time of our Lord. In the garden is a reservoir which supplies water for moistening the ground and cultivating flowers. A series of rude frescoes on the walls represent scenes in the life of Christ.

The monks point out the chapel of the Agony, in a cave; the rocky place where the disciples slept; the spot where Judas gave the kiss of betrayal.

In the bed of the Kidron, north of the road, is the TOMB OF THE VIRGIN. A flight of forty-seven steps leads to the church. Here are the Tombs of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin, the tomb of Joseph, the husband of the Virgin, the Tomb of Mary, and the Grotto of the Agony.

FROM JERUSALEM TO

BETHLEHEM.

This is a journey of 13 hours riding, or may be walked in a little over two hours, distance 5 miles. Leaving Jerusalem by the Jaffa Gate, we descend into the Valley of Gihon, cross it, and ascend the hill on the south-west side to the "Valley of the Giants," leaving on the left the traditional tree on which Judas hanged himself. This plain has been called the Valley of Rephaim, the boundary line between Judah and Benjamin (Joshua xx. 8). It was here that David defeated the Philistines. Before reaching the top of the long rise the traveller will see the Well of the Magi, tradition stating that the Wise Men knew not where to go, and being weary with their journey, stopped to draw water, when they saw the star reflected in the well, and under its guidance they followed to where the young

child was. On the top of the hill, to the left, is a large building belonging to the Greeks.

Descending the hill, in about twenty minutes from Mar-Elyas, the Tomb of Rachel is reached. There can be no doubt that this site, which is revered by Christians and Moslems, as well as by the Jews, is the scene of the touching story of Rachel's death.

She had journeyed from Bethel to this place, on the way to Bethlehem. "And there was but a little way to come to Ephrath' (Bethlehem); not more than a mile, and within full sight of the spot. Here she was delivered of her son. "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni (i.e., son of my sorrow). but his father called him Benjamin"-i.e., the son of my righthand; "and Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day" (Genesis XXXV. 16-20). It will be remembered that in wooing her, seven long years "seemed to Jacob but a few days for the love he bore her." And as the old man, long weary years after her death, was himself drawing to the grave, he repeats, with tender memory, the story of his loss. "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem" (Genesis xlviii. 7).

About a quarter of a mile to the west of Rachel's Tomb is a village named Beit Jala, the residence of the Latin and Greek Patriarchs. Population 3000, mostly Greeks and all Christians. At this point there are two roads, that to the left

going direct in about fifteen minutes to Bethlehem; that on the right in about one hour to Solomon's Pool.

The views of Bethlehem, as the city is approached, are extremely picturesque.

BETHLEHEM, meaning "House of Bread," celebrated in Holy Scripture as the BIRTHPLACE OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR AND OF KING DAVID, is now a small unwalled town of 4,000 inhabitants, all Christians. It is situated in the centre of a most interesting country, and the views from the roof of the Latin monastery (which encloses the cave where Christ was born) are very beautiful and extensive. In the distance, east, are the mountains of Moab and the plains of Jordan; south stands the hill of Tekoah, the scene of the pastoral life of the prophet Amos; beyond, more to the east, lies the wilderness of Engedi, where David concealed himself when pursued by Saul, and where the allied armies of the Amorites, Moabites, and others encamped when they came to fight against Jehoshaphat; north is the road to Jerusalem with the mountains of Judea, and Rachel's Tomb. The Convent of the Nativity, which encloses the supposed manger, &c., is a large square building, resembling a fortress rather than the home of the recluse, and was built by the Empress Helena, 327 A.D., but destroyed by the Moslems in 1236. It was restored by the Crusaders. Within it is the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, which like that of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem is subdivided among the Greeks, Latins, and Armenians. The church is built in the form of a cross, the nave, which belongs to the Armenians, is supported by 48 pillars of solid granite, each 3 ft. in thickness, and 17 ft. high. The other portions of the Church forming the

cross are walled up. At the farther end of that section which forms the head of the cross, is a sculptured marble star, which the Bethlehemites say covers the central point of the earth. Here a long intricate passage descends to the crypt below, where our Saviour is said to have been born. The walls of the chamber are hung with draperies of the gayest colours; and a silver star with the words, "Hic de Virgine Marie Jesus Christus natus est," marks the spot of THE NATIVITY. The manger stands in a low recess cut from the rock a few feet from this star. The wooden manger, taken from this spot, is now at the Church of Ste Maria Maggiore at Rome, see page 709 of this Guide Book. The other objects of interest in the church are the Chapel and Tomb of ST JEROME, who became a monk of this convent towards the end of the 4th century; the Tomb and chapel of St Paula, a Roman lady, founder of several convents at Bethlehem, the Tomb of St Eudosia, and the pit into which it is supposed the bodies of the murdered innocents were cast. The Bethlehemites chiefly gain their subsistence by the manufacture of crucifixes, beads, boxes, &c., of mother-of-pearl and olive wood. Some excellent wine is made here.

A short distance south of the Church of the Nativity is the Milk Grotto, the traditional scene of the seclusion of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus before the flight into Egypt.

Just east of the Milk Grotto is

the so-called House of Joseph, and beyond this the village of Beit Sahur, where the shepherds of Luke ii. are supposed to have resided. In about fifteen minutes the Shepherds' Field is reached. A very ancient tradition makes this the spot where the shepherds were watching their flocks by

night, and received "the good tidings of great joy.'

Objects of interest in the neighbourhood are David's Well, Cave of Adullam, and the Grotto of the shepherds.

JERUSALEM TO HEBRON, by the Pools of Solomon.

Hebron is 21 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem. As far as the Pools of Solomon, one hour's ride from Jerusalem, the road is good.

THE POOLS OF SOLOMON.

The camping ground is just outside the walls of the khânA short distance to the right of the castle is the sealed Fountain of Solomon, which, it is said, regulated and secured the constant supply of water for the Holy City.

The pools are three enormous cisterns of marble. Their measurements are:

"Lower Pool. Length, 582 ft.; breadth, east end, 207 ft., west, 148 ft.; depth at east end, 50 ft." (Dr Thomson says that "when full it would float the largest man-of-war that ever ploughed the ocean.")

"Middle Pool. Distance above Lower Pool, 248 ft.; length, 423 ft.; breadth at east end, 250 ft., west, 100 ft.; depth at east end, 39 ft.

"Upper Pool. Distance above Middle Pool, 160 ft.; length, 380 ft.; breadth, east end, 236, west, 229 ft.; depth at west end,

25 feet."-Robinson.

From the admirable state of preservation these basins are in it is difficult to realize that they

date from Solomon's time, although they were restored by Pontius Pilate.

Formerly water was supplied to Jerusalem from these pools.

The name of Solomon's Pools is taken from a passage in Eccles. ii. 6, "I made me pools of water to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees."

HEBRON.

[There is no Hotel at Hebron. Travellers who are not in large parties can be accommodated at one or two Jewish houses in the town, or at the old Lazaretto. If the start has been made, as is frequently the case from Solomon's Pools in the early morning, it is not too long a day's journey to return there for the night. This is the plan adopted under Messrs COOK AND SON's arrangements.]

Hebron (Alliance-Friendship) is the oldest town of Palestine, and one of the oldest in the world.

From this place the lad Joseph went forth to seek his brethren in Shechem. And here came back the sons, bringing the bloodstained garment. "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days."

"Hebron has witnessed many struggles, notably when Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him unto Hebron ; and they fought against it; and they took it and smote it with the edge of the sword."

It was here that David lived for seven and a half years, when he reigned over Judah alone. Here Absalom was born; and here Abner was murdered by Joab, who took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the

water known, being 1312 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. The depth varies considerably, soundings in the north have given 220 fathoms. The shape is an elongated oval. It is fed by the Jordan and many other streams, but has no apparent outlet, its superfluous water being supposed to be carried off entirely by evaporation. Along the eastern and western borders there are lines of bold, perpendicular cliffs, rising to an elevation of 1000 ft. on the west and 2000 ft. on the east. These cliffs are mostly limestone, and devoid of vegetation save on the east side, where there are ravines, traversed by fresh water springs. The north shores of the lake form an extensive and muddy flat, marked by the blackened trunks of trees, incrusted with salt, as everything is, exposed to the spray of the Dead Sea. The southern shore is low and marshy and desolate in the highest degree, the air is choking, and no living thing is to be seen.

On

this shore is the remarkable mass of rock called Usdom (Sodom). It is a narrow ridge of hill, extending five miles north-west, and consisting of rock salt. Large blocks have broken off from this hill, and lie strewn in all directions along the shore, adding to its dreary and death-like aspect. To the north, near Usdom, is the supposed site of Sodom. Although the hills surrounding the Dead Sea are mostly composed of stratified rock, yet igneous rocks are also seen; there are also quantities of post-tertiary lava, pumice-stone, sulphur, warm springs and volcanic slag, clearly proving the presence of volcanic agencies at some period. The neighbourhood is frequently visited by earthquakes, at which time the lake casts large masses of asphaltum to its surface. The

long-entertained belief that the exhalations from the lake were fatal, is not founded upon fact, as birds have been seen flying over and even sitting on its surface. A curious plant grows on the borders of the sea, which produces the fruit called "Apples of Sodom," beautiful on the outsides, but bitter to the taste, and when mature filled with fibre and dust. The water is characterised by large quantities of Magnesian and soda salts. Its specific gravity ranges from 1172 to 1227 (pure water being 1000). The proportion of saline matter is so great that whilst sea water only contains 30 parts of salt in the 100 parts, the water of the Dead Sea contains 250 parts, or eight times more than that of the ocean. The saltness of the sea has been explained in several ways, but we deem it necessary to give but one. It is a circumstance attending all lakes or collections of water without any outflow, that the water requires an infusion of salt, its feeders constantly bringing in this material, while none can go off by evaporation.

From the Dead Sea to the Jordan, or rather the Pilgrims' Bathing Place, is about an hour's journey.

The RIVER JORDAN is the principal river of Palestine, the bed of which forms a great valley, stretching from north to south in the eastern part of the country. It derives its source partly from the Lebanon mountains and partly from mount Hermon. It has a course of 150 miles, and after passing through the small lake of El Huleh (the Waters of Merom) and the Sea of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) falls into the northern extremity of the Dead Sea. Its course is so tortuous that between the Lake of Galilee and the Dead Sea, 60 miles of actual length is