JAMARY—

derably, but the amount will be better understood bya reference to the following statement: in 1658,Jamaica contained 4500 whites and 1400 slaves ; in1787, the former amounted to 30,000, and the latterto 250,000, besides which there were 10,000 freepeople of colour. In 1812, the slaves numbered319,912; in 1817,346,150; and in 1826, 331,119.This decrease is chiefly owing to the manumission ofthe slaves. The free people were supposed, in 1812,to amount to 40,000 ; but it is probable that thewhites alone exceed that number at present, that thefree people of colour are as many more, and that thewhole population exceeds 400,000. By the last cen-sus the population of slaves amounted to 322,421;but no census was taken of the whites at that period.For an account of the manumission of the slavesin the island of Jamaica, see article Slavery.

Jamary. A river in South America, which risesin the province of Grosso, and flows in broad streamsdown the eastern sides of the Parexis mountains, andenters the great river Madeira. Several large mineshave been discovered near the mouth of this river.

James River. A river in Virginia, formed bythe union of Jackson’s and Cowpasture Rivers. Atthe point where it begins to break through the Blueliidge, it is joined by North river. It passes by theflourishing towns of Lynchburg and Richmond, andcommunicates, through Hampton road and the mouthot Chesapeake Cay, with the Atlantic. Its generalcourse is south of east. A forty-gun ship may go upto Jamestown, and, by lightening herself, to Harrison’sbar, where there are fifteen feet of water. Vessels of250 tons go up to Warwick, and those of 120 toRockets, just below Richmond. The river is navi-gable lor bateaux 220 miles above Richmond. Itopens a navigation into a country abounding intobacco, wheat, corn, hemp, coal, &c.

Jamestown. An American town, in Virginia, onan island in James river, thirty-two miles above itsmouth, eight S.W. of Williamsburg, sixty-five E. S. E.of Richmond. This town was established in 1608,and was the first town settled by the English inthe United States of America. The town is nowin ruins, and almost desolate. Two or three oldhouses, the ruins of an old steeple, a church-yard andtaint marks of the rude fortifications, are the onlymemorials of its former importance.

James, St., of the Sword {San Jago del Espada);a military older in Spain, instituted in 1170, by Fer-dinand II., king of Leon, to stop the incursions of theMoors. The knights must prove their descent fromamihes that have been noble on both sides for fourgenerations, and that their ancestors have neitherbeen Jews, Saracens, nor heretics, nor called in ques-lon by the inquisition. Their vows are those ofpoverty, obedience, conjugal fidelity, and the defenceot the immaculate conception of the holy virgin.Janeiro, Rio De. See Rio de Janeiro.Janicei.um, or Mons Janiculus. One of theseven hills of Rome, on the right bank of the Tiber,a >o called Mons Aureus, on account of the yellowsand (corrupted into Montorio). According to tradi-ion,it received the name of Janiculum, because Janusrs cultivated it. It afforded the most beautiful view° , * e Clt y- The Pons Sublicius connected it with theit “T" ,°f Rome, to which Ancus Martius added’ j he hill is now called Gianiculo.

. t L A!, ~, ZA . R . IES ’ .“In the year 1389,” says Gibbon,e ur * ls h cimeter was wielded by Amurath I.,

r A N I Z A R I E S. 559

the son of Orchan and the brother of Soliman. Hesubdued the w hole province of Romania or Thrace,from the Hellespont to mount Haemus and the vergeof the capital. He marched against the Sclavoniannations between the Danube and the Adriatic—theBulgarians, Servians, Bosnians, and Albanians—andtheir warlike tribes, who had so often insulted themajesty of the empire, were repeatedly broken by hisdestructive inroads. The natives of the soil havebeen distinguished in every age by their hardiness ofmind and body, and they were converted, by a pru-dent institution, into the firmest and most faithfulsupporters of Ottoman greatness. The vizier ofAmurath reminded his sovereign that, according tothe Mohammedan law, he was entitled to a fifth partof the spoil and the captives, and that the dutymight easily be levied if vigilant officers were sta-tioned at Gallipoli to watch the passage, and toselect for his use the stoutest and most beautiful ofthe Christian youth. The advice was followed ; theedict was proclaimed; many thousands of the Euro-pean captives were educated in the Mohammedanreligion and arms, and the new militia was conse-crated and named by a celebrated dervish. Standingin the front of their ranks, he stretched the sleeve ofhis gown over the head of the foremost soldier, andhis blessing was delivered in these words—‘ Letthem be called Janizaries(.yi»gi e/ieri, or new soldiers);may their countenances be ever bright; their handvictorious ; their swords keen ; may their spear alwayshang over the heads of their enemies; and, whereso-ever they go, may they return with a white face.’White and black face are common and proverbialexpressions of praise and reproach in the Turkishlanguage.”

Such was the origin of these haughty troops, theterror of surrounding nations, and sometimes of thesultans themselves. They were kept up by continualadditions from the sultan’s share of the captives, andby recruits raised every five years, from the childrenof the Christian subjects. Small parties of soldiers,each under a leader, and each provided with a par-ticular firman, went from place to place. Whereverthey came, the protogeros assembled the inhabitants,with their sons. The leader of the soldiers had theright to take away all the youth who were distin-guished by beauty or strength, activity or talent, abovethe age of seven. He carried them to the court ofthe grand seignior, a tithe, as it were, of his subjects.The captives taken in war by the pachas, and pre-sented by them to the sultan, included Poles, Bohe-mians, Russians, Italians, and Germans. Theserecruits were divided into two classes. Those whocomposed the one, especially in the earlier periods,were sent to Natolia, where they were trained toagricultural labour, and instructed in the Mussulmanfaith ; or they were retained about the seraglio, wherethey carried wood and water, and were employed inthe gardens, in the boats, or upon the public build-ings, always under the direction of an overseer, whowith a stick compelled them to work.

The others, in whom traces of a higher cha-racter were discernible, were placed in one of thefour seraglios of Adrianople or Galata, or the oldor new one at Constantinople. Here they werelightly clad in linen or in cloth of Saloniki, with clothcaps. Teachers came every morning, who remainedwith them until evening, and taught them to readand write. At a particular time, they were all cir-