Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-14

4 OF
who have assumed the protection Of the various sect
hugant A word two upon this subject considering
the character of the dispute and the religious nteres
which attaches all chrstendom to the Holy Land
and particularly to Jerusalem will think be acceptable
to most OF readers The Of Christians leaders
IN these brois, and most important by their numbers
wealth. and influence, the Latins or Roman Ca;ho
hes the Greeks, members of the Greek church and
the Armenians, branch of the latter, and who side
with them in their disputes with the Latins The mem
OF the Latin Church found are chiefly
monks established in the Holy Land by Pope Alexander
w about the middle of the thirteenth century though
1t was not till near century afterwards in 1342 that
they the performance of Divine service in the
church OF the Holy Sepuchre France has possessed
hundreds Of years the undisputed proecorate of the
Latns 1t toward France that the Franciscans always
their hands when they have wrongs avenged
or rights to be maintained restored This protectorae
seems clearly admitted in the successive diplomatic
touching the Holy Places, passed in l673 1890, 1740
1907, 1905 1872, and 1851 The Emperor of Russia is
of course the protector Of the Greek church. and Of its
pretensions respecting the Holy Places in dispute The
French accuse English diplomacy Of interfering these
disputes and Of embarrassing by its ntgues the settle
ment Of the mooted questions of possession and enjoy
ment The following is the list of the Holy places in
litigation:
l. The large Cupola of the Church of the Holy Sc
puchre, as 1t is otherwise called of the Resurrection
z The small Cupola which is in the interior of the same
Church. covering the entrance of the Tomb of our Saviour
3. The descent from the Cross
4. Golgotha.
g. The seven arches Of the Holy Virgin Mary.
o. The great Church of the village Of Bethlehem
T. The at Bethlehem in which Christ was born
s. The birth place of the Virgin Mary
g. The tomb of the Virgin Mary.
TO- The cave and the garden of Gethsemane.
A. -.
designation; which tradition founded upon pous super
stition pious frauds has made of the precise spots
upon which acted the interesting of the drama
of Redemption
On leaving the Church of the HOLY Sepulchren saws
LAMARTINE in his Pilgrimage we followed the Via Do
orosa of which NJ de Chaeaubrand has given SO poeti
cal itinerary Here is nothing striking nothing veri-
ned, nothing even probable Ruined houses of modern
are every where exhibited to the pilgrims
the monks ncontestabe vesges of the various stations
of Christ The eye cannot doubt. All confidence
IN these local traditions is annated beforehand by the
history OF the first years of Christianity where read
that Jerusalem no longer retained upon another
and that Christians for many years exed from the
city Some pools and the tombs of her kings are the
only memorials Jerusalem retains of her past eventful
story few sites alone be recognised as that of
the temple indicated by its terraces and now bearing
the large and magnificent mosque of Omar-e Sackara
Mount Zion occupied by the Armenian convent and the
tomb OF David and it is only with history in ones hand
can be assigned with any precision Except the terraced
walls in the valley of Jehoshaphat no stone bears its
date IN its form color All is ashes all is modern
The mind wanders uncertainty over the horizon of the
city, not knowing where to but the city itself desg
mated by the circumscrbed hill which Stood by the
different valleys which encrcled it. and especially by the
deep valley OF Cedron, is monument which eye can
mistake. " From the Church, he says in another
place. fight Of steps cut in the rock conducts to the
summit of Calvary where the three posted
50 that Calvary the Tomb and several other sites dis
tnguished in religious history united under the roof
of single edfce of moderate dimensions circumstance
that would seem lily to consist with the gospel account
We not prepared by it to find the tomb of Joseph of
Armathea, which cut in the rock outside the walls
OF Lon to be In fact within fifty PAGES of Calvary the
scene of executions and enclosed within the circumfe
of the modern walls. But such is tradition and it
has prevailed. In the midst of like this the
mind cannot dispute the difference of few PAGES between
historical probability and tradition Whether it were
here there tits certain that the did really
at no great distance from the points marked out"
Two anecdotes viii suffice to give idea of the ANNA
ted and unchrstan character of the strife which thus
waged the very grave OF Christ by his professed fol-
lowers and mators Of the Latin and Greek churches In
the Cave at Bethlehem in which Saviour born
the Altar of the Nativity belongs to the Greeks the spot
where the manger stood to the Catholics The latter
marked by slab Of white MARBLE in which aspers were
set. On the slab was inscription, surrounded by
circle of silver in the following words He de Maria
plants the Roman Catholics that the Greeks have broken
and removed this inscription.
In the city of Jerusalem the ombs of Godfrey of Bou
lon and of Baldwin, placed the foot of the fight
Of steps leading to the summit of Calvary After the FIRE
Of 1905 the Greeks rebuilt that portion Of the temple
but such their antpahy to the memory of the Latin
kings that the tombs enclosed in the solid masonry
and nothing allowed to mark the spots but stones which
used benches for repose These stories be sure
reach through Latin medium, and not told
what acts of aggression this conduct was intended to
avenge, what of retaliation it provoked All
last year the momentous questions involved in the dis
pute such whether the Greeks Latns shall have
the custody Of the key Of such door, whether the Greeks
shall worship Monday at such shrine, whether
they shall worship there at all which party shall be
bound TO furnish oil for such lamp whether the tombs
Of Baldwin and Godfrey must not be uncovered and de-
vered to the Latins by the Greeks patiently and
ably argued by the representatives Of France and Russia
and NJ LAFAYETTE the French Minister returned to
Paris few months since expecting to receive the very
last reward of the Legion Of Honor for having conducted
the affair to glorious termination in the triumph of all
the pretensons Of the Catholic party.
OF it is religious motive which the
specve Governments to espouse warmly the Of
the Greeks and of the Latns. Their representatives
laugh in their sleeves while gravey debating these ap
pareny puerile questions but persist and seriously lay
down their ultmatums and beh in consideration of
the political consequences with the settlement
Of these questions As the Latin Greek influence pre-
walls in the possession and administration Of the Holy
Places French Russian influence predominates in the