tions of the Holy Land, effected by Assyrians, Chaldæans, Syrians, and Romans, it was not until the final overthrow of Judæa as a nation, that this state of prosperity ceased, and the country became depopulated; and as its prosperity mainly arose from its dense population, so when the land became, as was now predicted" utterly emptied" and "utterly spoiled," when the "inhabitants thereof" became "scattered abroad," then the earth (land) began to "mourn" and "fade." During the eighteen centuries that have succeeded to that event, Palestine has alternately been devastated by Saracens, European Crusaders, Turks, and predatory Arabs, and thus it will perhaps remain, until the time when the whole extent of evil denounced against it shall be poured out, and the promised deliverance take place. Would that this period was at hand! No child of Israel can look forward to its coming with livelier interest than ourselves, who, more than others, have been witnesses to the extent of their sufferings. Independant of this Christian feeling, the heart sickens at the sight of a land bearing upon it the impress of the curse of God, and recorded in such

awful characters as those that appear around us.

Aug. 28.-It was just break of day when we issued from the ravine, and descended into the rich plain of Ramla. Instead, however, of going thither direct (it lay right before us), I quitted the party, and turned a little to the right, following the road which leads to Loudh, the ancient Lydda. This city, after its destruction in the beginning of the Jewish war, on being rebuilt assumed the name of Diospolis, and became a place of some importance. It is now a heap of ruins; the most remarkable of which are the remains of a very handsome church, said to have been built, but more probably repaired, by Richard, surnamed Cœur de Lion, in honour of St. George, patron of England, whose birth-place it was, and who is reported to have suffered martyrdom here. The latter legend is not quite so satisfactory as the former ; nevertheless, a place has been fixed upon to commemorate the event. Here I was desired to kneel down,

The Greek names introduced under the Macedonian kings were rarely retained by the people; ex. gr. Ptolemais (Acre), Scythopolis (Bisan), Heliopolis (Baalbec), etc.

"I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctu aries unto desolation.''

whilst a Greek Papas, reciting a prayer, inyoked the intercession on my head of the saint, whose name I bear. He is held in great veneration throughout the East. I hardly ever entered a Greek church without noticing a picture representing his achievement with the Dragon; and that no mistake might be made, the inscription "Ayos reaps is written in the corner. He is likewise held in great respect by the Turks. The latter have an oratory at the western end of the church, the roof of which has fallen in, but the arch of the altar at the eastern extremity remains. It is a curious fact, and noticed by many travellers, that in all the ruined churches, and they are to be met with at every step, the altar is generally found to be more or less preserved. The pious christians of the East infer from this (and find consolation in the reflection) that some day or other they are to throw off the yoke of Ismaelism, and that their temples are to be restored to the unshackled worship of the God of the Christian world. Even the persecuted Jew looks forward to his promised deliverance; but the

"The sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste."

Turk thinks that Ismaelism has seen its halcyon days, and finds few to differ with him in his anticipation of a change of fortune. It is time that the oppressor should be oppressed: St. Peter's miraculous healing of the paralytic Eneas at Lydda was the means of bringing the inhabitants of Sharon to the knowledge of the Gospel. (Acts ix. 35.) The distance from hence to Ramla is about five miles; the road sandy and sultry. At about halfway, I alighted at a small building erected for the accommodation of travellers, near to which is a fountain of excellent water, overshadowed by the wide-spreading branches of a huge sycamore. These edifices, for which the traveller is indebted to the piety of individuals, both for their foundation and support, are very common throughout the East. In cities and much frequented places they rank amongst its most remarkable monuments. In some places it is a little more than a shed, containing large earthen vases filled with water, having beside them a small pot, for the use of passengers when thirsty but the traveller is not the less grateful to the invisible hand that provides for his wants.

On arriving at the convent at Ramla, I found that

my companions had continued their route on to Jaffa. I therefore spent the evening with Padre Tomaso on the terrace top, conversing upon all I had seen since we had last met, and the effect produced upon my mind by visiting the sacred places.

I did not require actually to see the places, which history tells of with such thrilling sensations to the soul, to quicken my faith in the reality of the memorable events of which they had been so long the theatre: the "holy seed" that had dropped in early youth (I hope not on an ungrateful soil) had now grown up into a strong and healthy plant, and feared not the blasts of incredulity or modern scepticism. But the great advantage I derived from becoming familiarized with those sites was this, viz. that the Book which more especially records the great events that passed therein, has even greater charms for me now than ever; 1 can read its pages with increased interest, particularly its historical parts, from the more vivid perception I have of its scenes. The

To understand the meaning of many passages in the sacred records-to discern the force and beauty of the language in which they are clothed, and the admirable propriety and significance of their allusions—in one word, to derive all the