of his religion. This was the frontier town of the land of Canaan.* October 10.-At 4 A. M. we left Gaza; the road for two hours was through beautiful groves of olive trees. Then entering an open country, partly cultivated, we passed some villages on each side of us, and the dry torrent of the Escol over a bridge of two high arches. About noon we had on our left Majudal, a large village with a mosque, situated in a valley, surrounded by groves of olives. At three in the afternoon we arrived at Asdoud, the site of the Roman Azotus ; near it is an antique building in the form of an open square, which we at first took to be Roman, but as the Turkish khans for the accommodation of caravans and travellers are built much in the same manner, we are rather inclined to believe that it is one of them of very ancient date. Its inclosed court is entered by an arched passage, within which, on each side, are piazzas formed of five arches, two on each side of a larger one in the centre. On each side of the south entrance are chambers, with steps to ascend to the top of the building. The chamber on the left has evidently been used as a primitive Christian chapel, as appears by an altar and a cross; and there is an inscription in some Eastern language over the door. There are other arches in ruins, and partly buried, closer to the village, amongst which is a marble fragment, which would appear to have once formed the capital of a Corinthian column. The natives of this place flocked round us in numbers, looking at us, and everything belonging to us, with wonder and astonishment. After we thought they had sufficiently surveyed us, we begged them to retire. They showed no incivility, but said they merely came to look at us. Some women came also, with a sick young man, apparently in a consumption, asking medical advice. We assured them we were not hackim, which they did not believe, and we luckily recollected that our Maltese interpreter had some "balsam of *Genesis, x. 19. Mecca," which the friars say is an antidote for all distempers. We gave them some, which appeared to excite much gratitude. They, however, soon returned to beg some of our hair, say. ing that the smoke of Christian hair, burnt while the medicine was warming, would ensure a cure of the disorder.* We could not help laughing at their superstition, but they continued to entreat us. For my part I had little to spare, and Irby did not seem inclined to give away any of his. They at length retired without the desired remedy, and brought us some honey and bread by way of return. This we offered to pay for, but they would not accept anything. We had been advised by Sheikh Ibrahim to go from Gaza to Jaffa, by the way of Ascalon or Ashkelon, but our camel conductor could not be prevailed upon to go through that place, as it is not on the direct road, and he would be liable to a penalty if he deviated from the common route of the camels—a regulation intended, we suppose, to prevent smuggling, as Ascalon is on the sea-coast. At that place we should have seen part of a Roman amphitheatre, and some excavations made by Lady Hester Stanhope, in search of supposed treasure, which failed of success; but what we saw at Azotus in some measure recompensed us, and this we should have missed had we gone by the other route. It was at Ashkelon that Samson slew thirty men (Judges, xiv. v. 19). Asdoud is called Ashdod in the Old Testament (see Isaiah, xx. ; Jeremiah, xxv.; Amos, i., ib. iii. ; Zechariah, xix. ; and Zephaniah, ii.). It is called Azotus in the Acts of the Apostles, and by the Romans. Palmyra, built by Solomon by the name of Tedmor, or Tadmor, is another instance, among many in Syria, of places having regained their original names. The Arabs in that neighbourhood know nothing of Palmyra, always calling it Tedmor. October 11.-Before daylight, we quitted Asdoud; the country is open * Mungo Park, at Dingyee, was requested by a foulah to give him a lock of his hair to niake a saphie. mount. The sepulchre consists of a On and little cultivated, though the soil is very rich. In the afternoon we passed some ruins, probably Roman; they appear to have been an aqueduct to convey water to the road-side, which is to the eastward of the tract we traversed. We also passed a well which our conductor told us contained poisonous water; on our right was Yabne, the ancient Jamnia, situated on a small eminence. About noon we crossed the nahr (or river) El Rubin, close to the ruins of a Roman bridge, one arch of which, and a part of another, are all that remain. They are overgrown with bushes and weeds, which have a pretty effect; and certainly, to an amateur of the picturesque, the ruins of Syria must have a decided advantage over those of Egypt, where an arid climate totally prevents there being the least spot of verdure on a ruined fabric, be it ever so old. The traveller is, however, recompensed for this deficiency, by the comparatively high state of preservation in which he finds the Egyptian monuments, notwithstanding their superior antiquity; and I think that he who has once seen Egypt, will never feel equally interested in any other country. It is this feeling that has brought Mr. Bankes back to the Nile, after having explored Greece, Asia Minor, and the Archipelago; and he is now gone a second time to Thebes. The river El Rubin, above the bridge, is nearly dry, and filled with wild flowers and rushes. Below it there is a hand-be of some seven or eight days' growth, some winding sheet of water, the bauks of which are 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 Sheikh Rubin's tomb, surrounded by a square wall, inclosing some trees. 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, for the title of sheikh is not only given to their chiefs, but also to their saints. These tombs are generally placed in some conspicuous spot, frequently on the top of a and his back was ornamented with a plaited pig-tail, reaching down to his middle. It was difficult to refrain from laughing at the sight of so odd a figure, for his dress was all soiled with fat and the drippings of soup. He received us with a dignified reserve, and, uttering several "favoriscas," showed us into the apartment, which performed the office of a saloon. This room was filled with water-melons; some English prints decorated the walls, and an old dirty sofa, without a "Ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which, within full of dead men's bones." Matt. xxiii. indeed, appear beautiful outward, but are v. 27. covering, and well stocked with fleas, constituted the furniture, whilst numerous holes in the floor gave free access and egress to the rats. In the evening, when supper was announced, we were in hopes of a splendid repast, and as we had not tasted anything since our early breakfast of dried fruit, we entered the room with our appetites very sharp set. Great was our disappointment when we found nothing but rice and cabbage, our host observing that it was " Giorno della Penitenza." We slept in the saloon, and got unmercifully bitten by the fleas. Next day we received some scraps of meat, but the old consul took care first to fill us so full of rice, that we could hardly find room for the better part of his feast. Jaffa, situated on the sea-coast, is a small fortified town; the defences were in a very ruinous state, but the Aga was busily employed in repairing them. Vessels were arriving from the northward daily, with stones, &c., and he himself superintended the operations constantly. The Christian and Mahommedan inhabitants were obliged to work alternate days, the parties being changed every morning at sunrise by the sound of the drum. We saw the place where the French entered the town on their advance into Syria, and the hospital where Buonaparte poisoned his sick, on his retreat, to prevent their falling into the hands of the Turks. This place is now the Armenian convent, and one of the priests, who was in the town at the time, says there were only thirty-five men thus poisoned. About a mile without the town the French army was encamped, and it was here that Napoleon inhumanly massacred the inhabitants in cool blood, after the town was fully in his possession. The number thus slain is uncertain, but many people now in Jaffa attest the truth of the story. Our camel-driver being bound to Jerusalem, we sent the heaviest part of our baggage to that place by him, and endeavoured to purchase horses to continue our route in Syria. As we found great difficulty in procuring them, we sent to request the Aga would lend us a Our soldier to assist us, as old Damiani, the consul, was of more harm than good in the business. Instead of doing so, the Aga very kindly said he would lend us government horses for nothing, as he had also done to Colonel Stratton, and that we might keep them as long as we pleased: he added, that an Englishman, to whom he had granted the same favour, had three years afterwards sent him a spy-glass in return. This observation savoured a little of self-interest, but he was a kind-hearted man, as the following incident shows. Maltese interpreter, twenty years ago. had been in a better situation of life, and, whilst trading in a small way in cotton, became acquainted with this Aga; on some occasion he had given him a watch as a present; they never again met till the other day, when the Maltese, travelling as interpreter to Colonel Stratton, was recognised, at Jaffa, by the Aga, who, seeing him in reduced circumstances, forced him to receive a sum of money, saying, it was now his turn to give a present. The Maltese, who is an honest man, declined accepting the cash, but the other forced him to take it. This is one, amongst other instances we have met with of the disinterested generosity of the higher class of Turks. Jaffa is the ancient Joppa: Hiram, king of Tyre, sent Lebanon cedars by sea to Joppa, for the building of Solomon's temple; and the latter had them removed by land to Jerusalem (see 2 Chronicles, c. ii. v. 16). The scene of St. Peter's vision was near Joppa (Acts, x.). October 15.-At 9 A. M. we left Jaffa. We had not slept in a house, or under any cover since we departed from Cairo; as yet we had found no inconvenience from this; but as we were going to the northward, and the winter was fast coming on, we thought it advisable to equip ourselves in a thick Arab garment, made of a sort of coarse wool or sackcloth; it was very heavy, and, although of the best quality, cost only ten piastres, little more than five shillings; a pair of coarse white Turkish breeches, and red worsted turban completed our costume. The sun in the desert had browned us to a good standard colour, which according well with our dress, we thus avoided the curiosity of the natives, who before used to flock round to gaze at us as if we had been wild beasts. For five piastres we purchased a woollen mat to do duty as a bed; and thus furnished, and with four good hack horses, we felt quite independent. As to provisions, we always had a staple of bread, cheese, and onions, which served for breakfast, dinner, and supper, unless we were fortunate enough to meet with a fowl. Our road led along the seabeach, and we shortly crossed the nahr El Petras. In the afternoon we passed through a wild but pretty country, and crossed the nahr Arsouf, leaving the village of that name (the ancient Apollonia) on our left. The following morning we set out very early, and crossing the nahr El Kasab arrived at Cesarea. Here we stopped two hours, examining the antiquities. A small part of these are inclosed within the ruins of an old wall and ditch, which appeared to be Saracenic; and on a promontory which bounds this extremity on the south side, are the remains of a large edifice, constructed apparently upon the ruins of a Roman temple. Many fragments of immense pillars of granite have been used to form a landing-place on the north point of a small bay. The Roman remains extend far beyond the limits of the walls before-mentioned, and to the north of them. Above, and parallel with the sea-beach, are the ruins of some arches, and of a wall, which appears to lead to the hills, which now begin to approach closer to the sea, and to the nahr Zerka, where the water is fresh; this circumstance, and the wells of the town having bad water, led us to suppose that these arches had once been part of an aqueduct. There are also wells on the promontory, but they are now dry. Without the Saracenic walls, to the south, we found a column of marble, with a Roman inscription of the Emperor Septimius Severus, but too much buried for us to take a copy of it. About noon we arrived at Tortura, the ancient Dora (see Judges, i. 27). There are extensive ruins here, but they possess nothing of interest. We left this place at two, and at four reached Athlite, where we remained for the night. Between Tortura and Athlite are numerous stone quarries. The village of Athlite is situated on a peninsular-shaped promontory, and has apparently been constructed from the ruins of an ancient city. It is of small extent, and would seem from its elevated situation, and the old wall which surrounds it, to have been a citadel. There are the ruins of two other walls, one of which incloses a square space, the farther or southernmost end of which juts into the sea. There are three entrances through this wall, two on the east, and one on the south side, and steps in various places to ascend to the top of it. The other wall approaches near to that of the citadel; but the outer one, which we may suppose to have included the remainder of the ancient town, incloses a considerable space of ground now uninhabited. There is a small bay to the south of the promontory, which may have occasioned the construction of a town on this site, as it makes a tolerable haven for small vessels. The most interesting thing within the citadel, is the ruin of a great building, which we were puzzled to make out; the half of the circumference, which is still standing, has six sides. On the exterior, below the cornice, in altorelievo, are heads of men, lions, and sheep. The exterior walls of this edifice have a double line of arches in the Gothic style; the lower row larger than the upper one; the architecture is light and elegant. There does not appear to be any ancient name to this place, and from all the information that we could obtain, the ruins are no older than the time of the crusades, when the town went by the name of Castel Pelegrino. From the commodiousness of the bay, the extent of the quarries in the neighbourhood, the fine rich plains near it, which now are only partially cultivated, it would seem that this place was formerly of much importance, and that the neighbourhood, though now very thinly inhabited, was once populous. October 17.-At day-light we departed through the northernmost of the two passages in the eastern wall. Here the rock has been cut away to form the road, and various circumstances combined, induced us to form an opinion that Athlite is of much greater antiquity than is represented. Passing by the part of the coast formed by the foot of Mount Carmel, we entered the bay of Acre, and in less than three hours from Athlite we were at Caiffa (the ancient Hepha). Here we found the only friar at present belonging to the convent of Mount Carmel, an intelligent man (a Maltese), who, after supplying us with breakfast, attended us to the summit of Carmel, where the convent is situated. This building was formerly fitted up with beds, and every accommodation. It was pillaged and destroyed by the Arabs after the retreat of the French army from the siege of Acre; the latter having used it as a hospital for their sick and wounded, while their operations were carrying on; and in the places where the poor fellows were laid, the numbers by which they were arranged are still visible on the walls. The friar shewed us a cave cut in the natural rock where the prophet Elijah had his altar (see 1 Kings, xviii. 17, and following verses). In front of this are the remains of a handsome church in the Gothic style, built by the Empress Helena at the time she made her pilgrimage to Jerusalem. From Mount Carmel there is a beautiful view of the bay of Acre, the mountains inland, and the Mediterranean. Near the convent are some prostrate columns. We found an immense scorpion amongst the rubbish in the court. There is a well of excellent water. The mount is of very inconsiderable height, and quite barren, though at the north-eastern foot of it are some pretty olive-yards. On mentioning to the friar our suspicions of the ruins of Athlite being partly Roman, he suggested the idea that it might have been called Athla, as the present name Athlite resembles that word much in sound. We returned from Mount Carmel, and leaving Caiffa at three in the afternoon, followed the coast of the bay of Acre, and shortly passed over to the right of the brook Kishon, where Elijah slew the worshippers of Baal after he had proved to them the existence of the true God, by the miracle he had wrought on Mount Carmel. We soon after crossed the mouth of the river Kishon, and subse quently the river Belus, and reaching Acre at sunset, were shown to the house of Signor Malagamba, the British agent. All the rivulets we have hitherto passed in Syria are fordable in the Autumn, close to their junction with the sea, where the counteraction of the rapid streams of the rivers, and the surf, form sand-banks or bars. The water is generally fresh close to their junction with the ocean. We October 13.-We found Signor Malagamba more useful to us than Damiani: but as he had no room to lodge us in, we took up our quarters in the convent, where we were kindly received by the "Padre Superiore." We ate our meals with the worthy consul, whose house is in the same khan as the convent. Acre is a strong fortified town. Since the French siege, in 1799, the Turks have doubled the walls which inclose the town. were shewn the breach made by the French army, now entirely repaired, except the spent shot-holes. The situation of Acre is delightful. The principal objects of interest in the town are the mosque, the pasha's seraglio, the granary, and the arsenal. A great religious festival was solemnised by the Turks while we were here. The mosques were brilliantly illuminated at night. The next day we went to see the pasha's finest horses: they were splendidly caparisoned with gaudy trappings of leopards' skins embroidered with gold and silver; but the animals themselves were ill made and good for little, the whole affair being. more for show than use. Acre was the Accho of the Old Testament, which, together with Achzib, Dor, Sidon, and some other places of the sea-coast of Syria, were never completely subdued by the Israelites (see |