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est confusion, and the whole air was scented with odours of delicious flowers.

Ever and anon, as we passed the rudely-constructed gateway which formed an entrance to the orchards or mulberry gardens, we caught sight of the humble but cleanly dwellings of the peasants belonging to each proprietor. These houses were all long and low, and mostly covered in with tiles; opposite to the entrance doors were neatly-swept spaces, where groups of men, women, and children were seated on the ground, each following his or her occupation; some women were plying the distaff, some were busily occupied in sifting wheat, whilst some again were knitting stockings for the next winter's wear.

The men and boys were mostly at work gathering the leaves from large piles of branches lopped freshly from the mulberry trees; these were preparing the morning's meal for the stock of silkworms under their several charges, and they had need be attentive to their welfare, for from these silkworms mainly do the natives derive their support. How wonderful is God's mercy, to have created this active little worm, from whose labours thousands derive support, hundreds of thousands comfortable and comely clothing!

These pleasant family groups were usually seated under the shade of some lofty black mulberry trees, the leaf of which is not serviceable for the use of the silkworms, but they yield them delicious fruit and a pleasant shade; and in autumn, when the leaves fall, these are carefully collected, and stored up to feed the goats with in the winter

season.

All the natives appeared to be healthy, for the climate is reckoned the finest in the world; and they all seemed happy and contented. Under the large apricot trees that were planted at the backs of the native huts, cocks and hens were congregated, busily picking up such fruit as was blown down by the passing gusts of wind; and in this occupation they were uninterrupted, because the morning's supply of fruit had already been collected and disposed of, and there was abundant supply to meet the wants of both the men and the birds.

As we progressed, we passed a knot of young men and women congregated round one of their number, who was reading to them from a book. This was a sight new to us in the East; and as the auditors, from their exclamations and gestures, seemed evidently surprised and deeply interested, we were determined to dismount and inquire into the cause. On fulfilling our intentions, we were gratified and surprised to discover that the young reader was occupied with that beautiful parable in Scripture of the "vineyardplanter who had let his vineyard to husbandmen" (Luke xx. 9).

After we had conversed with these young people for a short time, we expressed a desire to be shewn over one of the mud buildings, set apart expressly for the rearing of the silkworm; they readily complied with our request, though a prejudice exists amongst the more ignorant that not many strangers be admitted.

We were shewn into a long high building, built of sundried bricks, made impervious to the rain by thicklythatched coverings-at the same time that the air was freely admitted through large windows roughly trellised in with thorns and myrtle twigs.

The length of this room was about fifty feet, and its breadth perhaps thirty; in the centre and on the two sides were a number of matwork shelves, which reached up to the top of the room; between each shelf a space of two feet intervened, and on the shelves, as thick and busy as possible, were the silkworms of the proprietor― hundreds of thousands of these creatures, all occupied in eating the leaves which had been freshly supplied; and the singular noise occasioned by the process of mastication resembled the incessant clipping of a pair of scissors. It was marvellous to see with what quickness they stripped a leaf of its foliage.

After partaking of some refreshment, chiefly consisting of delicious fruits, both fresh and dry, we mounted our nags, and were conducted, after an hour's ride, to a village called Moghair, built on the actual site of ancient Seleucia.

Judging from the aspect here, Seleucia must have occupied the most charming position imaginable. We were in one of a long narrow range of gardens of

delicious fruit-trees; on one side of us the sea beat fiercely against the ruined breakwater of centuries past; on the other, steep mountains, laid out like a giant flight of steps-one garden on the top of the other.

Crowning all this, once stood the city of Seleucia, hundreds of foundations being still visible, besides ruins of the city walls; and on one side of the hills, what is now a vast swamp was, in the time that the Seleucida flourished, a celebrated dockyard for shipping. Some parts are still as they were; and the opinion is that with very small expense the place might be repaired.

The most wonderful work of human enterprise and perseverance is the tunnel aqueduct on this spot, which passes under the hills for several miles, and was doubtless originally intended for what it now serves, viz., as a channel to carry off the heavy rains and snow which fall during the winter on the neighbouring mountain-tops, and which, but for this channel, would undoubtedly inundate the plains on either side, creating much devastation amongst the Armenian peasantry.

The population of Suedia is estimated at about 7000 souls, of whom half are Christians of the Greek Church. No two houses of the whole village are built within two hundred yards of each other. The book of Maccabees is supposed to have been written in Seleucia.

The Home Friend.

NOTES.-Feleucah is a small boat.

QUESTIONS.

What is to be seen from Mount Cassius? What is a feleucah? What apostle sailed in one like it? Where was he going? With whom? What was Suedia called then? Where is it? What is the river called? What is Suedia like? What sort of trees were there? and flowers? What are the houses like? What were the women doing? and the children? For what? What is the climate? What domestic animals were to be seen? What were the group of young people doing? What was the story? In what language? What was the trade of the place? Where are silkworms kept? How big were the rooms? How were the worms put? What space between each shelf? What were the worms eating? Where is Moghair? What was to be seen there? What is the population of Suedia? Of what religion? How are the houses situated?

ANTIOCH.

ANTIOCH, in Syria, is situated nearly due east from Seleucia.

Antioch has many proud names to boast of in its catalogue of citizens; but amongst these none more respected

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by the Christian world than those of the beloved physician St. Luke and of his friend Theophilus; and here also was the bishopric of the Martyr Ignatius (Acts xi. 19-26; xv. 22-35). Barnabas was the first of the apostles to visit Antioch; he it was who first fetched Paul from Tarsus, and here the followers of Christ first received the

name of Christians.

St. Peter also visited Antioch, and

was there rebuked by St. Paul (Gal. ii. 11-14).

As we wended our way from Suedia (Seleucia) towards the celebrated spot where stood the pillar of Simon Stylites, intending to visit both this place and the ancient groves of Daphne, on our route to Antioch, the dew was yet sparkling on the grass, and hanging like festoons of brilliants from the tender curved branches of the wild creepers that were interwoven with the thick clusters of myrtle and oleander bushes, hedging in our path on

either side.

Nature had formed herself a far more beauteous garden than all the art or care of man could produce, in the stunted young corn that gently waved to and fro in the morning breeze. Numberless wild flowers blossomed, of every conceivable hue and tint, from the sweet-scented wild jessamin to the equally odoriferous lily of the valley. On having one of these latter gathered for us, we could not but recall the words of our blessed Saviour on the occasion of the Sermon on the Mount,-" Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matt. vi. 28, 29).

After a two hours' journey through the wildest mountain scenery imaginable, we passed on to the "home of waters," as modern Daphne is now called. It were impossible to give even a faint idea of the grandness and sublimity of the scene that met our gaze, as, after disentangling ourselves from the last few yards of a densely-set jungle of oleanders, wild oaks, and thorn bushes, we came rather abruptly upon the brink of an elevation that commanded an extensive view down a long deep ravine, where the seven different springs or cataracts dashed their united force into one dense sea of foam, and so, roaring, disappeared beneath the dark archway of a water-mill, to be, as David sung,

"Starting springs from every lawn,

Surprising vales with plenteous rills" (Ps. civ. 10).

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