llness. Mr Kilby, of Beyrout, sent a report, in which he said
that war was inevitable, that all the country was in a disturbed state
and the roads infested with robbers. Several assassinations had taken
place even at Beyrout, and he recommended us to apply to the Governor
of Acre for an escort. "Last week," he wrote, "two Jews left Beyrout
with three hundred dollars for Hebron, which had been sent from
Amsterdam for the congregations; they were stopped near Kasmia, robbed
of the money and dreadfully beaten, one of them being shot in the
struggle. Although severely injured, the wounded man contrived to
reach Sidon, but died there." "How wonderful are the ways of Heaven!"
observed Sir Moses. "The second night after we left Beyrout we thought
ourselves most unfortunate in being compelled to sleep in the open
air, as we were too fatigued to reach our tents and luggage, which
were already at Kasmia. Had we continued our journey and succeeded in
reaching that place, we should in all probability have shared the same
fate as the other two Jews." A messenger had also been robbed, and had
lost several of his fingers by a sword cut.

Signor M. di A. Finzi, the British consular agent at St Jean d'Acre,
came to present his respects to Sir Moses, and brought some valuable
information respecting agriculture in the environs of Tiberias and
Safed. This gentleman had acted most benevolently towards the
unfortunate people who had been attacked by Druses. The British Consul
of Haifa also came to see Sir Moses, and reported that Ibrahim Pasha
had advanced on Aleppo. It was rumoured that there had been some
fighting, and all the troops in quarantine had received orders to
leave the next day and join Ibrahim Pasha. All the country was in a
most disturbed state, and the Jews of Safed were so much alarmed, that
they fled from their homes and had reached Haifa in a very distressed
condition. The people at Safed had received information that the
Druses were coming to pillage the place. The Governor of the town had
left it with the few soldiers he had under his command. Every one
appeared very uneasy at the unprotected state of the country, as a
hundred men from the mountains could, with the greatest facility, have
plundered every town and village in Palestine. On the previous evening
the Governor of Acre had brought his thirty-five wives to the
Carmellite convent as a place of security; he remained there overnight
and left in the morning. The con