from the Pasha, who also promised Mr. Ritchie protection and assistance to the mission. By his advice, they equipped themselves in the Moorish costume, as worn by the better class of Tripolines; but, besides the dress of Moslems, it became necessary for them, as far as practicable, to adopt their manners. Mr. Ritchie assumed, therefore, the name of Yussuf el Ritchie; Belford, a shipwright who had entered into their service, that of Ali; and Captain Lyon called himself Said ben abd Allah. A fighi (clerk of the mosque) instructed them in reading and the ceremonies used in prayer. They received also minute cautions from an old minister of the Pasha, who had travelled in Europe, and was on that account competent to point out what was most likely to betray them. Captain Lyon does not affect to give a description of Tripoli.* He was not, however, unobservant of many singular usages which prevail there. Of a curious class of devotees called Maraboots, he draws a disgusting picture. ، They are a set of people much spoken of in all Moslem countries; but it strikes me that the requisites necessary to constitute one of these saints, are not every where the same. The Maraboots of Tripoli are of two classes; idiots, who are allowed to say and do whatever they please; and men possessed of all their senses, who, by juggling and performing many bold and disgusting tricks, establish to themselves the exclusive right of being the greatest rogues and nuisances to be met with. They assemble every Friday afternoon in the mosques, where they eat snakes, scorpions, &c. affecting to be inspired, and committing the greatest extravagances. On, or rather before the beginning of their annual festival, which lasts three days, the great Maraboot is supposed to inspire those who are to appear in the processions, and who, according to their abilities, are more or less mad and furious. The natural fools are always ready for the exhibition; and it is amusing to observe their looks of astonishment, at being on that day, more than any other, brought into notice. During the time the Maraboots are allowed to parade the streets, no Christians or Jews can with any safety make their appearance, as they would instantly be torn to pieces. • As I was in the dress of the country, and very anxious to witness the whole of the ceremonies, I ventured to go out with our Dragoman, and to make my way to the mosque from which the procession was to set out. I felt that my situation was a very dangerous one; but being resolved on the attempt, I dashed in with the crowd, and succeeded in getting near the Saints, who, with dis * The best delineation of that city, will be found in the very lively and interesting "Narrative of a Ten Years' Residence at Tripoli," written by the sister-in-law of Mr. Tully, the British Consul. See Eclectic Review. N.S. Vol. viii. p. 430. A description will be found also in the Travels of Ali Bey, published in 1816. shevelled hair, were rapidly turning round, and working themselves into a most alarming state of phrenzy. Had I been discovered, my life would have been in jeopardy. But I was able to keep my countenance, and to pass unnoticed; and when the performers were sufficiently inspired, I sallied out with them, and followed them through the streets. One had a large nail run through his face from one cheek to the other; and all had bitten their tongues in so violent & manner as to cause blood and saliva to flow copiously. They were half naked, at intervals uttering short groans and howls; and, as they they proceeded, threw their heads backwards and forwards with a quick motion which caused the blood to rise in their faces, and their eyes to project frightfully from their sockets. One or two, who were the most furious, and who continually attempted to run at the crowd, were held by a man on each side, by means of a rope or handkerchief tied round the middle. I observed that whenever the Maraboots passed the house of a Christian, they affected to be ungovernable, and endeavoured to get near it, pretending they made the discoveries by smelling out Unbelievers. • As the power of taking up serpentsand scorpions is supposed to contitute a Maraboot, I determined to acquire that honourable title. Mr. Ritchie bought some snakes, which we all learnt to handle, and I soon found out a way of taking up the largest scorpions without any danger of being stung. However, in order to observe the ceremonies practised by these pretended saints, I sent for one of the most celebrated, under the pretence of wishing myself to become a Maraboot. This fellow went through numberless prayers and forms, spitting in my hands, taking rose-water in his mouth, reciting occasional prayers, and then washing his own mouth and hands in rose-water. After bottling up the rose-water, he told me to drink it on a day specified, and that then I should be as highly gifted as himself." pp. 9-12. The bazaars are open every day. Slaves and goods are carried about by auctioneers, who keep up a continual din, each calling the price last bidden. The Jews are shut up every evening at sun-set in a quarter of the town which they exclusively inhabit; and they are not allowed to wear turbans of any other colour than blue. But, though much persecuted, they engross all the trade and places of profit. There are a few schools, where reading and writing are taught: a knowledge of letters is, however, by no means a necessary passport to places of trust or emolument. Sidi Hamet, the present Minister, can neither read nor write. Our Travellers one day put the Koran into his hands the wrong side uppermost, begging him to repeat a few lines of it. He evaded the request by pretending for some minutes to read to himself; then, assuming a sagacious look, he returned it with the observation that it was very well written. The women stain their eyelids with antimony, which gives an enlarged appearance to the eye. They use also rouge in great quantities. Mamlukes (gene rally renegades, or purchased slaves from Georgia or Circassia,) enjoy the highest offices: the Pasha's daughters are not permitted to marry any others. Some crimes are considered as capital by law; but many are rendered capital at the whim of the Pasha. The first Jew who happens to be at hand, has the honour of hangman thrust upon him, and he is obliged to go through with the duty. Theft is punished by amputation of the foot and the hand: the operation is performed with a razor. The bastonado is the general punishment for minor offences. Some culprits, who are able to bribe or infuence the persons employed to see the sentence executed, contrive to stuff their trowsers so as to escape without much suffering. This punishment is inflicted on all ranks at the discretion of the Pasha; and should his own sons or his minister displease him, they would become liable to it, nor would they consider themselves at all degraded by it. A considerable time elapsed before Mukni was ready for his departure. In the mean while, Mr. Ritchie made every requisite preparation for the journey on the Desert; but the allowance made by Goverment, had been already expended in mer-. chandize, instruments, &c.; which merchandize, having been selected in England, was, unfortunately, totally unfit for the interior. Their funds were still further reduced by Mr. Ritchie's having advanced three hundred dollars for some articles he had procured for Mukni, which were to be repaid him on his arrival in Fezzan. Such was the inauspicious commencement of the mission! At last, on the 22d of March, 1319, the kafflé (caravan) proceeded on their march. Captain Lyon divides his tour into two parts; the first comprising the expedition from Tripoli to Mourzouk, where Mr. Ritchie died; the second, the Author's researches in the kingdom of Fezzan, previous to his final return to Tripoli; -a measure which was forced upon him by the danger of proceeding without pecuniary supplies. And thus ended the last attempt that has yet been communicated to us, to penetrate into the interior of Africa. Mr. Ritchie's debilitating illness has deprived us of that portion of information which, had longer life been permitted to him, he would probably have imbodied in his journal. Relying on a retentive memory, he unfortunately delayed it till it was too late. Captain Lyon is no clerk, and he aspires to nothing more than a simple and unvarnished statement of his adventures. His tour exhibits, however, a picture of the Desert, which is new and interesting; and the narrative claims to be exempted from too fastidious a criticism. In the kafflé, which consisted of about two hundred men, and an equal number of camels, were several parties of liberated blacks, all joyful, Captain Lyon says, at the idea of returning to their native land, though many had to walk, together with their young children, a distance of two thousand miles. The following extract from our Author's journal, will convey some idea of the delights of travelling in the Desert. ' April 10. At 7 A. M. cleared the pass, and proceeded to a small wadey, where, in spite of a strong Siroc, we succeeded in pitching our tents. The sand, however, flew about in such quantities, that we were unable to prepare any food, and we could not even see thirty yards from us. Mukni took shelter with us, and advised us to strip to our shirts as the best way of withstanding the sand-showers. In the afternoon, the wind having a little subsided, we cleared away the heaps of sand, which had collected round our goods. We found on examining some of our stores, that a large organ had been burst by the heat and excessive dryness of the wind.' p. 70. Sockna stands on an immense plain of gravel. It is a walled town, containing about two thousand inhabitants. In its vicinity there grow, in a belt of sand, two hundred thousand date trees, which pay a duty, and, owing to their excellence, fetch a high price at Tripoli. All animals in the town are fed on them. The water here is brackish or bitter. The quantity of flies is so immense, that flappers of wild bulls' hair, tied to a short stick, are an indispensable appendage. The people of Sockna speak a language called Estaña, which our Author conjectures to be the original Breber tongue. Here Mukni was employed from day-light till dark in receiving tribute. ' As soon as the business of one party is settled, a prayer is recited, and room is left for another set, who, though they dispute about paying, are never suffered by Mukni to carry their point; for, just as they appear most confident of having their complaints attended to, some one of Mukni's men cries out "The Fattha!" (or first chapter of the Koran,) every one joining in that prayer. This is the signal for the poor creatures to retire, and they are then obliged to consider their claims as settled. p. 74. A journey across the Desert, it may be easily imagined, is not very fertile in incident beyond the ordinary difficulties and privations of want of water and provisions. These our Travellers experienced in every shape. At length they entered the palm-groves and gardens of Mourzouk, in the suit of Mukni, who was anxious that his new Mamlukes should be ' as fine as ' his own people' on entering the capital of his dominions. * Wadey is a valley through which the rains form a temporary But in Fezzan, where rain is almost unknown, the stream. merely smooth dells, not producing a single plant. are They had been thirty-nine days from Tripoli, and the road, with the exception of Sockna and its vicinity, had been a dreary desert, having but few wells, and those of salt water. Nothing could have been more fortunate, than their travelling with the Sultan; for, otherwise, their difficulties must, the Author says, have been insuperable. At noon, if we could find a tree, we stopped under it; if not, we sat under the shadow of our horses. The Sultan was grand victualler, and generally produced a bag of bread or dates. Each one then had a portion enough only to break his fast; and after eating and drinking a few mouthfuls of water, stretched himself out, and slept until the camels came up. These rests were very refreshing to the men and the horses: but the loaded camels never made any stop; neither did the poor Negroes, who, with their wives and their little children, plodded on the whole day over a burning soil, often for sixteen hours, and sometimes for twenty, whenever want of water made a forced march necessary. One of our party, a poor old man totally blind, arrived safe at Mourzouk from Tripoli. He had walked all the way, led by his wife, and was kept alive by the hope of once more hearing the voices of his countrymen. Our tents were pitched, when the ground was sufficiently soft to admit the pegs, and our bales and chests were so placed as to form a shelter for those who had no tents. The little resistance afforded by intervening objects to the winds of the desert, renders them very powerful. The camels are turned out to feed in the thin and scattered bushes; the horses are hobbled, watered from the skins, and then fed. Camels' dung is a substitute for wood, as it burns like peat, and forms a glowing fire. Cusscussou or Bazeen, is then prepared. The Sultanesses are no contemptible cooks, and they made excellent suppers for their master. In an evening we managed to make a little coffee, of which Mukni partook; and as soon as he went, his people generally succeeded him, wishing to taste some. A cup of it in the morning taken fasting, we found prevented thirst. If we abstained from eating in the early part of the day, we never required water; on the contrary, if any quantity of water is taken on an empty stomach, the person who takes it, suffers great thirst the rest of the day. A wet cloth applied to the back of the neck, relieves the fulness of the head, after being for many hours exposed to the sun.-Horses should not be brought near the wells till it is their turn to drink; if they are kept in sight of the water without being able to reach it, they become furious, and greedily devour the mud. Water is carried on camels, usually in about six gerbas or water skins, three on each side, one slung above the other. Horses occasion much trouble in a caravan. The quantity of water necessary to be taken for them, is averaged at one camel load for every horse.' pp. 91-3. Being now settled at Mourzouk, Mukni behaved at first with apparent kindness to his guests. He repaid Mr. Ritchie the three hundred dollars, and having received from that gentleman several costly presents, made him many flattering promises of |