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a tomb held in high veneration by Mohammedans as well as Christians. The front of the church is not more than thirty yards distant from the road. one minute past ten o'clock, we arrive opposite the portal.

Here, the road turns immediately to the right-or rather, to the south-south-east-following the left bank of the Kedron, planted with olive-trees of unquestionable antiquity, certainly earlier than the period of our Lord's mission. To the left of the road, and on a higher level, is the enclosed space more especially known under the name of the Garden of Olives. Some venerable trees are enclosed within this space; but those which are left outside, are just as much entitled to claim the honour of having witnessed the passion of our Saviour. The road we are following is not more than three hundred yards distant from the enclosure of the Harem-the present name of the flat eminence upon which formerly stood the temple of Solomon. The bed of the Kedron is hollowed out precisely in the middle of that distance, at about one hundred and fifty yards to the right of the road we are following, which slopes gradually along the flank of the Mount of Olives.

By five minutes past ten, we leave about one hundred and thirty yards to our right, and below our level, the tomb of Absalom, or the Qobr-Farâoun of the Mussulmen. Beyond that, the side of the mountain is covered with funereal stones, which give it the aspect of a giant's causeway. This is the burying-ground of the Jews. By nine minutes past ten, we are above, and two hundred and fifty yards distant in a direct line from the village

of Siloam.

Here we turn east-south-east, winding round the southern flank of the Mount of Olives. The summit of this mount is about three hundred yards to our left; we are then in a valley well planted with trees. By a quarter past ten, we are in front of a small plain, two hundred yards in diameter, at the extremity of which another valley begins, descending to join that of the Kedron, or Ouad-en-Nar. Beyond this small plain, the road which has been cut in the rock, ever since ten minutes past ten, turns southward and inclines towards the bottom of the valley, where we arrive by twenty minutes past ten. The left flank of this valley which we are following, is stony and full of pebbles. By twenty-five minutes past ten, we pass close to an ancient tomb hewn in the solid rock, our direction being now due east. High hills form the right flank of the valley through which we are now passing, and where we find by twenty-seven minutes past ten, traces of an ancient paved road. By half-past ten, we reach the village of El-Aazarieh. To the right of the road are some few habitations and a small Mohammedan chapel; to the left, in the centre of the houses of the village, a square tower appears, exactly resembling in form, the tower of David. This is, without any doubt, a military construction, dating from the period of the kings of Judah.

El-Aazarieh, is unquestionably the Bethany so often mentioned by the Holy Evangelists. St. John (xi. 18) tells us that Bethany was distant fifteen furlongs from Jerusalem-rather less than two English miles: St. Mark (xi. 1) says that Bethany was situated at the

Mount of Olives.

Epiphanius observes that the ancient public road leading from Jerusalem to Jericho, passed by Bethphage, Bethany, and the Mount of Olives. The Gospel of St. Luke tells us most positively (xxiv. 50, 51), " And he (Christ) led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." This passage seems to me quite conclusive against the tradition which places so far from Bethany the spot where the ascension of our Lord took place. Reland has already pointed out this palpable error, and has done so with sound judgment. St. Jerome, in his Onomasticon, says that Bethany is situated at the second mile-stone from Jerusalem, and on the side of the Mount of Olives, and this position is perfectly

correct.

It was at Bethany, that the resurrection of Lazarus took place; and it seems very probable that the modern name of the village, El-Aazarieh, has originated from that miracle which was performed there under the eyes and with the knowledge of all the inhabitants. With regard to Bethphage, a sacerdotal residence which must have been situated close to Bethany, I have not been able to discover any satisfactory vestiges.

A little beyond El-Aazarieh, and at the point where the road, turning to the south-east, begins to incline towards the bottom of the valley, we descry to our right, and distant about a thousand yards, the summit upon which stands the village of Abou-Dis. Is it an ancient locality that has received this name? I

* Adv. Hæres., lib. i. p. 340.

find it difficult to determine. By forty-one minutes past ten, the road having turned eastward, passes at a distance of about one hundred yards from a well called Bir-el-Aïd. By forty-nine minutes past ten, we fall in again with a fine portion of the ancient road, which the modern track constantly follows, and descend by some steep windings, hewn in the side of a precipitous cliff, to the place where the Ouad-el-Haoud commences. Here we find a cistern called by the Mohammedan Arabs, Bir-el-Haoud (the well of the trough) and by the Christians Fontana degli Apostoli, the fountain of the Apostles. It is fifty-four minutes past ten, when we reach the fountain, to the right of which appear the walls of a ruined khan. We alight from our horses and halt for breakfast near the cistern.

By forty-five minutes past eleven, we mount again, and resume our march along the bottom of the valley, which takes at first a north-westerly direction and maintains this direction for a distance of more than a thousand yards. We move forward within fifteen yards of the dry bed of a torrent on our right, separated by about five and twenty yards from the foot of the barren, rocky hills to the left. On the opposite side is a tolerably high eminence called Er-Ras.

By one minute past twelve, we descry to our right a cultivated valley, about five and twenty yards wide, inclining southward; to the left another small valley called Kaaziz. Here again we encounter vestiges of the ancient road, the track of which we follow, turning towards the east. Beyond the cultivated valley, I have

just pointed out, the side of the heights on the right becomes more stony, and the Ouad-el-Haoud keeps continually narrowing. By five minutes past twelve, we cross the bed of the torrent, and follow its left bank, marching in a north-easterly direction; here the ouad alters its name, and is called Ouad-es-Sekkeh, and traces of the ancient road appear again. At eleven minutes past twelve we fall in with another branch of the old highway. By a quarter past twelve, we are opposite a valley, opening to the right, and called Ouad-Monfakh. As soon as we have crossed the head of this ouad, that in which we are marching widens from one hundred and fifty to three hundred yards; on our right an elevated ledge then appears, upon which are ruins called Kharbet-el-Merassas. Opposite to these is a hollow in the hills, forming a small plain, and named Chôeb-ez-Zenbeh.

I cannot form any opinion as to the ancient city, the ruins of which are still existing to this day under the name of Kharbet-el-Merassas. It is true, we

find in Joshua (xv. 59) a city called Mâarath, mentioned amongst those of the hilly country of Judæa ; but I can scarcely venture to look for this Mâarath in the modern Merassas. The only point that might be argued in favour of the identification, is that, in the Septuagint version, Bethlehem is named in the following verse, and, consequently, it may be supposed that Mâarath and Bethlehem could not be at any great distance from each other. The Hebraic text, as it has been preserved by the Jews, suppresses in this passage the name of Bethlehem; but St. Jerome, who had