of Alexandria and of the Patriarch of Aleppo, who have sent us their Profession of Faith conformable to the Holy Councils. We expect," said the Pope to him in conclusion, “ we expect from you such a reply as we desire; and we will then explain to you what you will have to do, and the conduct which you should maintain."

In terms nearly such as these, the Brief was conceived. The Patriarch received and read it with a profound respect. The Lord, at the same time, spoke to the heart of the Patriarch; who, touched by this invitation of the Father and Chief of Pastors, assembled the Missionaries, to declare to them, that he had taken the resolution of sending his Profession of Faith to the Holy Father in the terms which he desired. The Prelate has kept his word. He, last year, deputed three persons, who carried to Rome his Profession, together with presents and his pastoral staff, in order to submit it to the Vicar of Jesus Christ.

We doubt not but his Holiness would feel a sensible joy at receiving into his Communion, and nearly at the same time, the three Patriarchs of the Greek Church. God grant that those who succeed them may be the inheritors of their orthodox faith, as well as of their dignity!

(Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, Vol. I. p. 140-144.)

ARMENIAN ROMAN-CATHOLICS.

The residence of the Armenian Roman-Catholic Patriarch is at Ybzumâr, situate to the north of Beirout some account of this Convent will appear in the following pages, the author having visited it during his stay in Mount Lebanon. But although the Romanists have used very active exertions to bring over the Armenians to their profession, and have long maintained a considerable influence with that people, both in Constantinople and in other

parts of the Turkish Empire; yet it is not to be sup posed, that the proportion of these converts is, in any degree, comparable to those who have adhered to the ancient National Church of the Armenians. The following remarks of Niebuhr will convey a very just idea of this fact, in reference both to those Greeks and to those Armenians, who have accepted the dignity of the Patriarchal Title from Rome.

There are, also, on the large and fertile Mountains of Le banon, many Christians (that is, Romish Christians], who are denominated Greeks, because formerly they held to the Greek Church: but their Ecclesiastics are often less acquainted with the Greek, than the Maronites are with the Syriac Language, which occasions them to perform their worship principally in the Arabic Language. They have also their own Patriarchs: but, to all appearance, this has only been the case since the time of their union with the Romish Church; and I imagine that the other united Greeks, who do not live in the territory of the Druses, pay no respect to this Patriarch; but that the Pope simply gives this title to some Ecclesiastic of the country here, in order that he may say he has a Greek Patriarch in the Levant. In the same manner, there is, on Mount Lebanon, an Armenian Patriarch, who is nominated by the Pope, and who, probably, has not much to say for himself. In general, all these self-called European Patriarchs live very tranquilly under the protection of the Druses: while the Chaldean Patriarch of the Pope at Diarbekir, and other Apostate Ecclesiastics of the East, often suffer great mortifications from the members of their Ancient Religion, and from the Bashaws: for there are still to be found, in all the Syrian Villages, many Greeks, Armenians, and Jacobites; who adhere to the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Echmiazin, and Diarbekir, as Heads of their Churches respectively; and who do not regard it with an eye of indifference, that the Pope should give the title of Patriarch to Apostates, or that the European Monks and their Disciples should seduce members from the Ancient Communions, and thereby foment discords, and utterly ruin many good families. The dissensions of the

Christians are always a clear profit to the Turkish Government. (Niebuhr, Vol. II. pp. 346, 347.)

SYRIAN ROMAN-CATHOLICS.

Of this Body, which is not numerous in Syria, the Patriarch is generally understood to be Mar Gregorius; the Ecclesiastic who visited England in the year 1819, as Archbishop of Jerusalem. Some further account of this Body will appear in the following Journal, under the date of October 20, 1823.

LATINS, OR FRANK ROMAN-CATHOLICS.

To this number must be referred the Consular Representatives, French, Spanish, Austrian, &c. of the respective Roman-Catholic Countries of Europe. These are, generally, either natives of their respective countries; or else, if born in the Levant, they are of immediate European extraction. They are usually--perhaps it might be said, invariably-professors of the Roman-Catholic Faith. In this respect, the Church of Rome has never lost sight of its exclusive policy. In contrast to this it may be observed; that Protestant England is often represented in the Levant, in subordinate Consular situations, by Roman-Catholic or Greek Agents. This is, however, less the case at present, than it has been at other times. There are also many Merchants in Syria from Roman-Catholic Countries.

The various Roman-Catholic Families in Syria, as well as in other parts of the Levant, have main

tained their influence by inter-marriages, in consequence of the contiguity of Roman-Catholic Countries to the Mediterranean, much more easily than could possibly be the case with the remoter Protestants of England, Holland, and Germany.

The number of Latin or Frank Roman-Catholic Missionaries, whom devotion and the Papal System induce to visit Syria and the Holy Land, and who take up their residence either in Monasteries or in the principal cities, is never inconsiderable. It is indeed, at present, far inferior to what it was formerly: but, for the whole of this tract, their number, even at this day, cannot be computed to be less than seventy. The influence of the European Friars constantly serves to maintain in the Levant, in which they lead a migratory life, a kind of European or Frank attachment among many Levantine Families of Western origin or connections.

PROTESTANTS.

THE Protestants in Syria are but few in number; consisting, principally, either of Consular Representatives of Protestant Nations, or of Merchants from those countries. In former times, there was an English Protestant Chaplain fixed at Aleppo : the office has been adorned by the names of Bishop Frampton, of Maundrell, and of Pococke. Recently, Protestant Missionaries have visited the Levant, and some of them have begun to take up their residence in this interesting region.

Before we quit this brief topic, it may be useful to observe the footing on which Protestants are repre

sented to have stood about a hundred years ago, in their relation to the Native Christians. For this purpose, we shall select from the work already so often quoted, the following passages, written in a lively style; and tending, pointedly, to illustrate the extremely disadvantageous ground which a Protestant must occupy in the view of Oriental Christians, whenever he allows, or is represented by others as allowing, questions of Christian Doctrine or Worship to be brought before the tribunal of mere Antiquity, Usage, or Tradition. One of the Jesuit Missionaries, writing from Aleppo, says

You will ask me, how the English and the Dutch conduct themselves. Here, as in Holland and England, they observe neither fast nor abstinence: but it occasions scandal. The people of the country say that they are not Christians; and the Turks themselves regard them as people without religion. They are sometimes affected with these reproaches; and, not being able to bear them, many of them during Lent eat meat only in secret. Those, who act like men of good faith, confess that they are extremely surprised to see, that the religion of all the Christians of the East resembles that which they profess in scarcely any thing.

This marked difference gives us a great advantage over them. "It is," we say to them, "it is to the happy times of Christianity when nascent, that you would have us ascend in order to justify the traditions. It is to the first four centuries, that you appeal on the subject. Ask, then, all these people 'who surround you: they will answer, that, in all their practices, (which are the same with ours,) they only follow the Apostolical Traditions-traditions which they received from 'the famous Antioch, which they regard as their Mother." This objection embarrasses our Protestants. They dare not advance that Confession, Fasting, Lent, Abstinence, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Purgatory, the Adoration of the Cross, the Invocation of the Saints, &c. are Papistical inventions, manufactured by Satan: their eyes, their very