PREFACE. 
An essayist in the Reflector tells us that “ Colum¬ 
bus can not he more famous than a man who describes 
the Temple of Jerusalem.” Now, although I have a 
great desire to be as famous as Columbus, it is due to 
the reader to state at the outset that he will find very 
little about temples in this volume. The only ground 
upon which I can aspire to such a distinction is, in 
having avoided, as far as practicable, every thing that 
has given fame to those who have preceded me. If 
there be any important fact, therefore, in scriptural or 
classical history, that the reader is disappointed in not 
finding in these pages, I beg that he will adopt the 
suggestion of my friend and fellow-traveler, Dr. Men¬ 
doza, and “ remain tranquil for the present.” There is 
no telling what the future may bring forth, or to what 
extremes of research a man may be driven by the 
force of circumstances. 
Part of this narrative was originally written in the 
form of letters to the u National Intelligencer,” chiefly 
for the amusement of my friends in Washington. The 
style was rather more familiar than the usual contri¬ 
butions to that journal, and certainly more so than I 
would have chosen to adopt, had I thought seriouslv at 
