1839.
ENCAMPMENT NEAR MOUNT CARMEL--STATE OF THE COUNTRY--CHILD MARRIAGES IN
THE PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY AT HAIFA--ARRIVAL IN BEYROUT.
At 8 P.M. we reached the quarantine cordon at the foot of Mount
Carmel, a narrow pass between the sea and the mountain, about two
miles from Haifa, where we had intended to rest, fully relying on our
certificate from the superintendent of the quarantine at Jaffa. Having
always kept ourselves in quarantine since we left Beyrout, and lodged
in our own tents, avoiding all villages, we expected to have been
allowed to pass without any detention, but to our great mortification
the officer in command informed Sir Moses that, having come to his
cordon, he and his party must perform quarantine, but that he might
send a messenger to the Governor of Beyrout, under whose orders he
acted. This Sir Moses at once did, and having addressed an Arabic
letter to him, he charged one of the soldiers of his suite to take it
to the Governor with all possible speed. In the meanwhile, the
superintendent suggested that we should have all our things dipped
twice into the sea, once on that day, and after seven days a second
time.
Some members of the Hebrew community came to us and promised to bring
us all the provisions we might require during our stay in quarantine,
and we became reconciled to our detention. Mr Young, the British
Consul in Jerusalem, when forwarding to Sir Moses his letters from
England, took the opportunity of adding some information respecting
the state of the Holy City, which was far from satisfactory. He also
informed Sir Moses that several of his friends had been attacked by
serious illness. Mr Kilby, of Beyrout, sent a report, in which he said
that war was inevitable, that all the country was in a disturbed state
and the roads infested with robbers. Several assassinations had taken
place even at Beyrout, and he recommended us to apply to the Governor
of Acre for an escort. "Last week," he wrote, "two Jews left Beyrout
with three hundred dollars for Hebron, which had been sent from
Amsterdam for the congregations; they were stopped near Kasmia, robbed
of the money and dreadfully beaten, one of them being shot in the
struggle. Although severely injured, the wounded man contrived to
reach Sidon, but died there." "How wonderful are the ways of Heaven!"
observed Sir Moses. "The second night after we left Beyrout we thought
ourselves most unfortunate in being compelled to sleep in the open
air, as we were too fatigued to reach our tents and luggage, which
were already at Kasmia. Had we continued our journey and succeeded in
reaching that place, we should in all probability have shared the same
fate as the other two Jews." A messenger had also been robbed, and had
lost several of his fingers by a sword cut.
Signor M. di A. Finzi, the British consular agent at St Jean d'Acre,
came to present his respects to Sir Moses, and brought some valuable
information respecting agriculture in the environs of Tiberias and
Safed. This gentleman had acted most benevolently towards the
unfortunate people who had been attacked by Druses. The British Consul
of Haifa also came to see Sir Moses, and reported that Ibrahim Pasha
had advanced on Aleppo. It was rumoured that there had been some
fighting, and all the troops in quarantine had received orders to
leave the next day and join Ibrahim Pasha. All the country was in a
most disturbed state, and the Jews of Safed were so much alarmed, that
they fled from their homes and had reached Haifa in a very distressed
condition. The people at Safed had received information that the
Druses were coming to pillage the place. The Governor of the town had
left it with the few soldiers he had under his command. Every one
appeared very uneasy at the unprotected state of the country, as a
hundred men from the mountains could, with the greatest facility, have
plundered every town and village in Palestine. On the previous evening
the Governor of Acre had brought his thirty-five wives to the
Carmellite convent as a place of security; he remained there overnight
and left in the morning. The convent was just above the spot where the
quarantine ground was situated.
_Thursday, 27th June._--Even the discomforts of a detention in
quarantine were sometimes varied by pleasing incidents, such as making
the acquaintance of distinguished travellers. In this case we had the
pleasure of becoming acquainted with several eminent men, including
the Rev. Dr Alex. Keith and Dr Black, who happened to be performing
their quarantine in the same locality.
These gentlemen called on Sir Moses, and he returned their visit the
next day. The time passed so agreeably to all that these visits were
frequently renewed.
The superior of the convent on Mount Carmel addressed a very polite
letter to Sir Moses, regretting that our being in quarantine prevented
his having the pleasure of receiving us in his convent, but making an
offer of his services, and sending a present of the best wine of Mount
Lebanon.
_Saturday, June 29th._--The day was spent in repose, with prayers and
reading the Sacred Scriptures. Being so close to Mount Carmel, our
thoughts naturally turned to the Prophet Elijah; and in addition to
the usual Sabbath prayers, Sir Moses read to us the 18th chapter of
1st Kings in a most solemn manner, and with such fervour that every
one present was deeply affected.
In the course of the day the messenger returned, bringing the
following reply to Sir Moses' letter:--"The Governor cannot allow a
shorter quarantine than seven days."
In the evening, after the conclusion of Sabbath, letters from Mr
Kilbee were opened, containing the correspondence from England. There
had been disturbances in some of the manufacturing towns at home and
in Paris; the Melbourne ministry had resigned, but had again accepted
office. This was all the news we received from England, but Mr Kilbee
added unsatisfactory intelligence from Beyrout. He wrote that the
Druses had plundered Damascus, and the whole country was in a state
little short of rebellion, and that poor Lady Hester Stanhope had died
on the night of the 21st inst., having been without medical aid or the
attendance of any European. Mr Moore, the British Consul, and the Rev.
Mr Thomson had been to her house on the 23rd, and they buried her the
same night by moonlight.
The accounts which the messenger brought from Beyrout of the disturbed
state of the country induced some of our men to beg Sir Moses to
discharge them, as they were fearful of continuing the journey, and
all appeared much alarmed. Both Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore were
undecided by which way they should proceed to Alexandria, as they were
unwilling to go by sea, the boats from Haifa to Alexandria being very
small; nor did they wish to risk an attack of the Druses by going to
Beyrout.
_Sunday, June 30th._--We heard heavy firing at Acre, about two hours'
ride from here, which caused some uneasiness; but at ten o'clock the
guardians informed us that Ibrahim Pasha had defeated the Sultan's
army near Aleppo, and had taken many prisoners. The firing of cannon
at Acre was in celebration of the victory. Sir Moses feared it was but
a proof of hostilities having actually commenced.
Many gifts arrived daily from the Agha of the place, from the Superior
of the convent, and from several Sheiks in the neighbourhood; and as
Sir Moses invariably returned handsome presents to these parties, as
well as to their servants, it is not surprising that, in every town
and village which they visited, the gifts they received were so
numerous.
The chief of the quarantine visited us with the physician, and
requested me to feel the pulses of every one of our party, including
Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, and to declare on my honour whether
they were in good health. They evidently mistook me for a doctor of
medicine, and I gladly complied with their request. I felt the pulse
of everyone, and reported it to be in a most satisfactory state.
During this examination Sir Moses was in a state of great uneasiness,
as the least indisposition would have subjected him and the rest of
the party to an addition of forty days extra quarantine at the least,
which he prayed heaven to avert, as he feared it would make us all
seriously ill. The same evening Drs Keith and Black came to our tents
and acquainted us with the news they had just received from Haifa. The
road to Beyrout by the sea shore was infested with thieves, and the
road they had intended to take, through Nablous, was quite impassable;
they had therefore determined to proceed by sea, and intended leaving
at six o'clock the next morning. Sir Moses, however, relying on the
Almighty's protection, decided to go by land with Mr Finzi, the
English Consular Agent at Acre, who had offered to accompany us.
_Monday, July 1st._--"We left with a grateful heart," writes Sir
Moses, "the place of our encampment in the morning, and were
accompanied by the superintendent of the quarantine, the British
Consul at Haifa, and Signor Finzi, who rode with us as far as the
Synagogue in Haifa. They wished to wait for us there, and then
accompany us to Acre, but I thanked them for their intentions and
begged them not to do so; they therefore took leave of us with many
good wishes."
We entered the Synagogue, which was but a small and mean looking room,
and after divine service Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore distributed
gifts to the poor to the same amount he had given in the other towns.
He expressed his displeasure to the Portuguese community for allowing
marriages among such very young people to take place, and begged them
to follow the example of their co-religionists in Jerusalem, who
allowed no such early marriages as those which must have taken place
in Haifa. Of the few German Jewish families whom he saw there he spoke
in terms which showed his great satisfaction with them.
_Tuesday, July 2nd._--We set off this morning at two. Our road for
three hours lay through a well cultivated plain, but after that we had
to cross a steep and rugged mountain. At seven o'clock we stopped in a
beautifully situated spot to rest. We sat down under a fine tree in a
garden which commanded an extensive sea view, but we were informed
that snakes had been seen in the garden, so we started again at 2 P.M.
Our road led over a mountain pass, one of the most difficult, Sir
Moses said, he had ever seen. The pass ran many hundred feet above the
sea and close to the edge of a precipice nearly all the way. On
descending into the plain we found it well cultivated, being almost
covered with white mulberry trees. We noticed several women engaged in
stripping them of their foliage, whilst others were winding the silk
off the cocoons.
At three o'clock we reached the fountain, "Ain el Gaml," or "Sebeel
Iskandrooni," and from there to "Ain el Medfooni;" the road was again
very rocky and in some parts precipitous. Lady Montefiore being an
excellent rider, galloped along rather heedlessly, and her horse
rushed right into the sea. Apprehending danger, I galloped after and
succeeded in overtaking her, and in seizing the bridle of her horse.
In doing so my own horse stumbled and threw me rather heavily, but
fortunately the fall was not attended by any serious consequences.
The waters of the fountain just named bear a great reputation among
the natives in that neighbourhood for their healing qualities, and
numerous invalids may always be found there, who come for the cure of
their various ailments. At six we encamped near the famous fountain
known by the name of "Ras el-'ain," where the ruins of its great
aqueduct leading to "El Ma'-shuk" (an isolated hill in the plain) and
the ancient Tyre were still to be seen. This fountain and those
previously named were considered by several writers of the middle ages
to be identical with those alluded to by King Solomon in the Song of
Songs (iv. 15): "A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and
streams from Lebanon."
_July 3rd._--We rose about one o'clock, set off at three, and reached
"Nahr el Kasimiyah" at five. When we had crossed the river of that
name, we saw a wolf under some rocks, about thirty yards distant. One
of our guards fired immediately, but only succeeded in frightening it,
and it ran away. The shock of the musket threw the man off his horse!
"So much for guards!" exclaimed Sir Moses. "This was one of the three
men we took from Acre, on account of the dangerous condition which the
roads were reported to be in." Afterwards we saw four beautiful young
deer bounding along the sea shore, and the British Consular Agent
hurried on in the hope of getting a shot at them; but he was
disappointed, much to the satisfaction of the soldier who had been so
unsuccessful in attempting to kill the wolf. He slyly observed that he
was pleased to find some one equally clever in the party;
nevertheless, he continued, "our will was good, even if we failed in
the deed." We rested at "El Kantare." During the day we came across
quantities of wheat that was being cut and carried, and observed many
men in the fields, but they were all Druses. They were the only
able-bodied men we had seen engaged in agriculture during the whole of
our tour. The crops were everywhere most abundant, and of excellent
quality. Indian corn and tobacco covered much land, and had likewise a
most promising appearance.
Sir Moses now sent a messenger to Mr Kilbee, of Beyrout, requesting
him to engage a house for us. We started at four, and reached Bassatin
towards the evening, where we encamped for the night. On the road we
met three men, who were recognised as belonging to the sect of the
Metouali by the peculiar turbans which they wore. Our guides begged
them to let us have a little water to drink, but this they refused to
do. As it is a most unusual thing in the East not to allow a traveller
to quench his thirst, they were ultimately compelled to hand us their
jars of water, though not before some unpleasant arguments as to their
right of giving or withholding had taken place. Our people, having
slaked their thirst, returned the jars to the Metoualis, who took
them, and immediately dashed them against the stones, where they were
shattered to pieces. The strangers assigned as their excuse for doing
so, that their religion forbade their using any vessel after it had
been touched by a person of a different creed.
_July 4th._--We rose soon after midnight, and started at two o'clock.
Our road lay for some distance along the sands, close to the sea, and
over rocks, from which we obtained fine views of the distant
mountains. We reached "Chadi" at eight, and reposed there till 4 P.M.,
when we again set forward, and proceeded as far as "Bir Khassan," a
small tavern on the road side. Here we recited a prayer of thanks for
our safe return. A number of our brethren came to meet us, and in
their company we continued our journey to Beyrout, which place we
reached at eight o'clock. The afternoon's ride had been extremely
beautiful, our route taking us through what seemed a succession of
gardens. Sir Moses, however, felt very weak, and thought he could not
have endured another day's journey. We found a house, which had
formerly been inhabited by the Rev. Mr Thomson, comfortably prepared
for us.
_Friday, July 5th._--_Beyrout._--Sir Moses received a visit from the
Governor of the town, who said he was happy to see us safely returned,
as he had been uneasy on our account. "Indeed," he observed, "you
displayed more courage than prudence in attempting such a journey
under existing circumstances, and I am delighted to think you met with
so little inconvenience." He also gave us the official account he had
received of the victory. He said 12,000 prisoners had been captured,
besides 140 pieces of cannon, and 25,000 stands of arms, the killed
and wounded on both sides being 9000. The victory had been most
decisive, and the whole of the Turkish army was annihilated. "Before
this battle," the Governor continued, "the country was in a state
little short of open rebellion. There being no troops left to keep
the Druses in check, they came down from the mountains, and pillaged
the towns at their pleasure. Many of the inhabitants of Damascus and
Safed fled to Beyrout and Acre for refuge."
The residence which Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore occupied was so
pleasant, that it contributed greatly towards their recovery from the
fatigue and excitement of the journey. The house stood very high, in
the midst of a beautiful garden. It was about three quarters of an
hour's ride from the town, and commanded beautiful views of the sea,
the adjacent country, and the mountains of Lebanon. The gardens in the
neighbourhood were mostly filled with mulberry trees (white) for the
cultivation of silk-worms, and, at a short distance, we noticed
several sand hills. These hills move progressively, and destroy the
country in their course by burning the land and trees. Of many fig
trees only the tops remain visible. In the evening several visitors
belonging to the Hebrew community arrived, and joined in divine
service for the Sabbath.
_July 6th._--The Austrian steamer from Jaffa arrived, bringing reports
that Russia had chartered 400 transports to convey 25,000 troops from
Odessa to Constantinople.
_July 7th._--Many visitors came to offer their congratulations on our
safe return from the journey; among others, Mr Moore, the British
Consul, who told us that English, French, and Austrian steamers were
expected with further information respecting the political state of
Egypt, Turkey, and Syria.