1 For the Christian Journal. Messrs. SWORDS, SHOULD the following remarks have a tendency to advance the cause for which our Saviour died, you are requested to publish them. "THE poor have the gospel preached to them," said our blessed Saviour to the disciples of John, when he referred to his works as a proof of his Messiahship. The laws of Moses were distinguished above those of other legislators for their attention to the poor; but the Pharisees, the prevailing sect among the Jews, had acquired a supreme contempt for them, deeming it beneath their dignity to instruct them. The words just quoted must have then been emphatic, and are a characteristic of Christianity which is peculiar to it self, and must endear it to the heart feeling for the distresses of its fellow creatures. Taking this view of Christianity, it will not, I hope, be deemed improper to ask, whether the poor are not too much overlooked in the building of churches and in the preaching of the gospel? I do not think there is any impropriety in wealthy persons' building houses for the worship of Almighty God in a manner suited to their abilities, if the poor are not thereby excluded from those houses, or if it does not prevent the erection of buildings for their peculiar use. His conduct cannot be justified who neglects attending church because he cannot appear in a style agreeing with his wishes to be as his neighbors; nor will a true Christian be influenced by so unworthy a cause; but we know that all are not of this character-that the world abounds with people who care not whether they appear in the house of God or not, and whose situation in life is such that they cannot purchase a seat, and who must therefore appear as intruders, if at all. With these views I could not but rejoice at the proposals for building a free church which some time since appeared in the Journal. Should the plan succeed, there can be no doubt but that our church will increase in numbers and piety from that order of men which was our Sa viour's peculiar care; which, tasting the good word of God mixed with the bitter draughts of adversity, duly appreciate it, and perhaps aid Christianity as much by the sincerity and fervency of their prayers, as others do by the greatness of their wealth; and which, although sadly neglected in the "daily ministration," have souls as dear to Christ as those who are more wealthy. This confidence, as to the good effect of the plan spoken of, is derived from three sources; to do little more than name which, will be sufficient to convince any one of its utility. Our church, to be admired and loved needs but to be known. By means of a free church she will be brought to the notice of many who but for it would know nothing of her, and would attach themselves to denominations of Christians whose creeds, we must believe, are less orthodox than our own; and many of those who never enter a place of worship, will then do it, and find it to be, in truth, "the gate of heaven." The reception our church meets with in places where the plan here approved of is more widely in operation than in this city, is a satisfactory evidence of its utility. Again. Many of those who, from impressions received in early life, or from the determinations of an enlightened and candid mind, are somewhat attached to our worship, now, from their inability to procure seats in our churches, and the natural aversion we have to be considered as intruders, go to places of public worship which they can attend with a less tax of personal feeling than at our churches;-thus, they are lost to the church-lost, in many instances to her sober piety. Further. Sunday schools are now training up many youth in the ways of piety and of our church. When they have left these schools, where will they go to keep themselves in those ways? No one will deny that the provision made for such and other poor is small; and most generally draws such a line of distinction between them and their fellowworshippers, as, to say the least, makes them feel as if they were not at home. When this feeding accompanies the worshipper to the house of God, (even where : it is against his will,) what little security is there for his regular attendance? The man of wealth, going where he will, in such places feels himself equal to any one; he feels that if his circumstances were known, they would secure to him a welcome the poor man, sensible of his poverty, whose mind is perhaps blunted by adversity, or, to speak more correctly, who is contented with his lot, will not mind this distinction; but those who are in a middle state of life feel it most sensibly, and, if we may judge from their non-attendance on church in innumerable instances, we may add, most lamentably. This middling class is far from being an inconsiderable portion of the Christian world. on the other, I had resolved upon hav ing no other attendant; I was at the same time provided with a letter to the governor of Jericho, commanding him to furnish me with an escort. As we were on the point of starting, Nicholai expressed a wish to see the Jordan: a horse was procured-he girded on his sword, and with my fowling-piece in his hand, we sallied forth. The route is over hills, rocky, barren, and uninteresting; we arrived at a fountain, and here my two attendants paused to refresh themselves; the day was so hot that I was anxious to finish the journey, and hurried forwards. A ruined building, situate on the summit of a hill, was now within sight, and I urged my horse-towards it; the janissary gallopped by me, and, making signs for me not to precede him, he rode into and round the building, and then motioned me to advance. We next came to a hill, through the very apex of which has been cut a passage, the rocks overhanging it on either side. I was in the act of passing through this ditch, when a bullet whizzed by, close to my head; I saw no one, and had scarcely time to think, when another was fired, some short distance in advance; I could yet see no one; the janissary was beneath the brow of the hill, in his descent; I looked back, but my servant was not yet within sight. I looked up, and within a few inches of my head were three muskets, and three men taking aim at me. Escape or resistance were alike impossible. I got off my horse. Eight men jumped down from the rocks, and commenced a scramble for me; I observed also a party running' Adventure in a Journey from Jerusa- towards Nicholai. At this moment: When, with wounded feelings, I have seen what may almost be called the unchristian tenacity of some to the lawful possession of a seat in a church, that seemed unwilling that any should enjoy Christian privileges but those who could command a polished exterior, I thought there was an additional call for a free church. In conclusion, it will be proper to say, that I believe there is as great, if not greater, provision for the poor in our churches than in others, with the exception of one denomination. That one, by having free churches, from small beginnings has risen to great height. Is not this a proof of the utility of the plan which ought to have weight with those who are concerned In the building of churches, and whom God hath blessed with an abundance of this world's goods? lem to Jericho. P. R. The following interesting narrative is extracted from Sir Frederick Henniker's notes during a visit to Egypt, &c. recently published in London. It very forcibly illustrates the remark of our blessed Lord, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves," and shows that the same practices are continued in that country at this day, which were prevalent eighteen hundred years ago.] ABOUT eight o'clock in the morning a janissary was in waiting having been repeatedly assured that there was no danger on this side Jericho,' and scarcely believing that there was any * the janissary gallopped in among us with his sword drawn; I knew that if blood were spilt † I should be sacrificed, * Quaresmius, lib. vi. c. 2. quoting Brocardus, 200 years past, mentions that there is a place horrible to the eye, and full of danger, called Abdomin, which signifies blood; where he, descending from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves. venture, I had been reading his Itinerary on Chateaubriand met with a serious adthe previous day. Ali (the janissary) se precipite dans le mele *** enfin il tira son sabre et alloit abattre la tête du chef des Bedouins *** que nous serions infalliblement massacres que c'etoit la raison pour laquelle il n'avoit pas October, 1823.] Adventure in a Journey from Jerusalem to Jericho. and I called upon him to fly. He wounded one man that had hold of me; I received two violent blows, intended I believe for him; from the effect of one I was protected by my turbanI was not armed-the janissary cut down another Arab, and all the rest scrambled up the rocks: the janissary turned his horse and rode off at full gallop, calling on me to follow him, which I did on foot in the mean time the Arabs prepared their matchlocks, and opened a fire upon us, but only few of their shots came very near. We had advanced about a league, when two of the banditti made a show of cutting us off. A sudden panie seized the janis sary; he cried on the name of the Prophet, and galloped away. I called out to him that there were but two---that with his sword and pistols, if we stopped behind a stone, we could kill them both: he rode back towards the Arabs; they had guns, and the poor fellow returned at full speed. As he passed I caught a rope hanging from his saddle-I had hoped to leap upon his horse, but found myself unable; my feet were dreadfully lacerated by the honey-combed rocks; nature would support me no longer; I fell, but still clung to the rope; in this manner I was drawn some few yards; till, bleeding from my ancle to my shoulder, I resigned myself to my fate. As soon as I stood up, one of my pursuers took aim at me, but the other casually advancing between us, prevented his firing; he then ran up, and with his sword aimed such a blow as would not have required a second; his companion prevented its full effect, so that it merely cut my ear in halves and laid open one side of my face; they then stripped me naked. These two could not have known that their friends were wounded, or they would certainly have killed me; they had heard me vote their death, and which we should in all probability have effected, had the janissary, a Turk, understood me. I had spoken to him in Arabic. It was now past mid-day, and burn ing hot; I bled profusely; and two.vul voulu tuer le chef; car une fois le sang versè 297 tures, whose business it is to consume corpses, were hovering over me. I should scarcely have had strength to resist, had they chosen to attack me. In about twenty minutes Nicholai came up; his only sorrow was for my wound, and the loss of the sword, which was his own. 'You cannot live, Sir, you cannot live! they have taken away my sword; I asked them to give it back to me, but they would not.' He then related his part of the adventure; ten men had beset him, his horse was not to be depended upon, the gun was not loaded; and there were many Arabs on every side, so that retreat was impossible. The janissary now came to our assistance, and put me on his horse; we passed by a rivulet of tempting water, but they would not allow me to drink, though I was almost choaked with blood. At length we arrived, about 3 P. M. at Jericho. The walls of Jericho' are of mud; at a corner of the town stands a small stone building, the residence of the governor within the walls of it is the town reservoir of water, and horses for eight Turks. My servant was unable to lift me to the ground; the janissary was lighting his pipe, and the soldiers were making preparations to pursue the robbers; not one person would assist a half-dead Christian: after some minutes a few Arabs came up, and placed me by the side of the horse-pond, just so that I could not dip my finger into the water; one of the soldiers, as he went forth, took the rug from his horse, and threw it to me as a covering. The governor armed himself, and the whole garrison sallied forth in pursuit of the banditti. This pool is resorted to by every one in search of water, and that employment falls exclusively upon females; they surrounded me, and seemed so earnest in their sorrow, that, notwithstanding their veils, I almost felt pleasure at my wound; one of them in particular held her pitcher to my lips, till she was sent away by the Chous.* I called her; she returned, and was sent away again; and the third time she was turned out of the yard; she wore a red veil, and therefore * The Ostler. †The sign of not being married. A COMMITTEE of the house of commons lately made a report, relative to the royal library recently presented by the king to the nation, in which they recommend that it should be united with that of the British museum; and that for the accommodation of the two libraries, a new building should be erected on the site of the present museum, which occupies a space of eight acres. The library of the museum contains 125,000 volumes, and that of the king 65,000. It is computed that the duplicates will not exceed 21,000, about 12,000 of which it is recommended should be sold. The national museum was founded in 1755, and in 1757, king George II. transferred to it the royal library, collected by his predecessors, from Henry VIII. consisting of 9000 volumes. In 1762, the late king purchased for it a collection of pamphlets, published from 1564 to 1660, consisting of 32,000 articles contained in two thousand volumes. Grants have been made by parliament at eleven different times, for the purchase of collections of works of art for the museum, amounting to 150,000. The collections for *This man is a Christian, and the only one in Jericho. Mohammedans do not study the art of writing; and the office of secretary is generally performed by either Jew or Christian. The cat was the favourite animal of Mo hammed, and the Turks have many anecdotes and superstitions respecting it: the cat is characteristic of the Turk. which these grants were made, are the Sloanian, the Harleian, the Hamilton collection of vases, the Townley collection of statues, the Lansdown manuscripts, the Greville minerals, the Hargrave library, the Phigalian marbles, the Elgin marbles, and the Burney li brary. Many donations have also been made by individuals, among which that of the late Sir Joseph Banks is mentioned. The collection of the royal library was begun by the late king soon after his accession, by the purchase, in 1762, of the library of Mr. Joseph Smith, British consul at Venice, for the sum of 10,000l. From that time it has been increased by the expenditure of about 20007. per annum, exclusive of the many presents of books to the king. Besides the sum above mentioned, expended in the purchase of books, the annual salaries of the persons employed in the library amounted to 11717. Mr. Barnard, the librarian, has served in that capacity sixty years. In the year 1768, he was sent by the late king to France, Germany, and Italy, to purchase books for the library. On his departure he received from Dr.Johnser., who frequently visited the library, the following letter, containing advice respecting the mode of executing his mis sion, which is subjoined to the report of the committee. Sir, It is natural for a scholar to interest himself in an expedition, undertaken, like yours, for the importation of literature; and therefore, though having never travelled myself, I am very little qualified to give advice to a traveller, yet, that I may not seem inattentive to a design so worthy of regard, I will try whether the present state of my health will suffer me to lay before you what observation or report have suggested to me, that may direct your inquiries or facilitate your success. Things of which the mere rarity makes the value, and which are prized at a high rate by a wantonness rather than by use, are always passing from poorer to richer countries; and therefore, though Germany and Italy were principally productive of typographical curiosities, I do not much imagine that they are now to be found there in great abundance. An eagerness for scarce books and early editions, which prevailed among the English about half a century ago, filled our shops with all the splendour and nicety of literature, and when the Harleian catalogue was published, many of the books were bought for the library of the king of France. I believe, however, that by the diligence with which you have enlarged the library under your care, the present stock is so nearly exhausted, that, till new purchases supply the booksellers with new stores, you will not be able to do much more than glean up single books, as accident shall produce them: this, therefore, is the time for visiting the continent. What addition you can hope to make by ransacking other countries, we will now consider. English literature you will not seek in any place but in Eng land. Classical learning is diffused every where; and it is not, except by accident, more copious in one part of the polite world than in another. But every country has literature of its own, which may be best gathered in its naLive soil. The studies of the learned are influenced by forms of government and modes of religion; and therefore, those books are necessary and common in some places, which; where different opinions or different manners prevail, are of little use, and for that reason rarely to be found. Thus, in Italy you may expect to meet with canonists and scholastic divines, in Germany with writers on the feudal laws, and in Holland with civiljans. The schoolmen and canonists must not be neglected, for they are useful to many purposes; nor too anxiously sought, for their influence among us is much lessened by the reformation. Of the canonists, at least a few eminent writers may be sufficient; the school men are of more general value; but the feudal and civil law I cannot but wish to see complete. The feudal constitution is the original of the law of property over all the civilized part of Europe; and the civil law, as it is generally understood to include the law of nations, may be called with great propriety a regal study. Of those books which have been often published, and diversified by various modes of impression, a royal library should have at least the most curious edition, the most splendid, and the most useful. The most curious edition is commonly the first, and the most useful may be expected among the last. Thus, of Tully's Offices, the edition of Faust is the most curious, and that of Grævius the most useful; the most splendid, the eye will discern. With the old printers you are now become well acquainted: if you can find any collection of their productions to be sold, you will undoubtedly buy it: but this can scarcely be hoped, and you must catch up single volumes where you can find them. In every place, things often occur where they are least expected. I was shewn a Welsh grammar written in Welsh, and printed at Milan, I believe, before any grammar of that language had been printed here, Of purchasing entire libraries, I know not whether the inconvenience may not overbalance the advantage. Of libraries collected with general views, one will have many books in common with another. When you have bought two collections, you will find that you have bought many books twice over, and many in each which you have left at home, and therefore did not want; and when you have selected a small number, you will have the rest to sell at a great loss, or to transport hither at perhaps a greater. It will generally be more commodious to buy the few that you want at a price somewhat advanced, than to encumber yourself with useless books. But libraries collected for particular studies will be very valuable acquisitions. The collection of an eminent civilian, feudist, or mathematician, will perhaps have very few superfluities. Topography or local history prevail much in many parts of the continent. I have been told that scarcely a village of Italy wants its historian. These books may be generally neglected, but some will deserve attention by the cele brity of the place, the eminence of the authors, or the beauty of the sculptures. Sculpture has always been more cultivated among other nations than among uis. The old art of cutting on woed, |