THE CITY OF DAMAScus. The present number of the Magazine contains a view of Damascus, the town to which Saul (then the great persecutor of Christians, but afterwards the great apostle of the Church of Christ) was going in order, if possible, to annihilate the little flock of Christians residing there, having previously procured full authority for that purpose from the High Priest. The following is the scriptural account of the transaction, as given by St. Luke, Acts ix. 1-9. "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him mto Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink." From a subsequent verse of the same chapter we learn what good effects resulted to the Christian Church by the conversion of the Apostle Paul. The numerous churches throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria were edified, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied. The case of St. Paul before his conversion affords a lamentable instance of the effects of a misguided zeal, and should induce us [Price 1d. to prevent the danger of an ignorant, and erroneous conscience. Most fatal to a man's own self, most pernicious to others are those blind prepossessions which, not having sound knowledge to temper their heat, rashly go into unwarrantable measures, for which no goodness of intention can make atonement. He too easily took for granted that truth was on his side, without so much as allowing to the other side a fair hearing. This was a very great fault in a person of his good sense; it was the greater because it was a cause of blood, and the lives of many thousands might be concerned in it. To mistake in any such case is exceeding sinful and dangerous, for, if the supposed offence of the persons persecuted be not clearly proved it is committing murder instead of doing justice. We have been favoured with the follow ing description of Damascus by a gentleman who on a tour through the holy land a few years ago visited that place. It is related among the traditionary legends of Mohammedanism, that on a certain occasion, when the Prophet was about to pay a visit to one of the seven heavens, soaring above the plain of Damascus, he vacillated somewhat about bidding even a temporary adieu to so goodly a sight, doubting lest paradise itself could compensate the loss. Tho' I must contentedly bear the disappointment of not being able to judge of this implied comparison, yet the idea therein conveyed of the natural beauty and loveliness of this ancient city, did not strike me as being greatly exaggerated, as I looked down upon the splendid plain, from the summit of the Salahieh Mountains, and saw the crowded dwellings embosomed in a sea of verdure. The prospect was indeed delightful; the oblong plain, extending north and south as far as the sight could reach, was one entire carpet of green. Numerous branches and rivulets from the fast flowing Barrada glittered in the rays of the sun, as they meandered along, seen only ever and anon between the tow'ring poplars, and the forest of fruit trees which their waters serve to enliven and render productive. And as if the hand of man would emulate the finger of the Deity, the slender minarets, introducing their summits within the clouds, the lofty cupolas, and massy domes, seemed to proclaim his greatness for whose happiness all things are kept in being. On entering the city, however, much of this rapturous admiration subsided. The streets are narrow, ill-paved and irregular, and with a very few exceptions, all the houses of Damascus are built of large mud bricks, daubed with different colours, and consequently but very temporary. Their appearance without is shabby in the extreme they are devoid of neatness, symmetry, or art, having several awkward protuberances affixed to each. In fact, should any one form an opinion of the houses of Damascus, withont having seen their interior, he would scarcely give them a preference to any of the mud huts in the suburbs. On visiting the interior of many, however, I was delighted to find that their external was so agreeably hypocritical. The roofs and walls are splendidly decorated with painting and gilding after the Persian style, the floors are paved with marble, and a small circular fountain of the same material, pouring forth a dozen streamlets of limpid water, is found in the generality of the more respectable dwellings, imparting a refreshing coolness to the iwán, or open court, during the sultry heat of summer. In This city is situated in Lat. 33° 27′ and Long.54°13'. The climate is in general mild, but the winters are sometimes severe. 1836 a heavy fall of snow destroyed a great many houses, and caused the death of 300 of the inhabitants by the falling in of the roofs. At this period the caravan road over Mount Lebanon was impassable for six weeks. The autumn here is very unhealthy, owing to the decay of the great mass of vegetable matter which falls from the fruit ague prevail almost universally, and numbers of There Damascus is still the chief mart of Syria. Here is carried on a considerable manufacsoap, spices, tobacco, shawls, copper utenture of silk and cotton stuffs, leather and sils, and the rich fabrics of Surat are imported once a year by the Bagdad caravan; ported from Europe, and come chiefly thro' sugar, woollen cloths, iron and lead ar inand dried fruits, which are sent to Turkey, Beyroot. The chief exports are sweatmeats, galls which come from the interior. besides cotton, wool, madder roots, and nut are several very opulent Jewish merchants business. I was unable to ascertain the in Damascus, who carry on considerable number of Jews residing here; they have six synagogues, one of which is believed by about an hour's ride from the town. them to be built over the grave of Elisha, cording to a very late census, the number of persons who paid the ferdi, or poll tax, sive of women, children, strangers, and those amounted to 25,000, and this being excluwho by protection are exempted from payment, the entire population of Damascus may be estimated at 125,000.† This sum villages in the plain, the number of whose does not include the population of the 173 inhabitants is estimated at 120,000, almost equal to that of Damascus itself. medan; of the Christian denominations that The mass of the people here is MohamChristianity is now tolerated in Damascus of the Greek Church is the predominant. equally with every other town in Syria. bigotted and superstitious, and entertain a The Mohammedans, however, are still very strong hatred to Christians of every denompean was permitted to enter the city in Frank ination. Until a few years back no Eurocostume, nor was he allowed to ride any other animal than an ass. The Jew was obliged to wear a distinguishing mark, he even more degraded, for besides being + By the same calculation it is estimated that Syria contains, in the aggregate, a million and a half of inhabitants. was ignominiously treated wherever met, and often obliged to perform the most abject service at the command of the meanest Moslem. The present government has removed most of these disabilities, nor can Christian or Jew be insulted with impunity. There are many Fakeers or Santons in this place, many of whom wander thro' the streets stark naked, and at the cry for prayers, sent forth from the minarets, proceed to the mosques followed by a large multitude of the deluded people. These impostors are so much respected, that few will pass them without paying them obeisance, whilst the mean object of their respect affects to be careless of what transpires around him. They do nothing to gain a livings but this practice of deception, and altho' they make great pretences to abstinence, and profess to care nothing about the good thing of this world, they usually take up their lodging by a cook's-shop, where they are fed with the choicest provisions the shop offords. Among the many mosques at Damascus is one which formerly was the church of St. John the Damascene. It is the largest edifice in the city, having a spacious court in the centre. The portico surrounding this is supported by Corinthian pillars, and the floor is for the most part paved with marble. To be continued. A MOTHER TEACHING HER CHILD TO PRAY. Kneel, my child, thy God is here! Love Him,-for His Grace He shows thee; But my Saviour sought and found thee, EVERY man ought to aim at eminence, not by pulling down, but by raising himself; and enjoy the pleasure of his own superiority, whether imaginary or real, without interrupting others in the same fecility.—JOHNSON. RELIGION is too often represented as a state of melancholy gloom, as a barren desert, in which we are condemned to wander without one object to delight the eyes, or to cheer the heart; as a dreary banishment from all the innocent pleasures and harmless gratifications of the world around us. But it is not in the solitude of seclusion, it is not in austerities of perpetual penance, that Christianity consists; it is a religion of joy; it promotes the happiness of mankind here, as well as hereafter. Happiness is not only pointed to as an object, but it is inculcated as a duty. They, therefore, form a very erroneous estimate of its doctrines and its duties, who shall represent melancholy as its precept, or enforce severity as its practice. It is the messenger of glad tidings to man, it is the minister of comfort to the afflicted children of mortality; to every disconsolate soul, as to Jerusalem of old, it speaks comfortably; it tells her that "her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned." On the other hand, he that would unite the joys of the Lord with the pleasures of sin, he that would combine the purity of the Gospel with the pollution of guilt, will discover too late that he cannot enter into a composition with the Almighty for the gratification of his passions, and that when the infatuations of sin shall have passed away, no joy will then remain, but a fearful anticipation of the wrath to come. It is in the innocent mind alone, that the happiness of Christianity can take root; and as the purity of the soul is stained with the contagion of guilt, in such proportion will its real joys fade off from the polluted surface.Rennell. THE ear and the eye are the mind's receiver: but the tongue is only busied in expending the treasure received If therefore the revenues of the mind be uttered as fast or faster than they are received, it cannot be, but that the mind must needs be bare and can never lay up for the purchase. But, if the receivers take in still with no utterance, the mind may soon grow a burden to itself, and unprofitable to others. I will not lay up too much, and utter nothing, lest I be covetous: nor spend much, and store-up little, lest I be prodigal and poor.-BISHOP HALL, The motto of the family arms of Dr. DODDRIDGE was Dum vivimus vivamus―(Live while you live.) Under this motto he wrote the following lines, which, in the opinion of Dr. JOHNSON, constitute one of the finest epigrams in the English language : "Live while you live," the epicure would say, "And seize the pleasures of the present day :" "Live while you live," the sacred preacher cries, "And give to God each moment as it flies:" Lord! in my view let both united be,— I live in pleasure when I live in Thee. Quarterly subscriptions at 1s. received at No. 98 Strada Forni, and sent to Subscribers. in Valetta every Saturday. "As St. Peter's," says Simond, "affords the best sample of modern art in Rome, so does the Pantheon exhibit the most satisfactory and best preserved specimen of ancient art; for, notwithstanding the injuries it has sustained at the hands of barbarians of all ages, no signs of natural decay are yet visible; and with this magnificent model before their eyes, it appears strange that the architects of St. Peter's should not have accomplished their task more worthily. The Pantheon seems to be the hemispherical summit of a modern temple taken off and placed on the ground; so it appears to us, at least, accustomed to see cupolas in |