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diff --git a/old/52213-0.txt b/old/52213-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e599463..0000000 --- a/old/52213-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13497 +0,0 @@ - The Project Gutenberg EBook of In The Levant, by Charles Dudley -Warner - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - -Title: In The Levant Twenty Fifth Impression - -Author: Charles Dudley Warner - -Release Date: June 1, 2016 [EBook #52213] -Last Updated: February 24, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE LEVANT *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the -Internet Archive - - - - -IN THE LEVANT. - -By Charles Dudley Warner, - -Twenty Fifth Impression - -Boston: Houghton, Mifflin And Company - -1876 - - -TO WILLIAM D. HOWELLS THESE NOTES OF ORIENTAL TRAVEL ARE FRATERNALLY -INSCRIBED. - - - - - -CONTENTS - -PREFACE - -IN THE LEVANT. - -I.—FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. - -II.—JERUSALEM. - -III.—HOLY PLACES OP THE HOLY CITY. - -IV.—NEIGHBORHOODS OF JERUSALEM. - -V.—GOING DOWN TO JERICHO. - -VI.—BETHLEHEM AND MAR SABA. - -VII.—THE FAIR OF MOSES; THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH. - -VIII.—DEPARTURE FROM JERUSALEM. - -IX.—ALONG THE SYRIAN COAST. - -X.—BEYROUT.—OVER THE LEBANON. - -XI.—BA'ALBEK. - -XII.—ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. - -XIII.—THE OLDEST OF CITIES. - -XIV.—OTHER SIGHTS IN DAMASCUS. - -XV.—SOME PRIVATE HOUSES. - -XVI.—SOME SPECIMEN TRAVELLERS. - -XVII.—INTO DAYLIGHT AGAIN.—AN EPISODE OF TURKISH JUSTICE. - -XVIII.—CYPRUS. - -XIX.—THROUGH SUMMER SEAS.—RHODES. - -XX.—AMONG THE ÆGEAN ISLANDS. - -XXI.—SMYRNA AND EPHESUS. - -XII.—THE ADVENTURERS. - -XXIII.—THROUGH THE DARDANELLES. - -XIV.—CONSTANTINOPLE. - -XXV.—THE SERAGLIO AND ST. SOPHIA, HIPPODROME, etc. - -XXVI.—SAUNTERINGS ABOUT CONSTANTINOPLE. - -XXVII.—FROM THE GOLDEN HORN TO THE ACROPOLIS. - -XXVIII.—ATHENS. - -XXIX.—ELEUSIS, PLATO'S ACADEME, ETC. - -XXX.—THROUGH THE GULF OF CORINTH. - - - - -PREFACE - -IN the winter and spring of 1875 the writer made the tour of Egypt and -the Levant. The first portion of the journey is described in a volume -published last summer, entitled “My Winter on the Nile, among Mummies -and Moslems”; the second in the following pages. The notes of the -journey were taken and the books were written before there were any -signs of the present Oriental disturbances, and the observations made -are therefore uncolored by any expectation of the existing state of -affairs. Signs enough were visible of a transition period, extraordinary -but hopeful; with the existence of poverty, oppression, superstition, -and ignorance were mingling Occidental and Christian influences, the -faint beginnings of a revival of learning and the stronger pulsations of -awakening commercial and industrial life. The best hope of this revival -was their, as it is now, in peace and not in war. C. D. W. - -Hartford, November 10,1876. - - - - -IN THE LEVANT. - - - - -I.—FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. - -SINCE Jonah made his short and ignominious voyage along the Syrian -coast, mariners have had the same difficulty in getting ashore that -the sailors experienced who attempted to land the prophet; his tedious -though safe method of disembarking was not followed by later navigators, -and the landing at Jaffa has remained a vexatious and half the time an -impossible achievement. - -The town lies upon the open sea and has no harbor. It is only in -favorable weather that vessels can anchor within a mile or so from -shore, and the Mediterranean steamboats often pass the port without -being able to land either freight or passengers, In the usual condition -of the sea the big fish would have found it difficult to discharge Jonah -without stranding itself, and it seems that it waited three days for the -favorable moment. The best chance for landing nowadays is in the early -morning, in that calm period when the winds and the waves alike await -the movements of the sun. It was at that hour, on the 5th of April, -1875, that we arrived from Port Said on the French steamboat Erymanthe. -The night had been pleasant and the sea tolerably smooth, but not to the -apprehensions of some of the passengers, who always declare that they -prefer, now, a real tempest to a deceitful groundswell. On a recent trip -a party had been prevented from landing, owing to the deliberation -of the ladies in making their toilet; by the time they had attired -themselves in a proper manner to appear in Southern Palestine, the -golden hour had slipped away, and they were able only to look upon the -land which their beauty and clothes would have adorned. None of us were -caught in a like delinquency. At the moment the anchor went down we -were bargaining with a villain to take us ashore, a bargain in which the -yeasty and waxingly uneasy sea gave the boatman all the advantage. - -Our little company of four is guided by the philosopher and dragoman -Mohammed Abd-el-Atti, of Cairo, who has served us during the long voyage -of the Nile. He is assisted in his task by the Abyssinian boy Ahman -Abdallah, the brightest and most faithful of servants. In making his -first appearance in the Holy Land he has donned over his gay Oriental -costume a blue Frank coat, and set his fez back upon his head at an -angle exceeding the slope of his forehead. His black face has an unusual -lustre, and his eyes dance with more than their ordinary merriment as he -points excitedly to the shore and cries, “Yâfa! Mist'r Dunham.” - -The information is addressed to Madame, whom Ahman, utterly regardless -of sex, invariably addresses by the name of one of our travelling -companions on the Nile. - -“Yes, marm; you see him, Yâfa,” interposed Abd-el-Atti; coming -forward with the air of brushing aside, as impertinent, the geographical -information of his subordinate; “not much, I tink, but him bery old. -Let us to go ashore.” - -Jaffa, or Yâfa, or Joppa, must have been a well-established city, since -it had maritime dealings with Tarshish, in that remote period in which -the quaint story of Jonah is set,—a piece of Hebrew literature that -bears internal evidence of great antiquity in its extreme naivete. -Although the Canaanites did not come into Palestine till about 2400 b. -c., that is to say, about the time of the twelfth dynasty in Egypt, yet -there is a reasonable tradition that Jaffa existed before the deluge. -For ages it has been the chief Mediterranean port of great Jerusalem. -Here Solomon landed his Lebanon timber for the temple. The town swarmed -more than once with the Roman legions on their way to crush a Jewish -insurrection. It displayed the banner of the Saracen host a few years -after the Hegira. And, later, when the Crusaders erected the standard of -the cross on its walls, it was the dépôt of supplies which Venice and -Genoa and other rich cities contributed to the holy war. Great kingdoms -and conquerors have possessed it in turn, and for thousands of years -merchants have trusted their fortunes to its perilous roadstead. And -yet no one has ever thought it worth while to give it a harbor by the -construction of a mole, or a pier like that at Port Said. I should say -that the first requisite in the industrial, to say nothing of the moral, -regeneration of Palestine is a harbor at Jaffa. - -The city is a cluster of irregular, flat-roofed houses, and looks from -the sea like a brown bowl turned bottom up; the roofs are terraces on -which the inhabitants can sleep on summer nights, and to which they -can ascend, out of the narrow, evil-smelling streets, to get a whiff of -sweet odor from the orange gardens which surround the town. The ordinary -pictures of Jaffa do it ample justice. The chief feature in the view is -the hundreds of clumsy feluccas tossing about in the aggravating waves, -diving endwise and dipping sidewise, guided a little by the long sweeps -of the sailors, but apparently the sport of the most uncertain billows. -A swarm of them, four or five deep, surrounds our vessel; they are -rising and falling in the most sickly motion, and dashing into each -other in the frantic efforts of their rowers to get near the gangway -ladder. One minute the boat nearest the stairs rises as if it would -mount into the ship, and the next it sinks below the steps into a -frightful gulf. The passengers watch the passing opportunity to jump -on board, as people dive into the “lift” of a hotel. Freight is -discharged into lighters that are equally frisky; and it is taken on and -off splashed with salt water and liable to a thousand accidents in the -violence of the transit. - -Before the town stretches a line of rocks worn for ages, upon which the -surf is breaking and sending white jets into the air. It is through a -narrow opening in this that our boat is borne on the back of a great -wave, and we come into a strip of calmer water and approach the single -landing-stairs. These stairs are not so convenient as those of the -vessel we have just left, and two persons can scarcely pass on them. But -this is the only sea entrance to Jaffa; if the Jews attempt to return -and enter their ancient kingdom this way, it will take them a long time -to get in. A sea-wall fronts the town, fortified by a couple of rusty -cannon at one end, and the passage is through the one gate at the head -of these stairs. - -It seems forever that we are kept waiting at the foot of this shaky -stairway. Two opposing currents are struggling to get up and down it: -excited travellers, porters with trunks and knapsacks, and dragomans who -appear to be pushing their way through simply to show their familiarity -with the country. It is a dangerous ascent for a delicate woman. -Somehow, as we wait at this gate where so many men of note have waited, -and look upon this sea-wall upon which have stood so many of the mighty -from Solomon to Origen, from Tiglath-Pileser to Richard Cour de Lion, -the historical figure which most pervades Jaffa is that of the whimsical -Jonah, whose connection with it was the slightest. There is no evidence -that he ever returned here. Josephus, who takes liberties with the -Hebrew Scriptures, says that a whale carried the fugitive into the -Euxine Sea, and there discharged him much nearer to Nineveh than he -would have been if he had kept with the conveyance in which he first -took passage and landed at Tarsus. Probably no one in Jaffa noticed the -little man as he slipped through this gate and took ship, and yet his -simple embarkation from the town has given it more notoriety than any -other event. Thanks to an enduring piece of literature, the unheroic -Jonah and his whale are better known than St. Jerome and his lion; -they are the earliest associates and Oriental acquaintances of all -well-brought-up children in Christendom. For myself, I confess that the -strictness of many a New England Sunday has been relieved by the perusal -of his unique adventure. He in a manner anticipated the use of the -monitors and other cigar-shaped submerged sea-vessels. - -When we have struggled up the slippery stairs and come through the gate, -we wind about for some time in a narrow passage on the side of the sea, -and then cross through the city, still on foot. It is a rubbishy place; -the streets are steep and crooked; we pass through archways, we ascend -steps, we make unexpected turns; the shops are a little like bazaars, -but rather Italian than Oriental; we pass a pillared mosque and a Moslem -fountain; we come upon an ancient square, in the centre of which is a -round fountain with pillars and a canopy of stone, and close about it -are the bazaars of merchants. This old fountain is profusely sculptured -with Arabic inscriptions; the stones are worn and have taken the rich -tint of age, and the sunlight blends it into harmony with the gay stuffs -of the shops and the dark skins of the idlers on the pavement. We come -into the great market of fruit and vegetables, where vast heaps of -oranges, like apples in a New England orchard, line the way and fill the -atmosphere with a golden tinge. - -The Jaffa oranges are famous in the Orient; they grow to the size of -ostrich eggs, they have a skin as thick as the hide of a rhinoceros, -and, in their season, the pulp is sweet, juicy, and tender. It is a -little late now, and we open one golden globe after another before -we find one that is not dry and tasteless as a piece of punk. But one -cannot resist buying such magnificent fruit. - -Outside the walls, through broad dusty highways, by lanes of cactus -hedges and in sight again of the sea breaking on a rocky shore, we come -to the Hotel of the Twelve Tribes, occupied now principally by Cook's -tribes, most of whom appear to be lost. In the adjacent lot are pitched -the tents of Syrian travellers, and one of Cook's expeditions is in -all the bustle of speedy departure. The bony, nervous Syrian horses are -assigned by lot to the pilgrims, who are excellent people from England -and America, and most of them as unaccustomed to the back of a horse as -to that of an ostrich. It is touching to see some of the pilgrims walk -around the animals which have fallen to them, wondering how they are to -get on, which side they are to mount, and how they are to stay on. Some -have already mounted, and are walking the steeds carefully round the -enclosure or timidly essaying a trot. Nearly every one concludes, after -a trial, that he would like to change,—something not quite so much -up and down, you know, an easier saddle, a horse that more unites -gentleness with spirit. Some of the dragomans are equipped in a manner -to impress travellers with the perils of the country. One, whom I -remember on the Nile as a mild though showy person, has bloomed here -into a Bedawee: he is fierce in aspect, an arsenal of weapons, and -gallops furiously about upon a horse loaded down with accoutrements. -This, however, is only the beginning of our real danger. - -After breakfast we sallied out to see the sights: besides the house of -Simon the tanner, they are not many. The house of Simon is, as it was in -the time of St. Peter, by the seaside. We went upon the roof (and it is -more roof than anything else) where the apostle lay down to sleep and -saw the vision, and looked around upon the other roofs and upon the wide -sweep of the tumbling sea. In the court is a well, the stone curb of -which is deeply worn in several places by the rope, showing long use. -The water is brackish; Simon may have tanned with it. The house has not -probably been destroyed and rebuilt more than four or five times since -St. Peter dwelt here; the Romans once built the entire city. The chief -room is now a mosque. We inquired for the house of Dorcas, but that is -not shown, although I understood that we could see her grave outside the -city. It is a great oversight not to show the house of Dorcas, and -one that I cannot believe will long annoy pilgrims in these days of -multiplied discoveries of sacred sites. - -Whether this is the actual spot where the house of Simon stood, I do not -know, nor does it much matter. Here, or hereabouts, the apostle saw that -marvellous vision which proclaimed to a weary world the brotherhood of -man. From this spot issued the gospel of democracy: “Of a truth, I -perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” From this insignificant -dwelling went forth the edict that broke the power of tyrants, -and loosed the bonds of slaves, and ennobled the lot of woman, and -enfranchised the human mind. Of all places on earth I think there is -only one more worthy of pilgrimage by all devout and liberty-loving -souls. - -We were greatly interested, also, in a visit to the well-known school of -Miss Amot, a mission school for girls in the upper chambers of a house -in the most crowded part of Jaffa. With modest courage and tact and -self-devotion this lady has sustained it here for twelve years, and the -fruits of it already begin to appear. We found twenty or thirty pupils, -nearly all quite young, and most of them daughters of Christians; they -are taught in Arabic the common branches, and some English, and they -learn to sing. They sang for us English tunes like any Sunday school; a -strange sound in a Moslem town. There are one or two other schools of -a similar character in the Orient, conducted as private enterprises by -ladies of culture; and I think there is no work nobler, and none more -worthy of liberal support or more likely to result in giving women a -decent position in Eastern society. - -On a little elevation a half-mile outside the walls is a cluster of -wooden houses, which were manufactured in America. There we found the -remnants of the Adams colony, only half a dozen families out of the -original two hundred and fifty persons; two or three men and some widows -and children. The colony built in the centre of their settlement an ugly -little church out of Maine timber; it now stands empty and staring, -with broken windows. It is not difficult to make this adventure appear -romantic. Those who engaged in it were plain New England people, many -of them ignorant, but devout to fanaticism. They had heard the prophets -expounded, and the prophecies of the latter days unravelled, until they -came to believe that the day of the Lord was nigh, and that they had -laid upon them a mission in the fulfilment of the divine purposes. Most -of them were from Maine and New Hampshire, accustomed to bitter winters -and to wring their living from a niggardly soil. I do not wonder that -they were fascinated by the pictures of a fair land of blue skies, a -land of vines and olives and palms, where they were undoubtedly called -by the Spirit to a life of greater sanctity and considerable ease and -abundance. I think I see their dismay when they first pitched their -tents amid this Moslem squalor, and attempted to “squat,” Western -fashion, upon the skirts of the Plain of Sharon, which has been for -some ages pre-empted. They erected houses, however, and joined the other -inhabitants of the region in a struggle for existence. But Adams, the -preacher and president, had not faith enough to wait for the unfolding -of prophecy; he took to strong drink, and with general bad management -the whole enterprise came to grief, and the deluded people were rescued -from starvation only by the liberality of our government. - -There was the germ of a good idea in the rash undertaking. If Palestine -is ever to be repeopled, its coming inhabitants must have the means of -subsistence; and if those now here are to be redeemed to a better life, -they must learn to work; before all else there must come a revival of -industry and a development of the resources of the country. To send -here Jews or Gentiles, and to support them by charity, only adds to the -existing misery. - -It was eight years ago that the Adams community exploded. Its heirs and -successors are Germans, a colony from Wurtemberg, an Advent sect akin -to the American, but more single-minded and devout. They own the ground -upon which they have settled, having acquired a title from the Turkish -government; they have erected substantial houses of stone and a large -hotel, The Jerusalem, and give many evidences of shrewdness and thrift -as well as piety. They have established a good school, in which, with -German thoroughness, Latin, English, and the higher mathematics are -taught, and an excellent education may be obtained. More land the colony -is not permitted to own; but they hire ground outside the walls which -they farm to advantage. - -I talked with one of the teachers, a thin young ascetic in spectacles, -whose severity of countenance and demeanor was sufficient to rebuke all -the Oriental levity I had encountered during the winter. There was -in him and in the other leaders an air of sincere fanaticism, and a -sobriety and integrity in the common laborers, which are the best omens -for the success of the colony. The leaders told us that they thought the -Americans came here with the expectation of making money uppermost in -mind, and hardly in the right spirit. As to themselves, they do not -expect to make money; they repelled the insinuation with some warmth; -they have had, in fact, a very hard struggle, and are thankful for a -fair measure of success. Their sole present purpose is evidently to -redeem and reclaim the land, and make it fit for the expected day of -jubilee. The Jews from all parts of the world, they say, are to return -to Palestine, and there is to issue out of the Holy Land a new divine -impulse which is to be the regeneration and salvation of the world. I -do not know that anybody but the Jews themselves would oppose their -migration to Palestine, though their withdrawal from the business of the -world suddenly would create wide disaster. With these doubts, however, -we did not trouble the youthful knight of severity. We only asked him -upon what the community founded its creed and its mission. Largely, he -replied, upon the prophets, and especially upon Isaiah; and he referred -us to Isaiah xxxii. 1; xlix. 12 et seq.; and lii. 1. It is not every -industrial community that would flourish on a charter so vague as this. - -A lad of twelve or fourteen was our guide to the Advent settlement; he -was an early polyglot, speaking, besides English, French, and German, -Arabic, and, I think, a little Greek; a boy of uncommon gravity of -deportment and of precocious shrewdness. He is destined to be a guide -and dragoman. I could see that the whole Biblical history was a little -fade to him, but he does not lose sight of the profit of a knowledge of -it. I could not but contrast him with a Sunday-school scholar of his own -age in America, whose imagination kindles at the Old Testament stories, -and whose enthusiasm for the Holy Land is awakened by the wall maps and -the pictures of Solomon's temple. Actual contact has destroyed the -imagination of this boy; Jerusalem is not so much a wonder to him as -Boston; Samson lived just over there beyond the Plain of Sharon, and is -not so much a hero as Old Put. - -The boy's mother was a good New Hampshire woman, whose downright -Yankeeism of thought and speech was in odd contrast to her Oriental -surroundings. I sat in a rocking-chair in the sitting-room of her little -wood cottage, and could scarcely convince myself that I was not in -a prim New Hampshire parlor. To her mind there were no more Oriental -illusions, and perhaps she had never indulged any; certainly, in her -presence Palestine seemed to me as commonplace as New England. - -“I s'pose you 've seen the meetin' house?” - -“Yes.” - -“Wal' it's goin' to rack and ruin like everything else here. -There is n't enough here to have any service now. Sometimes I go to -the German; I try to keep up a little feeling.” - -I have no doubt it is more difficult to keep up a religious feeling in -the Holy Land than it is in New Hampshire, but we did not discuss that -point. I asked, “Do you have any society?” - -“Precious little. The Germans are dreffle unsocial. The natives are -all a low set. The Arabs will all lie; I don't think much of any -of 'em. The Mohammedans are all shiftless; you can't trust any of -'em.” - -“Why don't you go home?” - -“Wal, sometimes I think I'd like to see the old place, but I reckon -I could n't stand the winters. This is a nice climate, that's -all there is here; and we have grapes and oranges, and loads of -flowers,—you see my garden there; I set great store by that and me and -my daughter take solid comfort in it, especially when he is away, and -he has to be off most of the time with parties, guidin' 'em. No, I -guess I sha'n'. ever cross the ocean again.” - -It appeared that the good woman had consoled herself with a second -husband, who bears a Jewish name; so that the original object of her -mission, to gather in the chosen people, is not altogether lost sight -of. - -There is a curious interest in these New England transplantations. -Climate is a great transformer. The habits and customs of thousands of -years will insensibly conquer the most stubborn prejudices. I wonder how -long it will require to blend these scions of our vigorous -civilization with the motley growth that makes up the present Syriac -population,—people whose blood is streaked with a dozen different -strains, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Arabian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Greek, -Roman, Canaanite, Jewish, Persian, Turkish, with all the races that have -in turn ravaged or occupied the land. I do not, indeed, presume to say -what the Syrians are who have occupied Palestine for so many hundreds of -years, but I cannot see how it can be otherwise than that their blood -is as mixed as that of the modern Egyptians. Perhaps these New England -offshoots will maintain their distinction of race for a long time, but -I should be still more interested to know how long the New England -mind will keep its integrity in these surroundings, and whether those -ruggednesses of virtue and those homely simplicities of character which -we recognize as belonging to the hilly portions of New England will -insensibly melt away in this relaxing air that so much wants moral tone. -These Oriental countries have been conquered many times, but they have -always conquered their conquerors. I am told that even our American -consuls are not always more successful in resisting the undermining -seductions of the East than were the Roman proconsuls. - -These reflections, however, let it be confessed, did not come to me as -I sat in the rocking-chair of my countrywoman. I was rather thinking how -completely her presence and accent dispelled all my Oriental illusions -and cheapened the associations of Jaffa. There is I know not what in a -real living Yankee that puts all appearances to the test and dissipates -the colors of romance. It was not until I came again into the highway -and found in front of The Jerusalem hotel a company of Arab acrobats and -pyramid-builders, their swarthy bodies shining in the white sunlight, -and a lot of idlers squatting about in enjoyment of the exertions of -others, that I recovered in any degree my delusions. - -With the return of these, it seemed not so impossible to believe even in -the return of the Jews; especially when we learned that preparations for -them multiply. A second German colony has been established outside of -the city. There is another at Haifa; on the Jerusalem road the beginning -of one has been made by the Jews themselves. It amounts to something -like a “movement.” - -At three o'clock in the afternoon we set out for Ramleh, -ignominiously, in a wagon. There is a carriage-road from Jaffa to -Jerusalem, and our dragoman had promised us a “private carriage.” We -decided to take it, thinking it would be more comfortable than horseback -for some of our party. We made a mistake which we have never ceased to -regret. The road I can confidently commend as the worst in the world. -The carriage into which we climbed belonged to the German colony, -and was a compromise between the ancient ark, a modern dray, and a -threshing-machine. It was one of those contrivances that a German would -evolve out of his inner consciousness, and its appearance here gave -me grave doubts as to the adaptability of these honest Germans to the -Orient. It was, however, a great deal worse than it looked. If it were -driven over smooth ground it would soon loosen all the teeth of the -passengers, and shatter their spinal columns. But over the Jerusalem -road the effect was indescribable. The noise of it was intolerable, -the jolting incredible. The little solid Dutchman, who sat in front and -drove, shook like the charioteer of an artillery wagon; but I suppose he -had no feeling. We pounded along over the roughest stone pavement, with -the sensation of victims drawn to execution in a cart, until we emerged -into the open country; but there we found no improvement in the road. - -Jaffa is surrounded by immense orange groves, which are protected along -the highways by hedges of prickly-pear. We came out from a lane of these -upon the level and blooming Plain of Sharon, and saw before us, on the -left, the blue hills of Judæa. It makes little difference what kind -of conveyance one has, it is impossible for him to advance upon this -historic, if not sacred plain, and catch the first glimpse of those -pale hills which stood to him for a celestial vision in his childhood, -without a great quickening of the pulse; and it is a most lovely -view after Egypt, or after anything. The elements of it are simple -enough,—merely a wide sweep of prairie and a line of graceful -mountains; but the forms are pleasing, and the color is incomparable. -The soil is warm and red, the fields are a mass of wild-flowers of -the most brilliant and variegated hues, and, alternately swept by -the shadows of clouds and bathed in the sun, the scene takes on the -animation of incessant change. - -It was somewhere here, outside the walls, I do not know the spot, that -the massacre of Jaffa occurred. I purposely go out of my way to repeat -the well-known story of it, and I trust that it will always be recalled -whenever any mention is made of the cruel little Corsican who so long -imposed the vulgarity and savageness of his selfish nature upon -Europe. It was in March, 1799, that Napoleon, toward the close of his -humiliating and disastrous campaign in Egypt, carried Jaffa by storm. -The town was given over to pillage. During its progress four thousand -Albanians of the garrison, taking refuge in some old khans, offered to -surrender on condition that their lives should be spared; otherwise they -would fight to the bitter end. Their terms were accepted, and two of -Napoleon's aids-de-camp pledged their honor for their safety. They -were marched out to the general's headquarters and seated in front of -the tents with their arms bound behind them. The displeased commander -called a council of war and deliberated two days upon their fate, and -then signed the order for the massacre of the entire body. The excuse -was that the general could not be burdened with so many prisoners. Thus -in one day were murdered in cold blood about as many people as Jaffa at -present contains. Its inhabitants may be said to have been accustomed -to being massacred; eight thousand of them were butchered in one Roman -assault; but I suppose all antiquity may be searched in vain for an act -of perfidy and cruelty combined equal to that of the Grand Emperor. - -The road over which we rattle is a causeway of loose stones; the country -is a plain of sand, but clothed with a luxuriant vegetation. In the -fields the brown husbandmen are plowing, turning up the soft red earth -with a rude plough drawn by cattle yoked wide apart. Red-legged storks, -on their way, I suppose, from Egypt to their summer residence further -north, dot the meadows, and are too busy picking up worms to notice our -halloo. Abd-el-Atti, who has a passion for shooting, begs permission to -“go for” these household birds with the gun; but we explain to -him that we would no more shoot a stork than one of the green birds of -Paradise. Quails are scudding about in the newly turned furrows, and -song birds salute us from the tops of swinging cypresses. The Holy Land -is rejoicing in its one season of beauty, its spring-time. - -Trees are not wanting to the verdant meadows. We still encounter an -occasional grove of oranges; olives also appear, and acacias, sycamores, -cypresses, and tamarisks. The pods of the carob-tree are, I believe, -the husks upon which the prodigal son did not thrive. Large patches of -barley are passed. But the fields not occupied with grain are literally -carpeted with wild-flowers of the most brilliant hues, such a display -as I never saw elsewhere: scarlet and dark flaming poppies, the scarlet -anemone, marigolds, white daisies, the lobelia, the lupin, the vetch, -the gorse with its delicate yellow blossom, the pea, something that we -agreed to call the white rose of Sharon, the mallow, the asphodel; the -leaves of a lily not yet in bloom. About the rose of Sharon we no doubt -were mistaken. There is no reason to suppose it was white; but we have -somehow associated the purity of that color with the song beginning, -“I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys.” It was -probably not even a rose. We finally decided to cherish the red mallow -as the rose of Sharon; it is very abundant, and the botanist of our -company seemed satisfied to accept it. For myself, the rose by the name -of mallow does not smell sweet. - -We come in sight of Rainleh, which lies on the swelling mounds of the -green plain, encompassed by emerald meadows and by groves of orange -and olive, and conspicuous from a great distance by its elegant square -tower, the most beautiful in form that we have seen in the East. As the -sun is sinking, we defer our visit to it and drive to the Latin convent, -where we are to lodge, permission to that effect having been obtained -from the sister convent at Jaffa; a mere form, since a part of the -convent was built expressly for the entertainment of travellers, and the -few monks who occupy it find keeping a hotel a very profitable kind of -hospitality. The stranger is the guest of the superior, no charge is -made, and the little fiction of gratuitous hospitality so pleases the -pilgrim that he will not at his departure be outdone in liberality. It -would be much more agreeable if all our hotels were upon this system. - -While the dragoman is unpacking the luggage in the court-yard and -bustling about in a manner to impress the establishment with the -importance of its accession, I climb up to the roofs to get the sunset. -The house is all roofs, it would seem, at different levels. Steps lead -here and there, and one can wander about at will; you could not desire -a pleasanter lounging-place in a summer evening. The protecting walls, -which are breast-high, are built in with cylinders of tile, like the mud -houses in Egypt; the tiles make the walls lighter, and furnish at -the same time peep-holes through which the monks can spy the world, -themselves unseen. I noticed that the tiles about the entrance court -were inclined downwards, so that a curious person could study any new -arrival at the convent without being himself observed. The sun went down -behind the square tower which is called Saracenic and is entirely Gothic -in spirit, and the light lay soft and rosy on the wide compass of green -vegetation; I heard on the distant fields the bells of mules returning -to the gates, and the sound substituted Italy in my mind for Palestine. - -From this prospect I was summoned in haste; the superior of the convent -was waiting to receive me, and I had been sought in all directions. I -had no idea why I should be received, but I soon found that the occasion -was not a trivial one. In the reception-room were seated in some state -the superior, attended by two or three brothers, and the remainder of -my suite already assembled. The abbot, if he is an abbot, arose and -cordially welcomed “the general” to his humble establishment, hoped -that he was not fatigued by the journey from Jaffa, and gave him a seat -beside himself. The remainder of the party were ranged according to -their rank. I replied that the journey was on the contrary delightful, -and that any journey could be considered fortunate which had the -hospitable convent of Ramleh as its end. The courteous monk renewed his -solicitous inquiries, and my astonishment was increased by the botanist, -who gravely assured the worthy father that “the general” was -accustomed to fatigue, and that such a journey as this was a recreation -to him. - -“What in the mischief is all this about?” I seized a moment to -whisper to the person next me. - -“You are a distinguished American general, travelling with his lady in -pursuit of Heaven knows what, and accompanied by his suite; don't make -a mess of it.” - -“Oh,” I said, “if I am a distinguished American general, -travelling with my lady in pursuit of Heaven knows what, I am glad to -know it.” - -Fortunately the peaceful father did not know anything more of war than -I did, and I suppose my hastily assumed modesty of the soldier seemed -to him the real thing. It was my first experience of anything like real -war, the first time I had ever occupied any military position, and it -did not seem to be so arduous as has been represented. - -Great regret was expressed by the superior that they had not anticipated -my arrival, in order to have entertained me in a more worthy manner; the -convent was uncommonly full of pilgrims, and it would be difficult to -lodge my suite as it deserved. Then there followed a long discussion -between the father and one of the monks upon our disposition for the -night. - -“If we give the general and his lady the south room in the court, then -the doctor”—etc., etc. - -“Or,” urged the monk, “suppose the general and his lady occupy the -cell number four, then mademoiselle can take”—etc., etc. - -The military commander and his lady were at last shown into a cell -opening out of the court, a lofty but narrow vaulted room, with brick -floor and thick walls, and one small window near the ceiling. Instead of -candles we had antique Roman lamps, which made a feeble glimmer in the -cavern; the oddest water-jugs served for pitchers. It may not have been -damp, but it felt as if no sun had ever penetrated the chill interior. - -“What is all this nonsense of the general?” I asked Abd-el-Atti, as -soon as I could get hold of that managing factotum. - -“Dunno, be sure; these monk always pay more attention to 'stinguish -people.” - -“But what did you say at the convent in Jaffa when you applied for a -permit to lodge here?” - -“Oh, I tell him my gentleman general American, but 'stinguish; mebbe -he done gone wrote 'em that you 'stinguish American general. Very -nice man, the superior, speak Italian beautiful; when I give him the -letter, he say he do all he can for the general and his suite; he sorry -I not let him know 'forehand.” - -The dinner was served in the long refectory, and there were some -twenty-five persons at table, mostly pilgrims to Jerusalem, and most of -them of the poorer class. One bright Italian had travelled alone with -her little boy all the way from Verona, only to see the Holy Sepulchre. -The monks waited at table and served a very good dinner. Travellers are -not permitted to enter the portion of the large convent which contains -the cells of the monks, nor to visit any part of the old building except -the chapel. I fancied that the jolly brothers who waited at table were -rather glad to come into contact with the world, even in this capacity. - -In the dining-room hangs a notable picture. It is the Virgin, enthroned, -with a crown and aureole, holding the holy child, who is also crowned; -in the foreground is a choir of white boys or angels. The Virgin and -child are both black; it is the Virgin of Ethiopia. I could not learn -the origin of this picture; it was rude enough in execution to be the -work of a Greek artist of the present day; but it was said to come from -Ethiopia, where it is necessary to a proper respect for the Virgin -that she should be represented black. She seems to bear something the -relation to the Virgin of Judæa that Astarte did to the Grecian Venus. -And we are again reminded that the East has no prejudice of color: “I -am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem”; “Look not upon me -because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me.” - -The convent bells are ringing at early dawn, and though we are up -at half past five, nearly all the pilgrims have hastily departed -for Jerusalem. Upon the roof I find the morning fair. There are more -minarets than spires in sight, but they stand together in this pretty -little town without discord. The bells are ringing in melodious -persuasion, but at the same time, in voices as musical, the muezzins are -calling from their galleries; each summoning men to prayer in its own -way. From these walls spectators once looked down upon the battles of -cross and crescent raging in the lovely meadows,—battles of quite as -much pride as piety. A common interest always softens animosity, and -I fancy that monks and Moslems will not again resort to the foolish -practice of breaking each other's heads so long as they enjoy the -profitable stream of pilgrims to the Holy Land. - -After breakfast and a gift to the treasury of the convent according -to our rank—I think if I were to stay there again it would be in the -character of a common soldier—we embarked again in the ark, and jolted -along behind the square-shouldered driver, who seemed to enjoy the -rattling and rumbling of his clumsy vehicle. But no minor infelicity -could destroy for us the freshness of the morning or the enjoyment of -the lovely country. Although, in the jolting, one could not utter a -remark about the beauty of the way without danger of biting his tongue -in two, we feasted our eyes and let our imaginations loose over the vast -ranges of the Old Testament story. - -After passing through the fertile meadows of Ramleh, we came into a -more rolling country, destitute of houses, but clothed on with a most -brilliant bloom of wild-flowers, among which the papilionaceous flowers -were conspicuous for color and delicacy. I found by the roadside a black -calla (which I should no more have believed in than in the black Virgin, -if I had not seen it). Its leaf is exactly that of our calla-lily; its -flower is similar to, but not so open and flaring, as the white calla, -and the pistil is large and very long, and of the color of the interior -of the flower. The corolla is green on the outside, but the inside is -incomparably rich, like velvet, black in some lights and dark maroon -in others. Nothing could be finer in color and texture than this superb -flower. Besides the blooms of yesterday we noticed buttercups, various -sorts of the ranunculus, among them the scarlet and the shooting-star, -a light purple flower with a dark purple centre, the Star of Bethlehem, -and the purple wind-flower. Scarlet poppies and the still more brilliant -scarlet anemones, dandelions, marguerites, filled all the fields with -masses of color. - -Shortly we come into the hills, through which the road winds upward, and -the scenery is very much like that of the Adirondacks, or would be if -the rocky hills of the latter were denuded of trees. The way begins -to be lively with passengers, and it becomes us to be circumspect, for -almost every foot of ground has been consecrated or desecrated, or in -some manner made memorable. This heap of rubbish is the remains of a -fortress which the Saracens captured, built by the Crusaders to guard -the entrance of the pass, upon the site of an older fortification by the -Maccabees, or founded upon Roman substructions, and mentioned in Judges -as the spot where some very ancient Jew stayed overnight. It is also, no -doubt, one of the stations that help us to determine with the accuracy -of a surveyor the boundary between the territory of Benjamin and Judah. -I try to ascertain all these localities and to remember them all, but I -sometimes get Richard Cour de Lion mixed with Jonathan Maccabæus, and -I have no doubt I mistook “Job's convent” for the Castellum boni -Latronis, a place we were specially desirous to see as the birthplace of -the “penitent thief.” But whatever we confounded, we are certain of -one thing: we looked over into the Valley of Ajalon. It was over this -valley that Joshua commanded the moon to tarry while he smote the -fugitive Amorites on the heights of Gibeon, there to the east. - -The road is thronged with pilgrims to Jerusalem, and with travellers and -their attendants,—gay cavalcades scattered all along the winding way -over the rolling plain, as in the picture of the Pilgrims to Canterbury. -All the transport of freight as well as passengers is by the backs of -beasts of burden. There are long files of horses and mules staggering -under enormous loads of trunks, tents, and bags. Dragomans, some of them -got up in fierce style, with baggy yellow trousers, yellow kuffias bound -about the head with a twisted fillet, armed with long Damascus swords, -their belts stuck full of pistols, and a rifle slung on the back, gallop -furiously along the line, the signs of danger but the assurances of -protection. Camp boys and waiters dash along also, on the pack-horses, -with a great clatter of kitchen furniture; even a scullion has an air of -adventure as he pounds his rack-a-bone steed into a vicious gallop. And -there are the Cook's tourists, called by everybody “Cookies,” -men and women struggling on according to the pace of their horses, -conspicuous in hats with white muslin drapery hanging over the neck. -Villanous-looking fellows with or without long guns, coming and going -on the highway, have the air of being neither pilgrims nor strangers. We -meet women returning from Jerusalem clad in white, seated astride their -horses, or upon beds which top their multifarious baggage. - -We are leaving behind us on the right the country of Samson, in which he -passed his playful and engaging boyhood, and we look wistfully towards -it. Of Zorah, where he was born, nothing is left but a cistern, and -there is only a wretched hamlet to mark the site of Timnath, where he -got his Philistine wife. “Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well,” -was his only reply to the entreaty of his father that he would be -content with a maid of his own people. - -The country gets wilder and more rocky as we ascend. Down the ragged -side paths come wretched women and girls, staggering under the loads of -brushwood which they have cut in the high ravines; loads borne upon the -head that would tax the strength of a strong man. I found it no easy -task to lift one of the bundles. The poor creatures were scantily clad -in a single garment of coarse brown cloth, but most of them wore a -profusion of ornaments; strings of coins, Turkish and Arabic, on the -head and breast, and uncouth rings and bracelets. Farther on a rabble of -boys besets us, begging for backsheesh in piteous and whining tones, and -throwing up their arms in theatrical gestures of despair. - -All the hills bear marks of having once been terraced to the very tops, -for vines and olives. The natural ledges seem to have been humored into -terraces and occasionally built up and broadened by stone walls; but -where the hill was smooth, traces of terraces are yet visible. The grape -is still cultivated low down the steeps, and the olives straggle over -some of the hills to the very top; but these feeble efforts of culture -or of nature do little to relieve the deserted aspect of the scene. - -We lunch in a pretty olive grove, upon a slope long ago terraced and now -grass-grown and flower-sown; lovely vistas open into cool glades, and -paths lead upward among the rocks to inviting retreats. From this high -perch in the bosom of the hills we look off upon Ramleh, Jaffa, the -broad Plain of Sharon, and the sea. A strip of sand between the sea -and the plain produces the effect of a mirage, giving to the plain the -appearance of the sea. It would be a charming spot for a country-seat -for a resident of Jerusalem, although Jerusalem itself is rural enough -at present; and David and Solomon may have had summer pavilions in -these cool shades in sight of the Mediterranean. David himself, however, -perhaps had enough of this region—when he dodged about in these -fastnesses between Ramah and Gath, from the pursuit of Saul—to make -him content with a city life. There is nothing to hinder our believing -that he often enjoyed this prospect; and we do believe it, for it is -already evident that the imagination must be called in to create an -enjoyment of this deserted land. David no doubt loved this spot. For -David was a poet, even at this early period when his occupation was that -of a successful guerilla; and he had all the true poet's adaptability, -as witness the exquisite ode he composed on the death of his enemy Saul. -I have no doubt that he enjoyed this lovely prospect often, for he was a -man who enjoyed heartily everything lovely. He was in this as in all -he did a thorough man; when he made a raid on an Amorite city, he left -neither man, woman, nor child alive to spread the news. - -We have already mounted over two thousand feet. The rocks are silicious -limestone, crumbling and gray with ages of exposure; they give the -landscape an ashy appearance. But there is always a little verdure -amid the rocks, and now and then an olive-tree, perhaps a very old one, -decrepit and twisted into the most fantastic form, as if distorted by -a vegetable rheumatism, casting abroad its withered arms as if the tree -writhed in pain. On such ghostly trees I have no doubt the five kings -were hanged. Another tree or rather shrub is abundant, the dwarf-oak; -and the hawthorn, now in blossom, is frequently seen. The rock-rose—a -delicate white single flower—blooms by the wayside and amid the -ledges, and the scarlet anemone flames out more brilliantly than ever. -Nothing indeed could be more beautiful than the contrast of the clusters -of scarlet anemones and white roses with the gray rocks. - -We soon descend into a valley and reach the site of Kirjath-Jearim, -which has not much ancient interest for me, except that the name is -pleasing; but on the other side of the stream and opposite a Moslem -fountain are the gloomy stone habitations of the family of the terrible -Abu Ghaush, whose robberies of travellers kept the whole country in a -panic a quarter of a century ago. He held the key of this pass, and let -no one go by without toll. For fifty years he and his companions defied -the Turkish government, and even went to the extremity of murdering two -pashas who attempted to pass this way. He was disposed of in 1846, but -his descendants still live here, having the inclination but not the -courage of the old chief. We did not encounter any of them, but I have -never seen any buildings that have such a wicked physiognomy as their -grim houses. - -Near by is the ruin of a low, thick-walled chapel, of a pure Gothic -style, a remnant of the Crusaders' occupation. The gloomy wady has -another association; a monkish tradition would have us believe it was -the birthplace of Jeremiah; if the prophet was born in such a hard -country it might account for his lamentations. As we pass out of this -wady, the German driver points to a forlorn village clinging to the -rocky slope of a hill to the right, and says,— - -“That is where John Baptist was born.” - -The information is sudden and seems improbable, especially as there are -other places where he was born. - -“How do you know?” we ask. - -“O, I know ganz wohl; I been five years in dis land, and I ought to -know.” - -Descending into a deep ravine we cross a brook, which we are told is -the one that flows into the Valley of Elah, the valley of the -“terebinth” or button trees; and if so, it is the brook out of -which David took the stone that killed Goliath. It is a bright, dashing -stream. I stood upon the bridge, watching it dancing down the ravine, -and should have none but agreeable recollections of it, but that close -to the bridge stood a vile grog-shop, and in the doorway sat the most -villanous-looking man I ever saw in Judæa, rapacity and murder in his -eyes. The present generation have much more to fear from him and his -drugged liquors than the Israelite had from the giant of Gath. - -While the wagon zigzags up the last long hill, I mount by a short path -and come upon a rocky plateau, across which runs a broad way, on the -bed rock, worn smooth by many centuries of travel: by the passing -of caravans and armies to Jerusalem, of innumerable generations of -peasants, of chariots, of horses, mules, and foot-soldiers; here went -the messengers of the king's pleasure, and here came the heralds and -legates of foreign nations; this great highway the kings and prophets -themselves must have trodden when they journeyed towards the sea; for Ï -cannot learn that the Jews ever had any decent roads, and perhaps -they never attained the civilization necessary to build them. We have -certainly seen no traces of anything like a practicable ancient highway -on this route. - -Indeed, the greatest wonder to me in the whole East is that there has -not been a good road built from Jaffa to Jerusalem; that the city -sacred to more than half the world, to all the most powerful nations, to -Moslems, Jews, Greeks, Roman Catholics, Protestants, the desire of all -lands, and the object of pilgrimage with the delicate and the feeble as -well as the strong, should not have a highway to it over which one can -ride without being jarred and stunned and pounded to a jelly; that the -Jews should never have made a road to their seaport; that the Romans, -the road-builders, do not seem to have constructed one over this -important route. The Sultan began this one over which we have been -dragged, for the Empress Eugenie. But he did not finish it; most of the -way it is a mere rubble of stones. The track is well engineered, and -the road bed is well enough; soft stone is at hand to form an excellent -dressing, and it might be, in a short time, as good a highway as any in -Switzerland, if the Sultan would set some of his lazy subjects to work -out their taxes on it. Of course, it is now a great improvement over -the old path for mules; but as a carriage road it is atrocious. Imagine -thirty-six miles of cobble pavement, with every other stone gone and the -remainder sharpened! - -Perhaps, however, it is best not to have a decent road to the Holy City -of the world. It would make going there easy, even for delicate ladies -and invalid clergymen; it would reduce the cost of the trip from Jaffa -by two thirds; it would take away employment from a lot of vagabonds -who harry the traveller over the route; it would make the pilgrimage -too much a luxury, in these days of pilgrimages by rail, and of little -faith, or rather of a sort of lacquer of faith which is only credulity. - -Upon this plateau we begin to discern signs of the neighborhood of the -city, and we press forward with the utmost eagerness, disappointed at -every turn that a sight of it is not disclosed. Scattered settlements -extend for some distance out on the Jaffa road. We pass a school which -the Germans have established for Arab boys; an institution which does -not meet the approval of our restoration driver; the boys, when they -come out, he says, don't know what they are; they are neither Moslems -nor Christians. We go rapidly on over the swelling hill, but the city -will not reveal itself. We expect it any moment to rise up before us, -conspicuous on its ancient hills, its walls shining in the sun. - -We pass a guard-house, some towers, and newly built private residences. -Our pulses are beating a hundred to the minute, but the city refuses to -“burst” upon us as it does upon other travellers. We have advanced -far enough to see that there is no elevation before us higher than that -we are on. The great sight of all our lives is only a moment separated -from us; in a few rods more our hearts will be satisfied by that -long-dreamed-of prospect. How many millions of pilgrims have hurried -along this road, lifting up their eyes in impatience for the vision! -But it does not come suddenly. We have already seen it, when the driver -stops, points with his whip, and cries,— - -“Jerusalem!” - -“What, that?” - -We are above it and nearly upon it. What we see is chiefly this: the -domes and long buildings of the Russian Hospice, on higher ground than -the city and concealing a good part of it; a large number of new houses, -built of limestone prettily streaked with the red oxyde of iron; the -roofs of a few of the city houses, and a little portion of the wall that -overlooks the Valley of Hinnom. The remainder of the city of David is -visible to the imagination. - -The suburb through which we pass cannot be called pleasing. Everything -outside the walls looks new and naked; the whitish glare of the stone is -relieved by little vegetation, and the effect is that of barrenness. As -we drive down along the wall of the Russian convent, we begin to meet -pilgrims and strangers, with whom the city overflows at this season; -many Russian peasants, unkempt, unsavory fellows, with long hair and -dirty apparel, but most of them wearing a pelisse trimmed with fur and a -huge fur hat. There are coffee-houses and all sorts of cheap booths -and shanty shops along the highway. The crowd is motley and far from -pleasant; it is sordid, grimy, hard, very different from the more -homogeneous, easy, flowing, graceful, and picturesque assemblage of -vagabonds at the gate of an Egyptian town. There are Russians, Cossacks, -Georgians, Jews, Armenians, Syrians. The northern dirt and squalor and -fanaticism do not come gracefully into the Orient. Besides, the rabble -is importunate and impudent. - -We enter by the Jaffa and Hebron gate, a big square tower, with the -exterior entrance to the north and the interior to the east, and the -short turn is choked with camels and horses and a clamorous crowd. -Beside it stands the ruinous citadel of Saladin and the Tower of David, -a noble entrance to a mean street. Through the rush of footmen and -horsemen, beggars, venders of olive-wood, Moslems, Jews, and Greeks, -we make our way to the Mediterranean Hotel, a rambling new hostelry. In -passing to our rooms we pause a moment upon an open balcony to look down -into the green Pool of Hezekiah, and off over the roofs to the Mount of -Olives. Having secured our rooms, I hasten along narrow and abominably -cobbled streets, mere ditches of stone, lined with mean shops, to the -Centre of the Earth, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. - - - - -II.—JERUSALEM. - -IT was in obedience to a natural but probably mistaken impulse, that I -went straight to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during my first hour -in the city. Perhaps it was a mistake to go there at all; certainly I -should have waited until I had become more accustomed to holy places. -When a person enters this memorable church, as I did, expecting to see -only two sacred sites, and is brought immediately face to face with -thirty-seven, his mind is staggered, and his credulity becomes so -enfeebled that it is practically useless to him thereafter in any part -of the Holy City. And this is a pity, for it is so much easier and -sweeter to believe than to doubt. - -It would have been better, also, to have visited Jerusalem many -years ago; then there were fewer sacred sites invented, and scholarly -investigation had not so sharply questioned the authenticity of the few. -But I thought of none of these things as I stumbled along the narrow and -filthy streets, which are stony channels of mud and water, rather than -foot-paths, and peeped into the dirty little shops that line the way. I -thought only that I was in Jerusalem; and it was impossible, at -first, for its near appearance to empty the name of its tremendous -associations, or to drive out the image of that holy city, -“conjubilant with song.” - -I had seen the dome of the church from the hotel balcony; the building -itself is so hemmed in by houses that only its south side, in which -is the sole entrance, can be seen from the street. In front of this -entrance is a small square; the descent to this square is by a flight -of steps down Palmer Street, a lane given up to the traffic in beads, -olive-wood, ivory-carving, and the thousand trinkets, most of them cheap -and inartistic, which absorb the industry of the Holy City. The little -square itself, surrounded by ancient buildings on three sides and by -the blackened walls of the church on the north, might be set down in a -mediæval Italian town without incongruity. And at the hour I first saw -it, you would have said that a market or fair was in progress there. -This, however, I found was its normal condition. It is always occupied -by a horde of more clamorous and impudent merchants than you will find -in any other place in the Orient. - -It is with some difficulty that the pilgrim can get through the throng -and approach the portal. The pavement is covered with heaps of beads, -shells, and every species of holy fancy-work, by which are seated the -traders, men and women, in wait for customers. The moment I stopped to -look at the church, and it was discovered that I was a new-comer, a -rush was made at me from every part of the square, and I was at once the -centre of the most eager and hungry crowd. Sharp-faced Greeks, impudent -Jews, fair-faced women from Bethlehem, sleek Armenians, thrust strings -of rude olive beads and crosses into my face, forced upon my notice -trumpery carving in ivory, in nuts, in seeds, and screamed prices and -entreaties in chorus, bidding against each other and holding fast to me, -as if I were the last man, and this were the last opportunity they would -ever have of getting rid of their rubbish. Handfuls of beads rapidly -fell from five francs to half a franc, and the dealers insisted upon -my buying, with a threatening air; I remember one hard-featured and -rapacious wretch who danced about and clung to me, and looked into my -eyes with an expression that said plainly, “If you don't buy these -beads I 'll murder you.” My recollection is that I bought, for I -never can resist a persuasion of this sort. Whenever I saw the fellow in -the square afterwards, I always fancied that he regarded me with a sort -of contempt, but he made no further attempt on my life. - -This is the sort of preparation that one daily has in approaching the -Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The greed and noise of traffic around it -are as fatal to sentiment as they are to devotion. You may be amused -one day, you may be indignant the next; at last you will be weary of the -importunate crowd; and the only consolation you can get from these daily -scenes of the desecration of the temple of pilgrimage is the proof they -afford that this is indeed Jerusalem, and that these are the legitimate -descendants of the thieves whom Christ scourged from the precincts of -the temple. Alas that they should thrive under the new dispensation as -they did under the old! - -A considerable part of the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre is -not more than sixty years old; but the massive, carved, and dark south -portal, and the remains of the old towers and walls on this side, may be -eight hundred. There has been some sort of a church here ever since the -time of Constantine (that is, three centuries after the crucifixion of -our Lord), which has marked the spot that was then determined to be the -site of the Holy Sepulchre. Many a time the buildings have been swept -away by fire or by the fanaticism of enemies, but they have as often -been renewed. There would seem at first to have been a cluster of -buildings here, each of which arose to cover a newly discovered sacred -site. Happily, all the sacred places are now included within the walls -of this many-roofed, heterogeneous mass, of chapels, shrines, tombs, and -altars of worship of many warring sects, called the Church of the Holy -Sepulchre. - -Happily also the exhaustive discussion of the question of the true site -of the sepulchre, conducted by the most devout and accomplished biblical -scholars and the keenest antiquarians of the age, relieves the ordinary -tourist from any obligation to enter upon an investigation that would -interest none but those who have been upon the spot. No doubt the larger -portion of the Christian world accepts this site as the true one. - -I make with diffidence a suggestion that struck me, although it may not -be new. The Pool of Hezekiah is not over four hundred feet, measured -on the map, from the dome of the sepulchre. Under the church itself -are several large excavations in the rocks, which were once cisterns. -Ancient Jerusalem depended for its water upon these cisterns, which -took the drainage from the roofs, and upon a few pools, like that of -Hezekiah, which were fed from other reservoirs, such as Solomon's -Pool, at a considerable distance from the city. These cisterns under the -church may not date back to the time of our Lord, but if they do, they -were doubtless at that time within the walls. And of course the Pool of -Hezekiah, so near to this alleged site, cannot be supposed to have been -beyond the walls. - -Within the door of the church, upon a raised divan at one side, as if -this were a bazaar and he were the merchant, sat a fat Turk, in official -dress, the sneering warden of this Christian edifice, and the perhaps -necessary guardian of peace within. His presence there, however, is -at first a disagreeable surprise to all those who rebel at owing an -approach to the holy place to the toleration of a Moslem; but I was -quite relieved of any sense of obligation when, upon coming out, the -Turk asked me for backsheesh! - -Whatever one may think as to the site of Calvary, no one can approach -a spot which even claims to be it, and which has been for centuries the -object of worship of millions, and is constantly thronged by believing -pilgrims, without profound emotion. It was late in the afternoon when -I entered the church, and already the shades of evening increased the -artificial gloom of the interior. At the very entrance lies an object -that arrests one. It is a long marble slab resting upon the pavement, -about which candles are burning. Every devout pilgrim who comes in -kneels and kisses it, and it is sometimes difficult to see it for the -crowds who press about it. Underneath it is supposed to be the Stone of -Unction upon which the Lord's body was laid, according to the Jewish -fashion, for anointing, after he was taken from the cross. - -I turned directly into the rotunda, under the dome of which is the stone -building enclosing the Holy Sepulchre, a ruder structure than that which -covers the hut and tomb of St. Francis in the church at Assisi. I met -in the way a procession of Latin monks, bearing candles, and chanting -as they walked. They were making the round of the holy places in the -church, this being their hour for the tour. The sects have agreed upon -certain hours for these little daily pilgrimages, so that there shall -be no collision. A rabble of pilgrims followed the monks. They had just -come from incensing and adoring the sepulchre, and the crowd of other -pilgrims who had been waiting their turn were now pressing in at the -narrow door. As many times as I have been there, I have always seen -pilgrims struggling to get in and struggling to get out. The proud and -the humble crowd there together; the greasy boor from beyond the Volga -jostles my lady from Naples, and the dainty pilgrim from America pushes -her way through a throng of stout Armenian peasants. But I have never -seen any disorder there, nor any rudeness, except the thoughtless -eagerness of zeal. - -Taking my chance in the line, I passed into the first apartment, called -the Chapel of the Angel, a narrow and gloomy antechamber, which takes -its name from the fragment of stone in the centre, the stone upon which -the angel sat after it had been rolled away from the sepulchre. A stream -of light came through the low and narrow door of the tomb. Through the -passage to this vault only one person can enter at a time, and the tomb -will hold no more than three or four. Stooping along the passage, which -is cased with marble like the tomb, and may cover natural rock, I came -into the sacred place, and into a blaze of silver lamps, and candles. -The vault is not more than six feet by seven, and is covered by a low -dome. The sepulchral stone occupies all the right side, and is the -object of devotion. It is of marble, supposed to cover natural stone, -and is cracked and worn smooth on the edge by the kisses of millions of -people. The attendant who stood at one end opened a little trap-door, -in which lamp-cloths were kept, and let me see the naked rock, which is -said to be that of the tomb. While I stood there in that very centre of -the faith and longing of so many souls, which seemed almost to palpitate -with a consciousness of its awful position, pilgrim after pilgrim, -on bended knees, entered the narrow way, kissed with fervor or with -coldness the unresponsive marble, and withdrew in the same attitude. -Some approached it with streaming eyes and kissed it with trembling -rapture; some ladies threw themselves upon the cold stone and sobbed -aloud. Indeed, I did not of my own will intrude upon these acts of -devotion, which have the right of secrecy, but it was some time before -I could escape, so completely was the entrance blocked up. When I had -struggled out, I heard chanting from the hill of Golgotha, and saw the -gleaming of a hundred lights from chapel and tomb and remote recesses, -but I cared to see no more of the temple itself that day. - -The next morning (it was the 7th of April) was very cold, and the -day continued so. Without, the air was keen, and within it was nearly -impossible to get warm or keep so, in the thick-walled houses, which -had gathered the damp and chill of dungeons. You might suppose that -the dirtiest and most beggarly city in the world could not be much -deteriorated by the weather, but it is. In a cheerful, sunny day -you find that the desolation of Jerusalem has a certain charm and -attraction: even a tattered Jew leaning against a ruined wall, or a -beggar on a dunghill, is picturesque in the sunshine; but if you put a -day of chill rain and frosty wind into the city, none of the elements of -complete misery are wanting. There is nothing to be done, day or night; -indeed, there is nothing ever to be done in the evening, except to read -your guide-book—that is, the Bible—and go to bed. You are obliged to -act like a Christian here, whatever you are. - -Speaking of the weather, a word about the time for visiting Syria may -not be amiss. In the last part of March the snow was a foot deep in the -streets; parties who had started on their tour northward were snowed in -and forced to hide in their tents three days from the howling winter. -There is pleasure for you! We found friends in the city who had been -waiting two weeks after they had exhausted its sights, for settled -weather that would permit them to travel northward. To be sure, the -inhabitants say that this last storm ought to have been rain instead of -snow, according to the habit of the seasons; and it no doubt would have -been if this region were not twenty-five hundred feet above the sea. The -hardships of the Syrian tour are enough in the best weather, and I am -convinced that our dragoman is right in saying that most travellers -begin it too early in the spring. - -Jerusalem is not a formidable city to the explorer who is content to -remain above ground, and is not too curious about its substructions and -buried walls, and has no taste, as some have, for crawling through its -drains. I suppose it would elucidate the history of the Jews if we -could dig all this hill away and lay bare all the old foundations, and -ascertain exactly how the city was watered. I, for one, am grateful to -the excellent man and great scholar who crawled on his hands and knees -through a subterranean conduit, and established the fact of a connection -between the Fountain of the Virgin and the Pool of Siloam. But I would -rather contribute money to establish a school for girls in the Holy -City, than to aid in laying bare all the aqueducts from Ophel to the -Tower of David. But this is probably because I do not enough appreciate -the importance of such researches among Jewish remains to the progress -of Christian truth and morality in the world. The discoveries hitherto -made have done much to clear up the topography of ancient Jerusalem; -I do not know that they have yielded anything valuable to art or to -philology, any treasures illustrating the habits, the social life, the -culture, or the religion of the past, such as are revealed beneath -the soil of Rome or in the ashes of Pompeii; it is, however, true that -almost every tourist in Jerusalem becomes speedily involved in all these -questions of ancient sites,—the identification of valleys that once -existed, of walls that are now sunk under the accumulated rubbish of two -thousand years, from thirty feet to ninety feet deep, and of foundations -that are rough enough and massive enough to have been laid by David and -cemented by Solomon. And the fascination of the pursuit would soon send -one underground, with a pickaxe and a shovel. But of all the diggings I -saw in the Holy City, that which interested me most was the excavation -of the church and hospital of the chivalric Knights of St. John; -concerning which I shall say a word further on. - -The present walls were built by Sultan Suleiman in the middle of the -sixteenth century, upon foundations much older, and here and there, as -you can see, upon big blocks of Jewish workmanship. The wall is high -enough and very picturesque in its zigzag course and re-entering angles, -and, I suppose, strong enough to hitch a horse to; but cannon-balls -would make short work of it. - -Having said thus much of the topography, gratuitously and probably -unnecessarily, for every one is supposed to know Jerusalem as well as he -knows his native town, we are free to look at anything that may chance -to interest us. I do not expect, however, that any words of mine can -convey to the reader a just conception of the sterile and blasted -character of this promontory and the country round about it, or of the -squalor, shabbiness, and unpicturesqueness of the city, always excepting -a few of its buildings and some fragments of antiquity built into modern -structures here and there. And it is difficult to feel that this spot -was ever the splendid capital of a powerful state, that this arid and -stricken country could ever have supplied the necessities of such a -capital, and, above all, that so many Jews could ever have been crowded -within this cramped space as Josephus says perished in the siege by -Titus, when ninety-seven thousand were carried into captivity and eleven -hundred thousand died by famine and the sword. Almost the entire Jewish -nation must have been packed within this small area. - -Our first walk through the city was in the Via Dolorosa, as gloomy a -thoroughfare as its name implies. Its historical portion is that steep -and often angled part between the Holy Sepulchre and the house of -Pilate, but we traversed the whole length of it to make our exit from -St. Stephen's Gate toward the Mount of Olives. It is only about -four hundred years ago that this street obtained the name of the Via -Dolorosa, and that the sacred “stations” on it were marked out for -the benefit of the pilgrim. It is a narrow lane, steep in places, having -frequent sharp angles, running under arches, and passing between gloomy -buildings, enlivened by few shops. Along this way Christ passed from -the Judgment Hall of Pilate to Calvary. I do not know how many times -the houses along it have been destroyed and rebuilt since their -conflagration by Titus, but this destruction is no obstacle to -the existence intact of all that are necessary to illustrate the -Passion-pilgrimage of our Lord. In this street I saw the house of Simon -the Cyrenian, who bore the cross after Jesus; I saw the house of -St. Veronica, from which that woman stepped forth and gave Jesus a -handkerchief to wipe his brow,—the handkerchief, with the Lord's -features imprinted on it, which we have all seen exhibited at St. -Peter's in Rome; and I looked for the house of the Wandering Jew, or -at least for the spot where he stood when he received that awful mandate -of fleshly immortality. In this street are recognized the several -“stations” that Christ made in bearing the cross; we were shown the -places where he fell, a stone having the impress of his hand, a pillar -broken by his fall, and also the stone upon which Mary sat when he -passed by. Nothing is wanting that the narrative requires. We saw also -in this street the house of Dives, and the stone on which Lazarus sat -while the dogs ministered unto him. It seemed to me that I must be in -a dream, in thus beholding the houses and places of resort of the -characters in a parable; and I carried my dilemma to a Catholic friend. -But a learned father assured him that there was no doubt that this is -the house of Dives, for Christ often took his parables from real life. -After that I went again to look at the stone, in a corner of a building -amid a heap of refuse, upon which the beggar sat, and to admire the -pretty stone tracery of the windows in the house of Dives. - -At the end of the street, in a new Latin nunnery, are the remains of -the house of Pilate, which are supposed to be authentic. The present -establishment is called the convent of St. Anne, and the community is -very fortunate, at this late day, in obtaining such a historic site for -itself. We had the privilege of seeing here some of the original rock -that formed part of the foundations of Pilate's house; and there are -three stones built into the altar that were taken from the pavement of -Gabbatha, upon which Christ walked. These are recent discoveries; it -appears probable that the real pavement of Gabbatha has been found, -since Pilate's house is so satisfactorily identified. Spanning the -street in front of this convent is the Ecce Homo arch, upon which Pilate -showed Christ to the populace. The ground of the new building was until -recently in possession of the Moslems, who would not sell it for a less -price than seventy thousand francs; the arch they would not sell at all; -and there now dwells, in a small chamber on top of it, a Moslem saint -and hermit. The world of pilgrims flows under his feet; he looks from -his window upon a daily procession of Christians, who traverse the Via -Dolorosa, having first signified their submission to the Moslem yoke -in the Holy City by passing under this arch of humiliation. The hermit, -however, has the grace not to show himself, and few know that he sits -there, in the holy occupation of letting his hair and his nails grow. - -From the house of the Roman procurator we went to the citadel of -Sultan Suleiman. This stands close by the Jaffa Gate, and is the most -picturesque object in all the circuit of the walls, and, although the -citadel is of modern origin, its most characteristic portion lays claim -to great antiquity. The massive structure which impresses all strangers -who enter by the Jaffa Gate is called the Tower of Hippicus, and also -the Tower of David. It is identified as the tower which Herod built and -Josephus describes, and there is as little doubt that its foundations -are the same that David laid and Solomon strengthened. There are no such -stones in any other part of the walls as these enormous bevelled blocks; -they surpass those in the Harem wall, at what is called the Jews' -Wailing Place. The tower stands upon the northwest corner of the old -wall of Zion, and being the point most open to attack it was most -strongly built. - -It seems also to have been connected with the palace on Zion which David -built, for it is the tradition that it was from this tower that the king -first saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, when “it came to pass in an -eventide that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of -the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; -and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” On the other side -of the city gate we now look down upon the Pool of Bathsheba, in which -there is no water, and we are informed that it was by that pool that the -lovely woman, who was destined to be the mother of Solomon, sat when -the king took his evening walk. Others say that she sat by the Pool of -Gibon. It does not matter. The subject was a very fruitful one for the -artists of the Renaissance, who delighted in a glowing reproduction -of the biblical stories, and found in such incidents as this and the -confusion of Susanna themes in which the morality of the age could -express itself without any conflict with the religion of the age. It is -a comment not so much upon the character of David as upon the morality -of the time in which he lived, that although he repented, and no doubt -sincerely, of his sin when reproved for it, his repentance did not take -the direction of self-denial; he did not send away Bathsheba. - -This square old tower is interiorly so much in ruins that it is not easy -to climb to its parapet, and yet it still has a guardhouse attached to -it, and is kept like a fortification; a few rusty old cannon, under the -charge of the soldiers, would injure only those who attempted to fire -them; the entire premises have a tumble-down, Turkish aspect. The view -from the top is the best in the city of the city itself; we saw also -from it the hills of Moab and a bit of the Dead Sea. - -Close by is the Armenian quarter, covering a large part of what was once -the hill of Zion. I wish it were the Christian quarter, for it is the -only part of the town that makes any pretension to cleanliness, and it -has more than any other the aspect of an abode of peace and charity. -This is owing to its being under the government of one corporation, for -the Armenian convent covers nearly the entire space of this extensive -quarter. The convent is a singular, irregular mass of houses, courts, -and streets, the latter apparently running over and under and through -the houses; you come unexpectedly upon stairways, you traverse roofs, -you enter rooms and houses on the roofs of other houses, and it is -difficult to say at any time whether you are on the earth or in the -air. The convent, at this season, is filled with pilgrims, over three -thousand of whom, I was told, were lodged here. We came upon families of -them in the little rooms in the courts and corridors, or upon the roofs, -pursuing their domestic avocations as if they were at home, cooking, -mending, sleeping, a boorish but simple-minded lot of peasants. - -The church is a large and very interesting specimen of religious -architecture and splendid, barbaric decoration. In the vestibule hang -the “bells.” These are long planks of a sonorous wood, which give -forth a ringing sound when struck with a club. As they are of different -sizes, you get some variation of tone, and they can be heard far enough -to call the inmates of the convent to worship. The interior walls are -lined with ancient blue tiles to a considerable height, and above them -are rude and inartistic sacred pictures. There is in the church much -curious inlaid work of mother-of-pearl and olive-wood, especially about -the doors of the chapels, and one side shines with the pearl as if it -were encrusted with silver. Ostrich eggs are strung about in profusion, -with hooks attached for hanging lamps. - -The first day of our visit to this church, in one of the doorways of -what seemed to be a side chapel, and which was thickly encrusted with -mother-of-pearl, stood the venerable bishop, in a light rose-colored -robe and a pointed hood, with a cross in his hand, preaching to the -pilgrims, who knelt on the pavement before him, talking in a familiar -manner, and, our guide said, with great plainness of speech. The -Armenian clergy are celebrated for the splendor of their vestments, -and I could not but think that this rose-colored bishop, in his shining -framework, must seem like a being of another sphere to the boors before -him. He almost imposed upon us. - -These pilgrims appeared to be of the poorest agricultural class of -laborers, and their costume is uncouth beyond description. In a side -chapel, where we saw tiles on the walls that excited our envy,—the -quaintest figures and illustrations of sacred subjects,—the clerks -were taking the names of pilgrims just arrived, who kneeled before them -and paid a Napoleon each for their lodging in the convent, as long -as they should choose to stay. In this chapel were the shoes of the -pilgrims who had gone into the church, a motley collection of foot-gear, -covering half the floor: leather and straw, square shoes as broad as -long, round shoes, pointed shoes, old shoes, patched shoes, shoes with -the toes gone, a pathetic gathering that told of poverty and weary -travel—and big feet. These shoes were things to muse on, for each -pair, made maybe in a different century, seemed to have a character -of its own, as it stood there awaiting the owner. People often, make -reflections upon a pair of shoes; literature is full of them. Poets have -celebrated many a pretty shoe,—a queen's slipper, it may be, or the -hobnail brogan of a peasant, or, oftener, the tiny shoes of a child; -but it is seldom that one has an opportunity for such comprehensive -moralizing as was here given. If we ever regretted the lack of a poet in -our party, it was now. - -We walked along the Armenian walls, past the lepers' quarter, and -outside the walls, through the Gate of Zion, or the Gate of the Prophet -David as it is also called, and came upon a continuation of the plateau -of the hill of Zion, which is now covered with cemeteries, and is the -site of the house of Caiaphas and of the tomb of David and those Kings -of Jerusalem who were considered by the people worthy of sepulture here; -for the Jews seem to have brought from Egypt the notion of refusing -royal burial to their bad kings, and they had very few respectable ones. - -The house of Caiaphas the high-priest had suffered a recent tumble-down, -and was in such a state of ruin that we could with difficulty enter it -or recognize any likeness of a house. On the premises is an Armenian -chapel; in it we were shown the prison in which Christ was confined, -also the stone door of the sepulchre, which the Latins say the Armenians -stole. But the most remarkable object here is the little marble column -(having carved on it a figure of Christ bound to a pillar) upon which -the cock stood and crowed when Peter denied his Lord. There are some -difficulties in the way of believing this now, but they will lessen as -the column gets age. - -Outside this gate lie the desolate fields strewn with the brown -tombstones of the Greeks and Armenians, a melancholy spectacle. Each -sect has its own cemetery, and the dead sleep peaceably enough, but -the living who bury them frequently quarrel. I saw one day a funeral -procession halted outside the walls; for some reason the Greek priest -had refused the dead burial in the grave dug for him in the cemetery; -the bier was dumped on the slope beside the road, and half overturned; -the friends were sitting on the ground, wrangling. The man had been dead -three days, and the coffin had been by the roadside in this place since -the day before. This was in the morning; towards night I saw the same -crowd there, but a Turkish official appeared and ordered the Greeks to -bury their dead somewhere, and that without delay; to bury it for the -sake of the public health, and quarrel about the grave afterwards if -they must. A crowd collected, joining with fiery gesticulation and -clamor in the dispute, the shrill voices of women being heard above all; -but at last, four men roughly shouldered the box, handling it as if it -contained merchandise, and trotted off with it. - -As we walked over this pathless, barren necropolis, strewn, as it -were, hap-hazard with shapeless, broken, and leaning headstones, it was -impossible to connect with it any sentiment of affection or piety. It -spoke, like everything else about here, of mortality, and seemed only a -part of that historical Jerusalem which is dead and buried, in which no -living person can have anything more than an archaeological interest. -It was, then, with something like a shock that we heard Demetrius, our -guide, say, pointing to a rude stone,— - -“That is the grave of my mother!” - -Demetrius was a handsome Greek boy, of a beautiful type which has almost -disappeared from Greece itself, and as clever a lad as ever spoke all -languages and accepted all religions, without yielding too much to any -one. He had been well educated in the English school, and his education -had failed to put any faith in place of the superstition it had -destroyed. The boy seemed to be numerously if not well connected in the -city; he was always exchanging a glance and a smile with some -pretty, dark-eyed Greek girl whom we met in the way, and when I said, -“Demetrius, who was that?” he always answered, “That is my -cousin.” - -The boy was so intelligent, so vivacious, and full of the spirit of -adventure,—begging me a dozen times a day to take him with me anywhere -in the world,—and so modern, that he had not till this moment seemed -to belong to Jerusalem, nor to have any part in its decay. This chance -discovery of his intimate relation to this necropolis gave, if I may say -so, a living interest to it, and to all the old burying-grounds about -the city, some of which link the present with the remote past by an -uninterrupted succession of interments for nearly three thousand years. - -Just beyond this expanse, or rather in part of it, is a small plot of -ground surrounded by high whitewashed walls, the entrance to which is -secured by a heavy door. This is the American cemetery; and the stout -door and thick wall are, I suppose, necessary to secure its graves -from Moslem insult. It seems not to be visited often, for it was with -difficulty that we could turn the huge key in the rusty lock. There -are some half-dozen graves within; the graves are grass-grown and -flower-sprinkled, and the whole area is a tangle of unrestrained weeds -and grass. The high wall cuts off all view, but we did not for the time -miss it, rather liking for the moment to be secured from the sight of -the awful desolation, and to muse upon the strange fortune that had -drawn to be buried here upon Mount Zion, as a holy resting-place for -them, people alien in race, language, and customs to the house of David, -and removed from it by such spaces of time and distance; people to whom -the worship performed by David, if he could renew it in person on Zion, -would be as distasteful as is that of the Jews in yonder synagogue. - -Only a short distance from this we came to the mosque which contains -the tomb of David and probably of Solomon and other Kings of Judah. No -historical monument in or about Jerusalem is better authenticated than -this. Although now for many centuries the Moslems have had possession of -it and forbidden access to it, there is a tolerably connected tradition -of its possession. It was twice opened and relieved of the enormous -treasure in gold and silver which Solomon deposited in it; once by -Hyrcanus Maccabæus, who took what he needed, and again by Herod, -who found very little. There are all sorts of stories told about the -splendor of this tomb and the state with which the Moslems surround it. -But they envelop it in so much mystery that no one can know the truth. -It is probable that the few who suppose they have seen it have seen only -a sort of cenotaph which is above the real tomb in the rock below. The -room which has been seen is embellished with some display of richness -in shawls and hangings of gold embroidery, and contains a sarcophagus of -rough stone, and lights are always burning there. If the royal tombs are -in this place, they are doubtless in the cave below. - -Over this spot was built a church by the early Christians; and it is a -tradition that in this building was the Conaculum. This site may very -likely be that of the building where the Last Supper was laid, and it -may be that St. Stephen suffered martyrdom here, and that the Virgin -died here; the building may be as old as the fourth century, but the -chances of any building standing so long in this repeatedly destroyed -city are not good. There is a little house north of this mosque in which -the Virgin spent the last years of her life; if she did, she must have -lived to be over a thousand years old. - -On the very brow of the hill, and overlooking the lower pool of Gibon, -is the English school, with its pretty garden and its cemetery. We -saw there some excavations, by which the bedrock had been laid bare, -disclosing some stone steps cut in it. Search is being made here for -the Seat of Solomon, but it does not seem to me a vital matter, for -I suppose he sat down all over this hill, which was covered with his -palaces and harems and other buildings of pleasure, built of stones -that “were of great value, such as are dug out of the earth for the -ornaments of temples and to make fine prospects in royal palaces, and -which make the mines whence they are dug famous.” Solomon's palace -was constructed entirely of white stone, and cedar-wood, and gold and -silver; in it “were very long cloisters, and those situate in -an agreeable place in the palace, and among them a most glorious -dining-room for feastings and compotations”; indeed, Josephus finds -it difficult to reckon up the variety and the magnitude of the royal -apartments,—“how many that were subterraneous and invisible, the -curiosity of those that enjoyed the fresh air, and the groves for the -most delightful prospect, for avoiding the heat, and covering their -bodies.” If this most luxurious of monarchs introduced here all the -styles of architecture which would represent the nationality of his -wives, as he built temples to suit their different religions, the hill -of Zion must have resembled, on a small scale, the Munich of King Ludwig -I. - -Opposite the English school, across the Valley of Hinnom, is a long -block of modern buildings which is one of the most conspicuous -objects outside the city. It was built by another rich Jew, Sir Moses -Montefiore, of London, and contains tenements for poor Jews. Sir Moses -is probably as rich as Solomon was in his own right, and he makes a most -charitable use of his money; but I do not suppose that if he had at his -command the public wealth that Solomon had, who made silver as plentiful -as stones in the streets of Jerusalem, he could materially alleviate the -lazy indigence of the Jewish exiles here. The aged philanthropist made -a journey hither in the summer of 1875, to ascertain for himself -the condition of the Jews. I believe he has a hope of establishing -manufactories in which they can support themselves; but the minds of the -Jews who are already restored are not set upon any sort of industry. It -seems to me that they could be maintained much more cheaply if they were -transported to a less barren land. - -We made, one day, an exploration of the Jews' quarter, which enjoys -the reputation of being more filthy than the Christian. The approach to -it is down a gutter which has the sounding name of the Street of David; -it was bad enough, but when we entered the Jews' part of the city we -found ourselves in lanes and gutters of incomparable unpleasantness, -and almost impassable, with nothing whatever in them interesting or -picturesque, except the inhabitants. We had a curiosity to see if there -were here any real Jews of the type that inhabited the city in the -time of our Lord, and we saw many with fair skin and light hair, with -straight nose and regular features. The persons whom we are accustomed -to call Jews, and who were found dispersed about Europe at a very early -period of modern history, have the Assyrian features, the hook nose, -dark hair and eyes, and not at all the faces of the fair-haired race -from which our Saviour is supposed to have sprung. The kingdom of -Israel, which contained the ten tribes, was gobbled up by the Assyrians -about the time Rome was founded, and from that date these tribes do -not appear historically. They may have entirely amalgamated with their -conquerors, and the modified race subsequently have passed into Europe; -for the Jews claim to have been in Europe before the destruction of -Jerusalem by Titus, in which nearly all the people of the kingdom of -Judah perished. - -Some scholars, who have investigated the problem offered by the two -types above mentioned, think that the Jew as we know him in Europe and -America is not the direct descendant of the Jews of Jerusalem of the -time of Herod, and that the true offspring of the latter is the person -of the light hair and straight nose who is occasionally to be found in -Jerusalem to-day. Until this ethnological problem is settled, I -shall most certainly withhold my feeble contributions for the -“restoration” of the persons at present doing business under the -name of Jews among the Western nations. - -But we saw another type of Jew, or rather another variety, in this -quarter. He called himself of the tribe of Benjamin, and is, I think, -the most unpleasant human being I have ever encountered. Every man who -supposes himself of this tribe wears a dark, corkscrew, stringy -curl hanging down each side of his face, and the appearance of nasty -effeminacy which this gives cannot be described. The tribe of Benjamin -does not figure well in sacred history,—it was left-handed; it was -pretty much exterminated by the other tribes once for an awful crime; it -was held from going into the settled idolatry of the kingdom of -Israel only by its contiguity to Judah,—but it was better than its -descendants, if these are its descendants. - -More than half of the eight thousand Jews in Jerusalem speak Spanish as -their native tongue, and are the offspring of those expelled from Spain -by Ferdinand. Now and then, I do not know whether it was Spanish or -Arabic, we saw a good face, a noble countenance, a fine Oriental and -venerable type, and occasionally, looking from a window, a Jewish -beauty; but the most whom we met were debased, mis-begotten, the -remnants of sin, squalor, and bad living. - -We went into two of the best synagogues,—one new, with a conspicuous -green dome. They are not fine; on the contrary, they are slatternly -places and very ill-kept. On the benches near the windows sat squalid -men and boys reading, the latter, no doubt, students of the law; all the -passages, stairs, and by-rooms were dirty and disorderly, as if it were -always Monday morning there, but never washing-day; rags and heaps of -ancient garments were strewn about; and occasionally we nearly stumbled -over a Jew, indistinguishable from a bundle of old clothes, and asleep -on the floor. Even the sanctuary is full of unkempt people, and of the -evidences of the squalor of the quarter. If this is a specimen of the -restoration of the Jews, they had better not be restored any more. - -The thing to do (if the worldliness of the expression will be pardoned) -Friday is to go and see the Jews wail, as in Constantinople it is to see -the Sultan go to prayer, and in Cairo to hear the darwishes howl. The -performance, being an open-air one, is sometimes prevented by rain or -snow, but otherwise it has not failed for many centuries. This ancient -practice is probably not what it once was, having in our modern days, -by becoming a sort of fashion, lost its spontaneity; it will, however, -doubtless be long kept up, as everything of this sort endures in the -East, even if it should become necessary to hire people to wail. - -The Friday morning of the day chosen for our visit to the wailing place -was rainy, following a rainy night. The rough-paved open alleys were -gutters of mud, the streets under arches (for there are shops in -subterranean constructions and old vaulted passages) were damper and -darker than usual; the whole city, with its narrow lanes, and thick -walls, and no sewers, was clammy and uncomfortable. We loitered for a -time in the dark and grave-like gold bazaars, where there is but a poor -display of attractions. Pilgrims from all lands were sopping about in -the streets; conspicuous among them were Persians wearing high, -conical frieze hats, and short-legged, big-calfed Russian peasant -women,—animated meal-bags. - -We walked across to the Zion Gate, and mounting the city wall there—an -uneven and somewhat broken, but sightly promenade—followed it round to -its junction with the Temple wall, and to Robinson's Arch. Underneath -the wall by Zion Gate dwell, in low stone huts and burrows, a -considerable number of lepers, who form a horrid community by -themselves. These poor creatures, with toeless feet and fingerless -hands, came out of their dens and assailed us with piteous cries for -charity. What could be done? It was impossible to give to all. The -little we threw them they fought for, and the unsuccessful followed us -with whetted eagerness. We could do nothing but flee, and we climbed the -wall and ran down it, leaving Demetrius behind as a rear-guard. I -should have had more pity for them if they had not exhibited so -much maliciousness. They knew their power, and brought all their -loathsomeness after us, thinking that we would be forced to buy their -retreat. Two hideous old women followed us a long distance, and -when they became convinced that further howling and whining would be -fruitless, they suddenly changed tone and cursed us with healthful -vigor; having cursed us, they hobbled home to roost. - -This part of the wall crosses what was once the Tyrophoan Valley, which -is now pretty much filled up; it ran between Mount Moriah, on which -the Temple stood, and Mount Zion. It was spanned in ancient times by a -bridge some three hundred and fifty feet long, resting on stone arches -whose piers must have been from one hundred to two hundred feet in -height; this connected the Temple platform with the top of the steep -side of Zion. It was on the Temple end of this bridge that Titus stood -and held parley with the Jews who refused to surrender Zion after the -loss of Moriah. - -The exact locality of this interesting bridge was discovered by Dr. -Robinson. Just north of the southwest corner of the Harem wall (that -is, the Temple or Mount Moriah wall) he noticed three courses of huge -projecting stones, which upon careful inspection proved to be the -segment of an arch. The spring of the arch is so plainly to be seen now -that it is a wonder it remained so long unknown. - -The Wailing Place of the Jews is on the west side of the Temple -enclosure, a little to the north of this arch; it is in a long, narrow -court formed by the walls of modern houses and the huge blocks of stone -of this part of the original wall. These stones are no doubt as old as -Solomon's Temple, and the Jews can here touch the very walls of the -platform of that sacred edifice. - -Every Friday a remnant of the children of Israel comes here to weep and -wail. They bring their Scriptures, and leaning against the honey-combed -stone, facing it, read the Lamentations and the Psalms, in a wailing -voice, and occasionally cry aloud in a chorus of lamentation, weeping, -blowing their long noses with blue cotton handkerchiefs, and kissing -the stones. We were told that the smoothness of the stones in spots was -owing to centuries of osculation. The men stand together at one part of -the wall and the women at another. There were not more than twenty Jews -present as actors in the solemn ceremony the day we visited the spot, -and they did not wail much, merely reading the Scriptures in a mumbling -voice and swaying their bodies backward and forward. Still they formed -picturesque and even pathetic groups: venerable old men with long white -beards and hooked noses, clad in rags and shreds and patches in all -degrees of decadence; lank creatures of the tribe of Benjamin with the -corkscrew curls; and skinny old women shaking with weeping, real or -assumed. - -Very likely these wailers were as poor and wretched as they appeared -to be, and their tears were the natural outcome of their grief over the -ruin of the Temple nearly two thousand years ago. I should be the last -one to doubt their enjoyment of this weekly bitter misery. But the -demonstration had somewhat the appearance of a set and show performance; -while it was going on, a shrewd Israelite went about with a box to -collect mites from the spectators. There were many more travellers. -there to see the wailing than there were Jews to wail. This also lent -an unfavorable aspect to the scene. I myself felt that if this were -genuine, I had no business to be there with my undisguised curiosity, -and if it were not genuine, it was the poorest spectacle that Jerusalem -offers to the tourist. Cook's party was there in force, this being -one of the things promised in the contract; and I soon found myself more -interested in Cook's pilgrims than in the others. - -The Scripture read and wailed this day was the fifty-first Psalm of -David. If you turn to it (you may have already discovered that the -covert purpose of these desultory notes is to compel you to read your -Bible), you will see that it expresses David's penitence in the matter -of Bathsheba. - - - - -III.—HOLY PLACES OP THE HOLY CITY. - -THE sojourner in Jerusalem falls into the habit of dropping in at the -Church of the Holy Sepulchre nearly every afternoon. It is the centre -of attraction. There the pilgrims all resort; there one sees, in a day, -many races, and the costumes of strange and distant peoples; there one -sees the various worship of the many Christian sects. There are always -processions making the round of the holy places, sect following -sect, with swinging censers, each fumigating away the effect of its -predecessor. - -The central body of the church, answering to the nave, as the rotunda, -which contains the Holy Sepulchre, answers to choir and apse, is the -Greek chapel, and the most magnificent in the building. The portion of -the church set apart to the Latins, opening also out of the rotunda, -is merely a small chapel. The Armenians have still more contracted -accommodations, and the poor Copts enjoy a mere closet, but it is in a -sacred spot, being attached to the west end of the sepulchre itself. - -On the western side of the rotunda we passed through the bare and -apparently uncared-for chapel of the Syrians, and entered, through a low -door, into a small grotto hewn in the rock. Lighted candles revealed to -us some tombs, little pits cut in the rock, two in the side-wall and two -in the floor. We had a guide who knew every sacred spot in the city, -a man who never failed to satisfy the curiosity of the most credulous -tourist. - -“Whose tombs are these?” we asked. - -“That is the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and that beside it is the -tomb of Nicodemus.” - -“How do you know?” - -“How do I know? You ask me how I know. Have n't I always lived in -Jerusalem? I was born here.” - -“Then perhaps you can tell us, if this tomb belonged to Joseph of -Arimathea and this to Nicodemus, whose is this third one?” - -“O yes, that other,” replied the guide, with only a moment's -paralysis of his invention, “that is the tomb of Arimathea himself.” - -One afternoon at four, service was going on in the Greek chapel, which -shone with silver and blazed with tapers, and was crowded with pilgrims, -principally Russians of both sexes, many of whom had made a painful -pilgrimage of more than two thousand miles on foot merely to prostrate -themselves in this revered place. A Russian bishop and a priest, in -the resplendent robes of their office, were intoning the service -responsively. In the very centre of this chapel is a round hole covered -with a grating, and tapers are generally burning about it. All the -pilgrims kneeled there, and kissed the grating and adored the hole. I -had the curiosity to push my way through the throng in order to see the -object of devotion, but I could discover nothing. It is, however, an -important spot: it is the centre of the earth; though why Christians -should worship the centre of the earth I do not know. The Armenians have -in their chapel also a spot that they say is the real centre; that makes -three that we know of, for everybody understands that there is one in -the Kaaba at Mecca. - -We sat down upon a stone bench near the entrance of the chapel, where we -could observe the passing streams of people, and were greatly diverted -by a blithe and comical beggar who had stationed himself on the pavement -there to intercept the Greek charity of the worshippers when they passed -into the rotunda. He was a diminutive man with distorted limbs; he -wore a peaked red cap, and dragged himself over the pavement, or rather -skipped and flopped about on it like a devil-fish on land. Never was -seen in a beggar such vivacity and imperturbable good-humor, with so -much deviltry in his dancing eyes. - -As we appeared to him to occupy a neutral position as to him and his -victims, he soon took us into his confidence and let us see his mode -of operations. He said (to our guide) that he was a Greek from -Damascus,—O yes, a Christian, a pilgrim, who always came down here at -this season, which was his harvest-time. He hoped (with a wicked wink) -that his devotion would be rewarded. - -It was very entertaining to see him watch the people coming out, and -select his victims, whom he would indicate to us by a motion of his head -as he hopped towards them. He appeared to rely more upon the poor and -simple than upon the rich, and he was more successful with the former. -But he rarely, such was his insight, made a mistake. Whoever gave him -anything he thanked with the utmost empressement of manner; then he -crossed himself, and turned around and winked at us, his confederates. -When an elegantly dressed lady dropped the smallest of copper coins into -his cap, he let us know his opinion of her by a significant gesture -and a shrug of his shoulders. But no matter from whom he received it, -whenever he added a penny to his store the rascal chirped and laughed -and caressed himself. He was in the way of being trodden under foot by -the crowd; but his agility was extraordinary, and I should not have been -surprised at any moment if he had vaulted over the heads of the throng -and disappeared. If he failed to attract the attention of an eligible -pilgrim, he did not hesitate to give the skirt of his elect a jerk, for -which rudeness he would at once apologize with an indescribable grimace -and a joke. - -When the crowd had passed, he slid himself into a corner, by a motion -such as that with which a fish suddenly darts to one side, and set -himself to empty his pocket into his cap and count his plunder, tossing -the pieces into the air and catching them with a chuckle, crossing -himself and hugging himself by turns. He had four francs and a half. -When he had finished counting his money he put it in a bag, and for a -moment his face assumed a grave and business-like expression. We thought -he would depart without demanding anything of us. But we were mistaken; -he had something in view that he no doubt felt would insure him a -liberal backsheesh. Wriggling near to us, he set his face into an -expression of demure humility, held out his cap, and said, in English, -each word falling from his lips as distinctly and unnaturally as if he -had been a wooden articulating machine,— - -“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give -you rest.” - -The rascal's impiety lessened the charity which our intimacy with him -had intended, but he appeared entirely content, chirped, saluted with -gravity, and, with a flop, was gone from our sight. - -At the moment, a procession of Franciscan monks swept by, chanting in -rich bass voices, and followed, as usual, by Latin pilgrims, making -the daily round of the holy places; after they had disappeared we could -still hear their voices and catch now and again the glimmer of their -tapers in the vast dark spaces. - -Opposite the place where we were sitting is the Chapel of the -Apparition, a room not much more than twenty feet square; it is the -Latin chapel, and besides its contiguity to the sepulchre has some -specialties of its own. The chapel is probably eight hundred years old. -In the centre of the pavement is the spot upon which our Lord stood when -he appeared to the Virgin after the resurrection; near it a slab marks -the place where the three crosses were laid after they were dug up by -Helena, and where the one on which our Lord was crucified was identified -by the miracle that it worked in healing a sick man. South of the altar -is a niche in the wall, now covered over, but a round hole is left -in the covering. I saw pilgrims thrust a long stick into this hole, -withdraw it, and kiss the end. The stick had touched a fragment of the -porphyry column to which the Saviour was bound when he was scourged. - -In the semicircle at the east end of the nave are several interesting -places: the prison where Christ was confined before his execution, a -chapel dedicated to the centurion who pierced the side of our Lord, and -the spot on which the vestments were divided. From thence we descend, -by a long flight of steps partly hewn in the rock, to a rude, crypt-like -chapel, in the heavy early Byzantine style, a damp, cheerless place, -called the Chapel of Helena. At the east end of it another flight of -steps leads down into what was formerly a cistern, but is now called the -Chapel of the Invention of the Cross. Here the cross was found, and at -one side of the steps stands the marble chair in which the mother of -Constantine sat while she superintended the digging. Nothing is wanting -that the most credulous pilgrim could wish to see; that is, nothing is -wanting in spots where things were. This chapel belongs to the Latins; -that of Helena to the Greeks; the Abyssinian convent is above both of -them. - -On the south side of the church, near the entrance, is a dark room -called the Chapel of Adam, in which there is never more light than a -feeble taper can give. I groped my way into it often, in the hope of -finding something; perhaps it is purposely involved in an obscurity -typical of the origin of mankind. There is a tradition that Adam -was buried on Golgotha, but the only tomb in this chapel is that of -Melchizedek! The chapel formerly contained that of Godfrey de Bouillon, -elected the first king of Jerusalem in 1099, and of Baldwin, his -brother. We were shown the two-handed sword of Godfrey, with which he -clove a Saracen lengthwise into two equal parts, a genuine relic of a -heroic and barbarous age. At the end of this chapel a glimmering light -lets us see through a grating a crack in the rock made by the earthquake -at the crucifixion. - -The gloom of this mysterious chapel, which is haunted by the spectre -of that dim shadow of unreality, Melchizedek, prepared us to ascend to -Golgotha, above it. The chapels of Golgotha are supported partly upon -a rock which rises fifteen feet above the pavement of the church. The -first is that of the Elevation of the Cross, and belongs to the Greeks. -Under the altar at the east end is a hole in the marble which is over -the hole in the rock in which the cross stood; on either side of it -are the holes of the crosses of the two thieves. The altar is rich with -silver and gold and jewels. The chamber, when we entered it, was blazing -with light, and Latin monks were performing their adorations, with -chanting and swinging of incense, before the altar. A Greek priest stood -at one side, watching them, and there was plain contempt in his face. -The Greek priests are not wanting in fanaticism, but they never seem to -me to possess the faith of the Latin branch of the Catholic church. When -the Latins had gone, the Greek took us behind the altar, and showed us -another earthquake-rent in the rock. - -Adjoining this chapel is the Latin Chapel of the Crucifixion, marking -the spot where Christ was nailed to the cross; from that we looked -through a window into an exterior room dedicated to the Sorrowing -Virgin, where she stood and beheld the crucifixion. Both these latter -rooms do not rest upon the rock, but upon artificial vaults, and of -course can mark the spots commemorated by them only in space. - -Perhaps this sensation of being in the air, and of having no -standing-place even for tradition, added something to the strange -feeling that took possession of me; a mingled feeling that was no more -terror than is the apprehension that one experiences at a theatre from -the manufactured thunder behind the scenes. I suppose it arose -from cross currents meeting in the mind, the thought of the awful -significance of the events here represented and the sight of this -theatrical representation. The dreadful name, Golgotha, the gloom of -this part of the building,—a sort of mount of darkness, with its rent -rock and preternatural shadow,—the blazing contrast of the chapel -where the cross stood with the dark passages about it, the chanting and -flashing lights of pilgrims ever coming and going, the neighborhood of -the sepulchre itself, were well calculated to awaken an imagination the -least sensitive. And, so susceptible is the mind to the influence of -that mental electricity—if there is no better name for it—which -proceeds from a mass of minds having one thought (and is sometimes -called public opinion), be it true or false, that whatever one may -believe about the real location of the Holy Sepulchre, he cannot -witness, unmoved, the vast throng of pilgrims to these shrines, -representing as they do every section of the civilized and of the -uncivilized world into which a belief in the cross has penetrated. The -undoubted sincerity of the majority of the pilgrims who worship here -makes us for the time forget the hundred inventions which so often -allure and as often misdirect that worship. - -The Church of the Holy Sepulchre offers at all times a great spectacle, -and one always novel, in the striking ceremonies and the people who -assist at them. One of the most extraordinary, that of the Holy Fire, at -the Greek Easter, which is three weeks later than the Roman, and which -has been so often described, we did not see. I am not sure that we saw -even all the thirty-seven holy places and objects in the church. It may -not be unprofitable to set down those I can recall. They are,— - -The Stone of Unction. - -The spot where the Virgin Mary stood when the body of our Lord was -anointed. - -The Holy Sepulchre. - -The stone on which the angel sat. - -The tombs of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. - -The well of Helena. - -The stone marking the spot where Christ in the form of a gardener -appeared to Mary Magdalene. - -The spot where Mary Magdalene stood. - -The spot where our Lord appeared to the Virgin after his resurrection. - -The place where the true cross, discovered by Helena, was laid, and -identified by a miracle. - -The fragment of the Column of Flagellation. - -The prison of our Lord. - -The “Bonds of Christ,” a stone with two holes in it. - -The place where the title on the cross was preserved. - -The place of the division of the vestments. - -The centre of the earth (Greek). - -The centre of the earth (Armenian). - -The altar of the centurion who pierced the body of Christ. - -The altar of the penitent thief. - -The Chapel of Helena. - -The chair in which Helena sat when the cross was found. - -The spot where the cross was found. - -The Chapel of the Mocking, with a fragment of the column upon which -Jesus sat when they crowned him with thorns. - -The Chapel of the Elevation of the Cross. - -The spot where the cross stood. - -The spots where the crosses of the thieves stood. - -The rent rock near the cross. - -The spot where Christ was nailed to the cross. - -The spot where the Virgin stood during the crucifixion. - -The Chapel of Adam. - -The tomb of Melchizedek. - -The rent rock in the Chapel of Adam. - -The spots where the tombs of Godfrey and Baldwin stood. - -No, we did not see them all. Besides, there used to be a piece of the -cross in the Latin chapel; but the Armenians are accused of purloining -it. All travellers, I suppose, have seen the celebrated Iron Crown of -Lombardy, which is kept in the church at Monza, near Milan. It is all of -gold except the inner band, which is made of a nail of the cross brought -from Jerusalem by Helena. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has not all -the relics it might have, but it is as rich in them as any church of its -age. - -A place in Jerusalem almost as interesting to Christians as the Holy -Sepulchre, and more interesting to antiquarians, is the Harem, or Temple -area, with its ancient substructions and its resplendent Saracenic -architecture. It is largely an open place, green with grass; it is clean -and wholesome, and the sun lies lovingly on it. There is no part of the -city where the traveller would so like to wander at will, to sit and -muse, to dream away the day on the walls overhanging the valley of the -Kidron, to recall at leisure all the wonderful story of its splendor and -its disaster. But admission to the area is had only by special permit. -Therefore the ordinary tourist goes not so much as he desires to the -site of the Temple that Solomon built, and of the porch where Jesus -walked and talked with his disciples. When he does go, he feels that he -treads upon firm historical ground. - -We walked down the gutter (called street) of David; we did not enter -the Harem area by the Bab es-Silsileh (Gate of the Chain), but -turned northward and went in by the Bab el-Katanm (Gate of the -Cotton-Merchants), which is identified with the Beautiful Gate of the -Temple. Both these gates have twisted columns and are graceful examples -of Saracenic architecture. As soon as we entered the gate the splendor -of the area burst upon us; we passed instantly out of the sordid city -into a green plain, out of which—it could have been by a magic wand -only—had sprung the most charming creations in stone: minarets, domes, -colonnades, cloisters, pavilions, columns of all orders, horseshoe -arches and pointed arches, every joyous architectural thought expressed -in shining marble and brilliant color. - -Our dragoman, Abd-el-Atti, did the honors of the place with the air of -proprietorship. For the first time in the Holy City he felt quite at -home, and appeared to be on the same terms with the Temple area that -he is with the tombs of the Pharaohs. The Christian antiquities are too -much for him, but his elastic mind expands readily to all the marvels -of the Moslem situation. The Moslems, indeed, consider that they have -a much better right to the Temple than the Christians, and Abd-el-Atti -acted as our cicerone in the precincts with all the delight of a boy and -with the enthusiasm of faith. It was not unpleasant to him, either, -to have us see that he was treated with consideration by the mosque -attendants and ulemas, and that he was well known and could pass readily -into the most reserved places. He had said his prayers that morning, at -twelve, in this mosque, a privilege only second to that of praying in -the mosque at Mecca, and was in high spirits, as one who had (if the -expression is allowable) got a little ahead in the matter of devotion. - -Let me give in a few words, without any qualifications of doubt, what -seem to be the well-ascertained facts about this area. It is at present -a level piece of ground (in the nature of a platform, since it is -sustained on all sides by walls), a quadrilateral with its sides not -quite parallel, about fifteen hundred feet long by one thousand feet -broad. The northern third of it was covered by the Fortress of Antonia, -an ancient palace and fortress, rebuilt with great splendor by Herod. -The small remains of it in the northeast corner are now barracks. - -This level piece of ground is nearly all artificial, either filled in or -built up on arches. The original ground (Mount Moriah) was a rocky hill, -the summit of which was the rock about which there has been so much -controversy. Near the centre of this ground, and upon a broad raised -platform, paved with marble, stands the celebrated mosque Kubbet -es-Sukhrah, “The Dome of the Rock.” It is built over the Sacred -Rock. - -This rock marks the site of the threshing-floor of Oman, the Jebusite, -which David bought, purchasing at the same time the whole of Mount -Moriah. Solomon built the Temple over this rock, and it was probably -the “stone of sacrifice.” At the time Solomon built the Temple, the -level place on Moriah was scarcely large enough for the naos of that -building, and Solomon extended the ground to the east and south by -erecting arches and filling in on top of them, and constructing a heavy -retaining-wall outside. On the east side also he built a porch, or -magnificent colonnade, which must have produced a fine effect of -Oriental grandeur when seen from the deep valley below or from the Mount -of Olives opposite. - -To this rock the Jews used to come, in the fourth century, and anoint it -with oil, and wail over it, as the site of the Temple. On it once stood -a statue of Hadrian. When the Moslems captured Jerusalem, it became, -what it has ever since been, one of their most venerated places. The -Khalif Omar cleared away the rubbish from it, and built over it a -mosque. The Khalif Abd-el-Melek began to rebuild it in a. d. 686. During -the Crusades it was used as a Christian church. Allowing for decay and -repairs, the present mosque is probably substantially that built by -Abd-el-Melek. - -At the extreme south of the area is the vast Mosque of Aksa, a splendid -basilica with seven aisles, which may or may not be the Church of St. -Mary built by Justinian in the sixth century; architects differ about -it. This question it seems to me very difficult to decide from the -architecture of the building, because of the habit that Christians -and Moslems both had of appropriating columns and capitals of ancient -structures in their buildings; and because the Moslems at that time used -both the round and the pointed arch. - -This platform is beyond all comparison the most beautiful place in -Jerusalem, and its fairy-like buildings, when seen from the hill -opposite, give to the city its chief claim to Oriental picturesqueness. - -The dome of the mosque Kubbet-es-Sukhrah is perhaps the most beautiful -in the world; it seems to float in the air like a blown bubble; this -effect is produced by a slight drawing in of the base. This contraction -of the dome is not sufficient to give the spectator any feeling of -insecurity, or to belittle this architectural marvel to the likeness -of a big toy; the builder hit the exact mean between massiveness and -expanding lightness. The mosque is octagonal in form, and although its -just proportions make it appear small, it is a hundred and fifty feet in -diameter; outside and in, it is a blaze of color in brilliant marbles, -fine mosaics, stained glass, and beautiful Saracenic tiles. The lower -part of the exterior wall is covered with colored marbles in intricate -patterns; above are pointed windows with stained glass; and the spaces -between the windows are covered by glazed tiles, with arabesque designs -and very rich in color. In the interior, which has all the soft warmth -and richness of Persian needlework, are two corridors, with rows of -columns and pillars; within the inner row is the Sacred Rock. - -This rock, which is the most remarkable stone in the world, if half we -hear of it be true, and which by a singular fortune is sacred to three -religions, is an irregular bowlder, standing some five feet above the -pavement, and is something like sixty feet long. In places it has been -chiselled, steps are cut on one side, and various niches are hewn in -it; a round hole pierces it from top to bottom. The rock is limestone, -a little colored with iron, and beautiful in spots where it has been -polished. One would think that by this time it ought to be worn smooth -all over. - -If we may believe the Moslems and doubt our own senses, this rock is -suspended in the air, having no support on any side. It was to this rock -that Mohammed made his midnight journey on El Burak; it was from -here that he ascended into Paradise, an excursion that occupied him -altogether only forty minutes. It is, I am inclined to think, the -miraculous suspension of this stone that is the basis of the Christian -fable of the suspension of Mohammed's coffin,—a miracle unknown to -all Moslems of whom I have inquired concerning it. - -“Abd-el-Atti,” I said, “does this rock rest on nothing?” - -“So I have hunderstood; thim say so.” - -“But do you believe it?” - -“When I read him, I believe; when I come and see him, I can't help -what I see.” - -At the south end of the rock we descended a flight of steps and stood -under the rock in what is called the Noble Cave, a small room about six -feet high, plastered and whitewashed. This is supposed to be the sink -into which the blood of the Jewish sacrifices drained. The plaster and -whitewash hide the original rock, and give the Moslems the opportunity -to assert that there is no rock foundation under the big stone. - -“But,” we said to Abd-el-Atti, “if this rock hangs in the air, -why cannot we see all around it? Why these plaster walls that seem to -support it?” - -“So him used to be. This done so, I hear, on account of de women. Thim -come here, see this rock, thim berry much frightened. Der little shild, -what you call it, get born in de world before him wanted. So thim make -this wall under it.” - -There are four altars in this cave, one of them dedicated to David; here -the Moslem prophets, Abraham, David, Solomon, and Jesus, used to pray. -In the rock is a round indentation made by Mohammed's head when he -first attempted to rise to heaven; near it is the hole through which -he rose. On the upper southeast corner of the rock is the print of the -prophet's foot, and close to it the print of the hand of the angel -Michael, who held the rock down from following Mohammed into the skies. - -In the mosque above, Abd-el-Atti led us, with much solemnity, to a small -stone set in the pavement near the north entrance. It was perforated -with holes, in some of which were brass nails. - -“How many holes you make 'em there?” - -“Thirteen.” - -“How many got nails?” - -“Four.” - -“Not so many. Only three and a half nails. Used to be thirteen nails. -Now only three and a half. When these gone, then the world come to an -end. I t'ink it not berry long.” - -“I should think the Moslems would watch this stone very carefully.” - -“What difference? You not t'ink it come when de time come?” - -We noticed some pieces of money on the stone, and asked why that was. - -“Whoever he lay backsheesh on this stone, he certain to go into -Paradise, and be took by our prophet in his bosom.” - -We wandered for some time about the green esplanade, dotted with -cypress-trees, and admired the little domes: the Dome of the Spirits, -the dome that marks the spot where David sat in judgment, etc.; some -of them cover cisterns and reservoirs in the rock, as old as the -foundations of the Temple. - -In the corridor of the Mosque of Aksa are two columns standing close -together, and like those at the Mosque of Omar, in Cairo, they are a -test of character; it is said that whoever can squeeze between them is -certain of Paradise, and must, of course, be a good Moslem. I suppose -that when this test was established the Moslems were all lean. A black -stone is set in the wall of the porch; whoever can walk, with closed -eyes, across the porch pavement and put his finger on this stone may be -sure of entering Paradise. According to this criterion, the writer of -this is one of the elect of the Mohammedan Paradise and his dragoman is -shut out. We were shown in this mosque the print of Christ's foot in -a stone; and it is said that with faith one can feel in it, as he can -in that of Mohammed's in the rock, the real flesh. Opening from this -mosque is the small Mosque of Omar, on the spot where that zealous -khalif prayed. - -The massive pillared substructions under Aksa are supposed by Moslems -to be of Solomon's time. That wise monarch had dealings with the -invisible, and no doubt controlled the genii, who went and came and -built and delved at his bidding. Abd-el-Atti, with haste and an air of -mystery, drew me along under the arches to the window in the south end, -and showed me the opening of a passage under the wall, now half choked -up with stones. This is the beginning of a subterranean passage made -by the prophet Solomon, that extends all the way to Hebron, and has an -issue in the mosque over the tomb of Abraham. This fact is known only -to Moslems, and to very few of them, and is considered one of the great -secrets. Before I was admitted to share it, I am glad that I passed -between the two columns, and touched, with my eyes shut, the black -stone. - -In the southeast corner of the Harem is a little building called the -Mosque of Jesus. We passed through it, and descended the stairway into -what is called Solomon's Stables, being shown on our way a stone -trough which is said to be the cradle of the infant Jesus. These -so-called stables are subterranean vaults, built, no doubt, to sustain -the south end of the Temple platform. We saw fifteen rows of massive -square pillars of unequal sizes and at unequal distances apart (as if -intended for supports that would not be seen), and some forty feet high, -connected by round arches. We were glad to reascend from this wet and -unpleasant cavern to the sunshine and the greensward. - -I forgot to mention the Well of the Leaf, near the entrance, in the -Mosque of Aksa, and the pretty Moslem legend that gave it a name, which -Abd-el-Atti relates, though not in the words of the hand-book:— - -“This well berry old; call him Well of the Leaf; water same as Pool -of Solomon, healthy water; I like him very much. Not so deep as Bir -el-Arwâh; that small well, you see it under the rock; they say it goes -down into Gehenna.” - -“Why is this called the Well of the Leaf?” - -“Once, time of Suleiman [it was Omar], a friend of our prophet come -here to pray, and when he draw water to wash he drop the bucket in the -bottom of the well. No way to get it up, but he must go down. When he -was on the bottom, there he much surprised by a door open in the ground, -and him berry cur'ous to see what it is. Nobody there, so he look -in, and then walk through berry fast, and look over him shoulder to -the bucket left in the well. The place where he was come was the most -beautiful garden ever was, and he walk long time and find no end, always -more garden, so cool, and water run in little streams, and sweet smell -of roses and jasmine, and little birds that sing, and big trees and -dates and oranges and palms, more kind, I t'ink, than you see in the -garden of his vice-royal. When the man have been long time in the garden -he begin to have fright, and pick a green leaf off a tree, and run back -and come up to his friends. He show 'em the green leaf, but nobody -have believe what he say. Then they tell him story to the kadi, and the -kadi send men to see the garden in the bottom of the well. They not -find any, not find any door. Then the kadi he make him a letter to the -Sultan—berry wise man—and he say (so I read it in our history), -'Our prophet say, One of my friends shall walk in Paradise while he -is alive. If this is come true, you shall see the leaf, if it still keep -green.' Then the kadi make examine of the leaf, and find him green. So -it is believe the man has been in Paradise.” - -“And do you believe it?” - -“I cannot say edzacly where him been. Where you t'ink he done got -that leaf?” - -Along the east wall of the Harem there are no remains of the long -colonnade called Solomon's Porch, not a column of that resplendent -marble pavilion which caught the first rays of the sun over the -mountains of Moab, and which, with the shining temple towering behind -it, must have presented a more magnificent appearance than Babylon, and -have rivalled the architectural glories of Baalbek. The only thing in -this wail worthy of note now is the Golden Gate, an entrance no longer -used. We descended into its archways, and found some fine columns with -composite capitals, and other florid stone-work of a rather tasteless -and debased Roman style. - -We climbed the wall by means of the steps, a series of which are placed -at intervals, and sat a long time looking upon a landscape, every foot -of which is historical. Merely to look upon it is to recall a great -portion of the Jewish history and the momentous events in the brief life -of the Saviour, which, brief as it was, sufficed to newly create the -earth. There is the Mount of Olives, with its commemorative chapels, -heaps of stone, and scattered trees; there is the ancient foot-path up -which David fled as a fugitive by night from the conspiracy of Absalom, -what time Shimei, the relative of Saul, stoned him and cursed him; and -down that Way of Triumph, the old road sweeping round its base, came the -procession of the Son of David, in whose path the multitude cast their -garments and branches of trees, and cried, “Hosanna in the highest.” -There on those hills, Mount Scopus and Olivet, were once encamped the -Assyrians, and again the Persians; there shone the eagles of Rome, borne -by her conquering legions; and there, in turn, Crusaders and Saracens -pitched their tents. How many times has the air been darkened with -missiles hurled thence upon this shining prize, and how many armies -have closed in about this spot and swarmed to its destruction! There the -Valley of Jehoshaphat curves down until it is merged in the Valley of -the Brook Kidron. There, at the junction of the roads that run over and -around Olivet, is a clump of trees surrounded by a white wall; that is -the Garden of Gethsemane. Near it is the tomb of Mary. Farther down -you see the tomb of Absalom, the tomb of St. James, the monolith -pyramid-tipped tomb of Zacharias (none of them apparently as old as they -claim to be), and the remains of a little temple, the model of which -came from the banks of the Nile, that Solomon built for his Egyptian -wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, wherein they worshipped the gods of her -country. It is tradition also that near here were some of the temples he -built for others of his strange wives: a temple to Chemosh, the Moabite -god, and the image of Moloch, the devourer of children. Solomon was -wiser than all men, wiser than Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons -of Mahol; his friend Hiram of Tyre used to send riddles to him which no -one in the world but Solomon could guess; but his wisdom failed him with -the other sex, and there probably never was another Oriental court so -completely ruled and ruined by women as his. - -This valley below us is perhaps the most melancholy on earth: nowhere -else is death so visibly master of the scene; nature is worn out, man -tired out; a gray despair has settled down upon the landscape. Down -there is the village of Siloam, a village of huts and holes in the -rocks, opposite the cave of that name. If it were the abode of wolves it -would have a better character than it has now. There is the grim cast -of sin and exhaustion upon the scene. I do not know exactly how much of -this is owing to the Jewish burying-ground, which occupies so much of -the opposite hill. The slope is thickly shingled with gray stones, that -lie in a sort of regularity which suggests their purpose. You fall to -computing how many Jews there may be in that hill, layer upon layer; for -the most part they are dissolved away into the earth, but you think that -if they were to put on their mortal bodies and come forth, the valley -itself would be filled with them almost to the height of the wall. Out -of these gates, giving upon this valley of death, six hundred thousand -bodies of those who had starved were thrown during the siege, and long -before Titus stormed the city. I do not wonder that the Moslems think of -this frightful vale as Gehenna itself. - -From an orifice in the battlemented wall where we sat projects a round -column, mounted there like a cannon, and perhaps intended to deceive -an enemy into the belief that the wall is fortified. It is astride this -column, overhanging this dreadful valley, that Mohammed will sit at -the last, the judgment day. A line finer than a hair and sharper than a -razor will reach from it to the tower on the Mount of Olives, stretching -over the valley of the dead. This is the line Es-Serat. Mohammed will -superintend the passage over it. For in that day all who ever lived, -risen to judgment, must walk this razor-line; the good will cross in -safety; the bad will fall into hell, that is, into Gehenna, this blasted -gulf and side-hill below, thickly sown with departed Jews. It is in view -of this perilous passage that the Moslem every day, during the ablution -of his feet, prays: “O, make my feet not to slip on Es-Serat, on that -day when feet shall slip.” - - - - -IV.—NEIGHBORHOODS OF JERUSALEM. - -WHEREVER we come upon traces of the Knights of St. John, there a door -opens for us into romance; the very name suggests valor and courtesy -and charity. Every town in the East that is so fortunate as to have any -memorials of them, whatever its other historic associations, obtains an -additional and special fame from its connection with this heroic order. -The city of Acre recalls the memory of their useless prowess in the last -struggle of the Christians to retain a foothold in Palestine; the name -of the Knights of Rhodes brings before every traveller, who has seen it, -the picturesque city in which the armorial insignia of this order have -for him a more living interest than any antiquities of the Grecian Rose; -the island fortress at the gate of the Levant owes all the interest we -feel in it to the Knights of Malta; and even the city of David and of -the Messiah has an added lustre as the birthplace of the Knights of St. -John of Jerusalem. - -From the eleventh century to the fifteenth, they are the chief figures -who in that whirlwind of war contested the possession of the Levant with -the Saracens and the Turks. In the forefront of every battle was seen -their burnished mail, in the gloomy rear of every retreat were heard -their voices of constancy and of courage; wherever there were crowns to -be cracked, or wounds to be bound up, or broken hearts to be ministered -to, there were the Knights of St. John, soldiers, priests, servants, -laying aside the gown for the coat of mail if need be, or exchanging -the cuirass for the white cross on the breast. Originally a charitable -order, dwelling in the Hospital of St. John to minister to the pilgrims -to Jerusalem, and composed of young soldiers of Godfrey, who took the -vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they resumed their arms upon -the pressure of infidel hostility, and subsequently divided the order -into three classes: soldiers, priests, and servants. They speedily -acquired great power and wealth; their palaces, their fortifications, -their churches, are even in their ruins the admiration and wonder of our -age. The purity of the order: was in time somewhat sullied by luxury, -but their valor never suffered the slightest eclipse; whether the field -they contested was lost or won, their bravery always got new honor from -it. - -Nearly opposite the court of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the -green field of Muristan, the site of the palace, church, and hospital of -the Knights of St. John. The field was, on an average, twenty-five feet -above the surrounding streets, and a portion of it was known to rest -upon vaults. This plot of ground was given to the Prussian government, -and its agents have been making excavations there; these were going on -at the time of our visit. The disclosures are of great architectural -and historical interest. The entrance through a peculiar Gothic gateway -leads into a court. Here the first excavations were made several years -ago, and disclosed some splendid remains: the apse of the costly church, -cloisters, fine windows and arches of the best Gothic style. Beyond, the -diggings have brought to light some of the features of the palace and -hospital; an excavation of twenty-five feet reaches down to the arches -of the substructure, which rest upon pillars from forty to fifty feet -high. This gives us some notion of the magnificent group of buildings -that once occupied this square, and also of the industry of nature as -an entomber, since some four centuries have sufficed her to bury these -ruins so far beneath the soil, that peasants ploughed over the palaces -of the knights without a suspicion of what lay beneath. - -In one corner of this field stands a slender minaret, marking the spot -where the great Omar once said his prayers; four centuries after this, -Saladin is said to have made his military headquarters in the then -deserted palace of the Knights of St. John. There is no spot in -Jerusalem where one touches more springs of romance than in this field -of Muristan. - -Perhaps the most interesting and doleful walk one can take near -Jerusalem is that into the Valley of Kidron and through Aceldama, round -to the Jaffa Gate, traversing “the whole valley of the dead bodies, -and of the ashes,” in the cheerful words of Jeremiah. - -We picked our way through the filthy streets and on the slippery -cobble-stones,—over which it seems dangerous to ride and is nearly -impossible to walk,—out through St. Stephen's Gate. Near the gate, -inside, we turned into an alley and climbed a heap of rubbish to see -a pool, which the guide insisted upon calling Bethesda, although it is -Birket Israil. Having seen many of these pools, I did not expect much, -but I was still disappointed. We saw merely a hole in the ground, which -is void of all appearance of ever having been even damp. The fact is, -we have come to Jerusalem too late; we ought to have been here about two -thousand years ago. - -The slope of the hill outside the gate is covered with the turbaned -tombs of Moslems; we passed under the walls and through this cemetery -into the deep valley below, crossing the bed of the brook near the tombs -of Absalom, Jehoshaphat, St. James, and Zacharias. These all seem to be -of Roman construction; but that called Absalom's is so firmly believed -to be his that for centuries every Jew who has passed it has cast a -stone at it, and these pebbles of hate partially cover it. We also added -to the heap, but I do not know why, for it is nearly impossible to hate -any one who has been dead so long. - -The most interesting phenomenon in the valley is the Fountain of the -Virgin, or the Fountain of Accused Women, as it used to be called. The -Moslem tradition is that it was a test of the unfaithfulness of women; -those who drank of it and were guilty, died; those who were innocent -received no harm. The Virgin Mary herself, being accused, accepted -this test, drank of the water, and proved her chastity. Since then the -fountain has borne her name. The fountain, or well, is in the side-hill, -under the rocks of Ophel, and the water springs up in an artificial -cave. We descended some sixteen steps to a long chamber, arched with -ancient masonry; we passed through that and descended fourteen steps -more into a grotto, where we saw the water flowing in and escaping by a -subterranean passage. About this fountain were lounging groups of Moslem -idlers, mostly women and children. Not far off a Moslem was saying his -prayers, prostrating himself before a prayer-niche. We had difficulty -in making our way down the steps, so encumbered were they with women. -Several of them sat upon the lowest steps in the damp cavern, gossiping, -filling their water-skins, or paddling about with naked feet. - -The well, like many others in Syria, is intermittent and irregular -in its rising and falling; sometimes it is dry, and then suddenly it -bubbles up and is full again. Some scholars think this is the Pool -Bethesda of the New Testament, others think that Bethesda was Siloam, -which is below this well and fed by it, and would exhibit the same -irregular rising and falling. This intermittent character St. John -attributed to an angel who came down and troubled the water; the -Moslems, with the same superstition, say that it is caused by a dragon, -who sleeps therein and checks the stream when he wakes. - -On our way to the Pool of Siloam, we passed the village of Si-loam, -which is inhabited by about a thousand Moslems,—a nest of stone huts -and caves clinging to the side-hill, and exactly the gray color of its -stones. The occupation of the inhabitants appears to be begging, and -hunting for old copper coins, mites, and other pieces of Jewish money. -These relics they pressed upon us with the utmost urgency. It was easier -to satisfy the beggars than the traders, who sallied out upon us like -hungry wolves from their caves. There is a great choice of disagreeable -places in the East, but I cannot now think of any that I should not -prefer as a residence to Siloam. - -The Pool of Siloam, magnified in my infant mind as “Siloam's shady -rill,” is an unattractive sink-hole of dirty water, surrounded by -modern masonry. The valley here is very stony. Just below we came to -Solomon's Garden, an arid spot, with patches of stonewalls, struggling -to be a vegetable-garden, and somewhat green with lettuce and Jerusalem -artichokes. I have no doubt it was quite another thing when Solomon and -some of his wives used to walk here in the cool of the day, and even -when Shallum, the son of Colhozeh, set up “the wall of the Pool of -Siloah by the king's garden.” - -We continued on, down to Joab's Well, passing on the way Isaiah's -Tree, a decrepit sycamore propped up by a stone pillar, where that -prophet was sawn asunder. There is no end to the cheerful associations -of the valley. The Well of Joab, a hundred and twenty-five feet deep, -and walled and arched with fine masonry, has a great appearance of -antiquity. We plucked maidenhair from its crevices, and read the Old -Testament references. Near it is a square pool fed by its water. Some -little distance below this, the waters of all these wells, pools, -drains, sinks, or whatever they are, reappear bursting up through a -basin of sand and pebbles, as clear as crystal, and run brawling off -down the valley under a grove of large olive-trees,—a scene rural and -inviting. - -I suppose it would be possible to trace the whole system of underground -water ways and cisterns, from Solomon's Pool, which send? its water -into town by an aqueduct near the Jaffa Gate, to Hezekiah's Pool, to -the cisterns under the Harem, and so out to the Virgin's Well, the -Pool of Siloam, and the final gush of sweet water below. This valley -drains, probably artificially as well as naturally, the whole city, for -no sewers exist in the latter. - -We turned back from this sparkling brook, which speedily sinks into the -ground again, absorbed by the thirsty part of the valley called Tophet, -and went up the Valley of Hinnom, passing under the dark and frowning -ledges of Aceldama, honey-combed with tombs. In this “field of -blood” a grim stone structure forms the front of a natural cave, which -is the charnel-house where the dead were cast pell-mell, in the belief -that the salts in the earth would speedily consume them. The path we -travel is rugged, steep, and incredibly stony. The whole of this region -is inexpressibly desolate, worn-out, pale, uncanny. The height above -this rocky terrace, stuffed with the dead, is the Hill of Evil Counsel, -where the Jews took counsel against Jesus; and to add the last touch -of an harmonious picture, just above this Potter's Field stands -the accursed tree upon which Judas hanged himself, raising its -gaunt branches against the twilight sky, a very gallows-tree to the -imagination. It has borne no fruit since Iscariot. Towards dusk, -sometimes, as you stand on the wall by Zion Gate, you almost fancy you -can see him dangling there. It is of no use to tell me that the seed -that raised this tree could not have sprouted till a thousand years -after Judas was crumbled into dust; one must have faith in something. - -This savage gorge, for the Valley of Hinnom is little more than that -in its narrowest part, has few associations that are not horrible. Here -Solomon set up the images (“the groves,” or the graven images), -and the temples for the lascivious rites of Ashta-roth or the human -sacrifices to Moloch. Here the Jews, the kings and successors of -Solomon, with a few exceptions, and save an occasional spasmodic -sacrifice to Jehovah when calamity made them fear him, practised all the -abominations of idolatry in use in that age. The Jews had always been -more or less addicted to the worship of the god of Ammon, but Solomon -first formally established it in Hinnom. Jeremiah writes of it -historically, “They have built the high places of Tophet, which is in -the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters -in the fire.” This Moloch was as ingenious a piece of cruelty as ever -tried the faith of heretics in later times, and, since it was purely -a means of human sacrifice, and not a means of grace (as Inquisitorial -tortures were supposed to be), its use is conclusive proof of the savage -barbarity of the people who delighted in it. Moloch was the monstrous -brass image of a man with the head of an ox. It was hollow, and the -interior contained a furnace by which the statue was made red-hot. -Children—the offerings to the god—were then placed in its glowing -arms, and drums were beaten to drown their cries. It is painful to -recall these things, but the traveller should always endeavor to obtain -the historical flavor of the place he visits. - -Continuing our walks among the antiquities of Jerusalem, we went out of -the Damascus Gate, a noble battlemented structure, through which runs -the great northern highway to Samaria and Damascus. The road, however, -is a mere path over ledges and through loose stones, fit only for -donkeys. If Rehoboam went this way in his chariot to visit Jeroboam in -Samaria, there must have existed then a better road, or else the king -endured hard pounding for the sake of the dignity of his conveyance. As -soon as we left the gate we encountered hills of stones and paths of the -roughest description. There are several rock tombs on this side of the -city, but we entered only one, that called by some the Tombs of the -Kings, and by others, with more reason, the Tomb of Helena, a heathen -convert to Judaism, who built this sepulchre for herself early in the -first century. The tomb, excavated entirely in the solid rock, is a -spacious affair, having a large court and ornamented vestibule and many -chambers, extending far into the rock, and a singular network of narrow -passages and recesses for the deposit of the dead. It had one device -that is worthy of the ancient Egyptians. The entrance was closed by -a heavy square stone, so hung that it would yield to pressure from -without, but would swing to its place by its own weight, and fitted so -closely that it could not be moved from the inside. If any thief entered -the tomb and left this slab unsecured, he would be instantly caught -in the trap and become a permanent occupant. Large as the tomb is, -its execution is mean compared with the rock tombs of Egypt; but the -exterior stone of the court, from its exposure in this damp and variable -climate, appears older than Egyptian work which has been uncovered three -times as long. - -At the tomb we encountered a dozen students from the Latin convent, -fine-looking fellows in long blue-black gowns, red caps, and red sashes. -They sat upon the grass, on the brink of the excavation, stringing -rosaries and singing student songs, with evident enjoyment of the -hour's freedom from the school; they not only made a picturesque -appearance, but they impressed us also as a Jerusalem group which was -neither sinful nor dirty. Beyond this tomb we noticed a handsome modern -dwelling-house; you see others on various eminences outside the city, -and we noted them as the most encouraging sign of prosperity about -Jerusalem. - -We returned over the hill and by the city wall, passing the Cave of -Jeremiah and the door in the wall that opens into the stone quarries of -Solomon. These quarries underlie a considerable portion of the city, and -furnished the stone for its ancient buildings. I will not impose upon -you a description of them; for it would be unfair to send you into -disagreeable places that I did not explore myself. - -The so-called Grotto of Jeremiah is a natural cavern in the rocky hill, -vast in extent, I think thirty feet high and a hundred feet long by -seventy broad,—as big as a church. The tradition is that Jeremiah -lived and lamented here. In front of the cave are cut stones and pieces -of polished columns built into walls and seats; these fragments seem -to indicate the former existence here of a Roman temple. The cave is -occupied by an old dervish, who has a house in a rock near by, and uses -the cavern as a cool retreat and a stable for his donkey. His rocky home -is shared by his wife and family. He said that it was better to live -alone, apart from the world and its snares. He, however, finds the -reputation of Jeremiah profitable, selling admission to the cave at -a franc a head, and, judging by the women and children about him, he -seemed to have family enough not to be lonely. - -The sojourner in Jerusalem who does not care for antiquities can always -entertain himself by a study of the pilgrims who throng the city at -this season. We hear more of the pilgrimage to Mecca than of that to -Jerusalem; but I think the latter is the more remarkable phenomenon -of our modern life; I believe it equals the former, which is usually -overrated, in numbers, and it certainly equals it in zeal and surpasses -it in the variety of nationalities represented. The pilgrims of the -cross increase yearly; to supply their wants, to minister to their -credulity, to traffic on their faith, is the great business of the Holy -City. Few, I imagine, who are not in Palestine in the spring, have any -idea of the extent of this vast yearly movement of Christian people upon -the Holy Land, or of the simple zeal which characterizes it. If it were -in any way obstructed or hindered, we should have a repetition of the -Crusades, on a vaster scale and gathered from a broader area than the -wildest pilgrimage of the holy war. The driblets of travel from America -and from Western Europe are as nothing in the crowds thronging to -Jerusalem from Ethiopia to Siberia, from the Baltic to the Ural -Mountains. Already for a year before the Easter season have they been on -foot, slowly pushing their way across great steppes, through snows and -over rivers, crossing deserts and traversing unfriendly countries; -the old, the infirm, women as well as men, their faces set towards -Jerusalem. No common curiosity moves this mass, from Ethiopia, from -Egypt, from Russia, from European Turkey, from Asia Minor, from the -banks of the Tagus and the Araxes; it is a true pilgrimage of faith, the -one event in a life of dull monotony and sordid cares, the one ecstasy -of poetry in an existence of poverty and ignorance. - -We spent a morning in the Russian Hospice, which occupies the hill to -the northwest of the city. It is a fine pile of buildings, the most -conspicuous of which, on account of its dome, is the church, a large -edifice with a showy exterior, but of no great merit or interest. We -were shown some holy pictures which are set in frames incrusted with -diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and other precious gems, the offerings of -rich devotees, and displaying their wealth rather than their taste. - -The establishment has one building for the accommodation of rich -pilgrims, and a larger one set apart for peasants. The hospice lodges, -free of charge, all the Russian pilgrims. The exterior court was full of -them. They were sunning themselves, but not inclined to lay aside their -hot furs and heavy woollens. We passed into the interior, entering room -after room occupied by the pilgrims, who regarded our intrusion with -good-natured indifference, or frankly returned our curiosity. Some of -the rooms were large, furnished with broad divans about the sides, which -served for beds and lounging-places, and were occupied by both sexes. -The women, rosy-cheeked, light-haired, broad, honest-looking creatures, -were mending their clothes; the men were snoozing on the divans, flat on -their backs, presenting to the spectator the bottoms of their monstrous -shoes, which had soles eight inches broad; a side of leather would be -needed for a pair. In these not very savory rooms they cook, eat, and -sleep. Here stood their stoves; here hung their pilgrim knapsacks; here -were their kits of shoemaker's tools, for mending their foot-gear, -which they had tugged thousands of miles; here were household effects -that made their march appear more like an emigration than a pilgrimage; -here were the staring pictures of St. George and the Dragon, and of -other saints, the beads and the other relics, which they had bought in -Jerusalem. - -Although all these pilgrims owed allegiance to the Czar, they -represented a considerable variety of races. They came from Archangel, -from Tobolsk, from the banks of the Ural, from Kurland; they had found -their way along the Danube, the Dnieper, the Don. I spoke with a group -of men and women who had walked over two thousand miles before they -reached Odessa and took ship for Jaffa. There were among them Cossacks, -wild and untidy, light-haired barbarians from the Caucasus, dark-skinned -men and women from Moscow, representatives from the remotest provinces -of great Russia; for the most part simple, rude, clumsy, honest -boors. In an interior court we found men and women seated on the sunny -flagging, busily occupied in arranging and packing the souvenirs of -their visit. There was rosemary spread out to dry; there were little -round cakes of blessed bread stamped with the image of the Saviour; -there were branches of palm, crowns of thorns, and stalks of cane cut at -the Jordan; there were tin cases of Jordan water; there were long strips -of cotton cloth stamped in black with various insignia of death, to -serve at home for coffin-covers; there were skull-caps in red, yellow, -and white, also stamped with holy images, to be put on the heads of -the dead. I could not but in mind follow these people to their distant -homes, and think of the pride with which they would show these trophies -of their pilgrimage; how the rude neighbors would handle with awe a -stick cut on the banks of the Jordan, or eat with faith a bit of the -holy bread. How sacred, in those homes of frost and snow, will not these -mementos of a land of sun, of a land so sacred, become! I can see the -wooden chest in the cabin where the rosemary will be treasured, keeping -sweet, against the day of need, the caps and the shrouds. - -These people will need to make a good many more pilgrimages, and perhaps -to quit their morose land altogether, before they can fairly rank -among the civilized of the earth. They were thickset, padded-legged, -short-bodied, unintelligent. The faces of many of them were worn, as if -storm-beaten, and some kept their eyes half closed, as if they were long -used to face the sleet and blasts of winter; and I noticed that it gave -their faces a very different expression from that produced by the habit -the Egyptians have of drawing the eyelids close together on account of -the glare of the sun. - -We took donkeys one lovely morning, and rode from the Jaffa Gate around -the walls on our way to the Mount of Olives. The Jerusalem donkey is a -good enough donkey, but he won't go. He is ridden with a halter, and -never so elegantly caparisoned as his more genteel brother in Cairo. In -order to get him along at all, it needs one man to pull the halter -and another to follow behind with a stick; the donkey then moves by -inches,—if he is in the humor. The animal that I rode stopped at once, -when he perceived that his driver was absent. No persuasions of mine, -such as kicks and whacks of a heavy stick, could move him on; he would -turn out of the road, put his head against the wall, and pretend to go -to sleep. You would not suppose it possible for a beast to exhibit so -much contempt for a man. - -On the high ground outside the wall were pitched the tents of -travellers, making a very pretty effect amid the olive-trees and the -gray rocks. Now and then an Arab horseman came charging down the road, -or a Turkish official cantered by; women, veiled, clad in white -balloon robes that covered them from head to foot, flitted along in the -sunshine, mere white appearances of women, to whom it was impossible to -attribute any such errand as going to market; they seemed always to be -going to or returning from the cemetery. - -Our way lay down the rough path and the winding road to the bottom -of the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Leaving the Garden of Gethsemane on our -right, we climbed up the rugged, stony, steep path to the summit of the -hill. There are a few olive-trees on the way, enough to hinder the -view where the stone-walls would permit us to see anything; importunate -begging Moslems beset us; all along the route we encountered shabbiness -and squalor. The rural sweetness and peace that we associate with this -dear mount appear to have been worn away centuries ago. We did not -expect too much, but we were not prepared for such a shabby show-place. -If we could sweep away all the filthy habitations and hideous buildings -on the hill, and leave it to nature, or, indeed, convert the surface -into a well-ordered garden, the spot would be one of the most attractive -in the world. - -We hoped that when we reached the summit we should come into an open, -green, and shady place, free from the disagreeable presence of human -greed and all the artificiality that interposed itself between us and -the sentiment of the place. But the traveller need not expect that in -Palestine. Everything is staked out and made a show of. Arrived at -the summit, we could see little or nothing; it is crowned with the -dilapidated Chapel of the Ascension. We entered a dirty court, where -the custodian and his family and his animals live, and from thence were -admitted to the church. In the pavement is shown the footprint of our -ascending Lord, although the Ascension was made at Bethany. We paid -the custodian for permission to see this manufactured scene of the -Ascension. The best point of view to be had here is the old tower of the -deserted convent, or the narrow passage to it on the wall, or the top -of the minaret near the church. There is no place on wall or tower where -one can sit; there is no place anywhere here to sit down, and in peace -and quiet enjoy the magnificent prospect, and meditate on the most -momentous event in human history. We snatched the view in the midst of -annoyances. The most minute features of it are known to every one who -reads. The portion of it I did not seem to have been long familiar with -is that to the east, comprising the Jordan valley, the mountains of -Moab, and the Dead Sea. - -Although this mount is consecrated by the frequent presence of Christ, -who so often crossed it in going to and from Bethany, and retired here -to meditate and to commune with his loved followers, everything that the -traveller at present encounters on its summit is out of sympathy with -his memory. We escaped from the beggars and the showmen, climbed some -stone-walls, and in a rough field near the brow of the hill, in a -position neither comfortable nor private, but the best that we found, -read the chief events in the life of Christ connected with this mount, -the triumphal entry, and the last scenes transacted on yonder hill. And -we endeavored to make the divine man live again, who so often and so -sorrowfully regarded the then shining city of Zion from this height. - -To the south of the church and a little down the hill is the so-called -site of the giving of the Lord's Prayer. I do not know on what -authority it is thus named. A chapel is built to mark the spot, and a -considerable space is enclosed before it, in which are other objects of -interest, and these were shown to us by a pleasant-spoken lady, who is -connected with the convent, and has faith equal to the demands of her -position. We first entered a subterranean vaulted room, with twelve -rough half-pillars on each side, called the room where the Apostles -composed the creed. We then passed into the chapel. Upon the four walls -of its arcade is written, in great characters, the Lord's Prayer in -thirty-two languages; among them the “Canadian.” - -In a little side chapel is the tomb of Aurelia de Bossa, Princesse de -la Tour d'.uvergne, Duchesse de Bouillon, the lady whose munificence -established this chapel and executed the prayer in so many tongues. Upon -the side of the tomb this fact of her benevolence is announced, and the -expectation is also expressed, in French, that “God will overwhelm her -with blessing for ever and ever for her good deed.” Stretched upon the -sarcophagus is a beautiful marble effigy of the princess; the figure is -lovely, the face is sweet and seraphic, and it is a perfect likeness of -her ladyship. - -I do not speak at random. I happen to know that it is a perfect -likeness, for a few minutes after I saw it, I met her in the corridor, -in a semi-nunlike costume, with a heavy cross hanging by a long gold -chain at her side. About her forehead was bound a barbarous frontlet -composed of some two hundred gold coins, and ornaments not unlike those -worn by the ladies of the ancient Egyptians. This incongruity of -costume made me hesitate whether to recognize in this dazzling vision -of womanhood a priestess of Astarte or of Christ. At the farther -door, Aurelia de Bossa, Princesse de la Tour d'.uvergne, Duchesse de -Bouillon, stopped and blew shrilly a silver whistle which hung at her -girdle, to call her straying poodle, or to summon a servant. In the rear -of the chapel this lady lives in a very pretty house, and near it she -was building a convent for Carmelite nuns. I cannot but regard her as -the most fortunate of her sex. She enjoys not only this life, but, at -the same time, all the posthumous reputation that a lovely tomb and a -record of her munificence engraved thereon can give. We sometimes hear -of, but we seldom see, a person, in these degenerate days, living in -this world as if already in the other. - -We went on over the hill to Bethany; we had climbed up by the path on -which David fled from Absalom, and we were to return by the road of the -Triumphal Entry. All along the ridge we enjoyed a magnificent panorama: -a blue piece of the Dead Sea, the Jordan plain extending far up towards -Herraon with the green ribbon of the river winding through it, and the -long, even range of the Moab hills, blue in the distance. The prospect -was almost Swiss in its character, but it is a mass of bare hills, with -scarcely a tree except in the immediate foreground, and so naked and -desolate as to make the heart ache; it would be entirely desolate but -for the deep blue of the sky and an atmosphere that bathes all the great -sweep of peaks and plains in color. - -Bethany is a squalid hamlet clinging to the rocky hillside, with only -one redeeming feature about it,—the prospect. A few wretched one-story -huts of stone, and a miserable handful of Moslems, occupy this favorite -home and resting-place of our Lord. Close at hand, by the roadside, cut -in the rock and reached by a steep descent of twenty-six steps, is the -damp and doubtful tomb of Lazarus, down into which any one may go for -half a franc paid to the Moslem guardian. The house of Mary and Martha -is exhibited among the big rocks and fragments of walls; upon older -foundations loose walls are laid, rudely and recently patched up with -cut stones in fragments, and pieces of Roman columns. The house of Simon -the leper, overlooking the whole, is a mere heap of ruins. It does not -matter, however, that all these dwellings are modern; this is Bethany, -and when we get away from its present wretchedness we remember only that -we have seen the very place that Christ loved. - -We returned along the highway of the Entry slowly, pausing to identify -the points of that memorable progress, up to the crest where Jerusalem -broke upon the sight of the Lord, and whence the procession, coming -round the curve of the hill, would have the full view of the city. He -who rides that way to-day has a grand prospect. One finds Jerusalem most -poetic when seen from Olivet, and Olivet most lovely when seen from the -distance of the city walls. - -At the foot of the descent we turned and entered the enclosure of the -Garden of Gethsemane. Three stone-wall enclosures here claim to be the -real garden; one is owned by the Greeks, another by the Armenians, -the third by the Latins. We chose the last, as it is the largest and -pleasantest; perhaps the garden, which was certainly in this vicinity, -once included them all. After some delay we were admitted by a small -door in the wall, and taken charge of by a Latin monk, whose young and -sweet face was not out of sympathy with the place. The garden contains -a few aged olive-trees, and some small plots of earth, fenced about and -secured by locked gates, in which flowers grow. The guardian gave us -some falling roses, and did what he could to relieve the scene of its -artificial appearance; around the wall, inside, are the twelve stations -of the Passion, in the usual tawdry style. - -But the birds sang sweetly in the garden, the flowers of spring were -blooming, and, hemmed in by the high wall, we had some moments of solemn -peace, broken only by the sound of a Moslem darabooka drum throbbing -near at hand. Desecrated as this spot is, and made cheap by the petty -creations of superstition, one cannot but feel the awful significance -of the place, and the weight of history crowding upon him, where battles -raged for a thousand years, and where the greatest victory of all was -won when Christ commanded Peter to put up his sword. Near here Titus -formed his columns which stormed the walls and captured the heroic city -after its houses, and all this valley itself, were filled with Jewish -dead; but all this is as nothing to the event of that awful night when -the servants of the high-priest led away the unresisting Lord. - -It is this event, and not any other, that puts an immeasurable gulf -between this and all other cities, and perhaps this difference is more -felt the farther one is from Jerusalem. The visitor expects too much; he -is unreasonably impatient of the contrast between the mean appearance of -the theatre and the great events that have been enacted on it; perhaps -he is not prepared for the ignorance, the cupidity, the credulity, -the audacious impostures under Christian names, on the spot where -Christianity was born. - -When one has exhausted the stock sights of Jerusalem, it is probably the -dullest, least entertaining city of the Orient; I mean, in itself, for -its pilgrims and its religious fêtes, in the spring of the year, -offer always some novelties to the sight-seer; and, besides, there is a -certain melancholy pleasure to be derived from roaming about outside -the walls, enveloped in a historic illusion that colors and clothes the -nakedness of the landscape. - -The chief business of the city and the region seems to be the -manufacture of religious playthings for the large children who come -here. If there is any factory of relics here I did not see it. Nor do I -know whether the true cross has still the power of growing, which it -had in the fourth century, to renew itself under the constant demand for -pieces of it. I did not go to see the place where the tree grew of which -it was made; the exact spot is shown in a Greek convent about a mile -and a half west of the city. The tree is said to have been planted by -Abraham and Noah. This is evidently an error; it may have been planted -by Adam and watered by Noah. - -There is not much trade in antiquities in the city; the shops offer -little to tempt the curiosity-hunter. Copper coins of the Roman period -abound, and are constantly turned up in the fields outside the city, -most of them battered and defaced beyond recognition. Jewish mites are -plenty enough, but the silver shekel would be rare if the ingenious Jews -did not keep counterfeits on hand. The tourist is waited on at his -hotel by a few patient and sleek sharks with cases of cheap jewelry -and doubtful antiques, and if he seeks the shops of the gold and silver -bazaars he will find little more. I will not say that he will not now -and then pick up a piece of old pottery that has made the journey -from Central Asia, or chance upon a singular stone with a talismanic -inscription. The hope that he may do so carries the traveller through -a great many Eastern slums. The chief shops, however, are those of -trinkets manufactured for the pilgrims, of olive-wood, ivory, bone, -camels' teeth, and all manner of nuts and seeds. There are more than -fifty sorts of beads, strung for profane use or arranged for rosaries, -and some of them have pathetic names, like “Job's tears.” -Jerusalem is entitled to be called the City of Beads. - -There is considerable activity in Jewish objects that are old and rather -unclean; and I think I discovered something like an attempt to make a -“corner” in phylacteries, that is, in old ones, for the new are made -in excess of the demand. If a person desires to carry home a phylactery -to exhibit to his Sunday school, in illustration of the religion of the -Jews, he wants one that has been a long time in use. I do not suppose it -possible that the education of any other person is as deficient as mine -was in the matter of these ornamental aids in worship. But if there -is one, this description is for him: the phylactery, common size, is a -leathern box about an inch and a half square, with two narrow straps -of leather, about three feet long, sewed to the bottom corners. The -box contains a parchment roll of sacred writing. When the worshipper -performs his devotions in the synagogue, he binds one of the -phylacteries about his left arm and the other about his head, so that -the little box has something of the appearance of a leathern horn -sprouting out of his forehead. Phylacteries are worn only in the -synagogue, and in this respect differ from the greasy leathern talismans -of the Nubians, which contain scraps from the Koran, and are never taken -off. Whatever significance the phylactery once had to the Jew it -seems now to have lost, since he is willing to make it an article of -merchandise. Perhaps it is poverty that compels him also to sell his -ancient scriptures; parchment rolls of favorite books, such as Esther, -that are some centuries old, are occasionally to be bought, and new -rolls, deceitfully doctored into an appearance of antiquity, are offered -freely. - -A few years ago the antiquarian world was put into a ferment by what -was called the “Shoepira collection,” a large quantity of -clay pottery,—gods, votive offerings, images, jars, and other -vessels,—with inscriptions in unknown characters, which was said -to have been dug up in the land of Moab, beyond the Jordan, and was -expected to throw great light upon certain passages of Jewish history, -and especially upon the religion of the heathen who occupied Palestine -at the time of the conquest. The collection was sent to Berlin; some -eminent German savans pronounced it genuine; nearly all the English -scholars branded it as an impudent imposture. Two collections of the -articles have been sent to Berlin, where they are stored out of sight -of the public generally, and Mr. Shoepira has made a third collection, -which he still retains. - -Mr. Shoepira is a Hebrew antiquarian and bookseller, of somewhat -eccentric manners, but an enthusiast. He makes the impression of a -man who believes in his discoveries, and it is generally thought in -Jerusalem that if his collection is a forgery, he himself is imposed on. -The account which he gives of the places where the images and utensils -were found is anything but clear or definite. We are required to believe -that they have been dug up in caves at night and by stealth, and at the -peril of the lives of the discoverers, and that it is not safe to visit -these caves in the daytime on account of the Bedaween. The fresh-baked -appearance of some of the articles is admitted, and it is said that it -was necessary to roast them to prevent their crumbling when exposed to -the air. Our theory in regard to these singular objects is that a few of -those first shown were actually discovered, and that all the remainder -have been made in imitation of them. Of the characters (or alphabet) -of the inscriptions, Mr. Schepira says he has determined twenty-three; -sixteen of these are Phoenician, and the others, his critics say, are -meaningless. All the objects are exceedingly rude and devoid of the -slightest art; the images are many of them indecent; the jars are clumsy -in shape, but the inscriptions are put on with some skill. The figures -are supposed to have been votive offerings, and the jars either memorial -or sepulchral urns. - -The hideous collection appeared to me sui generis, although some of the -images resemble the rudest of those called Phoenician which General di -Cesnola unearthed in Cyprus. Without merit, they seem to belong to a -rude age rather than to be the inartistic product of this age. That is, -supposing them to be forgeries, I cannot see how these figures could be -conceived by a modern man, who was capable of inventing a fraud of this -sort. He would have devised something better, at least something less -simple, something that would have somewhere betrayed a little modern -knowledge and feeling. All the objects have the same barbarous tone, -a kind of character that is distinct from their rudeness, and the same -images and designs are repeated over and over again. This gives color -to the theory that a few genuine pieces of Moabite pottery were found, -which gave the idea for a large manufacture of them. And yet, there are -people who see these things, and visit all the holy places, and then go -away and lament that there are no manufactories in Jerusalem. - -Jerusalem attracts while it repels; and both it and all Palestine -exercise a spell out of all proportion to the consideration they had in -the ancient world. The student of the mere facts of history, especially -if his studies were made in Jerusalem itself, would be at a loss to -account for the place that the Holy City occupies in the thought of the -modern world, and the importance attached to the history of the handful -of people who made themselves a home in this rocky country. The Hebrew -nation itself, during the little time it was a nation, did not play -a part in Oriental affairs at all commensurate with its posthumous -reputation. It was not one of the great kingdoms of antiquity, and -in that theatre of war and conquest which spread from Ethiopia to the -Caspian Sea, it was scarcely an appreciable force in the great drama. - -The country the Hebrews occupied was small; they never conquered -or occupied the whole of the Promised Land, which extended from the -Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian plain, from Hamath to Sinai. Their -territory in actual possession reached only from Dan to Beersheba. The -coast they never subdued; the Philistines, who came from Crete and grew -to be a great people in the plain, held the lower portion of Palestine -on the sea, and the Phoenicians the upper. Except during a brief period -in their history, the Jews were confined to the hill-country. Only -during the latter part of the reign of David and two thirds of that of -Solomon did the Jewish kingdom take on the proportions of a great state. -David extended the Israelitish power from the Gulf of Akaba to the -Euphrates; Damascus paid him tribute; he occupied the cities of his -old enemies, the Philistines, but the kingdom of Tyre, still in the -possession of Hiram, marked the limit of Jewish sway in that direction. -This period of territorial consequence was indeed brief. Before Solomon -was in his grave, the conquests bequeathed to him by his father began -to slip from his hand. The life of the Israelites as a united nation, as -anything but discordant and warring tribes, after the death of Joshua, -is all included in the reigns of David and Solomon,—perhaps sixty or -seventy years. - -The Israelites were essentially highlanders. Some one has noticed their -resemblance to the Scotch Highlanders in modes of warfare. In fighting -they aimed to occupy the heights. They descended into the plain -reluctantly; they made occasional forays into the lowlands, but their -hills were their strength, as the Psalmist said; and they found security -among their crags and secluded glens from the agitations which shook the -great empires of the Eastern world. Invasions, retreats, pursuits, the -advance of devouring hosts or the flight of panic-stricken masses, for -a long time passed by their ridge of country on either side, along the -Mediterranean or through the land of Moab. They were out of the track -of Oriental commerce as well as of war. So removed were they from -participation in the stirring affairs of their era that they seem even -to have escaped the omnivorous Egyptian conquerors. Eor a long period -conquest passed them by, and it was not till their accumulation of -wealth tempted the avarice of the great Asiatic powers that they were -involved in the conflicts which finally destroyed them. The small -kingdom of Judah, long after that of Israel had been utterly swept away, -owed its continuance of life to its very defensible position. Solomon -left Jerusalem a strong city, well supplied with water, and capable -of sustaining a long siege, while the rugged country around it offered -little comfort to a besieging army. - -For a short time David made the name of Israel a power in the world, and -Solomon, inheriting his reputation, added the triumphs of commerce to -those of conquest. By a judicious heathen alliance with Hiram of Tyre -he was able to build vessels on the Red Sea and man them with Phoenician -sailors, for voyages to India and Ceylon; and he was admitted by Hiram -to a partnership in his trading adventures to the Pillars of Hercules. -But these are only episodes in the Jewish career; the nation's part in -Oriental history is comparatively insignificant until the days of their -great calamities. How much attention its heroism and suffering attracted -at that time we do not know. - -Though the Israelites during their occupation of the hill-country of -Palestine were not concerned in the great dynastic struggles of the -Orient, they were not, however, at peace. Either the tribes were -fighting among themselves or they were involved in sanguinary fights -with the petty heathen chiefs about them. We get a lively picture of the -habits of the time in a sentence in the second book of Samuel: “And -it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go -forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and -all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged -Rabbah.” It was a pretty custom. In that season when birds pair and -build their nests, when the sap mounts in the trees and travellers long -to go into far countries, kings felt a noble impulse in their veins to -go out and fight other kings. But this primitive simplicity was mingled -with shocking barbarity; David once put his captives under the saw, -and there is nothing to show that the Israelites were more moved by -sentiments of pity and compassion than their heathen neighbors. There -was occasionally, however, a grim humor in their cruelty. When Judah -captured King Adoni-bezek, in Bezek, he cut off his great toes and his -thumbs. Adoni-bezek, who could appreciate a good thing, accepted the -mutilation in the spirit in which it was offered, and said that he had -himself served seventy kings in that fashion; “threescore and ten -kings, having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat -under my table.” - -From the death of Joshua to the fall of Samaria, the history of the Jews -is largely a history of civil war. From about seven hundred years before -Christ, Palestine was essentially a satrapy of the Assyrian kings, as it -was later to become one of the small provinces of the Roman empire. At -the time when Sennacherib was waiting before Jerusalem for Hezekiah -to purchase his withdrawal by stripping the gold from the doors of the -Temple, the foundations of a city were laid on the banks of the Tiber, -which was to extend its sway over the known world, to whose dominion the -utmost power of Jerusalem was only a petty sovereignty, and which was -destined to rival Jerusalem itself as the spiritual capital of the -earth. - -If we do not find in the military power or territorial consequence of -the Jews an explanation of their influence in the modern world, still -less do we find it in any faithfulness to a spiritual religion, the -knowledge of which was their chief distinction among the tribes about -them. Their lapses from the worship of Jehovah were so frequent, and of -such long duration, that their returns to the worship of the true God -seem little more than breaks in their practice of idolatry. And these -spasmodic returns were due to calamities, and fears of worse judgments. -Solomon sanctioned by national authority gross idolatries which had -been long practised. At his death, ten of the tribes seceded from the -dominion of Judah and set up a kingdom in which idolatry was made and -remained the state religion, until the ten tribes vanished from the -theatre of history. The kingdom of Israel, in order to emphasize its -separation from that of Judah, set up the worship of Jehovah in the -image of a golden calf. Against this state religion of image-worship -the prophets seem to have thought it in vain to protest; they contented -themselves with battling against the more gross and licentious -idolatries of Baal and Ashtaroth; and Israel always continued the -idol-worship established by Jeroboam. The worship of Jehovah was the -state religion of the little kingdom of Judah, but during the period of -its existence, before the Captivity, I think that only four of its kings -were not idolaters. The people were constantly falling away into the -heathenish practices of their neighbors. - -If neither territorial consequence nor religious steadfastness gave the -Jews rank among the great nations of antiquity, they would equally fail -of the consideration they now enjoy but for one thing, and that is, -after all, the chief and enduring product of any nationality; we mean, -of course, its literature. It is by that, that the little kingdoms -of Judah and Israel hold their sway over the world. It is that which -invests ancient Jerusalem with its charm and dignity. Not what the Jews -did, but the songs of their poets, the warnings and lamentations of -their prophets, the touching tales of their story-tellers, draw us to -Jerusalem by the most powerful influences that affect the human mind. -And most of this unequalled literature is the product of seasons of -turbulence, passion, and insecurity. Except the Proverbs and Song of -Solomon, and such pieces as the poem of Job and the story of Ruth, which -seem to be the outcome of literary leisure, the Hebrew writings were all -the offspring of exciting periods. David composed his Psalms—the most -marvellous interpreters of every human aspiration, exaltation, want, and -passion—with his sword in his hand; and the prophets always appear to -ride upon a whirlwind. The power of Jerusalem over the world is as truly -a literary one as that of Athens is one of art. That literature was -unknown to the ancients, or unappreciated: otherwise contemporary -history would have considered its creators of more consequence than it -did. - -We speak, we have been speaking, of the Jerusalem before our era, and of -the interest it has independent of the great event which is, after all, -its chief claim to immortal estimation. It becomes sacred ground to -us because there, in Bethlehem, Christ was born; because here—not in -these streets, but upon this soil—he walked and talked and taught -and ministered; because upon Olivet, yonder, he often sat with his -disciples, and here, somewhere,—it matters not where,—he suffered -death and conquered death. - -This is the scene of these transcendent events. We say it to ourselves -while we stand here. We can clearly conceive it when we are at a -distance. But with the actual Jerusalem of to-day before our eyes, its -naked desolation, its superstition, its squalor, its vivid contrast to -what we conceive should be the City of our King, we find it easier to -feel that Christ was born in New England than in Judæa. - - - - -V.—GOING DOWN TO JERICHO. - -IT is on a lovely spring morning that we set out through the land of -Benjamin to go down among the thieves of Jericho, and to the Jordan and -the Dead Sea. For protection against the thieves we take some of them -with us, since you cannot in these days rely upon finding any good -Samaritans there. - -For some days Abd-el-Atti has been in mysterious diplomatic relations -with the robbers of the wilderness, who live in Jerusalem, and farm out -their territory. “Thim is great rascals,” says the dragoman; and -it is solely on that account that we seek their friendship: the real -Bedawee is never known to go back on his word to the traveller who -trusts him, so long as it is more profitable to keep it than to break -it. We are under the escort of the second sheykh, who shares with the -first sheykh the rule of all the Bedaween who patrol the extensive -territory from Hebron to the fords of the Jordan, including Jerusalem, -Bethlehem, Mar Saba, and the shores of the Dead Sea; these rulers would -have been called kings in the old time, and the second sheykh bears the -same relation to the first that the Cæsar did to the Augustus in the -Roman Empire. - -Our train is assembled in the little market-place opposite the hotel, -or rather it is assembling, for horses and donkeys are slow to arrive, -saddles are wanting, the bridles are broken, and the unpunctuality and -shiftlessness of the East manifest themselves. Abd-el-Atti is in fierce -altercation with a Koorland nobleman about a horse, which you would not -say would be likely to be a bone of contention with anybody. They are -both endeavoring to mount at once. Friends are backing each combatant, -and the air is thick with curses in guttural German and maledictions in -shrill Arabic. Unfortunately I am appealed to. - -“What for this Dutchman, he take my horse?” - -“Perhaps he hired it first?” - -“P'aps not. I make bargain for him with the owner day before -yesterday.” - -“I have become dis pferd for four days,” cries the Baron. - -There seems to be no reason to doubt the Baron's word; he has ridden -the horse to Bethlehem, and become accustomed to his jolts, and no doubt -has the prior lien on the animal. The owner has let him to both parties, -a thing that often happens when the second comer offers a piastre -more. Another horse is sent for, and we mount and begin to disentangle -ourselves from the crowd. It is no easy matter, especially for the -ladies. Our own baggage-mules head in every direction. Donkeys laden -with mountains of brushwood push through the throng, scraping right and -left; camels shamble against us, their contemptuous noses in the air, -stretching their long necks over our heads; market-women from Bethlehem -scream at us; and greasy pilgrims block our way and curse our horses' -hoofs. - -One by one we emerge and get into a straggling line, and begin to -comprehend the size of our expedition. Our dragoman has made as -extensive preparations as if we were to be the first to occupy Gilgal -and Jericho, and that portion of the Promised Land. We are equipped -equally well for fighting and for famine. A party of Syrians, who desire -to make the pilgrimage to the Jordan, have asked permission to join -us, in order to share the protection of our sheykh, and they add both -picturesqueness and strength to the grand cavalcade which clatters out -of Jaffa Gate and sweeps round the city wall. Heaven keep us from undue -pride in our noble appearance! - -Perhaps our train would impress a spectator as somewhat mixed, and he -would be unable to determine the order of its march. It is true that the -horses and the donkeys and the mules all have different rates of speed, -and that the Syrian horse has only two gaits,—a run and a slow walk. -As soon as we gain the freedom of the open country, these differences -develop. The ambitious dragomen and the warlike sheykh put their horses -into a run and scour over the hills, and then come charging back upon -us, like Don Quixote upon the flock of sheep. The Syrians imitate this -madness. The other horses begin to agitate their stiff legs; the donkeys -stand still and protest by braying; the pack-mules get temporarily -crazy, charge into us with the protruding luggage, and suddenly wheel -into the ditch and stop. This playfulness is repeated in various ways, -and adds to the excitement without improving the dignity of our march. - -We are of many nationalities. There are four Americans, two of them -ladies. The Doctor, who is accustomed to ride the mustangs of New Mexico -and the wild horses of the Western deserts, endeavors to excite a spirit -of emulation in his stiff-kneed animal, but with little success. Our -dragoman is Egyptian, a decidedly heavy weight, and sits his steed like -a pyramid. - -The sheykh is a young man, with the treacherous eye of an eagle; a -handsome fellow, who rides a lean white horse, anything but a beauty, -and yet of the famous Nedjed breed from Mecca. This desert warrior -wears red boots, white trousers and skirt, blue jacket, a yellow kufia, -confined about the head by a black cord and falling upon his shoulders, -has a long rifle slung at his back, an immense Damascus sword at his -side, and huge pistols, with carved and inlaid stocks, in his belt. He -is a riding arsenal and a visible fraud, this Bedawee sheykh. We should -no doubt be quite as safe without him, and perhaps less liable to -various extortions. But on the road, and from the moment we set out, we -meet Bedaween, single and in squads, savage-looking vagabonds, every one -armed with a gun, a long knife, and pistols with blunderbuss barrels, -flaring in such a manner as to scatter shot over an acre of ground. -These scarecrows are apparently paraded on the highway to make -travellers think it is insecure. But I am persuaded that none of them -would dare molest any pilgrim to the Jordan. - -Our allies, the Syrians, please us better. There is a Frenchified -Syrian, with his wife, from Mansura, in the Delta of Egypt. The wife is -a very pretty woman (would that her example were more generally followed -in the East), with olive complexion, black eyes, and a low forehead-; a -native of Sidon. She wears a dark green dress, and a yellow kufia on -her head, and is mounted upon a mule, man-fashion, but upon a saddle -as broad as a feather-bed. Her husband, in semi-Syrian costume, with -top-boots, carries a gun at his back and a frightful knife in his belt. -Her brother, who is from Sidon, bears also a gun, and wears an enormous -sword. Very pleasant people these, who have armed themselves in the -spirit of the hunter rather than of the warrior, and are as completely -equipped for the chase as any Parisian who ventures in pursuit of game -into any of the dangerous thickets outside of Paris. - -The Sidon wife is accompanied by two servants, slaves from Soudan, a boy -and a girl, each about ten years old,—two grinning, comical monkeys, -who could not by any possibility be of the slightest service to anybody, -unless it is a relief to their pretty mistress to vent her ill-humor -upon their irresponsible persons. You could n't call them handsome, -though their skins are of dazzling black, and their noses so flat -that you cannot see them in profile. The girl wears a silk gown, which -reaches to her feet and gives her the quaint appearance of an old woman, -and a yellow vest; the boy is clad in motley European clothes, bought -second-hand with reference to his growing up to them,—upon which event -the trousers-legs and cuffs of his coat could be turned down,—and a -red fez contrasting finely with his black face. They are both mounted -on a decrepit old horse, whose legs are like sled-stakes, and they sit -astride on top of a pile of baggage, beds, and furniture, with bottles -and camp-kettles jingling about them. The girl sits behind the boy and -clings fast to his waist with one hand, while with the other she holds -over their heads a rent white parasol, to prevent any injury to their -jet complexions. When the old baggage-horse starts occasionally into a -hard trot, they both bob up and down, and strike first one side and then -the other, but never together; when one goes up the other goes down, as -if they were moved by different springs; but both show their ivory and -seem to enjoy themselves. Heaven knows why they should make a pilgrimage -to the Jordan. - -Our Abyssinian servant, Abdallah, is mounted, also on a pack-horse, and -sits high in the air amid bags and bundles; he guides his brute only -by a halter, and when the animal takes a fancy to break into a gallop, -there is a rattling of dishes and kettles that sets the whole train into -commotion; the boy's fez falls farther than ever back on his head, his -teeth shine, and his eyes dance as he jolts into the midst of the mules -and excites a panic, which starts everything into friskiness, waking -up even the Soudan party, which begins to bob about and grin. There are -half a dozen mules loaded with tents and bed furniture; the cook, and -the cook's assistants, and the servants of the kitchen and the camp -are mounted on something, and the train is attended besides by drivers -and ostlers, of what nations it pleases Heaven. But this is not all. We -carry with us two hunting dogs, the property of the Syrian. The dogs are -not for use; they are a piece of ostentation, like the other portion -of the hunting outfit, and contribute, as do the Soudan babies, to our -appearance of Oriental luxury. - -We straggle down through the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and around the Mount -of Olives to Bethany; and from that sightly slope our route is spread -before us as if we were looking upon a map. It lies through the -“wilderness of Judæa.” We are obliged to revise our Western -notions of a wilderness as a region of gross vegetation. The Jews knew a -wilderness when they saw it, and how to name it. You would be interested -to know what a person who lived at Jerusalem, or anywhere along the -backbone of Palestine, would call a wilderness. Nothing but the absolute -nakedness of desolation could seem to him dreary. But this region must -have satisfied even a person accustomed to deserts and pastures of -rocks. It is a jumble of savage hills and jagged ravines, a land of -limestone rocks and ledges, whitish gray in color, glaring in the sun, -even the stones wasted by age, relieved nowhere by a tree, or rejoiced -by a single blade of grass. Wild beasts would starve in it, the most -industrious bird could n't collect in its length and breadth enough -soft material to make a nest of; it is what a Jew of Hebron or Jerusalem -or Hamah would call a “wilderness”! This exhausts the language of -description. How vividly in this desolation stands out the figure of the -prophet of God, clothed with camel's hair and with a girdle of skin -about his loins, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” - -The road is thronged with Jordan pilgrims. We overtake them, they -pass us, we meet them in an almost continuous train. Most of them are -peasants from Armenia, from the borders of the Black Sea, from the -Caucasus, from Abyssinia. The great mass are on foot, trudging wearily -along with their bedding and provisions, the thick-legged women carrying -the heaviest loads; occasionally you see a pilgrim asleep by the -roadside, his pillow a stone. But the travellers are by no means all -poor or unable to hire means of conveyance,—you would say that Judæa -had been exhausted of its beasts of burden of all descriptions for this -pilgrimage, and that even the skeletons had been exhumed to assist in -it. The pilgrims are mounted on sorry donkeys, on wrecks of horses, -on mules, sometimes an entire family on one animal. Now and then we -encounter a “swell” outfit, a wealthy Russian well mounted on a -richly caparisoned horse and attended by his servants; some ride in -palanquins, some in chairs. We overtake an English party, the central -figure of which is an elderly lady, who rides in a sort of high cupboard -slung on poles, and borne by a mule before and a mule behind; the -awkward vehicle sways and tilts backwards and forwards, and the good -woman looks out of the window of her coop as if she were sea-sick of -the world. Some ladies, who are unaccustomed to horses, have arm-chairs -strapped upon the horses' backs, in which they sit. Now and then two -chairs are strapped upon one horse, and the riders sit back to back. -Sometimes huge panniers slung on the sides of the horse are used instead -of chairs, the passengers riding securely in them without any danger of -falling out. It is rather a pretty sight when each basket happens to be -full of children. There is, indeed, no end to the strange outfits -and the odd costumes. Nearly all the women who are mounted at all are -perched upon the top of all their household goods and furniture, astride -of a bed on the summit. There approaches a horse which seems to have a -sofa on its back, upon which four persons are seated in a row, as much -at ease as if at home; it is not, however, a sofa; four baskets have -been ingeniously fastened into a frame, so that four persons can ride -in them abreast. This is an admirable contrivance for the riders, much -better than riding in a row lengthwise on the horse, when the one in -front hides the view from those behind. - -Diverted by this changing spectacle, we descend from Bethany. At first -there are wild-flowers by the wayside and in the fields, and there is a -flush of verdure on the hills, all of which disappears later. The sky -is deep blue and cloudless, the air is exhilarating; it is a day for -enjoyment, and everything and everybody we encounter are in a joyous -mood, and on good terms with the world. The only unamiable exception -is the horse with which I have been favored. He is a stocky little -stallion, of good shape, but ignoble breed, and the devil—which is, I -suppose, in the horse what the old Adam is in man—has never been cast -out of him. At first I am in love with his pleasant gait and mincing -ways, but I soon find that he has eccentricities that require the -closest attention on my part, and leave me not a moment for the scenery -or for biblical reflections. The beast is neither content to go in front -of the caravan nor in the rear he wants society, but the instant he -gets into the crowd he lets his heels fly right and left. After a few -performances of this sort, and when he has nearly broken the leg of the -Syrian, my company is not desired any more by any one. No one is willing -to ride within speaking distance of me. This sort of horse may please -the giddy and thoughtless, but he is not the animal for me. By the time -we reach the fountain 'Ain el-Huad, I have quite enough of him, and -exchange steeds with the dragoman, much against the latter's fancy; he -keeps the brute the remainder of the day cantering over stones and waste -places along the road, and confesses at night that his bridle-hand is so -swollen as to be useless. - -We descend a steep hill to this fountain, which flows from a broken -Saracenic arch, and waters a valley that is altogether stony and -unfertile except in some patches of green. It is a general halting-place -for travellers, and presents a most animated appearance when we arrive. -Horses, mules, and men are struggling together about the fountain to -slake their thirst; but there is no trough nor any pool, and the only -mode to get the water is to catch it in the mouth as it drizzles from -the hole in the arch. It is difficult for a horse to do this, and the -poor things are beside themselves with thirst. Near by are some -stone ruins in which a man and woman have set up a damp coffee-shop, -sherbet-shop, and smoking station. From them I borrow a shallow dish, -and succeed in getting water for my horse, an experiment which seems to -surprise all nations. The shop is an open stone shed with a dirt floor, -offering only stools to the customers; yet when the motley crowd are -seated in and around it, sipping coffee and smoking the narghilehs -(water-pipes) with an air of leisure as if to-day would last forever, -you have a scene of Oriental luxury. - -Our way lies down a winding ravine. The country is exceedingly rough, -like the Wyoming hills, but without trees or verdure. The bed of the -stream is a mass of rock in shelving ledges; all the rock in sight is a -calcareous limestone. After an hour of this sort of secluded travel we -ascend again and reach the Red Khan, and a scene still more desolate -because more extensive. The khan takes its name from the color of -the rocks; perched upon a high ledge are the ruins of this ancient -caravansary, little more now than naked walls. We take shelter for lunch -in a natural rock grotto opposite, exactly the shadow of a rock longed -for in a weary land. Here we spread our gay rugs, the servants unpack -the provision hampers, and we sit and enjoy the wide view of barrenness -and the picturesque groups of pilgrims. The spot is famous for its -excellent well of water. It is, besides, the locality usually chosen for -the scene of the adventure of the man who went down to Jericho and -fell among thieves, this being the khan at which he was entertained for -twopence. We take our siesta here, reflecting upon the great advance in -hotel prices, and endeavoring to re-create something of that past when -this was the highway between great Jerusalem and the teeming plain of -the Jordan. The Syro-Phoenician woman smoked a narghileh, and, looking -neither into the past nor the future, seemed to enjoy the present. - -From this elevation we see again the brown Jordan Valley and the Dead -Sea. Our road is downward more precipitously than it has been before. -The rocks are tossed about tumultuously, and the hills are rent, but -there is no evidence of any volcanic action. Some of the rock strata -are bent, as you see the granite in the White Mountains, but this -peculiarity disappears as we approach nearer to the Jordan. The -translator of M. François Lenormant's “Ancient History of the -East” says that “the miracles which accompanied the entrance of -the Israelites into Palestine seem such as might have been produced by -volcanic agency.” No doubt they might have been; but this whole region -is absolutely without any appearance of volcanic disturbance. - -As we go on, we have on our left the most remarkable ravine in -Palestine; it is in fact a canon in the rocks, some five hundred feet -deep, the sides of which are nearly perpendicular. At the bottom of it -flows the brook Cherith, finding its way out into the Jordan plain. -We ride to the brink and look over into the abyss. It was about two -thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine years ago, and probably about -this time of the year (for the brook went dry shortly after), that -Elijah, having incurred the hostility of Ahab, who held his luxurious -court at Samaria, by prophesying against him, came over from Gilead and -hid himself in this ravine. - -“Down there,” explains Abd-el-Atti, “the prophet Elijah fed him -the ravens forty days. Not have that kind of ravens now.” - -Unattractive as this abyss is for any but a temporary summer residence, -the example of Elijah recommended it to a great number of people in a -succeeding age. In the wall of the precipice are cut grottos, some -of them so high above the bed of the stream that they are apparently -inaccessible, and not unlike the tombs in the high cliffs along the -Nile. In the fourth and fifth centuries monks swarmed in all the desert -places of Egypt and Syria like rabbits; these holes, near the scene of -Elijah's miraculous support, were the abodes of Christian hermits, -most of whom starved themselves down to mere skin and bones waiting for -the advent of the crows. On the ledge above are the ruins of ancient -chapels, which would seem to show that this was a place of some resort, -and that the hermits had spectators of their self-denial. You might as -well be a woodchuck and sit in a hole as a monk, unless somebody comes -and looks at you. - -As we advance, the Jordan valley opens more broadly upon our sight. At -this point, which is the historical point, the scene of the passage -of the Jordan and the first appearance of the Israelitish clans in the -Promised Land, the valley is ten miles broad. It is by no means a level -plain; from the west range of mountains it slopes to the river, and the -surface is broken by hillocks, ravines, and water-courses. The breadth -is equal to that between the Connecticut River at Hartford and the -Talcott range of hills. To the north we have in view the valley almost -to the Sea of Galilee, and can see the white and round summit of Hermon -beyond; on the east and on the west the barren mountains stretch in -level lines; and on the south the blue waters of the Dead Sea continue -the valley between ranges of purple and poetic rocky cliffs. - -The view is magnificent in extent, and plain and hills glow with color -in this afternoon light. Yonder, near the foot of the eastern hills, -we trace the winding course of the Jordan by a green belt of trees and -bushes. The river we cannot see, for the “bottom” of the river, -to use a Western phrase, from six hundred to fifteen hundred feet in -breadth, is sunk below the valley a hundred feet and more. This bottom -is periodically overflowed. The general aspect of the plain is that of -a brown desert, the wild vegetation of which is crisped by the scorching -sun. There are, however, threads of verdure in it, where the brook -Cherith and the waters from the fountain 'Ain es-Sultan wander through -the neglected plain, and these strips of green widen into the thickets -about the little village of Rîha, the site of ancient Gilgal. This -valley is naturally fertile; it may very likely have been a Paradise of -fruit-trees and grass and sparkling water when the Jews looked down -upon it from the mountains of Moab; it certainly bloomed in the Roman -occupation; and the ruins of sugar-mills still existing show that the -crusading Christians made the cultivation of the sugar-cane successful -here; it needs now only the waters of the Jordan and the streams from -the western foot-hills directed by irrigating ditches over its surface, -moistening its ashy and nitrous soil, to become again a fair and smiling -land. - -Descending down the stony and precipitous road, we turn north, still on -the slope of the valley. The scant grass is already crisped by the heat, -the bushes are dry skeletons. A ride of a few minutes brings us to some -artificial mounds and ruins of buildings upon the bank of the brook -Cherith. The brickwork is the fine reticulated masonry such as you -see in the remains of Roman villas at Tusculum. This is the site of -Herod's Jericho, the Jericho of the New Testament. But the Jericho -which Joshua destroyed and the site of which he cursed, the Jericho -which Hiel rebuilt in the days of the wicked Ahab, and where Elisha -abode after the translation of Elijah, was a half-mile to the north of -this modern town. - -We have some difficulty in fording the brook Cherith, for the banks are -precipitous and the stream is deep and swift; those who are mounted upon -donkeys change them for horses, the Arab attendants wade in, guiding the -stumbling animals which the ladies ride, the lumbering beast with the -Soudan babies comes splashing in at the wrong moment, to the peril of -those already in the torrent, and is nearly swept away; the sheykh -and the servants who have crossed block the narrow landing; but with -infinite noise and floundering about we all come safely over, and gallop -along a sort of plateau, interspersed with thorny nubk and scraggy -bushes. Going on for a quarter of an hour, and encountering cultivated -spots, we find our tents already pitched on the bushy bank of a little -stream that issues from the fountain of 'Ain es-Sultan a few rods -above. Near the camp is a high mound of rubbish. This is the site of our -favorite Jericho, a name of no majesty like that of Rome, and endeared -to us by no associations like Jerusalem, but almost as widely known -as either; probably even its wickedness would not have preserved its -reputation, but for the singular incident that attended its first -destruction. Jericho must have been a city of some consequence at -the time of the arrival of the Israelites; we gain an idea of the -civilization of its inhabitants from the nature of the plunder that -Joshua secured; there were vessels of silver and of gold, and of brass -and iron; and this was over fourteen hundred years before Christ. - -Before we descend to our encampment, we pause for a survey of this -historic region. There, towards Jordan, among the trees, is the site -of Gilgal (another name that shares the half-whimsical reputation of -Jericho), where the Jews made their first camp. The king of Jericho, -like his royal cousins roundabout, had “no more spirit in him” when -he saw the Israelitish host pass the Jordan. He shut himself up in his -insufficient walls, and seems to have made no attempt at a defence. Over -this upland the Jews swarmed, and all the armed host with seven priests -and seven ram's-horns marched seven days round and round the doomed -city, and on the seventh day the people shouted the walls down. Every -living thing in the city was destroyed except Rahab and her family, the -town was burned, and for five hundred years thereafter no man dared -to build upon its accursed foundations. Why poor Jericho was specially -marked out for malediction we are not told. - -When it was rebuilt in Ahab's time, the sons of the prophets found -it an agreeable place of residence; large numbers of them were gathered -here while Elijah lived, and they conversed with that prophet when -he was on his last journey through this valley, which he had so often -traversed, compelled by the Spirit of the Lord. No incident in the -biblical story so strongly appeals to the imagination, nor is there -anything in the poetical conception of any age so sublime as the last -passage of Elijah across this plain and his departure into heaven beyond -Jordan. When he came from Bethel to Jericho, he begged Elisha, his -attendant, to tarry here; but the latter would not yield either to his -entreaty or to that of the sons of the prophets. We can see the way the -two prophets went hence to Jordan. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets -went and stood to view them afar off, and they saw the two stand by -Jordan. Already it was known that Elijah was to disappear, and the -two figures, lessening in the distance, were followed with a fearful -curiosity. Did they pass on swiftly, and was there some premonition, in -the wind that blew their flowing mantles, of the heavenly gale? Elijah -smites the waters with his mantle, the two pass over dry-shod, and “as -they still went on and talked, behold there appeared a chariot of fire, -and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by -a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, 'My father, -my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof.' And he saw -him no more.” - -Elislia returned to Jericho and abode there while the sons of the -prophets sought for Elijah beyond Jordan three days, but did not find -him. And the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, I pray thee, the -situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth, but the water is -naught and the ground is barren.” Then Elisha took salt and healed the -spring of water; and ever since, to this day, the fountain, now called -'Ain es-Sultan, has sent forth sweet water. - -Turning towards the northwest, we see the passage through the mountain, -by the fountain 'Ain Duk, to Bethel. It was out of some woods there, -where the mountain is now bare, that Elisha called the two she-bears -which administered that dreadful lesson to the children who derided his -baldness. All the region, indeed, recalls the miracles of Elisha. It was -probably here that Naaman the Syrian came to be healed; there at Gilgal -Elisha took the death out of the great pot in which the sons of the -prophets were seething their pottage; and it was there in the Jordan -that he made the iron axe to swim. - -Of all this celebrated and ill-fated Jericho, nothing now remains but a -hillock and Elisha's spring. The wild beasts of the desert prowl about -it, and the night-bird hoots over its fall,—a sort of echo of the -shouts that brought down its walls. Our tents are pitched near the -hillock, and the animals are picketed on the open ground before them by -the stream. The Syrian tourist in these days travels luxuriously. Our -own party has four tents,—the kitchen tent, the dining tent, and -two for lodging. They are furnished with tables, chairs, all the -conveniences of the toilet, and carpeted with bright rugs. The cook is -an artist, and our table is one that would have astonished the sons -of the prophets. The Syrian party have their own tents; a family -from Kentucky has camped near by; and we give to Jericho a settled -appearance. The elder sheykh accompanies the other party of Americans, -so that we have now all the protection possible. - -The dragoman of the Kentuckians we have already encountered in Egypt and -on the journey, and been impressed by his respectable gravity. It would -perhaps be difficult for him to tell his nationality or birthplace; he -wears the European dress, and his gold spectacles and big stomach would -pass him anywhere for a German professor. He seems out of place as a -dragoman, but if any one desired a savant as a companion in the East, he -would be the man. Indeed, his employers soon discover that his forte is -information, and not work. While the other servants are busy about the -camps Antonio comes over to our tent, and opens up the richness of his -mind, and illustrates his capacity as a Syrian guide. - -“You know that mountain, there, with the chapel on top?” he asks. - -“No.” - -“Well, that is Mt. Nebo, and that one next to it is Pisgah, the -mountain of the prophet Moses.” - -Both these mountains are of course on the other side of the Jordan in -the Moab range, but they are not identified,—except by Antonio. -The sharp mountain behind us is Quarantania, the Mount of Christ's -Temptation. Its whole side to the summit is honey-combed with the cells -of hermits who once dwelt there, and it is still the resort of many -pilgrims. - -The evening is charming, warm but not depressing; the atmosphere is even -exhilarating, and this surprises us, since we are so far below the sea -level. The Doctor says that it is exactly like Colorado on a July night. -We have never been so low before, not even in a coal-mine. We are not -only about thirty-seven hundred feet below Jerusalem, we are over twelve -hundred below the level of the sea. Sitting outside the tent under the -starlight, we enjoy the novelty and the mysteriousness of the scene. -Tents, horses picketed among the bushes, the firelight, the groups of -servants and drivers taking their supper, the figure of an Arab from -Gilgal coming forward occasionally out of the darkness, the singing, -the occasional violent outbreak of kicking and squealing among the -ill-assorted horses and mules, the running of loose-robed attendants -to the rescue of some poor beast, the strong impression of the locality -upon us, and I know not what Old Testament flavor about it all, conspire -to make the night memorable. - -“This place very dangerous,” says Antonio, who is standing round, -bursting with information. “Him berry wise,” is Abdel-Atti's -opinion of him. “Know a great deal; I tink him not live long.” - -“What is the danger?” we ask. - -“Wild beasts, wild boars, hyenas,—all these bush full of them. It -was three years now I was camped here with Baron Kronkheit. 'Bout -twelve o'clock I heard a noise and came out. Right there, not twenty -feet from here, stood a hyena as big as a donkey, his two eyes like -fire. I did not shoot him for fear to wake up the Baron.” - -“Did he kill any of your party?” - -“Not any man. In the morning I find he has carried off our only -mutton.” - -Notwithstanding these dangers, the night passes without alarm, except -the barking of jackals about the kitchen tent. In the morning I ask -Antonio if he heard the hyenas howling in the night. “Yes, indeed, -plenty of them; they came very near my tent.” - -We are astir at sunrise, breakfast, and start for the Jordan. It is the -opinion of the dragoman and the sheykh that we should go first to the -Dead Sea. It is the custom. Every tourist goes to the Dead Sea first, -bathes, and then washes off the salt in the Jordan. No one ever thought -of going to the Jordan first. It is impossible. We must visit the Dead -Sea, and then lunch at the Jordan. We wished, on the contrary, to lunch -at the Dead Sea, at which we should otherwise only have a very brief -time. We insisted upon our own programme, to the great disgust of all -our camp attendants, who predicted disaster. - -The Jordan is an hour and a half from Jericho; that is the distance to -the bathing-place of the Greek pilgrims. We descend all the way. Wild -vegetation is never wanting; wild-flowers abound; we pass through -thickets of thorns, bearing the yellow “apples of the Dead Sea,” -which grow all over this plain. At Gilgal (now called Biha) we find -what is probably the nastiest village in the world, and its miserable -inhabitants are credited with all the vices of Sodom. The wretched -huts are surrounded by a thicket of nubk as a protection against the -plundering Bedaween. The houses are rudely built of stone, with a -covering of cane or brush, and each one is enclosed in a hedge of -thorns. These thorns, which grow rankly on the plain, are those of which -the “crown of thorns” was plaited, and all devout pilgrims carry -away some of them. The habitations within these thorny enclosures -are filthy beyond description, and poverty-stricken. And this is in a -watered plain which would bloom with all manner of fruits with the least -care. Indeed, there are a few tangled gardens of the rankest vegetation; -in them we see the orange, the fig, the deceptive pomegranate with -its pink blossoms, and the olive. As this is the time of pilgrimage, a -company of Turkish soldiers from Jerusalem is encamped at the village, -and the broken country about it is covered with tents, booths, shops, -kitchens, and presents the appearance of a fair and a camp-meeting -combined. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pilgrims, who go -every morning, as long as they remain here, to dip in the Jordan. Near -the village rises the square tower of an old convent, probably, which is -dignified with the name of the “house of Zacchæus.” This plain -was once famed for its fertility; it was covered with gardens and -palm-groves; the precious balsam, honey, and henna were produced here; -the balsam gardens were the royal gift of Antony to Cleopatra, who -transferred the balsam-trees to Heliopolis in Egypt. - -As we ride away from Gilgal and come upon a more open and desert plain, -I encounter an eagle sitting on the top of a thorn-tree, not the noblest -of his species, but, for Palestine, a very fair eagle. Here is a chance -for the Syrian hunter; he is armed with gun and pistols; he has his -dogs; now, if ever, is the time for him to hunt, and I fall back and -point out his opportunity. He does not embrace it. It is an easy shot; -perhaps he is looking for wild boars; perhaps he is a tender-minded -hunter. At any rate, he makes no effort to take the eagle, and when I -ride forward the bird gracefully rises in the air, sweeping upward in -magnificent circles, now veering towards the Mount of Temptation, and -now towards Nebo, but always as serene as the air in which he floats. - -And now occurs one of those incidents which are not rare to travellers -in Syria, but which are rare and scarcely believed elsewhere. As the -eagle hangs for a second motionless in the empyrean far before me, he -drops a feather. I see the gray plume glance in the sun and swirl slowly -down in the lucid air. In Judæa every object is as distinct as in a -photograph. You can see things at a distance you can make no one believe -at home. The eagle plume, detached from the noble bird, begins its -leisurely descent. - -I see in a moment my opportunity. I might never have another. All -travellers in Syria whose books I have ever read have one or more -startling adventures. Usually it is with a horse. I do not remember any -with a horse and an eagle. I determine at once to have one. Glancing a -moment at the company behind me, and then fixing my eye on the falling -feather, I speak a word to my steed, and dart forward. - -A word was enough. The noble animal seemed to comprehend the situation. -He was of the purest Arab breed; four legs, four white ankles, small -ears, slender pasterns, nostrils thin as tissue paper, and dilating upon -the fall of a leaf; an eye terrible in rage, but melting in affection; -a round barrel; gentle as a kitten, but spirited as a game-cock. His -mother was a Nedjed mare from Medina, who had been exchanged by a -Bedawee chief for nine beautiful Circassians, but only as a compromise -after a war by the Pasha of Egypt for her possession. Her father was -one of the most respectable horses in Yemen. Neither father, mother, nor -colt had ever eaten anything but selected dates. - -At the word, Abdallah springs forward, bounding over the sand, skimming -over the thorn bushes, scattering the Jordan pilgrims right and left. -He does not seem to be so much a horse as a creation of the -imagination,—a Pegasus. At every leap we gain upon the feather, but it -is still far ahead of us, and swirling down, down, as the air takes the -plume or the weight of gravity acts upon the quill. Abdallah does not -yet know the object of our fearful pace, but his docility is such that -every time I speak to him he seems to shoot out of himself in sudden -bursts of enthusiasm. The terrible strain continues longer than I had -supposed it would, for I had undercalculated both the height at which -the feather was cast and my distance to the spot upon which it must -fall. None but a horse fed on dates could keep up the awful gait. We -fly and the feather falls; and it falls with increasing momentum. It is -going, going to the ground, and we are not there. At this instant, when -I am in despair, the feather twirls, and Abdallah suddenly casts his -eye up and catches the glint of it. The glance suffices to put him -completely in possession of the situation. He gives a low neigh of joy; -I plunge both spurs into his flanks about six or seven inches; he leaps -into the air, and sails like a bird,—of course only for a moment; but -it is enough; I stretch out my hand and catch the eagle's plume before -it touches the ground. We light on the other side of a clump of thorns, -and Abdallah walks on as quietly as if nothing had happened; he was not -blown; not a hair of his glossy coat was turned. I have the feather to -show. - -Pilgrims are plenty, returning from the river in a continuous -procession, in numbers rivalling the children of Israel when they first -camped at Gilgal. We descend into the river-bottom, wind through the -clumps of tangled bushes, and at length reach an open place where -the river for a few rods is visible. The ground is trampled like a -watering-spot for cattle; the bushes are not large enough to give shade; -there are no trees of size except one or two at the water's edge; the -banks are slimy, there seems to be no comfortable place to sit except on -your horse—on Jordan's stormy banks I stand and cast a wistful eye; -the wistful eye encounters nothing agreeable. - -The Jordan here resembles the Arkansas above Little Rock, says the -Doctor; I think it is about the size of the Concord where it flows -through the classic town of that name in Massachusetts; but it is much -swifter. Indeed, it is a rapid current, which would sweep away the -strongest swimmer. The opposite bank is steep, and composed of sandy -loam or marl. The hither bank is low, but slippery, and it is difficult -to dip up water from it. Close to the shore the water is shallow, and -a rope is stretched out for the protection of the bathers. This is the -Greek bathing-place, but we are too late to see the pilgrims enter the -stream; crowds of them are still here, cutting canes to carry away, and -filling their tin cans with the holy water. We taste the water, which -is very muddy, and find it warm but not unpleasant. We are glad that we -have decided to lunch at the Dead Sea, for a more uninviting place than -this could not he found; above and below this spot are thickets and -boggy ground. It is beneath the historical and religious dignity of the -occasion to speak of lunch, but all tourists know what importance it -assumes on such an excursion, and that their high reflections seldom -come to them on the historical spot. Indeed, one must be removed some -distance from the vulgar Jordan before he can glow at the thought of it. -In swiftness and volume it exceeds our expectations, but its beauty is -entirely a creation of the imagination. - -We had the opportunity of seeing only a solitary pilgrim bathe. This was -a shock-headed Greek young man, who reluctantly ventured into the dirty -water up to his knees and stood there shivering, and whimpering over the -orders of the priest on the bank, who insisted upon his dipping. Perhaps -the boy lacked faith; perhaps it was his first experiment with water; at -any rate, he stood there until his spiritual father waded in and ducked -the blubbering and sputtering neophyte under. This was not a baptism, -but a meritorious bath. Some seedy fellahs from Gilgal sat on the bank -fishing. When I asked them if they had anything, they produced from the -corners of their gowns some Roman copper coins, picked up at Jericho, -and which they swore were dropped there by the Jews when they assaulted -the city with the rams'-horns. These idle fishermen caught now -and then a rather soft, light-colored perch, with large scales,—a -sickly-looking fish, which the Greeks, however, pronounced “tayeb.” - -We leave the river and ride for an hour and a half across a nearly level -plain, the earth of which shows salts here and there, dotted with a low, -fat-leaved plant, something like the American sage-bush. Wild-flowers -enliven the way, and although the country is not exactly cheerful, it -has no appearance of desolation except such as comes from lack of water. - -The Dead Sea is the least dead of any sheet of water I know. When we -first arrived the waters were a lovely blue, which changed to green in -the shifting light, but they were always animated and sparkling. It has -a sloping sandy beach, strewn with pebbles, up which the waves come with -a pleasant murmur. The plain is hot; here we find à cool breeze. The -lovely plain of water stretches away to the south between blue and -purple ranges of mountains, which thrust occasionally bold promontories -into it, and add a charm to the perspective. - -The sea is not inimical either to vegetable or animal life on its -borders. Before we reach it I hear bird-notes high in the air like the -song of a lark; birds are flitting about the shore and singing, and -gulls are wheeling over the water; a rabbit runs into his hole close by -the beach. Growing close to the shore is a high woody stonewort, -with abundance of fleshy leaves and thousands of blossoms, delicate -protruding stamens hanging over the waters of the sea itself. The plant -with the small yellow fruit, which we take to be that of the apples of -Sodom, also grows here. It is the Solarium spinosa, closely allied -to the potato, egg-plant, and tomato; it has a woody stem with sharp -recurved thorns, sometimes grows ten feet high, and is now covered with -round orange berries. - -It is not the scene of desolation that we expected, although some -branches and trunks of trees, gnarled and bleached, the drift-wood of -the Jordan, strewn along the beach, impart a dead aspect to the shore. -These dry branches are, however, useful; we build them up into a wigwam, -over which we spread our blankets; under this we sit, sheltered from -the sun, enjoying the delightful breeze and the cheering prospect of the -sparkling sea. The improvident Arabs, now that it is impossible to get -fresh water, begin to want it; they have exhausted their own jugs and -ours, having neglected to bring anything like an adequate supply. To see -water and not be able to drink it is too much for their philosophy. - -The party separates along the shore, seeking for places where bushes -grow out upon tongues of land and offer shelter from observation for -the bather. The first impression we have of the water is its perfect -clearness. It is the most innocent water in appearance, and you would -not suspect its saltness and extreme bitterness. No fish live in it; the -water is too salt for anything but codfish. Its buoyancy has not been -exaggerated by travellers, but I did not expect to find bathing in it -so agreeable as it is. The water is of a happy temperature, soft, not -exactly oily, but exceedingly agreeable to the skin, and it left a -delicious sensation after the bath but it is necessary to be careful -not to get any of it into the eyes. For myself, I found swimming in -it delightful, and I wish the Atlantic Ocean were like it; nobody then -would ever be drowned. Floating is no effort; on the contrary, sinking -is impossible. The only annoyance in swimming is the tendency of the -feet to strike out of water, and of the swimmer to go over on his head. -When I stood upright in the water it came about to my shoulders; but it -was difficult to stand, from the constant desire of the feet to go to -the surface. I suppose that the different accounts of travellers in -regard to the buoyancy of the water are due to the different specific -gravity of the writers. We cannot all be doctors of divinity. I found -that the best way to float was to make a bow of the body and rest -with feet and head out of water, which was something like being in a -cushioned chair. Even then it requires some care not to turn over. The -bather seems to himself to be a cork, and has little control of his -body. - -About two hundred yards from the shore is an artificial island of stone, -upon which are remains of regular masonry. Probably some crusader had -a castle there. We notice upon looking down into the clear depths, some -distance out, in the sunlight, that the lake seems, as it flows, to have -translucent streaks, which are like a thick solution of sugar, showing -how completely saturated it is with salts. It is, in fact, twelve -hundred and ninety-two feet below the Mediterranean, nothing but a -deep, half-dried-up sea; the chloride of magnesia, which gives it its -extraordinarily bitter taste, does not crystallize and precipitate -itself so readily as the chloride of sodium. - -We look in vain for any evidence of volcanic disturbance or action of -fire. Whatever there may be at the other end of the lake, there is none -here. We find no bitumen or any fire-stones, although the black stones -along the beach may have been supposed to be bituminous. All the pebbles -and all the stones of the beach are of chalk flint, and tell no story of -fire or volcanic fury. - -Indeed, the lake has no apparent hostility to life. An enterprising -company could draw off the Jordan thirty miles above here and make all -this valley a garden, producing fruits and sugar-cane and cotton, and -this lake one of the most lovely watering-places in the world. I have -no doubt maladies could be discovered which its waters are exactly -calculated to cure. I confidently expect to hear some day that great -hotels are built upon this shore, which are crowded with the pious, the -fashionable, and the diseased. I seem to see this blue and sunny lake -covered with a gay multitude of bathers, floating about the livelong day -on its surface; parties of them making a pleasure excursion to the foot -of Pisgah; groups of them chatting, singing, amusing themselves as they -would under the shade of trees on land, having umbrellas and floating -awnings, and perhaps servants to bear their parasols; couples floating -here and there at will in the sweet dream of a love that seems to -be suspended between the heaven and the earth. No one will be at any -expense for boats, for every one will be his own boat, and launch -himself without sail or oars whenever he pleases. How dainty will be -the little feminine barks that the tossing mariner will hail on that -peaceful sea! No more wailing of wives over husbands drowned in the -waves, no more rescuing of limp girls by courageous lovers. People may -be shipwrecked if there comes a squall from Moab, but they cannot be -drowned. I confess that this picture is the most fascinating that I have -been able to conjure up in Syria. - -We take our lunch under the wigwam, fanned by a pleasant breeze. The -persons who partake it present a pleasing variety of nations and colors, -and the “spread” itself, though simple, was gathered from many -lands. Some one took the trouble to note the variety: raisins from -Damascus, bread, chicken, and mutton from Jerusalem, white wine from -Bethlehem, figs from Smyrna, cheese from America, dates from Nubia, -walnuts from Germany, water from Elisha's well, eggs from Hen. - -We should like to linger till night in this enchanting place, but for -an hour the sheykh and dragoman have been urging our departure; men and -beasts are represented as suffering for water,—all because we have -reversed the usual order of travel. As soon as we leave the lake we lose -its breeze, the heat becomes severe; the sandy plain is rolling and a -little broken, but it has no shade, no water, and is indeed a weary way. -The horses feel the want of water sadly. The Arabs, whom we had supposed -patient in deprivation, are almost crazy with thirst. After we have -ridden for over an hour the sheykh's horse suddenly wheels off and -runs over the plain; my nag follows him, apparently without reason, and -in spite of my efforts I am run away with. The horses dash along, -and soon the whole cavalcade is racing after us. The object is soon -visible,—a fringe of trees, which denotes a brook; the horses press -on, dash down the steep bank, and plunge their heads into the water up -to the eyes. The Arabs follow suit. The sheykh declares that in fifteen -minutes more both men and horses would have been dead. Never before did -anybody lunch at the Dead Sea. - -When the train comes up, the patient donkey that Madame rides is pushed -through the brook and not permitted to wet his muzzle. I am indignant at -such cruelty, and spring off my horse, push the two donkey-boys aside, -and lead the eager donkey to the stream. At once there is a cry of -protest from dragomans, sheykh, and the whole crowd, “No drink donkey, -no drink donkey, no let donkey, bad for donkey.” There could not have -been a greater outcry among the Jews when the ark of the covenant was -likely to touch the water. I desist from my charitable efforts. Why the -poor beast, whose whole body craved water as much as that of the horse, -was denied it, I know not. It is said that if you give a donkey water -on the road he won't go thereafter. Certainly the donkey is never -permitted to drink when travelling. I think the patient and chastened -creature will get more in the next world than his cruel masters. - -Nearly all the way over the plain we have the long snowy range of Mt. -Herinon in sight, a noble object, closing the long northern vista, and a -refreshment to the eyes wearied by the parched vegetation of the valley -and dazzled by the aerial shimmer. If we turn from the north to the -south, we have the entirely different but equally poetical prospect of -the blue sea enclosed in the receding hills, which fall away into the -violet shade of the horizon. The Jordan Valley is unique; by a geologic -fault it is dropped over a thousand feet below the sea-level; it is -guarded by mountain-ranges which are from a thousand to two thousand -feet high; at one end is a mountain ten thousand feet high, from which -the snow never disappears; at the other end is a lake forty miles long, -of the saltest and bitterest water in the world. All these contrasts the -eye embraces at one point. - -We dismount at the camp of the Russian pilgrims by Rîha, and walk among -the tents and booths. The sharpers of Syria attend the strangers, -tempt them with various holy wares, and entice them into their dirty -coffee-shops. It is a scene of mingled credulity and knavery, of -devotion and traffic. There are great booths for the sale of vegetables, -nuts, and dried fruit. The whole may be sufficiently described as a -camp-meeting without any prayer-tent. - -At sunset I have a quiet hour by the fountain of Elisha. It is a -remarkable pool. Under the ledge of limestone rocks the water gushes -out with considerable force, and in such volume as to form a large brook -which flows out of the basin and murmurs over a stony bed. You cannot -recover your surprise to see a river in this dry country burst suddenly -out of the ground. A group of native women have come to the pool with -jars, and they stay to gossip, sitting about the edge upon the stones -with their feet in the water. One of them wears a red gown, and her -cheeks are as red as her dress; indeed, I have met several women to-day -who had the complexion of a ripe Flemish Beauty pear. As it seems to be -the fashion, I also sit on the bank of the stream with my feet in the -warm swift water, and enjoy the sunset and the strange concourse of -pilgrims who are gathering about the well. They are worthy Greeks, very -decent people, men and women, who salute me pleasantly as they arrive, -and seem to take my participation in the bath as an act of friendship. - -Just below the large pool, by a smaller one, a Greek boy, having bathed, -is about to dress, and I am interested to watch the process. The first -article to go on is a white shirt; over this he puts on two blue woollen -shirts; he then draws on a pair of large, loose trousers; into these -the shirts are tucked, and the trousers are tied at the waist,—he is -bothered with neither pins nor buttons. Then comes the turban, which is -a soft gray and yellow material; a red belt is next wound twice about -the waist; the vest is yellow and open in front; and the costume is -completed by a jaunty jacket of yellow, prettily embroidered. The heap -of clothes on the bank did not promise much, but the result is a very -handsome boy, dressed, I am sure, most comfortably for this climate. -While I sit here the son of the sheykh rides his horse to the pool. He -is not more than ten years old, is very smartly dressed in gay colors, -and exceedingly handsome, although he has somewhat the supercilious -manner of a lad born in the purple. The little prince speaks French, -and ostentatiously displays in his belt a big revolver. I am glad of the -opportunity of seeing one of the desert robbers in embryo. - -When it is dusk we have an invasion from the neighboring Bedaween, -an imposition to which all tourists are subjected, it being taken for -granted that we desire to see a native dance. This is one of the ways -these honest people have of levying tribute; by the connivance of our -protectors, the head sheykhs, the entertainment is forced upon us, and -the performers will not depart without a liberal backsheesh. We are -already somewhat familiar with the fascinating dances of the Orient, and -have only a languid curiosity about those of the Jordan; but before -we are aware there is a crowd before our tents, and the evening is -disturbed by doleful howling and drum-thumping. The scene in the -flickering firelight is sufficiently fantastic. - -The men dance first. Some twenty or thirty of them form in a -half-circle, standing close together; their gowns are in rags, their -black hair is tossed in tangled disorder, and their eyes shine with -animal wildness. The only dancing they perform consists in a violent -swaying of the body from side to side in concert, faster and faster as -the excitement rises, with an occasional stamping of the feet, and a -continual howling like darwishes. Two vagabonds step into the focus of -the half-circle and hop about in the most stiff-legged manner, swinging -enormous swords over their heads, and giving from time to time a -war-whoop,—it seems to be precisely the dance of the North American -Indians. We are told, however, that the howling is a song, and that the -song relates to meeting the enemy and demolishing him. The longer the -performance goes on the less we like it, for the uncouthness is -not varied by a single graceful motion, and the monotony becomes -unendurable. We long for the women to begin. - -When the women begin, we wish we had the men back again. Creatures -uglier and dirtier than these hags could not be found. Their dance is -much the same as that of the men, a semicircle, with a couple of women -to jump about and whirl swords. But the women display more fierceness -and more passion as they warm to their work, and their shrill cries, -dishevelled hair, loose robes, and frantic gestures give us new ideas of -the capacity of the gentle sex; you think that they would not only slay -their enemies, but drink their blood and dance upon their fragments. -Indeed, one of their songs is altogether belligerent; it taunts the men -with cowardice, it scoffs them for not daring to fight, it declares that -the women like the sword and know how to use it,—and thus, and thus, -and thus, lunging their swords into the air, would they pierce the -imaginary enemy. But these sweet creatures do not sing altogether of -war; they sing of love in the same strident voices and fierce manner: -“My lover will meet me by the stream, he will take me over the -water.” - -When the performance is over they all clamor for backsheesh; it is given -in a lump to their sheykh, and they retire into the bushes and wrangle -over its distribution. The women return to us and say. “Why you give -our backsheesh to sheykh? We no get any. Men get all.” It seems that -women are animated nowadays by the same spirit the world over, and make -the same just complaints of the injustice of men. - -When we turn in, there is a light gleaming from a cell high up on Mt. -Temptation, where some modern pilgrim is playing hermit for the night. - -We are up early in the morning, and prepare for the journey to -Jerusalem. Near our camp some Abyssinian pilgrims, Christians so called, -have encamped in the bushes, a priest and three or four laymen, the -cleverest and most decent Abyssinians we have met with. They are from -Gondar, and have been a year and a half on their pilgrimage from their -country to the Jordan. The priest is severely ill with a fever, and his -condition excites the compassion of Abd-el-Atti, who procures for him -a donkey to ride back to the city. About the only luggage of the party -consists of sacred books, written on parchment and preserved with great -care, among them the Gospel of St. John, the Psalms, the Pentateuch, and -volumes of prayers to the Virgin. They are willing to exchange some of -these manuscripts for silver, and we make up besides a little purse for -the sick man. These Abyssinian Christians when at home live under the -old dispensation, rather than the new, holding rather to the law of -Moses than of Christ, and practise generally all the vices of all ages; -the colony of them at Jerusalem is a disreputable lot of lewd beggars; -so that we are glad to find some of the race who have gentle manners and -are outwardly respectable. To be sure, we had come a greater distance -than they to the Jordan, but they had been much longer on the way. - -The day is very hot; the intense sun beats upon the white limestone -rocks and is reflected into the valleys. Our view in returning is better -than it was in coming; the plain and the foot of the pass are covered -with a bloom of lilac-colored flowers. We meet and pass more pilgrims -than before. We overtake them resting or asleep by the roadside, in the -shade of the rocks. They all carry bundles of sticks and canes cut on -the banks of the Jordan, and most of them Jordan water in cans, bottles, -and pitchers. There are motley loads of baggage, kitchen utensils, beds, -children. We see again two, three, and four on one horse or mule, and -now and then a row, as if on a bench, across the horse's back, taking -up the whole road. - -We overtake one old woman, a Russian, who cannot be less than seventy, -with a round body, and legs as short as ducks' and as big as the -“limbs” of a piano. Her big feet are encased in straw shoes, the -shape of a long vegetable-dish. She wears a short calico gown, an old -cotton handkerchief enwraps her gray head, she carries on her back a big -bundle of clothing, an extra pair of straw shoes, a coffee-pot, and -a saucepan, and she staggers under a great bundle of canes on her -shoulder. Poor old pilgrim! I should like to give the old mother my -horse and ease her way to the heavenly city; but I reflect that this -would detract from the merit of her pilgrimage. There are men also as -old hobbling along, but usually not so heavily laden. One ancient couple -are riding in the deep flaps of a pannier, hanging each side of a mule; -they can just see each other across the mule's back, but the swaying, -sickening motion of the pannier evidently lessens their interest in life -and in each other. - -Our Syrian allies are as brave as usual. The Soudan babies did not go -to the Jordan or the Dead Sea, and are consequently fresh and full of -antics. The Syrian armament has not thus far been used; eagles, rabbits, -small game of all sorts, have been disregarded; neither of the men has -unslung his gun or drawn his revolvers. The hunting dogs have not once -been called on to hunt anything, and now they are so exhausted by -the heat that their master is obliged to carry them all the way to -Jerusalem; one of the hounds he has in his arms and the other is slung -in a pannier under the saddle, his master's foot resting in the other -side to balance the dog. The poor creature looks out piteously from his -swinging cradle. It is the most inglorious hunting-expedition I have -ever been attached to. - -Our sheykh becomes more and more friendly. He rides up to me -occasionally, and, nobly striking his breast, exclaims, “Me! sheykh, -Jordan, Jerusalem, Mar Saba, Hebron, all round; me, big.” Sometimes he -ends the interview with a demand for tobacco, and again with a hint of -the backsheesh he expects in Jerusalem. I want to tell him that he is -exactly like our stately red man at home, with his “Me! Big Injun. -Chaw-tobac?” - -We are very glad to get out of the heat at noon and take shelter in the -rock grotto at the Red Khan. We sit here as if in a box at the theatre, -and survey the passing show. The Syro-Phoenician woman smokes her -narghileh again, the dogs crouching at her feet, and the Soudan babies -are pretending to wait on her, and tumbling over each other and spilling -everything they attempt to carry. The woman says they are great plagues -to her, and cost thirty napoleons each in Soudan. As we sit here after -lunch, an endless procession passes before us,—donkeys, horses, camels -in long strings tied together, and pilgrims of all grades; and as they -come up the hill one after the other, showing their heads suddenly, -it is just as if they appeared on the stage; and they all—Bedaween, -Negroes, Russians, Copts, Circassians, Greeks, Soudan slaves, and Arab -masters—seem struck with a “glad surprise” upon seeing us, and -tarry long enough for us to examine them. - -Suddenly presents himself a tall, gayly dressed, slim fellow from Soudan -(the slave of the sheykh), showing his white teeth, and his face beaming -with good-nature. He is so peculiarly black that we ask him to step -forward for closer inspection. Abd-el-Atti, who expresses great -admiration for him, gets a coal from the tire, and holds it up by his -cheek; the skin has the advantage of the coal, not only in lustre but in -depth of blackness. He says that he is a Galgam, a tribe whose virtues -Abdel-Atti endorses: “Thim very sincere, trusty, thim good breed.” - -When we have made the acquaintance of the Galgam in this thorough -manner, he asks for backsheesh. The Doctor offers him a copper coin. -This, without any offence in his manner, and with the utmost courtesy, -he refuses, bows very low, says “Thanks,” with a little irony, and -turns away. In a few moments he comes back, opens his wallet, takes out -two silver franc pieces, hands them to the Doctor, says with a proud -politeness, “Backsheesh, Bedawee!” bows, runs across the hill, -catches his horse, and rides gallantly away. It is beautifully done. -Once or twice during the ride to Jerusalem we see him careering over the -hills, and he approaches within hail at Bethany, but he does not lower -his dignity by joining us again. - -The heat is intense until we reach the well within a mile of Bethany, -where we find a great concourse of exhausted pilgrims. On the way, -wherever there is an open field that admits of it, we have some display -of Bedawee horsemanship. The white Arab mare which the sheykh rides -is of pure blood and cost him £200, although I should select her as a -broken-down stage-horse. These people ride “all abroad,” so to -say, arms, legs, accoutrements flying; but they stick on, which is the -principal thing; and the horses over the rough ground, soft fields, and -loose stones, run, stop short, wheel in a flash, and exhibit wonderful -training and bottom. - -The high opinion we had formed of the proud spirit and generosity of the -Bedawee, by the incident at the Bed Khan, was not to be maintained after -our return to Jerusalem. Another of our Oriental illusions was to be -destroyed forever. The cool acceptance by the Doctor of the two francs -so loftily tendered, as a specimen of Bedawee backsheesh, was -probably unexpected, and perhaps unprovided for by adequate financial -arrangements on the part of the Galgam. At any rate, that evening he was -hovering about the hotel, endeavoring to attract the attention of the -Doctor, and evidently unwilling to believe that there could exist in the -heart of the howadji the mean intention of retaining those francs. The -next morning he sent a friend to the Doctor to ask him for the money. -The Doctor replied that he should never think of returning a gift, -especially one made with so much courtesy; that, indeed, the amount of -the money was naught, but that he should keep it as a souvenir of the -noble generosity of his Bedawee friend. This sort of sentiment seemed -inexplicable to the Oriental mind. The son of the desert was as much -astonished that the Frank should retain his gift, as the Spanish -gentleman who presents his horse to his guest would be if the guest -should take it. The offer of a present in the East is a flowery -expression of a sentiment that does not exist, and its acceptance -necessarily implies a return of something of greater value. After -another day of anxiety the proud and handsome slave came in person and -begged for the francs until he received them. He was no better than his -master, the noble sheykh, who waylaid us during the remainder of our -stay for additional sixpences in backsheesh. O superb Bedawee, we did -not begrudge the money, but our lost ideal! - - - - -VI.—BETHLEHEM AND MAR SABA. - -BETHLEHEM lies about seven miles south of Jerusalem. It is also a hill -village, reposing upon a stony promontory that is thrust out eastward -from the central mountain-range; the abrupt slopes below three sides of -it are terraced; on the north is a valley which lies in a direct line -between it and Jerusalem; on the east are the yawning ravines and the -“wilderness” leading to the Dead Sea; on the south is the wild -country towards Hebron, and the sharp summit of the Frank mountain in -the distance. The village lies on the ridge; and on the point at the -east end of it, overlooking a vast extent of seamed and rocky and jagged -country, is the gloomy pile of convents, chapels, and churches that mark -the spot of the Nativity. - -From its earliest mention till now the home of shepherds and of hardy -cultivators of its rocky hillsides, it has been noted for the free -spirit and turbulence of its inhabitants. The primal character of a -place seems to have the power of perpetuating itself in all changes. -Bethlehem never seems to have been afflicted with servility. During the -period of David's hiding in the Cave Adullam the warlike Philistines -occupied it, but David was a fit representative of the pluck and -steadfastness of its people. Since the Christian era it has been a -Christian town, as it is to-day, and the few Moslems who have settled -there, from time to time, have found it more prudent to withdraw than to -brave its hostility. Its women incline to be handsome, and have rather -European than Oriental features, and they enjoy the reputation -of unusual virtue; the men are industrious, and seem to have more -selfrespect than the Syrians generally. - -Bethlehem is to all the world one of the sweetest of words. A tender and -romantic interest is thrown about it as the burial-place of Rachel, -as the scene of Ruth's primitive story, and of David's boyhood -and kingly consecration; so that no other place in Judæa, by its -associations, was so fit to be the gate through which the Divine Child -should come into the world. And the traveller to-day can visit it, with, -perhaps, less shock to his feelings of reverence, certainly with a purer -and simpler enjoyment, than any other place in Holy Land. He finds its -ruggedness and desolateness picturesque, in the light of old song and -story, and even the puerile inventions of monkish credulity do not -affect him as elsewhere. - -From Jerusalem we reach Bethlehem by following a curving ridge,—a -lovely upland ride, on account of the extensive prospect and the breeze, -and because it is always a relief to get out of the city. The country -is, however, as stony as the worst portions of New England,—the -mountain sheep-pastures; thick, double stone-walls enclosing small -fields do not begin to exhaust the stones. On both sides of the ridge -are bare, unproductive hills, but the sides of the valleys are terraced, -and covered with a good growth of olive-trees. These hollows were no -doubt once very fruitful by assiduous cultivation, in spite of the -stones. Bethlehem, as we saw it across a deep ravine, was like a castle -on a hill; there is nowhere level ground enough for a table to stand, -off the ridges, and we looked in vain for the “plains of Bethlehem” -about which we had tried, trustfully, to sing in youth. - -Within a mile of Bethlehem gate we came to the tomb of Rachel, standing -close by the highway. “And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to -Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: -that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.” This is the -testimony of the author of Genesis, who had not seen the pillar which -remained to his day, but repeated the tradition of the sons of Jacob. -What remained of this pillar, after the absence of the Israelites for -some five centuries from Bethlehem, is uncertain; but it may be supposed -that some spot near Bethlehem was identified as the tomb of Rachel upon -their return, and that the present site is the one then selected. It is -possible, of course, that the tradition of the pagan Canaanites may have -preserved the recollection of the precise spot. At any rate, Christians -seem to agree that this is one of the few ancient sites in Judæa which -are authentic, and the Moslems pay it equal veneration. The square, -unpretentious building erected over it is of modern construction, and -the pilgrim has to content himself with looking at a sort of Moslem tomb -inside, and reflecting, if he can, upon the pathetic story of the death -of the mother of Joseph. - -There is, alas! everywhere in Judæa something to drive away sentiment -as well as pious feeling. The tomb of Rachel is now surrounded by a -Moslem cemetery, and as we happened to be there on Thursday we found -ourselves in the midst of a great gathering of women, who had come -there, according to their weekly custom, to weep and to wail. . - -You would not see in farthest Nubia a more barbarous assemblage, and -not so fierce an one. In the presence of these wild mourners the term -“gentler sex” has a ludicrous sound. Yet we ought not to forget -that we were intruders upon their periodic grief, attracted to their -religious demonstration merely by curiosity, and fairly entitled to -nothing but scowls and signs of aversion. I am sure that we should -give bold Moslem intruders upon our hours of sorrow at home no better -reception. The women were in the usual Syrian costume; their loose -gowns gaped open at the bosom, and they were without veils, and made no -pretence of drawing a shawl before their faces; all wore necklaces of -coins, and many of them had circlets of coins on the head, with strips -depending from them, also stiff with silver pieces. A woman's worth -was thus easily to be reckoned, for her entire fortune was on her head. -A pretty face was here and there to be seen, but most of them -were flaringly ugly, and—to liken them to what they most -resembled—physically and mentally the type of the North American -squaws. They were accompanied by all their children, and the little -brats were tumbling about the tombs, and learning the language of woe. - -Among the hundreds of women present, the expression of grief took two -forms,—one active, the other more resigned. A group seated itself -about a tomb, and the members swayed their bodies to and fro, howled -at the top of their voices, and pretended to weep. I had the infidel -curiosity to go from group to group in search of a tear, but I did -not see one. Occasionally some interruption, like the arrival of a new -mourner, would cause the swaying and howling to cease for a moment, or -it would now and then be temporarily left to the woman at the head of -the grave, but presently all would fall to again and abandon themselves -to the luxury of agony. It was perhaps unreasonable to expect tears from -creatures so withered as most of these were; but they worked themselves -into a frenzy of excitement, they rolled up their blue checked cotton -handkerchiefs, drew them across their eyes, and then wrung them out with -gestures of despair. It was the dryest grief I ever saw. - -The more active mourners formed a ring in a clear spot. Some thirty -women standing with their faces toward the centre, their hands on each -other's shoulders, circled round with unrhythmic steps, crying and -singing, and occasionally jumping up and down with all their energy, -like the dancers of Horace, “striking the ground with equal feet,” -coming down upon the earth with a heavy thud, at the same time slapping -their faces with their hands; then circling around again with faster -steps, and shriller cries, and more prolonged ululations, and anon -pausing to jump and beat the ground with a violence sufficient to -shatter their frames. The loose flowing robes, the clinking of the -silver ornaments, the wild gleam of their eyes, the Bacchantic madness -of their saltations, the shrill shrieking and wailing, conspired to give -their demonstration an indescribable barbarity. This scene has recurred -every Thursday for, I suppose, hundreds of years, within a mile of the -birthplace of Jesus. - -Bethlehem at a little distance presents an appearance that its interior -does not maintain; but it is so much better than most Syrian villages of -its size (it has a population of about three thousand), and is so much -cleaner than Jerusalem, that we are content with its ancient though -commonplace aspect. But the atmosphere of the town is thoroughly -commercial, or perhaps I should say industrial; you do not find in it -that rural and reposeful air which you associate with the birthplace of -our Lord. The people are sharp, to a woman, and have a keen eye for the -purse of the stranger. Every other house is a shop for the manufacture -or sale of some of the Bethlehem specialties,—carvings in olive-wood -and ivory and mother-of-pearl, crosses and crucifixes, and models of the -Holy Sepulchre, and every sort of sacred trinket, and beads in endless -variety; a little is done also in silver-work, especially in rings. One -may chance upon a Mecca ring there; but the ring peculiar to Bethlehem -is a silver wedding-ring; it is a broad and singular band of silver with -pendants, and is worn upon the thumb. As soon as we come into the town, -we are beset with sellers of various wares, and we never escape them -except when we are in the convent. - -The Latin convent opens its doors to tourists; it is a hospitable house, -and the monks are very civil; they let us sit in a salle-à-manger, -while waiting for dinner, that was as damp and chill as a dungeon, and -they gave us a well-intended but uneatable meal, and the most peculiar -wine, all at a good price. The wine, white and red, was made by the -monks, they said with some pride; we tried both kinds, and I can -recommend it to the American Temperance Union: if it can be introduced -to the public, the public will embrace total abstinence with enthusiasm. - -While we were waiting for the proper hour to visit the crypt of the -Nativity, we went out upon the esplanade before the convent, and looked -down into the terraced ravines which are endeared to us by so many -associations. Somewhere down there is the patch of ground that the -mighty man of wealth, Boaz, owned, in which sweet Ruth went gleaning -in the barley-harvest. What a picture of a primitive time it is,—the -noonday meal of Boaz and his handmaidens, Ruth invited to join them, -and dip her morsel in the vinegar with the rest, and the hospitable Boaz -handing her parched corn. We can understand why Ruth had good gleaning -over this stony ground, after the rakes of the handmaidens. We know that -her dress did not differ from that worn by Oriental women now; for -her “veil,” which Boaz filled with six measures of barley, was -the head-shawl still almost universally worn,—though not by the -Bethlehemite women. Their head-dress is peculiar; there seems to be on -top of the head a square frame, and over this is thrown and folded a -piece of white doth. The women are thus in a manner crowned, and the -dress is as becoming as the somewhat similar head-covering of the Roman -peasants. We learn also in the story of Ruth that the mother-in-law in -her day was as wise in the ways of men as she is now. “Sit still, my -daughter,” she counselled her after she returned with the veil full -of barley, “until thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will -not be in rest until he have finished the thing this day.” - -Down there, somewhere in that wilderness of ravines, David, the -great-grandson of Ruth, kept his father's sheep before he went to the -combat with Goliath. It was there—the grotto is shown a little more -than a mile from this convent—that the shepherds watched their flocks -by night when the angel appeared and announced the birth of the Messiah, -the Son of David. We have here within the grasp of the eye almost the -beginning and the end of the old dispensation, from the burial of Rachel -to the birth of our Lord, from the passing of the wandering sheykh, -Jacob, with his family, to the end put to the exclusive pretensions of -his descendants by the coming of a Saviour to all the world. - -The cave called the Grotto of the Nativity has great antiquity. The -hand-book says it had this repute as early as the second century. In -the year 327 the mother of Constantine built a church over it, and -this basilica still stands, and is the oldest specimen of Christian -architecture in existence, except perhaps the lower church of St. -Clement at Rome. It is the oldest basilica above ground retaining its -perfect ancient form. The main part of the church consists of a nave -and four aisles, separated by four rows of Corinthian marble columns, -tradition says, taken from the temple of Solomon. The walls were once -adorned with mosaics, but only fragments of them remain; the roof is -decayed and leaky, the pavement is broken. This part of the church is -wholly neglected, because it belongs to the several sects in common, and -is merely the arena for an occasional fight. The choir is separated from -the nave by a wall, and is divided into two chapels, one of the Greeks, -the other of the Armenians. The Grotto of the Nativity is underneath -these chapels, and each sect has a separate staircase of descent to it. -The Latin chapel is on the north side of this choir, and it also has a -stairway to the subterranean apartments. - -Making an effort to believe that the stable of the inn in which Christ -was born was a small subterranean cave cut in the solid rock, we -descended a winding flight of stairs from the Latin chapel, with a monk -for our guide, and entered a labyrinth from which we did not emerge -until we reached the place of the nativity, and ascended into the Greek -chapel above it. We walked between glistening walls of rock, illuminated -by oil-lamps here and there, and in our exploration of the gloomy -passages and chambers, encountered shrines, pictures, and tombs of the -sainted. We saw, or were told that we saw, the spot to which St. Joseph -retired at the moment of the nativity, and also the place where the -twenty thousand children who were murdered by the order of -Herod—a ghastly subject so well improved by the painters of the -Renaissance—are buried. But there was one chamber, or rather vault, -that we entered with genuine emotion. This was the cell of Jerome, -hermit and scholar, whose writings have gained him the title of Father -of the Church. - -At the close of the fourth century Bethlehem was chiefly famous as the -retreat of this holy student, and the fame of his learning and sanctity -drew to it from distant lands many faithful women, who renounced the -world and its pleasures, and were content to sit at his feet and learn -the way of life. Among those who resigned, and, for his sake and the -cross, despised, the allurements and honors of the Roman world, was the -devout Paula, a Roman matron who traced her origin from Agamemnon, and -numbered the Scipios and Gracchi among her ancestors, while her husband, -Joxotius, deduced a no less royal lineage from Æneas. Her wealth -was sufficient to support the dignity of such a descent; among her -possessions, an item in her rent-roll, was the city of Nicopolis, which -Augustus built as a monument of the victory of Actium. By the advice and -in the company of Jerome, her spiritual guide, she abandoned Rome and -all her vast estates, and even her infant son, and retired to the holy -village of Bethlehem. The great Jerome, who wrote her biography, and -transmitted the story of her virtues to the most distant ages, bestowed -upon her the singular title of the Mother-in-law of God! She was buried -here, and we look upon her tomb with scarcely less interest than that -of Jerome himself, who also rests in this thrice holy ground. At the -beginning of the fifth century, when the Goths sacked Rome, a crowd of -the noble and the rich, escaping with nothing saved from the wreck but -life and honor, attracted also by the reputation of Jerome, appeared as -beggars in the streets of this humble village. No doubt they thronged to -the cell of the venerable father. - -There is, I suppose, no doubt that this is the study in which he -composed many of his more important treatises. It is a vaulted chamber, -about twenty feet square by nine feet high. There is in Venice a -picture of the study of Jerome, painted by Carpaccio, which represents -a delightful apartment; the saint is seen in his study, in a rich -négligé robe; at the side of his desk are musical instruments, -music-stands, and sheets of music, as if he were accustomed to give -soirées; on the chimney-piece are Greek vases and other objects of -virtu, and in the middle of the room is a poodle-dog of the most worldly -and useless of the canine breed. The artist should have seen the real -study of the hermit,—a grim, unornamented vault, in which he passed -his days in mortifications of the body, hearing always ringing in his -ears, in his disordered mental and physical condition, the last trump of -judgment. - -We passed, groping our way along in this religious cellar, through a -winding, narrow passage in the rock, some twenty-five feet long, and -came into the place of places, the very Chapel of the Nativity. In this -low vault, thirty-eight feet long and eleven feet wide, hewn in the -rock, is an altar at one end. Before this altar—and we can see -everything with distinctness, for sixteen silver lamps are burning about -it—there is a marble slab in the pavement into which is let a silver -star, with this sentence round it: Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus -natus est. The guardian of this sacred spot was a Turkish soldier, who -stood there with his gun and fixed bayonet, an attitude which experience -has taught him is necessary to keep the peace among the Christians who -meet here. The altar is without furniture, and is draped by each sect -which uses it in turn. Near by is the chapel of the “manger,” but -the manger in which Christ was laid is in the church of Santa Maria -Maggiore in Rome. - -There is in Bethlehem another ancient cave which is almost as famous as -that of the Nativity; it is called the Milk Grotto, and during all ages -of the Church a most marvellous virtue has attached to it; fragments of -the stone have been, and still continue to be, broken off and sent into -all Christian countries; women also make pilgrimages to it in faith. The -grotto is on the edge of the town overlooking the eastern ravines, and -is arranged as a show-place. In our walk thither a stately Bedawee, as -by accident, fell into our company, and acted as our cicerone. He was -desirous that we should know that he also was a man of the world and of -travel, and rated at its proper value this little corner of the earth. -He had served in the French army and taken part in many battles, and had -been in Paris and seen the tomb of the great emperor,—ah, there was a -man! As to this grotto, they say that the Virgin used to send to it for -milk,—many think so. As for him, he was a soldier, and did not much -give his mind to such things. - -This grotto is an excavation in the chalky rock, and might be a very -good place to store milk, but for the popular prejudice in cities -against chalk and water. We entered it through the court of a private -house, and the damsel who admitted us also assured us that the Virgin -procured milk from it. The tradition is that the Virgin and Child were -concealed here for a time before the flight into Egypt; and ever since -then its stone has the miraculous power of increasing the flow of -the maternal breast. The early fathers encouraged this and the like -superstitions in the docile minds of their fair converts, and themselves -testified to the efficacy of this remarkable stone. These superstitions -belong rather to the Orient than to any form of religion. There is a -famous spring at Assiout in Egypt which was for centuries much resorted -to by ladies who desired offspring; and the Arabs on the Upper Nile -to-day, who wish for an heir male, resort to a plant which grows in -the remote desert, rare and difficult to find, the leaves of which are -“good for boys.” This grotto scarcely repays the visit, except for -the view one obtains of the wild country below it. When we bade good by -to the courtly Arab, we had too much delicacy to offer money to such -a gentleman and a soldier of the empire; a delicacy not shared by him, -however, for he let no false modesty hinder a request for a little -backsheesh for tobacco. - -On our return, and at some distance from the gate, we diverged into a -lane, and sought, in a rocky field, the traditional well whose waters -David longed for when he was in the Cave of Adullam,—“O that one -would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by -the gate!” Howbeit, when the three mighty men had broken through the -Philistine guards and procured him the water, David would not drink that -which was brought at such a sacrifice. Two very comely Bethlehem girls -hastened at our approach to draw water from the well and gave us to -drink, with all the freedom of Oriental hospitality, in which there is -always an expectation of backsheesh. The water is at any rate very good, -and there is no reason why these pretty girls should not turn an honest -penny upon the strength of David's thirst, whether this be the -well whose water he desired or not. We were only too thankful that no -miraculous property is attributed to its waters. As we returned, we had -the evening light upon the gray walls and towers of the city, and were -able to invest it with something of its historical dignity. - -The next excursion that we made from Jerusalem was so different from the -one to Bethlehem, that by way of contrast I put them together. It was to -the convent of Mar Saba, which lies in the wilderness towards the Dead -Sea, about two hours and a half from the city. - -In those good old days, when piety was measured by frugality in the use -of the bath, when the holy fathers praised most those hermits who washed -least, when it might perhaps be the boast of more than one virgin, -devoted to the ascetic life, that she had lived fifty-eight years during -which water had touched neither her hands, her face, her feet, nor any -part of her body, Palestine was, after Egypt, the favorite resort of -the fanatical, the unfortunate, and the lazy, who, gathered into -communities, or dwelling in solitary caves, offered to the barbarian -world a spectacle of superstition and abasement under the name of -Christianity. But of the swarm of hermits and monks who begged in the -cities and burrowed in the caves of the Holy Land in the fifth century, -no one may perhaps be spoken of with more respect than St. Sabas, who, -besides a reputation for sanctity, has left that of manliness and a -virile ability, which his self-mortifications did not extirpate. And of -all the monasteries of that period, that of Mar Saba is the only one in -Judæa which has preserved almost unbroken the type of that time. St. -Sabas was a Cappadocian who came to Palestine in search of a permanent -retreat, savage enough to satisfy his austere soul. He found it in a -cave in one of the wildest gorges in this most desolate of lands, a -ravine which opens into the mountains from the brook Kidron. The fame of -his zeal and piety attracted thousands to his neighborhood, so that at -one time there were almost as many hermits roosting about in the rocks -near him as there are inhabitants in the city of Jerusalem now. He was -once enabled to lead an army of monks to that city and chastise the -Monophysite heretics. His cave in the steep side of a rocky precipice -became the nucleus of his convent, which grew around it and attached -itself to the face of the rock as best it could. For the convent of Mar -Saba is not a building, nor a collection of buildings, so much as it is -a group of nests attached to the side of a precipice. - -It was a bright Saturday afternoon that a young divinity student and I, -taking the volatile Demetrius with us for interpreter, rode out of -St. Stephen's gate, into Jehoshaphat, past the gray field of Jewish -graves, down through Tophet and the wild ravine of the Kidron. - -It is unpleasant to interrupt the prosperous start of a pilgrimage by a -trifling incident, but at our first descent and the slightest tension on -the bridle-reins of my horse, they parted from the bit. This accident, -which might be serious in other lands, is of the sort that is -anticipated here, and I may say assured, by the forethought of the -owners of saddle-horses. Upon dismounting with as much haste as dignity, -I discovered that the reins had been fastened to the bit by a single -rotten string of cotton. Luckily the horse I rode was not an animal to -take advantage of the weakness of his toggery. He was a Syrian horse, -a light sorrel, and had no one of the good points of a horse except the -name and general shape. His walk was slow and reluctant, his trot a high -and non-progressive jolt, his gallop a large up-and-down agitation. To -his bridle of strings and shreds no martingale was attached; no horse in -Syria is subject to that restraint. When I pull the bit he sticks up -his nose; when I switch him he kicks. When I hold him in, he won't go; -when I let him loose, he goes on his nose. I dismount and look at him -with curiosity; I wonder all the journey what his forte is, but I never -discover. I conclude that he is like the emperor Honorius, whom Gibbon -stigmatizes as “without passions, and consequently without talents.” - -Yet he was not so bad as the roads, and perhaps no horse would do much -better on these stony and broken foot-paths. This horse is not a model -(for anything but a clothes-horse), but from my observation I think that -great injustice has been done to Syrian horses by travellers, who have -only themselves to blame for accidents which bring the horses into -disrepute. Travellers are thrown from these steeds; it is a daily -occurrence; we heard continually that somebody had a fall from his horse -on his way to the Jordan, or to Mar Saba, or to Nablous, and was laid -up, and it was always in consequence of a vicious brute. The fact is -that excellent ministers of the gospel and doctors of divinity and -students of the same, who have never in their lives been on the back of -a horse in any other land, seem to think when they come here that the -holy air of Palestine will transform them into accomplished horsemen; or -perhaps they are emulous of Elisha, that they may go to heaven by means -of a fiery steed. - -For a while we had the company of the singing brook Kidron, flowing -clear over the stones; then we left the ravine and wound over rocky -steeps, which afforded us fine views of broken hills and interlacing -ridges, and when we again reached the valley the brook had disappeared -in the thirsty ground. The road is strewn, not paved, with stones, -and in many places hardly practicable for horses. Occasionally we -encountered flocks of goats and of long-wooled sheep feeding on the -scant grass of the hills, and tended by boys in the coarse brown and -striped garments of the country, which give a state-prison aspect to -most of the inhabitants,—but there was no other life, and no trees -offer relief to the hard landscape. But the way was now and then bright -with flowers, thickly carpeted with scarlet anemones, the Star of -Bethlehem, and tiny dandelions. Two hours from the city we passed -several camps of Bedaween, their brown low camel's-hair tents pitched -among the rocks and scarcely distinguishable in the sombre landscape. -About the tents were grouped camels and donkeys, and from them issued -and pursued us begging boys and girls. A lazy Bedawee appeared here -and there with a long gun, and we could imagine that this gloomy region -might be unsafe after nightfall; but no danger ever seems possible in -such bright sunshine and under a sky so blue and friendly. - -When a half-hour from the convent, we turned to the right from the road -to the Dead Sea, and ascending a steep hill found ourselves riding along -the edge of a deep winding gorge; a brook flows at the bottom, and its -sides are sheer precipices of rock, generally parallel, but occasionally -widening into amphitheatres of the most fantastic rocky formation. It -is on one side of this narrow ravine that the convent is built, partly -excavated in the rock, partly resting on jutting ledges, and partly hung -out in the form of balconies,—buildings clinging to the steep side -like a comb of wild bees or wasps to a rock. - -Our first note of approach to it was the sight of a square tower and -of the roofs of buildings below us. Descending from the road by several -short turns, and finally by two steep paved inclines, we came to a lofty -wall in which is a small iron door. As we could go no farther without -aid from within, Demetrius shouted, and soon we had a response from a -slit in the wall fifty feet above us to the left. We could see no one, -but the voice demanded who we were, and whether we had a pass. Above the -slit from which the angelic voice proceeded a stone projected, and in -this was an opening for letting down or drawing up articles. This habit -of caution in regard to who or what shall come into the convent is of -course a relic of the gone ages of tumult, but it is still necessary -as a safeguard against the wandering Bedaween, who would no doubt find -means to plunder the convent of its great wealth of gold, silver, and -jewels if they were not at all times rigorously excluded. The convent -with its walls and towers is still a fortress strong enough to resist -any irregular attempts of the wandering tribes. It is also necessary -to strictly guard the convent against women, who in these days of -speculation, if not scientific curiosity, often knock impatiently and -angrily at its gates, and who, if admitted, would in one gay and chatty -hour destroy the spell of holy seclusion which has been unbroken for one -thousand three hundred and ninety-two years. I know that sometimes it -seems an unjust ordination of Providence that a woman cannot be a -man, but I cannot join those who upbraid the monks of Mar Saba for -inhospitality because they refuse to admit women under any circumstances -into the precincts of the convent; if I do not sympathize with the -brothers, I can understand their adhesion to the last shred of man's -independence, which is only to be maintained by absolute exclusion of -the other sex. It is not necessary to revive the defamation of the early -Christian ages, that the devil appeared oftener to the hermit in the -form of a beautiful woman than in any other; but we may not regret that -there is still one spot on the face of the earth, if it is no bigger -than the sod upon which Noah's pioneer dove alighted, in which weak -men may be safe from the temptation, the criticism, and the curiosity -of the superior being. There is an airy tower on the rocks outside the -walls which women may occupy if they cannot restrain their desire to -lodge in this neighborhood, or if night overtakes them here on their -way from the Dead Sea; there Madame Pfeiffer, Miss Martineau, and other -famous travellers of their sex have found refuge, and I am sorry to say -abused their proximity to this retreat of shuddering man by estimating -the piety of its inmates according to their hospitality to women. So far -as I can learn, this convent of Mar Saba is now the only retreat left -on this broad earth for Man; and it seems to me only reasonable that it -should be respected by his generous and gentle, though inquisitive foe. - -After further parley with Demetrius and a considerable interval, we -heard a bell ring, and in a few moments the iron door opened, and we -entered, stepping our horses carefully over the stone threshold, and -showing our pass from the Jerusalem Patriarch to an attendant, and came -into a sort of stable hewn in the rock. Here we abandoned our horses, -and were taken in charge by a monk whom the bell had summoned from -below. He conducted us down several long flights of zigzag stairs in the -rock, amid hanging buildings and cells, until we came to what appears -to be a broad ledge in the precipice, and found ourselves in the central -part of this singular hive, that is, in a small court, with cells and -rocks on one side and the convent church, which overhangs the precipice, -on the other. Beside the church and also at another side of the court -are buildings in which pilgrims are lodged, and in the centre of -the court is the tomb of St. Sabas himself. Here our passports were -examined, and we were assigned a cheerful and airy room looking upon the -court and tomb. - -One of the brothers soon brought us coffee, and the promptness of this -hospitality augured well for the remainder of our fare; relying upon the -reputation of the convent for good cheer, we had brought nothing with -us, not so much as a biscuit. Judge of our disgust, then, at hearing the -following dialogue between Demetrius and the Greek monk. - -“What time can the gentlemen dine?” - -“Any time they like.” - -“What have you for dinner?” - -“Nothing.” - -“You can give us no dinner?” - -“To be sure not. It is fast.” - -“But we have n't a morsel, we shall starve.” - -“Perhaps I can find a little bread.” - -“Nothing else?” - -“We have very good raisins.” - -“Well,” we interposed, “kill us a chicken, give us a few oysters, -stewed or broiled, we are not particular.” This levity, which was born -of desperation, for the jolting ride from Jerusalem had indisposed us to -keep a fast, especially a fast established by a church the orthodoxy of -whose creed we had strong reasons to doubt, did not affect the monk. He -replied, “Chicken! it is impossible.” We shrunk our requisition to -eggs. - -“If I can find an egg, I will see.” And the brother departed, with -carte blanche from us to squeeze his entire establishment. - -Alas, fasting is not in Mar Saba what it is in New England, where an -appointed fast-day is hailed as an opportunity to forego lunch in order -to have an extraordinary appetite for a better dinner than usual! - -The tomb of St. Sabas, the central worship of this hive, is a little -plastered hut in the middle of the court; the interior is decorated with -pictures in the Byzantine style, and a lamp is always burning there. As -we stood at the tomb we heard voices chanting, and, turning towards the -rock, we saw a door from which the sound came. Pushing it open, we were -admitted into a large chapel, excavated in the rock. The service of -vespers was in progress, and a band of Russian pilgrims were chanting in -rich bass voices, producing more melody than I had ever heard in a Greek -church. The excavation extends some distance into the hill; we were -shown the cells of St. John of Damascus and other hermits, and at the -end a charnel-house piled full of the bones of men. In the dim light -their skulls grinned at us in a horrid familiarity; in that ghastly -jocularity which a skull always puts on, with a kind of mocking -commentary upon the strong chant of the pilgrims, which reverberated -in all the recesses of the gloomy cave,—fresh, hearty voices, such -as these skulls have heard (if they can hear) for many centuries. The -pilgrims come, and chant, and depart, generation after generation; the -bones and skulls of the fourteen thousand martyrs in this charnel-bin -enjoy a sort of repulsive immortality. The monk, who was our guide, -appeared to care no more for the remains of the martyrs than for the -presence of the pilgrims. In visiting such storehouses one cannot but -be struck by the light familiarity with the relics and insignia of death -which the monks have acquired. - -This St. John of Damascus, whose remains repose here, was a fiery -character in his day, and favored by a special miracle before he became -a saint. He so distinguished himself by his invectives against Leo and -Constantine and other iconoclast emperors at Constantinople who, in the -eighth century, attempted to extirpate image-worship from the Catholic -church, that he was sentenced to lose his right hand. The story is that -it was instantly restored by the Virgin Mary. It is worthy of note that -the superstitious Orient more readily gave up idolatry or image-worship -under the Moslems than under the Christians. - -As the sun was setting we left the pilgrims chanting to the martyrs, and -hastened to explore the premises a little, before the light should fade. -We followed our guide up stairs and down stairs, sometimes cut in the -stone, sometimes wooden stairways, along hanging galleries, through -corridors hewn in the rock, amid cells and little chapels,—a most -intricate labyrinth, in which the uninitiated would soon lose his way. -Here and there we came suddenly upon a little garden spot as big as a -bed-blanket, a ledge upon which soil had been deposited. We walked also -under grape-trellises, we saw orange-trees, and the single palm-tree -that the convent boasts, said to have been planted by St. Sabas himself. -The plan of this establishment gradually developed itself to us. It -differs from an ordinary convent chiefly in this,—the latter is spread -out flat on the earth, Mar Saba is set up edgewise. Put Mar Saba on a -plain, and these little garden spots and graperies would be courts and -squares amid buildings, these galleries would be bridges, these cells or -horizontal caves would be perpendicular tombs and reservoirs. - -When we arrived, we supposed that we were almost the only guests. But -we found that the place was full of Greek and Russian pilgrims; we -encountered them on the terraces, on the flat roofs, in the caves, and -in all out-of-the-way nooks. Yet these were not the most pleasing nor -the most animated tenants of the place; wherever we went the old rookery -was made cheerful by the twittering notes of black birds with yellow -wings, a species of grakle, which the monks have domesticated, and which -breed in great numbers. Steeled as these good brothers are against the -other sex, we were glad to discover this streak of softness in their -nature. High up on the precipice there is a bell-tower attached to a -little chapel, and in it hang twenty small bells, which are rung to -call the inmates to prayer. Even at this height, and indeed wherever we -penetrated, we were followed by the monotonous chant which issued from -the charnel-house. - -We passed by a long row of cells occupied by the monks, but were not -permitted to look into them; nor were we allowed to see the library, -which is said to be rich in illuminated manuscripts. The convent belongs -to the Greek church; its monks take the usual vows of poverty, chastity, -and obedience, and fortify themselves in their holiness by opposing -walls of adamant to all womankind. There are about fifty monks here at -present, and uncommonly fine-looking fellows,—not at all the gross and -greasy sort of monk that is sometimes met. Their outward dress is very -neat, consisting of a simple black gown and a round, high, flat-topped -black cap. - -Our dinner, when it was brought into our apartment, answered very well -one's idea of a dessert, but it was a very good Oriental dinner. The -chief articles were a piece of hard black bread, and two boiled eggs, -cold, and probably brought by some pilgrim from Jerusalem; but besides, -there were raisins, cheese, figs, oranges, a bottle of golden wine, and -tea. The wine was worthy to be celebrated in classic verse; none so good -is, I am sure, made elsewhere in Syria; it was liquid sunshine; and as -it was manufactured by the monks, it gave us a new respect for their -fastidious taste. - -The vaulted chamber which we occupied was furnished on three sides with -a low divan, which answered the double purpose of chairs and couch. On -one side, however, and elevated in the wall, was a long niche, exactly -like the recessed tombs in cathedrals, upon which, toes turned up, -lie the bronze or wooden figures of the occupants. This was the bed of -honor. It was furnished with a mattress and a thick counterpane having -one sheet sewed to it. With reluctance I accepted the distinction of -climbing into it, and there I slept, laid out, for all the world, like -my own effigy. From the ceiling hung a dim oil-lamp, which cast a gloom -rather than a light upon our sepulchral place of repose. Our windows -looked out towards the west, upon the court, upon the stairs, upon the -terraces, roofs, holes, caves, grottos, wooden balconies, bird-cages, -steps entering the rock and leading to cells; and, towards the south, -along the jagged precipice. The convent occupies the precipice from the -top nearly to the bottom of the ravine; the precipice opposite is nearly -perpendicular, close at hand, and permits no view in that direction. -Heaven is the only object in sight from this retreat. - -Before the twilight fell the chanting was still going on in the cavern, -monks and pilgrims were gliding about the court, and numbers of the -latter were clustered in the vestibule of the church, in which they -were settling down to lodge for the night; and high above us I saw three -gaudily attired Bedaween, who had accompanied some travellers from the -Dead Sea, leaning over the balustrade of the stairs, and regarding the -scene with Moslem complacency. The hive settled slowly to rest. - -But the place was by no means still at night. There was in the court an -old pilgrim who had brought a cough from the heart of Russia, who seemed -to be trying to cough himself inside out. There were other noises that -could not be explained. There was a good deal of clattering about in -wooden shoes. Every sound was multiplied and reduplicated from the -echoing rocks. The strangeness of the situation did not conduce to -sleep, not even to an effigy-like repose; but after looking from the -window upon the march of the quiet stars, after watching the new moon -disappear between the roofs, and after seeing that the door of St. -Sabas's tomb was closed, although his light was still burning, I -turned in; and after a time, during which I was conscious that not even -vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are respected by fleas, I fell -into a light sleep. - -From this I was aroused by a noise that seemed like the call to -judgment, by the most clamorous jangle of discordant bells,—all the -twenty were ringing at once, and each in a different key. It was not -simply a din, it was an earthquake of sound. The peals were echoed from -the opposite ledges, and reverberated among the rocks and caves and -sharp angles of the convent, until the crash was intolerable. It was -worse than the slam, bang, shriek, clang, clash, roar, dissonance, -thunder, and hurricane with which all musicians think it absolutely -necessary to close any overture, symphony, or musical composition -whatever, however decent and quiet it may be. It was enough to rouse the -deafest pilgrim, to wake the dead martyrs and set the fourteen thousand -skulls hunting for their bones, to call even St. Sabas himself from his -tomb. I arose. I saw in the starlight figures moving about the court, -monks in their simple black gowns. It was, I comprehended then, the -call to midnight prayer in the chapel, and, resolved not to be disturbed -further by it, I climbed back into my tomb. - -But the clamor continued; I heard such a clatter of hobnailed shoes on -the pavement, besides, that I could bear it no longer, got up, slipped -into some of my clothes, opened the door, and descended by our winding -private stairway into the court. - -The door of St. Sabas's tomb was wide open! - -Were the graves opening, and the dead taking the air? Did this tomb open -of its own accord? Out of its illuminated interior would the saint stalk -forth and join this great procession, the reveille of the quick and the -slow? - -From above and from below, up stairs and down stairs, out of caves and -grottos and all odd roosting-places, the monks and pilgrims were pouring -and streaming into the court; and the bells incessantly called more and -more importunately as the loiterers delayed. - -The church was open, and lighted at the altar end. I glided in with the -other ghostly, hastily clad, and yawning pilgrims. The screen at the -apse before the holy place, a mass of silver and gilding, sparkled in -the candlelight; the cross above it gleamed like a revelation out of the -gloom; but half of the church was in heavy shadow. From the penetralia -came the sound of priestly chanting; in the wooden stalls along each -side of the church stood, facing the altar, the black and motionless -figures of the brothers. The pilgrims were crowding and jostling in at -the door. A brother gave me a stall near the door, and I stood in it, as -statue-like as I could, and became a brother for the time being. - -At the left of the door stood a monk with impassive face; before him on -a table were piles of wax tapers and a solitary lighted candle. Every -pilgrim who entered bought a taper and paid two coppers for it. If he -had not the change the monk gave him change, and the pilgrim carefully -counted what he received and objected to any piece he thought not -current. You may wake these people up any time of night, and find their -perceptions about money unobscured. The seller never looked at the -buyer, nor at anything except the tapers and the money. - -The pilgrims were of all ages and grades; very old men, stout, -middle-aged men, and young athletic fellows; there were Russians from -all the provinces; Greeks from the isles, with long black locks and -dark eyes, in fancy embroidered jackets and leggins, swarthy bandits and -midnight pirates in appearance. But it tends to make anybody look like -a pirate to wake him up at twelve o'clock at night, and haul him into -the light with no time to comb his hair. I dare say that I may have -appeared to these honest people like a Western land-pirate. And yet I -should rather meet some of those Greeks in a lighted church than outside -the walls at midnight. - -Each pilgrim knelt and bowed himself, then lighted his taper and placed -it on one of the tripods before the screen. In time the church was very -fairly illuminated, and nearly filled with standing worshippers, bowing, -crossing themselves, and responding to the reading and chanting in low -murmurs. The chanting was a very nasal intoning, usually slow, but -now and then breaking into a lively gallop. The assemblage, quiet and -respectful, but clad in all the vagaries of Oriental colors and rags, -contained some faces that appeared very wild in the half-light. When -the service had gone on half an hour, a priest came out with a tinkling -censer and incensed carefully every nook and corner and person (even the -vestibule, where some of the pilgrims slept, which needed it), until the -church was filled with smoke and perfume. The performance went on for an -hour or more, but I crept back to bed long before it was over, and fell -to sleep on the drone of the intoning. - -We were up before sunrise on Sunday morning. The pilgrims were already -leaving for Jerusalem. There was no trace of the last night's revelry; -everything was commonplace in the bright daylight. We were served with -coffee, and then finished our exploration of the premises. - -That which we had postponed as the most interesting sight was the cell -of St. Sabas. It is a natural grotto in the rock, somewhat enlarged -either by the saint or by his successors. When St. Sabas first came to -this spot, he found a lion in possession. It was not the worst kind of a -lion, but a sort of Judæan lion, one of those meek beasts over whom the -ancient hermits had so much control. St. Sabas looked at the cave and at -the lion, but the cave suited him better than the lion. The lion looked -at the saint, and evidently knew what was passing in his mind. For the -lions in those days were nearly as intelligent as anybody else. And -then St. Sabas told the lion to go away, that he wanted that lodging -for himself. And the lion, without a growl, put his tail down, and -immediately went away. There is a picture of this interview still -preserved at the convent, and any one can see that it is probable that -such a lion as the artist has represented would move on when requested -to do so. - -In the cave is a little recess, the entrance to which is a small hole, -a recess just large enough to accommodate a person in a sitting posture. -In this place St. Sabas sat for seven years, without once coming out. -That was before the present walls were built in front of the grotto, and -he had some light,—he sat seven years on that hard stone, as long -as the present French Assembly intends to sit. It was with him also a -provisional sitting, in fact, a Septennate. - -In the court-yard, as we were departing, were displayed articles to -sell to the pious pilgrims: canes from the Jordan; crosses painted, and -inlaid with cedar or olive wood, or some sort of Jordan timber; rude -paintings of the sign-board order done by the monks, St. George and the -Dragon being the favorite subject; hyperbolical pictures of the convent -and the saint, stamped in black upon cotton cloth; and holy olive-oil in -tin cans. - -Perhaps the most taking article of merchandise offered was dates from -the palm-tree that St. Sabas planted. These dates have no seeds. There -was something appropriate about this; childless monks, seedless dates. -One could understand that. But these dates were bought by the pilgrims -to carry to their wives who desire but have not sons. By what reasoning -the monks have convinced them that fruitless dates will be a cause of -fruitfulness, I do not know. - -We paid our tribute, climbed up the stairways and out the grim gate into -the highway, and had a glorious ride in the fresh morning air, the way -enlivened by wild-flowers, blue sky, Bedaween, and troops of returning -pilgrims, and finally ennobled by the sight of Jerusalem itself, -conspicuous on its hill. - - - - -VII.—THE FAIR OF MOSES; THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH. - -THE Moslems believe that their religion superseded Judaism and -Christianity,—Mohammed closing the culminating series of six great -prophets, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed,—and that they -have a right to administer on the effects of both. They appropriate -our sacred history and embellish it without the least scruple, assume -exclusive right to our sacred places, and enroll in their own calendar -all our notable heroes and saints. - -On the 16th of April was inaugurated in Jerusalem the fête and fair of -the Prophet Moses. The fair is held yearly at Neby Mûsa, a Moslem wely, -in the wilderness of Judæa, some three or four hours from Jerusalem -on a direct line to the Dead Sea. There Moses, according to the Moslem -tradition, was buried, and thither the faithful resort in great crowds -at this anniversary, and hold a four days' fair. - -At midnight the air was humming with preparations; the whole city buzzed -like a hive about to swarm. For many days pilgrims had been gathering -for this festival, coming in on all the mountain roads, from Grath and -Askalon, from Hebron, from Nablous and Jaffa,—pilgrims as zealous and -as ragged as those that gather to the Holy Sepulchre and on the banks -of the Jordan. In the early morning we heard the pounding of drums, the -clash of cymbals, the squeaking of fifes, and an occasional gun, let off -as it were by accident,—very much like the dawn of a Fourth of July -at home. Processions were straggling about the streets, apparently lost, -like ward-delegations in search of the beginning of St. Patrick's Day; -a disorderly scramble of rags and color, a rabble hustling along without -step or order, preceded usually by half a dozen enormous flags, green, -red, yellow, and blue, embroidered with various devices and texts from -the Koran, which hung lifeless on their staves, but grouped in mass -made as lively a study of color as a bevy of sails of the Chioggia -fishing-boats flocking into the port of Venice at sunrise. Before the -banners walked the musicians, filling the narrow streets with a fearful -uproar of rude drums and cymbals. These people seem to have inherited -the musical talent of the ancient Jews, and to have the same passion for -noise and discord. - -As the procession would not move to the Tomb of Moses until afternoon, -we devoted the morning to a visit to the Armenian Patriarch. Isaac, -archbishop, and by the grace of God Patriarch of the Armenians of -Jerusalem, occupant of the holy apostolic seat of St. James (the -Armenian convent stands upon the traditional site of the martyrdom -of St. James), claims to be the spiritual head of five millions of -Armenians, in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, India, and Persia. By firman -from the Sultan, the Copts and the Syrian and the Abyssinian Christians -are in some sort under his jurisdiction, but the authority is merely -nominal. - -The reception-room of the convent is a handsome hall (for Jerusalem), -extending over an archway of the street below and looking upon a -garden. The walls are hung with engravings and lithographs, most of them -portraits of contemporary sovereigns and princes of Europe, in whose -august company the Patriarch seems to like to sun himself. We had not to -wait long before he appeared and gave us a courteous and simple welcome. -As soon as he learned that we were Americans, he said that he had -something that he thought would interest us, and going to his table took -out of the drawer an old number of an American periodical containing -a portrait of an American publisher, which he set great store by. We -congratulated him upon his possession of this treasure, and expressed -our passionate fondness for this sort of thing, for we soon discovered -the delight the Patriarch took in pictures and especially in portraits, -and not least in photographs of himself in the full regalia of his -sacred office. And with reason, for he is probably the handsomest -potentate in the world. He is a tall, finely proportioned man of fifty -years, and his deportment exhibits that happy courtesy which is born of -the love of approbation and a kindly opinion of self. He was clad in -the black cloak with the pointed hood of the convent, which made a fine -contrast to his long, full beard, turning white; his complexion is fair, -white and red, and his eyes are remarkably pleasant and benignant. - -The languages at the command of the Patriarch are two, the Armenian and -the Turkish, and we were obliged to communicate with him through the -medium of the latter, Abd-el-Atti acting as interpreter. How much -Turkish our dragoman knew, and how familiar his holiness is with it, we -could not tell, but the conversation went on briskly, as it always -does when Abd-el-Atti has control of it. When we had exhausted what the -Patriarch knew about America and what we knew about Armenia, which did -not take long (it was astonishing how few things in all this world of -things we knew in common), we directed the conversation upon what we -supposed would be congenial and common ground, the dogma of the Trinity -and the point of difference between the Armenian and the Latin church. -I cannot say that we acquired much light on the subject, though probably -we did better than disputants usually do on this topic. We had some -signal advantages. The questions and answers, strained through the -Turkish language, were robbed of all salient and noxious points, and -solved themselves without difficulty. Thus, the “Filioque clause” -offered no subtle distinctions to the Moslem mind of Abd-el-Atti, and he -presented it to the Patriarch, I have no doubt, with perfect clarity. At -any rate, the reply was satisfactory:— - -“His excellency, he much oblige, and him say he t'ink so.” - -The elucidation of this point was rendered the easier, probably, by the -fact that neither Abd-el-Atti nor the Patriarch nor ourselves knew much -about it. When I told his highness (if, through Abd-el-Atti, I did tell -him) that the great Armenian convent at Venice, which holds with the -Pope, accepts the Latin construction of the clause, he seemed never to -have heard of the great Armenian convent at Venice. At this point of -the conversation we thought it wise to finish the subject by the trite -remark that we believed a man's life was after all more important than -his creed. - -“So am I,” responded the dragoman, and the Patriarch seemed to be of -like mind. - -A new turn was given to our interview by the arrival of refreshments, a -succession of sweetmeats, cordials, candies, and coffee. The sweetmeats -first served were a delicate preserve of plums. This was handed around -in a jar, from which each guest dipped a spoonful, and swallowed it, -drinking from a glass of water immediately,—exactly as we used to take -medicine in childhood. The preserve was taken away when each person -had tasted it, and shortly a delicious orange cordial was brought, and -handed around with candy. Coffee followed. The Patriarch then led the -way about his palace, and with some pride showed us the gold and silver -insignia of his office and his rich vestments. On the wall of his -study hung a curious map of the world, printed at Amsterdam in 1692, in -Armenian characters. He was so kind also as to give us his photograph, -enriched with his unreadable autograph, and a. book printed at the -convent, entitled Deux Ans de Séjour en Abyssinie; and we had the -pleasure of seeing also the heroes and the author of the book,—two -Armenian monks, who undertook, on an English suggestion, a mission to -King Theodore, to intercede for the release of the English prisoners -held by the tyrant of that land. They were detained by its treacherous -and barbarous chiefs, robbed by people and priests alike, never reached -the headquarters of the king, and were released only after two years -of miserable captivity and suffering. This book is a faithful record of -their journey, and contains a complete description of the religion -and customs of the Abyssinians, set down with the candor and verbal -nakedness of Herodotus. Whatever Christianity the Abyssinians may once -have had, their religion now is an odd mixture of Judaism, fetichism, -and Christian dogmas, and their morals a perfect reproduction of those -in vogue just before the flood; there is no vice or disease of barbarism -or of civilization that is not with them of universal acceptance. And -the priest Timotheus, the writer of this narrative, gave the Abyssinians -abiding in Jerusalem a character no better than that of their countrymen -at home. - -The Patriarch, with many expressions of civility, gave us into the -charge of a monk, who showed us all the parts of the convent we had not -seen on a previous visit. The convent is not only a wealthy and clean, -but also an enlightened establishment. Within its precincts are nuns -as well as monks, and good schools are maintained for children of both -sexes. The school-house, with its commodious apartments, was not unlike -one of our buildings for graded schools; in the rooms we saw many cases -of antiquities and curiosities from various countries, and specimens of -minerals. A map which hung on the wall, and was only one hundred years -old, showed the Red Sea flowing into the Dead Sea, and the river Jordan -emptying into the Mediterranean. Perhaps the scholars learn ancient -geography only. - -At twelve the Moslems said prayers in the Mosque of Omar, and at one -o'clock the procession was ready to move out of St. Stephen's Gate. -We rode around to that entrance. The spectacle spread before us was -marvellous. All the gray and ragged slopes and ravines were gay with -color and lively with movement. The city walls on the side overlooking -the Valley of Jehoshaphat were covered with masses of people, clinging -to them like bees; so the defences may have appeared to Titus when he -ordered the assault from the opposite hill. The sunken road leading from -St. Stephen's Gate, down which the procession was to pass, was lined -with spectators, seated in ranks on ranks on the stony slopes. These -were mostly women,—this being one of the few days upon which the -Moslem women may freely come abroad,—clad in pure white, and with -white veils drawn about their heads. These clouds of white robes were -relieved here and there by flaming spots of color, for the children and -slaves accompanied the women, and their dress added blue and red and -yellow to the picture. Men also mingled in the throng, displaying -turbans of blue and black and green and white. One could not say that -any color or nationality was wanting in the spectacle. Sprinkled in -groups all over the hillside, in the Moslem cemetery and beneath it, -were like groups of color, and streaks of it marked the descent of -every winding path. The Prince of Oldenburg, the only foreign dignitary -present, had his tents pitched upon a knoll outside the gate, and other -tents dotted the roadside and the hill. - -Crowds of people thronged both sides of the road to the Mount of Olives -and to Gethsemane, spreading themselves in the valley and extending away -up the road of the Triumphal Entry; everywhere were the most brilliant -effects of white, red, yellow, gray, green, black, and striped raiment: -no matter what these Orientals put on, it becomes picturesque,—old -coffee-bags, old rags and carpets, anything. There could not be a -finer place for a display than these two opposing hillsides, the narrow -valley, and the winding roads, which increased the apparent length of -the procession and set it off to the best advantage. We were glad of the -opportunity to see this ancient valley of bones revived in a manner to -recall the pageants and shows of centuries ago, and as we rode down the -sunken road in advance of the procession, we imagined how we might have -felt if we had been mounted on horses or elephants instead of donkeys, -and if we had been conquerors leading a triumph, and these people -on either hand had been cheering us instead of jeering us. Turkish -soldiers, stationed every thirty paces, kept the road clear for the -expected cavalcade. In order to see it and the spectators to the best -advantage, we took position on the opposite side of the valley and below -the road around the Mount of Olives. - -The procession was a good illustration of the shallow splendor of the -Orient; it had no order, no uniformity, no organization; it dragged -itself along at the whim of its separate squads. First came a guard -of soldiers, then a little huddle of men of all sorts of colors and -apparel, bearing several flags, among them the green Flag of Moses; -after an interval another squad, bearing large and gorgeous flags, -preceded by musicians beating drums and cymbals. In front of the -drums danced, or rather hitched forward with stately steps, two shabby -fellows, throwing their bodies from side to side and casting their arms -about, clashing cymbals and smirking with infinite conceit. At long -intervals came other like bands with flags and music, in such disorder -as scarcely to be told from the spectators, except that they bore guns -and pistols, which they continually fired into the air and close over -the heads of the crowd, with a reckless profusion of powder and the most -murderous appearance. To these followed mounted soldiers in white, with -a Turkish band of music,—worse than any military band in Italy; and -after this the pasha, the governor of the city, a number of civil -and military dignitaries and one or two high ulemas, and a green-clad -representative of the Prophet,—a beggar on horseback,—on fiery -horses which curveted about in the crowd, excited by the guns, the -music, and the discharge of a cannon now and then, which was stationed -at the gate of St. Stephen. Among the insignia displayed were two tall -instruments of brass, which twirled and glittered in the sun, not like -the golden candlestick of the Jews, nor the “host” of the Catholics, -nor the sistrum of the ancient Egyptians, but, perhaps, as Moslemism is -a reminiscence of all religions, a caricature of all three. - -The crush in the narrow road round the hill and the grouping of all the -gorgeous banners there produced a momentary fine effect; but generally, -save for the spectators, the display was cheap and childish. Only once -did we see either soldiers or civilians marching in order; there were -five fellows in line carrying Nubian spears, and also five sappers -and miners in line, wearing leathern aprons and bearing theatrical -battle-axes. As to the arms, we could discover no two guns of the same -pattern in all the multitude of guns; like most things in the East, the -demonstration was one of show, color, and noise, not to be examined -too closely, but to be taken with faith, as we eat dates. A company of -Sheridan's cavalry would have scattered the entire army. - -The procession, having halted on the brow of the hill, countermarched -and returned; but the Flag of Moses and its guard went on to the camp, -at his tomb, there to await the arrival of the pilgrims on the Monday -following. And the most gorgeous Moslem demonstration of the year was -over. - - - - -VIII.—DEPARTURE FROM JERUSALEM. - -THE day came to leave Jerusalem. Circumstances rendered it impossible -for us to make the overland trip to Damascus or even to Haifa. Our -regret that we should not see Bethel, Shechem, Samaria, Nazareth, and -the Sea of Galilee was somewhat lessened by the thought that we knew -the general character of the country and the villages, by what we -had already seen, and that experience had taught us the inevitable -disenchantment of seeing the historical and the sacred places of Judæa. -It is not that one visits a desert and a heap of ruins,—that would be -endurable and even stimulating to the imagination; but every locality -which is dear to the reader by some divine visitation, or wonderful -by some achievement of hero or prophet, is degraded by the presence of -sordid habitations, and a mixed, vicious, and unsavory population, or -incrusted with the most puerile superstitions, so that the traveller is -fain to content himself with a general view of the unchanged features -of the country. It must be with a certain feeling of humiliation that at -Nazareth, for instance, the object of his pilgrimage is belittled to the -inspection of such inventions as the spot upon which the Virgin stood -when she received the annunciation, and the carpenter-shop in which -Joseph worked. - -At any rate, we let such thoughts predominate, when we were obliged -to relinquish the overland journey. And whatever we missed, I flatter -myself that the readers of these desultory sketches will lose nothing. -I should have indulged a certain curiosity in riding over a country as -rich in memories as it is poor in aspect, but I should have been able to -add nothing to the minute descriptions and vivid pictures with which -the Christian world is familiar; and, if the reader will excuse an -additional personal remark, I have not had the presumption to attempt -a description of Palestine and Syria (which the volumes of Robinson and -Thompson and Porter have abundantly given), but only to make a record of -limited travel and observation. What I most regretted was that we could -not see the green and fertile plain of Esdraelon, the flower-spangled -meadow of Jezreel, and the forests of Tabor and Carmel,—seats of -beauty and of verdure, and which, with the Plain of Sharon, might serve -to mitigate the picture of grim desolation which the tourist cames away -from the Holy Land. - -Finally, it was with a feeling akin to regret that we looked our last -upon gray and melancholy Jerusalem. We had grown a little familiar with -its few objects of past or present grandeur, the Saracenic walls -and towers, the Temple platform and its resplendent mosque, the -agglomeration called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ruins of the -palace and hospice of the Knights of St. John, the massive convents -and hospices of various nations and sects that rise amid the -indistinguishable huddle of wretched habitations, threaded by filthy -streets and noisome gutters. And yet we confessed to the inevitable -fascination which is always exercised upon the mind by antiquity; the -mysterious attraction of association; the undefinable influence in decay -and desolation which holds while it repels; the empire, one might say -the tyranny, over the imagination and the will which an ancient city -asserts, as if by force of an immortal personality, compelling first -curiosity, then endurance, then sympathy, and finally love. Jerusalem -has neither the art, the climate, the antiquities, nor the society which -draw the world and hold it captive in Rome, but its associations enable -it to exercise, in a degree, the same attraction. Its attraction is in -its historic spell and name, and in spite of the modern city. - -Jerusalem, in fact, is incrusted with layer upon layer of inventions, -the product of credulity, cunning, and superstition, a monstrous growth -always enlarging, so that already the simple facts of history are buried -almost beyond recognition beneath this mass of rubbish. Perhaps it -would have been better for the growth of Christianity in the world if -Jerusalem had been abandoned, had become like Carthage and Memphis and -Tadmor in the wilderness, and the modern pilgrim were free to choose his -seat upon a fallen wall or mossy rock, and reconstruct for himself the -pageant of the past, and recall that Living Presence, undisturbed by the -impertinences which belittle the name of religion. It has always been -held well that the place of the burial of Moses was unknown. It would -perhaps have conduced to the purity of the Christian faith if no attempt -had ever been made to break through the obscurity which rests upon the -place of the sepulchre of Christ. Invention has grown upon invention, -and we have the Jerusalem of to-day as a result of the exaggerated -importance attached to the localization of the Divine manifestation. -Whatever interest Jerusalem has for the antiquarian, or for the devout -mind, it is undeniable that one must seek in other lands and among other -peoples for the robust virtue, the hatred of shams and useless forms, -the sweet charity, the invigorating principles, the high thinking, and -the simple worship inculcated by the Founder of Christianity. - -The horses were ready. Jerusalem had just begun to stir; an itinerant -vender of coffee had set up his tray on the street, and was lustily -calling to catch the attention of the early workmen, or the vagrants who -pick themselves up from the doorsteps at dawn, and begin to reconnoitre -for the necessary and cheap taste of coffee, with which the Oriental day -opens; the sky was overcast, and a drop or two of rain fell as we -were getting into the saddle, but “It is nothing,” said the -stirrup-holder, “it goes to be a beautiful time”; and so it proved. - -Scarcely were we outside the city when it cleared superbly, and we set -forward on our long ride of thirty-six miles, to the sea-coast, in high -spirits. We turned to catch the first sunlight upon the gray Tower of -David, and then went gayly on over the cool free hills, inhaling the -sparkling air and the perfume of wild-flowers, and exchanging greetings -with the pilgrims, Moslem and Christian, who must have broken up their -camps in the hills at the earliest light. There are all varieties of -nationality and costume, and many of the peaceful pilgrims are armed as -if going to a military rendezvous; perhaps our cavalcade, which is also -an assorted one of horses, donkeys, and mules, is as amusing as any -we meet. I am certain that the horse that one of the ladies rides is -unique, a mere framework of bones which rattle as he agitates himself; a -rear view of the animal, and his twisting and interlacing legs, when he -moves briskly, suggest a Chinese puzzle. - -We halted at the outlet of Wady 'Aly, where there is an inn, which has -the appearance of a Den of Thieves, and took our lunch upon some giant -rocks under a fig-tree, the fruit of which was already half grown. Here -I discovered another black calla, and borrowed a pick of the landlord -to endeavor to dig up its bulb. But it was impossible to extract it from -the rocks, and when I returned the tool, the owner demanded pay for the -use of it; I told him that if he would come to America, I would lend him -a pick, and let him dig all day in the garden,—a liberality which he -was unable to comprehend. - -By four o'clock we were at Bamleh, and turned aside to inspect the -so-called Saracen tower; it stands upon one side of a large enclosure -of walls and arches, an extensive ruin; under ground are vaulted -constructions apparently extending as far as the ruins above, reminding -one of the remains of the Hospice of St. John at Jerusalem. In its form -and treatment and feeling this noble tower is Gothic, and, taking it -in connection with the remains about it, I should have said it was of -Christian construction, in spite of the Arabic inscription over one -of the doorways, which might have been added when the Saracens took -possession of it; but I believe that antiquarians have decided that the -tower was erected by Moslems. These are the most “rural” ruins we -had seen in the East; they are time-stained and weather-colored, like -the remains of an English abbey, and stand in the midst of a green and -most lovely country; no sand, no nakedness, no beggars. Grass fills all -the enclosure, and grain-fields press close about it. No view could be -more enchanting than that of the tower and the rolling plain at that -hour: the bloom on the wheat-fields, flecked with flaming poppies; the -silver of the olive groves; the beds of scarlet anemones and yellow -buttercups, blotching the meadows with brilliant colors like a picture -of Turner; the soft gray hills of Judæa; the steeples and minarets of -the city. All Ramleh is built on and amid ruins, half-covered arches and -vaults. - -Twilight came upon us while we were yet in the interminable plain, but -Jaffa announced itself by its orange-blossoms long before we entered its -straggling suburbs; indeed, when we were three miles away, the odor of -its gardens, weighted by the night-air, was too heavy to be agreeable. -At a distance this odor was more perceptible than in the town itself; -but next day, in the full heat of the sun, we found it so overpowering -as to give a tendency to headache. - - - - -IX.—ALONG THE SYRIAN COAST. - -OUR only business in Jaffa being to get away from it, we impatiently -expected the arrival of the Austrian Lloyd steamer for Beyrout, -the Venus, a fickle and unsteady craft, as its name implies. In the -afternoon we got on board, taking note as we left the land of the -great stones that jut out into the sea, “where the chains with which -Andromeda was bound have left their footsteps, which attest [says -Josephus] the antiquity of that fable.” The Venus, which should have -departed at three o'clock, lay rolling about amid the tossing and -bobbing and crushing crowd of boats and barges till late in the evening, -taking in boxes of oranges and bags of barley, by the slow process -of hoisting up one or two at a time. The ship was lightly loaded with -freight, but overrun with third-class passengers, returning pilgrims -from Mecca and from Jerusalem (whom the waters of the Jordan seemed not -to have benefited), who invaded every part of deck, cabin, and hold, and -spreading their beds under the windows of the cabins of the first-class -passengers, reduced the whole company to a common disgust. The light -load caused the vessel to roll a little, and there was nothing agreeable -in the situation. - -The next morning we were in the harbor of Haifa, under the shadow of Mt. -Carmel, and rose early to read about Elijah, and to bring as near to us -as we could with an opera-glass the convent and the scene of Elijah's -victory over the priests of Baal. The noble convent we saw, and the brow -of Carmel, which the prophet ascended to pray for rain; but the place of -the miraculous sacrifice is on the other side, in view of the plain of -Esdraelon, and so is the plain by the river Kishon where Elijah slew the -four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, whom he had already mocked and -defeated. The grotto of Elijah is shown in the hill, and the monks who -inhabit the convent regard themselves as the successors of an unbroken -succession of holy occupants since the days of the great prophet. Their -sumptuous quarters would no doubt excite the indignation of Elijah and -Elisha, who would not properly discriminate between the modern reign of -Mammon and the ancient rule of Baal. Haifa itself is only a huddle -of houses on the beach. Ten miles across the curving bay we saw the -battlements of Akka, on its triangle of land jutting into the sea, above -the mouth of Kishon, out of the fertile and world-renowned plain. We -see it more distinctly as we pass; and if we were to land we should see -little more, for few fragments remain to attest its many masters and -strange vicissitudes. A prosperous seat of the Phoenicians, it offered -hospitality to the fat-loving tribe of Asher; it was a Greek city of -wealth and consequence; it was considered the key of Palestine during -the Crusades, and the headquarters of the Templars and the Knights -of St. John; and in more modern times it had the credit of giving the -checkmate to the feeble imitation of Alexander in the East attempted by -Napoleon I. - -The day was cloudy and a little cool, and not unpleasant; but there -existed all day a ground-swell which is full of all nastiness, and a -short sea which aggravated the ground-swell; and although we sailed -by the Lebanon mountains and along an historic coast, bristling with -suggestions, and with little but suggestions, of an heroic past, by -Akka and Tyre and Sidon, we were mostly indifferent to it all. The -Mediterranean, on occasion, takes away one's appetite even for ruins -and ancient history. - -We can distinguish, as we sail by it, the mean modern town which wears -still the royal purple name of Tyre, and the peninsula, formerly the -island, upon which the old town stood and which gave it its name. -The Arabs still call it Tsur or Sur, “the rock,” and the ancients -fancied that this island of rock had the form of a ship and was typical -of the maritime pursuits of its people. Some have thought it more like -the cradle of commerce which Tyre is sometimes, though erroneously, said -to be; for she was only the daughter of Sidon, and did but inherit from -her mother the secret of the mastery of the seas. There were two cities -of Tyre,—the one on the island, and another on the shore. Tyre is not -an old city in the Eastern reckoning, the date of its foundation as -a great power only rising to about 1200 b. c., about the time of the -Trojan war, and after the fall of Sidon, although there was a city there -a couple of centuries earlier, when Joshua and his followers conquered -the hill-countries of Palestine; it could never in its days of greatness -have been large, probably containing not more than 30,000 to 40,000 -inhabitants, but its reputation was disproportionate to its magnitude; -Joshua calls it the “strong city Tyre,” and it had the entire -respect of Jerusalem in the most haughty days of the latter. Tyre seems -to have been included in the “inheritance” allotted to Asher, but -that luxurious son of Jacob yielded to the Phoenicians and not they to -him; indeed, the parcelling of territory to the Israelitish tribes, on -condition that they would conquer it, recalls the liberal dying bequest -made by a tender Virginian to his son, of one hundred thousand dollars -if he could make it. The sea-coast portion of the Canaanites, or the -Phoenicians, was never subdued by the Jews; it preserved a fortunate -independence, in order that, under the Providence that protected the -Phoenicians, after having given the world “letters” and the first -impulse of all the permanent civilization that written language implies, -they could still bless it by teaching it commerce, and that wide -exchange of products which is a practical brotherhood of man. The world -was spared the calamity of the descent of the tribes of Israel upon -the Phoenician cities of the coast, and art was permitted to grow with -industry; unfortunately the tribes who formed the kingdom of Israel were -capable of imitating only the idolatrous worship and the sensuality of -their more polished neighbors. Such an ascendency did Tyre obtain in -Jewish affairs through the princess Jezebel and the reception of the -priests of Baal, that for many years both Samaria and Jerusalem might -almost be called dependencies of the city of the god, “the lord -Melkarth, Baal of Tyre.” - -The arts of the Phoenicians the Jews were not apt to learn; the -beautiful bronze-work of their temples was executed by Tyrians, and -their curious work in wood also; the secret of the famous purple dye of -the royal stuffs which the Jews coveted was known only to the Tyrians, -who extracted from a sea-mussel this dark red violet; when the Jews -built, Tyrian workmen were necessary; when Solomon undertook his -commercial ventures into the far Orient, it was Tyrians who built his -ships at Ezion-geber, and it was Tyrian sailors who manned them; the -Phoenicians carried the manufacture of glass to a perfection unknown to -the ancient Egyptians, producing that beautiful ware the art of which -was revived by the Venetians in the sixteenth century; the Jews did -not learn from the Phoenicians, but the Greeks did, how to make that -graceful pottery and to paint the vases which are the despair of modern -imitators; the Tyrian mariners, following the Sidonian, supplied the -Mediterranean countries, including Egypt, with tin for the manufacture -of bronze, by adventurous voyages as far as Britain, and no people ever -excelled them in the working of bronze, as none in their time equalled -them in the carving of ivory, the engraving of precious metals, and the -cutting and setting of jewels. - -Unfortunately scarcely anything remains of the abundant literature of -the Phoenicians,—for the Canaanites were a literary people before the -invasion of Joshua; their language was Semitic, and almost identical -with the Hebrew, although they were descendants of Ham; not only their -light literature but their historical records have disappeared, and we -have small knowledge of their kings or their great men. The one we are -most familiar with is the shrewd and liberal Hiram (I cannot tell why he -always reminds me of General Grant), who exchanged riddles with Solomon, -and shared with the mountain king the profits of his maritime skill and -experience. Hiram's tomb is still pointed out to the curious, at Tyre; -and the mutations of religions and the freaks of fortune are illustrated -by the chance that has grouped so closely together the graves of Hiram, -of Frederick Barbarossa, and of Origen. - -Late in the afternoon we came in sight of Sidon, that ancient city which -the hand-book infers was famous at the time of the appearance of Joshua, -since that skilful captain speaks of it as “Great Zidon.” Famous it -doubtless had been long before his arrival, but the epithet “great” -merely distinguished the two cities; for Sidon was divided like Tyre, -“Great Sidon” being on the shore and “Little Sidon” at -some distance inland. Tradition says it was built by Sidon, the -great-grandson of Noah; but however this may be, it is doubtless the -oldest Phoenician city except Gebel, which is on the coast north of -Beyrout. It is now for the antiquarian little more than a necropolis, -and a heap of stones, on which fishermen dry their nets, although some -nine to ten thousand people occupy its squalid houses. What we see of -it is the ridge of rocks forming the shallow harbor, and the picturesque -arched bridge (with which engravings have made us familiar) that -connects a ruined fortress on a detached rock with the rocky peninsula. - -Sidon cames us far back into antiquity. When the Canaanitish tribes -migrated from their seat on the Persian Gulf, a part of them continued -their march as far as Egypt. It seems to be settled that the Hittites -(or Khitas) were the invaders who overran the land of the Pharaohs, -sweeping away in their barbarous violence nearly all the monuments of -the civilization of preceding eras, and placing upon the throne of -that old empire the race of Shepherd kings. It was doubtless during -the dynasty of the Shepherds that Abraham visited Egypt, and it was a -Pharaoh of Hittite origin who made Joseph his minister. It was after the -expulsion of the Shepherds and the establishment of a dynasty “which -knew not Joseph” that the Israelites were oppressed. - -But the Canaanites did not all pass beyond Syria and Palestine; some -among them, who afterwards were distinctively known as Phoenicians, -established a maritime kingdom, and founded among other cities that of -Sidon. This maritime branch no doubt kept up an intercourse with the -other portions of the Canaanite family in Southern Syria and in Egypt, -before the one was driven out of Egypt by the revolution which restored -the rule of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and the other expelled by the -advent of the Philistines. And it seems altogether probable that the -Phoenicians received from Egypt many arts which they afterwards improved -and perfected. It is tolerably certain that they borrowed from Egypt -the hieratic writing, or some of its characters, which taught them to -represent the sounds of their language by the alphabet which they gave -to the world. The Sidonians were subjugated by Thotmes III., with all -Phoenicia, and were for centuries the useful allies of the Egyptians; -but their dominion was over the sea, and they spread their colonies -first to the Grecian isles and then along the African coast; and in the -other direction sent their venturesome barks as far as Colchis on the -Black Sea. They seem to have thrived most under the Egyptian supremacy, -for the Pharaohs had need of their sailors and their ships. In the later -days of the empire, in the reign of Necho, it was Phoenician sailors -who, at his command, circumnavigated Africa, passing down the Red Sea -and returning through the Pillars of Hercules. - -The few remains of Sidon which we see to-day are only a few centuries -old,—six or seven; there are no monuments to carry us back to the city -famous in arts and arms, of which Homer sang; and if there were, the -antiquity of this hoary coast would still elude us. Herodotus says that -the temple of Melkarth at Tyre (the “daughter of Sidon”) was built -about 2300 B.C. Probably he errs by a couple of centuries; for it -was only something like twenty-three centuries before Christ that the -Canaanites came into Palestine, that is to say, late in the thirteenth -Egyptian dynasty,—a dynasty which, according to the list of Manetho -and Mariette Bey, is separated from the reign of the first Egyptian king -by an interval of twenty-seven centuries. When Abraham wandered from -Mesopotamia into Palestine he found the Canaanites in possession. But -they were comparatively new comers; they had found the land already -occupied by a numerous population who were so far advanced in -civilization as to have built many cities. Among the peoples holding the -land before them were the Rephaim, who had sixty strong towns in what is -now the wilderness of Bashan; there were also the Emim, the Zamzummim, -and the Anakim,—perhaps primitive races and perhaps conquerors of a -people farther back in the twilight, remnants of whom still remained in -Palestine when the Jews began, in their turn, to level its cities to the -earth, and who lived in the Jewish traditions as “giants.” - - - - -X.—BEYROUT.—OVER THE LEBANON. - -ALL the afternoon we had the noble range of Mt. Lebanon in view, and -towards five o'clock we saw the desert-like promontory upon which -Beyrout stands. This bold headland, however, changed its appearance when -we had rounded it and came into the harbor; instead of sloping sand we -had a rocky coast, and rising from the bay a couple of hundred feet, -Beyrout, first the shabby old city, and then the new portion higher, -up, with its villas embowered in trees. To the right, upon the cliffs -overlooking the sea, is the American college, an institution whose -conspicuous position is only a fair indication of its pre-eminent -importance in the East; and it is to be regretted that it does not make -a better architectural show. Behind Beyrout, in a vast circular sweep, -rise the Lebanon mountains, clothed with trees and vineyards, terraced, -and studded with villas and villages. The view is scarcely surpassed -anywhere for luxuriance and variety. It seems to us that if we had an -impulse to go on a mission anywhere it would be to the wicked of this -fertile land. - -At Beyrout also passengers must land in small boats. We were at once -boarded by the most ruffianly gang of boatmen we had yet seen, who -poured through the gangways and climbed over the sides of the vessel, -like privileged pirates, treading down people in their way. It was only -after a severe struggle that we reached our boats and landed at the -custom-house, and fell into the hands of the legalized plunderers, who -made an attack upon our baggage and demanded our passports, simply to -obtain backsheesh for themselves. - -“Not to show 'em passport,” says Abd-el-Atti, who wastes no -affection on the Turks; “tiefs, all of dem; you he six months, not -so? in him dominion, come now from Jaffa; I tell him if the kin' of -Constantinople want us, he find us at the hotel.” - -The hotel Bellevue, which looks upon the sea and hears always the waves -dashing upon the worn and jagged rocks, was overflowed by one of those -swarms, which are the nuisance of independent travellers, known as -a “Cook's Party,” excellent people individually no doubt, but -monopolizing hotels and steamboats, and driving everybody else into -obscurity by reason of their numbers and compact organization. We passed -yesterday one of the places on the coast where Jonah is said to have -left the whale; it is suspected—though without any contemporary -authority—that he was in a Cook's Party of his day, and left it in -disgust for this private conveyance. - -Our first care in Beyrout was to secure our passage to Damascus. There -is a carriage-road over the Lebanons, constructed, owned, and managed by -a French company; it is the only road in Syria practicable for wheels, -but it is one of the best in the world; I suppose we shall celebrate our -second centennial before we have one to compare with it in the United -States. The company has the monopoly of all the traffic over it, -forwarding freight in its endless trains of wagons, and despatching a -diligence each way daily, and a night mail. We went to the office to -secure seats in the diligence. - -“They are all taken,” said the official. - -“Then we would like seats for the day after to-morrow.” - -“They are taken, and for the day after that—for a week.” - -“Then we must go in a private carriage.” - -“At present we have none. The two belonging to the company are at -Damascus.” - -“Then we will hire one in the city.” - -“That is not permitted; no private carriage is allowed to go over the -road farther than five kilometres outside of Beyrout.” - -“So you will neither take us yourselves nor let any one else?” - -“Pardon; when the carriage comes from Damascus, you shall have the -first chance.” - -Fortunately one of the carriages arrived that night, and the next -morning at nine o'clock we were en route. The diligence left at 4 a. -M., and makes the trip in thirteen hours; we were to break the journey -at Stoura and diverge to Ba'albek. The carriage was a short omnibus, -with seats inside for four, a broad seat in front, and a deck for the -baggage, painted a royal yellow; three horses were harnessed to it -abreast,—one in the shafts and one on each side. As the horses were to -be changed at short stages, we went forward at a swinging pace, rattling -out of the city and commanding as much respect as if we had been the -diligence itself with its six horses, three abreast, and all its haughty -passengers. - -We leave the promontory of Beyrout, dip into a long depression, and then -begin to ascend the Lebanon. The road is hard, smooth, white; the soil -on either side is red; the country is exceedingly rich; we pass villas, -extensive plantations of figs, and great forests of the mulberry; for -the silk culture is the chief industry, and small factories of the -famous Syrian silks are scattered here and there. As the road winds -upward, we find the hillsides are terraced and luxuriant with fig-trees -and grapevines,—the latter flourishing, in fact, to the very top -of the mountains, say 5,200 feet above the blue Mediterranean, which -sparkles below us. Into these hills the people of Beyrout come to pass -the heated months of summer, living in little villas which are embowered -in foliage all along these lovely slopes. We encounter a new sort of -house; it is one story high, built of limestone in square blocks and -without mortar, having a flat roof covered with stones and soil,—a -very primitive construction, but universal here. Sometimes the building -is in two parts, like a double log-cabin, but the opening between the -two is always arched: so much for art; but otherwise the house, without -windows, or with slits only, looks like a section of stone-wall. - -As we rise, we begin to get glimpses of the snowy peaks which make a -sharp contrast with the ravishing view behind us,—the terraced gorges, -the profound ravines, the vineyards, gardens, and orchards, the blue -sea, and the white road winding back through all like a ribbon. As we -look down, the limestone walls of the terraces are concealed, and all -the white cliffs are hidden by the ample verdure. Entering farther into -the mountains, and ascending through the grim Wady Hammâna, we have -the considerable village of that name below us on the left, lying at -the bottom of a vast and ash-colored mountain basin, like a gray heap of -cinders on the edge of a crater broken away at one side. We look at -it with interest, for there Lamartine once lived for some months in as -sentimental a seclusion as one could wish. A little higher up we come to -snow, great drifts of it by the roadside,—a phenomenon entirely beyond -the comprehension of Abdallah, who has never seen sand so cold as this, -which, nevertheless, melts in his hands. After encountering the snow, we -drive into a cold cloud, which seems much of the time to hang on the top -of Lebanon, and have a touch of real winter,—a disagreeable experience -which we had hoped to eliminate from this year; snow is only tolerable -when seen at a great distance, as the background in a summer landscape; -near at hand it congeals the human spirits. - -When we were over the summit and had emerged from the thick cloud, -suddenly a surprise greeted us. Opposite was the range of Anti-Lebanon; -two thousand feet below us, the broad plain, which had not now the -appearance of land, but of some painted scene,—a singularity which is -partially explained by the red color of the soil. But, altogether, it -presented the most bewildering mass of color; if the valley had been -strewn with watered silts over a carpet of Persian rugs, the effect -might have been the same. There were patches and strips of green and of -brown, dashes of red, blotches of burnt-umber and sienna, alternations -of ploughed field and young grain, and the whole, under the passing -clouds, took the sheen of the opal. The hard, shining road lay down the -mountain-side in long loops, in ox-bows, in curves ever graceful, like a -long piece of white tape flung by chance from the summit to the valley. -We dashed down it at a great speed, winding backwards and forwards on -the mountain-side, and continually shifting our point of view of the -glowing picture. - -At the little post-station of Stoura we left the Damascus road -and struck north for an hour towards Ba'albek, over a tolerable -carriage-road. But the road ceased at Mu'allakah; beyond that, -a horseback journey of six or seven hours, there is a road-bed to -Ba'albek, stoned a part of the way, and intended to be passable some -day. Mu'allakah lies on the plain at the opening of the wild gorge -of the Berduny, a lively torrent which dances down to join the Litany, -through the verdure of fruit-trees and slender poplars. Over a mile -up the glen, in the bosom of the mountains, is the town of Zahleh, the -largest in the Lebanon; and there we purposed to pass the night, having -been commended to the hospitality of the missionaries there by Dr. -Jessup of Beyrout. - -Our halted establishment drew a crowd of curious spectators about -it, mostly women and children, who had probably never seen a carriage -before; they examined us and commented upon us with perfect freedom, but -that was the extent of their hospitality, not one of them was willing -to earn a para by carrying our baggage to Zahleh; and we started up -the hill, leaving the dragoman in an animated quarrel with the entire -population, who, in turn, resented his comments upon their want of -religion and good manners. - -Climbing up a stony hill, threading gullies and ravines, and finally -rough streets, we came into the amphitheatre in the hills which enclose -Zahleh. The town is unique in its construction. Imagine innumerable -small whitewashed wooden houses, rising in concentric circles, one above -the other, on the slopes of the basin, like the chairs on the terraces -of a Roman circus. The town is mostly new, for the Druses captured it -and burned it in 1860, and reminds one of a New England factory village. -Its situation is a stony, ragged basin, three thousand feet above the -sea; the tops of the hills behind it were still covered with snow, and -we could easily fancy that we were in Switzerland. The ten or twelve -thousand inhabitants are nearly all Maroyites, a sect of Christians whom -we should call Greeks, but who are in communion with the Latin church; -a people ignorant and superstitious, governed by their priests, -occasionally turbulent, and always on the point of open rupture with the -mysterious and subtle Druses. Having the name of Christians and few of -the qualities, they are most unpromising subjects of missionary labor. -Yet the mission here makes progress and converts, and we were glad to -see that the American missionaries were universally respected. - -Fortunately the American name and Christianity are exceedingly well -represented in Northern Syria by gentlemen who unite a thorough and -varied scholarship with Christian simplicity, energy, and enthusiasm. -At first it seems hard that so much talent and culture should be hidden -away in such a place as Zahleh, and we were inclined to lament a lot so -far removed from the living sympathies of the world. It seems, indeed, -almost hopeless to make any impression in this antique and conceited -mass of superstition. But if Syria is to be regenerated, and to be ever -the home of an industrious, clean, and moral people, in sympathy with -the enlightened world, the change is to be made by exhibiting to the -people a higher type of Christianity than they have known hitherto,—a -Christianity that reforms manners, and betters the social condition, and -adds a new interest to life by lifting it to a higher plane; physical -conditions must visibly improve under it. It is not enough in a village -like this of Zahleh, for instance, to set up a new form of Christian -worship, and let it drone on in a sleepy fashion, however devout and -circumspect. It needs men of talent, scientific attainment, practical -sagacity, who shall make the Christian name respected by superior -qualities, as well as by devout lives. They must show a better style -of living, more thrift and comfort, than that which prevails here. The -people will by and by see a logical connection between a well-ordered -house and garden, a farm scientifically cultivated, a prosperous -factory, and the profitableness of honesty and industry, with the -superior civilization of our Western Christianity. You can already see -the influence in Syria of the accomplished scholars, skilful physicians -and surgeons, men versed in the sciences, in botany and geology, who -are able to understand the resources of the country, who are supported -there, but not liberally enough supported, by the Christians of America. - - - - -XI.—BA'ALBEK. - -WE were entertained at the house of the Rev. Mr. Wood, who accompanied -us the next day to Ba'albek, his mission territory including that -ancient seat of splendid paganism. Some sort of religious fête in -the neighborhood had absorbed the best saddle-beasts, and we were -indifferently mounted on the refuse of donkeys and horses, Abdallah, -our most shining possession, riding, as usual, on the top of a pile of -baggage. The inhabitants were very civil as we passed along; we did not -know whether to attribute it to the influence of the missionaries or -to the rarity of travellers, but the word “backsheesh” we heard not -once in Zahleh. - -After we had emerged from Mu'allakah upon the open plain, we passed on -our left hand the Moslem village of Kerah Nun, which is distinguished as -the burial-place of the prophet Noah; but we contented ourselves with a -sight of the dome. The mariner lies there in a grave seventy feet long, -or seventy yards, some scoffers say; but this, whatever it is, is not -the measure of the patriarch. The grave proved too short, and Noah -is buried with his knees bent, and his feet extending downward in the -ground. - -The plain of Bukâ'. is some ninety miles long, and in this portion of -it about ten miles broad; it is well watered, and though the red soil -is stuffed with small stones, it is very fertile, and would yield -abundantly if cultivated; but it is mostly an abandoned waste of weeds. -The ground rises gradually all the way to Ba'albek, starting from an -elevation of three thousand feet; the plain is rolling, and the streams -which rush down from the near mountains are very swift. Nothing could be -lovelier than the snowy ranges of mountains on either hand, in -contrast with the browns and reds of the slopes,—like our own -autumn foliage,—and the green and brown plain, now sprinkled with -wild-flowers of many varieties. - -The sky was covered with clouds, great masses floating about; the wind -from the hills was cold, and at length drove us to our wraps; then a -fine rain ensued, but it did not last long, for the rainy season was -over. We crossed the plain diagonally, and lunched at a little khan, -half house and half stable, raised above a stream, with a group of young -poplars in front. We sat on a raised divan in the covered court, and -looked out through the arched doorway over a lovely expanse of plain and -hills. It was difficult to tell which part of the house was devoted to -the stable and which to the family; from the door of the room which I -selected as the neatest came the braying of a donkey. The landlord and -his wife, a young woman and rather pretty, who had a baby in her arms, -furnished pipes and tobacco, and the travellers or idlers—they are -one—sat on the ground smoking narghilelis. A squad of ruffianly -Metâwileh, a sect of Moslems who follow the Koran strictly, and -reject the traditions,—perhaps like those who call themselves Bible -Christians in distinction from theological Christians,—came from the -field, deposited their ploughs, which they carried on their shoulders, -on the platform outside, and, seating themselves in a row in the khan, -looked at us stolidly. And we, having the opportunity of saying so, -looked at them intelligently. - -We went on obliquely across the plain, rising a little through a region -rich, but only half cultivated, crossing streams and floundering in -mud-holes for three hours, on a walk, the wind growing stronger from the -snow mountains, and the cold becoming almost unendurable. It was in vain -that Abd-el-Atti spun hour after hour an Arab romance; not even the warm -colors of the Oriental imagination could soften the piteous blast. At -length, when patience was nearly gone, in a depression in the plain, -close to the foot-hills of Anti-Lebanon, behold the great Ba'albek, -that is to say, a Moslem village of three thousand to four thousand -inhabitants, fairly clean and sightly, and the ruins just on the edge of -it, the six well-known gigantic Corinthian pillars standing out against -the gray sky. Never was sight more welcome. - -Ba'albek, like Zahleh, has no inn, and we lodged in a private house -near the ruins. The house was one story; it consisted of four large -rooms in a row, looking upon the stone-wall enclosure, each with its -door, and with no communication between them. The kitchen was in a -separate building. These rooms had high ceilings of beams supporting -the flat roof, windows with shutters but without glass, divans along one -side, and in one corner a fireplace and chimney. Each room had a niche -extending from the floor almost to the ceiling, in which the beds are -piled in the daytime; at night they are made up on the divans or on the -floor. This is the common pattern of a Syrian house, and when we got a -fire blazing in the big chimney-place and began to thaw out our stiff -limbs, and Abd-el-Atti brought in something from the kitchen that was -hot and red in color and may have had spice on the top of it, we found -this the most comfortable residence in the world. - -It is the business of a dragoman to produce the improbable in impossible -places. Abd-el-Atti rubbed his lamp and converted this establishment -into a tolerable inn, with a prolific kitchen and an abundant table. -While he was performing this revolution we went to see the ruins, the -most noble portions of which have survived the religion and almost the -memory of the builders. - -The remains of the temples of Ba'albek, or Hieropolis, are only -elevated as they stand upon an artificial platform; they are in the -depression of the valley, and in fact a considerable stream flows all -about the walls and penetrates the subterranean passages. This water -comes from a fountain which bursts out of the Anti-Lebanon hills about -half a mile above Ba'albek, in an immense volume, falls into a great -basin, and flows away in a small river. These instantaneously born -rivers are a peculiarity of Syria; and they often disappear as suddenly -as they come. The water of this Ba'albek fountain is cold, pure, and -sweet; it deserves to be called a “beverage,” and is, so far as my -experience goes, the most agreeable water in the world. The Moslems have -a proverb which expresses its unique worth: “The water of Ba'albek -never leaves its home.” It rushes past the village almost a river in -size, and then disappears in the plain below as suddenly as it came to -the light above. - -We made our way across the stream and along aqueducts and over heaps of -shattered walls and columns to the west end of the group of ruins. This -end is defended by a battlemented wall some fifty feet high, which -was built by the Saracens out of incongruous materials from older -constructions. The northeast corner of this new wall rests upon the -ancient Phoenician wall, which sustained the original platform of the -sacred buildings; and at this corner are found the three famous stones -which at one time gave a name, “The Three-Stoned,” to the great -temple. As I do not intend to enter into the details of these often -described ruins, I will say here, that this ancient Phoenician wall -appears on the north side of the platform detached, showing that the -most ancient temple occupied a larger area than the Greek and Roman -buildings. - -There are many stones in the old platform wall which are thirty feet -long; but the three large ones, which are elevated twenty feet above -the ground, and are in a line, are respectively 64 feet long, 63 feet -8 inches, and 63 feet, and about 13 feet in height and in depth. When I -measured the first stone, I made it 128 feet long, which I knew was an -error, but it was only by careful inspection that I discovered the joint -of the two stones which I had taken for one. I thought this a practical -test of the close fit of these blocks, which, laid without mortar, come -together as if the ends had been polished. A stone larger than either of -these lies in the neighboring quarry, hewn out but not detached. - -These massive constructions, when first rediscovered, were the subject -of a great deal of wonder and speculation, and were referred to a remote -and misty if not fabulous period. I believe it is now agreed that they -were the work of the Phoenicians, or Canaanites, and that they are to be -referred to a period subsequent to the conquest of Egypt, or at least -of the Delta of Egypt, by the Hittites, when the Egyptian influence was -felt in Syria; and that this Temple of the Sun was at least suggested, -as well as the worship of the Sun god here, by the Temple of the Sun -at Heliopolis on the Nile. There is, to be sure, no record of the great -city of Ba'albek, but it may safely be referred to the period of the -greatest prosperity of the Phoenician nation. - -Much as we had read of the splendor of these ruins, and familiar as -we were with photographs of them, we were struck with surprise when -we climbed up into the great court, that is, to the platform of the -temples. The platform extends over eight hundred feet from east to west, -an elevated theatre for the display of some of the richest architecture -in the world. The general view is broad, impressive, inspiring beyond -anything else in Egypt or Syria; and when we look at details, the ruins -charm us with their beauty. Round three sides of the great court runs a -wall, the interior of which, recessed and niched, was once adorned -with the most elaborate carving in designs more graceful than you would -suppose stone could lend itself to, with a frieze of garlands of vines, -flowers, and fruits. Of the so-called great Temple of Baal at the west -end of the platform, only six splendid Corinthian columns remain. The -so-called Temple of the Sun or Jupiter, to the south of the other and -on a lower level, larger than the Parthenon, exists still in nearly its -original form, although some of the exterior columns have fallen, -and time and the art-hating Moslems have defaced some of its finest -sculpture. The ceiling between the outer row of columns and the wall -of this temple is, or was, one of the most exquisite pieces of -stone-carving ever executed; the figures carved in the medallions seem -to have anticipated the Gothic genius, and the exquisite patterns -in stone to have suggested the subsequent Saracenic invention. The -composite capitals of the columns offer an endless study; stone roses -stand out upon their stems, fruit and flowers hang and bloom in the -freedom of nature; the carving is all bold and spirited, and the -invention endless. This is no doubt work of the Roman period after the -Christian era, but it is pervaded by Greek feeling, and would seem to -have been executed by Greek artists. - -In the centre of the great court (there is a small six-sided court to -the east of the larger one, which was once approached by a great flight -of steps from below) are remains of a Christian basilica, referred to -the reign of Theodosius. Underneath the platform are enormous vaults, -which may have served the successive occupants for store-houses. The -Saracens converted this position into a fortress, and this military -impress the ruins still bear. We have therefore four ages in these -ruins: the Phoenician, the Greek and Roman, the Christian, and the -Saracenic. The remains of the first are most enduring. The old builders -had no other method of perpetuating their memory except by these -cyclopean constructions. - -We saw the sunset on Ba'albek. The clouds broke away and lay in great -rosy masses over Lebanon; the white snow ridge for forty miles sparkled -under them. The peak of Lebanon, over ten thousand feet above us, was -revealed in all its purity. There was a red light on the columns and -on the walls, and the hills of Anti-Lebanon, red as a dull garnet, were -speckled with snow patches. The imagination could conceive nothing more -beautiful than the rose-color of the ruins, the flaming sky, and the -immaculate snow peaks, apparently so close to us. - -On our return we stopped at the beautiful circular temple of Venus, -which would be a wonder in any other neighborhood. Dinner awaited us, -and was marked by only one novelty,—what we at first took to be -brown napkins, fantastically folded and laid at each plate, a touch of -elegance for which we were not prepared. But the napkins proved to be -bread. It is made of coarse dark wheat, baked in circular cakes as thin -as brown paper, and when folded its resemblance to a napkin is complete. -We found it tolerably palatable, if one could get rid of the notion that -he was eating a limp rag. The people had been advertised of our arrival, -and men, women, and boys swarmed about us to sell copper coins; most -of them Roman, which they find in the ruins. Few are found of the -Greeks'. the Romans literally sowed the ground with copper money -wherever they went in the Orient. The inhabitants are Moslems, and -rather decent in appearance, and the women incline to good looks, -though not so modest in dress as Moslem women usually are; they are all -persistent beggars, and bring babies in their arms, borrowing for that -purpose all the infants in the neighborhood, to incite us to charity. - -We yielded to the average sentiment of Christendom, and sallied out in -the cold night to see the ruins under the light of a full moon; one -of the party going simply that he might avoid the reproach of -other travellers,—“It is a pity you did not see Ba'albek by -moonlight.” And it must be confessed that these ruins stand the dim -light of the moon better than most ruins; they are so broad and distinct -that they show themselves even in this disadvantage, which those of -Karnak do not. The six isolated columns seemed to float in the sky; -between them snowy Lebanon showed itself. - -The next morning was clear and sparkling; the sky was almost as blue as -it is in Nubia. We were awakened by the drumming of a Moslem procession. -It was the great annual fête day, upon which was to be performed the -miracle of riding over the bodies of the devout. The ceremony took -place a couple of miles away upon the hill, and we saw on all the paths -leading thither files of men and women in white garments. The sheykh, -mounted on horseback, rides over the prostrate bodies of all who throw -themselves before him, and the number includes young men as well as -darwishes. As they lie packed close together and the horse treads upon -their spinal columns, their escape from death is called miraculous. The -Christians tried the experiment here a year or two ago, several young -fellows submitting to let a horseman trample over them, in order to -show the Moslems that they also possessed a religion which could stand -horses' hoofs. - -The ruins, under the intense blue sky, and in the splendid sunlight, -were more impressive than in the dull gray of the day before, or even in -the rosy sunset; their imperial dignity is not impaired by the excessive -wealth of ornamentation. When upon this platform there stood fifty-eight -of these noble columns, instead of six, conspicuous from afar, and the -sunlight poured into this superb court, adorned by the genius of Athens -and the wealth of Rome, this must have been one of the most resplendent -temples in existence, rivalling the group upon the Acropolis itself! - -Nothing more marks the contrast between the religions of the Greeks and -Romans and of the Egyptians, or rather between the genius of the two -civilizations, than their treatment of sacred edifices. And it is all -the more to be noted, because the more modern nations accepted without -reserve any god or object of veneration or mystery in the Egyptian -pantheon. The Roman occupants of the temple of Philæ sacrificed without -scruple upon the altars of Osiris, and the voluptuous Græco-Romans of -Pompeii built a temple to Isis. Yet always and everywhere the Grecians -and the Romans sought conspicuous situations for the temples of -the gods; they felt, as did our Pilgrim Fathers, who planted their -meeting-houses on the windiest hills of New England, that the deity was -most honored when the house of his worship was most visible to men; but -the Egyptians, on the contrary, buried the magnificence of their temples -within wall around wall, and permitted not a hint of their splendor to -the world outside. It is worth while to notice also that the Assyrians -did not share the contemporary reticence of the Egyptians, but built -their altars and temples high above the plain in pyramidal stages; and -if we may judge by this platform at Ba'albek, the Phoenicians did not -imitate the exclusive spirit of the Pharaonic worshippers. - -We lingered, called again and again by the impatient dragoman, in this -fascinating spot, amid the visible monuments of so many great races, -bearing the marks of so many religious revolutions, and turned away with -slow and reluctant steps, as those who abandon an illusion or have not -yet thought out some suggestion of the imagination. We turned also with -reluctance from a real illusion of the senses. In the clear atmosphere -the ridge of Lebanon was startlingly near to us; the snow summit -appeared to overhang Ba'albek as Vesuvius does Pompeii; and yet it is -half a day's journey across the plain to the base of the mountain, -and a whole day's journey from these ruins to the summit. But although -this illusion of distance did not continue as we rode down the valley, -we had on either hand the snow ranges all day, making by contrast with -the brilliant colors of the plain a lovely picture. - - - - -XII.—ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. - -THE station at Stoura is a big stable and a dirty little inn, which has -the kitchen in one shanty, the dining-room in another, and the beds in a -third; a swift mountain stream runs behind it, and a grove of poplars -on the banks moans and rustles in the wind that draws down the Lebanon -gorge. It was after dark when we arrived, but whether our coming put the -establishment into a fluster, I doubt; it seems to be in a chronic state -of excitement. The inn was kept by Italians, who have a genius for this -sort of hotel; the landlord was Andrea, but I suspect the real authority -resided in his plump, bright, vivacious wife. They had an heir, however, -a boy of eight, who proved to be the tyrant of the house when he -appeared upon the scene. The servants were a tall slender Syrian girl, -an active and irresponsible boy, and a dark-eyed little maid, in the -limp and dirty single garment which orphans always wear on the stage, -and who in fact was an orphan, and appeared to take the full benefit of -her neglected and jolly life. The whole establishment was on a lark, and -in a perpetual giggle, and communicated its overflowing good-humor even -to tired travellers. The well-favored little wife, who exhibited the -extremes of fortune in a diamond ring and a torn and draggled calico -gown, sputtered alternately French and Italian like a magpie, -laughed with a contagious merriment, and actually made the cheerless -accommodations she offered us appear desirable. The whole family waited -on us, or rather kept us waiting on them, at table, bringing us a dish -now and then as if its production were a joke, talking all the while -among themselves in Arabic, and apparently about us, and laughing at -their own observations, until we, even, came to conceive ourselves as a -party in a most comical light; and so amusing did we grow that the slim -girl and the sorry orphan were forced to rush into a corner every few -minutes and laugh it out. - -I spent a pleasant hour in the kitchen,—an isolated, smoke-dried room -with an earth floor,—endeavoring to warm my feet at the little fires -of charcoal kindled in holes on top of a bank of earth and stone, and -watching the pranks of this merry and industrious family. The little -heir amused himself by pounding the orphan, kicking the shins of the -boy, and dashing water in the face of the slim girl,—treatment which -the servants dared not resent, since the father laughed over it as an -exhibition of bravery and vivacity. Fragrant steam came from a pot, in -which quail were stewing for the passengers by the night mail, and each -person who appeared in the kitchen, in turn, gave this pot a stir; the -lively boy pounded coffee in a big mortar, put charcoal on the fire, had -a tussle with the heir, threw a handspring, doing nothing a minute at -a time; the orphan slid in with a bucket of water, slopping it in all -directions; the heir set up a howl and kicked his father because he was -not allowed to kick the orphan any more; the little wife came in like -a breeze, whisking everybody one side, and sympathized with dear little -Hobby, whose cruel and ugly papa was holding the love from barking his -father's shins. You do not often see a family that enjoys itself so -much as this. - -It was late next morning when we tore ourselves from this enchanting -household, and went at a good pace over the fertile plain, straight -towards Anti-Lebanon, having a glimpse of the snow of Mount Hermon,—a -long ridge peering over the hills to the? southeast, and crossing in -turn the Litany and the deep Anjar, which bursts forth from a single -fountain about a mile to the north. On our left we saw some remains of -what was once a capital city, Chalcis, of unknown origin, but an old -city before it was possessed by the Ptolemies, or by Mark Antony, and -once the luxurious residence of the Herod family. At Medjel, a village -scattered at the foot of small tells rising in the plain, we turned into -the hills, leaving unvisited a conspicuous Roman temple on a peak above -the town. The road winds gradually up a wady. As we left the plain, -and looked back across it to Lebanon, the colors of Bukâ'. and the -mountain gave us a new surprise; they were brilliant and yet soft, as -gay and splendid as the rocks of the Yellowstone, and yet exquisitely -blended as in a Persian rug. - -The hill-country was almost uninhabited; except the stations and an -occasional Bedaween camp there was small sign of occupation; the ground -was uncultivated; peasants in rags were grubbing up the roots of cedars -for fuel. We met Druses with trains of mules, Moslems with camels and -mules, and long processions of white-topped wagons,—like the Western -“prairie schooner”—drawn each by three mules tandem. Thirty -and forty of these freight vehicles travel in company, and we were -continually meeting or passing them; their number is an indication of -the large trade that Damascus has with Beyrout and the Mediterranean. -There is plenty of color in the people and in their costume. We were -told that we could distinguish the Druses by their furtive and bad -countenances; but for this information I should not have seen that -they differed much from the Maronites; but I endeavored to see the -treacherous villain in them. I have noticed in Syria that the Catholic -travellers have a good opinion of the Maronites and hate the Druses, -that the American residents think little of the Maronites, and that the -English have a lenient side for the Druses. The Moslems consistently -despise all of them. The Druse has been a puzzle. There are the same -horrible stories current about him that were believed of the early -Christians; the Moslem believes that infants are slain and eaten in his -midnight assemblies, and that once a year the Druse community meets in a -cavern at midnight, the lights are extinguished, and the sexes mingling -by chance in the license of darkness choose companions for the year. But -the Druse creed, long a secret, is now known; they are the disciples of -Hâkim, a Khalif of the Fatimite dynasty; they believe in the unity of -God and his latest manifestation in Hakim; they are as much a political -as a religious society; they are accomplished hypocrites, cunning in -plotting and bold in action; they profess to possess “the truth,” -and having this, they are indifferent to externals, and are willing to -be Moslems with the Moslems and Christians with the Christians, while -inwardly feeling a contempt for both. They are the most supercilious of -all the Eastern sects. What they are about to do is always the subject -of anxiety in the Lebanon regions. - -At the stations of the road we found usually a wretched family or two -dwelling in a shanty, half stable and half café, always a woman with -a baby in her arms, and the superabundant fountains for nourishing it -displayed to all the world; generally some slatternly girls, and groups -of rough muleteers and drivers smoking. At one, I remember a Jew who -sold antique gems, rings, and coins, with a shocking face, which not -only suggested the first fall of his race, but all the advantages he has -since taken of his innocent fellows, by reason of his preoccupation of -his position of knowledge and depravity. - -We made always, except in the steep ascents, about ten miles an hour. -The management of the route is the perfection of French system and -bureaucracy. We travel with a way-bill of numbered details, as if we -were a royal mail. At every station we change one horse, so that we -always have a fresh animal. The way-bill is at every station signed by -the agent, and the minute of arrival and departure exactly noted; each -horse has its number, and the number of the one taken and the one left -is entered. All is life and promptness at the stations; changes are -quickly made. The way-bill would show the company the exact time between -stations; but I noticed that our driver continually set his watch -backwards and forwards, and I found that he and the dragoman had a -private understanding to conceal our delays for lunch, for traffic with -Jews, or for the enjoyment of scenery. - -After we had crossed the summit of the first ridge we dashed down the -gate of a magnificent canyon, the rocks heaved up in perpendicular -strata, overhanging, craggy, crumbled, wild. We crossed then a dreary -and nearly arid basin; climbed, by curves and zigzags, another ridge, -and then went rapidly down until we struck the wild and narrow gorge of -the sacred Abana. Immediately luxuriant vegetable life began. The air -was sweet with the blossoms of the mish-mish (apricot), and splendid -walnuts and poplars overshadowed us. The river, swollen and rushing amid -the trees on its hanks, was frightfully rapid. The valley winds sharply, -and gives room only for the river and the road, and sometimes only for -one of them. Sometimes the river is taken out of its bed and carried -along one bank or the other; sometimes the road crosses it, and again -pursues its way between its divided streams. We were excited by its -rush and volume, and by the rich vegetation along its sides. We came to -fantastic Saracenic country-seats, to arcaded and latticed houses set -high up over the river, to evidences of wealth and of proximity to a -great city. - -Suddenly, for we seemed to have become a part of the rushing torrent -and to share its rapidity, we burst out of the gorge, and saw the river, -overpassing its narrow banks, flowing straight on before us, and beyond, -on a level, the minarets and domes of Damascus! All along the river, on -both banks of it, and along the high wall by the roadside, were crowds -of men in Turkish costume, of women in pure white, of Arabs sitting -quietly by the stream smoking the narghileh, squatting in rows along -the wall and along the water, all pulling at the water-pipe. There were -tents and booths erected by the river. In a further reach of it men -and boys were bathing. Hanks and groups of veiled women and children -crouched on the damp soil close to the flood, or sat immovable on some -sandy point. It is a delicious holiday for two or three women to sit -the livelong day by water, running or stagnant, to sit there with -their veils drawn over their heads, as rooted as water-plants, and as -inanimate as bags of flour. It was a striking Oriental picture, played -on by the sun, enlivened by the swift current, which dashes full into -the city. - -As we spun on, the crowd thickened,—soldiers, grave Turks on -caparisoned horses or white donkeys, Jews, blacks, Persians. We crossed -a trembling bridge, and rattled into town over stony pavements, forced -our way with difficulty into streets narrow and broken by sharp turns, -the carriage-wheels scarcely missing men and children stretched on the -ground, who refused, on the theory of their occupation of the soil prior -to the invention of wheels, to draw in even a leg; and, in a confused -whirl of novel sights and discordant yells, barks, and objurgations, we -came to Dimitri's hotel. The carriage stopped in the narrow street; a -small door in the wall, a couple of feet above the pavement, opened, -and we stepped through into a little court occupied by a fountain and -an orange-tree loaded with golden fruit. Thence we passed into a large -court, the centre of the hotel, where the Abana pours a generous supply -into a vast marble basin, and trees and shrubs offer shelter to -singing birds. About us was a wilderness of balconies, staircases, -and corridors, the sun flooding it all; and Dimitri himself, sleek, -hospitable, stood bowing, in a red fez, silk gown, and long gold chain. - - - - -XIII.—THE OLDEST OF CITIES. - -IT is a popular opinion that there is nothing of man's work older -than Damascus; there is certainly nothing newer. The city preserves -its personal identity as a man keeps his from youth to age, through the -constant change of substance. The man has in his body not an atom of -the boy; but if the boy incurred scars, they are perpetuated in the man. -Damascus has some scars. We say of other ancient cities, “This part -is old, that part is new.” We say of Damascus, its life is that of a -tree, decayed at heart, dropping branches, casting leaves, but always -renewing itself. - -How old is Damascus? Or, rather, how long has a city of that name -existed here on the banks of the Abana? According to Jewish tradition, -which we have no reason to doubt, it was founded by Uz, the son of -Aram, the son of Shem. By the same tradition it was a great city when a -remarkable man, of the tenth generation from the Deluge,—a person of -great sagacity, not mistaken in his opinions, skilful in the celestial -science, compelled to leave Chaldea when he was seventy-five years old, -on account of his religious opinions, since he ventured to publish the -notion that there was but one God, the Creator of the Universe,—came -with an army of dependants and “reigned” in the city of Uz. After -some time Abraham removed into Canaan, which was already occupied by the -Canaanites, who had come from the Persian Gulf, established themselves -in wall-towns in the hills, built Sidon on the coast, and carried their -conquests into Egypt. It was doubtless during the reign of the Hittites, -or Shepherd Kings, that Abraham visited Egypt. Those usurpers occupied -the throne of the Pharaohs for something like five hundred years, and it -was during their occupancy that the Jews settled in the Delta. - -Now, if we can at all fix the date of the reign of the Shepherd Kings, -we can approximate to the date of the foundation of Damascus, for Uz -was the third generation from Noah, and Abraham was the tenth. We do -not know how to reckon a generation in those days, when a life-lease was -such a valuable estate, but if we should assume it to be a century, we -should have about seven hundred years between the foundation of Damascus -and the visit of Abraham to Egypt, a very liberal margin. But by the -chronology of Mariette Bey, the approximate date of the Shepherds' -invasion is 2300 B.C. to 2200 B. C., and somewhat later than that time -Abraham was in Damascus. If Damascus was then seven hundred years old, -the date of its foundation would be about 3000 B.C. to 2900 B.C. - -Assuming that Damascus has this positive old age, how old is it -comparatively? When we regard it in this light, we are obliged to -confess that it is a modern city. When Uz and his friends wandered out -of the prolific East, and pitched their tents by the Abana, there was -already on the banks of the Nile a civilized, polished race, which had -nearly completed a cycle of national existence much longer than the -duration of the Roman Empire. It was about the eleventh dynasty of the -Egyptian kingdom, the Great Pyramid had been built more than a thousand -years, and the already degenerate Egyptians of the “Old Empire” had -forgotten the noble art which adorned and still renders illustrious the -reigns of the pyramid-builders.. - -But if Damascus cannot claim the highest antiquity, it has outlived all -its rivals on the earth, and has flourished in a freshness as perennial -as the fountain to which it owes its life, through all the revolutions -of the Orient. As a necessary commercial capital it has pursued a pretty -uniform tenor under all its various masters. Tiglath-Pileser attempted -to destroy it; it was a Babylonian and then a Persian satrapy for -centuries; it was a Greek city; it was the capital of a Roman province -for seven hundred years; it was a Christian city and reared a great -temple to John the Baptist; it was the capital of the Saracenic Empire, -in which resided the ruler who gave laws to all the lands from India to -Spain; it was ravaged by Tamerlane; it now suffers the blight of Turkish -imbecility. From of old it was a caravan station and a mart of exchange, -a camp by a stream; it is to-day a commercial hive, swarming with an -hundred and fifty thousand people, a city without monuments of its past -or ambition for its future. - -If one could see Damascus, perhaps he could invent a phrase that would -describe it; but when you have groped and stumbled about in it for a -couple of weeks, endeavoring in vain to get a view of more than a -few rods of it at a time, you are utterly at a loss how to convey an -impression of it to others. - -If Egypt is the gift of the Nile, the river Abana is the life of -Damascus; its water is carried into the city on a dozen different -levels, making it literally one of fountains and running water. -Sometimes the town is flooded; the water had only just subsided from the -hotel when we arrived. This inundation makes the city damp for a long -time. Indeed, it is at all times rather soaked with water, and is—with -all respect to Uz and Abraham and the dynasty of the Omeiyades—a sort -of habitable frog-pond on a grand scale. At night the noise of frogs, -even at our hotel, is the chief music, the gentle twilight song, broken, -it is true, by the incessant howling and yelping of savage dogs, packs -of which roam the city like wolves all night. They are mangy yellow -curs, without a single good quality, except that they sleep all the -daytime. In every quarter of the city you see ranks and rows of them -asleep in the sun, occupying half the street and nestling in all the -heaps of rubbish. But much as has been said of the dogs here, I think -the frogs are the feature of the town; they are as numerous as in the -marshes of Ravenna. - -Still the water could not be spared. It gives sparkle, life, verdure. In -walking you constantly get glimpses through heavy doorways of fountains, -marble tanks of running water, of a blooming tree or a rose-trellis in -a marble court, of a garden of flowers. The crooked, twisted, narrow -streets, mere lanes of mud-walls, would be scarcely endurable but for -these occasional glimpses, and the sight now and then of the paved, -pillared court of a gayly painted mosque. - -One ought not to complain when the Arab barber who trims his hair gives -him a narghileh to smoke during the operation; but Damascus is not so -Oriental as Cairo, the predominant Turkish element is not so picturesque -as the Egyptian. And this must be said in the face of the universal -use of the narghileh, which more than any other one thing imparts an -Oriental, luxurious tone to the city. The pipe of Egypt is the chibouk, -a stem of cherry five feet long with a small clay bowl; however richly -it may be ornamented, furnished with a costly amber mouthpiece, wound -with wire of gold, and studded, as it often is, with diamonds and other -stones of price, it is, at the best, a stiff affair; and even this -pipe is more and more displaced by the cigar, just as in Germany -the meerschaum has yielded to the cigar as the Germans have become -accessible to foreign influences. But in Damascus the picturesque -narghileh, encourager of idleness, is still the universal medium of -smoke. The management of the narghileh requires that a person should -give his undivided mind to it; in return for that, it gives him peace. -The simplest narghileh is a cocoanut-shell, with a flexible stem -attached, and an open metal bowl on top for the tobacco. The smoke is -drawn through the water which the shell contains. Other narghilehs have -a glass standard and water-bowl, and a flexible stem two or three yards -in length. The smoker, seated cross-legged before this graceful object, -appears to be worshipping his idol. The mild Persian tobacco is kept -alight by a slowly burning piece of dried refuse which is kindly -furnished by the camel for fuel; and the smoke is inhaled into the -lungs, and slowly expelled from the nostrils and the mouth. Although -the hastily rolled cigarette is the resort of the poor in Egypt, and is -somewhat used here, it must be a very abandoned wretch who cannot afford -a pull at a narghileh in Damascus. Its universality must excuse the long -paragraph I have devoted to this pipe. You see men smoking it in all -the cafés, in all the shops, by the roadside, seated in the streets, in -every garden, and on the house-tops. The visible occupation of Damascus -is sucking this pipe. - -Our first walk in the city was on Sunday to the church of the -Presbyterian mission; on our way we threaded a wilderness of bazaars, -nearly all of them roofed over, most of them sombre and gloomy. Only in -the glaring heat of summer could they be agreeable places of refuge. The -roofing of these tortuous streets and lanes is not so much to exclude -the sun, I imagine, as to keep out the snow, and the roofs are -consequently substantial; for Damascus has an experience of winter, -being twenty-two hundred feet above the sea-level, nearly as high -as Jerusalem. These bazaars, so much vaunted all through the Orient, -disappointed us, not in extent, for they are interminable, but in -wanting the picturesqueness, oddity, and richness of those of Cairo. And -this, like the general appearance of the city, is a disappointment -hard to be borne, for we have been taught to believe that Damascus is a -Paradise on earth, and that here, if anywhere, we should come into that -region of enchantment which the poets of the Arabian Nights' tales -have imposed upon us as the actual Orient. Should we have recognized, in -the low and partially flooded strip of grassland through which we drove -from the mouth of the Abana gorge to the western gate of the city, the -green Merj of the Arabian poets, that gem of the earth? The fame of it -has gone abroad throughout the world, as if it were a unique gift of -Allah to his favorites. Why, every Occidental land has a million glades, -watered, green-sodded, tree-embowered, more lovely than this, that no -poet has thought it worth while to celebrate. - -We found a little handful of worshippers at the mission church, and -among them—Heaven forgive us for looking at her on Sunday!—an -eccentric and somewhat notorious English lady of title, who shares the -bed and board of an Arab sheykh in his harem outside the walls. It makes -me blush for the attractiveness of my own country, and the slighted -fascination of the noble red man in his paint and shoddy blanket, when -I see a lady, sated with the tame civilization of England, throw herself -into the arms of one of these coarse bigamists of the desert. Has he -no reputation in the Mother country, our noble, chivalrous -Walk-Under-the-Ground? - -We saw something of the missionaries of Damascus, but as I was not of -the established religion at the court of Washington at the time of my -departure from home, and had no commission to report to the government, -either upon the condition of consulates or of religion abroad, I am not -prepared to remark much upon the state of either in this city. I should -say, however, that not many direct converts were made either from -Moslemism or from other Christian beliefs, but that incalculable good -is accomplished by the schools which the missionaries conduct. The -influence of these, in encouraging a disposition to read, and to inquire -into the truth and into the conditions of a better civilization, is not -to be overestimated. What impressed me most, however, in the fortune -of these able, faithful servants of the propagandism of Christian -civilization, was their pathetic isolation. A gentleman and his wife of -this mission had been thirty years absent from the United States. The -friends who cheered or regretted their departure, who cried over them, -and prayed over them, and followed them with tender messages, had passed -away, or become so much absorbed in the ever-exciting life at home as -to have almost forgotten those who had gone away to the heathen a -generation ago. The Mission Board that personally knew them and lovingly -cared for them is now composed of strangers to them. They were, in fact, -expatriated, lost sight of. And yet they had gained no country nor any -sympathies to supply the place of those lost. They must always be, to a -great degree, strangers in this fierce, barbarous city. - -We wandered down through the Christian quarter of the town: few shops -are here; we were most of the time walking between mud-walls, which have -a door now and then. This quarter is new; it was entirely burned by the -Moslems and Druses in 1860, when no less than twenty-five hundred adult -male Christians, heads of families, were slaughtered, and thousands more -perished of wounds and famine consequent upon the total destruction of -their property. That the Druses were incited to this persecution by the -Turkish rulers is generally believed. We went out of the city by the -eastern gate, called Bab Shurky, which name profanely suggested the -irrelevant colored image of Bob Sharkey, and found ourselves in the -presence of huge mounds of rubbish, the accumulations of refuse carted -out of the city during many centuries, which entirely concealed -from view the country beyond. We skirted these for a while, with the -crumbling city wall on the left hand, passed through the hard, gray, -desolate Turkish cemetery, and came at length into what might be called -country. Not that we could see any country, however; we were always -between high mud-walls, and could see nothing beyond them, except the -sky, unless we stepped through an open door into a garden. - -Into one of these gardens, a public one, and one of the most celebrated -in the rhapsodies of travellers and by the inventive poets, we finally -turned. When you are walking for pleasure in your native land, and -indulging a rural feeling, would you voluntarily go into a damp swale, -and sit on a moist sod under a willow? This garden is low, considerably -lower than the city, which has gradually elevated itself on its own -decay, and is cut by little canals or sluiceways fed by the Abana, which -run with a good current. The ground is well covered with coarse -grass, of the vivid green that one finds usually in low ground, and is -liberally sprinkled with a growth of willows and poplars. In this garden -of the Hesperides, in which there are few if any flowers, and no promise -of fruit, there is a rough wooden shed, rickety and decaying, having, -if I remember rightly, a balcony,—it must have a balcony,—and there -pipes, poor lemonade, and poorer ice cream are served to customers. An -Arab band of four persons, one of them of course blind of an eye, -seated cross-legged on a sort of bedstead, was picking and thumping a -monotonous, never-ending tune out of the usual instruments. You could -not deny that the vivid greenery, and the gayly apparelled groups, -sitting about under the trees and on the water's edge, made a lively -scene. In another garden, farther on around the wall, the shanty of -entertainment is a many-galleried shaky construction, or a series of -platforms and terraces of wood, overhanging the swift Abana. In the -daytime it is but a shabby sight; but at night, when a thousand colored -globes light it without revealing its poverty, and the lights dance -in the water, and hundreds of turbaned, gowned narghileh-smokers and -coffee-drinkers lounge in the galleries, or gracefully take their ease -by the sparkling current, and the faint thump of the darabouka is heard, -and some gesticulating story-teller, mounted upon a bench, is reeling -off to an attentive audience an interminable Arabian tale, you might -fancy that the romance of the Orient is not all invented. - -Of other and private gardens and enclosures we had glimpses, on our -walk, through open gates, and occasionally over the walls; we could -imagine what a fragrance and color would greet the senses when the -apricots are in bloom, and the oranges and lemons in flower, and how -beautiful the view might be if the ugly walls did not conceal it. We -returned by the saddlers' bazaar, and by a famous plane-tree, which -may be as old as the Moslem religion; its gnarled limbs are like the -stems of ordinary trees, and its trunk is forty feet around. - -The remark that Damascus is without monuments of its past needs -qualification; it was made with reference to its existence before the -Christian era, and in comparison with other capitals of antiquity. -Remains may, indeed, be met in its exterior walls, and in a broken -column here and there built into a modern house, of Roman workmanship, -and its Great Mosque is an historical monument of great interest, if not -of the highest antiquity. In its structure it represents three -religions and three periods of art; like the mosque of St. Sophia at -Constantinople, it was for centuries a Christian cathedral; like the -Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem, it is built upon a spot consecrated by -the most ancient religious rites. Situated in the midst of the most -densely peopled part of the city, and pressed on all sides by its most -crowded bazaars, occupying a quadrangle nearly five hundred feet one -way by over three hundred the other, the wanderer among the shops is -constantly coming to one side or another of it, and getting glimpses -through the spacious portals of the colonnaded court within. Hemmed in -as it is, it is only by diving into many alleys and pushing one's way -into the rear of dirty shops and climbing upon the roofs of houses, that -one can get any idea of the exterior of the mosque. It is, indeed, only -from an eminence that you can see its three beautiful minarets. - -It does not appear that Chosroes, the Persian who encamped his army in -the delicious gardens of Damascus, in the year 614, when he was on his -way to the destruction of Jerusalem and the massacre of its Christian -inhabitants, disturbed the church of John the Baptist in this city. But -twenty years later it fell into the hands of the Saracens, who for a -few years were content to share it with the Christian worshippers. It -is said that when Khâled, the most redoubtable of the Friends of the -Prophet, whose deeds entitled him to the sobriquet of The Sword of God, -entered this old church, he asked to be conducted into the sacred vault -(which is now beneath the kubbeh of the mosque), and that he was there -shown the head of John the Baptist in a gold casket, which had in Greek -this inscription: “This casket contains the head of John the Baptist, -son of Zachariah.” - -The building had been then for over three centuries a Christian church. -And already, when Constantine dedicated it to Christian use, it had for -over three hundred years witnessed the worship of pagan deities. The -present edifice is much shorn of its original splendor and proportions, -but sufficient remains to show that it was a worthy rival of the temples -of Ba'albek, Palmyra, and Jerusalem. No part of the building is older -than the Roman occupation, but the antiquarians are agreed to think -that this was the site of the old Syrian temple, in which Ahaz saw the -beautiful altar which he reproduced in the temple at Jerusalem. - -Pieces of superb carving, recalling the temple of the Sun at Ba'albek, -may still be found in some of the gateways, and the noble Corinthian -columns of the interior are to be referred to Roman or Greek workmen. -Christian art is represented in the building in some part of the walls -and in the round-topped windows; and the Moslems have superimposed upon -all minarets, a dome, and the gay decorations of colored marbles and -flaring inscriptions. - -The Moslems have either been too ignorant or too careless to efface all -the evidences of Christian occupation. The doors of the eastern gate are -embossed with brass, and among the emblems is the Christian sacramental -cup. Over an arch, which can only be seen from the roof of the -silversmiths' bazaar, is this inscription in Greek: “Thy kingdom, O -Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout -all generations.” - -It required a special permit to admit us to the mosque, but when we were -within the sacred precincts and shod with slippers, lest our infidel -shoes should touch the pavement, we were followed by a crowd of -attendants who for the moment overcame their repugnance to our faith in -expectation of our backsheesh. The interior view is impressive by reason -of the elegant minarets and the fine colonnaded open court. Upon one of -the minarets Jesus will descend when he comes to judge the world. The -spacious mosque, occupying one side of the court, and open on that side -to its roof, is divided in its length by two rows of Corinthian columns, -and has a certain cheerfulness and hospitality. The tesselated marble -pavement of the interior is much worn, and is nearly all covered with -carpets of Persia and of Smyrna. The only tomb in the mosque is that of -St. John the Baptist, which is draped in a richly embroidered cloth. - -We were anew impressed by the home-like, democratic character of the -great mosques. This, opening by its four gates into the busiest bazaars, -as we said, is much frequented at all hours. At the seasons of prayer -you may see great numbers prostrating themselves in devotion, and at all -other times this cool retreat is a refuge for the poor and the weary. -The fountains of running water in the court attract people,—those who -desire only to sit there and rest, as well as those who wash and pray. -About the fountains and in the mosque were seated groups of women, -eating their noonday bread, or resting in that dumb attitude under which -Eastern women disguise their discontent or their intrigues. This is, at -any rate, a haven of rest for all, and it is a goodly sight to see all -classes, rich and poor, flocking in here, leaving their shoes at the -door or carrying them in their hands. - -The view from the minaret which we ascended is peculiar. On the horizon -we saw the tops of hills and mountains, snowy Hermon among them. Far -over the plain we could not look, for the city is beset by a thicket of -slender trees, which were just then in fresh leafage. Withdrawing our -gaze from the environs, we looked down upon the wide-spread oval-shaped -city. Most conspicuous were the minarets, then a few domes, and then -thousands of dome-shaped roofs. You see the top of a covered city, -but not the city. In fact, it scarcely looks like a city; you see no -streets, and few roofs proper, for we have to look twice to convince -ourselves that the flat spaces covered with earth and often green -with vegetation (gardens in the air) are actually roofs of houses. The -streets are either roofed over or are so narrow that we cannot see them -from this height. Damascus is a sort of rabbit-burrow. - -Not far from the Great Mosque is the tomb of Saladin. We looked from the -street through a grated window, to the bars of which the faithful have -tied innumerable rags and strings (pious offerings, which it is supposed -will bring them good luck) into a painted enclosure, and saw a large -catafalque, or sarcophagus; covered with a green mantle. The tomb is -near a mosque, and beside a busy cotton-bazaar; it is in the midst of -traffic and travel, among activities and the full rush of life,—just -where a man would like to be buried in order to be kept in remembrance. - -In going about the streets we notice the prevalence of color in portals, -in the interior courts of houses, and in the baths; there is a fondness -for decorating with broad gay stripes of red, yellow, and white. Even -the white pet sheep which are led about by children have their wool -stained with dabs of brilliant color,—perhaps in honor of the Greek -Easter. - -The baths of Damascus are many and very good, not so severe and violent -as those of New York, nor so thorough as those of Cairo, but, the best -of them, clean and agreeable. We push aside a gay curtain from the -street and descend by steps into a square apartment. It has a dome like -a mosque. Under the dome is a large marble basin into which water is -running; the floor is tesselated with colored marbles. Each side is a -recess with a halfdome, and in the recesses are elevated divans piled -with cushions for reclining. The walls are painted in stripes of blue, -yellow, and red, and the room is bright with various Oriental stuffs. -There are turbaned and silken-attired attendants, whose gentle faces -might make them mistaken for ministers of religion as well as of -cleanliness, and upon the divans recline those who have come from the -bath, enjoying kief, with pipes and coffee. There is an atmosphere of -perfect contentment in the place, and I can imagine how an effeminate -ruler might see, almost without a sigh, the empire of the world slip -from his grasp while he surrendered himself to this delicious influence. - -We undressed, were towelled, shod with wooden clogs, and led through -marble paved passages and several rooms into an inner, long chamber, -which has a domed roof pierced by bulls'-eyes of party-colored glass. -The floor, of colored marbles, was slippery with water running from the -overflowing fountains, or dashed about by the attendants. Out of this -room open several smaller chambers, into which an unsocial person might -retire. We sat down on the floor by a marble basin into which both hot -and cold water poured. After a little time spent in contemplating the -humidity of the world, and reflecting on the equality of all men before -the law without clothes, an attendant approached, and began to deluge us -with buckets of hot water, dashing them over us with a jocular enjoyment -and as much indifference to our personality as if we had been statues. I -should like to know how life looks to a man who passes his days in -this dimly illumined chamber of steam, and is permitted to treat his -fellow-men with every mark of disrespect. When we were sufficiently -drenched, the agile Arab who had selected me as his mine of backsheesh, -knelt down and began to scrub me with hair mittens, with a great show of -energy, uttering jocose exclamations in his own language, and practising -the half-dozen English words he had mastered, one of them being -“dam,” which he addressed to me both affirmatively and -interrogatively, as if under the impression that it conveyed the same -meaning as tyeb in his vocabulary. I suppose he had often heard wicked -Englishmen, who were under his hands, use it, and he took it for an -expression of profound satisfaction. He continued this operation for -some time, putting me in a sitting position, turning me over, telling me -to “sleep” when he desired me to lie down, encouraging me by various -barbarous cries, and slapping his hand from time to time to make up by -noise for his economical expenditure of muscular force. - -After my hilarious bather had finished this process, he lathered me -thoroughly, drenched me from head to heels in suds, and then let me put -the crowning touch to my happiness by entering one of the little rooms, -and sliding into a tank of water hot enough to take the skin off. It is -easy enough to make all this process read like a martyrdom, but it is, -on the contrary, so delightful that you do not wonder that the ancients -spent so much time in the bath, and that next to the amphitheatre the -emperors and tyrants lavished most money upon these establishments, of -which the people were so extravagantly fond. - -Fresh towels were wound round us, turbans were put on our heads, and we -were led back to the room first entered, where we were re-enveloped in -cloths and towels, and left to recline upon the cushioned divans; pipes -and coffee were brought, and we enjoyed a delicious sense of repose -and bodily lightness, looking dimly at the grave figures about us, and -recognizing in them not men but dreamy images of a physical paradise. No -rude voices or sharp movements broke the repose of the chamber. It was -as in a dream that I watched a handsome boy, who, with a long pole, was -handling the washed towels, and admired the unerring skill that tossed -the strips of cloth high in the air and caused them to catch and hang -squarely upon the cords stretched across the recesses. The mind was -equal to the observation, but not to the comprehension, of this feat. -When we were sufficiently cooled, we were assisted to dress, the various -articles of Frank apparel affording great amusement to the Orientals. -The charge for the whole entertainment was two francs each, probably -about four times what a native would have paid. - - - - -XIV.—OTHER SIGHTS IN DAMASCUS. - -DAY after day we continued, like the mourners, to go about the streets, -in the tangle of the bazaars, under the dark roofs, endeavoring to see -Damascus. When we emerged from the city gate, the view was not much -less limited. I made the circuit of the wall on the north, in lanes, by -running streams, canals, enclosed gardens, seeing everywhere hundreds -of patient, summer-loving men and women squatting on the brink of every -rivulet, by every damp spot, in idle and perfect repose. - -We stumbled about also on the south side of the town, and saw the -reputed place of St. Paul's escape, which has been lately changed. -It is a ruined Saracenic tower in the wall, under which is Bab Kisan, -a gate that has been walled up for seven hundred years. The window does -not any more exist from which the apostle was let down in a basket, but -it used to be pointed out with confidence, and I am told that the basket -is still shown, but we did not see it. There are still some houses on -this south wall, and a few of them have projecting windows from which a -person might easily be lowered. It was in such a house that the harlot -of Jericho lived, who contrived the escape of the spies of Joshua. And -we see how thick and substantial the town walls of that city must have -been to support human habitations. But they were blown down. - -Turning southward into the country, we came to the tomb of the porter -who assisted Paul's escape, and who now sleeps here under the weight -of the sobriquet of St. George. A little farther out on the same road is -located the spot of Said's conversion. - -Near it is the English cemetery, a small high-walled enclosure, -containing a domed building surmounted by a cross; and in this -historical spot, whose mutations of race, religion, and government would -forbid the most superficial to construct for it any cast-iron scheme -of growth or decay, amid these almost melancholy patches of vegetation -which still hover in the Oriental imagination as the gardens of all -delights, sleeps undisturbed by ambition or by criticism, having at -last, let us hope, solved the theory of “averages,” the brilliant -Henry T. Buckle. - -Not far off is the Christian cemetery. “Who is buried here?” I asked -our thick-witted guide. - -“O, anybody,” he replied, cheerfully, “Greeks, French, Italians, -anybody you like”; as if I could please myself by interring here any -one I chose. - -Among the graves was a group of women, hair dishevelled and garments -loosened in the abandon of mourning, seated about a rough coffin open -its entire length. In it lay the body of a young man who had been -drowned, and recovered from the water after three days. The women lifted -up his dead hands, let them drop heavily, and then wailed and howled, -throwing themselves into attitudes of the most passionate grief. It -was a piteous sight, there under the open sky, in the presence of an -unsympathizing crowd of spectators. - -Returning, we went round by the large Moslem cemetery, situated at the -southwest corner of the city. It is, like all Moslem burying-grounds, -a melancholy spectacle,—a mass of small whitewashed mounds of mud or -brick, with an inscribed headstone,—but here rest some of the most -famous men and women of Moslem history. Here is the grave of Ibn' -Asâker, the historian of Damascus; here rests the fierce Moawyeh, the -founder of the dynasty of the Omeiyades; and here are buried three of -the wives of Mohammed, and Fatimeh, his granddaughter, the child of -Ali, whose place of sepulture no man knows. Upon nearly every tomb is a -hollow for water, and in it is a sprig of myrtle, which is renewed every -Friday by the women who come here to mourn and to gossip. - -Much of the traveller's time, and perhaps the most enjoyable part of -it, in Damascus, is spent in the bazaars, cheapening scarfs and rugs and -the various silken products of Syrian and Persian looms, picking over -dishes of antique coins, taking impressions of intaglios, hunting for -curious amulets, and searching for the quaintest and most brilliant -Saracenic tiles. The quest of the antique is always exciting, and the -inexperienced is ever hopeful that he will find a gem of value in a heap -of rubbish; this hope never abandons the most blase tourist, though -in time he comes to understand that the sharp-nosed Jew, or the oily -Armenian, or the respectable Turk, who spreads his delusive wares -before him, knows quite as well as the Seeker the value of any bit -of antiquity, not only in Damascus, but in Constantinople, Paris, and -London, and is an adept in all the counterfeits and impositions of the -Orient. - -The bazaars of the antique, of old armor, ancient brasses, and of -curiosities generally, and even of the silver and gold smiths, are -disappointing after Cairo; they are generally full of rubbish from -which the choice things seem to have been culled; indeed, the rage for -antiquities is now so great that sharp buyers from Europe range all the -Orient and leave little for the innocent and hopeful tourist, who is -aghast at the prices demanded, and usually finds himself a victim of his -own cleverness when he pays for any article only a fourth of the price -at first asked. - -The silk bazaars of Damascus still preserve, however, a sort of -pre-eminence of opportunity, although they are largely supplied by the -fabrics manufactured at Beyrout and in other Syrian towns. Certainly no -place is more tempting than one of the silk khans,—gloomy old courts, -in the galleries of which you find little apartments stuffed full of the -seductions of Eastern looms. For myself, I confess to the fascination of -those stuffs of brilliant dyes, shot with threads of gold and of silver. -I know a tall, oily-tongued Armenian, who has a little chamber full of -shelves, from which he takes down one rich scarf after another, unfolds -it, shakes out its shining hues, and throws it on the heap, until -the room is littered with gorgeous stuffs. He himself is clad in silk -attire, he is tall, suave, insinuating, grave, and overwhelmingly -condescending. I can see him now, when I question the value put upon -a certain article which I hold in my hand and no doubt betray my -admiration of in my eyes,—I can see him now throw back his head, half -close his Eastern eyes, and exclaim, as if he had hot pudding in his -mouth, “Thot is ther larster price.” - -I can see Abd-el-Atti now, when we had made up a package of scarfs, and -offered a certain sum for the lot, which the sleek and polite trader -refused, with his eternal, “Thot is ther larster price,” sling the -articles about the room, and depart in rage. And I can see the Armenian -bow us into the corridor with the same sweet courtesy, knowing very -well that the trade is only just begun; that it is, in fact, under good -headway; that the Arab will return, that he will yield a little from the -“larster price,” and that we shall go away loaded with his wares, -leaving him ruined by the transaction, but proud to be our friend. - -Our experience in purchasing old Saracenic and Persian tiles is perhaps -worth relating as an illustration of the character of the traders of -Damascus. Tiles were plenty enough, for several ancient houses had -recently been torn down, and the dealers continually acquire them from -ruined mosques or those that are undergoing repairs. The dragoman found -several lots in private houses, and made a bargain for a certain number -at two francs and a half each; and when the bargain was made, I spent -half a day in selecting the specimens we desired. - -The next morning, before breakfast, we went to make sure that the lots -we had bought would be at once packed and shipped. But a change had -taken place in twelve hours. There was an Englishman in town who was -also buying tiles; this produced a fever in the market; an impression -went abroad that there was a fortune to be made in tiles, and we found -that our bargain was entirely ignored. The owners supposed that the -tiles we had selected must have some special value; and they demanded -for the thirty-eight which we had chosen—agreeing to pay for them two -francs and a half apiece—thirty pounds. In the house where we had -laid aside seventy-three others at the same price, not a tile was to be -discovered; the old woman who showed us the vacant chamber said she knew -not what had become of them, but she believed they had been sold to an -Englishman. - -We returned to the house first mentioned, resolved to devote the day if -necessary to the extraction of the desired tiles from the grip of their -owners. The contest began about eight o'clock in the morning; it was -not finished till three in the afternoon, and it was maintained on our -side with some disadvantage, the only nutriment that sustained us being -a cup of tea which we drank very early in the morning. The scene of the -bargain was the paved court of the house, in which there was a fountain -and a lemon-tree, and some rose-trees trained on espaliers along the -walls. The tempting enamelled tiles were piled up at one side of the -court and spread out in rows in the lewân,—the open recess -where guests are usually received. The owners were two Greeks, -brothers-in-law, polite, cunning, sharp, the one inflexible, the other -yielding,—a combination against which it is almost impossible to trade -with safety, for the yielding one constantly allures you into the -grip of the inflexible. The women of the establishment, comely Greeks, -clattered about the court on their high wooden pattens for a time, and -at length settled down, in an adjoining apartment, to their regular work -of embroidering silken purses and tobacco-pouches, taking time, however, -for an occasional cigarette or a pull at a narghileh, and, in a constant -chatter, keeping a lively eye upon the trade going on in the court. The -handsome children added not a little to the liveliness of the scene, and -their pranks served to soften the asperities of the encounter; although -I could not discover, after repeated experiments, that any affection -lavished upon the children lowered the price of the tiles. The Greek -does not let sentiment interfere with business, and he is much more -difficult to deal with than an Arab, who occasionally has impulses. - -Each tile was the subject of a separate bargain and conflict. The dicker -went on in Arabic, Greek, broken English, and dislocated French, and was -participated in not only by the parties most concerned, but by the -young Greek guide and by the donkey-boys. Abd-el-Atti exhibited all the -qualities of his generalship. He was humorous, engaging, astonished, -indignant, serious, playful, threatening, indifferent. Beaten on one -grouping of specimens, he made instantly a new combination; more than -once the transaction was abruptly broken off in mutual rage, obstinacy, -and recriminations; and it was set going again by a timely jocularity or -a seeming concession. I can see now the soft Greek take up a tile which -had painted on it some quaint figure or some lovely flower, dip it in -the fountain to bring out its brilliant color, and then put it in the -sun for our admiration; and I can see the dragoman shake his head in -slow depreciation, and push it one side, when that tile was the one we -had resolved to possess of all others, and was the undeclared centre of -contest in all the combinations for an hour thereafter. - -When the day was two thirds spent we had purchased one hundred tiles, -jealously watched the packing of each one, and seen the boxes nailed -and corded. We could not have been more exhausted if we had undergone -an examination for a doctorate of law in a German university. Two boxes, -weighing two hundred pounds each, were hoisted upon the backs of mules -and sent to the French company's station; there does not appear to -be a dray or a burden-cart in Damascus; all freight is carried upon the -back of a mule or a horse, even long logs and whole trunks of trees. - -When this transaction was finished, our Greek guide, who had heard me -ask the master of the house for brass trays, told me that a fellow whom -I had noticed hanging about there all the morning had some trays to show -me; in fact, he had at his house “seventeen trays.” I thought this a -rich find, for the beautiful antique brasses of Persia are becoming rare -even in Damascus; and, tired as we were, we rode across the city for a -mile to a secluded private house, and were shown into an upper -chamber. What was our surprise to find spread out there the same -“seventy-three” tiles that we had purchased the day before, and -which had been whisked away from us. By “seventeen tray,” the guide -meant “seventy-three.” We told the honest owner that he was too -late; we had already tiles enough to cover his tomb. - - - - -XV.—SOME PRIVATE HOUSES. - -THE private houses of Damascus are a theme of wonder and admiration -throughout the Orient. In a land in which a moist spot is called a -garden, and a canal bordered by willows a Paradise, the fancy constructs -a palace of the utmost splendor and luxury out of materials which in a -less glowing country would scarcely satisfy moderate notions of comfort -or of ostentation. - -But the East is a region of contrasts as well as of luxury, and it is -difficult to say how much of their reputation the celebrated mansions of -Damascus owe to the wretchedness of the ordinary dwellings, and also to -the raggedness of their surroundings. We spent a day in visiting several -of the richest dwellings, and steeping ourselves in the dazzling luxury -they offer. - -The exterior of a private house gives no idea of its interior. Sometimes -its plain mud-wall has a solid handsome street-door, and if it is very -old, perhaps a rich Saracenic portal; but usually you slip from the -gutter, lined with mud-walls, called a street, into an alley, crooked, -probably dirty, pass through a stable-yard and enter a small court, -which may be cheered by a tree and a basin of water. Thence you -wind through a narrow passage into a large court, a parallelogram of -tesselated marble, having a fountain in the centre and about it orange -and lemon trees, and roses and vines. The house, two stories high, -is built about this court, upon which all the rooms open without -communicating with each other. Perhaps the building is of marble, and -carved, or it may be highly ornamented with stucco, and painted in gay -colors. If the establishment belongs to a Moslem, it will have beyond -this court a second, larger and finer, with more fountains, trees, and -flowers, and a house more highly decorated. This is the harem, and the -way to it is a crooked alley, so that by no chance can the slaves or -visitors of the master get a glimpse into the apartments of the women. -The first house we visited was of this kind; all the portion the -gentlemen of the party were admitted into was in a state of shabby -decay; its court in disrepair, its rooms void of comfort,—a condition -of things to which we had become well accustomed in everything -Moslem. But the ladies found the court of the harem beautiful, and -its apartments old and very rich in wood-carving and in arabesques, -something like the best old Saracenic houses in Cairo. - -The houses of the rich Jews which we saw are built like those of the -Moslems, about a paved court with a fountain, but totally different in -architecture and decoration. - -In speaking of a fountain, in or about Damascus, I always mean a basin -into which water is discharged from a spout. If there are any jets or -upspringing fountains, I was not so fortunate as to see them. - -In passing through the streets of the Jews' quarter we encountered at -every step beautiful children, not always clean Sunday-school children, -but ravishingly lovely, the handsomest, as to exquisite complexions, -grace of features, and beauty of eyes, that I have ever seen. And -looking out from the open windows of the balconies which hang over the -street were lovely Jewish women, the mothers of the beautiful children, -and the maidens to whom the humble Christian is grateful that they tire -themselves and look out of windows now as they did in the days of the -prophets. - -At the first Jewish house we entered, we were received by the entire -family, old and young, newly married, betrothed, cousins, uncles, and -maiden aunts. They were evidently expecting company about these days, -and not at all averse to exhibiting their gorgeous house and their -rich apparel. Three dumpy, middle-aged women, who would pass for ugly -anywhere, welcomed us at first in the raised recess, or lewân, at -one end of the court; we were seated upon the divans, while the women -squatted upon cushions. Then the rest of the family began to appear. -There were the handsome owner of the house, his younger brother just -married, and the wife of the latter, a tall and pretty woman of the -strictly wax-doll order of beauty, with large, swimming eyes. She wore -a short-waisted gown of blue silk, and diamonds, and, strange to say, a -dark wig; it is the fashion at marriage to shave the head and put on -a wig, a most disenchanting performance for a bride. The numerous -children, very pretty and sweet-mannered, came forward and kissed our -hands. The little girls were attired in white short-waisted dresses, and -all, except the very smallest, wore diamonds. One was a bride of twelve -years, whose marriage was to be concluded the next year. She wore an -orange-wreath, her high corsage of white silk sparkled with diamonds, -and she was sweet and engaging in manner, and spoke French prettily. - -The girls evidently had on the family diamonds, and I could imagine that -the bazaar of Moses in the city had been stripped to make a holiday for -his daughters. Surely, we never saw such a display out of the Sultan's -treasure-chamber. The head-dress of one of the cousins of the family, -who was recently married, was a pretty hat, the coronal front of which -was a mass of diamonds. We saw this same style of dress in other houses -afterwards, and were permitted to admire other young women who were -literally plastered with these precious stones, in wreaths on the head, -in brooches and necklaces,—masses of dazzling diamonds, which after -a time came to have no more value in our eyes than glass, so common -and cheap did they seem. If a wicked person could persuade one of these -dazzling creatures to elope with him, he would be in possession of -treasure enough to found a college for the conversion of the Jews. -I could not but be struck with the resemblance of one of the plump, -glowing-cheeked young girls, who was set before us for worship, clad in -white silk and inestimable jewels, to the images of the Madonna, decked -with equal affection and lavish wealth, which one sees in the Italian -churches. - -All the women and children of the family walked about upon wooden -pattens, ingeniously inlaid with ivory or pearl, the two supports of -which raise them about three inches from the ground. - -They are confined to the foot by a strap across the ball, but being -otherwise loose, they clatter at every step; of course, graceful walking -on these little stilts is impossible, and the women go about like hens -whose toes have been frozen off. When they step up into the lewân, they -leave their pattens on the marble floor, and sit in their stocking-feet. -Our conversation with this hospitable collection of relations consisted -chiefly in inquiries about their connection with each other, and an -effort on their part to understand our relationship, and to know why we -had not brought our entire families. They were also extremely curious to -know about our houses in America, chiefly, it would seem, to enforce the -contrast between our plainness and their luxury. When we had been -served with coffee and cigarettes, they all rose and showed us about the -apartments. - -The first one, the salon, will give an idea of the others. It was a -lofty, but not large room, with a highly painted ceiling, and consisted -of two parts; the first, level with the court and paved with marble, had -a marble basin in the centre supported on carved lions; the other two -thirds of the apartment was raised about a foot, carpeted, and furnished -with chairs of wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, stiffly set against -the walls. The chairs were not comfortable to sit in, and they were the -sole furniture. The wainscoting was of marble, in screen-work, and most -elaborately carved. High up, near the ceiling, were windows, double -windows in fact, with a space between like a gallery, so that the -lacelike screen-work was exhibited to the utmost advantage. There was -much gilding and color on the marble, and the whole was costly and -gaudy. The sleeping-rooms, in the second story, were also handsome in -this style, but they were literally all windows, on all sides; the space -between the windows was never more than three or four inches. They are -admirable for light and air, but to enter them is almost like stepping -out of doors. They are all en suite, so that it would seem that the -family must retire simultaneously, exchanging the comparative privacy of -the isolated rooms below for the community of these glass apartments. - -The salons that we saw in other houses were of the same general style -of the first; some had marble niches in the walls, the arch of which was -supported by slender marble columns, and these recesses, as well as the -walls, were decorated with painting, usually landscapes and cities. The -painting gives you a perfectly accurate idea of the condition of art in -the Orient; it was not only pre-Raphaelite, it was pre-Adamite, worse -than Byzantine, and not so good as Chinese. Money had been freely -lavished in these dwellings, and whatever the Eastern chisel or brush -could do to enrich and ornament them had been done. I was much pleased -by the picture of a city,—it may have been Damascus—freely done upon -the wall. The artist had dotted the plaster with such houses as children -are accustomed to make on a slate, arranging some of them in rows, -and inserting here and there a minaret and a dome. There was not the -slightest attempt at shading or perspective. Yet the owners contemplated -the result with visible satisfaction, and took a simple and undisguised -pleasure in our admiration of the work of art. - -“Alas,” I said to the delighted Jew connoisseur who had paid for -this picture, “we have nothing like that in our houses in America, not -even in the Capitol at Washington!” - -“But your country is new,” he replied with amiable consideration; -“you will have of it one day.” - -In none of these veneered and stuccoed palaces did we find any comfort; -everywhere a profuse expenditure of money in Italian marble, in carving, -in gilding, and glaring color, but no taste, except in some of the -wood-work, cut in Arabesque, and inlaid—a reminiscence of the almost -extinct Saracenic grace and invention. And the construction of all the -buildings and the ornamentation were shabby and cheap in appearance, in -spite of the rich materials; the marbles in the pavement or the walls -were badly joined and raggedly cemented, and by the side of the most -costly work was sure to be something mean and frail. - -We supposed at first that we ought to feel a little delicacy about -intruding our bare-faced curiosity into private houses,—perhaps an -unpardonable feeling in a traveller who has been long enough in the -Orient to lose the bloom of Occidental modesty. But we need not have -feared. Our hosts were only too glad that we should see their state -and luxury. There was something almost comical in these Jewish women -arraying themselves in their finest gowns, and loading themselves with -diamonds, so early in the day (for they were ready to receive us at ten -o'clock), and in their naïve enjoyment of our admiration. Surely we -ought not to have thought that comical which was so kindly intended. -I could not but wonder, however, what resource for the rest of the -day could remain to a woman who had begun it by dressing in all her -ornaments, by crowning herself with coronets and sprays of diamonds, -by hanging her neck and arms with glittering gems, as if she had been -a statue set up for idolatry. After this supreme effort of the sex, the -remainder of the day must be intolerably flat. For I think one of the -pleasures of life must be the gradual transformation, the blooming from -the chrysalis of elegant morning déshabille into the perfect flower of -the evening toilet. - -These princesses of Turkish diamonds all wore dresses with the classic -short waist, which is the most womanly and becoming, and perhaps their -apparel imparted a graciousness to their manner. We were everywhere -cordially received, and usually offered coffee, or sherbet and -confections. - -H. H. the Emir Abd-el-Kader lives in a house suitable to a wealthy -Moslem who has a harem. The old chieftain had expressed his willingness -to receive us, and N. Meshaka, the American consular agent, sent his -kawass to accompany us to his residence at the appointed hour. The old -gentleman met us at the door of his reception-room, which is at one end -of the fountained court. He wore the plain Arab costume, with a white -turban. I had heard so much of the striking, venerable, and even -magnificent appearance of this formidable desert hero, that I -experienced a little disappointment in the reality, and learned anew -that the hero should be seen in action, or through the lenses of -imaginative description which can clothe the body with all the -attributes of the soul. The demigods so seldom come up to their -reputation! Abd-el-Kader may have appeared a gigantic man when on -horseback in the smoke and whirl of an Algerine combat; but he is a man -of medium size and scarcely medium height; his head, if not large, is -finely shaped and intellectual, and his face is open and pleasing. He -wore a beard, trimmed, which I suspect ought to be white, but which -was black, and I fear dyed. You would judge him to be, at least, -seventy-five, and his age begins to show by a little pallor, by a -visible want of bodily force, and by a lack of lustre in those once -fiery and untamable eyes. - -His manner was very gracious, and had a simple dignity, nor did our -interview mainly consist in the usual strained compliments of such -occasions. In reply to a question, he said that he had lived over twenty -years in Damascus, but it was evident that his long exile had not dulled -his interest in the progress of the world, and that he watched with -intense feeling all movements of peoples in the direction of freedom. -There is no such teacher of democracy as misfortune, but I fancy that -Abd-el-Kader sincerely desires for others the liberty he covets for -himself. He certainly has the courage of his opinions; while he is a -very strict Moslem, he is neither bigoted nor intolerant, as he showed -by his conduct during the massacre of the Christians here, in 1860. His -face lighted up with pleasure when I told him that Americans remembered -with much gratitude his interference in behalf of the Christians at that -time. - -The talk drifting to the state of France and Italy, he expressed his -full sympathy with the liberal movement of the Italian government, but -as to France he had no hope of a republic at present, he did not think -the people capable of it. - -“But America,” he said with sudden enthusiasm, “that is the -country, in all the world that is the only country, that is the land of -real freedom. I hope,” he added, “that you will have no more trouble -among yourselves.” - -We asked him what he thought of the probability of another outburst -of the Druses, which was getting to be so loudly whispered. Nobody, he -said, could tell what the Druses were thinking or doing; he had no doubt -that in the former rising and massacre they were abetted by the Turkish -government. This led him to speak of the condition of Syria; the people -were fearfully ground down, and oppressed with taxation and exactions of -all sorts; in comparison he did not think Egypt was any better off, but -much the same. - -In all our conversation we were greatly impressed by the calm and -comprehensive views of the old hero, his philosophical temper, and -his serenity; although it was easy to see that he chafed under the -banishment which kept so eager a soul from participation in the -great movements which he weighed so well and so longed to aid. When -refreshments had been served, we took our leave; but the emir insisted -upon accompanying us through the court and the dirty alleys, even to the -public street where our donkeys awaited us, and bade us farewell with a -profusion of Oriental salutations. - - - - -XVI.—SOME SPECIMEN TRAVELLERS. - -IT is to be regretted that some one has not the leisure and the genius -for it would require both—to study and to sketch the more peculiar of -the travellers who journey during a season in the Orient, to photograph -their impressions, and to unravel the motives that have set them -wandering. There was at our hotel a countryman whose observations on -the East pleased me mightily. I inferred, correctly, from his slow -and deliberate manner of speech, that he was from the great West. A -gentleman spare in figure and sallow in complexion, you might have -mistaken him for a “member” from Tennessee or Illinois. What -you specially admired in him was his entire sincerity, and his -imperviousness to all the glamour, historical or romantic, which -interested parties, like poets and historians, have sought to throw over -the Orient. A heap of refuse in the street or an improvident dependant -on Allah, in rags, was just as offensive to him in Damascus as it would -be in Big Lickopolis. He carried his scales with him; he put into -one balance his county-seat and into the other the entire Eastern -civilization, and the Orient kicked the beam,—and it was with a -mighty, though secret joy that you saw it. - -It was not indeed for his own pleasure that he had left the familiar -cronies of his own town and come into foreign and uncomfortable -parts; you could see that he would much prefer to be again among the -“directors” and “stockholders” and operators, exchanging the dry -chips of gossip about stocks and rates; but, being a man of “means,” -he had yielded to the imperious pressure of our modern society which, -insists on travel, and to the natural desire of his family to see the -world. Europe had not pleased him, although it was interesting for an -old country, and there were a few places, the Grand Hotel in Paris for -instance, where one feels a little at home. Buildings, cathedrals? Yes, -some of them were very fine, but there was nothing in Europe to equal or -approach the Capitol in Washington. And galleries; my wife likes them, -and my daughter,—I suppose I have walked through miles and miles of -them. It may have been in the nature of a confidential confession, -that he was dragged into the East, though he made no concealment of his -repugnance to being here. But when he had crossed the Mediterranean, -Europe had attractions for him which he had never imagined while he was -in it. If he had been left to himself he would have fled back from Cairo -as if it were infested with plague; he had gone no farther up the Nile; -that miserable hole, Cairo, was sufficient for him. - -“They talk,” he was saying, speaking with that deliberate pause and -emphasis upon every word which characterizes the conversation of his -section of the country,—“they talk about the climate of Egypt; it is -all a humbug. Cairo is the most disagreeable city in the world, no -sun, nothing but dust and wind. I give you my word that we had only one -pleasant day in a week; cold,—you can't get warm in the hotel; the -only decent day we had in Egypt was at Suez. Fruit? What do you get? -Some pretend to like those dry dates. The oranges are so sour you -can't eat them, except the Jaffa, which are all peel. Yes, the -pyramids are big piles of stone, but when you come to architecture, what -is there in Cairo to compare to the Tuileries? The mosque of Mohammed -Ali is a fine building; it suits me better than the mosque at Jerusalem. -But what a city to live in!” - -The farther our friend journeyed in the Orient, the deeper became his -disgust. It was extreme in Jerusalem; but it had a pathetic tone of -resignation in Damascus; hope was dead within him. The day after we had -visited the private houses, some one asked him at table if he was not -pleased with Damascus. - -“Damascus!” he repeated, “Damascus is the most God-forsaken place -I have ever been in. There is nothing to eat, and nothing to see. I had -heard about the bazaars of Damascus; my daughter must see the bazaars of -Damascus. There is nothing in them; I have been from one end of them to -the other,—it is a mess of rubbish. I suppose you were hauled through -what they call the private houses? There is a good deal of marble and -a good deal of show, but there is n't a house in Damascus that a -respectable American would live in; there is n't one he could be -comfortable in. The old mosque is an interesting place: I like the -mosque, and I have been there a couple of times, and should n't mind -going again; but I've had enough of Damascus, I don't intend to go -out doors again until my family are ready to leave.” - -All these intense dislikes of the Western observer were warmly combated -by the ladies present, who found Damascus almost a paradise, and were -glowing with enthusiasm over every place and incident of their journey. -Having delivered his opinion, our friend let the conversation run -on without interference, as it ranged all over Palestine. He sat in -silence, as if he were patiently enduring anew the martyrdom of his -pleasure-trip, until at length, obeying a seeming necessity of relieving -his feelings, he leaned forward and addressed the lady next but one to -him, measuring every word with judicial slowness,— - -“Madame—I—hate—the—name—of Palestine—and -Judæa—and—the Jordan—and—Damascus—and—Jeru-salem.” - -It is always refreshing in travel to meet a candid man who is not -hindered by any weight of historic consciousness from expressing his -opinions; and without exactly knowing why I felt under great obligations -to this gentleman,—for gentleman he certainly was, even to an -old-fashioned courtesy that shamed the best breeding of the Arabs. And -after this wholesale sweep of the Oriental board, I experienced a new -pleasure in going about and picking up the fragments of romance and -sentiment that one might still admire. - -There was another pilgrim at Damascus to whom Palestine was larger than -all the world besides, and who magnified its relation to the rest of -the earth as much as our more widely travelled friend belittled it. In -a waste but damp spot outside the Bab-el-Hadid an incongruous Cook's -Party had pitched its tents,—a camp which swarmed during the day with -itinerant merchants and beggars, and at night was the favorite resort -of the most dissolute dogs of Damascus. In knowing this party one had an -opportunity to observe the various motives that bring people to the Holy -Land; there were a divinity student, a college professor, a well-known -publisher, some indomitable English ladies, some London cockneys, and -a group of young men who made a lark of the pilgrimage, and saw no -more significance in the tour than in a jaunt to the Derby or a sail to -Margate. I was told that the guide-book most read and disputed over by -this party was the graphic itinerary of Mark Twain. The pilgrim to whom -I refer, however, scarcely needed any guide in the Holy Land. He was, -by his own representation, an illiterate shoemaker from the South of -England; of schooling he had never enjoyed a day, nor of education, -except such as sprung from his “conversion,” which happened in his -twentieth year. At that age he joined the “Primitive Methodists,” -and became, without abandoning his bench, an occasional exhorter and -field-preacher; his study, to which he gave every moment not demanded by -his trade, was the Bible. To exhorting he added the labor on Sunday of -teaching, and for nearly forty years, without interruption, he had taken -charge of a Sunday-school class. He was very poor, and the incessant -labor of six days in the week hardly sufficed to the support of himself -and his wife, and the family that began to fill his humble lodging. -Nevertheless, at the very time of his conversion he was seized with -an intense longing to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This desire -strengthened the more he read the Bible and became interested in -the scenes of its prophecies and miracles. He resolved to go; yet to -undertake so expensive a journey at the time was impossible, nor could -his family spare his daily labor. But, early in his married life, he -came to a notable resolution, and that was to lay by something every -year, no matter how insignificant the sum, as a fund for his pilgrimage. -And he trusted if his life were spared long enough he should be able to -see with his own eyes the Promised Land; if that might be granted him, -his object in life would be attained, and he should be willing to depart -in peace. - -Filled with this sole idea he labored at his trade without relaxation, -and gave his Sundays and evenings to a most diligent study of the Bible; -and at length extended his reading to other books, commentaries and -travels, which bore upon his favorite object. Years passed by; his -Palestine fund accumulated more slowly than his information about that -land, but he was never discouraged; he lost at one time a considerable -sum by misplaced confidence in a comrade, but, nothing disheartened, he -set to work to hammer out what would replace it. Of course such -industry and singleness of purpose were not without result; his business -prospered and his fund increased; but with his success new duties -opened; his children must be educated, for he was determined that they -should have a better chance in England than their father had been given. -The expenses of their education and his contributions to the maintenance -of the worship of his society interfered sadly with his pilgrimage, and -more than thirty years passed before he saw himself in possession of -the sum that he could spare for the purchase of a Cook's ticket to the -Holy Land. It was with pardonable pride that he told this story of his -life, and added that his business of shoemaking was now prosperous, that -he had now a shop of his own and men working under him, and that one -of his sons, who would have as good an education as any nobleman in the -kingdom, was a student at the college in London. - -Of all the party with whom he travelled no one knew the Bible, so well -as this shoemaker; he did not need to read it as they explored the -historical places, he quoted chapter after chapter of it, without -hesitation or consciousness of any great achievement, and he knew almost -as well the books of travel that relate to the country. Familiarity with -the English of the Bible had not, however, caused him to abandon his -primitive speech, and he did not show his respect for the sacred book -by adopting its grammatical forms. Such phrases as, “It does I good -to see he eat,” in respect to a convalescent comrade, exhibited this -peculiarity. Indeed, he preserved his independence, and vindicated -the reputation of his craft the world over for a certain obstinacy of -opinion, if not philosophic habit of mind, which pounding upon leather -seems to promote. He surprised his comrades by a liberality of view and -an absence of narrowness which were scarcely to be expected in a man of -one idea. I was pained to think that the reality of the Holy Land might -a little impair the celestial vision he had cherished of it for forty -years; but perhaps it will be only a temporary obscuration; for the -imagination is stronger than the memory, as we see so often illustrated -in the writings of Oriental travellers; and I have no doubt that now -he is again seated on his bench, the kingdoms he beholds are those of -Israel and Judah, and not those that Mr. Cook showed him for an hundred -pounds. - -We should, perhaps, add, that our shoemaker cared for no part of the -Orient except Palestine, and for no history except that in the Bible. -He told me that he was forwarded from London to Rome, on his way to join -Cook's Pilgrims at Cairo, in the company of a party of Select Baptists -(so they were styled in the prospectus of their journey), and -that, unexpectedly to himself (for he was a man who could surmount -prejudices), he found them very good fellows; but that he was obliged -to spend a whole day in Rome greatly against his will; it was an old and -dilapidated city, and he did n't see why so much fuss was made over -it. Egypt did not more appeal to his fancy; I think he rather loathed -it, both its past and its present, as the seat of a vain heathenism. For -ruins or antiquities not mentioned in the Bible he cared nothing, for -profane architecture still less; Palestine was his goal, and I doubt if -since the first crusade any pilgrim has trod the streets of Jerusalem -with such fervor of enthusiasm as this illiterate, Bible-grounded, and -spiritual-minded shoemaker. - -We rode one afternoon up through the suburb of Salahiyeh to the -sheykh's tomb on the naked hill north of the city, and down along the -scarred side of it into the Abana gorge. This much-vaunted ride is most -of the way between mud-walls so high that you have a sight of nothing -but the sky and the tops of trees, and an occasional peep, through -chinks in a rickety gate, into a damp and neglected garden, or a ragged -field of grain under trees. But the view from the heights over the vast -plain of Damascus, with the city embowered in its green, is superb, both -for extent and color, and quite excuses the enthusiasm expended on this -perennial city of waters. We had occasional glimpses of the Abana -after it leaves the city, and we could trace afar off the course of the -Pharpar by its winding ribbon of green. The view was best long before -we reached the summit, at the cemetery and the ruined mosque, when the -minarets showed against the green beyond. A city needs to be seen from -some distance, and from not too high an elevation; looking directly down -upon it is always uninteresting. - -Somewhere in the side of the mountain, to the right of our course, -one of the Moslem legends has located the cave of the Seven Sleepers. -Knowing that the cave is really at Ephesus, we did not care to -anticipate it. - -The skeykh's tomb is simply a stucco dome on the ridge, and exposed -to the draft of air from a valley behind it. The wind blew with such -violence that we could scarcely stand there, and we made all our -observations with great discomfort. What we saw was the city of -Damascus, shaped like an oval dish with a long handle; the handle is the -suburb on the street running from the Gate of God that sees the annual -procession of pilgrims depart for Mecca. Many brown villages dot the -emerald,—there are said to be forty in the whole plain. Towards the -east we saw the desert and the gray sand fading into the gray sky of the -horizon. That way lies Palmyra; by that route goes the dromedary post to -Bagdad. I should like to send a letter by it. - -The view of the Abana gorge from the height before we descended was -unique. The narrow pass is filled with trees; but through them we could -see the white French road, and the Abana divided into five streams, -carried at different levels along the sides, in order to convey water -widely over the plain. Along the meadow road, as we trotted towards the -city, as, indeed, everywhere about the city at this season, we found the -ground marshy and vivacious with frogs. - -The street called Straight runs the length of the city from east to -west, and is straight in its general intention, although it appears to -have been laid out by a donkey, whose attention was constantly diverted -to one side or the other. It is a totally uninteresting lane. There is -no reason, however, to suppose that St. Paul intended to be facetious -when he spoke of it. In his day it was a magnificent straight avenue, -one hundred feet wide; and two rows of Corinthian colonnades extending a -mile from gate to gate divided it lengthwise. This was an architectural -fashion of that time; the colonnade at Palmyra, which is seen stalking -in a purposeless manner across the desert, was doubtless the ornament of -such a street. - -The street life of Damascus is that panorama of the mean and the -picturesque, the sordid and the rich, of silk and rags, of many costumes -and all colors, which so astonishes the Oriental traveller at first, -but to which he speedily becomes so accustomed that it passes almost -unnoticed. The majority of the women are veiled, but not so scrupulously -as those of Cairo. Yet the more we see of the women of the East the more -convinced we are that they are exceedingly good-hearted; it is out of -consideration for the feelings of the persons they meet in the street -that they go veiled. This theory is supported by the fact that the -daughters of Bethlehem, who are all comely and many of them handsome, -never wear veils. - -In lounging through the streets the whole life and traffic of the town -is exposed to you: donkeys loaded with panniers of oranges, or with -sickly watermelon cut up, stop the way (all the melons of the East that -I have tasted are flavorless); men bearing trays of sliced boiled beets -cry aloud their deliciousness as if they were some fruit of paradise; -boys and women seated on the ground, having spread before them on a -paper some sort of uninviting candy; anybody planted by the roadside; -dogs by the dozen snoozing in all the paths,—the dogs that wake at -night and make Rome howl; the various tradesmen hammering in their open -shops; the silk-weavers plying the shuttle; the makers of “sweets” -stirring the sticky compounds in their shining copper pots and pans; and -what never ceases to excite your admiration is the good-nature of the -surging crowd, the indifference to being jostled and run over by horses, -donkeys, and camels. - -Damascus may be—we have abundant testimony that it is—a good city, -if, as I said, one could see it. Arriving, you dive into a hole, and -scarcely see daylight again; you never can look many yards before you; -you move in a sort of twilight, which is deepened under the heavy timber -roofs of the bazaars; winding through endless mazes of lanes with no -view except of a slender strip of sky, you occasionally may step through -an opening in the wall into a court with a square of sunshine, a tank -of water, and a tree or two. The city can be seen only from the hill or -from a minaret, and then you look only upon roofs. After a few days the -cooping up in this gorgeous Oriental paradise became oppressive. - -We drove out of the city very early one morning. I was obliged to the -muezzin of the nearest minaret for awakening me at four o'clock. From -our window we can see his aerial balcony,—it almost overhangs us; -and day and night at his appointed hours we see the turbaned muezzin -circling his high pinnacle, and hear him projecting his long call to -prayer over the city roofs. When we came out at the west gate, the sun -was high enough to color Hermon and the minarets of the west side of the -city, and to gleam on the Abana. As we passed the diligence station, a -tall Nubian, an employee of the company, stood there in the attitude of -seneschal of the city; ugliness had marked him for her own, giving him -a large, damaged expanse of face, from which exuded, however, an -inexpungible good-nature; he sent us a cheerful salam aloykem,—“the -peace of God be with you”; we crossed the shaky bridge, and got away -up the swift stream at the rate of ten miles an hour. - -Our last view, with the level sun coming over the roofs and spires, -and the foreground of rapid water and verdure, gave us Damascus in its -loveliest aspect. - - - - -XVII.—INTO DAYLIGHT AGAIN.—AN EPISODE OF TURKISH JUSTICE. - -IT was an immense relief to emerge from Damascus into Bey-rout,—into a -city open, cheerful; it was to re-enter the world. How brightly it lies -upon its sunny promontory, climbing up the slopes and crowning every -eminence with tree-embowered villas! What a varied prospect it commands -of sparkling sea and curving shore; of country broken into the most -pleasing diversity of hill and vale, woodlands and pastures; of -precipices that are draped in foliage; of glens that retain their -primitive wildness, strips of dark pine forest, groups of cypresses and -of palms, spreading mulberry orchards, and terraces draped by vines; of -villages dotting the landscape; of convents clinging to the heights, and -the snowy peaks of Lebanon! Bounteous land of silk and wine! - -Beyrout is the brightest spot in Syria or Palestine, the only pleasant -city that we saw, and the centre of a moral and intellectual impulse the -importance of which we cannot overestimate. The mart of the great silk -industry of the region, and the seaport of Damascus and of all Upper -Syria, the fitful and unintelligent Turkish rule even cannot stifle -its exuberant prosperity; but above all the advantages which nature has -given it, I should attribute its brightest prospects to the influence of -the American Mission, and to the establishment of Beyrout College. For -almost thirty years that Mission has sustained here a band of erudite -scholars, whose investigations have made the world more familiar with -the physical character of Palestine than the people of Connecticut -are with the resources of their own State, and of wise managers whose -prudence and foresight have laid deep and broad the foundations of a -Syrian civilization. - -I do not know how many converts have been made in thirty years,—the -East has had ample illustration, from the Abyssinians to the Colchians, -of “conversion” without knowledge or civilization,—nor do -I believe that any “reports” of the workmen themselves to the -“Board” can put in visible array adequately the results of the -American Mission in Syria. But the transient visitor can see something -of them, in the dawning of a better social life, in the beginning of -an improvement in the condition of women, in an unmistakable spirit of -inquiry, and a recognizable taste for intellectual pursuits. It is not -too much to say that the birth of a desire for instruction, for the -enjoyment of literature, and, to a certain extent, of science, is due to -their schools; and that their admirably conducted press, which has sent -out not only translations of the Scriptures, but periodicals of secular -literature and information, and elementary geographies, histories, and -scientific treatises, has satisfied the want which the schools created. -And this new leaven is not confined to a sect, nor limited to a race; it -is working, slowly it is true, in the whole of Syrian society. - -The press establishment is near the pretty and substantial church of the -Mission; it is a busy and well-ordered printing and publishing house; -sending out, besides its religious works and school-books, a monthly and -a weekly publication and a child's paper, which has a large and paying -circulation, a great number of its subscribers being Moslems. These -regenerating agencies—the schools and the press—are happily -supplemented by the college, which offers to the young men of the Orient -the chance of a high education, and attracts students even from the -banks of the Nile. We were accompanied to the college by Dr. Jessup and -Dr. Post, and spent an interesting morning in inspecting the buildings -and in the enjoyment of the lovely prospect they command. As it is not -my desire to enter into details regarding the Mission or the college any -further than is necessary to emphasize the supreme importance of this -enterprise to the civilization of the Orient, I will only add that the -college has already some interesting collections in natural history, a -particularly valuable herbarium, and that the medical department is not -second in promise to the literary. - -It is sometimes observed that a city is like a man, in that it will -preserve through all mutations and disasters certain fundamental -traits; the character that it obtains at first is never wholly lost, but -reappears again and again, asserting its individuality after, it may -be, centuries of obscurity. Beyrout was early a seat of learning and a -centre of literary influence for nearly three hundred years before its -desolation by an earthquake in the middle of the sixth century, and its -subsequent devastation by the followers of the Arabian prophet, it was -thronged with students from all the East, and its schools of philosophy -and law enjoyed the highest renown. We believe that it is gradually -resuming its ancient prestige. - -While we were waiting day after day the arrival of the Austrian -steamboat for Constantinople, we were drawn into a little drama which -afforded us alternate vexation and amusement; an outline of it may not -be out of place here as an illustration of the vicissitudes of travel in -the East, or for other reasons which may appear. I should premise that -the American consul who resided here with his family was not in good -repute with many of the foreign residents; that he was charged -with making personal contributions to himself the condition of the -continuance in office of his subagents in Syria; that the character of -his dragomans, or at least one of them named Ouardy, was exceedingly -bad, and brought the consular office and the American name into -contempt; and that these charges had been investigated by an agent sent -from the ministerial bureau in Constantinople. The dragomans of the -consulate, who act as interpreters, and are executors of the consul's -authority, have no pay, but their position gives them a consideration in -the community, and a protection which they turn to pecuniary account. It -should be added that the salary of the consul at Beyrout is two thousand -dollars,—a sum, in this expensive city, which is insufficient to -support a consul, who has a family, in the style of a respectable -citizen, and is wholly inadequate to the maintenance of any equality -with the representatives of other nations; the government allows no -outfit, nor does it provide for the return of its consul; the cost -of transporting himself and family home would consume almost half a -year's salary, and the tenure of the office is uncertain. To accept -any of several of our Oriental consulships, a man must either have a -private fortune or an unscrupulous knack of living by his wits. The -English name is almost universally respected in the East, so far as -my limited experience goes, in the character of its consuls; the same -cannot be said of the American. - -The morning after our arrival, descending the steps of the hotel, I -found our dragoman in a violent altercation with another dragoman, a -Jew, and a resident of Beyrout. There is always a latent enmity between -the Egyptian and the Syrian dragomans, a national hostility, as old -perhaps as the Shepherds' invasion, which it needs only an occasion -to blow into a flame. The disputants were surrounded by a motley crowd, -nearly all of them the adherents of the Syrian. I had seen Antoine -Ouardy at Luxor, when he was the dragoman of an English traveller. -He was now in Frank dress, wearing a shining hat, an enormous cluster -shirt-pin, and a big seal ring; and with his aggressive nose and brazen -face he had the appearance of a leading mock-auctioneer in the Bowery. -On the Nile, where Abd-el-Atti enjoys the distinction of Sultan among -his class, the fellow was his humble servant; but he had now caught -the Egyptian away from home, and was disposed to make the most of his -advantage. Chancing to meet Ouardy this morning, Abd-el-Atti had asked -for the payment of two pounds lent at Luxor; the debt was promptly -denied, and when his own due-bill for the money was produced, he -declared that he had received the money from Abd-el-Atti in payment for -some cigars which he had long ago purchased for him in Alexandria. Of -course if this had been true, he would not have given a note for -the money; and it happened that I had been present when the sum was -borrowed. - -The brazen denial exasperated our dragoman, and when I arrived the -quarrel had come nearly to blows, all the injurious Arabic epithets -having been exhausted. The lie direct had been given back and forth, but -the crowning insult was added, in English, when Abd-el-Atti cried,— - -“You 're a humbug!” - -This was more than Ouardy could stand. Bursting with rage, he shook his -fist in the Egyptian's face:— - -“You call me humbug; you humbug, yourself. You pay for this, I shall -have satisfaction by the law.” - -We succeeded in separating and, I hoped, in reducing them to reason, but -Antoine went off muttering vengeance, and Abd-el-Atti was determined to -bring suit for his money. I represented the hopelessness of a suit in a -Turkish court, the delay and the cost of lawyers, and the certainty that -Ouardy would produce witnesses to anything he desired to prove. - -“What I care for two pound!” exclaimed the heated dragoman. “I -go to spend a hundred pound, but I have justice.” Shortly after, as -Abd-el-Atti was walking through the bazaars, with one of the ladies of -our party, he was set upon by a gang of Ouardy's friends and knocked -down; the old man recovered himself and gave battle like a valiant -friend of the Prophet; Ouardy's brother sallied out from his shop to -take a hand in the scrimmage, and happened to get a rough handling from -Abd-el-Atti, who was entirely ignorant of his relationship to -Antoine. The whole party were then carried off to the seraglio, where -Abd-el-Atti, as the party attacked, was presumed to be in the wrong, -and was put into custody. In the inscrutable administration of Turkish -justice, the man who is knocked down in a quarrel is always arrested. -When news was brought to us at the hotel of this mishap, I sent for -the American consul, as our dragoman was in the service of an American -citizen. The consul sent his son and his dragoman. And the dragoman -sent to assist an American, embarrassed by the loss of his servant in -a strange city, turned out to be the brother of Antoine Ouardy, and the -very fellow that Abd-el-Atti had just beaten. Here was a complication. -Dragoman Ouardy showed his wounds, and wanted compensation for his -injuries. At the very moment we needed the protection of the American -government, its representative appeared as our chief prosecutor. - -However, we sent for Abd-el-Atti, and procured his release from -the seraglio; and after an hour of conference, in which we had the -assistance of some of the most respectable foreign residents of the -city, we flattered ourselves that a compromise was made. The injured -Ouardy, who was a crafty rogue, was persuaded not to insist upon a suit -for damages, which would greatly incommode an American citizen, and -Abd-el-Atti seemed willing to drop his suit for the two pounds. Antoine, -however, was still menacing. - -“You heard him,” he appealed to me, “you heard him call me -humbug.” - -The injurious nature of this mysterious epithet could not be erased from -his mind. It was in vain that I told him it had been freely applied to a -well-known American, until it had become a badge of distinction. But -at length a truce was patched up; and, confident that there would be no -more trouble, I went into the country for a long walk over the charming -hills. - -When I returned at six o'clock, the camp was in commotion. Abd-el-Atti -was in jail! There was a suit against him for 20,000 francs for horrible -and unprovoked injuries to the dragoman of the American consul! The -consul, upon written application for assistance, made by the ladies at -the hotel, had curtly declined to give any aid, and espoused the quarrel -of his dragoman. It appeared that Abd-el-Atti, attempting again to -accompany a lady in a shopping expedition through the bazaars, had been -sent for by a messenger from the seraglio. As he could not leave the -lady in the street, he carelessly answered that he would come by and by. -A few minutes after he was arrested by a squad of soldiers, and taken -before the military governor. Abd-el-Atti respectfully made his excuse -that he could not leave the lady alone in the street, but the pasha said -that he would teach him not to insult his authority. Both the Ouardy -brothers were beside the pasha, whispering in his ear, and as the result -of their deliberations Abd-el-Atti was put in prison. It was Saturday -afternoon, and the conspirators expected to humiliate the old man by -keeping him locked up till Monday. This was the state of the game when -I came to dinner; the faithful Abdallah, who had reluctantly withdrawn -from watching the outside of the seraglio where his master was confined, -was divided in mind between grief and alarm on the one side and his duty -of habitual cheerfulness to us on the other, and consequently announced, -“Abd-el-Atti, seraglio,” as a piece of good news; the affair had -got wind among the cafés, where there was a buzz of triumph over the -Egyptians; and at the hotel everybody was drawn into the excitement, -discussing the assault and the arrest of the assaulted party, the -American consul and the character of his dragoman, and the general -inability of American consuls to help their countrymen in time of need. - -The principal champion of Abd-el-Atti was Mohammed Achmed, the dragoman -of two American ladies who had been travelling in Egypt and Palestine. -Achmed was a character. He had the pure Arab physiognomy, the vivacity -of an Italian, the restlessness of an American, the courtesy of the most -polished Oriental, and a unique use of the English tongue. Copious -in speech, at times flighty in manner, gravely humorous, and more -sharp-witted than the “cutest” Yankee, he was an exceedingly -experienced and skilful dragoman, and perfectly honest to his employers. -Achmed was clad in baggy trousers, a silk scarf about his waist, short -open jacket, and wore his tarboosh on the back of his sloping head. He -had a habit of throwing back his head and half closing his wandering, -restless black eyes in speaking, and his gestures and attitudes might -have been called theatrical but for a certain simple sincerity; yet any -extravagance of speech or action was always saved from an appearance of -absurdity by a humorous twinkle in his eyes. Alexandria was his home, -while Abd-el-Atti lived in Cairo; the natural rivalry between the -dragomans of the two cities had been imbittered by some personal -disagreement, and they were only on terms of the most distant civility. -But Abd-el-Atti's misfortune not only roused his national pride, but -touched his quick generosity, and he surprised his employers by the -enthusiasm with which he espoused the cause and defended the character -of the man he had so lately regarded as anything but a friend. He went -to work with unselfish zeal to procure his release; he would think of -nothing else, talk of nothing else. - -“How is it, Achmed,” they said, “that you and Abd-el-Atti have -suddenly become such good friends?” - -“Ah, my lady,” answers Achmed, taking an attitude, “you know -not Abd-el-Atti, one of the first-class men in all Egypt. Not a common -dragoman like these in Beyrout, my lady; you shall ask in Cairo what a -man of esteem. To tell it in Cairo that he is in jail! Abd-el-Atti is my -friend. What has been sometime, that is nothing. It must not be that he -is in jail. And he come out in half an hour, if your consul say so.” - -“That is not so certain; but what can we do?” - -“Write to the consul American that he shall let Abd-el-Atti go. You, -my lady,” said Achmed, throwing himself on his knees before the -person he was addressing, “make a letter, and say I want my dragoman -immediate. If he will not, I go to the English consul, I know he will -do it. Excuse me, but will you make the letter? When it was the English -consul, he does something; when it was the American, I pick your pargin, -my lady, he is not so much esteem here.” - -In compliance with Achmed's entreaty a note was written to the consul, -but it produced no effect, except an uncivil reply that it was after -office hours. - -When I returned, Achmed was in a high fever of excitement. He believed -that Abd-el-Atti would be released if I would go personally to the -consul and insist upon it. - -“The consul, I do not know what kind of man this is for consul; does -he know what man is Abd-el-Atti? Take my advice,” continued Achmed, -half closing his eyes, throwing back his head and moving it alertly on -the axis of his neck, and making at the same time a deprecatory gesture -with the back of his hands turned out,—“take my advice, Mesr. Vahl, -Abd-el-Atti is a man of respect; he is a man very rich, God forgive me! -Firste-class man. There is no better family in Egypt than Abd-el-Atti -Effendi. You have seen, he is the friend of governors and pashas. There -is no man of more respect. In Cairo, to put Abd-el-Atti in jail, they -would not believe it! When he is at home, no one could do it. The -Khedive himself,” he continued, warming with his theme, “would not -touch Abd-el-Atti. He has houses in the city and farms and plantations -in the country, a man very well known. Who in Cairo is to put him in -jail? [This, with a smile of derision.] I think he take out and put in -prison almost anybody else he like, Mohammed Effendi Abd-el-Atti. See, -when this Ouardy comes in Egypt!” - -We hastened to the consul's. I told the consul that I was deprived of -the service of my dragoman, that he was unjustly imprisoned, simply for -defending himself when he was assailed by a lot of rowdies, and that as -the complaint against him was supposed to issue from the consulate, I -doubted not that the consul's influence could release him. The consul -replied, with suavity, that he had nothing to do with the quarrel of -his dragoman, and was not very well informed about it, only he knew that -Ouardy had been outrageously assaulted and beaten by Abd-el-Atti; that -he could do nothing at any rate with the pasha, even if that functionary -had not gone to his harem outside the city, where nobody would disturb -him. I ventured to say that both the Ouardys had a very bad reputation -in the city,—it was, in fact, infamous,—and that the consulate was -brought into contempt by them. The consul replied that the reputation of -Antoine might be bad, but that his dragoman was a respectable merchant; -and then he complained of the missionaries, who had persecuted him -ever since he had been in Beyrout. I said that I knew nothing of his -grievances; that my information about his dragoman came from general -report, and from some of the bankers and most respectable citizens, and -that I knew that in this case my dragoman had been set upon in the first -instance, and that it was believed that the Ouardys were now attempting -to extort money from him, knowing him to be rich, and having got him -in, their clutches away from his friends. The consul still said that -he could do nothing that night; he was very sorry, very sorry for my -embarrassment, and he would send for Ouardy and advise him to relinquish -his prosecution on my account. “Very well,” I said, rising to go, -“if you cannot help me I must go elsewhere. Will you give me a note of -introduction to the pasha?” He would do that with pleasure, although -he was certain that nothing would come of it. - -Achmed, who had been impatiently waiting on the high piazza (it is a -charming situation overlooking the Mediterranean), saw that I had not -succeeded, and was for going at once to the English consul; for all -dragomans have entire confidence that English consuls are all-powerful. - -“No,” I said, “we will try the pasha, to whom I have a letter, -though the consul says the pasha is a friend of Ouardy.” - -“I believe you. Ouardy has women in his house; the pasha goes often -there; so I hear. But we will go. I will speak to the pasha also, and -tell him what for a man is Abd-el-Atti. A very pleasant man, the pasha, -and speak all languages, very well English.” - -It was encouraging to know this, and I began to feel that I could make -some impression on him. We took a carriage and drove into the suburbs, -to the house of the pasha. His Excellency was in his harem, and dining, -at that hour. I was shown by a barefooted servant into a barren parlor -furnished in the European style, and informed that the pasha would see -me presently. After a while cigarettes and coffee—a poor substitute -for dinner for a person who had had none—were brought in; but no -pasha. - -I waited there, I suppose, nearly an hour for the governor to finish his -dinner; and meantime composed a complimentary oration to deliver upon -his arrival. When his Excellency at last appeared, I beheld a large, -sleek Turk, whose face showed good-nature and self-indulgence. I -had hopes of him, and, advancing to salute him, began an apology for -disturbing his repose at this unseasonable hour, but his Excellency -looked perfectly blank. He did not understand a word of English. I -gave him the letter of the consul, and mentioned the name “American -Consul.” The pasha took the letter and opened it; but as he was -diligently examining it upside down, I saw that he did not read English. -I must introduce myself. - -Opening the door, I called Achmed. In coming into the presence of -this high rank, all his buoyancy and bravado vanished; he obsequiously -waited. I told him to say to his Excellency how extremely sorry I was to -disturb his repose at such an unseasonable hour, but that my dragoman, -whose services I needed, had been unfortunately locked up; that I was -an American citizen, as he would perceive by the letter from the consul, -and that I would detain him only a moment with my business. Achmed put -this into choice Arabic. His Excellency looked more blank than before. -He did not understand a word of Arabic. The interview was getting to be -interesting. - -The pasha then stepped to the door and called in his dragoman, a -barefooted fellow in a tattered gown. The two interpreters stood in line -before us, and the pasha nodded to me to begin. I opened, perhaps, -a little too elaborately; Achmed put my remarks into Arabic, and the -second dragoman translated that again into Turkish. What the speech -became by the time it reached the ear of the pasha I could not tell, but -his face darkened at once, and he peremptorily shook his head. The word -came back to me that the pasha would n't let him out; Abd-el-Atti must -stay in jail till his trial. I then began to argue the matter,—to say -that there was no criminal suit against him, only an action for damages, -and that I would be responsible for his appearance when required. The -translations were made; but I saw that I was every moment losing ground; -no one could tell what my solicitations became after being strained -through Arabic and Turkish. My case was lost, because it could not be -heard. - -Suddenly it occurred to me that the pasha might know some European -language. I turned to him, and asked him if he spoke German. O, yes! The -prospect brightened, and if I also had spoken that language, we should -have had no further trouble. However, desperation beat up my misty -recollection, and I gave the pasha a torrent of broken German that -evidently astonished him. At any rate, he became gracious as soon as he -understood me. He said that Abd-el-Atti was not confined on account of -the suit,—he knew nothing and cared nothing for his difficulty with -Ouardy,—but for his contempt of the police and soldiers. I explained -that, and added that Abd-el-Atti was an old man, that I had been -doctoring him for a fever ever since we were in Damascus, that I feared -to have him stay in that damp jail over Sunday, and that I would be -responsible for his appearance. - -“Do you mean to say,” he asked, “that you will be personally -responsible that he appears at the seraglio Monday morning?” - -“Certainly,” I said, “for his appearance at any time and place -your Excellency may name.” - -“Then he may go.” He gave the order to his dragoman to accompany us -and procure his release, and we retired, with mutual protestations of -the highest consideration. Achmed was nearly beside himself with joy. -The horses seemed to him to crawl; he could n't wait the moment to -announce to Abd-el-Atti his deliverance. “Ah, they thought to keep -Abd-el-Atti in jail all night, and sent word to Cairo, 'Abd-el-Atti is -in jail.' Abd-el-Atti Effendi! Take my advice, a man of respect.” - -The cobble-paved court of the old seraglio prison, to which the guards -admitted us without question, was only dimly lighted by an oil-lamp or -two, and we could distinguish a few figures flitting about, who looked -like malefactors, but were probably keepers. We were shown into a side -room, where sat upon the ground an official, perhaps a judge, and -two assistants. Abd-el-Atti was sent for. The old man was brought in, -swinging his string of beads in his hand, looking somewhat crest-fallen, -but preserving a portentous gravity. I arose and shook hands with -him, and told him we had come to take him out. When we were seated, -a discussion of the case sprung up, the official talked, his two -assistants talked, and Abd-el-Atti and Achmed talked, and there was -evidently a disposition to go over the affair from the beginning. It -was a pity to cut short so much eloquence, but I asked the pasha's -dragoman to deliver his message, and told Achmed that we would postpone -the discussion till Monday, and depart at once. The prisoner was -released, and, declining coffee, we shook hands and got away with all -haste. As we drove to the hotel, Abd-el-Atti was somewhat pensive, but -declared that he would rather give a hundred pounds than not be let -out that night; and when we reached home, Achmed, whose spirits were -exuberant, insisted on dragging him to the café opposite, to exhibit -him in triumph. - -When I came down in the morning, Achmed was in the hall. - -“Well, Achmed, how are you?” - -“Firste-class,” closing his eyes with a humorous twinkle. “I'm -in it now.” - -“In what?” - -“In the case with Mohammed Abd-el-Atti. That Ouardy says I pay him -damage twenty thousand francs. Twenty thousand francs, I wish he may -get it! How much, I s'pose, for the consul? Take my advice, the consul -want money.” - -“Then the suit will keep you here with Abd-el-Atti?” - -“Keep, I don't know. I not pay him twenty thousand francs, not one -thousand, not one franc. What my ladies do? Who go to Constantinople -with my ladies? To-morrow morning come the steamer. To leave the old man -alone with these thiefs, what would anybody say of Mohammed Achmed for -that? What for consul is this? I want to go to Constantinople with my -ladies, and then to see my family in Alexandria. For one day in five -months have I see my wife and shild. O yes, I have very nice wife. Yes, -one wife quite plenty for me. And I have a fine house, cost me twenty -thousand dollars; I am not rich, but I have plenty, God forgive me. My -shop is in the silk bazaar. I am merchant. My father-in-law say what for -I go dragoman? I like to see nice peoples and go in the world. When I -am dragoman, I am servant. When I am merchant, O, I am very well in -Alexandria. I think I not go any more. Ah, here is Abd-el-Atti. Take my -advice, he not need to be dragoman; he is pooty off. Good morning, my -friend. Have they told you I am to be put in jail also?” - -“So I hear; Ouardy sue you and Abdallah so you cannot be witness.” - -“O, they think they get money from us. Mebbe the pasha and the consul. -I think so.” - -“So am I,” responded Abd-el-Atti in his most serious manner. The -“Eastern question,” with these experienced dragomans, instantly -resolves itself into a question of money, whoever is concerned and -whatever is the tribunal. I said that I would see the consul in the -morning, and that I hoped to have all proceedings stopped, so that we -could get off in the steamer. Abd-el-Atti shook his head. - -“The consul not to do anything. Ouardy have lent him money; so I -hunderstood.” - -Beyrout had a Sunday appearance. The shops were nearly all closed, and -the churches, especially the Catholic, were crowded. It might have been -a peaceful day but for our imbroglio, which began to be serious; we -could not afford the time to wait two weeks for the next Cyprus steamer, -we did not like to abandon our dragomans, and we needed their services. -The ladies who depended upon Achmed were in a quandary. Notes went to -the consul, but produced no effect. The bankers were called into the -council, and one of them undertook to get Achmed free. Travellers, -citizens, and all began to get interested or entangled in the case. -There was among respectable people but one opinion about the consul's -dragoman. At night it was whispered about that the American consul had -already been removed and that his successor was on his way to Beyrout. -Achmed came to us in the highest spirits with the news. - -All day Monday we expected the steamer. The day was frittered away in -interviews with the consul and the pasha, and in endeavoring to learn -something of the two cases, the suit for damages and for the debt, -supposed to be going on somewhere in the seraglio. After my interview -with the consul, who expressed considerable ignorance of the case and -the strongest desire to stop it, I was surprised to find at the seraglio -all the papers in the consul's name, and all the documents written -on consular paper; so that when I appeared as an American citizen, -to endeavor to get my dragoman released, it appeared to the Turkish -officials that they would please the American government by detaining -and punishing him. - -The court-room was a little upper chamber, with no furniture except a -long table and chairs; three Moslem judges sat at one end of the table, -apparently waiting to see what would turn up. The scene was not unlike -that in an office of a justice of the peace in America. The parties to -the case, witnesses, attendants, spectators, came and went as it pleased -them, talked or whispered to the judges or to each other. There seemed -to be no rule for the reception or rejection of evidence. The judges -smoked and gathered the facts as they drifted in, and would by and by -make up their minds. It is truth to say, however, that they seemed to -be endeavoring to get at the facts, and that they appeared to be above -prejudice or interest. A new complication developed itself, however; -Antoine Ouardy claimed to be a French citizen, and the French consul was -drawn into the fray. This was a new device to delay proceedings. - -When I had given my evidence to the judges, which I was required to -put in writing, I went with Abd-el-Atti to the room of the pasha. This -official was gracious enough, but gave us no hopes of release. He took -me one side and advised me, as a traveller, to look out for another -dragoman; there was no prospect that Abd-el-Atti could get away to -accompany me on this steamer,—in fact, the process in court might -detain him six months. However, the best thing to do would be to go to -the American consul with Ouardy and settle it. He thought Ouardy would -settle it for a reasonable amount. It was none of his business, but -that was his advice. We were obliged to his Excellency for this glimpse -behind the scenes of a Turkish court, and thanked him for his advice; -but we did not follow it. Abd-el-Atti thought that if he abandoned the -attempt to collect a debt in a Turkish city, he ought not, besides, to -pay for the privilege of doing so. - -Tuesday morning the steamer came into the harbor. Although we had -registered our names at the office of the company for passage, nothing -was reserved for us. Detained at the seraglio and the consul's, we -could not go off to secure places, and the consequence was that we were -subject to the black-mail of the steward when we did go. By noon there -were signs of the failure of the prosecution; and we sent off our -luggage. In an hour or two Abd-el-Atti appeared with a troop of friends, -triumphant. Somewhere, I do not know how, he and Achmed had raked up -fourteen witnesses in his favor; the judges would n't believe Ouardy -nor any one he produced, and his case had utterly broken down. This -mountain of a case, which had annoyed us so many days and absorbed our -time, suddenly collapsed. We were not sorry to leave even beautiful -Beyrout, and would have liked to see the last of Turkish rule as -well. At sunset, on the steamer Achille, swarming above and below with -pilgrims from Jerusalem and Mecca, we sailed for Cyprus. - - - - -XVIII.—CYPRUS. - -IN the early morning we were off Cyprus, in the open harbor of -Larnaka,—a row of white houses on the low shore. The town is not -peculiar and not specially attractive, but the Marina lies prettily -on the blue sea, and the palms, the cypresses, the minarets and -church-towers, form an agreeable picture behind it, backed by the lovely -outline of mountains, conspicuous among them Santa Croce. The highest, -Olympus, cannot be seen from this point. - -A night had sufficed to transport us into another world, a world in -which all outlines are softened and colored, a world in which history -appears like romance. We might have imagined that we had sailed into -some tropical harbor, except that the island before us was bare of -foliage; there was the calm of perfect repose in the sky, on the sea, -and the land; Cyprus made no harsh contrast with the azure water in -which it seemed to be anchored for the morning, as our ship was. You -could believe that the calm of summer and of early morning always rested -on the island, and that it slept exhausted in the memory of its glorious -past. - -Taking a cup of coffee, we rowed ashore. It was the festival of St. -George, and the flags of various nations were hung out along the riva, -or displayed from the staffs of the consular residences. It is one of -the chief fête days of the year, and the foreign representatives, who -have not too much excitement, celebrated it by formal visits to the -Greek consul. Larnaka does not keep a hotel, and we wandered about for -some time before we could discover its sole locanda, where we purposed -to breakfast. This establishment would please an artist, but it had -few attractions for a person wishing to break his fast, and our unusual -demand threw it into confusion. The locanda was nothing but a kitchen in -a tumble-down building, smoke-dried, with an earth floor and a rickety -table or two. After long delay, the cheerful Greek proprietor and his -lively wife—whose good-humored willingness both to furnish us next to -nothing, but the best they had, from their scanty larder, and to cipher -up a long reckoning for the same, excited our interest—produced some -fried veal, sour bread, harsh wine, and tart oranges; and we breakfasted -more sumptuously, I have no doubt, than any natives of the island that -morning. The scant and hard fare of nearly all the common people in the -East would be unendurable to any American; but I think that the hardy -peasantry of the Levant would speedily fall into dyspeptic degeneracy -upon the introduction of American rural cooking. - -After we had killed our appetites at the locanda, we presented our -letters to the American consul, General di Cesnola, in whose spacious -residence we experienced a delightful mingling of Oriental and Western -hospitality. The kawâss of the General was sent to show us the town. -This kawâss was a gorgeous official, a kind of glorified being, in silk -and gold-lace, who marched before us, huge in bulk, waving his truncheon -of office, and gave us the appearance, in spite of our humility, of a -triumphal procession. Larnaka has not many sights, although it was the -residence of the Lusignan dynasty,—Richard Cour de Lion having, toward -the close of the twelfth century, made a gift of the island to Guy de -Lusignan. It has, however, some mosques and Greek churches. The church -of St. Lazarus, which contains the now vacant tomb of the Lazarus who -was raised from the dead at Bethany and afterwards became bishop of -Citium, is an interesting old Byzantine edifice, and has attached to -it an English burial-ground, with tombs of the seventeenth century. The -Greek priest who showed us the church does not lose sight of the gain -of godliness in this life while pursuing in this remote station his -heavenly journey. He sold my friend some exquisite old crucifixes, -carved in wood, mounted in antique silver, which he took from the -altar, and he let the church part with some of its quaint old pictures, -commemorating the impossible exploits of St. Demetrius and St. George. -But he was very careful that none of the Greeks who were lounging about -the church should be witnesses of the transfer. He said that these -ignorant people had a prejudice about these sacred objects, and might -make trouble. - -The excavations made at Larnaka have demonstrated that this was the site -of ancient Citium, the birthplace of Zeno, the Stoic, and the Chittim so -often alluded to by the Hebrew prophets; it was a Phoenician colony, and -when Ezekiel foretold the unrecoverable fall of Tyre, among the luxuries -of wealth he enumerated were the “benches of ivory brought out of the -isles of Chittim.” Paul does not mention it, but he must have passed -through it when he made his journey over the island from Salamis to -Paphos, where he had his famous encounter with the sorcerer Bar-jesus. -A few miles out of town on the road to Citti is a Turkish mosque, which -shares the high veneration of Moslems with those of Mecca and Jerusalem. -In it is interred the wet-nurse of Mohammed. - -We walked on out of the town to the most considerable church in the -place, newly built by the Roman Catholics. There is attached to it -a Franciscan convent, a neat establishment with a garden; and the -hospitable monks, when they knew we were Americans, insisted upon -entertaining us; the contributions for their church had largely come -from America, they said, and they seemed to regard us as among the -number of their benefactors. This Christian charity expressed itself -also in some bunches of roses, which the brothers plucked for our -ladies. One cannot but suspect and respect that timid sentiment the monk -retains for the sex whose faces he flies from, which he expresses in the -care of flowers; the blushing rose seems to be the pure and only link -between the monk and womankind; he may cultivate it without sin, and -offer it to the chance visitor without scandal. - -The day was lovely, but the sun had intense power, and in default of -donkeys we took a private carriage into the country to visit the church -of St. George, at which the fête day of that saint was celebrated by a -fair, and a concourse of peasants. Our carriage was a four-wheeled cart, -a sort of hay-wagon, drawn by two steers, and driven by a Greek boy in -an embroidered jacket. The Franciscans lent us chairs for the cart; the -resplendent kawass marched ahead; Abd-el-Atti hung his legs over the -tail of the cart in an attitude of dejection; and we moved on, but so -slowly that my English friend, Mr. Edward Rae, was able to sketch us, -and the Cyprians could enjoy the spectacle. - -The country lay bare and blinking under the sun; save here and there a -palm or a bunch of cypresses, this part of the island has not a tree or -a large shrub. The view of the town and the sea with its boats, as we -went inland, was peculiar, not anything real, but a skeleton picture; -the sky and sea were indigo blue. We found a crowd of peasants at the -church of St. George, which has a dirty interior, like all the Greek -churches. The Greeks, as well as the other Orientals, know how to mingle -devotion with the profits of trade, and while there were rows of booths -outside, and traffic went on briskly, the church was thronged with men -and women who bought tapers for offerings, and kissed with fervor the -holy relics which were exposed. The articles for sale at the booths and -stands were chiefly eatables and the coarsest sort of merchandise. The -only specialty of native manufacture was rude but pleasant-sounding -little bells, which are sometimes strung upon the necks of donkeys. But -so fond are these simple people of musical noise, that these bells -are attached to the handles of sickles also. The barley was already -dead-ripe in the fields, and many of the peasants at the fair brought -their sickles with them. They were, both men and women, a good-humored, -primitive sort of people, certainly not a handsome race, but picturesque -in appearance; both sexes affect high colors, and the bright petticoats -of the women matched the gay jackets of their husbands and lovers. - -We do not know what was the ancient standard of beauty in Cyprus; it may -have been no higher than it is now, and perhaps the swains at this -fête of St. George would turn from any other type of female charms as -uninviting. The Cyprian or Paphian Venus could not have been a beauty -according to our notions. - -The images of her which General di Cesnola found in her temple all have -a long and sharp nose. These images are Phoenician, and were made six -hundred to a thousand years before the Christian era, at the time that -wonderful people occupied this fertile island. It is an interesting -fact, and an extraordinary instance of the persistence of nature in -perpetuating a type, that all the women of Cyprus to-day—who are, -with scarcely any exception, ugly—have exactly the nose of the ancient -Paphian Venus, that is to say, the nose of the Phoenician women whose -husbands and lovers sailed the Mediterranean as long ago as the siege of -Troy. - -It was off the southern coast of this island, near Paphos, that Venus -Aphrodite, born of the foam, is fabled to have risen from the sea. The -anniversary of her birth is still perpetuated by an annual fête on -the 11th of August,—a rite having its foundation in nature, that -has proved to be stronger than religious instruction or prejudice. -Originally, these fêtes were the scenes of a too literal worship -of Venus, and even now the Cyprian maiden thinks that her chance of -matrimony is increased by her attendance at this annual fair. Upon that -day all the young people go upon the sea in small boats, and, until -recently, it used to be the custom to dip a virgin into the water -in remembrance of the mystic birth of Venus. That ceremony is still -partially maintained; instead of sousing the maiden in the sea, -her companions spatter the representative of the goddess with salt -water,—immersion has given way here also to sprinkling. - -The lively curiosity of the world has been of late years turned to -Cyprus as the theatre of some of the most important and extensive -archaeological discoveries of this century; discoveries unique, and -illustrative of the manners and religion of a race, once the most -civilized in the Levant, of which only the slightest monuments had -hitherto been discovered; discoveries which supply the lost link between -Egyptian and Grecian art. These splendid results, which by a stroke of -good fortune confer some credit upon the American nation, are wholly -due to the scholarship, patient industry, address, and enthusiasm of one -man. To those who are familiar with the magnificent Cesnola Collection, -which is the chief attraction of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, I -need make no apology for devoting a few paragraphs to the antiquities of -Cyprus and their explorer. - -Cyprus was the coveted prize of all the conquerors of the Orient -in turn. The fair island, with an area not so large as the State of -Connecticut, owns in its unequal surface the extremes of the temperate -climate; snow lies during the greater part of the year upon its -mountains, which attain an altitude of over seven thousand feet, and -the palm spreads its fan-leaves along the southern coast and in the warm -plains; irregular in shape, it has an extreme length of over one hundred -and forty miles, and an average breadth of about forty miles, and its -deeply indented coast gives an extraordinarily long shore-line and -offers the facilities of harbors for the most active commerce. - -The maritime Phoenicians early discovered its advantages, and in the -seventeenth century b. c., or a little later, a colony from Sidon -settled at Citium; and in time these Yankees of the Levant occupied -all the southern portion of the island with their busy ports and royal -cities. There is a tradition that Teucer, after the Trojan war, founded -the city of Salamis on the east coast. But however this may be, and -whatever may be the exact date of the advent of the Sidonians upon the -island, it is tolerably certain that they were in possession about the -year 1600 b.c., when the navy of Thotmes III., the greatest conqueror -and statesman in the long line of Pharaohs, visited Cyprus and collected -tribute. The Egyptians were never sailors, and the fleet of Thotmes III. -was no doubt composed of Phoenician ships manned by Phoenician sailors. -He was already in possession of the whole of Syria, the Phoenicians were -his tributaries and allies, their ships alone sailed the Grecian -seas and carried the products of Egypt and of Asia to the Pelasgic -populations. The Phoenician supremacy, established by Sidon in Cyprus, -was maintained by Tyre; and it was not seriously subverted until 708 -b. c., when the Assyrian ravager of Syria, Sargon, sent a fleet and -conquered Cyprus. He set up a stele in Citium, commemorating his -exploit, which has been preserved and is now in the museum at Berlin. -Two centuries later the island owned the Persians as masters, and was -comprised in the fifth satrapy of Darius. It became a part of the empire -of the Macedonian Alexander after his conquest of Asia Minor, and was -again an Egyptian province under the Ptolemies, until the Roman eagles -swooped down upon it. Coins are not seldom found that tell the story of -these occupations. Those bearing the head of Ptolemy Physcon, Euergetes -VII., found at Paphos and undoubtedly struck there, witness the -residence on the island of that licentious and literary tyrant, whom a -popular outburst had banished from Alexandria. Another with the head -of Vespasian, and on the obverse an outline of the temple of Venus at -Paphos, attests the Roman hospitality to the gods and religious rites of -all their conquered provinces. - -Upon the breaking up of the Roman world, Cyprus fell to the Greek -Empire, and for centuries maintained under its ducal governors a sort of -independent life, enjoying as much prosperity as was possible under the -almost uniform imbecility and corruption of the Byzantine rule. We have -already spoken of its transfer to the Lusignans by Richard Cour de Lion; -and again a romantic chapter was added to its history by the reign of -Queen Catharine Cornaro, who gave her kingdom to the Venetian republic. -Since its final conquest by the Turks in 1571, Cyprus has interested the -world only by its sufferings; for Turkish history here, as elsewhere, is -little but a record of exactions, rapine, and massacre. - -From time to time during the present century efforts have been made -by individuals and by learned societies to explore the antiquities of -Cyprus; but although many interesting discoveries were made, yet the -field was comparatively virgin when General di Cesnola was appointed -American consul in 1866. Here and there a stele, or some fragments of -pottery, or the remains of a temple, had been unearthed by chance or by -superficial search, but the few objects discovered served only to pique -curiosity. For one reason or another, the efforts made to establish the -site of ancient cities had been abandoned, the expeditions sent out by -France had been comparatively barren of results, and it seemed as if -the traces of the occupation of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the -Assyrians, the Persians, and the Romans were irrecoverably concealed. - -General L. P. di Cesnola, the explorer of Cyprus, is of a noble -Piedmontese family; he received a military and classical education at -Turin; identified with the party of Italian unity, his sympathies were -naturally excited by the contest in America; he offered his sword to our -government, and served with distinction in the war for the Union. At -its close he was appointed consul at Cyprus, a position of no -pecuniary attraction, but I presume that the new consul had in view the -explorations which have given his name such honorable celebrity in both -hemispheres. - -The difficulties of his undertaking were many. He had to encounter at -every step the jealousy of the Turkish government, and the fanaticism -and superstition of the occupants of the soil. Archaeological researches -are not easy in the East under the most favorable circumstances, and in -places where the traces of ancient habitations are visible above ground, -and ancient sites are known; but in Cyprus no ruins exist in sight to -aid the explorer, and, with the exception of one or two localities, no -names of ancient places are known to the present generation. But the -consul was convinced that the great powers which had from age to age -held Cyprus must have left some traces of their occupation, and that -intelligent search would discover the ruins of the prosperous cities -described by Strabo and mentioned by the geographer Ptolemy. Without -other guides than the descriptions of these and other ancient writers, -the consul began his search in 1867, and up to 1875 he had ascertained -the exact sites of eleven ancient cities mentioned by Strabo and -Ptolemy, most of which had ceased to exist before the Christian era, and -none of which has left vestiges above the soil. - -In the time of David and of Solomon the Phoenicians formed the largest -portion of the population of the island; their royal cities of Paphos, -Amathus, Carpassa, Citium, and Ammochosto, were in the most flourishing -condition. Not a stone remained of them above ground; their sites were -unknown in 1867. - -When General di Cesnola had satisfied himself of the probable site of -an ancient city or temple, it was difficult to obtain permission to dig, -even with the authority of the Sultan's firman. He was obliged to -wait for harvests to be gathered, in some cases, to take a lease of the -ground; sometimes the religious fanaticism of the occupants could not be -overcome, and his working parties were frequently beaten and driven away -in his absence. But the consul exhibited tact, patience, energy, the -qualities necessary, with knowledge, to a successful explorer. He evaded -or cast down all obstacles. - -In 1868 he discovered the necropoli of Ledra, Citium, and Idalium, and -opened during three years in these localities over ten thousand tombs, -bringing to light a mass of ancient objects of art which enable us -to understand the customs, religion, and civilization of the earlier -inhabitants. Idalium was famous of old as the place where Grecian -pottery was first made, and fragments of it have been found from time to -time on its site. - -In 1869 and 1870 he surveyed Aphrodisium, in the northeastern part of -the island, and ascertained, in the interior, the site of Golgos, a city -known to have been in existence before the Trojan war. The disclosures -at this place excited both the wonder and the incredulity of the -civilized world, and it was not until the marvellous collection of the -explorer was exhibited, partially in London, but fully in New York, -that the vast importance of the labors of General di Cesnola began to be -comprehended. In exploring the necropolis of Golgos, he came, a few feet -below the soil, upon the remains of the temple of Venus, strewn with -mutilated sculptures of the highest interest, supplying the missing link -between Egyptian and Greek art, and indeed illustrating the artistic -condition of most of the Mediterranean nations during the period from -about 1200 to about 500 b. c. It would require too much space to tell -how the British Museum missed and the Metropolitan of New York secured -this first priceless “Cesnola Collection.” Suffice it to say, that -it was sold to a generous citizen of New York, Mr. John Taylor Johnson, -for fifty thousand dollars,—a sum which would not compensate the -explorer for his time and labor, and would little more than repay -his pecuniary outlay, which reached the amount of over sixty thousand -dollars in 1875. But it was enough that the treasure was secured by his -adopted country; the loss of it to the Old World, which was publicly -called an “European misfortune,” was a piece of good fortune to the -United States, which time will magnify. - -From 1870 to 1872 the General's attention was directed to the -southwestern portion of the island, and he laid open the necropoli of -Marium, Paphos, Alamas, and Soli, and three ancient cities whose names -are yet unknown. In 1873 he explored and traced the cities of Throni, -Leucolla, and Arsinôe, and the necropoli of several towns still -unknown. In 1874 and 1875 he brought to light the royal cities of -Amathus and Curium, and located the little town of Kury. - -It would not be possible here to enumerate all the objects of art or -worship, and of domestic use, which these excavations have yielded. The -statuary and the thousands of pieces of glass, some of them rivalling -the most perfect Grecian shapes in form, and excelling the Venetian -colors in the iridescence of age, perhaps attract most attention in the -Metropolitan Museum. From the tombs were taken thousands of vases of -earthenware, some in alabaster and bronze, statuettes in terra-cotta, -arms, coins, scarabæi, cylinders, intaglios, cameos, gold ornaments, -and mortuary steles. In the temples were brought to light inscriptions, -bas-reliefs, architectural fragments, and statues of the different -nations who have conquered and occupied the island. The inscriptions -are in the Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Greek, and the Cypriote -languages; the last-mentioned being, in the opinion of the explorer, an -ancient Greek dialect. - -At Curium, nineteen feet below the surface of the ground, were found the -remains of the Temple of Apollo Hylates; the sculptures contained in it -belong to the Greek period from 700 to 100 B.C. At Amathus some royal -tombs were opened, and two marble sarcophagi of large dimensions, one -of them intact, were discovered, which are historically important, and -positive additions to the remains of the best Greek art. - -After Golgos, Paleo Paphos yielded the most interesting treasures. Here -existed a temple to the Paphian Venus, whose birthplace was in sight -of its portals, famous throughout the East; devotees and pilgrims -constantly resorted to it, as they do now to the shrines of Mecca and -Jerusalem. Not only the maritime adventurers and traders from Asia Minor -and the Grecian mainland crowded to the temple of this pleasing and -fortunate goddess, and quitted their vows or propitiated her favor by -gifts, but the religious or the superstitious from Persia and Assyria -and farthest Egypt deposited there their votive offerings. The collector -of a museum of antiquity that should illustrate the manners and religion -of the thousand years before the Christian era could ask nothing better -than these deposits of many races during many centuries in one place. - -The excavations at Paphos were attended with considerable danger; more -than once the workmen were obliged to flee to save their lives from the -fanatic Moslems. The town, although it has lost its physical form, and -even its name (its site is now called Baffo), retains the character -of superstition it had when St. Paul found it expedient to darken the -vision of Elymas there, as if a city, like a man, possessed a soul that -outlives the body. - -We spent the afternoon in examining the new collection of General di -Cesnola, not so large as that in the Metropolitan Museum, but perhaps -richer in some respects, particularly in iridescent glass. - -In the summer of 1875, however, the labors of the indefatigable explorer -were crowned with a discovery the riches of which cast into the shade -the real or pretended treasures of the “House of Priam,”—a -discovery not certainly of more value to art than those that preceded -it, but well calculated to excite popular wonder. The finding of this -subterranean hoard reads like an adventure of Aladdin. - -In pursuing his researches at Curium, on the southwestern side of the -island, General di Cesnola came upon the site of an ancient temple, and -uncovered its broken mosaic pavement. Beneath this, and at the depth of -twenty-five feet, he broke into a subterranean passage cut in the rock. -This passage led to a door; no genie sat by it, but it was securely -closed by a stone slab. When this was removed, a suite of four rooms -was disclosed, but they were not immediately accessible; earth sifting -through the roofs for ages had filled them, and it required the labor -of a month to clean out the chambers. Imagine the feverish enthusiasm -of the explorer as he slowly penetrated this treasure-house, where every -stroke of the pick disclosed the gleam of buried treasure! In the -first room were found only gold objects; in the second only silver -and silver-gilt ornaments and utensils; in the third alabasters, -terra-cottas, vases, and groups of figures; in the fourth bronzes, and -nothing else. It is the opinion of the discoverer that these four rooms -were the depositories where the crafty priests and priestesses of the -old temple used to hide their treasures during times of war or sudden -invasion. I cannot but think that the mysterious subterranean passages -and chambers in the ancient temples of Egypt served a similar purpose. -The treasure found scattered in these rooms did not appear to be the -whole belonging to the temple, but only a part, left perhaps in the -confusion of a hasty flight. - -Among the articles found in the first room, dumped in a heap in the -middle (as if they had been suddenly, in a panic, stripped from the -altar in the temple and cast into a place of concealment), were a gold -cup covered with Egyptian embossed work, and two bracelets of pure gold -weighing over three pounds, inscribed with the name of “Etevander, -King of Paphos.” This king lived in 635 B.C., and in 620 b. c. paid -tribute to the Assyrian monarch Assurbanapal (Sardanapalus), as is -recorded on an Assyrian tablet now in the British Museum. There were -also many gold necklaces, bracelets, ear-rings, finger-rings, brooches, -seals, armlets, etc., in all four hundred and eighty gold articles. - -In the silver-room, arranged on the benches at the sides, were vases, -bottles, cups, bowls, bracelets, finger-rings, ear-rings, seals, etc. -One of the most curious and valuable objects is a silver-gilt bowl, -having upon it very fine embossed Egyptian work, and evidently of high -antiquity. - -In the third room of vases and terra-cottas were some most valuable and -interesting specimens. The bronze-room yielded several high candelabra, -lamp-holders, lamps, statuettes, bulls'-heads, bowls, vases, jugs, -patera, fibula, rings, bracelets, mirrors, etc. Nearly all the objects -in the four rooms seem to have been “votive offerings,” and testify -a pagan devotion to the gods not excelled by Christian generosity to -the images and shrines of modern worship. The inscriptions betoken the -votive character of these treasures; that upon the heavy gold armlets -is in the genitive case, and would be literally translated “Etevandri -Regis Paplii,” the words “offering of” being understood to precede -it. - -I confess that the glitter of these treasures, and the glamour of these -associations with the ingenious people of antiquity, transformed the -naked island of Cyprus, as we lay off it in the golden sunset, into a -region of all possibilities, and I longed to take my Strabo and my spade -and wander off prospecting for its sacred placers. It seemed to me, when -we weighed anchor at seven o'clock, that we were sailing away from -subterranean passages stuffed with the curious treasures of antiquity, -from concealed chambers in which one, if he could only remove the stone -slab of the door, would pick up the cunning work of the Phoenician -jewellers, the barbarous ornaments of the Assyrians, the conceits in -gold and silver of the most ancient of peoples, the Egyptians. - - - - -XIX.—THROUGH SUMMER SEAS.—RHODES. - -AT daylight next morning we could just discern Cyprus sinking behind -us in the horizon. The day had all the charm with which the poets have -invested this region; the sea was of the traditional indigo blue,—of -which the Blue Grotto of Capri is only a cheap imitation. No land was in -sight, after we lost Cyprus, but the spirit of the ancient romance -lay upon the waters, and we were soothed with the delights of an idle -existence. As good a world as can be made with a perfect sea and a -perfect sky and delicious atmosphere we had. - -Through this summer calm voyages our great steamer, a world in itself, -an exhibition, a fair, a fête, a camp-meeting, cut loose from the earth -and set afloat. There are not less than eight hundred pilgrims on board, -people known as first-class and second-class stowed in every nook and -corner. Forward of the first cabin, the deck of the long vessel is -packed with human beings, two deep and sometimes crossed, a crowd which -it is almost impossible to penetrate. We look down into the hold upon -a mass of bags and bundles and Russians heaped indiscriminately -together,—and it is very difficult to distinguish a Russian woman from -a bundle of old clothes, when she is in repose. These people travel with -their bedding, their babies, and their cooking utensils, and make a home -wherever they sit down. - -The forward passengers have overflowed their limits and extend back -upon our portion of the deck, occupying all one side of it to the stern, -leaving the so-called privileged class only a narrow promenade on -the starboard side. These intruders are, however, rather first-class -second-class. Parties of them are camped down in small squares, which -become at once miniature seraglios. One square is occupied by wealthy -Moslems from Damascus, and in another is a stately person who is rumored -to be the Prince of Damascus. These turbaned and silk-clad Orientals -have spread their bright rugs and cushions, and lounge here all day and -sleep here at night; some of them entertain themselves with chess, but -the most of them only smoke and talk little. Why should they talk? has -not enough already been said in the world? At intervals during the day, -ascertaining, I do not know how, the direction of Mecca, these grave men -arise, spread their prayer-carpets, and begin in unison their kneelings -and prostrations, servants and masters together, but the servants behind -their masters. Next to them, fenced off by benches, is a harem square, -occupied by veiled women, perhaps the wives of these Moslems and perhaps -“some others.” All the deck is a study of brilliant costume. - -A little later the Oriental prince turns out to be only a Turkish pasha, -who has a state-room below for himself, and another for his harem; but -in another compartment of our flower-bed of a deck is a merchant-prince -of Damascus, whose gorgeousness would impose upon people more -sophisticated than we. - -“He no prince; merchant like me,” explains Achmed, “and very rich, -God be merciful.” - -“But why don't you travel about like that, Achmed, and make a fine -display?” - -“For why? Anybody say Mohammed Achmed any more respect? What for I -show my rich? Take my advice. When I am dragoman, I am servant; and -dress [here a comico-sarcastic glance at his plain but handsome dragoman -apparel] not in monkey shine, like Selim—you remember him—at Jaffa, -fierce like a Bedawee. I make business. When I am by my house, that is -another thing.” - -The pasha has rooms below, and these contiguous squares on deck are -occupied, the one by his suite and the other by their ladies and slaves, -all veiled and presumably beautiful, lolling on the cushions in the -ennui that appears to be their normal condition. One of them is puffing -a cigarette under her white veil at the risk of a conflagration. One of -the slaves, with an olive complexion and dark eyes, is very pretty, and -rather likes to casually leave her face uncovered for the benefit of the -infidels who are about; that her feet and legs are bare she cares still -less. This harem is, however, encroached upon by Greek women, who sprawl -about with more freedom, and regard the world without the hindrance of a -veil. If they are not handsome, they are at least not self-conscious, -as you would think women would be in baggy silk trousers and embroidered -jackets. - -In the afternoon we came in sight of the ancient coasts of Pamphylia and -Lycia and a lovely range of what we took to be the Karamanian mountains, -snow-covered and half hid in clouds, all remote and dim to our vision as -the historical pageant of Assyrian, Persian, and Roman armies on these -shores is to our memory. Eastward on that rugged coast we know is -Cilicia and the Tarsus of Paul and Haroun al Raschid. The sunset on -the Lycian mountains was glorious; the foot by the water was veiled -in golden mist; the sea sank from indigo to purple, and when the light -waves broke flecks of rose or blood flowed on the surface. - -After dark, and before we were abreast of old Xanthus, we descried the -famous natural light which is almost as mysterious to the moderns as it -was to the ancients. The Handbook says of it: “About two miles from -the coast, through a fertile plain, and then ascending a woody glen, -the traveller arrives at the Zanar, or volcanic flame, which issues -perpetually from the mountain.” Pliny says: “Mount Chimaera, near -Phaselis, emits an unceasing flame that burns day and night.” Captain -Beaufort observed it from the ship during the night as a small but -steady light among the hills. We at first mistook it for a lighthouse. -But it was too high above the water for that, and the flame was too -large; it was rather a smoky radiance than a point of light, and yet -it had a dull red centre and a duller luminous surrounding. We regarded -with curiosity and some awe a flame that had been burning for over -twenty centuries, and perhaps was alight before the signal-fires were -kindled to announce the fall of Troy,—Nature's own Pharos to the -ancient mariners who were without compass on these treacherous seas. - -Otherwise, this classic coast is dark, extinguished is the fire on the -altar of Apollo at Patera, silent is the winter oracle of this god, and -desolate is the once luxurious metropolis of Lycia. Even Xanthus, the -capital, a name disused by the present inhabitants, has little to show -of Greek culture or Persian possession, and one must seek the fragments -of its antique art in the British Museum. - -Coming on deck the next morning at the fresh hour of sunrise, I found -we were at Rhodes. We lay just off the semicircular harbor, which is -clasped by walls—partly shaken down by earthquakes—which have noble -round towers at each embracing end. Rhodes is, from the sea, one of the -most picturesque cities in the Mediterranean, although it has little -remains of that ancient splendor which caused Strabo to prefer it to -Rome or Alexandria. The harbor wall, which is flanked on each side by -stout and round stone windmills, extends up the hill, and, becoming -double, surrounds the old town; these massive fortifications of the -Knights of St. John have withstood the onsets of enemies and the tremors -of the earth, and, with the ancient moat, excite the curiosity of -this so-called peaceful age of iron-clads and monster cannon. The city -ascends the slope of the hill and passes beyond the wall. Outside and on -the right towards the sea are a picturesque group of a couple of dozen -stone windmills, and some minarets and a church-tower or two. Higher -up the hill is sprinkled a little foliage, a few mulberry-trees, and an -isolated palm or two; and, beyond, the island is only a mass of broken, -bold, rocky mountains. Of its forty-five miles of length, running -southwesterly from the little point on which the city stands, we can see -but little. - -Whether or not Rhodes emerged from the sea at the command of Apollo, the -Greeks expressed by this tradition of its origin their appreciation of -its gracious climate, fertile soil, and exquisite scenery. From remote -antiquity it had fame as a seat of arts and letters, and of a vigorous -maritime power, and the romance of its early centuries was equalled if -not surpassed when it became the residence of the Knights of St. John. -I believe that the first impress of its civilization was given by the -Phoenicians; it was the home of the Dorian race before the time of the -Trojan war, and its three cities were members of the Dorian Hexapolis; -it was in fact a flourishing maritime confederacy, strong enough to -send colonies to the distant Italian coast, and Sybaris and Parthenope -(modern Naples) perpetuated the luxurious refinement of their founders. -The city of Rhodes itself was founded about four hundred years before -Christ, and the splendor of its palaces, its statues and paintings, -gave it a pre-eminence among the most magnificent cities of the ancient -world. If the earth of this island could be made to yield its buried -treasures as Cyprus has, we should doubtless have new proofs of the -influence of Asiatic civilization upon the Greeks, and be able to trace -in the early Doric arts and customs the superior civilization of the -Phoenicians, and of the masters of the latter, in science and art, the -Egyptians. - -Naturally, every traveller who enters the harbor of Rhodes hopes to see -the site of one of the seven wonders of the world, the Colossus. He is -free to place it on either mole at the entrance of the harbor, but he -comprehends at once that a statue which was only one hundred and five -feet high could never have extended its legs across the port. The fame -of this colossal bronze statue of the sun is disproportioned to the -period of its existence; it stood only fifty-six years after its -erection, being shaken down by an earthquake in the year 224 b.c., and -encumbering the ground with its fragments till the advent of the Moslem -conquerors. - -When we landed, the town was not yet awake, except the boatmen and the -coffee-houses by the landing-stairs. The Greek boatman, whom we accepted -as our guide, made an unsuccessful excursion for bread, finding only a -black uneatable mixture, sprinkled with aromatic seeds; but we sat -under the shelter of an old sycamore in a lovely place by the shore, and -sipped our coffee, and saw the sun coming over Lycia, and shining on the -old towers and walls of the Knights. - -Passing from the quay through a highly ornamented Gothic gateway, we -ascended the famous historic street, still called the Street of the -Knights, the massive houses of which have withstood the shocks of -earthquakes and the devastation of Saracenic and Turkish occupation. -At this hour the street was as deserted as it was three centuries and -a half ago, when the Knights sorrowfully sailed out of the harbor in -search of a new home. Their four months' defence of the city., against -the overwhelming force of Suleiman the Magnificent, added a new lustre -to their valor, and extorted the admiration of the victor and the most -honorable terms of surrender. With them departed the prosperity of -Rhodes. This street, of whose palaces we have heard so much, is not -imposing; it is not wide, its solid stone houses are only two stories -high, and their fronts are now disfigured by cheap Arab balconies, but -the façades are gray with age. All along are remains of carved windows. -Gothic sculptured doorways, and shields and coats of arms, crosses and -armorial legends, are set in the walls, partially defaced by time and -accident; for the Moslems, apparently inheriting the respect of Suleiman -for the Knights, have spared the mementos of their faith and prowess. -I saw no inscriptions that are intact, but made out upon one shield the -words voluntas mei est. The carving is all beautiful. - -We went through the silent streets, waking only echoes of the past, out -to the ruins of the once elegant church of St. John, which was shaken -down by a powder-explosion some thirty years ago, and utterly flattened -by an earthquake some years afterwards. Outside the ramparts we met, and -saluted frith the freedom of travellers, a gorgeous Turk who was -taking the morning air, and whom our guide in bated breath said was the -governor. In this part of the town is the Mosque of Suleiman; in the -portal are two lovely marble columns, rich with age; the lintels are -exquisitely carved with flowers, arms, casques, musical instruments, -the crossed sword and the torch, and the mandolin, perhaps the emblem of -some troubadour knight. Wherever we went we found bits of old carving, -remains of columns, sections of battlemented roofs. The town is -saturated with the old Knights. Near the mosque is a foundation of -charity, a public kitchen, at which the poor were fed or were free to -come and cook their food; it is in decay now, and the rooks were sailing -about its old round-topped chimneys. - -There are no Hellenic remains in the city, and the only remembrance of -that past which we searched for was the antique coin, which has upon one -side the head of Medusa and upon the other the rose (rhoda) which gave -the town its name. The town was quiet; but in pursuit of this coin in -the Jews' quarter we started up swarms of traders, were sent from -Isaac to Jacob, and invaded dark shops and private houses where Jewish -women and children were just beginning to complain of the morning light. -Our guide was a jolly Greek, who was willing to awaken the whole town in -search of a silver coin. The traders, when we had routed them out, -had little to show in the way of antiquities. Perhaps the best -representative of the modern manufactures of Rhodes is the wooden shoe, -which is in form like the Damascus clog, but is inlaid with more taste. -The people whom we encountered in our morning walk were Greeks or Jews. - -The morning atmosphere was delicious, and we could well believe that the -climate of Rhodes is the finest in the Mediterranean, and also that it -is the least exciting of cities. - -“Is it always so peaceful here?” we asked the guide. - -“Nothing, if you please,” said he, “has happened here since the -powder-explosion, nothing in the least.” - -“And is the town as healthy as they say?” - -“Nobody dies.” - -The town is certainly clean, if it is in decay. In one street we found a -row of mulberry-trees down the centre, but they were half decayed, like -the street. I shall always think of Rhodes as a silent city,—except in -the Jews' quarter, where the hope of selling an old coin set the whole -hive humming,—and I suspect that is its normal condition. - - - - -XX.—AMONG THE ÆGEAN ISLANDS. - -OUR sail all day among the Ægean islands was surpassingly lovely; -our course was constantly changing to wind among them; their beautiful -outlines and the soft atmosphere that enwrapped them disposed us to -regard them in the light of Homeric history, and we did not struggle -against the illusion. They are all treeless, and for the most part have -scant traces of vegetation, except a thin green grass which seems rather -a color than a substance. Here are the little islands of Chalce and -Syme, once seats of Grecian culture, now the abode of a few thousand -sponge-fishers. We pass Telos, and Nisyros, which was once ruled by -Queen Artemisia, and had its share in the fortunes of the wars of Athens -and Sparta. It is a small round mass of rock, but it rises twenty-two -hundred feet out of the sea, and its volcanic soil is favorable to the -grape. Opposite is the site of the ruins of Cnidus, a Dorian city of -great renown, and famous for its shrine of Venus, and her statue by -Praxiteles. We get an idea of the indentation of this coast of Asia -Minor (and its consequent accessibility to early settlement and -civilization) from the fact that Cnidus is situated on a very narrow -peninsula ninety miles long. - -Kos is celebrated not only for its size, loveliness, and fertility, but -as the birthplace of Apelles and of Hippocrates; the inhabitants still -venerate an enormous plane-tree under which the good physician is said -to have dispensed his knowledge of healing. The city of Kos is on a fine -plain, which gradually slopes from the mountain to the sea and is well -covered with trees. The attractive town lies prettily along the shore, -and is distinguished by a massive square mediaeval fortress, and by -round stone windmills with specially long arms. - -As we came around the corner of Kos, we had a view, distant but -interesting, of the site of Halicarnassus, the modern town of Boudroum, -with its splendid fortress, which the Turks wrested from the Knights of -St. John. We sail by it with regret, for the student and traveller in -the East comes to have a tender feeling for the simple nature of the -father of history, and would forego some other pleasant experiences to -make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Herodotus. Here, also, was born -the historian Dionysius. And here, a few years ago, were identified the -exact site and rescued the remains of another of the Seven Wonders, the -Tomb of Mausolus, built in honor of her husband by the Carian Artemisia, -who sustained to him the double relation of sister and queen. This -monument, which exhibited the perfection of Greek art, was four hundred -and eleven feet in circumference and one hundred and forty feet high. -It consisted of a round building, surrounded by thirty-six columns -surmounted by a pyramid, and upon the latter stood a colossal group of -a chariot and four horses. Some of the beautiful sculpture of this -mausoleum can be seen in the British Museum. - -We were all the afternoon endeavoring to get sight of Patinos, which -the intervening islands hid from view. Every half-hour some one was -discovering it, and announcing the fact. No doubt half the passengers -will go to their graves comforted by the belief that they saw it. Some -of them actually did have a glimpse of it towards night, between the -islands of Lipso and Arki. It is a larger island than we expected to -see; and as we had understood that the Revelations were written on a -small rocky island, in fact a mere piece of rock, the feat seemed less -difficult on a good-sized island. Its height is now crowned by the -celebrated monastery of St. John, but the island is as barren and -uninviting as it was when the Romans used it as a place of banishment. - -We passed Astypatæa, Kalyminos, Leros, and a sprinkling of islets (as -if a giant had sown this sea with rocks), each of which has a history, -or is graced by a legend; but their glory is of the past. The chief -support of their poor inhabitants is now the sponge-fishery. At sunset -we had before us Icaria and Samos, and on the mainland the site of -Miletus, now a fever-smitten place, whose vast theatre is almost the -sole remains of the metropolis of the Ionic confederacy. Perhaps the -centre of Ionic art and culture was, however, the island of Samos, but I -doubt not the fame of its Samian wine has carried its name further than -the exploits of its warriors, the works of its artists, or the thoughts -of its philosophers. It was the birthplace of Pythagoras; it was -once governed by Polycrates; there for a time Antony and Cleopatra -established their court of love and luxury. In the evening we sailed -close under its high cliffs, and saw dimly opposite Icaria, whose only -merit or interest lies in its association with the ill-judged aerial -voyage of Icarus, the soil of Daedalus. - -Although the voyager amid these islands and along this historic coast -profoundly feels the influence of the past, and, as he reads and looks -and reflects, becomes saturated with its half-mysterious and delicious -romance, he is nevertheless scarcely able to believe that these denuded -shores and purple, rocky islets were the homes of heroes, the theatres -of world-renowned exploits, the seats of wealth and luxury and power; -that the marble of splendid temples gleamed from every summit and -headland; that rich cities clustered on every island and studded the -mainland; and that this region, bounteous in the fruits of the liberal -earth, was not less prolific in vigorous men and beautiful women, -who planted adventurous and remote colonies, and sowed around the -Mediterranean the seeds of our modern civilization. In the present -desolation and soft decay it is difficult to recall the wealth, the -diversified industry, the martial spirit, the refinement of the races -whose art and literature are still our emulation and despair. Here, -indeed, were the beginnings of our era, of our modern life,—separated -by a great gulf from the ancient civilization of the Nile,—the life of -the people, the attempts at self-government, the individual adventure, -the new development of human relations consequent upon commerce, and the -freer exchange of products and ideas. - -What these islands and this variegated and genial coast of Asia Minor -might become under a government that did not paralyze effort and rob -industry, it is impossible to say; but the impression is made upon the -traveller that Nature herself is exhausted in these regions, and that it -will need the rest or change of a geologic era to restore her pristine -vigor. The prodigality and avarice of thousands of years have left the -land—now that the flame of civilization has burned out—like the -crater of an extinct volcano. But probably it is society and not nature -that is dead. The island of Rhodes, for an example, might in a few years -of culture again produce the forests that once supplied her hardy sons -with fleets of vessels, and her genial soil, under any intelligent -agriculture, would yield abundant harvests. The land is now divided into -petty holdings, and each poor proprietor scratches it just enough to -make it yield a scanty return. - -During the night the steamer had come to Chios (Scio), and I rose -at dawn to see—for we had no opportunity to land—the spot almost -equally famous as the birthplace of Homer and the land of the Chian -wine. The town lies along the water for a mile or more around a shallow -bay opening to the east, a city of small white houses, relieved by -a minaret or two; close to the water's edge are some three-story -edifices, and in front is an ancient square fort, which has a mole -extending into the water, terminated by a mediaeval bastion, behind -which small vessels find shelter. Low by the shore, on the north, -are some of the sturdy windmills peculiar to these islands, and I can -distinguish with a glass a few fragments of Byzantine and mediaeval -architecture among the common buildings. Staring at us from the middle -of the town were two big signs, with the word “Hotel.” - -To the south of the town, amid a grove of trees, are the white stones -of the cemetery; the city of the dead is nearly as large as that of the -living. Behind the city are orange orchards and many a bright spot -of verdure, but the space for it is not broad. Sharp, bare, serrated, -perpendicular ridges of mountain rise behind the town, encircling it -like an amphitheatre. In the morning light these mountains are tawny and -rich in color, tinged with purple and red. Chios is a pretty picture in -the shelter of these hills, which gather for it the rays of the rising -sun. - -It is now half a century since the name of Scio rang through the -civilized world as the theatre of a deed which Turkish history itself -can scarcely parallel, and the island is vigorously regaining its -prosperity. It only needs to recall the outlines of the story. The -fertile island, which is four times the extent of the Isle of Wight, was -the home of one hundred and ten thousand inhabitants, of whom only six -thousand were Turks. The Greeks of Scio were said to differ physically -and morally from all their kindred; their merchants were princes at home -and abroad, art and literature flourished, with grace and refinement of -manner, and there probably nowhere existed a society more industrious, -gay, contented, and intelligent. Tempted by some adventurers from Samos -to rebel, they drew down upon themselves the vengeance of the Turks, who -retaliated the bloody massacre of Turkish men, women, and children by -the insurrectionists, with a universal destruction. The city of Scio, -with its thirty thousand inhabitants, and seventy villages, were reduced -to ashes; twenty-five thousand of all ages and both sexes were slain, -forty-five thousand were carried away as slaves, among them women -and children who had been reared in luxury, and most of the remainder -escaped, in a destitute state, into other parts of Greece. At the end of -the summer's harvest of death, only two thousand Sciotes were left on -the island. An apologist for the Turks could only urge that the Greeks -would have been as unmerciful under like circumstances. - -None of the first-class passengers were up to see Chios,—not one for -poor Homer's sake; but the second-class were stirring for their own, -crawling out of their comfortables, giving the babies a turn, and the -vigilant flea a taste of the morning air. When the Russian peasant, who -sleeps in the high truncated frieze cap, and in the coat which he -wore in Jerusalem,—a garment short in the waist, gathered in -pleats underneath the shoulders, and falling in stiff expanding folds -below,—when he first gets up and rubs his eyes, he is an astonished -being. His short-legged wife is already astir, and beginning to collect -the materials of breakfast. Some of the Greeks are making coffee; there -is a smell of coffee, and there are various other unanalyzed odors. -But for pilgrims, and pilgrims so closely packed that no one can stir -without moving the entire mass, these are much cleaner than they might -be expected to be, and cleaner, indeed, than they can continue to be, -and keep up their reputation. And yet, half an hour among them, looking -out from the bow for a comprehensive view of Chios, is quite enough. I -wished, then, that these people would change either their religion or -their clothes. - -Last night we had singing on deck by an extemporized quartette of young -Americans, with harmonious and well-blended voices, and it was a most -delightful contrast to the caterwauling, accompanied by the darabouka, -which we constantly hear on the forward deck, and which the Arabs call -singing. Even the fat, good-humored little Moslem from Damascus, who -lives in the pen with the merchant-prince of that city, listened with -delight and declared that it was tyeb kateer. Who knows but these -people, who are always singing, have some appreciation of music after -all? - - - - -XXI.—SMYRNA AND EPHESUS. - -WHEN we left Chios we sailed at first east, right into the sun, -gradually turned north and rounded the promontory of the mainland, and -then, east by south, came into the beautiful landlocked bay of Smyrna, -in which the blue water changes into a muddy green. At length we passed -on the right a Turkish fortress, which appeared as formidable as -a bathing establishment, and Smyrna lay at the bottom of the gulf, -circling the shore,—white houses, fruit-trees, and hills beyond. - -The wind was north, as it always is here in the morning, and the -landing was difficult. We had the usual excitement of swarming boats and -clamorous boatmen and lively waves. One passenger went into the water -instead of the boat, but was easily fished out by his baggy trousers, -and, as he was a Greek pilgrim, it was thought that a little water would -n't injure him. Coming to the shore we climbed with difficulty out -of the bobbing boat upon the sea-wall; the shiftless Turkish government -will do nothing to improve the landing at this great port,—if the -Sultan can borrow any money he builds a new palace on the Bosphorus, or -an ironclad to anchor in front of it. - -Smyrna may be said to have a character of its own in not having any -character of its own. One of the most ancient cities on the globe, it -has no appearance of antiquity; containing all nationalities, it has no -nationality; the second commercial city of the East, it has no chamber -of commerce, no Bourse, no commercial unity; its citizens are of no -country and have no impulse of patriotism; it is an Asiatic city with -a European face; it produces nothing, it exchanges everything,—the -fabrics of Europe, the luxuries of the Orient; the children of the -East are sent to its schools, but it has no literary character nor any -influence of culture; it is hospitable to all religions, and conspicuous -for none; it is the paradise of the Turks, the home of luxury and of -beautiful women, but it is also a favorite of the mosquito, and, until -recently, it has been the yearly camp of the plague; it is not the -most healthful city in the world, and yet it is the metropolis of the -drug-trade. - -Smyrna can be compared to Damascus in its age and in its perpetuity -under all discouragements and changes,—the shocks of earthquakes, the -constant visitations of pestilence, and the rule of a hundred masters. -It was a great city before the migration of the Ionians into Asia Minor, -it saw the rise and fall of Sardis, it was restored from a paralysis -of four centuries by Alexander. Under all vicissitudes it seems to have -retained its character of a great mart of exchange, a necessity for -the trade of Asia; and perhaps the indifference of its conglomerate -inhabitants to freedom and to creeds contributed to its safety. -Certainly it thrived as well under the Christians, when it was the seat -of one of the seven churches, as it did under the Romans, when it was a -seat of a great school of sophists and rhetoricians, and it is equally -prosperous under the sway of the successor of Mohammed. During the -thousand years of the always decaying Byzantine Empire it had its share -of misfortunes, and its walls alternately, at a later day, displayed the -star and crescent, and the equal arms of the cross of St. John. Yet, -in all its history, I seem to see the trading, gay, free, but not -disorderly Smyrna passing on its even way of traffic and of pleasure. - -Of its two hundred thousand and more inhabitants, about ninety thousand -are Rayah Greeks, and about eighty thousand are Turks. There is a -changing population of perhaps a thousand Europeans, there are large -bodies of Jews and Armenians, and it was recently estimated to have as -many as fifteen thousand Levantines. These latter are the descendants -of the marriage of Europeans with Greek and Jewish women; and whatever -moral reputation the Levantines enjoy in the Levant, the women of this -mixture are famous for their beauty. But the race is said to be not -self-sustaining, and is yielding to the original types. The languages -spoken in Smyrna are Turkish, a Greek dialect (the Romaic), Spanish, -Italian, Trench, English, and Arabic, probably prevailing in the order -named. Our own steamer was much more Oriental than the city of Smyrna. -As soon as we stepped ashore we seemed to have come into a European -city; the people almost all wear the Frank dress, the shops offer little -that is peculiar. One who was unfamiliar with bazaars might wonder at -the tangle of various lanes, but we saw nothing calling for comment. A -walk through the Jewish quarter, here as everywhere else the dirtiest -and most picturesque in the city, will reward the philosophic traveller -with the sight of lovely women lolling at every window. It is not -the fashion for Smyrniote ladies to promenade the streets, but they -mercifully array themselves in full toilet and stand in their doorways. - -The programme of the voyage of the Achille promised us a day and a half -in Smyrna, which would give us time to visit Ephesus. We were due Friday -noon; we did not arrive till Saturday noon. This vexatious delay had -caused much agitation on board; to be cheated out of Ephesus was an -outrage which the tourists could not submit to; they had come this way -on purpose to see Ephesus. They would rather give up anything else in -the East. The captain said he had no discretion, he must sail at 4 p. M. -The passengers then prepared a handsome petition to the agent, begging -him to detain the steamer till eight o'clock, in order to permit them -to visit Ephesus by a special train. There is a proclivity in all those -who can write to sign any and every thing except a subscription paper, -and this petition received fifty-six eager and first-class signatures. -The agent at Smyrna plumply refused our request, with unnecessary -surliness; but upon the arrival of the captain, and a consultation -which no doubt had more reference to freight than to the petition, the -official agreed, as a special favor, to detain the steamer till eight -o'clock, but not a moment longer. - -We hastened to the station of the Aidin Railway, which runs eighty miles -to Aidin, the ancient Tralles, a rich Lydian metropolis of immemorial -foundation. The modern town has perhaps fifty thousand inhabitants, and -is a depot for cotton and figs; that sweetmeat of Paradise, the halva, -is manufactured there, and its great tanneries produce fine yellow -Morocco leather. The town lies only three miles from the famous -tortuous Mæander, and all the region about it is a garden of vines -and fruit-trees. The railway company is under English management, which -signifies promptness, and the special train was ready in ten minutes; -when lo! of the fifty-six devotees of Ephesus only eleven appeared. We -were off at once; good engine, solid track, clean, elegant, comfortable -carnages. As we moved out of the city the air was full of the odor of -orange-blossoms; we crossed the Meles, and sped down a valley, very -fertile, smiling with grain-fields, green meadows, groves of midberry, -oranges, figs, with blue hills,—an ancient Mount Olympus, beyond which -lay green Sardis, in the distance, a country as lovely and home-like as -an English or American farm-land. We had seen nothing so luxuriant and -thriving in the East before. The hills, indeed, were stripped of trees, -but clad on the tops with verdure, the result of plentiful rains. - -We went “express.” The usual time of trains is three hours; we ran -over the fifty miles in an hour and a quarter. We could hardly believe -our senses, that we were in a luxurious carriage, flying along at this -rate in Asia, and going to Ephesus! While we were confessing that the -lazy swing of the carriage was more agreeable than that of the donkey -or the dromedary, the train pulled up at station Ayasolook, once the -residence of the Sultans of Ayasolook, and the camp of Tamerlane, now a -cluster of coffeehouses and railway-offices, with a few fever-stricken -inhabitants, who prey upon travellers, not with Oriental courtesy, but -with European insolence. - -On our right was a round hill surmounted by a Roman castle; from the -hills on the left, striding across the railway towards Ephesus, were the -tall stone pillars of a Roman aqueduct, the brick arches and conductor -nearly all fallen away. On the summit of nearly every pillar a white, -red-legged stork had built, from sticks and grass, a high round nest, -which covered the top; and the bird stood in it motionless, a beautiful -object at that height against the sky. - -The station people had not obeyed our telegram to furnish enough horses, -and those of us who were obliged to walk congratulated ourselves on the -mistake, since the way was as rough as the steeds. The path led over a -ground full of stone débris. This was the site of Ayasolook, which had -been built out of the ruins of the old city; most picturesque objects -were the small mosque-tombs and minarets, which revived here the most -graceful forms and fancies of Saracenic art. One, I noticed, which had -the ideal Persian arch and slender columns, Nature herself had taken -into loving care and draped with clinging green and hanging vines. There -were towers of brick, to which age has given a rich tone, flaring at the -top in a curve that fascinated the eye. On each tomb, tower, and minaret -the storks had nested, and upon each stood the mother looking down -upon her brood. About the crumbling sides of a tower, thus draped and -crowned, innumerable swallows had built their nests, so that it was -alive with birds, whose cheerful occupation gave a kind of pathos to the -human desertion and decay. - -Behind the Roman castle stands the great but ruinous mosque of Sultan -Selim, which was formerly the Church of St. John. We did not turn -aside for its empty glory, but to the theologian or the student of the -formation of Christian dogmas, and of the gladiatorial spectacles of an -ancient convocation, there are few arenas in the East more interesting -than this; for in this church it is supposed were held the two councils -of a. d. 431 and 449. St. John, after his release from Patmos, passed -the remainder of his life here; the Virgin Mary followed him to the -city, so favored by the presence of the first apostles, and here she -died and was buried. From her entombment, Ephesus for a long time -enjoyed the reputation of the City of the Virgin, until that honor -was transferred to Jerusalem, where, however, her empty tomb soon -necessitated her resurrection and assumption,—the subject which -inspired so many artists after the revival of learning in Europe. In the -hill near this church Mary Magdalene was buried; in Ephesus also reposed -the body of St. Timothy, its first bishop. - -This church of St. John was at some distance from the heart of the city, -which lay in the plain to the south and near the sea, but in the fifth -century Ephesus was a city of churches. The reader needs to remember -that in that century the Christian controversy had passed from the -nature of the Trinity to the incarnation, and that the first council of -Ephesus was called by the emperor Theodosius in the hope of establishing -the opinion of the Syrian Nestorius, the primate of Constantinople, who -refused to give to the mother of Christ the title, then come into use, -of the Mother of God, and discriminated nicely the two natures of -the Saviour. His views were anathematized by Cyril, the patriarch -of Alexandria, and the dispute involved the entire East in a fierce -contest. In the council convened of Greek bishops, Nestorius had no -doubt but he would be sustained by the weight of authority; but the -prompt Cyril, whose qualities would have found a conspicuous and useful -theatre at the head of a Roman army against the Scythians, was first on -the ground, with an abundance of spiritual and temporal arms. In reading -of this council, one recalls without effort the once famous and now -historical conventions of the Democratic party of the State of New -York, in the days when political salvation, offered in the creeds of -the “Hard Shells” and of the “Soft Shells,” was enforced by -the attendance of gangs of “Short boys” and “Tammany boys,” who -understood the use of slung-shot against heretical opinions. It is true -that Nestorius had in reserve behind his prelates the stout slaves of -the bath of Zeuxippus, but Cyril had secured the alliance of the bishop -of Ephesus, and the support of the rabble of peasants and slaves who -were easily excited to jealousy for the honor of the Virgin of their -city; and he landed from Egypt, with his great retinue of bishops, a -band of merciless monks of the Nile, of fanatics, mariners, and slaves, -who took a ready interest in the theological discussions of those days. -The council met in this church, surrounded by the fierce if not martial -array of Cyril; deliberations were begun before the arrival of the -most weighty supporters of Nestorius,—for Cyril anticipated the -slow approach of John of Antioch and his bishops,—and in one day the -primate of Constantinople was hastily deposed and cursed, together with -his heresy. Upon the arrival of John, he also formed a council, which -deposed and cursed the opposite party and heresy, and for three -months Ephesus was a scene of clamor and bloodshed. The cathedral was -garrisoned, the churches were shut against the Nestorians; the imperial -troops assaulted them and were repelled; the whole city was thrown into -a turmoil by the encounters of the rival factions, each council -hurled its anathemas at the other, and peace was only restored by -the dissolution of the council by command of the emperor. The second -session, in the year 449, was shorter and more decisive; it made quick -work of the heresy of Nestorius. Africa added to its delegation of -bullies and fanatics a band of archers; the heresy of the two natures -was condemned and anathematized,— - -“May those who divide Christ be divided with the sword, may they be -hewn in pieces, may they be burned alive,”—and the scene in the -cathedral ended in a mob of monks and soldiers, who trampled upon -Flavian, the then primate of Constantinople, so that in three days -thereafter he died of his wounds. - -It is as difficult to make real now upon this spot those fierce -theologic wars of Ephesus, as it is the fabled exploits of Bacchus and -Hercules and the Amazons in this valley; to believe that here were born -Apollo and Diana, and that hither fled Latona, and that great Pan lurked -in its groves. - -We presently came upon the site of the great Temple of Diana, recently -identified by Mr. Wood. We encountered on our way a cluster of stone -huts, wretched habitations of the only representatives of the renowned -capital. Before us was a plain broken by small hillocks and mounds, -and strewn with cut and fractured stone. The site of the temple can be -briefly and accurately described as a rectangular excavation, perhaps -one hundred and fifty feet wide by three hundred long and twelve feet -deep, with two feet of water in it, out of which rises a stump of a -column of granite and another of marble, and two bases of marble. Round -this hole are heaps of fractured stone and marble. In this excavation -Mr. Wood found the statue of Diana, which we may hope is the ancient -sacred image, guarded by the priests as the most precious treasure of -the temple, and imposed upon the credulity of men as heaven-descended. -This is all that remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the world,—a -temple whose fame is second to none in antiquity; a temple seven times -burned and eight times built, and always with increased magnificence; -a temple whose origin, referable doubtless to the Cyclopean builders of -this coast, cannot be less than fifteen hundred years before our era; a -temple which still had its votaries and its rites in the fourth century. -We picked up a bit of marble from its ruins, as a help-both to memory -and imagination, but we went our way utterly unable to conceive that -there ever existed any such person as great Diana of the Ephesians. - -We directed our steps over the bramble-grown plain to the hill Pion. -I suppose Pion may have been the acropolis of Ephesus, the spot of -the earliest settlement, and on it and around it clustered many of the -temples and public buildings. The reader will recall Argos, and Athens, -and Corinth, and a dozen other cities of antiquity, for which nature -furnished in the midst of a plain such a convenient and easily defended -hill-fortress. On our way thither we walked amid mounds that form a -street of tombs; many of the sarcophagi are still in place, and little -injured; but we explore the weed-hid ground with caution, for it is full -of pitfalls. - -North of the hill Pion is a low green valley, encircled with hills, and -in the face of one of its ledges, accessible only by a ladder, we were -pointed out the cave of the Seven Sleepers. This favorite myth, which -our patriotism has transferred to the highlands of the Hudson in a -modified shape, took its most popular form in the legend of the Seven -Sleepers, and this grotto at Ephesus was for many centuries the object -of Christian and Moslem pilgrimage. The Christian legend, that in the -time of the persecution of Diocletian seven young men escaped to this -cave and slept there two centuries, and awoke to find Christianity the -religion of the empire, was adopted and embellished by Mohammed. In -his version, the wise dog Ketmehr, or Al Rakiin as the Koran names him, -becomes an important character. - -“When the young men,” says Abd-el-Atti, “go along the side of the -hill to the cave, the dog go to follow them. They take up stones to -make him go back, for they 'fraid of him bark, and let the people know -where they hide. But the dog not to go back, he sit down on him hind, -and him look berry wise. By and by he speak, he say the name of God. - -“'How did you know that?' ask him the young men. - -“'I know it,' the dog say, 'before you born!' - -“Then they see the dog he wise by Allah, and know great deal, and let -him to go with 'em. This dog, Ketmehr, he is gone, so our Prophet say, -to be in Paradise; no other dog be there. So I hope.” - -The names of the Seven Sleepers and Ketmehr are in great talismanic -repute throughout the East; they are engraved upon swords and upon gold -and precious stones, and in Smyrna you may buy these charms against -evil. - -Keeping round the hill Pion, we reached the ruins of the gymnasium, -heaps of stone amid brick arches, the remains of an enormous building; -near it is the north gate of the city, a fine marble structure, now -almost buried. Still circling Pion we found ourselves in a narrow -valley, on the other side of which was the long ridge of Conessus, -which runs southward towards the sea. Conessus seems to have been the -burial-place of the old town. This narrow valley is stuffed with remains -of splendid buildings, of which nothing is now to be seen but heaps of -fine marble, walls, capitals, columns, in prodigal waste. We stopped to -admire a bit of carving, or to notice a Greek inscription, and passed on -to the Stadium, to the Little Theatre, to the tomb of St. Luke. On one -of the lintels of the entrance of this tomb, in white marble, as fresh -as if carved yesterday, is a cross, and under it the figure of an -Egyptian ox, the emblem of that saint. - -We emerged from this gorge to a wide view of the plain, and a glimpse -of an arm of the sea. On this plain are the scattered ruins of the old -city, brick, stone, and marble,—absolute desolation. On the left, near -the sea, is a conical hill, crowned by one of the towers of the ancient -wall, and dignified with the name of the “prison of St. Paul.” In -this plain is neither life nor cultivation, but vegetation riots over -the crumbling remains of Ephesus, and fever waits there its chance human -prey. We stood on the side of the hill Pion, amid the fallen columns -and heaped walls of its Great Theatre. It was to this theatre that -the multitude rushed when excited against Paul by Demetrius, the -silversmith, who earned his religion into his business; and here the -companions of Paul endeavored to be heard and could not, for “all with -one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the -Ephesians.” This amphitheatre for fifty thousand spectators is scooped -out of the side of the hill, and its tiers of seats are still indicated. -What a magnificent view they must have enjoyed of the city and the sea -beyond; for the water then came much nearer; and the spectator who may -have wearied of the strutting of the buskined heroes on the stage, or of -the monotonous chant of the chorus, could rest his eye upon the purple -slopes of Conessus, upon the colonnades and domes of the opulent -city, upon the blue waves that bore the merchants' ships of Rome and -Alexandria and Berytus. - -The theatre is a mine of the most exquisite marbles, and we left its -treasures with reluctance; we saw other ruins, bases of columns, the -remains of the vast city magazines for the storage of corn, and solid -walls of huge stones once washed by the sea; we might have wandered for -days amid the fragments, but to what purpose? - -At Ephesus we encountered no living thing. Man has deserted it, silence -reigns over the plain, nature slowly effaces the evidence of his -occupation, and the sea even slinks away from it. No great city that I -have seen is left to such absolute desolation; not Pæstum in its marsh, -not Thebes in its sand, not Ba'albek, not even Memphis, swept clean -as it is of monuments, for its site is vocal with labor and bounteous in -harvests. Time was, doubtless, when gold pieces piled two deep on this -ground could not have purchased it; and the buyers or sellers never -imagined that the city lots of Ephesus could become worth so little as -they are to-day. - -If one were disposed to muse upon the vagaries of human progress, this -would be the spot. No civilization, no religion, has been wanting to it. -Its vast Cyclopean foundations were laid by simple pagans; it was in the -polytheistic belief of the Greeks that it attained the rank of one of -the most polished and wealthy cities of antiquity, famed for its arts, -its schools of poetry, of painting and sculpture, of logic and magic, -attracting to its opportunities the devout, the seekers of pleasure -and of wisdom, the poets, the men of the world, the conquerors and the -defeated; here Artemisia sheltered the children of Xerxes after the -disaster of Salamis; here Alexander sat for his portrait to Apelles (who -was born in the city) when he was returning from the capture of Sardis; -Spartans and Athenians alike, Lysander and Alcibiades, sought Ephesus, -for it had something for all; Hannibal here conferred with Antiochus; -Cicero was entertained with games by the people when he was on his way -to his province of Cilicia; and Antony in the character of inebriate -Bacchus, accompanied by Cleopatra, crowned with flowers and attended -by bands of effeminate musicians, made here one of the pageants of his -folly. In fact, scarcely any famous name of antiquity is wanting to the -adornment of this hospitable city. Under the religion of Christ it has -had the good fortune to acquire equal celebrity, thanks to the residence -of Paul, the tent-maker, and to its conspicuous position at the head of -the seven churches of Asia. From Ephesus went forth the * news of -the gospel, as formerly had spread the rites of Diana, and Christian* -churches and schools of philosophy succeeded the temples and gymnasia of -the polytheists. And, in turn, the cross was supplanted by the crescent; -but it was in the day when Islamism was no longer a vital faith, and -except a few beautiful ruins the Moslem occupation has contributed -nothing to the glory of Ephesus. And now paganism, Christianity, and -Moslemism seem alike to have forsaken the weary theatre of so much -brilliant history. As we went out to the station, by the row of booths -and coffee-shops, a modern Greek, of I do not know what religion, -offered to sell me an image of I do not know what faith. - -There is great curiosity at present about the relics and idols of dead -religions, and a brisk manufacture of them has sprung up; it is in the -hands of sceptics who indifferently propagate the images of the Virgin -Mary or of the chaste huntress Diana. - -The swift Asiatic train took us back to Smyrna in a golden sunset. -We had been warned by the agent not to tarry a moment beyond eight -o'clock, and we hurried breathless to the boat. Fortunately the -steamer had not sailed; we were in time, and should have been if we had -remained on shore till eight the next morning. All night long we were -loading freight, with an intolerable rattling of chains, puffing of the -donkey-engine, and swearing of boatmen; after the novelty of swearing in -an Oriental tongue has worn off, it is no more enjoyable than any other -kind of profanity. - - - - -XII.—THE ADVENTURERS. - -WE sailed away from Smyrna Sunday morning, with the Achille more crowded -than when we entered that port. The second-class passengers still -further encroached upon the first-class. The Emir of Damascus, with all -his rugs and beds, had been pushed farther towards the stern, and more -harems occupied temporary pens on our deck, and drew away our attention -from the natural scenery. - -The venerable, white-bearded, Greek bishop of Smyrna was a passenger, -also the tall noble-looking pasha of that city, just relieved and -ordered to Constantinople, as pashas are continually, at the whim of the -Sultan. We had three pashas on board,—one recalled from Haifa, who had -been only twenty days at his post. The pasha of Smyrna was accompanied -by his family, described on the register as his wife and “four -others,” an indefinite expression to define an indefinite condition. -The wife had a room below; the “four others” were penned up in a -cushioned area on the saloon deck, and there they squatted all day, -veiled and robed in white, poor things, without the least occupation -for hand or mind. Near them, other harems of Greeks and Turks, women, -babies, slaves, all in an Oriental mess, ate curds and green lettuce. - -We coasted along the indented, picturesque shore of Asia, having in -view the mountains about ancient Pergamus, the seat of one of the seven -churches; and before noon came to Mitylene, the ancient Lesbos, a large -island which bears another Mount Olympus, and cast anchor in the bay -upon which the city stands. - -By the bend of the bay and the opposite coast, the town is charmingly -land-locked. The site of Mitylene, like so many of these island cities, -is an amphitheatre, and the mountain-slopes, green and blooming with -fruit-trees, are dotted with white houses and villages. The scene is -Italian rather than Oriental, and gives one the general impression of -Castellamare or Sorrento; but the city is prettier to look at than -to explore, as its broad and clean streets, its ordinary houses and -European-dressed inhabitants, take us out of our ideal voyaging, and -into the regions of the commonplace. The shops were closed, and the -country people, who in all countries appear to derive an unexplained -pleasure in wandering about the streets of a city hand in hand, were -seeking this mild recreation. A youthful Jew, to whom the Sunday was -naught, under pretence of showing us something antique, led us into the -den of a Greek, to whom it was also naught, and whose treasures were -bags of defaced copper coins of the Roman period. - -Upon the point above the city is a fine mediaeval fortress, now a -Turkish fort, where we encountered, in the sentinel at the gate, the -only official in the Orient who ever refused backsheesh; I do not know -what his idea is. From the walls we looked upon the blue strait, the -circling, purple hills of Asia, upon islands, pretty villages, and -distant mountains, soft, hazy, serrated, in short, upon a scene of -poetry and peace, into which the ancient stone bastion by the harbor, -which told of days of peril, and a ruined aqueduct struggling down the -hill back of the town,—the remnant of more vigorous days,—brought no -disturbance. - -In Lesbos we are at the source of lyric poetry, the Æolian spring -of Greece; here Alcæus was born. Here we come upon the footsteps of -Sappho. We must go back to a period when this and all the islands of -these heavenly seas were blooming masses of vegetation, the hills hung -with forests, the slopes purple with the vine, the valleys laughing with -flowers and fruit, and everywhere the primitive, joyful Greek life. No -doubt, manners were somewhat rude, and passions, love, and hate, and -revenge, were frankly exhibited; but in all the homely life ran a -certain culture, which seems to us beautiful even in the refinement -of this shamefaced age. The hardy youth of the islands sailed into far -seas, and in exchange for the bounty of their soil brought back foreign -fabrics of luxury. We know that Lesbos was no stranger to the Athenian -influence, its scholars had heard Plato and Aristotle, and the warriors -of Athens respected it both as a foe and an ally. Charakos, a brother -of Sappho, went to Egypt with a ship full of wine, and returned with the -beautiful slave Doricha, as part at least of the reward of his venture. - -After the return of Sappho and her husband from their flight into -Sicily, the poet lived for many years at Mitylene; but she is supposed -to have been born in Eresso, on the southwestern point of the island, -where the ruins of the acropolis and remains of a sea-wall still mark -the site of the famous town. At any rate, she lived there, with her -husband Kerkylas, a landed proprietor and a person of consequence, like -a dame of noble birth and gentle breeding as she was; and in her verse -we have a glimpse of her walking upon the sandy shore, with her little -daughter, the beautiful child whom she would not give up for the kingdom -of Lydia, nor for heavenly Lesbos itself. That Sappho was beautiful as -her image on the ancient coins represents her, and that she was consumed -by passion for a handsome youth, the world likes to believe. But Maximus -of Tyre says that she was small and dark;—graces are not so plenty, -even in heaven, that genius and beauty can be lavished upon one person. -We are prone to insist that the poet who revels in imagination and -sounds the depth of passion is revealing his own heart, and that the -tale that seems so real must be a personal experience. The little -glimpse we have of Sappho's life does not warrant us to find in it the -passionate tempest of her burning lyrics, nor is it consistent with her -social position that she should expose upon the market-place her passion -for the handsome Phaon, like a troubadour of the Middle Ages or a -Zingara of Bohemia. If that consuming fire was only quenched in the sea -at the foot of “Leucadia's far-projecting rock of woe,” at least -our emotion may be tempered by the soothing knowledge that the leap must -have been taken when the enamored singer had passed her sixtieth year. - -We did not see them at Mitylene, but travellers into the interior speak -of the beautiful women, the descendants of kings' daughters, the -rewards of Grecian heroes; near old Eresso the women preserve the type -of that indestructible beauty, and in the large brown eyes, voluptuous -busts, and elastic gait one may deem that he sees the originals of the -antique statues. - -Another famous woman flits for a moment before us at Lesbos. It is the -celebrated Empress Irene, whose cruelty was hardly needed to preserve a -name that her talent could have perpetuated. An Athenian virgin and an -orphan, at seventeen she became the wife of Leo IV. (a. d. 780), and at -length the ruler of the Eastern Empire. Left the guardian of the empire -and her son Constantine VI., she managed both, until the lad in his -maturity sent his mother into retirement. The restless woman conspired -against him; he fled, was captured and brought to the palace and lodged -in the porphyry chamber where he first had seen the light, and where he -last saw it; for his eyes were put out by the order of Irene. His very -existence was forgotten in the depths of the palace, and for several -years the ambitious mother reigned with brilliancy and the respect of -distant potentates, until a conspiracy of eunuchs overturned her power, -and she was banished to Lesbos. Here history, which delights in these -strokes of poetic justice, represents the empress earning her bread by -the use of her distaff. - -As we came from Mitylene into the open sea, the view was surpassingly -lovely, islands green and poetic, a coast ever retreating and advancing, -as if in coquetry with the blue waves, purple robing the hills,—a -voyage for poets and lotus-eaters. We were coming at night to Tenedos, -to which the crafty Greeks withdrew their fleet when they pretended to -abandon the siege, and to old Troy, opposite; we should be able to feel -their presence in the darkness. - -Our steamer, as we have intimated, was a study of nationalities and -languages, as well as of manners. We were English, American, Greek, -Italian, Turkish, Arab, Russian, French, Armenian, Egyptian, Jew, -Georgian, Abyssinian, Nubian, German, Koor-land, Persian, Kurd; one -might talk with a person just from Mecca or Medina, from Bagdad, from -Calcutta, from every Greek or Turkish island, and from most of the -capitals of Europe. A couple of Capuchins, tonsured, in brown serge -with hanging crosses, walked up and down amid the throng of Christians, -Moslems, and pagans, withdrawn from the world while in it, like beings -of a new sex. There was a couple opposite us at table whom we could -not make out,—either recently married or recently eloped, the man -apparently a Turkish officer, and his companion a tall, showy woman, you -might say a Frenchman's idea of physical beauty, a little like a -wax Madonna, but with nothing holy about her; said by some to be a -Circassian, by others to be a French grisette on an Eastern tour; but -she spoke Italian, and might be one of the Continental countesses. - -The square occupied by the emir and his suite—a sort of bazaar of -rugs and narghilehs—had music all day long; a soloist, on three -notes, singing, in the Arab drawl, an unending improvised ballad, and -accompanying himself on the mandolin. When we go to look at and listen -to him, the musician betrays neither self-consciousness nor pride, -unless you detect the latter in a superior smile that plays about -his lips, as he throws back his head and lets his voice break into a -falsetto. It probably does not even occur to his Oriental conceit -that he does well,—that his race have taken for granted a thousand -years,—and he could not be instructed by the orchestra of Von Bulow, -nor be astonished by the Lohengrin of Wagner. - -Among the adventurers on board—we all had more or less the appearance -of experiments in that odd assembly—I particularly liked the French -prestidigitateur Caseneau, for his bold eye, utter self-possession, and -that indefinable varnish upon him, which belonged as much to his dress -as to his manner, and suggested the gentleman without concealing the -adventurer. He had a taste for antiquities, and wore some antique gems, -which had I know not what mysterious about them, as if he had inherited -them from an Ephesian magician or a Saracenic doctor of the black -art. At the table after dinner, surrounded by French and Italians, -the conjurer exhibited some tricks at cards. I dare say they were not -extraordinary, yet they pleased me just as well as the manifestations -of the spiritists. One of them I noted. The trickster was blindfolded. A -gentleman counted out a pack of cards, and while doing so mentally fixed -upon one of them by number. Caseneau took the pack, still blinded, and -threw out the card the gentleman had thought of. The experiment was -repeated by sceptics, who suspected a confederate, but the result was -always the same. - -The Circassian beauty turned out to be a Jewess from Smyrna. I believe -the Jewesses of that luxurious city imitate all the kinds of beauty in -the world. - -In the evening the Italians were grouped around the tables in the -saloon, upon which cards were cast about, matched, sorted, and -redistributed, and there were little piles of silver at the corners, -the occasional chinking of which appeared to add to the interest of the -amusement. On deck the English and Americans were singing the hymns -of the Protestant faith; and in the lull of the strains of “O mother -dear, Jerusalem,” you might hear the twang of strings and the whine of -some Arab improvisatore on the forward deck, and the chink of changing -silver below. We were making our way through a superb night,—a -thousand people packed so closely that you could not move without -stepping into a harem or a mass of Greek pilgrims,—singing hymns, -gambling, listening to a recital of the deeds of Antar, over silver -waves, under a flooding moon, and along the dim shores of Asia. That -mysterious continent lay in the obscurity of the past; here and there -solitary lights, from some shepherd's hut in the hills or fortress -casemate by the shore, were the rents in the veil through which we saw -antiquity. - - - - -XXIII.—THROUGH THE DARDANELLES. - -THE Achille, which has a nose for freight, but none for poetry, did not -stop at Tenedos, puffed steadily past the plain of Troy, turned into the -broad opening of the Dardanelles, and by daylight was anchored midway -between the Two Castles. On such a night, if ever, one might see the -evolution of shadowy armies upon the windy plain,—if, indeed, this -conspicuous site was anything more than the theatre of Homer's -creations,—the spectators on the walls of Ilium, the Greeks hastily -embarking on their ships for Tenedos, the joyful procession that drew -the fatal gift into the impregnable walls. - -There is a strong current southward through the Dardanelles, which swung -the vessel round as we came to anchor. The forts which, with their heavy -modern guns, completely command this strait, are something less than -a mile and a half apart, and near each is a large and handsome -town,—Khilid-bahri on the European shore and Chanak-Kalesi on the -Asiatic. The latter name signifies the pottery-castle, and is derived -from the chief manufactory of the place; the town of a couple of -thousand houses, gayly painted and decorated in lively colors, lies -upon a sandy flat and presents a very cheerful appearance. It is a great -Asiatic entrepôt for European products, and consular flags attest its -commercial importance. - -When I came upon deck its enterprising traders had already boarded -the steamer, and encumbered it with their pottery, which found a ready -market with the pilgrims, for it is both cheap and ugly. Perhaps we -should rather say fantastic than ugly. You see specimens of it all over -the East, and in the bazaars of Cairo, Jerusalem, and Damascus it may be -offered you as something rare. Whatever the vessel is,—a pitcher, cup, -vase, jar, or cream-pot,—its form is either that of some impossible -animal, some griffin, or dragon, or dog of the underworld, or its spout -is the neck and head of some fantastic monster. The ware is painted -in the most startling reds, greens, yellows, and blacks, and sometimes -gilt, and then glazed. It is altogether hideous, and fascinating enough -to drive the majolica out of favor. - -Above these two towns the strait expands into a sort of bay, formed on -the north by a promontory jutting out from the Asiatic shore, and upon -this promontory it is now agreed stood old Abydos; it is occupied by a -fort which grimly regards a corresponding one on the opposite shore, not -a mile distant. Here Leander swam to Hero, Byron to aquatic fame, and -here Xerxes laid his bridge. All this is plain to be seen; this is the -narrowest part of the passage; exactly opposite this sloping site of -Abydos is a depression between two high cliffs, the only point where the -Persian could have rested the European extremity of his bridge; and it -surely requires no stretch of the imagination to see Hero standing upon -this projecting point holding the torch for her lover. - -The shore is very pretty each side, not bold, but quiet scenery; and yet -there is a contrast: on the Asiatic horizon are mountains, rising behind -each other, while the narrow peninsula, the Thracian Chersonesus of the -ancients, which forms the western bank of the Dardanelles, offers only -a range of moderate hills. What a beautiful stream, indeed, is this, and -how fond history has been of enacting its spectacles upon it! How the -civilizations of the East and West, in a continual flow and reflow, push -each other across it! With a sort of periodic regularity it is the scene -of a great movement, and from age to age the destinies of the race have -seemed to hang upon its possession; and from time to time the attention -of the world is concentrated upon this water-street between two -continents. Under whatever name, the Oriental civilization has been -a misfortune, and the Western a blessing to the border-land; and how -narrowly has Europe, more than once, from Xerxes to Chosroes, from Omar -to the Osmanlis, seemed to escape the torrent of Eastern slavery. Once -the culture of Greece passed these limits, and annexed all Asia Minor -and the territory as far as the Euphrates to the empire of intelligence. -Who shall say that the day is not at hand when the ancient movement of -free thought, if not of Grecian art and arms, is about to be renewed, -and Europe is not again to impose its laws and manners upon Little Asia? -The conquest, which one sees going on under his eyes, is not indeed -with the pomp of armies, but by the more powerful and enduring might of -commerce, intercourse, and the weight of a world's opinion diffused by -travel and literature. The Osmanli sits supinely and watches the change; -the Greeks, the rajahs of all religions, establish schools, and the new -generation is getting ready for the revolution; the Turk does not care -for schools. That it may be his fate to abandon European Turkey and even -Constantinople, he admits. But it is plain that if he goes thus far he -must go farther; and that he must surrender a good part of the Roman -Eastern Empire. For any one can see that the Hellespont could not be -occupied by two powers, and that it is no more possible to divide the -control of the Bosphorus than it is that of the Hudson or the Thames. - -The morning was cold, and the temperature as well as the sky admonished -us that we were passing out of the warm latitude. Twenty-five miles from -the Chang and Eng forts we passed near but did not call at Gallipoli, -an ancient city with few antiquities, but of great strategic importance. -Whoever holds it has the key to Constantinople and the Black Sea; it was -seized by the Moslems in the thirteenth century before they imposed the -religion of the Koran upon the city of Constantine, and it was early -occupied by the English and French, in 1854, in the war that secured -that city to the successor of the Prophet. - -Entering upon the Sea of Marmora, the “vexed Propontis,” we had -fortunately smooth water but a cold north-wind. The Propontis has -enjoyed a nauseous reputation with all mariners, ancient and modern. I -don't know that its form has anything to do with it, but if the reader -will take the trouble to consult a map, he will see how nearly this -hag of water, with its two ducts, the Bosphorus and the Hellespont, -resembles a human stomach. There is nothing to be seen in the voyage -from Gallipoli to Constantinople, except the island of Marmora, famous -for the quarries which furnish marbles for the palaces of the Bosphorus -and for Eyoub and Scutari, the two great cities of the dead. We passed -near enough to distinguish clearly its fine perpendicular cliffs. - -It was dark before we saw the lights of Stamboul rise out of the water; -it is impossible, at night, to enter the Golden Horn through the mazes -of shipping, and we cast anchor outside. The mile or two of gas-lights -along the promontory of the old city and the gleams upon the coast of -ancient Chalcedon were impressive and exciting to the imagination, but, -owing to the lateness of our arrival, we lost all the emotions which -have, struck other travellers anything but dumb upon coming in sight of -the capital of the Moslem Empire. - - - - -XIV.—CONSTANTINOPLE. - -THE capital which we know as Constantinople, lying in two continents, -presents itself as three cities. The long, hornshaped promontory, -between the Sea of Marmora and the Golden Horn, is the site of ancient -Byzantium, which Constantine baptized with his own name, and which the -Turks call Stamboul. The ancient city was on the eastern extremity, now -known as Seraglio Point; its important position was always recognized, -and it was sharply contended for by the Spartans, the Athenians, the -Macedonians, and the Persians. Like the city of Romulus, it occupies -seven hills, and its noble heights are conspicuous from afar by sea or -land.. In the fourth century it was surrounded by a wall, which followed -the water on three sides, and ran across the base of the promontory, -over four miles from the Seven Towers on the Propontis to the Cemetery -of Eyoub on the Golden Horn. The land-wall, which so many times saved -the effeminate city from the barbarians of the north and the Saracens -of Arabia, stands yet with its battered towers and score of crumbling -gates. - -The second city, on a blunt promontory between the Golden Horn and the -Bosphorus, overlooks the ancient Byzantium, and is composed of three -districts,—Galata and Tophanna, on the water and climbing up the hill; -and Pera, which crowns the summit. Galata was a commercial settlement of -the thirteenth century; Pera is altogether modern. - -The third city is Scutari, exactly opposite the mouth of the Golden -Horn, and a little north of ancient Chalcedon, which was for over a -thousand years the camp of successive besieging armies, Georgians, -Persians, Saracens, and Turks. - -The city of the Crescent, like a veiled beauty of the harem, did not at -once disclose to us its charms. It was at six o'clock in the morning -on the eleventh day of blooming May, that we landed on the dirty quay of -Tophanna. The morning was cloudy, cold, misty, getting its weather -from the Black Sea, and during the day rain fell in a very Occidental -dreariness. Through the mist loomed the heights of Seraglio Point; and -a hundred minaret peaks and domes appeared to float in the air above the -veiled city. Along the floating lower bridge, across the Golden Horn, -poured an unceasing procession of spectres; caïques were shooting about -in every direction, steamers for the Bosphorus, for Scutari, for the -Islands, were momently arriving and departing from their stations -below the bridge, and the huge bulk of the Turkish ironclads could be -discerned at their anchorage before the palace of Beshiktash. The -scene was animated, but there was not visible as much shipping as I had -expected to see in this great port. - -The customs' official on the quay was of a very inquisitive turn of -mind, but we could excuse him on the ground of his age and ignorance, -for he was evidently endeavoring to repair the neglected opportunities -of his youth. Our large luggage had gone to the custom-house in charge -of Abd-el-Atti, who has a genius for free-trade, and only our small -parcels and hand-bags were at the mercy of the inspector on the quay. -But he insisted upon opening every bag and investigating every article -of the toilet and garment of the night; he even ripped open a feather -pillow which one of the ladies carried with her, and neither the rain on -the open dock nor our respectable appearance saved our effects from his -most searching attentions. The discoveries of General di Ces-nola and -the interest that Europeans take in antiquities have recently convinced -the Turks that these relics must have some value, and an order had been -issued to seize and confiscate all curiosities of this sort. I -trembled, therefore, when the inspector got his hands upon a baby's -nursing-bottle, which I had brought from Cyprus, where it had been used -by some Phoenician baby probably three thousand years ago. The fellow -turned it round and regarded it with serious ignorance and doubt. - -“What is that?” he asked Achmed. - -“O, that's nothing but a piece of pottery, something for a child -without his mother, I think,—it is nothing, not worth two paras.” - -The confiscator of antiquities evidently had not the slightest knowledge -of his business; he hesitated, but Achmed's perfect indifference of -manner determined him, and he slowly put the precious relic back into -the box. The inspector parted from us with regret, but we left him to -the enjoyment of a virtue unassailed by the least bribe,—an unusual, -and, I imagine, an unwelcome possession in this region. - -Donkeys were not to be had, nor carriages, and we climbed on foot the -very steep hill to the hotel in Pera; ascending roughly paved, crooked -streets, lined with rickety houses, and occasionally mounting stairs -for a mile through a quarter that has the shabbiness but not the -picturesqueness of the Orient. A squad of porters seized our luggage -and bore it before us. The porters are the beasts of burden, and most of -them wear heavy saddles, upon which boxes and trunks can be strapped. -No drays were visible. Heavy burdens, hogsheads, barrels, and cases of -goods were borne between two long stout poles carried by four athletic -men; as they move along the street, staggering under the heavy load, -everybody is obliged, precipitately, to make way for them, for their -impetus is such that they cannot check their career. We see these -gigantic fellows at every street-corner, with their long poles, waiting -for a job. Sedan-chairs, which were formerly in much request, are -gradually disappearing, though there is nothing at present to exactly -take the place of these lumbering conveyances. Carriages increase every -year, but they are expensive, and they can only ascend the height of -Pera by a long circuit. The place of the sedan and the carriage is, -however, to some extent supplied by a railway in Galata, the cars of -which are drawn up by a stationary engine. And on each side of -the Golden Horn is a horse-railway, running wherever the ground is -practicable. - -To one coming from the West, I suppose that Constantinople would present -a very mixed and bizarre appearance, and that he would be impressed by -the silence of the busiest streets, in which the noise of wheels and the -hum of a Western capital is wanting. But to one coming from the East, -Galata and Pera seem a rather vulgarized European town. The Frank dress -predominates, although it is relieved by the red fez, which the Turks -generally and many Europeans wear. Variety enough there is in costumes, -but the Grecian, the Bulgarian, the Albanian, etc., have taken the place -of the purely Oriental; and the traveller in the Turkish capital to-day -beholds not only the conflux of Asia and Europe, but the transition, in -buildings, in apparel, in manners, to modern fashions. Few veiled women -are seen, and they wear a white strip of gauze which conceals nothing. -The street hawkers, the sellers of sweets, of sponges, and of cakes, are -not more peculiar in their cries than those of London and Paris. - -When we had climbed the hill, we came into the long main street of -Pera, the street of the chief shops, the hotels and foreign embassies, -a quarter of the city which has been burned over as often as San -Francisco, and is now built up substantially with stone and brick, and -contains very little to interest the seeker of novelty. After we had -secured rooms, and breakfasted, at the hotel Byzance, we descended -the hill again to the water, and crossed the long, floating bridge to -Stamboul. This bridge is a very good symbol of the Sultan's Empire; -its wooden upper works are decayed, its whole structure is rickety, -the floats that support it are unevenly sunken, so that the bridge is a -succession of swells and hollows; it is crowded by opposing streams -of the most incongruous people, foot and horse jumbled together; it is -encumbered by venders of eatables and auctioneers of cheap Wares, and -one has to pay toll to cross it. But it is a microcosm of the world. In -an hour one may see pass there every nationality, adventurers from every -clime, traders, priests, sailors, soldiers, fortune-hunters of -Europe, rude peasants of the provinces, sleek merchants of the Orient, -darwishes, furtive-eyed Jews; here is a Circassian beauty seeking a -lover through the carriage window; here a Turkish grandee on a prancing, -richly caparisoned horse; here moves a squad of black soldiers, and now -the bridge shakes under the weight of a train of flying artillery. - -The water is alive with the ticklish caïques. The caique is a long -narrow boat, on the model of the Indian birch-bark, canoe, and as thin -and light on the water; the passenger, if he accomplishes the feat of -getting into one without overturning it, sits upon the bottom, careful -not to wink and upset it; the oars have a heavy swell near the handle, -to counterbalance the weight of the long blade, and the craft skims the -water with swiftness and a most agreeable motion. The caïques are as -numerous on the water as the yellow, mangy dogs on shore, and the two -are the most characteristic things in Constantinople. - -We spent a good part of the day in wandering about the bazaars of -Stamboul, and we need not repeat what has been heretofore said of these -peculiar shops. During our stay in the city we very thoroughly explored -them, and visited most of the great khans, where are to be found the -silks of Broussa, of Beyrout and Damascus, the rugs of Persia, the -carpets of Asia Minor, the arms and the cunning work in gold, silver, -and jewels gathered from every region between Ispahan and Darfour. We -found the bazaars extensive, well filled and dear, at least the asking -price was enormous, and we wanted the time and patience which are needed -for the slow siege of reducing the merchants to decent, terms. The -bazaars are solidly roofed arcades, at once more cleanly and less -picturesque than those of Cairo, and not so Oriental or attractive. -Book-stalls, which are infrequent in Cairo, abound here; and the long -arcades lined with cases of glittering gems, enormous pearls, sparkling -diamonds, emeralds fit for the Pope's finger, and every gold and -silver temptation, exceed anything else in the East in magnificence. -And yet they have a certain modern air, and you do not expect to find -in them those quaint and fascinating antique patterns of goldsmiths' -work, the inherited skill of the smiths of the Pharaohs, which draw you -into the dingy recesses of the Copt artificers in the city of the Nile. - -From the Valideh Khan we ascended to the public square, where stands the -Seraskier's Eire-tower; a paved, open place, surrounded by government -buildings of considerable architectural pretensions, and dedicated, I -should say, to drumming, to the shifting about of squads of soldiers, -and the cantering hither and thither of Turkish beys. Near it is the -old mosque of Sultan Beyezid II., which, with its magnificent arabesque -gates, makes a fine external impression. The outer court is surrounded -by a cloister with columns of verd-antique and porphyry, enclosing a -fountain and three stately, venerable, trees. The trees and the arcades -are alive with doves, and, as we entered, more than a thousand flew -towards us in a cloud, with a great rustling and cooing. They are -protected as an almost sacred appendage of the mosque, and are said to -be bred from a single pair which the Sultan bought of a poor woman and -presented to the house he had built, three centuries and a half ago. -This mosque has also another claim to the gratitude of animals; for all -the dogs of Stamboul, none of whom have any home but the street, nor any -other owner than the Prophet, resort here every Friday, as regularly, -if not as piously, as the Sultan goes to pray, and receive their weekly -bread. - -Near this mosque are lines of booths and open-air shops, which had a -fascination for me as long as I remained in the city. They extend from -the trees in the place of the mosque down through lanes to the bazaars. -The keepers of them were typical Orientals, honest Jews, honest Moslems, -withered and one-eyed waiters on Providence and a good bargain, suave, -gracious, patient, gowned and turbaned, sitting cross-legged behind -their trays and showcases. These are the dealers in stones, both -precious and common, in old and new ornaments, and the thousand cheap -adornments in glass and metal which the humbler classes love. Here are -heaps of blood-stones, of carnelians, of agates, of jasper, of onyx, -dishes of turquoise, strings of doubtful pearls, barbarous rings and -brooches, charms and amulets,—a feast of color for the eye, and a -sight to kindle the imagination. For these bawbles came out of the -recesses of the Orient, were gathered by wild tribes in remote deserts, -and transported by caravan to this common mart. These dealers buy of the -Persian merchants, and of adventurous Jew travellers who range all the -deserts from Teheran to Upper Nubia in search of these shining stones. -Some of the turquoises are rudely set in silver rings, but most of them -are merely glued to the end of little sticks; these generally are the -refuse of the trade, for the finer stones go to the great jewellers in -the bazaar, or to the Western markets. A large and perfect turquoise -of good color is very rare, and commands a large price; but the cunning -workmen of Persia have a method of at once concealing the defects of -a good-sized turquoise which has the true color, and at the same time -enhancing its value, by engraving upon it some sentence from the Koran, -or some word which is a charm against the evil eye; the skill of the -engraver is shown in fitting his letters and flourishes to the flaws -in the surface of the stone. To further hide any appearance of -imperfection, the engraved lines are often gilded. With a venerable -Moslem, who sat day after day under a sycamore-tree, I had great -content, and we both enjoyed the pleasure of endless bargaining without -cheating each other, for except in some trifles we never came to an -exact agreement. He was always promising me the most wonderful things -for the next day, which he would procure from a mysterious Jew friend -who carried on a clandestine commerce with some Bedawee in Arabia. When -I was seated, he would pull from his bosom a knotted silk handkerchief, -and, carefully untying it, produce a talisman, presenting it between his -thumb and finger, with a lift of the eyebrows and a cluck of the tongue -that expressed the rapture I would feel at the sight of it. To be sure, -I found it a turquoise set in rude silver, faded to a sickly green, and -not worth sixpence; but I handed it back with a sigh that such a jewel -was beyond my means, and intimated that something less costly, and of a -blue color, would suit me as well. We were neither of us deceived, while -we maintained the courtesies of commercial intercourse. Sometimes he -would produce from his bosom an emerald of real value or an opal of -lovely hues, and occasionally a stone in some peculiar setting which I -had admired the day before in the jewelry bazaar; for these trinkets, -upon which the eye of the traveller has been seen longingly to rest, are -shifted about among this mysterious fraternity to meet him again. - -I suppose it was known all over Stamboul that a Prank had been looking -for a Persian amulet. As long as I sat with my friend, I never saw him -actually sell anything, but he seemed to be the centre of mysterious -transactions; furtive traders continually came to him to borrow or -return a jewel, or to exchange a handful of trumpery. Delusive old man! -I had no confidence in you, but I would go far to pass another day in -your tranquil society. How much more agreeable you were than the young -Nubian at an opposite stand, who repelled purchasers by his supreme -indifference, and met all my feeble advances with the toss of the head -and the cluck in the left cheek, which is the peremptory “no” in -Nubia. - -In this quarter are workers in shell and ivory, the makers of spoons -of tortoise-shell with handles of ivory and coral, the fabricators of -combs, dealers in books, and a long street of little shops devoted to -the engraving of seals. To wander about among these craftsmen is one of -the chief pleasures of the traveller. Vast as Stamboul is, if you remove -from it the mosques and nests of bazaars, it would not be worth a visit. - - - - -XXV.—THE SERAGLIO AND ST. SOPHIA, HIPPODROME, etc. - -HAVING procured a firman, we devoted a day to the old Seraglio and some -of the principal mosques of Stamboul. After an occupation of fifteen -centuries as a royal residence, the Seraglio has been disused for nearly -forty years, and fire, neglect, and decay have done their work on it, -so that it is but a melancholy reminiscence of its former splendor. It -occupies the ancient site of Byzantium, upon the Point, and is enclosed -by a crumbling wall three miles in circuit. No royal seat in the world -has a more lovely situation. Upon the summit of the promontory, half -concealed in cypresses, is the cluster of buildings, of all ages and -degrees of cheapness, in which are the imperial apartments and offices; -on the slopes towards the sea are gardens, terraces, kiosks, and -fountains. - -We climbed up the hill on the side towards Pera, through a shabby field, -that had almost the appearance, of a city dumping-ground, and through -a neglected grove of cypresses, where some deer were feeding, and came -round to the main entrance, a big, ugly pavilion with eight openings -over the arched porte,—the gate which is known the world over as the -Sublime Porte. Through this we passed into a large court, and thence -to the small one into which the Sultan only is permitted to ride on -horseback. In the centre of this is a fountain where formerly pashas -foreordained to lose their heads lost them. On the right, a low range -of buildings covered with domes but no chimneys, are the royal kitchens; -there are nine of them,—one for the Sultan, one for the chief -sultanas, and so on down to the one devoted to the cooking of the food -for the servants. Hundreds of beasts, hecatombs, were slaughtered daily -and cooked here to feed the vast household. From this court open the -doors into the halls and divans and various apartments; one of them, -leading into the interior, is called the Gate of Felicity; in the old -times that could only be called a gate of felicity which let a person -out of this spider's parlor. In none of these rooms is there anything -specially attractive; cheap magnificence in decay is only melancholy. - -We were better pleased in the gardens, where we looked upon Galata and -Pera, upon the Golden Horn and the long bridges streaming with their -picturesque processions, upon the Bosphorus and its palaces, and -thousands of sails, steamers, and caïques, and the shining heights of -Scutari. Overhanging the slope is the kiosk or summer palace of Sultan -Moorad, a Saracenic octagonal structure, the interior walls lined with -Persian tiles, the ceilings painted in red arabesques and gilded -in mosaics, the gates of bronze inlaid with mother-of-pearl; a most -charming building, said to be in imitation of a kiosk of Bagdad. In it -we saw the Sultan's private library, a hundred or two volumes in a -glass case, that had no appearance of having been read either by the -Sultan or his wife. - -The apartment in the Seraglio which is the object of curiosity and -desire is the treasure-room. I suppose it is the richest in the world in -gems; it is certainly a most wearisome place, and gave me a contempt for -earthly treasure. In the centre stands a Persian throne,—a chair upon -a board platform, and both incrusted with rubies, pearls, emeralds, -diamonds; there are toilet-tables covered to the feet with diamonds, -pipe-stems glistening with huge diamonds, old armor thickly set with -precious stones, saddle-cloths and stirrups stiff with diamonds and -emeralds, robes embroidered with pearls. Nothing is so cheap as wealth -lavished in this manner; at first we were dazzled by the flashing -display, but after a time these heaps of gems seemed as common in our -eyes as pebbles in the street. I did not even covet an emerald as large -as my fist, nor a sword-hilt in which were fifteen diamonds, each as -large as the end of my thumb, nor a carpet sown with pearls, some of -which were of the size of pigeon's eggs, nor aigrettes which were -blazing with internal fires, nor chairs of state, clocks and vases, the -whole surfaces of which were on fire with jewels. I have seen an -old oaken table, carved in the fifteenth century, which gave me more -pleasure than one of lapis lazuli, which is exhibited as the most costly -article in this collection; though it is inlaid with precious stones, -and the pillars that support the mirror are set with diamonds, and the -legs and claws are a mass of diamonds, rubies, carbuncles, emeralds, -topazes, etc., and huge diamond pendants ornament it, and the deep -fringe in front is altogether of diamonds. This is but a barbarous, -ostentatious, and tasteless use of the beautiful, and I suppose gives -one an idea of the inartistic magnificence of the Oriental courts in -centuries gone by. - -This treasure-house has, I presume, nothing that belonged to the -Byzantine emperors before the Moslem conquest, some of whom exceeded -in their magnificence any of the Osmanli sultans. Arcadius, the first -Eastern emperor after the division of the Roman world, rivalled, in -the appointments of his palace (which stood upon this spot) and in -his dress, the magnificence of the Persian monarchs; and perhaps the -luxurious califs of Bagdad at a later day did not equal his splendor. -His robes were of purple, a color reserved exclusively for his sacred -person, and of silk, embroidered with gold dragons; his diadem was of -gold set with gems of inestimable worth; his throne was massy gold, and -when he went abroad he rode in a chariot of solid, pure gold, drawn by -two milk-white mules shining in harness and trappings of gold. - -No spot on earth has been the scene of such luxury, cruelty, treachery, -murder, infidelity of women, and rapacity of men, as this site of -the old palace; and the long record of the Christian emperors—the -occasionally interrupted anarchy and usurpation of a thousand -years—loses nothing in these respects in comparison with the Turkish -occupation, although the world shudders at the unrevealed secrets of -the Seraglio. At least we may suppose that nobody's conscience was -violated if a pretty woman was occasionally dropped into the Bosphorus, -and there was the authority of custom for the strangling of all the -children of the sisters of the Sultan, so that the succession might not -be embarrassed. In this court is the cage, a room accessible only by -a window, where the royal children were shut up to keep them from -conspiracy against the throne; and there Sultan Abdul Aziz spent some -years of his life. - -We went from the treasure-room to the ancient and large Church of St. -Irene, which is now the arsenal of the Seraglio, and become, one might -say, a church militant. The nave and aisles are stacked with arms, the -walls, the holy apse, the pillars, are cased in guns, swords, pistols, -and armor, arranged in fanciful patterns, and with an ingenuity I have -seen nowhere else. Here are preserved battle-flags and famous trophies, -an armlet of Tamerlane, a sword of Scanderbeg, and other pieces of cold, -pliant steel that have a reputation for many murders. There is no way so -sure to universal celebrity as wholesale murder. Adjoining the arsenal -is a museum of Greek and Roman antiquities of the city, all in Turkish -disorder; the Cyprus Collections, sent by General di Cesnola, are -flung upon shelves or lie in heaps unarranged, and most of the cases -containing them had not been opened. Near this is an interesting museum -of Turkish costumes for the past five hundred years,—rows on rows of -ghastly wax figures clad in the garments of the dead. All of them are -ugly, many of them are comical in their exaggeration. The costumes of -the Janizaries attract most attention, perhaps from the dislike with -which we regard those cruel mercenaries, who deposed and decapitated -sultans at their will, and partly because many of the dresses seem more -fit for harlequins or eunuchs of the harem than for soldiers. - -When the Church of Santa Sophia, the House of Divine Wisdom, was -finished, and Justinian entered it, accompanied only by the patriarch, -and ran from the porticos to the pulpit with outstretched arms, -crying, “Solomon, I have surpassed thee!” it was doubtless the most -magnificently decorated temple that had ever stood upon the earth. The -exterior was as far removed in simple grandeur as it was in time from -the still matchless Doric temples of Athens and of Pæstum, or from the -ornate and lordly piles of Ba'albek; but the interior surpassed in -splendor almost the conception of man. The pagan temples of antiquity -had been despoiled, the quarries of the known world had been ransacked -for marbles of various hues and textures to enrich it; and the gold, the -silver, the precious stones, employed in its decoration, surpassed in -measure the barbaric ostentation of the Temple at Jerusalem. Among its -forest of columns, one recognized the starred syenite from the First -Cataract of the Nile; the white marble of Phrygia, striped with -rose; the green of Laconia, and the blue of Libya; the black Celtic, -white-veined, and the white Bosphorus, black-veined; polished shafts -which had supported the roof of the Temple of the Delian Apollo, others -which had beheld the worship of Diana at Ephesus and of Pallas Athene -on the Acropolis, and, yet more ancient, those that had served in the -mysterious edifices of Osiris and Isis; while, more conspicuous -and beautiful than all, were the eight columns of porphyry, which, -transported by Aurelian from the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis to -Home, the pious Marina had received as her dowry and dedicated to the -most magnificent building ever reared to the worship of the True God, -and fitly dominating the shores of Europe and Asia. - -One reads of doors of cedar, amber, and ivory; of hundreds of sacred -vessels of pure gold, of exquisitely wrought golden candelabra, and -crosses of an hundred pounds' weight each; of a score of books of the -Evangelists, the gold covers of which weighed twenty pounds; of golden -lilies and golden trumpets; of forty-two thousand chalice-cloths -embroidered with pearls and jewels; and of the great altar, for which -gold was too cheap a material, a mass of the most precious and costly -stones imbedded in gold and silver. We may recall also the arches and -the clear spaces of the walls inlaid with marbles and covered with -brilliant mosaics. It was Justinian's wish to pave the floor with -plates of gold, but, restrained by the fear of the avarice of his -successors, he laid it in variegated marbles, which run in waving lines, -imitating the flowing of rivers from the four corners to the vestibules. -But the wonder of the edifice was the dome, one hundred and seven -feet in span, hanging in the air one hundred and eighty feet above the -pavement. The aerial lightness of its position is increased by the two -half-domes of equal span and the nine cupolas which surround it. - -More than one volume has been exclusively devoted to a description of -the Mosque of St. Sophia, and less than a volume would not suffice. But -the traveller will not see the ancient glories. If he expects anything -approaching the exterior richness and grandeur of the cathedrals of -Europe, or the colossal proportions of St. Peter's at Rome, or the -inexhaustible wealth of the interior of St. Mark's at Venice, he will -be disappointed. The area of St. Peter's exceeds that of the grand -Piazza of St. Mark, while St. Sophia is only two hundred and thirty-five -feet broad by three hundred and fifty feet long; and while the Church -of St. Mark has been accumulating spoils of plunder and of piety -for centuries, the Church of the Divine Wisdom has been ransacked by -repeated pillages and reduced to the puritan plainness of the Moslem -worship. - -Exceedingly impressive, however, is the first view of the interior; -we stood silent with wonder and delight in the presence of the noble -columns, the bold soaring arches, the dome in the sky. The temple -is flooded with light, perhaps it is too bright; the old mosaics and -paintings must have softened it; and we found very offensive the Arabic -inscriptions on the four great arches, written in characters ten yards -long. They are the names of companions of the Prophet, but they look -like sign-boards. Another disagreeable impression is produced by -the position of the Mihrab, or prayer-niche; as this must be in the -direction of Mecca, it is placed at one side of the apse, and everything -in the mosque is forced to conform to it. Thus everything is askew; the -pulpits are set at hateful angles, and the stripes of the rugs on the -floor all run diagonally across. When one attempts to walk from the -entrance, pulled one way by the architectural plan, and the other by the -religious diversion of it, he has a sensation of being intoxicated. - -Gone from this temple are the sacred relics which edified the believers -of former ages, such as the trumpets that blew down Jericho and planks -from the Ark of Noah, but the Moslems have prodigies to replace them. -The most curious of these is the sweating marble column, which emits a -dampness that cures diseases. I inserted my hand in a cavity which has -been dug in it, and certainly experienced a clammy sensation. It is said -to sweat most early in the morning. I had the curiosity to ascend the -gallery to see the seat of the courtesan and Empress Theodora, -daughter of the keeper of the bears of the circus,—a public and -venal pantomimist, who, after satisfying the immoral curiosity of her -contemporaries in many cities, illustrated the throne of the Cæsars by -her talents, her intrigues, and her devotion. The fondness of Justinian -has preserved her initials in the capitals of the columns, the imperial -eagle marks the screen that hid her seat, and the curious traveller may -see her name carved on the balustrade where she sat. - -To the ancient building the Moslems have added the minarets at the four -corners and the enormous crescent on the dome, the gilding of which cost -fifty thousand ducats, and the shining of which, a golden moon in -the day, is visible at the distance of a hundred miles. The crescent, -adopted by the Osmanli upon the conquest of Jerusalem, was the emblem of -Byzantium before the Christian era. There is no spot in Constantinople -more flooded with historical associations, or more interesting to the -student of the history of the Eastern Empire, than the site of St. -Sophia. Here arose the church of the same name erected by Constantine; -it was twice burned, once by the party of St. John Chrysostom, and once -in a tumult of the factions of the Hippodrome. I should like to have -seen some of the pageants that took place here. After reposing in their -graves for three centuries, the bodies of St. Andrew, St. Luke, and St. -Timothy were transported hither. Fifty years after it was honored by -a still more illustrious presence; the ashes of the prophet Samuel, -deposited in a golden vase covered with a silken veil, left their -resting-place in Palestine for the banks of the Bosphorus. The highways -from the hills of Judæa to the gates of Constantinople were filled by -an uninterrupted procession, who testified their enthusiasm and joy, and -the Emperor Arcadius himself, attended by the most illustrious of the -clergy and the Senate, advanced to receive his illustrious guest, and -conducted the holy remains to this magnificent but insecure place of -repose. It was here that Gregory Nazianzen was by force installed upon -the Episcopal throne by Theodosius. The city was fanatically Arian. -Theodosius proclaimed the Nicene creed, and ordered the primate to -deliver the cathedral and all the churches to the orthodox, who were few -in number, but strong in the presence of Gregory. This extraordinary man -had set up an orthodox pulpit in a private house; he had been mobbed by -a motley crowd which issued from the Cathedral of St. Sophia, “common -beggars who had forfeited their claim to pity, monks who had the -appearance of goats or satyrs, and women more horrible than so many -Jezebels”; he had his triumph when Theodosius led him by the hand -through the streets—filled with a multitude crowding pavement, -roofs, and windows, and venting their rage, grief, astonishment, and -despair—into the church, which was held by soldiers, though the -prelate confessed that the city had the appearance of a town stormed by -barbarians. It was here that Eutropius, the eunuch, when his career of -rapacity exceeded even the toleration of Arcadius, sought sanctuary, -and was protected by John Chrysostom, archbishop, who owed his -ecclesiastical dignity to the late sexless favorite. And it was up this -very nave that Mohammed II., the conqueror, spurred his horse through a -crowd of fugitives, dismounted at the foot of the altar, cried, “There -is no God but God, and Mohammed is his prophet!” and let loose his -soldiery upon the priests, virgins, and promiscuous multitude who had -sought shelter here. - -I should only weary you with unintelligible details in attempting a -description of other mosques which we visited. They are all somewhat -alike, though varying in degrees of splendor. There is that of Sultan -Ahmed, on the site of the Hippodrome, distinguished as the only one -in the empire that has six minarets,—the state mosque of the Sultan, -whence the Mecca pilgrimages proceed and where the great festivals are -held. From a distance it is one of the most conspicuous and poetically -beautiful objects in the city. And there is the Mosque of Suleiman -the Magnificent, a copy of St. Sophia and excelling it in harmonious -grandeur,—indeed, it is called the finest mosque in the empire. Its -forecourt measures a thousand paces, and the enclosure contains, besides -the mosque and the tomb of the founder, many foundations of charity and -of learning,—three schools for the young, besides one for the reading -of the Koran and one of medicine, four academies for the four Moslem -sects, a hospital, a kitchen for the poor, a library, a fountain, a -resting-place for travellers, and a house of refuge for strangers. From -it one enjoys a magnificent view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, -and the piled-up city opposite. When we entered the mosque hundreds of -worshippers were at prayer, bowing their turbans towards Mecca in silent -unison. The throng soon broke up into groups of from ten to forty, which -seated themselves in circles on the floor for the reading of the Koran. -The shoes were heaped in the centre of each circle, the chief reader -squatted at a low desk on one side, and all read together in a loud -voice, creating an extraordinary vocal tumult. It was like a Sunday -school in fancy dress. - -Stamboul is a very interesting place to those who have a taste for -gorgeous sepulchres, and I do not know any such pleasant residences -of the dead as the turbehs, or tombs of the imperial family. Usually -attached to the mosques, but sometimes standing apart, they are elegant -edifices, such as might be suitable for the living; in their airy, -light, and stately chambers the occupants are deprived of no splendor to -which they were accustomed in life. One of the most beautiful of these -turbehs, that of Sultan Mahmood II., I mistook for a fountain; it is a -domed, circular building of white marble, with Corinthian pilasters, -and lighted by seven large windows with gilded grating. Within, in a -cheerful, carpeted apartment, are the biers of the sultan, his valideh -sultana, and five daughters, covered with cloths of velvet, richly -embroidered, upon which are thrown the most superb India shawls; the -principal sarcophagi are surrounded by railings of mother-of-pearl; -massive silver candlesticks and Koran-stands, upon which are beautiful -manuscripts of the Koran, are disposed about the room, and at the head -of the Sultan's bier is a fez with a plume and aigrette of diamonds. -In the court of Santa Sophia you may see the beautiful mausoleum of -Selim II., who reposes beside the Lady of Light; and not far from it the -turbeh containing the remains of Mohammed III., surrounded by the biers -of seventeen brothers whom he murdered. It is pleasant to see brothers -united and in peace at last. I found something pathetic in other like -apartments where families were gathered together, sultans and sultanas -in the midst of little span-long biers of sons and daughters, incipient -sultans and sultanas, who were never permitted by state policy, if I may -be allowed the expression, to hatch. Strangled in their golden cradles, -perhaps, these innocents! Worthless little bodies, mocked by the -splendor of their interments. One could not but feel a little respect -for what might have been a “Sublime Porte” or a Light of the -Seraglio. - -The Imperial Palace, the Church of Santa Sophia, the Hippodrome,—these -are the triangle of Byzantine history, the trinity of tyranny, religion, -and faction. The Circus of Constantinople, like that on the banks of the -Tiber, was the arena for the exhibition of games, races, spectacles, and -triumphs; like that, it was the arena of a licentious democracy, but -the most disorderly mob of Rome never attained the power or equalled -the vices of the murderous and incendiary factions of Byzantium. The -harmless colors that at first only distinguished the ignoble drivers -in the chariot races became the badges of parties, which claimed the -protection and enjoyed the favor of emperors and prelates; and the blue -and the green factions not only more than once involved the city in -conflagration and blood, but carried discord and frenzy into all the -provinces. Although they respected no human or divine law, they -affected religious zeal for one or another Christian sect or dogma; the -“blues” long espoused the orthodox cause, and enjoyed the partiality -of Justinian. The dissolute youth of Constantinople, wearing the livery -of the factions, possessed the city at night, and abandoned themselves -to any deed of violence that fancy or revenge suggested; neither the -sanctity of the church, nor the peace of the private house, nor the -innocence of youth, nor the chastity of matron or maid, was safe -from these assassins and ravishers. It was in one of their seditious -outbreaks that the palace and Santa Sophia were delivered to the flames. - -The oblong ground of the Hippodrome is still an open place, although -a portion of the ground is covered by the Mosque of Ahmed. But the -traveller will find there few relics of this historical arena; nothing -of the marble seats and galleries that surrounded it. The curious may -look at the Egyptian obelisk of syenite, at the crumbling pyramid which -was the turning goal of the chariots; and he may find more food for -reflection in the bronze spiral column, formed by the twinings of three -serpents whose heads have been knocked off. It deserves to be housed and -cared for. There is no doubt of its venerable antiquity; it was seen -by Thucydides and Herodotus in the Temple of Delphi, where its three -branching heads formed a tripod upon which rested the dish of gold -which the Greeks captured among the spoils of the battle of Platæa. The -column is not more than fifteen feet high; it has stood here since the -time of Constantine. - -This is the most famous square of Constantinople, yet in its present -unromantic aspect it is difficult to reanimate its interest. It is -said that its statues of marble and bronze once excelled the living -population of the city. In its arena emperors, whose vices have alone -saved their names to a conspicuous contempt, sought the popular applause -by driving in the chariot races, or stripped themselves for the sports -with wild beasts, proud to remind the spectators of the exploits -of Caligula and Heliogabalus. Here, in the reign of Anastasius, -the “green” faction, entering the place with concealed daggers, -interrupted a solemn festival and assassinated three thousand of the -“blues.” This place was in the first quarter of this century the -exercise and parade ground of the Janizaries, until they were destroyed. -Let us do justice to the Turks. In two memorable instances they -exhibited a nerve which the Roman emperors lacked, who never had either -the firmness or the courage to extirpate the Prætorian Guards. -The Janizaries set up, deposed, murdered sultans, as the Guards did -Emperors; and the Mamelukes of Egypt imitated their predecessors at -Rome. Mahmood II. in Constantinople, and Mohammed Ali in Cairo, had the -courage to extinguish these enemies of Turkish sovereignty. - -In this neighborhood are several ancient monuments; the Burnt Column, a -blackened shaft of porphyry; the column called Historical; and that of -Theodosius,—I shall not fatigue you with further mention of them. -Not far from the Hippodrome we descended into the reservoir called A -Thousand and One Columns; I suppose this number is made up by counting -one as three, for each column consists of three superimposed shafts. It -is only partially excavated. We found a number of Jews occupying these -subterranean colonnades, engaged in twisting silk, the even temperature -of the cellar being favorable to this work. - -As if we had come out of a day in another age, we walked down through -the streets of the artificers of brass and ivory and leather, to the -floating bridge, and crossed in a golden sunset, in which the minarets -and domes of the mosque of Mohammed II. appeared like some aerial -creation in the yellow sky. - - - - -XXVI.—SAUNTERINGS ABOUT CONSTANTINOPLE. - -DURING the day steamers leave the Galata bridge every halfhour for the -villages and palaces along the Bosphorus; there is a large fleet of -them, probably thirty, but they are always crowded, like the ferry-boats -that ply the waters of New York Bay. - -We took our first sail on the Bosphorus one afternoon toward sunset, -ascending as far as Bebek, where we had been invited to spend the night -by Dr. Washburne, the President of Roberts College. I shall not soon -forget the animation of the harbor, crowded with shipping, amid which -the steamers and caïques were darting about like shuttles, the first -impression made by the palaces and ravishingly lovely shores of this -winding artery between two seas. Seven promontories from Asia and seven -promontories from Europe project into the stream, creating as many -corresponding bays; but the villages are more numerous than bays and -promontories together, for there are over forty in the fourteen miles -from the Sea of Marmora to the Black Sea; on the shores is an almost -unbroken line of buildings, many of them palaces of marble; the heights -are crowned with cottages and luxurious villas, and abodes of taste and -wealth peep out along the slopes. If you say that we seem to be sailing -in the street of a city, I can only answer that it is not so; nature is -still supreme here, and the visible doweress of the scene. These lovely -hills rising on both sides, these gracious curves are hers, as are these -groves and gardens of fruits and flowers, these vines and the abundant -green that sometimes conceals and always softens the work of man. - -Before we reached the Sultan's palace at Beshiktash, our steamer -made a détour to the east bank, outside of the grim ironclads that lie -before the imperial residence. No steamers are permitted to approach -nearer, lest the smoke should soil the sparkling white marble of the -palace, or their clamor and dangerous freight of men should disturb -the serenity of the harem. The palace, which is a beautiful building, -stretches for some distance along the water, with its gardens and -conservatories, and seems to be a very comfortable home for a man who -has no more ready money than the Sultan. - -We landed at Bebek and climbed the steep hill, on whose slope -nightingales were singing in the forest, just in time to see the sunset. -Roberts College occupies the most commanding situation on the strait, -and I do not know any view that surpasses in varied beauty that to be -enjoyed from it. I shall make myself comprehended by many when I say -that it strongly reminded me of the Hudson at West Point; if nature -could be suspected of copying herself, I should say that she had the one -in mind when she made the other. At that point the Hudson resembles the -Bosphorus, but it wants the palaces, the Yale of the Heavenly Water into -which we looked from this height, and some charming mediaeval towers, -walls, and castles. - -The towers and walls belong to the fortress built in 1451 by Mohammed -II., and are now fallen into that decrepitude in which I like best to -see all fortresses. But this was interesting before it was a ruin. It -stands just above the college, at Roomeli Hissar, where the Bosphorus -is narrowest,—not more than half a mile broad,—and with the opposite -fortress of Anatolia could perfectly close the stream. Two years before -the capture of the city, Mohammed built this fort, and gave it the most -peculiar form of any fortress existing. His idea was that the towers -and the circuit of the walls should spell the name of the Prophet, and -consequently his own. As we looked down upon it, my friend read for me -this singular piece of caligraphy, but I could understand it no further -than the tower which stands for the Arabic ring in the first letter. It -was at this place that Darius threw a bridge across the Bosphorus, and -there is a tradition of a stone seat which he occupied here while his -Asiatics passed into Europe. - -So far as I know, there is no other stream in the world upon which the -wealth of palaces and the beauty of gardens may be so advantageously -displayed. So far as I know, there is no other place where nature and -art have so combined to produce an enchanting prospect. As the situation -and appearance of Constantinople are unequalled, so the Bosphorus is -unique. - -Whatever may be the political changes of the Turkish Empire, I do not -believe that this pleasing picture will be destroyed; rather let us -expect to see it more lovely in the rapidly developing taste of a new -era of letters and refinement. It was a wise forethought that planted -the American College just here. It is just where it should be to mould -the new order of things. I saw among its two hundred pupils scholars -of all creeds and races, who will carry from here living ideas to every -part of the empire, and I learned to respect that thirst for knowledge -and ability to acquire it which exist in the neighboring European -provinces. If impatient men could wait the process of education, the -growth of schools, and the development of capacity now already most -promising, the Eastern question might be solved by the appearance on -the scene in less than a score of years, of a stalwart and intelligent -people, who would not only be able to grasp Constantinople, but to -administer upon the decaying Turkish Empire as the Osmanli administered -upon the Greek. - -On Friday the great business of everybody is to see the Sultan go to -pray; and the eagerness with which foreigners crowd to the spectacle -must convince the Turks that we enjoy few religious privileges at home. -It is not known beforehand, even to the inmates of the palace, to what -mosque the Sultan will go, nor whether he will make a street progress -on horseback, or embark upon the water, for the chosen place of prayer. -Before twelve o'clock we took carriage and drove down the hill, past -the parade-ground and the artillery barracks to the rear of the palace -of Beshiktash; crowds on foot and in carriages were streaming in -that direction; regiments of troops were drifting down the slopes -and emptying into the avenue that leads between the palace and the -plantation of gardens; colors were unfurled, drums beaten, trumpets -called from barrack and guard-house; gorgeous officers on caparisoned -horses, with equally gaudy attendants, cantered to the rendezvous; and -all the air was full of the expectation of a great event. At the great -square of the palace we waited amid an intense throng; four or five -lines of carriages stretched for a mile along; troops were in marching -rank along the avenue and disposed in hollow square on the place; the -palace gates were closed, and everybody looked anxiously toward the -high and gilded portal from which it was said the announcement of the -Sultan's intention would be made. From time to time our curiosity was -fed by the arrival of a splendid pasha, who dismounted and walked about; -and at intervals a gilded personage emerged from the palace court and -raised our expectation on tiptoe. We send our dragoman to interrogate -the most awful dignities, especially some superb beings in yellow silk -and gold, but they know nothing of the Sultan's mind. At the last -moment he might, on horseback, issue from the gate with a brilliant -throng, or he might depart in his caïque by the water front. In either -case there would be a rush and a scramble to see and to accompany -him. More regiments were arriving, bands were playing, superb officers -galloping up and down; carriages, gilded with the arms of foreign -embassies, or filled with Turkish ladies, pressed forward to the great -gate, which still gave no sign. I have never seen such a religious -excitement. For myself, I found some compensation in the usual Oriental -crowd and unconscious picturesqueness; swart Africans in garments of -yellow, sellers of sherbet clinking their glasses, venders of faint -sweetmeats walking about with trays and tripods, and the shifting -kaleidoscope of races, colors, and graceful attitudes. - -Suddenly, I do not know how, or from what quarter, the feeling—for I -could not call it information—was diffused that the successor of the -Prophet would pray at the mosque in Ortakeui, and that he would go -by caïque; and we all scampered up the road, a mile or two, racing -carriages, troops and foot men, in eager outset, in order to arrive -before the pious man. The mosque stands upon the Bosphorus, where its -broad marble steps and pillared front and dome occupy as conspicuous -a position as the Dogana at Venice. We secured a standing-place on the -dock close to the landing, but outside the iron railing, and waited. A -cordon of troops in blue regimentals with red facings was drawn around -the streets in the rear of the mosque, and two companies of soldiers in -white had stacked their guns on the marble landing, and were lounging -about in front of the building. - -The scene on the Bosphorus was as gay as a flower-garden. The water -was covered with graceful caiques and painted barges and every sort of -craft, mean and splendid, that could be propelled by oars or sails. A -dozen men-of-war were decked with flags from keel to maintop; on every -yard, and from bowsprit to stern, stood a line of sailors sharply -defined against the blue sky. At one o'clock a cannon announced that -the superior devotee had entered his caique, and then from every vessel -of war in the harbor salute answered salute in thunder that awoke the -echoes of two continents; until on all the broad water lay a thick -battle-smoke, through which we could distinguish only the tops of the -masts, and the dim hulks spouting fire. - -In the midst of this earthquake of piety, there was a cry, “He comes, -he comes!” The soldiers grasped their arms and drew a line each side -of the landing, and the officials of the mosque arranged themselves on -the steps. Upon the water, advancing with the speed of race-horses, we -saw two splendid gilded caïques, the one containing the Sultan, the -other his attendants. At the moment, a light carriage with two bay -horses, unattended, dashed up to the side door, and there descended from -it and entered the mosque the imperial heir, the son of the late Sultan -and the nephew of the present, a slender, pale youth of apparently -twenty-five or thirty years. We turn (not knowing how soon he is to -become Sultan Murad V.) our eyes to him only for a moment, for the -Sultan's caique comes with imperious haste, with the rush as it were -of victory,—an hundred feet long, narrow, rising at the stern like the -Venetian Bucentaur, carved and gilded like the golden chariot in which -Alexander entered Babylon,—propelled by fifty-two long sweeps, rising -and falling in unison with the bending backs of twenty-six black rowers, -clad in white and with naked feet. The Sultan is throned in the high -stern, hung with silk, on silken cushions, under a splendid canopy on -the top of which glisten his arms and a blazing sun. The Sultan, who is -clad in the uniform of a general, steps quickly out, walks up the -steps over a carpet spread for his royal feet,—the soldiers saluting, -everybody with arms crossed bending the body,—and disappears in the -mosque. The second caique lands immediately, and the imperial ministers -step from it and follow their master. - -At the side entrance an immense closed baggage-wagon, drawn by four -horses and said to contain the sacred wardrobe, was then unlocked -and unloaded, and out of it came trunks, boxes, carpetbags, as if the -imperial visitor had come to stay a week. After a half-hour of prayer he -came out, his uniform concealed under his overcoat, got quickly into a -plain carriage, drawn by four magnificent gray horses, and drove rapidly -away, attended by a dozen outriders. His heir followed in the carriage -in which he came. We had a good view of the chief of Islam. He was a -tall, stout man, with a full gray beard, and on the whole a good face -and figure. All this parade is weekly enacted over one man going to -pray. It is, after all, more simple than the pageantry that often -attends the public devotion of the vicegerent of Christ in St. -Peter's. - -Upon our return we stopped at the tekkeb, in Pera, to see the -performance of the Turning Darwishes. I do not know that I have anything -to add to the many animated descriptions which have been written of -it. It is not far from the Little Field of the Dead, and all about -the building are tombs of the faithful, in which were crowds of people -enjoying that peculiar Oriental pleasure, graveyard festivity. The -mosque is pleasant, and has a polished dancing-floor, surrounded by a -gallery supported on columns. I thought it would be a good place for a -“hop.” Everybody has seen a picture of the darwishes, with closed -eyes, outstretched arms, and long gowns inflated at the bottom like an -old-fashioned churn, turning smoothly round upon their toes, a dozen -or twenty of them revolving without collision. The motion is certainly -poetic and pleasing, and the plaintive fluting of the Arab nay adds -I know not what of pathos to the exercise. I think this dance might -advantageously be substituted in Western salons for the German, for it -is graceful and perfectly moral. - -Constantinople is a city of the dead as much as of the living, and one -encounters everywhere tombs and cemeteries sentinelled by the mournful -dark-green cypress. On our way to take boat for the Sweet Waters of -Europe we descended through the neglected Little Field of the Dead. It -is on a steep acclivity, and the stones stand and lean thickly there, -each surmounted by a turban in fashion at the period of the occupant's -death, and with inscription neatly carved. That “every man has his -date” strikes Abd-el-Atti as a remarkable fact. The ground is netted -by haphazard paths, and the careless living tread the graves with -thoughtless feet, as if the rights of the dead to their scanty bit of -soil were no longer respected. We said to the boatman that this did not -seem well. There was a weary touch of philosophy in his reply: “Ah, -master, the world grows old!” - -It is the fashion for the world to go on Friday to the Sweet Waters of -Europe, the inlet of the Golden Horn, flowing down between two ranges of -hills. This vale, which is almost as celebrated in poetry as that of -the Heavenly Water on the Asiatic shore, is resorted to by thousands, in -hundreds of carriages from Fera, in thousands of caïques and barges. On -the water, the excursion is a festival of the people, of strangers, of -adventurers of both sexes; the more fashionable though not moral part of -society, who have equipages to display, go by land. We chose the water, -and selected a large four-oared caïque, in the bottom of which we -seated ourselves, after a dozen narrow escapes from upsetting the -tottlish craft, and rowed away, with the grave Abd-el-Atti balanced -behind and under bonds to preserve his exact equilibrium. - -All the city seems to be upon the water; the stream is alive with the -slender, swift caïques; family parties, rollicking midshipmen from some -foreign vessel, solitary beauties reclining in selfish loveliness, -grave fat Turks, in stupid enjoyment. No voyage could be gayer than this -through the shipping, with the multitudinous houses of the city rising -on either hand. As we advance, the shore is lined with people, mostly -ladies in gay holiday apparel, squatting along the stream; as on a -spring day in Paris, those who cannot afford carriages line the avenues -to the Bois de Boulogne to watch the passing pageant. The stream grows -more narrow, at length winds in graceful turns, and finally is only a -few yards wide, and the banks are retained by masonry. The vale narrows -also, and the hills draw near. The water-way is choked with -gayly painted caiques, full of laughing beauties and reckless -pleasure-seekers, and the reader of Egyptian history might think himself -in a saturnalia of the revel-makers in the ancient fête of Bubastis on -the Nile. The women are clad in soft silks,—blue, red, pink, yellow, -and gray,—some of them with their faces tied up as if they were -victims of toothache, others wearing the gauze veils, which enhance -without concealing charms; and the color and beauty that nature has -denied to many are imitated by paint and enamel. - -We land and walk on. Singers and players on curious instruments sit -along the bank and in groups under the trees, and fill the festive air -with the plaintive and untrained Oriental music. The variety of costumes -is infinite; here we meet all that is gay and fantastic in Europe and -Asia. The navigation ends at the white marble palace and mosque which -we now see shining amid the trees, fresh with May foliage. Booths and -tents, green and white, are erected everywhere, and there are many -groups of gypsies and fortune-tellers. The olive-complexioned, -black-eyed, long-haired women, who trade in the secrets of the Orient -and the vices of the Occident, do a thriving business with those -curious of the future, or fascinated by the mysterious beauty of the -soothsayers. Besides the bands of music, there are solitary bagpipers -whose instrument is a skin, with a pipe for a mouthpiece and another -at the opposite end having graduated holes for fingering; and I noticed -with pleasure that the fingering and the music continued long after the -musician had ceased to blow into the inflated skin. Nothing was wanting -to the most brilliant scene; ladies in bright groups on gay rugs and -mats, children weaving head-dresses from leaves and rushes, crowds of -carriages, fine horses and gallant horsemen, sellers of refreshments -balancing great trays on their heads, and bearing tripod stools, and all -degrees of the most cosmopolitan capital enjoying the charming spring -holiday. - -In the palace grounds dozens of peacocks were sunning themselves, and -the Judas-trees were in full pink bloom. Above the palace the river -flows in walled banks, and before it reaches it tumbles over an -artificial fall of rocks, and sweeps round the garden in a graceful -curve. Beyond the palace, also on the bank of the stream, is a grove of -superb trees and a greensward; here a military band plays, and this is -the fashionable meeting-place of carriages, where hundreds were circling -round and round in the imitated etiquette of Hyde Park. - -We came down at sunset, racing swiftly among the returning caïques, -passing and passed by laughing boatsful, whose gay hangings trailed in -the stream, as in a pageant on the Grand Canal of Venice, and watching -with the interest of the philosopher only, the light boat of beauty and -frailty pursued by the youthful caique of inexperience and desire. The -hour contributed to make the scene one of magical beauty. To our right -lay the dark cypresses of the vast cemetery of Eyoub (or Ayub) and the -shining mosque where, at their inauguration, the Osmanli Sultans are -still girt with the sword of their founder. At this spot, in the -first siege of Constantinople by the Arabs, fell, amid thirty thousand -Moslems, slain outside the Golden Gate, the Aboo Ayub, or Job, one -of the last companions of the Prophet. He was one of the immortal -auxiliaries; he had fought at Beder and Obud side by side with Abubeker, -and he had the honor to be one of the first assailants of the Christian -capital, which Mohammed had predicted that his followers should one -day possess. The site of his grave, forgotten for seven centuries, was -revealed to the conqueror of the city by a fortunate vision, and the -spot was commemorated by a mosque, and a gathering congregation of the -dead. - -Clouds had collected in the west, and the heavy smoke of innumerable -steamers lay dark upon the Bosphorus. But as we came down, the sun broke -out and gave us one of those effects of which nature is sparing. On the -heights of Stamboul, a dozen minarets, only half distinct, were touched -by the gold rays; the windows of both cities, piled above each other, -blazed in it; the smooth river and the swift caiques were gilded by it; -and behind us, domes and spires, and the tapering shafts of the Muezzin, -the bases hid by the mist, rose into the heaven of the golden sunset -and appeared like mansions, and most unsubstantial ones, in the sky. And -ever the light caiques flew over the rosy water in a chase of pleasure, -in a motion that satisfied the utmost longing for repose, while the -enchantment of heaven seemed to have dropped upon the earth. - - -“The world has lost its gloss for us, - -Since we went boating on the Bosphorus.” - - -Constantinople enjoys or suffers the changeable weather appropriate -to its cosmopolitan inhabitants and situation, and we waited for a day -suitable to cross to Scutari and obtain the view from Boolgoorloo. We -finally accepted one of alternate clouds and sunshine. The connection -between the European city and its great suburb is maintained by frequent -ferry-steamers, and I believe that no other mile-passage in the world -can offer the traveller a scene more animated or views so varied and -magnificent. Near the landing at Scutari stands a beacon-tower ninety' -feet high, erected upon a rock; it has the name of the Maiden's Tower, -but I do not know why, unless by courtesy to one of the mistresses -of Sultan Mohammed, who is said to have been shut up in it. -Scutari,—pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, a -corruption of the Turkish name Uskudar,—the site of the old Greek and -Persian Chrysopolis, is a town sprawling over seven hills, has plenty -of mosques, baths, and cemeteries,—the three Oriental luxuries,—but -little to detain the traveller, already familiar with Eastern towns of -the sort. The spot has been in all ages an arriving and starting point -for Asiatic couriers, caravans, and armies; here the earliest Greek -sea-robbers hauled up their venturous barks; here Xenophon rested -after his campaign against Cyrus; here the Roman and then the Byzantine -emperors had their hunting-palaces; here for a long time the Persians -menaced and wrung tribute from the city they could not capture. - -We took a carriage and ascended through the city to the mountain of -Boolgoorloo. On the slopes above the town are orchards and vineyards -and pretty villas. The last ten minutes of the climb was accomplished on -foot, and when we stood upon the summit the world was at our feet. I -do not know any other view that embraces so much and such variety. The -swelling top was carpeted with grass, sprinkled with spring flowers, -and here and there a spreading pine offered a place of shade and repose. -Behind us continued range on range the hills of the peninsula; to the -south the eye explored Asia Minor, the ancient Bithynia and Mysia, until -it rested on the monstrous snowy summits of Olympus, which rears itself -beyond Broussa, city famed for its gauzy silk and the first capital -of the Osman dynasty. There stretches the blue Sea of Marmora, bearing -lightly on the surface the nine enchanting Princes' Islands, whose -equable climate and fertile soil have obtained for them the epithet of -the Isles of the Blest. Opposite, Stamboul rises out of the water on -every side; in the distance a city of domes and pinnacles and glass, the -dark-green spires of cypress tempering its brilliant lustre; there -the Golden Horn and its thronged bridges and its countless masts and -steamers' funnels; Galata and Pera, also lifted up into nobility, -and all their shabby details lost, and the Bosphorus, its hills, marble -palaces, mosques, and gardens, on either side. I do not know any scene -that approaches this in beauty except the Bay of Naples, and the charm -of that is so different from this that no comparison is forced upon -the mind. The Bay of New York has many of the elements of this charming -prospect, on the map. But Constantinople and its environs can be seen -from many points in one view, while one would need to ascend a balloon -to comprehend in like manner the capital of the Western world. It is -the situation of Constantinople, lifted up into a conspicuousness that -permits no one of its single splendors to be lost in the general view, -that makes it in appearance the unrivalled empress of cities. - -In the foreground lay Scutari, and in a broad sweep the heavy mass of -cypress forest that covers the great cemetery of the Turks, which they -are said to prefer to Eyoub, under the prophetic impression that they -will one day be driven out of Europe. The precaution seems idle. If -in the loss of Constantinople the Osmanli sultans still maintain the -supremacy of Islam, the Moslem capital could not he on these shores, and -the caliphate in its migrations might again he established on the Nile, -on the Euphrates, or in the plains of Guta on the Abana. The iron-clads -that lie in the Bosphorus, the long guns of a dozen fortresses that -command every foot of the city and shore, forbid that these contiguous -coasts should fly hostile flags. - -We drove down to and through this famous cemetery in one direction and -another. In its beauty I was disappointed. It is a dense and gloomy -cypress forest; as a place of sepulture, without the architectural -pretensions of Père-la-Chaise, and only less attractive than that. Its -dark recesses are crowded with gravestones, slender at the bottom and -swelling at the top, painted in lively colors,—green, red, and gray, a -necessary relief to the sombre woods,—having inscriptions in gilt and -red letters, and leaning at all angles, as if they had fallen out in a -quarrel over night. The graves of the men are distinguished by stones -crowned with turbans, or with tarbooshes painted red,—an imitation, in -short, of whatever head-dress the owner wore when alive, so that perhaps -his acquaintances can recognize his tomb without reading his name. Some -of the more ancient have the form of a mould of Charlotte Busse. I saw -more than one set jauntily on one side, which gave the monument a rakish -air, singularly débonnaire for a tombstone. - -In contrast to this vast assembly of the faithful is the pretty English -cemetery, dedicated to the fallen in the Crimean war,—a well-kept -flower-garden, which lies close to the Bosphorus on a point opposite the -old Seraglio. We sat down on the sea-wall in this quiet spot, where the -sun falls lovingly and the undisturbed birds sing, and looked long -at the shifting, busy panorama of a world that does not disturb this -repose; and then walked about the garden, noting the headstones of -soldiers,—this one killed at Alma, that at Inkermann, another at -Balaklava, and the tall, graceless granite monument to eight thousand -nameless dead; nameless here, but not in many a home and many a heart, -any more than the undistinguished thousands who sleep at Gettysburg or -on a hundred other patriot fields. - -Near by is the great hospital which Florence Nightingale controlled, -and in her memory we asked permission to enter its wards and visit its -garden. After some delay this was granted, but the Turkish official said -that the hospital was for men, that there was no woman there, and as -for Miss Nightingale, he had never heard of her. But we persevered and -finally found an officer who led us to the room she occupied,—a large -apartment now filled with the beds of the sick, and, like every other -part of the establishment, neat and orderly. But our curiosity to -see where the philanthropist had labored was an enigma to the Turkish -officials to the last. They insisted at first that we must be relations -of Miss Nightingale,—a supposition which I saw that Abd-el-Atti, who -always seeks the advantage of distinction, was inclined to favor. But we -said no. Well, perhaps it was natural that Englishmen should indulge -in the sentiment that moved us. But we were not Englishmen, we were -Americans,—they gave it up entirely. The superintendent of the -hospital, a courtly and elderly bey, who had fought in the Crimean war, -and whom our dragoman, dipping his hand to the ground, saluted with the -most profound Egyptian obeisance, insisted upon serving us coffee in -the garden by the fountain of gold-fish, and we spent an hour of quiet -there. - -On Sunday at about the hour that the good people in America were -beginning to think what they should wear to church, we walked down to -the service in the English Memorial Church, on the brow of the hill in -Pera, a pointed Gothic building of a rich and pleasing interior. Only -once or twice in many months had we been in a Christian church, and -it was, at least, interesting to contrast its simple forms with the -elaborate Greek ritual and the endless repetitions of the Moslem -prayers. A choir of boys intoned or chanted a portion of the service, -with marked ability, and wholly relieved the audience of the necessity -of making responses. The clergymen executed the reading so successfully -that we could only now and then catch a word. The service, so far as we -were concerned, might as well have been in Turkish; and yet it was not -altogether lost on us. We could distinguish occasionally the Lord's -Prayer, and the name of Queen Victoria, and we caught some of the -Commandments as they whisked past us. We knew also when we were in the -Litany, from the regular cadence of the boys' responses. But as the -entertainment seemed to be for the benefit of the clergymen and boys, I -did not feel like intruding beyond the office of a spectator, and I soon -found myself reflecting whether a machine could not be invented -that should produce the same effect of sound, which was all that the -congregation enjoyed. - -Rome has been until recently less tolerant of the Protestant faith than -Constantinople; and it was an inspiration of reciprocity to build here -a church in memory of the Christian soldiers who fell in the crusade to -establish the Moslem rule in European Turkey. - -Of the various views about Constantinople we always pronounced that -best which we saw last, and at the time we said that those from Seraglio -Point, from Boolgoorloo, and from Roberts College were crowned by that -from Giant's Grave Mountain, a noble height on the Asiatic side of the -Bosphorus near the Black Sea. - -One charming morning, we ascended the strait in a steamboat that calls -at the landings on the eastern shore. The Bosphorus, if you will have it -in a phrase, is a river of lapis lazuli lined with marble palaces. As we -saw it that morning, its sloping gardens, terraces, trees, and vines in -the tender bloom of spring, all the extravagance of the Oriental -poets in praise of it was justified, and it was easy to believe the -nature-romance with which the earliest adventurers had clothed it. -There, at Beshiktash, Jason landed to rest his weary sailors on the -voyage to Colchis; and above there at Koroo Ghesmeh stood a laurel-tree -which Medea planted on the return of the Argonauts. Tradition has placed -near it, on the point, the site of a less attractive object, the pillar -upon which Simeon Stylites spent forty years of a life which was just -forty years too long; but I do not know by what authority, for I believe -that the perch of the Syrian hermit was near Antioch, where his noble -position edified thousands of Christians, who enjoyed their piety in -contemplating his, and took their pleasures in the groves of Daphne. - -Our steamer was, at this moment, a craft more dangerous to mankind -than an iron-clad; it was a sort of floating harem; we sat upon the -awning-covered upper deck; the greater part of the lower deck was -jealously curtained off and filled with Turkish ladies. Among them we -recognized a little flock of a couple of dozen, the harem of Mustapha -Pasha, the uncle of the Khedive of Egypt. They left the boat at his -palace in Chenguel Keuy, and we saw them, in silk gowns of white, red, -blue, and yellow, streaming across the flower-garden into the marble -portal,—a pretty picture. The pasha was transferring his household to -the country for the summer, and we imagined that the imprisoned troop -entered these blooming May gardens with the elation of freedom, which -might, however, be more perfect if eunuchs did not watch every gate and -foot of the garden wall. I suppose, however, that few of them would be -willing to exchange their lives of idle luxury for the misery and -chance of their former condition, and it is said that the maids of the -so-called Christian Georgia hear with envy of the good fortune of their -sisters, who have brought good prices in the Turkish capital. - -When the harem disappeared we found some consolation in a tall Croat, -who strutted up and down the deck in front of us, that we might sicken -with envy of his splendid costume. He wore tight trousers of blue cloth, -baggy in the rear but fitting the legs like a glove, and terminating -over the shoes in a quilled inverted funnel; a brilliant scarf of Syrian -silk in loose folds about his loins; a vest stiff with gold-em broidery; -a scarlet jacket decked with gold-lace, and on his head a red fez. This -is the costly dress of a Croatian gardener, who displays all his wealth -to make a holiday spectacle of himself. - -We sailed close to the village of Kandili and the promontory under -which and upon which it lies, a site which exhausts the capacity of the -loveliness of nature and the skill of art. From the villas on its height -one commands, by a shifted glance, the Euxine and the Marmora, and -whatever is most lovely in the prospect of two continents; the purity -of the air is said to equal the charm of the view. Above this promontory -opens the valley down which flows the river Geuksoo (sky-water), and -at the north of it stands a white marble kiosk of the Sultan, the most -beautiful architectural creation on the strait. Near it, shaded by great -trees, is a handsome fountain; beyond the green turf in the tree-decked -vale which pierces the hill were groups of holiday-makers in gay attire. -I do not know if this Valley of the Heavenly Water is the loveliest in -the East, but it is said that its charms of meadow, shade, sweet water, -and scented flowers are a substantial foretaste of the paradise of the -true believer. But it is in vain to catalogue the charming villages, -the fresh beauties of nature and art to which each revolution of the -paddle-wheel carried us. We thought we should be content with a summer -residence of the Khedive, on the European side below the lovely bay of -Terapea, with its vast hillside of gardens and orchards and the long -line of palaces on the water. Fanned by the invigorating breezes from -the Black Sea, its summer climate must be perfect. - -We landed at Beicos, and, in default of any conveyance, walked up -through the straggling village, along the shore, to a verdant, shady -meadow, sweet with clover and wild-flowers. This is in the valley -of Hun-Kiar Iskelesi, a favorite residence of the sultans; here on a -projecting rocky point is a reddish palace built and given to the Sultan -by the Khedive. The meadow, in which we were, is behind a palace of old -Mohammed Ali, and it is now used as a pasture for the Sultan's horses, -dozens of which were tethered and feeding in the lush grass and clover. -The tents of their attendants were pitched on the plain, and groups -of Turkish ladies were picnicking under the large sycamores. It was a -charming rural scene. I made the silent acquaintance of an old man, in -a white turban and flowing robes, who sat in the grass knitting and -watching his one white lamb feed; probably knitting the fleece of his -lamb of the year before. - -We were in search of an araba and team to take us up the mountain; one -stood in the meadow which we could hire, but oxen were wanting, and we -despatched a Greek boy in search of the animals. The Turkish ladies of -fashion delight in the araba when they ride into the country, greatly -preferring it to the horse or donkey, or to any other carriage. It is -a long cart of four wheels, without springs, but it is as stately in -appearance as the band-wagon of a circus; its sloping side-boards and -even the platform in front are elaborately carved and gilded. While we -waited the motions of the boy, who joined to himself two others even -more prone to go astray than himself, an officer of the royal stables -invited us to take seats under the shade of his tent and served us with -coffee. After an hour the boy returned with two lean steers. The rude, -hooped top of the araba was spread with a purple cloth, a thick bedquilt -covered the bottom, and by the aid of a ladder we climbed into the ark -and sat or lay as we could best stow ourselves. A boy led the steers by -a rope, another walked at the side gently goading them with a stick, and -we rumbled along slowly through the brilliant meadows. It became evident -after a time that we were not ascending the mountain, but going into -the heart of the country; the cart was stopped and the wild driver -was interrogated. I never saw a human being so totally devoid of a -conscience. We had hired him to take us up to Giant's Grave Mountain. -He was deliberately cheating us out of it. At first he insisted that -he was going in the right direction, but upon the application of the -dragoman's fingers to his ear, he pleaded that the mountain road was -bad and that it was just as well for us to visit the Sultan's farm up -the valley. We had come seven thousand miles to see the view from the -mountain, but this boy had not the least scruple in depriving us of it. -We turned about and entered a charming glen, thoroughly New England in -its character, set with small trees and shrubs and carpeted with a -turf of short sweet grass. One needs to be some months in the Orient to -appreciate the delight experienced by the sight of genuine turf. - -As we ascended, the road, gullied by the spring torrents, at last became -impassable for wheels, and we were obliged to abandon the araba and -perform the last half-mile of the journey on foot. The sightly summit -of the mountain is nearly six hundred feet above the water. There, in -a lovely grove, we found a coffeehouse and a mosque and the -Giant's Grave, which the Moslems call the grave of Joshua. It is a -flower-planted enclosure, seventy feet long and seven wide, ample for -any hero; the railing about it is tagged with bits of cloth which pious -devotees have tied there in the expectation that their diseases, perhaps -their sins, will vanish with the airing of these shreds. From the -minaret is a wonderful view,—the entire length of the Bosphorus, with -all its windings and lovely bays enlivened with white sails, ships at -anchor, and darting steamers, rich in villages, ancient castles, and -forts; a great portion of Asia Minor, with the snow peaks of Olympus; -on the south, the Islands of the Blest and the Sea of Marmora; on the -north, the Cyanean rocks and the wide sweep of the Euxine, blue as -heaven and dotted with a hundred white sails, overlooked by the ruin of -a Genoese castle, at the entrance of the Bosphorus, built on the site of -a temple of Jupiter, and the spot where the Argonauts halted before they -ventured among the Symplegades; and immediately below, Terapea and the -deep bay of Buyukdereh, the summer resort of the foreign residents of -Constantinople, a paradise of palaces and gardens, of vales and stately -plane-trees, and the entrance to the interior village of Belgrade, with -its sacred forest unprofaned as yet by the axe. - -The Cyanean rocks which Jason and his mariners regarded as floating -islands, or sentient monsters, vanishing and reappearing, are harmlessly -anchored now, and do not appear at all formidable, though they disappear -now as of old when the fierce Euxine rolls in its storm waves. Por a -long time and with insatiable curiosity we followed with the eye the -line of the coast of the Pontus Euxinus, once as thickly set with -towns as the Riviera of Italy,—cities of Ionian, Dorian, and Athenian -colonies, who followed the Phoenicians and perhaps the Egyptians,—in -the vain hope of extending our vision to Trebizond, to the sea fortress -of Petra, renowned for its defence by the soldiers of Chosroes against -the arms of Justinian, and, further, to the banks of the Pliasis, to -Colchis, whose fabulous wealth tempted Jason and his sea-robbers. The -waters of this land were so impregnated with particles of gold that -fleeces of sheep were used to strain out the yellow metal. Its palaces -shone with gold and silver, and you might expect in its gardens the -fruit of the Hesperides. In the vales of the Caucasus, we are taught, -our race has attained its most perfect form; in other days its men were -as renowned for strength and valor as its women were for beauty,—the -one could not be permanently subdued, the others conquered, even in -their slavery. Early converts to the Christian faith, they never -adopted its morals nor comprehended its metaphysics; and perhaps a more -dissolute and venal society does not exist than that whose business for -centuries has been the raising of maids for the Turkish harems. And the -miserable, though willing, victims are said to possess not even beauty, -until after a training in luxury by the slave-dealers. - -We made our way, not without difficulty, down the rough, bush-grown -hillside, invaded a new Turkish fortification, and at length found a -place where we could descend the precipitous bank and summon a boat to -ferry us across to Buyukdereh. This was not easy to obtain; but finally -an aged Greek boatman appeared with a caique as aged and decayed as -himself. The chances seemed to be that it could make the voyage, and -we all packed ourselves into it, sitting on the bottom and filling it -completely. There was little margin of boat above the water, and any -sudden motion would have reduced that to nothing. We looked wise and sat -still, while the old Greek pulled feebly and praised the excellence of -his craft. On the opposite slope our attention was called to a pretty -cottage, and a Constantinople lady, who was of the party, began to tell -us the story of its occupant. So dramatic and exciting did it become -that we forgot entirely the peril of our frail and overloaded boat. -The story finished as we drew up to the landing, which we instantly -comprehended we had not reached a moment too soon. Eor when we arose our -clothes were soaked; we were sitting in water, which was rapidly filling -the boat, and would have swamped it in five minutes. The landing-place -of Buyukdereh, the bay, the hills and villas, reminded us of Lake Como, -and the quay and streets were rather Italian than Oriental. The most -soaked of the voyagers stood outside the railing of the pretty garden -of the café to dry in the sun, while the others sat inside, under the -vines, and passed out to the unfortunates, through the iron bars, tiny -cups of coffee, and fed them with rahat-al-lacoom and other delicious -sweetmeats, until the arrival of the steamer. The ride down was lovely; -the sun made the barracks and palaces on the east shore a blaze of -diamonds; and the minarets seen through the steamer's smoke -which, transfused with the rosy light, overhung the city, had a -phantasmagorical aspect. - -Constantinople shares with many other cities the reputation of being the -most dissolute in the world. The traveller is not required to decide -the rival claims of this sort of pre-eminence, which are eagerly put -forward; he may better, in each city, acquiesce in the complaisant -assumption of the inhabitants. But when he is required to see in the -moral state of the Eastern capital signs of its speedy decay, and the -near extinction of the Othman rule, he takes a leaf out of history and -reflects. It is true, no doubt, that the Turks are enfeebled by luxury -and sensuality, and have, to a great extent, lost those virile qualities -which gave to their ancestors the dominion of so many kingdoms in -Asia, Africa, and Europe; in short, that the race is sinking into an -incapacity to propagate itself in the world. If one believes what he -hears, the morals of society could not be worse. The women, so many of -whom have been bought in the market, or are daughters of slaves, -are educated only for pleasure; and a great proportion of the male -population are adventurers from all lands, with few domestic ties. The -very relaxation of the surveillance of the harem (the necessary prelude -to the emancipation of woman) opens the door to opportunity, and gives -freer play to feminine intrigue. One hears, indeed, that even the -inmates of the royal harem find means of clandestine intercourse -with the foreigners of Pera. The history of the Northern and Western -occupation of the East has been, for fifteen centuries, only a -repetition of yielding to the seductive influences of a luxurious -climate and to soft and pleasing invitation. - -But, heighten as we may the true and immoral picture of social life in -Constantinople, I doubt if it is so loose and unrestrained as it was -for centuries under the Greek Emperors; I doubt if the imbecility, the -luxurious effeminacy of the Turks has sunk to the level of the Byzantine -Empire; and when we are asked to expect in the decay of to-day a speedy -dissolution, we remember that for a period of over a thousand years, -from the partition of the Roman Empire between the two sons of -Theodosius to the capture of Constantinople by Mohammed II., the empire -subsisted in a state of premature and perpetual decay. These Oriental -dynasties are a long time in dying, and we cannot measure their -decrepitude by the standards of Occidental morality. - -The trade and the commerce of the city are largely in the hands of -foreigners; but it has nearly always been so, since the days of the -merchants and manufacturers of Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. We might draw -an inference of Turkish insecurity from the implacable hatred of the -so-called Greek subjects, if the latter were not in the discord of a -thousand years of anarchy and servitude. The history of the islands of -the Eastern Mediterranean has been a succession of Turkish avarice and -rapacity, horrible Greek revenge and Turkish wholesale devastation and -massacre, repeated over and over again; but there appears as yet no -power able either to expel the Turks or unite the Greeks. That the -leaven of change is working in the Levant is evident to the most -superficial observation, and one sees everywhere the introduction of -Western civilization, of business habits, and, above all, of schools. -However indifferent the Osmanlis are to education, they are not -insensible to European opinion; and in reckoning up their bad qualities, -we ought not to forget that they have set some portions of Christendom -a lesson of religious toleration,—both in Constantinople and Jerusalem -the Christians were allowed a freedom of worship in their own churches -which was not permitted to Protestants within the sacred walls of -Pontifical Rome. - -One who would paint the manners or the morals of Constantinople might -adorn his theme with many anecdotes, characteristic of a condition of -society which is foreign to our experience. I select one which has -the merit of being literally true. You who believe that modern romance -exists only in tales of fiction, listen to the story of a beauty of -Constantinople, the vicissitudes of whose life equal in variety if not -in importance those of Theodora and Athenais. For obvious reasons, I -shall mention no names. - -There lives now on the banks of the Bosphorus an English physician, who, -at the entreaty of Lord Byron, went to Greece in 1824 as a volunteer -surgeon in the war of independence; he arrived only in time to see -the poet expire at Missolonghi. In the course of the war, he was taken -prisoner by the Egyptian troops, who in their great need of surgeons -kept him actively employed in his profession. He did not regain his -freedom until after the war, and then only on condition that he should -reside in Constantinople as one of the physicians of the Sultan, -Mohammed II. - -We may suppose that the Oriental life was not unpleasant, nor the -position irksome to him, for he soon so far yielded to the temptations -of the capital as to fall in love with a very pretty face which he -saw daily in a bay-window of the street he traversed on the way to the -Seraglio. Acquaintance, which sometimes precedes love, in this case -followed it; the doctor declared his passion and was accepted by the -willing maid. But an Oriental bay-window is the opportunity of the -world, and the doctor, becoming convinced that his affianced was a -desperate flirt, and yielding to the entreaties of his friends, broke -off the engagement and left her free, in her eyry, to continue her -observations upon mankind. This, however, did not suit the plans of the -lovely and fickle girl. One morning, shortly after, he was summoned to -see two Turkish ladies who awaited him in his office; when he appeared, -the young girl (for it was she) and her mother threw aside their -disguise, and declared that they would not leave the house until the -doctor married the daughter, for the rupture of the engagement had -rendered it impossible to procure any other husband. Whether her own -beauty or the terrible aspect of the mother prevailed, I do not know, -but the English chaplain was sent for; he refused to perform the -ceremony, and a Greek priest was found who married them. - -This marriage, which took the appearance of duress, might have been -happy if the compelling party to it had left her fondness of adventure -and variety at the wedding threshold; but her constancy was only -assumed, like the Turkish veil, for an occasion; lovers were not -wanting, and after the birth of three children, two sons and a daughter, -she deserted her husband and went to live with a young Turk, who has -since held high office in the government of the Sultan. It was in her -character of Madame Mehemet Pasha that she wrote (or one of her sons -wrote for her) a book well known in the West, entitled “Thirty Years -in a Harem.” But her intriguing spirit was not extinct even in a -Turkish harem; she attempted to palm off upon the pasha, as her own, a -child that she had bought; her device was detected by one of the palace -eunuchs, and at the same time her amour with a Greek of the city came -to light. The eunuch incurred her displeasure for his officiousness, and -she had him strangled and thrown into the Bosphorus! Some say that the -resolute woman even assisted with her own hands. For these breaches of -decorum, however, she paid dear; the pasha banished her to Kutayah, with -orders to the guard who attended her to poison her on the way; but -she so won upon the affection of the officer that he let her escape at -Broussa. There her beauty, if not her piety, recommended her to an Imam -of one of the mosques, and she married him and seems for a time to have -led a quiet life; at any rate, nothing further was heard of her until -just before the famous cholera season, when news came of the death -of her husband, the Moslem priest, and that she was living in extreme -poverty, all her beauty gone forever, and consequently her ability to -procure another husband. - -The pasha, Mehemet, lived in a beautiful palace on the eastern shore of -the Bosphorus, near Kandili. During the great cholera epidemic of 1865, -the pasha was taken ill. One day there appeared at the gate an unknown -woman, who said that she had come to cure the pasha; no one knew her, -but she spoke with authority, and was admitted. It was our adventuress. -She nursed the pasha with the most tender care and watchful skill, so -that he recovered; and, in gratitude for the preservation of his life, -he permitted her and her daughter to remain in the palace. For some time -they were contented with the luxury of such a home, but one day—it was -the evening of Wednesday—neither mother nor daughter was to be found; -and upon examination it was discovered that a large collection of -precious stones and some ready money had disappeared with them. They had -departed on the French steamer, in order to transfer their talents to -the fields of Europe. The fate of the daughter I do not know; for some -time she and her mother were conspicuous in the dissipation of Paris -life; subsequently the mother lived with a son in London, and, since I -heard her story in Constantinople, she has died in London in misery and -want. - -The further history of the doctor and his family may detain our -curiosity for a moment. When his wife left him for the arms of -the pasha, he experienced so much difficulty in finding any one in -Constantinople to take care of his children that he determined to send -them to Scotland to be educated, and intrusted them, for that purpose, -to a friend who was returning to England. They went by way of Rome. It -happened that the mother and sister of the doctor had some time before -that come to Rome, for the sake of health, and had there warmly embraced -the Roman Catholic faith. Of course the three children were taken to see -their grandmother and aunt, and the latter, concerned for their eternal -welfare, diverted them from their journey, and immured the boys in a -monastery and the girl in a convent. The father, when he heard of this -abduction, expressed indignation, but, having at that time only such -religious faith as may be floating in the Oriental air and common to -all, he made no vigorous effort to recover his children. Indeed, he -consoled himself, in the fashion of the country, by marrying again; this -time a Greek lady, who died, leaving two boys. The doctor was successful -in transporting the offspring of his second marriage to Scotland, where -they were educated; and they returned to do him honor,—one of them as -the eloquent and devoted pastor of a Protestant church in Pera, and the -other as a physician in the employment of the government. - -After the death of his second wife, the doctor—I can but tell the -story as I heard it—became a changed man, and—married again; -this time a Swiss lady, of lovely Christian character. In his changed -condition, he began to feel anxious to recover his children from the -grasp of Rome. He wrote for information, but his sister refused to tell -where they were, and his search could discover no trace of them. At -length the father obtained leave of absence from the Seraglio, and armed -with an autograph letter from Abdul Aziz to Pius IX., he went to Rome. -The Pope gave him an order for the restoration of his children. He drove -first to the convent to see his daughter. In place of the little -girl whom he had years ago parted with, he found a young lady of -extraordinary beauty, and a devoted Romanist. At first she refused to go -with him, and it was only upon his promise to allow her perfect liberty -of conscience, and never to interfere with any of the observances of her -church, that she consented. Not daring to lose sight of her, he waited -for her to pack her trunk, and then, putting her into a carriage, drove -to the monastery where he heard, after many inquiries, that his boys -were confined. The monk who admitted him denied that they were there, -and endeavored to lock him into the waiting-room while he went to call -the Superior. But the doctor anticipated his movements, and as soon as -the monk was out of sight, started to explore the house. By good luck -the first door he opened led into a chamber where a sick boy was lying -on a bed. The doctor believed that he recognized one of his sons; a few -questions satisfied him that he was right. “I am your father,” he -said to the astonished lad, “run quickly and call your brother and -come with me.” Monastic discipline had not so many attractions for the -boys as convent life for the girl, and the child ran with alacrity and -brought his brother, just as the abbot and a score of monks appeared -upon the scene. As the celerity of the doctor had given no opportunity -to conceal the boys, opposition to the order of the Pope was useless, -and the father hastened to the gate where he had left the carriage. -Meantime the aunt had heard of the rescue, and followed the girl from -the convent; she implored her, by tears and prayers, to reverse her -decision. The doctor cut short the scene by shoving his sons into the -carriage and driving rapidly away. Nor did he trust them long in Rome. - -The subsequent career of the boys is not dwelt on with pleasure. One of -them enlisted in the Turkish army, married a Turkish wife, and, after -some years, deserted her, and ran away to England. His wife was taken -into a pasha's family, who offered to adopt her only child, a boy of -four years; but the mother preferred to bring him to his grandfather. -None of the family had seen her, but she established her identity, and -begged that her child might be adopted by a good man, which she knew -his grandfather to be, and receive a Christian training. The doctor, -therefore, adopted the grandchild, which had come to him in such a -strange way, and the mother shortly after died. - -The daughter, whose acquired accomplishments matched her inherited -beauty, married, in time, a Venetian Count of wealth; and the idler -in Venice may see on the Grand Canal, among those mouldy edifices that -could reveal so many romances, their sumptuous palace, and learn, if he -cares to learn, that it is the home of a family happy in the enjoyment -of most felicitous fortune. In the gossip with which the best Italian -society sometimes amuses itself, he might hear that the Countess was the -daughter of a slave of the Sultan's harem. I have given, however, -the true version of the romantic story; but I am ignorant of the -social condition or the race of the mother of the heroine of so many -adventures. She may have been born in the Caucasus. - - - - -XXVII.—FROM THE GOLDEN HORN TO THE ACROPOLIS. - -OUR last day in Constantinople was a bright invitation for us to remain -forever. We could have departed without regret in a rain-storm, but it -was not so easy to resolve to look our last upon this shining city and -marvellous landscape under the blue sky of May. Early in the morning we -climbed up the Genoese Tower in Galata and saw the hundred crescents of -Stamboul sparkle in the sun, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, shifting -panoramas of trade and pleasure, the Propontis with its purple islands, -and the azure and snowy mountains of Asia. This massive tower is now -a fire-signal station, and night and day watchmen look out from its -battlemented gallery; the Seraskier Tower opposite in Stamboul, and -another on the heights of the Asiatic shore, keep the same watch over -the inflammable city. The guard requested us not to open our parasols -upon the gallery for fear they would be hailed as fire-signals. - -The day was spent in last visits to the bazaars, in packing and -leave-takings, and the passage of the custom-house, for the government -encourages trade by an export as well as an import duty. I did not see -any of the officials, but Abd-el-Atti, who had charge of shipping our -baggage, reported that the eyes of the customs inspector were each just -the size of a five-franc piece. Chief among our regrets at setting our -faces toward Europe was the necessity of parting with Abd-el-Atti and -Ahmed; the former had been our faithful dragoman and daily companion for -five months, and we had not yet exhausted his adventures nor his stores -of Oriental humor; and we could not expect to find elsewhere a character -like Ahmed, a person so shrewd and obliging, and of such amusing -vivacity. At four o'clock we embarked upon an Italian steamer -for Salonica and Athens, a four days' voyage. At the last moment -Abd-el-Atti would have gone with us upon the least encouragement, but -we had no further need of dragoman or interpreter, and the old man sadly -descended the ladder to his boat. I can see him yet, his red fez in -the stern of the caique, waving his large silk handkerchief, and slowly -rowing back to Pera,—a melancholy figure. - -As we steamed out of the harbor we enjoyed the view we had missed on -entering: the Seraglio Point where blind old Dandolo ran his galley -aground and leaped on shore to the assault; the shore of Chalcedon; the -seven towers and the old wall behind Stamboul, which Persians, Arabs, -Scythians, and Latins have stormed; the long sweeping coast and its -minarets; the Princes' Islands and Mt. Olympus,—all this in a -setting sun was superb; and we said, “There is not its equal in the -world.” And the evening was more magnificent,—a moon nearly full, a -sweet and rosy light on the smooth water, which was at first azure blue, -and then pearly gray and glowing like an amethyst. - -Smoothly sailing all night, we came at sunrise to the entrance of the -Dardanelles, and stopped for a couple of hours at Chanak Kalessi, before -the guns of the Castle of Asia. The wide-awake traders immediately -swarmed on board with their barbarous pottery, and with trays of cooked -fish, onions, and bread for the deck passengers. The latter were mostly -Greeks, and men in the costume which one sees still in the islands and -the Asiatic coasts, but very seldom on the Grecian mainland; it consists -of baggy trousers, close at the ankles, a shawl about the waist, an -embroidered jacket usually of sober color, and, the most prized part -of their possessions, an arsenal of pistols and knives in huge leathern -holsters, with a heavy leathern flap, worn in front. Most of them wore -a small red fez, the hair cut close in front and falling long behind the -ears. They are light in complexion, not tall, rather stout, and without -beauty. Though their dress is picturesque in plan, it is usually very -dirty, ragged, and, the last confession of poverty, patched. They were -all armed like pirates; and when we stopped a cracking fusillade along -the deck suggested a mutiny; but it was only a precautionary measure -of the captain, who compelled them to discharge their pistols into the -water and then took them from them. - -Passing out of the strait we saw the Rabbit Islands and Tene-dos, and -caught a glimpse of the Plain of Troy about as misty as its mythic -history; and then turned west between Imbros and Lemnos, on whose bold -eastern rock once blazed one of the signal-fires which telegraphed the -fall of Troy to Clytemnestra. The first women of Lemnos were altogether -beautiful, but they had some peculiarities which did not recommend -them to their contemporaries, and indeed their husbands were accustomed -occasionally to hoist sail and bask in the smiles of the damsels of the -Thracian coast. The Lemnian women, to avoid any legal difficulties, such -as arise nowadays when a woman asserts her right to slay her partner, -killed all their husbands, and set up an Amazonian state which they -maintained with pride and splendor, permitting no man to set foot on the -island. In time this absolute freedom became a little tedious, and when -the Argonauts came that way, the women advanced to meet the heroes -with garlands, and brought them wine and food. This conduct pleased the -Argonauts, who made Lemnos their headquarters and celebrated there -many a festive combat. Their descendants, the Minyæ, were afterwards -overcome by the Pelasgians, from Attica, who, remembering with regret -the beautiful girls of their home, returned and brought back with them -the willing and the lovely. But the children of the Attic women took on -airs over their superior birth, which the Pelasgian women resented, and -the latter finally removed all cause of dispute by murdering all the -mothers of Attica and their offspring. These events gave the ladies -of Lemnos a formidable reputation in the ancient world, and furnish an -illustration of what society would be without the refining and temperate -influence of man. - -To the northward lifted itself the bare back of Samothrace, and beyond -the dim outline of Thasos, ancient gold-island, the home of the -poet Archilochus, one of the few Grecian islands which still retains -something of its pristine luxuriance of vegetation, where the songs of -innumerable nightingales invite to its deep, flowery valleys. Beyond -Thasos is the Thracian coast and Mt. Pangaus, and at the foot of it -Philippi, the Macedonian town where republican Rome fought its last -battle, where Cassius leaned upon his sword-point, believing everything -lost. Brutus transported the body of his comrade to Thasos and raised -for him a funeral pyre; and twenty days later, on the same field, met -again that spectre of death which had summoned him to Philippi. It -was only eleven years after this victory of the Imperial power that -a greater triumph was won at Philippi, when Paul and Silas, cast into -prison, sang praises unto God at midnight, and an earthquake shook the -house and opened the prison doors. - -In the afternoon we came in sight of snowy Mt. Athos, an almost -perpendicular limestone rock, rising nearly six thousand four hundred -feet out of the sea. The slender promontory which this magnificent -mountain terminates is forty miles long and has only an average breadth -of four miles. The ancient canal of Xerxes quite severed it from the -mainland. The peninsula, level at the canal, is a jagged stretch of -mountains (seamed by chasms), which rise a thousand, two thousand, four -thousand feet, and at last front the sea with the sublime peak of Athos, -the site of the most conspicuous beacon-fire of Agamemnon. The entire -promontory is, and has been since the time of Constantine, ecclesiastic -ground; every mountain and valley has its convent; besides the twenty -great monasteries are many pious retreats. All the sects of the Greek -church are here represented; the communities pay a tribute to the -Sultan, but the government is in the hands of four presidents, chosen by -the synod, which holds weekly sessions and takes the presidents, yearly, -from the monasteries in rotation. Since their foundation these religious -houses have maintained against Christians and Saracens an almost -complete independence, and preserved in their primitive simplicity the -manners and usages of the earliest foundations. Here, as nowhere else in -Europe or Asia, can one behold the architecture, the dress, the habits -of the Middle Ages. The good devotees have been able to keep themselves -thus in the darkness and simplicity of the past by a rigorous exclusion -of the sex always impatient of monotony, to which all the changes of -the world are due. No woman, from the beginning till now, has ever -been permitted to set foot on the peninsula. Nor is this all; no female -animal is suffered on the holy mountain, not even a hen. I suppose, -though I do not know, that the monks have an inspector of eggs, whose -inherited instincts of aversion to the feminine gender enable him to -detect and reject all those in which lurk the dangerous sex. Few of the -monks eat meat, half the days of the year are fast days, they practise -occasionally abstinence from food for two or three days, reducing their -pulses to the feeblest beating, and subduing their bodies to a point -that destroys their value even as spiritual tabernacles. The united -community is permitted to keep a guard of fifty Christian soldiers, -and the only Moslem on the island is the solitary Turkish officer who -represents the Sultan; his position cannot be one generally coveted -by the Turks, since the society of women is absolutely denied him. The -libraries of Mt. Athos are full of unarranged manuscripts, which are -probably mainly filled with the theologic rubbish of the controversial -ages, and can scarcely be expected to yield again anything so valuable -as the Tischendorf Scriptures. - -At sunset we were close under Mt. Athos, and could distinguish the -buildings of the Laura Convent, amid the woods beneath the frowning -cliff. And now was produced the apparition of a sunset, with this -towering mountain cone for a centre-piece, that surpassed all our -experience and imagination. The sea was like satin for smoothness, -absolutely waveless, and shone with the colors of changeable silk, blue, -green, pink, and amethyst. Heavy clouds gathered about the sun, and from -behind them he exhibited burning spectacles, magnificent fireworks, vast -shadow-pictures, scarlet cities, and gigantic figures stalking across -the sky. From one crater of embers he shot up a fan-like flame that -spread to the zenith and was reflected on the water. His rays lay along -the sea in pink, and the water had the sheen of iridescent glass. The -whole sea for leagues was like this; even Lemnos and Samothrace lay in -a dim pink and purple light in the east. There were vast clouds in huge -walls, with towers and battlements, and in all fantastic shapes,—one a -gigantic cat with a preternatural tail, a cat of doom four degrees long. -All this was piled about Mt. Athos, with its sharp summit of snow, its -dark sides of rock. - -It is a pity that the sounding and somewhat sacred name of Thessalonica -has been abbreviated to Salonica; it might better have reverted to its -ancient name of Therma, which distinguished the Macedonian capital up -to the time of Alexander. In the early morning we were lying before the -city, and were told that we should stay till midnight, waiting for the -mail. From whence a mail was expected I do not know; the traveller -who sails these seas with a cargo of ancient history resents in these -classic localities such attempts to imitate modern fashions. Were the -Dardanians or the Mesians to send us letters in a leathern bag? We -were prepared for a summons from Calo-John, at the head of his wild -barbarians, to surrender the city; and we should have liked to see -Boniface, Marquis of Montferrat and King of Thessalonica, issue from the -fortress above the town, the shields and lances of his little band of -knights shining in the sun, and answer in person the insolent demand. We -were prepared to see the troop return, having left the head of Boniface -in the possession of Calo-John; and if our captain had told us that the -steamer would wait to attend the funeral of the Bulgarian chief himself, -which occurred not long after the encounter with Boniface, we should -have thought it natural. - -The city lies on a fine bay, and presents an attractive appearance from -the harbor, rising up the hill in the form of an amphitheatre. On all -sides, except the sea, ancient walls surround it, fortified at the -angles by large round towers and crowned in the centre, on the hill, -by a respectable citadel. I suppose that portions of these walls are -of Hellenic and perhaps Pelasgic date, but the most are probably of -the time of the Latin crusaders' occupation, patched and repaired by -Saracens and Turks. We had come to Thessalonica on St. Paul's -account, not expecting to see much that would excite us, and we were -not disappointed. When we went ashore we found ourselves in a city of -perhaps sixty thousand inhabitants, commonplace in aspect, although -its bazaars are well filled with European goods, and a fair display of -Oriental stuffs and antiquities, and animated by considerable briskness -of trade. I presume there are more Jews here than there were in Paul's -time, but Turks and Greeks, in nearly equal numbers, form the bulk of -the population. - -In modern Salonica there is not much respect for pagan antiquities, and -one sees only the usual fragments of columns and sculptures worked into -walls or incorporated in Christian churches. But those curious in early -Byzantine architecture will find more to interest them here than in any -place in the world except Constantinople. We spent the day wandering -about the city, under the guidance of a young Jew, who was without -either prejudices or information. On our way to the Mosque of St. -Sophia, we passed through the quarter of the Jews, which is much cleaner -than is usual with them. These are the descendants of Spanish Jews, who -were expelled by Isabella, and they still retain, in a corrupt form, the -language of Spain. In the doors and windows were many pretty Jewesses; -banishment and vicissitude appear to agree with this elastic race, for -in all the countries of Europe Jewish women develop more beauty in form -and feature than in Palestine. We saw here and in other parts of the -city a novel head-dress, which may commend itself to America in the -revolutions of fashion. A great mass of hair, real or assumed, was -gathered into a long slender green bag, which hung down the back and -was terminated by a heavy fringe of silver. Otherwise, the dress of the -Jewish women does not differ much from that of the men; the latter wear -a fez or turban, and a tunic which reaches to the ankles, and is bound -about the waist by a gay sash or shawl. - -The Mosque of St. Sophia, once a church, and copied in its proportions -and style from its namesake in Constantinople, is retired, in a -delightful court, shaded by gigantic trees and cheered by a fountain. So -peaceful a spot we had not seen in many a day; birds sang in the trees -without disturbing the calm of the meditative pilgrim. In the portico -and also in the interior are noble columns of marble and verd-antique, -and in the dome is a wonderfully quaint mosaic of the Transfiguration. -We were shown also a magnificent pulpit of the latter beautiful stone -cut from a solid block, in which it is said St. Paul preached. As the -Apostle, according to his custom, reasoned with the people out of the -Scriptures in a synagogue, and this church was not built for centuries -after his visit, the statement needs confirmation; but pious ingenuity -suggests that the pulpit stood in a subterranean church underneath this. -I should like to believe that Paul sanctified this very spot with his -presence; but there is little in its quiet seclusion to remind one of -him who had the reputation when he was in Thessalonica of one of those -who turn the world upside down. Paul had a great affection for the -brethren of this city, in spite of his rough usage here, for he mingles -few reproaches in his fervent commendations of their faith, and comforts -them with the assurance of a speedy release from the troubles of this -world, and the certainty that while they are yet alive they will be -caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Happily the -Apostle could not pierce the future and see the dissensions, the -schisms, the corruptions and calamities of the Church in the succeeding -centuries, nor know that near this spot, in the Imperial Hippodrome, the -sedition of the citizens would one day be punished by the massacre of -ninety thousand,—one of the few acts of inhumanity which stains the -clemency and the great name of Theodosius. And it would have passed even -the belief of the Apostle to the Gentiles could he have foreseen -that, in eighteen centuries, this pulpit would be exhibited to curious -strangers from a distant part of the globe, of which he never heard, -where the doctrines of Paul are the bulwark of the Church and the -stamina of the government, by a descendant of Abraham who confessed that -he did not know who Paul was. - -The oldest church in the city is now the Mosque of St. George, built -about the year 400, if indeed it was not transformed from a heathen -temple; its form is that of the Roman Pantheon. The dome was once -covered with splendid mosaics; enough remains of the architectural -designs, the brilliant peacocks and bright blue birds, to show what the -ancient beauty was, but the walls of the mosque are white and barn-like. -Religions inherit each other's edifices in the East without shame, and -we found in the Mosque of Eske Djuma the remains of a temple of Venus, -and columns of ancient Grecian work worthy of the best days of Athens. -The most perfect basilica is now the Mosque of St. Demetrius (a name -sacred to the Greeks), which contains his tomb. It is a five-aisled -basilica; about the gallery, over the pillars of the centre aisle, are -some fine mosaics of marble, beautiful in design and color. The Moslems -have spoiled the exquisite capitals of the pillars by painting them, -and have destroyed the effect of the aisles by twisting the pulpit and -prayer-niche away from the apse, in the direction of Mecca. We noticed, -however, a relaxation of bigotry at all these mosques: we were permitted -to enter without taking off our shoes; and, besides the figures of -Christian art left in the mosaics, we saw some Moslem pictures, among -them rude paintings of the holy city Mecca. - -On our way to the citadel we stopped to look at the Arch of Constantine -before the Gate of Cassander,—a shabby ruin, with four courses of -defaced figures, carved in marble, and representing the battles and -triumphs of a Roman general. Fortunately for the reader we did not visit -all the thirty-seven churches of the city; but we made the acquaintance -in a Greek church, which is adorned with quaint Byzantine paintings, of -St. Palema, who lies in public repose, in a coffin of exquisite silver -filigree-work, while his skull is enclosed in solid silver and set with -rubies and emeralds. This may please St. Palema, but death is never so -ghastly as when it is adorned with jewelry that becomes cheap in its -presence. - -The view from the citadel, which embraces the Gulf of Salonica and Mt. -Olympus, the veritable heaven of the Grecian pantheon, and Mt. Ossa and -Mt. Pelion, piercing the blue with their snow-summits, is grand enough -to repay the ascent; and there is a noble walk along the wall above the -town. In making my roundabout way through modern streets, back to the -bazaars, I encountered a number of negro women, pure Africans, who had -the air and carriage of the aristocracy of the place; they rejoiced -in the gay attire which the natives of the South love, and their fine -figures and independent bearing did not speak of servitude. - -This Thessalonica was doubtless a healthful and attractive place at the -time Cicero chose to pass a portion of his exile here, but it has now a -bad reputation for malaria, which extends to all the gulf,—the malaria -seems everywhere to have been one of the consequences of the fall of -the Roman Empire. The handbook recommends the locality for its good -“shooting”; but if there is any part of the Old World that needs -rest from arms, I think it is this highway of ancient and modern -conquerors and invaders. - -In the evening, when the lights of the town and the shore were reflected -in the water, and a full moon hung in the sky, we did not regret our -delay. The gay Thessalonians, ignorant of the Epistles, were rowing -about the harbor, circling round and round the steamer, beating the -darabouka drum, and singing in that nasal whine which passes for music -all over the East. And, indeed, on such a night it is not without its -effect upon a sentimental mind. - -At early light of a cloudless morning we were going easily down the Gulf -of Therma or Salonica, having upon our right the Pierian plain; and I -tried to distinguish the two mounds which mark the place of the great -battle near Pydna, one hundred and sixty-eight years before Christ, -between Æmilius Paulus and King Perseus, which gave Macedonia to the -Roman Empire. Beyond, almost ten thousand feet in the air, towered -Olympus, upon whose “broad” summit Homer displays the ethereal -palaces and inaccessible abode of the Grecian gods. Shaggy forests still -clothe its sides, but snow now, and for the greater part of the year, -covers the wide surface of the height, which is a sterile, light-colored -rock. The gods did not want snow to cool the nectar at their banquets. -This is the very centre of the mythologie world; there between Olympus -and Ossa is the Yale of Tempe, where the Peneus, breaking through a -narrow gorge fringed with the sacred laurel, reaches the gulf, south of -ancient Heracleum. Into this charming but secluded retreat the gods and -goddesses, weary of the icy air, or the Pumblechookian deportment of -the court of Olympian Jove, descended to pass the sunny hours with -the youths and maidens of mortal mould; through this defile marks of -chariot-wheels still attest the passages of armies which flowed either -way, in invasion or retreat; and here Pompey, after a ride of forty -miles from the fatal field of Pharsalia, quenched his thirst. Did the -Greeks really believe that the gods dwelt on this mountain in clouds and -snow? Did Baldwin II. believe that he sold, and Louis IX. of France that -he bought, for ten thousand marks of silver, at Constantinople, in the -thirteenth century, the veritable crown of thorns that the Saviour wore -in the judgment-hall of Pilate? - -At six o'clock the Cape of Posilio was on our left, we were sinking -Olympus in the white haze of morning, Ossa, in its huge silver bulk, was -near us, and Pelion stretched its long white back below. The sharp cone -of Ossa might well ride upon the extended back of Pelion, and it seems a -pity that the Titans did not succeed in their attempt. We were leaving, -and looking our last on the Thracian coasts, once rimmed from Mt. Athos -to the Bosphorus with a wreath of prosperous cities. What must once have -been the splendor of the Ægean Sea and its islands, when every island -was the seat of a vigorous state, and every harbor the site of a -commercial town which sent forth adventurous galleys upon any errand of -trade or conquest! Since the fall of Constantinople, these coasts -and islands have been stripped and neglected by Turkish avarice and -improvidence, and perhaps their naked aspect is attributable more to the -last owners than to all the preceding possessors; it remained for -the Turk to exhaust Nature herself, and to accomplish that ruin, that -destruction of peoples, which certainly not the Athenian, the Roman, -or the Macedonian accomplished, to destroy that which survived the -contemptible Byzantines and escaped the net of the pillaging Christian -crusaders. Yet it needs only repose, the confidence of the protection -of industry, and a spirit of toleration, which the Greeks must learn -as well as the Turks, that the traveller in the beginning of the next -century may behold in the Archipelago the paradise of the world. - -We sailed along by the peninsula of Magnesia, which separates the Ægean -from the Bay of Pagasæus, and hinders us from seeing the plains of -Thessaly, where were trained the famous cavalry, the perfect union -of horse and man that gave rise to the fable of centaurs; the same -conception of double prowess which our own early settlers exaggerated in -the notion that the Kentuckian was half horse and half alligator. Just -before we entered the group of lovely Sporades, we looked down the long -narrow inlet to the Bay of Maliacus and saw the sharp snow-peaks of Mt. -OEta, at the foot of which are the marsh and hot springs of Thermopylae. -We passed between Skiathos and Skopelos,—steep, rocky islands, well -wooded and enlivened with villages perched on the hillsides, and both -draped in lovely color. In the strait between Skiathos and Magnesia -the Greek vessels made a stand against the Persians until the defeat -at Thermopylae compelled a retreat to Salamis. The monks of the Middle -Ages, who had an eye for a fertile land, covered the little island with -monasteries, of which one only now remains. Its few inhabitants are -chiefly sailors, and to-day it would be wholly without fame were it not -for the beauty of its women. Skopelos, which is larger, has a population -of over six thousand,—industrious people who cultivate the olive and -produce a good red wine, that they export in their own vessels. - -Nearly all day we sailed outside and along Euboea; and the snow dusting -its high peaks and lonely ravines was a not unwelcome sight, for the day -was warm, oppressively so even at sea. All the elements lay in a languid -truce. Before it was hidden by Skopelos, Mt. Athos again asserted its -lordship over these seas, more gigantic than when we were close to it, -the sun striking the snow on its face (it might be the Whiteface of the -Adirondacks, except that it is piled up more like the Matterhorn), -while the base, bathed in a silver light, was indistinguishable from -the silver water out of which it rose. The islands were all purple, the -shores silver, and the sea around us deeply azure. What delicious color! - -Perhaps it was better to coast along the Euboean land and among -the Sporades, clothed in our minds with the historic hues which the -atmosphere reproduced to our senses, than to break the dream by landing, -to find only broken fragments where cities once were, and a handful of -fishermen or shepherds the only inheritors of the homes of heroes. We -should find nothing on Ikos, except rabbits and a hundred or two of -fishers, perhaps not even the grave of Peleus, the father of Achilles; -and the dozen little rocky islets near, which some giant in sportive -mood may have tossed into the waves, would altogether scarcely keep -from famine a small flock of industrious sheep. Skyros, however, has not -forgotten its ancient fertility; the well-watered valleys, overlooked -by bold mountains and rocky peaks (upon one of which stood “the lofty -Skyros” of Homer's song) still bear corn and wine, the fig and -the olive, the orange and the lemon, as in the days when Achilles, in -woman's apparel, was hidden among the maidens in the gardens of King -Lycomedes. The mountains are clothed with oaks, beeches, firs, and -plane-trees. Athens had a peculiar affection for Skyros, for it was -there that Cymon found the bones of Theseus, and transported them thence -to the temple of the hero, where they were deposited with splendid -obsequies, Æschylus and Sophocles adding to the festivities the -friendly rivalry of a dramatic contest. In those days everything was for -the state and nothing for the man; and naturally—such is the fruit of -self-abnegation—the state was made immortal by the genius of its men. - -Of the three proud flagstaffs erected in front of St. Mark's, one, -for a long time, bore the banner of Euboea, or Negropont, symbol of the -Venetian sovereignty for nearly three centuries over this island, which -for four centuries thereafter was to be cursed by the ascendency of -the crescent. From the outer shore one can form little notion of the -extraordinary fertility of this land, and we almost regretted that a -rough sea had not driven us to take the inner passage, by Rootia and -through the narrow Euripus, where the Venetian-built town and the Lion -of St. Mark occupy and guard the site of ancient Chalkis. The Turks made -the name of Negropont odious to the world, but with the restoration -of the Grecian nationality the ancient name is restored, and slowly, -Euboea, spoiled by the Persians, trampled by Macedonians and Romans, -neglected by Justinian (the depopulator of the Eastern Empire), drained -by the Venetians, blighted by the Osmanlis, is beginning to attract the -attention of capital and travel, by its unequalled fertility and its -almost unequalled scenery. - -Romance, mythology, and history start out of the waves on' either -hand; at twilight we were entering the Cyclades, and beginning to feel -the yet enduring influence of a superstition which so mingled itself -with the supremest art and culture, that after two thousand years its -unreal creations are nearly as mighty as ever in the realms of poetry -and imagination. These islands are still under the spell of genius, and -we cannot, if we would, view them except through the medium of poetic -history. I suppose that the island of Andros, which is cultivated -largely by Albanians, an Illyrian race, having nothing in common with -the ancient Ionians, would little interest us; if we cared to taste its -wine, it would be because it was once famous throughout Greece, and -if we visited the ruins of its chief city, it would be to recall an -anecdote of Herodotus: when Themistocles besieged the town and demanded -tribute, because the Andrians had been compelled to join the fleet of -Xerxes at Salamis, and threatened them with the two mighty deities of -Athens, Persuasion and Necessity, the spirited islanders replied that -they were protected by two churlish gods, Poverty and Inability. - -It was eleven o'clock at night when we sailed between Keos and Helena, -the latter a long barren strip that never seems to have been inhabited -at all, except from the tradition that Helen once landed there; but Keos -and its old town of Iulis was the home of legends and poets, and famous -for its code of laws, one of which tended to banish sickness and old age -from its precincts, by a provision that every man above sixty should end -his life by poison. Its ancient people had a reputation for purity and -sobriety, which was probably due to the hegira of the nymphs, who were -frightened away to the mainland by a roaring lion. The colossal image of -the lion is still to be seen in marble near the ruins of the old city. -The island of the Cyclades, which we should have liked most to tread, -but did not see, is Delos, the holy, the religious and political centre -of the Greek confederation, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, the -seat of the oracle, second only to that of Delphi, the diminutive and -now almost deserted rock, shaken and sunken by repeated earthquakes, -once crowned with one of the most magnificent temples of antiquity, -the spot of pilgrimage, the arena of games and mystic dances and poetic -contests, and of the joyous and solemn festivities of the Delian Apollo. - -We were too late to see, though we sat long on deck and watched for -it by the aid of a full moon, the white Doric columns of the temple of -Minerva on Sunium, which are visible by daylight a long distance at sea. -The ancient mariners, who came from Delos or from a more adventurous -voyage into the Ægean, beheld here, at the portals of Attica, the -temple of its tutelary deity, a welcome and a beacon; and as they -shifted their sails to round the cape, they might have seen the shining -helmet of the goddess herself,—the lofty statue of Minerva Promachus -on the Acropolis. - - - - -XXVIII.—ATHENS. - -IN the thought of the least classical reader, Attica occupies a space -almost as large as the rest of the world. He hopes that it will broaden -on his sight as it does in his imagination, although he knows that it -is only two thirds as large as the little State of Rhode Island. But -however reason may modify enthusiasm, the diminutive scale on which -everything is drawn is certain to disappoint the first view of the -reality. Who, he asks, has made this little copy of the great Athenian -picture? - -When we came upon deck early in the morning, the steamer lay in the -land-locked harbor of the peninsula of Piræus. It is a round, deep, -pretty harbor; several merchant and small vessels lay there, a Greek and -an Austrian steamer, and a war-vessel, and the scene did not lack a look -of prosperous animation. About the port clusters a well-to-do village of -some ten thousand inhabitants, many of whom dwell in handsome houses. It -might be an American town; it is too new to be European. There, at the -entrance of the harbor, on a low projecting rock, are some ruins of -columns, said to mark the tomb of Themistocles; sometimes the water -nearly covers the rock. There could be no more fitting resting-place for -the great commander than this, in sight of the strait of Salamis, and -washed by the waves that tossed the broken and flying fleet of Xerxes. -Beyond is the Bay of Phalerum, the more ancient seaport of the little -state. And there—how small it seems!—is the plain of Athens, -enclosed by Hymettus, Pentelicus, and Parnes. This rocky peninsula -of Piræus, which embraced three small harbors, was fortified by -Themistocles with strong walls that extended, in parallel lines, five -miles to Athens. Between them ran the great carriage-road, and I suppose -the whole distance was a street of gardens and houses. - -A grave commissionnaire,—I do not know but he would call himself an -embassy,—from one of the hotels of Athens, came off and quietly -took charge of us. On our way to the shore with our luggage, a customs -officer joined us and took a seat in the boat. For this polite attention -on the part of the government our plenipotentiary sent by the officer -(who did not open the trunks) three francs to the treasury; but I do -not know if it ever reached its destination. We shunned the ignoble -opportunity of entering the classic city by rail, and were soon whirling -along the level and dusty road which follows the course of the ancient -Long Wall. Even at this early hour the day had become very warm, and the -shade of the poplar-trees, which line the road nearly all the way, was -grateful. The fertile fields had yet the freshness of spring, and were -gay with scarlet poppies; the vines were thrifty. The near landscape was -Italian in character: there was little peculiar in the costumes of the -people whom we met walking beside their market-wagons or saw laboring -in the gardens; turbans, fezes, flowing garments of white and blue and -yellow, all had vanished, and we felt that we were out of the Orient -and about to enter a modern city. At a half-way inn, where we stopped -to water the horses, there was an hostler in the Albanian, or as it is -called, the Grecian national, costume, wearing the fustanella and the -short jacket; but the stiff white petticoat was rumpled and soiled, and -I fancied he was somewhat ashamed of the half-womanly attire, and shrank -from inspection, like an actor in harlequin dress, surprised by daylight -outside the theatre. - -This sheepish remnant of the picturesque could not preserve for us any -illusions; the roses blooming by the wayside we knew; the birds singing -in the fields we had heard before; the commissionnaire persisted in -pointing out the evidences of improvement. But we burned with a secret -fever; we were impatient even of the grateful avenue of trees that hid -what we at every moment expected to see. I do not envy him who without -agitation approaches for the first time, and feels that he is about to -look upon the Acropolis! There are three supreme sensations, not twice -to be experienced, for the traveller: when he is about to behold the -ancient seats of art, of discipline, of religion,—Athens, Rome, -Jerusalem. But it is not possible for the reality to equal the -expectation. “There!” cried the commissionnaire, “is the -Acropolis!” A small oblong hill lifting itself some three hundred and -fifty feet above the city, its sides upheld by walls, its top shining -with marble, an isolated fortress in appearance! The bulk of the city -lies to the north of the Acropolis, and grows round to the east of it -along the valley of the Ilissus. - -In five minutes more we had caught a glimpse of the new excavations of -the Keramicus, the ancient cemetery, and of the old walls on our left, -and were driving up the straight broad Hermes Street towards the palace. -Midway in the centre of the street is an ancient Byzantine church, which -we pass round. Hermes Street is intersected by Æolus Street; these two -cut the city like a Greek cross, and all other streets flow into them. -The shops along the way are European, the people in the streets are -European in dress, the cafés, the tables in front of hotels and -restaurants, with their groups of loungers, suggest Paris by reminding -one of Brussels. Athens, built of white stone, not yet mellowed by -age, is new, bright, clean, cheerful; the broad streets are in the -uninteresting style of the new part of Munich, and due to the same -Bavarian influence. If Ludwig I. did not succeed in making Munich look -like Athens, Otho was more fortunate in giving Athens a resemblance to -Munich. And we were almost ashamed to confess how pleasant it appeared, -after our long experience of the tumble-down Orient. - -We alighted at our hotel on the palace place, ascended steps decked with -flowering plants, and entered cool apartments looking upon the square, -which is surrounded with handsome buildings, planted with native and -exotic trees, and laid out in walks and beds of flowers. To the right -rises the plain façade of the royal residence, having behind it a -magnificent garden, where the pine rustles to the palm, and a thousand -statues revive the dead mythology; beyond rises the singular cone of -Lycabettus. Commendable foresight is planting the principal streets with -trees, the shade of which is much needed in the long, dry, and parching -summer. - -From the side windows we looked also over the roofs to the Acropolis, -which we were impatient and yet feared to approach. For myself, I -felt like deferring the decisive moment, playing with my imagination, -lingering about among things I did not greatly care for, whetting -impatience and desire by restraining them, and postponing yet a little -the realization of the dream of so many years,—to stand at the centre -of the world's thought, at the spring of its ideal of beauty. While -my companions rested from the fatigue of our sea voyage, I went into the -street and walked southward towards the Ilissus. The air was bright and -sparkling, the sky deep blue like that of Egypt, the hills sharp and -clear in every outline, and startlingly near; the long reach of Hymettus -wears ever a purple robe, which nature has given it in place of its pine -forests. Travellers from Constantinople complained of the heat: but -I found it inspiring; the air had no languor in it; this was the very -joyous Athens I had hoped to see. - -When you take up the favorite uncut periodical of the month, you like -to skirmish about the advertisements and tease yourself with dipping in -here and there before you plunge into the serial novel. It was absurd, -but my first visit in Athens was to the building of the Quadrennial -Exposition of the Industry and Art of Greece,—a long, painted wooden -structure, decked with flags, and called, I need not say, the Olympium. -To enter this imitation of a country fair at home, was the rudest shock -one could give to the sentiment of antiquity, and perhaps a dangerous -experiment, however strong in the mind might be the subtone of -Acropolis. The Greek gentleman who accompanied me said that the -exhibition was a great improvement over the one four years before. It -was, in fact, a very hopeful sign of the prosperity of the new state; -there was a good display of cereals and fruits, of silk and of jewelry, -and various work in gold and silver,—the latter all from Corfu; but -from the specimens of the fine arts, in painting and sculpture, I think -the ancient Greeks have not much to fear or to hope from the modern; and -the books, in printing and binding, were rude enough. But the specimens -from the mines and quarries of Greece could not be excelled elsewhere; -the hundred varieties of exquisite marbles detained us long; there -were some polished blocks, lovely in color, and you might almost say in -design, that you would like to frame and hang as pictures on the wall. -Another sign of the decadence of the national costume, perhaps more -significant than its disappearance in the streets, was its exhibition -here upon lay figures. I saw a countryman who wore it sneaking round one -of these figures, and regarding it with the curiosity of a savage who -for the first time sees himself in a mirror. Since the revolution the -Albanian has been adopted as the Grecian costume, in default of anything -more characteristic, and perhaps because it would puzzle one to say -of what race the person calling himself a modern Greek is. But the -ridiculous fustanella is nearly discarded; it is both inconvenient and -costly; to make one of the proper fulness requires forty yards of cotton -cloth; this is gathered at the waist, and hangs in broad pleats to the -knees, and it is starched so stiffly that it stands out like a half-open -Chinese umbrella. As the garment cannot be worn when it is the least -soiled, and must be done up and starched two or three times a week, the -wearer finds it an expensive habit; and in the whole outfit—the -jacket and sleeves may be a reminiscence of defensive armor—he has the -appearance of a landsknecht above and a ballet-girl below. - -Nearly as rare in the streets as this dress are the drooping red caps -with tassels of blue. The women of Athens whom we saw would not take a -premium anywhere for beauty; but we noticed here and there one who wore -upon her dark locks the long hanging red fez and gold tassel, who might -have attracted the eye of a roving poet, and been passed down to the -next age as the Maid of Athens. The Athenian men of the present are a -fine race; we were constantly surprised by noble forms and intelligent -faces. That they are Greek in feature or expression, as we know the -Greek from coins and statuary, we could not say. Perhaps it was only the -ancient Lacedemonian rivalry that prompted the remark of a gentleman in -Athens, who was born in Sparta, that there is not a drop of the ancient -Athenian blood in Athens. There are some patrician families in the city -who claim this honorable descent, but it is probable that Athens is less -Greek than any other town in the kingdom; and that if there remain any -Hellenic descendants they must be sought in remote districts of the -Morea. If we trusted ourselves to decide by types of face, we should say -that the present inhabitants of Athens were of Northern origin, and that -their relation to the Greeks was no stronger than that of Englishmen -to the ancient Britons. That the people who now inhabit Attica and the -Peloponnesus are descendants of the Greeks whom the Romans conquered, -I suppose no one can successfully claim; that they are all from the -Slavonians, who so long held and almost exclusively occupied the Greek -mainland, it is equally difficult to prove. All we know is, that -the Greek language has survived the Byzantine anarchy, the Slavonic -conquest, the Frank occupation; and that the nimble wit, the -acquisitiveness and inquisitiveness, the cunning and craft of the modern -Greek, seem to be the perversion of the nobler and yet not altogether -dissimilar qualities which made the ancient Greeks the leaders of the -human race. And those who ascribe the character of a people to climate -and geographical position may expect to see the mongrel inheritors of -the ancient soil moulded, by the enduring influences of nature, -into homogeneity, and reproduce in a measure a copy of that splendid -civilization of whose ruins they are now unappreciative possessors. - -Beyond the temporary Olympium, the eye is caught by the Arch of Hadrian, -and fascinated by the towering Corinthian columns of the Olympicum or -Temple of Jupiter. Against the background of Hymettus and the blue -sky stood fourteen of these beautiful columns, all that remain of -the original one hundred and twenty-four, but enough to give us an -impression of what was one of the most stately buildings of antiquity. -This temple, which was begun by Pisistratus, was not finished till -Hadrian's time, or until the worship of Jupiter had become cold and -sceptical. The columns stand upon a terrace overlooking the bed of -the Hissus; there coffee is served, and there we more than once sat at -sundown, and saw the vast columns turn from rose to gray in the fading -light. - -Athens, like every other city of Europe in this age of science and -Christianity, was full of soldiers; we saw squads of them drilling here -and there, their uniforms sprinkled the streets and the cafés, and -their regimental bands enlivened the town. The Greeks, like all the rest -of us, are beating their pruning-hooks into spears and preparing for -the millennium. If there was not much that is peculiar to interest us in -wandering about among the shops, and the so-called, but unroofed and not -real, bazaars, there was much to astonish us in the size and growth of -a city of over fifty thousand inhabitants, in forty years, from the heap -of ruins and ashes which the Turks left it. When the venerable American -missionaries, Dr. Hill and his wife, came to the city, they were obliged -to find shelter in a portion of a ruined tower, and they began their -labors literally in a field of smoking desolation. The only attractive -shops are those of the antiquity dealers, the collectors of coins, -vases, statuettes, and figurines. Of course the extraordinary demand for -these most exquisite mementos of a race of artists has created a host of -imitations, and set an extravagant and fictitious price upon most of the -articles, a price which the professor who lets you have a specimen as -a favor, or the dealer who calmly assumes that he has gathered the last -relics of antiquity, mentions with equal equanimity. I looked in the -face of a handsome graybeard, who asked me two thousand francs for a -silver coin, which he said was a Solon, to see if there was any guile in -his eye; but there was not. I cannot but hope that this race which has -learned to look honest will some time become so. - -Late in the afternoon we walked around the south side of the Acropolis, -past the ruins of theatres that strew its side, and ascended by the -carriage-road to the only entrance, at the southwest end of the hill, -towards the Piræus. We pass through a gate pierced in the side wall, -and come to the front of the Propylæa, the noblest gateway ever built. -At the risk of offending the travelled, I shall try in a paragraph to -put the untravelled reader in possession of the main features of this -glorious spot. - -The Acropolis is an irregular oblong hill, the somewhat uneven summit of -which is about eleven hundred feet long by four hundred and fifty feet -broad at its widest. The hill is steep on all sides, and its final -spring is perpendicular rock, in places a hundred and fifty feet high. -It is lowest at the southwest end, where it dips down, and, by a rocky -neck, joins the Areopagus, or Mars Hill. Across this end is built -the Propylæa, high with reference to the surrounding country, and -commanding the view, but low enough not to hide from a little distance -the buildings on the summit. This building, which is of the Doric order, -and of pure Pentelic marble, was the pride of the Athenians. Its entire -front is about one hundred and seventy feet; this includes the central -portico (pierced with five entrances, the centre one for carriages) and -the forward projecting north and south wings. In the north wing was the -picture-gallery; the south wing was never completed to correspond, but -the balance is preserved by the little Temple of the Wingless Victory, -which from its ruins has been restored to its original form and beauty. -The Propylæa is approached by broad flights of marble steps, which were -defended by fortifications on the slope of the hill. The distant reader -may form a little conception of the original splendor of this gateway -from its cost, which was nearly two and a half millions of dollars, and -by remembering that it was built under the direction of Pericles at a -time when the cost of a building represented its real value, and not the -profits of city officials and contractors. - -Passing slowly between the columns, and with many a backward glance over -the historic landscape, lingering yet lest we should abruptly break the -spell, we came into the area. Straight before us, up the red rock, -ran the carriage-road, seamed across with chisel-marks to prevent -the horses' hoofs from slipping, and worn in deep ruts by heavy -chariot-wheels. In the field before us a mass of broken marble; on the -right the creamy columns of the Parthenon; on the left the irregular -but beautiful Ionic Erechtheum. The reader sees that the entrance was -contrived so that the beholder's first view of the Parthenon should be -at the angle which best exhibits its exquisite proportions. - -We were alone. The soldier detailed to watch that we did not carry off -any of the columns sat down upon a broken fragment by the entrance, and -let us wander at our will. I am not sure that I would, if I could, -have the temples restored. There is an indescribable pathos in these -fragments of columns and architraves and walls, in these broken -sculptures and marred inscriptions, which time has softened to the -loveliest tints, and in these tottering buildings, which no human skill, -if it could restore the pristine beauty, could reanimate with the Greek -idealism. - -And yet, as we sat upon the western steps of the temple dedicated to -Pallas Athene, I could imagine what this area was, say in the August -days of the great Panathenaic festival, when the gorgeous procession, -which I saw filing along the Via Sacra, returning from Eleusis, swept -up these broad steps, garlanded with flowers and singing the hymn to the -protecting goddess. This platform was not then a desolate stone heap, -but peopled with almost living statues in bronze and marble, the -creations of the genius of Phidias, of Praxiteles, of Lycius, -of Clecetas, of Myron; there, between the two great temples, but -overtopping them both, stood the bronze figure of Minerva Promachus, -cast by Phidias out of the spoils of Marathon, whose glittering helmet -and spear-point gladdened the returning mariner when far at sea, and -defied the distant watcher on the Acropolis of Corinth. First in the -procession come the sacrificial oxen, and then follow in order a band -of virgins, the quadriga, each drawn by four noble steeds, the élite -of the Athenian youth on horseback, magistrates, daughters of noble -citizens bearing vases and pateræ, men carrying trays of offerings, -flute-players and the chorus, singers. They pass around to the entrance -of the Parthenon, which is toward the east, and those who are permitted -enter the naos and come into the presence of the gold-ivory statue -of Minerva. The undraped portions of this statue show the ivory; the -drapery was of solid gold, made so that it could be removed in time -of danger from a public enemy. The golden plates weighed ten thousand -pounds. This work of Phidias, since it was celebrated as the perfection -of art by the best judges of art, must have been as exquisite in its -details as it was harmonious in its proportions; but no artist of our -day would dare to attempt to construct a statue in that manner. In its -right, outstretched hand it held a statue of Victory, four cubits -high; and although it was erected nearly five hundred years before the -Christian era, we are curious to notice the already decided influence of -Egyptian ideas in the figure of the sphinx surmounting the helmet of the -goddess. - -The sun was setting behind the island of Salamis. There was a rosy -glow on the bay of Phalerum, on the sea to the south, on the side of -Hymettus, on the yellow columns of the Parthenon, on the Temple of the -Wingless Victory, and on the faces of the ever-youthful Caryatides -in the portico of the Erechtheum, who stand reverently facing the -Parthenon, worshipping now only the vacant pedestal of Athene the -Protector. What overpowering associations throng the mind as one looks -off upon the crooked strait of Salamis, down upon the bare rock of the -Areopagus; upon the Pnyx and the bema, where we know Demosthenes, Solon, -Themistocles, Pericles, Aristides, were wont to address the populace who -crowded up from this valley, the Agora, the tumultuous market-place, to -listen; upon the Museum Hill, crowned by the monument of Philopappus, -pierced by grottos, one of which tradition calls the prison of -Socrates,—the whole history of Athens is in a nutshell! Yet if one -were predetermined to despise this mite of a republic in the compass of -a quart measure, he could not do it here. A little of Cæsar's dust -outweighs the world. We are not imposed upon by names. It was, it could -only have been, in comparison with modern naval engagements, a petty -fight in the narrow limits of that strait, and yet neither the Persian -soldiers who watched it from the Acropolis and in terror saw the ships -of Xerxes flying down the bay, nor the Athenians, who had abandoned -their citadel and trusted their all to the “wooden walls” of -their ships, could have imagined that the result was laden with such -consequences. It gives us pause to think what course all subsequent -history would have taken, what would be the present complexion of the -Christian system itself, if on that day Asiatic barbarism had rendered -impossible the subsequent development of Grecian art and philosophy. - -We waited on the Acropolis for the night and the starlight and the -thousand lights in the city spread below, but we did not stay for the -slow coming of the midnight moon over Hymettus. - -On Sunday morning we worshipped with the Greeks in the beautiful Russian -church; the interior is small but rich, and is like a private parlor; -there are no seats, and the worshippers stand or kneel, while gilded -and painted figures of saints and angels encompass them. The ceremony -is simple, but impressive. The priests are in gorgeous robes of blue -and silver; choir-boys sing soprano, and the bass, as it always is in -Russian churches, is magnificent. A lady, tall, elegant, superb, in -black faced and trimmed with a stuff of gold, sweeps up to the desks, -kisses the books and the crucifix, and then stands one side crossing -herself. We are most of us mortal, and all, however rich in apparel, -poor sinners one day in the week. No one of the worshippers carries -a prayer-book. There is reading behind the screen, and presently the -priests bring out the elements of communion and exhibit them, the one -carrying the bread in a silver vessel on his head, and the other the -wine. The central doors are then closed on the mysterious consecration. -At the end of the service the holy elements are brought out, the -communicants press up, kiss the cross, take a piece of bread, and then -turn and salute their friends, and break up in a cheerful clatter of -talk. In contrast to this, we attended afterwards the little meeting, -in an upper chamber, of the Greek converts of the American Mission, -and listened to a sermon in Greek which inculcated the religion of -New England,—a gospel which, with the aid of schools, makes slow but -hopeful progress in the city of the unknown God. - -The longer one remains in Athens the more he will be impressed with two -things: the one is the perfection of the old art and civilization, and -what must have been the vivacious, joyous life of the ancient Athenians, -in a climate so vital, when this plain was a garden, and these beautiful -hills were clad with forests, and the whispers of the pine answered the -murmurs of the sea; the other is the revival of letters and architecture -and culture, visible from day to day, in a progress as astonishing as -can be seen in any Occidental city. I cannot undertake to describe, -not even to mention, the many noble buildings, either built or in -construction, from the quarries of Pentelicus,—the University, the -Academy, the new Olympium,—all the voluntary contributions of wealthy -Greeks, most of them merchants in foreign cities, whose highest ambition -seems to be to restore Athens to something of its former splendor. It is -a point of honor with every Greek, in whatever foreign city he may -live and die, to leave something in his last will for the adornment or -education of the city of his patriotic devotion. In this, if in nothing -else, they resemble the ancient patriots who thought no sacrifice too -costly for the republic. Among the ruins we find no palaces, no sign -that the richest citizen used his wealth in ostentatious private -mansions. Although some of the Greek merchants now build for themselves -elegant villas, the next generation will see the evidences of their -wealth rather in the public buildings they have erected. In this little -city the University has eighty professors and over twelve hundred -students, gathered from all parts of Greece; there are in the city forty -lady teachers with eight hundred female pupils; and besides these there -are two gymnasiums and several graded schools. Professors and teachers -are well paid, and the schools are free, even to the use of books. The -means flow from the same liberality, that of the Greek merchants, who -are continually leaving money for new educational foundations. There is -but one shadow upon this hopeful picture, and that is the bigotry of the -Greek church, to which the government yields. I do not now speak of -the former persecutions suffered by the Protestant missionaries, but -recently the schools for girls opened by Protestants, and which have -been of the highest service in the education of women, have been obliged -to close or else “conform” to the Greek religion and admit priestly -teachers. At the time of our visit, one of the best of them, that -of Miss Kyle of New York, was only tolerated from week to week under -perpetual warnings, and liable at any moment to be suppressed by the -police. This narrow policy is a disgrace to the government, and if it -is continued must incline the world to hope that the Greeks will never -displace the Moslems in Constantinople. - -In the front of the University stands a very good statue of the -scholar-patriot Korais, and in the library we saw the busts of other -distinguished natives and foreigners. The library, which is every day -enriched by private gifts, boasts already over one hundred and thirty -thousand volumes. As we walked through the rooms, the director said -that the University had no bust of an American, though it had often been -promised one. I suggested one of Lincoln. No, he wanted Washington; he -said he cared to have no other. I did not tell him that Washington -was one of the heroes of our mythic period, that we had filled up a -tolerably large pantheon since then, and that a century in America was -as good as a thousand years in Byzantium. But I fell into something of a -historic revery over the apparent fact that America is as yet to Greece -nothing but the land of Washington, and I rather liked the old-fashioned -notion, and felt sure that there must be somewhere in the United States -an antiquated and rich patriot who remembered Washington and would like -to send a marble portrait of our one great man to the University of -Athens. - - - - -XXIX.—ELEUSIS, PLATO'S ACADEME, ETC. - -THERE was a nightingale who sang and sobbed all night in the garden -before the hotel, and only ceased her plaintive reminiscence of Athenian -song and sorrow with the red dawn. But this is a sad world of contrasts. -Called upon the balcony at midnight by her wild notes, I saw,—how can -I ever say it?—upon the balcony below, a white figure advance, and -with a tragic movement of haste, if not of rage, draw his garment of -the night over his head and shake it out over the public square; and I -knew—for the kingdom of knowledge comes by experience as well as -by observation—that the lively flea was as wakeful in Greece as the -nightingale. - -In the morning the north-wind arose,—it seems to blow constantly -from Boeotia at this time of the year,—but the day was bright and -sparkling, and we took carriage for Eleusis. It might have been such a -morning—for the ancient Athenians always anticipated the dawn in their -festivals—that the Panathenaic processions moved along this very Via -Sacra to celebrate the Mysteries of Ceres at Eleusis. All the hills -stood in clear outline,—long Pentelicus and the wavy lines of Parnes -and Corydallus; we drove over the lovely and fertile plain, amid the -olive-orchards of the Kephissus, and up the stony slope to the narrowing -Pass of Daphne, a defile in Mt. Ægaleos; but we sought in vain the -laurel grove, or a single specimen of that tree whose twisted trunk and -outstretched arms express the struggle of vanishing humanity. Passing -on our right the Chapel of St. Elias, on a commanding eminence, and -traversing the level plateau of the rocky gorge, we alighted at the -Monastery of Daphne, whose half-ruined cloister and chapel occupy the -site of a temple of Apollo. We sat for half an hour in its quiet, walled -churchyard, carpeted with poppies and tender flowers of spring, amid the -remains of old columns and fragments of white marble, sparkling amid the -green grass and blue violets, and looked upon the blue bay of Eleusis -and Salamis, and the heights of Megara beyond. Surely nature has a -tenderness for such a spot; and I fancied that even the old dame who -unlocked for us the chapel and its cheap treasures showed us with some -interest, in a carving here and a capital there, the relics of a former -religion, and perhaps mingled with her adoration of the Virgin and the -bambino a lurking regard for Venus and Apollo. A mile beyond, at the -foot of a rocky precipice, are pointed out the foundations of a temple -of Venus, where the handbook assured us doves had been found carved -in white marble; none were left, however, for us, and we contented -ourselves with reading on the rock Phile Aphrodite, and making a vain -effort to recall life to this sterile region. - -Enchanting was the view as we drove down the opening pass to the bay, -which spreads out a broad sheet, completely landlocked by the irregular -bulk of Salamis Island. When we emerged through the defile we turned -away from the narrow strait where the battle was fought, and from the -“rocky brow” on which Xerxes sat, a crowned spectator of his -ruin, and swept around the circular shore, past the Rheiti, or -salt-springs,—clear, greenish pools,—and over the level Thriasian -Plain. The bay of Eleusis, guarded by the lofty amphitheatre of -mountains, the curving sweep of Ægaleos and Kithæron, and by Salamis, -is like a lovely lake, and if anywhere on earth there could be peace, -you would say it would be on its sunny and secluded shores. Salamis -appears only a bare and rocky island, but the vine still flourishes in -the scant soil, and from its wild-flowers the descendants of the Attic -bees make honey as famous as that of two thousand years ago. - -Across the bay, upon a jutting rocky point, above which rises the crown -of its Acropolis, lies the straggling, miserable village of Eleusis. -Our first note of approach to it was an ancient pavement, and a few -indistinguishable fragments of walls and columns. In a shallow stream -which ran over the stones the women of the town were washing clothes; -and throngs of girls were filling their pails of brass at an old well, -as of old at the same place did the daughters of Keleos. Shriller tones -and laughter mingled with their incessant chatter as we approached, and -we thought,—perhaps it was imagination,—a little wild defiance -and dislike. I had noticed already in Athens, and again here, the -extraordinary rapidity with which the Greeks in conversation exchange -words; I think they are the fastest talkers in the world. And the Greek -has a hard, sharp, ringing, metallic sound; it is staccato. You can see -how easily Aristophanes imitated the brittle-brattle of frogs. I have -heard two women whose rapid, incessant cackle sounded exactly like -the conversation of hens. The sculptor need not go further than these -nut-brown maids for classic forms; the rounded limbs, the generous bust, -the symmetrical waist, which fashion has not made an hour-glass to mark -the flight of time and health. The mothers of heroes were of this mould; -although I will not say that some of them were not a trifle stout for -grace, and that their well-formed faces would not have been improved by -the interior light of a little culture. Their simple dress was a white, -short chemise, that left the legs bare, a heavy and worked tunic, like -that worn by men, and a colored kerchief tied about the head. Many -of the men of the village wore the fustanella and the full Albanian -costume. - -The Temple of Ceres lies at the foot of the hill; only a little portion -of its vast extent has been relieved of the superincumbent, accumulated -soil, and in fact its excavation is difficult, because the village is -built over the greater part of it. What we saw was only a confused heap -of marble, some pieces finely carved, arches, capitals, and shattered -columns. The Greek government, which is earnestly caring for the remains -of antiquity and diligently collecting everything for the National -Museum, down to broken toes and fingers, has stationed a keeper over the -ruins; and he showed us, in a wooden shanty, the interesting fragments -of statues which had been found in the excavation. I coveted a little -hand, plump, with tapering fingers, which the conservator permitted us -to hold,—a slight but a most suggestive memento of the breeding and -beauty of the lady who was the sculptor's model; and it did not so -much seem a dead hand stretched out to us from the past, as a living -thing which returned our furtive pressure. - -We climbed up the hill where the fortress of the Acropolis stood, and -where there is now a little chapel. Every Grecian city seems to have had -its Acropolis, the first nucleus of the rude tribe which it fortified -against incursion, and the subsequent site of temples to the gods. The -traveller will find these steep hills, rising out of plains, everywhere -from Ephesus to Argos, and will almost conclude that Nature had -consciously adapted herself to the wants of the aboriginal occupants. -It is well worth ascending this summit to get the fine view of plain and -bay, of Mt. Kerata and its double peaks, and the road that pierces the -pass of Kithæron, and leads to the field of Platæa and the remains of -Thebes. - -In a little wine-shop, near the ruins, protected from the wind and the -importunate swarms of children, we ate our lunch, and tried to impress -ourselves with the knowledge that Æschylus was born in Eleusis; and -to imagine the nature of the Eleusinian mysteries, the concealed -representations by which the ancients attempted to symbolize, in the -myths of Ceres and Proserpine, the primal forces of nature, perhaps -the dim suggestions of immortality,—a secret not to be shared by the -vulgar,—borrowed from the deep wisdom of the Egyptians. - -The children of Eleusis deserve more space than I can afford them, -since they devoted their entire time to our annoyance. They are handsome -rascals, and there were enough of them, if they had been sufficiently -clothed, to form a large Sunday school. When we sat down in the ruins -and tried to meditate on Ceres, they swarmed about us, capering and -yelling incessantly, and when I made a charge upon them they scattered -over the rocks and saluted us with stones. But I find that at this -distance I have nothing against them; I recall only their beauty and -vivacity, and if they were the worst children that ever tormented -travellers, I reflect, yes, but they were Greeks, and the gods loved -their grandmothers. One slender, liquid-eyed, slim-shanked girl offered -me a silver coin. I saw that it was a beautiful Athenian piece of the -time of Pericles, and after some bargaining I bought it of her for a -reasonable price. But as we moved away to our carriage, I was followed -by the men and women of the settlement, who demanded it back. They -looked murder and talked Greek. I inquired how much they wanted. Fifty -francs! But that is twice as much as it is worth in Athens; and the -coin was surrendered. All through the country, the peasants have a most -exaggerated notion of the value of anything antique. - -We returned through the pass of Daphne and by the site of the academic -grove of Plato, though olive-groves and gardens of pomegranates -in scarlet bloom, quinces, roses, and jasmines, the air sweet and -delightful. Perhaps nowhere else can the traveller so enter into the -pure spirit of Attic thought and feeling as among these scattered -remains that scholars have agreed to call the ruins of Plato's -Academe. We turned through a lane into the garden of a farm-house, -watered by a branch rivulet of the Kephissus. What we saw was not -much,—some marble columns under a lovely cypress-grove, some fragments -of antique carving built into a wall; but we saw it as it were privately -and with a feeling of the presence of the mighty shade. And then, under -a row of young plane-trees, by the meagre stream, we reclined on ripe -wheat-straw, in full sight of the Acropolis,—perhaps the most poetic -view of that magnetic hill. So Plato saw it as he strolled along this -bank and listened to the wisdom of his master, Socrates, or, pacing the -colonnade of the Academe, meditated the republic. Here indeed Aristotle, -who was born the year that Plato died, may have lain and woven that -subtle web of metaphysics which no subsequent system of thought or -religion has been able to disregard. The centuries-old wind blew strong -and fresh through the trees, and the scent of flowers and odorous -shrubs, the murmur of the leaves, the unchanged blue vault of heaven, -the near hill of the sacred Colonus, celebrated by Sophocles as the -scene of the death of Odipus, all conspired to flood us with the poetic -past. What intimations of immortality do we need, since the spell of -genius is so deathless? - -After dinner we laboriously, by a zigzag path, climbed the sharp cone -of Lycabettus, whose six hundred and fifty feet of height commands the -whole region. The rock summit has just room enough for a tiny chapel, -called of St. George, and a narrow platform in front, where we sat in -the shelter of the building and feasted upon the prospect. At sunset it -is a marvellous view,—all Athens and its plain, the bays, Salamis and -the strait of the battle, Acro-Corinth; Megara, Hymettus, Pentelicus, -Kithæron. - -When, in descending, we had nearly reached the foot on the west side, we -heard the violent ringing of a bell high above us, and, turning about, -saw what seemed to be a chapel under the northwest edge of the rock upon -which we had lately stood. Bandits in laced leggings and embroidered -jackets, chattering girls in short skirts and gay kerchiefs, were -descending the wandering path, and the clamor of the bell piqued our -curiosity to turn and ascend. When we reached our goal, the affair -seemed to be pretty much all bell, and nobody but a boy in the lusty -exuberance of youth could have made so much noise by the swinging of a -single clapper. In a niche or rather cleft in the rock was a pent-roofed -bell-tower, and a boy, whose piety seemed inspired by the Devil, was -hauling the rope and sending the sonorous metal over and over on its -axis. In front of the bell is a narrow terrace, sufficient, however, to -support three fig-trees, under which were tables and benches, and upon -the low terrace-wall were planted half a dozen large and differently -colored national banners. A hole in the rock was utilized as a -fireplace, and from a pot over the coals came the fumes of coffee. Upon -this perch of a terrace people sat sipping coffee and looking down upon -the city, whose evening lights were just beginning to twinkle here and -there. Behind the belfry is a chapel, perhaps ten feet by twelve, partly -a natural grotto and partly built of rough stones; it was brilliantly -lighted with tapers, and hung with quaint pictures. At the entrance, -which is a door cut in the rock, stood a Greek priest and an official in -uniform selling wax-tapers, and raking in the leptas of the devout. We -threw down some coppers, declined the tapers, and walked in. The adytum -of the priest was wholly in the solid rock. There seemed to be no -service; but the women and children stood and crossed themselves, -and passionately kissed the poor pictures on the walls. Yet there was -nothing exclusive or pharisaic in the worshippers, for priest and people -showed us friendly faces, and cordially returned our greetings. The -whole rock quivered with the clang of the bell, for the boy at the rope -leaped at his task, and with ever-increasing fury summoned the sinful -world below to prayer. Young ladies with their gallants came and went; -and whenever there was any slacking of stragglers up the hillside the -bell clamored more importunately. - -As dusk crept on, torches were set along the wall of the terrace, and as -we went down the hill they shone on the red and blue flags and the white -belfry, and illuminated the black mass of overhanging rock with a red -glow. There is time for religion in out-of-the-way places here, and -it is rendered picturesque, and even easy and enjoyable, by the aid of -coffee and charming scenery. When we reached the level of the town, -the lights still glowed high up in the recess of the rocks, girls were -laughing and chattering as they stumbled down the steep, and the wild -bell still rang. How easy it is to be good in Greece! - -One day we stole a march on Marathon, and shared the glory of those who -say they have seen it, without incurring the fatigue of a journey there. -We ascended Mt. Pentelicus. Hymettus and Pentelicus are about the same -height,—thirty-five hundred feet,—but the latter, ten miles to the -northeast of Athens, commands every foot of the Attic territory; if -one should sit on its summit and read a history of the little state, -he would need no map. We were away at half past five in the morning, -in order to anticipate if possible the rising of the daily wind. As we -ascended, we had on our left, at the foot of the mountain, the village -of Kephisia, now, as in the days of Herodes Atticus, the summer resort -of wealthy Athenians, who find in its fountains, the sources of the -Kephissus, and in its groves relief from the heat and glare of the -scorched Athenian plain. Half-way we halted at a monastery, left our -carriage, and the ladies mounted horses. There is a handsome church -here, and the situation is picturesque and commands a wide view of the -plain and the rugged north slope of Hymettus, but I could not learn that -the monastery was in an active state; it is only a hive of drones which -consumes the honey produced by the working-bees from the wild thyme -of the neighboring mountain. The place, however, is a great resort -of parties of pleasure, who picnic under the grove of magnificent -forest-trees, and once a year the king and queen come hither to see the -youths and maidens dance on the greensward. - -Up to the highest quarries the road is steep, and strewn with broken -marble, and after that there is an hour's scramble through bushes and -over a rocky path. We rested in a large grotto near the principal of the -ancient quarries; it was the sleeping-place of the workmen, subsequently -a Christian church, and then, and not long ago, a haunt and home -of brigands. Here we found a party of four fellows, half clad in -sheep-skins, playing cards, who seemed to be waiting our arrival; but -they were entirely civil, and I presume were only shepherds, whatever -they may have been formerly. From these quarries was hewn the marble for -the Temple of Theseus, the Parthenon, the Propylæa, the theatres, and -other public buildings, to which age has now given a soft and creamy -tone; the Pentelic marble must have been too brilliant for the eye, and -its dazzling lustre was no doubt softened by the judicious use of color. -Fragments which we broke off had the sparkle and crystalline grain -of loaf-sugar, and if they were placed upon the table one would -unhesitatingly take them to sweeten his tea. The whole mountain-side -is overgrown with laurel, and we found wild-flowers all the way to -the summit. Amid the rocks of the higher slopes, little shepherd-boys, -carrying the traditional crooks, were guarding flocks of black and white -goats, and, invariably as we passed, these animals scampered off and -perched themselves upon sharp rocks in a photographic pose. - -Early as we were, the wind had risen before us, and when we reached -the bare back of the summit it blew so strongly that we could with -difficulty keep our feet, and gladly took refuge in a sort of stone -corral, which had been a camp and lookout of brigands. From this -commanding point they spied both their victims and pursuers. Our guide -went into the details of the capture of the party of Englishmen who -spent a night here, and pointed out to us the several hiding-places in -the surrounding country to which they were successively dragged. But my -attention was not upon this exploit. We looked almost directly down upon -Marathon. There is the bay and the curving sandy shore where the -Persian galleys landed; here upon a spur, jutting out from the hill, -the Athenians formed before, they encountered the host in the plain, -and there—alas! it was hidden by a hill—is the mound where the one -hundred and ninety-two Athenian dead are buried. It is only a small -field, perhaps six miles along the shore and a mile and a half deep, and -there is a considerable marsh on the north and a small one at the south -end. The victory at so little cost, of ten thousand over a hundred -thousand, is partially explained by the nature of the ground; the -Persians had not room enough to manouvre, and must have been thrown into -confusion on the skirts of the northern swamp, and if over six thousand -of them were slain, they must have been killed on the shore in the panic -of their embarkation. But still the shore is broad, level, and firm, and -the Greeks must have been convinced that the gods themselves terrified -the hearts of the barbarians, and enabled them to discomfit a host which -had chosen this plain as the most feasible in all Attica for the action -of cavalry. - -A sea-haze lay upon the strait of Euripus and upon Euboea, and nearly -hid from our sight the forms of the Cyclades; but away in the northwest -were snow peaks, which the guide said were the heights of Parnassus -above Delphi. In the world there can be few prospects so magnificent as -this, and none more inspiring to the imagination. No one can properly -appreciate the Greek literature or art who has not looked upon the Greek -nature which seems to have inspired both. - -Nothing now remains of the monuments and temples which the pride and -piety of the Athenians erected upon the field of Marathon. The visitor -at the Arsenal of Venice remembers the clumsy lion which is said to have -stood on this plain, and in the Temple of Theseus, at Athens, he may see -a slab which was found in this meadow; on it is cut in very low relief -the figure of a soldier, but if the work is Greek the style of treatment -is Assyrian. - -The Temple of Theseus, which occupies an elevation above the city -and west of the Areopagus, is the best-preserved monument of Grecian -antiquity, and if it were the only one, Athens would still be worthy of -a pilgrimage from the ends of the earth. Behind it is a level esplanade, -used as a drill-ground, upon one side of which have been gathered some -relics of ancient buildings and sculptures; seated there in an ancient -marble chair, we never wearied of studying the beautiful proportions of -this temple, which scarcely suffers by comparison with the Parthenon or -that at Pæstum. In its construction the same subtle secret of curved -lines and inclined verticals was known, a secret which increases its -apparent size and satisfies the eye with harmony. - -While we were in Athens the antiquarians were excited by the daily -discoveries in the excavations at the Keramicus (the field where the -Athenian potters worked). Through the portion of this district outside -the gate Dipylum ran two streets, which were lined with tombs; one ran -to the Academe, the other was the sacred way to Eleusis. The excavations -have disclosed many tombs and lovely groups of funereal sculpture, some -of which are in situ, but many have been removed to the new Museum. The -favorite device is the seated figure of the one about to die, who in -this position of dignity takes leave of those most loved; perhaps it is -a wife, a husband, a lovely daughter, a handsome boy, who calmly awaits -the inevitable moment, while the relatives fondly look or half avert -their sorrowful faces. In all sculpture I know nothing so touching as -these family farewells. I obtained from them a new impression of the -Greek dignity and tenderness, of the simplicity and nobility of their -domestic life. - -The Museum, which was unarranged, is chiefly one of fragments, but -what I saw there and elsewhere scattered about the town gave me a finer -conception of the spirit of the ancient art than all the more perfect -remains in Europe put together; and it seems to me that nowhere except -in Athens is it possible to attain a comprehension of its depth and -loveliness. Something, I know, is due to the genius loci, but you come -to the knowledge that the entire life, even the commonest, was pervaded -by something that has gone from modern art. In the Museum we saw a -lovely statue of Isis, a noble one of Patroclus, fine ones of athletes, -and also, showing the intercourse with Egypt, several figures holding -the sacred sistrum, and one of Rameses II. But it is the humbler -and funereal art that gives one a new conception of the Greek grace, -tenderness, and sensibility. I have spoken of the sweet dignity, the -high-born grace, that accepted death with lofty resignation, and yet not -with stoical indifference, of some of the sepulchral groups. There was -even more poetry in some that are simpler. Upon one slab was carved a -figure, pensive, alone, wrapping his drapery about him and stepping into -the silent land, on that awful journey that admits of no companion. On -another, which was also without inscription, a solitary figure sat in -one corner; he had removed helmet and shield, and placed them on the -ground behind him; a line upon the stone indicated the boundary of the -invisible world, and, with a sad contemplation, the eyes of the soldier -were fixed upon that unknown region into which he was about to descend. - -Scarcely a day passed that we did not ascend the Acropolis; and again -and again we traversed the Areopagus, the Pnyx, the Museum hills. From -the valley of the Agora stone steps lead up the Areopagus to a bench cut -in the rock. Upon this open summit the Areopagite Council held, in the -open air, its solemn sessions; here it sat, it is said, at night and in -the dark, that no face of witness or criminal, or gesture of advocate, -should influence the justice of its decisions. Dedicated to divine -justice, it was the most sacred and awful place in Athens; in a cavern -underneath it was the sanctuary of the dread Erinnyes, the avenging -Euries, whom a later superstition represented with snakes twisted -in their hair; whatever the gay frivolity of the city, this spot was -silent, and respected as the dread seat of judicature of the highest -causes of religion or of politics. To us Mars Hill is chiefly associated -with the name of St. Paul; and I do not suppose it matters much whether -he spoke to the men of Athens in this sacred place or, as is more -probable, from a point farther down the hill, now occupied by a little -chapel, where he would be nearer to the multitude of the market-place. -It does not matter; it was on the Areopagus, and in the centre of -temples and a thousand statues that bespoke the highest civilization of -the pagan world, that Paul proclaimed the truth, which man's egotism -continually forgets, that in temples made with hands the Deity does not -dwell. - -From this height, on the side of the Museum Hill, we see the grotto that -has been dignified with the title of the “prison of Socrates,” but -upon slight grounds. When the philosopher was condemned, the annual -sacred ship which was sent with thank-offerings to Delos was still -absent, and until its return no execution was permitted in Athens. Every -day the soldiers who guarded Socrates ascended this hill, and went round -the point to see if the expected vessel was in sight; and it is for -their convenience that some antiquarian designated this grotto as the -prison. The delay of the ship gave us his last immortal discourse. - -We went one evening by the Temple of Jupiter, along the Ilissus, to the -old Stadium. This classic stream, the Ilissus, is a gully, with steep -banks and a stony bottom, and apparently never wet except immediately -after a rain. You would think by the flattery it received from -the ancient Athenians that it was larger than the Mississippi. The -Panathenaic Stadium, as it is called, because its chief use was in -the celebration of the games of the great quadrennial festival, was -by nature and art exceedingly well adapted to chariot races and other -contests. Open at the end, where a bridge crossed the Ilissus, it -extended a hundred feet broad six hundred and fifty feet into the hill, -upon the three sloping sides of which, in seats of marble, could be -accommodated fifty thousand spectators. Here the Greek youth contended -for the prizes in the chariot race, and the more barbarous Roman -emperors amused a degenerate people with the sight of a thousand wild -beasts hunted and slain in a single celebration. - -The Stadium has been lately re-excavated, and at the time of our visit -the citizens were erecting some cheap benches at one end, and preparing, -in a feeble way, for what it pleases them to call the Olympic Games, -which were to be inaugurated the following Sunday. The place must -inevitably dwarf the performance, and comparison render it ridiculous. -The committee-men may seem to themselves Olympic heroes, and they had -the earnest air of trying to make themselves believe that they were -really reviving the ancient glory of Greece, or that they could bring it -back by calling a horse-race and the wrestling of some awkward peasants -an “Olympiad.” The revival could be, as we afterwards learned it -was, only a sickly and laughable affair. The life of a nation is only -preserved in progress, not in attempts to make dead forms live again. It -is difficult to have chariot races or dramatic contests without chariots -or poets, and I suppose the modern imitation would scarcely be saved -from ludicrousness, even if the herald should proclaim that now a -Patroclus and now an Aristophanes was about to enter the arena. The -modern occupants of Athens seem to be deceiving themselves a little with -names and shadows. In the genuine effort to revive in its purity the -Greek language, and to inspire a love of art and literature, the Western -traveller will wholly sympathize. In the growth of a liberal commercial -spirit he will see still more hope of a new and enduring Greek state. -But a puerile imitation of a society and a religion which cannot -possibly have a resurrection excites only a sad smile. There is no more -pitiful sight than a man who has lost his ideals, unless it be a nation -which has lost its ideals. So long as the body of the American people -hold fast to the simple and primitive conception of a republican -society,—to the ideals of a century ago,—the nation can survive, -as England did, a period of political corruption. There never was, not -under Themistocles nor under Scanderbeg, a more glorious struggle -for independence than that which the battle of Navarino virtually -terminated. The world had a right to expect from the victors a new and -vigorous national life, not a pale and sentimental copy of a splendid -original, which is now as impossible of revival as the Roman Empire. -To do the practical and money-getting Greeks justice, I could not learn -that they took a deep interest in the “Olympiad”; nor that the -inhabitants of ancient Sparta were jealous of the re-institution of -the national games in Athens, since, they say, there are no longer any -Athenians to be jealous of. - -The ancient Athenians were an early people; they liked the dewy -freshness of the morning; they gave the first hours of the day to the -market and to public affairs, and the rising sun often greeted the -orators on the bema, and an audience on the terrace below. We had seen -the Acropolis in almost every aspect, but I thought that one might -perhaps catch more of its ancient spirit at sunrise than at any other -hour. - -It is four o'clock when my companion and I descend into the silent -street and take our way to the ancient citadel by the shortest and -steepest path. Dawn is just breaking in pink, and the half-moon is in -the sky. The sleepy guard unbolts the gate and admits us, but does not -care to follow; and we pass the Propylæa and have the whole field to -ourselves. There is a great hush as we come into the silent presence -of the gray Parthenon; the shades of night are still in its columns. -We take our station on a broken pillar, so that we can enjoy a -three-quarters view of the east front. As the light strengthens we have -a pink sky for background to the temple, and the smooth bay of Phalerum -is like a piece of the sky dropped down. Very gradually the light breaks -on the Parthenon, and in its glowing awakening it is like a sentient -thing, throwing shadows from its columns and kindling more and more; the -lion gargoyles on the corners of the pediment have a life which we had -not noticed before. There is now a pink tint on the fragments of columns -lying at the side; there is a reddish hue on the plain about Piræus; -the strait of Salamis is green, but growing blue; Phalerum is taking -an iridescent sheen; I can see, beyond the Gulf of Ægina, the distant -height of Acro-Corinth. . - -The city is still in heavy shadow, even the Temple of Theseus does not -relax from its sombreness. But the light mounts; it catches the top -of the white columns of the Propylæa, it shines on the cornice of the -Erechtheum, and creeps down in blushes upon the faces of the Caryatides, -which seem to bow yet in worship of the long-since-departed Pallas -Athene. The bugles of the soldiers called to drill on the Thesean -esplanade float up to us; they are really bugle-notes summoning the -statues and the old Panathenaic cavalcades on the friezes to life and -morning action. The day advances, the red sun commanding the hill and -flooding it with light, and the buildings glowing more and more in it, -but yet casting shadows. A hawk sweeps around from the north and hangs -poised on motionless wings over the building just as the sun touches it. -We climb to the top of the western pediment for the wide sweep of view. -The world has already got wind of day, and is putting off its nightcaps -and opening its doors. As we descend we peer about for a bit of marble -as a memento of our visit; but Lord Elgin has left little for the -kleptomaniac to carry away. - -At this hour the Athenians ought to be assembling on the Pnyx to hear -Demosthenes, who should be already on the bema; but the bema has -no orator, and the terrace is empty. We might perhaps see an early -representation at the theatre of Dionysus, into which we can cast -a stone from this wall. We pass the gate, scramble along the ragged -hillside,—the dumping-ground of the excavators on the Acropolis,—and -stand above the highest seats of the Amphitheatre. No one has come. -The white marble chairs in the front row—carved with the names of the -priests of Bacchus and reserved for them—wait, and even the seats not -reserved are empty. There is no white-clad chorus manoeuvring on -the paved orchestra about the altar; the stage is broken in, and the -crouching figures that supported it are the only sign of life. One would -like to have sat upon these benches, that look on the sea, and listened -to a chorus from the Antigone this morning. One would like to have -witnessed that scene when Aristophanes, on this stage, mimicked and -ridiculed Socrates, and the philosopher, rising from his undistinguished -seat high up among the people, replied. - - - - -XXX.—THROUGH THE GULF OF CORINTH. - -WITH deep reluctance we tore ourselves from the fascinations of Athens -very early one morning. After these things, says the Christian's -guide, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. Our departure was -in the same direction. We had no choice of time, for the only steamer -leaves on Sunday morning, and, besides, our going then removed us from -the temptation of the Olympic games. At half past five we were on board -the little Greek steamer at the Piraeus. - -We sailed along Salamis. It was a morning of clouds; but Ægina -(once mistress of these seas, and the hated rival of Athens) and the -Peloponnesus were robed in graceful garments that, like the veils of the -Circassian girls, did not conceal their forms. In four hours we landed -at Kalamaki, which is merely a station for the transfer of passengers -across the Isthmus. Six miles south on the coast we had a glimpse of -Cenchreæ, which is famous as the place where Paul, still under the -bonds of Jewish superstition, having accomplished his vow, shaved his -head. The neck of limestone rock, which connects the Peloponnesus with -the mainland, is ten miles long, and not more than four miles broad from -Kalamaki to Lutraki on the Gulf of Corinth, and as it is not, at its -highest elevation, over a hundred feet above the sea, the project of -piercing it with a canal, which was often entertained and actually begun -by Nero, does not seem preposterous. The traveller over it to-day will -see some remains of the line of fortification, the Isthmian Wall, which -served in turn Greeks, Macedonians, Saracens, Latin Crusaders, and -Slavonic settlers; and fragments of the ancient buildings of the -Isthmian Sanctuary, where the Panhellenic festivals were celebrated. - -The drive across was exceedingly pleasant. The Isthmus is seamed with -ravines and ridges, picturesque with rocks which running vines drape and -age has colored, and variegated with corn-fields. We enjoyed on either -hand the splendid mountain forms; on the north white Helicon and -Parnassus; on the south the nearly two-thousand-feet wall-crowned height -of Acro-Corinth and the broken snowy hills of the Morea. - -Familiar as we were with the atlas, we had not until now any adequate -conception how much indented the Grecian mainland and islands are, nor -how broken into peaks, narrow valleys, and long serrated summits are the -contours. When we appreciate, by actual sight, the multitude of islands -that compose Greece, how subject to tempests its seas are, how difficult -is communication between the villages of the mainland, or even those on -the same island, we understand the naturalness of the ancient divisions -and strifes; and we see the physical obstacles to the creation of a -feeling of unity in the present callow kingdom. And one hears with no -surprise that Corfu wishes herself back under English protection. - -We drove through the cluster of white houses on the bay, which is now -called Corinth, and saw at three miles' distance the site of the old -city and the Acropolis beyond it. Earthquakes and malaria have not been -more lenient to the ancient town than was Roman vengeance, and of the -capital which was to Greece in luxury what Athens was in wit, only a few -columns and sinking walls remain. Even the voluptuousness of Corinth is -a tale of two thousand years ago, and the name might long ago have sunk -with the fortunes of the city, but for the long residence there of a -poor tent-maker, in whom no proud citizen of that day, of all those -who “sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play,” would have -recognized the chief creator of its fame. - -Our little Greek steamer was crowded excessively, and mainly with Greeks -going to Patras and Zante, who noisily talked politics and business in -a manner that savored more of New England than of the land of Solon and -Plato. For the first time in a travel of many months we met families -together, gentlemen with their wives and children, and saw the evidences -of a happy home-life. It is everything in favor of the Greeks that they -have preserved the idea of home, and cherish, as the centre of all good -and strength, domestic purity. - -At dinner there was an undisguised rush for seats at the table, and the -strongest men got them. We looked down through the skylights and beheld -the valiant Greeks flourishing their knives, attacking, while expecting -soup, the caviare and pickles, and thrusting the naked blades into their -mouths without fear. The knife seems seldom to hurt the Greek, whose -display of deadly weapons is mainly for show. There are dozens of stout -swarthy fellows on board, in petticoats and quilted leggings, with each -a belly full of weapons,—the protruding leathern pouch contains a -couple of pistols, a cheese-knife, cartridges, and pipes and tobacco. - -The sail through the Gulf of Corinth is one to be enjoyed and -remembered, but the reader shall not be wearied with a catalogue of -names. What is it to him that we felt the presence of Delphi, that we -had Parnassus on our right, and Mt. Panachaicum, lifting itself higher -than Mt. Washington, on our left, the Locrian coast on one side, and the -range of Arcadia on the other? The strait narrowed as we came at evening -near Patras, and between the opposite forts of Rheum and Antirheum it is -no broader than the Bosphorus; it was already dusky when we peered into -the Bay of Lepanto, which is not, however, the site of the battle of -that name in which the natural son of the pretty innkeeper of Ratisbon -rendered such a signal service to Christendom. Patras, a thriving new -city, which inherits the name but not the site of the ancient, lies -open in the narrow strait, subject to the high wind which always blows -through the passage, and is usually a dangerous landing. All the time -that we lay there in the dark we thought a tempest was prevailing, but -the clamor subsided when we moved into the open sea. Of Patras we saw -nothing except a circle of lights on the shore a mile long, a procession -of colored torches which illumined for an instant the façade of the -city hall, and some rockets which went up in honor of a local patriot -who had returned on our boat from Athens. And we had not even a glimpse -of Missolonghi, which we passed in the night. - -At daylight we are at Zante, anchored in its eastward-looking harbor -opposite the Peloponnesian coast. The town is most charmingly situated, -and gives one an impression of wealth and elegance. Old Zacynthus was -renowned for its hospitality before the days of the Athenian and Spartan -wars, and—such is the tenacity with which traits are perpetuated -amid a thousand changes—its present wealthy and enterprising -merchant-farmers, whose villas are scattered about the slopes, enjoy a -reputation for the same delightful gift. The gentlemen are distinguished -among the Ionians for their fondness of country life and convivial -gayety. Early as it was, the town welcomed us with its most gracious -offerings of flowers and fruit; for the pedlers who swarmed on board -brought nothing less poetical than handfuls of dewy roses, carnations, -heliotrope, freshly cut mignonette, baskets of yellow oranges, and -bottles of red wine. The wine, of which the Zante passengers had -boasted, was very good, and the oranges, solid, juicy, sweet, the best -I have ever eaten, except, perhaps, some grown in a fortunate year in -Florida. Sharp hills rise behind the town, and, beyond, a most fertile -valley broadens out to the sea. Almost all the land is given up to the -culture of the currant-vine, the grapes of Corinth, for in the transfer -of the chief cultivation of this profitable fruit from Corinth to Zante, -the name went with the dwarf vines. On the hillsides, as we sailed -away, we observed innumerable terraces, broad, flat, and hard like -threshing-floors, and learned that they were the drying-grounds of the -ripe currants. - -We were all day among the Ionian Islands, and were able to see all of -them except Cythera, off Cape Malea, esteemed for its honey and its -magnificent temple to the foam-born Venus. They lay in such a light as -the reader of Homer likes to think of them. We sailed past them as in -a dream, not caring to distinguish history from fable. It was off the -little Echinades, near the coast, by the mouth of the Achelous, that Don -John, three hundred years ago, broke the European onset of the Ottoman -arms; it was nearly a dear victory for Christendom, for among the -severely wounded was Cervantes, and Don Quixote had not yet been -written. But this battle is not more real to us than the story of -Ulysses and Penelope which the rocky surface of Ithaca recalls. And as -we lingered along the shores of Cephalonia and Leucadia, it was not of -any Cæsar or Byzantine emperor or Norman chieftain that we thought, but -of the poet whose verses will outlast all their renown. Leucadia still -harbors, it is said, the breed of wolves that, perhaps, of all the -inhabitants of these islands preserve in purity the Hellenic blood. We -sailed close to the long promontory, “Leucadia's far-projecting rock -of woe,” and saw, if any one may see, the very precipice from which -Sappho, leaping, quenched in brine the amatory flames of a heart that -sixty years of song and trouble had not cooled. - -Through the strait of Actium we looked upon the smooth inland sea of -Ambracia, while our steamer churned along the very waters that saw -the flight of the purple sails of Cleopatra, whom the enamored Antony -followed and left the world to Augustus. The world was a small affair -then, when its possession could be decided on a bit of water where, as -Byron says, two frigates could hardly manouvre. These historical empires -were fleeting shows at the best, not to be compared to the permanent -conquests and empire of the mind. The voyager from the Bosphorus to -Corfu feels that it is not any Alexander or Cæsar, Chagan or Caliph, -but Homer, who rules over the innumerable islands and sunny mainlands of -Greece. - -It was deep twilight when we passed the barren rock of Anti-paxos, and -the mountain in the sea called Paxos. There is no island in all these -seas that has not its legend; that connected with Paxos, and recorded -by Plutarch, I am tempted to transcribe from the handbook, in the quaint -language in which it is quoted, for it expresses not only the spirit of -this wild coast, but also our own passage out of the domain of mythology -into the sunlight of Christian countries: “Here, about the time that -our Lord suffered his most bitter passion, certain persons sailing from -Italy to Cyprus at night heard a voice calling aloud, Thamus! Thamus! -who giving ear to the cry was bidden (for he was pilot of the ship), -when he came near to Pelodes to tell that the great god Pan was dead, -which he doubting to do, yet for that when he came to Pelodes there was -such a calm of wind that the ship stood still in the sea unmoored, he -was forced to cry aloud that Pan was dead; wherewithal there were such -piteous outcries and dreadful shrieking as hath not been the like. By -which Pan, of some is understood the great Sathanas, whose kingdom was -at that time by Christ conquered, and the gates of hell broken up; for -at that time all oracles surceased, and enchanted spirits that were wont -to delude the people henceforth held their peace.” - -It was ten o'clock at night when we reached Corfu, and sailed in under -the starlight by the frowning hill of the fortress, gliding spectrally -among the shipping, with steam shut off, and at a signal given by the -bowsman letting go the anchor in front of the old battery. - -Corfu, in the opinion of Napoleon, enjoys the most beautiful situation -in the world. Its loveliness is in no danger of being overpraised. Shut -in by the Albanian coast opposite, the town appears to lie upon a -lake, surrounded by the noblest hills and decorated with a -tropical vegetation. Very picturesque in its moss-grown rock is the -half-dismantled old double fortress, which the English, in surrendering -to the weak Greek state, endeavored to render as weak as possible. It -and a part of the town occupy a bold promontory; the remainder of the -city lies around a little bay formed by this promontory and Quarantine -Island. The more we see of the charming situation, and become familiar -with the delicious mountain outlines, we regret that we can tarry but -a day, and almost envy those who make it a winter home. The interior -of the city itself, when we ascend the height and walk in the palace -square, appears bright and cheerful, but retains something of the -dull and decorous aspect of an English garrison town. In the shops the -traveller does not find much to interest him, except the high prices of -all antiquities. We drove five miles into the country, to the conical -hill and garden of Gasturi, whose mistress gathered for us flowers and -let us pluck from the trees the ripe and rather tasteless nespoli. From -this summit is an extraordinary prospect of blue sea, mountains, snowy -summits, the town, and the island, broken into sharp peaks and most -luxuriant valleys and hillsides. Ancient, gnarled olive-trees abound, -thousands of acres of grapevines were in sight, the hedges were the -prickly-pear cactus, and groves of walnuts and most vigorous fig-trees -interspersed the landscape. There was even here and there a palm. A -lovely land, most poetical in its contours. - -The Italian steamer for Brindisi was crowded with passengers. On the -forward deck was a picturesque horde of Albanian gypsies. The captain -said that he counted eighty, without the small ones, which, to avoid the -payment of fare, were done up in handkerchiefs and carried in bags like -kittens. The men, in broad, short breeches and the jackets of their -country, were stout and fine fellows physically. The women, wearing -no marked costume, but clad in any rags of dresses that may have been -begged or stolen, were strikingly wild in appearance, and if it is -true that the women of a race best preserve the primeval traits, these -preserve, in their swarthy complexions, burning black eyes, and jet -black hair, the characteristics of some savage Oriental tribe. The hair -in front was woven into big braids, which were stiff with coins and -other barbarous ornaments in silver. A few among them might be called -handsome, since their profiles were classic; but it was a wild beauty -which woman sometimes shares with the panther. They slept about the deck -amidst their luggage, one family usually crawling into a single sack. -In the morning there were nests of them all about, and, as they crawled -forth, especially as the little ones swarmed out, it was difficult -to believe that the number of passengers had not been miraculously -increased in the night. The women carry the fortune of the family on -their heads; certainly their raiment, which drapes but does not conceal -their forms, would scarcely have a value in the rag-market of Naples. I -bought of one of them a silver ornament, cutting it from the woman's -hair, but I observed that her husband appropriated the money. - -It was like entering a new world of order and civilization, next -morning, to sail through the vast outer harbor of Brindisi into the -inner one, and lie, for the first time in the Mediterranean, at a dock. -The gypsies made a more picturesque landing than the other passengers, -trudging away with their hags, tags, rags, and tent-poles, the women and -children lugging their share. It was almost touching to see their care -for the heaps of rubbish which constitute all their worldly possessions. -They come like locusts to plunder sunny Italy; on a pretence of seeking -work in the fields, they will spend the summer in the open air, gaining -health and living, as their betters like to live, upon the labor of -others. - -Brindisi has a beautiful Roman column, near it the house where Virgil -is said to have died, and an ancient fortress, which is half crumbling -walls and half dwelling-houses, and is surrounded, like the city wall, -by a moat, now converted into a vegetable garden. As I was peacefully -walking along the rampart, intending to surround the town, a soldier -motioned me back, as if it had been time of war. I offered to stroll -over the drawbridge into the mouldy fortress. A soldier objected. As I -turned away, he changed his mind, and offered to show me the interior. -But it was now my turn to decline; and I told him that, the idle impulse -passed, I would rather not go in. Of all human works I care the least -for fortresses, except to look at from the outside; it is not worth -while to enter one except by storming it or strolling in, and when one -must ask permission the charm is gone. You get sick to death almost of -these soldier-folk who start up and bar your way with a bayonet wherever -you seek to walk in Europe. No, soldier; I like the view from the wall -of the moat, and the great fields of ripe wheat waving in the sweet -north-wind, but I don't care for you or your fortress. - -Brindisi is clean, but dull. Yet it was characteristically Italian -that I should encounter in the Duomo square a smart, smooth-tongued -charlatan, who sold gold chains at a franc each,—which did not seem -to be dear; and a jolly, almost hilarious cripple, who, having no use -of his shrunken legs, had mounted himself on a wooden bottom, like a -cheese-box, and, by the aid of his hands, went about as lively as a -centipede. - -I stepped into the cathedral; a service was droning on, with few -listeners. On one side of the altar was a hideous, soiled wax image of -the dead Christ. Over the altar, in the central place of worship, was -a flaring figure of the Virgin, clad in the latest mode of French -millinery, and underneath it was the legend, Viva Maria. This was the -salutation of our return to a Christian land: Christ is dead; the Virgin -lives! - -Here our journey, which began on the other coast of Italy in November, -ends in June. In ascending the Nile to the Second Cataract, and making -the circuit of the Levant, we have seen a considerable portion of the -Moslem Empire and of the nascent Greek kingdom, which aspires, at least -in Europe, to displace it. We have seen both in a transition period, as -marked as any since the Saracens trampled out the last remnants of -the always sickly Greek Empire. The prospect is hopeful, although the -picture of social and political life is far from agreeble. But for -myself, now that we are out of the Orient and away from all its squalor -and cheap magnificence, I turn again to it with a longing which I cannot -explain; it is still the land of the imagination. - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of In The Levant, by Charles Dudley -Warner - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE LEVANT *** - -***** This file should be named 52213-0.txt or 52213-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/2/1/52213/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the -Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be -renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and -trademark. 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