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unpropitious, so that we were retarded in our progress, having to struggle by the force of steam power against the wind and sea. No doubt, our arrival at Southampton was long and anxiously expected, as we were some days behind our time.

12th.—The sea was calm and smooth this day, and we drew at last within sight of English ground. As soon as the discovery, was made known, I have no doubt many were ready to exclaim-" England, with all thy faults, I love thee still." It is in the midst of dangers, such as those we had passed, that the mind reverts to the associations, the friends, and the endearments of home: then the novelty and gratification of having visited strange places, sink into nothingness when contrasted with the more valuable and solid pleasures of the domestic hearth.

13th. We received the unpleasant news this morning that we would not be set at liberty this day, as the board of health had to sit at London on our case, and that we should have to wait until a return was made. We had been in the habit of complaining against the quarantine laws at Alexandria and Palestine; but, thought I, there is some room for improvement at home; for here are about seventy passengers, many of whom have very important business to transact, who yet must be kept confined to the ship as in a prison, without any satisfactory reason. Having a doctor on board, I could not see why his testimony as it regarded the health of the passengers should not be taken without a demur, so that the passengers might be set at liberty.

14th.-This morning all was bustle and anxiety to get away. Our small party agreed to go to Portsmouth, as we understood that we should not have long to wait at the Custom House there in getting our luggage passed; so, after we had let down all into the boat, we moved off towards shore, which we made about nine in the morning. Our luggage was then carried away to the Custom House, while we followed after, and there we had quietly to endure the pain of seeing all our boxes, &c., &c., ransacked and turned out, to see if we had

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brought anything that was liable to duty. I had got a few shells which came from the Red Sea, and some other little things which I had picked up at the Dead Sea, and a few trifles from Jerusalem, as curiosities, of which I expected no notice would have been taken; but to my great surprise, mortification, and loss, when the officers had finished their search, and left me to arrange and put things right as well as I could, they handed me a bill amounting to £1 13s. 6d., for duty. We then went to an inn, had breakfast, and ordered the landlord to get us a conveyance to take us and our luggage to a boat, that we might cross the water in time for a train which should reach London before night. He promised that he would do so; but we soon found that it was nothing to him when we might get to London, if he could only have us kept to dine with him. On discovering this display of selfishness, we determined that wherever we dined we would not dine with him; so we engaged a cart that was just going past the door, and throwing our luggage into it, we got in ourselves and drove quickly to the river, and were not long in being taken with our luggage across in a boat. We then had a little refreshment, hired a cab and got to the railway station about three o'clock, and reached London about six. Here all was confusion and bustle in getting out and assorting the luggage; and I expected I should have lost a considerable part of mine, but when I got into a cab I found that all was safe and right: so telling the cabman where to drive, I soon felt myself exceedingly glad to be seated once more among so many comforts, on English ground. I got a little tea, went to bed and had a good night's rest.

15th. This morning I learned that the steamer would not sail for Newcastle before Saturday. I went to the office, and having asked the fare, was told, that, most unfortunately, it was no more than 10s. I thought it might be unfortunate for the company, but it proved very fortunate for me; for since I had paid £1 13s. 6d. at the Custom House, I should not have had money

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sufficient to take me home, but for this unexpected reduction in the fares.

16th. I spent this day in walking about the streets of London, taking care not to lose myself, as I did the last time I visited the great metropolis. In the evening, about seven o'clock, I proceeded in a cab to the wharf; but before I got there, the cab stopped, and I was turned out upon the street with my luggage, when two men snatched up a part of it, ran off, and said they would come back for the rest. Now, thought I, this is an awkward position: the cabman has drove off, and left me standing here, in the dark; two strangers have run away with the greatest part of my luggage, and I shall very likely see them no more! But to my great joy, they did return, took up the rest of my luggage, and I followed them to the river, where I found, to my great satisfaction, all quite correct. By the aid of a boat I soon got on board, but we did not get off until near eleven.

17th. Sunday morning. The sea was beautifully smooth this day, and a great number of vessels were visible all around, but there was no land in sight. How different is the English coast to any other that I have seen. Evidences of a far advanced and industrious state of society everywhere present themselves on the shores of our happy, prosperous country: the trading and commercial spirit of the people have impressed their character on every hay, river, beach and headland: while no sea that I have traversed presents so animating an appearance as that which washes the coast of our prosperous isle. Elsewhere, a single vessel heaving in sight was an object sufficiently attractive to call up on deck every passenger that was able to rise, but on the sea which I this day sailed such objects were without number. Truly, Britain is the mistress of the seas!

18th.-Nothing very particular occurred this day; the the weather was not very unfavourable, though we got a little tossing in crossing the bar at Tynemouth, which brought down the stove and chimney, and scattered the fire upon the cabin floor: but all was got right without

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any great damage being done. I arrived at Newcastle about four in the afternoon in perfectly good health.

THE CONCLUSION.

I shall now, before I close my journal, make a few additional observations upon that most interesting land which the Lord has permitted me to visit. And first, as regards this our world, we know from God's word that it was made exceeding fruitful, and that the condition of a continuation of that fruitfulness was man's obedience to the command of God. That command man broke, by which the earth was cursed, and became in a great measure unfruitful, so that it has been made to bring forth thorns and thistles and noxious herbs and weeds; and man has been doomed to procure his bread by the sweat of his brow. Yet it appears that in the midst of all this, God designed in his great wisdom and love to call a certain portion of the family of Adam to the possession of many very peculiar and exalted privileges: not the least of which was that he appointed them an inheritance which should be more highly favoured and blessed than any portion of this our world. This was the Land of Israel, which it is believed by those best competent to judge is the very site of Paradise, where our first parents were created and placed, and into which Adam was sent to "till the ground out of which he was taken." This land has been called, "a land flowing with milk and honey," and "the glory of all lands;" and the condition of its continuing such was the faithfulness and obedience of Israel. In process of time that family was called into existence, Abraham, the father of the faithful and "the friend of God," being the chosen, federal head. This favoured people were placed in the chosen, fruitful, and holy land; and on their obtaining possession of it, their obedience to the divine precepts was made the condition upon which the seasonable and fructifying

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showers of Heaven were to be continued: for the following promises were made on condition of their obedience:→

"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and THE LATTER RAIN, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send GRASS in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full."-Deut. xi.

Now we know that the seed of Abraham, through their rebellion against God, brought upon themselves his severe displeasure: and they have been uprooted from their desirable and highly-favoured land, and scattered among all nations. Now we shall see how far the curse denounced against their land in the following verses has been fulfilled :

"Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other Gods, and worship them; and then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and He shut up the Heaven, and there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you."

This once fruitful land has become barren and desolate, as is proved by the testimony of all who have visited it. A few of my personal observations to the same effect I beg here to add.

As I travelled from Jaffa to Jerusalem over some as fine soil as could be found any where, I did not see so much as one single blade of grass, though I looked for it as one would search for a diamond. This to me

seemed very strange, for I knew that in England grass will grow where nothing else will; but here, neither among the fine stubble fields, nor even along the roadside, where no plough comes, was not to be found so much as what might with strict propriety be called a blade of grass. This is something very astonishing. Not having ever seen this taken notice of in any books of travels that I had read, I cannot help thinking that surely I must be the first English farmer who has paid a visit to this land. Upon my arrival in Jerusalem and perceiving