little plain South of Santa Hanneh; while we had followed the other valley. The mistake was owing to the well meant officiousness of our guide; who hearing us inquire respecting Idhna and Dawâimeh, and wishing to show us both places, had first brought us hither, intending to-morrow to take Idhna in our way to Hebron. This circuit was of course likely to frustrate the whole purpose of our visit to Idhna; and we were not a little disappointed. The hill on which Dawâimeh stands, is one of the highest in the surrounding tract. It affords a view of several villages and sites towards the East among the hills, and also on the higher mountain; while on the West an elevated ridge shuts out all view of the great plain. On this ridge stands the Wely we had seen from Tell el-Hasy.1 The people of the village came around us as usual; and we found here also several Christians from Beit Jâla, employed as labourers in the harvest. The barley-harvest was just at an end, and the wheat-harvest just beginning; so that the treading out of both species of grain was going on at the same time. Camels laden with sheaves were coming in as we arrived, carrying on their backs almost a small cart-load.After coffee in our tent, most of the people went away; but the Sheikh remained. We were not much disposed to like him; he was cringing in his manner, and at the same time reserved and unaccommodating. He still sat and sat, until dinner was served, and then partook of our meal; the first time that an Arab had yet eaten with us, though we had always invited them. 1) We obtained at Dawâimeh the following bearings: Beit 'Auwa, ruin, S. 45° W. Neby Nûh (Noah) near Dûra on the mountain, S. 70° E. Taiyibeh on the VOL. II. 51 mountain N. 85° E. Kusbur N. 72° E. Bükkâr N. 72° E. Beit The Sheikh and others spoke much of a ruined fortress called el-Burj, of which we had already heard, situated an hour or two South of Dawâimeh. The former offered to give us a guide thither in the morning; and we concluded on the whole to take this course, and return at a later period directly from Hebron to Beit Jibrîn. The guide was accordingly selected, and received his instructions to be ready at early dawn. We paid eight Piastres for his services into the hands of the Sheikh; and regarded it as a much higher price than usual, it being indeed the wages of a whole day; while less than half a day would be occupied by the man, both in going and returning. Here as elsewhere men were set to watch all night around our tent; but in this instance their charge probably extended also to the adjacent threshingfloors. Yet the Sheikh took good care not to burden his own people; but laid the task upon the poor labourers from Beit Jâla. No pay or present was now or at any time demanded on account of the watch. Our guards here, however, took their own pay in grain from the threshing-floors, which they parched and ate during the night; solacing themselves with this favourite article of harvest-food, and turning their watch into a wake. Wednesday, May 23d. We rose early; and just as we were mounting to set off for el-Burj, the guide came, and with him the Sheikh, saying he could not go with us unless we paid him a larger price. As this was a barefaced attempt at extortion, I decided instantly to take the road back to Beit Jibrîn and so to Idhna, in order to determine at once the question as to Eleutheropolis. Indeed, we did not regret, either now or afterwards, that this occasion had intervened thus to change our proposed course. We demanded back our money, which was repaid with evident cha grin. This was the first, and I think the only instance we met with, of a like meanness after a bargain had once been concluded; for however variable and extravagant an Arab may be in his previous demands, yet when an agreement had been actually made, we usually found them faithful to their engagements. Setting off at once, we returned by our road of last evening to the junction of the two Wadys in the little plain South of Santa Hanneh, half an hour from Beit Jibrîn. Here turning into the more eastern valley at 6 o'clock, we followed it up on the way to Idhna. I know not when I have felt more the excitement of suspense, than while traversing this short distance. A question of some historical moment was depending on the circumstance, whether we reached Idhna at 8 o'clock. If so, our researches after the long lost Eleutheropolis would be crowned with success; if not, we were again afloat, and certain of nothing. In this valley also there were occasionally traces of an ancient road, skirted by walls which probably enclosed fields. Our general course all the way to Idhna was E. S. E.E. The valley became narrower as we advanced, with green bushy hills on both sides. The hills round about had evidently once been terraced for cultivation; but the tillage is now confined mostly to the bottoms of the vallies. At a quarter past seven, we passed a well in the valley, and the ruins of a village called Beit 'Alâm, on a low mound at our left. Soon after this we saw a man walking before us with a gun; a suspicious circumstance in these days, when the people had been all disarmed. Sending forward a man to reconnoitre, we found he was a peaceable Fellâh from Dûra in the mountains. The inhabitants of that village, in their quarrels among themselves, had recently employed fire-arms; thereby showing to the government that they still possessed them, although they had formerly professed to give them all up. In consequence of this, the governors of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Hebron, were now at Dûra, demanding from the inhabitants their arms. Every man was required to bring in a gun; no matter whether he possessed one or not. This poor fellow, who had none, had been searching after one for three days in the plain, and had finally purchased a miserable old thing for sixty Piastres. He was now returning home in order to surrender it to the governors. At 7h 50', we came to the head of the valley; and here in the midst of a rocky tract of gradual ascent was a large public well. The stones round about it were much worn, by the friction of the ropes in drawing water. It now wanted but ten minutes of 8 o'clock; and as yet nothing was to be seen of Idhna. But as we reached the top of the ascent, the village lay before us, somewhat lower down on the other side; and precisely at 8 o'clock we entered the place and dismounted at the house of the Sheikh. We thus found Idhna to be just two hours, or six Roman miles, from Beit Jibrîn; which is the specified distance of Jedna from Eleutheropolis. At a later period we visited Beit Nusîb, lying near the other road from Beit Jibrîn to Hebron, not far from Terkûmieh. This latter village is reckoned at two and a half hours from Beit Jibrîn, and Nusîb is apparently a little less distant; corresponding well to the account of Jerome respecting Nezib, that it lay seven Roman miles from Eleutheropolis towards Hebron. ELEUTHEROPOLIS. I have thus detailed all the circumstances of direct evidence, which led us to the conviction, that Eleu theropolis must have been identical with Beit Jibrîn, the ancient Betogabra. The latter was the earlier native appellation, for which (as in so many other cases) the Greek name Eleutheropolis was officially substituted; yet the ancient name maintained its place in the mouths of the people, and the later one at length fell into disuse and was forgotten. An exact parallel is presented by the cases of Lydda, Emmaus, Jerusalem, and several other cities; which after having been for centuries officially known as Diospolis, Nicopolis, and Ælia, afterwards resumed their native names, while the others sunk into oblivion. In these and similar instances, there is indeed historical testimony to the identity of the native and foreign appellations; while in the case of Eleutheropolis and Betogabra, it happens, that no such incidental testimony exists. But on the other hand, as we shall see, there also exists none more direct against the identity; and the accidental silence of history cannot weigh against the mass of positive evidence. Our conviction of the identity of Eleutheropolis with Beit Jibrîn, was derived solely and exclusively from the specifications of Eusebius and Jerome, respecting the distances of various places from the former, the sites of which we were able to ascertain. These, as we have already seen, were the following: In respect to these places, it is to be remarked, that the distances specified are not to be regarded as definitely exact, or as having been accurately measured; unless perhaps, in the case of those which might |