Libanus. This summit was so lofty, that the snow entirely covered the upper part of it; not lying in patches, as I have seen it, during summer, upon the tops of very elevated mountains, (for instance, upon that of Ben Nevis, in Scotland,) but investing all the higher part with that perfect white and smooth velvet-like appearance which snow only exhibits when it is very deep; a striking spectacle in such a climate, where the beholder, seeking protection from a burning sun, almost considers the firmament to be on fire."

OTHER REVERED SITES.

"As we rode towards the Sea of Tiberius, the guides pointed to a sloping spot from the heights upon our right, whence we had descended, as the place where the miracle was accomplished by which our Saviour fed the multitude: it is therefore called The Multiplication of Bread; as the Mount above, where the Sermon was preached to his Disciples, is called The Mountain of Beatitudes, from the expressions used in the beginning of that discourse. The lake now continued in view upon our left. The wind rendered its surface rough, and called to mind the situation of our Saviour's Disciples, when, in one of the small vessels which traverse these waters, they were tossed in a storm, and saw Jesus in the fourth watch of the night, walking to them upon the waves. Often as this subject has been painted, combining a number of circumstances adapted for the representation of sublimity, no artist has been aware of the uncommon grandeur of the scenery, memorable on account of the transaction. The Lake of Gennesareth is surrounded by objects well calculated to heighten the solemn impression made by such a picture; and, independent of the local feelings likely to be excited in its contemplation, affords one of the most striking prospects in the Holy Land.

"Along the borders of this lake may still be seen the remains of those ancient tombs, hewn by the earliest inhabitants of Galilee, in the rocks which face the water. Similar works were before noticed among the Ruins of Telmessus. They were deserted in the time of our Saviour, and had become the resort of wretched men, afflicted by diseas es, and made outcasts of society; for in the account of the cure performed by our Saviour upon a maniac in the coun

try of the Gadarenes, these tombs are particularly alluded to; and their existence to this day, (although they have been neither noticed by priests nor pilgrims, and have escaped the ravages of the Empress Helena, who would undoubtedly, have shaped them into churches,) offers strong internal evidence of the accuracy of the Evangelist who has recorded the transaction: There met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs." "

6

NAPOLOSE, OR SICHEM.

"THERE is nothing in the Holy Land finer than the view of this city from the surrounding heights. As the traveller descends towards it from the hills, it appears luxuriantly embosomed in the most delightful and fragrant bowers, half concealed by rich gardens, and by stately trees collected into groves, all around the bold and beautiful valley in which it stands. The traveller, directing his footsteps towards its ancient sepulchres, as everlasting as the rocks wherein they are hewn, is permitted, upon the authority of sacred and indelible record, to contemplate the spot where the remains of Joseph, of Eleazar, and of Joshua, were severally deposited.

"In the time of Alexander the Great, Sichem was considered as the capital of Samaria. Its inhabitants were called Samaritans, not merely as people of Samaria, but as a sect at variance with the other Jews. They consisted principally of deserters from Judæa. The principal object of veneration among them is JACOB'S WELL, over which a church was formerly erected. This is situated at a small distance from the town, in the road to Jerusalem, and has been visited by pilgrims of all ages; but particularly since the Christian æra, as the place where our Saviour revealed himself to the woman of Samaria,

MOSQUE OF OMAR.

DOCTOR CLARKE, on viewing this Mosque, observes, that "the sight was so grand, that he did not hesitate in pronouncing it the most magnificent piece of architecture in the Turkish empire; and, considered externally, far superior to the mosque of St. Sophia in Constantinople. By the sides of the spacious area in which it stands, are certain

vaulted remains; these plainly denote the masonry of the ancients; and evidence may be adduced to prove, that they belonged to the foundations of Solomon's temple. He observed also that reticulated stucco, which is commonly considered as an evidence of Roman work. Phocas believed the whole space surrounding this building to be the ancient area of the temple; and Golius, in his notes up- on the Astronomy of Alferganes, says, the whole foundation of the original edifice remained. As to the mosque itself, there is no building at Jerusalem that can be compared with it, either in beauty or riches. The lofty Saracenic pomp so nobly displayed in the style of the building; its numerous arcades; its capacious dome, with all the stately decorations of the place; its extensive area, paved and variegated with the choicest marbles; the extreme neatness observed in every avenue towards it; and, lastly, the sumptuous costume observable in the dresses of all the Eastern devotees, passing to and from the sanctuary, make it altogether one of the finest sights the Mahom. etans have to boast."

MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA AT CONSTANTINOPLE.

THE dome of this celebrated structure is one hundred and thirteen feet in diameter, and is built on arches, sustained by vast pillars of marble. The pavement and staircase are also of marble. There are two rows of galleries supported by pillars of party-coloured marble, and the entire roof is of fine mosaic work. In this mosque is the superb tomb of the Emperor Constantine, for which the Turks have the highest veneration.

Beside the above, two other mosques attract the particular notice of travellers who visit the Turkish capital. That of the Valide-Sultan, founded by the mother of Mahomed IV, is the largest, and is built entirely of marble. Its proportions are stupendous; and it boasts the finest symmetry. The mosque of Sultan Solyman is an exact square, with four fine towers in the angles: in the centre is a noble cupola, supported by beautiful marble pillars. Two smaller ones at the extremities are supported in the same manner. The - pavement and gallery surrounding the mosque are of marble; and under the great cupola is a fountain, adorned with such finely-coloured pillars, that they can scarcely be deemed of

natural marble. On one side is the pulpit, of white marble; and on the other the little gallery for the grand Signior.A fine staircase leads to it; and it is built up with gilt lattices. At the upper end is a kind of altar, on which the name of God is inscribed: and before it stand two candlesticks, six feet in height, with wax candles in proportion. The pavement is spread with fine carpets, and the mosque illuminated by a vast number of lamps. The court leading to it is very spacious, with galleries of marble, supported by green columns, and covered by 28 leaden cupolas on the sides, with a fine fountain in the centre.

The mosque of Sultan Selim I. at Adrianople is another surprising monument of Turkish architecture. It is situated in the centre and most elevated part of the city, so as to make a very noble display. The first court has four gates, and the innermost three; both being surrounded by cloisters, with marble pillars of the Ionic order, finely polished, and of very lively colours: the entire pavement is of white marble, and the roof of the cloisters is divided into several cupolas or domes, surmounted with gilt balls. In the midst of each court are fine fountains of white marble; and, before the grand entrance, is a portico, with green marble pillars, provided with five gates. The body of the mosque is one prodigious dome, adorned with lofty towers, whence the imaums, or priests, call the people to prayers. The ascent to these towers are very artfully contrived: there is but one door, which leads to three different staircases, going to three different stories of the tower, in such a manner, that three priests may ascend and descend, by a spiral progress, without meeting each other.

The walls of the interior are inlaid with porcelain, ornamented with small flowers and other natural objects, in very lively colours. In the centre hangs a vast lamp of gilt silver, besides which there are at least two thousand smaller ones: the whole, when lighted, have a very splendid effect.

RUINS OF CARTHAGE.

THE remains of the grandeur and magnificence of Carthage, the rival of Rome, and one of the most commercial cities of the ancient world, are not so striking as might be expected; and, at a little distance, can scarcely be distinguished from the ground on which they lie. The vestiges of

triumphal arches, of superb specimens of Grecian architecture, of columns of porphyry or granite, or of curious entablatures, are no longer discernible: all are vanished; and thus it will be in future ages with the most renowned cities now on earth!

To discover these ruins requires some method. Leaving Tunis, the traveller rides along the shore in an east-northeast direction, and reaches, in about half an hour, the saltpits which extend toward the west, as far as a fragment of wall, very near to the Great Reservoirs. Passing between these salt pits and the sea, jetties are seen running out to a considerable distance under water. The sea and the jetties are on his right; on his left he perceives a great quantity of ruins, upon eminences of unequal height; and below these ruins a basin of a circular form, and of considerable depth, which formerly communicated with the sea by means of a canal,traces of which are still to be seen. This basin appears to have been the Cothon, or inner port of Carthage. The remains of the immense works discernible in the sea, in this case indicate the site of the outer mole. Some piles of the dam said to have been constructed by Scipio, for the purpose of blocking up the port, may be still distinguished. A second inner canal is conjectured to have been the cut made by the Carthaginians, when they opened a new passage for their

fleet.

The greater part of Carthage was built on three hills. On a spot which overlooks the eastern shore is the area of a spacious room, with several smaller ones adjoining: some of them have tesselated pavements; and in all are found broken pieces of columns of fine marble and porphyry. They are conjectured to have been summer apartments beneath one of the palaces, such as the intense heat of the climate must have required.

In rowing along the shore, the common sewers are still visible, and but little impaired by time. With the exception of these, the cisterns have suffered the least. Besides such as belong to private houses, there are two sets for the public use of the Tunisians: the largest of these was the grand reservoir, and received the water of the aqueduct. It lay near the western wall of the city, and consisted of upwards of twenty contigious cisterns, each about one hundred feet in length, and thirty in breadth. They form