itants number 120. Many of them were labourers in other colonies, and have only small pieces of land to cultivate. One of the first settlers in this colony possesses a large apiary consisting of nearly 200 modern hives, which produce a fine quality of honey, known by the name of "orange honey." This, says the Consul, is one of the most prosperous of the colonies, and appears to have a bright future before it.
ARTUE.—Situated quite close to the railway station of Deir-Aban on the Jaffa-Jerusalem line, originally founded by a British benevolent society for the purpose of encouraging Hebrew-Christians to settle as agriculturists in Palestine and become self-supporting, but the applicants were few, and the colony was finally sold in 1896 to a Bulgarian Jewish association. This association consists of 50 members, each of whom pays a fixed annual contribution towards maintaining the colony; 14 of them have settled with their families (in all about 75 souls) in the colony, and five other members have their families in Jerusalem, but they work the ground in common with the rest.
MOZAH.—Usually called Kolonia, a vinegrowing colony about four miles from Jerusalem on the Jaffa carriage road, comprising 112 acres of land, and containing seven families. It was founded in 1895 by the "Jeruschalaim Lodge of the Independent Order B'nai B'rith," and is supported by the same lodge and by the Chovevi Zion in Cologne. The colonists of Mozah sell their grapes in Jerusalem, or make wine of them.
Agricultural School
Consul Dickson goes on to speak of the agricultural school of Mikve Israel, two and a half miles inland from Jaffa. This school, he says, was founded by the Alliance Israelite Universelle in 1870, and owns nearly 600 acres of land. 100 pupils are taught farming gratis, besides receiving a general education, and after a five years'
course of instruction are sent to the colonies as head workmen or overseers.
Consul Dickson goes on to say that, of the colonies above mentioned three—Mulebbis, Rishon le-Zion, and Ekron—were founded and supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschilds. Three—Katra, Kustineh, and Mozah—owe their existence to the Chovevi Zion; and the remaining colonies—Rehobot, Wady-Hanein, and Artuf—were established and are maintained by private individuals. "As already stated," says the Consul, "the foregoing are the colonies strictly within this consular district, but there are several additional Jewish colonies of importance which have been founded in Northern Palestine and Syria, and some of them have grown considerably during recent years, and may be said to be in a flourishing state." The Consul goes on to refer to the handing over to the Jewish Colonisation Association by Baron de Rothschild of the colonies founded by the eminent philanthropist. The transference took place on January 1st, 1900. Mr. Dickson gives the following account of their subsequent administration and of the prospects of the colonists:—
The Jewish Colonisation Association, however, accepted his charge only on certain conditions, one of which was that the Baron should guarantee during ten years any deficit which might occur in the administration of the colonies by the Association, and a Commission was named, with the concurrence of the Baron, to superintend the work in connection with the colonies. The Committee of the Jewish Colonisation Association resolved to reduce the expenses of administration, to discharge unfit colonists after indemnifying them, and to increase the amount of land assigned to the remaining colonists in such a manner that the settlers should in the course of ten years be able to become self-supporting.. Each colony was to be self-administering as much as possible, and each colonist, after being permanently settled on the land, was to be