PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE.

113.

Beyroot in time to take the packet for Alexandria, so that they might go in the first vessel for England. We had agreed to stay in Jerusalem another month, and then to return together, and I had begun to write a letter home to that effect; but they had been subsequently advised by Mr. Young, the English Consul, that on account of the friends of their late master they ought to lose no time in getting back to England. I felt sorry as by this arrangement I should lose the benefit of their company and service on my voyage homewards; but, on reconsidering the matter, I resolved, if they would stay until Monday morning, to go with them; and when they were told this they agreed to remain: so we engaged horses for our journey to Beyroot.

31st. This day I heard the Bishop preach from the 5th and 6th verses of the 39th Psalm; from which he showed the uncertainty of life and the vanity of earthly pursuits. After service, I took, for the last time, a walk to my friend's grave: and deeply did I feel when I thought how little he or I had, at one time, imagined that it was to be my lot to leave his ashes in the land of strangers, far from his native soil! I then called to bid farewell to the bishop and his family, and to return them my sincere thanks for the great kindness they had shown me, ever since I arrived at Jerusalem. In the afternoon I went to pay my last visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Mount of Olives. Passing out of St. Stephen's gate, I found the Turkish burying ground crowded with men, women, and children: there were several tents erected among the tombs, and numbers of people were crowded about many of the graves, I suppose praying over them; and though this is a common custom with the Turks, in all the three burying grounds, I never saw a tenth part of the people assembled that were there this day, which led me to imagine, that it must be because it was the last day of the old year. There were many stalls laid out with fruit, coffee, lemonade, and many other things, so that all along the city walls, on the east side, it was like unto a fair. I then

I

114

LEAVE JERUSALEM.

passed over the Kedron, spent a little time in the Garden, ascended the Mount of Olives, took another look at the Dead Sea, and then returned to take my last night's rest at Jerusalem,-at least for this time.

FROM JERUSALEM TO MY LEAVING ALEXANDRIA.

1st January, 1844.-On the first day of the new year I left Jerusalem. Early in the morning the mules, donkeys, and horses were at the door of my lodgings: and we got all our luggage out and properly placed upon the animals, and were ready to start about eight o'clock. Our party consisted of the late Mr. Bateson's two servants, and a Mr. Lambert, who had come out from England, and was travelling with a Nobleman; but having been taken ill at Jerusalem, he was obliged to return to England sooner than he had intended.

These

three, with myself and servant, a muleteer, and a guide, made up our party. We had also two strong mules for our luggage, The morning was fine and promising, and after taking farewell of our kind friends, we passed out of the Jaffa gate to go by Jaffa, and down the coast to Beyroot. When we had travelled a little more than a mile, we saw on the left hand, about a mile from the road, the village where Zacharias and Elisabeth dwelt, and where John the Baptist was born. It is indeed a hilly country, as Luke describes the place of their resi dence; and if I had not been called so suddenly away, I should have visited the place. We then passed on,

and about three or four miles further we came to a vil lage called Adounia, near which and on either side of road we had to pass, we saw assembled a large number of men. Their horses were all saddled and bridled, and were tied to olive trees which were growing near, and the men were all siting cross-legged on the ground, like so many tailors. I desired my servant to ask the guide what the assemblage meant, and what the men were

ASSEMBLY OF CHIEFS-RAMLEH.

115

doing there? He said they were all the chiefs of the different towns and villages around, and that they were assembled there to make laws for the people. I looked at them very attentively as we passed through them, and 1 observed that the distinction of rank was strictly maintained. In this they resembled our two Houses of Parliament; for those on the right hand side of the road were seated in a circle, upon mats, spread upon the ground, and were also better dressed and evidently of a higher class than the others, who had no mats on the ground, and were without either shoes or stockings, and looked more like a set of poor beggars than Parliament men. I did not ask how long these houses of Lords and Commons sat, but I judged, from the horses being sore jaded, and tied to the trees, that all the business would occupy the senators no more than one day, and that their horses were ready to take them home again. It being New Year's Day, it occurred to me that it was very likely one year's parliamentary business was done in one day; but as for petitions and papers of importance being laid on the table, there was nothing of the sort, for I neither saw table nor papers. They were sitting smoking, and talking by turns very gravely, and I did not see anything like levity among them, which it would be well if all the honourable members of our imperial legislature were to imitate.

We then rode on to Ramleh, where we arrived at sunset, without anything very particular having occurred by the way. I had with me my cotton bed and pillow, which I bought at Alexandria, and which enabled me to pass the night tolerably comfortably; at least much more so than my fellow-travellers, who had nothing but a piece of rug or carpet spread upon the hard floor. We lodged at the convent, but the place was anything but comfortable. On my journey to Jerusalem, I had a letter of introduction to the Governor, when I received kind attention and good accomodations; but I felt unwilling to call on my return, as my party was not the same. I was content therefore to put up with worse fare.

116

PASS THROUGH JAFFA.

This place is generally supposed to be the Ramah of the Old Testament-the birth-place of Samuel, Dr. Robinson, however, shows very clearly that such is not the case. There is no doubt of its being the Arimathea

of the New Testament.

2nd. At break of day we breakfasted; after which the muleteer and the guard came in to cord the luggage and load the mules, and in a few minutes we were all on horse-back on our way to Jaffa. As we passed along, I observed the Emony in all its variety of colour, blooming very beautifully along the road side. I got off my horse and pulled up a few roots of the scarlet ones to bring with me, though I was apprehensive at the time that they would not live. Upon arriving at Jaffa we found that a fair was being held. We passed through the fair among shows and a great variety of other things intended for amusement and exercise; such as swingingropes, and contrivances not unlike a windmill upon the wings of which people were carried round seated in a kind of chair which was suspended at the corners of the wings. The orange trees were still very beautiful, for, though nearly one-half of the fruit had being gathered, those that were left formed a good crop, and were very yellow. The fruit market was certainly the most splendid "set out" I ever saw, particularly in oranges.

As

I had laid in my travelling stock of oranges at Jerusalem, I did not purchase any at the Jaffa market; but those of our company who bought oranges there, received -some 14, others 16, and Mr. Lambert got 18 for half a piaster that is, one penny farthing English; all of very superior quality and of good size. We then turned to the right and rode along the sea shore for several miles. At length, leaving the shore, we struck off into the plains of Sharon. The blue, purple, and scarlet Emony, and many other flowers, were growing most luxuriantly along the road, and presented a beautiful and an enlivening appearance.

The land is quite good in this neighbourhood, and well watered, but it is wasted for want of cultivation,

SCENES ON THE WAY-KHAN.

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Here and there the little scratching plough is to be seen, but by far the greatest portion of this fine soil is covered over with weeds. Suspecting, from marks in the ground, that swine or hogs had been raising it with their snouts, and not having seen such a thing as a pig in this land, I was a little surprised. On asking, I was told that the wild swine, which live in the bush, often come and inflict great damage on the ripe corn, and root up the ground. The people shoot them for their skins, to make water bottles. We met several large companies of pilgrims going to Jerusalem, some on horses, others on mules and donkeys: some of the women and children were packed in panniers or crates, which were slung over a mule or donkey's back, while others of the females were riding on horseback, in a way that would be thought very indelicate in England.

Our next lodging-house was what in this country is called a khan, where a dirty filthy room is provided for travellers, but nothing more. The sun was just setting, and I observed a great number of cattle, sheep, and goats moving on towards the village which lay before us, which consisted of about fifty houses, if such they can be called. The cattle are all brought into a yard, to the number of a hundred and fifty or two hundred, besides a number of calves. The sheep I think might be about three hundred, but the goats not quite so many. When we got into the khan, we found it to be filled with lodgers, so that we could scarcely get room for either ourselves or our luggage. The miserable looking, half-clad creatures stared widely at us for some time, and seemed not very willing to move aside to give us the least accommodation; but after a few kind words from our interpreters they began to stir a little, so that at last, by dint of struggling, we got pressed in among them. After a great deal of work in " puffing and blowing," we got the kettle boiled, and then we prepared tea-that truly exhilirating beverage for the fatigued and drooping traveller-"the cup which cheers but not inebriates." There was not even one bed to be seen among the large number of wayfarers,