appending a selector from xml document to a html div

appending a selector from xml document to a html div

I am lost.  I have tried appending ($('#div').append('selector) but all that does is just append the normal visual rendered text to my #div.  What I need is the whole selector to be appended.
 
I tried using .html to copy of the selector over to the DOM, but nothing shows up in that specified div when I look in firebug.
 
I am using jqGrid to separate my nodes from the static xml file that it is working with.  Here is the node that I need copied into a div in my DOM:
  
  1. <sequence>       <a class="vlightbox" href="weaponLib/stillMedia/images/a106.jpg" title="A106"><img src="weaponLib/stillMedia/thumbnails/a106.jpg" alt="A106"/>A106</a>       <a class="vlightbox" href="weaponLib/stillMedia/images/a106_2d_a.jpg" title="A106_2D_A"><img src="weaponLib/stillMedia/thumbnails/a106_2d_a.jpg" alt="A106_2D_A"/>A106_2D_A</a>       <a class="vlightbox" href="weaponLib/stillMedia/images/a106_2d_b.jpg" title="A106_2D_B"><img src="weaponLib/stillMedia/thumbnails/a106_2d_b.jpg" alt="A106_2D_B"/>A106_2D_B</a>       <a class="vlightbox" href="weaponLib/stillMedia/images/a106_2d_c.jpg" title="A106_2D_C"><img src="weaponLib/stillMedia/thumbnails/a106_2d_c.jpg" alt="A106_2D_C"/>A106_2D_C</a>       <a class="vlightbox" href="weaponLib/stillMedia/images/a106_2d_d.jpg" title="A106_2D_D"><img src="weaponLib/stillMedia/thumbnails/a106_2d_d.jpg" alt="A106_2D_D"/>A106_2D_D</a>
    </sequence>
I need all those <a> tags to be copied/placed inside of a specific div within the dom.  I know that it is reading it correctly cuz when I use the jQuery append, I get the normal text (the part just before the closing a tag) to be dispalyed in the div.   Any suggestions??  I just tried .html() and using the document.getElementbyTagName as in:
 
  1. onSelectRow: function() {
        var gsr = $('#searchResults').jqGrid('getGridParam', 'selrow');
        if (gsr) {
         var data = $('#searchResults').jqGrid('getRowData', gsr);
         $('#ss').html(document.getElementsByTagName('sequence'));
         };
         $('#theGrid').hide();
         $('#itemAnalysis').show('fast');
         },







What am I doing wrong???
 
 
Tony
It is not the job you get handed, but what you have done with it in the end that people remember.