a Bible, which he seized and carried home. Soon he
became intensely interested in reading it, and learned from it the
errors of his Church. He then sought the acquaintance of the
missionaries, and several of his relatives adopted his new views. He
was excommunicated, his house attacked, his property destroyed, and
his just dues were withheld. But he remained firm, and was admitted
to the church. His wife and other relatives became Protestants; and
by his judicious course, at once decided and conciliatory, he lived
down the persecution. A school which he opened, was attended mostly
by Druze pupils, but several of his former co-religionists intrusted
their children to his instruction.

In August, 1853, Dr. Smith had completed the translation of the Four
Gospels. His work was then suspended by the failure of his health.
He was afterward able to resume it, and in May, 1854, he had
translated the Acts, the Epistle to the Romans, and the greater part
of the Epistles to the Corinthians.

In 1853, interesting developments occurred in the southern portion
of the field, which was that year under the special charge of Dr.
Thomson. Yacob el-Hakim, interrupted in his school at Ibel by
opposers, made two extended medical tours, and preached the Gospel,
with another native helper, in villages to the south as far as
Nazareth. In one village, after visiting from house to house for
some time, he was invited to preach in the church on the Sabbath,
and there the entire community listened for two hours to the Word of
God. In consequence of these labors the whole village, with the
priest at their head, declared themselves Protestants, and went to
Nazareth to be enrolled with the Protestant community at that place,
under the care of the Episcopal brethren at Jerusalem. In his last
tour, Yacob reported fifty men in Rany, another village not far from
Nazareth, who had adopted the same course, and he met with great
encouragement in several other places. Indeed he became so much
interested in this work, that he did not wish to return to his
school. These tours were made wholly at his own expense, and he was
able to support himself by his medical practice.

Elias Yacobe, a native of Rashaiah, spent the summer at Abeih in the
study of theology, and was found to possess uncommon preaching
talents. He subsequently labored with success at his native place,
at Ibel, and especially at Khuraibeh. Wherever the native brethren
went, they reported an u