the Ptolemies, and the haughty Syrian Antiochus established his power in the city of David when the Egyptian rule was overthrown. Then came the noble struggle of the Maccabees, who for a season triumphed over the invader and once more established the kingdom of Judæa. Pompey the Great, at the head of the invincible Roman legions, placed the proud ensigns of the mistress of the world upon the walls and towers of Jerusalem, and for well-nigh six centuries, with one or two brief interludes, the Imperial sway was acknowledged by the Jews. During that period, in A.D. 72, the memorable siege by Titus occurred, when almost every building in the city was destroyed, except the still-standing tower of Hippicus and two others. Then after the final decline of mighty Rome, the cruel rule of the infidel Moslems began with the capture of the city in A.D. 636 by Caliph Omar. A transient season of glory, under the chivalrous reign of the Crusaders, cast a gleam of light upon the gloom which now settled over the city, and again the true worship of Jehovah was celebrated in His own chosen habitation. But soon the sceptre fell from the feeble hands of the successors to the gallant Godfrey, and in 1243 the banner of the Cross ceased to wave over the walls of Jerusalem.

CHAPTER XI.

JERUSALEM.

WE entered the city by the Jaffa gate, and after trying in vain to find quarters in the Mediterranean Hotel, near Mount Zion, we were fortunate in getting excellent accommodation at the house of Mr. Max Ungar, who keeps a lodginghouse not very far from the Damascus gate. He can accommodate about six or eight people, and we were made very comfortable during our short stay in the Holy City, at a scale of charges considerably less than that of the hotels. One of our first visits was to Mr. Bergheim, the banker, to get letters and a supply of money, while our dragoman, who had engaged a guide for us, went to arrange matters with the muleteers, or mukharis, as they are called, who were to attend us for the remainder of our tour. Mr. Ashton and I, who were both furnished with letters of introduction to the Bishop of Jerusalem, Dr. Gobat, went to pay our respects to him, and were received with cordial courtesy. The bishop resides in a handsome white stone house, nearly opposite the ancient tower of Hippicus, and close to the elegant church. which has been erected for the Christian converts and

visitors. The church and adjoining buildings are the property of the London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, and services are conducted by the bishop and assistants in several languages, for the benefit of different proselytes and visitors. There is a daily Hebrew service early in the morning, and on Sundays there are two English services, at 10 forenoon and half-past 7 evening. The German service is at 3 o'clock afternoon in winter, and on Wednesdays at 7 evening. The Society employs three ordained missionaries, besides lay agents, and their boys' and girls' school has nearly 100 children on its rolls; besides which there is a Diocesan school and orphanage, the Prussian Deaconesses girls' school, and Miss Gobat's school for Arab girls. These, however, do not exhaust the number of Christian agencies, for there is the Church Missionary Society, who occupy the Arabic Chapel, where service in that language is held every Sunday morning, and this Society employs an ordained and lay missionary. In addition to which Mr. Schneller's Home for Orphans, a hospital and dispensary in connection with the London Jews' Society, and the Hebrew Christian Mutual Aid Society,' all do good and useful work. The latter puts forth special claims, as it was founded by Hebrew Christians for the object of relieving the necessities of these poorer Christians, who have, owing to their conversion, been deprived of their former means of support.

The population of Jerusalem consists of some 18,000, of whom about 9,000 are Jews and 4,000 Christians; the

former have eight synagogues and nearly forty smaller places of worship. The Mohammedans have eleven mosques, the largest of which is the celebrated mosque of Omar, on Mount Moriah. The Jews are divided into two main sects, the Ashkanasim and the Sephardim, the latter being of Spanish origin, and their dialect is in that language, rather corrupted from its original purity. The latter sect are subject to the Sultan, but are allowed to enjoy their own rabbinical laws; while the Ashkanasim are mostly of German and Polish origin, and being foreigners, are subject to their own consular agents. Both these sects and the stragglers from various countries who are attracted to Jerusalem, are mainly supported by contributions from their more prosperous brethren in Europe. Of the Christian sects, the Greek is the most important, numbering over 1,500 adherents, who are all native Arabs, having for their head the Patriarch of Jerusalem. This dignitary resides in the convent at Jerusalem, and has fourteen sees subject to his rule. He, his clergy and monks, are mostly natives of the Grecian islands. The Armenians, some 300 in number, have also their patriarch, who resides in their splendid convent on Mount Zion, and is spiritual head of the entire sect in Palestine. The Latins are chiefly Syrians, and speak Arabic; they are very generally seceders from the Greek Church, and they also have their patriarch, or warden,' who has fourteen convents under his jurisdiction. Besides the above, there are a small number of Georgians, Copts, and Syrians among the Christian population of the Holy City.

As our stay was to be very limited, we set off first to get a general idea of the city by making a détour of a considerable part of the walls, ascending to their summit near the Jaffa gate. There is a regular ledge of stone forming a good walk for most part of the way, only that at the numerous angles in the wall you have generally to descend and ascend again by narrow stairs. On our right hand, inside the walls, the Christian quarter is mainly situated, and it ends about the Damascus gate. Here are several of the Greek convents, and in many parts there are considerable unoccupied spaces of ground, which are cultivated with grain and vegetables. In the immediate vicinity of the walls are seen the extensive hospices and gardens belonging to the Russian convent. The sun was intensely hot, and we were glad of any shade which the projections of the walls afforded. On the other side of the extensive Damascus gate the Mohammedan quarter is reached, their cemetery being visible from the wall not far from the grotto of Jeremiah, and midway between this gate and the angle of the wall, where it overhangs the valley of Jehoshaphat, is the small closed gate of Herod. We now kept along the top of the eastern wall, having the Mount of Olives on our left rising from the valley of Jehoshaphat, which runs parallel with the old walls until they take a bend to the west, not far from the mosque El Aksa. Proceeding along the eastern wall for some distance, the hill Bezetha is passed on the right, a broad rocky ridge, partly covered with olivegroves. Close to St. Stephen's Gate is seen, situated a short