apartment hung with arras, and bebind it, a little door, opening into the hall gallery. On the left of the passage, at the head of the great stairs, are five or six very large semicircular steps, framed of solid timber, that lead into the long gallery, which occupies the whole south side of the Second court, and is 110 feet in length, and seventeen wide. The flooring is of oak planks, affirmed by tradition to have been cut out of a single tree which grew in the garden. The wainscotting is likewise of oak, and is curiously ornamented: on the frieze are caryings of boars heads, thistles, and roses; these, with the arms, &c. prove it, in the opinion of Mr. King, to have been put up after the house came into the possession of sir Jolm Manners, yet before the title of earl of Rutland descended to that branch of the family. in the midst of the gallery is a great square recess, besides several bowwindows, in one of which are the arrus of the earl of Rutland impaling Vernon, with its quarterings, and circled with the garter, &c.; and in another, the arms of England, similarly encircled, and surmounted with a crown. Near the end of the gallery is a short passage, that opens into a room having a frieze and cornice of rough plaster, adorned with peacocks and boars heads, in alternate succession: an adjoining apartment is ornamented in the same manner; and over the chimney is a very large bas-relief of Orpheus charming the beasts, of sinnir composition. All the principal rooms, except the gallery, were hung with loose arras, a great part of which sti remains; and the doors were concealed every where behind the hangings, so that the tapestry was to be lifted up to pass in and out; only, for convenience, there were great iron hooks, (many of which are still in their places,) by means whereof it might occasionally be held back. The doors being thus concealed, nothing can be conceived more ill-fashioned than their workmanship; few of these fit at al close; and wooden bolts, rude bars, and iron hasps, are in general their best and only fastenings *." The chapel is in the south-west angle of the great court; from which the entrance leads under a low sharp-pointed arch. It has a body and two aisles, divided from the former by pillars and pointed arches. In the windows are some good remains of painted glass; and the date Millesimo CCCCXXVII. By the side of the altar is a niche and basin for holy water. An ancient stone font is likewise preserved here. Near the entrance into the chapel stands a Roman altar, about three feet high, said to have been dug up near Bakewell. The inscription is nearly obliterated, but was given by bishop Gibson, as follows: DEQ MARTI BRACIACE OSITTIVS CECILIAN PREFECT TRO.... VS. The park, originally connected * Archæologia, voi. vi. page 353. with this mansion, was ploughed up and cultivated about thirty years ago. The gardens consist entirely of terraces, ranged one above another; each having a sort of stone ballustrade. The prospects from one or two situations are extremely fine; and in the vicinity of the house is a sweeping group of luxuriant old trees. The manor of Haddon was, soon after the conquest, the property of the Avenells, whose coheirs married to Vernon and Basset, in the reign of Richard the First. The Bassets continued to enjoy half the estate in the time of Edward the Third. The heiress of Vernon married to Franceys, who assumed the surname of Vernon; and the whole of the estate was the entire property of sir Richard Vernon, in Henry the Sixth's time. This gentleman was speaker of the parliament, held at Leicester in the year 1425, and was afterwards constituted governor of Calais, in which office he was succeeded by his son, who was appointed constable of England for life, and was the last person that held that important office. Sir Henry Vernon, his son and successor, was governor to prince Arthur, heir apparent to Henry the Seventh; and is said to have frequently entertained the prince at Haddon. Sir George Vernon, the last male heir of this family, became so distinguished by his hospitality, and magnificent mode of living, that he was locally termed King of the Peak. On his death, in the seventh year of queen Elizabeth, his possessions descended to his two daughters, Margaret and Dorothy: the former married sir Thomas Stanley, knight, second Son of Edward, the third earl of Derby: and the latter, sir John Manners, knight, second son of Thomas, first earl of Rutland of that name. By this marriage, Haddon, and the other estates in this county, that had been held by the Vernons, became the property of the Manners', and have regularly descended to the present duke of Rutland. Haddon Hall continued to be the principal residence of this family till the beginning of the last century, when it was quitted for Belvoir-castle, in Lincolnshire. In the time of the first duke of Rutland, (so created by queen Anne,) seven score servants were maintained here, and the house was kept open in the true style of old English hospitality, during twelve days after Christmas. Since that. it has occasionally been the scene of mirth and revelry; and the cheerful welcome of former ages, so far as the despoiled condition of the mansion would admit, has not been wanting to increase the pleasure of the guests. The last time its festive board was spread, was shortly after the conclusion of the late peace, when nearly 200 couple danced in the long gallery. Description of Jerusalem and the THE city of Jerusalem itself vent it from being washed away, and by resorting to every other expedient which could suggest it self. This soil, which is a reddish clay, wherever it is of any depth, is essentially of a good quality; consequently their laborious efforts had been rewarded, in these partial and chosen spots, by an abundant produce of fruits, corn, and vegetables. The grapes which were presented to us at our repasts, were uncommonly fine and large: at the season of the vintage the vineyards must have had a pleasing aspect in this land of rocks and mountains, We were told by the priests of an extraordinary threat made by Bonaparté, namely, that should he ever obtain possession of Jerusalem, he would plant the tree of Jiberty on the spot on which the cross of Jesus stood; and would bury the first French grenadier who should fall in the attack in the tomb of our Saviour. From the terrace of the convent in which we were lodged, we had a fine view of the Mount of Olives, of Mount Sion, and indeed of every part of the city, the extent of which has been so much diminished in modern times, that the circumference is reckoned not to exceed four English miles. The walls and habitations are in excellent repair; and the former are provided with several small square towers. Near the entrance gate is a castle denominated David's Tower, the stones in the inferior part of which are very massive, and apparently of great antiquity. About two o'clock we went to the church, called the Church of the Sepulchre, as being built over the holy sepulchre, in company with the superior of our convent, with whom, I should observe, we had made an arrangement to visit Bethlem on the following morning. Escorted by several of the reverend fathers, we passed through a solemn and grand entrance, into a lofty and capacious building (somewhat less than an hundred paces long, and not more than sixty wide), supported by several very large marble pillars of the Corinthian order, and the dome of which was built of the cedar of Lebanon. Preparations having been made for our visit to this sanctuary, it was lighted up with more than usual splendour, and had a very striking and awful effect. In the centre of the building is the holy sepulchre, which is now cased over with marble for its better preservation. But for this precaution, indeed, it would ere this have been broken into frag ments, which the pilgrims would have carried off as so many precious relics. The sepulchre, we are told, was at first a cave hewn in the rock under ground; but the rock having been since cut away in every direction, it appears now in the form of a grotto above ground. In bestowing on it a close inspection, we met with the stone on which they told us the angel was seated when Mary sought the body of Jesus. This stone had been removed from the entrance. The small building, or chapel, in which the sepulchre, is enclosed, was lighted by several large and handsome lamps, a certain number of which are always kept burning. We were next conducted to all the interesting places which respected our Saviour previously to his death; such as the spot where he was con fined before his trial and condem nation; nation; that where he was scourged, and the crown of thorns placed on his head; that where he was nailed to the cross, &c. We saw the fissure in the rock which was rent by the earthquake at the time he gave up the ghost, together with the place where the soldiers cast lots for his garments, and the spot where his body was embalmed. The whole of this very extensive building, in which the Greeks, Latins, Armenians, and Copts, have each respectively a chapel, stands on Mount Calvary. We visited each of these chapels. Near to that which was built by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, in commemoration of the finding of the cross on which our Saviour was crucified, we saw the cavern which was formerly the grand reservoir of water that contained the cross. In the middle of the Greek chapel stands a marble basin fixed on the ground, which the Greek priests told us was not only placed in the centre of the pile of buildings, but in the centre of the universe. This beautiful chapel is built of yellow and white marble; and several of the columns are of verd antique. We next proceeded to the chapel where Mary visited Jesus, the pavement of which is of beautiful marble, inlaid and ornamented with much taste. In the course of our inquiries we saw the tomb of Baldwin, governor of Jerusalem, who was killed during the crusades. The beauty and grandeur of these buildings do great credit to the age in which they were executed. Over the gate which led us to the elegant structure, erected by the order of St. Helena, in which the holy se pulchre, and the memorable spots I have noticed above, are enclosed, we saw the vestiges of several pieces of fine sculpture, together with a considerable number of marble and granite columns, of the Corinthian order, and other architectural decorations. The Armenian church, a fine and elegant structure, was ornamented by several good scriptural paintings. The fathers pointed out to us the spot where the head of St. James was deposited, after he had been decapitated at Caissa. We rose at five in the morning of the 18th, and went to the chapel, where mass was performing. We breakfasted shortly after, and at seven o'clock left Jerusalem on our way to Bethlem, accompanied by the superior and several of the monks belonging to the Latin convent, in which we had taken up our residence. On our quitting the city, we passed Mount Sion, on which the walls of the city are partly built, and which is separated by a valley from the hill where Judas Iscariot sold Jesus for thirty pieces of money. The road winds over a part of this hill. After an hour's journey, we reached a convent built by St. Helena, from whence we had a view of Bethlem, the road leading to which is extremely rocky, and of a very dreary appearance. On approaching, the Dead Sea was in our view. Bethlem stands on a lofty mountain, the soil of which abounds in chalk and marl. The inhabitants came out to welcome us on the road; and this was done by the women, by a most hideous shrieking noise, accompanied by gestures and distortions, which it would be dithcult to describe. On our passage through through the streets, the houses were thronged with people. As we approached the convent, in which we were received with great hospitality, we passed beneath the ruins of an ancient gateway, and afterwards entered a lofty building, erected by St. Helena, aneiently styled the temple, but now the convent of St. Catharine. It is ornamented with at least fifty lofty and beautiful columns of marble, of the Corinthian order; and has on its walls the remains of several fine paintings in fresco of scriptural subjects, representing the apostles, patriarchs, &c. The beauty and symmetry of the temple have been in some measure destroyed by a portion of it, which they have converte into a chapel, having been divided off by the Greeks, who received permission from the Turks to do so, on their consenting to pay an annual contribu tion. After having partaken of an excellent breakfast provided by the superior of the convent, we went to see the three surprising basins built by Solomon, near to which he is said to have spent much of his time. The pools, or basins of Solomon, are three in number, and situated in a sloping hollow of the mountain, one above another; so that the waters of the uppermost descend into the second, and those of the second the third. Their figure is quadrangular. The breadth is nearly the same in all, amounting to between eighty and ninety paces. In their length they differ; the first being about 160 paces long, the second 200, and the third 220. The depth of each is considerable. They are lined with stone, plaster ed, and in a tolerable state of re pair. They contained, however, but little water when I visited them. The monks, by whom we were accompanied, considered these pools or, basins, as one of the greatest an tiquities in the country. They are distant two hours journey from Bethlem; and the road which leads to them, consisting entirely of rocks, is almost impracti cable. These basins supplied the inhabitants of Bethlem and Jerusalem with water by means of aque ducts, which appeared, however, at the time of our visit, to be somewhat out of repair. In the vicinity of the pools we noticed a Turkish fort; and, not far from it, the source or spring, by which the be sins are supplied with water, as well as by the rains which occasionally fall upon the neighbouring mountains during the winter sea son. In returning, we passed through a valley, in which was a garden, entitled the garden of Solomon. Its irrigation having been favoured by the water which at. times issues from the rocks above into the val ley, the vegetables it contained had a very promising appearance. We saw in the valley the ruin also of a building, which we were told had been inhabited by Solomon's concu bines. On approaching Bethlem, the general made a sketch of the town; and we found, on our arrival, a sumptuous dinner prepared for us at the convent. After this repast, we visited the birth-place of our Saviour, a deep cavern hewn out of the solid rock, and lighted up by a considerable number of lampe, in which the manger was, as well as |