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ever and ever.' At the end of each sentence the people responded, 'Blessed be he, and blessed be his name.' Rabbi. Rejoice, shout and be merry, thou barren. Thou wilt soon gather thy children about thee in joy. Blessed art thou, O Lord, thou that makest joyful Zion's children. Thou makest joyful with joy a lovely pair, as thou didst make joyful thy creature according to thy image in the garden of Eden of old. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who rejoicest bridegroom and bride! Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the world, who hast created rejoicing and joy, and also bridegroom and bride. The voice of love and affection, cordiality, peace and friendship, shall be speedily heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; the voice of rejoicing and the voice of joy; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; -the voice of shouting, and of wedding days, and of marriage, and of feasting days, and the voice of the music of the youth. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who makest joyful the bridegroom with the bride, and makest them prosper.'

"After this the bridegroom took the cup of wine and tasted it, and then gave to his spouse. Both of them continued standing during the whole service. Then the Rabbi said, 'Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth forever. Joys shall increase in Israel, and sorrows shall flee away, and it shall be for a good sign.' As the Jews present offered their congratulations to the bridegroom they said, 'A good sign.' The nuptial torch was then extinguished, but immediately lighted again, and the bride was reconducted to her chamber by the women with the sound of cymbals.

"While the Rabbies were performing the service some of the people attended to it with great devotion, but others were talking, laughing, and walking about the room. The Rabbies went through the

service in the hurried, indistinct manner, which seems to pervade all religious services in the East." On the 27th, Mr. Fisk, and his fellow travellers rode out to Shoobreh to see the summer palace and garden of the pasha, where he puts himself in quarantine, whenever the plague appears in the city. The garden is represented as beautiful, and the palace splendid. Near the palace they saw a camelleopard from Sennaar, and an elephant from Bombay. The former animal they describe as being about the size of a small horse though shorter, with neck and head like those of the deer, and a skin beautifully spotted, red and white. Its appearance was mild and gentle, its motions lively, gay, and proud.

"Near Shoobreh we met a crowd in the street composed principally of women and children following some soldiers, who were leading along a number of Arabs with their hands bound. The women were weeping, and shrieking, and crying, 'My liver! my liver!' We found, on inquiry, that the young men had been pressed as soldiers by order of government. The process is this. Government sends out men to the villages with orders to return with a certain number of soldiers. They go and seize the first promising young men they can find. One young man had fainted, and an old man was carrying him off, followed by women who rent the air with their cries. We had scarcely left this crowd before we met a man carrying a corpse on a mule, probably to bury it. It was merely wrapped up in a mat of reeds. The whole was a piteous and affecting scene.

"April 2. Made a visit to the Emeer Besheer at his retreat on the banks of the Nile, above old Cairo. He has with him a number of attendants and soldiers from Mount Lebanon, Druses and Maronites. He incurred, some time since, the displeasure of the Porte, and an order was sent for his

head. He, however, found a safe retreat with the pasha of Egypt, through whose mediation, and, if our information is correct, by means of a present of 100,000 dollars, he has obtained pardon, and a firman restoring him to his former authority. He received us very favorably. He knew something of America, and when we told him we were Americans, he gave us a salutation, and an expressive look, which flattered our national pride. When he learned that we intended going to Mount Lebanon, he said he should expect to see us there, named a place which he said would be the best for learning Arabic, and promised to give us a letter for that place. We were struck with the stout, robust appearance of the Druses and Maronites.

"3. Called on Osman Nureddin, the President of the pasha's college. We gave him some literary pamphlets, and Erskine on the Evidences of Christianity in French. He treated us very politely, but received Erskine's work with a look which showed that it was not very acceptable. Called likewise to-day on the Armenian bishop Gregory. He gave us a letter for Jerusalem."

Mr. Fisk in connexion with Messrs. King and Wolff was in Egypt about three months. During this time they distributed, or gave away for distribution 3,700 Tracts. They gave away 256 copies of the Bible or parts of it, and sold 644 for about 183 dollars.

"When we review our labors, 'he remarks,' we feel, that we have great need, to humble ourselves, and implore pardon for our unbelief, and timidity, and pride; at the same time we can most sincerely give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, that he has brought us to this land, and has enabled us to circulate so extensively his holy Word. They, who come after us, will be more able to judge how much good has been done. The day of judgment, we hope, will show that these labors have not been in vain.'

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CHAPTER X.

JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO JERUSALEM THROUGH THE DESERT, INCLUDING HIS LABORS AND OBSERVATIONS IN THE HOLY CITY AND VICINITY.

We now commence the description, given by Mr, Fisk, of his journey from Cairo to Jerusalem, in company with Mr. King and Mr. Wolff. He passed through the same desert in which the children of Israel wandered, where they murmured and rebelled, and where, after a long protracted "day of provocation," they fell.

"April 7, 1823. Soon after sun-rise an Arab shekh came with our camels. We had engaged thirteen and were to pay six dollars and a half for each, for the journey from Cairo to Jaffa. Four were for ourselves and servant, one for our guide Mustapha, one for water, one for provisions, four for our trunks of books and clothes, and two for the books of the Bible Society and the Jews' Society. We had purchased four goat skins and four leather bottles, in which to carry our water.

"We had hoped to find a caravan going through the desert, but finding it not likely that one would go for some weeks, we prepared to set out alone.

"At 9 o'clock we took leave of Mr. Salt and his family, and rode out of town; and after arranging our baggage, commenced our journey at ten in regular order for Syria. As we started, a Turkish dervish and two or three others joined our caravan. We passed a little way frem Matarieh, and the obelisk of On or Heliopolis. Till one o'clock we rode in the edge of the wilderness, with its immense extent stretching away to the right, and the fertile plains of the Nile to the left. At one our road led us into the fields, but still near the desert. At nearly 4 o'clock, after riding more than five hours, course.

E. N. E. we pitched our tent on the sandy plain near the village Abu-Sabel. Here a number of Mussulmans and several Armenians joined our caravan. They had been waiting at the village for a caravan to pass, with which they might go through the desert.

"In the evening we observed the Monthly Concert of Prayer.

"8. We arose at five, and at six resumed our journey. At eight, we passed a village in a large grove of palm-trees. At half past eleven, having rode on with our guide, and trotting our camels till we were almost out of sight of the caravan, we stopped to rest under the shade of a tree. Here we felt the force and saw the beauty of the comparison, 'like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.' The caravan came up in half an hour, and we went on. At one, after riding seven hours, course N: and N. E. we pitched our tent on the road near the village Bilbes. Found the thermometer in our tent at 859. In our room at Cairo it had been for some time from 70o tỏ 76o. We have hitherto had fertile fields on our left hand, and the barren desert on our right. In looking off upon the desert we have observed at a distance the appearance of water. The illusion is perfect, and did we not know that it is a mere illusion, we should confidently say that we saw water. It sometimes appears like a lake, and sometimes like a river. As you approach it, it recedes or vanishes. Thus are the hopes of this world, and the objects which men ardently pursue, false and illusive as the streams of the desert.

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"9. Bilbes being the last village before crossing the desert, our attendants were employed in getting things for themselves and their beasts, and we did not set off till half past nine. Several Turks, Arabs and Armenians here joined our caravan. After entering the desert, we counted the persons belonging to the caravan, and found the whole number 74, with 44 camels, 57 asses, one mule, and one horse. Sev

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