scarcely any water in it at this time of year, but I found several pretty flowers on its banks, which I gathered, and endeavoured to dry on my return to the hotel. Beyond the brook, a Greek church, in which the tomb said to be that of the Virgin is shown, has been built many feet below the level of the road. Several lovely children were playing at the entrance, waiting for their parents, who had gone into the church for their morning devotions. They were joyous, laughing, little creatures, gathering and playing with beautiful flowers: the scene brought to my mind those lines of Mr Lisle Bowles:

'When summer comes, the little children play

In the churchyard of our cathedral grey, Busy as morning bees, and gathering flowers In the brief sunshine; they of coming hours

Reck not, intent upon their play, though

time

Speed like a spectre by them, and their prime

Bear on to sorrow.'

A broad flight of steps leads down into this church, on one side of which the tombs of Anna (the mother of the Virgin Mary) and Joseph are supposed to be. Several women enveloped in white mantles passed before me. I remained behind looking at the strange scene beneath me, the mass of white drapery standing well out in the deep shadows around it. As the women did not go into the body of the church, I remained with them, and as I sat on the steps, heard the priests chanting; for a short time I could distinguish nothing but a few lights glimmering below; presently I could perceive many lamps suspended from the ceiling, but the few that were burning only threw a dim light on the figures in black; sometimes I could distinguish a distinct form, but generally it was a mass of black. All around me were women in white, some standing, some kneeling, some 'making conversation,' others quieting crying babies, while little merry children kept running after each other up and down the steps.

As I returned to the hotel, I staid some little time at the Pool of Bethesda. It is, or rather was (for it is now dry), on the left of St Stephen's Gate (as I returned from the Valley of Jehoshaphat), and close to Mount Moriah, where stood the Temple of Solomon. The Mosque of Omar-the Noble Sanctuary,' as it is called by the Mahometans-now stands on Mount Moriah.

The Pool of Bethesda is surrounded by buildings on three sides; on the east side, where I sat, is a very low ruinous wall, with wild flowers growing all over it. The pool is very deep-nothing in it but large mounds of green turf; the only appearance of water was that of a scanty stream trickling out from a wall, belonging to a Turkish public bath. This spot is, indeed, one of the 'waste places' of Jerusalem, and reminded me of Ezekiel vii. 21, where he speaks of the future desolation of Israel:-'And I will give it into the hands of a stranger for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil, and they shall pollute it.'

Some doubt whether this is the Pool of Bethesda spoken of in the gospel; but Mr Williams, author of 'The Holy City,' is of opinion that it is the pool.

the left-hand side of the Via Dolorosa, returning from the gate, and is now occupied by a barrack. When I arrived, a Turkish officer went up with me to the flat roof, in order that I might see the prospect, and the mosque built on Mount Moriah. None but true believers are allowed to enter the sacred enclosure; but I had a very good idea of the whole from the elevated position I occupied, which commanded a view of all the buildings on the mount. Behind the large mosque, to the south, is a smaller one—that of El Aksa; and outside the wall of this sanctuary is the wailing-place of the Jews. The space occupied by these two mosques is very extensive, and planted with cypress and olive trees. In the eastern wall which encloses it is the Golden Gate, now walled up. From where I stood, I could see, rather to the right, the Hill of Evil Counsel, the Tower of Hippicus, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The site of Pontius Pilate's house is on

The hotel we lived at was full of people from nearly every country. There were German counts, French priests and barons, Americans and Englishmen of all professions, from Australia, China, and India. The topics of conversation in a society so mixed were, it may easily be imagined, very various, and there was often much said that was calculated to instruct, and not a little that surprised and amused.

A Frenchman, speaking of his visit to Jerusalem, said, 'Il n'y a pas de promenade ici,' missing his 'Bois de Boulogne,' and his cafés! Another enlightened individual, who had just returned from the

antipodes, said he 'saw nothing at the Dead Sea worthy of a visit.' Some were all enthusiasm, seeing with the eyes of their minds as well as those of their bodies. Let the reader fancy one of these enthusiasts sitting by a sedate, quiet gentleman at the table d'hôte, and on narrating all he had seen that morning with the greatest animation, receiving for reply, 'Well, sir, you think you have seen the tomb of the Virgin Mary; now, sir, you have seen no such thing! From undoubted authority, it is known not to exist.'

The poor crestfallen enthusiast retorts by remarking to the other, he probably does not believe he is at Jerusalem.

'Yes, sir, I am perfectly aware that I am at Jerusalem, but let us talk no more on the subject.'

We visited the school for Jewish and Arab children, which is under the superintendence of the Protestant bishop. There were but few little Jewesses there, as it was Friday, and Friday is 'the wailingday. Among the children in the school, very few had been baptised. They learn reading, writing, arithmetic, and 'plain work.' The Jewesses were mostly fair, rosy-cheeked, and many had auburn hair; it is a pity they do not retain more of their national dress. The boys struck me as being very intelligent, and one little fellow explained a proposition in Euclid, I was told, very well. He was an Arab, with a bright and pleasing countenance.

The wailing of the Jews, I have said, takes place every Friday

We passed through a very dirty bazaar and several miserable streets, in order to get to the wailing-place; the dirt in the streets in this Jewish quarter surpassed even that at Cairo. The stones of the pavement are of every form and sizesome pointed, others loose and rolling; when you think you are on a stone firmly fixed in the ground, it turns round, and you find yourself stumbling and tumbling about in all directions. Even the donkeys one rides are often on their noses, and the poor beasts are chastised because the roads are bad.

The spot where the Jews assemble is small, and very narrow, situated behind the high wall which encloses the 'noble sanctuary.' Antiquarians say that some part of the masonry of the high wall, against which the people turn their faces and wail, is as old as the time of Solomon. This wailing is one of the 'sights' of

Jerusalem; but, when there, I thought it rather an odd amusement to go and stare at a number of people lamenting over the sorrows of their country; and, although some of them may resort there from habit, no doubt there were others who really felt that 'Judah is gone into captivity, because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the heathen; she findeth no rest; all her persecutors overtook her between the straits' (Jer. i. 3).

When we arrived at the place, we found several Jews and a few Jewesses with their faces turned towards the wall. Some were reading out of large, dirty books. I only heard one Jew 'wailing.' They turned round, looked at us, and seemed to say, 'Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord has afflicted me in his fierce anger' (Jer. i. 12).

It was a sight one could not see unmoved; and as the poor people again turned towards the wall, I felt how true it is that 'He hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden, he hath destroyed the places of his assembly' (Jer. ii. 6).

One of the Jews there, who was a German, showed us his book; he was reading the Psalms of David. The top of the page was in Hebrew; the translation of the psalm and the commentary were in German, but in the Hebrew character.

The first visit I paid to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was with several people. 'Sight-seeing' in company is never agreeable, unless there be a strong sympathy in taste and feeling. I felt this more particularly at Jerusalem. I returned to the hotel with a very confused idea of what I had seen.

During my stay at Jerusalem, I was often able to go to the Church of the Sepulchre alone. I one day made a long visit, and saw nearly everything. Almost the first object of interest pointed out to the stranger is a long marble slab on the pavement like a tombstone. At each end were three very large candlesticks covered with red velvet. At this spot it is said our Saviour was anointed for his burial. People were prostrating themselves on the slab, and kissing it. To the left, not far off, is shown the place where the Virgin stood while the body was anointed. On the right are the tombs of Godfrey de Bouillon, of Baldwin the First,

and Melchizedeck, and the small Chapel of St John the Baptist, and Adam.

There is a grating in the wall of this chapel, where a fissure in the rock is shown which was formed when the 'rocks were rent' at the crucifixion of our Lord. The traditions connected with this Church of the Holy Sepulchre are so many, that I must pass them by, for they would occupy an entire chapter.

The Chapel of St John the Baptist and Adam, that of Godfrey de Bouillon and Baldwin the First,* are with the Chapels of the Crucifixion and Exaltation of the Cross, frequently called the Chapels of Calvary. A staircase leads up to the Chapels of the Crucifixion and Exaltation of the Cross. These are much ornamented; there are two altars, one belonging to the Greeks, and the other to the Latins. I then descended into the rotunda, where stands the Holy Sepulchre. It is twentysix feet in length, and eighteen broad. It is built of a yellowish marble, and countless silver lamps are suspended over the entrance, which is adorned by three large enamelled medallions, the frame of the middle one being enriched with coloured stones, which are said to be real. The doorway is elaborately carved. There are two divisions in the building: the first you enter is called the 'Chapel of the Angel,' and is very small; in the middle is a marble monument, which looks much like a font; it is said to mark the place where the stone was rolled from the door of the sepulchre, and where the angel was seen sitting. Many persons came in while I was there, to kiss this monument, some kneeling, and continuing absorbed in prayer for a minute or two. From this small room you enter where the sepulchre is believed to have been.

The ornaments of the entrance to this room are beautifully and richly carved. Each of these divisions is so small that no more than four persons can be in it together. A shelf placed against the wall was arranged as an altar, on which stood lighted candles and vases of flowers. Over the slab which marks the spot *Though the tombs of Godfrey de Bouillon

and Baldwin the First are still pointed out, Mr Williams, in his 'Holy City,' tells us that these sepulchral monuments were defaced and injured by the Charizmians, in 1244; and by the Greeks, because they commemorated Latin sovereigns; and it seems that, in the late restoration, they have been wholly destroyed and obliterated, from a similar motive.

where the body of our Saviour was placed, hung many gilt lamps-a few lighted; on the wall were three pictures-one belonging to the Latins, one to the Greeks, and one to the Armenians. While I was in the sepulchre, a Greek priest was reading, and occasionally occupied in meditating; he had a small silver bottle full of rosewater, with which he sometimes sprinkled the flowers on the altar, from whence he gave me lavender and wall-flowers. The entrance to the Greek Church is directly opposite the Holy Sepulchre. This church is large, and much decorated.

The spots where our Saviour appeared to Mary Magdalene, and to his mother, are marked by small round marble slabs in the pavement, not far from the Latin Chapel,* which is plain in its ornaments. In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are several small side-chapels among them— that of St Mary; of Longinus, the centurion; 'of the parting of our Lord's garments;' and one where a stone is shown, on which our Saviour sat when he was mocked.

The Copts have only one altar in the church; it is placed close behind the sepulchre of our Lord. The Syrians have a small, unfurnished chapel, in which are the tombs where Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are said to have been buried.

In St Helena's Chapel, which belongs to the Greeks, a small window is shown, from whence the empress watched the workmen below, and urged them on in their endeavours to discover the three crosses; and an altar now marks the spot where tradition says they were found.

The Armenian Chapel contains curious pictures: one of the Virgin; round her neck is a chain of gold coins. Another picture represents our Lord ascending from the Mount of Olives-he ascends into clouds gilt over; behind them rise the heads of angels who are blowing trumpets; and on the spot from whence our Saviour has ascended are two very large footmarks.

The roof of the rotunda in which the

sepulchre stands was in bad repair when we were at Jerusalem. The Greek and Latin Churches had, I understood, disputed with whom the right to put it in order rested, and while this discussion went on, the roof became more dilapidated; so much so that the rain came * Called also 'the Chapel of the Apparition.'

in, and the altar belonging to the Copts was in danger of being materially injured.

I have not entered into detail in describing each and every deeply-interesting object in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Details would be tedious to many persons, and I have therefore given only a rough sketch of what is there to be

seen.

One afternoon was occupied in walking round Jerusalem. Passing out of St Stephen's Gate, and descending the Valley of Jehoshaphat, we saw on the left-hand side a grotto arranged as a chapel, in which were two small plain altars, and then we entered the Garden of Gethsemane. How true is the remark of Dr Wilson in his 'Lands of the Bible,' that Gethsemane 'is a place, the associations of which are of overwhelming interest and solemnity.' We read, that not far from it our blessed Lord went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed, saying those memorable words, 'Not my will but thine be done,'* which have been, perhaps of all those uttered by him, the most comforting and soothing for countless mourning Christians, and will continue to be so till he shall swallow up death in victory, 'and the Lord God shall wipe tears from off all faces.'

The garden is small, enclosed by high walls. I regret that it has been converted into a modern garden; the flowers are, however, pretty. There are neat terrace walks, and a few ancient olive-trees. A Spanish lady, who visited this garden, had small paintings let into the wall, representing the various events which took place during our Lord's sojourn on earth.

We now ascended the Mount of Olives, which is mentioned in 2 Sam. xv. 30, as connected with the history of David and Absalom, when the former fled from Jerusalem. It is often read of in the Gospels, and was a favourite resort of our Saviour. All the walks about Jerusalem must be traversed with reverential feelings; but the Garden of Gethsemane, the

*The reader will remember those beautiful lines of Keble

"O Father! not my will, but thine be

done.'

So spake the Son.

Mount of Olives, and Bethany, have a peculiar interest.

The path leading up the mount is steep and stony. Olive-trees are pretty numerous in all directions, and are peculiarly suited to the scenery around Jerusalem. They have an air of sadness and gloom with their sombre trunks and darkgreen leaves; and they seem in mourning for the sorrows of the land and its people.

When we reached the summit of the hill, it was so windy and cold, we could not look at the views with any comfort.' Turning to the west, the entire city of Jerusalem is seen completely walled in. The present wall was raised by Suliman the First. The date 1541-2 is to be seen on some parts of the wall. From the top of the mount, one has a bird'seye view of the city. Towards the southeast, the mountains of Moab and the Dead Sea were visible.

It has been the received opinion for ages, and is still universally believed, that the Saviour's ascension took place from the Mount of Olives. Although I am most willing to cling to all the ancient traditions, if I may venture to state an opinion in which others more competent to judge than I am agree with me, I think that event occurred at Bethany, and not at the Mount of Olives, as it is clearly stated in the 24th chapter of St Luke, v. 50, 51, that 'He led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it came to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.'

Inside the church, which crowns the summit of the mount, is a large stone, marking the spot from whence it is believed our Lord's ascent took place.

Descending the hill, we passed two places, at one of which we are told our Saviour taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer; and at the other, the apostles made the Creed. I could not help fearing these assertions were apocryphal. Further on are some curious grottos, said to be the burial-place of prophets. In the Valley of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom, through which we rode this evening, there are tombs and graves, both ancient and modern, in every direction. It is

noise

tos and burying-places without thinking that perhaps out of some of them 'many bodies of saints arose, and came out of