Ain el Warka; a College about four hours to the north, in which the Maronites are taught Syriac, and prepared for the priesthood. He also gave me a Letter for Hanna Stambooli, a priest, who seems to be doing penance at Ain el Warka, and is compelled to perform the office of preceptor there. In the afternoon, I set off, with Mr. Wolff, to perform this visit. We arrived just at sun-set. I cannot say that we were received with much hospitality: there was, in fact, an air of reserve and coldness, which was to be attributed to various little circumstances, needless to relate here. The Superior, however, ordered us a supper, and made various apologies for its not being better prepared: a cheerful welcome would have made a much humbler supper a grateful entertainment. Hanna Stambooli, as his name is designed to indicate, has studied at Constantinople, which gives him a character of great superiority to the Maronite mountaineers. He very eagerly asked, if I would take him to England; and seemed chagrined that some such plan could not be devised for him. Something, however, better than talent united with the love of travelling is requisite to induce us to take up and patronise the men of the East. Here are twenty-two Pupils: only one or two, however, came near us. Of these, one was Luigi Assemanni, great nephew of the celebrated author of the "Bibliotheca Orientalis;" the same who was the Pope's Legate in the National Council of the Maronites in 1736. This is a tender and rather interesting youth, of eighteen years of age: he left Rome at the age of eleven; and hopes to return thither, as Oriental Interpreter, in the course of a few years. I gave him an Arabic Testament, writ

ing for him a direction in it, by which he might find me in Malta; accompanied by some good advice.

CONVENT OF HAREESA.

Saturday, Sept. 27, 1823-Very early in the morning we departed. The Superior being at Church, we could not personally take leave of him; and, of the young Students, it was plain we should see nothing. In our way to Antoura we called at the Convent of Hareesa, or Arissa; and here spent the middle of the day. Padre Carlo, the Superior, was absent. He is a Franciscan Friar, and was long in Egypt. He acted as Dragoman to General Desaix, who commanded the Expedition in 1798. What scenes for a Missionary to have passed through! not indeed necessarily involving guilty participation; but bringing him continually within the sphere of temptation-making deeds of violence, and lust, and rapine, and treachery familiar to his eye; and entirely distracting him from the peaceful, retiring, and laborious life of a Missionary. This Padre has been the usual round of Jerusalem, Nazareth, &c. He has the whole of this beautiful, spacious, and airy Convent to himself. It is impossible to survey what this Convent once must have been, and what it now is, without feeling as if Rome were evidently on the decline. See her outworks-her foreign, boasted Missions-reduced to a mere shade! However, the house, at present, serves as an asylum for some of the Emir's subjects, who, during his flight to Egypt, five months ago, were alienating from him, and are now required to pay heavy sums. Some of these were now actually living with their

whole establishment in the Convent; and, in the absence of the Latin Superior, gave orders for our entertainment. Dinner was very heartily and hospitably prepared, in a manner quite contrasted with that at Ain el Warka.

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RETURN TO ANTOURA.

We returned by sun-set to Antoura; and in the evening, being the last evening of the week, we united, according to the custom of the Church Missionary Society, in prayer for the success of Christian Missions throughout the world.

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Sunday, Sept. 28, 1823—Mr. King, in the morning, preached in English from Luke ix. 58. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head-words so peculiarly descriptive of the daily humiliation of our Redeemer. "We all of us," Mr. King observed, "think too much of our comforts." He drew, in a very touching manner, the contrast of our Saviour's laborious Ministry. In the Evening, I preached in Italian, from 1 Cor. ii. 9-16.

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RETURN TO BEIROUT.

Monday, Sept. 29-I left Antoura for Beirout. Tuesday, Sept. 30-Mr. Lewis and myself dined with our Consul, Mr. Abbot. He gave several instances of the extreme difficulty of coming at the truth in this country-a topic peculiarly necessary to be upon the mind of a Missionary.

DEIR EL KAMR.

Wednesday, Oct. 1- Went, with Mr. Lewis, to

Deir el Kamr; which may be called the Capital of Mount Lebanon, as being the residence of the Emir Bechir, Prince of the Mountains. We went in fact expressly to pay our respects to him. The journey took us nine very hot and tedious hours. Half-way, at Ainep, we halted for some time, to rest and refresh ourselves. We were here about half-way up one of the highest parts of Mount Lebanon; and higher steeps yet remained for us to ascend in the course of the afternoon. Although the season is not yet for the snow of Lebanon, (Jer. xviii. 14.) yet we found the cold flowing waters, coming from the rock of the field, exquisitely exhilarating. We arrived at the picturesque Valley of Deir el Kamr just by sun-set. The town, inhabited by about two thousand souls, is on the left-hand mountain. At a distance, on the mountain of the other side, stands the Palace of Ebtedin, presenting a very bold and martial front. We had a Letter to a respectable man in the town, of the name of Yoosef Doomani, with whom Mr. King had lodged some weeks: his third son, Hanna, was Mr. King's preceptor in Arabic. All gave us an enthusiastic welcome. Before supper, the master of the house directed the servant to bring in a large brass pan, full of warm water, in which for the first, and indeed the only time, that I ever experienced such attention, he illustrated the ancient custom of washing the feet of strangers; and no compliment could have been more seasonable.

EBTEDIN.

Thursday, Oct. 2-I went, with Mr. Lewis, to the Palace of Ebtedin, an hour's distance from

Deir el Kamr. While waiting in one of the numerous rooms which surround the Great Court, the Secretary came in, heard our business, and received our Letters; which were, in fact, only to request passports. This is a ceremony which it was very desirable that we should perform; for, although an Englishman universally in this country commands respect, yet the Authorities may reasonably expect the compliment of a visit to request their protection. The document, afterward given me in the afternoon, is sufficiently laconic; and runs in the following

terms:

This is to inform all who shall see it; and let them regard it universally :

That whereas the Bearer of this our Order, Mr. Jowett, an Englishman, is desirous to travel from place to place within the confines of the Mountain, it is our will that no man should contradict him; and wheresoever he goes, he shall enjoy protection, security, and respect.

We have signified this.

(With the impression of his signet on the back of the paper.)

CONVERSATION ON THE DRUSES.

Previously to our waiting on the Emir, his Physician, Seignior Bertrand, who speaks French well, came into the room where we were. Conversation turned, among other points, on the Druses. He divides them into three classes. The first of these is the "Djahelin," a word which signifies the IGNORANT: these know nothing about religion, and are never initiated into the secrets of the Order : they are, indeed, assembled on the Thursday Evening, in a place considered as a Place of Worship, from