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526

THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.

A well-known Jewish convert, who, for political reasons, was some time since denied admission into Egypt, and is now travelling in India, has been pleased to suppose that Mohammad Alee may be the "cruel lord" spoken of in Isaiah, although he is one of those who believe that the restoration of the Israelites is nigh at hand. It should be remembered, however, that Egypt is to be the high-way for the return of the people of the Lord; and do we not see this fulfilling daily, by the mild treatment exercised by this Egyptian ruler towards the Hebrews?

This very remarkable increase of the Jews in Palestine, and particularly in the city of Jerusalem, must strike even those who do not look upon it as a literal fulfilment of prophecy. Great and mighty events must, however, come to pass ere their restoration is accomplished; but though "the times and the seasons knoweth no man," yet the day shall come, when, to use the metaphorical language of the east, those broken pillars, the prostrate columns and ornamental capitals of that noble edifice that once reared its head within that land, shall be raked from out the debris of a world, where they are now scattered and trodden under foot, to deck the polished corners of that gem-studded temple that shall once more crown the hills of Salem.

The very wars and rumours of wars at present throughout the world tell us that we are on the eve of great events, and that the redemption of Judah draweth nigh. The flapping wings and soaring flight of

"The dark banner'd eagle, the Muscovite's glory,"

before she stoops upon her quarry, are already heard, speaking in accents that cannot be mistaken. Come those sounds for nought, or are they the distant murmur of those northern powers, whose part in that drama is so plainly spoken of by the inspired heralds of prophetic Scripture?

But of all the phases under which the Jews can be seen, the most deeply interesting is that exhibited, when they collect to weep over those stones of Jerusalem that I have already described as belonging to the ancient city, and situated in the western wall of the court of the temple. "In front of it," (the mosque of Omar,) writes Benjamin of Tudela, "you see the western wall, one of the walls which formed the holy of holies of the ancient temple; it is

HEBREWS MOURNING OVER JERUSALEM.

527

called gate of mercy, and all Jews resort thither to say their prayers near the wall of the court-yard."

One day during my stay, upon the anniversary of the great earthquake at Saphet, where so many of their brethren were destroyed, the whole congregation met for this purpose. It was a touching sight, and one that years will not efface, to witness this mourning group, and hear them singing the songs of David, in the full expressive language in which they were written, beneath Mount Sion, on which they were composed -and before those very walls, that in other times rang with the same swelling chorus. But not now are heard the joyous tones of old; for here every note was swollen with a sigh, or broken with a sob-the sighs of Judah's mourning maidens, the sobs and smothered groans of the patriarchs of Israel. And that heart must indeed be sadly out of tune, whose chords would not vibrate to the thrilling strains of Hebrew melody, when chanted by the sons and daughters of Abraham in their native city. Much as they venerate the very stones that now form the walls of this enclosure, they dare not set foot within its precincts; for the crescent of the Mooslim is glittering from the minaret of Omar, and the blood-red banner of Mohammad is waving over their heads.

Were I asked what was the object of the greatest interest that I had met with, and the scene that made the deepest impression upon me, during my sojourn in other lands, I would say, that it was a Jew mourning over the stones of Jerusalem. And what principle, what feeling is it, it may be asked, that can thus keep the Hebrew, through so many centuries, still yearning towards his native city-still looking forward to his restoration, and the coming of Messiah? Hope. Hope is the principle that supports the Israelite through all his sufferings-with oppression for his inheritance; sorrow and sadness for his certain lot; the constant fear of trials, bodily pain, and mental anguish; years of disgrace, and a life of misery; without a country and without a home; scorned, robbed, insulted, and reviled; the power of man, and even death itself, cannot obliterate that feeling. It is hope that binds the laurel on the warrior's brow; that leads the soldier on to conquest, and bids him face the battle's dread array; that, pointing to the enjoyment of earthly honour and greatness in time, cheers man amidst every discouragement he

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may have to encounter, and leads him to overcome every diffieulty and obstacle for their attainment; and, when elevated and directed to higher objects by the influence of religion, gives him the cheering prospect of happiness in eternity. It is the very life-boat of our existence-the oil that calms that sea of trouble on which man launches at his birth. What would the poor despised Jew be-what would man be without its cheering influence? Yes, though clouds of doubt and mists of uncertainty may hover round, and for a while obscure our horizon, it is hope can

"Smile those clouds away,

And paint the morrow with prophetic ray."

Independent of the death-like stillness that prevails without the city, as we remarked upon first approaching it, there is a stillness and solitude within its walls, that could hardly be imagined in a place containing so many thousand souls. This may arise from the inhabitants not being engaged in manufacturing or commercial pursuits; for, except those things absolutely requisite for supplying the common necessities of the population, there is little bought or sold in Jerusalem; and, consequently, the bustle of traffic, and the busy hum of men, are never heard within its streets. As religious worship in some form or another is the object for which the greater number of the inhabitants have come to Jerusalem, they make it the daily business of their lives; and so much respect do the Mooslims pay to their Sabbath, that the city gates are always closed during the hour of prayer (from twelve to one); and no inducement could prevail upon the officer of the guard to open them for us one day that we wished to get out, until their service was concluded. A tradition is reported to exist among the Mohammadans that on some Friday (their Sabbath) during this hour, when all are engaged in prayer, the Christians will surprise them and retake the city-this is said to be the cause of closing the gates.

That portion of the town that encloses a part of the brow of Sion, is almost a waste; sunk in pitfalls or thrown up into mounds by ruined buildings, and overgrown with weeds and enormous cacti. This sacred spot is now the district allotted to the lepers, great numbers of whom are constantly met near the

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Sion gate, or seated by the road side among the nopals. These wretched people are most disgusting objects, and some of them exhibited the worst cases of this dreadful malady I ever beheld; many had lost fingers, toes, noses,-nay, whole hands and feet; and several were absolutely white as snow, from the peculiar scaly appearance that some forms of this disease had assumed. Some of these people are wealthy, possessing land and cattle; they are forbidden to hold communication with any of the inhabitants, but have whole villages appropriated to themselves. Their children are said to be born perfectly healthy, and the disease does not break out till twelve or fourteen years of age. It is high time that the rulers of the countries where leprosy exists should exert themselves to prevent its extension, by providing in all cases separate asylums for these unhappy beings; instead of allowing them to congregate in small communities, where the disease is sure to be propagated and perpetuated.

The streets of Jerusalem are narrow, ill-paved, and generally very dirty, particularly in the Jewish quarter. The sides of the houses fronting the streets are little better than dead walls, with a few small latticed windows-(Judges v. 28; Canticle ii. 9). The roofs of nearly all the houses are domed and white-washed, and around these are flat terraces ; the whole covered with cement, and surrounded by a parapet wall, about breast high (Deut. xxii. 8). The house-tops are the constant retreats of the people, and many of them are covered with awnings. Portions of the parapet walls are curiously constructed of small cylinders of red crockery ware, piled up in a pyramidal form, and forming a kind of open work, that allows the air to blow through, and produces a most refreshing current. The inhabitants say, this construction has also the effect of preserving the wall from being blown down by the many sudden squalls and tempests common to this country at particular seasons. Besides this, it is useful for permitting the ladies to observe, unseen, what is going forward in the neighbourhood—all the Christian females in Judea being just as chary of their fair faces as the Mohammadans.

According to our notions of social and domestic enjoyment, nothing can be more cruel, dreary, and unnatural, than the enslaved condition in which the women of the East, and particu

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larly those in Jerusalem are held. The chief amusement of many of them seems to be, mourning over the tombs of their departed lords; but I have occasionally observed others partaking of that agreeable imitation of the motion, productive of sea-sickness, called "swing-swang ;" and whole hareems turn out to partake of this pastime, among the olive groves near the Bab-el-shem. During the play, the ladies chant a low chorus; and the person who is swung, utters a shrill but not unpleasing cry, as she rises in the air.*

The face-cover of these ladies is not the boórcko of the Egyptian females, but the yashmac, similar to that worn at Constantinople. It consists of a white muslin handkerchief, drawn tight round the lower part of the face, immediately beneath the nose, and fastened at the back of the head, thereby exposing more of the face than is usual among Eastern ladies. From its continued pressure against the end of the nose, it has produced a general protuberance of that organ, by no means pleasing. If intense white, with a slight tinge of pink upon the cheek, can be called beauty, these ladies possess it; but among the Mooslim belles, it is size, not colour or the form of their features, that constitutes that envied appellation, expressed in one word, dumpiness. The Armenian females dress like the Turkish, and resemble them very much in appearance.

Besides the bath, one of the few excuses that an eastern dame has for leaving the hareem is, to visit the tombs of deceased relatives. Most of the Mooslim tombs about the city have the round stele or head-stone carved at top into the form of a palmetto leaf, or a number of grooves radiating from the centre. This is said to be for the purpose of catching the plenteous tears of the widows who resort there to weep over their husbands. In this respect they bear some analogy to the ancient lacrymatories mentioned by the Psalmist; but, though I examined numbers, I was never able to discover any of this precious fluid.

A Mohammadan graveyard is ever a scene of interest; and

Swinging has been a very old and favourite amusement among Eastern ladies. See the Arabic Tales of Inatulla.

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