The party remained three days at Damascus, and found the time none too great for seeing this wonderful city. Frank devoted each evening to writing an account of what they had seen during the day, and we are at liberty to copy the greater part of his story: [Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF DAMASCUS.] "When we reached the city we went directly to Dmitri's Hotel, which is the only establishment of the kind in Damascus. Dmitri is a Greek, and was formerly a dragoman. He knows the country very well, and his house is quite as comfortable as one could expect to find in this far-off place. The building was once the property of a wealthy resident of Damascus, and is in the truly Oriental style. There is a large court-yard with a fountain in the centre, and the rooms of the house mostly open from this court. When we speak of a fountain, remember we are talking of an Oriental one, which is a large tank of stone with water flowing in at one side from a pipe and flowing out at the other. [Illustration: INTERIOR OF A HOUSE IN DAMASCUS.] "On the right of the fountain there is an open recess, where it is pleasant to sit in a warm afternoon; it contains chairs and divans, and is altogether an attractive spot. On the opposite side of the court is the parlor, which we entered by an ordinary door. There is a marble floor about six feet wide, and as long as the room is broad, and on each side of this marble floor there are steps to the rest of the room, which is about two feet higher. The marble part is entirely bare, with a small fountain in the centre, but the rest is richly carpeted, and has plenty of divans and large chairs. The chairs do not properly belong here, as they are not Oriental, but are kept out of regard for the wants of European visitors. "How high do you suppose the ceiling is in the centre of this parlor? "We had a curiosity to know, and so we measured it. Dmitri supplied us with ladders and a cord, and after a good deal of trouble we ascertained that it lacked only a few inches of thirty feet! "We have been much interested in the house, as it is one of the best types we have seen of the Oriental dwelling. There are finer houses than this in Damascus, but it is not easy for a foreigner to see more of them than the outside walls. Some of the houses have cost a great deal of money, even in this country where labor is very cheap. "Having looked at the house, we will go into the streets and take a glance at the distinctive features of Damascus. "To begin with, Damascus is supposed to have a population of one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty thousand. Nobody can tell exactly, as the census is never taken as we take it in America, and quite probably nobody cares very much to know what it is. Here is the most accurate statement of the subject that we can find: