390 SKETCHES OF PALESTINE. 



six mosques, five baths, one Christian church of schismatic Greeks, 

 an excellent covered bazar for fine goods, and an open one for pro- 

 visions, besides numerous cotton-cloth manufactories, and shops of 

 every description.' Dr. Clarke says, the principal trade is in soap ; 

 but the manufactures of the town supply a very widely extended 

 neighborhood. The watermelons too of Nablous are equal, he 

 says, to those of Jaffa. The resident population is supposed to 

 amount to 10,000, though Mr. Buckingham thinks this is rather 

 over-rating the numbers. These are almost allMahommedans, the 

 Greek Christians scarcely amounting, he says, to fifty. But Mr. 

 Connor states that there are about a hundred. They have one 

 church and two priests. Though the commerce is so considerable, 

 there are few Jews, owing perhaps to a religious prejudice against 

 the place ; Mr. Buckingham says, none among the permanent resi- 

 dents, Mr. Connor says, ' about fifteen individuals.' Of the Sa- 

 maritans, of whom a respectable remnant existed here so late as the 

 time of Maundreli's journey, about a century ago, the reverend gen- 

 tleman last mentioned gives the following Interesting account. ' I 

 immediately made inquiry about the Samaritans. My host stepped 

 out, and fetched their priest: he sat with me some time : his name 

 is Shalmor ben Tabiah . he is a native of Napolose, and is about 

 forty years of age. 



'There are about forty Samaritans in Napolose. They have but 

 one synagogue in the town, where they have service every Satur- 

 day. Four times a year they go, in solemn procession, to the old 

 synagogue on Mount Gerizim ; and, on these occasions, they go up 

 before sunrise, and read the law till noon. On one of these days of 

 they kill six or seven rams. The Samaritans have one school in 

 Napolose, where their language is taught. The head of the sect re- 

 sides in Paris. 



' I accompanied the priest to his house, and sat a long time with 

 him. There were several Jews present: they seem to live on 

 friendly terms with the Samaritans here. The priest showed me 

 part of the first volume of the English Polyglott, mentioned by 

 Maundrell : it consisted of about a dozen tattered leaves. He show- 

 ed me also a manuscript Samaritan Pentateuch, with an Arabic 

 version at its side ; this version, however, is not used in their syna- 

 gogue. He afterwards took me to see the synagogue, making me 

 first take off my shoes : it is a small gloomy building. I observed 

 a number of copies of the Samaritan Pentateuch, carefully envelop- 

 ed in linen, and laid on a shelf in the synagogue. Expressing a 

 wish to see the ancient manuscript, said by the Samaritans to be 

 3500 years old, the priest paused, and hesitated some time. I press- 

 ed him. Having laid aside his upper garments, he at length enter- 

 ed the sanctuary, and produced the venerated manuscript. It is 

 well written on vellum, in the Samaritan character, and is preserv- 

 ed in a tin roller : it bears the marks of age, and is rather tattered. 

 The priest would not permit me, nor any one present to touch it. 

 He was very inquisitive about the Samaritans who, he had heard, 

 were in England.' 



