
plain  opens1 and spreads out to a      
considerable extent1 and becomes one  of
 the finest plains1 when taken in       
connection with the low ridges  of hills
 that bound it1 and from the rising     
ground towards the  mountains1 that ,i  
have seen on the coast4 ,the several    
ridges of low  hills that lie between   
the level space along the shore and the 
high  mountain range1 are finely covered
 with a soft1 rich soil2 and have       
scattered over them more trees than we  
usually see on this part of  the coast4 
,the plain about ,soor was rather barren
 of trees--this was  one of its greatest
 defects--that of ,saida is much better 
furnished4  ,we passed several streams  
of water and some small villages1 on    
the low hills to our right4 ,the        
mulberry-tree1 which we had but  seldom 
seen to the south1 here made its        

appearance4 ,we passed some             
considerable districts covered with     
them4 ,this shows the limits of  the    
silk-making district4 ,the culture of   
the mulberry1 and raising  the silkworm1
 is a main business all through these   
mountains about  ,beyroot2 how far north
 it may extend1 ,i am not able to say2  
but we  had ample proof in our tour that
 it is not much1 if at all attended  to 
in the land of ,palestine1 properly so  
called4    ,back of ,saida1 among the   
low hills that border the foot of the   
,lebanon range1 ,lady ,hester ,stanhope 
has her residence4 ,she was  engaged to 
be married to ,sir ,john ,moore1 who    
fell near ,corunna1  in the ,peninsular 
war1 in the contest which the ,english  
had with  the ,french4 ,that ,lady      
,hester ,stanhope felt the affliction   
most  deeply1 may well be supposed2     
other matters tending to alienate  her  
affections from ,england1 she came to   
the ,east1 and has for  many years made 
her home in the mountains near ,saida4  

,she has  gained the affections of the  
native population1 and has had great    
influence over them formerly2 her power 
is now on the wane4 ,she is             
occasionally visited by foreigners1 but 
does not see all who would  call on her1
 as some of them have made statements   
about her that  gave her displeasure4   
,saida1 like most of the towns on this  
coast1 stands on a sandy point  that    
projects out a short distance into the  
sea4 ,it is surrounded  with gardens1   
and has more fruit trees about it1 and a
 greater  extent of groves1 than any of 
the towns on the coast south of this1   
that ,i have visited4 ,the plain about  
it appears peculiarly adapted  to       
fruits4 ,the town is walled1 and has a  
garrison of soldiers4 ,the  houses are  
old1 as you may suppose2 the streets    
narrow1 crooked1  and dark1 from the    
fact that many of them are1 in many     
places1  arched over2 so much so1 that  
you are nearly one half of your time    
passing under arches1 which shut out all

 the light but that which  comes in from
 the end of these narrow1 crooked       
streets4 ,i have often  mentioned       
narrow1 crooked streets1 and once more  
repeat it1 with  the addition of dark4  
,the bazaars and markets are much as    
those  at ,soor and ,acre1 poor1 and    
badly supplied4 ,on the whole1 while the
  outside of the town had a most lovely 
appearance1 the inside was  the reverse4
 ,the harbour appeared mean1 and not    
such as would give  any recommendation  
to the place4 ,the distance from ,saida 
to ,beyroot  is between twenty and      
twenty-five miles4 ,for some miles north
 of  ,saida1 the road is much covered   
with sand1 and the whole district1      
until near ,beyroot1 resembles that     
already described1 some parts  rocky1   
and others good1 and well adapted to    
tillage4 ,a few small  villages are     
scattered along the coast4 ,as we       
approached ,beyroot1 we  took a road    
through the olive-grove1 and not by the 
sands4 ,this gave  me a more perfect    

knowledge of the extent of the plain1   
south-east  of ,beyroot1 and of the     
large orchards that lie in that quarter1
  covering miles1 and bordering the     
lower part of the hills4 ,the plain  is 
more fertile1 and more thickly settled1 
than ,i had at first  supposed4    ,we  
found our friends at ,beyroot well1--the
 mission families had  returned from    
their summer residence on the mountains1
 and were  engaged in carrying on their 
various operations in and about         
,beyroot4 ,at first view it appears a   
rather untoward circumstance  that they 
have to resort to the mountains during a
 part of each  summer4 ,it must1 no     
doubt1 in some degree interrupt the     
thread of  their operations2 but the    
climate makes it necessary1 especially  
until they are well acclimated4 ,the    
evil1 however1 is not so great  as might
 be expected4 ,the mountains are full of
 villages2 indeed1  the mountains of    
,lebanon are the most populous districts
 in these  countries4 ,the missionaries 

take their station in some of these     
villages1 and when their number will    
admit they occupy two or more4  ,there  
they usually open schools1 mix with the 
people1 distribute  the ,scriptures and 
other books1 talk and preach1 as the    
nature of  the case will admit4 ,thus   
village after village becomes personally
  acquainted with the missionaries1 and 
persons are brought within  the hearing 
of the truth who might never be reached 
by the sound of  the gospel were the    
missionaries always to remain in        
,beyroot4 ,thus  what in one respect may
 seem an evil and a drawback to their   
work1  in another is beneficial1 and    
contributes to the furtherance of the   
gospel4    ,i have much reason to bless 
,god for his kind care over me during   
the tour ,i have now finished1 and hope 
that ,i shall be led by it  more and    
more to realise that it is only ,his    
hand that keepeth me1  and maketh me to 
go out and come in in safety4           
,,letter ,,xvii4        ,beyroot1       

,december #ah1 #ahcf4    ,i think ,i    
have mentioned in several of my letters1
 that the mulberry  tree is much        
cultivated in this region1 principally  
for the raising  of the silk-worm4 ,at  
times vegetables are raised on the same 
lot1  but generally nothing else is     
allowed to grow among them1 and the     
weeds are carefully removed4 ,the trees 
are planted in rows1 and the  plough is 
passed among them several times in the  
year4 ,i now find  that the tree serves 
another purpose1 and one of some        
importance1  though secondary to the    
making of silk4 ,they gather the leaves 
from  the trees in the fall and         
beginning of winter1 to feed their sheep
  and cows4 ,the first crop of leaves is
 eaten by the silk-worms2 by  the time  
the worms begin to spin their silken    
shrouds1 the trees are  nearly bare2 the
 branches are then all cut close to the 
body of the  tree1 and used for fuel4   
,in a few days new branches shoot out1  
which  are soon covered with leaves4    

,they gather the leaves with their      
hands1 put them in baskets1 and give    
them to their sheep and cows4  ,they    
appear1 indeed1 to be the chief food of 
these animals for many  months in the   
autumn and beginning of winter4 ,the    
entire absence of  rain during the long 
hot summer burns up what grass may have 
been  on the ground in the spring and   
early part of the summer1 but the       
mulberry trees1 which have much care    
taken of them1 and watered1  when it can
 be done1 by a channel from a stream1 or
 by the hand1  retain their greenness1  
and serve the important purpose of food 
for  the cattle4 ,so far as ,i have     
observed1 they were always fed with  the
 green leaves1 at least ,i have not seen
 any dried and preserved  in that state1
 excepting the fibres of the new leaves1
 that the  silk-worm rejects1 which are 
carefully collected and preserved  for  
the animals4 ,the mildness of the       
climate causes the leaf to  retain its  
freshness much longer than it would in  

the northern and  middle parts of the   
,united ,states4 ,we have entered on the
 month of  ,december1 and yet the leaf  
of the mulberry is as green and fresh   
as it was in midsummer2 true1 most of   
the trees near us are nearly  bare1 not1
 however1 by the fall of the leaf1 but  
by their having  been gathered for the  
animals4 ,the horses1 mules1 and        
donkeys1  are fed with barley and straw1
 which is cut fine by their mode of     
threshing out the grain4 ,for a few     
weeks in the spring of the year  they   
are kept on the green barley4 ,i have   
generally seen the camel  fed on weeds1 
which are gathered for that purpose4    
,i mentioned that some rain fell1 about 
the time ,i set out on my  tour to      
,jerusalem4 ,the showers were light1 and
 but few of them4  ,small showers fell  
from time to time during the month that 
,i was  travelling1 but not in such     
quantities as to give us much annoyance4
  ,this was a matter greatly to our     
comfort1 as we had to sleep nearly      

every night out under the canopy of     
heaven1 and as we wished to  travel     
without much incumbrance1 we did not    
carry a tent with  us4 ,during the month
 of ,november there was a great increase
 of  clouds and cloudy weather1 but not 
much rain4 ,there were1 however1        
occasional showers1 and some of them    
fell in snow on the upper parts  of     
,mount ,lebanon4 ,it was not until the  
first part of the present  month that it
 began to rain in good earnest1 and for 
some days  it has rained as if the      
windows of heaven were opened2 great    
quantities of water have fallen1 and the
 earth1 thirsty from the  long1 dry     
summer1 seems to drink it in as if it   
would never say--,it  is enough4 ,still1
 ,i have not yet seen a long1 cloudy    
period1 as we  often have in the ,united
 ,states1 of many days and weeks1 in    
which  the sun is seldom seen4 ,not a   
day has past in which it has not        
contrived to find some opening in the   
clouds through which to show  itself4   

,indeed1 the rain generally comes in    
showers2 large masses of  black clouds  
are driven over us1 often with strong   
winds accompanied  with thunder and     
lightning1 and pour down water as if    
from buckets2  then there is an         
intermission1 and possibly the sun      
shines forth1  and then comes another   
cloud loaded with water1 which it pours 
out  and passes away4 ,thus1 the clouds 
return after the rain4 ,for  a day or   
two the rains have ceased1 and the      
weather is fine1 a  little colder and   
more chilly1 as might be expected from  
the great  fall of water1 but not to the
 degree that ,i expected4 ,the higher   
parts of ,mount ,lebanon are covered    
with snow4 ,they have a singular        
appearance1 two or three thousand feet  
of the top1 especially the  highest     
peak1 called the ,sunneen1 is covered   
with snow1 while the  lower parts are   
bare4 ,snow may be found at all times on
 some of  these high points1 from whence
 it is brought down during the summer   

in considerable quantities1 for the use 
of those who will pay the  pretty good1 
though not unreasonable price1 that is  
asked for it4  ,the rains have caused   
the grass to spring forth1 and whole    
districts  that were before dry dust1 or
 stubble1 are now fresh with verdure4   
,the face of the land looks like spring1
 so wonderfully does the rain  operate  
to give beauty and fertility to the     
earth4 ,the heat without  the water will
 not do it1 nor the water without some  
degree of heat2  but when both are      
united1 they make vegetation spring     
forth1 and  give food for man and beast4
    ,the troops which marched from this 
place to the ,houran1 a few months      
since1 have returned4 ,it is now said   
they were sent there to aid  in killing 
the young locusts1 which had appeared in
 great numbers1  and threatened to      
destroy the crops4 ,last year the troops
 were thus  employed towards ,aleppo1   
and with great advantage to the country4
 ,it  is1 however1 a new kind of warfare

 for a regular army to be engaged  in4  
,it would be inexcusable in me to omit  
mentioning honey1 an article  still to  
be obtained in abundance1 and which     
deserves notice for its  delicious      
flavour4 ,bees are kept in various parts
 of the country4  ,milk can generally be
 obtained without much difficulty1      
although it  may be said of it1 as of   
honey1 that the land does not literally 
flow with it4 ,the ,arabs1 ,i think1 do 
not often use milk in a fresh  state3   
they convert it into an article called  
lebban1 not unlike  bonny-clabber1 and  
eat it with rice1 bread1 c4 ,some cheese
 is  made1 but of an inferior kind2 it  
is generally white1 and made in  small  
pieces4 ,a considerable quantity is     
imported from ,cyprus4 ,the  process of 
churning in skins ,i have before alluded
 to2 most of the  butter thus produced  
is boiled1 and thereby converted into   
more of  an oily substance4 ,it is much 
used in cooking1 but the ,arabs do not  
spread it upon their bread1 as is our   

custom4 ,in the spring1 the  produce of 
the churn can be procured in ,jerusalem 
and its vicinity  without having been   
boiled2 this1 by picking out the hairs1 
washing  thoroughly1 and salting1 can be
 made very palatable4    ,the ,irish    
potato1 as it is usually called1 is     
grown about ,tripoli1  and succeeds     
well4 ,it is of a good size1 dry1 and of
 a good flavour4  ,the sweet potato is  
not known in this country2 this is much 
to be  regretted1 as there is reason to 
believe that the soil and climate  would
 suit it1 and it would be a most        
valuable addition to the  vegetables    
already cultivated4 ,i hope that some   
one will make an  effort to introduce   
it4 ,the principal vegetables are the   
cabbage1  cauliflower1 onion1 cucumber1 
lettuce1 and radish1 which are all of   
an excellent quality2 the coosa1 a small
 kind of squash2 beans of  an inferior  
kind2 bammey1 a mucilaginous pod1 which1
 when cooked  with butter and the juice 
of a lemon or pomegranate1 forms a very 

pleasant article2 addice1 a kind of bean
 much used in a dried state2  turnips of
 a diminutive size and an inferior      
quality2 bateinjan1 a  kind of egg-plant
 much esteemed by the natives2 beets of 
a superior  kind1 and tomatoes of a rich
 and fine flavour4 ,the first notice    
that ,i ever met with of the sugar-cane 
was in the account of the  crusaders1   
who found it on this coast1 and it is   
here yet4 ,below  ,sidon1 there are     
places where it is cultivated1 but not  
for making  sugar4 ,when ripe1 it is cut
 and brought from time to time into the 
towns1 and sold in the stalk4 ,the      
people buy it and chew the stalk2       
children especially are fond of it4     
,boat-loads of it are brought  up to    
,beyroot1 and sold in the market4 ,much 
of the sugar used here  comes from      
,france1 and is the fine loaf-sugar made
 from the beet1  and is sold cheap2     
brown sugar1 the product of the ,west   
,indies1 may  be occasionally procured4 
,the flour which is used here comes in  

part  from ,damascus1 but more from the 
plain that lies between the ,lebanon    
and ,anti-,lebanon4 ,some of the wheat  
is grown on the mountains1 and a  good  
deal comes from about ,acre1 and from   
some other quarters4 ,much  of the      
flour1 however1 is ground in the        
neighbourhood1 and the bran  separated  
from the flour with a common sieve4 ,i  
know not that there  is such a thing as 
a bolting-cloth in the whole country4   
,meal made  of ,indian corn is usually  
found in the market at ,beyroot1 and is 
called smeed4 ,it is much used in the   
,frank families1 not1 however1  in the  
form of bread1 but in that of           
hasty-pudding1 here called  smeed4 ,very
 good ,french flour may at times be had1
 and sometimes  wheat is brought from   
,constantinople1 raised probably about  
the  ,black ,sea4 ,rice forms a         
considerable article of diet1 and is    
brought  from ,egypt4    ,the principal 
meat used is mutton1 which is certainly 
the best  ,i have ever eaten4 ,the beef 

is poor1 and is not much prized by  the 
natives2 and pork is an abomination to  
most of the people in  this land4 ,i    
have seen a few swine1 but am told they 
are kept by  foreigners4 ,the chickens  
are mostly small1 and not much          
encumbered  with fat4 ,geese and turkeys
 are exceedingly rare4 ,great quantities
  of sparrows are found in the towns1   
and they sometimes visit the  houses1   
and build about them to such a degree as
 to become an  annoyance4 ,the singing  
of birds is not often heard in          
,palestine2  there are a few species of 
birds with a gaudy plumage1 but  their  
notes are not melodious4 ,the sweet1    
plaintive note of the  nightingale is   
sometimes heard1 but oftener the harsh  
cawing of the  crow4 ,but few wild      
animals are now found in the country1   
excepting  the jackals1 immense numbers 
of which are found in this vicinity4    
,they are gregarious1 and a most noisy  
animal4 ,they are like a small  dog1    
with short1 upright ears1 and a short   

tail2 all that ,i have  seen were of a  
light-brown colour4 ,we often hear them 
in the gardens  and near our houses4    
,the natives have a taste for flowers2  
the females cultivate a  variety in     
pots1 and are fond of ornamenting their 
turbans with  them4 ,they are generally 
decked with a profusion of them on their
  bridal days4 ,they also place them    
about and upon the dead bodies  of their
 friends1 as mementos of affection4 ,it 
is a common saying1  that1 in making    
their visits1 they never go             
empty-handed4 ,at such  times1 it is not
 uncommon for them to take from their   
pockets1 an  appendage with which each  
person seems to be furnished1 either  an
 orange1 a sweet lemon1 a few nuts1 a   
piece of sugar-cane1 or  something of   
the kind1 and present the person        
visited4 ,at other  times1 they will    
bring you a beautiful nosegay of        
rosebuds1  carnation pinks1 geraniums1  
jessamines1 c41 which they arrange and  
tie together very tastefully4 ,a rich   

profusion of wild flowers are  found in 
the spring4    ,it is amusing to one not
 accustomed to the sight1 to observe how
  partial the people are to a sitting   
posture4 ,you may see the  blacksmith   
sitting and hammering his iron2 the     
carpenter sitting  and hewing his wood1 
or planing his plank2 the merchant      
sitting  and selling his goods2 and the 
women sitting and washing their         
clothes1--not sitting on chairs1 or on  
benches1 but -la-turque1  with their    
feet folded under them4    ,having      
remained in ,palestine as long1 and even
 longer than ,i  originally intended1 ,i
 was about preparing to leave this place
 for  ,egypt1 when ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4         
,thomson1 one of the missionaries1      
called on  me as a committee1 in behalf 
of the station4 ,he informed me that  he
 had held a consultation with ,mr4      
,hebard about carrying on the  mission  
work1 and had come to the conclusion    
that part of it must  be suspended for  
the present1 unless ,i remained to      

assist them4  ,they had little          
expectation that ,mr4 ,bird1 then in    
,america1 from  the peculiar            
circumstances of his family1 would be   
able to return2  that ,mr4 ,smith1 then 
in ,smyrna1 would probably visit the    
,united  ,states before his return to   
,beyroot1 and could not be expected back
  under a year or two2 that he himself  
had just begun to preach in  ,arabic1   
and that the labour of preparing for it1
 superintending the  press1 with other  
necessary calls1 gave him full          
employment2 that  ,mr4 ,hebard had the  
,high ,school to superintend1 and wished
 much to  give a course of lectures on  
natural science1 which the opposition   
now made to the school made it very     
important he should do2 but that  he    
could not do this1 and keep up the      
,english preaching1 which many          
circumstances rendered it important     
should not be suspended2 and  in this   
state of things1 they laid the case     
before me1 to see if ,i  would not      

remain and assist them4 ,i considered   
the case as a strong  one2 and after    
looking at the whole matter1 ,i have    
concluded that ,i  will remain for a    
time4 ,i may1 therefore1 write you again
 from this  place4          ,,letter    
,,xviii4        ,beyroot1 ,may #bith1   
#ahcg4    ,on the first day of the new  
year1 7the orientals follow the old     
style1 which is twelve days later17     
about four o'clock ,p4,m41 while  we    
were assembled at the ,mission-house1   
and engaged in celebrating  the ,lord's 
,supper1 there was a very severe        
earthquake2 at first a  sudden shock1   
then a momentary pause1 then a rocking  
motion1 so  that the arms of nearly     
every person were involuntarily extended
  to preserve their balance4 ,it was    
preceded by a dull murmuring  sound4    
,the sound and motion seemed to proceed 
from the north4 ,there  had been for    
several days a haziness of the          
atmosphere which is  unusual2 no rain   
had fallen since the first of ,december1

 and the  ground had become dry for this
 season of the year4 ,the haziness      
increased considerably about the time of
 the first shock1 and part  of the sky  
was covered with a fleecy cloud1 in some
 places of a  dark appearance4 ,this was
 very unusual in the region4 ,there were
  several slight shocks during the      
night4 ,it did not do much injury in    
,beyroot1 excepting cracking some of the
 houses2 but ,safet1 ,tiberias1  and    
many other villages were almost entirely
 destroyed1 and many  lives lost4 ,a    
meeting of the ,franks was held1 to see 
what could  be done for these suffering 
villages2 a collection was made1 and    
,messrs4 ,thomson and ,calman appointed 
as a committee to visit and aid  them4  
,i would gladly have accompanied them1  
and made observations  for myself1 but  
the circumstances of the mission        
rendered it  inexpedient for ,mr4 ,t4   
and myself to be absent at the same     
time4  ,slight shocks of earthquakes    
were frequent for ten or twelve days1   

and the people were much alarmed4 ,many 
have feared to sleep in their  houses4  
,a ,jew at ,damascus prophesied that the
 whole coast from  ,sidon to ,antioch   
would be destroyed4 ,the governor1      
believing1 very  properly1 that he was  
an impostor1 had him confined1 and      
threatened  to punish him if his        
predictions were not fulfilled4 ,most of
 the  ,jews left their houses1 and      
encamped without the city4    ,the      
attention of the ,english government    
has1 for several years  past1 been much 
turned to the opening and maintaining a 
passage  from some port in ,syria1      
through the valley of the ,euphrates to 
the  ,east ,indies4 ,two steam-boats1   
the ,euphrates and ,tigris1 were  taken 
across from the ,mediterranean ,sea1    
near ,scanderoon1 to the  ,euphrates1 at
 ,beer4 ,they were carried in pieces on 
camels1 and put  together at ,beer1 and 
the expedition1 under the command of    
,colonel  ,chesney1 proceeded1 on their 
exploring tour down the river4 ,the     

,tigris1 which was the smaller boat1 was
 lost in a tornado2 the  ,euphrates     
continued on her route1 and the river   
was explored4  ,the matter did not      
succeed quite as well as some of its    
more  ardent advocates expected1 but    
well enough to prove that it was        
practicable4 ,large quantities of       
bitumen are found in that region1  and  
the experiment was tried of substituting
 this for coal1 as there  is not much   
wood in the vicinity4 ,it would not     
answer2 it melted  too rapidly4 ,a      
person is now engaged in examining      
whether coal may  not exist there4 ,in  
the meantime ,mr4 ,farren1 the          
,consul-,general  at ,damascus1 using   
the great influence he has gained over  
some of  the ,arabs1 opened a direct    
communication with ,bagdad through the  
wilderness4 ,he made use of dromedaries1
 and the mail passed in six  or eight   
days4 ,since ,mr4 ,farren's recal1 the  
post is continued under  the present    
consul4 ,there is thus a regular        

communication from  ,beyroot to ,india1 
vi ,damascus and ,bagdad4 ,in a few     
years1 ,i doubt  not that steamboats    
will run regularly on the ,euphrates1   
and that a  great travelling route will 
thus cross the most interesting part of 
the great valley of the ,euphrates1 the 
ancient seat of early cities1  kingdoms1
 and civilisation4 ,this will1 as it may
 be hoped1 prepare  the way for the     
spread of the gospel in the interior of 
,asia4    ,i have attended1 by special  
request1 an ,arab wedding1 the parties  
being members of the ,greek church4 ,the
 men and women were in  separate        
apartments4 ,in both rooms there was    
music from a rude drum1  and the women  
kept up a singular hallooing1 or kind of
 shrill cry4  ,i was taken into the     
female apartment1 and introduced to the 
bride4  ,she was much adorned with gold 
and gold foil1 her face and hands       
painted in the most fantastic manner2   
she kept her eyes closed1 or  nearly so1
 which she must do for several days4    

,they made her put on  cob-cobs1 a kind 
of sandal nearly a foot high1 and dance 
before us1  or rather walk very slowly  
backwards and forwards1 keeping time    
with the music2 her hands were held up  
by an attendant1 to be seen  and        
admired4 ,they then took her into       
another room to eat1 after  which the   
marriage ceremony commenced4 ,the priest
 read the marriage  service1 during     
which he put a ring on the finger of    
each1 with  many crossings1 and touching
 the head and breast1 and afterwards he 
changed the rings2 he then put a chaplet
 made of an olive branch  with its      
leaves on the head of each1 and after a 
similar crossing  and touching the head 
and breast1 the chaplets were changed2  
he  then took a cup of wine1 and made   
them both drink of it3 this1 with  the  
priest's blessing1 closed the marriage4 
,the bride was then made  to follow her 
husband to the place where the horses   
were fastened4  ,her attendants led her1
 and her walk was as slow as you can    

well  conceive1--a step1 then a pause1  
then a very slow moving of the  foot    
forward2 she must show great reluctance1
 and be forced after  her well beloved4 
,he seemed to give himself no trouble   
about her1  but mounted his horse1 and  
waited with his back towards her1 until 
the signal should be given for starting4
 ,at last1 by half carrying  and half   
pushing her1 the bride reached the horse
 brought to take  her to her new home1  
and was mounted astride1 as is the      
custom for  females to ride here4 ,the  
signal was given1 and the bridegroom    
moved  forward1 accompanied by most of  
the male guests1 while the females      
surrounded the bride1 some on animals1  
others on foot4 ,the music and          
screaming were kept up1 and the friend  
of the bridegroom danced  and played all
 sorts of odd tricks before him4 ,it was
 his business  to make sport for them4  
,a pomegranate was given to the bride1  
which  she breaks as she enters her     
husband's door1 thus showing that she   

promises to be an obedient and dutiful  
wife4 ,about dark1 a few  weeks ago1 we 
were somewhat startled by a discharge of
 artillery  from the castles about the  
town1 one of which stands very near  us4
 ,we were1 however1 soon told that it   
was meant to signify the  commencement  
of the fast of the ,rammedan1 a fast of 
the ,mohammedans4  ,during the          
continuance of this fast they are not to
 eat1 drink1 or  smoke1 from sunrise to 
sunset4 ,they may1 however1 eat and     
drink  during the night1 and they make  
amends for their abstinence during  the 
day4 ,many of them turn day into night1 
night into day1 eating  at sundown1     
midnight1 and just before sunrise1 and  
after making it  a time of great revelry
 and wickedness4 ,this fast is a        
moveable  one1 and passes round to all  
seasons of the year4 ,when it falls in  
midsummer it must be a sore trial to    
abstain from water in these  thirsty    
countries2 they have1 however1 various  
ways of getting round  the law of the   

fast1 and in some degree modifying the  
deprivations  it would cost them4 ,all  
the systems of religion in the eastern  
world lay much stress on fasting1 and   
with many it is carried to an           
idolatrous extent4 ,they make a saviour 
of them4 ,that this should be  the case 
with systems that do not take ,god's    
,word for the rule of  their faith and  
practice1 would not surprise us2 but    
that those who  call themselves         
,christians1 and profess to found their 
faith on  ,god's ,word1 and appeal to it
 as their rule1 should do so1 may well  
grieve us4 ,it is true1 that while the  
,bible is in a general way  acknowledged
 as the ,word of ,god1 they do not      
appeal to it1 but to  the authority of  
the church2 they have left the word of  
,god1--have  rendered it void1 that they
 may follow their own devices1--that    
they may keep their own traditions4 ,the
 fasts of the ,christian  sects are     
rather a distinction of meats1 an       
abstinence from animal  food1 than fasts

 properly so called4 ,the ,greeks1 in   
accordance with  all the ,oriental      
churches1 observe ,wednesday and ,friday
 of each  week4 ,the ,papists1 ,friday  
and ,saturday4 ,in addition to these    
weekly  fasts1 they have others of many 
days in succession4 ,during one of      
forty days' continuance1 they are not   
allowed to eat until after  twelve      
o'clock at noon4 ,it is astonishing with
 what rigidity even  small children     
observe these seasons4    ,a few days   
since1 some dervishes1 or ,mohammedan   
priests1 who have  been on a pilgrimage 
to ,jerusalem1 returned4 ,they came back
 as holy  men1 and great crowds went out
 to see their wonders4 ,i was assured   
by several persons who witnessed its    
performance1 that boys threw  themselves
 on the ground1 in a row as close       
together as they could  lie1 with their 
faces to the earth1 making a row of     
forty or fifty  yards1 and one of the   
priests paced his horse over them1 the  
horse  literally stepping on their      

backs4 ,the boys jumped up very briskly1
  though some of them showed what they  
were unwilling to acknowledge1  that    
they were slightly hurt4 ,the fact may  
seem strange1 but  ,christians have     
tried the experiment1 and succeeded as  
well as the  ,moslems4 ,some of the     
priests thrust spears and swords through
 their  cheeks--a most unnatural thing4 
,the people consider such things in  the
 light of a miracle4    ,i had a very   
pleasant interview not long since with  
,dr4 ,wilson1 of  ,scotland1 who has    
just returned from a tour through       
,palestine1 and  who went south as far  
as ,petra4 ,at ,hebron he made a special
 contract  with a ,sheik1 who for about 
one hundred and fifty dollars took him  
and his party to ,petra and back1 and   
left his own brother as a  hostage with 
the governor1 until they returned4      
,petra is in a very  rough district4    
,the ,el-,ghor is a wide valley1 but    
much more elevated  than ,i had         
supposed1 much more so than the ,dead   

,sea1 possibly  a thousand feet at the  
highest part4 ,it is very destitute of  
vegetation1 and this is especially the  
case with the country about  ,mount     
,hor1 and ,petra4 ,there is a district  
more to the south that is  more fertile1
 and has a good many inhabitants on it4 
,the antiquities  at ,petra are most    
wonderful2 a town hewn out in a         
sandstone rock1  only one house of any  
size built above ground1 and that a     
church4  ,this building has been        
slightly injured by the late earthquake4
  ,there are most extensive             
excavations--a considerable town under  
ground2 the tomb of ,aaron on ,mount    
,hor is an excavation4 ,the mount  is a 
round sugar-loaf hill1 with a small     
level on the top4    ,we have had       
fearful accounts of the prevalence of   
cholera at  ,jerusalem1 ,aleppo1 ,malta1
 and some other places2 much fear is    
felt  that it will visit us2 may the    
,lord preserve us from its ravages6     
,a few days ago1 a moolah1 a ,mohammedan

 priest1 died at this place4  ,he was   
one of those who last spring made a     
pilgrimage to ,jerusalem1  and on his   
return rode over the boys in the plain  
outside the town4  ,after his death1 the
 other priests pretended that his body  
would  fly off to heaven1 if they did   
not prevent it4 ,they1 therefore1 had   
ropes tied to his body1 and fastened    
them to other things1 that the  body    
might not get away4 ,they held on to the
 ropes as they took the  body to the    
grave-yard4 ,on their way the bearers   
stopped several  times1 and would pull  
this way and that way1 as if some       
invisible  power would not let them go  
forward1 and the pretence was1 that the 
dead man was not willing to go that way1
 or to be buried4 ,they at  length1     
however1 got him to the grave1 put him  
in1 and made great  lamentation over    
him4 ,this is a sample of the tricks    
they play to  delude the people4    ,i  
spent an hour on the #agth of last      
month1 very pleasantly1 with  ,lord     

,lindsay1 who has travelled extensively 
in these countries4  ,from ,egypt he    
passed ,mount ,sinai and the ,elanetic  
,gulf--visited  ,petra1 ,bosrah1        
,gerash1 and most of ,palestine and     
,palmyra4 ,he says  there are many ruins
 about ,bosrah2 a ,roman road thirty    
feet wide  runs from that place towards 
,bagdad4 ,it is in a good state of      
preservation1 but not used4 ,lord       
,lindsay had the affliction to lose  a  
brother1 who travelled with him2 if ,i  
mistake not1 he died from  what is      
called a stroke of the sun4 ,means were 
used to preserve the  body1 and he took 
the corpse with him in the same vessel  
to ,england4          ,,letter ,,xix4   
,beyroot1 ,october #adth1 #ahch4        
,yesterday ,i returned with my family   
from the mountains1 where we  had been  
to recruit from the effects of the warm 
weather4 ,for you  must know1 that after
 knocking about in a very extempore way 
for  some time1 ,i concluded it was     
better to go into partnership1 and      

accordingly we commenced house-keeping  
for ourselves1 early in ,march  last4   
,in doing this1 ,i showed all my        
partiality for my own country1  by      
passing by all the dark-eyed beauties of
 the ,east1 and selecting  one of the   
daughters of my own people4             
,bhamdoon1 the village at which we spent
 the summer1 stands high on  the        
mountains2 only on one occasion before  
had any ,franks lived  among them4      
,about two-thirds of the people belong  
to the ,greek  church4 ,the remainder   
are ,maronites4 ,we found the people    
friendly1  but the ,maronites were less 
disposed to have intercourse with us    
than the ,greeks4 ,we distributed a     
number of books in that and the         
adjacent villages1 and almost every     
night some of the people came in  to    
hear the ,scriptures read1 and to be    
present at evening prayers4  ,this was  
usually followed by conversation1 which 
often lasted an  hour or two4 ,sometimes
 the number was so great1 as to fill the

 room4  ,hykel1 my teacher1 was almost  
always present1 and took part in the    
conversation2 not unfrequently curious  
and puzzling questions were  asked1 as  
what that light was1 which is spoken of 
as separated from  the darkness1 in the 
first of ,genesis2 and how the day and  
night  were measured before the sun was 
made8 ,they often showed a good deal  of
 intelligence4 ,to vary the exercises1  
,i sometimes gave them tracts  to read1 
and generally very good attention was   
paid to the reading  of them4    ,the   
old priest of the village was blind1 and
 there was a monk  assisting him1 who   
was better informed than any of that    
order that  ,i have met with4 ,he       
visited us frequently1 and read portions
 of  the ,new ,testament with us1 and   
commented on them4 ,he often gave       
exhortations1 or preached to the people4
 ,he1 as well as the people1  seemed to 
consider this as a matter that did him  
some credit4 ,my  knowledge of the      
language was not sufficient to enable me

 fully to  understand all he said1 but  
from what ,i could understand1 ,i       
thought  he was fond of giving curious  
and far-fetched interpretations4  ,both 
he and the people seemed to rest on the 
outward form of  religion1 and to be    
strangers to its inward and spiritual   
power4  ,the ,greek church stood near   
our house1 and we often saw travellers  
in passing the church ride up to it1    
touch it with their hand1 put  that to  
their heads1 cross themselves1 and then 
pass on4 ,the same  was done by the     
villagers1 and they would often kiss the
 stones a  number of times4 ,i witnessed
 a rite in this church that was new  to 
me4 ,i had been informed by one of the  
leading men1 that our  friend1 the monk1
 would preach the next morning4 ,i      
considered the  information as a kind of
 invitation to attend1 which ,i did4    
,his  sermon1 as far as ,i could        
understand it1 was not very instructive1
  but rather of the spiritualizing kind4
 ,it was1 however1 delivered  with      

earnestness1 and listened to with       
attention by a full house4  ,at its     
close1 prayers were read1 and some bread
 produced and broken  into very small   
pieces1 and handed to the people in a   
plate4 ,it was  sought for with great   
eagerness1 and many of the little boys  
were  particularly pressing to receive  
it4 ,i supposed at first that it was    
the ,lord's ,supper1 but was told       
afterwards that it was not1 but a       
representation of the body of the       
,virgin ,mary4    ,i made a second very 
pleasant trip to ,baalbec with ,mrs4 ,p4
 and  our two little girls4 ,we had many
 opportunities of distributing  books   
and tracts along the road4 ,in most     
instances1 as soon as it  was known that
 we had books1 our tent was surrounded  
by persons  importuning for them4 ,as   
soon as one was supplied1 he would      
withdraw  to a little distance1 and set 
himself to reading in good earnest4     
,the success of some encouraged others1 
and each had some particular  reason to 

urge1 why he should be supplied before  
the others4 ,we were  absent five days1 
and on our return1 were welcomed with   
great joy by  our good friends in the   
village4    ,bhamdoon is surrounded with
 vineyards4 ,the vines are1 for the most
  part1 allowed to lie on the ground4   
,in a few places peculiarly  situated1  
they are trained on supports1 which     
raise them several  feet above it4 ,the 
grapes are of various kinds1 most of    
them  white and large4 ,we are supplied 
with them most generously and           
munificently by the people4 ,there are  
several houses that seem to be  common  
property1 where they express the juice  
of the grape4 ,they  have1 along one    
side of the house1 a row of large vats1 
into which  the grapes are thrown2 and  
beside these1 stone troughs1 into which 
the juice flows4 ,men get in the vats1  
and tread the grapes with  their feet4  
,it is hard work1 and their clothes are 
often stained  with the grape4 ,the     
figures found in ,scripture1 taken from 

this1 are  true to the life4 ,i have    
trod the wine-press alone2 ,i will stain
  all my raiment2 ,the wine-press was   
trodden without the city4 ,the  juice   
that was extracted when ,i visited the  
press1 was not made  into wine1 but into
 what is called dibbs4 ,it resembles    
molasses4  ,they take the juice from the
 troughs1 put it into large boilers1    
and reduce it to one-half1 possibly     
one-third of the original  quantity4 ,it
 is then removed to large earthen jars1 
and subjected to  a process1 not unlike 
churning1 which is repeated for a few   
days1  until it thickens4 ,when properly
 churned1 or beaten1 but little         
separation of the particles takes place4
 ,it forms a very pleasant  article for 
table use1 and is decidedly preferable  
to molasses4    ,we witnessed the       
process of making raisins4 ,the grapes  
are collected  and dipped in a weak ley1
 with which a small quantity of         
olive-oil  has been mixed4 ,they are    
then spread out on the ground1 and      

several  times a day this mixture is    
sprinkled over them4 ,this is continued1
  for six1 eight1 or ten days1 according
 to the dryness of the  atmosphere1     
until the raisins are cured4 ,they are  
then taken up1 and  while warm from the 
sun1 put into jars and pressed down     
hard1 and  thus preserved for use or    
sale4 ,there is1 however1 but little    
wine1  raisins1 or dibbs exported4 ,most
 that is made is kept for family use4   
,the salutations of these people are    
very similar to those of  ancient times4
 ,in passing persons at work1 as in     
cultivating  their vineyards1 or        
thrashing out grain1 the usual form is  
,salam-a-laykoom1 ,peace be unto you2   
and the answer is1  ,a-laykoom-issalum1 
,upon you be peace4 ,on entering a      
house1 it  is ,peace be upon you1 or    
,olloh makoom1 ,god be with you4 ,in    
giving orders to servants1 or requesting
 favours of friends1 the  answer        
generally given is1 ,a-lah-rass-ee1 ,on 
my head be it4 ,the  women1 in taking a 

quantity of flour from their store for a
 batch  of bread1 will precede it with a
 ,bismillee1 ,in the name of ,god4  ,as 
a general thing the ,arabs may be said  
to be a polite people4  ,the morning and
 evening salutations are always passed  
among the  inmates of the same house2   
they will seldom pass you in the road   
without some kind word4 ,when lights are
 brought1 the servants will  say1 ,good 
evening to you1 and the company will say
 the same to  one another4 ,they have a 
great variety of salutations1 forms of  
expression1 and compliments suited to   
all the various circumstances  of life1 
and these are familiar to all2 to the   
youngest and the  poorest1 as well as to
 the prince4    ,several bands of       
gipsies at different times visited our  
village4  ,they came in companies of    
from ten to thirty1 men1 women1  and    
children1 mostly mounted on donkeys4    
,they encamped in a  thrashing-floor    
near by1 which gave us an opportunity to
 observe  their motions and learn their 

habits4 ,they carry with them a few     
utensils for cooking1 and a few articles
 with which they cover  themselves at   
night4 ,they will occasionally put up a 
rude tent to  shelter them from the sun4
 ,some of them manufacture a few things1
  which they dispose of in their        
rambles4 ,attached to each company  are 
two or three who play on musical        
instruments1 and amuse the  people with 
their feats of jugglery4 ,they have a   
language of their  own1 with which they 
converse among themselves1 but are      
familiar  with ,arabic4 ,they are great 
beggars1 and notorious thieves4 ,the    
people are careful to secure their      
chickens and donkeys when the  gipsies  
are in the neighbourhood4 ,they do not  
remain long at one  place1--here to-day 
and gone to-morrow4 ,they stroll over   
the  mountains in the summer1 but remove
 farther south in winter4    ,april #ah1
 #ahch4--,on the first ,sabbath of the  
present year1 a ,druse  family was      
baptised by the missionaries at this    

place4 ,they had for  two years been    
attentive to the instructions of the    
missionaries1  and both the parents gave
 evidence of piety4 ,they1 with their   
six  children1 were baptized at the     
mission-house at the close of the       
,arabic service4 ,it was an interesting 
occasion1 and excited a good  deal of   
interest among those who are in the     
habit of attending the  ,arabic         
preaching4 ,there are several other     
,druses1 who are constant  in their     
attendance at the ,sabbath school and   
,arabic preaching1 and  profess a great 
desire to become ,christians4    ,you   
are1 no doubt1 familiar with the account
 of ,asaad ,shidiak4 ,i  have learned   
several things about him lately1 which  
to me1 at least1  had a considerable    
degree of painful interest4 ,i have seen
 several  persons who1 as they declare1 
saw him during his imprisonment1 and    
one who saw him after his death4 ,he was
 of the ,maronite church1 and  from his 
intercourse with the missionaries he    

came to understand the  corruption of   
his church1 and the nature of true      
spiritual religion4  ,this brought on   
him the displeasure of the dignitaries  
of that  church4 ,he was a man of       
learning and talents1 and1 with the     
truth on  his side1 he was too much in  
argument for any of them4 ,after various
  attempts to bring him back to their   
corrupt system in vain1 he was  seized  
and imprisoned1 and subjected to much   
cruel treatment4 ,he  held fast to the  
truth which he had learned4 ,his faith  
was built on  the ,bible4 ,one of the   
individuals from whom ,i gained         
information  about him said1 he had a   
long conversation with him while in     
prison4  ,he was shut up in a small room
 only a few feet square1 the door       
walled up so as to leave but a small    
opening1 like a window4 ,he was  loaded 
with chains1 and his food handed to him 
through this small  opening4 ,he assured
 this person that his religious faith   
rested  alone on the ,bible4    ,his    

confinement was so close that it had    
become1 with people  generally1 a matter
 of doubt whether he was dead or alive4 
,thus  it had been for some time before 
the ,egyptian government took           
possession of this country4 ,some of the
 ,franks felt an intense  interest in   
his fate4 ,immediately after the fall of
 ,acre1 which  event secured to the     
,egyptian government the control of this
 part of  ,syria1 an ,english merchant  
of this place by the name of ,todd1     
waited  on the ,pasha1 and made known   
the case of the imprisoned ,asaad1 and  
asked and obtained authority to examine 
the convent where he was  confined1 and 
have him set at liberty if he were      
alive4    ,todd visited the convent1 and
 made some search1 but ,asaad was not   
found4 ,he was informed that he was     
dead1 and was shown what was  said to be
 his grave2 this confirmed the opinion  
that he was dead4  ,this movement on the
 part of ,todd was well meant2 it may1  
however1  be doubted1 whether it was    

well managed4 ,the news got out that he 
was about to visit the convent1 and     
search for ,asaad4 ,it was known  on the
 mountains before he reached ,cannobeen4
 ,it is now declared1  and pretty       
generally believed on the mountains1 as 
,i am told1 that  ,todd was over-reached
 in the matter1 that ,asaad was then    
alive1 but  concealed when the          
examination was made4 ,todd spent but a 
few hours  in the convent1 and that at  
night1 and left the place with the full 
impression that ,asaad was dead4        
,after this1 it is said that the high   
ecclesiastics1 fearing that  the matter 
might be divulged that he was still     
living1 had him  destroyed4 ,a sheik1   
who lives near the place1 and who has   
since had  a quarrel with the patriarch1
 has declared lately that ,asaad was    
destroyed not long after the search by  
,todd1 and that he saw the  dead body   
before it was interred4 ,how much truth 
there may be in  this ,i know not2 for  
truth is a thing that does not abound   

among  this people4 ,from the fact1     
however1 that a wide-spread opinion on  
the mountains places his death          
subsequent to the search by ,todd1 and  
ascribes it to violence1 there is much  
reason to believe that it is  correct4  
,his case has evidently made a great    
impression on the people of  the        
mountains4 ,when ,i went to ,bhamdoon1  
,i was almost immediately  inquired of  
for the little book that told about     
,asaad ,shidiak4 ,i  sent to ,beyroot1  
and procured some copies of a small     
,arabic tract1  written by ,asaad       
himself1 giving a short account of his  
change of  views1 and discussions with  
the priests1 up to near the time of his 
imprisonment4 ,these were sought for    
with more eagerness than almost  any    
book ,i had4 ,the solicitations for it  
came principally from the  ,maronites4  
,it is1 however1 proscribed by their    
church2 still ,i found  that some of    
them would read it4 ,a good-looking     
young man1 who was  evidently a pretty  

good scholar1 would come to my room and 
read the  book by the hour4 ,he would   
not take it away for fear of the priest4
  ,and this reminds me of a case that   
was rather amusing1 that took  place not
 long before we went to the mountains4  
,some of the ,maronite  princes were    
down from the mountains1 and one of them
 procured the  tract containing the     
account of ,asaad ,shidiak1 and a priest
 saw  him reading it4 ,this being       
strictly forbidden1 the prince had a    
penance assigned him1 as did also the   
servants who were within  hearing at the
 time the book was read4 ,he was        
directed to fast so  long2 make so many 
prostrations2 and pay such a sum of     
money4 ,the  prince replied3--as to     
fasting1 it made him sick1 and he could 
not  do it2 and as to the prostrations1 
they gave him the back-ache1 and  he    
could not perform them2 that the priest 
might1 if he chose1 make  the attendants
 do it--and there was some money1       
throwing down a part  of what was called

 for1 which they might do what they     
pleased with4  ,there are a good many   
indications that the power of the       
priesthood  over the people is beginning
 to give way4 ,the time1 ,i hope1 is    
near1  when more of the people will dare
 to think for themselves1 and  follow   
the dictates of an enlightened          
conscience4    ,a few months ago1 a     
heavy conscription1 as it may be called1
 was  raised over the most1 if not the  
whole of ,syria2 and out of it  has     
arisen the present war in the ,houran4  
,this is the name now  used to designate
 an extensive district east of the      
,jordan4 ,it  embraces the country      
occupied by the tribes that lived east  
of that  river--,reuben1 ,gad1 and the  
half tribe of ,manasseh2 the country of 
,bashan1 ,moab1 and a district to the   
east1 that is not much known  to        
,europeans4 ,it is said to be a high    
country1 and abounding with  remains of 
cities4 ,the ,egyptian government       
extends over this1 but  how far to the  

east ,i do not know4    ,in raising     
soldiers1 the ,pasha sent a body of     
troops out among  these towns and       
villages1 to take such as were fit for  
soldiers4  ,the people1 who have much of
 the ,arab character1 did not like this1
  rose on the soldiers1 and destroyed   
several hundred of them4 ,the  ,pasha   
then sent a considerable body of troops 
to destroy the towns  and chastise the  
people4 ,the people left their towns as 
the soldiers  approached1 and joined the
 ,arabs of the desert4 ,they were joined
  by many from other parts of the       
country1 and in all made a pretty       
imposing force4 ,taking advantage of the
 rough and mountainous  districts1 they 
did not allow the troops of the ,pasha  
to bring them  to a fair fight2 and     
attacking his army in a situation that  
gave  them the advantage1 they have     
twice beaten his army2 and on the last  
occasion1 with a great loss to the      
,pasha1 both of men and munitions  of   
war4 ,the army of the ,pasha had to     

retreat towards ,damascus4  ,there is   
much discontent with the ,pasha2 and it 
need not cause much  surprise if other  
movements of a rebellious character     
should follow  the affair of the        
,houran1 especially if it be not soon   
put down4  ,some slight indications of  
the kind have appeared at ,damascus2 but
  several1 suspected of causing it1 had 
their heads taken off with  little      
ceremony1 and the matter seems to be    
stopped4 ,should the  ,pasha subdue the 
,houran1 it will produce a safer state  
of things  to the east of the ,jordan   
than what has heretofore existed1 and   
throw open a vast region that must have 
peculiar interest to the  traveller1    
from the multitude of ruins that exist  
there1 as well as  the connexion which  
it has with many of the events of       
ancient and  sacred history4    ,on the 
evening of the first of ,april1 we      
witnessed a most wonderful  flight of   
locusts4 ,they came like a dark cloud1  
filling the air for  a long distance4   

,the greater part of them were above the
 tops of  the houses2 but many flew     
lower1 and passed through the tops of   
the  mulberry trees4 ,there had been a  
strong south-east wind for about  twelve
 hours4 ,they came from the east1 and   
must1 of course1 have  crossed the      
,lebanon4 ,their course was west2 but as
 they approached  the sea1 ,i thought   
they varied1 and passed more south-west1
 as if  not willing to go out of sight  
of land4 ,for about half an hour the    
air was full of them2 afterwards their  
number decreased1 but it  was a long    
time before the last straggler had      
passed4 ,about three  days afterwards1  
we had them again from the south-west2  
the wind had  changed1 and now came from
 that quarter4 ,they now seemed disposed
  to stop3 the gardens and sands were   
full of them4 ,they did not seem  to eat
 anything1 but were employed in         
depositing their eggs1 which  they place
 in the sands or earth4 ,an acquaintance
 of mine1 who has  just returned from   

,tripoli1 states1 that all the way from 
,ji-bail to  the river ,beyroot1 a      
distance of nearly twenty miles1 the    
locusts  are thrown out on the shore in 
such numbers as to lie from eighteen    
inches to two feet deep--they have been 
drowned in the sea4 ,the old  locusts do
 not do much injury2 it is the young    
ones1 which will  come out in a month or
 six weeks after the eggs are deposited 
in  the sands1 that eat so voraciously1 
and destroy all before them4 ,i         
understand the ,emeer has issued an     
order for each person to collect  about 
a quart of their eggs1 as a means of    
destroying them1 and thus  preventing   
the destruction which the young locusts 
would make4          ,,letter ,,xx4     
,jaffa1 ,may #bast1 #ahch4    ,having   
concluded to return during the ensuing  
summer to the ,united  ,states1 and made
 my arrangements accordingly1 ,i took   
passage from  ,beyroot to this city1 in 
a ,greek vessel1 ,april #bjth4 ,the     
families  of ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,thomson and

 ,hebard had preceded us1 to attend the 
annual meeting of the mission1 which was
 to be held at ,jerusalem4  ,it was not 
without feelings of sorrow that ,i left 
,beyroot4 ,for  about two years ,i had  
considered it my home1 and excepting    
while  making tours1 which ,i           
occasionally did1 ,i had remained there 
and on  the adjacent mountains4 ,i had  
preached a good deal to the ,english    
congregation at ,beyroot1 and aided1 in 
all the ways ,i could1 the  mission     
work4 ,i had become acquainted with many
 of the natives1  more particularly with
 those who maintained a friendly        
intercourse  with the mission4 ,i had   
enjoyed the acquaintance and friendship 
of the consuls and ,english residents1  
and could not bid them a  final farewell
 without strong emotion4 ,but           
circumstances made it  indispensable1   
and we parted1 expecting to see each    
other no more4    ,we reached this place
 on the #bb;d1 after a moderately short 
but  rough passage4 ,to our great       

discomfort1 we found that the plague    
had broken out a few days before2 the   
city was shut up1 and we were  not      
allowed to enter4 ,at first we were not 
permitted to land2 but  after some      
entreaty we were permitted to land at   
the ,lazaret1 under  the watch of the   
health officers1 who took us and our    
baggage into  that building4 ,there were
 some cases of plague in the ,lazaret1  
and  it was the last place we wished to 
be in2 and1 moreover1 our room  had     
literally nothing in it4 ,i wished to   
send word to the ,american  consul1     
whose hospitality we had more than once 
experienced2 hoping  that he would be   
able to place us in a more comfortable  
situation1  and was told that he was at 
his country-house1 about two miles from 
town1 and that we might go there if we  
chose2 but that we must walk1  as all   
the animals had been used by the        
pilgrims1 who were returning  in great  
numbers from ,jerusalem1 and might be   
infected4 ,after a  most laborious walk 

through the sand1 with our children--two
 of  whom we were obliged to carry--we  
reached the house of the consul1  but he
 was not there2 his family being still  
in town and his house  shut up4 ,it was 
too late to return to the ,lazaret2 and 
there was no  alternative1 but to lodge1
 without bed or supper1 on the floor of 
an  unfinished room that was designed   
for a kitchen4    ,in the morning1 the  
consul came out with his family1 and our
  situation was made more comfortable4  
,through his aid we had our  baggage    
landed and conveyed to a place of       
safety1 excepting what  we wished to    
take with us2 and having procured       
animals1 we set off  for ,rumla about   
sunset1 which we reached about ten in   
the night4  ,for once we resolved to    
make trial of the camel1 and we all rode
 on  them2 but before we arrived at     
,rumla1 we were satisfied that the      
horse1 the mule1 and the donkey1 are    
each and all to be preferred  to the    
camel1 as a riding animal4 ,the motion  

of the camel is a long  swinging motion1
 with rather a sudden stop at each step2
 for a  little while it is pleasant1 but
 soon becomes tiresome and at last      
painful4    ,we were on our way at an   
early hour on the morning of the #beth1 
and reached ,jerusalem about five in the
 afternoon1 where we were  kindly       
entertained by ,mr4 and ,mrs4           
,nicolayson4 ,we found the friends      
well4 ,the sessions of the missionary   
meeting were drawing to a  close4       
,professor ,robinson1 and the ,rev4     
,messrs4 ,smith and ,adger1 had  arrived
 some days before from ,egypt1 via ,suez
 and ,sinai4    ,one object ,i had in   
view in revisiting ,jerusalem and its   
vicinity  before ,i returned to the     
,united ,states1 was to correct1 as far 
as ,i might be able1 any errors that    
might exist in my former  descriptions1 
and supply any defects which a second   
visit might  suggest4 ,i have not seen  
much that deserves special notice in the
  way of correction or addition4    ,it 

struck me at the time that ,i visited   
the plain of ,jordan and the  ,dead     
,sea1 that the descent from ,jerusalem  
to them was greater than  that from     
,jerusalem to the ,mediterranean4 ,it is
 now a pretty well  ascertained fact    
that the ,dead ,sea is lower than the   
,mediterranean2  and as the water of the
 latter sea is above thirty feet lower  
than  the ,red ,sea1 it must follow that
 the ,jordan never flowed through the   
,el ,ghor into the ,elanetic ,gulf4     
,count ,barteau1 who has just returned  
from a visit to ,petra ,acaba1 and an   
examination of the district  between the
 south end of the ,dead ,sea and ,acaba1
 states that a high  district crosses   
the ,el ,ghor1 and causes the water to  
run north and  south from it4 ,dr4      
,wilson and ,lord ,lindsay gave me      
substantially the  same information4    
,from some experiments it is estimated  
that the  level of the ,dead ,sea is    
several hundred feet lower than those of
  the ,mediterranean4 ,if a passage then

 were made connecting the ,red  with the
 ,dead ,sea1 the waters would flow into 
it1 so as to cover all  the plain of the
 ,jordan1 and even raise the level of   
the waters of  ,lake ,tiberias4 ,the    
question will naturally be asked1 where 
did the  waters of the ,jordan flow to1 
before the destruction of the cities  of
 the plain8 what outlet did they find8  
,the more common opinion  heretofore has
 been1 that before the overthrow of     
those cities there  was no lake on the  
south end of the plain of ,jordan4 ,the 
,bible does  not1 however1 say so1 but  
rather intimates the reverse4 ,the ,salt
  ,sea is mentioned before the account  
of the overthrow of ,sodom and          
,gomorrah4 ,it seems to me most likely  
that there was a lake at the  south end 
of the plain1 and that those cities were
 situate near its  borders2 their       
destruction was followed by the         
enlargement of the  lake1 and the ruin  
of some part of the plain on which they 
stood4 ,it  is indeed an almost         

universal opinion among the ,arabs1 that
 some of  the ruins of these cities may 
yet be seen4 ,costigen found ruins1 as  
his servant declared1 which he took for 
the ruins of those cities2  and ,count  
,barteau states1 that he saw at the     
south end of the lake  old cisterns1 and
 other things that indicated the former 
existence  of towns4 ,there is now not  
much doubt that we shall in due time    
have  the facts so examined into and    
certified1 as to add another proof to   
the many which have lately been given1  
of the verity and accuracy of  the      
,scriptural account of things4    ,while
 at ,jerusalem1 ,i had occasion to visit
 ,jaffa4 ,i rode down past  ,rumla1 and 
reached ,jaffa in about ten hours4 ,my  
horse was not a  good one2 the day was  
warm1 and ,i did not ride fast4 ,i      
infer1 from  the time spent on the road1
 that the distance must be at least     
thirty-five miles1 and possibly forty4  
,i returned by a road which separates   
from that of ,rumla1 a few miles  from  

,jaffa1 and passes over the plain       
farther to the north4 ,it led  us past  
several villages on the plain1 among    
which was ,lydd1 the  ancient ,lydda1   
where ,peter healed ,eneas4 ,it is a    
small village1 but  contains some better
 buildings than we usually meet with in 
such  small towns4 ,it is surrounded by 
extensive gardens and orchards of       
fruit-trees2 and on the east side of the
 village is a good well1  much resorted 
to for water4 ,the plain of ,sharon on  
this road was  very fertile1 and more of
 it had been cultivated than is usual4  
,the  harvest was going on1 and men1    
women1 and children1 were out in the    
fields3 some reaping with the common    
reap-hook--some pulling up the  grain   
with their hands--some binding up the   
grain in bundles--some  carrying it on  
their shoulders1 or on donkeys1 or      
mules1 or camels1  to the               
thrashing-floor--and some thrashing out 
the grain by driving  the cattle over   
it4 ,they use a thrashing instrument not

 unlike  a harrow4 ,in its under side   
they have pieces of stone or iron       
fastened which serve as teeth4 ,these   
instruments are dragged by the  oxen    
over the grain1 and thus separate it    
from the straw4    ,after leaving the   
plain1 our road followed a ridge for a  
considerable distance2 a little west of 
the highest ground we passed  two ruined
 villages at some distance from each    
other1 that were  called ,beth-horon4   
,they are1 ,i doubt not1 the upper and  
the nether  ,beth-horon4 ,this opinion  
is1 ,i think1 confirmed by the account  
given  of the defeat of the kings that  
were confederated against ,gibeon4  ,it 
is said that ,israel chased them along  
the way that goeth up to  ,beth-horon2  
and it came to pass that as they were in
 the going down  to ,beth-horon1 that   
the ,lord threw down on them great      
hailstones  from heaven4 ,josh4 x4 #aa1 
#ab4 ,beth-horon lies on the west side  
of  the ridge1 and ,gibeon lies on the  
east side1 and at the distance of       

several miles from the top4 ,the flight 
began from ,gibeon1 and was  first up to
 the top of the ridge on the road       
towards ,beth-horon2 and  from the top  
of the ridge it was down to ,beth-horon1
 and on this  last part of the way1 that
 the hailstones fell on them4 ,until ,i 
saw  the ground1 ,i never understood the
 up and down1 as used  in the record of 
this flight and pursuit4 ,near ,gibeon  
,i saw some  sandstone1 singularly mixed
 up with the limestone4 ,it lay about in
  large masses1 but ,i saw no continuous
 rock of it4 ,the ancient ,gibeon  is   
now a small-village1 inhabited by a few 
,mohammedan families4 ,it  stands on the
 summit of a round hill1 and from the   
steepness of its  sides is capable of   
being made very strong4 ,there are      
various old  ruins and some arches of   
great size running into the sides of the
  hill1 forming rooms1 in which various 
labours are now carried on4 ,a  little  
out of town is a spring in a cave1 and  
below it1 on the side  of the hill1 the 

remains of an old pool1 which is        
probably the one  beside which ,abner   
and ,joab1 with their men1 sat down     
before the  battle in which ,asahel     
fell4    ,the plague made its appearance
 in ,jerusalem shortly after our        
arrival4 ,we did not pay much attention 
to it1 excepting that we  were more     
careful in passing about the city not to
 come in contact  with the people4 ,the 
monks from some of the religious houses 
left  the city1 and took refuge in other
 places4 ,we found the monks at         
,bethlehem keeping quarantine1 and there
 was plague in some of the  convents in 
the country4    ,a health officer from  
,jaffa visited the city on the #afth1   
and  declared his intention to shut up  
the gates and prevent egress or         
ingress1 until the plague abated4 ,he   
gave us permission to leave1  provided  
we would do it early the next day4      
,having no wish to be  shut up even in  
,jerusalem1 for a month or two1 we made 
all possible  haste to get ready to     

leave town the next morning4 ,we found  
some  difficulty in procuring animals1  
but at last succeeded1 and bidding      
farewell to all our kind friends1 and   
the missionary brethren  resident there1
 we left the city and bent our course to
 ,rumla4 ,our  animals proved miserable 
creatures1 and one of our muleteers gave
  us the slip and returned1 leaving us  
to make our journey as best  we could4  
,we had been informed at ,jerusalem that
 we would not be  permitted to enter    
,rumla2 but supposed that we should     
arrive in  season to consult with the   
consular agent1 and obtain lodging in   
the old tower1 or some place in the     
vicinity4 ,our mules were so            
intolerably bad1 however1 that it was   
dark when we approached ,rumla4  ,to our
 frequent inquiries of the muleteer1 as 
to where he was taking  us1 we received 
the reply1 to the water1 and supposing  
that we  would halt at some watering    
place near the town1 we allowed him to  
proceed4 ,finding from the length of the

 way that we must be taking  the road to
 ,jaffa1 we insisted on coming to an    
understanding of the  matter4 ,he had no
 idea of stopping1 but intended to land 
us safe  at ,jaffa that night2 after a  
great deal of noise on both sides we    
prevailed on him to halt4 ,he took us   
under an olive-tree near by1  saying1   
what he supposed was true1 that if he   
took us to the town  they would cut his 
head off4 ,angelo set off immediately1  
to see if  he could gain admittance     
within the town4 ,the children1 worn out
  with the fatigue of the journey1 had  
lost all patience1 and were  crying for 
their suppers4 ,i seated them on the    
ground and began to  search about in the
 dark for the remains of our luncheon1  
which  there was much reason to fear the
 muleteer and his boy had eaten4        
,presently ,mrs4 ,p4 began to shake with
 an ague fit1 and called out  to me that
 she should die with the cold if relief 
was not soon  obtained4 ,i had procured 
some wine at ,jerusalem1 which ,i was   

taking  home as a sample of the wines of
 ,palestine2 and thinking this was  a   
time1 if ever1 when its use would be    
justifiable1 ,i succeeded in            
disengaging a bottle from our baggage   
and administered a quantity  of it to   
those who were ready to perish4 ,drawing
 a small carpet  from the saddle of the 
mule on which ,i rode1 ,i covered up my 
little  family1 and with no enviable    
feelings waited the result4 ,it was not 
long before the well-known voice of     
,angelo hallooing in the distance  broke
 upon my ear4 ,he came with one of the  
consul's sons1 who  welcomed us to his  
father's house1 assuring us there was no
 obstacle  in the way of our admittance4
 ,thus our difficulties were removed1   
and we were most hospitably lodged for  
the night4 ,the next day we  arrived at 
the country-seat of our very kind consul
 at this place1  who has furnished us   
with a room1 and is assiduous in his    
attentions  to promote our comfort and  
happiness4          ,,letter ,,xxi4     

,alexandria1 ,june #bast1 #ahch4    ,we 
left ,jaffa on ,may the #bdth for this  
place4 ,it was not without  trouble and 
delay that we were able to obtain a     
passage4 ,on our  arrival at ,jaffa1 in 
,april1 we found many vessels there4    
,they were1  we were told1 waiting for  
pilgrims1 who were at that time         
returning  from ,jerusalem1 where many  
attend during the great feasts4 ,they   
were  at that time coming down in       
crowds1 and going off to the vessels3   
but before our return from ,jerusalem1  
in ,may1 they were gone1 and  hardly a  
vessel remained at ,jaffa4 ,possibly the
 fear of the plague1  which prevailed at
 ,jaffa1 had driven some away1 and at   
the same  time prevented others from    
coming4 ,our wish was to take passage to
  ,damietta1 and ascend the ,damietta   
branch of the ,nile to ,grand ,cairo1   
and come down the ,rosetta branch to    
,alexandria4 ,we found a vessel  that   
was willing to take us to ,damietta1 but
 before we had completed  our bargain1  

the ,russian consul1 whose family had   
lost many members  by the plague1 made1 
in his great eagerness to get away1 so  
large an  offer1 as induced the captain 
to change his course1 and immediately   
sail with the consul for ,smyrna4 ,as we
 passed ,damietta1 about a week         
afterwards1 we spoke the same vessel1   
and learned that1 soon after  sailing1  
the consul took the plague and died1 and
 the vessel put in  at ,damietta4 ,the  
consul fled from ,jaffa1 but not from   
the plague  or death--both met him on   
the way--how little do we foresee what a
  day may bring forth6 ,after some delay
 a vessel came from ,beyroot1  which    
offered to take us to this place1 but   
asked about four times  the usual       
price--there was no help--no other      
suitable vessel  offered--and the       
captain said1 which was true1 that he   
would have to  perform a long           
quarantine4 ,a letter came to the       
consul1 from several  other travellers1 
to engage them a vessel1 as they would  

be at ,jaffa  in a few days2 and it was 
agreed that ,i should pay one-half of   
the  required sum1 and those travellers 
the other1 and the engagement was       
closed4    ,through the kind attention  
of our consul1 who spared no pains to   
promote our comfort1 our arrangements   
were made1 our baggage put on  board1   
and our provisions and stores laid in4  
,the plague added much  to the trouble  
of doing this4 ,on going on board we    
found it was a  ,turkish vessel1 and a  
,turkish crew4 ,the captain seemed to be
 much  of a gentleman for a ,turk4 ,he  
was polite1 silent1 and would sit  all  
day smoking his pipe1 and watching the  
working of his vessel4  ,the crew also  
were sober1 silent1 and appeared to move
 about as if  they had no care but to   
mind their own business4 ,we had        
stipulated  to have the sole use of the 
cabin1 provided we should prefer it4    
,on examining the premises1 however1 we 
decided on taking up our  quarters on   
the deck1 as plainly the cleanest and   

most comfortable  place4 ,the captain   
readily yielded to our wishes1 and      
fitted up the  long boat1 which was on  
the deck1 spreading a sail over it1 and 
making quite a tent--in this we took up 
our abode4    ,when the travellers      
referred to came on board1 we recognised
 them  as a party we had met a few miles
 this side of ,jerusalem4 ,they had     
come from ,egypt to ,palestine through  
the wilderness1 and were on  their way  
to ,jerusalem as we left it4 ,their     
cavalcade had attracted  our attention1 
being all mounted on camels2 and what   
looked rather  oddly1 two were on the   
same camel1 in what are called baskets1 
sitting back to back--one facing to the 
right and the other to the  left4 ,the  
party consisted of two ,german officers1
 who belonged to  ,king ,otho's army in 
,greece--a ,frenchman and a ,swiss4 ,the
 fact that  we had no common language   
prevented our having as much intercourse
  with them as we should otherwise have 
had4 ,they also took up their  quarters 

on deck1 the captain having put up an   
awning4 ,as there  was no danger of     
rain1 the deck was decidedly the most   
comfortable  place4 ,while we could not 
fully understand the subject of their   
discourse1 we were not a little amused  
during our voyage with the  long and    
almost continual debates of our         
fellow-voyagers4 ,it was  all in great  
good-humour1 but a set of more          
everlasting talkers and  disputants ,i  
have seldom met with4    ,there were    
several others on board1 who came in    
without paying  their part of the       
expense4 ,this is almost always the case
 when  a ,frank charters a vessel4 ,i   
have heard of a captain1 who had        
especially engaged not to take any one  
on board except the ,franks  who had    
chartered his vessel1 stowing away      
privately in the hold  nearly a dozen   
who were never to be seen on deck4 ,the 
captain of  course gets a fee from      
such--it is so much clear gain4 ,he     
first  asks and gets a full price for   

his whole vessel1 and then stows  away  
as many persons and things as he can1 on
 such terms as may  be offered4 ,we had 
a ,greek sea captain as a passenger--he 
was one  of the most silent ,greeks ,i  
recollect to have met with1 for1 as a   
general thing1 they are a talking1 noisy
 people4 ,he hardly ever  spoke a word1 
and had little intercourse with any one 
except a  ,greek servant4 ,there was    
another1 old ,dominico1 as we called    
him1  who1 oddly enough1 passed himself 
off as one of my party1 and not  only   
went rent free1 but ate of my bread4 ,on
 reaching our consul's  from ,jerusalem1
 we saw there a middle-aged man1 who had
 much the  appearance of a domestic1 but
 in a ,frank dress4 ,he seemed to turn  
his hand to anything--at times he was in
 the garden directing the  water to the 
trees and plants--then again he was     
going with a mule  or donkey and        
bringing home loads of grass for the    
animals--at one  time called here and   
another there4 ,on first seeing him1 it 

struck  me he might be a ,scotchman--but
 he knew no ,english--,i then thought   
he must be an ,italian--he proved to be 
a ,genoese4 ,he had been at  ,jerusalem1
 and was living on the consul until he  
could get a passage  from ,jaffa--and   
the consul1 very properly1 to keep him  
from rusting  through mere idleness1 was
 employing him in all sorts of ways1 as 
occasions offered4 ,when on the point of
 starting1 the consul1 who  was probably
 willing to get clear of him1 requested 
that ,dominico  might so far be         
considered1 as belonging to my party as 
to secure  him a free passage2 and1     
according to his own rule for managing  
such  cases1 advised that ,i should keep
 the old man in employ as far as ,i  had
 anything that he could do4 ,of course  
,i assented4 ,after getting  all on     
board1 and under sail1 and the time for 
eating had come1  ,angelo reported old  
,dominico as minus all sorts of         
provisions for  the voyage4 ,i was      
fairly in for it4 ,he belonged to my    

party1 and  must not be allowed to      
suffer4 ,this however was an appendix to
 the  matter that ,i had not looked for2
 and in laying in stores1 for each      
party found themselves1 7old ,dominico  
excepted17 ,i had not counted  him--and 
no small eater was he4 ,angelo was      
directed to give the old  man his       
rations from my stores1 and advised that
 he should give him  something to       
do--make him cut the wood1 kindle the   
fire1 watch the  coffee--do anything    
that would keep his hand in3 for ,i hold
 that  perfect idleness is not good for 
man or beast4 ,and finding that the  old
 man had a pretty good knack for        
pleasing children1 many an hour  were   
they permitted to while away with him1  
to his own as well as  their amusement4 
,the ,moslems are in their way a        
religious people4 ,they are regular  in 
saying their prayers at the prescribed  
times4 ,they usually pray1  wherever    
they may happen to be1 when the proper  
time arrives4  ,they do not retire to a 

secret place1 but spread a small mat1   
and  kneel and prostrate themselves on  
it--touch the ground with their         
forehead1 facing towards ,mecca1 and    
repeating at the same time1 in  a low   
and almost unintelligible voice1 their  
forms of prayer4 ,the  fore-part of the 
deck was the place at which they        
performed their  devotions4    ,our     
winds being light1 we did not lose sight
 of ,palestine for nearly  twenty-four  
hours after we embarked4 ,we had a      
pretty good view of  the south part of  
the plain of ,sharon and of the hill    
country that  rose behind it4 ,several  
villages were seen1 surrounded with     
their  olive-trees1 vineyards1 and      
gardens4 ,the land at last disappeared1 
and nothing but water was seen on all   
sides4 ,our course brought us  within   
sight of ,egypt1 east of ,damietta4 ,the
 coast was low1 and  seemed to be a bed 
of sand4 ,to the south-east we saw some 
large  buildings that appeared to rise  
out of the water4 ,we learned that  they

 were forts at the mouth of some inlet4 
,as we passed to the  west1 our course  
brought us nearer the shore1 and gave us
 a better  view of it4 ,the water had a 
greenish colour1 and such a current set 
to the east1 that during a calm that    
took place we had to cast out  an anchor
 to prevent our being swept far to the  
east4    ,in passing ,damietta1 we saw  
several vessels lying off4 ,the shallows
  and bars at the mouth of the river are
 such as to prevent vessels  from       
entering1 and cause much trouble and    
delay in loading and  unloading at that 
place4 ,large lighters are used in      
passing produce  and merchandise to and 
from the shore4 ,we could not see much  
of  the town4 ,it lies a little back1   
and the sand hills near the coast       
tended to prevent a good view of it4    
,from all ,i could learn1 it is  a small
 place1 and much on the decline4 ,there 
are some strong forts  at the mouth of  
the river1 and so placed as to command  
the entrance4  ,the implements of war   

are everywhere to be met with in the    
dominions  of ,mohammed ,ali4    ,groves
 of date-trees began to be seen on the  
coast4 ,this is the  tree of ,egypt1 and
 is everywhere in ,egypt to be met with 
in greater  numbers than any other tree4
 ,it has a singular appearance1 and  not
 unlike a spread umbrella4 ,the stem is 
long1 and of the same  thickness1 and   
has no branches until you reach the     
top1--then a  large cluster of branches1
 which bend out and hang down their     
tops1  so as to look much like the top  
of an open umbrella4 ,they often  are   
found together in groves or orchards1   
and make a very fine  appearance4       
,along the coast1 and near the water1   
are many sand-hills4 ,they  almost line 
the coast--are of various shapes and    
sizes4 ,most of  them are composed of   
white1 fine sand1 and are utterly       
destitute  of vegetation4 ,in a few     
places ,i could see some small bushes   
about  the base of some of them2 and    
through the openings between the        

sand-hills we could see groves of palms 
in the interior4 ,in a few  places we   
saw villages2 for the most part they    
appeared small4 ,some  of them had      
minarets1 which indicated ,moslem places
 of worship2 and  in several places we  
saw the top of minarets where we could  
see  neither the village nor the mosque 
to which they belonged4    ,the minaret1
 ,i may here remark1 is to the mosques  
what a steeple is  to the church4       
,instead of a bell to call to worship1  
the moolah  7the ,mohammedan priest7    
mounts the minaret1 proclaims the hour1 
and calls his people to prayer4 ,the    
minaret rises higher above  the mosque  
than the steeple usually does above the 
church4 ,it is  always white1 and has a 
stairway up in the inside1 by which the 
moolah ascends to the place from which  
he proclaims the hour and  its          
accompanying duty4 ,near the top is a   
door through which he  comes out4 ,a    
little platform runs all round the      
minaret1 fenced in  with a low railing4 

,there is a cover over the top1 which   
protects  them in time of rain4 ,if ,i  
may compare a small thing with a great1 
,i would say that a minaret is much like
 a tall candlestick1 with a  long       
spermaceti candle in it1 and an         
extinguisher on the top of the  candle4 
,they have a very pretty and tasteful   
appearance4    ,the whole coast from    
east of ,damietta to the west of        
,rosetta1 bends  like a bow1 the convex 
part being next the ,mediterranean4 ,it 
is  caused1 no doubt1 in part at least1 
by the immense deposits which  the ,nile
 makes of the mud1 with which its waters
 are loaded4 ,there  are1 however1 some 
very deep bays on the coast1 as the bay 
of  ,aboukir4    ,the coast about       
,rosetta did not differ much from that  
about  ,damietta4 ,the mouth of the     
river is obstructed with bars1 which is 
much in the way of its commerce4 ,the   
town lies back1 so that we had  not a   
good view of it1 at the distance at     
which we passed4 ,there  were once1 ,i  

am told1 many good houses here2 the     
trade was much  concentrated here2 but  
since the canal has been made from ,atpi
 to  ,alexandria1 the trade has taken   
that direction1 and ,alexandria has     
been built up at the expense of         
,rosetta4 ,all along this coast the     
current seemed to set eastward4    ,we  
reached ,alexandria on the first of     
,june4 ,it stands on a point of  land   
that projects considerably into the sea1
 and has a part that  turns west like   
the upper part of a capital ,t4 ,on this
 west point  stands a palace of the     
pasha1 to which he resorts in summer4   
,there  are two harbours1 one on the    
east and the other on the west side of  
the town2 and in each harbour is a      
,lazaret4    ,we had hoped1 that as we  
had kept quarantine at ,jaffa--as our   
vessel  had little intercourse with the 
shore1 having come from ,beyroot1  and  
as the health-officer promised he would 
state this on our  papers1 that we would
 have but little1 if any1 assigned us   

here4  ,but we found that all availed   
not4 ,we had twenty-one days assigned   
us1 and all our entreaties availed not  
to lessen the number4 ,the  ,turks1 for 
the most part1 take things patiently1   
and in few things  is it more wise to   
imitate them than in this4 ,we had our  
place  assigned us in the ,lazaret of   
the eastern harbour1 and early the  next
 morning the captain had us and all our 
baggage conveyed there4  ,our           
fellow-passengers were all assigned to  
the same place1 while  the captain and  
his crew were allowed to perform their  
quarantine  on board their vessel--one  
soldier being put with them to see that 
none left the vessel1 and none entered  
it2 while another soldier was  assigned 
to us to have a similar watch over all  
our doings4    ,on reaching the         
,lazaret1 we were a good deal           
disconcerted at finding  that all men1  
women1 and children1 masters and        
servants1 were to be  put in one and the
 same room4 ,who ever heard the like6 ,i

 protested  against it1 but of what use 
to protest6 ,we were told the rooms were
  scarce1 and that this was their mode1 
to put all who had come in the  same    
vessel in the same room4 ,the room was  
large--about sixty by  twenty4 ,several 
years' experience had satisfied me that 
there was  more trouble than profit in  
trying to get ,turks and ,arabs to think
  and reason as we do4 ,i therefore set 
myself to make the best of the  case1   
and set off to examine the premises4 ,at
 and about the door of  the room--for we
 were not in the open court before      
it--,i met several  of our voyagers1    
who1 with much earnestness1 urged me not
 to go in4  ,angelo1 who had just come  
out1 earnestly advised me not to enter1 
and let me know that the place was      
literally overrun with fleas4 ,i  found 
them there in great numbers truly4 ,but 
after having it swept  again and again1 
and using other means to destroy them1  
we took  possession4 ,i had a strong    
cord stretched across1 so as to cut off 

about one-third1 and made a room about  
twenty feet square4 ,on this  cord we   
hung sheets1 and blankets1 and          
bed-spreads1 and thus made a  private   
and comfortable chamber4 ,we procured a 
frame-work of palm  wood that was a very
 good substitute for bedsteads--and some
 other  articles of the first necessity1
 and did very well2 for our room1 as  we
 found it1 had not an article in it4    
,our fellow-voyagers took possession of 
the other part of the room1  and renewed
 their discussions and debates1 which   
for a little had  been suspended4       
,the ,lazaret has a set of large rooms1 
formed into squares1 and  surrounded    
with high walls4 ,attached to each room 
is a court1 rather  larger than the     
room1 and open to the heavens4 ,there is
 a tank of  water in this court1 and at 
one side1 what is called a parletorio--a
  place with a kind of wood grating1    
through which they may see and  converse
 with friends who call on them4 ,those  
in quarantine have1  during the day1    

free use of the court attached to their 
rooms1 but  at night they are locked up 
in their rooms1 their guardian with     
them1 and the key taken to the room of  
the head of the quarantine4    ,there is
 a kind of market in the ,lazaret1 or   
rather a shop is kept  there1 at which  
most of the common necessaries may be   
had1 and at  about a fair price4 ,i     
engaged a man to send us bread and milk 
daily1  and was well supplied4 ,angelo  
as usual cooked for us and had the      
general management of our table1 and    
continued to have it nearly as  well    
furnished as when we were at ,beyroot1  
and at about the same  expense4    ,we  
were a few times allowed to walk out as 
far as the sea-side1  but not without   
our guard4 ,nor were we allowed to go   
more than a  few rods from the walls4   
,we much wished to take some walks in   
the  vicinity1 but this was not allowed4
 ,there was1 however1 nothing rude  in  
their mode of denial4    ,the ,lazaret  
is a new building1 and not yet finished1

 and the work  is still in progress4 ,it
 is made of a soft limestone1 which is  
brought in vessels and landed near the  
building4 ,i observed that  females were
 almost wholly employed in unloading the
 stone from  these vessels1 and the     
attendance on the workmen was chiefly1  
if  not wholly1 done by females4 ,there 
were small companies of girls1  from    
twelve to sixteen years of age1 who     
carried stones and mortar4  ,they       
usually went together1 and sung and kept
 a kind of time4 ,their  singing was in 
a kind of response to each other1 and   
was evidently1  in part at least1       
extempore2 as they often alluded to what
 they saw1  and to what was taking place
 about them4 ,it reminded me of what is 
called the corn-song1 as sung by the    
slaves in the southern ,states4  ,they  
seemed cheerful1 and are said to receive
 some wages for their  service4    ,soon
 after we were in the ,lazaret1 ,mr4    
,gliddon1 ,u4 ,s4 consul1 called  on us1
 and kindly tendered his aid in any way 

that might add to our  comfort while    
thus shut up in the ,lazaret4 ,to be    
twenty-one days  shut up in a room was  
tiresome1 but not so much so to us as   
might  be expected4 ,we had books--we   
read and wrote1 and through the         
kindness of our consul and others we    
received files of papers1 which  let us 
know what was going on in that          
much-loved land1 from which we  had been
 so long absent1 and to think now we    
were about to return4    ,alexandria    
stands on the site of the old town of   
that name4 ,the  point of land which ,i 
have before mentioned1 is pretty much   
covered  with houses4 ,the houses of the
 older part of the town are very        
inferior1 but many of the buildings     
lately put up are in ,european  style1  
and very good1 and some splendid        
buildings4 ,these stand1 at  least most 
of them1 near the eastern harbour1 and  
on a long street  that runs south-east  
across the town4 ,many of these new and 
elegant  houses are occupied by         

,europeans1 of whom there are a         
considerable  number in ,alexandria4    
,there are many ,frank shops1 and       
stores1 and  artists2 and almost all    
kinds of ,european articles and goods   
may  here be obtained4    ,a little to  
the east of the ,frank quarter1 as it   
may be called1  stands ,cleopatra's     
,needle4 ,it is a granite obelisk--near 
it lies  another on the ground4 ,there  
is a large space on the south-east  side
 of the city1 that is not built on4 ,it 
is a bed of ruins4 ,in  many places     
excavations have been made1 and curious 
antiques found4  ,the city is surrounded
 by a high and strong wall1 with a deep 
fosse on the outside4 ,the gates are    
always guarded with soldiers4  ,the     
,navy-yard and ,custom-house are on the 
western harbour2 and in  that harbour   
ride some noble vessels1 and others are 
being built4  ,the pasha and the sultan 
seem running a race in ship-building1   
and  certainly each has done a good deal
 within a few years past4 ,a  little    

south of the town1 and on a small       
elevation1 stands ,pompey's  ,pillar4   
,it has so often been described that ,i 
may well pass it  over1 with the remark1
 that it is a large and beautiful shaft 
of  solid rock4    ,alexandria has been 
much revived of late1 and is now the    
chief  seaport of ,egypt4 ,having       
selected it as the place for his        
navy-yard1  and through the canal of    
,mahmudieh opened a direct communication
  between ,alexandria and the ,nile at  
,atpi1 the trade has almost all  centred
 at ,alexandria1 to the ruin of         
,rosetta4 ,the population of            
,alexandria may be from #cj to #dj1jjj4 
,the district about ,alexandria has1    
with few exceptions1 a dry and  burnt-up
 appearance4 ,in a few places the date  
and the acacia trees  are seen1 but a   
large part of the surface has almost    
nothing on it4    ,the pasha has shown a
 commendable degree of zeal for         
introducing  the arts and improvements  
of ,europe into his dominions4 ,he has  

manufactories1 and artists1 and schools1
 at ,alexandria and other  places4 ,his 
leading object in the whole seems to be1
 to promote and  confirm his own power  
over the people that he now governs4 ,he
 has  intelligence enough to see that   
arts and improvements have given  a     
decided advantage to those who possess  
them1 and for the sake  of those        
advantages he desires to be possessed of
 them4 ,this has  led him to employ many
 ,european artists and masters--has     
induced  him to send a number of youth  
to ,europe to be educated there1 and    
instructed in the various departments of
 useful knowledge4          ,,letter    
,,xxii4        ,cairo1 ,june #bith1     
#ahch4    ,wishing to make our tour up  
the ,nile as soon as we were relieved   
from quarantine1 we had in part made our
 arrangements when that  took place4 ,on
 the #bast1 we were called down to be   
inspected  by the man of medical        
science1 and were declared free from all
  suspicious symptoms1 and entitled to  

mingle with the good people of  the     
country1 and travel where we pleased4   
,it was farcical enough  to see the man 
stand at the distance of ten or fifteen 
feet1 and  inspect our tongues1 and make
 us move our arms1 and then gravely     
decide that we were free from infection4
 ,our keepers1 who1 on the  whole1 had  
been kind and attentive1 but careful not
 to touch us1  now approached and gave  
us a cordial shake of the hand1 and     
their  congratulations on our           
restoration to freedom4 ,each had to pay
 a  small rent for the room4 ,we had    
also several small fees to pay--as  the 
board of our guardian4 ,through the aid 
of our consul a boat had  been engaged1 
and some other preparations made for our
 trip up the  ,nile3 deeming it best1   
after so long a delay1 to lose no time  
in  making our visit to this place4 ,we 
found the boat in readiness1 with  such 
stores as were necessary2 and the       
,american flag floated in the  air at   
the mast-head4 ,this was to make known  

to all whom it might  concern1 that the 
boat was mine pro tem41 and not to be   
searched  or molested while under my    
protection4 ,we were soon in readiness  
to  leave4 ,several persons1 however1   
whose animals we had used in riding     
from the ,lazaret to the boat1 and some 
who had brought us various  articles1   
were to be paid4 ,as ,i knew not what   
the usual prices  were1 ,i requested a  
,janissary to give each what was right4 
,he soon  settled the matter1 and paid  
them about one-third of what they       
demanded of me4 ,thus1 almost           
perpetually1 these people try to extort 
from travellers more than is due1 and   
especially if the traveller be  a       
stranger among them4    ,alexandria does
 not stand on the ,nile1 but near thirty
 miles west of  the ,rosetta branch of  
that river4 ,a canal 7the ,mahmudieh7   
connects  the town on the western       
harbour with the river1 not at its      
mouth1  but at ,atfi4 ,this place may be
 nearly sixty miles from ,alexandria1   

but not so far from the mouth of the    
river4 ,this canal is the work  of the  
,pasha4 ,owing to the bars and shallows 
at the mouth of the  river1 much        
difficulty was found in loading and     
unloading vessels2  and the trade of    
,egypt1 which was carried on mainly     
through that  branch1 was much impeded4 
,possibly a wish to build up            
,alexandria1  which was the best harbour
 for his navy1 may have had its         
influence4  ,the ,pasha resolved to open
 a canal from some point of the ,rosetta
  branch to ,alexandria4 ,atfi was fixed
 on as the point4 ,the course of  the   
canal marked out1 and multitudes of     
people from all the adjacent  towns and 
villages1 marched down to different     
parts of the line and  set to work4 ,the
 greater part had nothing to work with  
but their  hands2 but the soil was soft 
and no stone in it4 ,in a few months    
the work was done1 but it is said1 many 
lives were lost through the  hardships  
to which the people were subjected4     

,sail-boats are used  on the canal2 but 
as the wind is not always fair1 they at 
times use  the tow-line1 but men1 and   
not animals1 pull it4 ,the boats that   
are  on the canal do not pass into the  
river1 nor those of the river into  the 
canal4 ,there must of course be another 
boat taken at ,atfi1 and  the baggage   
changed from one to the other4 ,this    
consumes time and  is attended with some
 expense4    ,the country through which 
the canal passes is nearly a dead level1
  and1 in some places1 ,i should think1 
lower than the level of the  river4 ,the
 banks of the canal were from eight to  
twelve feet above  the water4 ,they were
 too high to allow us to have a good    
view of the  country over them4 ,at some
 places1 however1 they were lower1 and  
at  others1 by stopping the boat1 and   
ascending the bank1 we had fine  views  
of the rich meadows of ,egypt4 ,for many
 miles after leaving  ,alexandria1 we   
passed a succession of houses and       
gardens1 along the  canal1 that had a   

very pleasant appearance4 ,several of   
them were  fitted up in ,frank style1   
with glass windows1 and other fixtures  
indicating ,european society4 ,they may 
have been occupied1 possibly  owned1 by 
,europeans4 ,connected with several of  
these houses1 were  extensive gardens1  
and in a good state of keeping4 ,in     
addition to  the palm tree1 which is the
 tree of ,egypt1 there were several     
other  kinds along the canal1 as the    
acacia4 ,it is low1 and not unlike the  
olive in its shape and size1 but its    
bark and leaf approach more to  the     
locust4 ,it is pretty as a shady and    
ornamental tree1 but ,i know  not its   
other uses4    ,there are1 all along the
 canal1 water-wheels at work1 raising   
water  for irrigating the adjacent      
gardens and fields4 ,the mode of making 
them is simple3 a channel is cut into   
the bank1 so deep that the  water will  
flow into it2 a wheel is made to turn in
 this cut1 being  suspended over it2 a  
rope1 with a set of jars1 passes over   

this  wheel1 and is turned by it4 ,this 
is long enough to allow the jars  to    
pass through the water and come up full1
 and1 in turning1 the  water is poured  
into a cistern1 and thence conveyed by  
small troughs  to the place where it is 
needed4 ,the wheels are usually worked  
by oxen4 ,the number of wheels is very  
great1 and most of them are  constantly 
in motion through the day4    ,we passed
 some villages near the canal1 but none 
of much size4 ,there  were some of a    
larger size at a distance1 as we        
concluded1 from  the minarets which we  
could see4 ,in several places we saw    
water  at a distance that looked like a 
lake4 ,in passing up the canal1  and the
 same was true after we entered the     
river1 ,i could not but  notice how the 
people and the animals loved to be in   
the water4 ,the  children and youth were
 seen in it1 and the cattle seemed to   
have  a passion1 not only for wading in 
the water1 but for lying down in  it1 so
 as often to cover their whole bodies1  

except a small part of  their heads4    
,this may1 in part1 have been to keep   
off the flies1  but mainly1 ,i judge1 to
 enjoy the coolness which the water     
imparted  to them4 ,i never before      
understood the force of the expression  
in  ,pharaoh's dream1 where it is said1 
he saw seven kine coming up out  of the 
river4 ,it is true to the life4 ,they   
lie in the water until  satisfied1 then 
come up and feed on the low grounds or  
meadows near  it4    ,we had often heard
 dismal accounts of the annoyances met  
with in the  boats of the ,nile2 we were
 now to have a proof of them4 ,on       
entering  our boat we observed that it  
had recently been painted1 and hoped    
that this betokened a deliverance from  
those gentry that so annoy  ,frank      
travellers4 ,but in this we were        
mistaken4 ,no sooner were our  lights   
put out1 than they came upon us from    
their hiding-places  in such numbers1 as
 to make it one of the most trying      
nights we  had ever passed4 ,and        

especially did they assail our children4
 ,and  whether it was that they liked   
their young blood better1 or that  the  
children1 in their sound sleep1 made    
less resistance1 ,i know  not1 but so it
 was1 that in the morning their faces   
were disfigured  with bites1 and their  
eyes so swollen that they could hardly  
see4  ,fortunately1 we were not doomed  
to spend another night in this  boat4   
,we reached ,atpi during the following  
day1 in time to transfer  ourselves and 
baggage to a river boat1 which was about
 leaving for  ,cairo4 ,this boat was    
happily less infested with the gentry   
above  referred to1 and we made out     
pretty well as to sleeping4    ,atpi is 
a small village at the place where the  
canal leaves the  river4 ,it has grown  
up since the canal was made4 ,there are 
some  stores and shops1 and a number of 
persons who attend to the produce  and  
goods that pass and repass from the     
canal to the river4 ,we here  procured a
 boat1 and made other necessary         

arrangements4 ,in all these  boats we   
had to provide for ourselves1 from the  
beds we slept on to  the fuel with which
 we cooked our food4 ,as necessary      
articles are  not to be had at all      
places1 and especially as the boat may  
not stop  when you find yourself minus  
in some needful article1 the only sure  
way is to keep a good stock on hand4 ,we
 had our flag1 as before1  flying at the
 mast-head1 and could not but feel a    
little national  pride at the notice    
which it attracted4    ,near ,atpi1 on  
the eastern side of the river1 is a     
considerable  town1 with some pretty    
good buildings1 and among them some     
occupied  as factories4 ,there was also 
a large building on the western  side1  
where the red fez1 now so much used     
throughout ,turkey1 are  made4 ,these   
manufactories are1 we were told1 public 
property4 ,the  government monopolizes  
all things in this land4 ,the policy may
  well be questioned4 ,possibly in no   
other way could they be so soon         

introduced4    ,the average height of   
the banks of the ,nile may be from      
twelve  to sixteen feet4 ,fields of corn
 and sugar-cane were seen on the  banks1
 but not in as great numbers as ,i had  
expected4 ,this in part1  however1 was  
accounted for by the fact1 that the time
 of the rise  was at hand1 and their    
crops were gathered off4    ,the        
productiveness of ,egypt depends on the 
annual overflowing of the  ,nile4 ,the  
,nile is the river1 and the only river  
of ,egypt2 and beside  it1 it is said1  
there is not a brook1 not a spring1 of  
running water  in ,egypt4 ,there are    
wells2 for by digging down to nearly the
 level  of the water in the ,nile1 water
 may be obtained at any place4 ,there   
is no rain in ,egypt4 ,near the sea     
coast1 as at ,alexandria1 light  showers
 may fall1 but up in the country there  
are none4 ,there may be  cloudy weather 
during the winter1 but no rain4 ,once   
every year the  ,nile rises so as to    
cover the greater part of the country4  

,it begins  in the latter part of ,june1
 and gradually continues for nearly two 
months1 then gradually falls to its     
usual volume of water4 ,the  rise has   
now begun1 but it is perceivable only to
 those who are  acquainted with the     
river4 ,the cause of this rise is       
supposed to be  the great rains1 and    
possibly melting of snows1 in the high  
country  in which its main stream rises2
 but the matter is not certain4 ,as  the
 ,nile falls1 the grain is sown on the  
wet ground1 and produces  most          
abundantly4    ,there are many canals1  
from four to six and eight feet deep1   
and  wide enough to convey a            
considerable body of water4 ,these pass 
off  from the river1 and from these1    
smaller channels pass in various        
directions1 so as to divide much of the 
surface into lots or small  fields4     
,these were much more observable at some
 places than at  others4 ,the design of 
these channels1 probably1 was to bring  
the  water more generally over the      

ground than it would otherwise come2  or
 when the ,nile did not rise high enough
 to cover the field1 the  water1 by     
means of these small canals1 would pass 
in so many  directions through the      
district1 as1 by percolation1 to moisten
 the  ground more generally than it     
otherwise would do4    ,there were along
 the river a great many water-melons1   
cucumbers1 and  other vegetables4 ,it   
reminded me of the complaint of ,israel1
 in the  wilderness1 that they were     
deprived of the melons and cucumbers of 
,egypt4 ,num4 xi4 #e4    ,the ,nile     
winds a good deal4 ,it has many of those
 long sweeps that  characterise the     
,ohio and ,mississippi2 and as the whole
 country is  alluvial1 the water at     
those turns washes away the banks       
against  which it strikes1 while1 on the
 opposite side of the river1 a shoal  or
 a sand bank is formed4 ,in these       
places1 and they increased as we        
ascended1 considerable districts lay    
along the edge of the water1  and only a

 few feet above it1 and on them the     
vegetables above  named1 with many      
others1 were raised in great numbers4   
,there was  usually a small place in    
these garden spots built to protect a   
person from the rain1 whose office it is
 to prevent pillage1 and  sell the      
vegetables to boat-men and passengers2  
for almost all the  travelling from     
,alexandria to ,cairo is done in boats  
on the ,nile4  ,it reminded me of the   
cottage in a vineyard1--a lodge in a    
garden of cucumbers4 ,a little more than
 half-way1 from ,alexandria  to ,cairo1 
on the western side of the river1 we saw
 the end of a  new and much larger      
canal1 now being made in a more direct  
course  to ,alexandria4 ,it will        
probably intersect the ,mahmudieh canal1
 at  some point south of ,alexandria4   
,the southern end is near where the     
sands have almost covered the district  
west of the ,nile4 ,whether  it will    
pass into the sandy district1 and thus  
reclaim some of it1  and prevent the    

farther encroachments of the sand1 ,i   
know not4  ,there is no doubt that      
tillage extended much farther to the    
west1  in some places1 formerly1 than at
 present4 ,the canals and means  of     
irrigation have been neglected1 and the 
sands have spread over  considerable    
districts2 some of these might no doubt 
be reclaimed1  were a proper mode       
followed with respect to them4 ,this    
will hardly  be done at present1 as     
there are large parts of ,egypt now     
irrigated1  that lie neglected2 the     
population1 with their idle habits1 are 
not  sufficient to cultivate the whole4 
,for a considerable distance on  the    
west of the river the sands from the    
desert covered the banks1  and ran down 
to the edge of the water2 it was a very 
white1 fine  sand1 and easily moved by  
the wind4    ,a little below the        
junction of the ,rosetta and ,damietta  
branches of  the ,nile1 which takes     
place twelve or fifteen miles below     
,cairo1  the ,pasha has begun a great   

work for the more perfect irrigation of 
the ,delta1 or the district between the 
rivers which is thus called4  ,the plan 
is to make a strong dam across both     
branches of the ,nile1  and throw the   
water into a new channel1 the bed of    
which shall be  much more elevated1 and 
thus bring the waters nearer the level  
of  the country1 and of course greatly  
facilitate the irrigation of the  land  
at all seasons4 ,the greater part of the
 most valuable land  of ,egypt lies     
between the rivers4 ,this part is called
 the ,delta  from its likeness to the   
,greek letter of that name1 which is of 
a  triangular form4 ,a district of land 
on both sides of the triangle  was      
cultivated and productive as far as the 
waters of the ,nile could  be made to   
reach it2 but beyond that1 the long     
burning suns scorch  up vegetation1 and 
convert all into a waste of barren sand4
 ,at some  distance in the interior1    
both to the east and west1 water is     
found1  and there vegetation exists1 but

 these places are not in the valley  of 
the ,nile4    ,most of the villages we  
passed were poor and small2 the houses  
for  the most part made of mud or       
unburnt brick2 sometimes the brick had  
straw in it4 ,we saw several places     
where they had establishments  for      
hatching eggs4 ,this practice has long  
prevailed in ,egypt4 ,they  spread the  
eggs in layers on the floor2 and have a 
way of subjecting  them to such a degree
 and uniformity of heat as perfects the 
process  of incubation4 ,their fowls    
seemed to me to be inferior both as to  
size and flavour4    ,the ,nile seemed  
to me to be about as large as the ,ohio 
at  ,cincinnati4 ,it was1 however1 at   
its lowest state when ,i saw it4 ,the   
rise began while ,i was at ,cairo1 but  
at first it is so slow1 that  a person  
not acquainted with the river would     
probably not observe  it for several    
days4 ,our boat1 which was not as large 
as a common  steam-boat1 grounded       
several times in ascending the river4   

,the  boatmen would readily get out in  
the water and push her off4 ,this  was  
easily done1 as there were no rocks in  
the river1 but mud and  sand banks4 ,the
 boatmen are a shameless set and were   
often1 and  especially when in the      
water1 in a state of perfect nudity1 and
 this  was the common condition of the  
multitudes which we saw bathing in  the 
river4    ,we had a daily wind up the   
river1 which at times blew pretty       
strong4  ,it usually began soon after   
sunrise1 and increased as the day       
advanced4 ,towards night it began to    
abate1 and nearly ceased soon  after    
sundown4 ,the causes which give it this 
regularity we leave to  be explained by 
those wise men in philosophy who feel   
bound to give  reasons for all the      
phenomena of nature4 ,during one or two 
months in  the year it is said to change
 its direction1 and blow the other way4 
,i had several times in the south-west a
 fine view of the whirlwinds  of the    
desert2 several of them could often be  

seen at the same  time4 ,a thick column 
of dust and sand seemed to run up to the
  clouds1 and then gradually disappear2 
at times they would pass with           
considerable rapidity2 and while thus in
 quick motion1 had a pretty1  but rather
 singular appearance4 ,while            
considerably below ,grand  ,cairo1 we   
had a view of the pyramids4 ,their      
tapering points ran high  in the air1   
and broke the smooth outline of our     
southern horizon4    ,grand ,cairo      
stands on the western bank of the ,nile1
 and at the  distance of above a mile   
from the river4 ,one of its large       
suburbs1  called ,bulack1 is on the     
river1 and may be considered its port4  
,there the boats lie1 and there much of 
the business of the town  is transacted4
 ,for several miles before we reached   
,cairo1 we were  passing gardens and    
country-houses1 some of which are of a  
superior  kind4 ,cairo is rather an     
assemblage of towns than one great and  
continuous city2 its parts lie          

contiguous to each other1 as chance  and
 caprice may have decided4 ,close to the
 south-east side of it a  range of hills
 rises1 the first and almost the only   
hills that we  saw in ,egypt--those back
 of the pyramids of ,gheza excepted--on 
a  part of these hills the citadel is   
situate1 which commands the city1  and  
is a place of considerable strength4    
,between the town and the river there   
lies a large open  space--immense piles 
of rubbish disfigured some parts of it4 
,the  ,pasha is making improvements here
 that will add much to the beauty  of   
this open space--he is levelling it1 and
 with the rubbish  filling up low       
places1 and making wide1 elevated roads 
across it  in various directions1 and   
having it planted with trees4 ,a large  
canal crossed this place2 many people   
were employed in cleaning it  out1 and  
putting it in order to receive the      
waters from the ,nile4  ,there is also  
within the city1 and before the palace1 
an open space  of considerable size1    

which has lately had much labour        
bestowed  on it4 ,elevated roads or     
causeways are made round it and through 
it1 and their edges set with trees1     
which give the whole a pretty           
appearance4 ,the water from the ,nile1  
when at its height1 is let into  this   
square2 but the elevated parts are      
designed to be above the  waters1 and   
afford pleasant walks for the idlers and
 loungers1 which  are found even in     
,egypt4    ,the pyramids1 so much talked
 of1 lie near ,grand ,cairo1 and it     
would  have argued a great want of      
curiosity not to have visited them when 
so near4 ,a few days ago1 we made a     
visit to those of ,gheza1 which  lie on 
the west side of the ,nile1 and in full 
view of the city4 ,we  set off about six
 in the morning1 and rode up the river  
to the upper  part of old ,cairo2 this  
took us about an hour4 ,we then crossed 
the  ,nile in boats1 to a small old     
village called ,gheza1 which gives its  
name to this cluster of pyramids4 ,we   

then had the wide river bottom  of the  
,nile to cross2 this took us about two  
hours4 ,the river being  low1 there was 
no water in the several deep and wide   
canals that  pass through this river    
bottom1 and we were able to cross them4 
,this  shortened our ride much4 ,we     
passed several remains of villages on   
this plain4 ,as we drew near the last   
village1 which seemed little  better    
than a pile of ruins1 several ,bedouin  
,arabs came out1 with  nothing but a    
long shirt on1 and ran as hard as they  
could until  they met us1 and urged us  
to employ them as our guides4 ,it now   
appeared1 that it was a race among      
themselves1 on the plan that  those who 
first reached us1 were considered as    
having the right to  be employed as a   
guide and get the pay4 ,as we had a     
cawass with us1  whom we brought from   
,cairo to manage all such matters1 and  
among  other things to save us from the 
annoyance which these ,bedouins at      
times give travellers1 we left it for   

him to make such a bargain  with them as
 he thought best4 ,he engaged one or    
two1 and let the  remainder know that we
 did not need their aid4 ,we saw1 at a  
distance  on our right1 a line of arches
 on the plain1 and a bridge-like place  
over them1 the uses of which we could   
not ascertain4    ,the pyramids stand on
 the first rise after leaving the river 
flats4  ,the ridge of that place may be 
from one hundred and fifty to two       
hundred feet4 ,the ground on which the  
large one stands 7the ,cheops7  is      
nearly level4 ,the pyramid is square1   
and stands to the four  cardinal points4
 ,each side1 its base is said to be     
seven hundred  feet1 while its height is
 only six hundred4 ,it seems to be a    
solid  mass of rock1 excepting the small
 rooms which ,i shall presently         
mention4 ,the plan on which it is built 
is singular4 ,a large platform  is laid 
down1 seven hundred feet square--this is
 the first row2  the stone is nearly    
three feet in thickness4 ,a second row  

is laid  on of a similar size4 ,this row
 is not laid out to the edge of the     
other1 but falls back all round about   
eighteen inches4 ,the third  and fourth 
and following rows are laid in the same 
manner--forming  stairs4 ,there are     
about two hundred rows of stones1 which 
average  nearly three feet in thickness1
 and terminate in a small flat at  the  
top of about thirty feet square4 ,the   
ascent is usually made at  the          
north-east corner4 ,about half-way up   
there is a small room1  which seems     
designed as a resting place4 ,there have
 evidently been  some stones thrown from
 the top1 a part of one row being left1 
and  possibly one stone of a second row 
at the south-east corner4 ,it  took me  
not quite half an hour to ascend2 this  
included the several  stops in order to 
rest4 ,from the top ,i had a most       
splendid view1  as to space--,grand     
,cairo and all the villages and gardens 
about  it2 the valley of the ,nile far  
to the north2 the several groups  of    

pyramids1 and the palm trees that lay to
 the south1 and in the  region of       
ancient ,memphis4 ,the descent required 
about as much time1  but was attended   
with less difficulty than the ascent4   
,the whole1  with the time spent on the 
top1 occupied about an hour1 and did not
  seem to have half the peril or labour 
that some have represented4  ,the       
entrance to the interior is on the north
 side4 ,we went to the  mouth and       
examined it1 but1 on the whole1         
concluded we would not go  in2 the      
descent is long1 and nothing to be seen 
within1 but one or  two empty rooms4    
,while the rocks of which the pyramids  
are built1  are limestone of the        
secondary formation1 as is manifest from
 the  shells in it1 the passage is lined
 with polished ,egyptian granite2  the  
same is said to be the case with the    
rooms4 ,the entrance of the  passage may
 be fifty feet above the ground1 but it 
descends as one  enters4    ,a little to
 the south-west is a second pyramid1    

nearly as large  as that of ,cheops4 ,it
 is sharp at the top1 and cannot1 with  
ease1  be ascended4 ,to the south is a  
small one4 ,there were in all           
directions tombs1 many of them of most  
enormous size4 ,the pyramids  are in the
 midst of a large grave-yard4 ,we went  
up the hill to the  north-west some     
distance1 and visited several rooms that
 were full  of hieroglyphics4 ,passing  
round the southern side of the pyramids1
  we examined several places where      
excavations had recently been  made4    
,some old monuments1 that had been      
covered with sand1 were  laid bare2 and1
 from the bottom of some deep well-like 
places1  several most beautiful         
sarcophagi had been raised--two of black
  porphyry1 beautifully polished1 and   
covered with hieroglyphics1 lay  on the 
ground2 others had probably been        
removed4 ,we then visited  the ,sphynx1 
and took our lunch under the shade of   
its head4 ,it has  a lion's body1 in a  
couching posture1 with the head and face

 of a  ,nubian female1 and is of most   
enormous dimensions4 ,the head about    
ten feet in diameter4 ,the height from  
the ground1 and the length  of the body1
 in proportion4 ,it is hewn out of a    
rock1 which is  the soft limestone1 and 
has much disintegrated2 the features are
  much injured4 ,the back is almost     
wholly covered with sand1 which  has    
blown in from the desert4 ,as we crossed
 the low grounds to the  river1 on our  
return1 we had a fine specimen of that  
wonderful  phenomenon called the mirage4
 ,from some cause1 the air near the     
ground assumes the appearance of water2 
the similarity is such1 that  persons   
are often deceived1 and are confident   
that it is water1  when seen at a little
 distance4 ,we had crossed the plain    
about  nine or ten o'clock ,a4,m41 and  
there was no appearance of water2  but  
now1 between one and two ,p4,m41 there  
were many places1 at some  distance1    
that had the precise appearance of      
water4 ,in some cases1  the spots that  

had this appearance were but a few      
inches1 or one or  two feet in width1   
and looked precisely like puddles of    
water after  a rain3 at other places    
whole acres seemed covered with water1  
and  on several occasions1 it was round 
the roots of trees2 which seemed        
growing out of it4 ,i had1 on one or two
 occasions1 seen the same as  ,i came up
 the ,nile4 ,at a considerable village  
on the western side  of the river1 just 
below where the sands come in so near   
the river1  our boat stopped1 and while 
the captain and part of the crew went   
into the village1 ,i ascended the bank1 
and walked to a place at a  little      
distance that was more elevated than the
 other parts of the  plain4 ,it gave me 
a fine view of the face of the country2 
but ,i was  surprised to see1 towards   
the north-west1 an extensive portion1   
as far as the eye could reach1 that     
appeared a lake of water4 ,in  several  
places there were clusters of palms     
growing out of it4 ,i had  not seen on  

any map a lake marked in that place1 nor
 had ,i heard of  any such thing4 ,i    
wondered if it could be the mirage2 the 
appearance  was so perfectly like water1
 that it was hard to believe it could   
be anything else4 ,on returning to the  
bank1 ,i inquired of some one  if it was
 water that ,i had seen1 and was assured
 that there was no  water in that       
direction1 but that it was a curious    
appearance in  the air4 ,i will leave it
 to the philosopher to explain this     
matter4  ,the ruins of what is said to  
be ancient ,heliopolis lie but a short  
distance from ,cairo2 we did not1       
however1 visit them2 the remains  above 
ground are so few1 as hardly to repay   
the trouble of a ride to  them4 ,the    
sandy deserts are to the east and south 
of ,cairo1 and the  whole way from that 
city to ,suez on the ,red ,sea1 a       
distance of about  sixty miles1 is a    
cheerless waste of barren sand4 ,the    
remains of an  old canal can be traced1 
it is said1 most of the way from the    

,nile1  a little south of ,cairo1 to    
,suez1 and it is supposed that it might 
be reopened4 ,much has lately been said 
about the ,pasha's making a  railroad   
from ,cairo to that point1 and ,i was   
assured some materials  for that purpose
 were brought from ,england2 but nothing
 as yet has  been done1 and probably    
years will pass before the plan is      
carried  into effect4    ,we had several
 pleasant interviews with the mission   
families at  ,cairo2 less1 however1 than
 we had hoped1 and would have had1 but  
for the sickness of some of their       
number4 ,they are mostly ,germans1  in  
the employ of the ,church ,missionary   
,society4 ,their attention is           
principally1 but not exclusively1       
directed to the ,christian sects  in the
 country4 ,miss ,h4 has lately1 at the  
special invitation of  the ,pasha1      
opened a school in the harem1 and is    
giving instruction  to the females of   
the ,pasha's family4 ,thus far it has   
been well  received2 what may be its    

result1 time alone will show4 ,about the
  time we reached ,cairo1 several of the
 missionaries of the ,church            
,missionary ,society1 who had for some  
years been labouring in  ,abyssinia1    
returned from that country4 ,some       
difficulty had arisen1  growing out of  
the intrigues of persons unfriendly to  
them1 which  made it advisable for them1
 for a time at least1 to leave that     
country4 ,it was hoped that before long 
they would be able to return  and resume
 their labours4    ,the ,pasha has a    
number of schools at this place1 and    
various  manufactories and              
establishments1 which no doubt are doing
 good4  ,whether the good will equal    
what has been expected from them1 may   
be doubted4 ,his improvements and       
innovations are certainly tending  to   
produce changes in the ,moslem manners1 
habits1 and modes of  thinking1 which   
will in part remove the obstacles in the
 way of  introducing the gospel among   
them2 but he meaneth not so1 neither    

does his heart think so4 ,while the     
great body of the ,egyptians  are       
,moslems1 there are a number of the     
,christian sects to be found  here--as  
the ,armenians1 ,greeks1 ,copts1        
,latins1 and perhaps some  others4 ,the 
state of all these sects is much like   
what it is through  the ,east--the life 
and power of the gospel is not known4   
,the ,church  ,missionary ,society have 
for many years maintained a mission at  
,grand ,cairo2 they have distributed the
 ,scriptures and other books1  published
 at their mission press at              
,malta--conducted schools--talked  and  
preached to the people4 ,their success  
has been but moderate4 ,at  present1    
their schools are in a pretty prosperous
 condition1 and  their field of         
usefulness seems more encouraging4      
,grand ,cairo is much the largest town  
in ,egypt1 but its precise  population  
is not known4 ,a fire broke out in the  
,frank quarter1 7the  place where most  
of the ,franks live17 a few days before 

we arrived1  and destroyed several      
hundred houses and much property4       
,the ,copts have a curious custom about 
making their ,patriarch4 ,he is  always 
taken from a particular monastic        
establishment4 ,when chosen1  he refuses
 to serve1 and they literally beat him  
until he gives his  consent4 ,the       
,abyssinians receive their ,patriarch   
from ,egypt2 and  after having been     
chosen1 and even gone into ,abyssinia1  
he will  refuse to serve1 and deny that 
he is the person sent to be their       
,patriarch1 until they give him a sound 
drubbing1 when he will agree  to receive
 the office4 ,there is a strange mixture
 of childish folly  and weakness in such
 a practice4    ,i was much struck with 
the immense numbers of water-carriers1  
employed in bringing water from the     
,nile2 some to deal out to  individuals 
by the cupful1 some to sell to families 
by the load1 and  others to water the   
streets before the houses of their      
employers4  ,there were hundreds1 and   

possibly thousands1 thus employed4 ,the 
common goat-skins1 taken off nearly     
whole1 and sewed up1 excepting  a small 
place1 was the usual vessel4 ,this they 
generally carried  on their backs1 but  
some used donkeys1 and others had       
camels1 with  enormous leather bags1    
made much like saddle-bags1 that would  
carry  a barrel or more of water4       
,the range of the thermometer at        
,alexandria was from #gd to #gf4  ,there
 was great uniformity1 except when a    
sherack prevailed1 which  raised it     
several degrees4 ,we had one while in   
the lazaretta1  which covered us with   
dust1 and increased the heat six or     
eight  degrees2 it did not last long4   
,as we ascended the river1 there was  a 
considerable rise of the thermometer2   
and at this place it stands  from #ib to
 #id2 and it is not so warm now1 ,i am  
told1 as is usual  at this season4      
,,letter ,,xxiii4        ,alexandria1   
,july #ad4    ,a little before we left  
,cairo on our return1 ,i had a          

disagreement  with the captain in whose 
boat ,i had gone up from ,atfi4 ,on     
reaching  ,cairo1 ,i was induced1 in    
part owing to the fire which was raging 
in the ,frank quarter of the town1 to   
think ,i had better not take  rooms in  
that quarter1 as otherwise ,i might     
probably have done4  ,the captain1 who  
had been wishing to engage to take me   
back to  ,atfi1 expressed his           
willingness that ,i should remain in his
 boat1  retain the use of his cabin1 and
 he would take me back for what he      
received for bringing me up2 and engaged
 to be ready to start back  at the time 
,i named4 ,when the time drew near at   
which we were to  set off1 ,i found that
 he was not likely to be ready to go1 as
 he  had not discharged the loading     
which he brought up4 ,it came also to   
my knowledge1 through ,angelo1 that he  
intended to make a special  charge for  
the use of the cabin1 which ,i fully    
understood was a part  of the           
accommodation he was to find me4 ,on    

inquiry1 ,i found that  thus it was2 and
 the prospect was that ,i would be      
detained1 as well  as greatly           
overcharged4 ,i told him1 as we had     
misunderstood each  other1 we must have 
a new bargain4 ,i would agree to the    
bargain as  ,i understood it2 but not as
 he now explained it4 ,he declared he   
would not agree to it but as he         
understood it4 ,i let him know ,i  would
 leave his boat1 paying him for the time
 ,i had used the cabin4  ,on inquiry ,i 
found another boat was about to start at
 the time that  ,i had fixed on1 and    
made my arrangements to leave him4 ,this
 took  place near night1 and the captain
 changed his tone1 and declared ,i      
should not leave his boat4 ,he would not
 allow his men to hand my  baggage2     
forbade the men of the other boat that  
was hard by to set  foot on his deck4   
,the ,english consul was fully engaged  
with taking  care of the effects of the 
,franks who had been burned out2 and1   
moreover1 night came on1 and we had no  

way to get word to him4 ,i  threatened  
the captain with a complaint through the
 consul2 but he  let me know he cared   
not for the consul4 ,poor ,angelo was in
 a great  fright4 ,he always had a fear 
of the ,turks1 and now all his fears    
came over him4 ,i did not myself feel   
altogether comfortable4 ,there  ,i was  
with my wife and three little children1 
in the cabin of a  boat1 the captain and
 crew of which were ,turks1 and had not 
only  abused me1 but positively refused 
to let me leave it4 ,i had but  one     
servant1 and he was much frightened4    
,there was no alternative2  we had to   
stay and did stay that night1 and that  
without any  molestation4 ,at the dawn  
of day1 the crew were at work unloading1
  and getting ready to set off4 ,i had  
no intention1 however1 of  remaining in 
the power of a captain who had shown me 
so little  respect4 ,i found means to   
get word to a cawass of the consul's1   
who was often employed near where our   
boat lay2 and through his  interference 

had my baggage landed per force1 paid   
the captain  what the cawass said was   
right1 and went on board the other boat 
with my family4 ,when the captain found 
that leave him ,i would1 he1            
,turk-like1 submitted to it with more   
quietness than ,i had expected4  ,we    
were all glad to get out of the boat1   
after the dispute1 and none  of us more 
so than ,angelo1 who did not seem to    
think his head was  safe on his         
shoulders1 until he was safely on board 
another boat4    ,the vessel in which we
 took passage to ,atfi had two giraffes 
on  board1 destined for the ,united     
,states4 ,we did not see them until  we 
went on board the boat4 ,they are a mild
 and inoffensive animal1  and feed on   
dates1 bread1 and hay4 ,they were under 
the special care  of a mustapha or      
janissary of the ,u4 ,s4 ,consul1 who   
had engaged to  accompany them to the   
,united ,states4 ,he had with him two   
,arabs1 for  the twofold purpose of     
waiting on himself1 and taking care of  

the  giraffes4    ,the wind up the river
 was so strong1 that we found it much   
more  difficult to get down than we had 
found it to ascend2 and but for  the    
energetic character of ,mustapha1 who   
had special orders to be  in ,alexandria
 by such a day1 we would1 in all        
probability1 have  had a long passage4  
,he hurried1 and scolded1 and used his  
cowskin  freely on the crew1 hardly     
sparing the captain1 with whom he had   
some terrible quarrels4 ,the wind was   
much against us1 and we had a  few days 
that were most oppressively hot4 ,at    
times we were obliged  to lie by1 and   
the wind covered us with dust and sand4 
,we at last  reached this place1 but it 
took us nearly half as long again as it 
did to go up4 ,we did not get back1     
however1 without experiencing  some of  
the evils of travelling in ,egypt4 ,the 
hot winds and dust met  with on our     
return1 had given sore eyes to all our  
children4 ,some  of them could hardly   
see2 and ,angelo1 who had been our      

factotum in  all our travels1 was       
entirely laid up with the same          
complaint2 and  under this affliction   
his heart began to fail him as to the   
long  voyage on which we were about to  
enter2 and he fairly intimated  that he 
felt like changing his purpose1 and     
remaining in the ,east4  ,he had lived  
with me above two years4 ,in all my     
journeys1 and  travels1 and residences1 
,angelo never left me4 ,he knew enough  
of  ,english to understand the          
directions ,i gave him1 and enough of   
,arabic to have intercourse with the    
people4 ,i always found him  honest1 and
 faithful1 and attentive to my wants and
 interest4 ,i  tried again and again to 
teach him to read1 but it really seemed 
that his talents did not lie that way2  
after going over the same  lesson twenty
 times1 he still could not make it out2 
and without  losing his book1 he        
gradually fell into the way of not using
 it4 ,he  was raised a ,catholic1 as    
most of the ,maltese are1 but had fallen

  out with his priest before he left    
,smyrna1 and seemed not inclined  to    
have much to do with his church4 ,he    
generally attended family  worship1 and 
either the ,english or ,arabic          
preaching1 but showed a  disposition to 
let little things keep him away4 ,on the
 whole1 he had  less religious feeling  
than his advantages ought to have       
produced4  ,he always showed much       
attachment to our children1 was a good  
nurse1  and the children loved him4     
,from the early part of our             
acquaintance1  he declared his wish to  
accompany me home2 and up to the day of 
our  reaching ,alexandria1 ,i did not   
doubt that he would do so4 ,i did not   
indeed see how we could do without him4 
,but now his heart seemed to  fail him2 
his eyes were grievously sore--and1     
possibly1 as the time  drew near1 he may
 have had an increase of fears as to how
 he could  live1 where no one could     
understand his language4 ,i am not sure1
  indeed1 that a more special cause     

existed4 ,he had manifested much        
kindness of feeling for a young female  
servant that had spent some  time in our
 family before we left ,beyroot4 ,i     
could not but think  that the thoughts  
of having so many thousand miles between
 them1 had  an influence which he did   
not own1 and possibly hardly admitted to
  his own mind4 ,however that may be1 he
 expressed a desire to remain1  and we  
were able to make such arrangements as  
allowed of it4 ,he  continued his       
attention to the last day we stayed1 and
 carried with  him our best wishes and  
prayers1 that he prove as good a servant
 of  ,jesus ,christ as he has been to   
us2 and meet us again1 where all is     
love1 and purity1 and peace4      ,,the 
,,end4      ,bradbury and ,evans1       
,printers1 ,whitefriars           99    
99       99       99       99           
,transcriber's note3    ,text enclosed  
by underscores is in italics 7italics74 
,small capital text has been replaced   
with all capitals4    ,apparent minor   

typographical errors have been corrected
 without note4  ,irregularities and     
inconsistencies in the text have been   
retained  as printed4    ,the cover for 
the e,book version of this book was     
created by the  transcriber and is      
placed in the public domain4