ike
muzzles of cannon from a modern fortification. This arrangement, with
the same effect, is also found at Tyre, Caesarea, and other places along
the coast.

The site or lie of the city is principally in two hollow basins, in which
the detrition of houses forms now a soil for grain, for fruit gardens and
good tobacco.

We were shown the ruins of what the people call "the Church," where there
are several very large columns of polished granite lying prostrate, but
neither there nor elsewhere could any capitals be found belonging to the
columns. All over the East such objects are appropriated by townspeople
as ornaments inside the houses, especially at the mouths of wells.

The people pointed out to us from a distance the spot where H. E. Zareef
Pasha had lately obtained the marble slab of bas-relief, which he sent to
the museum at Constantinople.

The walls of 'Ascalan are clearly distinguishable in all their circuit,
and have been of great thickness.

The position of this "Bride of Syria," as the Saracens designated it, is
very fine, and the prospect around must have been beautiful; but of this
prize of so many sieges and neighbouring battles, the joy of Richard
Coeur de Lion, where he laboured with his own hands in repairing the
broken walls, only its name with the scriptural and later romantic
history remain to claim our attention, and verify the prediction of the
prophet Zephaniah, ii. 4-6.

I found no coins there, and none were brought to me; only some were
brought to me in an after-journey at Mejdal; I therefore pass by for this
time the classical allusions to the fish goddess, Deceto. A beautiful
head of a female statue, but blackened by fire, brought from Ascalon, has
since been sold to me, which I delivered to our museum.

We remained there an hour, then rode to _Naaleea_. The fine plain over
which we galloped must have had many an English rider upon it in the
Crusading times--many a man who never saw "merrie England" again, even in
company with King Richard.

_Naaleea_, though built of brick, bears an appearance of real
cleanliness; the olive plantation from Mejdal reaches thus far.

The barley reaped at _Berberah_ was, I believe, the finest I have ever
seen; and there were pretty roads winding among olive groves, orchards
well enclosed by prickly-pear hedges, with bee-eaters skimming and
twittering before us.

_Bait Jirja_ on the left; then after a good while _Bait Hhanoon_ also on
the left.