remind me of the description in Marmion' of the Monasteries of Lindisfarne: "And needful was such strength to these, Exposed to the tempestuous seas, The cannon belonging to the monks of Mount Athos were taken from them by the Turks in 1821, as the community made common cause with the Greek insurrection, and in consequence had three thousand Turkish soldiers quartered on them until 1830. These un bidden and unwelcome guests do not appear to have done any wanton mischief, but the expense of maintaining them for nine years was almost ruinous; and many of the convents are only now beginning to recover from it. Besides the large church and the numerous chapels which all the principal monasteries contain, every nook and corner of Mount Athos abounds with little oratories-such as are often found throughout Greece and the Ionian Islands. Hid by groups of gigantic oaks or pines, crowning the summits of the loftiest cliffs, surrounded by groves of old gnarled olives in the depths of the valleys, or peeping out from the mouth of a cavern in the side of a mountain, are often found these solitary little chapels, which the graceful Byzantine architecture, and the rich warm colouring given by time to the cold grey stone, render so very picturesque. Finding them where the scenery around is most wild and striking, one might almost fancy that some great saint in the days of old had made a pilgrimage over this fair Eastern land, and, seeing how infinitely its great loveliness shows forth its Maker's glory, had erected at every opening in the landscape a resting-place where men might piously return thanks. They are at least silent witnesses to the simple piety of the Greek peasantry; for they hold it a sacred duty to keep the little lamp ever burning before the altar; and, though the distance is often great from the nearest village, still, from time to time, some one never fails to make a journey to the spot in order to replenish the oil. Nothing can be more interesting than, when travelling in the most wild and lonely regions, to come suddenly on one of these silent houses of prayer, and find the steady light burning within, as if it had been lit by a passing angel for his secret devotions. It was eleven o'clock before I got away from my hospitable friends at Vatopethi-the 'Erirporо and other chief fathers here, as in the other monasteries, accompanying me as far as the first rising ground, where they stand as long as I am in sight, bowing low with their hands on their hearts, and commending me to the protection of the all-holy Virgin, the mother of God, ('H Havayia Otoróкoc,) and of the saints, whom they adjure to conduct my steps and be companions of my path. I preferred taking my horses as far as Karyes-the roads being tolerably practicable so far, though mules and guides were offered me as in the other convents-the good fathers everywhere acting on the Homeric precept, which bids— NO. XL. "To hail the coming,-speed the parting guest." N Reviews and Notices. Notes from Nineveh, and Travels in Mesopotamia, Assyria and Syria. By the Rev. J. P. FLETCHER. London: Colburn. OUR readers have on former occasions been indebted to Mr. Fletcher for bringing before them much valuable information connected with the state of religion in the countries in which he travelled. The present volumes are addressed to the public generally, and contain an agreeable, and often amusing narrative of his personal adventures during his journey to Nineveh, and the two years of his residence there. Besides having recourse to his own note-book, he has added much valuable matter bearing on the condition of the people whose guest he was, drawn from books which are not accessible to the English reader. Those who have felt their interest awakened (as who has not?) by Dr. Layard's remarkable discoveries in these regions, will derive much pleasant instruction from the facts and observations supplied by Mr. Fletcher. We cannot say that we are prepared to concur fully in his inferences respecting the prospects of the Romish Church in the East. A system propagated in the shape which he describes, accompanied by so much that is false and unreal, cannot meet with more than temporary and partial success. At Tocat Mr. Fletcher and his companions saw the tomb of the ever memorable Henry Martyn: "On leaving the Greek Church, we proceeded to the Armenian Cemetery, accompanied by an Armenian priest, whom we had encountered on the way. He was the individual who had performed the last rites of Christian burial over the remains of the devoted Missionary, Martyn, who died here, on his way back to his native land, far from his fellow-countrymen, surrounded by strangers, and exposed to the brutality of his Tatar, who hurried him on without mercy, from stage to stage. The poor Armenians, however, did what they could; they tended his dying pillow, and they consigned his last relics to the dust, accompanied by the solemn, soothing rites of the Christian service. Their simple veneration for him outlasted the tomb, and the hands of the Christians of Tocat weed and tend the grave of the stranger from a distant isle. The Armenian priest who accompanied us, stood for some moments with his turban off, at the head of the grave, engaged in prayer. As we turned to go away, he remarked, "He was a martyr of Jesus Christ: may his soul rest in peace!" A few wild flowers were growing by the grave. I plucked one of them, and have regarded it ever since as the memorial of a martyr's resting-place."-Vol. i. pp. 100, 101. See Colonial Church Chronicle, III. 287. The following conversation, which took place at the house of a Yezidee, or devil-worshipper, who was Mr. Fletcher's host in a Kurdish village, will suggest instructive thoughts to the reader : "Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a crowd of visitors, headed by the priest of the Papal Syrians, a short, pompous man, with a nasal twang in his speech, and a most self-satisfied air. They seated themselves, and the conversation soon fell upon the English. 66 6 party. They have no religion, wonderful to say,' began one of the "Yes, yes,' said another; they believe in our Lord Jesus, but not in our Father the Pope.' "But they have no churches,' remonstrated Number one. "Toma here interposed. He had seen,' he said, our service performed in a chapel at Mosul, which Kass Georgios (my friend B.) had fitted up in a style like their own, and there was consecration every Sunday, and prayers every day; and the English fasted also, for, behold, here it was written in their book.' "That may be,' was the answer; but are we fools? oh man, do we not know, that they do all this to deceive us?' "Toma's choler was rising, but he was afraid of the Priest, whose hand he had devoutly kissed when he entered; and merely remarked, apologetically, 'Well, they are good people.' "The Clergyman had been puffing away in silence at the pipe, which, according to eastern etiquette, I had handed him when he sat down; but he now deemed it derogatory to his dignity to listen any longer to observations from others, on a point concerning his own profession. I could easily perceive that he was the learned man of the village and well might he be, for he understood Arabic, Syriac, Chaldee, and Kurdish. He spoke with the air of a man who has been considering his subject carefully, and has thoroughly mastered it at last. "The English are Christians, and have churches; but they only go to them once a month, and take the Lord's Supper once in twenty years. On the latter occasion the Priest stands on a high place, that he may not be torn in pieces by the crowd who rush tumultuously forward, snatch the consecrated bread out of his hands, and scramble for it. They are also allowed to marry as many wives as they please, and some of them have more than twenty. They are a poor and beggarly people, and have a heavy debt which they are unable to pay. They are obliged to borrow large sums of the King of France, who has obtained by this means a kind of dominion over them.' "At the conclusion of this oration, the speaker looked at me as if he had been advancing heavy and unanswerable truths, which I might dislike, but could not controvert. "Ma hu saheeh,-Is it not true?' he asked. "It is a great falsehood,' I answered, calmly, as I took the pipe from my lips. "The assembly seemed divided, and appeared to expect that I should enter still more into the defence of my nation. "My speech, in Arabic, was feeble, but I contrived, by help of the Prayer-Book, to maintain my ground; and, after a little, forced even the Priest to confess that the English might be Christians, and they might have the Sacrament oftener than once in twenty years; but as to their poverty, that was a known fact, and could not be controverted. Had they not a debt which amounted to many millions of piastres ? Of course I could not deny this: but my attempts to explain the benefit of that national blessing were utterly unavailing, and my hearers departed with the firm and invincible conviction that the English were a beggarly and bankrupt nation. 'That Priest,' he said, ' is a conceited fellow. When I first came here, he tried to stir up the people against me, and I had much sorrow from him. Bey, what you have said is the truth, and the English are a good people. Are there any of our race among them in your own land? They tell me that some of our brethren live in peace in the country of Hind, under the English Sultan.' 66 My reply was cut short by Toma, who had been escorting the Priest to the outer door, where he asked him, with great earnestness, at what hour he would say mass on the following morning. To his credit be it said, he was a great church-goer, and had a considerable respect for the Clergy. Nevertheless he could not help saying, as he prepared the bed, My master, that Priest is a great hunzeer, but, Inshallah, he shall be disappointed to-morrow, for he may wait long enough before I go to his service." "-Vol. i. pp. 189–193. 1 A Charge, delivered in the Cathedral of Christchurch, Fredericton, &c., at the Second Triennial Visitation of JOHN, BISHOP OF FREDERICTON. 1850. WE omitted to give more than a passing mention of the last Visitation of the Bishop of Fredericton in our Number for August. It was, according to the reports, an occasion of much more solemnity than our Church commonly witnesses. A deep impression seems to have been produced alike upon the Clergy and laity. We find the following account given in the Canadian Ecclesiastical Gazette: "On Tuesday, June 11, being the Festival of St. Barnabas, rendered doubly interesting as the day on which the Bishop first entered upon the duties of his office in this place, the Clergy assembled at St. Ann's Chapel; and although the weather was unfavourable, it was well filled by a most devout congregation. Morning Prayer was said by the Rev. C. Lee; the Lessons read by the Rev. I. W. D. Gray, D.D.; the Lord Bishop being assisted by the Vene 1 Pig. rable the Archdeacon, Rev. S. Bacon, Rev. F. Coster, Rev. Dr. Gray, Rev. J. Hudson, Rev. T. McGhee, in the service of the Holy Communion. 66 Immediately after service, the solemnity of which was never more felt, nor its beauty more fully realized, the Clergy adjourned to partake of the hospitality kindly provided by the Bishop at his house. At four o'clock they again assembled at the Cathedral of Christ Church. The Service was read by the Rev. W. Q. Ketchum, Rev. F. Coster reading the Lessons. Since the last meet "The names of the Clergy were then called. ing, three of their number, the Rev. H. N. Arnold, the Rev. J. Dunn, and the Rev. J. M. Stirling, all Missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, had gone, deeply lamented, to their rest. Forty-six answered to their names. One only, the Rev. G. T. Carey, owing to severe domestic affliction, was absent. The Deans Rural having been nominated for the ensuing three years, and confirmed in their office by the Bishop, his Lordship proceeded to deliver his Charge so far as the time would then admit. "On Wednesday morning, at 11 o'clock, after the Litany, which was read by the Rev. A. Wood, the Bishop proceeded with his Charge, which was listened to with the most marked attention. From many present, the impression produced by the concluding portion of this admirable address will never be effaced. "At three o'clock the Clergy assembled for business, when the Bishop presented to each A Form of Induction to a Benefice in the Diocese of Fredericton,' which he had prepared, together with‘A Form of Preparation for the Consecration of a Church, Chapel, or Burial Ground.' His Lordship also presented each Clergyman with a catalogue of the Cathedral Library, the gift of the University of Oxford and other friends, amounting to 700 volumes; the rules drawn up by him having been unanimously adopted by the Clergy. The Bishop also gave to each of the Clergy a copy of Prayers for a Church Choir, which he had composed. "Other subjects having been discussed, a general wish was expressed for the publication of his Lordship's Charge, and it being intimated by the Rev. F. Coster that some influential laymen were desirous of assuming the responsibility of printing it, the Bishop kindly consented to the proposition." An unanimous vote of thanks to the Bishop was then passed, and the evening concluded with service in St. Ann's chapel. Thursday was given, by the Bishop and Clergy, to the settlement of various matters connected with the Missions. On Friday the Clergy presented the Bishop with an Address in acknowledgment of his paternal kindness, unwearied labours and wise counsel. We regret that our want of space prevents us from laying before our readers this Address, and the Bishop's reply. We confine ourselves to a single extract from the Charge-one of the most earnest and judicious addresses which we have ever read,—because we hope it may be reprinted in |