⚫ with princes, with being an infidel?' I was then asked for what purpose we carried Christian papers? I now found that my interpreter had unwarily shewn a passport, which I had obtained from General Bonaparte with a view not to be detained at the French posts, through which I was to pass to the caravan. My interpreter at this moment came up, and finding me alive, and the assembly less angry and violent than when, on being hrst questioned, he had exasperated them by inconsiderate and perplexed answers, he recovered himself, and stood sufficiently composed and collected, whilst I explained, partly in German, partly in Arabic, what had passed. Knowing, however, that the paper in question would be demanded, and not choosing to trust to his prudence in the manner of producing it, I went myself for it to the tent, and returning, brought likewise a Koran with me. I immediately tendered the paper to a chief of the Siwahans, who having unfolded it, asked, 'If any by-stander 'could read it.' I could not help smiling at the question, perilous as was my situation. The same question was then put to us, when I answered, that we did not understand what it contained, but were 'told it would allow us to quit Cairo without being molested.' This is the book, (interrupted my interpreter) which I understand,' and immediately took the Koran from my hand. We were ordered, by reading in it, to give proof of our being truly of the religion. Our learning in this respect went far indeed beyond the simple ability of reading. My companion knew the entire Koran by heart; and as for me, I could even then write Arabic, and well too, which, with these people, was an extraordinary proficiency in learning. We had scarcely given a sample of our respective talents, when the chiefs of our caravan, who to this moment had been silent, now took loudly our part; and many of the Siwahans too interfered in our fa. vour. In short, the enquiry ended to our complete advantage, though not without the murmuring of some in the multitude, who lost the hopes of plunder which the occasion might have afforded." p. 33-35.

Section VII. Departure from Shiacha-Arrival at Augila.

In this section is described the ceremony of entering one of the

towns.

"Our entry into Majabra, one of the three places belonging to the dominion of Augila, was solemn and affecting, as the greater part of the merchants of our caravan had here habitations and families. The Bey of Bengasi, vicegerent for the Bashaw of Tripoly, and at that time resident at Augila, sent about twenty of his Arabs to note in writing the burden of the camels, and for which they demanded a small duty. These Arabs then ranged themselves, and formed a right wing to our caravan, drawn up for procession. The merchants who had horses formed the left, and the pilgrims and ordinary Arabs formed the centre, headed by the sheik, preceded by a green flag. The pilgrims marched on singing; and the Arabs made the horses prance and curvet, and so continued until we approached near to Mojabra, where a number of old men and children met us, to felicitate and get a first embrace of their sons and relations, whom, on hearing of the French invasion in Egypt, they had given over as lost." p. 37.

"Augila, a town well known in the time of Herodotus *, covers a space of about one mile in circumference. It is badly built, and the streets are narrow, and not kept clean. The houses are built of a lime-stone, dug from the neighbouring hills, and consist only of one story or ground floor. The apart ments are dark, there being no aperture for light but the door, and are generally ranged round a small court, to which the entrance of each room faces, for the purpose of collecting the more light. The public buildings, comparatively, are yet more mean and wretched. Mojabra is of smaller extent, but appears proportionally more populous than Angila. The inhabitants of Meledila are chiefly employed in agriculture; those of Mojabra engage mostly in trade, and pass their lives in travelling between Cairo and Fezzan. The people of Augila are of a more sedentary disposition;

*Herodotus places Augila at ten days journey from the city of the Ammonians.

Melpom. 182. N. B. Mr. Horneman was nine days on his journey from Augila to Siwah, partly by forced marches.

though some of these too were with

our caravan.

"The men of the above places, who engage in the caravan trade, generally kept three houses; one at Kardaff, near Cairo, one at Mojabra, and a third at Zuila, or sometimes at Mourzouk. Many have a wife and family establishment at each of these houses, and others take a wife for the time, if the stay of the caravan is longer than usual. The men from their very youth devote themselves to such traveller's life. Boys from thirteen to fourteen years of age accompanied our caravan the long and toilsome journey from Augila to Fezzan on foot, or at least seldom mounting a horse. In observing the general character of this people, I could not but mark a degradation, self-interestedness, and mean and shuffling disposition, derived from early habits of petty trade, and the manner in which it was conducted, as contra-distinguishing those in this traffic, and those who remained at home.

"The men of the country are engaged in gardening and agriculture, but in the last to no great extent. The women are very industrious in manufacturing coarse woollen cloths of five yards in length, and a yard and a half wide, which are called Abbe, and are sent in considerable quantities to Fezzan. These constitute the chief clothing of this people; they wrap them about their bodies, and without even a shirt or shift under." p. 38, 39.

(To be concluded in our next.)

time he visited the circumjacent places, and describes their natural curiosities. These descriptions are illustrated by seven engravings, viz. St. Peter's Church; the Colosseum; outside view of the Colosseum; the Campo Vaccino; the Circus of Caracalla; outside view of the Pantheon or Rotunda; the interior of the Pantheon or Rotunda.

From Rome the Count proceeds to Naples, and notices the many objects that presented themselves to his attention. Here he describes a peculiar class of people called Lazaroni, some of whom are to be met with even in Rome, and are computed to amount in this place to forty thousand. The author says, many of these live in the open air; and at night, or in bad weather, take shelter under gateways, porticos, the eaves of houses, or under rocks. They cannot easily be persuaded to work, while they have the smallest coin in their pocket. They think not of making provision for to-morrow. The serenity of the climate, and the ever generous, the ever fruitful lap of earth, sympathise with their joyous hilarity. Their blood flows lightly through their veins with care they are unacquainted. Should any one offer money to a Lazaroni, when he is not pressed by necessity, he raises the back of his hand to his chin, and tosses his head upwards, being too idle to speak, in token of refusal; but if any thing delights him, I do not speak of his passions, which may be kindled and extinguished as easily as a fire of straw, if he be invited to partake any pleasure, no man is more talkative, more alert, more full of antics, than himself.

"These people have wives and children. At present there is one among them, whose influence is so great that they call him Capo de gli Lazaroni : the chief of the Lazaroni. He goes barefoot, and in tatters, like the rest.

is orator for the whole body. when they have any thing to demand of the government. He then generally applies to the Eletto del Popolo, the representative of the people, a kind of tribune, as far as such an

office can exist in an unlimited mo

narchy, like that of Naples. He likewise appeals to the king in person. The demands of the Lazaroni are moderate; they have a sense of right and wrong, which the people

seldom want when they are not misled. To disregard any just remonstrance of this people, or not to comply without stating the grounds of refusal, would be dangerous. They love the present king; and I am as sured that, in case of necessity, he might depend upon their assistance: of this, however, he is in no need.

"Before the king last year made a journey to Germany, Nicola Sabbato, for so is the present chief of the Lazaroni called, made him a speech. He lamented that the king should be absent so long from his people: yet rejoiced in a journey that would af ford pleasure to a prince, who took so much satisfaction in the good of his subjects. We are,' said he, thirty thousand strong; and in your 'absence we will preserve the peace of the country. You certainly have nothing to fear from any man: but should any one have the insolence to spread inflammatory opinions, we will tear him into as many pieces as we are men, and each of us will have a morsel of him to smoke in ' our pipes.'

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During the absence of the king, this Nicola Sabbato visited the princes and princesses, that, as he said, he might give the people an account of their welfare. He likewise visited the prime minister, Mr. Acton, and on one occasion came to him breathless, demanding to speak to him. I have just seen a man,' said he, in the dress of a pilgrim, in the great •square, who is distributing French hand-bills, the meaning of which neither I nor any of us can understand; and he is kissing a stone, which he has brought from the ruins of the Bastille. He will certainly 'excite an insurrection. We would have thrown him into the sea, but I wished first to hear your opinion: though I think we ought to have thrown him into the sea."'

"The minister had much difficulty to make him conceive that a preliminary enquiry was necessary. He Continually returned to the necessity of throwing the orator into the sea; and when the minister told him he would send soldiers to put the man in prison, Nicola replied,There is no occasion for soldiers; I will undertake that business.'

"The man accordingly was taken to prison by the Lazaroni. The contents of the hand-bill were en

tirely seditious. The insurgent was one of those emissaries that were sent, by the too provident care of the French clubs, over Europe, to enlighten, improve, and make the people happy. He had disguised himself like a pilgrim, and was subject to the gallows, according to the common rights of nations; but the government only thought proper to banish him to the island of Maritima, one of the Agades, on the west side of Sicily.

"The Lazaroni are devoted to the present king. A body of many thou sand men, who have nothing to lose, may reasonably be dreaded, and may keep a tyrannical king in very wholesome awe. A despotic consti tution may perhaps need a remedy like this, the terror of which shall preserve a balance between itself and a power that is equally blind and unwise. A free constitution requires order; for order is the foundation of freedom. Bodies of people, like the numberless Lazaroni of Naples, or the hags of the hall, the fish-wives of Paris, could not exist among a people that should be truly free." p. 398402.

Noticing some of the peculiarities and curiosities of the country about Naples, this volume concludes. It is proper to inform our readers this volume contains many historical sketches.

Vol. III. The letters in this voJume were written from Naples, Salerno, Barletta, Tarento, Gallipoli, Catanzaro, Oppido, Reggio, Messina, Palermo, Trapani, and Girgenti; they give an account of these places, and the surrounding countries, with their origin, history, wars, government, and the material circumstances that have occurred in them.

While at Tarento the Count made enquiries, but he says, "I have been able to obtain no satisfactory account of that kind of venomous spider, which, after this town, has been called tarantula. You know it has been asserted of the tarantula, that its venomous bite inspires a deep melancholy, which frequently ends in death, and can only be cured by violent dancing. Neither will the sick person dance till the musician has happened upon the air that pleases him, and the same air will not produce the same effect on all patients.

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The reasons which have long been