Skip to main content

Full text of "The country of the Moors; a journey from Tripoli in Barbary to the city of Kairwân"

See other formats 


ll 


'^(?Aavaan#     "^^AavaaiH^       ^TiuoNvsoi^ 


% 


O 

aWEUNIV£R% 


^lOSANCEl£r^ 
o 


%a3AiNn-3WV 


^lOSANCElfj-^ 

o 


^aSAINOlWV 


^OFCALIF0% 


"^<?Aavaan# 


•  =0 

> 


CO 

■  so 


^IIIBRARYQ^        -^^IIIBRARYQ^ 


^OJITVDJO^      ^.i/0JnV3J0^ 


,s;,OFCAllF0% 
^4    ^-^  V 


^WE  UNIVERS-/A 


o 


>j,OFCAllF0;?;^         ^\V\E  UNIVERiy^ 


^<?AavaaiH^      ^^Aavaanv^       <rii30Nvsoi^' 


< 

?3 


,5.WEDNIVERVa 


<ril30NVS01^ 


^lOSAKCElfT> 
o 


> 
vAa3AINrt3WV 


<^t-lIBRARYQ<^      J 


'%0JI1V3J0^ 


aWEUNIVER% 


^lOSA>JCElfj> 

o 


.^..OFCAIIFO/?^ 


<rii30Nvsoi^     "^AaaAiNnjwv         >&Aavaaiii^'^ 


^'" '"'-"^    "^(JAHvaaiH^ 


^^Advaan-^'^'^ 


<J5l30NVS01^^ 


O 


CXI 


o 

Uk- 


<f5lJ3NVS01^       %a3AIN(13\\V 


^tUBRARYQ<; 


'^.i/OJIlVJJO't^ 


-^l-UBRAR 


%0JI1V3 


aWEUNIVERS-//. 


v^-lOSANCElfx^ 


<r7i30NVS01^       %il3AlNn-3WV 


^.OFCAllFOff^      ^OFCAllFi 


^<3Aavaan-^^^ 


'^omm 


^^^•UBRARYG^ 


^IIIBRARYQ^ 


^OJITVDJO^ 


^OFCAllFOfiU^ 


A-OFCAIIFOff^ 


aWEUNIVERJ//, 


o 


,5MEUNIVERS-//, 


^^Aavaaii-^'^        ^riuoNvsoi^^ 


^•lOSANCf 

o 


%a3AiNn 


>- 


^WEDNIVERS-//, 


^lOSANCElfx>, 


^^lUBRARYQ^ 


^^I-IIBRAR 


'^/sa3AiNn-3WV 


\Qmyi^^ 


\{)my 


A\^EUNIVER% 


.VWSANCElfx^ 

o 


^.OFrAllF0% 


.^.OFCAIIFI 


<riuDN\soi^      %a3AiNa-3WV        >&AiivJian^^      '^omm 


)  cr>,   ,  Rtc(eioY{    Jr-ci^       f -1  7 


A  MooK  OF  Barbart, 


THE 

COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS, 

^  y our iiey  from  Tripoli  in  Barbary 
to  the  City  of  Kairwdn. 


BY  EDWARD   RAE,  RR.G.S. 
Author  of  '  TIte  Land  of  tJte  North  Wind! 


MAP    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


LONDON: 

JOHN  MURRAY,    ALBEMARLE    STREET. 

1877. 

The  right  of  Translation  is  reserved. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2007  witli  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/countryofmoorsjoOOraeeiala 


DT 
}  ?^ 
I?I3 


Wll'ff  /RESPECT  AND   LOVE  I  DEDICATE   THIS 

BOOK   TO    MY  DEAR   MOTHER 

AND    SISTER. 


PREFACE. 

Respected  Reader, 

I  AM  led  to  hope  that  you  will  feel  a  cer- 
tain interest  in  the  subject  which  is  my  excuse  for 
trying  your  patience  again.  I  have  endeavoured 
to  sketch  the  existing  state  of  a  portion  of  the 
country  of  the  Moors,  the  race  —  to  me  the 
most  interesting  of  all  —  which  shed  the  light 
of  civihsation  on  the  Dark  Ages  of  Europe. 
These  notes  are  the  result  of  two  journeys  into 
the  region  where  the  remnant  of  the  Moors  have 
their  present  abodes.  I  cannot  hope,  save  per- 
haps in  the  case  of  the  city  of  Kairw^n,  to 
convey  much  original  or  novel  information. 

A  peasant  once  presented  himself  at  the  Third 
Section,   or   Secret    Pohce    Department,  in    St. 


viii  PREFACE. 

Petersburg,  and  demanded  a  hundred  roubles  as 
the  price  of  a  certain  communication.  The  money 
was  promised  on  condition  that  the  facts  were 
not  already  known  to  the  police.  When  the 
peasant  had  finished,  the  agent  called  his  secre- 
tary from  behind  a  screen,  desiring  him  to  bring 
such  and  such  a  document,  and  to  read  it  aloud. 
It  was  the  peasant's  story  word  for  word.  Well, 
I  can't  make  that  out,  he  said  aghast,  as  he  went 
out :  for  I  invented  the  story  myself.  The  secre- 
tary had  written  behind  the  screen  while  the 
peasant  spoke.  In  like  manner,  though  I  can 
take  no  credit  for  inventiveness,  I  am  inclined  to 
fear  that  the  reader,  turning  to  his  bookshelves, 
may  find  much  of  the  information  I  have  to  give, 
more  solidly  conveyed. 

To  several  gentlemen  I  am  much  indebted  for 
kind  recommendations  :  Messrs.  Eye,  Stephens, 
Wright,  Newsome,  Fraser,  Young,  and  especially 
Mr.  Murray  and  his  son,  who  have  contributed 
to  make  my  task  a  pleasant  one.  Colonel  Play- 
fair  also  helped  me   most  kindly.      I  have  to 


PREFACE.  ix 

recognise  the  indulgence  of  the  reviewers  of  a 
former  account  of  very  different  scenes — from 
those  who  encouraged  me  to  write  again,  to  the 
one  who  remarked  :  We  do  not  know  any  young 
man  who  has  travelled  so  much  as  Mr.  Eae,  and 
seen  so  little. 

My  journey  was  a  solitary  one.  I  had  not 
the  hardy  and  invaluable  companion  of  Arctic  ex- 
peditions, or  the  genial  friends  who  have  cheered 
so  many  rambles  elsewhere.  The  journey  was  easy 
enough.  To  Kairwan  alone  I  should  not  recom- 
mend a  visit,  without  various  precautions  and  a 
certain  respect  for  the  prejudices  of  the  unalter- 
ing  Faith  of  Mohammed.  Even  then,  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  an  accident  might  happen. 

Briefly,  kind  Eeader,  as  the  old  geographer 
Leo  says  in  closing  his  Chronicle  :  These  are  the 
things  memorable  and  woorthie  of  knowledge 
scene  and  obserued  by  me  Eduard  Eae  in  the 
Countrey  of  the  Mores :  wherein  whatsoeuer  I 
sawe  woorthie  the  obseruation,  I  presently  com- 
mitted to  writing :  and  those  things  which  I  sawe 


X  PREFACE. 

not,  I  procured  to  be  at  large  declared  vnto  me 
by  most  credible  and  substantiall  persons,  which 
were  themselves  eie- witnesses  of  the  same :  and 
so  hauing  gotten  a  fitte  opportunitie,  I  thought 
good  to  reduce  these  my  trauels  and  studies  into 
this  one  volume. 

Claughton, 

Birkenhead. 

October  1877. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE 

Provence — The  Junon — Sail  for  Malta — Stonn — Passengers — 
Sambo— Vale"tta — Franciscan  Priest — Sail  for  Tripoli — The 
Circe — Expectations  ........      1 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  Tripolis — Its  Origin  and  History — The  Eomans — Vandals — 
Saracens — Spaniards — Knights  of  Jerusalem — Ottomans — The 
Bej-s 9 


CHAPTER   III. 

Trablus  Gharb — The  City — Bazaars — Leo  Africanus — Prepare  for 
Journey  to  Lebda — Eecommendation — Annibale  and  Giovanni    .     1 6 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Set  out  from  Tripoli — Among  the  Palms — The  Dellou — ^Tadjoura 
— The  Desert — Eas  al  Hamra — We  reach  Djefdra — Reception — 
Accommodation — The  Kaid — The  Plagues  of  Barbary — Taphra 
— A  Rencontre — Sidi  Abd  el  Atti — Syrian  Landscape — Weir- 
Country  of  the  Bedouins— Ruins — Horns 25 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE 

Received  at  the  Castle — The  Kaid — Murderers — Our  Quarters — 
Ride  to  Lebda — Debris — Columns — Heat — Wadi  Lebda — Group 
of  Ruins — Temples — Severus — The  Evil  Eye — Triple  Arch — 
Depredations — Lepide — Its  Origin  and  History — A  Legend  of 
Leptis— The  Gulf  of  Syrtis  Major 35 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Return  to  Homs— A  Deputation — The  Kaid's  Hospitality — Copper 
Coins — The  Dead  City — Start  for  Tripoli — Wearisome  Journey 
— The  Gharian — A  Wedding — Djefara  in  the  Twilight — The 
Owl-slayer — Continue  Journey — Great  Heat — The  Mecca  Cara- 
van— A  Bargain — Tadjoura — The  Hermitage — Frederick  War- 
rington— The  Times  of  the  Beys — The  Harbour — Mussulman 
Fanaticism — The  Bazaars ,        .        .    49 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Pasha's  Gardens — Ostriches — John  Leo  on  the  Naturall  His- 
torie  of  Barbarie — Tombs  and  Coins — Giovanni  incorruptible — 
The  Triumphal  Arch  of  Aurelian — Roman  Numerals — Prayers 
for  Rain — Offering  to  the  God  of  Rain — Alteration  of  Plans— 
Cyrene  in  Prospect — The  Cyrenaica   ......     62 

CHAPTER  Vin. 

Evening  Ride — Esparto  Grass — Black  Families — An  Ingrate — The 
Allegra — Usury,  Caravans,  and  the  Slave  Trade — The  Pashalik 
of  Tripoli — Resources — Fall  of  the  Leaf — Charity — Arab  Home 
— Outer  Bazaars — Love  Charms — The  Sheikh  el  Biled        .        .     74 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Djemma  '1  Basha — Djemma  '1  Gordji — Djemma  '1  Sheikh  Bel  Ain — 
Djemma  '1  Sidi  Dragut — Panorama — The  Crescent  City — Delu- 
sions— Productions  and  Misfortunes — Voiage  of  the  lefus — The 
Genowaies 89 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

The  Jews'  Quarter — The  Place  of  Stoning — The  Dyers — An  Aus- 
tere Sentry — Bab  el  Djedid — Jeivish  Reception — The  Synagogue 
—The  Murderer— The  Dutch  Consul— The  Black  Village— In 
the  Palm  Groves — Orange  Garden — Essence  Distilling — Fruit 
and  Blossom — The  Castle — ^A  Eoman  Lady — Bouba — The  Circe 
—The  Last  of  Tripoli        .        .        .        .        ,        .        .        .08 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Malta — Cape  Bon — Tunny  Fishery — Goletta — Permquier — The 
City  of  Verdure — Preparations  for  Kairwin — Sketch  of  Tunis 
— Purchases  in  the  Bazaars — Scenes  in  the  City — EoseBuds  and 
Orange  Blossoms — Adopt  a  Young  Moor — Braham  the  Silver- 
smith— The  Bardo— The  Great  Aqueduct.  .        .        .        .109 


CHAPTER   Xn. 

Bakkoush — His  Antecedents,  Career,  Characteristics,  and  Accom- 
plishments— Old  Times — Mosaics — Stroll  through  the  City — 
Panorama — The  Diamond  Market — Sanctuaries — The  Mosqu  of 
the  Olive  Tree — Departure  from  Tunis 126 


CHAPTER  XHI. 

Sail  for  the  East  Coast — Susa — Bazaars — The  Sahel — Adrumetum 
— The    Port   of  Kairwan — The  Eevolution — Monastir — Lepti 
Parva — Eas  di  Mas — Mehdia — The  Patriarke  of  Cairaoan — 
Salectum 138 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Barbary  Coast — The  Khassir — Kerkeneh — The  Flying  Camp 
— Djerba — The  Lotos  Eaters — Skull  Pyramid — Gulf  of  Kabes 
— Palus  Tritonis 150 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PAGE 

Arrival  at  Sfex — Gale— A  Mistake — A  Deaf  Mute — The  Quarters  of 
Sfax — Mosques — A  Caravan  of  Dates — The  Bazaars — Graceful- 
ness of  Sfaxins — Environs — The  City  of  Twelve  Thousand  Gar- 
dens— Slave  Caravans — Street  Auction — Costumes — The  Great 
Mosque — A  Tragedy — The  Silversmiths — Bakkoush  at  Home — 
An  Eccentric  Dervish — A  Modest  Marabout — Ruins  of  Lebda    .  161 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Embark  on  Corsica — Privations — Facts  about  Sfax — Sail  for  the 
North — Sponges  of  the  Lesser  Syrtis — The  Oulad  Azim — Octopi 
— Sponge  Culture  and  Chicken  Manufacture—  Mehdia — Sardines 
— Arab  Cemetery — Port  of  Mehdia — Turris  Hannibalis — Relics 
of  El  Djem — A  Moslem  Companion — Monastir — Collectors — 
Susa .        .        .180 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Of  the  Great  Citie  of  Cairaoan — Hutmen — Hucba — Muse — Con- 
quest of  Andaluzia  and  Castilia — Site  of  Kairwan — Decline — 
Dr.  Shaw  on  Kairw&n  and  its  Mosque — Origin  of  Name — Its 
Sacredness  and  Exclusiveness — Plans  and  Preparations — A  Re- 
commendation— Outfit — Disappointment 196 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Departure  from  Snsa — The  Sahel — Bedouins — A  Discovery  in  Na- 
tural History — Drought — M'seken — The  Great  Plain — Foot- 
prints of  Pilgrims — The  Great  Minar — The  Walls— Enter 
Kairw&n — Observations— Maledictions 210 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

PAGE 

The  Year  of  the  Hejra  1292— The  Kaid's  House— Sidi  Mohammed 
el  Mour4bet— Hospitality — A  Pervert — Supper  a  I'Arabe — 
Fanatical  Mosquito — Visit  the  Kaid — The  Bazaars — Curiosity 
and  Precautions — The  Tunis  Gate  —A  Horse  Sale — My  Body- 
gu£ird — Progress  to  Citadel — Soldiers — Civility — The  "Walls — 
Eough  Usage 221 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Great  Mosque — Sketches — The  Khasinah — Decaying  City — 
Its  Former  Size — The  Bazaars — Slippers — Marabouts — The 
Mosques — Tombs  of  the  Saints — Curiosity — An  Aspiration — 
The  Suburbs —Djemma  1  Zituna — Yahtuli — Postern  Gate  .  236 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Moorish  Calendar — Chronicles  of  the  City — Okhbah — Conquest  of 
Spain— Ibn  Aghlab— The  City's  Decline 246 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Frenchman — Servants — Soldiers — Ride  round  Walls — A  fine 
Barb — The  /\irican  Mecca — The  Haj — The  Kaid's  Predecessors 
— Colleges— The  Renegade  of  Kairwan       .....  268 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Bazaars — A  Bargain—  Mosque  of  the  Three  Gates — Tombs — 
— ^Measure  the  Great  Mosque — Fanaticism — Details  of  Exterior 
—Sacred  Well  of  Kafiyat— The  Minar— The  Courtyard— The 
Prayer  Chamber — Its  Interior — Columns  of  the  Great  Mosque 

— An  Intrigue — Writing  on  the  Wall 281 

a 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PAGE 

Foundation  of  Kairwan — Its  Mosque  and  Kibleh — Its  Vicissitudes 
— Cordova — Constructions — Eaccadah — The  Last  of  the  Aghla- 
Lites— The  New  Mecca 292 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Gate  of  Greengages — Measure  the  City — Ruined  Bastion — 
Call  to  Prayer— The  Citadel— A  Mob— Leylet  al  Moolid— Elma- 
wahel — Imprecations — Form  of  City — An  Incident — Opinion  of 
the  Bazaars — Prepare  to  Leave — Farewell  to  the  Kaid — Last 
Night  in  Kairwan      .........  304 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Issue  from  the  City — Traverse  the  Plain — Camp  of  Bedouins — 
Interview  with  Bedouin  Ladies  —  Halt  under  Olive  Trees — 
Kuined  Tomb— Nablus — Hammamet — The  Foudouk  of  Birlou- 
buita — The  Dakkhul  Promontory — The  Lead  Mountain — Sulei- 
man— Gulf  of  Tunis — Hammam  1  Anf — Ehades — Enter  Tunis  .  314 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  Hammam — A  Negotiation — Leave  Tunis — Footsteps  of  Bruce — 
A  Touch  of  Nature — Sad  News — The  Last  of  Perruquier — 
Cape  Carthage — The  Malta  Channel — A  Swell — Cagliari — 
Amphitheatre — Antiquarian  Museum — A  Visit  from  Sards — 
The  Colony  of  Tunis — Leghorn — An  Incident — Genoa — Paris     .  323 


LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


A  MOOR  OF  BARBARY Frontispiece 

Etched  by  Ldon  Richeton. 

RUINED  MONUMENT  AT  LEBDA     .        .        .        .To  face  p.  36 
Photographed  and  Etched  by  the  Author. 

RUINS  BY  THE  RIVER  OF  LEPTIS 40 

Etched  by  Edwin  Edwards  from  the  Author's  Photograph. 

TRIPLE  GATEWAY  AT  LEBDA ,  44 

Photographed  and  Etched  by  the  Author. 

PALMS  BY  THE  SEA.     TRIPOLI ,,        104 

Drawn  and  Etched  by  the  Author. 

THE  GREAT  MOSQUE  OF  KAIR  WAN 236 

Etched  by  Lion  Richeton  from  the  Author  s  Sketch. 

SKETCH  PLAN  OF  THE  GREAT  MOSQUE      .         .         „        288 
Engraved  from  the  Authors  Drawing. 

SKETCH  PLAN  OF  THE  CITY  OF  KAIRwAn .     .        „        306 
Engraved  from  the  Author  s  Drawing. 


MAP . 


334 


Errata. 

Page    11,  line  20,  for  Zobeir  read  Ibn  Zobeir. 

„      39,    „     14,  for  Windsor  read  Virginia  Water. 

„      83,    „     24,  for  knows  read  admires. 

„     146,    „      o,  read:'  Barth  says  Leptis  means  port.    Tliere  is  a  Hebrew 

root  lapat,  to  enfold  or  encompass ;  but  no  such  word,  I 

tliink,  in  Greek  or  Latin. 
„    210,    „      3,  for  Arab  read  Moorish. 
„    218,    „     13,  for  Arab  read  Arabic. 


THE 

COUNTRY    OF    THE    MOORS. 

CHAPTER    I. 

Provence — The  Junon — Sail  for  Malta — Storm — Passengers — Sambo — 
Valetta — Franciscan  Priest — Sail  for  Tripoli^The  Circe — Expec- 
tations. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning  as  we  entered  Provence. 
It  was  the  early  spring :  green  leaves  were  sprouting, 
and  the  almond-trees  were  thick  with  blossom.  Beside 
us  was  the  swift  Ehone,  and  eastward  were  the  purple 
mountains  with  snow  on  them.  We  passed  Orange  and 
its  beautiful  Roman  arch,  Aries  and  its  noble  Colos- 
seum :  and  finally  whirled  into  the  busy  town  of  Mar- 
seilles. In  the  train  was  a  pleasant  Englishman,  also 
on  his  way  to  the  Hotel  du  Louvre  and  to  Malta. 

We  walked  down  to  the  steamship  office,  and 
learned  that  the  Junon  would  not  sail  until  the 
following  evening.  We  engaged  our  berths,  and  went 
down  to  see  the  steamer. 

B 


2  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  i. 

On  the  second  afternoon  we  went  on  board  iheJunon, 
and  for  two  hours  watched  the  last  cases  marked  Malte, 
Alexandrie,  lowered  into  the  hold  by  a  terrible  steam 
crane.  At  dusk  we  moved  slowly  out  of  the  Joliette 
harbour,  rounded  the  lightship,  and  were  on  our  way 
over  the  luminous  waters  of  the  Central  Sea.  It  was 
a  dead  calm :  the  sky  looked  very  threatening.  We 
steamed  under  the  Chateau  d'lf,  and  left  the  twinkling 
lights  of  the  city  behind. 

Towards  midnight  the  wind  burst  upon  us  in  a 
hurricane :  the  sea  became  wild  and  mountainous, 
great  waves  broke  over  our  stern,  and  water  poured  in 
sheets  down  into  our  cabin.  The  doors  and  windows 
of  the  deckhouse  were  nailed  up,  and  covered  with 
boards  and  canvas.  After  a  miserable  night  in  the 
dark  stuffy  state-room,  daylight  came.  Great  green 
seas  were  sweeping  aloft,  breaking  in  a  furious  mass 
of  foam,  and  burying  the  JunoTi's  stern  as  if  she 
could  never  rise  again. 

It  was  scarcely  dawn  when  we  went  on  deck :  the 
sky  was  bare  of  all  but  stars,  every  cloud  seemed  blown 
out  of  it.  The  gale  was  violent,  the  seas  were  prodigious. 
The  wind,  fortunately  aft,  drove  us  along  fast,  though 
we  could  hoist  no  sail.  Nothing  could  be  put  upon 
the  table :  our  negro  steward,  from  Martinique,  was  in 
despair,  his  woolly  hair  stood  straight  on  end  ^  the 
plates  and  glasses  clattered  and  smashed.     His  white 


CHAP.  I.  THE  yUNON'S  PASSENGERS.  3 

teeth  glittered  as  he  clenched  them,  and  he  ground 
out  sacres  as  if  he  had  been  educated  in  France. 

We  were  but  few  passengers,  and  if  some  of  us  had 
had  a  second  opportunity  of  sailing  in  the  Junon, 
there  would  have  been  fewer  still.  We  had  asked  at 
the  agency  after  our  fellow-passengers.  There  were 
two  English  officers,  the  agent  said,  Messieurs  Chol- 
melee  and  Maquintoche.  Mackintosh,  an  especially 
pleasant  fellow,  was  Lieutenant  in  the  71st  High- 
landers, on  his  way  to  join  his  regiment ;  and  Chol- 
meley,  a  powerful  young  Yorkshire  squire,  was  to  be 
attached  to  the  regiment  for  a  few  months. 

At  daybreak  on  the  third  morning  the  gale  had 
abated,  and  this  day  we  could  take  our  meals  in  the 
saloon. 

The  captain  was  a  jolly  good-looking  Frenchman — 
a  Legitimist :  his  political  discussions  with  the  other 
officers  were  very  entertaining,  and  he  was  as  much  at 
home  and  familiar  with  us  as  if  he  had  taken  us  to 
Malta  a  dozen  times.  This  want  of  stifiFness  is  a  charm 
in  a  short  acquaintance.  A  French  story  is  told  of 
an  Englishman  and  a  Frenchman,  who  met  one  rainy 
night  in  an  inn,  and  sat  before  the  fire  drying  and 
warming  themselves.  After  one  or  two  attempts  at 
conversation,  the  Frenchman  gave  it  up.  Presently 
he  stooped  politely  forward.  *  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,' 
he  said :  '  some  of  the  ash  of  your  cigar  has  fallen  on 

P  2 


4  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.  chap.  i. 

your  knee.'  *  Well,'  said  the  Englishman,  '  I  don't  see 
that  it  concerns  you.  Why,  the  tail  of  your  coat  has 
been  on  fire  for  the  last  half-hour,  and  I  said  nothing 
about  it.'  The  steward.  Sambo,  tells  us  tales  of  Mar- 
tinique, but  he  refuses  to  sing  us  one  of  the  old  planta- 
tion songs.  He  has  an  excellent  mouth  for  sugar-cane, 
but  he  says  that  it  disagrees  with  him.  As  he  eats  the 
cane  after  sucking  the  sap,  we  are  not  surprised  at  this. 

At  length  we  sighted,  towards  noon  one  day,  the 
Island  of  Gozo :  and  late  in  the  afternoon  we  were 
steaming  into  the  entrance  of  the  Grand  Harbour  of 
Valetta. 

I  was  glad  to  find  the  Tripoli  steamers  Circe  and 
Trahlus  Oharb  lying  alongside  of  us,  as  we  moored 
opposite  to  Fort  St.  Angelo.  The  Trahlus  had  sailed, 
but  put  back,  owing  to  the  heavy  weather,  which  had 
detained  many  vessels  in  Malta.  I  landed,  and  drove  in 
one  of  the  inexpensive  light  carriages  up  to  Dunsford's 
Hotel. 

It  is  a  curious  city :  with  its  narrow  tapering 
streets,  and  innumerable  flights  of  steps,  tall  yellow 
stone  houses,  and  their  projecting  green  wooden  bays, 
mediaeval  outlines  of  auberges  and  palaces — a  sort  of 
restored  Rhodes.  The  bustling  barefooted  natives,  with 
their  yellow  sunburnt  skins,  are  the  greatest  busy- 
bodies  in  Europe.  Accredited  with  the  knowledge  of 
all  European  languages,  they  scarcely  know  one.     In 


CHAP.  I.  VALETTA.  5 

their  miniature  world  all  mutual  relations  are  defined 
in  the  shortest  possible  time,  and  with  the  most  won- 
derful accuracy.  They  have  been  described  as  an  ugly 
race  of  Catholic  Arabs.  English  sentries  were  pacing 
in  front  of  the  guard-house :  over  which  are  the  in- 
signia of  England,  with  the  dedication — To  the  great 
and  unconquered  Britain  the  love  of  the  Maltese  and 
the  voice  of  Europe  confirms  these  islands,  a.d.  1814. 
There  were  sailors  with  broad  collars  and  blue  shirts, 
but  not  English  faces :  quick  parties  of  redcoats : 
sounds  of  fife,  bugle,  and  drum :  baskets  of  violets  and 
other  flowers,  and  piles  of  golden  oranges — all  in  the 
warm  sunny  air  of  the  Malta  spring. 

This  City  of  the  Knights,  this  surprising  group  of 
natural  fortresses,  is  familiar  to  us  all,  but  none  the 
less  remarkable  and  interesting.  It  is  a  magnificent 
possession  for  England,  and  probably  will  not  be  given 
up  until  the  party  who  would  have  exchanged  Gibraltar 
for  Ceuta  have  acquired  a  little  more  importance. 

Passing  down  to  the  Marina,  to  learn  the  hour  at 
which  the  Circe  was  to  sail,  I  chanced  to  enter  the 
church  of  the  Franciscans.  There  were  large  numbers 
of  people  and  priests,  and  a  strong  odour  of  incense  and 
lighted  tapers.  In  the  centre  of  the  church,  amid  a 
crowd  of  kneeling  men  and  women,  flanked  by  two  tall 
rows  of  candles,  stood  a  high  catafalque,  covered  with  a 
black  and  silver  pall.    Upon  this  reposed,  in  full  sacra- 


6  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  i. 

mental  robes  and  hat,  a  Franciscan  priest.  His  eyes 
were  closed,  and  his  hands  clasped  on  his  breast.  Poor 
old  man,  he  died  on  the  previous  day,  and  this  was  his 
funeral  service.  On  my  return  I  saw  a  crowd  passing 
up  the  Strada  Eeale.  The  priest  was  being  carried, 
just  as  he  had  lain  in  the  church,  to  the  catacombs  of 
the  Franciscans. 

At  ten  in  the  morning,  with  all  the  bells  in  Valetta 
clanging  for  church  service,  we  steamed  slowly  out  of 
the  harbour,  and  set  sail  for  the  Country  of  the  Moors 
Ahead  of  us  was  the  Turkish  boat,  Trablus  Gharh,  ar 
older  but  faster  steamer  than  the  Circe,  also  bound  foi 
Tripoli.  It  was  a  bright  fresh  day :  and,  light  as  th( 
little  steamer  was,  she  rocked  but  little  on  the  sweP 
which  remained  from  the  gale.  Mr.  Said,  who  wa 
agent  for  the  Circe  in  Tripoli,  was  on  board :  and  with 
Captain  Kirkpatrick,  a  bright  worthy  little  seaman,  to 
whom  the  owners  had  very  kindly  recommended  me, 
the  day  passed  quickly.  The  passage  is  often  a  bad 
one,  Tripoli  harbour  being  almost  inaccessible  in  north- 
erly winds :  and,  instead  of  arriving  in  twenty- four 
or  thirty  hours,  the  steamers  have  to  lie  off  for  several 
days  together,  and  even  to  return  from  within  sight  of 
the  houses  of  Tripoli  to  Malta. 

Lest  it  should  be  imagined  that  I  could  regard  this 
journey  in  the  light  of  a  holiday  and  a  diversion,  I  will 
mention  some  of  the  requests  which  reached  me  from 


CHAP.  I.  RESPONSIBILITIES.  7 

friends  and  from  strangers  before  I  left  England.  I 
can  only  recommend  any  future  traveller  to  Tripoli  to 
conceal  his  destination  from  his  nearest  relatives.  This 
was  from  an  old  friend  and  travelling  companion  : — 

'  Dear  Rae :  I  send  a  list  of  a  few  things  I  wish 
you  would  get  for  me.  Twelve  inlaid  hand  mirrors, 
with  mother-of-pearl  and  ivory :  five  or  six  essence 
cabinets,  such  as  we  found  in  Tunis  and  Cairo :  two 
soft  silk  scarfs,  of  scarlet  and  plum  colour :  a  set  of 
coffee-cups  and  silver  holders  set  in  turquoise ;  must  be 
old :  any  blue  and  white  china  worth  having :  what- 
ever large  pieces  of  silver-work — bracelets  &c. — you 
don't  want  yourself.  Some  old  embroidery.  A  brass 
Jewish  lamp  and  a  brass  ewer  and  basin.' 

The  next  was  from  a  gentleman  of  whom  I  had  not 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  before : — 'Sir :  Hearing  from 
a  relative  of  yours  that  you  are  about  to  travel  in 
Barbary,  I  venture  to  ask  you  to  collect  for  me  some 
shells  and  birds'  eggs.  Such  and  such  shells  exist  in 
Barbary,  and  the  eggs  of  such  and  such  birds  are  to  be 
met  with.  Pray  be  careful,  in  blowing  the  eggs,  to  do 
it  only  in  the  following  way.'  Then  came  a  diagram  of 
the  only  way  in  which  I  could  be  a  successful  blower  of 
eggs.  The  next  was  from  a  gentleman  distantly  ac- 
quainted with  a  member  of  my  family  :— '  Sir  :  As  I 
understand  you  are  just  starting  for  the  North  Coast  of 
Africa,  I  should  feel  extremely  indebted  to  you  if  you 


8  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.  chap.  i. 

would  spend  for  me  fifty  or  a  hundred  pounds  in  old 
Oriental  embroidery.  Then  followed  many  excuses  and 
no  directions,  the  matter  being  unfortunately  left  to  my 
taste. 

One  friend  asked  for  ten  pounds  worth  of  attar  of 
roses.  One  merely  wanted  me  to  spend  ten  pounds  for 
him  on  something  or  other.  One  asked  for  an  old  Tripo- 
line  silver  bracelet :  one  for  a  bottle-shaped  gourd,  to  be 
set  in  silver  filigree.  Another  modestly  wished  for  a 
photograph  of  a  lonely  ruined  column.  I  was  asked  to 
spend  a  hundred  pounds  in  carpets :  to  bring  ostrich 
feathers  and  a  gazelle  back  with  me :  to  proceed  to 
the  Atlas  and  report  upon  the  Touaregs,  one  of  the 
oldest  races  in  Africa.  Finally,  I  was  very  handsomely 
desired  to  buy  for  myself,  as  a  present,  the  object  which 
pleased  me  most  in  Tripoli.  I  can  assure  the  reader 
that  these  commissions  caused  me  much  anxiety  and 
uneasiness  of  mind. 


FOUNDATION   OF  THE   TRIPOLIS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The   Tripolis  —  Its   Origin   and    History  —  The  Eomans — Vandals — 
Sai-acens — Spaniards — Knights  of  Jerusalem — Ottomans — The  Beys. 

Of  the  three  capitals  of  the  Tripolis — the  region  which 
obtained  its  name  in  like  manner  as  the  Decapolis  and 
Pentapolis,  and  contained  the  cities  of  Leptis,  or  Nea- 
polis,  Sabrata,  or  Old  Tripoli,  aDd  (Ea,  or  New  Tripoli 
— only  the  latter  city  remains.  The  cities  of  Leptis 
and  Sabrata,  one  lying  seventy  miles  east,  and  one 
forty-seven  miles  west  from  Tripoli,  exist  only  as  heaps 
of  ruins.  It  is  generally  understood  that,  when  the 
Phoenicians,  driven  from  home  by  domestic  strife, 
established  these  colonies  on  the  northern  coast  of 
Africa,  between  the  gulfs  of  the  Greater  and  Lesser 
Syrtes — the  country  being  more  or  less  unproductive, 
the  settlers  had  in  view  the  creation  of  emporia  for 
trade  with  the  interior,  in  gold,  gums,  spices,  ivory,  and 
other  precious  articles.  The  frequency  of  oases  in  the 
country  lying  south  of  Libya  Tripolitana,  rendered 
it  very  suitable  for  such  traffic,  and  its  three  seaports 
acquired  wealth,  refinement,  and  luxury. 

The  building  of  Tripoli  proper  is  attributed  by 


lO  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  ii. 

some  to  the  Emperor  Severus :  while  the  generally 
accurate  geographer,  Leo  Africanus,  declares  that  it  was 
not  built  until  after  Old  Tripoli  had  been  captured  by 
the  Goths,  and  destroyed  by  the  Mohammedans  in  the 
time  of  the  Khalif  Omar.  This  would  injure  Tripoli's 
claim  to  a  decent  antiquity,  but  the  existence  of  a 
Eoman  arch  of  the  period  of  Aurelian  refutes  Leo. 
Phoenician  inscriptions  of  the  same  period  also  exist. 

The  founders  of  the  Tripolis,  as  is  well  known,  made 
settlements  farther  East — from  Djerba  to  Algiers:  and 
these  Barbary  provinces,  having  Carthage  for  their  capi- 
tal, flourished  after  the  Pentapolis  had  begun  to  decay. 
The  sun  of  Phoenician  Carthage  set  on  the  fatal  plain 
of  Zama,  but  Eoman  Carthage  rising  from  her  ashes 
took  the  lead,  and  maintained  it  for  six  centuries.  The 
limits  of  civilisation  contracted  as  Roman  power  de- 
clined in  Africa,  and  at  length  Valentinian  called  in 
the  aid  of  the  Vandal  king.  Those  predatory  bar- 
barians gladly  overran  and  occupied  the  country.  A 
series  of  desolating  wars  followed,  in  which  the  brave 
and  able  Belisarius  eventually  recovered  for  Justinian, 
who  reigned  in  Constantinople,  these  African  dependent 
cies  :  but  their  ruin  was  complete.  Fresh  wars  under 
Solomon,  the  successor  of  Belisarius,  had  a  similarly  per- 
nicious result :  Africa  was  desolated.  The  Vandals,  once 
numbering  a  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  warriors 
alone,    were    extirpated.      Of    Berbers    an   infinitely 


CHAP.  n.  THE   SARACENS.  II 

greater  number  perished.  When  Procopius,  historian 
of  the  Vandals,  landed  in  these  parts  of  Africa,  he  was 
astonished  at  the  population  and  prosperity  of  the 
cities  and  country.  In  less  than  twenty  years  the  busy 
scene  was  converted  into  a  silent  solitude.  It  is  said 
that  five  millions  of  human  beings  perished  in  the  wars 
of  the  Emperor  Justinian. 

In  the  seventh  century,  during  the  rapid  and 
astounding  rise  of  Mohammedanism,  the  Arabians, called 
Saracens  or  Orientals — Sharak,  East — turned  their  arms 
to  the  setting  sun.  Under  the  Khalifat  of  Omar,  Okhbah, 
at  the  head  of  the  Mohammedan  army,  traversed  the 
desert  of  Barca,  destroyed  Leptis  :  and  in  the  year  647 
appeared  under  the  walls  of  New  Tripoli.  Gregory,  the 
Carthaginian  Prefect,  appeared  in  relief  of  the  city,  and 
offered  his  daughter's  hand  and  a  hundred  thousand 
pieces  of  gold  for  the  Arabian  Emir's  head.  On  the 
Saracen  side  the  same  conditions  were  offered  to  the 
man  who  should  slay  Gregory,  and  in  a  bloody  battle 
the  Prefect  fell.  Zobeir,  the  Saracen  chief  who  slew 
him,  however,  declared — probably  after  seeing  the  lady — 
that  he  laboured  for  a  recompense  above  the  charms  of 
beauty  or  the  riches  of  this  transitory  life.  This  may 
have  been  disinterested  or  not. 

The  Tripolitans  purchased  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Saracens  by  the  payment  of  six  million  dollars.  For 
which  step  the  government  of  Byzantium  reproached  and 


12  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  ii. 

taxed  them,  so  that  on  the  reappearance  of  the  Saracens 
in  668,  they  welcomed  both  their  government  and  their 
faith.  Okhbah  then  overran  the  northern  part  of 
Africa,  from  Djerba  to  the  Atlantic,  and  from  the 
Mediterranean  to  the  Great  Desert :  establishing  his 
capital  in  Kairwan,  thenceforth  the  seat  of  Mohammedan 
splendour  and  learning.  Once  the  aboriginal  races  rose 
— Kabyles,  Touaregs,  Berbers  of  the  Atlas — and 
under  their  Queen  Cahina,  drove  the  invaders  into 
Egypt :  but  as  they  then  set  to  work  to  destroy  what- 
ever in  the  cities  they  considered  tempting  to  an 
invader,  the  inhabitants  invited  the  Arabians  back, 
who  definitely  established  their  language  and  customs. 
After  many  vicissitudes,  on  the  dissolution  of  the  Kha- 
lifat, Tripoli  became  an  independent  Moorish  state. 

In  the  year  1510,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Fer- 
dinand the  Catholic  :  but  twelve  years  later  Charles  V. 
surrendered  the  city,  together  with  Malta,  to  the  Knights 
of  St.  John,  whom  the  Turks  had  just  expelled  from 
Rhodes.  The  Ottoman  Empire  was  in  the  zenith  of  its 
power:  its  corsairs  infested  the  Mediterranean.  The 
Knights  strengthened  and  fortified  Tripoli :  but,  after  a 
short  possession  of  less  than  thirty  years,  the  Turkish 
corsairs,  Sinan  and  Dragut,  overcame  them,  and 
entered  into  possession  of  the  city.  Dragut  Eeis 
was  made  Pasha,  and  governed  Tripoli  as  part  of  Sultan 
Suleiman's  dominions. 


CHAP.  II.  VICISSITUDES   OF   TRIPOLI.  13 

During  the  next  century  and  a  half,  but  little  is 
known  of  the  Eegency  or  city.  Pashas  and  Sanjaks, 
with  a  garrison  for  the  castle,  were  sent  from  Constan- 
tinople to  govern  it,  and  its  flag  was  a  terror  of  the 
Inland  Sea.  After  bombarding  Goletta,  Blake  in  1655 
imposed  a  treaty  on  the  Tripolines :  for  a  breach  of 
which  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel  and  Sir  John  Narborough 
attacked  it  in  1 655. 

In  the  year  1714,  Hamet  Pasha  the  Caramanian, 
with  the  Moors  of  the  city,  rose,  and  put  the  Turkish 
garrison  to  death — three  hundred  of  them — in  one 
night.  Hamet  was  proclaimed  independent  ruler,  and, 
sending  large  tribute  to  the  Porte,  he  received  recog- 
nition. He  invited  foreigners  to  settle  in  Tripoli, 
exerted  himself  to  improve  manufactures  and  industry, 
made  treaties  with  the  various  foreign  powers,  subdued 
the  mountaineers  of  the  Gharian,  conquered  Fezzan, 
reduced  the  Cyrenaica,  and  acquired  among  his  subjects 
the  title  of  Great.  Becoming  blind,  he  is  said  to  have 
shot  himself,  in  the  year  1745. 

Hamet  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  grandson — the 
latter  being  Ali  Pasha,  a  mild  and  well-meaning  man, 
whose  life  was  embittered  by  his  sons.  These  were  Has- 
san, Hamet,  and  Yussuf :  the  latter  murdered  Hassan  in 
the  presence  of  their  mother,  and  fought  again  and  again 
with  Hamet.  In  this  state  of  civil  war,  the  Turks  took 
the  city,  and  Ali  and  his  family  had  to  escape  abroad. 


14  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  ii. 

The  Turkish  governor,  however,  behaving  with  gross 
cruelty,  was  superseded,  and  Ali's  family  were  re-estab- 
lished. 

On  the  death  of  Ali,  Yussuf  became  Pasha.  Brute 
as  he  was,  his  views  were  broad  and  enlightened :  he 
was  anxious  to  remain  on  good  terms  with  Europeans, 
and  aiforded  them  facilities  for  exploring  the  Regency. 
He  captured  Murzouk,  and  established  the  slave  trade, 
much  to  his  own  profit :  he  also  entered  largely  into 
mercantile  transactions.  Tripoli  had  not  yet  washed 
its  hands  of  piracy.  Yussuf  winked  at  it :  indeed,  his 
own  fleet  of  eleven  sail  and  a  hundred  guns  did  a  good 
deal  of  business  of  the  kind,  under  the  command  of  the 
notorious  Morat  Reis — once  Peter  Lyle — a  Scotch  rene- 
gade. 

In  1801,  and  thrice  in  1804,  American  squadrons 
bombarded  the  city  :  on  one  occasion  losing  a  frigate, 
the  Philadelphia,  which  struck  on  the  reef,  and  was 
captured  by  the  Tripolines.  In  course  of  one  desperate 
engagement  the  Moors  fought  splendidly — one  half 
losing  their  lives :  but  the  naval  commander  Moham- 
med Sous,  for  the  loss  of  his  ship,  was  paraded  round 
the  city  on  the  back  of  an  ass,  and  received  five  hundred 
strokes  of  the  bastinado.  In  consequence  of  this  unjust 
and  brutal  treatment,  none  of  Yussuf's  captains  would 
put  to  sea. 

YuBSuf  incurred  debts,  to  enforce  payment  of  which, 


CHAP.  II.        END   OF  YUSSUF'S   GOVERNMENT.  15 

Tripoli  was  successively  bombarded  by  the  Sardinians, 
Sicilians,  and  French.  In  1832,  Yussuf's  sons  rekindled 
the  family  feud :  the  city  was  besieged  for  a  year : 
Yiissuf  abdicated  in  favour  of  his  second  son. 

One  day  —  May  20,  1835  —  a  Turkish  squadron 
entered  Tripoli  harbour.  The  Pasha  was  enticed  on 
board  of  one  vessel  under  promise  of  protection,  and 
there  presented  to  '  Mustapha  Nedjib  Pasha,  Governor 
of  Tripoli.'  The  Sublime  Porte  has  since  nominated 
the  Pashas  of  Tripoli — generally  with  a  four  years' 
tenure  of  office. 


i6  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  m. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Trablus    Gharh — The   City — Bazaars— Leo  Africanus — Prepare   for 
Journey  to  Lebda — Recommendation  — Annibale  and  Giovanni. 

Early  on  the  second  afternoon  we  were  off  a  white- 
walled  town,  having  a  black  reef  running  out  in  front  of 
it,  over  which  the  waves  were  breaking.  We  rounded 
the  extremity  of  the  reef,  and  cautiously  entered  the 
harbour,  across  the  end  of  which  the  city  wall  stretches 
in  almost  a  straight  line,  facing  the  rising  sun. 
It  has  at  one  extremity  the  tall  massive  citadel,  and 
on  its  seaward  extremity  a  yellow  fort,  from  which  the 
reef  extends  to  the  north-east.  Above  the  city  wall 
stand  flat-roofed  houses,  half-a-dozen  minarets,  and  a 
single  palm.  In  the  harbour  lay  two  steamers — the 
Trablus,  and  a  Turkish  war-steamer — and  a  dozen 
vessels  of  moderate  size.  Beyond  the  castle  extends 
a  white  beach,  with  low  walls  and  a  few  domes. 
Behind  and  beyond  these,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  to  the  extremity  of  the  little  bay,  stretches 
a  vast  and  beautiful  grove  of  palms.  Thick,  feathery, 
and  green,  they  form  a  noble  background  to  the  city. 
The  pilot,  a  good-looking  sunburnt  man^  came  on 


CHAP.  III.  ARRIVE  AT   TRIPOLI.  17 

board,  and  we  steamed  slowly  in  through  the  trea- 
cherous passages,  which  admit  vessels  only  drawing 
sixteen  or  eighteen  feet.  The  wind  came  whistling  in 
from  the  east,  the  sky  grew  grey  and  thick,  the  waves 
curled  and  crested :  the  pale  yellow  sand,  where  camels 
and  white-robed  Arabs  were  pacing,  was  caught  up  and 
filled  the  air :  the  palm  trees  swayed  and  stooped 
and  became  enveloped  in  dust.  We  had  only  got  in 
in  time.  A  boat  came  off,  pulled  by  four  Arabs  in 
striped  cashabbiyehs,  the  anchor  was  dropped,  and  we 
were  fairly  in  the  harbour  of  Trablus  Gharb.  This 
city  is  Tripoli  of  the  West :  Tripoli  of  Syria  is  Trablus 
Shark,  Tripoli  of  the  East. 

A  number  of  Tripolines  were  assembled  on  the  little 
jetty  to  see  us  land,  and  we  went  through  the  comedy 
of  passing  the  customs  authorities,  established  in  a 
shed.  Captain  Kirkpatrick  pointed  out  to  me  a  burly 
gentleman  with  a  bronzed  face.  That  is  Mr.  England, 
he  said,  who  will  be  happy  to  receive  you  in  his  house. 
I  made  the  gesture  of  remuneration.  Certainly  not, 
said  the  little  captain  :  it  would  be  an  affront.  Then  I 
don't  go,  I  said.  You  must,  said  the  captain :  there 
are  no  quarters  available  in  the  city.  So  I  was  in- 
troduced to  my  host,  who  expressed  himself  very  hospi- 
tably :  porters  took  my  baggage  on  their  shoulders,  and 
we  made  our  way  through  an  old  stone  gateway  up  to 
the  house,  a  few  minutes'  walk  from  the  harbour. 

c 


i8  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  hi. 

Mr.  England's  household  resembled  Eobinson 
Crusoe's :  it  consisted  of  a  dog,  a  cat,  a  young  goat,  a 
few  birds,  an  antelope,  and  a  man  Peppo.  A  Maltese 
gentleman,  Dr.  Camilleri,  a  very  zealous  antiquarian, 
lived  with  him.  While  all  the  news  from  Malta  was 
being  told,  Mr.  England's  servant  was  preparing  my 
room,  the  best  in  the  house,  which  I  was  rather 
ashamed  to  monopolise. 

In  the  afternoon  we  sallied  forth  into  the  city,  which 
is  of  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  or  half  octagon,  mea- 
suring eight  hundred  and  fifty  yards  by  a  thousand 
yards.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  flanked  by  six 
bastions,  and  has  at  one  tip  the  castle,  at  the  other  the 
half-ruinous  forts.  The  sea  face  runs  in  a  gentle  curve 
round  the  end  of  the  harbour. 

Tripoli  has  three  gates.  Bab  el  Bahhr,  the  Sea  Gate, 
by  which  we  first  entered :  Bab  el  Meshiah,  opening  upon 
the  sea  beach  under  the  castle  walls:  and  Bab  el 
Djedid,  the  New  GTate,  behind  the  Jew  quarter, 
and  leading  to  the  Jewish  cemetery.  All  the  houses 
of  Tripoli  are  of  Moorish  character.  The  Europeans  live 
chiefly  in  the  quarter  between  the  harbour  gate  and 
the  centre  of  the  city.  Behind  this  lies  the  Jew  quarter. 
Between  the  European  quarter  and  the  bazaars  lies 
the  quarter  of  habitations,  chiefly  of  the  better  classes. 
The  city  is  much  smaller  than  Algiers  or  Tunis. 
The  population  of  Tripoli  has  been  estimated  variously 


CHAP.  III.  A   CITY   OF   THE   MOORS.  19 

at  from  twenty-five  to  fifteen  thousand.  Wars  and  plague 
have  rendered  the  latter  figure  more  probable  :  perhaps 
two  thousand  Turks,  ten  thousand  Moors,  two  thousand 
Christians,  and  two  thousand  Jews,  represent  the  ap- 
proximate present  population. 

The  bazaars  occupy  the  southern  end,  under  the 
wing  of  the  castle.  To  reach  them  from  the  harbour 
gate,  one  traverses  the  European  quarter  and  that  of 
habitations.  We  entered  the  long  blank  white  alleys  of 
this  neighbourhood,  where  flying  buttresses  overhead  cast 
broad  shadows  whenever  the  sun  is  not  in  the  zenith. 

We  came,  after  a  few  turns,  to  the  Turkish  bazaar, 
the  chief  and  broadest  thoroughfare  of  the  city.  White 
walls  on  either  side  carried  a  rude  roof,  under  which  vines 
trailed,  and  through  which  the  sunlight  streamed.  Here 
was  a  low  Moorish  gateway  to  a  khan  or  fondouk,  of 
which  the  interior  was  colonnaded.  Many  of  the  shop- 
fronts  were  painted  blue.  Here  were  the  barbers  and 
grocers,  the  silk  and  cotton  merchants.  The  crowd  was 
a  picturesque  one,  though  falling  far  short  of  a  Tunisian 
crowd.  Jews  in  dark  blue  turbans.  Moors  in  white 
turbans,  Turks  in  the  fez,  Arabs  in  brown  rough  barra- 
cans of  undyed  wool,  with  bare  brown  legs,  wandered  to 
and  fro.  Turkish  soldiers  in  Zouave  dress  and  gaiters 
strolled  hand  in  hand.  The  barbers'  shops  were  espe- 
cially neat,  having  gaily  coloured  racks  for  razors  and 
combs,  and  clean  matted  divans.     They  had,  too,  old 

c  2 


30  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  hi. 

hand-mirrors,  inlaid  with  ivory  and  mother-of-pearl, 
and  jars  of  leeches.  In  the  cafes  sat  Moors,  with 
clean  turbans  of  straw-coloured  silk  and  white  stock- 
ings, while  the  attendants  moved  quietly  about  with 
brass  trays  and  the  little  cups  of  scalding  coffee. 

Parrots  hung  in  cages,  and  leopard  and  jackal  skins 
in  some  of  the  shops.  Many  houses  had  the  Cairene 
wooden  latticed  windows,  now,  alas !  disappearing  in  the 
Egyptian  capital.  In  cooks'  shops  Arabs  were  devour- 
ing yellow  cakes,  fried,  by  perspiring  negroes,  in  copper 
pans. 

Next  came  the  blacksmiths'  bazaar,  the  entrance  to 
the  Djemma  '1  Basha,  and  the  apothecaries"  bazaar. 
We  watched  the  shops  of  dates  and  milk,  one  of  the 
most  common  resorts  of  the  poorer  classes :  who  found 
there  their  breakfast,  and  too  often  their  dinner.  The 
dates  were  pressed  in  esparto  paniers,  and  fresh  milk 
was  constantly  arriving  in  vessels  borne  by  asses. 
Honey  stood  in  vast  jars — much  of  it  comes  from 
Candia — esparto  baskets  stood  full  of  raisins,  beans,  red 
pepper,  and  ground  corn  for  kouskousou.  In  an  oil 
shop  stood  prodigious  jars  of  olive  oil,  like  those  of  Ali 
Baba,  and  one  had  only  to  travel  to  the  silversmiths' 
bazaar,  to  find  the  forty  thieves.  Much  of  the  oil 
comes  from  Zleitun  and  Imsellatah,  among  the  Grharian 
hills.  Sellers  of  oil,  having  asses  laden  with  skins, 
passed  us. 


CHAP.  m.  BAZAARS   OF   TRIPOLI.  21 

Near  the  long  colonnade  of  Djemma  '1  Bash  a  is  the 
flower  market.  Close  by  was  a  cafe,  and  on  seats  placed 
along  the  white  steps,  a  crowd  of  soldiers  in  white 
linen  were  enjoying  themselves.  Facing  the  mosque 
were  shops  of  ironmongers,  with  sheep-shears,  flat 
horse-shoes,  tin  powder-horns,  primitive  shot-pans,  and 
strings  of  cowrie  shells  brought  from  Tomboukto. 
Men  were  selling  coarse  quilted  linen  skullcaps ;  boys 
carrying  baskets  of  mulberry  leaves  and  blossom  were 
crying  out  for  proprietors  of  silkworms.  In  an  apothe- 
cary's shop  hung  ostrich  eggs :  a  little  farther  was  a 
leather-worker. 

We  went  out  by  the  south-eastern  gate  on  to  the 
seashore.  The  great  citadel  wall  at  this  point  runs  out 
like  the  bow  of  an  ironclad  ram,  and  forms  the  southern 
extremity  of  this  city  of  the  Moors. 

We  rambled  back  along  the  harbour  wall,  and 
called  upon  Mr.  Said,  my  fellow  traveller  from  Malta. 
I  visited  Mr.  Hay,  our  consul-general,  who  received  me 
very  kindly.  I  mentioned  my  wish  to  travel  to  Lebda 
— Leptis  Magna — which  lies  about  seventy  miles  east- 
ward, on  the  verge  of  the  Grreater  Syrtis,  and  Mr.  Hay 
promised  to  obtain  for  me  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  the  Kaids,  or  to  commanders  of  forts. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  club,  as  it  is  called : 
a  simple  billiard  room,  where  native  merchants  and 
Europeans  generally  meet  in  the  evenings,  to  talk  busi- 


22  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  in. 

ness  and  gossip.  Near  this  club  is  the  Catholic  church, 
with  a  school  attached. 

My  first  impressions  of  the  city  had  been  disap- 
pointing, as  regards  costumes,  bazaars,  and  buildings. 
Leo  Africanus — a  Moor,  born  in  Barbary  and  brought 
up  as  a  Christian  in  Granada — the  quaint  and  uninten- 
tionally humorous  geographer  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
says  the  houses  and  bazaars  of  Tripoli  are  handsome, 
compared  with  those  of  Tunis.  They  have  sadly  altered 
for  the  worse  since  Leo's  time,  or  those  of  Tunis  have 
vastly  improved.  The  first  few  days  after  my  arrival 
were  spent  in  prowling  about  the  bazaars,  and  through 
the  city  in  various  directions. 

Mr.  Osman  Warrington,  son  of  the  former  consul- 
general  here,  called,  and  most  kindly  offered  me  his 
services.  He  was  vice-consul  at  Misratah,  farther  east 
than  Lebda,  on  the  coast,  and  the  journey  to  Lebda  was 
very  familiar  to  him.  The  vice-consulate  at  Misratah  was 
to  be  given  up,  and  removed  to  Homs,  a  rising  little  port 
within  sight  of  the  ruins  of  Lebda.  Osman  Warrington 
was  then  building,  with  many  difficulties,  a  house  at 
Homs :  which,  poor  fellow,  he  hardly  lived  to  enter. 
He  recommended  to  me  a  Maltese  servant  named  Grio- 
vanni,  and  kindly  brought  from  the  castle  the  letter 
of  the  Pasha  of  Tripoli.  I  am  indebted  for  its  trans- 
lation to  a  gentleman  who  has  done  me  several  similar 
favours. 


CHAP.  III.  PREPARATIONS    FOR   LEBDA.  23 

With  respect  and  honour  we  allow  it  to  be  known, 
by  the  present,  to  those  who  are  invested  with  power, 
honour,  and  dignity  here  and  elsewhere,  that  the 
honourable  person  called  Monsieur  Eae,  from  England, 
accompanied  with  letters  and  documents  of  introduc- 
tions, as  also  by  the  acquaintance  and  dignity  of  the 
honourable  British  consul  of  the  Pashalik  of  Tripoli : 
and  who  has  now  our  will  and  recommendation,  to  all 
those  dignitaries,  &c.,  during  his  sojourn  and  while 
travelling  in  this  realm  :  to  assist  and  help  him  in  all 
his  wishes  and  desires  during  his  stay  and  travels.  The 
said  gentleman  has  obtained  this  our  Free  Will,  to 
show,  with  our  grant  and  favour,  that  he  may  go  and 
return  back  (there  and  here)  with  safety.  Delivered 
on  this  day,  11th  of  the  month  Safar,  1294  of  the 
Hejra. 

By  order  of  the  Divan  Dawlet  of  this  realm, 
Potentate 

MOUSTAPHA. 

Mr.  England's  servants  prepared  and  purchased 
necessaries  for  me — meat,  potted  fish,  bread,  salad, 
eggs,  wine,  coffee,  &c.,  &c.,  for  seven  days — and  dates, 
walnuts,  and  oranges  for  fourteen  days.  They  sought 
out  mules,  and  a  muleteer,  who,  with  his  boy,  was  to  take 
charge  of  the  animals.  An  indolent  dreamy  young 
Maltese— Annibale  by  name — who,  like  Giovanni,  spoke 
only  Italian  and  Arabic,  and  who  was  assistant  apothe- 


24  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  hi. 

cary  by  profession,  was  also  recommended  as  indis- 
pensable to  a  journey  of  this  kind  :  apparently  because 
idling  on  a  mule's  back,  with  a  gun  in  his  hand,  was  an 
occupation  which  afforded  him  especial  satisfaction. 
As  a  guide,  a  muleteer,  a  sportsman,  or  a  humorist, 
Annibale  was  a  failure :  and  I  have  often  asked  myself 
since,  what  special  purpose  in  this  journey,  or  in  the 
journey  of  life  generally,  Annibale  fulfilled.  He  seemed 
to  do  nothing,  to  know  nothing,  to  expect  nothing  :  in 
fact  he  was  a  kind  of  Maltese  Nihilist. 

An  active  day's  work,  which  included  all  the 
packing  for  the  morrow,  made  a  good  night's  rest 
welcome :  and  I  was  awakened  soon  after  daybreak. 
Going  down  stairs,  I  found  Giovanni  and  Annibale, 
with  two  Arabs,  in  a  state  of  high  excitement,  loading 
our  worldly  effects  upon  the  mules.  After  one  or  two 
false  starts,  we  ambled  away  through  the  empty  streets 
of  Tripoli. 


LEAVE  TRIPOLI.  2$ 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Set  out  from  Tripoli — Among  the  Palms — The  Dellou — Tadjoura — The 
Desert — Eas  al  Hamra — We  reach  Djefara — Reception — Accommo- 
dation— The  Kaid — The  Plagues  of  Barbary — Taphra — A  Eencontre 
— Sidi  Abd  el  Atti — Sjrian  Landscape — Weir — Country  of  the 
Bedouins — Bains — Homs. 

The  sun  was  just  rising  as  we  emerged  on  to  the  sea- 
shore, and  we  cantered  along  the  fresh  breezy  beach  to 
the  pahn  groves.  Looking  back,  we  could  see  the 
cream-coloured  city  of  Tripoli  glittering  in  the  early 
rays  of  the  sun.  The  wind  blew  freshly  from  the  land, 
and  broke  the  surf  which  met  it  into  showers  of  vapour. 
Dozens  of  fishermen's  boats  with  white  lateen  sails 
skimmed  swiftly  to  and  fro,  like  swallows  fly-catching. 
Sand  blew  from  the  beach  into  the  sea  :  the  white-robed 
Arabs  on  their  way  into  the  city  drew  their  barracans 
closely  round  them. 

We  passed  through  the  Wednesday's  market-place, 
and  entered  a  sandy  way  between  rows  of  high  mud 
walls — moulded,  as  though  of  concrete,  in  huge  cubical 
blocks.  Within  the  walls  were  gardens  with  delicious 
green  grass :  here  and  there  stood  a  little  white  tomb  or 
marabout,  and  beside  it  the  dusty  grey  trunk  and  trans- 


26  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  iv. 

parent  tender  leaves  of  the  fig  tree.  The  thin  delicate 
branches  of  the  pomegranate  bore  red  sprouting  leaves : 
poppies  of  brilliant  scarlet  stood  among  the  grass  :  the 
prickly  pear,  with  its  great  uncouth  trunk  and  its 
prickly  developments,  formed  a  hedge :  the  leafless 
almond  trees  were  covered  with  pink  blossom :  the 
olives  were  graceful  and  tall  as  cork  trees.  Above  and 
round  us  towered  into  the  clear  pale  sky  the  noble 
palm  trees,  through  which  we  were  to  ride  for  miles. 
This  forest  of  palms  is  the  finest  on  all  the  North  African 
coast.  Every  now  and  then  the  gusty  wind  came 
sweeping  through  the  palms,  which  hissed  and  rustled 
overhead. 

Four  miles  from  Tripoli  we  passed  the  Soukh  el 
Djemma,  the  site  of  the  Friday's  market :  with  the 
invariable  marabout,  over  which  fluttered  a  little  green 
and  yellow  flag.  The  Arabs  were  busy  irrigating.  Their 
apparatus,  which  takes  the  place  of  the  Egyptian  shadouf 
or  saklyeh,  is  the  sinieh.  Two  uprights  of  stone,  or 
sun-dried  brick,  standing  a  yard  and  a  half  apart,  sup- 
port a  pulley  and  axle.  At  the  lower  end  of  a  cord 
which  runs  over  this  into  the  well,  is  the  dellou,  a  half 
round  leather  bag  or  vessel,  with  an  iron  rim,  and 
with  a  leather  spout  depending  from  its  centre  like  an 
elephant's  proboscis.  The  dellou  is  let  down  into  the 
water  and  filled  :  the  bullock  at  the  other  end  of  the 
cord  begins  to  draw,  and  the  dellou  rises :  the  proboscis, 


CHAP.  IV.  FOREST   OF   PALMS.  27 

having  a  cord  attached  to  its  end,  is  drawn  up  in 
advance  by  an  Arab.  When  both  reach  the  pulley,  the 
end  of  the  spout  is  released,  .^nd  the  water  gushes 
out  into  a  reservoir.  An  inclined  plane  is  excavated  in 
the  ground,  down  which  the  bullock  marches,  his  weight 
assisting  in  raising  the  dellou  and  water.  How  does  he 
get  back  ?  asked  a  young  lady  to  whom  this  was  being 
explained.  He  turns  round  and  walks  back  up  the 
incline.  In  every  garden  or  enclosure  we  heard  the 
melancholy  creak  of  the  axle  and  the  gush  of  the  water. 
It  was  life  to  the  thirsty  soil. 

The  villages  of  Tadjoura  we  reached  after  two  hours' 
ride,  a  straggling  collection  of  little  white  houses  and 
gardens.  There  was  towards  the  centre  an  old  mosque, 
rather  of  Christian  appearance.  After  three  hours  the 
country  became  barer  :  we  lost  the  gardens  and  walls, 
but  there  were  still  palms  waving  in  the  wind.  To 
our  left  we  passed  a  small  lake  or  Salina,  from  which  the 
Tripolines  get  salt.  We  emerged  on  to  the  open  desert. 
The  sun  beat  fiercely  down  from  a  blue  sky  upon  the 
yellow  sand. 

I  was  full  of  regret  at  not  having  gone  by  sea :  the 
wind  was  strongly  in  our  favour,  and,  as  we  trudged  for 
hours  through  the  desert  in  the  hot  sun,  I  grew  sadder 
and  sadder.  Hour  after  hour  we  passed  through  the 
melancholy  waste,  having  to  our  right,  beyond  the 
pale  sand,  the  distant  range  of  the  Gharian,  and  to  our 


28  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  iv. 

left  the  heavy  surge  on  the  seashore.  The  wind  drove 
the  fine  sand  in  sheets,  till  we  seemed  to  be  riding  in 
a  river  of  sand  streaming  along  with  us.  Some  Arabs 
with  camels  joined  us — one  poor  man  being  bound  for 
Imsellatah,  only  fifteen  miles  from  Lebda :  and  having 
to  travel  all  night  to  arrive  in  time  for  the  market  in 
the  morning.  We  passed  in  the  afternoon  the  Wadi 
Eoumel,  a  small  stream  winding  down  among  tall 
reeds  into  the  sea,  where  it  soon  vanished.  Above 
it  was  Ras  al  Hamra,  Red  Point — the  Amarcea  upon 
the  river  Oinoladon,  of  the  Phoenicians — where,  on 
abruptly  rising  ground,  stood  a  marabout.  Among 
the  green  reeds  and  rushes  stood  three  palms,  the  first 
we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  forest  at  Tadjoura. 

On  we  went,  through  the  soft  yielding  sand,  our 
mules  sinking  to  their  knees,  and  at  times  stumbling 
heavily.  We  came,  towards  five  in  the  afternoon,  to 
a  second  Wadi,  El  Msid,  with  a  larger  stream  than  the 
Roumel.  We  had  ridden  since  daybreak  with  only 
one  halt :  and,  being  rather  exhausted,  threw  ourselves 
down  on  the  ground,  while  the  poor  mules  had  a  few 
mouthfuls  of  brushwood.  Riding  on  again  we  saw 
two  or  three  white  ainiehs,  and  some  palms  growing 
apparently  out  of  the  desert  >and.  Traversing  a  par- 
tially cultivated  district,  and  turning  our  backs  upon 
the  sea,  after  half  an  hour  we  espied  in  front  of  us  a 
low  white  quadranglar  building,  the  Castle  of  Djefara. 


CHAP.  IV.  THE   CASTLE   OF   DJEFARA.  29 

A  few  Arabs  and  blacks  were  loitering  in  front  of 
it.  The  sun  had  just  set,  and  the  dusk  was  coming 
quickly  on.  The  Bedouins,  whose  low  brown  tents 
we  saw  a  few  hundred  yards  away,  were  bringing 
their  herds  of  goats  and  kids  homewards  as  we  rode 
under  a  low  archway  into  the  fort.  Parts  of  it  were 
quite  ruinous.  We  were  taken  to  the  Raid's  principal 
room — a  small  miserable  outbuilding  in  the  courtyard. 
At  one  end,  on  a  little  brick  platform  raised  half  a  foot 
from  the  floor,  and  covered  with  a  mat,  sat  the  Kaid 
and  his  secretary :  one  or  two  officials  squatted  near 
them.  I  handed  the  Pasha's  letter  to  the  Kaid  ;  he 
looked  at  it  upside  down,  and  the  novel  form  of  the 
fine  large  handwriting  evidently  pleased  him.  He 
passed  it  on  to  his  secretary,  who  spelled  through  it, 
the  Kaid  smiling  and  bowing  to  me  as  its  contents  were 
related  to  him.  He  had  given  up  to  me  the  seat  of 
honour,  and  seemed  so  glad  to  see  people,  that  he  liglited 
a  cigarette  and  prepared  to  spend  the  evening  with  us, 
making  me  various  complimentary  speeches.  I  told  Grio- 
vanni  to  make  my  excuses  to  him,  and  to  say  that  I 
was  very  tired  after  our  long  journey,  while  I  en- 
deavoured to  impart  to  my  face  a  grateful  and  joyous 
expression. 

When  we  had  bowed  the  Kaid  out,  the  Arabs  un- 
loaded the  mules,  our  saddle-bags  and  hampers  were 
brought  into  the  hut, and  Giovanni  and  the  good-natured 


30  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  iv. 

Nihilist  prepared  dinner.    It  was  a  piercing  cold  night, 
and  the  Kai'd's  people  brought  us  a  small  three-cornered 
clay  pot,  full  of  charcoal.     The  door,  too,  had  lost  one 
of  its  planks,  and  therefore  one-third  of  its  width.     The 
Maltese  rolled  oif  to  sleep  on  the  floor :  in  spite  of  my 
better  judgment  I  adopted  the  Kaid's  straw  pillow,  and 
lay  down  on  the  brick  platform  with  a  thin  straw  mat 
alone  under  me.     In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  was  over- 
run by  a  needy  and  indefatigable  swarm  of  fleas.     After 
two  hours'  misery  I  was  falling  asleep,  when  the  mules 
outside  our  door  took  fright,  reared,  plunged,  and  the 
castle  resounded  with  unearthly  braying.     They  ceased 
at  last  and  my  chances  improved,  when  my  attention 
was  directed  to  a  curious  scratching  and  scuttling  about 
the  matting  and  baskets.    A  colony  of  rats  had  emerged 
from  a  hole  in  the  corner  of  the  hut,  and  with  angry 
little  squeaks   were  eating  their  way  into  our  esparto 
paniers.     At  times  they  varied  their  recreation  by  can- 
tering joyfully  over  my  body  and  those  of  the  sleeping 
Maltese.     Looking  out  of  doors,  the  castle  walls  were 
white  as  snow  in  the  moonlight,  one  or  two  brilliant 
stars  glittered  in  the  cloudless  sky,  and  I  could  hear — 
two  miles  away — the  magnificent  roar  of  the  sea.     I 
longed  desperately  for  sleep,  and  it  seemed  to  be  com- 
ing, when  two  cocks  suddenly  awoke,  and,  imagining 
the  moonlight  was  the  day,  began  to  crow  vigorously 
in  turns — the  success  of  one  stimulating  the  other.     It 


c\uv.  IV.  THE   CASTLE   OF    DJEFARA.  31 

was  now  three  in  the  morning.  Awakened  and  en- 
couraged by  the  cocks,  a  pair  of  owls  set  themselves  to 
screech  and  hoot,  the  mules  tuned  up  again,  the  rats 
frolicked  about,  and  the  fleas  sallied  out  in  numbers 
like  ants.     At  last,  in  spite  of  them  all,  I  fell  asleep. 

It  was  half-past  three,  and  we  were  to  be  on  our 
way  to  Lebda  at  six.  We  awoke  then,  and  after  a  cup 
of  coffee  and  a  mouthful  of  bread,  rode  away  from 
Djefara.  This  interesting  spot  is  all  that  remains  to 
mark  the  neighbourhood  of  Pliny's  Taphra,  Ptolemy's 
Garapha  Portus,  Scylax's  Gaphara,  lying — as  all  those 
authors  agree — about  midway  from  Leptis  Magna  to 
New  Tripoli.  By  the  Greek  geographers  it  was  known 
as  Oinospora,  lying  nearer  to  the  coast  than  the  Castle 
of  Djefara,  and  having  once  a  double,  but  very  exposed, 
anchorage  at  the  point  now  known  as  Kas  el  Djefara. 

We  passed  over  a  better  track,  in  places  much 
covered  with  sand.  We  were  two  miles  from  the  sea  : 
on  our  right,  among  the  Gharian  hills,  were  many 
Bedouin  encampments.  On  either  side  of  our  path  we 
passed  the  low  brown  tents  in  dozens,  their  sun- 
burnt owners  tending  their  herds  of  goats  or  ewes,  and 
watching  over  their  poor  sparse  crops  of  wheat  and 
barley.     After  sunrise  it  grew  very  hot. 

An  Arab  met  us,  hurrying  towards  Tripoli.  He 
was  an  intimate  friend  of  our  Arab  mule-proprietor, 
and   their   greeting  was  long  and  affectionate.     How 


32  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  iv. 

are  you  ?  Well,  how  are  you  ?  Thank  God !  how 
are  you  ?  Goodness  gracious !  how  are  you  ?  God 
bless  you !  how  are  you  ?  When  each  was  satisfied 
how  the  other  was,  the  stranger  told  us  he  was  carrying 
to  Tripoli  the  news  of  a  savage  murder.  A  Maltese 
blacksmith  living  at  Horns  had  a  young  Maltese  assist- 
ant. This  youth  appeared  to  have  concerted  with  the 
blacksmith's  wife  the  unfortunate  man's  murder.  Early 
this  morning  she  admitted  him  to  the  house,  when, 
falling  upon  the  sleeping  blacksmith,  he  stabbed  him 
repeatedly.  The  wife  then  sprinkled  sand  upon  the 
floor  in  a  vain  attempt  to  cover  the  blood,  gave  the 
murderer  a  change  of  clothes,  and  he  returned  to  his 
lodgings.  In  the  morning  the  soldiers  knocked  at  his 
door  and  took  him  to  the  Castle  of  Horns,  where  he  re- 
mained chained  hand  and  foot. 

We  passed  the  dry  watercourses  of  the  Wadi  Turbat 
and  the  Wadi  Bijibara,  and  rode  along  as  before. 
Towards  noon  we  met  a  party  of  seventy  Turkish 
soldiers,  trooping  along,  poor  fellows,  on  foot^  and  having 
their  baggage  carried  by  camels.  In  the  midst,  on  a 
camel,  was  a  high  scarlet  palanquin  carrying  the  lady 
of  the  officer.  The  old  boy  himself,  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
and  looking  as  if  he  had  not  shaved  for  a  week,  rode  at 
the  end  of  the  procession  on  a  large  donkey.  After  a 
short  halt  at  mid-day,  in  sight  of  the  famous  marabout 
of  Sidi  Abd  el  Atti  and  its  palm  woods — near  to  which 


chap.it.  an   encounter.  33 

the  English  traveller  Captain  Smyth  found  traces  of 
a  Troglodyte  village,  and  of  tesselated  pavement — we 
pushed  on. 

The  Gharian  range  had  been  gradually  approaching 
the  coast,  and  we  came  among  the  high  ground.  The 
country  grew  remarkably  like  the  Holy  Land — round 
stony  hills  and  grey  rocks  with  brushwood,  and  rich 
sheltered  patches  of  cultivation  in  the  valleys.  We 
wound  up  among  the  hills,  and  came  early  in  the  after- 
noon to  the  ruins  of  a  weir  which  ran  across  the  end  of 
a  valley  and  ended  against  the  face  of  a  cliff.  There 
was  no  water  now.  In  some  of  the  valleys  we  entered 
were  delicious  gardens.  In  the  rich  red  soil  stood 
sprouting  pomegranates,  fig  trees  with  tender  young 
leaves,  and  almond  trees  in  full  blossom.  We  were  in 
the  Djebel  Tarhuna,  part  of  the  Gharian  range.  We 
passed  hundreds  of  Bedouins'  tents,  flat  and  dark,  with 
palisades  of  matting  to  shelter  them.  Dogs  would 
come  tearing  out  open-mouthed  as  we  passed,  and  the 
little  Bedouin  children  would  run  away,  scared  at  our 
looks.  Euined  towers  stood  on  the  hills :  the  country 
is  strewn  with  ruins.  To  our  right,  thirteen  miles 
inland,  lay  Imsellatah. 

All  day  we  had  had  but  occasional  glimpses  of  the 
sea,  but  in  the  afternoon  we  came  in  full  sight  of  it, 
and  could  see — some  miles  away  down  by  the  shore — the 
dark  shapeless  masses  of  the  masonry  of  Lebda.     Near 

\ 


34  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE  MOORS.  chap.it. 

the  promontory  of  Hermes  lay  the  little  white  Arab  town 
of  Horns  or  Khommos — Chickpeas,  though  I  don't  know 
how  the  town  got  that  name.  It  contains  now  perhaps 
twelve  hundred  inhabitants,  and  is  acquiring  yearly 
more  importance  from  the  development  of  the  esparto 
trade.  Building  is  going  on,  and  the  little  place  is 
rapidly  expanding.  I  have  said  that  the  vice-consulate 
of  Misratah  is  to  be  transferred  hither.  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  Leptis  Magna  extended  as  far  as  these 
hills :  ruins  of  considerable  buildings  cover  them  thickly, 
more  than  would  indicate  the  mere  outskirts  of  a  city. 
The  great  Leptis,  too — the  birthplace  of  an  Emperor, 
an  ally  of  Eome,  possessed  of  splendid  temples  and 
public  buildings,  renowned  for  its  wealth,  yielding 
tribute  at  the  rate  of  one  talent  a  day  to  the  Imperial, 
Treasury — could  not  have  been  comprehended,  as  is 
believed,  within  the  space  of  ten  thousand  square  yards. 


EJv^.'Hat.tgry 


THE  CASTLE  OF  HOMS.  35 


CHAPTER  V. 

Received  at  the  Castle — The  Kaid — Murderers — Our  Quarters — Ride  to 
Lebda — Debris — Columns — Heat — Wadi  Lebda — Group  of  Ruins — 
Temples — Severus — The  Evil  Eye — Triple  Arch — Depredations — 
Lepide — Its  Origin  and  History — A  Legend  of  Leptis — The  Gulf  of 
Syrtis  Major. 

We  rode  down  into  Horns  after  the  sun  had  set.  We 
had  come  in  two  days  from  Tripoli :  the  journey  is 
often  made  one  of  four  days,  generally  of  three.  We 
rode  up  to  one  of  the  two  whitewashed  castles  or  forts, 
that  where  the  Kaid  resided,  and  dismounted.  There 
were  officers,  soldiers,  and  officials  idling  about,  and 
we  said  we  had  come  iipon  a  short  visit.  As  this  did 
not  awaken  any  sudden  cordiality,  we  said  we  had  a 
letter  from  the  Pasha  to  the  Kaid,  whom  we  wished 
to  see.  They  said  the  Kaid  had  joined  his  family  for 
the  evening,  and  hinted  that  he  must  not  be  disturbed. 
We  asked  them  not  to  put  themselves  out  of  the  way, 
as  we  should  go  to  the  other  fort  and  stay  with  the 
Kaimakam  commanding  the  soldiers.  This  alarmed 
them,  and  they  begged  Us  not  to  go  away,  as  it  would 
distress  the  Kaid  very  much.     Some  of  them  hastened 

D  2 


36  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  y. 

off  to  inform  his  Excellency,  and  we  were  promptly 
ushered  through  the  courtyard,  up  an  outer  staircase 
of  stone,  into  a  large  handsome  room,  with  a  cushioned 
divan  at  one  end. 

Very  soon  the  Kaid  appeared,  an  astute-looking 
Turk  in  spectacles,  who  expressed  himself  very  cor- 
dially and  hospitably.  He  sent  at  once  to  prepare  a 
room  for  me  in  a  house  overlooking  the  sea,  and  his 
servants  brought  coffee  and  cigarettes.  We  had  a 
long  chat,  he  speaking  Turkish :  and  Griovanni,  who 
was  a  fluent  interpreter,  and  expressed  himself  excel- 
lently, rendering  his  words  into  Italian  for  me.  He 
assured  me  it  gave  him  profound  pleasure  to  receive 
me,  and  trusted  I  would  not  fail  to  express  any  wish 
I  might  have.  He  added  that  it  would  grieve  him 
beyond  belief  if  I  did  not  remain  at  Homs  for  at 
least  a  week.  I  said  that  his  friendliness  quite  re- 
minded me  of  home,  and  that  I  should  remain  as  long 
as  possible  his  guest.  He  spoke  of  the  tragedy  of  the 
morning :  the  victim  had  been  buried  as  we  were  en- 
tering Homs.  There  were  twelve  or  fourteen  murderers, 
he  told  me,  under  his  charge :  several  under  sentence 
of  death,  and  he  only  awaited  confirmation  of  their 
sentence  from  Constantinople.  The  Kaid  himself  was 
formerly  Grovernor  of  Pera. 

We  went  downstairs,  and,  as  we  spoke  to  the  officials 
in  the  gateway,  we  heard  the  clank  of  chains,  and  saw 


CHAP.  T.  NIGHT  AT   HOMS.  37 

beside  us  a  dozen  Arabs  chained  two-and-two,  trooping 
in  from  building  work  down  by  the  beach,  and  guarded 
by  a  few  armed  soldiers.  Many  had  evil-looking  faces, 
and  stared  at  us  defiantly.  They  were  the  murderers  : 
some  of  them  would  complete  their  sentence  in  a  few 
weeks  by  swinging  from  a  rope  in  the  Castle  yard. 
Poor  wretches,  the  look  of  death  was  already  in  their 
faces.  Twelve  murderers  chained  together  :  it  was  not 
a  pleasant  sight,  and  there  was  something  very  horrid 
in  the  jangle  of  their  chains.  "We  found  a  bare  room, 
made  comfortable  by  divans  and  soft  quilts,  from  the 
Raid's  own  rooms,  prepared  for  us.  It  was  an  upper 
storey,  and  the  roof  below  us  formed  a  terrace  looking 
over  the  sea. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  we  were  under  way, 
on  the  mules,  for  the  ruins  of  Leptis,  two  miles  distant. 
We  reached  a  solitary  standing  monument :  a  tall 
slender  panelled  and  pilastered  erection,  with  the  lower 
portion  remaining  of  the  pyramid  which  once  formed 
its  apex.  It  had  been  split  from  summit  to  base,  and 
the  half  facing  landwards  had  fallen  away,  and  lay 
among  other  strewn  fragments  on  the  ground.  The 
sea  front  was  still  tolerably  perfect.  It  was  a  delicious 
morning,  and  the  ripple  on  the  Mediterranean  broke 
musically  on  the  white  beach  as  we  took  a  photograph 
of  the  monument.  Close  behind  it,  near  a  strip  of 
palms,  was  the  grave  of  the  murdered  Maltese. 


38  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  v. 

We  rambled  on  through  sand-drifts,  and  over  ground 
covered  with  fragments  of  stone,  pottery,  marble,  par- 
ticles of  mosaic,  angles  of  pediments,  broken  frusta,  and 
chips  of  acanthus  and  of  shafts.  We  could  not  resist 
wasting  half-an-hour  in  groping  among  them,  finding 
polished  marble  tiles,  pieces  of  opal  glass,  and  copper 
coins  :  the  ground  simply  teems  with  them.  I  sent 
the  Nihilist  to  a  Bedouin  douar  among  the  palms 
to  borrow  or  steal  a  spade  or  pickaxe :  but  the  Bedouins 
would  not  lend  anything  to  such  an  irresponsible  look- 
ing stranger,  and  he  returned  shrugging  his  shoulders 
and  saying,  Non  c'e.  In  my  disappointment  I  delivered 
myself  ot  a  bitter  smile  which  I  had  been  maturing, 
and  called  him  an  Italian  word.  As  we  advanced,  the 
accumulations  of  sand  became  wider  and  deeper,  ex- 
tremities of  columns  and  angles  of  buildings  protruded, 
mournfully  calling  attention  to  their  helpless  state. 
A  buried  city,  however,  is  a  greater  satisfaction  to  the 
mind  than  a  vanished  city. 

I  confess  I  was  greatly  disappointed  with  what  I 
had  seen  so  far :  nothing  was  in  sight  but  a  few  gro- 
velling remains  among  rolling  sand-hills,  white  and 
quivering  in  the  sun's  glare.  I  thought  the  whole  place 
was  a  fraud,  and  said  morosely  that  I  had  been  sent  on  a 
fool's  errand.  I  told  Giovanni,  who  tried  to  amuse  me 
by  conversation,  that  he  was  tedious  :  and  Annibale,  who 
said  nothing,  that  he  had  barely  escaped  being  an  imbe- 


CHAP.  T.  LEBDA.  3^ 

cile.  When  I  thought  of  the  sleepy  stubborn  muleg, 
the  two  days'  ride,  the  fearful  night  at  Djefara,  and  con- 
templated the  repetition  of  them,  I  gave  way  to  disgust. 
"We  went  down  to  the  beach  and  photographed,  for 
want  of  anything  better,  three  prostrate  columns  of 
considerable  diameter.  They  were  of  beautiful  cipol- 
line,  or  pale  green  and  white  streaked  marble,  and  had 
a  little  history  of  their  own.  Early  in  the  century  the 
Pasha  of  Tripoli  presented  to  the  British  Grovemment 
forty  of  the  Lebda  colunms.  The  Weymouth  was 
sent  to  embark  them,  and  transported  to  England 
thirty-seven  fine  shafts,  which  were  placed  in  the  court 
of  the  British  Museum.  In  the  year  1824  they  were 
transferred  by  order  of  Greorge  IV.  to  Windsor.  The 
hatchways  of  the  Weymouth  would  not  admit  the  three 
cipolline  shafts,  and  they  were  abandoned.  Farther 
down  by  the  beach  were  numerous  others,  also  pre- 
pared for  shipment  by  the  late  consul-general  and  his 
son.  They  are  becoming  rapidly  disintegrated.  Above 
these,  on  a  sand-hill — no  doubt  accumulated  round 
the  wall  of  the  original  building — stood  the  only 
remnant  of  it,  a  melancholy  crooked  column :  left,  per- 
haps, facing  the  sea  in  order  to  serve  as  a  landmark. 
Beneath  it  lay,  among  heaps  of  sand  and  fragments, 
the  half  of  a  female  form  in  white  marble.  We 
trudged  up  farther  inland,  finding  two  white  and  beau- 
tifully-chiselled capitals  lying  on  the  sand. 


\ 


y 


40  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  v. 

The  baking  heat  of  the  sun — it  was  approaching 
mid-day — drove  us  to  the  inadequate  shelter  of  a  few 
marble  blocks.  We  had  become  sulky  and  dis- 
couraged, but  dates  and  walnuts  restored  our  cheerful- 
ness. On  the  hill  above  us  were  a  party  of  negroes 
carrying  baskets  to  and  fro.  We  shouted  to  them, 
asking  for  water,  and  they  directed  us  eastward  beyond 
some  rising  ground :  and  here  we  found  a  small  clear 
stream,  running  nearly  due  northwards,  over  a  sandy 
and  rather  slimy  bed,  down  into  the  sea.  At  its  mouth, 
bnceV  the  ■  Cothon  or  dock  of  Leptis,  were  masses  of 
heavy  masonry  :  and  visible  below  the  clear  green  water 
were  remains  of  two  moles.  On  the  east  bank  were 
traces  •  of  a  dock  for  smaller  craft,  though  the  Cothon 
could  not  have  accommodated  very  large  vessels.  These 
masses  of  stonework  are  being  slowly  buried  by  the 
alluvial  deposit  of  the  stream,  now  called  Wadi  Lebda. 
The  painstaking  Dr.  Barth  made  an  examination  of  the 
site  of  Lebda,  during  his  wanderings  along  the  Medi- 
terranean coast,  and  his  book  is  worthy  of  translation 
from  the  Grerman.  It  is  of  course  printed  in  the  small 
Gothic  type  so  painful  and  tiring  to  the  eyes :  and  re- 
sponsible, I  am  satisfied,  for  the  frequency  of  spectacles 
and  weakened  eyesight  among  Grermans. 

Across  the  river  lay  numerous  ruins  of  the  aqueduct, 
which  once  carried  to  Lebda  the  waters  of  the  Ciniphus, 
flowing  from   the   spurs    of    the   Gharian   known    to 


CHAP.  V.  RUINS   OF   LEPTIS.  41 

the  ancients  as  the  Hills  of  the  Graces.  Near  them 
were  some  large  reservoirs  and  numerous  baths,  adja- 
cent to  a  circus — once  ornamented  with  obelisks  and 
columns :  and  above  them  were  the  vestiges  of  a  theatre. 

Looking  up  the  river,  and  on  its  left  or  western 
bank,  was  an  encouraging  sight — an  extensive  and  pic- 
turesque group  of  ruins,  walls,  doorways,  a  fort  or 
temple,  a  Roman  arch,  and  other  miscellaneous  objects, 
which  must  have  been  once  a  prominent  feature  in 
Leptis  the  White.  We  strolled  up  the  wet  hard  sand 
by  the  river,  and  coming  within  range  we  photographed 
the  group  of  buildings,  reflected  in  a  clear  pool  where  a 
mass  of  masonry  had  dammed  a  portion  of  the  stream. 
Two  or  three  negroes  came  down  from  their  work  to 
drink  in  the  river.  Wallah  !  they  said,  as  they  saw  the 
camera,  but  they  thought  poorly  of  it  when  they  saw  no 
result.  They  even  laughed  mockingly  at  Annibale,  as 
he  dozed  in  the  shadow  of  a  wall,  and  hinted  that  he 
was  a  Kafir. 

We  climbed  up  through  the  sinking  sand,  and  over 
blocks  of  fallen  masonry,  marble  pediments,  and  walls, 
to  the  middle  of  the  group  of  buildings.  On  the  brink 
of  the  river  stood  the  corner  of  a  building — rectangular 
without  and  circular  within — two  storeys  in  height 
still.  The  exterior  was  of  cemented  rubble,  having  at 
intervals  a  few  courses  of  flat  red  bricks :  the  interior 
was  faced  with  carefully  hewn  stone.     There  were  traces 


42  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  v. 

of  stairs,  but  they  were  too  ruinous  for  climbing  with 
agility  in  the  hot  sun.  From  this  ran  northward  along 
the  top  of  the  river  bank  a  straight  wall,  having  brick 
and  rubble  masonry  without  and  hewn  stone  within. 
Grreat  heaps  of  the  white  facing  lay  in  long  rows,  with 
cornices,  jambs,  pediments,  and  slabs.  Masses  of  the 
cAncrete  had  fallen  into  the  river  bed.  At  the  south 
end  of  the  crescent-shaped  wall  was  a  fracture,  from 
which  had  fallen  into  the  river  a  huge  block,  weighing 
perhaps  a  hundred  tons,  solid  and  cohesive  just  as  it 
had  fallen. 

From  the  angle  of  the  semicircular  wall  ran  at  right 
angles  a  gateway,  with  a  round  arch  of  considerable  size. 
It  is  still  complete,  but  threatens  to  yield  before  long. 
The  sill  is  visible,  worn  with  foot  and  hoof  marks. 
This  was  the  entrance  to  the  temple :  of  which  the 
western  wall  contained  two  handsome  doorways,  also 
complete,  though  the  white  stone  was  honeycombed  and 
crumbling :  and  within  the  enclosure  ran  a  line  of  white 
cubical  pedestals  which  supported  the  inner  columns 
of  the  temple.  At  the  farther  end  of  the  west  wall  a 
triple  doorway,  two-thirds  buried,  led  into  an  inner 
temple,  which  was  almost  full  of  drift  sand.  A  few 
battered  and  shivered  cipolline  columns  stood  here. 
The  Moslems  had  smashed  all  of  them  that  they  could 
reach :  indeed  the  sand  has  to  be  thanked  for  burying 
what  must  be  rich  traces  of  this  city.     Here  the  warlike 


CHAP.  V.  BEDOUINS.  43 

Severus,  familiar  in  our  English  history,  began  his  days 
in  the  year  of  Christ  146,  ending  them  at  York. 
Eboracum  has  now  the  advantage  over  Leptis.  In  the 
angle  of  the  temple  coml  the  sand  had  piled  itself  up 
to  the  height  of  the  spring  of  the  round  arch. 

We  went  on  to  the  open  space  to  the  southward. 
On  either  side  of  the  river  the  ground  is  covered  with 
walls,  masonry,  vaultings,  cisterns,  fallen  cornices,  and 
fragments  of  every  size  and  shape,  lying  in  sand  and 
brushwood.  We  came  to  a  fine  triple  arch  or  city 
gate,  relatively  free  from  drift  sand.  We  strolled  on 
towards  the  fringe  of  palms,  beyond  which  lies  the  open 
plain.  We  came  to  a  Bedouin  douar,  squatting  among 
the  palms :  and  while  I  photographed  the  scene,  the 
inhabitants  fearing,  poor  people,  the  evil  eye  with  its 
brass  rim  directed  upon  them,  took  refuge  in  the  tents. 
Yelping  dogs  flew  at  us,  and  we  could  hardly  persuade 
the  Bedouins  to  give  us  a  bowl  of  milk.  It  was  sour 
when  we  got  it,  and  undrinkable :  but  the  Bedouins 
considered  themselves  underpaid  by  the  piastre  Giovanni 
gave  them  for  it.  We  came  back  to  a  small  pic- 
turesque arch,  once  perhaps  a  suburban  gateway,  look- 
ing to  the  south  :  then  again  past  the  triple  arch  to  the 
central  group  of  ruins. 

Although  of  the  period  when  Eoman  art  was  on  its 
decline,  the  public  buildings  of  Leptis  are  admitted  to 
have  been  of  great  magnificence.      Indeed,  from  the 


44  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap,  v, 

remains  which  have  been  found  of  granite  and  marble 
monoliths,  no  cost  can  have  been  spared  in  its  con- 
struction. The  statuary  seems  to  have  been  of  the 
worst  taste,  and  the  ornamentation  florid  and  profuse. 
Amphorae,  paterae,  intaglios,  Carthaginian  medals,  and 
coins  of  Severus,  Julia  mother  of  Caracalla,  and  Alex- 
ander Severus,  have  been  found  here.  The  temple,  its 
court  and  inner  shrine,  the  vacant  pedestals  and  me- 
lancholy pile  of  white  and  yellow  marbles,  suggested 
scenes  very  different.  There  is  something  especially 
sad  and  lonely  about  the  ruins  of  Lebda.  So  fair  a 
city  is  now  so  complete  a  wreck. 

We  ascended  the  hill,  and  found  on  its  crest  a  gang 
of' fifteen  or  twenty  negroes,  with  a  Maltese  overseer, 
hard  at  workl  excavating.  They  had  come  upon  the 
fiiite  of  a  temple,  of  which  the  noble  red  granite  columns 
still  stood  erect  under  the  sand.  They  had  excavated  a 
huge  hole,  and  length  by  length  the  columns  were 
being  removed,  and  placed  ready  for  transport  to 
Homs.  This  disgraceful  traffic  is  destroying  what 
remains  of  Lebda's  glories.  Maltese  and  low  Mediter- 
ranean traders  in  Homs  are  growing  rich  upon  the  sale 
of  columns.  They  have  been  doing  this  since  the 
beginning  of  the  century ;  and  unless  some  one  inter- 
feres, future  travellers  will  have  to  seek  for  ruins  of 
Leptis  in  the  olive-mills  of  Tripoli,  Sfax,  Susa,  and  the 
other  Barbary  ports.     Invaluable  as  olive- crushers,  the 


CHAP.T.  ORIGIN  OF   LEPTIS.  45 

shafts  are  being  shipped  wholesale  for  sale  to  the  oil- 
merchants.  One  Maltese,  who  came  penniless  to  Horns, 
has  now  a  shop  of  his  own  and  is  doing  well.  We  gave 
the  poor  hard-worked  Africans  a  piece  of  money  each, 
though  it  went  to  my  heart  to  see  what  they  were  about. 

Leo  Africanus  says — '  Of  the  towne  of  Lejpide  :  This 
ancient  towne,  founded  by  the  Komans,  and  enuironed 
with  most  high  and  strong  walles,  hath  twise  been 
sacked  by  the  Mahumetans,  and  of  the  stones  and  ruins 
thereof  was  Tripolis  afterwards  built.'  Leo  seldom 
made  a  mistake,  and  it  requires  much  more  than  the 
drifting  of  sand  to  account  for  the  disappearance  of 
great  buildings  and  their  materials  :  but  Leptis  was  not 
destroyed  till  the  seventh  century,  and  Tripoli  was  built 
before  Aurelian's  time.  Leo  should  have  said  '  rebuilt.' 
Unlike  Palmjrra,  where  the  temples  and  palaces  still  lie 
piecemeal  on  the  ground,  and  need  only  the  work  of 
man  to  restore  them,  Leptis  lies  within  easy  reach  of 
the  sea,  and  her  materials  have  vanished  bodily. 

Leptis,  afterwards  called  Magna  from  its  wealth 
and  importance,  was  founded,  as  I  have  said,  at  an 
early  period  by  the  indefatigable  Sidonians :  and  next 
to  Carthage  and  its  neighbour  Utica,  it  was  regarded 
as  the  chief  among  their  foreign  settlements.  Surviv- 
ing the  first  Carthage,  it  flourished  under  the  protec- 
tion and  government  of  Eome.  The  Leptians,  though 
retaining  their  Phoenician  laws  and  customs,  had,  from 


46  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  v. 

constant  intercourse  and  alliance  with  the  Numidians 
or  Berbers,  adopted  their  language,  and  retained  it  in 
the  time  of  Sallust  and  the  Jugurthine  wars.  During 
this  period  Leptis,  being  threatened  with  civil  disturb- 
ances and  attacked  by  the  Numidians,  sent  deputies  to 
the  Consul  Metellus,  who  commanded  in  Africa,  pray- 
ing for  a  garrison.  The  city  having  been  true  to  Eome 
from  the  commencement  of  the  Numidian  wars,  Metel- 
lus sent  four  cohorts  of  Ligurians,  and  relieved  the  city. 

During  the  Vandal  occupation  of  Barbary,  the  forti- 
fications of  Leptis  seem  to  have  been  dismantled :  to  be 
restored  in  the  days  of  Justinian,  who  required  it  as  a 
strategical  point.  Once  Leptis  was  closely  invested  by 
a  Berber  tribe,  known  to  the  Eomans  as  Levatse.  Eighty 
of  the  Lewateh  were  admitted  to  Sergius  the  Prefect's 
presence,  to  complain  of  certain  wrongs.  One  of  the 
petitioners,  in  his  eagerness  seizing  the  robe  of  Sergius, 
was  slain  by  an  officer,  and  this  was  the  signal  for  the 
massacre  of  the  remainder  of  the  deputation.  After  one 
bloody  and  successful  sally,  Sergius  was  again  shut  up 
here,  and  so  hardly  pressed  that  he  had  to  abandon  the 
city  and  retire  along  the  seacoast  to  Carthage. 

There  is  a  picturesque  legend  in  connection  with 
this  city  over  whose  ruins  we  are  brooding.  When 
Cyrene  and  Carthage  were  in  their  glory,  the  vast  sandy 
waste  separating  them  having  no  river  or  mountain 
they  could  regard  as  a  boundary,  long  and  bloody  dis- 


CHAP.  V.  A   LEGEND   OF  LEPTIS.  47 

putes  took  place.  Tired  of  these,  the  rival  powers  agreed 
that  from  each  capital  should  set  out  simultaneously 
certain  deputies  :  the  spot  where  the  respective  depu- 
ties should  meet  should  be  the  boundary  thereafter. 

Two  brothers — Philaeni — set  out  from  Carthage, 
and,  travelling  swiftly,  outstripped  the  more  dilatory 
Cyrenians,  encountering  them  on  the  shores  of  Leptis. 
Enraged,  and  fearing  the  vengeance  of  their  country- 
men, the  Cyrenians  began  to  pick  a  quarrel,  and 
declared  they  would  'fix'  the  Carthaginians,  who 
must  have  started  before  their  appointed  time.  They 
gave  them  the  option  of  withdrawing  to  the  spot  the 
Cyrenians  desired  as  boundary,  or  of  being  buried  alive 
where  they  stood.  The  disinterested  Philaeni,  for  the 
welfare  and  glory  of  their  fatherland,  chose  the  latter 
alternative,  and  were  interred,  living,  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  these  ruins.  Here  the  Carthaginians 
erected  altars,  and  instituted  at  Carthage  religious 
solemnities  in  their  honour.  We  were  on  the  point  of 
shedding  a  tear  to  the  memory  of  the  Philaeni,  when 
we  referred  to  our  chart,  and  discovered  that  the 
Cyrenians  must  have  travelled  from  seventy  to  eighty 
miles  more  than  the  Carthaginians. 

In  the  tide  of  Mohammedanism  which  swept  along 
this  coast,  the  walls  and  temples  of  Leptis  were  demo- 
lished, and  the  city  was  wiped  out  from  the  page  of 
history. 


48  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  t. 

The  famous  gulf  upon  whose  skirts  we  are,  extending 
ing  hence  to  Ptolemaita  in  the  Cyrenaica,  nearly  four 
hundred  miles,  is  said  by  the  ancients  to  have  ac- 
quired its  name  from  the  frequent  dragging  or  shifting 
of  its  bed.  When  the  winds  blow  violently,  the  sea 
rolls  with  a  prodigious  swell,  and  mud,  sand,  and  stones 
of  vast  size  are  forced  along  by  the  rapidity  of  the 
current.  Even  half  a  century  ago  the  Great  Griilf  of 
Syrtis  retained  its  evil  reputation.  Mariners  pass,  said 
Delia  Cella,  with  a  sort  of  horror  before  this  gulf, 
whose  annals  from  the  remotest  ages  abound  with  ship- 
wreck and  disaster. 

Misratah  is  the  last  town  towards  the  desert  of  the 
Syrtis,  and  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  Benghasi, 
the  Cyrenian  Berenice.  Caravans  still  go  from  Misratah 
to  Fezzan  and  Wadai.  In  the  time  of  Leo  Africanu^ 
Misratah  was  the  boundary  of  the  independent  king- 
dom of  Barca.  Couriers  used,  till  the  introduction  of 
steamers  to  the  Mediterranean,  to  traverse  this  region, 
from  Tripoli  to  Cairo,  in  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  days. 
The  journey  through  Fezzan,  the  ancient  Phazania,  the 
country  of  the  Garamantes,  was  familiar  to  the  an- 
cients, and  used  by  them  in  conveyance  of  precious 
stones  &c.  from  Egypt  and  Arabia  to  Europe.  All  the 
way  to  the  frontier  of  Egypt  are  traces  of  prosperity 
and  civilisation  long  since  dissipated.  These  culmi- 
nate in  the  noble  ruins  of  Libya  Pentapolis. 


RETURN  TO  HOMS.  49 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Return  to  Homs — A  Deputation — The  Kaid's  Hospitality — Copper 
Coins — The  Dead  City — Start  for  Tripoli — Wearisome  Journey — 
The  Gharian— A  Wedding— Djef4ra  in  the  Twilight— The  Owl- 
slayer — Continue  Journey — Great  Heat — The  Mecca  Caravan — A 
Bargain — Tadjoura — The  Hermitage — Frederick  Warrington — The 
Times  of  the  Beys — The  Harbour — Mussulman  Fanaticism — The 
Bazaars. 

The  hot  sun  was  declining  over  the  town  of  Homs  as 
we  turned  our  backs  on  the  ruins  of  Lebda.  Very 
wearily  we  mounted  the  poor  patient  half-baked  mules, 
and  trudged  homewards.  So  exhausted  were  we,  that 
one  circumstance  alone  could  have  exhilarated  and 
cheered  us.  That  circumstance  occurred.  Griovanni's 
mule  took  a  header  into  a  quagmire,  and  tossed  his 
rider  into  the  midst  of  it. 

We  foimd  'some  lemons  in  Homs,  and  prepared 
great  quantities  of  lemonade.  After  a  large  dinner, 
prepared  by  the  ]\Ialtese,  I  devoured  dates  and  walnuts. 
After  this  I  thought  well  to  send  a  message  of  thanks 
to  ths  Kaid. 

I  chose  Giovanni  as  the  deputation,  and  sent  my 
card,  with  Rae  Effendi's  compliments  to  the  governor 


50  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  vi. 

of  Homs.  Giovanni  was  to  assure  the  Kaid  that  I 
should  long  remember  his  hospitality  and  the  interest 
of  my  journey  to  Lebda ;  that  I  should  take  an  early 
opportunity  of  acquainting  the  Pasha  of  Tripoli  with 
both ;  and  that  I  hoped  one  day  to  have  the  honour  and 
the  happiness  of  receiving  the  Kaid  in  England. 
Griovanni  was  to  add  that  fatigue  alone  prevented  my 
thanking  the  Kaid  in  person.  Griovanni  was  to  ask 
too,  with  delicacy — seeing  we  were  not  lodged  in  the 
Castle  itself — whether  I  was  to  consider  myself  as  the 
Kaid's  guest. 

After  this  carefully-framed  message,  it  will  seem  re- 
pugnant to  belief  that  Giovanni  should  have  actually 
started  for  the  audience  in  his  shirt-sleeves.  The  cry 
with  which  I  called  Annibale's  attention  to  it  galvanised 
that  youth  into  agility,  and  he  had  overtaken  and 
brought  back  Giovanni  in  a  twinkling.  I  asked 
Giovanni  what  opinion  the  Kaid  could  entertain  of  an 
expedition  of  which  the  chief  dragoman  presented  him- 
self in  the  audience-chamber  of  the  Castle  without  his 
coat,  and  how  he  could  be  expected  to  receive  any 
future  expedition  with  consideration.  I  told  Giovanni 
that  the  coat  was  almost  invariably  worn  at  audiences 
in  the  best  circles,  and  he  seemed  moved. 

In  half  an  hour  Giovanni  returned,  accompanied  by 
an  officer,  whom  the  polite  Kaid  had  sent  to  bring  me 
an  expression  of  his  friendly  regard.     I  was  to  consider 


CHAP.  Ti.  COMPLIMENTS.  51 

myself  as  strictly  his  guest :  he  was  gratified  to  hear 
I  was  pleased  with  Lebda,  and  ashamed  not  to  have 
been  able  to  entertain  me  more  suitably. 

Later  in  the  evening,  as  I  was  strolling  on  the 
terrace  or  house-top,  the  officer  returned,  bearing  an 
envelope  which  contained  the  Kaid's  card,  Eefi 
Gouverneur  de  Pera,  and  his  photograph,  in  exchange 
for  which  he  asked  that  I  would  be  so  uncommonly 
kind  as  to  send  him  mine  from  England.  He  wished 
to  know  how  many  soldiers  I  should  like,  to  escort  me 
to  Tripoli :  but  I  thanked  him,  and  said  I  required  none. 
Poor  Kaid  I  it  was  a  change  from  Pera  to  Homs. 

By-and-by  a  native  of  Homs  appeared  with  a  few 
Roman  copper  coins,  which  he  wished  me  to  buy. 
These  abound  in  the  ruins  of  Barbary ;  and  so  plentiful 
are  they,  that  here  and  in  Misratah  they  pass  current  in 
the  bazaars  for  their  equivalent  copper  value.  My 
visitor  refused  for  half-a-dozen  of  the  coins,  a  mahhooh 
and  a  half,  for  which  I  afterwards  bought  a  hundred  and 
twenty  similar  coins  in  Kairwan. 

It  was  a  glorious  night.  The  sky  overhead  was 
like  a  cupola  of  deep  blue  steel  set  with  diamonds, 
resting  with  a  silver  rim  upon  the  sea.  The  restless 
surge  fringed  the  sea  with  white,  and  the  white  sand 
gleamed  in  the  starlight.  A  mile  away  lay  the  melan- 
choly buildings  of  the  dead  city. 

We  were  up  two  hours  before  dawn,  and  lost  no  time 

■  2 


52  THE   COUNTRV   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  vr. 

in  having  everything  packed  on  the  mules.  The  air 
was  raw,  and  a  chill  breeze  came  up  from  the  sea,  as  we 
rode  past  the  Castle  and  its  silent  watchmen.  I  was 
glad  of  a  long-hooded  coat,  and  even  of  the  exercise 
necessary  for  stimulating  my  mule. 

I  will  not  describe  the  length  and  loneliness  of  that 
weary  journey,  the  apathy  and  stupidity  of  Annibale 
and  the  two  Arabs,  the  prosy  self-commendations  of 
Giovanni,  the  sleepiness  and  stubbornness  of  the 
mules.  Haw  many  times  I  shouted  to  Annibale,  in 
what  startling  language  I  denounced  his  laziness,  in 
what  terms  I  described  his  inevitable  decline  and  fall, 
I  will  not  weary  the  reader  by  repeating.  Passing 
acres  of  ruins  among  the  mountains,  we  emerged  on  to 
the  tedious  plain,  remote  from  the  sea,  and  having 
glimpses  of  it  only  at  intervals. 

In  the  afternoon,  as  we  travelled  along,  we  heard 
the  frequent  reports  of  guns,  and  presently  came  in 
sight  of  a  concourse  of  people.  The  sounds  had 
aroused  expectations  of  a  battle,  a  skirmish,  or  even 
an  execution:  but  the  affair  proved  to  be  a  mere 
wedding.  When  Annibale  heard  the  joyful  shouts,  the 
firing  of  the  guns,  the  galloping  of  horses,  and  could 
see  the  Bedouin  bride  in  a  brilliant  red  dress,  he  was 
eager  to  jc«n  the  crowd.  But  I  told  him,  in  severe 
Italian,  that  we  were  making  this  journey  for  strictly 
intellectual  purposes,  and  not  to  go  fooling  about  at 


CHAP.  VI.  RETURN  TO  DJEFARA.  53 

weddings.  I  was  sorry  afterwards  not  to  have  gone, 
taken  the  bride's  portrait,  and  proposed  the  health  of 
the  groomsman. 

We  were  sad  all  the  way  to  Djefara,  which  we 
reached  an  hour  before  sunset.  The  needy-looking 
Kaid  greeted  me  with  a  cordial  Tnarhdba — welcome — 
and  after  a  cup  of  coffee,  at  winch  he  and  his  officers, 
three  tall  fine-looking  Arabs,  assisted,  we  sallied  forth 
to  take  a  picture  of  this  forlorn  and  lonely  Castle. 
They  squatted  on  the  ground  in  front  of  an  angle  of 
the  wall :  a  few  loafers,  who  were  the  only  remaining 
inhabitants  of  the  Castle,  stood  round  :  and,  in  the^  light 
of  the  rapidly-sinking  sun,  we  took  a  photograph  of  the 
spot.  We  retired  to  the  Castle — the  Kaid  giving  up  to 
me  his  small  room,  as  before.  Being  very  tired,  and 
wishing  to  make  an  early  start  for  Tripoli,  I  went  to 
bed  shortly  after  sunset. 

My  toilet,  before  retiring,  which  had  to  be  per- 
formed with  a  bucket  and  cold  water  from  the  well, 
excited  tlie  greatest  interest.  The  tooth-brushes  were 
chiefly  admired. 

Wliile  thus  engaged,  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun, 
and  Annibale  appeared,  highly  excited,  carrying  a 
dying  owl.  I  reproached  him,  and  so  dwelt  upon  the 
evil  fortune  certain  to  accompany  the  assassination  of 
an  owl,  that  Annibale  began  to  look  upon  himself  as 
doomed  to  misfortune,  like  the  Ancient  Mariner  after 


54  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap,  vi, 

he  had  murdered  the  albatross.  When  Annibale 
awoke  in  the  night  from  time  to  time,  and  heard  the 
mournful  squawk  of  the  widower  owl,  which  haunted 
the  Castle  yard,  he  did  not  feel  at  his  ease.  I  stole  a 
march  on  the  rats,  mules,  owl,  fleas,  and  cocks :  and, 
once  asleep,  defied  their  efforts. 

Awaking  much  refreshed,  an  hour  after  midnight, 
we  arose,  breakfasted,  and  in  the  chilly  moonlight  rode 
away  from  the  Castle  of  Djefara.  We  rode  for  some 
hours  before  the  day  appeared,  and  got  a  famous  start 
before  the  heat.  It  was  fortunate,  for  the  sun  was 
overpowering.  When  we  rested  on  the  sand  for  lunch, 
without  so  much  as  the  shelter  of  a  dwarf  palm,  it  was 
sickening  and  almost  unendurable.  No  breath  of  air  from 
sea  or  plain  or  the  cloudless  sky  came  to  our  relief.  We 
were  glad  to  get  into  motion  again :  even  the  exertion 
of  urging  on  the  mules  was  a  welcome  change. 

Soon  we  met  the  Mecca  caravan,  just  returned  from 
the  Haj  by  sea  to  Tripoli.  Many  of  the  pilgrims  were 
on  camels,  mixed  up  with  quilts,  pots,  pans,  and  vessels  of 
water  from  the  sacred  well  of  Zemzem.  Many  of  them 
were  white-bearded  and  fat,  chiefs  of  tribes  in  Fezzan, 
full  of  arrogance  and  bigotry  after  their  journey,  and 
regarding  the  Roumi  on  his  mule  with  especial  dis- 
pleasure and  contempt.  Some  muttered  curses  as  the 
camels  swayed  past  us — others  growled,  Kafir  I  One 
man  on  foot,  towards  the  end  of  the  caravan,  hissed 


CHAP,  VI.  A  BARGAIN.  55 

Khanzir  !     I  had  some  thought  of  sending  the  Nihilist 
to  recall  the  whole  caravan,  that  they  might  apologise. 

We  made  our  second  halt  on  the  welcome  arrival  at 
the  skirts  of  the  palm  forest  of  Tadjoura.  I  think  we 
should  have  made  a  third,  if  the  dates  and  walnuts  had 
not  given  out. 

Giovanni  had  had  a  hard  bargain  with  an  Arab  of 
Tadjoura,  who  had  caught  two  big  fish  at  a  spot  on  the 
lonely  coast,  and  had  accompanied  us  for  two  or  three 
miles  on  our  way  towards  his  home.  It  had  been 
reduced  to  a  question  of  half  a  piastre  between  them, 
and  rather  than  yield,  the  Arab  went  ofif  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  advance.  Giovanni  was  much  disappointed 
when  I  told  them  to  call  him  back,  as  I  would  pay  the 
half  piastre.  He  was  not  even  satisfied  when  I  paid  for 
the  two  fish  altogether,  and  made  him  a  present  of 
them.  He  felt  that  I  had  spoiled  a  good  bargain,  and 
that  the  Tadjouran  had  got  the  better  of  him. 

We  entered  the  palms,  and  rode  quietly  for  hours, 
the  mules  being  very  tired  and  able  to  go  but  slowly. 
The  siniehs,  and  their  creaking  pulleys,  the  long  lines 
of  mud  wall,  the  fig  trees  and  pomegranates,  the  Arab 
huts,  and  occasional  marabouts,  seemed  like  high  civi- 
lisation and  like  getting  home. 

At  one  in  the  afternoon,  when  within  two  miles  of 
Tripoli,  two  horsemen  met  us.  Osman  Warrington 
and  a  young  lad,  well  mounted  and  armed,  were  on 


56  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  vi. 

their  way  down  to  Horns,  to  bring  back  with  an  escort 
the  Maltese  murderer,  for  preliminary  examination  in 
Tripoli.  Osman  Warrington  told  me  his  brother 
would  much  appreciate  a  visit  from  me :  so  taking 
Griovanni  with  me,  and  sending  the  others  on  to  the 
city,  I  turned  off  through  the  palm  woods  towards  the 
seashore,  and  reached  Mr.  Warrington's  house — the 
Hermitage.  It  is  a  curious  rambling  house,  built  of 
wood  and  plaster,  looking  on  to  the  seashore  out  of  a 
picturesque  garden  of  palms,  lemons,  oranges,  and 
pomegi-anates.  A  little  black  boy  with  bright  eyes 
and  glittering  teeth  went  to  summon  Mr.  Warrington, 
who  shortly  appeared. 

A  tall  man,  with  white  hair  and  pleasant  voice — 
son  of  the  well-known  consul-general  here  —  born  in 
the  Eegency,  and  familiar  with  every  part  of  it, 
Frederick  Warrington  had  been  the  foster-father  of 
African  exploration  from  this  point,  and  had  gained 
the  esteem  of  every  traveller  who  had  come  to  the 
Eegency  to  penetrate  into  the  interior.  Eohlfs, 
Eichardson,  Vogel,  Lyon,  Beechey,  Overweg,  Barth — 
he  knew  them  all,  and  had  accompanied  many  of  them 
far  on  their  way. 

Tripoli  has  been  with  German  travellers  the  fa- 
vourite starting  point  for  inner  Africa,  and  some  of  them 
have  shown  noble  examples  of  courage  and  perseve- 
rance.    Frederick,  as  every  one  in  Tripoli  calls  him, 


CHAP.  VI.  OLD   DAYS   OF   TRIPOLI.  57 

showed  me  the  portraits  of  many  of  them.  Several 
never  returned.  He  would  have  accompanied  the  un- 
fortunate Miss  Tinne,  but  disapproved  of  the  tempting 
nature  of  the  equipage.  There  were  costly  horses, 
maidservants  handsomely  dressed,  and  iron  tanks  slung 
on  camels  to  carry  water.  Ah !  said  the  Bedouins, 
there  are  the  treasure  chests  of  the  Koumi  princess. 
Had  Frederick  Warrington  been  escorting  her,  her  life 
might  have  been  safe.  Kespected  by  the  Arabs,  his 
presence  would  protect  the  traveller  where  other  safe- 
guards might  not :  and  many  a  Tripoli  Arab's  oath  is 
By  Frederick. 

He  gave  me  a  long  history  of  his  recollections  of 
Tripoli  and  the  interior :  his  travels,  the  caravans,  the 
life  at  Grhadames  and  at  Murzouk,  capital  of  Fezzan, 
at  each  of  which  places  he  was  vice-consul :  the  old 
days  of  his  boyhood,  when  Consul  Warrington  ruled 
the  Bey  of  Tripoli :  the  splendours  of  Yussuf  Pasha's 
Court,  the  fiery  old  man's  eccentricities,  his  grand  re- 
ceptions of  the  foreign  consuls :  the  decline  of  his 
influence,  civil  dissensions,  and  finally  Tripoli's  absorp- 
tion into  the  Ottoman  dominions.  In  Fezzan,  and 
especially  near  Murzoiik,  the  palm  forests  are  most 
extensive.  One  can  ride  through  them  for  days  to- 
gether, and  for  many  a  week  dates  used  to  be  the  only 
diet. 

A  Turkish  bath  was  a  very  agreeable  finale  to  the 


58.  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  vi. 

journey,  and  I  emerged  from  it  refreshed,  but  feeling 
rather  as  the  American  traveller  felt,  like  a  disem- 
bodied spirit.  We  went  to  stroll  on  the  beach.  Pass- 
ing the  citadel,  we  saw  the  benevolent  Moustapha  Pasha 
issuing  forth  in  his  carriage  to  take  the  air.  Soldiers 
were  drawn  up  in  two  ranks,  and  saluted  as  he  passed. 
When  Yussuf  Pasha  used  to  go  forth  from  the  Castle, 
he  had  a  body-guard  of  seven  hundred  blacks. 

One  morning  early  we  went  out  to  fish  in  the  har- 
bour. We  landed  on  the  extremity  of  the  reef,  and 
fished  up  lovely  spiked  sea-eggs,  while  the  gentle  surge 
washed  over  the  rocks.  The  white-walled  city  and  palms 
looked  picturesque  under  the  bright  blue  sky.  Across 
the  harbour  we  could  hear  the  music  of  a  body  of  Turkish 
troops,  exercising  on  the  beach  under  the  Castle. 

We  found  an  Arab,  who  had  just  hauled  into  his 
boat  a  long  object  coated  with  shells  and  gravel  con- 
glomerate. It  was  a  mediaeval  arquebuse,  weighing 
probably  a  hundredweight.  We  landed  on  a  small 
jetty  now  being  constructed  in  an  exposed  inconvenient 
spot,  and  which  should  have  been  placed  under  the 
shelter  of  the  Castle  walls.  We  paddled  out  farther 
along  the  shore,  and  landed  close  to  a  ruined  earth- 
work, towards  the  Sultanas'  Domes,  the  tombs  of  the 
ladies  of  the  last  Beys.  We  entered  the  palm  groves, 
and  took  several  photographs  of  those  stately  trees  of 
which  the  eye  never  wearies. 


CHAP.  VI.         AN  ARCH^OLOGICAL  APPEAL.  59 

After  lunch  Mr.  Hay  called.  I  described  to  him 
the  appropriations  which  were  going  on  at  Lebda,  and 
he  said  readily  that  he  would  bring  the  matter  before 
the  Pasha.  An  order  would  be  given  which  probably 
would  never  be  carried  out,  and  the  matter  would  be 
forgotten  directly.  I  suggested  that  the  Government 
were  the  losers,  and  that  the  Kaid  of  Homs,  if  he  were 
authorised  to  fine  anyone  pilfering  from  the  ruins, 
would  keep  a  vigilant  eye  upon  them.  Mr.  Hay  pro- 
mised to  see  the  Pasha. 

The  murder  at  Homs  had  shocked  the  Europeans 
in  Tripoli.  Thanks  to  the  vigilance  and  harassing  to 
which  suspicious  characters  are  subjected  on  arriving  in 
the  Regency,  they  seldom  settle  :  and  crime  is,  taking 
everything  into  consideration,  rather  rare.  A  story 
had  reached  Tripoli  of  the  murder  of  an  Italian  by  a 
Maltese  in  Tunis,  of  an  apprehended  outbreak  of  Mus- 
sulman fanaticism,  and  of  unusual  precautions  urged 
upon  Christian  residents  in  Tunis. 

Mr.  Hay  promised  to  endeavour  to  get  permission 
for  me  to  visit  the  mosques  of  Tripoli,  but  he  was  a 
little  doubtful  of  success. 

Accompanied  by  an  obliging  Maltese  clerk,  who, 
like  an  enormous  number  of  his  countrymen,  was  quite 
innocent  of  the  English  language,  I  daily  repaired  to 
the  barbers'  shops  to  negotiate  for  the  old  inlaid  hand- 
mirrors.     The  adhesiveness  of  their  owners   to   them 


6o  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  vi. 

compared  favoui*ably  with  that  of  a  Eussian  peasant  to 
his  liousehold  gods.  Each  barber  too,  before  selling, 
was  waiting  to  see  what  his  neighbour  got  for  his  mirror. 

One  of  my  chief  friends  in  the  bazaars  was  a  Moorish 
barber  of  Sfax — with  the  manners  of  an  Abencerrage, 
and  the  handsomest  man  in  Tripoli.  His  smile  was 
charming  and  his  expressions  of  regard  were  most 
courteous.  He  regretted,  he  said,  a  thousand  times  over, 
that  he  could  not  sell  me  one  of  his  mirrors,  which 
had  belonged  to  bis  father  :  and  he  was  so  pleasant  that 
it  would  have  been  rudeness  to  refer  to  the  subject  again. 
He  wore  a  rosebud  under  his  snowy  turban,  a  grey 
pointed  beard,  dark  blue  cloth  dress,  an  embroidered 
sash,  and  had  handsome  brown  legs.  Another  friend 
was  a  merchant  who  sold  traysfull  of  rahatlakoom, 
having  walnuts  concealed  in  it :  and  he  thought  so 
highly  of  my  capacity  for  this,  that  he  begged  me  to 
go  to  his  house  and  see  how  he  made  it. 

I  knew  the  contents  of  every  little  drawer  and 
cabinet  in  the  silversmiths'  bazaar.  Sitting  in  one 
shop,  the  neighbours  would  bring  me  what  they  had 
to  show.  Nearly  all  the  silver-work  was  sold  by  the 
weight — which  we  could  have  verified  by  the  Muhhtasib, 
or  public  weigher  of  the  bazaar— and  a  trifle  was  added 
for  the  workmanship.  All  the  silver  bore  the  fine  old 
silver  mark,  and  was  unmistakably  pure.  All  manner 
of  things  were  brought — amulets,  bracelets,  very  mas- 


CHAP.  VI.  BAZAAR   DEALINGS.  6l 

sive  and  handsome,  earrings  large  enough  for  necklaces, 
loaded  with  pendants :  many  of  them  having  as  a  pen- 
dant the  khmissa,  or  outspread  hand,  to  avert  the 
evil  eye.  The  upper  rim  of  the  ear  is  pierced  to 
carry  these :  one  of  the  pendants  is  often  attached  to 
the  hair  or  cap  to  relieve  the  ear :  but  the  ears  of  many 
of  the  women  are  torn  and  frilled  round  the  edges.  And 
yet  we  attribute  to  women  a  want  of  fortitude.  These 
and  other  earrings — if  women  were  aware  of  it — are  the 
next  most  becoming  thing  to  wearing  no  earrings  at  all. 

Grold,  silver,  and  copper  coins  used  to  be  brought 
me.  Some  of  the  copper  ones  would  have  been  dear  if 
they  had  been  of  silver.  I  got  a  little  coin  of  Carthage, 
of  yellow  gold,  bearing  the  horse  and  palm  tree.  This 
piece  of  money  had  about  the  diameter  of  a  lead  pencil, 
and  would  have  been  very  easy  to  lose. 

A  little  Arabic  is  a  valuable  possession  in  these  deal- 
ings with  the  crafty  Oriental :  it  establishes  in  his  mind 
that  you  have  been  among  his  kindred  before,  and 
have  learned  cunning  through  adversity.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  him  to  ascertain  how  much  you  don't  know, 
and  he  gives  you  often  credit  for  more  than  you  de- 
serve. Arabic,  however,  like  French,  is  not  learnt  in 
a  day.  How  long  have  you  spent  in  learning  French  ? 
said  a  French  gentleman  to  an  English  one.  Only 
one  day,  said  the  Englishman.  Ah  !  said  the  French- 
man politely,  'tis  not  enough. 


62  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Pasha's  Gardens — Ostriches — John  Leo  on  the  Naturall  Historie 
of  Barbaric — Tombs  and  Coins— Giovanni  incorruptible — The  Tri- 
umphal Arch  of  Aurelian — Roman  Numerals — Prayers  for  Rain — 
Offering  to  the  God  of  Rain — Alteration  of  Plans — Cyrene  in  Prospect 
— The  Cyrenai'ca. 

One  evening  before  dinner  we  drove  out  past  the  Sul- 
tanas' Domes,  to  the  Pasha's  Gardens  in  the  Meshiah. 
They  were  very  productive  and  picturesque — full  of 
lemon  trees,  oranges,  palms,  and  all  kinds  of  vegetables. 
In  one  part  of  tliem  was  the  Pasha's  private  menagerie. 
This  consisted  of  a  bull — a  magnificent  creature — 
from  Bornou,  in  the  country  of  the  Blacks :  several 
dainty  little  gazelles :  certain  odd-looking  beasts  re- 
sembling, as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  a  goat,  a  Thibet 
Yak,  and  a  Brahmin  bull.  Finally,  a  number  of 
ostriches  were  ranging  about.  These  are  brought  in 
great  numbers  from  the  interior,  and  were  formerly 
kept  here  in  stables  and  farmed  for  the  sake  of  their 
feathers.  The  long  painful  journey,  however,  injured 
the  poor  creatures'  feathers,  and  they  are  now  plucked 
in  the  interior  and  the  feathers  brought  by  caravan. 


CHAP.  VII.  CONCERNING  THE  OSTRICH.  (63 

One  camel,  I  was  informed,  could  carry  as  much  as  ten 
thousand  pounds'  worth  of  fine  white  feathers. 

The  ostrich,  far  from  resenting  the  spoiling  of  his 
feathers,  is  multiplying  in  the  regions  of  Fezzan, 
Wadai,  and  Tomboukto,  and  seems  to  thrive  upon  it. 
He  is  a  singular  bird,  having  eccentric  tastes.  These 
ostriches  made  incessant  and  furious  pecks  at  a  ring  on 
my  companion's  finger.  They  seemed  fascinated  and 
unable  to  resist  it.  I  gave  them  pieces  of  newspaper, 
which  delighted  them.  They  thought  they  had  never 
tasted  anything  so  nice,  for  they  came  again  and  again, 
disputing  who  should  get  the  best  pieces.  We  tried 
the  chief  ostrich  with  a  piastre — a  showy-looking  coin 
— and  the  ostrich  made  three  attempts  to  swallow  it. 
Some  scruple  seemed  to  actuate  him,  and  we  found 
eventually  that  the  piastre  was  of  imitation  silver. 

It  has  been  related  to  me  that  an  elderly  gentleman 
with  a  bald  head  once  entered  a  zoological  garden.  It 
was  a  warm  afternoon,  and  the  old  gentleman  lay  down 
upon  a  bench  to  sleep.  Presently  he  was  awakened 
by  a  feeling  of  warmth  in  the  head.  An  ostrich 
had  come  along,  and  mistaking  the  bald  head  for 
an  egg,  had  settled  down  upon  it,  intending  to  hatch 
it.  The  old  gentleman  screamed  for  help,  and  even- 
tually the  ostrich,  disappointed  and  regretful,  was 
led  back  to  his  stall  by  a  keeper.  A  gentleman 
once  went  and  furtively  contributed   some  money  to 


64  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.        chap.  vii. 

an  ostrich.  After  doing  so  his  conscience  smote  him, 
and  he  went  back  guiltily  day  after  day  in  dread  of 
seeing  the  ostrich  a  body :  but  the  bird  continued  as 
lively  and  voracious  as  ever.  An  ostrich  has  digested 
as  many  as  twenty  copper  coins  at  a  time. 

The  gazelle,  which  abounds  in  the  interior,  is  hunted 
with  dogs.  The  gazelle  takes  great  leaps  and  easily 
distances  the  dogs  ;  but  becoming  exhausted,  especially 
in  heavy  sand,  is  overtaken  and  caught.  The  young 
are  brought  in  great  numbers  to  Tripoli.  The  gazelle 
at  Mr.  England's,  who,  with  his  neighbour  the  little 
kid,  sometimes  fraternises  with  me,  and  at  another  time 
trembles  from  head  to  foot,  is  an  orphan  gazelle  brought 
from  Ghadames. 

Near  the  gazelles  was  a  lonely  camel,  who  put  out 
his  head  and  roared  like  a  lion. 

I  cannot,  while  on  the  subject  of  African  beasts,  re- 
frain from  the  pleasure  of  repeating  a  little  natural  his- 
tory from  that  wonderful  and  droll  old  geographer,  Leo 
Africanus.  It  is  from  the  Ninth  Booke  of  the  Historie 
of  Africa,  wherein  he  entreateth  of  the  principall  Eiuers 
and  of  the  strange  lining  Creatures  of  the  same  Countrey. 

Of  the  Camel. — Camels  are  gentle  and  domesticall 
beasts,  and  are  found  in  Africa  in  great  numbers,  espe- 
cially in  the  Deserts  of  Libya,  Numidia,  and  Barbaria. 
When  the  King  of  Tombuto  is  desirous  to  sende  any 


CHAP.  VII.  SOME  NATURALL  HISTORIE.  6$ 

message  of  importance  vnto  the  Numidian  Merchants 
with  great  celeritie,  his  post  or  messenger  riding  vpon 
one  of  these  Camels  will  runne  from  Tombuto  to  Darha, 
being  nine  hundred  miles  distant,  in  the  space  of  eight 
daies  at  the  farthest. 

Of  the  beast  called  Adimmain.  —  It  is  a  tame 
beast,  being  shaped  like  a  ramme  and  of  the  stature  of 
an  asse,  and  hauing  long  and  dangle  eares.  I  myselfe 
vpon  a  time,  being  merily  disposed,  rode  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  vpon  the  backe  of  one  of  these  beasts* 

Of  the  Elephant.  —  This  wittie  beast  keepeth  in 
the  woods,  and  is  found  in  great  numbers  in  the  forrests 
of  the  land  of  Negros.  If  the  Elephant  intendeth  to 
hurt  any  man,  he  casteth  him  on  the  groud  with  his 
long  snout  or  trunk,  and  neuer  ceaseth  trampling  vpon 
him  till  he  be  dead. 

Of  the  beast  called  Dabuh. — This  beast  in  bignes 
and  shape  resembleth  a  woolfe — sauing  that  his  legges 
and  feet  are  like  to  the  legges  and  feete  of  a  man.  It 
is  not  hurtfull  vnto  any  other  beast,  but  will  rake  the 
carcases  of  men  out  of  their  graues,  and  will  deuoure 
them :  being  otherwise  an  abiect  and  silly  crea- 
ture. The  hunters  being  acquainted  with  his  denne, 
come  before  it  singing  and  playing  vpon  a  drum: 
by  which  melodie  being  allured  foorth,  his  legs  are  en- 
wrapped in  a  strong  rope,  and  so  he  is  drawne  out  and 
slaine. 


66  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  vii. 

Of  the,  creature  called  Dub. — This  creature,  living 
also  in  the  deserts,  resembleth  in  shape  a  lizzard : 
sauing  that  in  length  it  containeth  a  cubite  and  in 
bredth  fower  fingers.  Being  flaied  and  rested  it 
tasteth  somewhat  like  a  frogge.  Being  hunted,  if  it 
chanceth  to  thrust  its  head  into  a  hole,  it  can  by  no 
force  be  drawne  out  except  the  hole  be  digged  wider  by 
the  hunters. 

Of  the  Guaral. — This  beast  is  like  vnto  the  former, 
and  hath  poison  both  in  the  head  and  taile,  which  two 
parts  being  cut  off,  the  Arabians  will  eate  it,  notwith- 
standing it  be  of  a  deformed  shape  and  vgly  colour,  in 
which  respects  I  loathed  alwaies  to  eate  the  flesh 
thereof. 

Somewhat  we  will  here  say  of  the  strange  birdes 
and  fowles  of  Africa,  and  first  of  the  Ostriche.  This 
fowle  liueth  in  dry  deserts  and  layeth  to  the  number  of 
ten  or  twelue  egges  in  the  sandes :  which,  being  about 
the  bignes  of  great  bullets,  waigh  fifteene  pounds 
apiece.  But  the  Ostriche  is  of  so  weake  a  memorie 
that  shee  presently  forgetteth  the  place  where  her 
egges  were  laide,  and  afterward  the  same  or  some  other 
Ostriche-henne  finding  the  saide  egges  by  chance, 
hatcheth  and  fostereth  them  as  if  they  were  certainly 
her  owne.  The  chickens  are  no  sooner  crept  out  of 
the  shell,  but  they  prowle  vp  and  downe  the  deserts 
for  their  foode.     The   Ostriche  is  a   silly  and   deafe 


CHAP.  VII.  LEO  OUTDONE.  67 

creature,  feeding  vpon  anything  which  it  findeth,  be  it 
hard  and  indigestible  as  yron. 

Of  the  Camelion. — The  Camelion,  being  of  the 
shape  and  bignes  of  a  Lizzard,  is  a  deformed  crooked 
and  leane  creature,  hauing  a  long  and  slender  tayle  like 
a  mouse,  and  being  of  a  slowe  pace.  It  is  nourished 
by  the  element  of  ayer  and  the  sunbeames,  at  the 
rising  whereof  it  gapeth  and  turneth  itselfe  vp  and 
downe.  It  changeth  the  colour  according  to  the 
varietie  of  places  where  it  commeth,  being  sometimes 
blacke  and  sometimes  greene. 

Of  the  fowle  called  Nesir. — This  is  the  greatest 
fowle  in  all  Africa,  and  exceedeth  a  Crane  in  bignes. 
This  bird  liueth  a  long  time,  and  myselfe  have  scene 
many  of  them  unfeathered  by  reason  of  extreme  old 
age :  wherefore,  having  cast  all  their  feathers,  they 
returne  vnto  their  nest  as  if  they  were  newly  hatched, 
and  are  there  nourished  by  the  yoonger  birds  of  the 
same  kinde.' 

The  Arabic  writer  El  Khazwini  says :  There  is  in  . 
certain  of  the  Islands  a  bird  of  enormous  size  called 
Rukh,  that   feedeth   its  young   ones  with   elephants. 
This  is  something  like  a  bird,  and  makes  us  feel  sorry 
for  Leo's  Nesir. 

We  went  to  call  on  Mr.  Warrington,  who  kindly 
gave  me  some  old  Eoman  pottery,  found  in  a  tomb  ten 


,» 
68  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  vii. 

feet  underground,  in  his  garden — two  clay  lamps,  two 
lachrymatories,  and  a  little  saucer.  It  must  be  hard 
to  express  the  deep  and  solid  satisfaction  of  being  the 
possessor  of  an  unopened  mound  or  early  burial-place, 
I  can  think  of  no  greater  worldly  enjoyment  than  going 
in  the  twilight  to  gloat  over  it — picturing  jars  of  glass 
or  pottery,  golden  spoons,  or  arrow-heads — reluctant  to 
break  the  spell  of  fifteen  or  twenty  centuries,  the  charm 
of  the  unknown.  Mr.  Warrington  gave  me  a  number 
of  copper  coins,  some  found  in  the  tomb  and  others 
which  had  been  brought  to  him  by  the  Arabs.  In  the 
tomb  were  two  glass  urns  of  large  size  and  very  perfect. 

We  drove  back  in  the  dusk,  having  to  use  much 
caution  to  avoid  great  holes  dug  by  former  inhabitants 
as  granaries,  and  which  in  places  stretched  half  across 
the  road.  Arriving  at  the  house,  we  found  Griovanni 
in  high  altercation  with  the  old  Arab  muleteer  who 
had  accompanied  us  to  Lebda.  The  Arab  had  post- 
poned asking  for  payment  in  the  hope  of  inducing 
Giovanni  to  join  him,  by  a  promise  of  half  the  spoil, 
in  an  attempt  upon  my  pocket.  The  old  Maltese, 
having  his  conscience  superior  to  indirect  suggestions, 
denounced  him  to  me,  so  that  the  Arab  very  nearly 
lost  his  backsheesh. 

I  went  out  early  to  photograph  the  eastern  face  of 
the  Roman  Arch,  which  stands  in  sight  of  our  windows, 
and  within  a  few  paces  of  the  Consulate,  I  mounted 
on  the  flat  roof  of  a  foudouk  opposite. 


CHAP.  vn.  ROMAN   ARCH   OF   TRIPOLI.  69 

This  triumphal  arch — one  of  the  most  ornate  and 
florid  pieces  of  work  the  Eomans  ever  constructed — 
stands  in  a  narrow  street  between  the  Consulate  and 
the  Marina,  facing  nearly  east  and  west.  It  is  con- 
structed of  pure  white  marble,  uncemented.  The  arches 
are  built  up  with  wood  and  plaster,  and  the  keeper  of 
a  low  wine-shop  has  established  himself  in  front  of  it. 
The  interior  serves  as  a  cellar  for  the  storage  of  liquors. 

It  is,  very  roughly  speaking,  a  square,  and  was  ori- 
ginally a  cube  :  a  portion  of  it  being  embedded  in  the 
ground,  its  proportions  are  interfered  with.  The  eastern 
front  is  much  defaced :  the  northern  face  completely 
built  in.  Of  the  western,  only  the  upper  right  hand 
corner  and  a  small  portion  of  the  arch  are  visible.  Here 
is  some  beautiful  carving,  the  figure  of  Victory  erect  in 
a  chariot  drawn  by  a  pair  of  she-leopards.  The  figure 
and  chariot  are  mutilated.  Above,  on  the  architrave, 
is  a  clear  Latin  inscription  in  large  characters  : — 

IMP.  C^ES.  AVRELIO.  ANTONIN.  AVG.  PP.  ET. 
IMP.  C^S.  L.  AVRELIO.  VERO.  ARMENIACO.  AVG. 
SER.  S.  ORFITVS.  PROCCOS.  CVM.  VTTEDIO. 
MARCELLO.  LEG.  SVG.  DEDICAVIT.  C. 
CALPVRNIVS.  CELSVS.  CVRATOR.  MVNERIS 
PVB.  MVNERARIVS.  IIVIR.  Q.  Q.  FLAMEN 
PERPETVVS.  ARCV.  MARMORE.  SOLIDO.  FECIT. 

To  the  Emperor  Caesar  Aurelius  Antoninus  Augustus 
Father  of  his  Country,  and  to  the  Emperor  Caesar 
Lucius  Aurelius  Verus  Armeniacus  Augustus,  Servius 


70  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  vii. 

Scipio  Orfitus  Proconsul,  with  Uttedius  (?)  Mareellus, 
his  Lieutenant,  dedicated :  Caius  Calpurnius  Celsus, 
manager  of  the  public  games.  Curator,  Quinquennial 
Duumvir,  and  Flamen  of  Quirinus  for  life,  made  the 
arch  in  solid  marble. 

Marcus  Aurelius  did  not  need  this  monument  to  his 
memory :  his  fine  memoir  of  his  adopted  father  is 
monument  enough.  The  joint  Emperors  Aurelius  and 
Verus  reigned  in  the  latter  half  of  the  second  century. 

There  was  formerly  upon  the  arch  a  Punic  inscrip- 
tion. It  was,  however,  detached,  sent  to  England,  and 
presented  by  H.M.  the  Queen  to  the  British  Museum. 
Gresenius  says  :  Exstat  etiam  titulus  Punicus  in  arcu 
triumphali  Tripolitano,  quem  setate  Septimii  Severi, 
ipsique  anno  P.  Christum  N.  203,  vindicatum  ivimus. 

At  each  angle  of  the  building  is  a  recess  which  once 
contained  a  statue,  destroyed  long  since  by  the  Moslems, 
being  contrary  to  their  religion.  The  interiors  of  the 
recesses  are  of  plain  hewn  marble :  the  lintels  and 
jambs  beautifully  moulded  and  carved.  The  marble 
has  taken  stains  of  grey  and  yellow  :  the  carvings  and 
mouldings  throughout,  where  not  defaced  and  worn,  are 
extremely  delicate  and  clear. 

The  interior  is  a  square,  minus  the  recesses  men- 
tioned above.  In  the  centre  is  a  dome  of  marble, 
formed  without  cement:  each  block  panelled  deeply, 
with  decorated  borders,  and  having  in  the  centre  of 


CHAP.  vn.  ROMAN  NUMERALS.  71 

each  panel  a  rose  in  relief.  The  four  spaces  round  the 
dome  are  likewise  panelled  and  ornamented.  There  is 
but  little  injury  done  to  the  interior:  and  if  cleared 
out  and  cleaned,  and  the  plaster  partitions  removed,  it 
would  be  a  most  picturesque  and  interesting  monument. 

In  Colonel  Playfair's  Footsteps  of  Bruce  there  is  an 
elaborate  and  graphic  description  of  this  arch,  illustrated 
by  a  beautiful  Indian  ink  drawing. 

The  western  face  could  not  be  photographed  until 
early  in  the  afternoon  :  and  Peppo  was  posted  to  watch 
from  the  windows,  and  instructed  to  rush  suddenly  out 
and  inform  me  directly  the  sunlight  fell  upon  the 
leopards. 

The  Latin  character  and  numerals  are  both  clear 
and  handsome  :  but  it  has  often  struck  me  that  to 
multiply  or  divide,  in  the  latter,  must  have  been  a 
severe  trial.  The  reader  may  amuse  himself  by  divid- 
ing MDCCCLXXvn  by  lxxvii,  and  see  how  he  likes  it. 

It  was  market-day,  and  half  the  population  were 
out  at  the  Soukh  buying  provisions. 

I  dined  in  the  evening  with  Mr.  Hay  and  his  family, 
and  spent  a  most  agreeable  evening.  Mrs.  Hay  showed 
me  presents  from  native  chiefs :  beautiful  work  from 
the  country  of  the  Blacks,  rugs  in  blue  and  white, 
parchment  boxes  stained  in  red  patterns,  baskets  woven 
of  palm  leaves  and  coloured  cloth  by  negro  women, 
leopard  skins,  &c. 


72  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  vii. 

I  was  awakened  one  morning  by  the  chanting  of 
children :  and  throwing  the  windows  open,  I  found 
a  band  of  them,  headed  by  an  old  tangle-bearded  Arab, 
swarming  down  the  narrow  alley.  They  were  praying 
for  rain,  and  moving  in  procession  all  through  the  city. 
The  Moors  regard  the  prayers  of  children  as  more 
acceptable  to  the  Divinity  than  those  of  their  elders. 
The  heat  was  very  great,  the  wells  were  becoming  ex- 
hausted, and  unless  rain  should  come  soon,  many  poor 
Arabs  would  be  half-ruined.  The  Pasha  himself,  I  was 
told — barefooted  and  bareheaded — went  to  the  mosque, 
and  afterwards  down  to  the  beach  to  throw  stones  into 
the  sea. 

We  went  down  to  the  shore.  At  a  well  of  brackish 
water  a  number  of  Arabs  were  engaged,  raising  water 
by  a  si/nieh  into  a  tank,  whence  other  men  drew  casks 
full  and  loaded  them  on  camels.  These  were  taken 
down  to  the  water's  edge  and  emptied  into  the  sea.  A 
gutter,  too,  was  cut  in  the  beach,  to  let  the  overflow 
water  run  into  the  sea.  Zapati  were  watching  that  no 
one  touched  or  used  the  water  which  was  being  offered 
to  Grod.  This  melancholy  superstition  is  observed 
during  a  failure  of  rain. 

My  plans  had  a  sudden  dislocation  this  morning. 

A  steamer's  smoke  was  descried  on  the  horizon,  away 

.  beyond  the  reef.      She  steamed  into  the  harbour  and 

cast  anchor.     In  another  hour  intelligence  came  that 

she  was  the  Maltese  steamer  Allegra,  sailing  hence  in 


CHAP.  Til.  CYRENE.  73 

a  few  days  for  Benghasi.  This  would  be  an  excellent 
opportunity  of  visiting  Cyrene.  Since  the  land  tele- 
graph through  Barca  to  Egypt  became  defunct,  com- 
munications are  very  infrequent  with  Benghasi.  From 
Benghasi  the  Allegra  was  to  sail  to  Malta,  and  I 
should  thence  reach  Tunis.  I  decided  to  adopt  this 
route.  Dr.  Camilleri,  who  had  spent  a  considerable 
time  in  Cyrene,  encouraged  me,  and  helped  me  to  form 
plans. 

The  plains  of  Barca  and  the  peninsula  of  the  Cyre- 
naica  are  very  extensive  and  beautiful,  perhaps  richer 
in  vegetation  than  any  country  bordering  upon  the 
Mediterranean :  and  the  climate  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  world.  The  country  is  well  watered :  olives,  dates, 
caroubs,  cedars,  arbutus,  cypress,  fig,  myrtle,  and  ever- 
greens grow  luxuriantly.  The  ruins  of  the  Pentapolis 
are  very  grand.  The  harbour  is  insecure,  and  the 
system  of  pilotage  does  not  improve  the  access.  The 
late  pilot  was  a  shopkeeper.  Poor  Cyrene !  Failure 
of  crops,  famine,  cattle  plague,  extortions  of  ten  years, 
have  brought  her  very  low  indeed.  The  sponge  fishery 
alone  seems  to  prosper  of  all  this  unlucky  province's 
industries.  As  late  as  1872,  the  slave  trade  existed  to 
an  enormous  extent. 

In  the  year  265  of  the  Hejreh,  when  El  Abbas,  grand- 
son of  Touloun,  revolted  against  his  father  Ahmed,  Sultan 
of  Egypt,  he  seized  upon  the  Cyrenaica,  the  city  of 
Leptis,  and  attacked  Tripoli  without  success. 


74       THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

Evening  Kide — Esparto  Grass — Black  Families — An  Ingrate — The 
Allegra — Usury,  Caravans,  and  the  Slave  Trade — The  Pashalik  of 
Tripoli — Resources — Fall  of  the  Leaf — Charity — Arab  Home — Outer 
Bazaars — Love  Charms — The  Sheikh  el  Biled. 

The  vice-consul  called  to-day  to  say  that  no  arrange- 
ment had  yet  been  made  for  my  visiting  the  mosques, 
and  Frederick  Warrington  called  later  upon  the  same 
subject.  He  was  in  hopes  of  getting  permission  in  a 
day  or  two,  but  it  was  a  matter  of  arrangement  both 
with  the  Castle  and  the  Mufti. 

We  went  out  for  a  ramble.  Mr.  Warrington  got  a 
donkey  for  me,  and  we  went  to  find  his  horse,  a  fine  grey 
Barb,  which  was  put  up  outside  the  Castle  gate.  In  a 
yard  which  was  crowded  with  esparto  bales,  was  a  rude 
screw  press,  in  which  the  bales  were  being  compressed. 
A  screw  descends  upon  the  esparto  from  a  platform 
above.  The  screw  is  driven  round  by  half-a-dozen 
negroes,  stamping  and  shouting  in  chorus.  When  the  last 
turn  is  given,  iron  bands  round  the  bales  are  riveted  to- 
gether, and  the  bale  is  rolled  out  into  the  yard.  The 
hardness  of  these  bales  is  astonishing.     Hydraulic  pres- 


CHAP.  vni.  ESPARTO  GRASS.  75 

sure  was  tried  for  packing  them,  but  it  was  found  to 
injure  the  fibre. 

Esparto  grass,  which  was  known  to  the  Tyrian  colo- 
nists and  Romans,  resembles  the  beautiful  feather  grass 
of  Southern  Europe.  Long  used  in  the  Spanish  navy 
for  cordage,  and  in  Spain  for  the  manufacture  of  baskets, 
shoes,  and  mats — most  of  the  London  Hansom  cabs  use 
them — it  was  first  imported  into  England  in  1862.  In 
1868  more  than  500,000^.  in  value  came  into  this  country. 
Tunisia  and  Tripoli  have  taken  it  up,  and  it  bids  fair  to 
replace  some  of  the  decayed  industries  of  those  Regencies. 
It  is  the  best  known  material,  next  to  rags  and  cotton, 
for  the  manufacture  of  paper.  The  first  newspaper 
printed  on  paper  manufactured  from  it  was  the  Akhbar 
of  Algiers.  Homs  is  the  chief  and  most  convenient 
point  for  its  shipment  from  this  Regency.  It  grows 
in  illimitable  quantities  in  the  Gharian  range,  and  the 
only  cost  is  that  of  pulling  it  up  and  transport.  Who 
knows,  Homs  may  yet  revive  or  reflect  some  of  Lebda's 
vanished  prosperity. 

The  American  consul  in  Tripoli  has  adopted  the 
practice  of  protection  of  natives.  Of  course  any  Moor 
is  glad  to  escape  certain  taxes,  and  to  claim  the  interest 
of  a  powerful  foreign  government.  As  Mr.  Warrington 
told  me,  if  the  English  consul  were  to  begin,  he  would 
have  three  thousand  proteges  in  a  week.  To  us  the 
protection  system  seemed   only  to  entail  trouble  and 


76  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  vin. 

responsibility :  but  the  American  consul  may  have 
been  right,  and  we  incapable  of  understanding  the  lofty 
considerations  contained  in  his  head.  The  English  are 
respected  by  Arabs  of  the  interior  :  many  of  them  have 
asked  Frederick  "Warrington  whether  England  means 
to  take  possession  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Warrington  recommended  me  not  to  go  to 
Kairwan  in  the  present  uncomfortable  state  of  feeling 
between  Mohammedans  and  Christians.  Some  Tunisian 
Moors  in  the  bazaar  confirmed  this  advice.  Within  two 
months,  as  is  well  known,  the  ill  feeling  culminated. 
The  French  and  German  consuls  in  Salonica  were  assassi- 
nated :  the  populace  marched  through  the  town  with 
drawn  swords  :  the  holy  standard  was  hoisted.  General , 
panic  existed  in  Constantinople.  Softas  and  low  class 
Mussulmen  were  purchasing  arms  and  bidding  Christians 
prepare  for  imminent  death.  The  presence  of  European 
squadrons  alone  served  to  allay  the  fanatical  excitement, 
and  possibly  to  avert  a  Holy  War.  (I  quote  from  the 
Times.) 

Outside  the  garden  wall  was  a  miniature  village  of 
two  or  three  black  families,  dependent  upon  Mr.  War- 
rington. Their  huts,  resembling  bee-hives,  are  most 
charmingly  constructed.  A  bamboo  framework,  um- 
brella-like, crossed  by  horizontal  rods,  like  degrees  of 
longitude  and  latitude  on  a  half  globe,  are  covered 
with  palm-leaf  matting.     The  whole  effect  is  snug  and 


CHAP.  TOi.  AN  AFRICAN   SETTLEMENT.  77 

picturesque.  The  little  black  servant  came  out  with 
us,  and  was  pleased  to  see  the  impression  the  hives  made 
upon  us,  for  one  of  these  was  the  home  of  Mahmoud's 
parents,  and  the  two  little  india-rubber  babies  rolling 
about  in  one  tent  were  own  brother  and  sister  to 
Mahmoud.  The  women  were  weaving  beautiful  boxes 
and  dish-covers,  of  cane  and  palm  leaf  and  little  rags  of 
red  and  black  cloth.  Mr.  Warrington  sent  me  a  mes- 
sage a  year  after  this.  '  He  begs  of  me  to  tell  you  that 
Mahmoud,  the  little  black  boy,  kisses  your  hand  and 
says  Inshallah — please  God — you  will  always  have  health 
and  plenty  of  money.' 

Mr.  Warrington  described  these  blacks  as  honest, 
faithful,  and  affectionate,  excelling  in  good  qualities  the 
Arabs,  who  are  generally  strangers  to  gratitude.  When 
Mr.  Warrington  returned  from  Fezzan  he  brought  with 
him  an  Arab  boy,  whom  he  had  cared  for  and  adopted, 
but  who  turned  out  a  thorough  ingrate. 

In  the  evening  a  young  Maltese,  son  of  the  agent 
for  the  Allegra,  came  in  to  play  cards.  This  steamer 
is  reported  to  be  the  slowest  steamer  in  the  world. 
Some  say  she  can  steam  four  knots,  some  five  with  a 
fair  breeze,  but  these  are  the  more  sanguine  and  reck- 
less in  statement.  When  I  asked  what  the  Allegra 
could  do  with  a  head  wind,  there  was  an  awkward 
silence,  which  disquieted  me  when  I  thought  of  the 
voyage  across  the  treacherous  Gulf  of  Sidra.     It  is  said 


78  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  tiii. 

that  the  look-out  on  this  Skimmer  of  the  Seas  is  kept 
over  the  stern,  to  warn  off  vessels  coming  up  behind. 
The  Maltese  youth  was  engaged  with  his  father  in 
caravan  ventures,  pawnbroking,  money-lending,  and 
fleecing  generally  among  the  Arabs. 

Usury  here  is  an  excellent  mode  of  turning  an  honest 
piastre.  The  usurers  get  thirty,  and  even  at  times 
sixty  per  cent,  interest  on  good  security,  though  the 
maximum  rate  authorised  by  law  is  twelve  per  cent.  In 
the  year  1869  a  bank  was  established  under  Govern- 
ment auspices,  upon  the  condition  of  twelve  and  a  half 
per  cent.,  but  one  cannot  wonder  that  it  was  not  a 
success. 

Salvatore's  ventures  in  the  caravan  trade  resulted 
sometimes  in  nothing,  sometimes  in  a  return  of  a  thou- 
sand pounds  upon  a  hundred.  A  partnership  or  bond  is 
generally  formed  with  a  native,  who  has  some  available 
property  in  Tripoli  affording  a  security  for  his  good 
faith,  and  who  accompanies  and  conducts  the  affairs  of 
the  caravan.  Consisting  of  perhaps  fifty  or  a  hundred 
camels,  loaded  with  goods  of  European  manufacture,  the 
caravan  takes  its  departure  for  the  interior  ;  to  be  absent 
for  a  year,  a  year  and  a  half,  or  two  years,  as  the  case 
may  be.  To  Ghadames — the  ancient  Cydamus,  one  of 
the  cities  of  the  Garamantes — the  journey  occupies 
perhaps  a  fortnight :  to  Murzouk,  the  capital  of  P  ez- 
zan,  from  thirty  to  forty  days :  to  Wadai  five  months : 


CHAP.  Tin.  TRIPOLI  CARAVANS.  79 

to  Tomboukto  the  best  part  of  a  year.  Caravans  are 
constantly  leaving  and  arriving  at  Tripoli. 

Tripoli  is  now  the  centre  of  all  the  caravan  trade  of 
northern  Africa.  Tunis  and  Algeria  have  from  various 
causes  lost  their  footing  in  this  lucrative  business. 
Tripoli,  too,  as  I  have  said  before,  is  geographically 
situated  more  conveniently  than  other  countries  for  the 
pm-pose,  being  connected  with  the  interior  by  a  chain 
of  oases.  The  great  Mecca  caravan  from  Fez  no  longer 
traverses  Barbary,  Barca,  and  Egypt.  In  recent  years 
three  thousand  pilgrims,  conducted  by  a  religious  chief 
of  Kairwan,  with  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  camels,  would 
encamp  for  sometimes  a  month's  repose  under  the  walls 
of  TripolL  The  commercial  caravans  carry  coarse 
European  cloths,  silks,  barracans  or  Arab  wraps, 
powder,  muskets,  glass,  hardware,  beads,  toys,  looking- 
glasses,  paper,  real  and  false  corals,  imitation  pearls, 
turbans,  amber,  porcelain,  coflFee  cups,  copper  vessels, 
kaftans,  embroidered  muslins,  handkerchiefs  and  cotton 
goods,  essence  of  roses,  and  spices. 

Murzouk  is  a  great  centre  of  this  trade.  Hither 
the  European  goods  are  brought  and  exchanged  for  those 
of  the  interior — gold  dust,  senna,  ostrich  feathers,  red 
alum,  alkali,  ivory,  and,  till  comparatively  late  years, 
slaves.  This  villanous  trade  died  out  first  in  Algeria, 
next  in  Tunis,  then  in  Tripoli :  Barca's  turn  is  next. 
Two  or  three  thousand  blacks  used  to  be  annually  ex- 


8o  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.         chap.  vni. 

changed  for  goods  at  Murzouk,  which  is  in  direct  com- 
munication with  WadaijBornou,  Cashna,  Bogou,  Soccatu, 
and  Tomboukto.  The  senna  of  Fezzan  is  considered 
next  in  quality  to  that  of  Sidon,  but  East  Indian  is  now 
replacing  them  both. 

The  Mecca  devotees  used  to  combine  their  worldly 
interests  with  their  religious  duties,  and  to  bring  from 
Morocco  and  elsewhere  wax,  gold  dust,  feathers,  silk 
and  cotton  haiks,  morocco  leather,  perfumes,  kohhl, 
henna,  vermilion  pinguent,  and  drugs.  On  arriving  at 
Tripoli  they  would  exchange  a  portion  of  these  for 
European  goods,  and  on  returning  after  a  year  or  less 
from  the  East  would  oblige  the  Tripolines  with  Indian 
stuffs,  pearls,  Mecca  balsam,  musk,  aloewood,  incense, 
myrrh,  civet,  Cashmir  shawls,  precious  stones,  coffee, 
pistachios,  naphtha,  opium,  and  other  Eastern  valu- 
ables. 

It  would  be  well  to  define  in  a  few  words,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  subject  of  caravan  trade,  the  geographi- 
cal position  and  limits  of  this  Pashalik  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire.  Extending  from  Cape  Razatina  on  the  borders 
of  Tunis,  to  Port  Bomba  on  the  frontier' of  Egypt,  it 
has  a  coast  line  of  nearly  eight  hundred  miles.  Its  ex- 
tension inward  is  very  irregular,  owing  to  the  interruption 
of  the  desert :  but  it  comprises  the  large  and  wealthy 
province  of  Fezzan,  the  district  of  Ghadames,  and 
may    be   said  to   extend,  as  cultivated  territory,  two 


CHAP.  VIII. 


INNER  TRIPOLI.  8l 


hundred  and  fifty  miles  inland.  Its  population  has 
within  half  a  century  been  estimated  from  one  million 
and  a  half  to  two  millions.  Mr.  Hay  now  estimates  it 
at  five  or  six  hundred  thousand — the  urban  population 
being,  as  a  rule,  Turkish  or  Moorish — the  rural,  Arab  or 
Berber.  Fezzan  projects  southwards  into  the  Great 
Sahara :  Wadai,  the  next  fertile  region,  lies  to  its  south- 
west. In  Wadai,  a  thousand  miles  from  Tripoli,  is  the 
large  inland  lake,  Tchad.  I  must  apologise  to  the 
reader  for  saying  so,  but  I  have  always  had  a  vague  and 
silly  wish,  which  I  cannot  account  for  or  excuse,  to  go  to 
Lake  Tchad.  Ali  Bey  writes  of  a  Central  Sea :  probably 
meaning  Lake  Tchad,  described  to  him  as  lying  fifteen 
days'  journey  eastward  from  Tomboukto — and  of  which 
Negro  barques  took  forty-eight  days  to  navigate  from 
shore  to  shore. 

At  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  from  the 
coast  runs  the  Gharian  range  of  mountains,  almost  east 
and  west.  Farther  inland  run  the  Zuara  mountains, 
separated  from  the  Gharian  by  a  fertile  plateau. 

The  soil  along  the  coast  is  of  great  richness,  producing 
tropical  and  European  vegetation  freely.  Indian  wheat 
grows  to  the  height  of  a  man.  Barley  yields  twice  as 
much  as  in  Europe.  In  the  interior  the  date  tree  attains 
a  height  of  a  hundred  feet,  and  the  dates  are  of  a  fine 
quality.  Cassob,  a  plant  yielding  a  nutritious  grain, 
grows  abundantly.     Cotton  has  been  successfully  culti- 

G 


82  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.        chap.  viii. 

vated,  as  well  as  the  mulberry  and  the  castor,  or,  as  an 
Egyptian  dragoman  once  called  it,  the  cod-liver  oil 
plant.  The  lotus  tree  is  said  to  grow  here,  the  fruit 
being  contained  in  a  pod  not  unlike  that  of  a  tamarind, 
and  tasting  when  ripe  sweet  and  agreeable,  somewhat 
like  gingerbread.  Grold  is  found  in  veins  towards  Fezzan, 
and  even  on  the  sands  of  the  seashore. 

Early  one  morning  one  of  my  barbers  from  the 
bazaars  appeared  in  sad  trouble.  We  were  in  treaty 
together  for  an  old  mother-of-pearl  mirror,  profusely 
carved,  and  having  in  the  centre  a  double-headed  eagle. 
So  fat  and  puffy  was  the  body  of  this  bird  that  we  were 
satisfied  it  had  swallowed  the  other  eagle  and  appro- 
priated its  head.  Having  been  in  his  family  for  more 
than  eighty  years,  the  barber  had  not  the  heart  to  part 
with  it :  but  as  I  used  to  go  daily  and  sit  in  his  shop 
for  half-an-hour,  he  knew  he  would  have  to  give  in  at 
last.  It  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  save  it  by  get- 
ting for  me  a  friend's  mirror,  equally  curious  and 
handsome.  In  riding  with  the  friend's  mirror  the 
donkey  fell,  and  the  tip  of  the  frame  was  broken  and 
lost.  This  mirror  was,  as  many  Moorish  mirrors  are,  of 
leaf-form :  perhaps  to  signify  the  transient  and  fading 
nature  of  this  life.  However,  I  reassured  the  barber 
and  bought  it,  taking  advantage  of  his  gratification  to 
secure  the  double-bodied  eagle  too. 

We  went  to  the  oflfice  of  the  Allegra'a  agents  to  choose 


CHAP.  VIII.  MONEY  DEALINGS.  83 

my  berth,  and  to  the  Usury  department  to  change  some 
circular  notes :  finding  it  uncommonly  difficult.  A 
fine  tall  Tripoline  Jew,  by  name  Nano,  managed  this 
business.  Nano  Sahib  charged  me  fivepence  for  every 
mahboob  or  dollar,  which  seemed  ample. 

Tripoli  is  of  all  the  Mediterranean  cities  the  most 
difficult  place  for  changing  money.  In  the  bazaars  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  pay  separately  for  the  objects 
we  bought.  Anyone  who  goes  there  should  take  a  keg 
of  small  silver  with  him  from  Malta.  Not  long  ago — 
there  was  a  dead-lock  in  trade,  owing  to  some  foolish  pro- 
hibition on  the  import  of  silver — business  was  paralysed 
for  a  month.  A  very  common  coin  here  is  the  Maria 
Theresia  dollar. 

This  day  was  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath  :  the  Moors 
and  Turks  were  in  their  cleanest  linen,  and  every  beggar 
of  Tripoli  was  in  the  streets.  It  is  the  day  of  almsgiving 
among  the  Arabs.  The  Jews  here  are  charitable,  and, 
in  every  commercial  transaction,  one  in  every  thousand 
of  value  is  set  aside  for  the  poor.  This  is  better  than 
in  Archangel,  where,  if  I  remember  rightly,  a  tax  of 
two  per  cent,  on  the  freight  of  every  ship  arriving  was 
imposed  under  the  name  of  Church-money.  No  one 
who  knows  the  Eussians  will  ask  how  much  of  this 
money  used  to  go  to  the  Church. 

We  went  to  see  an  Arab  Home — founded  more  than 
two  centuries  ago  by  Osman  Pasha,  of  Constantinople 

o  2 


84  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.       chap.  vxii. 

— for  the  reception  of  poor  Mussulmans  of  decent  posi- 
tion. It  is  a  cleanly  comfortable  kind  of  khan,  having 
small  apartments  round  it.  Some  of  the  inmates — 
whitebearded  and  feeble,  busy  reading  old  books — 
were  rather  pleased  with  our  visit.  Afterwards  we 
went  to  a  native  gambling  house,  where  Arabs  and 
Levantines  were  drinking  raki  and  brandy,  and  playing 
cards  and  dominoes. 

One  morning  we  started  on  foot  for  a  general  cir- 
cuit of  the  bazaars  and  city.  Commencing  with  the 
woollen  and  the  old  slave  bazaars,  we  came  to  the 
eastern  extremity,  where  beyond  the  Bab  el  Meshiah 
we  found  them  weighing  oil.  Men  were  making  rude 
wire  brushes  for  wool  carding:  in  pottery  shops  we 
saw  sieve-like  pots  for  kouskousou,  earthen  jars,  water 
bottles,  and  little  money  pots.  Next  came  shops  with 
red  chiles,  blossoms  of  pomegranates,  which  are  used 
as  an  astringent,  and  pomegranate  husks,  used  in 
tanning  skins  :  helba,  a  small  bitter  grain  which,  when 
powdered  with  com  in  cakes,  has  fattening  properties  : 
ropes  of  esparto  grass,  and  native  sulphur  from  the 
plains  of  the  Syrtis.  Sulphur,  when  mixed  with  tar, 
serves  as  a  plaster  for  camels  afflicted  with  the  irritable 
disease  called  djerdb,  which  leads  them  to  rub  them- 
selves against  walls.  Bundles  of  brooms  or  brushes  of 
palm  leaves  hung  in  some  shops,  with  baskets  of  dead 
sponges — those   drifted  up  by  the   sea.     Some   shops 


CHAP.  VIII.  THE  OUTER   MARKET.  85 

had  cotton,  nails,  gunflints,  necklaces,  matches,  and 
palm-wood  cages  all  together — looking  a  little  mixed. 

We  watched  them  make  neat  sieves  of  beechwood 
and  sinew,  drums,  and  dellous  or  leather  bags  for  the 
siniehs.  Camels,  which  had  brought  up  from  the 
harbour  great  Djerban  oil  and  water  jars,  were  moan- 
ing and  trumpeting  while  they  were  being  loaded  with 
lime,  as  if  they  had  a  pain  in  their  stomachs,  and 
nothing  would  ever  do  them  any  more  good.  This 
sententious-looking  beast,  to  gain  his  private  ends, 
takes  a  satisfaction  in  making  a  fuss  about  nothing,  so 
that  one  would  almost  wish  to  give  him  a  really  good 
load,  worth  moaning  for. 

Above  us,  towards  the  Castle,  was  the  cemetery  for 
the  better  families  of  Tripoli,  with  the  customary 
marabout  and  little  white  domes.  Above  the  towering 
Castle  wall,  rose  the  buildings  and  green  latticed  win- 
dows of  the  Pasha's  seraglio.  This  building  has  lost  all 
proportion,  from  the  constant  additions  made  to  it,  in 
order  to  contain  the  members  of  the  successive  reigning 
families :  no  such  individual  having  lived,  imder  ordi- 
nary circumstances,  elsewhere  than  within  the  Castle 
precincts. 

We  found  a  native  quack  doctor  squatting  on  the 
sand,  surrounded  by  simple  Arabs,  whose  fortunes  he 
was  telling,  while  he  prescribed  for  their  ailments  and 
sold   them   amulets   and   love   charms.     I   wanted   to 


86  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.       chap.  yin. 

satisfy  myself  as  to  my  own  fortunes,  but  it  would  have 
given  offence  to  the  Arab  dupes.  Close  by  was  the  base 
of  a  marble  column  sunk  in  the  ground,  where  two  years 
ago,  I  was  told,  the  last  murderer  was  beheaded.  They 
are  hanged  now,  in  the  Soukh  el  Haifa,  or  esparto 
market,  near  the  beach.  "We  watched  a  native  black- 
smith on  the  sands,  heating  a  sickle  blade,  while  a  fish 
roasted  in  the  red  coals  beside  it.  The  donkeys  are  all 
stationed  outside  the  gate  of  the  Meshiah  :  they  are  not 
allowed,  except  when  carrying  travellers,  to  peram- 
bulate the  city. 

We  went  to  the  Bazaar  Foum  el  Bab,  where  the 
saddlers  and  accoutrement  makers  were  at  work.  We 
saw  high  red  Arab  boots,  leather  covers  for  flint  locks, 
embroidered  boots  for  rich  Bedouins,  gold  embroidery 
upon  parchment,  and  leopard-skin  saddle-cloths. 

Across  the  bazaar  were  Moorish  gunmakers,  inlaying 
the  stocks  with  ivory  and  silverwork  made  by  the  Jews 
in  the  city.  Arquebuses  or  blunderbusses,  known  to 
the  Italians  as  troTnboni,  and  which  would  admit  an 
egg  into  their  muzzle,  hung  in  most  of  the  shops. 
Farther  on  was  an  Arab  cafe,  having  native  water- 
colour  drawings  on  the  walls,  and  rows  of  sherbet 
syrups  in  bottles  on  shelves. 

The  whole  of  this  fine  bazaar  belongs,  I  was  in- 
formed, to  the  Sheikh  el  Biled,  who  came  to  Tripoli  a 
poor  man,  from  the  islands  of  Kerkeneh,  and  became 


CHAP.  Tin.  THE  DEFUNCT  TELEGRAPH.  .«7 ' 

governor  of  Tripoli.  In  this  capacity  he  amassed 
great  wealth.  Eecalled  to  Constantinople  on  account 
of  his  extortions,  he  died  there,  and  his  brothers  are 
now  the  richest  men  in  Tripoli,  owning  much  house 
property  in  it.  Unwilling  to  intermarry  with  the 
Moors  of  Tripoli,  they  are  said  to  have  bought  Circassian 
slaves  and  married  them. 

A  row  of  five  old  cipolline  columns  stood  near 
the  gate.  They  once  carried  poles  for  the  overland 
telegraph  to  Egypt,  contemplated  by  the  Grovern- 
ment;  but  the  Arabs,  in  their  superstition,  destroyed 
portions  of  the  line,  and  it  was  never  carried  more 
than  ten  miles  out  of  the  city.  The  telegraph  to 
Malta,  which  got  out  of  order  in  1870,  might  have 
been  restored,  but  for  the  unwillingness  of  the  Grovern- 
ment  to  give  a  moderate  guarantee. 

Near  a  fountain  is  the  com  market :  and  not  far 
from  here  are  the  private  mosque  and  kiosk  of  the 
Pasha,  who  comes  here  and  smokes  behind  the  latticed 
windows  in  the  summer  evenings.  Close  by  is  the 
.prison  for  slight  oflFences :  criminals  are  imprisoned  in 
the  Castle.  We  passed  the  Artillery  Barracks,  the  end 
of  the  silk  bazaar,  a  soldiers'  haromam — a  foudouk  for 
Europeans,  then  an  Arab  foudouk. 

We  were  passing  along  the  seawall.  Looking  over 
it  on  to  the  harbour  were  two  European  consulates, 
and  the  comfortable  house  of  Dr.  Dickson.     Then  came 


88  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.       chap,  tiii. 

the  mosque  and  marabout  of  Sidi  Dragut,  the  famous 
old  filibuster,  who  is  said  to  have  built  the  city  walls  : 
and  who,  laying  siege  to  Malta  in  1565,  met  his  end 
by  a  ball  from  the  guns  of  the  Knights.  Women  were 
coming  out  from  the  marabout,  where  they  had  been 
praying. 

Turning  up  into  the  city  we  pass  the  Club — close 
to  which  are  Zapati  Barracks  and  a  soldiers'  guard- 
house, and  entering  an  alley  one  yard  in  width,  reach 
the  Greek  church  and  convent.  Then  we  traverse  a 
Christian  bazaar,  and  emerge  among  the  fruit  sellers 
near  the  Eoman  arch. 

Looking  over  the  Harbour  wall,  I  was  a  little  startled 
to  see  the  Blue  Peter  flying  on  the  Allegro's  foremast. 
I  was  not  ready  to  leave  Tripoli,  not  having  seen  the 
mosques  and  many  other  things  :  but  I  was  unwilling  to 
miss  the  chance  of  going  to  Cyrene,  and  hastened  to  the 
house.  Peppo  was  despatched  to  buy  a  week's  provisions, 
as  the  Allegra  carried  nothing  for  passengers  :  my  lug- 
gage was  ready,  and  I  was  on  the  point  of  sending  all 
down  to  the  harbour,  when  news  came  that  the  Allegra 
would  not  sail  before  daylight. 


THE  MOSQUES.  89 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Djemma  1  Basha  —  Djemma  1  Gordji — Djemma  '1  Sheikh  Bel  Ain — 
Djemma'l  Sidi  Dragut — Panorama — The  Crescent  City — Delusions — 
Productions  and  Misfortunes — Voiage  of  the  lefus — The  Genowaies. 

I  HAD  begun  to  fear  that  the  deliberation  and  procras- 
tination characteristic  of  Oriental  countries  would  result 
in  my  never  seeing  the  interiors  of  the  mosques.  The 
number  of  visits  by  Mr.  Warrington  both  to  the  Castle 
and  to  me,  the  number  of  journeys  to  and  fro  by  the 
Consular  dragomans,  the  negotiations  and  consultations 
by  the  civil  and  religious  authorities,  would  have  been 
more  than  sufficient  if  I  had  been  in  treaty  for  mar- 
riage with  one  of  the  Pasha's  most  attractive  daughters. 
At  length  I  learnt  that  an  afternoon  was  appointed 
for  my  visit :  the  Mufti  had  arranged  that  I  was  to 
enter  before  evening  prayer.  I  should  not  be  able  to 
visit  more  than  one  or  two,  I  was  told,  but  I  had  con- 
fidence in  Maria  Theresia  dollars.  At  the  hour  fixed, 
a  soldier  from  the  Pasha,  bearing  a  staff  of  authority, 
presented  himself,  with  another  official,  and  with  one 
of  Mr.  Hay's  well-diessed  dragomans,  who  carried  my 
little  camera  on  its  tripod  like  some  joss  or  mysterious 


90  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.         chap.  ix. 

emblem.  These  dragomans  needed  tempering  in  the 
furnace  of  the  miseries  of  human  life.  Civil  to  their 
superiors,  they  were  insolent  and  rapacious  with  the 
lower  classes. 

The  first  mosque  we  came  to  was  that  of  Hamed 
Pasha,  situated  at  the  south-east  end  of  the  city,  and 
surrounded  by  the  bazaars.  I  removed  my  boots,  and, 
to  the  astonishment  of  many  of  the  bystanders,  went 
in  with  the  soldier.  Djemma  '1  Hamed  Pasha  is  sur- 
rounded most  picturesquely  with  an  irregular  colonnaded 
court,  which  I  photographed,  while  my  escort  turned 
back  any  passers-by.  The  tiles  and  white  marble 
columns  and  Moorish  arches  give  this  exterior  much 
grace  and  lightness.  We  entered  the  building,  which  is 
a  perfect  square.  Four  rows  of  graceful  white  streaked 
marble  columns  and  capitals,  from  which  spring  round 
arches,  support  the  roof,  which  is  vaulted  with  twenty- 
five  small  equal  white  cupolas.  Sunlight  entered  through 
grated  windows  and  fell  upon  the  great  strips  of  mat- 
ting and  old  Turkish  carpets.  Eailed  and  latticed  gal- 
leries run  round  the  prayer  chamber.  The  floor,  where 
not  matted,  is  tiled  in  zigzags  of  black,  white,  and 
red.  Beautiful  old  Persian  tiles  in  soft  colours  line 
the  walls  to  the  height  of  twelve  feet.  In  the  space 
above  these  runs  a  great  band  of  fretwork  arabesque. 
Between  the  cupolas  is  snowy  fretwork  in  plaster,  also 
in   the   inimitable   Arabesque  and    Moorish    designs. 


CHAP.  DC.  MOSQUE  OF  HAMED   PASHA.  91 

From  the  ceiling  hang  lamps  of  iron,  brass,  and  old 
Venetian  glass.  Venice  has  for  centuries  traded  with 
Tripoli,  and  I  have  bought  in  Tripoli  old  Venetian 
glass  beads  which  had  come  back  from  the  interior. 
Over  the  central  door  stands  out  the  broad  square 
canopy-shaped  gallery  of  the  choir,  supported  on  four 
elegant  spiral  pillars.  It  is  corbelled  out  on  all  sides 
above  the  pillars,  with  the  carved  Moorish  stalactite  pat- 
tern, and  is  all  delicately  painted  and  gilded.  The 
mihrahy  or  niche,  consists  of  a  horse-shoe  arch  and 
white  marble  pilasters,  inlaid  with  black  marble.  The 
membar,  or  pulpit,  is  of  inlaid  marble,  having  coloured 
flower  designs,  and  the  sides  of  the  staircase  of  carved 
wood.  The  doors  of  the  mosque,  in  wood,  delicately 
carved  outwardly,  are  painted  within.  The  whole 
building  is  an  airy,  bright,  and  graceful  example  of 
Saracenic  architecture.  Yussuf  Pasha — the  richest, 
cruellest,  and  most  energetic  of  the  Pashas  of  Tripoli, 
who  died  old  and  blind — lies,  with  the  male  members 
of  his  family,  biuded  here. 

Hard  by  the  British  consulate  stands  Djemma  '1 
Gordji,  the  most  beautiful  of  the  Tripoli  mosques.  Its 
prayer  chamber  is  the  counterpart  of  that  I  have  just 
described.  Beautiful  Turkish  carpets  cover  the  floor. 
The  exterior  colonnade  in  the  white  marble  court  is 
most  picturesque.  Its  inner  wall  has  lovely  Persian 
tiles  up  to  a  height  of  ten  feet.     The  doors,  of  plain 


92  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  ix. 

wood,  stand  in  frames  of  coloured  marbles.  The  roof 
of  the  colonnade  is  picturesquely  coloured  within,  the 
little  rafters  showing,  and  painted  red. 

The  mosque  of  Sheikh  Bel  Ain  is  entered  from  the 
Turkish  bazaar.  Its  proportions  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  other  two,  but  it  is  much  disfigured  in  its  details. 
Nine  old  and  massive  columns,  very  probably  from 
Lebda,  but  coarsely  painted  in  imitation  of  marble, 
and  having  their  acanthus  capitals  smeared  yellow, 
support  the  sixteen  even  cupolas  of  the  roof.  The  walls 
are  whitewashed,  the  Tnembar  is  vulgarly  painted  with 
red  roses  and  crescents.  Low  galleries  stand  under  the 
arches :  there  is  a  little  kubbeh,  entered  from  the 
prayer  chamber.  The  mosque  is  very  old,  and,  with 
the  examples  of  the  other  mosques,  it  is  hard  to  under- 
stand the  reason  for  vulgarising  this  building.  The 
outer  doors,  decorated  with  roses  in  ironwork,  are  most 
beautifully  and  elaborately  carved. 

The  mosque  of  Sidi  Dragut — the  oldest,  I  am  told, 
in  Tripoli — lies  down  by  the  harbour  side.  The  grim  old 
corsair  himself,  who  made  the  flag  of  Tripoli  the  terror 
of  the  Central  Sea,  lies  sleeping  here.  The  mosque  is 
of  the  form  of  a  headless  cross,  having  a  row  of  four 
columns  running  down  each  side  of  the  prayer  chamber. 
They  are  rudely  painted  to  represent  blue  veined 
marble :  indeed  the  whole  of  the  decorations  of  this 
mosque  are  tasteless  to  deformity. 


CHAP.  IX.  THE  CRESCENT  CITY.  93 

We  ascended,  by  a  winding  stone  staircase,  to  the 
upper  gallery  of  the  high  minar  of  Djenama  '1  Gordji. 
At  our  feet  lay  the  historical  and  interesting  city.  To 
the  north  ran  a  curved  point,  containing  the  old  fort 
and  ruins  of  the  Spanish  battery,  and  ending  in  a  reef  of 
dark  rocks  with  the  white  surf  sweeping  over  them.  A 
dense  black  fog  lay  on  the  horizon,  the  sea  was  dull : 
the  air,  close  and  oppressive,  seemed  to  indicate  bad 
weather  at  hand.  The  little  fleet  of  sandals,  speronares, 
and  boats,  clustered  snugly  in  the  harbour ;  farther  out 
lay  the  Malta  steamers  and  the  war  ships,  among  twenty 
sailing  vessels. 

It  was  a  city  without  a  gable — an  irregular  surface 
of  white  and  creamy  roofs — one  could  traverse  the  city 
on  its  housetops.  We  had  glimpses  of  brightly-coloured 
interiors,  colonnades,  and  green  lattices.  Snowy  groups 
of  cupolas  and  the  half-dozen  minarets  showed  the  posi- 
tions of  the  mosques,  and  at  the  far  south-eastern 
extremity  towered  the  irregular  storeys  and  battle- 
ments of  the  Castle.  A  single  tall  palm,  the  South 
palm,  rose  from  the  Jews'  quarter.  Many  attempts 
have  been  made  to  abolish  this  palm,  but  it  is  marked 
on  charts  for  the  use  of  vessels  making  the  harbour,  and 
the  authorities  will  not  have  it  touched.  Doves  and 
pigeons  flew  quietly  about  us,  and  the  hum  came  up 
from  the  streets.  Beyond  the  Castle  stretched  the 
white  curve  of  the  harbour  beach,  towards  the  Sultanas' 


94  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  ix. 

Domes.  The  landscape  ends  in  the  palm  forest  of 
Tadjoura.  Behind  the  white  crescent  city  westward 
stretch  black  rocks :  the  barren  shore  dwindles  away 
into  nothing :  a  noble  grove  of  palms  rises  beyond 
the  walls,  and  beyond  the  palms  stretches  the  rose- 
coloured  desert  of  sand,  away  to  the  faint  range  of  the 
Grharian  mountains. 

Leo  Africanus  writes :  The  inhabitants  of  this 
region  affirme  that  the  city  of  Tripoli  it  selfe  was 
situate  in  times  past  more  to  the  northe,  but  by  reason 
of  the  continuall  inundations  of  the  sea,  it  was  built 
and  remooued  by  little  and  little  southward.  For 
proofs  whereof  there  stand  as  yet  ruines  of  houses 
drowned  in  certain  places  of  the  sea. 

This  must  be  taken  under  reserve,  for  the  depths 
indicated  in  the  chart  beyond  the  reef  are  from  five 
to  ten  fathoms.  Such  misplaced  convictions  are  not  con- 
fined to  Barbary.  We  have  foimd  it  difficult  in  our 
own  country  to  persuade  persons  that  their  lands  were 
situate  in  times  past  under  the  sea,  and  that  their  an- 
cestors must  have  been  a  race  of  mariners  and  fishermen. 
The  abundance  of  dates  in  Tripoli  is  a  comfort  to 
the  Arabs,  providing  them  with  a  cheap  and  whole- 
some diet :  but  for  those  they  sell  they  get  next  to 
nothing,  the  price  being  at  times  as  low  as  a  halfpenny 
a  pound.  Horses  are  good,  though  scarce :  the  cattle 
and  sheep  are  poor.     The  wool  is  coarse :  much  of  it  is 


CHAP.  IX.  VICISSITUDES   OF   TRIPOLI.  95 

woven  at  Misratah  into  carpets  and  barracans,  in 
striped  colours.  Of  these  there  were  sent  to  the 
Cyrenaica  alone,  in  one  year,  sixty  thousand  pounds' 
worth. 

The  foreign  trade  of  Tripoli  is  carried  on  chiefly  by 
steamers,  of  which  two  were  trading  during  my  visit 
between  this  port  and  Malta.  Occasional  steamers  call 
on  their  way  from  the  East — generally  to  complete 
their  cargo  by  loading  esparto  at  Homs.  Small  coasting 
vessels  sail  eastward  to  Homs,  Misratah,  and  the  ports 
of  the  Cyrenaica :  and  westward  to  the  Lesser  Syrtis 
and  Tunis.  Formerly  Tunisian  steamers  traded  here, 
but  they  were,  as  Mr.  Hay  says,  deficient  in  steam 
power,  and  imperfectly  navigated. 

In  1871  the  drought  half  ruined  the  Arabs.  Of 
their  cattle,  once  a  profitable  and  considerable  item  of 
export,  owing  to  the  small  meat  consumption  by  the 
natives,  two-thirds  died.  The  same  fearful  propor- 
tion of  camels  and  horses  perished,  or  were  slaughtered, 
and  sheep  became  nearly  extinct.  The  crops  almost 
failed.  The  import  of  necessaries  of  life  amounted  to 
half  a  million  sterling.  The  subsequent  years  were 
brighter  for  the  Regency,  crops  improved,  esparto  was 
obtained  in  larger  quantities,  and  caravans  were  richer 
and  larger.  The  existing  drought  caused  serious  anxiety 
to  the  Tripolines. 

The  government   oflBcials  squeeze  the  poor  Arabs 


96  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.         chap.  ix. 

cruelly.  I  have  been  told  that  assessors  will  rate  an 
Arab's  crops  at  four  times  their  value,  and  make  him 
pay  on  that.  Indeed,  the  Arab  has  sometimes  to  pay 
beyond  the  whole  revenue  from  his  crop.  Kai'ds  and 
others,  who  are  unrestricted,  amass  much  wealth. 

In  Hakluyt's  old  Black-letter  Collection  of  Voiages 
and  Travels,  is  an  account  of  a  voyage  made  to  Tripolis 
in  Barbaric,  in  the  yeere  1583,  with  a  ship  called  the 
lefus.  The  commodities  of  that  place,  says  the 
chronicler,  are  sweete  oiles.  The  king  there  is  a 
merchant.  The  rather  willing  to  preferre  himselfe 
before  his  commons,  he  requested  the  factors  of  the 
said  ship  to  traffique  with  him,  and  promised  them 
that  if  they  would  take  his  oyles  at  his  owne  price,  they 
should  pay  no  manner  of  custome :  and  they  tooke  of 
him  certain  tunnes  of  oyle.  Afterwards,  perceiving 
that  they  might  haue  farre  better  cheape,  notwith- 
standing the  custome  free,  they  desired  the  king  to 
licence  them  to  take  the  oyles  at  the  pleasure  of  his 
commons :  for  that  his  price  did  exceede  theirs : 
whereunto  the  king  would  not  agree,  but  was  rather 
contented  to  abate  his  price :  insomuch  that  the  factors 
bought  all  their  oyles  of  the  king  custome  free,  and  so 
laded  the  same  aboord.  Eventually  some  dispute 
arose,  the  captain  of  the  lefus  was  hanged,  twenty-six 
Englishmen  were  cast  into  prison,  of  whom  eleven  died  : 
— the  ship   and   merchandise,   worth    seven   thousand 


CHAP.  IX.  THE  GENOWAIES.  97 

ducats,  were  confiscated  :  and  the  unfortunate  survivors 
of  the  crew  were  only  released  after  a  vigorous  but 
polite  representation  to  the  Sultan  Mourad,  by  her 
Majesty  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Leo  tells  a  good  story  of  the  Tripolines'  capacity 
for  business.  Tripolis  was  surprized  and  sacked  by  a 
Genouese  fleete  of  twenty  sailes.  Whereof  the  King  of 
Fez,  then  Euler  of  Tripoli,  being  advertized,  gave  the 
Genowaies  fiftie  thousand  ducates,  vpon  consideration 
that  he  might  enioy  the  towne  in  peace.  But  the 
Genoueses  hauing  surrendred  the  towne,  perceiued 
after  their  departure  that  most  part  of  their  ducates 
were  counterfait. 

These  glorious  days  have  passed,  but  Tripoli  may 
take  courage :  she  has  children  not  unworthy  of  her 
traditions. 


98       THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Jews'  Quarter — The  Place  of  Stoning — The  Dyers — An  Austere 
Sentry — Bab  el  Djedid — Jewish  Reception — The  Synagogue — The 
Murderer— The  Dutch  Consul — The  Black  Village — In  the  Palm 
Groves — Orange  Garden — Essence  Distilling — Fruit  and  Blossom — 
The  Castle — A  Roman  Lady — Bouba — The  Circe — The  Last  of 
Tripoli. 

We  went  to  the  Jews'  quarter  one  Saturday  morning. 
A  poor  shabby  alley  led  to  it.  We  came  to  a  square 
of  waste  ground,  a  dirty  ill-drained  area.  It  had  a 
melancholy  interest,  for  many  a  poor  Jewess,  who  had 
been  unfaithful  to  her  husband,  was  stoned  to  death 
here.  Banishment,  of  late  years,  has  taken  the  place  of 
stoning.  We  passed  a  school,  shops  of  mat  weavers, 
overtook  a  caravan  just  starting  for  the  interior,  and 
watched  the  barracan  makers  in  the  weavers'  quarter. 
In  a  corn  mill  a  blindfolded  camel  was  trudging  round, 
an  apparatus  ringing  a  bell  at  intervals  to  mislead  him. 
We  came,  behind  the  Jewish  quarter,  to  the  curriers' 
quarter.  Here  were  great  jars  of  red  dye,  with  which 
the  stainers  were  busy.  The  goatskin,  stretched  across 
a  pole,  is  violently  tugged  at,  and  polished  with  a 
coarse  pad.     The  skin,  after  being  soaked  for  twenty  or 


CHAP.  X.  WALLS   OF  TRIPOLL  99 

thirty  days  in  cold  water  and  the  powder  of  small  dried 
figs,  is  stripped  of  its  hair  and  boiled  in  the  cochineal 
stain.  In  a  basin  hollowed  out  of  a  beautiful  old 
capital,  two  Arabs  were  pounding  coarse  salt,  brought 
from  the  salt  mere  beyond  Tadjoura. 

We  were  passing  along  under  the  fortifications,  and 
mounting  the  rampart  to  obtain  a  commanding  view, 
were  warned  off  by  a  Turkish  sentry.  We  pretended 
not  to  understand  him,  and  tried  to  explain  that  we 
considered  the  fortifications  some  of  the  most  hand- 
some and  efficient  that  we  knew,  and  that  the  white- 
wash did  him  much  credit :  but  he  was  a  poor  practical 
minded  fatalist,  and  told  us  to  be  off  at  once.  We 
traversed  the  worst  quarter  of  the  city,  and  went  out 
by  the  Bab  el  Djedid.  The  angles  of  the  wall  were 
defended  by  heavy  bastions.  Under  the  walls  the  once 
broad  moat  was  a  sheet  of  black  mud.  The  Jewish 
cemetery  was  close  by,  looking  over  the  sea.  Within 
the  gate  El  Djedid  stood  a  small  revenue  building : 
above  it  grew  a  gigantic  plant  resembling  the  coriander. 
The  leaves  and  blossoms  are  used  for  poultices,  and  the 
seed  for  food,  in  the  country  of  the  Blacks. 

We  went  to  visit  the  brother  of  Nano  Sahib,  in  a 
pretty  and  picturesque  dwelling  of  the  Jewish-Moorish 
type.  We  were  very  hospitably  entertained  with 
brandy  and  sweetmeats,  of  which,  understanding  it  was 
good  breeding  to  do  so,  we  ate  large  quantities.     We 

h2 


lOO  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  x. 

passed  along  the  Har  el  Kebir,  the  chief  street  of  the 
Jews'  quarter,  and  entered  the  synagogue.  Such  a 
disorderly,  noisy,  irreverent  congregation,  with  its  forest 
of  dark  blue  turbans,  I  have  never  seen.  One  of 
the  rabbis  read  from  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  while 
conversation  was  animated  and  general.  At  the  door 
we  asfeed  a  young  boy  for  a  light  for  a  cigar.  It  is  the 
Sabbath,  he  said,  turning  away.  We  were  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  Consulate,  when  we  noticed  a  large 
crowd  near  it.  Getting  among  the  people,  we  presently 
saw  Osman  Warrington,  armed,  ride  up  to  the  Consulate 
gateway.  Behind  him,  escorted  by  two  soldiers,  came 
a  camel,  on  which  sat  a  youth  chained  hand  and  foot, 
apparently  eighteen  or  twenty  years  old,  with  a  small 
cat-like  face  and  a  hunted  look.  It  was  the  murderer 
from  Homs.  After  him  came  other  soldiers,  with  two 
children  riding  in  front  of  them,  and  escorting  a  mule 
which  bore  a  miserable,  emaciated,  frightened  creature, 
carrying  a  child  in  her  arms.  This  was  the  wife  of  the 
murdered  man.  They  were  assisted  to  alight,  led  into 
the  courtyard  of  the  Consulate,  and  the  gate  was  closed. 
Having  one  day  occasion  for  some  money,  I  was 
recommended  to  go  to  the  Dutch  consul.  I  found  a 
dark  individual  seated  at  his  desk,  and  said  I  had  been 
directed  to  him  in  the  belief  that  he  would  be  glad  to 
change  some  English  circular  notes  for  me.  Looking 
at  me  with  the  expression  of  a  mud  turtle  who  thinks 


CHAP.  X.  THE  DUTCH   CONSUL.  loi 

it  is  possible  he  may  be  taken  advantage  of,  and  turned 
over  on  his  back,  the  Dutch  consul  asked  to  see  the 
notes,  and  examined  them  carefully.  Suppose  the 
notes  should  be  counterfeit,  the  stranger  a  deceiver, 
who  had  travelled  to  Tripoli  in  order  to  profit  by  his, 
the  Dutch  consul's,  simplicity.  He  eyed  me  vigilantly, 
and  I  began  to  enjoy  it.  Had  I  any  letter  of  introduc- 
aon  from  the  bank?  he  asked.  I  had  been  on  the 
point  of  handing  it  to  him,  but  said  I  was  not  at  the 
moment  in  a  position  to  present  it.  Had  I  any  friends 
in  Tripoli  ?  I  could  hardly  say  that  I  had.  Had  I 
any  means  of  showing  how  I  came  by  the  notes  ?  I 
said  it  would  be  difficult.  Having  aroused  the  Dutch 
consul's  worst  suspicions,  I  asked  for  the  notes,  told  him 
that  I  had  the  bank's  letter,  had  brought  introductions 
to  Tripoli,  was  a  man  of  immense  means,  and  wished 
him  good  morning.  The  Dutch  consul  ground  his 
teeth  as  the  crisp  bank  notes  and  the  golden  commission 
vanished,  and  began  to  think  that  to  be  suspicious  was 
not  always  to  be  wise. 

Nano  Sahib  took  the  notes  cheerfully,  though  he 
charged  rather  cheerfully  too:  and  I  should  not  re- 
commend any  traveller  to  go  to  Tripoli  in  order  to 
profit  by  exchanging  his  letters  of  credit.  So  scarce  is 
pmall  change,  that  the  miserable  copper  and  zinc 
piastres,  half  and  quarter  piastres,  are  at  a  great  pre- 
mium here.     On  gold  or  on  silver  dollars  the  traveller 


I02  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  x. 

loses  fifteen  or  twenty  per  cent,  in  order  to  fill  his 
pockets  with  the  debased  coinage  of  Constantinople. 

One  fine  sunny  afternoon — although  almost  every 
morning  and  afternoon  here  were  fine  and  sunny — we 
mounted  our  donkeys  and  rode  over  to  the  Black  vil- 
lage, which  squats  on  a  sloping  sandbank  near  the 
palm  woods.  It  was  a  perfect  village  from  the  heart 
of  Africa.  Three  or  four  hundred  Dzriba,  or  palm  and 
bamboo  beehive  huts,  like  those  adjoining  the  Her- 
mitage, were  huddled  together.  Some  were  surrounded 
with  screens  of  palm  mats,  and  prickly  pear  bushes 
stood  at  intervals  between  them.  "We  entered  the  wig- 
wam of  the  chief  man  of  the  village,  very  neatly  con- 
structed, and  having  furniture  simple  in  the  extreme. 
A  few  earthen  vessels,  mats,  and  a  mud  stove  were  the 
whole  of  it.  We  walked  from  hut  to  hut.  Some  of 
the  negroes,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  negresses,  were 
sprawling  about,  drunk  with  buha,  or  hohha :  a  kind  of 
cheap  spirit  distilled,  chiefly  by  the  Jews,  from  fer- 
mented dates,  green  figs,  or  raisins.  Leghma  is  another 
temptation  to  the  lower  classes  here.  Poetically  it  is 
called  the  Tears  of  the  Date.  It  is  the  sap  of  the  date 
palm  :  an  unproductive  tree  is  decapitated,  a  cavity  is 
made  in  the  head  of  the  trunk,  and  here  the  sap  collects. 
When  fresh  it  resembles  the  milk  of  the  cocoa-nut,  and 
is  pleasant  enough.  It  soon  becomes  sharp,  not  unlike 
cider  or  kvass,  and  is  intoxicating.    Herodotus  says  Cam- 


CHAP.  X.  BLACK  VILLAGE.  IC3 

byses  sent  to  Ethiopia  by  the  hands  of  the  Ichthyophagi, 
a  vessel  of  palm  tree  wine.  It  is  also  said  to  have  been 
used  by  the  Cave-Dwellers  of  Arabia.  I  had  always 
regarded  the  Troglodytes  as  a  quiet  deserving  race,  sub- 
sisting chiefly  upon  roots  or  snails,  and  water :  had  it  been 
used  by  the  Ichthyophagi  I  should  have  wondered  less. 

A  negro  murdered  another  here  last  evening :  indeed 
these  poor  Ethiopians  seem  sunken  in  vices  to  which,  in 
their  native  land,  they  were  strangers :  and  their  moral 
condition  reflects  but  little  credit  upon  their  neighbours 
in  the  city.  I  was  told  that  occasionally  a  negro 
murderer  is  decapitated  at  an  hour's  notice,  to  make  an 
example. 

We  rode  ofif  through  the  palms  between  high  mud 
walls.  We  could  hear  the  voices  of  children  in  an  Arab 
school.  A  negro  was  enjoying  the  fiendish  and  heart- 
rending noises  he  was  producing  from  a  ixide  bagpipe. 
The  juicy  sprouts  of  the  fig  trees,  increasing  daily  as  it 
seemed,  stretched  above  the  walls.  Solemn  palms 
stood  in  carpets  of  brilliant  poppies,  and  the  air  was 
thick  with  the  sweet  scents  of  fruit  blossoms  and  creep- 
ing plants.  Arabs,  barefooted,  and  slung  by  a  girth  of 
palm  fibre,  were  climbing  the  palms  to  remove  the 
fibrous  growth  and  dead  branches  from  the  crests.  We 
pulled  up  at  a  garden. 

In  the  court,  near  a  deep  well  lined  with  maiden- 
hair fern,  were  four  black  women  in  white  barracans. 


I04  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  x. 

wearing  coral  and  silver  earrings.  Near  them  were  two 
or  three  tattooed  children,  with  necklets  of  orange 
blossoms.  One  woman  was  spinning  wool,  the  others 
were  distilling  orange  flower  water.  In  a  round-headed 
bell-shaped  copper  retort,  placed  over  a  rude  stove,  the 
orange  blossoms,  having  been  exposed  on  a  mat  to  the 
sun  for  an  hour  or  two,  were  being  boiled.  From  the 
head  of  the  retort  ran  a  long  tapering  spout  or  tube, 
which  passed  through  a  large  earthen  vessel  filled  with 
cold  water.  The  orange  flower  vapour  passing  through 
the  cold  tube  is  condensed,  and  falls  in  liquid  into  bottles 
placed  at  the  mouth.  A  moderate-sized  bottle  of 
orange  flower  water  costs  here  fom*  or  five  shillings. 

These  flower  waters  are  much  used  for  sweetmeats 
and  sherbets.  Barbary  is  a  paradise  for  essences.  The 
blossoms  of  jasmine,  acacia,  quince,  narcissus,  aloe, 
lemon,  rose,  scented  poplar,  orange,  geranium,  tuberose, 
thymes,  mint,  and  sambak,  or  double  jasmine  of 
Arabia,  are  distilled  in  great  quantities :  and  the  essence 
bazaars  are  most  fragrant.  The  method  of  distilling 
rose  attar  is  similar  to  that  described  above.  A  damp 
spring  is  more  favourable  for  the  rose  blossoms  than  a 
dry  one.  They  contain  more  essence  the  less  quickly 
they  develop.  A  stony,  sandy  ground  is  the  best  for 
them,  and  under  favourable  conditions  5,000  Ibse.  of  rose 
leaves  will  produce  1  lb.  of  oil.  In  a  dry  season  the 
yield  will  be  only  half  as  much.     The  best  attar  is  worth 


ErtW.Rfi^.ll 


■.Rie.-Jl 


CHAP.  X.  ORANGES  OF  TRIPOLI.  105 

nearly  ll.  the  ounce.  If  a  bottle  of  good  oil  is  put  in 
water  of  the  temperature  of  63°  to  68°  Fahr.  it  will  freeze. 
Poor  oil  will  not  freeze  at  52°.  Idris  oil  is  much  used 
in  the  adulteration  of  this  attractive  and  costly  essence. 

In  an  inner  court  of  the  garden  we  found  five 
ostriches,  brought,  poor  things,  from  Fezzan  only  ten 
days  ago,  and  still  very  shy.  Their  legs  were  chafed  and 
sore  from  the  cords  which  had  bound  them.  The  fruits 
of  Tripoli  have  long  been  famous  for  their  fine  flavour, 
and  we  ranged  about  among  mulberry  trees,  and  orange 
trees  laden  with  blossom  and  oranges  of  all  shapes  and 
kinds.  Some  had  coarse  rind  like  Mandarins  :  some  were 
blood  oranges,  said  to  be  the  result  of  grafting  the 
orange  on  the  pomegranate.  No  evidence  of  this  is  in  the 
trees,  however  :  it  may  have  been  in  some  earlier  stage 
of  development.  It  was  rather  late  in  the  season,  the 
skins  of  many  were  thin  and  dry,  and  every  tenth 
orange  I  ate  would  be  dry  and  woolly.  The  rest  were 
perfect.  We  cantered  home,  bearing  huge  branches  of 
orange  and  lemon  blossom  which  scented  the  whole 
house. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  Castle,  a  rectangular 
building  about  two  hundred  yards  square,  with  bastions. 
We  mounted  the  broad  approach  and  came  to  the  Trea- 
sury, where  sentries  stood  with  fixed  bayonets.  Thence 
to  the  printing  office  whence  the  newspaper  Trablus 
is   issued.     Entering  a  court,  we  found  the  Mint  of 


io6  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  x. 

Yussuf  Pasha,  the  Court  of  Justice  of  the  Beys — 
Tripoli  has  always  been  regarded  as  prompt  in  justice — 
the  Government  Pharmacy,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  chief  of  the  Treasury.  Here  were  arches  and 
fragments  of  columns.  We  went  to  the  prison,  where 
we  found  fifty  or  sixty  criminals  condemned  for  murder, 
in  a  barred  and  grated  chamber.  Some  of  them 
advanced  to  mock  us,  and  several  shook  their  fists  at  us. 
One  tall,  bold-faced  man  approached  the  grating  with  a 
joke  :  he  hadmm-dered  the  keeper  of  a  gambling-house 
at  Benghasi.  » 

One  day  Mr.  Said  called,  bringing  with  him  a  ser- 
vant, who  carried  the  marble  head  of  a  Roman  lady  to 
show  to  me.  It  was  white  and  smoothly  chiselled — the 
hair  and  features  were  as  clear  as  when  cut.  The  hair 
was  twisted  up  in  a  picturesque  coil  at  the  top  of  the 
head.  Mr.  Said  had  lately  bought  for  one  shilling  and 
sixpence  a  Roman  jar,  three  feet  and  a  half  in  height, 
and  very  perfect  and  fine  in  form.  It  had  been  disin- 
terred in  the  neighbourhood.  The  Allegra,  it  trans- 
pired, had  come  to  Tripoli  with  a  view  to  transporting 
the  lately  appointed  Pasha  to  Benghasi.  Her  conduct 
during  the  last  few  days  excited  my  constant  uneasiness: 
one  morning  the  Blue  Peter  would  be  flying  and  I  would 
hasten  to  pack.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  I  would  learn 
she  was  not  to  sail  till  next  day.  In  the  evening  the 
departure  flag  would  be  flying  again.     This  went  on  for 


CHAP.  X.  A  MARRIAGE  VENTURE.  107 

days.  It  seemed  the  Pasha  would  not  agree  to  the 
terms  demanded  for  his  conveyance,  and  the  signal  of 
departure  was  a  playful  mode  of  inducing  him  to  give 
in.  I  awoke  one  morning  to  find  the  Allegra  disap- 
pearing on  the  horizon  on  her  way  to  Malta.  So  much 
for  my  journey  to  Cyrene. 

One  evening  a  little  Jew  came  in,  as  we  were 
drinking  tea  and  orange  flower  water,  to  announce 
his  imminent  marriage.  He  had  paid  fifteen  mahboubs 
for  his  wife,  and  seemed  to  think  he  had  done  a  clever 
thing.  He  did  not  even  know  his  wife's  name,  but 
understood  she  was  known  as  Bouba.  On  the  last 
Sunday  I  spent  in  Tripoli  I  went  to  the  Church  of 
England  service  at  the  Consulate.  Nearly  all  the 
English  residents  were  there,  but  they  barely  numbered 
a  dozen.  Afterwards  I  went  to  the  service  at  the 
Catholic  church,  an  ordinary  plastered  building  with 
votive  pictures,  where  many  Maltese  were  assembled. 

The  Circe  had  arrived,  and  was  to  sail,  \<  eathei  per- 
mitting, for  Malta  in  the  evening  :  but  as  the  weather 
was  stormy  and  threatening,  the  barometer  was  falling, 
and  heavy  seas  were  rolling  over  the  reef,  while  every 
vessel  in  the  harbour  rocked  uneasily  at  her  moorings  : 
it  was  contemplated  to  postpone  the  steamer's  sailing. 
I  went  to  Mr.  Said,  to  prevail  upon  him  to  send  the 
Circe  to  sea,  and  the  good-natured  little  man  wrote  the 
order  to  get  up  steam. 


io8  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  x. 

In  the  afternoon  a  message  came  from  the  Ciree  to 
ask  me  to  go  on  board.  At  the  landing-place  were  my 
kind  and  considerate  host,  with  Mr.  "Warrington  and 
other  gentlemen,  and  I  was  sorry  to  wish  them  good- 
bye. The  anchor  was  got  up,  and  in  a  threatening 
evening  the  little  steamer  Ciree  made  her  way  out  of 
Tripoli  harbour. 

The  houses,  walls.  Castle,  and  palms  faded  out  of 
sight,  and  as  night  fell,  the  Circe  was  pitching  into  the 
heavy  waves  of  the  open  sea. 


VALETTA.  109 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Malta — Cape  Bon — Tunny  Fishery — Goletta — Perruquier — The  City  of 
Verdure — Preparations  for  Kairwan — Sketch  of  Tunis  —Purchases  in 
the  Bazaars — Scenes  in  the  City — Rosebuds  and  Orange  Blossoms — 
Adopt  a  Young  Moor  — Braham  the  Silrersmith — The  Bardo — The 
Great  Aqueduct. 

All  that  night  and  all  next  day  we  rolled  quickly. 
Sagramo  !  groaned  a  Maltese,  sick  of  the  rough  voyage. 
Men  for  the  land  and  fish  for  the  sea !  Towards 
nightfall  we  saw  the  flashing  light  of  Delimara.  We 
entered  the  harbour  of  Valetta  at  nine  in  the  evening, 
and  slept  on  board  the  Circe.  The  Tunis  steamer  was 
lying  alongside  of  us,  waiting  for  cargo  and  fine 
weather. 

^  I  remained  several  days  in  Malta.  Mackintosh,  of 
the  Junon,  dined  with  me  one  evening,  and  I  was 
shocked  to  hear  of  the  death  of  our  fellow-passenger 
Cholmeley,  who  died  two  or  three  days  after  our 
arrival  here.  At  length  the  obliging  agents  of  the 
Tunis  steamer  sent  to  tell  me  that  she  was  ready  for 
sea.  As  the  sunset  gun  was  fired  from  St.  Angelo,  we 
steamed  out  of  Malta  harbour. 

Two  or  three  months  after  this  I  had  a  letter  from 


no  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

Captain  Kirkpatrick,  telling  me  the  sequel  of  the 
Maltese  murder  at  Homs.  The  woman,  who  gave 
evidence  against  her  companion  in  guilt,  was  released, 
and  the  young  man  was  condemned  to  twenty  years' 
imprisonment.  '  A  Maltese  jury,'  the  captain  added, 
'  can  hardly  be  prevailed  upon  to  punish  murder  by 
death :  it  is  not  considered  a  capital  offence.'  Each 
nationality  has  its  peculiar  sentiments.  A  French 
gentleman  was  brought  before  the  Correctional  Police 
in  Paris,  for  giving  little  boys  money  to  strew  orange 
peel  and  make  slides  on  the  pavement  in  front  of  his 
house.  The  case  was  dismissed  when  the  gentleman 
explained  that  he  was  expecting  his  mother-in-law  to 
dinner. 

In  wind  and  mist  next  day  we  passed  three  steamers, 
making  but  little  headway.  Off  Lampedusa  we  came 
among  numerous  whales  and  porpoises,  and  a  lonely 
turtle  who  looked  seasick  and  upset.  It  was  very  cold 
and  cheerless — rough  squalls  came  incessantly.  To- 
wards evening  we  were  abreast  of  Cape  Bon,  and  its 
flashing  red  and  white  light.  "When  the  wind  is  in  the 
south-east,  the  captain  told  me,  very  sudden  gusts 
come  down  from  the  mountains  of  the  Dakkhul :  the 
glass  falls,  and  the  wind  will  shift  abruptly  to  the  north- 
west. So  the  apparent  absurdity  of  Virgil's  tempest, 
in  which  -^neas's  ships  were  attacked  by  Eurus  the 
east-south-east,  Notus    the   south,   Africus   the  west- 


CHAP.  XI.  TUNNY   FISHERY.  |il 

south-west,  Aquilo  the  north-north-east,  and  eventually 
Zephyrus  the  west,  winds,  at  once,  is  only  one  of  the 
many  examples  of  the  poet's  faithful  observance  of  the 
facts  of  nature : 

The  East,,  the  West  together  there,  the  Afric  that  doth  hold 
A  heart  fulfilled  of  stormy  rain,  huge  billows  shoreward  rolled. 
Thereioith    came   clamour    of  the    men  and    whistling    through 

the  shrouds, 
And    heaven    and  day  all   suddenly    were  swalloiced    by    the 
clouds, 
Away  from  eyes  of  Teucrian  men  ;  night  on  the  ocean  lies, 
Pole  thunders  unto  Pole,  and  still  with  wiUlfire  glare  the  skies, 
And  aU  things  hold  the  face  of  death  before  the  seamen's  eyes. 

We  passed  the  uninhabited  islands  of  Zembra  and 
Zembrotto  to  seaward,  rounded  Eas  el  Ferthass,  and 
entered  the  Grulf  of  Tunis.  At  Sidi  Daoud  are  rich 
tunny  fisheries.  The  survivors  of  the  poor  tunny 
caught  here  in  May,  are  caught  at  Cape  Passaro  in 
August  and  September.  Last  year  the  sea  destroyed 
the  fishing  nets  and  tackle,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
the  tunny.  There  are  two  other  Tunisian  tonnaras — one 
ten  miles  east  of  Bizerta  and  one  hear  Monastir — both 
abandoned,  however,  since  1853.  The  Carthaginian 
prawns  are  historic  and  famous,  having  been  sent  in 
old  times  to  Imperial  banquets  at  Eome.  They  measured 
six  or  seven  inches  in  length.  The  mullets  of  the  Lake 
of  Timis,  says  old  Dr.  Shaw,  are  esteemed  the  largest  and 
sweetest  on  the  coast  of  Barbary. 


112  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

"We  were  at  anchor  ofif  the  little  white  seaport, 
Groletta,  in  the  morning.  The  landing  was  much  less 
disorderly  than  formerly.  The  place  was  smarter,  and 
seemed  to  be  looking  up  in  the  world,  after  its  vicissi- 
tudes. Once  a  deep  and  capacious  harbour,  in  which 
the  fleet  of  Belisarius  rode  when  he  made  his  triumphal 
demonstration  before  Tunis,  the  lake  had  so  dwindled 
away  by  the  time  of  Barbarossa,  that  when  he  attacked 
Groletta  its  garrison  retired  across  the  lake  to  Tunis. 
Kecaptured  by  the  Christian  armies  and  given  to  the 
Spaniards  in  1535,  Groletta,  after  a  most  brave  defence, 
was  regained  by  the  Ottomans,  who  massacred  all  but 
three  hundred  of  the  garrison. 

At  the  small  inn  of  Groletta,  waiting  for  the  train, 
I  got  into  conversation  with  the  landlady's  son,  a  youth 
of  French  parentage,  Tunisian  birth,  and  of  evident 
intelligence.  His  name  resembled  Perruquier  more 
than  any  name  I  remember,  and  that  name  will  do 
very  well  for  him.  Perruquier  had  an  excellent  face 
for  a  lie  :  I  recognised  that  his  family  must  be  of  great 
antiquity — in  fact,  dating  from  the  Age  of  Bronze. 
This  pleased  me,  and  I  engaged  Perruquier  as  drago- 
man. He  had  served,  so  he  told  me,  in  the  Mobile 
Guards  during  the  siege  of  Paris,  and  shared  their 
sacrifices  and  glories.  This  gentleman  proved  a  smart 
and  useful  servant,  though  he  endeavoured  consistently 
to  get  to  windward  of  me  in  money  transactions  :  and 


CHAP.  XI.  THE   LAKE   OF   TUNIS.  1 13 

SO  bold  and  subtle  were  his  schemes  that  much  inge- 
nuity was  needed  to  defeat  them.  Perruquier  had 
all  the  instincts  of  the  filibuster :  he  was  fond  of 
napoleons  :  he  could  not  regard  them  without  a  certain 
melancholy  longing.  Unlike  the  much-abused  Catiline, 
who  was  alieni  appetens,  sui  profusus :  Perruquier 
was  greedy  with  his  own  property,  lavish  with  what 
belonged  to  me. 

Beside  the  lake  stood  a  large  herd  of  camels,  while 
gulls  and  flamingoes  were  busy  fishing.  The  western 
breeze  shook  the  old  olives  to  our  right  hand,  and  rippled 
the  waters  of  the  lake.  We  could  see  Tunis,  the  City 
of  Verdure — a  mass  of  picturesque  cream-coloured 
buildings  and  minarets,  surmounted  by  the  Kasbah — 
sloping  gently  up  a  background  of  purple  and  green. 
No  smoke  rose  to  soil  or  obscure  the  city.  Round  it 
stretched  the  mountains  which  make  of  the  Gulf  of 
Tunis  so  lovely  a  panorama.  In  the  lake  stood  a  small 
island  containing  a  fort,  which  that  famous  soldier  and 
author  Cervantes  defended  against  the  Turks  in  1573. 
It  was  a  falling  off  to  enter  Tunis  by  rail,  instead  of 
through  a  postern  gate  at  dead  of  night,  escorted  by  a 
dozen  irregular  soldiers  with  lanterns. 

There  were  few  guests  at  the  hotel.  One  was  a 
short  gentleman,  who  seemed  unconscious  that  nature 
had  provided  him  with  two  ears  and  one  mouth,  in 
order  that  he  might  hear  much  but  say  little.     In  the 

I 


114  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

visitors'  book  I  found  the  name  of  Comte  Pepper, 
Engleterre,  and  wondered  which  of  our  leading  families 
he  represented,  and  where  he  had  learnt  French.  The 
consul-general  advised  me  not  to  go  to  Kairwan, 
except  under  Grovernment  protection,  and  promised  to 
do  his  best  to  get  me  a  letter  and  escort  from  the  Bey. 
It  had  hardly  been  my  wish  to  go  thus :  but  when  we 
cannot  have  what  we  like,  it  is  well  to  like  what  we 
have.  Mr.  Wood  himself  went  to  the  Bardo,  and  his 
dragomen  were  constantly  going  to  and  fro  during  my 
stay  in  Tunis.  A  Sicilian  pastrycook,  a  few  days 
before,  had  shot  a  judge  attached  to  the  Italian  con- 
sulate, and  afterwards  destroyed  himself.  The  judge 
was  dangerously  wounded,  but  likely  to  recover. 

We  went  to  the  bazaars,  which,  though  not  so  rich 
as  those  of  Cairo,  Constantinople,  or  Damascus,  are 
more  picturesque  and  charming.  The  population  seemed 
scantier,  and  the  life  less  animated  than  four  years  ago. 
The  shops  are  not  open  till  nine  or  ten,  closing  soon 
after  half-past  two :  the  Tunisians  go  early  to  bed,  to 
repose  from  the  fatigue  of  doing  little  all  day. 

I  will  make  no  excuse  for  giving  a  brief  sketch  of 
Tunis  and  its  capital,  in  order  that  the  reader  may 
make  a  passing  comparison  between  this  and  the  neigli- 
bouring  Eegency  of  Tripoli. 

Tunis,  the  leading  Barbary  state,  lies  midway  be- 
tween Gibraltar  and  Egypt,  on  the  high  road  of  Eastern 


CHAP.  XI.  REGENCY   OF  TRIPOLI.  115 

commerce,  and  has  large  internal  resources.  Having  a 
coast  line  of  four  hundred  miles,  it  comprises  per- 
haps forty  thousand  square  miles  of  territory,  and  prac- 
tically represents  the  two  Roman  provinces  of  Zeugi- 
tana  and  Byzacium.  It  is  possessed  of  eleven  harbours, 
once  invaluable  for  corsairs  and  the  slave  trade.  It  has 
two  considerable  rivers,  the  Medjerdah  and  Wad  el 
Kebir  :  three  large  lakes,  those  of  Bizerta,  Tunis, 
and  Sidi  el  Hani.  Its  population,  once  estimated 
at  seventeen  millions,  and  again  in  the  eighteenth 
century  at  five  millions,  has,  through  the  plagues  of 
1785  and  1829,  and  the  famine  and  typhus  of  1867, 
dwindled  away  to  a  million  and  a  half.  It  is  said  to 
have  contained  in  the  days  of  the  early  Christian 
Church  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  episcopal  sees. 

The  southern  district,  the  Djerid,  or  Country  of 
Dates,  contains  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  two  millions 
of  date  palms,  vast  groves  of  orange,  lemon,  fig,  apricot, 
peach,  and  pomegranate  trees,  with  rich  tracts  of 
cereals,  vegetables,  melons,  &c.  &c.  There  are  mines 
of  lead  at  Djebel  Eesass  and  at  Zaghwan,  both  known 
to  the  Eomans :  but  the  Beys,  fearing  the  cupidity  of 
Christians,  till  late  years  discountenanced  any  develop- 
ment of  the  country's  resources.  The  public  credit  of 
Tunis,  since  the  establishment  of  a  financial  commis- 
sion, has  been  good.  Railways,  telegraphs,  a  bank,  and 
other  steps  towards  improvement  have  been  encouraged. 

X  a 


116  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

The  history  can  be  sketched  in  a  few  words  :  it  can- 
not be  dissociated  from  that  of  Carthage.  First  came 
the  establishment,  five  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era,  of  the  Phoenician  colony  on  the  heights  of  Cape 
Carthage  :  the  development  of  a  splendid  city :  its  in- 
tercourse with  the  known  world  and  explorations  into 
the  unknown :  its  military  glories  and  rivalry  with 
Rome,  its  fall  and  destruction,  while  our  ancestors 
were  still  sporting  among  the  oak  trees  in  skins  and 
paint.  Then  its  restoration  as  a  Eoman  city,  and  its 
second  rise  to  splendour :  its  conquest  by  Crenseric's 
Vandals  in  the  fifth  century  after  Christ :  its  recovery 
by  Belisarius  for  the  Byzantine  Emperors  in  the  follow- 
ing century :  and  its  final  destruction  by  the  Saracens 
under  Okhbah,  founder  of  Kairwan. 

These  last  invaders,  not  having  maritime  capabilities, 
rather  than  revive  Carthage,  thought  well  to  establish 
their  capital  at  Tunis,  farther  from  the  sea :  and 
eventually,  not  feeling  secure  there,  at  Kairwan.  After 
centuries  of  vicissitudes,  disputed  by  Turks  and 
Christians,  taken  by  the  famous  pirate  Redbeard — the 
elder  of  the  Barbarossa  brothers — in  1531  :  Tunis  was 
captured  by  Charles  V.,  and  again  taken  by  the  fleet  of 
Sultan  Selim  after  a  brilliant  defence.  Impatient  of 
control  from  the  Ottoman  capital,  the  Tunisian  Moors 
declared  themselves  a  Republic  one  and  indivisible,  and 
elected  their  own  Beys.     They  then  entered  upon  an 


CHAP.  XI.  CITY   OF   TUNIS.  I17 

active  course  of  maritime  requisitions,  which  made  the 
Barbary  flag  unpopular  in  the  Mediterranean.  The 
present  government  rather  resembles  that  of  Egypt,  the 
Beylik  being  hereditary. 

The  stately  and  populous  city  of  Tunis,  as  Leo  calls  it, 
has  five  large  and  many  small  mosques,  eight-and-twenty 
baths,  eighty  public  fountains,  a  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  caravanserais,  two  hundred  and  forty  coffee  shops, 
sixteen  barracks,  Moorish  and  European  hospitals,  two 
libraries,  containing  twelve  thousand  MSS.,  the  rem- 
nant of  seventy-two  thousand  destroyed  by  the  Spaniards 
— Cervantes'  comrades  -  -in  the  Abdallah  Palace  early 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  Its  chief  manufactures  are 
linen  and  woollen  cloths,  embroidery,  morocco  leather, 
burnouses,  horse  accoutrements,  silk  shawls,  silk  and 
gold  and  silver  tissues,  jewellery,  wearing  apparel, 
woollen  rugs,  haiks,  and  mats.  The  fez,  or  sheshiya, 
famous  throughout  the  Levant,  is  made  in  large  quan- 
tities :  although  from  the  manufacture  in  France  and 
Trieste  of  cheaper  ones,  the  export  has  fallen  off.  The 
Romans  brought  water,  fifty-two  miles,  from  Zaghwan 
and  Ain  Djugar,  by  an  aqueduct,  in  some  places  a 
hundred  feet  high :  the  present  government  in  1859 
did  very  much  the  same,  partly  utilising  the  old 
aqueduct. 

We  became  the  largest  possessors  in  Tunis  of  Arab 
dresses,  attar  of  roses,  pearls,  amber   beads,  engrave(^ 


Il8  THE  COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

stones,  old  silver  work  and  gold  work,  Oriental  china, 
old  blue  and  white  tiles,  mosaics,  coins,  musical  instru- 
ments, pottery,  hasheesh,  rahatlakoom,  old  brass  lamps, 
silk  and  wool  materials,  Tripoli  and  Beng-hasi  rugs, 
little  old  essence  cabinets  carved  and  inlaid,  and  old 
hand  mirrors.  What  in  the  world  we  should  do  with 
them  when  we  got  them  home  we  did  not  know.  The 
Tunis  gold  coinage  is  good :  the  copper  is  bulky,  giving 
much  satisfaction  in  the  receiving,  less  in  the  carrying, 
and  least  in  repaying  it.  So  much  goes  to  make  a 
piastre,  that  the  traveller's  spirits  droop  and  he  becomes 
discouraged. 

We  made  a  point  of  bargaining  firmly  with  the 
merchants.  On  one  occasion,  having  positively  refused 
to  give  more  than  eighteen  piastres  for  an  old  silver 
amulet,  and  the  Jew  having  refused  to  take  less  than 
nineteen,  we  were  at  a  dead  lock.  Anxious  to  give  way, 
but  to  save  the  principle,  I  took  a  napoleon,  and,  point- 
ing to  the  Emperor's  hea.d,sa.id,  Shouf,Samaniyatashar! 
Eighteen !  Then  to  the  reverse,  Tasatashar  !  Nineteen  ! 
Maleh !  said  the  silversmith.  Good  !  Spinning  the 
coin,  it  fell  in  my  hand  head  upwards,  but  I  called  out, 
Tasatashar!  and  the  Arab  bounded  into  the  air,  clapping 
his  hands,  and  ran  about  the  bazaars  telling  everyone 
how  fortune  had  given  him  the  advantage  over  a  Eoumi 

The  wanderer  in  Tunis  will  traverse  narrow  wind- 
ing alleys  with  irregular  white  buildings :  through  fine 


CHAP.  XI.  SKETCHES  IN  THE  BAZAARS.  119 

old  arabesqued  Moorish  arches  are  glimpses  of  cool 
bright  courts,  with  waving  trees  and  trickling  water. 
Suddenly  he  will  emerge  into  the  brilliant  bazaars. 
Series  of  vaulted  roofs  are  supported  on  light  graceful 
arches,  all  white,  and  springing  from  delicate,  brightly 
coloured  pillars  :  the  little  shops  are  recessed  on  either 
side.  The  costumes  of  Tunisians,  Moors,  Tripolines, 
Djerbans,  Algerians,  Fezzians,  Arabs  from  the  Djerid  and 
the  desert,  blacks  and  infidels  of  all  nations,  are  inde- 
scribably picturesque.  The  Tunisians'  costumes  are 
almost  invariably  in  perfect  taste.  The  silk  djubbas 
were  of  deep  red  and  apple-green,  or  deep  blue  and 
golden  yellow,  the  vests  and  jackets  pale  rose  coloured, 
or  of  delicate  blues,  greens,  and  yellows,  in  silk,  cotton, 
and  wool.  It  is  a  constant  picture,  always  varying 
and  always  charming.  Here  is  a  regular  Moor,  with 
a  cinnamon  face,  a  snowy  turban,  a  rosebud  above  his 
ear,  a  deep  blue  embroidered  jacket,  waistcoat,  and 
drawers,  white  stockings,  and  yellow  shoes.  The  next 
man  to  him  is  in  slaty  blue  and  pink,  the  next  a  negro 
in  a  blue  cloak  lined  with  brown  fur.  Women  pass  in 
white  woollen  haiks,  holding  out  in  front  of  their  faces 
red,  black,  and  blue  silk  scarfs. 

Strolling  from  one  bazaar  to  another,  the  traveller 
will  be  more  pleased  as  he  goes  on :  past  beautiful 
angles  of  Moorish  buildings,  mosques,  arches,  and  colon- 
nades :  past  caravanserais,  where  vines  or  fig  trees  throw 


I20  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap,  xi. 

cool  shadows  on  the  camels  feeding  in  the  court,  while 
the  dark-faced  white-robed  Bedouins  lounge  among 
them.  Thence  perhaps  to  the  silk  bazaars,  where 
lovely  flox  silk  hangs  in  great  bunches,  suggesting 
wonderful  embroidery.  Then  to  the  merchants  of  carpets, 
shawls,  and  stuffs,  and  through  zigzag  streets  beyond 
the  bazaars,  with  the  beautiful  blue  sky  over-head,  and 
where  solitary  palms  stand  up  from  courts  and  gardens. 
Lovely  minarets  abound,  square,  arabesqued  and 
tiled,  others  thin  and  graceful,  with  delicate  little  gal- 
leries :  domes  covered  with  old  green  tiles,  like  dragon's 
scales :  inviting  cafes,  with  splendid  studies  of  Arabs. 
The  traveller  will  decorate  his  coat  with  sweet  musk- 
roses,  his  lips  with  the  golden  tinge  of  orange  juice, 
and  he  will  drink  numerous  cups  of  coffee  as  he  squats 
on  little  square  sugarcane  stools. 

The  evening  sky  melts  from  turquoise  into  golden, 
and  thence  into  the  rosy  colour  of  a  flamingo's  breast. 
The  abundance  of  flowers  in  the  bazaars  is  charming. 
Small  bouquets  of  rosebuds  and  orange  blossoms,  stuck 
on  slips  of  wood,  are  in  almost  everybody's  hand,  and 
cost  one  caroub.  There  are  four  caroubs  in  a  penny.  A 
bouquet  is  very  generally  worn  over  the  ear,  just  beneath 
the  turban. 

We  often  went  in  the  evenings  to  ramble  about  and 
watch  the  phases  of  Oriental  life — sometimes  to  an 
Arab  concert,  or  a  Jewish  concert,  or  a  hasheesh  es- 


CHAP.  XI.  AN   ADOPTED   CHILD.  121 

tablishment,  where  hashashtn  were  smoking  away  their 
senses.  From  this  word  comes  '  assassin,'  its  present 
sense  being  curiously  diverted  from  the  original.  One  is 
a  person  who  occupies  himself  in  killing  himself,  the 
other  in  killing  other  people.  On  one  of  these  occa- 
sions our  guide's  lantern  light  fell  on  a  little  bundle  of 
clothes  and  rags,  huddled  up  under  an  archway.  It 
was  a  miserable  starving  little  Arab.  We  had  him 
brought  to  the  hotel,  and  he  stayed  a  week  or  so  there 
before  we  left  Tunis.  He  would  probably  not  have 
lived  long,  poor  little  creature,  and  food  could  hardly 
be  given  to  him  at  first. 

He  became  attached  to  us,  and  apparently  grateful. 
He  became  distressed  when  the  time  for  our  departure 
came  nearer,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  come  to 
England.  The  landlord  assured  him  it  was  impossible, 
and  told  him  that  no  Mussulman  could  go  to  England, 
which  was  a  Christian  country.  Ali,  who  was  not  over 
eight  years  old,  went  one  day  to  the  hotel  kitchen, 
and  after  persuading  the  cook,  received  some  ham  and 
a  little  wine.  Then  he  went  straight  to  the  landlord. 
Now,  he  said,  I  am  no  longer  a  Mussulman  :  I  can  go 
with  the  English  gentlemen.  He  would  steal  into  our 
bedroom  and  raise  our  hands  to  his  lips,  then  seat  himself 
on  the  floor  watching  us  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  Even- 
tually a  kind  and  charitable  American  lady,  then  living 
in  Tunis,  prevailed  upon  us  to  give  her  charge  of  Ali. 


I2i  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  xi. 

A  year  after  our  return  to  England  we  wrote,  asking 
if  it  were  time  to  send  more  money  for  the  boy's  wants. 
His  kind  mistress  sent  the  following  reply : 

'  I  regret  exceedingly  I  have  no  good  news  to  com- 
municate to  you  regarding  the  little  Arab  boy  you  took 
under  your  protection.  After  your  departure  I  sent 
for  the  child,  bought  several  suits  of  clothes,  shoes, 
stockings,  &c.,  and  kept  him  with  me  in  Tunis,  fearing 
that,  in  the  very  delicate  state  of  health  I  found  him 
in,  he  might  be  neglected  at  my  farm.  He  was  taken 
ill,  and  for  three  weeks  I  had  the  doctor  every  day.  I 
nursed  him  most  faithfully :  he  recovered,  and  a  month 
after  he  ran  away.  He  was  found,  completely  devoid 
of  clothing,  at  the  Bardo.  I  dressed  him  again,  and 
again  he  ran  away,  selling  his  clothes.  Three  times  he 
did  the  same  thing,  and  at  last  my  researches  were  in 
vain.  At  last  a  Spanish  lady  here  told  me  she  had 
found  a  poor  child,  and  had  taken  it  in  to  feed  and 
clothe  it.  The  child  was  the  same,  and  after  a  few 
weeks  he  left  her  also,  taking  with  him  several  articles 
besides  his  clothing.  Twice  he  did  the  same,  and  not 
being  able  to  be  found  the  last  time,  we  suppose  he 
has  left  the  town.  I  regret  extremely  that  your  action 
has  met  with  so  much  ingratitude.' 

We  had  grown  friendly  with  one  of  the  leading 
Jews  among  the  silversmiths,  Braham  by  name.  We 
used  to  sit  in  his  shop  while  we  bought  souvenirs  from 


CHAP.  XI.  A  TUNISIAN  GOLDSMITH.  123 

his  neighbours,  and  one  day  he  begged  us  to  do  him 
the  uncommon  honour  of  visiting  him  at  his  house. 
Here  he  regaled  us  with  eau-de-vie,  and  sweetmeats 
made  of  almonds  and  honey.  Our  farewell  to  Braham 
was  picturesque.  We  exchanged  many  complimentary 
speeches.  We  promised  to  think  frequently  of  him 
when  we  should  have  returned  to  our  native  land, 
while  he  assured  us  that  the  recollection  of  our  personal 
beauty  and  amiability  should  be  for  ever  engraven  on 
his  heart.  We  said  that  the  hours  spent  in  his  shop 
were  amongst  the  pleasantest  we  had  passed  in  Tunis : 
and  he  declared  that  we  were  the  only  Christians  he 
had  ever  really  loved.  We  said  his  upright  dealing 
had  given  us  a  very  high  impression  of  the  character 
of  Tunisian  goldsmiths  :  and  he  said  all  his  regret  was 
that  he  had  not  been  able  to  make  even  better  bargains 
for  us.  We  left  the  good  old  man  with  tears  rolling 
down  his  cheeks,  and  next  day  returning  for  a  final 
visit  to  the  bazaars,  we  detected  him  in  the  act  of 
plundering  us  in  the  matter  of  some  pearls. 

I  remembered  Braham,  and  went  to  his  shop. 
Another  tenant  was  there.  Poor  Braham — had  he  de- 
frauded his  last  English  traveller?  I  asked  for  him, 
and  learnt  he  was  in  the  bazaars.  In  two  minutes  I 
saw  Braham  pushing  through  the  crowd:  he  recognised 
me  at  a  glance.  I  am  thankful  to  God  for  your  return, 
he  said :  which  I  believe  he  was.  But  where  is  the  other 


124  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap,  xi, 

gentleman  ?  he  said  in  the  same  breath — remembering 
how  rich  the  other  was.  I  shook  my  head.  What  has 
become  of  him  ?  he  asked  Perruquier.  I  said  I  would 
rather  not  say.  Has  misfortune  befallen  him  ?  I  lowered 
my  voice  and  said — Married. 

We  went  twice  to  the  Bey's  Palace  of  the  Bardo, 
driving  under  the  city  wall,  along  a  road  bordered  by 
acacias  with  sweet  clusters  of  wliite  blossoms.  All 
this  side  of  the  city  wall  is  in  a  state  of  neat  repair, 
and  armed  with  modern  artillery.  On  one  occasion, 
four  years  ago,  in  preparing  for  the  visit  of  a  foreign 
prince,  the  workmen  were  set  to  whitewash  the  walls, 
and  the  guileless  Arabs  whitewashed  the  guns  too.  We 
passed  the  high  modern  aqueduct  and  reached  the 
palace  fortress.  At  each  angle  were  heavy  bastions 
armed  with  fine  brass  guns,  and  defended  by  the  Bey's 
Zouaves,  his  best  troops.  Crossing  a  drawbridge,  we 
drove  imder  many  archways  and  entered  a  square  court. 
Mounting  to  a  second  court,  colonnaded  and  lined  with 
lovely  tiles  and  the  green  lattices  of  the  women's  apart- 
ments, we  reached  a  fine  broad  marble  staircase  with 
handsome  balustrades  in  the  Moorish  style.  We  tra- 
versed tlie  ^<?hole  of  this  very  beautiful  building,  which 
resembles  the  Alcazar  Palace  at  Seville.  Its  interior 
details  are  much  disfigured  by  European  decoration. 

We  drove  out,  past  gardens  and  orange  groves, 
fields  of  barley,  cypress  trees,  aged  olives  growing  in  a 


CHAP.  XI.  THE  GREAT  AQUEDUCT.  125 

dry  and  exhausted-looking  wilderness,  and  past  the 
Manouba,  a  suburban  village.  Beyond  this  the  road 
divides,  one  branch  running  to  Bezha,  the  other  via  Kef 
into  Algeria.  The  latter  is  a  journey  of  five  days  on 
horseback,  but  a  courier  travelling  quickly  can  do  it  in 
three  days  and  a  half.  We  reached  the  great  Eoraan 
aqueduct,  built  to  bring  the  waters  of  Ain  Djugar  to 
Carthage.  I  have  a  silver  coin,  showing  the  stream  on 
its  way,  and  a  lion  bearing  Severus,  hurrying  along, 
delighted  to  bring  the  news  to  Carthage.  A  great 
stretch  of  forty-six  arches  of  the  aqueduct  stands  out 
of  the  plain,  very  complete  still.  The  piers  are  of  mud 
blocks  founded  upon  white  hewn  blocks  of  stone.  The 
fine  round  arches  are  faced  with  stone :  the  conduit 
itself  is  in  cement.  These  ruins  of  a  magnificent  work 
stood  amid  thistles,  wild  marigolds,  prickly  pear,  and 
fig  trees.  Bees  were  humming  about,  and  a  flight  of 
forty  hawks,  having  their  nests  in  the  clay  arches, 
hovered  overhead. 

We  returned  by  the  Carthage  Gate  to  Tunis  and 
drove  past  what  was  now,  and  ordinarily,  a  grass  mar- 
ket, where  hooded  Arabs  were  bargaining  for  fodder, 
but  what  was  lately  a  place  of  execution.  Three  weeks 
ago  an  Arab  who  had  plundered  General  Khaireddin's 
house,  was  led  for  two  or  three  hours  through  the  streets 
— the  oflScers  with  him  crying  that  all  who  did  the  same 
should  be  treated  alike — then  brought  here  and  hanged. 


126       THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Bakkoush — His  Antecedents,  Career,  Characteristics,  and  Accomplish- 
ments— Old  Times — Mosaics — Stroll  through  the  City — Panorama — 
The  Diamond  Market — Sanctuaries — The  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree 
— Departure  from  Tunis. 

We  made  four  years  ago  in  Tunis  the  acquaintance  of 
a  remarkable  man — a  deaf  mute — Bakkoush  by  name, 
and  buffoon  to  the  Bey.  He  entered  the  hotel  one  day, 
and  remained  to  dinner.  He  was  a  tall  man  in  a  fez,  with 
a  heavy  black  moustache,  and  eyes  that  moved  like 
lightning,  that  nothing  escaped,  and  which  served  him 
well  in  the  place  of  his  two  lost  senses.  He  was  known 
in  all  classes  of  Tunisian  society,  and  all  manner  of 
stories — true  or  untrue — were  told  about  him.  Some 
said  he  had  been  a  collector  from  his  youth  upwards. 
On  one  occasion,  having  inadvertently  collected  some- 
thing belonging  to  his  neighbour,  he  was  brought  before 
the  Bey.  During  the  inquiry  the  deaf  mute  entertained 
his  Highness  by  mimicking  any  minister  or  official  who 
turned  his  back,  and  eventually  made  signs  that  he 
wished  for  a  pinch  from  the  Bey's  snuffbox.  The  Bey, 
to  humour  him,  handed  him  the  box,  which  Bakkoush 


CHAP.  XII.  AN   ORIGINAL.  127 

returned.  In  a  few  minutes,  feeling  for  his  box,  the 
Bey  found  it  had  vanished.  Bakkoush  had  picked  his 
Highness's  pocket,  and  the  Bey  was  so  much  amused 
that  he  had  patronised  him  ever  since. 

His  gestures  and  mumbling  sounds  were  unmistake- 
able — he  positively  talked.  His  facility  for  expressing 
himself  and  for  assuming  the  expression  of  others  was 
startling.  Nothing  escaped  his  penetrating  eye,  and 
still  less  his  sense  of  humour.  A  whisper  behind  one's 
hand  put  him  on  the  alert  at  once,  and  it  was  useless 
to  refuse  to  repeat  by  signs  what  had  been  said.  The 
tricks  he  played  with  cards  or  upon  us  were  incredibly 
clever.  He  was  a  born  conjuror  :  it  was  inconceivable  how 
he  stole  one's  watch,  pencil,  or  money,  and  transferred 
them  to  a  neighbour,  and  what  versatility  and  subtleties 
of  expression  his  face  assumed.  In  the  same  instant  a 
diabolical  contortion  would  pass  into  a  jovial,  rollicking 
smile.  A  Grerman  Baron  with  a  fat  simple  face  sat  near 
us  at  table,  staring  at  the  mute.  In  the  midst  of  some 
description  or  mimicry,  Bakkoush — who  took  in  the 
company  at  a  glance — suddenly  stopped,  and  pointed  to 
the  Baron's  fat  countenance  staring  in  open-mouthed 
astonishment.  It  was  so  irresistibly  comic  that  the 
whole  room  roared,  while  the  Baron  grew  crimson. 
None  of  us  was  safe  to  turn  his  head,  for  his  faintest 
peculiarity  was  in  a  second  reproduced  in  Bakkoush's 
face. 


128  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xii. 

His  mode  of  life  and  means  of  subsistence  were  a 
puzzle.  He  would  get  a  present,  of  some  garment  let  us 
say,  and  upon  that  he  would  live  for  days  and  gain  money. 
He  would  take  that  garment,  perhaps,  to  a  man  who  had 
a  cabinet — no  matter  what — and  the  marvellous  fellow 
would  satisfy  the  man  with  the  cabinet  that  the  garment 
was  worth  the  cabinet  and  a  little  money :  and  make  the 
exchange.  The  cabinet  he  would  take  to  a  man  with  an 
engraved  ring,  and  persuade  him  that  it  would  be  a  pro- 
fitable thing  to  give  the  ring  and  a  little  money  for  the 
cabinet.  And  so  on.  He  was  a  real  genius.  He  was 
known  at  all  the  consulates.  Spy,  robber,  and  worse 
names  were  bestowed  upon  him,  but  none  were  established. 
He  would  certainly  have  made  a  magnificent  spy  or  free- 
booter, from  the  opportunities  his  faculties  of  amuse- 
ment gave  him.  He  had  been  sent  to  Constantinople  to 
accompany  the  Tunisian  tribute,  and  must  have  enter- 
tained the  Commander  of  the  Faithful. 

This  singular  being  took  a  fancy  to  my  friend  and 
myself:  would  daily  bring  old  engraved  stones  and  offer 
them  to  us  as  souvenirs,  and  when  we  were  leaving,  Bak- 
koush  spent  an  hour  and  a  half  upon  his  knees  helping 
us  to  pack  our  boxes  of  curiosities.  When  we  wished 
him  good-bye,  he  told  us  by  gestures  that  he  would  carry 
the  recollection  of  us  in  his  innermost  heart  while  he 
existed.  I  asked  for  him  when  I  returned  to  Tunis  :  no 
one  knew  where  he  was :  some  said  he  was  out  of  favour 


CHAP.  XII.  AN   ERROR   OF  JUDGMENT.  129 

with  the  Bey,  others  that  the  late  chief  minister  had 
sent  him  on  some  private  mission  to  Europe :  at  all 
events,  he  had  disappeared  from  Tunis. 

We  were  cheered  at  the  hotel  by  the  arrival  of  more 
guests,  passengers  by  the  French  mail  steamer.  Among 
them  were  Colonel  Playfair,  the  popular  and  hospitable 
consul-general  at  Algiers,  and  his  genial  travelling 
companion,  the  Earl  of  Kingston.  They  were  interested 
to  hear  I  had  come  from  Tripoli,  having  photographed 
the  Eoman  ruins,  in  quest  of  which  they  now  came  to 
Tunisia. 

While  we  were  at  dinner  a  little  Italian  fiddler  came 
in,  and  in  a  heedless  inconsiderate  moment  I  gave  him 
two  piastres.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  another  musician 
arrived,  and  a  gentleman  promised  me  we  should  have  a 
bad  time  of  it,  for  they  abounded  in  Tunis.  Time  was, 
when  Tunis  had  a  gigantic  organ-grinder  brought  over 
in  an  Italian  steamer,  whose  strength  and  ferocity  drove 
all  the  other  musicians  away.  In  a  foolish  moment  the 
authorities  of  Tunis  banished  him.  I  resolved  to 
inquire  for  this  organ-grinder  on  my  way  through  Italy, 
and  tempt  him  by  a  heavy  reward  to  England,  where 
every  leading  city  would  quarrel  for  him.  The  question 
in  our  country  must  one  day  be  decided,  whether  or  no 
it  is  justifiable  to  give  an  organ-grinder  poisoned  meat. 

After  dinner  one  evening  I  went  to  a  cafe.  Behind 
the  counter  was  the  old  landlord  of  the  Hotel  de  France, 

K 


I30  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  xii. 

once  a  good-looking,  well-dressed  ex-soldier  of  the 
French  army.  Poor  old  man,  how  changed  now! 
Keeper  of  a  poor  cafe  chantant,  his  eldest  son  outlawed 
from  Tunis  :  his  second  son,  a  smart  handsome  youth,  our 
guide  in  Tunis  and  whom  we  had  taken  with  us  to  Bona 
to  join  the  Chasseurs  d'Afrique  in  Algeria,  had  struck 
his  officer  and  been  shot  at  Constantine  :  his  daughters 
had  abandoned  him :  his  wife  was  with  him  still,  but 
looking  twenty  years  older.  They  remembered  me,  and 
talked  hopefully  of  being  able  to  take  another  hotel. 
Poor  old  couple.     I  fear  they  never  will. 

Our  company  at  their  old  hotel  had  been  a  little 
mixed  :  Bakkoush,  whose  antecedents  were  unknown  :  a 
Sicilian  gentleman  who  left  his  country  to  escape  his 
creditors :  a  Sard  who  had  given  a  husband  an  excuse  for 
shooting  his  wife,  and  who  escaped  to  Tunis :  an  old 
German  chemist,  who  afterwards  wrote  a  book  of  his 
travels  in  which  he  handsomely  referred  to  us  as  his  so 
angenehmen  englischen  Reisegefahrten,  and  so  on. 

One  day  Mr.  Wood  showed  me  the  finest  examples 
I  had  seen  of  mosaic  from  Eoman  Carthage.  A  lion 
grinning,  of  almost  life  size,  and  a  fine  female  head. 
The  consul-general  seems  to  be  the  right  man  in  the 
right  place  here  :  his  ability  and  personal  influence 
have  contributed  materially  to  the  steady  advance  of 
the  Tunis  government  in  the  path  of  civilisation.  Old 
and  oppressive  restrictions  towards  Europeans  have  been 


CHAP.  XII.  PANORAMA  OF  CITY.  131 

removed,  concessions  have  been  made,  and  freedom  of 
all  kinds  encouraged.  Eeal  property  can  be  held  safely 
by  Europeans,  and  the  consul-general  has  set  the  ex- 
ample by  buying  some  property  near  the  railway  station. 
Indeed,  Tunis  is  showing  an  example  which  her  suzerain 
the  Sublime  Porte,  if  wise  in  its  generation,  would 
endeavour  to  follow. 

We  will  take  one  final  stroll  through  the  city. 
Beyond  the  silversmiths',  lies  the  picturesque  bazaar  of 
the  saddlers  and  leatherworkers,  where  the  white-robed 
Bedouins  come  to  buy  high  red  boots,  holsters,  &c.  In 
one  or  two  shops  were  chiefs*  hats,  with  vast  brims  and 
crowns  and  covered  with  ostrich  feathers.  A  mulberry 
tree  with  tender  green  foliage  stood  in  the  centre  of 
this  bazaar.  We  went  out  behind  the  Kasbah.  Near 
the  gate  sat  a  row  of  respectable  negro  women,  twenty 
or  thirty  in  number,  selling  bread. 

We  sat  by  the  great  fountain  of  the  waters  of  Zagh- 
wan  and  Ain  Djugar,  surrounded  by  a  pretty  garden 
full  of  wallflowers,  roses,  geraniums,  strawberries,  vio- 
lets, and  bananas,  and  looking  over  the  snowy  city's 
roofs  and  palms.  Beyond  were  the  olive-clad  hills,  the 
lovely  panorama  of  the  lake,  the  gulf,  the  sea,  and  the 
purple  lead  mountain — Djebel  Resass.  To  our  right 
lay  the  holy  mount  of  Sidi  Bel  Hassan,  having  a 
cemetery,  and  a  marabout  whither  childless  women  go 
to  pray. 

k2 


132  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xii. 

We  returned  to  the  city,  and,  passing  through  the 
woollen  and  stuff  bazaars  and  the  wool  market,  reached 
the  chief  entrance  of  the  Kasbah.  That  once  fine  old 
building  is  disfigured  by  restoration  and  new  plaster, 
in  the  worst  style  of  art.  It  contains  accommodation 
for  four  thousand  soldiers.  Its  mosque  has  a  beau- 
tiful minaret,  with  arches  in  black  and  white  marble 
and  tile  work.  In  front  of  the  Kasbah  is  the  place  of 
execution,  a  Europeanised  open  space.  A  few  weeks 
ago  five  Arabs  were  hapged  here  for  carrying  off  a 
woman.  Below  this  is  the  fez,  or  sheshiya  bazaar. 
This  trade  is  almost  a  monopoly  of  rich  Moors.  A 
thick  and  closely-woven  woollen  skullcap  is  soaked, 
swollen,  and  dyed :  having  been  scraped  with  thistle 
brushes,  combed,  and  hammered,  it  resolves  itself  into 
one  of  those  compact  shotproof  red  head  dresses.  The 
weaving  is  done  in  the  country,  most  of  the  dyeing  at 
Toburba,  on  the  river  Medjerdah. 

The  stuff  bazaars  of  the  Jews  were  closed  and 
securely  padlocked,  it  being  Saturday.  This  recalls 
Hammerfest,  where  the  warehouses  and  stores  are  full 
of  valuable  walrus  ivory,  whalebone,  seal  oil,  skins,  and 
furs  of  all  sorts,  and  where  the  doors  are  carefully  locked 
too.  Only  the  keys  are  hung  up  on  a  nail  outside.  Dis- 
honesty is  almost  unknown  to  the  poor  Laplanders  and 
Norwegians. 

"We  went  one  day  to  buy  some  Arab  paper.     The 


CHAP.  XII.  A   PAINFUL   INCIDENT.  133 

merchant  was  an  aged  man  with  a  long  white  beard. 
He  had  long  outlived  the  term  of  mortal  life,  being 
apparently  about  a  hundred  and  eighteen  years  old  : 
and  when  he  asked  us  twenty  piastres  for  the  paper,  we 
said  one  to  another  that  it  would  be  unworthy  to  offer 
him  less.  \Mien  we  gave  him  the  money  the  old  man 
refused  it  and  wanted  his  paper  back.  We  wept  as  we 
reminded  him  that  he  had  only  asked  so  much,  and  said 
we  trusted  he  would  let  the  paper  go.  It  was  the  first 
time  in  his  long,  long  life  that  he  had  received  what  he 
had  asked.  He  was  quite  upset,  and  as  we  went  away  the 
fine  old  boy  shed  tears  because  he  had  not  asked  more. 

The  mosque  of  Abdallah — a  beautiful  tiled  and 
marble  building — once  used  as  a  Spanish  church,  stands 
in  the  bazaar.  It  has  a  stately  hexagonal  minaret. 
Indeed,  the  Tunis  minarets  are  models  of  grace  and 
variety.  In  the  quiet  street  of  the  Bey's  mosque  were 
a  few  shoemakers,  and  some  boys  indolently  spinning 
silk.  The  little  mosque  itself  has  a  green  tiled  roof, 
plaster  fretwork  in  the  eaves,  Moorish  arches,  and 
marble  pillars  stained  by  time  and  splashed  with  white- 
wash. It  has  marble  slabs  inscribed  with  Arabic  text  : 
the  minaret  and  its  gallery,  panelled  in  tiles,  stand 
out  into  a  blue  sky. 

Not  far  from  the  Bey's  town  residence — whither  he 
rarely  comes  except  in  Eamadhan — is  the  diamond 
market,  where  those  stones   are   hawked   about   from 


134  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xii. 

eleven  o'clock  till  noon  on  all  days  except  Saturdays. 
Men  hurry  about  here  with  haiks,  shawls,  and  carpets 
for  sale,  and  soft  transparent  stutfs  made  in  Djerba 
and  the  Djerid.  Here  is  the  centre  of  the  Tunis 
bazaars,  the  scene  of  almost  daily  auctions,  and  a  spot 
where  an  idler  can  spend  hours  simply  watching 
Oriental  life  and  picturesqueness  in  their  purest  and 
most  graceful  form.  This  grace  is  inherited  by  these 
descendauts  of  the  Moors  of  Spain,  who  attained  a 
culture  and  refinement  reached  by  no  other  Moslem 
race.  Narrow  streaks  of  sunlight  stream  through  the 
wooden  peaked  roofs — falling  on  the  columns  and  their 
white  capitals,  on  Moorish  arches  or  marble  fountains, 
on  old  arabesque  tablets — on  women  in  black  masks 
and  bundles  of  clothes — Jews  in  blue  turbans — green* 
turbaned  scherifs — on  brown  haiks  from  the  Djerid, 
Bedouins  in  white  hoods  and  burnouses — negroes  with 
baskets — on  embroidered  cloth  dresses  of  delicious  har- 
mony and  softness — apricot,  lemon,  and  pale  blue,  black 
embroidered  with  red,  straw  colour,  and  pink  abbas, 
blue  and  brown  striped  cashabiyeh  from  the  Sahel. 
We  wander  through  this  masquerade  to  cafes  where 
groups  of  Arabs  smoke  and  sip  coffee  on  matted  seats, 
watching  bamboo  birdcages,  wonderful  pictures  of 
Tunis,  Stamboul,  and  Algiers,  by  native  artists,  and 
gold  fish  in  glass  bowls. 

"We  stroll  on,  and  watch  them  spinning  silk,  white, 


CHAP.  XII.  SANCTUARIES.  135 

yellow,  red,  and  all  manner  of  colours.  Here  comes  a 
donkey  laden  with  oranges  and  lemons.  At  one  caroub 
each  !  sings  the  Moor  :  oranges  I  very  sweet  and  full  of 
water !  one  caroub  each !  We  traverse  the  grocers' 
bazaar,  where  the  groceries  stand  in  brightly-coloured 
Djerba  pottery.  In  a  pipe  manufacturer's  shop  are 
ostrich  eggs  and  leopard  skins,  left  no  doubt  in  ex- 
change by  some  Arab  of  the  interior.  Then  through  the 
copper  bazaars,  where  all  manner  of  red  copper  pots  and 
vessels  hung.  "We  went  on  towards  the  Jew  quarter, 
reached  the  decaying  mosque  of  Sidi  Mahhras,  once 
but  no  longer  a  sanctuary.  We  were  shown  one  or  two 
of  these  in  Tunis,  into  which  if  a  criminal  or  refugee 
escaped,  no  pursuers  could  follow  him.  All  they  could 
do  was  to  brick  him  up. 

Towards  the  centre  of  the  bazaars  stands  the  fine 
Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree,  Djemma  '1  Zituna :  we  would 
pass  one  or  other  of  its  entrances  a  dozen  times  in  a 
day.  We  had  glimpses  into  the  marble  courtyard, 
arcaded  with  white  pillars  brought  by  Hamouda  Pasha 
from  Carthage  and  other  ruined  cities.  For  a  Christian 
or  Jew  to  enter  this  mosque  in  open  daylight  would  be 
almost  certain  death.  If  he  escaped  the  armed  sentries 
who  guard  its  doors,  he  would  be  torn  to  pieces,  or 
stabbed,  or  knocked  on  the  head,  by  the  shopkeepers, 
scherifs,  or  saints  who  haunt  the  bazaars.  Conse- 
quently I  very  rarely  entered  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive 


136  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xii. 

Tree — indeed  1  do  not  remember  entering  it  at  all. 
The  essence .  bazaars  were  favourites  of  mine :  the 
atmosphere  was  rendered  fragrant  by  ambergris,  attar 
of  rose,  and  twenty  other  essences.  The  whole  heart  of 
this  city  is  a  moving  panorama  of  freshness  and  pictu- 
resqueness  of  which  one  never  tires.  It  is  probably  a 
picture  of  what  Cordova  and  Granada  were. 

I  spent  the  evening  with  Colonel  Playfair  and  Lord 
Kingston,  who,  like  myself,  were  about  to  start  on  their 
travels.  The  light-hearted  nobleman  had  a  very  elabo- 
rate and  perfect  photographic  apparatus,  with  which  he 
meant  to  illustrate  their  journey  on  Bruce's  footsteps. 
An  hour  before  Perruquier  and  I  had  to  start  for  the 
Goletta,  the  Bey's  letter  arrived.  This  was  all  I 
needed,  and  we  travelled  down  to  Goletta,  embarking 
the  same  afternoon  on  the  Rubattino  steamer  Corsica. 
She  was  a  fast  seaworthy  little  boat,  having  a  comfort- 
able saloon,  and,  for  ladies,  who  are  not  of  much  ac- 
count in  these  latitudes,  a  cabin  over  the  screw  and 
round  the  rudder-post,  where  the  sounds  of  both  could 
be  heard  to  great  advantage.  The  wind  began  to  rise, 
and  the  green  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Tunis  grew  crested 
and  rough. 

Perruquier  had  blossomed  into  blue  serge  garments 
and  high-heeled  boots,  and  looked  so  imposing  that  I 
felt  quite  abashed  to  ask  in  his  presence  for  second-class 
accommodation  for  him.     He  sauntered  about  the  poop, 


CHAP.  xn.  OLD   SCORES.  137 

and  laid  the  foundation  of  deadly  sickness  by  smoking 
many  cigarettes.  He  means  to  spend  some  months  in 
Paris  this  year,  he  tells  me,  to  regler  quelques  petites 
affaires  which  originated  in  a  former  visit  to  that  gay 
and  festive  city. 


138  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE  MOORS.  chap.  xiii. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sail  for  the  East  Coast — Susa — Bazaars — The  Sahel — Adrumetum — 
The  Port  of  Kairw4n — The  Revolution — Monastir — Leptis  Parva — 
Eas  di  Mas — Mehdia — The  Patriarke  of  Cairaoan — Saleetum. 

The  Corsica  put  to  sea  at  four  o'clock.  The  sun  set, 
and  the  young  moon  came  out.  We  passed  Eas  Addar 
or  Cape  Bon,  the  promontory  of  Hermes  of  the  an- 
cients, rounded  Eas  el  Mustapha,  where  stands  Kalibia, 
close  to  which  the  Numidian  King  Massinissa  was 
killed :  and  entered  the  Grulf  of  Hammamet,  passing 
at  early  morn  the  little  town  of  that  name.  A  strong 
breeze  blew  from  the  land,  and,  while  filling  our  sails, 
raised  no  waves,  so  that  we  were  scudding  with  sail 
and  steam  over  a  smooth  sea.  Then  the  engines  were 
slowed  and  stopped,  and  the  anchor  went  down  off 
Susa. 

It  is  a  Moorish  town  sloping  up  a  moderate  hill, 
white  in  the  glittering  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  which 
it  stands  facing  :  of  a  compact  trapezium  form,  fortified 
with  a  heavy  wall,  and  surmounted  by  a  castle.  All  its 
buildings  are  contained  within  the  walls.  Only  scat- 
tered  roofs  and    domes    appear    in   the   low   wooded 


CHAP.  xiii.  SUSA.  139 

country  to  the  left,  which  ends  in  a  grove  of  palms. 
To  the  right  the  land  is  equally  low,  but  more  bare 
and  stony,  and  it  runs  up  due  north-west  to  the  pic- 
turesque range  and  peak  of  Zaghwan.  One  consider- 
able ship  lay  at  anchor  near  a  schooner,  several  white 
lateen  sails  skimmed  about  in  the  fresh  breeze :  this 
was  the  existing  shipping  of  Susa. 

We  went  on  shore,  passing  an  Arab  boat  on  its  way 
to  the  steamer.  Too  small  to  contain  half-a-dozen 
barrels  of  olive  oil,  the  proprietor  had  attached  them 
in  a  string  to  the  boat's  stern,  with  one  empty  barrel 
as  a  safeguard  or  float,  and  was  towing  them  with  much 
satisfaction.  We  believe  we  recollect  olive  oil  with 
a  strange  taste  to  it.  This  Aral)  will  be  trying  his 
system  one  day  with  barrels  of  wine. 

A  boatman  took  me  to  the  vice-consulate.  Mr. 
Dupuis,  our  vice-consul,  whom  it  was  unfair  to  disturb 
at  seven  in  the  morning,  was  most  kind.  He  sent  to 
the  Castle  to  ascertain  that  the  governor  of  Susa  had 
received  instructions  from  the  prime  minister  about 
my  escort  to  Kairwan,  and  promised  to  have  the  Is- 
pahis  ready  for  me  on  my  return  from  Sfax.  Mrs. 
Dupuis  also  insisted  very  kindly  that  I  should  remain 
at  the  vice-consulate  on  my  way  to  and  from  Kairwan. 

I  went  to  the  Kasbah — a  high  walled  fort  with 
dwellings  within  it,  which  can  contain  four  thousand 
troops  on  an  emergency.     Then  we  went  through  the 


HO  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiii. 

dirty  unswept  streets  of  the  bazaars.  What  is  that 
mosque  called  ?  we  said  to  an  Arab,  pointing  to  a  square 
tiled  minaret.  It  is  called  a  mosque,  he  said  with  reserve. 
We  said  to  another,  Have  the  kindness  to  tell  us  the 
name  of  that  mosque.  It  is  called  the  mosque,  he  re- 
plied. But  it  has  some  name,  we  said  with  deference. 
How  does  its  name  concern  you,  who  are  Christians  ?  he 
said  abruptly. 

Sir,  we  said  with  ceremony  to  a  negro,  whom  we 
might  have  bought  outright  for  fifty  or  sixty  piastres  : 
what  is  the  name  of  this  street  ?  It  is  Hammam  el 
Bey — the  street  of  the  Bey's  Bath,  he  answered  civilly. 
That  is  because  the  mosque  is  in  it,  we  said.  No,  he 
said,  how  can  that  be  ?  But  it  bears  the  name  of  the 
mosque,  we  explained.  Not  at  all,  the  negro  said  :  the 
mosque  is  called  Natreddin.  The  people  of  Susa  have 
a  reputation  for  fanaticism  :  no  doubt  they  have  some 
of  the  prejudices  of  their  neighbours  of  Kairwan. 
'  We  ascended  by  a  series  of  dirty  alleys  again  to  the 
Kasbah,  and  went  out  to  the  grass  market  behind  the 
town.  Returning  by  the  open  quarter  of  the  black- 
smiths and  carpenters,  we  came  to  the  bazaars  proper — 
cool,  dark,  and  vaulted,  and  very  picturesque.  The 
shopkeepers  seemed  goodnatured.  The  customary  silk 
and  woollen  goods  were  for  sale,  with  groceries  and 
essences.  Here  and  there  were  capitals  and  pedestals 
degraded  to  the  purpose  of  stepping-stones.     We  left 


CHAP.  xni.  MOSQUES   OF   SUSA.  141 

the  covered  bazaar,  -which  runs  in  a  continuous  line, 
with  small  side  bazaars  to  right  and  left :  passed  a 
foudouk,  a  hammam  with  firewood  heaped  on  the  roof, 
and  racks  for  drying  the  linen :  noticed  the  cane 
baskets  of  the  form  of  great  coffee-pots,  used  in  fishing 
here  :  then  went  out  by  the  Water  Gate  and  returned 
to  the  wooden  landing-place. 

The  mosque  of  Natreddin,  or  that  of  the  Faithful, 
is  one  of  the  oldest,  but  not  the  largest,  in  Susa.  The 
Djemma  '1  Kebir,  or  Great  Mosque,  is  down  by  the 
northern'  Water  Gate :  it  has  a  low  minaret,  not  seen 
from  the  sea.  Portions  of  the  building  are  very  old. 
Susa  contains  probably  eight  thousand  inhabitants: 
of  these  many  are  Christians  and  Jews.  Some  of  the 
foreign  merchants  are  wealthy,  and  the  trade  is  con- 
siderable. 

The  principal  exports  of  Susa  are  olive  oil,  esparto 
grass,  wool,  and  soap  made  from  olive  oil.  Pottery 
comes  from  Nabel  or  Nablus,  and  sometimes  a  small 
quantity  of  wax  from  Zaghwan.  The  esparto  grass 
was  first  shipped  from  Susa  to  any  extent  by  an  English 
firm  well  known  in  all  the  Barbary  states,  Perry  Bury 
&Co. 

The  Sahel,  or  east  coast  province  of  the  Regency, 
of  which  Susa  is  the  chief  port,  is,  from  its  position,  of 
considerable  commercial  consequence.  Its  three  dis- 
tricts are  Susa,  Monastir,  and  Mehdia.     It  measures 


142  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE  MOORS.         chap.  xiii. 

about    ninety-five    miles    in    length   and    twenty   in 
width. 

Susa  is  on  good  grounds  identified  with  the  Ad- 
rumetum,  which  first,  of  these  Eastern  ports,  offered 
Julius  Caesar  any  serious  resistance.  That  remarkable 
man  landed  here  a  small  force  of  three  thousand  foot 
and  a  hundred  and  fifty  horse,  and  riding  himself  round 
the  walls,  reconnoitred  the  city.  After  this  he  set  to 
work  to  forage  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  establish  his 
camp. 

After  the  establishment  of  the  Aghlab  dynasty  in 
Barbary  and  the  building  of  Kairwan,  Susa  was  made 
its  port,  and  from  this  insignificant  little  harbour  set 
sail  the  armadas  destined  to  conquer  Sicily  and  Kome. 
When  civil  war  took  .place  between  the  rivals  for  su- 
preme power,  the  Beys  of  Kairwan,  supported  by  the 
Sahel  towns  and  harbours,  overcame  the  Deys  of  the 
capital. 

It  is  said  the  Arabs  of  the  Sahel  can  bring  thirty- 
five  thousand  horsemen  into  the  field,  but  I  doubt  it. 
The  province  has  been  heavily  punished  within  the  last 
ten  years.  After  the  abortive  revolution.  General 
Zarruk  encamped  under  the  walls  of  Susa,  and  imposed 
upon  the  Sahel  towns  600,000^  indemnity.  Wasted  as 
the  inhabitants  and  their  m^ans  had  been  in  seven  pre- 
vious years  by  famine,  pestilence,  and  short  crops,  they 
were  unable  to  pay :  and  had  to  raise  money  at  usurious 


CHAP.  XIII.  THE  REVOLUTION.  143 

rates  to  meet  the  demands  upon  them.  The  gates  of 
Susa  are  scrupulously  closed  soon  after  sunset,  and  have 
been  so  ever  since  Doria  surprised  the  town  in  1539. 

The  harbour  of  Susa  is  the  worst  on  the  coast,  ships 
being  liable  to  be  blown  from  their  anchorage.  Gusts 
of  the  Tramontana  and  north-east  wind  whirl  a  strong 
current  round  Cape  Bon  between  Malta  and  the  Bar- 
bary  coast :  and  ships  caught  here  must  either  go  to 
sea,  or  run  for  the  shallows  of  the  Syrtis.  There  is  no 
inn  at  Susa ;  a  Greek  has  a  sort  of  restaurant  and  one 
or  two  available  rooms  :  nor  are  there  many  attractions 
for  travellers  beyond  boating,  shooting,  and  riding. 
Eent  and  living  are  very  high  in  Susa  :  the  journey  by 
land  to  Tunis  occupies  two  days. 

Tunis,  like  all  other  countries  of  consideration,  has 
had  a  revolution.  It  lasted  for  six  months,  and  the 
authorities  seemed  for"  a  time  paralysed.  However, 
foreign  ships  of  war  appeared  in  the  various  ports,  and 
frightened  the  inhabitants  into  submission.  They  were 
afterwards  mulcted  handsomely,  Susa  being  called  upon 
for  its  proportion  of  the  600,000Z.  I  have  mentioned. 
The  little  town  of  Mehdia,  for  example,  had  to  con- 
tribute 75,000^.,  to  encourage  the  others.  All  arms, 
down  to  knives  of  a  hand's  length,  were  taken  away, 
and  the  majesty  of  the  government  was  reasserted. 

The  exports  and  imports  of  Susa  and  the  other  sea- 
ports are  collected  by  the  Commission  of  Ceded  Reve- 


144  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiii. 

nues,  established  first  in  1867  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
suring and  simplifying  the  payment  of  interest  upon 
the  government  loan.  This  Commission — chiefly  com- 
posed of  representatives  of  European  states — hand  over 
yearly  to  the  government  a  fixed  sum,  for  expenses  of 
administration,  army,  marine,  and  other  requirements  : 
to  be  increased  in  case  of  urgent  need,  at  the  discretion 
of  the  Commission,  by  a  similar  amount.  In  addition 
to  this  income,  the  governors  of  districts  levy  from  the 
population  what  they  think  fit,  so  the  government  does 
not  do  badly.  Each  male,  fit  to  work,  pays  a  yearly 
tax  of  forty-five  piastres. 

The  gunpowder  monopoly  is  a  strange  one.  The 
manufacture  or  sale  of  gunpowder  by  private  individuals 
is  forbidden,  the  government  manufactures  none  itself, 
importation  of  it  is  forbidden,  and  yet  it  is  to  be 
bought  in  every  quarter  of  Tunis,  and  guns  are  blazing 
away  at  quail  and  snipe  in  every  marsh.  This  is  one 
of  those  things  that  they  mantige  better  in  Tunis. 

We  steamed  out  of  the  bay,  and  in  an  hour  we 
were  abreast  of  the  picturesque  walled  town  of  Monastir, 
the  Ruspina  of  Caesar.  The  Castle  rises  prettily  from 
the  walls,  which  are  light  in  colour,  and  above  them 
are  just  visible  the  white  flat  roofs,  a  few  minarets,  a 
few  palms,  and  a  large  white  dome.  The  town  lies 
back  from  the  white  sandy  beach :  we  have  to  pass 
outside  of  three  small  outlying  islands.       There  are 


CHAP.  XIII.  MONASTIR.  145 

numerous  square  marabouts  and  tombs,  on  this  side  of 
the  tovra.  It  is  said  the  people  of  Mehdia  used  to 
send  their  dead  by  sea  for  biu'ial  here. 

The  harbour  is  bad,  but  perhaps  the  best  on  this 
coast.  Only  one  vessel  lay  in  the  roads,  and  the  little 
place  or  port  whence  the  oil  and  produce  of  Monastir 
are  shipped,  lies  at  half  an  hour's  distance  from  the 
town,  and  is  defended  by  a  fort.  Beyond  the  town  are 
gardens  and  olive  woods  stretching  close  down  to  the 
shore,  and  interspersed  with  palm  trees  and  prickly 
pear.  The  Corsica  lay  one  third  of  a  mile  from  the 
beach,  and  her  stay  was  too  short  to  allow  of  going  up 
to  the  town.  We  still  see  Zaghwan — the  highest  peak 
of  Tunisia,  four  thousand  and  seventy-eight  feet  high 
— but  faintly  in  the  warm  haze. 

The  inhabitants,  numbering  probably  eight  thou- 
sand, are  not  noted  for  politeness,  and  there  is  a  pro- 
verb on  the  coast  here,  Let  him  who  has  no  dog,  put  a 
Monastiri  before  his  door.  The  lion-voiced  Monastiri, 
however,  has  not  a  heart  of  oak,  for,  give  him  a  blow, 
and  he  immediately  begins  to  pay  you  compliments. 
The  Arabic  here  is  said  to  be  of  a  very  indifferent  kind. 

We  see,  in  an  hour  after  leaving  JNIonastir,  low 
islands  known  to  navigators  as  the  Conigliera  Islands, 
because  swarming  with  rabbits.  The  islands  are  low, 
sandy,  and  covered  with  brushwood :  behind  them  lie 
the  remains  of  Leptis  Parva.     The  roads  of  3Ionastir 

L 


146  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiii. 

afford  no  shelter  from  the  N.E.  or  E.  winds :  but  be- 
hind these  islands,  though  the  anchorage  is  not  first- 
rate,  vessels  can  lie  in  moderate  security.  All  the  way 
from  Monastir  to  Leptis  run  olive  woods.  Leptis  Parva 
was  a  considerable  colony  of  the  Phoenicians.  The 
name  Leptis  means — so  Barth  says — port,  but  I  know 
of  no  such  word  in  Greek  or  Latin.  The  Arabic 
name  of  the  village  lying  twenty  minutes  southwards, 
Lemta  or  Lemba,  probably  originated  in  the  Phoenician 
name,  and  helps  to  identify  the  spot.  The  name  of 
the  Greater  Leptis  has  been  corrupted  not  very  dif- 
ferently into  Lebda. 

'  The  ancient  town  of  Monastir,'  says  Leo,  '  built  by 
the  Komans  vpon  the  Mediterran  Sea,  is  enuironed 
with  most  impregnable  and  stately  walles,  and  containeth 
very  faire  buildings :  but  the  inhabitants  thereof  are 
most  miserable  and  beggerly  people,  and  weare  shooes 
made  of  sea-rushes.  Most  of  them  are  either  weauers 
or  fishers.  Their  fare  is  barlie  bread,  and  a  kinde  of 
foode  mingled  with  oil.  The  territorie  adiacent 
aboundeth  with  oranges,  peares,  figs,  pomegranates, 
and  oliues  :  sauing  that  it  is  continually  wasted  by  the 
inuasion  of  the  enemie.' 

As  we  approached  the  passage  between  the  islands, 
the  steamer's  engines  were  slowed.  Otto  piedi ! 
shouted  the  leadsman.  Adagio  I  shouted  the  captain. 
Sette  piedi !     Stop !  roared  the  skipper,  and  we  glided 


CHAP.  xin.  THAPSUS.  147 

over  the  white  sand  shining  through  the  green  water. 
Nove  piedi !  and  we  went  on  at  full  speed.  The  breeze 
fell,  and  cinders  from  the  funnel  came  floating  down  on 
us,  so  we  had  the  awning  put  up. 

A  Moorish  gentleman  of  Sfax  came  aft  every  now  and  - 
then  to  chat  with  us.  A  stout,  goodnatured  old  boy, 
who  looked  as  if  we  were  welcome,  for  all  he  cared,  to 
enter  all  the  mosques  of  Barbary.  We  were  soon 
abreast  of  Kas  di  Mas,  the  Thapsus  of  Julius  Caesar,  a 
point  whence  the  coast  runs  directly  south.  Caesar 
himself  did  not  penetrate  farther  south  than  this ;  he 
contented  himself  with  defeating  Juba  I.  here.  I  have 
a  silver  coin  of  Juba.  He  wears  a  head-dress  like  that 
of  a  Laplander,  and  looks  as  if  he  would  be  easily  de- 
feated. There  are  here  remains  of  a  great  mole,  an 
amphitheatre,  a  fine  reservoir  of  Roman  work,  built  in 
stone  and  cement,  and  numerous  cisterns,  which  the 
water  fills  one  after  the  other,  after  the  principle  of 
Solomon's  Pools.  Monsieur  Daun,  a  French  civil  engi- 
neer, sent  to  explore  by  poor  Napoleon  III.,  found  many 
antiques  here  :  marbles,  lamps,  coins  of  J.  Caesar,  stone 
balls  for  catapults,  urns  containing  ashes,  water  vessels, 
statues,  et  cetera. 

An  hour's  steaming  brought  us  off  the  narrow  pro- 
montory beyond  which  stands  El  Medea — Mehdia — all 
that  remains  of  the  Roman  town  of  Afrikia  or  Africa. 
We  rounded  the  point,  and  anchored  on  the  south  side 

1.  2 


148  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xm. 

of  the  town.  The  walls  of  Mehdia,  originally  of  Eoman 
construction,  faced  with  stone  and  of  rubble  within,  are 
very  ruinous.  The  promontory  is  bare  of  all  but  a 
castle  and  marabout :  the  town  lies  inland  within  it, 
and  stretches  across  its  neck  from  shore  to  shore. 

There  are  six  thousand  inhabitants,  of  whom  maybe 
three  hundred  and  fifty  are  Christians.  Five  vessels 
lay  in  the  roads,  which  are  exposed  to  the  south  and 
easterly  winds :  and  the  Corsica  had  anchored  at  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  beach.  Her  stay  was  very 
short.  "We  had  time  to  distinguish  the  great  mosque 
— once  a  barrack  for  Eoman  legionaries — of  which  the 
square  minaret  rises .  within  the  town,  and  the  blank 
white  wall  extends  down  to  the  water's  edge.  In  the 
interior  of  the  mosque,  I  was  told,  were  numerous  in- 
scriptions, Arabic  and  Eoman.  The  natives,  not  know- 
ing what  spell  or  evil  import  these  latter  might  possess, 
have  effaced  all  within  reach.  Christians  as  usual  are 
not  admitted. 

Leo  says  :  *  El  Mehdia,  founded  by  Mahdi,  the  first 
patriacke  of  Cairoan  vpon  the  Mediterran  Sea,  and  for- 
tified with  strong  wals  towers  and  gates,  hath  a  most 
noble  haven  belonging  thereto.  Mahdi,  when  he  first 
came  vnto  this  region,  fained  himself  in  an  unknowne 
habite  to  be  descended  of  the  linage  of  Mahumet, 
wh^eby  growing  into  great  fauor  of  the  people,  he 
was  by  their  assistance  made  prince  of  Cairoan,  and 


CHAP.  xm.  THE   KHALIF   MAHDI.  149 

was  called  El  Mahdi  Califa.  Afterwards  tyrannising 
over  the  people,  and  perceiuing  some  to  conspire  against 
him,  he  erected  this  toune  of  Mahdia,  to  the  ende  that 
he  might  there  finde  safe  refuge  when  neede  required. 

'  At  length  one  Beiezida,  a  Mahumetan  prelate,  came 
vnto  Cairoan  :  but  Mahdi  fledde  vnto  his  newe  toune, 
where  with  thirtie  saile  of  ships  sent  him  by  a  Ma- 
humetan prince  of  Cordoua,  he  so  valiantly  encountered 
the  enemie  that  Beiezid  and  his  sonne  were  both  slaine. 
Afterwards  returning  to  Cairoan,  he  grew  in  league  and 
amitie  with  the  citizens,  and  so  the  government  re- 
mained vnto  his  posteritie  for  many  yeeres.' 

Shaw  does  not  believe  Leo's  account.  He  rightly 
thinks  Mehdi  only  rebuilt  the  town :  certain  details  of 
architecture  in  it  being  too  polite  and  regular  for 
Arabic  origin. 

Half  a  day's  journey  distant  from  Mehdia — twenty- 
seven  miles  —  stands  the  beautiful  amphitheatre  of 
Tysdrus,  now  known  as  El  Djem.  It  is  still  very  per- 
fect. A  short  way  south  of  Mehdia  are  the  remains  of 
Salectum :  it  is  disputed  whether  Hannibal  embarked 
from  Mehdia — Turris  Hannibalis — or  from  Salectum. 
At  Kasr  Alal,  towards  Monastir,  are  numerous  families 
of  silk  weavers. 


ISO  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xiv. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Barbary  Coast — The  Khassir — Kerkeneh — The  Flying  Camp — 
Djerba — The  Lotos  Eaters — Skull  Pyramid — Gulf  of  Kabes — Palus 
Tritonis. 

We  ramble  out  again  over  the  blue  water,  having 
merely  awaited  a  couple  of  boats  which  took  off  some 
boxes  and  two  passengers.  The  wind  is  still  fresh,  and 
delightfully  in  our  favour,  satisfying  even  the  steward, 
a  big  dark  Italian,  who  sings  sonorously  in  fair  weather, 
and  curses  in  rough,  till  our  flesh  creeps. 

We  get  all  our  canvas  up,  and  steam  away  at  the 
rate  of  nine  knots  down  this  pleasant  coast  of  Barbary. 
There  is  a  telegraphic  line  running  from  Tunis  through 
Birloubuita,  Susa,  Monastir,  and  Mehdia,  to  Sfax.  A 
French  company,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Tunis 
government,  are  the  entrepreneurs.  They  received  the 
concession  of  the  land  and  houses  necessary  for  their 
purpose  from  the  government,  who  in  return  have  free 
use  of  the  wires.  There  are,  in  all,  four  hundred 
miles  of  telegraph  lines  in  the  Eegency.  In  two  hours 
we  came  in  sight  of  the  village  El  Khadijah  and  Burdj 
el  Shebba,  a  tall  tower  of  lighthouse  form — and  easily 


CHAP.  XIV.  LOTOS   EATERS.  151 

convertible  into  one — raised  in  honour  of  a  holy  woman 
who  was  buried  here.  They  stand  on  the  promontory 
of  Eas  Kapoudiah.  Shaw  says :  Capoudia  is  the  Caput 
Vada  of  antiquity.  It  is  a  low  narrow  Strip  of  land, 
which  stretcheth  Itself  a  great  Way  into  the  Sea,  and 
upon  the  Point  of  It  there  is  a  highe  Watch  Tower,  with 
traces  of  severall  Ruins  that  might  formerly  belong  to 
the  City  built  here  by  Justinian. 

After  dinner  we  had  lost  the  low  coast :  nothing  was 
in  sight  but  the  sea  and  the  setting  sun.  Sitting  chat- 
ting on  deck  with  three  Moors,  I  received  from  a  native 
of  Djerba,  the  Island  of  the  Lotos  Eaters,  by  name 
Sidi  Suleiman  Ibn  Zukkri,  an  invitation  to  stay  with 
him  in  Djerba,  where  he  promised  to  entertain  me  with 
kouskousou,  assida,  eggs,  coffee,  and  mutton.  This 
Lotos  Eater  was  much  pleased  when  I  guessed  his  age 
to  be  thirty-three  years  and  a  quarter.  He  had  no  exact 
idea  himself,  indeed  the  Moors  here  can  give  no  idea  in 
years  of  their  age  :  they  have  to  refer  to  some  circum- 
stance or  other.  For  instance,  one  will  say,  I  was  born 
in  the  year  when  the  first  steamer  came  to  Sfax : 
another,  I  was  bom  in  the  year  of  the  cholera,  or  of 
the  revolution.  My  friend  of  Djerba,  Solomon  son  of 
Zachariah,  was  so  satisfied  at  having  an  estimate  of  his 
exact  age,  that  he  will  go  about  quoting  it  hereafter,  and 
anyone  who  asks  him  in  the  next  five  years  his  age,  will 
learn  that  he  is  just  thirty- three  years  and  a  quarter. 


152  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiy. 

Another  Lotos  Eater,  a  friend  of  Sidi  Suleiman, 
gave  me  a  cordial  welcome  to  his  house  in  the  hills : 
he  would  take  me  to  see  ruins,  enrich  me  with  ancient 
copper  coinage,  his  house  should  be  my  house,  and  his 
servants  my  servants.     Wallah  ! 

It  grew  dark :  the  young  moon,  the  evening  star, 
Arcturus,  and  the  noble  Sirius  shone  in  the  dark  blue 
heavens,  and  there  was  a  solitary  falling  star.  Then 
we  went  at  half-speed.  Two  fathoms !  One  and  a 
half !  then  we  touched  ground.  The  screw  was  reversed, 
and  we  backed  off.  Very  soon  we  cast  anchor  in  the 
shallow  sea. 

We  were  off  the  vast  banks  of  the  Kerkeneh,  the 
Khassir,  or  Shallows — the  calm  sea  of  the  dreamy  Lotos 
Eaters.  This  was  a  very  snug  corner  of  the  world  for 
them  to  find.  Within  a  radius  of  forty  miles  round 
the  Islands  of  Kerkeneh  to  the  north  and  the  Isle  of 
Djerba  to  the  south,  lies  the  Khassir — the  smaller  Gulf 
of  Sidra  or  Lesser  Syrtis  (SupTty,  a  shoal),  otherwise 
known  as  the  Gulf  of  Kabes.  The  Lesser  Syrtis  may  be 
said  to  extend  all  the  way  to  Kapoudiah,  since  from  this 
point  to  Djerba  there  is  a  succession  of  little  flat 
islands,  banks  of  sand,  and  small  depths  of  water. 
Sheltered  northward  by  the  banks  of  Kerkeneh,  west- 
ward by  the  mainland,  southward  by  Djerba,  and 
seaward  by  their  own  shallowness,  these  tranquil 
waters   are   convulsed   by  no   storms.      On  them  the 


CHAP.  XIV.  THE   LESSER   SYRTIS.  153 

North  wind  has  but  little  effect,  it  cannot  beat  them  up 
into  great  waves :  and  here  the  sandals,  louds,  karabs, 
and  shabecques  come  to  shelter  in  the  winter  months, 
flocking  like  swallows  from  the  stormy  coast  of  Tripoli. 
Here  is  a  region  for  yachting,  a  refuge  for  victims  to 
hydrophobia,  for  those  who  dread  the  bitter  sea. 

It  is  strange  to  be  lying  at  anchor  in  the  open  sea. 
We  are  not  many  hours  from  Sfax,  but  the  channel  be- 
tween Kerkeneh  and  the  mainland  is  very  narrow,  and 
at  night  navigation  is  impossible,  except  for  small 
vessels,  so  we  must  wait  for  daylight.  Virgil  wrote  of 
Tunis  harbour  as  follows,  but  he  might  have  sung  of 
Sfax  instead : 

Within  a  long  recess  there  lies  a  hay : 
An  island  shades  it  from  the  7'olling  sea, 
And  forms  a  port  secure  for  ships  to  ride, 
Broke  by  the  jutting  land  on  either  side. 
No  haulsei'S  need  to  bind  the  vessels  here. 
Nor  bearded  anchors,  for  no  storms  they  fear. 

The  Kerkeneh  Islands  are  the  Cercina  and  Cerci- 
nitis  of  the  Romans,  whither  Caesar  sent  Crispus  with 
vessels  to  get  grain  for  the  troops.  The  Tunisian 
government  has  for  ages  employed  a  body  of  troops  to 
bring  grist  to  the  mill,  in  the  shape  of  taxes  from  the 
outlying  provinces.  This  flying  camp  has  always  been 
commanded  by  the  heir  to  the  throne,  who  is  conse- 
quently known  as  the  Bey  of  the  Camp.     As  much  as  a 


154  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiv. 

hundred  thousand  pounds  used  to  be  netted  by  this 
expedition,  in  cattle,  money,  and  valuables  :  but  since 
the  establishment  of  better  local  government,  the  expe- 
dition does  not  travel  yearly  :  the  governor  of  Kairwan 
only  proceeds  to  some  of  the  chief  towns  of  the  Djerid. 
I  met  an  aide-de-camp  of  Ali  Bey,  who  commanded  the 
last  important  expedition  some  years  ago.  Two  thou- 
sand troops  and  a  number  of  Arab  horsemen  formed  the 
expedition.  It  would  push  on  from  spot  to  spot,  merely 
spending  time  enough  for  the  Bey  to  administer  justice 
or  apportion  and  collect  the  taxes.  The  journey 
through  the  Djerid  occupied  two  or  three  months, 
some  trouble  and  delay  arising  from  the  decamping  of 
many  of  the  Arab  tribes  at  the  Bey's  approach. 

On  this  occasion  several  foreigners  accompanied 
Ali  Bey,  taking  the  opportunity  of  botanising,  search- 
ing for  ruins,  antiques,  coins,  game,  &c.  Arrived  at 
Kairwan  on  its  journey  south,  the  army  encamped  for 
three  days  on  the  plain :  the  Bey  entered  the  city  to 
pray  at  the  Great  Mosque,  and  then  the  troops  marched 
through,  entering  by  the  Tunis  Grate,  and  leaving  by 
the  Gate  of  Skins.  Assessors  accompanied  the  Bey,  to 
determine  the  value  of  tribute  offered  in  the  shape  of 
oxen,  camels,  sheep,  corn,  olives,  or  dates.  Fowls,  or 
gazelles,  which  abound  in  the  Djerid,  were  not  regarded 
as  acceptable.     Lions  would  roar  round  the  camp  at 


CHAP.  xrv.  LOTOPHAGITIS.  155 

night — exasperated,  the  noble  beasts,  by  the  smell  of 
good  cooking :  for  the  cuisine  of  an  Eastern  prince  and 
his  household  is  a  lavish  one.  Ostriches  were  often 
seen,  but  not  often  taken. 

On  her  previous  voyage  the  Corsica  had  sailed  to 
Djerba,  and  it  was  a  disappointment  to  be  unable  to  go 
on  thither.  To  be  so  near  to  the  Insula  Lotophagorum 
and  to  turn  back,  seemed  a  misfortune.  This  interest- 
ing island,  once  known  as  Meninx,  Lotophagitis,  or 
Insula  Lotophagorum,  fifty  miles  or  five  hours  distant 
from  Sfax  by  steamer,  forms  the  southern  extremity  of 
this  gulf.  It  is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  mile 
or  two  of  shallow  sands,  almost  traversable  on  foot. 
The  coast  round  the  island  is  so  shallow  that  the  Corsica, 
drawing  not  more  than  eight  feet  of  water,  has  to  lie 
out  in  the  open  roads  three  miles  from  the  shore.  The 
wind  is  often  high,  but  the  sea  never,  and  the  anchorage 
is  safe  and  good  enough.  Djerba  has  no  ports,  towns, 
or  even  considerable  villages,  so  widely  are  its  habita- 
tions dispersed.  _- 

The  Lotos  Eaters  number  probably  about  twenty 
thousand.  The  island  has  the  aspect  of  a  beautiful 
garden,  the  fig  trees  are  as  large  as  walnut  trees,  the 
pomegranate  shrubs  attain  the  size  of  ordinary  trees, 
apricots  abound :  the  olive  grows  in  extraordinary 
luxuriance,  and  seventeen  date  trees  are  sometimes 
known  to  spring  from  one  root.     This   is  something 


156  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiv. 

like  an  island,  and  was  an  earthly  paradise  for  the  lazy 
Lotos  Eaters. 

A  land  where  all  things  alivays  seemed  the  same, 
And  round  about  the  keel  with  faces  pale — 
Dark  faces  pale  against  that  rosyfiame — 
The  mild-eyed,  melancholy  Lotos  Eaters  came. 
TJiey  sat  them  down  upon  the  yellow  sand, 
Between  the  sun  and  moon  upon  the  shore  ; 
And  stoeet  it  was  to  dream  of  Fatherland, 
Of  lofe  and  child,  and  slave — but  evermore 
Most  weary  seemed  the  sea,  tvea7'y  the  onr, 
Weary  the  imndenng  fields  of  barren  foam. 
Then  some  one  said —  We  loill  return  no  more. 
And  all  at  once  they  sang — Our  island  home 
Is  far  beyond  the  wave,  we  will  no  longer  roam. 

The  modern  Lotos  Eaters — when  I  say  modern,  I 
don't  want  to  ofifend  the  Djerbans,  who  are  only  in  the 
year  1292  of  the  Hejreh,  and  nearly  six  centuries 
behind  us — have  shaken  off  such  traditions  and  are  an 
industrious,  thriving  people.  They  manufacture  pottery, 
soap,  stuffs  in  great  quantities :  they  have  extensive 
fisheries  and  sponge  fisheries,  and  they  turn  the  richness 
of  the  island  to  the  best  advantage.  The  stuffs  of  silk 
and  wool  can  be  bought  very  cheaply :  the  wool  is  pecu- 
liarly fine  and  suitable  for  shawls,  which  are  beautifully 
wrought.  For  twenty-five  piastres  or  twelve  shillings, 
a  very  beautiful  coverlet  or  a  burnous  can  be  bought. 
The  mules  of  Djerba,  which  I  have  already  said  are 
excellent,  are  much  used  in  carriages  of  native  Tunisian 
gentry.     They  endure,  both  heat  and  cold,  and  have  in 


CHAP.  xrv.  DJERBA.  157 

a  great  measure  superseded  the  famous  Barb  horse.  The 
wants  of  the  French  army  contribute  to  drain  Tunis 
of  horses.  Great  quantities  of  Djerban  stuffs,  of  wool  and 
silk,  are  sent  to  the  East.  The  islanders  are  good- 
natured  and  hospitable,  like  the  Arabs  of  the  Djerid. 
Towards  the  Tripoli  frontier,  however,  on  the  mainland 
behind  Djerba,  they  are  of  a  different  character,  untrust- 
worthy and  treacherous.  The  Djerbans  are  enterprising, 
being  established  as  merchants  in  Tripoli,  Alexandria, 
Constantinople,  and  throughout  the  East. 

While  Ferdinand  the  Catholic  was  besieging  Malaga, 
there  appeared  a  wild  fanatic  or  dervish,  Abraham  of 
Djerba,  who,  after  a  desperate  and  partly  successful 
effort  to  relieve  the  city,  was  taken  prisoner.  Attempt- 
ing to  assassinate  the  King  and  Queen,  he  was  put  to 
death,  and  his  body  flung  from  a  catapult  into  the  city, 
where  he  was  interred  and  honoured  as  a  patriot  and  a 
saint. 

It  is  barely  twenty-eight  years  since  there  stood 
upon  the  northern  shore  of  Djerba,  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Castle  of  Es  Soukh  and  marked  upon  the 
charts,  a  whitewashed  tower,  twenty  feet  in  height, 
originally  a  pyramid,  and  composed  of  skulls.  Skulls  of 
the  Spanish  soldiers  of  Alvar  de  Sande,who  were  surprised 
and  massacred  here  by  the  Tm-kish  fleet.  But  few 
escaped  in  ships  to  Sicily.  There  were  bones  of  men 
and  buttons  of  soldiers'  dresses  to  be  found  near,  and 


158  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xiv. 

birds  had  built  their  nests  in  the  hollows  of  the 
skulls. 

It  would  be  ungracious  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the 
Grulf  of  Kabes  without  a  word  as  to  the  spot  whence  it 
takes  one  of  its  names.  It  was  known  as  Epicus,  but 
Tacape  was  its  chief  name,  a  great  emporium  of  Eoman 
times.  It  now  consists  of  two  villages,  the  natives  of 
which  cultivate  date  trees  and  the  famous  henna  plant, 
whose  leaves  are  dried  and  powdered  for  export  to  the 
Levant.  This  is  the  region  of  the  Troglodytes,  famous 
from  the  time  of  Homer  downwards.  The  modern  vil- 
lage of  Ghabs  lies  half  a  mile  from  the  ruins  of  the  old 
city,  and  Ionic  capitals  and  fragments  of  columns  are 
still  found  here.  Tacape  may  one  day  recover  some  of 
its  maritime  importance. 

Seventy  miles  inland  lies  the  Sebkha  el  Laoudiah, 
meaning  the  Marsh  of  Landmarks,  from  the  number  of 
trunks  of  palms  once  placed  at  proper  distances  to  direct 
caravans  in  their  marches  over  it.  According  to  one 
tradition,  these  trees  sprang  from  date  stones  left  by  an 
army  of  the  Egyptians  in  one  of  their  invasions  of  Bar- 
bary.  In  the  same  way  some  future  Egyptian  army 
may  be  guided  by  my  line  of  march,  over  the  desert 
from  Lebda  to  Tripoli.  Only  in  certain  seasons  and  in 
places  does  this  lake  contain  water :  it  is  ordinarily  a 
vast  plain  of  salt.  It  is  the  Palus  Tritonis  or  Triton 
swamp,  which  it  is  believed  lies  below  the  level  of  the 


CHAP.  XIV.  THE   LOTOS,  159 

Mediterranean  and  may  again  be  placed  in  communica- 
tion with  it.  Should  this  be  possible,  a  shallow  inland 
sea,  seventy  miles  in  length  by  twenty  in  width,  might 
be  formed  in  the  heart  of  the  fertile  Djerid  :  making  its 
chief  town,  Toozer,  Tisurus,  a  seaport  on  a  small  scale  : 
and  the  laborious  transport  by  camel  might  give  way  to 
traflBc  by  sandals,  or  smaller  boats.  The  river  Akrout, 
entering  the  Mediterranean  thirty  miles  north  of  Ghabs, 
tradition  says,  once  connected  the  Palus  with  the  sea, 
and,  unless  there  have  been  geological  changes,  might  be 
made  to  do  so  again. 

It  may  be  found  that  an  entrance  from  the  river  of 
Ghabs,  rising  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  from  the  coast, 
would  offer  better  prospects  of  success,  though  the  dis- 
tance for  channelling  would  be  greater  by  one-half,  and 
certain  high  land  intervenes.  The  environs  of  Ghabs 
are  rich  and  beautiful :  we  are  told  of  vines  twining 
round  lordly  palms,  of  rich  cornfields  among  almond 
trees  and  lotos. 

Temple  found  here  great  abundance  of  the  lotos, 
which  he  calls  Rhamuus  Lotus,  growing  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Ghabs  and  the  surrounding  villages.  Lane 
calls  the  lotos  sidr,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  this 
name  acquired  for  the  Gulf  its  title  of  Sidra.  Far  more 
likely  Sidra  is  a  Moorish  corruption  of  Syrtis.  The 
modern  Arabs  use  the  leaves  of  the  aidr  dried  and  pul- 
verised, as  soap.     The  bush  resembles  a  blackthorn :  the 


i6o  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xiv. 

berry  was  so  highly  esteemed  by  the  ancients  that  it  was 
said  to  be  worth  forsaking  one's  country  for.  I  have  on 
various  occasions  forsaken  my  country,  but  generally 
more  with  a  view  to  green  figs  and  bananas.  The  legen- 
dary lotos  of  Egyptian  sculpture  was  a  water  lily,  but 
it  seems  to  have  vanished  with  the  papyrus  from  the 
Lower  Nile. 


ASFACHUS.  i6i 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Arrival  at  Sfax — Gale— A  Mistake — A  Deaf  Mute — The  Quarters  of 
Sfax — Mosques — A  Caravan  of  Dates — The  Bazaars — Gracefulness 
of  Sfaxins — Environs — The  City  of  Twelve  Thousand  Gardens — 
Slave  Caravans — Street  Auction —Costumes — The  Great  Mosque — 
A  Tragedy — The  Silversmiths — Bakkoush  at  Home — An  Eccentric 
Dervish — A  Modest  Marabout — Kuins  of  Lebda. 

We  slipped  away  from  our  anchorage  just  before  dawn. 
The  wind  had  risen,  and  blew  a  heavy  northerly  gale. 
We  dared  not  try  the  inner  passage,  but  made  our  way 
outside  the  Sponge  Islands,  and  dropped  anchor  in  the 
roads  of  Sfax,  three  miles  out  from  the  shore.  The 
anchorage  is  good  but  shallow,  and  in  such  weather  the 
captain  thought  well  to  keep  out.  Sfax,  El  Sfakkus, 
Asfax,  or  Asfachus,  is  said  to  owe  its  name  to  the  quan- 
tities of  water  melons,  Fakkus,  abounding  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood. It  is  of  origin  subsequent  to  Koman  times. 
Squalls  came  at  times,  with  drifting  rain  :  two 
hours  passed,  and,  though  it  was  still  early  morning, 
the  prospect  of  landing  seemed  remote.  Sulking  in 
the  cabin,  or  pacing  about  on  deck  in  the  moist 
whistling  wind,  did  not  kill  the  time  very  fast.  The 
insidious  Perruquier  was  sent  to  the  captain  to  intimate 

M 


i62  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE  MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

that  if  a  few  men  could  be  spared  with  one  of  the 
boats,  they  should  be  rewarded  with  gold.  The  captain 
told  Perruquier  that  the  sea  was  heavy  enough  to  swamp 
a  small  boat,  and  that  he  could  not  let  us  have  one. 
"We  asked  some  of  the  Moors  what  they  would  do  if  the 
steamer  sailed  for  Tunis  without  landing  them.  Maktoub, 
they  said,  good-naturedly.  It  is  written.  When  Ali 
Bey  landed  in  this  neighbourhood,  his  boat  was  swamped, 
while  the  ship  rode  quietly  at  anchor. 

At  length  we  saw  a  boat  with  a  small  white  sail, 
beating  out,  and  our  spirits  went  up  10°.  But  when  it 
came  alongside,  with  difficulty,  in  the  fierce  wind — 
pitching  as  if  the  four  drenched  natives  would  be  flung 
into  the  sea :  when  we  saw  it  was  half  full  of  water, 
ballasted  with  a  heavy  stone,  kept  afloat  only  by  con- 
stant baling,  the  rudder  attached  by  a  piece  of  string 
only — our  spirits  fell  15°.  It  was  a  miserable  boat, 
worth  about  three  mahboobi  and  a  half,  and  it  did  not 
seem  very  sensible  to  venture  on  three  miles  of  sea 
in  it,  with  the  same  necessity  of  getting  back:  but 
Perruquier  and  I  slipped  down  a  loose  rope,  three  or  four 
Moors  followed  us,  and  we  shoved  oflf,  very  nearly 
capsizing  in  doing  so. 

The  stone  and  our  weight  made  the  boat  so  heavy 
that  the  waves  washed  over  her  sides.  We  had  gone  a 
mile  or  two,  the  water  came  in  too  fast  to  bale  and  rose 
steadily,  gusts  came  faster  than  ever ;  when  gradually 


CHAP.  XV.  DISEMBARK   AT   SFAX.  163 

a  sense  of  satisfaction  stole  into  our  spirits.  If  the 
boat  should  capsize  or  sink,  Perruquier  and  I  should 
get  out  and  walk.  We  remembered  the  long  shelving 
shore,  and  guessed  that  there  would  be  little  more 
than  five  or  six  feet  of  water,  a  mile  and  a  half  out  from 
the  town. 

To  right  and  left  of  the  city  and  its  cream-coloured 
walls — which  lie  on  flat  ground  close  by  the  water — 
stretch  miles  of  gardens,  with  little  houses  scattered 
among  them.  The  signal  tower  of  Sfax  and  the  red 
dome  of  the  Catholic  church  are  the  only  conspicuous 
objects  standing  above  the  white  houses. 

A  number  of  people  came  together  to  see  us  land — 
strangers  not  being  plentiful  in  Sfax.  I  had  asked  a 
pleasant  Italian  in  the  boat  if  he  knew  Mr.  Cardona  of 
Sfax.  Mr.  Carton,  you  mean,  he  said  :  he  is  the  English 
vice-consul:  and  we  went  together  to  the  vice- 
consulate.  A  tall  white-haired  man  rose  as  I  went  in. 
I  have  a  letter  for  you,  I  said,  from  the  captain  of  the 
Circe  steamer.  Circe,  he  said,  Circe — I  don't  know 
the  Circe.  An  English  steamer,  I  explained,  which 
came  here  just  a  year  ago.  I  was  absent,  sir,  he  said, 
at  that  time.  I  was  disappointed  to  see  him  throw  his 
acquaintances  over  so  readily,  and  said  I  understood 
he  was  Mr.  Cardona.  He  laughed.  No,  I  am  Mr. 
Edward  Carleton,  and  very  much  at  your  service.  Mr. 
Cardona  was  a  neighbour  of  his. 

v2 


i64  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

We  had  a  long  chat  over  a  cup  of  coffee.  I  beg 
your  pardon,  he  said,  interrupting  himself:  here  is  a 
poor  dumb  man  I  want  to  speak  to.  Somebody  had 
come  behind  my  chair.  I  looked  round  and  rose 
slowly  :  the  mute  started  back,  then  seized  my  hands 
and  gibbered  at  me  inarticulately.  It  was  our  old 
friend  Bakkoush,  the  Bey's  buffoon.  The  vice-consul 
was  much  surprised,  and  Bakkoush  made  signs  to  him 
that  we  were  old  friends.  It  was  four  years  since  we 
had  met :  tbe  storms  of  life  had  impaired  his  raiment, 
and  poor  Bakkoush  was  both  thinner  and  seedier.  I 
told  him  that  he  was  thinner,  and  he  explained  that  he 
had  been  ill.  We  set  out  to  see  the  city.  Mr.  Carleton 
sent  his  dragoman,  Perruquier  came,  and  Bakkoush 
would  not  leave  my  side. 

There  are  two  quarters  in  Sfax — one  within  the  old 
walls,  for  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  other  without, 
down  by  the  harbour,  for  the  Christians.  The  gates  of  the 
Moorish  city  are  closed  after  sunset  to  Christians.  We 
entered  the  Arab  quarter  by  an  old  gate  with  horseshoe 
arch,  and  close  by  it  found  the  mosque  of  Sidi  Ali  Aziz. 
Within  a  few  yards  of  it  stands  that  of  Sidi  el  Bahhri — 
Sidi  the  Sailor.  Can  it  be  the  last  resting-place  of  our 
old  friend  Sindbad  the  Sailor  ?  It  had  marble  work 
delicately  carved  and  arabesqued  in  text,  and  a  curious 
brick  minaret. 

At  many  angles  of  the  streets  and  gateways  were 


CHAP.  XV.  DATES.  165 

columns  and  capitals  of  marble  brought  from  Roman 
ruins.  Many  doorways  were  carved  in  a  beautiful  pink 
or  salmon-coloured  stone  of  Ghabs,  closely  resembling 
marble :  in  fact  a  kind  of  marble.  Across  the  streets 
at  many  points  were  flying  arches  of  horseshoe  form. 
The  mosque  has  a  new  gateway  with  minute  arabesques 
in  stone  and  alternate  bands  of  tiles.  Almost  every 
doorway  had  carved  jambs  and  lintels. 

We  met  a  caravan  just  arrived  from  the  Djerid — 
the  camels  laden  with  dates  packed  in  skins,  the  Arabs 
tired  and  dusty — and  arriving,  poor  fellows,  to  find  the 
dates  they  had  brought  from  so  far  almost  unsaleable. 
Such  is  the  plenty  of  dates  this  year  that  they  are 
barely  worth  the  trouble  of  picking,  or  of  transporting 
from  the  interior.  The  finest  dates  of  Tunisia,  or 
indeed  of  Africa — the  deghla — can  be  bought  in  Tunis 
for  thirty  five  shillings  the  hundredweight :  in  the 
Djerid  for  perhaps  ten  shillings.  There  are  dates  in 
Djerba,  known  as  bilahh  and  as  b^sir,  but  they  are  far 
behind  the  deghla.  In  Morocco  is  a  date  also  known 
as  bilahh.  On  the  flat  islands  of  Kerkeneh  there  grows 
a  soft  dark  date,  called  ertoub,  cheap,  and  not  very 
good. 

The  Tunisian  pound,  the  ratal  attari,  is  just  equiva- 
lent to  our  lb.  avoirdupois:  the  oke  contains  two  ratals, 
and  the  kantar  fifty  oJces.  The  Tunisian  measures  for 
corn,  flour,  &c.  are  the  sah,  equal  to  four  and  a  half 


i66  THE   COUNTRV  OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

imperial  pints :  the  ouiba,  containing  twelve  sah,  and 
the  kafiss  sixteen  ouibas.  There  is  a  second  scale  of 
weights  for  precious  metals.  The  coinage  begins  with 
the  karoub  or  farthing,  which  is  nominally  equivalent 
to  six  and  a  half  bourbe.  The  silver  piastre  is  worth 
sixpence  :  the  bouhamsa  or  mahboob,  half-a-crown. 
There  are  ten,  twenty-five,  fifty,  and  hundred  piastre 
pieces  in  gold :  of  which  the  most  common  are  the 
twenty-five  piastre  pieces,  representing  just  fifteen 
francs.  We  can  now  start  fairly,  and  the  reader  can 
accompany  Bakkoush  and  the  rest  of  us  into  the  bazaars 
without  fear  of  being  taken  in. 

Camels  carrying  water  for  sale  move  about  the 
bazaars  of  Sfax.  The  green  turbans  of  the  scherifs 
simply  swarm :  the  Friday's  market  place,  or  Soukh  el 
Djemma,  was  alive  with  them.  The  Prophet's  family 
is  indeed  handsomely  represented :  more  are  to  be  seen 
here  in  half  an  hour  than  in  Cairo  or  Damascus  in  a 
day.  They  were  very  inquisitive,  the  Sfaxins,  and 
Bakkoush  was  steadily  employed  in  thrusting  them 
aside  as  they  stood  gaping  at  us.  Some  he  pushed 
with  furious  gestures,  but  none  seemed  to  take  oflFence : 
they  all  knew  the  privileged  buffoon  of  the  Bey. 

In  the  Turkish  bazaar  were  groceries  of  all  kinds : 
in  the  corn  market  were  great  esparto  baskets  full  of 
grain.  We  came  to  the  Djemma  '1  Hammam,  or  Mosque 
of  the  Baths,  and  saw  the  piles  of  pearwood  for  burning  in 


CHAP.  XV.  SCENES   IN   SFAX.  167 

the  baths  :  came  to  the  shoe  bazaar,  where  the  canary- 
coloured  leather  is  made  into  picturesque  shoes,  passed 
the  harness  makers  who  embroider  the  red  leather : 
and  everywhere  a  crowd  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  Moors 
hung  on  our  heels  to  see  what  we  were  about,  only 
dispersing  momentarily  when  Bakkoush  turned  upon 
them. 

It  is  a  very  general  and  pretty  custom  among  the 
Sfaxins  and  many   of  the  Tunisian   Moors   to   carry, 
under  the  turban  and  above  the  ear,  a  small  bouquet — 
sometimes  a  couple  of  lovely  rosebuds,  or  a  rosebud  in 
a  ring   of  orange  blossoms.      The  contrast   with   the 
snowy    white,   straw-coloured    silk,   or    green    cotton 
turban  is  very  telling.     There  is  among  the  Moors  of 
Tunisia  grace  both  of  dress  and  manner  which  does  not 
characterise  the  Egyptians  or  Syrians,  and  which  recalls 
their   ancestors,   the   refined    Moors   of    Granada   and 
Cordova.     There  are  no  bazaars  where  such  delicacy  of 
taste  in  dress  and  colour  are  to  be  seen  as  in  Timis. 
The  people  seem  tasteful  by  instinct,  and  it  is  a  positive 
treat  to  sit  and  watch  them.     They  reflect  the  polish 
and  good  breeding  of  the  Spanish  Moors,  and  are  noted 
for   their    intelligence.      Reading,   writing,   and    the 
Scriptures   are   ordinary   acquirements    among    them. 
The  turbans  of  Sfax  are  larger  than  those  of  the  chief 
Eastern  cities,  and  approach  those  of  the  extinct  Janis- 
saries of  Constantinople. 


i68  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

We  saw  beautiful  mules — thoje  of  Sfax  and  Djerba 
are  considered  the  best  in  the  Eegency.  The  grey- 
hounds of  Sfax  are  noted.  A  gentleman  here  has  one, 
for  which  the  Arabs  have  offered  him  forty  sheep  in 
exchange. 

We  watched  them  make  the  curious  rude  pack 
saddles  for  camels — generally  from  wood  which  had  a 
natural  fork.  We  came  to  the  outer  city  through  an 
old  arched  gate,  and  entered  a  foudouk  where  dyers 
had  established  themselves.  Here  deep  crimson  and 
blue  stuffs  were  hanging  up  to  dry:  while  camels 
were  waiting  to  transport  them  to  the  Djerid,  and 
devouring  grass  to  pass  the  time.  Bakkoush's  raids 
upon  the  crowd  were  capital :  mumbling  and  gesticu- 
lating, he  fell  upon  them  as  if  to  devour  them  alive. 

We  passed  the  mosque  of  Djemma  '1  Bou  Shouisha, 
— an  aged  building,  where  the  whitewash  of  centuries 
had  so  encrusted  and  accumulated,  that  it  looked  as  if 
thickly  sugared,  or  covered  with  pure  white  snow. 
Stalactites  of  whitewash  hung  from  each  brick  mould- 
ing and  projection.  Near  this  were  blacksmiths  and 
sickle  makers,  beating  those  thin  crescent-shaped  blades 
out  of  glowing  iron.  The  high  old  city  walls  have 
machicolated  battlements  and  square  turrets  at  intervals. 
Above  the  forts  floated  the  blood-red  flag  which  is 
hoisted  on  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath. 

Near  the  walls  is  a  village  of  blacks,  similar  to  that 


CHAP.  XV.  ENVIRONS   OF    SFAX.  169 

described  near  Tripoli,  and  very  African  looking. 
Prowling  dogs  hang  about  the  traveller's  ankles,  and 
he  is  fortunate  who  has  Bakkoush  for  an  escort.  This 
extraordinary  man  explained  with  incredible  facility 
the  features  of  the  surrounding  country.  He  drew  my 
attention  to  the  numerous  marabouts'  tombs — to  the 
great  plain  extending  ever  so  far  to  the  south — to  the 
Sahara,  in  fact.  He  described  to  me  the  figs,  almonds, 
peaches,  olives,  and  pistachio  nuts  with  wliich  the 
environs  of  Sfax  richly  abound.  How  the  country  for 
half-a-day's  journey  round  is  full  of  gardens  and  fruits, 
till  you  reach  the  pasture  lands  of  the  Bedouins.  This 
was  all  in  dumb  show,  but  there  was  no  misunderstanding 
it.  Wine  is  made  here  from  excellent  grapes  :  cucum- 
bers are  plentiful,  and  so  are  bananas.  As  to  olives, 
which  are  taxed  by  the  tree — every  third  tree  being 
exempt — the  district  has  paid  to  the  Bey's  government 
at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  piastres 
a  year. 

The  extent  of  the  gardens  of  Sfax  is  immense  : 
there  are  no  less  than  twelve  thousand  of  them  about 
the  city.  There  is  not  a  really  poor  man  in  Sfax  :  each 
one  has  his  '  garden '  outside  the  walls,  if  only  con- 
taining a  fig  tree  and  half-a-dozen  olive  trees.  The 
man  who  comes  to  beg  for  bread  has  his  country  seat, 
though  it  may  be  only  a  dozen  yards  square. 

Bakkoush  told   me   he  had   lately  returned  from 


170  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.         chap.  xv. 

Ghabs  or  Tacape.  T^kahh,  curiously  enough,  was  about 
the  only  sound  he  could  utter.  Here  he  had  found, 
in  digging  among  the  ruins,  old  engraved  stones  and 
a  beautiful  statue  of  a  woman.  Bakkoush  and  I  formed 
plans  for  an  expedition  to  T'kabh.  The  Arabs  of  the 
country  are  unspoiled  and  uncorrupted,  being  honest, 
peacefid,  and  hospitable — coming  rarely  into  contact 
with  the  Europeans  and  coast  races. 

It  is  not  twenty-seven  years  since  caravans  used  to 
arrive  in  June  regularly  at  Tunis  from  Tomboukto, 
Ghadames,  Wadai,  and  the  interior,  via  Sfax  and  Susa, 
bringing  slaves,  ivory,  gold  dust,  and  ostrich  feathers. 
The  English  Envoy,  however,  using  his  influence  with 
Ahmed  Bey,  who  was  himself  a  humane  man,  obtained 
the  emancipation  of  all  slaves  within  reach :  and  slave- 
holders were  compelled  to  issue  them  teskeras,  or  let- 
ters of  discharge.  Mr.  Carleton  received  at  one  time  in 
his  house  sixty  poor  creatures  thus  released,  but  left  with- 
out means  of  support.  Only  a  few  months  ago  a  black 
slave  was  brought  to  Sfax,  but  he  was  set  free  by  the 
governor  at  the  instance  of  our  vice-consul. 

As  we  passed  through  one  of  the  city  gates,  we  had 
to  make  room  for  a  caravan  of  camels  coming  from 
the  interior.  Every  few  weeks  caravans  depart  for  the 
towns  of  Toozr  in  the  Djerid,  Nafta,  and  Tebessa  in 
Algeria,  carrying  English  manufactures,  and  returning 
with  dates,  blankets,  burnouses,  wool,  wax,  &c.     From 


CHAP.  XT.  A   STREET   AUCTION.  171 

Ghadames  they  come  no  longer.  Some  attribute  the 
change  to  the  impolicy  of  the  Beys,  others  to  the  sup- 
pression of  the  slave  trade.  Within  the  inner  gateway, 
among  the  shops  of  the  wool  carders,  was  a  lively  scene 
— a  street  auction.  Men  were  striding  to  and  fro,  and 
crying :  Fine  shawl  for  sale !  who  will  buy  ?  Excellent 
silk,  and  going  for  an  old  song !  Boots !  Is  no  one 
prudent  enough  to  buy  of  me  these  admirable  boots  ? 
A  ring  !  In  the  name  of  the  Prophet !  Of  the  very 
purest  silver,  and  beautified  with  a  costly  carnelian 
stone  !  Offered  for  six  piastres !  I  seized  the  merchant 
by  the  arm  and  took  the  ring,  which  was  old  silver  of 
Mecca  work.  How  much  ?  I  asked.  Six  piastres.  I 
told  Perruquier  to  stay  and  buy  it  for  five  piastres. 
Monsieur  can't  do  that,  he  said :  the  auction  price  is 
six  piastres,  and  a  slight  augmentation  has  to  be  made. 
So  Perruquier  and  I  bought  the  ring  for  six  piastres  and 
one  karoub;  and  it  now  adorns  the  scarf  of  a  popular 
and  estimable  member  of  society,  who  imagines  that  it 
is  worth  at  least  a  golden  twenty-five-piastre  piece. 

We  watched  them  spin  the  silk  and  wool  for  haiks 
and  for  the  djubba — a  garment  of  singular  picturesque- 
ness,  common  to  the  Barbary  towns,  but  I  believe 
originating  in  Sfax.  It  is  a  plain,  square-cut  loose 
robe,  like  the  abbah  of  Egypt,  but  open  only  at  the 
breast,  and  there  ornamented,  as  well  as  round  the 
neck,  with  silk  embroidery. 


172  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

The  material — often  in  alternate  bands  of  silk  and 
delicate  wool— is  generally  of  an  indigo  blue,  faced 
with  amber-coloured  embroidery,  or  of  a  deep  chocolate 
red  faced  with  green. 

The  bazaars  proper  are  cool,  and  vaulted  with  round 
arches,  while  the  little  shops  are  recessed  in  the  white- 
washed walls. 

We  came  to  the  Djemma  '1  Kebir — one  of  the  finest 
mosques  in  Barbary.  It  has  a  great  court  paved  with 
marble :  but,  standing  in  a  poor  and  crowded  quarter, 
it  makes  no  appearance  externally.  Horseshoe  arches 
of  pure  white  marble  contain  doors  beautifully  carved. 
Its  floors  are  covered  with  straw-coloured  matting.  It 
was  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath.  In  the  huge  vaulted 
prayer  chamber — of  which  the  great  doors  were  open 
on  to  the  street — knelt  hundreds  of  Moors,  with  white 
and  green  turbans,  in  ranks  as  even  as  soldiers.  As  the 
Imaum's  voice  resounded.  Oh  ye  who  believe,  bless  and 
greet  our  Lord  Mohammed !  they  fell  upon  their  faces, 
chanting  after  him  the  praise  of  Allah  and  their 
Prophet.  Their  prostrations  were  as  even  as  their 
ranks.  The  sight  was  interesting  and  impressive,  but 
the  Moors  about  us  showed  some  impatience  and  dis- 
pleasure, so  we  sauntered  on. 

Why  has  the  Englishman  come  to  Sfakkus  ?  Perru- 
quier  was  asked  constantly  in  the  bazaars,  and  what  is 
he  writing  in  the  book  ?  Oh,  true  believers,  PeiTuquier 


CHAP.  XT.  A   TRAGEDY   AT   SFAX.  173 

would  say,  do  not  marvel  if  there  arise  from  his  visit 
a  baboor  in  the  midst  of  your  city — a  swift  fire  carriage 
which  shall  be  as  the  Prophet's  carpet  to  you,  and  shall 
transport  you  to  Tunis  in  a  twinkling. 

When  Perruquier  confessed  to  this  story,  which  went 
all  through  the  bazaars,  I  asked  him  to  subdue  his 
natural  aptitude  for  untruth,  as  I  had  no  wish  to  come 
to  the  country  of  the  Moors  as  an  impostor. 

In  the  vegetable  market  we  saw  baskets  full  of  date 
seed  on  white  stalks,  exposed  for  sale.  Beyond  this 
quarter  is  the  fish  market,  near  which  stands  the  prison. 
There  is  a  small  mosque  adjoining  the  prison,  so  we 
could  not  enter.  There  are  but  few  prisoners  now :  one 
is  there  under  singular  circumstances.  A  rich  Moor 
owed  a  Christian  of  Sfax  three  thousand  piastres.  A 
poor  Jew,  clerk  to  the  Christian,  went  two  days  ago 
with  a  receipt  to  the  Moor's  house  to  ask  payment. 
Come  into  the  house,  and  I  will  pay  thee,  said  the 
Moor  :  and  taking  him  into  the  room,  he  fell  upon  him 
with  a  knife,  and  stabbed  him  repeatedly. 

On  the  day  of  my  arrival  at  Homs,  a  shocking 
murder  took  place  :  on  the  day  of  my  return  to  Tripoli 
a  second  :  immediately  before  I  reached  Tunis  another  : 
and  on  the  eve  of  our  arrival  at  Sfax,  a  fourth.  I  hope 
that  nothing  unfair  will  be  inferred  from  these  circum- 
stances. 

Outside  of  the  bazaars,  which  are  decent  enough. 


174  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.  chap.  xv. 

are  squalid  open  streets,  below  the  average  in  cleanliness 
of  ordinary  Moorish  towns.  We  could  not  move  without 
considerable  crowd.  Indeed,  the  Sfaxins  are  the  most 
appreciative  people  I  have  met  in  Barbary. 

We  went  to  the  silversmiths'  quarter,  and  sat  among 
them  for  two  hours,  securing  old  enamelled  beads,  pure 
silver  earrings  in  beautiful  simple  work,  small  silver 
gilt  beads  like  peas,  and  great  cubic  beads  like  huge 
dice,  gilded  and  enamelled.  The  Sfaxins  rejoice  very 
much  in  enamelled  ornaments,  and  we  found  numerous 
examples  of  their  work.  Bakkoush  was  a  sincere  en- 
joyment :  the  unfailing  clearness  of  his  gestures  or 
glances  and  the  rapidity  of  his  intelligence  were  a 
study.  A  glance  at  me  and  a  tap  upon  his  pocket 
meant.  There  are  nimble  fingers  about,  0  gentle  tra- 
veller. The  silversmiths  would  offer  me  rings,  bracelets, 
or  engraved  stones,  and  Bakkoush — who  has  a  perfect 
genius  for  antique  stones — by  a  momentary  change  of 
expression  would  approve  or  condemn  them.  The  vice- 
consul's  dragoman,  who  was  willing  and  useful  in  the 
bargaining,  was  an  imbecile  compared  with  Bakkoush. 

Balikoush  had  made  of  old  stones  a  study  and  a 
trade,  and  he  was  distracted  when  he  told  me  of  the 
pocketful  he  had  brought  from  T'kabh :  and  sold  only 
a  week  before.  Next  year  we  would  go  together  to 
Djerba  and  Ghabs,  the  islands  of  Serkenis,  and  the  great 
plain  inland,  and  come  back  with  asses'  loads  of  them. 


CHAP.  XT.  BAKKOUSH   AT   HOME.  175 

Any  Moor  who  might  be  disposed  to  haggle  or  waste 
time  was  quickly  disposed  of.  Bakkoush,  after  having 
it  valued  by  the  Amin  of  the  bazaar,  would  seize  the 
silver  object,  thrust  my  money  into  the  Moor's  hand, 
and  push  him  out  of  the  bazaar — threatening  him  with 
loud  inarticulate  mutterings. 

The  dragoman  had  a  cast  in  his  eye,  and,  as  we  sat 
bargaining  at  the  entrance  of  a  dark  little  shop,  Bak- 
koush sat  beside  him.  The  dragoman  turning  his 
head  for  an  instant,  Bakkoush  shot  a  momentary  glance 
at  me  with  a  terrific  squint.  In  the  same  second  the 
expression  had  vanished,  and  as  the  dragoman  turned, 
Bakkoush  was  rolling  up  a  cigarette  wit  h  a  solemn  and 
impassive  face.  These  flashes  of  humour  and  intelli- 
gence were  irresistibly  funny.  In  one  moment  Perru- 
quier  and  his  self-sufficiency  shone  out  from  the  mute's 
face,  in  the  next  came  a  passing  caricature  of  the  silver- 
smith talking  to  us.  At  times  Bakkoush  would  take 
my  hand  and  place  it  on  his  heart  as  a  mark  of  friend- 
ship. 

By  many  people  in  Tunisia  this  remarkable  man  is 
regarded  as  a  clever  impostor,  as  less  of  a  buffoon  than 
a  spy,  who  pretends  this  infirmity  in  order  to  gain  access 
and  information  in  the  Bey's  interests.  That  he  carries 
information  about,  it  may  be,  but  nothing  could  be 
more  unfair  than  to  suspect  his  muteness  to  be  assumed. 
Mr.  Carleton  has  known  him  deaf  and  dumb  for  thirty 


176  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xy. 

years,  and  if  any  fair  reader  will  endeavour  to  feign 
dumbness  for  thirty  hours,  she  will  support  me  in 
stating  that  to  carry  on  the  imposition  for  thirty  years 
is  beyond  the  capabilities  of  our  poor  weak  nature. 

I  was  introduced  at  Sfax  to  an  elderly  dervish  of 
ragged  and  hairy  appearance,  who  takes  an  imbecile 
delight  in  the  English  Union  Jack.     When  Mr.  Wood 
came  to  Sfax  many  years  ago  in  an  English  ship  of  war, 
the  elderly  dervish  danced  wildly  about.     Has  the  flag 
come  ?     Has  the  flag  come  ?    he  cried.     What  flag  ? 
said  the  consul-general.     Why,  the  English  flag!  cried 
the  elderly  dervish,  shedding  tears  of  delight :  I  know 
no  other  flag.     We  have  known  people  who  made  pets 
of  spiders,  wolves,  toads,  and  even  of  cats  :  who  senti- 
mentalise over  a  plant,  a  solitary  column,  or  dote  upon 
old  flint  implements  and  hawthorn  blue  china  pots :  if 
this  old  boy  had  had  a  craze  for  postage  stamps,  or 
even  for  portraits  of  other  people's  ancestors,  we  should 
only  say  we  have  known  people  equally  misguided  ;  but 
to  go  silly  about  a  flag,  to  dance  and  dream  about  it,  is 
very  original  and  creditable  for  a  Sfaxin  who  has  not 
had  the  artificial  advantages  of  civilisation.     It  may 
be  guessed  that  I  did  not  tell  this  elderly  saint  that  I 
had  laid  up  in  my  portmanteau  a  deep  blue  silk  Union 
Jack,  lest  he  should  cling  fondly  to  me,  and  oblige  me 
to  take  him  home  to  England,  or  to  give  over  the  flag 
to  him. 


CHAP.  XV.  RUINS   OF   LEBDA.  177 

We  went  to  see  some  conical  stacks  of  esparto  grass 
ready  for  shipment,  which  were  impervious  to  rain,  and 
to  a  cannon-ball.  To  strike  one  of  them  with  the  foot 
was  like  kicking  at  a  wall.  We  strongly  recommend 
them  to  armies.  By  the  shore,  close  under  the  walls, 
is  a  marabout  of  very  modest  pretensions.  It  appears 
that  the  saint  being  what  I  suppose  no  other  marabout 
on  record  has  been,  bashful  and  self-depreciatory,  de- 
clined on  his  deathbed  to  have  anything  more  elaborate 
than  this  simple  white  box  and  dome  erected  to  his 
memory. 

After  this  we  saw  down  by  the  water's  edge,  near 
some  villanous  Maltese  craft,  six  lengths  of  red  granite 
columns.  I  knew  them  at  once,  though  a  Moorish  stone- 
mason had  already  chiselled  over  the  surface  of  one. 
I  asked  where  they  had  come  from.  A  Maltese  captain 
had  brought  them  from  Horns,  where  he  had  paid 
twenty-five  piastres  for  them  :  and  had  sold  them  here 
for  a  hundred  piastres  each.  I  was  assured  that  some  of 
the  harder  and  finer  ones  are  worth  as  much  as  six  hun- 
dred piastres,  but  those  must  be  of  uncommon  length. 
They  are  taken,  0  Marcus  Antoninus  Pius  !  into  the 
oil  mills,  where  they  are  invaluable  for  crushing  the 
olives,  and  will  wear  for  generations. 

We  did  not  see  the  pirate  who  brought  them,  or  I 
should  have  committed,  or  desired  Perruquiertoxjommit, 
an  impriidence.      Sfax  is  a  city  which  has  itself  dis- 


178  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  xt. 

creditable  antecedents.  It  is  believed  to  have  been 
constructed  from  the  materials  of  the  famous  Thainse 
or  Thense  of  antiquity,  ten  miles  south-west  of  Sfax : 
and  so  complete  was  the  plundering,  that  there  is 
hardly  a  vestige  of  hewn  stone  to  be  found  at  Thainae. 
It  was  shameful  to  see  the  noble  shafts  with  the  gloss 
of  eighteen  centuries  upon  them  ground  and  sliced  into 
crushers  of  the  ignoble  olive.  There  are  numbers  of 
them  in  Susa.  This  accounts  for  the  total  disappearance 
of  many  a  noble  ruin  throughout  Barbary,  and  will 
account  for  the  disappearance  of  many  more,  unless  the 
authorities  are  urged  in  their  own  interests  to  prevent 
it.  Near  these  melancholy  ruins  of  Lebda  lay  quanti- 
ties of  soft  stone,  pure  white,  brought  from  Mehdia. 

We  watched  them  building  Arab  louds,  shallow, 
long,  half-decked  boats,  much  used  by  the  Kerkeni  in 
tunny  and  sponge  fishing.  There  are  on  the  islands  of 
Kerkeneh  upwards  of  a  thousand  of  these  boats.  The 
vice-consul,  finding  I  had  brought  away  no  sponges  as 
souvenirs  of  my  visit  to  Sfax,  insisted  upon  hurrying 
to  his  house  and  bringing  me  several  specimens,  three 
of  Jershish,  one  of  Serkenis,  and  one  of  Djerba. 
There  were  on  the  quay  great  oil  jars,  brought  from  the 
south  side  of  the  Djerid,  where  the  clay  is  highly  suit- 
able for  pottery.  These  were  of  a  huge  size,  beautiful 
in  form,  and  they  cost  six  piastres  each. 

The  heavy  rain  of  last  night  was  a  godsend  to  the 


CHAP.  XV.  BENEFICENT   RAIN.  179 

Sfaxins.  I  trust  it  was  general,  and  extended  to  Tripoli 
where  the  poor  Arabs  were  praying  for  it  weeks  before, 
and  would  be  half  ruined  if  it  failed.  I  found  an  Eng- 
lish engineer  at  Sfax,  and  made  his  acquaintance  under 
the  discreditable  circumstances  of  having  opened  on  the 
voyage  some  newspapers  directed  to  him.  He  was 
engineer  on  board  the  Bey's  corvette  El  Bashir. 


V  2 


i8o  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Embark  on  Corsica — Privations — Facts  about  Sfax— Sail  for  the  North 
— Sponges  of  the  Lesser  Syrtis — The  Oulad  Azim — Octopi — Sponge 
Culture  and  Chicken  Manufacture— Mehdia — Sardines — Arab  Ceme- 
tery— Port  of  Mehdia — Turris  Hannibalis — Relics  of  El  Djem — A 
Moslem  Companion — Monastir — Collectors — Susa. 

We  put  off  to  the  steamer.  Our  waterproofs  were  no 
longer  necessary  in  the  dry  cold  evening,  the  wind  had 
fallen,  the  sun  set,  and  the  city  looked  cold  and  white. 
We  made  friends  with  a  green-turbaned  Moor,  who  lay 
at  his  ease  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  with  his  head 
resting  affectionately  upon  an  anisette  cask.  This 
descendant  of  the  Prophet  had  one  eye  and  a  good- 
natured  face.  He  had  some  successful  oil  works,  and 
was  no  doubt  a  heavy  importer  of  ruins.  I  told  him, 
what  had  only  then  occurred  to  me,  that  I  had  not 
eaten  a  mouthful  for  eight  hours  and  a  half.  The 
scherif  not  only  begged  me  to  eat  with  him  on  the  spot, 
but  to  share  his  food  all  the  way  to  Susa.  I  told  Perru- 
quier  to  say  that  under  the  circumstances  I  would  say 
nothing  to  the  Imam  about  the  liqueur  butt  on  which  he 
was  reposing.  Aniseed  grows  plentifully  in  the  Regency, 
both  here  and  near  Tunis. 


CHAP.  xTi.  PRODUCTIONS   OF   SFAX.  lgl 

When  I  appeared  in  the  cabin  of  the  Corsica, 
much  reduced  by  fasting,  and  told  the  steward  how 
hungry  I  was,  he  began  to  swear  magnificent  oaths 
at  society  in  general,  and  went  out  of  the  cabin  with 
a  ^acrrRRRAMENTO  that  rolled  like  thunder.  Eight 
hours  and  a  half  I  (in  a  voice  like  a  twenty-four- 
pounder  gun).  Cospetto  !  not  a  mouthful  of  bread  even  ! 
Cento  mila  maledizioni  !  and  he  strode  to  the  galley 
and  ordered  an  ample  meal  to  be  made  ready.  Then 
he  came  and  watched  me  solicitously,  thrusting  dishes 
upon  me  and  murmuring  over  my  hardships. 

The  city  of  Sfax  with  three  suburbs  contains  about 
thirty-five  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Islands  of  Ker- 
keneh,  eighteen  miles  away,  have  a  population  of  twelve 
thousand.  The  principal  manufactures  of  the  Sfaxins 
are  woollen  cloths,  blankets,  burnouses,  &c.,  which  are 
sent  on  a  large  scale  to  Alexandria  and  other  parts  of 
the  East,  towels  with  which  they  supply  the  vapour 
baths  for  the  whole  Kegency,  scarfs  for  Moorish  and 
Jewish  women,  yellow  slippers  for  the  surrounding 
Arab  tribes.     They  are  excellent  dyers. 

The  Sfaxins  are  an  industrious  race.  The  same 
individuals  are  merchants,  traders,  weavers,  husband- 
men, fishermen,  caravanists,  according  to  occasion. 
Sfax  has  an  independent  governor,  under  the  Prime 
Minister's  sole  control,  and  this  simplicity  of  responsi- 
bility contributes  to  the  facility  of  settling  disputes 


i82  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xm. 

between  Europeans  and  natives.  The  anchorage  of 
Sfax  is  the  safest  in  the  Regency,  from  which  cir- 
cumstance the  Bey's  little  flotilla  winters  here.  It 
is  the  only  place  on  the  coast  where  there  is  a  tide, 
which  rises  about  four  and  a  half  feet. 

Mahhras  has  had  great  rain-water  cisterns,  said  to 
have  been  built  by  Ibn  Aghlab,  Khalif  of  Kairwan, 
for  whose  memory  the  people  of  this  country  have  a  great 
esteem  and  veneration.  He  was  author  of  many  similar 
beneficent  works  in  various  parts  of  the  Winter  circuit. 
At  Mahhras  some  beautiful  square  marble  columns  were 
found  by  Dr.  Shaw,  but  they  have  since  disappeared. 
This  southern  extremity  of  the  district  is  distant  from 
Sfax  about  thirty-five  miles.  Here  a  French  vice- 
consul  has  been  lately  nominated,  and  English  vessels 
occasionally  ship  esparto. 

The  droll  old  Leo  writes  :  Of  the  town  of  Asfachus. 
It  is  compassed  with  most  high  and  strong  wals,  and 
was  in  times  past  very  populous  ;  but  nowe  it  containeth 
but  three  or  fewer  hundred  families,  and  but  a  fewe 
shops.  Oppressed  it  is  both  by  Arabians  and  by  the 
King  of  Tunis.  All  the  inhabitants  are  either  weauers, 
marriners,  or  fishermen.  They  take  great  store  of  fishes 
called  by  them  spares,  which  word  signifieth  nought  in 
the  Arabian  and  Barbarian,  much  lesse  in  the  Latine 
toong.  Their  apparell  is  base  and  some  of  them  traffike 
in  Egypt  and  Turkie. 


CHAP.  xn.  CONCERNING    THE   SPONGE.  183 

We  passed  the  night  at  anchor  in  the  roads  of 
Sfax,  the  steam  winch  rattling  up  to  a  late  hour.  In 
the  morning  we  were  on  our  way  northward :  the  soft 
warm  sun  was  shining  upon  the  deck,  and  the  air  from 
the  Barbarj  shore  blew  deliciously  upon  us.  The  coast 
line  to  our  left  was  low  and  hazy.  Among  the  palms 
stood  the  marabout  of  Sidi  Mansour — the  Victorious. 
We  were  heading  for  the  Islands  of  Kerkeneh,  of  which 
the  palm  trees  and  fish  weirs  were  visible. 

A  thin  tall  Jew  was  on  board,  in  a  black  jacket  and 
dress,  and  with  the  deep  blue  cotton  turban  worn  by  his 
race.  As  he  sat  by  me  on  deck,  he  began  to  talk  in  ex- 
cellent Italian.  He  was  on  his  way  to  Tunis,  to  give  evid- 
ence, poor  fellow :  for  the  murdered  Jew  was  his  brother. 

All  along  the  Tunis  coast  are  sponges,  but  not  suffi- 
ciently numerous  to  repay  their  collecting.  Towards 
Sidi  Mansour  are  numerous  sponges,  but  of  too  light  a 
texture  to  serve  for  much.  To  our  right,  on  ttie  banks 
of  Kerkeneh,  which  extend  twenty  miles  seaward,  are 
small  but  fine  sponges,  the  best  on  the  coast  of  Tunis. 
Unfortunately,  the  currents  are  so  strong  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  fish  for  them.  A  sponge  merchant 
told  me  that  in  twenty  years  he  never  recollected 
sponges  so  dear  as  now :  they  cost  twice  the  usual  price. 
To  cleanse  them,  half-a-dozen  are  attached  to  a  stake  in 
the  sea  :  if  the  sponges  are  young,  for  one  night,  if  old 
and  the  crust  is  hard,  for  three  days,  that  the  current 


i84  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

may  wash  them  to  and  fro.  They  are  then  well  trodden, 
and  when  the  Kerkeni  has  sufiBciently  lacerated  his  feet 
with  the  gravel  and  saline  incrustations,  the  sponges 
are  replaced  in  the  water.  Eventually  the  crust  is 
pared  off  with  a  knife,  and  the  sponges  are  stuffed  com- 
pactly into  a  sack.  The  Kerkeneh  sponges  grow  in 
water  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep,  and  in  parts  as 
clear  as  crystal :  the  Benghasi  sponges,  which  are 
closer  and  finer,  in  much  greater  depths,  perhaps  fifteen 
to  twenty  fathoms.  The  Kerkeneh  fishermen,  I  was 
told,  spread  oil  in  rings  upon  the  water,  that  they  may 
see  through  the  little  smooth  circle  down  to  the  bottom. 
They  also  use  a  kind  of  tube  in  the  form  of  a  telescope, 
then  spear  the  sponge  with  harpoons. 

There  come  to  Kerkeneh  every  year  from  Trapani 
Sicilian  boats :  this  year  eighteen  came,  together  with 
thirteen  Greek  boats  :  two  years  ago  more  than  a  hun- 
dred Grreek  boats  came,  but  they  have  now  gone  to 
Benghasi,  where  the  results  are  more  profitable.  I  was 
told  that  a  merchant  this  year  gave  nearly  twenty-five 
thousand  pounds  for  the  yield  of  Benghasi  sponges. 

The  Grreek  sponge  fishers  have  the  reputation  of 
the  utmost  skilfulness  in  using  the  harpoon.  It  is  re- 
ported that  they  are  in  the  habit  of  discharging  one 
harpoon,  then  a  second,  striking  it  on  its  head  and  in- 
creasing its  impetus,  then  a  third  to  strike  the  second. 

If  the  reader  doubts  this,  he  will  probably  disbe- 


CHAP.  xvt.  SPONGES   OF  THE   SYRTIS.  185 

lieve  what  I  shall  relate  to  him  on  excellent  authority. 
On  the  coast  of  Norway  the  puffin  hunters  come  in 
search  of  those  astute  birds :  and,  finding  a  cavern  on 
the  face  of  a  cliff  containing  a  puffin  family,  let  down 
a  cord  having  a  hook  at  its  end.  The  head  of  the 
family,  imagining  the  hook  is  intended  for  him,  lays 
hold  of  it,  and,  as  he  disappears  slowly  out  of  the 
cavern,  the  second  puffin  lays  hold  of  his  tail,  the  third 
lays  hold  of  the  second's  tail,  and  so  on,  till  the  whole 
family,  strung  like  beads,  are  hauled  up  to  the  top  of 
the  cliflF.i 

P^ifty  miles  south  of  Sfax,  on  the  uninhabited  island 
of  Serkenis,  otherwise  kaown  as  Kneiss,  there  grow 
enormous  quantities  of  sponges,  and  in  the  lagoons  on 
the  mainland  also :  but  mineral  springs  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood stain  and  rust  the  sponges,  and  render  them 
good  for  nothing.  At  Zwara  Zwara,  a  double  village 
midway  from  Tripoli  to  Jershish,  grow  black  sponges. 
On  the  banks  of  Jershish  (Zarzis),  under  the  lee  of 
Djerba,  are  quantities  of  sponges,  and  sixty  or  seventy 
boats  are  employed  in  fishing  them.  They  are  superior 
to  those  of  Djerba  and  Kerkeneh,  and  resemble  those  of 
Benghasi.  Djerba  has  a  considerable  trade  in  sponges. 
On  her  last  voyage  the  Corsica  brought  thence  three 
hundred  sacks,  weighing  thirty  to  forty  pounds  each. 
They  are  cheaper  than  the  Kerkeneh  sponges. 
*  HartvAg's  Polar  World,  p.  114. 


i86  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

In  the  winter  the  Djerban  fishers  use  harpoons ;  in 
the  summer  they  dive.  They  are  famous  divers :  in- 
deed, I  was  solemnly  assured  that  individuals  of  a  cer- 
tain village  lying  eighteen  miles  from  the  island,  Oulad 
Azim — Children  of  Azim — can  remain  under  water 
for  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours.  This  is  their 
profession  :  they  do  nothing  else.  I  should  think  not. 
In  the  winter  and  stormy  weather  they  rest,  to  avoid 
injuring  their  lungs.  They  descend  to  depths  of  twenty 
or  thirty  fathoms,  and  remain  there  till  they  collect  a  net 
full  of  sponges,  whicli  they  uproot  by  the  hand :  they 
pursue  the  fishes,  and  catch  them  in  holes  among  the 
rocks :  indeed,  two  of  them,  this  spring,  entered  a  cave, 
whereupon  the  fishes  came  in  such  numbers  that  the 
divers  could  not  get  out,  and  were  drowned. 

If  the  reader  asks  whether  I  believe  this,  I  would 
ask  what  is  the  benefit  of  travel  if  we  learn  nothing 
but  what  we  know  at  home.  I  would  refer  him  to  the 
unimpeachable  Perruquier,  who  was  present,  and  be- 
lieved every  word  of  the  above.  He  assured  me,  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  had  timed  with  his  watch  in  his 
hand  a  diver  at  Groletta,  who  remained  under  water  for 
six  minutes.  Perruquier  gave  me  his  name,  to  remove 
any  doubt  I  might  have.  The  old  Spanish  chronicler, 
Fray  Agapida,  says  :  None  but  light  and  inconsiderate 
minds  hastily  reject  the  marvellous.  To  the  thinking 
mind  the  whole  world  is  enveloped  in  mystery. 


CHAP.  XVI.  THE  OCTOPUS.  187 

The  Kerkeneh  shallows  abound  with  fish.  The 
natives  of  the  seven  island  villages,  a  sober  and  indus- 
trious race,  catch,  in  the  labyrinths  of  palm  rod  palisades, 
enormous  quantities  of  polypi.  All  round  the  smooth 
and  shallow  shores  of  the  Syrtis  these  creatures  abound  : 
some  of  them  are  of  an  enormous  size.  They  are 
capital  eating,  and  the  natives  devour  them  greedily  : 
the  greater  part  are  shipped  to  the  Levant  for  use  on 
fast  days.  The  natives  string  earthen  jars  together, 
and  lower  them  into  the  water.  The  octopus,  thinking 
he  has  found  a  good  thing,  a  home  ready  made  for  him, 
settles  down  in  the  jar,  sometimes  with  several  others. 
They  are  attracted  by  white  substances,  and  bright 
stones  are  placed  in  the  water  to  beguile  them. 

At  Lesina,  in  Dalmatia,  a  Mr.  Bucchik  has  made 
very  interesting  experiments  in  sponge  farming.  Cut- 
ting up  a  sponge,  he  attaches  the  pieces  to  the  interior 
of  a  perforated  chest,  which  he  lowers  into  the  sea. 
The  sponges  begin  to  grow,  they  are  examined  from 
time  to  time,  and  at  the  end  of  five  or  six  years  are 
found  to  attain  a  considerable  size.  We  regard  this 
experiment  with  interest  and  satisfaction,  looking  for- 
ward to  a  time  when  everybody  will  rear  his  own 
sponges,  and  when  instead  of  ferneries  or  aquaria  in  our 
rooms,  and  mignonette  or  geraniums  in  our  bedroom 
windows,  we  shall  be  able  to  watch  the  growth  of  the 
sponge.     We   do  not    believe   it   is  yet    satisfactorily 


iS8  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

established  whether  the  sponge  is  vegetable  or  animate  ; 
and,  as  we  should  always  as  a  matter  of  choice  incline 
to  the  less  probable,  we  even  anticipate  the  moral  cul- 
ture of  the  sponge. 

We  feel  that  science  is  fast  outstripping  the  often 
dilatory  and  disappointing  routine  of  nature.  We 
cannot  disregard,  as  reflective  travellers,  the  circum- 
stances of  chicken  manufacture  by  oven  in  Egypt,  and 
by  steam  in  Holland :  of  the  culture  of  mushrooms  in 
cellars,  and  of  mustard  and  cress  in  flannel  and  water : 
of  the  imiversal  acclimatisation  of  species:  of  the  fifty 
means  and  contrivances  by  which  seasons  are  anticipated. 

In  one  year  there  have  been  hatched  in  Egypt 
eighteen  million  chickens  from  twenty-six  million 
eggs.  We  consider  this  as  peculiarly  suggestive  and 
interesting :  economical  of  much  valuable  time  to  the 
mature  poultry,  who  can  go  on  laying  as  fast  as  they 
please,  while  their  proprietor  attends  to  the  hatching. 
It  is  our  belief  that  some  such  system  of  production 
might  be  more  widely  applied :  and  we  look  forward 
to  a  more  certain  and  perennial  state  of  things,  such 
as  may  enable  us  to  have  snowballing  and  sledging  in 
the  summer,  and  when  roses  will  blossom  in  the  frost. 
This  would  be  something  like  civilisation. 

All  day  we  steamed  against  a  head  wind.  We 
passed  the  town  of  Shebba,  then  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Salectum,  and  cast  anchor  at  three  in  the  afternoon  off" 
Mehdia. 


CHAP.  XTi.  SARDINES.  189 

An  Austrian  gentleman,  who  had  sailed  with  us 
from  Tunis,  kindly  put  off  to  meet  me  in  a  boat.  We 
went  to  the  sardine  establishment,  of  which  he  is 
manager.  It  is  a  private  undertaking,  and  if  fairly 
treated  ought  to  be  successful.  The  operations  com- 
mence in  April,  when  thirty  or  forty  Sicilian  boats 
come  to  fish.  The  year's  exports  vary  from  seven  to 
ten  thousand  barrels  of  one  hundred  pounds  each.  The 
sardines  are  rather  large,  about  the  size  of  those  we 
condemn  in  England  as  being  pilchards  or  herrings. 
In  the  first  year  five  boats  came ;  last  year  forty-five 
came.  The  company,  however,  having  confidingly 
made  advances  to  certain  of  the  boats,  have  seen  them 
no  more. 

-  The  salt  they  import  is  subject,  I  was  told,  to  a 
duty  of  ten  piastres  a  ton.  In  addition  to  this  they  have 
to  buy  from  the  government,  at  a  hundred  piastres  a 
ton,  as  many  tons  of  salt  as  they  import :  but  this 
salt  is  valueless,  and  has  only  tainted  the  fish  when 
they  have  used  it.  They  cannot  resell  it,  for  the 
government  has  the  monopoly  of  sale.  It  was  hand- 
somely proposed  that  they  might  pay  eighty  piastres  a 
ton  without  taking  the  salt,  but  they  preferred  to  take 
it  and  give  it  away.     This  seems  hard  and  discouraging. 

The  obliging  Austrian  and  an  Italian  gentleman, 
who  had  also  sailed  in  the  Corsica,  accompanied  me 
into  the  town.     There  is  a  great  Saracenic  gateway  : 


I90  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

the  streets  are  poor,  there  are  no  proper  bazaars :  the 
whitewashed  houses,  save  where  they  have  some  old 
shaft  or  capital  imbedded  in  them,  are  quite  uninterest- 
ing: the  people  and  dogs  are  inquisitive.  We  went 
round  under  the  ruined  walls  to  the  beach,  and  behind 
the  mosque  found  a  marble  tombstone  of  a  knight  of 
St.  John,  dated  1563.  I  was  told  that  there  were  many 
of  them  in  the  mosque.  The  coat  of  arms  had  the 
cross  of  Malta  and  two  dolphins. 

We  went  out  of  the  town  to  the  rocks  by  the  sea, 
passing  through  a  Mohammedan  cemetery,  which  re- 
sembled a  rabbit  warren  more  than  anything  else.  The 
cement  and  whitewash  had  crumbled  away  from  many 
a  tomb,  leaving  skulls,  bones,  and  dust  exposed  to  sight. 
On  the  top  of  the  ridge  extending  seaward  there  stands 
an  old  but  remodelled  castle  :  beneath  it  lies  the  ancient 
port  of  Africa.  This  is  a  basin  hewn  in  the  rock, 
measuring  about  a  hundred  by  fifty  yards,  into  which 
the  sea  water  still  enters  to  a  depth  of  several  feet. 
The  entrance,  as  broad  as  a  city  gate,  was  defended  by 
masonry  and  a  tower :  it  is  not  now  practicable,  the 
Spaniards  having  blown  it  up  when  they  evacuated 
Mehdia.  If,  however,  the  fallen  masonry  were  removed, 
and  the  dock  cleared  out,  at  a  moderate  expense  it 
might  still  be  made  to  contain  half  the  sandals  on  the 
coast  of  Barbary.  There  are  remains  of  a  secret  gate 
leading  from  the  tower  to  the  water's  edge.     When  the 


CHAP.  XVI.  HANNIBAL'S  TOWER.  191 

Spaniards  destroyed  the  place,  they  massacred,  it  is 
said,  twelve  hundred  Mussulmans,  and  carried  nine 
thousand  into  slavery. 

We  went  on  farther  to  the  brow  of  the  promontory 
where  the  citadel,  Turris  Hannibalis,  once  stood. 
Under  our  feet  were  dark  deep  vaults  and  reservoirs, 
having  small  round  apertures  cut  in  the  rock.  These 
were  the  cisterns  and  granaries,  and  must  have  been 
very  spacious.  The  rock  echoed  hollowly  under  our 
feet,  and  the  surf  beat  dismally  upon  the  point.  It  is 
said  there  is  a  practicable  underground  passage  running 
a  considerable  way  inland.  That  such  existed,  and 
once  served  the  Eomans  as  an  access  to  the  citadel,  is 
very  possible  :  but  whether  it  would  have  been  practic- 
able for  us  to  get  a  long  way  inland  through  it,  we  did 
not  stay  to  inquire.  It  was  cold  enough  in  the  twilight 
on  the  promontory,  with  the  melancholy  sea  all  round  us, 
without  getting  let  down  into  the  bowels  of  a  cavern, 
or  slipping  into  some  glacial  cistern.  I  offered  to  help 
to  let  anyone  else  down,  and  wait  till  I  heard  him  touch 
the  bottom,  but  nothing  came  of  it. 

It  was  from  this  point  that  that  fine  soldier  Han- 
nibal is  said  to  have  embarked  for  Egypt,  after  his 
fortune's  star  had  set.  All  round  the  hill  were  tombs. 
Many  of  them  had  a  little  cup-shaped  hollow  on  the 
slab.  When  the  rain  falls  and  fills  the  cup,  the  little 
birds,  say  the  Moors,  come  to   drink  ;  thus  the  good 


192  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

works  of  the  departed  follow  him.  The  dogs  yelped 
hungrily,  as  we  passed  through  the  Arab  town,  and  went 
to  look  at  some  lamps  brought  from  El  Djem.  One 
was  of  red  clay,  with  the  figure  of  Victory  driving  a 
four-horsed  chariot :  the  other  of  grey  clay,  bearing  a 
stag  in  the  central  hollow.  Both  lamps  were  well  pre- 
served and  interesting. 

The  Corsica  was  not  to  have  sailed  until  six  in  the 
morning ;  but  the  excellent  skipper  agreed  at  my  re- 
quest to  get  under  way  by  three  o'clock,  and  at  early 
morning  we  were  off  Monastir.  A  Sfaxin  had  shared  the 
saloon  with  me — a  well-dressed,  pleasantly-mannered 
Moslem  in  a  green  turban,  who  ate  my  biscuits  and  took 
his  coffee  with  me  without  restraint.  He  seemed  to  be 
without  prejudice,  and  treated  me  with  much  courtesy. 
The  Sfaxins  are  distinguished,  even  above  the  Tu- 
nisians, perhaps,  for  their  grace  and  pleasantness. 
These  Moors,  like  the  Spaniards,  will  invite  you  to 
share  their  food  :  will  make  long  and  ceremonious  in- 
quiries in  saluting  you.  They  have  all  the  politeness 
of  the  Spanish  beggar,  who  addresses  his  comrade  as 
Senor  y  Caballero.  A  Tunisian  private  soldier  or 
shopkeeper  is  always,  Sidi  Ali,  Sidi  Mohammed. 
Another  friend  of  mine  on  board  was  a  tall  Monastiri, 
very  civil  and  entertaining.  There  was  also  the  descen- 
dant of  the  Prophet  who  had  come  from  Sfax,  so  I  was 
in  excellent  company. 


CHiP.  xTi.  MOORISH   COURTESY.  193 

We  bad  sailed  from  Mehdia  at  half-past  two.  The 
skipper,  Pietro  Molinari,  had  not  been  to  bed  at  all, 
and  had  made  the  engineer  crowd  on  additional  steam. 
The  horses  I  had  telegraphed  for  to  Susa  were  waiting 
on  the  beach  at  Monastir :  but  as  my  luggage  was  on 
board,  and  there  were  one  or  two  things  to  do,  I  sent 
Perruquier  on  shore,  to  follow  to  Susa  by  land  with  the 
horses,  while  I  stayed  on  the  Corsica.  My  acquaintance 
of  Monastir  begged  me  to  go  and  stay  with  him  for 
three  days — two  days — one  day — half  a  day — two 
hours  :  he  was  so  civil  that  I  was  quite  sorry  I  couldn't 
go.  If  the  Englishman,  he  said  to  Perruquier,  could 
speak  a  little  better  Arabic,  we  should  not  let  him  away 
from  the  Eegency. 

In  the  delicious  calm  morning  we  turned  out  of 
Monastir  roads  and  steamed  to  Susa.  The  Corsica  is 
a  purely  Italian  steamer,  from  the  captain  to  the  cook- 
ing. The  latter  was  at  first  difficult  to  master,  but  we 
became  cosmopolitan  in  travelling,  and  I  have  only 
drawn  the  line  at  garlic,  of  which  the  revolting  taste  is 
too  rarely  absent.  This  nauseous  and  abominable  herb 
ought  to  be  exterminated,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  a 
religious  war  upon  the  garlic-eaters.  It  is  impossible 
to.  travel  far  abroad  without  recognising  that  in  certain 
respects  England  is  far  behind  other  countries:  for 
instance,  in  the  habit  and  facility  of  eating  with  the 
knife.      Half-way    from    Monastir    to    Malta   lie   the 

0 


194  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvi. 

Pelagie  Islands,  Linosa  and   Lampedusa,  almost  due 
east. 

One  small  circumstance  on  the  Corsica  rather  dis- 
quieted Perruquier  and  me.  We  noticed,  but  did  not 
name  it  to  anybody,  that  the  electro-plate  which  came 
to  table  was  marked  Baltischer  Lloyd.  We  did  not  see 
what  an  Italian  navigation  company  ought  to  have  to  do 
with  spoons  belonging  to  the  Baltic  Lloyd.  We  have 
always  been  of  opinion  that  to  collect  is  not  to  rob,  it 
is  to  carry  out  a  principle  :  and,  so  long  as  it  is  confined 
to  chalices,  reliquaries,  silver  ornaments,  old  books,  or 
embroidery,  and  such  like,  that  any  necessary  steps  for 
the  purpose  are  justifiable.  We  never  condemned 
the  First  Napoleon's  collections  from  the  art  galleries 
of  his  neighbours,  but  we  wonder  that,  after  Perru- 
quier's  unsuccessful  defence  of  Paris,  Grermany  did  not 
ask  for  some  of  them  back  again. 

We  soon  anchored  in  the  roads  of  Susa,  and  I  landed 
and  went  to  the  vice-consulate,  to  see  if  the  escort  were 
ready.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dupuis  received  me  most  kindly : 
their  servants  ascertained  that  the  soldiers  were  at  my 
disposal, and  we  only  awaited  Perruquier's  arrival  to  start 
for  Kairwan.  He  was  so  long  that  we  half  fancied  he 
must  havefallen  into  the  Kiver  Gimmal,  which  sometimes 
overflows  its  banks  and  interrupts  the  road  from  Monas- 
tir  :  but  eventually  he  arrived,  condemning  the  horses  as 
unfit  to  carry  us  to  Kairwan.     The  Maltese  muleteer 


CHAP.  XVI.  ROMAN   REMAINS.  195 

who  ovmed  them,  and  bore  the  classic  name  of  Severio 
Valentino,  was  disposed  to  be  unreasonable,  but  after  a 
little  exercise  of  consular  authority  he  provided  better 
horses.  One  of  Julius  Caesar's  generals,  Ventidius 
Bassus,  before  he  joined  the  army,  gained  his  living  by 
keeping  mules  and  horses  for  hire. 

Mr.  Dupuis  took  me  to  see  some  finely  sculptured 
stones  lately  fo!md  in  excavating.  One  block  of  white 
marble,  probably  brought  from  Italy,  contained  a 
fine  group.  On  a  chariot  with  small  wheels,  bearing 
on  the  front  of  it  a  Triton  blowing  his  trumpet,  stood 
a  consul  in  his  robes,  having  a  baton  in  his  hand.  Behind 
the  chariot  sat  a  half-naked  captive,  an  African,  with  a 
broad  deep  torso  and  muscular  arms  :  the  upper  part 
of  the  head  was  missing.  The  background  was  smoothly 
chiselled  :  indeed,  the  whole  work  had  been  carefully  and 
spiritedly  done,  and  no  doubt  represented  some  Eoman 
success  in  Barbary.  Fragments  of  a  horse's  flank,  a 
shield  and  greaves,  and  a  delicately  carved  cornice  had 
been  found  in  the  same  place.  Such  finds  are  constant 
here :  the  Kegency  teems  with  traces  of  its  fii-st  colonists. 

The  mounted  soldiers  who  were  to  be  our  guards 
arrived,  and  I  took  leave  of  our  hospitable  representative. 
We  stopped  in  the  street  to  let  an  Arab  funeral  pass — 
every  man  whom  it  met  or  passed  leaving  his  occupa- 
tion according  to  the  Arab  custom,  and  accompanying  it 
to  the  gate  of  the  city. 

o  2 


THE   COUNTRY    OF  THE   MOORS.         chap,  xvu. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Of  the  Great  Citie  of  Cairaoan — Hutmen  — Hucba — Muse — Conquest  of 
Andaluzia  and  Castilia — Site  of  Kairwan — Decline — Dr.  Shaw  on 
Kairw4n  and  its  Mosque — Origin  of  Name — Its  Sacrodness  and  Ex- 
clusiveness — Plans  and  Preparations — A  Eeeommendation — Outfit 
— Disappointment. 

Of  the  Gh'eat  Citie  of  Cairaoan. 

'  The  famous  citie  of  Cairaoan,  otherwise  called  Carven, 
was  founded  by  Hucba,  who  was  sent  generall  of  an 
armie  out  of  Arabia  Deserta,  by  Hutmen  the  thirde 
Mahumetan  Califa.  Hucba  persuaded  tlie  citizens  of 
Tunis  that  no  armie  or  garrison  ought  to  remaine  in  any 
sea  towne,  wherefore  he  built  another  citie  called 
Cairaoan.  Vnto  which  citie  the  armie  marched  from 
Tunis,  and  in  the  roome  thereof  other  people  were  sent 
to  inhabite.  From  the  Mediterran  Sea  this  citie  is 
distant  six  and  thirtie,  and  from  Tunis  almost  an  hun- 
dred miles  ;  neither  was  it  built  (they  say)  for  any  other 
purpose,  but  onely  that  the  Arabian  armie  might 
securely  rest  therein  with  all  such  spoiles  as  they  woone 
from  the  Barbarians  and  the  Numidians.     He  enuironed 


cuAP.  xTii.  THE  CITIE  OF  CAIRAOAN.  197 

it  with  most  impregnable  walles,  and  built  therein  a 
sumptuous  temple,  supported  with  stately  pillers.  The 
dominions  of  Cairaoan  began  woonderfully  to  increase. 

'  The  citie  of  Cairaoan  standeth  vpon  a  sandie  and 
desert  plaine,  which  beareth  no  trees  nor  yet  any  come 
at  all.  Come  is  brought  thither  from  Susa,  from  Mon- 
aster, and  from  Mahdia,  all  which  townes  are  within  the 
space  of  forty  miles.  About  twelve  miles  from  Cairaoan 
standeth  a  certain  mountaine  called  Gueslet,  where 
some  of  the  Komaines'  buildings  are  still  extant :  this 
mountaine  aboundeth  with  springs  of  water  and  carobs, 
which  springs  runne  downe  to  Cairaoan,  where  otherwise 
they  should  have  no  water  but  such  as  is  kept  in  ces- 
ternes.  \N'ithout  the  wals  of  this  citie  raine  water  is  to 
be  found  in  certain  cesternes  onely  till  the  beginning 
of  lune. 

'  In  sommer  time  the  Arabians  vse  to  resort  vnto 
the  plaines  adioining  vpon  this  towne,  who  bring  great 
dearth  of  come  and  water,  but  exceeding  plentie  of  dates 
and  flesh  with  them,  and  that  out  of  Nuraidia,  which 
region  is  almost  an  hundred  threescore  and  ten  miles 
distant.  In  tliis  citie  for  certaine  yeeres  the  studie  of 
the  Mahumetan  lawe  mightilie  flourished,  so  that  here 
were  the  most  famous  lawyers  in  all  Africa.  It  was  at 
length  destroied,  and  replanted  againe  with  news  inha- 
bitants, but  it  coulde  neuer  attaine  vnto  the  former 
estate.  At  this  present  it  is  inhabited  by  none  but  leather- 


198  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvii. 

dressers,  who  sende  their  leather  vnto  the  cities  of  Nu- 
midia,  and  exchange  it  also  for  the  cloth  of  Europe. 
Howbeit  they  are  so  continually  oppressed  by  the  King  of 
Tunis  that  now  they  are  brought  vnto  extreme  miserie.' 

Dr.  Shaw  considers  that  Kairwan  occupies  the  site 
of  the  Roman  Vicus  Augusti,  though  he  gives  no  clear 
grounds  for  saying  so.  The  geographer  Thuanus  iden- 
tifies it  wrongly  with  Curubis,  Kurba,  a  maritime 
village  towards  the  Gulf  of  Hammamet :  but  in  attri- 
buting its  first  origin  to  the  Mohammedan  prince  of 
Barbary,  be  is  nearer  to  the  truth  than  Dr.  Shaw.  '  The 
Calipha,'  he  says,  '  of  Africa  had  his  seat  of  government 
at  Caruan,  a  city  built  by  Oklibah  Ibn  Nafi  in  tlie 
Cyrenaica,  after  various  victories  gained  over  the  Arabs  : 
for  that  the  name  signifies  Cairo  or  Kahira — victory.' 

There  seems  to  have  been  some  confusion  on  this 
point  in  the  mind  of  Thuanus.  For  Kairwan  is  not 
in  the  Cyrenaica,  and  yet  ^^jj^  Kayrawan — more 
commonly  El  Krenneh — is  the  Arabic  name  for  Cyrene.' 
Leo  Africanus  and  Dr.  Shaw  regard  the  name  Kairwan 
as  identical  with  ^^^jlf  karwdn,  caravan — and  ori- 
ginally signifying  the  place  where  the  Arabs  had  their 
rendezvous.  This  word  ^}^»^  karawda,  also  signifies 
a  crane  or  stork.  Leo  writes  Cairaouan  ;  Sir  Grenville 
Temple  calls  the  city  Kairwan,  Kairvan,  El  Kirwan, 
\J^ij^^  without  suggesting  any  origin  for  the  name. 
'  Catafago. 


CHAP.  XVII.  KAYRAWAN.  199 

Guerin  follows  Ebn  Khaldoun  and  Nowairi  in  writ- 
ing Cairouan.  Colonel  Playfair,  an  excellent  Arabic 
authority,  writes  Kerouan  ^J'if'-  in  Tripoli  the 
common  pronunciation  of  the  name  is  Keerwan  :  while 
in  the  city  itself,  among  the  educated  natives  with 
whom  I  came  in  contact,  the  name  was  strongly  pro- 
nounced Kdyrawan. 

It  is  conceivable  that  Okhbah  the  Saracen,  who 
had  just  overrun  the  Cyrenaica — then  full  of  magnifi- 
cent buildings,  which  he  gave  over  to  destruction  or 
carried  away  piecemeal  —  should  have  given  to  his 
new  and  splendid  city  a  name  which  would  recall  the 
glories  of  Kayrawan.  Of  the  remains  in  which 
Kairwan  is  still  rich,  many  noble  shafts  and  capitals 
were  transported  from  Cyrene. 

Dr.  Shaw  says  :  '  We  have  several  fragments  of  the 
ancient  architecture  at  this  place,  and  the  Great  Mosque 
is  accounted  the  most  magnificent  as  well  as  the  most 
sacred  in  the  Barbary  States.  It  is  supported  by 
an  almost  incredible  number  of  granate  Pillars.  The 
Inhabitants  told  me,  for  a  Christian  is  not  permitted  to 
enter  the  mosques  of  the  Mahometans,  that  there  are  no 
fewer  than  five  Hundred  :  yet,  among  the  great  Variety 
of  Columns  and  the  ancient  Materials  used  in  this  large 
and  beautiful  Structure,  I  could  not  be  informed  of  one 
single  Inscription.  The  Inscriptions  likewise  which  I 
found  in  other  places  of  the  City  were  either  filled  up 
with  Cement  or  else  defaced  by  the  Chissel.' 


200  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvii. 

The  city's  present  character  is  much  what  it  has 
loeen  for  centuries.  Its  buildings  circumscribed,  and 
still  too  large  for  its  shrunken  population  :  its  trade 
decaying,  and  now  restricted  to  some  few  objects  of 
manufacture,  such  as  carpets  and  leather  articles,  and 
to  the  supply  of  the  Arabs  of  the  plain,  who  come 
to  buy  or  barter  for  copper  utensils,  boots,  and  saddlery. 
Forty  thousand  strong,  they  come  to  encamp  in  the 
plain,  of  which  they  and  the  natives  of  Kairwan  cul- 
tivate portions.  The  population  is  said  to  be,  of  the 
city  fifteen  thousand,  and  of  the  suburbs  five  thousand 
— both,  I  am  satisfied,  excessive  estimates. 

Temple  says :  '  Kairwan  is,  as  is  well  known,  a 
sacred  or  holy  town,  the  present  hotbed  of  all  the 
bigotry  of  Mohammedanism  in  Africa.  The  traveller 
who  wishes  to  enter  within  its  walls  must  take  upon 
himself  all  the  risks  of  the  enterprise.' 

'  Our  promenades  through  the  town  were  managed 
with  the  greatest  mystery,  and  the  Kaid  at  first  posi- 
tively refused  to  let  us  walk  out,  except  after  sunset. 
After  further  difficulties  he  appointed  an  officer  to 
attend  us,  making  us  promise  not  to  stare  about  too 
much,  take  notes  or  drawings,  or  speak  in  any 
European  language.  Disguised  in  Arab  dress,  we 
paraded  through  the  town,  observing  a  dignified  silence 
and  a  steady  solemn  pace.  More  than  one  walk  we  were 
not  allowed  to  take,  as  I  was  told  that  if  we  were 


CHAP.  XVII.  THE   HOLY   CITY.  201 

known  to  be  Christians  v?hilst  walking  about,  we  miglit 
be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  infuriated  populace.' 

M.  Guerin  writes  in  1860:  'Though  Tunis  has 
been  for  long  ages  the  political  capital,  Kairwan  has 
always  remained  in  the  mind  of  the  masses  the  religious 
capital  of  the  country. 

'  It  is  the  Holy  City  par  excellence,  where  the 
Crescent  reigns  undividedly.  For  twelve  centuries  no 
minister  of  the  gospel  has  entered  it. 

'  Though  singularly  fallen  from  its  ancient  splendour, 
Kairwan  is,  after  Tunis,  one  of  the  most  populous  towns 
in  the  Regency.  What  above  all  distinguishes  it  is  the 
sacred  prestige  with  which  it  is  invested  :  a  character 
due  to  its  origin,  to  the  sanctity  of  its  chief  mosque, 
the  great  number  of  its  shrines  and  tombs,  and  to  the 
inviolability  of  its  proper  ground. 

'  Situated  in  nearly  the  heart  of  Tunisia,  it  has  never 
been  attacked  by  Christian  troops,  as  the  coast  towns 
have  so  often  been.  No  Christian  has  ever  had  the 
right,  I  do  not  say  of  establishing  himself  in  it,  but 
even  of  penetrating  thither,  except  by  a  quite  special 
favour.  Jews  have  been  entirely  excluded,  so  that  it 
has  remained  virgin  to  the  contact  of  any  Faith  but 
that  of  its  fovmder  Okhbah. 

'  Hence  the  sort  of  holy  and  mysterious  aureole  with 
which  the  Mussulman  religion  surrounds  it.  Caravans 
which    resort   thither   from  all   parts  of  the  Regency 


202  THE  COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvii. 

come  to  steep  themselves  in  some  measure  in  Islamism  : 
its  Great  Mosque — whose  stones,  according  to  popular 
tradition,  which  the  Imams  keep  up  among  the  masses, 
came  miraculously  to  place  themselves  in  the  spots 
they  now  occupy — is  ceaselessly  visited  with  deep  rever- 
ence by  the  adepts  of  the  Koran.  The  shrines  of  its 
saints  are  equally  the  object  of  constant  pilgrimage.  All 
this  maintains  in  the  mind  of  the  populace  a  fanaticism 
which  nothing  hitherto  has  succeeded  in  weakening. 

'  The  Bey  himself,  when  at  rare  intervals  he  delivers 
an  amar  to  a  Christian,  has  not  the  right  to  impose 
the  infidel's  presence  upon  the  inhabitants :  his  order, 
absolute  elsewhere,  is  here  a  simple  prayer,  a  pure 
letter  of  recommendation.  The  Christian  who  bears 
it,  when  he  approaches  Kairwan,  must  halt  at  some 
distance  from  its  walls,  and  despatch  one  of  his  escort 
to  show  the  Bey's  letter  to  the  governor  of  the  city. 

'  The  governor  assembles  the  council,  and  if  they 
agree  that  the  stranger  recommended  by  the  Bey  shall 
be  admitted,  an  escort  is  sent  out  to  bring  him  in  :  his 
entry  has  always  perforce  a  certain  solemnity.  Even 
the  presence  of  the  governor,  who  would  accompany 
me  wherever  I  went,  did  not  protect  me  from  all  in- 
sults. 

'  I  need  hardly'  say  that  I  was  unable  to  enter  the 
mosque :  I  could  barely  make  the  exterior  circuit  of 
the  quadrilateral  which  it  forms:  and  even  then  the 


CHAP.  xTii.  INTENTIONS.  203 

sheikhs  and  shaoushes  of  my  escort  urged  me  to  hasten 
my  steps,  and  not  to  cast  too  attentive  an  eye  on  this 
religious  monument,  one  of  the  most  venerated  of  Is- 
lamism,  for  fear  of  exciting  annoyance  and  insult  among 
the  inhabitants.' 

Mr.  Wood,  the  consul-general,  in  his  report  for 
1875,  writes:  '  Kairwan  is  considered  so  holy  a  place 
that  no  Christians  or  Jews  are  allowed  within  its  walls, 
and  a  traveller  must  be  accompanied  by  a  government 
escort  for  protection.' 

The  reader  will  recognise  that  Kairwan  is,  or  was, 
a  place  of  consideration  and  an  enjoyable  object  for  a 
visit,  and  will  make  allowance  for  the  interest  with  which 
I  prepared  for  the  journey.  I  was  anxious  to  go  privately, 
disguised  as  an  Arab,  choosing  a  familiar  dress  of  Bar- 
bary :  to  stain  my  face,  neck,  arms,  and  ankles  :  to  travel 
to  Susa,  and  there  seek  out  some  native  willing  to  ac- 
company me,  tempted  by  the  price  of  gold.  At  Susa  I 
should  buy  or  hire  a  horse  to  carry  myself  and  bundle, 
the  native  accompanying  me  on  foot,  and  answering  all 
questions  put  to  us.  We  should  contrive  to  reach  the 
city  towards  the  Tnughreb  or  sunset,  shortly  before  the 
gates  would  close,  and  enter  in  the  twilight. 

On  approaching,  the  native  should  mount  the 
horse,  while  I,  carrying  the  bundle,  should  walk  behind 
or  beside  him  as  his  servant.  Once  inside,  I  should 
probably  feel  exceedingly  alarmed :    we   should   seek 


204  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xtii. 

some  caravanserai,  avoid  conversation,  and  roll  our- 
i^elves  up  in  a  corner  to  sleep.  As  there  would  be  a 
moon  at  the  time,  we  should  rise  and  make  the  circuit  of 
the  city,  entering  the  Great  Mosque  for  midnight  prayer. 
Very  early  on  the  following  morning  we  should  sally 
forth  again,  muffled,  according  to  the  Arab  habit, 
about  the  face,  until  the  atmosphere  should  become 
warm.  In  the  heat  of  the  day,  if  possible  during 
some  market,  when  the  crowd's  attention  would  be 
distracted,  we  would  traverse  the  bazaars  :  I  calculated 
upon  their  being  dark  and  vaulted. 

The  chief  risk  would  lie  in  the  infernal  inquisitive- 
ness  and  gossiping  of  the  bazaars,  and  in  the  fear  that 
my  native  might  fail  in  readiness  on  an  emergency. 
There  was  a  risk,  too,  in  the  fanaticism  of  those  religious 
buffoons,  the  Marabouts,  who  in  a  sacred  city  like  this 
were  sure  to  abound.  A  genuine  Marabout  is  a  kind 
of  irresponsible  Kalendar.  A  Kalendar  is  a  Moham- 
medan wandering  monk,  who  abandons  all  to  the  exer- 
cise of  his  profession.  Kairwan,  I  was  also  assured, 
was  a  spot  of  refuge  for  criminals  and  the  escaped 
rascality  of  tlie  seaport  towns.  Six  feet  of  height  and 
grey  eyes  are  not  strict  characteristics  of  an  African  or 
Asiatic :  but  the  chances  would  be  in  my  favour,  and 
a  little  tact  and  adroitness  ought  to  be  enough  to 
keep  one  out  of  predicament's. 

I  prepared  a  note-book    on  which   to    record  my 


CHAP.  XVII.  MIRZA   ABDUL   MALEK.  205 

impressions  of  Kairwan :  and  went  into  diligent  train- 
ing for  writing  in  my  pocket,  in  the  breast  of  my  coat, 
or  behind  my  back.  I  had  it  carefully  ruled  with  lines 
in  relief,  so  that  I  could  feel  my  way  along  with  a 
pencil  between  the  lines,  and,  by  returning  to  any  given 
spot  on  the  page,  avoid  writing  twice  over  the  same  spot. 
To  provide  further  against  chances  I  had  obtained 
from  a  Persian  Mussulman  a  most  friendly  recom- 
mendation, under  the  name  of  Abdul  Malek,  to 
Mussidmans  in  general.  The  writer's  translation  ran 
thus : — 

'  In  the  name  of  the  Omnipotent,  that  we  utter  his 
name  with  zele  and  fervant  lips,  Him  our  Creator,  the 
Compassionate,  Bless  He  be !  We  the  undersigned 
(then  follow  the  writer's  name  and  description)  do 
declare  that  the  bearer  of  the  present  our  beloved  friend 
the  son  of  a  very  distinguished  family  amongst  us — 
whose  name  is  Mirza  Abdul  Malek,  an  accomplished 
young  gentleman  of  good  society  and  birth  belonging  to 
a  family  of  first- water — wishing  to  visit  the  Beylik  of 
Tunis  and  its  adjacent  towns,  etc  : — We  the  said  Vekil 
insisted  upon  the  said  gentleman  to  take  with  him  this 
our  declaration  in  the  Arabic  tongue :  that  he  may 
spread  and  shew  during  his  journey  to  all  our  esteemed 
Mussulman  brethren,  with  whom  he  may  come  in  con- 
tact :  and  especially  to  those  higti  dignitaries  in  towns 
— and  others  who  are  chiefs  of  tribes,  etc.  for  the  pur- 


2o6  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvii. 

pose  of  shewing  him  their  hospitality  and  protection : 
as  also  to  recommend  him  to  others  in  power  in  case  of 
need. 

'  Such  favours  shall  not  be  forgotten  from  our  heart. 
Moreover  to  one  who  deserves  esteem  and  respect :  in 
conclusion  we  pray  for  his  journey  and  return  :  with 
our  greetings  and  Moslem  Salamat,  in  the  name  of  all 
the  people  of  Iran.' 

Date,  etc. 

The  letter  itself  was  a  most  beautiful  example  of 
the  flowing  Arabic  character,  and  ought  to  carry  much 
weight  in  a  country  where  many  people  can  neither 
read  nor  write. 

After  this  came  the  question  of  complexion.  This 
was  a  more  intricate  question  than  male  readers  would 
fancy.  After  diligent  investigation  I  found  that  there 
was  no  choice  between  a  powder  whose  transient  pro- 
perties were  at  the  mercy  of  every  sneeze  and  finger- 
mark :  and  walnut-stain,  which  would  yield  a  good 
lasting  tint,  and  expose  me  in  travelling  home  to  the 
suspicions  of  every  passport  officer  and  gendarme,  and 
perhaps  to  disowning  by  my  friends. 

Fair  hair  being  irreconcilable  with  walnut  skin,  the 
hair  must  be  thrown  in  with  the  arms,  feet,  and  neck, 
and  stained  too.  So  I  went  to  a  chemist  and  asked 
confidently  for  a  large  bottle  of  walnut  juice  to  stain 


CHAP.  XVII.  DIFFICULTIE.S.  207 

my  face.  The  chemist  said  he  had  none,  adding  that  I 
was  no  doubt  aware  the  colour  would  last  for  some 
weeks.  I  said  I  was  afraid  it  would.  He  then  asked 
whether  a  powder  would  do,  such  as  was  used  in 
most  private  theatricals,  and  lasting  fairly  through  an 
evening.  I  said  that  the  play  in  which  I  was  to  take 
part  would  last  for  several  days  at  least,  and  I  saw  that 
the  chemist  regarded  me  as  about  to  evade  the  ends  of 
justice. 

I  sought  a  seedsman,  in  the  hope  of  getting  some 
dried  walnut  leaves.  He  kept  none,  and  didn't  believe 
anyone  else  did.  I  might  get  some  by  waiting  till  the 
summer,  when  the  leaves  were  on  the  trees.  As  it  was 
not  satisfactory  to  me  to  wait  till  the  summer,  I  went  to 
a  chemical  colour  manufacturer,  and,  oppressed  with  a 
natural  bashfulness — increased  by  the  consciousness  that 
I  was  leaving  the  country  under  suspicious  circumstances 
— asked  for  a  brown  dye  which  would  last  for  several 
days,  but  not  for  several  weeks.  Fancy  dress  ball,  sir  ? 
he  said.  Yes,  fancy  dress,  I  said.  Try  this  powder, 
he  said ;  it  will  wear  through  the  evening.  I  said  I 
had  to  wear  my  dress  for  some  days,  and  probably  to 
sleep  in  it :  and,  seeing  the  chemical  colour  manufac- 
turer did  not  believe  me,  I  went  sadly  away. 

I  came  to  a  dyer's,  and  asked  him  to  give  me  the 
best  thing  for  dyeing  myself  brown.  We  never  sell  our 
colours,  the  dyer  said  :  everything  must  be  dyed  on  the 


2o8  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvii. 

premises.  It  was  not  convenient  to  me  to  get  dyed  on 
the  premises,  so  I  went  to  a  theatrical  barber  and  wig 
maker.  He  had  no  idea  where  I  could  find  walnut 
juice.  Besides,  he  said,  it  won't  come  off  your  hands 
or  head  till  the  skin  wears  off.  I  was  on  the  point  of 
telling  him  that  that  was  not  of  much  consequence,  as  I 
was  going  to  a  place  where  the  head  itself  might  come 
off  in  a  day  or  two :  but  the  idea  seemed  so  dark  and 
sanguinary,  that  I  was  afraid  he  might  get  me  watched 
by  the  police.  Eventually  I  bought  from  him  a 
hair  dye  and  some  chocolate-coloured  cosmetic :  and 
as  I  hesitated  to  carry  on  this  compromising  sort  of 
search  any  longer,  I  started  on  my  travels  in  despair. 

Sitting  in  the  hotel  at  Marseilles  on  the  day  of  our 
sailing,  drinking  strong  coffee,  a  profound  idea  came 
into  my  head :  I  smeared  my  hands  experimentally 
with  coffee — a  rich  brown — and  felt  that  it  would  be 
a  success.  The  scent  was  strong,  but  not  inappro- 
priate. 

The  reader  will  understand  how,  after  anticipating 
a  certain  amount  of  enjoyable  excitement  and  mischief, 
I  was  sensible  of  extreme  disappointment  on  learning 
that  I  could  go  to  Kairwan  with  an  escort  of  soldiers, 
and  under  the  protection  of  government,  and  how  I 
was  saddened  on  receiving  the  following  kind  note 
from  Mr.  Wood,  on  the  morning  of  my  departure  from 
Tunis. 


CHAP.  xvn.  ARRANGEMENTS.  209 

*  My  dear  Sir :  I  beg  to  enclose  a  letter  addressed 
to  the  Governor  of  Kairwan  by  the  Prime  Minister, 
and  to  inform  you  that  telegraphic  instructions  have 
been  sent  to  the  Sub-Grovernor  of  Susa  to  furnish  you 
with  an  escort.  I  will  also  telegraph  to  our  Vice- 
Consul  at  that  port:  and  I  beg  to  suggest  that,  on 
approaching  the  city  and  before  entering  it,  one  of  the 
Ispahis  should  go  forward  with  the  letter  to  the 
Governor,  that  he  may  make  arrangements  for  your 
reception.' 


THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   IVIOORS.       chap,  xviii. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Departure  from  Susa — The  Sahel — Bedouins — A  Discovery  in  Natural 
History— Drought — M'seken — The  Great  Plain — Footprints  of  Pil- 
grims— The  Great  Minar — The  Walls — Enter  Kairw^n — Observa- 
tions— Maledictions. 

We  swung  out  of  Susa  very  early  in  the  day  in  spite  of 
some  lost  time.  The  landscape  consisted  of  a  succession 
of  rolling  hillocks  and  brushwood :  we  saw  old  Arab 
buildings,  among  them  a  curiously  buttressed  cistern, 
and  traversed  olive  woods  which  had  been  cleared  of 
their  undergrowth  for  firewood.  The  country  around 
us  was  the  Sahel,  a  province  extending  from  the  fou- 
douk  of  Birloubuita,  forty-five  miles  north  of  Susa,  to 
twenty  miles  south  of  Susa,  and  stretching  from  the 
seacoast  twenty  miles  inland  to  the  mountains  we  can 
faintly  see  in  front  of  us. 

Its  almost  exclusive  product  is  the  olive :  the  vil- 
lage of  Hergla — the  name  sounds  very  like  Heraclea — 
sixteen  miles  to  the  north  of  Susa — is  noted  for  the 
purest  oil  in  the  Regency.  The  health  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Sahel  is  vigorous  :  the  air  is  fresh  and  whole- 
some in  every  village. 


CHAP.  XVIII.  LANDSCAPES   OF   THE   SAHEL.  2IT 

We  saw  the  white  domes  of  Zawi  a  mile  away  to  our 
left  amoDg  olive  woods,  and,  passing  gardens  and  hedges 
of  prickly  pear  and  olives,  came  among  the  houses  and 
mud  walls  of  Moureddin,  one  hour  and  a  half  distant 
from  Susa.  We  met  a  flock  of  lambs  in  the  village — 
more  perfect  than  even  Syrian  lambs,  with  black  faces 
and  feet,  and  lovely  fleece.  We  saw  a  piece  of  an  old 
column  in  reduced  circumstances — once  in  a  temple, 
now  an  olive  crusher.  We  shuddered  at  the  filthy  black 
pools  where,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  house,  the  re- 
fuse liquid  from  the  oil  mills  is  collected.  We  reached 
a  cistern  in  which  we  had  counted  upon  refilling  our 
barada :  and,  our  muleteers  having  emptied  those  ves- 
sels in  anticipation,  we  became  suddenly  exposed  to  the 
apprehensions  of  thirst. 

We  reached  considerable  olive  groves,  protected  by 
hedges  of  dove-coloured  thorn.  Across  the  rough  sandy 
track  at  short  intervals  were  channels  to  carry  the  rain- 
water, dug  by  some  poor  Arab,  anxious  to  lose  no  drop 
of  what  was  Hfe  to  his  crop,  and  for  which  this  season 
his  labour  had  been  in  vain.  In  places  the  way  became 
rocky.  We  overtook  armed  Bedouins  with  white  camels 
travelling  to  Kairwan,  and  met  numerous  camels  and 
asses  laden  with  esparto  for  the  seaport  of  Susa. 

On  the  great  plain,  sweeping  away  to  the  moun- 
tains of  Oussalat,  were  the  squat  brown  tents  of  the 
Bedouins.     To  the  north  we  could  see  the  fine  peaks  of 

p  'i 


212  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.        chap,  xviii. 

Zagbwan — known  to  the  Eomans  as  Zeugis — and  of 
Djebel  Resass.  We  were  travelling  towards  the  mugh- 
reb,  the  sunset. 

Our  shaoushes  were  fine-looking  men,  dressed  hand- 
somely and  in  excellent  taste :  one  with  a  red  djubba, 
a  white  haik  about  his  head  and  shoulders,  a  dark  blue 
burnous,  and  bare  brown  ankles.  The  other  wore  a 
chocolate-coloured  djubba,  with  pale  green  embroidery,  a 
white  haik,  and  light  blue  burnous.  They  were  mounted 
on  mules,  the  best  of  all  beasts  for  Eastern  travelling, 
where  trotting  is  fatiguing  and  galloping  often  im- 
possible. The  swift  ambling  pace  of  the  mule  takes 
the  traveller  over  the  ground  at  a  surprising  rate.  A 
shdoush  is  a  serjeant,  commanding  perhaps  fifteen 
or  twenty  Bedouin  tents.  They  are  the  mounted  gen- 
darmes of  the  interior. 

The  clouds  gathered  overhead  and  a  few  drops  of 
rain  fell.  We  asked  one  of  our  guards  if  it  were  going 
to  rain.  I  don't  know — God  knows,  he  said  quietly,  as 
if  any  speculation  by  him  would  be  irreverent.  Near 
the  Bedouin  tents  on  the  plain  were  occasional  patches 
of  corn,  which  slightly  cheered  the  landscape. 

One  or  two  mongrel  greyhounds  came  to  snarl  at  us. 
These  are  used  for  hunting  the  jackal.  This  amusing 
beast,  whose  cry  resembles  an  infant's  wail,  is  found  in 
numbers  in  the  Sahel.  When  got  into  a  corner  it  be- 
comes plucky  enough,  and  fights  like  a  dog.     Gazelles, 


CHAP.  xnn.  THE  PORCUPINE.  213 

too,  are  plentiful  here,  and  even  between  Susa  and 
Moureddin  they  are  seen  grazing  like  goats.  They  are 
hunted  with  horses  and  greyhounds,  and  are  difficult  to 
catch.  The  young  gazelles  are  easily  tamed,  and  become 
very  domestic.  The  fox,  too,  exists  in  numbers  on  the 
plain  :  the  Arabs  eat  its  flesh  and  consider  it  excellent. 

Then  there  are  hedgehogs  and  porcupines,  especially 
towards  El  Knais,  five  miles  to  the  left  of  our  road. 
They  are  hunted,  so  the  shaoushes  told  me,  with  dogs, 
at  night,  and  are  capital  food  — very  fortifying.  This 
prickly  pork  is  not  forbidden  by  the  Koran.  Some 
porcupines  weigh  as  much  as  twenty  pounds,  Perru- 
quier  said.  He  added  that  they  are  hard  to  catch  alive, 
as  they  are  not  amusing  to  take  hold  of.  Also  that 
you  might  knock  a  porcupine  about  the  head  with  a 
hammer,  and  he  not  think  anything  of  it ;  but  he  is 
very  tender  and  sensitive  above  his  legs  and  feet,  where 
one  blow  will  disable  him.  The  porcupine  runs  fast, 
almost  as  fast  as  a  dog.  The  dogs  know  them  well, 
and  don't  fancy  them,  but  dance  round  yelping  and 
snarling.  Sportsmen  in  search  of  partridge  on  Djebel 
Kesass  often  chance  upon  porcupines.  I  was  told  that  a 
hedgehog  will  readily  attack  and  kill  a  snake.  Seizing 
him  by  the  body,  it  holds  him,  while  the  snake  in  his 
frantic  writhing,  teais  himself  to  pieces  on  the  hedge- 
hog's bristles. 

We   saw  a   prodigious  worm  or  caterpillar  nearly 


214  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvin. 

as  long  as  a  porcupine,  and  with  thirteen  or  fourteen 
hundred  legs,  so  Perruquier  said.  We  agreed  that  he 
must  be  very  nearly  the  largest  worm  in  the  world :  and 
as  neither  the  shaoushes  nor  I  had  ever  read  of  this 
caterpillar  in  natural  history  books,  we  believed  him  to 
be  something  quite  new,  and  gave  him  the  name  of 
Eruca  Perruquiensis.  Besides  the  above  creatures, 
there  abound  on  the  plain  of  Kairwan  hares,  partridge, 
and  quail ;  so  that  a  sportsman  or  naturalist  should  have 
a  good  time  here. 

After  travelling  for  two  hours  and  a  half  we  sighted 
the  Lake  Sidi  el  Hani,  or  Lake  of  Kairwan — a  con- 
siderable sheet  of  water,  three  miles  distant — but  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  it  among  hillocks  and  rising  ground. 
In  another  hour  we  saw  on  a  hill,  darkly  covered  with 
Barbary  fig,  the  double  marabout  of  Sidi  el  Hani. 
Eound  the  western  and  southern  shores  of  the  lake 
stretch  the  tents  of  the  Oulad  Zlass.  This  lake  is  fed 
by  drainage  and  rain  :  its  waters  are  brackish.  There 
are  only  three  considerable  streams  in  all  the  Sahel — the 
Wadi  Gimmal,  into  which  we  had  formed  unjustified 
hopes  of  Perruquier's  having  fallen — the  Wadi  Hamam, 
which  we  shall  cross  on  our  journey  northward  from 
Kairwan — and  the  Wadi  Hamdun. 

What  with  the  scanty  natural  supply  of  water  and 
the  precariousness  of  the  rainfall,  the  failure  of  the 
crops  in  the  Sahel  is  lamentably  frequent.     This  and 


CHAP,  iviii.  GLIMPSE   OF   THE  CITY.  215 

other  causes  have  contributed  to  the  dwindling  away 
of  the  population  from  two  hundred  thousand  to  barely 
half  that  number. 

Within  nine  miles  of  Susa  is  a  noted  town  of  the 
Sahel — a  sort  of  miniature  Kairwan — M'seken  by  name, 
proverbial  for  the  jealousy,  bigotry,  and  exclusiveness 
of  its  inhabitants.  Not  many  years  ago  the  inhabitants 
attempted  to  murder  two  Maltese,  but  the  town  was 
fined  and  the  ringleaders  were  punished.  The  shaoushes 
said  there  was  no  longer  any  danger  in  visiting  it,  and 
our  muleteer  had  been  more  than  once  within  its  walls. 

After  four  hours  and  a  half  of  quick  travelling,  we 
saw  some  white  buildings  and  a  minaret  among  trees— 
rather  hazy  and  low  in  the  plain.  Beyond  rose  a  grey 
serrated  range  of  mountains,  and  the  sun  was  declining 
behind  them.  It  was  the  Holy  City  of  Kairwan.  We 
could  see  herds  of  camels  grazing  on  the  plain,  and 
blue  smoke  rising  from  the  Bedouin  tents.  The  hills 
grew  darker  as  the  sun  sank,  the  plain  grew  purple, 
the  stillness  of  evening  was  coming  on,  and  we  won- 
dered if  we  could  arrive  before  the  gates  were  closed. 
Fortunately  the  twilight  is  long  on  this  vast  plain  and 
its  exceeding  level  surface,  extending  as  it  does  from 
Zaghwan  to  the  borders  of  the  Djerid. 

The  track  became  enormously  broad  ;  the  hard  dry 
mud  was  impressed  with  countless  hoof  and  footmarks. 
The  caravans  and  pilgrims  of  centuries  had  used  it.    The 


2i6  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap,  xtiii. 

city  disappeared  from  time  to  time,  as  we  traversed 
hollows  where  the  horses'  feet  sank  in  still  liquid  mud. 
We  could  hear  the  bleating  of  the  lambs  in  the  darlc 
brushwood  enclosures  of  the  Bedouin  douars,  and  wild 
forms  looked  out  from  the  low  black  tents.  We  drew 
rapidly  nearer,  and  the  city  began  to  develop  itself.  We 
could  see  to  the  right,  outside  the  city,  a  great  garden 
and  a  white-domed  mosque  among  its  trees.  The  sha- 
oushes  told  me  it  was  the  garden  of  the  late  Kaid. 

The  city  walls  were  brownish  yellow,  with  crenellated 
outline :  to  the  right,  above  a  long  smooth  stretch  of 
wall,  rose  the  tower  of  the  most  sacred  building  in  all 
Africa — thc'  shrine  of  the  veneration,  fanaticism,  and 
bigotry  of  twelve  centuries.  In  form  this  minar  recalled 
those  of  Cordova  and  Seville,  but  it  was  more  squat.  It 
seemed  to  be  of  brownish  brick  for  a  great  part  of  its 
height,  and  of  a  creamy  white  above.  Everything  was 
very  silent,  no  hum  came  from  the  city.  The  Bedouins 
had  lighted  great  fires  on  either  side  of  the  track,  and 
thick  smoke  rose  from  them.  We  could  distinguish  shep- 
herds with  a  flock  of  sheep  ascending  the  slope  in  front 
of  the  eastern  gate,  and  entering  the  city  by  the  dark 
round  arch.  We  could  distinguish  the  brown  bricks 
in  the  city  wall,  and  above  the  crenellated  parapet  the 
yellow  houses,  domes,  and  minarets. 

We  advanced  rapidly,  leaving  to  om-  right  a  large 
white-domed    marabout,   to    our    left    a   sloping    hill 


CHAP.  xvin.  OUTSKIRTS   OF   KAIRWAN.  217 

covered  thickly  with  Barbary  fig.  To  the  right,  below 
the  city  walls,  extended  wide  gardens  of  the  same  dull 
green  shrub.  Among  the  figs  to  the  left  was  another 
marabout,  its  dome  fluted  like  a  water-melon.  By  this 
time  we  were  close  to  the  city  walls,  and  the  tall  half- 
round  towers  which  project  at  even  distances  round  it. 
It  was  a  long,  high  wall,  very  complete  and  erect  still, 
like  the  Great  Wall  of  Damascus  or  the  Moorish  wall 
of  Cordova.  The  domes  of  the  mosques  rising  above  it 
had  convex  flutings. 

We  saw  no  people  about  save  the  shepherds  enter- 
ing the  eastern  gate.  We  left  this  to  our  right  hand, 
passing  round  for  some  distance  under  the  wall,  and 
between  the  wall  and  a  great  enclosure  with  cemented 
floor.  This  was  a  cistern,  measuring  maybe  a  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  by  a  hundred  yards,  to  collect  the  rain- 
water on  which  the  city  depends — but  it  was  empty 
now,  and  as  dry  as  a  threshing-floor.  Occasionally 
rain-water  fails  in  the  summer,  and  is  not  unlikely  to 
do  so  this  year.  There  were  some  buildings  of  attob,  or 
mud,  outside  the  city  wall :  and  here  we  came  among 
the  inhabitants.  One  look  back  over  the  great  dull 
plain  behind,  and  we  were  in  a  suburb  of  Kairwan. 

There  were  strange  looks  cast  at  us,  but  we  passed 
quietly  on  to  the  gate  Bab  el  Djuluddin  and  entered 
the  crowd.  I  had  been  cautioned  not  to  approach  the 
city  till  soldiers  should  be  sent  out :  but  one  shaoush 


2i8  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xvni. 

we  had  outridden,  and  there  seemed  nothing  gained  by 
loitering  outside  for  him.  The  remaining  shaoush  I 
sent  on  to  the  Kaid's  house  to  carry  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter's letter  and  my  respects,  while  Perruquier  and  I 
sat  among  the  crowd. 

There  were  the  customary  groups  of  men  and  boys 
idling  at  the  close  of  day,  and  they  came  to  see  what 
evil  chance  had  brought  Christians  among  them — per- 
haps the  first  they  had  seen  in  their  city.  They  stared 
at  us,  wondering  who  we  were  and  what  the  deuce  we 
wanted.  Wonder  gave  place  to  superstition.  What 
has  Allah  sent  the  unbeliever  here  for  ?  they  asked  one 
another.  I  understood  the  ordinary  forms  of  Arab  com- 
pliment, such  as  kaU),  khanztr,  kqflr,  and  Perruquier 
translated  the  rest  while  I  wrote  them  down  in  my  note 
book.  The  dog !  a  white-robed  man  said,  how  dare  he 
come  into  our  city  ?  Then  they  began  to  grow  angry, 
and  some  of  them  scowled  and  spat  at  us  from  a  dis- 
tance. May  the  good  God  suffer  the  walls  to  fall  and 
crush  him !  a  man  said. 

They  drew  nearer.  Some  among  them  were  quiet 
and  respectful,  but  others  seemed  almost  unable  to 
contain  themselves.  The  Kaid  has  gone  to  the  Castle 
to  vifeit  the  soldiers,  said  a  Moor  with  a  grey  beard. 
Your  shaoush  has  followed  liim,  and  he  will  soon  be 
back  to  receive  you.  We  were  close  to  the  Kaid's 
house,  and  could  not  present  ourselves  till  he  was  ready 


CHAP.  rvm.  OUR  RECEPTION.  219 

to  receive  us,  it  being  contrary  to  Oriental  etiquette 
and  law  to  do  so.  A  boy,  after  examining  me  for  some 
time,  brought  up  a  companion.  See,  he  said,  the  Infi- 
del's hat ;  is  it  made  of  wood  ?  It  was  a  round- topped 
black  felt  hat,  and  the  young  Moors  were  possibly  cal- 
culating its  brick- proof  capacity.  No  one,  however, 
raised  a  stone,  and  we  sat  tranquilly  among  them. 
There  is  a  cheerful  omen,  said  my  interpreter.  A  man 
who  had  not  spoken  before  looked  at  us  and  said. 
They  will  never  leave  the  city.  Inshallah!  said  his 
nearest  neighbour :  Please  Grod  ! 

Our  reception  was  about  as  cordial  as  Linnaeus'  wel- 
come by  an  old  woman  in  Lapland,  who  addressed  him 
with  mingled  pity  and  reserve  in  the  following  words : 
'  0  thou  poor  man !  what  hard  destiny  can  have  brought 
thee  hither  to  a  place  never  visited  by  anyone  before  ? 
This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  beheld  a  stranger.  Thou 
miserable  creature  I  how  did'st  thou  come,  and  whither 
wilt  thou  go  ? ' 

The  soldier  had  been  gone  for  half  an  hour,  and  we 
still  sat  among  the  crowd.  I  told  Perruquier  to  give  a 
handful  of  tobacco  to  a  youth  near,  to  see  what  he  would 
do.  Dou't  touch  it !  roared  his  companions  ;  it  is  pol- 
luted with  swine's  flesh.  Their  unatfected  dislike  and 
contempt  were  novel  and  interesting,  and  their  insults 
were  so  conscientiously  and  heartily  oSered  that  we 
could  only  receive  them  with  good  nature.     They  were 


220  THE  COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap,  xviii. 

more  to  relieve  their  utterers'  feelings  than  to  pro- 
voke us. 

It  was  enjoyable  to  have  reached  the  city,  untrodden 
as  it  had  been,  save  at  rare  intervals,  by  Christian  feet 
for  twelve  centuries — the  shrine  which  its  inhabitants 
had  contrived  to  keep  sealed  and  almost  unpolluted  by 
foreigners  and  unbelievers.  Strangers  had  come  at 
distant  intervals,  but  disguised  and  careful  in  manner. 
Here  were  two  of  the  dogs  in  their  ordinary  native  dress, 
sitting  where  they  had  no  right  to  sit,  and  smiling  at 
the  hardest  things  they  could  say.  Curse  them !  they 
would  break  out  now  and  then — the  swine ! 

Hasn't  he  a  very  large  head  ?  asked  one  little  boy. 
Yes,  and  an  ill-disposed  countenance,  said  another. 
What  can  Allah's  piu-pose  be  ?  I  wrote  down  word  for 
word  as  they  spoke,  and  the  act  of  writing  puzzled  and 
annoyed  them  more.  At  length  our  soldier  reappeared. 
As  we  turned  our  backs  the  crowd  raised  a  howl  of 
execration.  They  had  hoped  that  after  delivering  our 
message  to  the  Ka'id  we  would  leave  Kairwan.  Chris- 
tians in  the  city  !  they  yelled.     Malediction  ! 


WELCOME   IN  THE   HOLY   CITY. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  Year  of  the  Hejreh  1292— The  Kaid's  House— Sidi  Mohammed 
el  Mour&bet — Hospitality — A  Pervert — Supper  a  I'Arabe — Fana- 
tical Mosquito — Visit  the  Kai'd — The  Bazaars — Curiosity  and  Pre- 
cautions— The  Tunis  Gate — A  Horse  Sale — My  Bodyguard — Progress 
to  Citadel— Soldiers— Civility— The  Walls— Rough  Usage. 

It  was  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  the  month  of  Safar,  in 
the  year  1292.  Thank  goodness  I  had  got  away  from 
the  nineteenth  century  at  last.  Here  was  a  refuge  from 
telegraphs,  railways,  hotels,  and  financial  commissions. 
We  pulled  up  and  alighted  at  the  house  of  the  governor, 
Sidi  Mohammed  el  Mourabet.  A  pleasant-looking  man, 
stout  and  grey-haired,  stood  at  the  open  door  and  wished 
me  Marhdba,  Welcome. 

I  went  in  with  him.  We  passed  through  a  large 
anteroom  into  a  hall  with  grated  windows.  There  were 
divans  at  the  sides  and  end  of  the  room,  which  was 
rather  empty  otherwise.  The  walls  were  tiled  like  the 
floor,  and  the  wooden  ceiling  was  painted  in  gaudy 
colours.  Several  attendants  followed  us  in  and  stood 
respectfully  about.  My  host  made  me  sit  beside  him, 
and  I  told  Perruquier  to  express  my  sorrow  for  having 
inconvenienced  him  at  so  short  a  notice.     He  shook  me 


222  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE   MOORS.         chap,  xviii. 

kindly  by  the  hand,  assuring  me  that  it  gave  him  muoli 
pleasure  to  see  me,  and  that  he  would  do  his  best  to 
make  my  visit  agreeable.  It  was  not  the  governor 
himself,  but  his  brother,  Miralai  or  Colonel  Mohammed 
el  Mourabet,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
Kairwan,  a  mild  amiable  man,  who  was  suffering  from 
asthma. 

He  told  Perruquier  that  any  arrangement  I  might 
be  pleased  to  wish  for  should  be  immediately  made» 
and  that  he  was  to  be  informed  of  any  desire  of  mine, 
that  to  the  best  of  his  ability  it  might  be  gratified. 
He  said  his  brother,  the  Ferik  or  General,  was  absent  in 
the  Djerid,  collecting  the  revenues,  and  that  he  would 
be  sorry  to  have  missed  the  chance  of  entertaining  any- 
one recommended  by  General  Kh  aired  din.  He  was 
expected  back  in  Kairwan  in  ten  days. 

The  Kaid — for  in  his  brother's  absence  my  host 
acted  as  such — asked  if  I  would  prefer  remaining  in  his 
house  or  occupying  one  by  myself :  assuring  me  that  either 
arrangement  would  be  equally  convenient  and  gratifying 
to  him.  Believing  this  plan  would  cause  less  restraint 
to  both  of  us,  I  told  Perruquier  to  say  that  I  should 
enjoy  staying  with  the  Kaid  very  much,  but  that  I 
should  enjoy  staying  by  myself  more  than  I  should, 
enjoy  staying  with  him. 

The  Kaid  ordered  rooms  to  be  prepared  in  a  house 
hard  by,  and  went  out  himself  to  see  to  the  arrange- 


CHAP,  xviir.  A  FRENCH   MUSSULMAN.  223 

ments,  leaving  his  attendants  and  Perruquier  with  me 
in  the  reception  room. 

In  Kairwan,  I  had  been  told,  was  a  renegado,  a 
Frenchman,  who  had  adapted  Islamism,  and  who  occu- 
pied himself  in  instructing  the  Raid's  children.  His 
perversion  had  taken  place  in  Tunis,  but  he  was  shy  or 
jealous  of  his  new  faith,  and  to  avoid  comment  or 
curiosity  he  had  sought  refuge  in  the  sacred  city  of 
the  Moors.  His  habits  and  dress  differed,  I  was  told,  in 
no  way  from  those  of  the  Moors  about  him,  and  he  was 
imwilling  to  be  identified.  He  was  probably  some  shop- 
keeper or  barber,  I  fancied,  who  had  changed  his  faith 
to  serve  some  small  private  interest. 

When  we  came  in  sight  of  Kairwan,  I  instructed 
Perruquier  to  seek  out  the  Frenchman  and  become  as 
friendly  as  possible  with  him,  and  I  provided  him  with  a 
quantity  of  expensive  tobacco  with  which  to  conciliate 
the  renegade's  rugged  spirit.  Our  deep  purpose  was  to 
obtain,  by  the  means  of  tobacco  and  napoleons,  drawings 
and  measurements  of  the  mosque,  which  it  was  said  to 
be  almost  certain  death  for  a  Christian  to  approach. 
Perruquier,  who  had  a  ready  intelligence,  was  to  invite 
liim  to  the  cafe,  and  between  the  coffee,  the  tobacco, 
and  the  napoleons  to  form  a  quick  and  valuable  friend- 
ship. The  renegado  had  spent  some  months  in  Tunis 
prior  to  his  change  of  faith,  and  was  well  known  by 
sight  to  Perruquier.     He  was  to  cough  when  the  rene- 


224  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xix. 

gado  should  make  his  appearance  :  and  then  Perruquier 
and  I  rubbed  our  hands  and  thought  we  had  prepared 
a  good  bait  to  catch  the  renegado. 

As  we  sat  in  the  lamp  light  there  came  in  a  dear 
little  boy,  plump  and  jolly,  about  three  or  four  years 
old.  Without  any  hesitation  he  came  up  and  sat  on 
my  knee,  and  when  I  gave  him  a  yellow  rose  from  my 
coat  he  was  very  pleased,  and  we  grew  very  friendly. 
Quite  frank  and  at  home,  he  sat  with  me  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  and  told  me  that  his  father  was  the  governor 
and  that  my  host  was  his  uncle.  When  it  was  time  for 
him  to  go  to  bed,  he  kissed  me,  and  said,  May  your 
sleep  be  sweet,  and  may  you  rise  up  with  happiness  ! 

The  attendants  had  left,  and  we  sat  for  some  time 
longer  in  the  empty  room.  I  asked  Perruquier  to 
ascertain  what  the  projects  were  for  our  food  and  lodg- 
ing. I  will  ask  for  a  glass  of  water,  he  said,  and  enter 
into  conversation  with  one  of  the  servants.  I'he  servant 
went  in  good  faith  for  the  water,  and  then  told  us  that 
dinner  was  already  prepared,  and  that  my  rooms  were 
being  put  in  order. 

The  attendants  of  the  Kaid  returned.  A  tall,  in- 
tellectual-looking man,  with  a  white  turban,  an  ordinary 
Arab  cloth  dress  in  good  taste,  and  a  beard  closely 
cut  in  the  Arab  fashion,  advanced  to  one  of  the  tapers 
and  lighted  a  cigarette,  while  the  light  fell  upon  his 
features.     Perruquier  coughed.    It  was  the  Frenchman. 


CHIP.  XIX.  A   SEALED   CITY.  225 

A  man  of  perfect  Oriental  manner  and  composure,  he 
was  one  of  the  last  in  the  room  one  would  have  picked 
out  as  a  European. 

Soon  the  Kaid  returned,  and,  taking  me  by  the  hand, 
led  the  way  to  my  new  quarters.  Here  was  a  suite  of 
three  small  comfortable  rooms,  furnished  with  divans 
and  mattresses,  and  in  the  inner  room  the  Kaid  and  I 
took  our  seats,  awaiting  the  supper.  The  Mudabbir,  or 
Minister,  sat  near  us,  a  well-bred  man,  dressed  in  pale 
grey  cloth  with  silk  braiding,  and  having  a  close-pointed 
grey  beard  and  sharp  features.  For  twenty  years  he 
had  never  left  Kairwan  :  had  not  travelled  as  far  as  Susa. 
He  is.  an  example  of  the  life  of  the  rest  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  city.  For  twelve  centuries  shut  up  and 
insensible  to  the  progress  of  the  outer  world,  they  have 
no  ambitions  or  curiosity,  no  enterprise,  and  relatively 
little  information.  The  great  world  has  been  rolling  on 
while  the  Moors  of  Kairwan,  anxious  only  to  be  left 
alone  and  to  maintain  the  exclusiveness  of  their  shrine 
and  city,  have  slumbered  on,  unconscious  of  outer 
changes  of  thought  and  circumstance. 

Empires  have  risen  and  fallen,  new  continents  have 
been  discovered  and  peopled:  the  map  of  the  world 
and  the  whole  system  of  civilisation  have  changed,  but 
Kairwan  has  been  indiflferent  to  it  all.  The  source  from 
which  issued  many  kingdoms,  both  on  this  continent 
and  in  Europe,  Kairwan  has  remained  practically  un- 

Q 


226  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xix. 

affected  by  their  destinies.  Her  ancient  splendour  has 
in  great  measure  disappeared ;  her  independence  and 
exclusiveness  have  alone  prevented  her  complete  decay. 
Keduced  in  size  and  wealth,  Kairwan  is  still  an  intact 
holy  Moorish  city. 

I  was  getting  desperately  hungry,  and  if  the  ser- 
vants had  not  come  to  announce  supper  I  should  have 
devoured  the  Kaid  himself,  for  all  I  know.  It  was  the 
year  1292,  and  I  don't  suppose  1  should  have  minded. 
The  worthy  gentleman  led  me  to  the  table  and  wished 
me  a  good  appetite.  Near  me  sat  my  interpreter,  and 
at  the  other  end  of  the  table  sat — after  much  persuasion 
— the  shaoushes  who  had  escorted  me  from  Susa.  They 
wished,  poor  fellows,  to  wait  till  I  had  finished,  but  I 
saw  no  prospect  of  being  finished  for  hours,  and  made 
them  join  us.  The  Kaid  had  sent  numerous  attendants 
and  a  handsome  array  of  dishes  from  his  own  kitchen. 

After  supper  the  Kaid  and  Mudabbir  sat  with  me  and 
we  had  a  long  chat.  In  the  course  of  it  the  Kaid  was 
called  out,  and  he  returned  leading  by  the  hand  a  mild- 
faced,  pleasant  yoimg  Moor,  who  saluted  me  cordially 
and  then  affectionately  kissed  the  Mudabbir.  It  was  the 
Kaid's  son,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Tunis  by  horse, 
having  travelled  the  distance  in  two  days.  He  had 
been  studying  the  Mohammedan  law  in  Tunis,  and  had 
not  seen  his  father  for  many  months.  Tlie  Mudabbir's 
family  had  been  in  Kairwan,  he  told  me,  for  six  hundred 


CHAP.  XIX.  ONE  OF  THE  ALMORAVIDES.  2?7 

years  :  the  Kaid's  family  almost  since  the  city's  found- 
ation. They  were  of  the  famous  sect  who  once  go- 
verned Moorish  Spain.  El  Mourabet  or  Almoravide — 
the  name  signifies  one  devoted  to  the  Faith,  as  either 
warrior  or  saint.  Sidi  Mohammed  el  Mourabet  is 
Governor  of  Kairwan,  of  the  Sahel  and  the  Djerid. 

The  chief  religious  functionaries  here  are  the  Bashi 
Mufti,  two  Muftis,  and  a  Kadi.  The  Oujak,  or  corps 
of  Hambas,  are  commanded  by  an  Agha,  a  Kahia,  a 
Khogia,  and  a  Bashi  Shaoush.  In  former  times  the  Kaid 
of  Kairwan  was  almost  absolute.  Within  a  century — 
in  the  reign  of  Hamouda  Pasha — the  Kaid  had  a  dis- 
honest baker  of  the  city  thrown  into  his  own  oven  ;  and 
when  the  Bey  sent  to  remonstrate  with  him,  the  Kaid 
simply  replied  that  he  had  shown  a  good  example. 
The  Kaid  wished  me  good  night,  the  Mudabbir  did  the 
same.  The  shaoushes,  who  never  left  me  night  or  day, 
slept  in  the  outer  room.  Delightful  soft  mattresses  were 
spread  for  me  on  the  floor,  and  I  fell  asleep  and  dreamt 
that  I  was  the  Scherif  with  a  green  turban  who  dis- 
covered the  cofFee  plant  on  the  mountains  of  Yemen,  in 
the  year  of  the  Flight  700. 

I  had  not  slept  for  many  hours  when  I  awoke, 
harassed  by  a  single  fanatical  mosquito.  The  lights 
were  out,  and  Perruquier  was  snoring  near  the  door.  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  variety  and  ingenuity 
of  the  schemes  I  formed  for  catching  this  mosquito. 

Q  2 


228  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.         chap.  xix. 

Sometimes  it  seemed  that  he  was  within  my  grasp,  and 
I  arose  with  a  light  heart  to  squeeze  him  against  the 
wall,  but  he  always  eluded  me.  Sometimes  I  simulated 
sleep  and  listened  to  his  guarded  hum  while  he  watched 
me.  Sometimes  I  struck  my  face  a  violent  blow,  will- 
ing to  sacrifice  everything  to  despatch  the  mosquito, 
but  to  no  purpose.  Eventually  the  mosquito  defeated 
me,  and  I  buried  my  head  under  the  soft  quilt. 

I  will  cite  for  the  reader's  benefit  a  recipe  copied 
from  one  of  the  most  worthy  and  popular  English 
papers.  The  writer  of  it  had  suffered  grievously  from 
mosquito  bites,  and  had  hit  upon  the  following  remedy : 
Oil  of  pennyroyal,  2  dr. ;  oil  of  cedar,  2  dr. ;  glacial 
acetic  acid,  ^  dr.  ;  pure  carbolic  acid,  1  dr. ;  camphor, 
3  dr. ;  castor  oil,  3  oz.  He  thinks  this  should  be  effec- 
tual. I  should  think  so  too.  It  ought  to  kill  an 
elephant.  The  reader  had  better  suspend  his  purchase 
of  this  preparation  till  I  have  completed  certain  che- 
mical studies  upon  this  subject.  One  of  the  chief  in- 
gredients I  intend  using  is  nitro-glycerine,  and  the 
preparation  is  to  be  called  the  Annihilator. 

On  the  second  day  I  was  awakened  early  by  the 
punctual  Perruquier,  and  found  that  the  Kaid's  servants 
had  already  prepared  breakfast  for  me.  It  was  an  ex- 
cellent Eastern  meal,  ending  with  a  dish  of  assida,  a 
kind  of  flour  porridge  eaten  with  honey,  usually  offered 
to  parting  guests.     Whether  this  was  a  delicate  hint  on 


CHAP.  XIX.        PROGRESS  THROUGH   STREETS.  229 

the  part  of  the  Raid's  cook,  suggested  by  the  ravages 
made  upon  the  supper,  I  don't  know,  but  I  had  no 
intention  of  leaving  for  at  least  a  day  or  two.  After 
breakfast  the  attentive  and  hospitable  Kaid,  with  his 
officers,  called :  and  after  a  visit  of  ceremony,  which  I 
had  previously  instructed  Perruquier  to  frame  some 
delicate  excuse  for  cutting  short,  we  all  went  downstairs 
into  the  street  together.  The  Kaid  led  me  to  his  own 
house  :  we  smoked  a  cigarette  together,  then  we  issued 
from  his  door.  He  accompanied  me  for  a  few  yards,  as 
far  as  an  archway  crossing  the  street,  and  then  at  my 
request  left  me  with  the  soldiers  and  attendants. 

There  were  two  or  three  members  of  the  Raid's 
household,  in  turbans  and  long  robes,  white  stockings 
and  yellow  shoes ;  my  handsomely  dressed  shaoushes 
from  Susa,  Perruquier,  and  several  soldiers.  Surrounded 
by  this  bodyguard,  I  made  an  imposing  progress  through 
the  city.  They  watched  me  jealously,  clearing  a  path 
and  thrusting  aside  individuals  disposed  to  be  too  for- 
ward or  curious.  They  seemed  to  feel  much  more 
anxious  than  I  did,  and  appeared  to  contemplate  the 
possibility  of  my  attracting  stones  or  a  knife.  Probably 
the  man  who  might  succeed  in  reaching  the  Infidel  with 
either  would  be  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  his  spiritual 
advisers  and  deserve  well  of  his  city. 

The  people  were  dressed  much  as  in  Tunis,  but  not 
so  richly  or  tastefully.     They  wore  turbans  and  aftans. 


230  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.        chap.  xix. 

sometimes  the  burnous,  and  more  frequently  the  djubba, 
as  in  ,Sfax.  They  were  mightily  curious,  and  some  of 
them  rather  insolent  and  angry.  What  in  the  name  of 
Grod  does  he  want  here?  they  would  ask,  starting  up  from 
their  occupations  to  crowd  round  the  soldiers,  who  care- 
fully kept  them  at  a  distance.  We  passed  on  our  left 
a  small  white  mosque,  that  of  the  Bey,  with  a  square 
tower.  On  each  side  of  the  tower,  at  one  third  of  the 
height  from  the  top,  ran  an  inscription  in  brick  stand- 
ing in  bold  relief.  It  was  in  quaint  square  old  type, 
and  probably  either  conveyed  the  title  of  the  mosque,  or 
else  the  Confession  of  Faith — There  is  but  the  one  God. 
I  was  sorry  to  be  too  ignorant  to  read  it,  and  quite 
ashamed  of  Perruquier,  who  is  half  a  native.  He  said  he 
couldn't  read  those  particular  characters,  but  when  I 
questioned  him  searchingly  afterwards,  he  confessed  that 
he  could  not  read  any  Arabic  characters  at  all.  So  I 
cannot  help  regarding  Perruquier  as  a  fraud. 

In  a  wide  space  in  the  street  near  the  entrance  to 
the  bazaars  was  a  sort  of  market  place,  where  there  were 
provision  shops,  and  money  changers,  from  whom  we 
got  some  small  money.  There  were  grocers'  shops,  with 
esparto  baskets  full  of  beans,  seeds,  and  roots  ;  copper- 
smiths who  left  their  red  copper  vessels  and  hammers 
to  look  at  the  stranger.  This  street  was  tolerably  broad 
for  a  Moorish  city.  We  passed  butchers'  shops,  black- 
smiths', and  others,  having  a  little  arcade  of  pillars 


CH4P.  xrx.  THE  TUNIS   GATE.  131 

running  in  front  of  them.  At  length  we  came  to  the 
Bab  el  Tunes,  or  Tunis  Gate.  The  curiosity  was  general : 
a  throng  of  idlers  accompanied  us,  kept  at  bay  by  the 
faithful  bodyguard. 

The  Gate  is  a  tower,  having  a  Moorish  horseshoe 
archway  of  alternate  black  and  white  marble,  with  a  red 
keystone  :  its  sides  are  faced  with  beautiful  old  marble 
pillars.  A  running  scroll  of  ornament  and  inscription 
frames  the  arch,  and  the  angles  above  it  contain  lovely 
arabesque  designs.  Above  the  first  arch  is  a  second, 
moulded  in  the  wall,  and  overhead  is  the  crenellated 
parapet  of  the  wall.  The  whole  gate  forms,  as  almost 
every  one  of  the  city  gates  forms,  a  fine  example  of 
the  best  Mauresque  design.  In  front  of  the  gate  were  the 
customary  loungers  of  every  Oriental  city,  and  by  the 
wayside  sat  three  blind  beggars.  This  was  the  moment, 
I  said  to  Perruquier,  for  doing  the  handsome  thing :  and 
Perruquier  with  munificence  placed  some  copper  in  the 
hand  of  each  beggar. 

Beyond  the  outer  doorway  of  the  tower,  which  has 
a  plain  horseshoe  arch  in  red  and  white  stone,  runs  a 
tolerably  broad  passage,  taking  a  turn  to  the  left,  and 
lined  with  shops  of  gunsmiths  or  armourers,  and  old  iron 
and  implement  stores.  Then  comes  another  arch  with 
beautiful  inscribed  lintels  of  white  marble,  and  we 
emerge  into  an  outer  market  place  under  the  walls, 
where  country  produce  is  sold  and  fairs  are  held.    Here 


234  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xix. 

was  an  animated  scene :  there  were  carpet  sellers  with 
their  goods  thrown  over  their  shoulders,  calling  out  for 
buyers  :  sellers  of  fodder  heaped  up  on  the  ground, 
baskets  of  red  chiles,  esparto  panniers  of  vegetables, 
pottery  from  Nablus :  white-robed  Arabs  from  the 
country,  and  Bedouins  with  goats  for  sale. 

One  Bedouin  had  a  young  horse :  three  hundred  and 
fifty  piastres  he  wanted  for  it.  It  was  a  thin  and  weedy- 
looking  beast,  but  Perruquier  fancied  it.  If  Monsieur 
would  lend  me  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  piastres,  he 
said,  I  would  feed  the  horse  up  and  gain  a  hundred  and 
fifty  piastres  on  the  purchase.  Young  and  inexperienced 
in  the  world's  wiles  as  I  was,  it  still  occurred  to  me  that 
were  I  to  advance  Perruquier  the  money,  the  chances 
were  that  it  might  be  a  clear  gain  to  him  of  five  hun- 
dred piastres  ;  so  I  commenced  running  the  horse  down. 
I  assured  him  that  the  animal  was  feeble,  misshapen, 
and  very  likely  to  become  subject  to  stringhalt  and  the 
strangles.  This  alarmed  Perruquier,  and  he  concluded 
not  to  make  a  bid,  much  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
crowd,  who  thought  it  just  like  Christians  to  look  at  a 
horse  and  decline  to  buy  it.  What,  then,  do  they  want 
here,  the  unbelievers  ?  was  the  talk  of  the  outer  market. 

We  strolled  from  spot  to  spot,  the  faithful  army, 
formed  in  a  hollow  square,  always  on  the  watch.  Eound 
the  outer  market  place  were  small  houses  and  one  or 
two  foudouks.    We  went  out  and  watched  a  simple  but 


CHAP.  XIX.  THE   OUTER  MARKET.  233 

efficient  apparatus  for  making  esparto  ropes.  They 
are  used  by  the  Barbary  seamen,  and  also  by  the  boat- 
men of  Italy  and  Sicily,  being  very  good  substitutes 
for  hempen  ropes.  They  are  worth  ten  pounds  a  ton. 
Those  which  are  exported  from  Susa  are  excellent,  those 
of  Tripoli  not  so  good  or  carefully  made.  We  saw  mats, 
too,  made  of  esparto  :  some  stout  and  rough  like  hemp 
or  cocoanut  mats,  others  thin,  delicate,  and  in  pretty 
patterns.  Among  the  Bedouins  we  saw  the  huge  flap- 
ping straw  hat  of  the  Djerid  and  Wadai,  decorated  with 
ostrich  feathers.  It  takes  from  the  Arab  dress  much  of 
its  grace  and  dignity. 

"SVe  passed  from  one  group  to  another,  examining 
and  making  notes  of  everything,  and  watching  with 
amusement  the  various  shades  of  expression  on  the 
faces.  The  bodyguard  were  very  unceremonious — men 
and  boys  were  thrust  on  one  side  as  if  their  gaping  or 
scowling  were  injurious  to  me.  We  returned  past  the 
gunsmiths  and  through  the  gates,  turning  to  the  left, 
and  passing  along  the  streets  to  the  old  Kasbah.  Men 
and  boys  would  stop  and  turn  to  join  the  procession. 
The  guards  seized  one  by  the  arm.  Pass  on,  they  said : 
thou  hast  seen  his  face,  it  is  enough  for  thee. 

The  Kasbah,  now  called  the  Keshlah,  is  a  rectangular 
fort,  having  a  large  open  coiu±  and  low  barracks  round 
it.  We  went  in  without  restraint  among  the  soldiers. 
At   the   gate    was   the   Kaid's   son,   who    saluted    me 


234      THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.    cha.p.  xix. 

with  the  courtesy  of  his  family.  All  round  the  quad- 
rangle were  groups  of  soldiers,  some  idling  about, 
others  under  arms  and  doing  musketry  drill.  Many 
were  Arabs  from  their  tribes  in  their  own  picturesque 
attire.  An  officer  approached  in  uniform  with  the  star 
of  the  Nischan  Iftikhar  on  his  breast :  he  received  me 
civilly  and  begged  me  to  look  round.  My  guards  ex- 
plained who  I  was,  and  how  kindly  the  First  Minister 
had  recommended  me.  The  Kaimakam  led  me  to  the 
military  gate  of  the  Keshlah,  which  was  bound  and 
faced  with  iron,  and  the  soldiers  threw  it  open. 

Beyond  it  lay  the  open  plain,  and  towards  the  suburb 
Sayiha  Jebliyeh,  among  the  trees  of  the  late  Governor's 
garden,  stood  a  white  mosque  and  the  College  of 
Kairwan.  To  the  right,  a  mile  away  from  this,  lay  the 
little  village  of  Dar  al  Mana — House  of  the  Obstacle  or 
Prohibition — beyond  which  point  Jews  are  forbidden 
to  approach  the  city.  I  asked  the  Kaimakam  if  I  might 
note  down  all  I  saw.  Certainly,  he  said.  He  called  a 
soldier  to  him  from  the  detachment  at  drill.  You  did 
not  present  arms  as  the  stranger  entered,  he  said.  See 
that  you  do  it  as  he  goes  out.  As  we  passed,  the  soldiers 
stood  to  their  arms,  and  their  guns  went  up  with  a  rattle. 
Round  a  cistern  in  the  quadrangle  lay  skins  and  kegs  for 
water.  The  garrison  were  being  replaced  by  troops 
from  the  Bardo,  who  had  just  arrived.  The  officer 
wished  me  a  civil  farewell,  accompanying  me  into  the 


CHAP.  xrs.  INSIDE   THE   WALLS.  235 

street,  and  we  moved  on  in  the  direction  of  the  Great 
Mosque. 

All  round,  within  the  city  walls,  runs  an  empty 
street,  with  houses  here  and  there  demolished,  to  make 
waste  places,  no  doubt  for  the  purpose  of  giving  free 
circulation  round  the  fortifications.  Where  they  were 
to  any  extent  ruinous,  the  walls  were  being  repaired 
and  plastered.  They  were  constructed  of  small  brown 
bricks,  measuring  in  section  three  inches  and  a  half 
by  two  inches — there  being  no  stone  or  quarries  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Through  the  bricks  ran,  in  places, 
lines  of  tile  or  white  bricks,  apparently  for  no  other 
purpose  than  ornament. 

At  times  in  our  progress  a  man  or  a  boy  would  allow 
himself  to  use  the  offensive  word  Kafir !  Unbeliever ! 
in  a  mocking  voice,  or  boldly  call  out  Kalh\  Dog! 
Then  two  or  three  soldiers  would  go  for  him,  and  cuff 
or  beat  him  till  he  howled.  Sometimes  they  would 
drive  him  into  a  corner  and  stone  him.  I  remonstrated 
with  them  now  and  then,  representing  that  the  punish- 
ment was  in  excess  of  the  offence.  Let  him  leave  us  to 
deal  with  them,  they  said  to  Perruquier,  if  he  wants  to 
be  safe. 


236  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Great  Mosque — Sketches — The  Khasinah — Decaying  City — Its 
Former  Size^The  Bazaars — Slippers— Marabouts — The  Mosques — 
Tombs  of  the  Saints— Curiosity — An  Aspiration — The  Suburbs — 
Djemma  '1  Zituna — Yahudi — Postern  Gate. 

We  saw  over  the  low  roofs  the  great  tower  of  the 
mosque,  and  in  a  few  more  paces  came  upon  the  famous 
edifice. 

In  the  north-eastern  angle  of  the  city,  in  a  wing  of 
the  city,  in  fact — which  without  it  would  not  be  far 
from  the  form  of  a  hexagon — stands  the  great  quad- 
rangle of  the  mosque. 

It  is  in  a  clear  space  of  ground,  withdrawn  from 
the  confusion  of  the  narrow  streets,  and  distant  from 
the  city  walls  round  it  perhaps  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards. 
On  the  north-west  side  nothing  stands  between  the 
mosque  and  the  walls.  On  the  north-east  side  stands  a 
collection  of  little  houses  or  huts  :  on  a  portion  of  the 
south-east  side  are  a  few  small  houses  and  washhouses. 
The  south-west  side  has  a  tolerably  broad  lane,  with 
houses  on  the  opposite  side.  The  mosque  enclosure  is 
a  high  level  wall,  flanked  by  massive  buttresses  with 


CHAP.  XX.  THE   SHRINE   OK  OKHBAH.  237 

sloping  tops.  The  northern  and  southern  walls  are  each 
adorned  by  two  handsome  domed  tower  gateways,  and 
two  plainer  entrances,  also  in  towers,  rising  above  the 
level  of  the  wall.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  quadrangle 
rises  from  a  hexagon  the  dome  of  the  Mihrdb  :  from  the 
west  wall  rises  the  solid  and  imposing  Minar.  Every- 
thing, save  the  lower  portion  of  the  tower,  was  snowy 
white,  standing  out  against  the  blue  cloudless  sky. 
This  was  the  mosque  of  Kairwan — the  shrine  and  tomb 
of  its  founder,  Okhbah  ibn  Aghlab,  and  the  spot  chosen 
from  its  sanctity  as  the  last  resting  place  of  the  Kings 
of  Tunis. 

I  began  by  making  a  sketch  of  the  north-west  eleva- 
tion, and  the  Minar  rising  about  midway  along  the  wall. 
This  massive  erection,  measuring  ten  yards  on  each  side 
of  the  base,  runs  up  with  a  slight  taper  to  a  height  of 
about  sixty  feet,  in  brownish  brick.  Eound  a  gallery 
here  runs  a  line  of  round-headed  crenellations.  From 
this  platform  rises,  perhaps  twenty  feet,  a  smaller  tower, 
with  arched  panels,  and  having  a  porch  from  which 
the  mueddins  issue  on  to  the  gallery.  Eound  the 
parapet  of  this  upper  tower  were  attached  a  number  of 
black  objects,  which  proved  to  be  lanterns.  The  birth- 
day of  the  Prophet,  Leylet  al  Moolid,  was  approach- 
ing, and  the  devout  Moors  of  Kairwan  were  making 
ready  for  it.  There  rose  from  the  second  platform  a 
little  tower  of  belfry  form,  with  an  arch  open  to  each 


238  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.  chap.  xx. 

of  the  four  winds,  and  through  which  the  sky  appeared. 
A  cornice  of  brickwork  supported  the  plain  fluted  dome, 
and  from  its  centre  rose  a  tapering  pinnacle,  with  the 
Crescent  of  Islam  upon  its  summit. 

As  I  was  sketching,  some  people  approached.  Kafir ! 
one  cried,  whereupon  he  was  stoned  by  the  guards. 
Some  children  passing  stopped  to  look  at  me.  Are  you 
not  ashamed,  cried  the  Hambas,  to  stare  at  the  guest 
of  the  Kaid  ?  The  bodyguard  was  reinforced  by  two 
soldiers,  and  kept  the  lane  clear,  turning  people  back, 
while  I  moved  on  and  sketched  the  south-west  face  of 
the  mosque. 

The  domed  gateways  had  delicate  marble  columns, 
with  acanthus  capitals,  let  into  them.  Of  the  four 
entrances  on  this  side,  only  that  by  the  Great  Porch  was 
habitually  open.  There  was  a  small  door  for  the 
mueddins  in  the  blank  wall.  Down  the  opposite  side  of 
the  lane  ran  houses,  the  doors  of  which  were  studded  in 
designs  with  nails,  and  having  in  front  of  them  small 
sloping  platforms  of  tesselated  brick. 

I  sketched  the  south-east  end  of  the  mosque.  It  was 
a  high  and  solid  wall,  strengthened  by  buttresses.  It 
had  been  recently  restored,  plastered,  and  whitewashed. 
From  the  centre  rose  the  fluted  dome  of  Okhbah's  sacred 
Mihrab.  In  the  centre  panel  of  the  hexagon  supporting 
it,  was  a  rose  window  with  coloured  glass.  To  the  left  of 
the  Mihrab,  and  projecting  thirty  feet  from  the  wall, 


CHAP.  XX.  THE  MOSQUE  QUARTER;  239 

were  the  porch  and  entrance  of  tlie  Bashi  Mufti,  the 
high  priest  of  the  district.  The  northern  side  of  the 
mosque  had  a  general  resemblance  to  that  of  the 
southern. 

Having  gained  a  general  idea  of  the  exterior,  and 
after  a  leisurely  scrutiny  of  the  interior  through  the 
wide  open  doors,  we  moved  on  towards  the  bazaars.  At 
the  south-eastern  angle  of  the  mosque  there  stood 
facing  it  an  ancient  mosque.  El  Khasinah  or  the  store, 
with  a  colonnaded  court.  It  was  used  as  a  lime  store 
then,  and  half  a  dozen  perspiring  negroes  were  carrying 
sacks  of  lime  and  whitewashing  themselves  with  the 
dust.  Shall  we  go  in  ?  I  asked  the  soldiers.  No,  they 
said  ;  it  was  once  a  mosque. 

We  proceeded  through  the  mean  and  shabby 
quarter  which  lies  between  the  mosque  and  the  ba- 
zaars, the  Arbat  Medineh,  or  Quarter  of  the  ]Mosque» 
At  almost  every  comer  and  angle  of  the  walls  were 
columns  with  beautiful  heads,  of  grey  granite,  and  of 
marble,  grey,  red,  and  white.  The  number  of  columns 
in  Kairwan  was  simply  surprising :  every  interior  we 
looked  into,  every  com  mill  or  magazine,  seemed  to  have 
rare  old  pillars  carrying  its  vaulted  roof.  The  houses 
generally  were  poor,  and  many  of  them  decaying. 
Kairwan,  like  Cordova,  is  still  too  large  for  its  shrunken 
population. 

The  legend  is  that,  eleven  hundred  years  ago,  the 


240  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xx. 

city  contained  thirty  quarters,  each  as  large  as  the  pre- 
sent city.  One  might  travel  for  a  whole  day  without 
reaching  the  farther  side  of  it.  So  vast  was  it,  that 
children  used  to  carry  a  small  label  of  wood  or  silver, 
given  them  by  their  parents,  with  the  name  of  their 
quarter  engraved  upon  it,  that  they  might  not  go  astray. 
Another  legend  says  the  city  was  a  square,  measuring 
eighteen  miles  in  every  direction.  (!) 

We  passed  Dar  el  Kaid,  the  house  of , the  late  Grover- 
nor,  a  large  building,  with  a  gallery  across  its  front,  and  a 
tiled  roof  supported  on  grey  marble  pillars.  We  came 
to  the  bazaars,  and  strolled  slowly  from  one  to  another. 
They  were  vaulted  in  brickwork,  and  were  cool  and 
dark.  We  saw  the  Soukh  el  Sarajim,  whence  come  the 
slippers  of  canary-coloured  morocco  leather  for  which 
the  city  has  been  famous  for  centuries,  and  which  it 
taught  Cordova  the  art  of  working.  The  dye  of  the 
Kairwan  workers  is  said  to  be  unrivalled :  but  I  think 
that  nowadays  they  get  their  colours  from  Tunis,  where 
I  saw  slippers  made  fully  as  good  in  colour  and  better 
in  shape.  I  have  heard  on  good  authority  that  they 
import  the  leather  from  France  and  Italy. 

We  went  to  the  woollen  bazaar,  where  they  sell  the    , 
white  and  grey  barracan — the  prevailing  outer  garment 
of  Barbary.     In  the  calm,  quiet  alleys  of  the  cotton 
and  silk  bazaars  were  well-dressed  respectable  citizens. 
Unlike  those  of  Tunis,  the  costumes  of  Kairwan  were  of  a 


CHAP.  XX.  FALSE   SAINTS.  241 

predominating  white  colour,  very  becoming  to  dark 
countenances.  Many  a  striking  group  I  saw  in  the 
quiet  vaulted  passages :  some  of  the  faces  were  placid 
and  indifferent,  others  curious  and  surprised.  We 
saw  but  few  women :  they  are  scarcer  in  the  streets  of 
Kairwan  than  in  any  of  the  Oriental  cities. 

Every  now  and  then  appeared  a  marabout  or  saint, 
only  half  clad  perhaps,  and  carrying  a  drum  to  make  a 
fool  of  himself  with.  These  were  the  most  likely  folks 
to  attempt  to  make  my  visit  unpopular,  guided  as 
these  creatures  are  neither  by  religion  nor  by  reason. 
Hungry  predatory  fanatics,  or  else  drivelling  idiots,  they 
commit  the  grossest  follies  and  excesses  imder  the  plea 
of  sanctity  or  inspiration,  and  are  tolerated  to  an  in- 
conceivable extent  by  the  best  classes  of  Moslems. 
This  is  one  of  the  weakest  features  in  the  powerful  and 
impressive  Faith  of  Islam. 

We  came  to  the  Djemma  '1  Barota,  in  the  grocers' 
bazaar.  There  are  in  Kairwan  six  mosques  of  a  con- 
siderable size :  and  almost  countless  smaller  places  of 
worship  and  saints'  or  dervishes'  tombs :  in  some 
streets  one  might  pass  a  dozen  within  fifty  yards.  The 
chief  mosque  is,  of  course,  Sidina  Okhbah — Djemma  '1 
Kebir — the  Great  Mosque.  Then  comes  Djemma  '1 
Zituna,  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree,  outside  the  city 
wall,  facing  the  Bab  el  Djedid,  or  New  Gate.  Next  is 
the  Djemma  '1  Telatha  Biban,  or  the  Three  Gates.    Then 

R 


242  THE    COUNTRY   OF    THE    MOORS.         chap.  xx. 

Djemma  '1  Bey,  the  only  Hanefite  mosque  in  Kairwan, 
and  which  stands  in  the  Soukh.  Facing  it,  and  behind 
the  stuff  bazaar,  is  Djemma  '1  Malek.  Lastly,  Sidi  Bou 
Aissa,  where  scorpion,  glass,  and  cactus  eating  take  place 
on  holy  days. 

In  the  streets  leading  to  the  Great  Mosque  are 
marabouts'  and  saints'  tombs — scarcely  distinguishable 
as  such — to  a  surprising  extent.  Grreat  numbers  of 
holy  and  devout  people  came  to  lay  their  bones  in  the 
religious  capital  of  the  Moors,  and  many  were  canonised. 
Besides,  in  a  city  devoted  so  long  to  religion,  it  is 
natural  that  pious  and  learned  men  should  collect,  that 
over  a  space  of  a  dozen  centuries  their  places  of  sepulture 
should  multiply  enormously,  and  that  tombs  of  the 
faithful  should  cluster  near  them.  There  exist  still, 
though  in  a  ruinous  state,  the  tombs  of  the  Aghlabites, 
the  conquerors  of  Sicily,  Sardinia,  Corsica,  and  Crete ; 
they  are  among  the  most  venerated  monuments  of  Kair- 
wan. The  tomb  of  Schanoun,  the  great  Kairwan  theolo- 
gian, who  died  in  the  year  a.d,  862,  is  also  to  be  seen. 

We  passed  from  street  to  street,  continuing  the 
object  of  much  curiosity  and  some  remark.  A  quiet, 
respectable  woman,  closely  veiled,  as  she  went  by  said 
something  in  a  gentle  voice.  There  is  a  good-natured 
wish  at  last,  I  said,  turning  to  Perruquier.  Do  you 
know  what  she  said  ?  he  asked.  She  prayed  that  the 
Great  God  might  not  inscribe  your  name  in  His  book. 


CHAP.  XX.       TOMB   OF   THE   PROPHET'S    FRIEND.  243 

There  are  weavers,  in  the  quiet  bye  streets,  who 
make  haiks  and  barracans  of  undyed  wool :  and  near 
them  are  charcoal  burners  and  sellers  of  firewood.  We 
went  out  by  the  Bab  el  Djedid,  and  rambled  among  the 
suburbs,  which  are  poor  and  small,  and  of  which  the 
gardens  seem  to  produce  nothing  but  prickly  pear. 

There  are  two  chief  suburbs,  Sayiha  Jeblieh  to  the 
north,  and  Sayiha  Kubliyeh  to  the  south.  These  are 
simply  mean  and  scattered  collections  of  small  mud 
houses,  and  the  estimate  of  inhabitants  attributed  to 
them,  five  thousand,  must  be  twofold  what  they  contain. 
The  outer  cities,  or  suburban  annexes,  Kaccadah, 
Abassiyeh,  and  Mansourah,  have  disappeared. 

We  went  to  the  marabout  of  Sidi  Abou  el  Awib, 
which  has  a  melon-shaped  dome.  Here  lies  El  Awib, 
the  companion  and  bosom  friend  of  Mohammed,  with 
three  hairs  of  the  Prophet's  beard  placed  upon  his  heart. 
In  Tunis  I  was  told  he  was  the  Prophet's  barber,  and 
that  he  was  buried  in  the  Grreat  Mosque.  Then  to  the 
Mosque  of  Sidi  Amir  Abada.  At  the  sides  of  its  ruinous 
plaster  archway  are  two  very  old  columns  indeed.  This 
marabout  or  mosque  has  six  domes.  The  streets  at  this 
south-west  angle  of  the  town  are  especially  dirty  and 
decaying.  In  the  city  walls  the  plaster  has  half  fallen 
from  the  small  flat  bricks.  This  is  the  Arbat  Kharfan, 
or  Quarter  of  the  Aged,  where  the  aged  of  Kairwan,  I 
was  told,  used  to  live.     There  are  three  other  quarters, 

B  2 


244  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xx. 

Arbat  el  Mar,  or  Bazaar  Quarter :  Arbat  el  Medineh,  or 
Quarter  of  the  Mosque :  and  Arbat  el  Bey,  the  Quarter 
near  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree. 

We  went  to  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree.  It  has 
on  each  face  of  its  square  Minar  an  inscription  as 
follows : — 


each  face,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  the  same,  executed  in 
characters  of  raised  brick,  and  forming  a  rather  remark- 
able band  round  the  tower.  I  have  already  mentioned 
the  similar  decoration  of  Djemma  1  Bey.  Col.  Playfair, 
a  very  high  authority,  who  saw  them  shortly  afterwards, 
tells  me  the  above  are  in  no  sense  intelligible  charac- 
ters. I  am  satisfied  he  suspects  me  of  haying  copied 
them  incorrectly.  The  city  wall  resembles  at  the  same 
time  those  of  Damascus  and  of  the  Kremlin.  The 
crenellations  are  narrow,  and  rise  perhaps  three  feet 
above  the  parapet :  the  bricks  are  as  often  red  as 
white. 

What  did  that  pretty  little  boy  say  just  now  ?  I 
asked  Perruquier.  He  said,  May  you  be  seized  with 
some  irritable  disease !  Roumi !  Yahudi  !  hissed  some 
others.  Foreigner !  Jew !  One  boy  who  took  a  plea- 
sure in  thus  mocking  us  is  not  likely  to  take  a  pleasure 
in  it  when  the  next  Eoumi  comes  to  Kairwan,  for  one 
of  the  soldiers  took  him  by  the  ears  and  throat,  lifted 


CHAP.  XX.  WICKET   GATES.  245 

him  up,  and  flung  him  on  the  ground.  Yahudi  is  a 
term  of  special  contempt.  The  dislike  of  the  Mussul- 
man for  the  Jew  is  very  curious — more  strong  than 
his  dislike  for  the  Christian.  The  Christian  has  power, 
which  the  Mohammedan  recognises,  and  perhaps 
admires  :  but  the  Jew  seems  to  have  no  qualities  that 
command  his  respect.  In  many  respects  similar — both 
Oriental  races,  inhabiting  the  same  regions,  and  thrown 
much  together — the  Mohammedan  seems  to  have  no 
affinity  or  sympathy  with  the  Jew.  Nowhere  is  this 
more  noticeable  than  in  the  old  capital  of  the  Jews. 

We  went  through  a  khaukhat,  one  of  the  postern 
doors  through  the  walls.  Low  winding  passages,  like 
the  entrance  to  a  tomb,  five  feet  in  height,  they  are 
barely  of  width  to  admit  a  man.  Each  angle  is  faced 
with  a  marble  pillar,  worn  smooth  by  passers  through. 
Tlie  khaukhat  is  never  closed  or  guarded  by  day  or 
night,  imless  in  times  of  disturbance :  and  when  next 
we  go  to  Kairwan  in  disguise,  we  will  go  in  the  evening 
and  pass  in  quietly  by  one  of  the  khaukh.  There  are 
three  of  them  in  all — one  to  the  right,  on  entering,  of 
the  Bab  el  Tunes :  one  called  the  khaukhat  of  the 
Kharfan  Quarter,  near  the  southern  angle  of  the  city : 
and  a  third  to  the  right  of  the  Bab  el  Djuluddin. 


246 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Moorish  Calendar — Chronicles  of  the  City  -Okhbah — Conquest  of 
Spain — Ibn  Aghlab — The  City's  Decline. 

An  Arabic  Calendar,  published  in  this  Eegency,  gives 
the  following  as  among  the  facts  in  their  annals  con- 
sidered most  noteworthy  by  the  Moors  : — 

Memoi'oble  circumstances  anteinor  to  the  Hejra. 

Solar 
years 

Creation  of  Adam 6212 

The  Flood 3974 

First  King  of  Egypt 3548 

Birth  of  Abraham 2580 

Conquest  of  Egypt  by  the  Persians 1108 

Conquest  of  Egypt  by  Alexander  the  Great  .         .         .     91G 

„  „  the  Romans 612 

Birth  of  Christ 582 

Discovery  of  Glass        .        .        .        .        .        .         .        .    484 

Construction  of  Santa  Sofia,  at  Constantinople      .         .        .     334 

Year  of  the  War  of  the  Elephant,  being  the  year  in  which 
the  Prophet  was  bom 

Memorable  facts  subsequent  to  the  Hejra. 

Ilejra  of  the  Prophet,  which  corresponds  to  July  12,  a.d.  622 
Death  of  the  Propliet   . 
Khalifat  of  Abou  Bekr 

„  Omar 

Foundation  of  Bussora 
Capture  of  Damascus  under  Omar 
„         Egypt  „ 


53 


1 
10 
11 
13 
14 
14 
20 


ANNALS   OF   THE   MOORS. 


247 


Khalifat  of  Osman        .         . 

Conquest  of  Africa       .... 

First  Siege  of  Constantinople 

Building  of  first  Mosque  in  Constantinople 

Commencement  of  the  Walls  of  Kairwan 

First  Mussulman  Coinage     . 

Capture  of  Carthage     .... 

Conquest  of  Andalusia 

Completion  of  the  Walls  of  Kairwan    . 

Extinction  of  the  Companions  of  the  Prophet  in  Africa 

Dynasty  of  Molahabites  in  Africa 

„  Aghlabites     „       „     . 

„  Fatimites       j>       »>     • 

„  Obeidites        „       ,,     . 

Foundation  of  the  Russian  Empire 

Dynasty  of  the  Sanhagites   . 

Foundation  of  City  of  Algiers 

Dynasty  of  Saljukites  .... 

Death  of  Ibu  Raschik  of  Kairwan,  author  of 

Dynasty  of  the  Ajubites 

Conquest  of  Syria  by  Saladin 

Dynasty  of  Ilafsites      .... 

Commencement  of  Ottoman  Dynasty    . 

Taking  of  Constantinople 

Siege  of  Vienna  by  Suliman  I. 

Death  of  the  last  of  the  Abassides 

Death  of  Dragut  Pasha  at  Malta 

Succession  of  Hussein   Ben  Ali — founder 
dynasty — to  the  throne  of  Tunis    . 


the  work 


Omda 


of  the  reigning 


These  are  the  Chronicles  of  Kairwan. 
In  the  year  of  the  Hejra  27,  Abdallah,  grandson  of 
Abou  Sarh,  with  twenty  thousand  Companions  of  the 


248  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

Prophet,  invaded  Africa,  devastating  its  northern 
provinces  as  far  as  Numidia  :  and  eventually  accepting 
from  the  inhabitants  three  hundred  talents  of  gold  as 
the  price  of  his  withdrawal. 

After  seven  years  the  Saracens  returned  and  estab- 
lishe(i  themselves  in  those  regions  of  Barbary :  in  tlie 
year  45,  or  a.d.  667,  the  Emir  briefly  known  as  Okhbah 
ben  Nafi  ben  Abdallah  ben  Kais  el  Fahhri  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Khalif  Othman  governor  of  the  newly 
acquired  provinces. 

Okhbah  chose  this  spot  as  the  site  of  his  capital — 
being  central  for  warlike  operations,  and  secure  from 
maritime  attacks ;  and  here  he  laid  the  foundations  of 
a  magnificent  city.  In  the  year  677  Okhbah  was  re- 
called, and  his  envious  successor,  after  attacking 
Western  Barbary,  returned  to  destroy  and  raze  Kairwan. 

In  684  Okhbah  returned  to  power,  and  swept  the 
country  as  far  as  the  Grreat  Ocean,  into  which  he 
plunged  with  his  horse,  declaring  that  the  sea  alone 
could  stop  his  career.  Following  his  troops,  whom  he 
had  sent  back  to  Kairwan,  he  was  slain  in  an  ambush, 
with  three  hundred  Companions  of  the  Prophet,  by 
Kassila,  king  of  the  Berbers.  Kassila  then  occupied 
Kairwan,  and  established  his  government  and  laws. 
These  aboriginals,  Touaregs  and  others,  who  still  exist 
in  the  Atlas  and  mountainous  districts  of  Barbary,  are  re- 
garded by  the  Arabs  as  direct  descendants  of  Ham  by 
Canaan.     Long  preceding  the  Saracen  invaders  in  this 


CHAP.  XXI.  A   BERBER   HEROINE.  -  249 

country,  they  have  witnessed  its  successive  changes 
without  losing  their  individuality  by  intermarriage  or 
their  independence  by  war. 

In  689  the  Khalif  Abd  el  Maiek  proclaimed  a  holy 
war:  Zohair  ben  Kais  entered  Africa,  met  Kassila  at 
Oss  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kairwan,  and  in  a  mur- 
derous battle  the  Berber  king  was  killed.  Zohair  soon 
returned  to  Damascus.  I  went,  he  said  to  the  Khalif, 
to  fight  in  the  holy  war,  and  I  fear  the  seductions  of 
the  pleasures  of  the  world.  Intercepted  by  the  Byzan- 
tine fleet  on  his  way  to  retirement  in  Egypt,  Zohair 
was  slain  by  the  Infidels.  May  God  shed  on  him  the 
treasures  of  His  mercy :  adds  Ebn  Khaldoun,  the 
Arabic  chi-onicler,  who  tells  the  story. 

Zohair's  successor  in  Barbary  was  Hassan  ben  Nou- 
man,  who,  after  setting  out  from  Kairwan  to  assault 
and  destroy  Carthage,  was  overthrown  by  the  Berber 
queen  Kahina,  and  driven  into  Cyrene.  Hassan, 
reinforced,  marched  against  Kahina.  What  do  the 
Arabians  want  ?  said  the  queen  to  her  army.  To 
occupy  cities,  and  take,  the  gold  and  silver  they  contain, 
whilst  we  want  but  fields  and  pastures  :  I  see  no  means 
of  stopping  them  but  to  so  ravage  the  country  that 
they  will  have  no  motive  for  seizing  it. 

This  policy  was  carried  out  without  hesitation. 
Barbary,  which  had  l)een  a  succession  of  towns  and 
villages  from  Tangier  to  Tripoli,  was  laid  waste. 
The  unlucky  inhabitants,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at. 


2SO  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

threw  themselves,  at  the  first  opportunity,  into  the 
arms  of  the  Saracens.  In  a  great  battle  the  heroic 
Kahina  was  killed,  the  Berber  power  was  crippled, 
the  tribes  submitted  to  the  kharadj  or  capitation  tax, 
and  agi-eed  to  furnish  a  contingent  of  twelve  thousand 
soldiers. 

In  708  Musa  ibn  Noseir  was  appointed,  by  El 
Mansour — the  Sword  of  God — governor  of  the  Mugh- 
reb.  This  warlike  Emir,  setting  out  from  the  capital, 
reduced  Numidia,  Mauritania,  and  the  country  of  the 
restless  Berbers. 

Then  comes  the  greatest  chapter  in  the  book  of  his- 
tory of  the  Moors,  the  feat  of  the  natives  of  Kairwan, 
with  which  this  city's  history  is  wrapped  up,  and  with- 
out which  its  sketch  would  be  incomplete.  Julian,  the 
Gothic  chief,  governor  of  Barbary,  and  since  known  as 
the  Apostate,  invited  the  Arabian  Emir  to  invade  Spain, 
that  fertile  country  where  the  Gothic  kings  had  reigned 
and  prospered  for  two  centuries  and  a  half.  Among 
the  warriors  of  Kairwan  was  a  gaunt,  swarthy,  one-eyed 
veteran,  scarred  with  wounds,  and  revelling  in  the  love 
of  war.  Tarik  departed  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  and 
his  report  so  inflamed  Musa's  enthusiasm,  that  he  wrote 
from  Kairwan  to  the  Khalif  in  these  words  :  A  new  land 
spreads  itself  out  and  invites  our  conquest :  it  equals 
Syria  in  its  fertility  and  climate,  Yemen  in  its  temper- 
ature, India  in  its  fruits  and  flowers,  and  Cathay  in  its 


CHAP.  XXI.  INVASION   OF   SPAIN.  251 

precious  minerals.  What  is  to  prevent  this  glorious 
land  from  becoming  the  inheritance  of  the  Faithful  ? 
God  is  great,  cried  the  Khalif  on  reading  this :  and 
Mohammed  is  his  Prophet.  Then  he  authorised  Musa 
to  undertake  the  conquest. 

One  dark  night,  as  Irving  so  well  relates,  Tarik 
conveyed  his  soldiers  from  Tangier  to  Tarifa,  where  he 
burned  his  ships.  How  shall  we  escape,  cried  his  fol- 
lowers, if  fortune  should  be  against  us  ?  There  is  no 
escape  for  the  coward,  replied  the  one-eyed  Emir  :  and 
the  brave  man  thinks  of  none.  But  how  shall  we  return 
to  our  homes?  Your  homes,  said  Tarik,  are  before 
you.  Tarik  assaulted  and  took  the  rock  of  Gribraltar. 
Signior,  wrote  its  Gothic  defender  to  Koderick : 
the  legions  of  Africa  are  upon  us,  but  whether  they 
come  from  heaven  or  earth  I  know  not.  They  seem 
to  have  fallen  from  the  clouds,  for  they  have  no  ships. 

Then  followed  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete,  one 
of  the  most  bloody  and  decisive  on  record.  Tarik 
inspired  his  troops  by  the  account  of  a  revelation  of 
Mohammed.  Fear  not,  Tarik,  the  Prophet  had  said: 
I  will  be  with  thee  on  the  morrow.  The  field  was 
strewn  with  the  flower  of  Gothic  chivalry,  Roderick 
disappeared,  the  Gothic  power  was  extinguished,  and 
Spain  lay  open  to  the  Moors  of  Kairwan. 

The  turbaned  horsemen,  with  their  flashing  scime- 
tars,  overran   the    peninsula,  reducing   fortresses   and 


252  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

annexing  vast  provinces.  The  honest,  fearless,  and 
noble  Tarik  forbade  wanton  plunder  and  cruelty. 
Soldiers  of  Mohammed,  he  said,  spare  the  vanquished  : 
spoil  not  the  poor  and  unresisting.  All  this  was  bitter 
news  to  the  Emir  of  Kairwan — where  were  his  African 
successes  in  the  blaze  of  Tarik's  victories?  So  he 
wrote  to  Al  Mansour,  without  naming  Tarik :  The 
battles  have  been  terrible  as  the  day  of  Judgment,  but 
])y  the  aid  of  Allah  we  have  gained  the  victory. 

Leaving  his  son  Abd  el  Aziz  to  govern  Kairwan,  he 
hastened  to  share  in  the  glory  of  the  conquest  of  the 
land  of  the  Groths.  Tarik  meantime  had  reached  Gra- 
nada and  its  Vega,  destined  to  be  for  ages  the  earthly 
Paradise  of  the  Moors.  Cordova,  the  ancient  Kurtuba 
of  the  Phoenicians — the  birthplace  of  that  most  wonder- 
ful of  all  philosophers,  Seneca — had  fallen :  Toledo 
had  been  betrayed  by  the  Jews,  Tarik  had  subdued  the 
mountains  of  the  Sun  and  Air :  and  Seville  was  the 
only  great  city  of  the  South  which  remained  for  Musa 
to  capture. 

What  a  devil  of  a  man,  said  the  citizens,  when 
they  saw  Musa's  grey  beard,  to  undertake  such  a  siege 
when  on  the  verge  of  the  grave !  Surely  the  city  can 
hold  out  longer  than  the  life  of  this  old  man  ?  Abd  el 
Aziz  arrived  with  a  reinforcement  from  Kairwan,  and 
Seville  fell.     The  spoil  of  the  city  was  rich  and  vast. 

Musa  then  followed  Tarik  to  Toledo,  and  a  bitter 


CHAP.  XXI.  MUSA  AND   TARIK.  253 

quarrel  ensued.  Musa  taunted  Tarik  with  his  reckless- 
ness and  wilfulness,  and  deprived  him  of  his  command. 
I  have  done  the  best  I  could  to  serve  God  and  the 
Khalif,  said  the  blunt  Tarik,  whose  one  eye  burned  like 
fire :  my  conscience  acquits  me,  and  my  sovereign  will 
do  me  justice. 

The  Moorish  armies  under  Musa  and  Tarik,  whom 
the  Khalif  reinstated,  then  subdued  the  districts  of  the 
Ebro,  the  Pyrenees,  and  captured  the  cities  of  Saragossa, 
Barcelona,  and  Narbonne.  Musa's  self-glorification  was 
unspeakable ;  he  became  renowned  throughout  Islam  as 
the  great  Conqueror  of  the  West.  His  quarrels  with 
Tarik  continuing,  the  Khalif  summoned  both  of  them  to 
Damascus.  The  single  minded  Tarik  set  out  at  once : 
Musa  first  established  his  three  sons  as  governors  of 
Cordova,  Tangier,  and  Kairwan,  and  departed  to 
Damascus  with  a  vast  collection  of  slaves,  retainers,  and 
spoil. 

Tarik  became  the  idol  of  the  Damascenes,  and  Musa 
for  his  jealousy  and  selfishness,  in  spite  of  his  great 
qualities,  fell  into  disgrace.  He  was  even  scourged,  and 
thrown  into  prison.  He  received  one  day  the  news  of 
the  simultaneous  murder  of  his  three  sons,  and  died 
broken-hearted.  Abd  el  Aziz  had  given  proofs  of  a 
large  and  generous  mind :  he  had  recognised  the  true 
means  of  making  secure  the  conquests  of  Islam, 
namely  the  establishment  of  just  institutions  and  of 


254  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

the  pursuits  of  peace.  On  these  solid  principles  the 
Moorish  Empire  in  Spain  was  founded  ;  it  endured  for 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight  years,  and  gathered 
strength,  wealth,  and  glory  beyond  measure. 

Abd  el  Kahman,  Khalif  of  Cordova,  was  seized  with 
a  mighty  ambition  to  conquer  Graul.  Under  renowned 
chiefs  the  army  of  the  Crescent  entered  France,  and 
marched  with  fearful  rapidity  upon  Bordeaux.  Sacking 
that  city,  it  proceeded,  after  a  bloody  encounter  on  the 
Dordogne  river,  into  Touraine :  and  in  the  year  7  !  3  of 
Our  Lord,  or  little  more  than  thirty  years  after  Tarik 
had  set  forth  from  Kairwan,  the  Standard  of  the  Pro- 
phet floated  from  the  ramparts  of  Tours. 

Between  Tours  and  Poictiers,  the  Frank  king 
Charles  Martel  met  the  Saracens,  and  in  a  battle — 
one  of  the  most  solemn  and  prodigious  in  history,  last- 
ing seven  whole  days — the  tide  of  Moslem  invasion 
was  broken.  Abd  el  Eahman  more  prudently  turned 
his  mind  to  thoughts  of  peace,  and  the  magnificence  of 
Cordova  became  his  monument. 

In  the  year  of  Eedemption  756,  the  city  had 
attained  such  a  size,  wealth,  and  splendour  that,  as 
Richard  Ford's  delightful  book  says,  the  description  of 
it  reads  like  an  Aladdin's  tale.  Its  glory,  accumulated 
under  seventeen  successive  Sultans,  culminated  in  the 
eleventh  century.  It  contained  three  hundred  mosques, 
nine  hundred  baths,  and   six   hundred   caravanserais. 


CHAP.  XXI.  THE    SPANISH   CRUSADE.  255 

Among  its  million  of  inhabitants  were  philosophers, 
poets,  physicians,  chemists,  astronomers,  mathema- 
ticians, engineers,  architects :  this  patient,  ingenious 
race  had  acquired  a  refinement  and  culture  scarcely 
ever  surpassed.  At  this  time  the  provinces  of  Cordova, 
Catalonia,  and  Murcia  were  one  vast  garden.  Granada 
had  half  a  million  of  inhabitants,  and  its  Red  Palace 
was  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  age. 

Then  came  civil  wars.  Ibn  Abdallah,  son  of  a  lamp- 
lighter of  the  Mosque  of  Kairwan,  persuading  the 
Moors  to  regard  him  as  a  saint,  incited  the  new  faction 
of  Almohades  against  the  governing  sect  of  the  Almora- 
vides.  The  Spanish  monarchs  were  not  slow  to  profit 
by  this :  they  organised  a  crusade  against  the  ci\dlisers 
of  western  Europe. 

The  Grand  Soldan,  the  head  of  Islam,  was  vexed 
at  these  constant  assaults  upon  the  flower  of  the  Faith- 
ful, and  wrote  to  remonstrate  with  the  Catholic  mon- 
arch. He  uttered,  says  an  old  Spanish  chronicler, 
opinions  savouring  of  damnable  heresy :  for  he  observed 
that  although  the  Moors  were  of  a  diflFerent  sect,  they 
ought  not  to  be  nialtreated  without  just  cause. 

In  the  year  1235  St.  Ferdinand  captured  the  im- 
perial city  of  Cordova,  and  inflicted  the  first  heavy 
blow  on  the  Moorish  power  in  Europe. 

Twelve  years  later  Seville  fell,  having  been  for 
nearly  five  centuries  and  a  half  in  the  hands  of  the 


2S6  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xxi. 

Moors :  and  in  the  following  century  the  capture  of 
Granada  completed  the  downfall  of  one  of  the  most 
religious,  enlightened,  ingenious,  chivalrous,  and  indus- 
trious races  that  ever  established  themselves  in  Europe. 

Much  was  due  to  the  example  of  the  parent  city 
Kairwan,  the  type  on  which  Cordova  was  founded,  and 
the  source  from  whence  she  derived  much  of  her  learn- 
ing and  culture.  What  Cordova  became,  Kairwan  had 
been :  and,  in  the  refinement  and  intelligence  of  the 
existing  inhabitants  of  this  country,  we  can  recognise 
traces  of  that  high  but  almost  vanished  civilisation. 
Kairwan  must  have  been  a 'wonderful  city:  Cordova 
and  Grranada  are  noble  in  their  ruins. 

The  last  days  of  the  Moors  in  Spain  are  inexpressibly 
sad.  Distracted  by  civil  wars,  torn  from  their  famous 
strongholds,  the  cities  they  had  created,  and  the  rich 
lands  so  dear  to  them,  they  made  a  last  stand  in  the 
city  of  Granada.  The  iron  ring  of  Christian  armies 
closed  in  upon  them :  the  Moors  fought  as  they  had 
always  fought,  but  now  it  was  for  their  own  existence, 
for  the  scenes  of  their  infancy,  their  glories,  and  their 
homes — and  it  was  in  vain.  , 

Broken-hearted,  the  king,  the  viziers,  and  the  nobles 
exclaimed,  Allah  Akhbar !  God  is  great :  the  will  of 
God  be  done !  and  they  went  to  the  Spanish  monarchs 
and  resigned  their  last  hold  on  Spain.  Exiled,  perse- 
cuted, tortured,  they  drifted  sadly  over  into  Africa. 


CHAP.  XXI.         GREAT   BATTLE   AT   KAIRWAN.  257 

The  thread  of  the  chronicle  recommences  with 
Musa's  successor.  The  Berbers  having,  some  years 
after  Musa's  death,  defeated  the  Khalif 's  army  in  the 
Mughreb,  Kolthoum  ben  Ayad  was  sent  to  the  seat  of 
government  in  Kairwan,  where  he  collected  his  army. 
He  was  slain  in  battle  in  the  West,  his  Syrians  fled 
into  Spain,  and  the  Africans  and  Egyptians  took  refuge 
in  Kairwan. 

The  Berbers,  soon  after  this,  were  beaten  at  Gabes, 
but  rallying  again,  three  hundred  thousand  strong,  they 
attacked  Handhalah,  Emir  of  Kairwan,  under  the  walls 
of  this  city.  When  the  citizens  and  warriors  saw  the 
vast  army  of  the  Khouaridj,  or  Touaregs,  they  fell  to 
praying.  Encouraged,  they  fell  upon  the  Africans  at 
the  dawn  of  day,  and,  routing  them  with  awful  carnage, 
slew,  it  is  said,  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  ninety 
thousand. 

In  748  Handhalah  was  supplanted  by  Abd  el  Eah- 
man,  and  retired  into  Syria.  The  new  Emir  made  a 
successful  raid  against  the  Berbers  of  Tlempen,  and  in 
the  year  757  he  despatched  expeditions  against  Sicily 
and  Sardinia.  Picking  a  quarrel  with  his  sovereign 
El  Mansour,  Abd  el  Rahman  declared  himself  inde- 
pendent. 

Assembling  the  people  in  the  Great  Mosque  here, 
he  presented  himself  in  sandals  and  a  robe  called  khazz : 
and  mounting  the  membar  he  praised  God  and  the 

s 


258  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

Prophet,  while  he  cursed  the  Khalif.  He  declared  El 
Mansour's  injustice  and  tyranny:  and,  flinging  off  his 
sandals,  said  it  was  thus  he  repudiated  his  suzerainty. 
Calling  for  the  khilat,  or  black  robe  of  investiture  granted 
by  the  Abassides  or  Black  Khalifs — the  Ommiades  were 
the  White,  and  the  Fatimites  the  Green  Khalifs,  so 
called  from  the  colour  of  their  own  robes  and  those  of 
the  members  of  their  court — Abd  el  Rahman  had  it 
burnt.  He  proclaimed  these  acts  throughout  the 
Mughreb.  For  two  years  only  was  his  ambition  grati- 
fied :  he  was  assassinated  by  his  two  brothers. 

Elyas,  one  of  them,  and  Habib,  Abd  el  Eahman's 
son,  succeeded  him.  Dividing  the  kingdom,  Elyas 
chose  the  province  of  Kairwan,  and  sent  in  his  submis- 
sion to  El  Mansour.  Upon  this,  Habib  marched 
against  Kairwan,  took  it,  and  slew  Elyas  in  single 
combat.  Why,  said  Habib,  should  so  many  of  our 
faithful  subjects  perish  in  our  quarrel  ?  Let  us  fight 
alone.  If  I  die,  I  shall  rejoin  my  father:  if  I  kill 
thee,  I  shall  avenge  him. 

These  Emirs  were  mere  Mohammedans,  and  knew 
no  better.  Their  Most  Christian  Majesties  nowadays, 
with  the  advantages  of  eleven  centuries  of  civilisation, 
when  they  covet  a  neighbour's  territory,  enter  it  with 
God's  name  upon  their  lips,  and,  sending  their  soldiers 
to  be  slaughtered,  withdraw  their  own  sacred  persons 
out  of  harm's  way. 


CHAP.  XXI.  THE   BERBER  WARS.  259 

Habib  being  defeated  by  the  Berbers,  the  people  of 
Kairwan  offered  the  city  and  its  sovereignty  under  the 
Khalif  to  Ibn  Djamil  the  Berber,  who  refused  it.  He 
did  not  refuse,  however,  to  ravage  the  city,  sack  the 
mosques  and  pollute  them.  He  was  eventually  killed 
in  the  Aures  Mountains  by  Habib,  whom  he  had  pur- 
sued thither. 

Kairwan,  its  provinces,  and  all  Saracen  Barbary  in 
763  fell  into  the  power  of  the  Werfadjoumah  and  their 
chief  Abd  el  Malek.  When  the  garrison  of  the  city 
issued  to  defend  it,  Arabs  who  were  in  the  Berber  army 
cried  to  their  countrymen  to  join  them. 

Only  a  thousand  Moors  of  Kairwan,  among  the  most 
renowned  for  their  religion  and  uprightness,  remained 
faithful  to  the  Kadi,  and  died  fighting  at  his  side. 
Conducting  their  government  with  gross  cruelty,  the 
Werfadjoumah  were  driven  out. 

El  Mansour  sent  El  Aghleb  ibn  Salem  to  restore 
peace  in  the  Mughreb,  but  he  was  killed  in  battle  and 
replaced  by  Omar  ben  Hafs.  During  his  absence  at 
Tobna,  which  he  was  fortifying,  the  indomitable 
Berbers  seized  Kairwan.  Omar  ben  Hafs  had  recourse 
to  his  wealth,  and,  by  distributing  large  bribes  among 
the  chief  insm-gents,  succeeded  in  demoralising  their 
army. 

The  next  incident  in  the  city's  history  was  its  siege 
for  eight  months  by  Abou  Hatem,  chief  of  the  Ibadhieh, 

s2 


26o  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.         chap.  xxx. 

with  a  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  men.  Omar,  bent 
on  victory  or  death,  made  a  furious  sortie  and  lost  his 
life.  The  long  siege  had  reduced  the  city's  treasury  to 
the  last  dirhem,  the  granaries  to  their  last  sack,  and  the 
inhabitants  to  the  necessity  of  eating  dogs  and  beasts  of 
burden.  The  Africans  destroyed  the  city  walls,  burned 
the  gates,  and  retired  to  the  Atlas. 

El  Mansour  sent  Yezid  ibn  Hatem  to  restore  order, 
with  sixty  thousand  Arabian  warriors,  who  defeated  the 
Africans  in  the  Country  of  Palms,  giving  them  no  quar- 
ter. Yezid  proved  himself  an  able  and  just  administrator. 
He  rebuilt  the  Great  Mosque,  established  numerous 
bazaars,  and  assigned  to  each  trade  a  distinct  quarter : 
in  fact,  remodelled  and  half  rebuilt  the  city. 

On  his  death,  Eouh  ibn  Hatem,  his  brother, 
governor  of  Palestine,  came  to  replace  him,  and, 
thanks  to  Yezid's  policy,  he  had  a  tranquil  administra- 
tion up  to  his  death.  When  Yezid  was  sent  to  the 
Mughreb,  and  Kouh  to  govern  the  Sind,  it  was  said  to 
the  Khalif,  Surely  there  is  no  chance  of  these  brothers 
being  buried  together.  However,  Kouh  and  Yezid 
sleep  side  by  side  in  this  city. 

After  many  bloody  disputes,  Horthomah  ruled  next 
in  Kairwan,  a  mild  and  conciliatory  Emir,  who  built,  a 
year  after  his  arrival,  the  great  Castle  of  Monastir.  He 
is  said  to  have  built  the  sea-wall  of  Tripoli.  He  re- 
ceived Haroun   el  Reschid's    permission   to   retire   to 


CHAP,  xxr.  IBRAHIM   IBN   EL  AGHLAB.  261 

Irak :  and  his  successor  was  driven  by  insurgents  out 
of  the  province. 

Ibrahim  ibn  el  Aghlab,  who  had  established  himself 
as  independent  ruler  of  Zab  and  Tobna,  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  recovered  Kairwan  from  the  insurgents.  He 
wrote  to  the  Khalif,  offering,  on  condition  of  his  appoint- 
ment as  hereditary  Emir  of  Kairwan,  to  forego  the  yearly 
subvention  from  Egypt  of  a  hundred  thousand  dinars, 
and  to  contribute,  instead,  forty  thousand  dinars.  El 
Eeschid  accepted  these  conditions,  and  Ibrahim  be- 
came the  founder  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Aghlabites. 

Mohammed  ibn  Mokatil,  mortified  at  his  displace- 
ment by  El  Aghlab,  endeavoured  to  recommend  his 
own  cause  to  the  Khalif.  Why,  said  the  Commander 
of  the  Faithful  to  him,  should  I  prefer  thee  to  El 
Aghlab,  to  entrust  to  thee  again  the  government  of 
Africa?  Is  it  because  of  his  bravery  and  thy  cow- 
ardice, his  strength  and  thy  weakness,  his  submissive- 
ness  to  my  will,  and  thy  spirit  of  revolt  ? 

El  Aghlab  built,  close  to  the  western  side  of  Kair- 
wan, the  fortress  city  of  Abassiyeh,  which  he  inhabited 
with  his  comt.  No  traces  of  this  kind  of  Moorish  Es- 
corial  or  Bardo,  save  the  reservoirs,  remain.  The  name 
Abassiyeh  is  frequently  found  on  coins  of  the  period 
of  the  Black  Khalifs. 

Arabic  geographical  works  describe  five  spots  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Abassiyeh.     A  sand-hill  near  Mecca,  a 


262  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE  MOORS.  chap.  xxi. 

town  of  Upper  Egypt,  a  quarter  of  the  city  of  Baghdad, 
a  town  near  Koufa,  and  lastly  the  city  built  in  the 
environs  of  Kairwan  by  El  Aghlab. 

This  stronghold  became  the  habitual  abode  of  the 
Aghlabites,  who  reigned  here  in  great  magnificence. 
Here  Ibrahim,  after  he  had  established  the  Faith  of 
Islam  throughout  the  Mughreb,  constituted  himself 
Khalif  of  the  West,  and  received  the  envoys  of  Charle- 
magne, who  came  to  -solicit  permission  to  carry  to 
Europe  the  body  of  St.  Cyprian,  buried  near  Carthage. 

Ibrahim  had  his  armoury  and  treasures  removed  by 
night  to  this  palace,  and  surrounded  himself  with  a 
bodyguard  of  trusted  Saracens  and  Berbers.  On  dis- 
content arising  among  the  Africans,  he  quieted  them 
with  money.  He  pardoned  the  citizens  of  Tripoli,  who 
had  revolted,  and  shut  up  their  governor  in  a  mosque. 

In  817  Amran  of  Tunis  took  the  city  of  Kairwan, 
and  invested  the  city  of  Abassiyeh  during  a  whole  year. 
Amran  tried  to  suborn  the  Kadi,  and  induce  him  to  sur- 
render the  Khalif,  but  the  governor  was  incorruptible. 

The  Moors  of  Tripoli  revolted  twice  in  the  succeeding 
years,  and  El  Aghlab  only  succeeded  in  subduing  them 
by  engaging  mercenary  forces  from  among  the  Berbers. 
After  a  reign  of  twelve  years  and  a  half,  the  first  of  the 
Khalifs  of  Kairwan  died.  His  son  and  successor,  Ab- 
dallah,  treated  the  citizens  so  cruelly  that  a  santon 
prayed   publicly  to  heaven  for  his  destruction.       Ab- 


CHAP.  XXI.  CONQUEST  OF   SICILY.  JS63 

dallah  was  promptly  seized  with  ulcer  in  the  ear  and 
died. 

His  brother,  Ziadet  Allah,  ascended  the  throne,  a  man 
of  harsh  and  intemperate  mind,  unlike  his  politic  father, 
and  who  shed  his  soldiers'  blood  on  the  slightest  pre- 
text. El  Mansour,  chief  of  Tabnada,  took  Kairwan,  and 
shut  up  Ziadet  Allah  in  the  royal  city,  but  by  a  desperate 
sally  the  Berber  was  routed.  Ziadet  then  destroyed  the 
walls  and  gates  of  the  city  to  punish  the  citizens,  who 
had  shown  themselves  sympathetic  to  Mansour :  some 
say  he  was  foolish  enough  to  destroy  also  the  bazaars.  He 
almost  demolished,  but  afterwards  restored,  the  Mosque. 

After  various  successes  in  Barbary,  the  Khalif  sent 
an  expedition  to  Sicily,  which  met  the  Byzantines  and 
routed  them.  Subsequently  the  Saracens  had  to  "be 
succoured  by  a  fleet  of  three  hundred  vessels. 

The  wars  of  Ziadet  and  his  successors  in  Sicily  and 
on  the  Italian  peninsula  present  very  monotonous  fea- 
tures. They  resulted  in  the  annihilation  of  Byzantine 
power  in  the  island. 

Abou  Ibrahim  had  a  passion  for  building.  He  con- 
structed of  stone  and  lime  no  less  than  ten  thousand 
strongholds  in  the  Khalifat  of  Kairwan,  giving  them 
gates  of  iron.  He  also  enlisted  Ethiopians  in  his  army, 
in  which  he  took  a  great  interest.  Mohammed,  who 
took  his  place,  lost  various  places  in  Spain,  but  captured 
Malta. 


264  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxi. 

Civil  wars  were  of  constant  occurrence  during  the 
next  reigns.  In  877  Ibrahim  ibn  Ahmed,  a  dignified^ 
just,  and  firm  ruler,  pacified  the  country.  He  built  on 
the  coast  of  Africa  a  succession  of  towers,  so  that  fire 
signals  could  be  transmitted  from  Ceuta  to  Alexandria 
in  a  single  night.  He  also  surrounded  Susa,  the  seaport 
of  Kairwan,  with  a  wall. 

In  885  he  laid  the  foundations  of  the  suburban  city 
Raccadah,  and  in  the  same  year  took  up  his  residence  in 
it.  This  town  had  a  circuit  of  fourteen  thousand  cubits  : 
no  purer  air,  more  agreeable  climate,  or  richer  soil  existed 
in  Africa.  The  Moors  used  to  say  that  in  Raccadah  one 
was  happy  without  cause,  and  gay  without  motive. 

A  number  of  emancipated  slaves  having  revolted 
and  seized  the  old  citadel,  they  were  disarmed :  some 
were  scourged  to  death,  some  crucified,  and  others  im- 
mured for  life  in  the  dungeons  of  Kairwan.  Shortly 
after  this  a  severe  drought  occurred:  and,  in  the  la- 
mentable famine  resulting  from  it,  the  inhabitants  in 
some  instances  devoiired  one  another. 

In  later  life  Ibrahim's  generous  qualities  disappeared, 
and  he  became  a  cruel,  senseless  tyrant.  Surrounded 
by  disaffected  subjects,  he  shut  himself  up  with  his 
bodyguard  of  blacks  in  Raccadah,  which  he  fortified 
with  a  deep  trench. 

His  army  took  Tunis  from  certain  insurgents  and 
were  on  the  point  of  putting  twelve  hundred  prisoners 


CHAP.  XXI.  A   KAIRWAN   TYRANT.  265 

to  death :  news  of  the  victory,  however,  reaching  Ibra- 
him, in  a  note  fastened  under  a  bird's  wing,  he  sent  for 
the  prisoners,  and  had  them  paraded  in  triumph  through 
the  city  of  Kairwan.  In  a  fit  of  exultation  over  one  of 
his  triumphs,  Ibrahim  cried  :  WTiy  did  not  the  Almighty 
witness  in  person  so  complete  and  glorious  a  victory  ? 
One  of  his  acts  was  to  crucify  Mohammed,  governor  of 
Tripoli,  whom  he  had  hated  from  childhood  for  his  good 
qualities  and  profound  learning. 

Ibrahim,  who  one  day  had  lost  his  napkin,  put  to 
death  for  that  circumstance  three  hundred  servants. 
He  was  seized  with  a  black  sickness  which  daily  excited 
him  to  fresh  mm-ders :  his  servants,  wives,  and  children 
were  butchered,  tortured,  burnt :  the  story  seems  a 
hideous  romance,  but  it  is  well  authenticated. 

His  grandson,  Ziadet  Allah,  murdered  his  father, 
brothers,  and  uncles,  and,  taking  alarm  at  a  rising  of 
the  Berbers,  fled  from  Raccadah  with  his  family  and 
treasures  into  Egypt.  He  died  of  poison  :  and,  says  the 
Moorish  historian,  thus  was  extinguished  the  family 
of  the  Aghlabites  and  their  glory  eclipsed  :  God  alone 
is  Eternal. 

Wars  with  Morocco  occupied  much  of  the  next  cen- 
tiu-y.  Sicily  continued  an  object  of  contention.  Obeid 
Allah,  the  first  of  the  Green  Khalifs  who  reigned  in 
Kairwan,  amongst  other  feats  pillaged  Sfax  and 
attacked  Tripoli.     He  ravaged  Lombardy,  took  Genoa. 


266  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxt. 

and  Sicily  in  the  next  fifty  years  became  practically  an 
independent  Moorish  state. 

After  1086  Islam  ceased  to  dominate  in  the  island  : 
but  Roger,  Count  of  Sicily,  by  his  able  and  considerate 
administration,  establishing  equal  faith  and  rights, 
caused  the  first  real  imion  between  the  East  and  the 
West,  the  Crescent  and  the  Cross :  Islamism  and 
Christianity  being  equally  tolerated  and  practised. 

From  this  period  the  glories  of  Kairwan  begin  to  fade, 
and  its  history  becomes  subservient  to  that  of  the  Moorish 
Khalifat  in  Spain.  At  one  time  it  was  destroyed  by 
Yussuf,  sovereign  of  Morocco  :  at  another  governed  by 
Mehdi,  the  restor«^r  of  Afrikieh,  the  False  descendant  of 
the  Prophet.  Sometimes  allied  with  the  Cordovans, 
sometimes  with  the  Emirs  of  Grranada,  Kairwan — 
which  had  given  birth  to  both  those  glorious  kingdoms, 
furnished  them  with  warriors,  saints,  artists,  and  learned 
men,  had  taught  them  to  conquer  and  to  civilise,  to  ex- 
tract wealth  and  use  it  in  erecting  temples  to  the  glory 
of  God,  and  palaces  for  men's  glory  such  as  the  world 
had  never  seen — Kairwan,  the  mother  city,  the  cradle 
and  shrine  of  Islam  in  Africa,  began  gradually  to  decay. 

When  the  iNIoors  at  length  lost  those  noble  posses- 
sions in  Europe,  in  this  old  sacred  city  and  its  provinces 
they  found  a  refuge :  and  here  they  wait  with  the  keys 
of  their  ancestors'  homes  in  Spain,  till  their  destiny 
becomes  fulfilled. 


CHAP.  XXI.  DECLINE   OF   KAIRWAN.  267 

We  hear  incidentally  of  the  city  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  when  Dragut  of  Tripoli  conspired  with  the 
Ulemas  of  the  Great  Mosque  against  the  King,  and 
entering  the  city  by  night  put  him  to  death :  but 
the  real  history  of  Kairwan  ended  with  the  dynasty  of 
the  Fatimites,  or  towards  the  close  of  Saxon  days  in 
England. 

They  have  all  vanished  now,  Fatimites  and  Aghlab- 
ites.  Black  Khalifs  and  White,  Raccadah  and  Abassiyeh, 
the  great  city's  wealth  and  palaces :  only  the  solemn  old 
Mosque  remains,  in  the  spot  where  Okhbah  first  placed 
it,  with  its  Kibleh  still  pointing  to  the  Prophet's 
city,  which  preceded  it  as  a  sanctuary  only  by  forty 
years.  Lo,  says  the  Moorish  historian,  resignedly,  at 
the  close  of  his  chronicle,  God  is  He  who  rules  the 
nights  and  the  days. 


268      THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

The  Frenchman  —  Servants  —  Soldiers  —  Ride  round  "Walls  —  A  fine 
Barb — The  African  Mecca — -The  Haj — The  Kaid's  Predecessors — 
Colleges — The  Renegade  of  Kairwan. 

I  HAD  on  the  second  day  an  interview  with  the  French- 
man. He  had  volunteered  a  few  remarks  to  Perruquier 
in  French,  explaining  that  he  had  been  partly  educated 
in  France :  and  one  afternoon  he  came  into  my  room  and 
began  to  talk  on  various  subjects  in  indifferent  French. 
He  made  an  unnecessary  apology  for  his  familiarity 
with  the  language,  and  his  little  slips  and  defects  in 
grammar  were  most  amusing.  He  became  very  friendly, 
and  talked  in  a  most  interesting  way  of  Kairwan  and 
its  customs.  He  promised  to  find  for  me  an  old  native  of 
Kairwan,  a  barber,  who  should  take  me  to  every  comer 
of  the  city :  and  who,  having  been  employed  some  time 
in  the  French  Consulate  in  Tunis  and  lived  in  Algeria, 
could  speak  tolerable  French.  In  course  of  time  the 
barber,  Hassan  ben  Ali,  presented  himself,  a  bright, 
friendly  old  fellow,  strongly  resembling  the  Moor  in 
the  frontispiece,  who  assured  me  that  nothing  inside  or 
outside  of  the  city  should  escape  me. 


CHAP.  XXII.  THE   RAID'S   HOSPITALITY.  269 

The  Frenchman — Sidi  Haji  Mohammed — to  whom 
I  suggested  with  delicacy  the  possibility  of  getting  a 
plan  of  the  mosque,  told  me  rather  coldly  that  the 
Moslem  injunction  for  the  mosque  was  to  pray  and 
not  to  look  about.  Besides,  in  the  Great  Mosque  was 
written  up  a  warning  against  counting,  or  measuring 
its  proportions :  whoever  should  do  so  would  lose  his 
sight.  There  was  no  irony  in  the  Frenchman's  manner 
as  he  spoke,  but  I  wondered  how  far  he  was  convinced 
of  this.  To  tiu-n  the  subject,  which  was  getting  on  to 
delicate  ground,  he  explained  how  warm  the  Prime 
Minister's  recommendation  had  been,  and  what  a  high 
regard  he  entertained  for  Greneral  Khaireddin. 

After  an  elaborate  Oriental  meal  sent  by  the  Kaid's 
orders,  that  worthy  gentleman  came  in  and  paid  me  a 
visit.  My  rooms  were  comfortable,  very  simply  fur- 
nished, and  numerous  well-dressed  attendants  would 
loiter  in  from  time  to  time.  In  Moorish  households 
many  servants  attach  themselves  merely  for  the  sake  of 
their  food,  and  receive  no  remuneration.  All  dishes 
appearing  first  on  the  master's  table,  the  number  and 
extent  of  them  there  appears  surprising. 

Soldiers  in  Kairwan  and  the  capital  have,  or  rather 
used  to  have,  a  precarious  remuneration.  Their  pay 
was  very  moderate,  and  sometimes  they  didn't  receive 
it  punctually.  When  I  was  first  in  Tunis,  for  example, 
it   was   about   eighteen   months   in   arrears.      So   the 


270  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xxii. 

nominal  amount  of  six  piastres  or  three  shillings  per 
month  might  almost  be  regarded  as  an  income  of 
six  piastres  a  year.  Matters  of  this  kind,  however, 
are  slightly  better  managed  now :  but  what  with 
irregular  pay  and  their  allowance  of  coarse  black  por- 
ridge, the  poor  soldiers  do  rather  badly.  They  are 
often  to  be  seen  knitting  or  doing  some  little  kind  of 
work :  and  on  our  first  visit  to  Tunis,  the  most  active 
and  enterprising  assistant  we  had  in  the  pursuit  of  old 
curiosities,  was  a  soldier  who  temporarily  excused  him- 
self from  duty. 

The  necessaries  of  life  are  not  dear  here  or  in 
Tunis — the  prices  being  publicly  fixed  by  the  amins  of 
the  bazaars  from  time  to  time.  So  the  poorer  classes 
get  things  at  their  proper  value — such  as  meat,  bread, 
vegetables,  oil,  eggs,  butter,  cheese,  honey,  besides  all 
kinds  of  fruit  which  are  sold  by  weight,  such  as  apricots 
and  plums.  Fish,  fresh  butter,  fowls,  and  groceries  are 
not  sold  by  weight,  and  are  a  matter  of  bargain. 

The  Kaid  asked  me  what  I  should  like  to  do  with 
myself  on  the  second  day :  and,  as  I  expressed  a  wish  to 
ride  round  the  city,  he  had  three  horses  brought  to  the 
door  at  the  appointed  time — one  for  Perruquier,  one  for 
the  Raid's  servant,  and  one  for  myself.  Perruquier 
had  the  Raid's  son's  horse :  mine  was  the  Raid's  own, 
a  splendid  iron-grey  Barb,  with  a  cream-coloured 
embroidered  saddle-cloth  over  the   high  peaked  Arab 


CHAP.  xxii.         -  A  RIDE   ROUND   KAIRWAN.  271 

saddle,  and  so  powerful  and  spirited  that  I  felt  he 
could  have  fled  with  me  to  the  Desert  whenever  he 
pleased.  Perruquier's  horse  was  also  a  fine  grey,  with 
red  velvet  trappings  and  gold  embroidery. 

We  sallied  forth  by  the  Bab  el  Djuluddin,  and  rode 
to  the  westward  all  through  the  suburbs  or  outer 
villages  of  Kairwan.  There  is  a  noticeable  want  of 
fruit  and  flowers :  the  utmost  efforts  of  the  gardeners 
seem  to  result  in  nothing  but  prickly  pear.  Indeed,  my 
personal  belief  is  that  if  date  seed,  poppy  seed,  and 
pumpkins  were  sown  in  these  gardens  of  Kairwan,  they 
would  all  come  up  as  prickly  pear.  The  houses  are  poor 
and  unimportant  without  exception.  It  was  a  glorious, 
hot  afternoon.  We  had  no  soldiers  with  us  :  our  two 
shaoushes  remained  in  the  house  to  sleep,  the  lazy 
rascals. 

There  was  but  little  life  outside  the  walls,  and  we 
passed  from  one  spot  to  another  without  exciting  more 
than  a  passing  interest.  We  rode  between  mud  walls 
and  prickly  pear  hedges  and  over  dust  heaps,  keeping 
the  city  to  our  right  hand.  Beyond  the  green  of  the 
enclosures  stretches,  north,  south,  and  west,  the  vast 
plain,  skirted  in  all  directions  save  the  seaward  by 
mountains.  We  passed  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree, 
the  outer  market  place,  the  Bab  el  Tunes,  the  Keshlah 
and  its  gate  :  then  a  long  straight  reach  of  wall 
.  broken  midway  by  a  ruined  fort:  past  waste  ground, 


272  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE   MOORS.         chap.  xxii. 

and — what  is  generally  but  little  better — a  Moham- 
medan burial  place.  We  rounded  the  towers  at  the 
north-east  and  eastern  angles  of  the  city,  within  which 
points  lies  the  Grreat  Mosque,  with  its  far-seen  Minar  : 
then  up  the  long  turreted  curving  south-east  wall,  and 
past  the  Bab  el  Khaukh  to  the  Bab  el  Djuluddin,  whence 
we  had  issued  to  make  the  circuit. 

Kairwan  is,  and  always  has  been,  a  city  of  pilgrim- 
age :  and  in  the  Mohammedan  faith  seven  journeys 
thither  still  rank  with  one  to  Mecca,  and  equally  entitle 
the  pilgrim  to  the  name  of  Haji.  Thus  Perruquier  and 
I  have  the  right  to  regard  ourselves  as  '143  of  a  Haji 
each,  which  circumstance  affords  us  a  certain  satisfac- 
tion. The  green  turbans  of  the  Prophet's  descendants 
are  tolerably  plentiful  in  Kairwan,  but  not  so  thick  as 
in  Sfax.  There  are  probably  more  openings  for  amass- 
ing piastres  in  Sfax,  and  the  Scherifs  forsake  the  sleepy 
and  half  dead  city  of  Kairwan.  In  spite  of  the  advan- 
tage of  a  local  Mecca,  numbers  of  pilgrims  travel  from 
Barbary  to  Arabia.  The  caravan  which  used  to  traverse 
Tripoli  and  the  deserts  of  Cyrene  is  a  thing  of  the  past, 
and  the  Faithful  travel  on  the  deck''  of  a  markab  ndr 
all  the  way  to  Djeddah :  then  on  camels  or  on  foot 
till  they  see  the  flickering  lightning  playing  over  the 
Prophet's  tomb  at  Medina,  or  till  they  kneel  to  drink 
of  the  sacred  well  in  the  Great  Mosque  of  Mecca. 

The  evening  was  very  cold,  and  we  discovered  during 


CHAP.  XXII.  THE   KAID'S  ANTECEDENTS.  273 

dinner  that  the  windows  of  our  dining-room  were  not 
glazed.  We  no  longer  wondered  at  the  freshness  percep- 
tible to  the  backs  of  our  necks  and  tops  of  our  heads  on 
the  previous  evening.  The  Kaid's  servants  brought  in 
on  long  trays  numerous  dishes  having  basket  covers, 
decorated  with  coloured  cloth,  such  as  I  saw  the  black 
women  working  at  Tripoli.  We  had  soup,  cold  fowl, 
roast  mutton,  roast  veal  with  herbs,  sausages  stuffed  with 
herbs,  assida,  a  kind  of  flour  porridge  eaten  with  honey, 
kouskousou,  rice  pudding  scented  with  otto  of  roses, 
and  of  course  water  to  drink. 

The  Kaid  came  in  as  usual  to  spend  the  evening, 
and  we  had  a  long  amusing  talk  about  Kairwan.  I 
asked  him  if  his  grandfather  were  not  Sidi  Othman  el 
Mourabet.  He  said.  Yes,  with  surprise.  I  asked  if 
Sidi  Othman  had  not  a  fine  stud  of  horses  and  other 
animals  in  his  stable.  The  Kaid  asked  Perruquier  how 
it  was  possible  for  me  to  have  learnt  these  things.  I 
told  him  that  in  England  we  were  compelled  to  employ 
ourselves  diligently  in  reading,  especially  about  other 
people  and  other  countries,  for  fear  we  should  become 
grossly  ignorant :  that  with  many  of  us  it  was  a  matter 
of  pride  to  be  extremely  well  acquainted  with  our 
neighbours'  affairs,  and, that  our  ladies  strove  to  antici- 
pate one  another  in  the  dissemination  of  news.  He 
wondered  at  this. 

I  put  one  or  two  historical  questions  to  the  Kaid, 
T 


274  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.       chap.  xxii. 

rather  beyond  his  scope,  which  so  alarmed  the  genial  man 
that  he  fairly  stampeded,  wishing  me  a  pleasant  night's 
rest.  Afterwards  the  Mudabbir  came  in,  a  good-looking, 
well-informed  man.  He  told  me  that  the  once  famous 
colleges  of  Kairwan  are  declining,  though  there  is  still  a 
very  creditable  theological  college  near  Dar  al  Mana, 
the  mosque  there  belonging  to  it.  Kairwan  became 
the  principal  seat  of  the  study  of  the  Mohammedan  law 
and  doctrine.  The  educational  institutions  were  re- 
nowned throughout  Islam.  They  were  magnificently 
endowed,  and  from  their  libraries  came  some  of  the 
Oriental  MSS.  most  valuable  in  Europe,  and  unobtain- 
able elsewhere.  These  magnificent  libraries  of  the 
Early  Middle  Ages  are  dispersed,  but  there  remain  in 
the  city  great  numbers  of  curious  manuscripts  and 
books,  many  theological,  and  even  books  of  travel 
illustrated.      With  a  little  patience  some  might  be  got. 

Most  Arabic  scholars  know,  but  I  did  not  know 
before,  that  when  a  boy  is  set  to  learn  the  Koran  he 
commences  with  the  Fatthah,  or  first  chapter.  Then  lie 
goes  to  the  last  chapter,  then  to  the  last  but  one,  and 
so  on  backwards  through  the  book,  the  chapters  in- 
creasing in  length  up  to  the  second  chapter,  which  is 
the  longest. 

I  was  sitting  on  one  of  the  divans,  writing,  when  the 
Frenchman — or,  as  I  ought  to  call  him,  Sidi  Hamet  el 
Haji — came  in,  and,  looking  to  see  that  no  one  else  was 


CHAP,  xxn,  A  CONFIDENCE.  275 

present,  sat  down  cross-legged  on  the  carpet  in  front  of 
me,  and  thus  addressed  me  in  the  purest  French :  You 
were  astonished,  sir,  this  morning  to  hear  such  good 
French  spoken  in  Kairwan.  I  can  hardly  say  that  I 
was,  but  I  said  that  the  circumstance  had  filled  me  with 
surprise. 

"Well,  sir,  he  went  on,  I  have  perceived  from  your 
conversation  that  you  are  un  homme  d'intelligence  et 
de  ccBur — the  worthy  Sidi  Hamet  was  not  un  homme  de 
penetration — and  I  desire  to  make  to  you  a  communi- 
cation which  I  have  made  to  no  one  before.     Know  that 
I  am  a  European,  a  Frenchman,  I  may  almost  say  half 
an  Englishman,  for  I  come  from  Normandy,  the  home 
of  our   common  ancestors.      My  family — he  went  on 
rapidly  and  with  emotion — are  still  living  in  Normandy, 
for  all  I  know.     My  father  was  a  banker  and  connected 
by  marriage  with  a  large  manufacturer  of  Rouen.     I 
studied  in  Paris,  and  took  the  degree  of  Bachelier  es 
lettres.     Owing  to  circumstances,  into  which  I  need  not 
enter,  I  attached  myself  to  the  monastery  of  La  Trappe, 
remaining  there  for  three  years.     At  La  Grande  Char- 
treuse I  also  spent  some  short  time.     I  cannot  describe 
to  you  how  those  few   years'  experiences   shook   and 
uprooted  my  faith  in  Christianity  and  Catholicism,  or 
how  great  are  the  meanness,  the  hypocrisy,  the  impos- 
ture  of  such   a   system.      Sickened  and  disillusioned 
with   this  mockery   of    religion,   I   left   my    coimtry, 

T  2 


276  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.      chap.  xxii. 

resolved  to  seek  some  simpler,  purer  way  to  another 
world. 

Forgive  me,  he  said,  interrupting  himself,  if  I  have 
said  anything  which  can  hurt  your  feelings  or  convictions. 
I  came  to  Tunis.  I  was  received  by  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter, the  distinguished  and  successful  Khaireddin,  who 
himself  came  to  the  Eegency  a  Christian  of  the  Grreek 
Church.  He  treated  me  generously  and  as  a  friend, 
and  I  have  become  attached  to  him  as  a  father.  Under 
his  auspices,  and  after  anxious  consideration  and  pre- 
paratory study,  I  resolved  to  adopt  the  P"'aith  of  Islam. 
I  gained  sufficient  acquaintance  with  the  Arabic  tongue, 
and  in  Tunis  was  formally  admitted  a  Mussulman. 

I  came  directly  to  Kairwan,  and  yours  is  the  first 
European  face  I  have  seen  here.  I  resolved  to  wipe 
out  and  forget  the  old  life  with  its  associations,  and  to 
devote  myself  to  the  study  of  my  new  faith  and  of  the 
philosophy  of  life.  Determined  to  abandon  everything 
that  could  suggest  or  recall  the  past,  I  became  simply 
and  purely  a  Mussulman.  In  habits,  in  dress,  and  even 
in  thought,  my  wishes,  my  associations,  my  affections, 
have  become  Mohammedanised.  I  am  surrounded  by 
friends  who  have  given  me  evidences  of  the  truest 
affection,  such  as  I  did  not  before  believe  the  Arab 
mind  capable  of.  My  happiness  is  consulted,  and  I  see 
about  me  examples  of  philosophy  and  true  religion. 

I  occupy  myself  in  instructing  the  Raid's  children, 


CHAP.  xxii.  A  DREAM   OF   LIFE.  277 

to  whom  I  have  become  fondly  attached,  and  now  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I  have  learnt  to  realise  what 
happiness  is.  I  live  in  the  most  absolute  calm  and 
tranquillity  of  mind,  unruffled  by  circumstances :  the 
past  is  blotted  out — all  I  ask  for  the  present  is  peace. 
My  life  is  to  me  the  realisation  of  practical  philosophy. 
I  have  nothing  to  disturb  the  peace  of  the  mind  or.  the 
balance  of  the  intellect. 

My  perversion  was  the  cause  of  astonishment  to 
many,  and  each  one  endeavoured  to  invent  some  motive 
for  it.  According  to  one,  it  was  the  fulfilment  of  an 
ambition.  But  where  is  there  room  for  ambition  in 
Kairwan  ?  According  to  another  I  was  attracted  by  the 
sensual  features  of  the  social  life  and  religious  faith  of 
the  Mohammedans,  but  on  adopting  the  Faith  I  made 
a  vow  of  chastity  and  poverty.  Should  I  be  offered  a 
wife  I  would  not  refuse  one,  but  I  want  neither  riches 
nor  pleasures.  I  want  the  philosophical  enjoyment  of 
a  quiet  spirit. 

I  have  tired  you,  he  said,  stopping.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  said,  what  you  have  told  me  is  very  interest- 
ing and  remarkable.  I  asked  whether  he  thought  he 
found  in  the  Mussulman  faith  any  higher  inspirations 
than  in  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  do  not,  he  said  ;  it  is  in 
the  practice  of  their  faith  that  Christians  fall  short,  as 
compared  with  Mussulmans :  and  the  imposing  extra- 
vagances which  have  grown  up  under  the  auspices  of 


278  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS.        chap.  xxii. 

the  priesthood — I  speak  of  my  native  country — have 
rendered  the  worship  of  Christ  a  theatrical  mockery. 
The  influence  established  by  ignorant  and  intriguing 
men  over  the  minds  of  their  flocks  is  unjustifiable,  and 
the  result  is  mere  superstition.  In  the  Koran  there  is 
sufficient  to  take  a  man  to  heaven,  if  he  follows  its 
precepts  and  his  own  conscience. 

I  asked  if  he  had  any  curiosity  to  hear  of  his  family 
or  friends.  Absolutely  none,  he  answered.  None  to 
hear  of  events  in  the  outer  world  ?  None  whatever. 
Had  he  the  curiosity  to  hear  of  my  experiences  and 
return  home  ?  No,  he  said,  politely :  not  even  that ;  I 
wish  to  know  of  nothing  outside  of  this  city.  I  will 
not  for  anything  risk  the  distraction  of  my  thoughts  or 
the  absorbing  of  my  interest.  One  thing  I  ask  :  should 
you  ever  write  an  account  of  your  travels  in  this  country, 
send  me,  I  beg,  a  copy  of  the  book.  And  should  it  be 
in  my  power  at  any  time  hereafter  to  receive  here,  pro- 
tect, and  serve  any  friend  of  yours,  believe  me  I  will  not 
fail  to  do  so. 

He  rose  to  go,  and  I  accompanied  him.  I  will  not 
forget  you,  he  said,  though  we  may  not  meet  here 
again.  We  are  both  travelling  along  the  same  road,  I 
said.  Yes,  he  added,  and  let  us  hope  that  it  will  lead 
us  to  where  we  may  meet  hereafter.  Esperons.  He 
grasped  my  hand  on  the  doorstep,  and  went  out  into  the 
darkness. 


GHAP.  XXII.  POSSIBILITIES.  279 

He  had  spoken  with  such  energy  and  conviction, 
and  so  much  as  a  cultivated  and  intellectual  man,  that 
it  was  impossible  not  to  be  struck.  The  perversion  of 
some  barber  or  shopkeeper,  such  as  I  expected  to  find 
in  the  apostate  of  Kairwan,  would  surprise  no  one. 
Some  small  mercenary  motive  might  have  explained  it : 
but  this  was  a  man  brought  up  in  the  so-called  centre 
of  the  intellect  of  Europe,  and  it  was  hard  to  believe 
him  actuated  by  anything  short  of  conviction. 

It  is  of  course  easy  to  suggest  reasons.  Emulation 
of  a  career  such  as  Khaireddin's,  a  Circassian  by  birth, 
brought  as  a  slave  to  Tunis,  and  now  the  most  in- 
fluential man  in  the  Eegency.  It  might  be  an  ambition 
to  advance  to  eminence  in  the  Mussulman  religion, 
where  it  is  clear  his  eloquence  and  force  would  power- 
fully impress  the  worshippers  in  the  mosques.  Who 
knows  ?  he  might  aim  at  the  foundation  of  a  new 
sect,  a  compromise,  or  a  Christian-Mohammedanism, 
combining  what  he  might  consider  the  advantages  in 
both  Faiths.  He  might  have  chosen  this  as  the  only 
means  of  studying  in  its  completeness  the  Faith  of 
Islam. 

But,  whatever  views  he  might  have,  he  was  too 
clever  a  man  to  work  without  a  purpose  :  and  the  ear- 
nestness with  which  he  was  mastering  the  doctrines  of 
his  new  creed  might  excuse  the  suggestion  that  tranquil- 
lity of  mind  and  forgetfulness  of  the  past  were  not  the 


28o  THE   COUNTRY    OF   THE   MOORS.       chap.  xxii. 

only  things  aimed  at.  I  confess  he  impressed  me,  by 
his  intelligence  as  well  as  by  his  good  breeding  and 
friendliness.  Such  was  the  Eenegade  of  Kairwan,  a 
man  of  whom  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  hear  in 
Barbary  at  some  time  hereafter. 


CHAP.  XXIU. 


IN   THE   BAZAARS.  281 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Bazaars— A  Bai-gain — Mosque  of  the  Three  Gates — TomLs — 
Measure  the  Great  Mosque — Fanaticism — Details  of  Exterior — 
Sacred  Well  of  KafAyat — The  Minar — The  Courtyard — The  Prayer 
Chamber — Its  Interior — Columns  of  the  Great  Mosque  —  An 
Intrigue — Writing  on  the  Wall. 

There  was  still  much  to  do  in  the  city :  to  map  out  and 
sketch — subject  to  the  popular  will — the  Gi'eat  Mosque, 
and  to  make  a  plan  of  the  city  walls.  It  would  have 
been  unseemly,  too,  to  leave  Kairwan  without  any 
souvenir,  so  I  started  with  the  old  barber,  Hassan  ben 
Ali,  for  the  bazaars.  We  went  to  the  shop  of  Haji 
Hamouda,  amtn  of  the  bazaar,  near  Djemma  '1  Barota, 
where  carpets,  woollen  stuffs,  silks,  &c.,  were  sold.  Ha- 
mouda was  also  amin  of  the  jewel  and  silver  trade,  which 
seemed  to  be  almost  privately  conducted  in  Kairwan. 
Owing  to  the  absence  of  Jews  and  Christians,  there  is 
not  a  silversmith's  shop  to  be  seen,  and  the  absence  of 
ornaments,  rings,  &c.,  is  quite  noticeable.  The  carpets 
of  Kairwan  are  celebrated  for  their  fineness  and  beauty : 
they  are,  however,  made  solely  by  women,  and  it  is 
consequently  impossible  to  see  the  process.     The  finest 


282  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS,      chap,  xxiii. 

carpets  sold  in  the  bazaars  of  Tunis  are  those  made  in 
•Kairwan. 

In  the  little  shop  of  the  amin  I  toot  my  seat,  and 
Hamouda,  a  well-dressed,  good-looking,  and  courteous 
man,  bade  the  crowd  stand  at  a  little  distance.  He 
found  me  a  handsome  pair  of  old  bracelets,  with  the 
silver-mark  of  Tripoli  upon  them,  and  a  silver  earring 
of  picturesque  form.  A  man  came  up  to  offer  me  a 
few  old  Eoman  coins,  which  I  said  I  was  willing  to  buy. 
He  then  told  me  he  had  a  great  many  more  in  his 
handkerchief :  and,  as  the  crowd  was  growing  a  little 
forward,  we  withdrew  to  the  Kaid's  stables,  which  were 
close  by.  The  Moor  showed  me  a  bag  containing  more 
than  a  hundred  and  twenty  Eoman  coins,  several  of 
silver,  and  was  satisfied  with  what  I  gave  him  for 
them.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been  collecting  them 
among  the  neighbouring  ruins  during  the  last  twenty 
years. 

We  went  off  through  the  streets  beyond  the  bazaars 
and  came  to  a  soap  manufactory,  a  dark  building  below 
stairs,  where  were  tanks  full  of  melting  grease  and  oil. 
Tlie  barber,  who  should  be  a  good  judge,  told  me  the 
soap  was  excellent.  We  saw  it  in  all  stages,  from  the 
boiling  down  to  the  cooling  and  cutting  into  slabs. 
Then  we  rambled  down  an  unfrequented-looking  street 
to  the  barber's  shop,  a  neat,  clean  little  cupboard,  where 
were  small  hand-glasses  stuck    round    the    walls.     It 


CHAP.  xxni.       THE   MOSQUE   OF   THREE   DOORS.  283 

faced  an  open  space  close  to  the  Djemma  '1  Telatha 
Biban,  or  Mosque  of  the  Three  Gates :  and  we  next 
visited  that  beautiful  old  building,  probably  of  the 
thirteenth  centuiy,  externally  by  far  the  most  strikinj^ 
in  Kairwan. 

It  has  a  plain  facade,  with  a  triple  gateway,  the 
arches  of  which  are  supported  by  marble  columns. 
The  windows  are  double  arched,  the  single  minaret  is 
poor  and  cramped.  What  tiles  there  are,  are  of  the 
beautiful  Oriental  green  melting  into  blue,  in  delicate 
patterns.  But  the  chief  feature  is  the  rare  old  carved 
stonework,  which  gives  it  the  air  of  the  front  of  a  fine 
old  Crusaders'  church.  It  runs  above  and  about  the 
arches,  extending  across  the  front  in  broad  bands  of 
successive  text  and  ornament,  in  solid  deep  beautiful 
chiselling.  First  a  line  of  running  foliage  two  feet  in 
depth,  then  a  band  of  Kufic  or  early  Arabic  characters, 
free  and  bold,  then  a  row  of  alternate  panels  of  carving, 
each  containing  a  single  rose  or  a  leaf  pattern.  Then 
text  and  carvings  alternately,  and  finally  the  moulding 
and  corbels  of  the  cornice.  The  carving  is  of  the 
finest,  and  the  designs  are  most  rich.  The  front  was 
well  worth  sketching,  but  too  elaborate  for  a  rapid  draw- 
ing, so  we  moved  on  to  the  Mosque  of  Kader  Awi.  Round 
the  white  minaret  ran  the  broad  text  I  have  described 
on  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree. 

We  saw  the  marabout  of  Sidi  Mohammed  '1  Awani, 


284  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE   MOORS,     chap.  xxin. 

with  a  white  melon  dome,  and  with  the  jambs  of  its 
doorway  minutely  carved  in  a  coarse  cream-coloured 
marble.  On  either  side  of  these  uprights  are  tiled  sur- 
faces. We  saw  tombs  of  saints  by  the  dozen  :  many  of 
them  seemed  simply  placed  in  houses  which  had  been 
long  tenantless  :  for  there  was  little  to  indicate  beyond 
the  little  flag,  or  the  grated  window  through  which  the 
sarcophagus  could  be  seen,  that  they  were  other  than 
dwellings  of  the  living. 

We  came  by  a  quiet  lane  to  the  Grreat  Mosque,  where 
we  spent  two  or  three  hours  in  measuring  and  sketch- 
ing. The  soldiers,  a  few  of  whom  had  joined  us,  barred 
the  approaches,  and  warned  off  or  threw  down  in- 
truders. Ma  rnaleh  !  not  good  !  the  people  would  say, 
as  they  saw  the  unbeliever  taking  the  proportions  of 
their  sacred  building.  The  sun  shining  in  the  cloud- 
less blue  sky  fell  upon  the  dazzling  white  walls  of  the 
mosque,  and  perspiration  stood  on  the  soldiers'  dark 
faces.  The  great  doors  of  the  courtyard  and  of  the 
prayer  chamber  were  wide  open,  and  there  were  so  few 
worshippers  inside,  and  so  few  people  at  hand,  that  I 
should  probably  have  entered  but  for  fear  of  compro- 
mising the  soldiers,  and  of  making  any  further  rambles 
about  the  city  risky  and  perhaps  impossible.  As  I  saw, 
too,  pretty  clearly  all  I  wanted,  it  would  have  been  an 
idle  satisfaction  to  go  in  for  the  sake  of  saying  I  had 
been  there. 


CHAP.  XXIII. 


FANATICISM.  285 


Before  starting  for  Kairwan,  Mr.  Wood  told  me 
how  a  little  Jewish  boy,  a  few  months  before,  was 
playing  with  some  companions  in  the  bazaars  of  Tunis. 
A  Moorish  boy  took  the  Jew's  cap,  and  ran  off  with  it 
through  the  courtyard  of  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree. 
Quite  heedlessly  the  lad  ran  after  him  to  recover  his 
cap,  and  as  he  came  out  by  the  opposite  door  he  was 
put  to  death.  Tunis  is  much  Europeanised,  and  the 
inhabitants  are  relatively  enlightened  and  liberal. 

I  was  walking  one  day  with  Perruquier  past  an 
arcaded  gallery  of  the  same  mosque  near  the  grocers' 
bazaar.  A  few  gracefully  dressed  Tunisians  sat  in  the 
gallery.  I  said  something  to  them,  and  they  smiled. 
I  am  coming  up,  I  said  playfully,  pointing  to  the  stone 
staircase.  In  an  instant  the  Sltniles  vanished,  and  a 
shopkeeper  behind  me  sprang  growling  from  his  seat. 
Perruquier  explained  that  I  was  not  quite  so  simple  : 
and  when  I  drew  my  finger  across  my  throat  to  suggest  a 
violent  death,  and  shook  my  head,  they  laughed  again. 

At  the  southern  angle  of  the  mosque  wall  was 
built  in  a  charming  little  white  marble  column,  having 
a  capital  of  acanthus  of  hart's  tongue  form :  but  one- 
half  of  the  capital  having  been  broken  off,  it  had  been  re- 
placed by  another  acanthus  head  with  saw  edges,  like  a 
swordfish's  snout.  Outside  the  south-west  door  of  the 
prayer  chamber  lay  a  beautiful  fallen  capital,  now  used 
as  a  seat,  of  white  and  bluish  marble,  the  decoration 


286  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,      chap,  xxiii. 

being  of  a  highly  ornate  fretted  acanthus.  I  com- 
menced the  measurement  of  the  south-east  end,  which 
extends  eighty-five  yards  in  length.  It  is  the  wall  of 
the  prayer  chamber  itself.  Midway  along  it  is  the 
porch  of  the  Grand  Mufti,  the  spiritual  governor  of 
Kairwan.  He  is,  in  one  sense,  of  more  consequence 
than  the  Kaid,  who  on  state  occasions  goes  to  visit  him. 
His  antechamber  stands  out  from  the  building,  and  none 
but  the  Muftis  have  access  by  this  way  to  the  mosque. 
Above  this  porch  there  rises  from  the  prayer  chamber  its 
only  dome,  that  over  the  sacred  old  Mihrdb  of  Okhbah. 
The  sides  of  the  mosque  measure  each  one  hundred 
and  forty  yards.  At  a  distance  of  thirty  yards  from 
the  eastern  angle  of  the  prayer  chamber  stands  the 
finest  of  the  entrance  ^towers.  It  has  an  outer  horse- 
shoe arch,  and  an  inner  one  which  contains  the  door 
opening  direct  into  the  prayer  chamber.  The  exterior 
is  a  finely  proportioned  piece  of  Saracenic  work :  it  has 
a  row  of  arched  panels  along  the  upper  portion  of 
its  sides,  and  the  dome  and  interiors  of  arches  are  in 
plaster  fretwork.  In  the  angle  it  forms  with  the  great 
wall  stands  the  marabout,  a  simple  white  domed  cube, 
of  a  holy  woman,  Lilla  Rahanna.  Forty  yards  from  the 
southern  angle  there  is  in  the  wall  a  pattern  of  diamond 
form  in  slightly  projecting  bricks.  This  is  the  mark 
of  the  limit  of  the  chamber  of  prayer,  or  rather  of  the 
colonnade  which  runs  across  its  front. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  THE   HOLY   WELL.  287 

Almost  midway  along  the  north-east  wall  stands  the 
sacred  well  of  Kafayat,  or  It  is  enough.  It  was  here 
before  the  city  existed  :  its  water  was  used  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  walls,  and  in  times  of  drought  it  has  served 
— and  is  still  said  to  suffice — for  the  wants  of  the  whole 
district.  Five  years  ago,  when  rain  failed,  the  well,  I 
was  told,  maintained  its  character,  and  all  Kairwan 
drank  of  it.  It  is  enclosed  by  a  low  circular  wall,  of  a 
yard  and  a  half  in  height,  built  of  rough  stone.  The 
aperture  measures  ten  feet  across,  being  faced  with 
pieces  of  aged  marble  shafts,  yellow,  red,  and  white, 
worn  into  deep  channels  and  furrows.  A  rusty  iron 
frame  serves  as  a  lowering  apparatus.  This  well  is  said 
to  communicate  with  the  holy  spring  at  Mecca  :  indeed 
a  pilgrim  who  once  let  his  drinking  cup  fall  into  Zem- 
zem,  found  it  in  Kafayat  on  his  way  homeward  !  The 
only  other  well  in  Kairwan  is  that  called  Bir  el  Bey. 

As  in  the  south-west  wall,  there  are  four  gateways 
in  the  north-east  wall,  of  an  interesting  Saracenic  style  : 
but  only  the  principal  one  is  used.  At  the  northern 
angle  is  a  pink  marble  column,  let  into  the  masonry. 

The  north-west  end,  measuring  seventy-five  yards, 
or  ten  yards  less  than  the  opposite  end,  has  rising  from 
it  the  great  Minar.  The  brick  and  plaster  of  this 
massive  tower  are  defaced  by  marks  of  gunshot,  fired 
by  the  Government  troops  during  the  insurrection, 
when   they   retook   the    city  from  the  insurgents.     A 


288  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE   MOORS,      chap,  xxiii. 

rusty  gun,  possibly  from  the  same  interesting  period, 
lies  at  the  foot  of  the  Mlnar.  There  is  an  opening  near 
the  tower — communicating  with  underground  cisterns 
in  the  courtyard — by  which,  in  case  of  overflow,  the 
water  can  escape.  On  either  side  of  the  Minar,  within 
the  enclosure,  is  a  store  room.  Within  the  southern 
colonnade,  entered  by  a  private  door  from  the  street, 
is  the  chamber  of  the  Mueddins.  Facing  the  southern 
angle,  and  near  the  main  entrance,  is  a  bath,  entered 
by  a  plain  doorway  faced  with  marble,  where  the  Faith- 
ful come  to  wash  and  pray  before  entering  the  mosque. 

The  prayer  chamber  occupies  the  south-east  end  of 
the  enclosure,  running  across  the  building  eighty-five 
yards,  and  measuring  about  forty  yards  from  the  Mihrah 
to  the  wall  facing  it.  The  two  great  porches  open 
directly  into  it  on  either  side,  having  heavy  wooden 
doors,  unpainted,  and  with  large  rusty  ornamented  iron 
hinges. 

This  leaves  a  quadrangle,  measuring  a  hundred 
yards,  by  eighty  in  average  width.  Bound  this  runs 
the  double  colonnade,  about  thirty  feet  wide,  consisting 
of  two  rows  of  grey  marble  columns  in  pairs,  carrying  a 
simple  roof.  The  courtyard  is  paved  with  white  and 
grey  marble,  defaced  and  broken  in  places,  and  a  little 
grass-grown. 

In  the  arcade  which  runs  along  the  front  of  the  prayer 
chamber  facing  the  quadrangle,  the  arches  are  double, 


GREAT  MOSQUE  OF  KAIR>¥M 


4:^:ji 


QUA     DRANGLE 


•Scale  oryiotu 


DOUBLt  COLUMNS 

':S  lj:N«:  L  :iE     '■'•     C  i^O  Liju  MIIn  SJ' 

tin  ii  1 1 1 


::i^T--TA^v:im-::ii^ 


j:       i!       i:       i        ■!         ;  i        '■■■        i 

l  iiV  !:E  jiR  I!      i:    C!!  H!|  A  i:  M  ij 

j:S  liiN  (^JL  Cii  0:;0   LilU  MJIN  aj; 

ii        fj        ii        ji       i!         ;:        ii         i;        ii 
:^^:^:^#.:::|;.:::|:u:ifz:;:rii:::.;|:..:■|f::.| 

ii..-ii — jI...JL...iL h. ii.. ii li 


Stoft/vr^   (.V«y<  Jittmtt 


London :  Jnlm  Unrruv.  Albentarlr  Strt*pt 


CHAP.  xxin.  THE   PRAYER  CHAMBER.  289 

rising  one  upon  another,  as  in  the  Mezquita  of  Cordova, 
and  supported  by  fine  old  columns  of  various  propor- 
tions and  colours.  Pillars  of  rich  colours  flank  each 
of  the  three  doorways  under  this  arcade.  Some  are  of 
old  dusty  red  marble,  fluted ;  others  of  various  colours. 
The  doors  are  beautifully  inlaid  and  arabesqued  in 
elaborate  patterns,  and  have  decorative  hinges. 

The  interior  of  the  prayer  chamber  is  imposing  and 
fine.  Nine  ranks  of  nineteen  massive  columns  each, 
many  of  them  dark  marble,  many  of  white  marble 
with  rich  Corinthian  capitals,  and  exceedingly  fine  and 
old,  carry  the  whitewashed  double  arches  of  the  roof. 
The  walls  are  whitewashed,  and  on  the  floor  are  mats 
of  straw.  Some  parts  of  the  vaulting  were  being  re- 
stored, and  where  wooden  supports  were  giving  way 
they  were  being  replaced  by  iron.  The  dome  of  the 
Mihrab  is  vaulted  in  stone.  It  took  a  whole  week  to 
pierce  a  hole  for  the  staple  to  carry  the  lamp.  The 
lamps  of  the  mosque  are  series  of  large  iron  rings, 
diminishing  upwards,  and  carrying,  in  numerous  little 
glass  cups,  the  oil  and  wicks. 

There  were  no  ostrich  eggs — the  symbols,  as  the 
genial  author  of  My  Winter  on  the  Nile  says,  of  that 
credulity  which  can  swallow  any  tradition.  In  the 
eastern  angle  stands  the  Kubbeh  or  Chamber  of  the 
Tomb,  containing,  I  was  told,  manuscripts  and  old 
weapons.     The  Kibleh  or  Shrine,  is  faced  with  rare  old 

u 


290  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xxni. 

red  marble  pillars.  The  Memhar  is  of  dark  wood, 
elaborately  carved.  The  last  rebuilding  took  place  in 
827,  and  in  the  year  1082  El  Bekri  stated  the  number 
of  the  columns  in  the  mosque  to  be  four  hundred  and 
fourteen.  I  believe  this  to  be  near  the  truth.  I  reck- 
oned the  total  number  of  columns  in  the  prayer 
chamber  at  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  :  in  the  court 
about  two  hundred  and  forty-four :  in  all  four  hundred 
and  fifteen.  On  the  exterior  of  the  building  and  en- 
closure are  about  twenty. 

The  great  dim  interior  was  fine  and  striking  after 
the  glare  of  the  sun,  and  the  few  Moors  kneeling  at 
their  prayers  were  probably  very  fervently  asking  their 
lord  Mohammed  for  a  malediction  upon  the  Christian 
dog  at  the  door. 

I  was  curious  to  confirm  my  calculation  of  the 
number  of  columns  in  the  mosque,  and  one  evening, 
calling  the  old  barber  into  my  room,  I  thus  com- 
menced :  0  Barber,  it  is  said  that  none  has  yet  counted 
the  columns  in  Sidina  Okhbah.  That  is  true :  it  is  for- 
bidden. Traveller :  Thou,  who  hast  lived  among  the 
Koumi  and  learned  their  tongue,  art  free  from  supersti- 
tion. Barber :  True,  0  traveller  !  Traveller  :  Dost  thou 
know  a  man  in  Kairwan  willing  to  bring  me  the  number 
of  those  columns  ?  Barber :  It  is  written  on  the  wall  in 
the  Great  Mosque,  Cui'sed  be  he  who  shall  count  these 
columns,  for  he  shall  lose  his  sight.  Traveller  (indirectly) : 


CHAP,  xxiii.  A  WARNING.  291 

The  Franks  reward  services.  Barber  :  It  may  not  be,  the 
danger  is  too  great.  Traveller :  The  curse  would  not 
fall  upon  him  who  counted  but  the  ranks  of  columns  : 
so  many  ranks  from  east  to  west,  and  so  many  ranks 
from  south  to  north.  Barber  (after  some  hesitation)  : 
It  is  forbidden  to  regard  the  columns  at  all.  Traveller  : 
The  curse  does  not  apply  to  the  arches  and  the  vaulting 
above  the  columns.  Barber  (stroking  his  beard) :  That 
might  be.  It  is  true  there  is  no  mention  of  the  arches. 
Traveller :  Is  it  understood  ?    Barber :   Wallah  ! 

And  then  the  old  ass  went  straight  to  the  Mufti  of 
the  mosque,  the  Scherif  Hamuda,  and  blated  out  what 
he  was  going  to  do.  My  son,  said  the  Scherif,  beware. 
It  mil  bring  good  neither  to  the  stranger  nor  to  thee. 
One  man  attempted  it  and  lost  his  sight :  and  a  second 
and  a  third  did  the  same.  Be  warned,  and  leave  the 
matter  alone. 


V  2 


292  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS,      chap.  xxiv. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Foundation  of  Kairwin — Its  Mosque  and  Kibleh — Its  Vicissitudes — 
Cordova — Constructions — Raccadah — The  Last  of  the  Aghlabites — 
The  New  Mecca. 

When  Okhbah  ibn  Nafi  had  formed  the  resolution  of 
building  Kairwan,  he  led  his  followers,  among  whom 
were  eighteen  Companions  of  the  Prophet,  to  the  spot 
he  had  chosen,  in  a  deep  forest  where  no  path  existed. 
What !  they  said,  when  he  asked  them  to  set  to  work : 
wouldst  thou  make  us  build  a  city  in  the  heart  of  a 
pathless  forest :  and  should  we  not  have  to  fear  wild 
beasts  of  all  kinds  and  snakes  ? 

Okhbah  then  cried  aloud  :  0  ye  serpents  and 
savage  beasts,  know  that  we  are  the  Companions  of 
God's  Prophet !  Withdraw  from  the  spot  we  have 
chosen :  any  of  you  that  we  may  find  hereafter  will  be 
put  to  death. 

The  Mussulmans  then  saw  with  wonder  during  the 
entire  day,  the  wild  animals  and  venomous  reptiles 
withdrawing  and  carrying  off  their  young,  a  miracle 
which  converted  many  Berbers  to  Islam.  They  say 
that  for  forty  years  afterwards  not  a  snake  or  scorpion 
was  seen. 


CHAP.  XXIV.  THE  KIBLEH.  293 

Okhbah  then  made  the  circuit  of  the  spot,  offering 
prayers  to  God  that  science  and  wisdom  might  prosper 
there :  that  it  might  be  inhabited  alone  by  God-fearing 
men  and  those  serving  Him  with  love :  finally,  that  the 
city  might  be  preserved  from  the  assaults  of  the  powers 
of  this  world.  Then  they  traced  the  streets  and  tore 
up  the  trees. 

The  first  care  of  Okhbah  was  to  choose  the  position 
of  the  citadel  and  the  mosque :  the  former  is  said  to 
have  comprehended  the  site  of  the  ancient  Phoenician 
fortress  Camounia.  There  was  much  variety  of  opinion 
regarding  the  Kibleh,  it  being  rightly  believed  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Africa  would  adopt  the  Kibleh  of 
this  mosque :  and  Okhbah  was  urged  to  determine  its 
position  with  the  greatest  care. 

The  Arabians  remained  long  engaged  in  observing 
the  rising  of  the  sun  and  of  the  stars,  in  summer  and 
winter,  without  coming  to  a  determination.  Okhbah, 
becoming  imeasy,  addressed  himself  to  the  Most  High 
for  inspiration.  One  night,  during  sleep,  he  had  a 
vision,  and  a  voice  from  on  high  addressed  him  in  these 
words : — 

0  thou !  beloved  of  the  Master  of  the  worlds,  when 
the  morning  is  come,  take  the  sacred  Standard  upon  thy 
shoulder :  thou  wilt  hear  the  Tekbir  sound  in  front  of 
thee  while  none  other  can  hear  it ;  the  spot  where  the 
chant  shall  end  is  that  which  must  be  chosen  for  the 


294  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.         chap.  xxiv. 

Kibleh :  there  the  throne  of  the  Imam  must  be  placed. 
God  Most  High  will  protect  this  city  and  this  mosque. 
His  religion  shall  be  established  upon  solid  bases,  and 
till  the  consummation  of  time  unbelievers  shall  there 
be  humiliated. 

At  these  words  Okhbah  arose  from  sleep,  bewildered 
at  such  a  revelation :  he  perfonned  his  ablutions,  and 
repaired  to  the  still  unbuilt  mosque  to  pray,  accom- 
panied by  the  chief  inhabitants.  As  soon  as  the  dawn 
came  he  prostrated  himself,  and  hearing  before  him  the 
Tekbir  sounding,  asked  those  about  him  if  they  heard 
it  too.     They  replied,  No. 

He  took  the  Standard  upon  his  shoulder,  and  fol- 
lowed the  sound  of  the  voice.  It  ceased  when  he  reached 
this  spot,  where  now  stands  the  pulpit  of  the  Imam. 
Immediately  he  planted  his  banner,  and  cried :  Hence- 
forth this  is  the  spot  whither  ye  shall  turn  in  prayer. 

The  palaces,  mosques,  and  habitations  rose  with 
rapidity :  the  enclosure  measured  three  thousand  six 
hundred  fathoms,  and  it  was  completed  in  the  year 
677.  Inhabitants  jQocked  thither  from  all  parts,  and  it 
rapidly  became  a  powerful  capital. 

The  accuracy  of  the  site  of  this  Kibleh  is  regarded 
as  such  that  the  Imam — turning  neither  to  right  nor 
to  left  to  allow  for  possible  inaccuracy — turns  direct  to 
the  Kibleh. 

EI  Bekri  says  the  mosque  was  razed,  all  but  the 


CHAP.  XXIV.  RESTORATIONS.  ^95 

Mihrab,  and  rebuilt  by  Hassan  ibn  Nouman  in  the 
year  69  of  the  Hejra.  He  embellished  the  Mihrab, 
transporting  thither  the  two  superb  columns,  which 
still  exist,  of  red  stone  marked  with  yellow  stains, 
once  taken  from  the  ruins  of  a  Christian  church,  and 
for  which  the  Byzantine  Emperor  had  in  vain  offered 
their  weight  in  gold. 

The  legend  in  Kairwan  is  that  no  person  guilty  of 
mortal  sin  can  pass  between  these  columns.  In  the 
Mosque  of  Omar  there  is  a  similar  tradition,  Paradise 
being  forbidden  to  him  who  cannot  pass  his  body 
between  a  certain  pair  of  columns. 

In  727,  the  mosque  was  reconstructed  on  a  vaster 
scale.  Fifty  years  later,  Yezid  ibn  Hatem  demolished 
and  rebuilt  it,  sparing  the  Mihrab  as  before :  and  when 
in  827,  Ziadet  Allah  ibn  Ibrahim  razed  it,  for  the  third 
time,  and  was  preparing  to  destroy  the  Mihrab,  it  was 
objected  to  him  that  all  his  predecessors  had  spared 
Okhbah's  work.  He  then  preserved  and  masked  it  with 
a  wall,  rebuilding  and  remodelling  the  rest  of  the  mosque. 

This  was  upwards  of  a  thousand  years  ago,  and  in 
spite  of  time  and  wars  this  sacred  old  building  has 
never  since  been  destroyed  by  Mohammedans  or  dese- 
crated by  Christians. 

When  Abd  el  Rahman  III.  declared  himself  indepen- 
dent Khalif  of  the  West,  Imam,  and  Commander  of  the 
Faithful,  he  resolved  to  build  a  mosque  in  Cordova, 


296  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.      chap.  xxiv. 

grander  and  more  magnificent  than  any  other.  In  the 
year  778  he  commenced  it,  assisting  with  his  own  hands 
in  the  work,  and  in  twenty-five  years  it  was  completed. 
Its  court  measured  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  yards  by 
seventy,  its  prayer  chamber  a  hundred  and  thirty-five 
by  a  hundred  and  twenty. 

Twelve  hundred  columns  of  rare  marble,  taken,  like 
those  of  the  Kairwan  mosque,  from  Grreek  and  Eoman 
ruins,  divided  the  prayer  chamber  into  nineteen  naves 
and  twenty-nine  aisles.  The  columns  were  brought  from 
Nimes  and  Narbonne,  Seville  and  Tarragona,  some 
from  Carthage :  while  others,  together  with  glorious 
mosaics,  were  sent  from  Byzantium. 

The  massive  buttressed  walls  of  the  Mezquita,  as 
the  mosque  was  called — from  mesgad,  to  prostrate 
oneself  in  prayer — were  penetrated  by  nineteen  gates : 
the  Puerta  del  Perdon,  the  most  beautiful  of  all, 
opening  on  to  the  Court  of  Orange  Trees.  The  chapel, 
or  recess  of  the  Mihrab,  the  abode  of  the  Spirit  of 
Grod,  which  held  the  Alkoran — the  sacred  book 
written  by  the  hand  of  Othman,  covered  with  gold, 
pearls,  rubies,  and  chained  to  the  desk  of  aloe  wood — 
was,  and  still  is,  indescribably  rich  and  beautiful. 
Eound  the  small  octagonal  chapel,  the  Kibleh,  where 
the  Grod  of  Islam  used  to  reveal  his  presence,  the 
Faithful  iised,  as  in  the  Kaba  of  Mecca,  to  crawl 
seven  times. 


CHAP.  xxir.  MOSQUE  OF  CORDOVA.  297 

In  the  Maksurah — the  privileged  enclosure  where 
the  Khalif,  the  Muftis,  and  Imams  alone  could  enter — 
stood  the  throne  of  El  Mansour,  on  wheels,  carved  in 
precious  woods  with  figures  and  images,  under  a  spe- 
cial dispensation  from  the  Khalif — the  sculpture  of 
images  being  forbidden  by  the  Mohammedan  law. 

Such  was  the  temple  built  by  the  Moors  of  Kair- 
wan,  sixty  years  after  their  establishment  in  those  rich 
plains  of  Cordova.  The  mosque  surpassed  those  of  El 
Aksa,  of  Kairwan,  and  of  Mecca  in  beauty,  and  ranked 
next  to  them  in  sanctity.  A  pilgrimage  thither  was 
regarded  as  one  to  Mecca  or  to  Kairwan.  The  Mosque 
of  Seville,  modelled  to  a  certain  extent  on  the  Mezquita, 
was  completed  four  centuries  later,  and  only  forty  years 
before  the  Christians  took  Cordova.  Its  sacred  Minar — 
the  Giralda — measured  fifty  feet  across  at  the  base, 
and  rose  to  the  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

The  proportions  of  this  and  of  the  Mezquita  rather 
dwarf  the  imposing  and  venerable  Shrine  of  Okhbah 
and  its  Minar.  But  in  the  prayer  chamber  at  Cor- 
dova, the  relatively  small  size  and  corresponding  crowd- 
ing of  the  eleven  hundred  columns  and  their  arches, 
take  a  little  from  the  space  and  dignity  which  cha- 
racterise the  older  mosque  here.  No  doubt  Kairwan 
never  endowed  its  mosque  so  lavishly  as  did  Cordova, 
but  its  proportions  and  space  render  it  both  solemn  and 
grand. 


29S  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.      chap.  xxiv. 

The  treasures  of  Kairwan  were  at  one  time  of  count- 
less value.  Tarik  found  at  Toledo  twenty-five  crowns 
of  the  Grothic  kings,  of  fine  gold,  garnished  with 
jacinths,  amethysts,  diamonds,  and  other  precious 
stones.  He  also  found  at  the  city  of  Medina  Celi  an 
inestimable  table,  which  had  formed  part  of  the  spoil 
taken  from  Eome  by  Alaric  King  of  the  Groths.  It 
was  composed  of  a  single  emerald  possessed  of  talis- 
manic  properties — wrought  by  genii,  so  it  was  said,  for 
King  Solomon  the  Wise. 

Musa  found  at  Seville,  among  other  sacred  spoils, 
a  cup  made  of  a  single  pearl,  brought  by  an  early  King 
of  Spain  from  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem,  at  its  destruc- 
tion by  Nebuchadnezzar. 

The  foresaide  two  captaines  Tarik  and  Muse,  says 
Leo,  with  all  good  successe  proceeded  euen  to  Castilia, 
and  sacked  the  citie  of  Toledo :  where,  amongst  much 
other  treasure,  they  founde  many  reliques  of  the  saints, 
and  the  very  same  table  whereat  Christ  sate  with  his 
blessed  Apostles :  which  being  covered  with  pure  gold 
and  adorned  with  great  store  of  precious  stones,  was 
esteemed  to  be  woorth  halfe  a  million  of  ducates :  and 
this  table  Muse  carrying  with  him,  as  if  it  had  beene 
all  the  treasure  in  Spain,  returned  with  his  armie  over 
the  sea,  and  bent  his  course  toward  Cairaoan. 

Ziadet  Allah  ibn  Ibrahim,  after  thirteen  troubled 
years,  finding  himself  in  tranquil  possession  of  Africa, 


CHAP.  XXIV.       WORKS   OF  THE  AGHLABITES.  299 

set  himself  to  repair  by  peaceful  labours  the  evils  of 
war. 

He  used  to  say  that  he  had  been  permitted  to 
accomplish  four  things  which  entitled  him  to  Divine 
mercy  on  the  day  of  Judgment.  To  rebuild  the  great 
mosque  at  a  cost  of  eighty-six  thousand  dinars,  in  lieu 
of  that  built  by  Yezid  ibn  Hatem :  to  build  the  bridge 
of  Abou  el  Kebi,  and  the  castle  of  the  Marabouts  at 
Susa :  finally,  to  appoint  so  worthy  a  Kadi  as  Ahmed 
ibn  Mahriz. 

Among  the  numerous  constructions  due  to  Abou 
Ibrahim  Ahmed,  Nowairi  cites :  the  reservoirs  at  the 
Tunis  Gate, the  porches  and  cupola  of  the  Great  Mosque, 
the  cisterns  of  the  Abou  Eebi  Gate,  the  mosque  of 
Tunis,  the  walls  of  Susa,  and  the  great  reservoirs  of 
Abbassiyeh. 

These  were  his  last  work :  he  was  very  ill  while 
they  were  yet  unfinished.  At  last  a  vase  of  water  was 
brought  him  from  thence.  Praised  be  God !  he  cried, 
who  has  suffered  me  to  see  this  work  completed.  He 
died,  says  the  chronicler,  after  these  words :  it  was  one 
Tuesday,  the  tenth  of  the  month  Dhi  '1  Kaada,  249. 
He  was  only  twenty-nine  years  old. 

The  Aghlabites  are  still  held  in  gratefid  remem- 
brance throughout  this  country  for  the  similar  works 
they  established  in  many  different  spots. 

From  the  circumstance  that  the  great  reservoirs  re- 


3do  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS,      chap.  xxit. 

ferred  to  lie  to  the  western  side  of  the  city  and  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  city  wall,  we  can  gather  that 
the  city  or  palace  of  the  Abassiyeh  extended  westward 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  present  Tunis  Grate. 

'  Outside  the  walls  of  Kairwan,'  says  El  Bekri,  '  are 
fifteen  cisterns  built  by  Hescham  and  other  princes : 
the  greatest,  however,  by  Abou  Ibrahim  Ahmed,  gTand- 
son  of  Aghlab.  They  stand  near  the  Tunis  Gate,  are 
of  circular  form,  and  very  considerable. 

'  In  the  centre  of  the  chief  cistern  stands  an  octa- 
gonal tower  crowned  by  a  pavilion  with  four  gates.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  reservoir  wall  there  abut  vast 
colonnades.  To  the  west  of  the  same  reservoirs,  which 
receive  the  waters  of  the  winter  torrent  Wad  el 
Merkelil,  Ziadet  Allah  built  a  palace:  and  to  the 
north  a  beautiful  pond.' 

These  works  were  executed  with  extreme  magnifi- 
cence. They  are  the  only  monuments  of  the  Aghlabites' 
work  that  remain :  their  necessity  has  been  their  safe- 
guard. Only  certain  of  them  have  been  kept  in  proper 
repair,  the  requirements  of  the  city  being  much  reduced. 
El  Bekri  found  in  this  province  of  Afrikieh  two  monu- 
ments which  were  unequalled  by  anything  else,  these 
reservoirs  of  the  Aghlabites,  and  the  palace  city  of 
Raccadah. 

I  think  it  possible  that  in  the  considerable  traces 
of  buildings,  extending  upon  rising  ground  eastward 


CHAP.  XXIV.  SITE   OF   RACCADAH.  301 

from  the  north-east  angle  of  Kairwan,  and  along  an  old 
watercourse  or  trench — possibly  that  dug  by  Ibrahim — 
we  may  look  for  the  site  of  Eaccadah. 

Such  a  position  would  be  in  full  view  of  the  great 
shrine,  whose  finest  porch  lies  in  this  direction,  of  the 
once  rich  plain  to  the  northward,  and  of  the  refreshing 
sight  of  the  mountains  of  Oussalat.  It  would  also  have 
been  an  outlying  fortress  on  the  road  from  the  coast, 
and  the  cistern  Elmawahel  would  have  supplied  it. 

Moorish  writers  refer  to  a  third  royal  city  outside  the 
walls  of  Kairwan,  known  as  Mansourah.  It  may  have 
been  one  of  the  suburbs,  possibly  the  present  Dar  al  Mana. 

This  is  the  story  of  the  escape  of  Abou  Modhar 
Ziadet  Allah,  the  last  of  the  Aghlabites.  Word  was 
brought  him  to  Eaccadah  that  his  army,  under  the 
Emir  Ibrahim,  had  been  routed.  Idle  and  voluptuous, 
he  had  lost  all  hold  upon  his  citizens'  loyalty,  and  feared 
to  tell  them  the  truth. 

Sending  to  the  prisons  of  Eaccadah,  he  had  nume- 
rous prisoners  executed,  and  their  heads  paraded  through 
the  city  as  trophies  of  a  great  victory.  Meantime,  he 
secretly  and  precipitately  prepared  for  flight.  News  of 
his  army's  defeat  had  reached  him  after  midday  prayer : 
before  the  mueddin's  cry  to  evening  prayer  was  heard, 
he  had  left  Eaccadah  with  his  family  and  treasures — 
his  household  following  by  torchlight — and  all  taking 
the  direction  of  Egypt. 


302  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS,      chap.  xxiv. 

When  the  truth  became  known,  Eaccadah  was  pil- 
laged, the  palaces  ravaged,  and  the  very  soil  of  the 
gardens — which  might  have  concealed  treasure — was 
turned  over  during  six  whole  days.  Ibrahim  returning 
found  his  master  fled  and  the  inhabitants  in  a  tumult. 
Vainly  he  urged  them  to  join  him  in  the  defence  of  the 
city,  to  provide  him  with  either  money  or  soldiers. 

We  are  not  valiant  in  war,  0  Ibrahim !  they  said 
candidly,  neither  will  we  trust  thee  with  our  riches. 
If  the  bravest  warriors  and  the  resources  of  the  public 
treasury  could  not  bring  thee  victory,  there  is  no  chance 
of  success  with  us  and  our  private  means.  As  Ibrahim 
scornfully  upbraided  them,  they  commenced  to  stone 
him:  but  he  escaped  and  fled  to  Tripoli,  where  he 
joined  the  last  of  the  Aghlabites. 

When  the  gentle  and  pious  Handhalah  resigned  the 
government  of  Kairwan,  he  called  together  the  Kadi 
and  the  more  notable  citizens.  Opening  the  public 
treasury  he  took  out  one  thousand  dinars,  which  he 
counted  before  them.  Be  witnesses,  he  said,  that  I 
have  taken  from  the  city  only  what  is  necessary  for  my 
journey. 

Bruce  says :  '  There  is  a  tradition  among  the  natives 
of  Alexandria  that  it  has  often  been  in  agitation  to 
retire  to  Rosetta  or  Cairo :  but  divers  saints  have 
assured  them  that  Mecca  being  destroyed — as  it  must 
be,  they  think,  by  the  Russians — Alexandria  is  then  to 


CHAP.  XXIV.  THE  NEW   MECCA.  393 

become  the  Holy  Place,  and  that  Mahomet's  body  is  to 
be  transported  thither :  that  when  that  city  is  destroyed, 
the  sanctified  reliques  are  to  be  transferred  to  Cairouan 
in  the  kingdom  of  Tunis.  Lastly,  from  Cairouan  they 
are  to  come  to  Kosetta,  and  there  to  remain  till  the 
consummation  of  all  things,  which  will  not  then  be  far 
distant.' 


304  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.  chap.  xxv. 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

The  Gate  of  Greengages — Measure  the  City — Ruined  Bastion— Call 
to  Prayer  —  The  Citadel  —  A  Mob — Leylet  al  Moolid  —  Elma 
wahel — Imprecations — Form  of  City — An  Incident  —  Opinion  of  the 
Bazaars — Prepare  to  Leave — Farewell  to  the  Kaid — Last  Night  in 
Kairw&n. 

I  WENT  to  make  a  plan  of  the  city  walls,  round  which 
we  had  already  gone  twice.  Traversing  the  Quarter  of 
the  Mosque,  we  issued  on  foot  from  the  city  by  the  Bab  el 
Khaukh,  or  Gate  of  the  Greengages — like  all  the  others 
a  double  arch  in  a  tower.  The  inner  gate  is  a  lofty 
horseshoe  arch  supported  by  two  marble  columns :  the 
capital  of  one  is  a  beautifully  carved  thistle-shaped 
acanthus.  Outside  the  columns,  jambs  of  white  and  grey 
marble  carried  a  lintel  of  the  same.  Above  the  arch 
was  a  tablet  in  white  marble,  engraved  with  the  names 
of  the  gate  and  its  builder  and  the  date  of  its  construc- 
tion. Beyond  the  vaulted  chamber  or  passage,  the 
outer  archway  is  similar  in  form.  On  its  left  side  is  a 
yellow  stone  column  having  an  acanthus  head  in  marble, 
which  does  not  belong  to  it.  Facing  it  is  a  red  mai'ble 
column.     This  is  the  finest  of  the  city  gates. 


CHAP.  XXV.  THE  CITY  WALLS.  305 

Within  this  gate,  and  extending  along  the  ramparts 
towards  the  Bab  el  Djuluddin,  lies  the  Dyers'  Quarter — 
a  succession  of  low,  flat  houses,  with  their  doors  and 
walls  and  the  ground  in  front  of  them  stained  deeply  in 
red  and  blue.  The  gates  of  Kairwan  are  five :  the 
Bab  el  Khaukh,  on  the  eastern  side:  the  Bab  el  Dju- 
luddin, facing  to  the  south-east :  the  Bab  el  Djedid,  to 
the  south :  the  Bab  el  Tunes  and  the  Bab  el  Keshlah,  to 
the  west. 

"We  passed  along  the  city  walls,  taking  the  angles 
and  measurements  as  we  went.  The  wall  runs  in  a 
sloping  curve,  with  half-round  towers  at  intervals,  till 
it  reaches  the  eastern  angle  and  turns  suddenly  to  the 
north-west.  The  space  outside  here  is  waste  land,  having 
one  or  two  marabouts,  a  small  powder  magazine,  prickly 
pear  bushes,  and,  running  towards  the  east,  traces  either 
of  the  old  wall  of  the  greater  city  of  centuries  ago,  or 
of  the  outer  city,  Raccadah.  From  the  square  tower  at 
this  angle  the  wall  runs  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  a 
straight  line  to  the  north  angle,  where  is  another  square 
tower.  This  face  of  the  city  wall  looks  over  a  few  mud 
walls  and  hedges  of  prickly  pear,  but  no  dwellings. 

The  wall  now  turns  to  the  south-west  and  runs  six 
hundred  yards  straight  to  the  Keshlah.  Midway  along 
the  great  wall  are  the  ruins  of  a  vaulted  mud  and  brick- 
work bastion,  projecting  sixty  yards  from  it.  On  its 
platform  are  a  few  old  rusty  guns,  and  in  the  city  wall 

X 


3o5  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.       chap.  xxv. 

at  its  back  are  the  traces  of  a  gate  which  once  led  to 
the  fort,  but  is  bricked  up  now. 

We  sat  down  to  rest  in  the  fort,  looking  over  the 
wide  plain  which  lost  itself  in  haze  to  the  northward. 
Beyond  the  college  and  by  the  trees  of  the  late  Kaid's 
garden,  two  miles  off,  we  could  trace  the  course  of  the 
river  Eoumel.  Doubtless  the  city  once  extended  thither, 
for  the  Moors  were  too  intelligent  to  avoid  such  a  blessing 
as  a  river :  they  were  admirable  hydraulic  engineers. 

It  was  hard  to  picture  round  these  dilapidated 
walls  and  on  this  lonely  plain  the  vast  and  populous 
city  of  old — to  recall,  in  these  wastes  of  mud  walls  and 
melancholy  prickly  pear,  the  splendour  and  luxury 
which  made  this  spot  the  wonder  of  Africa.  Palaces, 
gardens,  treasure  houses,  colleges,  shrines,  fortresses, 
were  here,  peopled  with  the  intellectual  and  mighty 
race,  the  illustrious  Moors. 

As  we  rested,  there  came  from  the  great  minaret 
the  high  tenor  call  of  the  Mueddin.  There  was  some- 
thing plaintive  in  the  cry  from  the  decayed  city  on  this 
golden  afternoon :  it  seemed  like  a  lament  for  the  lost 
glories  of  Granada,  of  Cordova,  and  of  Kairwan. 

At  the  foot  of  the  walls,  and  among  the  tombs  of 
the  little  ruinous  cemetery,  we  found  the  ice  plant 
growing  freely,  all  covered  with  its  transparent  glo- 
bules. "We  should  recommend  it  to  the  camels  of 
Kairwan  on  such  a  glowing  day  as  this. 


3tan0irrt/ii  Ar<7^  J'.Mta^* 


Loniiozi:  JoKn  Marr«)r,jUbenDarle  Str««t. 


CHAP.  xxT.  A  MOORISH   MOB.  307 

We  moved  on  to  the  Keshlah,  of  which  the  quad 
rangle  projects  eighty  yards  from  the  main  wall,  and 
which  is  entered  by  the  gate  I  have  before  referred  to. 
The  wall  then  turns  to  the  south  for  five  hundred  yards, 
making  a  sudden  bend  at  the  Tunis  gate,  and  half  en- 
compassing the  outer  market  place. 

The  appearance  of  an  Infidel  in  his  ordinary  dress, 
with  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  on  which  he  was  recording 
his  measurements  of  their  venerated  wall,  caused  dis- 
satisfaction among  the  people :  and  they  began  to 
collect  round  me.  I  had  sent  Perruquier  and  one  sol- 
dier to  the  silversmith's  to  get  the  bracelets,  the  other 
soldier  and  the  old  barber  remaining  with  me.  As  we 
went  on  the  Moors  followed,  not  liking  the  proceeding. 
First  there  was  a  crowd  of  fifty,  then  of  a  hundred  : 
finally  I  had  a  mob  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  marching  in 
silence  on  my  heels.  Whenever  I  halted,  to  make  the 
measurement  from  tower  to  tower  or  to  take  an  angle, 
they  halted  too.  The  whole  thing  was  exceedingly 
funny. 

First  went  the  old  barber,  thea  the  soldier,  then  I, 
then  the  mob.  At  a  sudden  pause  they  would  almost 
run  over  one  another,  and  come  crowding  to  look  over 
one  another's  shoulders,  wondering  what  the  tall  lunatic 
in  the  F'rank  dress  was  about.  Every  now  and  then 
came  a  murmur  suggestive  of  the  Arabic  word  for  brick- 
bats, and  I  still  think  that  if  one  of  them  had  picked 

x2 


3o8  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS.        chap.  xxv. 

up  a  stone,  many  more  would  have  done  the  same. 
It  seemed  a  droll  thing  to  be  marching  round  the 
walls  of  an  old  sacred  city  in  Barbary,  with  a  crowd 
of  men  about  me,  satisfied  in  their  consciences  that  I 
had  no  right  to  be  there,  and  yet  none  of  them  molest- 
ing me.  The  boys  and  youths  were  disposed  to  grow 
insulting.  We  traversed  in  this  way  the  broad  southern 
end  of  the  city :  the  wall  is  turreted  at  intervals, 
the  so-called  suburbs  lying  under  it  to  our  right.  We 
passed  the  Mosque  of  the  Olive  Tree,  the  Bab  el  Djedid, 
the  Miauhhat  of  this  quarter,  and  rounded  the  south- 
east angle  near  the  Bab  el  Djuluddin. 

From  this  gate  the  walls  curve  gently  round  to  the 
Bab  el  Khaukh.  We  passed  the  great  dry  reservoirs, 
mentioned  already,  to  our  right  hand.  Of  these  the 
Arab  historian  Abulfeda  writes :  'Incolap  urbis  Kairwan 
bibunt  aquam  pluvialem  quas  hyemali  tempore  colligitur 
in  piscina  magna  dicta  Elmawahel,  id  est  cistenaa.'  They 
are  used  for  prayer  gatherings  on  the  solemn  feast  days, 
such  as  that  of  L'Hayd  Saghir,  the  three  days'  rejoicing 
after  Ramadhan — or  the  Leylet  al  Moolid,  the  anniver- 
sary of  both  the  Prophet's  birth  and  death.  This  occurs 
on  the  twelfth  day  of  the  month  of  Rabia  Awwal — 
corresponding  this  year  to  our  April  18.  As  the  Arabic 
months  revolve  through  the  year,  like  the  precession  of 
the  equinoxes — only  they  retrograde,  and  accomplish 
their  circle  in  thirty-three  years  and  a  half — the  Pro- 


CHAP.  XXV.  EXECRATIONS.  309 

phet  could  never  have  known  with  any  accuracy,  unless 
he  kept  an  astrologer,  when  his  birthday  was  to  come 
oflf. 

Here  the  crowd,  who  had  fancied  I  would  enter  by 
the  Gate  of  Skins,  which  would  lead  me  to  the  Raid's 
house,  began  to  think  that  I  was  not  going  to  stop, 
but  circumambulate  the  walls  without  end.  They 
began  to  draw  back  and  curse  or  insult  me :  and  when 
I  had  gone  fifty  yards  further  they  stopped  and  raised 
a  cry,  a  kind  of  groan  and  yell  in  one,  which  their 
pent-up  feelings  gave  a  remarkable  vigour  to.  This 
encom-aged  passers-by,  and  they  too  cried  and  hooted : 
KaU) !  Khansir  !  Kafir  !  Yahudi  !  There  would  have 
been  no  satisfaction  in  putting  twenty  or  thirty  to  death 
where  all  were  equally  interested :  and  I  reflected,  too, 
that  I  had  no  special  African  evangelising  mission  which 
would  have  justified  me  in  making  war  on  my  own 
account — so  I  went  tranquilly  on,  and  terminated  my 
labours  where  I  had  begun. 

We  entered  by  the  beautiful  Gate  of  the  Greengages 
and  returned  by  the  Dyers'  Quarter  to  the  Raid's  house. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  the  crowd  fully  expected  me  round 
again  later,  like  the  sun,  and  that  they  waited  for  my 
next  revolution,  with  little  piles  of  stones  and  fragments 
of  brick  and  mortar  laid  by. 

Sir  GrenviUe  Temple  says :  '  The  city  is  surrounded 
by  a  crenellated  wall,  and  its   suburbs  by  another :  it 


310  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.        chap.  xxv. 

seems  to  form  a  square.'  He  makes  a  mistake — not  a 
common  event  with  him — for  the  suburbs  are  sur- 
rounded by  no  wall :  indeed,  they  are  so  poor  that 
no  one  would  ever  think  them  worth  surrounding 
with  a  wall.  As  to  the  form  of  the  city,  it  is  a  little 
squarer  than  a  tomato,  but  not  so  square  as  a  pear. 
I  found  the  total  circuit  of  the  walls  to  be  about 
three  thousand  five  hundred  yards :  when  Moez  ibn 
Badis  rebuilt  them  in  444  of  the  Hejra,  their  measure 
was  eleven  thousand  yards. 

I  found  Perruquier  at  the  Kaid's,  in  a  state  of  high 
excitement.  He  had  been  threatened  in  the  bazaars, 
and  had  to  escape  to  the  house.  I  at  first  wondered  at 
the  success  and  celerity  of  his  flank  movement,  but 
afterwards  recollected  that  he  had  served  in  the  Mobile 
Guard  during  the  defence  of  Paris.  But  for  the  ex- 
perience acquired  in  the  exercise  of  his  military  pro- 
fession, the  ex-Mobile  might  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
immortal  principle  of  the  pursuit  of  knowledge — a 
principle  to  which  I  was  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life,  and 
he  mine. 

Anecdote. — Perruquier,  having  in  his  boyhood  re- 
ceived some  slight  instruction  in  the  form  of  drill,  was 
out  one  day  during  the  siege  with  several  comrades, 
going  through  musketry  drill.  Present  arms  1  said 
the  corporal.  You  are  wrong,  he  said,  as  Perruquier 
presented  arms  in  a  manner  that  seemed  unusual :  do  it 


CHAP.  XXV.  A  CRY   FOR  VENGEANXE.  3H 

again.  I  shan't,  said  Perruquier — you  are  wrong  your- 
self. Perruquier  was  brought  before  the  adjutant.  You 
are  disobedient  ?  said  the  adjutant.  The  corporal 
doesn't  know  how  to  present  arms,  said  Perruquier.  Let 
me  see  you  both  do  it,  said  the  adjutant.  You  are 
appointed  caporal  instructeur,  he  said  to  Perruquier  : 
Corporal,  you  may  return  to  the  ranks. 

It  appears  that,  as  Perruquier  sat  in  the  bazaars,  a 
fanatic  with  a  drum  made  his  appearance,  and  at  the 
sight  of  the  Kafir  went  off  into  uncontrollable  hysterics. 
jNIalediction  !  he  yelled.  Christians  in  our  city  I  There 
is  no  justice.  Grod  will  punish  us.  A  curse  on  them  ! 
A  curse  on  them  ! 

The  caporal  instructeur  had  other  information  too. 
He  had  heard  of  a  vast  subterranean  city,  thirty-six  kilo- 
metres from  Kairwan,  forming  large  mounds  and  con- 
taining vaulted  chambers.  We  called  in  the  attendants, 
who  confirmed  all  he  said.  They  had  not  been  there,  but 
were  satisfied  the  underground  city  existed.  Finally 
two  men  came  in  who  had  been  there.  The  city  was 
called  Ain  el  Hammam,  or  the  Well  of  the  Bath.  On 
second  thoughts  its  extent  was  not  great,  and,  on  ques- 
tioning, it  was  possible  the  buried  city  might  represent 
a  series  of  cisterns  or  baths.  It  happens  that  eight 
leagues  or  nearly  thirty-six  kilometres  from  Kairwan, 
there  are  the  warm  baths  of  Hammam  Truzza — the 
Turzo  of  Ptolemy — where  are  hot  springs,  much  fre- 


312  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS.       chap,  xxv, 

qiiented  formerly  by  Moors  from  all  the  Eegency.  They 
are  described  as  vaulted  chambers  full  of  sulphureous 
vapours. 

It  appeared  there  was  in  the  bazaars  a  pretty 
generally  favourable  opinion  regarding  my  visit.  He 
may  be  a  worthy  Infidel,  the  Moors  said,  whom  it  has 
pleased  the  Prophet  to  send  here,  that  he  may  see  our 
faith  and  be  converted.  The  Kaid  and  Mudabbir  came  to 
pay  a  farewell  visit.  The  Mudabbir  told  me  that  there 
was  no  wish  for  a  telegraph  line  to  Kairwan.  That 
from  Susa  was  not  distant,  and  news  came  quite  fast 
enough  for  the  Holy  City  of  the  Mughreb.  A  railway 
would,  of  the  two,  be  less  unwelcome. 

The  Kaid  asked  me  when  I  wished  to  leave.  I 
said.  Three  hours  before  sunrise  on  the  following  day. 
The  gates  are  not  opened  until  six,  he  said :  but  I  will 
order  them  to  be  kept  open  for  you.  Eventually  we 
decided  to  send  the  cattle  to  a  foudouk  near  the  outer 
market,  and  to  pass  out  ourselves  by  the  khaukhat  of 
the  Bab  el  Tunes.  The  Kaid  asked  what  escort  I 
should  like.  I  said  I  cared  for  none.  He  insisted : 
said  it  was  necessary,  that  he  was  responsible  for  my 
safety,  and  at  last  I  agreed  to  take  two  horsemen. 
I  will  write  an  acknowledgment,  he  said,  which  I  beg 
you,  for  my  satisfaction,  to  hand  to  the  soldiers  when 
you  send  them  back.  Take  them  as  far  as  Tunis  if 
you  like. 


CHAP.  XXV.  FAREWELL  TO   THE   KAID.  313 

After  expressing  many  kind  and  hospitable  wishes 
the  Kaid  rose  to  go.  He  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  we 
walked  to  the  door  together.  He  would  scarcely  allow 
me  to  accompany  him  downstairs  :  and  when  we  wished 
one  another  good-bye,  the  warm-hearted,  genial  man 
threw  his  arms  round  my  neck  and  kissed  me  re- 
peatedly. 

We  called  in  the  two  shaoushes  of  Susa,  the  old 
barber,  the  soldiers  who  guarded  me  in  the  city,  the 
house  servants,  and  all  who  had  done  me  any  service, 
and  made  them  suitable  gifts.  Then  we  lay  down  for  a 
short  night's  rest — the  last  night  in  the  singular  city  of 
Kairwan. 


JI4  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.       chap.  xxvi. 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

Issue  from  the  City — Traverse  the  Plain — Camp  of  Bedouins — Inter- 
view -with  Bedouin  Ladies — Halt  under  Olive  Trees — Ruined  Tomb — 
Nablus — Hammamet — The  Foudouk  of  Birloubuita — The  Dakkhul 
Promontory — ^The  Lead  Mountain — Suleiman — Gulf  of  Tunis — flam- 
mam  '1  Anf — Rhades — Enter  Tunis. 

It  was  a  quarter  past  two  when  Perruquier  awakened 
me  and  lighted  the  candles.  The  packing  was  soon 
done.  Our  sergeants,  sleeping  in  the  outer  chamber,  I 
awakened,  to  wish  them  good-bye  and  to  give  them  an 
acknowledgment  of  my  safety  for  the  Grovernor  of 
Susa.  A  servant  lighted  us  downstairs,  and  we  went 
out.  It  was  moonlight,  and  the  stars  shone  faintly 
as  we  passed  through  the  silent  street.  "We  came  to 
the  Jchaukhat  of  the  Bab  el  Tunes,  and,  stooping, 
passed  through  the  wicket.  We  saw  nothing  of  the 
horses,  which  were  to  have  been  waiting  for  us  here, 
and  the  servant's  shout  re-echoed  from  the  wall. 
Everything  was  very  quiet.  The  grass  market  was 
empty,  and  we  began  to  think  it  not  impossible  that 
the  horses  had  left  for  Susa. 

We  had  had  a  slight  misapprehension  with  Severio 
Valentino,  the  muleteer.     He  had  been  understood  to 


cuAP.  XXVI.  THE   LAST   OF   KAIRWAN.  315 

say  that  unless  I  started  on  the  previous  evening  lie 
would  not  take  me  to  Birloubuita :  and  I  was  under- 
stood to  say  in  reply  that  unless  he  started  whenever  I 
pleased,  somebody  was  likely  to  take  him  to  the  Kaid's 
prison  in  the  Keshlah.  After  this,  Severio  explained 
that  no  malice  was  intended.  Perruquier  and  the 
servant  set  ofif  to  hammer  at  the  doors  of  the  various 
foudoiik  and  to  shout :  and  it  seemed  rather  a  foolish 
occupation  to  be  here  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
imder  the  dark  high  walls  of  Kairwan.  The  footsteps 
died  away:  it  was  very  cold,  and  all  I  could  hear 
vms  the  wind  whistling  in  the  muzzle  of  my  gun.  At 
last  the  horses  were  found :  the  gates  of  a  foudouk 
were  thrown  open  :  two  shaoushes  on  horseback 
galloped  up :  a  few  Arabs,  muffled  up  and  bearing 
lanterns,  came  out  to  see  us  start,  and  we  set  off  from 
Kairwan  at  a  rapid  trot. 

After  an  hour  we  came  to  a  low  ruined  bridge 
across  the  Wadi  Kantara,  so  broken  and  dilapidated 
that,  but  for  its  moral  effect,  it  might  as  well  not  have 
been  there.  Mists  were  rising  from  the  low  marshy 
ground  and  old  river  bed  on  either  side  of  it,  and  water 
stood  in  pools  among  the  rushes.  We  traversed  the 
low  plains  of  the  Bilad  Souatir,  the  shaoushes,  with 
their  white  hooded  cloaks  and  guns,  riding  in  front  of 
us.  We  left  to  our  right  a  range  of  low  hills.  Presently 
a  shaoush's  horse  fell  with  him,  not  hurting  him  much, 


3i6  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.       chap.  xxvi. 

however.  Shaoush,  perhaps,  not  much  accustomed  to 
night  expeditions,  and  caught  napping.  After  three 
hours  we  pulled  up.  I  handed  to  the  soldiers  the 
Raid's  receipt  for  my  body,  a  backshish,  and,  sending  a 
message  of  thanks  to  the  Kaid,  dismissed  them. 

The  daylight  had  been  advancing  for  some  time, 
the  sun  rose,  and  we  pushed  merrily  on.  After  four 
hours  and  a  quarter  we  traversed  the  dry  bed  of  the 
Wadi  Beni,  the  clay  banks  of  which  were  all  baked  and 
cracked  by  the  sun.  Kound  us  stretched  broad  fields 
of  long-eared  barley,  glistening  in  the  sun  and  shiver- 
ing in  the  wind.  We  met  a  caravan  of  Arabs,  with 
camels  laden  with  pottery  from  Nablus — dishes,  vessels, 
pots,  jars,  and  bottles,  all  slung  in  nets  from  the  pack- 
saddles.  One  Arab  wore  the  prodigious  straw  hat 
common  in  the  Djerid. 

After  five  hours  and  a  half,  the  track  turned  off 
sharply  towards  the  coast :  we  were  still  in  the  great 
plain  of  Kairwan.  We  passed  to  our  left  hand  the  ruins 
of  Djebel  '1  Emfida.  There  was  a  Bedouin  douar  near 
the  track,  hedged  in  by  a  rough  thorn  fence :  and 
camels  were  browsing  among  the  barley.  The  country 
became  rather  richer,  and  the  crops  were  considered 
worthy  of  protection  by  scarecrows — such  scarecrows, 
however,  that  the  Barbary  wild  fowl  must  be  far 
simpler  than  our  worldly-minded  and  predatory  crows. 

After  six  hours  and  a  half  we  passed — half  a  mile  to 


CHAP.  XXVI.  BEDOUIN   LADIES.  317 

its  right — the  marabout  of  Sidi  Takrofma,  with  two 
domes.  To  the  left  of  the  road  stood  a  small  ruined 
building  of  rough  stones.  Four  miles  to  our  right  we 
could  see  a  white  building  on  the  Susa  road,  not  far 
from  the  coast.  Soon  we  turned  to  the  northward.  To 
the  left  stood  a  ruin,  and  a  marabout,  in  form  like  a 
Syrian  tent — Sidi  Wahid  Allah.  To  the  right  of  the 
track  lay  a  low  pool  or  swamp.  Bedouins  met  us, 
driving  a  flock  of  black  goats,  kids  with  coats  silky 
as  spaniels',  and  a  herd  of  dun  cattle.  The  Arabs' 
faces  were  almost  black  with  exposm-e.  Half  a  mile 
further  stood  a  douar  of  twelve  tents. 

Shortly  after  this  we  pulled  up  at  a  round  cistern 
containing  a  few  feet  of  water.  A  Bedouin  family  were 
grouped  round  it.  The  women  had  tattooed  chins,  and 
one  wore  a  neck  ornament  which  I  should  have  liked 
to  buy,  but,  alas  !  I  had  scarcely  any  money  lefl.  The 
girls  were  not  tattooed :  one  had  a  pretty  face  and  dark 
eyes.  I  gave  them  all  the  small  money  I  had,  and  they 
were  very  pleased.  After  ascertaining  whence  I  came 
and  whither  I  was  going,  they  inquired  whether  I  had 
a  wife.  "When  they  heard  that  I  was  not  blessed  with  a 
mother-in-law,  they  wished  me  a  wife  with  immense 
black  eyes.  As  we  moved  on  they  wished  me  repeat- 
edly a  fortunate  journey,  and  hoped  that  their  saint, 
the  servant  of  the  One  God,  might  take  me  under  his 
especial  protection. 


,  3i8  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,      chap.  xxvi. 

After  seven  hours  we  sighted  the  blue  and  stormy 
Mediterranean,  about  four  miles  to  our  right.  We 
saw  a  few  marabouts,  and  passed,  a  mile  to  our  left, 
the  Sisters  of  Kuda — three  round-backed  hills,  over 
which  the  strong  wind  was  chasing  black  shadows. 
We  approached  two  olives,  the  first  trees  we  had  seen 
since  leaving  Kairwan,  and  threw  ourselves  down  for 
a  rest  and  food.  Perruquier  went  off  with  the  gun. 
After  a  single  discharge  he  returned,  and  when  I  asked 
afterwards  whether  he  had  hit  anything,  he  said  he  had 
killed  a  lark.  I  asked  what  he  had  done  with  the 
body.  This  Barbary  Samoyede  had  plucked  and  eaten 
it  warm. 

There  stood,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  track,  a 
small  ruined  building,  with  remains  of  others :  beside 
it,  to  the  right,  were  stones  and  evidences  of  buildings 
strewn  about.  The  olive  trees  were  tossing  their 
branches  in  the  strong  wind  blowing  from  the  sea, 
which  cooled  and  refreshed  us.  Twenty  English 
miles  yet  lay  before  us.  After  an  hour's  rest  we  set 
off  again,  the  horses  going  well  and  all  the  better  for 
the  halt.  We  passed  quantities  of  oleander  growing  in 
shrubs  of  considerable  size.  To  our  right  lay  a  long 
stretch  of  yellow  sand,  and  patches  of  turf  so  level  that 
Perruquier,  the  muleteer,  and  I  might  have  had  an  ex- 
cellent game  of  lawn  tennis  if  there  had  been  more 
time  to  spare.     There  came  past,  from  time  to  time,  a 


CHAP.  xxTi.  MENARAH.  3»9 

caravan  of  camels  —  some  having  loads  of  palm  baskets 
and  brushes  closely  packed  upon  their  humps. 

After  nine  hours  and  a  half  we  reached  a  curious 
round  tower  on  rising  ground,  built  in  brick  and  faced 
with  yellow  stone  in  horizontal  ribs,  standing  alternately 
in  and  out,  and  giving  it  the  form  of  a  strongly-bound 
coffer  dam.  Shaw  says  that  two  leagues  west  by  south 
from  Hammamet  was  Menarah,  a  large  mausoleum, 
twenty  yards  in  diameter,  built  like  a  cylindrical 
pedestal,  with  a  vault  beneath :  several  small  altars, 
supposed  by  the  Moors  to  have  been  lamps  for  mariners, 
stood  on  the  cornice.  No  altars  remain  now,  but  the 
building  stands  in  sight  of  the  sea,  and  might  well  have 
served  as  a  tomb  and  beacon.  Half  a  mile  to  the  right 
were  yellow  ruinous  buildings. 

In  front  we  could  see  the  snowy  town  of  Ham- 
mamet— the  Dove — the  ancient  Heraclea,  the  frontier 
town  of  the  inland  district  or  Zeugitania,  and  the  last 
town  northward  of  the  seacoast  Province  of  Byzacium. 
A  mile  from  the  shore  and  a  few  miles  east  of  Ham- 
mamet, lies  the  industrious  and  thriving  little  town  of 
Nablus — close  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  Neapolis — 
which  sends  its  pottery  into  many  parts  of  the  Regency. 

Hammamet  was  distant  about  three  miles  from  our 
halting  place.  We  could  see  its  brown  castle  by  the 
water,  the  white  houses  sloping  up  the  hill  behind  it 
among  a  dark  stretch  of  lemon  woods.     A  steamer  lay 


320  THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   MOORS.       chap.  xxvi. 

at  anchor  loading  lemons,  which  form  the  principal 
export  of  the  town,  and  which  go  all  the  way  to 
America.  We  had  entered  upon  the  Susa  road  ;  there 
was  far  more  traffic  than  on  the  plain,  and  very  thank- 
fully we  trotted  into  the  courtyard  of  the  white  Foudouk 
of  Birloubuita,  about  fifty- five  miles  distant  from 
Kairwan. 

We  started  in  good  time,  having  sent  the  Susa 
horses  back,  and  travelling  with  those  which  had  been 
sent  from  Tunis  to  meet  me.  We  left  the  Dakkhul 
promontory  to  our  right,  and  made  almost  due  north- 
ward for  Suleiman,  passing  for  miles  through  brush- 
wood and  juniper  bushes,  over  a  sandy  track,  and  gra- 
dually ascending.  We  came  up  among  the  hills :  in 
the  fields  little  goldfinches  in  yellow  and  brown  plumage 
were  fluttering  about.  Perruquier  was  pleased  to  see 
the  chardonnerets  in  such  numbers :  he  said  they  sang 
well  in  cages.  I  wondered  whether  they  sang  better  in 
cages  than  out  of  them,  and  whether  Perruquier  would 
sing  well  in  a  cage. 

Two  hours  from  the  Foudouk  brought  us  near  the 
village  of  Kroumbeliyeh  and  the  olive  woods  through 
which  it  is  approached.  It  has  a  moderate-sized 
mosque.  We  passed  trees  of  the  caroub  or  locust, 
bushes  of  oleander  and  of  yellow  broom  in  blossom. 
The  Arabs  use  the  charcoal  of  the  oleander  wood,  mixed 
with  tobacco,  and  apply  it  as  a  fomentation  in  cases  of 


CHAP.  XXVI,  SPANISH   MOORS.  321 

rheumatism.  In  the  momitains  of  the  Dakkhul,  to  our 
right,  there  used  to  be  many  wild  boars :  the  orchilla 
weed  also  grows  plentifully  there.  Perhaps  I  shall  be 
doing  the  reader  a  service  by  explaining  that  this  weed 
is  used  as  a  dyeing  material. 

To  our  left,  seven  miles  away,  we  saw  the  massive 
peak  of  the  Lead  Mountain,  Djebel  Eesass,  towering 
above  the  hills.  Two  miles  and  a  half  to  our  right, 
low  down  on  the  plain,  was  the  little  white  town  of 
Suleiman,  with  five  minarets.  It  lies  on  the  Wadi 
Khalifa,  and  is  inhabited  by  descendants  of  Anda^- 
lusian  Moors,  who,  I  believe,  still  retain  in  a  great 
measure  the  Spanish  language.  We  can  see  Cape  Car- 
thage now,  twelve  miles  off,  and  the  white  patch  upon 
it — Sidi  Bou  Said.  After  three  hours'  journey  we 
approached  the  southern  shore  of  the  Grulf  of  Tunis. 
We  passed  fields  of  aniseed,  and  hawthorn  in  blossom, 
with  its  sweet  English  scent.  Not  a  very  wholesome 
scent,  the  Moors  think,  for  a  sleeping  room,  and  likely 
to  cause  headache.  There  were  ruins  to  the  right  and 
left  of  the  road  :  by  the  former  stood  a  single  palm  tree. 

The  dwarf  palm  grows  freely  about.  This  country 
is  strewn  with  ruins :  its  population  and  resources  must 
have  been  immense.  In  another  half-hour  come  more 
ruins  to  the  left.  Beyond  an  olive  wood,  and  in  the 
side  of  the  steep  hill  are  great  caverns,  once  quarries, 
hewn  in  the  yellow  stone.     We  can  tell  our  distances 

T 


322  THE   COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,     chap,  xxvi, 

easily :  the  telegraph  poles  are  placed  just  a  hundred 
metres  apart.  We  see  the  Island  of  Zembra  now,  away 
to  the  north-west.  Grreat  numbers  of  camels  pass  us, 
many  of  them  muzzled — biters,  no  doubt.  We  round 
a  spur  of  the  hills  on  our  left,  and  reach,  after  having 
travelled  rapidly  for  four  hours  and  a  half,  the  little 
white  town  of  Hammam  '1  Anf,  the  Ba ^h  of  the  Nose  or 
Headland. 

Through  it  runs  a  fair  road.  What  I  have  hitherto 
called  a  road,  was  a  simple  horse  or  waggon  track  over 
the  hills  or  plain.  The'  Bey  and  Greneral  Khaireddin 
have  country  houses  here.  The  road  is  one  evidence 
of  the  career  Tunis  has  entered  upon — one  of  progress, 
which  is  likely  to  be  as  materially  profitable  as  artis- 
tically fatal.  In  half  an  hour  from  Hammam  '1  Anf 
we  reached  the  Eiver  Milianeh,  a  constant  stream,  which 
we  crossed  by  a  stone  bridge.  We  passed  the  large 
Foudouk  of  Shoukh  el  Ehades,  the  ancient  Ades,  where 
Eegulus  defeated  the  Carthaginian  Hanno.  To  our 
left  were  the  hills  where  Hanno  was  simple  enough  to 
post  his  elephantry,  and  the  hard-headed  Eoman  pro- 
fited by  his  error.  The  journey  came  to  an  end  after 
travelling  forty-five  miles  from  Birloubuita.  We 
entered  Tunis  by  the  Bab  Aliwa  an  hour  after  sunset. 


CHAP.  xxvn.  A  BATH.  323 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  Hammam^A.  Negotiation — Leave  Tunis — Footsteps  of  Bruce — A 
Touch  of  Nature — Sad  News  —The  Last  of  Perruquier — Cape  Car- 
thage— The  Malta  Channel — A  Swell — Cagliari — Amphitheatre — 
Antiquarian  Museum — A  Visit  from  Sards — The  Colony  of  Tunis — 
Leghorn — An  Incident — Genoa — Paris. 

After  a  good  night's  rest  I  rose  early,  and,  lightly  clad, 
made  for  the  baths.  Entering  the  dim  and  steaming 
chamber,  I  went  to  the  dressing  room,  where,  propped 
up  against  the  wall,  and  swathed  mummy-like  in 
numberless  towels,  were  two  benevolent-looking  Mos- 
lems enjoying  the  repose.  Hullo,  said  one  of  them, 
it's  Mr.  Eae.  This  Mussulman  was  Colonel  Playfair. 
He  was  refreshing  himself  after  his  journey  with  Dr. 
Playfair  and  Lord  Kingston  to  Zaghwan,  which  had 
been  a  great  success. 

I  was  led  away  into  the  hot  chamber.  In  this 
cheerful  apartment,  of  which  the  temperature  stood  at 
I  am  afraid  to  say  what,  for  fear  I  should  be  suspected 
of  untruth,  and  of  which  the  steam  I  inhaled  seemed 
to  scald  my  interior,  were  cells.  One  of  these  I 
shared  with  half  a  dozen  of  the  most  prodigious  cock- 
roaches on  record.     It  is   clear  the  cockroach  needs 

t2 


324  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS,    chap,  xxvir. 

steam  to  bring  him  on,  and  then  he  develops  finely. 
At  table  d'hote  I  asked  a  pleasant  Englishman  with 
whom  I  had  had  many  conversations  before  leaving 
for  Sfax,  whether  the  English  bank  established  here  was 
likely  to  be  a  failure.  Well,  I  hope  not,  he  said  :  I  am 
the  manager. 

In  the  street  leading  from  the  consulate  to  the 
bazaar  I  met  a  Moor.  I  knew  his  face  well :  he  had 
more  than  once  offered  me  confidentially,  as  a  good 
thing,  some  antiques  in  carnelian,  of  recent  Neapolitan 
work.  He  now  held  out  two  or  three  rings.  Yes,  I 
said  :  very  handsome,  I  have  seen  them  already — Italian. 
No,  no  !  he  exclaimed.  These  are,  but  not  this !  pick- 
ing out  a  Sard  intaglio  set  in  gold,  with  the  figure  of 
Hector  bearing  off  the  arms  of  Patroclus.  Traveller 
(dissembling)  :  Italian — (hands  back  ring).  Mer- 
chant (seizing  his  beard)  :  Mashallah,  no  !  Traveller : 
Two  francs  !  Merchant :  Seventy  francs  !  Traveller  : 
Five  francs  I  Merchant  (making  as  though  about  to 
hurry  away)  :  Sixty-five.  Traveller  :  Twenty.  Mer- 
chant (returning) :  Sixty.  Eventually  I  gave  him 
three  Tunisian  gold  pieces,  worth  about  fifteen  francs 
each,  and  was  very  glad  to  get  the  ring. 

This  is  an  immense  charm  in  Oriental  life,  this 
uncertainty,  this  competition  of  intelligences  at  each 
point.  It  is  an  e very-day  training  in  insight,  self- 
control,  command  of  feature,  in  estimating  expression 


CHAP.  XXVII.  BAKKOUSH.  325 

as  a  clue  to  thoughts  in  others,  in  judging  of  the  best 
expression  for  concealing  thoughts  in  yourself,  and  in 
tact  with  which  to  take  advantage  of  manner  and  ad- 
mission. The  repose  in  an  Oriental's  countenance, 
especially  when  he  is  departing  from  the  truth,  is  cre- 
ditable and  worthy  of  example.  We  are  too  fussy  and 
emotional,  and  allow  our  expression  and  words  to  be- 
tray our  meaning :  thus  we  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the 
self-possessed  Oriental.  And  yet  we  call  him  a  heed- 
less, thriftless  fatalist. 

One  story  told  of  Bakkoush  in  Tunis,  was  this. 
Many  years  ago,  one  of  the  Bey's  ministers,  in  a 
thoughtless  moment,  promised  him  the  order  of  the 
Nischan.  Upon  going  to  claim  it,  he  was  refused. 
Bakkoush  intimated  that  he  was  willing  to  accept  either 
the  order  or  a  sum  of  money,  but  that  failing  both  he 
must  complain  to  the  Bey.  Eventually  his  feelings 
were  assuaged  by  a  handsome  present.  This  is  not  so 
good  as  the  story  of  the  Grerman  soldier  who  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  war  with  France.  He  was 
offered  his  choice  of  the  Iron  Cross  or  twenty-five 
thalers  in  money.  He  asked  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
Iron  Cross.  They  told  him  about  four  thalers.  Well, 
he  said,  I  tell  you  what  I  will  do :  I  will  take  the  Iron 
Cross  and  twenty-one  thalers. 

I  prepared  to  leave  Tunis.  Colonel  Playfair,  his 
brother,  and  Lord  Kingston  were  to  sail  in  the  Corsica 


326  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS,     chap.  xxvn. 

for  Susa :  and  there  commence  their  journey  by  land 
into  the  interior.  I  will  make  no  excuse  for  referring 
to  the  result  of  this  journey  in  the  shape  of  an  in- 
teresting and  valuable  work.  Travels  in  the  Footsteps 
of  Bruce.  Bruce  was  the  pioneer,  but  his  journal  was 
never  published  :  his  drawings  have  only  now  been 
brought  to  light,  and  we  mpy  consider  the  journeys  of 
Bruce  and  Colonel  Playfair  as  one.  The  drawings  of 
the  ruins  as  they  existed  a  hundred  years  ago,  and 
the  account  of  their  present  state,  link  the  past  with 
the  present,  and  form  an  admirable  archaBological 
picture  of  perhaps  the  most  interesting  region  in 
Northern  Africa.  Colonel  Playfair's  previous  wander- 
ings through  the  Provinces  of  Algeria  in  the  track  of 
Bruce  had  been  most  extensive  and  laborious :  those 
on  which  he  and  his  genial  companion  were  now  em- 
barking represented  a  circuit  of  some  hundreds  of  miles 
through  this  Regency. 

From  Susa  the  travellers  proceeded  to  El  Djem,  whose 
Amphitheatre  rivals  that  of  Rome :  thence  to  Kairwan, 
whither  I  had  only  preceded  them  by  a  fortnight.  From 
Hammam  Truzza  to  Sbaitla,  Hammada,  Zanfour,  Te- 
boursouk,  El  Baja,  and  finally  through  the  untravelled 
region  of  the  lawless  frontier  tribe,  the  Khomair,  inta 
Algeria.  Conciliated  by  good-humoured  amusement, 
and  by  Lord  Kingston's  unfailing  precision  as  a  shot, 
the  Khomair  were  taken  by  storm  with  a  pot  of  jam. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  FAMINE.  327 

They  would  hardly  part  with  the  travellers.  They 
offered  them  lands,  wives,  sheep,  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  at  least  to  escort  them  to  the  end  of  their 
journey.  There  are  little  weaknesses  which  make 
the  whole  world  akin.  Chocolate  is  the  way  to  one 
person's  heart,  green  figs  to  another's  :  black  currants  are 
the  high  road  to  the  affections  of  the  rugged  Khomair. 
I  may  be  allowed,  to  express  a  hope  that  his  journey 
will  tempt  the  author  of  Mr.  Murray's  Gruide  to  Al- 
geria to  make  known  in  a  similarly  interesting  way 
the  byeways,  cities,  and  ruins  of  this  adjoining  province 
of  Barbary. 

A  year  after  this  I  was  grieved  to  hear  from  Mr.  Bury, 
an  English  merchant  well  known  in  the  Eegency,  that 
the  poor  Arabs  of  the  Sahel  were  starving.  Eain,  as  had 
been  anticipated  and  dreaded,  absolutely  failed.  The 
crops  of  com,  olives,  and  vegetables  came  to  nothing. 
Poor  creatures,  men,  women,  and  children,  roamed 
like  caravans  of  shadows  up-  and  down  the  country, 
seeking  for  work  and  for  food.  Unless  the  Government, 
as  they  readily  can,  take  such  matters  up,  this  terrible 
affliction,  too  probably,  will  be  followed  in  a  year  or 
two  by  typhus  or  some  other  deadly  scourge. 

We  all  went  down  by  train  to  Goletta  and  put  off  to 
our  respective  steamers,  which  were  to  sail  at  the  same 
time.  Perruquier  came  into  the  cabin,  and  I  gave  him 
a  tolerably  good   character — a  better  character,  I  am 


328  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,     chap.  xxvn. 

bound  to  say,  than  he  strictly  deserved — and  dismissed 
him.  Apart  from  his  merits,  I  could  not  help  after- 
wards regarding  this  recommendation  as  thrown  away  : 
for  by  the  side  of  Perruquier's  recommendations  of  him- 
self to  future  travellers,  mine  could  only  sound  mean 
and  flat. 

We  steamed  out  of  Tunis  Bay,  under  the  cliffs  of 
Cape  Carthage,  sighted  the  palms  and  buildings  of 
Biserta,  and  ere  nightfall  were  out  in  the  Malta 
Channel.  The  Lombardia  lurched  and  swung  in  the 
heavy  swell  from  the  gale  of  the  previous  days :  and 
the  saloon  was  soon  emptied  of  passengers.  In  the 
morning  we  were  moored  in  the  little  harbour  of 
Cagliari. 

There  had  sat  opposite  to  me  at  dinner,  and  had 
strutted  about  the  deck  till  it  grew  too  rough,  a  swell : 
an  Italian  swell,  of  the  highest  Tuscan  order.  His 
wristbands  of  snowy  linen  covered  his  hands  to  his 
knuckle-joints,  and  were  fastened  by  prodigious  solitaire 
buttons  bearing  a  coronet.  The  cuffs  barely  left  room 
to  display  a  diamond  ring.  His  finger-nails  were  on 
the  same  scale  as  the  cuffs,  and  would  have  been  the 
envy  of  a  mandarin :  between  the  two  longest  he 
generally  carried  a  cigarette.  Upon  his  nose  he  wore 
daintily  a  double  eyeglass.  His  collars  were  tall  and 
vast,  so  that  he  could  barely  put  his  hat  on :  in  fact, 
everything  about  him  was  on  the  same  imposing  scale. 


CHAP.  xxvn.  CAGLIARI.  329 

The  heels  of  his  boots  were  tall  and  tapering :  he  saun- 
tered with  his  toes  well  turned  out.  His  clothing  in- 
clined rather  towards  the  English  fashion,  and  when  on 
deck  he  was  not  himself  till  he  bore  on  his  head  an  enor- 
mous roimd  Highlander's  bonnet,  standing  well  up,  and 
having  a  large  red  tuft  in  the  centre. 

This  picturesque  creature  invited  me  to  go  and 
spend  the  day  with  him  on  shore,  and  we  strolled 
together  up  the  steep  streets  of  this  sort  of  seedy  and 
decaying  Malta.  The  fortifications,  apart  from  the 
natural  strength  of  the  place,  are  of  little  value.  The 
panorama  from  a  terrace  garden  above  is  very  beautiful. 
We  came  to  the  post  office,  and  my  companion  took 
from  his  pocket  a  pocket  book  decorated  with  a  coronet. 
Do  me  the  pleasure,  he  said  to  the  clerk,  to  look  for 
a  letter  addressed  to  the  Conte  Bianco.  When  the 
clerk  handed  him  his  letter,  his  bow  and  smile  were 
beautiful.  Grazie  tante !  Thanks,  so  many !  he  said. 
This  was  his  favourite  expression  to  anybody  from 
whom  we  asked  our  way  or  anything  else.  Grazie 
tante,  I  take,  therefore,  to  be  a  term  in  use  among  the 
more  select  nobility  of  Italy. 

I  took  him  to  lunch,  and  he  protested  with  much 
elegance  against  my  paying.  We  went  to  a  glove  shop, 
and  he  was  in  despair  because  the  provincial  shop- 
keeper had  only  gloves  with  three  buttons,  whereas,  as 
he  told  me,  he  never  wore  any  with  less  than  four.     I 


33tt  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  MOORS,     chap.  xxvn. 

took  him  past  the  barracks,  where  some  recruits  were 
hard  at  drill,  down  to  the  Eoman  Amphitheatre,  near 
the  Convent  of  the  Capuchins.  The  Conte  Bianco  was 
less  at  home  here  than  on  the  pavements  of  the  town, 
and  we  did  not  stay  longer  than  was  necessary.  We 
went  again  through  the  streets,  to  the  Cathedral,  and 
to  one  or  two  silversmiths'  who  sold  peasants'  filigree 
ornaments.  Then,  as  a  little  of  this  entertaining  idiot 
went  a  long  way,  I  gave  him  the  slip  and  came  on 
board  the  Lombardia. 

I  went  to  the  Museum  in  the  afternoon,  which  is 
a  creditable  little  collection  of  gold  work,  very  early 
iron  ornaments,  local  Phoenician  scarabsei,  lamps  in  red 
white  and  black  clay,  some  of  them  doubled-necked : 
many  Sard  idols  in  bronze,  very  rude  and  extravagant 
in  form,  like  Mexican  gods  :  some  vast  cinerary  or  grain 
jars,  and  pointed  wine  jars  :  many  small  urns  in  glass 
and  earthenware,  some  containing  bones  and  ashes, 
enclosed  in  earthen  urns.  There  were  old  Phoenician 
glass  vessels  of  all  forms  and  in  marvellous  colours : 
Homan  mosaic,  sculptures,  marbles  inscribed  in  Latin 
and  Phoenician  characters,  and  many  old  gems.  Sar- 
dinia is  rich  in  ruins,  tombs,  stone  monuments,  and  all 
those  good  things  which  make  an  antiquary's  mouth 
water,  and  bring  into  the  antiquary's  face  that  look  of 
languor  which  betrays  the  internal  workings  of  his 
heart. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  VISITORS.  331 

After  dinner,  as  we  sat  on  deck,  there  came  on  board 
four  of  the  most  primitive  and  simple  peasants  in  the 
world,  dressed  after  the  manner  of  the  Sards  in  black 
jackets,  snowy  white  shirts,  long  tasseled  tarbooshes, 
and  having  their  faces  closely  shaved.  One  peasant, 
who  must  have  been  of  a  considerable  age,  wore 
a  cloak  of  unwashed  sheepskin.  As  they  came  on 
board  they  made  low  bows  to  me,  whom  they  took  to 
be  the  spirited  proprietor  of  the  steamer,  and  asked  if 
they  might  look  round.  I  took  off  my  hat,  and  said 
with  affability  that  they  were  very  welcome  :  then  they 
went  about  the  deck  softly,  like  cats  on  a  new  carpet, 
with  a  surprised  and  innocent  smile.  They  examined  all 
the  objects  on  deck,  and  their  questions  were  frank 
and  void  of  compliment. 

Contadino :  Where  does  this  thing  come  from  ? 
Traveller  :  From  Tunis.  Contadino :  Tunis  belongs  to 
Emmanuele  ?  Traveller  :  Not  yet — by  and  by.  Con- 
tadino :  Ah,  good.  What's  this  ?  Traveller  :  A  compass, 
to  guide  the  ship.  Contadino :  That's  odd — I  don't 
believe  it.  WTiat's  this  ?  Traveller  :  The  rudder  wheel, 
to  turn  the  ship  with.  Contadino :  I  don't  think  so 
much  of  that.  What  are  you  ? — turning  to  a  young 
Tunisian  in  native  dress — a  boy  or  a  girl  ?  Tunisian 
blushes.  Contadino,  holding  him  up  to  ridicule  :  What 
a  dress !  I  don't  think  much  of  him.  What's  that 
thing  ?      Traveller :     An   Italian    book.      Contadino, 


332  THE  COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,     chap.  xxVil 

examining  the  book  upside  down,  and  noticing  the 
defaced  paper  cover  :  A  book,  eh  ?  I  don't  think  much 
of  it.  Their  grateful  bows  when  they  took  their  leave 
were  splendid :  and  on  the  whole  they  were  a  great 
success. 

Talking  of  Tunis,  there  is  a  Cagliari  newspaper, 
which  bears  the  title  of  Avvenire  di  Sardegna  e 
Corriere  della  Colonia  di  Tunisi,  which  is  not  a  bad 
example  of  effrontery.  There  is  a  strong  feeling,  not 
always  confessed,  among  the  Italians  for  the  annex- 
ation of  Tunis.  An  ancient  province,  which  their  an- 
cestors were  the  first  to  colonise,  and  which  bears  at 
every  point  the  traces  of  those  early  settlers — geogra- 
phically situated  almost  adjacent  to  their  kingdom — 
connected  by  conomerce,  and  containing  a  greater  number 
of  their  countrymen,  as  settlers,  than  of  any  other  Euro- 
pean race — it  does  not  seem  an  unnatural  aspiration. 
When  the  Fiat  Lux  comes  in  the  East,  and  the  time 
arrives  for  making  things  comfortable  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean; when  Constantinople  is  secured  to  Turkey, 
Egypt  allotted  to  England,  Tripoli  to  Germany,  Syria 
to  France  :  the  moment  will  have  arrived  for  gracefully 
handing  over  Tunisia  to  Italy. 

The  Lomhardia  was  loading  numerous  bales  of  cork, 
with  which  the  island  abounds.  The  sun  had  set  two 
hours  before,  and  we  sat  on  deck  chatting  in  the  lantern 
light.     At  midnight  we  sailed,  and  by  daylight  were 


CHAP.  xxTii.  LIVORNESE  INCIDENT.  333 

well  along  the  coast.  It  is  far  less  fine  than  the  neigh- 
bouring island  of  Corsica,  along  which  we  coasted  in 
the  afternoon  and  night.  At  early  morning  we  were  at 
anchor  in  the  harbour  of  Livorno.  As  the  Lombardia 
was  not  to  sail  for  G-enoa  before  midnight,  I  transferred 
my  effects  to  the  Pyroscafo  Galileo  Galilei,  lying 
alongside  of  us,  which  would  sail  at  ten  in  the 
morning. 

I  went  on  shore  to  get  a  newspaper,  which  had  been 
rather  a  scarce  object  of  late.  There  was  a  good  and 
characteristic  incident  in  the  Gazzetta  cU  Livorno. 
Two  gentlemen  had  met  and  quarrelled  in  a  cafe. 
B  had  said  that  A  was  a  rogue  and  adventurer  :  A 
had  pulled  B's  nose.  B  challenged  A  to  a  duel.  A, 
being  a  married  man  with  a  family,  refused  to  go  out. 
B  sent  Baron  C  and  Captain  D  to  A  to  provoke  him 
into  accepting  the  challenge,  without  success.  Here- 
upon the  Baron  and  Captain  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Gaz- 
zetta. After  recapitulating  with  candour  what  had  taken 
place,  they  went  on  to  say :  We  therefore  hereby  declare 
that  Sig.  A  is  a  dastard,  devoid  of  the  principles  of 
honour,  and  that  Sig.  B,  who  has  behaved  as  a  man  of 
courage  and  rectitude,  issues  from  the  affair  with  spot- 
less honour.  These  gentlemen  add  their  names  in  full : 
Baron  C,  &c.,  &c. ;  Capt.  D,  Commandante  of  so-and- 
so,  in  the  service  of  S.M.  il  Re  d'  Italia.  Had  I  not 
lost  the  newspaper,  I  should  have  been  happy  to  repro- 


334  THE    COUNTRY   OF  THE  MOORS,     chap,  xxvii. 

duce  their  names,  as  a  further  advertisement  for  two 
gentlemen  anxious  to  be  known  as  cowardly  bullies 
and  abettors  of  assassination.  Thank  Heaven,  English- 
men don't  thus  understand  the  meaning  of  the  word 
courage. 

The  Pyroscafo  Galileo  Galilei,  a  fine,  powerful 
paddle  steamer,  steamed  out  along  the  coast  in  the  warm 
haze  of  a  Mediterranean  morning.  In  the  afternoon  we 
entered  the  crowded  and  inconvenient  harbour  of 
Grenoa.  I  left  Genoa  at  midnight  by  the  International 
Mail  train. 

It  was  a  warm  and  lovely  day  as  we  approached 
the  Alps.  At  Chambery  were  the  willow  trees  and 
poplars  of  that  beautiful  valley :  and  among  the  fruit 
trees  and  their  rich  blossom,  watching  the  swift-rush- 
ing river  and  splendid  ring  of  mountains,  were  the 
first  French  gendarmes.  They  cannot  be  Eepublicans, 
those  men  of  stately  aspect,  and  magnificent  uniforms 
which  grow  not  old  nor  shabby.  Those  padded  bosoms 
must  hide  Imperialist  hearts — those  cocked  hats  can 
be  the  emblems  of  neither  Liberty,  Equality,  nor  Fra- 
ternity. We  passengers  slept  peacefully  through  the 
night,  and  the  International  Mail  train  shot  into  the 
Lyons  terminus  at  Paris  within  five  minutes  of  its 
appointed  time. 


SpoUUwoode  de  Co.,  Piinlen,  Nevc-street  Square,  London. 


"2 i»^-v,e^^    "^>. 


''"Ij/<  '.Maiuniu- 


IBiiar 

-h  f  Gull"  of  HiuimiB 

"  •rguela 


Sbeitliil  <"{*' 


-    .  ILESSER  SYRTIS 


Palladia 
''7~r:(u\i     sf'l .lint  \  r,        n 

y*"       /"S"         )>Raa  Capoc 
'JebeliancL 


.Eerkei 

■kairuv 
'Ghci-ba 


Lai? 


Scale  of  £n^ilifth  Ifiles 


MALTA 


,'smii'h 


V 


doidkdv 
\as  Martnor 

Zarzis 

Bibojv 


TRIPOLI  (Taiabolos  ! 


{ 


% 


ShuJtshook  / 
-^~* — •  .  fSphXcttbn 


1;  ni-\>-  •'7:v')^r/ri,ul         X'lth 


ilisrati 


,<*|    ,'fZMan 


;*■*  ■  '■■■ 


£LKeraha. 


2' 


'sf 


London;  John  Jfnrrov.  Alb*- 


S^MtiAm^it   G*t3g^  £ttat* 


MR.  MURRAY'S 

LIST  OF  VOYAGES  AND  TRAVELS. 


THE  EAST-INDIA,  CHINA,  &c. 
TRAVELS   of   MARCO    POLO.     A    new    English    version. 

Illustrated  with  copious  Notes.  By  Col.  Yitle,  C.B.    Illustrations.  2  vols.  8vo.  63». 

A  VLSIT  to  HIGH  TARTAR Y,  YARKAND,  and  KASHGAR, 

and  over  the  Karakorum  Pass.    By  Egbert  Shaw.    Illustrations.    8vo.  16s. 

NEW  JAPAN :  the  LAND  of  the  RISING  SUN.     Its  Annals 

during  the  past  twenty  years  ;  recording  the  remarkable  progress  of  the  Japanese 
in  western  civilisation.    By  Sajiuel  Mossma\.    Map.    8vo.  15s. 

CHINA,  JAPAN,  FORMOSA.     Being  a  Cruise  in  the  Eastern 

Seas.    Russian  Tartary  and  Eastern  Siberia,  from  the  Corea  to  the  River  Amur. 
By  W.  B.  Bax,  R.N.    Map,  with  Illustrations.    Cr.  8vo.  12«. 

ADVENTURES  of  a  PIONEER  of  COMMERCE  on  an  OVER- 

LAND  Journey  from  China  towards  India.   T.  T.  Coopek.  Illustrations.   8vo.  16*. 

JOURNEY  to  the   SOURCE  of  the  RIVER  OXUS,    by  the 

Indus,  Kabul,  and  Badakhshan.    By  Capt.  John  Wood.    With  an  Essay  on  the 
Geography  of  the  Valley  of  the  Oxus,  by  Col.  Yule,  C.B.    Map.    8vo.  12«. 

THIRTEEN  YEARS'  RESIDENCE  at  the  COURT  of  CHINA, 

in  the  Service  of  the  Emperor.    By  Father  Ripa.    Post  8vo.  2s, 

POPULAR  ACCOUNT  of  the  MANNERS  and  CUSTOMS  of 

INDIA.    By  Rev.  Chas.  Acland.    Post  8vo.  'is. 

NINEVEH  and  its  REMAINS.     With  an  Account  of  a  Visit  to 

the  Chaldean  Christians  of  Kurdistan,  and  the  Yezedis  or  Devil  Worshippers,  &c. 
By  A.  H.  Layaiid.    Illustrations.    2  vols.  8vo.  36«  ;  or  post  8vo.  7*.  dU, 

NINEVEH  and  BABYLON  :  a  Narrative  of  a  Second  Expedi- 

tion  to  the  Ruins  of  Assyria,  with  Travels  in  Armenia.    By  A,  H.  Layaiid. 
Illustrations.    8vo.  '21s. ;  or  post  8vo.  7«.  Sd. 

AFRICA-EGYPT. 
A  POPULAR  ACCOUNT  of  DR.  LIVINGSTONE'S  Travels 

and  Adventures  m  South  Africa,  1840-56.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.  7s,  6rf. 

A  POPULAR  ACCOUNT  of  DR.  LIVINGSTONE'S   Expedi- 

tion  to  the  Zambesi,  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa,  I858-ti4.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo. 
Ts.  fid, 

DR.   LIVINGSTONE'S  LAST   JOURNALS    in    CENTRAL 

AFRICA,  1865-73.    With  a  Narrative  of  his  last  moments  and  suflerings.    By 
Rev.  HoiiACF.  Waller.    lUaBtrations.    2  vols.  8vo.  v!8«. 

LIVINGSTONIA.     Journal  of  Adventures  in  Exploring  Lake 

Nyassa,  and  Establishing  a  Settlement  there.   By  E.  D.  Yocxo,  U.N.    Revised  by 
Rev.  HoR.\CE  Wallek.    Post  8vo.  7i.  Id. 

WANDERINGS  SOUTH  of  the  ATLAS  MOUNTAINS,  in 

the  Great  Sahara.    By  Canon  Thistiiam.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.  15*. 

FIVE  YEARS'  ADVENTURES  in  the  far  Interior  of  SOUTH 

AFRICA  with  the  Wild  Beasts  of  the  Forests.    By  R.  Gordon  Cumiuno.    Wood- 
cuts.   Post  8vo.  6*. 


2  Mr.  Murray's  List  of  Voyages  and  Travels — continued. 
SPORT  and  WAR.     Recollections  of  Fighting  and  Hunting  in 

South  Africa,  from  1834-67,  with  an  Account  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh's  Visit. 
By  General  Bisset,  C.B.    Illnstrations.    Cr.  8vo.  14^. 

WESTERN   BARBARY,  its  WILD  TRIBES  and  SAVAGE 

ANIMALS.    By  Sir  Drummoxd  Hay.    Post  8to.  2s. 

A  RESIDENCE  in  SIERRA  LEONE,  described  from  a  Jpurnal 

kept  on  the  Spot.    By  a  Lady.    Post  8vo.  Ss.  6d. 

THE  CRADLE  of  the  BLUE  NILE.     A  Visit  to  the  Court  of 

King  John  of  Ethiopia.  By  B.  A.  De  Cosson,  With  Maps  and  Illustrations. 
2  vols,  crown  8vo.  21,*. 

SPORT   in   ABYSSINIA.     By   Earl   of  Mayo.     Illustrations. 

PostSvo.  12.S. 

ABYSSINIA  during  a  THREE  YEARS'  RESIDENCE.     B7 

Mansfield  Parkyns.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.  7s.  ed. 

ADVENTURES  in  the  LIBYAN  DESERT.     By  B.  St.  John. 

Post  8vo.  2s. 

TRAVELS   in  EGYPT,    NUBIA,  SYRIA,    and  the  HOLY 

LAND.    By  Captains  Irby  and  Mangles.    Post  8vo.  2s. 

MADAGASCAR    REVISITED;    Describing  the   Events  of  a 

New  Reign,  and  the  Persecutions  endured  by  the  Christian  Converts.    By  Rev.  , 
W.  Ellis.    Illustrations.    8vo.  16s. 

MEDITERRANEAN-GREECE,  TURKEY  IN  EUROPE. 
TRAVELS  in  ASIA  MINOR:    with  Antiquarian  Researches 

and  Discoveries,  and  Illustrations  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Archseology.  By 
Henry  Van-Lennep,  D.D.    Illustrations.    2  vols,  post  8vo.  24*. 

RESEARCHES     in  the    HIGHLANDS    of    TURKEY.      In 

Albania,  Montenegro,  &c.  With  Notes  on  the  Classical  Supei-stitions  of  the 
Modem  Greek.    By  Rev.  H.  F.  Tozkr.    Illustrations.    2  vols.  cr.  8vo.  24*. 

LECTURES  on  the  GEOGRAPHY  of  GREECE.     By  Rev. 

H.  F.  TozEB,  M.A.    Map.    Post  8vo.  9,?. 

VISITS  to  the  MONASTERIES  of  the  LEVANT.     By  Hon. 

Robert  Curzok.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.  7*.  6cf. 

BETWEEN  the  DANUBE  and  the  BLACK  SEA ;    or.  Five 

Years  among  the  Bulgarians  and  the  Turks.  By  H.  C.  Baukley,  Civil  Engineer. 
Post  8vo.  10*.  6d. 

BULGARIA  before   the   WAR.     A  Seven  Years'  Experience 

ol  European  Turkey  and  its  Inhabitants.    By  H.  C.  Barkley.    Post  8vo.  10*.  6d. 
ASIA,  SYRIA,  HOLY  LAND. 
TRAVELS  in  the  EASTERN  CAUCASUS,  the  Caspian  and 

Black  Seas,  Dagh>-stan  and  the  Frontier  of  Persia  and  Turkey.  By  Sir  A. 
Uunykohame.    lUustratious.    8vo.  18*. 

THE  CAUCASUS,  PERSIA,  and  TURKEY  in  ASIA.     Being 

ft  journey  to  Tabreez,  Kurdistan,  down  the  Tigri-'  and  Euphrates  to  Nineveh  and 
Babylon,  and  across  the  Desert  to  Palmyra.  Bv  Bamn  Thielmann.  Translated 
by  CUAU.  Heneaue.    Illustrations.    2  vols,  post  8vo.  18*. 


ULr.  Murray's  List  of  Voyages  and  Travels — eontinued.  3 
SKETCHES  of  the  MANNERS  and  CUSTOMS  of  PERSIA. 

By  Sir  John  Malcolm.    Post  8vo.  3*.  6d. 

JOURNAL  of  RESEARCHES  in  the  HOLY  LAND,  in  1838 

and  1852.  With  Historical  Illustrations.  By  Edwabd  Eobinson,  D.D.  Maps. 
3  vols.  8vo.  42*. 

SINAI  and  PALESTINE ;  in  Connection  with  their  History. 

By  Dean  Stanlkt.    Plans.    8vo.  lis. 

DAMASCUS,  PALMYRA,  LEBANON;  with  Travels  among 

the  Giant  Cities  of  Bashan  and  the  Hauran.  By  Eev.  J.  L,  Porter.  Woodcuts. 
Poet  8vo.  7«.  6d. 

THE  JORDAN,  the  NILE,  RED  SEA,  LAKE  of  GENNE- 

SARETH,  &C.  The  Cruise  of  the  '  Rob  Roy '  in  Palestine,  Egypt,  and  the  Waters 
of  Damascus.    By  John  Macgrkgob.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.  7*.  6d. 

THE  LAND  of  MOAB.     Travels  and  Discoveries  on  the  East 

Side  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan.  By  Canon  Tristram.  Illustrations. 
Cr.  8vo.  15*. 

AUSTRALIA,  POLYNESIA,  Sec. 

A  BOY'S  VOYAGE  ROUND  the  WORLD.      By  Samuel 

Smilbs  the  Younger.    Sm.  8vo.  6*. 

HAWAIIAN  ARCHIPELAGO  ;  Six  Months  among  the  Pahn 

Groves,  Coral  Reefs,  and  Volcanoes  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  By  Isabella  Bird. 
Illustrations.    Cr.  8vo.  12j. 

TYPEE  and  OMOO  ;  or,  the  MARQUESAS  and  SOUTH  SEA 

ISLANDERS.    By  'HsBMASS  Melville.   2  vols,  post  8vo.  7t. 

RECOLLECTIONS  of  BUSH  LIFE  in  AUSTRALIA,  during  a 

Residence  of  Eight  Years  in  the  Interior.  By  Rev.  H.  W.  Hatgarth.  Post  8vo.  2*. 

NOTES  and  SKETCHES  of  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.     By 

Mrs.  MKREDrrn.    Post  8vo.  2*. 

MUTINEERS  of  the  '  BOUNTY,'  and  their  Descendants;  with 

their  Settlements  in  Pitcaim  and  Norfolk  Islands.  By  Lady  Belcher.  Illus- 
trations.   Post  8to.  12j. 

AMERICA,  WEST  INDIES,  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 
MEXICO  and  the  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.    By  George  F. 

Ruxton.    Post  8vo.  3*.  6d. 

THE  NATURALIST  on  the  RIVER  AMAZONS,  with  Ad- 
ventures during  Eleven  Years  of  Travel.  By  H.  W.  Bates.  Hlostrations.  Post 
8vo.  7s.  6d. 

VOYAGE  up  the  RIVER  AMAZONS,  and  a  visit  to  PARA. 

By  William  H.  Edwards.    Post  8vo.  2*. 

THE    NATURALIST  in  NICARAGUA.    A  Narrative  of  a 

Residence  at  the  Gold  Mines  of  Chontales  ;  and  of  Journeys  in  the  Savannahs 
and  Forests.  With  observations  on  Animals  and  Plants.  By  Thomas  Belt. 
Illustrations.    Post  Svo.  12*. 

JOURNEYS  across  the   PAMPAS.     By  Sir  Francis   Head. 

Post  Svo.  2*. 

X 


4    Mr.  Murray's  List  of  Voyages  and  Travels — eontinued. 
VOYAGE  of  a  NATURALIST  BOUND  the  WORLD.    By 

Charles  Darwin.    Post  8vo.  9s. 

THE   PATAGONIANS;    a    YEAR'S    WANDERING     over 

Untrodden  Ground  from  the  Straits  of  Magellan  to  the  Eio  Negro.  By  Captain 
G.  C.  Musters.    Illustrations.    Post  8to.  Is.  ed. 

PIONEERING  in  SOUTH  BRAZIL.     Three  Years  of  Forest 

and  Prairie  Life  in  the  Province  of  Parana.  By  Thos.  P.  Bigg  Wither.  Map 
and  Illustrations.    2  vols,  post  8vo. 

VOYAGE  of  the  «FOX'  in  the  ARCTIC  SEAS,  and  the  Dis- 

covery  of  the  Fate  of  Sir  John  PrankUn  and  his  Companions.  By  Sir  Lbopold 
M'Clistock.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.  7s.  Gd. 

PERILS  in  the  POLAR  SEAS.     True  Stories  of  Arctic  Dis- 
covery and  Adventure.    By  Mrs.  Chisholm.    Illustrations.    Sm.  8vo.  6*. 

COMMUNISTIC   SOCIETIES    of    the    UNITED    STATES. 

With  Detailed  Accounts  of  the  Shakers,  the  Amana,  Oneida,  Bethell,  Aurora, 
Icarian,  and  other  Societies  ;  their  Eeligious  Creeds,  Social  Practices,  Numbers, 
Industries,  and  Present  Condition.  By  Charles  Nordhoff.  Illustrations. 
8vo.  I5s. 

JOURNAL  of  a  RESIDENCE  in  the  WEST  INDIES.     By 

M.  G.  Lewis.    Post  8vo.  2s. 

EUROPE. 
DIARY  of  the  SHAH  of  PERSIA  during  his  TOUR  through 

EUROPE  in  1873.    Translaj:ed  by  J.  W.  Redhouse.    Portrait.    Cr.  8vo.  12*. 

ETCHINGS  from  the  MOSEL  :  a  Series  of  Twenty  Plates,  with 

Descriptive  Letterpress.    By  Ernest  Geobge.    Folio,  42*. 

ETCHINGS  from  the  LOIRE  and   SOUTH  of  FRANCE :  a 

Series  of  Twenty  Plates,  with  Descriptive  Text.   By  Ernest  George.    Folio,  42*. 

A  MONTH  in  NORWAY.  By  J.  G.  Hollway.  Fcp.  8vo.  2s. 
LETTERS  from  the  SHORES  of  the  BALTIC.    By  a  Ladt. 

Post  8vo.  2s. 

LETTERS  from  HIGH  LATITUDES :  an  Account  of  a  Yacht 

Voyage  to  Iceland,  Jan  Mayen,  and  Spitzbergen.  By  Lord  Dufferin.  Illustra- 
tions.   Cr.  8vo.  Ts,  6d. 

THE  LAND  of  the  NORTH  WIND.     Travels  among  the  Lap- 
landers and  Samoyedes.    ByBDWARDRAK.    Map.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.  10*.  6i. 

GATHERINGS  from  SPAIN.     By  Richard  Ford.     Post  8vo. 

3s.  6d. 

BRITTANY  and  itsBYEWAYS;  with  some  Account  of  its 

Inhabitants  and  its  Antiquities,    By  Mrs.  Palliser.    Illustrations.   Fost8T0.12«. 

BUBBLES    from    the   BRUNNEN    of    NASSAU.      By    Sir 

FuAJfCis  Head.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.  7s.  6d. 

ART  of  TRAVEL ;  or,  HINTS  on  the  SHIFTS  and  Con- 
trivances available  in  Wild  Countries.  By  Frakois  Galton.  Woodcuts. 
.FoetSvo.  7s,  6<t. 


60a,  Albbjiable  Street,  London, 
SepUniber,  1877. 


ME.  MURRAY'S 

GENERAL    LIST    OF    WORKS. 


ABINGER'S  (Lord  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer)  Life.    By  the 
Hon.  P.  Caupbbll  Scablett.    Portrait.    8vo.    loa. 

ALBERT  MEMORIAL.      A  Descriptive  and  Illustrated  Account 

of  the  National  Monument  erected  to  the  PRINCE  CONSORT  at 
Kensington.  IIIuHtrated  by  Engravings  of  its  Architecture,  Decora- 
tions, Sculptured  Groups,  Statues,  Mosaics,  Metaltrork,  &c.  With 
Descriptive  Text.    By  Dovhe  C.  Bell.    With  24  Plates.    Folio.  121,  12*. 

Handbook  to.  Is.  ;  or  Illustrated  Edition,  2s.  6d. 

(Pbihob)  Speeches  and  Addresses,  with  an  In- 
troduction, giving  some  outline  of  his  Character.  With  Portrait.  8vo. 
lOt.  6d. :  or  Popular  Edition,  fcap.  8vo.     Is. 

ALBERT  DURBR;  hia  Life,  with  a  History  of  his  Art.     By  Dr. 

Thacsiito,  Keeper  of  Archduke  Alberts   Art  Collection  at  "Vienna. 

Translated  trom  the  German.    With  Portrait  and  Illustrations.    2  vols. 

8vo.  [In  tilt  Pre«s. 

ABBOTT'S  (Ret.  J.)  Memoirs  of  a  Church  of  England  ilissionary 

in  the  North  American  Colonies.    Post  8vo.    2s, 
ABERCROMBIE  (John).     Enquiries  concerning  the  Intellectual 

Powers  and  the  Investigation  of  Truth.    Fcap.  8vo.  3«.  6<2. 
■ Philosophy  of  the  Moral  Feelings.     Fcap.  8to. 

2#.  6d. 
ACLAND  (Rbv.  Charles).    Popular  Account  of  the  Manners  and 

Customs  of  India.     Post  8vo.    2s. 

iBSOP'S  FABLES.  A  New  Version.  With  Historical  Preface. 
By  Rev.  Thomas  Jambs.  With  100  WoodcuU,  by  Tehnibl  and  Wolf. 
PostSvo.    2t.6d. 

AGRICULTURAL  (Rotal)  JOURNAL.     {PuUisliedha}/. yearly.) 
AIDS  TO  FAITH :  a  Series  of  Theological  Essays.    By  various 
Authors.    8vo.    9». 

Conttnts: — Miracles;  Evidences  of  Christianity;  Prophecy  &  Mos«ic 
Record  of  Creation;  Ide< logy  and  Subs-rlption;  The  Pentateuch;  In- 
spiration; Death  of  Christ;  Scripture  and  its  Inierpretation. 

AMBER-WITCH  (The).    A   most    interesting  Trial  for  Witch- 
craft.   Translated  by  Ladt  Duff  Gordon.    Post  8vo.    2s, 
ARMY  LIST  (The).    Publislied  Montldy  by  Authority, 
ARTHUR'S  (Little^  History  of   England.     By   Ladt   Callcott. 

New  Edition,  continwd  lo  1872.    With  36  Woodcuts.    Fcap.  8vo.     1».  9d. 

AUSTIN  (John).  Lectures  on  General  Jurisprudence  ;  or,  the 
Philosophy  of  Positive  Law.  Edited  by  Robbut  Campbell.  2  Vols. 
8vo.    S2s. 

Student's  Edition,   by   Robert   Campbell,  compiled 

from  the  above  work.    Post  8vo.    12s. 

Analysis  of.   By  Gordon  Campbell,  M.A.  Post  8vo.  6s. 

ARNOLD  (Thos.).  Ecclesiastical  and  Secular  Architecture  of 
Scotland  -:  The  Abbeys,  Churches,  Castles,  and  Mansions.  With  Illus- 
trations.    Medium  bvo.  [In  Preparation. 


LIST   OP  WORKS 


ATKINSON  (Dr.  E.)  Vie  de  Seint  Auban.  A  Poem  in  Norman- 
French.  Ascribed  to  Matthew  Pakis.  With  Concordance,  Glossary 
and  Notes.    Small  4to,  10s.  6d. 

ADMIRALTY  PUBLICATIONS ;  Issued  by  direction  of  the  Lords 

Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty:— 
A  MANUAL  OF  SCIENTIFIC  ENQUIRY,  for  the  Use  of  Travellers. 
Fourth  Edition.     Edited  hy  Robkbt  Main,  M.A.    Woodcuts.    Post 
8vo.    3s.  6d. 
GREENWICH   ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATIONS    1841  to  1846, 

aHd  1847  to  1871.    Royal  4to.    20s.  each. 
MAGNETICAL  AND  METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS.  1840 

to  1847.    Royal  4to.    20s.  each. 
APPENDICES  TO  OBSERVATIONS. 

1837.  Logarithms  of  Sines  and  Cosines  in  Time.  3s. 

1842.  Catalogue  of  1439  Stars,  from  Observations  made  in  1836  to 

1841.  4s. 
1P45.  Longitude  of  Valentia  (Chronometrical).    3s. 
1847.  Description  of  Altazimuth.    3s. 

Twelve  Years'  Catalogue  of  Stars,  from  Observations  made 

in  1836  to  1847.    4s. 
Description  of  Photographic  Apparatus.    2s. 

1851.  Maskelyne's  Ledger  of  Stars.    3s. 

1852.  I.  Description  of  the  Transit  Circle.    3». 

1853.  Refradtion  Tables.    8s. 

1854.  Description  of  the  Zenith  Tube.    8*. 

Six  Years'  Catalogue  of  Stars,  from  Observations.  1848  to 
1853.  4s. 
1862.  Seven  Years'  Catalogue  of  Stars,  from  Observations.     1854  to 
1860.    10s. 

Plan  of  Ground  Buildings.    3s. 

Longitude  of  Valentia  (G  alvanlc) .    2s. 
1864.  Moon's  Semid.  from  Occultations.    2s. 

Planetary  Observations,  1831  to  1835.   2s. 
1868.  Corrections  of  Elements  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn.    2s. 

Second  Seven  Years'  CaUlogue  of  2760  Stars  for  1861  to 
1867.    4s, 

Description  of  the  Great  Equatorial.    3s. 
1856.   Descriptive  Chronograph.    3». 
1860.  Reduction  of  Deep  Thermometer  Observations.    2s. 
1871.  History  and  Description  of  Water  Telescope.    3s. 

Cape  of  Good  Hope  Observations  (Star  Ledgers  .    1856  to  1863.  2s. 
. 1856.    5s. 


Astronomical  Results.  1857  to  1858.   5s. 


Report  on  Teneriffe  Astronomical  Experiment.    1856.    5«. 
Paramatta  Catalogue  of  7385  Stars.    1822  to  1826.    4s. 

ASTRONOMICAL   RESULTS.    1847  to  1871.    4tO.    3s.  each. 

MAGNETICAL    AND     METEOROLOGICAL     RESULTS.    1847  to 

1871.    4to.   3s.  each. 
BEDUCTION  OP   THE  OBSERVATIONS  OF  PLANETS.    1760  to 
1830.    Royal  4to.    20s.  each. 

_ LUNAR  OBSERVATIONS.    1750 

to  1830.    SVols.    Royal  4to.    20s.  each. 

1831  to  1851.    4to.    lOs.each. 


BERNOULLI'S  SEXCENTENARY  TABLE.    1779.    4to.    6s. 

BESSEL'S  AUXILIARY  TABLES  FOR  HIS  METHOD  OF  CLEAR' 
ING  LUNAR  DISTANCES.    8vo.    2s. 

ENCKE'S  BERLINER  JAHRBUCH,  for   830.    Berlin,  1828.    8vo.    9«. 

HANSEN'S  TABLES  DE  LA  LUNE.    4tO.     20s. 

LAX'S  TABLES  FOR  FINDING  THE  LATITUDE  AND  LONGI- 
TUDE.   1821.    8vo.    10s. 

LUNAR  OBSERVATIONS  at  GREENWICH.  1783  to  1819.  Compared 
with  tlie  Tables.  1821.    4to.    7s.ed. 

MACLEAR  ON  LACAILLE'S  ARC  OF  MERIDIAN.  2  Vols.  30*.  each 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


Aduiraltt  Publications — continued. 

MAYER'S    DISTANCES     of    the     MOON'S    CENTRE     from     the 
PLANETS.    1822.  3.I.:  1823.  4».6d.    1824  to  1836.     8vo.    i<.  each. 

TABULiE  MOTUUM  SOLIS  KT  LUN.*!.     1770.    6». 

ASTRONOMICAL   OBSERVATIONS    MADE   AT   GOT- 

TINGEN,  from  1756  to  1761.    1826.    Folio.    7#.  6d. 

NAUTICAL  ALMANACS,  from  1767  to  1877,  80*.    2*.  6d.  each. 

SELECTIONS  FROM,  up  to  1812.    8vo.    6«. 


1834.64.    Bs. 


is.  each. 


-  SUPPLEMENTS,  1828  to  1833,  1837  and  1838. 

TABLE   requisite  to  be  used  with  the  N.A. 

1781.    8vo.    bs. 
SABINE'S  PENDULUM  EXPERIMENTS  to  DBTKBimrK  th«  Fiodm 

or  THK  Earth.    1826.    4to.    40». 
SHEPHERD'S   TABLES   for  CoKBEcriita  Ldnab   Dibtaxgks.     1772. 

Royal  4to.    21s. 

TABLES,    GENERAL,  of   the   MOON'S    DISTANCE 

from  the  SUN,  and  10  STARS.    1787.    Folio.    6s.  6d. 

TAYLOR'S  SEXAGESIMAL  TABLE.    1780.    4to.    16». 

TABLES  OF  LOGARITHMS.    4to.    60*. 

MARK'S   ASTRONOMICAL    OBSERVATIONS  for  the  Lonoitudb 
of  Madeira.    1822.    4to.    &s. 

CHRONOMETRICAL  OBSERVATIONS    for   Diffkbkkces 

of  LoKaiTUDB  between  Doveb,  Pobtsmodth,  and  Fauiootb.    1823. 
4to.    6s. 

VENUS  and  JUPITER:   Obsebvatiosb  of,  compared  with  the  Tablbb. 

London,  1822.    4to.    25. 
WALES'    AND    BAYLY'S    ASTRONOMICAL     OBSERVATIONS. 

1777.    4to.    21*. 

REDUCTION    OF    ASTRONOMICAL    OBSERVATIONS 

MADE    IN    THE     SOUTHERN     HEMISPHERE.     1764—1771.     1788.      4t0. 

10*.  6d. 

BAKBAULD   (Mrs.).     Hymns    ia    Prose    for    Children.     With 

Illustrations.    Crown  8vo. 
BAROLAY    (JOSEPH,   LL.D.).     The  Talmud:   being  Selected 

Extracts,  chiefly  illustrating  the  Teaching  of  the  Hible.     With  an 
Introduction  describing  the  General  Character  of  tbe  Talmud.    8vo. 

BARKLEY  (H.  C),   Five  Years  among  the  Bulgarians  and  Turks 

between  the  Danube  and  the  Black  Sea.    Post  8vo.    10*  6d. 
My  Boyhood  :  a  True  Story.    With  Illustrations. 

Post  8to.     a  Christmas  Book  for  Schoolboys  and  ethers. 
BARROW   (Sib  John).     Autobiographical    Memoir,  from  Early 

Life  to  Advanced  Age.    Portrait.    8vo.    16*. 
—   (John)  Life,  Exploits,  and  Voyages  of  Sir  Francis 

Drake.    Post  8vo.    2*. 
BARRY  (Sir  Charles).     Life   and   Works.     By  Canok  Barrt. 

With  Portrait  and  Illustrations.    Medium  8vo.    16*. 
BATES'  (H.  W.)    Records  of  a  Naturalist  on  the  River  Amazon 

during  eleven  years  of  Adventure  and  Travel.  Illustrations.    Post  8vo. 

7s.  ed. 

BAX  (Capt.  R.N.).  RussianTartary,  Eastern  Siberia,  China,  Japan, 

and  Formosa.    A  Narrative  of  a  Cruite  in  the  Eastern  Seas.     With 
Map  and   Illustrations.    Crown  8vo.    12s. 

BELCHER  (Lady).  Account  of  the  Mutineers  of  the  '  Bounty,' 
and  their  Descendants ;  with  their  Settlements  in  Pitcaira  and  Norfolk 
Islands.    With  Illustrations.    Post  8vo.    12*. 

BELL'S  (Sib  Chas.)  Familiar  Letters.    Portrait    Post  8vo.    12s. 

B  8 


LIST  OP  WORKS 


BELL  (DoYNK  C).  Notices  of  the  Historic  Interments  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Peter  ad  Vinciila,  in  tlie  Tower  of  r.oiidoii,  with  an  account 
of  the  discovery  of  the  remains  of  Queen  Anne  Boleyn.  With  Illustra- 
tions.   Crown  8yo.    14s. 

BELT  (Thos.).    Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  including  a  Residence- 

at  the  Gold  Mines  of  Chontales;  with  Journeys  in  the  Savannahs- 
and  Forests ;  and  Observations  on  Animals  and  Plants.  Illustrations. 
PostSvo.  12s. 

BERTEAM  (Jas.  G.).  Harvest  of  the  Sea :  an  Account  of  British 
Food  Fishes,  including  sketches  of  Fisheries  and  Fisher  Folk.  With 
50  Illustrations.    8vo.    9s. 

BIBLE    COMMENTARY.     Explanatort    and  Critioal.     With 

a  RKvisioy  of  the  Translation.  Ey  BISHOPS  and  CLERGY  of  the- 
ANGI.ICAN  CHUKCH.  Edited  by  F.C.  CooK,  M.A.,  Canon  of  Exeter. 
Vols.  I.  to  VI.  (The  Old  Testament).  Medium  8vo.    61.  IBs. 

Mod.  » 

Psalms. 
Pboverbs. 


('Oknf.sis 
^  ,  -  Exodus. 
^"J:  ^'    (  Leviticus, 


*^*'         Numbers. 

IDkuteronomy. 


Vol.  IV, 
24s. 


Ecx;lf.siaste8. 
(Song  of  Solomok. 
Vol.  V.    (Ipaiah. 
20«.       (Jeremiah. 

Vol.  VI,      CPZKKIEL. 

23s. 


f  FZHKIEL, 

■I  Daniel. 
(  Minor  P 


„  ,    fj  fJosHUA,    Judges,   Ruth, 

'  'j,^' /  Samuel,     Kiugs,     Chro- 

""!:.  Nici.ES,  Ezra,  Nehesiiah, 

\  Esther.  ^^o.       ^^  minor  Prophets. 

BIGG-WITHER  (T.  P.).  Pioneering  in  S.Brazil;  Hi  ree  years  of 
forest  and  prairie  life  in  the  province  of  Parana.  Map  and  Illustrations. 
8vo.  [In  the  Press. 

BIRCH    (Samuel).    History  of  Ancient  Pottery  and  Porcelain  : 

Egyptian,  Assyrian,  Greek,  Roman,  and  Etruscan.  With  Coloured 
Plates  and  200  Illustrations.    Medium  Svo.    42s. 

BIRD  (Isabella).  Hawaiian  Archipelago;  or  Six  Months  among^ 
the  Palm  Groves,  Cor"!  Kecfs,  and  Volcanoes  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
With  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo.    7s.  Gd. 

BISSET  (General).    Sport  and  War  in  South  Africa  from  1884 

to  1867,  with  a  Narrative  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh's  Visit.  With 
Map  and  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo.    14s. 

BLACKSTONE'S  COMMENTARIES;  adapted  to  the  Present 
state  of  the  Law.  Ry  R.  Malcolm  Kekr,  LL.D.  Revised  Edition, 
incorporating  all  the  Recent  Changes  in  the  Law.    4  vols.    Svo.    60s. 

BLUNT  (Rev.  J.  J.).    Undesigned  Coincidences  in  the  Writings  of 

the  Old  and  NewTeataments,  an  Argument  of  their  Veracity :  containing 
the  RookH  of  Moses,  IliNtorical  and  Prophetical  Scriptures,  and  the 
Gospels  and  Acts.     Post  Svo. .  6s. 

— History  of  the  Church  in  the  First  Three  Centuries. 

Post  8vo.    6s. 

Parish  Priest;  His  Duties,  Acquirements  and  Obliga- 
tions.   Post  8vo.    6s. 

Lectures  on'  the    Right  Use    of   the    Early  Fathers. 

8to.    9s. 

University  Sermon?.    Post  Svo.    65. 

Plain  Sermons.    2  vols.    Post  Svo.    12*. 


BLOMFIELD'S  (Bishop)  Memoir,  with  Selections  from  his  Corre- 
spondence.   By  bis  Son.    Portrait,  post  Svo.   12s. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


BO&WELL'S  (Jamks)  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson,  Llj.D.  Including 
the  Tour  to  the  Hebrides.  Edited  by  Mr.  Cbokeb.  Seventh  Edition. 
Portraits.    1  vol.    Medium  8vo.    Vis. 

BRACE  (C.  L.)  Manual  of  Ethnology ;  or  the  Races  of  the  Old 
World.    Post  8vo.    6». 

BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER.  Illustrated  with  Coloured 
Borders,  Initial  Letters,  and  Woodcuts,    8vo.    18s. 

BORROW  (George)  Bible  in  Spain;  or  the  Journeys,  Adventures, 
and  Imprisonments  of  an  Englishman  in  an  Attempt  to  circulate  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Peninsula.     Post  8vo.    bs. 

Gypsies  of  Spain ;  their  Manners,  Customs,  Re- 
ligion, and  Language.    With  Portrait.    Post  8vo.   5s. 

Lavengro ;  The  Scholar — The  Gypsy — and  the  Priest. 

Post  8vo.    5». 

Romany  Rye — a  Sequel  to  "Lavengro."  PostSvo.   5s. 

Wild  Walks  :  its   People,   Language,   and  Scenery. 

PostSvo.   5». 

Romano  Lavo-Lil ;  Word-Book  of  the   Romany,  or 

English  Gypsy  Language;  with  Specimens  of  their  Poetry,  and  an 
account  of  certain  Gypsyries.    Post  8vo.     10*.  6t<. 

BRAY   (Mrs.)  Life  of  Thomas  Stothard,  R.A.      With  Portrait 

and  60  Woodcuts.    4to.    21s. 
BRITISH  ASSOCIATION  REPORTS. 

York  and  Oxford,  1831-32, 13*.  6d. 

Cambridge,  1833, 12«. 


Edinburgh,  1834, 15s. 
Dublin,  1835,  13s.  6d. 
Bristol,  1836,  12s. 
Liverpool,  1837.  16s.  6<f. 
Mewcastle,  1838^  15s. 
Birmingham,  1839,  13s.  6<l. 
Glasgow,  1840,  16s. 
Plymouth,  1841,  13».  6d. 
Manchester,  1842,  10s.  M. 
Cork,  1843, 12s. 
York,  1844,  20s. 
Cambridge,  1845, 12s. 
Southampton,  1846, 15«. 
Oxford,  1847. 18s. 
Swansea,  1848, 9s. 
Birmingham,  1849, 10s. 
Edinburgh,  1860, 15s. 
Ipswich,  1851,  16s.  Qd. 
Belfast,  1S52, 15s. 
Hull,  1853,  IDs.  M. 
Liverpool,  1864, 18s. 

BROUGHTON     (Lord)    Journey    throngh  Albania,    Turkey  in 
Europe  and  Asia,  to  Constantinople.    Illustrations.    2  Vols.  8vo,    30s. 

Visits  to  Italy.    2  Vols.    Post  8vo.     18». 

BRUGSCH    (Professor)    History    of   Egypt,  from    the    earliest 

period.  Derived  from  Monuments  and  Inscriptions.  A'etojEdition.  Trans- 
lated by  H.  Danbt  Sbymoub.  2  vols.  8vo.  [^In  Preparation. 
BUCKLEY  (Arabella  B.)  Short  History  of  Natural  Science, 
and  the  Progress  of  Discovery  from  the  time  of  the  Greeks  to  the 
present  day,  for  Schools  and  voung  Persons.  Illustrations.  Post 
8vo.    9s. 

BURGON  (Rev.  J.  W.).     Christian  Gentleman;  or.  Memoir  of 

Patrick  Eraser  Tytler.    Post  8vo.    9s. 
Letters  &om  Rome.    PostSvo.     12«. 


8vo. 

Glasgow,  1855,  15». 
Cheltenham,  1856,  18s. 
Dublin,  1857,  15s. 
Leeds,  1858,  '20s. 
Aberdeen,  1859,15s. 
O.'cford,  1860,  25s. 
Manchester,  1861, 15s. 
CiimbiidKe,  1862, 20s. 
Newcastle,  1863,  26's. 
Bath,  1864,  18s. 
Birmingham,  1865,  25* 
Nottingham,  1868,  24s. 
Dundee,  1867,  26». 
Norwich,  1868,  Ian. 
Exeter,  1869.  22*. 
Liverpool,  1870,  18«. 
Edinburgh,  1871, 16s. 
Brighton,  1872.  24». 
BiHdford,  1873,  25s. 
Belfast,  1874.    2>«. 
Biistol,  1675,  25». 
Glasgow,  1876,  •.i5«. 


LIST  OF  WORKS 


BURN  (Col.).  Dictionary  of  Naval  and  Military  Technical 
Terms,  English  and  French— French  and  English.    Crown  8vo.    15». 

BUXTON'S  (Charles)  Memoirs  of  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton, 
Bart.  With  Selections  from  his  Correspondence.  Portrait.  8vo.  16s. 
Popular  Edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    5*. 

Ideas  of  the  Day.    8vo.    5s. 

BURCKHARDT'3  (Dr.  Jacob)  Cicerone  ;  or  Art  Guide  to  Paint- 
ing iu  Italy.  Edited  by  Rev.  Db,  A.  Von  Zahx,  and  Translated  frons 
the  German  by  Mrs.  A.  CLonoH.    Post  8vo.    6». 

BYLES'  (Sir  John)  Foundations    of  Religion  in  the  Mind  and 

Heart  of  Man.    Post  8vo.    6». 
BYRON'S  (Lord)  Life,  Letters,  and  Journals.    By  Thomas  Moorb. 

Cabinet  Edition,    Plates.    6  Vols,    Fcap.  8vo.    18«. ;  or  One  Volume, 

Portraits.    Royal  8vo.,  7a.  6d. 
and    Poetical  Works.      Popular  Edition. 

Portraits.    2  vols.    Royal  8vo.     \5s. 

Poetical  Works.  Library  Edition.  Portrait.  6  Vol?.  8vo.  45*. 

Cabinet  Edition.    Plates.    10  Vols.    12mo.    305. 

Pocket  Edition.     8  Vols.    24mo.    21s.    In  a  case. 

Popular  Edition.  Plates.     Royal  8vo.   7s.  6c?. 

Pearl  Edition.      Crown  8vo.    2s.  6d. 


Childe  Harold.     With  80  Engravings.   Crown  8vo.  12«. 

- - .  16mo.    2s.  §d. 

.    Vignettes.    16mo.    Is. 

Portrait.    16mo.    Qd.    , 


Tales  and  Poems.     24mo.    2s.  6d. 

Miscellaneous.    2  Vols.    24mo.    Bs. 

Dramas  and  Plays.    2  Vols.    24mo.    6». 

Don  Juan  and  Beppo.    2  Vols.    24mo.    6s. 

Beauties.  Poetry  and  Prose.  Portrait.  Fcap.  8vo.  Zs.Sd. 

BUTTMAN'S  Lexilogus;  a  Critical  Examination  of  the 
Meaning  of  numerous  Greek  Words,  chiefly  in  Homer  and  Hesiod. 
By  Rev.  J.  R.  Fishlakb.    8vo.    128. 

Irregular   Greek  Verbs.     With    all  the    Tenses 

extant — their  Formation,  Meaning,  and  Usage,   with  Notes,  by  Rev. 
J.  R.  FisHLAKE.    Post  8vo.  6«. 

CALLCOTT    (Lady).      Little    Arthur's    History    of    England. 

New  Edition,  brought  dovm,  to  XSJ'i.    With  Woodcuts.   Fcap.  8vo.   li.Qd. 

CARNARVON    (Lord),      Portugal,    Gallicia,    and    the    Basque 

Proyinces.    Post  8vo.    S«.  M. 
CARTWRIGHT  (W.  C).     The  Jesuits:  their  Constitution  and 

Teaching.    An  Historical  Sketch.    8vo.    9*. 
CASTLEREAGH   (The)   Despatches,    from  the  commencement 

of  the  oiBcial  career  of  Viscount  Castlereagh  to  the  close  of  his  life. 

12  Vols.    8vo.    14*.  each. 

CAMPBELL  (Lord).  Lord  Chancellors  and  Keepers  of  the 
Great  Seal  of  England.  From  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Death  of  Lord 
Eldon  in  1838.     10  Vols.    Crown  8ro.    6«.  each. 

_  Chief  Justices   of  England.    From  the  Norman 

Conquest  to  the  Death  of  Lord  Tenterden.  4  Vols.  Crown  8vo.  6«.  each. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


CAMPBELL  (Lord).  Lives  of  Ljndhurst  and  Brougham.  8to.  165. 

Shakspeare's  Legal  Acquirements.    8vo.    5a.  6c?. 

Lord  Bacon.    Fcap.  8to.    2».  6d. 


(Sir  Gxoroe)  India  as  it  may  be :  an  Outline  of  a 

proposed  Government  and  Policy.    8vo,  12». 

Handy-Book  on  the  Eastern  Ques- 


tion; being  a  Very  Recent  View  of  Turkey.  With  Map.  Post  8vo.  9». 

(Thos.)  Essay  on  English  Poetry.     With  Short 

Lives  of  the  British  Poets.    Post  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

CAVALCASELLE  ahd  CROWE'S  History  of  Painting  In 
NoBTH  Italy,  firom  the  14th  to  the  16th  Century.  With  Illustrations. 
2  Vols.     8to.    42». 

— ■ Early  Elemish  Painters,  their  Lives  and 

Works.    Illustrations.    PostSvo,    10s,  6d. ;  or  Large  Paper,  8vo.    15#. 

Life  and  Times  of  Titian,  with  some  Account 


of  his  Family.  With  Portrait  and  Illustrations.  2  vols.  8vo.  42«. 
CESNOLA  (Gbn.  L.  P.  di).  Cyprus ;  its  Ancient  Cities,  Tombs, 
and  Temples.  A  Narrative  of  Researches  and  Excavations  during  Ten 
Years'  Residence  in  that  Island.  With  numerous  Illustrations. 
Medium  8vo.  [/n  Preparatum. 

CHILD  (G.  Chaplin,  M.D,).  Benedicite ;  or.  Song  of  the  Three 
Children ;  being  Illustrations  of  the  Power,  Beneficence,  and  Design 
manifested  by  the  Creator  in  his  works.     Post  8vo.    6s. 

CHISHOLM  (Mrs.).  Perils  of  the  Polar  Seas ;  True  Stories  of 
Arctic  Discovery  and  Adventure.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.    6*. 

CHURTON  (Archdeacoh).  Poetical  Remains,  Translations  and 
Imitations.    Portrait.    Post  8vo.    7t.  6d. 

New  Testament.      Edited  with  a  Plain   Practical 

Commentary  for  Families  and  General  Readers.  With  100  Panoramic 
and  other  Views,  from  Sketches  made  on  the  Spot.     2  vols.  8vo.    21«. 

CICERO'S  Life  and  Times.  His  Character  as  a  Statesman, 
Orator,  and  Friend,  with  a  Selection  from  his  Correspondence  and  Ora- 
tions.   By  William  Fobsyth.    With  Illustrations.   8vo.  10».  6d. 

CLARK  (Sir  James).  Memoir  of  Dr.  John  Conolly.  Comprising 
a  Sketch  of  the  Treatment  of  the  Insane  in  Europe  and  America.  With 
Porbait.    Post  8vo.    10s.  6d. 

CLIVE'S  (Loeb)  Life.    By  Rev.  G.  R.  Gleio.     Post  8vo.    8«.  6d. 

CLODE  (C.  M.).  Military  Forces  of  the  Crown ;  their  Administra- 
tion and  Government.    2  Vols.    8ro.    2is.  each. 

Administration  of  Justice  under  Military  and  Martial 

Law,  as  applicable  to  the  Army,  Navy,  Marine,  and  Auxiliary  Forces. 
8vo.    V2s. 

CHURCH   (The)  &  THE  AGE.    Essays  on  the  Principles  and 

Present  Position  of  the  Anglican  Church.    By  various  Authors.   2  vols. 

8vo.  26s. 
COLCHESTER  (The)  Papers.     The  Diary  and   Correspondence 

of  Charles  Abbott,  Lord  Colchester,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

1802-1817.    Portrait.    3  Vols.    8vo.    42*. 

COLERIDGE'S  (Samuel  Taylor)  Table-Talk.  Portrait.  12mo.  85. 6d, 

COLLINGWOOD  (Cuthbert).  Rambles  of  a  Naturalist  on  the 
Shores  and  Waters  of  the  China  Sea.    With  Illustrations.  8vo.  16j. 

COLONIAL  LIBRARY.    [See  Home  and  Colonial  Library.] 


LIST  OP  WORKS 


COMPANIONS  FOR  THE  DEVOUT  LIFE.    Lectures  delivered 

in  St.  James's  Church.  1st  Series^  1675.   2nd  Series,  1876.  New  Edition 
in  1  vol.,  post  8vo.  [In  the  Press. 

COOK  (Canon).     Sermons  Preached  at  Lincoln's  Inn.    8vo.    9«. 
COOKE  (E.  W.).  Leaves  from  my  Sketch- Book.    Being  a  selection 

from  sketches  made  during  many  tours.  25  Plates.   Small  folio.  31s.  6<i. 

■     ■'   ■  «  A  Second  Series  of  Leaves  from  my  Sketch  Book. 

Consisting  chiefly  of  Views  in  Egypt  and  the  East.    With  Descriptive 

Text.    Small  folio.  [In  the  Fress. 

COOKERY  (MoDEEN  Domestic).  Founded  on  Principles  of  Economy 

and  Practical  Knowledge.     By  a  Lady.     Woodcuts.    Fcap.  8vo.    5s. 
COOPER   (T.  T.),    Travels  of  a  Pioneer  of   Commerce  on  an 

Overland  Journey  from  China  towards  India.   Illustrations.  8vo.  16s. 

CORNWALLIS  (The)  Papers  and  Correspondence  during  the 
American  War, — Administrations  in  India, — Union  with  Ireland,  and 
Peace  of  Amiens.    3  Vols.    8vo.    63*. 

COWPER'S   (Countess)    Diary    while  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber 

to  Caroline,  Princess  of  Wales,  1714—20.     Portrait.    8vo.    IDs.  SJ. 

CRABBE  (Rev.  Geoeqe),  Life  and  Poetical  Works.  With  Illus- 
trations.   Royal  8vo.    7s. 

CRAWFORD  &  BALCARRES  (Earl  of).  Etruscan  Inscriptions. 
Analyzed,  Translated,  and  Commented  upon.    8vo.    12s. 

— — — Argo ;  or  the  Quest  of  the  Golden 

Fleece.    A  Metrical  Tale,  in  Ten  books.    8vo.    10s.  6d. 

CROKER  (J.  W.).  Progressive  Geography  for  Children. 
18mo.   ls.6d. 

• Stories  for   Children,  Selected  from  the  History   of 

England.    Woodcuts.    16mo.    2s.  6d. 

Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson.      Including  the  Tour  to 


the  Hebrides.    Seventh  Edition.     Portraits.    8vo.    12s. 

Early  Period  of  the  French  Revolution.    8vo.     15s. 

Historical  Essay  on  the  Guillotine.    Fcap.  8vo.    1«. 


CROWE  AND  CAVALCASELLE.     Lives  of  the   Early  Flemish 
Painters.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo,  10s.  6(i.;  or  Large  Paper,  8 vo,  15s. 

'  History   of    Painting  in  North  Italy,  from  14th    to 

16th  Century.    Derived  from  Researches  into  the  Works  of  Art  in 
that  Country.    With  Illustrations.    2  Vols.    8vo.    42s. 

Life  and  Times  of   Titian,  with  some  Account  of  his 


Family,  chiefly  from  new  and  unpublibhed  records.   With  Portrait  and 
Illustrations.    2  vols.    8vo.   42s. 
CUMMING  (R.  Gordon).    Five  Years  of  a  Hunter's  Life  in  the 

Far  Interior  of  8outh  Africa.    Woodcuts.     Post  8vo.  6s. 

CUNYNGHAME  (Sir  Arthur).  Travels  in  the  Eastern  Caucasus, 
on  the  Caspian  and  Blsck  Seas,  in  Daghestan  and  the  Frontiers  of 
Persia  and  Turkey.    With  Map  and  Illustrations.    8vo.    ISs. 

CURTIUS'  (Professor)  Student's  Greek  Grammar,  for  the  Upper 

Forms.    Edited  by  De.  Wm.  Smith.    Post  8vo.    6s. 
Elucidations  of  the  above  Grammar.     Translated  by 

Evelyn  Abbot.    Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 
Smaller  Greek  Grammar  for  the  Middle  and  Lower 

Formn.    Abridged  from  the  larger  work.    12mo.   3«.  6d. 
Accidence  of  the  Greek  Language.    Extracted  from 

the  above  work.    12mo.    2s.  6J. 

Principles  of  Greek  Etymology.    Translated  by  A.  S. 


VfiLKisB,  M.A.,  and  E.  B.  Kmoland,  B.A.    2  vols.    8vo.    16«.  each. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


CUKZON  (HoH.  Robekt).  Visits  to  the  Mouasteries  of  the  Levant. 

lllDStrations.    Post  8vo.    7«.  6d. 

CUST  (Gbhkral).  Warriors  of  the  17th  Century— The  Thirty  Years* 
War.  2  Vols.  16s.  Civil  Wars  of  France  and  England.  2  Vols.  16*. 
Commandersof  Fleets  and  Armies.    2  Vols.    itis. 

Annals  of  the  Wars — 18th  &  19th  Century,  1700 — 1815. 

With  Maps.    9  VoU.  Post  8vo.   bs.  each. 

DAVIS    (Nathan).     Ruined  Cities  of  Numidia  and  Carthaginia. 

Illustrations.    8vo.    16s. 

DAVY  (Sir  Homphet).    Consolations  in  Travel;  or,  Last  Days 

of  a  Philosopher.    Woodcuts.    Fcap.  8vo     3s.  M. 
Salmonia;    or.    Days     of    Fly     Fishing.      Woodcuts. 

Fcap.8vo.    3s.  6U. 
DARWIN  (Chakles).    Journal  of  a  Naturalist  during  aVojage 

round  the  World.    Crown  8vo.    9a. 

Origin  of  Species   by   Means  of  Natural   Selection  ; 

or,  the  Preservation  of  Favoured  Kaces  in  the  Struggle  for  Lite. 
Crown  6vo.    7*.  6d. 

Variation  of  Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication. 


Wiih  Illustrations.    2  Vols.   Crown  8vo.     ISs. 

Descent  of  Man,  and  Selection  in  Relation  to  Sex. 

With  Illustrations.    Crown  tivo.    9«. 

Expressions  of  the  Emotions  in  Man  and  Animals. 

With  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo.     12*. 

Various  Contrivances  by  which  Orchids  are  Fertilized 

by  Insects.    Woodcuts.    Crown  8vo.    9». 

Movements  and  Habits  of  Climbing  Plants.     Wood- 


cats.    Crown  8vo.    6a. 

Insectivorous  Plants.     Woodcuts.     Crown  8vo.     14«. 
Effects  of  Cross  and  Self-Fertilization  in  the  Vege- 
table Kingdom.    Ciown  8vo.    lis. 

Facts  and  Argument  for  Darwin.    By  Fkixz  Mulleb. 

Translated  by  W.  S.  Dallas.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.    6s. 

Different  Forms  of  Flowers  on  Plants  of  the  same 


Species.    Crowu  8vo.    U'l.  6d. 
DE  COSSON  (B.  a.).    The  Cradle  of  the  Blue  Nile;  a  Journey 

through  Abyssinia  and  Soudan,  and  a  residence  at  the  Court  of  Kin^ 
J  ohn  of  Ethiopia.  Map  and  Illu&tratton!i.  2  vols.  Post  Svo.    2U. 

DELEPIERRE  (Octave).    History  of  Flemish  Literature.  Svo.  9«. 

DENNIS  (Geobob).  The  Cities  and  Cemeteries  of  Etruria.  An 
entirely  new  Edition,  with  a  new  Chapter  on  Etrurian  liologna. 
iJumerous  Illustrations.    2  vols.    Svo.  [In  the  J^eu. 

DENT  (Emma).    Annals  of  Winchcombe  and  Sudeley.    With  120 

Portraits,  Plates  and  Woodcuts.    4to.    42». 
DERBY    (Eakl  of).     Iliad    of   Homer    rendered   into    English 

Blank  Verse.    10th  Edition.    With  Portrait.    2  Vols.    Post  Svo.    10». 

DERRY  (Bishop  of).  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ  and  Chris- 
tianity.   The  Hampton  Lectures  for  1876.    Svo.    lo*.  6i/. 

DETJTSCH  (Emahuki).  Talmud,  Islam,  The  Targums  and  other 
Literary  Kemains.    Svo.    12a. 

DILKE  (Sir  C.  W.).  Papers  of  a  Critic.  Selected  from  the 
Writing^s  of  the  late  Chas.  Wkntvvokth  Dilkb.  With  a  BiQgraphi- 
cal  Sketch.    2  Vohi.     Svo.    24a. 


10  LIST  OF  WORKS 


DOG-BREAKING,  with  Odds  and  Ends  for  those  who  love  the 
Dog  and  Gun.  By  Ges.  Hdtchinson.  With  40  Illustrations. 
Crown  8vo.      7s.  6d. 

DOMESTIC  MODERN  COOKERY.  Pounded  on  Principles  of 
Economy  and  Practical  Knowledge,  and  adapted  for  Private  Families. 
Woodcuts.    Fcap.  8vo.    5s. 

DOUGLAS'S  (Sir  Howard)  Life  and  Adventures.  Portrait.  8vo.  15«. 

Theory  and  Practice  of  Gunnery.     Plates.    8vo.    21s. 

Construction  of  Bridges  and  the  Passage  of  Rivers 

in  Military  Operations.    Plates.    Svo.    21a. 

(Wn.)  Horse-Shoeing;  As  it  Is,  and  As  it  Should  be. 


Illustrations.    Post  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

DRAKE'S    (Sir  Eranois)  Life,  Voyages,  and  Exploits,  by  Sea  and 

Land.    By  John  Babbow.    Post  Svo.    2s. 
DRINKWATER    (John).      History  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar, 

1779-17S3.    With  a  Description  and  Account  of  that  Garrison  from  the 

Earliest  Periods.    Post  Svo.    2«. 
DUCANGE'S  Mediaeval  Latin-English  Dictionary.    Translated 

and  Edited  by  Bev.  £.  A.  Dayman  andJ.H.HESSELS.   Small  4to. 

[In  preparatum. 

DTJ  CHAILLU  (Paul  B.).  Equatorial  Africa,  with  Accounts 
of  the  Gorilla,  the  Nest-building  Ape,  Chimpanzee,  Crocodile,  &c. 
Illustratiens.    Svo.    21ii. 

Journey  to  Ashango  Land;  and  Further  Pene- 
tration into  Equatorial  Africa.    Illustrations.    Svo,    21s, 

DUrPERIN  (Lord).  Letters  from  High  Latitudes;  a  Yacht 
Voyage  to  Iceland,  Jan  Mayen,  and  Spitzbergen.  Woodcuts.  Post 
Svo.    7s.  6d. 

DUNCAN  (Major).  History  of  the  Royal  Artillery.  Com- 
piled from  the  Original  Records.    With  Portraits.    2  Vols.    Svo.   30s. 

The  English  in  Spain ;  or.  The  Story  of  the  Civil  War 

between  Christinos  and  Carlists  in  1834  and  1840.  Compiled  from  the 
Letters,  Journals,  and  Reports  of  the  British  Commissioners  with  Queen 
Isabella's  Armies.    With  Plates.    Svo. 

EASTLAKE  (Sir  Charles).  Contributions  to  the  Literature  of 
the  Fine  Arts.  With  Memoir  of  the  Author,  and  Selections  from  his 
Correspondence.    By  Lady  Easti.akb.    2  Vols.    Svo,    24s. 

EDWARDS'  (W.  H.)  Voyage  up  the  River  Amazons,  including  a 
Visit  to  Para.    Post  Svo.    2s. 

EIGHT  MONTHS  AT  ROME,'during  the  Vatican  Council,  with 
a  Daily  Account  of  the  Procee dings.  By  Pomponio  Leto.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Original.    Svo.    12». 

ELDON'S  (Lord)  Public  and  Private  Life,  with  Selections  from 
his  Correspondence  and  Diaries.  By  Hobaob  Twiss.  Portrait.  2 
Vols.    Post  Svo.    21s. 

ELGIN'S  (Lord)  Letters  and  Journals.  Edited  by  Theodork 
Walbosd.    With  Preface  by  Dean  Stanley.    Svo.  14s. 

ELLESMERE  (Lord).  Two  Sieges  of  Vienna  by  the  Turks. 
Translated  from  the  German.    Post  Svo.    2s. 

ELLIS  (W.).  Madagascar  Revisited.  Setting  forth  the  Perse- 
cutions and  Heroic  Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians.  Illustrations. 
Svo.    16s, 

Memoir.    By  His  Son.    With  his  Character  and 

Work.    By  Rev.  Hknry  Ai-i-on,  D.D.    Portrait.    Svo.    10s.  6d. 

(Robinson)  Poems  and  Fragments  of  Catullus.    16mo.  5s. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  11 


BLPHINSTONE    (Hon.   Mouhtstdart).     History  of  India— the 

Hindoo   and  Mahomedan  Periods.     Edited  by  Fbofessob  Cowell. 
Hap.    8to.   18m. 

(H.  W.)  Patterns  for  Turning;     Comprising 

Elliptical  and  other  Figrures  cut  on  the  Lathe  without  the  use  of  any 
Ornamental  Chucl^.    AVith  70  Illustrations.    Small  4to.    lbs. 

ENGLAND.     See  Callcott,  Crokkr,  Humb,  Markham,  Smith, 
and  Stanhope. 

ESSAYS    ON  CATHEDRALS.     With   an   Introduction.      By 

Dean  Howson.    8vo.    12«. 
ELZE  (Karl).    Life  of  Lord  Byron.    With  a  Critical  Essay  on  hia 
Place  in  Literature.  Translated  from  the  German.  With  Portrait.  8vo.  16s. 

PERGUSSON    (Jamks).    History  of  Architecture  in  all  Countries 
from  the  Earliest  Times.  With  1,600  Illustrations.  4  Vols.  Medium  8vo. 
Vol.  I.  &  II.  Ancient  and  Medieeral.    63«. 
Yol.  III.  Indian  and  Eastern.    42s. 
Yol.  IV.  Modem.   Sls.Qd. 

■  Rude  Stone  Monuments  in  all  Countries;  their  Age 


and  Uses.     With  230  Illustrations.    Medium  8vo.  24*. 

Holy  Sepulchre  and  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem. 


Woodcuts,    8vo.    7s.  6d. 

FLEMING  (Professor).     Student's  Manual  of  Moral  Philosophy. 
With  Quotations  and  Beferences.    Post  8vo.    7s.  fid. 

FLOWER  GARDEN.    By  Rev.  Thos.  Jamks.    Fcap.  8vo.    1«. 

FORD  (Richard).    Gatherings  from  Spain.    Post  8vo.    3«.  6d. 

FORSYTH  (William).    Life  and  Times  of  Cicero.  With  Selections 
from  his  Correspondence  and  Orations.    Illustrations.  8vo.    10s.  6d. 

Hortensius;   an   Historical   Essay    on  the  Office 

and  Duties  of  an  Advocate.    Illustrations.    8to.  12s, 

History  of  Ancient  Manuscripts.  PostSvo.    2*.  6c?. 

Novels    and   Novelists   of  the  18  th  Century,  in 


lUnstratlonof  the  Manners  and  Morals  of  the  Age.   PostSvo.    10s.  Gd. 
The  Slavonic  Provinces  South  of  the  Danube;  a 


Sketch  of  their  History  and  Present  State.    Map.    Post  8vo.    5s. 

FORTUNE  (Robert)  .  Narrative  of  Two  Visits  to  the  Tea  Countries 
of  China,  1843-52.    Woodcuts.    2  Vols.    Post  8vo.    18«. 

FORSTER  (John).   The  Early  Life  of  Jonathan  Swift.    166M711. 

With  Portrait.    8vo.    16s. 
FOSS  (Edward).    Biographia  Juridica,  or  Biographical  Dictionary 

of  the  Judges  of  England,  from  the  Conquest  to  the  Present  Time, 

1066-1870.    Medium  8vo.    21». 

FRANCE  (History  of).     See  Makkham — Smith — Student's. 

FRENCH  (The)  in  Algiers ;  The  Soldier  of  the  Foreign  Legion — 
and  the  Prisoners  of  Abd-el-Kadir.  Translated  by  Lady  Dvrr  Gobdom. 
Post  8vo.    2s. 

FRERE  (  Sir  Bartlb  ).    Indian  Missions.    Small  8vo.     2s.  6d. 

Eastern  Africa  as  a  field  for  Missionary  Labour.     With 

Map.    Crows  Svo.  6s. 

Bengal  Famine.  How  it  will  be  Met  and  How  to  Prevent 

Future  Famines  in  India.    With  Maps.    Crown  Svo.      5s. 


12  LIST  OP  WORKS 


GALTON  (Frahcis).  Art  of  Travel ;  or,  Hints  on  the  Shifts  and 
Contrivances  available  in  Wild  Countries.  Woodcuts.  Post  8vo. 
7s.  6d. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY'S  JOURNAL.    {PuUisJied  Yearly.) 

GEORGE  (Ernest).  The  Mosel ;  a  Series  of  Twenty  Etchings,  with 

Descriptive  Letterpress.    Imperial  4to.    42«. 
■ Loire  and    South  of  France ;    a    Series  of  Twenty 

Etchings,  with  Descriptive  Text.     Folio.     42s. 

GERMANY  (Histokt  of).    See  Maekham. 

GIBBON  (Edward).  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the 
Koman  Empire.  Edited  by  Milman  and  Guizot.  Edited,  with  Notes, 
by  Dr.  Wm.  Smith.    Maps.    8  Vols.   8vo.    60s. 

•  (The  Student's  Gibbon) ;   Being   an  Epitome  of  the 

above  work,  incorporating  the  Researches  of  Recent  Commentators.    By 
Dr.  Wm.  Smith.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

GIFFARD  (Edward).    Deeds  of  Naval  Daring ;  or,  Anecdotes  of 

the  British  Navy.    Fcap.  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

GLADSTONE  (W,  E.).  Financial  Statements  of  1853, 1860,  63-65. 

8vo.    12s. 

Rome  and  the  Newest  Fashions  la  Religion. 

Three  Tracts.    8vo.    7s.  6d. 
GLBIG  (G.  R.).    Campaigns  of  the  British  Army  at  Washington 

and  New  Orleans.    Post  8vo.    2s. 

Story  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo.    Post  8vo.  3s.  6d. 

■ •  Narrative  of  Sale's  Brigade  in  Affghanistan.   Post  8vo.  28. 

Life  of  Lord  Clive.    Post  8vo.     3s.  6d 

— Sir  Thomas  Mnnro.     Post  8vo.  3s.  6d. 


GLYNNE    (Sir  Stephen).     Notes  on    the   Churches   of   Kent. 

With  Illustrations.    8vo.  [/n  Preparation. 

GOLDSMITH'S  (Oliver)  Works.  Edited  with  Notes  by  Peter 
CnNNiNOHAM.    Vignettes.    4  Vols.    8vo.    30s. 

GORDON  (Sir  Alex.).  Sketches  of  German  Life,  and  Scenes 
from  the  War  of  Liberation.    Post  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

(Lady  Doff)  Amber- Witch :  A  Trial  for  Witch- 
craft.   Post  Svo.    2s. 

French    in   Algiers.      1,  The  Soldier  of  the  Foreign 

Legion.    2.  The  Prisoners  of  Abd-el-Kadir.    Post  Svo.    2s. 

GRAMMARS.  See  Curtius  ;  Hall  ;  Hutton  ;  King  Edward  ; 
ATTHi.*:;  Maetzneb;  Smith. 

GREECE  (History  op).    See  Grote— Smith— Student. 

GREY  (Earl).     Parliamentary  Government  and   Reform ;    with 

Suggestions  for  the  Improvement   of  our    Representative   System. 
Second  Edition.    Svo.    9«. 

GUIZOT  (M.),   Meditations  on  Christianity.  3  Vols.  Post  8vo.  SOs. 

GROTE  (George).  History  of  Greece.  From  the  Earliest  Times 
to  the  close  of  the  generation  contemporary  with  the  death  of  Alexander 
the  Gr(^at.  Library  Edition.  Portrait,  Maps,  and  Plans.  10  Vols,  Svo. 
120s.  Cabinet  Edition.  Portrait  and  Plans.  12  Vols.    Post  Svo.  6s.  each, 

Plato,  and  other  Companions  of  Socrates.  3  Vols.  Svo.  45s. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  13 

GROTE    (George).    Aristotle.    2  Vols.    8vo.     32». 

Minor     Works.       AVith     Critical      Eemarlcs     on  "  his 

Intellectual  Cliar»cter,  Writings,  and  Speeches.  By  Albx.,Bain,  LL.D. 

Portrait.    8vo.    Us. 
Fragments  on  Ethical  Subjects.   Being  a  Selection  from 

his    Posthumoua   Papers.    With    an   Introduction.     By  Alkxandeb 

Baik,  M.A.    8to.    7s. 


Letters  on  the  Politics  of  Switzerland  in  1847.    6s. 

Personal   Life.    Compiled    from    Family  Documents, 

Private   Memoranda,    and    Original    Letters    to   and    from    Various 
Friends.    By  Mrs.  Grotk.    Portrait,    8vo.     12*. 

HALL  (T.  D.)  AKD  Dr.  Wji.  SMITH'S  School  Manual  of  English 
Grammar.    With  Copious  Exercises.    12mo.    3s.  fri. 

Primary    English    Grammar   for    Elementary  Schools. 

Based  on  the  above  trork.    16mo.    It. 

—  Child's  First  Latin  Book,  including  a  Systematic  Treat- 


ment of  the  New  Pronunciation,  and  a  full  Praxis  of  Nouns,  Adjec- 
tives, and  Pronouns.    16rao.     \t.  &/. 

HALLAM  (Henry).  Constitutional  History  of  England,  from  the 
AccASsinn  of  Henry  the  Seventh  to  the  Dpath  of  Oenree  the  Second. 
Library  Edition.  3  Vols.  8vo.  30s.  CaUnet  Editim,  3  Vols.  Post  8vo.  12.«. 

Student's  Edition  of  the   above   work.     Edited  by 

Wm.  Smith,  D.C.L.    Post  Svo.     7s.  6d. 

History  of  Europe  during  the  Middle  Ages,   Library 

Edition.   3  Vols.   8vo.  30s.    Cabinet  Edition,  3  Vols.  Post  Svo.   12s, 

Student's  Edition   of  the  above   work.    Edited   by 

Wm.  Smith,  D.C.L.   Post  Svo.    7s.  6d, 

— — Literary  History  of  Europe,  during  the  15th,  16th  and 

17th  Centuries.    Library  Edition.    3  Vols.    Svo.    86».     Cabinet  Edition 
4  Vols.    Post  Svo.    16s. 

(Arthur)   Literary  Bemains;   in  Verse   and  Prose. 

Portrait.    Fcap.  Svo.    3s.  M. 

HAMILTON  (Gen,  Sir  F.  W.).  History  of  the  Grenadier  Guards. 
From  Original  Documents  in  the  Kolls'  Records,  War  Office,  Regimental 
Records, &c.  With  Illustrations.    3  Vols.    Svo.    6.1s. 

HART'S  ARMY  LIST.    {Published  Quarterly  and  Annually.) 

HAY  (Sir  J.  H.  Drummokd).  Western  Barbary,  its  Wild  Tribes 
and  Savage  Animals.    Post  Svo.    2s. 

HEAD  (Sir  Francis).    Royal  Engineer.     Illustrations.     Svo.  12«, 

Life  of  Sir  John  Burgoyne.   Post  Svo.  Is. 

Rapid  Journeys  across  the  Pampas.    Post  Svo.    2«, 

Bubbles   from    the   Bmnnen  of   Nassau.     Illastrations. 

Post  Svo.    It.  6d. 

Stokers  and  Pokers  ;  or,  the  London  and  North  Western 

Railway.    Post  Svo.    2s. 

(Sir  Edmdhd)  Shall  and  Will;    or.    Future    Auxiliary 


Verbs.    Fcap.  Svo.    4s, 
HEBER'S  (Bishop)  Journals  in  India,    2  Vol.s.    Post  Svo.    7*. 
'  Poetical  Works.    Portrait.    Fcap.  Svo.     3«.  6d. 


—    Hymns  adapted  to  the  Church  Service.    16mo.    Is.  6(2, 


14  LIST  OP  WORKS 


FOREIGN  HANDBOOKS. 

HAND-BOOK— TEA VEL-TALK.  English,  French,  German,  and 

Italian.    18mo.   3s.  6d. 
HOLLAND  AND  BELGIUM.     Map  and  Plans. 

Post  8vo.     6s. 

NORTH      GERMANY    and    THE     RHINE,— 


The  Black  Forest,  the  Hartz,  Thtiringerwald,  Saxon  Switzerland, 
Riigen  the  Giant  Mountains,  Taunus,  Odenw^ald,  Elass,  and  Loth- 
ringen.    Map  and  Plans.    Post  8vo.    10«. 

SOUTH    GERMANY,  — Wurtemburg,    Bavaria, 

Austria,  Styria,  Salzburg,  the  Austrian  and  Bavarian  Alps,  Tyrol,  Hun- 
gary, and  the  Danube,  from  Ulm  to  the  Black  Sea.  Map.  Post  8vo.  10s. 

PAINTING.  German,  Flemish,  and  Dutch  Schools. 

Illustrations.  2  Vols.  Post  8vo.  24s. 

LIVES  OP  EARLY  FLEMISH  PAINTERS.    By 

Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle.    Illustrations.    Post  8vo.    10s.  6d. 

SWITZERLAND,  Alps  of  Savoy,  and  Piedmont 

Maps.    Post  8vo.    9s. 

-FRANCE,  Part  L  Normandy,  Brittany,  the  French 


Alps,  the  Loire,  the  Seine,  the  Oaronne,  and  Pyrenees.   Post  8to.   7s.  6d. 
Part  II.    Central  France,  Auvergne,  the 


Cevennes,  Burgundy,  the  Rhone  and  Saone,  Provence,  Nimes,  Aries, 
Marseilles,  the  French  Alps,  Alsace,  Lorraine,  Champagne,  &c.  Maps. 
Post  8vo.    7s.  6rf. 

MEDITERRANEAN    ISLANDS— Malta,  Corsica, 

Sardinia,  and  Sicily.    Maps.    Post  8vo.  [/n  the  Presi, 

ALGERIA.    Algiers,  Constantine,  Oran,  the  Atlas 

Range.    Map.    Post  Svo.    9s. 

PARIS,  and  its  Environs.    Map.    16mo.    3s.  Qd. 

•»•  Mubrat'b  Plan  of  Pabts,  mounted  on  canvas.    3s.  M. 

SPAIN,  Madrid,  The  Castiles,  The  Basque  Provinces, 

Leon, The  Asturias,  Galicia,  Estremadura,  Andalusia,  Honda,  Granada, 
Murcia,  Valencia,  Catalonia,  Aragon,  Navarre,  The  Balearic  Islands, 
&0.&C.    Maps.    2  Vols.    Post  Svo.    24s. 

—  PORTUGAL,   Lisbon,   Porto,  Cintra,  Mafra,  &c. 

Map.    Post  Svo.    12s. 

NORTH    ITALY,    Turin,    Milan,  Cremona,    the 


Italian  Lakes,  Bergamo,  Brescia,  Verona,  Mantua,  Vicenza,  Padua, 
Ferrara,  Bologna,  Ravenna,  Rimini,  Piacenza,  Genoa,  the  Riviera, 
Venice,  Parma,  Modena,  and  Romagna.    Map.    Post  Svo.    10s. 

CENTRAL  ITALY,  Florence,  Lucca,  Tuscany,  The 

MarcheSjUmbria,  and  late  Patrimony  of  St.  Peter's.  Map.  Post  Svo.  10s. 

ROME  AND  ITS  Environs.     Map.    Post' Svo.    10«. 

SOUTH  ITALY,  Two  Sicilies,  Naples,  Pompeii, 

Hercnlaaenm,  and  Vesuvius.    Map.    Post  Svo.    10s. 

KNAPSACK  GUIDE  TO  ITALY.    16mo. 

PAINTING.    The  Italian   Schools.     Illustrations. 


3  Vols,    Post  Svo,    30s. 

LIVES  OF  ITALIAN  PAINTERS,  from  Cimabue 

to  Babbano.    By  Mrs.  Jahebon.     Portraits.    Post  Svo.    12s. 

NORWAY,  Christiania,  Bergen,  Trondhjem.   The 


Fjelds  and  Fjords.    Map.    Post  Svo. 

SWEDEN,  Stockholm,  Upsala,   Gothenburg,  the 

Shores  of  the  Baltic,  &c.    Post  Svo.    6s. 

DENMARK,  Sleswig,  Holstein,  Copenhagen,  Jut- 
land, Iceland.    Map.    Post  Svo.    6/. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  15 


HAND-BOOK — RUSSIA,  St.  PKiBBSsnEO,  Moscow,  Poland,  and 

FiNLAXo.    Maps.    Post  8vo.     18«. 
GREECE,  the  Ionian   Islands,  Continental  Greece, 

Athens,  the  Peloponnesus,  the  Islands  of  the  ^gean  Sea,  Albania, 

Thessalf,  and  Macedonia.     Maps.     Post  8vo.    IS'*. 

TURKEY    IN    ASIA— Constantinople,  the    Bos- 


phoras,  Dardanelles,  Brousa,  Plain  of  Troy.  Crete,  Cyprus,  Smyrna, 
Ephesus,  the  Seven  Churches,  Coasts  of  the  Black  Sea,  Armenia, 
Mesopotamia,  &c.    Maps.    Post  Svo.    15«. 

EGYPT,  including  Descriptions  of  the  Course  of 


the  Nile  through  Egtypt  and  Nubia,  Alexandria,  Cairo,  and  Thebes,  the 
Suez  Canal,  the  Pyramids,  the  Peninsula  of  Sinai,  the  Oases,  the 
Fyoom,  &c.    Map.   Post  Svo.  16<. 

HOLY  LAND — Stria,  Palestine,  Peninsula    of 


Sinai    Edem,  Syrian  Deiierts,Petra,  Damascus  ,and  Palmyra.    Maps. 
Post  Svo.    20s.    *«*  Travelling  Map  of  Palestine.    In  a  case.    V2s. 

INDIA  —  Bombay  asd  Madkas.      Map.     2  Vols. 


Post  Svo,    Its.  each. 


ENGLISH    HANDBOOKS. 

HAND-BOOK— MODERN  LONDON.    Map.    16mo.    3s.  6d. 

ENVIRONS  OF  LONDON  within    a  circuit  of 
miles.    2  Vols.    Crown  Svo.    2ls. 

EASTERN  COUNTIES,  Chelmsford,  Harwich,  Col- 
chester, Maiden,  Cambridge,  Ely,  Newmarket,  Bury  St.  Edmunds, 
Ipswich,  Woodbridge,  Felixstowe,  Lowestoft,  Norwich,  Yarmouth, 
Cromer,  &c.    Map  and  Plans.    Post  Svo.    12s. 

CATHEDRALS  of  Oxford,  Peterborough,  Norwich, 


Ely,  and  Lincoln.    With  90  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo.    18«. 

KENT,   Canterbury,   Dover,  Ramsgate,  Sheemess, 

Rochester,  Chatham,  Woolwich.     Map.    Post  8vo.    It.ed, 

SUSSEX,  Brighton,  Chichester,  Worthing,  Hastings, 


Lewes,  Arundel,  &c.    Map.    Post  Svo.    6s. 

SURREY  AND  HANTS,  Kingston,  Croydon,  Rei- 


gtte,    Guildford,   Dorking,  Boxhill,   Winchester,  Southampton,  Mew 
Forest,  Portsmouth,  and  Isle  or  Wioht.  Maps.    Post  Svo.    10». 

BERKS,  BUCKS,  AND   OXON,  Windsor,  Eton, 


Beading,  Aylesbury,  Uihridge,  Wycombe,  Hpniey,  the  City  and  Uni- 
versity of  Oxford,  Blenheim,  and  the  Descent  of  the  Thames.  Map. 
Post  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

WILTS,  DORSET,  AND   SOMERSET,  Salisbury, 

Chippenham,  Weymouth,  Sheri)ome,  Wells,  Bath,  Bristol,  Taunton, 
&e.    Map.    Post  Svo.    10«. 

DEVON  AND  CORNWALL,  Exeter,  Ilfracombe, 


Linton,  Sidmouth,  Dawlish,  Teignmoutb,  Plymouth,  Devonport,  Tor- 
quay, Launceston,  Truro,  Penzance,  Falmouth,  the  Lizard,  Land's  End, 
&c.    Maps.    Post  Svo.    12«. 

-CATHEDRALS  of  Winchester,   Salisbury,  Exeter, 


Wells,  Chichester,  Rochester,  Canterbury,  and  St.  Albans.  With  130 
ninstrations.  2  Vols.  Crown  Svo.  38«.  St.  Albans  fieparately,  crown 
Svo.  6«. 

GLOUCESTER,  HEREFORD,  and  WORCESTER, 


Cirencester,  Cheltenham,  Strond,  Tewkesbury,  Leominster,  Ross,  Mal- 
vern, Kidderminster,  Dudley,  Bromsgrove,  Evesham;  Map.  Post  Svo.  9s. 

CATHEDRALS   of  Bristol,   Gloucester,  Hereford, 


Worcester,  and  Liohfield.  With  60  lUustrations.  Crown  Svo.    16*. 


1(5  LIST  OF  WORKS 


HAND-BOOK— NORTH  WALES,  Bangor,  Carnarvon,  Beaumaris, 
Snowdon,  Llanberis,  Dolgelly,  Cader  Idris,  Conway,  &c.  Map.  Post 
8vo.    7a. 

SOUTH  WALES,  Monmouth,    Llandaff,   Merthyr, 

Vale  of  Neath,  Pembroke,  Carmarthen,  Tenby,  Swansea,  The  Wye,  &c. 
Map.    Post  8vo.    7s. 

CATHEDRALS     OF    BANGOR,    ST.    ASAPH, 


LlaudafT,  and  St.  David's.    With  Illustrations.     Post  8vo.    15». 

DERBY,    NOTTS,    LEICESTER,     STAFFORD, 


Matlock,  Bakewell,  Chatsworth,  The  Peak,  Buxton,  Hardwick,  Dove 
Dale,  Ashborne,  Southwell,  Mansfield,  Retford,  Burton,  Belvolr,  Melton 
Mowbray,  Wolverhampton,  Lichfield,  Walsall,  Tamworth.  Map, 
Post  8V0-.    9«. 

SHROPSHIRE,  CHESHIRE    and  LANCASHIRE 


— Shrewsbury,  Ludlow,  Bridpfnorth,  Oswestry,  Chester,  Crewe.Alderley, 
Stockport,  Birkenhead,  Warrington,  Bury,  Manchester,  Liverpool, 
Burnley,  Clitheroe,  Bolton,  Blackburn,  Wigan,  Preston,  Kochdale, 
Lancaster,  Southport,  Blackpool,  &c.     Map.    Post  Svo.    10*. 

YORKSHIRE,  Doncaster,   Hull,  Selby,   Beverley, 

Scarborough,  Wliitby,  Harrogate,  Ripon,  Leeds,  Wakefield,  Bradford, 
Halifax,  Hudder.sfield,  Shefiieid.    Map  and  Plans.    Post  Svo.    Vis. 

CATHEDRALS  of  York,  Ripon,  Durham,  Carlisle, 


Phester,  and  Manchester.   With  60  lUustratioug.   2  Vols.    Crown  Svo. 
21s. 

DURHAM    AND    NORTHUMBERLAND,     New- 


castle, Darlington.  Gateshead,  Bishop  Auckland,  Stockton,  Hartlepool, 
Sunderland,  Shields,  Berwick-on-Tweed,  Morpeth,  Tynemouth,  Cold- 
stream, Alnwick,  &c.     Map.     Post  Svo.    9». 

WESTMORLAND    and    CUMBERLAND— Lan- 


caster, Famess  Abbey,    Ambleside,  Kendal,   Windermere,  Coniston, 
Kftswick,  Grasmere,  Ulswater,  Carlisle, Cockermouth,  Penrith,  Appleby. 
Map.     Post  Svo.    6s. 
•»•  Mdbrat's  Map  ok  thb  Lakb  District,  on  canvas.    3«.  M. 
ENGLAND  and  WALES.  Alphabetically  arranged 

and  condensed  into  one  volume.     Post  Svo.  [In  the  Press. 

SCOTLAND,  Edinburgh,  Melrose,  Kelso,  Glasgow, 

Dumfries,  Ayr,  Stirling,  Arran,  The  Clyde,  Oban,  Inverary,  Loch 
Lomond,  Loch  Katrine  and  Trossachs,  Caledonian  Canal,  Inverness, 
Perth,  Dundee,  Aberdeen,  Braemar,  Skye,  Caithness,  Ross,  Suther- 
land, &c.     Maps  and  Plans.    Post  Svo.    9s. 

'IRELAND,    Dublin,     Belfast,    Donegal,    Galway, 

Wexford,  Cork,  Limerick,  Waterford,  Killaruey,  Munster,  &c.  Maps, 
Post  Svo.    12j. 

HERODOTUS,     A  New  English  Version.    Edited,  with  Notes 

and  Essays,  historical,  ethnographical,  and  geographical,  by  Canoit 
Rawlinson,  assisted  by  Sib  Hbnrt  Rawlinson  and  Sib  J.  G.  Wil- 
KiNBON.    Maps  and  Woodcuts.    4  Vols.   Svo.    48*. 

HERSCHEL'S  (Caroline)  Memoir  and  Correspondence.  By 
Mrs.  Joiix  IIebschkl,.    With  Portraits.    Crown  Svo    12a. 

HATHERLEY  (Lobd):  Continuity  of  Scripture,  as  Declared  by 
the  Testimony  of  our  Lord  and  of  the  Evangelists  and  Apostles,  Svo. 
6a.    Popular  Edition.    Post  8vo.     2a.  6rf. 

HOLLWAY  (J.  G.).    A  Month  in  Norway.    Fcap.  Svo.    2a. 
HONEY    BEE.     By  Rev,  Thomas  James,    Fcap,  Svo.  \b. 
HOOK'S  (Dbah)  Church  Dictionary.      Svo,  16». 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


17 


HOME    AND    COLONIAL    LIBRARY.    A  Series    of   Works 

adapted  for  all  circles  and  classes  of  Readers,  harlng  been  selected 
for  their  acknowledged  iaterest,  and  ability  of  the  Authors,  Post  8ro. 
Published  at  2s,  and  33. 6d.  each,  and  arranged  under  tiro  diBtinctive 
beads  as  follows : — 

CLASS  A. 


HISTORY,    BIOGRAPHY, 

1.  SIEGE  OP  GIBRALTAR.       y 

John  DanrKWATEB.    2s. 

2.  THE   AMBER-WITCH.  By 

Ladt  Dctft  Gordon.     2s. 

8.  CROMWELL   AND  BUNYAN, 

By  ROBKBT  SOUTHBY.      2». 

4.  LIFE  OF  Sir  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 
By  John  Barrow.    2s. 

6.  CAMPAIGNS  AT  WASHING- 
TON. By  Rev.  G.  R.  Gleio.   2s. 

6.  THE   FRENCH    IN  ALGIERS. 

By  Ladt  Dmrr  Gordon.    2s. 

7.  THE  FALL  OF  THE  JESUITS. 

2s. 

8.  LIVONIAN  TALES.    2*. 

9.  LIFE  OF  CONDlfi.  By  Lord  Ma- 

HON.    3s.  6d. 


10.  SALE'S    BRIGADE. 
O.R.Guua.    2s. 


By   Rbv. 


AND    HISTORIC    TALES. 

11.  THE    SIEGES    OF    VIENNA. 

By  Lord  Ellxsxbrr.    2s. 

12.  THE  WAYSIDE  CROSS.     By 

CaPT.  MlUfAN.     2s. 

13.  SKETCHES  OP  GERMAN  LIFE. 

By  Sib  A.  Gordon.    3s.  6d. 

14.  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO. 

By  Rev.  G.  R.  Glbio.    3*.  6d. 

15.  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  STEP- 

FENS.    2s. 

16.  THE     BRITISH    POETS.      By 

Thomas  Camfbbll.    S^.  6d. 

17.  HISTORICAL      ESSAYS.      By 

LoBD  Mahon.    3s.  6d. 

18.  LIFE   OF   LORD  CLIVE.     By 

Rev.  G.  R.  Glbio.    3s.  6d. 

19.  NORTH  -  WESTERN       RAIL- 

WAY.  By  Sir  F.  B.  Hbad.    2s. 

20.  LIFE  OF  MUNRO.    By  Rbv.  G. 

R.  Glbio.    8«.  6d. 


CLASS   B. 
VOYAGES,    TRAVELS,    AND    ADVENTURES. 


BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 
Borrow.    3s.  6d. 


By  Gborob 


2.  GYPSIES  OF  SPAIN.  By  Gborob 
Borrow.    3s.  6d. 

84  4.  JOURNALS  IN  INDIA.   By 
Bishop  Ubbbr.    2  Vols.    7s. 

6.  TRAVELS  IX  THE  HOLY  LAND. 
By  Ibb¥  and  Manolbs.    2s. 

6.  MOROCCO  AND  THE  MOORS. 

By  J.  Druhxond  Hat.    2s. 

7.  LETTERS  FROM  the  BALTIC. 

By  a  Ladt. 

8.  NEW  SOUTH  WALES.  By  Mrs. 

Meredith.    2s. 

9.  THE  WEST  INDIES.    By  M.  G. 

Lbwib.    2s. 

10.  SKETCHES  OF  PERSIA.      By 

Sib  John  Malcolm.    3s.  6d. 

11.  MEMOIRS  OP  FATHER  RIPA. 
2s. 

12  &  13.  TYPEE  AND  OMOO.  By 
Hermann  Mblvillx.  2  Vols.  7s. 

14.  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  CAN- 
ADA.   By  Rbt.  J.  Abbott.    2s. 


16.  LETTERS  PROM  MADRAS.  By 
a  Ladt.    2s. 

16.  HIGHLAND     SPORTS.         By 

Charles  St.  John.    3s.  6d, 

17.  PAMPAS  JOURNEYS.    By  Sir 

P.  B.  Hbad.    2s. 

18   GATHERINGS  PROM  SPAIN. 
By  Richard  Ford.    3s.  6d. 

19.  THE    RIVER    AMAZON.      By 

W.  H.  Edwards.    2s. 

20.  MANNERS    &    CUSTOMS   OP 

INDIA.  ByRBV.C.AcLAKD.  2». 

21.  ADVENTURES    IN    MEXICO. 

By  6.  P.  RnxTON.    8s.  6d. 

22.  PORTUGAL    AND    GALICIA. 

By  Lord  Carnarvon.    3s.  6d, 

23.  BUSH  LIFE  IN  AUSTRALIA 

By  Rev.  H.  W.  Hatoabth.    2s. 

24.  THE   LIBYAN   DESERT.      By 

Batlx  St.  John.   2s. 

25.  SIERRA  LEONE.     By  A  Ladt 

3$.M. 


,  %*  Each  work  may  be  had  separately. 


18  LIST  OF  WORKS 


HOOK'S  (Theodoee)  Life.  By  J,  G.  Lockhart.    Fcap.  8vo.     Is. 

HOPE  (T.  C).  Akchitectuke  of  Ahmedabad,  with  Historical 
Sketch  and  Architectural  Notes.  With  Maps,  Photographs,  and 
Woodcuts.     4to.    61. 5s. 

(A.  J.  BERESFORD^  Worship  in  the  Church  of  England. 


8vo.    9s.,  or,  Popular  Selections  from.    8vo.    2t.  6d. 

HORACE  ;  a  New  Edition  of  the  Text.  Edited  by  Dear  Milmah. 
With  100  Woodcuts.    Crown  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

Life  of.    By  Dean  Milman.    Illustrations.    8vo.    9«. 

HOUGHTON'S  (Lord)  Monographs,  Personal  and  Social    With 

Portraits.    Crown  8vo.    10«.  6d. 

Poetical  Works.  Collected  Edition.  With  Por- 
trait.   2  Vols,    Fcap.  Svo.    12s. 

HUME'S  (The  Student's)  History  of  England,  from  the  Inva- 
sion of  Julius  Csesar  to  the  Revolution  of  1688.  Corrected  and  con- 
tinned  to  1868     Woodcuts.     Post  Svo.    7«.  6d. 

HUTCHINSON  (Gen.)  Dog  Breaking,  with  Odds  and  Ends  for 
those  who  love  the  Dog  and  the  Gun.  With  40  Illustrations.  6th 
edition.    7«,  6d. 

HUTTON  (H.E.).  Principia  Grseca ;  an  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of  Greek.  Comprehending  Grammar,  Delectus,  and  Exercise-book, 
with  Vocabularies.     Sixth  Edition.     ISmo.    3s.  6d. 

IRBY  AND  MANGLES'  Travels  in  Egypt,   Nubia,  Syria,  and 

the  Holy  Land.    Post  Svo.    2s. 
JACOBSON  (Bishop).     Fragmentary  Illustrations  of  the  History 
of  the  Book  of  Common   Prayer;  from  Manuscript  Sources   (Bishop 
Sanderson  and  Bishop  Wbeh).     8vo.    5s. 

JAMES'  (Rev.  Thomas)  Fables  of  Msojt.  A  New  Translation,  with 
Historical  Preface.  With  100  Woodcuts  by  Tennibl  and  Wolf, 
Post  Svo.    2s.  6d. 

JAMESON  (Mrs.).  Lives  of  the  Early  Italian  Painters— 
and  the  Progress  of  Painting  in  Italy — Cimabue  to  Bassano.  With 
50  Portraits.     Post  Svo.     12«. 

JENNINGS  (Louis  J.).     Field  Paths  and  Green  Lanes.     Being 

Country  Walks,  chitfly  in   Surrey  and  Sussex.     With  Illustrations. 
Post  Svo.  [In  the  Press. 

JERVIS    (Rev.    W.    H.).      Galilean    Church,    from    the    Con- 

ordat  of  Bolf^gna,  1516,  t^  the   Revolution.    With  an  Introduction. 

Portraits.    2  Vols.    Svo.    28s. 

JESSE  (IIdward).    Gleanings  in  Natural  History.  Fcp.Svo.   Sa.Qd. 

JEX-BLAKE  (Rev.  T.  W.).     Life  in  Faith:    Sermons  Preached 

at  Cheltenham  and  Rughv.    Fcap.  8vo.    3«,  Sd. 
JOHNS'  (Rev.  B.  G.)  Blind  People  ;  their  Works  and  Ways.   With 
Sketches  of  the  Lives  of  some  famous  Blind  Men.    With  Illustrations. 
Post  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

JOHNSON'S  (Dr.  Samuel)  Life.    By  James  Boswell.    Including 

the  Tour  to   the  Hebrides.    Edited  by  Mb.  Cbokbb.    A'eto  Edition. 
Portraits.    4  Vols.    Svo.  [Tn  Preparation. 

Lives  of   the    most    eminent  English  Poets,   with 

Critical  Observations  r^n  their  Works.     Edited  with  Notes,  Corrective 
and  ExplKnatory,  by  Pktf.e  CiiNKiNOHAM.    3  vols.    Svo.    TSs.M. 

JUNIUS'  Handwriting  Professionally  investigated.  By  Mr.  Chabot, 
Expert.  With  Preface  and  Collateral  Evidence,  by  the  Hon.  Edward 
TwisLETON.    With  Facsimiles,  Woodcuts,  &e.    4to.    £8  St. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  19 


KEN'S  (Bishop)  Life.    By  a  Layman.   Portrait.   2  Vols.  8vo.   18s. 
Exposition  of  the  Apostles'  Creed.     16ino.     1«.  6d. 

KERR  (Robkrt).     Gentleman's    House  ;    or,  How  to  Plan  Eng- 
lish   KRSIORNCES      FBOU    THB     PaRSOKAOB     to     the    PAIiACB.     With 

Vieirs  and  Plans.   870.    2is. 

Small  Coaatry  House.     A  Brief  Practical  Discourse  oa 

the  Planning  of  a  Kesidence  from    20002.  to    5000J.    With    SuppJe- 
mentary  Estimates  to  7(KKiI.    Post  8vo.    3«. 

Ancient   Lights;    a  Book    for    Architects,   Surreyors, 

Lawyers,  and  Landlords.   870.    5s.  6<f. 

(R.   Malcolm)   Student's   Blackstone.      A    Systematic 


Abridgment  of  the  entire  Commentaries,  adapted  to  the  present  state 
of  the  law.    Post  8vo.    7s.  6d, 

KING  EDWARD  VIth's  Latin  Grammar.     12mo.     3«.  6d. 
First    Latin     Book.     12mo.    2s  6d. 

KING  GEORGE  IIIrd's  Correspondence  with  Lord  North, 
1769-S2.  Edited,  with  Notes  and  Introduction,  bv  VV.  Bodham  Donnb. 
2  voIh.     8vo.    32». 

KING  (R.  J.).  Archaeology, Travel  and  Art ;  being  Sketches  and 
Studies,  Historical  and  l3escriptive.    8vo.    12s, 

KIRK  (J.  Foster).  History  of  Charles  the  Bold,  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy.    Portrait.    3  Vols.    8vo.    45». 

KIRKE3'  Handbook  of  Physiology.  Edited  by  W.  Morrant 
Bakhk,  F.R.C.S.    9ih  Edition.    With  400  Illustrations.    Post  8vo.  lis. 

KUGLER'S  Handbook  of  Painting.— The  Italian  Schools.  Re- 
vised and  Remodelled  from  the  most  recent  Researches.  Ky  Lady 
Eastlakb.     With  140  Illustrations.     2  Vols.    Crown  8vo.    30». 

-^^—^—^  Handbook  of  Painting. — The  German,  Flemish,  and 
Dutch  Schools.  Revised  and  in  part  re-written.  By  J.  A.  Cbowk. 
With 60  Illustrations.    2  Vols.    Crown  8vo.    2is, 

LANE  (E.  W.).  Account  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  Modern 
Egyptians.    With  Illustrations.    2  Vols.   Post  8vo.    12* 

LAWRENCE  (Sir  Geo.).  Reminiscences  of  Forty-three  Years' 
Service  in  India;  including  Captivities  in  Cabul  among  the  Affj^hans 
and  among  the  Sikhs,  and  a  Narrative  of  the  Mutiny  in  liajputana. 
Crown  8vo.     lOi.  6d, 

LAYARD  (A.  H.).  Nineveh  and  its  Remains.  Being  a  Nar- 
rative of  Researches  and  Discoveries  amidst  the  Ruins  of  Assyria. 
With  an  Account  of  the  Chaldean  Christians  of  Kurdistan ;  the  Yezedis, 
or  Devil-worshippers;  and  an  Enquiry  into  the  Manners  and  Arts  of 
the  Ancient  Assyrians.     Plates  and  Woodcuts.    2  Vols.    8vo.    S6s. 

%•  A  PopnLAB  Edition  of  the  above  work.     With  Illustrations. 
Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

Nineveh  and  Babylon  ;  being  the  Narrative  of  Dis- 
coveries in  the  Ruins,  with  Travels  in  Armenia,  Kurdistan  and  the 
I^esert,  during  a  Second  Expedition  to  Assyria.  With  Map  and 
Plates.    8vo.    21i. 

*«*  A  PoPCLAK  Edition  of  the  above  work.      With  Illustrations. 
Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

LEATHES'  (Stahlbt)  Practical  Hebrew  Grammar.  With  the 
Hebrew  Text  of  Genesis  i. — vi.,  and  Psalms  i. — vi.  Grammatical 
Analysis  and  Vocabulary.    Post  8vo.    7s.  Sd. 

LBNNEP  (Rev.  H.  J.  Van).  Missionary  Travels  in  Asia  Minor. 
With  Illustrations  of  Biblicul  History  and  ArcLaiology.  With  Map 
and  Woodcute.    2  Vols.    Post  8vo.    24». 

Modern  Customs  and  Manners  of  Bible  Lands  in 

Illustration  of  Scripture.    With  Coloured  Maps  and  300  lUustrationa. 
SVols.    8vo.    21«. 


20  LIST  OF  WORKS 


LESLIE  (C.  E.).  Handbook  for  Young  Painters.  With  Illustra- 
tions.   Post  8vo.    7s.  ed. 

Life  and  Works  of  Sir   Joshua  Reynolds.    Portraits 

and  Illustratioas.    2  Vols.    8vo.    42s. 

LETO  (PoMPONio).  Eight  Months  at  Eome  during  the  Vatican 
Council.  With  a  daily  account  of  the  proceedings.  Translated  fron> 
the  original.    8vo.     12*. 

LETTERS  From  the  Baltic.     By  a  Lady.    Post  8vo.     2s. 

Madras.     By  a  Lady.     Post  8vo.    2«. 

Sierra  Leone.   By  a  Lady.    Post  8vo.   3«.  6d. 

LEVI  (Leone).  History  of  British  Commerce ;  and  of  the  Eco- 
nomic Progress  of  the  Nation,  from  176.3  to  1870.     8vo.    16». 

LIDDELL  (Dean).  Student's  History  of  Rome,  from  the  earliest 
Timps  to  the  establishment  of  the  Empire.  "Woodcuts.   Post  8vo.  ln.&d, 

LLOYD  (W.  Watkiss).  History  of  Sicily  to  the  Athenian  War  ; 
wiih  Elucidations  of  the  Sicilian  Odes  of  Pindar.  With  Map.  8vo.  14». 

LISPINGS  from  LOW  LATITUDES;  or,  the  Journal  of  the  Hon. 
ImpulsiaGushington.  Edited  bv  Lord Ddfferin.  With24Plates.4to.21s. 

LITTLE   ARTHUR'S    History'  of   England.      By   Lady   Call- 

COTT.  New Edition,continued  to  1872.  With  Woodcutf    Fcap.  8vo.   Is.  6d. 

LIVINGSTONE  (Dr  ).     Popular  Account  of  his  First  Expedition 

to  Africa,  1840-.56.     Illustrations.     Post  8vo.    7s.  ed. 

_ Popular  Account  of  his  Second  Expedition  to 

Africa,  1858-64.     Map  and  Illustrations.     Post  Svo.    7s.  dd. 

Last  Journals  in  Central  Africa,  from  1865  to 


his  Death.  Continued  by  a  Narraiiveof  his  la.stmomtnts  and  sufferings. 

Hy  Rev  Horace  Walleb.    Maps  and  Ilhistrations.    li  Vols.    Svo.    28«. 
LIVINGSTONIA.     Journal  of  Adventures  in  Exploring  the  Lake 

Nyassa,  and  Establishing  the  above  Settlement.    By  E.  D.  Young,  R.N. 

Revised  by  Kev.  Horace  Waller,  F.K.G.S.     Maps.    Post8vo. 
LIVONIAN   TALES.     By  the  Author   of   "Letters   from    the 

Baltic."    Post  Svo.     2s. 

LOCH  (H.  B.).  Personal  Narrative  of  Events  during  Lord 
Elgin's  Second  Embassy  to  China.     With  Illustrations.    Post  Svo.    9s. 

LOCKHART  (J.  G.).  Ancient  Spanish  Ballads.  Historical  and 
Romantic.  Translated,  with  Notes.  With  Portrait  and  Illustrations. 
Crown  Svo.    Us. 

Life  of  Theodore  Hook.     Fcap.  Svo.     Is. 

LOUDON  (Mrs.)     Gardening  for  Ladies.     With  Directions  and 

Calendar  of  Operations  for  Every  Month.  Woodcuts.  Fcap.  Svo.  3s.  6d. 

LYELL  (Sir  Charles).  Principles  of  Geology;  or,  the  Modem 
changes  of  the  Earth  and  its  Inliahitants  considered  as  illustrative  of 
Geology.    With  Illustrations.    2  Vols.    Svo.    32*. 

Student's  Elements  of  Geology.     With  Table  of  British 

Fossils  and  HdO  Illustrations.     Post  Svo.     9*. 

Geological      Evidences     of     the     Antiquity    of    Man, 

including  an  Outline  of  Glacial  Post-Tertiary  Geology,  and  Remarks 
on  the  Origin  of  Species.     IllnHtrations.    Svo.     lis. 

(K.  M.).     Geographical  Handbook  of  Ferns.    With  Tables 

to  show  their  DiHtribution.     Post  Svo.     7*.  6d. 

LYTTON'S  (Lord)  Memoir  of  Julian  Fane.     With  Portrait.    Post 

Svo.    6» 
McCLlNTOCK    (Sir   L.).     Narrative  of  the    Discovery  of  the 

Fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  Companions  in   the  Arctic  Seas. 

With  Illimtrations.    Post  Svo.    7:  M. 

MACDOUGALL  (Col.).  Modern  Warfare  as  Influenced  by  Modem 
Artillery.    With  Plans.    Post  8vo.    12«. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  21 


MACGREQOR  (J.).  Rob  Roy  ou  the  Jordan,  Nile,  Red  Sea,  Gen- 
nesareth,  &c.  A  Canoe  Cruise  in  Palestine  and  Egypt  and  the  Waters 
ot  Damascus.    With  Map  and  70  Illustrations.    Crown  Sro.    7s.  6d. 

MAETZNER'S  English  Grammak.  A  Methodical,  Analytical, 
and  Historical  Treatise  on  the  Orthography,  Prosody,  Inflections,  and 
Syntax  of  the  English  Tonijue.  Trauxlated  from  the  German.  By 
ClairJ,  Gbece,  LL.D.    3  Vols.    8vo.    36». 

MAHON  (Lord),  see  Stanhope. 

MAINE  (Sir  H.  Suhner).    Ancient  Law:  its  Connection  with  the 

Early  History  of  Society,  And  its  Relation  to  Modern  Ideas.    8to.    12». 
Village  Communities  in  the  East  and   AVest.     With 

additional  Essays.    8vo.    lit. 

Early  History  of  Institutions.  ■  Sro.  12s. 


MALCOLM  (Sir  John).     Sketches  of  Persia.     Post  8vo.     Ss.  6d. 
MANSE L    (Dean).      Limits   of   Religious    Thought   Examined. 

Post  8vo.    as.  6d. 
Letters,  Lectures,  and  Papers,  including  the  Phrontis- 

terion,  or  Oxford  in  the  XlXth  Century.    Edited  by  H.  W.  Chanoleb, 

M.A.    8vo.   l-2s. 
Gnostic  Heresies  of  the  First  and  Second  Centuries. 


With  a  sketch  of    his  life  and  cliaracter      By    Lord    Caenabvon. 
Edited  by  Canon  Liohtfoot.    8vo     10».  6d. 
M.YNUAL     OP     SCIENTIFIC    ENQUIRY.      For  the   Use  of 
Travellers.    Edited  by  Rev.  K.  Maih.  Post  8vo.    3a.  6d.    {Fuhlished  by 
nrder  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.) 

MARCO  POLO.  The  Book  of  Ser  JiEarco  Polo,  the  Venetian. 
Concerning  the  Kingdoms  and  Marvels  of  the  East.  A  new  English 
Version.  Illustrated  by  the  light  of  Oriental  Writers  and  Modern 
Travels.  By  Cot..  Hesar  Yule.  Maps  aud  Illustrationti.  2  Vols. 
Medium  Svo.    63». 

MARKHAM'S  (Mrs.)  History  of  England.  From  the  First  Inva- 
sion  by  the  Romans  to  1867.  Woodcuts.  I2mo.  3«.  &d. 

History  of  France.      From    the  Conquest  by  the 

Gauls  to  1861.     Woodcuts.     12rao.    Zs.M. 

History  of  Germany.    From  the  Invasion  by  Manns 

to  1867.    Woodcuts.    12mo.    Zs.  6d. 

MARLBOROUGH'S  (Sarah,  Duchess  op)  letters.  Now  first 
p\iblis(\ed  from  the  Original  MSS.  at  Madresfield  Court.  AVith  an 
Introduction.    Svo.    10«.  6d. 

MARRY  AT  (Josbph).  History  of  Modern  and  Mediaeval  Pottery 
and  Porcelain.  With  a  Description  of  tlie  Manufacture.  Plates  and 
Woodcuts.    Svo.    42».  [  Post  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

MARSH  (G.  p.).     Student's  Manual   of  the  English    Language. 
MASTERS  in  English  Theology.     A  Series  of  Lectures  delivered 

at  King's  Coll.,  London,  1877.     By  Canon  Barry,  D.D.,  the  Dean  of  St. 

Paul's;  Prof.  Plumptre,  U.D.:  C«non  Westcott,  DO.;  Canon  Farrar, 

D.D. ;  and  Prof.  Cheetham,  M.A.     With  an  Historical  Intr.)diiction. 

Post  Svo.  [/rt  Pret^aration. 

MATTHliE'S    Greek     Grammar.      Abridged      by     Bloufisij). 

Revised  by  E.  S.  Cbookb.    12mo.    As. 
MAUREL'S   Character,   Actions,  and    Writings    of   Wellington. 

Fcap.  Svo.    1*.  6d. 
MAYNE    (Capt.).      Four  Years  in  British  Columbia  and  Van- 

ciuver  Island.    Illustrations.    Svo.    16i. 
MAYO  (Lord).     Sport  in  Abyssinia;  or,  the  Mareb  and  Tack- 

azzee.     With  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo.    12j. 
MEADE  (Hon.  Herbert).    Ride  through  the  Disturbed  Districts  of 

New  Zealand,  with  a  Cruise  among  the  South  Sea  Islands.    With  Illns- 

tnitions.   Medium  Svo.    124. 


22  LIST  OP  WORKS 


MELVILLE    (Hermann).      Marquesas  and   South    Sea   Islands. 
2  Vols.    Post  8vo.    It. 

MEREDITH'S  (Mrs.  Charles)  Notes  and  Sketches  of  New  South 

Wales.    Post  8vo.    2«. 

MESSIAH    (THE):  The  Life,   Travels,  Death, Eesurrection,  and 

Ascension  of  our  Blessed  Lord.      By  A  Layman.     Map.    8vo.    18s. 
MICHELANGELO  -  BUONAREOTI,     Sculptor,     Painter,     and 

Archiiect.  His  Life  and  "Works.    By  C.  Heath  Wilson.    Illustrations. 

Royal  8v  o.    26s. 
MILLINGTON  (Rev.  T.  S.).    Signs  and  Wonders  in  the  Land  of 

Ham,  or  the  Ten  Plagues  of  Egypt,  with  Ancient  and  Modern  Illustra- 
tions.    Woodcuts.     I'ost  8vo.    7s.  M. 
MILMAN   (Dean).     History  of  the  Jews,  from  the  earliest  Period 

down  to  Modern  Times.    3  Vols.     Post  8vo.    18s. 
Early   Christianity,  from  the   Birth  of  Christ  to  the 

Abolition  of  Paganism  in  the  Roman  Empire.    3  Vols.    Post  8vo.    18s, 
Latin    Christianity,  including   that  of  the  Popes  to- 


the  Pontificate  of  Nicholas  V.    9  Vols.    Post  8vo.  54s. 

Annals  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  from  the  Romans  to 

the  funeral  of  Wellington.    Portrait  and  Illustrations.    8vo.    18s. 

Character   and  Conduct  of  the  Apostles  considered 


as  an  Evidence  of  Christianity.    8vo.  10s.  6d. 

Quinti  Horatii  Flacci  Opera.     With  100  Woodcuts^ 

Small  Svo.    7s.  &d. 

^  Life    of  Quintus    Horatius  Flaccus.      With  Illustra- 
tions.   8vo.    9s. 

Poetical  Works.     The  Fall  of  Jerusalem — Martyr  of 

Antioch — Balshazzar — Tamor — Anne  Boleyn — Fazio,  &c.    With  Por- 
trait and  Illustrations.    3  Vols.    Fcap.  Svo.    18s. 

Fall  of  Jerusalem.     Fcap.  Svo.    1«. 

(Capt.  E.  a.)  Wayside  Cross.     Post  Svo.    2s. 


MIVART'S  (St.  George)  Lessons  from  Nature;  as  manifested  in 

Mind  and  Matter.    Svo.     15s. 

MODERN  DOMESTIC  COOKERY.     Founded  on  Principles  of 

Economy  and  Practical  Knowledge.  Nev>  Edition.  Woodcuts.  Fcap.  Svo.  5«. 
MONGREDIEN  (Augustus).  Trees  and  Shrubs  for  English 
Plantation.  A  Selection  and  Description  of  the  most  Ornamental 
which  will  flourish  in  the  open  air  in  our  climate.  With  Classified 
Lists.     With  30  Illustrations.    Svo.    16s. 

MOORE'S   (Thomas)    Life  and  Letters  of  Lord  Byron.      Cabinet 

Edition.    Wiih    Plate.s.    6    Vols.    Fcap.  Svo.   18s.;   Popular  Edition, 

with  Portraits.    Royal  Svo.    7s.  6<i. 
MORESBY  (Capt.),  R.N.     Discoveries  in  New  Guinea,  Polynesia, 

Torres  Straits,  &c.,  during  the  cruise  of  H.M.S.  Basilisk.    Map  and 

Illustrations.    Svo.    15s. 
MOTLEY  (J,  L.).     History  of  the  United  Netherlands :  from  the 

Deathof  William  the  Silent  to  the  Twelve  Years'  Truce,  1609.    Library 

Edition.     Portraits.   4  Vols.  Svo.  60«.    Cabinet  Edition.    4  Vols.    Post 

Svo.    6s.  each. 
Life     and    Death    of    John    of    Barneveld, 

Advocate  of  Holland.      With  a   View  of  the   Primary   Causes   and 

Movements  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.   Library  Edition.     lUustratious. 

2  Vols.  Svo.  2gs.     Cabinet  Edition.    2  vols.    Post  Svo.    12s. 

MOSSMAN  (Samuel).  New  Japan ;  the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun ; 
its  Annals  and  Progress  during  the  past  Twenty  Years,  recording  the 
remarkable  Progress  of  the  Japanese  in  Western  Civilisation.  With 
Map.    Svo.    15s. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  28 


MOUHOT  (Henri).  Siam,  Cambojia,  and  Lao;  a  Narrative  of 
Trayels  and  Uiscoverius.    Illustratioiis.    2  Vul^.    8vo. 

MOZLEY'S   (Canon)  Treatise  on  Predestination.     8vo.    lis. 

Primitive  Doctrine  of  Baptismal  Kegeneration.  8vo.  78.6d. 

MDIEHEAD'S  (Jas.)  Vaux-de-Vire  of  Maistre  Jean  Le  Houx, 
Advocate  of  Vire.  Translated  and  Edited.  Witli  Portrait  and  Illus- 
trations.   870.    2I3. 

MUNRO'S  (General)  Life  and  Letters.     By  Rev.  O.  R.  Qleio. 

Post  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

MURCHISON'S  (Sir  Roderick)  Siluria  ;  or,  a  History  of  the 

Oldest  rocks  containing  Organic  Remains.   Map  and  Plates.    8vo.    18«. 
Memoirs.     Witii  Notices  of  liis  Contemporariea, 

and  Rise  and  Progress  of  Paleeozoic  Geology.     By  Abchibalu  Geikie, 

Portraits.   2  Vols.   8vo.    30«. 
MURRAY'S  RAILWAY  READING.     Containing:— 

WlLLIMCTOn.     Bt  Loao  ELLaSMBBI. 
NlltROOOllTHB  CaAaE,  U. 


.   Bt  Lobo  Ellbbmbbb.    6d.       Mibon's  Joaic  of  Abc.    It. 
SB  CaABB,  U.  Hbad'i  EMieBAifT.    i:6d. 


Muaic  AND  Dbbis. 
Milman's  Fall  or  Jbbusalbm.    If. 
Mahoh's  "FoBit-FivB."    3». 
LiFB  or  Thbooobb  Hoob.    It. 
Dbbbs  or  Natal  l>ABina,    3<.  6d. 
Tbb  Hohbi  Bbb.    U. 
iBsor's  Fablb*.    it.bd. 
NiMBOD  OB   TBB  TuBr.     If.  M. 
Abt  or  Dinina.    U.6d. 


NiMBUD    OS    TUB  RoAD. 

CboKKB    on    THB    GUILLOTIHB.      If. 

Ho..lway'8    Nobwat.     2f, 
MaUBBl'S    WBLLIRaTOil.     U.  fid. 

Camtbbll's   LirB  or  Bacob.    2f ,  6d 
Thb  Flowbb  Oabdbh.    li. 
Tailob's  Notes  raoM  LirB.    2t. 
Rbjbctbd  Addbbbbbb.    If. 
Psmb'b  Hints  ob  AneLIBS.    If. 


MUSTERS'  (Capt.)  Patagonians;  a  Year's  Wanderings  over 
Untrodden  Ground  from  the  Straits  of  Magellan  to  the  Rio  Negro. 
Illustrations.    Post  8vo.     7$.  6d. 

NAPIER  (Sir  Wm.).    Englisii  Battles  and  Sieges  of  the  Peninsnlar 

War.    Portrait.    Post  8vo.    9*. 

NAPOLEON    AT    PoNTAiNEBLEAU    AND    Elba.     A    Joomal    of 

Occurrences   and    Notes  of  Conversations.    By   Sib  Neil  Campbell, 

C.B.    With  a  Memoir.  By  Uev.  a.  N.  C.  Maclacblan,  M.A.   Poitrait. 

8vo.   16». 
NARES  (Sib  Geobob),  R.N.     Official  Keport  to  the  Admiralty  of 

the  recent  Arctic  Expedition.    Map.    8vo.    2*.  6rf. 
NASMYTH  AND  CARPE:<TER.    The   Moon.     Considered  as  a 

Planet,  a  World,  and  a  Satellite.     With  Illustrations  from  Drawings 
made  with  the  aid  of  Powerful  Telescopes,  Woodcuts,  &c.    4to.    30f. 

NAUTICAL    ALMANAC    (The).     (By  AutJiority.)      2s.  6d. 

NAVY  LIST.    (Monthly  and  Quarterly.)    Post  8vo. 

NEW  TESTAMENT.  With  Short  Explanatory  Commentary. 
By  Abchdeacox  Chttbton,  M.A.,  and  Archdeacon  Basil  Jones,  M.A. 
With  110  authentic  Views,  &c.    2  Vols.    Crown  8vo     21«.  bound. 

NEWTH  (Samuel).  First  Book  of  Natural  Philosophy  ;  an  Intro- 
duction to  the  study  of  Statirs,  Pynamies,  Hydrostatics,  Optics,  and 
Acoustics,  with  numerous, Examples.     Small  8vo.    3i.  td. 

Elements  of  Mechanics,  including  Hydrostatics, 

with  numerous  Examples.    Small  8vo.    8s.  6d. 

Mathematical    Examinations.       A    Graduated 


Series  of  Elementary  Examples  in  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  Logarithms, 

Trigonometry,  and  Mechanics.    Small  8vo.    8».  6d. 
NICHOLS'  (J.  G.)  Pilgrimages  to  Walsingham  and  Canterbury. 

ByEEASHDS.  Translated,  with  Notes.  With  Illustrations.  Post  8vo.  6«. 
(Sir   Georob)   History   of   the  English  Poor  Laws. 

2  Vols.    8vo. 

NICOLAS'  (Sir  Harris)  Historic  Peerage  of  England.  Exhi- 
biting the  Origin,  Descent,  and  Present  State  of  every  Title  of  Peer- 
age which  has  existed  in  this  Country    since  the    Conquest.     By 

WlLLLAM    COUBTHUPK.     8vO.     80«. 


24  LIST  OP  WORKS 


NIMBOD,  On  the  Chace— Turf— and  Eoad.    With  Portrait  and 

Plates.    Crown  8vo.  5«.    Orwith  Coloured  Plates,  7s.  M. 

NORDHOFF  (Chas.).  Communistic  Societies  of  the  United 
Slates;  including  Detailed  Accounts  of  ihe  Shakers,  The  Amana, 
Oneida,  Bethell,  Aunra,  Icarian  and  other  existing  Societies;  with 
Particulars  of  their  Religious  Creeds,  Industries,  and  Present  Condi- 
tion.    With  40  Illustrations.    8vo.     15». 

NORTHCOTE'S  (Sib  John)  Notebook  in  the  Long  Parliament. 
Containine:  Proceedings  during  its  First  Session,  1640.  From  the 
Original  MS.  in  th-  possession  of  the  Bight  Hon.  Sir  Stafford  Js'orthcote, 
Bart.,  M.P.  Transcribed  and  Edited,  with  a  Memoir.  By  A.  H.  A. 
Hamilton.     Crown  8vo.  [In  the  Press. 

OWEN  (LiEtiT.-CoL.).  Principles  and  Practice  of  Modern  Artillery, 
including  Artillery  Material,  Gunnery,  and  Organisation  and  Use  ot 
Artillery  in  Warfare.    With  Illustrations.     8vo.     15s. 

OXENHAM  (Kkv.  W.).  English  Notes  for  Latin  Elegiacs  ;  designed 
for  early  Proficients  in  the  Art  of  Latin  Versification,  with  Prefatory 
Rules  of  Composition  in  Eleg^iac  Metre.    12mo.    3».  6d. 

PALGRAVE  (K.  H.  I.).  Local  Taxation  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland.    Svo.    bs. 

Notes  on  Barking  in  Great  Beitain  and  Ire- 
land, Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Hamburg,  with  some  Remarks  on 
the  amount  of  Bills  in  circulation,  both  Inland  and  Foreign.    Svo.    6«. 

PALLISER  (Mrs.).  Brittany  and  its  Byeways,  its  Inhabitants, 
and  Antiquities.     With  Illustrations.    Post  Svo.     12s. 

• Mottoes  for  Monuments,  or  Epitaphs  selected  for 

General  Use  and  Study.    With  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

PARIS'  (Db.)  Philosophy  in  Sport  made  Science  in  Earnest; 
or,  the  First  Principles  of  Nattiral  Philosophy  inculcated  by  aid  of  the 
Toys  and  Sports  of  Youth.     Woodcuts.  Post  Svo.  7s.6d. 

PARKMAN  (Fbancih).  Discovery  of  the  Great  West;  or,  The 
Valleys  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Lakes  of  North  America.  An 
Historical  Nariative.     Map.    Svo.    10».  6d. 

PARKYNS'  (Mansfield)  Three  Years'  Residence  in  Abyssinia: 
with  Travels  in  that  Country.    With  Illustrations.    Post  Svo.    7a.  6d. 

PEEK  PRIZE  ESSAYS.  The  Maintenance  of  the  Church  of 
England  as  an  Established  Church.  By  Rev.  Charles  Hole— Rev. 
R.  Watson  Dixon— and  Rev.  Julius  Li.oyd.    Svo.    10«.  6d. 

PEEL'S  (Sir  Robert)  Memoirs.     2  "Vols.     Post  Svo.     15s. 

PENN  (Richard).    Maxims  and  Hints  for  an  Angler  and  Chees- 

player.    Woodcuts.    Fcap.  Svo.    Is. 

PERCY  (John,  M.D.).  Metallurgy,  Vol.  L,  Part  1.  Fuel, 
Wood.  Peat,  Coal,  Charcoal,  Coke,  Refractory  Materials,  Fire-Clays, 
&c.    With  IlluKtiations.     8vo.    30«. 

Vol.  I.,  Part  2.  Copper,  Zinc,  Brass.  With  Illustra- 
tions.   Svo.  [/n  the  Press. 

Vol.   II.      Iron  and  SteeL    With  Illustrations.    Svo. 

[Zn  Preparation. 

Vol.  III.    Lead,  including  part  of  Silver.    With  Illus- 


trations.   8vo.    80«. 
Vols.  IV.  and  V.     Gold,  Silver,  and  Mercury,  Platinum, 

Tin,  Nickel,  Cobalt.  Antimony,  Bismuth,  ArKcnlc,  and  other  Metals. 

With  IlIuHtratioiis.  Svo.  [In  Preparation. 
PHILLIPS'  (John)  Memoirs  of  William  Smith.  Svo.  7«.6d 
(John)    Geology    of    Yorkshire,     The    Coast,    and 

LImeetone  District.    Plates.     2  Vols.    4to. 
Rivers,    Mountains,   and    Sea   Coast    of    Yorkshire. 

With    Essays   on   the   Climate,  Scenery,  and  Ancient  Inhabitants. 

Plates.  8vo.   16(. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY,  26 


PHILLIPS'  (Samuel)  Literary  Ei^says  from  «  The  Times."     With 

Portrait.     2  Vols.     Kcap.  8vo.     la. 

POPE'S    (Alexander)  AVorks.      With   Introductions    and  Notes, 

by  Rkv.  Whitwell  Elwin.    Vols.  I.,  II.,  VI.,  VII.,  VIII.    With  For- 

traits.    8vo.     10s.  6<2.  eacli. 
PORTER  (Rev.  J.  L.).    Damascus,  Palmyra,  and  Lebanon.     With 

Travels  among  the  Giant  Cities  ot'Baiihau  and  tbe  Uauran.    Map  and 

Woodcuts.    PostSro.    7/.  tW. 

PRAYER-BOOK  (Illustrated),  with  Borders,  Initials,  Vig- 
nettes, &c.  Edited,  with  Notes,  by  Rry.  Thos.  James.  Medium 
8vo.    \Sa. cloth;  31*.  6d.  caXf ;  36».  morocco. 

PRINCESS  CHARLOTTE  OP  WALES.  A  Brief  Memoir. 
With  Selections  from  her  Correspondence  and  otlier  unpublished 
Papers.     By  Lady  Husk  Wkigall.    With  Portrait.    8vo.   Us.  tid. 

PUSS  IN  BOOTS.     With   12   Illustrations.      By  Otto  Spkcktee. 

16mo.     1».  6d.     Or  coloured,  2s.  6d. 

PRIVY  COUNCIL  JUDGMENTS  in  Ecclesiastical  Cases  re- 
lating to  Doctrine  and  Discipline.  Witli  Historical  Introduction, 
by  G.  C.  Beodkick  and  W.  H.  Fbemantlk.    8vo.     10*.  Gd. 

QUARTERLY  REVIEW  (The).    8vo.    6«. 

RAE  (Edward).  Land  of  the  North  Wind;  or  Travels  among 
the  Laplanders  and  Samoyedes,  and  along  tbe  Sliores  of  tbe  White 
Sea.     With  Map  and  Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.    10*.  6rf. 

The  Country  of  the  Moors.     A   Journey  from   Tripoli  in 

Barbary  to  tbe  City  of  Kairwan.     Crown  8vo.  [In  the  Pros. 

RAMBLES  in  the  Syrian  Deserts,     Post  8vo.     10«.  6d. 

RANKE  (Leopold).  History  of  the  Popes  of  Rome  during  the 
16th  and  17th  Centuries.  Translated  from  the  German  by  Sabah 
AnsTiK.    3  Vols.    8vo.    30». 

EASSAM  (Hormuzd).  Narrative  of  the  British  Mission  to  AbyB- 
sinia.  With  Notices  of  the  Countries  Traversed  from  Massowah  to 
MagdaU.    Illustrations.    *2  Vols.    8vo.    '^Ss. 

RAWLIN SON'S  (Canon)  Herodotus.  A  New  English  Ver- 
sion. Edited  with  Notes  and  Essays.  Maps  and  Woodcut.  4  Vols  8vo.  48«. 

Five  Great  Monarchies  of  Chaldsea,  Assyria,  Media, 

Babylonia,  and  Persia.  With  Maps  and  Illustrations.  3  Vols.  8to.  i'Zt, 
(Sir  Henry)  England  and  Russia  in  the  East ;  a 


Series  of  Papers  on  tbe  Political  and  Geographical  Condition  of  Central 
Asia.     Map.    8vo.     12x. 
REED  (E.  J.).     Shipbuilding    in    Iron   and   Steel;    a  Practical 
Treatise,  giving  full  details  of  Construction,  Processes  of  Manufacture, 
and  Building  Arrangements.  With  5  Plans  and  250  Woodcuts.  8vo. 

Iron  -  Clad    Ships ;    their    Qualities,    Performances,   and 

Cost.    With  Chapters  on  Turret  Ships,  Iron-Clad  Rama,  Ac.     With 
Illustrations.    8vo.    lis. 

Letters  from  Russia  in  1875.     8vo.     5s. 


REJECTED  ADDRESSES  (The).     By  James  ahd  Horace  Smith. 

Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.  3s.  6d. ;  or  Populir  Edition,  Fcap.  8vo.  Is. 
REYNOLDS'   (Sir  Joshua)    Life  and  Times.     By  0.  R.  Leslie, 
R.A.  and  Tom  Tatlor.     Portraits.    2  Vols.    Svo. 

RICARDO'S  (David)    Political   Works.     With  a  Notice  of  his 

Life  and  Writings.   By  J.  E.  M'CnLU)CH.    8vo.    18». 
EI  PA  (Father).  Thirteen  Years'  Residence  at  the  Court  of  Peking. 

Post  8to.    is. 
ROBERTSON  (Cahon).     History  of  the  Christian  Church,  fi^m 
the  Apostolic  Age  to  the  Reiormation,  1517.    Library  Edition.   4  Vols. 
Svo.     Cabinet  Edition.    8  Vols.    Post  Svo.     6i.  each. 


26  LIST  OF  WORKS 


ROBINSON  (Rev.  Dr.).    Biblical  Eesearches  in  Palestine  and  the 

Adjacent  Regions,  1838— 52.     Maps.    3  Vols.    8vo.   42«. 

Physical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land.     Post  8vo. 

10<.  6d. 

(Wm.)  Alpine  Flowers  for  English  Gaj-dens.    With 


70  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo.     12.«. 
Wild   Gardens;   or,   our  Groves  and  Shrubberies 

made  beautiful  by  the  Naturalization   of  Hardy  Exotic  Plants.     With 

Frontispiece.    Small  8vo.    6s. 
• Sub-Tropical  Gardens  ;  or,  Beauty  of  Form  ia  the 

Flower  Garden.     With  Illustrations.     Small  8vo.    7s.  6d. 
EOBSON   (E.  B.).     School  Architecture.     Being  Practical  Ee- 

marks   on   the   Planning,  Designing,    Building,    and    Furnishing  of 

School-houses.     With  30y  Illustrations.    Medium  8vo.    IBs. 

EOME  (HisTOKY  of).    See  Liddell  and  Smith. 

ROWLAND  (David).  Manual  of  the  English  Constitution. 
ItsKise,  Growth,  and  Present  State.    Post  8vo.    lOt.Bd. 

■ Laws  of  Nature  the  Foundation  of  Morals.  Post  8vo.  6«. 

RUNDELL'S  (Mrs.)  Modem  Domestic  Cookery.  Fcap.  8vo.    6s. 

BUXTON  (George  P.).  Travels  in  Mexico ;  with  Adventures 
among  the  Wild  Tribes  and  Animals  of  the  Prairies  and  Rocky  Moun 
tains.    PostSvo.   3s.  6d. 

SALE'S  (Sir  Robert)  Brigade  in  Affghanistan.  With  an  Account  of 
the  Defence  of  Jellalabad.    By  Rev.  G.  R.  Gleiq.     Post  8vo.    is. 

SCEPTICISM  IN  GEOLOGY;  and  the  Reasons  for  It.  By 
Verifier.    Crown  Svo.     6«. 

SCHLIEMANN  (Dr.  Henry).  Troy  and  Its  Remains.  A  Narra- 
tive of  Researches  and  Discoveries  made  on  the  Site  of  Ilium,  and  in  the 
Trojan  Plain.  With  Maps,  Views,  and  500  IlluKtrations.  Medium  Svo.  42«. 

Discoveries  on  the   Site  of  Ancient  Mycenae. 

With  numerous  Illustrations,  Plans,  &c.    Medium  Svo.   [/n  Preparation, 

SCOTT  (Sir  G.  G.).  Secular  and  Domestic  Architecture,  Present 
and  Future.    Svo.    9s, 

(Dean)  University  Sermons.  Post  Svo.  8s.  6c?. 

SCROPE  (G.  p.).      Geology   and  Extinct  Volcanoes  of  Central 

France.    Illustrations.    Medium  Svo.   308. 

SHADOWS    OF   A    SICK  ROOM.     With  a  Preface  by  Canon 

LiDDON.    16mo.    2s.  6d. 
SHAH  OF   PERSIA'S  Diary  during  his  Tour  through  Europe  in 

1873.     Translated  from   the  Original.     By  J.  W.  Rkdhouse.    With 

Portrait  and  Coloured  Title.     Crown  Svo.     12«. 
SMILES'   (Samdel)  British  Engineers;  from  the  Earliest  Period 

to  the  death  of  the  Stephensons.    With  Illustrations.    5  Vols.    Crown 

Svo,    7».  6ci.  each. 

George  and  Robert  Stephenson.    Illustrations.    Medium 

8vo.    21*. 

Boulton  and  Watt.  Illustrations.  Medium  8vo.     21s. 

Lite  of  a  Scotch  Naturalist  (Thomas   Edward).      With 

Portrait  and  Illustrittiong.    Crown  Svo.  10s  6<i. 

■  Huguenots  in  England  and  Ireland,     Crown  8vo.   78,  6d, 

Self-Help.  With  Illustrations  of  Conduct  and  Persever- 
ance.   Post  Svo.  6s.    Or  in  French,   5s. 

Character.     A  Sequel  to   "  Self-Help,"  Post  Svo,  6s. 


—  Thrift,    A  Book  of  Domestic  Counsel.    Post  8vo, 

Industrial     Biography;     or.    Iron    Workers    and    Tool 


Makers.    Post  Svo,    6». 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  27 


SMILES'  (Samuel)  Boy's  Voyage  round  the  World.   With  Illustra- 
tions.   Post  8vo.    6i. 
SMITH'S  (Db.  Wm.)  Dictionary   of   the  Bible;    its  Antiquities, 

Biography,  Geography,   and  Natural  History.    Illustrations.    3  Vols. 
8vo.   105». 

Concise    Bible    Dictionary.     With    300    Illustrations. 

Medium  8vo.    21.«. 

Smaller  Bible  Dictionary.      With  Illustrations.     Post 

8vo.    7».  6d. 

Christian  Antiquities.  Comprising  the  History,  Insti- 
tutions, and  Antiquities  of  the  Christian  Church.  With  Illustrations. 
VoL  I.    8vo.    31 »  6d. 

Biography,  Literature,   Sects,  and  Doctrines; 


from  the  Times  of  the  Apostles  to  the  Age  of  Charlemagne.  Vol.  I.  8vo. 
31».  ed. 

Atlas  of  Ancient  Geography — Biblical  and  Classical. 

Folio.    61.  6i. 

Greek  and   Soman    Antiquities.      With  500  Illustra- 
tions.   Medium  8vo.    28s. 

. Biography    and    Mythology.    With 

600  Illustrations.    3  Vols.     Medium  8vo.    41.  it- 

Geography.      2   Vols.      With    600 


Illustrations.     Medium  8vo.    56*. 

Classical    Dictionary    of   Mythology,    Biography,   and 

Geography.     1  Vol.     With  750  Woodcuts.  8vo.    18*. 

Smaller    Classical    Dictionary.     With    200    Woodcuts. 

Crown  8vo.     7s.  6d. 

Smaller  Greek  and  Roman  Antiquities.  With  200  Wood- 
cuts.   CrowB  8vo,    7*.  6d. 

Complete  Latin- English  Dictionary.    With  Tables  of  the 

Koman  Calendar,  Measnres.  Wei|?hfs,  and  Money.    8vo.    21». 

Smaller  Latin- English   Dictionary.     12mo.     7a.  6d. 

Copious  and   Critical   English-Latin  Dictionary.     8vo. 


Smaller  English-Latin  Dictionary.     12mo.  7».  6d. 

School    Manual  of   English   Grammar,   with    Copious 

Exercises.    Post  8vo.    3.1.  Hd. 

Modern  Geography,  Physical  and 


Political.    Post  8vo.    5*. 

Primary  English  Grammar.     16mo.     Is. 

History  of  Britain.     12mo.     2s.  6d. 


French  Principia.  Part  I.  A  First  Course,  containing  a 

Orammar,  DeIeclU!>,  Exercises,  and  Vocabularies.    12rao.    Sa.  64. 

Part  II.  A  Reading  Book,  containing 

Fables,  Stories,  and  Anecdotes,  Natural  Hittory,  and  Scenes  from  tlie 
History  of  France.  With  Grtimmatica)  Questions,  Notes  and  copious 
Etymological  Dictionary.    12mo.    4$.  6d. 

Part  III.  Prose  Composition,  contain- 
ing a  Systematic  Cnui>e  of  Exercises  on  the  Syntax,  with  the  Principal 
Eules  of  Syntax.    12mo.  [/«  the  Preu. 

Student's  French  Grammar.   By  C.  Heboh-Wall.    With 

Introduction  by  M.  I.Uire.    I'o^t  f  vo     7».  6rf. 

Smaller  Grammar  of  the  Krench  Language.     Abridged 

bora  the  above.    l2mo.    3s.  6d. 

German   Principia,    Part   I.    A  First  German  Course, 

containing  a  Grammar,  Delectus,  Exercise  Book,  and  Vocabularies. 
12mo.    a».  6(/. 


28  LIST  OF  WORKS 


SMITH'S   (Dr.  Wm.)   German     Principia,   Part  II.     A   Reading 

Book  ;  containing  Fablee,  Stories,  and  Ancdotes,  Natural  History,  and 
Scenes  from  the  History  of  Germany.  Wiih  Grammatical  Questions, 
Notes,  and  Dictionary.     12mo.  2s.  6d. 

— Part    III.      An     Introduction  to 

German  Prose  Composition;  cnuiaining  a  Systematic  Course  of  Exer- 
cises on  the  Syntax,  with  the  Principal  llules  of  Syntax.     12mo. 

[//I  the   Press. 

Practical  German  Grammar.     Post  8vo.     3s.  Qd. 

—    Principia  Latina — Part  I.     First  Latin  Course,  con- 


taining a  Grammar,  Delectus,  and  Exercise  Book,  with  Vocabularies. 
12mo.    3s.  6d. 

*»*  lu  tills  Edition  the  Cases  of  the  Nouns,  Adjectives,  and  Pronouns 
are  arranged  both  as  iu  tlie  ordinary  Grammars  and  as  in  the  Public 
School  Primer,  together  with  the   corresponding  Exercises. 

Part  II.  A  Eeading-book  of  Mytho- 
logy, Geography,  Roman  Antiquities,  and  History.  With  Notes  and 
Dictionary.    12mo.    3s.  6d. 

— Part  III.  A  Poetry  Book.  Hex- 
ameters and  Pentameters;  Eclog.  Ovidianse;  Latin  Prosody.  12mo. 
3s.  6d. 

Part  IV.  Prose  Composition.  Eules  of 

Syntax  with  Examples,  Explanations  of  Synonyms,  and  Exercises 
on  the  Syntax.     12mo.     3s.  6d. 

Principia  Latina— Part  "V.  Short  Tales  and  Anecdotes 

tor  Translation  into  Latin.    12mo.    3s. 

Latin-English    Vocabulary     and    First    Latin-English 


Dictionary  for  Phsedrus,  Cornelius  Nepos,  and  Cffisar.     12mo.    3s.  6d. 

Student's  Latin  Grammar.     Post  8vo.    6s. 

Smaller  Latin  Grammar.     12rao.     3s.  Qd. 

Tacitus,  Germania,  Agricola,  &c.  With  English  Notes. 

12mo.    3s.  6u!. 

Initia  Greeca,  Part  I.  A  First  Greek  Course,  con- 
taining a  Grammar,  Delectus,  and  Exercise-book.  "With  Vocabu- 
laries.    12mo.    3s.  6d. 

— Part   IL     A   Eeading   Book.     Containing 

Short  Tales,  Anecdotes,  Fables,  Mythology,  and  Grecian  History, 
12mo.     Ss.  6d. 


Part  III.    Prose  Composition.    Containing 

the  Rules  of  Syntax,  with  copious  Examples  and  Exercises.  ,12mo. 
Ss.6d. 

Student's  Greek  Grammar.    By  Curtius.    Post  Svo.   6s. 

Smaller  Greek  Grammar.     12mo.     3s.  6d. 

-  Greek  Accidence.      12uio.     2s.  6d. 

-  Plato,  Apology  of  Socrates,  &c.,  with  Notes.    12mo. 

3s.  6d. 

Smaller  Scripture  History.    Woodcuts.    16mo.     3«.  6rf. 

Ancient  History.     Woodcuts.   16mo.    3s.  6cZ. 

Geography.  Woodcuts.     16mo.     3s.  6d. 

— Borne.    Woodcuts.     16mo.     8s.  6d. 

Greece.     Woodcuts.     16mo.     3s.  Qd. 

Classical  Mythology.  Woodcuts.     16mo.     3s.  6d. 

Hibtory  of  England.   Woodcuts.    16mo.     3s.  6d. 

Engli.sh  Literature.      ]6mo.     3s.   6d. 

Specimens  of  English  Literature.     16mo.     Sa.dd. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  29 


SHAW  (T.  B.).  Student's  Manual  of  English  Literature.  Post  8v<>. 

7».  fi  J. 

Specimens   of   English   Literature.      Selected  from   the 

Chief  Writers.      Post  8vo.     7s.  6rf. 

(Robert).  Visit  to  High  Tartary,  Yarkand,  and  Eashgar 

(formerly  Chinese  Tartary),  and  Keturn  Journey  over  the  Karakorum 
Pass.     With  Map  and  Illustrations.    8vo,     16*. 

SHIRLEY  (Evelyn  P.).  Deer  and  Deer  Parks ;  or  some  Account 
of  English  Parks,  with  Motes  on  the  Management  of  Deer.  Illus- 
trations.   4to.    21s. 

SIERRA  LEONE  ;  Described  in  Letters  to  Friends  at  Home.  By 
A  Lady.    Post  8vo.    3s.  6U. 

SMITH  (Philip).  History  of  the  Ancient  World,  from  the 
Creation  to  the  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  a.d.  476.  Fourth  Edition, 
3  Vols.    8vo.     3  la.  6d. 

SIMMONS'  (Capt.)  Constitution  and  Practice  of  Courts-Mar- 
tial.    Seventh  Editinn.    ftvo.    15s. 

SPALDING  (Captain),  Tale  of  Frithiof.'  Translated  from  the 
Swedish  of  Esias  Tkonkb.    Post  8vo.    Is.  Gd. 

STANLEY  (Dkan).  Sinai  and  Palestine,  in  connexiou  with  their 
History.     Map.    8vo.    lis 

— Bible  in  the  Holy  Land;  Extracted  from  the  above 

Work.     Weodcuts.    Fcap.  8vo.    23.  6d. 

■        Eastern  Church.    Plans.    8vo.    12s. 

Jewish  Church.    \st  tb  2nd  Series.   From  the  Earliest 

Times  to  the  Captivity.    2  Vols.    8vo.     24«. 

TJtird  Series.    From  the  Captivity  to  the 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem.    8vo.    lis. 

Epistles  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians.     8vo.     ISs. 

Life  of  Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby.     With  selections  from 


his  Correspondence.    With  portrait.    2  vols.    CrownSvo.    12s. 

Church  of  Scotland.     Svo.     7«.  6d. 

Memorials    of    Canterbury    Cathedral.      Woodcuts. 

Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

Westminster     Abbey.     With  Illustra- 
tions.   8vo.    15s. 

■ Sermons  during  a  Tour  in  the  East.  Svo.  9s. 

Addresses  and  Charges  or  the  late  Bishop  Stanlbt. 


With  Memoir.    8vo.    lOs.  6d. 

STEPHEN   (Rev.  W.   R.).    Life  and  Times  of  St.  Chrysostom. 

With  Portrait.    8vn.     I5s. 

ST.  JAMES   LECTURES.     Companions    for  the    Devout    Life. 

2  Vols.    Svo.    7s.  6d  each. 


First  Series,  1875. 
Imitation  OF  Christ.  CandnFabrab. 
Prns^es  of  Blaisb  Pascal.     Dean 

Chukch. 
S.     Fbam^ois     db     Salrs.      Dean 

goulbubs. 
Baxtrb's  Saints'  Rest.    Abchbisbop 

Tbench. 
S.  Augustine's  Confessions.   Bishop 

Alexandeb. 
Jebsmy  Taylob's  Holt  Livino  and 


Second  .^eriei,  1876. 
Thbolooia      Germanica.        Canon 

ASHWKLL. 

F^nelon's    OCuvres     Spiritielles. 

Rev.  T.  T  Cabtkr. 
Andbbwss'  Dkvotio.ns.     Bi.snup  of 

Ely. 
Christian  Ye.\b.      Canon  Barry. 
Pabadi.se  Lost.    Rev.  E.  H.  Bicker- 

STETH. 

Pilobim's  Pboorrss.   Dean  Howson. 


Dying.    Rev.  Dr.  Humphry.  Prayer  Book.    Dean  Burgo.s. 

ST.  JOHN   (Charles).     Wild  Sports  and  Natural  History  of  the 
Highlands.    Post  8to.    3s.  6d. 

(Batle)  Adventures  in  the  Libyan  Desert.  Post  Svo.  2s. 


80  LIST  OF  WORKS 


STUDENT'S  OLD  TESTAMENT  HISTORY;  from  the  Creation 
to  the  Return  of  the  Jews  from  Captivity.  Maps  and  Woodcuts.  Post 
8vo.    7s.  6d, 

— NEW  TESTAMENT  HISTORY.    With  an  Intro- 

duction  connecting  the  History  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.    Maps 
and  Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.    7».  6d. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.    A  History  of  the 


Christian  Church  from  its  Foundatiou  to  the  Eve  of  the  Protestant 
Reformation.     Post  8vo.     It.  6'1. 

MANUAL  OF   ENGLISH   CHURCH  HISTORY, 

from  the  Reformation  to  the  Present  Time.     By  Rev.  G.  G.  Pebry, 
Prebendary  of  Lincoln  and  Rector  <>{  Wadding'on.     Post  8vo. 

ANCIENT   HISTORY   OP    THE  EAST;     Egypt, 

Assyria,  Babylonia,  Media,  Persia,  Asia  Minor,  and  Phoenicia.  Wood- 
cuts.  Post  8vo.    7«.  6d. 


GEOGRAPHY.    By  Rev.  W.  L.  Bkvan. 

Woodcuts.     PostSvo.     7».  6d. 

HISTORY    OF     GREECE;     from    the    Earliest 


Times  to  the  Roman  Conquest.    By  Wm.  Smith,  D.C.L.     Woodcuts. 
Crown  8vo.    7s.  Sd. 
•»*  Questions  on  the  above  Work,  12mo.    2«. 

HISTORY  OF  ROME;   from   the  Earliest  Times 

to  the  Establishment  of  the  Empire.    By  DEA2t  Liddkll.     Woodcuts. 
Crown  8vo.  7s.  6d. 

GIBBON'S  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

Woodcuts.    Post  8to.    74.  firf. 
HALLAM'S  HIisTORY  OP  EUROPE   during  the 

Middle  Ages.     PostSvo.    7*.  6./. 
HALLAM'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND;  from  the 

Accession  of  Henry  VII.  to  the  Dratli  of  Gt^orge  II.    Post  8vo.   7s.  6d. 
HUME'S    History  of  England   from    the   Invasion 


of  Julius  Ceesar  to  the  Revolution  in  16S8.     Continued  down  to  1868. 
Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.    7».  6d. 

*»•  Questions  on  the  above  Woik,  12mo.    2a. 

HISTORY  OF  FRANCE ;    from  the  Earliest  Times 

to  the  Establishment  of  tlie  Second  Empire,  1852.    By  Rev,  H.  W. 
Jkbvis.    Woodcuts.    Post  8vo.     7i.  6d. 

ENGLISH    LANGUAGE.      By    Geo.    P.  Marsh. 

Po8t8vo.    7m,  ed. 

LITERATURE.     By  T.  B.  Shaw,  M.A. 

Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

SPECIMENS  of  English  Literature  from  the  Chief 

Writers.    By  T.  B.  Sbavt.    Post  8vo.    7s.  6d, 

MODERN    GEOGRAPHY  ;     Mathematical,    Physi- 

cal,  and  Descriptive.  By  Rev.  W.  L.  Bkvan.  Woodcuts.  Post  8vo.  7s.  6d. 

MORAL    PHILOSOPHY.     By  William    Fleming, 

D.D.    Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

BLACKSTONE'3    Commentaries   on    the    Laws   of 


England.    By  R.  Malcolm  Kkkb.  LIv.D.    PostSvo.    7*.  6d. 
SUMNER'S  (Bishop)  Life  and  Episcopate  during  40  Years.     By 

Rev.  G.  H.  Sumner.    Portrait.    8vo.    14». 
STREET  (G.  E.)  Gothic  Architecture  in  Spain.    From  Personal 

Observations  made  during   several    Journeys.    With    Illustrations. 

Royal  8vo.    30«. 

— —  Italy,  chiefly  in  Brick  and 

Marble.    With  Notes  of  Tours  in  the  North  of  Italy.    With  60  II- 
lustraticDS.    Royal  8vo.    26s. 


PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY.  81 


STANHOPE  (Eakl)  England  from  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne  to 

the  Peace  of  Versailles,  1701-83.     Library  Edition,    8  vole.    8vo. 
Cabinet  Edition,  9  vols.     Post  8vo.    5«.  each. 

British  India,  from  its  Origin  to  1783.    8vo.     3s-  6d. 

History  of  "  Forty- Five."   Post  8vo,     3«. 

— Historical  and  Critical  Essays.     Post  8vo.     3».  6d. 

French  Eetreat  from  Moscow,   and  other  Essays. 

Post  8vo.    7s.  6d. 

Life  of  Belisarius.     Post  8vo.     10s.  6d. 

Condg.     Post  8vo.     3«.  6d. 

William  Pitt  Portraits.   4  Vols.   Svo.    24s. 


Miscellanies.  2  Vols.  Post  8vo,  13s. 
-  Story  of  Joan  of  Arc.  Fcap.  Svo.  1«. 
Addresses  on  Various  Occasions.  16mo.  Is. 


STYFFE  (Knut).     Strength  of  Iron  and  Steel.    Plates.  8vo.  12«. 

SOMERVILLE  (Mart).    Personal  Recollections  from  Early  Life 
to  Old  Age.     With  her  Correspondence.     Portrait.    Crown  8vo.    12*. 

Physical  Geography.     Portrait.     Post  8vo.   9«. 

—  Connexion   of   the  Physical  Sciences.     Portrait. 

Post  8vo.    9s. 

Molecular  and  Microscopic  Science.  Illustra- 
tions.   2  Vols.    Po8t8vo.    21*. 

SOTJTHEY   (Egbert).      Lives  of  Bunyan  and  CromwelL     Post 

8vo.    2». 

SWAINSON    (Canon).      Nicene     and   Apostles'  Creeds;    Their 

Literary  History  ;  together  with  some  Account  of  "  The  Creed  of  St. 
Atbanasius."    8vo.    16s. 

SYBEL  (Von)  History  of  Europe  during  the  French  Revolution, 

1789—1795.    4  Vols.    Svo.    48». 

SYMONDS'  (Rev.  W.)  Records  of  the  Rocks;  or  Notes  on  the 

Geology,  Natural  History,  and  Antiquities  of  North  and  South  Wales, 
Siluria,  Devon, and  Cornwall.    With  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo.  12a. 
THIBAUT  (Antoink)  On  Purity  in  Musical  Art.    Translated  from 
the  German.    With  a  prefatory  Memoir  hy  W.  H.  Gladstone,  M.P  . 
Post  Svo.  [/rt  preparation. 

THIELMANN     (Baron)      Journey    through    the    Caucasus   to 

Tabreez,  Kurdistan,  down  the  Tigris  an-l  Euphrates  to  Nineveh  and 
Babylon,  and  across  the  Desert  to  Palmyr*.  Translated  by  Chas. 
Hekeaoe.    Illustrations.     2  Vols.    Post  Svo.    ISs. 

THOMS'  (W.  J.)  Longevity  of  Man ;  its  Facts  and  its  Fiction. 
Including  Observations  on  the  more  Remarkable  Instances.  Post  Svo. 
10s.  6d. 

THOMSON  (Archbishop).    Lincoln's  Inn  Sermons.  8ro.  10«.  6d. 

■ Life  in  the  Light  of  God's  Word.     Post  Svo.     5s. 

TITIAN.  His  Life  and  Times.  With  some  account  of  hig 
Family,  chie0y  from  new  and  unpuhli-hed  Record><.  By  .J.  A.  Cbowb 
and  G.  B.  C&valcabellb.  With  Poitrait  and  Illustrations.  2  Vols 
Svo.    42«. 

TOCQUE  VILLE'S  SUte  of  Society  in  France  before  the  Revolution, 
1789,  and  on  the  Causes  which  led  to  that  Event.  Translated  by  Hekbt 
Reeve.    Svo.    Us. 

TOMLINSON  (Charlks);  The  Sonnet;  Its  Origin,  Structure,  and 
Place  In  Poetry.  With  translations  from  Dante,  Petrarch,  &c  Post 
Svo.    »«. 


32       LIST  OF  WORKS  PUBLISHED  BY  MR.  MURRAY. 


TOZER  (Rev.  H.  P.)  Highlands  of  Turkey,  with  Visits  to  Mounts 

Ida,  Athos,  Olympus,  and  Pelion.     2  Vols.    Crown  8vo.    24*. 
Lectures  on  the   Geography  of   Greece.     Map.      Post 

8vo.     93. 

TRISTRAM  (Canon)  Great  Sahara.    Illustrations.    Crown  8vo.  155. 
Land  of  Moab  ;  Travels  and  Discoveries  on  the  East 

Side  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan.   Illustrations.    Crown  8vo.   15s. 
TWISLETON  (Edward).     The  Tongue  not  Essential  to  Speech, 

with  Illustrations  of  the  Power  of  Speech  in  the  case  of  the  African 

Confessors.     PostSvo.   6s. 
TWISS'  (Horace)  Life  of  Lord  Eldon.     2  Vols.     Post  8vo.    21«. 
TYLOR  (E.   B.)   Early   History  of   Mankind,  and  Development 

of  Civilization.    8vo.     12s. 

Primitive  Culture ;  the  Development  of  Mythology, 

Philosophy,  Religion,  Art,  and  Custom.    2  Vols.   8vo.    24s. 

VAMBERY  (Abminius)  Travels  from  Teheran  across  the  Turko- 
man Desert  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  the  Caspian.  Illustrations.  8vo.  21s' 

VAN  LENNEP  (Henry  J.)  Travels  in  Asia  Minor.  With 
Illustrations  of  Biblical  Literature,  and  Archseology.  "With  Woodcuts, 
2  Vols.    Post  8vo.    24». 

Modern  Customs  and  Manners  of  Bible  Lands, 

in  illustration  of  Scripture.  With  Maps  and  300  Illustrations. 
2  Vols.   8vo.    21s. 

WELLINGTON'S  Despatches  during  his  Campaigns  in  India, 
Denmark,  Portugal,  Spain,  the  Low  Countries,  and  France.  Edited 
by  Colonel  Gurwood.    8  Vols.    8vo.    20s.  each. 

_ —         Supplementary  Despatches,  relating  to  India, 

Ireland,  Denmark,  Spanish  America,  Spain,  Portugal,  France,  Con- 
gress of  Vienna,  Waterloo  and  Paris,  Edited  by  his  Son.  14  Vols. 
8vo.    20j.  each.     *f*  An  Index.    8vo.    20s. 

Civil  and  Political  Correspondence.    Edited  by 


his  Sou.    Vols.  I.  to  V.    8vo.    20s.  each. 

Vol.  VI.,  relating  to  the  Eastern  Question  of 

1829.    liuBEian  Intrigues,  Turki.sh  Affairs,  Treaty  of  Adrianople,  &c. 
8vo. 


Speeches  in  Parliament.    2  Vols,    8vo.    42«. 


WHEELER  (G.).  Choice  of  a  Dwelling ;  a  Practical  Handbook  of 
Useful  Information  on  Building  a  House.  Plans.    Post  8vo.     7s.  6d. 

WHITE  (W.  H.).  Manual  of  Naval  Architecture,  for  the  use  of 
Otficera.     Illustrat'ous.    8vo.  [In.  tlie  Press 

WILBERFORCE'S  (Bishop)  Life  of  William  Wilberforce.  Portrait. 
Crown  8vo.    6s. 

WILKINSON  (Sir  J.  G.).  Manners  and  Customs  of  the 
Ancient  Eiryptians,  their  Private  Life,  Government,  Laws,  Arts,  Manu- 
factures, Ueligion,  &c.  A  new  edition,  with  additions  by  the  late 
Author.    Edited  by  Samuel  Birch,  LL.D.    Illustrations.    3  Vols.   8vo. 

Popular  Account  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians.    With 

600  Woodcuts.     2  Vols.     Post  8vo.    12«. 

WOOD'S  (Captain)   Source  of  the  Oxus.    With  the  Geography 

of  the  Valley  of  the  Oxus.  By  Col.  Yule.  Map.  8vo.  12s. 
WORDS  OF  HUMAN  WISDOM.     Collected  and  Arranged  by 

E.  S.  Wl'h  a  Preface  by  Cano.s  Liddon.  Fcap.  8vo.  3j.  M 
WORDSWORTH'S  (Bishop)  Athens  and  Attica.   Plates.    Svo.   5*. 

YULE'S  (Colonkl)  Book  of  Marco  Polo.  Illustrated  by  the  Light 
of  Oriental  Writers  and  Modern  Tiayels.  With  M%es  and  SO  Plates. 
2  Vols.    Medium  Svo.    63».  .   ^     m  V  >  " 

BBAOBUBT,  AGNEW,   &  CO.,  PBIMTEB^,  TrafrXFRIAKS. 


v>» 


I 


i^i 


University  of  California 
SOUTHERN  B6G.0NALU,B«AR^^^^^^^ 

305  De  Neve  Dme  ■  P=*"9,^^V  90095-1388 


^^Vll^ 


^ 


m 

.OF- 


•s 


?Ai 


imv 


? 
^ 


< 

m 


^^WEl]NIVER5•/^ 


-'ju3/\ir(irjn^ 


^lOSANCElfx^ 


''»'<tfOJIlV3JO^'      '^<i/0 


^OFCAIIFO/?^ 


^X?inNV<;m>^     %^uiNniv\v^ 


>&Ayvaan# 


^>&Aiiv!ian-#    %avaaim1    3  1158  Ollif^^^^^^^      ^^^^ 


A\^EUNIVERJ//, 


^lOSANCflfX^ 
o 


<rii3QNvsoi^     "^AaaAiNrt-jwv 


«\WEUNIVERS/A 


o 


^lOSANCElfj^. 

o 


> 


^OFCAllFOff^ 


-^^•IIBRARYQ^ 


^OFCAUFO^: 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  UBRARY  FACtUTY 


A    001  023  255     l 


^^t-lIBRARYO/- 


^^IIIBRARYQ^^ 


^<!/0JllV3JO'^ 


^OFCA1IFO% 


^OFCAllFOff^ 


.l^EUNIVERJ/A 


AWEUNIVERi/A 


>&Aav}ian-^^      >&Anvaani'^       <f^i30NVSOv<^ 


^lOSANCEl^^ 
o 


'^/jaaAiNinv^' 

^lOSANCEl^f/ 


■^/^a3AiNa-3Wv^ 


aWEUNIVERJ/a 


'^^ilJDNVSQl^ 


^lOSANCElf/^ 


%a3AiNa-3WV^ 


-^lUBRARYQ^^ 


-^1-IIBRARYQ<; 


^<5fOJllV3JO>^ 


^<JOJI1V3JO'^ 


\WE  UN1VERS-/A        ^lOSANCElfj}>  ^0FCAIIF0%.       ^VjOF-CAllFOffxj, 


<r?i30Nvsoi^     "^/iajAiNn-JWV^      '^>&Aavaani^'^     '^^^AHvaaiH^'*