the zeal and benevolence of an earlier age, the Christians of our own century determined to reconstruct their holiest of shrines, and selecting Commones, a Greek of the island of Mitylene, for the architect, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was rebuilt in the year 1810 A.D., and remains standing to this day, the pride of the East and the most imposing of Christian monuments.[240] CHAPTER VI. Forty Days and forty Nights in the Holy City. ―― Inside View of Jerusalem. ―― Streets. ―― Buildings. ―― Commerce. ―― A Cosmopolitan City. ―― Government Officials. ―― Taxation. ―― Population. ―― Turks. ―― Dervishes. ―― Fast of Ramadan. ―― Feast of Beiram. ―― Moslem Sects. ―― Their Creeds. ―― Quarter of the Jews. ―― Their wretched Condition. ―― Their Nationalities. ―― Pensioners. ―― Jewish Passover. ―― Ceremonies witnessed. ―― Jewish Sabbath in Jerusalem. ―― Synagogue. ―― Education. ―― Mr. Touro and Sir Moses Montefiore. ―― Religious and Industrial Institutions. ―― Christian Sects in the Holy City. ―― Armenians. ―― Their Wealth. ―― Greeks. ―― Their Influence. ―― Latins. ―― Their Edifices. ―― Monastic Quarrels. ―― Curious Scene. ―― Rivalry between France and Russia. ―― Russian Gold. ―― Protestant Christianity in Jerusalem. ―― English Church. ―― House of Charity. ―― The two Slave Girls. FORTY days and forty nights in the Holy City gave me ample time to thread its streets, examine its architecture, study its politics, consider its religion, and form an opinion of the social customs of its citizens. The attritions of time and the physical changes incident to war have marred the beauty of this once imperial city, and the Jerusalem of to-day holds no comparison in wealth and elegance with the Jerusalem of Solomon or of Herod the Great. Less than twelve feet wide, the streets are paved with small flag-stones, and, being without side-walks, are the thoroughfares for man and beast. Excepting the mosques and churches, the buildings are constructed in accordance with cheapness and convenience rather than in harmony with a costly and elegant architecture. They range in size from a one-story bazar-shop to a three-story dwelling. Wood being scarce and expensive, they are built of the common gray limestone of Palestine; the windows are small and barred with iron; in the centre of the edifice is an open court; and the flat roof of each is adorned with a small dome, adding not a little to the general appearance of the structure and to the comfort of the inmates. The arrangement of the interior depends upon the nationality, taste, and wealth of the occupant. Usually the furniture is of the simplest kind, consisting of low stools for tables, on which the food is placed, and a series of divans encircling the room, which are used for seats in the daytime and for beds at night. The floor, walls, and ceiling are of stone, and are whitewashed as a substitute for carpets,