In 1835 the subject of a Hebrew church on Mount Zion was agitated in England, and in 183(5 Mr. Nicolay- son was called to England to consult regarding it. He returned in July, 1837, and labored alone in Jerusalem for a year. In the following year the purchase of mis- sion premises was effected, and, to aid Mr. Nicolayson, Dr. Gerstmann, a medical missionarv, was sent out. In the same j-ear the plague visited Jerusalem, and this cir- cumstance was the first germ of that most useful institu- tion, the hospital at Jerusalem. The missionary work was meanwhile carried on with good results. In Decem- ber, 1839, the digging of the foundations for the church was commenced, and on Feb. 10, 1840, the foundation of the new buildings was laid. In the same j-ear the fa- mous, or infamous, Damascus persecution was inaugu- rated, and Mr. Pieritz, a converted Jew, went to Damas- cus, sent by Mr. Nicolayson to intercede in behalf of the persecuted Israelites (see his Statement respectinr/ the Per- secution of the Jeirs at Damascus, Lond. 1840). Pass- ing over the troublesome political incidents of the year 1840, we come to the year 1841, which was signalized by an event in many respects the most remarkable in the annals of Jewish Missions. We allude to the estab- lishment of the Jerusalem bishopric, an account of which is given in this Cycloijadia, s. v. Jerusalkji, THE NEW See of St. Jajies in. On Jan. 21, 1841, the newly elected bishop arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by the Rev. G. Williams, his chaplain, the Kev. F. C. Ewald, a convert from Judaism (f 1874), and Dr. Mac- gowan, a medical missionary. In the following year a college, or house for the reception of converts, was opened in the month of May (which, however, was closed in 1844), and on Dec. 12, 1844, a hospital was opened. In November, 1845, the mission was severely tried by the sudden removal from the scene of his earthly career of bishop Alexander. The sad event occurred in the wilderness between Canaan and Egypt, on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 23. Bishop Alexan- der was succeeded by the present bishop Gobat, for- merly vice-president of the Malta Protestant College, who still occupies the see of St. James, and who arrived at Jerusalem Dec. 23, 1846. In 1847 the Palestine mis- sion was enabled to record a public act of considerable consequence to the Church and mission at Jerusalem. The British ambassador at Constantinople, lord Cowley, had succeeded in obtaining a firman recognising the Protestant subjects of the Porte as a separate Church and community. In the year 1848, Dec. 21, the House
of Industry was opened, which, up to the present day, is found an excellent adjunct to the mission. The sev- enth anniversary of the entry of the first Protestant bishop into the Holy City was selected for the conse- cration of the first Protestant church ever built there — the first church, after many centuries, dedicated to the pure and scriptural service of almighty God. The ser- mon preached on this occasion by the bishop was on the text, "JNIine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people." This took place Jan. 21, 1849. In the year 1851 it was thought necessary to examine afresh into the wants and condition of the mission. It was resolved to invite Mr. Nicolayson to visit Eng- land for personal conference, the Rev. J. C. Reichardt having kindly undertaken temporarily to supply his place. The latter accordingly left England in the month of October, Litrusted with a special mission, partly, as has been said, to act for Mr. Nicolayson, and partly to co-operate with the local committee on the spot, which it had been deemed expedient to form in the year 1849, " in order to place the mission on a more effective and satisfactory footing, with such assistance as might be found available." Such plans were greatly facilitated when the committee was afterwards provi- dentially enabled to accomplish what it had often de- sired, viz. to associate with the work on Mount Zion an English clergyman of some experience and standing at home. This was brought about when the Rev. H. C. Crawford offered his services to the society for mis- sionary labor in Syria. He arrived in the Holy City on Feb. 21, 1852. The cause of Christ's Gospel in Pal- estine was not only strengthened from this, but from other sources also. The Church Missionary Society deemed it expedient to send a laborer to Palestine, and the late king of Prussia also appointed a minister whose cure was to comprise the German members of the Prot- estant community. For this latter office the Rev. F. P. Valentiner was selected, who at once expressed his ear- nest desire to co-operate with those who had preceded him in the work for the salvation of souls, and who has since proved of the utmost value to the cause. An- other valuable addition was in the same year made to the medical department by the establishment of the Deaconesses' Institution. During a period of sickness the want of proper nurses had been severely felt. In order to remedy this evil, bisliop Gobat wrote to the Rev^ Theodor Fliedner, asking him to send two of the pious deaconesses of Kaiserswerth. In April, 1851, Mr. Fliedner himself brought four deaconesses. In the year 1854 a movement of a general character was set on foot in order to counteract the growing influence of the mis- sion. Mr. Cohen was deputed by baron Rothschild and other Jews of influence to visit the Israelites in the East, especially in Jerusalem, with a view to the im- provement of their circumstances. But what was in- tended to be a blow to the mission only proved a means of making it better known. In the year 185G it pleased God to call to his rest the Rev. Mr. Nicolayson, and the Rev. H. C. Crawford was placed at the head of the mis- sion. On Feb. 5, 18G0, Dr. Macgowan was called to his rest, and a few months previously, Nov. 22, 1859, Miss Cooper, who at her own cost had established the Insti- tution for Jewesses, was also called away. Ill-health soon after compelled Mr. Crawford to leave Jerusalem permanently, and his place was occupied by the Kev. J. Barclay.