wore boots of yellow
morocco leather; the slippers had been left, according to the
Turkish fashion, at the entrance of the chamber. An ornamental
head-dress of rich gold brocade and fresh flowers completed the
bride's attire; her hair, arranged in a number of thin plaits and
decorated with coins, fell down upon her shoulders, and on her neck
glittered several rows of ducats and larger gold pieces.

Costumes of this kind are only seen in the family circle, and on the
occasion of some great event. Seldom or never are strange men
allowed to behold the ladies in their gorgeous apparel; so that it
is fruitless to expect to see picturesque female costumes in the
public places of the East.

After the marriage ceremony, which is always performed during the
forenoon, the young wife is compelled to sit for the remainder of
the day in a corner of the room with her face turned towards the
wall. She is not allowed to answer any question put by her husband,
her parents, or by any one whatever; still less is she permitted to
offer a remark herself. This silence is intended to typify the
bride's sorrow at changing her condition.

During my visit, the bridegroom sat next to his bride, vainly
endeavouring to lure a few words from her. On my rising to depart,
the young wife inclined her head towards me, but without raising her
eyes from the ground.

In Jerusalem, almost all the women and girls wear veils when they go
abroad. It was only in church, and in their own houses, that I had
an opportunity of fairly seeing these houris. Among the girls I
found many an interesting head; but the women who have attained the
age of twenty-six or twenty-eight years already look worn and ugly;
so that here, as in all tropical countries, we behold a great number
of very plain faces, among which handsome ones shine forth at long
intervals, like meteors. Thin people are rarely met with in Syria;
on the contrary, even the young girls are frequently decidedly
stout.

Not far from the bazaar is a great hall, wherein the Turks hold
their judicial sittings, decide disputes, and pass sentence on
criminals. Some ordinary-looking divans are placed round the
interior of this hall, and in one corner a wooden cell, about ten
feet long, six wide, and eight feet high, has been erected. This
cell, furnished with a little door, and a grated hole by way of
window, is intended for the reception of the criminal during his
period of punishment.

Throughou