vided into the Moslem quarter, the Greek quarter, and the Latin quarter, and the various Christian sects are under the protection of foreign powers, though generally subject to Turkish rule.

It was on Saturday evening that our friends reached Nazareth, and very properly they determined to remain there till Monday. The tents were pitched in a little grove just outside the town, and in a picturesque position, where all the surroundings were agreeable to the eye. The guide offered to lodge them in the Latin convent; but they preferred the freedom and comfort of the tents, and wisely concluded that a visit to the convent would be all they would need of it. So many pilgrims visit Nazareth that both the Greeks and Latins have found it necessary to maintain establishments there for the benefit of their adherents. The poor are lodged gratuitously, but those who can afford to make payment are expected to do so at the same rate as in a hotel.

The evening was passed in reading, by the light of candles, the story of the Annunciation, as given in the New Testament, and in commenting upon the identification of the spot by modern Christians. Doctor Bronson said there could be no doubt whatever that this was the place described in the Bible, though there might be some question as to the exact spot in Nazareth where the event occurred. He said it was a curious circumstance that for three centuries after the birth of Christ there was not a Christian inhabitant in Nazareth, and the first Christian pilgrimage was made there not earlier than the sixth century. In the sixth or seventh century two churches were built there, and from that time the place has been a prominent one in the history of the religion of Bethlehem. In good time next morning all were out of bed and ready to start for the Latin convent, where service was to be held. We will let one of the youths tell the story of what they saw and heard :

"The convent is supposed to be on the site of the house of the Virgin Mary; at any rate the Latin monks press that claim for it, and it is not disputed by the Greeks, though the latter say that the angel first appeared to Mary at the fountain and not in her house. Consequently, the Greek Church of the Annunciation is over the fountain, while the Latin one is above the site of the house where the Virgin dwelt.

"The Latin convent is on the side of the hill, and is a prominent feature in the picture of Nazareth. There are several buildings clustered together, and at first sight we were reminded of the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem and its massive surroundings. There is a high wall surrounding the buildings, and the gate through which we passed is heavy enough to resist the attack of any ordinary band of Arabs. We entered

THE LATIN CONVENT AT NAZARETH.

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a court-yard which was open to the sky, and then passed to another and smaller one directly in front of the church. The sacred building is about seventy feet by fifty, and was completed in its present form a century and a half ago. Several churches have stood here, and the materials of each have been used in the erection of its successor, so that we may fairly believe that some parts of the first church of Nazareth are to be seen here.

"The interior of the building consists of a nave and aisles, formed by four piers that support the roof. The whole of the interior is covered with paintings and tapestry representing scenes in the Saviour's life, and there is a fine organ and an altar dedicated to the angel Gabriel. We did not spend much time over this part of the church, as we were all impatient to descend to the Grotto of the Annunciation, which is below the floor.

"There is a stairway of fifteen marble steps between the first two columns as you enter the church, and down this stairway we went, after a brief inspection of the decorations of the walls and a glance at the high altar.

"At the foot of the steps we entered the so-called 'Chapel of the Angels,' which contains shrines dedicated to St. Joachim and the angel Gabriel. Beyond the shrines is an opening or passage leading to the Chapel of the Annunciation, which is an apartment fifteen feet by ten, as near as we could judge, and has a marble altar showing the spot where Mary stood during the Annunciation. A column near the entrance marks the position of the angel, and a little distance from it is a fragment of a column hanging from the roof, and said to be suspended by miraculous power. We wanted to examine it closely, but the monk in charge of the place hurried us on, and evidently did not wish a careful inspection of the hanging column.

"Beyond the Chapel of the Annunciation is the Chapel of Joseph, and farther on is a small cavern hewn from the solid rock, and said to have been the kitchen of Mary.

"The general arrangement of the altars, lamps, and decorations was a constant reminder of Bethlehem, and when the monks began their service we found it was very nearly the same. As soon as the ceremony was over in the grotto it was announced that the hour for service in the church had arrived, and we all went to attend it. The congregation numbered two or three hundred persons, including the twenty-five or thirty Italian and Spanish monks in charge of the convent, and perhaps fifty pilgrims, while the balance was made up of our party and the Latin

Christians living at Nazareth. The notes of the organ sounded finely through the old church, and when we remembered that we were on the spot where the Christian world believes the coming of our Saviour was announced to his mother, we were deeply impressed with the solemnity of the occasion.

"Let me tell you here the story of the Santa Casa, or Holy House, as

THE ANNUNCIATION.

we heard it from the monks, and as it is told in the history of the Catholic Church since the fifteenth century:

"The house in which Mary lived was carried away by angels, who lifted it from its foundations and bore it away when the infidels conquered the country and began the expulsion of the Christians. They carried it, in A.D. 1291, to the heights overlooking Fine, in Hungary. It rested there about three years, and was then transported to the coast of Italy, where it remained five or six months. A third and last removal occurred in the year 1294 or 1295 to the place where it now stands in the town of Loretto, twelve miles south of Ancona, and three miles from the sea

shore.' Great numbers of pilgrims are said to go there every year to see it, and the building is carefully preserved from injury. The Latin monks believe the story implicitly, and they point out the exact position which the house formerly occupied.

"We went from the church to see the house and workshop of Joseph, now fitted up as a chapel, and in possession of the Latins; and then we visited the Chapel of the Table of Christ,' where there is a table of solid rock, on which Jesus and his disciples are said to have eaten frequently. From this place we went to the synagogue where he was teaching when