Many of these houses have a smaller one attached to them, consisting of one or two rooms and a terrace. Some of them are built over the porch or gateway of the larger house, to which there is a door of communication. These smaller houses are frequently used as places of retirement from the bustle of the central quadrangle. It has been supposed that many of the houses in Syria, Palestine, &c., were anciently provided with little retired chambers such as we here speak of,—that is, chambers secluded in some degree from the rest of the habitable mansion. The following passages in the Bible seem to allude to some arrangement of this kind: 2 Kings 4. 10, "Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick,"-Judges iii. 20, "And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone."-2 Sam. xviii. 23, "And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept." While we are on this subject, we may briefly allude to an explanation which Dr. Shaw has offered of a part of Scripture, which, without knowing the structure of the houses in the countries alluded to, cannot be well understood. In St. Mark ii. 2, we read, "And they came unto him bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne by four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay." Now in such houses as we are accustomed to, it would appear more difficult to make a sufficiently large hole through the roof than to force a passage through the throng. But by considering the nature of the houses in those climates, Dr. Shaw thinks the following explanation will remove every difficulty. The only part of a house large enough to admit a multitude of people was the open court or quadrangle. This court was covered in hot weather by an awning capable of being drawn aside by means of ropes. The tops of the houses were flat, so that persons could walk from roof to roof without difficulty, and stairs led up to the roof. It therefore seems probable, that the sick man was carried up to the roof of the house, that the awning was drawn aside, and that he was lowered into the open court by ropes.

That portion of Northern Africa occupied by Algiers need not claim our attention here, for in so far as it differs, in the construction of its houses, from the countries of Barbary generally, the Supplements which have been given on the subject of Algiers in the Saturday Magazine will have conveyed a sufficient idea. We will therefore proceed eastward, and approach countries which have filled a more important page in history. The territory once known by the famed name of Carthage occupied a portion of the space between Egypt and what is now called Algiers, but at present, little exists here to claim notice in this paper.

Egypt has many remarkable peculiarities, chiefly arising from the mixture of Turkish and Arabic manners and modes of living prevalent in the country. The houses of Egypt depend a good deal, for their form and character, on the religion of the inhabitants; they have in general either one or two stories above the ground floor, and there is often a small unpaved court in the middle of the building, with various apartments surrounding it. There is a narrow passage leading into this court from the street, and in the passage is a stone seat for the porter and other servants. In the court itself is generally to be seen a well for supplying the house with water; and the windows of the principal apartments look into the court, several doors leading from the court to the rooms: in all these cases there is one door leading exclusively to the women's apartments. The apartment in which strangers are received is generally on the ground floor, with a grated or latticed window looking into the court. This reception-room has generally a fountain in the middle, and is paved with black and white marble. Along two sides of the room runs a raised platform covered with mats and carpets, and visitors generally take off their shoes before they step upon this. The mode in which persons seat themselves in such countries will assist us in explaining many of the customs mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. The matted or carpetted floor is frequently the only seat, and if shoes, soiled with the dust of the streets, were to tread on this matting, the garments would certainly be disfigured by it: hence a sense of cleanliness, as well as certain rites connected with religion, lead the inhabitants to take off their shoes previous to stepping upon the raised platform. There are, however, frequently mattrasses and cushions, stuffed with cotton and covered with cloth or silk, ranged round the sides of the

apartment. The walls of this apartment contain recesses and cupboards, for the reception of water-bottles, coffee-cups, and other domestic vessels. The ceiling of the room is divided into compartments: those parts over the two raised platforms being formed of carved beams of wood; while that over the central part is carved into highly decorated and fanciful ornaments, and painted of very diverse colours. A chandelier is frequently suspended from the centre.

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All the apartments are lofty, generally about fourteen feet high. The upper rooms have often, besides lattice-work windows, others of coloured glass, representing flowers, fruit, birds, &c. These coloured windows are about two feet high and one wide: they are placed above the other windows, and are more for ornament than for use. "On the plastered walls of some apartments," says Mr. Lane, are rude paintings of the temple of Mekkeh, or of the tomb of the Prophet, or of flowers and other objects, executed by native Mooslim artists, who have not the least notion of the rules of perspective, and who consequently deface what they thus attempt to decorate. Sometimes, also, the walls are ornamented with Arabic inscriptions, of maxims, &c, which are more usually written on paper, in an embellished style, and inclosed in glazed frames. No chambers are furnished as bed-rooms. The bed, in the day-time, is rolled up, and placed on one side, or in an adjoining closet, called khuzneh, which, in the winter, is a sleeping place: in summer, many people sleep upon the house-top. A mat or carpet, spread upon the raised part of the stone floor, and a deewan, (a row of cushions round the wall,) constitute the complete furniture of a room. For meals, a round tray is brought in, and placed upon a low stool, and the company sit round it on the ground. There is no fireplace: the room is warmed, when necessary, by burning charcoal in a chafing-dish." The kitchens, however, have several small receptacles for fire, constructed on a kind of bench of brick. Many houses have at the top a sloping shed of boards, directed towards the north or north-west, in order that the cool breezes which blow from those quarters may be conveyed to an open apartment below. The roof of the house is Hat, and generally covered with a coating of plaster.

For a notice of the houses and domestic arrangements of Cairo in particular, we refer to our recent sketches of that capital.

2. HOUSES OF ASIATIC TURKEY.

The

Africa is united to Asia in a singular manner. two continents are connected only by a narrow slip of land,-the isthmus of Suez,-and this isthmus, as well as the country near it, is little better than a dreary desert. Having passed this desert, we come to Palestine, and, keeping along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, we arrive at Jaffa, Acre, Aleppo, and other towns. After this, the great peninsula of Asia Minor brings us to the Black Sea, and the provinces of European Turkey. Now throughout this range of country, Turkish influence is more or less prevalent, and there are a good many features common to all the towns extending from Jerusalem at the south-east to Smyrna at the north-west. The city of Aleppo is well situated as a representative of the towns of Western Asia generally. To the north of it is Asia Minor to the south, Palestine; and to the east, are those numerous provinces which have, at one time or other, formed part of the Persian Empire. Its houses, as well as its inhabitants, present features of the Turkish, Persian, Syriac, and Arabian countries: and we shall do well to consider rather minutely the nature of the dwellings.

Aleppo is governed by a bashaw or officer, and the residence of this officer, as well as of the other principal officers of state, are called Seraglios, (a Persian word for a palace or great house.) These seraglios are huge piles of building, with nothing like architectural grace about them. The entrance is through a large court; and the gate is arched and decorated with marble. Persons of rank pass on horseback directly to the foot of the grand staircase. The state apartments are of an oblong form, with lofty flat ceilings, and are well lighted by a row of large windows. The walls and ceilings are adorned with flowers, fruit, and fanciful ornaments, painted, gilt and varnished: and verses from the Koran are seldom omitted as part of the decoration. Each state apartment has an elevated platform on each side constituting a divan, where distinguished visitors are invited to seat themselves. The divan is covered with mattresses, over which is thrown a covering of cloth; and oblong cushions, stuffed with cotton and faced with silk or velvet, are ranged round next the wall:-the corners of

these divans are considered as the places of honour. The lower and central part of the apartment is occupied by pages and others; indeed all visitors, except those of rank, are to remain on the central division of the room, and must not presume to step on the divan.

The apartments of the principal officers are fitted up on the saine plan, but with less splendour: the divans in their rooms being made to serve as beds at night, by employing additional mattrasses and coverlids.

The women's apartments are always separated from the main part of the building, and consist of several suites of rooms, ranged round an open court. This court contains a shrubbery, a basin with a fountain, arbours of slight latticed frames, and other arrangements for producing a cool place of retreat from the heat incident to the climate. There are also two open apartments, called the divan, and the kaah, which are a sort of open reception rooms, where the different members of a family may congregate. These are particularly delightful, from the means taken,-such as fountains, &c.,-to make them cool. The private apartments of the females are ranged round the court, with windows looking into the court, to the exclusion of any other. The sleeping rooms are usually on the ground floor, and the visiting, or reception rooms are above them.

Such are the general modes of construction in the mansions of the bashaws, agas, effendis, and officers of government, at Aleppo.

The houses of the merchants seldom have a court in front, the entrance being immediately from the street, by a large door. The outer apartments are small, and furnished in a plain but neat manner. They serve only for the reception of familiar visitors in the morning, or at supper: for on extraordinary occasions, the harems, or female apartments, are made use of, which, in point of elegance, often rival those of the seraglios, and in the richness of the furniture sometimes excel them.

The houses of the Turks of middle rank have seldom more than one court; but many of them have a kaah, and all have a divan, with a little garden and fountain before it. Their habitations are thus airy, and kept very neat. From this rank, down to the lowest order of Turks, there are houses of various degrees of comfort; but they have | nearly all something which they can call a divan, and a few bushes or shrubs by way of garden:-their best room is rudely painted, and decorated with such ornaments as they can procure.

The houses of the Christians of the upper class consist generally of a central court surrounded by apartments. The entrance to these houses is scarcely to be distinguished from those of the Turks; and the interior is fitted up with a good deal of taste and neatness.

The Jews, both European and native, have houses built much on the same fashion as the other inhabitants of the city; and in some instances their dwellings display no little magnificence within. The poorer classes of Jews, however, are worse lodged than the poor of the other religious communities.

The roofs of nearly all the better kinds of houses are flat, and plastered with a composition of mortar, tar, ashes, and sand, which in time becomes very hard; but, when not laid on at the proper season, the terrace is apt to crack in the winter. These flat roofs or terraces are separated by parapet walls, and most of the natives sleep on them in summer. The Europeans who live contiguous have doors of communication, and by means of the terraces on their own houses and those on the bazaars, can make a large circuit without descending into the street. The native inhabitants, however, do not throw open a whole line of terraces in this way; but frequently heighten the wall of division by means of a screen.

We will avail ourselves of the present opportunity for speaking of a part of the domestic arrangement which in warm climates has a considerable influence on the construction of a town, as well as upon the manners of the inhabitants, we mean the custom of bathing. Not only does a sultry climate occasion à necessity for a frequent use of the bath, but the Mohammedan religion requires that ablutions should be made at certain hours of the day. Most of the large mansions in Persia, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Barbary, &c., have baths within them; but the general custom is, to attend public baths, a large number of which are to be found in most of their cities. These baths or bagnios being pretty nearly the same everywhere, we will take those of Aleppo as a general representative of all, and will avail ourselves of Dr. Russell's account of them.

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The outer room of the hummam or bagnio is called the burany, and is large, lofty, covered with a dome, and paved with marble. It has windows towards the street, but is lighted chiefly by the lantern of the dome. A broad stone platform, or mustaby, about four feet high, is built close to the wall on each side, which being spread with mats and carpets, forms a divan on which the bathers may undress and repose. A large marble fountain in the middle serves both as an ornament, and for rinsing the bagnio linen, which is afterwards hung to dry on lines stretched above. The bathers, as well as the servants, walk in this outer chamber in slippers, for the stoves having but small influence there, the wet pavement is cold to the naked feet.

From the burany a door opens into a narrow passage, leading to the wastany, or middle chamber, which has a mustaby, or raised platform, for the accommodation of such as may choose to sit there, and is furnished with several round or oblong stone basins, about a foot and a half in diameter, into each of which two pipes open with brass cocks, the one conveying hot, the other cold water. These are called juru, and are fixed to the wall two feet from the pavement. There are also brazen bowls for laving out the water. The thermometer in the burany is about 64 Fahr.;-in the passage 75-and in the wastany, or middle chamber, 90°.

From the middle chamber, a door opens immediately into the inner chamber, or juany, which is much larger than the wustany, and heated to about 100. It has no mustaby, or platform, so that the bathers sit or recline on the pavement, which towards the centre is excessively hot. The middle and inner rooms are less lofty than the outer one, and are covered with small cupolas, from which they receive a dull light, by means of a few round apertures, glazed with a thick coloured glass. At each corner of the juany is a small open recess, in one of which there is a basin about four feet deep, called the murtas, serving occasionally for a temperate bath. The bagnios are heated by stoves underneath, and the ordinary temperature is about 100.

It must be borne in mind, that the mode of bathing adopted in these countries is altogether different from that employed in England. There is no plunging into a large body of water, and in a few minutes emerging from it. The bather, first, in the onter room, throws off his usual dress, and puts on a slight bathing dress. He then passes into the middle room, and gets gradually warmed by its temperature. From thence he passes into the inner or bath room, which is heated so highly that in a fow minutes he is in a profuse perspiration. He then lies down on the warm marble pavement, and is rubbed all over by an attendant, with a kind of perfumed soap; after which he is well drenched by bowls of warm clean water, and rubbed with dry towels. The bathing being thus completed, he passes into the middle room, puts on his slippers, wraps himself completely in a blanket, and then smokes a cigar, drinks coffee, and converses with his friends or neighbours:-indeed, this middle room is a general place of rendezvous for friends, who often go to the bath as much to meet one another as for the pleasure of bathing. This is particularly the case with females: by the customs of the country they are so much immured, that they are glad of the relief from constraint afforded by the bath; and it is not unusual for them to take sweetmeats, fruits, spices, &c., to regale themselves and friends in the middle chamber, after having taken the bath. Lady M. W. Montagu tells us that this is then a famous place for gossip. When the bathers have remained as long as they please in the middle room, they proceed to the outer room, resume their dresses, and leave the place. There are some baths for men, and others for women; and a third class devoted to women in the forenoon, and men in the afternoon; the bathers being attended by servants of their own sex.

3. HOUSES OF PERSIA AND ARABIA. The most general characteristics of the houses of the wealthier classes in Persia have been the same from age to age, and the accounts of different travellers pretty well agree on the subject. Generally speaking, such houses are built in the middle of a fine garden, and present little or none of their beauty to the street; for there is little else to be seen but a dead wall, with a great gate in the middle of it, and perhaps a screen or wall within the gate, to prevent passers-by from seeing the mansion,-great privacy being sought for in this respect. It is not often that the Persian mansions have more than one story,—indeed, in most warm climates, the houses are more remarkable for length and depth than for height. In the portion of the house nearest the entrance gate is generally a little piazza

or open room, where the general business of the inhabitant is transacted. Beyond this piazza is a large hall, from twelve to twenty feet high, which is the place of meeting, on the occasion of great entertainments, &c. On the hinder side of the house is often another piazza, with a fount in playing in front of it, beyond which shady walks are frequently seen. At each corner of the large hall is a parlour, or dwelling room, between which are small open square courts, with entrances from the great hall: the object of this and similar arrangements seems to be, that in a climate so sultry as that of Persia, it is desirable to have as many open doors as possible, to admit air into the central hall: there is often a fountain playing in the middle of the hall.

The walls of the houses are built sometimes of burned bricks, and sometimes of bricks dried in the sun. The walls are of considerable thickness, and the roof of the great hali is arched, and some feet higher than the smaller, rooms near it. The roofs of the buildings on every side of the hall are flat, and have stairs leading up to them. These flat roofs form one of the most distinguishing features of Asiatic dwellings. Nothing can exceed the beauty of the sky at those hours of the evening when the sun has withdrawn his scorching rays. It is at such a time that the Persian, taking up a mattrass to the roof, there luxuriates in the indolent enjoyment of the open air:-often, indeed, he passes the night there, except at certain seasons, when, in consequence of the powerful evaporation during the day, a piercing cold is felt at night.

The kitchens, and other domestic offices of the house, are generally at some distance to the right or left, and the hall is the medium of communication between all of them. Sometimes the rooms have chimneys, but at other times there is an arrangement of a charcoal fire thus managed:A hole, four or five feet in diameter, and one or two deep, is sunk in the floor of the room, and in this is kindled a char coal fire. The hole is covered over with a thick board, and this again is covered with a carpet, so that persons by sitting round in a circle, and placing their feet under the carpet, can keep themselves warm in cold weather. Air is admitted to the fire, and smoke is conducted from it, by pipes laid beneath the floor. The floors of the rooms are either paved, or covered with a hard cement, on which a coarse cloth is laid, and over that a carpet. The walls of some of the rooms are lined with fine tiles a part of the way up, and are painted above.

Such are the general characters of the houses in that wide expanse of country included under the general name of Persia. But it must be here understood, that these remarks apply chiefly to the large towns; for in the wide and uncultivated wastes which cover so large a portion of the Persian empire, the same kind of rude and temporary tents are observable as are employed by the roving Arabs. In a country like England, we happily do not know what it is to have our large towns separated from each other by sandy wastes, where neither man nor beast can find food and water without great difficulty:-the arrangements of a manufacturing town and those of an agricultural village are certainly sufficiently distinct; but still, a roving population, who, when they have gathered all the herbage and fruits at one part of the country, strike their tents, and proceed in a body to another locality, is unknown to us, however much it prevails in Persia.

These remarks apply also to Arabia. We have, however, nothing to say here of the roving tribes, but shall briefly speak of the populous towns. The city of Mecca consists of streets arranged with tolerable regularity, and there is something more pleasing in the fronts of the houses than is usually observed in Oriental towns. The houses have generally two rows of windows, with balconies covered with blinds. There are even several large windows, quite open, as in Europe, but the greater number are covered with a curtain, like a Venetian blind, made of palm-leaves: these blinds are extremely light, and screen tlie apartments from the sun, without interrupting the passage of the air: they fold up at pleasure at the upper part. The houses are solidly built with stone, and are three, four, and even more stories in height. The fronts are ornamented with bases, mouldings, and paintings, which give them a very graceful appearance. It is very rare to find a door that has not a base, with steps and small seats on both sides. The blinds of the balconies are not very close, and holes are cut in different parts of them. The roofs of the houses form terraces, surrounded with a wall about seven feet high, open at certain spaces which are occupied by a railing of red and white bricks, placed symmetrically, leaving holes for the circula

tion of the air. All the staircases are narrow, dark, and steep. The rooms are well-proportioned, large, and lofty, and have, besides the large windows and balconies, a second row of smaller windows. The beauty of the houses may be considered as the remains of the ancient splendour of Mecca, Every inhabitant has an interest in adorning his dwelling, in order to induce the hadgi, or pilgrims, to lodge with him during their sojourn at Mecca, for this is one of the principal sources of wealth to the inhabitants, on account of the high terms demanded and paid.

Another town in Arabia of which we may briefly speak is Mocha, a name rendered familiar to us by the excellent coffee brought from its neighbourhood. In this town the principal buildings, such as the residences of the govern ment officers and principal inhabitants, have no pretensions, externally, to architectural elegance, but still are not devoid of beauty, from their turretted tops and fantastic ornaments in white stucco. The windows are in general small, stuck into the wall in an irregular manner, closed with lattices, and sometimes opening into a wooden, carved-work balcony. In the upper apartments there is generally a range of circular windows, above the others, filled, instead of glass, with a thin layer of a peculiar transparent stone, which is found in veins in a mountain near Sanaa. None of these can be opened, and only a few of the lower ones,— a consequence of which is that a thorough current of fresh air is rare in these houses, yet the people who inhabit them do not appear to be oppressed by the heat, although it is insupportable to European visitors. The floors as well as the roofs of the larger houses are made of chunam, which is sustained by beams with pieces of plank or thin slips of wood, laid across and close to each other. As a carpenter's level is seldom used in their buildings, the floors are generally very uneven; but where couches and cushions are used instead of chairs and tables, this is not felt to be much inconvenience. The internal construction of the houses is generally bad: the passages are long and narrow, and the staircases so steep that it is frequently difficult to mount them. Very little time is used in the construction of any of these buildings: constant care is therefore necessary to prevent the introduction of moisture. With caution, the houses last many years, but if neglected, they soon become a heap of rubbish, for the sun-dried bricks then resume their original form of mud.

The streets and bazaars of Mocha present a lively ap pearance, from the commingling of many different classes and ranks of people. Lord Valentia says:- Under the coarse awnings of its narrow bazaars you meet the well, dressed merchants in robes of woollen cloth, and from above the folds of the snow-white turban you see a red woollen cap, with a tassel of purple silk. At every step you meet the black, the half-naked Abyssinian, straight as the young areca, with a nose sufficiently prominent to give expression to his features, and having his curled woolly hair dyed with a reddish yellow,-the foppery of his country. Then there is the stout Arab porter, in his coarse brown garment, bowing under a heavy load of dates, the matting all oozing, and clammy with the luscious burden. Lastly, you have the Bedouin, with the hue of the desert on his cheek, the sinewy limb, the eye dark and fiery. He hath a small tur ban, a close-bodied vest, a coarse sash, all of dull colours; the arm, the leg, are bare; the brown bosom, open to the sun and wind; sandals on his feet; a broad, straight, twoedged sword in his hand; a long and ready poniard in his girdle. For the cold night wind he has a cloak of goat's hair, or black or white, or made in long broad stripes of both colours. He walks erect, and moves directly to his front, giving place to none. . Then there are the cook-shops, with their hot cakes of bread, and their large coppers, with: portions of meat and fowls, swimming in ghee, and ready for the traveller. And a step farther the caravanserais and coffee-houses, with groups of townsmen and traders, reclining on couches of the date-leaf, smoking their small hookahs, sipping their kishu, and perpetually stroking their long beards." There are other towns in Arabia, such as Medina, and Aden, once a very important port at the southern entrance into the Red Sea. But neither of these need call for particular notice here: Medina presents many features similar to Mecca, and Aden to Mocha.

4. HOUSES OF INDIA AND CHINA.

We will travel eastward, and notice the recent seat of war, Afghanistan. The houses of the higher classes in Afghanistan are described with some minuteness by the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone, in his Account of the Kingdom oj

Caubul. The class of inhabitants whose dwellings he thus portrays, includes all the Douranee chiefs and heads of tribes, with the Persians and Tanjiks, who hold offices about the king. "These residences," says our author, "are all enclosed by high walls, and contain (besides stables, lodging for servants, &c.,) three or four different courts, generally laid out in gardens, with ponds and fountains. One side of each court is occupied by a building, comprising various small apartments in two or three stories, and some large halls, which occupy the middle of the building for its whole height. The halls are supported by tall wooden pillars and Moorish arches, carved, ornamented, and painted like the rest of the hall. The upper rooms open on the halls by galleries which run along halfway up the wall, and are set off with pillars and arches. The halls, being only separated by pillars and sashes of open wood-work, can always be thrown into one by removing the sashes. The back of the innermost one is a solid wall, in which is the fire-place. The upper part of this wall is ornamented with false arches, which look like a continuation of the galleries, and which, as well as the real arches, are filled up on great occasions with paintings in oil, looking-glasses, and other ornaments. There are smaller rooms along the other sides of the courtyards; and among them are comfortable apartments for the retirement of the master of the house, one of which, at least, is fitted up with glass windows for cold weather. There are fire-places in many of these different apartments. The walls and pillars are ornamented with flowers in various patterns, painted in distemper, or in oil, on a white ground, composed of a sort of whitewash, mixed with shining particles, which is called seem gil, or silver earth. The doors are of carved wood, and, in winter, are covered with curtains of velvet, embroidered cloth, and brocade. In all the rooms, at a height which is easily within reach, are arched recesses in the walls, which are painted very richly, and, by a strange depravity of taste, are thought to be embellished by glass bottles of various coloured pickles and preserves. The poor also have these recesses, which they ornament with China cups, and in which they store their fruits for winter consumption: the curtains in their houses are of quilted chintz, or of canvas, painted with birds, beasts, flowers, &c., in oil. The pictures in the houses of the rich are mostly, if not entirely, done in Persia: the figures are old Persian kings and warriors, young men and women drinking together, or scenes from some of the Persian poems. The principal

ornaments of the rooms of the great, are carpets and felts, which serve them in place of all other furniture. Persian carpets are too well known in England to require any description, but there is a kind made in Heraut which excels all others I ever saw; they are made of wool, but so fine and glossy, and dyed with such brilliant colours, that they appear to be of silk; carpets of highly wrought shawl are also used; but this piece of magnificence must be very rarely used from the enormous expense*.

"There are felts for sitting on, spread close to the wall all round the room, except where the entrance is, which, in the halls, is always at one end. They are brownish-grey, with patterns of flowers in dim colours; that at the top of the room is broader than the others, which are about three feet and a half or four feet broad. On the upper felt are smaller carpets of embroidered silk or velvet, with cushions of velvet for distinguished visitors."

The peninsula of India, like most countries which have had many conquerors, presents a great diversity of dwellings, not only in splendour and costliness, but also in style. As, however, the Hindoos are the people who are most peculiarly connected with that country, we will give a brief sketch of the dwellings of Hindoos of rank. Benares presents the most marked appearance of Hindoo origin: in this city the amiable Bishop Heber visited a house which he has described. It belonged to two minors, the sons of an opulent citizen. It was a building of striking appearance, and had The house was very a large vacant area before the door. irregular, and built round a small court, two sides of which were taken up by the dwelling-house, and the others by the offices. It was four lofty stories in height, with a tower over the gate, of one story more. The front had small windows of various forms, some of them projecting on brackets, and beautifully carved, and a great part of the wall itself was covered with carved patterns of sprigs, leaves, and flowers, like an old-fashioned paper. The whole was of stone, but painted a deep red. The general effect of the house was very much like that of some of the palaces at Venice, as represented in Canaletti's views. There was an entrancegateway, with a groined arch of rich carving, and on each side was a deep, richly-carved recess, like a shrine, in which were idols, with lamps before them,-the household gods of the family. The inner court was covered with plantains

*The price demanded for a shawl-carpet of very large size was 10 000, and this was said to be far below its value.