the hunger of the poor." The setting sun warned us that we must hasten toward the city before the closing of the gates, and we rode home with a large and cheerful company. Easter Sunday was unclouded, and the people of Jerusalem looked unusually animated, and in their gayest costumes. The Arabs of the Latin Church, as they met each other that morning, exchanged the customary greetings, "Christ is risen!"—" He is risen indeed!".
During Easter week, rain and sunshine succeeded each other, and every now and then we could see a bright but transient rainbow spanning the hills. Mr. Meshullam came to tell us that he and his family had been almost washed out of their little stone-house in the valley of Urtas. A spring had suddenly burst up in their dining-room, another in the stables, and a torrent of water rushing down the valley had carried large pieces of rock and stone over the vegetable and fruit gardens, doing considerable injury to the crops. Solomon's Pools, which, only a few days before, had been the safe and favorite play-grounds of Meshullam's children, were all quite filled in less than four hours. The little ones had been gathering cresses in the corners, at the bottom of the pools, just before the gushing of the springs.
On March 31st I was roused early, by the booming of cannons from the Tower of Hippicus, and I heard that news of the birth of an heir to the Imperial throne of France had just arrived.
Mons. Barrière, the French Consul, called in person to announce the happy event. Mr. Finn immediately caused preparations to be made for a soirée to celebrate it that very evening. I helped to deck the drawing-rooms with green garlands and wreaths of flowers, and about one hundred wax candles were fixed in the front windows. When they were lighted at sunset they produced a very pretty and, for the East, quite unique effect; for Her Britannic Majesty's Consulate was then next door to the Protestant church, and, unlike all other dwelling-houses in Jerusalem,
