plague does not
sweep away all the inhabitants. . . . Dishonesty is reduced to a fine
art. . . . The crowded streets with their Babel of confusion--the shouts
of the donkey boys, the loud cries of the camel drivers, and the calls of
those who would sell their wares to every passer-by, together with the
hurly-burly of people in strange garb and speaking in strange
tongues--all this tends to destroy . . . the religious glamour."

The "puller-in" and the "barker" of Baxter Street and the Bowery are mere
sucking doves compared with the vendors of Jerusalem: they will get in
front of you and pull you into their shops, and the only way you can
prevent an assault is to jump to the other side of the street or dive
into an alley. If you do not buy from them they will guy you and tell
you to your face that they wish Americans would stay at home unless they
will spend their money like the gentlemen they pretend to be. If at the
end you buy nothing, they will shout derisively, "Skidoo! twenty-three!
no good!" and other slang of a more or less complimentary nature. The
English rule them with a rod of iron; they thrash them with a cane or
whip which they carry for the purpose, and consequently the natives do
not bother Johnnie Bull but allow him to pass in silence. The Emperor
William was here a short time since, and they opened a new gate to let
him in and removed the small boulders from the road so that his Imperial
Majesty might not be jolted in driving about the country. William wants
to be friendly and get a big slice of the "melon" at the cutting. Lady
Burdett-Coutts, noticing the dangerous character of the water, offered to
equip a fine, free system for the city, taking the supply from the head
waters of the Jordan, but the sultan refused the offer unless he did the
building. This proposal Lady Coutts declined, well knowing that if she
accepted it there would be no works, but that the "Brother of the Sun"
would keep the money.

The "Corks" were invited to a reception in Jerusalem given by a native
lady in her own home, surrounded by every luxury and refinement as these
are known in Asia Minor. She received us very graciously, with a
distinguished, high-bred air, knowing just what to say and do at the
psychological moment. She treated Mrs. Galley-West with the same
impartiality that she showed toward some of the aristocratic members of
the Rittenhouse Square set of Philadelphia who honored us with their
presence.