Jerusalem, as to general form, may be called a square, or rather a rhomboid, for the north-east and south-west angles are acute, and the north-west and south-east are obtuse. Near the bend on the west side is Jaffa gate, called, also, the gate of Bethlehem and the Pilgrim's gate and Bab el Khaleel (the gate of the Beloved, i. e. Abraham.) On the south side is the gate of Zion, called also the gate of David. On the east side, near the pool of Bethesda, is the gate of Stephen, called likewise the Sheep gate, and the gate of the Virgin Mary. On the west side, between Calvary and Bezetha, is Damascus gate. These four are the principal gates of the city, and are always open from morning till sunset. There are two other small gates, which are opened only occasionally. We measured the city by paces, and the total is 4279. Allowing five paces to a rod, this gives 856 rods, or about two miles and two thirds, for the circumference of the city. According to Josephus, it was 33 furlongs in circumference before Titus destroyed it. Mount Zion was then included, and the city seems from his description to have extended further north than it does now. The wall of the city is high, but not thick. From counting the rows of stones we suppose the height, in different places, to be 40, 50, and perhaps 60 feet. There is a castle with two towers, on the west side, a little south of Jaffa gate, to which travellers have given the name of the Pisan's Tower. For a little distance, near the north-east corner, there is a trench without the wall, but now nearly filled up. In regard to the population of Jerusalem, the following estimate seems to us as probably correct as any one we have heard, viz. Mussulmans, . 10,000 The Armenians live in and around their convent on Mount Zion; the Greeks and Catholics have their convents and houses on Mount Calvary. The Turks and Arabs occupy Bezetha, and all the eastern part of the city, and have scattered dwellings in every quarter. The Jews live in the dust between Zion and Moriah. The whole area of the ancient Jewish Temple on Moriah, which now encloses the mosque of Omar, is walled in, and none but Mussulmans are allowed to enter it on pain of death. In and near it are four minarets. There are two others on Bezetha, one on Acra, one on Zion, and two on Calvary, placed on opposite sides of the Holy Sepulchre,like the two thieves on the right and left of our Lord. The Jews have a number of synagogues, all connected together, in the quarter where they live. The church of the Holy Sepulchre stands on Calvary. The Catholics have one convent on the same mountain. The Greeks have twelve here, and one near Zion gate. The Armenians have three convents on Mount Zion, a large one, and a small one in the city, and another a little without Zion gate, where, it is believed, stood the house of Caiaphas, where Jesus was arraigned, and where Peter denied him. The Copts, Syrians, and Abyssinians have also each a small convent. The houses are of stone, most of them low and irregular, with flat roofs or terraces, in the middle of which usually rises a small dome. The windows are small, and those towards the street have usually strong iron grates for defence, and then fine wooden grates to prevent the women from being seen by those who pass. The streets are narrow, and most of them irregular. There are but few gardens in the city. Jerusalem is seen to best advantage from Mount Olivet. We, however, see most of the city from the terrace of the convent where we lodge. The Temple is seen to the best advantage from the terrace of the Governor's house. Here you see, not a single mosque, but a collection of mosques and oratories. The two principal buildings are called el Aksa and el Sahhara. Around them the vacant area is covered with green grass, interspersed with paved walks and trees, which furnish an agreeable shade to the loitering Turk. Ali Bey has given a good description of the Temple, and its various buildings, and of the foolish opinions of the Turks concerning them. Miscellany. A number of interesting articles, prepared for this head, are excluded for want of room. UNITED DOMESTIC MISSIONARY SOCIETY. SECOND ANNIVERSARY. The following account of this anniversary was unavoidably omitted in our last :The second Annual Meeting of the United Domestic Missionary Society was held in the Brick Church in Beekman-Street, New-York, on the evening of the 16th of May, 1824. 'The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Woodhull of Brooklyn, L. I. The Annual Report was read by the Rev. Matthias Bruen, Secretary of the Society. The usual resolutions were then offered. and addresses were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Rice, of Virginia, the Rev. Mr. Cuyter, of Poughkeepsie, and the Rev. Mr. Cox of this city. A hymn in their language was sung by three of the youth of the Tuscarora tribe of Indians; a collection, amounting to $131 44, was taken up for the benefit of the Society; and the exercises were closed with Prayer, by the Rev. Mr. Squier, late of Buffalo. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church have now under its care, 1769 congregations, of which 763 are vacant. There are 1027 ministers, 173 licentiates, and 195 candidates. The number of communicants in the churches is 112,955, of which 10,431, were added during the last year. From Mingo Creek Society, Pa. by Rev. Dr. S. Ralston, through Rev. Dr. Spring, 14.00 From a Society in Front Royal, Va. for educating a heathen youth, to be called Isaac Miller, by Rev. Wm. Williamson, by Rev. Dr. Spring, From a lady in the Reformed Dutch church in Harlaem, N. Y. to constitute her pastor, Rev. Corns. C. Vermeule, life member, From Female Sunday School in the Wall-st. church, N. Y. 3d payment for educating an Osage child, named Mary Ludlow, by Miss Josephine R. Shaw, From the Youth's Miss. Society of Warren and its vicinity, Ohio, by Wm. Williams, its Tr. Collected in the church in Mossy Creek, Augusta co. Va. by Rev. John Henderson, Collected in church in Union county, by do. From Aux. Soc. of Saugerties, Ulster county, N. Y. to constitute Rev. Henry Ostrander, a life member, through U. Miller, Tr. From a few individuals in Morgan, Ashtabula county, Ohio, first instalment, for educating an Osage child, to be named --, by Rev. Randolph Stone, From Mr. D. Wolmer, third payment for edu From the Female Miss. Society of Beach Spring, Ohio, by Rev. John Rhea, Collected at monthly concert in Basking Ridge, N. J. by Rev. W. C. Brownlee, From a friend of Missions, "part of a sum of a vow to the Lord, for mercy in a certain case, transmitted by Rev. Lathrop Thompson, 15 00 20 00 20 00 2 00 From Dr. Gilbert Smith, 10 00 From Mr. Leander Mead, bis ann. sub. S 00 30 00 Collected at monthly concert in Pluckamin, N. J. by Mr. Elias Brown, 2.00 10 00 Collected in the Presb. church in Shepherdstown, Va. by Rev. John Matthews, From the Bible Class of young ladies in do. balance of the first instalment for educating an Indian child, under the name of Mary Bryan, by do. 16 16 2.00 5 60 5 80 From Mr. Frederick S. Thomas, of Newark, N. J. on account of his life sub. by Rev. D. O. Griswold, 10 00 30 00 From Mr. Burr Wakeman, by do. 5 00 20 00 Collected in a part of the Congregation of the Church in Rutgers-street. From D. & A. S. Frost, From Mrs. Van Nostrand, From Miss. H. Goldsmith, From Mr. Keeler, From Mrs. Depeyster, From Mount & Wetmore, 4.00 From Mrs. Tompkins, with some small articles, 1 00 From Mrs. Champion, From Mr. Cooper, From Mr. Brown, From a friend, 5 CO From Mr. Howell, Cash, 2.00 From Air. Morgan, From Alt. McCullum, 5 00 200 From Gideon Ostrander, 200 50 50 1. 00 1.00 1.00 4.00 1.00 101 88 Collected in a part of the Congregation of the Reformed Dutch Church in Market-street. The following Hymn was handed to the Editor in the form of a printed hand-bill. By whom it was composed, or where it was originally published, we know not. It is, however, worthy of being preserved; and our Readers will be gratified by its insertion in the Register : From realms where the day her first dawning extends, - No more shall the sound of the war-whoop be heard, Slight tinctures of skin shall no longer engage PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 13, 1824. THE Executive Committee commence the Report of their proceedings during the past year, "with an earnest acknowledgment of the singular blessing and success which God of his grace has bestowed upon their labours." "With no other basis of union," they add, "than the professed desire to obey the parting command of our Lord, and preach the gospel to every creature; with no other rule of direction than what the Bible contains; and without any of the distinctions which have severed Christians, the Society has steadily pursued its way, with a daily accession of intelligence as to the manner in which it should do its work, and of humility and joy in the Lord that their hands should be permitted to labour in His vineyard." Applications for Missionaries. The applications for aid have been numerous and pressing beyond our power to supply. Our brethren, who are at our very threshold, destitute of a physician for their wounded spirits and perishing souls, are not so lost to all the sensibilities of an immortal nature, as not to ask our help. The benefit of Christian training remains, when they migrate into the scattered settlements of the west; they look to their ancient churches for sympathy and succour. The Committee have sought to adapt their supply to the varying exigencies of the community, always limiting their grants to what seemed to be the least possible donation for which the service of a Minister could be obtained, and he owe no man any VOL. V. 29 thing but spiritual duty; and always Number of Missionaries employed. spective fields of labour, and the time for which their services were engaged. This statement, which occupies about nine pages, closes as follows: Of these Missionaries, 10 are located in the city of New-York, and the country in its vicinity-13 are in the neighbourhood of the line of the river Hudson-36 are west of that line-7 are under the care of the Utica agency-4 under the care of the Union Society--5 under the care of the Cooperstown agency-1 in Lower Canada-1 is settled in Providence, Rhode-Island-2 in NewJersey-4 in Pennsylvania--1 in Ohio--1 in Missouri. Appeal for Aid to the Christian Public. To sustain and increase our various operations, we must appeal for aid to the Christian public. There is scarcely a meeting of the Executive Committee, at which we are not forced to dismiss some urgent petition, when only a grant of 100 or $150 might locate the gospel in a growing neighbourhood, and secure it the means of access to thousands. As we confine our efforts to no sectional divisions within the United States, we ask help either by the formation of Auxiliary Societies, or by private donation, of all to whom our Report may come. It is a sacred rule of the Committee, not to allow their appropriations to exceed what they have a reasonable prospect of fulfilling: if the public patronage does not increase, they can do no more than continue to act upon their present scale-they may indeed be forced to retrench-but they have an encouraging conviction that the more their plan is examined, the more will it be approved, and the larger will be the voluntary grants in aid of the Society. To show what a single individual may do, when he comes out spiritedly to the help of the Lord against the mighty, and at the same time to express the gratitude which the Committee,and the Society, and all to whom the cause of Christ is dear, should feel, they name the Rev. Dr. Porter, of Catskill, as having by his personal exertions, among the clergy of the Reformed Dutch, the Presbyterian, and other Churches, and the laity of these denominations, collected, in the counties of Greene and Columbia, $867, 90 cents already, towards our funds. Would that this mention might be as one of the stones of memorial on the banks of Jordan. Auxiliary Societies. Twenty-nine Auxiliary Societies have been recognised by the Executive Committee. Others have been formed, but not yet recognised, as their constitutions and lists of officers have not been received. Fidelity and Success of the Missionaries. In this general view, it will be sufficient to report that our missionaries seem to be men deeply imbued with a Christian spirit, with enlightened apprehensions of the truth as it is in Jesus; and animated with that zeal for the glory of the Lord, and the salvation of souls, without which all other gifts do but tend to adorn the sepulchre of a prophet. Our missionaries have been anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of the Bible Society, in circulating in holding Bible classes for the young, tracts, in establishing Sabbath-schools, the external prosperity, and the inteand in the use of the other means for rior enlargement and adorning of the Zion of God. We have special ground of thankfulness for the Divine blessing which has been shed down upon their efforts. In many instances the incorruptible seed of the Word has taken rootin many instances the good fruits of saving knowledge have become apparent-in some cases, revivals of religion have ensued, and righteousness flowed as a river into regions destitute of the fear of the Lord, as was Nineveh before Jonah preached in that exceeding great city. General Field of Missionary Labour. |