How I Spent My Five Weeks' Leave.

burning continually . A Greek priest stands on guard inside , and receives the offerings of p ilgrims in a metal p late . I did not envy him his place , as there is no ventilation , and , what with the lamps , incense , candles , and the ceaseless stream

¦ of pilgrims from all parts of the world , crawling in , to kiss the marble covering of the tomb , offer their candles , and deposit their offerings , the p lace was so insufferably close , that I was g lad to get out of it . If , indeed , this were the true

¦ sepulchre , one would feel—Oh . if the lichen now were free to twine O ' er the dark entrance of that rock-hewn cell , Say , should we miss the gold-encrusted shrine , ¦ Or incense fumes' intoxicating spell ? "Would not the whispering breeze , as evening fell ,

Make deeper music in the palm trees' shade Than choral prayer or chanted ritual ' s swell ? Can the proud shafts of Hel ' na ' s colonnade Match thy time-honour'd stems , Gethsem ' ne ' s holy glade ?"

We buy a few of the olive wood rosaries and mother o' pearl crosses , which are sold to the pilgrims just outside the building . These are principally made and sold by the people of Bethlehem .

We now return to the consulate , where we left our horses , and go for a ride round the city walls , thus seeing the different gates , the town of Hippicus , the tomb of David , the Valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom , thus getting a good idea of

the geography of the place , the situations of Zion and Moriah , the Tyroposan Valley , the Mount of Olives , & c . Looking down the Valley of Jehoshaphat , following the course of the Kidron , a green patch marks the banks of the pool of Siloam . We leave the city walls at the

southeast corner , where we are struck by the massive masonry in the lower tiers of the wall , and crossing the Valley of Jehoshophat we visit the tomb of Absalom , and a huge monolith called the tomb of Zacharias . The whole valley here is crowded

with tombs of all sorts , as the Jews wish to be buried as near this tomb as possible , so there is not an inch of ground unoccupied . We next visit the tomb of the Virgin—a curious underground chapel , which appears to be in a cave ,

partly natural , partly excavated . After entering it , we have to descend a broad flight of about sixty steps . We then visit the Garden of Gethsemane , which is close by , and which contains some very fine old olive trees and some neat flower borders , which , however , are painfully modern ,

How I Spent My Five Weeks' Leave.

with their little stiff paths , box edging , and bright green trellis railings . The fat old monk in charge is very civil and proud of his flowers . On the walls around are some excrable brilliant-coloured tiles , representing the events which took place

in Gethsememe , and on each an advertisement states the maker ' s place of business , also that they were put up by Donna of Valencia .

We now return to camp for dinner , after which I take a stroll to the top of the Mount of Olives to see the cit y b y moonli ght . As the Mount of Olives is about 300 feet hi gher than Mount Moriah , and it is onl y about half a mile across , one gets a

commanding view of the city and its environs . It is a fine ni g ht , and the peaceful solitude and quiet of the Mount strikes one forcibl y in contrast to the busy hum and lamp-lit houses of the city opposite . -One can imagine Our Lord , wearied

with teaching all day in the city , coming with His disciples in the evening to this secluded spot . Here did He pray that "if possible this cup mi ght pass from Him ; " here did He lament over the doomed cit y , whose destruction He

foretold ; and hence , after leading His disci p les out " as far as Bethany " ( which is on the south side of Olives ) did He , with a parting blessing , ascend to Heaven . I sit here for some time , and think of these things and the lines : —

Here may we sit and dream Over the Heavenly theme Till to our soul the former days return . # # = ' . # 3 . & # Or choose thee out a cell

In Kidron ' s storied dell , Beside the springs of love that never die ; Among the olives kneel The chill night blast to feel , And watch the moon that saw thy Master ' s agony . " But it is getting- late , and we have had a long

day ' s work , so I stroll back to our camp , which is pitched among a number of olive trees , just outside the walls at the north-east corner of the city . ( To be continued . )

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THE members of the Towci- Hamlets' Rifle Brigade Cricket Club gave an amateur dramatic entertainment at the Town Hall , Shoreditch , on Wednesday last , under the management of Mr . W . H . Leslie . Douglas Jen-old ' s comedy of Time Works Wonders and Whitebait at Greenwich were performed . The performance was very satisfactory .