"Achmed Pasha, the governor and military commander of Damascus, convicted on the evidence of a certain Saleh Zechy Bey, a Mahomedan-who boldly came forward and accused him of gross dereliction of duty, and of having, by his cowardice and impotence, caused the massacre, was shot. Three Turkish officers, who were present at the massacre at Hasbaya, and a hundred and seventeen individuals-chiefly Bashi-Bazouks, police, and wandering characters—met with the same fate. About four hundred of the lower orders were condemned to imprisonment and exile. Of the citizens, fifty-six were hanged. Of the notables, eleven were exiled to Cyprus and Rhodes, and their property sequestered for the time being. It has since been restored to their families. These notables are living in their places of exile with all the comforts and luxuries of life; one of them has celebrated his marriage. A sum of about £200,000 was proposed to be levied on the city, which three or four of its principal merchants could furnish alone with ease.

"Such is all the amount of retribution which outraged Christian Europe has been able to obtain for the wanton plundering and burning to the ground of the whole Christian Quarter of Damascus, entailing a loss to that unfortunate community of at least £2,000,000 sterling-for the inhuman, savage, and cold-blooded massacre of 6000 inoffensive Christians, who possessed no arms whatever; for the ravishing of their wives and daughters; and for the expulsion from their desolated hearths of 20,000 beggared and defenceless victims of Mahomedan rage and fanaticism, whose only crime was, to use the words of the British consul, that they were the followers of Christ.'"

6

The Protestant Mission is in this quarter of the city, and will be visited by all travellers with inte

rest.

The Jewish Quarter is reached by crossing the Straight Street from the Christian Quarter. There are some very wealthy residents here, and some of the apartments of their spacious houses are accessible. The Jews have ten synagogues in the city.

Tombs and Mausoleums are to be found in various parts of the city; some of them are very floridly ornamented. The Tomb of Saladin is near the Great Mosque, and so also is the Mausoleum of Melek-ed-Dhaher Bibars, one of the most inveterate foes of the Crusaders. It is a fine specimen of Saracenic architecture.

Mosques abound in Damascus (there are 248 mosques and schools), but there is nothing in them to call for any special mention, as they do not materially differ from mosques elsewhere in Syria and Palestine. Having seen the Great Mosque (p. 341), the traveller may consider that he has seen all. One of the most singular and beautiful is the greentiled mosque, Jâmi'a-es-Sunanîyeh, built by Senân Pasha, 1581. There are a great number of mosques in the suburb of Meidân (p. 352).

Gates.-The following Gates indicate the circuit of the old walls, and may be visited in the order in which they occur here. It will take best part of a day to make this tour, and visit the places indicated en route. The East Gate (Bab Shurky) is ruinous, and bears memorials of Roman masonry. From the mound adjoining it, there is a celebrated view. Near the closed gate, Bab Kisân-it has been closed for 700 years-tradition states that St. Paul was let down through the window in a basket and escaped (p. 337); and near here is a tomb under some trees, said to be the tomb of a Saint George, who assisted St. Paul to escape, and perished in consequence. The Latins look upon this as the scene of St. Paul's conversion. Half a mile east of the

Bab Kisan is the Christian Cemetery. Buckle, the famous English historian, lies buried here. A short distance from the Little Gate (Bab-es-Saghîr) is a vast Muslim cemetery, where three of the wives of Mahomed lie buried, and many of the great men of the city, warriors and politicians. Here too is buried the celebrated historian, Ibn 'Asâker. From a mound in the cemetery the view is remarkable. The Iron Gate (Bal-el-Hadîd) is close by the Castle (p. 346), and the Serai, or Palace, now used as barracks. Between the Gates Bab-el-Hadid and Bab-el-Faraj, where the walls are washed by the river, is the Saddlers' Bazaar, and near it is a mammoth plane tree, over 40 feet in circumference, with enormous branches; it is well worth seeing. The age of the tree is uncertain. Thomas' Gate (Bab Tûma), named after a Crusader who fought so gallantly as to gain the admiration of the Muslims who slaughtered him, is near the Protestant Mission (p. 350). Houses upon the wall will be observed near here, and they will illustrate the story of Rahab, who let down the spies, and of the escape of St. Paul in a basket (p. 337).

Returning to the East Gate, the traditional House of Ananias and the House of Naaman will be pointed out. The latter stands close to a tumble-down mosque. There is appropriateness in turning this traditional site into a Leper Hospital. (2 Kings v.)

The extensive Suburb of Meidân consists of a broad, badly-paved street, about a mile long, wherein a mixed multitude of folk from all the districts round about, and especially the Hauran, congregate. The mosques here are numerous, and sadly out of repair. The suburb is less interesting for its own sake than for the sight of the people who frequent it.

There are many interesting places to visit in the

Environs of Damascus.

1. To Jobar.-The ride is interesting, as the road passes through very beautiful scenery. Jobar is only a Muslim village, not much more than two miles outside the walls. Two or three legends attach to it. First, that the old synagogue, which has been a Jewish pilgrimage place for ages, is the spot where Elijah was fed by the ravens (p. 231); next, that Elijah here anointed Hazael to be King of Syria. The basis of this legend is in the words, "Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest anoint Hazael to be King over Syria" (1 Kings xix. 15). The third is that Jobar corresponds with Hobah, the place to which Abraham drove the kings who had taken Lot prisoner: "He smote them and pursued them unto Hobah, on the left hand of Damascus (Gen. xiv. 15).

(2) To Sâlahîyeh and Kâsiún. This is a drive through gardens and orchards. It may be taken in the journey to Ba'albek (p. 356), or as a separate excursion. The View is the finest in Syria; some have gone so far as to say it is unequalled by any view in the world, but this is quite a matter of individual opinion. Sâlahîyeh has about 7,000 inhabitants, and is a favourite resort of the Damascenes. At Kâsiûn, a rocky hill close to Salâhîyeh, the Muslims declare that Abraham had the unity of God revealed to him; and Mahomed stood here, and made his celebrated comparison of Damascus with Paradise (see below). It is, there fore, a pilgrimage place. Close behind are the sterile limestone mountains in the dry and desolate region, than which, says Stanley, the peaks of Sinai are not more sterile. In front is the great sea of verdure, “so that you stand literally between the living and the dead. And the ruined arches of

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the ancient chapel, which serve as a centre and framework to the prospect and retrospect, still preserve the magnificent story which, whether truth or fiction, is well worthy of this sublime view. Here, hard by the sacred heights of Salâhiyeh-consecrated by the caverns and tombs of a thousand Mussulman saints-the Prophet is said to have stood, whilst yet a camel-driver from Mecca, and, after gazing on the scene below, to have turned away without entering the city. 'Man,' he said, 'can have but one Paradise, and my Paradise is fixed above."—(Stanley.)

(3) To Saidnaya and Helbon is a two days' journey. The former is celebrated for its ancient convent erected by Justinian (?), and a miracle-working image of the Virgin. Helbon is in a land of vineyards, and possesses a few very ancient ruins. It is supposed to be the place mentioned by Ezekiel (xxvii. 18)—“ Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool."

(4) To the Meadow Lakes is an excursion that requires two days for its performance, and is interesting as giving the best impression of the fertile country round about Damascus. It is an excursion very rarely taken, and must never be attempted without a good guide.

DAMASCUS TO BEYROUT DIRECT. [The diligence starts from the office close to Demetri's Hotel, and the distance of seventy miles is accomplished in about 13 hours. It is necessary, in the busy season, to secure places early, as the accommodation is limited, and the good seats are few.

Private carriages may be ordered at Damascus-or Beyrout on the return journey—and these are much more comfortable. They hold five persons.]