never found an Oriental woman who knew any language but that
of her own country.

After we had rested ourselves, we pursued our journey in a boat to
Acre. On my road to Jerusalem I had only seen the outside of this
monument of the last war, now I could view its interior; but saw
nothing to repay me for my trouble. Considering how ugly the
Turkish towns are even when they are in good preservation, it may
easily be imagined that the appearance of one of these cities is not
improved when it is full of shot-holes, and the streets and
interiors of the houses are choked up with rubbish. The entrance to
the convent lies through the courtyard of the Turkish barracks,
where there seemed to be a great deal of bustle, and where we had an
opportunity of noticing how wretchedly clad, and still more
miserably shod, the Turkish soldiers are. These blemishes are not
so much observed when the men are seen singly at their posts.

The convent here is very small, being in fact only a dwelling-house
to which a chapel is attached. Two monks and a lay brother form the
whole household.

Scarcely had I established myself in my room, before a very polite
lady entered, who introduced herself to me as the wife of a surgeon
in the service of the pacha here. She stated that her husband was
at present absent at Constantinople, and added that she was in the
habit of spending several hours in the convent every evening to do
the honours of the house! This assertion struck me as so strange,
that I should certainly have remained dumb had not my visitor been a
very agreeable, polite French lady. As it was, however, we chatted
away the evening pleasantly together, until the supper-bell summoned
us to the refectory. All that I saw in this convent was in direct
contrast to the arrangement of the comfortable establishment of the
Carmelites. The refectory here is astonishingly dirty; the whole
furniture consists of two dingy tables and some benches; the table-
cloth, plates, etc. wore the prevailing livery; and the fare was
quite in keeping with every thing else. We supped at two tables;
the gentlemen and the reverend fathers sitting at one, while the
French lady and myself occupied the other.

June 19th.

As we were not to travel far to-day, we did not set out until ten
o'clock, when we started in company of several Franks who were in
the pacha's service. They led us into a park by the roadside
belonging to the mother of the Sultan. Here th