of silver, painting, gilding, and mosaic, are lavished over this spot, produces an effect of wonderful richness.

The Armenians, of whom there are a considerable number settled in Jerusalem, are by far the most respectable and wealthy persons of any of the Christian sects. Many of them exhibit in their houses, entertainments, &c., a degree of comfort, not to say splendour, equally gratifying and surprising to the traveller; they are, as a class, very hospitable, and the appearance of sincerity and unaffectedness which we perceived, in spite of their gravity, was a great relief, after the sordid adulation and arrogant pomposity so often met with in eastern conversation.

From these Fathers we acquired some information respecting the so long disputed point, the relative population of Jerusalem.* Their accounts I took some pains to examine and compare with the numerous and often conflicting censuses made by previous travellers. The following appears to be somewhat nearer the truth than any account which I have yet seen :Jerusalem at present is supposed to contain nearly 21,000 inhabitants; of these there may be,

* The number of Jews in this population has been given in the most contradictory manner. Dr. Richardson makes the number 10,000.

Buckingham says, on the authority of Moallim Zacharias, the governor's banker, and one of the principal Jews in the city, that there were not one thousand male Jews in Jerusalem, but at least three thousand females.-Travels, Vol. I., p. 398.

The origin of these discrepancies may be traced to the variety of persons from whom travellers have obtained their information; for instance, Mr. Buckingham consulted a Jew, Dr. Richardson a Turk, &c.

After visiting the Armenian church we proceeded to that of the Holy Sepulchre; to the exterior, however, we confined our examination It is built partly on the level ground, and partly on an ascent. In front of the edifice is a large open court, which is generally thronged, like that in the temple of old, with buyers and sellers; the traffic, however, does not consist of " doves," nor are there any "changers of money;" but in relics, beads, bracelets, and the rest of the trumpery which has such supernatural efficacy in the eyes of the Roman Catholic pilgrim. The sides of this open space are formed by the wings of the convent, and the door of the church is facing it. The façade is said to be the work of the Emperor Constantine. A letter is preserved wherein Constantine orders the Bishop of Jerusalem, Macaire, to build a church over this spot. Three hundred years after this it was sacked by Khosroes, King of Persia, and the cross carried away. Heraclius recaptured this venerable treasure, and Modestus, Bishop of Jerusalem, re-established the church. Its posterity was not destined to be of long continuance, for soon after Jerusalem was taken by the Caliph Omar, who was, however, disposed to treat the Christians with lenity.

The city of Jerusalem has so often suffered the horrors of siege and sack, that it is almost unnecessary to particularize, or even to enumerate, all these melancholy reverses.

To give, however, some idea of the fury with which the war of the Crusades was carried on, it may not be unprofitable here to give an extract describing its assault and capture by the Christians, in the year of our Lord 1099, on the 15th of July.

After describing the vigorous resistance made by the besieged, and the sufferings of the Crusaders from the ponderous weight of their arms, and the intolerable fierceness of the sun, and having remarked the shattered state of the machines employed by them, our author relates one of those "pious frauds" so common and so effectual in that age, employed in the

form of an apparition, which succeeded in adding energy to the fainting

besiegers.

When they were deliberating to postpone the final attack till the morrow, "on a sudden there appeared upon the Mount of Olives a cavalier completely armed, waving towards the city a shield, all blazing in the rays of the sun, and seeming, by this action, tó give the signal to the Christians to enter the place.

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Godfrey and Raymond, who were among the first to perceive this, cried out that St. George had come to their succour. At the same instant the gaze of all was turned towards the Mount of Olives, and the sight filled the army with fresh ardour. They renewed the combat with a fury which had not been before exhibited; the women, the children, the sick, the aged, all took part, some in dragging the machines, others in bringing refreshments to the troops. Godfrey first entered the city, having taken the Barbican, and made himself master of the inner wall in the midst of a shower of falarics, or darts armed with that terrible Greek fire,' which figures as such a dreadful implement of war in the attack and defence of those ages. "The besieged, enveloped in flames and smoke, are forced to fight man to man, and begin to be terrified at the sight of the forest of lances and swords which opposed them.

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Godfrey seizes the moment of their confusion, and dashes, sword in hand, into the city, accompanied by Eustace, Baldwin de Burgh, Bernard of Saint Valier, and closely followed by D'Albret, Lethold, and Englebert of Tournay, besides an immense crowd of soldiers, well imitating the example of their leaders.

"On the other side, Tancred, animated by the success which they expected, though they did not see it, and the cries, It is the will of God! It is the will of God!' which resounded on all sides, as the Crusaders spread themselves through the town, made a last effort, and succeeded, with Gaston of Bearn, Hugh of St. Paul, Gerard of Roussillon, Louis de Mouson, Conon,