though that which has been taken for the remains of a theatre, appears rather to have been the choir of an early Christian church. Among them all, there is nothing, however, either interesting or definite. We quitted this spot to return to the town, and in our way by the bath, saw a party of Jewish women just coming out from the female apartment. Their conversation was in German ; and, on inquiry, they said that they had come from Vienna with their husbands, to end their days in the land of their fathers. In our way back from hence, we were met by a party of Moslems, who conceiving me from my dress and white turban, to be of their faith, gave us the usual salute, which 1 returned without scruple; but our guide was so shocked at the interchange of forbidden salutations between a Christian and a Mohammedan, that he expressed his confidence in its ending in some unlucky accident to us. Το avert this, however, from his own head, he took a large stone from the road, and after spitting on it, turned that part towards the north, repeating a short Arabic prayer at the same time. Besides the present incident, I had observed on several occasions, that, in this country, set forms of expressions are regarded as appropriate to men of different faiths, and even different ranks in life; and that nothing is more necessary for a traveller, than to acquaint himself with those minute shades of difference; as they serve, like the watchword of an army, to distinguish friends from foes; and any errors therein might produce the most alarming consequences.

'On our way we met a Jewish funeral, attended by a party of about fifty persons, all male. A group of half a dozen walked before, but without any apparent regard to order, and all seemed engaged in humming indistinctly hymns, or prayers, or lamentations; for they might have been either, as far as we could distinguish by the tone and the manner of their utterance. The corpse followed, wrapped in linen, without a coffin, and slung on cords between two poles borne on men's shoulders, with its feet foremost. A funeral service was said over it at the grave, and it was sunk into its mother earth in peace.'

This traveller notices some ancient baths, to the north of Tiberias also, which appear to have escaped the observation of preceding travellers. About an hour from Tiberias, pursuing a northward course along the border of the lake, he came to the remains of three, close to the water's edge, which he describes as so many large circular cisterns, quite open, and not appearing to have ever been inclosed in a covered building. They were all,' he continues, 'nearly of the same size; the one around the edge of which I walked, being eighty paces in circumference, and from twelve to fifteen feet deep. Each of these was distant from the other about one hundred yards, ranging along the beach of the lake, and each was supplied by a separate spring, rising also near the sea. The water was in all of them beautifully transparent, of a slightly sulphureous taste, and of a light-green color, as at the bath near Oom Kais; but the heat of the stream here was scarcely greater than that of the at

mosphere, as the thermometer in the air stood at 84°, and when immersed in water, rose to 86°. The first of these circular cisterns had a stone bench or pathway running round its interior, for the accomodation of the bathers, and the last had a similar work on the outside; in the latter, a number of small black fish were seen swimming. Each of the baths were supplied by a small aqueduct from its separate spring; and there were appearances of a semicircular wall having inclosed them all within one area.

Mr. Jolliffe reports the estimated number of inhabitants to be 4000, two thirds of which are Jews. Burckhardt's account agrees with this as to numbers; but he makes the proportion of Jews only one fourth.* There are, he says, from one hundred and sixty to two hundred Jewish families, of which forty or fifty are of Polish origin; the rest are Jews from Spain, Barbary, and different parts of Syria. The quarter which they occupy in the middle of the town, had lately been much enlarged by the purchase of several streets, so that their numbers appear to be on the increase. Tiberias holds out to the Jews peculiar advantages. They enjoy here perfect religious freedom; besides which, Tiberias is one of the four holy cities of the Talmud, the other three being Saphet, Jerusalem, and Hebron. It is esteemed holy ground,' Burckhardt states, 'because Jacob is supposed to have resided here, and because it is situated on the Lake of Gennesareth; from which, according to the most generally received opinion of the Talmud, the Messiah is to rise. It is a received dogma, that the world will return to its primitive chaos, if prayers are not addressed to the God of Israel, at least twice a week in the four holy cities. On this account, Jewish devotees from all parts flock to these cities; and three or four missionaries are sent abroad every year, to collect alins for the support of these religious fraternities, who do not fail successfully to plead this imminent danger as an argument for liberal contributions. One missionary is sent to the coasts of Africa from Damietta to Mogadore; another to the coast of Europe from Venice to Gibraltar; a third to the Archipelago, Constantinople and Anatolia; and a fourth through Syria. The charity of the Jews of London is appealed to from time to time; but the Jews of Gibraltar have the reputation of being more liberal than any others, and are stated to contribute from 4 to 5000 Spanish dollars annually. The Polish Jews settled at Tabaria, are supported almost entirely by their rich countrymen in Bohemia and Poland; and the Syrian Jews are said to be very jealous of them. When a fresh pilgrim arrives, bringing a little money with him, the exorbitant demands which are made on him by his brethren, either for rent, or on some other pretence, soon deprive him of it, and leave

*Mr. Buckingham says, that, according to the opinion of the best informed residents, the population does not exceed 2000 souls, of whom about half are Jews.

Perhaps not the patriarch, but some great rabbin of that name. Burckhardt speaks of a great rabbin, who, he was informed, lies buried at Tiberias, with 14,000 of his scholars round him!

him a pensioner on his nation. The missionaries generally realize some property, as they are allowed ten per cent. upon the alms they collect. But many of the Jews, who have been led to beg their way to Palestine by their delusive representations, are ill satisfied with the Land of Promise; and some few are fortunate enough to find their way home again. The greater number, however, console themselves with the inestimable advantage of laying their bones in the Holy Land.

The Jewish devotees pass the whole day in the schools or the synagogue, reciting the Old Testament and the Talmud, both of which many of them know entirely by heart. They all write Hebrew; but their learning, Burckhardt says, seems to be on a level with that of the Turks. He mentions some beautiful copies of the Pentateuch, written on a roll of leather, which he saw in the Syrian synagogue: no one could inform him of their age or history. The libraries of the two schools are moderately stocked with Hebrew books, printed chiefly at Vienna and Venice. They observe here, he says, a singular custom in the public service.

'While the rabbin recites the psalms of David, or the prayers extracted from them, the congregation frequently imitate, by their voice or gesture, the meaning of some remarkable passages: for example, when the rabbin pronounces the words, 'Praise the Lord with the sound of the trumpet,' they imitate the sound of the trumpet through their closed fists. When a horrible tempest' occurs, they puff and blow to represent a storm; or should he mention the cries of the righteous in distress, they all set up a loud screaming.' And sometimes, we are told, these imitative accompaniments are carried on in a singular sort of fugue or concert; while some are blowing the storm, others having already begun the cries of the righteous!

The Jews marry at a very early age. It is not uncommon, Burckhardt affirms, to see fathers of thirteen years of age, and mothers of eleven. On the occasion of a wedding, they traverse the town in pompous procession, carrying before the bride the plate of almost the whole community; and they feast in the house of the bridegroom for seven successive days and nights. The wedding feast of a man who has about 50%. a-year, (and no Jew can live with his family on less,) will often cost more than 60%' Yet, few of them are rich, or carry on any merchandise. When Burckhardt was at Tiberias, there were only two Jew merchants resident there, who were men of property; and they were styled by the devotees, kafers, or unbelievers. The Rabbin of Tiberias, is under the great Rabbin of Szaffad (Saphet), who pronounces final judgment on all contested points of law and religion.

THE END.