It was the degeneracy of the inhabitants of Palestine that first enabled the Saracens and the Turks to subdue it, and they have not improved a whit since. If they did improve, the population would increase—which is very far from being the fact. There are localities where the population and trade are increasing, and increasing rapidly too, and there is also a cause for it. I will explain this cause further on. But when we find large districts of as good land as our Western States can boast of, "houses builded, wells digged, orchards and vineyards planted," lying waste without a single inhabitant, except only the Bedouin, who roams over this whole country precisely as the Indian roams over the prairies, and on, and all over, these wastes we find the deserted habitations of man in his more prosperous state, in all states of ruin, from those that have lain so long in their desolation that it is difficult, oftentimes, to tell the old walls of cobblestone and mortar from similar-looking formations of chalk-rock conglomerates, so common here, up to those that have been so lately deserted that they are much more habitable than the great mass of the dwellings of the common villagers; when we find things in such a state, we know that something is now and always has been wrong. It does not require Divine inspiration to teach us here what this wrong is. It is a wrong that has existed for many centuries; a wrong that is felt in some degree in all despotic countries. Despotism, with the steady and firm administration of law, and those laws recognising the undisputed right of property (especially real estate) of individuals, may be borne with; but when there is no guarantee to a man for anything he may do this year for his benefit the next, when he is always obliged, if he makes a piece of land to produce double, to have all the overplus taken from him, and if he resist, lose his head—what encouragement has he for any thing more than just to keep body and soul together? And would any of the other classes who inhabit this land, do better if they had the management? Not in the least.

The Franks, to a man, I think, choose to have the power remain in the hands of the Turks, rather than any other of the neighbouring nations or tribes, the Russians not excepted. The natives themselves felt this. They know full well that they would do no better than the Turks, and foreigners know that they would not do half so well, and they have no wish to try it at present. But certain it is that this country must change rulers, either virtually and openly, or be indirectly ruled by one power in the name of some other. It is not the condition of this country merely that is to bring this about. It is as much the state and desires of the more prosperous nations as it is the weakness of this assemblage of tribes that is to accomplish it. There is a great extent of country, a large portion of which is of the richest kind, sparsely peopled, destitute to a great extent of the manufactured articles, that the industrious natives so much need a market for, situated where it is easy to come at; in short, it is just such a place as would be the making of any enterprising people into whose hands it might fall. No wonder, then, that the eyes of the politicians, and political economists of the world are turned towards it. I have before stated that the minds of the religious world are turned this way. And are both classes to be disappointed in their expectations? I don’t see how it can be possible. For if there is no moral impediment thrown in the way, by a great religious reformation, certainly the all-grasping power of the love of power and gain will break down all the feeble barriers that this divided and superstitious and superannuated assemblage of nations can oppose. Why has the door been so long closed here against the improvements and progress of the age? Simply from the superstitious fear of innovations on their old customs, so long held by them to be, in a manner, of divine origin. But it is now seen that this old system of things cannot stand before the opposite spirit so fast gaining ground in the West. Hunkerism will stand well enough, where there is no interest to run against it. But against that it has little or no power to maintain itself. Self-interest, with the powers of this world, will not let such a chance for money-making as this country affords, go any longer unoccupied. This war will not leave this part of the world where it found it. No one here expects this or wishes it; all, both native and foreign, feel this to be one of the certainties, perhaps I may say the only certainty.

Every one, of course, will have their own opinions and their own prophesyings about it. For my own part, all that I can say is that the Lord will accomplish his own plans and purposes, the powers of the earth to the contrary notwithstanding. There is nothing in the constitution of things in this part of the world that can hold an empire together but physical force, and in this case that force is gone, and all feel it, and govern themselves accordingly. Not that they are now all rising up against the government in open rebellion. Self interest prevents this. For if they should, who, of all the various tribes that people this region, would be the ones to have the rule? They are more jealous of each other than they are of the Turk. And well they may be. The Turk has some very good traits of character; let him alone and he will let you alone; treat him like a gentleman, and not interfere with his customs and superstitions, and he will be a gentleman. Rouse up his fanaticism and jealousy, and he is a perfect fiend. It is this, and nothing but this, that makes him so formidable to the Czar at present. The case is very different with the rest of the component parts of this Empire, especially with the Greek. He will do mischief for mischief’s sake, and lie because he loves to. It is a common saying here, that a "Bedouin will plunder, an Arab will beat and plunder, and a Greek will beat, kill and plunder." Let either of these nations get the ascendancy over all the rest, and I know not what would be the result. None of us here wish to see it tried. It is their decrepit and defenceless state that keeps them as peaceable as they are, rather than nay fear of the government. They literally have little government to fear. All of government there is (and by this I mean what I said before, that force is all the government that is of any use in such an Empire as this) is on the northern frontiers. This state of things throws the way open for all so disposed to make such depredations on whoever they may fall in with, as they see fit. It is this, and nothing but this, that has put a stop to travel in this part of the country. There is no one to call the Bedouin to account for his depredations on foreigners that may be passing through his neighbourhood.

There is no place where the protection of a consul is more needed by so large a portion of those that pass through or reside in it. There is but one consul from the American government in all Syria. What is necessary for the well-being of Americans is, a paid consulate here at Beirut, and also one at Jerusalem. As it now is, Mr. Smith, the present consul, will have to leave, a thing that we all regret from our inmost souls, even if am American could be found to take his place. Should he be removed, or obliged to leave, there would be a scattering, every man to where he thought he should be safest. Here and at Damascus they probably would most of them take English protection. But at Jerusalem it would be the last thing that they would do. They would much sooner go to the Austrians, and it would be unsafe for those that took English protection here to go there.

S. W. JONES.

* * *