OPINIONS

TION OF THAT TRIBE. HINTS TO MISSIONARIES. ENTERTAINED BY THE DRUSES CONCERNING THE SOUL AFTER DEATH. THE CALF AN OBJECT OF IDOLATROUS WORSHIP - PRINCE OF THE MOUNTAINS. DE

IN THEIR TEMPLES.
SCRIPTION OF BAYREUTH.

SUL.CONVENT.- COMPLAINT OF THE MONKS AT RECEIVING NO PECUNIARY ASSISTANCE FROM FRANCE.- TOMBS.- FIELD OF ST. GEORGE. REFLECTIONS ON FINALLY LEAVING THE HOLY LAND.

HAVING

AVING rewarded the villager for lodging me, I set out on the 5th of April amidst a crowd of gazing Arabs, who watched every movement. I soon had to ascend, by a rocky and romantic defile, mountains of great altitude, which were covered with snow approaching to a state of dissolution. The thunder was loud, and echoing cliffs replied; the storm and tempest fulfilling His word and extolling His mighty name. Benumbed with cold I arrived at a deplorable khan on the summit of a mountain, where I halted for the night, and slept on the ground in the very worst of all the dens I had seen; in truth, such as an Englishman would have appropriated exclusively to swine.

Next morning I departed by sun-rise, and after travelling some time along an elevation, experienced a transition that was truly great. The wild tract I had passed was now changed into the most delightful scenery, and a

rainbow, which stretched from this summit to the sea, was altogether indescribable for its grandeur and beauty.

How glorious is thy girdle cast

On mountain, tow'r, and town,
Or mirror'd in the ocean vast,
A thousand fathoms down:
As fresh in yon horizon dark,

As young thy beauties seem,
As when the eagle from the ark
First sported in thy beam.
For, faithful to its sacred page,
Heav'n still rebuilds its span,
Nor lets the type grow pale with age
That first spoke peace to man.

A boundless view burst upon me of the country beneath, with the mighty ocean, and Bayreuth, which appeared situated close to the shore. I then descended, and after riding along a very steep and broken road, but passing through some beautiful gardens and vineyards at the foot of the hills, I reached the plain. Here the mulberry tree*, which formerly abounded in the Holy Land, is much cultivated. The worm to which this tree + affords sustenance is composed of several moveable rings, well furnished with feet and claws to rest and fix itself where it pleases. It has two rows of teeth, which do not move up and down, but from right to left, in order to cut the leaves. Along the whole length of its back there may be seen through its skin a vessel alternately swelling and falling, which performs the functions of the heart. It has nine orifices on

* The Society for the Encouragement of National Industry, Paris, presented a gold medal to M. Grimaud for having manufactured beautiful paper from the bark of the mulberry tree. Although this tree has been considered to be the only one fit for silk worms, yet a specimen of silk has lately been exhibited from worms reared in France, and fed on the leaves of Scorzonera Hispania, a common plant there under the name of Salsifis, which cattle eat; and it improves the silk.

† 1 Chron. xiv. 14, 15. 2 Sam. v. 25, 26.

each side, that correspond to as many lungs. Under the mouth is a kind of reel with two holes in it, through each of which it emits two drops of the gum, with which its bag is filled. These are curious enough, like distaffs continually supplying the materials in spinning the thread. A silkworm's bag holds a thread nearly five hundred ells in length, and as this is formed of two plats, the bag must contain one thousand ells of silk, though the whole when full does not weigh more than two grains and a half. Thus is found a worm we hardly deign to look at, which becomes, through a wise Being, an object of trade and a source of riches; and it teaches man to look up to that God who created the very meanest of all things, and exclaim, how marvellous are all thy works! In the southern parts of France, where they are raised, these insects are attacked by a disease called jaundice, in consequence of the colour acquired by them.

These trees, together with those of the olive, cypress, and Scotch fir, with the numerous orchards which are near the town, were extremely refreshing to the eye, after the cold and barren regions over which I had travelled. When I arrived I proceeded to the convent of St. Louis, and on being specially interrogated by a monk with a jealous eye, who held the door in his hand, and only showed the half of his face, as to the country I came from, my object in travelling, and other questions, I informed him that I was an Englishman, on which he threw open the door. I entered, and was shown into a small room.

Bayreuth, which stands on a gentle rising ground or a promontory close by the sea-shore, was originally called Berytus, and its modern name is Beirout. It is inclosed with walls and has a small port, and is supplied with fresh water by several rivulets that fall from the neighbouring hills. It was taken from the Saracens by Baldwin the First in 1111, and retaken in 1187. Ten years afterwards

the Christians captured it, and it was frequently ravaged during the crusades. At this period it was a large fortified town, and a depôt for the costly merchandise of Damascus. It was also distinguished by an institution for the study of jurisprudence, and had the honour of calling into public life some of the most distinguished civilians; whence it was named the mother and nurse of the laws. It fell into the hands of the Druses, from whom it was captured by the Turks, who still retain possession of it. The country is said at one time to have been one hundred leagues in extent, and divided into seven districts.

It may now be proper to advert particularly to the Druses, a most extraordinary class among the families of mankind. First, they may be described as a warlike and independent tribe. In the sixteenth century they attracted the attention of Europe, in consequence of a visit which one of their princes paid to Italy. According to the opinion of some, they are the descendants of Christians who had been engaged in the crusades for recovery of the Holy Land; while others hold their origin to be from Mohammed Ben Ismael, surnamed the Dorzes. At one period their power was great, and they frequently attacked the neighbouring country. In 1588 the sultan Amurath, finding that his pacha could not repress their outrages, completely subdued them, and allowed them only one chief instead of a host of shieks. In the seventeenth century their power was at its summit, and when emir Faccardine, who was the fourth prince of this tribe, was their ruler, his dominions were not only in the hills, but extended from this town to Acre, where he had a magnificent palace, the ruins of which are still to be seen. Jealous of his rising authority, the grand seignior drove him back to the mountains, where his posterity to this day retain their principality, and their city is Deir-el-Kamaar. The Turks, jealous of his power, resolved to overwhelm him,

but he declined the attack. He was afterwards, however, seized by them, and put to death at Constantinople in 1631. There are no troops under this Government, but when war breaks out every person is called upon to march against the enemy. Hospitality to strangers forms a very striking trait in their character. At one time the Druses were so formidable to the Ottoman Porte, that they seized upon and committed most terrible ravages in Damascus.

When at Cairo, I received a letter of introduction from father Raphael, a most intelligent monk, to Apsire Keysar, the present prince of the mountains, as he is called, whose residence is about twenty miles distant from the town. I transmitted it to him, expressing regret that circumstances prevented me from visiting him. Report was favourable to his character; and he had shown partiality to the English as a nation. The Druses are calculated at about one hundred thousand, and their language is pure Arabic; they keep close together about Mount Lebanon, in all probability after the manner of the Jews, who considered it as an unlawful thing to associate or come unto one of another nation. No Mahomedan is permitted to reside in their district. Bayreuth is frequented by them for the supply of those articles they have occasion to use; and I saw several walking about the streets. In the dress of females many are distinguished with a large tantoura, or horn, placed in an upright position on their forehead, with a scarf or shawl thrown over it to veil their faces; which affords a striking commentary on passages of the inspired volume. This we find was symbolical of power, and it is supposed to have been taken from the Hebrews; and allusions have been made to it as an emblem of strength.* All accounts agree

* Psalm lxxv. 4, 5. Exod. xxi. 29. Psalm xviii. 2. lxxv. 10. cxlviii. 14. Dan. vii. 24. viii. 20. Micah, iv. 13. 1 Kings, xxii. 11. 2 Chron. xviii. 10. Ezek. xxiv. 31. Zech. i. 21. Rev. xvii. 11. The Hebrews,