440 Notes of a Tour through Palestine. [Aug. 



grey, broken stones, used in forming these ledges, contrast strangely 

 with the rich products above them ; and wheu the crops are off the 

 ground, and the trees not in leaf, look exceedingly cold and barren. 

 The hills are the richest portion of the land, and by far the best cul- 

 tivated. The plains are equally capable ; but the people are less in- 

 dependent, less able to protect themselves, and are therefore more 

 indolent, careless, and miserable. These low lands are generally left 

 as pasture : where cultivation is tried, it is of the most slovenly and 

 dirty description; weeds and thistles choke the corn, and the fatness 

 of the land vents itself in the production of the most beautiful and 

 varied wild flowers. I saw many wheat-fields so full of scarlet ane- 

 mones, wild tulips, poppies, blue corn-flowers, daisies, buttercups, 

 and a hundred others, many of which I had never seen before, that 

 they presented exactly the appearance of the richest Persian carpet, 

 but a thousand times more beautiful. Both plains and hills are most 

 abundantly supplied with water. Copious fountains gush out from 

 every rising ground, with which our industrious Reddy and Lingayet 

 ryots would convert the whole plain into one luxurious garden. No 

 tanks, no wells, no boring machines are required here, but merely 

 common intelligence and industry to guide and distribute the streams 

 which God has so bounteously poured forth. Besides the plains of 

 the coast, consisting of Philistia, that of Jaffa or Sharon, and those 

 of Acre and Tripoli, there are inland, the plains of Esdrarlon and 

 Galilee, between Samaria and Nazareth, and the Bekaa, the ancient 

 Ccelosyria, between Libanus and Anti-Libanus, both of great extent, 

 excellently watered, and of surprising fertility ; but now grey with 

 huge crops of enormous thistles, only occupied by tribes of wander- 

 ing Bedowins, with their flocks and herds and black tents. 



In the land of the Philistines, we visited Gaza, a fine old town, 

 where they point out the grave of Samson ; the Muhammedans calling 

 him Nabbi Abd-ul Aziz. "We were inquiring from a Christian 

 about Samson, of whom he had evidently never heard ; demanding 

 whether he was a Frank or what ? when a green turbaned Musal- 

 man, passing by, gave us the desired information. We made out, to 

 our perfect satisfaction, the place to which he carried the city gates, 

 " on the hill over against Hebron." Thence we went to Ascalon, 

 now completely in ruins, and deserted, but singularly well situated, 

 being contained within a low abrupt range of hills, of about two miles 

 in length, forming an arc round a portion of the sea coast, and termina- 

 ting in the sea at either end. This ridge was crowned with enormous 

 fortifications, the massive fragments of which, still i*emaining, attest 

 the former strength of the place. Ashdod is also completely de- 



