an English clergyman, from whom he was said to receive fifteen pounds sterling a day for the journey; but this included (it was said) an extra camel or two through the desert, to carry water for the daily bath of a child.

To the American consul, J. Hosford Smith Esq. and to his estimable family, I was greatly indebted for their daily courtesies and kind offices. Mr Smith enjoyed the confidence and sincere regard of the missionaries; while his prompt attentions and acts of kindness to his numerous travelling countrymen, secured for him their grateful respect. Of his manly and upright bearing in his official duties, and its influence upon the local government and upon the people, I need not here speak; it was known and appreciated by all.

Mr Moore also, the British consul-general, tendered every facility in behalf of my undertaking; and I almost regretted my being unable to profit by his kindness, because every thing was so fully provided for by other friends. The Prussian consul, Mr Weber, I saw several times. He is a relative of Dr Schulz, late Prussian consul in Jerusalem, who had died there a few months before, in the autumn of 1851. From him I learned, that no note or memorandum whatever had been found among the papers of Schulz, relating to his travels and observations in the Holy Land. All that he ever wrote upon the subject, had been transmitted to Germany before his decease. Mr Black, a resident British merchant, connected by marriage with the family of Mr Thomson, exerts a wide and good influence. He acts as the banker of the American mission; as also of that at Damascus. At Beirût, I made likewise the acquaintance of Dr Paulding of Damascus, returning from a journey to Cairo and Sinai. A few days later we had also a visit from the Rev. Mr Porter of Damascus; to whom I was afterwards so much indebted in that city.

It had been arranged, that Dr Smith would accompany me to Jerusalem; taking the route through southern Lebanon and Galilee, and along the western border of the hills of Samaria and Judea; and returning along the eastern border of the same to the lake of Tiberias and Hasbeiya. We purposed to travel leisurely; and turn aside to examine every point of interest along the route. At Hasbeiya Mr Thomson would take me up; and after exploring with me the plain of the Hûleh, the region of Bâniâs, and the rugged chasm of the Lîtâny, would bring me forward to Damascus. From thence

Dr De Forest proposed to go with me through the Bŭkâ'a to Ba'albek and further north; but this purpose was frustrated by the subsequent decease of Miss Whittlesey, which threw upon

VOL. III.-3*

him the whole care of the female boarding school. His place with me was supplied by the Rev. Mr Robson of Damascus.

The spring was now advancing; but the latter rains had not yet ceased; and Dr Smith, who was to be my companion, was suffering from the effects of a fever, which had prevented his attendance for much of the time on the sessions of the annual meeting. Could I have foreseen while at Smyrna, all these causes of delay, I would gladly have remained over one trip of the steamer and visited Constantinople. Or could I have gone up to Jerusalem and returned before the meeting of the mission, my time might perhaps have been employed to more purpose. Yet this was utterly out of the question; although the distance does not exceed 150 miles; which however ordinarily occupies six or eight days of travel. Just here the difference of the orient and occident stands out in startling contrast. The like distance of 150 miles between New York and Albany is run every night by swift steamers in little more than eight hours; and every day by railway trains in five or six hours. The 210 miles between Liverpool and London I had just before traversed in 5 hours. So true it is that days of travel in the east are to be reckoned as less than hours to the iron horse.

The meeting of the mission, which heretofore had seldom continued more than a week, was this year extended to a fortnight; the closing session having been held on the evening of Wednesday, March 31st. As however the weather still remained unsettled, there was no reason on my part to regret this further delay.

Our preparations were seasonably begun and completed. As the missionaries are under the necessity of journeying more or less every year, their travelling equipage is usually on hand. Dr Smith decided to take along his own large tent, very similar to the one we had used upon our former journey; and there was the usual supply of bedding for each, with a large piece of painted canvas to spread it upon by night, and to roll it in by day. Each of my successive travelling companions took along his family servant, who acted also as cook and purveyor, and relieved us from all petty bargainings by the way. As second servant, we hired a young man, Beshârah, from 'Abeih, who proved very faithful, and continued with me the whole time.

As my companions would all ride their own horses, I preferred also to purchase one; as I could thus secure a good horse for the journey, instead of being exposed to the chances and difficulties of hiring. A horse was hired for Rashid our head servant; on which he carried in a Hurj, or large saddle-bags, the provisions and stores for the day. In this way we could make excursions, or take a more circuitous route; leaving the

baggage animals to go on directly to our night-quarters. We afterwards found this to be a very convenient arrangement. Two mules would have sufficed us; but we took three; in order that Beshârah might ride a part of the time and so come in fresh at night, when his services were most wanted. Each mule was followed by its master; two from 'Abeih and the other from 'Arâmôn; one a Maronite and two Druzes. The Maronite had along a little donkey, on which occasionally he could rest his legs by way of change.

The more usual mode of travelling in Syria at present, is for a party to put themselves into the hands of a dragoman, a native who speaks more or less of English, French, or Italian. This person undertakes to provide for them provisions, servants, tents, bedding, animals, and all the equipage of travel, for a stipulated daily sum; which is seldom if ever less than a pound sterling a day, for each person; and is often more.

We found the expenses of travel on this journey comparatively less than on the former one under the Egyptian rule. The wages of the head servant were about five dollars a month and those of the second about three; besides presents to both. For each mule we paid ten piastres a day (instead of fifteen as formerly) while travelling, and half price for the days we lay still. Our daily purchases too, being all made by native servants on whom we could rely, and who were acquainted in the country, were very reasonable. In this way our daily expenses were less than a pound sterling, for the whole party.

We took with us no weapons whatever; and never for a moment felt the need of any. Each of us had a Schmalkalder's compass; with which most of the bearings were taken. We had also a pocket-compass, measuring tapes, and thermometers; but no barometer. The measurements with the aneroid given in the following work are due mainly to Dr De Forest. Besides the books mentioned in my former work, I had with me the first two parts of RITTER's great work on Palestine; and the sheets of the third part, as far as to the description of 'Akka, with which the author had kindly furnished me in advance of publication. We were well supplied with the latest and best maps, including the large route-map of the Dead Sea Expedition; but found them all, of course, defective in the parts of the country which we traversed.

Through the kindness of the Hon. G. P. Marsh, then American minister at Constantinople, we each received an imperial Firman for the journey. It is usual also for the traveller to take a Tezkirah from the authorities of Beirût, in which servants and muleteers are included. From the custom-house in Beirût, which controls all others in Syria, we obtained a paper

exempting our effects from any examination at the gates of cities. These papers were of course enough for all purposes; yet afterwards, in 'Akka and Jerusalem, we obtained a Buyuruldy from the Pasha in each of those cities; in order that they might thus be made directly responsible, should any thing untoward take place within the limits of their respective provinces.

The Turkish government has wisely continued and extended the system of posts, introduced into Syria during the Egyptian dominion. At present a post travels every week to and fro between Beirût and Jerusalem by way of Yâfa. Another passes northwards weekly to Tripoly and Lâdakîyeh, and thence to Aleppo. The communication with Damascus is twice a week. From Aleppo and Aintab a land post goes regularly through Asia Minor both to Constantinople and Smyrna. The transmission of letters on all these routes is tolerably rapid, and not expensive.

At the time of my visit, an Austrian steamer from Smyrna arrived at Beirût every fortnight, and returned after three or four days.-Twice in each month a French steamer came in from and returned to Alexandria, until midsummer; when a new arrangement went into operation. This was a line of French steamers to ply between Alexandria and Smyrna at intervals of twenty days, touching at Beirût and other Syrian ports. Up to the spring of that year, an English mail-steamer had run once a month from Alexandria to Beirût, and back; but was then discontinued.

SECTION II.

FROM BEIRUT THROUGH GALILEE TO 'AKKA.

OUR departure from Beirût was at last fixed for Monday, the 5th of April, 1852. On the morning of that day the French steamer arrived from Alexandria, bringing letters and news from Europe and the New World. We sent off Beshârah with the mules and luggage about 11 o'clock; intending to pitch our tent for the night at Neby Yûnas.

We left the house of Dr Smith at 12.45; and stopping a moment at the houses of friends to bid adieu, we took the road to Sidon. In crossing the sand hills, we noticed again the surface rippled by the wind, like the sea when calm. During high winds, the sand moves forward in wavy lines; and sometimes rises and fills the air. At 1.50 we reached Nahr Ghudir, coming down from Wady Shahrûr; now a considerable stream flowing through the sands. Later in the season it dries up. At 2.10 we were at the deserted Dukkân el-Kusîs, where we had turned off on our way to 'Abeih. Dukkan is the appropriate name for the small stations or shops along the way, where food, fodder, and the like are sold, in distinction from the larger Khâns. A few minutes further was the Nahr Yâbis, now dry. It is regarded as the southern boundary of the promontory of Beirût; the Nahr el-Maut being the northern one. As we passed along, the village of Burj el-Burâjineh was on our left in the low plain; and the larger Shuweifât in three divisions on the roots of the mountain.

We came to Khân Khulda at 2.50, the Heldua of the Jerusalem Itinerary. Here are two or three small buildings (Dukkâns), only one of which was occupied. It is reckoned three mule hours from Beirût. We examined the sarcophagi on the side of the hill on the left a few minutes beyond. They have a general resemblance to those we saw on our way to 'Abeih; except that here the lids were mostly fitted on with grooves; and some of the sarcophagi are hewn also on the outside; there is a large number of them. We could find no inscriptions. This spot too

D