very noble and picturesque aspect at the distance of about two miles; standing boldly out into the sea on rather high ground, and embosomed in trees. Saide is very nearly the boundary, to the north, of the Holy Land. (See Joshua xix. 28.) A mile before we reached it, we had to cross a river, which at this season was fordable; but in the winter is not so, being passed by a bridge a little higher up.

We lodged at the house of the English Agent, Yagoub Aga, who was formerly an Armenian Bishop in the Convent at Jerusalem; but, having chosen to marry, and having thus violated Ecclesiastical Rules, he was severed from that body, and is now living more after the manner of a Layman than of an Ecclesiastic. I had already seen him at Beirout. He professes much friendship for the Bible Society, and is very ready in turning to the passage in 1 Timothy iii. 2, which condemns the celibacy of his Church, and justifies his own conduct. On the strength of this he says that the English Church and he are in accordance. But his language is not that of an humble and pious man; and not every professed change of party, opinion, or custom, is conversion. He has, at present, in his house a French Gentleman, who was proceeding, about two years ago, with the French Chargé d'Affaires to Bagdad: he is an Ecclesiastic; but he so little liked his enterprise, that, when he had reached Aleppo, he gave it up.

We visited' also the French Vice-Consul, M. Regnaud; and in his khan called also on NâmetAlla,(the name signifies the grace or favour of God,) a Greek-Catholic Priest, very simple in his manner, and intelligent. While we were making these visits, the

Greek Cruiser, which we had seen the day before, sent on shore the four small vessels which she had captured, after having taken from them all that was valuable; adding a message that they had on board a Turk, for whose ransom they would accept six hundred piastres (about fifteen pounds sterling); but there was little probability that the Turks in Saide would give that sum for the liberty of their countryman. Such is the miserable warfare now going on in the Levant! a widely-extended civil war, embittered by religious animosity.

We had not much encouragement here for the sale of the Scriptures.

Some of the houses in Saide, and especially the great Khan which formerly was occupied by the French Factory, still serve to remind us of the flourishing state in which their commerce was about a hundred years ago, and even still later. Together with their commerce was united a very effective Jesuit Mission, of which the following account will not be unacceptable to the Reader.

After mentioning various circumstances which led them to establish their Mission at Saide, the Writer, who was the Superior General of the Jesuit Missions in Syria and Egypt, proceeds to describe the formation of a French Congregation, among whom one of their Missionaries exercised the Office of Chaplain, in the following terms:

The Gentlemen of the French Nation, who had been the assiduous hearers of Father Rigordy during Advent and Lent, were so much touched by his Discourses, that they formed the resolution of retaining him for the purpose of establishing at Saide a Mission, similar to that at Damascus. They gave him an apartment in the vast house which several of them occupied; and provided for his maintenance and that

of two other Missionaries, whom he was to obtain to share with him the labours of the Mission.

This Father, who knew by experience how much good or evil is done among foreigners by the good or bad example of the French out of their own country, judged fit to commence his Mission, by labouring for the religious benefit of those French who were collected for purposes of commerce at Saide. The method most proper for succeeding in this was the establishment of a Congregation, on the model of those which our Society has always taken pains to establish in all our houses, in order to bring persons of different conditions and ages to the practice of the duties and virtues of their state.

He proposed this to the most ancient and distinguished of the Merchants; assuring them, at the same time, that the erection of a Congregation in honour of the Holy Virgin would give them, in this august Mother of God, a powerful Protectress, who would draw upon them, their families, and their commerce, abundant benedictions.

These assurances from a man who had gained their esteem and confidence, produced the effect desired by Father Rigordy. They not only consented to this establishment, but they co-operated with the Father, in preparing a commodious Chapel, and in associating with themselves other French Merchants to begin with them the exercises of the Congregation.

The principals were M. André (afterward elected Patriarch of the Syrian Nation), Messrs. Stoupans, Audifroy, Lambert, and Piquet. These first Congregationists did infinite honour to the new establishment. All the leisure, which they had from the occupations of commerce, they employed in good works. They took, especially, great care in assisting poor Christians; seeking them out in those obscure places where their poverty lay concealed. God put such honour on their good example, that several other considerable French Merchants desired to be admitted into the number of the Congregationists. They were known in the city for their modesty, piety, and charity. Strangers were edified by the sight; and were the first to praise the good effects produced by the Establishment.

(Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses : Vol. I. pp. 217-219.)

FROM SAIDE TO SOUR.

Thursday, Oct. 30, 1823-We departed for Sour. The scenery, through the chief part of this day's ride, is remarkably simple. On the right-hand is the sea; on the left, a low modest line of mountains: the intervening country is quite flat, varying in width generally from a hundred-and-fifty to three hundred yards; though, nearer Sour, it is occasionally a thousand yards, or even a mile, in width. About three hours from Saide is shewn, a little way up the contiguous mountains, a small village now called Zarfa, and supposed to be the Zarephath or Sarepta, where the widow dwelt to whom Elisha the Prophet was sent: (1 Kings xvii. 9. Luke iv. 26.) The path on which we are riding is a pleasant turf; a very agreeable contrast to the sand and rock, to which we have hitherto been accustomed.

The remarkably simple air of this level tract of land suits with that touching portion of the Gospel, which records the interview of our Saviour on this very spot, the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, with the Syro-Phenician Woman. This is, indeed, the first place, in which we have had occasion to draw out our New Testaments to trace the course of our Saviour's history.

About half-way between Saide and Sour (Sidon and Tyre) are very extensive ruins of towns, which once connected these two cities: but, of these ruins, there is now scarcely one stone left upon another. They consist chiefly of lines which shew, razed even with the soil, the foundations of houses-many stones irregularly scattered a few cisterns with half

K

defaced sculpture on them; and, at a considerable distance from the path, there are at one spot several low columns, either mutilated or considerably sunk in the earth. The animal on which I rode set his foot on a very small piece of mosaic work, but it was too paltry to deserve the pains of stooping down to pick it up. These reliques shew, what it needed indeed no such evidence to prove, that, in peaceable and flourishing times, on this road between two such considerable cities as Tyre and Sidon, there must have been many smaller towns, for pleasure, business, and agriculture, delightfully situated by the sea-side: but peaceful security has long been a blessing unknown to these regions; and we may apply to them the language of Judges v. 7. The villages ceased: they ceased in Israel. Hence it is, that, instead of resting pleasantly at shorter intervals on our journey, we are obliged to make stretches of a day's length, that we may reach the different cities by night; a method, for us, far preferable to travelling with a tent and arms.

CONVENT OF DEIR MHÂLLES.

Shortly before we arrived in Sour, we were overtaken by a party of Turks and Christians. One of the Christians was a young Priest, from the celebrated Convent in the neighbourhood, Deir Mhâlles. I joined conversation with him. He spoke only Arabic. They have a Bishop from Rome, who is a learned man. The number of Monks belonging to the Convent is, he says, a hundred and one: but, of these, about fifty are distributed in various parts of the country, performing the parochial duty of the -different towns. I have already noted that there