him, of Himself, a lasting fabric. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Creator of man. She that was barren shall rejoice, and delight in the gathering of her children unto her with joy. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Rejoicer of Zion and her children. With joy shalt thou rejoice these loving friends, even as thy Creator rejoiced thee in the garden of Eden eastward. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Rejoicer of the bridegroom and the bride. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, delight and song, pleasure and sympathy, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship. Speedily, O Lord our God, let there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the merriment of the bridegrooms from out of their canopies, and the youths from their musical feasts. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Rejoicer of the bridegroom with the bride. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, the Creator of the fruit of the vine."

These blessings uttered, the now husband and wife tasted the second glass of wine; and then an empty glass was placed on the floor, upon which the husband stamped, crushing it to atoms. All now cried out with one voice, "Mazal Tow""Good luck"! and the marriage ceremony was over. The crushing of the glass is to remind man that God can as easily crush him; and that, therefore, man should direct his thoughts not only to earthly things, but to those above.

The social festivities, consequent upon these marriages, are attended with much of that grossness and sensuality which form so important a feature in many Jewish ceremonies. "It may be safely asserted," writes Mr. Richardson, in his

Travels in Morocco, "that no people in Barbary enjoy themselves more than the Jews, or more pamper and gratify their appetites. What with weddings, feasts, and obligatory festivals, their existence is one round of eating and drinking. These feasts, besides, do not take place in a corner; nor are they barricaded from public, or envious, or inquisitorial view; but are open to all, being attended by Christians, Moors, and Arabs."

Among the wealthier class of the Moroqueen Jews, the week before the actual marriage ceremony takes place, is spent in a series of festivities, both at the house of the bridegroom and of the bride. During these feasts, the bride, covered with jewels, and seated next her future husband, upon a couch of gold and damask, presides over the hospitalities as queen of the feast. All the female guests of the Hebrew faith are radiant with the most splendid jewels-tiaras of pearls and diamonds, necklaces of costly gems, and armlets, anklets, and wristlets of gold and silver, struggling to eclipse the gorgeous gold and silver braided gowns, skirts, and petticoats of the over-dressed wearers. The greater part of the jewels, and the more precious ornaments, worn on these occasions, are very often only borrowed from friends and neighbours; but their splendour and rare beauty, together with their profuse abundance, are still signal proofs of the wealth of the Jews under the Emperor's despotic government. The Moroqueen Jewesses, like their European sisters, are, however, deficient in taste in dress. They seek the brightest colours for their costumes; and the greater the amount of gems they can accumulate upon their person the better dressed they consider themselves to be.

The portrait of a fashionable Barbary Jewess, on the eve of

marriage, may not be without interest. On a throne more or less costly, according to the wealth of her parents, the bride gracefully reclines, comfortably buried in damask cushions. Around her are her female friends and flatterers, who keep up a constant chorus of Eastern adulation, "Fairer than the lily is our Miriam !" "Sweeter than the honeycomb is our love!" "More beauteous than the moon in all her glory is

our sister!" etc. And now for this exquisite beauty whose charms are so extravagantly praised. Her face is artistically painted; the fat, heavy cheeks are vermillion, the lips brown, the eye-lashes blackened with antimony, and the forehead and chin dotted with little blue stars. The small chubby hands are stained with henna; as are also the soles of her naked feet. Her figure is well-nigh shapeless, owing to the diet of

paste and oil on which she has been fed during the last six months. The ideal of female beauty among the Barbary Jewesses, like that of many Eastern nations, consists in the graceful undulations of the figure being embedded in the grossest corpulence. Many of the young Moroqueen Jewesses are certainly beautiful; but this beauty is soon destroyed from the excessive corpulence prevalent amongst them.

The day before the marriage, the rooms are crowded with guests, and dancing and feasting form important elements in the festivities. After the marriage ceremony is concluded, the wedding-feast takes place, and the day ends amid dancing, singing, and very often the most gluttonous eating. The bride is frequently fetched by the bridegroom at midnight, when the cry is again made," Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye forth to meet him !" "Once whilst at Habel, in Tunis," says Mr. Richardson, "I was roused from my sleep at the dead of the night by wild cries, and the discharging of firearms, attended with a blaze of torches. The bridegroom was conveying his bride to his home. A crowd of the friends of the newlymarried couple followed the camel which carried the precious burden. All were admitted to the feast in the courtyard, and the doors were shut for the night. This ancient custom prevails most among the Moors. I am not aware of its existence in any other country."

A curious game very often takes place in the house, or in the courtyard, at the conclusion of the marriage ceremony. A court composed of young men is formed, and one of their umber is selected as sultan. Various prisoners are now brought in for an imaginary trial and sentence. The supposed culprits are then bound, and dragged towards the ladies of the party. An officer of justice now informs the

fair daughters of Israel that unless some one intercedes for them, it is the royal command of the sultan that they be imprisoned. Upon this, several of the young Jewesses implore the release of the prisoners; and it is understood that the compassionate maidens who step forth to the rescue are willing to become the brides of those for whom they interest themselves. Thus the contagion of wedding feasts spreads, and one marriage makes many.

The Moroqueen Jews appear to be as fearful of "the evil eye" as the Italians, and the consequence of this feeling is the cause of another strange custom being introduced, which usually follows the wedding feast. Whilst the bullock, or other animal, is being slaughtered for the evening's festivities, a number of boys dip their hands in the blood, and make an impression of an outspread hand on the door-posts and walls of the brides' house, for the purpose of keeping off "the evil eye,” and thus ensuring good luck to the newly-married couple. At the weddings of the lower classes of the Barbary Jews a collection is always made for the bride after the music and dancing.

It was at Tangiers that I also saw the performance of a Jewish rite which I believe has never before been described. It is called the Pityon Haven, or the redeeming of the firstborn, and is celebrated in the following manner. When the first-born son of a Jew is thirty days old, the father of the child invites his friends and relations to dinner to witness the ceremony. Before dinner is quite over the father takes his child and presents him to the Rabbi, who is, of course, always among those who are invited; and at the same time places on a small tray, which he holds in his hand, about twenty-five shillings worth of silver money. He then says to the Rabbi, "This is my first-born son, I wish to redeem him.