"The view from the top of the Tower is inexpressibly grand. The whole plain of Sharon, from the mountains of Judea and Samaria to the sea, and from the foot of Carmel to the sandy deserts of Philistia, lies spread out like an illuminated map. Beautiful as vast, and diversified as beautiful, the eye is fascinated, and the imagination enchanted, especially when the last rays of the setting sun light up the white villages which sit or hang upon the many-shaped declivities of the mountains. What a paradise was here when Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, and sung of 'the roses of Sharon!'" Our friends ascended the Tower and found that the description was by no means overdrawn. The mountains on one side, the undulating ground at their feet, the plain between them and the waters of the Mediterranean--all were there, and above them spread the clear blue dome of the sky of the East. They lingered till the lengthening shadows told them the sunset was near and it was time to depart. Descending from the Tower, they were shown some vaults beneath the site of the mosque that once stood here. According to tradition, these vaults were the sepulchres of many Christian martyrs, and there is reason to believe that the underground chambers were formerly much more extensive than at present, many of them having been filled up and abandoned. Various attempts have been made to identify Ramleh with some of the places named in sacred history, but none of them have been successful. Some writers think it was the Arimathea mentioned in the Bible, and the monks claim that the Latin church occupies the site of the house of Joseph of Arimathea. The Arab writers say the town was founded in the eighth century by one of their rulers, and they assert that its name is purely Arabic, and without the slightest trace of any other language. Dr. Bronson suggested that it was hardly worth their while to investigate the origin of Ramleh, and, after looking at the bazaar, and studying the exterior of a few of the principal buildings, they returned to the Russian convent, and prepared for a good rest, with the view of making an early start for Jerusalem in the morning. They were up long before daybreak--they breakfasted by the light of a weak candle--and, just as the sun was preparing to show himself at the eastern horizon, they mounted their horses, and rode away in the direction of the Holy City. At the edge of the town they found a row of beggars drawn up at the roadside, or, rather, squatted on the ground, and imploring the travellers for charity. Several were blind, and others had lost their hands or fingers, and held up the mutilated stumps to attract attention. The guide said that some of them were lepers; but the majority had caused their hands to be cut off, or it had been done by their parents, in order to fit them for the mendicant profession.