JERSEY JERUSALEM. 



duct from the council of Uberlingen, was not satis- 

 factorily answered, and, on his attempting to return 

 to Prague, the duke of Sulzbach caused him to be 

 arrested in Hirgchau, and carried in chains to Con- 

 stance. He here received, in prison, information of 

 the terrible fate of his friend, and, after several hear- 

 ings, in which no one was able to oppose him, an 

 imprisonment of half a year had so worn him 

 down, that he finally yielded to violence, and, on the 

 11 tli Sept., 1415, consented to recant the heresies 

 with which he and Huss were charged. But this 

 apostasy did not deliver him, and, after languishing 

 a year, without being able to see or read, in the 

 darkness of the dungeon, he displayed his former 

 courage, on an audience on the 26th May, 1416. He 

 solemnly retracted his recantation, avowed that none 

 of his sins tormented him more than his apostasy, 

 and vindicated the principles of Huss and Wickliff, 

 with a boldness, energy and eloquence, that extorted 

 the admiration of his adversaries, but, nevertheless, 

 precipitated his destruction. May 30, he was burn- 

 ed at the command of the council. He proceeded 

 to the pile, consoled by singing the apostles' creed 

 and spiritual hymns, and gave up his spirit in prayer. 

 His ashes were thrown into the Rhine, in order to 

 annihilate his memory ; but posterity has done him 

 justice, and reveres him as the martyr of truth, who, 

 unwearied in life, and noble in death, has acquired 

 an immortal renown for his share in the reformation. 

 His views and doctrines coincided closely with those 

 of Huss. See Huss. 



JERSEY, NEW. See New Jersey. 



JERSEY, ISLE OF ; a thriving and very populous 

 island in the English channel, the largest and most 

 southerly of that group on the coast of France, which 

 forms an appendage to the British crown. Its figure 

 is nearly an oblong square, stretching, in an easterly 

 direction, twelve miles, with a breadth no where 

 greater than seven, and at a medium five miles. It 

 contains about 40,000 acres, twelve parishes, two 

 towns St Helier, the capital, and St Aubin and 

 several villages and fortresses. Its coast is surrounded 

 by a natural barrier of rocks, which nearly encircle 

 the whole island. The climate is exceedingly mild, 

 the soil fertile, and the situation well adapted to 

 commerce. The inhabitants speak the French lan- 

 guage, though it is now on the decline. They 

 make their own laws ; are exempt from naval and 

 military service, and from the dominion of the English 

 church ; have the benefit of a free port, and trade 

 with the enemies of Britain, even in time of war ; 

 above all, they are free from the taxes with which 

 the mother country is loaded. They are almost 

 wholly occupied in agriculture and commerce. The 

 land is sufficiently adapted for all the common crops, 

 and also for the pasture of cattle, which is practised 

 to some extent ; but the singular mildness of the cli- 

 mate has decided the inhabitants to apply chiefly to 

 the produce of the orchard, and to trust, in a great 

 measure, to their trade for a supply of grain, at least 

 for one third of their consumption. The fruits, 

 therefore, are of the highest flavour ; and great 

 quantities of cider, the common beverage', are made 

 annually. Various fortresses have been erected, viz. 

 Elizabeth castle, mount Orgueil, fort Henry, La Roc- 

 co, and several others. The coast is also defended 

 by a chain of martello towers, and by numerous re- 

 doubts and batteries. The government consists of a 

 court of judicature, and an ecclesiastical body acting 

 separately, and, at the same time, uniting with twelve 

 constables and a military governor, to form the as- 

 sembly of the states, the legislative body of the 

 island, without whose approbation no law made in 

 Britain is binding. The governor is appointed by 

 the crown, convokes the assembly, and has a nega- 



tive voice, which, however, is merely nominal, except 

 where the interest of the crown is concerned. The 

 court of judicature consists of a bailiff and a presi- 

 dent, chosen by the crown, twelve jurats, chosen by 

 the householders, and various officers ; the clerical 

 court, of a dean and eleven rectors. Remains of 

 antiquities, principally druidical, are found in dif- 

 ferent parts of the island. The architecture of all the 

 churches is the pointed or Gothic. Various attempts 

 have been made by the French to possess themselves 

 of the island, but without success ; the most remark- 

 able was in 1781. Population, 47,544 ; seventy-five 

 miles from Weymouth, the nearest shore of England ; 

 and from Carteretand Boil, the nearest of the French 

 ports, seventeen. Lon. of St Aubin, 2 11' W. ; lat. 

 49 13' N. 



JERUSALEM (Heb. Salem; hence the Greek 

 Hterosolyma, the sacred Solyma, and the Turkish 

 Soliman). This celebrated city of Palestine is subject 

 to the pacha of Damascus. Its environs are barren 

 and mountainous. The city lies on the western de- 

 clivity of a hill of basalt, surrounded with rocks and 

 deep valleys, with a much colder climate than one 

 would expect from its geographical situation. It is 

 now only about two miles in circuit. The town is 

 built irregularly, has pretty high walls, and six 

 gates, which still bear Hebrew names. The houses 

 are of sandstone, three stories high, and without 

 windows in the lower story. This lifeless uniformity 

 is only diversified, here and there, by the spires of 

 the mosques, the towers of the churches, and a few 

 cypresses. Of 25,000 inhabitants, 13,000 are Moham- 

 medans, and 4000 Jews. Christians and Jews wear 

 a blue turban to distinguish them. The women, in 

 their close veils and white dress, look like walking 

 corpses. The streets are unpaved, and filled either 

 with clouds of dust or with mire. Nothing is to be 

 seen but veiled figures in white, insolent Turks, and 

 stupid or melancholy Christians. That Jerusalem is 

 no place for the cultivation of the arts or sciences 

 one may easily conjecture, from the despotism of the 

 Turks, and the gloomy superstition of the Christians. 

 Weavers and slipper-makers are the only artisans. 

 A multitude of relics, which are, probably, not all 

 manufactured in the city, but are sent in also from 

 the neighbourhood, are sold to the credulous pilgrims. 

 Nevertheless, this city forms a central point of trade 

 to the Arabians in Syria, Arabia and Egypt. The 

 people export oil, and import rice by the way "of Acre. 

 The necessaries of life are in profusion, and quite 

 cheap, the game excellent, and the wine very good. 

 The pilgrims are always a chief source of support to 

 the inhabitants ; at Easter, they often amount to 

 5000. But few of them are Europeans. Jerusalem 

 has a governor, a cadi or supreme judge, a comman-. 

 der of the citadel, and a mufti to preside over reli- 

 gious matters. There are still many places and 

 buildings in the city designated by ancient sacred 

 names. The citadel, which is pretended to have 

 been David's castle, is a Gothic building throughout. 

 It is also called the Pisan tower, probably because it 

 was built by the Pisans during the crusades. AU 

 the pilgrims go to the Franciscan monastery of the 

 Holy Saviour, where they are maintained a month gra- 

 tuitously. Besides this, there are sixty-one Christian 

 convents in Jerusalem, of which the Armenian is the 

 largest. They are supported by benevolent contri- 

 butions, principally from Europe. The church of 

 the Holy Sepulchre has been for 1500 years the most 

 sacred place in Jerusalem. It is composed of sever- 

 al churches united, and is said to be erected on Gol- 

 gotha. Here is shown, in a large subterraneous 

 apartment richly ornamented, the pretended grave of 

 the Saviour, with a sarcophagus of white marble. 

 The empress Helena is reported to have founded this 

 P2 



