This morning we sent our poor over-tired horses on before us to Hese, and walked on foot at midday under a temperature of 33 degrees to Haifas, a distance of more than two miles.  Heated and exhausted to the last degree we reached the house of the Consul, who is a Catholic, but seems nevertheless to live quite in Oriental fashion.  This gentleman is consul both for France and Austria.  Although he was not at home when we arrived, we were immediately shewn into the room of state, where we reclined on soft divans, and were regaled with sherbet of all colours, green, yellow, red, etc., and with coffee flavoured with roses, which we did not like.  Hookahs (or tchibuks) were also handed round.  At length the Consul’s wife appeared, a young and beautiful lady of an imposing figure, dressed in the Oriental garb.  She smoked her tchibuk with as much ease as the gentlemen.  Luckily a brother of this lady who understood something of Italian was present, and kindly acted as interpreter.  I have never found an Oriental woman who knew any language but that of her own country.

After we had rested ourselves, we pursued our journey in a boat to Acre.  On my road to Jerusalem I had only seen the outside of this monument of the last war, now I could view its interior; but saw nothing to repay me for my trouble.  Considering how ugly the Turkish towns are even when they are in good preservation, it may easily be imagined that the appearance of one of these cities is not improved when it is full of shot-holes, and the streets and interiors of the houses are choked up with rubbish.  The entrance to the convent lies through the courtyard of the Turkish barracks, where there seemed to be a great deal of bustle, and where we had an opportunity of noticing how wretchedly clad, and still more miserably shod, the Turkish soldiers are.  These blemishes are not so much observed when the men are seen singly at their posts.

The convent here is very small, being in fact only a dwelling-house to which a chapel is attached.  Two monks and a lay brother form the whole household.

Scarcely had I established myself in my room, before a very polite lady entered, who introduced herself to me as the wife of a surgeon in the service of the pacha here.  She stated that her husband was at present absent at Constantinople, and added that she was in the habit of spending several hours in the convent every evening to do the honours of the house!  This assertion struck me as so strange, that I should certainly have remained dumb had not my visitor been a very agreeable, polite French lady.  As it was, however, we chatted away the evening pleasantly together, until the supper-bell summoned us to the refectory.  All that I saw in this convent was in direct contrast to the arrangement of the comfortable establishment of the Carmelites.  The refectory here is astonishingly dirty; the whole furniture consists of two dingy tables and some benches; the table-cloth, plates, etc. wore the prevailing livery; and the fare was quite in keeping with every thing else.  We supped at two tables; the gentlemen and the reverend fathers sitting at one, while the French lady and myself occupied the other.