A Remarkable Tomb

VHEN I was last autumn digging in order to discover, if possible, the first canal of Siloam, the workpeople told me that there were some interesting rock-hewn tombs, with a curious stone curve down the valley on its slope, about fifteen or twenty minutes' distant.I took little notice of the story, as they always speak in such terms about localities, and when one goes to visit them they are found to have no interest.But always when meeting me in town they repeated the same thing, so I resolved one day to go down with a few assistants and the necessary instruments for Ineasuring, a level, with candles, &c.I was guided into the Wady Yasul marked on the large map.We passed Bir Eyub and' Ain Lozeh, went over the foot of the hill, and entered into the Wady Yasul, coming down from the western height, east of the Bethlehem road; going up a few Ininlltes in the same, and crossing, aBcending on its southern slope about the third part of its height, there is a cliff of soft rock, and in it some rockhewn tombs.The first (or eastern) has a cave-like opening', 7 feet wide, and more than a man's height, hewn in a square, formed like a gate; on its eastern shoulder is an inscription engraved.It is in Arabic: "There is no God but God, and Muhammed is the Apostle of God." Entering, one is in a square room (14 feet by 10 feet, and about 9 feet high), with straight walls and nearly horizontal .(slightlyarched) ceiling; in the south-west corner is, on the bottom, a hole, or well-mouth, with a few steps in it, so that one may be able to go down: it is about 5 feet (or more) deep, extending nearly under the whole bottom of the room, and a small water conduit comes down the brow of the hill, and enteriug under the door into the mouth of the well (see No.1).I.. Opposite the entrance door, in the southern wall, is another small door, PLAN OF ROCK-H EWN TO M B. BV C.6CJ1ltl(• HO.Scale q

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