where he bade a long farewell to the wife of his affection and the son of his pride, and expects soon to be received by them again with a kind warm welcome. We passed within sight of Mocha, so celebrated for its excellent coffee. The coffee imported immediately from this place is less valuable than that which is procured from other ports of Arabia, as it is mixed with berries of an inferior description brought over from Abyssinia. The sun shone full upon the white buildings of the town, and had we not already been deceived with a similar appearance, we should have gazed with admiration upon the apparent splendor of its minarets and towers. We could distinguish the tomb of a Mussulman saint who opposed the crusaders most stoutly at the siege of Acre. A dategrove extends some miles on the southern shore. The British factory which formerly existed at this place has been abandoned some years. aga. Soldiers were stationed in all directions, who appeared to keep the people in great submission, a lesson they much needed, from their extreme rudeness and constant disposition to quarrel. The houses are some of them highly ornamented, especially the entrances and windows.There are dwellings made entirely of the fibre of the date, interwoven upon a wooden frame. The Turks had some fear that the East India government might assist the pacha to reduce them, and it was perhaps to conciliate us as much as possible in their favor, that they paid us greater attention than in general they are willing to pay to strangers. In the night of Feb. 2d, we were off Djuddah; but as it is surrounded by a number of reefs, it was not possible to approach it in the dark. In the morning it was still difficult to distinguish the reefs, as there was a perfect calm, and the sea The strong north-wester, that soon afterwards reflected the rays of the sun like a mirror. The set in, obliged the captain to put into the port of man at the mast-head suddenly called out, "HardHodeida, as we could make no head against it, a-port!" and from the poop, where I was standand were burning our coals to no purpose. The ing, I saw through the gang-way the point of a town is smaller than Mocha, and is protected by rock that we had escaped by only a few feet.a range of castles. We found the place in pos- There was not much danger of our being lost; session of a party of Turks, who had rebelled but the steamer might have been so much injured against Mahomet Ali, pacha of Egypt, under pre- as to have been unable to proceed. We waited tence that they were unable to procure their ar- upon the governor, and found him to be a stout rears of pay. They were headed by Toorkee man, with a countenance indicative of much good Bilmass. They first siezed upon Mecca and nature. He conducted himself with more ease, Djuddah, from both of which places they were but less dignity, than the aga. The room in which driven by the regular troops. On evacuating the he received us looked towards the sea, and we sat latter place, they took with them the whole of the in a recess lined with crimson cushions. The pacha's fleet in this sea, consisting of several large effendi excused himself from partaking with us of ships. They had taken possession of several the coffee and pipes, as it was the fast of the hundred miles of coast, including the towns of Ramzan; but he chatted with us a considerable Mocha, Hodeida, and Zeebed. These places time, principally relative to the rebellion at Mocha have been nominally under the government of and the successes of Ibrahim Pacha against the the imaum of Senaar, an idle and effeminate chief- sultan. Upon taking leave, a servant was in attain. The rebels had hitherto conducted them-tendance with sherbet. We next proceeded to selves with caution, but some of their party having had a previous quarrel with Seyd Addullah, governor of Mocha, required that he should be put to death. Three shots were fired through him, his body was carried a little way out of the town, and when his friends, the Wahabees, came to treat for his ransom, his body was shown to them, and they were told he had been shot in an attempt to make his escape. We paid a visit to the governor of the town, Hussein Aga, who appeared to be in ill health, as did nearly the whole of his followers. It struck the mind with a feeling of melancholy to look at these men, and then at the peril of their situation: they were rebels against a more successful usurper, and the angel of death seemed already to be rejoicing over their blood, either from the hand of the private assassin, or the sword of the Egyptian on the battle plain. The aga conducted himself with great dignity.He was seated on a raised couch, attended by his soldiers, who stood without order around him, proud and powerful men, and added to the wild interest of the scene. When pipes had been passed round, we were presented with coffee, in small vessels, about the size and shape of egg cups, with gilt stands. We walked through the bazaar, and our appearance attracted a great number of gazers, who were prevented from annoying us by the attendants sent with us by the the house of Malam Yuseff, an Armenian, the English agent. At all the principal ports, persons are appointed as agents by the nearest consul or resident, to assist travellers and protect the interests of the nations they represent. They receive no salary, and deem the honor and collateral advantages a sufficient recompense. During the late wars, when Christian blood was flowing in copious streams around, the flag of an European power flying over a native dwelling often protected the female from violation, and the man from death. The importance of Djuddah arises entirely from its vicinity to Mecca, from whence it is distant about 40 miles. It is the port at which all the pilgrims arrive who come by sea. The bazaar is well supplied. In one shop I saw spectacles, steel pens, knives, scissors, and many other articles of European manufacture. The houses are built of coral from the sea-shore, in the style we attribute to the times of the crusaders. The passages are narrow and steep, and would be more agreeable if more frequently cleansed. The coffee-houses are lighted up at night; and this is the time of enjoyment after the languor of the day, when striking groups of soldiers and citizens are seen sitting together in circles, listening first to the news of the day, then to some tale of blood, and afterwards to a recitation from some ancient poet distant ports of India. After proceeding about 30 miles from the shore, this district is found to be well cultivated, and its coffee is the finest in the world. From its extreme richness, it was long thought that the spices, silks, and other treasures exported by its mariners from India, were its own native produce. or historian, who unfolds the glory of their country war; and they are seen at times even in the most in brighter days. The fortifications of the town are perhaps the most extensive in Arabia. Upon the plain towards the north is a building that purports to be the tomb of our mother Eve. It has become ruinous; but the pacha has given orders that it shall be repaired, at the expense of 15,000 piasters. There are several Italians resident here, in the employ of the pacha. One of them is married; and his wife, when she walks out, is obliged to muffle herself up in the close dress of the country, out of respect to the prejudices of the people. She is young and interesting, and I could not but pity her, not having a single female companion of her own rank or religion with whom to converse. We had an opportunity of hearing the band of one of the pacha's regiments. It consisted of twenty performers, all natives of Egypt. They played several European tunes, all from notes; and though the execution was a little violent, it did them great credit. The troops are dressed in coarse red calico,-a close jacket and loose trowsers; but have not the soldier-like appearance of the native regiments of India. The officers are more respectable: they are dressed in the same form, but in good woollen cloth, with an additional jacket, something resembling that of our hussars. They, as well as the men, have a red cap, but no turban; and mustachios, but no beard. They are well paid, but are usually several months in arrears. No Christian until lately was allowed to go out of the gates of Djuddah, but they may now approach even to the entrance of the holy city without molestation. The pilgrims to Mecca are every year becoming less numerous. The desecration of the Wahabees, and the late siege it has undergone, will tend to bring it into greater disrepute; and we may hope that the Kaaba will soon be broken in pieces, and its fragments mingled in undistinguishable confusion with the sands of the forsaken desert. I could perceive the hills in the neighborhood of Mecca from the deck of the steamer, but the time allowed for taking in coals did not permit us to proceed far from the shore. It was the birth-place of Mahomet, who was born in 569, of the tribe of the Koreish, and was buried at Medinah in 632. Both places are considered sacred, but Mecca is the most considerable town, and is resorted to by a far greater number of pilgrims: they come from very distant parts, from China in the east, and from the pillars of Hercules in the west. The ancient inhabitants of Arabia were idolaters, and adored the sun and moon, and the stars of the firmament. "If I beheld the sun when it shined," says an Arab of old, in clearing his character from the sins of his country, "or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand; this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge; for I should have denied the God that is above."-Job xxxi. 26-28. The worship of the black stone of the Kaaba is of far earlier date than the origin of Islamism. In the first centuries of the church, the spread of Christianity in Arabia was rapid, but it sunk too soon into heresy, and was entirely swept away by the sword of Mahomet. It is an affecting thought, that with the exception of the monks near Mount Sinai, I know not that there is at the present time a single Christian minister of any description whatever, throughout the whole of proper Arabia. The language of Arabia is one of the most copious in the world, and its ancient poets and historians yield to none in the strength and beauty of their style. I was not able to penetrate far into the desert, but a single glance into its wastes may almost tell the tale of a thousand miles as to distance, and three thousand years as to time. It is here alone that the Arab is seen in his primitive simplicity, free as the gazelle, and both as swift in his speed, and unsettled in his dwelling-place as this beautiful wanderer upon the same plains. We are carried back at once to the age of the earliest patriarchs. The forms we see present unto us the picture of these ancient fathers, with scarcely a single alteration. We may listen to their language, number their possessions, partake of their food, examine their dress, enter their tents, attend the ceremonies of their marriage festivals, and present ourselves before the prince, still all is the same. At the well they water their flocks; they sit at the door of the tent in the cool of the day; they take "butter, and milk, and the calf which they have dressed," and set it before the stranger; they move onward to some distant place, and pitch their tent near richer pasturage; and all the treasures they possess are in camels, kine, sheep, and goats; men servants and women servants; and changes It will be seen from these notices, that the places of raiment. We may stand near one of their enupon the coasts of Arabia partake of the character campments, and as the aged men sit in dignity, or generally exhibited by towns under the dominion the young men and maidens drive past us their of Mussulmen rulers. The inhabitants are occu- flocks, we are almost ready to ask if such an one pied in trade, and among them are turks, Egyp- be not Abraham, or Lot, or Jacob, or Job, or Biltians, Hindoos, slaves from Africa, and a few Ar- dad the Shuhite, or Rebekah, or Rachel, or the menian and other Christians. The Arabs of the daughter of Jethro the Midianite: we seem to towns have lost many of the distinctive features of know them all. The mountains, and valleys, and their race. In the division of Arabia Felix, a num-streams partake of the same unchangeableness: ber of independent sheikhs rule over districts dif- not a stone has been removed, not a barrier has fering much in their extent and resources. The been raised, not a tree has been planted, not a vilimaum of Muscat is at present the most powerful lage has been collected together. The founder prince of Arabia. In his navy are several men-of- of the race might come to the earth, and he would recognize without effort his own people and his own land. It is doubted whether any tribes are yet left of the aborigines of the country, though there be many that claim this distinction. The families of the desert are the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. It was said unto Hagar, concerning her son, by the angel of the Lord, "I will make him a great nation," Gen. xxi. 18; and again, "He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." Gen. xvi. 12. These prophecies have been literally fulfilled. No nation has ever been so great that could trace its origin to one single head. The Roman empire was more extensive, but it was one empire composed of many nations. There are kingdoms in our own day whose majesty is brighter, but it is produced by the concentrated glory of many distinct families and tribes, and cannot be claimed by any single people. The Arabs are wild men: their hand is against every man, and of necessity every man's hand is against them. It is no protection to speak the same language, or to profess the same religion. The caravan on its pilgrimage to Mecca is considered to offer as lawful a booty as the bales of the rich merchant, or the stores of the infidel stranger. Of only one among all the streams of population by which this earth has been covered, was this prophecy uttered; and of only one would it have been true. The surrounding countries of Egypt, Syria, and Persia, have once and again changed their rulers and their race. Arabia has ever continued the same. The march of conquest has been around her, but has never penetrated into her wilds: still she has retained her identity, an oasis of freemen amidst a desert of slaves. That which was true concerning her in the time of Moses, has been equally so in every subsequent period of time; and will still continue, until another prophecy be fulfilled, and even "Arabia's desert ranger" shall bow before the power that is supreme: then the horse shall no longer stand ready caparisoned to pursue and plunder the passing traveller; "Holiness unto the Lord," shall be inscribed upon its bells: then shall Isaac and Ishmael again meet together in peace, to worship at one altar the God of their fathers, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent: their hand shall be with every man, and every man's hand with them. There is one tribe that deserves a more extended notice from the Christian recorder. I was not so favored as to obtain an interview with any of its people; but my information is derived from a gentleman who was many years the English resident for the East India Company at Mocha.There was this promise given to the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, of the family of Jethro, in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: "Thus saith the Lord of Host, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, and kept all its precepts, and done according to all he hath commanded you: therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me for ever." Jer. xxxv. 18, 19. Jonadab had commanded his sons not to drink wine, nor to build houses, nor to have vineyard, nor field, nor seed, but to dwell in tents. These commands they have strictly obeyed, and the promise of God has been remembered. The Rechabites still exist, a separate people, glorying in their independence, and are called by the same name. They are excellent horsemen, and seem to fly through the desert with the speed of the winds. They acknowledge the law of Moses, but maintain that they are not Israelites. About 300 years ago a great number of them were driven from Yemen. Some of them are now found near the Gulf of Acaba. They frequently rob the caravans of pilgrims, and are much hated by the other Arabs and by all Mussulmans. It appears as if there was written upon every page of Arabia's extended history, and graven upon every rock in her deserts, with a pen more powerful than iron, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." Let him who readeth, understand. THE RED SEA. THIS sea is supposed to have taken its name from the country of Edom, which borders upon it, and signifies "red." Others derive the name from the red sea-weed that is discovered in large quantities upon some parts of its surface. We passed several extensive portions of this weed between Djuddah and Kossier. It is called "Yam Suph," or "the weedy sea," both by Moses and David. It was thought by a recent German traveller that the color of the sea is caused by a species of oscillatoria, one of the small plants that are intermediate between animals and vegetables. We entered the sea through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. There are two passages of unequal width, divided from each other by the island of Perim, which was taken possession of by the English during our war in Egypt, but is entirely destitute of water. The Red Sea is about 1500 miles from one extremity to the other. We could never distinguish the land on both bows at the same time. It is visited by a few European vessels, that trade principally to Mocha; the pacha of Egypt maintains a small fleet upon it for the passage and protection of his troops; and the vessels of the bordering countries are seen skimming along in all directions, laden deep with passengers, with high painted prows, and the ropes and sails made of the fibres of the palm. The coasts are lined with coral, sometimes of most beautiful construction; and when the day is calm, or the night is dark and still, the mariner might think himself transported to some enchanted land, the water is so clear, the coruscations of light are so radiant, and the coral beneath so extensively ramified; but the coasting vessels are often from the same cause in extreme danger, and though they are furnished with a false keel, this is not always proof against the violent strokes they have to bear. We were visited during our progress by a few locusts and quails. I landed from the steamer at Kossier, in Egypt, Feb. 9, and consequently did not proceed so far north as the place where the passage of the Israelites was effected. It was more properly through an arm of the sea than the main ocean, as must be evident from its having occupied only one single night. At the spot where it is supposed to have taken place, the gulf of Suez is about 12 miles across. We found at Kossier, the Palinurus, Capt. Moresby. She has been employed some years by the Bombay government in surveying the northern coasts of the Red Sea. The officers are attentive and intelligent, and have made some interesting discoveries upon the shores. They were kind enough to show us several of their drawings. They have visited Sinai, and reject the opinion of Burckhardt, who would place the sacred mount in another direction. The Benares has been employed upon a similar survey towards the south, and it was expected that the whole would be finished in a few months. The wind most frequently blows from the north-west, and at times with great violence. The waves are short and troubled, and the vessel that has to brave them seems to tremble like a frightened steed. The great number of reefs adds to the danger of the navigation, and some of them are almost in the centre of the sea; but many of these difficulties will now be removed by the great care and accuracy with which it is intended that the new charts shall be completed. The steamer was much longer than usual in performing the voyage, the stipulated period being 22 days, including the necessary stoppages. From Bombay we steamed 2,727 miles, and were 22 days, 7 hours, in actual progress, being an average of little more than five miles per hour. The timbers of the Hugh Lindsay are of teak, which has become heavy from constant saturation. This prevents her from making much way; nor are her build or engines at all adapted to the purpose for which she is used. It seems desirable that the Red Sea should again become the usual route to India, the saving of distance being so great; and though I fear that the schemes at present on foot will prove abortive, I look foward with confidence to the period when British skill and capital shall be allowed to exercise themselves in a free trade with the eastern portions of our empire. ABYSSINIA. THIS Country is in the Scriptures denominated Cush and Ethiopia, though the same names appear to be used with great latitude of meaning and refer sometimes to places far distant from each other. It was from hence that the eunuch baptized by Philip, treasurer of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, went up to Jerusalem. There is a strange mixture of Jewish rites observed among the customs of this people, and some of them pretend to derive their origin from Solomon and the queen of Sheba. The church of Abyssinia is of high antiquity. In the 15th century attempts were made by the Jesuits to establish themselves in the country, but after various successes and reverses, and after the sword of persecution had been reddened with blood, they were finally banished by command of the king. The Scriptures have been published by the British and Foreign Bible Society in the vernacular languages of the country. In the evening of the day before we passed the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, the hills of Arabia were visible on one bow of our vessel, and the hills of Abyssinia on the other. The principal port is Massowah, and is supported by a trade in slaves, cattle, and ivory. It was offered to the British government some years ago, on certain conditions, with an expressed desire that the slave trade should cease, but the offer was declined, probably from the known unsettled state of the people. The civil wars, which have been waged for so great a number of years, still continue, and there is at present no acknowledged ras. The coasts of Arabia are supplied with cattle from this country. The sheep are small, with large tails, but the mutton is extremely delicious. When we approached the port of Djuddah, there came from the shore in the same boat with the pilot, a tall man, with a flowing beard, in the costume of the country, and of an appearance so interesting, that we all crowded to the gangway of the ship to gaze upon the stranger. He stepped upon deck, and after making a salaam, we were surprised to hear him address us in English, though with a foreign accent. He informed us that he had come from Abyssinia, and as I soon discovered that he was a missionary, our mutual delight in meeting a Christian brother at such a time, and in such a place, may be more easily conceived than described. I gained from this excellent inan, the Rev. J. Gobat, some information concerning the present state of religion in Abyssinia. He is a native of Switzerland, and was sent out by the Church Missionary society about five years ago. He speaks Arabic like a native, as well as Tigre and Amharic, and several European languages. He visited the country at first to see what prospects there might be for the establishment of a permanent mission, and not having heard from his committee for two years, in consequence of the difficulty of communication, he proceeded by the steamer to Suez, from thence intending to make the best of his way to England. Mr. Kugler, his only fellow laborer, died from a mortification in the arm, produced by the bursting of a gun, and departed happy in Christ. Mr. Gobat reported favorably of the people, and lived among them in perfect security, though Gondar, the place at which he principally resided, was the seat of war. There are some in whose hearts he trusts a work of grace is begun. The principal access to the people is by means of familiar conversation, as they know nothing of regular preaching. The priests administer the sacrament daily, and in this consists nearly the whole of their religion. They refuse it to the people for the most frivolous reasons, and as the poor creatures imagine themselves to be under excommunication when this rite is refused, they suppose it is little matter what additional sin they commit, and thus give themselves up to the commission of many crimes they might otherwise avoid. It is not given to soldiers when they have killed an enemy. The Abyssinian church has hitherto acknowledged the supremacy of the patriarch of Egypt, from whom they have always received their abuna, or head, and it is an established law that he shall be a foreigner. It is a natural consequence, that as he has to govern a people whose language and cus toms he does not understand, he is little more than a mere cypher, and can exercise no proper authority. Since the death of the last abuna they have not applied to Egypt for a successor, and it is not improbable that they will choose one from among themselves. Bruce is correct in his general statements, but not even the oldest inhabitant can be brought to say, that he ever heard of the cruel practice of cutting steaks from the living animal. They eat raw flesh at their brind feasts, and in the way they prepare it, with a large quantity of pepper and spices, it is said not to be very unpalateable even to an European. EGYPT. THE first mention of Egypt in the Old Testament, except as a comparison, occurs Gen. xv. 18, where it is referred to as being one boundary of the land promised unto Abraham; and it is more or less intimately connected with Scripture history from that passage to the book of Revelation. Its name in Hebrew is Mizraim, supposed to have been received from Mizraim, the son of Ham, by whom it was originally peopled. It is still called Masr by the Arabs. It is in vain to seek for the origin of the word Egypt among the conflicting opinions of the learned, nor will those at all wonder at the circumstance who have had an opportunity of marking the modern perversions of native names. It contains at present less than 3,000,000 inhabitants. Its extent, from Assouan to the Mediterranean sea, is about 500 miles. The whole of the land now under cultivation is said to be less than half of the whole area of Ireland. THE DESERT. We entered upon the desert immediately after leaving Kosseir, the port at which we landed.In Hebrew, the word desert, or wilderness, does not always mean a waste of sand, but is equivalent to our moor or common. The Psalmist speaks of "the pastures of the wilderness:" and it was in a desert that Moses fed the flocks of Jethro. In other places the same word means literally a sandy plain, dry and barren. The desert to which we now addressed ourselves is situated between the Red Sea and the Nile, and is the same as that which the Israelites entered upon immediately after their dismissal by Pharaoh; and though the track to be described is upwards of 200 miles from the one taken by Moses and his people, as the general character of one route may be considered as equally applicable to the other, the reason will soon be discovered why the children of Israel murmured against their leader, when he had brought them far away from the rich products of the cultivated valley, and there appeared to be no other prospect before them, but "to die in the wilderness." The steamer proceeded forward to Suez, leaving eight of her passengers at Kosseir, who divided themselves into two parties. The party to which I was attached consisted of a colonel, a major, a doctor, and myself. The town of Kosseir is destitute of good water, and would soon be abandoned were it not for its advantages as a seaport. The pilgrims for Mecca embark from hence, and it is from this place the grain is shipped, by which the coast of Arabia is principally supplied. It is said that the summit of Mount Sinai may sometimes be distinguished from the shore: it is often covered with snow. The English agent, a stout Arab, is an excellent representative of his nation. To every thing he replied, "It is good;" but threw constant obstacles in our way, that he might extort from us more money. I was obliged to apply to the governor to procure a servant, though hundreds were ready at call, who would have been glad of the situation. We saw a prince from near Bornou, in the interior of Africa, who had come on a pilgrimage, and was attended by a great number of slaves. He was an old man, and was approached by his people on their knees, though his personal appearance was mean. me. Feb. 12. The camels were brought, and we prepared to cross the desert, but the tumult that ensued was such as to lead us to expect that the consequences would be serious. The camels and men were all screaming at the full pitch of their voices, the narrow street was crowded with animals and Arabs, and cries and blows were resounding in every direction: it seemed like "confusion worse confounded." The Arabs can do nothing without noise, and it is the wisest method to leave them to their own way, as in a little time they work themselves into quietness, and have all things ready for departure. I had heard so much of the difficulty of first mounting a camel, that I almost dreaded to make the attempt, and tried to procure a donkey in its place, but was not able to succeed. To increase the excitement, I was told that all the saddles in the place were in use, and that only a common pack-saddle could be given On looking at it, it appeared almost impossible to ride upon it, as there were two pieces of wood, placed as if on purpose to goad me; but there being no remedy, I threw my boat-cloak over the saddle, mustered all my courage, and placed myself in my seat: the camel gradually rose, and I found myself actually mounted, without the slightest difficulty. The animal kneels down to receive its burden, and the knee is tied, that it may not rise before the proper time: it first half raises its fore legs, then its hinder ones, then the fore legs again, and it is necessary to know this that the rider may not be precipitated to a distance. My companions had by this time started, and as I knew nothing of the language of the country, I made the people understand by signs that I wanted some rope of which to make stirrups, as my legs were hanging down in a position that I knew would soon be painful. Without my perceiving it, they took for this purpose the rope that fastened the saddle to the animal, and I had not gone far before some Arabs in the street called out to me, but as I did not understand them, I went on. I soon found out what they intended, as I slipped from the camel behind, and came to the ground, but without sustaining any injury.— My stirrups were returned to their original occupation, and I again mounted. When I had got well into the desert my camel stopped, and would |