dows, give the town a peculiarly gloomy and melancholy appearance, enhanced by its deserted state, for the population is thin, and but very few persons are seen in the streets, excepting in the bazaars. Moreover, the pavement is such, that it is absolute misery to walk about, both from the sharpness and slipperiness of the stones, and the great holes into which one is liable to stumble. The interior of the houses is equally unlike everything else. The doors of the rooms are so low, that we constantly give ourselves violent blows on the head, forgetting the necessity of stooping. You emerge from a narrow passage into a court, then up a steep short staircase into another open space, then up another short staircase into a sort of terrace, off which are the rooms. Mr. Young has kindly lent us a house containing three rooms. My maid, a man-servant, and myself, occupy these, and the gentlemen of the party are at the Latin convent. My room is pleasant, immensely thick walls with gothic windows, which are even glazed, and a door opens upon the terrace. The walls are arched in a way peculiar to, and almost universal in, this country: the furniture, a table, two chairs, and a bedstead, as at Ramla; we provide the rest. From the top of the Latin convent there is another view of the mount of Olives, and of the city. It is curious, as we go on, to trace the same manners as are described and alluded to in Scripture; for instance, here the roofs of the

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in his chariot, whereas now such a thing as a wheeled chariot or carriage of any kind is unknown in Syria; not even a wheel-barrow is to be found there!

At about an hour from Jerusalem we were met by the Consul, Mr. Young, and Lord Alvanley, preceded by their janissaries. As we approached the city, Mr. Young pointed out to me the mount of Olives, and these two objects are first seen nearly at the same time. The mount of Olives which I have so longed to see! The sight of it, and of the city where that was transacted which has procured us salvation and felicity hereafter, where the Son of Man endured agony, and suffered death for our sakes, had a strange effect upon me, which I shall never forget. Had I been alone, I should have cried; but one must not give way to these emotions in public, whatever one may do in the silence and solitude of one's own chamber. It was twelve o'clock when we reached the gates; and, being Friday, the Mussulman's Sabbath, and the hour of prayer, we feared we might be denied admittance, for once upon a time the city was taken at twelve o'clock, and ever since, the gates are closed during the hour of prayer. However, they opened them for us, and we rode in. The streets are narrow, totally unlike those of any European town, scarcely any windows being perceptible, except in the bazaars; the long, and sometimes high walls, unrelieved by doors or win

dows, give the town a peculiarly gloomy and melancholy appearance, enhanced by its deserted state, for the population is thin, and but very few persons are seen in the streets, excepting in the bazaars. Moreover, the pavement is such, that it is absolute misery to walk about, both from the sharpness and slipperiness of the stones, and the great holes into which one is liable to stumble. The interior of the houses is equally unlike everything else. The doors of the rooms are so low, that we constantly give ourselves violent blows on the head, forgetting the necessity of stooping. You emerge from a narrow passage into a court, then up a steep short staircase into another open space, then up another short staircase into a sort of terrace, off which are the rooms. Mr. Young has kindly lent us a house containing three rooms. My maid, a man-servant, and myself, occupy these, and the gentlemen of the party are at the Latin convent. My room is pleasant, immensely thick walls with gothic windows, which are even glazed, and a door opens upon the terrace. The walls are arched in a way peculiar to, and almost universal in, this country: the furniture, a table, two chairs, and a bedstead, as at Ramla; we provide the rest. From the top of the Latin convent there is another view of the mount of Olives, and of the city. It is curious, as we go on, to trace the same manners as are described and alluded to in Scripture; for instance, here the roofs of the

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houses are flat, and used by the natives for the purpose of walking or sitting, and probably for the transaction of their business. Thus David had the misfortune to see Bathsheba.

In the afternoon we went to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and were shown, by a professed cicerone, all the numberless places to which events are ascribed-the stone on which our Saviour's body was washed, the sepulchre itself, the place of crucifixion, the spot where the soldiers divided the garments amongst them, the tomb of Nicodemus, &c. &c. All this is very doubtful, and it is unpleasant to feel a doubt as to such a locality. They have endeavoured to unite, under one roof, all the places where any event connected with our blessed Saviour's death occurred. That the sepulchre was near the place of crucifixion is certain, as St. John tells us so, (chap. xix.,) and it is probable that the embalming of the body also took place on the spot. Also, the soldiers are very likely to have divided the garments amongst them at the foot of the cross, as this is mentioned immediately after the account of the crucifixion, and as it is not likely that they would have left their post for any such purpose; but the position of the church with reference to the walls of the ancient city, makes it doubtful whether it really is the site of Calvary. The place of crucifixion we know to have been "without the gate." Now this place appears to have been within the walls; or, if not, the wall must have taken a sudden bend for the

purpose, as it were, of excluding it. Calvary is termed a mount; it is nowhere thus called in Scripture. Query: is it a mount at all?

We are come too late for the Easter ceremonies here. I am glad of it. They present a most disgraceful scene of violence, superstition, fraud, and schism. On Easter-even, the church of the Holy Sepulchre is crowded with Christians of the Greek and Latin churches, fighting for the holy fire, which the Greek priests pretend to cause to issue, as from heaven, from two apertures in the sepulchre; and the confusion, and squabbling, and screaming, and struggling who shall first light his taper by this holy fire, is most disgraceful and disgusting. Turks sit on a divan at the door of the church, smoking, and collecting entrancemoney; others are stationed round the tomb, to preserve something like order; and the Pacha of the town sits in a sort of gallery above, looking on with the contempt, no doubt, which this scene deserves, on so miserable an exhibition of a corrupt form of Christian faith. Greek hates Latin, and Latin detests Greek; Armenians and Copts are not much more friendly to one another. What an example to both Mussulman and Jew! We cannot hope for conversion until Christianity prevails in this country in a purer form. Oh! for the simple purity of our own Church, and that it were set forth here instead of this most corrupt and disgraceful one!