pupils. In those days of former intercourse, we had never thought thus to see each other on earth upon Mount Zion; and so much the more deeply did we all now feel and prize the high privilege of meeting on this sacred spot, where we might again “take sweet counsel together, and walk unto the house of God in company."

I have already remarked, that as we crossed the valley of Hinnom, I was particularly struck with its rapid descent, and the great depth of the vale of Jehoshaphat or the Kidron, into which it opens. In the city itself, the steepness of the streets which descend towards the East was greater than I had anticipated. But on entering the gates of Jerusalem, apart from the overpowering recollections which naturally rush upon the mind, I was in many respects agreeably disappointed. From the descriptions of Chateaubriand and other travellers, I had expected to find the houses of the city miserable, the streets filthy, and the population squalid. Yet the first impression made upon my mind was of a different character; nor did I afterwards see any reason to doubt the correctness of this first impression. The houses are in general better built, and the streets cleaner, than those of Alexandria, Smyrna, or even Constantinople. Indeed, of all the oriental cities which it was my lot to visit, Jerusalem, after Cairo, is the cleanest and most solidly built. The streets indeed are narrow, and very rudely paved; like those of all cities in the East. The houses are of hewn stone, often large, and furnished with the small domes upon the roofs, which have been already mentioned at Hebron, as perhaps peculiar to the district of Judea. These domes seem to be not merely for ornament; but are intended, on account of the scarcity of timber, to aid in supporting and strengthening the otherwise flat roofs. There is usually one or more

over each room in a house; and they serve also to give a greater elevation and an architectural effect to the ceiling of the room, which rises within them. The streets and the population that throngs them, may also well bear comparison with those of any other oriental city; although if one seeks here, or elsewhere in the East, for the general cleanliness and thrift which characterize many cities of Europe and America, he will of course seek in vain.

Sunday, April 15th. This was the Christian Sabbath, and it was also Easter Sunday. It was in a special manner a "great day" in Jerusalem, inasmuch as the Easter of the Romish and that of the Oriental churches, which usually occur on different days, fell together for the present year. During Easter-week, the city had been thronged, though not very fully, with pilgrims. These were mostly Greeks and Armenians; very few Latins were seen; and only now and then a straggling Copt. The whole number had been less than usual. The annual excursion to the Jordan had been made, in which some of our friends had joined; and the annual mockery of the Greek holy fire had taken place just before we entered the city. The Latins too had enacted their mummery, representing the scenes of the crucifixion. In consequence of our late arrival, we thus missed all the incidents of the Holy week. This however we counted as no loss, but rather a gain; for the object of our visit was the city itself, in relation to its ancient renown and religious associations; not as seen in its present state of decay and supersitious or fraudful degradation. The Jews also were celebrating their Passover; and our friends had received a present of some of their unleavened bread. It was spread out into very thin sheets, almost like paper, very white, and also very delicate and palatable. Thus to all the inhabitants, except to the VOL. I. 42

Muhammedans; and to all the strangers who were present, save the few Protestants; this was the greatest festival of the year.

The different sects of Christians who have possession of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, had of course been compelled to alternate in their occupancy of it, and in the performance of their religious ceremonies. On this last "high day" of the festival, the Greeks held their grand Mass at the Sepulchre before break of day; and the Latins followed at 9 o'clock. I looked in for a few moments, with my friend Mr. Homes, upon this latter ceremonial. Few persons were present, except those engaged in the service. These few were all below in the body of the church; in the galleries there were no spectators. The reputed sepulchre, as is well known, stands in the middle of the spacious rotunda, directly beneath the centre of the great dome, which is open to the sky. The high altar was placed directly before the door of the sepulchre; so that we could not enter the latter. The ceremonies we saw consisted only in a procession of the monks and others marching around the sepulchre; stopping occasionally to read a portion of the Gospel; and then again advancing with chanting and singing. I was struck with the splendour of their robes, stiff with embroidery of silver and gold, the well-meant offerings probably of Catholics out of every country of Europe; but I was not less struck with the vulgar and unmeaning visages that peered out from these costly vestments. The wearers looked more like ordinary ruffians, than like ministers of the cross of Christ. Indeed there is reason to believe, that the Latin monks in Palestine are actually for the most part ignorant and often illiterate men, chiefly from Spain, the refuse of her monks and clergy, who come or are sent hither as into a sort of exile, where they serve to excite the sympathies and the misplaced

charities of the Catholics of Europe. There was hardly a face among all those before us, that could be called intelligent. A few fine-looking French naval officers, and one or two Irish Catholics, had joined the procession; but seemed quite out of place, and as if ashamed of their companions.

I make these remarks merely as relating a matter of fact; and not, I trust, out of any spirit of prejudice against the Romish church or her clergy. I had once spent the Holy week in Rome itself; and there admired the intelligent and noble countenances of many of the clergy and monks congregated in that city. For this very reason the present contrast struck me the more forcibly and disagreeably. The whole scene indeed was to a Protestant painful and revolting. It might perhaps have been less so, had there been manifested the slightest degree of faith in the genuineness of the surrounding objects; but even the monks themselves do not pretend, that the present sepulchre is any thing more than an imitation of the original. But to be in the ancient city of the Most High, and to see these venerated places and the very name of our holy religion profaned by idle and lying mummeries; while the proud Mussulman looks on with haughty scorn ; all this excited in my mind a feeling too painful to be borne; and I never visited the place again.

We now repaired to the house of Mr Whiting; where in a large upper-room our friends had long established regular divine service in English every Sunday; in which they were assisted by Mr. Nicolayson, the able Missionary of the English Church, sent out hither by the London Missionary Society for the Jews. We found a very respectable congregation, composed of all the missionary families, besides several European travellers of rank and name. It was, I presume, the largest Protestant congregation ever col

lected within the walls of the Holy City; and it was gratifying to see Protestants of various names here laying aside all distinctions, and uniting with one heart to declare by their example in Jerusalem itself, that "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." The simplicity and spirituality of the Protestant worship was to me affecting and doubly pleasing, in contrast with the pageant of which we had just been spectators.

Early in the afternoon we were also present at the service in Arabic, which the same Missionaries had established in the house of Mr. Lanneau, and which was then regularly attended by some twenty or thirty Arab Christians of the Greek rite. These were men of respectable appearance, merchants and others; and seemed to yield attention to the things which they heard.

It may not be out of place here to remark, that the object of the American Missions to Syria and other parts of the Levant, is not to draw off members of the Oriental churches to Protestantism; but to awaken them to a knowledge and belief of the Gospeltruth, in the purity and simplicity of its original scriptural form. To this end all the efforts of the Missionaries are directed; in the hope, that individuals thus enlightened, and remaining, if they choose, within the pale of their own churches, may by degrees become instrumental in infusing into the latter life and vigour and a love of the truth, before which the various forms of error and superstition will of themselves vanish away. The Missionaries would seem thus to have taken the proper course, in going forward simply as preachers of the Gospel, and not as the direct assailants

1) John iv. 24.

2) The great body of the Christians in Palestine are of the

Greek church; but they are all native Arabs, and employ only the Arabic language in their worship.