Missionary Tours and Labours

14 times amongst the large colony of Germans, settled at that place, and there the Lord was pleased to grant a particular blessing upon his labours; for his ministry was the means of bringing about a complete revival amongst the people, who had previously been in a very dead state, spiritually.. On Feb. 13th, accompanied by some German brethrei, we rode on donkeys up Mount Carmel, and, when near its summit, alighted at a Monastery, where the monks entertained us with cups of black coffee without milk, and glasses of mulberry wine, flavoured with lemon juice. They afterwards showed us into a Church containing (according to tradition) the cave in which Elijah dwelt, and finally led the way to a lighthouse standing on a rock, that we might see, from that elevated point, the magnificent prospect which extended far and wide. It embraced Mount Tabor in the extreme distance, Brook Kishon, the Valley of the Sea of Tiberias, the Bay and town of Haipha, with the houses of the German colony, the town of Acre, the other side of the Bay, the plain of Esdraelon, and the vast expanse of the Mediterranean, stretching away as far as the eye could reach, which looked as unruffled as a sea of glass, and offered a striking contrast to the troubled waves at Jaffa. Being favoured with bright sunshine, and a beautifully clear atmosphere, the whole scene was viewed under particularly favourable circumstances. The place where Elijah slew the false prophets of Baal, and by prayer brought down fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice upon the altar, is situated near Haipha; and after the drought of three years and six months, during which there had been neither rain nor dew, it was upon Mount Carmel he prayed, that Jehovah would again send rain upon the earth.

Before our departure from Haipha, we intended to visit Nazareth; but as there was no carriage road even tolerably good, and as riding on horseback for nearjy 40 miles would have been objectionable, serious difficulties were in the way. We desired to engage a Russian waggon, and did our utmost to obtain one, but the Brook Kishon, through which our route lay, being swollen from the recent heavy rains, and as the adjacent country was partially under water, its owner refused to let us have it, because the journey was impracticable. Though Haipha possessed attractions of its own, there were discomforts also connected with our visit; for the Hotel accommodation was inferior and uncomfortable. Our apartment for instance had a rough, dusty, uneven stone floor, without any carpet; and even in cold, rainy weather, as it possessed neither fireplace nor stove, no fire could be had. The room, too, from being scantily furnished, wa comfortless in appearance; and though the sleeping accommodation was clean, it was hard and uninviting. The meals, however, were good, and for wholesome, nourishing food we felt most thankful; but let no one visit small towns or villages in the Holy Land, and expect to find that they contain European qomforts. The English clergyman at Nazareth, who had resided there for a considerable time, informed us, that throughout the winter he had one constant series of “domestic miseries” to contend with. Through the flat roof of his house the rain leaked in, fuel was scarce and expensive, provisions were dear and not easily obtained, meat was tough and of inferior quality, and often little besides goats’ flesh could be procured. He remarked also that visitors to the Holy Land, who frequent the best Hotels at Jaffa and Jerusalem, and carry their comforts about with them, can form no conception of the real poverty of the country, and of the degraded condition of the native population, as seen in the little towns and villages of the interior. As far as the Hotels at Haipha, however, are concerned, they must be superior to the Inn accommodation in some parts of Asia Minor, which, according to the guide books, is “execrable”

On the afternoon of Feb. 20th we left Haipha, in an open waggon; and, after alighting on the sea shore, were carried on the shoulders of Arabs across some shallow water to a boat, which conveyed us to a large Austrian steamer bound for Beyrout, Syria. At half-past 8 p.m. the vessel sailed; at 7 o’clock -the next morning we reached our destination, where a most unpleasant, rough landing in a small boat awaited us, and were afterwards conducted by a guide to the H6tel de rOrient, at a short distance only from the landing-place.

There we remained twenty-one days, and besides preaching many times at the Anglo-American Mission Church, and at the Church of the Deaconesses’ Institu-

., t tion, Beyrout, both in English and in German, Mr. Müller addressed the students of the Syrian College with Arabic interpretation, spoke to the Theological students for an hour, conducted a service for the Moslem girls at Miss Taylor’s school, and held three meetings for Christian workers, in German. At the residence of Mr. Mott, a mansion on the hill, he held a large drawing-room meeting also, which was attended by a number of the principal residents and visitors of Beyrout, including His Excellency Rustem Pasha, Governor-General of the Lebanon, Pasha Rickards, Mrs. Eldridge, wife of the British Consul-General, the English clergyman and his wife, the Presbyterian minister, some visitors from the Hotels, and many other persons.

The climate of Beyrout is delightful. Whilst there, we walked through the beautiful gardens which belong to the Pasha, and took a long drive on the Damascus road, to the foot of the mountains of Lebanon, the tops of which were covered with snow. A visit to Damascus, which we had in contemplation, was abandoned, because it would have been necessary to rise at 3 o’clock, in order to travel by an early diligence. The journey of 70 miles, too, over a very rough road would have been very fatiguing; and having before us the prospect of much more travelling, both by land and by water, we decided upon giving up this excursion. Three days before we left Beyrout an exceedingly heavy sea rolled in for many hours upon the shore, making it impossible to undertake a passage from the land to a steamer in a small boat; it seemed probable, therefore, that our departure might be delayed; but as the wind gradually abated, on March 14th, we sailed for Smyrna, in Asia Minor, on board the Austrian steamship “Jupiter.”

On the following morning, between 6 and 7 o’clock, the ship was anchored off Cyprus, in the Levant, which, after Sicily and Sardinia, is the largest and most impor- ’ tant island in the Mediterranean; and from our cabin window we had an excellent view of it. Lamaca, its chief port, is built on flat ground close to the sea; but high mountains rise behind the town, and a long range of hilly country extends for miles beyond it. Cyprus, of which Nicosia is the capital and seat of Government, is 120 miles in length and about 50 broad.

After remaining stationary for some hours, in the afternoon our voyage was continued, and on Thursday, March 16th, we sailed between the islands of the Archipelago, where, as the currents are swift and powerful, the sea became extremely rough; but towards evening the vessel got into smoother water, and at 10 o’clock we arrived off Rhodes — an island visited by the Apostle Paul, when returning from his third missionary journey.

At the expiration of a few hours our voyage was resumed, and the next evening we touched at Chios, an island which, in 1881, was fearfully devasted by earthquakes. There we remained for four hours, and then went on to Smyrna, where on Saturday, March 18th, we arrived at 5 a.m. ’

Here Mr. Müller found work immediately, and. during our stay, preached on the Lord’s days twice, and every afternoon or evening in the week, but generally with interpretation into Armenian, Turkish, or modern Greek; and once, when addressing a congregation of Spanish Jews, with translation into Spanish. On the morning of Sunday, April 2nd, he preached to an Armenian congregation with Turkish interpretation, and in the afternoon at the Scotch Church, in English. These services were held at different places, including the Hall of the Smyrna Sailors’ Rest, the Dutch Chapel, the Deaconesses’ Institution, the Presbyterian Church and the Armenian School Room.

On Tuesday, April 4th, we rose early; at 8 o’clock started by rail for Ayasaloup, a little village 48 miles from Smyrna, close to the ruins of Ephesus, and on our arrival at half-past 10, took a guide to the Mosque and to the Temple of Diana, which are the principal ruins in that particular locality. The Mosque bears traces of having been a large, magnificent building, and contains granite columis from the Temple of Diana. It is now in a dilapidated state; but the view from it (which consists of extensive mountain ranges, and a long, wide, vast plain, extending far away for many miles, until lost sight of in the distant sea,) was grand and striking. At no great distance from the Mosque, in a very large hollow, sinking a little below the general level of the ground, are the ruins of the Temple of Diana; but the devastation there is so complete, that no trace whatever, as to form or outline, exists of the celebrated building which once occupied that site. One stone can scarcely be found upon another, and all that is left of that famous Temple are quantities of stones, either lying in heaps, or scattered about in the greatest confusion, and giving not the slightest idea of what the edifice must have been which stood there many centuries ago. Ephesus, and the whole neighbourhood for miles around, abounds with ruins of Theatres, Temples, Aqueducts, Towers, Tombs, Mosques, etc. There is a building to be seen also, called “Paul’s Prison,” now in a ruinous condition; and numbers of ancient architectural curiosities, of a remarkable character, invite the inspection of travellers. The solitvde and silence of the entire locality, however, were mournful and depressing; these numerous relics of departed magnificence, all crumbling away to dust, fill the mind with feelings of solemnity; and the whole scene affords a striking illustration of the vain, unsatisfying character of all that this poor world calls great and glorious. Happy are they, and they ordyy who, through faith in Christ, live God Himself for their present and eternal portion! In the afternoon we returned to Smyrna, and on the following day, at 3 p.m., Mr. Mtiller preached a farewell sermon at the Hall of the “Sailors’ Rest,” where a large number of persons assembled to hear him.

The next day (Thursday, April 6th), in the evening, we left Smyrna by steamer, reached the entrance of the Dardanelles the following afternoon, crossed the Sea of Marmora during the night, and. at a quarter-past 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 8th, reached Constantinople, where, at 6 o’clock, we disembarked, and, accompanied by a guide, walked up a high, steep hill, to the Hdtel d’Angleterre at Pera.

On the morning of Sunday, April 9th, Mr. MiiUer preached in German at the Chapel of the Scotch Jewish Mission, and in the afternoon in English at the Presbyterian Church. On the 11th he spoke in English at the Bible House, and the following evening preached again at the Chapel of the Scotch Jewish Mission. On the 13th he addressed an Armenian congregation, at the Bible House, in English, with Turkish interpretation, when about 450 persons were present.

The next day he spoke to the children of an Orphan Institution connected with the Scotch Mission, and on the 15th held a meeting at the Deaconesses’ German Hospital for two hours, intended especially for Christian Workers. On Sunday (April 16th) we went to Bebek, a beautiful village on the Bosphorus, five miles distant, where my husband preached morning and afternoon in English at the American Presbyterian Church; and the following morning at Haskiog, near Constantinople, he addressed the children belonging to the school of the London Jewish Missionary Society, the Orphans of a small Institution, and the children of the Presbyterian Jewish Missionary Society. The young people in these three schools, about 700 altogether, were Jews. On April 18th he spoke in French, German and English, to three different departments of Jewish Schools belonging to the Scotch Jewish Mission; and on the 19th preached in German at the Chapel of this Mission, to an assembly consisting principally of Jews, from Lamentations iii. 22-26. On the 20th he had a congregation of 500 Armenians, whom he addressed with Turkish interpretation, and this service was his last at Constantinople. During our stay of twelve days, including a few meetings which have not been specified, he spoke eighteen times altogether.

Whilst at Constantinople, we saw the exterior of a few of the principal public buildings in the city, and from the Mosque of San Sophia, ^hich stands upon high ground, overlooking the Bosphorus, had a distant view of the Barracks at Scutari, where Florence Nightingale and her helpers so nobly attended the sick, wounded and dying soldiers, who fought during the Crimean War. An ancient Egyptian Obelisk from Cairo, about 3,000 years old, covered with hierogljrphics, was also pointed out The Bazaars of Constantinople, consisting of lofty stone cloisters or arcades, lighted from the top by domes, are extensive, numerous, and very oriental in appearance. Each trade has its particular quarter, and the various dealers have small shops with rooms behind them for their wares, which are often of a costly and valuable description.

On the afternoon of April 14th a religious service of the Dancing Dervishes was held at one of their Convents, within a few minutes’ walk of our Hotel. There were 18 performers altogether, who wore brown mantles, and high, round caps made of felt. At a particular signal, they all fell flat upon their faces; but afterwards rose, and walked a few tunes round the room, with folded arms, bowing and turning slowly many times. Their mantles were then suddenly cast off, when they appeared in long, full, bell-shaped petticoats and jackets, and, after stretching out their arms to the utmost, began gravely and deliberately to dance and revolve, that is, to spin round and round like a top, for about fifteen or twenty minutes, as rapidly as possible. The sight was instructive, inasmuch as it gave rise to a feeling of the deepest gratitude to God that the wild, religious delusions of these poor Dancing Dervishes were not ours. “Who maketh thee to differ from another, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive,” should ever be the language of our hearts. The Howling Dervishes we did not see, but heard that they carry on their religious performances at Scutari.

On April 18th we took a drive to “Sweet Waters “; on the 19th went by steamer up the Bosphorus, to the entrance of the Black Sea, 20 miles from Constantinople; and on the 20th visited the great Turkish Cemetery, and the English Military Burying Ground at Scutari, in Asia Minor. The former is an enormous grave-yard, where many hundreds of thousands of corpses Ue interred. It contains numbers of cypress trees, under which are the graves of the departed Mussulmans, marked by innumerable high, narrow tombstones, standing upright, and huddled so closely and indiscriminately together, that they form a perfect labyrinth. Most of the graves had each two upright stones, partially painted over with bright colours — blue, green, red, or yellow, and bore Turkish epitaphs in characters of gold inscribed upon theuL On the top of many of these tombstones, a carved Turkish fez cap and tassel also stood out in bold relief. The Cemetery was not enclosed, and the vast number of graves it contained presented such a wretched, confused, disorderly appearance, that no Christian passer-by would ever wish his last earthly resting-place to be in a Mahometan Cemetery, amongst Mussulmans! After leaving this burial ground, we passed the Barracks, used as an English Hospital during the Crimean war, the scene of Miss Nightingale’s memorable labours; and then reached a spot from which there was a fine view of the Sea of Marmora, Prince’s Islands, and Stamboul, as the ancient part of Constantinople is called, the Golden Horn, the town of Chalcedon, etc. A short drive further brought us to the British Military Cemetery, a beautiful enclosure, planted with trees and shrubs, which was laid out with grass nicely mown, and neat gravel walks. A few flowers also were in bloom, and the whole was kept in perfect order, either by a gardener, or the lodge-keeper at the entrance. Part of the ground sloped gradually towards the Sea of Marmora, the sun shone brightly upon the Cemetery, and the whole enclosure looked so peaceful, quiet, and even hallowed, compared with the Turkish burial-ground we had just quitted, that the superiority of Christianity to Mahometanism was vividly conspicuous. This Cemetery contains the graves of 8,000 of the British officers, soldiers, and sailors, who died of wounds received in the Crimean war; and the bodies of British residents in Constantinople may likewise, by permission, be interred therein. Upon the first monument that attracted our attention was the following touching epitaph: — “In memory of Julian Henry Layard, Lieut. 37th N. Hampshire Regiment, assistant military attache to the British Embassy at Constantinople, who died of typhoid fever while on duty with the Turkish forces under Suleiman Pasha in the Shipka Pass. Bom 16th May, 1850, died Sept. 24th, 1877. This monument has been erected by his parents Col. Frederick and Ida Layard,’ in testimony of their undying loss. Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts, oh! Lord.” Further on was a large, handsome, white marble monument, a column between 20 and 30 feet high, which had angels carved upon it, with folded arms, drooping wings, and downcast countenances; and on one of its four sides was the following inscription: — “A la mmoire des officiers, des soldats, et des marins de I’arme Anglaise,’et de la fiotte, morts pour la patrie, dans la guerre de la Bussie en 1854, 1855, et 1856. Ce monument a 6t6 elev6 par la reine Victoria et son peuple, en 1857.” After leaving the Cemetery, we took a drive through Scutari before returning to the Hdtel d’Angleterre. Constantinople, including Stamboul and the suburbs of Galata, Pera, Tophana and Scutari, contains a population of upwards of a million.

0 — 2 On April 21st, at 5 p.m., we left for Athens on board the “Minerva”; arrived at the Piraeus, Greece, at 6 a.m. on the 23rd, after a favourable voyage, and proceeded immediately by rail to Athens, which is only seven miles distant. There, on the evening of that day, Mr. Müller preached at the Chapel of the American Congregational Mission, in English, from Phil. iv. 6, 7, with translation into modern Greek. On the 26th he spoke at the house of an American Baptist minister, with translation also into Greek, and on the following evening, at 8 o’clock, preached at the American Presbyterian Mission Chapel, from Romans viii; 28, when Dr. Kalapothakos translated for him. On the 28th he addressed 257 Greek boys at “The Ragged School,” in the presence of their teachers and a number of gentlemen interested in the Institution; and, after having spoken to the boys, particularly impressed upon these gentlemen, privately, the importance of introducing religious instruction into the school. On the morning of the 29th, at one of the prisons in Athens, he addressed 275 male prisoners for half an hour, who were all assembled in a yard, and went afterwards to a second gaol, where he preached the Gospel to 155 other prisoners. These men, who were very quiet and attentive, listened with much interest to the instruction given. On Sunday the 30th Mr. Müller preached at the American Presbyterian Mission Chapel in the morning; and in the evening, at the same place, addressed the largest congregation that had ever assembled in the Chapel, during the ten years it had been open. On May 1st he spoke there again, and on the 2nd addressed the 700 children belonging to Mrs. HilFs School in German; upon this occasion, as at all other times, with translation into Greek.

Whilst at Athens we visited the Areopagus, or Mars Hill; — stood on the spot where Paul preached, explored the Acropolis, and saw the ruins of many idol temples, celebrated ancient buildings, etc., some of which are said to be nearly 4,000 years old. We ascended Mount Lycabettus also, and admired the beautiful view obtained from it of Athens and the neighbourhood. During the whole of our visit, Dr. Kalapothakos and Mr. Sakkalarios, two missionary brethren, were most kind and attentive to us.

On Wednesday, May 3rd, we rose at 4, went by rail to the Piraeus, and there embarked for Kalamaki, on the Isthmus of Corinth, 40 miles distant. At 11 o’clock we reached our destination, crossed the Isthmus in a carriage — a drive of seven miles, and at Corinth, the other side of it, went on board a Greek steamer, bound for Brindisi in the south of Italy. At half-past 1 we sailed from Corinth, and after touching at Corfu on the evening of the 4th, on May 5th, at noon, landed at Brindisi. From this town, vii Foggia and Caserta, we went on direct to Rome, arrived in that city on the 8th of May, and remained there until the 18th.

During this our third visit to Rome, Mr. Müller held twelve meetings, when he preached occasionally in English without translation, but generally with interpretation into Italian. On May 12th we attended one of Mrs. Wall’s interesting meetings for Italian beggars, held once a week, when Mr. Müller addressed them with translation by Mr. Wall. On May 18th we visited Tivoli, 18 miles from Home, and on the 19th went on to Florence, our third visit to that city, where my dear husband had five precious, happy meetings. There, it was our intention to have remained longer, but, finding it would be desirable that we should return to England a little earlier than usual, on May 25th we left Florence for Turin, arrived at Paris on the 27th, continued our journey to Dover on the 29th, and arrived at Bristol on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 30th, at half-past two.