days, we shall be permitted to enter the HOLY CITY. I think of this prospect and of my present situation with mingled emotions of hope and fear, of joyful anticipation and painful foreboding. I go bound in the spirit, not knowing what may befal me. The feelings of the Turks are excited to a high degree of fanaticism by the present state of their political affairs, and the Arab tribes in the different parts of Syria are at war with each other. Foreigners are to a considerable degree respected, and we hope we shall be permitted to pass in safety. The Lord knoweth what is best. All our plans and designs are subject to his control. His will be done.

"The Ladies Society I hope will lose no time in getting their missionary into the Mediterranean. If they find the right sort of man, who is content 'to remain even as I,' it will be less expensive, and on some accounts better; but there would be many advantages in his having a help-meet, provided in addition to the other necessary qualifications, she be willing to spare her husband half the time to travel, while she remains with the mission family at Malta, or some other place. I assure you this vagabond sort of life is sometimes very tedious."

"21. In the forenoon as we left Gaza, we crossed a bridge over the bed of a small river, now dry; and then passed through groves of olives, and fields of grass, wheat, barley and tobacco. The plains. were agreeably diversified with gentle elevations and small valleys. Five hours and a half from Gaza, we saw on our left the village Mijdal, near the ruins of the ancient Askelon, which is now uninhabited. Such at least is the information given us by the Arabs. After riding eight hours and a half, we pitched our tent near the village Esdood, which, from its situation, and from the similarity of the name, we presume to be the ancient Ashdod. It consists of 100 or 150 of what the people call houses;-miserable cabins and holes, built of stone, covered with

branches of trees, and roots, and these again with earth, so that vegetation appears every where on the tops of them. The place is inhabited wholly by Mussulmans.

"22. In three hours and a half after leaving Esdood, we passed Yibua, a village something smaller than Esdood. In riding through this ancient country of the Philistines, we have seen, at a distance to the east, a range of high mountains. On the west, a range of small sand hills ran along between us and the sea. The country around us was green and beautiful, and the soil of a good color, which might, no doubt, be made very productive by proper cultivation. At present the grass, and crops of wheat and barley are of but a small growth. We saw few villages, and those few are small. There are no scattered houses. The population appears not to be great.

"In ten hours and a half after leaving Esdood we arrived at Jaffa, and were received by Mr. Damiani, the English consul, to his house, which stands near where it is supposed Simon the tanner lived, when he lodged the Apostle Peter.

"24. Left on mules, and after riding four hours arrived at Ramla, the Arimathea of the Scriptures, and lodged in a convent.

"25. At half past five we set out for Jerusalem, comforted with the hope, that this was the last day of our journey. In about two hours, we saw a Bedouin horseman sitting on the ground, a little before us, with his horse feeding by his side. As we advanced he rose, and boldly put himself in front of us all. The Christians, who were with us, and who rode forward, stopped and turned from him, as if he had been a lion. As soon as Mr. Damiani told him who we were, he let us pass quietly, but tried hard to get something from the rest of the company. He got nothing, however, except a trifle which the mule drivers gave him, in order to be on good terms with him

hereafter. At eight, we crossed a hill, and then entered a valley, which we were half an hour in passing. Soon after this we came among the mountains. Here we saw at a distance a camp of Bedouins. As soon as they saw us, one of their horse-men rode on swiftly, as if to intercept our path. He came into the road before us, halted, looked at us, and then rode off. Had we been rayahs (i. e. Christian subjects of the Grand Signor,) he would not probably have left us without money.

"For some time our road lay along the bed of a brook, in a deep ravine, with mountains of rock rising up like pyramids on each side of us. By degrees the ascent became more steep, till we reached the height of these ragged mountains, where we had a good view of the plains between us and Jaffa. It was often with difficulty that our beasts could walk, on account of the badness of the road, and the steepness of the mountains. These mountains are covered with small shrubs, suitable for goats, of which we saw several large flocks. There are no forests, but in the vallies and on the sides of the hills are many olives and fig trees. At a place called Sareen, two or three fierce, armed Bedouins appeared, and began to demand tribute. We rode on very carelessLy, bid them good morning, and inquired after their health. They began to talk loudly, and ordered us to stop, but we rode on, and they did not attempt to stop us by force. When the native Christians and Jews pass such places, they have no way to get along, but to satisfy the rapacity of these plunderers.

"Passing what is called the village of Jeremiah, near which we stopped to take refreshments, we pursued our journey over a road impassable for camels, and very difficult for mules and asses. After crossing a high mountain, we passed through a deep valley, where is a small village called Kaloona. The mountains here are of a peculiar formation. They seem almost as if built by the hand of man, and rise gradually,

like a staircase or pyramid. Each step, however, is so fastened into the 'everlasting hills,' as to show you that it was placed there by the hand of Him, who existed before the mountains were brought forth.' On these steps, which are sometimes three or four rods wide, and sometimes only a few feet, you see soil which produces shrubs, and when cultivated, vines, figs, and olives. The country continued the same till we were within half an hour of Jerusalem, when all at once Mount Olivet and the Holy City opened to our view. Thus it often is with the last hours of the Christian. He is obliged to pass over a rough and wearisome way, where he is continually exposed to the attacks of enemies, till near the close of life,-till his feet are about to stand within the gates of the New Jerusalem, and then he is favored with some bright visions of the place he is soon to enter.

"As we drew near the city, we remembered how our dear brother Parsons, when wars and rumors of wars obliged him to leave the place, turned back his eyes, as he ascended the hill west of Jerusalem, and wept, and said, 'If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again and show me both it, and his habitation." Alas for us! these words were fulfilled in a much higher sense, than he then anticipated. We cannot for a moment doubt, that he did find favor in the eyes of the Lord; and though he was not permitted to return to the earthly Jerusalem, yet his divine Saviour has given him an infinitely higher felicity, even that of seeing and enjoying the bliss of that Eternal City, in which the divine glory dwells.

"With feelings not easily described, about four o'clock, we entered JERUSALEM. The scenes and events of 4,000 years rushed upon our minds; events, in which Heaven, and Earth, and Hell, have felt the deepest interest. This was the place, selected by the Almighty for his dwelling, and here his glory was

rendered visible. This was the 'perfection of beauty,' and the 'glory of all lands.' Here David sat and tuned his harp, and sang the praises of Jehovah. Hither the tribes came up to worship. Here enraptured prophets saw bright visions of the world above, and received messages from on high for guilty man. Here our Lord and Saviour came in the form of a servant, and groaned, and wept, and poured out his soul unto death, to redeem us from sin, and save us from hell. Here too, the wrath of an incensed God has been poured out upon his chosen people, and has laid waste his heritage."

After a laborious, perilous journey of eighteen days through the "great and terrible wilderness," Mr. Fisk arrived safely at the Holy City, where he hoped to be permanently established, and to be devoted to the service of his Master, in rekindling the flame of primitive piety on the crumbling altars of a long corrupted Christianity.

Among the first communications from this place forwarded by him is the following description of Jerusalem.

"JERUSALEM appears, in a general view, to be situated on the side of a mountain, descending toward the east, where it is divided from Mount Olivet by the valley of Cedron. The summit of the mountain is considerably higher than the city, so that in coming from Jaffa you arrive near Jerusalem before you see it.

"On a nearer view of the city, you perceive that it is built on several hills; viz. Zion at the south-west part, Calvary at the north-west, Moriah at the southeast, and Bezetha at the north-east. According to the ancient descriptions of the city, it included another hill called Acra. This hill it is not now easy to distinguish; at least, we see nothing which corresponds entirely to the description of it given by Josephus. There is a hill between Zion and Moriah, which corresponds well to the east part of Acra, Jo