A Journal of Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petræ, and the Holy Land

Commendations.

"In another column of this paper will be found an extract from Millard's 'Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petrea and the Holy Land,' lately published. By the way, this is a work of great merit, and is worthy of a place in every library. Such is the interest kept up throughout the book that we are about certain if a reader begin it, he will want to read it through."-Literary Wreath.

Extract of a letter from the Hon. Samuel Young, late Secretaty of State, to the author.

"DEAR SIR-I have received yours of the 14th inst., and had some time ago received your book of Travels in the East. So far as I have been able to examine your book, I think it unexceptionable both in matter and manner; and I sincerely wish that all the books in our district libraries were equally meritorious."

PREFACE.

THE main object of the journey, the leading incidents of which are detailed in the following sheets, is sufficiently explained in the first chapter. While travelling for the benefit of my health, much of my time was employed in making critical observations and entering minutes of the result in my daily Journal. From what I now present, the reader will readily perceive that the task was one of considerable labor. The whole work is the result of my own personal observations, with some small additional aid derived by comparing notes with works of previous travellers.

Of my descriptive details, I fear not criticism, but rather court it. I am confident the more closely examined, the stronger will be the evidence of their entire correctness. In describing, I have aimed to do it in the most concise and plain manner, that the reader may take up this volume and intellectually travel the whole journey with me. I have aimed to shun all useless redundancy in language-avoid fanciful embellishments, and give plain, naked truth. Having no sect or party of men to please, I have written wholly independent of bias and prepossession..

On many localities named in the Sacred History, the traveller in the East, will, at this late period, have necessarily to exercise his own judgment. In this particular, I claim not infallibility, but simply the right of speaking and thinking for myself. My decisions, however, are as open to criticism as those of others. Let them be tested by impartial investigation. While the ordinary reader will find in this volume much to please and interest him, the devout Christian will, I trust, find nothing incompatible with true piety. In

ranging over the principal scenery of the Bible, I saw continually before me much, very much, to strengthen the faith of the Christian. I have consequently made occasional applications of matters and things as I saw them, to the word of sacred prophecy. No Christian can travel over the land of prophetic wonders, without there reading on the very face of nature, the truth of divine Revelation.

It is confidently believed, that no volume of equal dimensions, can be found to contain more information on the countries of which this treats, than the one I here present. I have made no effort to see how much I could write, but have endeavored to see how much could be detailed within any thing like reasonable limits. The world is full of books, furnishing abundance for every one to read. Generally, at the present day, he who seeks information by reading, wishes to obtain it with as little unnecessary expense, labor and time, as may comport with the object of his pursuit. Give us multum in parvo, is the language of two-thirds of readers. Here, then, you have it in one volume. Finally, such as the work is, I commit it to an impartial public, hoping it will entertain all into whose hands it may fall, and especially aid the Christian to a more perfect understanding of the sacred oracles of God.

Books