former we find the remains of Cesarea; and on the Gulf of St. Jean d'Acre
stands the town of Caypha, where there is a good anchorage for ships. On
the south-west of this gulf extends a chain of mountains, which terminates
in the promontory of Carmel, a name famous in the annals of our religion.
There Elijah proved by miracles the divinity of his mission; and there, in
the middle ages of the church, resided thousands of Christian devotees,
who sought a refuge for their piety in the caves of the rocks. Then the
mountain was wholly covered with chapels and gardens, whereas at the
present day nothing is to be seen but scattered ruins amid forests of oak
and olives, the bright verdure being only relieved by the whiteness of the
calcareous cliffs over which they are suspended. The heights of Carmel, it
has been frequently remarked, enjoy a pure and enlivening atmosphere,
while the lower grounds of Samaria and Galileo are obscured by the densest
fogs.

The Shechem of the Scriptures, successively known by the names of Neapolis
and Nablous, still contains a considerable population, although its
dwellings are mean and its inhabitants poor. The ruins of Samaria itself
are now covered with orchards; and the people of the district, who have
forgotten their native dialect, as well perhaps as their angry disputes
with the Jews, continue to worship the Deity on the verdant slopes of
Gerizim.

Palestine, agreeably to the modern acceptation of the term, embraces the
country of the ancient Philistines, the most formidable enemies of the
Hebrew tribes prior to the reign of David. Besides Gaza, the chief town,
we recognise the celebrated port of Jaffa or Yaffa, corresponding to
the Joppa mentioned in the Sacred Writings. Repeatedly fortified and
dismantled, this famous harbour has presented such a variety of
appearances, that the description given of it in one age has hardly