picturesque costumes. They stared at our long cavalcade in silence, six Christian Franks, (two of our party had left us, on a visit to Tyre and Sidon,) with their servants and retinue, had never been seen riding through a bazaar before on horseback, and the absence of all tumult and insulting expressions shews what a wonderful change has of late been effected in the opinions and fanaticism of the people. Ten years ago, a Christian dared not make his appearance within the gates in a Frank habit, and every inquiring European, who wished to visit the town, was obliged to put on the dress of a Syrian Christian merchant or Bedouin Arab, and slip in as a native of the place. In the garb of the despised Christian race, he dared not formerly mount a horse, but was obliged to content himself with the humble jackass, and even to think himself fortunate if he was not compelled by insults to dismount, and lead his donkey by the bridle, when passing through the bazaars, while a haughty Mussulman, curvetting along on his Arab steed, preceded by black slaves armed with white sticks, would drive him with blows and insults from the centre of the road. If, too, the stranger investing himself in the habiliments peculiarly appropriated to the Moslems was VOL. II. H discovered to be a presumptuous Christian, he would perhaps be fortunate to have escaped without suffering gross insult and severe injury, and without being stripped and kicked out of the town in a most ungentle manner. Here and there a scowling look, or a smothered cry of Yaoor, or "Infidel," after we had passed, were all the tokens of discontent we perceived. The late residence of a British consul-general at Damascus, who speaks Arabic fluently, has won the respect of the principal people of the place, is the known friend of Ibrahim Pasha, and well maintains the dignity of his country among these fanatics, has in a great measure effected this change in the sentiments and bearing of the inhabitants towards Christian strangers, assisted of course by the efficient protection of Ibrahim Pasha, whose will is law in Syria. We were struck and astounded, on our immediate entrance into the city, by the vast number of blind and disfigured people, who presented quite a ghastly sight. Every third or fourth person that we met was blind of an eye, and sometimes of both, caused we were told by the ophthalmia, which prevails here dreadfully, and in all places in Syria surrounded by land extensively irrigated. The quantity and profusion of fruit, the piles of FRUITS.-CONVENT. 99 enormous water melons, pumpkins, radishes, pomegranates, and grapes heaped up on either side, presented a most striking appearance as we passed along. Threading our way through some narrow streets, we arrived at the Francescan convent, the courts of which were filled with enormous heaps of fine black grapes, which were being unladen from a string of camels before the door. The holy fathers seemed busily preparing a fine supply of wine for the ensuing year. CHAPTER IV. DAMASCUS. BATH. GREAT MOSQUE. PASTRY-COOKS. - COUNTRY VILLA. SALAHIEH.-CEMETERY.-DAMASCENE WOMEN.-FUNERAL. -SAUL OF TARSUS. -- ORIENTAL SCENES. σε "Εδει γὰρ οἶμαι τὴν Διὸς πολίν ἀληθῶς, καὶ τὴς Εῶας ἁπάσης ὀφθαλμον, τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ μέγιστὴν Δαμασκον λέγω, τοῖς τὲ ἄλλοῖς σύμε πασιν, όνον ίερων κάλλει, καὶ νέων μέγεθος, καὶ ὥρων εὐκαιρία καὶ πηγων ἀγλαία καὶ ποταμων πλήθει, καὶ γῆς εὐφορία νικῶσαν. "It deserved in truth, as I conceive, to be called the city of Jove, and the eye of all the East; I mean the great and sacred Damascus, surpassing in every respect both in the beauty of its temples, the magnitude of its shrines, the timeliness of its seasons, the limpidness of its fountains, the volume of its waters, and the richness of its soil." JULIAN, EPIST. xxiv. p. 392. OCT. 12th, eleven, A.M.-A jolly friar with a bunch of keys in his hands shewed us into a long room, with no other furniture in it but two or three old bedsteads, some very suspicious looking mattresses, and an old chair. We made a general clearance, had the room swept, our carpets spread on the floor, and our beds upon them, the musquitto nets suspended, and in half an hour the aspect of the old room was wonderfully changed for the better. The next and important object was to throw off our dirty clothes and go to the bath. Here the proper and delicious custom, so often mentioned in the Arabian Nights, universally prevails, of going to the bath before putting on clean clothes. Every individual makes up his little bundle of clean things, and sends them down to the bath by a slave before he presumes at any time to change his habiliments. After roughing it in the country, sleeping in your clothes, and in huts well stocked with fleas and vermin, it may be imagined the keen delight with which we packed up our linen and an entire change of dress, and forwarded it by our servant to the bathing establishment. Preceded by our little bundles, we were conducted to the principal bath of the city, called the Bath of Musk, to which we approached through a court ornamented with a fountain, which threw a stream of water twenty feet into the air, producing a sweet murmuring, and a pleasant coolness. We entered through a small door into a vast circular apartment, surmounted by a large |