not to
give--having made up my mind to carry the business through honestly
and legally. One more effort was made to annoy me, or rather to
force me to give the customary 'backsheesh,'--viz., that the house
was built over a road leading from the village to the stream to the
great inconvenience of the villagers. The Consul had at length to
interfere; the Government engineer was sent to investigate the
matter and report upon it, which was to the effect that there was
no vestige of road or foot-path in the vicinity of the house.

"After this, I was left in peaceful possession so far, that no one
could turn me out of the house, but not having the title-deeds, I
could scarcely expect to find a purchaser in case I wished to sell
it. My next effort was to secure the necessary papers. Month after
month I applied in vain for them. The Governor pretended to be
shocked to hear that his orders had not been carried out, he sent
for the scribe, and threatened him with his fiercest displeasure if
such an act of negligence should ever again be reported against
him. The scribe pleaded a sprained wrist as an excuse for the
delay, but by the life of the Prophet, he would write the document
at once. I took a hasty leave of the Vali, and rushed off after the
scribe, determined not to lose sight of him again; he had, however,
disappeared, as if the earth had swallowed him up. These scenes
were repeated over and ever again, till at the end of twelve
months, having to leave Damascus, I had to sell the house at a
great loss, not having the title-deeds. The purchaser, the American
Vice-Consul, trusting to his official position, hoped to be able to
succeed where I had failed.

"I have no doubt but that by following the usual Oriental custom of
backsheesh, and dividing L10 or L20 among the officials, every
obstacle would have been removed to my obtaining the title-deeds of
a property for which I paid the sum of 16_s._ 8_d._"

There are a few most interesting groups of German colonists in
Palestine, who belong to a religious order called "The Temple;" and who
assume to be a Spiritual Temple in the Holy Land. As far as I had
opportunity of judging, the colonists were men who, as colonists, would
succeed in any land, except perhaps Syria. There were among them masons
and carpenters and blacksmiths and