334

RETREAT OF IBRAHIM PACHA.

fell back under the government of the Turkish sultan.

The Egyptian army immediately commenced a retreat in two divisions, without baggage, and with only nine days' provisions. One division, conducted by Ibrahim Pacha, took the direction of Gaza and El Irish. From Gaza, Ibrahim fled to Egypt in a steamer sent by his father, leaving his army to escape through the desert as they could. The other division crossed the Jordan, a few miles above the Dead Sea, on their way to Akabah and Suez. Under a forced march, scant of provisions, and in the desert through which they had to pass, almost destitute of water, men and horses in vast numbers died of fatigue and thirst. It is said that over ten thousand men perished on this retreat. In another place I have noticed some remains of that disastrous march. In many places where we travelled between Cairo and Hebron, we saw the bones of men and horses, bleaching on the desert sands. Around Akabah, the skeletons of horses were immense, many of which had been killed and eaten. Between Cairo and Suez, we were surprised to see the abundance of bones that lay scattered along our path. An English lady at Suez told us she went to Cairo about four weeks after that retreat. Horses and men lay dead every short distance, and vultures and jackals were feeding on them. She said that often the stench by the way was almost insupportable. When the army of Ibrahim Pacha left Palestine, it consisted of over 40,000 men, not over 30,000 of whom reached Egypt; and a large number of these died soon after their arrival at Cairo. When a poor sol

dier was unable to drag himself farther, or to keep up with his comrades, he was instantly shot, and his body left by the way-side.

Here I may venture to remark, that whatever reasons the powers of Europe had to interpose in behalf of the sultan, and to strip Mehemet Ali of his Asiatic possessions, the result has been a very unfortunate one for the Holy Land. Mehemet Ali maintained some kind of government, kept the peasantry unarmed and in fear of him. Under his government Frank travellers were protected; and it was as safe travelling in Palestine as in Italy. But now affairs have essentially changed. The Arabs in the Holy Land go armed with pistol and sabre, while robberies and bloodshed are frequent. Frank travellers not only need to go armed themselves, but to hire armed escorts for their personal protection, in passing certain dangerous sections. The Mohammedan part of the population, it is true, are well pleased with the recent change of government. As soon as the allied powers struck for the Turks, the native troops deserted Ibrahim Pacha to the amount of 20,000. But the Christian portion of the inhabitants every where deplore the result that has followed. Their cry is, "Give us some kind of government;" for they feel that they have now comparatively none. Truly the present state of the land is wretched. And who have been the agents in bringing about this disastrous change of affairs. I blush when I say it-the Christian powers of Europe! And what have they accomplished by it? Why, they have only put a curb on one tyrant, for the purpose of strengthening the hands of another. Englishmen

who now visit Palestine, feel to blush for the part their government has acted in the affair.

We visited the exploded citadel. It was yet in ruins, though some preparations were making to rebuild it. Scarcely could it be possible for an explosion to be more disastrous, or the destruction of a fortress to be more complete. The earth was blown in every direction; and large portions of the walls, still strongly cemented together, were thrown to the distance of rods, where they were still lying in broken masses. Cannon-balls and fragments of exploded shells were thickly scattered over that entire section. We walked nearly round the walls of the city. On all sides they were most severely battered, and in many places broken by cannon-shot. The buildings of the town were sadly scarified. The minaret of one mosque, I saw, was nearly battered down; and the walls of the principal mosque of the place, bore profusely the marks of war. Even the convent at which we stopped, had received its share of cannon-shot; and I noticed one cannon-ball still lodged in its wall. It will take many years to obliterate from Acre, the marks of that awful storm of shot and shell.

St. Jean d'Acre stands on the north side of a

broad bay of the same name. The buildings are of stone; and, like all other cities in the East, the streets are narrow and filthy. Its present population is about 15,000. A broad plain stretches back from the city, which appeared to be but little cultivated.

EMBARKATION AT ACRE.

337

CHAPTER XXI.

Embarkation at Acre-View of Tyre-Perilous Storm-Landing at Sidon -English Consular Agent-Description of Sidon-Lady StanhopeArrival at Beyroot-Description-A singular Druse Ornament-Parting with Companions-The Jews in Palestine-General Remarks on the Holy Land-Conclusion.

As the plague was raging in Tyre, (called by the natives Sour,) to pass through that place might subject us to twenty days quarantine at Beyroot. Tyre lay directly on our road by land. Under these circumstances, it was deemed advisable to seek a

passage to Beyroot by water. We found a very small vessel from Tripolis, of such shape and dimensions that I hardly know what to call it. It had just discharged its freight, and the captain offered to take us all, five in number, to Beyroot for twentyfive dollars, and set out that evening if we desired. Concluding to charter the whole ship, we paid off our muleteer and dismissed him. By about dark we had taken leave of the convent and were all on board the little Tripolitan. The captain, hands and all were Arabs, and were rather awkward seamen. We did not succeed in getting out of port till about nine in the evening. In the course of the night a severe squall struck us, and for over an hour we were in real danger. It, however, passed over in the course of two hours. We had plenty of provision on board, but were so sea-sick that we ate nothing. The morning was clear, but the sea was running in high and irregular swells.

As we ran near the shore, we had pointed to us

the ancient Scala of the Syrians, or the white promontory mentioned by Pliny. It is a high, bold promontory, much like Cape Carmel. At about 11 o'clock, we passed in view of Tyre. This is but a small, miserable town, kept in being, near where once stood "the crowning city, whose merchants were princes, whose traffickers were the honorable of the earth." An excellent author says, " Tyre has indeed become like the top of a rock, a place to spread nets upon." The sole remaining tokens of her more ancient splendor lie strewed beneath the waves in the midst of the sea; and the hovels which now nestle upon a portion of her site, present no contradiction of the dread decree :-" "Thou shalt be built no more."

Soon after passing Tyre, a severe gale arose, the wind blowing almost directly to the shore. All the sails were kept up that our little barque would bear, with the hope of reaching Sidon. At about 3 o'clock, P. M., we anchored off the town with the gale still increasing. It was some time before the seamen could sufficiently secure their vessel, to leave it and set us on shore. At four we got into a boat to pass to the shore, a distance of about a mile. It was a perilous undertaking, as the sea was running in large irregular swells, and the surf breaking heavily at our landing place. The sight of our boat struggling in the midst of such swells, collected hundreds of the natives to the shore, expecting every moment to see us swallowed up in the deep. The oarsmen, however, were expert at their business, and although two of the waves partially broke over the side of our boat, we at length reached the shore