for the Germans; and on Wednesday, Feb. 8th, the violence of the gales
having to some extent abated, we embarked for Haipha (or Kaifa) on the
coast of Palestine, about 70 miles north of Jaffa. Our passage, however,
in a small boat, to the Austrian steamship "Flora" (lying at a
considerable distance from the shore) during weather still tempestuous,
was most trying and even dangerous; for, after riding over heavy
breakers, and getting clear of the rocks, our boat was tossed about upon
the waves for nearly half an hour; and, after at last we reached the
ship, a favourable opportunity of getting a footing on board (to be
seized just at the right moment as the boat was lifted upwards by the
waves) had to be closely watched for, when one after the other, at the
risk of our _lives_, we had _to spring_ on to the steep ladder
staircase, that led up towards the deck. At 2 o'clock the vessel sailed,
and on the evening of that day, at half-past 9, we arrived off Haipha,
where, in consequence of the roughness of the sea, and our distance from
the shore, it became a question whether we should disembark _at all_;
but after considering the matter, and praying over it, we resolved to
brave the disagreeables and land. Some time elapsed before the boat,
which had been sent ashore with passengers, returned; but soon after
midnight we stepped into it, and, with less discomfort than had been
experienced at Jaffa, were rowed safely to the beach. There, some German
brethren were waiting our arrival with an open waggon, in which, during
torrents of rain, we were conveyed to the Hotel du Mont Carmel, a mile
and a half distant, where we arrived soon after one o'clock.
The little town of Haipha is beautifully situated, on the sea shore,
close to the foot of Mount Carmel. During the twelve days of our visit
there, Mr. Mueller preached 14 times amongst the large colony of Germans,
settled at this place, and here the Lord was pleased to grant a
particular blessing upon his labours; for his ministry was the means of
bringing about a complete revival amongst the people, who had previously
been in a very dead state, spiritually. On Feb. 13th, accompanied by
some German brethren, we rode on donkeys up Mount Carmel, and when near
its summit, alighted at a Monastery, where the monks entertained us
with cups of black coffee without milk, and glasses of mulberry wine,
flavoured with lemon juice. They afterwards showed us into a Church
containing (according to tradition) the cave in which Elijah dwelt, and
finally led the way to a lighthouse standing on a rock, that we might
see, from this elevated point, the magnificent prospect which extended
far and wide. It embraced Mount Tabor in the extreme distance, Brook
Kishon, the Valley of the Sea of Tiberias, the Bay and town of Haipha,
with the houses of the German colony, the town of Acre the other side of
the Bay, the plain of Esdraelon, and the vast expanse of the
Mediterranean, stretching away as far as the eye could reach, which
looked as unruffled as a sea of glass, and offered a striking contrast
to the troubled waves at Jaffa. Being favoured with bright sunshine, and
a beautifully clear atmosphere, the whole scene was viewed under
particularly favourable circumstances. The place where Elijah slew the
false prophets of Baal, and by prayer brought down fire from heaven to
consume his sacrifice upon the altar, is situated near Haipha; and after
the drought of three years and six months, during which there had been
neither rain nor dew--it was upon Mount Carmel he prayed, that Jehovah
would again send rain upon the earth.
Before our departure from Haipha, we intended to visit Nazareth; but as
there was no carriage road even _tolerably_ good, and as riding on
horseback for nearly 40 miles would have been objectionable, serious
difficulties were in the way. We desired to engage a Russian waggon, and
did our utmost to obtain one, but the Brook Kishon (through which our
route lay) being swollen from the recent heavy rains, and as the
adjacent country was partially under water, its owner refused to let us
have it, because the journey was impracticable. Though Haipha possessed
attractions of its own, there were discomforts also connected with our
visit; for the hotel accommodation was inferior and uncomfortable. Our
apartment for instance had a rough, dusty, uneven stone floor, without
any carpet; and even in cold, rainy weather, as it possessed neither
fireplace nor stove, no fire could be had. The room too, from being
scantily furnished, was comfortless in appearance; and though the
sleeping accommodation was clean it was hard and uninviting. The meals,
however, were good, and for wholesome, nourishing food we felt most
thankful; but let no one visit small towns or villages in the Holy Land,
and expect to find that they contain European comforts. The English
clergyman at Nazareth (who had resided there for a considerable time)
informed us, that throughout the winter he had one constant series of
"domestic miseries" to contend with. Through the flat roof of his house,
the rain leaked in, fuel was scarce and expensive, provisions were dear
and not easily obtained, meat was tough and of inferior quality, and
often little besides goats' flesh could be procured. He remarked also
that visitors to the Holy Land, who frequent the best hotels at Jaffa
and Jerusalem, and carry their comforts about with them, can form no
conception of the real poverty of the country, and of the degraded
condition of the _native_ population, as seen in the little towns and
villages of the interior. As far as the hotels at Haipha, however, are
concerned, they must be superior to the inn accommodation in some parts
of _Asia Minor_, which, according to the guide books, is "_execrable_."
On the afternoon of Feb. 20th we left Haipha, in an open waggon; and,
after alighting on the sea shore, were carried on the shoulders of Arabs
across some shallow water to a boat, which conveyed us to a large
Austrian steamer bound for Beyrout, Syria. At half-past 8 p.m. the
vessel sailed; at 7 o'clock the next morning we reached our destination
(where a most unpleasant rough landing in a small boat awaited us), and
were afterwards conducted by a guide to the Hotel de l'Orient, at a
short distance only from the landing place.
There we remained twenty-one days, and besides preaching many times at
the Anglo-American Mission Church, and at the Church of the Deaconesses'
Institution, Beyrout, both in English and in German, Mr. Mueller
addressed the students of the Syrian College with Arabic interpretation,
spoke to the Theological students for an hour, conducted a service for
the Moslem girls at Miss Taylor's school, and held three meetings for
Christian workers, in German. At the residence of Mr. Mott (a mansion on
the hill) he held a large drawing-room meeting also, which was attended
by a number of the principal residents and visitors of Beyrout,
including His Excellency Rustem Pasha, Governor-General of the Lebanon,
Pasha Rickards, Mrs. Eldridge, wife of the British Consul-General, the
English clergyman and his wife, the Presbyterian minister, some visitors
from the hotels, and many other persons.
The climate of Beyrout is delightful. Whilst there, we walked through
the beautiful gardens which belong to the Pasha, and took a long drive
on the Damascus road, to the foot of the mountains of Lebanon, the tops
of which were covered with snow. A visit to Damascus, which we had in
contemplation, was abandoned, because it would have been necessary to
rise at 3 o'clock, in order to travel by an early diligence. The journey
of 70 miles too over a very rough road would have been very fatiguing;
and having before us the prospect of much more travelling both by land
and water, we decided upon giving up this excursion. Three days before
we left Beyrout an exceedingly heavy sea rolled in for many hours upon
the shore, making it impossible to undertake a passage from the land to
a steamer in a small boat; it seemed probable therefore that our
departure might be delayed; but as the wind gradually abated, on March
14th, we sailed for Smyrna, in Asia Minor, by the Austrian steamship
"Jupiter."
On the following morning, between 6 and 7 o'clock, we anchored off
Cyprus, in the Levant, which, after Sicily and Sardinia, is the largest
and most important island in the Mediterranean; and from our cabin
window had an excellent view of it. Larnaca, its chief port, is built on
flat ground close to the sea; but high mountains rise behind the town,
and a long range of hilly country extends for miles beyond it. Cyprus
(of which Nicosia is the capital and seat of Government) is 120 miles in
length and about 50 broad.
After remaining stationary for some hours, in the afternoon our voyage
was continued, and on Thursday, March 16th, we sailed between the
islands of the Archipelago, where, as the currents are swift and
powerful, the sea became extremely rough; but towards evening the vessel
got into smoother water, and at 10 o'clock we arrived off Rhodes, an
island visited by the Apostle Paul, when returning from his third
missionary journey.
At the expiration of a few hours, our voyage was resumed, and the next
evening we touched at Chios, an island which in 1881 was fearfully
devastated by earthquakes. There we remained four hours, and then went
on to Smyrna, where on Saturday, March 18th, we arrived at 5 a.m.
Here Mr. Mueller found work immediately, and, during our stay, preached
on the Lord's days twice, and every afternoon or evening in the week,
but generally with interpretation into Armenian, Turkish, or modern
Greek; and once, when addressing a congregation of Spanish Jews, with
translation into Spanish. On the morning of Sunday, April 2nd, he
preached to an Armenian congregation with Turkish interpretation, and in
the afternoon at the Scotch Church, in English. These services were held
at different places, including the Hall of the Smyrna Sailors' Rest, the
Dutch Chapel, the Deaconesses' Institution, the Presbyterian Church, and
the Armenian School Room.
On Tuesday, April 4th, we rose early; at 8 o'clock started by rail for
Ayasaloup (a little village 48 miles from Smyrna, close to the ruins of
Ephesus), and on our arrival at half past 10, took a guide to the Mosque
and to the Temple of Diana, which are the principal ruins in that
particular locality. The Mosque bears traces of having been a large,
magnificent building, and contains granite columns from the Temple of
Diana. It is now in a dilapidated state; but the view from it (which
consists of extensive mountain ranges, and a long, wide, vast plain,
extending far away for many miles, until lost sight of, in the distant
sea) is grand and striking. At no great distance from the Mosque, in a
very large hollow, sinking a little below the general level of the
ground, are the ruins of the Temple of Diana; but the devastation there
is so complete, that no trace whatever (as to form or outline) exists
of the celebrated building which once occupied this site. One stone can
scarcely be found upon another, and all that is left of this famous
Temple are quantities of stones, either lying in heaps, or scattered
about in the greatest confusion, and giving not the slightest idea of
what the edifice must have been which stood there many centuries ago.
Ephesus (and the whole neighbourhood for miles around) abounds with
ruins of Theatres, Temples, Aqueducts, Towers, Tombs, Mosques, etc.
There is a building to be seen also, called "Paul's prison," now in a
ruinous condition; and a variety of ancient architectural curiosities,
of a remarkable character, invite the inspection of travellers. The
_solitude_ and _silence_ of the entire locality, however, are mournful
and depressing; these numerous relics of departed magnificence, all
crumbling away to dust, fill the mind with feelings of solemnity; and
the whole scene affords a striking illustration of the vain,
unsatisfying character of all that this poor world calls great and
glorious. Happy are they, and they _only_, who, through faith in Christ,
have _God Himself_ for their present and eternal portion! In the
afternoon we returned to Smyrna, and on the following day, at 3 p.m.,
Mr. Mueller preached a farewell sermon at the Hall of the "Sailors'
Rest," where a large number of persons assembled to hear him.
The next day (Thursday, April 6th), in the evening, we left Smyrna by
steamer, reached the entrance of the Dardanelles the following
afternoon, crossed the Sea of Marmora during the night, and at a quarter
past 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 8th, reached Constantinople, where, at 6
o'clock, we disembarked, and, accompanied by a guide, walked up a high,
steep hill, to the Hotel d'Angleterre, at Pera.
On the morning of Sunday, April 9th, Mr. Mueller preached in German at
the Chapel of the Scotch Jewish Mission, and in the afternoon in
English, at the Presbyterian Church. On the 11th he spoke in English at
the Bible House, and the following evening preached again at the Chapel
of the Scotch Jewish Mission. On the 13th he addressed an Armenian
congregation, at the Bible House in English, with Turkish
interpretation, when about 450 persons were present.
The next day he spoke to the children of an Orphan Institution,
connected with the Scotch Mission, and on the 15th held a meeting for
two hours at the Deaconesses' German Hospital, intended especially for
Christian Workers. On Sunday (April 16th) we went to Bebek (a beautiful
village on the Bosphorus, five miles distant) where my husband preached
morning and afternoon in English, at the American Presbyterian Church;
and the following morning at Haskiog, near Constantinople, addressed the
children belonging to the school of the London Jewish Missionary
Society, the orphans of a small Institution, and the children of the
Presbyterian Jewish Missionary Society. The young people in these three
schools (about 700 altogether) were Jews. On April 18th he spoke in
French, German, and English, to three different departments of Jewish
Schools, belonging to the Scotch Jewish Mission; and on the 19th
preached in German at the Chapel of this Mission, to an assembly
consisting principally of Jews, from Lamentations iii. 22-26. On the
20th he had a congregation of 500 Armenians, whom he addressed with
Turkish interpretation, and this service was his last at Constantinople.
During our stay of twelve days (including a few meetings which have not
been specified) he spoke eighteen times altogether.
Whilst at Constantinople, we saw the exterior of a few of the principal
public buildings in the city, and from the Mosque of San Sophia, which
stands upon high ground, overlooking the Bosphorus, had a distant view
of the Barracks at Scutari, where Florence Nightingale and her helpers
so nobly attended the sick, wounded, and dying soldiers, who fought
during the Crimean war. An ancient Egyptian Obelisk from Cairo, about
3,000 years old, covered with hieroglyphics, was also pointed out. The
Bazaars of Constantinople, consisting of lofty stone cloisters or
arcades, lighted from the top by domes, are extensive, numerous, and
very oriental in appearance. Each trade has its particular quarter, and
the various dealers have small shops with rooms behind them for their
wares, which are often of a costly and valuable description.
On the afternoon of April 14th, a religious service of the dancing
Dervishes was held at one of their Convents, within a few minutes walk
of our hotel. There were 18 performers altogether, who wore brown
mantles, and high, round caps made of felt. At a particular signal, they
all fell flat upon their faces; but afterwards rose, and walked a few
times round the room, with folded arms, bowing and turning slowly many
times. Their mantles were then suddenly cast off, when they appeared in
long, full, bell-shaped petticoats and jackets, and, after stretching
out their arms to the utmost, began gravely and deliberately to dance
and revolve (that is, to spin round and round like a top) for about
fifteen or twenty minutes, as rapidly as possible. The sight was
instructive, inasmuch as it gave rise to a feeling of the deepest
gratitude to God that the wild, religious delusions of these poor
Dancing Dervishes were not ours. "Who maketh _thee_ to differ from
another, and what hast _thou_ that thou didst not receive," should ever
be the language of our hearts. The howling Dervishes we did not see, but
heard that they carry on their religious performances at Scutari.
On April 18th we took a drive to "Sweet Waters"; on the 19th went by
steamer up the Bosphorus, to the entrance of the Black Sea, 20 miles
from Constantinople; and on the 20th visited the great Turkish Cemetery,
and the English Military Burying Ground at Scutari, in Asia Minor. The
former is an enormous grave yard, where many hundreds of thousands of
corpses lie interred. It contains numbers of cypress trees, under which
are the graves of the departed Mussulmans, marked by innumerable high,
narrow tombstones, standing upright, and huddled so closely and
indiscriminately together, that they formed a perfect labyrinth. Most of
the graves had each two upright stones, partially painted over with
bright colours--blue, green, red, or yellow, and bore Turkish epitaphs
in characters of gold inscribed upon them. On the top of many of these
tombstones, a carved Turkish fez cap and tassel also stood out in bold
relief. The Cemetery was not enclosed, and the vast number of graves it
contained, presented such a wretched, confused, disorderly appearance,
that no Christian passer-by would ever wish his last earthly
resting-place to be in a Mahometan Cemetery, amongst Mussulmans!
After leaving this burial ground, we passed the Barracks (used as an
English Hospital during the Crimean war, the scene of Miss Nightingale's
memorable labours), and then reached a spot from which there was a fine
view of the Sea of Marmora, Prince's Islands, and Stamboul (as the
ancient part of Constantinople is called), the Golden Horn, the town of
Chalcedon, etc. A short drive further brought us to the British Military
Cemetery--a beautiful enclosure, planted with trees and shrubs--which
was laid out with grass nicely mown, and neat gravel walks. A few
flowers also were in bloom, and the whole was kept in perfect order,
either by a gardener, or the lodge-keeper at the entrance. Part of the
ground sloped gradually towards the Sea of Marmora, the sun shone
brightly upon the Cemetery, and the whole enclosure looked so peaceful,
quiet, and even _hallowed_, compared with the Turkish burial-ground we
had just quitted, that the superiority of Christianity to Mahometanism
was vividly conspicuous. This Cemetery contains the graves of 8,000 of
the British officers, soldiers, and sailors, who died of wounds received
in the Crimean war; and the bodies of British residents in
Constantinople may likewise (by permission) be interred therein. Upon
the first monument that attracted our attention was the following
touching epitaph:--"In memory of Julian Henry Layard, Lieut. 37th N.
Hampshire Regiment, assistant military attache to the British Embassy at
Constantinople, who died of typhoid fever while on duty with the Turkish
forces under Suleiman Pasha in the Shipka Pass. Born 15th May, 1850,
died Sept. 24th, 1877. This monument has been erected by his parents
Col. Frederick and Ida Layard, in testimony of their undying loss.
Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts, oh! Lord." Further on was a
large, handsome, white marble monument, a column between 20 and 30 feet
high, which had angels carved upon it, with folded arms, drooping wings,
and down-cast countenances; and on one of its four sides was the
following inscription:--"A la memoire des officiers, des soldats, et des
marins de l'armee Anglaise, et de la flotte, morts pour la patrie, dans
la guerre de la Russie en 1854, 1855, et 1856. Ce monument a ete eleve
par la reine Victoria et son peuple, en 1857." After leaving the
Cemetery, we took a drive through Scutari before returning to the Hotel
d'Angleterre. Constantinople, including Stamboul and the suburbs of
Galata, Pera, Tophana, and Scutari, contains a population of upwards of
a million.
On April 21st, at 5 p.m., we left for Athens in the "Minerva"; arrived
at the Piraeus, Greece, at 6 a.m. on the 23rd, after a favourable voyage,
and proceeded immediately by rail to Athens, which is only seven miles
distant. There, on the evening of that day, Mr. Mueller preached at the
Chapel of the American Congregational Mission, in English, from Phil.
iv. 6, 7, with translation into modern Greek. On the 26th he spoke at
the house of an American Baptist minister, with translation also into
Greek, and on the following evening, at 8 o'clock, preached at the
American Presbyterian Mission Chapel, from Romans viii. 28, when Dr.
Kalopothakos translated for him. On the 28th he addressed 257 Greek boys
at "The Ragged School," in the presence of their teachers and a number
of gentlemen interested in the Institution; and, after having spoken to
the boys, particularly impressed upon these gentlemen (privately) the
importance of introducing religious instruction into the school. On the
morning of the 29th, at one of the prisons in Athens, he addressed 275
male prisoners, for half an hour, who were all assembled in a yard, and
went afterwards to a second gaol, where he preached the gospel to 155
other prisoners. These men, who were very quiet and attentive, listened
with much interest to the instruction given. On Sunday the 30th Mr.
Mueller preached at the American Presbyterian Mission Chapel in the
morning; and in the evening, at the same place, addressed the largest
congregation that had ever assembled in the Chapel during the ten years
it had been open. On May 1st he spoke there again, and on the 2nd
addressed the 700 children belonging to Mrs. Hill's School, in German;
upon this occasion (as at all other times) with translation into Greek.
Whilst at Athens we visited the Areopagus, or Mars Hill;--stood on the
spot where Paul preached, explored the Acropolis, and saw the ruins of
many idol temples, celebrated ancient buildings, etc., some of which are
said to be nearly 4,000 years old. We ascended Mount Lycabettus also,
and admired the beautiful view obtained from it of Athens and the
neighbourhood. During the whole of our visit, Dr. Kalapothakos and Mr.
Sakkalarios (two missionary brethren) were most kind and attentive to
us.
On Wednesday, May 3rd, we rose at 4, went by rail to the Piraeus, and
there embarked for Kalamaki, on the Isthmus of Corinth, 40 miles
distant. At 11 o'clock we reached our destination, crossed the Isthmus
in a carriage (a drive of seven miles) and at Corinth, the other side of
it, went on board a Greek steamer, bound for Brindisi in the south of
Italy. At half past 1 we sailed from Corinth, and after touching at
Corfu on the evening of the 4th, on May 5th, at noon, landed at
Brindisi. From this town, via Foggia and Caserta, we went on direct to
Rome, arrived in that city on the 8th of May, and remained there until
the 18th.
During this our third visit to Rome, Mr. Mueller held twelve meetings,
when he preached occasionally in English without translation, but
generally with interpretation into Italian. On May 12th we attended one
of Mrs. Wall's interesting meetings for Italian beggars (held once a
week), when Mr. Mueller addressed them with translation by Mr. Wall. On
May 18th we visited Tivoli, 18 miles from Rome, and on the 19th went on
to Florence (our third visit to that city), where my dear husband had
five precious, happy meetings. There, it was our intention to have
remained longer, but finding it would be desirable that we should return
to England a little earlier than usual, on May 25th we left Florence for
Turin, arrived at Paris on the 27th, continued our journey to Dover on
the 29th, and arrived at Bristol on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 30th,
at half-past two.
NINTH TOUR.
EUROPEAN: INCLUDING VISITS TO GERMANY, AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, BOHEMIA,
RUSSIA, AND RUSSIAN POLAND.
_From August 8th, 1882, to June 1st, 1883._