Jaffa, May 21st, 1838.

Having concluded to return during the ensuing summer to the United States, and made my arrangements accordingly, I took passage from Beyroot to this city, in a Greek vessel, April 20th. The families of Rev. Messrs. Thomson and Hebard had preceded us, to attend the annual meeting of the mission, which was to be held at Jerusalem. It was not without feelings of sorrow that I left Beyroot. For about two years I had considered it my home, and excepting while making tours, which I occasionally did, I had remained there and on the adjacent mountains. I had preached a good deal to the English congregation at Beyroot, and aided, in all the ways I could, the mission work. I had become acquainted with many of the natives, more particularly with those who maintained a friendly intercourse with the mission. I had enjoyed the acquaintance and friendship of the consuls and English residents, and could not bid them a final farewell without strong emotion. But circumstances made it indispensable, and we parted, expecting to see each other no more.

We reached this place on the 22d, after a moderately short but rough passage. To our great discomfort, we found that the plague had broken out a few days before; the city was shut up, and we were not allowed to enter. At first we were not permitted to land; but after some entreaty we were permitted to land at the Lazaret, under the watch of the health officers, who took us and our baggage into that building. There were some cases of plague in the Lazaret, and it was the last place we wished to be in; and, moreover, our room had literally nothing in it. I wished to send word to the American consul, whose hospitality we had more than once experienced; hoping that he would be able to place us in a more comfortable situation, and was told that he was at his country-house, about two miles from town, and that we might go there if we chose; but that we must walk, as all the animals had been used by the pilgrims, who were returning in great numbers from Jerusalem, and might be infected. After a most laborious walk through the sand, with our children—two of whom we were obliged to carry—we reached the house of the consul, but he was not there; his family being still in town and his house shut up. It was too late to return to the Lazaret; and there was no alternative, but to lodge, without bed or supper, on the floor of an unfinished room that was designed for a kitchen.

In the morning, the consul came out with his family, and our situation was made more comfortable. Through his aid we had our baggage landed and conveyed to a place of safety, excepting what we wished to take with us; and having procured animals, we set off for Rumla about sunset, which we reached about ten in the night. For once we resolved to make trial of the camel, and we all rode on them; but before we arrived at Rumla, we were satisfied that the horse, the mule, and the donkey, are each and all to be preferred to the camel, as a riding animal. The motion of the camel is a long swinging motion, with rather a sudden stop at each step; for a little while it is pleasant, but soon becomes tiresome and at last painful.

We were on our way at an early hour on the morning of the 25th, and reached Jerusalem about five in the afternoon, where we were kindly entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Nicolayson. We found the friends well. The sessions of the missionary meeting were drawing to a close. Professor Robinson, and the Rev. Messrs. Smith and Adger, had arrived some days before from Egypt, via Suez and Sinai.

One object I had in view in revisiting Jerusalem and its vicinity before I returned to the United States, was to correct, as far as I might be able, any errors that might exist in my former descriptions, and supply any defects which a second visit might suggest. I have not seen much that deserves special notice in the way of correction or addition.

It struck me at the time that I visited the plain of Jordan and the Dead Sea, that the descent from Jerusalem to them was greater than that from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. It is now a pretty well ascertained fact that the Dead Sea is lower than the Mediterranean; and as the water of the latter sea is above thirty feet lower than the Red Sea, it must follow that the Jordan never flowed through the El Ghor into the Elanetic Gulf. Count Barteau, who has just returned from a visit to Petra Acaba, and an examination of the district between the south end of the Dead Sea and Acaba, states that a high district crosses the El Ghor, and causes the water to run north and south from it. Dr. Wilson and Lord Lindsay gave me substantially the same information. From some experiments it is estimated that the level of the Dead Sea is several hundred feet lower than those of the Mediterranean. If a passage then were made connecting the Red with the Dead Sea, the waters would flow into it, so as to cover all the plain of the Jordan, and even raise the level of the waters of Lake Tiberias. The question will naturally be asked, where did the waters of the Jordan flow to, before the destruction of the cities of the plain? what outlet did they find? The more common opinion heretofore has been, that before the overthrow of those cities there was no lake on the south end of the plain of Jordan. The Bible does not, however, say so, but rather intimates the reverse. The Salt Sea is mentioned before the account of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. It seems to me most likely that there was a lake at the south end of the plain, and that those cities were situate near its borders; their destruction was followed by the enlargement of the lake, and the ruin of some part of the plain on which they stood. It is indeed an almost universal opinion among the Arabs, that some of the ruins of these cities may yet be seen. Costigen found ruins, as his servant declared, which he took for the ruins of those cities; and Count Barteau states, that he saw at the south end of the lake old cisterns, and other things that indicated the former existence of towns. There is now not much doubt that we shall in due time have the facts so examined into and certified, as to add another proof to the many which have lately been given, of the verity and accuracy of the Scriptural account of things.

While at Jerusalem, I had occasion to visit Jaffa. I rode down past Rumla, and reached Jaffa in about ten hours. My horse was not a good one; the day was warm, and I did not ride fast. I infer, from the time spent on the road, that the distance must be at least thirty-five miles, and possibly forty.

I returned by a road which separates from that of Rumla, a few miles from Jaffa, and passes over the plain farther to the north. It led us past several villages on the plain, among which was Lydd, the ancient Lydda, where Peter healed Eneas. It is a small village, but contains some better buildings than we usually meet with in such small towns. It is surrounded by extensive gardens and orchards of fruit-trees; and on the east side of the village is a good well, much resorted to for water. The plain of Sharon on this road was very fertile, and more of it had been cultivated than is usual. The harvest was going on, and men, women, and children, were out in the fields: some reaping with the common reap-hook—some pulling up the grain with their hands—some binding up the grain in bundles—some carrying it on their shoulders, or on donkeys, or mules, or camels, to the thrashing-floor—and some thrashing out the grain by driving the cattle over it. They use a thrashing instrument not unlike a harrow. In its under side they have pieces of stone or iron fastened which serve as teeth. These instruments are dragged by the oxen over the grain, and thus separate it from the straw.

After leaving the plain, our road followed a ridge for a considerable distance; a little west of the highest ground we passed two ruined villages at some distance from each other, that were called Beth-horon. They are, I doubt not, the upper and the nether Beth-horon. This opinion is, I think, confirmed by the account given of the defeat of the kings that were confederated against Gibeon. It is said that Israel "chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon; and it came to pass that as they were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord threw down on them great hailstones from heaven." Josh. x. 11, 12. Beth-horon lies on the west side of the ridge, and Gibeon lies on the east side, and at the distance of several miles from the top. The flight began from Gibeon, and was first up to the top of the ridge on the road towards Beth-horon; and from the top of the ridge it was down to Beth-horon, and on this last part of the way, that the hailstones fell on them. Until I saw the ground, I never understood the "up" and "down," as used in the record of this flight and pursuit. Near Gibeon I saw some sandstone, singularly mixed up with the limestone. It lay about in large masses, but I saw no continuous rock of it. The ancient Gibeon is now a small-village, inhabited by a few Mohammedan families. It stands on the summit of a round hill, and from the steepness of its sides is capable of being made very strong. There are various old ruins and some arches of great size running into the sides of the hill, forming rooms, in which various labours are now carried on. A little out of town is a spring in a cave, and below it, on the side of the hill, the remains of an old pool, which is probably the one beside which Abner and Joab, with their men, sat down before the battle in which Asahel fell.

The plague made its appearance in Jerusalem shortly after our arrival. We did not pay much attention to it, excepting that we were more careful in passing about the city not to come in contact with the people. The monks from some of the religious houses left the city, and took refuge in other places. We found the monks at Bethlehem keeping quarantine, and there was plague in some of the convents in the country.

A health officer from Jaffa visited the city on the 16th, and declared his intention to shut up the gates and prevent egress or ingress, until the plague abated. He gave us permission to leave, provided we would do it early the next day. Having no wish to be shut up even in Jerusalem, for a month or two, we made all possible haste to get ready to leave town the next morning. We found some difficulty in procuring animals, but at last succeeded, and bidding farewell to all our kind friends, and the missionary brethren resident there, we left the city and bent our course to Rumla. Our animals proved miserable creatures, and one of our muleteers gave us the slip and returned, leaving us to make our journey as best we could. We had been informed at Jerusalem that we would not be permitted to enter Rumla; but supposed that we should arrive in season to consult with the consular agent, and obtain lodging in the old tower, or some place in the vicinity. Our mules were so intolerably bad, however, that it was dark when we approached Rumla. To our frequent inquiries of the muleteer, as to where he was taking us, we received the reply, "to the water," and supposing that we would halt at some watering place near the town, we allowed him to proceed. Finding from the length of the way that we must be taking the road to Jaffa, we insisted on coming to an understanding of the matter. He had no idea of stopping, but intended to land us safe at Jaffa that night; after a great deal of noise on both sides we prevailed on him to halt. He took us under an olive-tree near by, saying, what he supposed was true, that if he took us to the town they would cut his head off. Angelo set off immediately, to see if he could gain admittance within the town. The children, worn out with the fatigue of the journey, had lost all patience, and were crying for their suppers. I seated them on the ground and began to search about in the dark for the remains of our luncheon, which there was much reason to fear the muleteer and his boy had eaten. Presently Mrs. P. began to shake with an ague fit, and called out to me that she should die with the cold if relief was not soon obtained. I had procured some wine at Jerusalem, which I was taking home as a sample of the wines of Palestine; and thinking this was a time, if ever, when its use would be justifiable, I succeeded in disengaging a bottle from our baggage and administered a quantity of it to those "who were ready to perish." Drawing a small carpet from the saddle of the mule on which I rode, I covered up my little family, and with no enviable feelings waited the result. It was not long before the well-known voice of Angelo hallooing in the distance broke upon my ear. He came with one of the consul's sons, who welcomed us to his father's house, assuring us there was no obstacle in the way of our admittance. Thus our difficulties were removed, and we were most hospitably lodged for the night. The next day we arrived at the country-seat of our very kind consul at this place, who has furnished us with a room, and is assiduous in his attentions to promote our comfort and happiness.