"We now pursued our way across the hill, which was covered with a plentiful mixture of grass and sand, and arrived at the village of Misdal (or Mezdel), situated in a beautiful plain, and surrounded with small gardens, hedged with the Indian fig-tree. An hour and a half from Askelon, we reached the village Hamami. Its environs are cultivated, and the crops abundant, but quite overgrown with thistles, extensive plantations of which line the road on each side. At present, although our prospect is extensive, there is not a tree in sight; yet the growth of spring clothes the undulating fields, and every thing is fresh and beautiful.* It is not like the land of Egypt, but it is a thousand times more interesting. Having passed a large tumulus on the top of an adjoining hill, the history of which we could not learn, we came in sight of Ashdod (Azotus), pronounced in the country Shdōōd. In about half an hour we crossed a broad stone bridge, erected over the bed of a river: there was stagnant water in several places. Next we came to the ruined village of Tookrair, situated on the top of a hill on the left; which seems to have been a place of considerable consequence, probably Ekron.† Soon after, we arrived at Ashdod, passed the town and the well, with a small contiguous mosque on the roadside, turned into a pleasant grassy field, and pitched our tents for the night.

"The ground around Ashdod is beautifully undulating, the pasture luxuriant, but not half stocked

66

Sir F. Henniker describes the vale of Askelon as enamelled with flowers: " among others," he says, our garden pink assumes the place of daisies."

It

+ Ekron was near the sea, between Ashdod and Jamnia. was once a powerful city. Its territory was the border of the land of Judah. See Joshua xv. 11.

with cattle. The site of the town is on the summit of a grassy hill; and, if we are to believe historians, was anciently as strong as it was beautiful. Herodotus states, that Psammetichus, king of Egypt, spent twenty-nine years in besieging the city; in the end he was successful; an event which is stated to have occurred 1124 years B. C., about fifty years before the reign of David in Hebron. This was another of the five satrapies of the Philistines; who, when they had taken the Ark of God from the Israelites, brought it to Ashdod, and carried it into the house of Dagon their god. We neither saw nor heard of any ruins here. Scarcely any of the inhabitants came near us. They did not appear to be so sociable or so kind to strangers as their neighbours at Barbara. Every thing here was dearer than in Egypt: a sheep cost eight shillings and sixpence, the dearest in Egypt was seven shillings, and generally but five shillings. They charged us four piastres (about two shillings and sixpence) for the night's grazing of our camels and asses, which, in other places, we had with a free, hearty welcome. The blood of the plundering Philistines is still in the land."

Gath, the fifth of the Philistine cities, which was a place of strength in the time of the prophets Amos and Micah, (B. C. 787-750,) is placed by Jerome on the road between Eleutheropolis and Gaza. It appears to have been the extreme boundary of the Philistine territory in one direction, as Ekron was on the other: hence the expression, (1 Sam. vii. 14.) " from Ekron even unto Gath," which has led to its being considered as the most southern city, and Ekron the most northern. The phrase may be more probably interpreted as intimating, that Gath was the south-eastern border, as Ekron was the north-eastern; but it is not

clear that the latter was more northward than Ashdod, or the latter further south than Gaza. Gath might lay nearer to Arabia; and it seems to have become finally annexed to Judea before the time of the prophet Zephaniah, since no mention is made of it in the denunciations against Gaza, Ascalon, Ashdod, and Ekron, "the inhabitants of the sea-coast and the land of the Philistines." (Zeph. ii. 4, 5.)

From Ashdod to Jaffa is four hours' journey, or about twelve miles. The route lies over an undulating surface; the hills are high and partially cultivated, with abundance of thistles. The beautiful gardens of Jaffa commence on each side of the road, at the lowest part of the plain, a considerable distance from the town. The only places mentioned by Dr. Richardson as lying between Ashdod and Jaffa, are the villages Bededjen, (two hours from Ashdod,) and Djedou. Captains Irby and Mangles appear to have taken a different and less direct route. They crossed the Nahr (or river) El Rubin, close to the ruins of a Roman bridge, one great arch of which, and part of another, still remain, overgrown with bushes and weeds. The river above the bridge was nearly dry, (Oct. 11.) and filled with wild flowers and rushes. Below it they noticed "a handsome winding sheet of water, the banks of which were likewise covered with various water flowers, and many black water-fowl were swimming on its surface: the water is bad, but not salt. On the opposite side of this river, on a small eminence, is Shiekh Rubin's tomb, surrounded by a square wall, with some trees inclosed. There are in Syria and Egypt numbers of these tombs, which the Arabs erect to the memory of any man who, they think, has led a holy life; giving the title of shiekh, not only to their chiefs, but also to their saints. These

tombs are generally placed in some conspicuous spot, frequently on the top of some mount. The sepulchre consists of a small apartment, with a cupola over it, whitewashed externally (see Matt. xxiii. 27): within are deposited a mat and a jar of water, for the ablution of such as retire thither for devotion. Shiekh Rubin, who lived many years ago, appears to have been much respected, and the people to this day go to pay vows at his shrine: they also bring provisions, and make festivals there. The river, no doubt, receives its appellation from this shiekh." *

The travellers passed, on their right, Yabne, the ancient Jabneh, or Jamnia, situated on a small eminence it is still a considerable village. It lies about three hours' distance from Ashdod, and is reckoned to be 240 furlongs from Jerusalem. This was another of the Philistine cities, and was taken by Uzziah, king of Judah. (See 2 Chron. xxvi. 6.)

The route from Gaza, taken by Ali Bey, was much the same it lay first E. N. E.; then N. E. and N. through Ashdod; then N. N. E. and N. E., passing by Yabne, and over some wooded hills; and at length turned N. W. to Jaffa. The distance cannot be much less than forty miles. All the villages in this route are, according to this traveller, situated upon heights; the houses are extremely low, covered with thatch, and surrounded with plantations and gardens. The hills were covered (it was in the month of July) with olivetrees, and plantations of tobacco in full blossom. "All the country of Palestine," he says, " which I saw from Khanyounes to Jaffa, is beautiful. It is composed of undulating hills, of a rich soil similar to the

* Travels in Egypt, &c. By the Hon. C. L. Irby and James Mangles. 8vo. pp. 183, 4.

slime of the Nile, and is covered with the richest and finest vegetation. But there is not a single river in all the district; there is not even a spring. All the torrents I crossed were dry, and the inhabitants have no other water to drink than that which they collect in the rainy season, nor any other means of irrigation than rain water, and that of the wells, which is indeed good."*

ROUTE FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM.

FROM Jaffa to Ramla is a journey of three hours,——— about nine miles. The road lies over an undulating surface, partially cultivated and thinly inhabited, of a wilder and less inviting character than the country of the Philistines. A good deal of wood is to be seen near Jaffa; but afterwards, the road is bare, except that olive-trees cover some of the hills. The neighbourhood of Ramla, however, is adorned with many trees, among which the palm is conspicuous.

Ramla, or Rameli, the ancient Rama (of Ephraim), and supposed to be the Arimathea of the New Testament, is, by Phocas, computed to be 37 miles from Jerusalem: † it is situated in a rich plain, and contains about 2000 families. Here is a Latin convent, the whole brotherhood of which are Spaniards, said to have been founded by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy; it is the universal home of Christian travellers in this quarter. The Greeks and Armenians

have also convents here. There were two churches, which are now converted into mosques. The great

• Travels of Ali Bey, vol. ii. p. 209.

+ If this be correct, Jaffa cannot be less than forty-six or fortyseven miles from Jerusalem; though Quaresmius, on the authoity of Jerome, makes it only forty.

Travels of Ali Bey, p. 211.