.i^-fc-.

A.,

THE INNEE LIFE OF
SYRIA, PALESTINE, AND THE HOLY LAND.

VOL. II.

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HIClfAJtl) llCRTOy

THE INNER LIFE OF
SYRIA, PALESTINE,
AND THE HOLY LAND.
FROM MY PRIVATE JOURNAL, BY

ISABEL BUTTON.

" Ellati Zaujuha ma' aha b'tadir el Kamar b'asbiha."
("The woman who has her husband with her (i.e. at her back) can turn
the moon with her finger.")
" El Maraa min ghayr Zaujuha mislaha tayaran maksus el Jenahh.''
(" The woman without her husband is like a bird with one wing.")
" He travels and expatriates ; as the bee
From flower to flower, so he from land to land,
The manners, customs, policy of all,
Pay contributions to the store he gleans;
He seeks intelligence from every clime.
And -spreads the honey of his deep research
At his return, — a rich repast for me!"

WITH MAP, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND COLOURED PLATESi
IN TWO VOI/UMES.— Vol. II.
Henry S. King & Co., London.
1875.

(All rights reserved.)

CONTENTS OF VOL. IL

CHAPTER XXIII.
PAGE
The Wedding of the Wali's Daughter — The Damascus Swamps —
Mohammed Dukhi's Camp — Safety of Letters at Beyrout — An
official Visit — How I tore off the Diamonds — The Mezrabs —
Mohammed Agha, the Kawwass-Bashi of the Consulate — The '
Famine of the Winter 1870-71 ...  ... 1
CHAPTER XXIV.
Our Haj to Jerusalem ... ... ... ... ... 18
CHAPTER XXV.
Continuation of the Pilgrimage ... ... ... ... 50
CHAPTER XXVI.
Pilgrimage (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 81
CHAPTER XXVII.
A Dream ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 112
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Pilgrimage {continued) ... ... ... ... ... 164
CHAPTER XXIX.
Continuation, and last of our Pilgrimage ... ... . . . , 204
CHAPTER XXX.
More disagreeables awaiting us at Damascus — Jebel Duruz Hauran
— Syrian Camp — Jews again ... ... ... ... 257
CHAPTER XXXI.
Bludan Life agam ... ... ... ... ... ... 267
CHAPTER XXXII.
" Tout est perdu fors l'honneur " ... ... ... ... 276
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Conclusion ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 296
Appendix ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 307

AUTHOR'S ERRATUM.
Vol. II. p. 139, note.— I was misinformed when stating " McClaren's system of sword
exercise is half a century old." Our good friend Archibald MacLaren, of the Gymnasium,
Oxford, published his "System of Fencing" in July, 1864.

THE INKER LIFE OF SYRIA.

CHAPTER XXIIi;
THE WEDDING OP THE WALI'S DAUGHTER — THE DAMASCUS
SWAMPS— MOHAMMED DUKHI'S CAMP— SAFETY OF LETTERS
AT BEYROUT— AN OFFICIAL VISIT— HOW I TORE OFF THE
DIAMONDS— THE MEZRABS— MOHAMMED AGHA, THE KAW
WASS-BASHI OF THE CONSULATE— THE FAMINE OF THE
WINTER 1870-71.
November 3rd. — Druze Shayhks — Hazirneh and Honaydeh —
came to visit us, and stayed in our house.
On the 7th poor " Fuss," one of my bull-terriers, died.
On the 14th I was invited to the Wali's harim, for the
wedding of his daughter with the son of Saib Effendi. It was
a great occasion, and a more splendid Eastern wedding I was
not likely to see again. It lasted five days and nights, the men
celebrating it in one house, and the women in another. The
Seraglio consisted of the Koranic maximum, four wives, and two
assistant wives, besides the Wali's mother, sisters, aunts and
cousins, with all their slaves. The other great harims were
likewise invited, and we mustered several hundred. It was a
grand sight. My friend and I were amongst the intimes, and
were treated en famille. The dresses were wonderful in richness
and gaucliness : diamonds blazed everywhere ; but there was one
very remarkable usage which took my fancy. The best women
dressed in a plain Cashmere robe of neglige shape, and wore no
VOL. II. B

2 The Inner Life of Syria.
ornaments, but loaded all their riches on one or two of then-
slaves, as if to say, in school-girls' parlance, "Now, girls! if
you want to see my things there they are. I have them, but
it is too great a bore to carry them myself; and you can inspect
and turn Mirjanah and Hassunah about as much as you like."
Our amusements were those which I have described a dozen
times. Some days we had native music, singing and dancing,
followed by tours de force by a German strolling mountebankess,
and her tiny son ; this they thought very clever.
About twelve o'clock at night on the eve of the wedding, a
long procession of female relatives, friends, and slaves, wound into
the large hall where we, the invited, all sat around the walls.
Every woman in the procession bore branches of lights. The bride
was in the middle, supported as usual on either side. She was a
beautiful girl of about fifteen or sixteen ; her magnificent chest
nut hair swept in two great tresses below her waist, knotted and
studded with pearls. She was dressed in velvet, couleur sang de
boeuf, encrusted with diamonds and pearls. She wore a velvet
fez, also half hidden by precious stones ; diamond stars were
glued to either cheek, the chin, and forehead, and they were
rather in the way of our kissing her, for they scratched the face.
She was a determined, spirited-looking girl, as well as beautiful,
and she had been crying bitterly because she did not want to
be married. She had never seen the happy man; she doated
upon her father, and she was happy at home. She used to ride as
well as any man, Turkish fashion, in izar with veiled face, and I
suppose she thought that this tiresome marriage would spoil all
her girlish frolics. She came in with the procession, and sat on
the divan, receiving all our congratulations, looking rather like a
naughty child that ivould like to scream and kick.
On the marriage-day we were up betimes. The harirn had
begged of me to wear an English ball-dress, that they might see
what it was ; so I said — " I will do what you ask, but I know you
will be shocked." " Oh, no," they replied ; " we are quite sure
we shall be delighted." So I wore a white glace silk skirt, a
turquoise blue tunic and corsage, the whole affair looped up and
trimmed with blush roles, and the same in my hair. They

The Wedding of the Wali's Daughter. 3
turned me round and round, and often asked me if I were not
cold ; if it were true that strange men • danced with us one
after another, and put their arms round our waists ; and if we
did not feel dreadfully ashamed ; and if we sat and ate and
drank with them ? I described a European ball by interpreter,
for they spoke Turkish, which was greeted Avith choruses of
Mashallahs. By my side, and more thorough-bred looking than anybody, like
iin Oriental queen, was my English friend who resides at Damas
cus, and the charming young wife of Signor Castelli, our Italian
Consul, whose toilettes were fresh from Italy. The marriage was a
simple but most touching ceremony. We were all assembled in
the great hall ; the Wali entered, accompanied by the women of
the family ; the bride advanced weeping bitterly, and knelt and
kissed her father's feet. The poor man, choking with emotion,
which he could hardly suppress, raised her and clasped a girdle of
diamonds round her waist, which was before ungirdled. It is
part of her dower. No one can unclasp it but her husband, and
this concludes the ceremony.
Shortly afterwards she was borne in a procession to the bride
groom's house ; her own father and his father received her at the .
door. The. young man then knelt and kissed his father's feet, and
embraced his father-in-law ; he handed up his bride, still veiled,
to a bower-like throne, decorated in Christmas-tree fashion, where
she sat and received the kisses and congratulations of all the
women present. After about half an hour she was conducted to
a private room by a female relative, and he by a male relative.
The door was shut, and the band played a joyous strain. I asked
what was going to happen, and they told me that the bridegroom
was allowed to raise her veil, to unclasp her belt, and to speak a
few words to her, in the presence of both relatives. This is the
first time they have seen each other. What an age of reward or
punishment must be concentrated into that one moment for an
Eastern woman.
After this grande emotion they are conducted back. The
guests do not retire until midnight, and then they are left to
themselves.

4 The Inner Life of Syria.
This marriage proved happy. I visited them two days after
wards, according to custom, and two months later I saw that they
were really attached to each other; indeed, he would have been
very hard to please had it been otherwise. I must not forget to
say that when the Wali Avas entering the harim the women ran
and fetched a shawl to cover me. The precaution was useless ;
considering he had received part of his education in Paris.
November lQth.—We rode over to Jobar and Jeramaneh, to
meet Mr. AVright. On starting, as we meant to go further, we
had a small escort of free-lances, headed by Mohammed Agha,
brother of Da'as of Jayrud, who had volunteered for Palmyra.
Our object Avas to ride across the Ghutah and the Merj, or
Damascus plains, into the Wady el Ajam. The swamps marked
on the maps as a day's journey from Damascus are, the Bahrat el
'Utaybah, the Bahrat el Hijanah, Bahrat Bala, and the Matkh
B'rak. En route we passed through El Eassuleh, Avhere are the
ruins of a Christian church, fourteen and a half steps, a cross on
a corner stone, and an inscription on a column, which ran thus : —
D D N N
CONSTANTIIVICTORIOSISSIMIAVE ET CONSTANTII
NOBILI CAESARIS
N P
MSSI PRAETOR.
It was Saturday, and Mr. Wright, having parochial duties,
reluctantly took leave of us here ; Ave had our guns with us, and
Ave Avere able to get a shot at Avild duck now and then.
Our escort soon perceived that Ave Avere riding far out into the
Desert, toAvards the direction where the dreaded Mohammed Dukhi
Avas known to camp, and they began those well-knoAvn feints of
making their horses curvet, prance, and wheel in circles, as if
they had suddenly become unmanageable. Every round became
so much larger, that they dropped out of sight one by one.
Mohammed Agha, the Jayrudi, Avas cleverer; he pretended to
cast a shoe, and to stop to put it on. ToAvards sunset Captain

Visit to the Wuhl Ali. 5
Burton and I found ourselves left alone Avith our personal
attendants. We reached the encampment of the Wuld Ali next day.
When first they saw the tAvo dusky figures galloping across the
sand, they rode out to meet us Avith their lances couched, but as
soon as they Avere close enough to recognize the man they hail
as, "Ak-hu Sebbah," they lowered their weapons, jumped off their
horses, and kissed our hands, galloped in with us, and held our
stirrups to alight. 1 need not say that Ave received all the hos
pitality of BedaAvi life. We, hoAvever, had one disappointment.
Mohammed Dukhi, the Chief of the tribe, was absent on a Ghazu,
but he had left his brother-in-law, Shaykh Salih et Tayyar in
charge, and Ave were his guests. The former rules some 5000
spears ; he is a curious mixture of saAragery and civilization, and
he has progressed far enough to become a freemason. Bedawin are
usually truth telling as the modern model Anglo-Saxon. This man
has learned all the falsehood and intrigue of City life, and his com
posite character, for he fights bravely if required, makes him the
plague of the Damascenes. Shaykh Salih, on the other hand, is
an honest, open-hearted Arab. My husband's object Avas to patch
up a peace betAveen the Wuld Ali and the Mezrab tribes, and
Mohammed Dukhi, probably scenting the plan, rode off to the
next section of the Camp, and gave out that he Avas on a raid.
We visited the lakes, and they were all dried up, the only sign of
them was a piece of water in the sand about the size of a small
duck-pond. What, then, becomes of the Barada and the Awaj,
the said ancient Abana and Pharpar ? * They have been partly
drawn off, and partly evaporated before reaching their basins at
'Utaybah and Hijanah.
We had a delightful ride after leaving one encampment for
¦another. The ground Avas as smooth as a billiard table; it Avas a
soft and breezy day, neither too hot nor too cold, rare in these
latitudes. Salih et Tayyar and his relatives accompanied us. As
* Captain Burton considers the identity of the Barada with the Abana " not
proven," and that of the Awaj and the Pnarpar doubtful in the extreme. Mr.
Porter speaks of a Wady Barbur, -which has some similarity of name. There is a
Jebel Barbur, but the name is not, that I know, given to any water,

6 The Inner Life of Syria.
we mounted my husband Avhispered to me, " Let us show these
fellows that the English can ride; they think that nobody can ride
but themselves, and that nothing can beat those mares." I looked
round, and saw their thorough-bred mares with very lean flanks,
and I did not know how it would be Avith our half-breds, but ours
had the advantage of being in first-rate condition, full of corn, and
mad with spirits, so I gave my usual answer to everything he says
or does, " All right ! wherever you lead I'll follow."
As soon as the " Yallah " was uttered for starting we simply
laid our reins on our horses' necks, and neither used spur nor
whip, nor spoke to them — they went as though Ave had long odds
on our ride. We reached the camp in one hour and a half.
Salih et Tayyar and his men came up an hour and a half later.
Neither we nor our horses had turned a hair ; their mares were
broken down, and the men were not only scarlet and perspiring,
but they complained bitterly that their legs were skinned. " Ta
Sitti ! " said Salih et Tayyar, " why, El Shaitan himself could
not follow you." " I am so sorry," I replied, " but our Kaddishes
(garrons) would go, and we wanted to ride with you." This AA-as
all the difference of food and condition, for there is no question of
the advantage of " blood " that their mares had over our horses.
An incident occurred on our return, which I quote, anent the
safety of letters in Beyrout in 1871.
About twelve days before, I had written a letter of a somewhat
private nature from Damascus to my husband, who was in Beyrout,
detailing a local matter which I thought he ought to know. I
dropped it into the Damascus post. He never received it. Eiding
home from Mohammed Dukhi's camp, at the edge of the Desert
is a Moslem village, where Ave stopped to drink coffee, I saAv
on the ground in the court-yard a dirty envelope that looked like
my own handwriting, with the Beyrout postmark upon it. I
picked it up, and found my own letter, all crumpled. It had
been opened, and read, and dropped out of somebody's pocket.
The date showed it to be twelve days old. It had o-0ne
by the Damascus post-office to Beyrout, as the stamp showed ; it
had been opened, and sent back to some one in Damascus. And
Providence was good enough to give me a warning: strange

All Official Visit from England. 7
things do happen to those who trust in God. After that time
I never wrote to my husband, whilst in Syria, except Avith a kind
of cypher of my ovvn. It is very difficult to comment upon this
and other similar occurrences, without pointing too markedly at
the offenders ; and a general remark avouIc! only have the effect of
hurting the feelings of, and casting a slur upon, a community of
innocent and honourable people. Such an act in a native would
be less reprehensible, because laws of honour are not ground into
him from the hour of his birth, and it would be still less so Avere
he silently encouraged by a smile or a shrug from a European.
I feel that I am talking a strange tongue to readers in
England, where such an act as opening or destroying private
letters would never be dreamt of amongst gentlemen ; and Avhich
Avould banish any woman from society. Still, in the Levant it does
occur ; and any Europeans Avho are honest, fearless, and straight
forward by compulsion or custom, but not by Nature's gift,
become, after a long residence, much like Mohammed Dukhi.
At first they shudder at the felonious idea. By slow degrees the
atmosphere of intrigue infects them ; they see those around them
imitating the natives, and they end in an assimilation. The
moral of this is, that the average man or woman should not be
stationed too long in the Levant at a time. Three years out of
and one in Europe, is the best mixture. Be it understood that
this kind of person is happily the exception to the rule; but
in all large English communities abroad you may generally meet
one or tAvo who keep all the rest on the qm vive unpleasantly.-
Besides, many are born, bred, and educated out of England, but
unfortunately inherit their English name from their parents, who
settled abroad.
On the 22nd December we heard accidentally that an old friend
of the Consul-General's, Mr. K— — , had come on a visit. We
thought it in good taste to meet him, and invite him to Damascus
before his leaving Syria, and so went doAvn to Beyrout. On
Christmas Eve I heard midnight mass at the Convent of the
Dames de Nazareth. All the young girls attended in white
dresses and veils, and sang very sweetly, and Ave Avent in a
body to Holy Communion. My husband and I ate our Christmas

8 The Inner Life of Syria.
dinner with the Consul-General, and Avere introduced to Mr. K — — .
M. Abcarius, the Consul-General's Dragoman, told me an amus
ing story about myself. A certain JeAvish usurer of Damascus had
assured him that his Avife met me at the wedding of the Wali's
daughter ; that I had torn her diamonds off her head, flung them
on the ground, and stamped upon them, saying they Avere made out
of the blood of the poor. He added that the story had gone the
round of Beyrout. I must confess to having been much amused.
What a pleasant person I must be to invite to a party. Small
untruths may sting, but when they rise to such heights they are
quite harmless. In England there is often a little fire to raise a
smoke, but in the East the smoke is but the breath of the calum
niator. The usurer only hoped, by telling such a story AA'hilst an
official visitor Avas there, to do my husband some injury. I diverted
myself by taxing the inventor AA-ith it next morning — he pretended
to rend his beard and bite his fingers Avith rage, and he tried
to lay the blame upon a brother usurer. I must explain to my
reader what did really occur. In the midst of our amusements
the Avife Avanted to go through her husband's business affairs Avith
me, from beginning to end, and I already had heard them a dozen
times, till I kneAv them like my Pater noster. I said to her,
" What have Ave Avomen to do Avith business ? Let us be friends
and enjoy ourselves now; let us mind our 'Bayt el Mooni'"
(meaning our domestic affairs ; literally the store-room, in Avhich
every Eastern Avoman keeps her stock of provisions for a year),
" and leave business to our husbands." I congratulated myself
afterwards that I had not invited her to come and talk in my
room, for Avho then could have proved that we had not had a
" set-to " ?
The two men, whose names I suppress, put their heads to
gether, and concocted long letters, in French and English, of
complaint against my husband, and this one had the audacity,
after rending his beard before me, to insert, " et je laisse a part les
insultes que la femme du Consul a faites a la mienne." This is
quite Eastern. There is a homely old proverb about a silken
purse ; and my " diamond " friend is of that stuff which will not
make a silken purse.

An Official Visit from England. 9
Our fortnight at Andrea's Hotel in Beyrout Avas happily
spent. It was like a little season to us ; the society, comforts, and
civilization, the sight of tho sea, and the sea-baths, Avere enjoyable,
to say nothing of the great hospitality avc received. Invitations
came every day to breakfast at one house, lunch, dine, or sup and
pass the evening at others. Much of my time Avas spent in long-
rides in the beautiful pine forests that spring up out of the sand.
The Comte Leon de Perthuis, and a band of young friends, used
to make parties, and great amusement they Avere. We used to
race, and come an occasional " cropper " on the soft ground.
On the 3rd, Mr. K  , having accepted our invitation, left
Beyrout for Damascus, via Ba'albak. I met him at Shtora, the
half-way house, and travelled Avith him in the diligence. At the
last station, El Hameh, Ave found the Wali's carriage, and a troop
of soldiers as a guard of honour. Mr. K  and I drove in it to
our house. The next morning Avas devoted to business at the
Consulate. Mr. K  apparently found all just, straightforward,
and satisfactory, and he paid his official calls Avith my husband.
Business over, I accompanied him to visit Abd el Kadir, and also
to see something of Damascus.
On the 7th, we Avere fortunately able to shoAV Mr. K — ¦ — • our
best sight, the Haj, Avhich I minutely described last year. It
occupied several hours in the morning, and later in the day I
took him to see the Great Mosque, Ali Beg's house, the Gate on
the bazar roof, Melek es Said's buildings, and the Khan of Assad
. Pasha. At night I gave a large soiree in his honour, knoAving that
every one Avould like to meet an official visitor from England.
I asked all my friends and acquaintances. It Avas a new thing, as
soirees are not the custom, except among our handful of Europeans.
Mr. K  was obliged to own that, in its way, it was unique : he
never saw such a party as the one I was able to assemble. To
begin Avith, the thirty-six races and creeds and tongues have a strik
ing effect. Grey-beard Moslems of the Sayyid race twirling their
rosaries ; fierce-looking Druzes, and a rough Kurdish Chief and his
party ; a few sleek usurers, a BedaAA'i Shaykh sipping his coffee.
My particular care, however, Avas that every one of the fourteen

10 . The Inner Life of Syria.
castes of Christians should be represented ; the missionaries, all
the Consulates and their Staffs— in fact, everything appertaining
to public life or local authority, culminating in the various Church
dignitaries, Bishops and Patriarchs. The triple-roomed hall
which composes a Damascus sitting-room, with fountains in the
middle, lighted with coloured lamps; the bubble of. the water
in the gardens; the sad, quaint music in the distance; the striking
costumes ; the hum of the narghilehs; the KawAvasses, in green, red,
blue, and gold, gliding about with trays of sherbets, sweets, and'
coffee, and the suppressed guttural conversation Avhich, no matter
how great the crowd, soothes instead of Avorrying the nerves, all
. combined to make the quaintest scene. Every one wa's introduced
to Mr. K  , and each party had their little private conversation
with him. Every one spoke to him, he told me, in the Avarmest
and kindest manner of us — Avith one exception. Having, unfortu
nately, sharp ears, I had no great difficulty in knowing that the
exception was a Polish converted JeAv, Avho had lived in Damascus
for one fortnight.
The next morning AAre went up the mountains of Salahiyyeh,
to the bazar, to the house of SS. John and Thomas of Damascus,
to. Straight Street, to the house of Ananias, and the scene of St.
Paul's basket, and, in short, all that could give our visitor an
idea of the city. An amusing event occurred, which, small as it is,
serves as an illustration of AA'hat I have said concerning the knoAY-
ledge an English gentleman, landing fresh from home, has of
Easterns. In the garden opposite ours there was a large wooden
door, or forte eochere, perpetually swinging on its hinges. We had
grown so used to it that, perhaps for Avant of sounds, Ave should
even have missed it, but it naturally kept Mr. K  awake the
first night. The garden belonged to an old Avoman. I sent to
her to say that I should be obliged if she Avould have her gate
fastened. She returned an answer that she could not, for it Avas
broken. I sent back telling her to try to mend it before night, and
the reply was that it had been broken for years, that it would cost
fifty piastres (ten francs), and she had not the money to spare.
Next night Mr. K  slept well. At breakfast he remarked the
circumstance, and asked how I had managed about the door. " If

Bel urn to Damascus. 11
you Avill look out of the AvindoAv," I answered, " you will see it in
our courtyard. I sent tAvo KaAvwasses to take it doAvn yesterday
at sunset." He put on that very long official face with Avhich all
Avho are in the service of HM.'s Government are fatally familiar.
" Oh ! but you really must not treat the people like that. Sup
posing that they knew these things at home ? " " Suppose they
did," I said, laughing. I had already ordered that after Mr.
K  's departure the gate was to be replaced and mended at my
expense, that very day. Which do you think the old Kurdish
Avoman loved best of us two Giaours ? — the one who, from some
high official motive which she could not understand, would let the
door break his rest, or the other, who took it down and slept, and put
it up in repair for her, as she could not have afforded to do ? The
proof is, that the next time the old woman saw me, she ran out
exclaiming, " 0 thou light of my eyes ! thou sunbeam ! come and
sit a little by the brook in my garden, and honour me by drinking
my homely coffee; and Allah grant that thou mayest break some
thing else of mine, and live for ever ! and may Allah send back
the great English Pasha to thy house, to bring me more good
luck." At 3 a.m. pn the 9th January (1871), a mounted escort, with
torches, and the Pasha's carriage, came to convey Mr. K  and
myself to the gare of the diligence, and we reached Beyrout that
evening. Mr. K  resumed his visit to his friend. On the
11th the Consul-General gave a dance, Avhich we much enjoyed,
and on the 14th Mr. K  took his departure from Syria.
On the 16th arrived Mr. F. E. Hogg, Postmaster-General of
Calcutta, who had been robbed by the BedaAvin in the Desert
from Baghdad to Damascus — a very rare event in Captain
Burton's time. He remained a few days, and joined our riding-
parties. On the 22nd January I wanted to return to Damascus,
although hardly able to travel. A hurt in my upper lip had
swollen so much that it made me unfit for exertion. The
Aveather was intolerably cold, with deep snow, and a bitter, driving
wind. I went to the gare at 3 a.m., and found no place vacant
except the box-seat, exposed and uncomfortable. I knew that it
would be intolerable, with my pain, for fourteen hours, especially

12 The Inner Life of Syria.
in the mountains ; but as I had pledged my word to be home
that night I took it. After an hour I turned round and said,
" Will any one take ten shillings to change places with me ? " My
" sporting offer " was accepted by the son of a Pasha ; but though
he took the money first, he only remained one hour outside, and
then saying it Avas more than he could bear, he came in again.
I found that my favourite bull-terrier, " Fidget," had died
during my absence, of the same disease as his sister, a kind of
stasra-ers. I Avished— Avhen too late— that I had taken him Avith
me for change of air.
On the 2nd of February Ave Avent to breakfast with Omar Beg
and his charming wife, Avho had hoav come down from the Desert
of Karyatayn, and had taken a house in Damascus. We passed a
most agreeable morning looking over the collection of Palmyrene
tessene made for her father, M. Mordtmann. We also visited
the stables, and measured the thorough-bred Arab mare before
spoken of.
On the 4th Ave attended a most interesting council of Avar at
the house of the Mezrabs. Mohammed Dukhi had, with charac
teristic futility, changed his mind, and come down to Damascus to
return our visit. This meeting was to settle a dispute between
the tribes of Mezrab and Wuld Ali. The two Chiefs were present,
AArith several followers. There had been a fight, and Ed Dukhi
had robbed the Mezrabs of camels, horses, and everything.
Captain Burton wmited, if possible, to obtain a part restoration,
but Ed Dukhi was too slippery, and though everything Avas pro
mised nothing Avas done. One point of honour, hoAvever, he
religiously kept : when the time came to eat bread and salt
together, he sprang into his saddle and rode away. By that
Ave kneAv that he did not mean friendship AA'ith the Mezrabs. We
met afterwards at the Consulate, where all business Avas driven'
out of his head by the sight of a blue-eyed, fair-haired daughter of
Erin. It Avas tried a third time, but my husband understood by
the Shaykh's manner that he Avas supported by the local Govern
ment. This Avas impolitic on the part of the authorities, as
Ed Dukhi owed them no allegiance, and the Mezrabs had been
faithful allies. The latter Avere once offered £10,000 to allow

Mohammed Agha, Kawwass-Bashi. 13
a certain renegade, O'Eeilly, Avho called himself Hasan Beg, a
free passage, in order to raise the Desert against the Turkish
Government. The Mezrabs returned the blank cheque, and gave
the Government warning, and Hasan Beg and his followers Avere
captured. I cannot forgive this man of fighting name for kissing
the Pasha's boots AAhen he Avas arrested, as the BedaAvin assured
me he did to beg his life ; and as I Avas not present, I will
give him the benefit of a doubt.
On the 12th I bought a new Eahwan, a strong Kurdish pony,
beautifully made, with a broad forehead and Avide muzzle, and
slit ears, that which did seventy-two miles in eight hours. The
BahAvanji trains by putting two iron bracelets, with bells attached,
above the fetlocks. In this case the Eahwan Avas perfect, and the
man came only to train me to a neAv style of riding. You must
sit still in the saddle, Avith knees high and advanced, and with a
low hand draw in the reins, till the Eahwan carries his head
high. On the 16th of February our fine old Afghan Kawwass, Moham
med Agha, had a party, to which he invited me. I must say a few
words about this man, who Avas the treasure of the British Consulate
of Damascus. He first distinguished himself at Mooltan, Avhen
aged about tAventy, in Nicholson's Horse, Avhen he was called
Mohammed Ali Khan, and where he was severely wounded.
During the Eussian Avar he accompanied Colonel F. Walpole to
the Crimea, where he first met Captain Burton, and was again
wounded at Balaklava. At its close he accompanied an English
officer to Salonika, and saved his life, but was severely wounded a
third time. He made his home in Damascus about twenty years
ago, and became KaAvwass of the Consulate. In the time of Mr.
Eogers, Captain Burton's predecessor, his camp at Tell es Sala-
hiyyeh Avas attacked, and all his people fled from him except
Mohammed, who for the fourth time was severely Avounded. He
served through the Abyssinian campaign, and returned to Damas
cus, Avhere he served Captain Burton. He was his right-hand
man during that time. Those two could speak three languages
that nobody else understood: Afghanani, Hindostani, and Punjaubi.
He fought and was dangerously hurt, for the fifth time, at Naza-

14 The Inner Life of Syria.
reth, when my husband, Mr. TyrAvhitt-Drake, he, and three
servants, had to defend our camp against some 150 furious Greek-
Syrians. On 23rd of October, 1873, after Mr. Vice-Consul Green
had succeeded my husband, an assassin, Abdullah el Kakari, shot
him down at the door of the Consulate, Avounded for the sixth
time. Mohammed caught "him, and, with one arm broken by a
bullet, held him down till assistance came.
One day after we left, a Shaykh, in a Court of justice, stood
up and publicly cursed our Eoyalty in Mohammed's presence.
The pious man supposed British influence to be at a low ebb.
The KaAvwass forcibly stopped his mouth with his fist ; the Court
raised a hubbub, but the old brave drew himself up, laid his hand
on his revolver, and cried out to the President of the Court,
" If you permit that man to curse my Queen, I'll shoot him dead
before your face." The Shaykh and the Kawwass were both con
demned to prison ; but, of course, Mohammed's sentence could not
be carried out. This Kakari even threatened to kill the Consul
the moment he came out, and was confined in a rickety prison,
AA-hence he could escape whenever he liked. Why is he not sent
to the Hellespont? Mohammed was a brave and chivalrous
Moslem. He threw in his lot with the English in the East.
Every Englishman who met him knew his courage, ability, and
faithfulness, and all will join us in mourning his loss. He has
often been the one trusty companion of solitary explorers among
the wild hordes of Central Asia. His last journey was to accom
pany Consul-General Eichard Wood and Mr. Green to Ba'albak,
where he died of fever on 6th July, 1874. He was brought back
to Damascus by his fellow Kawwasses'and relations, and buried
in the City he had chosen for his home. This brave man
never recovered the Wahabi's shot, and felt keenly the neglect of
the British Government.
As I am quoting from my journal of 1869-'70-'71 in 1874,
I must remark that in noticing his life and announcing his
death, the Damascus correspondent of a London paper said,
" He keenly felt the neglect of those he had served ; " and also,
" he was Avounded in defending Burton and Drake at Nazareth."
The writer, I am sure, never intended to cast a reflection upon us :

Arrival of Mr. Drake, Lord Stafford and Mr. Mitford. 15
nevertheless he has done so. At Nazareth "Burton and Drake"
did not sit down and alloAv Mohammed to fight for them, but all
three, Avith three servants, defended themselves, and were Avounded.
Mohammed received a stone in a tender place, and Avas ill long
after the others had recovered. With regard to the first statement,
if meant for us, I can only say that during our time Mohammed
Avas treated more like a friend than a KawAvass. My husband
made him KaAvwass-Bashi, Avith an extra badge of honour, and
increased his pay. When he Avas sick after Nazareth, during tAvo
months the doctor attended him once or tAvice a day, and Ave paid
all the expenses of his illness. When my husband applied for
a fine to be levied on the Greeks Avho attacked us, he made
Mohammed's share treble that of the other servants. Ever since
we left, the kindest letters have passed between us. It is true
that avo Avere unable to obtain a pension for him, as he requested
us, but this Avas no fault of ours. I trust that somebody aaIio
carries more Aveight will urge it upon the Government to make
an alloAvance to his Avife and children, and to prove, at least,
that England knows how to value fidelity and bravery.
To resume my journal. I Avent to Mohammed's party (16th
February, 1871). It consisted, on both sides, of gorgeous dresses
and trinkets, and the usual physical comforts. At the men's side
this was interspersed Avith rude native plays, mostly impromptu,
and games, such as imitations of different animals. All these
assemblies, with their coloured lanterns throwing a mysterious
light on the quaint, wild figures, form a scene of Avhich one never
tires, and each time it seems a fresh pleasure.
On the 17th February, Ali Beg Ahmadi and some Druzes
arrived, and AAe rode to Burzeh and Mizzeh. We used to pass the
evenings listening to them reciting poetry, stories of Ali or of
Antar, their war parties, their victories, their love stories — all in
that low, musical, guttural utterance Avhich will ever live on
my brain, and sough in the ear of my imagination as a luxurious
lullaby. On the 25th March, Mr. C. F. Tyrwhitt-Drake arrived from
England. One of our native visitors had been praising himself,
with that Eastern vanity Avhich is so delightfully refreshing and

16 The Inner Life of Syria.
amusing, because it is so free from guile. He avouIc! say, " Did you
ever see a man so handsome as me, so big and tall, so strong, so
clever, and such a good rider, or who can fight or shoot like
me ? I am famous amongst my own people." " Well," I replied,
laughingly, " you are here, but I assure you, you would be quite a
little man amongst most Englishmen. For instance, there is one
coming to-night, and you shall judge." Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake
Avas about six feet four inches. When he arrived, my friend gazed
up at him Avith big, black, wondering eyes, and when nobody Avas
looking, slid up to me and whispered — " Mashallah, ya Sitti, but
he is as big as a camel ! " His boasting ended abruptly. Next
day we made a pic-nic to Abraham's Sanctuary and the Forty
Sleepers on Jebel Kays (in.
About this time my husband also arrived, with his fingers and
toes frost-bitten, having been seventeen days out in the northern
Desert, taking Horns and Hamah en route. He was for some days
unable to bear a shoe. I kept the affected places constantly
saturated Avith arnica and water on a rag, and they shortly re
covered. On the 17th March Ave were agreeably surprised by the
arrival of Lord Stafford and Mr. Mitford, and Ave devoted the
next feAv days to shoAving them the principal things at Damascus.
This had been an unhappy Avinter, owing to the famine. It
Avas, rather, a scarcity Avhich might have been averted. All the
Avheat and corn had been bought up cheap, and sold dear; the
ovens, save one, AA'ere closed to oblige men to buy bread from
that one. Corn Avas locked up in the face of the patient,
starving, dying multitude. CroAvds round the Serai called doAvn
the vengeance of heaven, and alternately begged for mercy;
round bakers' shops were starved, pinched, and hunger-stricken
Avretckes. Bakers were so poor that they had to buy a bag of
flour, half-ground barley and wheat sweepings, bake it secretly,
and sell it, before they could afford another. The animals Avere
Avalking skeletons. This Avent on till it rose to the price required
by a feAv Avhose fortunes Avere made, and they are iioav flourish
ing, as the Avicked seem ab,vays to do. I could not find it in
my heart to scold an Italian peasant for Avhat he said to me the

Famine of 1870-71. 17
other day : I was lecturing him for leading a bad life, and
asking him hoAv he could expect Providence to help him whilst
he continued to offend Him — he answered me so naively, " Ah !
signora benedetta, il diavolo e tanto ricco." No thunder and
lightning came down on this occasion to crush the oppressors
and open the barns. I used to save all the money I could, and,
telling a Kawwass and men to accompany me with trays, I used
to order a couple of sovereigns worth of bread, and distribute
it in the most destitute part of Salahiyyeh. Your heart would
have bled had you seen the ravenous hunger of the people, who
would jump upon our men, tear the trays down, and those who
loved each other best would tear the bread out of one another's
mouths. I have sat by crying, because I felt it a mockery to
bring so little ; and had I sold all we possessed I could not have
appeased our village for a single day. I wonder if those who
literally murdered the poor, those who kept the granaries full,
and saw unmoved the vitals of the multitude withering for want
of bread, ever think of it from their high and prosperous stations!
— I suppose not. I often think of those strange words of the
Bible, " He that hath much, more shall be added unto him ; and
he that hath only a little, that little shall also be taken away."

VOL. II.

18 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTEE XXIV.
OUR HAJ TO JERUSALEM.
In March, 1871, Captain Burton desired me to meet him at
Jerusalem by sea, as he was going by land. When I reached
Beyrout to embark for Jaffa, the sea was running high, and there
were hurricanes of rain and wind, thunder and lightning. The
sky was dark, with the wind veering all round the compass ; all
advised me to wait for another steamer. My little Syrian girl
was with me, and as she had never yet been on board a ship,
and seeing a boat capsize with two men passengers who were
attempting to embark alongside my steamer, I preferred seeing
them rescued to doing likewise.
My stay afforded me one pleasure, if not two. Cook's party
had arrived, and I lived as much as I could with them, lunching
and dining every day at their table d'hote. There appeared to be
about 180, and they afforded me infinite amusement and instruc
tion. They come like locusts into a town, and it is hard work for
habitues to find board and lodging during their stay. The natives
used to say, " Ma hum Sayyahin : Hum Kukiyyeh" (" These are
not travellers : these are Cookii ") ; yet too much cannot be said
in praise of Mr. Cook and his institution. It enables thousands,
who would otherwise stay at home, to enjoy Veducation d'un
voyage ; and travel is a necessity for the " narrow insular mind."
It will open up countries now hardly accessible; a party of
"Cook's" will not be plundered or maltreated, where an in
dividual would hardly be able to enter. It will grow instead
of falling off, and every year will see a fresh development.

Cook's Party. 19
But the " caravans " are menageries of curious human bipeds.
Surely the enterprising Mr. Cook must advertise for his in
congruous assemblage, and then pick and choose the queerest.
He must also have a hard time. Some quarrel with him because
it rains, others because they tumble off their horses, and all have
their grievances. One was that they were called at half-past
5 a.m. and at 6 the tents were struck. One lady was known as
the " Sphynx." It appears that her bower falling at the stroke of
6 disclosed the poor thing in a light toilette, whence ensued a
serious quarrel. I took a great interest in her. She wore an
enormous brown mushroom hat, the size of a little table, caked all
over with bunches of brown ribbon. Eiding was a great exertion
to her, and her " friends " said that she had always four men in
attendance, two at each side of her saddle. Then there was a rich
vulgarian, who had inveigled a poor gentleman into being his
travelling companion, and who kept up the following specimen of
conversation at the public dinner-table : —
" You wine, indeed ! I dare say ! Who brought you out, I
should like to know, at no end of expense? You, who never
dreamt of seeing these back countries ! " Every line ending with
" no end of expense," several times repeated, like declining brays.
I longed to drop a little caustic into Dives, but I was afraid of
poor Lazarus being paid out for it afterwards. All that I saw
would fill a chapter, but it would be unfair to write one; there
were doubtless nice, quiet, well-behaved people amongst them, only
these had no attraction for me. To be quite fair, if we took 180
people of different temperaments, characters, and habits from any
part of the world and jumbled them together, we might feel per
fectly certain that when those unaccustomed to travel felt hungry
or thirsty, hot or cold, tired or sleepy, and other hardships
attendant upon out-of-door life, the worst part of their character
would rise to the surface, and when skimmed off, that better
things would lie underneath. If I were a young person about
to be married, I should try to organize a travelling expedition
with the object of my affections, and if possible with all my future
family-in-law. Taken in time, it would be useful to many a young
couple, for whom the honeymoon comes too late. I have often

20 The Inner Life of Syria.
been forced to imagine, "How I shall pity that man's Avife if ever
he marries," and vice versa. Mr. Cook is obliged, with a large
caravan, to make certain rules which must be kept Avith military
precision. Every now and then some one who is unused to any
kind of restraint resents, and quarrels about it. Mr. Cook takes
it all so quietly and good-humouredly, never notices or speaks of
it, nor loses his temper, but goes quietly on his way, carrying out
the programme, as a nurse should act towards a fractious child.
I have often thought, What a knowledge of human nature he
must have acquired, and what curious experiences he must have
had !
My second pleasure was receiving some very pretty and com
plimentary verses, to which I have always intended giving a
prominent place, because pretty compliments are so rare. Not
knowing at the time from whom I had the honour of receiving
them, I thought it best to send my husband's thanks. Captain
Burton afterwards became acquainted with the author, who has
written and published several interesting poems. These are the
lines in question : —
A MADAME BURTON.
Madame, tout le monde a l'envi vous admire ;
L'Arabe croit revoir la reine de Palmyre,
Qui seule brava Rome et la remplit d'effroi.
La legende nous peint sur un blanc palefroi
Les amantes des preux du " Roman de la rose,"
Mais sous ce ciel riant ou l'homme est si morose.
Faisant palir l'eclat des Dames du Manoir,
Vous passez le Liban sur uri haut coursier noir ;
A votre vue, alors, 1' enfant de l'Arabie,
S'ecrie, en son extase : " Allah ! c'est Zenobie ! "
Pour moi, dont le cceur tendre est navre chaque jour
De l'etat de la femme esclave en ce sejour,
Je me plais a trouver en vous sous cette zone
La fille libre d'Eve en superbe amazone ;
Et comme on vante en vous, 1' esprit et le savoir,
Madame, accordez-moi le plaisir de vous voir.
(Signed) D'Ambleon.

Bible for Catholics. 21
The next steamer was an Egyptian, bound for Jaffa, Port Sa'id,
and Alexandria, and though I have passed the best part of four
teen years in ships, going from one country to another, I can give
this one the proud distinction of being the worst. She was very
small, very dirty and odoriferous, with half-made beds and unclean
sheets, no stewardess, and no accommodation. She nearly rolled
round in the water, which did not comfort the deck passengers
and the cattle with which they were intermingled. The cabins
were scarcely big enough to turn in. It was no fault of the
captain, or of anybody employed on board, who made up in
civility and kindness for what we lacked in comfort. The weather
was not much better ; however, it was impossible to delay any
longer, and one can bear almost anything for twenty-four hours.
We had a horrible night, and felt very sea-sick. Mohammed
Agha went as a deck-passenger, which he affirmed was far
pleasanter than my first-class cabin, and I longed to be a drover,
and to lie down amongst the cattle.
Jaffa is a peculiar place for landing, as they know who have
been there. The surf is tremendous. There is a natural break
water, formed by a reef of rocks, against which the sea lashes
with fury. The passage is extremely narrow, and the mistake of
a yard dashes the boat on the rocks. The sailors have to shoot
through a gap with such precision, that if there is the least bad
weather you may ply between Beyrout and Port Sa'id for a week.
Once inside the rocks you are quite safe. There was a doubt
whether we could land, or whether I must be carried on to Port
Sa'id, another twenty-four hours' sail ; but at about mid-day I was
delighted to see fourteen boats coming off. The rollers were big ;
my poor little girl clung to me in a fright, but behaved very well.
It was an ugly experience for the first sea voyage.
In going over Bible lands with the Bible, I may remark, for
those who know only the translation used by the Church of
England, that I have read and used both Catholic and Protestant
with equal care.
The English Bible authorized by the Eoman Catholic Church,
commonly called the Douay, is a translation from the Latin Vul
gate, of which the Old Testament, with the exception of Psalms,

22 The Inner Life of Syria.
Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the I. and II. Maccabees, was
translated from the original Hebrew by St. Jerome; and the
Psalms, or Psalter, and the New Testament, are older Latin
versions than St. Jerome, but more or less carefully revised by
him. His work of translating and revising occupied thirty years
of his life, from about a.d. 390 to 420, when he died where
he had lived, at Bethlehem, on the spot where our Saviour was
born. The Protestant English Bible is, it must be admitted, far
superior as regards the purity and elevation of its style ; in fact,
no book can compare with it. But it must be remembered that
what the Douay and Ehenish translators aimed at was an exact
reproduction of the Latin Vulgate, and that they expressly dis
claimed any attempt to remove its difficulties, or to clear up its
obscurities ; they preferred to leave the very words of the Latin
translation from the Hebrew in all passages which had no exact
English equivalent.
The Protestant Bible excludes, as apocryphal, Tobias, Judith,
Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and I. and II. Maccabees ; whilst
the Catholic Church admits them as being of equal authority with
the rest.
To those who are interested in tradition, I would recommend
reading with discretion the Apocryphal New Testament, which
contains thirty books, at different times attributed to the evan
gelists and the apostles. Some of them are found in the works of
Jerome and the early fathers of the Church, such as Origen
(210 a.d.). These sub-scriptural works, however, have never been
invested with canonical authority by either Catholics or Pro
testants, nor are they intended to be received as canons of faith.
Still, they have been used for the instruction and edification of
the laity, and I, for one, knew and believed much of their contents
before I was out of the nursery, though I had never heard of the
Apocryphal New Testament.
It must be remembered that I. II. III. IV. Kings in the
Catholic translation of the Bible are .called in the authorized
version I. II. Samuel and I. II. Kings ; that I. II. Paralipomenon
are called I. II. Chronicles ; and I. II. Esdras are called Ezra and

Bible for Catholics. 23
Nehemiah. The Canticle of Canticles is known as Solomon's Song;
and the names Osee, Abdias, Micheas, Sophonias, and Aggeus are
spelt Hosea, Obadiah, Micah, Zephaniah, and Haggai.
Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the Books
of the Maccabees are counted apocryphal.
As I hope to be read both by Catholics and Protestants, I
have quoted from the books of the Old and New Testaments, by
both their Catholic and Protestant names, and have so headed all
my texts where the names differ. I must request Catholics to
take their Bibles, as, in deference to what I can but consider
prejudice, I have not used what a writer in the Pall Mall Gazette
is pleased to call " that emasculated version of the Scriptures
called the Douay Bible."
The order of the books of the New Testament is the same,
except the last ; we say the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle
for " Eevelations."
I earnestly wish that we Catholics should all receive the
same Bible education as Protestants do, and that we should know
by heart chapter and verse for every single circumstance, as well
as being versed in the substance of the Bible through epistles,
gospels, church offices, and sacred history. I hope it may become
the rule of every new school or college. Foreign Catholics are
often utterly ignorant of the words of Scripture. It should be
the base of every Christian education of all denominations.
Many of my co-religionists will say that this is a Protestant
sentiment. It is a yearning for the rudiments of religious and
historical education. I will give one example of what I mean. A
highly educated gentleman, professing the Moslem religion, said
to me after I married, "You were brought up in a convent?"
" Yes." " Of course, then, you know your Bible well ?" " Oh
yes," I answered, thinking I was speaking the truth. "Well,
then," he said, " will you tell me what it means ' to baptize for
the dead ? ' " My countenance fell, and I was very much con
fused, for I had never even heard of it. I then began to read
both Bibles assiduously, and the Apocrypha besides, and all the
ancient plays and traditions, and the early Fathers. Being an
old friend of my husband's, he found for me the desired infor-

24 The Inner Life of Syria.
mation. The Marcionites were heretics, who lived at Sinope,
A.D. 150. Marcion came to Eome, and believed in principles
similar to the Manichaeans. When a man died, one of the
Marcionites sat in his coffin, and another asked him if he were
willing to be baptized, and he answered, "Yes," upon which he
was baptized. These heretics quoted Paul, 1 Corinthians xv. 29 :
" Else Avhat shall they do which are baptized, for the dead, if the
dead rise not at all ? why are they then baptized for the dead ? "
in support of this practice ; but it is clear from this text that
they did not originate it ; it was objected that the act was foolish
and useless, since if it was valid a person might be baptized for
a JeAv or a Greek, and so effect his conversion without the will
of the recipient. The same friend found a portrait for me of
Marcionites baptizing for the dead, from a book on the Inquisi
tion, printed at Madrid in 1845.
Jaffa (Joppe) is a pretty, fez-shaped town, set upon a hill
side. From the ship it looks as though a child had built it
with a pack of cards. The country is verdant with palm, cactus,
and orange groves. There is a bright little German colony,
separate from the town, which contains a small, unpretentious
hotel, very clean and comfortable — the best I have seen in Syria —
with good dinner and beds. The people look like the lower order
of Bedawin of our part of the country, and bear the same relation
as the common tramp to the real gipsy ; all is untidy, dirty, and
pell-mell. The acting Consul (Kayadh) came to visit me, and
the authorities were extremely civil. The women of the Bedawin
Fellahin — who are mostly in rags — Avear, in lieu of the faee
kerchief of our district, nose bags covered with cowries, coins, and
beads. This peculiar ornament is sometimes triangular, and
sometimes oblong.
Jaffa owns a triple marble arch, with a fountain in each,
covered with carvings and inscriptions. It was built by the
Governor, Abu Nabu. All the roofs are domed, like our Khans.
The natives believe that this town existed before the deluge, and
that Noah built the ark here ; that Jaffa being destroyed by the
flood, was restored by Japhet, who gave it a name.*
* My husband reminds me that at Joppa Perseus slew the dragon -which

Jaffa. 25
The hall where Napoleon I. (1799) poisoned his men who
were dying of the plague, rather than abandon them to native
cruelty, is in the Armenian Orthodox Convent ; at the same time,
and for the same reason, he put to death 4000 Albanian prisoners
of war. It was a horrible alternative. The house of Simon the
Tanner, near the sea, close to the light-house, was once covered by
a little Church, now a Mosque* I will adopt the plan of giving the
Bible text chapter or verse in small print with my descriptions,
that those who want to recall the passage to memory may have
no trouble; those well- versed in Scripture may pass them over. I
always kept my Bible in my saddle-pocket, and found the greatest
delight in reading the chapter upon the spot where the events
referred to took place. Here St. Peter brought Tabitha to life.f
We remained twenty-four hours at Jaffa, and after hiring
horses, we rode on to Eamleh. The gardens about this town, and
for some distance beyond it, are exceedingly blooming. We
passed through orange trees, citrons, and pomegranates. In
about ten minutes we arrived at a fountain, overhung by syca
mores and cypresses ; it is also of marble, and built by the same
Abu Nabu. Close to the fountain lies a garden, in which, it is
said, was the house of Tabitha (Dorcas).
We soon entered the plain of Sharon. Here Samson burnt
the harvest of the Philistines, by turning out 300 foxes with
fiery torches tied to theii- tails.J The first village we passed was
Yazur, containing a Wely with nine domes, where Imam Ali
is buried. Here we left the road to Gaza on the right, and
afterwards the route to Lydda on the left. The chief villages
we saw were Sakiyeh and Bayt Dejjan and Maktalah, so called
because it used to be a great place for brigands. The last village
was Sarafand (Moslem), close to Eamleh. Near here, according
threatened Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus; the place is noted on Etruscan
urns by palm trees. The skeleton was exhibited at Rome, and its dimensions are
given by many writers (Pliny ix. 4, Mela i. 11, and Strabo i. and xvi.). Captain
Burton believes the dragon of St. George, which M. Clermont-Ganneau connects
with Dagon, the flsh-god of Lydda, to be a direct descendant from the classical
monster. In Syria three distinct places, one of them already mentioned, near
Beyrout, are shown where the fight took place, and where the skeleton is buried.
What a fine fortune a single vertebra would yield !
* Acts x. t Read Acts ix. 36-43. % Judges xv. 1-C5.

26 The Inner Life of Syria.
to some, was Geth, or Gath, a Philistine stronghold, the country
of Goliath ; others identify Geth with a village called Geath,
thirty-six miles from Jaffa, on a hill north-east of the Sharon
plain. The whole ride was green and pretty, and the country was
covered with a carpet of beautiful wild flowers ; we could look
down upon the sea, and we saw all around a fine tract of
grass meadow land, cultivation, and groves of oranges and
other fruit trees. We loitered long in the plain of Sharon,
which is sixty miles long by twenty-four broad, undulating
and fertile, and we crossed it from west to south-east. We reached
Eamleh early, and went straight to the Terra Santa Monastery of
Spanish and Italian Franciscans. The monk who acted as porter
received me at the door somewhat stiffly, but when he knew what
I was, he altered his manner, and ran to call his Superior. The
truth is, every evening people arrive and ask for hospitality, and
are not all so polite as they might be, and therefore the good
Fathers are not expansive until they know with whom they have
to deal. They put my Syrian girl and me into a clean bed
room, with embroidered muslin curtains and chintz tops.
Eamleh is the ancient Arimathsea, the country of Joseph and
Nicodemus, who had the honour of burying our Saviour. It once
boasted a Castle, walls with twelve gates, and large markets ; now
it is a dirty village of 4,000 inhabitants, chiefly Moslem. Close
to it the Crusaders fought that great battle in which fell the
Comtes de Blois and de Bourgogne, and when Comtes de Bourges
and Conrad were taken prisoners. Baldwin alone escaped by
hiding in the long grass, and thus reached the City, where he was
saved by an Arab Emir. Eamleh, for a time, was the head
quarters of our Cceur de Lion. The Crusaders built a Church
dedicated to St. John the Baptist : it is now a Mosque, called
Jamia Khiyab ed Din. We visited it, and the " White Mosque "
(Jamia el Abiad), and we went to the top of the tower, 113 steps
high, dedicated to the Forty Martyrs. We enjoyed a beautiful
view : firstly of the ruins beneath us, which 'may have been the
Templar monastery, or an old Khan; of the village and olive
groves, of the plain, and of the distant sea, with an Eastern sun-

Forty Miles' Bide between Jaffa and Jerusalem. 27
set. We also visited the Convent Chapel, which covers the house
of Nicodemus. At night the Monastery was full, and we were
served by the Monks. When I saw the company assembled in
the refectory for supper, I did not wonder at the porter receiving
me with such caution. They snorted and grunted and spat, and
used their forks for strange purposes. Indeed, if I had not been
hungry I could not have eaten, though pretty well seasoned to
living with all kinds of people.
We started at 9.30 next morning. This day decidedly we
" left dull care " at home. We had delicious weather, and we
were exhilarated by our near approach to Jerusalem. We occu
pied seven and a half hours on the road, loitering two and a half,
and riding five — reaching the Holy City at 5 p.m. We passed
two cafes on the road, impromptu gipsy sheds, where we found
good Turkish coffee and narghilehs ; and here and there we were
tempted by shady olive groves, and by fields of marigolds,
poppies, daisies, and chamomiles, to dismount and sit awhile.
The country, after leaving the plain of Sharon, was hilly and
ridgy, and villages or houses dotted the surface at a distance
from the road. I will not mention every village, guard-house, or
well, but note down the principal objects of interest. Later we
passed Kubab (Koba of the Talmud), on the borders of the terri
tory between the Israelites and the Philistines. To the east we
saw the village of Bayt Nuba, City of Nob, of the priests,* where
the high priest, Ahimelech, gave the bread of proposition, or
sheAv-bread, to David, because he had no other, and also the sword
of Goliath, and where David feigned madness before Achish, king
of Gath. It is the same Nob where Saul, out of jealousy of
David, slew every living thing, even to the animals.t
We soon after passed a little hill and stream called El Latriin,
where the plain of Sharon ends, and the Highlands of Judaea
commence. The hill is covered with ancient ruins. This is
supposed to have been the native place of Dismas, the penitent
thief. Once there was a Church, and also a Castle, which was a
lurking place for robbers. Ibrahim Pasha razed it to the ground,
* Read I. Kings or I. Samuel xxi. 1-15.
t Read I. Kings or I, Samuel xxii. 18, 19.

28 The Inner Life of Syria.
and the church also disappeared. Close to El Latriin is Emmaus ;
residents at Jerusalem have opined that Emmaus, also called
Nicopolis, Gofna, and El Latriin, were one locality, El Latriin
being the stronghold where Vespasian left 800 men to guard
Judeaa. At Emmaus are the ruins of an old church dedicated
to the seven Maccabees, who, with their mother, suffered martyr
dom under Antiochus, B.C.. 168.*
The next thing of interest is Dayr Ayyub (Convent of Job),
an abandoned monastery ; and soon afterwards we reached Bab el
Wady (Gate of the Valley), where the first " shanty "-cafe is
situated, and where we stopped for half-an-hour. Shortly after
wards we passed the ruined Mosque of Imam Ali, whose Wely we
saw close to Jaffa. The next place worth noticing was Karyath
el 'Inab (Village of Grapes), now Abu Gosh, from its ancient
Chief, a famous brigand, who used to black-mail travellers, till
Ibrahim Pasha put a stop to his doings in 1830. This is the
ancient Baalah of the tribe of Judah, Kariathiarim, Kariath-baal.
In the house of Abinadab was placed the Holy Ark, when the
Philistines gave it up, and it remained there twenty years, until
David transplanted it to Jerusalem, 1033 B.c.j There was once a
church here, dedicated to St. Jeremias ; its convent was destroyed,
the monks were massacred, and the building is now a stable.
We see a high mountain called Suba, long thought to be
ancient Modin of the Maccabees, where Simon erected the sepul
chre of his family. My dear and venerable confessor, Fray
Emmanuel Forner of our Terra Santa monastery of Damascus,
* II. Maccabees (Protestant Apocrypha) vii.
Once for all, allow me to state that I make no pretensions to topographical
study, nor did I weigh the respective merits of disputed places. Those who wish
ampler information upon the subject will read the American Dr. Robinson, the
larger Dictionary of the Bible, and especially the journal and the various pub
lications of the Palestine Exploration Fund — that Society which has done so much
honest, original, and valuable work upon what is popularly termed " half-nothing."
In my humble way, I must be content with the identifications of my ecclesiastical
informants, and local Moslem and Jewish teachers. Some of the former are modern,
many are ancient, and possibly despite all neologism they may in the end prove
true. I prefer to believe what the people living on the spot say, because I think
that, if a holy site were suddenly changed, the fact must be handed down from
father to son, like other frauds.
t I. Kings or I. Samuel vii. 1, 2 ; I, Paralipoinenon or I. Chronicles xiii. 5, 6. 7.

On the Boad. 29
found in 1866 a place six miles east of Lydda called Madyah,
where he says, St. Jerome places this town. It is situated on
a little -hill, with a good view of the sea, from which would be
seen to advantage the pyramids that adorned the sepulchre, and
there are still the ruins of an ancient town, of which all the fine
stones and marbles have been transferred to Lydda. There were
mosaics, and wells cut in the rock, and a half-ruined rectangular
building which would repay excavation.*
We next rode up the steep ascent of Kastel, to one of the
principal heights of Judah, and to the north we saw Neby
Samwil, the ancient Eamathaim-sophim, the birth-place of the
Prophet Samuel. Soon after we perceived Ain Karim, and St.
Jean dans les Montagnes, of which I shall have to speak later.
We then passed the torrent of Terebinth, where David took
the five stones to put in his sling, and killed Goliath in this
valley.f We passed by Liftah, the village whose fruit gardens are
watered by the Ain Liftah. This is supposed to be the Ain
Nephtoah of Holy Scripture, which gives its name to this settle
ment on the borders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.t
I have said that in writing my pilgrimage I shall cling to all
the old traditions with regard to sites, and the legends or facts
which, according to us, have been handed down from father to
son, since history began, to the present day. I take what is
believed among the natives, and what is confirmed by the
Church. Science and excavation will doubtless throw new lights on
our old traditions, which, like the kaleidoscope, will delight the
eye of many ; but in these matters I hope and think the mass of
the world will hold to the ancient way. It grates upon my heart
to hear such asseverations as these : — " Emmaus ; oh ! Emmaus
changes its site every year." "That the Sepulchre ! how absurd to
suppose the Sepulchre could be so near to Calvary ; " and no one
doubts the sites except the English. I have seen every kind of
Christian kneeling at our Saviour's tomb, except my countrymen,
* I. Maccabees xiii. 25-30 ; I. Kings or I. Samuel xvii. 40.
t I. Kings or I. Samuel xvii. t Joshua xv. 9.

30 The Inner Life of Syria.
and they remain outside in the church, gazing at the chapel
which encloses it, and staring at the people kneeling three times
as they approach it, as if they were watching some wild Hindoo
practice, or the Da'aseh at Cairo.
Long before we reached Jerusalem we thought we were enter
ing the Holy City, either on account of some old broken arch or
bit of wall; but it was only a prelude, during which we were wound
up to a pitch of expectation. This increased as we viewed east
ward the Mount of Olives and the Valley of the Cross (Wady
Musallabah) to the right, where are the Greek Orthodox seminary,
the Convent of the Cross, and the Convent of St. Elias. To the
right, in the distance, we saw Bethlehem, and, like an immense
wall on the horizon, the Moab mountains.
At last I reached the crescent of a hill, upon which is a guard
house, and I beheld Jerusalem beneath me. At the sight I reined
in my horse, with my face to the Sepulchre, and gazed upon
the City of my longing with silent emotion and prayer. Every
Christian bared his head. Every Moslem and Jew saluted. It is
the custom for Catholics at this spot to recite the Psalm " Lceta-
tus sum in his " (" I rejoiced at the things that were said to me :
we shall go into the house of the Lord "). All present, though of
different faiths, now had a tie in common, and we all remained
silent for several minutes.
Of all journeys, the most interesting to a Christian is a pil
grimage to the Holy Land, to the Sepulchre of his Saviour. The
savant has a wide field for his researches, and the pious pilgrim
cannot take one step on this sacred soil without finding a monu
ment, a sanctuary, or a site which he reveres. Jerusalem is
holy for the Jews, who, in the day when they were the chosen
people of God, had their temple here, and who still honour
the stones which remind them of what they were. She is holy
for the Christians, who were here redeemed. She is holy for
the Moslems for the sake of Omar's Mosque enclosing the Dome
of the Eock, and for the midnight journey of Mohammed on
El Borak. Personally speaking, I am going there to follow
my Eedeemer through His three different lives, to instruct my
self, as well as I am able, at the Fountain Head, with the Book

Jerusalem. 31
in my hand, and to draw therefrom strength and grace. I would
realize the scenes of His public life, instructing men and curing
maladies, and His three years' mission for the sons of Adam : His
private and hidden life at Nazareth as the son of a carpenter, in
poverty, obscurity, and obedience to Mary and Joseph, with com
mon joys and sorrows like ours, Avith labour, hunger, thirst, cold,
heat, fatigue, and privations such as we have — an eighteen years
retreat in the interior of His family, dating from His teaching the
Doctors in the Temple at twelve, to His commencing His public
career : and I would try to understand something of His inter
course with His heavenly Father, the divinity which remained
with Him upon earth, and of which He so often conversed with
His disciples, and meant us to meditate upon. In one word,
I ask for no vision or extraordinary thing, but I would realize, in
a sensible manner, the invisible presence of my Saviour.
I feel almost unworthy to write upon a subject so full of
thrilling interest as that of Jerusalem, and I wish to do so with
purity of heart, with humility, with prayer and fasting.
The first buildings which met our sight were those of the
extensive Eussian colony, growing and prospering as they do all
over Syria. They consist of Episcopal palace and Chapel, a Cathe
dral and Hospice, Hospital, Doctors' Quarters, Pharmacy, and
Convent of Eussian Sisters. All was begun in 1860, and completed
in four years. We leave these buildings on our left as we ride
towards the Jaffa gate, also called Bab el Khalil, outside which
are stalls, horses, donkeys, and a motley crowd, including lines of
the most pitiful lepers. The Gates of Jerusalem are open from sun
rise to sunset, except this, which is opened sooner and shut an hour
later. On Friday, the Moslem Sunday, all are shut from 11.30 a.m.
to .1 p.m., the Mosque hour, on account of a prediction that the
Christians will retake Jerusalem on a Friday, whilst the Moslems
are at prayer. We went to the Mediterranean Hotel, where we
had engaged rooms, but being a day late they had been let. A
little disappointed, I rode on to the Damascus Hotel, and was
afterwards exceedingly glad — I had come for a devotional pil
grimage, and not to mix with the Frankish world. The Damascus
Hotel was comfortable, very quiet, central, and close to every-

32 The Inner Life of Syria.
thing we wanted to see. In the evening, instead of being sur
rounded by compatriots, which is sometimes a pleasure, but not
here, I was able to sit on a terrace and realize the dream of my
life — I believe, the dream of all our lives.
The sun is setting on the Mount of Olives, where our Saviour's
feet last touched this earth ; the Mosque of Omar glitters its rosy
farewell ; the arch of Ecce Homo lies beneath us ; the cross of the
Sepulchre catches the ruddy glow ; out yonder are the mountains
of Moab, purple and red in the dying day, and we know that
between us and them, deep down, lies the Bahr Lut (the Dead
Sea). This evening my husband arrived with the horses, and the
Sais and Habib, and we found a good place for stabling close by.
Mr. ' Tyrwhitt-Drake, who was with us, had an attack of asthma.
He told us that whenever he entered Jerusalem he felt ill, that
the whole time he was in it the atmosphere excited and irritated
his nerves, and that as soon as he left it he began to get better.
We thought, as he was so young, only four-and-twenty, that he
had outgrown his strength, and would get over it.
It would be useless for me to attempt the history of a place
so well-known as Jerusalem. I merely insert these few dates for
the convenience of my readers' memory.
Jerusalem means "vision of," or more literally, "he sees peace."
Her ancient name was Salem, and she was founded by Melchisedec
(about A.M. 2023). Fifty years afterwards she was taken by the
posterity of Jebus, son of Canaan. She remained quiet for five
hundred years, until Israel was brought out of captivity (a.m.
2553). Joshua conquered the Promised Land, killing thirty-one
" kings," amongst whom was Adonisec, her King.
Until the reign of David, the Citadel remained in the posses
sion of the Jebusites, but the Psalmist King took it, made it the
Capital, and here placed the Ark of the Covenant. Then David
sinned in taking the census of the people, and God sent the
plague. He therefore built, by the order of the Prophet Gad, an
altar on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, which was
on Mount Moriah; and the pestilence ceased.* On this spot
Solomon built his great Temple.
* II. Kings, or II. Samuel, xxiv. 17-25.

Jerusalem. 33
The Ten Tribes then separated themselves, and the remain
ing two had to contend for three centuries against Egyptians,
Philistines, and Arabs, allied with the other ten, who eventu
ally dispersed, B.c. 599, and 413 years after Solomon had
begun the foundations of the Temple. Nebuchadnezzar came to
destroy Jerusalem and the Temple; and in the eleventh year
of the reign of Sedecias, tAventy-second king of David's line, he
led the JeAvs captive to Babylon, which exile lasted seventy
years. Then Cyrus, king of Persia, gave them leave to rebuild
their Temple, which was accomplished in the tenth year of Darius'
reign (b.c. 511). From the time of the captivity the Jews had no
more kings, but the line of David was continued from Jechonias
to Jesus Christ.
Alexander the Great treated Jerusalem well: she then fell
into the power of Ptolemy Soter, and she owed a new life to the
protection of the Ptolemies and Seleucides of Asia, till the cruelty
of Antiochus Epiphanes deluged her with misfortunes. The
Maccabees gave her independence (b.c. 160), and, until Palestine
fell into the hands of Eome, she was governed by the Asmonean
princes. Pompey took Jerusalem b.c. 63 ; Herod ornamented
her, and restored the Temple, and near the end of his reign our
Saviour Avas born (a.m. 4000). Seventy years after the birth of
Christ, and thirty-seven after his death, the Eomans destroyed
the City and burnt the Temple.
In a.d. 136 Hadrian rebuilt it, and called the city iElia Capi-
tolina; in 326 St. Helena and her son Constantine built the
Basilica, adorned the Sepulchre, and restored to Jerusalem her
ancient name ; in 614 Chosroes II. sacked the town and destroyed
the Basilica ; in 637 it fell into the hands of Omar, who is
popularly believed to have built his celebrated mosque over
Araunah's threshing-floor. The Dome of the Bock still keeps
his name, but it was rebuilt in a.h. (year of the Hegira) 68 by
the Khalif Abd el Melek bin Merwan. In the ninth century
Harun el Eashid sent the keys of the Sepulchre to Charlemagne.
In 1099 the Crusaders took possession of the Holy Places, but
before another century had elapsed (1187) Salah ed Din (Saladin)
made his solemn entry into, and at the same time 100,000 Chris-
VOL. II. D

¦34 The Inner Life of Syria.
tians left, Jerusalem. Frederic II. had possession of it for a short
time, but it relapsed into the hands of the Moslems, Avho hold
it still. Ancient Jerusalem Avas built on three mountains, but the
Jerusalem of to-day sits on five. Akkra is the loAver town, Sion
is the highest, Moriah is the Holy Hill, Bezetha is the neAv town,
and Ghareb looks towards the setting sun. The five mountains
are separated by four valleys, namely, the Tyropseon, Jehoshafat,
Hinnom, and Kedron. The City, which anciently contained
150,000 souls, noAv numbers at most 21,000, not including the
pilgrims and visitors.
Its high grey walls have seven gates, five open and two closed.
These are —
1. Bab el Khalil (the Hebron gate), which the English call
the Jaffa gate.
2. Bab el 'Amud (gate of the column), or Damascus gate.
3. Bab el TTsbat (gate of the tribes), called by Christians Bab
Sitti Mariam (gate of the Blessed Virgin Mary). In the time of
the Crusaders it was the gate of the valley of Jehoshafat, and by
the Israelites called the Flock, or sheep, gate. The English noAv
call it St. Stephen's gate.
4. Bab el Mogharibeh (gate of the Moors), more anciently
knoAvn as the Dung gate.
5. Bab Neby Daoud (the gate of the Prophet David), the
English " Sion gate."
6. (Shut.) Bab ed Dahabiyeh (the Golden gate), known as
the Eternal gate, and sometimes called Bab et Taubah (gate of
Eepentance). 7. (Shut.) Bab es Zaheri (gate of Blossoms), also known as
gate of Herod.
^ The Jewish and the Mohammedan quarters surround the
Haram, Avhich occupies the whole of M6riah ; the Moslems also
spread themselves over Bezetha and part of Akkra, and the Jews
over Sion. The Armenian quarter occupies the rest of Sion, and
the Greek Christian quarter part of Sion and Akkra.
I would here recommend all persons with low-church tenden
cies, with a limited religious faith, geologists, antiquaries, and

Jerusalem. 35
archaeologists, to skip over a few pages; to them I concede not
only the old 6000 years, but 66,000 times 6000 years, if they
please. Time does not affect our old facts : it only tells us that
Ave do not knoAv Iioav to count. I Avish to write freely upon
religious subjects, and as I respect all other religions, I require
the same respect for mine. I warn off scoffers from mixing the
traditions and legends, which are of optional belief, so many of
which adorn my recital, with the grand basis of our faith, and
its practices. I have collected, and recite, not only the traditions
and legends of the Catholic Church, but those of all other
religious beliefs. I find that we have many points in common,
though Catholics generally do not know it, with the Moslems
and Jews. Whenever we have a tradition or legend, they have
a similar one with different actors and different names.
The next morning we were out early, and these words were
written on the spot: — "I am sitting under the Golden Gate of
the Temple, looking down upon the Valley of Kedron, which
is banked by strong and precipitous sides. The steeps are all
crowned with buildings or ruins; the opposite one (Mount of
Olives) by a mosque, and the one upon which I am sitting, by the
Avails of Jerusalem, which rise behind me. The Garden of Geth-
semane is on the opposite declivity, low down near the Kedron
ravine ; I can see also the Tomb of our Blessed Lady, from which
she is said to have risen after three days, like our Lord, and
she was assumed into heaven. The traditions of the Church
shoAV us a place where the angel Gabriel came to announce to
our Lady her death, as he did her Immaculate Conception. Also,
wa are shown the site of her death, where the Jews attacked
and insulted her funeral, the spot where she was buried, and
the place where St. Thomas the Apostle saw her rising in glory to
heaven. There is nothing of all this at Ephesus, where some
pretend that she died, and Avhere they have nothing to show
relative to her life or death. So Ave cling to the traditions of
her native place.
" From where I sit I can also see the tombs of Jehoshafat, Heze-
chiah, Absalom, and St. James the Less. There is the Valley of
Judgment ; it is already full of the tombs of Jews whose hearts

36 The Inner Life of Syria.
yearn for their old Temple, and who have caused their bones to lie
as near it as permitted. The sky is glorious. The birds, insects,
flowers, the balmy air and the sweet breath of spring, all contribute
to a sense of enjoyment. It is approaching Holy Week, and the
pilgrims of every race, colour, tongue, costume, and creed, are
swarming beneath. All you who have been to Jerusalem, my
sister pilgrims, knoAv the scene : but to you who do not knoAv it,
how can I describe what I feel— Avhat you will feel when you are
so happy as to make this pilgrimage? I will try, at the risk
of being called visionary, Aveak, and superstitious. I sit on a
mound, gazing on these holy places, and I think over them ; and
then I kneel on the grass, and I pray and Aveep, and weep and
pray, not because I am sad, but because I cannot stay my tears.
All imaginable emotions crowd alternately upon my mind. I am
so thankful to God to be a living thing ; I repass in my mind
the whole birth, life, passion, and death of our beloved Master ;
the early history of Jerusalem, her great crime, the retribution
she is suffering, the scenes that have been enacted in her from
her beginning to her present time. Gratitude to our Saviour
for our redemption fills my heart Avith such devotion, such con
fidence of mercy, such lucidity, and, if I may use the word,
such familiarity with heavenly subjects, Avhich seems the halo of
grace thrown around the locality by our Saviour's precious blood
having fallen upon the soil. I cannot tell you how strange it
is to see, to think, and to pray by, nay touch, the very scenes and
monuments of which you learned at your mother's knee, of which
you- read every morning in your childish lesson, and in which you
Avere examined upon Sunday by your parish priest. You then
felt as if these things were some mystery of the other Avorld, and
perhaps sometimes your little brain thought them dry and
useless. You did not understand how this thing could be, or
Avhat another passage could mean. You only kneAv that it Avas
true, and that you must believe it, and learn it by heart.
"And now you are here, your mind wanders back to that child
hood, and then 1871 years farther. You, the little one of the
nursery, are a grown-up Avoman, and you find yourself in the same
toAvn that beAvildered your head in the days when you longed

We remember our Childhood. 37
to run aAvay and play ; amongst the same people, Avho are living
the same life, saying and doing and thinking exactly the same
things they said, did, and thought, eighteen centuries ago. You
feel the Avhole force of the truths contained in the Bible, how
there is nothing extraordinary, difficult, or incongruous in any
sentence, whatever may have appeared in those young days. If
you opened your mouth you would speak in the same way, and
the sentences that had no meaning for you then, are explained by
nature itself ; you touch the Tomb, and you ask yourself, ' Is
this real, or am I dreaming?' You Avalk about Avith SAvelling,
choking throat, and your eyes fill Avith tears against your will,
from happiness and associations. Your one Avish is to avoid
everything and every one, for they only jar upon your feelings.
Nor can you easily settle doAvn to a calm enjoyment of these
things during a first visit to Jerusalem."
Let us begin at the beginning, and go through those sad
events as they happened, taking each place, in its proper time.
First, Ave rode to see the "Stone of the Colloquy," on the road
to Bethany, so called because it is believed that when Martha
came to tell Jesus that her brother Lazarus was dead, the Saviour
sat upon this stone Avhilst He conversed with her. It is a little
table of rock about a yard long. We then went over a jagged
country to Bethany, a short hour from Jerusalem. It is the
village where our Lord used to sup Avith Martha and Mary,
where He raised Lazarus, and Avhere He remained during the few
days before the " Last Supper " — the Passover.* Bethany is now
but a few huts and broken walls in a sheltered spot. To see
the tomb of Lazarus, you descend a flight of twenty-seven steps
to a vestibule cut in the rock ; then three steps more and a little
passage lead into a sepulchre, which is like a small, empty rock
chamber. The Moslems respect this tomb, believing that whoever
dishonours it will lose his children by death. The Canons of the
Sepulchre here kept a convent of Lazarists in olden times. About
forty yards to the south, they show the supposed house of Martha
and Mary. Of course we understood the site, for the hut there
now is not ancient enough ; and a few minutes' walk to the west
* Read John xi., Luke x. 38-42, Mark xiv. 3-9, xi. 12-14, 19-26.

38 The Inner Life of Syria.
is the house of Simon the Leper, the scene of Magdalen's
anointing the feet of our Saviour. We passed also a little field
where Christ withered the tree ; it is marked by an excavation in
the rock, where there is always a fig. One could not wonder at
our Lord choosing this retreat. Bethany faces a beautiful view.
It is in a green nook, happy in stillness. There are sloping hills
to the Dead Sea. One can picture Him staying here, looking
over the mountains of Moab, watching the sun set on Mount
Olivet, pondering over and preparing for the great work of man's
salvation, longing for the hour of His ascension to His Father,
waiting just without that great City of His enemies until the
moment came.
The way by which Ave returned was that upon Avhich Jesus
rode upon the ass in triumph on Palm Sunday (a.d. 33), down
the Mount of Olives, and in at the Golden Gate of the Temple.*
This gate is always kept shut on that account, according to
ancient prophecy, and you pass it by, saluting it, and entering the
town by the nearest to it.
Ezekiel (xliv.), relating his vision, said : — " Then he brought
me back the Avay of the gate of the outward sanctuary which
looketh toAvards the east ; and it was shut. Then said the Lord
unto me : This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no
man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel,
hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut."
We will now visit the next scene, the Ccenaculum, or the
room of the last supper, t On our road we will notice some spots
which are revered for their associations. We are noAv standing
in the Christian cemeteries. At the south of the American
cemetery there is a little spot of desolate land. It is the site of
a house Avhere, when all was over, our Blessed Lady lived with
St. John, whom our Lord on His Cross consigned to her care.
Here she passed her last fifteen years; here she died at the
age of sixty-three, and Avas buried near the garden of Gethsemane
¦^as the body disappeared three days after burial, it is the pious
belief by our revelation and tradition that she was assumed into
* Mark xi. 7-11.
+ Read Mark xiv. 12-25; John xxii. 19-29, -Acts i. 13-26, ii. 1-4.

Ccenaculum. 39
heaven by our Divine Lord. St. Thomas is affirmed to have said
that he saAv her rising in glory to heaven, and that " she dropped
her girdle to him," as Elijah did his mantle to Elisha.
Poor mother! who knew for thirty-three years what it was
to live with Jesus. A desolate, lonely age of fifteen years that
must have been, passed in anxiety to rejoin him. How dreary
and sad she must have ever felt, excepting when the thoughts
of man's redemption whispered to her that the time of her suffer
ing was soon to end, and must not be counted in so great a cause.
How she must haA-e dwelt on Simeon's prophecy, " And thy own
soul a SAVord shall pierce." (Luke ii. 35.) Hoav she must,
humanly speaking, have dwelt with sadness on the sufferings of
the beloved Son. Our Lord must have ordained that she should
pass those fifteen years in poverty, humility, and obscurity, as it
were in a kind of spiritual retreat, preparing for what was to
come — I mean her assumption and her coronation as Queen of
Heaven. All that remains in situ of this poor, small dwelling, are some
large stones, said to be the foundations : the Christians who pass
by salute it, and place something for a remembrance. The stones
are covered with flowers, pins, wafers, pebbles,' and many other
things of the same value, which mean, " I remembered the sorroAv
of Jesus' mother, when I passed her dwelling." Now we can pass
on, for this is not what we came to see.
A little to the East you find a group of houses, surmounted
by a leaden cupola and a minaret; that is called Nabi Daoud
(Prophet David). On the southern side, a door admits you to a
yard and stable ; and a few stairs ascend to a little paved court.
Turn to the door on your left, and you enter what was an ancient
Church, but is now converted into a Mosque. It is built on the
site of the ancient Supper-room. As some say that the present
room may be the actual site built up with other materials, I will
describe it. It is a dong hall, with a groined roof, supported by
three columns, and it has three pointed arched windpws on one
side, looking on the court. It is what one's imagination pictures
the scene of the " Last Supper " to have been. Here our Lord
instituted for us the substance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass;,

40 The Inner Life of Syria.
and the Sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist. His last act before
His Passion commenced Avas to leave us this precious legacy.
Here took place the mystery of the union between God and man
in the Holy Communion. God ordained that Jesus should choose
a privileged people, whose faith could rise above the earth and
the senses.
It was in this hall that He Avashed His disciples' feet ; that He
promised them the Holy Ghost ; that He told Judas that he was
about to betray Him, and Peter that he was about to deny Him.*
It was in this hall that Christ appeared to His disciples on
the day of His resurrection, and again eight days afterwards, when
He told Thomas to put his finger into His A\ounds, and gave us
this benediction, " Blessed are they Avho have not seen and have
believed." That is for you and me, reader, and I rejoice not to
have seen that I may believe; it appears to me the only thing
that Ave can do for our Blessed Saviour in return, the only thing
to please Him, and to prove our gratitude. It was in this hall
that Matthias was chosen an apostle in place of Judas ; it was
here that the Holy Ghost came down upon the disciples in form
of fiery tongues ; it was here that St. James lived as Bishop of
Jerusalem, that the Sacraments of Confirmation and Extreme
Unction and Holy Orders were instituted, and that St. Stephen
and six others were ordained deacons.t The building was the pro
perty of the same Joseph of Arimathaea who had the honour of
burying Jesus.
We now can realize the scene of the Last Supper, the last say
ings and counsels of the Master to His beloved twelve— each,
though they did not then understand, pregnant Avith an eternal
meaning ; His last affecting farewell of His beloved mother, and
* Read Matthew xxvi. 21-25, 31-35; John xxiv. 16, 17, 26, 36, 37, 38; John
xxv. 7-13, 26, 27 ; John xiii. 4-15.
t Acts vi. 1-6.
James iv. 14-16 (Extreme Unction): — " Is any sick among you ? let him call for
the elders of the church : and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord : and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up ; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Ccenacidum. 41
of those who were dear to Him on earth ; after Avhich, with the
chosen few, He Avent forth to the garden to pray.
I spent the greater part of the afternoon conversing upon
these things. The origin of a dislike to sitting doAvn thirteen to
table began after the Last Supper ; in old times it was a super
stition that one would turn traitor, and in modern times it is said
that one will die.
I wish that a painter who knows the East would produce a
" Last Supper," not with modern dinner-table, cloth, and plates,
as we have always seen it, and Avhich destroys all pleasure
and devotion ; but as it must have been, with our dear Lord
and His disciples sitting upon rugs, or mats Avith Ioav cushions,
in a circle. In the middle stands a large round brass tray, the size
of a table, balanced upon a low stool, with platters and bowls.*
Holman Hunt, who has long lived at Jerusalem, and Frederic
Leighton, who has lately been toDamascus, and has brought back
Eastern nature and its truths with him, are the only great
artists equal to the work.
All that the four Evangelists have written shows how none
knew His own people so Avell as our Saviour. The Syrians acted
towards Him as they would if He were alive to-day. When He
was in trouble they slept; whenever there was a danger they
fled ; Judas betrayed Him ; Peter denied Him ; Thomas dis
believed in Him. Whenever He strictly " charged them to tell
no man," they told. Every now and then, in addressing the
people, He could not help bursting forth into, " Ye generation
of Vipers." Which of us has not, at some time or other, suffered cruelly
from the unjust and groundless desertion of a trusted friend?
This must have been the most galling part of His passion. And
every time we suffer in this way we share with our Divine Master.
From Peter's case we may take comfort and hope, when we re
pent of our sins ; from the example of Judas we may shun des-
* My husband remarks the impossibility of Syrian fishermen using the luxu
rious appliances of the wealthy Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans, such as the four-
legged Tpoircfai (Trapezai) — that is, Terpiire^ai (Tetrapezai) — and the three-footed
TpnroSer (Tripodes), which fronted the Triclinia.

42 The Inner Life of Syria.
pair. Tradition says that Mary and St. John did all they could
to induce Judas to repent, but that he refused, saying his crime
was so great that God could not forgive it ; this, again, is not an
article of faith, but a pious tradition.
The Syrian of to-day will stand by his master through fire and
water if he loves him : but he will not love him, nor be faithful to
him, for his gentler qualities. He requires something else. It is
not the humble missionary who preaches to him of love and faith
that wins him. Like a woman, it is his master's power and might,
his external surroundings, his display of force, that subdue him.
His personal love depends if the master can ride, shoot, fight, and '
hold his own, if he can speak his language, if he know his
religious prejudices, read his thoughts and mind, when he feels
that he is under a microscope before the eye of his master, and that
his physical strength and moral intellect are superior to his own;
then he will bow down and worship that master, he will be proud
of belonging to him, and will be his for life and death. The
Jews worshipped our Saviour's miracles and wondrous doings : the
Pharisees and Priests of the Temple Avere jealous of them. If our
Lord had chosen to wear the royalty of an earthly King, they
would have fought for Him; but a spiritual kingdom Avas too high
an idea. They were too material, and as our Lord Avore only the
garment of humility, love, and peace, and sought only to do them
good, they easily forgot his benefits, and they Avere afraid to side
with him against those who Avere what they thought kings ; Avho
had force, wealth, and the pomp of Government. All this was
decreed, and I am only showing that Syria in 1874 is in no way
changed from the Syria of 33.
We then visited the private house of Caiaphas, whose official
residence Avas the Tower of Antonia. It is close to the Coenacu-
lum, and there is on the old site an oratory, also called Ecce Homo,
and likewise a more modern house.
We sat in the English burial-ground on Mount Sion this
afternoon, talking, and picking a floAver here and there. How
little any of us thought that six months hence, we should have
left Syria, and that three years later our dear friend and travel
ling companion, Tynvhitt-Drake, would lie in this very spot.

Charles Tyrwhitt-Drakc. 43
A young man, and full of promise for a brilliant Eastern and
scientific career ; his personal appearance was tall, poAverful, fair,'
but manly ; he was distinguished for athletic and field sports,
for riding, walking, swimming, and shooting. His intellectual
qualities, Avith a mind so stocked with all kinds of information,
made me Avonder how at tAventy-four years of age he could knoAv
so much. His mastery of languages — Arabic and others — his
wonderful eye for ground, and knowledge of topography, made
him a most agreeable, and eventually an indispensable, com
panion in our excursions. He Avas an excellent draughtsman, and
he sketched admirably. In character and disposition he was a
thorough Englishman, the very soul of honour; reserved and
silent in manner, as Avarrn of heart, he observed much and thought
more, and had an innate knowledge of the world. He got on
Avell with every one ; he won all hearts, and was equally respected
by Europeans and Natives. He made very feAv intimates, but he
was a friend to the back-bone. He had that dogged determina
tion which is quite English ; once a resolve was made he never
turned back, and that tells Avith Syrians. He lived Avith us and
travelled with us; Captain Burton and I loved him like a
younger brother, and he repaid us in kind. We thought his
health required care for a year or two, and as long as he was
Avith us we looked after him ; he often told us that he was groAV-
ing out of all delicacy. He felt our going as a boy would feel
the breaking up of a happy home, whether it was in Damascus
itself or under canvas. He visited us in Trieste, en route for
England, in the summer of 1873. We thought his health much
gone off, and we begged of him to come and stay with us when
ever he wanted change and his family could spare him. In
March, 1874, he sent us a sketch of his camp in the Jordan valley,
where Ave had formerly encamped together. Some weeks of rain
and mud brought on the dreadful Jericho fever, from which we all
hoped and believed he had recovered, and we wrote and renewed
our invitation. He replied that Lieutenant Conder Avas going or
gone to England, and that he could not leave the post he was in
charge of — the date was Jerusalem, 8th May, 1874. On 14th May,
1874, my husband was struck down by a sudden pain, which a few

44 The Inner Life of Syria.
hours determined to be of a serious character. He was seventy-
eight days and nights in bed, and had two painful operations
performed. The last, under chloroform, was on the 23rd June.
That very morning our poor friend breathed his last in Jerusalem,
in spite of every care on the part of Dr. Chaplin, the excellent
physician, who had devoted himself to his case. A few days later,
when the letters arrived, seeing " Palestine Exploration Fund " on
the seal, I thought that perhaps our kind friend Mr. Walter
Besant had announced the discovery of some new stone or inscrip
tion that would amuse my husband. I handed him the letter, not
thinking of " Charlie," as we called him, and supposing him to be
recovered and well. By that time we hoped he had gone to
Bludan, our old summer quarter, for a holiday. My husband
dropped the letter, and fell back quite pale — his wound had burst
out afresh. I picked up the letter and saw the sad truth.
Captain Burton Avas much retarded by this blow. With all my
care to give him only pleasant news, I had handed him the worst
letter I could possibly have done. It appeared that fever had
reattacked our poor friend, as it does sometimes, Avhen he was
packing up, en route for the Anti-Lebanon, Avhere, could he have
reached it, he Avould have got well, for it ahvays agreed Avith him.
But God in his mercy knew Avhat Avas best for him, and during
the seven hours that he knew that death Avas at hand he con
tinually said, " Tell my mother that I die in the love of Jesus."
He was ill forty days, and during that time, Avhen the delirium of
fever was upon him, he constantly cried out in Arabic to Habib,
the youth whom my husband made over to him when he left,
" Habib, pitch our tents on Mount Sion ; there is such a beautiful
place." It Avas the spot Avhere Ave sat on the day of which I
write, and where he was afterwards buried. A mother has lost
the flower of her flock, and is boAved doAvn Avith sorrow ; we, and
many others, have lost a friend whom we can never replace;
the Palestine Exploration has lost its corner-stone, and England
has lost one of those youths of promise, every one of whom con
tribute to build her fair fame and to guard her honour. E. I. P.
After this sad story we will continue our pilgrimage. " Jesus
went forth to the garden to pray." This garden is the only place

Cethsemane. 46
that struck me Avith surprise. I always imagined that our Saviour,
having left the Supper, walked into one adjoining the house,
Avhereas He descended the mountain, He crossed the Wady Kedron,
and He mounted part of the opposite steep, a walk of nearly an
hour. We, too, will do so, and first descend six steps into the
natural grotto, where light is let in by an aperture from above ;
it contains three altars ; the early Christians built a church over it,
and St. Jerome mentions it as St. Saviour. It is said that in this
cave our Saviour passed the first part of His agony. The garden
itself is square and small, walled round and planted ; it contains
a few cypress and eight old olive trees, under which it is said
our Saviour often sought the shade. These trees are carefully
guarded by the Moslems. The Arabic name for the garden is
Bostan ez Zeytun, literally, Garden of Olives. There is a little
door on the -south-east side, and outside of the door to the east is a
rock, where it is said our Saviour left Peter, James, and John to
Avatch and pray. He came from the grotto and found them sleep
ing ; He Avent a stone's throw away to the north of the garden and
continued to pray. He came a second time and found them again
sleeping: on returning He cast Himself upon the ground under the
olive trees — we can imagine our Saviour permitting His human
nature to assert itself for the last time, Avhilst retaining all the
foreknowledge of His divinity, leaving His human nature alone,
face to face with the torments which he was about to endure — and
cried out, " My Father, let this cup pass from Me; but not My
will but Thine be done." How He must have been filled with fear
of death, horror, repugnance of what He Avas about to endure —
wounded love, our ingratitude, and the little benefit that His
sufferings and death would be to a large portion of His creatures.
How He must have endured mental agony and bodily fear, and
the weight of all our sins. All this came upon Him humanly.
With His divinity He could foresee all. Then Ave must remember
that all those dear to Jesus had fled from Him, and God the
Father only was with Him in rigour and justice, and at that
moment did not behold in Him His Beloved Son, His co-heir in
the Trinity, but only the scape-goat of the world for the sins of
men. The vengeance of God and heaven, the poAvers of earth

46 The Inner Life of Syria.
and hell, were all let loose upon Him, till, God as He Avas, Ho cried
out aloud, and sweated blood Avith His tears. He continued to
pray, and the angel comforted Him. Then He rose again, and
for a third time He found His disciples sleeping, and, tired of
reproaching them, said, " Sleep ye now, and take your rest. It is
enough." *
About twenty yards south of the little garden door is a frag
ment of a column which marks the crudest part of our Saviour's
passion — Judas' kiss ; His disciples all fled, leaving Him alone in
the hands of His torturers.f His work Avas over — those He loved
had departed from Him. This world Avas ended for Him — and noAv
He had nought left Him but to suffer. It is the end of us all —
each in our small degree, when the agony of death comes to our
turn. Jesus was solitary in the midst of His apostles, who forsook
Him, who fled, who lied, Avho slept, Avho denied, who betrayed,
Avho hid, who disbelieved Him.
The human heart does not suffice for its own happiness — it
Avants another ; Jesus Avas human, although Divine, and His heart
spread itself on His creatures. The preservation, the life, the
groAvth, the perfection of love is to love ahvays, always more, and
never cease to love, in spite of obstacles, separation, sorrows,
poverty, and every misfortune. The apostles knew nothing of it
until they lost Him.
Two true friends separated from each other are not contented
Avith thinking — with memory. They want to meet often, and
exchange a load of confidence on their minds, and this augments
and keeps up their mutual affection and confidence. They did
not know then that this Avas about to be taken from them. His
enemies arose to insult and outrage Him. Most were indifferent,
and those Avho loved Him left Him solitary and forgotten.
The greatest soitoav on earth is to be abandoned by those we
love. No distance, no time, no space on earth, nor the depth, nor
the immensity of the world, can contain that one sorroAv. It is
such utter annihilation that the heart faints and the brain reels
even to think of it. This must be the meaning of hell ! What
* Mark xiv. 32-42. f Mark xiv. 13-50 ; John xviii. 4-13.

We follow the Saviour. 47
an affliction for tA\o hearts who love, to be separated in eternity —
the only real separation.
It Avas noAv late, but our Saviour Avas dragged all the way back
He had como — through the torrent of Kedron, in Avhich He fell,
but Avas urged on with blows, buffets, kicks, and stripes with
Avhips and ropes. In addition to bodily afflictions, he suffered
insults, taunts, reproaches, and public shame, which lasted day
and night the best part of three days from this hour, till
three o'clock on Good Friday. A human being would have
sunk under his sufferings in three hours, but His Divine Will pro
longed His physical capability of bearing it. Then He was
dragged up the other side of the mountain to the City, and suc
cessively to the houses of Annas, and Caiaphas the High Priest,
and Herod the King, and Pilate the Governor, and subjected to
every insult, until He Avas given over for the night by the unmanly
Pilate, to be the sport of a brutal soldiery. That night Herod
and Pilate Avere reconciled, to unite against Jesus. All private
enmities were buried to make common cause hi this great uni
versal sport — the murder of their Messiah, their God.*
The Soldiers' Hall was at the house of Caiaphas, uoav the barrack
opposite the Church of the Flagellation, and a little oratory
marks the site where they mocked Him. The Judgment Hall was
in Pilate's house, which in those days covered the site of the
present Convent of the Sceurs de Sion, and the Church of the
Ecce Homo.
I do not suppose that Ave shall ever knoAv, until Ave are
launched into eternity, Avhat Christ suffered for us in that time.
If Ave did, we should perhaps be almost afraid to breathe, for fear
of doing some ungrateful act.
A curious and interesting tradition Avas found in a tomb in
Jerusalem, and Avas brought to England, it is told me, by one of
my ancestors, a Lady Arundell of Wardour, Avhich appears to
have been ratified by a Saint, called the Blessed Ingleton. It was
supposed to have been a revelation to St. Bridget, a daughter of
Birger, Prince of SAveden, Legislator of Upland and Sigrida, and
* Luke xxii. 54-71 ;' John xviii. 21-39, xix. 6-37; MatthoAV xxvil. 19-56;
Mark xv. 6-20,

48 The Inner Life of Syria.
descended from the Kings of the Goths. Princess Bridget was
born in 1302, and married to Ulphon, Prince of Nericia ; she led
a saintly life, made several pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and died . in
Eome— where it is likely that she left this revelation — 23rd July,
1373, aged 71 ; but also it is possible that as tAvo sons of St.
Bridget died in the Crusades, that this paper might have been
Avorn about their persons (as is enjoined), and have been buried
Avith them.
It is no article of faith, but it is so interesting that I insert it.
It may convey to our minds some idea of Avhat Christ bore for our
salvation, for Ave may add to it the inventive cruelty of the
Eastern, the barbarous times, and the licentiousness of soldiery
supported by the local authorities.

1. When I was apprehended in the garden I received thirty cuffs and
820 .blows.
2. When going to Annas I had seven falls.
3. They gave me 550 blows upon my breast.
4. They gave me five cruel blows upon my shoulders.
5. They raised me from the ground by the hair of my head thirty
times. 6. They gave me thirty blows upon my mouth.
7. With anguish I sighed 880 sighs.
8. They drew me by the beard 388 times.
9. They gave me 6666 cruel stripes with whips when I was bound to
the pillar of stone.
10. They spat in my face sixty-eight times.
11. They put three cro-wns of thorns upon my head [which must mean
that they broke them with blows and renewed them].
12. The soldiers gave me 558 stripes with whips, Avhilst I carried my
cross. 13. Falling under my cross repeatedly, I received a mortal Avound upon
my shoulder, and many kicks and blows.
14. They gave me vinegar and gall to drink in my thirst.
15. Whilst hanging on the cross I received five mortal wounds.
******
This revelation is in no way guaranteed by our Church
authorities, but at the end of these sentences great blessings are

A Bevelation. 49
promised to those who wear it in remembrance of our Saviour,
and many of us carry a printed copy round our necks in a locket
or a little bag.
Our Saviour was scourged at the Pillar, crowned with thorns,
and exhibited to the people by Pilate, and hence He carried His
Cross, and was crucified. We will follow Him from the beginning
to the end.

vol. n.

50 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTEE XXV.
CONTINUATION OE THE PILGRIMAGE.
We start from Casa Nuova, we pass the Convent of St. Saviour in
Christian Street, which trends eastwards. When we arrive at
the first crossway, we see to the left-hand an open window, which
forms the corner of a house, and a column below it. Here Church
tradition says that sentence of death was passed upon Jesus.
Opposite, and a few steps to the east, is the Gate of Judgment,
where Jesus, after being condemned, took up His Cross, to carry it
through the City. All those about to die walked out of this gate
to their place of execution. We then walk the same way that our
Lord walked, followed by the crowd. Frere Lievin de Hamme, a
Franciscan monk of the province of St. Joseph, a brother of the
Terra Santa Convent in Jerusalem, who knows more about Jeru
salem and the Holy Places, and who has studied more about them
— in a religious sense — than any man here, accompanies us, and
we pilgrims crowd around him. We walk from place to place,
making the stations of the Cross publicly, on our knees. The good
monk explains every spot to us, whether religious or historical,
and gives us authorities and references, and we can note it all
down. He also tells us the holy traditions and legends, which are
optional as to belief. When we come to a place where Jesus has
been, we kneel, and he recites a prayer, in which all join. I did
this for the first few days with him, then with a Moslem, and
lastly with a Jew, so as to learn the history from every point of
view. I had always trfree scientific men with me, Captain Burton,
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, and M. Clermont-Ganneau. It is delightful

Ecce Homo. 51
to visit such interesting localities with people who are thoroughly
versed in the subject, as all these men were, and who kindly made
it a pleasure to take me about, and show and explain everything
to me, giving me good authorities for every single fact, and
separating facts from traditions and legends. Then I used to go
back alone, and study it all over again, with books, both religious
and profane, but chiefly the Bible.
We enter the street that comes from the Damascus Gate,
and the first thing we behold is a good house with an arch. That
is the house of Dives,* and a corner to the left is the spot where
Lazarus used to lie and beg for the crumbs from his table. Go a
few paces to the north and right, and the first door on your left is
the Church of the Armenian Catholics. We take the first street
eastwards, and on entering it is the Austrian Orphanage and
Hospice. The street is arched over. We see but half the arch,
as the other part is enclosed in the Convent Chapel of the Sceurs
de Sion. It was on this arch that our Saviour stood clothed in
mock purple, crowned with thorns, with a reed for a sceptre —
never so beautiful, so majestic, as in His disfigurement and shame,
with His blood dropping on the slabs of stone beneath, when
coward-hearted Pilate showed Him as a spectacle of misery to
the people, and said, "Behold the man ! "f
Not being used to living on sacred ground, you want at first
to kneel down at every step, and you feel hurt because the people
are walking gaily along, singing as if nothing had happened
there. But you forget that these men live here, and that they
would be kneeling all day long if they reverenced every sacred
spot as you, a visitor, are doing. In the part of the arch bridging
the street is a tiny oratory, with double windows, east and west,
occupied by a Moslem. A writer of the seventeenth century saw
sculptured under the windows " Tolle ! Tolle ! " ("Take him away !
Take him away ! ") We will go into the Church of Ecce Homo,
* I am perfectly aware that many look upon Dives as the type of wealth and
luxury, and Lazarus (Eliazar in Hebrew) as John Doe v. Richard Roe in our law
books. With this, however, the text has nothing to do. The most curious per
version of the word Lazarus is the old Frenoh St. Ladre (St. Thief), who was
invoked in cases of leprosy.
t John xix. 4, 5. Profane people call this the Triumphal Arch of Adrian.

52 The Inner Life of Syria.
belonging to the Convent of French Nuns, and there you see
the other half of the arch, and under it a beautiful marble life-
size representation of that Divine tragedy. The altar is composed
of the slabs of stone upon which the blood of our Lord fell.
Below the church is a crypt, a natural cave, where they have made
loeuli for burying the nuns ; the Eeverend Mother took me to see
them. There are two curious subterranean tunnels and passages,
the principal one six yards eighteen inches broad, and forty-two
or forty-three yards long ; it comes from the north, and it ends
southwards against the rock. At the extreme south of the
western wall is a little closed door, and hard by, to the west, is
another subterranean passage running in the same direction. It
is thought that they were the old water reservoirs for the bastions
of the Tower Antonia; they were built of beautiful large stones,
and probably by Herod the Great.
The nuns have all kinds of little pious things to sell to
strangers. Pere Marie Alphonse Eatisbonne, of great celebrity
in the -Catholic Church, once a Jew, now one of our brightest
ornaments, is the director of the convent. He kindly showed
Captain Burton and myself everything of interest, and explained
it, and our conversations with him were not the least of our
pleasures in Jerusalem.
Northwards, at the point where- the street which runs along
the eastern wall of the convent bifurcates, and which also trends
northwards, is the site of the palace of Herod Agrippa, Tetrarch
of Galilee, he who cut off the head of John the Baptist, and in
sulted Jesus when sent to him by Pilate. About fifty yards to
the east of the Ecce Homo, we arrive at and ascend some easy
stairs to the Turkish Barracks, opposite the Church of the Fla-
. gellation. This is built on the site of the Tower of Antonia,
once called Baris, by Hiram, son of Simon the Maccabee, Great
Eabbi of the Jews. He lived here, and kept the holy vestments
for the ceremonies of the Temple. Herod Agrippa, finding the
position good, fortified it for his own use, and called it Antonia.
It was built on a rock, and it formed the north-western angle of
the two galleries of the Temple. North of this fortress, which
the Eomans garrisoned, used to be the Valley of Cinders, after-

Holy Sites. 53
wards the City moat, and where are the two piscinas (pools) of
Strontium and Amygdalon, upon which Titus erected platforms
to attack Antonia.
Although you appear by my description to have walked a
long distance, all these sites are close together ; the Praetorium,
or guard-house, where Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent,
offered to exchange Him for Barabbas, and yet gave Him up to be
crucified; the soldiers' hall, where they scourged Him, mocked
him, and crowned Him with thorns ; the Hall of Judgment ; the
stairs, or Scala Santa, now transported to Eome ; with the Gate of
Judgment, leading to the street; the residence of Pilate, the
tower where Caiaphas lived, the fortress which was Herod's resi
dence, are all near — at least, not fifty yards apart. They are
covered now, I repeat, by the Convent and Church of Ecce Homo,
by the Turkish barracks, and by the Church of the Flagellation.
The spot in the Turkish barracks where our Lord was crowned
with thorns is decorated by a small chapel, built by the Cru
saders ; and there is also a Dervish tomb in the middle. About
fifty yards farther, a little iron door to the left opens on the
court, whereby you enter the Church of the Flagellation, built
over the spot which was saturated by the blood of Christ.
Mustafa Beg, in 1618, turned this Church into a stable, but
in the morning he found all his horses dead, and they say every
time he renewed it the same thing happened. At last he con-.
suited a wise man of El Islam, who told him that the Christians.
venerated this spot because of the Flagellation of Neby Isa (the
Prophet Jesus), so he abandoned it as a stable, but would not
give it back. It fell to ruins, but Ibrahim Pasha gave it back to
the Franciscans, and Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria, rebuilt it in
1838. We knelt awhile on the spot in the Turkish barracks where
our Lord was crowned with thorns, again on the spot of the
Flagellation, and once more on the spot where th» stairs (Scala
Santa) were, which led, by a door in the wall, from the Praetorium,
or guard-house, to the street called the Crusaders' Street of the
Valley. These stairs and door are the places where he was
charged with his cross, and went forth into the streets. St.

54 The Inner Life of Syria.
Helena removed the stairs to Eome, where they are called the
Scala Santa, and people still ascend them on their knees. When
I went to the "Eternal City," for the first time in 1873 — after her
glories had departed — His Holiness was ill in bed, and to my
great disappointment all seemed cold and spiritless. I compared
it sadly with Jerusalem, but the moment I knelt on the Scala
Santa I felt a thrill of the old feeling, which left me when I
quitted the stairs ; I feel confident of the truth, that God speaks
to His creatures directly and manifestly in Syria, and more espe
cially in Jerusalem.
We knelt at the foot of where the staircase used to be. We
then went westwards for about three hundred yards, and ascended
the Via Dolorosa back to the street which comes from the
Damascus gate. On the left is a broken column lying against
the wall. There it is that our Saviour fell for the first time.
The Via Dolorosa then strikes south, and about forty yards off is
an alley running eastward. Opposite this our Lord met His
beloved mother — the most heart-rending event of that sorrowful
walk. About thirty yards farther is a street trending to the
west, at the entrance of which they met Simon, the Cyrenian ; and
because Jesus was showing failing strength, and they did not
wish to kill Him until they had crucified Him, they obliged
Simon to walk with them, to carry the Cross if needful. This was
at the corner of the street leading to the present French Con
sulate ; the site is marked by a hole in one of the stones of the
wall on the first house to the left.
At about a hundred yards from this spot, and seven yards to
the west of an arch across the street, is a bit of column let into the
pavement to the left. The house against which it stands is that
of St. Veronica,* one of the holy women who followed Jesus to
comfort Him in His passion. He was fatigued, out of breath,
covered with blood, wounds, and perspiration. She saw Him
staggering beneath His load. She ran down and offered Him her
veil to wipe His face. He rewarded this womanly act of tenderness
by leaving the impress of His face upon it. It is now in Eome.
Seventy yards farther on we are at the end of the street where
* I am quite aware that many rank Saint Veronica with Dives and Lazarus.

The Wandering Jew. 55
Jesus fell the second time, and was goaded on once more. This
is the corner of the French Consulate, the supposed site of the
" Wandering Jew's " house. This well-known legend says that,
"our dear Lord, carrying His cross, crowned with thorns, staggering
with weakness and loss of blood under His load, passed this house,
that of a Jewish bootmaker, and implored him to allow Him to
rest a moment upon the stone bench before his shop, but that he,
embittered by poverty and hard work, when our Lord said, plain
tively, " I suffer," answered roughly, " I also suffer ; " and push
ing him rudely off said, " Move on ! move on ! " Then our Lord
turned and looked at him, and said, " I go ! but do thou move on
for ever, to the end of time." The legend says that this Jew is still
walking about the earth without rest, and can never stop. What
ever he looks at he sees in it the Cross, and he longs to die, but he
cannot. There is a superstition that whenever he passes through
a town or place some misfortune comes directly after him; for
instance, that the cholera is the result of the poison of his breath
as he passes through.* In the street opposite the one we are
leaving, and about thirty-five yards to the left, a hole in one of
the stones of the wall of the Greek Convent, St. Caralambos, marks
the spot where our Lord turned to the holy women who followed
Him, and uttered those words so full of meaning, which have long
since been fulfilled — " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me,
but weep for yourselves and for your children."
We have six stations more to accomplish, in order to follow
our Lord to Calvary. An old alley once led direct ; we are now
stopped by walls and houses built, and we cannot walk straight,
as our Lord did. We must retrace our steps, and follow the first
street to the right, trending southwards. After a hundred and
twenty yards we see on the right a blind alley, which we enter,
and mount a hillock of debris and rubbish. We pass two columns
of the ancient Basilica of Constantine. To the south-west of
these pillars is a piece of ground belonging to the Eussians. We
see the second enclosure of the City built by the Kings of Judah.
At ninety-six metres, that is, at the end of the alley, we look for
* I need not say that the legend gives also a " Wandering Jewess," Salome,
daughter of Herodias.

56 The Inner Life of Syria.
a column fitted into the walls, near and to the right of a door
entering the Episcopal Convent of the Copts. This is where our
Lord, overcome by His sufferings, fell for the third time, and
where Simon was ordered to take up and carry the Cross.
No other occurrence connected with the sad way of the Cross
took place until we stand in the Church of the Sepulchre, and as
to reach it we must again retrace our steps, I wish to point out
one or two objects of interest on this spot.
Four yards north of this standing column is the cistern called
the Treasury of St. Helena. The poor used to believe that if she
kneaded her saliva with the earth it turned to gold, probably on
account of the fabulous sums she spent in searching for the Holy
Cross. Opposite this door of the Copts are four steps ; these lead
to the terrace of the cupola'd Church of St. Helena, which used
to be enclosed in the Basilica of the Sepulchre. The terrace,
shaped like a Court, was the ancient Cloister of the Convent of the
Chanoinesses of the Holy Sepulchre, and to the south we can
still see the ruins of their refectory. The most distinguished
Convent of this Order at present existing is that of New Hall,
near Chelmsford, in Essex, whose community are Chanoinesses of
the Holy Sepulchre, with all the privileges and esprit de corps
of their ancestral Convent founded by St. James the Less. Their
nuns are mostly of the best blood of England, and half the
daughters of the old English Catholic aristocracy have received
their education there for seventy-five years. \ shall give a sketch
of their early history a little further on, as it is in such close con
nection with Jerusalem, and it will make me both proud and
happy to insert a few words of affectionate record of my Alma
Mater. Between these ruins and the cupola, the Ethiopians show an
olive, which they affirm to have been found on the spot where
Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. To the south-west of the
cupola is the Chapel of the Ethiopians, dedicated to St. Mary ;
from it you can distinguish the Chapel of Calvary, and that of the
Sepulchre. We now retrace our steps to the entrance of the alley, and to
the Columns of Constantine. We follow the street to the right,

Calvary. 57
pass on the left an alley and an arched or vaulted bazar. After
twenty steps we pass another similar market, and follow the line
to the west, which once was that of the " Palmers." We leave on
the left the fine facade of the old Church of St. Mary the Great ;
and a little further on we arrive at a small door which leads to
the enclosure of the Church of the Sepulchre.
As we are now observing the " Stations of the Cross," we go
straight to Calvary. We enter the Church door, and immediately
to the right is a double staircase of nineteen steps, one from the
north side and one from the south, the latter of eighteen steps ; so
that two persons, or two processions, can both mount and meet at
the top. The distance, as walked by our Saviour, from the Gate
of Judgment, charged with His Cross, to Calvary, was about a
thousand yards.
There are six holy spots on Mount Calvary. About four or
five yards on the right hand of the head of the staircase, and
before you advance up the church, a large black and white rose
in the marble shows where our Saviour was stripped. Three
yards farther, before an altar, a tesselated slab covers the spot
where they nailed Him to the Cross. We now advance to the
High Altar, where the sacrifice was consummated. It is resplen
dent, but you wish it was not there ; all your love, respect, and
anxiety being concentrated upon a large silver star under the
altar. On hands and knees you bow down to kiss it, for it covers
the hole in the rock where the Cross, with our dying God upon
it, was planted. You can put your arm into the hole, and touch
it for a blessing. On the right hand is the hole of the good
thief's cross, and on the left the bad thief's, each marked by a
black marble cross. The cleft in the solid rock which opened,
" when Jesus, crying out* with a loud voice, gave up the ghost,"
and " the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent," is still visible.
You can see it again below, in the deepest part of the church,
where lies Adam's tomb. The surface looks as if oxidized with
blood, and tradition says that that colour has ever remained
upon it.
Opposite the altar of our Lady of Dolours, is the spot where
the mother sat to receive in her arms the dead body of her Son ;

58 The Inner Life of Syria.
and two other black and white marble roses mark the spots at
different degrees from the Cross where the mother, and Mary wife
of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen and John stood first afar, and then
close to the Cross during the three awful hours' agony, saw the
gall and vinegar given, and received His seven last dying words.
On the right hand a little chapel deeper on the side of Calvary,
which you can see from a window covered with a grating in the
Church of Calvary, shows where people " came to scoff and re
mained to pray." Dedicated to our Lady of Sorrows, it is built
on the spot where the mother and St. John stood whilst they
nailed Jesus to the Cross.
In old times this chapel was a porch. The window through
which you are looking into the church replaces the door of the
porch of the Calvary Church. It is said that St. Mary the
Egyptian was a great sinner, and that one day she entered into
the Church of Calvary to mock, but an invisible hand held her
back. She was struck with horror at her sinfulness and unworthi-
ness, and, bursting into tears, she went away and thoroughly
repented of her sins. She returned some time after and was
able to enter, and at last she retired to the Jordan, where she
led a life of penitence and obscurity for thirty years. She died
in the fifth century, and was buried by St. Zozimus.
We proceed from Calvary to the Holy Sepulchre.*
We will first visit the grave of our dear Lord, and then I
will ask you to accompany me in spirit outside the Sepulchre
Church, or Basilica, that I may enter it with you in the usual
manner, and visit all the Holy Sites in due order.
A little chapel covers the grave, and stands under the centre
of the great Dome covering the whole Basilica.
The Holy Sepulchre, all of it cut in one solid rock, consisted of
a little ante-chamber, and an inner chamber containing a place for
interment. It is carved out of the stone in the form of a trough,
which would have a stone slab for a cover, and it is roofed by
a small arch, also cut in the rock. We must remember that
Joseph of Arimathaea meant it for himself, and therefore it differed
in nothing from the grave of any other well-to-do Jew.
* Read Matthew xxvii. 57-60, John xxi. 38-42.

The Grave. 59
When St. Helena prepared this land for building the Basilica
for the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary, she separated the room con
taining the sacred tomb from the mass of rock, and caused the
entrance or vestibule to be carved out of the remainder. On
Calvary she respected only the six principal sites, which are left
in the original rock, and she built the rest upon artificial arches.
Would that St. Helena had contented herself with building inde
structible walls around the sacred spots, and had left them to
nature, marking them only with a Cross and an inscription. They
would better have satisfied the love and devotion of all Christen
dom than the little chapels all covered with ornaments, which one
shuts one's eyes not to see, trying to realize what was. Around
those walls, each of the fourteen Christian sects might have had
their altar and burnt their lamps, and from them defended our
treasures against a common enemy.
In the ante-chamber are two columns, and in the middle is the
stone upon which sat the angel when it was rolled back from the
Sepulchre. Here he said to the three Marys, " Be not afraid ; you
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified : He is risen, He is not
here."* Christians of every race, tongue, or creed, burn gold and silver
lamps day and night before the grave, so that the chapel inside
is covered with them ; and priests of each sect officiate here in
turn. The exterior of the Sepulchre is also covered with gold and
silver lamps, burnt by different Christians — and who dare touch a
lamp belonging to another sect than his own ? It would risk a
civil war !
Fifteen lamps of gold hang in a row over the grave itself, and
belong to the Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, the Armenians, and
the Copts. The Turks hold the keys. In going in and coming
out, all kneel three times and kiss the ground.
After you have crossed the vestibule, which is dark, you crouch
to pass through the low, rock-cut archway, by which you enter the
Tomb ; you kneel by the Sepulchre, which appears like a raised
bench of stone ; you can put your hands on it, lean your face on
* Read Matthew xxvii. 61-66, Mark xvi. 1-16, Luke xxiv. 1-21, John xx. 1-20,
Luke xxiv. 22-53.

60 The Inner Life of Syria.
it, if you will, and think and pray. Here many wonderful, touch
ing, and strange events take place.
I know it is the fashion now for a few persons who do not wish
to be considered credulous and weak-minded to doubt the sites of
those awful events. But how strange that all Christendom should
have been mistaken for 1841 years, and , that a handful should
arise of late years to show us how wrong we have been. In
all these centuries, as now, men have flocked in thousands from
the farthest confines of the globe to this world-wide bond of union,
this Christian tie — our Saviour's Tomb. The poor and destitute
save up their farthings, denying themselves every comfort, to
accomplish this one act of homage. They pour in from north and
south, from east and west, and often they perish of cold and heat,
of hunger and thirst, hardship and privation, in the attempt to
pour out the gatherings and savings of their miserable lives, to lay
their heads down for only a single instant on this Tomb. I have
seen them crawl up on their hands and knees, with pinched and
haggard look and. anxious eye, and when they have reached the
goal of their patient, enduring love, they have flung themselves
upon it with passionate kisses and floods of tears, thus relieving
their oppressed hearts. Do you not think, some of you to whom
our Lord has manifested Himself more clearly than to others, do
you not think that He would have let us know, even without a
miracle, that we were wrong ? If the brotherhood of unbelievers
only knew the things that do take place at the Sepulchre, they
would speak with hushed voices; but these things are unfortunately
kept secret.
Having followed our Saviour from Bethlehem to the Last,
Supper, and throughout His sufferings to the Grave, let me now
ask you to accompany me in spirit to the other objects of interest
in Jerusalem, beginning with this Basilica. The entrance is a large
paved square, where beads, crosses, crucifixes, statuettes, and other
mementos are sold at rough booths and stalls; there are also crucir
fixes, spoons, and hand-glasses for the toilette in mother of pearl,
and Catholics will choose a number of remembrances and presents
for those at home. The best are found in the houses of poor
private families, who carve them.

The Basilica. 61
The facade of the Basilica is interesting. It was built by the
Crusaders, and it is still a bit of our home architecture. You
enter the Church by a huge arched doorway extensively worked,
and the name of many an old knight is roughly cut upon the stones.
The vast Basilica covers many of the scenes of the Passion, which
we at home imagine are far apart. . But Jerusalem is and ever was
a small town. When once our Lord had carried His cross to
Calvary, every scene of the Divine tragedy was completed within
a stone's throw ; and after you are there and see for yourself, it
seems natural that it should have been so. The only long dis
tances which our Saviour walked were from the Ccenaculum, or
Last Supper, to Gethsemane ; thence to the house of Annas and
back to the Judgment Hall, and the thousand yards through the
town to Calvary.
The sites which the Basilica covers number twenty-eight. It
may give you some idea of its size, when you hear it occupied me
forty minutes simply to walk round to each station without stop
ping ; but to gaze a few moments at each site, and to make a
short reflection and prayer, especially at the grave of our Lord
and at Calvary, required an hour and a half. At first I thought
little of three or four hours, which I reduced to the shorter time
only when I knew the place by heart.
On entering the Church by the principal door, you first see a
large slab of red marble, like Verona stone, surrounded by lights.
This is the spot where the devout hands of Joseph of Arimathaea
and Nicodemus, after having taken our Saviour down from the
Cross, laid the body whilst they embalmed it, according to Jewish
custom, "bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred
pounds weight."
They therefore bound the body of Jesus in " linen cloths with
the spices, as is the manner of the Jews to bury." St. Helena
covered the stone with a splendid mosaic; after the burning of the
Church, Modestus protected it with an oratory, and the Crusaders
enclosed it in the Church. When the Franciscans owned the
Church it had still its mosaic.
Twelve yards away to the left is a little cage of iron. This
covers the spot where Mary and the holy women stood whilst the
body was being embalmed.

62 The Inner Life of Syria.
The next and third station is the Sepulchre itself, enclosed in
its little chapel. The resplendent Greek Orthodox Church occu
pies the heart of the Basilica opposite the Sepulchre. In th©
middle is a marble vase, with a spot which is believed by the
disciples of Photius to be the Centre of the Earth. This was th©
choir of the Knights of the Sepulchre. Behind the Sepulchre is
the little Chapel of the Copts, and opposite it are those of th©
Syrian non-Catholic, or Jacobites, and of the Abyssinians. From
this part we can enter the rock-tombs, first of Nicodemus, and
then of Joseph of Arimathaea. The latter, having buried our
Saviour in his own grave, and not holding himself worthy to
be placed in the same, prepared another close by for himself and
his family. As the garden belonged to him, this was easily done,
conceding also a separate room to his fellow townsman, Nicodemus,
for himself and his family. There are six loculi, of which two are
filled up and two are unfinished. About forty feet north of the
Sepulchre is an altar dedicated to Mary Magdalen, where our
Lord appeared to her after His resurrection. The site is marked
by a marble rose in the floor. Four steps- on the left hand now
take you to the Latin Church, where the Franciscans celebrate-
Divine office day and night.
The Blessed Virgin never left the Sepulchre from the time
her Son was buried therein, to the hour of His- resurrection, but
kept at a distance from the guard of soldiery* A rose in the
marble shows where He appeared to her after He arose again,
for which reason it is traditionally called the Chapel of the
Apparition. On the site of this chapel, St. Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem,
and the Empress St. Helena, found the sacred cross, a legend
which I will relate in its proper place.
This chapel contains three altars. The High Altar where the-
Blessed Sacrament is kept, the Altar of Eelics to the left ; and
to the right one which covers a portion of the pillar to which our
Lord was bound during the flagellation. The early Christians-
carried it, they say, from the guard-house to the Ccenaculum. In.
1555 it was broken by the Moslems, when pieces of it were sent
to different kingdoms to be venerated* but the bulk is in, this-.

The Basilica,. 63
altar, behind a grille. It is of porphyry, and the remnant is two
feet four inches high. Once a year, on the morning of Wednesday
in Holy Week, they open the grille and allow the people to kiss
it ; at other times we touch it through the holes with a rod, and
kiss the rod.
The Sacristy contains a grand old relic, the sword, spurs, and
decorations of Godfrey de Bouillon. The sword is straight, with a
simple hand-guard. He was elected King, but refused the honour,
saying he could not consent to wear a crown of gold in the place
where his God had worn a crown of thorns. He governed, and
retained his ducal title. The Franciscans have another altar out
side, and at the entrance of this chapel, and also a choir and organ.
Coming out of the Sacristy, we walk straight along the northern
aisle to a little chapel almost like a cave, where stocks are repre
sented by two holes cut in the rocks. The Greeks say that
our Saviour's feet were fastened by a chain under these holes,
and they here burn a lamp before the altar. We continue our
walk to a chapel containing three cells carved in the rock, each
with an altar and burning lamp. It is said that our Blessed
Saviour and the two thieves were shut up in these prisons during
part of the night, whilst preparations were being made to crucify
them. We then come to the northern part of the Basilica, which
is circular, and full of small chapels containing altars and lamps.
The first is dedicated to St. Longinus, the soldier who pierced our
Lord's side with a spear; the blood and water gushed forth and
fell upon him ; at once his eyes were opened to what he had done,
he confessed and repented of his crime, and he retired to this spot
to weep and pray. One side of this chapel is formed by the bare
rock; the title of the cross was placed here, but it is now at
Eome. Next came a private entrance of the Knights of the
Sepulchre ; it was shut by the order of Salah ed Din, after their
expulsion. Its neighbour is the Armenian Chapel, built on the
site where the soldiers cast lots for the garments of our Saviour —
the seamless tunic is at Argenteuil, three leagues from Paris.
Now we descend twenty-nine steps to the Church of St.
Helena, which belongs to the Abyssinians ; the latter allow the
Armenians also to use it, for a certain payment in bread and

64 The Inner Life of Syria.
soup. Our Lord having been buried, the instruments of the
Passion, according to Jewish custom, were hidden out of sight,
and thrown into the nearest dry well. Eubbish soon accumu
lated over the spot, till a.d. 326, when the Empress Helena,
having destroyed the idolatrous temples, and restored the holy
places to Christian veneration, held councils with the Bishop
of Jerusalem, St. Macarius, and the Elders of the city, as to how
she could discover the True Cross. They suggested to her the
ancient customs, and having tried several probable places, she dis
covered the position of the well, which she immediately began to
excavate. When you reach the bottom of the twenty-nine steps, you
enter a large chapel which has three altars — a High Altar, and
two others. To their right is the nook where St. Helena, then
eighty years old, used to kneel and pray whilst the workmen dug,
and whence she used to throw them money from time to time to
encourage them. Below that seat and the rest of the chapel is a
hewn rock cave, and inside it an altar bears a stone statue of St.
Helena and the Cross. Again, below that, another cave is the well
or cistern, where the three Crosses, the Nails, the Crown of
Thorns, and the Title of the Cross were found. A slab of black
and white marble now marks the spot. The pious Queen held
public prayers and thanksgiving, but she was still in a difficulty
about which of the three was the sacred Cross.. After public
prayer, the divines agreed to try the three upon a sick woman,
who was given up. Touching her with the first and second had
no effect, but at the third she rose up, healed and whole. Thev
then went forth to meet a funeral procession on the site of the
Latin Sacristy, bearing the three Crosses ; they tried the first and
second without avail upon the body, but when the third Cross
touched the corpse it arose in the presence of the multitude.
The authority for these miracles are St. Cyril, Bishop of
Jerusalem, the Emperor Constantius, son of Constantine, and
Eusebius of Cesarea. The chapel was evidently an old cistern,
about fifty yards from the site of the crucifixion, and is at the
bottom of the hill of Calvary. We will now ascend the steps
again, and follow our semicircular walk.

The Basilica. 65
The next chapel contains an iron cage, which encloses "the
pillar of mockery" — a block of grey granite, upon which they
placed our Saviour as a throne, when in derision they clothed Him
with purple and crowned Him with thorns, placing a reed for a
sceptre in His hand. It was brought from the guard-house and
placed here. At the side is a crown of thorns behind a glass.
I believe it is an imitation of the real crown, which is at Eome.
After this is another private door, perhaps the former entrance of
the Chanoinesses of the Sepulchre. We have now seen every
thing excepting Adam's Chapel, eighteen yards to the west. We
pass one of the stairs leading up to Calvary. Underneath it is a
door to the west, which you enter, and the first thing you see on
the right is the tomb of Godfrey de Bouillon,* to the left is that
of Baldwin I. The Latins, who hate the Greeks, say that the
latter destroyed all the old Crusaders' tombs, and replaced them
by slabs. The following tombs also shared the fate of these two : —
Baldwin II., De Foulque, Baldwin III., d'Almarix, Baldwin IV.
(the Leper), Baldwin V.
If this be true, the Greeks were barbarians indeed, far more so
than the so-called enemy of the Holy Places, the Moslem, who is
always conservative on these points. At the bottom of Adam's
Chapel you see a little excavation in the rock, under which the
head of the first man is said to lie. Near it to the right is the
deep cleft which begins close to the place of crucifixion, and which
descends to the bottom of the hill. This was a grotto in which
tradition has buried Melchisedec. There used to be here an Altar
where Masses for the Dead were celebrated.
We now pass the Calvary Stairs, and go out of the same door
at which we entered, opposite the Stone of Unction where our
Lord was embalmed.
Quitting the Church of the Sepulchre, you see against the
right pier of the door outside a grave-stone which covers the
remains of Philippe d'Aubigni ; and also the ruins of the ancient
belfry of the Crusaders, whose southern door opens upon the
* Godfrey de Bouillon died in a.d. 1100, and the fifth and last Baldwin in
a.d. 1185. All the other tombs bear intermediate dates.
VOL. II. F

66 The Inner Life of Syria.
Chapel of St. John and St. Mary Magdalen. To the north of
this is a chapel dedicated to the Forty Martyrs. These two
chapels were one in the time of tn§ Crusaders ; it was dedicated
to the Holy Trinity, and it was used for baptisms and marriages.
To the south is the Jacobite Chapel of St. James. On the other
side of the enclosure of the Great Court of the Sepulchre is the
Chapel of the Copts, called St. Michael, and one for the Abys-
sinians and the Armenians, dedicated to St. John. South of this
is a door which leads into the Greek Convent of St. Abraham,
whose church is dedicated to the Twelve Apostles, and another
little chapel is built over a spot where a tradition makes Abraham
bind his son Isaac for sacrifice.
To the south of the Church you can see the bases of the
colonnade that adorned this Basilica in old times, built by
Constantine and St. Helena. Besides the great eastern entrance,
it once had a door to the south. These bases are similar to those
of the columns of the Basilica of Bethlehem. On this side the
enclosure is shut and bounded by the Greek Convent "Geth-
semane." To the south, and adjoining the Sepulchre, was an immense
piece of ground containing the Convent of the Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem; they afterwards became famous as Knights
Hospitallers, Knights of the Cross, Knights of Ehodes, and
Knights of Malta. They began in 1099 in this manner. A
Catholic Crusader named Gerard, with whom I claim kinship,
gathered together some brave, honourable, and religious men,
who bound themselves to live in common unity of goods, and
to follow a rule whose chief points were the service of the poor,
hospitality to pilgrims, and burying strangers who died in the
Holy Land; in fact, to perform "the seven corporal works of
mercy." The establishment grew from few to many, and was
called St. Mary the Great. After the Knights had been founded,
Agnes, a Eoman lady of high birth, made a similar establishment
for women, called " Hospitalieres."
Tradition teaches us that Adam, when cast out of Paradise, took
refuge in Judaea, and that his head was buried in a place called
Cranion, or Calvary, the " place of the skull." It is mentioned by

The Basilica. 67
St. Jerome, and by other early saints. The holy places were held in
veneration by the Apostles * and the first Christians, and they are
mentioned when Titus besieged Jerusalem, forty years after the
death of our Lord. Simeon, first-cousin of our Lord, was at that'
time Bishop of Jerusalem. Fifty years afterwards, Adrian, wishing
to prevent the Christians worshipping it, buried the Sepulchre, and
erected on its surface a Temple of Venus; in Calvary he placed the
idol of Jupiter. Some 206 years later, the Emperor Constantine
— son of the Empress St. Helena, who was an Englishwoman, and
daughter of the King of Colchester — demolished these sacrilegious
temples, excavated the Sepulchre, and adorned it magnificently. He
built a Basilica, which covered all the holy places. St. Macarius,
Bishop of Jerusalem, presided over the works, which occupied ten
years. In 614 Chosroes, second King of Persia, fought against
Heraclius, took Jerusalem, robbed the true Cross, and threw
down the churches and the Basilica, carrying away a crowd of
Catholic captives. The wife of Chosroes was a Christian, sister to
Maurice, Emperor of Constantinople: through her influence, when
the Persians left Jerusalem, the Disciples of the Cross began re
building what had been destroyed ; the work took fifteen years,
but the Basilica could not be restored with the same magnificence.
It was undertaken by the monk Modestus, who was assisted by
Church dignitaries ; he could only build an isolated chapel over
each holy spot.
After ten years, Heraclius was able to conquer Chosroes, to
deliver the Catholic prisoners, and to retake the true Cross. The
pious Emperor carried it bare-footed and bare-headed on his
shoulders through the streets of Jerusalem to Calvary ; and thus
arose the origin of the feast of "the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross." (14th September.)
The pious rejic was sent some years afterwards to Constanti
nople by Archbishop Sergius. Eight years later the Moslems
besieged Jerusalem. The Patriarch Sophronius made a vigorous
* I am quite familiar with the assertion that during the first centuries of
Christendom little if any regard was shown to the holy places. Our Church
says otherwise, and it must be remarked that in » land like Syria, of exceeding
materialism in the matter of worship, we are more likely to be right than those
who, after waiting nearly a score of centuries, find us to be wrong.

68 The Inner Life of Syria.
resistance, and gained his own conditions of surrender, the first
stipulation being that he would only surrender to the Khalif in
person. Omar came from Medina (a.d. 636), in the simple garb of
an Arab Shaykh, to conclude the treaty granting the Christians
possession of their church; and liberty to practise their religion,
on condition of paying tribute. Since that time the Church of
Jerusalem has always balanced between peace and persecution,
and her happiest time was under Harun el Eashid (a.d. 786),
whose every action appears to have been that of a well-bred
gentleman; this gleam of prosperity ended in a.d. 809. In
a.d. 1099 the Crusaders took the Holy City, and Godfrey de
Bouillon stationed at the Sepulchre twenty knights, to whom he
gave great possessions. The Crusaders built the great Basilica
which now re-unites and covers all the isolated chapels of
Modestus and others. The Knights were eventually replaced by
Franciscan monks, who first effected a footing in a.d. 1244. In
1808 a fire nearly destroyed the Chapel of the Sepulchre ; it was
restored by the Greeks, who profited at that time, say their
enemies the Latins, to destroy the Crusaders' tombs, and to
commit other similar outrages.
I bought at Jerusalem many presents for my friends and
relations in England, glass necklaces, bracelets, bangles, and rings
like old Venetian, mother-of-pearl mirrors, crosses, large crucifixes,
trays, and shells representing holy subjects, and all sorts of objects
carved out of olive wood from the Mount of Olives ; large crosses,
rosaries, crowns of thorns, and coffee-cups, of bitumen from the
Jordan valley, and other things too numerous to mention. On
Good Friday I carried them in trays, and had them laid upon the
Sepulchre. I asked, and obtained, that a Mass should be said over
them, as they lay upon the grave, and at Ecce Homo, on the
precious slabs of stone where our Blessed Saviour's blood had
fallen. At Calvary they were laid in the hole of the Cross itself!
They were blessed by the Latin Patriarch, Monsignor Valerga,
and by Pere Marie Alphonse Eatisbonne, with all possible in
dulgences. I know that many who possess some trifling remem
brance of me from Syria will be glad to know where they have
been, as that constitutes their whole value.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre. 69
I cannot well omit to mention the Canons and Canonesses of
the Holy Sepulchre before quitting it. This Order dates from the
time of St. James, called the Less and the Just, the apostle
appointed to be Bishop of Jerusalem in a.d. 34. Devoted to
Jesus and to his Sepulchre, he established some religious on
Mount Sion, where all lived together with him in the Ccenaculum,
which thus may be considered the first Christian church.*
, It was about this time that St. James founded this order.
When the persecution temporarily ceased, they built a temple
close to the Sepulchre, and lived in it. John Noclerus (vol. ii.
Generat) says: — "There were four orders in Jerusalem wearing
the two-armed red cross — the Sepulchrans, the Knights of St.
John, the Templars, and afterwards the Teutonic order. The
first (Sepulchrans) claimed their descent from St. James, son of
Alphaeus, brother of our Lord. They wore on their dress a double
cross of red silk."
Near the Tomb of Christ was established a Convent of women,
who guarded and venerated the Sepulchre. When St. James was
made Bishop of Jerusalem, he ceded to the holy women, who
formed a Company, a small house near the cave where Christ was
interred, and there they lived in retirement, meditating on the
sufferings and death of Jesus, and visiting the Stations of the
Passion, as we have just done. They called themselves the
children of St. James, and were under his direction. He caused
them to undertake a rule of life, and put their possessions in
common: they adorned and served the primitive Church. St.
James, being martyred in A.D. 62, was succeeded by St. Simon,
who at the age of 120 cheerfully accepted his martyrdom, and
bore without a word the most unheard of tortures under the
* Acts ii. 41-47 : — " Then they that gladly received his word were baptized :
and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking
of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul : and many wonders and
signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all
things common ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men,
as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

70 The Inner Life of Syria.
Emperor Trajan. He drew up in writing the regulations agreed
upon by the apostles before they dispersed — the practice of the
evangelical counsels which we have for a rule, with other points
of morality and discipline. The Christians, having been com
manded to do so, fled into the mountains a little after Easter in the
year 70. Titus came at the head of a large army, captured and
plundered the city, massacred the inhabitants, and led many into
captivity. The Christians then returned in safety. To the time
of Adrian the Bishops of Jerusalem had been of the Jewish nation,
and numbered fifteen, who had followed St. James in regular
succession: their names are recorded by Eusebius. But from
Adrian's time the prelates were chosen from the Gentile converts;
the first, "Marcus of the Holy Sepulchre," was crucified with
10,000 of his flock in the presence of the Emperor Adrian and his
army.* Socrates mentions a Convent of Virgin Canonesses, for whom
the Empress Helena had a special affection. In her extreme old
age she adopted their "rule," and received from St. Macarius,
* On the death of St. James, Simeon, son of Cleophas, who was a brother of
St. Joseph, was elected bishop. Ten years after the death of James, Simeon and the
Christians went to Pella, taking with them the episcopal chair of St. James. They
underwent persecutions under Vespasian, Domitian, Trajan, and many others, who
tried to exterminate all that related to Jesus Christ. Cassian was the seventeenth
bishop. Of Narcissus, the thirtieth bishop, wonderful miracles are recounted. The
thirth-fourth bishop, Alexander, formed a noble library, which was destroyed by
the barbarians ; he was tortured and imprisoned at Csesarea, where he died. The
conversion of Constantine the Great, a.d. 314, restored peace to the Church in his
time and that of St. Helena. St. Macarius was the thirty-ninth Bishop of Jerusalem.
Amidst all the persecutions the cloisters existed and were peopled. Eusebius and
St. James praise the chaste and virtuous lives of the religious. They ate but
little, chiefly living on holy contemplation. They rose with the dawn to chant the
Psalms of David, and women, despising sensual and worldly pleasures, took the vows,
and gave up their lives to God. On Good Friday the Canons and Canonesses fasted,
watched, prayed, read and sung, and prepared for the day of the Resurrection. So
great was the number of persons who embraced the Institute of the Regular Canons,
that in Rome during the middle ages they had sixty monasteries, and in other parts
of Christendom 4500. They have contributed to heaven 1600 martyrs, 117,600 canon
ized and beatified saints, and 40 or 50 popes, and 1500 cardinals to the Church.
Pius IV. decided that the Chief Abbot of the Regular Canons should take precedence
of all other religious prelates at the Council of Trent. St. James at Jerusalem, and
St. Mark at Alexandria, established the Order. St. Clement, St. Urban, and St.
Augustine beautified it, and nearly twenty Popes have conferred innumerable
privileges and honours on it.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre. 71
thirty-ninth Bishop of Jerusalem, the linen surplice and double
cross, the badge of the Sepulchre, and she persevered in this way
till her death. St. Macarius placed, at her request, twelve Canons
in the monastery adjoining the Sepulchre to celebrate the offices
of the Church, and to take charge. They were severely tried
by sufferings and persecutions. Five times general martyrdom
occurred, but their ranks were always filled up at once, till their
persecutors were tired of trying to exterminate them. Chosroes
took the Holy Cross to Ecbatana, which was recovered by
Heraclius in 623-24. The Patriarch Orestes was the fifty-
seventh Bishop of Jerusalem in succession from St. James. He
witnessed a general massacre of his people, and was led captive to
Babylon, where he was put to death.
The Order of the Sepulchre grew and spread all over the East.
After 1287, like the Knights, we find no further mention of them
in the Holy City. They flourished in Spain, Poland, Germany,
the Low Countries, France, and Belgium. These monks were not
known in England till the reign of Henry I. (1100-1135),
when the Earl of Warwick undertook to found a monastery for
them, and Henry I. desired the Bishop of Worcester to consecrate
an altar at the Priory of the Sepulchre, and a cemetery for the
burial place of its Canons. Many succeeding monarchs conferred
privileges and benefits upon them. Henry VIII. (1509-1547)
suppressed this monastery.
The ancient practice of the regulations then agreed upon for
the Order is still observed; thus: — the religious rise at 4 a.m., and
after a morning meditation recite in choir Matins, Lauds, and
Prime. The other canonical hours are obligatory at some part
of the day — Tierce, Sext None, Vespers, and Complin. This is
essential, meaning that they still dwell in spirit in the Holy
Land, no matter in what part of the world they may be. They
have had great privileges from several Popes, and by six
Pontiffs have been placed in direct obedience to Eome and
to the Patriarch of Jerusalem. They have part in every good
w®rk done in Eome, and in every Pilgrimage to the Holy
Land, and, spiritually, in every martyrdom, from Stephen to our
day. They are a contemplative order, and reserve much time

72 The Inner Life of Syria.
for private reading, examination of conscience, and evening
meditation. On Sundays and Festivals they sing High Mass,
Vespers, and Complin. They have annual Eetreats and Eenovation
of Vows, after a recollection and retirement of three days, and
they communicate several times a week. They do not, however,
work in their separate cells, but assemble together twice a day
for recreation. They are a cheerful order, though " Sepulchrans "
does not sound pleasant. Their active duties at present are the
education of the aristocracy of Catholic England, to instruct the
poor, and to keep large charity schools. The Eeverend Mother is
chosen by ballot, and her office lasts for life, unless for some sound
reason she abdicates. All is submitted to the Bishop, who con
firms and approves, or not. The chief members of her govern
ment are chosen by herself, and all offices are filled up by her
with general approval. When the changes take place, once in five
years, they sit with closed doors for many hours, which is called
Chapter Day. Few corporeal austerities are enjoined by rule,
but complete self-abnegation, and implicit obedience. Not a nun
is kept against her will; a novice is severely tried for at least
three years before she is permitted to make vows, and she always
longs for her Profession-day. I was a happy school-girl amongst
them for six years, during which I saw that Novices who found
that they had made a mistake as to their vocation returned to the
world. They are free to come and go until the vows are taken
(about three years as a rule), and the superiors put off that day as
long as possible, and give them every opportunity of examining
the life before they enter it for ever. I have seen young nuns
kiss their veil years after " profession,"- as a bride would kiss her
wedding ring, thanking God for being allowed to wear it. You
do not know how indignant they would feel, were any one to
intrude upon their quiet cells under the pretext of letting them
loose. It might be of some use in Madeira, Portugal, and Brazil,
but none whatever in our happy land.
The Order now at New Hall was established at Liege in 1660,
where they then attended the Hospital for Pilgrims, and gave
hospitality to the poor. From the fourteenth century they had
been ioined by the daughters of the old families of England, who

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre. 73
contributed donations and legacies enough to make them in
dependent, and whose ancient names occur again and again on
the roll-call of the community. The democratic and irreligious
spirit which daily gained ground in France had spread into the
neighbouring countries, and Liege became a theatre of discontent,
anarchy, and rebellion. In August, 1789, the Civic Guard was
quartered upon the nuns. After the battle of Aix la Chapelle,
1793, the nuns, who had been established there for 151 years,
found themselves so harassed, that they engaged five large barges
to convey the community to Maestricht — they were, however,
unable to escape till the feast of the Ascension, 1794. They
quitted their beloved convent, walking two and two to the boats,
each one carrying her own parcel and breviary. On the 8th of
July, 1794, they were again obliged to leave Maestricht, but they
had kept their barges for that purpose, if needful. They num
bered seventy-five. On the 9th they reached Euremond, and on
the 12th Venlo, where they stopped and heard Mass in the
village, dining and supping on the hill sides. How well I can
remember, as a child, sitting at the knees of old nuns between
seventy and eighty years of age, and hearing the story of all
they had gone through in that time, when they were young girls,
and my thinking what fun it must have been for them — they,
poor things, all the while bewailing their fright, their sorrow at
leaving their convent, at having their lives disturbed, and finding
themselves homeless on the world.
On the 14th they resumed their journey, but having five
barges heavily laden, and the water being low, they made but
little progress. After a fortnight's journey from Maestricht they
reached Eotterdam, and wished to find a house ; but, like other
holy persons who arrived on foot by night at Bethlehem, there
was no room for them. The boats lay outside the town, and the
nuns had the misery of being gazed at by the idle, curious, and
rude. They wore their habit, having no other dresses, and were
a spectacle for the Protestant populace of Eotterdam, whilst the
broiling sun rained fire upon their heads. There they received a
letter from Lord Stourton, offering them his house, Holme,.
in Yorkshire, as an asylum.

74 The Inner Life of Syria.
They quitted Eotterdam on the 29th of July, and after being
embedded in the sands for two days, they reached Helvoetsluys
on the 2nd of August, found the wind contrary, and cast anchor.
They agreed with an Englishman, Captain Semmes, to convey
them and their effects on board his ship, and to land them in
England. The vessel, under convoy of four ships of war, put to
sea on the 12th, but made no way on account of the wind until
the 14th, when a fair breeze sprung up, and enabled them to land
at Greenwich on the 16th, where they found carriages provided
to convey them to London. They arrived at Charing Cross so
early that the "hackney coaches" (it was all told in old-fashioned
language) were not come out, and they had to remain shut up in
their carriages for half an hour, as the GreenAvich carriages had
only orders to go as far as Charing Cross. They were conveyed
to Burlington Street and Dover Street, where Catholic friends
received them — all the old Catholic families contended for the
honour of giving hospitality to the holy fugitives. The whole
Community went and lived in Lord Clifford's house, in Bruton
Street. Sir William Gerard, of Garswood, and Lord Arundell of
Wardour also came forward, and the latter offered them his house,
Lanherne, in Cornwall ; but it was too out-of-the-way for a .school.
Sir John Webbe, in Dorsetshire, and Mr. Eyre, of Hassop, also
were anxious to be their hosts. However, Lord Stourton's first
offer was accepted, and they went to Holme. In two years Holme
grew too small for them, and two nuns went to Wiltshire and two
to Warwickshire to look for a suitable place. Whilst in York
shire one of their " mothers " (a daughter of Lord Teynham) died,
and was buried in the parish church. It was a great grief "to
bury her in unconsecrated ground." They decided on going to
Dean House, in Wiltshire, then Lady Dacre's property ; but,
fortunately, only took it for one year. They left Yorkshire on
the 23rd October, and arrived on the 27th at their destination.
Here everything went against them, and Dean House proved very
unsuitable; their funds were also exhausted. At last they were in
formed that New Hall, in Essex, was for sale. This place, origin
ally Beaulieu, is a fine specimen of the Tudor or Elizabethan
architecture. It was built, they say, in the form of an H, of which

The Canoness of the Sepidchre in England. 75
only the bar remains, and was altered and repaired by Henry
VIII. It was a favourite residence of the Princess Mary, during
the reign of her brother, Edward VI., and also a favourite abode
of Queen Elizabeth, which is recorded by an inscription on the
door. It was a Eoyal residence, in excellent repair ; the grounds
around were beautiful; the land, sixty acres, freehold, Mr.
MacEvoy, a Catholic, bought it for £4000, and gave it to the
Nuns. Lady Gerard was also their strong ally and friend. They
were safely housed by March, 1799, and their immediate wants
attended to by a Catholic neighbour, Mr. Wright, of Fitzwalters.
They were settled by May, 1800, exactly six years from the date
of their leaving Liege, and have been living in happy tranquillity
for seventy-five years.
The names of those who were their friends in their time of
need are ever on their lips and in their hearts, and are always
prayed for every day ; and as for the school, it bears the name of
every old Catholic family in England, from grandmother to
mother and daughter, for the past seventy-five years, and for
centuries before that in the Liege days.
The following day we went to call upon the Greek Patriarch,
a venerable man, with a fine face and paternal presence. He
received us most cordially, and invited us to all the ceremonies of
his Church.
And now we begin the great week of the greatest mystery
ever known, the embrace of Justice and Mercy, the proof of God's
love for man, and the sign of man's blindness towards God — -
God giving life to man, and man giving death to God ; of the
redemption of man and his reconciliation to God ; God dying and
reviving, by his own will reproducing that mystery in a mystic
manner from that date till now, and to the end of time, that God
may each day receive reparation, and man mercy and pardon.
God, sacrificer and sacrificed, immolator and immolated. He had
thought of and planned this for all eternity every day and hour
of the thirty-three years of His human life, during which He was a
victim, waiting and praying for death, knowing all the torments of
His passion, and the crimes of man. He has thought of it every
day since He ascended into heaven, and continues Cahrary daily

76 The Inner Life of Syria.
on every Christian altar. From all eternity He thought of the
Last Supper, the prayer and agony in the Garden of Olives, that
battle of the soul with death, the apostles sleeping when He was
in agony, and fleeing away in his trouble ; the kiss of Judas, the
denial of Peter, the disbelief of Thomas — just as He knows that
you and I love him to-day, and shall, perhaps, sin to-morrow ;
the condemnation of His judges, the rising of the people against
Him, the insults of the soldiery, the flagellation, the crowning
of thorns, the tearing off His garments, His long and weary carry
ing His Cross, His thirst, His shame, His sorrow of heart, His
Mother, His hands and feet being nailed to the Cross, that three
hours' agony, His death, the piercing of the side, the burial.
We are going to weep with the Church for all His sorrow. We
shall weep for ourselves, for all those who betray Him still,
for the insults of the wicked, for the uselessness of His sufferings
to the many, for the revolted children, for those who betray Him
in secret, or abandon Him like the disciples, for those who want to
rob Him of His rights, for weak Emperors, Kings, and Potentates,
who, like Pilate, deliver Him up to the people, and for weak sub
jects who are afraid or ashamed to stand by Him.
And we will return thanks for the Jews of the Old Testament,
who awaited Him in Limbo, and for all those who are or will be
saved. On Palm Sunday I was out at 3 a.m., and the streets were
dark, cold, and desolate. Mohammed Agha had forgotten his
lantern, and we groped about the cavernous bazars and alleys,
unable to find our way to the Sepulchre. At last, however, I was
able to hear Mass and to receive Holy Communion at the Latin
Chapel of the Apparition. The Armenians were performing their
service at the Sepulchre. Exactly at the stroke of the clock they
make place for the Latins, and so on throughout the day, to
enable each to officiate. The Turks time them, letting in one
school at a time, and then expelling them for another.
I returned at the hour of the Latins' service, with the French
Consul, M. A. Sienkiewicz, and his two drogmans-chanceliers,
M. Lacau and M. Clermont-Ganneau, afterwards of the Palestine
Exploration Fund; they and all his Kawwasses, in full dress, formed

Palm Sunday. 77
a procession. Fortunately for me, they were so kind as to take me
always to the Latin ceremonies, where they were obliged to attend
officially, so that I had a seat in the place reserved for the French
Consulate, instead of fighting for breath in a hot, appalling crowd.
It was quite anti-devotional, and I did pity those who had to
struggle through it, often without getting near enough to see
anything. The Sepulchre was gorgeous to-day. There was a long train of
Priests carrying palms, in which the French Consulate and I joined.
There .was Grand High Mass, the Passion was sung, and the
Patriarch — who was not by any means the least splendid object —
distributed palms from the entrance of the Sepulchre. Every
Creed has its Patriarch, and I am now speaking of ours, Monsignor
Valerga. He was a fine man, with a handsome face and the
bearing of a prince, and his white beard descended to his girdle.
He was full of brightness and intelligence, and, if it be true that
we all resemble some bird or quadruped, I would compare him to
a noble specimen of the eagle. He was priestly, yet a perfect
man of the world ; though white-haired he looked young and
energetic. He was a man of brilliant education, and the savoir
faire of the diplomate or courtier blended with religion. There was
something regal in him when he gave his blessing from the altar.
That is the way I like to see the Church served ; these are the
men who ought to be put forward in responsible positions, to mix
with the world. Our ceremonies for the day ended in a proces
sion with wax-lights round the Sepulchre, the Patriarch, the
clergy, the French Consulate, and we who liked to follow. The
Damascus black izar is a modest and appropriate dress for
Church ceremonies, and quite what St. Paul would have approved
for women. After our Latin ceremonies were over, I went off to assist at
those of the Greeks, having been invited by the Greek Patriarch.
I entered their church, preceded by Mohammed Agha, and went
innocently into their inner enceinte, behind the Ikonastasis. It
was a blaze of gold and jewels, far more gorgeous than ours. The
altar was under a small gold canopy, or tiny temple, in the centre.
It was a beautiful arrangement of filigree and well-blended colours.

78 The Inner Life of Syria.
Every part of the Holy of Holies was festooned with lamps of
gold and silver, and of coloured glass ; all was rich, and in
good taste. The Patriarch was officiating, surrounded by the
highest dignitaries of his Church. I knelt down, but I soon per
ceived with dismay that not only no other woman was present,
but not even any of the laity. I had thrust myself, with a
Mohammedan, into the Holy of Holies, behind the inner veil of
the Temple, where none but the highest clergy can enter. It
was the worst moment I could have chosen, the Patriarch was
about to consecrate the bread and wine — the most solemn part
of the Greek ceremonies. Every eye was upon me. I cannot
describe my distress and confusion. I rose from my knees, and
was about to retire as quickly and as silently as possible, when the
Patriarch sent a priest with the gracious message, " His Beatitude
desires that you will remain." I thanked him, knelt down again,
and did not move till the end of the service. Their " stations " in
the outer chapel on the wall are of gold, mounted on black velvet,
a present from the Emperor of Eussia. Their procession round
the Sepulchre was the most gorgeous sight I ever beheld. The
Greeks, like the Armenians, far outshine us in this respect.
The priests who formed the procession were robed in vest
ments covered with flowers and gold, contrasting strongly with
their plain black head-dresses. They all carried palms and lights,
except two high dignitaries, one of whom bore a picture set in
a frame of diamonds, and another a large Testament, bound in the-
same precious stones. The Patriarch's mitre and sceptre were
a blaze of diamonds, and whenever a ray from the sun caught
them he looked like an electric light.
From this ceremony I went to call upon our Patriarch,
Monsignor Valerga, who received me charmingly, none the less
because I was the bearer of some messages from the New Hall
Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre. I knelt and kissed his hand,
received his blessing, and had a delightful half-hour's conversa
tion with him. We then walked home around the walls of
Jerusalem. On Monday in Holy Week we went to see the Church of
St. Anne, which has been excavated by M. Mauss. He is re-

Monday in Holy Week. 79
building it out of its own old material, and as much as possible in
its pristine form. He preserves the Grotto of St. Anne, cut out
in the rock underneath. On discovering certain columns, he was
led to suspect that this grotto and one of the old piscinas must
be close by, and further excavation proved that he was right.
This is the site of the house of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the
parents of our Blessed Lady; here she was born, educated, and
consecrated to the Temple. After the expulsion of the Crusaders,
Salah ed Din turned it into a school for the great divines of
El Islam, and it was called, like our village near Damascus,
" Es Salahiyyeh." Opposite the gate entering the court is the
piscina of Bethsaida, which is about 100 yards long and forty
broad; here Jesus cured the paralytic* M. Mauss showed us
the three different sorts of country limestone : Mizzi, the hardest ;
Kakuli, the softest ; and Maliki, the middling. Here we passed
many a pleasant afternoon with our French friends, to whom
was now added Comte Gilbert de Voisins, Vice-Consul of France
at Port Said.
After this we called on the Protestant Bishop Gobat, and
finished the evening by a very pleasant little dinner at the French
Consulate. Tuesday, April 4ih. — We called on the Armenian Patriarch, a
good-looking, intelligent man, short and broad-shouldered, with
large black eyes. He was dressed in sable garments, like a
monk's habit and cowl. He also gave us a charming reception,
showed us over his dominions, and invited us to their ceremonies ;
his church was gorgeous — full of ornaments and pictures. • He is
married, but, like most Easterns, he keeps his wife out of sight.
We then rode to the Tombs of the Kings, about a quarter of an
hour outside Jerusalem. It was a dismal, damp, rainy day. You
descend into a deep square cut in the rock, and enter a rudely-
excavated pavilion, which -serves as a vestibule. It was cold,
chilly work, crawling on hands and knees to see the loeuli, and to
hunt for inscriptions, but Captain Burton, Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake,
and M. Clermont-Ganneau were such enthusiasts that there was
nothing left to me but to try to enjoy it.
* John v. 1-18.

80 The Inner Life of Syria.
We then rode half an hour further, the way being partly over
a hill of ashes, possibly carted away from the Temple of Solomon,
and lined with rocks containing some sculptured tombs. We then
came to the Tombs of the Judges, also cut in the cliff, like those
of the kings; these have a beautiful vestibule and sculptured
frontage. Like the others, they are halls, chambers, passages, and
loeuli, scooped out of the rock. Coming back by the right path,
we saw a large foundation, which Frere Lievin told us was probably
the debris of an advanced fortress, thrown out outside the town by
Mannasses, who fortified the suburbs. We bore a little to the
right, in order to pass the north-western angle of the walls, which
rest on the foundation of the former Tower of Bephinos, built by
Herod the Great. Close by, Titus pitched his tent and Tancred
camped at the siege of Jerusalem. Frere Lievin says he does not
believe what we have seen to be the Tombs of the Kings, but
of the Helena who was Queen of Adiabene, in Kurdistan ; and
that she and her son Isat, and his children, brothers, and nobles,
came to reside in Jerusalem, to adopt and be instructed in the
Jewish religion, and to worship God there; nor does he believe
in the Tombs of the Judges, but that they were for the members
of the Sanhedrim, the Senate of the Jews, which numbered
seventy-two of their chief personages.

( 81 )

CHAPTEE XXVIII.
PILGRIMAGE— (Continued) .
On Wednesday (5th of April), at an early hour, we went to
visit the Haram esh Sherif. It was closed at this time of year,
but an especial permission was given to Captain Burton, who was
allowed to take Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, myself, and Mohammed
Agha. It occupied us for two days. We first mounted the
Minaret for the best view of the whole Mosque, and of Jerusalem
generally. The City from this point looked like an extensive
ruin, covered with domed houses.
The Haram esh Sherif ("Holy" or "Sacred Place") is con
sidered by Mohammedans to be one of their noblest sanctuaries,
and not long ago a Christian passing the enclosure wall would
have incurred death. Its high walls enclose 600 yards, now mostly
grass grown. In front of the enceinte was doubtless the famous
Temple of Solomon, and if it was so magnificent as we imagine it
to have been, it may have covered the whole enclosure, otherwise
it would have been equalled by Damascus, and surpassed by
Palmyra and Ba'albak. The Haram now contains two principal
blocks of buildings : first, the famous Mosque of Omar, including
the Kubbet es Sakhrah (Dome of the Eock), and second, the
Mosque El Aksa, the Knight Templars' Church, once called St.
Mary. Besides these are many scattered and minor objects of
interest. The Eastern wall of the enclosure looks down upon the Torrent
of Kedron,* and in its middle is the famous Golden Gate, built by
* The " brook Kedron " conveys to me the idea of a placid, homely English
" brook," whereas torrent would better apply to this wild and perilous Wady.
VOL. II. g

82 The Inner Life of Syria.
Solomon and adorned by Herod the Great. In the interior of the
Golden Gate are three columns of composite order, single blocks
of marble ten feet in circumference ; a large serpent rests in one of
the capitals. I say the interior of the gate, because it is built
like a small fortress. It is a double arch looking to the east, and
walled up outside, and two enormous monolithic columns of stone
separate it into two naves ; one is called Bab el Taubeh (gate of
repentance), and the other Bab el Eahmah (gate of mercy).
The sides are adorned with pilasters, whose frieze is richly
sculptured, and are lighted by the windows of their, two cupolas.
This is the gate where our Saviour entered in triumph on Palm
Sunday, and through which the Emperor Heraclius passed, bring
ing back the true Cross from the Persian war, and carrying it, like
Christ, upon his shoulders. In the Crusaders' time it was opened
twice a year, once on Palm Sunday, in honour of our Saviour, and
once for Heraclius, on the 14th September, feast of the Exaltation
of the Cross. For 713 years the Moslems have fulfilled the old
prophecy of Ezekiel, that the gate should be kept shut.
There are steps up to the top of the gate, which gives an
interesting view of the whole Haram, and the valley of Jehoshafat.
From the top of the Golden Gate in front of you, but a little
to the right, you behold the Mountain of Olives (of the Ascension),
covered by a group of buildings and a minaret. At its feet to the
left, the valley of Jehoshafat (the. place of Last Judgment),
becomes the Wady Silwan to the right. The valley, which is
not 100 yards broad, and which was once watered by the torrent
of Kedron, begins at the Tombs of the Judges, to the west of
Jerusalem. It runs below Gethsemane, and then joins the valley
of Hinnom, about three kilometres long ; it then takes the name
Wady el Nar (Fire Valley). The left bank is enclosed by the
mountains Scopas, Olivet, Karm es Sayyad (ancient Viri Galilei),
and the Mount of Scandal, on whose western slope nestles the
village Silwan (Siloh). We look down "upon a great number of
interesting objects, banking the dry torrent Kedron, from our
present position: — the tomb of our Lady, the grotto and garden of
Gethsemane, the tombs of Jehoshafat, Hezekiah, Absalom, and
St. James the Less ; the village of Siloh on one bank, and the pool
of Siloh and the fountain of the Blessed Virgin on the other

The Haram esh Sherif. 83
opposite bank ; further on are Solomon's gardens and pool, and
the well of Job.
The right bank is formed by Mount Gihon, Mount Bezetha,
on which part of the town is built, Mount Moriah, occupied by
the Haram {the site of the Temple), and Mount Ophel, and these
three last form one ridge. Opposite the Holy City, and as near
the Temple as possible, the steep banks of the Kedron are
carpeted with tombs — to the right Moslems, and to the left Jews.
They say that because Jehoshafat is so small, the Jews are afraid
there will not be room for us all, and they pay enormous prices
for the privilege of being buried there, to be found ready in their
places. We talk a great deal of mountains, but by comparison
with South American mountains, Switzerland, Teneriffe, and
Himalayas, Ave should call these upon which Jerusalem is built,
and also those which surround her, barren, stony hills, till we
come to Moab, or return to the Anti-Lebanon.
There is another very grand entrance from the street below,
opposite the Golden Gate in the western wall, mounting by steps
and arches; and columns stand here and there, with palm-leaf
capitals beautifully carved. This entrance leads direct to the
Temple. Here I beg to apologize for recapitulating what took place in
the Temple. My book is so simple, that I hope children and
uneducated persons may read it, as well as educated men and
women, who may skip a page or two; and I am quite sure that
thousands of foreign Catholics who do not read the Bible will
thank me for it.
This, we believe, is the celebrated Mount Moriah, where
Abraham came to sacrifice his son 1822 years before Christ ;
where, when David made a census of his people, and drew down
God's anger, he was given the choice of three scourges, and chose
the plague which carried off 70,000 men in three days ; where
he prayed to God to save the City, and where the prophet Gad
came and told him to prepare a sacrifice, erecting an altar on the
threshing-floor of Araunah, or Oman, the Jebusite. He obeyed,
and bought the threshing-floor, this very rock, for 600 shekels of
gold. The Altar was erected upon it, and the sacrifice was con
sumed by fire from heaven — showing that the Almighty had

84 The Inner Life of Syria.
accepted it. When the plague ceased, David wished to build a
Temple on the spot, but, by an intimation from God, he only col
lected the materials, leaving the task of building it to his son
Solomon (I. Paralipomenon, or I. Chronicles, xxi. xxii.). Solomon
began it in the fourth year of his reign (1012 B.C.).* It took
seven years to accomplish, and the Ark of the Covenant was
placed in it.
It was in the Temple that the Angel of the Lord announced to
Zachariah the birth of John the Baptist, who was to go before the
Messiah ; it was here that our Blessed Lady passed her infancy ;
it was here that she offered our Lord in the Temple ; here the
venerable Simon sung his "Nunc Dimittis." In the further angle
of the Temple was the lodging of Simeon, with whom the holy
family frequently remained for some days when they came up
to Jerusalem for the Passover. It was here that, at the age of
twelve, Jesus instructed the doctors in the Temple — the only
time He appeared prominently in public until He was thirty years
of age, and began His mission; it was here that Satan trans
ported Him to the pinnacle of the Temple, and tempted Him ;
here He chased the buyers and sellers on the Sabbath ; here they
brought Him the woman taken in adultery, and He uttered those
memorable words, " Let him that is without sin amongst you cast
the first stone at her — go, and sin no more ; " here He praised
the widow's mite, and foretold the destruction of the Temple.f
Titus fulfilled the prophecy by destroying it thirty-seven years
after his death. Here was Adrian's temple, thrown down by
Empress Helena and her son Constantine. In 361 Julian the
Apostate here came to take up the foundations of the original
Temple, but fire issued out of the ground, and killed the workmen,
till the impious act was abandoned. Omar then built over the
Sacred Eock, a Mosque, which Abd el Melek destroyed, and rebuilt
still more magnificently. In 1099 the Crusaders took possession
of it, killing 10,000 Moslems, turned it into a Church, and erected
an Altar on the Eock. In 1187 it became again a Mosque, and
has remained so until now.
* II. Paralipomenon or II. Chronicles iii. 1-2.
t Read Luke i. 5<14, ii. 21-35, 40-44; Matthew iv. 5-7; Mark xi. 15-18; Luke
xxi. 2-6 ; John viii. 3-11.

The Haram esh Sherif. . 85
First we walked round the walls of the Haram esh Sherif,
which has ten gates. At the north-west corner are the remains
of the ancient tower and fortress of Antonia, before mentioned.
Two galleries went out from this tower, one to the north, and one
to the west. It was guarded by deep trenches, north and west,
and four towers were placed at equal distances upon it ; they were
used by the garrison to defend the Temple, and a subterranean
passage connected this tower with one of the eastern gates.
There are many still undiscovered vaults beneath us, extend
ing up to the double gates. The subterranean galleries are very
extensive, and are supposed to have been water reservoirs.
Under some old cypress trees you descend twenty-one steps to
a fine tank, in the middle of which is a large round basin upon a
pedestal, which Frere Lievin told me might be the molten sea
mentioned in Paralipomenon or Chronicles.* In 1868, when the
aqueduct which gave water to the Sealed Fountain of the Temple
was restored, the water came to this tank in abundance.-[-
The Kubbet es Sakhrah (Dome of the Eock) is octagonal.
The walls on each side are covered with grey and white streaky
marble, and large squares of Persian or porcelain tiles, of old
style, now not to be copied. It has seven magnificently-stained
glass windows, and is surmounted by a melon-shaped dome, ex
tolled by every writer. This cupola, which covers the rock, is
cased in lead, and gilt over; an immense crescent glitters at
its top. There is a door to each cardinal point: north, Bab
el Jenneh (gate of Heaven) ; south, Bab el Kibleh (of prayer
direction); west, Bab el Gharb (to the setting sun);' east, Bab
Daoud (of David), or Bab Silsilah (of the chain).
In the interior of this pavilion-like Mosque are two octagonal
concentric enceintes, surrounding the central point. The first is
formed by the exterior walls, and the second by eight square
pillars at its angles. The second octagon is composed of sixteen
verde-antique columns, with monolithic shafts. The upper ceiling
is covered with mosaic, gold, and coloured glass, picked out with
texts from the Koran. The pavement is tesselated with tiles,
chiefly blue and white. The central spot is enclosed, like the
* II. Paralipomenon or II. Chronicles iv. 1-6, 10, 15.
t Read Ezekiel xlvii. 1-12.

86 The Inner Life of Syria.
larger enceinte, by four pilasters and twelve columns. An artistic
iron grille occupies the spaces between the columns. Inside this
enclosure is a beautifully carved screen of wood, which imme
diately surrounds the naked Eock.
There is something sublime in this great bare Stone, guarded
by all its riches and treasures. Would that the Holy Sepulchre
and other holy sites had been preserved with the same good taste,
surrounded by riches the offerings of devotion, but left to nature.
A green and red tent is suspended like a canopy over this
treasure, and to the Mohammedan it recalls the tent God gave to
Adam when he found Eve on Arafat Hill, near Mecca, after he
had sought her for a hundred years. This Stone is equally vene
rated by Jews, Christians, and Moslems.
' As we stand gazing, full of thoughts and associations, let us
recapitulate together what this rock has witnessed, both what we
know by the Bible, and what we are assured by history or tradition.
First — Abraham chose that spot whereupon to sacrifice his only
son Isaac by the command of God.* Jerusalem is the "land of
vision;" Mount M6riah is one of the mountains, and Moriah means
" the Lord will see." David bought it from Araunah the Jebus-
ite, who used it for a threshing-floor ; the King, the Prophet Gad,
and the Angel stood there. It was sanctified by the fire from
heaven, Avhich consumed the sacrifice; it was covered by the
Temple of Solomon ; the Ark of the Covenant rested upon it.f
Let us, whilst here, remember this prayer or blessing of Solo
mon, whilst he consecrated this spot, and placed the Ark upon it : — ¦
" Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but
cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake ; (for they shall hear of
thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched-out arm ;)
when he shall come and pray toward his house ; hear thou in heaven thy
dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee
for : that all the people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as
do thy people Israel ; and that they may know that this house, which I
have builded, is. called by thy name."
When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon's Temple, the Holy
of Holies was buried in the ruins.! Jeremias the prophet,
* Genesis xxii. 1-14. t HI- Kings or I. Kings viii. 1-6, 41-43.
IV. Kings or II. Kings xxv. 9 :— " And he burnt the house of the Lord."

The Haram esh Sherif. 87
who was warned by God, knew by inspiration of the coming
destruction, and he saved the Tabernacle, the Ark of. the Cove
nant, and the Altar of Incense, and hid them in a cave in Mount
Nebo, the same where Moses went up to view the Promised Land
and die* When the Jews returned after their seventy years
captivity in Babylon, Cyrus permitted its reconstruction, which
was undertaken and performed by Zerubbabel.
Heliodorus was sent by Seleucus, King of Syria, to rob its
sacred treasures ; but when he went in, an invisible hand struck
him down, and he was in a dying state until the High Priest
prayed for him.f
Alexander the Great visited the Temple, and offered sacrifices
to the true God on the rock. Antiochus Epiphanus, after a mas
sacre of- the Jews, profaned it, and placed a statue of Jupiter in it.
Two years later Judas Maccabaeus purified it, and re-established
the worship of the true God.f Pompey took it B.C. 63, profaned
the Holy of Holies, but left the building intact, and Cassim after
him did. the same; B.C. 17, Herod the Great rebuilt it with
10,000 workmen, 1000 carts and horses, and 1000 priests, and no
one else was allowed within the enclosure.
We must then remember that it was sanctified by the presence
of the angel who announced to Zachariah the birth of his son,
John the Baptist; then by the infancy of the Blessed Virgin, by her
offering in the Temple, by Simeon, by the presence of the holy
family — Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; by the circumcision of Jesus,
by Jesus teaching the doctors in the Temple, and frequently
during His three years ministry, and, finally, by the sufferings
and death of our Saviour.
Thus the Eock opens its history by Abraham sacrificing his
only son at the command of God, and closes it by God sacrificing
his only son to redeem the world. Thus it takes part in the
* II. Maccabees ii. 4-7 ; Deuteronomy xxxii. 49-52.
t Read the whole of II. Maccabees iii., and II. Maccabees ix. 12-20, but especially
remember these words :— " But God did not choose the people for the place's sake,
but the place for the people's sake. And therefore the place also itself was made
partaker of the evils of the people : but afterwards shall communicate in the good
things thereof, and 'as it was forsaken in the wrath of Almighty God, shall be
exalted again with great glory, when the great Lord shall be reconciled."
J II. Maccabees x. 1-9.

88 The Inner Life of Syria.
principal religious and historical events of some 1877 years.
Since that time it became a contention between Pagan, Moslem,
and Christian, and it frequently changed masters for 1154 years.
Titus destroyed the Temple, and Adrian rebuilt to Jupiter.
Omar covered the rock with the Mosque ; the Crusaders substi
tuted the Cross for the Crescent; Salah ed Din destroyed the Cross,
and again erected the Crescent, and washed the rock with rose-
water (a.d. 1187), since which (713 years) it has ever remained
a Mohammedan possession. Thus we have the history of the
Eock for a period of 3,744 years.
On the Eock is a print of a large hand, said to be that of the
Angel Gabriel, dating from the famous night journey of the Pro
phet Mohammed from Mecca to Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel,
say the Moslems,* brought him a white mule, named El Borak,
"the lightning," and so mounted, the Prophet descended on
Mount Sinai at Bethlehem, and at Jerusalem, where he entered
the Temple, and prayed with Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Elijah.
He visited the seven heavens, and, lastly, Allah- himself, who taught
him how to govern his people. When Mohammed was ascending,
the Eock wished to fly after him ; but Allah, being unwilling
that the world should lose the sacred Eock, the Angel Gabriel
put his hand upon it, and the impression is that which we now
see. Also is shown the shield which belonged to Hamzeh, the
Prophet's uncle and faithful follower ; and there is an apochry-
phal footprint of Mohammed on a bit of marble, covered by a
grille, the lance and standard of the Prophet, the flag of Omar,
the saddle of El Borak, carved in marble. By the Bab el
Jenneh is a large bit of jasper into which nineteen nails of gold
were driven by Mohammed, to mark the time the world will last.
At the end of each century a nail disappears, and fastens itself in
the throne of Allah. An evil spirit once came and pulled them
out for sheer wantonness, but the Angel Gabriel caught him, and
drove him with blows from the sanctuary. By Mohammedan com
putation we have now 350 years more, and three nails and a half
actually remain.
A flight of fifteen steps takes us into the cave under this
Eock. This feature has been immensely written about. I shall
* My husband remarks that there is no Koranic evidence whatever for this.

The Haram esh Sherif. 89
content myself Avith saying that Captain Burton holds it to be
the original granary of the corn threshed or rather trodden out,
upon the plain on either side, and winnoAved from the Eock. If
the latter prove to be the great Altar of Sacrifice, the cave will be
the cistern for the blood Avhich ran off by the Bir el Anvah (Well
of Souls) into the valley of Hinnom. My husband did his best
to procure the opening of the holloAv-sounding slab in the centre,
but the time has not yet come.
The more ignorant Moslems believe that the Sakhrah is sus
pended in the air, and its only support is a palm-tree, held by
the mothers of the two greatest prophets, Mohammed and Abra
ham. The most projecting point is called " the Tongue," because,
when Omar thought he had discovered the stone which was
Jacob's pillar in his vision at Bethel, he exclaimed, " Es Salaamo
Alaykum" ("Peace be upon thee"), and the Stone replied,
" Alaykum us Salaam, wa Eahmatullahi " (" Peace be to thee,
and the mercy of God ").
The Shaykhs of the Mosque explained everything to us, even
the minutest trifle, and sheAved us the places where Solomon
prayed, and also David, and Avhere Abraham and Elijah and
Mohammed met on the occasion of his night flight upon El
Borak. They also made an echo for us, and told us that there
was a holloAV place beneath the Bir el Arwah before mentioned,
Avhere every Friday the departed souls come to adore Allah.
They also shoAv the Koran of Khalif Omar. On the outside of
the Mosque are tAvo Kiblehs, domelets on marble columns, one
called after Fatima, daughter of Mohammed, married to her
cousin Ali, and the other after the ascension of Mohammed.
Near this, on a wall, is a piece of marble whose veins represent
tAvo birds, to which is attached a legend of Solomon. He ordered
all the birds, beasts, and fishes to pay him tribute, Avhen tAvo mag
pies rebelled, and induced the others to mutiny; that on this
account the Prophet-King condemned them to remain in marble
to the end of time. He also ordered the roof of the Temple to be
covered with golden needles, or fine spikes, that no bird might
perch upon or soil it.*
* Captain Burton tells me that this is - tale probably borrowed from Mecca,
Avhere one of the " Ka'abahs " Avas similarly protected.
vol. n. n

90 The Inner Life of Syria.
They show in a portico with four arches the scales which at
the Last Judgment will weigh the good and evil deeds of souls.
Those found wanting Will go, via the bridge "El Sirat," to
the Mohammedan Jehannum, which is, however, according to
most schools, only temporary and provisional, like our Purgatory,
for the true believer. There is also a fine marble Mambar, or
pulpit, from which they preach on the Fridays of the Eamazan ;
it is called Burhan ed Din el Kadi, after a learned doctor.
I must now explain the bridge El Sirat.* You are conducted
to a place in the Temple enclosure, where a marble column of
some length projects horizontally through the Avail into space,
like a piece of cannon pointed at Mount Olivet. The spiritual
and invisible bridge is fastened on this si*le close to the fallen
column, is thrown across the Valley of Jehoshafat, and its other
end is attached to the summit of Olivet. It is finer than the
edge of a razor. When its merits and demerits have been
Aveighed in the scales of justice, the soul has to walk over this
bridge ; the just are not afraid, for they are supported by their
guardian angels, but the unjust lose their balance, and falling
into the Valley of Jehoshafat, are sAvallowed up in hell.
The entrance to the Dome of the Eock is exceedingly beautiful.
It is a little detached decagonal marble pavilion, supported by
tAvo circles of columns — in all numbering seventeen, said to cover
the site of the Altar of Burnt Offerings. BetAveen it and the
Temple the High Priest Zacharias, son of Joaida, Avas stoned.t
Close to it was the place Avhere the King presided at the offices ;
it is called the Tribunal of David, and also the Dome of the
Chain (Kubbet es Silsilah). They say that Allah let down a chain
from heaven, and each man taking an oath held it in his hand.
If he swore falsely a link of the chain came off. Close to this
altar St. James the Less, first Bishop of Jerusalem, Avas cast out
of the Temple, and, as he Avas not dead, they dragged him to a
distance and stoned him.
The mosque " El Aksa " means the farthest then knoAvn to El
Islam. This Crusaders' church, once called St. Mary's, is the
* My husband has corrected the garbled Christian account of the Moslem
" Bridge of Souls."
T Read II. Paralipomenon or IL Chronicles xxiv. 20-21.

The Haram esh Sherif. 91
only other large building in the enclosure. It Avas built by
the Emperor Justinian, and Avas dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
Omar converted it into a place of prayer for Moslems, and Abd
el Melek plated its gates Avith gold and silver. During the
Crusaders' time it was the Templars' church. Godfrey de Bouillon
reconverted the Haram mosques into a church and monastery,
the Abbot of Avhich Avas the Head of the Templars of the Knights
of St. John. The porch has seven arches, and the interior seven
naves (doubtless in honour of the " seven dolours "), supported by
roAvs of Ioav Byzantine columns of verde antique, iioav covered
with plaster. The Shaykhs shoAv the tombs of four sons of Aaron,
Avho died, like Moses, in the Desert. There is a Avell called the
"Well of the Leaf." The tradition is that a man went to Paradise
through this well, and returned by the same Avay, bringing a
green leaf behind his ear. There is a beautiful cupola with
Mosaics, supported by four large pilasters, adorned Avith tAvo
marble columns; a Mihrab to Avhich the Moslem turns for his
prayer ; a beautifully sculptured Mambar, or pulpit, the gift of
Nur ed Din. Tavo other Mihrabs are dedicated to Moses and to
Jesus. In the latter is shoAvn the footprint of our Saviour, Avhich
the Mohammedans venerate, and some think it is that missing
from the Mount of Olivet.
We are told that Mary Avas consecrated at an early age to
remain a virgin, and to devote herself to the services of the
Temple, where she passed her infancy. This is shown as the spot
where Mary and her mother St. Anne, her seven virgin com
panions, and the Prophetess Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Aser, dwelt together. Not far are tAvo columns close
together, and the Moslems believe that Avhoever can squeeze
through these will go to heaven, but those Avho stick betAveen
them and cannot pass, Avill go — elseAvhere. They are very decep
tive ; to look at them you would exclaim, " It were easier for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle," but I passed through
them easily.
At the end of the westernmost nave is a large arched hall,
divided by pillars, Avhich support the arches — a most interesting
place, I thought ; it was the old salle d'armes of the Templars.
We must not forget to visit the Mihrab Avhere Omar came

92 The Inner Life of Syria.
to make his first prayer after purifying "the Eock" from the
Infidel ; and another Avhere Zachariah and St. John the Baptist are
supposed to have prayed. We descend thirty-two steps to a sub
terranean chamber, where a large marble shell is supported on
small marble columns, said to be the cradle of Christ, but far
more like a bath.* This Avas the habitation of the venerable
Simeon, Avhere the holy family stayed with him after the circum
cision, and where they lodged whenever they came up yearly for
the Passover. There used to be a chapel on the spot called the
Cradle of Christ ; it is now a little Mosque, called the Sanctuary
of Jesus. Coming out of the Mosque, Ave descend by steps into
another enormous subterranean hall, supported by columns, and
said to have originated with Solomon ; others say it was used as
stables by the Templars, who must have had lifts for their
horses, or inclined planes leading to the apertures. Amid the
grass-grown enclosure, but nearer the northern wall, is the lesser
rock (Sakhrat es Saghir), covered by a round-domed chapel.
After a few difficulties, and many false assertions that no one had
entered for years, it was shown to us. It contained a fragment of
the original rock upon which, they said, Jacob slept when he
saw the vision ; and a flat slab, evidently a stone, in situ, Avas
guarded by a rail. Around the interior of this little fane were
twelve double marble columns, with Christian capitals, and a
fountain. Before going out of the western gate Ave passed another
Mosque, where we were shoAvn the "Throne of Solomon." It
occupies the whole space between the walls, and is covered Avith
a velvet pall. Moslems say he was found dead upon it. Another
templet, with a Mihrab and an elevated place covered with black
cloth, has a column on either side, which rise a little above it,
and are called the two pillars of Solomon, being placed like two
crutches ; they say that he leant upon them for eight years. In
this Moslem mosque we have often heard the name of Hazrat
Isa. For the Moslem believes that Jesus, being the Euh Ullah
(breath of God), never died, and thus, after a fashion, he believes
in the Ascension. He believes Him to be the third greatest
* My husband tells me that it is part of an old niche for a statue.

The Jewish Passover. 93
prophet, and venerates all the Holy Places connected Avith Him, as
Ave do, but in a different spirit. It is only the JeAvs Avho ignore
Christ, for the sake of the shame and scandal the Cross brought
upon their nation. Some heretical sects hold that He permitted
Judas, in punishment for his treachery, to be invested with His
personal appearance, and to undergo torment and crucifixion in
His place.
The 5th of April was the night of the Passover. Every
JeAvish house was lit up during the night, and we were invited
by one of the Khakhams (Eabbis) and his family to attend it.
A table was spread Avith a cloth, and over it was suspended an oil
lamp with five wicks, one for each male member of the family.
The men then assembled round the table, and the women, both
mistresses and attendants, dressed in their festal costume, and
covered with jewellery, sat in rows on one side of the room ;
finally, we and all the friends invited, placed ourselves on the
other. The men read the prayers in a chanting tone, something
after the fashion of a choir intoning the Gregorian chant. It
was alternately Spanish and HebreAv, the former easy to be
understood. They rocked to and fro, as usual, Avhilst praying.
Four cups of wine were on the table, Avith unleavened bread,
water-cresses, lettuce, and a fragment of the lamb. They slung
the flat unleavened bread, or rather cakes, over their shoulders in
a napkin, as if ready to depart at a moment's notice. They
ate and drank reclining on their sides, but stood up at certain
parts of the ceremony, Avhich lasted about two hours. They were
exceedingly hospitable to us, and so liberal that they even
wanted us to smoke narghilehs while they prayed. This, of
course, we declined, although I believe it was quite permissible,
and Ave remained in a respectful attitude till the supper was over.
I thought it most touching, simple, and interesting, this eating of
the Passover. Jerusalem was all alive that night, and the lit-up
houses Avere very effective.
Maunday Thursday, April 6th.— At 3.30 I rose, and was so
fortunate as to be able to hear Mass and receive Holy Com
munion on Calvary at 5 o'clock. I returned at 7.30, Avith the
French Consular party, to High Mass, and to witness the cere-

94 The Inner Life of Syria,
monies for this great day. After the Latins had finished I Avent
to the Greek " washing of the feet," with Captain Burton and Mr.
Tyrwhitt-Drake. A magnificent platform Avas erected outside the
Sepulchre, and the Patriarch, personating Jesus Christ, mounted by
a staircase with the twelve apostles, who were represented by the
highest dignitaries of the Church. Their dresses were gorgeous,
and everything Avas most richly carried out. They sang through
the Passion, each taking his part, and answering one another. In
fact, it was a Passion-play sung. When the Patriarch proceeds to
Avash the feet of the one Avho represents Peter, he refuses, and the
Patriarch replies in the words of our Saviour, " If I wash thee
not, thou shalt have no part with me;" he then washes all their
feet, and they go through this part of the Holy Scriptures. The
rite lasted about tAvo hours.
We then rode out to see Our Lady's Tomb, near Gethsemane.
A small chapel covers an extensive cave in the rocks, Avith many
altars and one shrine. It is as near as possible a copy of the
Sepulchre. It is said that it contains also the bodies of St.
Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of Mary, and that of
Joseph her husband, and it Avould have been quite according to
JeAvish custom that it should have been so, the family tombs
consisting of so many loculi in a cave. Close to this is the
Garden of Gethsemane. We next ascended the Mount of
Olives. Three roads lead to this far-famed mountain, all beginning
at Gethsemane. Tavo are frequently mentioned in the old and
neAv Testaments. One, the steeper, passes the so-called " Tombs
of the Prophets," and leaves on one side the place Avhere Jesus
AArept over Jerusalem. The other, on the north flank, is the
easier ascent. We will walk up all three, in order to miss
nothing. Almost immediately, on one road, you pass a Avhite
rock, where tradition says Thomas Avas going to visit the Virgin's
grave when he saw her mounting to heaven, and she threw him
her girdle, which descended on the rock. The girdle is at Prato
in Tuscany. Before you reach the top the path bifurcates, one
bend leads to the spot whence our Lord ascended, close to a small
village called "Zaytiin, another to the Mount Viri Galilei, which
is a part of the Mount of Olives, and a third connects Viri

Mount Olivet. 95
Galilei and Zaytiin. You will remark three olives, Avhich note
the spot where the Angel Gabriel announced death to the mother
of Jesus. A few yards away is Viri Galilei (Karm es Sayyad)
where the Galileans had a Khan, or inn, Avhere they used to meet
during the fetes of Jerusalem, and where took place Avhat is recorded
in the first chapter of Acts. This might be Avhat Jesus meant when
He said after His death He would join them in Galilee, for here
He commands them not to depart from Jerusalem,* and Galilee
Avould have been many days' march there and back, whereas
Scripture shows that they Avere never further than an afternoon
stroll from Jerusalem. There is the minaret of Zaytiin, Avhich is
near an enclosed court, and a little edifice which covers the spot
Avhere Jesus Christ, uttering last Avords full of majesty, ascended
into heaven in the presence of 120 people, amongst Avhom were
His mother and the apostles. The spot Avas once covered by a
church. A lustre Avas suspended over the holy footprints on the
rock, of which we see but the left. Some say that the right foot
print shown at the Mosque el Aksa was stolen from here, and it
certainly corresponds. They were covered by a marble casing,
and protected from wind and rain by a glass cage. Here, in
the Mosaic law, Israel burnt before Easter a coav, whose ashes
served to prepare the water with Avhich they purified themselves,
and especially those ayIio, under pain of death, had touched a dead
* Mark xxviii. 7-10, 16-17 : — " And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he
is risen : and behold he will go before you into Galilee : there you shall see him.
Lo, I have foretold it to you. And they went out quickly from the Sepulchre with
fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold Jesus met them,
saying, All hail. But they came np and took hold of his feet, and adored him.
Then Jesus said to them : Eear not. Go, tell my brethren that they go into
Galilee, there they shall see me. . . . And the eleven disciples went into
Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing him they
adored : but some doubted."
Acts i. 4, 9-12 : — " And eating together with them, he commanded them, that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the
Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth. . . . And when he had
said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up : and a cloud received him
out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven,
behold two men stood by them in Avhite garments. Who also said: Ye men of
Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven ? This Jesus who is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven. Then
they returned to Jerusalem, from the mount that is called Olivet, which is nigh
Jerusalem, within a Sabbath day's journey."

96 The Inner Life of Syria.
body. Jesus Christ passed a night here. Titus, during the
siege of Jerusalem, here encamped his tenth legion. Tancred,
on arriving, Avent up to contemplate the city, and Avas attacked
by five Moslems, of Avhom he killed three and made two run
away. The Crusaders, before attacking Jerusalem, ascended this
mount to chant the Litanies, and here Peter the Hermit preached
to them. From the minaret top we looked down upon the Valley of
Jehoshafat, the Dome of the Eock, the Mosque El Aksa, and
the Avhole City of Jerusalem, beyond the Eussian buildings.
Far aAAray upon a northern hillock lies Neby Samwil (Prophet
Samuel's tomb), and as far to the south rises the Franks' Moun
tain. South-Avest, on the Bethlehem road, are the Convent of
St. Elias and the Valley of Eaphaim (Giants), the Mount of
Evil Counsel, the Valley of Hinnom, the Field of Aceldama.
Southwards is the Mount of Scandal, which is indeed part of
Mount Olivet. To the east, the Desert of Judaea extends to the
Jordan and to the Dead Sea, and, to close the picture, a huge
mountain-wall Avhich is always Moab. The eastern part, betAveen
the torrents of Jabbok and of Arnon, was of the tribe of Eeuben.
To the north-east lived the tribe of Gad, and half Manasses,
Avhich includes the country of Gilead.
We descended the minaret, and to the south of the Sanctuary
of the Ascension we found the ruins of an ancient Convent of the
Canons of St. Augustine, in the time of the Crusaders, and close
by the grotto of St. Pelagia. In this cave the actress of
Antioch, Margaret, who Avas converted by St. Nonnius, Bishop
of Edessa, in the fifth century, came under the name of Pelagia
to lead a penitent life, died, and Avas buried. The JeAvs call it
the grave of the Prophetess Huldah ; her sepulchre in the
crypt is cylindrical in form. A little to the south-east is the
spot where tradition says our Lord taught the "Our Father"
to his disciples.*
Over this sanctuary uoav stands a neAv building. The Prin-
cesse la Tour d'Auvergne, one of the four European ladies who
have been called eccentric, because wearied of the flesh-pots of
Europe, they have made their home in the East, obtained posses-
* Read Matthew vi. 9-15, and Luke xi. 1-13.

Tombs of Prophets. 97
sion of the ground, enclosed it in Avails, and built a sanctuary
over it. A cloister runs all around, on which the Paternoster is
painted in thirty-two languages, some — I must confess — very
incorrect. There are two rooms in these walls, one is prepared
for the Princesse to lie in state after her death, and the other for
her tomb. Her Swiss chalet adjoins the spot, and here she lives
in retirement. I was told that she was a woman of great mind
and talent, charming, and spirituelle ; she was absent Avhilst I
Avas in Jerusalem, and I had no opportunity of seeing her.
Thirty yards away is the spot where, they say, the Apostles
composed their Creed. Here, as late as twenty-four years ago,
there used to be twelve niches with tAvelve statues of the apostles,
but the Moslems have sold them to the Jews, we are told, for
gravestones. About five hundred yards to the south-east, at the foot of
Mount Olivet, on the road to Bethany, a dike seems to divide the
valley ; this is the site of Bethphage, where Jesus sent his dis
ciples to take the ass and her foal for his triumphant entry into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.*
The spot where our Saviour wept over Jerusalem is 150 yards
to the west of the " Credo," by the steepest descent ; it was once
covered by a Church, but now there is a ruined Mosque.
Eeturning, we visited the Tombs of the Prophets, where we
had the same cold, damp work on hands and knees, through
cavernous passages and loculi, hunting after inscriptions. Those
which we found were comparatively modern Greek graffite, and
my companions all declared the tradition about the prophets to
be absolutely worthless. The caves lie 150 yards south-west of
the site of the " Credo." A low doorway leads into a round vesti
bule, Avith a hole pierced at the top, which lets in a little light
and air ; thence you pass another hole into the gallery, where are
thirty-six loculi. It is difficult to believe that this is the Tomb
of the Prophets, because, out of the twenty-two of which we know,
twenty were buried in other cities, but the prophets may have
been others Avhose names are not recorded. Haggai was buried
with the priests, and Zacharias by him. Haggai, who predicted
that the Messiah would honour the Temple, then building, Avith
* Read Mark xi. and Luke xix. 29-44.

98 The Inner Life of Syria.
His presence,* and Zacharias, son of Barachias, who predicted the
annihilation of the Jewish religion, or rather, that we should all
come into one fold under Christ. It might have been that of
the priests, or else built in honour of the prophets killed by the
Jews, to whom Jesus said, "Woe to you Avho build the monuments
of the prophets," &c.f
We then agreed to see the Avhole of the Kedron and its objects
of interest en detail from one end to the other. So we went to the
east Avith a little southing, and passed a white rock on the right
bank of the Kedron, about sixty yards to the Avest of a bridge of
stone over the torrent. This Avas the spot Avhere St. Stephen, the
proto-martyr, was stoned to death.} We are now near St. Stephen's
Gate, called also Bab Sitti Mariam (of our Lady Mary), and turn
ing to our right, Ave shortly see the Tower of Hana-neel.§ Some
of the stones are very large — from four to seven yards long, two
broad, and one high ; but having seen Palmyra, Ba'albak, and
Damascus, they do not strike us. We noAv leave to our left the
Valley of Jehoshafat ; on our right, and above us, are the Avails of
the City and of the Temple. A little path goes down the declivity
Avhere our Saviour fell into the Torrent of Kedron, being pushed
by the brutal soldiery. They pretend to show the traces of His
feet, hands, and knees, on the hard rock, but I had not enough of
imagination to see them. A little to the east, on the opposite
bank of the torrent, are four conspicuous and interesting tombs :
a monolith cut in the rock — our Lady's Tomb, and the Grotto and
Garden of Gethsemane, which are also on the opposite side, come
before this monolith, but Ave pass them by as already visited,
and only cross over now. This is the tomb called of Absalom.
It has four pillars, one at each side ; it is surmounted with orna
ments in masonry, crowned Avith a bunch of palms. It was con
structed, they say, during his life ; the Jews still fling rubbish
into it, to sIioav their contempt for this recreant son of David. It
is thought that though this honourable burial-place Avas prepared
for him, he Avas never permitted to lie here, but was thrown into
a ditch. ||
* Haggai 7, 8, and Matthew xxiii. 32-39. f Read Luke xi. 47-51.
Read Acts vii. 51-59. § Nehemiah iii.
II II. Kings or II Samuel xviii. 17-18.

Interesting Tombs. 99
Close to Absalom's tomb is that called of Jehoshafat, almost
buried in rubbish.* The frontal only is seen, but it is striking.
It is thought that the JeAvs still bury there secretly, as it is always
closed, and smells very corpse-like. The tomb of Hezekiah
resembles Absalom's. The most striking of the four is that of
St. James the Less, a room cut in the cliff side ; its front is a
porch supported by Doric columns. It has a Hebrew inscription,
shewing it was the tomb of Hezir, descendant of Aaron, and con
structed before the time of Christ. The Moslems call it the
Divan of Pharaoh.
When Jesus Christ was seized by the rabble, the disciples
ran away and hid, James the Less flying to this cave. It Avas
safe, as any Jew touching a tomb was unclean for eight days.
He remained hid all the time of the Passion, and when he heard
that his Master was crucified, he vowed that he would neither eat
nor drink till Christ rose from the dead, and appeared to him.
It happened on this spot. It is about seventy yards from this
place that our Lord, on Maunday-Thursday night, after the
Supper, left eight of His disciples, and taking three went to
the garden to pray.t
Their pusillanimity before, and their constancy, and courage
after, they had " received the Holy Ghost," was doubtless per
mitted for our instruction. St. James suffered, as I have related,
a cruel death for his Master's sake, and was buried here a.d. 62.
It is thought that Zebedee, Cleophas, Simon, and Zacharias also
lie in this tomb ; but which Zacharias is doubtful. If Zacharias
son of Barachias be meant, he is buried with Haggai and the
priests ; and Zacharias father of St. John the Baptist is buried
Avith St. James the Great. Is this Zacharias son of Joaida? or
is it Zacharias son of Jehoshafat buried with his father ?
About a hundred yards away from these tombs is the fig-tree,
or rather its site, upon which Judas hanged himself.} We then
Avalk a few hundred yards southward along a narroAv path, and
we come to the village of Siloam (Silwan), on our left hand. It
is situated on the Hill, or Mount, of Scandal, so called because
* LH. Kings or I. Kings xxii. 50 : — "And Jehoshafat slept Avith his fathers, and
was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father."
t Read Matthew xxvi 30-37.

103 The Inner Life of Syria,
Solomon sinned in here building temples to Chemosh and Moloch,
the idols of his harim.* Silwan consists of fifty miserable
stone and mud huts, box-shaped; and on the opposite bank of
Kedron, which Ave crossed, and not far distant, is an unclean pool
— the " Fountain of our Lady," at the foot of Mount Ophel, and
facing the east. We remember that Simon, Avho circumcised our
Lord and sung his " Nunc Dimittis," lived at the south-east angle
of the enclosure of the Temple, where is iioav the " Sanctuary,"
or " Cradle of Christ." The tradition is that, during these visits,
our Lady used to wash linen at this fountain; this is quite natural,
and Avhat she would have done.
We Avalk still in a southerly direction, following the Kedron.
Ophel is on our right, and the King's Gardens, likewise Silwan, to
our left.
About three hundred yards farther is another pool, where
women Avash and soldiers draw Avater. The fountains once irri
gated the " Gardens of the King," now in Fellahin possession, and
here are the only spots about Jerusalem Avhere anything will
grow. A few yards farther is the pool of Solomon, partly cut in
the rock, and now in a poor man's kitchen-garden. Eighty-three
yards west from the last is the pool of Siloam, on the left bank
south-west of Ophel, at the extremity of the Valley of the
Cheesemongers (Tyropean), which passes between the hill of
Ophel and Mount Sion, and Avhich joins the Valley of Jehoshafat.
This is the pool in which our Saviour gave sight to the blind
man.| The people used to flock here for cures of all diseases ;
a church was built over it, and the pool, divided into two parts,
one for men and the other for women, had a balustrade around ;
thence it discharged itself into a basin outside the church, and
near it was the Tower of Siloam, Avhieh fell, crushing eighteen .
men.} The waters and canals of Siloam are very curious. I went
in as far as I could. Some say that they come from under the
* III. Kings or I. Kings xi. 1-12 :— "Then did Solomon build an high place
for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and
for Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likeAvise did he for
all his strange wives, Avhich burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods."
t Read John ix. 1-15.
J Luke xiii. 4 :— " Or those eighteen, upon whom the toAver in Siloam fell, and
slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?"

Kedron and Hinnom. 101
Temple, and that they zig-zag for about six hundred yards.
Others suppose that they Avere aqueducts built by Solomon to
Avater the gardens of his Avives. South-west of the pool of Siloam,
a path leads up to Mount Sion, mentioned in II. Esdras.*
Not far from the pool of Solomon is the spot Avhere the prophet
Isaias Avas saAvn in tAvo by the order of his son-in-law King
Manasses, and buried close by. We noAv reach a point where
three roads meet: one is that Avhich Ave have come — along the
valley of the Kedron; another takes us round by the southern Avail
into the valley of Hinnom, and a third leads aAvay from Jerusalem
toAvards the Dead Sea.-f- Bir Ayyiib, Job's Avell, En Eogel, the
border of the tribe of Judah and of Benjamin, stands like a
junction in the meeting-place of these three roads. This is
Nephi, or Naphtar, where Nehemias hid the sacred fire.} All
these Avaters, pools, and Avells of Kedron are brackish. We Avill
now take the southerly road, and turn up the valley of Hinnom,
or Jehannum, or Hell, which once separated the tribes of Benjamin
and Judah. It is so called on account of the Israelites, Avho
there adored Moloch, and used to burn their children and offer
other human sacrifices, which are anathematized by Jeremias in
his seventh chapter.§ Moloch was a large brass statue, with a
* II. Esdras (Ezra) iii. 15 : — " And the gate of the fountain Solium the son of
Cholhoza built, lord of the street of Maspha : he built it, and covered it, and set up
the doors thereof, and the locks, and the bars, and the walls of the pool of Siloe
unto the king's guard, and unto the steps that go down from the city of David."
+ Josue (Joshua) xv. 7, 8.
J II. Maccabees i. 19-23.
§ II. Paralipomenon or II. Chronicles xxxiii. 6-11.
Jeremias (Jeremiah) vii. 31-34 : — " And they have built the high places of
Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their
daughters in the Are ; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called
Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter : for they
shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall
be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth ; and none shall
fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities Of Judah, and from the
streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride : for the land shall be desolate."
Jeremias (Jeremiah) xix. 10-15.
IV. KiDgs or II. Kings xxiii. 10, 13 : — " And he defiled Tophet, which is in the
valley of the children of Hinnomt that no man might make his son or his daughter
to pass through the fire to Moloch  And tho high places that Avere before
Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the Moujfl of Corruption, which Solomon

102 The Inner Life of Syria.
bull's head, and arms extended as if to receive something. It Avas
holloAv. Seven chapels stood before him or around him. The
first served for an offering of a dove or a foAvl ; the second for a
lamb or a sheep; the third for a ram; the fourth for a calf; the
fifth for a bull or cow; the sixth for an ox; the seventh for a
man's oAvn son, who had the privilege of kissing the idol. The
child Avas placed before the idol, Avhich Avas internally heated red
hot; then the priest placed it in the extended arms of Moloch, and
that the parents might not hear its cries a drum Avas beaten loudly.
So the place Avas also called Tophet (a drum).
The valley is one vast Necropolis, full of burial caverns cut in
the rock. They say that in troublous times pious people retired
here to hide and live in prayer. One monument in particular
Avas shoAvn to us as the "Ketreat of the Apostles," because
Avhen our Saviour Avas seized in the garden, three Avere Avith
him, Judas Avas betraying him, St. James the Less hid in the
monument where he is uoav buried, and the other seven took
refuge in this cave in Hinnom. Here the High Priest Annas
is said to be buried, here St. Onofrius lived like a hermit,
and here there Avas once a chapel. If you climb up a few
yards of rock you find yourself in Aceldama, "field of
blood."* It is said that St. Helena transported several ship
loads of this earth to the Campo Santo at Eome, and surrounded
Aceldama Avith an enclosure. The Crusaders used here to bury
the pilgrims that died in the hospital, and erected an oratory in
its centre. Continuing our walk we remark a mountain called Jebel el
Kubur (of the graves), after the Necropolis, and Dayr Abu Thaur
(Convent of the Father of the Bull), I presume from Moloch.
The Christians knoAv it as the Hill of Evil Counsel, because the
High Priest Caiaphas had a country-house outside Jerusalem,
the king of Israel had buildod for Astoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and
for Chomosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination
of the children of Ammon, did the king defile."
Osee (Hosea) xiii. 2 :— " And now they sin more and more, and have made them
molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of
it the work of the craftsmen : they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the
calves." * Acts i. 18-20.

Through Tophet to the Jaffa Gate. 103
Avhere, according to tradition, the Pharisees assembled and held
council against Jesus.* The summit is marked by two or three
houses. Some little distance further, situated on the slope or
incline of Sion, is the Protestant school. There are stairs cut in
the rock, probably from the time of David. On the left is the
Emperor's reservoir (Birket es Sultan). Some say that it is the
piscina of Bathsheba,} and others that it is the loAver piscina;
others, again, that it is " Assuyah," " the pool built Avith great
labour." } The next striking object is the row of almshouses for
destitute JeAvs, built by Sir Moses Montefiore. Near the pool
is a hill, with a little chapel cut in the rock by the Crusaders
Avho encamped there: it is now a lunatic asylum, and the
Greeks shew there the tomb of St. Damianus. The treatment
in this maison de sante is not complicated. They chain the
lunatic with a blessed chain called St. George; they are fed
on bread and Avater, quite regardless of respect of persons, some of
whom may not have sufficient blood to supply the brain. The
manager comes round to visit them, and asks questions, and for
every foolish ansAver they receive a bloAV with a little stick. This
most brutal and horrible cure is said to ansAver wonderfully. I do
not believe it.
In a.d. 136 the Emperor Adrian erected at the Jaffa gate a
pig in marble, and forbade the Jews to approach it on pain of
death. Every new Sultan sends by the Pasha of Jerusalem
a key of this gate to the Chief Eabbi of the Jews, Avhich is a
permission to live and to circulate freely about Syria and Pales
tine. If it is forgotten or deferred, as it was accidentally Avhen
Abdul Aziz came to the throne, the Jews are out of the pale of
the law, and have to be confined to their own quarter until the
keys are sent. The Israelites pay high for the privilege, and it is
one of the proofs of the tenacity with Avhich they cling to their
old privileges. It amounts, in fact, to a claim of possession, and
the Turks alloAv it — for a consideration. We now enter the Jaffa
gate at sunset. Holman Hunt, Avho Avas painting his " ShadoAv of
Death," dined with us this evening.
* John xi. 47-54.
t II. Kings or II. Samuel xi. 2-3 ; II. Paralipomenon or II. Chronicles xxxii.
30 ; Isaias (Isaiah) xxii. 9-11.
} II. Esdras (Nehemiah) iii. 16.

104 The Inner Life of Syria.
Good Friday, lih April. — I was at the Sepulchre at 6.30 a.m.
for the service of Good Friday — the Mass of the Pre-sanctified.
The rest of the morning was spent at the Ecce Homo convent
and church Avith the nuns and Pere Eatisbonne. At 1 o'clock
Ave celebrated the stations of the Cross through the streets, with
Pere Lievin, my Catholic instructor. We then visited the Copt
and Abyssinian churches, which are very poor, and Ave also went all
over the roof of the Basilica of the Sepulchre. From half-past 2
to half-past 3, 1 and others knelt in Calvary for the hour of our
Lord's death, each silently praying and reflecting on the great
event of the day and the hour. Most Catholic children are taught
that whatever they ask of Jesus at three o'clock on Good Friday
and midnight on Christmas Eve will be granted. It is one of the
pious lessons which I cherish, because taught me by my mother.
We are supposed to repeat to ourselves the seven last words upon
the Cross ; kneeling in spirit at the foot of the Cross, and in this
case Ave were present in body on the very site, as well as in spirit,
just Avhere the poor mother, the holy Avomen, and John, stood this
day, this hour, 1838 * years ago, and heard Him say : —
" Father, forgive them, for they knoAv not what they do."
" This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise."
" Mother, behold thy son : son, behold thy mother."
" My God ! my God ! why hast Thou forsaken Me ? "
"I thirst!"
"It is finished."
" Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit."
With such texts as those given below,} who should be afraid
to ask for anything and everything that he Avants ? only minding
the accompanying injunction of charity and forgiveness. It
should be a day set apart as a great feast of love.
In the afternoon we Avent to the " Wailing Place of the Jews,"
outside the wall of the Temple, which they are never permitted,
and never permit themselves, to enter. They do this every
Friday in the year, excepting that which makes part of the Feast
of the Tabernacles, at three o'clock. The spot chosen is the west
* I wrote this MS. in 1871, or the date would be 1842, '
t Matthew vii. 7-12, x. 42, xviii. 18-22; Mark xi. 23-2G; Luke xi 5-13-
John xiv. 13, 14, xvi. 23, 24.

Wailing of the Jews. 105
wall of the enclosure by the Mosque of Omar, an old remain of the
Temple of Solomon, to bewail their sins, and the evils which have
befallen them for nearly 1900 years. To a person who does not
know what it means it presents the strangest sight. They rock to
and fro, and kiss and put their hands upon the stones, and work
themselves up to a passion of tears, whilst praying and chanting
their Lamentations — a kind of litany, which was translated to me.*
Some of the women go into fits and hysterics. I looked and saw
that they were real tears. It is like a revival. We all went, and,
of course, we who knew its deep meaning were much touched.
It gave room for serious thought, that scene on that day and at
that hour, the hour Jesus hung dead— their crime accomplished —
upon the Cross, bewailing their City, their Temple, their departed
glory, doomed from that very hour. It is the saddest thing in life
to see these once spoiled children, now a despised and scattered
nation, flocking from all parts to live and die in their City, to kiss
the walls of their Temple, and shed their tears upon its stones :
* Rabbi. " On account of the Palace which is laid wasted,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For the sake of the Temple, which is destroyed,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For the walls that are thrown down,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For our glory, which hath departed from us,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For our wise men, who have perished,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For the precious stones, which are burnt,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " For our priests, who have fallen,"
People. " We sit solitary, and weep."
Rabbi. " We implore thee to have mercy on Sion."
People. " Reassemble the children of Jerusalem."
Rabbi. " Haste ! haste ! Oh Saviour of Sion ! "
People. " Speak in favour of Jerusalem."
Rabbi. " May beauty and majesty surround Sion."
People. " Turn with thy clemency towards Jerusalem."
Rabbi. " Grant soon that Royal Power may shine upon Sion."
People. " Console us who weep over Jerusalem."
Rabbi. " May peace and happiness enter Sion."
People. " May the rod of Power turn towards Jerusalem."
And so they go on interminably for an hour or two.
Jeremiah xxx. 15: — "Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is
inourable for the multitude of thine iniquity : because thy sins were increased, I
have done these things unto thee."
VOL. II. I

106 The Inner Life of Syria.
they, who crucified the One who came to deliver them, and asked
that His blood might fall upon them and upon their children. If
we had no other proof of the truth concerning our Saviour, they
would be a standing, living, sufficient daily testimony. Seeing
these poor, despised, and miserable ones bewailing the crime of their
forefathers 1838 years gone by, I sat for an hour with my head
buried in my hands near them on the stones, and thought a long
think. How immediately after the fall of Adam, God promised
him a Separator, who would give Him satisfaction, and wash out
Adam's sin, and that by His death alone could Adam's posterity
enter heaven. God was not obliged to give us a Saviour ; and
that is the danger of the Jews, that having revolted from God so
often by idolatry, they also revolted against the Saviour He sent
them, and not only their Saviour, but verily their King. Before
Christ came into the world His royalty was announced, by an
angel proclaiming that He should eternally reign over the House of
David. The Prophets in their oracles proclaimed it a thousand
times. Heaven and earth announced it also. He was born, and
the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace and good will towards men." A new star appeared in the
air, calling the Eastern Kings to acknowledge their sovereign.
Monarchs trembled, and sought to destroy Him; but He gave
His law to the world. He worked for the salvation of men,
redeeming the world, and died on the cross, with His true title
written and prefixed to it by themselves, "Jesus of Nazareth, King
of the Jews." This was the man who was to repair the work of
the first man, and Mary was the woman to repair the work of
the first woman.
If Jesus had asked Pilate to speak to the people he would
have done so. If He had chosen, the Jews would have knelt down
and worshipped Him, but He did not ask it, it was so to be, and
He chose that it should be so.
He was persecuted before he came upon earth, for Adam was a
son of God ; David was a son of Adam ; and Jesus was a son of
David. Adam revolted against God, and Jesus was promised to
him as a Saviour ; and of all the sons of Adam only the families
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remembered the promise, observed
the law, and hoped for the Saviour. This hope, this faith, were

Wailing of the Jews. 107
their anchor and salvation, as that of all men in the past and in
the future ; and because the Jewish people believed and hoped in
a Saviour, they observed the laws which God gave to Moses on
Sinai. The Primitive Patriarchs, in this hope, believed and
observed the natural law of divine grace, and walked in justice
before Jesus, who was the law of the world. They persecuted
Jesus on earth ; and as in the ancient law, so in the new, they
persecute Him in persecuting His Church. He is a point of scandal
to the Jews who reject the shame of the Cross ; to heretics who
refuse his dogmas, and whose reason is annihilated by His
mysteries ; and to bad Christians, who are ashamed of Him, of His
religious maxims and precepts.
The ancient Testament is but a figure of the new. The action of
God upon the Jews is but the figure of His action upon our souls
this very day.* Surely there is comfort in store for them after
their long mourning and repentance. Did not He say with His
dying breath, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do"?
This may sound rather like a sermon in a book, but you would
not think so if you had sat on the stones with me at the " Wail
ing," that afternoon, and thought out the great fact that there
has been but one religion from Adam till now.
The Moslems remained respectfully serious, but my Syrian
girl, a Greek orthodox Christian, who had hardly ever seen a Jew,
and who knew nothing of the meaning of what she saw, and only
perceived the ridiculous side of the picture, perhaps fancied they
were doing it to amuse her, and she flung herself on the ground
and laughed nearly into hysterics. I was obliged to scold her
till she behaved herself properly. I am told that, although all
the numerous Christian sects hate one another, and fight amongst
themselves (to the intense amusement of the Moslems, who on
* EzeMel vi. 8, 9 : — " Yet I will leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall
escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the
countries. And they that are saved of you shall remember me amongst the nations
to which they are carried captives: because I have broken their heart that was
faithless, and revolted from me : and their eyes that went a-fornicating after their
idols : and they shall be displeased with themselves, because of the evils which they
have committed in all their abominations."
Ezekiel ix. 4 : — " And the Lord said to him : Go through the midst of the city,
through the midst of Jerusalem : and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that
sigh and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof."

108 The Inner Life of. Syria.
great fete days flog them into order in and out of church, like a
pack of hounds), if an unhappy Jew were to cross the enclosure of
the Sepulchre during Holy Week, they would all for once unite
and tear him to pieces on the spot. These things sound curiously
in Europe, here they seem natural.
In the evening we all went together, Protestants and Catholics,
to hear seven sermons preached upon Calvary in seven different
tongues, and to see Jesus taken down from the cross. There is
a life-size crucifix which comes to pieces. I did not like the
ceremony, but I should have done so if it had been performed
with the dignity of a Passion-play at Ober-Ammergau. Those
subjects should be so sublimely touched upon. It is meant
devotionally, but it is not every preacher who can convey the
right impression.
During the sermons, one of our party, a Protestant clergyman,
would, in spite of our warnings and entreaties, take up his
position on a tall, wooden three-legged stool, the better to see
and hear the sermon. Suddenly one of the three legs gave way,
and with a tremendous noise he disappeared under the crowd,
which was packed like a flock of sheep. The preacher stopped
and looked, the crowd began to murmur. We pulled him out
with great difficulty, and set him on his feet again,' hut it was
a sore trial to keep ourselves from laughing, more especially
as he was a little offended, which made us nervous.
We then went into one of the galleries to hear the last
sermon. It was a slender iron balcony, something like those in
the Crystal Palace, but it was so overcrowded with people, at
a great height, that it actually waved about, and made one feel
uncomfortable. The heat and crush were very great everywhere.
Pilgrims had taken up their abode for the great event of the
morrow, the " Greek Fire," and they were littered about as if
it were a stable— bedding, food, and all. We left at midnight,
half-poisoned by the atmosphere.
Holy Saturday was a long day. I rose at 5 a.m., and went
to a long morning Office in the Sepulchre, with all the prophecies
and Mass sung. After this was over we were taken to a gallery
just over the Sepulchre, where we were well stationed, to see the
great wonder of the Holy Week.

The Greek Fire. 109
The glass skylight of the great Basilica dome rises about
100 feet over the Sepulchre. The inside is painted blue, with
golden jleurs de lys, and the gallery is Byzantine, after some
old model. Many persons find fault with the colouring. This
gallery runs all around, and has arches with gilded railings, each
hung with five gold lamps ; below that is a plain space with filled-
up arches, beneath that again are two more galleries, and a
third with windows and tribunes. The little chapel covering the
Sepulchre is immediately under the big dome.
The Basilica was thronged with people, from the top of the
great skylight to the flags beneath, all waiting for the Greek
Orthodox Patriarch. At 1.30 p.m. commenced howling, fighting,
and screaming, dancing, clapping of hands, and preaching upon
one another's shoulders, cliques of friends in corners singing little
songs, such as, " Oh Jew ! Oh Jew ! your feasts are the feasts of
monkeys. Ours are the feasts of Jesus."
They were drunk only with excitement. Ali Beg and his
soldiers flogged them with cow-hide kurbashes, but they did not
seem to feel the stripes, and men looking like the " Forts de la
Halle," in white light garments, were told off, as prize-fighters
might be, to rule the mob. The soldiers also carried fixed
bayonets. Then commenced a procession of flags, and all was
going as merry as a marriage bell, when tf dispute arose as to
who should be the bearer of the last. This was a signal for a free
fight. One man battled bravely for it, bleeding all over, with torn
shirt ; but he was overpowered by numbers and the kurbash.
At 2.30 p.m., the mob was stilled by the great procession of
priests chanting in black dresses, seven deacons in colours, and
the Patriarch in white satin, with a black cylindrical head-dress,
like a brimless hat, and sable veil floating behind him. Two
deacons carrying silver bottles, each containing forty candles,
were followed by the fighting " roughs." An old man, who looked
like a European doctor, had imprudently mixed with the crowd,
and appeared to be hurt. One corner of the Sepulchre, at
the right-hand side, was much coveted ; it is where the fire first
issues through a hole, and it is considered to be a great blessing
to be the first to receive and spread it. The men fought like
demons for this post, though only one can obtain it, and they clung

110 The Inner Life of Syria.
to a column, like monkeys climbing a tree, for hours, in this hope.
I saw dozens pulled down and beaten off. It would require the
energy of a strong drowning man to keep such a position.
Now commenced an awful excitement and struggling. The
Patriarch undresses, I believe, to show that he has nothing about
him to produce fire with, and bares his head and feet. Then, in
a plain surplice, he enters the Sepulchre alone. A priest, also
bare-headed and bare-footed, is at the place on the roof, near
the small aperture where the fire is expected to issue. The
excited and struggling crowd were not kept long waiting. Old
Mir Alai Ali Beg must have whispered a word to the Patriarch
as he went in, for almost in five minutes the " Sacred Fire "
issued. The priest caught it, and the happy man who had been
clinging on to his post of danger snatched it.
And now follows the really wonderful part. They all struggle
to catch the first fire, they jump on each other's heads, shoulders,
and backs, they hunt one another about the church with screams
of joy ; one passes it to the other ; they rub it over their faces,
they press it to their bosom, they kiss it, they put it in their hair,
they pass it through their clothes, and not one of this mad crowd
is, or rather feels himself, burnt. It looked to me like spirits
on tow, but it never expired, and every part of the Basilica,
which it takes fifty minutes to walk round, is in one minute lit
up with the blaze. And there is a man-of-war waiting at Jaffa to
convey it this very day to St. Petersburg.
We once believed in this fire, but not now. It is said to
be produced in this manner. In one of the inner walls of the
Sepulchre, there is a sliding panel with a place to contain a
lamp, which is blessed, and that for centuries the Greeks have
never allowed this lamp to go out, and from it they take their
Sacred Fire. My husband was assured by educated Greeks that
a lucifer box does the whole work. This is very probable, and
only intense excitement accounts for the fire not burning them,
and not extinguishing, or for the rapidity with which it spreads
through the Church. It is said that if Eussia and the Greek
Church were to throw off this old custom, as we Latins have, the
Holy Week would lose half its wealthiest pilgrims, and that
Jerusalem would be very much impoverished. It is not a

The Convent of the Cross. Ill
miracle, but it is a celebration which feeds the poor, and the only
objection is the behaviour of the people in the church.
From this ceremony we rode to see the Convent of the Cross,
belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church. It is only half a mile
from Jerusalem. The church was built by Heraclius, over the
spot where the tree was said to have been cut to make our
Saviour's Cross. There is a pretty legend attached to it, and
as you will see pictures of it in many Greek churches, I may
as well relate it. The patriarch Lot, when saved from Sodom
with his family, sought safety near Hebron, in a cave. He com
mitted the crime related in Genesis, and his remorse drove him
into this solitude. Upon the site of this church he unceasingly
wept and besought pardon for his deed. One day, whilst thus
employed, an angel of God appeared to him, and gave him three
cuttings of cypress trees, saying, " Plant and water these cuttings
with water from the Jordan, where thou wilt go and draw every
day. If they strike root, it is a sign that thou art forgiven, but
if they die, it is a sign of thy condemnation." He obeyed, full
of hope, and watched his cuttings. The distance to the Jordan
and back would occupy a whole day, and be very hard work,
especially for one carrying water. Eeturning, after many years,
one evening late, charged with his heavy jars, a demon in the
form of a beggar asked for drink. He gave him permission with
charity, but he found the whole way lined with beggars wanting
Avater, so that when he reached his cuttings the jars were empty.
It was too late to return to the Jordan that night, and he was
exhausted with fatigue. He threw himself down in despair, fear
ing his shoots might die in the night, for the land is stony and
the air is dry. But the angel again appeared to him, and said,
" Thy charity hath won grace for thee in the sight of God. Thy
pardon is granted, and thy cuttings will grow for ever Avithout
being watered." • They became trees, and one of these was
eventually taken to make the Cross of Christ. Under the High
Altar they show where the wood was cut. It is a beautiful idea,
that Jesus Christ died for charity on the tree that was grown
and blessed by charity. This ancient Chapel possesses several
curiosities and crusading traces.

The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTEE XXVII.
A DREAM.

"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: amL^what ye hear in the
ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell." — Matthew x. 27, 28.

Byron says : —
" Dreams in their development have breath, and tears, and tortures,
and the touch of joy. They leave a weight upon our waking thoughts,
and look hke heralds of eternity. They pass like spirits of the past ; they
speak like sybils of the future."
On our return, after putting up the horses, my husband,
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, and I, went, off to explore the Magharat el
Kotn (of cotton). These are enormous quarries, also called the
Eoyal Caverns ; the entrance looks like a hole in the wall outside
the town, not far from the Gate of Damascus. Creeping in, you
find yourself in endless artificial caves and galleries, most of them
not explored. What I saw was however far inferior to Adelsberg,
near Trieste. Candles and matches are useless in these places, and
we always went well supplied with magnesium fusees, which for a
few minutes beautifully light up wells, caves, and tombs. I soon
left the enthusiasts, for the work did not amuse me. People
who really keep Lent by fasting, and attending all the long cere
monies of Holy Week, have a right to- be tired upon Holy
Saturday; and in my case I had not only attended my own
Church's ceremonies, but those of every other Church; so I
sauntered towards the Bab es Zaheri, and the northernmost point

About Dreams. 113
of Mount Bezetha, to see the Cave of the Prophet Jeremias, a
native of Anathoth, a priestly City of the tribe of Benjamin
(b.c. 600). Here he hid to pray, to study, and to live a holy life ;
here he prophesied against Jerusalem ; here he wept and mourned
over her, and here he wrote his Lamentations; here he dictated to
Baruch, his noble and learned disciple ; here he underwent perse
cution from the Jews, who eventually stoned him for discharging
his duty to God by prophesying the captivity of Babylon and
the downfall of his beloved City for her disobedience to the
Lord. I then climbed up to a large cave, somewhat to the left, and
above that of Jeremias, whence I could look down upon Jeru
salem. And here, worn out with fatigue, fasting, and over ex
citement, I lay down with my head upon a stone, and slept a long
sleep of two hours, during which I dreamt a wonderful dream
— perhaps I ought not to detail it, but an inner voice bids me
do so — a long, vivid dream, which I committed to paper; its
details in full would occupy a volume, and as many can only
interest myself, I will but give a resume of the principal scenes
that floated through a tired and excited brain.
The wise laugh at dreams, and they are reprehensible too
when foolish persons translate their every night visions in the
following fashion : — " I dreamt that I saw a black dog, which is a
sign that a new friend is coming to the house." But there are
other dreams than these, when the body is in a state of coma, and
the brain is alive and intelligent, and which enlighten one on
sciences, religious and profane, on virtues and vices, on the
government of nations, and on individuals ; which show the dis
position, sentiments, and secret designs of the people about us,
and which require to be treated with infinite discretion. To
quote a case, by no means unique : a friend, a very matter-of-fact,
unimaginative person, was learning to drive a pair of ponies. She
never could understand how to make them step well, and found
that they could always get their heads out of her hands when
they chose. After many months, she came to me one day and said,
" I dreamt how to drive last night, and I know that I can do it
perfectly." She ordered her ponies round, and did what she had
learnt in her dream. This example serves to illustrate how one

114 The Inner Life of Syria.
can learn higher things without miracles. I also think that some
only are subject to them, that men and women in general do not
know them, that certain climates conduce to them, and that
Syrian soil has something beyond even visions.
Almost every one will in youth, especially in the intense,
passionate life of Europe, have thought, "What is to be my
future ? I know not ! I feel a latent force within me which I
do not know, and which I cannot explain ; I will watch to see to
what use I am some day destined to turn this power, this longing.
Will it be good or evil ? " - The ardent mind finds its mission.
The heavy body, gorged with meat and drink, perhaps will not
find it or miss it, never having yearned for it. But man is a King,
and his kingdom is his OAvn heart; he has two rotatory move
ments, like the earth, one on his own axis, or daily existence, and
another which carries him from his beginning to his end — his soul
was an emanation or a breath of the Divinity, Avhich returns to
its origin. The globe is but a point whence it takes its flight
homewards. Every time man moves off his course and cries
to God, he is brought back, but if he does not cry to God, he flies
off into space, like the falling star which makes way for a better.
I dreamt that I died, and that instead of being sent to
purgatory — that place where sinful, not guilty, souls go to be
purified before they enter for ever the presence of God — I was
ordered, with a superior Angel Guardian, to execute difficult tasks,
in fact, to work under his directions. The first thing appointed
to me was to reform the world and redress its wrongs, I to be
visible with my own body or not, according to his direction, and
he invisible, and working by my hands and mouth. It came
about in this manner — I saw a great light, much brighter than
the sun, at which I could not look till my eyes were used to it,
and I understood that I was in the presence of Jesus Christ, the
centre of all Creation ; Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and the Solar
system, all were revolving round Him. At first I was entranced
at finding myself in space, a spirit — so light, so grand, so awful,
and so pure ; but when I was drawn with all creation into that
vortex of light upon which all eyes were fixed, and towards which
all souls burned, I was only conscious of one Presence — I do not
know how to describe it. He was more beautiful, more majestic

Heaven. 115
and God-like, than any written words can render. All around Him
and near Him, were perfectly happy from His reign of love and
mercy. There was no terror, only confidence for themselves, and
hope for those without, all glorying in Him, and in belonging to
Him. His face was full of goodness and sweetness, but serious ;
His dignity and majesty were adorable. The Throne was of
brilliant gold. I do not know what His garment was, but it shed
rays like the sparkle of a diamond. He did not, however, sit upon
His Throne, but walked and talked with groups of those dear to
Him. There seemed to be a higher heaven than the created
heaven to be given to the elect, but it looked down upon our
heaven, and I understood that was alone for the Trinity. Near
the throne of Jesus stood Mary, and all about him the saints and
angels and elect. His eyes rested upon those about Him. He
spoke to and granted favours to many, and sent different angels
away with orders to execute. I understood that we should always
see Him thus if we were perfectly pure, and that is why so few
have ever seen Him.
At last His eyes rested upon mine, and I tried to look down, to
look away, but I could only look into His eyes. And He said,
" Yes ! look your fill, for you will not behold me again till the
hour of your rest, but that will not be so long." He signed to my
good Angel to bring me to Him. I went, all trembling and abashed
at my own nothingness. All heaven seemed to veil its face at
so great an act of condescension. I knew, or felt, or understood,
that our earth was scandalized that one of their own ordinary
beings should he so honoured, and I could hear the Devils laugh
ing in Hell, and saying, "Wait awhile," and I shivered. He
seemed to smile at me, and to speak so kindly, without even
looking at my unworthiness, as He would have done to any of
the poor people who loved Him and believed in Him when He
was upon earth, and He said, " My child," — a voice will make
itself heard in the desert, and the echoes shall repeat at the
furthermost ends of the earth what that voice shall have
uttered — "it is not enough that you side with Me; you must
never leave Me, always be faithful to Me, and never ashamed
of belonging to Me. Keep your eye upon yourself, and upon
Me. I will lead you by a way that I will show you. I will

116 The Inner Life of Syria.
send you My cases of distress. Good actions are better than
words, and good example is the best sermon. Never forestall My
hour. You will be one day of fire, one day of ice ; to-day with the
strength of a lion, to-morrow as weak as a broken reed before the
wind. With Me you can triumph over all. Without Me, if you
were stronger than the whole world, the smallest trial would cast
you into the abyss for ever. Who will afflict you if I console
you, who will attack you if I protect you, who will threaten you
if I defend you ? Tremble lest you hear the voice of Justice,
which could break the cedars of the Lebanon as you could twist
a straw in your fingers. I shall send you into what the World
calls trouble and sorrow ; you will have hard work ; you will live
from day to day ; the demon will try incessantly to separate you
from Me. Fear to displease Me in not following the inspirations
I put into your heart ; be afraid lest you despise My graces, and
that I take them from you, and give them to another ; fear that
the sun may go to shine on another, now left in darkness, and that
you prove ungrateful for its rays." Then changing from severity,
He said, "To-morrow is Easter Sunday, and the week of My
Passion ends. Choose something, and ask it of Me, as you did at
Calvary, at three o'clock yesterday, that I may grant it unto you?"
I answered, " Only this, Lord ; that I may remain near you, and
adore you for all eternity, and my husband with me." " That,"
he said, smiling, " is My intention, without your asking ; choose
something else." " Lord," I answered, " I cannot see — you know
all things, give me the things in which I am most deficient, and
stand most in need of, and which will make me most pleasing to
you. Give me wisdom, prudence, courage, and that holy fear of
which you warned me." I dreamt that He put His hand upon my
head, and blessed me, and I felt as if a flood of grace and happi
ness flowed over my soul, and took away all pain and disquiet, as
if I were strengthened by some invisible buckler. " You have
chosen well, my child," He said ; " these are the gifts of the Holy
Ghost. Therefore I will send you for a short while to reform the
earth you live in, and do all the good your two hands can find to
do. Your angel, who will guide you, will then set you fresh
tasks for Me, after which you shall abide with Me for ever,
according to your petition, and your husband with you."

A Bird's-eye View of Creation. 117
Upon that I knelt, and bowed myself down before Him, and
kissed His feet, and my good Angel and I swept through the air
like two birds.
In this state I saw so many wonderful things.
I saw the whole Creation — the heavens, the sun wheeling in
space, the moon, and all the firmament. The earth beneath me
with plants and flowers, trees, gardens, forests, mountains and
valleys, plains, deserts, seas, rivers, and lakes, all the wild beasts
and various animals, reptiles, insects, birds, and fishes, and the sea,
all ruled and regulated by one hand and one law. Then the
most perfect, and at the same time the most contemptible, the
only failure — Man, his heart, and the workings of his heart and
thoughts ; the only thing in all creation that does not perform
its duty in harmony with the rest : the only rebellious work. The
composition of our being set me in wonder. The perfection of
the body, its materials, and the way it was put together, and the
machinery set in motion, and the soul and its various qualities,
which are like a united family, all connected and working
together. The Mind, or Spirit, or Soul, is the Master. The Free
Will is his Mistress, who worships God or the Devil. Conscience is
their Agent, the. Understanding and Sense are the Sons, Imagina
tion and Memory are the Daughters — the whole family form a
character, a disposition. The hearts of a family ought to be so
united as to have only one will, one sentiment. Their relations
ought to last for life, and beyond the tomb. A child who goes
forth into the world can never forget the pain, suffering, labour,
and care he was to his parents, above all to his mother, and would
willingly repay it. How happy are those who carry this out.
Then I saw Man as a separate and distinct article — man in his
¦Family, man in Society, man as a People, as a Nation, as an
Empire, governed by a Sovereign. A People obeying a Sovereign
against their will, all wanting to throw off any restraint, and
enjoy what they call Liberty. 1 heard the voice of God making
crowned heads tremble like children, and dealing out goodness
and mercy and justice to Kings and People, giving them prosperity
and preserving them from harm. I saw him strike down Poten
tates, and destroy their Empire like a falling star. Man living,
moving, making his plans, and God settling them with a glance.

118 The Inner Life of Syria.
The great book of Creation lay open before me, with God written
upon every page. I saw individuals doing a wrong and thinking
nobody would know it. True, it was so secretly done that there
was no human likelihood of its being known, but at the first
corner of the street. they were liable to meet their punishment, or
the evil-doer found the World, his interest, his friends, failing him
at every side. He thought it was chance, but it was not : God
left him. He who at once listened to the small voice, repented,
and renounced the wrong, and repaired it as far as possible in all
sincerity, saw God returning. His arm was not shortened, and He
would have performed a miracle, if needful, to deliver that man
from his enemies, and hinder his ruin, rather than disappoint that
man's trust in Him. When misfortunes happen to a man who
does not comprehend God, he agitates himself, turns his anger
upon those who surround him, to see who it is that is injuring
him ; but he who is versed in the ways of God knows that his
faults have turned the blessing of God from him. He has no
animosity against any person, knowing that creatures are only
instruments of divine justice. He therefore only seeks to rise out
of his unhappy position, and recover the lost way, taking the evils
God sends him with respect and submission. I understood that
God made Man last because He wanted to finish all His work, and
to begin it anew by creating a being who should be the connect
ing link with every portion of that creation. He was on this
account made with a body and a soul. He grew, he had being or
existence, sensation and the use of the senses. By his soul he
was connected with the angels ; by his senses with the lower
animals ; by his being, or existence, to the different elements of
nature which have no life or intelligence, if such can be said to
exist ; by his development he resembled the plants. Thus he was
connected with every portion of the Creation. By his soul to the
spiritual world; by his body to the natural world. The latter
was made transitory, the former eternal. This influences man's
will, and brightens his intelligence.
Earth was given to him to tread under foot. His face, stamped
with the seal of Divine intelligence, was made to look upwards
with. The life of a reasonable and intelligent being, who believes
as he ought to do, is merely a tent, pitched to-day to be struck to-

In a State of Coma. 119
morrow ; an arrow shot from a bow ; and on the steadiness of his
aim depends Salvation or Perdition. This is why from Adam until
now every created being has had a Guardian Angel. Our Angels
are not all alike. I understood that each one is fitted for the
different position or necessity of his charge, and that every King
dom, City, Family, Parish, Community, or Society, has its own
Guardian Angel, besides the individual's Guardian Angel, and that
the Guardian Angel is the best friend man has.
I understood that every man will find what he seeks. Who
says, " Lord, you are nothing to me ! Give me this world, for we
are not sure of what is beyond it," will have it so ; and who
believes that death is nothing but the stepping out of this life
into a better one with God, will also receive the desire of his
heart. I also saw how man's heart hardens over the misery of the
poor and the sufferings of others, with what an evil eye he looked
upon them. He wished there were none ; and if he helped them it
was with a bad grace and a hurtful word, with a regret at being
troubled, at having to part with his petty charity, whilst denying
himself nothing.
The most pitiable and the most foolish thing that I saw was
the condition of men of science, who have arrived at that point of
education and learning that they cast off all belief, and altogether
deny the existence of God. I could almost have laughed if it had
not been so serious a question. The men who sneered and scoffed
were for the most part those who knew a little, and acted a part
to attract notice ; but the men who were deeply learned, and who
seriously and gravely avoided the subject, because it pained them
not to be able to believe, were much to be pitied. They appeared
like small objects — midges — studying a little section, a little par
ticle, of this huge mosaic, Creation, and very ill comprehending
even that, and ignoring and denying the existence of the great
Master of the whole work ; more ignorant than the meanest spirit
flying, who was watching them with amused pity, as we should
an ant at work — verily, it reminded me of a child I once knew,
who had received a charity education, and could read and write,
who asked me seriously, if there was anybody in the world more
educated than she was.

120 The Inner Life of Syria.
" What would God be," said my good Angel to me, " if Man
could understand Him ? " The Infinite dissected by the finite ;
the creature on a level with the Creator. Man loses himself in
vain reasonings, which alienate him from God. God loves him
to study and become learned and scientific to benefit his fellow-
creatures, but He is not content, as the Creator, to be denied and
ignored. They begin at the wrong end. The science of religion
flees from their presumption, and goes to simpler people, who do
not make science their only support. Science is but a narrow
knowledge of the things which God has made, and the cleverest
man is he who, in studying Creation, elevates his spirit in union
with Him who made the objects which he tries to study. Men
who occupy themselves with natural or physical sciences, which
have a term of duration without reference to Him who created
them, and who has no term of duration, are more foolish than you
who adore the Creator first, and know nothing: I understood that
there was a way to accomplish all things under the sun within a
certain distance of the earth, balloons, flying, submarine railways,
walking under the water, but only within a certain atmosphere
around the earth ; and I understood that we could do much more,
almost what we should consider miraculous, if we were only better
acquainted with the laws of nature and certain latent forces
within ourselves, and turned them to good and useful scientific
account — not to folly. Lacking this knowledge, which is the best
and highest gift Divine Providence can endow us with in the
flesh, I likened the world to a city full of coachmen, driving
blindfolded, as fast as they could drive, all injuring one another ;
the weak, who only suffer sorrow in contact with the world, crying
" Escape who can ! " We are too gross and material to understand
these things, or we should always save ourselves inexpressible
grief — however, some of us are mercifully guided. Our Saviour
doubtless bore this in view when He said," You have eyes, and see
not, and ears, and hear not."
Whilst my Angel and I were coming down, I turned and said
to him, " Tell me how can I, a poor, ignorant, half-educated woman,
reform the world ? Yet our Master said so." My Angel said,
benevolently, " Do not fear, I have my orders. I shall always be
at your side, and my spirit shall move your tongue to speak and

The Boyal- Family. 121
your hands to Avork : Nature and Truth are yours, and all the rest
shall be added unto you." Then I said, " Be it so, for you speak
from the spirit, and now that I am descending I can only see
with the eyes of my body, but let us make haste that we may
return. I have loved work from my youth, it rejoices my heart
and intelligence, but uoav that I have once seen Jesus, I can
never care for any other thing. I feel like one cold, hungry,
thirsty, naked, and deprived of all things where He is not."
To enter into the details that I went into would, I repeat,
occupy a volume ; the spirit of Jeremias might have touched the
stone upon Avhich I slept, or Baruch might have dwelt there.
I will only mention the principal and prominent features of my
work. We descended upon my native land, England. Far above
the world, on a pedestal, I built a white crystal temple, which
shone like the sun, in which I erected four thrones of gold — one
was higher than all the rest, and upon it I placed an imperial
crown and sceptre of diamonds; another throne was far below
that, but raised above two others, and on that I placed a
royal crown and sceptre of diamonds; the other two thrones
were on each side of and a little below this one, and I placed
royal robes and orders on them of great magnificence, but no
crowns or sceptres. They all shone with splendour, but the
highest one of all like the rays of the sun. On the highest of
the three lower ones I placed Her Majesty of England, her crown
upon her head, and her sceptre in her hand, and I saluted her as
"Queen of the World." On her right I placed His Eoyal Highness
the Prince of Wales, and on her left Her Eoyal Highness the
Princess of Wales, and her children were grouped about her knee.
I then retired and looked at my handy work, and perceived the
Koh-i-noor fastened in the front of the royal crown, and advancing
and bowing down low before her, I took the Koh-i-noor out of her
crown, and replaced it by a star which my Angel gave me, a
gift- which brought with it all the "seven gifts" and the "twelve
fruits" of the Holy Ghost. The Queen looked at me severely, for
she could not see the spiritual star, and she said, " Why have you
robbed my crown of its brightest ornament ? " " Because," I said,
" 0 Majesty ! I love you, and I love my country. The Koh-i-noor
has a fatal mystery attached to it, and it has ruined more than
VOL. II. K

122 The Inner Life of Syria.
one Dynasty. You, Madam,, are the thirteenth possessor, the
unluckiest number of all. In an unhappy hour it was sent as
a royal present to you, our beloved Queen — not long afterwards
you were plunged into sorrow by the death of our good and
wise Prince. From that time, for ten years our greatness and
prestige have been steadily declining.* This stone is as bril
liant as a snake, and as false as Hades. It perhaps has upon
it the blood and the curse of the poor. Let us not keep it.
Do not leave it as a luckless legacy to your royal son." Then
she said, still severely, " For whom is that Throne and Imperial
crown and sceptre far above mine ? " " That, Madam," I replied,
" is the future throne of the Prince of Wales. His reign will be a
great and good one— a most remarkable reign. And I have put
you in this crystal Temple on this pedestal, far above the world,
that in future your and his virtues and government may shine
upon other countries, as the star did for the Magi in Bethlehem!"
The queen being appeased, but still looking at the Koh-i-noor,
said, " What are you going to do with it ? " " Madam," I replied
" I am going to keep it as a present for your Majesty's most
powerful rival. There is one that I greatly admire, but fear; I
shall watch her closely, and if I have any reason to distrust her,
the Koh-i-noor will visit her for a period."
The Queen looked serious and thoughtful for a time, and I
waited with respect for her next words. She then said, " Where
did you get your power?" I replied, "From our Divine Master!"
"Then," she said, "go forth with my blessing, and do as you
know for the honour and glory of our throne under Him." I
went forth, and I made for the Duke of Edinburgh a throne some
thing similar in Ireland, and made him " King of Ireland," tri
butary to England. I made Prince Arthur in like manner King
over all India and Ceylon, tributary to England.
I made . Prince Leopold King over Canada and all our
American possessions, tributary to England. I made the Duke
of Cambridge King over Australia, New Zealand, and all our
other British Colonies and possessions, tributary to England. I
was obliged to make him a wandering monarch, for he was com
pelled to visit each of his dominions once every two years, and
reside therein. I remember feeling very much distressed because
* This Avas written in 1S7I.

Church and State. 123
the Queen had not a fifth son, as I much stood in need of one ;
though why, I now do not know. I dreamt that the five daughters
of the Queen were unmarried, and I married them to Eussia,
Germany, Austria, and Spain, and saved the youngest, Princess
Beatrice, for France, when France shall have become Christian.
Thus I made the whole world one united family, with England
at their head.
I severed Church and State, being unwilling to see them
hampering and vexing each other. I placed every religion on
a fair footing, and let them stand or fall by their own merits. I
ordered full liberty of conscience — not what is called so ; and no
man was afraid to follow his conscience for fear of being tabooed
or losing caste, place, or means of support. I banished for one
year from the country, every man Avho was found guilty of
tampering with another's conscience, or putting religious pressure
upon him. The consequence was that we all grew to worship at
one shrine, the same God and the same religion as that which was
given to Adam, for I understood that religion stands the same
noAv as it did then, that it is only the obedience to the acts Ave
have to perform that has changed, or rather a difference in laAvs.
God made religion. God chose Himself to change His prescrip
tions for the health of man's soul, after Adam's fall. He changed
them for the patriarchs, He changed them for His chosen people
the Jews — these He gave to Moses. He changed them again when
He came Himself to substitute a laAv of love instead of a law of
fear.* It is He Himself who chose to change them, but the religion
has never been lost. Eeligion is a code of moral and sanitary
laws, both for body and soul, which makes us more healthful both
in morale and physique, and more pure and upright to meet our
God. Between the Jews and Christians there is only this dif
ference, that the Jewish religion was the symbol and figure of
the Christian religion, which Jesus, the Messiah, was to establish.
It was promised to Adam when cast out of paradise. It was
* Matthew v. 17-18 :—" Think not that I am come to destroy the law,, or the
prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto youj Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the laAV, till
all be fulfilled."

124 The Inner Life of Syria.
expected by the patriarchs, it was announced by the prophets,
and all we have to do is to conserve Adam's religion, and to
obey the new prescriptions left by Jesus with His apostles.
Eeligion is to know, to love, and serve God here below, and to be
happy with Him for ever in Eternity. God has fixed, and decreed,
and willed, a religion that is one, holy, apostolic, and universal,
that man should recognize Him for his Creator, and Creator of all
things, and that knowing this he should fulfil the duties of a
creature toAvards his Creator.
I then turned my attention towards the Government : I chose
my Prime Minister, I struck off his mental shackles, and he
became true to his nature, firm as a rock, strong as a lion in
the cause of Truth, Justice, and Eight—" as wise as a serpent,
as simple as a dove." I filled every seat in the Cabinet, but
I cannot divulge their names. The Privy Council, Lords, and
Commons, allowed the royal voice to be heard. It was not a
merely empty name. My Government was Conservative in all
good that concerned, or was connected with, the Throne, the Eoyal
family, and the aristocracy of England. I held the aristocracy in
its proper sphere, which is to float on the surface of the world,
and I placed much power in the hands of the best. I encouraged
all old traditions and customs, restored England to her aristo
cratic and gentlemanly ideas and habits, and abolished the repub
lican sentiment which of late years has been growing so rank;
I hanged three men for high treason whom I have since recog
nized ; I made the House of Lords more poAverful than the House
of Commons, but every Lord Avas well fitted for his work. I did
not keep an idle, half-educated, vapouring aristocracy, because I
understood that God made them nobles, and gave them money
and lands, power and influence, to govern, simply that they might
benefit their own country. Every man, and woman too, was
expected to work, and to be answerable for so many of their
fellow creatures. I understood that I must not let Conservatism
shut out progress, and keep civilization, learning, progress, and
the advancement of the country at bay. I gave the middle
. classes the highest possible training, every comfort and happi
ness, but no luxuries that might teach them softness and
effeminacy. I opened honourable places to them, I did every-

Government at Home. 125
thing to advance England, but I understood that I was not to
raise the platform so high that every decent trader might hope
to educate himself and rise to the House of Commons, or dine
Avith the Prime Minister. I would not pit cabman against peer,
nor let the Avorking-man be a bugbear to his master. I hindered
the aristocracy from cutting this rod to Avhip themselves, and
soAving tares in their own lands. God made grades, even in the
Bible, some to rule, and others to serve. Of those things which
are quoted in the Holy Scriptures as an abomination before the
Lord, one is " The handmaid set up in the place of her mistress ;
the earth cannot bear her," and "The disciple cannot stand in
the place of the master." I understood that the lower, that is
the unrefined, classes, would trample out the aristocracy in time
if once they held the reins in their hands. They have neither
the education nor the high-bred feeling to rule well or mercifully.
Who is so cruel to a negro as a freed slave ? I understood that
when England should be upset, and the dregs take the place
where the cream ought to be, repentance would come too late.
I advanced merit, and talent, and nature's nobility in every
possible Avay, but I did not pay it the poor compliment of raising
with it those who should be below it. I appointed useful and
fitting work and a proper education for my brute forces, each in
its proper stratum, and I had no poor, for all received education,
and could command work, wages, and comfortable homes. I told
off my convicts and iucorrigibles to the public Avorks. I did not
maintain them in idle luxury, as sundry large-hearted friends
do ; more than that, instead of making prison a paradise,
thus offering a premium for crime, I established the punish
ment of flogging for all crimes of brutal cowardice and cruelty,
especially to women, children, and animals, and also garotters ; and
not one flogging, but six months' imprisonment and hard labour,
with three floggings. Brutality was kept under, and the weak
and helpless were protected, for I saw the bigger the brute the
greater the coward, and nothing but dread of the lash could keep
him off his prey.* I appointed to each city or town, parish or
"* There is, however, a loophole for the sickly philanthropist who sympathizes
with the brute who, having been flogged once, would have to look forward to
another, but has no feeling for his victim. This I did not dream, Let the senti-

126 The Inner Life of Syria.
district, large free schools, open to the public for a good training
education with the best of masters, at the Government expense.
Each clergyman, of whatever sect or denomination, was obliged
under penalty to keep a class apart from these schools for his own
religious teaching. Thus education, religious and profane, was
distinct and separate, and everybody had the same means of
religious knowledge. The Government supported the profane
education, and the people supported the religious, each flock
keeping its own shepherd. I, glanced abroad, and saw what no
Englishman sees who lives entirely or habitually in England-
how once our name was a great name, one of fear, admiration,
and respect, and sometimes of love ; how we are now fast becom
ing a laughing-stock and a by-word ; that the days are passing
when an Englishman's word was as good as another man's bond.
And why ? We are more civilized, we are richer, we have a great
many more points in our favour noAv than we had then. But then
Ave had a policy, noAv Ave have none — visible, at least, to the naked
eye. We used once to be so proud of being English, and uoav we
are so often forced to feel rather ashamed of ourselves. Those
Avho live abroad know what the Government is doing at home,
Avithout reading the newspapers. There is a barometer in the
street, in the Eastern bazar, to tell it to you every hour. If hats
fly off, if way is made for you, if every friend and acquaintance
is anxious for your notice, you know that the barometer ranges
high. If you see sinister looks, if you are jostled in the street,
and people rather try to avoid your salute than otherwise, if you
see them laughing and speaking Ioav together, go home and look
through the columns of your unopened Times or Pall Mall, and
you Avill soon learn the cause.
mentalist persuade women only to be true enough to themselves, to refuse to marry,
to engage themselves, to associate with, or even to dance with, men who commit
flagrant acts of brutality. And let us include vivisectors, so that the world may be
purged of this woe, which is a brand upon any nation.
If our miserable frames are rotten let them decay, rather than prolong our lives
a few more anxious months by making earth hideous with such sounds or sights —
so pernicious to youth with life before them, and minds to form — for the sake of
those nigh their end by disease. I am told that the worst operation in a vivisecting
hall is to remove a horse's hoof. I ask you, my sisters, who ever wanted to drive
a horse with the hoof off? Could you clasp the hand of a man with loving" trust
which had just been engaged in such an operation ?

Policy Abroad. 127
Seeing these things even far more extensively with the eyes
of the soul, as if the whole world lay open before me like a book,
I maintained our dignity and prestige abroad as he did who is
still, and will ever be, called in the East, " The Great Eltchi." I
supported my employes abroad, except those Avho were doing things
unworthy of England. I took care that all my men were gentle
men by birth, education, and sentiment, and had the dignity of
their country truly at heart. I employed my best men, and
ordered them to acquire influence, popularity, and respect, and
not to allow themselves to be despised, for I knew it was necessary,
especially far off from England, for the sake of her good name.
With this I adopted a steady line of policy abroad, which was to
hold out the friendly hand to all who sought it, and to make that
hand one worthy to be sought, and one that spread abroad all the
good it could. But I never passed over or pretended not to see a
slight, and I dealt out heavy punishments for the least deviation
or breach of faith. On my side I religiously kept every promise
or engagement. My honour was so intact that I defied the world.
I did not patch it up with money or arbitration. I understood
that I should always be ready to fight whenever honour required
it ; so I kept my army and navy ever ready. I knew that I was
rich enough and strong enough to meet the whole world in com
bat, and I did not choose to act as if I were poor and weak, for
Baruch taught me, " Give not thy honour to another, nor thy
dignity to a strange nation." I understood that there were greater
things on earth than cotton and trade, and I did not sell our
birthright for a mess of pottage.
Having settled affairs abroad, I turned my eyes back upon the
smaller details of reform for my own country. I saw that there
was not the same honesty and integrity in the City and in business
as there used to be in the days when an Englishman's word was
better than another man's bond; and in commerce that tawdry
articles such as one finds abroad are taking the place of our solid
work ; and that men could do things now-a-days, if evilly disposed,
which formerly would have been too great a risk, and still manage
to keep a respectable reputation. I laid a heavy fine on such
evasive conduct, and established a public place where a sufferer
proving his own respectability could post up his grievance without

128 The Inner Life of Syria.
fear of the law. I imposed another duty upon England, and
especially upon the aristocracy. I determined to have no poor,
no haunts of vice and wretchedness. I began my reform at both
ends of the social scale, and met in the middle ; Ave had money
enough and men enough to carry it out. First, I weeded my
Police, officered them with military men, and subjected them to
more military laws. England is the most charitable country in
the world ; but I saw where all that philanthropic money went,
and how little reached where the donors had meant it to go. I
took the direction of charitable reform at home, and proscribed
fancy charitable projects abroad : and I employed upon my own
Augean stable the millions thus saved. I put detachments of
Police to pick up those 30,000 wretches in London who nightly
lie on door-steps, who, in the midst of plenty, have not a crumb
of bread, nor a drop of clean water to drink. I pulled down all
those garrets and cellars Avhere Ioav vice breeds and grows and
lives. I collected all those women who want to be " up and
doing." All those vies manquees, those femmes ineomprises, who,
from superfluous energies, if they can do nothing good, will
do harm. I appointed detachments of this virulent and uneasy
class of my own sex to clean and clothe and feed and house
and teach these poor creatures the name of God, and how to earn
a livelihood.* * I am not yet a convert to the " rights of woman " movement. Its ardent sup
porters say that is because I am happy, contented, and consequently selfish. It
appears to me that, pro, it is right that women of property and mothers of sons
should have some choice as to their Legislators, and that woman should become a
useful contributor to the public good, and a self-maintaining, independent being ;
that all the arts and sciences, and some professions, may be open to her, that when
her father dies she may not be reduced to that immoral, ignoble alternative, a
marriage of convenience without affection; helping man, not with her physical
strength, because she has none, not perhaps with her logic, for I have heard men
say that, no matter how miserable a creature a man may be, he has two lobes more
brain than we have, but with her true and dog-like instinct and her tact, pulling
equally on the collar of Life with man. Con, I think that it will tend greatly to
abolish marriage ; and it is to be considered Avhether decrease of population is
desirable in England— and perhaps it is, seeing that there are 500 candidates for
every inch of ground and every petty employment. I think that the Army, Navy,
Bar, Church, and Medicine, Parliamentary and all State and Government employ
ments, must be left to the male biped, or we unsex ourselves, which would be
undesirable. Nature defines pretty well our line of capacity.
Female doctors would be less objectionable if employed in Eastern harfms or

General Reform — Poorer Classes. 129
Meanwhile Ireland, under the reign of the Duke of Edinburgh,
was becoming as prosperous, happy, and contented, and as proud
of herself as England ; and he, under my inspiration, began his
rule by giving her what she most Avanted. He said to the
Protestants, " What do you require ? " and they had it ; and to
the Catholics, " What do you desire ? " and they had it too ;
whilst England Avas never the worse.
I held a court in England, on the Mohammedan principle,
upon the Tichborne trial, and in one half-hour we knew what
to do, as well as hoAv all that huge difficulty arose. Thus an
old English family was spared anxiety, publicity, and shameful
accusations, and hundreds and thousands of pounds were saved
on all sides.
I thought I had now done all I could for my own Country,
when my good Angel reminded me that private society has great
influence on the affairs of a nation, perhaps equally with good
public regulations. So we visited invisibly every class and grade
in England, from the highest downwards. The bane of the loAvest
Avas drink, but that we remedied partly by education, by rules
already agreed upon for the poor, and by another regulation which
we carried out with success. From Saturday night to Sunday
night is the great drinking time, and it is mere folly closing the
public-houses except during church time; because it is just as
easy to lay in each man his stock on Saturday after "early
closing " time, and to drink all Sunday. I therefore understood
that I was to cause the Sunday to be made pleasanter to them.*
In the morning they have church, then their family dinner, and
then perhaps an afternoon service. I therefore caused all those
who' had an estate, a park or garden, to establish a Sunday
cricketing ground, with out-of-door games, with rooms for read
ing or talking, and where they might smoke their pipes, drink
for children and for domestic practice. To me a female doctor is as unnatural as a
married priest (I speak as a Catholic).
Again, every true woman is a Conservative and an Aristocrat at heart, and to
pass this Act would be greatly to increase the Conservatism of England ; therefore
one must be surprised that those who pin their faith upon the long-sighted
Statesman at the helm (Disraeli) should overlook such a waste of political power.
* " And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

130 The Inner Life of Syria.
tea or beer in moderation, and bring their wives and families.
Thiis it made a pleasant weekly gathering, where they all met
like a club. Families were united, and neighbours became neigh
bourly, and they grew to like it better than the public-house.
The young ones learnt to look forward to Sunday as a treat, not a
penance day. The rich go to Greenwich and similar places, and
shall we expect that the poor man, who works six days out of
seven, should pass the whole Sunday " twisting his thumbs " and
reading his Bible, concerning Avhich he perhaps has but little
knowledge or understanding? All work and no play not only
makes Jack a dull boy, but a wicked boy. God said, "Keep
holy the sabbath day," meaning to worship Him and abstain from
servile- work. He also "loves the cheerful giver," and He never
forbade innocent amusements which keep from vice, and which
make prayer refreshing and work lighter. Man is the tyrant
who made that law.
At first my measure was not very popular, but they came to
like it. I saw the priest and parson walking arm in arm amongst
the people ; there was likewise an evening school for instruction,
for those who longed to learn. All these works God accepted on
His " Day of rest," and the vice of drinking was almost as rare as
in other lands.
We then moved up into the middle classes, and the first
person I met there was the most objectionable old " person " that
I ever beheld. To me, who saw her with the eyes of the soul, she
was one, and to those who saw her with the eyes of the body she
was another. She was handsomely dressed, oppressively large and
matronly, respectable and imposing to her own set of parasites by
her authoritative manner, and her loud, self-glorifying talk ; she
worshipped the great, and worried the little ; she always appeared
to know the best people, and to be on the point of presenting her
entourage into the highest society, which was absurd to me, who
saw her with my soul's eyes ; she talked " hashed Bible " with a
nasal twang, and rubbed her hands complacently the while, in
wardly thinking what fools people Avere to allow it.
I said to my Angel, " Who is this ? "
He replied, " This is a type of a class ; it is a creature of
Lucifer's, the entity which the people on earth popularly call

Middle Classes. 131
Mrs. Grundy. It is the only use Lucifer can make of her.
Become visible for an instant, and see how she will hate you
in the body as well as in the spirit."
I did so, and we were introduced. We instantly took stock of
each other — that Avas enough ; I then disappeared in the crowd,
" Why does she hate me ? " I asked my Angel.
" Because," he said, " you have a pure, natural mind, and you
love true religion, as much as you dislike cant. Now come and
Avatch how she perverts England ; you will find so many tainted
by this creature ; she trails her poison far and wide. She is not
' respectable ; ' she is a cloak to cover vice ; she is servile, vicious,
venomous, and hypocritical, who toadies all around for good
opinion ; she is especially powerful over the middling class,
Avhich is the largest, Avhose God is, ' to get on,' and which ' will-
o'-the-wisp' she incessantly dances before their eyes. Those
who dislike her must hide their dislike, and associate with her,
for she pervades society. To please her so-called delicate sensi
bilities, everybody must write as if they were ten years old. She
reduces the level of Avhat may be said to the strain of ' stories for
good little boys and girls.' Who dare write wholesale wholesome
truths for sensible grown up men and women ? — and why ? Be
cause these truths would become the maxim of the world, and
Mrs." Grundy's reign of cant and hypocrisy would be over."
"Can we not," I asked, "show England how she conducts
herself behind the scenes ? "
" With difficulty," he sighed.
" What can I do ? " I rejoined. " Can we not abolish her at
once ? "
"No," he said sadly ; "Lucifer would only replace her by another.
Her slow and sure poison to souls is too useful for him to allow
the type to drop, as long as it will last. It is a case for constant
prayer and education. A time will come Avhen she will cease to
hang like the albatross round the neck of society in England,
but not before she has done incalculable mischief to the present
and, perhaps, to future generations."
I left this society sadly, because I could do nothing for it.
We then passed, also invisibly, into another class, where I
wept the whole time, for I saw so many cruel acts done, mostly.

132 The Inner Life of Syria.
unnecessarily. My good Angel also wept, for we were standing in
the midst of the moral plague, where three parts were justly
condemned to " die the death," and a fourth part had but, as it
were, passed the plague stricken too closely in the street, and
were condemned on this earth to live without the pale of quaran
tine ; and there were none to rescue them until their eternal rest,
and our Saviour meets them to say, "Come, ye long-suffering
innocent ones."
My good Angel, taking me by the hand, bid me look instead
of weeping. " Do you see," he said, " how much good might be
done here. What a field for work if any one had the courage,
but there are none to be found ; all are too frightened of Mrs.
Grundy, who has more sway over them than the example of Jesus
with Mary Magdalen, or the Samaritan woman at the well.
Understand that Society must draw a line, and make laws for the
preservation of morality, and punish those who break them ; but
look at the thousands of cases which ought to have been recom
mended to mercy, and the thousands more where there has been
no fault. See all the good women's characters which have been
blown to the four winds by private enmity, by man's vanity, by
false female friends, for an external imprudence, a breach of
etiquette or discharged servants ; women who have never sinned,
nor thought of sinning, driven into this accursed fold, on the
word, perhaps, of a jealous woman not worthy to tie her shoe
string. These are the very Avomen who from sheer sensitiveness
shrink into obscurity at the first word, without having any idea
Iioav to raise themselves again; and, being left amongst the
tried and justly condemned, have crept into a corner to suffer
and die.
" Oh, if women would only choose their friends discreetly !
Only one jealousy is permitted— the natural one of the affections.
Every other sin gives some pleasure, but envy tortures the one
Avho feels it, and does not hurt the envied one, Avhilst the things
that she envies her friend, and tries to deprive her of, do not
pass into the envious one's possession. Again, if a bad woman
and a good woman become friends, they must either soon part, or
the bad must become good, or the good bad. The bad one has
nothing to lose, the good one all. It is like tying a young, fresh,

Moral Plague. 133
Avholesome living body to a decomposed corpse ; the former must
be blighted, wither, and die, in such contact.
" Yet do you see qualities in the British public, and in good
society en masse, which deserve the highest praise. , These are
obscured by Mrs. Grundy — for none are so just when they know
the truth, none so loyal-hearted. They will rise to a man to
support a cause they believe to be true, with one heart and one
voice, and if it is a case of distress, with their purse in their hand.
And this is the secret of England's greatness. Her men are men
indeed, and her good women are angels ; look round the world,
and there is none like them. It makes one all the more sorry
for blots that hide their glory — such as mismanagement, drink,
and Mrs. Grundy.
" Do you see that every one is afraid to speak of these things,
as if hiding a sore Avas better than applying knife and cautery
to heal it? that every woman is afraid of being suspected, of
being thought to speak leniently, of being accused of not caring
for the society of her own sex? Nature and truth often long
to speak kindly of or to many a fellow creature tabo'oed by Mrs.
Grundy, but cowardice prevails — dread of the plague spot — and
they kneel to her shrine, lest they too should be suspected. Yet
never any good was done by turning the cold shoulder, if good is
the object. You understand that I do not allude to open, flaunt
ing, confirmed vice, which is hell-bound unless Jesus converts
them by a miracle, but to misfortune — people, for instance, who
are compromised or suspected, but are anything but guilty, yet
often meet with a far worse fate than the guilty.
" Now watch Avith me the only sort of women these unhappy
ones ever see; what sort of sympathy they receive from their
own sex. Here are three women of the Grundy school, who hope
to make a great name, a great reputation, as ' Christian ladies.'
Watch their hard measures with these unhappy sisters. That
proud, hard woman you see yonder is herself a fallen woman not
found out ; the one sitting near her will be so in six months ; and
the third, one the nearest us, is only lacking a temptation."
I rang out in a clear voice from above, "The woman who
knows she is all right herself, need never be cruel in order to
hang out a flag for her own virtue."

134 The Inner Life of Syria.
They started, and turned pale. My Angel reproved me for
speaking Avithout orders. "Well," I replied, "these 'good
Christians ' are not obliged to seek out, these unhappy creatures,
who have never had a chance in life, and have been more sinned
against than sinning ; but if they do undertake the mission they
are no true women to hurt their feelings, and drive them to
believe that no matter how good they are now, and have been
for years, , and may be in future — how deeply they may repent
and atone — there is no ray of hope for them in this life, that
their story must stalk after them like a ghost, to warn all healthy
society out of their paths, until they lie in their graves. Is that
Avhat you call a mission ? and may I not stop it ? "
" No," he said, smiling ; " you know these are not true women,
and you know, if life's accidents brought you face to face Avith
such as these, that you would treat their case with prayer and
hope and sympathy. Every woman," he continued, " should
remember in her pride, that to-day she is just and her sister
Avoman is fallen ; but unless the grace of God support her, Avho
can say Avhat she might be to-morrow ? She might be tempted,
have no more strength, and be abandoned ; and God might send
that other sinner a great grace, which would lift her out of that
abyss, and make her a saint."
And we heard floating in the air, spirit- voices, which chanted :
" Be rested, sufferers ; the arm of God is not shortened. Why
do you disquiet yourselves about the smoke Avhich arises from
soured hearts and evil tongues ? A breath from God can blow it
away. He has allowed it for a moment for your good. Suffer, not
for the sins you are accused of, but for those which you have
committed, till Jesus sends you help and deliverance."
Now let us follow these supposed superior women to see the
result. They have planted a poisoned dart in the brains and
hearts which they professed to soothe in Heaven's name. The
hard are harder, the Aveak are more despairing, and the " three "
are sitting in society of their own kind, talking to an admiring
crowd of the delights of "good Christian Avork," and what a
happiness it is to be allowed to " walk in the footsteps of Jesus."
I was about to burst into a great laugh, but my good Angel
put his hand over my mouth, and prevented me. I felt glad to

Society. 185
quit this society, because he shoAved me that until general society
finds out and discards Mrs. Grundy, no army of true, brave, whole
some spirits will be found to undertake a labour of love for God's
sake in this quarter, to rescue the unhappy from the bad souls.
"Now," said my good Angel, "you have had hard and disagree
able work, and you have Avorse to do. I will therefore give you a
short rest. Make yourself visible, and assemble around you the
society after your oavh heart. Enjoy the presence of those you
love on earth for a short while, and then take leave of them until
you meet again in the other world, as we must go upon our
mission again, and then return to Jesus. I shall like to see Avhat
you will draw about you, if left to yourself." " I will show you,"
I replied, " the society that pleases me. The best, the rarest, the
most exclusive, which I, though a wanderer, seek and find. A
charming society, Avhere Mrs. Grundy cannot enter, were she to
sell her soul to Lucifer for the privilege ; where there is no vul
garity, no vice, no cruelty, no jealousy, no backbiting, no strug
gling up, no scheming, no ' getting on,' as they call it. All is in
tellect, sparkling wit, refinement, good sense, true friendship. The
affairs of the day are earnestly discussed, travel, information
gleaned, good stories told, and Ave separate in a wholesome, happy,
refreshed state of mind, each one pleased Avith self and all the
others, and only look foi'Avard to the next evening, Avhen Ave shall
meet again. If you will preside over us invisibly, even you
Avill not have to veil your face, however merry Ave may be.
Whilst talking I dreAv around me in my sleep all those
I had knoAvn and loved from my birth till then, and others
unknown to me, whom I have met since. I will not name
any, as most of them are too Avell known, and others Avere
added from all parts of the Avorld, who suited and amalgamated
Avith my London friends; I saAv the interior state and Avork-
ings of the heart of each one, and it composed a charming
society not to be equalled in any part of the world. Every
one there had some peculiar attribute or charm, to make him
or her welcome. , The men were highly educated and clever,
all of whom had either travelled, or were living a public life in
some useful career — the greater part of them of middle age —
but some were young. The Avomen Avere the best and noblest of

136 The Inner Life of Syria. *
my oavii sex — not Avomen who care only for the society of men,
nor women Avho get on well only with women, for both are equally
silly — but they were, characters evenly balanced. Amongst us
dwelt perfect happiness, true sympathy, and cordiality — a
thorough mutual understanding and confidence, a genial atmos
phere in every sense of the word, and real conversation about real
things. I said that my women friends were the best and noblest of our
sex. I mean that they were women, with all the softness and
refinement of a woman, who, without being in the least masculine,
had almost the mind and education of man ; that they were open
to all that is true, tender, good, chivalrous, and noble; simple
and natural in mind and manners, not because they lacked
cleverness, but because they Avere good and honest — Avomen of
high-bred feeling and education, deeply religious without boring
other people with it. I mean a loyal love of God, a religion
Avith stamina, full of courage, wisdom, and prudence ; soft-voiced
women, with the SAveet, humble dignity of a lady, and devoid of
that flaunting bounce and stare Avhich some people think gives
an air of fashion and exclusiveness, but which makes them so very
vulgar; women Avho, in a Avord, Avherever they go, diffuse their
sunbeams of good and comfort and brightness around them,
making you feel that their friendship is one of your greatest
treasures; women who knoAv none of the smallness of our sex,
except that it exists, and that they suffer from it without knowing
why ; who do not understand the little jealousies, spites, untruths,
gossipping, mischief-making, and small intrigues about a straw,
which make this glorious Avorld of ours a purgatory, where every
woman such as they are, are periodically vivisected. Thank
heaven, I do know such Avomen, and their friendship is my pride.
I do knoAv many other kinds of women, and they make me thirst
for the desert. I was constantly Avishing to do something wrong,
or stupid, or imprudent, or lawless, by my oavu judgment, and
without my Angel I should have fallen a thousand times into
frightful precipices, but he always held me up.
I wanted to marry the women who cause all the annoyances
of the Avorld, to a certain class of feminine men Avho seem to have
sprung up more thickly of late, and who breakfast, lunch, and

Richard Burton. 187
dine, on the pigmy horrors that their feminines create, and are
only fitted to consort with these women. My plan was to purify
society by marrying them, to make them all a happy home in the
most distant island in the seas. I ran a needle through the
earth, and it came out in Pitcairn's Island, so I fixed upon that
for my Tophet, with other arrangements for their progeny ; but
my good angel said that it would not be lawful to treat things
with divine souls like reptiles and wild beasts, and that it 'must
be left, like the moral plague, to time, education, and prayer.
Having done all we could for England, we returned to London,
for I was anxious to pay my homage to my Queen before I left
for ever. When I stood in the presence of Her Majesty, I again bowed
down before her. She smiled, and spoke so kindly to me, and
taking me by the hand, she said, " Well done, thou good and
faithful servant. I know not how to tell you what my heart
feels at the work you have done, and. the changes you have carried
out in my dominions by divine inspiration. I wish to give you
some lasting mark of my favour."
" Madam," I replied, glowing with pleasure at her speech, " I
am more than repaid by the approval of my Master, Jesus Christ,
and by this expression of thanks from yourself, my Sovereign
under Him ; I have only now to settle France and the Papal States,
and then I go for ever to Heaven. Earthly favours would be of
no service to me, even if I desired them. But since your Majesty
is so gracious as to offer me a boon, I have only one regret at
leaving Earth, and that is that I leave behind me one very dear
to me — my husband; and I commend him to your Eoyal care
and favour."
Her Majesty then asked me what was my grievance, and I
replied to her, " Madam, he is a man unlike everybody else — a
very extraordinary man; I am not worthy to tie the latchet of his
shoe ; he has toiled every hour and every minute for thirty-two *
years, distinguishing himself in every possible way. If your
Majesty will inquire, you will find that he has done more than
* In my dream, I only poured forth my grievance up to the time that it
occurred (April, 1871). In printing the relation of it in 1875, I have brought the
dates up to the present time.
VOL. II. L

138 The Inner Life of Syria.
any other six men in your Majesty's dominions ; that others who
are as nothing to him, are at the top of the ladder of fortune and
honour, whilst by some strange fate he alone — a very king
amongst them — has never been advanced, never received an
honour, never received the thanks of any Government, save once,
in a private letter for a petty detail of his career in discharging a
dangerous Mission as your Majesty's Commissioner to the Court of
the King of Dahomey, with whom he resided, at the peril of his
life for three months ; and after thirty-two years he is still a simple
Consul, for which favour we are compelled to be very grateful.
Madam, all England knows that I have passed the whole of my
married life in trying to obtain justice for him. It has been my
one occupation. It is a thorn in my side to see the best and
noblest and truest man that breathes never employed in a sphere
or in a matter suitable to his merits and talents. I am an am
bitious woman, Madam, but all my life bears upwards to noble
ends. I fear that I have been tiresome to many great and good
people in your Majesty's various Governments for the past four
teen years in this cause ; but, to the honour and glory of English
gentlemen be it said, I have rarely been slighted or despised
in the performance of my mission. I shall cry like an eagle for
justice till it comes — I shall cry for it, Madam, till I die."
The Queen was much moved at my words, which were elo
quent with truth, and she replied, " Tell me all the public career
of your husband."
" Madam," I said, " he began life at Oxford, and was destined
for the Church — his grandfather and his greatuncle (two
brothers) having been, one Bishop and the other Eector of
Tuam — but he yearned so much after military service that
his father, who was Colonel in the 36th, procured him a com
mission in the Indian Army, and sent him out to India in
1842, at the end of the Affghan war. He was nineteen years in
the Bombay Army, eight years in active service, chiefly on the
staff of Sir Charles Napier, who soon discovered his merits and
turned them to account. He quickly passed examinations in eight
Oriental languages — Hindostani, Persian, Arabic, and others. He
now speaks and knows thoroughly twenty-nine languages, both
European and Oriental, not counting dialects. As a horseman,

Bichard Burton. 189
swordsman, and shot, he became unsurpassed, and received from
France a brevet de pointe for his swordsmanship.* He published
in 1853 a system of bayonet exercise. It is the one actually
adopted at present by the Horse-Guards. He received no credit
for it, the only thing he coveted ; but it was acknowledged by an
order on the Treasury for the sum of one shilling. In the Crimea
he was Chief of the Staff to General Beatson, and he was the prin
cipal organizer of the Irregular Cavalry, and at the moment of
their disbanding had 4000 sabres in perfect training, ready to do
anything and go anywhere. Lord Palmerston was going to send
Captain Burton to raise a large body of Kurdish horse, when
peace was proclaimed. In 1861, when the Indian army changed
hands, they managed to bring him under the reduction, and to
sweep out his whole nineteen years' service, as if they had never
been, without a vestige of pay or pension. At this period com
menced the neglect of his services. I think myself that he offended
the Court of Directors by the freedom of his remarks upon their
political neglect, and other lacks, on the shores of the Eed Sea,
which, had his warnings been listened to, would have prevented
the Jeddah massacre. They avenged themselves on the boy-
soldier with the long head, by general imputations and personal
neglect. He published a satisfactory explanation of the case in
his appendix to his ' Lake Eegions.' If technically right — and,
of course, they must have been — it was most ungenerously done,
to sweep out an Indian career of nineteen years like a blank sheet
of paper, as if it had never been ; and he only realized it on
seeing his successor gazetted.
" That is all his military career ; but during the times when he
was not on active service he was serving his country, humanity,
science, and civilization, in other ways — by opening up lands
hitherto unknown, and trying to do good wherever he went.
Barth was honoured, Colonel Grant was rewarded, Sir Samuel
Baker was knighted for one expedition, Speke and Livingstone
would have been crowned with glory had they lived: Captain
* Captain Burton has now a work in the press, entitled, " The Secrets of the
Sword," a book which no soldier ought to be ignorant of. It brings up all the
schools to the present date. McClaren's is half a century old.

140 The Inner Life of Syria.
Burton, their pioneer, alone is left without acknowledgment. It
is forgotten that he was the first to lead the way, that he, so to
speak, opened the oyster, for Livingstone, Baker, Speke and
Grant, to take the pearl. Every item of news received from that
large-hearted hero, Livingstone, tended to prove that Captain
Burton's original theory was right : that his Lake Tanganyika
is the head basin of the Nile. Again, it must be remembered
that each of these heroic men had made one great expedition,
except Livingstone, whose whole life was an expedition, and all
justly won large rewards ; whilst Captain Burton has made several
under the Eoyal Geographical Society and the Foreign Office,
most of which were at the risk of his life ; for instance, Mecca and
Medinah, in 1853.
" His talents for mixing with and assimilating natives of all
countries, but especially Oriental characters, and of becoming as
one of themselves without any one ever doubting his origin, his
perfect knowledge of their languages, and his being gifted by
nature with an Arab head and face,* favoured his first great enter
prise. He is the only man who is not born a Moslem and an
Oriental who has ever performed the Haj to Mecca and Medinah,
and can still live with the Moslems as one of themselves, in
perfect friendship. He went as a Dervish, lived with the people
* These sentences Beem to explain how Richard Burton is an Arab in appear
ance, and that incurable restlessness, that being unable to wrest from fortune a spot
on earth where to rest when tired of wandering, like the loose sands of the desert.
"There is a reason," says Gautier, who was a. mixture of Andalusian and Moor,
"for that fantasy of nature which causes an Arab to be born in Paris, or a
Greek in Auvergne. The mysterious voice of blood, which is silent for gene
rations, or only utters a confused murmur, speaks at rare intervals a more
intelligible language. In the general confusion race claims its own, and some
forgotten ancestor asserts his rights. Who knows what alien drops are mingled in
our blood ? The great migrations from the table-lands of India, the descents of
the northern races, the Roman and Arab invasions, have all left their marks.
Instincts which seem bizarre spring from these confused recollections, these hints of
a distant country. The vague desire of this primitive fatherland moves such minds
as retain the more vivid memories of the past. Hence the wild unrest that wakens
in certain spirits the need of flight, such as the cranes and swallows feel when kept
in bondage — the impulses that make a man leave his luxurious life to bury himself
in the steppes, the desert, the Pampas, the Sahara^ He goes to seek his brothers.
It would be easy to point out the intellectual fatherland of our greatest minds.
Lamartine, De Musset, and De Vigny are English ; Delaoroix is Anglo-Indian ;
Victor Hugo a Spaniard ; Ingres belongs to the Italy of Florence and Rome."

Bichard Burton. 141
almost a year, and is still called amongst them Hadji Abdullah,
and treated as one of themselves.
"He then explored Harar in Moslem Abyssinia, and went to
Somali-land in East Africa, which had been vainly attempted by
thirty travellers. He commanded the expedition, taking with
him the brave and gallant Speke, who met with so sad a death in
the height of his glory ; also Lieutenants Heme and Stroyan,
two young Indian officers. The explorers were attacked in the
night by the natives, who endeavoured to throw down their tents,
and catch them, as it were, in a trap. All fought their way
bravely through the enemy ; Captain Burton and Captain Speke
were both desperately wounded, and poor Stroyan was killed,
whilst Heme's fate was to be untouched. Captain Speke had
eleven wounds, and my husband, with a lance through his jaws
and palate, wandered up and down the coast, suffering from
wounds, hunger, thirst, leaving the natives to sack their property,
but carrying off the dead body of their comrade, and were at last
picked up by a native dhow.
"In 1856 he set out for his great exploration of the Lake
regions of Central Africa, again taking with him his comrade in
arms and travel — Speke — who was afterwards, in his turn, Com
mander of a subsequent expedition with Grant. Then it was that
my husband discovered Tanganyika. This was the first attempt to
open up the sources of the Nile. They were absent three years,
during which my husband had twenty-one fevers, paralysis, and
blindness, and Speke had equally suffered. In 1860 he went to
the United States, visited California, and spent six weeks with
Brigham Young, the Mormon Prophet, at the Salt Lake City,
and travelled during that expedition 25,000 miles. In 1861,
when he came under the Indian reduction, Earl Eussell sent him
as Consul to Fernando Po, on the West Coast of Africa, popularly
called " The Foreign-office Grave." Earl Eussell was a kind
master, and we were very grateful to him for this post at a
moment when it was so much needed. The Bight of Biafra, 600
miles in extent, was his jurisdiction. He did good service here
for three years. He thoroughly explored from Bathurst, on the
Gambia, down to San Paulo de Loanda, in Angola, marched up
to Abeokuta, and ascended the Cameroons Mountains. He tried

142 The Inner Life of Syria.
to induce the English Government to establish there a sanitarium
for the West Coast, and a convict station for felons, who should
construct roads, and cultivate cotton and chocolate. He also gave
the Government information which, had it been accepted, would have
prevented the necessity of the late Gold-Coast War. He has been
giving warnings to the various Governments, for at least thirty
years, of coming troubles, and this information is never accepted in
each ease till the catastrophes have happened.
" He visited the cannibal Mpangwe, the Fans of Du Chaillu ;
he went to Benin City, unknown to Europe since the death of
' Belzoni; he ascended the Congo Eiver, and explored the Yellalah
Eapids, the Elephant Mountains, and the whole line of lagoons
between Lagos and the Volta Eiver. Then he was sent on a dan
gerous mission — a three months' visit to the King of Dahomey, as
your Majesty's Commissioner, with presents, to induce King Gelele
to abolish his "customs." The sights he was compelled to see daily
would have broken any other man's nerves for life. His two
volumes upon the subject have settled the 'Dahoman question,'
and since he exposed the true state of the case, that blood-stained
corner of Africa has taken its proper place in the estimation of
Europe. Yet the only acknowledgment of this service was a
private note from Earl Eussell, in which he says that * Captain
Burton performed this delicate and dangerous mission to his
entire satisfaction.' The Foreign-office List even omits to men
tion him as Commissioner. Captain Burton was then transferred
to Santos, in SaS Paulo (Brazil), where he was active and useful
for four years, both on the coast and in the interior. He
thoroughly explored his own province, which is larger than
France, the .gold and diamond mines of Minas Geraes, canoed
down the great river San Francisco 1500 miles, visited the
Argentine Eepublic, the rivers La Plata and Paraguay, for the
purpose of reporting to the Foreign-office the state of the
Paraguayan war. He crossed the Pampas and the Andes to
Chili and Peru, amongst the bad Indians, whilst on sick leave for
an illness, during which he was at death's door, and visited all
the Pacific coast. Eeturning by the Straits, of Magellan, Buenos
Ayres, and Eio, to London, he found himself appointed to Damas
cus, the first and only good appointment he has ever had. Lord

Bichard Burton. 143
Stanley's sound sense and great judgment knew exactly the post
to suit the man, and the man to suit the post. It is a situation
where his friendship with Mohammedans, and his knowledge of
Arabic and other Eastern languages, put him in intimate relation
with the Arab tribes and authorities. Of his career here, I can
only say that he raised the English name to its former prestige.
He has explored all the unknown part of Syria, Palestine, and
the Holy Land. He saved the poor peasantry of Damascus from
the usurers. He advanced the just claims of British subjects,
kept the peace when a massacre seemed imminent, and opposed
the fanatical persecution directed against the Christians. These
measures, it is to be regretted, necessarily awoke the active
enmity and envy of smaller men, who excited the Governor-
General against him, and kept the Foreign-office perpetually
worried and misinformed.
" In addition, he has written some thirty volumes, which de
scribe his travels.
"His languages, his knowledge and experience upon every
subject under heaven, any one single act of his life, of which he
has concentrated 500 such acts into thirty-two years, would have
earned the highest honours, and made the position of any other
man. In France or Eussia, or in the East, such a character
would have been the Emperor's or the Sultan's chief adviser."
[Here I add on the remainder of Captain Burton's career up
to the present date (1875).] "In 1871 Captain Burton was
recalled by the Liberal Government, under the misrepresenta
tions above alluded to, and the Wali was, we understood,
advised to pretend that he thought Captain Burton's life was
in danger from the Moslems. Yet after he left a monster
meeting was held in the Great Mosque, where Mohammedans
of all sects united to pray for his return. He came home and
submitted a printed relation of his case, giving an account of
his stewardship to the Foreign Office; and the Secretary of
State, who would never have consented to his recall had he
been on the spot to see the truth, not only exonerated him
from all blame, but declared that his recall was due only to
the Consulate of Damascus being reduced to a Vice-Consulate.
Captain Burton, being out of .employment for ten months, there-

144 The Inner Life of Syria.
fore set out for Iceland in 1872, and thoroughly studied and
explored it, returning the same year to find himself posted at
Trieste, a pleasant commercial European port, where the duties
concerning British seamen hardly promised much activity for
such a man. Yet he has been able to explore and describe all the
surrounding castellieri, or preto-historical buildings, of Istria, sup
posed to be Eoman, unknown to the literary world, and which are
considered to be the most interesting in the Continent of Europe.
" Meantime, the events which followed in Syria form the very
best testimonials to the wisdom and uprightness of Captain
Burton. He was supposed to have indulged in undue interference
to secure the good of Syria. Scarcely had he left than his
suggestions were freely adopted, and her Majesty's Government
formally congratulated the Porte thereon. Captain Burton, in
plain words, ventured to make certain suggestions which the
Governor-General was advised to resent. Captain Burton was re
called, and the Porte likewise recalled their own Governor-general,
and sent a man whom all respected, viz., Subhi Pasha. He, on
arriving, adopted Captain Burton's suggestions, gave posts of honour
to those he had recommended, whilst his predecessor's employes
were disgraced, and fled. Subhi Pasha's conduct was officially
commended by our Government ; yet Captain Burton was left at
Trieste, and the other consular agents were retained in office.
This want of appreciation of Captain Burton's services is not only
a neglect, it is simply an imputation upon his career. He is now
not only the discoverer and opener of the lake regions of Central
Africa, but the senior traveller of England. Most men who have
done even average duty, military, or civil, or scientific, during
thirty-two years, are acknowledged by some or several forms of
honour. To what, then, must the public at home and abroad
attribute the cold shade thrown over exploits which are un
paralleled, which are known and appreciated throughout Europe,
all the learned societies of which have made him an honorary
member? But the foreign Governments — for instance, the
Italian, which bestowed gold medals and other honours upon
Captain Speke and the Eev. Mr. Badger — cannot be expected to
lead the way in honouring a man whose services are ignored by
his own rulers.

Bichard Burton. 145
"To use the expression of the stanchest Statesman in England
at present living, when he was chairman at a public dinner given
to Captain Burton (4th of April, 1865), he said: — 'Captain
Burton is the most distinguished explorer of the day : he has con
densed more of study, hardship, successful enterprise, and educa
tion, than would suffice to fill up the existence of half-a-dozen
ordinary men. That if his career were to end to-morrow, he
would have done enough to entitle him to a conspicuous and
permanent place in the annals of our country. That his career
had been one of infinite value, labour, and research at the im
minent risk of his life. That he had done good service to
the State in various ways, and extended our knowledge of
the Globe by opening up barbarous and savage countries to
enterprise — keeping up the spirit of adventure and enterprise,
love of reputation, effort, and work, without regard to money — the
old English native feeling which has made our country Avhat it
has become, and will keep our country what it is to be, and with
out which feeling our wealth and material prosperity would not
be worth one year's purchase.'
" I sat in the gallery and listened with pride, and though it is
ten years ago I can repeat it word for word."
" And what part have you taken in all this ? " said the Queen.
" Madam," I said, " except passing my youth and receiving
my education at the Convent of the Sepulchre in England, and
my having been his faithful companion for fourteen years, I have
no history to relate."
" But then you are competent to tell me ; have you any idea
how this state of things came about ? " said her Majesty.
" Yes, Madam, perfectly," I replied. " He has never in all
his life told a lie. Humbug stands abashed before him. He lives
sixty years before his time. Born of Low Church and very bigotted
parents, as soon as he could reason he began to cast off prejudice,-
and to follow a natural law. Grace aiding the reason of man —
upright, honourable, manly, and gentlemanly, but professing no
direct form of belief, except in one Almighty Being, God — the
belief that says, ' I do that because it is right, and not for hell,
nor heaven, nor for religion, but because it is right' — a natural law
of Divine grace which such men unconsciously ignore, as Divine

146 The Inner Life of Syria.
intelligence — yet such it is. These sentiments, Madam, though
creed should not be allowed to prevent public services being ac
knowledged, find but little favour in England; and when men
want to advance in life they must truckle to what does find favour ;
and there are plenty found willing to do it, who thus receive
the rewards due to better men."
The Queen was much affected. "Then," she said, "what
would you consider to be his right position in the world ? "
I said to her, " Madam, his just and right position, according
to his work and merits, would be Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary to some Eastern Court, and K.C.B. ;
likewise to be restored to honorary rank in the army, which would
be equivalent to that which he would have actually held, had not
his career been ungenerously cut short. His talents, knowledge,
experience, and merits, fit into that position and no other. He
has done military service as well as civil, and therefore there
should be no difficulty. He can be rewarded not upon one
ground, but upon eight or nine — as a soldier, as a Government
Envoy, as a Foreign-office Commissioner, as an Author, a Linguist,
as a benefactor to Science, as an Explorer, as a Discoverer, as an
organizer of benefits to his country. It is a fine thing to stand
before the World on a pedestal as a plain, unadorned hero ; but it
is a very bitter thing to sit as he is now doing by his distant
fireside in a strange land, and read in the newspapers how Eng
land has forgotten him, and to know that men who have not done
a tithe of his service will reap the credit and reward of his deeds,
perhaps of the very ideas and words that he has spoken and
written. For all these long years he has thought, studied, and
written, and in all the four quarters of the globe has been a credit
to his country. All these long years he has braved hunger, thirst,
heat, cold, wild beasts, and savage tribes ; has fought and suffered,
carrying his life in his hand. In these extremities the thought
of England's credit and honour, of his Queen's praise and appro
bation, bore him through nobly and successfully."
The Queen then said, " Go forth, and finish your work with a
rested mind. Your boon is granted. Take my blessing with you,
and pray that our Divine Master may watch over me and my
children, and my Kingdom."

Bichard Burton. 147
I bowed down low, kissed her hands, and departed, happy and
consoled.* My Angel and I then left England for ever, and we flew
through the air like birds. There was a great storm in the
Channel, and we saw several wrecks as we passed, which made me
very sad. I wept, and begged my good Angel to save them, but
he said, " I cannot — my Master did not give me that work to do,
I dare not do any other than that appointed to me. If He wishes
them to be saved, other angels will be sent to save those destined
* List of Captain Burton's Works.
First Footsteps in Africa. 1 vol. Longmans, 1856.
Lake Regions of Equatorial Africa. 2 vols. Longmans, 1860.
Notices of the Lunar Mountains, and the Sources of the White Nile. 1 vol.
Clowes and Sons, 1860.
Abeokuta and the Cameroons. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1863.
Dahome. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1861. ¦
The Nile Basin. 1 vol. Tinsley, 1864.
Wit and Wisdom of Africa. 1 vol. Tinsley, 1865.
Wanderings in West Africa. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1863.
The City of the Saints (Mormon). 1 vol. Longmans, 1881 .
Mecca and Medinah. 3 vols. Longmans, 1855.
Siudh, or the Unhappy Valley. 2 vols. Bentley, 1851.
Sindh, or the Indus. 1 vol. Allen, 1851.
Goa, or the Blue Mountains. 1 vol. Bentley, 1851.
Falconry Van Voorst. 1 vol. 1852.
Bayonet Exercise. 1 vol. . Clowes and Sons, 1853.
Grammar of the Mooltani Language. 1849.
Notes on the Pushtu, or Affghan Language. 1849.
Grammar of the Jatakf, or Beloheki Dialect. 1849.
Vickram and the Vampire : Hindu Tales. 1 vol. Longmans, 1870.
The Highlands of Brazil. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1869.
Paraguay. 1 vol. Tinsley, 1870.
Zanzibar. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1872.
Unexplored Syria. 2 vols. Tinsley, 1872.
Just out : — Articles on Rome (Macmillan). — Hans Stadt. — Lacerda's Journey to
Cazembe, and small pamphlet of Supplementary Papers to the Mwata Cazembe. —
The' Castellieri of Istria.
In the Press .-—The " Secrets of the SAVord."— The Cataracts of the Congo.—
Ultima Thule (Iceland). — The Lowlands of Brazil.
On the Stocks. — Istria.— Translation of Camoes. — Personal Experiences in Syria.
— Book on Cavalry.
Besides which, Captain Burton has written extensively for Fraser, Blackwood,
and a host of magazines, pamphlets, and periodicals; has lectured in many
lands, has largely contributed to the newspaper press in Europe, Asia, Africa,
and America, both north and south, to say nothing of poetry and anonymous
writings.

148 The Inner Life of Syria.
to live. My only orders are to attend upon you, and to be always
by your side." We flew to the scene of the Franco-Prussian war,
and we saw Lucifer and his Court directing the French forces, and
driving them on to their miserable fate ; and my Angel told me
of Napoleon's flight to England, and his subsequent death. We
first went to Frohsdorf, and spoke with the King of France
(Henri V.), to endeavour to prepare him to ascend his own Throne,
and to wear his own crown and sceptre.
My Angel made me say, " Look, Sire, how God loves France,
and how He is letting her chastise herself, but at the first sign of
repentance He will bring you her King to her, and raise her above
all nations except England. He wishes that we should pray for
France every time we kneel, and it is only prayer that saves her
from utter annihilation. She is to God in the nineteenth century
what the Jews were to him in the Old Testament, a stiff-necked
people, straying from their God and their laws. There is in her
great evil and great good. If they were equal, God would not
chastise her. We are ordered never to kneel without praying for
France, and the King (Henri V). You alone can make France
respected, because she is yours by divine right. Your reign
would be one of virtue, religion, peace, and prosperity, a truly
mild, loving, paternal epoch ; but three things you will have to
observe. Firstly, to hold the reins in your own hands, and to pre
vent the horrors of former monarchies. Secondly, to keep in order
the worldly part of the clergy, and debar them from mixing in
the political affairs of the country; and, thirdly, to allow full
liberty of the Press as a safety valve." He now listened to the
dictates of his heart and the traditions of his race, and was at
times about to accept the position, and then fell back upon the
difficulties of the white flag, and the impossibility of certain
concessions, which I am not at liberty to reveal. I could not
help saying to my good Angel, that I thought the very worst
present God ever made to man was free-will. A noble, chivalrous-
hearted gentleman the King will ever remain, but King of
France with those scruples he can never be. Poor France ! It
was enough to wring the heart to behold the scenes that we saw.
She would, under her rightful owner, have become healthy, and
grown rich, powerful, happy, and good. How she does need rest!

I arrange France. 149
The only fear is, that when she waxed well and strong she might
again become restless and faithless, and sting the hand that
nursed her when she was sick. We begged, and admonished, and
told the story backwards and forwards, and were wearied out, but
on certain points we could not shake the "King. " What do you
argue from that ? " said my good Angel. " I understand that
France has not repented of her evil ways, and does not merit
her good King. I see that God punished the sin of the first
angels, of Adam, of the Jews, of all nations, of each individual,
by terrible scourges, and of France now by this desolating war,
and it is not ended ; so he punishes each of us as a warning, if
we do not renounce our sin. To do that we must study our sin,
dissect it, its nature, degrees, sources, consequences — for we
cannot fight an enemy we do not know, still less if we mistake
it for a friend. I also understand that Europe is in a strange
state, and is passing into another period, where there is no room
in it for two such chivalrous, knightly relics of ancient tradition
as Henri V. and Pio Nono. Europe has become common-place,
parvenu, and money-making, and she must have everything in
keeping — brand-new, tawdry, and fleeting. She has rushed into
a feverish progression, and does not know that she is racing
madly round in circles. Now I understand why there is no place
for Eichard Burton. It is time for gentlemen to die." "You
must not be angry," said my good Angel, smiling, "or you will be
unfit for good work, and I shall have to reprimand you. What
was rejected and cast forth will be called back. A young prince
from across the seas will ascend the throne refused by Henri V."
I understood Napoleon IV., now Prince Imperial.
From this time we had to do the last and most difficult thing,
which required much thought and preparation, and prayer and
holy counsel with my good Angel. This difficulty was the
Papal States. As we went on, I said to my good Angel, "I
am terribly afraid to meddle with the Pope. I have noticed
that every one who touches that sacred man withers away.
Suppose he does not like our arrangement, and excommu
nicates me." My good Angel smiled, and said, " He will not do
that ; he knows you are a devout and earnest Catholic, and that
whatever you do, you will mean it for the glory of the Church.

150 The Inner Life of Syria.
He has already received a warning through his good angel of
your coming, and why." I said, like a child learning a lesson,
"Do tell me all about the Infallibility before we go in, for fear I
should make some mistake." He replied : " That is very simple.
Do you not believe in it?" ¦ "Oh yes!" I said; "of course
I believe in it. Every one did before it was made an article of
faith, and then some did not like it, or thought it unnecessary.
But I suppose he was told to do it by his good angel." " Yes,"
he said, "he was. This is the meaning of it. You must not
confuse the Office and the Man, because it only relates to matters
of faith. Christ, when He came upon earth, promised that ' His
Church should not err' in matters of faith, and commended his
flock to Peter. St. James became head after Peter, and then
St. Simeon, and so on until Pio Nono, who is their direct suc
cessor. You know that upon the death of one Pope another has
always been instantly elected, and ever holding their doctrine
without reformation. Christ is the Church who cannot err, and
is infallible. The Pope is His vicegerent, or agent, upon earth,
who consequently cannot err. The Pope means the Church,
the Church is Christ. You may tell it backwards and forwards
as you please, but you must not separate the three. There
stands the Church- — the Eock of Ages — with Christ at her head
in heaven, and the Pope to guide her on earth. The Pope is
officially, not personally, infallible, and stands in the position of a
judge who pronounces sentence upon a case."
We then went to the Vatican. How my heart beat with awe
as we walked up the great steps ! We were not announced, nor
presented, as at an audience, because we were spirits, and passed
where we would. I copied everything my Angel did. We knelt
at the door and kissed the ground, again in the middle of the
room. The Pope did not appear surprised, as if he were accus
tomed to receive such visits, and rose from a prie-Dieu where he
was at prayer. We knelt again at his feet, and kissed them. He
did not see my good Angel, but only me, nor could I see his good
angel, but I understood that they were speaking together, and
that his was one of " the Seven " who stand before the throne of
God. And I was aware that my good Angel saluted with great
reverence some person in the room whom I did not see, for I

/ settle the Papal States. 151
beheld no one but our venerable Pontiff, Avho raised me, blessed
me, and gave me his hand, which I kissed devoutly. I was very
happy, for I saw around his head a ray of the glory which shone
about Jesus. I waited humbly for his first words. At last
he spoke and inquired tenderly about England, " a country never
absent from his heart and prayers, on account of- the virtues of
our Queen, and the good and charity done therein ; and said if
it were not for his advanced age he would have paid England
a visit." Then he spoke of the troubles of Italy, and his own
imprisonment. The tears ran down his venerable cheeks as he
spoke of Victor Emmanuel, whom he styled as " Nostro figlio chi
sara tosto o tardi il prodigo, e chi riceverei con gioja in queste
braccie paterne." He then spoke to me about myself, and con
gratulated me upon "so soon entering into my rest," and about my
husband, to whom "he sent his blessing as one of God's elect;" and
amongst other things he said to me, " My daughter, why do you
afflict yourself at seeing your noble husband passed over in regard
to worldly honours? You see that he has done enough great
actions to secure a high position, and that you have had friends
and interest enough employed to have reached any honours, and
all that has failed. Look at your husband, and then look at the
people who do get these honours and places, and cease to repine.
It is not the will of God, for your husband is far greater than
any of these, and He has great designs, in proportion, in store for
him. You are now going through severe trials, be prepared, and
go and offer them up at the Sepulchre. Take this as a sign. In
the very place where Jesus said, ' No man is a prophet in his own
country,' the people shall treat your husband as they treated
Jesus." *
A sensation of rest and confidence came upon my anxious,
tired spirit, and my flagging energies seemed to revive. "Now,
my daughter, the time is coming for Jerusalem to be glorified.
That is why we have lost our temporal power in Eome. Christ
* It is only right that I should state that all this is a dream, that I never was in
Rome till April, 1873, two years later. I went on purpose to see His Holiness, who
was ill the whole time, and unable to receive me. I caught Roman fever, and had
to leave ; so that I have never yet seen His Holiness nor the Vatican, and I fear
I never shall.

152 The Inner Life of Syria.
calls us to our original, our native home. It may be in my time,
or, as I am very old, perhaps it may be in another Pontiff's reign,
for Popes will succeed to the end of time, no matter what the
world may do to prevent it. Go, therefore, and prepare for us as
you know." I again begged his blessing upon what I was about
to do for the Church, kissed his hands and feet, and went out
as I came. My Angel was kneeling silently and respectfully in
his presence, and accompanied me, bringing me through passages
full of pictures. We then flew to Jerusalem, and there we built
a splendid Palace on Mount Sion. It was more beautiful than the
rising sun, of gold, silver, and mosaics, marble, ebony, mother-of-
pearl, crystals, and precious woods. We brought him here in
triumph, and installed him in it ; but I cannot say if it was Pio
Nono or a future Pope. It shed a ray of glory and light all
over Jerusalem, and all the Holy Places had stars hanging over
them, to mark the true sites for the Faithful. We imposed a
Papal tax on all Catholic countries, which brought a sufficient
revenue, and levied guards of honour, both naval and military,
befitting Eoyal dignity ; being a Man of Peace he needed not to
fight. His revenues never fluctuated, and his mind was never
harassed by politics or by warfare. The glory and prosperity
that Christ promised to Jerusalem was fulfilled. The Jews be
lieved in Him, and were converted. He was spiritual King of
all the Faithful, and subject to no temporal, earthly King. He
bore the title of Kudsu-hu Easul Allah (His Holiness the Apostle
of God) ; but the Moslems objected to our taking a Mohammedan
title, and for peace sake he said he was quite willing to be called
instead, Kudsu-hu el Wakil Allah (His Holiness the Agent of God).
Italy sank into obscurity, like Greece, and her glory and her
art departed from her. She changed places with Jerusalem, and
had to sing her lamentations, and Jeremias was verified in the
prophecies of Baruch.*
His Holiness then instituted one new thing for the glory of
the Church ; it was in regard to the priesthood. He commanded
that no priest of any country should be ordained till he was thirty
years of age, that he might be old enough to understand his
vast responsibilities before he undertook them. Furthermore, he
* Future Jerusalem (Baruch v. 1-9.) Future Italy (Lamentations i. 1-15 ;
ii. 1, 2, 14, 15.)

The Priesthood, 153
exacted that no churchman, excepting those destined for monastic
life, should be ordained until he had passed a certain examination
— a standard by which every ecclesiastic destined for public life
should be a highly educated gentleman, and a man of the world.
Thus they would take equal standing amongst the clever and
gentlemanly Divines of other Churches, by natural acquirements
alone ; and so, backed up by the light of Truth and Divine ordi
nation, they would weigh down all other Divines. Furthermore,
each priest was obliged to take an oath at his ordination to obey
the laws of his own country, and the country he lived in, aud to
abstain from politics and temporal things, confining himself solely
to the work of his sacred calling — the salvation of souls, and the
offices of the Church. This brought peace to the Church.
My good Angel said to me, " You see what a difficult question
it is. What a misfortune for a man to usurp the priesthood, or
to renounce the priesthood ; what a responsibility to reject the
priesthood, or to receive the priesthood. How, those in power
must study, examine, and scrutinize for years, and judge. What
shall he do Avho has the misfortune to admit a bad priest, or.
Avho refuses a good one? For example, his Holiness cannot
refuse to ordain A, B, or C, Avho are judged to be saintly men,
and beloved of Jesus Christ, to whom it would be highly dis
pleasing ; and, on the other hand, A, B, or C, may be what the
world calls ignorant, and if he turns them into the Avorld the
world will persecute the Church on account of their ignorance.
Bemember that none of the apostles and evangelists, save Paul,
were educated men, but they were inspired, and were also perse
cuted. Also observe what startling truths sometimes drop from
the lips of a poor village priest. "These, in the world's estimation,
cannot serve the cause of Christ, but will be understood by the
poor." " But," I said, somewhat impatiently — and here an evil and a
Avorldly spirit spoke out of my mouth for some minutes — " cannot
the Holy Father appoint those that are fit for the world to the
Avorld, those fit for the poor to the poor, and those fit for monas
teries to monasteries ? As long as they are ordained priests, and
are permitted to serve Christ at the Altar, and thus folloAV their
vocation or religious calling, Avould it not suffice? I do not

154 The Inner Life of Syria.
speak of England, or even France, but in remote countries where
I have been, and seen the priests who are from the ranks of the
people." "Tell me frankly what is upon your mind," said my good
Angel, " for though I can see who it is that is making you speak
now, I want you to express it in so many Avords, and I will tell
you what is right; to confound the spirit and instruct you"
" I will do so," I replied, " but, first, I beg of you to pardon me
if I say anything which might seem disrespectful; my only
anxiety being to purify what appears to me a blot in our system.
You know that I have been born of saintly parents, brought up in
a religious, strict Eoman Catholic family, and have passed part of
my youth in a convent of the Holy Sepulchre ; consequently I
was taught the deepest reverence for the holy character of the
priest, and justly so, for all I saw, before I went beyond the pre
cincts of France and England. Then I married a man of very
large views, AA'ho had seen and lived, bought experience, and
studied all the customs, habits, and religions of the wide Avorld.
As the wife of an English Protestant Consul in the four quarters
of the globe, I have also been supposed to be a Protestant, until a
proper moment arrived to declare my religion by going to my
own Church and Sacraments. I have therefore seen things from
all kinds of positions and aspects, and much of it has troubled my
mind ; not that it staggers my belief in my Church, or my religion,
but I want to cleanse the abuse before ' the people that stand by.'
For as Catholic means Universal, we must not only look at what is
done in our own little island, but what is done over the whole
Globe. This is what I have seen in Portugal, Italy, Madeira,
Brazil, Spanish territories, and other countries. It is only the
system that is wrong. In England it is not the case. A young
man expresses his wish to become a Priest, as his brothers choose
the Army, Navy, or Bar. Generally every obstacle is thrown in
his way, and he is tried by a long and severe noviceship, so that
his vows are not taken till he is of an age to know what he is
sacrificing of life. In England— which rarely occurs — if a priest
is not all that a holy man of God should be, the Avhole of Catholic
England knoAvs it. He is passed by amongst ourselves with,
' There goes the bad priest, Avho did so and so.' The man is a

The Priesthood. 155
Pariah : Ave hide his shame from outsiders as if it were our own !
In France things are very Avell ; but in Spanish colonies, Portugal,
Madeira, Brazil, and Italy, it is not so uncommon to find a careless
priest, which is a favourite retort upon us with all people of other
religious professions. And why is it ? Look to the system
abroad ! A family have so many sons. They do not know how
to put them all out into professions. They are poor, or there is a
living for a cure in the family. They select, probably, the least
brilliant son — poor JoaQ or Carlo — who is told it will be a very
fine thing to be like Monsieur le Cure, and say ' we will make a
priest of him.' He is shut up in the Seminary, and at sixteen or
eighteen — before he knows what life is in its simplest forms — he
is a priest, and perfection is expected of him. He has yet all the
frolic of a boy, and Avhat is he to do when he finds out what an
ugly trick his parents have played upon him ? He might have
been an excellent Christian and Catholic as a married man, or in
any profession but this one. He may eventually settle down to
this, or he may not; and before he does he may have lost his
holy reputation by some boyish levity. Every family yielding a
priest must make too many, and too many are bad. Only a third
of them can have spiritual work, and what is to become of the
rest? But Avhy do wise heads and grey-beards suppress those
who Avork and do good, and turn all the young idle ones loose on
the towns Avithout Bishops. Private and worldly individuals also
should be very chary of making vows until late in life ; for if a
voav Avell kept adds a merit to an act of virtue, it doubles and
trebles the fault which is committed against it.
" I can call many saintly French and English priests to prove
the truth of my assertions concerning foreign countries. Does the
Holy Father himself know and sorrow over these things, or is he
kept in ignorance of them ? "
When I had finished, my good Angel, who had been looking
serious, and even severe, but had listened attentively to my every
word, said, " Listen, my child, and lay my words up in your heart
Have respect and veneration for the sacred character of the priest,
he is the ' voice in the desert,' the interpreter of God's Word to
souls. I do not speak of any foolish enthusiasm for the man, or
those little church cliques gathered around a favourite priest or a

156 The Inner Life of Syria.
good preacher. I say for the sacred character of the priest. You
cannot show him too much respect for it.
" What our Lord said to His apostles, may convey some idea to
your mind of the awful importance of our subject, for it was
said in their person to all their successors in sacerdotal orders,
and the following texts from the Acts of the Apostles bear out
Avhat they thought of their Divine mission, and of their successors'
work.* " These texts prove the dignity of the priest and his power,
and that in despising him, you despise Christ Himself. Whoever
the man may be who is ordained a priest — be he a good man or a
sinner — let him honour or degrade his dignity — be he faithful or
unfaithful, 'he is a priest for ever,' and he possesses one thing
which you ought always to respect in him. The character Avhich
is conferred upon him by the imposition of the hands of the Holy
Father the representative of Christ. That character may be de
graded, trodden under-foot, sullied by him Avho bears it, but it can
never be effaced, and he will carry it to his grave and to all eternity.
You must learn to separate the man from his office. Judas Avas a
traitor, but he was an apostle, and will be one for all eternity.
There are also unhappily some on earth, but comfort yourself
with the thought that the number is comparatively small. There
may be many ignorant, poor, uneducated, unpolished, and risen
from the ranks, but few are really bad. When you meet such a
one, bow down in veneration before his sacred character, but
tremble for him and pray for him.
" The faithful do not think enough of their priesthood, nor do
they pray enough for them. You can never repay the priest all
that he does for you.
" When you open your eyes upon earth, who appears the first
thing to Baptize you, to drive away from you the devil and
original sin, and to make you a child of God ? Your priest !
Later in life, who uses his power of Absolution to forgive you
your sins in the name of Christ ? Your priest ! Into Avhose ear
do you pour your troubles, sufferings, wants, weaknesses, and
sins ? Your priest's ! Who soothes, comforts, consoles, encourages,
* Acts vi. 3-7, xiii. 1-4, xiv. 23 ; I. Timothy iv. 14 ; II. Timothy i. G ;
IT. Corinthians ii. 10.

The Priesthood. 157
and helps you on, taking half your burden upon himself like
Christ? Your priest! — through his ministry you are admitted
to the great union of love between God and His creatures. Let
people laugh at a confessor. We all want more light than that
of our eyes and our intelligence. If the chiefs of families, patri
archs, legislators, judges, prophets, and pontiffs, were the light of
the people, why not the advice of a confessor inspired by God,
since this is the law of God, from the apostles to this day ? In
natural life we take counsel from a man Avho is either a profes
sional or a connoisseur of the thing we want to knoAv, and why
not spiritually?- St. Paul could not walk alone after he was
struck blind. The wisest man is blind as to what concerns him
self, without the succour of a friend, but that friend must be
prudent, learned, and charitable. He must have science and
experience. "Who offers the sacrifice of the Mass daily, every word of which
he utters, every part of his dress representing some part . of the
Passion of Christ, who came down to offer Himself as an unbloody
sacrifice to His Father for His people ? It was to be the sacrifice
of the neAv laAv, of which one would suffice to save the world, and
each is of inestimable value to your soul. Who offers it ? Your
priest !
"Who feeds you Avith the body and blood of Christ — the
Saviour who waits patiently and lovingly in the tabernacle at
the will of His creatures, longing for them to ask to receive Him ?
Who gives Him to you ? Your priest !
" Who gives you the sacrament of Confirmation wherein you
receive the Holy Ghost ? Your Bishop ! When you come to the
time of life to marry, who unites you by the sacrament to the one
you have chosen for your life's journey ? Your priest ! If your
choice is a religious life, who ordains or professes you? Your
Bishop !
"When you come to the dreaded hour of death, and are called
to appear before your God, to answer for your life, your good and
bad deeds, to account for every thought, Avord, and action — you
who have been criticizing, sneering at, and picking holes in every
trifling defect of the priesthood, Avho do you call out for then ?
Who is the only being who can be of any use to you ? Your

158 The Inner' Life of Syria.
priest ! Then you know what the sacerdotal character is made of.
You have some fearful disease, and those who love you best would
fly from you. They are tired of constant Avatching and care, and
your impatience, that has lasted for weeks and months, and worn
everybody out, and the sleepless nights besides ; they can do you
no good, and the doctor has said he can do nothing for you — you
are past his skill — Time is over as far as you are concerned.
All think it would really be a blessing to yourself. They are
frightened at the infection, and the noxious vapours of the dying
chamber, and confess to each other that if it goes on much longer
they cannot hold up, and they take it in turns, 'and pass you on
to each other's care. It happens to all, and it must come. But
where is your priest ? He has nothing to lose, but all to gain.
He is bending over your sick pillow at all hours of the day and
night: he knows nothing of infection and horrible vapours. It is
part of his daily life for Christ. He is listening to the old, old
story— the ghastly story of the life of sin, and the until now
forgotten Christ. Forsaken by all, and driven to turn to Him at
the last moment, the priest is pouring promises of the love and
forgiveness of Jesus in your ear ; and telling you how you Avill
open your eyes in the arms of that loving Saviour who was only
Avaiting for that Avord of repentance ; and he knoAvs our Saviour,
according to His promise, must do as the priest promises, ' Whose
sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven.'
" God wants repentance : that is, a determination to sin no
more. He knows how weak you are, and is Avilling to forgive you
as soon as repentance enters your soul.
" All would not have the grace, even at the last moment. By
grace I mean all liberality of God, over and above what is due
from a Creator to a creature; but the priest has charity, and
charity to a fellow-man is the spirit of God, and is man's likeness
to God, and Avho has this virtue is capable of all things. None
can resist him, and were the guns of a battery turned upon him
on a battle-field, had you even the plague, and he Avere bound
to die, the priest will never leave you so long as you have
breath, till he brings you the grace to repent to God. The
Priest gives you the Viaticum and the Extreme Unction, the
Dying Absolution, and the Departing Benediction ; and Avhen the

The Priesthood, 159
last agony and the rattle in the throat, that startle everybody
else out of that room, commences, he is reciting the prayers for
the departing soul, and is warding off the last efforts of Satan to
grasp his prey, and he continues until the private and immediate
judgment of God may have taken place, for there are angels in
that room, rejoicing or weeping. Every man is judged privately
the moment he dies, and he receives the public confirmation of
the same sentence on the Last Day, when the most secret corner
will be unveiled. When the mortal remains, already too distress
ing to behold, are borne from the house, it is the priest who
accompanies them to the graveyard, with the burial service, and
if it is a pauper, he stands alone ! It is the priest who says the
Masses for the repose of that soul, and prays for its deliverance
from the pains of Purgatory, long after others have almost for
gotten it ; ' for it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for
the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.' Who then has
been your Guardian Angel and best friend, and ushered you from
your cradle to your grave ? Your priest ! Now you have some
idea of what he does for you.
" But go to his home, his humble dwelling, where are hardly
the bare necessaries of life. For you, and such as you, he has
renounced liberty, fortune, wife, children, and all the joys of life,
to sacrifice Self upon the altar of abnegation and charity. What
is he doing? His poor dwelling is surrounded by the hungry,
the thirsty, the almost naked and starving poor, the homeless, the
widow, the orphan, those who are goaded to despair by tyrants,
and tortured by meannesses and injustices.
" How is he to relieve them from his bare cupboard and empty
purse? Yet if he begs you for a little for the love of God>
you do not remember anything he has done for you, but you shut
your heart and refuse, or dole out a grudging trifle, saying or
thinking, ' Those priests are always asking for money ? ' After
a cold, haughty rebuff from the rich, and a hard morning with
these poor at home, faint, hungry, and weary himself, he goes
forth to spend his afternoon in the hospitals, the prisons, or
perhaps to attend a burial. He counsels the doubtful, instructs
the ignorant, comforts the afflicted. He admonishes sinners, and
meets with rudeness in reply. He must receive all insults and

160 The Inner Life of Syria.
injuries with a patient smile and a sweet word, bear wrongs and
calumnies patiently, and pray for all the living and the dead.
He comes home,* worn out 'body and soul, to a frugal meal-
perhaps none— and in the evening recites his Office, or prepares
his sermon. Besides all this work, the Offices of the Church are
performed by him. His life, like Christ's, is all love for his
flock, and he receives nothing but rebuffs, insults, calumny, and
criticism in return. Do you think that Nature could stand its
forces being daily and hourly exhausted, body and mind, if a
great supernatural grace were not supporting it invisibly? The
priest is the father of your salvation, your most faithful friend.
Pray for him with the profoundest respect, and the greatest
veneration for his sacred character. Pray above all for the Holy
Pontiff, for your Bishop, for your Confessor, for the priest while
saying Mass at the Altar, and for him whose lot it will be to assist
you at the hour of your death. Your Confessor is the physician
of your soul, and you must be as honest Avith him as you
would be Avith the physician of your body, or he cannot help you.
My child!" he concluded, "never forget that, according to the
Avords of Christ, he Avho despises or insults a priest, is guilty of
a sacrilege, and deserves the same chastisement that the Jews
deserved, when they crucified the Son of God. Blessed be he who
sees the person of Jesus Christ in His priests, and 'honours, and
respects, and venerates them as their great dignity and sacerdotal
character deserve."
I listened with breathless attention, and I thought that I had
never until then understood the greatness of the priestly dignity,
and it made a profound impression on me, and I treasured it up
as a great grace in my heart.*
I am describing imperfectly what I saw and heard, because
I have no actual Avords to express spirit or dream talk, which,
* Friends have advised me that my description of the priesthood is so purely
Roman that it may excite some indignation. I trust not ! I like to believe that
every good Protestant clergyman does the same for his flock as our priest does for
us, and hope that my readers will accept my view, that I dreamt of the type of the
Universal Pastor. I think and hope I am right ; although I naturally write in my
own language, and speak of the rites of my own Church. I did not compose any
part of my dream for tho public ; I really did dream it, and therefore I cannot con
scientiously alter or take away one word to suit the tastes of my readers, nor would
they wish it.

I Awake, and am Sorely Disappointed . 161
however, Avas an internal teaching which I understood. I felt to
understand my Angel not only Avhen he spoke, but to understand
his look, behaviour, gesture, mark of kindness or severity, though
if awake my spirit would have been too narrow, by reason of my
body, to have done so.
Suddenly beautiful bells began to boom slowly and in time.
I thought they sang " For ever, ever, ever, ever, for ever," and
then clanged out, " Come, come," and my good angel said, " Our
time is ended, Ave must go back to Jesus now." So saying, he
marked the letters Thau upon my forehead with his finger, and
handed me a paper upon which was written—
" + May the Lord guard and bless thee, and turn His face
towards thee !
" + May the Lord have mercy upon thee, and give thee
peace !
" + May the Lord give thee His holy blessing ! "
A cross preceded each sentence.
" This," he said, " is your ' passport,' wear it around your neck,
and make one like it for your husband. Whoever molests you
show him this." A flood of joy rushed over my soul, accom
panied by a violent shock.
I awoke ! a peasant (a goatherd I think) had entered the cave,
and I fancy had shaken me, for he looked ' scared, and said,
" Pardon, ya Sitti, I thought you were dead."
The bells of the Sepulchre were giving out their deep-tongued
note, and echoing over the hills. When I came to myself I looked
at my watch, it was the Ave Maria — sunset.
Then all my happiness Avas gone. I was no spirit with a
Guardian Angel, flying about and governing all things by a Avish,
seeing the world and even individuals unmasked at my feet, and
moving Emperors, Kings, Queens, Pontiffs, and Ministers like
chessmen ; but only my poor humble self, private and obscure,
still to toil on, and work, and suffer. Nay, I had to rouse myself
at once, and almost run, to pass the gates before I was locked out
of the town for the night. Who would have thought of coming
to look for me in that cave ? I should have been certainly
reported as murdered and throAvn down a well, until sunrise, and
that some Jin had been seen hovering near the walls in the

162 The Inner Life of Syiia.
night. With the "pomp and circumstance" of a KaAVwass, before
and behind, they would have perhaps let me through after time,
but a lone and an unknown woman Avould have had a poor chance.
When I reached home it was long past sunset, and Mr.
Tyrwhitt-Drake and Captain Burton had not returned from the
Caves. The gates of the town Avere shut, and I felt seriously
alarmed lest they should have met with some accident, perhaps
used all their magnesium and been unable to find their way out
again, for the caves are miles long, deep, and unknown, so before
settling myself to write, I ordered my horse and rode back to the
Damascus Gate, to propitiate the guard, and to post a KawAvass
there, that they might get into the town; and as it was dark,
I went down myself with men, lights, ropes, and more mag
nesium; however, in a quarter of an hour I met them coming
back safe. I then locked myself up in my room, and Avrote
down in notes, all that I had seen and heard in dreamland,
and afterwards daily in detail. v Yet I do not think I slept
more than, two hours, if so much. Again I say it was but a
dream. Do not fancy that I suppose it was a miracle : nothing
but a long, detailed, vivid dream, a bond fide honest dream, and
I am subject to them whenever I am over- tired, or over-excited,
or fast. I am glad and grateful when they occur, for I am always
better and wiser after them. I never dream nonsense on these
peculiar occasions, but learn more from them than by books, and
see clearly how I ought to act. I recount this one because
I think there are so many " grains of wheat amongst the chaff."
My experience of dreams of this strong nature is, that they
throw a physical languor over one that is subject to them, Avhich
indisposes for work for a time, and renders it hard and dis
tasteful, as magnetism or electricity acts ; but that shortly a fresh
vitality and elasticity sets in in favour of that which one has
to do. The trouble, and sorrow, and work, I must say, began directly,
and have continued steadily ever since ; I have done my best,
often fainthearted, but struggling on. He has brought me by
a way which He has shown me, and which I shall never leave,
though it is a continual struggle and a travail day and night.
He sends me all His cases of distress, and I feel what is placed

General Remarks upon Dreaming. 163
upon my shoulders. The line of conduct He has traced for me
I ahvays fear to leave, and if I am beguiled for awhile from my
work, by the World, or naturally joyous spirits, I am made to feel
it, am bitterly punished, and invited to return and to be more
faithful. In short, I may not desert my Avork ; I know that such
dreams are a great grace. I know that it began, I feel it
developing — I shall see it finished here or there. A time is
passed and has only left a souvenir. A time will come, and to
that I look forward. There is hardly ever a contingency, or a
situation, Avhich to me is strange, and Avhich I do not foresee; and
I have known beforehand, places, people, books, and situations,
in a similar manner to the above. You may call it by Avhat name
you please, dreaming, instinct, electricity, or mesmerism, only you
must not call it miracles, for those never come to people like me,
only to the very good.
This proves, that whoever does not fast discreetly, on religious
or sanitary grounds, which doubtless was the reason for the
example of Christ, carries about a body gorged with food, Avhich
hinders the vigour of the mind, clogs the brain, and stands
between our intelligence and a clear view of high objects ; but,
also, a medical man ought to decide how much individuals can
stand, for they vary ; and, carried to too great an extent, the
imagination becomes too exalted, perhaps because the body does
not make enough blood to supply the brain. This in badly
disposed persons would turn to evil, like opiates, of which Charles
Kingsley so graphically wrote : — " Never trust a laudanum
drinker as a friend. With the eye of imagination, he will see
me commit all the seven deadly sins in the morning, and with
the tongue of inspiration, will proclaim it through the town in
the evening."

164 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTEE XXVIII.
PILGRIMAGE— (Continued).
Easter Sunday. — I was up before dawn, and had the happiness
of hearing two Masses and receiving Holy Communion in the
Sepulchre, and was the only other person besides the officiating
priest and acolyte. There is only room for three, and therefore it
is a blessed privilege to be watched and waited for, and as so
many are desirous of obtaining it, Ave have to await our turn.
After this took place the Grand High Mass and a very fine
Procession. The Patriarch, Monsignor Valerga, performed the cere
mony, and gave us the Pontifical blessing and plenary indulgence
on the part of the Pope. I and my party had the good fate, as
usual, to be with the French Consulate, so that we were in the
best places, and formed part of the Procession, being next to the
priests. We then went to congratulate our Patriarch, Monsignor Valerga,
on the Feast ; and the fast and church ceremonies being ended, I
had a long conversation Avith him about my Convent, and I asked
him for five things, which Avere all granted, except one — I asked
him to make me a " Chanoinesse du St. Sepulchre," and laid
before him some family claims. He said that he had had orders
from Eome respecting Canons, but not respecting Canonesses, but
that when he could obtain leave, my name should be first on the
list, and with that I had to be content. He gave me a printed
paper, signed Avith his own hand, and a medal with an inscription
on it, which certified that I was a good pilgrim, likewise his pho
tograph, his blessing, and several other little things, and I came
aAvay much pleased. Also Ave Avent to thank the Greek Patriarch,

More Jerusalem. 165
Avho gave us Easter eggs, chocolate-coloured, Avith white angels
on them, and his blessing.
We then went to see the Maristan, formerly Hospital of the
Knights of St. John, an interesting ruin ; and thence Ave went to
the Tower of David, which is the Chief Fortress, and is situated on
the site of the Palace of Herod the Great. It commands the city,
and is occupied by a part of the garrison. It has four towers : the
first is Hippicus, built in honour of Herod's friend ; the tower of
Mariam after his mistress ; the tower of Phasael after his brother,
who perished in the Parthian war. The tower of David is by far
the most ancient, and has a window which Avas supposed to be the
oratory of David. At a little distance is the site of the house of
Uriah, whom the king caused to be killed, so as to marry his wife
Bathsheba, who was the mother of Solomon. It was from this
Avindow, it is said, that David first saw her, and here that he
afterwards did such bitter penance, humbling himself before God
and composing his psalms.* We found here, as we have so often
done, mason's marks in the stone.t Close by lives Bishop Gobat,
Avhose house and the Protestant Church also occupy part of the
site of Herod's palace.
Near it is a little church dedicated to St. James the Less.
Again a little farther are three small chapels, built upon
the spot where Jesus, after His death, appeared to the three
Maries. J
Continuing our walk we soon came to a little church built by
the Crusaders over the site of St. Thomas's house. The Moham
medans turned it into a Mosque, but finding, as usual, that it
brought bad luck, they left it. Next we pass the convent of the
Armenian orthodox Sisters of Charity, whose church is built over
the site of the house of the High Priest Annas, father-in-law of
Caiaphas — the first place to which the crowd brought Jesus, and
where Jesus was first examined, and received a blow.§
* LT. Samuel xii. 7, 13, 17.
T Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake and my husband of course denied that the building, as it
now stands, is of ancient date. They found reason to conclude that the old
materials were rebuilt by the Saracens. At the same time, after carefully in
specting the foundations of Hippicus, they believe that they may have dated from
Jewish times.
X Matthew xxviii, 9, 10. § John xviii. 13, 14, 22-24.

166 The Inner Life of Syria.
There are some stones which are said to have belonged to
Annas's house, and some little olive off-shoots of the tree to which
they tied our Saviour, whilst they disputed amongst themselves
where they should next take him. Close to it is the Armenian
Cathedral, College, and Hospice for Pilgrims. The next interest
ing object is a pretty little church, built on the spot where St.
James the Great, son of Zebedee and brother of John,* coming
from Spain, Avhere he had preached Christ and built a little
church, was decapitated by Herod Agrippa. An altar in the
north wall is shown as the precise spot. It is said that the dis
ciples stole the body and buried it at Compostello. The
Armenians showed us the tomb of St. Macarius, Bishop of Jeru
salem in St. Helena's time. They also keep three large stones,
one reposing on the two others. One from Mount Sinai, one from
Tabor, and one from the bed of the Jordan. At a little distance
from Bab el Naby Daoud (Gate of the prophet David, which is
the Gate of Sion), is shown the spot where the apostles, carrying
the remains of our Blessed Lady to her grave, were stopped by a
croAvd of Jews, who, still bearing rancour to the mother of Him
they crucified, tried to upset it. The most bitter was a Eabbi
Avho put his hand on the bier — I give you the tradition— it stuck
there, and his arm Avithered ; all the rest were struck blind. They
repented of their sacrilege, and the apostles knelt and prayed for
them. They received their sight, and the Eabbi saved his arm,
and they were all baptized. There is also an Armenian convent
built on part of the site of the house of Caiaphas on Mount Sion.
His country residence is traditionally placed on the " Hill of Evil
Council," but the Armenians shoAv this their convent as the place
Avhere Jesus was' examined by the High Priest, where Peter
denied him, and where the Master passed part of the night
between Thursday and Friday. The exact spot is covered by
a side chapel in the sanctuary of this church, and the altar is
formed of part of the stone which was rolled back by the angel
from the Sepulchre.
This stone, " Avhich Jesus raised from the tomb, and rolled
back, and upon which the angel sat, crying to the Avorld that He
* Acts ii, 1, 2.

Our Blessed Lady's Letter. 167
Avas risen," must have been large, for pieces have been cut and
given to various churches, and there remains a large bulk in the
entrance to the grave at present. Leaving this convent Ave found
ourselves again in the Christian Cemeteries : the Armenians,
Catholic and non-Catholic ; Greek, non-Catholic ; and the Amer
ican ; and we are close again to the house where our Lady dwelt
after the death of Jesus, and also near the Coenaculum. Near
the English hospital is an arch, generally thought to have been
the Gate of Genath (the gardens). Close by was a church which
they used to show as a prison of St. Peter, but it is not there
now. There is a tradition to the effect that by the advice of St.
John, whilst living in the above-named house, our Lady ad
dressed a letter to the people of Messina, when St. Paul was
preaching the gospel. The nuns of the Sepulchre kindly gave
me a copy of it, which I think is interesting enough to introduce,
and if true is a valuable relic. I translate it into literal
English : —
" This letter was -written by the very happy Virgin Mary, at the time
that Paul Apostle preached the gospel, and was conserved in a reliquary
on the high altar at Messina.
" I, Mary, Virgin, servant of God, and very humble mother of Jesus
Christ, Son of God, Father all, powerful, and eternal — to all those of
Messina health and benediction in our Lord.
" You have heard by the Ambassadors sent to you, as by the preaching
of Paul Apostle. You have received the Gospel, and confessed the tohole
to be true, that is, that the Son of God was made man, and this is Jesus
Christ, the true Messiah, as He really is.
(Signed) " Mary, Virgin, handmaid of the Lord."
And after it is written, " This letter is the same which was
found in the City of Messina. Whoever will carry it upon them
(about them) shall not die by iron, or the sword, nor fire, nor
water, nor by sudden death, nor without having received the
Sacrament." We then walked half round the walls of the town. First pass
ing the tank of Hezekiah, which many suppose to be the lower
pool, which he constructed at the same time with an aqueduct,
at the approach of Sennacherib, to be able to draw water from the

168 The Inner Life of Syria.
Upper Pool of Gihon (Birket Mamilla), on the road to St. John of
the Desert. The aqueduct still exists, and when the upper pool
is full it serves to fill the lower tank. These pools and aque
ducts are mentioned in Isaiah xxii. 9-11. We then went towards
St. Stephen's Gate, and passed a large piscina, Birket-Sitti Mariam
(of our Lady Mary), and arrived at the north-east corner of the
Avails, where Godfrey de Bouillon first arrived in 1099. Not far from
the Bab es Zaheri is the site of the house of Simon the Pharisee,
where Mary Magdalen also anointed our Saviour's feet. She
must have done this more than once during the time of her
repentance and conversion, as Matthew, Mark, and John mention
it, at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper, and Luke men
tions it at the house of Simon the Pharisee, in Jerusalem.* There
used to be a cross on the pavement where He sat, but now they
show a foot-print said to be His. The church that covered this
spot once belonged to the Jacobites, then (probably) to the Canons
of the Sepulchre ; to the Crusaders ; and, lastly, it became a Mos
lem School, El Maymumiyyeh. It is now an Arab pottery. Then
we walked on to the Gate of Damascus, once called the Pilgrims'
Gate, not far from which is the supposed site of the old Church of
St. Stephen, built by Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Theodosius.
There are here three tombs, and one of them is thought to be
the Empress's. Here camped Eobert Count of Flanders in the
Crusades, and close by the Knights of St. John had their stables.
We continued our walk round Jerusalem to the Jaffa Gate, where
Aye met our horses, mounted, and rode back to St. Anne's ;
and we finished our evening, as we often did Avhen Avorn out
Avith fatigue, Avith our French friends and Mr. Mauss, amongst
the excavations. A divan out of doors Avas soon arranged in a
shady spot, with narghilehs and sherbets for refreshment, and
there we used to talk when we liked, and sleep when it was too
AVarm. Easter Monday. — To-day Ave Avent at an early hour by the
invitation of the Armenian Patriarch to witness their High Mass.
These are Armenian orthodox, but whenever I say orthodox, of
course I should say schismatic, because Avhatever calls itself
orthodox means non-Catholic. * Read Luke vii. 36-50.

Armenian High Mass. 169
The gospel Avas read in three languages : Armenian, Turkish,
and French ; the two last inside tribunes. I could hardly decide
which exhibited the most splendour, the Armenian or the Greek
orthodox. There could not have been less than thirty deacons
serving on each side of the altar, and each one's dress was more
splendid than the others'. One held up a Testament of red and
gold ; two carried huge candles, like small trees ; two bore silver
quinholi, or tambourines, on tall sticks inlaid with mother-of-pearl,
and silver bells. These represent the Order of the Angels with six
wings, whose Greek name is Hexapterugoi. Before the altar were
six High Priests, Avith caps like mitres, surmounted by a cross and
inlaid with gold, pearls, and every kind of jewel, but mostly
pearls. The Patriarch and High Priests wore wonderful vestments,
topped by a standing collar a hand deep, which ran like a wall
round their shoulders. They were studded with jewels and lined
with red silk. I counted eight or nine of the above gorgeous
caps inside the sanctuary. There were also about fifty chanters in
gorgeous dresses ; the meanest of them all, who was close to me,
had the whole of the Last Supper embroidered on his back in
rubies and pearls. The mitre was the same shape as ours, but it
was a mass of diamonds; as also was the crozier, which Avas
shaped like a vase, with a crook at the top.
Suddenly, at the time which would have been in our Mass
the Offertory, a large red curtain was let down as at the first act of
a play, and this happened thrice. It hid the Patriarch and the
high dignitaries within the Sanctuary, and left out below it only
the chanters, with the deacons wearing pearl caps.
There was a five minutes' interlude for us outsiders, during
which I was able to notice the splendid Church. Every part of it
is in gold filagree and carving. It owns all the colours of the
rainbow and yet they harmonize. The chair of St. James is
under a tortoise-shell and mother-of-pearl canopy, with a silver
lamp hanging over it. As they say he always occupies his own
place invisibly during Mass, the Patriarch cannot sit there, but
has a chair beside it. It is surrounded by gorgeous carpets,
embroidered by hand. The one we sat upon was priceless —
about 100 years old, Persian silk, and hand-embroidered inscrip
tions. I Avas sorry to have to tread upon it. The Church was full

170 The Inner Life of Syria.
of quaint old pictures, representing Church traditions. The
tribunes were very grand, two plain, and three splendidly orna
mented. St. James was beheaded here ; his head has a beautiful
shrine. I will begin at the grey silk curtain and silver door, set in
tortoise-shell and mother-of-pearl, which leads into a chapel or
oratory or shrine, Avithin which is an altar. It is surmounted by
a little cupola, painted blue, with flying angels on it to represent
the heavens ; a recess or niche, and a balcony Avhich is framed
around with gold ornamentation and lamps, looks into the
church. Each tribune is ornamented with gilt railings, and an
arched fragment of filagree studded with malachite and precious
stones. The whole Church is hung with silver lamps on silver
chains and ostrich eggs in festoons, some plain and others orna
mented. These last are an Oriental custom for good luck, taken
from the ancient Greeks, and mean "If the ostrich neglects to
watch her eggs they addle; and that if we neglect our souls,
or, in other words, if we be not watchful over ourselves, our
souls addle." The altar is, unlike ours, surmounted by three
tabernacles. The procession of the Holy Sacrament then takes place,
when the curtain rises, the chalice being carried round the
church. And the " Elevation " is more like our Benediction after
Mass. They also have, like us, the " kiss of peace." They beat
gongs and cymbals, carried in the hand and struck with a piece
of wood. The music is peculiar. There is constantly a prolonged
humming on one note, and bells appear to be the principal sound.
The effect is bizarre but pleasing, and the quinholi are very
pretty. All the church plate is studded with jewels ; their riches
surpass the Greeks, and certainly the Latins. The preaching is
like a lesson, and, as I did not knoAv Armenian, it appeared to me
that they never stopped to take breath. When the Patriarch
came out the second time his dress was embroidered with a
wreath of vine leaves, grapes, and flowers. There was a represen
tation in cloth, in the centre, of our Lady sitting and holding
St. James' decapitated head in her lap, and surrounded by angels.
All around were pictures of deceased Patriarchs, and their mitres
and breviaries were each upon an ornamental shelf over their

• St. John in the Desert. 171
heads. Just before the Elevation they lit up a lamp before each
head, and candles above it, and it had a very strange effect.
The two incense bearers had their gold stoles fastened round
their backs crossways, the tAvo ends hanging down in front. One
had a long black velvet and gold stole over his shoulder, hanging
down fore and aft. The deacons had embroidery an inch and a
half thick, of embossed gold and flowers upon their shoulders.
The bell carriers had a kind of Chinese cloak covered with huge
and gorgeous floAvers. All the ornaments of the High Altar are
little enamel pictures, set in form of screens, or monstrances, with
gold and silver rays darting from them, and studded Avith pearls,
a huge one next to the Eetablo, and seven smaller ones on each
side. For Communion the Patriarch kneels and breaks off a bit
of bread from a larger piece, over the chalice. Deacons hold the
communion cloth, and they receive standing. The chalice was of
gold and enamel, set Avith jewels. The curtain falls a third time,
and there is a magnificent procession, Avith music. I could not
help thinking what they would say of this in England, Avhere
even our Eoman Catholic ceremonies are thought so pompous,
and so sensuous to attract the people's imagination. Whereas we
consider our oavu so severe, simple, and Apostolic.
All these ceremonies occupied some hours, but began early
and were over early — so we ordered our horses and went with our
French friends to visit Ain-Karim, " Saint John in the Moun
tains." We Avent out by the Jaffa Gate, and turned to the west.
We almost immediately passed the " Upper Pool " (Birket
Mamilla), at the end of the Gihon valley, where Solomon Avas
anointed King by David's order, by the hands of the High
Priest Sadoc, and the Prophet Nathan.* Here Isaiah prophesied
(vii. 3-14) 740 years before Christ. It is called in Scripture
the Pool of Serpents, and the Pool of Bethara, and the field
above is the Fuller's Field, where Eabaces, Sennacherib's general,
encamped with the Assyrian army. Before the fight Eabaces
harangued his army, insulting the true God outside his holy City;
and Hezekiah, and the Israelites inside the holy city, prayed to
God. The prophet Isaiah came to tell the latter, on the part of
Gcd, not to fear;t and Avhen Eabaces got up in the morning he
* III. or I. Kings i. 32-40. t IV.. or II. Kings six. 32-30,

172 The Inner Life of Syria.
found 185,000 of his soldiers dead in their tents, so that he fled
with the few that remained. St. Mamilla here buried a number
of martyrs in a cave, and after a battle between Saracens and
Christians, there is a legend that a lion picked up all the
Christian bodies and took them to this cave. Besides the pool,
or birket, there was once a church and a convent here called
after St. Mamilla.
One hundred yards from this spot was buried Herod Agrippa,
who killed St. James and imprisoned Peter.* He died in a.d. 44,
at Cassarea, whilst his admirers were proclaiming him to be God.
The tomb is a cave for sepulture, as usual.
The road to St. John of the Desert is very bad, and going
slowly it occupies two hours. The Terra Santa Fathers (Fran
ciscans) have a monastery there and a boys' school. The Soeurs de
Sion have a convent, a school, and an orphanage for girls. Their
director is Pere Marie Alphonse Eatisbonne. The village might
contain about 600 inhabitants, 100 of Avhom are Catholics. It is
the summer quarter of the Sisters, Avhose establishment belongs to
Monsignor Valerga. Ain-Karim is the ancient Ain, a priestly
town of the tribe of Judah, mentioned in Josh. xxv. 32, also
xxi. 16. Here lived the High Priest Zachariah and his wife
Elizabeth, Avho gave birth to St. John the Baptist.
We descended into a small chapel, cut in the rock, in which
was born the Baptist, t We went to the source of the water,
Avhich one always does in the East, water being the first thought.
It is called the Virgin's Fountain, because whilst she stayed with
her cousin St. Elizabeth for three months, she must have come
to draw water here. We then mounted a hill and came to the
Sanctuary of the Visitation, where Zachariah had a country
house, where the Virgin stayed with St. Elizabeth, and where
St. John was circumcised. When Herod sent in quest of male
children, St. Elizabeth fled with St. John into a cave, and holding
him against the rock, the legend says that it melted like wax,
enclosed and hid him, and a niche is shown Avhich is supposed to
be the spot. This part of the rock is venerated, and also a rock,
now covered with stone or marble, where St. John used to
preach.; * Acts xii. 3, -1. f jjuke i 5_25) 39_G6i
t Bead Matthew iii. 1-17.

Sceurs de Sion. 173
We then rode out about forty minutes away over bad country
to the Cave of St. John the Baptist, Avhere he led the life of a
hermit, and prepared for his preaching.* It is a natural cave,
perhaps seven yards long and three high, and is on the incline of
a mountain overhanging the Valley of the Terebinth, which from
that point is very deep. There is a bench cut in the stone,
which served the Baptist as bed, and priests now say Mass upon
it. Tradition declares that the Magi passed the night here.t
Near the grotto are some debris which are said to have been part
of Elizabeth's tomb, who after Zachariah died, came also to
inhabit the desert.
Our party consisted of the French Consul, the Chancellier,
M. Lacau, and the Chancellier of the French Consulate at Port
Sa'id, Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, my husband, and myself. I need not
say that at the end of our two hours of stony and mountainous
ride the Sisters of Sion gave us a most cordial reception. After
dinner we had coffee and narghilehs out of doors. Pere Eatis
bonne accompanied us and showed us everything. There is
plenty of water, and by-and-by they will make it a beautiful
place. Their convent, school, and orphanage, are well organized,
as indeed these French religious establishments always are.
Above this convent is the Spanish Monastery. We spent the
day here with the nuns and Pere Eatisbonne, and when we left
we came round by the Jaffa road. The horses were restive, and
we wanted to save sunset before locking up, so we galloped back,
running races and playing Jerid tricks, and one of our French
friends had a very bad fall, and was much shaken.
Easter Tuesday. — Her Majesty's Ship T  is at Jaffa ; a
number of men-of-war's men rode up this evening, and it sounded
strange in the solemn silence of Jerusalem, to hear " We won't go
home till morning," "Champagne Charley," and "Sally come
up," till past midnight. I ordered some drink for them, with
a message to sing " Eule Britannia " and " God Save the Queen "
for me, which they did with a hearty good-will. It made the old
walls ring again.
On Wednesday, 12th, we went to Bethlehem. It was a delight-
* Bead Luke i. 80 and Mark i. 4-7. + Bead Matthew ii. 1, 2.

174 The Inner Life of Syria,
ful day and a pleasant little ride. The first interesting object
was the well by which the Magi are supposed to have seen the
star before entering Bethlehem.' The Magi lost sight of the
star at this well, since called Bir Neji'm, which up to uoav had
guided them. After having visited Herod in Jerusalem, they
again returned to Bethlehem, and on arriving at this Avell the
star again appeared to them, guiding and preceding them until it
rested over the stable.* The second was Eachel's white tomb on
the way of Ephrata,f which we stopped to reverence, and then vve
entered Bethlehem. It is a pretty and flourishing townlet on
a height amid hills and groves. There is only one place to lodge
in, and that is the Terra Santa Monastery, which covers the holy
stable Avhere our Saviour was born. We met with a hearty recep
tion, nice rooms, every attention and comfort, including good
food. The only difficulty Avas stabling. I sallied forth again to
look for it, and I at last found accommodation, but of the Avorst
kind. It was too windy to picket out without absolute necessity.
The Basilica attached to the Monastery over the Holy Places
is dedicated to the Nativity. The Greeks, Latins, and Armenians
have each their chapels. Where the three chapels meet, you
descend a staircase into the crypt, which is better described as
a series of grottos, caverns, and passages cut in the rocks, which
must have formed part of the old Khan (inn) where Mary brought
forth our Lord. The centre of attraction is a large grotto with
an altar and a silver star under it, marking the spot where this
Divine Event took place, and around the star is written "Hie de
Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est." The manger, or trough,
where the animals feed, is an excavation in the rock, and there is
an altar over the spot where the Magi— Gaspar, Melchior, and
Balthazar— adored. It is said that in this grotto the Angel from
heaven warned Joseph to fly into Egypt with Mary 4
Here I remained for a long while, reading Luke and Matthew,
and reflecting on the position in which all Christians should, and
all Catholics do, stand towards Mary. Do not call it a sermon if
* Matthew i. 15, 16 :-« And Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat Matthan •
and Matthan begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat Josoph the husband of Mary, of whom
was born Jesus, who is called Christ."
t Genesis xxxv. 16-21. { Bead Matthew ii. 1-18; Luke ii. 1-20.

Bethlehem. 175
I tell you my reflections upon the subject, because I never yet
met a Protestant, however well educated, Avho understood the
relation between Mary and Catholics.
Mary, as mother of Jesus, is above all creatures, and more
honoured than the saints and angels in heaven. I do not adore
her, because she is not God, but I render her all the honours which
a creature may receive Avhich are not due to God. In her ma
ternity I unite the creature and the Creator, the Son and the
mother. No ! I do not adore her, but I venerate her ; and I
adore in her Him whom she conceived and brought forth, and
gave to us for our salvation. k.
Mary was chosen, thought of, planned, perfected, and sanc
tified for all eternity to be the Mother of God. Jesus knew that
he would become man, that man would sin, and could not save
himself alone, and that He would not abandon him. What was
resolved in eternity was to be accomplished in the middle of
time, and to extend its efficacy over all time from the begin
ning unto the end. Sin, therefore, never could have been in her.
Her conception must have been pure and holy, without stain,
and immaculate, like her life. It could not have been fit that
God could have been born of, oi* come in contact with anything
else ; reason as well as faith demands that we should believe he
exempted her from it. What is there to stagger us ? We believe
that Sarah, and Elizabeth, and Anna her mother, bore sons at a
time which in another woman would be a physical impossibility.
We believe that Elijah went up to heaven in a fiery chariot, and
that the apostles raised the dead to life, and we are scared at the
possibility that God might have created for Himself one pure
vessel from which to be born. It is truly " straining at a gnat whilst
we swallow a camel." The honour that we render to her — this ehef
d'oeuvre of God — is a direct homage to Him, and a pleasing and
indirect way of showing our love to Him whom we adore. And in
my humble opinion the proclamation of this belief as an " article
of faith " is the brightest ornament of Pius the Ninth's reign.
Mary was likewise the Mother of Virgins, for at a time when
marriage was the universal vocation, when the glory of a woman
was to have sons, and of a man to have a wife who bore him sons
— at a time when every virgin bewailed her virginity, for each

176 The Inner Life of Syria.
one had a secret hope that they might bring forth the long-
expected Messiah— she was the first who voluntarily practised
virginity, and consecrated herself to God without command,
advice, or example. Before her doing so it was an opprobrium.
I have finished.
We can imagine Mary and Joseph arriving late at dusk,
Aveary and footsore from the long journey from the mountains,
where she had been staying with her cousin, St. Elizabeth,
hungry and thirsty, looking so poor, dirty, ragged, and travel-
stained. The plumage of the night growing fast around them,
the bitter, cold, and driving wind— just such a night as this — yet
she, of the Eoyal House of David, born immaculately of two
saints, consecrated in the Temple, protected by a saintly husband,
and served invisibly, tradition says, by Angels in the Temple ;
she, the Mother of our God, had to wander about in search of a
lodging, meeting scanty pity and many insults from the rich and
Avell housed, well clothed, and well fed, her pitiable condition
being partly the cause of their being turned from every door
where they sought shelter ; and here, in this rocky stable, needing
all earthly things, she brought forth " The Light of the World "
— your and my Eedeemer. And it happened then, just as it
happens now, that the rich, of the world were indifferent to the
Great Fact which took place close by them. Some few, especially
in high quarters, persecuted him, and some few came to adore,
and for those few then, as for you and I now, the star still shines
to show us where.
Tradition tells us that the Angel came to the entrance of the
grotto, and prostrating before Jesus said, " Lord ! the Magi from
the East have seen your star and have come to adore you."
Jesus said nothing, but looked at Mary, and they came in, each
one wearing a robe, which descended to his feet ; a crown on his
head, and in his hands gold, incense, and rnyxrh. Each one
humbly prostrated on the ground and put his crown at the feet
of Jesus, which they kissed, saying, " I adore you, Oh Son of
God. I adore you, Oh Son of God, made man ! I adore you, Oh
King of the Jews ! " and offered him their presents. Jesus
blessed them. Mary spoke to them of original sin, of the pro
mise of a Eedeemer, the Holy Trinity, and of the changes that

Hairy A-JUtiq & <j>. (j-'j t-arruulL

Star.d^iqeiCi Ouvmo-Utf-o. -36, Ott Jatrf.

CAFTM BURTONS HOUSE AT SALAHIYYEH UNDER JEBEL KAYSUN
[Erom a iair, ting by Frederic Leighton. RA.)

Bethlehem, 177
were about to take place through the Incarnation, i.e., the refor
mation of religion and laws for the Jews ; to which they listened
with the greatest respect, alternately looking at Jesus and Mary.
She then put Jesus into each one's arms for a moment. They
were overjoyed, and prostrating, retired.
I must now tell you all the facts, traditions, and legends con
cerning Bethlehem. On leaving this principal grotto you walk
through many passages and caves, lit up with lamps and wax
lights, each of which has an altar dedicated to different holy
persons. One to St. Eusebius, a disciple of St. Jerome, another
to St. Jerome on his tomb. There is a room which was his study
ing place and retreat, .as well as his school, where he publicly
taught the Christian doctrine in Bethlehem. He was born in
340. There he began to translate from Hebrew the Scriptures
in a.d. 390. And here he died in 420, aged 80.
There is also an altar dedicated to the Holy Innocents mas
sacred by Herod. One to St. Joseph, said to be the spot to which
he retired when our Lord was born. One to St. Paula on her
tomb, and one to her daughter St. Eustatia, both disciples of
Jerome. There are some wonderful privileges attached to this
altar, the same as those conferred on that of St. Catherine at
Sinai. After seeing all, I returned to the Grotto of the Nativity,
where I passed a very happy hour reading and writing my reflec
tions ; but I was teased by some funny English examining the
tapestry which hangs on the walls, and poking the rock with
their umbrellas, I suppose to see if it was solid. They never
even looked at the Holy Spot. They talked loud, and said it was
all "bosh." I felt very badly till the rocky floor, slippery as
glass, intercepted to deliver me — two of them slid and sat down,
and as it is also hard and jagged, it kept them quiet till they
left. We then went out to see what there was of interest round the
town. First we visited the mother-of-pearl workers. Large quan
tities of mother-of-pearl are brought here from the Eed Sea,
and bituminous schiste from Neby Musa (Moses' tomb). These,
together with olive wood from Mount Olivet, are the chief
materials. They work them into beautiful things and sell them

178 The Inner Life of Syria,
at Jerusalem. Bethlehem contains about six thousand inhabit
ants. The Franciscans have a school for boys, and there is an
orphanage conducted by an Abbe" for the Patriarchate. The
Sisters of St. Joseph teach the girls. Bethlehem, 846 .feet above
sea level, is situated upon a mountain, and surrounded by well
cultivated valleys planted with fruit trees. Its existence was
known 1740 years B.C. Many historical personages were born
here, but until the birth of our Saviour, perhaps the most interest
ing event Avas that Euth in her Avidowhood came with her mother
into Bethlehem.* Shortly after leaving the village you see a
little plain, which was the fields of Booz, where Euth came to
glean ; and Booz, Avho Avas a Bethlehemite, married her, and had
a son Obad, the father of Jesse, and the grandfather of David.
Here David was consecrated King, 1072 B.c.t Here was born
Jacob, father of Joseph, our Blessed Lady's husband ; % St. Anna,
our Blessed Lady's mother was a Bethlehemite, and then our
Saviour Himself. Before Herod became King of Judah, whilst
Cleopatra was Queen of Egypt, there lived at Bethlehem a priest
named Matthew, of the race of David. He had by his wife Mary
three daughters, Mary, and Saba, and Anna. Mary married at
Bethlehem, and had a daughter Salome ; Saba married at Beth
lehem, and her daughter was Elizabeth, mother of the Baptist ;
and Anna, mother of our Lady, married Joachim an Israelite, and
settled in Nazareth in Galilee. §
Eound about Bethlehem are the following objects of interest
which we went to visit: — A tower on a high hill, called the Flock
Tower, where it is said Jacob pitched his tents when Eachel died
giving birth to Benjamin : the tomb we passed on the way into
the toAvn. We cross over the field of chick-peas, to which is
attached a legend: our Saviour passing by saw a man sowing
peas, and said to him, " What art thou sowing, friend ? " The
man answered impudently, "I am sowing stones." Jesus an
swered, " Thou wilt reap stones." And when this man's harvest
came he found only what there is in it to-day, stones in the form
* Bead Buth i. 15-22. f I. Kings or I. Samuel xvi. 1-13.
t Matthew i. 13-16.
§ My husband, who has scanty faith in Holy Places, holds that tlie tradition
of Bethlehem is the most, if not the only, reliable one.

Bethlehem. 179
of chick-peas. This field is also said to have produced the plate
of lentils for Avhich Esau sold his birthright. Not far away is a
rock, Avhich Ave also passed coming in ; it is near the ground, and
bears an impression something like what a heavy body Avould
leave on a feather mattress. This also has its legend. When
Elijah, having put to death the priests of Baal, Avas perse
cuted by Jezebel, Avho swore that he should die, the prophet
fled, and reposing here under a rock fell asleep ; an angel came
and said to him, " Arise and eat," and he beheld near him a cake
baked in the ashes, and a cup of water; he ate, drank, slept
again. By-and-by the angel called him again, and said, " Eat
and drink again, for thou hast a long Avay to go." He did as he
was commanded, leaving the impress of his body on the rock, and
fortified by this nourishment he walked forty days and nights to
Horeb, the mountain of God.* But in this legend the localities
do not correspond to the text.
From this rock you can see both Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
A little eastward there used to be a church, built over the spot
Avhere Habacuc was going to carry his workmen their dinner, and
met the angel (b.c 540).f
We then went to see the Grotto of the Milk. Tradition tells us
that when Joseph Avas warned by the angel that Herod would seek
the life of Jesus, he took the Virgin and Child, and lived Avith
them in this cave, waiting a favourable moment to continue his
flight into Egypt ; that our Blessed Lady fed the Divine Infant,
that some drops of the milk fell on the ground, Avhich blessed the
cave. Since that time mothers of all nations and creeds, Moslem,
Christian, and Jew (?), when they are in distress at being unable
to nurse a child, take a bit of this chalky stone, and drink it
dissolved in water. People Avho do not believe in miracles tell
me that the stone certainly has some properties that produce this
effect. A gun-shot from this grotto is the site of a house in a little
field Avhich it is said belonged to Joseph, and where he lived before
his marriage. It had descended to him from Jesse, and he was
not admitted on the night of Christmas Eve, on his return from
Egypt, by the then lodger or tenant, out of contempt for the
* III. Kings or I. Kings xix. 4-8. f Bel and the Dragon, 33-39 ; Daniel
xiv. 32-38.

180 The Inner Life of Syria.
condition of Mary, which is more remarkable because both Mary
and Joseph were son and daughter of Bethlehemites, and the tie
of relation and neighbour is so sacred in the East.
At the bottom of the mountain about a mile from Bethlehem
is Bayt Sahiir, the house or grotto of the shepherds to whom the
Angel announced the birth of our Saviour. You descend to it by
twenty-one steps.
In the village is a well, called Bir Mariam, with its legend.
Our Blessed Lady passing by saw a man drawing Avater, and
asked him for some;; but he refused the. jar, saying, "Drink
there." The water rose up to the brim of the well, that Mary
might drink, and then returned to its usual level, thus rebuking
the rudeness of a creature to the mother of God. Not far from
Bethlehem is the well or cistern of David (Bir Daoud), mentioned
in Paralipomenon.* Our dinner and our hosts were Spanish. The Superior looks
as if he had been carved out of some old oak tree. The monks
served us, and Ave passed a cheerful evening with them. The
wind, sighing through the olive-trees, made a murmuring like
the sea throughout the night.
Next day, having heard Mass and received Holy Communion
in the Sacred Stable, and having exhausted the objects of interest
in and about Bethlehem, we continued our travels. We rode over
what we Damascenes thought a very pleasant road, albeit con
sidered very bad in this part of the world, till we came to Solo
mon's Pools, or basins, which are thought to have been made to
water the " shut garden," mentioned in the Canticle of Canticles.f
They receive only rain water, and are situated in the Wady
Artas, on the border of what begins a Avild and desolate country,
Avhich has from time to time justly a very bad reputation. They
are three, and the largest is 182 yards long, 79 broad, and 1 6
deep. The road lay over hills alternately stony, and here and
there carpeted with the prettiest wild flowers. Close by the
* I. Paralipomenon or I. Chronicles xi. 15-19.
t Song of Solomon iv. 12: — ''A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse: a spring
shut up, a fountain sealed."
Ecclesiastes ii. 0: — "I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that
bringeth forth trees."

Hebron. 18l
reservoirs is a castle or fortress, called Kala'at el Borak. There
is a little building over the Sealed Fountain.
From here you see a hillock crowned with ruins, which is
supposed to be the ancient Etham, famous for its cave in which
Samson hid from the Philistines, and at the foot of which was the
shut garden.*
We then came to Bayt Surr, and afterwards to Eamet el
Khalil, ruins of an ancient city, with a foundation of big stones.
Thence Ave turned off out of our way to the right over a very
stony country. Our object Avas to visit Abraham's Oak, or rather
terebinth, of Mamre. The relic stood alone, surrounded by a
railing, near a well in a field. It is a large holm oak, and cannot
be the original though it may be the site; and thereupon we
tried to realize Abraham's tents and flocks.t
'We then rode on to Hebron (El Khalil), and Avent straight to
the quarantine ground, a large building used to receive strangers
and Mecca pilgrims, in order to prevent them from communicating
diseases to the toAvn. But there was no quarantine, and we found
ourselves quartered on the house of a Jew, who carried his hospi
tality so far as to vacate his house altogether for our use, we
providing for ourselves and our people. This was a most com
fortable arrangement. The house had been freshly Avhitewashed
and done up, and was beautifully clean. Here we remained for
three nights and two days, and enjoyed ourselves exceedingly,
except for the "Norfolk Howards," who were so large and so
numerous that if there had been any esprit de corps amongst them
they might have turned us Giaours, our servants, horses, and
baggage, into the street over and over again.
Hebron is an ancient town lying in a depression, surrounded
by ten hills, of which it straggles up three. The two to the west
are well wooded with olives, and the rest are either barren or
own a little sparse vegetation. The houses are stone, each has a
square roof with a dome, and the whole is clumped together like
Baghdad dates. They look old, untidy, and ruinous, save a
better one here and there. One cannot go out upon the roof
without all the other roofs being crowded, and cries of "Bak*
shish " arise like the cackle of a fowl-yard at feeding time. The
* Bead Judges xv. 7-20. + Genesis xiii. 18.

182 The Inner Life of Syria.
quarantine is a square Avhite building, and stands alone to the
south-Avest, in Avhat avouIc! in England be called a small common,
and cattle feed upon the green slope. The only thing Avorth
visiting, and it is a host in itself, is the Haram el Khalil, which
all venerate, and which none are allowed to behold except from
outside. From a height you see embattled walls and a square
chapel which looks like a Avhite cottage. Inside this is a cave
difficult to descend, they say, where lie the remains of Abraham
and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Eebecca, and Leah ; we commenced by
entering an arch and ascending a flight of thirty steps. There
was a high wall on our right, the base of which is composed of
huge stones, here and there a pilaster. Then we sighted a
corridor, where Ave put on slippers — here the Shaykhs and
Moslems kissed the ground. It has a groined roof, and inscrip
tions all around the pilasters. At the end is an arch, with an
iron door. The Mosque is square; it has also pilasters, and
domed and groined ceiling, with honey-comb ornamentations.
The Mosque contains two mihrabs (prayer niches), one in the
wall and another facing it, with its back to the interior. When
Ave left the Mosque we saw two flights of steps entering long,
groined, arched passages, Avhich were entrances to the street.
There were water tanks, and the Shaykh's house at the back of a
fountain in the street, and a tank or trough for horses to drink
from, over which are a spout and an inscription. This was the
old Serai. We turned a corner and descended twenty-eight steps
between tAvo walls. The Jews are only allowed to advance to the
eighth step from the bottom, and there are two or three holes
which, however, do not perforate the Avail enough to touch the
interior, and into this the poor people poke their hands to touch
it for a blessing, and weep and pray.
We then went out of the Great Gates and entered a rough
courtyard, hung with vines, where the poor are lodged. There
is a ruined fort under repair full of passages, and small rooms,
and debris ; up a flight of stairs they showed us a door with a
hole, through Avhich we saw a passage and a painted door behind,
which they call Joseph's Tomb. There is a round Avell on the
stairs, and higher up than that, you can look down into this
building— a bare wall, a curious window with round holes, and a

Tombs of our Forefathers. 183
cupola above, Avhere the tombs should be. There Avas a curiously
painted door and passage with small ruined places outside and
below. The loculi are situated three due north, one bends to the
right, and some are laid out like the letter S, east and west. The
Haram is on a slope, and the Avail is built up to hide the Birket
es Sultan, the tank Avhere David fought. It has sixteen columns
or pilasters of basalt on each side, and twenty-five battlements.
The west side is round, the east oblong. The minaret is to the
east, and the Avest corner contains the cottage like the chapel
of ease, Avhich has three windows of bull's-eye glass. You can
see it from a height, and on its top glitters a crescent and a star.
There is a suburb Herat esh Shaykh. The minaret is Shaykh
Ali Bakaa. We A\-ere surrounded by Guards, Shaykhs, and Slaves
— amongst the latter we distributed a few napoleons. The two
Shaykhs of the Haram Avere Ibrahim Effendi el Hammuri, and
Abdo Salami, son of the principal Shaykh.
It was very irritating that Captain Burton, Avho had made the
Meccan pilgrimage, and who is considered as having a right
to enter where Moslems enter, could not be admitted by the
Hebronites to the cave below the Mosque, the only part hitherto
unvisited by travellers. The ansAver Avas — "If we Avent, you
should go too; but even we dare not go now. The doors have
been closed, one for 70 years, and the other for 150 years. It
would be a matter of life and death to risk it." Mr. Tynvhitt-
Drake and I, who had no right except by courtesy, offered them
£50; but they were, if not unmoved, stanch to their orders.
As it was, I was the only woman who had gone so far, and that
was conceded on account of my being the wife of Hadji Abdullah.
The town, with its pavement, looked as if it had dated from
the year One. The people were very respectful, albeit fanatical.
The Shaykh gloatingly told us that there were no Christians in
the place — he evidently did not think he Avas speaking to Chris
tians. Lazy fellows sit in a dirty marketplace, smoking unclean
narghilehs in the mud. There is a manufactory of glass, as deli
cate though less pretty than old Venetian ; also soap, and water-
skins. There are 600 Jews here, chiefly Pharisees. They are very

184 The Inner Life of Syria.
quiet and respectful, not so pampered as our Damascus Jews.
To-day being their Sabbath they hardly speak. The Shaykhs
are not in the least fanatical to us. They spend all their time
Avith us, and go as far as they dare without infringing their
orders. I Avill here quote the letter which I wrote to the Times from
Hebron :—
Perhaps, even in these exciting days, a short account of my visit to
venerable Hebron, the site of the Cave of Machpelah, and the burial place
of the Father of the Faithful, may interest some of your readers. I can,
at .any rate, set right much of what has been wrongly written, and I can
lay before the public an act of gross injustice which has hitherto remained
unnoticed. The popular plans of the Hebron Temple are those taken from Mr.
James Fergusson (Appendix 3, Tlie Holy Sepulchre, London, Murray,
1865), and Dr. Ermete Pierotti's Macpela ; ou, le Tombeau des Patri-
arclies, Lausanne, 1869. The former is deficient, especially in the Orien
tation of the building, but what it gives is exact. The latter neglects to
note the form of the ceiling and the order of the column capitals ; more
over, in the matter of the cavern entrances he has notably allowed fancy
to supply facts.
The interest of Hebron centres in its cave. The Sanctuary, which
covers the last resting-place of " St. Abraham," is built upon the south
western slope of the hard range of red and white limestone (secondary)
which forms the left bank of the valley. The dip of the strata on the left
bank, which is free from building, varies from 2 deg. to 4 deg., and
even 5 deg. north-north-west to south-south-east. The whole cave is
supposed to be enclosed within the temple sheU, and, remembering that
Machpelah means "double cave," it is interesting to remark that modern
Moslems divide it into Magharat el Fauka, the upper, and Magharat el
Tahta, the lower cave. The former is supposed to be the part actually
occupied by the tombs of the three Patriarchs and their wives, the highest
point lying between Abraham and Isaac. The latter would be the out
lying portions extending to the inner edges of the enceinte.
Those who visit the Sanctuary see only one circular opening between .
the floor and the cave, and Lord Bute estimated the diameter to be 7in.
A lamp is kept burning in it, while letters addressed to the Patriarchs,
and at times money, are thrown in as ex votos. All the Shaykhs attached
to the mosque unanimously declare that there were tAvo entrances, one
near the south-west angle of the wall (not shown by Dr. Pierotti) and the
other between the tombs of Abraham and Sarah ; but that, in consequence

Letter to the " Times." 185
of accidents to imprudent -visitors, the former was closed sixty or seventy
years ago, and the latter for the last hundred and fifty years, with slabs
fastened with lead. Such is, as I have said, the unanimous account. A
child or a pole with a wax baU could easily remove the papers and the coin ;
a secret opening, hovever, might be easily kept from strangers. The
entrance said to have been effected by Dr. Pierotti (page 96) is pronounced
to be a barefaced invention, and we know that his exploration of the Bir el
Arwah (Well of Souls), in the so-called Mosque of Omar at Jerusalem, is
equally apocryphal. I should not have deemed the subject worthy of atten
tion had not the fiction run into the fact, and the fact had been quoted
by sundry authors. For instance, we read that " the Well of Souls has a
long passage running north and south, connecting it with the cisterns of
the Haram" (page 374, No. 7, Palestine Exploration Fund), when we
know nothing of the kind.
Accompanied by Mr. Charles F. Tyrwhitt-Drake, representative of the
Palestine Exploration Fund in Syria, and my husband, we were permitted
on Saturday, the 15th of April, under the guidance of 'Brahim el Ham-
muri, a MujaAvir, or mosque servant, to ascend the Daraj Sayyidna Yusuf
(steps of our Lord Joseph), an old and well-huilt flight of 31, leading to
the platform which covers the cave. Here we observed that the building
is not oriented as usual. The long east and west walls flanking the
Meccan or southern front run 328 deg. and 148 deg. The short lines are
disposed at angles of 234 deg. and 54 deg. Consequently the so-called
southern part is 32 deg. too much to the north.
Removing our shoes where mats covered the long narrow eastern
passage subtending the Sanctuary, we were allowed to enter the Mosque el
Jauli, so called from its builder, and a mere outwork of the Haram.
Though we carefully stamped upon the ground, we found no hollow cor
responding with Dr. Pierotti's " entree primitive de la caverne," and we
certainly should expect a cave to open down and not up hill. Nearly
opposite stood, the low-pointed arch with iron door and peep holes that
bars the Sanctuary. Before entering the attendant must rattle his keys
and shake the lock, lest, peradventure, he might behold Sittna Sara
(our Lady Sarah) combing her hair, and be struck blind or dead by the
Avrath of Abraham. This, we are told, has happened. The Patriarch
most feared, however, is Sayyidna Ishak (Isaac), of whose tetchy and
rancorous character we have heard for the first time authentic details.
Resuming the passage towards the so-called south, we descended ten
steps, passing through a door in a rudely battlemented wall, which divides
the corridor into two parts ; it is flanked by two grilled windows, and is
guarded by a night porter ; on the left is the kitchen of our Lord the
Friend (of Allah — namely, Abraham), where two big cauldrons distribute
VOL. n. o

186 The Inner Life of Syria.
soup \o the poor every afternoon. We were shown near the south-east
angle of the Haram its largest stone, measuring 24ft. lOin. in length.
We then descended the flight of 28 steps called Daraj el Haram, the Scala
Santa par excellence, leading to the south-western door, and thence by
nine modern steps we issued into the filthy street and the crowded bazar.
No Jew is allowed to ascend farther than the eighth step, but opposite to
the fifth there is a rent, apparently artificial, in the Haram wall, into
which for a consideration he may insert his hands. Another of these
places occurs outside, and to the north of the south-western gate. Our
conductor informed us with a grim smile that while the hapless Hebrews
beheve that through it the fingers can touch part of the sacred cave, it is
merely a conduit for the water with which the Sanctuary floor is washed.
I felt so sorry — it is hard to guess by what right, except by that of a
might now grown feeble — men whose compound ignorance buries the
body of Joseph at Hebron are allowed to monopolize the graves of Abra
ham, Isaac, and Jacob — names equally dear to the Jewish, the Christian,
and the Mahommedan world.
But a few years ago a firman from the Porte threw open the mosques
of the Moslems to all worshippers who took an interest in them, and yet
how soon has fanaticism compelled the order to become a dead letter ? If
we telegraph to Constantinople for permission to enter the Hebron Sanc
tuary, the Porte replies that his Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales and
the Prince of Prussia cannot be considered as precedents. True; but
they forget Mr. Fergusson, Lord Bute, M. Renan and M. de Vogue, and
others. Whenever, as at Hebron and at Safed, where a catacomb and
loculi, probably belonging to a crusading church, have been ridiculously
christened the " Cave of Jacob's Daughters," local holy places are closed
to certain sections of the community, bigotry and bad blood necessarily
result. On the other hand, the opening of general sanctuaries, like the
tomb of Moses and the grave of Joshua near the waters of Merom, tends
to allay the heart-burnings of well-meaning worshippers, and remarkably
to abate religious rancour and prejudice.
Surely a combined representation of the European Powers would have
the effect of at once doing away with this great Avrong ? And if we
neglect our duty Russia will not. Already a Muscovite Hospice is begin
ning to rise around the old holm oak supposed to represent the Terebinth
of Abraham, and in a few years we may hope to see Jew, Christian, and
Moslem offering up their prayers at the sepulchres which all equally
revere, and which are the common property of the whole civilized world.
Written at Hebron, 15th April, 1871.
On Low Sunday we again left Hebron. It was a long dreary

Back to Jerusalem. 187
ride to Jerusalem, owing to clouds and darkness and driving wind
and rain, through barren hills and rocks and stony ground. We
passed nothing on the road but a few goats and wild flowers, both
looking miserable. I was indisposed to stop anywhere, even to
breakfast, so we rode hard when we could, and we did not rest at
Solomon's Pools, nor pass again by Abraham's Oak. Only one
instant in the stable at Bethlehem, and a salute to the tomb of
Eachel, and we made straight for Jerusalem.
We remained several days in Jerusalem, during which I
enjoyed more quietly the holy sites. Of new things we went to
the Bible Home with our kind friend and Consul, Mr. N. T. Moore,
to see models of the Sepulchre, and the Tabernacle of the Ark of
the Covenant. After breakfast I visited our Patriarch, and had
all my questions settled for my Convent at home.
We had some amateur photography at the Spanish Consulate,
but it was not a success, except in making one uglier than Nature
did. It was not even what photographs generally are, " justice
without mercy." We called upon Mme. Ganneau, a charming
French lady of the old school, devoted to her son. We called on
Shaykh Ashini, the Eussian Dragoman, and his wife — a pleasant
visit with much hospitality, and they showed us all over the
buildings, which are a small town. They have two Eussian
priests, a very large church, with a splendid screen of gold and
choice modern paintings. A gem of a little chapel for the palace,
and from the top a glorious view facing Moab.
On the 20th we again visited the Haram. The Latin Patri
arch called upon us at our hotel. This was considered a great
honour, very seldom accorded to any. We all went to the street
door to receive him, where the Catholics knelt and kissed his
hand. In the afternoon we again followed the stations of the
cross, and walked about with Frere Lievin, and we once more
visited Bethany and our Lady's Tomb.
In the evening we were invited by the Anglican Bishop
Gobat to a soiree, which we enjoyed very much. We met several
friends — Miss Wilson, the lady superintendent of the Zahleh
schools, Miss Amy Fullerton, and last, but far from least, the late
Bishop of Gibraltar, Dr. Harris. We had an opportunity of
becoming more acquainted with Bishop Gobat's family. We had

188 The Inner Life of Syria.
a little music, tea, and prayers, and separated about eleven, very
much pleased and edified.
Mr. Holman Hunt paid us the compliment of showing us, in
confidence, his " Shadow of Death," and of asking our opinion
upon it. We kept his secret faithfully. It is a beautiful idea,
symbolizing the home life at Nazareth, where doubtless "the
sword," spoken of by Simeon, "pierced Mary's soul." Where,
when she kissed His forehead, she must have seen the crown of
thorns ; when she saw His hands and feet, she also saw the nails.
When she felt His heart beat she thought of the lance. She con
stantly saw Him on the cross, a prey to fearful agony, insulted
and derided by the people with His last breath. Yes, it is a
beautiful " home " idea, and the scenery, landscape, and all the
minor details, are perfectly true to nature. When the great artist
gives us a " Last Supper," life size, it will efface all others ; but I
hope he will paint it at Jerusalem itself, and in the Ccenaculum.
We then went to say good-bye to the Greek Patriarch, who
gave my husband a gold cross, and to-day (21st) and the next
two days were spent in farewells, and in last visits to all the Holy
Places. The 23rd, St. George, I went to hear my last Mass in the
Sepulchre, and receive Holy Communion on Calvary.
On the 24th of April we left Jerusalem ; Mr. Moore, Mr.
Lacau, and many other friends accompanied . us out. We all
parted at Bir Ayyiib (Joab's well). Our friends rode back,
Captain Burton and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake went another way, and
I remained alone with our servants, horses, and baggage, under
escort of Mohammed Agha. I sent them on, and turned my
horse's head round, to take a long, long last look at the sacred
walls of Jerusalem, with a hearty thanksgiving for having been
permitted to visit it, and a fervent hope that I might one day
return again. According to our custom I recited the psalm,
" Super flumina Babylonis illic sedimus," (" Upon the rivers of
Babylon, there we sat and wept;") I added of my own accord
from Joel —
Joel ii. 21-32:— "Fear not, 0 land; be glad and rejoice: for the
Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field : for the
pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig

We leave Jerusalem. 189
tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of
Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God : for he hath given you the former
rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the
former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall
be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I
will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm,
and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent
among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the
name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and
my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else : and my
people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterwards,
that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the hand
maids in those days Avill I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders
in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shaU come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered : for
in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shaU be deliverance, as the Lord hath
said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call."
After which I galloped after my belongings.
My road lay through orchards and grass, and there were* many
loculi on the hill sides. I climbed up to some of them to describe
them to Captain Burton. They consisted of an outer chamber, or
vestibule, and two inner ; some contained nine loculi in tiers of
three. One had two large places for sarcophagi, or two sides, and
a third side had two big and one little one for a baby. I passed
the graveyard of a Bedawi tribe, El Abbadiyah.
Leaving this honey-comb of tombs I followed a winding foot
path amongst bleak mountains and narrow places through Wady
en Nahr (Valley of Fire), when the scenery again became pretty
and pleasant. I passed one fountain like Eamet el Khalil, near
which it appeared as if loculi had been begun and not finished
The Wady el Dayr then burst upon my sight, and quite took
away my breath, for it was by far the most curious rock formation
I had ever beheld.
It is a wide and deep defile two or three miles long, and

190 The Inner Life of Syria.
winding like a serpent, and broadening at the curves into am
phitheatres. The sides resemble castellated piles and Gothic
cathedrals, so fantastic are the shapes assumed by the natural
rock ; under St. Saba it became a monkery for all penitents who
wished to live a hermit's life. It bears evidence of having been
'inhabited by austere men, for it is as full of caves as a honey
comb with cells, and these were used by the earliest anchorites.
The country is truly the abomination of desolation. Not a
sound, not a drop of water, not a leaf, nor a plant, nor a living
thing, nothing but that gigantic, naked, awful rockery for miles
and miles, with the everlasting sun raining fire upon it. This
Greek orthodox monkery is a sort of convict station, or reforma--
tory, for those who behave badly, and are sent here under a kind
of arrest ; so I was told, at least. The monastery clambers up
from the bottom of the ravine to the top, and it is flanked by a
wall, which runs up its side in ridges, or steps. It is topped by
the ugliest square tower I ever saw ; it ought to be in St. Helen's,
Lancashire. This convent is extensive patchwork, rock eked out
with brick. The church has big buttresses, a dome, and a belfry.
There is a watch-tower on another eminence, where they put
women, who are under no pretence admitted into the monastery.
They say that whatever woman enters there dies. I had a great
mind to enter like a boy, but the Patriarch had been so kind to
me, and had been so courteous in desiring me to remain on the
day I entered by mistake into the Holy of Holies, that I could
not make up my mind to the treachery of playing such a trick.
As it was I pulled the ends of my habit out of my big boots, and
presented myself at the door in my own character, asking leave
to enter, but was strictly refused. The good monk said, " We do
not like women here, my daughter. We are afraid of them."
" You don't look so, Father," I answered him.
" Well," he said, laughing, " it is our rule, and any woman
who passes this door dies."
" Will you let me risk it, Father ? " I asked.
"No! my daughter. No! Go in peace," and he shut the
door in a hurry for fear I should try.
It appears that Madame Ida Pfeiffer was once here and
also wished to go in, and was very irate when she was put

Mar Saba. 191
in the watch-tower. However, we had our tents, and wanted
for nothing. I strolled off, and perched on an airy crag, from
which I could look down upon the monastery, and I thought
the monks at any rate liked to watch the forbidden article,
for I counted sixty, who all came out to stare. When my
husband and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake arrived they were admitted
willingly enough, and shown everything. A deep-tongued
bell tolled out at sunset and echoed strangely through that
awful ravine. The sun was still tinting the stone-colou'red hills
and the dark blue range of Moab, when a gong sounded
through the rocks, and at its echo, to my surprise and delight,
I saw flocks of jackals clamber up to the monastery to be fed ;
they were followed by a flight of black and yellow blackbirds.
The monks tame all the wild animals. They do what I also do in
solitude, make the lower animals companions and study them.
When we strolled about and examined the locality we found
quantities of black worms with many legs ; also white snail shells,
and a few new wild plants. In the morning, from dawn to sun
rise, the colouring was magical, in the ravine especially, and I
left with the impression that Mar Saba is the most picturesque and
desolate spot in Syria. There is something before dawn in the
East that invigorates and inspires you, when the large morning
star is hanging over the distant mountains. It is so sweet and
still. It has the beauty of a patriarchal repose, and as you con
template it, you almost pity enlightened Europe, who thinks
herself happy, in her fever called "progress."
The watch-tower which I must have occupied . if we had not
had our tents, is a square ugly chimney on a separate eminence,
a regular feminine quarantine. It was built by the Empress
Eudoxia, where she lived, and led a holy, penitential life. The
door is so high that you must ascend and descend by a ladder.
I suppose dresses were not so long and voluminous in those times.
St. Euthymus was the first anchorite who took up his lodgings
in this ravine in a.d. 405. St. Saba, his fervent disciple, suc
ceeded him, and built this monastery. In his time 4000 religious
lived in it ; and 10,000 penitents under St. Saba occupied the
holes in the rocks below. They show a palm-tree planted by
St. Saba, which yields dates without stones ; also the tomb and

192 The Inner Life of Syria.
oratory of St. John Damascenus ; and likewise a cave and little
chapel once inhabited by St. Saba, called the Grotto of the Lion,
and which has a legend as follows : — Once the saint having gone
out, a lion entered and took up his quarters there. The saint
returned and, confiding in God, entered as usual, and began his
divine office, but went to sleep over it. The lion took him by
the sleeve and dragged him out. This happened twice. Then
the saint, turning to the lion, said severely, " Is there not room
for both of us ? " and pointed to a corner. The lion lay down
there, and ever after took up his quarters with the saint. I have
no doubt that St. Saba did tame some wild beast, and hence the
origin of the legend.
We had read in various handbooks that the journey from Mar
Saba to the Dead Sea was very difficult, and we disbelieved and
laughed at it. I shall show how severely we were punished.
Early next morning we walked over the rocky descent by the
wady, full of slippery slabs, and then rode a mile or two. We
were again in Bedawi land, a desert of the most sterile descrip
tion, the earth reeking with heat — salt, sulphurous, carbonized,
and stony. We found more black and grey mountains, more
descent, and then a gallop over the plains. Here I believe it
was that Lady A  was attacked and robbed in 1870. Our
way lay over more grey, barren hills, up and down. The Desert
of Judah seemed interminable and so hot, and this went on nearly
all day. At last our descent became so rugged and so bad, that
our baggage mules stuck fast in it, and we were four hours
extricating four poor beasts who were regularly jammed each
between two rocks, and could move neither backwards nor for
wards. We had to cut away straps and cords, and sacrifice our
boxes to release them. It was hard toil after all we had gone
through, and we were justly punished, and cried, " Mea maxima
culpa," for scoffing at handbooks. We had a way of thinking
that we could do what nobody else could, and in spite of the
entreaties of our muleteers, who knew the road, we forced them
on. They had cried " wolf " so often, that we never believed a
word they said. However, happily no beast was injured. We
could see the bright blue Dead Sea long before we reached it,
and we had to crawl and scramble down on foot under a broiling

The Dead Sea. 193
sun as best we could, letting our horses pick their own way.
The business was too difficult to admit of their running off or
fighting, and an Arab horse that is treated like a friend will
always follow you in desert places by instinct.
Looking back we could see El Lisan, the tongue, marked in
the maps on the Moab side of the Dead Sea; and on the heights
above that, and a few miles inland, is the spot where the famous
Moabite stone was found.
The Dead Sea, called also the Salt Sea,* the Sea of the Plain:
by Arabs, Bahret Lut, (Lot's Sea) ; by the ancients, Asphaltites,
is situated thirty miles to the east of Jerusalem, between the
mountains of Judah and Moab; it is sixty miles long, twelve
broad, in places very deep (it is said 188 fathoms), and reminds
one of a desolate deserted Lake of Geneva. There is a merj, or
swamp, below the height which we are descending, and a border of
jungle, and patches containing brackish water and flinty sands.
The ruins of Gilgal and Jericho, and the supposed sites of Sodom
and Gomorrah, are at our feet. We encamped at Ain Feshkah, as
Captain Burton wished to examine the soil ; and he was of opinion
that even without a miracle, they might have been set on fire, as
the land is thickly covered with lumps of pure sulphur, and he
thought some unusual atmospheric influence might have pro
duced spontaneous combustion. I, however, cling to a blind
belief in my Bible, and think that this was once a fertile plain
like the Garden of Eden, until the crimes of men and God's anger
made it what it is. The sea-water analyzed contains principally
lime, magnesium, sodium, and potash. I may without pedantry
inform my readers that the bitumen so often spoken of is a
vegetable product washed out of the limestone rock by rains and
by the waves. We must now call to mind that we are near the
third and lowest basin of the Jordan, which we first made
acquaintance with at Hasbeyyah (p. 361), which rises, not as
set down in maps and books, but at a spot north of Hasbeyyah,
close to Hanna Misk's bitumen mines, a small water overshadowed
by rocks and oleanders, in a secluded spot ; that it runs down
the whole centre of the country like a back-bone, forming three
* Bead Genesis xiii. 10-12. Genesis xiv. 3: — "All these came together into
the woodland vale, whioh now is the salt sea." »

194 The Inner Life of Syria.
large basins in its course. The first and smallest of these basins
is Lake Huleh, its second and larger is Lake Tiberias, which is
716 feet higher than this ; the waters are very rapid, and carry
away the best swimmers, as I have seen : and the third and
largest is this, the Dead Sea, its final reservoir, which receives
daily, I am told, seven million tons of water, and has no outlet,
but whose evaporation forms the Desert of Salt called the Ghor,
about its southern shores.
Whilst waiting for the mules and baggage, we scooped out
with our knives the only bush, and hid from the sun, tying the
horses to bits of rock. Then we plunged into the sea, and had a
glorious swim. You cannot sink, but you make very little way in
the water, and tire yourself if you try to swim fast. You can put
yourself in any position in the sea, but still, I would recommend
people who do not know how to swim, not to go in, as the legs
have a propensity to come up as if they were made of cork, and
the head to go under : a non-swimmer might easily drown, some
parts of his body floating on the surface all the while. To
swim you must lie on your back, or tread the water standing
upright. If a drop happens to get into your eye, nose, or mouth,
it is agonizing : so salt, hard, and bitter. In spite of its being
believed that nothing can live in that sea, we saw five little live
fish swimming away merrily, and wa,ter-birds could swim and
dive. After bathing we dined on the borders. The colours of
the sea were beautiful, blue shot with all shades, like the opal ;
and the mountains of Moab were splendid in the last. light.
April 26th. — I felt very ill from the effects of the bath.
Firstly, we were too warm after our day's ride to plunge at once
into cold water, besides which, being the only woman, the others
kept out of sight till I was well out to sea. And when the bath
was ended I had to stay in the water till my husband and
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake dressed and went away, discreetly keeping
my head towards Moab, so that I was more than an hour in the
water. We had a hard ride to Neby Musa, the so-called tomb of
Moses, over that frightfully desolate country, but I was too ill to
heed anything. I had a touch of that terrible Jericho fever
which has since killed our poor friend.
The " Tomb of Moses " is in the centre of the building, a

Moses's Death. 195
little room full of stripes of red, black, and white paint, and
inscriptions. The grave itself is covered with a green, tattered,
ragged pall, also inscribed. A triple dome forms its roof. It has
a dead wall around it, with three buttresses and one arch, which
is the commencement of others. A groined pavilion runs around
it with pointed arches, five on one side, and the one already
mentioned at the corner. There is a large recess as if for an
entrance, but a mihrab occupies the place of a door. It has also
a little minaret; this is surrounded by a courtyard, which has
ten pointed arches on its longest side, then three, and two, and
four. These run round in the form of cloisters, some are bricked
up, and over many of them are little 'rooms, mostly ruined and
fallen in. I should have thought it was an old convent, but am
told it was a khan. An outer lower wall runs all around, forming
an enclosure like a stable-yard ; and it has a massive iron door
and chain to guard the entrance.
The Moslems told us a very pretty legend about the death of
Moses. When he had arrived at the age of 120, Allah, whose
favourite he was, promised to leave- him upon earth until he chose
to die. As Moses knew his people would fall away from God's
worship as soon as he was gone, he carefully avoided entering any
tomb. However, one day whilst walking in the mountains, he
saw a hill as white as snow, and four men working hard at
scooping a room. These were four angels in disguise to deceive
the prophet. " What are you doing here ? " he asked of them.
"We are ordered by our King," was the reply, "to prepare a
room wherein to shut his most precious treasure, and this is why
we have retired to the desert. Our task is nearly finished, and we
are to wait until the precious freight arrives — it cannot be long."
The sun was very hot, and there was no shade anywhere but only
the cavern, which was invitingly cool. Moses was tired and sat
down to rest on the stone bench at its ' further end. One of the
workmen approached, and offered him most respectfully a beau
tiful apple, which the prophet accepted to quench his thirst — it is
always an apple ! — but as soon as he had eaten, the eternal sleep
stole over him. The angels carried his soul to God, and his body
remained in the cave. Since then the rock, like all the others in
this part, has conserved its external whiteness, but when pierced

196 The Inner Life of Syria.
its inside is as black as possible. As we all know, Moses died
on Mount Nebo, and was buried secretly, that the Israelites might
not pay him divine honour; the same Mount Nebo where Jeremias
hid in a cavern the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and the
Altar of Incense.*
The country is full of sand-coloured hills, and wadys, or
vales. The way seemed interminable, but at last we sighted
pleasant grass near the Jordan (Es Sheri'ah). We encamped on
the banks at Bethabara, a little above the first ford. The river is
winding, broad, and deep, with a strong current, and overhung by
trees. I felt so ill and feverish I could hardly look at anything.
We breakfasted and took our siesta on its banks, and were nearly
maddened by ants, mosquitoes, and other similar trifles. We
saw some little birds, something like humming-birds, only some
what larger and not so pretty. All the others bathed, but I
only dipped my head in, and filled three bottles to bring home,
for baptisms. Having travelled so far to enjoy the blessing of
plunging into the water where our Saviour was baptized by John,
and being unable to satisfy this longing, my ' readers will not
laugh at me when I say that I cried with vexation and dis
appointment. On the spot where we now stand, the river Jordan was
miraculously dried up for the passage of the children of Israel.
Here Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, and the
waters were parted by his mantle which fell upon Elisha. Here
David, pursued by Absalom, crossed the Jordan accompanied by
his faithful servants. Here Naaman of Damascus (the leper),
came to bathe and was cured. Here Elisha ordered the iron part
of an axe, that a child had let fall in cutting a tree, to come to
the surface. There is a legend that here Adam and Eve were
sent to do penance separately, after their fault, to wash for forty
days to efface their sin, and to return to Paradise. Adam went
through his penance rightly, but poor Eve, deceived a second time
by the Fiend in the figure of an angel, disobeyed and came out
too soon. There is also a legend that it was here that St. Chris
topher, who for charity used to carry persons across, to and fro,
was honoured by carrying our Saviour on his shoulders, of which
* Deuteronomy xxxiv. 1-8 ; II. Maccabees ii. 4-7.

Jericho. 197
tradition we see so many pictures, especially in Spain and Ger
many. It was here that the Baptist preached and baptized our
Lord Jesus ; and Jesus crossed the Jordan to reach the place
where John baptized.*
In the early Christian times, many pious people came to him
on its banks, which in this same part were covered with flags of
marble, and a huge cross was planted in the middle of the stream
where Jesus was baptized. On the opposite side, facing us,
St. Mary the Egyptian, whom we remember was converted in
the Chapel of the Porch of Calvary, after having led an austere
life for thirty -three years, died in 430, and her body was buried
here by St. Zozimus.
In the cool of the following afternoon we rode to modern
Eiha (Jericho), or at least the site now so called, for savants say
that the ancient Jericho was further down in the plain. The
ancient City, was destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem,
a.d. 70, and it was rebuilt by Adrian and became a Christian
town. It enjoyed splendour for many centuries. It was one
of the first to fall into the hands of the Moslems, and soon
became what it is now, a group of huts holding about 300 wild
people, who are always either pillaged by Turks or attacked
by Bedawin. This is the reason they do not cultivate their
fertile and well-watered land, famous in the old time for pre
cious balsams. The rose of Jericho, a little brown ugly flower
that opens in water, is found all about these parts, but can
hardly have been what is mentioned in Ecclesiasticus xiv. 18,
" I was exalted like a palm-tree in Cades, and as a rose-plant
in Jericho ; " and the Zakkum, which is a kind of thorn from
which they extract a white oil, and which may be the much-
vaunted balsam, is plentiful: it is still famous for curing
wounds. Jericho, as we now see it, consists of a few huts and tents, and
a small part surrounded by pleasant orchards, so-called gardens.
We encamped on a dry elevation under the mountains, where
lived the prophet Elisha, who purified the fountain called by
* Bead Joshua iii. 15-17 ; iv. 1-7 ; iv. 17-25 ; IV. Kings or II. Kings ii. 6-14 ;
II. Kings or II. Samuel ii. 17-22 ; IV. Kings or II. Kings v. 10-11 ; IV. Kings or
II. Kings vi. 4-7 ; Matthew iii. 13-17.

198 The Inner Life of Syria.
his name (now Ain el Sultan). From this spot wrote poor
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, when ill of the Jericho fever which carried
him off in 1874 :—
" We are now camped in just the same place upon which we camped
three years ago, when we left the Dead Sea. You Avill remember it on
the edge of the Jordan valley, near a fine spring, Ain el Sultan. I enclose
you a sketch of it as it is at present."
(The sketch makes everything invisible from a pelting rain.)
We remember that Jericho, a City of the Tribe of Benjamin,
was the first town Joshua took from the Canaanites, the place
where he blew his trumpet and the walls fell down, and that
except Eahab, the site of whose house is just above this water,
all were killed. She was spared for her charity in having pro
tected the spies of Joshua.*
Herod adorned this city with a hippodrome, amphitheatre,
and castle. Here he drowned his son, who was the last of the
Maccabees. Here he gathered all the great people of his own
kingdom into' the amphitheatre, so that at his own death there
might be a general mourning, and dying, killed his son
Antipater, and was buried at Herodium. Jesus Christ passed
one night at Jericho.' The site of the house of Zaccheus is
shown near the modern fort, and the sycamore which he mounted
to see Jesus pass by was enclosed by an oratory, and existed
till the sixth century.
In the evening we had a splendid view towards the north end
of the Buhafrat Lut (Dead Sea), the Valley of the Jordan looking
so green on this side of the river, and on the other side so barren
in the distance. A delicious evening it was in camp, although
we are still in the Ghor— there was perfect stillness, the stars
were bright, and the moonlight streamed on the Moab mountains
and the hills of Judaea. The only drawback was the mosquitoes,
which prevented sleep. It was hard to imagine that this poor
patch of huts was ever a City of Palaces and Towers, Gates and
Theatres, Circuses and Colleges; that it was ever embellished
with Grecian art — a Eoyal City, smothered in balsams and
* Bead Joshua xviii. 21, vi. 16, 17, 20, 23-27; IV. Kings or II. Kings i. 17-25;
III. Kings or I. Kings xvi. 34 ; Luke xix. 1-10.

Where Jesus Fasted Forty Days. 199
scented shrubs, oranges, dates, and pomegranates, and illumi
nated at night like a Catherine wheel, where proud, cruel Herod
the Great and luxurious Cleopatra revelled.
April 21th. — We rose out of the depression of the Jordan
into a naked land near the Convent of St. John, in ruins.
A short half-hour away from the foot of Jebel Kuruntal is
the spot where Jesus fasted forty days and nights, and was
tempted by Satan.* It is riddled with rock-cut cells and natural
caves, where anchorites passed their lives. There is one in
particular which tradition declares to be that of our Saviour, and
it became a chapel. There is a story that an Arab Shaykh cut
away the only accessible path to the grotto to prevent the
pilgrims from ascending, and the holy men from descending.
The one leading to our Saviour's cave is of polished slippery
rock, only to be attempted barefoot. It has a fine view of
Jericho, and the Dead Sea, and Moab. I have noticed that all
the places most loved by our Saviour looked on bold, wild, and
extensive scenery. There is a story that in this mountain was a
cavern for seven virgins, doubtless in imitation of the seven
virgins who served Mary in the temple. They lived each in a
separate cell. They were taken as children, and when one died
her cell became her tomb, and a new cell was scooped for the
new-comer. This mountain belonged to the Canons of the Holy
Sepulchre, who had a chapel. At its foot are the remains of a
little fortress built by Ptolemy, where he invited his father-in-law,
Simeon Maccabaeus, and his two sons, Mathathias and Judas, to a
feast, and killed them in order to succeed them.f
We pass in a little while the spot where our Lord cured
the blind man (Kharbet el Kakum), which appears now a ruined
reservoir. Part of our journey to-day was over terrible break
neck mountains, the country deserted and wild. In these soli
tudes it is said that Joachim came to pray that our Lord might
grant him a son. Here also is located the site of the parable of
the good Samaritan. % During this march we passed the Fountain
of the Apostles, and drew water for our horses, whose throats were
filled with leeches by it. The Apostles must have passed this
* Luke iv. 1-4. t Bead I. Maccabees xvi. 11-17.
X Bead Mark x. 46-52 ; Luke x. 30-37.

200 The Inner Life of Syria.
way many times, for it is the only water on the road, and is
thought to be the Fountain of the Sun, on the borders of
Benjamin and Judea.*
It was a pleasant morning ; we crossed first the torrent of Nahr
el Kelt, the ancient Cherith, in III. Kings or I. Kings xvii.t We
could still see Jericho in her gardens, and the Tell or Eminence
of the ruins of Gilgal, the first encampment of the Israelites,^
where Joshua made an Altar of the " twelve stones," where the
Ark of the Covenant rested for six years, and where Saul was
anointed King over Israel. From the heights of Jebel Kuruntal
we had a magnificent view of the Jordan plain, the wilderness of
Judea, the mountains of Moab on the far side of the Dead Sea,
and of the highlands of Judea upon which we are standing. We
are facing northwards. Immediately below us is a plain some
twenty miles broad, not level and smooth, but of curious forma
tion, little mounds of all shapes and sizes, so regularly placed
that you would say that man had made them. They seem to
form domes and villages, and they owe their existence to rains
unevenly washing away the composite soil. The Dead Sea lies
to our right hand, and the Jordan fringed with verdure winds
like a green serpent through the arid, burning plain.
We can also see Ain Hajla, Castle Yabrud, and Ain, a
village on a high hill. Yonder are the supposed sites of Sodom
and Gomorrah, whereabouts we had encamped; there are the
beginning of the mountains of Ajlun, and still again white hills
of every shape, square and domed. It Avas a difficult and tire
some road, all heat and glare like a furnace, especially to a sick
woman. The ground upon which we trod, the wavy atmosphere
in the ardent sun's rays, the pale yellow landscape, scorching like
fire, tortured every sense. The air burnt us, the ground burnt
us, the sun and glare compelled us to look on the ground, which
in its turn forced us to look straight ahead. You must not shut
your eyes, for you must see where your horse is going. Your
* Joshua xviii. 17 : — " And was drawn from the north, and went forth to
En-shomesh." t III. Kings or I. Kings xvii. 3-7.
X Joshua iv. 13 : — " About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before
the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho."

Bethel. 201
head throbs, your pulse beats Avith fever, your mouth, throat, and
tongue are parched, your chest aches Avith thirst, your eyeballs
seem to gloAv in their sockets.
In this state we passed the white peak of Eummon, and read
Judges, 20th and 21st chapters, and then Dayr Durwan, a good
village, situated in a stony depression, containing fig and olive
groves. Next Avas the dark cone of Thaibeh, ancient Ephrem,
" near to the Avilderness," Avhere our Lord Avithdrew with His dis
ciples after He raised Lazarus ; and Ave then came to cultivation
and fields, wild floAvers and trees. We were uoav nearing Bethel,
the ancient Loza of the tribe of Benjamin. Some three-quarters
of an hour before entering that village we passed through one of
the most ancient sites in Palestine — Hai. The camping ground
of Abraham before entering Canaan seems to have begun
at Hai and ended at Bethel, including both toAvns, a distance
measured by an hour's leisure riding. Hai was chiefly celebrated
for its capture and destruction by Joshua. Between the
tAvo places Abraham erected an altar to God, east of Bethel,
and called upon the name of the Lord. It Avas here that Abraham
and his nepheAv Lot parted and divided their flocks, Lot choosing
the plain of the Jordan. So early as this was the lesson learnt,
that tAvo households cannot live together in peace on account of
their servants. It Avas not Abraham and Lot, but the herdsmen
Avho could not agree. Mrs. King, who uoav advocates families
living together in a sort of club, with servants and all things in
common, should remember that they have no Avilderness to choose
from, Avhen the quarrels shall take place.*
We finally encamped at Bethel (Beitin), which has a long and
interesting Bible history. The ruins of the ancient city cover
the high ridge, at the bottom of Avhich stands the present village,
to the extent of three or four acres of foundations and scraps of
walls and stones. In the holloAv there are grass and Avater, which
were doubtless the attraction of Abraham and Sarah to this spot
for pasturage for their camp and flocks. Here Jacob, flying from
Esau, dreamt of the ladder to heaven, Avith angels ascending and
descending, and heard the Avords, " In thee and thy seed shall
all the families of the earth be blessed," etc.
* Bead (.icnosis xii. i>, and all chapter xiii.
vol,, n. 1'

202 The Inner Life of Syria.
Beth-el means the house of God. " El bayt," or " beit," in
Arabic, is, the house, and this is unquestionably one of the most
ancient towns of Abraham. Here he buried Deborah, Eachael's
nurse. Here he set up a pillow of stones in the place Avhere God
spoke to him, and poured wine and oil thereon. Here arose
Jacob's altar to Jehovah. The town Avas the Seat of the Assemblies
in the days of the Judges. Aftemvards it became idolatrous and
Avas cursed. Whoever goes to Bethel should read Genesis, Joshua,
Kings, Judges, Amos, Isaiah, and Hosea, and the very true
description in " Murray," page 210. Abraham, when encamped,
here made an altar to God, east of Bethel. I have selected all
the principal texts from the Old Testament, showing the im
portance of Bethel in that time, to refresh the reader's memory
and to save her trouble*
I was so ill that it was proposed we should ride on to Nablus
next day, distant about ten hours, and that, once there, Ave should
encamp for four or five days, to let me recover. I mention this
because so many English come out to Palestine for riding tours,
and from the same cause die, or suffer for years afterwards, from
the want of the simplest attention in the beginning.
April 28th. — We left camp at a quarter to 7, and rode over
a very bad track, beginning from the ,Wady et Tin (Valley of
Figs), through cultivated mountains and fig and olive groves.
No English horse could have even stood upon the places over
which we had to ride, but everything, save the ground, Avas
charming. Leaving Bethel, Ave change from Benjamin to Judah.
We passed the villages of Ain Yabriid, Wady Abu Teraybeh,
Avhich valley contains Ain el Haramiyyeh, on the banks of a
torrent, formerly a robber's dwelling, a bandit's nest, two caves
supported on pillars. This valley is delightful, the air Avas fresh,
redolent of sweet smells. There are tombs cut in the rocks, and a
ruin and tower, of which the ancient use is not knoAvn, but it is
thought that it might have been to protect the road from the
robbers. The grey stone walls were rudely piled up, and
tapestried by clematis and wild parasites, green and scarlet,
* Bead Genesis xii. 8, xiii. 3, 4, 8-11, 18, xxviii. 10-22, xxxv. 6-8, 14, 15 ; Joshua
vii. 2-5, xii. 16, xviii. 22 ; Judges i. 22-26, xx. 31, xxi. 13-24 ; I. Kings or I. Samuel
vii. IG, xiii. 2 ; III. Kings or I. Kings xii. 28-33, xiii. 1-5 ; IV. Kings or II. Kings
xxiii. 15-17 ; Isaiah xxvii. 0 ; Hosea x. 10 ; Amos iv., 4, v. i, 5.

Nablus. 203
which hung doAvn in rank luxuriance. We passed Abu Sarur
Turmus Aya, and came to Sinjal and its Wady. Here Ave break
fasted in the shade of an olive grove — a Fellah took our horses to
a bit of grass within sight. At Khan Libbun, near the village
Libbiin, we watered our horses at a splendid water-source, where
there was a ruin. Here I entered a villager's harim, and being
mistaken for a boy they all ran away screaming, and the men
reproved me, which set us all laughing. I apologized, saying I
Avas ignorant of their customs. This village is the ancient Libnah,
Avhere Joshua put the idolators to death.* We had left Silo to
our right. We ought to have gone there, because its history is
most interesting, but on my account it was given up.
We went over endless stony hills, relieved by fruitful valleys,
olives, cultivation, and occasional wells. The people in this part
of the world are boorish and stupid. About an hour and a half
before reaching Nablus, I felt too ill to go on, so I fell behind
Avith tAA'o of our servants, hoping to get better, and let the rest go
on to prepare the camp. However we lost our way afterwards,
and galloped back part of the road we had come, and then found
out our mistake, and had to retrace our steps. My husband,
alarmed at missing me for so long, waited for me at Jacob's Well,
Avhere our Lord asked the Samaritan woman to give Him to
drink. We arrived at our camping ground by a stream, amidst olive
groves and gardens, outside Nablus, at 4.30 p.m., having been out
ten hours. This is the boundary between the Damascus and the
Jerusalem Consular jurisdictions, so we may now consider our
selves once more upon our oAvn ground.
* Joshua x. 29, 30.

204 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTER XXIX.
CONTINUATION, AND LAST OF OTJB PILGEIMAGE.
The lepers and a large crowd collected on the hill to stare at us.
I felt very thankful to feel settled for a few days, and to have a
long sleep, and got well here. The population is said to consist
of 16,000 inhabitants, chiefly turbulent Moslems, a few Catholics
and Greek Orthodox, 135 Samaritans, and many JeAvs. The
people of Nablus are supposed to be so lawless that the Governor
sent us a guard of soldiers at dusk, Avho were relieved till day
light. We found them extremely civil. They were not fanatical,
but showed us everything with much pleasure, and stood up and
saluted us as we passed ; except being on the outside of and
beyond the town, we incurred no other risk ; and beyond being
serenaded by jackals, and the owls hooting in the trees above, we
heard no sounds.
Nablus is a very pretty and prosperous-looking town, with
good stone houses and Egyptian-looking windows, and owning a
nice Suk, or bazar. It is situated in a fertile Avady, or valley,
between the two famous mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, Avhich
form natural fortifications for the town. It is well cultivated and
planted with thriving trees, especially quinces, and well watered
by streams which run several miles. One end opens towards the
sea, and the other towards the plain, so that there is always a
fresh breeze blowing through it, and nevertheless the only bad
thing in it was its foul smells. There is also an ancient aqueduct.
We passed all the 28th, 29th, and 30th here.
We Avent up Mount Ebal the first morning, from which is
a splendid view. In the afternoon we rode up to Mount Gerizim,

The Samaritans. 205
by far the most interesting. It is a difficult ascent of an hour
and a half. On the top are the ruins of a Christian church, and
a temple, marked by a little " Avely," as English travellers say,
and an immense debris. The mountain is entirely covered with
stones. Here are encamped at the top all the Samaritans now
existing on the face of the earth. They number 135, and are
governed by their Chief and-High Priest, Ya'akiib Shalabi. Here
live entirely apart from the rest of the world eighty males and
fifty-five females, including children, and here they celebrate
their Passover on the 3rd of May. We were invited, and Avished
for an excuse to remain, but if I felt Avell before the 3rd of May
we were bound to proceed.
They showed us a small Square, with stone walls, where they
celebrate their Passover exactly as the Old Testament dictates.*
From here there is a beautiful view of the Sea, and Moab, and the
Plain; also of Jacob's Well and Joseph's Tomb beneath. The
Samaritans were very hospitable. I noticed that they did not
like my dog to go near them; and suspecting that it rendered
them " unclean," according to their faith, I tied him up.
I will describe the Samaritan women's dress, and will take for
a model the wife of Ya'akiib Shalabi, who was more richly dressed
than the others. She wore large leather shoes, cotton trowsers
gathered in at the ankle, red-striped silk petticoat to the knee, a
jacket or bodice over it. She had on five jackets of different
colours, open at the bosom, and each was so arranged as to let the
border of its neighbour be seen. A girdle was around her waist,
a necklace of chains clasped her throat, and another of large gold
coins hung round her neck. Her hair was not shaved or tucked
under like our Jewesses, but dressed in a thousand little plaits
down her back, a thousand worsted plaits to imitate hair covered
her own hair, and hung down her back below the waist, and were
fastened off Avith and covered with spangles and coins of value.
Upon her head she wore a coat of mail of gold, and literally
covered with gold coins, of which a very large one dangled on her
forehead. She wore diamond and enamel earrings, and a string
of pearls coquettishly arranged on one side of her head in a
festoon. A yellow handkerchief covered her head, but hung
* Exodus xii, 1-13,

206 The Inner Life of Syria.
doAvn loose upon her shoulders. Her eyebrows were plucked out,
and in a straight line in their place patterns were thickly marked
in ink.- I thought wrongly that they were in Hebrew characters,
but they presented that appearance. A silver charm, like a jevvel
etui, and a little silver book containing a charm, she wore upon
her heart. I forgot to add a third thick chain of gold around her
neck, and that all the head ornaments were surmounted by a large.
crescent studded with jewels.
We walked about with them and sat in their tents for a long
Avhile, and then we came doAvn by a different Avay, very pretty
but very steep. I Avas suffering, and had to go to bed without
any dinner, and Avas ill all night. The jackals and oavIs seemed
company. There was a delicious rain all night, which refreshed
us much. Next morning Ave Avent to the Siik, and bought some rough
leather tobacco pouches, which please travellers. Some morning
visits had to be returned, and Ave Avere attended by Khwajah
Jirius, formerly Dragoman to the Eussian Consulate at Damascus.
We called on Abdu Effendi, the Wakeel, or agent, of Mohammed
Said Pasha, the. Kaim-makam, or Governor. Abdu was not civil
enough to rise off his divan to receive us, and had to be taken in
hand. Abdullah Effendi, the Treasurer, was very hospitable, and
a sister of our already mentioned Dragoman, Hanna Asar, was
married to one of the authorities, who gave a beautiful garden
fete for us in a fair-sized pretty orchard, containing a summer-
houSe and a large birket (fountain). Under an arch was spread a
nice European dinner, and actually, though so far from civilization,
there was beer and claret, beside the native coffee, sherbet, and
narghilehs. All the best of Nablus was there, and included two
French abbes and some missionary ladies, amongst whom Avas one
English lady, Mrs. Youhannah el Karey, of the Palestine Chris
tian Union Mission. The French priests were l'Abbe Bost, of
Nablus, and l'Abbe Maritain, of the Village des Pasteurs (Bayt
Sahiir). There were all the materials for a pleasant day ; and it
Avas pleasant, but I was too unwell to appear to advantage, much
as I was disposed to enjoy it.
We then went to Ya'akiib Shalabi's house in the town. He
took us to their present synagogue, a miserable small groined

Jacob's Well — Joseph's Tomb. 207
room, hung with a few indifferent lamps. A recess Avas hidden
by a long Avhite counterpane, Avhich had a Hebrew inscription
Avorked upon it in gold, hiding another curtain 350 years old, also
inscribed. He then sent out of the room a few Samaritans, and
showed us a cupboard containing several old MSS., kept in gold
and silver cases, ancient, carved, and scroll shaped. One is held
most sacred ; it is a copy of the ancient Jewish laAv, Avritten on
vellum, and said to be 3374 years old. This venerable Pentateuch
dates 1500 B.C., to Abishua, son of Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of
Aaron.* Then Ave Avent back to the Samaritan Chief's house, a quaint
old place enough, where we had coffee and pipes, and he gave me
his photograph and that of his tribe in a group.
We visited the Mosque, formerly a Christian church of St.
John, with a Crusader's gate, called in " Murray " Saracenic ; the
facade was built by the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, in small
imitation of the Sepulchre of Jerusalem. St. Justin was born
here, and was martyred by Marc Aurelius. We climbed up the
minaret, and had a good view. There is a stone in the wall of
the Mosque toAver with the Ten Commandments in Samaritan
characters. Then we Avent to the " Hisn Ya'akiib," which is the wailing-
place of Jacob, " where he could not be comforted for the loss of
Joseph," a small dark room without a window, just like a coal
hole, and is on the site of the ancient Samaritan synagogue. A
garden of orange flowers made the air heavy.
We then went through the Samaritan burial-ground at Eas el
Ain, and paid a second visit to the Samaritans' tents on Mount
Gerizim, returning to ours at night, exhausted by our exertions
and the heat.
On the 1st of May I took my Bible, and rode back to Bir
Ya'akiib (Jacob's Well) and Joseph's Tomb, to enjoy them by
myself. I found some Jews praying there, but we did not dis
turb one another, as we were all doing the same thing. Jacob's
Well is surrounded by a square wall and broken fallen columns,
the skeleton ruins of a Christian church. The well itself is like
all others, in a small cave beneath, and would be unnoticed noAv-a-
* Bead Ezra vii. 5.

208 The Inner Life of Syria.
days but for its tender associations. It was cut by the servants of
Jacob through the solid rock, and it is more than 100 feet deep,
Avith smooth sides.
Joseph's « Tomb is the usual "Wely" — a white square room,
without a roof and an open door, with a plain white Tomb in the
centre. Who would say that this was a fit memorial for Pharaoh's
right hand — and yet it meets with more reverence than the Pyra
mids or " Tombs of Kings." Here lies the Joseph who was the
favourite and dutiful son, who was cast into the pit by his
brothers' jealousy, and sold to the Midianite merchants, and was
bought by Potiphar, a captain in Pharoah's army* — this is the
virtuous man who resisted Potiphar 's wife, and interpreted the
dreams from his prison, into which Potiphar cast him, who
afterwards interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, and at thirty years of
age became the Governor of Egypt, and saved it from famine.
The affectionate and forgiving brother who received his ten
brethren, Benjamin and his father, with all his House, and they
were seventy souls in all Egypt; and Jacob died there at 147
years old, and Joseph, by Pharaoh's leave, buried him at Hebron.
When Joseph died at the age of 110 years, he was embalmed in
Egypt for a while, and there the brethren kept their oath, and
carried him to the burial-place of his choice. Eead the thirteen
last chapters of Genesis upon this spot, for the life of Joseph.
Shechem became for a time the religious capital of the ten
tribes, who cut themselves away from their brethren, and were
in opposition to the two who remained in Jerusalem ; also
where Jacob once resided. These Samaritans have been here
between 2000 and 3000 years, keeping to the old rules, rites,
and ceremonies of their faith — living, labouring, acting, think
ing, feeling, and worshipping, as did their Patriarchs and
Prophets — tabooed by the world, and content to be so. They
have dwindled to a handful, and have remained so for many
generations, but always existing. There is constancy, strength
of character, and something to be relied upon in this ; think
of the many religious sects they have seen rise, grow, and shiver
into empty air. Some people who are in prominent positions
to-day are proud of knowing Avho their great grandfathers were,
* Genesis xxxvii. 29-36 ; Genesis 1. 24-26.

Ebal and Gerhim. 209
and those Avho can tell back to our old Anglo-Saxon days, before
the Norman Conquest, prefer their blue blood to the highest posi
tions held by new men. But the high claims of the Samaritans
are sadly discounted by the orthodox JeAvs, Avho declare them to
be "Cuthini," converted Babylonians. Then to Shechem came
Abraham to pitch his tent Avhen God led him out of Haran with
Sarah his Avife, and Lot his nepheAA7, and raised an altar to our
Lord. Jacob, coming from Mesopotamia, also bought the field for
100 ewe lambs, of the children of Hamor, father of Sichem, and
he made this well. Then Joseph lived in his father's tents and
came from Mamre to find his brothers. Jacob left the field to
Joseph as a heritage, and the Israelites here brought back his
bones from his great Nile sepulchre, as shown in Genesis 1. and
Joshua xxiv. 32.*
Between the two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, Moses caused
the Law to be proclaimed afresh, so Gerizim became a second
Sinai. Joshua here called the tribes together, and said to them,
" Choose ye this day whom ye will serve ; as for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord."f
On Mount Gerizim Joshua placed the descendants of Simeon,
Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin, to bless the ob
servers of the law ; and on Mount Ebal — Eeuben, Gad, Asher,
Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali to curse its transgressors. Sanabalat,
Governor of Sichem, built a temple upon Mount Gerizim, which
was the cause of the schism between the Samaritans and the
Jews. Manasses took to wife a stranger, a daughter of Sanabalat,
contrary to the Mosaic law. The Jewish people in anger obliged
him to put her away, and to come no more near the altar. Ma
nasses Avent to his father-in-law and told him that, much as he
loved his wife, this was more than he could bear. Sanabalat
made him keep her, under promise of making him prince of
Judah, and to obtain of King Darius leave to build a temple, and
* Joshua viii. 33, 34.
t Deuteronomy xxvii. 11-14 :— " And Moses charged the people the same day,
saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are
come over Jordan ; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and
Benjamin : and these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse ; Beuben, Gad, and
Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall speak, and say
unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice."

210 The Inner Life of Syria,
to appoint him high priest. Alexander the Great conquered
Darius, so Sanabalat made the petition to the former, Avhich was
granted. In three years the temple was built, and Manasses
was the Great Sacrificer 330 B.C. Several Jews joined him, and
thus was accomplished the schism and enmity between Jews
and Samaritans, who numbered about 11,000. A political and
religious hatred had been confirmed by the Jews refusing to let
them join in rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem, or to recognize
them as descendants of Abraham after the captivity.
The principal chapters of the Old Testament which are in
teresting concerning the history of Nablus, or Shechem, are
Genesis xxxiv., where the sons of Jacob sleAv the Shechemites for
their sister Dinah ; and Genesis xxxv., Joshua xAjii. and xxiv.,
Judges ix., and a portion of II. Esdras (Ezra).
Jesus, footsore and weary with His long walk from Jerusalem
over stony hill sides, Avithout shade or water, under a fiery Syrian
sun, stopped to rest here Avhilst the disciples went to buy bread
in a little detached village called Sychar, close by, and which
forms a suburb of Shechem, the City now called Nablus.* 'Around
Him Avere strips of cornfields, Joseph's white Tomb, and patches of
olives. As He sat on the rim of the Avell, purposely, knowing
Avhat would occur, this talkative, light-famed woman came with
her jug on her shoulder to draAv water. He said to her, " Give
me to drink." The woman stood aghast, knowing that she, a
Samaritan woman, should be as a plague spot to a Separatist
Jew. " How dost Thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am
a Samaritan woman ? " Instead of rejecting the grace conferred
upon her, and despairing on account of her past life, she stood
humbly and ashamed. To this poor sinful woman He first an
nounced His mission of love in Samaria, to join some of the
remnants of the election by grace to His Church. By her talking
in Shechem, the Samaritans came down to Him, and He abode with
them two days, and many were brought into the fold. The dis
ciples almost broke out with wrath, but they were beginning to
see that His ways were not the ways of other men.
Purfm is a great Feast, which the JeAvs learnt when they were
in captivity in Babylon, and it is kept till noAv. It was then
* Bead Genesis xv. 5-7, xxiii. 18-20, xxxv. 1-5, 22,23, xxxvii. 12-16; John iv. 5-43.

Samaria. 211
that the King of Babylon, Ahasuerus, put away Vashti his queen,
and took Esther in her place. Esther Avas a Jewess, and her uncle
Mordeoai refused honour to Haman, the king's favourite. These
two saved the Jews, who were persecuted, and Haman Avas finally
hanged on the gibbet he meant for Mordecai. It Avas a
favourite Feast, like our Christmas, given to making the hearts
of the poor glad. Thronging in the synagogue when the Book of
Esther is read, the boys clap hands, and the elders and the
people shout, " Cursed be Haman, blessed be Mordecai." They
afterwards eat and drink in their houses, have music and dancing,
and sometimes it ends, their enemies say, in an orgie, both sexes
drinking too much. In old times it was their custom to drink till
they knew not who was cursing Haman and who was blessing
Mordecai. They then go up to those two mountains, Ebal and
Gerizim, and shout across to each other, " Blessed be Haman and
cursed be Mordecai." We found we could hear each other from
their respective summits.
Mr. Hepworth Dixon relates in his beautiful and devotional book
on the Holy Land, a little story from the Talmud, as follows : —
".Two pious elders, Eabba and Zira, agree to keep the feast of
the Purfm together, and, both being so tipsy as to be rolling on
the floor, Eabba killed Zira. In the morning he awoke and
found that he had murdered his friend, and prayed to the Lord ;
and the Lord listened to his voice because the deed was done in
Purim, and restored Zira to life. Next year, when the feast came
round, Eabba proposed that they should drink together again,
but Zira declined the proposal on the ground that miracles do
not happen every year."*
We left Nablus at 6 a.m. (May 2nd), and after a delightful
ride through groves, and wadys, and streams, we entered Samaria
(Sebastiyyeh). The site of the old city called Sebaste, is on a
hill top, from which we beheld the sea north of Cresarea on the
coast. A little to our right is Bayt Imrin and the village of
Burka, a turbulent and fanatical place, but, nevertheless, the
population was very civil to us. As we stood on the Tell (hill)
we could see valleys all around us, like a conjunction of huge
* Captain Burton tells me that this is also mentioned in Dr. M'Caul's book,
" The Old Paths."

212 The Inner Life of Syria.
trenches, which were enclosed by mountains, and whose central spot
is the Tell. There are still several columns and remains, probably
of the pagan temple built by Herod the Great, in honour of Augus
tus. The position of Wall, or Governor-General, must have been
even more lucrative and expensive in those days than it is now, if
the petty rulers of Syria could build magnificent temples to their
Emperors, instead of sending occasionally a costly present. There
are the ruins of an ancient Church of St. John Baptist, and his
Tomb, with the prophets Abdias and Elisha. We cannot be
certain that the bodies are there. In the time of Julian the
Apostate they Avere exposed to profanation. We also passed
sixteen standing columns, looking like trees planted in cultivated
land. They are supposed to have been part of Herod's theatre at
Sebaste. Here Herod married Mariarhne, and later strangled two
of the sons she bore him. His second wife, Malthacea, mother of
Archelaus and Antipas, was a native of Samaria. St. Philip here
preached, and performed miracles and cures. Simon the magician
Avas a native of this place, and a favourite of Nero. He was the
cause of the death of Peter and Paul. He had been baptized,
but could not perform miracles, which irritated him. Eead here
the whole of chapters xviii. and xxi. of I. Book of Kings, or
I. Samuel, and part of chapter xix. ; and also of IV. Kings,
(Catholic), II. Kings (Protestant), chapters i., vi., vii., x., showing
the history and importance of Samaria, though, to look upon it
now, none could realize that, except by its columns and ruins,
it had ever possessed more than a goat track and a village. It
has truly born " the weight of the House of Achab."*
We passed Bayt Imrim, a large village at the foot of the moun
tain, and Sanur, or Bethulia, the country of Judith. An hour and
a half after leaving Samaria Ave came to Bir Zakhariyyeh, Avhere
Ave breakfasted. There were villages dotted here and there;
thence we went to Kubatiyeh and Dothan, where Joseph, son of
Jacob, was sold by his brethren, Avas slightly to our left, f After
* Bead Acts viii. 1-25 ; III. Kings or I. Kings x. 23-33 ; III. Kings or I. Kings
xxii. 37-39 ; IV. Kings or II, Kings xiii. 9-16 ; IV. Kings or II. Kings iv. 14-23,
xv. 7, 8, 12-14, and 27; IV. Kings or II. Kings xvii. 26-33, xxii. 13.
t Judith iv. 5 : — " And Eliachim the priest wrote to all that Avere over against
Esdrelon, Avhich faceth the great plain of Dothain, and to all by whom there might
be a passage of way, that they should take possession of the ascents of the moun-

Jennin. 213
this we had a beautiful and delightful ride, going ahvays north
towards the plain of Esdraelon, and the country was full of culti
vation. When I say beautiful, the roads were as bad as they
could be, nevertheless the country made up for it. Our camp for
the night was Jennin, ancient Engannin, a fanatical Levite toAvn
of the tribe of Issachar, on the borders of Galilee and Samaria,
Avhere Christ cured the ten lepers.*
We had the company of five Englishmen on the Avay, and they
also camped there. They were Messrs. North, Taylor, Parsons,
Nevill, and Barnum. There were also encamped Mr. and Mrs.
Bicknell, whom my husband had known formerly, and likewise an
American and a German camp, besides our own — five camps in all.
The locality must have been astonished at its own liveliness.
Here we heard the cuckoo for the first time, an event ahvays
noticed by English people. It was a glorious evening, Avith a
May moon. The little white village and its Mosque peeping out
of the foliage of palm trees, its dome and minaret nestled in
orange, fig, and mulberry groves, and a few pomegranates. It
Avas a pretty scene, with plenty of water-mills, gardens of citron
and cactus. We were situated on the mountain incline near its
foot, on the opening of the plain of Esdraelon. There were distant
ranges of mountains all around, and we caught the first vieAv of
the head of our old neighbour, Mount Hermon. The mountains
of Moab and Hermon always remind me of " crossing the line,"
Avhen you leave the " Great Bear " for the " Southern Cross."
You must always see one or the other, and so it is with these
two mountain ranges. Mrs. Bicknell was ill, so that I remained
'in the tent with her, and Mr. Bicknell dined with my husband
and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake. There was also a man sick with fever,
Avho had followed me for two days. I kept him in the camp and
cured him with Warburg's drops. The burning day was succeeded
by a bitter night. I was much touched by an act of motherly
love. A youth, one Ahmad el Karsi, had got into a scrape at
Nablus, and had been thrown into prison. We had asked and
obtained mercy for him, but it proved to be only complimentary,
tains by which there might be any Avay to Jerusalem, and should keep watch where
the way Avas narrow between the mountains."
* Bead Luke xvii. 11-19.

214 The Inner Life of Syria.
and as soon as Ave left the authorities put him back into prison.
His mother, Hajiyeh el Abba, followed us on foot all over that
dreary stony land, in the heat, and arrived footsore and exhausted
in the middle of the night to tell it to us.
May 3rd. — We left camp at 7 a.m., and arrived at Dayr
Ghrayabi, a little village on the plain of Esdraelon (Merj ibn
Amir), undulating and triangular, about thirty-six miles long and
fifteen broad, and Avell watered. The plain is bounded by the
Mediterranean on the north-west, and its sides are also bound by
great land-marks. As we at present stand, you would say that
one was between Mounts Tabor and Hermon, whose peak is now
visible, one between Mounts Hermon and Gilboa, and one between
Gilboa and Jennin. This plain is also called in Scripture the
Valley of Jezreel, and is chiefly celebrated for the victory of
Gideon and the overthroAv of Saul and Jonathan (Judges and
Samuel). We come to the mountain Gilboa, after an hour
over some hills, to Fukua, Avhere Saul and his three sons with
him, perished in the battle Avith the Philistines. The village
Gilboa is situated on the mountain incline. Fukua is a village
at the foot of a range of mountains of the same name, the ancient
Mount Gilboa. We then had a gentle ascent, followed by a
terrible descent on foot from the height above Scythopolis into
the Ghor. From the height, this part of the valley of the
Jordan appears to be watered by four waters, Ain Jalut, Ain
Asy, Ain Eijdaf, and Ain Josak. The others chose to bathe in
Asy, a charming blue basin, 83° (Fahrenheit), and slightly salt, so
I went to try the aqueduct of Eijdof, but found it hot enough to
burn the skin, Josak was just bearable. Here, when Ave all met.
again, we found a AA'aterfall, a mill, and BedaAvin. There was
coolth under the arches of the aqueduct. The Ghor men spread
me a grass bed and mats, seeing that I looked ill, and brought
me leben and vegetables, so we ate, drank, and slept. We
toiled another hour through the burning plain, zigzagging on
account of the swamps, and came to a fine khan, 350 years
old, built by Senan Pasha. It must have been splendid in its
day, and it still has noble gateways and inscriptions. We then
came to a ruined Mosque, Avith a Cufic inscription, on the edge of
Scythopolis, Avhere Ave camped.*
* II. Maccabees xii. 29-31,

Scythopolis. 216
Beisan, Beth-Sheau, Scythopolis, is well Avorth a visit, and avc
wondered that no antiquity hunter had undertaken its excavation.
It is the only city, of the ten (Decapolis) visited by our Saviour,
on this side of the Jordan. The village itself is wretched, but
outside are the ruins of a toAvn, which was Christian in the time
of Julian the Apostate, and of an amphitheatre. This last has
thirteen tiers and alternate entrances and cages for wild beasts,
quite perfect, and an outer gallery all around.
To see the plan of the ruins we ascended a very perpen
dicular hill, Tell Siik, which was the chief site of the city,
and saw on the ascent an ancient gateway, of which one side Avas
of very large size, and in ruins. From the top we saw the Valley
of the' Jordan, near the Sea of Galilee ; east, Jordan's green fringe
and famishing desolation side by side ; opposite, on the other
side of the Jordan, the mountains of Ajlun and Gilead, and Fahil
(ancient Pella), another town of the Decapolis — the north Avas
hidden by a rise. West was Jebel ed Duhy (Little Hermon),
Wady Juled, the mountains of Gilboa, and a contraction of the
plain. South is the new village of Scythopolis, a few huts, a
ruined mosque, a little barrack ; and a large khan, a quarter of a
mile to the north. Immediately around us on the hill-top, beloAV,
and likeAvise all around, are splendid ruins — the amphitheatre,
columns, Bonian remains, and earthworks, showing it to have
been an important city and of considerable extent. The remains
of Roman outworks on one side were evidently once a broad and
magnificent bridge, moat, or draw-bridge, around the fortressed
hill, now a green undulating AA'aste, with a stream rushing and
bubbling through it, and at the moment I write, is occupied by a
solitary Ghor-man and his cow.
On the morning of the 4rfh of May, Captain Burton aud Mr.
Tyrwhitt-Drake went for a thirteen hours' ride to take some
observations. I Avas not yet strong enough, so it Avas agreed that
Ave should send on our camp to Nazareth, and I rode. away with
my Sais, and a Druze named Shahadeh.
Being alone, that is, with a servant and a Master Muleteer, I
did not know, until too late, that I was leaving Zerin (Jezreel) and
Ain Jalad to my left, and Avent straight across the plain to
Shuttah, Nowris, and Itell, NoAvara a village in Esdraelon, to

216 The Inner Life of Syria.
Sunem (Sulem), so that I did not see the town where Jezebel fell
out of the window and Avas eaten by the dogs, nor the latter site,
Ain Jalad, rendered interesting by Gideon and the Madianites*
This day did me good, for I jogged along at my ease,
stopping to admire Avhatever struck me. I had not to ride
against time. Sulem is a small village at the foot of little
Hermon, which is mentioned in Scripture.f At the top of Jebel
Duhy there was, in St. Jerome's time, a convent of virgins (see
St. Jerome's Twelfth Letter to the Virgins of Hermon). There is
also a legend attached to this summit. Adam so. often expatiated
on the delights of Paradise to the descendants of Seth that, in
the hope of obtaining from God the boon of returning to their
state before the Fall, they Avent up to the top of Jebel Duhy, and
lived there in chastity and penance ; but as God took no notice of
this act, they came down and went into the land of Naid, that is,
the heights between Carmel and Duhy, Avhere Cain took refuge
after his crime, and was killed by Lamech. Seth's descendants
married the daughters of Cain, and brought forth the Giants.
EveryAA'here this day the earth was beautifully green, and
carpeted with wild flowers. The air Avas fresh and balmy, and laden
with the sweet scents of spring — grass, herbs, trees, and flowers.
We passed the black tents of the Arabs, who gave me milk to
drink ; and also one well, where we watered the horses. In the
Sahl, or Plain, of Esdraelon, there were thousands of storks, which
were quite undisturbed by our appearance, and let us ride through
them like a flock of sheep; but Avhen they rose to fly altogether,
they made such a fearful noise, and looked so large, that my
horse took fright, and ran away for about a mile. The sky was so
blue, the mountains and plains looked so beautiful, the birds,
insects, the wild flowers, the fresh balmy breeze, sweet smells,
and gentle sun, the black tents, all combined to make one glad
to be alive. The senses Avere satisfied, and it was a day of
physical enjoyment, of real " Kayf," so feAv of Avhich fall to the
lot of Man. However, Avhen all is said, nothing is perfect — I was
alone !
* Bead Judges vii, j I. Kings or I. Samuel xxxi. 1-13 ; IV. Kings or II. Kings
ix. 30-37 ; I. Kings, or I. Samuel, xxviii. 4-25.
f Bead all IV. Kings or II. lungs iv. concerning Elisha and the Sunainitese,
and part of IV. or II, Kings viii.

Endor. 217
We rode on till we came to Nairn, where our Saviour restored
the widow's son,* and from there to Endor, the town of Saul's
witch. Here we reposed under some figs for an hour, and were
twice insulted for so doing. The atmosphere is very turbulent
all about Nazareth. First came Mohammed Abdul Agha, son of
Shaykh Said Abdul Agha, who, despite his grand name, would
have made the servants count spoons and umbrellas, if he had
entered an English door, so much like a common tramp did he
look. He said "he did not care for Consuls, nor English, nor
Kawwasses ; that the Wali obeyed him, and that if he did not he
would soon let the Sultan know." A poor woman standing by
humbly begged me to wend my weary way in the sun, and not to
shade myself under the figs, and thus displease this Great Man.
She said, " You know we all bow down before him, because he is a
great Shaykh." When I was sitting down he thought by my face
and voice that I was a woman, and as long as my servants only
addressed him in the coarsest Arabic, he bounced exceedingly.
But when I rose up, and he saw my riding habit tucked into my
boots, he thought I was a youth, and I said, " You may not, 0
Shaykh, care for Consuls, nor English, nor Kawwasses, nor Wali,
nor Sultan, but I am going to make you care about something."
Thereupon he jumped up as nimbly as a monkey from his squatting
position and ran for his life. Then the villagers, considering me
the best man of the two, brought me milk for driving him away.
He was followed by a poor Fellah with half a shirt, who did not
even belong to the place, but simply came out of his way to insult
a stranger, and to ask by what right we sat under the shade of the
figs, a thing which in any other part of Syria would have been
esteemed an honour, and the only distress would have been, lest
we should pass their place without notice. His only answer was
from the Sais's " Dabbus," a knobbed stick, or shillelagh, as soon
as the words had passed his lips. And after that we were left in
peace to enjoy the view.
Taamra is seen on a neighbouring domed hill. Jebel Tur
(Mount Tabor) rises opposite where I sit under Endor ; and under
Tabor, but invisible, is Daburri (in maps Daburriyyeh), ancient
Dabereth of Zabulon, between that and Issachar, where the nine
* Bead Luke vii. 11-17. ; I. Kings or I. Samuel xxviii. 7.
VOL. II. Q

218 The Inner Life of Syria.
Apostles waited during the time of the Transfiguration, and vainly
tried to cure a child possessed of a dumb devil.* The Plain of
Esdraelon ends behind Tabor. Jebel esh Shaykh (Hermon) is
white with snow in the horizon. The long range of Jebel Nasirah
(Nazareth) seems to run from behind Jebel Tur, and to stretch
away further than I can see. Endor itself consists of twenty,
wretched huts on the incline of a hill, and above and about it are
many caves, but that of the original witch, whose descendants are
quite worthy of her, is the largest and most accessible, and
contains a fountain. Inside, at a guess, it is about twelve yards
long and five wide, high enough to walk about in, and the water
may be a foot deep. At the end where the big fountain is, there
is another little fountain, and a dry scoop in the rocks with water
dripping from the top ; on the other side is a larger scoop the
shape of a big head, which also drips. There were crones and
pretty girls drawing water — dreadful old women who accused me
of having the " evil eye," which made my servants very nervous.-
Blue eyes are always considered dangerous in the East. I said,
" You are quite right, ye women of Endor, I was born with the
evil eye." Whereupon they were very civil to me that I might
not hurt them.
We then descended into that part of the plain between Endor
and Nazareth, still called Merj ibn Amir (Esdraelon), and it was
so hot and close that I fell asleep on my horse for fully an horn-,
and he only awoke me (by breaking out unasked into a furious
gallop, which he declined to slacken till we came to the little
village of Iksal. The plain I thought was more beautiful, and
better cultivated than our Buka'a. Iksal is the ancient Chesul-
loth, of the tribe of Issachar. We then came to the torrent of
Kishon, where Barak and Deborah delivered Israel from Jabin
and Sisera, and Jael drove a nail through Sisera's head* Here
also Alexander, son of Aristobulus, at the head of 30,000 Jews
was defeated by Gabinus, who killed 10,000 of them. He was
decapitated at Antioch by Pompey's order.
We next came to the Mountain of Precipitation, whence the
Jews wanted to throw down our Saviour. The ascent was very
steep, a goat-path scramble, which we did on foot leading our
* Bead Mark ix. 13-28. # Bead Joshua xix. 18 ; Judges iv. 4.

Nazareth. 219
horses. We are toiling up this famous steep to see our Saviour's
old home, and the synagogue which spurned Him. There is a
slight descent, and we leave to the left Yafa ( Japhie of the tribe
of Zabulon), the country of Zebedee, father of James and John.
We continued half an hour more, riding in the vale of Nazareth.
Beautiful and refreshing was the little town nestling in the
peaceful, smiling vale, part of its houses straggling up the hills.
The first sight that met my eye was my baggage mule with my
"little all" on its back, which had left us at early dawn,
struggling in a big tank of water into which it had fallen. It was
likely to be drowned for it was tired of swimming, and it would
have sunk had Shahadeh not ridden up and promptly gone to the
assistance of the muleteers. I felt glad to ride into camp, where
I found all our former fellow-travellers, who were very hospitable
to me whilst our tents were being pitched. Whilst sitting about
waiting, the Copt Pilgrims came in a body to ask for bakshish.
Being in our own jurisdiction, I did not like to send them away
empty, and gave them a handful of small silver, as did also my
fellow-travellers. May 5th. — I had not long to wait for the first fulfilment of
my dream. Very early in the morning the Nazarenes sought out
the Good One, and paid him the high compliment of stoning him
and trying also to thrust him out of the City. Verily, " Can
anything good come out of Nazareth?" The camps were all
pitched in a small grassy plain without the town, close to the
Greek Orthodox Church, near the Fountain of the Blessed
Virgin. The two other English camps, the American and
German, were at the further end of it, whilst ours was lower
down, nearest the, church, and hidden from theirs by a slight
eminence. This day was the Greek feast of St. George, and the
church was opened for a religious service. At sunrise a Copt
wanted to enter my tent, either for curiosity or stealing, or
perhaps for the more innocent purpose of asking for bakshish.
At all events to intrude upon " harim " in the East is an outrage.
I was still in bed half awake, and I heard the servants tell him to
go. He refused, and was very insolent; he took up stones and
threw them and struck the men. No one knows what a weapon
the stone is in Syrian hands : it is their natural defence, and they

220 The Inner Life of Syria.
are so well skilled in it that the very girls could defend them
selves. The noise awoke me thoroughly ; I got up and watched
the proceedings through the top of my tent-wall. I called out to
the servants to leave him alone, but by this time they were
angry and began to beat the Copt. A little affair of this
sort amongst the people is such a common thing that nobody
notices it, and it would have been over in a moment, but as
ill-luck would have it, the Greeks, whom it did not concern,
were coming out of church, and seeing a quarrel they could not
resist joining, and sided with the Copt against the strangers.
The cause of disturbance then fled, leaving the Greeks and the
servants to fight over the discord which he had sown. But our
men were but six, and the Greeks were 150, not a troop of
innocent children playing at games as they afterwards stated at
their trial. Captain Burton and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake hearing
the noise, ran out of their tent half-dressed to see what was the
matter, and said and did everything they could to calm the
people. They were received with a hailstorm of stones, each the
size of a melon, which seemed to darken the air for several minutes.
A rich and respectable Greek called out, " Izbahu-hum ; ana b'ati
Diyatkhum," (" Kill them all, kill them all ; I will pay the blood
money ! ") He was doubtless accustomed to settle all these sort
of things by a bakshish to the Majlis. Shahadeh the Druze
Muleteer called out, " Shame ! shame ! this is the English Consul
of Damascus, and on his own ground." Another Greek replied,
" Wa in Kan' ! Wa in Kan' ! " meaning, " So much the worse for
him, we will give him more." I put on some clothes while the
fight was going on and watched my husband. As an old soldier
accustomed to fire, he stood perfectly calm, collected, and self-
contained, though the stones hit him right and left. Most men
under such pain and provocation would have fired into the crowd,
but he simply contented himself, between the blows, with marking
out the ringleaders, to take them afterwards. I ran out to give him
his two six-shot revolvers, but before I got within stone's reach, he
waved me back, and I understood that I should embarrass his
movements ; so I kept near enough to carry him off if he were
badly wounded, and put his revolvers in my belt, meaning to
have twelve lives for his one if he Avere killed. Seeing that he

We are Stoned by the Nazarenes. 221
could not appease them, that three of his servants were badly
hurt, and that one lay for dead on the ground with two Greeks
jumping upon him to stamp in his chest, and that there remained
but three against 150 infuriated barbarians, he pulled a pistol out
of Habib's belt and fired a shot in the air. I understood the signal,
and flew round to the other camps and called all the English and
Americans with their guns. When they saw a reinforcement of
ten armed English and Americans running down towards them,
the cowardly crew turned and fled. But for Captain Burton and
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake's perfect self-posssession, and our friends'
timely assistance, we should none of us have been left alive.
They were as bad as the savages of Somali-land. The whole thing
did not last ten minutes, and we were taken completely by surprise.
The cause of the ill-feeling originated with the Greek
Orthodox Bishop Niffon, of Nazareth, who has since got into
trouble and been recalled. The Turkish authorities had sold to
this prelate a synagogue and a cemetery belonging to the Jews
of Tiberias, some of them British protected subjects, who applied
to Captain Burton to protect their property, and who brought
eighteen respectable Moslem witnessess to prove that it had
belonged to them for 400 years. Captain Burton protested
strongly against this unjust sale; and the authorities promised
to reconsider the question. Eussia has bought the Oak of
Abraham near Hebron, Mount Tabor, and Jacob's Well, near
Nablus; this was about to be be added for a Greco-Eussian
Hospice and Convent, perhaps a Fort in disguise, when it was
unfortunately Captain Burton's duty to oppose the purchase.
Captain Burton then went to the Kaim-makam to report what
had happened, and to ask for redress. The official, who had been
pipe-bearer to the Wali, appeared a meek but kindly man, and
asked, how it was possible to help him, " for," said he, " I have
only twelve Zaptiyeh (policemen), mostly young boys armed
with small canes ; the population is 7000, 2500 of them are Greek
Orthodox." So we had to wait af; Nazareth five days, whilst
Captain Burton sent to St. Jean d'Acre for soldiers. Testimony
was then taken in the Majlis, twelve or thirteen of the ringleaders
were sent to prison, and finally were brought to Damascus. Their
behaviour was extremely insolent. " What do we care ? " they

222 The Inner Life of Syria.
said ; " all will be afraid to punish us because we are Greeks, and
our Bishop can get us off with a word to the Wali, as he has often
done before." So they went to their Bishop with these words,
" You have got us into a scrape, and you must get us out of it ;
we will draw up our own report, and you must sign and seal it ;
and if you do not, leave Nazareth now, for we will not have you
any more."
The Greeks, finding that Captain Burton was in earnest about
having the outrage punished, and fearful that one or more of his
servants might die, came in a body to beg pardon — the women
also called upon me. The Bishop sent to say that he deeply
•regretted the part he had taken. He was not there, he saw
nothing, and could swear to nothing, but that his flock drew up
the report, ordered him to sign it, and take it to the Wali, for
transmission to Constantinople, or not to show his face in
Nazareth till it was settled in their favour. The culprits, mean
while, lay all the blame upon their Bishop, confessed that they
were guilty, and that their report was false, and begged to be
forgiven ; but of all this no notice could be taken, till it came
in writing. Whilst they were so occupied in our presence, this is how they
were manoeuvring in the back-ground. They sent in a most un
truthful and scandalous report of the affair to Damascus, Beyrout,
St. Jean d'Acre, and to Constantinople, which was signed and
sealed by their Bishop, and, curiously .to say, endorsed by the Wali
of Syria, who had not waited or asked for one word of explana
tion from Captain Burton.
The Greeks, in their report, said that we began the quarrel,
when, in fact, we were all in bed, and only ran down to find it
was at its height, and to save our servants from being killed;
that Captain Burton arrested people hap-hazard, whereas he
marked all the ringleaders whilst they were fighting — never
forgetting a face — and carried justice to such a point as to let off
one of the worst, because a single servant could not swear to
him, although all the rest of us could. In their report they
declared that our servants were quite well. One was insensible, a
second spat blood for two months, a third had his ribs dislocated,
and Mohammed Agha received such injuries as to be in bed for

They add Insult to Injury. 223
three months, and narrowly to escape with life. Not a single
Greek was hurt. But here comes the most astounding statement
of all : that " they were a group of innocent children playing at
games, and that Captain Burton fired into them several times : "
and that is almost equalled by another statement, that Captain
Burton entered the church, armed, to profane it, tore down the
pictures, broke the lamps, shot a priest, and that I went in also
in my nightgown and, sword in hand, tore everything down, and
jumped upon the debris, and did many other unwomanly things.
This document was actually signed and sealed by a Bishop, and a
man equal to a Viceroy, and forwarded to Constantinople and to
London, although they knew that every word was impossible,
and an untruth ; yet it was done for the sake of turning a village
row into a religious and political question, and ridding themselves
of a man whose honesty and independence did not suit them.
Captain Burton neither went into the church, nor fired, nor
insulted, nor did any one of our party. I never had a sword in
my hand, and when I had called assistance, I stood still till I saw
my husband safe, and all the wounded men brought in, and then
I sat the whole day, staunching their blood and dressing their
wounds. I did not see the Greek Church for three days after my
arrival. It was not my church, but the nearest -to me, and being
invited by some priests, I went in, and said my prayers at the
Sanctuary. They gave me blessed water to drink from the foun
tain under the altar, and I gave them some money. There was
nothing broken in the church then, and nothing out of place.
They had not had time to invent it.
There is no doubt that Nazareth is very turbulent, and that
the Greeks rough ride over everybody there. The language used
is so bad, that if travellers understood Arabic there would be a
quarrel every day. This was by no means the first, but we were
perhaps the first to resent the injuries done to us. Captain
Burton was most calm and moderate, and all the English and
Americans, and the non-Greek residents of Nazareth, were in
admiration of his prudence and savoir faire, and every one ex
pressed great regret and sympathy for our troubles. We had
always been on most amicable terms with the Greeks, whose civil
and religious authorities were our personal friends, and all except

224 The Inner Life of Syria.
the Bishop of Nazareth were perfectly satisfied. But naturally,
Captain Burton's few enemies, and especially those nearest home,
who might envy him the respect he inspired, tried to make capital
out of the accident. The only mistake Captain Burton made was, '
thinking that the post being very unsafe, it would be better to
defer sending his report of the affair to Constantinople and
London until he reached Damascus, when he should explain the
affair personally to the Wali. Meantime the scandalous reports
were already sent, and he appeared to remain silent. Before he
left Nazareth he took the precaution to make all the heads of
religious factions sign a Kefil, each to bind their own party to
keep the peace after our departure, or the Greeks and Latins
would have made it an excuse to light up the whole country.
Immediately on arriving at Damascus he made his explanation
to the Wali, who condoled with him in the kindest terms; he
wrote to our English Consul-General likewise, to M. Petkawitch,
the Eussian Consul-General, to the Greek Patriarchs of Tripoli
and Jerusalem, and the Greek Bishop of Damascus, most of whom
telegraphed and sent letters of satisfaction and regret. Our
Ambassador at Constantinople, who had received the bad report, ¦
telegraphed to know what it all meant, and a full report was sent
to Constantinople and to London.
To this succeeded nine months of sham trials, of false verdicts,
and suborned witnesses, the prisoners being moved from pillar to
post, by the local authorities, each Majlis sucking their blood in
the shape of " bartil." The following may give some idea of a
local Turkish trial : —
The tribunal began with debating whether the proces verbaux
(formaiat) draAvn up at Nazareth and at St. Jean d'Acre were or were
not admissible. At the second seance (Monday, June 26th), our fellow-
traveller, Mr. 0. F. Tyrwhitt-Drake, was present, and he testified to the
one-sided views, the delays, and the chicanery which as usual formed the
favourite tactic. In vain, our agent pleaded that the tribunal of Acre had
displayed such partiality by examining only Greek witnesses, and by
refusing to hear all others, that MM. Finzi and Barbour, who represented
us, had telegraphed to us at Damascus ; that Captain Burton had sent on
the message to the Governor-General, and that the latter had himself
ordered the prisoners to be brought to head-quarters, and to be tried by
the Grand Court of Appeal ; that His Excellency could not have been

Local Trial. 225
ignorant of the law, and that it was for him to have refused the request
till sentence had been passed at St. Jean d'Acre. The tribunal, however,
declared both documents informal.
I may here mention that a few days after this decision the same
Tribunal of Appeal heard a cause (Finzi versus Bannay) arising out of the
main suit, instead of transferring it to the Tribunal of First Instance
(Majlis Tamyiz el Hukuk el Liwa). The fact is, that this course suited
them best for the purpose of withholding justice, and thus the law was
openly set at nought in Damascus.
On July 3rd, the Governor-General informed us that a Vizirial letter
and the decision of the tribunal directed that bail be taken from the
accused, who were once more to be examined at Nazareth. Captain
Burton protested against this proceeding, and formally placed the re
sponsibility of all delay and evasion of justice upon the authorities of
this province.
The accused spent, it is said, several hundred napoleons to procure this
temporary release, and they would spend hundreds more. Their object
was simply to gain time ; as usual, they trusted to the chapter of accidents,
and to the carefully spread report of Captain Burton's recall. This affair is
used here and at head-quarters to rid the Vilayet of a Consular Officer
who is determined to see justice done — the head and point of offence
Avill be found in six millions piastres which he claims for British proteges.
In July, he officially named Messrs. Finzi and Barbour as his
procwreurs at Nazareth, requesting the Governor-General to make especial
arrangements for their personal safety. He also proposed that Rushdi
Effendi, Governor of St. Jean d'Acre, should preside over the tribunal at
Nazareth. On July 8, the Governor-General informed him that he had
acceded to the latter proposal.

Nazareth, August 1st, 1871.
Sir, By last post we had the honour of transmitting to you a letter
dated February the 26th, in which we explained how the Commissioner,
Othman Bey, commenced the investigation regarding the attack made by
the Greek community on your party at Nazareth.
When we saw the open partiality of the Commissioner for the accused
persons, we presented our objections against his proceedings ; however,
without any effect. We therefore wrote two formal protests, and presented
them to the Pasha of Acca, in the hope that the Commissioner would be
induced to take up the case with more regard to truth and justice. But it
proved otherwise, for the said Commissioner continued assisting the ac
cused party even more openly than before by his way of putting his

226 The Inner Life of Syria.
questions, and hinting at the same time what answers they might give for
their excuse and defence, and by correcting their statements whilst they
were Avritten down. Whenever we Avished to make our remarks and
protests against this, and have them stated in the protocol, the Com-.
missioner objected, would only hear us verbally, and then register our
protest in the manner it pleased him.
On this account we presented yesterday a protest through the Superior
of the Franciscan Convent, objecting against this manner of conducting
the trial, giving at the same time our reasons for protesting. When the
Commissioner heard this he got angry, denied that he had ever refused to
accept our remarks, and obtained from the mejlis a document in cor
roboration of this assertion. This is the custom of mejlises here.
On the 31st of July the Pasha acknowledged our letter, but objected
to the protest, informing us that the protocol had been sealed and made
over to the Commissioner, who would bring it to the Wali. He returned
in the night to Acca, and Othman Bey left for Nablous without having
given us a copy of the protocol, or even shoAvn it to us.
If it had been the intention of the authorities to do justice to your
case, they would not have broken off the investigation in this manner, and
prevented us from seeing the protocol. The accused Greeks have been
given freedom. We enclose a copy of our protest, and also a copy of the
Pasha's answer.
We have only to add that the Commissioner, in questioning the
Greeks, suggested the idea that the wounds and bruises of your servants
might have been caused by a quarrel among themselves, and that the
stone-mark on your arm had perhaps been inflicted by a fall on the
journey previously. The Greeks naturally took up this bold way of
defence, and the Commissioner recorded their answers accordingly.
We have the honour to remain, Sir,
Tour humble and obedient Servants,
(Signed) Finzi and Barbour.
Captain Burton,
H.B.M.'s Consul, &c, &c, &c.

From a Protestant Clergyman to Captain Burton, H.B.M.'s Consul,
Damascus. Nazareth, August 2nd, 1871.
Dear Sir,
The investigation against the people who made the attack upon your
party was suddenly broken off, and all the prisoners were set at liberty.
The Commissioner and the Pasha of Acre left on Monday evening. The •

Local Trial. 227
whole trial was from the beginning a Avretched farce, and with this con
clusion must [necessarily produce the impression upon the population of
Nazareth that any outrage committed upon an Englishman, resident or
traveller, can be committed without fear of punishment, as the Govern
ment will do its utmost to screen the offenders.
* On Monday the workmen at our church were hindered and attacked
by some Moslems, and in spite of repeated complaints, verbally and by
Avriting, the local authorities have done absolutely nothing in the matter.
It is now the third day.
Our church is on the south side, bordering on the property of some
Mohammedans, and I am, under the present circumstances, obliged to dis
continue the work there.
It is urgent to send strong orders to the local authorities. Kaimacam
and Kadi are at present absent.

We received some very kind letters in our troubles, of which I
quote one or two. At last, however, all the respectable authorities
who were anxious to prove the truth, and were, after nine months,
under a new Wali (and we had also left), they resolved to obtain
a hearing. Mr. Consul Moore, of Jerusalem, was sent to examine
into the affair, and the culprits were sentenced to three and four
months' imprisonment, and to a fine of 5000 piastres, which
money was distributed amongst the injured servants. Soubhi
Pasha had appeared to be very sore about the discharge of fire
arms by Captain Burton ; but surely firing in the air as a signal,
when one's life is threatened by a lawless crowd, is a mild pro
ceeding. Had a Turkish Pasha received the minutest insult his
guard would have fired into them, and killed twenty or thirty of
them, and the rest would all have been bastinadoed, and worked
in chains for seven years, but an English Consul must not fire in
the air as a signal for assistance ! I only wished they had attacked
a French or an American camp instead of ours.
In support of this I may quote, that when the Arabs about
Tripoli revolted, in 1870, against the Government, and killed the
Governor appointed by the Turks, the Wali went in person, with
troops, and burnt several villages. Of course it was his duty to
enforce discipline ; but what a farce it is to complain of an
English Consul firing a pistol in the air, to obtain assistance to
defend his own wife, his friends, and four servants' lives, against

228 The Inner Life of Syria.
an unprovoked mob, who wanted to kill them. A French, German,
American, or Eussian Consul would have shot down as many
as possible, and their Government would have said they were
right. It only shows the amount of support given by the English
Government to their employes, and the secret of our position
abroad. The treatment and policy that is successful in Paris,
Berlin, and St. Petersburg, is little understood by people who
have never seen anything but food, piastres, and stick.
If you are not to acquire influence and respect in the place
where you live, how can you transact your work, how can you be
responsible for anything ? From the highest position to the
lowest, the man whose orders are to efface himself, is in a terrible
position. Yet those were the first instructions my husband
received from his immediate superior. Shall I give you an
example of France ? A native Consul always rises and salutes a
European Consul. Once when the French Consul came in, a
native sat and stared at him. He immediately walked over and
pulled him up by the beard, a very strong measure, which my
husband would not take. The Pasha reported it to the French
Government. An English Consul would have been recalled for
" violence to a native gentleman." The French, knowing that if
they put their employe in the wrong, it would reflect upon their
Government, telegraphed that he was perfectly right, and to the
Consul, " Your leave was on its way out to you, we must defer it
for three months, lest the natives should think you were in the
wrong, and are recalled." It must be a pleasure to serve a
Government that treats its employes like gentlemen to be relied
upon, and not like naughty school boys. Our own Government
accepted for nine months the Greek report, backed by a " Bishop "
and a " Viceroy," until it was proved false.
The Greek Bishop Niffon, encouraged by that moral support,
began a crusade against the Protestants, and succeeded in pre
venting several Protestants from Keneh from cultivating their
land, the possession of which was guaranteed to them by the
local authorities, and by several orders from the Pasha of Acca.
I add specimens of the kind letters we received on the
occasion, showing the feeling of those on the spot, and then
will return to describe Nazareth.

Letters of Condolence. 229
Specimens of Letters received every day, showing the feeling in Syria
respecting the Greeks, and the affray at Nazareth.
An English colonist in our own district writes : —
"We are all very proud of the affair at Nazareth. The English in
Syria are looking up at last after playing second fiddle to the French Con
sulate for so long."
Another English settler in Mr. Eldridge's jurisdiction,
writes : —
" I have heard various accounts of all that befel you at Nazareth. I
think that we may all, even Mrs. M. M., send in a vote of thanks to
Captain Burton for his firm dealing with such a mob. The fact is, I
beheve, now that poor France is down, and Bussia is lifting up her head,
the Greeks are becoming a httle impertinent, and need a lesson or two. I
only wish that we were in Captain Burton's district, or that we had a
Consul like him to take an interest in our behalf here."

From a Maronite at Beyrout, who is learning French.
" Ce qui m'a peine c'est la contrariete que vous avez eu durant votre
.voyage dans la Terre Sainte. Dieu l'a voulu ainsi pour donner a ces
barbares par votre moyen une lecon qui les mettra a la raison, et de savoir
respecter a qui on doit le respect. Oh oui ! ils ont recu ce qu'ils ont
merite — une lecon qui ne sera jamais effacee de leur memoire."

From an English Consul.
" I was glad to hear of your safety. The affair at Nazareth must have
been very unpleasant, and I hope the stone-throwing caitiffs will get a
lesson."

From a Protestant Clergyman in Syria. June 28th, 1871.
Dear Sir,
On my return from Jerusalem, the 26th inst., I found your letters
May the 23rd and June the 9th, with this order from H.E. the Wali,
regarding Mich. Kawar. I beg to thank you in the name of the Protestant
community for your kind assistance, and I hope this order, demanding
that no case of a Protestant should be tried except in the presence of their

230 The Inner Life of Syria.
representative, may be the means of protecting them in future from
injustice. I am very sorry to see that the tone of the Greeks is still of a defiant
character, and that they, not only at Damascus, but also at Jerusalem,
spread exaggerated and false reports in the hope to escape the punishment
which their brutal attack upon yourself and servants so well deserves. I
deeply regret this occurrence, and I am well aware that the savage con
duct of the Greek Christians may lead you to form an exaggerated idea
of their turbulent character. Yet since Protestant missionaries came to
Nazareth in 1850, the behaviour of the Greeks formed a favourable con
trast to the intolerance and violence of the Latin Christians, who repeat
edly attacked the missionaries and their premises. The conduct of the
Greeks on the 5th of May was probably not prompted by any ill-feeling
against European travellers, none of whom during the last years were
molested by a Greek Christian ; however, it shows the highly excitable
and impulsive character of the people, who, heedless of the consequences,
are delighted to fight any one, relying on the superior number of their
community. The defiant spirit exhibited by the Greeks after this occurrence is
principally due to the influence of their leaders, who often use their
power to prevent the punishment of an offender, if he belongs to their
party, and thus vitiate the moral ideas of the people, whilst Turkish
officials are too weak to offer any opposition. AH measures taken by you
for the arrest and subsequent punishment of the ringleaders were there
fore absolutely necessary ; for if an outrage hke this should escape punish
ment, no Englishman would in future visit Nazareth without a feeling of
shame, or -without experiencing considerable inconvenience.
This riot strikingly shows the necessity of an improvement in the
police arrangements of this place. Nazareth is every year visited by a
large number of English travellers, and they, as well as the Enghsh
residents here, have neither the assistance of a British consular agent,
nor is there a Consulate Avithin easy reach. It is therefore necessary
that a superior and perfectly trustworthy individual should be appointed
Kaimacam of Nazareth, who might be independent from the above-
mentioned local influences, and afford a guarantee for the security of
foreigners. In case my opinion about some farther particulars should be welcome
to you, I shall, as far as my knowledge goes, be happy to give it.
With kind regards,
I remain, dear Sir, yours very faithfully,
# # # *
Captain Burton,
H.B.M.'s Consul, Damascus.

Letters of Condolence. 231
This is from the Patriarch of the East, and we received similar
letters from the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Bishop of
Damascus. From the Patriarch of the Orthodox Greek Church in the East.
MonastSre Balamend, le 26 Juillet.
Monsieur le Consul,
Avec grand plaisir nous avons recu votre chlre missive du 1 7 Juillet,
par laquelle nous apprenons que Votre Seigneurie nous a adresse une
• precedente lettre nous parlant de l'affaire de Nazareth, laquelle lettre ne
nous est pas malheureusement parvenue jusqu'd l'heure qu'il est, et nous
ne savons pas ou elle peut itre perdue.
Nous nous empressons maintenant de repondre a votre estimee lettre
que nous avons devant les yeux. Nous vous remercions de tout notre
coeur pour les sentiments de sincerite et de veritable affection que vous
nous tenez, vous priant de vous assurer que ces sentiments memes nous les
avons pour votre honorable personne ; consequemment nous ne doutons
pas qu'ils ne se changent point par les affaires de Nazareth quelque soit
leur fin. Tout au contraire, nous nous assurons bien que Votre Seigneurie,
doue de principes de verite et de la sublime justice, qui sont des qualites
des anglais, nous tende la main d'aide si pr^cieuse, lorsque nos besoins la
demandent de quoi nous vous adressons nos remerciements en implorant
au Seigneur ardemment pour la santd et la prosperite de Votre Seigneurie
en toute chose.
Vous priant d'agreer l'expression de notre consideration distingue,
avec laquelle nous prions ardemment le Seigneur pour vous, Monsieur le
Consul. (Signe) Irothe, Patriarche d'Antioche.
A Monsieur le Capitaine B. Burton,
Consul de S.M. de la Grande Bretagne, &c, &c.

I have said that the air breeds mutiny in this part of the
world, and it continues from between Nablus and Nazareth nearly
to Safed. At Nazareth a Jew cannot cross the bazar without being
insulted, nor can the Sultan's subjects inhabit Nazareth. They
attacked the Protestant schoolmaster of Jaffa a year ago. Mr.
Zeller is often annoyed and oppressed. The Eev. Sholto Douglas
was here robbed.
Two persons tried to qunrrel with us at Ayn Dor. At Tahun

232 The Inner Life of Syria.
Tabyeth they threatened to shoot us for crossing the corner of an
open field without hedge or walk. At Tiberias they struck a
Jewish protected subject, and another protected Jew, Yahuda
Sampton; and on the' way to Safed, the Bedawin were quarrel
some, because our horses ate wild grass, and a Mogharibeh wanted
to shoot Mr. Finzi ; and on no one occasion was provocation given.
Simply there is no one to keep order. I wrote this three years
ago.* This is what is to be seen in Nazareth, and what, in spite of
our enthusiastic reception by the Nazarenes, we continued to
visit. First, the Latin Church, which is its largest building, and
has an ugly outside. It contains twenty-six Franciscan monks,
who own a comfortable hospice, and are hospitable, well-edu
cated men of the world. This church covers the home of the
Holy Family, the scene of the hidden and private life of Jesus
during eighteen years, the only part of his life of which we may
be said to know nothing.! The house itself is said to be at
Loreto, where I have visited it. This is the site, and here the
rooms are scooped out of the rock. The entrance has a ground
floor with marble altars, and " stations " all around, and a double
flight of stairs leading up to a chapel built over it. At the top
* It is a thousand pities, as the state of the East is so important to England,
that we do not establish a Committee who shall be called together to sit upon all
questions of difficulty that take place in the East ; or, being absent, their opinion
should be sent for. That the High Powers at Home, instead of always deciding in
favour of the opinion of the officer of highest grade employed in the locality in
question (whose interest, probably, it is to please the local authorities, and keep his
place), might refer to that Committee for judgment as to whether the conduct
pursued by A. B. was right according to Oriental customs and needs or not. I
would compose it of men who really know the East, not of men who have read
about it — such men as Mr. Disraeli, Lord Stratford de Kedcliffe, Sir Henry Eawlin-
son, Lord Strathnairn, the late Lord Strangford, Lord Stanley of Alderley, Captain
Burton, Sir Bartle Prere, Lord Dufferin, Colonel Rathbone, Consul-General Richard
Wood, &c, &c. Then we should cease to be ridiculous in the East, as we are now.
t " And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled
which was said by the prophets : That he shall be called a Nazarite.
" And he went down with them and came to Nazareth : and was snbject to them.
And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom
and age, and grace with God and men.
" And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they
returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed
strong, full of wisdom : and the grace of God was in him."

The House at Nazareth. 233
of these stairs is a High Altar, and inside, behind it, are the
Latin cloisters, and a large painting of the Annunciation. But
we must return to the ground-floor, and descend fifteen marble
stairs to a low black and white marble arch supported by two
granite pillars. Pass under this and you are in the house
scooped out of the rock. There are two Side Altars, one is
dedicated to St. Ann and St. Joachim, the parents of our Lady,
and one to the Angel Gabriel, on the left. A deeper recess
contains the Chief Altar, the real shrine, under whioh there is
a black marble cross in the floor, and this is the Altar of the
Annunciation. Behind the marble cross is written " Hie Verbum
Caro factum est." In a back room in a little chapel, without
a light, is St. Joseph's Altar, and this and the Altar of the
Annunciation are back to back against the "stone wall which
divides them. Phocos, the Greek, says, that " this little chamber,
without light, was the room of Christ from the time of His return
from Egypt till the death of John the Baptist, and that on the
right hand is the Sepulchre of St. Joseph, and moreover that
Christ buried him there with His own hands." It seems more
natural, as he died there, that they would bury him in their own
loculi, instead of carrying him to a spot which, humanly speak
ing, had not yet been thought of, though afterwards consecrated
by the Garden of Gethsemane and the Tomb of our Lady. Yet
on the other hand this might have been Christ's intention, or
Joseph might. have had the natural Jewish yearning to be buried
within sight of the Temple.
Now there is another very puzzling question, not that I wish
to throw a doubt upon or disbelieve what I ought to believe.
This is a cave or grotto, and there never seems to have been in
Nazareth any question of a built house. On the 10th of May,
1291, " the house disappeared from Nazareth, and was recognized
at Tersate in Dalmatia. On 10th December, 1294, it was taken
to Eeconati ; thence to a neighbouring mountain, and finally to
Loreto, where it is now venerated." But the natural grotto or
cave being still in Nazareth, it appears to me that it must
have been the chapel built over it by Constantine the Great that
was transplanted to Loreto. Still it must be considered as a
possibility, because though many ancient and early writers speak

234 The Inner Life of Syria.
of a church, and more than one, for they have been so often
knocked down, only one later writer mentions that the Fran
ciscans, in clearing the ground to build their church (1620),
discovered the actual foundations of the house at present at
Loreto. We have thus one proof that there was a house. At
Nazareth no one knows when it disappeared. Still I should
always honour the house at Loreto in case it might be the house,
and should be afraid to disbelieve the legend.
Here is a winding passage to the right, hewn in the rock.
There are twelve steps roughly cut in the stone leading to a
room above, also scooped out and said to be Mary's kitchen.
There exists what must have been a fire-place, and another for
a washing or cooking place, for everyday life in Nazareth would
have been then just what it is now. Four steps branch off from
the twelve to a little low door, now made to communicate with
the Convent.
Let us now return to the principal shrine. This was formerly
a little cell in the rock. On the 25th of March, 1875 years ago,
in the year of the world 4000, a young girl of fifteen knelt, her
arms crossed upon her breast, her eyes lifted up to heaven. The
Jewish virgin prayed to God for the deliverance of the world,
and sighed for the coming of the Messiah. In those days, in
Jerusalem, every girl bewailed her virginity, for each one hoped
to be the mother of the Messiah ; but she, though of the Eoyal
House of David, though born free from original sin, destined for
this particular purpose by God from all eternity, though served
and guarded by angels in the Temple, she alone never dreamt of
such an honour, but in her lowliness of heart, only thought of con
secrating herself as a virgin in the Temple, and betrothed herself
to Joseph, the humble and venerable carpenter, and this only
by obedience for the protection necessary in those days to avoid
scandal, and meaning still to keep her vow. This was readily
agreed to by Joseph, who was ashamed of being married, on
account of his age, until the designs of God were made known to
him.* There is a broken granite column to the left, and a little
* In explanation of the assertion that Mary lived in the Temple in her infancy,
I may remark that tradition, and the Apocryphal eight chapters on Mary, and
Protevangelion, say that " the High Priest Issachar made a deoree that all virgins

The Annunciation. 235
recess near it : here Gabriel, one of the seven archangels who
always kneel before the throne of God to execute his orders—
the most beautiful and the most powerful — "Gabriel" means
" strength of God " — appeared and knelt, not before the great,
the rich, the powerful, the Kings, but before Mary, before the
purity and humility of an unknown Jewish girl — the virgin
announced by the Prophets, awaited by the Patriarchs, and pro
mised to the first Man — and said, " Hail ! Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou amongst women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb." At these words the young
girl was frightened and trembled; not at the presence of the
Angel, for she must have seen many, but that her purity and
humility were startled. "Whence is this to me ? " she exclaimed ;
and he replied, " Fear not, Mary ; for thou hast found grace with
God. Behold ! thou shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call
His name Jesus." And then Gabriel awaited for her answer,
kneeling respectfully during her silence and reflection. At
length it came, full of wisdom, courage, prudence, humility,
simplicity, and confidence in God. The few words which settled
for ever the question of our Eedemption, " Behold the handmaid
of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to his word."*
This is what took place in that little recess. The workshop
of Joseph is covered by two plain, square, whitewashed rooms.
In one of them are visible the foundations of an ancient chapel
built by St. Helena to cover the spot, but it was destroyed by
the Saracens. There is now an altar of beautiful marbles and
mosaics from Naples, and a cross in marbles on the floor. Tra
dition says that Joseph was a very bad carpenter, and that his
work never fitted, but was always too short or too long, and that
Jesus used to pull them and make them all right for him.
A small, white, domed chapel with a Sacristi covers the Table
of Christ (Mensa Christi), an oval stone, twelve feet long, nine
broad, and four high, which stands in the centre. It is said that
our Lord used to sit at the highest part of it — it gradually slopes
who had a ' public settlement ' in the Temple should leave it at fourteen, lest the
holy place be defiled. Mary was unwilling to leave it. ' Seven undefiled virgins of
the tribe of David ' were appointed to wait upon her, and she was in the Temple
from the age of three to fourteen."
* Luke i. 26-3S.

236 The Inner Life of Syria.
t-o about three feet— and His disciples all around. The altar of
this chapel is also of marbles and mosaics from Naples. The
fountain of Our Lady is of stone, and consists of an arch with six
taps ; the water is good, but on the ground and in the tank it is
muddy — by " the tank " I mean a birket close by, for catching
rain water. Crosses of henna are patched on its walls by the
devout peasantry, who come to draw water, and carry heavy jars
on their heads, as Mary must have done every day. The Greek
Church is built close to it in the form of a Cross, enclosed in
square walls with a tower in one corner.
The chief ornamentation is its ancient and beautiful carved
wood and quaint holy pictures painted before perspective was
understood. The Greeks show also a holy spot. They pull up a
little trap door, and let down a silver goblet by a chain to pull up
a draught of delicious water, and this spring is the source of the
Virgin's Fountain. It is the only time I was ever in the Greek
Church of Nazareth, and I received and returned both respect
and civility.
The Protestant Church is not pretty, for it looks like a blanc
mange fresh from its mould, but it is most praiseworthy that
there should be one at all under such difficulties ; and it is only
justice to say that the Mission, Schools, and Church, and the good
works and example which emanate from them, are all due to two
of the best and most Christian of people — the Eev. John Zeller,
a Eussian, clergyman of the Church of England, and his wife, a
daughter of Bishop Gobat. They are doing all they know to
benefit the people, and they deserve every possible support and
assistance from those of their own faith.
The solitary Mosque is the only picturesque spot here — a few
palms in a green enclosure, a little minaret and a dome peeping
out from the foliage.
The Greek Catholic Church is a poor tawdry chapel, but it
covers one of the most precious, and by far the saddest, reminis
cences of Nazareth's history — the ancient Synagogue where Jesus
last opened his mouth to speak to the people of his own village,
and where they spurned their God, and cast him out for ever and
for ever.* And Nazareth, which was his home, never saw him again.
* Mark vi. 1-6 ; John i. 45, 46 ; Luke iv. 16-30.

The Site of the Synagogue. 237
It is now an arched chapel with two pointed niches, one con
taining a small window, and the other an altar. The sanctuary
contains a tattered, tawdry Greek Catholic rood-screen and two
altars. The part of the church near the door has a portion railed
off by a sort of wooden lattice ; and this is what remains on the
site of the last scene between Jesus and the Nazarenes, where it
is well to kneel and offer up a fervent ejaculation that you and I
may not do as they did.
The Dames de Nazareth own a convent of ten sisters, who
have a school for 126 children, and a small chapel attached.
The best view, far better than Tabor, is from the top of the
hill which backs Nazareth, and from the little Wely at the top,
called Neby Ismail. You can see Jebel esh Shaykh (Hermon),
blue and white, the Mediterranean, Haiffa and Akka on the coast
to the south ; Tabor, like a mound, on the edge of the plain of
Esdraelon, the "Kishon" watering the battle-field of Deborah
and Barak and the Madianites ; Jebel ed Duhy (Little Hermon),
Endor, Nairn, Mount Gilboa (Jebel Fukiia), Zer'in, or Jezreel,
Jennin, Ta'annuk, El Lejjun (Magiddo), Tell Kaimun (Camon),
Sefuriyeh (Sepphoris), El Buttauf, the Plain of Zabulon, and
Cana. We rode to Cana of Galilee, where our Lord changed the
water into wine.* It is one hour from Nazareth, so that it was
natural that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph should have been asked as
neighbours, in the same way that whole villages now flock to a
neighbouring wedding, and that He should have performed His
first public miracle for the edification of his own people, yet
sadly knowing that " no man is a prophet in His own country."
Amongst the ruins of Kefr Kana (Cana in Galilee), the scene
of the marriage feast, there are those of an ancient Christian
church, and a broken marble column shows the site of the house
of Simon the Canaanite, where the water was changed into wine.
The Greek Orthodox show one of the vessels which our Saviour
used in performing this miracle. It was cut in the stone of the
country, and rudely carved. There is a ruined Mosque on the
supposed site of the house of Nathanael and of St. Bartholomew.
Here the centurion asked Jesus to cure his son.f
* Read John ii. 1-11. t Eead John i. 18, iv. 44-54.

238 The Inner Life of Syria.
The only 'other visit that remained to us was to devote a
morning's work to ascending Mount Tabor, a rounded mountain
with patches of shrubs, and with a second-rate view, but still
endeared to us for the sake of the Transfiguration. Tabor is on
the borders of Zabulon and Issachar* There is a cave said to have
been inhabited by Melchisedeck, King of Salem. Every race has
in turn fortified itself on this mountain — Jews, Eomans, and
Crusaders. Now it is quite deserted, unless a priest comes up to
celebrate a Mass on the holy site, or a traveller to visit it, or a
few birds (partridges chiefly) perch there awhile.
We returned again by Iksal (Chesulloth), a poor village, from
which we begin our goat-like scramble for nearly an hour up the
nearly perpendicular Mount of Precipitation. From the top the
Jews tried to throw down our Saviour. Arrived at that spot, we
had the best view of Esdraelon and the torrent of Kishon, and
also we can see Safed suspended on a mountain, Tiberias, and the
Sea of Galilee.
Nazareth appears a large town for Syria, and exceedingly
pretty, nestling in a basin, and climbing up part of the surround
ing hills ; but it has never been mentioned in Scripture till in
connection with our Saviour, as the residence of the "Holy
Family." Nazareth contains Latins, Greeks (both Catholic and non-
Catholic, called Orthodox), Maronites, Protestants, Moslems, and
one Jew.
The houses of instruction are — the Latins, a boys' school, the
Dames de Nazareth (French sisters), a girls' school and orphan
age ; and the Eeverend John Zeller, a school for Protestants.
At Nazareth, as at Jerusalem, they dance a solemn sword-
dance for funereal as well as for joyful feasts. When the Greek
Orthodox women of Nazareth visited me in a body after the out
rage, I was very much struck with the headdress worn by the
married women. It consisted of two horns of silver on a cushion
of blue, beginning very large at the bottom and becoming small
and tapered at the top. It was covered with coins, worth from
« Read Mark ix. 1-12; Joshua xix. 22, 23. Also Jeremias xlvii. 17, 18;
I. Paralipomenon, or Chronicles, vi. 77 ; Psalms, or Psalter, xlviii. 13, 14.

Greek Head-dress. 239
4 piastres (8d.) to 26 piastres (52 pence). It had a little green and
red striped cap behind, shaped like our modern nets, and a green
silk lappet. First there were sixteen pieces of 26 piastres each, like
a fringe on each side. There were two half-pound pieces of
gold, and one very large old French coin in front, of gold, and
exceedingly heavy. The lappets had six pieces of gold in two
and two, and there were sixty-five pieces of gold in all. I asked
her if I might look at it, and she took it off. I was not prepared
for its weight, and almost dropped it : it was 141bs. weight — a
stone. She begged me not to keep it long, as her head was so
used to it that whenever she took it off she suffered from light
ness of head. It gave me the idea of having some connection
with ancient customs, such as the worship of the moon-goddess, as
it seemed exactly like two half-moons beginning near the ears,
and meeting at the top of the head.
I need not say that on the day of our brutal attack we had to
do all the work of our own tents, and cooking, and horses ; and
even if we had wished it, we could not have moved on with four
men disabled and helpless. Dr. Varden and myself were entirely
occupied with the suffering men. Captain Burton and Mr. Tyr-
whitt-Drake took charge of the tents and horses, and the doctor
sent me a woman to help to cook, as it was also necessary to pre
pare soup and invalid food for the wounded, who, in consequence
of their injuries, suffered from fever. The Sais, or groom, was the
first to recover. My husband's sword arm had also been injured
by stones, which put him out, as without a right arm a man is
rather helpless, and the sprained muscles were not thoroughly
cured for two years. Besides this we were obliged to be prepared
for a night attack for revenge ; and what with the whispering of
the soldiers who had come from St. Jean d'Acre, the evident
excitement prevailing in the town, and the barking of dogs, the
nights were not peaceful enough to rest well.
On the 6th took place the deputation of Greeks and women.
The men to my husband, the harims to me. All day and every
day we had crowds of visitors.
On the 7th I was able to receive Holy Communion in the
Grotto of the Annunciation.
Mr. Cunningham Graham was here, and so ill that we were

240 The Inner Life of Syria.
afraid of his not recovering. We induced him to take up his
quarters at the Latin convent, where he was carefully nursed till
he was able to move towards home, and I saw him in excellent
health at Trieste in 1874. He had the Dragoman who so in
terested a Eeverend Gentleman I spoke of at Bludan by pre
tending to take notes of his sermons, which proved to be three
letters of the alphabet written hundreds of times over.
When my husband and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake were occupied
with the trial at the Majlis, I used to spend much of my time
with Mrs. Zeller and the French sisters, who had a nice bath
room with taps of hot and cold water — a great luxury in these
latitudes. The last trial lasted four and a half hours. I sent a petition
by the Latin Fathers, whilst it was going on, that the sentence
might be as light as possible, only to show them that these out
rages must be punished. Nevertheless the Kaim-makam sen
tenced them to walk tied together two and two through the town,
and so make their exit to St. Jean d'Acre. It was a wise and
firm step on his part, as subsequent events showed that this was
the only part of their punishment which made any impression
upon them, and afterwards deterred them from those outrages
which they had always until then practised upon travellers. The
whole town turned out to see them go. A guard was ordered for
our tents. That was our last evening, and we dined and spent it
with Mr. and Mrs. Zeller.
At 7.25 a.m., 10th May, we left Nazareth, and every one came
out to see us depart. Our exit was over a steep country, com
posed of slabs of slippery rock. The man in front of us was
riding a nice mare. She fell on her side down the rocks, but
fortunately the rider was not hurt ; she was picked up without
much more than a good shake and a scraped flank. In half an
hour we arrived at Er Eaineh, another village on a hill where the
Protestants have a little chapel. And in another half-hour at
Neby Yumaz (El Meshed), the ancient Gath-hepher of the tribe of
Zabulon, the country of Jonas, who was buried here. * Another
quarter of an hour took us to Cana (Kefr Kana), already seen.
We then turned off our way to visit Sefuriyyeh (Sephoris, an-
* IV. Kings or II. Kings xiv. 25 ; Joshua xix. 12-13.

Barude. 241
cient Diocoesarea, Diocletianopolis, Autocratorida, Zippor, now
Sefuriyyeh), a fanatical village upon a steep hill, containing
about 3000 inhabitants, the road to which is a pleasant ride
through a cultivated plain (El Buttauf) and olive groves, but
with a steep ascent at the end. The Sanhedrin took refuge here
in a.d. 70, when Titus destroyed Jerusalem. It is the country of
Joachim, father of our Lady, who married Anne the Bethlehemite,
daughter of Mathan, an Israelitish priest of Bethlehem, by Mary
bis wife. It is covered by a castle. Here are the ruins of a
Gothic church, which covered the site of .Joachim's house, and
a square tower on the hill top, of Jewish workmanship. In
Boman days this was the strongest tower of Galilee. We passed
the Sahl Turran on the edge of a basaltic plain, where we saw the
field of wheat supposed to be that where our Saviour, being
hungry, ate the grains.* We reached in three hours the tomb of
Neby Sh'aib, where we breakfasted.
The greater part of our journey had been made pleasant by
cultivated undulating flowery plains, but every here and there
were stony and difficult passes and tracks. We fell in again with
our former fellow-travellers, and had a gallop over the plain
together. Neby Sh'aib was a charming rocky glen, with green
and water. Stairs led up to the old tomb, which owned shady
arches, under which we slept. We passed the ruins of Khan
Lubiyyeh. We then all left together, and rode through the
little village of Hattin, where we lost our dog, an interesting camp
follower with a mysterious history. About three weeks before,
a fine large Kurdish mastiff appeared on a hillock, wistfully
watching our camp. He was a monument of those fine feelings
of humanity which Mr. Hepworth Dixon, with a child-like
earnestness, lauds so much in the Arab. The poor beast was
almost a skeleton, a broken cord tied round his neck was eating
into his flesh ; a large raw hole was evidently burnt into his side.
Full of compassion I enticed the miserable brute with a plate of
bones, which he greedily, but timidly and suspiciously, devoured.
I retired a few paces, not to frighten him, and at last he got
familiar enough to take from my hand, but if I attempted to
touch his cord he flew from me in terror. It was evident that he
* Read Matthew xii. 1-9.

242 The Inner Life of Syria.
had been tied up and brutally burnt with a torch or hot iron,
either for amusement, or for some misdemeanour. The whole
camp could not hold him to take it off, so we let him be. He
attached himself to me, and slept at my tent door,, and allowed
no man nor beast to come into camp without orders. We tried
him with all kinds of names, and he answered to "Barude"
(gunpowder). Still, as long as he wore that cord he was at every
man's mercy, like a bull with a nose ring. When we got familiar
enough to share breakfast and dinner, and even morning tea,
together, I held a plate of meat to his nose, and whilst he was
engaged with it, I slipped a sharp penknife under his cord ; he
struggled and bounded, which helped the penknife, and the cord
remained in my hands. He flew away into the desert, as if I had
at least cut off his tail, but in an hour returned, astonished at his
good fortune, crawled on to my knees, and licked my hands,
evidently saying, " I know now what you have done for me." He
never left me any more till, in riding through Hattin, he delibe
rately turned up another street ; it might have been his home, or
he saw some one he knew. I called and whistled, and sent men
back after him for ten shillings reward, but I never saw him again.
An hour later we passed between Hattin and Tiberias, the site
of the first miracle of the loaves and fishes.* We had a gentle
ascent and came to a few rocks, or a scoop on a mountain top, on
the southern extremity of Kurmul Hattin. There are some large
blocks of basalt, which were put here by St. Helena, and were
called the twelve thrones of the twelve apostles. The Jews say
that Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, was buried at the foot of this
hill ; and it was on this hill that Jesus Christ taught the Gospel
of the eight Beatitudes.f The Crusaders camped and fought here ;
and the Holy Cross, carried by the Bishop of Lydda, was taken
by the Saracens. $
We have a most beautiful view descending this mountain
into Tiberias. The little town lies on the edge of the lake, whose
blue waters had charmed us for a long time. There were one or
two fine cliffs visible on our descent — the work of an earthquake.
The lake is a pretty miniature, but not nearly so grand as the
Dead Sea. * Read Matthew iv. 22-25. t Read Matthew v. 1-16.
% Tobias, 8.

The Lake of Tiberias. 243
We had a lazy and comfortable evening.
May 11th. A lazy morning. Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake had fever.
Bahr Tubariyyeh (Lake of Tiberias, Sea of Chinnereth, Lake
Gennezareth, Sea of Galilee, as it has variously been called),* is
a most interesting locality to Christians. It is pear-shaped, about
13 miles long, and 8 miles where broadest. It is very blue,
745 feet below sea level, and about 30 fathoms deep. It
is the middle of the three great basins of the Jordan. The
waters are sweet, and full of fish. Around it lie the eight
towns so much frequented and distinguished by our Saviour.
There is much dispute as to the proper site of one and all, save
Tiberias. The others are Capharnaum, Bethsaida in Galilee,
Bethsaida Julius, Dalmanutha, Chorazin, Magdala, and Genne
zareth. We came here to go round the lake, which is all sur
rounded by a hilly country, and to hunt for these sites, making
Tiberias our head-quarters. There was only one boat on the lake,
and we managed to hire it with sailors for our stay.
Tiberias is a Holy Jewish City, in the tribe of Zabulon, in
Galilee, and was founded sixteen years before Christ, by Herod
Antipas, Tetrarch of this province, who called it Tiberias, in
honour of the Emperor, his protector. He built a palace, and
made it his capital. Caius, successor of Tiberias, gave it to
Agrippa in 41 a.d.
After the destruction of Jerusalem, Tiberias became a refuge
for the Jewish nation, and in the second century the seat of
the Sanhedrin, governed by the celebrated Khakham (Eabbi)
Juda Hakodesh, who compiled, or assisted in compiling, the
Mishna.t From the school of Tiberias came the Gemara $ whose
principal author was the Khakham Jochonan, and the Masorah §
meant to conserve the purity of style and pronunciation. In
speaking of the Jews to those who have not thought much about
* Read Matthew vi. 8-15 ; ix. 1-34; xv. 29-39.
t Mishna is in Arabic, El Muthanna (the repetition), the second law. The text
of both the Jerusalem and the Babylonish Talmud, as distinguished from the
Gemara, or commentary on the text.
J Gemara means perfect and complete. The second part of the Talmud, or com
mentary on the Jewish laws : in fact, its completion.
§ Masorah is a critical work, containing remarks on the verses, words, letters,
and vowel points of the Hebrew text of the Bible.

244 The Inner Life of Syria.
them, I perhaps might be allowed to explain that the Sanhedrin
was the highest Judicial Tribunal, or Chief Council, among the
Jews, consisting of seventy-two members, including the High
Priest, who presided.
For three centuries Tiberias was a step mother to the Jews
in place of Jerusalem. The Khakham Bar-Anina, who taught
St. Jerome Hebrew, was a native of this place. Another person
of note, named Yusuf, discovered amongst the Jewish treasures
the Gospel of St. John and the Acts, translated from Greek to
Hebrew, and the Gospel of St. Matthew in Syriac as he wrote it,
and became a Catholic. Tiberias has a castle and a few palm
trees, and is situated on the borders of the lake. It is a large
town, and contains at least 2000 inhabitants, almost all Jews.
The people wear curls at each side of their faces. It was very
hot, but nevertheless they came to visit us all day long, and
the women came in a body to see me. They were very cordial
and hospitable. They took us to see the Synagogue — a square
building or room, a pulpit in the middle ; wooden seats run all
around the wall. There was a cupboard, hidden by a curtain,
which all devout Jews kissed. It contains scrolls of their law in
magnificent cases. A separate room looks down upon their Syna
gogue, and contains their library, where some of their learned
men were studying and praying. We then visited the house of
our friend Zelmina, a Jew, who was much attached to us during
all our time in Syria, and whom we much liked and respected.
We went to see the Chief Eabbi, and had a very pleasant visit.
His daughter was a very pretty girl, who had just arrived at the
age to have her hair cut off— such beautiful hair that I felt it was
a barbarous sacrifice. I rather thought that she agreed with me,
though she was too orthodox to say so. There was a Damascus
Jewess present, on a visit to her Tiberias friends ; and one could
not help contrasting the difference of the coreligionists. The
Damascus lady was very much dressed and painted, with a great
assurance in her manner ; the Tiberias simply dressed, no paint
except Nature's, and humble and courteous in her greeting — quite
the town and country mouse.
To go round the lake leisurely, and to hunt for the eight
cities wherein our Saviour preached and Avrought miracles, occu-

Around the Lake. 245
pies two days. We started at 7 a.m. We were by chance thirteen
souls. The sailors took their nets to fish for " musht," whilst we
explored on land. All was just as it should be. First we came
to Magdala (Mejdel), the hamlet which gave birth to our sinful
Saint Mary Magdalen, the example of hope to the unhappy of
our sex. It must have been a very different place then. Now it
owns twenty wretched huts, with little straw coops for sleeping on
the roof in hot weather ; one ' palm tree ; a green fringe of low
bushes to the water's-edge ; it smells horribly, and looks most
wretched. There is a tomb here of a Shaykh (El Ajami), the
name implies a Persian Santon ; there is a tomb seen on a moun
tain, said to be that of Dinah, Jacob's daughter. Small boys
were running in Nature's garb on the beach, which is white, sandy,
pebbly, and full of small shells.- We had heard that there were
ants at the top of a high bare rock in the lake near here ; we
found them, and spiders also, and we wondered how they got
their living. Further on was a Bedawi encampment amongst
the oleanders on the beach. Slid Abu Sitti their tribe was called,
and their chief, Tellawiyeh. Their black tents were perched
above the water, as if on purpose to catch fever.
There was no wind, and it seemed very slow work rowing
round the broad end of the lake. There was no sign of any town
of Gennezafeth, whose land — west side of the lake — is the birth
place of Andrew, Peter, and Philip ; nor yet of Bethsaida of Galilee.
We only know or guess where they must have been. Chorazin is
a two miles' difficult walk up a wady to the north, and very rocky,
through a thorny jungle. The Arabs called it — that is, the road —
Kathir 'Maloun, which means "thoroughly accursed," for it was
very hot, and the ruins and the well were not much to See when
we got there ; still, it was a satisfaction to have lost nothing by
staying away and thinking we ought to have gone. Tell Hum
is supposed to be Capharnaum.* Here the Semakfyeh Arabs had
burrowed holes for the winter. It was inhabited by our Lord, and
is where He went into the Synagogue and cast out from a man
an impure devil; here also the Paralytic was let down through
the roof. Here He cured Peter's mother-in-law, and the servant
* Read John xxi. 1-25, vi. 1-72; Mark ii. 1-12; Luke v. 31-40; Matthew xvii.
21-26, iv. 12-21, viii. 1-24.

246 The Inner Life of Syria.
of the Centurion, and preached the doctrine of the Holy Eucha
rist, and foretold the fall of Capharnaum. Peter here found the
silver piece in the fish's mouth. Capharnaum was a town border
ing on the tribes of Naphtali and Zabulon. It was great under
the Eomans — it had a garrison, a synagogue, and a douane, or
custom-house. Here Christ preached His doctrine and performed
His miracles. There is an old tower built of big stones, some
sculpture, and a few huts, palms, and oleanders. What ruins are
left extend along the beach. It is thought that Jesus and Mary
lived with Peter and his stepmother, as it is certain that our
Lord had no house of His own.* -
We saw an oblong building standing from north to south, with
several bases of columns in situ, a partition running across it. At
the north end there were carvings of a little temple in the door
way, with columns on a stone, and two small pillars in alto relievo.
The worst was, that when we landed and went inland to see any
thing, we generally had to push our way through the thorn
jungle, and came out like pincushions. The weather was perfect,
but only too close and still ; we should have liked more wind for
our boat, but the lake was set like an opal in emeralds. I never
saw such perfect colouring.
Poor Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake was sick, but all the rest of us were
in high spirits. Towards night there was a glare behind the
mountains, as if some great town in the neighbourhood was on
fire — a sign of heat, they said. The night was sleepless, through
the stifling air — fleas and mosquitoes were numerous; but we
slept a little towards morning. Bethsaida Julius is on the Jaulan
side of the lake, which Philip, son of Herod, Tetrarch of Bethania .
of Trachonitis and Auranitis, founded, and called Julius after the
daughter (Julia) of Augustus. Philip Herod was buried here in
a superb monument. Here our Lord opened the eyes of the blind
man ; and between Bethsaida and a stream called the Little Jordan
and the lake, He multiplied the loaves and fishes for the second
time. It is now called Et Tell, and the country is awful, the site
is an hour away, and there is no road to it ; so few go on account
of its difficulties. Dalmanutha is said to be quite at the south of
" Matthew viii. 20.—" And Jesus saith unto him : The foxes have holes, and the
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head."

The Baths of Emmaus. 247
the lake ; but whether it is or no, there is only the usual debris
and a few stones left of it.
As soon as we returned I went off to the hot baths of Hamath,
or Emmaus, about three-quarters of an hour along the shore of
the lake south of Tiberias. On the way I passed columns and
the remains of the fortifications of old Tiberias, and tombs cut in
the rocks. The first bath is at the foot of the mountain on the
borders of the lake. It has a large fine white marble basin,
through which the water passes. It is surrounded by columns of
marble, supporting a cupola to let the vapour out. Pliny men
tions these waters, and they are still considered good for rheu
matism. They are salt and sulphuric, and make one look yellow
and muddy until re-washed in clean water. In the middle is the
large marble basin with little rooms around it; here people bathe
for bone aches, so it was full of harims, some of whom I knew.
They were all in the big basin. I did not understand why they
told me to go in cautiously, and not to be afraid. I laughed, and
by way of showing them that English women were accustomed to
water, and were not afraid, I plunged in for a swim ; but I soon
repented of my bravado. It gave me a considerable shock, for
the heat is estimated at 142° (Fahrenheit) by Wilson. I felt as
if I had jumped into boiling water. My skin was all burnt red,
and I soon began to be faint. However, I remained in about
twenty minutes. My Syrian girl, who went in with me, but
cautiously, as advised, did faint, and had to be taken out. After
leaving the bath I felt much invigorated, and lost all the fever
and illness resulting from the bath in the Dead Sea. She ex
perienced the reverse, and I left her to rest in the divan, and
went to the new Synagogue, where is the tomb of the Eabbi
Mahiyeh Akiba, standard-bearer of Bar Kaukeba, and from
thence to the old Baths of Solomon, hotter and more sulphuric
than the others. I found an acquaintance from Beyrout, who had
been brought all the way in a tahktarawan (palanquin). We
drank some sherbet together. I then went to see the Latin
Church, which was being renewed. The original was built by
Tancred, Governor of Tiberias during the Crusades, on the site
where our Lord gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven.*
* Matthew xvi. 15-20.

248 The Inner Life of Syria.
There is one monk, with a few lay brothers, here. I then went
into camp to receive the Jewesses in my tent.
A Bedawi Shaykh brought me a beautiful white mare for a
present. I had to look hard the other way to refuse the tempta
tion — harder still, because who is tempted by few things is
tempted stronger, and because I knew that there must be some
thing not altogether right in the background, to be done for it.
Speaking of bartil (bribes), I may remark, that whenever a man
wants you to do anything wrong, the civilized and high caste
Damascus way is first to flatter your genius, talents, and esprit,
then to insinuate that your enemies have been abusing you most
fearfully, and that the speaker has been fighting for you and
taking your part. He is the only person capable of seeing and
appreciating your extraordinary qualities. Then they offer their
bait. It may be money, or horses, or, if a woman, jewellery. A
man once went so high with my husband as £20,000 — £10,000 on
the table and £10,000 when the thing was done ; and it would
have paid him well. When you refuse a good thing they are
utterly amazed; they never calculated upon it. Then they
threaten you with the Embassy and Foreign Office, and the ruin
of your patronage, whatever it may be. Generally they know
some member of some royal family, who will see you crushed in
their behalf— that is, they have perhaps seen the hem of his
garment upon a public occasion. This was the fifth horse I had
refused ; and as to diamonds, I have been untrue enough to my
sex, when very much importuned, as to lay them on the door-step,
in order that the donors might be forced to take them away.
Everybody has some weakness, before which they are apt to go
down like a reed before the wind ; but I confess that diamonds
do not tempt me, unless they come to me honestly. When an
official in the East, especially in the Levant, tells you " Nobody
has ever offered me a bribe," do not believe him ; he says that
only to gull Englishmen at home. Believe rather, that the
very men who say that the loudest, have their houses stocked
with provisions all the year round, so that they can lay by their
salaries ; that the horses they ride are " lent " to them, and that
the money they receive is either paid over to a Dragoman
and shared, or is " an anonymous donation for the poor-box."

The Cities around the Lake. 249
People do not openly take presents to be reported home. 1
do not blame anybody, except an English gentleman, for taking
gifts, since the day my husband was recalled ; for who knows,
after resisting every temptation, and working harder than any
slave for his country, at what moment he may be turned
adrift and penniless, to begin life over again in his old age. A
gentleman or a lady cannot take them, for noblesse oblige, and
there is always something not quite truthful or not quite fair to
be done for it. Towards evening we had a pleasant little breeze.
Next morning we agreed to ride round the northern end of
the lake. We galloped over the plain Wady Hammam, as
close as we could to the lake, which was sandy, and full of little
forests of oleander, and streams sometimes up to the girths. It is
exceedingly pretty and picturesque, and infested by Bedawin. An
hour's ride brought us to the land of Peter, Philip, and Andrew,
but there is no town of Gennezareth nor of Bethsaida of Galilee.
The site of Bethsaida is supposed to have been on the direct line
between Damascus and Egypt, on the borders of the lake,
sheltered by mountains, well watered, fertile, and rich with corn
and game. It must have been of some importance, and Khan
Miniyeh, close by it, must have been its port. Here are the
remains of a Church built by St. Helena, over Peter's house. But
Khan Miniyeh is a disputed locality. Some say it is Capharnaum,
and others that it is Bethsaida of Galilee. There is the Khan
close to the white beach, shells, oleanders, and little bay, a pretty,
green, shady place, whose streamlets produce a crop of rank luxu
riance here rare. Then comes Ain Tabigah and its water-mill,
which some say is Bethsaida of Galilee. It has brackish streams,
a few walls and arches, a shelly beach, remains of a Koman
aqueduct, a wall, and a ruined heap of rubbish.
Some even say that Dalmanutha is near Magdala ; others place
it near Ain el Barideh ; others again close to the Jordan, at the
southern extremity of the lake, and this seems the most likely.
Mejdel, Maggedan of Matthew xv., and Dalmanutha of Mark viii.,
and Magdala, the birthplace of Mary Magdalen, according to
many are all one and the same.* Everybody differs in their con-
* Read for general use concerning the towns around the Lake, John i. 4-44 ;
Matthew xi. 1-20 ; Mark iii. 1-20, v. 21-43, vii. 32-37, ix. 29-40 ; Luke vi. 12-19,
ix. 37-44, xiii, 10-17.
vol. n. s

250 The Inner Life of Syria.
jectures. What appears to me to be the least known is Gergesa,
in the country of the Gergesenes, on the east side of the lake,
where Jesus Christ cast out an impure devil from a man.*
May lAih. — At 3 a.m. we rode quickly towards Khan Miniyeh
along the borders of the lake. After a scramble of one hour and
thirty-five minutes over rocky hills, we came to Khan Jubb Yusuf,
which is said to be the well into which Joseph was let down.f Here
we found water, shade, and grass for our horses. Thence we went
to see some curiously carved stones, that we had heard of at
Keraseh ; they did not repay our trouble. We then had a some
what difficult ride, steep ascents and descents over sharp ridges of
stones. Some Bedawin disputed with us about wild grass that
belonged to nobody, because our horses had nibbled at it ; and
so proud are the Mogharibehs, that a ragged fellow considered
himself insulted by Mr. Finzi gently asking him to hold his
horse for a few minutes, a thing that in our part of the world he
would have run to do as a matter of courtesy. He levelled his
gun at Mr. Finzi, who, being active, knocked it out of his hand
and took it from him. Thereupon the proud beggar followed us
almost upon his knees for half an hour, when it was restored to
him, with a caution not to threaten Englishmen in future. About
half an hour before coming to the town of Safed, the country of
Tobias,J there is a very pretty fountain at the foot of the
mountain. The entrance to the town is through a gorge, all
green with olive gardens, pomegranates, and cultivation. The
town appears at first to hang upon a mountain declivity. Being
perched several thousand feet above sea-level, it is very cold — a
treat in Syria — and the view is magnificent. Till you reach the
top you have no idea how large it is. The ascent begins at the
fountain, and winds round and round the mountain like a serpent ;
as you ascend you fancy that you are passing several villages, but
all are part of the town, and it is only on reaching the summit
that you understand the extent and form of this Jewish Holy
City, renowned for its learning and its piety.
We were smoking our narghilehs in our tents by 4.30 p.m.
and receiving our Jewish visitors.
* Read Mark viii. 22-26 ; Matthew viii. 21-34, xii. 22-24, xiv. 13-26.
f Read Genesis xxxvii. 19-28. J Tobias i. 1.

Safed— Jewish Holy City. 251
The next morning we climbed to the summit of the mountain,
which is covered by the ruins of a castle. It extends over the
whole top of the mountain, and there still remains some solid
masonry, but not very ancient ; some attribute it to the Crusaders.
It is surrounded by a dry moat. The view is glorious. From
this position we see the form and extent of Safed like a map
beneath us. The town extends all around the castle and the
mountain, overhanging all its declivities. It is divided into three
different quarters, occupied by Moslems and Jews ; the Moslem
quarter is sub-divided into four : Harat el Watar, Harat el Akrad
(of the Kurds), Harat es Suwaween, and Harat el Jurn. The Jews
occupy two quarters, divided into Harat el Mogharibeh, Esh
Hasardim, El Hasura, and Esh Shekamiyeh, 5,400 souls ; Sephar-
dim, 3,600; Purishim, 160. Total, 9,160. There are no Ashkenazim
Jews. The sixteenth century was Safed's golden age of learning
and funds. They had synagogues, schools, and printing-press ;
but these poor people suffered sad reverses. On 1st January, 1837,
a fearful earthquake occurred, the castle toppled down, and all
the houses on the steepest declivity, which are Jewish, shared the
same fate, and 5000 Jews were buried in the ruins of their houses;
many were instantly killed, some died a miserable death entombed
alive, and others were dug out after five or six days, but so
mangled and prostrate from hunger and thirst, as only to gasp and
die. Printing-press, schools, and synagogues were all involved
in the common ruin.
Beyond and around the town, extending over mountain and
valley, an extensive range, is cultivation — olive-groves, pome
granates, grass, gardens, grazing cattle, and flocks of goats, giving
it a peaceful and pastoral appearance. There is at this season
seen a greenness about the so-called barren mountains imme
diately outlying these — that is from a distance ; they seem very
different when you ride over them. As we stood on the summit
we began to look from north to east in a circle, and we could see
with the naked eye Jebel Kan'an, and Burj (a tower), Ali ed
Dahar, the peak Jebel Kulayb, Kaukab el Hawa (a Crusader's
castle) near Scythopolis, a cone or pointed mountain near Wady
Farra, Kurm Hattin (horned mountain), where we were the other
day (said to be Ecbatana, where the Cross was lost) ; the top of

252 The Inner Life of Syria.
Tabor, the tomb of Eabbi Shamoon, on Jebel Meiriin; the
villages of Sa'asa, Feshkala, Ain Zaytoun, and several others ;
Jebel Eihan to the north. Carmel on the Mediterranean; the
Plain of Esdraelon, the Mountains of Gilead ; the pear-shaped Sea
of Tiberias, with its hamlets ; and the Jordan flowing in and out
at our feet to the south. Whilst Samaria and the Valley of the
Jordan seemed quite close, the eye commands an enormous
range ; the Jaulan and the Hauran stretching right away into the
Arabian Desert, the ancient kingdom of Bashan. Having seen
the general features of the town and its position, we descended.
I need not say that from the hour of our coming the Jews
were all hospitality, and flocked to our tents to await us. We
were never more gratified with our reception anywhere than at
Tiberias and Safed. The old Khakham, or Eabbi, was charming.
There was also another person who interested me very much.
Many years ago an English Jew, named Cohen, left Liverpool,
taking with him his wife and two little daughters, and settled in
Syria amongst his co-religionists. He and his wife died, and the
two girls were brought up by the Jews at Safed. One married
Mr. Finzi, son of the English Vice-Consul at Acre, the other
(Esther) a Safed Jew named Obo. They know no other life than
this. Although they are in every way completely like Safed
Jewesses, they have preserved sufficient remnants of their English
to converse and be understood. I was much interested and
pleased with Esther. She was delighted to see an English
woman ; and though all these years had passed without her hear
ing anything but Arabic and Hebrew, she began to speak at first
a few words of broken English with me, but after twenty-four
hours her words began to come back to her; and when she
translated her ideas literally from Arabic to English, it was the
prettiest thing in the world. I kept her with me all the time
I was there, in spite of an extremely jealous husband, and felt
quite an affectionate interest in her. Since I left she has written
me two very nice letters in English, which I answered. She told
me that she would like to have some books to improve her
English and teach her children, and perhaps to open a school;
and I sent her a large parcel of children's first English books,
maps, copies, and primers for spelling and reading. 1 learnt

El Huleh. 253
from her all their domestic customs, history, " charms," mode of
life — in fact, their vie intime.
It was very hot at Safed in the day time, and very cold at
night. We went to visit the various synagogues. One had
an abundance of old painted carved wood; the cupboard or
Tabernacle for the scrolls of the Law was surmounted by an
imperial crown and a ducal coronet, under which was an inscrip
tion, and a mirror with an inscription, and hands joining with
fingers parted two and two ; also flowers, dolphins, and grapes.
All the rest of our time was taken up in visiting and receiving
the principal Jews.
Captain Burton and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake left early. They
wanted to go on an expedition by themselves, and left me alone.
I did not start till 7 a.m., and the Khakham and Esther came to
see me off. I had a tiresome ride of two hours and forty minutes
after I left the fertility surrounding Safed, wandering and losing
my way over stony mountains, here and there owning some long
rank grass, till I came to a small village called Almah. Here I
found Bedawin, and as I felt sure that my husband must pass this
way, I waited for him in their black tents under the trees. It
was burning hot, with blasts of scorching wind. The others
came up to me at 3 p.m., and we went on together. We had
a scramble for two hours and twenty minutes up and down
mountains, and through small wadys or valleys, and at last came
to Neby Joshua, here called, but contrary to Scripture, the
Tomb of the Prophet, a white dome on a height overhanging
the plain of El Huleh, which can be seen from afar, and might
have been built to commemorate his victory*
From this height you see my old bugbear from a -new aspect.
The plain of the Huleh is old ground, both to my reader and to
me — an extensive swamp situated very low. All the dry patches
are richly cultivated and fertile, black tents occupy all the best
spots, and the swamps are a fever-stricken copy of Indian jungle.
We remember the sources of the Jordan, the main drain of Syria,
rise above this plain at Hasbeyyah, and that yonder small blue,
triangular lake is Bahr el Huleh (Semachonitis), the waters of
Merom of Scripture. I never see this plain without fever. To-
* Joshua vii. 3-8.

254 The Inner Life of Syria.
day it is black from a recent prairie fire; this happens some
times when the grass is very dry from the intense heat of the sun.
The descent is hard, down the rocks into the plain, so we spared
our horses and made it on foot. We encountered a solitary
jackal, which ran away like a fox.
We galloped for half an hour over the plain, and reached our
tents after sunset, at a spot known to the natives as Ain Ballateh.
We were very tired from the heat, and tried to sleep, but the
stifling atmosphere, mosquitoes, spiders, scorpions, and other pests,
made us envelop ourselves completely in sheets, and walk up and
down all night, keeping up watch-fires. The jackals were very
musical that night. When the morning light came, we were able
to laugh at one another's miserable faces, all swollen with bites
and stings. Mine was not recognizable — it was more like the
face one sees in a spoon ; and even Captain Burton, who always
laughs at our misfortunes in this line, had a forehead all over
bumps, from the sand flies.
11th May. — We were glad to be off early, for all were hot and
feverish. We had four hours and twenty minutes zigzagging
through water, long grass, and rocks, on account of the large
tracts of swamp. We passed several Arab camps. Their summer
tents are made of matting, buffalo spears stand against the door
way or entrance, and their bear-like dogs keep guard.
At last, after a long way round, we came to Jisr (Bridge)
Eejjal, which is very ancient and composed of large stones. Here
we found water and shade under arches, soft sand, a bubbling
river, and a thicket of pink oleanders, against a taller one of
green holm oak.
We then came to Tell el Kadi, where the noble old trees and
upper and lower fountains with ice-like water were truly refresh
ing. We begin to feel now that we are close at home, by the
greenness of the Tell, by the fertility, olives, corn, and pome
granates ; by the bubbling streams bursting through the forest of
holm oak and oleander — such a contrast to the desolation we
have passed through, in the southern part of the Holy Land.
We came to Banias (Dan, or Caesarea-Philippi), and went up
to the castle on the peak, and then descended to a fine clump of
trees, which shade a few wild picturesque Moslem graves. We

Birket er Bam (Lake Phiala). 255
threw ourselves on the grassy carpet under the boughs, break
fasted, and siesta' d. However, people from the town recognized
us, and visited us. We left again at 2.30. Had a two hours and
a half scramble up mountain foot-paths, and arrived at 5 p.m. at
Mashadeh, a Druze village overhanging Birket er Earn (Phiala,
or the Bowl Lake, of Josephus).
All of us except Captain Burton were more or less on the sick
list — some headache or sickness, dysentery or fever, weakness,
and aching bones, from the cold, or heat, or swamps, or insects.
These last even got into our boots ; I felt something hard in
mine, and quickly pulling my foot out, it proved to be a large
stinging insect.
We were up early, however, for we took a great interest in
Birket er Earn (Tank of the High Place), a lakelet in the
mountains below Hermon, at a considerable elevation. It is about
600 yards broad, and 800 or 900 wide, so that it is not quite
round. It is a solitary looking water, which seems to have no
inlet or outlet, and it is popularly supposed to have no bottom.
Our taking soundings greatly attracted the villagers. There was
no boat, so we emptied the water out of all our goat-skins, blew
them up with air, and tied them at each end. On to the top of
these we fastene.d our camp table, and used the tent poles for
oars. We made two, one for Captain Burton and the other for
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake. They sounded with the lead, and the
deepest part proved to be seventeen feet and a half, the tempera
ture 67° 30' (Fahr.). The air began to whistle out of the skins
before they got clear of the long reeds, but they kept on. It has
a weedy bottom, and leeches under the stones. After eight and
a half feet it deepened rapidly, and there were no shells. They
ascertained all this, and got back just in time to save their rafts
too, as the air was exhausted.
We then breakfasted, received Druze visits, and remounted.
We rode for four hours over a stony and uninteresting country
alongside, but at a little distance from, our neighbour, Mount Her
mon. It was a volcanic, dreary waste, making the ride seem longer.
At 4.30 we came to a mill, with trees and water, near Bayt Jenn,
where the hospitable and gracious-mannered Druze miller ran out
and begged us to camp. We had a charming cool night, and all
were quite well again.

256 The Inner Life of Syria.
19th May. — It was a delicious morning, in the cool dawn light,
by the foaming river. We rode for four hours over dreary hills
and up and down stony mountains, till we came to the Katana,
a village of Moslems, only three hours and a half from our own
house, and where I often ride over the plain of Damascus.
We halted under a favourite fig tree, where is shade, water,
and grass ; refreshed our horses, breakfasted, slept, and wrote up
journals. Then we made our remaining three hours and a half in
a quiet amble. The plain was burning, the sun rained fire upon
us, and blasts of hot wind scorched us, till at last we arrived at
Mizzeh, the village on the borders of the green. We entered our
own oasis. Oh ! how grateful were the shade, the cool water, the
aromatic smells. One hour from Mizzeh took us to our own little
paradise, where we met a cordial greeting from all.
20th May. — We turned all our tired steeds out to grass, paid
and dispersed the men and animals that did not belong to us, and
cleaned the weapons and saddlery.
I did not know it then, but it was my last happy day. We
found all manner of official troubles waiting for us ; these lasted
four months, and at the end of that time I left Syria, and have
never since beheld it. The second instalment of my dream !
On the 24th of May we had a reception for Her Majesty's
birthday, when it is the custom to make a festa, and all the
other Consuls and local authorities pay official and friendly visits
of congratulation.

( 257 )

CHAPTEE XXX.
MORE DISAGREEABLES AWAITING US AT DAMASCUS — JEBEL
DURUZ HAURAN— SYRIAN CAMP— JEWS AGAIN.
Having made all the necessary explanations concerning the
Nazareth affair to the Wali, to our Consul-General, to the
Eussian Consul-General, the two Greek Patriarchs of Jerusalem
and Tripoli, and Greek Bishop of Damascus, and having answered
all the despatches from London and Constantinople, Captain
Burton thought everybody was satisfied and contented, and that
the " village row " was ended. He still had left to him a
fortnight's more "leave," and he thought he would use it to
discharge a duty that had long been upon his mind.
The Druzes having paid him several friendly visits, and
frequently begged him to call upon them in the Hauran, he
was anxious to keep up neighbourly relations. He also wished
to copy Greek inscriptions and to explore volcanos which the
road would show. He was not aware that the Wali had a
political move in the Hauran which he did not wish him to
see, or that, seeing, it was to be the signal for him to try and
obtain his recall. On the contrary, he thought it was both the
wish of himself and Mr. Consul-General Eldridge that he should
go. Some time previously, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs had kindly telegraphed sick leave to him, but he
was unable to use it till the end of March, 1871, his presence
being required in Damascus till then. He took advantage of
that leave by passing the Holy Week at Jerusalem, and he ended
by visiting the Hauran, which is within the jurisdiction of

258 The Inner Life of Syria.
Damascus, simply as an act of courtesy to the Druzes. Anxious
not to offend anybody by omitting them, nor to lose time, he
tried to make a general rendezvous at the house of the principal
religious Shaykh, which should be considered common ground,
and he addressed them a note, which was afterwards strangely
altered to suit circumstances.
He called upon Eashid Pasha before his departure, and spoke
freely of his projected visit. The Wali expressed his gladness,
saying, " Go soon, or there will be no water." He then wrote to
Mr. Eldridge, who had often proposed to make the excursion
with him, but he received no answer from him. On the 25th of
May, 1871, accompanied by Mr. Charles F. Tyrwhitt-Drake, who
was fortunately a' witness of all his words and actions, he set out,
little suspecting what was prepared for him upon the strength of
his few days' trip.
A few days after they had started, the Wali, with whom I had
always been on most friendly terms, wrote me a letter which
surprised me considerably. It accused my husband of having
made a political meeting with the Druze chiefs in the Hauran,
and having done great harm to the Turkish Government. Know
ing that my husband had done nothing of the kind, I saw at
once then that there was some powerful influence at work to
destroy the entente cordiale that existed between us. I still
maintain that Eashid Pasha, left to himself, would not have
acted as he eventually did, but that he was too weak to refuse
to listen to every little jealous word. It was no use to do any
thing or to .say anything ; nothing would prevent him from
dragging my name into unpleasant notice, wherever he thought
it might strengthen a case ; simply because, whatever happened
to Captain Burton, I was found, where I have been for fourteen
years, and hope to be till one of us die, at my husband's side.
However, I wrote and told him that he would find out he had
been deceived, as he had been about Nazareth, and requested
him to wait till my husband came home. By this time he had
learnt from those who had goaded him on, how to set to work at
home, and his plans were laid. A disturbance had been created
between the Bedawin and the Druzes, which enabled the Govern-

Captain Burton in the Hauran. 259
ment to attack our allies, who were in difficulties all over the
Hauran. The Wali let my husband go, in order to be able to
accuse him of meddling, but not foreseeing what would occur.
An old Druze from the Hauran about this time came to my
house, said he had seen my husband, and began to praise him.
I asked, " Why, what is he doing ? " He replied " Mashallah !
we never saw a Consul like him. He can do in one day what
the Wali Pasha could not do in five years. We had a quarrel
with the Bedawin, and we carried off all their goats and sheep,
and the Government was going to attack us. Our chiefs, when
they saw the Consul (Allah be praised), told him their difficulty,
and asked him what we ought to do. He told them they ought
to give back the goats and the sheep to the Bedawin, and to
make up our quarrel, and submit to the Government, for that
the war will do us great harm. The Shaykhs have consented,
and now we shall be at peace. JMashallah, there is nobody like
him ! " I now began to wonder if the Wali had intended a little
campaign against the Druzes, and if my husband had spoilt it by
counselling submission, if he had intended to reduce the Druzes
of the Eastern mountains, and if a campaign took place in Jebel
Duruz Hauran, the inhabitants would have been joined by the
fighting men of the Lebanon, Anti-Lebanon, and Hermon. The
country is eminently fitted for defence, and the Druzes, though
badly armed, are brave, and animated by the memory of past
victories. In short, the same disgraceful defeat of the Turkish
Government would have taken place as that which occurred
in 1874, and which caused the Wali, Mustafa Beg, and nine
high officials, to be dismissed.
One day a European who had accepted favours and rich pre
sents from the Wali, asked me what day my husband was to
return, and by what route. I inquired why he wanted to know.
"Because," he said, "my child is to be baptized, and I want
Captain Burton to be present." I told him. To my surprise, I
found out next day, that the christening was fixed for the day
before my husband's return, and I was invited ; so that this
could not be the reason for wanting to know. I believe he was
employed to find out, but I exonerate him from any blame of

260 The Inner Life of Syria.
knowing the why and wherefore. I prefer to deal with rogues —
the other category does the mischief of ten wicked men.
By a trusty messenger I instantly despatched a warning, in
such a way that it could not be intercepted, to my husband, to
" look out for tricks," and by God's blessing it was in time. He
noticed, with his keen desert instincts, the fresh spoor of one
solitary dromedary, which still bore the sign of last night's heat-
drops. The rider was bound, like them, from Shakkal to the
north-east, where the Bedawin camped, not for exploration but
with a message. He divined the ill-omened foot-prints, and
with a quiet laugh altered his course, and from a concealed
shelter was able to watch the progress of 100 horsemen and 200
radifs (dromedary riders), two in each saddle, beating the
country, looking for some one. I do not pretend to know who
sent them, or what for.
I went to the christening, and preserved a calm exterior,
though my heart was beating like a locomotive, and I felt a
little faint when a certain well-known " Greek " said to me, with
a meaning, unpleasant smile. " There is a telegram or something
important arrived for you." " Oh, is there," I said coolly ; " well,
I suppose I shall get it when I go home." Presently a Kawwass
came in and saluted, and said, " The Consul is returned, Sitti, and
wants you."
Making my excuses, and shaking hands all around, I retired
from the festivities, and jumping on my horse with a heartfelt
thanksgiving to God, I galloped home. The telegram, which was
unimportant, did not arrive for several hours, showing it had been
detained somewhere.
Had the Ghazu fallen in with Captain Burton, Mr. Tyrwhitt-
Drake, and Habib, the verdict would have been " Fallen a prey
to his wild and wandering habits in the Desert." But as it was
not God's will that it should happen then, the Wali was able to
report that " he was so unpopular with the Moslems, that he
would not be answerable for his life."
For proof of his political movement in the Hauran, the follow
ing translation was made of his original letter to the Druzes, and
forwarded to the Foreign-office. I give the original and the free
translation side by side : —

The Mysterious Political Letter to the Druzes.

261

Eeal Copy Translated.
To the Shaykhs of the renowned
Druze Mountain.
After the usual compliments, we
want to inform you that this time
the wish to visit you has moved us,
and to take the direction of your
country. For which reason we Avill leave
Damascus on the Wednesday, and
sleep at Hejaneh ; the second day at
Lahtah, and the third at Kanawat.
We therefore hope that you will
meet us in the above-mentioned
place that we may see you.
This is a simple general return visit
to the visits of the Druzes, not to
waste time in going to each man's
house, nor to make jealousies by
singling out some and neglecting
others.

False Copy translated and sent
to England.
Traduction d'une lettre addressee
par le Consul Britannique, en
date du 22 Mai, 1871 (3 Juin),
aux Cheikhs Druzes du Hauran.
AprSs les compliments d'usage,
je m'empresse de vous informer que,
anime' du desir de m'entretenir avec
vous, je quitterai Damas mercredi
pour vous rejoindre, et que j'arri-
verai ce jour meme a Hedjan, et le
lendemain a Lahita, et le troisieme
a, Finvate. Je nourris l'espoir que
vous ne manquerez pas tous de
venir me rencontrer au dit village
de Finvate, afin de prendre part a
cette entrevue.
This adds aU the words that are
dashed, to give it a semblance of a
secret political meaning.

The description of Captain Burton's Hauran journey is given
in " Unexplored Syria," a joint book, partly mine and mostly his,
with maps, illustrations, and appendices by Charles F. Tyrwhitt-
Drake. It also treats of Horns, Hamah, Tullul es Safa, and the
'Alah. Mohammed Agha was still upon the sick list, and a doctor
attended him twice a day, who performed operations upon him,
Habib still continued to spit blood. The cook and the groom
recovered quickly. Captain Burton still suffered from the right
arm, but not sufficiently to lay up for it, and continued his usual
work. We had a pleasant habit of passing the evenings on the
terrace, or house-top, which, being overhung with trees, was
almost like a garden. I was very friendly with the Shaykh of
the Mosque attached to my home. The building consisted of a

262 The Inner Life of Syria.
little picturesque mosque and minaret, and a small private house
clinging around a huge vine, which runs through the roof like
the mast of a ship, and spreads up and down and all over the
walls, both inside and outside. The vine is so large that the
building seems to cling to it for support. From this roof-terrace
our village is charming. Its domes and minarets peep out of
the trees. The water-wheel sighs, the water bubbles ; the huge
yellow mountain-wall towers above us. The company consists of
the quiet, homely wife, and four soft, pretty girls, aged five,
eight, twelve, and sixteen. The one aged five wants to be Leila
Khanum, which means, at least, a Pasha's head wife. She tells
me stories which, in a child's mouth, are astounding, showing the
precocity of the Eastern babe. The cunning puss wanted me to
give her a pair of earrings, but it is not the custom to ask point
blank for a thing, so she spoke to me in parables, and related
" how the cat lifted her eyes to Allah, that he might paint them
black with kohl, and her paws, that he might adorn them with
henna, and her ears, that he might put earrings in them." I
took the hint. The curious child used to pet a beetle, and carry
the horrid thing in her bosom. She tied a thread round its legs,
and used to feed it and almost live for it. Here I used to pass
many of my evenings, drinking coffee, and learning what I could.
I tried to master the " call to prayer," with the Muezzin, but never
could manage it. Sometimes they came to pass the evening on
our terrace instead.
Time rolled on without any very grave events, and many
Druze Shaykhs came to stay with us. We rode to the camp at
El Hameh, an hour out of Damascus, to visit our old friend, Omar
Beg, who was in command there. It was the first time this had
been attempted in Syria, and it became a Turkish local Aldershot.
On the 12th of June arrived Miss Amy Fullerton, since the
author of a charming little book, called " A Lady's Eide through
Syria." Miss Fullerton is a lady who, though of a kindly and
cheerful disposition, takes life seriously and earnestly, and had all
sorts of benevolent projects, as well as pleasure, during her
travels, which has, I believe, resulted in the diffusion of much
useful information on her return to England.
On June 25th we rode over, by the Wali's invitation, to a

Turkish Local Aldershot. 263
grand review at El Hameh — the first ever seen in Syria. The
soldiers had been in camp and at manceuvres all the summer.
There was, unfortunately, a driving wind, which had worried
them the whole time upon a bleak and stony undulating plain,
and to-day there was occasional rain with it. We rode with the
Wali, Abd el Kadir, and the Mushir, or Commander-in-Chief.
The whole force then defiled past, firstly 10,000 infantry, one gun
to each battalion, and 500 cavalry. The horses were very good.
Kurshid Beg, an Italian Brigadier-General in the Turkish service,
was conspicuous for his dashing cavalry bearing, for his good
seat — where all were good, and for his gentlemanly manners.
Omar Beg, however, and his wonderful mare drew all eyes ; as
long as she was in the field she was a loadstone. This was fol
lowed by some refreshments in a mud hut, an impromptu affair.
Nothing could exceed the kindness and courtesy of the Wali to
us ; indeed, everybody was kind, especially to me, the only woman
present. We then had fireworks, and dinner and toasts, wild
native dances, and conjuring tricks, and a pleasant drive home in
Abd el Kadir's carriage.
The next evening I was invited to a large harim soiree, at a
neighbouring Moslem Shaykh. We had the usual evening. Two
hundred women in their best costumes, a very nice supper, while
the girls sang, played, and danced for us. Married women recited
poetry, and told us stories till far into the night. One charming
girl, Nejla, was very clever at impromptu.
The Jews, who had taken no part in the disagreeable official
business relative to usury, but whose names had been freely used
by the Triumvirate against us, having found out by this time the
true position of affairs, begged of us to renew friendly relations
with them. They proposed to draw up a declaration, which they
would all sign, and to which six Eabbis would affix their names
and seals, that the letters addressed by Chief Eabbis Aaron
Jacob and Jacob Perez, to their Chief Eabbi in London, and
likewise to Sir Moses Montefiore, and that of Mr.Weiskopp to Sir
Francis Goldsmid, to forward to our Government, were written in
anger. No. 1 called on the English clergyman, and begged him
to " tell the Consul that he would drink water out of his boots" —
a very undesirable form of humiliation, to people who only asked

264 The Inner Life of Syria.
not to be spoken of untruthfully in the quarter where it would
most damage them. The Chief Eabbi, who wrote the above
letters, also sent to say that he had made a great mistake, and
was very sorry for it. This new outburst of feeling was caused by
the sudden discovery of what had really been done to us, and the
use that had been made of their names to effect it. The son of
No. 1, who had stolen some papers from the Consulate, had been
let off, and was shortly after turned out of the Mejlis, or Chambers,
and condemned to thirty days' imprisonment for purloining
Government documents, but my husband, in his large-minded way,
begged him off. Secondly, that one of No. l's cases, for which
he had persecuted my husband, had been tried at Beyrout by his
own election, thinking wrongfully that my husband would be
mortified or jealous of his immediate superior ; he was adjudged
to pay 400 napoleons, instead of receiving the 35,000 which he
claimed. The difficulty of our becoming friends was that they had
made such serious accusations against my husband, that we did
not want to hush it up, but to fight it out, that our Chiefs might
investigate it, and see on which side was the right, and on which
the wrong. However, my husband sent me to visit them at the
house, or rather the newly-built palace of a friendly Jew, a British
protected subject, in virtue of his being an Indian merchant.
Instead of meeting half-a-dozen old friends, as I expected, I found
two or three hundred of them, who were very glad to see me, and
were very cordial and friendly. I explained to them what had
taken place, and why. They told me that they had been made to
believe that the Consul was so much against the Jews, that
he wanted to exterminate the whole of those in his district. I ex
plained to them that, on the contrary, he had a great regard for
the Jews, but that he thought it sinful, dishonourable, and
unmanly to assist three usurers to squeeze the poor; and that
it was never the intention of the British Government that their
employes should be used for that purpose ; and that his having
refused to do certain "dirty work" had earned for him the enmity
of these three, who then in turn excited, by false representations,
the evil passions of the rest of the community. We parted on the
best of terms.

Difficulties of the Lower Half of the Service. 265
And here I must be allowed a by-word. People in small
official life are always subject to these trials, and, knowing this,
how careful a Minister at home should be in listening to com
plaints. The lower an officer's grade, the loAver the people he has
to contend with. The Consul deals with all classes ; when he rises
to be Minister or Ambassador he is above the mob, which cannot
touch him. The enemies of the Consul will crawl in the dust
to the Minister. Meantime, the junior official has to run the
gauntlet of the mud pelted at him, and if his Chief at home
listens to it, a weak man dare not do his duty for fear of losing
his post : the strong man does his duty, but he knows he has no
chance of rising. Only the bad man succeeds. He arrives at a
new place, and all the bad people make a dead set at him to take
up and protect their evil doings, and to join them against their
local enemies. If he does it he is upheld by them, but loses caste
with the decent classes ; if he does not, they form a cabal against
him, and even pay people to write home complaint after complaint
against him, till the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who knows
nothing of these matters, says, "There must be something wrong
about this man, or I should not get bad reports of him right and
left. It is evident he won't do for the place." He recalls his
good, honest, brave servant, who was doing his master credit, and
he puts him on a shelf to pine in useless inactivity, and breaks
his spirit, and sends out another, who naturally says, " I am duly
warned what to do. I will take care not to do what my unfortu
nate predecessor did, but the reverse." He has learnt that the
" decent people " only looked on, or if one or two did take his part,
they were not believed, or not listened to. He does as the others
bid him — " wins golden opinions " — and the Minister at home
thinks it is all as it should be. Who shall blame the man ? He
has, perhaps, a wife and children to support, and he yearns for
promotion. If he sees but one road to his Chief's favour, that of
"hearing no complaints of him," what shall he do? What
will high authorities and good men know of him and his self-
sacrifices when he is driven out of the world by penury, and has
to earn his pittance in some out-of-the-way settlement ? How
easy are the sacrifices of an independent man, who can afford
to bide his time.

266 The Inner Life of Syria.
I have seen many cases of this kind during fourteen years of
Consular life, and personally I am always acting the part of Job's
wife, but unsuccessfully. Captain Burton has no chance of rising
to his proper position: he is much too good. The " light of God "
is upon him. The Home Authorities may hear all the complaints;
he will not report to them what good he does — but J am a
woman, and I will cry it from the house-tops until they hear it.
He has gained respect and influence here over all classes. All the
good and the poor love and trust him — the bad fear him. He
has some talisman for attracting the people ; and when they get a
written order from him, they kiss it and put it on their heads,
as if it were a Sultan's Firman. He is more than equal to his
position if he is only commonly backed up at home. With so
many races, creeds, and tongues, all at variance, in an Oriental
intriguing focus, it is impossible to please everybody. You cannot
well walk down the street without treading upon somebody's toes.
It is difficult for a man who does his duty in a hot-bed of corrup
tion to be universally popular, and there are some whose
disapproval is a proof of integrity. One must have a straight line
of duty. If a person wants you to do something wrong, and
you act uprightly and refuse, they are sure to write to some great
personage at home, to ask them to complain at head-quarters.
They never mention what they asked you to do — what bribe
they offered- — but invent something against you. If they are
listened to, they can always keep you in hot water, as cela
encourage les autres.
At Ambar's house I met a little friend of mine, a young
married woman, more like a merry school-girl, whose name was
Eafka, but we always used to call her " El Shaytaneh." I do not
think the usurers had effected much ill-will between us. The
Jewesses are very affectionate when they really like you. She
one day tumbled off her donkey when she had been up to» visit
me, and she hurt herself, but when she was lying on. the ground
she called out heartily, " Well, I don't care, I have seen her," as'
if she were willing to tumble off again in the same cause. After
I had stayed with Ambar for some time, I went to Bayt
Lisbona, where I met as many more Jews ; for one house could not
contain them all, and besides this, like other races, they had
cliques.

( 267 )

CHAPTEE XXXI.
BLUDlN LIFE AGAIN.
The heat for some time had been very painful; in Damascus
105° (Fahrenheit) in the shade and cool draught of the rooms,
and 170° (Fahrenheit) in the sun. There was not a breath of air
night or day.
We felt like the curled-up leaves of a book. One's head
swam, the eye-balls seemed on fire, the tongue, throat,, and chest
were parched, the skin dried up, the inside fainting away. The
horses sweated in the stables; the dogs were too lazy to eat.
Food or sleep was to us impossible; everything except the
lightest muslins seemed irksome. Every one who could, fled. I
fell sick and could hardly rise from the divan, but refused to
go to summer quarters because my husband could not go too, and
I disliked shirking anything that he had to bear. It is usual for
all European Consuls to go to summer quarters during this great
heat, near enough to come into Damascus every few days, leaving
the Consulate in charge of the chief Dragoman, who is a native,
and having a mounted messenger plying between. At last,
however, fever set in, and it became a necessity, and my husband
sent me away to Bludan. The villagers turned out to receive me
two hours before I reached our house. Next day I resumed my
old life of last summer. Subsequently Captain Burton joined me,
holding himself always ready to go into Damascus at a moment's
notice, if required.
The late drought and three flights of locusts, the scarcity -of
corn and other provisions, the backward state of the fruit and
vegetables, portended a very bad summer. Already, in May, it

268 The Inner Life of Syria.
had been 90° in the shade. In European towns we should have
begun to prepare for the cholera scourge, but here we must stand
to our post, look on passively, and silently hope to be spared. The
Syrians still continue to gorge themselves with sour milk, green
fruit, cucumbers, and unripe olives. The open streets, as usual,
are the sewers, and the heaps of offal remain in them, crowded with
gorged and poisoned pariahs, alive and dead, and the fetid water
is allowed still to stagnate. How easy it would be to utilize their
criminals, make them work coupled in chains, and guarded by an
overseer, to clean their streets, cart away all this offal and dead
dogs to the Desert, bury them with quick-lime, and clean out all
the stagnant fountains and pools. There is running water every
where in Damascus. How easy to turn on the hose down every
street, to fine the sellers of cucumbers, of green olives, and unripe
fruits ; but it is less trouble to die, and let the City be decimated.
Seeing the apathy, I ventured to publish two recipes given to
me by two army surgeons in India, who assured me that they
never lost a case in whole battalions even when the cholera was
most malignant; and I did so with more confidence, because I had
had much experience amongst the poor in London and in South
America, and never lost a single case with these two remedies.
These were the recipes published : —
" As soon as the attack commences administer a quarter of an ounce of
the sesqui-carbonate of soda in half a teacup full of boiling water; if rejected,
repeat it. In a severe attack give sixty-six grains of the soda, Avith three
of opium as a pill, to be washed doAvn with the remaining soda-water. A
few drops of laudanum may be added according to the patient's constitu
tion, or the severity of the attack. In a case of hfe and death, mix one
ounce of laudanum, one ounce of finely powdered charcoal, and one ounce
of good brandy. Shake it up, and give one small teaspoonful every fifty
minutes,' up to three doses."
This drew down upon me great indignation from some
unknown quarter; and an attack was made upon me in the Levant
Herald by somebody, evidently not a professional, signing himself
" Opium," which was smartly and generously replied to by
some friendly physician.
Two years' hard work amongst the poor of Syria had taught
me that, except at Beyrout, they will not send for a doctor until

More Bluddn Life. 269
they* are at their last gasp. If they did, supposing it were cholera,
and he had the courage to visit them, it would be a native who
would bleed and kill his patient, and not forget to take his fee.
I was therefore always willing to go to them, and always preached
the gospel of "prevention being better than cure." "Opium,"
my Levant Herald scourger, talked of " wholesale poisoning," by
which I judged him not to be a professional, or he would have
known far better than I did, that in cholera the power of absorp
tion by the stomach is at its minimum, and that only a small
portion of a potent drug gets into the system — for instance, that
thirty or forty grains of calomel may be given in cholera without
producing any results ; and in the case of a Syrian, that you may
multiply a European dose by four and not shrink from heroic
quantities. I found a good many changes in Bludan. The Chief of the
Bayt et Tell had lost his wife, and had married a very pretty
young girl from the Buka'a, and we had all kinds of feasting for
the event.
Usurer No. 1 gave my husband some work at Ma'arabiin and
Madaya, two villages which he had tried to ruin, and which
were begging for mercy. Captain Burton and the Jew agent
went there together, and we all accompanied them, as it gave us a
ride. We rode first to Zebedani, and thence to the sources of the
Barada. Our party consisted of Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, my husband
and myself, the principal people and Shaykhs of the villages.
We fished in the Barada, and breakfasted in the black tents, after
which the Arabs danced and sang for us. We then galloped to
Madaya, where the affair was duly investigated, and the usurer's
injustices disapproved of.
During our ride Shaykh Hasan whilst brandishing his lance
caught it in the sand, where it stuck point upwards. I was close
behind, and at the pace we were going it must have transfixed
me. I saw it glitter between my eyes, when my clever horse,
Selim, with wonderful instinct, swerved on one side and saved me.
How he could know I cannot imagine — he could only see the
bamboo cane which he would have galloped by, and the spear
would have picked me out of the saddle — but he did know, and
saved my life by the breadth of a wafer. Then all were very

270 The Inner Life of Syria.
fussy about the carelessness and the danger. I remarked, " Never
mind this time, Shaykh; only when I do want a dentist I will tell
you," which made them all laugh as if it were a new thing.
This year I had more patients than last. There was a poor
Greek Orthodox gentleman dying of consumption, but I could do
nothing for him, except make him comfortable in my garden
during the sunny hours. I had also an addition in an old
paralytic man, and an Arab boy, about twelve years old, crippled
by rheumatism. His father and mother accompanied him, but as
he could not walk, his grandmother was used as a beast of burden,
to carry him on her back. In this way he arrived. I wanted to
keep him for a fortnight, but he was the most troublesome patient
I ever had ; he used to spit medicine out, and bite, and use his
arms and legs most viciously. If cursing takes effect I may never
hope to see any good luck again, for what he prayed God to send
me and mine can scarcely be explained. I managed to keep him for
two days, and he would have got quite well, but the women were
weak enough to yield to his earnest entreaties to be carried back
to the Desert. It is, however, generally worth while to try and
help these people, who are so grateful. In some cases they had
suffered for years from a mere nothing ; and when some simple
remedy cured them, they would come back hysterical with joy,
fancying that my hands were' blessed, and that no doctor could
have done so well. Certainly there is a great deal in faith.
My life, whenever I was not on an expedition, was passed with
the sick, or settling village grievances. I never saw such quarrel
some people. I will give you a last example of what was con
stantly occurring.
Two harims had a quarrel, and called each other ugly names.
They had been great friends, and had, I suppose, done in their
way, what many higher class women do in a more educated
fashion. They had been in the habit of dining together, and
doubtless sat opposite one another saying, "What an angel of
goodness you are, my gazelle ! You really are the only creature
of Allah in whose society I take delight." The other replied,
" You are so clever, 0 light of my eyes ! and so superior to all
other women, that the days I do not see you do not count as life.
How fortunate that we are such friends, and stay in the same

Village Harlm Squabble. 271
place, and nothing — nothing ever can divide us." One day A
had on a better gown, or some man had praised B; and one
suggested " that A had had a friend she ought not to have had,"
and the other " that B spent all her husband's money on dress
and pleasure" — and in this particular line of life it ends by a
volley of stones. However, on this present occasion the man of
one harim was called in, and shamefully beat a woman of the
other. They all came to me in a furious and excited state. The
beaten held up the bone of a finger from which the flesh was
stripped; I bound it up in healing herbs, gave her a cooling
draught, and made her lie down. The servants had by force to
keep off the other harim whilst I did so, to prevent their attack
ing her the while. As soon as my back was turned, instead of
remaining quiet as I bid her, the woman rose and flew into
Damascus, in a broiling sun, thirty miles off across country, to
lay her case before the Divan. A soldier was sent over, who took
twenty piastres from her enemies, and went back saying the affair
had been settled amicably. She then lurked about hiding, and a
fortnight later a miserable object came to me in the garden Avith
an arm the size of a leg, and a hand like a boxing glove, all
covered with hideous sores. She plaintively asked me for a little
ointment. "Are you," I asked, "the woman who escaped from
me after I had bound up her finger a fortnight ago ? " " Yes,"
she said, "I am ; I was full of anxiety and rage : I ran over to
Damascus, with my bad hand, in the glaring sun; I heated myself.
Then I lost my case, and after putting it into your hands I was
ashamed to come back to be cured." " Well," I rejoined, " your
arm now is far beyond my knowledge, and I am going to put you
upon a mule and send you down to Beyrout to my Hakim, Dr.
Brigstocke." " Oh no ! " she replied, " I would not go for anything."
"I must make you then by force," I said, "because in three days
you will be dead, and it will be upon my head." So I sent for the
Shaykh, and requested him to find me the man who had beat her,
and to hire two trusty men and a strong mule. The woman was
placed on the mule, and a man at each side, who were told the
importance of the case; they started at once with all speed to
Beyrout, which they reached in fifteen hours. They met the
doctor as they were going into town, and gave him my ncte.

272 The Inner Life of Syria.
"All right," he said, handing them a few written directions for
the hospital people. She was unloaded at the door, undressed,
and put to bed. The doctor came back and operated upon her
immediately ; and he wrote me back word, " Just in time to save
amputation; mortification was about to commence, and had she
remained in Bludan she must have died."
I went down to see her a few weeks later, and found her with.
her arm full of slits, but quite healthy, overflowing with gratitude,
but very much bored by the restraint of hospital rules, never
having been before in a civilized place. The doctor told me she
would soon be able to work again. Meanwhile, after I had packed
her off upon the mule, my husband ordered the man who beat her,
and whom the Shaykh brought to me, to pay for her transport to
Beyrout ; it was only ten francs, but we wanted to punish him.
That money I employed in putting her child out to nurse whilst
the mother was in the hospital — there was luckily only one. I
gave the man work to do, and let him earn it back easily. This
serves as an excellent example of a village quarrel. You may
perhaps ask why I interfered. Because they asked me to do so.
Because I did them good, they grew to rely upon me; and I never
can feel that one is put in a place simply to look on at life as if
it were a play performed for our amusement. It is certainly safer
to do so, for then one is not hurt by bad people. But I am not
afraid of bad people. They may hurt one for a little while with
weak minds, but it never lasts long, and it recoils on themselves.
One night, when I was sitting alone, I heard a great noise against
a door that was always kept locked, and which opened, not on the
house-top, but on a second elevated terrace, from which a flight of
stairs led to the garden. I seized the only thing handy, a big
stick, and ran out, feeling sure that none but an enemy or a thief
could be at that particular door. I found myself face to face with
one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen. A large serpent had
been attracted by a bowl of milk put out on the terrace for my
large white Persian cat, and "Tuss," as she was called, was
valiantly defending her milk against the snake. The moment it
saw me it raised up its long neck and hissed, but I hit it with my
stick a foot away from its tail, which is the proper place to
paralyze a snake. It tried to make for the stairs, showing me how

Pic-nics in the Anti-Lebanon. 273
it had come up so high, but was unable, and then I killed it.
It was two yards and a half long, as thick as a child's arm ; it had
a flat head, and was of a bluish silver colour. • The moment I
disabled the snake, the cat began to play with its tail for joy.
Another night a plate of meat was put for the cat, and when I
went to the house-top a large wolf sprang over my head, and made
for the lower stairs. I ran in for my gun, but though I was not
an instant, the wolf was out of reach. I then used to hang up
legs of mutton in the trees to try and entice them, and remain
hidden behind the bushes on moonlight nights, sometimes half
the night, to get a shot; but it was no use. I have seen them
prowling, two together, round and round, out of gunshot, but
they seemed to have lost all confidence as to coming inside the
garden. I suppose that, although they smelt the legs of mutton,
the same keenness told them of my whereabouts, and that of the
bull-terriers. During this summer we had frequently to make excursions of
two or three hours in certain directions, sending the cook with
the breakfast to different spots, and inviting the Shaykhs and
principal people round us. We would choose a spot near water,
near Bedawin tents, or near a melon plantation. We always had
a large attendance of our neighbours — the Bayt el Beg, my last
year's enemies and this year's friends, the Bayt et Tell, the principal
Moslem Shaykhs, the Catholic priest, and the chief Christians,
mounted on all sorts of beasts. Arrived at the appointed place
we would eat and drink, make a fire, roast and prepare our coffee,
and have a siesta. Some of them would sing and dance to tom
tom music beaten on a dish, recite verses, tell stories, and act
impromptu charades. There was one grey-bearded wag called
'Brahim, who never failed to procure us great amusement. On
these rural occasions one had an opportunity of observing the
difference between the different races. The Moslem always
behaved with the high-bred courteousness of a gentleman : his
were all the little accomplishments which contributed, to the
amusement. The Christian was like the country cousin, heavy in
hand: he spoke rarely, and lacked all little talents; he neither
sang, nor danced, nor played, nor recited, nor acted. Both live
in the mountains with equal advantages. Mosque and Church

274 The Inner Life of Syria.
cannot affect that, so that it must be the innate nature of the
different breeds that make the contrast. They are quite distinct ;
they do not intermarry.
On the 7th of August arrived several visitors from different
quarters, Zahleh, Beyrout, Damascus, and the Hauran. I was
alone and expecting nobody, and, in housekeepers' parlance, the
" cupboard was bare." I went out on the terrace, and with the
glasses descried four parties of horsemen coming from all sides.
One I recognized as my husband and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake. In an
hour the house was more than full. However, hospitality in the
East is not of that rigid and difficult order that it is in England,
and we are always . glad to see our friends, even without notice.
Divans are soon shaken down for beds, and a boy on a pony rides
off to the next flock and buys a sheep, which is shortly served up
whole, stuffed with rice and pistachios. Your friends' horses are
stabled, or tethered in a circle if there is no room ; and as to
the kitchen, I often wonder what Mrs. Notable would say about
"followers"; -for whereas in England a servant's friend has to
come en eachette to get a supper, here I frequently find forty
strangers whom I never saw, feeding mostly on rice and kid, with
my own servants. I know it would not do in England, but in
these places I do not believe it makes much difference at the end
of the year. They have a rule of hospitality that, when feeding
time comes, they must ask all present to sit down, and the
servants' friends generally know the hour and flock in.
On this occasion we had the honour of a visit from one of the
most charming of Church dignitaries — the Greek Orthodox Bishop
of Zahleh, a handsome, clever, civilized, very diplomatic, and
exceedingly pleasant Bishop ; also the Lady Superintendent of
the Zahleh schools, which gave us sincere pleasure. There were,
however, some of the party whose collision was a disagreeable
surprise to themselves. It must be confessed that for two people
who are not upon speaking terms, to meet suddenly, face to face,
to stay in an isolated house on the heights of the Anti-Lebanon,
is discouraging. There is no telegram to call you off, no next
train to run to town by — nothing but to hobnob gracefully, or to
fight, which would be uncalled for.
Soldiers came again to worry our poor neighbours, the Bayt

Bayt et Tell. 275
et Tell, but, like last year, a friendly note to the proper authority
left them at large. They must have had unseen enemies to
stack their fuel on, for they were good, harmless, and peaceable
folk.

276 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTER XXXII.
"TOUT EST PERDU FORS L'HONNEUR."
On the 16th of August, 1871, a bombshell fell in the midst of
our happy life. We were surrounded by hundreds, who seemed
to be dependent upon us ; by villages which, under our care,
consular or maternal, seemed to be thriving, prosperous, peaceful,
and secure ; by friends we had made everywhere. Our lives,
plans, and interests were arranged for years ; we were settled
down and established as securely, we thought, as any of you in
your houses at home. Our entourage was a large one. Drago
mans, Kawwasses, servants ; our stud, various pets, and flowers ;
our home, and our " household gods ; " my poor for thirty miles
around me. And so surrounded, my only wish was to stay, per
haps for life, and do my duty both to God and my neighbour,
and we were succeeding, as I mean to prove. You, through
whose evil working the blow struck us on this day, examine
your hearts and ask yourselves why you did this thing, because
God, who protects those who serve him, will allow this cruel
deed to follow you, and recoil upon you some day, when you
least expect it. Don't try to mislead the authorities and the
public at home, by laying the blame upon the Turks. Captain
Burton is, and always has been, a very good friend to the Turks,
and the Turks have always liked Captain Burton ; but in this
instance, local and individual weaknesses, spite and jealousy,
overthrew him.
The horses were saddled at the door, and we were going for
a ride, when a ragged messenger on foot stopped to drink at the
spring, and advanced towards me with a note. I saw it was for

Captain Burton is recalled — J join him at Beyrout. 277
Captain Burton, and took it into the house for him. It was from
the Vice-Consul of Beyrout, informing Captain Burton that, by
the orders of his Consul-General, he had arrived the previous
day (15th August), and had taken charge of the Damascus
Consulate. Captain Burton and Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake were in the saddle
in five minutes, and galloped into town without drawing rein.
He would not let me accompany him. A mounted messenger
returned with these few written words, "Don't be frightened —
I am recalled. Pay, pack, and follow at convenience." I was not
frightened, but I do not like to remember what I thought or
what I felt.
I went about as usual, and tried to be philosophical. When
I went to bed I had one of my dreams. I thought some one
pulled me, and I awoke, sat up in bed, and I could still see it and
feel it ; and it said in a loud whisper, " Why do you lie there ?
your husband wants you — get up and go to him ! " I tried to lie
down again, but it happened three successive times, and big drops
were on my forehead with a sort of fear. My maid, who slept in
the room, said, " Are you walking about and talking, madam ? "
" No ! " I said, " but somebody is. Are you ? " " No," she replied,
" I have not stirred ; but you are talking with somebody."
After the third time I grew to believe that the presence was
real. I jumped up, saddled my horse, and, though everybody said
I was mad, and wanted to put me to bed, I rode a journey of five
hours across country, as if I were riding for a doctor, over rocks
and through swamps, making for the diligence half-way house.
Three or four of my people were frightened, and followed me.
At last I came in sight of Shtora, the diligence station. The
half hour was expired, the travellers had eaten and taken their
places, and it was just about to start ; but God was good to me.
Just as the coachman was about to raise his whip, he turned his
head to the part of the country from whence I was coming, hot,
torn, and covered with dust and mud from head to foot ; but he
knew me. I held up both my arms, as they do to stop a train.
He saw the signal, waited, and took me in, and told the ostler to
lead my dead-beat horse to the stables.
I reached Beyrout twenty-four hours before the steamer

278 The Inner Life of Syria.
sailed. When Captain Burton had once received his recall, he
never looked behind him, nor packed up anything, but went
straight away. It is his rule to be ready in ten minutes to go
anywhere. He was now a private individual in misfortime. I
met him walking alone into the town, and looking so sad and
serious. Not even a Kawwass was sent to attend on him, to see
him out with a show of honour and respect. It was a real
emblem of the sick lion. But I was there (thank God !) in my
place, and he was so surprised and glad when he saw me ! We
had twenty-four hours to take counsel and comfort together.
Everybody called upon us, and everybody regretted. The
French Consul-General made us almost take up our abode with
him for those twenty-four hours. At four o'clock I went on board
with my husband and saw the steamer off for England. On re-
landing I found his faithful servant Habib, who had also followed
him, and arrived just ten minutes too late, only in time to see
them steam out ; he had flung himself dovm on the quay in a
passionate flood of tears.
I took the night diligence back, and had, in spite of the
August weather, a cold, hard seven hours over the Lebanon, for
I had brought nothing with me ; my clothes were dry and stiff,
and I was very tired. On the road I passed our honorary
Dragoman, Hanna Misk. I called out to him, but I had no
official position now, so he turned his head the other way, and
passed me by. I sent a peasant after him, but he shook his head
and rode on. " There," I said, " goes the man who has lived with
us, travelled with us, and shared everything we had, and for whose
rights concerning a village my husband has always contended,
because his claims were just." The law of "Le Roi est mort, vive le
Roi!" extends, I suppose, everywhere; but probably the king's
widow always feels it. I wonder how old one has to grow before
learning the common rules of life, instead of allowing every shock
the world gives one to disturb one, as if one were newly born! It
is innate in cool natures, and never learnt by the others, who take
useless " headers " against the dead wall of circumstances, until
they grow old and cold and selfish. Disraeli tells us that no
affections and a great brain form the men that command the
world ; that no affections and a little brain make petty villains ;

I see him sail, 279
but a great brain and a great heart he has no description for 

Here he stops short, but I can tell him, those are the men for
whom, there is no place. The nineteenth century will have none
of them. How beautiful and how sad a mentor is friendship. A noble
character must contain three qualities to contend with this one
great element of our lives — a sincere, staunch, loyal heart, philo
sophy, and discernment. The world is a kind, good pleasant place
to live in, whatever cynics may say. Be in trouble, and you must
wonder at the innumerable kind hearts who will call and write,
and offer every assistance and consolation in their power. This
will not prevent your nearest and dearest relative from snubbing
you if you want anything ; nor that friend to whom you clung
with all your soul, as to a rock, failing you just at the crisis of
your life when you most counted upon his support. Then you
must call in your philosophy. Again, if a cloud comes over you,
how many will disappear, and reappear again as soon as the world
has decided in your favour, to join in the applause. Do not
blame the weaklings, but your OAvn discernment ; they have not
hurt you, but they wish to hold themselves ready to go on the
popular side, whichever way it turns. And why should they not ?
It is not because they dislike you, but because they fear others
more than they love you. In sensitive youth these facts make
our misery ; but we should learn to rejoice in our riper years,
when a weak, uncertain friend falls away. Carry the true gold
about your own strong heart, and shake off the dross, which is but
the superfluous ballast which clogs and impedes the ship's free
sailing. However, to draw Captain Burton's history to a close. He went
home, presented himself, and rendered an account of his steward
ship at head-quarters. They attached no blame to him in any
one instance, and found that he could not have acted otherwise.
The report of the Consular Committee showed later that Mr.
K  , on his return from the East, had supported the views of
his friend, our Consul-General, to reduce Damascus, the Capital
and heart of Syria, to a Vice-Consulate, dependent upon himself
at the seaport of Beyrout. Upon that measure and its sub
sequent success I cannot afford to make a comment.

280 The Inner Life of Syria.
I now began to think what a clever diplomatist Eashid Pasha
was, and that he knew our Government far better than ourselves.
We said, " Never mind ! let all those false accusations go, they
will be thoroughly investigated. Our Government is always true
to its employes. We shall tell the whole truth, and Eashid
Pasha will have put himself in a bad position." He said, " Those
single-hearted and gentlemanly English will never believe that
I, in my position of Viceroy, would state anything I was not pre
pared to substantiate ; and I am told by those who know, that
they will recall Captain Burton, especially if I frighten them
about his life being in danger." And there is no mistake about
what he said ; and he was right.
In the East it is safer to treat every one as if he might some
day be your enemy. Nevertheless, it must be said, that when
they want to be enemies, they do not become so on anything that
has happened, or has been said. Out of the very stones they
will fabricate such a tower of falsehoods, that you can only stand
and gape in wonder and admiration at their fruitful invention
and audacious unscrupulousness. But these things do not stick
to you in the East : all see your conduct and recognize the lie.
These reports, until explained, are apt to injure you in England,
where, if there is smoke, there is often a little fire. Here the
smoke is made with the puff of an envious breath, but the world
sees the sunlight under it, and that there are no embers. The
Wali was himself recalled that day month, and left in twenty-four
hours, and for some time was out of favour. He was heard to
regret what he had done before he left. I pass over all the cir
cumstances of his leaving. Turkey easily takes into favour, and
dismisses, and rewards again.
He was rich, and could afford to wait for the wheel to turn.
The Wali's successor carried out all Captain Burton's suggestions,
and our Government officially complimented the Porte upon
those very changes and improvements. Captain Burton's suc
cessor,, Mr. Vice-Consul Green, of whom we hear nothing but
good, has neither complained of anything, nor (as we hear) found
anything to alter, as Captain Burton left it.
I must now return, and finish my own Eastern career, more
for the sake of showing the goodness of the Syrian heart, than for

General Lamentations by the Syrian People. 281
any other interest. I am bound, though late, to bear testimony
to them. I arrived at the Khan, found my horse in excellent condition,
and slept for a few hours. Early in the morning I rode to see
Miss Wilson, who kindly insisted on my remaining a day with
her. Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, a Kawwass, and servants and horses,
met me here, and escorted me back to Bludan ; but we lost our
way in the mountains, and had a nine hours' hard scramble.' I
was ill, tired, and harassed, and was thankful to find my friend
Mrs. Eattray, who came over to keep me company. She was as
much troubled as I was myself. I do not care who says to the
contrary, but the world in general is a good place ; for, although
a few bad people make everything and everybody as miserable as
they can — permitted, I infer, by an all-wise Providence, like
mosquitoes, snakes, and scorpions, to prevent our becoming too
attached to this life, and ceasing to work for the other, where
they cannot enter — the general rule is good, and whoever is in
trouble, as I have said, will always meet with kindness, comfort,
and sympathy, from some quarter or other. I had every right to
expect, in a land where official position is everything, where love
and respect accompanies power and government influence, where
women are but of small account, that I should be, morally speak
ing, trampled under foot. I do not know how to describe with
sufficient gratitude, affection, and pleasure, the treatment I met
with throughout Syria. The news spread like wild-fire. All the
surrounding villages poured in. The house and the garden were
always full of people — my poor, of course, but others too. Moslems
flung themselves on the ground, shedding bitter tears, and tearing
their beards, with a passionate grief for the man " whose life " they
were reported to wish to take. The incessant demonstrations of
sorrow were most harassing, the poor crying out, "Who will
take care of us now ? " The Moslems : " What have we done
that your Diwan (Government) has done this thing to us ?
They sent us a man who made us so happy and prosperous, and
protected us, and we were so thankful ; and why now have they
taken him from us ? What have we done ? Were we not good
and thankful, and quiet ? What can we do ? Send some of us to
go over to your land, and kneel at the feet of your Queen." This

282 > The Inner Life of Syria.
went on for days and days, and I received, from nearly all the
country round, little deputations of Shaykhs, bearing letters of
affection, or condolence, or grief, or praise. These sad days filled
me with one gnawing thought — " How shall I tear the East out of
my heart by the roots, and adapt myself to the bustling, strug
gling, everyday life of Europe."
I broke up my establishment, packed my husband's books
and sent them to England, settled all our affairs, had all that was
to accompany me transferred to Damascus, and parted with the
mountain servants. Two pets — the donkey that had lost a foot, and
a dog that was too ill to recover — had to be shot and buried in the
garden. The dog was a large Kurdish, faithful beast, who guarded
the house. Some bad person had thrown him poisoned meat, and
he must have died in another fortnight had we remained ; but it
could not be thought of leaving him amongst natives, who would
have given him no food, and whose boys would have tortured
him. To kill and bury him upset us all dreadfully.
Two nights before I left Bludan I had another dream. Some
one pulled me and awoke me, and said, " Go and look after that
Bedawi boy, whose grandmother .took him away when you were
treating him for rheumatic fever." I was tired and miserable,
and tried to sleep. I was pulled again. " He went away at his
own earnest request," I answered, "and he must be dead or well by
this time." A third time I was pulled by my wrist, " Go ! go !
go ! " said the voice. " I will go," I answered. At dawn I
ordered the horses, and rode out in the direction that I knew his
tribe was encamped. After three hours I saw some black tents in
the horizon, but before I got near them I met the old crone with
her burden on her back, covered over with sacking. " Where are
you going to, my mother? " I asked. "Is that the boy? " " Yes,"
she said; "he is very bad, and wants to be taken back to you, and
I had just set out and thought I should reach you by to-morrow."
I got down from my horse and tied him to a rock, and assisted
her to lay the boy on the sand. I saw death was fast approaching.
I sat down by him. " Are you very angry with me ? " I said to
him. " Oh no, lady ! I was a very foolish, naughty boy ; I
thought I could get well without the medicine. If I had not left
you I should have been well noAv." He looked so wistfully at me

My Bedawi Boy dies. 283
with his big black eyes. " Is it too late ? " he whispered. " Yes !
my boy, it is," I said, taking hold of his cold hand. " Would
you like to see Allah ? " " Yes," he said, " I should. Can I ? "
" Are you very sorry for all the times you have been naughty and
said bad words?" "Yes," he said. "If I get well, I will do
better, and be kinder to grandmother." I thought that was
enough. I parted his thick matted hair, and, kneeling, I baptized
him from the flask of water I always carried at my side. " What
is that ? " asked the old woman, after we had been silent for some
moments. " It is a blessing," I answered, "and may do him gdod."
I walked back to camp with them, leading my horse ; and as he
could not bear to lose sight of me, and followed me with his eyes,
I remained until he seemed insensible. I did not see him die,
for night was coming on ; but I rode back, feeling sure that he
would not see the sun rise.*
After my husband's departure, it struck me that the only duty
he had left undone was that, having surveyed all the possible
routes to ascertain the best line for the Euphrates Valley Eailway
with a view to the benefit of Syria, that he had not made the
results of his labours known. There are many different routes
proposed, and as many different cliques or parties, all full of
heart-burnings one against another, as to whose line will be
chosen ; and I do not wonder, as enormous fortunes will thereby
be lost or made.
The Euphrates Valley Eailway will be, because England can
never be independent of Eussia until it is made ; but when, how,
and where the Tortoise of Creation will accomplish it, is only
known to a Higher Power. There is nothing I should look upon
with more horror than a railway defiling that pure and sacred
ground with its accompaniments of European vice and drink; but
as it will be for the aggrandizement of my Motherland, and for
the prosperity and civilization of the Land of my adoption, it is
my duty to throw in my mite.
* The Turks and Moslems had one great comfort and security in us : although
my husband protects life and liberty in all circumstances and at all risks, and
though I baptize every irresponsible dying thing I see, upon my own responsibility,
it is quite against our sense of right to convert or proselytize ; and so no Moslem or
Jew ever has, or ever will become a Christian through my, and I need hardly say
through Captain Burton's, seeking or intervention.

284 The Inner Life of Syria.
I addressed the following note to the Editor of the Times,
who was good enough to insert it. As my husband and I can
derive no possible benefit from any route, the statement will be
recognized as the truth. I do not believe that Tyre will be the
chosen site, for Ezekiel, speaking of that once famed city said,
" The merchants of people have hissed at thee ; thou art brought
to nothing, and thou shalt never be any more." However, this
last sentiment of mine is directly opposed and contradicted by
my husband, who asserts that Tyre is flourishing, and will be the
chosen site.
Now that the desire of millions, the Euphrates Valley Eailway, seems
at last likely to become a reality, will you allow me to say a few words
about a line which I believe has not been publicly discussed, and which
appears to be more advantageous than any other 1 During our two years'
residence in Syria, Captain Burton and I have given much time and atten
tion to this subject, and travelled over various districts through which a
railroad might be carried. He embarked for England on the 20th of
August, and all those who are interested in this subject will have the
opportunity of discussing it with him.
The termini hitherto proposed, viz., Iskanderun (Alexandretta), Suway-
diyeh, near Seleucia, and Trabulus (Tripoli), are quite in the north of
Syria. The railroad would consequently run through a comparatively
unfertile country, and could never pay its own expenses, unless a series
of branch lines were constructed as feeders. This would be very expen
sive, and unless one were carried to Beyrout, which is the only large town
on the Syrian coast, all the interest of that port would be against the line.
A subsidy, too, from either the English or Turkish Government would
doubtless be necessary.
All these objections might be got over by choosing a southern port and
making the line run through the richest lands in the country. Sayda
(Sidon) and Sur (Tyre) both possess harbours, which Beyrout has not;
that of the former might easily be repaired, and would then form a better
port than now exists on the coast. The climate is good, while that of
Iskanderun is exceedingly unhealthy. The line would run southward for
some four miles, to the mouth of the Zaharani river, turn up the valley as
far as the ruins of Madineh, thence it would cross the Litani Valley (com
monly misnamed the Leontes), and pass by Jermah and Meidhun to the
bridge El Kurun. From this point it would run through the marvellously
fertile plain of the Buka'a (Ccele-Syria) to Baalbak and Hums, whence
branches could easily be carried to Damascus and Aleppo, thence to
Palmyra, and crossing the Desert at its narrowest, would strike the

Euphrates Valley Bailway. 285
Euphrates at Hit, up to which point the river is navigable all the year
round — not the case further north. This line would restore Baalbak and
Palmyra to their old importance ; the rich uplands of Hums and Hamah,
of which now not one-twentieth is tilled, would again be cultivated.
Sidon would be very easily connected with Beyrout, and, indeed, with
any part of the coast. Though now we must content ourselves with
horses and mules, the Eomans, who knew that roadmaking was the first
step towards conquering a country and rendering it secure, had a chariot
road on the line bordering the Mediterranean from Asia Minor to Egypt.
Tyre would form even a better terminus. It is now a busy, thriving,
neat httle town, much frequented by the picturesque coasting craft which
at times throng its harbour, and by simply throwing a short breakwater
from the lighthouse north-eastward to the outlying rocks it would be made
a safe and sheltered port. The population of this place is composed of
some 2000 Christians and 1500 Metawali ; the latter, a sect of Moham
medans, are hardworking and not fanatical ; during the massacres of
I860, they behaved remarkably well. The line for Tyre would run on
the right side of the Litani river, and follow the mule track to Nabatiyeh.
Thence it would take the same course as that proposed forthe one starting
from Sidon. This Une would doubtless be a monetary success ; it would
galvanize into hfe the torpid but fertile land of Syria, and, by connecting
the Mediterranean with India, the line of traffic which existed from
earliest times would be reopened, and Syria might be awakened from
her sleep of many centuries, and again become a land abounding in corn
and wine and oil.
A duty which devolved upon me also, was that of making
known to Catholic England the state of the poor chapels and
churches of Syria, for which purpose I invoked and obtained the
powerful aid of the Tablet : —
To the Editor of the Tablet.
Sie, — You would do a very kind action if you could interest Catholic
England about poor Catholic Syria. All pious Catholics would feel very
much pained if they knew the poverty of our altars, and how our Lord
is unavoidably served in the Land where He said the first Mass. At
Beyrout, at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, the furniture of the churches
is of course decent and respectable, and that of the Holy Sepidchre at
Jerusalem even rich ; but out of these cities, the sight of the poor altars
and priests, and the means for saying Mass, would bring tears to the eyes
of any good-hearted practical Catholic not having the power to alter the
state of things.
My home . was in a large Kurdish Aullage (Salahiyyeh), which over-

286 The Inner Life of Syria.
hangs Damascus a little, and is fifteen or twenty minutes' distance from
the city, and whose population is said to be 15,000. We were only fifty
poor Christians, and the native doctor and I were the rich people of the
congregation, i.e. we could give a franc or two where the others gave five
paras (a farthing). Our chapel is a whitewashed raftered room, in the
dirtiest part of the village, with a little bit of matting, a very fair altar
of mud, with an inlaid front, a tabernacle, a few coloured framed prints
from some French stall, worth a few sous. Our richest vestment is chintz,
not half good enough for a bedroom window-curtain ; but we had a silver
chalice, and a gaudy French monstrance. I could not pass this poor
chapel over. It was a trouble to me until I travelled in the interior and
saw real distress. The Kurds protected it for my sake whilst I was there,
and gave up insulting our priest, and stoning our people as they came out
from church.
When I first saw it, I longed to open a subscription in England for it,
and could think of nothing else. But presently, I travelled in the interior,
and what I saw there drove my parish chapel completely out of myjiead.
The only Mass we can get in our summer quarter for the Consulate
(Bludan) is by an hour's ride down a steep and difficult mountain path,
to the large Moslem village of Zebedani. Here is another poor room as a
chapel, and about fifty poor Catholics, who have no church furniture at
all. Mass is said in a peasant's room, occupied during the week, but
vacated and swept on Sundays, on an old box covered with a bit of ragged
print, and the priest brings with him a silver chalice and an incense firmer,
without a single necessary ; the rest is rags and dirt.
El Hameh is kept by a pious Frenchman in a sort of outhouse. The
altar and everything is made of mud, and plastered Avith bits of gold
paper. It looks so poor and destitute, but so clean and devout. No. 4,
at the Cedars of Lebanon, which is the poorest of all, is hke an old wood-
room, containing nothing.
All the village chapels are in this state, and one in the mountains
particularly distressed me ; but I have been so reprimanded by my religious
superiors for telling what I have seen, that I keep back half the truth,
though I am not disposed to think that hiding a sore heals it. I have
positively seen an altar where an old lantern Avith one side out composed
the tabernacle, and a cast-off sardine box was one of the vessels used.
Now I would beg of Catholic England aU the cast-off rubbish of their
chapels and churches. We can make altars of stone or wood, of which
we have plenty, but altar linen, vestments, tabernacles, candlesticks,
crucifixes, ornaments, images, pictures, or vessels for the altar use, we
cannot procure. What England would reject in six months would make
Syria resplendent. I am the only Enghsh Cathohc in Syria, and that is

Catholic Churches in Syria rescued by England. 287
the reason why I have come forward to state this grievance, and to offer
my serAdces for the distribution and decoration, if judged fit.
I have not yet seen a dying person in the East receive the last Sacra
ments, and I have had plenty of opportunity. It might be for want of
the necessary means ; it might be that they did not send for a priest. I
do not know ; but let us provide the means. I am not speaking of large
towns, but of the wretched httle places in the wild parts of the country.
May I beg your insertion of this note in the Tablet. Every Christian
owes a heavy obligation to Syria, and I do not know how we can do
enough for her, especially just now that she is at her lowest ebb of
poverty, degradation, and distress.
My letter was responded to when I went to London by ten
convents, thirty-four individuals, the poor children of Listowel,
Ireland, and several anonymous charitable persons, who sent me
£83, and boxes of church plate, vestments, linen, and ornaments
enough to furnish four churches. I immediately sent everything
out safely ; all was duly received, and the churches were properly
adorned by my friends. I rendered an account of my stewardship
in the Tablet, with thanks to my generous coadjutors, concluding
thus : —
There was a touching instance of piety in our present undertaking.
When my first letter in the Tablet was read in Ireland, many of the poor
phildren, who had only dry bread and milk for the day, gave up their
milk and ate dry bread until the sum of three pounds had been raised.
This happened at Listowel. What a tie it will make between Syria and
England. The poor there Avill never forget it. I invested those three
pounds in a chalice, wherewith to celebrate Mass at the Cedars of
Lebanon, which needs the most. I think these things will leave England
at the end of this month, and arrive during February.
A few days ago we received a letter from Syria, saying that some
Christians had been murdered in the most public part of Damascus, and
that the bodies were still lying there. In their ignorance they implored
us to go back to them, as these things were not done in our time. I do
indeed regret leaving a land where we were of some use, and between
whose people and ourselves there existed a great attachment and con
fidence ; nor did they attribute the benefits they enjoyed to be derived
from us, but from the great and good Government who they fancied sent
us there to make them happy, to let the poor raise their unfortunate
heads, and their villages to flourish. I do not mean to say that we should

288 The Inner Life of Syria.
have interfered with anything that did not concern us, but that the
Syrians are the most inteUectual, warm-hearted people imaginable, and
the best formed by nature for civilization ; and that we were on such
friendly terms with all the chief Moslems, that for our sakes, and to please
our Government, as they then thought it, they would not have allowed
a Christian to be touched.
I have lately read a pamphlet entitled "Eevival of Christianity in
Syria," which is the most interesting half-hour's reading I have had for
some time. It gives a truer idea of the state of Syria at present than the
thirty or forty volumes on the same subject by various authors. It depicts
Christianity, not Sectarianism. The author would have done better to
put the Protestant half first. It would have had more weight than
miracles, but still I feel compelled to- say that I was in Syria all the time,
knew all the people named therein, and have conversed with them freely;
and, except that I never have seen a Adsion myself, I can vouch for the
truth of every word in it, and I honestly beheve that those people did
see what they state they did. I could, moreover, relate several other
circumstances, which your author probably had no means of knowing.
He has very much reduced the number of would-be converts — a fault
on the right side. I knew of between 10,000 or 15,000 before I left.
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, I see, has lately made them 25,000. The priests
knew of 7000, and told me of it. We must not expect any to declare
themselves, for fear of treachery, unless they are heavily backed, any more
than we can expect to see sheep run and gambol into the slaughter-house.
It is of no use to send any one to ascertain the truth, nor to ask to know
it, but I think my words will fulfil themselves.
I am, Sir, yours obediently, Isabel Burton.
Garswood, Newton-le- Willows, Lancashire,
January 8th, 1872.
With each box I sent a list, and a letter to be read out by the
priest to the people, of which I gave a specimen in the Tablet.
SYEIAN MISSIONS.
To the Editor of the Tablet.
Sie, — I supplement my letter of last week by forwarding a hst of the
objects furnished to the Syrian churches, and the following translation of
the letter which accompanies the gifts.
"My dear friends and neighbours of Salahlyyeh, — By the permission of
our Bishop, the Padre Elias will read you these few words from me in the
church. It is now six months since the sad day I was obliged to leave
you, but wishing that you should know how much my heart has been with

Catholic Churches. ' 289
you, I send you a few things for our poor chapel, that seeing them, you
may remember me and pray for me until, as I hope to do some day,
I come back to end my days amongst you. But I am very glad to know
that you have got a nice Consul in our place, who is our friend, and will
be kind to you ; and you must not be disheartened and think because he is
there that you Avill never see us any more. Who knows when we shall
come 1 and on that happy day let us find that you have all been good and
keeping your promises to us. Now it is my duty to explain to you how
you have got all these nice things. I made it known to my friends and
relatives in England how poor are the churches in Syria, and fifty of them
joined together, and each one gave me something, so that I am able to
furnish you, and El Hameh, and Zebedani, and the poor chapel of Urz
Libnan (Cedars) ; but we all wish that these things should be considered
Haram (ex votos), so that they cannot be sold or transferred to other
chapels, and whoever breaks this covenant between you and us will be
answerable to Allah. I wish that our dear Padre Elias should give from
the altar to every person in the church, but especially the children, either
a small statuette, blessed medal, or holy picture, for a remembrance of
England. You must pray for all those who have been so kind to you.
You cannot read a list of English names, but ask God to grant all their
needs and wants for the sake of their kind interest in you. I, for one,
want many things, and you must not be sorry that I was sent home,
as God knew that I was wanted, and my poor mother was lying danger
ously ill. Pray to God to spare her to us. Pray also earnestly to Him
who directs all the Sultans, and Governments of the earth, concerning
Captain Burton's future Mission, that we may not be too far from you.
We congratulate you on your good new Wali, Soubhi Pasha, now govern
ing Syria with so much honour, as we have heard. I send you a picture
of our beloved Queen, and her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, who will
one day be our King. He has been very ill, but God heard our prayer
and did not take him. Put them near the door of your chapel, that when
you enter you may remember to pray for her and all her family, and that
her kingdom may be preserved in greatness and honour and serving God.
" In conclusion, we beg to be most affectionately remembered to all our
kind friends and neighbours in Salahiyyeh and Damascus, both Moslem
and Christian. To mention names would cover too many sheets of paper.
I hope all my Moslem friends will be kind to Padre Elias, and protect our
little chapel and congregation for my sake, and be kind to my poor and
sick. Our hearts and thoughts are with you all, and we live in the hope
of soon seeing you again. Think of us always as faithful friends."
According to custom I ended my letter to Salahiyyeh with a lament,
which is beautiful in Arabic, but does not translate well : —

290 The Inner Life of Syria.
" O zephyr of the morning, you are my messenger to them,
God knows I am jealous of you ;
Make use of the breeze to carry my message to them.
For verily I am like Solomon pining in my captivity."
Besides the above I added in, to the poor Frenchman who keeps the
chapel of El Hameh : —
"Wishing you to know how much we appreciated your simple and
earnest devotion, and your endeavour to keep a httle chapel clean and
respectable through every difficulty, I made it known in England," etc.
To Zebedani I added : " Begging to be affectionately remembered to aU our
dear friends and neighbours, whether in Bludan or Zebedani, Moslems and
Christians ahke, and especiaUy to the Bayt et TeU and Bayt el Beg, and beg
of them to protect my priest and chapel and the Christians for me, and to
be kind to my poor and sick."
I made some slight alterations in my letter to his Beatitude the
Patriarch Peter Paul of the Maronites, who Uves in the Lebanon, three
hours from the Cedars.
" Sayyidna (Our Lord), I beg the blessing of your Beatitude, and per
mission to make on the part of my people (Enghsh Cathohcs), a small
offering to the chapel under the trees of Urz Libnan (the Cedars), where
I was encamped under tents some time ago and enjoyed your holy hos
pitahty; at that time I was pained to see the poverty of the chapel, and
I made it knoAvn to my country, etc., etc., etc.
" It wiU strengthen the ties of affection between England and Syria to
know, that when this news reached them, the children of the poor in one
¦vUlage caUed Listowel, who had only dry bread and milk to support them
selves, denied themselves, of their oavu wish, the milk, and ate the bread
alone, until they had saved up piastres sufficient to buy the sUver Chalice,
Paten, and Ciborium, sent for the Chapel of the Cedars, as an offering to
our Lord Jesus. May their innocence make a bond of love between your
country and mine, and bring dovra a blessing of holiness and power to
your race" (Maronite). Let the priest distribute to aU the httle children,
from the altar, a medal or holy picture, as a remembrance of the poor httle
children of Listowel."
The rest of the letter is the same as the other, and it ends thus : " We
beg of your Beatitude to accept from us as a personal tribute of love and
respect, the few gifts in the parcel marked in your name, although the
trifles are quite unworthy of your Magnificence. Eemember us affec
tionately to Father Dahdah (his secretary), and allow us to assure you of
our loving and respectful regard for your beatific person, and beg you
to command us as faithful friends." Isabel Burton.

Gratitude of Syrian Christians to England. 291
The most beautiful thing was their gratitude, which was
meant for each donor as well as myself, and therefore I made it
public, and it shows how well bestowed is our kindness on that
unhappy land. THE POOE CATHOLICS IN SYEIA.
Sie, — I received some time ago most grateful letters from the poor
Cathohc chapels in the interior of Syria, which were raised up by the
bounty of so many English CathoUcs and your powerful help in the
Tablet. I felt ashamed to publish, them because they overflow Avith, that
poetry of affection and graceful adulation of myself which is the Eastern
form- It is, however, the opinion of aU my friends that I ought to
publish at least one specimen of their gratitude and joy, inasmuch as the
kind things addressed to me are intended for each donor as weU as myself,
and meant to be transmitted to them. Each one AviU feel how well
bestowed was their kindness and generosity. The idiom is Arabic
throughout, in fact wwr-AngUcized, a literal translation.
" O lady exceUent and surpassing in rank, honour, complete in
devotion and piety.
"This (is the thing) represented to thy ladyship — the esteemed.
Since we Christian CathoUcs are for ever celebrating what thou hast dis
played towards us of kind intercourse and neighbourly condescension
during thy bringing honour (i.e. sojourn) to the Syrian habitations, and
more stiU what we are immersed in of thy successive kindnesses towards
us aU together, and of the inclining of thy good heart with affection
and companionship towards our weUare pubhc and private. Astonished
at the purity of thy intention, wonderstruck at the greatness of thy
kindness and condescension, and thy striving to adopt the virtue of love
of one's neighbour. Enduring grief for the absence from us of thy kind
person, sighing at thy leaving us like orphans vacant of thy presence,
expecting the extension of Divine grace, humiliating ourselves before it in
hopes that it may graciously be pleased to be good towards a flock that is
in despair and has lost heart in consequence of thy heaA^y fixed absence.
And since in the happiest of time, He whose name be exalted was good to
us, and His Holy WiU which moves all hearts whither He pleases, went
forth and turn thy Ught-filled heart, and thou didst honour us with thy
gracious Unes, which are to us as a beloved store, and from perusing its
lofty purport our hearts attained complete comfort and perfect consolation,
and since thou hast condescended, O exceUent Lady, to address thy
orphaned dependants in the state of thy absence from them, therefore we
offer bold effrontery to thy high person, begging that thou Avilt bend

292 The Inner Life of Syria.
to receive this our petition as a pledge of our strong dependence upon thy
high worth, and thence we say : —
"Firstly. We offer increased thanks to Almighty God for the
existence of thy excellent person, clad as thou art in the skirt of health
and good condition, humihating ourselves before Him. May He be
exalted that He may graciously protect thee from all sorts of harm. May
His high arm guard thy life from all dangers and hurts, and shade thee
Avith the veU of His holy grace, watching over thee — and his happiness the
Consul Bey, thy husband, from every attack or enemy.
"Secondly. What eloquent tongue wUl be able to pour forth the
recital of thy universal bounty towards our community, since thou dost
never stop a gracious thought for our welfare even in thy absence from us ;
and therefore thou hast manifested to some of thy Christian friends the
condition of our Syrian churches, and their nakedness of aU things
necessary for their ornament in any fitting way whatever, and therefore
fifty of them have agreed with due accord to coUect the things which thou
didst honour us by sending to our churches and our priests, with the
manifestation of thy will that they should not be sold or moved, in con
formity Avith the wishes of those benefactors. Thy consignment aU
reached us, and we collected it together in the square, perfectly in
accordance -with thy description, and we were careful of it, as weU as
of the carrying out of thy orders in this matter, UteraUy without any
deficiency at aU ; and likeAvise with respect to the distribution of the gifts
to the congregation by the hands of the priest in the church, according to
thy order, and therefore we present to thy ladyship the increase of our
thanks, because thy efforts and helps are the two things which have
moved the hearts of our benefactors to give us these excellently respect
able presents. The Lord God -will so reward those who so love His house.
His goodness, and He it is who of His grace wiU favour thy honour
able person, and aU the benefactors, who by thy means have agreed with
one accord to give this beneficence, Avith the fulness of His heavenly
reward, and Avith the continuaUy pouring doAvn of His earthly gracious
bounties, protecting your honourable tribe (or order) with increase of
virtue, devotion, and good piety, and make you fitting for the glory pre
pared for those who love the beauty of His-House, and fiU you with His
universal divine goodness, that it may pour into you the growth of
striving for the welfare of your neighbour, and protect you with His holy
strong right hand, with aU the individuals of your generous family (class),
from all the evils of the darts of the wicked one, and lead you in this Ufe
with the eye of His (i.e., His very own) divine favour, to walk on the path
of eternal salvation, and prosper all your righteous undertakings, to His
glory (be He exalted the Holy One), and make your days happy in the

I leave the Anti-Lebanon. 293
attainment of sound health, perfect comfort, and good condition. Begging
thy favour to present from us what is fitting of this our thanks, and
the display of obligation, to aU the individual benefactors — the most
honourable. " Thirdly. Our hearts have been fiUed with grief surpassing at hearing
of thy Country's anxiety, according to thy order, and in fulfilment of the
objects of thy trust, we have not stopped interceding with the Power on
High, that it may incUne in its clemency to cure the person of the Heir-
apparent (complete in rank), who as thou hast manifested to us has been
disturbed in his gracious health, and also to protect the person of thy
mighty Queen. God preserve her from harm, God protect her with His
high arm, God make perpetual and firm the throne of her kingdom in
perfect might and respect, and acceptability of aU the ages.
" Fourthly. Alas ! alas ! O honourable Lady ! Let us see when thou
wht return to our abodes, let us see when our people shaU attain that
glory and consolation, let us see when our eyes wiU be made glad with
that spectacle. O God ! verily we ask Thee to bring that thing near.
Oh graciously move to the granting of our one wish in life. Then Lady,
thou AvUt promise to bring honour to us. Disappoint not thy dependants
of their hope. This is the petition of all, both Christians and Mohamme
dans. We salute thee, presenting to thee the duty of reverence, and we
manifest our reverence to thy rank (class), our benefactors ; do not forget
us from thy sight, thy dependants, Christian Catholics of Dismaskh esh
Sham Zebedani, etc., etc., etc."
This, Sir, is a good specimen of the grateful receivers of your and the
other donors' bounty. I think parts of it wUl please you ; and that you
whl courteously crown your good work by allowing it to come to Ught, I
feel sure. I regret to say that a few of the vestments were not the ortho
dox shape for some of the Oriental forms of rite, which I overlooked, but
they wiU not be lost.
When all these sad preparations were finished, I bade adieu
to the Anti-Lebanon with a heavy heart, and for the last time,
choking with emotion, I rode down the mountain and through
the plain of Zebedani, with a very large train of followers. I
found it hard to leave the spot where I had hoped to leave my
mortal coil.
I had a sorrowful ride into Damascus, and I met the Wali
driving in State, with, all his suite. He looked radiant, and
saluted me. He looked less radiant a few days later, when the
news of his own recall reached him. He fought hard to stay, and

294 • The Inner Life of Syria.
I do not wonder, for he had a splendid position, and had bought
lands and built a palace, which he never lived in.
At Damascus I had to go through the same sad scenes, upon a
much larger scale than I had gone through at Bludan. Many
kind friends, native and European, came to stay about me to the
last. I saw that Captain Burton's few enemies were very anxious
for me to go, and that all the rest were equally anxious to detain
me as a kind of pledge for his return. I reflected that it would
be right that I should coolly and quietly perform every single
work I had to undertake — to sell everything, to pay all debts,
and arrange every liability of any kind incurred by my husband,
to pack and despatch to England our personal effects, to make
innumerable friendly adieux, to make a provision or find a happy
home for every single being — man or beast — that had been de
pendant upon us.
I had no anxiety, for though I had magnificent offers — two
from Moslems to shoot certain official enemies, as they passed in
their carriages, from behind a rock, and another from a Jew to put
some poison in their coffee — I slept in perfect security, with the
windows and doors open. Before I left I went and dressed our
little chapel with all the pious things in my possession.
On the day of the sale I could not bear to stay near the house,
so I went up to Arba'in, or the Forty Martyrs, above my house, on
Jebel Kaysun, and I gazed on my dear Salahiyyeh below, in its
sea of green, and my pearl-like Damascus, and the desert sand,
and watched the sunset on the mountains for the last time. I
also met Mogharibehs, who came to pray, and prognosticated all
sorts of good fortune to me. I took them down to the house,
where I found Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake. He played them a trick,
after they had done their magic, which thoroughly astonished
them. He wound a bit of magnesium wire round a large silver
coin, and handed them another. "You see that it is solid silver?"
" Yes," they said. Then by slight of hand he substituted the one
with the magnesium, and began to peel it off with a penknife, as if
he were cutting the silver, and then he set fire to it. When they
saw the wonderful light, which they had never before seen, they
looked very serious, dropped their things and left the house

I leave Damascus. 295
#
at once, saying that they were not allowed to deal with the devil
in their magic.
All this work took me some time, but I resolved, whatever the
wrench might cost me, that I would set out the moment it was
finished. My husband being gone, I had no place, no business,
in Damascus, and I felt it would be better taste to leave. I
began to perceive that the demonstrations were beginning to
be of an excitable nature, the Moslems assembling in cliques at
night, 100 here and 100 there to discuss the strange matter.
They were having prayers in the Mosques for Captain Burton,
and making promises of each giving so much to the poor if they
obtained their wish. They continually poured up to Salahiyyeh
with tears and letters, begging him to return, and I felt that my
presence and distress only excited them more.
Unfortunately my work was finished on the night of the 12th
of September, which obliged me, to be true to my sense of right;
to brave the unlucky 13th, and as half the town wanted to
accompany me part of the road, I was afraid that a demonstration
might result. I determined to slip away quietly, so taking an
affectionate leave of two friends, Abd el Kadir and Mrs.  ,
accompanied by Mr. Drake and our two most faithful Dragomans,
who had never deserted me, and put themselves and all they
possessed at my disposal, Hanna Asar and Mr. Awadys, I left
Damascus an hour before dawn, at 3 a.m. on 18th of September,
almost secretly, sending word to all my friends that parting was
too painful to me.
" Fresh as the first beam ghttering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the under world :
Sad as the last which reddens over one,
That sinks Avith aU we love below the verge."

296 The Inner Life of Syria.

CHAPTEE XXXIII.
CONCLUSION.
And now the excitement was over.
I felt life's interest die out of me as I jogged along for weary
miles, wishing mental good-byes to every stick and stone. I had
been sickening for some days with fever. I had determined not
to be ill at Damascus, and so detained. Pluck had kept me up,
but having braved the fatal 13th, and set out upon it, I was not
destined to reach Beyrout.
It is gone and past, but three years have rolled away, and I
have not yet seen Damascus. When I reached that part of the
Lebanon looking down upon the sea, near Khan el Karayyeh, my
fever had increased to such an extent that I became delirious,
and had to be set down on the road side, where I moaned with
pain, and could not proceed. Half an hour from the road was the
village of my little Syrian girl. I was carried to her father's
house, and lay there for ten days very ill, and was nursed by her
aud by my English maid ; and the father, mother, brother, and
sisters of the former paid me every kindness and attention, and I
had every comfort that the place could afford. Many kind friends,
English and native, came to see me from Beyrout and from the
villages round about.
There is a sad story connected with a neighbouring village
here, and I often make my girl tell it to me. It is the most
extensive illustration of an unlucky family that I ever heard of.
It happened not many years ago. Nejme's father died, her
mother was old ; she had no brother, and only one sister, who was
well married. Nejme, for a village girl, was rich, and better

I fall Sick on board — Village Tragedy. 297
still, clever, young, pretty, and good ; so everybody wanted her.
She is described as having golden hair — a rare thing here, blub
eyes, and pink and white face, as is often the case with such a
gem. She picked up the "crooked stick" at last. They were
Maronites, and the family-in-law appear to have been very
unpleasant people. His wicked mother, seeing they had no
children, tried to set him against his wife ; and one day a serpent
having entered the cupboard, and by their idea having poisoned
the food therein, his wicked sister took the opportunity of accus
ing Nejme of having put it there,, insinuating that she preferred
somebody to her husband. The fool, listening to his own blood
relations in preference to his good wife, shut her under the
ground in a cold, dark, damp place ; the only little loophole for
air was a chink in the stones — her only food bread and water.
The chink looked upon a dirty poultry yard, and she used to
envy the chickens freely picking about in the mud. The people
at last let the Government know the story, and he was ordered to
let her out; but he gave bakshish, saying, "I have taken her
out," and her relations were not powerful enough to interfere and
to obtain redress. After she had been there a year, the Govern
ment got to know that he had not really let her out, and they
sent and had her delivered, but not before he beat her sorely.
She ran to her sister's home, he followed her there and beat her
again. She ran out of the house, and he followed and beat her
whilst she ran; and, catching her on the road about sunset, he1
stabbed her with his knife in a fatal place. She cried, "I am
lost," and still he struck her all over with his knife. He ran
away, and the neighbours came and bound her together with a
lekhaf (a large; soft, wadded quilt), laid her upon a stretcher, and
carried her to her old mother's. She was still alive, and begged
for a priest, and confessed, and received the last rites of the
Church. When the priest was gone, she said, " Call him back, I
have forgotten something." "Oh," said the neighbours, " she for-
. got the poison ; now she will confess it." They stood near to catch
something, and heard her whisper, "Oh, Father, I forgot one
thing. I was jealous of the chickens walking freely in the yard
to pick, whilst I, thy servant, was shut up ; but God will forgive
me, will He not? I was so wretched." So saying, she died,
VOL. II. x

298 The Inner Life of Syria.
and the bystanders were moved to tears. They only fined the
husband, who married again in two years. She must have been
a brave woman that No. 2. She lived very unhappily, and had
no children ; so he began to hate and beat her too. At last she
took advice, and eventually had a son, which died, and again
another, but it died, and herself likewise. He had an only
brother, upon whom he doated. The brother went out shooting',
but carrying his gun with the muzzle pointing upwards, he fell,
and pulling the trigger the whole charge- entered just where his
brother had stabbed his wife. The poor man called for a priest,
in the agonies of death, but there was none to be had. The
wicked husband then began to recognize the justice of God, and
flinging himself upon his brother's corpse cried, " Oh, my God,
this should have been for me, not for my brother." The wicked
sister also died. What became of the old mother and the
husband I do not know ; but they are sure to meet their punish
ment somewhere. It is a story told by the villagers. I need not
say that the event did not happen in our time.
I sent the bulk of our baggage from here by sea. Mr. Tyr
whitt-Drake took our house, part of the furniture, the. faithful
Habib, and the Sais, my two horses, which I could not bear to
sell into stranger hands, the dogs, and the Persian cat, "Tuss,"
who however ran away the day after I left, and has never been
seen or heard of since. All the other servants and animals were
well provided for in other ways. I was offered £15 for my
donkey, but I could not bear to sell him, so I left him also with
Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake, and he eventually found a good home with
our successor, Mr. Green, and died in comfort. The bull-terriers
also died natural deaths with Mr. Drake. It is a great relief
to know that the former will never become a market donkey, nor
the latter, Pariahs, nor be beaten, stoned, and ill-used. I was
obliged to sell Captain Burton's Eahwan, and I sent it to the
purchaser from the village where I was ill. He came to pay me a
visit. Although the poor horse had only been there one night,
this gentleman told me he had no trouble in finding the house, for
as soon as the Eahwan got near the turn leading off the diligence
road, he started off at full gallop, and never stopped till he
reached the door, nor would he go anywhere else.

I recover Attack of Delirium— Reach Alexandria. 299
I went down to Beyrout as soon as I was well enough to
move, and assisted by Mr. Watkins of the Imperial Ottoman
Bank, Mr. Drake, and Mr. Zal Zal, embarked in the Eussian ship
Ceres, the same that had brought me formerly from Alex
andria to Beyrout. As we were about to steam out, an English
Vice-Consul in the Levant gaily waved his hand to me, and
said laughingly, " Good-bye, Mrs. Burton ; I have been sixteen
years in the service, and I know twenty scoundrels in it who are
never molested, and I never saw a Consul 'recalled' except
for something disgraceful, and certainly never for an Eastern
Pasha. You'll find it's all right ; they would hardly do such
a thing to such a man as Burton." We had a rolling passage of
three days and nights, passing Sidon, Tyre, Acre, Khaiffa, Carmel,
Jaffa, and Port Sa'id, where the French Chancellier, Comte
Gilbert de Voisins, who was a member of our little society at
Jerusalem, came off to see me. We had the whole way fair
weather, a pleasant Eussian captain, good table, and I had the
whole of the ladies' saloon to myself. We arrived at Alexandria,
and I went to Abbot's Hotel.
Alexandria on my return appeared to me to be below sea level,
if possible, and very unwholesome. The buildings which two
years ago seemed to me like a dirty pack of cards flung together,
looked now handsome and massive. Here the vulgarity of Europe
began. I found it infinitely worse than Beyrout, in being half
civilized, half and half Christian and Moslem, half and half
Oriental and European — a nauseous mixture, which offends any
one really bitten with Orientalism, because you get all the vices of
both uppermost, and the virtues of neither.
Demi-semi Europeanized, Christianized, civilized natives are
not pleasant. The Europeans put them on an equality, and are
too lazy to put them in their places. The Kawwass of the Con
sulate answered me familiarly and sitting. Ours were obliged to
stand and salute if any English person passed in the street ; and
if a Consul or his wife visited Damascus, one was on duty as long
as they stayed, and one was on guard at the hotel or at our house
for every English person of distinction. That is the difference
between Nature and Civilization, between Moslem and Christian,
and also of a Military or a Civilian master.

300 The Inner Life of Syria.
At Eamleh I also saw another sign of degeneracy — public
wife-beating. There were a handful of tents belonging to, not
what we should call Bedawin, but Fellahin — what tinkering
tramps are to real gipsies. They hang about the European
houses, and are paid for protecting them. They received a
Kawwass' wages — about £2 a month, I think, from each house,
but from one I know. Their Chief used to amuse himself by
quarrelling with and severely beating his unhappy wife (who
was about to make him a father), and this two or three times a
day. All the European houses saw it ; true, the masters were
away all day on business. The servants used to cluster around
outside and look on, but it was nobody's business to interfere
with " the Bedawi " who protected the houses. Having come
from amongst real Bedawin, this swaggering tramp disgusted
me ; so when he began to beat his wife, I planted a very large
stick in front of his tent in the sand, and said a few words of
contempt to him in Arabic. He left off, and did not beat her
again whilst I was there, but of course recommenced when I
left. I begged somebody to interfere, but they said they had
frequently " spoken to him, and begged him to desist." In our
latitudes, firstly, he would not have been employed ; we defended
our own houses in a far more dangerous position ; but if he were,
his pay would have been stopped every time, and after the first
assault he would have been ready to kiss her feet.
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, and Mr. Grace, the banker, made my
stay very pleasant. One evening, when we were leaving for the
train, a young gentleman who had dined with us mounted a
spirited horse for a moonlight gallop on the sand. The horse
shied near the train, and fell with him over the side, a depth
which appeared to me to be about fifteen feet. He bravely
picked himself and his horse up, and mounted and rode on, saying
he was unhurt ; but I saw him fall under his horse. The train
came up at the next instant ; it was a narrow escape.
The first thing that I did on arriving at Alexandria, was
to find out the best and quickest way of getting to England.
Perhaps my labours may be useful to some one in similar cir
cumstances. The Peninsular and Oriental to Brindisi for self, two attendants,

Embark on Board P. and 0. " Candia." 301
bull pup, and personal baggage would cost £85, all through to
London. But after landing at Brindisi there were four custom
houses to be passed, changing carriage twelve times between
Brindisi and Cologne, the hotels bad and dear, very little
baggage allowed, and the bull pup in the dirty, cold dog-box
all the way — only to be travelled, en garcon, with Albert Smith's
" shirt and toothbrush."
Besides this there was the Italian service to Brindisi ; Mar
seilles by the Messageries ; English lines to Liverpool ; Austrian
Lloyd's, via Constantinople and via Trieste.
Out of the seven ways of getting from Alexandria to London,
after calculating the expense, the time, the trouble, and discom
fort on the road of travelling with impedimenta, I found that the
Peninsular and Oriental to Southampton was far the cheapest,
the best, the most comfortable, and the least trouble. When
once I embarked I might consider myself at home. The only
drawback was being obliged to accept, with these conveniences, a
run through the equinoctial gales ; but as it was by no means the
first time I had had to sail in bad weather, I did not let that
deter me, and I took our passages on the P. and 0. Candia,
Captain Brown, and embarked at noon on the 30th of September.
It was a fine ship, luxuriantly fitted out. The captain, purser,
doctor, and all on board were most kind ; the table was first-rate ;
and we had a large cabin to ourselves.
October 4th. — We landed on a cool morning, at 6 o'clock, at
Malta, and were glad of a walk to the highest part of the battle
ments, built by the Knight Templars, which command a view of
everything. We visited the Cathedral of St. John, where five
Masses were being celebrated, and examined the old sculptured
tombs on the walls, and the mosaic on the floors. The sun came
out hot, and we sat under a "punkah" in a shop, and then
returned to the ship.
Shortly after we met the P. and 0. Mongolia, coming from Eng
land. She had encountered fearful weather, which we were going
into. About sixty knots from Malta we saw millions of large
sponges floating about, perhaps for forty miles; the sea was
yellow with them as far as we could see. We tried to catch
them in tubs, and by baskets, and by long fish-hooks, but at the

302 The Inner Life of Syria."
pace we were going we could only pull up fragments. There
must have been several ship-loads. Nobody could account for
them, nobody had ever seen it before, and all surmised that
there had been a fearful gale. We had a very rough night, and
some of the ladies slept on the saloon table.
On the morning of the 5th we saw the coast of Africa, about
Tunis. On the 6th it became hot like a vapour bath, with a heavy
swell. We raffled for an oil painting of the ship by a sailor;
and our evenings were generally cheered by a " tea-fight " in the
cabin of the captain, or purser, or doctor.
On the 7th we came into that cloudy, inky sky and earth-
quaky depression which denotes approach to England. The
sea became oily; birds came on board, amongst them a robin.
At sunset on the 7th a dreadful fog enveloped us. We could
hardly see across the saloon. At 7.30 came a dreadful crash, a
jolt, screams, and a falling of spars all about us — we had run into
a large barque. " All hands on deck ! " was shouted down the
companion ladder. "Ladies to remain below!" It was an anxious
time, for we could not see ; we could only hear screams, and boats
pushing off, and tremendous noise. Every one was frightened,
but all behaved well. We remained still for three hours, expect
ing the iron Malabar, a ship twice our size, due that way and that
time, to come down upon us and crush us in the dark ; but God
was good, and she did not.
It is very wonderful to watch character at such moments, for
these are the trials that bring out the true nature; and I knew my
fellow-passengers better after that night than I should have done
in a month otherwise, and saw who were made of true metal.
Yet all behaved admirably. One little woman, whom we had
none of us noticed very much, and perhaps had thought very
little of, was a bright specimen of a true woman. She just
fetched her baby out of her berth, and sat rocking it, and singing
and smiling to it, to prevent its being frightened, and simply
never thought of herself.
We had an uncomfortable night. Some of the ports had been
stove in, and were carpentered up. Men were at work all night ;
sounds of chains and hawsers, fog-Avhistles, blue lights, boat-

Twer Collisions at Sea in the Fog. 303
swain's pipes, put every soul on the qui vive. The Captain, after
his cruise in a boat to pick up the pieces, came down at 11 p.m.
and said cheerily, though we could all see by his face he was
anything but happy, " Now, ladies, go to bed ! Don't be fright
ened ! We have had our accident for the night." We were then
steaming on slower, with the disabled barque in tow. We con
sulted together as to what we should do. Most of the ladies
wished to sleep on the tables, and not to undress, so as to be
ready to appear in case of need. I thought it better to go to
bed in good swimming attire, covered by a pretty dressing-gown,
if it was a case of escaping in boats, and have a sound sleep,
which I did for four hours.
Sunday, October 8th. — At 3 a.m. I was violently jerked out of
my berth on to the ground. Another crash, another jolt, and
falling spars, more shrieks, and lowering of boats — the same scene
over again. We had run into a large brig. We all rushed on
deck this time, and I never saw men run up the rigging so quick
as did those of the brig. We took the crew on board, and the
ship in tow. Every one behaved admirably. Some of the ladies
were in delicate health ; there were invalids on board, and these
were much to be pitied.
It was Sunday morning: breakfast and Church-service went
on just as if nothing had happened. Eventually the fog lifted,
and we got fairly under weigh.
We were in Gibraltar at six next morning, and we found great
heat and heavy mist. An earthquake was anticipated, because
the compasses would not work in the harbour, and similar peculiar
weather had once before been experienced preceding an earth
quake. It was a heavenly day ; the coast of Africa and Gibraltar
looked charming. But our disappointments were not over : the
last vessel we had damaged and towed came from the Black Sea
with cholera compromise, and we could get no pratique; so we had
to examine " Gib's " beauties from the deck. The Simla, outward
bound, had also run into a large ship in the Bay. We cast away
at Gibraltar our disabled ships and crews, and received the crew
of the Simla's victim ; we also took on board twenty-one passen
gers, and steamed out at 2 p.m. It was blowing hard, the sea
was rough, and the weather was cold.

304 The Inner Life of Syria.
We had managed to get some newspapers on board, and one
contained the sad news of several deaths by an -epidemic in one
family, whose sisters formed part of our little society. They were
carrying pretty Indian presents back for the very sisters and
cousins who were now dead. We hid the paper, to spare them
three dreadful days in their cabins from Gibraltar to Southamp
ton. We had a very heavy swell after leaving Gibraltar, with
inky sky and sea, and blowing very hard; and we from warm
climates felt very miserable as we passed Lisbon.
The night of the 10th was very bad. It was difficult to get to
bed, as the gale was so heavy. There were perpetual sounds of
crockery smashing, and of trunks shifting places, rendering sleep
impossible. On the 11th we got up under difficulties, and crawled about.
It was a splendid day, but with one of those tremendous swells
that Byron loved. The sea looked like a great undulating plain,
and the long, heavy rollers, like ridges of low mountains in the
distance, gathering up and charging down upon a nutshell. I
sat and read all these days in an arm-chair lashed to the deck.
The poor captain was very ill, and the purser and third officer
down with fever. It was calm after we passed Cape Finisterre.
We had seen nothing but a whale or two for some time. The
much maligned Bay of Biscay was most beautiful — fine weather
and a slight swell. I have crossed it eight times, and only seen
it angry twice.
On the 13th we were in Channel and off Ushant before eight.
I was afraid that I should have to land in England on the 13th,
but that ill-luck was spared. It was a fine day, with the usual
Channel breeze and chopping sea, and we passed many ships.
This being our last evening, we combined in getting up a
testimonial for Captain Brown, signed by all the passengers,
relative to the accident. I believe the poor man took it too
much to heart : they say that he was never the same, and died
shortly afterwards.
Whenever an English ship sights the lights of Portland Bill,
which at night look like two eyes, there is always great excite
ment. This was the eighth time I had seen it. All the English
rush on deck, some almost choking ; they have not seen " home "

I arrive in London, and leave my Beader. 305
for two years, for ten, for twenty, thirty, or for forty years. I
have been away too often now. One poor fellow on landing, and
getting to the hotel, jumped on the sofa, and wildly waved his
hat, cheering and hurrahing, until the frightened waiter was
hesitating about calling a doctor. The man suddenly, seeing
his face, burst out laughing, jumped down, and shook him by the
hand, saying, " Excuse me, old fellow, but I have not been home
these thirty years ! " It is odd how we exiles love our country,
our home, our friends; — and how curiously little they think
about us.
The " Needles " looked beautiful in the moonlight.
On 14th October, 1871, steaming slowly into harbour about
7 a.m., we landed in Old England.
By the 1.30 express I hastened to London, to rejoin my
husband, and temporarily forget my sorrow in a happy meeting
with him and my beloved mother and family.
Header ! I have written this book without consulting my
husband, for if I did so his modesty would probably induce him
to forbid me to publish it ; so if I have been too personal, or too
egotistical, too frank or too confiding, too vain or too religious,
too prosy, or anything objectionable, forgive my inexperience.
I am but a beginner, and I am willing to learn. The kind critics
are sure to "tell me of my faults," and I will correct them in my
next attempt. If I have given you a good idea of the life one
can make for oneself in the East, I have attained my object.
Where I have seen good I have felt a pleasure in speaking of it.
Where I have' seen bad I have tried to be silent and to avoid
giving pain in black and white: but if I have seemed bitter
towards one or two unnamed persons, believe me it has been
under the severest provocation — I mean from the injustices done
on their account to my husband. I hope you will say to me for
my reward, not " good-bye," but "au revoir."

APPENDIX.

To E. F. B.
Eveb remember, 'tis Pretension rules
Half men, three-thirds of women — to vat, the fools :
In yonder coterie see, my friend, yon pair
Of vapid witlings waging wordy war,
While female senates hear, in trembhng awe,
This thing and that thing laying down the law.
Murmured applause shaU fiU each greedy ear,
Of " Charming man ! " " Dehghtful, clever dear !"
And Lady Betty lends her sweetest smile
T' inflame their ardour and their toils beguUe.
Yet those same lips no word of worth afford
To thy true heart, strong brain, quick pen, sharp sword ;
Pine not, brave soul ! he whom such trifles vex,
Unfit to serve, much less can rule the sex.
Ask not the remedy — go, Avin a name,
Famous or infamous, 'tis much the same ;
For suly girls and shallow youths make game
Of God-Uke nature, aU unknown to fame ;
But souls select, instinctive, recognize
Congenial spirits unmarked to vulgar eyes.
You ask what caused this egotistic strain —
The fit is on me, let me here explain.
Fools, seeing in youth a hero's value spurned,
Ignored a heart and soul that fondly yearned
And burned for honours honourably earned ;
His teens long passed, exiled in distant land,

308 The Inner Life of Syria.
A noble heart held out the long-sought hand,
Taught him to labour, strengthened him to wait
The turn of fortune's tide that makes us great.
Nor years long lapse, nor change, nor fate can raze
From Mem'ry's page those words of kindly praise ;
If one man's name on our heart's page be penned,
'Tis his — no need to name our true best friend. Isabel Burton.
Some of us are left in the world to fight our battle. There are strong
souls who can resist all attacks — nothing overthrows them, nothing can
even hurt them. The deAol makes war upon the world, but especially
upon them. Nevertheless, it is as hard for a brave spirit to hold its own,
and see its fancied treasures falling away from it in the hour of need, as
for a gaUant and successful general, on the eve of Adctory, in the turn of
the battle, to be deserted by his troops, and left, in spite of his own
qualities, to disgrace and death.
Captain Burton's character presented a singularity in the Levant
wondered at by aU, condemned by many, approved of by those who would
suffer or rejoice under his rule. He was a perfectly honest man ; — I do
not aUude only to money. His enemies rejoiced at it, his friends
trembled for him, whUst indifferents were only astounded at his foUy. An
attempt has been made to console him with the hazy promise of a future,
which seems, however, rather to consist in the good opinion of good men
than in anything tangible or useful. For him, truth to a principle means
self-annihUation. He has always done the noble thing ; and now, because
he did those noble things, he is virtually regarded as unfit for the very
employment for which God and Nature andhis own life have peculiarly
fitted him.
My old friend Charles Eeade has lately told us that in less than 200
years the first stone of honesty in biography AviU have to be laid, and then
he proceeds to relate how his "hero and martyr " has been treated by the
world ; how he has earned the gold medal of the Humane Society twice,
and the silver twelve times ; how he has never received either, but is a
blind and destitute old man, living in a chimney corner, deserted and
forgotten by the world, and shunned by those he has saved ; how his only
public honour is being permitted to cross a certain bridge without paying
the common toU, from whose waters beneath he has saved so many lives
at the risk of his own. He describes his hero as one of Nature's gentle
men, fit company for an Emperor, a man without his fellow, who adorns
our country. He was earning 30s. a week when charity towards his
fellow-creatures induced him to throw away his sight for the public good,

Appendix. 309
and the parish aUows him 3s. 6d. a week. He tells us that he better
deserves every order and decoration the State can bestow than does any
gentleman or nobleman whose bosom is a constellation; "yet," he says
proudly, " not a cross or ribbon has ever ascended from the vulgar levels,
where they grow like buttercups, to the breast of this immortal hero ; and
why ? because (he adds) this world, in the distribution of glory, - is a
heathen in spite of Christ, a fool in spite of Voltaire." I quote Charles
Eeade's story to show that now-a-days England does not confer honour on
merit in any class of life. The higher and lower orders share the same
fate. Honours foUow a certain red tape routine, not noble deeds, and
often mock their wearer ; whUst many a noble brow looks up to heaven
with patient, uncomplaining dignity, adorned only by God and Nature
and by a Ufe of chivalrous actions. The English public are, however,
seldom wrong when once they know the truth, and perhaps the best and
truest honour is their good verdict.
Under the circumstances, I hope my wifely vanity may be excused if
I consider these letters interesting enough for publication. I have
suppressed the names of all who are not in an independent position, lest
the writers might be exposed to any inconvenience. The papers consist
of letters and addresses, each showing the sentiments of a tribe or
community or a village, from His Highness the Amir Abd el Kadir, of
Algerine fame, from their Eminences the Archbishop of the Syrian
CathoUcs, the Bishop of the Greek CathoUcs, the Acting Patriarch of the
Cathohc Armenians (Damascus), and from the Superior of the Latin
Convent at Nazareth ; from the Presbyterian Missionaries at Damascus
(the Eev. Messrs. Wright and Scott), from the Eev. Mr. ZeUer, of
Nazareth ; from Mr. Eattray, an English colonist of long standing in
Syria ; from three Druze chiefs — Salim Beg Shams, Ali Beg el Hammadeh,
and others ; from the Bedawi Shaykhs Mujwel el Mezrab and Abdo
el Hamed ; from Shaykh Ahmad, Chief Inspector of the Great Amawi
Mosque ; from various other personages, and from no less than fourteen
villages. These letters from Syria on the occasion of Captain Burton's depar
ture show the feeling of every Creed, Eace, and Tongue in the country;
and, like proverbs, this homely correspondence springing from the heart,
iUustrates the native character better than books, and are a fair specimen
of local Oriental scholarship.

AUah favour the days of your far-famed learning, and prosper the
excellence of your writing. 0 Wader of the Seas of Knowledge, O
Cistern of Learning of our Globe, Exalted above his Age, whose Exaltation

310 The Inner Life of Syria.
is above the Mountains of Increase and our rising place, Opener (by his
books) of Night and Day, traveller by Ship and Foot and Horse, one
whom none can equal in travel.
To His ExceUency Captain Burton.
But afterwards, verily we wondered at the suddenness of your
departure, and we deeply regretted our not being present in the city when
you honoured us with your fareweU visit, and truly this greatly affected
us. But as the thing was (to be), so we did imagine, from our personal
friendship, that we had seen you. This has been written and intrusted to
the hands of your excellent lady, manifesting our sorrow at your depar
ture. We hope that you wiU keep a friendly remembrance of us, as merit
the exceUencies of your qualities, of which the best is your zeal and
devotion to the service of your country. We only hope that everything
will turn out to you as happUy as can be. It is our personal friendship to
you which dictates this letter. Your Friend,
(Signed) Abd el Kadir.
Damascus, Jemad el Tani 22.
a. h. 1288.

A Monsieur le Capt. Eichard Burton, Consul de S.M. Britannique a
Damas, actueUement a Londres.
Monsieur le Consul,
C'est avec surprise et regret que nous avons appris votre depart
inattendu pour l'Angleterre ; et cette surprise a ete d'autant plus sensible
qu'on avait repandu le bruit que vous aUiez nous quitter pour toujours.
. Probablement ces bruits proyiennent de vos ennemis ; mais quoi ! a
Damas vous n'aviez pas d' ennemis ; tout le monde vous e'tait ami. Vous
etiez aim6, cheri, estimi, et presque adore par toutes les classes de la
soci^te, meme par les Musulmans ; parce que vous etiez devenu le
protecteur des opprimes et le defenseur de la justice. Vous aAuez su, par
votre complaisance et votre extreme delicatesse, capturer le cceur des
honnetes gens et reconcilier tous les interets. II n'y avait que les gens
pervers et corrompus, qui se genaient de votre presence et cherchaient
votre eloignement. Les insenses ! lis ne veulent pas comprendre qu'en
agissant de la sorte, Us ne font que suivre l'exemple des fils de Jacob, qui,
voulant emp^cher Joseph de devenir roi, l'ont vendu a l'esclavage; et c'est
precisement pour l'avoir vendu qu'il est devenu roi, et ainsi Us ont ete,
sans le vouloir, l'lnstrument de la volonte divine.
Quoiqu'il en soit, nous regrettons vivement votre depart et celui de
Madame Burton, qui etait devenu la mere des pauvres, et nous aimons a
esperer que le sage et prevoyant Gouvernement de Sa Majeste Britannique
ne privera pas Damas d'un si digne representant, qui a merite dans le pays
le titre glorieux M Moustakim (homme impartial).
Ainsi nos yeux sont tournes vers vous, Monsieur le Consul, nos veux
vous accompagnent et nos sympathies vous suivent par tout ou vous serez.

ix. 311
Nous prions le bon Dieu de vous combler de ses benedictions, et de vous
donner toutes sortes de prosperite' et de bonheur.
Agreez, Monsieur le Consul, cette expression coUective de notre sincere
amour et notre extreme attachement a votre estimable personne.
Fr. Dominique Aisla, (l.s.)
President elu de la Terre Sainte.
Jacob Geohargi, (l.s.)
Vice-General du Patriarche des Armeniens Catholiques.
Jean, (l.s.)
Vice-General du Patriarche Armenien Orthodoxe.
Damas, le 15 Septembre, 1871.

Monsieur le Consul,
Grand a ete notre etonnement, et profonds ont ete nos regrets,
lorsque nous avons appris votre depart subit pour l'Angleterre. Et ce
depart nous a ete d'autant plus sensible, qu'on a de suite repandu le bruit
que vous ne reviendriez plus a. Damas.
Ce sont probablement vos ennemis qui ont a dessein repandu cette
fausse nouveUe. Mais quels ennemis ! Vous ne deAuez pas en avoir,
puisque vous etiez aime, cheri et estime de toutes les classes de la
societe. Quoiqu'U en soit, si vous deviez, ce qu'a Dieu ne plaise, ne pas revenir
au milieu de nous, nous regretterions toujours Advement votre absence et
ceUe de Madame votre epouse, qui etait, pour les pauvres de cette Adlle,
une veritable providence. Nous aimons done a esperer encore que le
Gouvernement de Sa Majeste Britannique ne privera point Damas d'un'
homme qui le representait si bien, et qui a su, en si peu de temps, s'attirer
l'estime de tout le monde.
En attendant, soyez persuade, Monsieur le Consul, que nos vceux et
nos prieres vous accompagneront partout ou U plaira a Dieu de vous
appeler. Je le prierai aussi de vous combler de ses plus abondantes
benedictions, et de vous faire prosperer dans toutes vos entreprises.
Agreez l'assurance de la plus haute consideration avec laquehe j'ai
l'honneur d'etre, Monsieur le Consul,
Votre tout devoue en N.S.,
(l.s.) Geegoike Jacobe Heliani,
¦Archev&me Syrien Cath. de Damas.
Damas, le 8 Septembre, 1871.

From Damascus. To his ExceUency the Consul, abounding in honour and in respect,
whose praiseworthy qualities and remarkable gifts and superior graces and
purity of heart, with aU other peculiar manifestations of excellency with
which he is adorned and with which he has been gifted by AUah, and

312 The Inner Life of Syria.
which draw our hearts to him in love, and cause us so deeply to regret
his departure after we have been upon such friendly terms.
I was indeed desirous of expressing my affection to you before we
separated, in order to bid adieu to you in due form ; but unfortunately
we had no opportunity so to do. Very great was our sorrow «vhen we
heard from your exceUent lady that she intended to leave us this week.
May her journey be prosperous to you both, and may you both increase in
every worldly gift ; and may you rise by her good aid and excellent
qualities to the height of fame and to spiritual and material greatness.
And the Arab saying has proved true (a wise man), "Shamm has met (the ¦
Avise woman) Tabakah." We have begged her to offer to you our respects,
and explain to you the excess of our love to you, praying- the Lord to
prosper her journey, and that you may both return to us at once whenever
the Holy Spirit shall please. Let us rejoice in seeing you both once more,
and enjoy the benefits which you have both conferred upon us. Our
desire is that we may again meet and renew our friendship, and thus
obtain fruition of all our desires, and ensure a continuance of our heartfelt
affection. For that reason I offei' myseU as your servant, even in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yours prayerfuUy, (Signed) Macarius,
Acting Patriarch in Damascus and the Hauran.
Aylul 1, 1871.

Dear Captain Burton,
We were painfully surprised a few days ago by the intelligence
that a despatch had been received from the Foreign-office calling upon
you to resign your position as British Consul in Damascus. We are quite
at a loss to understand the motives of such a procedure. We can scarcely
suppose that any one was bold enough to charge you with corruption in
your official capacity. We have never known of a solitary reflection being
made on your integrity, but have heard repeated testimony to the purity
of your Consulate ; and we can ourselves witness that your first official act
was to replace dishonest by honest Dragomans.
On the other hand, it seems to us highly probable that the very integrity
which should have been your highest claim to the confidence of your
superiors has proved the cause of your removal, by raising against you the
bitter enmity of all, whether Turkish official or English protige, whom
your honesty disgusted or disappointed. . . .
We conjecture that * * * caught hold of the affair of Nazareth,
and sought so to colour it as to injure you with the Government.
It was easy for * * * to represent you as having become unpopular
with the people of Syria in consequence — just as easy as for him now
to make it believed at Constantinople that he is himseU most popular,
though the contrary is notoriously the case. Still, we feel greatly sur
prised that an English Minister should be deceived by such represen
tations, and remove from a position he worthily filled, a faithful servant
of his country.

Appendix. 313
We think our testimony as English missionaries and subjects should go
for something; it is that of men who were strongly prejudiced against you
on your first coming to Damascus, who were bound to you by no tie of sect
or of party, but who have admired the manly, vigorous, and upright course
you have pursued while here, and who deeply regret that qualities such as
yours should be lost to the land for Avhose moral and spiritual improve
ment they labour. We are, Sir, most sincerely yours,
(Signed) William Wright, A.B.

Damascus, August 23rd, 1871.

James Orr Scott, M.A.

My dear Captain,
I received both your letters, and also one from Mr. Drake. You
can easily imagine how astonished we were when we heard what course
the Foreign-office had taken in your affairs. When the Greek Bishop
first spread the news here I flatly contradicted him, tiU I heard from Mr.
Drake. It seems your return to England is necessary in order fully to
expose the doings of the Wali of Damascus, who evidently has powerful
friends. An investigation about the attack made upon some of the workmen at
the church was ordered by the WaU, but led scarcely to any result, and
gave me so much trouble, that I would in future much rather abstain from
complainmg. These kind of investigations are only calculated to make a
foreigner odious and ridiculous.
I shaU be very glad to hear from you, U it is only by a line, and hope
you may be able to obtain justice in England.
Beheve me, dear Captain Burton,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) John Zellek.
In great haste. — It is scarcely necessary to say how much I regret your
sudden departure.
Nazareth, September 7th, 1871.

Dear Captain Burton,
I have just heard of your departure for England, but can hardly
reahze the fact.
My wUe and myseU are deeply grieved at the news ; and, indeed, we
have cause for regret, not only on account of losing friends, but for our
personal safety. Havdng settled down permanently here amongst some
what dangerous neighbours, we felt our chief security lay in your presence
at Damascus, knowing the esteem and respect with which all the Moslems
regard you. Of course, I except those who are employed by the Wali. In
the fourteen years of my residence in Syria, I never knew the English
name so much respected as during the last twelve months. It is, however,
vol. ii. y

314 The Inner Life of Syria.
selfish on our part to regret your departure, since both Mrs. Burton and
yourself were probably glad to leave pestiferous Damascus.
With our united kind regards, beUeve me,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) John Scott Eattray.
El Khorabeh, Anti-Lebanon, 18th August, 1871.

To HisExceUencythe Superior in Energy, the Elevated in Nature, Consul
of the Great Government of England. May AUah increase his
Prosperity with all good Gifts !
After inquiring about your honourable self, and committing you for
ever to the charge of the Almighty King, I have the honour to state that,
to my deepest regret, you are recaUed from the city of Damascus, and are
about to proceed to England, leaving us a prey to sorrow and trouble.
We therefore supplicate AUah that your Excellency wUl return without loss
of time. All our people are grieving sadly, because your presence at
Damascus was a safeguard and a protection to us. We entreat the Lord,
who has ordained this separation, that we may again have the joy of
meeting, and that your enlightened heart wUl not forget us. And may
AUah prolong your days, Effendi. (Signed) Selim (Beg Shams).
25 Jemddi el Alclrir, a.h. 1288.

Translation of Letter from Ali Beg el Hammadeh, Governor of the Druzes
in Lebanon.
To the high in mind and generous in manner, the ExceUent Bey.
May Allah prolong his days ! After presenting the usual comphments, and
aU due respect and prayers for your life and prosperity, it is our duty to
inquire after your weU-being and your present state. Secondly, since you
left us going on the way of peace, you have filled our hearts with sorrow
and regret ; you have grieved our souls after the joy and pleasure we
enjoyed. Such is the effect of your leaAdng this place, and of taking from
us the light of your exalted countenance, we ever pray the Almighty once
more to favour us with your return to this place, and gladden our souls
and joy our hearts, for He is Almighty. We are ever awaiting your
Excellency, and we hope from the All-powerful that this may soon take
place. Praise be to AUah, your fame and reputation, your good gifts and
qualities, are witnessed by aU, great and small. May the Lord ever
increase your prosperity and guide your ways and direct you to the highest
dignity, and preserve you in joy and happiness. This is the object of
writing to you, in hopes of your speedy return, and we shall be honoured
by any orders that you may have to give us. AU our brotherhood and
tribes send to your Excellency their best wishes and inquiries, and know
that Ave are ever awaiting to see you. May the Almighty prolong
your days! (Signed) Ali Beg el Hammadeh.
15 Jemddi, aji. 1288. Ab, 31, a.d. 1871.

Appendix. 315

From * * * * Chief Druze of the Village of

To the exalted in rank and dignity, His Excellency the Consul Bey.
May Allah prolong his days ! After many prayers to the Almighty Creator
that your life will be long in the land, and your honour and prosperity
ever increase and be exalted, we have to inform your Excellency, that
having heard of your intended departure, we waited upon the lady, and
we felt in despair when we heard the truth. We pray to the Almighty
that the news may not be true, considering the kindness and goodness
which you have bestowed upon us, and which has made us eternaUy
grateful. Therefore we supplicate the Creator that things will not long
endure in the present state. The reason of our writing is to know the
truth of things, and to express the grief with which we have heard of your
departure, and may AUah ever preserve you !
AyM 12, 1871.

Letter from Shaykh Mujwel el Mezrab.
After sending most affectionate greetings, and the great affection we
offer your ExceUency, it was our great misfortune that we did not see you
when you came to our house, and we are very sorry for it; and after
that we heard of your going to England, grief and sorrow came heavily
upon us, because we have never seen any one equal to your ExceUency in
this country, for aU those related to England are deeply indebted to you
— and aU the denominations, Moslem and Christian, were fully satisfied
Avith your ExceUency, and they are aU very sorry at your leaving ; but we
ask the Lord of Mercy to send you back to us in good health, and to let
us meet you soon. From us and our brothers who send their greetings,
and from all our Bedawin who send their best salaams, and whatever you
wish us to do teU us to do it, and peace be with you.
(Signed) Mujwel el Mezrab,
Chief of Mezrab Tribe.
Jemddi 7, a.h. 1288.

From the Bedawi Shaykh Abd el Hammad to His Excellency the Consul
Effendi of the Great Enghsh Government, etc., etc.
After sending our best greeting, and offering up many prayers for you,
the dealer in good advice and justice, and after hearing of your departure,
I was sorely grieved, and may Allah ruin the house of the man who caused
it ! But, if it please God, you wUl soon return and overcome those that
were jealous of you. I know that all those under your protection are very
sorry for you, as you have been very good to them. All creeds and
denominations pray for your return to this land, and curse the other man,
hoping for his speedy ruin. Allah is merciful.
(Signed) Abd el Hammad.
Jemddi 19, a,S. 1288.

316 The Inner Life of Syria.
To the Master of Dignity and Prosperity, of Science and Dignity, always
the Object of our Hopes, sent to us by the Most High and Merci
ful God, Amen !
After sending our duties and compliments to your noble person, I have
the honour to state that I am stiU standing in the same truthful love that
was between us, and in the affection which was mutual, and in ever bless
ing and praying for you to the Most High, supphcating Him that your
star may always rise brighter, and pour upon you its beneficent rays of
largess and generosity. . The love of this your servant is too deep to be
expressed by the pen, and it dates from the days when the disembodied
souls met in hosts innumerable during the beginning of time. I doubt
not that your enlightened heart wiU feel for me as I feel for you, and that
no one may expel me from your memory- The excess of my affection
impels me thus to write to you, hoping from the Lord that we may pre
sently meet and renew our affectionate intercourse. May He prosper your
return to us in the happiest state, and defend you from all calamities.
(Signed) Ahmad Musallim,
El Ashraf at Damascus.
(Chief of the Great Mosque El Amawi.)
Jemddi 15, a.h. 1288.

Damascus to London.
To His Excellency M. Burton, Consul of the Noble English Government
in Damascus, etc.
After asking about your valuable health, we felt great sorrow at your
leaving us, and we always speak weU of your good name and of your justice,
and we hope that you will reach London in safety, and that you wiU send
us news of your safe arrival ; and this we hope from your kindness, and
that you will soon return to Damascus, for day and night we are looking
out for your return in peace to this place, because in your days we expe
rienced peace and quiet, and we met with nothing but good at your hands.
It is not only we, but all the community, which is grieved at your leaving,
on account of what they saw of your just conduct and steadfastness to the
truth. And your lady's leaving is a great grief to us, because she is going
to England, and we hope that you wiU let us know of her joining you ill
safety and happiness, and we beg God Almighty that we may soon see you
both again in happiness and good fortune. These are my wishes, and may
God Almighty spare you ! (Signed) Abd er Eahman.
Aylul 8, 1871.

To His ExceUency Consul Burton, etc., etc., etc.
Sir, After sending our best compliment and our love, which we do not
measure, we heard that your Excellency went away, and a great grief came
upon us — firstly, because your Excellency is separated from us ; and,

Appendix. 317
secondly, that we did not see you before your leaving, which would have
been a satisfaction ; and, thirdly, because you did not send the news to one
who truly loves you. But in your great kindness you told no one of your
going, that they might not trouble themselves.
By my life we never saw any one like you, and we never heard of any
one who acted so well as you did in the way of mercy. And we pray God
Almighty to let you return soon, and to renew for us the happiness that
was, for He is- merciful, and wiU compassionate us. Amen.

Katib of the Mutaserrif of Damascus.

From the Sayyid Mohammed.
To His Excellency Captain Burton, the Consul of H.B. Majesty's Govern
ment at Damascus.
After inquiring about your precious health, I have the honour to
declare that your departure has been to us the greatest of sorrows, and we
ever are praising your exceUent ways and qualities. We hope that you
have happUy .reached London, and wiU let us know of it, in order that our
hearts may take rest about your health. And we hope from your kindness
that you wiU let us know of your return to Damascus, as we expect you
night and day in health and weU-being. During your time we enjoyed
every happiness, and we saw from you nothing but good. Not only we,
but aU the people are grieving at the separation, considering how much of
goodness in official matters they saw from you and your preserving the
paths of right. We equaUy regret the departure of your exceUent lady to
join you, and we hope that she wUl travel in peace and safety. We also
pray to AUah that both of you may presently return to us in health and
prosperity; and may AUah prolong your days !
(Signed) Sayyid Mohammed.
Aylul 8, 1871.

From Hasan Ayyus Aba Shadid.
To His ExceUency our Lord the Sayyid Bey of H.B. Majesty's Govern
ment at Damascus.
After kissing your hands, your servants would state that they have
heard with great regret of your departure for England, and we intended
to have come and kissed your honourable hand. We pray the Creator that
we may soon be blessed with the sight" of you; and we ever take refuge
under the wing of the Lord. We hope from your kindness of heart that
it wUl not forget its servants, and we suppUcate AUah to grant to you the
greatest of victories, and crown you with a crown which shaU last for ever,
and peace be with you according to our desire ; and our services are ever
at your disposal. (Signed) Hasan Ayyus,
Jemddi el Tani 10, a.h. 1288.

318 The Inner Life of Syria.
From Shahadah el Halabi and Kasim el Halabi, in the Maydan quarter
of Damascus.
To His Excellency the Consul Bey of the British Government. May Allah
prolong his days, Amen !
We, your servants, entreat with heartfelt prayers that your Government
may increase in power and grandeur, and that the Creator may shower
upon it His choicest blessings and adorn it with aU good gifts. Thus may
it happen, Amen, O Lord of the (three) worlds ! Accept our supphcations
for your Excellency's welfare, and take pity upon us, and prolong your
kindness to us and your protection to us. And we shaU ever expect and
pray that we may again see you in the best of health ; and we entreat the
beneficent Lord that you may obtain all your desires in your official position
to the fullest extent. And your servants wiU never cease to pray for your
obtaining all your wishes. (Signed) Shahadah.
Kasim.
Jemddi 22, a.h. 1288.

Translation of Letter from certain Moslem Divines, Merchants, and others
at Damascus.
From the day that Captain Burton came as English Consul to Damascus
tiU now, we saw no faults in him, and he did not listen to any false reports,
but acted in truth, and what was not truth he rejected it. He never
received any bribes (bartu) from any one. Any business that was just
and legal he did it, but that which was bad and Avorthless he left alone.
And we saw no bad in him, and he loved the Mohammedans and those
who were under him. And there never came from him anything but truth;
and he always walked with justice, and hated none but the liars.
(Signed) Mohammed Awar,
Bikri Abder Tahan,
El Akkad, ,
Abdu el Habal,
Hasain el Amari,
Abd el Wahed es Sourraf.
Sheikh Mohammed Ali,
Mohammed Saleh,
(From the Mosque el Amawi).

Translation of Letter from several Sheikhs of the  viUage.
To His ExceUency, etc., the Consul of the great English Government.
After asking after your Excellency's health, we hope to God that aU is
well, we address your Excellency; for the moment we heard that your
ExceUency had gone to his country, great sorrow came upon us by reason
of the great kindness your Excellency has always shown us. For you

Appendix. 319
always acted Avith goodness to us and our property, and in your time the
truth prevailed and falsehood did not succeed. May God spare you for
us, and return you to us in safety ! Amen.
Signed and sealed by your Excellency's servants, all the people of  ,
great and smaU. Sheikh Mohammed Ali,
Mohammed Hammed,
Kasim Hamud,
Huseyn Hamud,
Ibrahim el Ghau,
11th day of Jemddi, 1288. and many others.

Translation of Letter from 
To His ExceUency, etc., the Consul of the great English Government.
The cause of our writing is first to inquire after your health, and we
ask God Almighty to protect you from all injury and harm, and' to return
you to us in safety, that you may protect us from all hurt, as you did
before ; for the moment you left our mind was distracted, and many
thoughts came to us. We ask the Lord of the Universe and His Prophet
not to take you away from us, but that you may protect us from all
enemies and injuries, as you did before; for you are good to all who are in
difficulties, and protect them. May God make your days long, in the name
of every prophet who worships the Lord of the Universe ! Amen.
Your Excellency's servants, the men of 
(l.s.) Seal of the Sheikh Ali Yahya.
(Signed) Sheikh Mohammed Yahya.

To His ExceUency the Consul of England, etc., at Damascus.
From the VUlage of 
To His ExceUency the Bey-Consul for the Government of England in
Damascus. May His Honour live ! Hoping to gain your merciful
favour and (please) your noble disposition, we(state that,
When the news reached us that your ExceUency is going to your
country, great sorrow and heartache came upon us, because we were slaves
for your ExceUency's service, asking God Almighty in His glorious Eternity,
the Lord of Heaven, to return you to us in triumph, the giver of good
news of help from the Lord of Universe; and wherever you go may the
Apostle of God help you in the name of the Lord of Universe, and may
the Lord hear our prayer for your return, and may He spare you for ever !
Amen. From your ExceUency's servants the inhabitants of  , under
the government of Ba'albak.
Signed and sealed by your Excellency's faithful Servant,
Musellim Ayyub.
11th Jemddi, 1288 (August 25, 1871). (Official Seal.)

320 The Inner Life of Syria.

Translation of Letter from ¦

To His Excellency, etc., the Consul of the exalted English Government,
and may God spare him !
You, our just lord, whose hand is strong, why is it that you have
acted thus and left us 1 This has all come from our bad fortune, for you
were for us a shield to protect us from aU harm and injury, and preserve
us from shame, for only in your time have we always enjoyed rest ; for you
have guarded our property, and do not aUow our religion to be mocked,
and you aUow no one to cheat us. But what are we now to do, 0 Sir 1
For this order did not rest with us, but the order is with Him to whom it
belongs, and He is the Lord Almighty; and we ask from Him in our
first prayers that you may return to us in safety, and our longing for
you is like the longing of a man to be in heaven with the Lord"
Almighty, because of your great kindness to us ; (we swear) thrice by the
name of the most exceUent God (that we hope you wUl) return to us soon,
and if you do not come we wiU witness against you on the Judgment Day
of God Almighty, for it is your duty to do good to the sons of Adam, and
may you be spared for ever. Amen.
We beg of you to excuse us in taking such a liberty as this, but
because our hearts are burning with fire on account of your leaving us, we
hope that you AviU not blame us.
• Signed and sealed by the servants of your ExceUency, the people
of  coUectively. Seal of the Sheikh Suleyman Murad,

Translation of Letter from people of  and 
To His Excellency Mr. Burton, Consul of the Honourable Enghsh
Government. May God Almighty spare him !
After kissing your noble hands with all honour and dignity, we address
your Excellency, we, your servants, the Moslem Sheikhs of  and
 (two viUages). We have heard that your ExceUency has gone to
the land of England. Please God that this news may turn out for good,
because we, the Moslems, are your slaves, and Avithout the help of your
ExceUency to us we should be utterly ruined, because your ExceUency
is kind and loves the truth for aU people, and especiaUy for us, the Mos
lems ; you honour our religion, and love truth and mercy : an advocate of
justice. We are hoping to God Almighty that He wUl send your Excel
lency to us again in a short time, for without your ExceUency's help we
shall be left destitute. We beg of your Excellency that you will have
compassion on us and return in peace and soon ; and may God grant that
your ExceUency may remain with us, and may your life be prolonged !
" The Mukhtar of the village of

(Signed)

Ali Husayn Vasif.
The Khatib of - — and of 
Husayn Ezed Din.
The Sheikh of the village of  Ali Abder Eahman.
, Jemddi 11, 1288 (25*7* of August, 1871).

Appendix. 321

Translation of Letter from

We, the Sheikhs, the Beys, and the Elders of  collectively,
are sending this to Damascus, and state that two years ago we wore
honoured with becoming neighbours of Captain Burton, Consul of the
English Government at Damascus, and during his residence for the
summer in Bludan, which is near our village, we do not find from him any
thing but justice and truthfulness both to Mohammedans and Christians ;
and we offered our duty and services to him, and thanked him for his
kindness to vis, and, hoping that he will overlook all our shortcomings, we
address this letter to him for his kindness to us. (23 Seals in all.)
Jemddi 11, 1288 (25th August, 1871).

Translation of Letter from Sayyid (descendants of the Prophet) living
at 
To the Bey, the English Consul, etc.
After kissing the hands of your noble ExceUency, we, the Sayyid of

heard the news that your ExceUency is recalled to England, and
great sorrow and grief came over us, and we, the Sayyid, were thinking of
coming over and kissing your ExceUency's hand; but the reason we did
not is that your ExceUency went away to that land. We ask God
Almighty to show us the hght of your countenance in health, and not to
prevent us from kissing your ExceUency's hand, and your servants always
hide under the wings of their lord ; and we hope from God that you may
not stay away from us, and may God make your days happy and well-
being for us, and may you ever be Auctorious !
Signed and sealed by your servants, The Sayyid Ali Zain.
The Sayyid Ahmet Ali Ibrahim.
The Sayyid Hoseyn Sayid.
Ali Yusuf.

Literal Translation of Letter from Moslem Sheikhs at 
To reach with honour His Excellency and Highness, etc., etc., etc., the
Consul of the Enghsh Government, living at Damascus.
To your Highness and ExceUency, the Officer of England. May your
life be prolonged and preserved !
After inquiries for your Excellency, we hope from God Almighty that
you may be always in happiness. We have heard the news that your
ExceUency is journeying in peace to your country. We were deeply
grieved for the departure of your ExceUency, but hope from God
Almighty that He wiU soon show us your face again, because your Excel-

322 The Inner Life of Syria.
lency is an advocate of justice, and especially for the Mohammedan
religion, and loves all those who are dependent upon your Excellency,
because your ExceUency is beloved especially by the Moslems. May your
life be long ! Your Servant,
(Signed) Ali Shummat, (Sheik of the town,)
Your Servant,
(Signed) Mustapha Dakduk.
Your Servant,
(Signed) Alusa Kamaled Din,
Your Servant,
(Signed) Hasan Kasim Ahmed,
1th day of Jemddi, 1288 (August 21st, 1871).

Literal Translation of Letter from Moslems of-

To His Excellency the Bey, Consul of the Honourable English Government.
We address this petition to your ExceUency, we your Servants, the
Mohammedan Sheikhs of  and  because we have
heard that your ExceUency is gone to England, and we are in deep sorrow,
which we cannot express to your ExceUency, but we hope from the mercy
of God Almighty that He wiU have pity on us and return your ExceUency
to us in peace, because there is no one like your ExceUency who so
loves uprightness and mercy (and acts with them) to us, the poor. And
without the compassion your Excellency showed to the poor in the last
year, hah the world would have died from hunger or in prison, and now
aU the world cries to God to return your Excellency to us ; for we are
very cast down without your ExceUency. Your ExceUency's commands
wUl be commands. Sealed and signed by six Sheikhs/
10th day of Jemddi, 1288.

Translation of Letter from Moslems of

To His Excellency our Master, the Consul of the Honourable English
Government in Damascus. May his life be spared !
After kissing your ExceUency's hands, and because we your servants
had the news that your ExceUency is gone to England, a great sorrow
came upon us, and we thought that we would be honoured with kissing
your noble hands, asking God Almighty that He wiU not prevent us from
seeing your Excellency iu a short time, and we your servants always hide
ourselves under the wings of their lord. May God caU us together to see
your Excellency soon. We pray your ExceUency wiU not forget your
servant, but order him to fulfil your bequests. We ask God that yonr

Appendix. 323
ExceUency may triumph exceedingly, and that you may receive a crown
from God which wiU never fail you, and peace be with you as much as our
longing to you is. We send your Excellency our service. May your life
be preserved ! Amen.
Your Excellency's Servant, who kisses your hand,
Hasan Agers Abu Shedid.
10th day of Jemddi, 1288.

From the Village of 
To His ExceUency the exalted, the beneficent, the great, the glorious, the
honoured Consul Bey of the Great Government of England at
Damascus. May he ever prosper !
After kissing your honourable hands, and expressing our prayers for
your being blessed by AUah the Almighty King, and for your being raised
to honour and dignity over us, it is our bounden duty to write inquiries
about you, and to congratulate our souls by the tidings of your ExceUency's
return to our parts. This return to us would be the greatest of blessings.
It is our duty, one and all, to kiss your hands, and now our brother, Abu
Ibrahim Mohammed, wishes to kiss your ExceUency's hands, and we both
beg to offer you all our services, sir.
Signed by the Sheik and Notables of the Village of 
Jemddi el Alchir 18, a.h. 1288. *

Letter from the VUlage of 
To His ExceUency the Consul Bey of the Great Government of England,
May he and they ever prosper !
Your servants pray with the strongest prayers that the light of your
Government may ever shine, and that its honour and majesty may increase,
and that the Lord wUl prolong the days of your Sovereign, and adorn her
with perpetuity of rule ! Amen. We hope that your Government will
take pity upon these your servants, and extend its protection over them for
aU time, whilst your servants ever expect and look forward to the
honour of serving you to their utmost. And they wiU ever pray, Sir,
for your speedy return. Signed by two Sheikhs.
Jemddi 20, a.h. 1288.

From the Druzes of the ViUage of

To His ExceUency the Dew of great Qualities, the Exalted in Mind, the
generous and beneficent Consul Bey of the great Government of
England. May he ever be preserved in welfare and dignity !
After sending what 'is due and proper to your honourable seH and
your exalted qualities, offering our respect which passes aU bounds, and
expressing our gratitude to your glorious Government — may it never cease

324 The Inner Life of Syria.
to be robed in honour, and dignity, and prosperity for ever and ever !—
we, your faithful servants, the Druzes resident at  have the
honour to forward this petition to your Excellency's portal, because we
were always obedient and subject to your high orders, and to the
orders of your great Government. May its dignity ever endure ! and
its protection wUl ever be extended to its servants, especially to those who
are faithful to it. With one mouth and heart we raise our voices to the
Most High, hoping from His goodness that He wUl strengthen the pillars
of your great Government with dignity and victory, enfolded in the cloak
of majesty and enjoyment. And may your ExceUency ever be kept in
health and happiness ; and we hope from the generous kindness of your
Government, that you wiU be able to keep your eye upon us. AU this
induces us to expect the support of your faithful slaves' reputation, and
they wUl do, Sir, aU that you wish from them. Signed by six Sheikhs,
Jemddi 20, a.h. 1288.

From the Druze ViUage of  , near Damascus.
To His ExceUency, etc.
After sending our compliments and greeting to the honourable and
merciful person, offering all our respects to your noble Government, which
is covered with glory, and happiness, and good fortune for ever, and offer
ing to your ExceUency, as your slaves, this paper to your merciful hands,
the Druze community, natives and strangers in and near Damascus,
because we are your Excellency's obedient and trusty slaves, and the same
to your noble Government, etc., the strength of the people, and because
we belong to it, and we are but mortals, and grief and sorrow have come
into aU our hearts, and all with one voice pray to the Highest, beseeching
His mercy that He wiU strengthen your noble Government in glory and
happiness, and that you may be dressed in robes of honour and attain
good fortune, and that you may be spared to us in health and happiness.
And we hope that through your Excellency's kindness we may find favour
with you ; and we Avrite this to show our obedience to. you, and we are
ready for any service that we can do for you.
'Government Seal of Sheikhs and ViUage of 
Sheikh Abbar Zayn el Din.
Sheikh Yusup Shaan.
Sheikh Hosayn, A.K.L.
Sheikh Khalil ibn Mohammed.
^Sheikh Hosayn el Khotib.
Jemddi 20, 1288.

(Signed and
Sealed by)

To His Honourable ExceUency, Captain Burton, the Honourable Bey.
May God spare him for ever !
After the asking for your noble health, hoping from God that you are
happy is the reason I wrote that letter. You have departed, leaving us

Appendix. 325
the sweet perfume of charity and noble conduct in befriending the poor
and supporting the weak and oppressed, and your name is large on account
of what God has put into your nature. And our nation is troubled at
missing your face in the accustomed place. O be pleased not to forget
us from your good mind, because we are now under your shadow.
Signed by the Sheikh and People of a Druze ViUage in the Mountains.
September 2,5th, 1871.

To his High ExceUency.
May God spare him ! Kissing your hands and feet, we your servants,
the Druzes of K  and A  , belonging to W  ,
from the people of noble Damascus, after asking after your welfare, and
may God make aU your time good ! We are always your servants and
unceasing, and ask the Holy Highest that he wiU spare you to us, and we
hope that your Holiness and noble ExceUency may always throw your
mantle over us. And we are still more than ever your faithful servants,
because you came to us and looked upon us with honour, and we are fuU
of gratitude therefore. Hoping from God that you may be sent back to
us, your servants hope that you wiU stUl protect them, with our honourable
and respected lady. May God spare her, and leave her for us, who
are longing to kiss her hands, and God spare you both for ever and ever !
The Shaykhs, Elders, and People of the above-named ViUages.
September, 1871.

To his ExceUency and Highness the Consul of England.
May God spare him for ever !
After kissing your noble hand and asking after your health to rest our
minds, we are always praying for your return, and we are ready for every
thing you want, and you have honoured us with a word and visited us in
the Lebanon, and we are calm and happy, resting in you for all things.
We are all kneeUng to pray that you may be spared to us, and may God
preserve your noble health (Signed)
Shaykh  an Amir of the Druzes of the Lebanon.
September, 1871.

To His ExceUency the English Consul Bey;
May God spare him for ever! After kissing your noble hand and
praying you may be spared in every happiness, and from the time you
departed you left our nation in great sorrow, and we ask the Holiest to
send you back to us in prosperity and good health to be over us. If you
deign to ask for your servants we are well, but uneasy at your departure,

326 The Inner Life of Syria.
and asking God always to spare you to us, and send you back to us,
because we are most thankful and proud to be your servants, for you have
been most kind to us ; and we send our loving salaam to the noble lady,
and ask her to look after us, because we are your servants, and whatever
you want, Highness, speak, and your servants will obey,
(Signed) Shahad el Halali,
September li, 1871. Druzes.

Extracts from private letters showing the sentiments of the people in
Syria on most of the affairs Avhich took place : —
Anent Nazareth.
I have delayed in order to give you good news. The Nazareth affair
is decided in your favour. I congratulate you most heartUy, for the
justice of your cause won it for you, and not any intrigue or indirect
influence. You owe nothing to me or any one else in the matter.
Damascus, February 8th, 1872. A Clergyman.

From a Greek Orthodox Deacon.
Vous etiez le protecteur de tous les Chretiens, etant toujours ami du
Moslem, vous etiez le mien, sans vous les Chretiens de Damas et de toute
la Syrie sont etouffes, sont foules aux pieds par les Turcs. Sans vos
secours et votre courage, les Chretiens n'osent plus paraitre au gouverne-
ment et se plaindre, car Us craignent d'etre pendus comme le pauAre C 
dans la Mosquee de Damas. Sans la presence du Capitaine Burton, tout
est immobUe. Comment faire pour vous voir, faut-il que je vienne jusqu'a
Londres vous exprimer de vive voix tout ce que je ressens pour vous 1 Vous
etes pour jamais mon protecteur, mon plus grand ami, mon pere, mon
fr§re, mon esperance, mon tout ; ici tous les braves gens vous desirent,
vous cherissent. Tous vos proteges elevent les mains au ciel jour et nuit,
souhaitant votre retour. Quand a moi, jespere plus que tous, que le bon
Dieu, qui connait toute votre justice et toutes vos actions, vous rendra
dans quelque mois comme notre Consul-General.
Damascus, September 14, 1871.

From the Jews of Tiberias and Safed.
Captain Burton, at the request of the Jews, visited their two cities of
Tiberias and Safed. They wrote letters to Her Majesty and Her Majesty's
Government, petitioning to be placed under Captain Burton's jurisdiction.
In reply, Mr, Consul-General Eldridge received orders to inspect and
report on the above-named cities, but his health only permitted him to
carry out his instructions about a year later.

Appendix. 327
To Captain Burton,
We beg to inform you, that at the report of your departure for
London Ave prayed to our Heavenly Father that He be with you and grant
success in every way. Amen.
Mr. Solomon Pekus has told us that you kindly promised to do during
your stay in London aU you can in our favour ; that the Kenis el Jehud
(synagogue) in Tiberias should be restored unto us ; that you took with
you the petition we sent you and the' document signed by the elders of the
Mohammedans iu that city, which states that the above-named Kenis el
¦ Jehud belongs to the Israelites, and promises to investigate the matter.
May the Lord reward you fully, and may He grant that you avUI return
safely to Damascus ! We hope that you wiU remain faithful to the
promise repeatedly given us that you now, having the best opportunity,
investigate the matter in order to help us to possess our right ; to deliver
the prey out of the hand of the robber ; to restore unto us the above-
mentioned inheritance of our forefathers, including the piece of land used
for washing the dead. We are quite sure you will not faU to carry out
our wishes. Meanwhile, Sir M. Montefiore will receive a letter from us in
which we request him to assist you in the matter ; and he wiU certainly
do so. As none of us are able to write English, we have been compelled
to address you in Hebrew. Hoping a favourable answer, we are, etc., etc.

From D  Z  , Beyrout.
Parlez moi des agreables nouveUes de votre retour ici, plut6t pour
notre satisfaction et notre bonheur que pour vous ; c'est a votre connais-
sance que 1'affaire F  a ete reglee a l'aimable.
J'ai regrette tant votre depart sans vous avoir fait des adieux. Je ne
puis me consoler que dans l'espoir de vous revoir bientot. Je forme les
vceux les plus sinceires pour avoir ce bonheur. Donnez-moi bientot cette
bonne nouvelle. Je m'estime heureux d'avoir obtenu vos bonnes graces ;
ce sont ces sentiments de justice qui m'ont fait obtenir des avantages.

From a Christian House of note in Beyrout.
Sir, ' Offering you my greeting, I cannot teU you my grief because I
have not seen you, and have heard of your departure suddenly, which I
can never forget. I cannot comfort my thoughts or hope in God except to
hope you will return here. May your flag be hoisted above all on that
day, I pray God. I ask God's blessing to spare you, and He is above all
strength or worldly power, and from what is in my heart I wish I was in
your service, anywhere, on any conditions ; but what hurts me more than
all is, that though the eye can see the hand is short. Begging of you to
receive my trouble from my heart, faithful until death to your noble person,

328 The Inner Life of Syria.
aU honour should be given to it. Hoping you wiU not banish me from
your kind thoughts, and that you will condescend to honour me vrith any
services you may want, wherever you wiU. I am ready for that, and
always thinking and saying, " Oh, if ever I shaU succeed to obtain your
friendship, and be under your nobie excellency's protection!" God is just,
and He can do what He wUl, and send you back to this country, and I
am waiting for that alone with aU my heart

From a Missionary House in the Beyrout district.
The news of your departure has been to me a tremendous shock; I
cannot get over it. It is too much. With you yesterday, and to-day you
are gone ; I am grieving . sadly. I need not say you have heartfelt
sympathy. Glad I should have been had you been aUowed to carry out
your plans and wishes. It would have been for the benefit of mankind,
and the advance of Christianity. But truly we are shortsighted, and know
not what a day may bring forth. I shall foUow you with deep interest,
and shall always want to know how and where you are. Won't you write
to us 1 We shaU so miss you. It won't be any great loss to you leaving
Damascus, I dare say, but it wUl to those you leave behind. Nobody else
could manage like you in the emergencies to which we are always subject
in this country. Our warm sympathy and best wishes for a pleasant
voyage to dear old England, and a speedy return to Damascus. I cannot
believe that you are gone for ever, and hope for aU our sakes you will he
spared to come back and fill your post as Consul with aU honour.

From a Missionary.
If I might give you my advice, I should say, do not injure your
?rospects for a sentiment. The world has far better work in store for you.
here are lots of brave and plucky things to be done in the world yet, and
none are so fitted as you to do them. This Government must have been
astonished to find how blameless you must have been, not counting on the
unscrupularity of your few opposers. Mr. Green (your successor) is said
to resemble you. I hope he may in his acts.
Damascus, 12th June, 1872.

From an Engineer.
1 was glad to hear of your signal victory over the great Eashid, though
he got up all sorts of petitions and forwarded them to Constantinople.':
The Grand- Vizier knew better, and sent orders to the mUitary authorities
to turn him out if he did not vacate peaceably. There were public prayers
in your behalf in the great Mohammedan Mosque, and Turks as well as all
well-disposed Christians wish you back again.
Aleppo, November 1th, 1871.

Appendix. 329
A clergyman who was in Syria writes : —
It must be highly gratifying to you that everybody is -with you,
and testifying from so many and such independent sources the apprecia
tion of your efforts to uphold the dignity of the position you held in the
midst of much intrigue and difficulty, and in a country where deceit and
fraud hold their oato. That our Government may be led to adopt a course
of sturdy principle, and not allow themselves to be subject to mere diplo
matic intrigue in this matter is everybody's earnest hope.
November, 1871.

From an Enghsh Colonist in Syria.
We have heard of the projected change in the Consulate arrange
ments, but unless you are to be Consul-General nobody gains anything by
the arrangements-— none that anybody can perceive.
December VZth, 1871.

From a Merchant.
A Une to teU you that H.B.M.'s Consulate-General in Beyrout has
lately announced that it is its Eoyal wiU and pleasure that no more letters
should be directed to its care, so you must change our address here.
Everything is going to the bad altogether. Every dog has his day, and I
suppose ours is now over.
February 1st, 1872.

From a Consul.
Comment ? Vous avez &t& rappel6 1 Et par les intrigues de * * *
C'est a ne pas y croire ; mais souvent c'est la recompense qui est echue a
ceux qui, comme vous, se conduisent bien. Les Turcs se moquent des
Europeens bien plus qu'on ne le croit ; Us ne craignent que les Busses.
Peut-etre le WaU reussira avec ses projets d'independance. Fuad Pasha
n'en fut pas si loin. Dites moi si vous pensez retourner en Syrie. Sous
tous les rapports comme je serais content de vous avoir de nouveau comme
coUlgue. On ne trouve pas toujours comme vous dans notre carriere.
Adieu ! Adieu ! une bien chaude poignee de main.
Sept. 30, 1871.

Missionaries.
Last Friday the Mohammedans had a great pray for you in the
Jamia el AmaAvi, on account of their getting rid of Eashid Pasha, and
praying for your return, and blessed you on the right and on the left of
the mosque. (The Jamia is the Great Mosque of Damascus, the very centre of
fanatical Islamism, where no other Christian except Captain Burton can
enter without a Moslem escort.)
vol. n. z

330 ¦ The Inner Life of Syria.
A European CoUeague.
The Consulate looks as if a death or a bankruptcy had taken place,
and the English are hiding their heads.

English Clergymen.
If you come back, as we aU- hope you may, you shall have such a
reception as no one ever had before ; thousands of Moslems, Druzes, Greek
Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Maronites and Protestants, are preparing to
come to Beyrout to give you a welcome. The Moslems and Christians are
fighting about Beyrout, and there has been a great fight in the gardens of
Damascus, in which the Zabtiyehs were disarmed and kUled.
The arrangement that the British Consulate of Damascus is to be only
a Vice-Consulate is so contrary to British interests, and has eUcited already
such strong feelings on the part of Enghsh residents in Syria, that I can
only regard it as a mistake, which wUl soon be found out and rectified.
If the English Government wishes to make the recently announced
reforms in Turkey anything better than a sham, it must send you back to
Syria; and, if possible, send a number of simUar men with you.

From a Greek (Orthodox) of position, showing the feeUngs of that large
and influential body of Christians towards us.
Madame, Lorsque mon cousin m'avertit de Damas que vous 6tes descendu.a ,,,,,,,
Beyrouth, je fis tout mon possible pour y aUer vous voir. Veuillez,
Madame, croire que pour moi et tous les hommes sensibles, la Syrie est
comme un cadavre mort sans vous ; vos amis ne vivent plus, tous vos amis
sont persecutes. La Syrie ne respirera que lorsque le Capitaine Burton y
presidera. Si le Gouvernement anglais desire que tous les Grecs et les
autres Chretiens de Syrie vivent en paix, U faut qu'il envoie le Capitaine
Burton; U n'y a que lui qui sait se battre avec les ennemis du christianisme
et rester ami avec les Moslems en mSme temps. II est vraiment Capitaine;
il ne demande que la justice, U ne recherche que la verite ; c'est un pasteur
fidele du troupeau de Jesus-Christ, U est un gardien vigUant de la vigne du
Seigneur ; il n'y a que lui, et lui seul, qui protege les droits des sujete
anglais. Les juifs m6me se souviennent des bienfaits du capitaine, et ne
font que dire, "Plut a Dieu qu'U retourne chez nous." Mais vous, Madame,
vous ne faisiez qu'aj outer vos prieres aux miennes, et vous pruez afin
qu'il pardonne les prisonniers nazareens; nous nous sommes donnes tant de
peine pour leur faire du bien, et ces mechants medisent toujours, et surtout
ce Monsieur l'ev&me. Madame, souvenez-vous que je vous appelais tou
jours ma protectrice et ma sceur, cependant vous m'avez laisse pauvre et
orphelin, sans secours, sans aide. Je ne veux plus rester a Damas sans
vous et le Capitaine ; tacher done de revenir. Mais a qui me plaindre 1
Que faut-il que je fasse pour vous faire revenir? A qui faut-U ecrire?
Je ne connais personne. Je ne fais que reciter tous le soirs mon chapelett'ife
priant la Sainte- Vierge pour votre retour ; tout ce que depend de moi je le

Appendix. 331
f erais avec le plus grand plaisir. Madame, ici tout le monde vous regrette ;
tout le monde se souvient et raconte tout ce que votre conscience chretienne
faisait aux malheureux. Vos pauvres Kawwass toutes les fois qu'ils me
rencontrent me demandent, le cceur emu : Est-elle partie 1 Quand
reAdendra-t-eUe 1 II n'y a pas comme eUe. Petits et grands esperent vous
voir un jour comme un soleil eclairer le ciel obscur de Damas et de Syrie !
Pourquoi les ministres anglais paraissent-Us maintenant teUement indiffe-
rents pour nos interets t
VeuiUez, Madame, agreer 1' expression de mes sentiments distingues, et
l'hommage de mes respectueuses civUites.
Votre tres-obeissant serviteur,
(Signed) L'Abbe' * * * *
A Damas, le 14 Novembre, 1871.

The Standard, after a leader of a column and a half upon Captain
Burton's recaU (1872), wound up with this commentary : —
A few more words, and we dismiss this subject to the judgment of our
readers. A good Consul is naturaUy obnoxious to corrupt rulers. The
dislike of the Wali to Captain Burton was therefore the strongest possible
testimonial in his favour. Orientals proverbiaUy obey the precept, "hit
him hard, he has no friends." The regret, therefore, expressed by the
inhabitants of Syria at Captain Burton's recaU, is a strong and remarkable
testimony to his worth.

There were forty-eight articles, mostly "leaders," from aU parts of the
English press and the Levant, from papers of all religious denominations
and aU political parties, deploring Captain Burton's removal from a post
for which he seemed so eminently fitted. Even the Liberal papers were
sUent, unable to condemn the act of their own party, and too true to
praise a measure which was evidently a mistake. I quote four as speci
mens of various opinions ; and I publish them, not with a view to • his
returning officiaUy or to urge any kind of claim, but simply because I do
not wish iU-disposed persons in after years to be able to say — " Burton !
Oh ! ah ! I remember now ; he was recalled from some Oriental post.
Got into some scrape, or did something wrong, I suppose — very strong
proceeding on the part of the Government," etc., etc.

Levant Herald.
The recaU of Captain Burton from the Damascus Consulate is worse
than an act of weakness on the part of the Foreign-office — it is a blunder.
For many months past our readers have been famUiar with the growing
tension of relations between that officer and Eashid Pasha, the Governor-
General of Syria, and have been enabled to judge for themselves, not merely
as to the merits of this particular dispute, but as to the general character

332 The Inner Life of Syria.
of Syrian administration — with which the Consul had to contend — since
the appointment of the present Wali. The evidence pointed so clearly one
way that it was sought to neutralize its effect by attributing our letters to
Captain Burton himself, and complaint was made through the Embassy to
the Foreign-office in that sense. In simple justice to Captain Burton, we
felt, bound some months ago, on learning this, to state that he had nothing
whatever to do with our correspondence, which reached us not from one
but several sources ; and to that disclaimer we may now add that we have
not even the pleasure of his personal acquaintance. Besides knowing him,
however, as aU the world knows him — as one of the greatest of living
travellers and an accomplished writer, both our private and pubUc reports
from Syria have concurred in describing him as one of the ablest and most
efficient Consular officers H.M.'s Government has ever had in that province.
On the other hand, we knew enough of the antecedents of Eashid Pasha
in more than one of his former posts, to be in no way surprised by reports
of abuses from his Syrian satrapy which might have been expected from
Nedjd or Yemen, but are popularly thought to be no longer possible on
the seaboard of the Levant. On this head, testimony has been too con
current and circumstantial to permit doubt of a state of things as to which
no English Consul should be either blind or silent. Accordingly, Captain
Burton appears to have done his duty with less " diplomacy," perhaps,
than longer residence in the Levant would have taught him is now enjoined
upon and practised by our Consular agents in this country. He seems to
have caUed a spade a spade, and to have set his face uncompromisingly
against abuses of which the Law on the Press has not permitted ourselves
to report one half. But the WaU was "strong" at the Porte, and the
Embassy — unless our information does it injustice — rendering the Consul
less than his deserved measure of support, the result has been the removal
of an officer whose presence formed perhaps the most effective check on
maladministration in Syria.
The flimsiness of the aUeged excuse for this hardly merits remark.
Captain Burton, we are told, has become so unpopular with the Mussulman
inhabitants of Damascus that the Pasha can no longer guarantee his personal
safety ! — and so, out of pure regard to the Consul, he has successfully
intrigued for his removal. The fanaticism of the Mohammedan Damas
cenes is, we know, proverbial, and Eashid Pasha may, on occasion, know
how to utilize it ; but of aU foreigners in the country, the Hadji to Mecca
and Medina, the traveller who perhaps more than any other living European
knows best how to menager Asiatics, might be safely trusted to hold his
own in Syria. Here in the Levant, therefore, this pretext wUl deceive no
one. It has simply been a trial of strength between Wali and Consul,
and the latter receiving less support than he would in former years have
received from his authorities, has come to the wall. Our readers need not
be reminded that the abuse of Consular authority has had no steadier
opponent than ourselves ; but in this case the whole evidence is that the
right has been on the Consul's side ; and that being so, w"e cannot but
regard his recall as a blunder which will have the worst effect, not alone on
English interests, but on those of foreigners generaUy — and, for that part,
of the native population — in Syria and the neighbouring provinces.

Appendix. 333
CAPTAIN BUETON.
The recaU of Captain Burton from the Damascus Consulate, on the
ground of providing for his personal safety, brings once more under
public notice one of the most remarkable men whom this or any other age
has produced, and one who spent many of his earlier years in this Presi
dency. Wherever Eichard Burton is, we may be sure that stagnation and
corruption avUI be stirred, and the mud serpents wiU raise their heads and
curse him ; so it is not in the least degree surprising that Syrian
officials desire to be delivered of him, as of another weU-knoAvn person
age a few hundred years ago. His visit to the holy cities of Mohamme
danism had, his enemies reported, made him hateful to the more bigoted
Moslems, and he was remonstrated with by his friends on his acceptance
of the post of British Consul in Damascus, which is the very hot-bed of
Mohammedan fanaticism. The Consul, however, put a correcter estimate on
his own powers and knowledge, and beheved that his own hand and spirit
could ensure his safety under the almonds and rose trees of Damascus, as
weU as anywhere else. So it has turned out ; but the Foreign-office has
been caUed upon to remove him, on the specious ground that he is so
unpopular with aU classes of Mohammedans, that Eashid Pasha, the
Governor of the Damascus Pashalik, cannot secure his protection. There
is an old authority, more often appealed to than obeyed, which teUs us
that we are pretty certain to be in a bad way when aU men speak weU
of us. The matter does not appear to have been finally settled by the
Foreign-office, and the Consul's personal representations in London may
have the effect of leading to his restoration to what, to most men, would
be an unenviable post. — Star of India.

SYEIA.
To the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette,
Sir, The letter of " Fair Play," in Thursday's Pall Mall Gazette, and
the quoted correspondence from Beyrout, touch on a matter in reference to
which I beg leave to add my word of enlightenment for the Enghsh public
— viz. the recaU of Captain Burton. I have no acquaintance other than
literary, Avith that gentleman, or his difficulties with the Turkish authorities,
but several years' experience Avith a good many Turkish officials, Wahs and
Kaimakams, and of kaU grades from Muchir to Yuzbashi ; and I can recog
nize in Captain Burton's troubles a common experience of Consuls in the
Turkish provinces. The first thing a Wah or Kaimakam does when a new
Consul comes is to make a row with him, and try his back. If the Consul
is obstinate, independent, and incorruptible, the row never ends tUl one or
the other Government interferes. If the Consul is supported by his
Government, the Governor gives up, and limits himself to petty annoy
ances ; but there wiU never be peace between them, unless the Porte takes
up the matter in earnest, which it rarely does, for the exterritoriality of
foreign consuls is a perpetual grievance to the Turks, official and non-

334 The Inner Life of Syria.
official. It is only in the rare cases where the Wali or Kaimakam has
been educated in Europe, and has had his antipathy to the infidels broken
down, that amicable relations are habitual, except on the condition of the
Consul consenting to take the place the local official gives him, and to keep
his mouth tight shut as to what he is requested not to speak of. If the
Consul is a good, zealous, and honest officer, the chances are nine to one
that he is in chronic difficulty Avith the Governor of his province and his
principal subordinates. The Eussian and French Governments always
sustain their representatives, right or Avrong, and even they are generally
right. In the apprehensions of the effect of the Eussian propaganda in the
East, the correspondent of the Levant Herald shows too much timidity.
The Greek Church (distinguished from the Eussian Orthodox) is too
intensely municipal and hostile to an assumption of primacy or control,
ever so indirect, by the Eussian or any other Church, to give reason to
apprehend the result the correspondent looks forward to. Eussia wiU win
over the Turkish officials and population long before she can direct , the
Greeks, politically or ecclesiastically. — Yours respectfuUy,
London, Dec. 21. (Signed) W. J. Stillman.

DAMASCUS AND OUE LATE CONSUL.
Tablet.
The Standard is severe on the present administration of the Foreign-
office for the part it has taken in reference to these events, and especially
in their recall of her Majesty's Consul at Damascus, Captain Burton,
whom our own Syrian correspondence has shown to be possessed in a
remarkable degree of the rare combination of personal quahties and
accomplishments demanded for the arduous post he fiUed at Damascus.
According to the Standard's account, Captaiu Burton's recall was scarcely
carried into effect Avith the consideration usuaUy shown to officials of his
rank, and the reason at first assigned for it was, " that the Turkish
Government had complained of him." This reason, however, seems to
have been virtually withdrawn by Lord GranviUe, who has officially
informed Captain Burton that his removal was simply -due to the circum
stance that it was not considered necessary to keep at Damascus so highly
paid an official as a full Consul.
It is therefore in strictness unnecessary to say more in defence of
Captain Burton's conduct at Damascus, but it may not be uninteresting to
quote the Standard's recapitulation of the fact, which speaks both of his
recall and the subsequent endeavour on the part of the Foreign-office to
do him justice. Some of these facts are indeed not new to our readers,
haAdng already been reported in our columns : —
" On his arrival at Damascus, he was cordially welcomed and visited by
the heads of all the religious sects so numerous in that country, and soon
succeeded in gaining the confidence of all save the Wali and his creatures.

Appendix. 335
Yet this confidence, and the affection which followed it, were not obtained
by any truckling to party or sectarian prejudices. Shortly after his
arrival he checked the imprudent zeal of a person who was endangering
Damascus by amateur preaching, and made a demand for the punishment
of certain Druzes who had plundered and ill-treated an English missionary.
He interposed to prevent the rapacity of the money-lenders enjoying
British protection, and at the same time enforced the enormous and long
standing claim of British subjects. In short, he never neglected an
opportunity of advocating and enforcing justice towards aU those who
had any right to expect his protection. He strictly carried out the pro
gramme contained in Mr. Gladstone's speech .... and no one, Christian
or Moslem, Jew merchant or peasant, appealed to him in vain."
The utter baselessness of the assertion that Captain Burton had excited
hostihty among the population is shown by the manner in which his recaU
was received. The intelligence that he was to quit Syria was the signal
for the most vocUerous grief on the part of men of every sect and rank.
From thirty miles round, whole viUages flocked to his summer residence,
lamenting that the British Government had taken away their father, their
shepherd. They expressed not less loudly their sorrow at the departure of
Mrs. Burton, who had been a veritable mother to the poor. In the great
mosque of Damascus a solemn ceremony of blessing Captain Burton, and
cursing the Wali and those who had caused his removal, took place.
Moreover, a. host of letters from the heads of aU the different religious
communities, headed by the celebrated Abd el Kadir, and from numerous
AdUages, testified to their affection, their grief, and their rage.
It is difficult effectuaUy to refute the position taken up by the Standard,
that the present Government dealt with the complaints against Captain
Burton on ex parte evidence, and in a spirit of too great deference to the
Turkish authorities. The subsequent letter to Captain Burton would hardly
have been written unless the Foreign-office had found that it had been
led into error, not only as to the unpopularity of our Consul at Damascus,
but even as to the fact of the Turkish Government having complained of
him. Could it be that this fact was taken on the credit of Eashid Pasha
alone1! That Captain Burton had become unacceptable to the Wali of
Damascus is undisputed. But that functionary himself was liable to recaU,
deserved recaU, and, in fact, has actuaUy been recalled. The possibility
that his successor may be a man of more just, enlightened, and tolerant
ideas, who would have given Captain Burton a cordial welcome and loyal
support, makes us regret that the Foreign-office did not exert a little of that
firmness it can sometimes exhibit, and sustain a Consul with whom it had
no fault to find, and to whose honesty, efficiency, and popularity it has
now received such ample testimony.

We (Pall Mall Gazette) have received the foUowing letter on the state
of things in Syria since Captain Burton's recaU : —
I sent last week a short letter to the Standard concerning Syria, and
inasmuch as my conscience is troubled at not having said half enough,

336 The Inner Life of Syria.
and not being certain, at this distance, of its insertion, I beg permission
to address you at greater length.
I have seen the Pall Mall Gazette of the 21st and 22nd of December,
with letters signed "Fair Play," and "W. J. Stilhnan," concerning the
state of Syria and the recaU of Syria's best friend, Captain Burton. I beg
leave to corroborate every word that these two letters contain, and also
of aU those' of the same stamp that I have seen in various papers since last
August. There are, of course, two views on this subject ; the party against, is an
interested faction of about a dozen disagreeable persons. Some of them
are affected with ignorance or timidity, Avith gout or liver complaints, and
others Avith their own eAul doings, but not the less, however, Ignoramus
and Hepaticus bring influence to bear. The other party comprises Syria
and the whole little world, civilized or not, that knows anything about the
subject. However, a good man has been sacrificed, and a country, through his
honest, fearless outspeaking and acting, is on the road to being saved.
I, for one, feel sure that he does not grudge or regret his personal troubles
and losses.
Mahmoud Pasha, the new Grand- Vizier, is a fit man, according to the
universal voice, to carry out the Sultan's enlightened ideas of justice and
civUization, and to sweep away the foul corruption which had crept over
his fair dominions. Mahmoud wiU redeem the character of his nation
by discouraging sloth, bribery, lying, and intrigue. He knows the pohtics
and the languages of the world, as weU as the ways of other Governments.
He dares anything when he knows it to be right. He has chosen his
entourage and his representatives from men who have the same ideas as
himseh, and Turkey wiU now, let us hope, no longer be sick and sleeping,
but up and doing like the rest of the peoples. He has sent a man of his
OAvn choice to Syria, Soubhi Pasha, who is winning from us golden opinions.
Ah ! why did not aU this happen a month sooner 1 It would have saved
us from losing Captain Burton, who would have worked weU with this
new Government.
Mahmoud, as aU now know, at once struck boldly at every abuse in
the Government at home and abroad. Despising the storm of hostile
intrigues, and the usual thousand-and-one enemies, he has suddenly
arrested, tried, found guUty, and shipped off into penal exUe to a fortress
in Cyprus, their ExceUencies the favourite and first secretary, who had
notoriously so long deceived the Sultan, the Minister of War, and the
Minister of Police. A circular of reform was addressed to aU Provincial
Governors and functionaries ; every individual of every grade has been
ordered to render an account of his stewardship ; his deeds, good and
bad, have been represented to the Sultan, and sharp punishment and
liberal reward have been dealt out accordingly. It has been, in popular
parlance, a clean sweep.
Soubhi Pasha is doing the same work in Syria. He UkeAvise has
risked the manoeuvres of his enemies, and the hostile intrigues of the
friends of the late Wali. You will hardly believe it when I assert that

Appendix. 337
sundry official Europeans sent a long telegram to Constantinople, begging
that Eashid Pasha might be retained; yet it -is true. But Mahmoud
was kept too well-informed, he never even answered them, but only
telegraphed to the Mushir to ship off the Wali in chains, if he did not
go on board in twenty-four hours — a weU-merited slap of the face to those
who telegraphed.
I received only last night a letter from one of the highest authorities
in Damascus, containing the foUowing passage : — ¦
" AU the curious things that have come out since Eashid Pasha left
only prove how true aU Captain Burton's complaints and representations
were. Another year, and Syria would have been lost and utterly ruined.
Bad enough as it is ; but our new Governor-General seems to be a wonder
ful man, so energetic, finding time for everything, and made a general
sweep out of aU Wali's right hands, without regard to religion, protection,
or nationality ; caUed aU the Mutesserriffs (prefects) to strict account, and
former great people are nothing now. He accepts no sort of bartU (bribe),
nor aUows others to do so, but hears everybody's complaints himself. So
you may imagine how many enemies he has made. Even the Consuls
who flourished under the old Wali have united to write various complaints
to Stambotd ; but he stands as firm as a . rock and as calm as a summer
sea in the midst of the general hubbub — as did Captain Burton tUl his own
Government pulled him doAvn. I hear he says the" English of Captain
Burton's district are the only ones who support him well, and that Captain
Burton would have got on weU with him. He is the best-read man in
Turkey, and the Macaulay of his country."
It is the general remark and feehng in Syria, where we are very
proud of our countryman and Consul, Captain Burton, that aU the measures
lately carried out by Soubhi Pasha are exactly what Captain Burton used
to beg the late WaU Eashid Pasha to do for the good of the country, and
in most instances what he promised to represent to DoAvning-street, and to
Constantinople, and did. This Englishman has been removed under the
pretext that he did not suit the country : at the same time every sugges
tion that he ever made, or worked for, is now being freely adopted. We do
aU feel this very much, and we hope and trust that the Turkish and British
Governments wiU be able amicably to arrange to give him back to us.
As affairs stand, the irony of circumstances is remarkable. . An employe
is recaUed for undue interference, yet 'all his suggestions are freely adopted,
and Her Majesty's Government especiaUy congratulates the Porte for adopt
ing the measures proposed by its employe. As for any one writing that
anything that has been published concerning him, or Syria, since his recall
in last August, is untrue, I can only say that they must have some object
in telhng so deUberate an untruth.
Our steady good Consul was a treasure to us, and his recaU has left the
whole of our business and interests, which we surely understand better
than any one else, like a boat in an uneasy sea, without a pilot at the
helm. If the British Government openly professed not to care for Syria,
and to withdraw aU her employes, we might understand it, but we do not
comprehend why we have been lowered ; why a man who suited everybody

338 The Inner Life of Syria.
but the undeserving was removed, leaving us in the hands of people
in whom we have no confidence whatever. I am not aUuding to Mr.
Green, the Vice-Consul who succeeds Captain Burton — he is doing well,
and we like him much.
The steadiest statesman England now possesses (Lord Derby) said on
the occasion when Mr. TurnbuU was lately abandoned by the Government
to his enemies and his fate, " It is contrary to aU policy, justice, and
wisdom, if you desire to have faithful and honourable servants, to allow
any person whatever who has been appointed to a situation, and who
has been blameless in it, to be whispered and tormented out of it, by
slanders behind his back, and by imputations on his honour which he has
no means of refuting. Mr. TurnbuU haAring been appointed, whether
wisely or not, and the objections against him haAdng been found not to inter
fere with the faithful discharge of his duties, he ought to have been pro
tected by the Government against the insinuations which drove him to
resign by the mere force of the irritation and vexation which they caused;
and I say that a Government which consents to the dismissal of a faithful
servant under such circumstances, does not deserve to have, and wfll not
have, faithful servants."
Surely here is even a stronger case. Captain Burton was recaUed and
superseded on the word of an officer who is now condemned by his own
Government. He is proved not only blameless, but to have been a good
and faithful servant to his own Government, and loyal to the Sultan's as
our aUy, virtuaUy confessed by the dismissal of the man who caused his
removal, and by carrying out every detaU of what he worked for so nobly
at his own risk and sacrifice.
Surely if Secretaries of State, permanent or not permanent, have not
heart enough to see the truth of aU this, some person of influence wiU
try and move the Foreign-office to give us back what we have lost 1 The
latest report is that Captain Burton was removed, not because he was
unpopular with the Moslems, but because the Consular Committee of the
House of Commons, resolving to save £300 per annum, and objecting to
a Consulate-General and a highly-paid Consulate being so close to each
other, sagely reduced Damascus to a Vice-Consulate with £700 a year.
Thus at the capital, where the Governor-General, and aU the chief
dignitaries, where the head-quarters of the Courts of Appeal, and the
stations of the Patriarchs, Archbishops, and aU ecclesiastical dignitaries
reside, Great Britain finds herself, like Belgium, Portugal, Greece, and so
forth, represented by a Vice-Consul. Our officer now takes rank under
Eussia, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Persia ; he must, on official
occasions, walk behind and sit below mere Eayyahs, who are his senior
Vice-Consuls recognized by the Porte. This may not appear important to
the dignitaries of Downing-street, or to the nobility and gentry of the
British Empire, but to us " English abroad " it means our interests, our
property, and perchance our lives. For prestige in the East, at least, is
not French for humbug.
And now, having taken rank with, but after, Belgium, Portugal, and
Greece at the capital, we have a Consul-General at Beyrout, the port of

Appendix. 339
Damascus. This is as if a European Government were wise enough to
station its Ambassador or Minister at Brighton, and to locate its Consul-
General in London. Does the Foreign-office know these elements of
local knowledge ? If so, what delusion may it labour under 1 If not, why
does it not learn ? Or are we also the victims of tentative measures 1
" O Lord," quoth the miU-owners of Lancashire, " send us plenty of
cotton, but let it not be Surat." " O Allah," we pray, " make certain
gentlemen Peers, but don't let them have anything to do with the helm of
State." An Englishman in Syria.

Three years and a haU have passed away, of which we have spent
nearly three at Trieste, Captain Burton's present post. It is as nice a
place as one would wish for in Europe. It is a pretty spot, with (for us)
a good chmate, aU kinds of creature comforts, friends, amiable society,
plenty of self-made occupations and resources, and time to carry them
out. You may read, write books, learn German,, Italian, Eussian, Greek,
Slav. ; have singing masters, drawing masters, fence in winter, and swim
in summer ; but commercial work in a smaU, civilized, European sea-port,
under-ranked and under-paid by the side of our equals — France, Eussia,
and Germany — cannot be considered compensation for the loss of a wild,
Oriental diplomatic life, and might be considered a waste of such material
as Captain Burton ; and yet, as times go, we are very thankful it is no
worse. WhUst here we see the Oriental papers every fortnight, and all
the accounts we read of our old home are of " Arab raids, of insults to
Europeans, of miserable, starving people, of sects killing one another in
open day, of policemen firing recklessly into a crowd to wing a flying
prisoner, and a general fusUade in the streets; of sacked villages, and
plundered traveUers." We read of Salahiyyeh spoken of as " a suburb
of Damascus which enjoys an unenviable reputation ;" of innocent Sala
hiyyeh men being shot down by mistake for criminals, "because the
people of Salahiyyeh are such confirmed ruffians, that they are sure to be
either just going to do mischief or just returning from it." That is the
place where for two years I slept with open doors and windows, and
freely walked about alone throughout the twenty-four hours, my husband
often being absent, and I being left with Moslem servants.
We have just read (November, 1874), on the appointment of a new
Wali — the fourth, I think, since our departure — Essad Pasha, a first-rate
man for Syria in every way, the following remarks : " We know nothing of
Essad Pasha, but we can assure him that every stroke which he deals at the
roots of abuses will bring about his ears a swarm of hornets, and that in
all honest and vigorous attempts at reform he wUl need the loyal support

340 The Inner Life of Syria.
of his Government." And, after praising Essad Pasha for several acts of
justice, follows : "By such acts Essad Pasha makes himself a host of
enemies, and unless he is thoroughly weU supported by his Government at
home he will be unable to stem the tide and grapple alone with the evils
fostered during his predecessor's term of office." What appUes to the
affairs of the country at large in the Wali's case, applies to the British in
terests on a smaller scale in the Consul's case. And also " nobody here
believes in reforms, for every new Governor begins his office with ostenta
tious zeal for reform, and for strict justice and honesty, and ends his
short career worse than his predecessor, leaving the country in a more
hopeless condition than before."
Having lifted any possible cloud which may have hung over the real
history of Captain Burton's removal from his Eastern post — the only
suitable one which he has ever held — it is unnecessary for me to enter
into any further explanation of the causes of the base detractions from
which he has suffered. His case is not altogether a new one in the
human history, and the true explanation — the only real explanation — of
it which can face the light of day has been admirably expressed in the
lines written by the most brilliant Statesman the Foreign-office ever sent
to the East — the "great Eltchi," whom I and aU lovers of the Orient speak
of with admiration, respect, and pride — Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe — and
which are applicable to Captain Burton in every sense, except that, so far
from ever " spurning the gaping crowd," he always sacrifices himself for
the poor, the ignorant, and the oppressed.
" Nay, shines there one with brilliant parts endowed,
Whose inborn vigour spurns the gaping crowd %
For him the trench is dug, the toils are laid,
For him dull maUce whets the secret blade.
One fears a master fatal to his ease,
Or worse, a rival born his age to please ;
This dreads a champion for the cause he hates,
That fain would crush what shames his broad estates.
Leagued by their instincts, each to each is sworn,
High on their shields the simpering fool is borne."
— From Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe's " Shadows of the Past."
Trieste, December 8th, 1874. ,

The Inner Life ol' Syria.

Henry S.King iH:? 65 I

V.& A. K. JOHNSTON. CDINBUROH AND LOnOON

Lornliin. London.

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