streets, in the midst of the sad desolation.Many of the houses had been rebuilt, in the most hasty and temporary manner. The whole town made upon us the impression of being the most mean and miserable place we had yet visited-a picture of disgusting filth and frightful wretchedness.

"The Jews occupy a quarter in the middle of the town, adjacent to the lake. This was formerly surrounded by a wall with a single gate, which was closed every night. We found many Jews in the streets; but, although I addressed several of them in German, I could get only a few words in reply-enough to make out that they were chiefly from Russian Poland, and could not speak German. Tiberias and Safed are the two holy cities of the modern Jews in ancient Galilee-like Jerusalem and Hebron in Judea. This place retains something of its former renown for Hebrew learning: and, before the earthquake, there were here two Jewish schools. Upon this people, it is said, fell here in Tiberias the chief weight of the earthquake, and a large proportion of the hundreds who there perished were Jews." [A note says 700 out of 2500. A similar destructive earthquake happened in 1759.]

“A Muhammedan, with whom my companion fell into conversation at the threshing floor, related that he and four others were returning down the mountain, on the west of the city, in the afternoon when the earthquake occurred. All at once the earth opened and closed again, and two of his companions disappeared. He ran home affrighted, and found that his wife, mother, and two others in the family, had perished. On digging, next day, where his two companions had disappeared, they were found dead in a standing posture.

* * "Close on the shore, in the northern part of the town, is the church dedicated to St. Peter-a long, narrow, vaulted building, rude and without taste, which has sometimes been compared, not inaptly, to a boat turned upside down.

* *

*

Passing out of the city again to our tent, we kept on southward along the lake, to visit the celebrated warm baths. On the way are many traces of ruins, evidently belonging to the ancient city, and showing that it was situated here, or at least extended much further than the modern town in that direction."

The baths are then described-many of which are ancient, others now in use by the common people, and a large one erected by Ibrahim Pacha. The water is at the temperature of 144° Fahrenheit. The baths are mentioned by Pliny and the Talmud. Vespasian had a fortified camp there. The next mention made of the baths is in the time of the Crusades, by Benjamin Tudela.

"The lake is full of fish, of various kinds. We had no difficulty in procuring an abun dant supply for our evening and morning meal, aud found them delicate and wellflavored. The fishing is carried on only from the shore.

"The view of the lake from Tiberias embraces its whole extent, except the south-west extremity. The entrance of the Jordan from the north was distinctly visible, bearing N. E. by N. with a plain extending from it eastwards. Farther west, Safed was also seen, N. 6 deg. W. Upon the eastern shore the mountain, or rather the wall of high table land, rises with more boldness than on the western side, and two deep ravines are seen breaking down through to the lake. The view of the southern end of the lake is cut off by a high promontory of the western mountain, which projects considerably, not far beyond the hot springs.

"The winter is apparently much more severe and longer at Tiberias than at Jerico; and even snow sometimes, though very rarely, falls." [Professor Robinson states, with confidence, that the lake is considerably lower than the surface of the Mediterranean, and thinks that the climate there, as well as at Jerico, is consequently much warmer than it would otherwise be. Scattered palm-trees are seen, and some indigo is cultivated, as well as tobacco, wheat, millet, barley, grapes, and a few vegetables, and melons of the finest quality.] "The rocks there are basalt, and also at the north end of the lake, though limestone prevails elsewhere on the shores. The earfiest mention we find of the city of Tiberias is in the New Testament-John 6: 21, 23; and 21: 1; and next Josephus, who tells us it was founded by Herod Antipas, on the lake of Gennesareth, near the warm baths of Ammaus, and named in honor of his patron, the Emperor Tiberias. The Rabbins say it stood on the site of Rakkath, and Jerome says it was first called Chinnereth."

A WORD TO THE DEJECTED.-Ah! that I could be heard by all dejected souls! I would cry to them, "lift up your heads and confide still in the future, and believe that it is never too late! See, I too was bowed down by long suffering, and old age had, moreover, overtaken me, and I be. lieved that all my strength had vanished— that my life and my sufferings were in vain-and behold! my head has again been lifted up, my heart appeased, my soul strengthened and now, in my fiftieth year, I advance into a new future, attended by all that life has beautiful and worthy of love."

The change in my soul has enabled me better to comprehend life and suffering, and I am now firmly convinced that "there is no fruitless suffering, and that no virtuous endeavor is vain."

Winter days and nights may bury beneath their pall of snow the sown corn, but when the spring arrives, it will be found equally true, that "there grows much bread in the winter night."-Miss Bremer.

and self-denial. They have but low salaries to rely upon; but provision is made for their decent support in case of disability in the service. At the same time, the preacher is assisted by a thorough, efficient, and all-pervading system of organization, which not only prepares the ground, but co-operates in its cultivation.

Under such an organization, the society has extended its strong hands to almost every city, village and hainlet in the country; and there its manly and devoted members, with the Bible in one hand, and, by turns, the hammer, the plough, and the sickle in the other, have soon erected the school-house and the church, and at length formed the neighborhood and the village, where they first pitched a tent among the trees, and startled the forest by their prayers and hymns. And now, having spread their sails for distant countries, they are teaching the African, the distant islander, and the Indian of Oregon, the arts of civilization with the truths of the gospel. In the meantime, they join hands with those of all denominations who labor to send the Bible through the world.

Referring the reader again to the print at the head of this article, we would direct his attention to the aged tree which stands on the right side of the church. It was planted by the elder Wesley's own hand. Dr. Clark, who visited the spot in 1821, says it was then two fathoms (six feet) in girth, but growing hollow, and likely, in a few years, to have neither root nor branch. Not so with the system founded by the son.

The Lake and City of Tiberias.

[Concluded.]

In the first number of the American Penny Magazine, we gave a print representing the city of Tiberias and the adjacent part of the lake, which is mentioned in Scripture also under the names of Cinneroth, and Gennesareth, and the Sea of Galilee. As the Savior

was born near its banks, in Nazareth, and most of the early scenes of his life on earth occurred on its shores or upon its waters, the whole region is replete with interest.

It is but within a few years that we have begun to receive those minute descriptions respecting it, from such sources as we could rely upon, as we all have naturally desired. But the lake and its vicinity have now been visited by many of our countrymen, whose writings have furnished us with much of the information necessary to satisfy our curiosity. Finally, the work of Professor Robinson appeared, in 1841, with a surprising amount of the most precise and appropriate facts, relating to all parts of his extensive route, with an hundred pages or more on this lake and its environs. One of the excellencies of the work is, that, in addition to the observations and reflections of the author, and his learned and experienced companion Mr. Smith, long a missionary in Palestine, it gives us brief accounts of the visits and remarks of all the respectable preceding travellers whose wri

tings have been published, with all important notices of the places visited, from the earliest records to later times. Thus the reader has the satisfaction of feeling that he has in his hand, though an abridged, a complete library of the history of Palestine. It may be that some of our readers, who have time and disposition to devote to the perusal of such a book, have not yet availed themselves of its treasures. If our recommendation should have any weight in inducing them to procure and peruse it, we should feel confident of receiving their thanks for the pleasure and benefit they would receive from it.

It is now so easy and safe to visit the Holy Land, the voyage and a journey may be made in so short a time, at so little expense, and with all the advantages of excellent travellers' guide-books, and improved accommodations at some of the principal points, that many of our readers may hereafter find themselves on that interesting tour: perhaps some of those who now least expect it. A ship might sail from New York, on a course nearly east, and, passing through the straits of Gibraltar, with very little change of latitude, in six or seven weeks cast anchor at Tyre, Beyrout, or Joppa.

We proceed with our extracts from "Biblical Researches," vol. 3, p. 253, beginning where we stopped in our first number: on the descent of the hill behind the town of Tiberias.

Here we had our first sight of the terrors of an earthquake, in the prostrate walls of the town, now presenting little more than a heap of ruins. At three o'clock we were opposite the gate on the west; and, keeping along between the wall and the numerous threshingfloors still in operation, we pitched our tent ten minutes later, on the shore of the lake south of the city.

"Tiberias (in Arabic Tubariyeh') lies directly upon the shore, at a point where the heights retire a little, leaving a narrow strip, not exactly of plain, but of undulating land, nearly two miles in length, along the lake. Back of this the mountain ridge rises steeply. The town is situated near the northern end of this tract, in the form of a narrow parallelogram, about half a mile long-surrounded, towards the land, by a thick wall, once not far from twenty feet high, with towers at regular intervals. Towards the sea, the city is open. The castle is an irregular mass of building at the N. W. corner. The walls of the town, as we have seen, were thrown down by the earthquake of January 1st, 1837, and not a finger has as yet been raised to build them. In some parts they were still standing, though with breaches: but from every quarter, foot-paths led over the ruins into the city. The castle also suffered greatly; very many of the houses were destroyed-indeed, very few remained without injury. Several of the minarets were thrown down; only a slender one, of wood, had escaped. We entered the town directly from our tent, over the prostrate wall, and made our way through the

streets, in the midst of the sad desolation.Many of the houses had been rebuilt, in the The most hasty and temporary manner. whole town made upon us the impression of being the most mean and miserable place we had yet visited-a picture of disgusting filth and frightful wretchedness.

* *

"The Jews occupy a quarter in the middle of the town, adjacent to the lake. This was formerly surrounded by a wall with a single gate, which was closed every night. We found many Jews in the streets; but, although I addressed several of them in German, I could get only a few words in reply-enough to make out that they were chiefly from Russian Poland, and could not speak German. Tiberias and Safed are the two holy cities of the modern Jews in ancient Galilee-like Jerusalem and Hebron in Judea. This place retains something of its former renown for Hebrew learning: and, before the earthquake, there were here two Jewish schools. Upon this people, it is said, fell here in Tiberias the chief weight of the earthquake, and a large proportion of the hundreds who there perished were Jews." [A note says 700 out of 2500. A similar destructive earthquake happened in 1759.]

"A Muhammedan, with whom my companion fell into conversation at the threshing floor, related that he and four others were returning down the mountain, on the west of the city, in the afternoon when the earthquake occurred. All at once the earth opened and closed again, and two of his companions disappeared. He ran home affrighted, and found that his wife, mother, and two others On digging, in the family, had perished.

next day, where his two companions had disappeared, they were found dead in a standing posture.

*

*

"Close on the shore, in the northern part of the town, is the church dedicated to St. Peter-a long, narrow, vaulted building, rude and without taste, which has sometimes been compared, not inaptly, to a boat turned upside down.

* **

* *

Passing out of the city again to our tent, we kept on southward along the lake, to visit the celebrated warm baths. On the way are many traces of ruins, evidently belonging to the ancient city, and showing that it was situated here, or at least extended much further than the modern town in that direction."

The baths are then described-many of which are ancient, others now in use by the common people, and a large one erected by Ibrahim Pacha. The water is at the temperature of 144° Fahrenheit. The baths are mentioned by Pliny and the Talmud. Vespasian had a fortified camp there. The next mention made of the baths is in the time of the Crusades, by Benjamin Tudela.

"The lake is full of fish, of various kinds. We had no difficulty in procuring an abundant supply for our evening and morning meal, and found them delicate and wellflavored. The fishing is carried on only from the shore.

"The view of the lake from Tiberias embraces its whole extent, except the south-west extremity. The entrance of the Jordan from the north was distinctly visible, bearing N. E. by N. with a plain extending from it eastwards. Farther west, Safed was also seen, N. 6 deg. W. Upon the eastern shore the mountain, or rather the wall of high table land, rises with more boldness than on the western side, and two deep ravines are seen breaking down through to the lake. The view of the southern end of the lake is cut off by a high promontory of the western mountain, which projects considerably, not far beyond the hot springs.

"The winter is apparently much more severe and longer at Tiberias than at Jerico; and even snow sometimes, though very rarely, falls." [ Professor Robinson states, with confidence, that the lake is considerably lower than the surface of the Mediterranean, and thinks that the climate there, as well as at Jerico, is consequently much warmer than it would otherwise be. Scattered palm-trees are seen, and some indigo is cultivated, as well as tobacco, wheat, millet, barley, grapes, and a few vegetables, and melons of the finest quality.] "The rocks there are basalt, and also at the north end of the lake, though limestone prevails elsewhere on the shores. The earfiest mention we find of the city of Tiberias is in the New Testament-John 6: 21, 23; and 21: 1; and next Josephus, who tells us it was founded by Herod Antipas, on the lake of Gennesareth, near the warm baths of Ammaus, and named in honor of his patron, the Emperor Tiberias. The Rabbins say it stood on the site of Rakkath, and Jerome says it was first called Chinnereth."

A WORD TO The Dejected.—Ah! that I could be heard by all dejected souls! I would cry to them, "lift up your heads and confide still in the future, and believe that it is never too late! See, I too was bowed down by long suffering, and old age had, moreover, overtaken me, and I be. lieved that all my strength had vanishedthat my life and my sufferings were in vain-and behold! my head has again been lifted up, my heart appeased, my soul strengthened and now, in my fiftieth year, I advance into a new future, attended by all that life has beautiful and worthy of love."

The change in my soul has enabled me better to comprehend life and suffering, and I am now firmly convinced that "there is no fruitless suffering, and that no virtuous endeavor is vain."

Winter days and nights may bury beneath their pall of snow the sown corn, but when the spring arrives, it will be found equally true, that "there grows much bread in the winter night."-Miss Bremer.

leaves are broad, and indented somewhat like those of the fig-tree, frequently twelve or eighteen inches long, and rather thick, of a dark green color, with a surface glossy as that of the richest evergreen. (See cut p. 8.)

The fruit is generally circular or oval, and is, on an average, six inches in diameter; it is covered with a roughish rind, which is marked with small square or lozengeshaped divisions, having each a small elevation in the centre, and is at first of a light pea-green colour; subsequently it changes to brown, and when fully ripe, assumes a rich yellow tinge. It is attached to the small branches of the tree by a short thick stalk, and hangs either singly or in clusters of two or three together. The pulp is soft; in the centre there is a hard kind of core extending from the stalk to the crown, around which a few imperfect seeds are formed.

There is nothing very pleasing in the blossom; but a stately tree, clothed with dark shining leaves, and loaded with many hundreds of large light-green or yellowish colored fruit, is one of the most splendid and beautiful objects to be met with among the rich and diversified scenery of a Tahitian landscape. Two or three of these trees are often seen growing around a rustic cottage, and embowering it with their interwoven and prolific branches. The tree is propagated by shoots from the root; it bears in about five years, and will probably continue bearing fifty or sixty.

The bread-fruit is never eaten raw, except by pigs; the natives, however, have several methods of dressing it. When trav elling on a journey, they often roast it in the flime or embers of a wood-fire and, peeling off the rind, eat the fruit; this mode of dress ng is called tunu pa, crust or shell roasting. Sometimes, when thus dressed, it is immersed in a stream of water, and when completely saturated, forms a soft, sweet, spongy pulp, or sort of paste, of which the natives are exceedingly fond.

The general and best way of dressing the bread-fruit, is by baking it in an oven of heated stones. The rind is scraped off, each fruit is cut into three or four pieces, and the core carefully taken out; heated stones are then spread over the bottom of the cavity forming the oven, and covered with leaves, upon which the pieces of bread-fruit are placed; a layer of green leaves is strewn over the fruit, and other heated stones are laid on the top; the whole is then covered with earth and leaves, several inches in depth. In this state the oven remains half an hour or longer, when the earth and leaves are removed, and the pieces of bread

fruit taken out; the outsides are in general nicely browned, and the inner parts present a white or yellowish, cellular pulpy substance, in appearance slightly resembling the crumb of a small wheaten loaf. Its colour, size, and structure are, however, the only resemblance it has to bread. It has but little taste, and that is frequently rather sweet; it is somewhat farinaceous, but not so much so as several other vegetables, and probably less so than the English potato, to which in flavor it is also inferior. It is slightly astringent, and, as a vegetable, it is good, but is a very indifferent substitute for English bread.

To the natives of the South Sea Islands it is the principal article of diet, and may indeed be called their staff of life. They are exceedingly fond of it, and it is evidently adapted to their constitutions, and highly nutritive, as a very perceptible improvement is often manifest in the appearance of many of the people a few weeks after the bread-fruit season has commenced. For the chiefs it is usually dressed two or three times a day; but the peasantry, &c. seldom prepare more than one oven during the same period; and frequently tihana, or bake it again on the second day.-Ellis' Polynesian Researches.

There is a strange variety in Chinese arts and sciences, customs and habits. In some they display great skill, ingenuity and knowledge; and in others they are puerile to a laughable degree. But no doubt, they often speak of us, "outside barbarians," in terms as severe, and perhaps as just. The specimen of bridge-building before us, small as is the drawing, is sufficient to display a respectable state of that species of architecture, especially when we consider the arch, and learn, from good authority, something of their practice in different situations. However, we must not lend too ready confidence to all that has been written on this and some other subjects connected with China, as recent observations