30 feet, and seems to go further north, and also further south, even through under the surface of the present road, where (east of it) opens the mouth of another cave, or rather, as I think, a cistern, which is not yet cleared out, being, for the greater part, under the road. At the sharp corner, projecting into the road, the rock stands up with perpendicular sides; and this is the reason for such a corner. On the eastern side of the rock, and inside the Augustinian Brethren's ground, there is an old cistern, now restored and containing water; and here is the chief door to the ground of the Brethren, and a new road, which was made northwards, after it had been ascertained that nothing of much interest is underneath. On the top of the projecting rock a flight of steps is cut into it, formerly—when a building stood on the rock—leading down into the two above-mentioned rooms. This spur of rock is visible southwards, also in the road itself, and runs on to the neighbours' ground in a curved line, forming there a scarp.
No. 4. East of the latter, lower down the slope and 45 feet distant, is a similar rock, forming a sharper corner and causing a sharp bending of the road. In this rock is also hewn a somewhat double room, in a line from south to north. The entrance is from the road, and so outside the Brethren's ground, and this is the reason that it is not thoroughly cleared, and I cannot say more about it.
No. 5. Opposite, or on the southern side of the road, the ground belongs to a Moslem; he tried to cultivate it, and made excavations, laying bare the rock scarp there (the continuation of the one described above on the Augustinian Brethren's ground), and found two cisterns, both cut into the rock, and with steps cut in rock leading down to them. The eastern cistern is nearly square, each side measuring about 13 feet, and of considerable height; the steps going down are very steep. The western one is much larger, and the steps not so steep. On its southern side, besides the door, it once had an opening, like a window, very likely broken in when the place was used as a lodging for men, and afterwards for cattle. The proprietor has built on the side of the steps a kind of pool, and over the cistern itself, a little house. West of the latter is the opening or mouth of another cistern, the size of which I do not know.
No. 6. North of the last described place, and 80 feet north of the main road, is, on the Ordnance Survey plan, scale 12500, inserted a "cistern" (which I show also on the large plan). Now 90 feet further north, and in a line towards a corner (not tower) of the city wall, was found another and once very large cistern, square in form, about 30 feet on each side, and about 20 feet high, entirely cut in the rock. The roofing is also rock, and without any support in the middle. Where the rock roof was thinnest, at the eastern part, is a large opening, now left as a sky-hole. I found the place already greatly changed. First there was made a trench or road to it, starting as a side branch from the new road mentioned above, and going westwards 70 feet wide to the entrance. The sides of this road are first only earth, then rock, at first not high, but becoming higher and higher to about 7 feet, as the rock is there rising.
b
