This, like the journey last described, of six years before, was portion
of a much longer tour, but I omit all that cannot come under the
designation of a Byeway in Palestine. The two routes were very similar
to each other, with the exception of the passage from Banias to Safed.
Starting from Saida, and trending south-eastwards towards Hhasbeya, we
climbed the mountains, which here rise almost from the sea-shore, and
crossed romantic passes of rugged eminences and deeply cleft ravines.
From Hhasbeya the line was due south to Banias, thence westward by Tell
el Kadi, and Hhuneen, and Tibneen, the capital of the Belad Besharah,
thus almost reaching once more the plain of Phoenicia on its eastern
verge; next by the antiquities of Kadesh Naphtali southwards to Safed;
and homewards to Jerusalem, but this latter route is not to be described,
for the reason given above.
I was accompanied by my niece and another lady, a settled resident of
Jerusalem. The first object after quitting Saida was to visit Joon, and
to show my companions the residence of Lady Hester Stanhope in years gone
by. This we reached just before sunset, on the 2d of October 1855.
The tomb was found much dilapidated; in 1853 it was no longer in so good
a condition as it had been in 1849, but it was now even worse, and the
whole spectacle of house, stables, and gardens, was melancholy in the
extreme: the deprivation of roofs gives a peculiar aspect of desolation
to any abandoned dwelling, especially when the gardens have still their
cultivable flowers remaining, but running riot within their marked-out
beds; these had now been sixteen years neglected, yet the roses and
myrtle only required pruning.
We proceeded to the convent, the road was stony, and we had to find the
way by twilight and starlight.
At the great door we were received by the new president, and several of
the clergy chanting psalms for welcome, and the great bell was ringing at
the same time. I could not but attribute all this unusual display to the
operation of political affairs in Europe.
On taking possession of the rooms allotted to us, I received a visit of
the Greek Catholic Bishop of Saida, he being there on business connected
with the election of a new patriarch in the place of Maximus; his
deportment was that of a man of polite society. Our rooms were lighted
by huge ecclesiastical tapers of wax.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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