Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-02

my sabche!s along, after an intellectual effol
 to induce me to believe that ought to en
 ploy one of the custom house attaches t
 carry my things to the landing in place c
 my regular luggage boy. have since learne
 that the fee paid was private backshees
 to the examining clerk, in view of which
 agrees not to open baggage, and that es
 capped under the hghtest possible tax, sine
 had the man been in 8 different mood
 would have asked franc or twol Such
 the venality and corruption which taint
 everything Turkish.
 But when I left the custom house, then pray it may never be my lot to encounte
 again. There must have been one hundre
 men, and they produced 8 regular Babel o
 French, Italian, English, Arabic and German
 howls at ma. My poor luggage boy wa l bounced upon by half 8 dozen, the satchel
 Wrenched from him and myself nearly ren
 asunder. do not know what would hav l done had not 8 policeman rushed upon tn | scene at this important crisis, rescued my | luggage and clubbed the boatmen back to respectable distance. Then I picked out l man and offered him 8 franc if he would | take me to the steamer, which was riding a l anchor little way out in the bay. He read | fly agreed and entered the boat. As I die | so plenty of the others offered to carry me for three piastres but I stuck by the mar l whom had engaged. How did he reward me? When we had got half way to the ! steamer he commenced, according to the uni versal Arab custom when dealing with those whom they fancy to be green strangers, to demand his pay. Knowing the fatal folly oi yielding, I indignantly refused. Then en- sued 8 row, in which words almost came to blows. That is the only way of dealing with these natives. You must be as brutal as you can. My boatman threatened to throw my satchels overheard if I did not pay, where's upon I rose up in the feroest possible man. ner, threatening to annihilate the fellow, al. though he was twice as big as myself. He cooled down a little then. After my things were landed in safety I had the foolish gene rosity to give him an English shilling instead of a franc the stipulated price. At once there was 8 tremendous howl. and the man demanded the three shillings that I had promised him /! He managed to make it very disagreeable foY me, following me about the boat until mad summoned one of the officers of the st sarner The latter stated that half a franc was the regular price, and that had already paid two and one-half times too much
 At noon we steamed out of the spacious harbor, passing close under the stern of the Invincible, a magnificent British man-of- war, and also passing near several other British and French war ships, and three or four de- cayed paddle steamers in the service of the Turkish government, as appeared from the star and crescent on the flags with which they saluted our steamer in passing. It was washing-day on most of the men-of-war, and their rigging was a literal forest of waving shirts, pants, etc As we moved out into the sea, leaving the shelter of the break water, it became evident that there was be- fore us a disagreeable, and, as the English would say, nasty" voyage. There was a heavy swell sea on, which is to my mind the worst possible condition of the aqueous ele~ ment. 1 prefer rousing squall any day. There is something in a heavy swell sea that ruff1es my temper. When the ship goes with a long, majestic, rocking motion, first over so that she poises on one gunSals, and then back so that she reclines on the other, in stinctively long to get out and give somebody a thrashing. We shipped water all the way, and had most wretched passage. At about eight o'clock of the second evening we sight ed JaFa, pretty sight and 8 welcome.
 Jaffa is built upon thu eaward slope of 8 low hill. The houses are all built of stone and approach to the very waters edge, so that the waves dash against the outer wall It is the worst dreaded port In the Mediter- rancan, There is no harbor at all and steamers must anchor ont in the roadstead a most unsteady berth. A reef of rocks run ming along at distance of few rods from the shore serves to break the force of the sea, and thus facilitated the going and com- ing of the rowboats. At the best landing is a dangerous thing when there is much sea on, and not few travellers have lost their lives by insisting upon facing the danger. We were doomed to the disappointment of not going ashore, inasmuch as our practic, or bill of health, would not arrive until morn IL of the ships rolling motion. We looked wistfuIly at the lights for time and then re- tired, though to sleepless couches on account of the rolling motion. In the morning the sea had gone down to some extent and boats came out from the shore. As I looked of toward the waves breaking upon the rocks and leaping mountain-high I was rather doubtful as to the wisdom of risking it, es- pecially as the captain told me plainly that it was hazardous. But chanced it. Descend ing the gangway I found it's lowest step al- ternately ten feet above the rowboat and three feet below it, the latter being held in place by long spiked poles. I managed to get safely in myself and have my baggage lowered without accident. ''Now what will you take me ashore for ?'' had asked of the Arab boatman when he came to get me to patronize him. Anything you please" he replied; +'you will satisfy me-" And do all I could I was unable to make him agree upon 8 price beforehand. When we had got half way ashore the impudent scoundrel rested on his oars and said he would not land me for less than one gold sovereign, and demanded the money then and there! I employed the customary method of dealing with the ras- calls and thundered at the top of my lungs an indignant refusal. This fellow wasn't so ea- silly co wed, aud at one time seized me as if about to serve me as old Jonah was served in this same bay by his boatmen. Knowing that under it all there was the veriest cow ardice, I continued to howl and intimidate until we arrived at the jetty. Then stepped ashore despite his almost physical violence, paid him franc and started for the American colony, where I am now sojourning, The fee was a little too small, am told consid- ering the weather, and gloat over the fact I was followed and menaced clear to my lodg- ing place.
 It was well that came ashore when I did The sea grew rougher and rougher until landing was ont of the question, and so re- maintd for four days. In the meanwhile a French steamer with 45O monks aboard came into port and hovered hoPelessly in the viz einity. waiting for chance to land it's pas- sengers. The steamer was 8 special on chartered for this work, and consequently was bound to wait until 8 landing could be effected. The regular steamers will only wait day or so, and then pass on if the sea is nnfavorabIe. Passengers bound for
 
 and ticketed back to Jaffa free, it only be- ing required that they pay for their food. Sometimes travellers have got carried back and forth between Port Said and Beyrout three or four times. waiting for the sea to grow calm. But the joke comes when pas- sengers bound from Beyrout to Port Said, or vice versa, in the stormy season, simply get tickets for Jaffa, and when carried past indignantly protest, claim return ticket at their real destination and sell it
 Jaffa (the Japho and Joppa of Scripture> is rather lively town for Palestine, boast ing of some 25 GOO inhabitants. It is the natural landing-place for pilgrims to Pales- tine. and treacherous as is it's port, with it's noisy surf tumbling over the jagged rocks, it is the best on the coast of south- ern Palestine. Of course the town itself is dirty, but 8 sea. of orange lemon and pomegranate trees hems it in on all sides, and makes the suburbs most att tractive for European homes. The orange blossoms have nearly all passed away, but the brilliant scarlet, bell-shaped blossoms of the pomegranate make veritable burning bpehea of the auoall trees mon which they