We must also say a few words on the Protestant Mission to the Jews. This was established in 1840, but can scarcely be said to have met with the success that the efforts it has made, and the sums it has expended, deserve. I do not believe that the number of converts, during the 23 years that the Mission has been in operation, amounts to 150; and a very small number of these has been won in Jerusalem. Most of them, after being converted in some part of Europe, come to Palestine to find occupation, which they have lost in their native country from deserting the creed of their fathers. On arriving they are assisted and employed by the Mission; but, were they not thus cared for, I fear that many of them would relapse. In fact, though these converts read their Bibles, and rigorously conform to the observances of their new faith, they do not appear to understand it, and the benefit of the change only shews itself in their children, who have been brought up in the bosom of the Christian Church, and are thus free from the memories of the Synagogue, and not actuated by the interested motives which in some cases have influenced their fathers. Impostors also have contributed to swell the ranks of the converts, who have been excommunicated by the Rabbis, or who wish to avail themselves of some of the advantages the Mission offers, and who, after they have gained their points, return to their former allegiance. Nor do the Missionaries meet with much success among the Jewish residents in the city, or among those who come there to die; their convictions and their interest are opposed to a change of faith. Munk[899], himself a Jew, wrote thus a few years ago: "It is needless to say that the attempts of Bishop Alexander, sent to Palestine under the auspices of England and Prussia, have up to this time met with no success;" and I can assert the same of Bishop Gobat. Truth compels me to state that the Mission has not been successful at Jerusalem, and will not be (in my opinion) if the wealthy Jews in Europe take care that the affairs of their brethren in Jerusalem are properly managed. If the conversion of the Jews be desired, I believe that more success will be obtained among the larger numbers resident in Europe, than among the little band of those more strongly attached to their ancient faith, who are resident at Jerusalem. Since their efforts against Judaism have failed, the Missionaries have attempted to make proselytes from the other religious sects, but with little success. I do not wish to enter fully into the subject, but simply state that the few converts, which have been won from the other Christian communities, have to be maintained at the expense of the Mission, or they would be soon lost; and that the Mission has thus excited the jealousy of the other bodies, and exposed itself to secret and open attacks. True it is that it circulates copies of the Bible in all the languages spoken in the country; but this is not a result of so much value as it appears at first sight to be. Very many volumes indeed are given away, or purchased (and that too at a very low price); but how many of them fall into the hands of men who cannot or will not read, or are bought or taken away by the monks, and destroyed? Many copies in different languages are thus lost, which would be most valuable if distributed among more highly civilized people. It may be doubted, too, whether it is wise to circulate the entire volume, for often the reader comes upon some passage which shocks his prejudices, and so the book is cast away in disgust, because he is not yet able to bear a doctrine so different to what he has always been taught.
I conclude this subject by declaring that, in the above remarks, I have not been actuated by any party spirit, but by the desire of speaking the plain truth; and I confidently appeal to those who are acquainted with the real state of affairs at Jerusalem, to bear me out in what I have felt it my duty to say.
A few words must also be devoted to the Turks and the Arabs. The former govern the country; the latter endure their rule, and frequently rebel against their authority. As slaves they thoroughly hate their masters, still they are frequently reconciled by common interests, when there seems a chance of conjointly extorting money from the Christian communities. It should, however, be said, that there has been a great change for the better since 1857, owing to the excellent rule of Surraya Pasha; but still the Mohammedans are a hindrance and an evil in the country. This is not so much due to any fault in individuals, as to the bad administration of the Turkish Government at Constantinople. Their appointments are often bestowed upon the highest bidder, and again taken away when a higher appears; consequently the man who obtains a governorship of a province, a judgeship, or any other post, has invested a portion of his capital in the quest, and comes to his duties with every intention of refilling his coffers as quickly as possible, since he cannot reckon upon his stay in office. The subordinates too are miserably paid, and have hardly a shilling for the necessaries of life; consequently they have greedy palms, and so oppression, venality, injustice, and all kinds of evils, are perpetrated. The religious communities, however, do not suffer as they once did, owing to the zeal and moderation of Surraya Pasha, the energy of the Consuls, and the resistance which some of the Ecclesiastical Dignitaries have offered to grasping cupidity and unjust demands. Among these, however, we cannot reckon the Orientals, who still submit slavishly, and pay whatever is demanded, as they are dependent upon the Sublime Porte, and so must comply with the custom of the country. In conclusion, I may add, that money is all-powerful with the Turks and Arabs in Jerusalem: gold calms fanaticism, humbles the proud, renders justice uncertain and the police blind, opens the prison-doors; in a word, in that city everything has its price. The effect of this is that self-interest, as I have already said, prevents any outbreak of fanaticism against the Christians or the Jews, as the Mohammedans know full well that by this means they would be greatly the losers.
A few words must also be said about the proselytes among the different Christian sects. The insane rivalries among these, far more than true conviction, produce the greater number of converts from one party to another. Of this there are many sad examples in Jerusalem. Whenever a person (I do not refer to Europeans) thinks he is wronged by his own community, he turns to another, and goes where he expects to find the greatest advantages. No one can form an idea of this commerce in religion who has not lived some time at Jerusalem and seen it for himself. The most trivial matters are enough to make a man change his creed; but happily the Missionaries and Convents are beginning to open their eyes to the true state of the case, and do not so readily admit the new converts into their church, without making previous enquiry into their character, and the reasons which have produced the change.
One of the things which excites commerce and brings a little money into Jerusalem is the system of pilgrimages; and on these I purpose to say a few words, without entering into details—an endless matter. The European pilgrims are not so numerous as those from the East, and most of them are poor, so that they bring more expense than profit to the Franciscans, in whose convents they are lodged and fed, and by whom they are conducted to the spots consecrated by the events of the Old and New Testament. For this the monks ask nothing, though they accept any gift that is offered; consequently the presents are unfrequent, and seldom compensate for the expense that the donor has caused. Every pilgrim is allowed to remain a month in the hospice at Jerusalem, without any other recommendation than his passport and three days in the others in different parts of Palestine, provided he be in good health. When he is ill, according to his rank, he is nursed in the hospice, or in the hospital, without anything to pay for doctors, druggists, or attendants. It is plain, therefore, that this philanthropic undertaking of the Franciscans is on too large a scale, and is a burden to the convents, besides encouraging knaves and vagabonds, who go on pilgrimages to pass away the time and live in idleness. A judicious reform of this unlimited hospitality, and a careful scrutiny of the papers of such as appear to be vagrants, would be a beneficial change. Those who think that the pilgrims supply, in great part, the revenues which enable the Fathers of the Holy Land to bear these heavy expenses, should know that these come mainly from the different Christian nations, with whose alms the churches, schools, and houses in which the pilgrims are lodged, are maintained, and the poor and pilgrims supported. In order to give an idea of the number of the pilgrims who have availed themselves of the hospitality of the Franciscans during the last ten years, I print the following extract from the Archives of the Convent of S. Saviour:
| Year. | No. of Pilgrims received. | Length of their stay (days). |
| 1850 | 3611 | 16373 |
| 1851 | 3797 | 28580 |
| 1852 | 5696 | 20109 |
| 1853 | 5574 | 21364 |
| 1854 | 4620 | 18144 |
| 1855 | 6874 | 23522 |
| 1856 | 5470 | 21302 |
| 1857 | 7196 | 26280 |
| 1858 | 5809 | 25800 |
| 1859 | 7116 | 27792 |
Therefore in these ten years 55,763 pilgrims have been admitted into the different convents in Palestine, who were supported during 229,346 days, and their offerings cannot have been enough to entertain them for a third part of their stay, so that the Friars cannot be said to derive any advantage from them.
The Latin Patriarchate, though its revenues are small in comparison with the expenses it has to support, practises largely the virtue of hospitality, and knows well how to succour the poor and destitute.
The Protestant Mission relieves the poor, but does not offer to travellers or pilgrims of its own faith the same advantage as the heads of the Latin community, who bestow their benefits upon members of other religious sects with as much care as upon their own.
The Jewish community relieves its pilgrims from the moment of their arrival, admitting them into houses appointed for that purpose; but if the strangers are without means of their own, they have no great cause to praise the welcome and hospitality they receive.