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CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL
OF
POPULAR
LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.
CONTENTS
FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM.
BY MEAD AND STREAM.
SOME CURIOSITIES OF THE PEERAGE.
A ZULU ROMANCE.
CONCERNING LOVE.
THE PROGRESS OF CYCLING.
SPRING IN THE ALLEY.
No. 21.—Vol. I.
Price 1½d.
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1884.
FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM.
Coasting along the arid Syrian shore, there islittle to attract the attention of the traveller fromPort Said to Jaffa, till the last-named town is insight. If, however, there is a haze upon thewater and the wind is from the shore, a powerfulperfume of orange-flowers borne across the sea isthe first intimation that one is nearing Jaffa,perhaps the most ancient town—certainly one ofthe most ancient towns—in the world. Presumingthat no wind has sprung up since you left theEgyptian port—in which case you will be carriedon to Beyrout, as the steamers only touch at Jaffain calm weather, owing to the danger and almostimpossibility of landing passengers or goods—presuming,however, that all is well, you reachJaffa most probably in the early morning; andhaving anchored outside a reef of rocks whichincloses a natural harbour permitting the entranceonly of small boats, you look upon a scene aspicturesque and peculiarly eastern in its characteras you could wish. Rising abruptly from thesea, the whitened, flat-roofed houses interminglewith the domes of the mosques and the conventtowers; while the surmounting citadel, the surroundingwall, and massive gates, give the distinctivecharacter that one had observed inTangier, or Algiers, or Cairo.
Along the quay is collected a throng ofpeople, containing representatives of half theports in the Levant or the East. Huge brown-sailedboats are moored in the smooth waterwithin; while outside, the water washes overthe encircling rocks—the fabled rocks of Andromeda’scaptivity. Palms and plantain trees arescattered here and there, with the glimpse oforchards beyond; and stately camels, with theirstalwart Bedouin guides, carrying bales of merchandiseor corn, now and again move acrossthe line of vision on the shore. And now theboats are putting out to the steamer, and theswarthy boatmen ply their oars with vigour; andboats filled with oranges and lemons and giganticmelons, and bright-hued fishes, swarm around us.Not least, to add to the general effect, and certainlychiefest for one’s individual comfort, are the menof Cook and Howard the agents, clad respe