In this ftands a pillar, calleft Mikias which is a nilometer, on which is marked the exact rife of water every day. After the water has rifen fix cubits, a eryer is employed to make proclamation daily of the rife of the water.

5. When the river has fwelled to fixteen cubits, as marked on the nilometer, the people become liable to pay the public tax, as a good crop is infured. And then is performed the ceremony of cutting the mound of the great canal at Cairo, to let in the water. This is attended with much folemnity. The Bafhaw gives the first ftroke, in prefence of his officers, and à crowd of fpectators: and the ceremony is accompanied with mufic, bonfires, illuminations and every demonftration of joy.

PRESENT STATE OF JERUSALEM.

THE celebrated city of Jerufalem stands about thirty

miles eaft of the Mediterranean, on a rocky mountain, with fteep afcents on all fides, except on the north. It does not occupy the fame ground, as the ancient city, for the hill of Sion which used to be included, is now without the city, and mount Calvary, which was formerly without the city, became fo much reverenced after the crucifixion of our Savior, as gradually to draw the inhabitants and pilgrims around it, and it is now near the center of the city.

2. Jerufalem was formerly much larger than at prefent. It is now about three miles in circumference, inclofed with walls of no great strength, and having fix gates. The private buildings are poor, the streets narrow and crooked, and containing the ruins of ancient edifices. The whole is thinly inhabited, and it contains much unoccupied ground.

3. A Turkish officer refides in the city to collect a tribute, protect the pilgrims and preferve peace, Great numbers of pilgrims refort annually to this city, to perform their devotions at the holy fepulcher. This is upon mount Calvary, where a church is erected for the accommodation of pilgrims. The Lat ins have the exclufive right to fay mafs in the holy Sepulcher, but other christians have the privilege of entering it for their private devotions.

4. The Sepulcher was formerly under ground, but the rock is hewed away at the fides, fo as to leave the Sepulcher in the form of a little chapel, above ground. It is a fort of grotto,

M

hewn out of folid rock, about eight feet fquare, and lined with white marble. The entrance is by an opening of three feet high and two feet wide. From regard to the fanctity of the place, every perfon who enters must be bare-footed. In this tomb, lamps are kept continually burning. On the outfide, the chapel is furrounded by ten beautiful pillars of white marble, adjoining the wall and fuftaining a cornish.

5. Jerufalem ftands on a rugged barren foil remote from any fea port or great road, and is almost deftitute of water. The prefent inhabitants are estimated at about fourteen thoufand, chriftians, jews and mahometans. Thefe fubfift chiefly by the pilgrims, about fifteen hundred or two thousand of whom annually vifit the holy city. This zeal to vifit Jerufalem gave rife to the crufades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the princes of Europe, with millions of their fubjects, travelled to that city, and numerous armies were employed to wreft it out of the hands of infidels; by which fome European kingdoms were greatly impoverished. But pilgrimages from Europe have almoft ceafed; and few are feen to vifit this city but Greeks, Armenians and other Asia,

tics.

6. The chief traffick of Jerufalem confifts in the fale of beads, croffes, and facred relics to the pilgrims. The fabri cation of these articles procures. fubfiftence for the greatest part of the inhabitants. Men, women and children are employed in carving and turning wood and coral, or embroidering filk, with pearls and gold and filver thread. The convent of the holy land alone lays out fifty thousand piafters in these wares. Thefe commodities, rendered faleable by a fuperftitious veneration for relics, are exported to Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Temples in Jerufalem.

It

THE temple defigned by David and finished by Solomon, was one of the most magnificent buildings ever erected. was not a fingle edifice, like a modern church, but a number of courts connected. It stood on the top of mount Moriah, and made an exact square of eight hundred cubits, about fourteen hundred and fixty feet, on each fide, and fronting the four cardinal points.

2. To fecure the walls of this immense structure, it was neceffary to begin the foundation at the bottom of the moun

tain, fo that the walls were above fix hundred feet high. The Itones were of the largest fizes, and fo mortifed into each other that the joints could not be feen, and fo wedged into the rocks, as to be immoveable. The whole was furrounded with a battlement of five feet thickness, in which were windows formed with gold wire. Immediately within this, was a terrace walk of ninety feet width, into which strangers were permitted to enter, and here was a fort of exchange or place for buying and felling.

3. The temple, properly fo called, was about a hundred and fifty feet in length, and a hundred in bredth. This confifted of three parts, the porch, the fanctuary, and the holy of holies. Over the porch was a tower a hundred and twenty cubits high. The fanctuary or nave of the temple contained the altar of incenfe and the table of fhew-bread; the holy of holies, a fquare of twenty cubits, contained the ark of the covenant, in which were the two tables of ftone on which were engraved the ten commandments.

4. This vaft edifice which employed one hundred and eighty thousand men for seven years in its conftruction, was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzer, four hundred and twenty four years, after it was built. After the feventy years of captivity, the Jews returned and built a second temple; but inferior to the first in magnificence. This was deftroyed when the city was taken by Titus, and the Jews ceafed to be a nation.--

I.

MOUNT SINAI.

At the extremity of the valley of Faran, in Arabia, is a range of mountains, called by the Arabians, Gibbel Moufa, the' mountains of Moles. One eminence is called Turfina, and is fuppofed to be the Sinai of the fcripture. About feven miles from the foot of this mountain ftands the convent of St. Catherine, an edifice of a hundred and twenty feet in length, and nearly fquare. The whole is of hewn ftone.

2. In front ftands a fmall building, in which is the only gate of the convent, which is always fhut, except when the bishop is prefent. At other times, whatever is introduced, whether perfons or provifions, is raised to the roof in a basket by a pulley. Yet the Arabs fay the monks enter by a fubterranean paffage. Before the convent is a large garden.

3. No ftranger is permitted to enter without permiffion of

the Bishop who ufually refides at Cairo. The monks are fup ported chiefly by alms, and their provifions, which are col lected in Cairo, are often stolen on the way, by the Arabs. The Arabs alfo fire upon the convent from the neighboring rocks, and often feize the monks when abroad, and make them pay for their ransom.

4. On the fide of this hill is a huge ftone, which the Arabs fay, is that which Mofes divided with his fword to procure water. In this vicinity there are many springs of good water. Fifteen hundred paces above the convent, ftands a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and five hundred paces above this, two others fituated on a plain. The whole mountain is afcended by fourteen hundred stone steps, and on the top is a chriftian church and a Turkish mofk. From this fpot there is a noble view of the valley of Rephidim and the Red Sea.

1.

RUINS OF PALMYRA.

IN the barren plains of Syria, fouth east of Aleppo, and

nearly at an equal distance between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates, are to be feen the ftupendous ruins of the magnifi cent city of Palmyra. This city, it is conjectured, was the Tadmor of the wilderness, built or more probably enlarged and fortified by Solomon. It flood at the point formed by the approach of two converging hills, which furnish two fprings of water, without which the place would not be habitable.

2. It is probable that this city was built and fupported by the profits of a lucrative trade carried on by caravans between Syria, and the Perfian gulf. It rofe to a Itate of unequalled fplendor and wealth, as is evident from its ruins. It was reduced under the power of the Romans by the Emperor Tra jan. It revolted under its prince Odenathus-but this prince being flain by his nephew, the fovereignty devolved on Zenobia, his wife, a woman of remarkable intrepidity, who with ftood for a time the power of Rome. But Zenobia was at laft conquered, and taken prifoner, and a Roman garrison left in Palmyra. A fecond revolt provoked Aurelian to destroy the city, and in this catastrophy perifhed the elegant critic, Longinus.

3. As the traveller approaches thefe ruins, he is ftruck with aftonishment at the number, fize and beauty of the white marble columns, fome of them ftanding, others fallen or defaced,

which form a range of twenty fix hundred yards. In one place, he fees the walls of a ruined palace; in another, the periftyle of a temple, half deftroyed; on one fide, a portico, a gallery or triumphal arch; on the other, a groop of mignifi. cent columns. On all fides, he is furrounded with fubverted fhafts, fome entire, others broken; the earth is ftrewed with vaft ftones half buried, with broken entablatures, damaged capitals, mutilated frizes, violated tombs, and altars defiled with duft.

4. But the fpectator's curiofity will be arrested by the majeftic remains of the Temple of the Sun. This noble edifice covered a fquare of two hundred and twenty yards. It was encompaffed with a ftately wall, built with large fquare ftones, and adorned with pilafters, within and without, to the number of fixty two. Within the court are the remains of two rows of marble pillars, thirty feven feet high, with capitals of exquifit workmanship. Of thefe-fifty eight remain entire. This edifice ftands in the direction of the meridian, and on the weft is a magnificent entrance, on the fides of which are vines and clufters of grapes, carved in the most masterly imitation of

nature.

5. North of this place is an obelisk, about fifty feet high, confifting of feven large ftones, befides its capital. About a hundred paces from the obelifk, is a magnificent entry to a piazza, forty feet broad, and more than half a mile in length, inclofed with two rows of marble pillars, twenty fix feet high and each nine feet in compafs. Of thefe one hundred and twenty nine remain, and by computation, the whole number must have been five hundred and fixty. Such majestic ruins, in the midst of a defert, and inhabited only by a few miferable Arabs, whofe huts are scattered among vaft and splendid columns of marble, awaken in the mind the most melancholy réflections upon the inftability of all human greatness.

1.

OF THE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT.

ABOUT twelve miles from Cairo, the metroplis of Egypt, and on the oppofit or weft fide of the Nile, ftand the pyramids, about ten miles from the fite of the ancient Memphis. The large ones are three in number, fituated upon a ridge of rocky hills, on the border of the Lybian defert.— This ridge rifes from the plains of Egypt about one hundred feet, M 2

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