negligent of the interior of their houses, that he says a petty shopkeeper would be ashamed to receive an acquaintance in a house fitted up in a manner less splendid than we have described above. Instead, also, of being half starved, as Ali Bey imagined, the Mekkawys have better supplied tables than any other people in all the East; even the lower classes daily having on their tables meat which costs from one and a half to two piastres the pound; with their coffee-pot perpetually on the fire, and the nargile in the mouth of man, woman, and child. For their own especial entertainment, the ladies have introduced the fashion of visiting each other with all their children, at least once in the week, and on these occasions the visit lasts the whole day, and the entertainment is splendid and abundant. Ali Bey speaks of the women of Mekka as the most impudent of all the East, and says, that, according to the ideas of the Orientals, they indecently expose themselves in public. Mr. Burckhardt, on the other hand, asserts, that the exterior demeanour of the women of Jidda and Mekka, is very decorous, few of them being ever seen walking or riding in the streets, as women are at Cairo; and adds, that he lived in three different houses at Mekka, without once seeing the unveiled face of a female.

The principal merchants of Mekka live in great splendour, having in their houses establishments of from fifty to sixty persons, of whom about twenty sit down to dinner together, at tables furnished with every delicacy which Arabia, Egypt, or India can supply. The dishes are served up in superb China and glass vessels; and after dinner. the beards of the guests are sprinkled with rose-water, while the odours of aloe-wood, burning upon the nargiles, are diffused through the apartment. In these companies, and among the upper classes generally, the most unrestrained politeness prevails; and no men," says the traveller, appear in a more amiable light than the great Mekkawys, dispensing hospitality to their guests. Whoever happens to be sitting in the outer hall when dinner is served up, is requested to join at table, which he does without considering himself at all obliged by the invitation; while the host, on his part, appears to think compliance a favour conferred upon him.'

The upper classes of the Mekkawys eat, like the ancient Greeks, but two meals a day, one meal immediately before noon, the other after sunset; and the lower orders breakfast at sunrise, and sup at night. Previous to the recent wars, and the conquest of the Wahabees, the life of the merchants of Mekka was a pleasant and happy one. They passed the hot months of the year in their villas and cool gardens at Tayef, returning to the city about the time when the caravans of pilgrims arrived, and generally following the Hadj to Mount Arafat, as a tour of pleasure. About seven months after the Hadj, a caravan, consisting of several hundred merchants, mounted on dromedaries, used to set out from Mekka

to Medina, where a great fair was held, at which multitudes of persons, from various parts of Arabia, assembled for the purposes of traffic.

The inhabitants of Mekka, Jidda, and Medina, possess great vivacity, and delight to laugh and joke in the street, in the bazaar, at home, and even at the mosque. Puns, proverbs, and witty allusions, which produce laughter, are perpetually in their mouths; and, together with this lively disposition, they possess much intellect, sagacity, and great suavity of manners. When Ali Bey was among them, therefore, they must either have been saddened by some general calamity, or he himself have been incapacitated, by hypochondriasis, for judging sanely of the objects around him. Speaking of the accomplishments of the Mekkawys, Mr. Burckhardt observes :

'The Mekkawys study little besides the language and the law. Some boys learn at least as much Turkish as will enable them to cheat the Osmanly pilgrims, to whom their knowledge of that tongue may recommend them as guides. The astronomer of the mosque learns to know the exact time of the sun's passing the meridian, and occupies himself occasionally with astrology and horoscopes. A Persian doctor, the only avowed medical professor I saw at Mekka, deals in nothing but miraculous balsams and infallible elixirs; his potions are all sweet and agreeable; and the musk and aloe-wood which he burns, diffuse through his shop a delicious ordour, which has contributed to establish his reputation. Music, in general so passionately loved among the Arabs, is less practised at Mekka than in Syria and Egypt. Of instruments they possess only the rababa (a kind of guitar), the nay (a species of clarinet), and the tambour, or tambourine. Few songs are heard in the evenings, except among the Bedouins, in the skirts of the town. The choral song, called Djok, is sometimes sung by the young men at night in the coffee-houses, its measure being accompanied with the clapping of hands. In general, the voices of the Hedjazys are harsh, and not clear: I heard none of those sonorous and harmonious voices which are so remarkable in Egypt, and still more in Syria, whether giving utterance to love songs, or chanting the praises of Mohammed from the minarets, which, in the depth of night, has a peculiarly grand effect. Even the Imans of the mosque, and those who chant the anthems, in repeating the last words of the introductory prayers of the Iman-men who, in other places, are chosen for their fine voices, can here be distinguished only by their hoarseness and dissonance.

The Sherif has a band of martial music, similar to that kept by Pashas, composed of kettle-drums, trumpets, fifes, &c.: it plays twice a day before his door, and for about an hour on every evening of the new moon.

• Weddings are attended by professional females, who sing and dance: they have, it is said, good voices, and are not of that dissolute class to which the public singers and dancers belong in Syria and Egypt. The Mekkawys say, that before the Wahaby invasion, singers might be heard during the evening in every street, but that the austerity of the Wahabys, who, though passionately fond of their own Bedouin songs, disapproved of the public singing of females, occasioned the ruin of all musical pursuits:this, however, may be only an idle notion, to be ranked with that which is

as prevalent in the East as it is in Europe, that old times were always better, in every respect, than the present.

'The sakas, or water-carriers, of Mekka, many of whom are foreigners, having a song which is very affecting from its simplicity and the purpose for which it is used, the wealthier pilgrims frequently purchase the whole contents of a saka's water-skin, on quitting the mosque, especially at night, and order him to distribute it gratis among the poor. While pouring out the water into the wooden bowls, with which every beggar is provided, they exclaim, "Sebyl Allah, ya atshan, Seybl!" "Hasten, O thirsty, to the ways of God!" and then break out into the following short song, of three notes only, which I never heard without emotion :-Eddjene wa el moy fezata ly Saheb es-Sabyl. "Paradise and forgiveness be the lot of him who gave you this water!"

'I cannot describe the marriage-feasts as celebrated at Mekka, not having attended any; but I have seen the bride carried to the house of her husband, accompanied by all her female friends. No canopy is used on this occasion, as in Egypt, nor any music; but rich clothes and furniture are displayed, and the feasting is sumptuous, and often lasts for three or four days. On settling a marriage, the money to be paid for the bride is carried in procession from the house of the bridegroom to that of the girl's father; it is borne through the streets upon two tabourets, wrapped up in a rich handkerchief, and covered again with an embroidered satin stuff. Before the two persons who hold these tabourets, two others walk, with a flask of rose-water in one hand, and a censer in the other, upon which all sorts of perfumes and odours are burning. Behind them follow, in a long train, all the kindred and friends of the bridegroom, dressed in their best clothes. The price paid for virgins, among the respectable classes, varies at Mekka from forty to three hundred dollars, and from ten to twenty dollars among the poor classes. Half the sum only is usually paid down; the other half is left in possession of the husband, who pays it in case he should divorce his wife.'-pp. 215-217.

Having thus given a brief sketch of the inhabitants of Mekka, Medina, and Jidda, for, with very slight variations, the same description will apply to them all, we shall add a few words on the physical appearance and scenery of the Hedjaz. The basis of the whole region is a sandy plain, slightly elevated above the level of the sea, intersected, in various directions, by ridges of lofty mountains, and containing, at wide intervals, rivulets of limpid water, which scarcely ever reach the sea, and vallies of considerable beauty and fertility. In the plains, and particularly in that low, sandy belt which runs along the edge of the Red Sea, the heat is often excessive; but the air is cool and refreshing in the mountains, where vegetation is kept up in great luxuriance, by copious and frequent rains. Here it often snows and hails, but the snow seldom lies long upon the ground, and ice is extremely rare. There are few or no forests in the country, though in most of the vallies, and on the slopes of the hills, groves of moderate growth, and abundance of fruit-trees, are found. Niebuhr remarks, that between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, almost every variety of climate exists, with all the grains, fruits, and vegetables peculiar to each. In fact, while the fertile portion of the plains produces

the trees and plants peculiar to tropical countries; the lofty hills and sheltered vallies of the interior, furnish the productions of more northern countries. Some idea of the more beautiful portions of the Hedjaz may be gathered from the following passage of Mr. Burckhardt, which relates to a scene on the road between Jidda and Tayef.

We were full two hours in ascending from the coffee-huts to the summit of the mountain, from whence we enjoyed a beautiful prospect over the low country. We discerned Wady Muna, but not Mekka; and as far as the eye could reach, winding chains of hills appeared upon a flat surface, towards the north and south, with narrow stripes of white sand between them, without the slightest verdure. Close to our right rose a peak of the mountain Kora, called Nakeb el Ahmar, from four to five hundred feet higher than the place where we stood, and appearing to overtop all the neighbouring chain. Towards the north, the mountain, about thirty miles distant, seemed to decrease considerably in height; but southward it continues of the same height. After half an hour's ride from the summit, we came to a small village, called Ras el Kora. Finding myself much fatigued, I insisted upon sleeping here, with which my guide reluctantly complied, as he had received orders to travel expeditiously. 'August 28th. The village and neighbourhood of Ras el Kora is the most beautiful spot in the Hedjaz, and more picturesque and delightful than any place I had seen since my departure from Lebanon, in Syria. The top of Djebel Kora is flat, but large masses of granite lie scattered over it, the surface of which, like that of the granite rocks near the second cataract of the Nile, is blackened by the sun. Several small rivulets descend from this peak, and irrigate the plain, which is covered with verdant fields and large shady trees on the side of the granite rocks. To those who have only known the dreary and scorching sands of the lower country of the Hedjaz, this scene is as surprising as the keen air which blows here is refreshing. Many of the fruit-trees of Europe are found here, figs, apricots, peaches, apples, the Egyptian sycamore, almonds, pomegranates;. but particularly vines, the produce of which is of the best quality. There are no palm-trees here, and only a few nebek-trees. The fields produce wheat, barley, and onions; but the soil being stony, these do not succeed so well as the fruits. Every beled, as they here call the fields, is enclosed by a low wall, and is the property of a Hodheyl Bedouin. When Othman el Medhayfe took Tayf from the Sherif, this place was ruined, the fields were destroyed, and many of the walls had not yet been rebuilt.

'After having passed through this delightful district for about half an hour, just as the sun was rising, when every leaf and blade of grass was covered with a balmy dew, and every tree and shrub diffused a fragrance as delicious to the smell as was the landscape to the eye, I halted near the largest of the rivulets, which, although not more than two paces across, nourishes upon its banks a green Alpine turf, such as the mighty Nile, with all its luxuriance, can never produce in Egypt. Some of the Arabs brought us almonds and raisins, for which we gave them biscuits; but although the grapes were ripe, we could not obtain any, as they are generally purchased while on the vines by the merchants of Tayf, who export them to Mekka, and keep them closely watched by their own people till they are gathered. Here a Turkish soldier, complimented with the title of Aga, was stationed under a tent, to forward the provisions coming

from the lower station to Tayf. I observed, with some astonishment, that not a single pleasure-house was built on this high platform. Formerly, the Mekka merchants had their country-seats at Tayf, which stand in a situation as desert and melancholy, as this is cheerful and luxuriant; but none of them ever thought of building a cottage here; a new proof of the opinion which I have long entertained, that orientals, especially the Arabs, are much less sensible of the beauties of nature than Europeans. The water of Ras el Kora is celebrated throughout the Hedjaz for its excellence. While Mohammed Ali remained at Mekka and at Djidda, he received a regular supply of Nile water for drinking, sent from Egypt, by every fleet, in large tin vessels; but on passing this place, he found its water deserving of being substituted for the other: a camel comes here daily from Tayf for a load of it.

The houses of the Hodheyl, to whom these plantations belong, are scattered over the fields in clusters of four or five together. They are small, built of stones and mud, but with more care than might be expected from the rude hands of the occupants. Every dwelling comprises three or four rooms, each of which being separated from the others by a narrow open space, forms, as it were, a small detached cottage. These apartments receive no light but from the entrance; they are very neat and clean, and contain Bedouin furniture, some good carpets, woollen and leathern sacks, a few wooden bowls, earthern coffee-pots, and a matchlock, of which great care is taken, it being generally kept in a leathern case. At night I reposed upon a large well-tanned cow-skin: the covering was formed of a number of small sheep-skins neatly sewed together, similar to those used in Nubia. The Hodheyl told me, that before the Wahabys came, and obliged them to pay tribute for their fields, they knew no landtax, but, on the contrary, received yearly presents from the Sherifs, and from all the Mekkawys who passed this way to Tayf. Ras el Kora extends, from east to west, about two and a half or three miles, and is about a mile in breadth. According to the statements of the Arabs, many spots towards the south, where Bedouin tribes, like the Hedheyl, cultivate the soil in detached parts of the mountain, are equally fertile and beautiful as that which we saw in the chain above mentioned.

We left the Ras, which will be remembered by me as long as I am sensible to the charms of romantic scenery, and rode for about one hour over uneven, barren ground, with slight ascents and descents, till we came to a steep declivity, to walk down which occupied us half an hour, and double that time would be necessary for ascending it. The rock is entirely composed of sand-stone. From the summit of the declivity just mentioned, Tayf is seen in the distance.'-pp. 64-67.

These Travels in the Hedjaz' possess very great interest, and will be highly valued by all those who read to acquire knowledge. It is to be regretted, however, that Mr. Burckhardt did not extend his researches further into the interior of the country, respecting which our knowledge is still extremely in perfect. We trust, therefore, that some enterprising traveller will yet supply this deficiency, and endeavour to recover, at the same time, the valuable papers of Dr. Seetzen, who spent several years in traversing the country, and is supposed to have perished at Taës, in 1811.