JEKUSALEM 531 



I do not think the chmate of this part of Judsea can 

 have at all changed since Jews — safety of Jerusalem lay 

 in its position in rugged country without much cultivation 

 — if rain has washed soil from hills, as is supposed, why is 

 it not in valleys ? Character of country accords well with 

 the account in the Bible. These hills of Judah being the 

 East slope of a broad range whose West alone is exposed to 

 rainy winds, and further being immediately facing the desert, 

 the great depression of the Dead Sea must always have been 

 very dry. The artificial pools are further evidence. Total 

 absence of pubKc works and Jewish remains is most re- 

 markable. The Jews never were or will be an agricultural 

 people, nor could they have been manufacturers, artisans. 

 They were pastoral and great fighters — probably greatly ex- 

 aggerated their own numbers and never enjoyed a settled 

 Govt, without fighting with one another. The Western 

 world owes them nothing in Art, Manufactures, Agriculture, 

 Commerce, or Antiquities, and yet they arrogated to them- 

 selves the character of the finest people in the world. They 

 were one out of many fighters for Judaea, and held it in 

 part by fraud and cunning and in part by power of combina- 

 tion and bravery in the field. 



Generally speaking, the Jews appeared to be at the bottom 

 of the scale among the population of Palestine. The diary 

 records : 



Wretched and disgusting appearailce of Polish Jews, who 

 are very numerous — sallow, with long tress on each side of 

 face and Old Clo hats — all squalid in extreme, very fair 

 complexioned. Spanish Jews better. Arab Jew best. Of 

 the latter there are some families near Safid who boast they 

 have never left the country through all dynasties — these 

 are wealthy and have splendid cultivation. 



The various agencies for bettering the condition of the 

 Jews or converting them to Christianity tried much but 

 effected Httle. * Eabbis of Jerusalem prevent Jews working, 

 but very doubtful if they wish to. Sir M. Montefiore was 

 stoned out of the city on last visit.' 



The operations of the Christian Societies had brought their 

 representatives to loggerheads over the question of using the 



