n of early Saracenic or the Crusaders' era; besides
which there was a piece of wall in excellent condition of the best
character of Jewish rabbeted stones.

One man invited us to see some old stones inside of his house; but they
formed a portion of the basement above-mentioned, against which the rest
of his house was built. The people were unanimous in declaring that
there was nothing else of such a nature in the village. So that our
researches issued in no corroboration of Soba being Modin.

Leaving the place we descended to the high road of Jaffa to Jerusalem,
and saw a number of olive-trees dead of age; none of us, however long
resident in Palestine, had seen such before or elsewhere; we concluded
them to have been withered by age from their bearing no visible tokens of
destruction, while the ground was well ploughed around them, and from
finding others near them in progressive stages of decay, down to the
utter extinction of foliage.

Arrived at _Kaloneh_ upon the highway, certainly the site of a Roman
garrison or "colonia," (see Acts xvi. 12,) leaving Kustul behind, which
is also a derivation from the Latin word for a castle.

Near the bridge of Kaloneh, where there are good specimens of ancient
rabbeted stones, one gets a glimpse of 'Ain Carem through the olive
plantation; and the return that day was by a cross way from _Dair Yaseen_
through vineyards to Jerusalem.

* * * * *

It is only at a comparatively late period that attention has been
directed to the text of Eusebius and Jerome in the "Onomasticon," where
it is distinctly said that Modin was near Lydd, and that the monuments
were at that time (in the fourth century) still shown there.

Porter considers that therefore _Latroon_ is the true site of Modin: in
this supposition I wish to concur; for the general run of the Maccabaean
history becomes peculiarly intelligible when read with the idea in the
mind that Modin lay in just such a situation, namely, upon a hill, rising
alone from the great plain, but adjacent to the mountain ridge, and to
defiles into which the insurgents might easily retire, or from which they
might issue suddenly and surprise regular armies in their camp. I know
of no place so suitable for such operations as Latroon.

The word [Greek text], used for the armour and the ships, must mean
"carved in relievo," and such objects could never be distinguished by
persons actually passing upon the sea, if