rity; the rule of Ibrahim is worse than that of the Sultan. Hitherto, however, he has not taken the Christians into his army, which is a blessing I think hardly to be accounted for; some think that he fears their superior intelligence, and will not therefore trust them with arms*. This does not, I confess, appear to me to afford a sufficient

reason.

We left Ramla at eleven o'clock. We met multitudes of pilgrims on their way from Jerusalem, where they had been attending the ceremonies of the holy week; Armenians, Georgians, &c., such as we had already seen at Jaffa,—strange, picturesque-looking people, men, women, and children; their horses piled up with beds, bags, pipes, and goods of all descriptions, and their riders perched upon the top of all, enveloped in cloaks, hoods, boots, and strange jackets, looking like monuments of rags. The women scarcely to be distinguished from the men, riding in the same fashion, excepting in a few instances, when on some of the horses were two panniers, in each of which sat a woman crumpled up, and a third sometimes planted between the two on the horse's back. I have seldom seen horses so overloaded. We stopped for an hour near some brackish water to

* Subsequent events have shown that to the Christians this privilege of exemption very soon after ceased to be conceded. An insurrection in Lebanon was the consequence, which, as is now well known, terminated in the co-operation of the English fleet, and the glorious affair of Acre.

rest the horses, and then came on to the house of a certain robber-chieftain's son, who gave us hospitality, as indeed all in the East are most willing to do. The house being barely available, we had intended to pitch our tents; but not being as yet used to that operation, it became dark before our preparations were completed, and we dared not leave our baggage and all our goods in the open air and heavy dew, so found it necessary to betake ourselves to the house. My maid and I had a room between us, filled with carpets and bedding belonging to our hosts, and consequently swarming with fleas; it had one very small window and no glazing; indeed, this is an article rarely, if ever, found in Syria, nor in this climate is the want of it much felt. Assaad and another of the party put down mattrasses and carpets in an open sort of arched arcade, upon which my room opened, and a third betook himself to a tent he had contrived to pitch in the dark, whilst the rest found a place in some corner to put their heads in. We tried in vain to put up a portable table we had brought with us, under the impression that never contrivance so clever had been devised, and, in default of it, spread a piece of canvass upon the flags of the arcade; and Croce, our Cypriot culinary artist, cooked us a pillau and omelets, which, together with some excellent milk and Arab bread, (very unlike anything we had ever seen before,) made us a very good supper, after which

we went to bed. During our repast, and in all the bustle which our preparations necessitated, the inmates of the house sat upon their heels looking on intently, but with the most profound gravity, evincing neither amusement nor wonder. This is our first essay at roughing it, and it has taught us our wants, which are a table, table-cloth, candlesticks, lanterns for the tents, more mugs, and jugs, of which last we have none.

A great part of the country through which we have passed to-day is very pleasant, particularly a gorge in the mountains, beautifully wooded. This place is very high, and consequently very cold. We took advantage of a messenger from the Governor of Ramla going to Jerusalem, to send our letters of introduction to Mr. Young, the Consul, and to request him to provide us with a lodging at the Latin convent. In the arcade of which I have spoken is yet a third illustration of Scriptural allusion. There is a grinding mill, precisely answering the description of that of which our Saviour speaks, when He says, "Two women shall be grinding at a mill, the one shall be taken, the other left." The annexed is a sketch of this.

A woman sits on each side of the mill-stone, and as they pass it backwards and forwards to each other, by means of the stick, on the pivot upon which it turns, in process of time the corn is ground. Our march to-day was of about five or six hours.

never expected to find myself here, and the anxious desire of my heart is fulfilled. I am very thankful. Before leaving our last night's restingplace, we looked at the ruins of a Christian church close under it, built, they say, by the Empress Helena, a handsome, simple, substantial edifice, where the remains of paintings are yet to be seen. Again, to-day, we met heaps of pilgrims, and amongst them some jet-black Abyssinians. They reminded me of the eunuch whom Philip met returning from Jerusalem, on the same errand, nearly, as were these pilgrims; but Philip met him in the south where it was desert, and he rode

in his chariot, whereas now such a thing as a wheeled chariot or carriage of any kind is unknown in Syria; not even a wheel-barrow is to be found there!

At about an hour from Jerusalem we were met by the Consul, Mr. Young, and Lord Alvanley, preceded by their janissaries. As we approached the city, Mr. Young pointed out to me the mount of Olives, and these two objects are first seen nearly at the same time. The mount of Olives which I have so longed to see! The sight of it, and of the city where that was transacted which has procured us salvation and felicity hereafter, where the Son of Man endured agony, and suffered death for our sakes, had a strange effect upon me, which I shall never forget. Had I been alone, I should have cried; but one must not give way to these emotions in public, whatever one may do in the silence and solitude of one's own chamber. It was twelve o'clock when we reached the gates; and, being Friday, the Mussulman's Sabbath, and the hour of prayer, we feared we might be denied admittance, for once upon a time the city was taken at twelve o'clock, and ever since, the gates are closed during the hour of prayer. However, they opened them for us, and we rode in. The streets are narrow, totally unlike those of any European town, scarcely any windows being perceptible, except in the bazaars; the long, and sometimes high walls, unrelieved by doors or win