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times did fall , on their heads . One of the explorers was injured so severely , that he could barely crawl out into ihe open air ; another extricated himself ivith difficulty , torn and bleeding ; while another Avas actually buried under the ruins . Sometimes they were almost suffocated by the stifling heat ; or at other times they ivere plunged for hours up to their necks in the freezing

waters of some subterranean torrent ; sometimes blocked up by a falling mass , without light or escape . And these labours have to be carried on , not with the assistance of those on the spot , but in spite of the absurd obstacles thrown in the way of work by the singular union of craft , ignorance , and stupidity , Avhich can only be found in Orientals—workmen whoin " wintercould never get

, , the idea drummed into their heads that working Avould make them warm- "—Turkish dignitaries , believing that the sacred rock Hes on the top leaves of a palm tree , from the roots of which of which spring all the rivers , and with a ready pretence for evading every request . Tbe results of the work , so far as has been carried on , may be briefly summed up , thus :

1 . Several ancient acqueducfcs aud many ancient cisterns have been discovered , and the much-vexed question of how Jerusalem Avas supplied with Avater in the days of Solomon practically settled . 2 . Considerable progress has been made in determining the course of the ancient Avalis , on which depends the authenticity of the Holy Sepulchre . The discoveries

made tend to confirm its genuineness . 3 . Important materials have been furnished towards the decision of the controversy respecting the area of the temple . 4 . The external aspect of ancient Jerusalem is in two or three points brought out ivith new points . There are some proofs discovered of the form of the ancient ' s houses .

There is also the astounding revelation of the immense height of the Temple wall above the Kedron Valley . S . Some approximation to the date of the wall of tho Temple has been made by the discovery of the supposed Phoenician charactoas marked in red paint on their surface .

The interesting discovery by Dr . Robinson of what he supposed to be the arch of the bridge , which later travellers much contested , has now been definitely confirmed by the disclosure of its remaining fragments . 7 . The whole history of the topography of Jerusalem is for the first time clearly set forth , while it has reached its best illustrations in the maps and contours now for

the first time published . ' Outside of Jerusalem , tho explorers hai e made great additions to our knowledge of the Holy Land . The Lake of Genesareth , or Sea of Galilee , has been described more accurately and vividly than ever before , and at least a very near approach has been made , if not absolute certainly obtained , in fixing the hitherto uncertain localit

y of the places where the Saviour resided , Capernaum , Bethsaida , and Chorazin . The site of Capernaum has been identified almost beyond doubt . The object of pottery—described by Mr . Chesteropen a new sphere of sacred archaiology hitherto almost untouched ; the peculiarity of those iu the early Christian era seems ivell worth noticing

, Of all tho discoveries connected with tho Palestine Exploration . Fund that of the Moabite fcitone , if not the most important , is undoubtedly that which has excited the keenest and most general interest , and deservedly so . 1 . It is the only inscription which has hitherto been found reaching back to the age of the Jewish monarchy . 2 . It indicates the possibility—one miht almost

g say the certainty—that more such inscriptions might be discovered , if only we had the means of searching for them . It _ removes the disagreeable impression that , as no Avritten record on stone had ever been found , no such record had ever existed . Strange , almost incredible , as

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this seemed , when compared with the acres of inscriptions ( many of a much earlier date ) in Egypt—yet it was a not unnatural conclusion , until this unexpected discovery broke the silence and dispelled the illusion . 3 . Whether or not the King of Moab , who is mentioned , is the same " Mesha " as the monarch of whom we read in 2 Kings iii ., he evidently belongs to the same dynasty .

The few indications that the inscription contains of the state of Moab agree with those contained in the Sacred Books , Whatever may be the variations of readings in other parts of the inscription , there is an entire agreement as to some of the most interesting parts . The names of Meshathe names of Chemosh and Molechthe name

, , Omri , the names of the various Moabite towns , above all the name of Jahveh , or Jehovah , for the God of Israel , appear in both the versions here presented to us . The book gives the various versions of the inscription , and the most accurate account of the discovery of the stone .

Bro. Robert Burns.—Memoranda Concerning Him By His Widow.

BRO . ROBERT BURNS . —MEMORANDA CONCERNING HIM BY HIS WIDOW .

The following is from the Inverness ( Scotland ) "Courier-. ""The late Mr . McDiarmid , of tho Dumfries " Courier , ' , was an intimate friend of Mrs . Burns , widow of the poet , for fifteen or sixteen years preceding her death , in 1814 , he was her adviser on all occasions , her amanuensis , and

the safe kind depository of her thoughts and feelings on most subjects . During their intercourse he appears to have from time to time , noted down particulars concerning the poet , such as he conceived would illustrate the kindly nature of Burns , or remove erroneous impressions of his biographers . These memoranda have just been published , in ' The Life and Works of Burns 'now

completed ) , by Waddel , Glasgow , to whom they were communicated by Mr . W . E . McDiarmid . They begin with the poet ' s residence at Ellisland . As there was no proper house on the farm , a new one had to be built , and in the interim , Burns lived five months in the old house , which was occupied by a man named David Cally , or

Kelly . " About this time , Burns sometimes read books not always found in people ' s hands on Sunday . Mrs . B . checked this , ivhen the bard laughingly replied , ' You'll not think me as good a man , as Nancy Kelly is a woman ?' ' Indeed , no . ' ' Then I'll tell you what happened this morning . When'I took a walk ou the banks of the Nitb ,

I heard Nancy Kelly praying long before I came till her , I walked on , and when I returned I saw her helping herself to an armful of my fitches . ' The parties kept a cow . * * * On one occasion Nancy and the bard were sitting together in the spence , when tho former turned the con versation on hor favourite topic , religion , Mr . Burns sympathized with the matronand quoted so much

, Scripture that ho was fairly astonished . When she went back she said to her husband : ' Oh , David Kelly , how they have wronged that man ; for I think he has mair o ' the Bible olF his tongue than Mr . Inglis himsel , ' ( Mr . Inglis was tho antiburghcr minister . ) The bard enjoyed the compliment , aud almost the first' thing he communicated to his Avife on her arrival AVUS ' the lift he got from

auld Nance . ' An old farmer , a neighbour of Burns at Ellisland , said the poet neither ploughed , sowed , nor reaped , like a hard-Avorkiug farmer ; he had a bevy of servants from Ayrshire , aud the lassies did nothing but bake bread , which t he lads ate warm with ale at the fireside . This being-