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Our host supplied us with a supper shortly after our arrival, and facilitated our eating of it by producing a couple of old rusty two pronged forks and two rickety chairs. In the room where we sat was a picture representing the Persian lion and a setting sun. These I concluded to be his credentials as consular agent of that kingdom. There was of course conversation with our host and, soon after our meal, we spread our blankets on the floor and began our slumber.
In the morning we were up at day break when another meal was ready for us, and then having bid the old gentleman adieu and given a douceur to his man servant we were in the sad= dle as the sun was rising above the horizon.
After an hour or more of progress the vale of Sharon began perceptibly to be merged into a rocky and rising ground, and by the middle of the day the road or bridle path was along the edge of a shallow ravine with a small stream of water at its bottom. Wherever it was possible terraces of earth had been made with a bordering of stone on the outside, in the soil of which olive trees were scattered about and in the spring some grain would be planted. There was nothing to detain us on the way and as Jerusalem was twelve hours off, it was important for us to hurry on, for if we reached it after sunset we would find its gates closed. We were determined that this discomfort should not happen to us, and we therefore urged our horses to a faster walk, arriving finally at the Jaffa gate an hour sooner than could be legitimately demanded of our animals.
We had heard from persons who had been to Jerusalem of there being there a half crazy American named Cresson originally from Philadelphia. As we were told would be likely, he was outside of the Jaffa gate when we approached, and recognising us as compatriots he came forward and shook hands with us. He had been living there some years, and had married a Jewess who was a descendant of a colony of that religious faith who when they were expatriated by Ferdinand and Isabella from Spain, had located in Palestine. She spoke a corrupt Spanish, which her people have kept up for over 350 years. As Hayes was also from Philadelphia a friendship immediately sprang up between Cresson and himself, and the Sunday afternoon that we spent there was enlivened by a concert of native music at Cresson’s house, where we paid a sovereign a piece for the entertainment - the principal performer being a brother of Mr Cresson.
There was still enough daylight for us to visit some of the important places of the city after we had put up at a little lodging house of modest pretensions. We therefore went first to the Court in front of the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, leaving an examination of the interior to the next day, and afterwards examined the wall surrounding the city.
This was interesting in consequence of its being in the mediaeval style, preceding the heavy earthwork construction made necessary by the use of artillery. It was about twenty feet high with a crenelated top, and a platform on the inside about five feet from the
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top on which the defenders stood and from which they discharged their arrows.
Some one had given Hayes another letter to the British Consul introducing us both, and the next morning we presented it. He was quite civil and asked us to breakfast with him the day after. This we did, but by that time he had discovered what a vulgarian Hayes was, and he was not as pleasant during the meal as a host should be. Without egotism however I could see that he made a distinction between us two, and saw that my behavior and manner were those of a gentleman. During the week that we remained he was always affable and pleasant to me. X
The natives of the various countries under Turkish rule who can secure positions as consular agents of foreign countries, which are given to them by the consuls of those countries, who may be located at the principal city or seaport, are always very obsequious to travellers of his nationality, as the positions are much coveted. There are many vice consulates and consular agencies in Palestine and Syria and the American ones are always filled by natives. They receive no pay, but the reason of their desire to serve is on account of their becoming exempt from the arbitrary exactions of the Turkish governors by holding the positions. Foreign consuls in Turkey had then the privilege of organising courts for the trial of certain offenses against individuals residing in the country who were of their nationality and claimed their protection, a power which foreign consuls in Europe and America have never had. There was thus a condition of affairs which was altogether peculiar, and which gave great importance to a consul general residing at Alexandria or Beyrout in the eyes of the natives. The morning after our arrival at Jerusalem, after breakfasting with the British consul and being ready to commence our sightseeing, we were waited upon by a kind of orderly of the American vice consul, a man in uniform with a large Turkish sword, who walked behind us as though we were persons of great importance. We went with him to his master’s office where we met the dignitary himself, who could not speak a word of English, but to whom we said some kind words through our dragoman or interpreter, and then we asked him as a favor to discontinue the attendance of his factotum or “cawass” upon our progress through the city. We discovered afterwards that it was Mr Cresson who had told the official that we were distinguished travellers who should be treated with consideration by him.
The church of the Holy Sepulcher is probably the most interesting building in the city. It is large and under its dome, on the floor of a circular space, stands a small marble mausoleum, in which our Saviour’s body is said to have been placed after his crucifixion. The seat of the interior is allotted to 4 branches of the Christian Church who each have a chapel with a corps of priests to conduct the services. These are the Greek Armenian Catholic and Coptic faiths - the latter being the native Egyptian Christians.
This church has been the cause of diplomatic trouble in Europe in consequence of the rivalry or antagonism between the Greeks and Catholics, produced by the former occupying for their chapel the main body of the building, while the latter have been obliged to content themselves with a side chapel. When the Emperor Nicholas of Russia was proceeding
To be inserted on page 204 as separate paragraphs where there is a cross X.
One day after inquiring from him who were the clergy of the established church of England in charge of the services which were regularly held in Jerusalem, in a building recently erected, and where everything was properly conducted, he mentioned one gentleman who he said was quite a scholar and to whom he offered to introduce me. His name I have forgotten, but I was glad of the opportunity of conversing with some eminent theologian, for such he was represented as being, and I immediately accepted his offer. Upon reaching his house and finding him at home we were received in his library, and there we met a man of about forty, with a good English clerical face and a pleasant and cordial manner.
After a few common place remarks I arrived without further preface to the object of my visit, which was to know from him, as an intelligent interpreter of the Bible, whether there was any serious and undoubted prophecy in the Holy book about either the second coming of Christ or the ending of the world. I think he made no reply to the first part of my question, but with regard to the second part he said that it was the opinion of many capable critics that there was in one of the books of the Bible which he mentioned, a prophecy to the effect that the world would come to an end when the time of the lasting of the four empires had terminated, and that those empires were the Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman. I there upon asked whether the Roman empire had not ceased to exist for many centuries, and his answer was that it was continued in the German Empire. I then asked again whether the last empire had not come to an end at the commencement of the century - to which he replied in the affirmative - although, said he, the integral parts remain in the German Confederation, composed of the same States which formed the empire, with perhaps others who have joined since, and whose delegates meet annually or less frequently at Frankfort on the Main. At any rate, continued he, we consider that the time for the ending of the world is near at hand, according to that prophecy, and the event may occur at any day.
There were many fanatics in Jerusalem then who were living there in order to be the first ones to greet the Messiah at his second coming. Several had come from America many years before at the time of the appearance of the great comet of 1844. They were known as Millerites, their chief or prophet having been a man of that name, and one of them, a Philadelphian, who had waited in vain for the event, suffering much poverty the meanwhile, was assisted by Hayes to return. But that an eminent theologian of the English church should occupy his time with such forced interpretations of Scripture, proves how many able minds are busy with considerations that are utterly valueless and without profit
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Around the entrance portico of the opera house were several little tables at which were seated scribes with pen paper, and ink, ready to write letters or other documents for any illiterate person who might wish to employ them. It was surprising to observe how much of this kind of work was being done by them, the parties employing them being mainly women, who stood by the tables as the writer received their dictation. The work was sufficient to give a support to many a poor scribe.
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cautiously in 1852 and 53 to weave a web around the Sultan by means of which he would obtain a footing at Constantinople, it became necessary for France and England to find some pretext for interference in his game. This was soon found by France objecting to the repairs to the dome of the church which the Russian government was ready to make through the Greek Christians occupying the principal part of the building, and the incident of the repairs to "the Holy Places” had much to do with the beginning of the fierce diplomatic quarreling which ended in 1854 in war being undertaken against Russia. We were shown while under the dome the decayed plastering of the ceiling which was still unrepaired and which was commonly mentioned as having been the starting point of that great war.
Near one of the side chapels of the church is a small round hole in the pavement which is supposed to be over the spot where the crucifix was placed, but like many other localities which are pointed out to the traveller, it has to be accepted with several grains of allowance.
During Easter of every year there is a large gathering of Christians at Jerusalem from Syria, Asia Minor and other adjacent countries, and the scenes that transpire in the church, due to the rivalry and jealousy of each other of the Greeks and Catholics are occasionally very exciting. So great is the commotion at times that not unfrequently the guard of Turkish soldiers who are always stationed at the entrances are obliged to interfere in order to preserve the peace.
There was a religious ceremony in which the three sects participated while we were there. On the part of the catholics it consisted of a mass in their chapel and afterwards a procession that anyone who chose could join, bearing lighted candles, and which visited in town all the holy places comprised within. The monks from a catholic monastery led the procession and continued marching around for over an hour, chanting hymns the meanwhile. The Greeks and Copts simply held a service, the occasion not being such an important one to them. The most interesting part of the catholic service that day was the playing of the organ. When the mass was over the organist “let himself out” upon the instrument and played selections from at least a dozen operas. It was not exactly in keeping with the place, but the execution was so good that the performer could well be excused. I marched with the procession for about a quarter of an hour when it first started in order to get one of the candles which had been blest by the chief dignitary of the catholic church residing at Jerusalem, and brought what was left of it for Victorie our confidential French servant. She seemed pleased when I gave it to her almost a year after, for she was always a devout catholic.
The next place visited was the site of Solomon’s temple and the later temple built after the return from the Babylonish captivity. The enclosure is a large one and contains within a masque which is known by two names - the mosque of Omar and the dome of the Rock. The latter is the most correct name, for there is a rock under the dome from which tradition says that Mahomet started in his ascent to heaven. The rock attempted to follow him but the prophet kicked it back, and ever since it has remained poised above ground. It is a very holy spot for the true Musselman