Mary Georgiana Emma Seymour Dawson Damer

“ Within ten years Bethlehem has been at war with Jerusalem; hostilities, jealousies, and hatred lasted six years, and impeded all communications to such a degree that travellers were compelled to be protected by the Arabs of one town during their progress to the other, and were thus handed on in their journey through hostile bands. “The abomination of desolation” is depicted at every step. ”

“ Our gloomy apartment led to a tiny garden, full of lemon-trees in full bearing; the air was quite perfumed by the cedrate, and Minney and the Doctor went through the German lesson without hat or cloak, out of doors, in the middle of December.
George rode off to Jaffa, and we found a very pretty walk through an avenue of ficus indicus, which brought us to a grassy hillock, where we took up our quarters, and sent for our work and books; a good many of the female inhabitants of Ramla had made the same choice, and appeared to have sufficient 50
occupation in watching our movements. ”

“ It is only by repeatedly visiting the immediate country about Jerusalem that one becomes aware of the magnificent scale of its hills and valleys: however desolate, arid, and uncultivated, there is an air of majesty about them to which no description can do justice. ”

“ Our way home lay through the Via Dolorosa, and the alternate changes of the weather from rain to sunshine gave a very picturesque effect of shadow to the old vaulted passages and flights of steps in which Jerusalem abounds; the streets are dirty, dull, and ill-paved. Sometimes the archways would furnish beautiful studies for an artist. ”

“ Have we not the Divine example in more than one instance, of the sick being cured, the lepers cleansed, and the hungry fed, before religious instruction was imparted? I feel convinced that greater charity could not be exercised at Jerusalem than by the appointment of medical attendance; the selection should fall on some one whose zeal would induce him to bear the sacrifice of settling in such a country. ”

“ One cannot help wishing to suggest that some of the funds subscribed for the Jewish Society, should be applied to establishing a physician, and a regular supply of medical assistance. Might it not be feasible, under proper and judicious management, to afford the poor of Jerusalem, on the plan practised in England, some relief by soup tickets, or rather bread tickets, in a country where the 30
grain is abundant, and the climate allows such food to be of sufficient nourishment to its inhabitants, many of whom I have actually seen during our rides eat grass and clover? ”

“ We called on Mr. Young to look at a Tartahuan or Sad-hakief, a sort of double palanquin, or cages, to be placed on each side of a camel, for our approaching journey. I am already compassionating the poor animal that is to have Minney and myself inclosed in these wooden residences.
We then proceeded with Mr. Y. and his intelligent old Jewish dragoman, Joseph, to visit David's tomb, situated near the gate of the same name, and inclosed by a mosque. ”

“ The doctor's remedies have already proved efficacious for the superior, as, after six days and nights insomnie, the poor sufferer has had an hour's sleep, to-morrow being the seventh day, and the crisis, we have determined to remain at Ramla, and we shall be rewarded by George riding over to Jaffa, to gain all possible intelligence with regard to our missing letters and future movements.
Our social monk is the perfect representation of a lazy friar, whose only occupation is teaching Flora, a young hound, her exercise. ”

“ There was a wild, ferocious expression of countenance prevailing among these Arabs, that we had never before been so much struck by; the very whiteness of their teeth and shape of their mouths gave them a false and savage appearance. One would 3
most unwillingly have met them in a less frequented path.
We left Bethlehem on our left, for the purpose of visiting the Pools of Solomon, and passed a fountain which our attendants pointed out as the spot where the shepherds first heard “the tidings of great joy.” ”

“ As fast as one rebellion is quelled here, another springs up; and the soldiers are so little to be relied on that the governor's son, though willing to give us an escort to conduct us beyond Mount Hebron, strongly advised our making the détour of Ramla and Gaza, where the country is (for Syria) in a secure state. ”

“ We of womankind are entirely separated from the rest of the convent, and not even allowed to cross the court. I suppose we ought to be flattered at being considered so dangerous; a fat, merry old Spaniard, however, trusts himself with us in an unflattering manner, very anxious to restore our 48
energies with Rosoglio, particularly those of La poveretta stracciata, as Minney is described with her scratched face. ”

“ On leaving these wells or pools for Bethlehem, the aqueduct runs along the path you ride on, and here and there the ruins of villages are perceived, and a few green patches, produced by the water escaping 5
from the reservoir and acting refreshingly upon the thirsty land. Bethlehem looks as you approach it on this side much more like a fortress than a convent. It is surrounded by a good deal of cultivation, and much remains of the planted terraces of olives and vineyards ”

“ We do not cease being grateful that we took the resolution of bringing him with us, so great a comfort and relief has he proved in this wretched place, where, in a population of fifteen thousand, there has only been one medical attendant, a German convert, whom we found at the point of death, without any assistant to compound or to dispense the scanty stock of medicine he possessed. ”

“ Although at only thirty miles from the sea-coast, fish is never brought to Jerusalem, and consequently indifferent poultry and mutton are the only food for European consumption, eggs being scarce, and butter nil. No pudding or pastry of any kind is to be thought of, and one is quite surprised how soon one becomes reconciled to so limited a bill of fare. ”

“ The approach to Ramla, from Jerusalem, is much more favourable to its appearance than from Jaffa; the mixture of olive, cactus, pomegranate, and fig-trees, occasionally dotted by palm trees, had such a pretty effect among ruined mosques, illuminated by the setting sun. All nature seemed 47
refreshed by the late rain, and the brightness of the vegetation formed a striking contrast to the aridity of the country about Jerusalem, which, at this season, is without a blade of grass, and the soil is as closely overlaid with flints as the environs of Brighton ”

“ IT has been very generally believed among the Jews, that when God gave to Moses the written law, He gave him also another, not written; and that this was preserved by tradition among the doctors of the synagogue, until rabbi Judah, surnamed the Holy, collected these traditions together, and (150 B. C.) reduced them to writing. The collection thus formed received the name of Mishna, or Second Law. After a while, commentaries were written on the Mishna, and amongst these, that of rabbi 290
Johanas, composed about 230 A. D., and bearing the name of Gemara, or Completion, was the most celebrated. ”

“ No meat of any kind but mutton and goat's flesh, can be had; beef seems to be unknown, and vegetables so scarce that a cauliflower made quite an epoch in our kitchen, and for potatoes we substituted rice, which is the grand and indeed chief sustenance of the people. ”

“ We actually left Jerusalem at half-past two; our last view of Mount Olivet was from the leads of the convent, and we left our artist to take the view of that unpicturesque but most interesting spot, the Garden of Gethsemane. Mr. and Mrs. Young accompanied us on our road as far as the village, or rather to the site of the ancient Emmaus. ”

“ CHAPTER XIV. Effects of a double rainbow—Security from lightning in a steam-boat — Unfavourable weather — Fearful storm— Its effect on the passengers—Alarm—Weather improves —A general thanksgiving—Arrival at Malta—In quarantine 242
APPENDIX I. Thoughts on the Question of the East 257
APPENDIX II. The Talmud 289
APPENDIX III. Coming of the Messiah 291
APPENDIX IV. Return of the Jews to the Holy Land 295
This work was published before January 1, 1928, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”

“ Dummy constituted himself my chevalier, pointing out the resort of wild boar and gazelle in the most ingenious manner, assuming by turns the allure of these animals, and making his ungainly person almost graceful in personating the latter animal. ”

“ About a hundred yards further, a cavern in a rock presented itself, which answered much more to our preconceived ideas, as 23
one large stone might have closed it, and “have been rolled away,” and a space surrounds it, where “the much people who followed” might have stood spectators to the miracle. Our convent guide advised our going a little further, to shew us the stone upon which our Saviour was said to have been sitting when Mary conveyed to him the news of her brother's death. ”

“ Our deaf and dumb guide—The country about Jerusalem —Ramla—Arrival at the Latin convent— Illness of the superior—A sociable monk—Delightful garden—Esdoud—One of Mehemet Ali's messengers—Uncomfortable quarters, and troublesome visitors—Dummy's good qualities—Splendid appearance of the sky—Our lodgings at Gaza— The inspector of quarantine, and his adventures. ”

“ John; which I imagined must be the Wilderness, till reminded that it was beyond Jordan. It is by tradition the birth-place of St. John the Baptist; but this is not corroborated by the mention or remains of any considerable town in that always desert tract of country; and as all the great dignitaries of the Jewish 6
church were at that period priests of a city, Zachariah must have dwelt in one, and that of Hebron is the locality that more distinctly points itself out; and there a tree is shewn as that under which Abraham leant when he entertained the strangers (angels.) ”

“ We were disturbed from our sleep by a regular cannonade, and my first idea was, that Jerusalem was in a state of siege; but it turned out the very common-place event of some guns firing on the ushering in of the Beiram, and the rejoicing attending the termination of the Rhamazan. I partook of it, as it is quite distressing to have one's horse led by attenuated Arabs, and feel that all they are watching is the setting sun, at the very 27
moment we wish the light prolonged, so as not to be shut out of the gates.
We had been trying to engage an Arab, much recommended by Sir A. Bernard, whom Mr. ”

“ A good deal of ploughing was going forward, and in 58
one instance a camel was engaged, that looked quite out of character, in agricultural pursuit: the labour of turning the camel every two minutes must have been much greater than the mere manual labour of turning up the ground where the rich yet light soil offers such facility. ”

“ Arabs, Bedouins, armed to the teeth, and admirably mounted, are frequently met, and in the governor's yard we saw more than a hundred wild-looking men, who, we were told, served as a sort of irregular cavalry to the Pacha. ”

“ CHAPTER VII. Journey to Suez—The British hotel—Mahomedan pilgrims —Egyptian plagues—An Arab marriage—The Consular agent — English news—The town of Suez—Hadjis— Tedious journey—Deep excavation—Hyenas 120
CHAPTER VIII. Journey to Cairo continued—English inn in the Desert— Divine worship—Pilgrims in want of water—Donkey chairs—First view of Cairo—Impressions on entering the city—Singular petrifactions—Mr. ”

“ Young, that the stones composing the walls of the town in this direction have all the character of Roman construction, and a complete absence of the larger blocks that distinguished the Jewish substructures in other directions of the 36
walls, so that it encourages one to believe the original walls were within those of this quarter, and would at once establish the fact of Mount Calvary being outside the city at our Saviour's crucifixion. That the site of Pilate's house is correctly fixed, there appears no doubt; at present it is occupied by a Turkish barrack. ”

“ They are to be seen kneeling on the original stone, with tears of penitence rolling down their cheeks, and in the posture of humiliation, and deprecating in scriptural language the wrath of the Almighty, and praying for their restoration, and a renewal of his mercies. ”

“ The doctor says he has seen two people who have recovered from the plague; one an old man who is left paralytic, another a youth who is left dumb. He supposes that the virus of the disease entered the system, and thus left behind the proofs of its venom. ”

“ The attention to their physical sufferings might lead to higher results, and put our missionaries, and those desirous of conveying religious instruction, in more direct and intimate communication with Jew and Gentile. ”

“ N. described as one of their few converts, and one whom they had prevailed upon to exercise himself in the shoe-making trade, as extreme and hopeless idleness was the great evil they had to contend against. ”