AN EXCURSION IN ARABIA;

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF A SOJOURN AT A FORT NEAR THE SITE OF ELATH, A CITY OF THE EDOMITES.

THE Red Sea, or Arabic Gulf, is divided, in its upper extremity, by the peninsula of Sinai, into two branches, or gulfs. The western obtains the name of Gulf of Suez, from the city of Suez, which stands at its extremity; and the eastern branch, known to the ancients by the title of Sinus Elaniticus, from the seaport of Elana, otherwise Elath, which stood at its bottom, is now called by the Arabs Bahr el Accabah, from the fortress of Accabah, which has risen near the site of the ancient Elath.

The town of Elath is of very ancient date, being mentioned by Moses in his account of the journeys of the Israelites. It was in the possession of the Edomites, by whom, probably, it was built, and from whom it was taken by David, king of Israel. It then was a general emporium of trade, and Solomon, son and successor of David, used it as a naval station for his ships, which he sent once in three years to Ophir for gold. It had continued in the possession of the kings of Judah about 150 years, when, in the reign of Joram, the Edomites recovered possession of it; but it was again wrested from them by Amaziah, whose son, Uzziah, rebuilt and left it to his son Jotham; but in the reign of Ahaz, son and successor of Jotham, Elath was taken by the Syrians, with whom it long remained. After the death of Alexander the Great this town experienced many changes under the Ptolemies, and at length fell into the hands of the Romans, from whom it passed to the Turks. Some ruins, in the midst of a clump of palm-trees, mark the ancient site of Elath, near which is the fortress of Accabah, the residence of a governor, dependent on the Pacha of Egypt.

M. de Laborde, a French traveller, who recently visited Arabia, made Accabah his head-quarters, whence he prosecuted his researches into the surrounding country, particularly by the Wadi Arabi, or ancient bed of the Jordan, as far as Petra. The visit of an European to this fortress is of rare occurrence; and as the familiar terms upon which M. de Laborde was allowed to make it is his occasional residence, gave him most favourable opportunities of remarking the manners of the people, as well as of inspecting the relics of antiquity among which they reside, his narrative, from which the following extracts are translated, will be read with interest.

After winding round two curves of the gulf, and leaving on the right the palm-trees which border the coast, we came in view of the fortress of Accabah; a part of the garrison and the inmates of the castle had already come out to meet us. The appearance of six dromedaries in the desert is quite enough to excite the attention of this little listless community, and fill it with conjectures. The grand caravan to Mecca passes by this fortress; besides which, occasional troops of camels, laden with corn and pulse, and driven by a few Arabs on foot, are the only objects to break the monotony of the cheerless desert; consequently, a company of troopers, approaching at the full speed of their dromedaries, could be considered as nothing less than hadgis, or bearers of some important message.

We alighted from our beasts to give these people the customary salutation, and were not a little surprised at receiving from each of them the embrace which is usually reserved for pilgrims only, and at being treated with an unexpected air of ceremonious respect. It was evident, from the amazement depicted on their countenances, and the precise formality of their salutations, that they were far from even guessing who we were. Indeed our costume, similar to that of the Arabs of Syria, and our arrival by the route from Cairo instead of that of the pilgrims, completely bewildered these inhabitants of the castle, and they all resolved to accompany us to the governor. Hassan Aga, governor of the fortress of Accabah, and,

in that quality, the humble servant of the Pasha of Egypt, had dressed himself in his best scarlet mantle, which he had hastily thrown over a dirty silk robe full of holes. He was waiting for us on a small terrace, where he had collected around him the ragged dignitaries of his poor garrison, comprising the gunner, a little wrinkled man, in the Morocco costume; the secretary, an old Arab of Cairo, in a Turkish dress; and the captain of the troops, muffled up in a grotesque mixture of Egyptian and Wahabite garments. They all received us standing, and as soon as the ceremony of embracing was over, and each had taken his proper station, we squatted down upon the ground, and pipes and coffee were introduced.

letter from the Pasha of Egypt's minister of the interior, The object of M. de Laborde, who was introduced by a was to obtain the governor's assistance in communicating with the Alaouin tribe in the Desert, whose services were required to conduct the travellers in safety through the country. After some little form and ceremony, to which these people are much addicted, messengers were despatched, and M. de Laborde, while waiting their return, occupied himself in occasional excursions into the neighbouring country, and in observing the manners and customs of the people. The fortress of Accabah, he says, built upon a regular plan, exhibits the same system that may be observed in all the forts that have been constructed for protecting the caravan of Mecca. Exteriorly, it is sufficiently strong warlike, possess no means of maintaining a regular siege. to resist any sudden attack from the tribes, who, although Interiorly, negligence is very conspicuous; several apartments have been allowed to fall into ruins, and others are surmounted with mean structures of earth. The governor keeps for himself the south-west bastion, which he has enlarged with some additional buildings. The chief of the military occupies the south-east bastion, and like a veteran of artillery, sleeps near a cannon. This, which is a twelve-pounder, and another, which appears in the north-east tower, are the only pieces of ordnance that could be fired in case of attack, an event, happily not to be expected. The gunner adds to his military occupations, the more peaceable pursuits of a merchant, and had converted a ruined mosque into a warehouse for his commodities. A well, newly sunk, and a palm-tree, are the only objects to attract notice in the court, which is surrounded with smoke-dried buildings, destitute of order.

Some huts occupied by Arabs, who live by the petty profits they derive from supplying the soldiers of the garrison with butter and meat, and some tombs of deceased inhabitants of the fortress, and of pilgrims who have been arrested in their pious excursions, by diseases which a sight of the prophet's tomb was expected to cure, occupy the northern precincts of the fortress. On the east, hillocks of sand extend to the very walls; to the south and west, plantations of acacias and palms, exhibit their rich foliage. The mogreb (hour of refreshment) came on; the emotion manifested on the arrival of this hour, both within the fortress and around its walls, began to subside, and the sun, like a fiery disk, gradually sank behind Mount Mahammer, gilding with its last rays the rosy-coloured points of the granite rocks. Every one hastened within the walls of the fort, some in obedience to the recall, others to take their first meal after a day of abstinence; and all to secure themselves behind the defence of the gate, from the alarms and inquietudes of the Desert. An Arab soldier, returning from the chase, carried a long fusil, inlaid with mother-ofpearl, upon his shoulder, and in his hand a hare and two water-fowls, in proof of his skill; a little beyond him was a fisherman with a net upon his back full of fish, whose vivid colours sparkled in various tints of violet, vermilion, and coquelicot: our Bedouin Arabs drove in their dromedaries, which they had taken out to water; a flock of small black goats followed, and some Arab women, with a child in one hand, and with the other holding a pitcher of water, carried on the head, closed the procession. The light draperies of the women, their antique form and measured steps, as they appeared and disappeared by turns among the stems of the palm-trees, gave an idea of shadows suddenly produced and as suddenly effaced by the rapid declination of the sun. At length all became quiet, and I sought my place of retirement for the night; but description is too cold to represent that setting of the sun, that azure sea, those rose-tinted mountains, that peaceful shore, and those beautiful palms.

In a nearly similar manner several days passed away. I will not dwell upon our long evening conversations,

nor on our rambles in the valley to the east, to see a written stone; but I cannot withhold mention of our coursing a hare with one of those greyhounds of the Desert, so fine in form and light-footed as to leave little doubt of their having been models for the ancient paintings of Egypt. The hare bounded over the sand, closely followed by the greyhound, and our dromedaries, with expanded nostrils, noses to the wind, and stretched-out necks, shot through the air, their long legs seeming to outrun the wind. An arid desert, naked mountains, a scorching sun, our little company in this vast solitude, our enthusiastic shouts, so feeble amid the general silence;-singular recollection of pleasure in the midst of desolation!

On returning to Accabah with our spoils, we found our long absence had occasioned some uneasiness. This little society, enclosed within four walls, trembles with fear if any of its members are lost sight of. We were recommended to go in a body, even for a stroll among the palmtrees, and if only to visit their gardens, to go armed.

In the afternoon our occupations were interrupted by the governor, who came to our apartment to pass away the time which the privation of his pipe and meals rendered wearisome to him. About an hour before the mogreb, he left us to go upon the terrace of the bastion rising above his house. There his heavy majestic figure was daily to be seen, alternately observing the hands of his watch and the declining sun, whose setting he waited for with impatience. We followed to keep him company, and by putting our watches beside his, gave him additional employment in comparing them, which seemed to absorb the little of genius that he possessed.

Descending to the strand, I took a view of the fortress at this interesting moment, when the day was giving place to night. In the distance were the palm-trees which surround the site of the ancient Elana, or Aila; and the lengthening shadow of the high mountains of Mahamar, | which were about to hide the sun, warned the fisherman seated on some palm logs upon the water, to haul himself in by the cord which connected his raft with the shore.

A visit to the site of the ancient town, which gave its name to the Elanitic Gulf, occupied one forenoon. The ruins now consist of little besides hillocks raised a little above the general level, and rubbish, among which a block of white marble was the only conspicuous object. Notwithstanding this vacuity, this absence of vestiges, the site claims an interest, which from the time of Solomon even to our days has a place in our remembrance. Its names alone indicate its various history and former importance: Eloth, Elath, Ailath, Æla, Elas, Ælat, Ælana, Ailana, Ailas, Eila, Eilat, Eilana, Leana, Ela, Elana, Aila, Ailat, Accabah-Aila, Akbet-Aileh, Hole, &c

We had almost begun to despair of the return of our messengers, when, about noon, the approach of an Arab on a dromedary, from the north, was announced. This was, indeed, our envoy, and although overjoyed at the intelligence, we felt dismay and inquietude when we saw him come without the expected escort. He dismounted from his dromedary, and gave us the customary salutation, but uttered not a word relative to his mission, till he found himself alone with us in our apartment. He then stated that, after three days of hard travelling, he reached the encampment of Achmed Raschid, to whom he had been sent; but that chief was absent upon an expedition against the Benisacken, to obtain satisfaction for a robbery committed upon the flock of one of his tribe. Our Arab had, however, found in the encampment, a brother and four nephews of Achmed Raschid, with whom he might treat; but not being sufficiently assured of the influence of these relatives of the Alaouin chief, he had also negotiated with Aboudjazi, chieftain of a part of that numerous tribe, and who, in the opinion of the Arabs, possessed much influence over the Fellahs of the Wadi Mousa. These six chiefs, relations or allies of the great chief, he said, were following him, mounted on dromedaries, and attended by two men on foot. Our messenger could not help mingling his narrative with expressions of admiration of the horses, the tents, and the flocks, belonging to this rich and warlike tribe.

About three o'clock, the arrival of the Alaouins was announced, and we went to the governor's house, to receive them formally; but from his terrace we saw them enter the court, where they made their beasts crouch down that they might dismount, and left them to the care of their attendants on foot. In the appearance of these chiefs in their robes, uniformly simple and ragged, in their decided aspect, in the varied expression of their countenances, in the glaring

colours of the fantastical ornaments upon their camels, in the respectful salutations of the people of the fortress, who crowded around them, there was not only much of the antique, but much that reminded us of Bible manners. Jacob and his sons descending into Egypt; the Magi from a far country; or those Arab kings so frequently alluded to, seemed revived in these chiefs of the desert. The eldest put himself at their head, and they approached our bastion. We received them at the head of the stairs, in the Bedouin style, that is to say, by taking the right hand of each, and touching our foreheads with it; and when every one had taken his place, we squatted down. The governor, who had left us, to put on his best red benisch, (a sort of grand robe,) soon rejoined us, and saluted the company round.

The old chief said he was very much fatigued; that he had travelled almost incessantly night and day, and that the heat had rendered his journey wearisome. At sun-set, a huge bowl of rice was brought into the governor's gallery, together with a whole sheep, which we had ordered to be cooked in different ways, and served upon separate dishes. They were brought in by a slave, whose traits and movements could not but call to mind that graceful representation in the monuments of Egypt. The charm of this resemblance was far from being out of place in the originality of the picture now before me. Fifteen persons sat down in a circle, and as soon as the benediction, bism-illah, was pronounced, our new guests gave proofs of their singular voracity.

After the repast, we went into the governor's wainscotted gallery, a long apartment illuminated by a few lamps. The governor, Aboudjazi, and ourselves, were seated at the upper end, on a separate sofa; the Alaouin chiefs, our messenger, some other Arabs, and the people of the fortress, followed, forming a circle round the room: the entrance itself being filled with such as could obtain no better place. My interpreter was seated within the circle, to explain such words as we might not understand, and also to assist us when we were at a loss how to express ourselves. In this manner, we formed what is called a divan, and we began to stipulate the conditions of our journey. The first demand was on our part: we asked if we could go to the Wadi Mousa, mounted on our dromedaries? Aboudjazi replied in the affirmative; adding, that he would answer for the beasts, and consider them as his own.

It was finally settled in the presence of the assembly, that we should visit Wadi Mousa, Mahan, Chobak, and, in a word, all places under the power of the Alaouins. We made a stand as to the time we should remain at Petra, which we desired might be settled beforehand, and made a condition of our generosity at our return. A halt of some continuance in the Wadi Mousa was what alone could render our present journey useful. We wished not only to see Petra. but, as our Arabs said, we wanted to carry it away in our portfolios. This met with as little difficulty as the rest:

Please God," said the old chief, "you may remain there twenty days, a month if you choose!" No condition was stipulated as to money: that was left at discretion; and our departure was fixed for the following day.

When we inquired relative to the disposition of the inhabitants of Wadi Mousa, our informants dwelt largely upon their bad qualities; and though they affected to despise them, it was evident that they were as much under the influence of fear as of contempt. The prodigious number of their muskets, they observed, was with them, the strongest and almost sole argument. It was pretty late before we broke up. We offered to give up our chambers to the Alaouin chiefs, but they preferred sleeping in the court with their camels. This primitive simplicity of manners, preserved through a lapse of ages, produces a singular sentiment of admiration, arising from the consideration that these chiefs, sovereigns of an extensive territory, and powerful enough, on speaking a single word, to stop the caravan of Mecca, and pillage it, should, like common cameldrivers, sleep on the sand of the court, in the centre of lodgings at their service. This sentiment, I must own, is the result of reflection: at the moment, their preference seemed only natural; and when they had said they would sleep with their camels, I bade them "Good night," without either pitying or admiring them, being myself quite as ready to sleep there as under my tester. The skies of that country and custom impart a new nature, which is adopted on the spot, but of which, elsewhere, we can form no idea.

On commencing our journey, our friends in the fortress gave us once more their cordial embraces, with hearty good

wishes for our safe return; and the noise arising from the cries of the camels, mixed with the hubbub inseparable from a departure, did not cease till, ranged in file, we commenced our march.

Our author reached Petra by the Wadi Araba, the original bed of the Jordan, prior to the overthrow of the cities of the plain, which stopped the course of that river at the Asphaltic Lake; and from Petra, he returned nearly by the old route of the Mecca caravan, examining most of the valleys which run into the Wadi Araba from the east.

These two routes, he observes, altogether novel, which we have perambulated, are full of interest, affording an elucidation of most of the remarkable events which have successively given importance to this country. First the wanderings of the Israelites; then the commercial expeditions of Solomon; afterwards the conquests of Antigonus; the trade of the city of Petra; the unhappy chivalrous expeditions against Mecca, by Reynold, Lord of Karac; and, finally, the ancient route of the caravan to Mecca.

On our return we were received at Accabah with equal kindness as before. We rewarded our conductors for the protection they had afforded us; and, for a moderate sum of money, and presents of muskets and shawls, we not only satisfied these people for the moment, but inspired them with a hope that many Europeans, on being informed of the safety with which we had travelled under their escort, would be induced to undertake a journey equally interesting and easy. I trust that my constant endeavour to render my distribution of rewards beneficial to such Europeans as may follow my track, will not be frustrated.

INDUCEMENT OF ALFRED THE GREAT

TO LEARN TO READ.

Ir was Alfred's misfortune in infancy to lose his mother, a person of excellent abilities and conspicuous piety: his extraordinary talents, therefore, owed but little to her culture. Nor does any degree of scholarship appear to have entered into the plans of those who directed his earlier education. He was trained in the habits of a sportsman and a warrior; but his twelfth year overtook him while yet unable to read, He had shown, however, a considerable taste for literature, in his keen attention to the poems commonly recited in the royal presence. By one of these, beautifully written, his mother-in-law, Judith, endeavoured to shame the gross illiteracy of her new connexions. "I will give this," she said, "to that one of you, young people, who shall first learn it by heart." Alfred gazed eagerly upon the manuscript, fascinated particularly by an illuminated capital. "Now, will you really give this?" he asked. Judith declared herself in earnest. Nothing more was needed by the resolute and intelligent boy. He applied himself instantly to learn his letters, nor did he rest until able to repeat accurately the poem that had so happily captivated his eye.

He now found his eager thirst of knowledge met by a mortifying repulse. Reading to any extent, or to much advantage, required a knowledge of Latin. Upon overcoming this new difficulty he soon accordingly determined. But instruction was not easily obtained, even by a prince. The taste for learning, and the facilities for its cultivation which England once owed to Theodore, had become extinct. Alfred, however, feeling ignorance insupportable, was impelled by a generous energy to set ordinary obstacles at defiance, and he diligently sought instructors. How effectually he profited by their aid, his literary labours most nobly testify. These evidences of learned industry are, indeed, sufficient for immortalizing any name in a dark and tempestuous age. As the works of an author, unable even to read until fully twelve years old, and who grew into manhood before he had mastered Latin, they claim a distinguished place among victories of the human intellect.

[SOAMES' History of the Anglo-Saxon Church.]

THE OYSTER, THE MUSCLE, AND

THE COCKLE.

THE Mollusca which inhabit bivalve shells, such as the Oyster, the Muscle, and the Cockle, are all acephalous; that is, destitute of a head. The two valves of the shell are united at the back by a hingejoint, often very artificially constructed, having teeth that lock into each other; and the mechanism of this articulation varies much in different species. The hinge is secured by a substance of great strength.

00

Valves of the Unio Batava, with the Connecting Ligament.

During the life of the animal, the usual and natural state of its shell is that of being kept open for a little distance, so as to allow of the ingress and egress of the water necessary for its nourishment and respiration; but, as a security against danger, it was necessary to furnish the animal with the means of rapidly closing the shell, and retaining the valves in a closed state. These actions being only occasional, yet requiring considerable force, are effected by a muscular power, for which purpose sometimes one, sometimes two, or even a greater number of strong muscles are placed between the valves, their fibres passing directly across from the inner surface of the one to that of the other, and firmly attached to both. They are named, from their office of bringing the valves towards each other, the

adductor muscles.

Section of an Oyster, showing the situation of the Hinge, L, the Adductor Muscle, A, and the transverse direction of its Fibres, with respect to the Valves.

The simple actions of opening and closing the valves, are capable of being converted into a means of retreating from danger, or of removing to a more commodious situation, in the case of those bivalves which are not actually attached to rocks or other fixed bodies. Diquemarc long ago observed, that even the oyster has some power of locomotion, by suddenly closing its shell, and thereby expelling the contained water with a degree of force, which, by the reaction of the fluid in the opposite direction, gives a sensible impulse to the heavy mass. notices the singular fact, that oysters which are attached to rocks occasionally left dry by the retreat of the tide, always retain within their shells a quantity of water sufficient for respiration, and that they keep the valves closed till the return of the tide; whereas, those oysters which are taken from greater depths, where the water never leaves them, and are afterwards removed to situations where they are exposed to these vicissitudes, of which they have had

He

Many bivalve mollusca are provided with an instrument shaped like a leg and foot, which they employ extensively for In progressive motion. the Cardium, or Cockle, this organ is composed of a mass of muscular fibres, interwoven together in a very complex manner, and which may be compared to the mus

THE CARDIUM, OR COCKLE.

cular structure of the human tongue; the effect in both is the same, namely, the conferring a power of motion in all possible ways; thus it may be readily protruded, retracted, or inflected at every point. The solen, or razor-shell fish, has a foot of a cylindrical shape, tapering at the end, and much more resembling in its form a tongue than a foot. In some bivalves the dilatation of the foot is effected by a curious hydraulic mechanism: the interior of the organ is formed of a spongy texture, capable of receiving a considerable quantity of water, which the animal has the power of injecting into it, and of thus increasing its dimensions.

The foot of the Mytilus edulis, or common muscle, can be advanced to the distance of two inches from the shell, and applied to any fixed body within that range. By attaching the point to such body, and retracting the foot, this animal drags its shell towards it, and by repeating the operation successively on other points of the fixed object, continues slowly to advance. This instrument is of great use to such shell-fish as conceal themselves in the mud or sand, which its structure is then peculiarly adapted for scooping out. The Cockle continually employs its foot for this purpose; first elongating it, directing its point down-. wards, and insinuating it deep into the sand, and next, turning up the end, and forming it into a hook, by which, from the resistance of the sand, it is fixed in its position, and then the muscles which usually retract it are thrown into action, and the whole shell is alternately raised and depressed, moving on the foot as on a fulcrum. The effect of these exertions is to drag the shell downwards. When the animal is moderately active, these movements are repeated two or three times in a minute. The apparent progress is at first but small, the shell, which was raised on its edge at the middle of the stroke, falling back on its side at the end of it; but when the shell is buried so far as to be supported on its edge, it advances more rapidly, sinking visibly at every stroke, till nothing but the extremity of the tube can be perceived above the sand.

By a process exactly the inverse of this, that is, by doubling up the foot, and pushing with it downwards against the sand below, the shell may be again made to rise by the same kind of efforts which before protruded the foot. By this process of burrowing, the animal is enabled quickly to retreat when danger presses, and when this is past, it can, with equal facility, emerge from its hiding-place.

The Cardium can also advance at the bottom of the sea along the surface of the soft earth, pressing backwards with its foot, as a boatman impels his boat onwards by pushing with his pole against the ground in a contrary direction. It is, likewise, by a similar expedient, that the Solen forces its way through the sand, expanding the end of its foot into the form of a club The Tellina is remarkable for the quickness

The Pinna, or Marine Muscle, when inhabiting the shores of tempestuous seas, is furnished, in addition, with a singular apparatus for withstanding the fury of the surge, and securing itself from dangerous collisions, which might easily destroy the brittle texture of its shell. The object of this apparatus is to prepare a great number of threads, which are fastened at various points to the adjacent rocks, and then tightly drawn by the animal, just as a ship is moored in a convenient station, to avoid the buffeting of the storm. The foot of this bivalve is cylindrical, and has, connected with its base, a round tendon, of nearly the same length as itself, the office of which is to retain all the threads in firm adhesion with it, and concentrate their power on one point. The threads themselves are composed of a glutinous matter, prepared by a particular organ. They are not spun by being drawn out of the body like the threads of the silk-worm, or of the spider, but they are cast in a mould, where they harden, and acquire a certain consistence before they are employed. This mould is curiously constructed; there is a deep groove which passes along the foot, from the root of the tendon to its other extremity, and the sides of this groove are formed so as to fold and close over it, thereby converting it into a canal. The glutinous secretion, which is poured into this canal, dries into a solid thread; and, when it has acquired sufficient tenacity, the foot is protruded, and the thread it contains is applied to the object to which it is to be fixed, its extremity being carefully attached to the solid surface of that object. The canal of the foot is then opened along its whole length, and the thread, which adheres by its other extremity to the large tendon at the base of the foot, is disengaged from the canal. Lastly, the foot is retracted, and the same operation is repeated.

Thread after thread is thus formed, and applied in different directions around the shell. Sometimes the attempt fails, in consequence of some imperfection in the thread; but the animal, as if aware of the importance of ascertaining the strength of each thread, on which its safety depends, tries every one of them as soon as it has been fixed, by swinging itself round, so as to put it fully on the stretch; an action which probably also assists in elongating the thread. When once the threads have been fixed, the animal does not appear to have the power of cutting or breaking them off. The liquid matter out of which they are formed, is so exceedingly glutinous as to attach itself firmly to the smoothest bodies. It is but slowly produced, for it appears that no Pinna is capable of forming more than four, or at most five threads, in the course of a day and night. The threads which are formed in haste, when the animal is disturbed in its operations, are more slender than those which are constructed at its leisure. In Sicily, and other parts of the Mediterranean, these threads have been manufactured into gloves, and other articles, which resemble silk.

Abridged from DR. ROGET's Bridgewater Treatise.

THE grand end of human life is to cultivate an intercourse with that Being, to whom we owe life and all the enjoyments which render life delightful, and to maintain an integrity of conduct towards our fellow-creatures; that so, members for the society of the pious and the good, which by forming piety and virtue into habit, we may be fit reason and revelation teach us to expect beyond the grave. -BURNS.