1856.] MOSQUE OF OMAR AT JERUSALEM. 107 exquisite stained-glass windows, excited everybody's admiration; but, without stopping to give lengthened opportunity for examining these in detail, the sheikh led the way to the principal door, in front of which he halted to call attention to a little open marble-pillared structure, surmounted by a small dome, and, like its larger neighbour, ornamented inside and out with brilliant arabesques. According to Mahommedan tradition, a stone in the centre of its marble floor covers the exact spot whereon King David used to perform his daily prayers. Having enunciated this veracious fact, which none. of us could contradict, our cicerone led the way into the mosque, through whose gorgeous windows the early sun was throwing in a soft flood of many-hued light, that revealed to the eye very triumphs of chromatic art. Above the vast concave of the dome was a perfect maze of the richest and most delicately-coloured arabesque ornaments and inscriptions from the Korán, mellowed a little, it is true, by the breath of time, but still more brilliantly beautiful than I can at all describe. So, too, the portions of the wall above and between the fifty windows were everywhere covered with similar exquisite decoration. Right under the dome is the railed-in mass of rock, believed by most biblical antiquarians to be the site of the Jewish Holy of Holies. In one side of this grey limestone lump-the upper surface of which is about seven feet above the floor of the mosque is an artificial cutting, believed to have been the altar of the high-priest; and leading from this is a hollowed tract, supposed to have carried off the blood of the victims into a deep cavity or well, partly artificial and partly natural, near the southern edge of the mass. A flight of stone steps cut out of the rock lead down from the corridor into this last, in the centre of the floor of which is a circular shaft, called by the Mahommedans "The Well of Souls," and believed by them to communicate with the nether world. Till within some forty years ago this was left uncovered, and the relatives of departed believers used to come hither and hold worldly intercourse with the spirits of their dead friends. About that time, however, an untrustworthy widow, who had wheedled some Avernian scandal out of the ghost of her spouse, published what she had learned; and, as the facts were not considered complimentary to some of the chief families of the city, the loose-tongued gossip was punished, and the well covered in, to prevent further unseemly revelations. There is reason to believe that this shaft communicates at its bottom with an arched sewer, that had its outlet outside the city walls. Round the whole of this massive and time-defying relic of Israelitish glory runs, as I have said, a high wooden railing, separated from the outer main wall of the building by a narrow corridor, some twelve or fifteen feet wide, and from the centre of this last rises the row of eight square piers and sixteen Corinthian columns that support the dome. I may just add, that this mosque is not used for public religious services. Leaving the building by the door through which we had entered it, the sheikh next led us down off the terrace on which the main edifice stands, across a paved footway, shaded by cypresses, to the mosque of El Aksa, in the south-western angle of the enclosure. This structure was originally a Christian church, built by the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century, and, on the capture of the city some hundred years 108 MOSQUE OF OMAR AT JERUSALEM. [SEPT. after, was converted by the victorious Omar into a Mahommedan place of worship. The whole building, which is crowned with a small dome at its southern end, over what was once the altar, consists of a nave and six side aisles, and, after the decorative brilliancies of its larger neighbour, strikes the eye, in point of internal ornamentation, as to the last degree puritanically plain. It has, indeed, its arabesques and Koránic inscriptions, but they exhibit but little of the delicate elaboration and gorgeous colouring of the others. The nave and aisles are hung throughout with the usual allowance of ostrich eggs and small glass oil lamps to be seen in mosques of this size everywhere. From this former temple of our own purer faith, our guide proceeded to show us perhaps the finest of all the remains of the old Jewish architecture > now in existence, the lofty arched double arcade that once led up from the Golden Gate into the temple. The ancient outlet of this passage upon the enclosure has been filled up, and entrance is now had to it by a flight of narrow modern steps, descending which the visitor finds himself in a wide and lofty vaulted passage, separated from another similar one by a row of open pillars. From this point down to the walled-up gateway, which was correspondingly double, the incline is gentle, and the floorway excellently paved: masonry of the most massively-solid construction meets the eye, alike in the side walls, the arched roofs, and the pillars; the stones in the first and last especially being of perfectly colossal dimensions, and throwing into the shade, in this respect, the largest I have ever seen in any European structure. The mechanical agency that could bring these monster stones from the quarry, and raise them to the places the uppermost of them now occupy, must have been such as we could not, even now-a-days, afford to despise. Through one or other of these arcades was it that the Hosanna-welcomed Christ passed up to the temple on His triumphal journey from Bethany; and the Turks have a traditional prophecy, that the opening of this gateway will be immediately followed by the termination of Mahommedan power. From this unique monument of Herodian architecture we followed our white-turbaned guide to the top of the wall, whence a perfect view is had of the top of Moriah, the tree-sprinkled Mount of Olives, the garden of Gethsemane, and the valley of Jehoshaphat, with the rockvillage of Siloam, and the distant hill to the south-west, within a tower on whose summit the crusader garrison took its last stand when driven from the holy city. Descending thence, we strolled over every part of the enclosure, visiting in turn each and all of the minor buildings which the Turks have erected within it; and finally left this most hallowed of all Jewish ground, after a three-hours' survey of every square yard of its surface, by the same private gate through which we had entered. Such is the briefest descriptive outline of what is to be seen within the Sakara, whereon once stood the gorgeous structure of Solomon, of which, and its successive restorations, the only existing traces are what I have now mentioned, and a piece of its western enclosure wall, before which the down-trodden Israelites now congregate every Friday to read of, and mourn over, the departed glories of their race. [Correspondent of the "Daily News." 1856.] ( 109 ) A LETTER FROM NING PO. THE following sketch of Missionary life and proceedings at Ningpo is from a lady's pen, the wife of one of our brethren. We always receive with gratitude such communications: they are valuable and interesting, presenting the labours which are going 110 A LETTER FROM NINGPO. [OCT. forward in a new light, and giving prominence to those features which are usually touched upon in a cursory manner by the Missionary himself. The letter is dated May 19, 1856. Owing to our advantageous situation, in the centre of the city, we have many Chinese visitors, both male and female. Though, in general, attracted by curiosity only, an opportunity is afforded for delivering the gospel-message to them; and, in many cases, they leave, without repeating the request to see our house, &c. We have also ready access to most of our neighbours; and though, here and there, a door is shut in our faces, or only half unbarred when we seek admittance, such cases are rare, and we seem to have gained their confidence to as great an extent as we can expect amidst so suspicious a people. I find no difficulty in obtaining as many children as I can admit to my little day-school. I am obliged to limit the number to something under thirty, as that is as many as my young teacher can well manage. We have quite given up the idea of building a schoolroom, as I find it in every way most convenient to have my little flock in the house; and we are so used to their cheerful voices, that it seems quite lonely if they are absent. It is now seven months since we opened the school, and we are hoping soon to have some help towards its expenses from private friends in England. I trust the little ones are gaining in scriptural knowledge: their answers at the Sabbath-afternoon service, when my husband catechizes them, encourage us to hope that many of them have a thorough knowledge of the leading truths of the gospel. O that it may be applied to their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit! Of course, there are discouragements in this, as well as in every other branch of labour. I am often grieved at losing my girls when they seemed to be getting on, because their parents find they can earn a trifle more cash than we give them daily; and sometimes they are taken away for still less satisfactory reasons. Still it is a privilege to be permitted to scatter the seed amongst any who come, and we are assured it shall not be in vain. My teacher, Ah-seen, and Mrs. Cobbold's, go out once a-week together, to talk to the women, and take our respective neighbourhoods alternately. I also go out occasionally with Ah-seen myself, and try to speak a little; but at present I am only very partially understood, and I often feel cast down at the slow progress I make with the language. I study, however, more or less, every day, and am constantly hearing Chinese, and trying to understand it in going amongst the people with my husband. I often think our friends at home would be amused could they witness the preaching-places and audiences which we meet with in heathen lands. My husband adopts the practice very much of speaking wherever he meets with an opportunity, and in China there are always friendly listeners found. Many of these way-side hearers, however, would not, on any account, venture into the chapels. I have often seen only five or six sit down to listen when a chapel has been opened; whilst a crowd of twenty or thirty would be collected at once in the streets. We feel it a cause of thankfulness that Missionary journeys may be so easily taken into the surrounding cities and villages. My husband was out a good deal in the autumn of last year, and, this spring, has again visited a very populous district in company with Mr. Russell, which promises to be, as far as we can see, an interesting field of labour. One young man, 1856.] AGO, IN THE YORUBA COUNTRY. 111 who first heard the truth from their lips in the autumn, has since been baptized his case is so interesting a one, that my husband is preparing a statement of it to send to you. Í have occasionally accompanied him in his shorter Missionary journeys, but in general we remain at home, as the appearance of a "red-haired wife"-as the Chinese call us is the signal, in many places, for an endless state of confusion, and, as our catechist says, "The people are all eyes and no ears." Still, we may hope that by and bye, when foreigners are better known amongst them, their extreme curiosity will wear off, and they will better understand our motives in going amongst them. My husband had a pleasing illustration of this latter point during one of his visits to Seen-poh last autumn. On one or more previous occasions he had travelled by boat, in company with brother Missionaries, but on this he crossed the mountain pass on foot, accompanied by one of the native converts. The road was so slippery, that he was glad to exchange his boots for a pair of Chinese straw shoes, but the conclusion arrived at by the people was this, "that the stranger who would take the trouble to come over the hills to preach to them could not have any evil designs against them." We have been greatly enjoying the bracing cold of the winter season, and the weather still admits of travelling, and out-of-door work, which of course can only be carried on to a limited extent during the extreme heat. We hope, however, to remain at Ningpo, as we did last summer, and thus to avoid the breaking-up of our ordinary routine of labour. My husband suffered a good deal from ague during the spring, but has been mercifully spared any serious attacks of remittent fever. Indeed, all the Missions here have great cause for thankfulness, that, with only one or two exceptions, all have enjoyed a large measure of health for many months past. The Society's publications, which we receive from time to time, are most interesting; and our thoughts were much with you at the commencement of the present month. It is very cheering to hear of the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom in our own and other lands, and very sweet to feel that we are helped by the prayers of so many who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Frontispiece represents the great joss-house at Ningpo, one of the finest in China. The pillars supporting the porch are of stone. The two lions in the courtyard are carved out of a purple marble. In the centre is an immense brazen vase. The whole of the vast building is as gorgeous as carving, coloured porcelain, and gilding can make it. AGO, IN THE YORUBA COUNTRY. THE King of Yoruba, who resides at Ago, one of the chief towns of the Yoruba country, lying about sixty miles north of Abbeokuta, had complained that while the white people were establishing themselves in so many places in his country, they avoided him and his town. Our Missionary, the Rev. D. Hinderer, at Ibadan, resolved, therefore, on a visit to the king, which he was enabled to accomplish in January last; and his account of his journey and reception will, we think, interest our readers. |