Asia. From the summit of Mount Bulgarlu, rising 850 feet above Scutari, a splendid view of the city, the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmora and the valleys of Thrace can be obtained. Yildiz Kiosk, the residence of the present sultan, is situated about three miles from Constantinople, on the hills that border the delightful Bosphorus. Altogether, Constantinople is a delightful place for a week's sojourn.

Three Weeks' Camping Tour through
Palestine and Syria.

1st day. Jaffa. Leave by rail across the Plain of Sharon for Jerusalem (five hours).

3d 4th 5th

6th

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2d day. Jerusalem. Although the site of the Holy "City may have changed, the natural features of the surrounding country remain substantially "the same as in the time of our Lord. The "mountains round about Jerusalem," which were of old her bulwarks, are still here. Kings, prophets and a greater than they, have looked upon these identical scenes and trodden the paths to Bethany, Bethlehem and Hebron. 7th day. Jericho, where the first night is spent “in camp." Excursion to the Fountain of Elisha, the Dead Sea and the River Jordan.

8th

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9th day. Bethel, where Jacob dreamed his wondrous dream of the ladder between heaven and earth. 10th day. Nâbulus, the ancient Shechem, and center of Samaritan worship from the time of Abraham to the present day.

11th day. Jenin, a Levitical city of Issachar.

12th day. Nazareth, sacred to all Christians as the home of the Holy Family, is a large, straggling village, built against and on the side of one of the hills which enclose a rich, fertile valley. The people are noted for their kindness and courteousness,

and the women of Nazareth are proverbial for their beauty.

13th day. Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, is reached through Cana of Galilee and past the Mount of

Beatitudes, the traditional scene of the Sermon on the Mount.

14th day. Ain-Mellahah is reached by crossing the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, thence over the highlands to the Waters of Merom, in full view of Mount Hermon.

15th day. Cæsarea Philippi, beautifully situated near the foot of the southern slope of Mount Hermon. This village, perhaps better known now as Baniyas, was visited by Jesus during his ministry (Matthew xvi, 13). From a well near by issues the source of the River Jordan.

16th day. Kafr Hawar Syria, the traditional burial-place of Nimrod, the mighty hunter.

17th day. Damascus, founded before Baalbec and Pal18th myra, has outlived them both. While Babylon has become a heap in the desert, and Tyre a ruin on the shore, Damascus remains what it was in the days of Isaiah "the head of Syria."

The suburbs of Damascus are very attractive. 19th day. Baalbek, by train to Yahfufeh, thence by horseback. The origin of Baalbek, the Baalgad of Joshua, is lost in remotest antiquity, but it was once, as its cyclopean ruins testify, the most magnificent of Syrian cities.

20th day. Zahleh is the largest town in Lebanon, with a Christian population of 15,000.

21st day. Beyrout is reached by crossing the Lebanon range at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sealevel. The view from the summit is magnificent. Beyrout is an ancient Phoenician city, beautifully and healthfully situated, and is the principal commercial town of Syria.

DESERT TOURS.

From Cairo, via Mount Sinai, to Jerusalem.

This camping tour takes about thirty days. Train is taken from Cairo to Suez, and thence steamer on the Red Sea to Ayn Musa, where camels and camp should be in readiness. Mount Sinai is reached in about ten days and Gaza in about twenty-four days. Letters and cables can be sent from this town.

Palmyra.

There are two routes by camel from Damascus to Palmyra: one, via Mareau Said and Niah, takes five days and is pleasanter on account of abundant water supply; the other route is via Jerout, Kuretaine and Shurla, and takes four days' traveling at the rate of ten or eleven hours per day.

Bagdad, Babylon and Nineveh.

The journey by camel from Damascus to Bagdad takes about twenty-seven days via Palmyra, and Babylon is two days farther on. The Euphrates is sometimes crossed at Fajonja and sometimes at Hitt. Nineveh (Mosul) can be reached via Damascus, Palmyra and Der in about twenty-three days, but on account of the better water supply the route from Alexandretta to Aleppo, Urga and Maidin is recommended. This route takes about twenty-five days. From Mosul (Nineveh) to Bagdad can be made by raft on the Tigris in ten or twelve days, or in about eight days by horse. The steamer from Bagdad to Basra on the Persian Gulf takes from five to ten days, according to weather conditions. From Bag

dad to Babylon takes two or three days. From Basra through the Persian Gulf to the British port of Aden is by the British India Steamship Company, and at the latter place connections can be made either for the east or west. The proposed Bagdad Railway is constructed from Constantinople (Scutari) to Konieh and Enegli, a branch from Smyrna joining the line at AfiumKarahissar. It is proposed to continue the line to Adana, which is already connected by railway with Tarsus and Messina on the Mediterranean. From Adana the line will probably continue to Aleppo, and then one branch will follow the Euphrates via Bagdad to the Persian Gulf and the other through Palestine to Месса.

Petra.

Petra, the mysterious rock-hewn city of Edom, is now accessible by rail from Damascus to Maan, the present terminus of the projected line to Mecca, from which point it can be reached in a few hours by horse.

From the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea.

Persia is the home of roses and poppies, consequently the late spring or early summer is the best time to visit the country. The British India Company have a Persian Gulf service, and Bushire is the port of debarkation, the route being to Shiraz, Ispahan and Teheran. The trip is made on horseback as far as Ispahan, and thence by post. Owing to the fierce heat from the sun, the trip as far as Shiraz is best made by night stages. Hotels there are none, and as travelers are obliged to camp in the common caravanserai, the trip is not advisable for ladies. Military escort is necessary.

Shiraz is about six days', or rather nights', travel from Bushire by a rough mountain road ascending to the immense plateau. Shiraz is a walled city in more senses than one, and a Persian motto says that "It is more easy to enter Shiraz than to leave." A promenade on the housetops is the proper thing. The city remains the same that it was a thousand years ago, and Christians are held at a long discount. The Bagh-i-Takht, with its seven terraces overlooking Shiraz, means the "garden of the throne," and is crown property; nevertheless it is in a ruinous condition. Situated on a spur of the mountains, which at this point are scarcely more than a mile from the bazaars, it is one of the great gardens of the world. Excursions can be made also to the tombs of the poets Hafiz and Saadi. The latter fought in Palestine against the crusaders. The tombs are located in a charming cemetery, full of orange and rose trees, where the nightingales may be heard singing from twilight to early dawn.

Ispahan is reached in about ten days from Shiraz, the altitude of the plateau permitting travel by day. A détour is made from the main route two or three days