allude to the tradition that Cain slew his brother Abel on this spot. The devout Christians ascribe the almost unchanged and prosperous state of the city to the protective agency of the innocent blood of Abel, which unceasingly beseeches Heaven in its behalf; and they take great pains to point out a small square monument, called Nebi Abel, which they assert is built on the very spot where the fratricide was committed.

It would ill become me to question the authenticity of the places pointed out by certain devout Christians to travellers, and it would signify little whether they were the sites or not-suffice it to say, we were conducted to the house of Ananias, which is a mean, dirty-looking house, having two arched cellars, with a shrine at the upper extremity; the cave of Jeremiah; the tomb of St. George, near to the Christians' burial-ground; and the field out of which the Lord took earth and made Adam!

"The Mouth of Mecca," as the city is sometimes called, has often been captured and demolished, but has always risen again to its former splendour, and maintained its character for beauty and luxury; so much, indeed, has its beauty and fertility been celebrated, that the Mohammedans reckon the Plain, or El Ghútah, of Damascus, as one of the four paradises, which are the most excellent of the beautiful places of the earth. They are the Ghútah of Damascus, the Shèab of Bauwân, the river Ubelleh, and Soghd of Samarcand; but the Ghútah excels the other three.

According to Josephus, Hadad was the first person who took the title of king of Damascus, but he was vanquished A.M. 2964, by David, king of Israel, who placed garrisons in it, and dedicated the golden quivers and armour of the guards of Hadad to God, at Jerusalem, after slaying two-and-twenty thousand men. (2 Sam. viii. 5, 6.) Towards the latter part of the reign of Solomon it revolted, and was governed by its own prince. In the reign of Ahaz it was taken by Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, who slew the king, and transported the inhabitants beyond the Euphrates. It was

taken and sacked by Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, the generals of Alexander the Great, and Judas Maccabæus. Metellus and Lælius seized it during the war of Pompey against Tigranes, B.C. 65; and it remained under the power of the Romans until the Saracens, under Caled and Aboo-Obeidah, took possession of it, in the eleventh year of the Hegira, about the year of Christ 633.

Heraclius, emperor of the East, who was at Antioch, sent his general Callus, with 5,000 men to defend the city against the Saracens; but, not being a match for the crafty Caled, he was suddenly attacked by the impetuous Saracen during a parley, and taken prisoner. Caled then changed his horse, and dashed headlong into the midst of the battle, while the Saracens shouted Allah acbar! Allah acbar! and followed him. The Damascenes, under their old governor, Izrafil, charged the Saracens, but Caled, clapping spurs to his horse, set upon the old man, and, striking the legs of his horse, brought him to the ground, and made him prisoner. The two leaders, Callus and Izrafil, on being asked to embrace the Mohammedan religion, and refusing, were instantly beheaded, and their heads thrown into the city in order to intimidate the Damascenes. After this several skirmishes took place, but without any advantage to either party, so that the inhabitants at last resolved to keep within the city, and hold a council of war

the result of which was that they let down a trusty messenger from the walls in the middle of the night, who was charged with a letter to the emperor imploring his assistance.

Heraclius, in consequence of this appeal, collected an army of 70,000 men, composed, for the most part, of chosen cavalry; and placing them under the command of one of his generals, named Werdan, they advanced upon Aiznadín, where they were reconnoitred by Derar, a Saracen chief, who was despatched for that purpose by Caled; but being discovered by Heraclius's general, a party of thirty cavalry were sent to seize him: such, however, was his prowess and courage that he unhorsed seventeen of them,

lowers into the city.

Caled, unconscious of what was going on at the other part of the city, was furiously assaulting the Eastern Gate, and it is doubtful if he would have carried it, had not a treacherous priest introduced his followers into the city, where they slaughtered old and young, males and females, rich and poor, and were filling the city with groans and blood, until they met the party of Aboo Obeidah walking quietly along.

Caled, on seeing them surrounded by priests and monks, was furious, and a fierce altercation ensued, but Aboo Obeidah departed not from his word, inasmuch as he allowed the Damascenes to depart with as much as they could carry, and each one armed, although Derar and Caled were much enraged at him.

An apostate Damascene, who loved a fair maid in the fugitive band, urged the furious Caled to pursue them, and having chosen 4,000 of the flower of the cavalry, who were dressed as Christians to avoid discovery, Caled fell upon the fugitives, slew their leader Thomas, cut off his head, and fixed it upon the point of the standard of the cross, which so terrified the poor Damascenes, that they were thrown into confusion, and all slaughtered except the women, and one man who escaped.

The very day that Damascus was taken, Caliph Abubeker died, and Omar, who succeeded him, appointed the benevolent and humane Aboo Obeidah, instead of Caled, who he condemned for his cruelty, rashness, and persecution of the fugitives.

After the capture of Damascus, the Saracens overran the whole of Syria, and under the guidance of the Ommiades, who reigned as "commanders of the faithful" for ninety-one years, (from the year 32 to 132 of the Hegira,) the Damascenes extended their conquests to the shores of the Black Sea in the north, to the banks of the Ganges in the east, to France and Spain in the west, and to Nubia in the south; so that during this period it became the capital of the Moslem world, and underwent many vicissi

On the destruction of the Ommiades by Abdallah, Damascus ceased to be the seat of the Caliphate, which was removed to Bagdad, where the Caliphs reigned for five centuries, imitating the splendour and luxury of the Persian monarchs.

After the sway of the Abassides, the reins of government were transferred to the Fatimites, and ultimately into the hands of the wild pastoral hordes of the Seljukian Turks, whose chief styled himself "Sultan of Damascus."

The Sultan Noor-ed-deen (Noureddin), the father of the poor, and terror of the unjust and great, reigned twenty-nine years, during which time he improved the city, and defeated Louis VII. the young king of France, and Conrad, the third emperor of Germany, and Baldwin III.

Salah-ed-deen (Saladin, Salvation of Religion), having deposed Ismael, the young son of Noor-ed-deen, made a grand entry into the city, where he was warmly welcomed by the inhabitants. He reformed all the abuses that existed, and after a glorious reign died in the old castle.

In 1401, Timur Lenk (Timur the Lame, Tamerlane, or Timur the Tartar), besieged Damascus, and having deceived the inhabitants and once gained admission, he tortured, butchered, and reduced to slavery all the inhabitants, set the city on fire, and carried into captivity the most able of the artizans, especially the manufacturers of the celebrated swords, in order to enrich his capital, Samarcand.

In 1517, it was taken by Selim, the emperor of the Turks, who defeated the Mamelukes at Aleppo.

The city underwent various changes of government and vicissitudes until 1804, when Ibrahim Pasha, who had been secretly appointed by the Porte, entered into Damascus.

In 1833, Mr. Farren, the first British Consul of Damascus, made his public entry, amid a large assemblage of excited and turbulent Turks and Damascenes, who looked with horror upon the inno vation

It would have been bad taste, and un

Enlisting another of the party in the cause, I set out for the street called "Straight," which extends from one end of the city to the other, or from the gate called Babel Hadji, to the great bazaar. The house of Judas, where Saul of Tarsus lodged, is shown near to it.

The most ancient remains, without doubt, are the lower portions of the walls of the city, built of square stones, united without cement, and measuring six to eight or ten feet, by four, six, or eight. Many of them are covered with Arabic and Saracenic inscriptions.

The castle, although very old, has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, yet near the foundation there are some very large and ancient blocks of stone, and a broad ditch, built of rustic Roman masonry, which surrounds the castle. The castle, which is very extensive, contains within it the remains of crumbling walls, ruined courts, fountains, and gloomy dungeons; within its circuit are eleven bastions, guarded and mounted with cannon, but too defective to withstand a smart attack of artillery.

The chief gates of the city are the Eastern gate, which is called Babel Charki, and looks on the south side, on the walls that are opposite the east; it is also called St. Paul's Gate, because it is near the spot where the Apostle was let down in a basket. It appears to be nearly in the same state as when the city was taken by the Saracens-composed of Grecian architecture, with Doric pilasters on either side of the arch; but it is now walled up.

Babel-Tchiaour looks to the south. Babel-Jabie looks to the west, but somewhat southward, and is sometimes called St. Mark's Gate. There is a story connected with this gate which is interesting

A wise and wealthy merchant of Florence went to Damascus to reside, and became in time a favourite at court. The

accepted the offer, married the lady, and became a great man. The prince died, and the son-in-law succeeding him, encompassed the city with the present wall, built the Babel-Jabie, and caused the lion, being the arms of the city of Florence, to be carved upon it. When he died he had a mosque erected to his memory, and was worshipped as a saint.

Babel-Espahi, where the horse furniture is sold. This looks to the west, and is oftentimes called the Seraglio Gate, because it is opposite the Seraglio.

Babel-Tooma, or St. Thomas' Gate, which looks to the north, is named after the brave Christian champion who fought so nobly against the Saracens.

Babel-Islamah, or Salem, "the Gate of Peace," looks to the north, and derives its name from the exemption of all passing through it from dues.

Babel-Fardis, or "the Gate of Paradise," looks between the west and north, and is a large gloomy-looking archway, leading to one of the bazaars.

Babel-Paboutch also looks between the west and north; it is the place where shoes are sold-whence its name.

Tired of wandering through bazaars and narrow streets, we bestrode our horses, and trotted outside the walls of the city, to view the environs, with their perpetual verdure, and cool refreshing shade, where

"The sighing gale, whose murmurs lull to rest The busy tumult of declining day"was rendered fragrant by the citron, orange, and minosa-where the walnut, the pomegranate, the olive, the ash, the plane, weeping-willow, and white poplar, waved their leaves in the wind to fan the truant European, or lull the Moslem to sleep with Nature's music. Here dwarf trees, flowering shrubs, and creepers luxuriate; aromatic herbs run wild, and purling brooks peep from the luxuriant foliage, to greet the thirsty traveller, and enliven the scene; while the bulbul, or Eastern nightingale, delights the rambler with his song.

Donkeys, laden with water-melons, grapes, pomegranates, and figs, pass by, with their one-eyed drivers; and strings of dromedaries or camels wind along the road to Bagdad, with their owners: an encampment of black tents is seen yonder, and here are some of the people coming into the city to purchase provisions.

Space will not permit me, and the reader is tiring, so I must bid adieu to Damascus; would that I could linger awhile to gaze on its other beauties-to ramble over its holy ground, and sketch the picturesque inhabitants!

The total population is said to be about 150,000, of whom 12,000 are Christians of different sects and denominations, but chiefly belonging to the Latin Church; 3,000 are Jews, and the remainder Mohammedans, who are grossly ignorant and bigoted.

The chief productions and exports of the country are raw silks, manufactured silks (called Damasks, from the city), madders, gum, galls, opium, rose-water, extracted from the famous damask roses, fruits, and wine. The imported goods are indigo, iron, tin, hardware, West India produce, muslins, cotton-yarns, and white and printed goods.

Early in the day we bade adieu to our kind friend Mr. Wood, the British Consul, and left the "nobilissima civitas," as Justyn styled it, for Baalbec.

Away we dashed; and pausing only for a minute to cast a last and lingering look on the city, from Salâhyèh, we rode along the edge of a ravine through which the Pharpar takes its course, amid pleasant woods and dirty khans. At last we arrived at the Djissr Dumar, where we halted to refresh both man and beast; and then pressing on through Wady Barrada, arrived at El Souk, where we slept in an old uninhabited house.

Near this the Barrada forms some pretty cascades, and the wild and rugged mountains, approaching one another on either side, form an extremely picturesque pass.

On the right-hand side there are some inscriptions cut in the rock, with some niches, and the remains of an ancient road, and fragments of Corinthian

columns. On the left, in places that seem perfectly inaccessible, are five or six chambers, cut in the scarped face of the rock, which are ascribed to the Christians.

We now crossed the bridge, and came upon a flat open country, called Ard Zebdani; and after a brisk gallop across the plain arrived at Baroudj, which is about half an hour from Zebdani. Here we dined, and then pushed on for Zebdani, which is a considerable village, with a tolerable population, three-fourths of whom are Moslems, and the remainder Christians. They breed silkworms, rear cattle, and carry on dyeing.

After leaving Zebdani, the road we had to travel was in the midst of extensive mulberry plantations, and vineyards luxuriant with juicy grapes, which far exceed what the inhabitants require; so that the surplus is converted into a thick syrup, which is used instead of sugar, the more especially as wine is not made from it.

Night advancing, we stopped at a village on the side of a high piece of ground, but the abode was horrible; I could not rest, and at last, furious with being tormented all night by the numerous inmates of a black sheep-skin, which formed my bed, I rushed into the air to cool myself, and gaze on the surrounding country.

Oh, what a delightful scene! How sublime the surrounding magnificence of Nature! Such scenes as we never can behold in England, were ever presenting themselves; each peep, a picture-every turn of the road, a study-and the distant prospects grand in the extreme.

The lofty and cultivated mind, that loves to contemplate Nature's miracles, and the grandest of God's works, delights in such scenes, where-all hushed and serene, away from the world's busy throng, who only think, from morn till eve, of gold, gold, sordid gold—it muses o'er those works that prove the omnipresence of the Deity.

The barren rocks, channeled by the mountain torrents, or riven by Nature's convulsions; the verdant summits of the hills, covered with venerable olive-trees