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ulchre, is the finest in Syria, and contains two tolerable good or gans. Within the walls of the convent are two gardens, and a small burying-ground: the walls are very thick, and serve occasionally as a fortress to all the Christians in the town. There are at present eleven friars in the convent; they are chiefly Spaniards. The yearly expenses of the establishment are stated to amount to upwards of 9001., a small part of which is defrayed by the rent of a few houses in the town, and by the produce of some acres of corn-land: the rest is remitted from Jerusalem. The whole annual expenses of the Terra Santa convents are about 15,000l., of which the Pasha of Damascus receives about 12,000l. The Greek convent of Jerusalem, according to Burckhardt's authority, pays much more, as well to maintain its own privileges, as with a view to encroach upon those of the Latins.

MOUNT TABOR.

Mount Tabor, having been pitched upon as the scene of the Transfiguration, ranks among the sacred places to which pilgrims repair from Nazareth. It is minutely described by both Pococke and Maundrell.

The road from Nazareth lies for two hours between low hills; it then opens into the Plain of Esdraelon. At about two or three furlongs within the plain, and six miles from Nazareth, rises this singular mount, which is almost entirely insulated, its figure representing a half-sphere.' 'It is,' says Pococke, 'one of the finest hills I ever beheld, being a rich soil that produces excellent herbage, and is most beautifully adorned with groves and clumps of trees. The ascent is so easy, that we rode up the north side by a winding road. Some authors mention it as near four miles high, others as about two the latter may be true, as to the winding ascent up the hill. The top of it, which is about half a mile long, and near a quarter of a mile broad, is encompassed with a wall, which Josephus built in forty days: there was also a wall along the middle of it, which divided the south part, on which the city stood, from the north part, which is lower, and is called the meidan, or place, being probably used for exercises when there was a city here, which Josephus mentions by the name of Ataburion. Within the outer wall on the north side, are several deep fosses, out of which, it is probable, the stones were dug to build the walls; and these fosses seem to have answered the end of cisterns, to preserve the rainwater, and were also some defence to the city. There are likewise a great number of cisterns under ground, for preserving the rain-water. To the south, where the ascent was most easy, there are fosses cut on the outside, to render the access to the walls more difficult. Some of the gates also of the city remain as the gate of the winds, to the west; and the arched gate, a small one to the south. Antiochus, King of Syria, took the fortress on the top of his hill. Vespasian also got possession of it; and after that, Jose

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phus fortified it with strong walls. But what has made it more famous than any thing else, is the common opinion, from the time of St. Jerome, that the transfiguration of our Saviour was on this mountain. On the east part of the hill are the remains of a strong castle; and within the precinct of it is the grot, in which are three altars in memory of the three tabernacles which St. Peter proposed to build, and where the Latin fathers always celebrate on the day of the Transfiguration. It is said, there was a magnificent church built here by St. Helena, which was a cathedral when this town was made a bishop's see. There was formerly a convent of Benedictine monks here; and, on another part of the hill, a monastery of Basilians, where the Greeks have an altar, and perform their service on the festival of the Transfiguration. On the side of the hill, they show a church in a grot, where they say Christ charged his disciples not to tell what things they had seen till he was glorified.'

ROUTE TO NABLOUS AND TIBERIAS.

For some hours after leaving Jerusalem, the route to the north lies over a rugged and mountainous country, which, though susceptible of cultivation by being terraced, now presents an aspect of frightful nakedness and sterility. The road, if it may be called such, is rough and stony; and no object of interest occurs before the traveller arrives at Beer, which is three hours and a half (about ten miles) from Jerusalem. The name of the place is derived from its well, which Beer signifies. It seems, Dr. Richardson says, to have been once a place of considerable consequence; and Maundrell supposed it to be the Beer referred to, Judges ix. 21, to which Jotham fled from the revenge of Abimelech. 'It is supposed also,' he adds, 'to be the same with Michmash, 1 Sam. xiv. 5.’ But Reland, on the authority of Eusebius, places Michmas near Jerusalem, in the direction of Rama. Close to the well, which is at the bottom of the declivity on which stands the village, are the mouldering walls of a ruined khan; and on the summit of the hill, two large arches still remain of a ruined convent-Maundrell calls it an old church, and says it was built by the empress Helena, in commemoration of the Virgin's coming as far as this spot in quest of the child Jesus, as related Luke x. 24! A little beyond Beer two roads meet that on the right conducts to Nablous. After two hours' travelling along the same rocky path,' says Dr. Richardson, we passed the village of Einbroot, which is finely situated on our left, on the top of a hill. The adjoining valley is well cultivated, and the sides of the hills are raised in terraces, and planted with the olive, the vine, and the fig-tree. On approaching Einbroot, the guide of the caravan called out for us to march in close order. Here it was reported that we were in danger of being attacked by banditti, and that the muskets were seen pointed at us over the stones; but upon the guide, who rode considerably in advance,

informing them who the party were whom they meant to attack, that they travelled under the protection of a firman from the Porte and the pasha of Acre, and, what was, perhaps, as powerful a dissuasive, that we were armed, and could fight as well as they could, they withdrew their weapons of offence, and remained quiet. A little further on we passed two villages on our left, the names of which I did not learn. The road lay partly through a rocky dell, and partly through a narrow cultivated valley; but the general aspect of the country was particularly wild and barren. The next village that we passed was called Engeeb, also on the top of a hill on the left, and the adjoining ground was well cultivated in the same manner. After this, we passed a fine looking picturesque hill, every way susceptible of cultivation, at the foot of which we entered the small valley of Khan Leban, where we found the ruins of an old khan, with many mouldering vaults, and a plentiful spring of clear water, much infested with small worms. It derives its name from a village called Leban, at the other end of the valley. It is eight hours from Jerusalem. Here we pitched our tents for the night, the place being agreeable and convenient, with plenty of grass for the animals.

Maundrell describes this spot as 'a delicious vale,' and says, that either Khan Leban, which is on the eastern side, or the village which is on the opposite side, is supposed to be the site of the ancient Lelonah. He notices also a village called Cinga, lying at some distance on the traveller's left, about three quarters of an hour south of Khan Leban; and, between this and Engeeb, he describes a very narrow valley between two high rocky hills, where he found the ruins of a village and a 'monastery, supposed to mark the site of the ancient Bethel, which was on the confines of Ephraim and Benjamin. The monastery is almost sufficient to awake the suspicion that this was not Bethel: possibly, the Arabs, who are the best authorities, could decide the point, as they have almost uniformly preserved the ancient names. But neither the empress Helena nor the monks ever thought of consulting them.

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Having passed the village of Leban,' continues Dr. Richardson, 'the road, winding with the valley, proceeds in a northern direction. Here the ground is rich and well cultivated, and several ploughs were busily engaged. We next passed the village of Zanio, and travelling for a considerable time over a mountainous and barren track, descended into a fertile valley, where we found the reapers cutting down an excellent crop of barley. Here are three comfortable looking villages near each other; the first is named Cousa, the second Anabous, and the third Couara. We are now about two hours and a half from Nablous. The ground in this valley is remarkably stony, but well cultivated. Having ascended the hill, we passed on our right the tomb of the patriarch Joseph, situated in the plain below. It is now a Turkish oratory with a whitened dome, like the tomb of his mother Rachael on the

Toad between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. At a little distance, in the same plain, and nearer to the mountain, probably Gerizim, we saw another building resembling the tomb of an Arab sheikh, and said to be Jacob's Well. At the top of the hill we opened a fine olive grove, with a stream of water in front of it. Here being anxious to have a view of Jacob's Well, we proceeded across the field in that direction, but had not advanced far before we were assailed by prohibitory calls from a small fort on the side of the hill; to which, however, as we did not understand them, we, at first, paid no attention; but the calls were speedily followed by the discharge of a musket fired across our front. This arrested our progress, and drew our attention to the place from which it came. Upon this the calls were redoubled, and our guide coming up informed us, that we were addressed by the guard who was placed there to keep the pass, and that we could not proceed to Jacob's Well. We had previously been informed that the Arabs around Nablous were in arms against the governor; but this is the only specimen of Turkish vigilance that occurred to us on the road. We saw no symptoms of rebellion among the Arabs.'

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Here again the question presents itself, Is this the well of the patriarch whose name it now bears? Who gave it this name, the natives or the Christians? Dr. Clarke, who can be sometimes incredulous, but at other times very confiding, says, that 'this is allowed by all writers' to be the spot referred to, John iv. 6, where our Saviour had the memorable conference with the Samaritan woman. The concurrence of 'all writers' cannot throw the least light on, the fact; as one after another has but repeated the legend handed down from the days of that 'great and devout patroness of the Holy Land,' as honest Maundrell slyly calls the empress Helena, who is said to have built a church over the well of which a few foundations' were then remaining. This faithful traveller, however, notices as a difficulty, the distance at which this well is situated from the modern city. If it should be questioned,' he says, whether this be the very well that it is pretended for, or no, seeing it may be suspected to stand too remote from Sychar for women to come so far to draw water, it is answered, that probably the city extended further this way in former times than it does now, as may be conjectured from some pieces of a very thick wall still to be seen not far from hence. These pieces of wall are but a sorry voucher for the suppposed extension of the city eastward, so far beyond the present walls; and they are quite as likely to be the work of the said empress. The simple circumstance of the distance of this well from Sychar (above a mile), would not, however, disprove its identity, were there no springs nearer the town, or were there no other reason for hesitation. But Mr. Buckingham states, that, on inquiring of the inhabitants for the Bir (or Beer) el Yakoab, he was told by every body that this was in the town. As this information did not correspond to the 'described place of the well,' it led to further explanation; and, at length by telling the story attached to it, we found,' he says, 'it was known here only by

the name of Beer Samareea, or the Well of Samaria.' It is not a little singular, that this traveller should not, so far as appears, have visited what now bears the name of Jacob's Well. That name may have been arbitrarily or ignorantly given to it by the Turks ; otherwise, it would be highly deserving of attention. It is plain, from the narrative of St. John, that Jacob's Well, where our Lord rested while the disciples went forward into the city to by meat, was at some short distance from Sychar; and consequently, the Beer el Yakoab, if absolutely within the town, can hardly be entitled to the appellation. Mr. Buckingham notices, however, a third well, not far from the Well of Samaria,' called the Beer Yusef, or Joseph's Well, over which there is a modern building; and it is said to be even at this day frequented for water from Nablous.' The well of Samaria might, therefore, he remarks, also have been so from Sychar. But if this third well derives its name from the patriarch Joseph, to whom Jacob gave the parcel of ground containing the place of sepulchre 'before the city,' it is very possible that this Beer Yousef may be the well on which our Lord sat: it would be correctly referred to as Jacob's Well by the evangelist, although it bore the name of his son. It must be left to future travellers to decide on the probabilities of the case. In the mean time, we return to the account given us of the 'Well of Samaria.' Having procured a Christian boy for a guide, Mr. Buckingham left Nablous by the eastern gate, and after passing along the valley for about a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the spot where the pass opens into a more extensive vale, the mountains on the other side of the Jordan being in sight on the left. Here he had on each side grottoes and tombs, which we shall presently notice; and from hence, in another quarter of an hour, he reached the Well of Samaria. 'It stands,' he says, 'at the commencement of the round vale which is thought to be the parcel of ground bought by Jacob, and which, like the narrow valley west of Nablous, is rich and fertile. The mouth of the well itself had an arched or vaulted building over it; and the only passage down to it at this moment is by a small hole in the roof, scarcely large enough for a moderate-sized person to work himself through.' Taking off his large Turkish clothes, our traveller descended with a lighted taper, but even then did not get down without bruising himself against the sides. Nor was I,' he says, ‘at all rewarded for such an inconvenience by the sight below. Landing on a heap of dirt and rubbish, we saw a large, flat, oblong stone, which lay almost on its edge across the mouth of the well, and left barely space enough to see that there was an opening below. We could not ascertain its diameter, but, by the time of a stone's descent, it was evident that it was of considerable depth, as well as that it was perfectly dry at this season (Feb.), the fall of the stone giving forth a dead and hard sound. ' Maundrell removed the 'broad flat stone' which lay on the mouth, and examined the well more minutely. It is,' he says, 'dug in a firm rock, and contains about three yards in diameter and thirtyfive in depth; five of which we found full of water. This was the

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