the impression, that this had been nearly the course of some ancient wall." If the remains thus described belonged to a wall, as is probable, it could of course have been no other than the second wall of Josephus.

Former Tower in the N. W. Corner of the City. The remains of this tower, or bastion, are described in the Researches' " as consisting of a large square area, or platform, built up solidly of rough stones, fifteen or twenty feet in height, and paved on the top." At the southwest corner of it, near the ground," three courses of large bevelled stones, rough hewn, pass into the mass diagonally, in such a way as to show that they lay here before the tower and bastion were built." These we referred to the ancient third wall of Josephus, the foundations of which we could trace from near this point to a considerable distance northwards, outside of the city.

To our account of this ruin, Mr. Wolcott adds the following: "Besides the bevelled stones described in the southwest corner, a doorway in the northwest corner leads into a small room, in which are four similar layers; and these, like the former, do not seem to have been disturbed. Mr. Tipping refers them to the age of the ancient wall. The site is perhaps the highest in the city; and a strip of the Dead Sea is visible from the present summit. The native name of the ruin is Kul'at Yellûd." Messrs. Wolcott and Tipping were somewhat doubtful, whether the layers of large stones inside" belonged to the ancient second or third wall."

Mr. Wolcott suggests, whether this point may not have been the position of the tower of Psephinos, described by Josephus; remarking that the ancient wall appears to have here formed a right angle. But the position assigned by Josephus to that tower, was the northwest corner of the city, as inclosed by Agrippa's or the third wall, -a point much farther towards the north, as is shown by the remaining traces of that wall.2

Ancient Khân. During our visit to the well, connected with the fountain near the Haram, I recollect noticing a large oblong open. court, with traces of ruined buildings. I am not sure whether this is the same described by Mr. Wolcott in the following paragraph: "Passing north of the court just mentioned, I was struck with the appearance of its southern side; and think it deserves a passing notice. Its foundations are the bevelled stones of Jewish archi

1 Vol. I.

p.

471.

2 Ibid. p. 458, 465 sq.

tecture; and three massive arches lead beneath a terrace supported by twenty-four columns of masonry. The plan was too extensive for a private edifice; and I found on inquiry, that it was known as a ruined Khan, by the two names of Khân Emîr Hassan, and Khân Otuz Bir. It probably belonged to the early days of the Muslim conquest; and is one of the most compact ancient substructures within the city. It is in the centre of the block, a few feet south of west from the well, and west of the Grand Mosk. It communicates at present with no street; and descending into the court, although in the heart of the city, I seemed to be in entire seclusion."

Aqueduct from Solomon's Pcols. The account of this aqueduct, so far as we saw it, is given in the Researches. Unfortunately, under the pressure of such a multiplicity of objects, and not then being fully aware of its antiquity and former importance to the city, we neglected to inquire out its course after entering the city, or its point of termination in the Haram. When afterwards the subject came up, in preparing the work in Berlin, I keenly felt this deficiency; which, of course, could there be supplied only by the conjecture, that the aqueduct was carried along within the city under the eastern side of Zion, and that it probably passed into the Haram over the mound which we noticed at the northeast corner of the same hill. It is gratifying to find this point rendered certain by the examination of Mr. Wolcott, writing under date of Jan. 25th:

“We were one day examining the remains of the arch in the western wall of the Haram, when we passed to the opposite side of the valley, near where the bridge may be supposed to have terminated. A few feet north of this spot, we observed a passage, eight or ten feet high at its entrance, though soon contracting, cut in the solid rock, which here forms the [perpendicular] western side of the Tyropœon and the eastern brow of Zion. On approaching and entering it, we perceived occasional cavities in the bottom, broken through the earthen pipes of an ancient aqueduct, which we recognized as the one that connects the Pools in Bethlehem with the Haram. Supposing that a passage, thus opening into the valley, and visible to every passer by, was already well understood, we examined it no further at this time. But on turning to the

1 Vol. I. p. 514 sq.

2 I have a distinct recollection of this opening; but we did not exam

ine it further, probably for reasons similar to those assigned in the text above.-ED.

Researches, I perceived that the course of the aqueduct within the city was apparently unknown to any traveller; and found, on inquiry, that it was also unknown to the Frank residents. I observed, moreover, that in the published plans of the city, the direction assigned to it was conjectural and mistaken. We then decided to explore it thoroughly; and first traced it without the walls. Its course is marked not only by the stones with which it is built, but also by occasional openings into the pipes. Both of these indicate the very spot where it passes under the city wall, about one hundred feet west of the point designated on Catherwood's Plan, (which takes it into the valley,) and perhaps three hundred feet east of that marked in the Plan which accompanies the Researches. It is directly south of the passage which we had seen cut in the rock; to which we traced it at intervals within the city. The section in the rock extends fifty feet or more, which I passed through; and the aqueduct is then supported for an equal distance by a wall of masonry fifteen feet high against the face of the rock, when it again passes into the hill and beneath the dwellings which cover it. A small passage is built with stones over the pipes; and its cobwebs had never been disturbed. I entered with a light one hundred feet; but chose not to proceed further alone. Mr. Tipping and myself together afterwards penetrated forty feet beyond; and were then stopped by some modern masonry under which the pipes continue. The passage is very narrow, and some parts of it we crawled through with great difficulty. But it would have well repaid further toil, if we could have reached the ancient reservoirs of the temple. Our general course had been northwest (?), and we had now traced the aqueduct four or five hundred feet within the city along the side of Zion, and bearing towards the ridge which crosses the Tyropœon; through which it evidently passes into the Haram, as suggested in the Researches. The street which leads down directly from the southern end of the Bazars to the Haram, terminating in its principal western entrance, is on the summit of this ridge, descending towards the Haram the whole distance."

Mr. Wolcott suggests, that this last remark may serve to correct the general statement made in the Researches,' as to the

western entrances of the Haram, viz. that they all “ are reached by an ascent, and some of them at least by steps." This does not hold true of the entrance from the street passing across the mound.'

Vaults in Bethesda, so called. This deep ancient fosse and reservoir, called by the natives Birket Israil, is described in the Researches.2 At the southwest corner two lofty arched vaults extend in westward, side by side, under the houses which now cover that part. They are much filled up; yet I was able to measure a hundred feet within the northern one, without reaching the end. Mr. Wolcott writes as follows:

"The southern vault extends one hundred and thirty feet; and the other apparently the same. At the extremity of the former was an opening for drawing up water. The vaults are stuccoed, and were probably constructed when the fosse was converted into a reservoir."

Pool of Bathsheba. To the short notice of this "mere pit," near the Yâfa gate, given in the Researches, there is appended in a note the testimony of Monro and Schubert; the former of whom speaks of it as "an oblong pit lined coarsely with small stones," while the latter affirms that "the architecture and the size of the stones seem to belong to the works of the ancient Jerusalem." I was not then able to say which of these statements was most correct. But Mr. Wolcott has the following remark: "The former (Monro) is correct; there is nothing large or ancient about it,— an insignificant trench, not worthy of a place in the text of the Researches."

Excavations on Mount Zion. In the Researches notice was taken of two excavations made on Mount Zion; one in laying the

In the Researches (I. p. 393), it is said that this mound " is probably rubbish, the accumulation of ages; though the houses in the vicinity prevented us from ascertaining whether it extends quite across the valley." This last remark, as it stands, may seem unintelligible; since one of the chief streets passes over the whole length of the mound into the Haram. But in passing down this street, one is not usually aware of the mound at all; and the other street, which crosses it from north to south, we traversed only

foundations of new barracks south of the castle, and the other for those of a new Synagogue in the Jews' quarter. It was reported that many remains of walls and buildings, and also of marble and columns, had been discovered; which, however, we did not see. Mr. Wolcott, in a letter dated Oct. 1st, 1842, speaks of similar excavations for the foundations of the English church now building, situated on the northeastern slope of Zion, where the hill falls off to the valley of the Tyropoon. It is to be hoped that the full details of these interesting excavations will be given to the public by the architect. Mr. Wolcott writes as follows:

"The excavations which have been found necessary in laying the foundations of the Anglican church in Jerusalem, show on what a vast accumulation of rubbish even the higher parts of the modern city have been built. The shaft which was sunk before I left Jerusalem, struck, far below the surface, upon an ancient solid wall. At the depth of thirty or forty feet bevelled building stones were found; and shortly before my departure the capitals of two large columns were thrown out. One of them, I think, was pure Doric, and the other apparently Jewish, with a tracery of vines, of the age, perhaps, of the ornamental work about the Tomb of Helena. I saw in the possession of the architect, Mr. Johns, fragments of similar sculpture, which were found in laying the foundations of a convent; on one of which, I remember, was carved a fish, with other designs. These discoveries, it seems, continue as they proceed. In a recent letter from Mr. Whiting, he remarks, 'Mr. Johns, in sinking his foundation-pits, which are not yet finished, has come upon a curious ancient passage,—whether an aqueduct, or sewer, or merely a secret subterranean passage, I do not know. It is about six feet high and two broad. Mr. Johns followed it southwards some one hundred and seventy feet, and northwards from the pit twenty or thirty feet, where it was walled up. It is at the depth of thirty or thirty-five feet below the surface. If all Jerusalem were dug over, as they are digging this part of Mount Zion, we should have some rare discoveries.""

Tomb of Absalom. According to Mr. Wolcott the present native name of this monument in the valley of Jehoshaphat, is Tantûr Faraon.2

2 Ibid. I. p.

517 sq.

'Bibl. Res. I. pp. 360, 459.