riving at our destination. As our illiterate captain kept no reckoning, except in his head, and took no solar observations, he found himself far wide of the intended port, when he first made land. We had then to coast it southward, and to pass by rocks which were level with the water's edge. In the darkness of the ensuing night, the wind being high and the sea rough, it was suddenly discovered that we were near to, or among some rocks of this kind. An awful shriek from the master, instantly roused his men, who flew to the ropes, put the vessel about, and we escaped.

Next morning, the beautiful city of Alexandria was before us; and in due time we were at anchor in the harbour. We were happy to learn that the plague had, in a great degree, subsided; but we also learnt, to our deep regret, that as we had come from Jaffa, where a case of plague was reported to have occurred some six weeks before, we must go into quarantine.

We were accordingly taken to the lazzaret, a portion of which had been converted into a plague hospital, and confined a fortnight. On being released, we repaired to an English hotel outside the city, that we might have as little connection as possible with a town where the plague still prevailed, and where it had recently been raging to so great an extent.

This city has partly assumed a European character, occasioned by the great influx of Christians from the west, and the liberal administration of the present ruler. He, Mehemet Ali, has done, and is still doing, much to improve his people in some respects; the result of which is, that more activity, intelligence, and liberality are seen among the people here, than any where else in the Turkish dominions. I had the pleasure to see this Pacha, and was greatly pleased with his personal appearance.

It was striking to see in this city so friendly an intercourse between men of the Christian and Mohammedan religions. Intermarriages take place, and ladies even of my own country have, in

some instances, united themselves with Turks or Egyptians, who, on their part, allow their wives the free enjoyment of their religion, and of their previous customs and habits. I was told that Mohammedans, in the more educated and respectable classes, were becoming very liberal in their religious sentiments; disregarding many precepts of the Koran, as to matters of an external nature, and confining themselves, in a great degree, to its moral acquirements; refining also their system until it nearly approximated, in its spirit, to what Unitarianism is in England. It was even said that some were falling into Deism. The Pacha, in the exercise of his liberal feelings towards Christians, had given to the English residents a choice spot of ground, in the centre of the town, for the erection of a Protestant church.

Of ancient Alexandria there is but little left. A wide scene of desolation is nearly all that we now behold of the great and splendid city which once stood here. The busy hum of an immense population was once heard here; the city counted four thousand palaces, four thousand baths, and four hundred squares; but all is gone. I remembered, and mourned for the destruction of the magnificent library it contained, which was an irreparable loss. I may say, for the reader not versed in history, that in this city, so famed for learning, there once existed a library numbering seven hundred thousand volumes, and replete with very rare and valuable books. More than the half of these were burnt on an occasion when the city had been taken by its enemies; and the rest met a similar fate in the seventh century, on the introduction of Islamism, when this city was taken by the Persians. The conqueror Amrou would fain have spared the library; but his master, the Calif Omar, said, "If these books contain no more than what is in the Koran, they are useless; if they contain any thing contrary to it, they are dangerous: let them be destroyed." They accordingly became fuel for the ovens and public

baths, and fed their fires several months. Thus perished the most valuable collection of books the world ever saw. From the commencement of Mohammedan rule, the city, with its learning, arts, science, and commerce, began its decline, and gradually fell, until it became a place of insignificance. One consideration suggests itself on this subject, which is this: the city, with all its greatness, fame, and learning, was still a place where idolatry and the grossest superstitions prevailed, and even Christianity had sadly fallen from its primitive purity. The religion of Mohammed, notwithstanding its errors, and its tendency to extinguish learning and science, contained, perhaps, within it less of what was false and evil, than what there was in most, if not all, the systems, before prevailing. It denounced idolatry, and set up the doctrine and maintained it, that God is one, and that a good life, in obedience to his laws, is the great essential of religion.

It was hither, when the city was in the zenith of its fame, that Mark, the Evangelist, is related to have come and resided, that he might introduce the religion of his Divine Master, and that he succeeded in establishing the first and most celebrated of the patriarchal churches. Afterwards Clement, Origen, and many others lived and laboured here, and shone as lights in the church. The religion of Jesus flourished for some centuries; but at length the religion of the crescent superseded it.

The city now

seems to have begun its regeneration. Several thousands of Christians inhabit it, principally Catholics from Europe. The Egyptian Christians, called Copts, are few. All religions are perfectly

free.

I accepted one day an invitation to visit the dockyard of this city, and witness the proficiency which they have attained in the building of ships, and in making various objects required in navigation and naval warfare. It is known that Mehemet sent a number of youths some years ago to England, that they might study several branches of science, especially ship-building. Many things N. S. NO. 26.-VOL. 3.

surprised and interested me in this extensive dockyard; but I wish to relate the following circumstance, to introduce which, I am speaking of this visit. Before leaving the yard, in the afternoon of the day, my curiosity led me to look into an old edifice, overgrown with ivy, which proved to be a mosque; and a number of workmen, belonging to the yard, were engaged in worship. Others soon came to perform their ablutions at the door, preparatory to joining them. To my attendant, one of the masters there, and one of the men who had resided in England, principally at Portsmouth, many years, I expressed my agreeable surprise, to find such a spirit of piety among their people. I then said to him, for he spoke English well, "Be good enough now to tell me, what the state of morality is among the people here, as compared with those in England, where you have resided." He replied in a deliberate and emphatic manner, "The comparison, sir, is in favour of the people here. I assure you there is no immorality here except it be from necessity." He of course alluded to his own countrymen, and men of his own religion, for he was a Mohammedan.

From Alexandria I set out for Cairo, the capital of Egypt, by the way of the river Nile. The scenery of this river, the Sihor of the Scriptures, was novel and peculiar, but not very imposing. We occasionally halted at the mud built villages on the banks of it, and found the people very peaceable and friendly. They were, however, miserably clad, and seemed very idle and wretched, notwithstanding the fine fertile country, and the abundance amid which they lived. Cairo, at which we arrived in three days, is a city very different in its appearance from that which I had left, being very old, and quite of an oriental character. It is splendid, however, and has a religious aspect, from the number of mosques it contains, which are said to be nearly four hundred. The people were formerly very fanatical, and averse to Christians; but at present all Europeans can visit it, reside there, and peram

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bulate the town in perfect feedom. After two days I visited the pyramids which are distant ten miles from the city; but I must not enter into details respecting these stupendous monuments of antiquity. Of the ancient city Memphis, the residence of Pharaoh, situated not very far from these pyramids, but few traces are left.

At a distance of four miles from Cairo, is a village named Mataryeh, celebrated as a place where Joseph and Mary, with the holy Infant, staid a short time, when they had come from Judea into Egypt. Here stood, in ancient times, the city of On, whence Asenath came, whom Pharaoh gave as a wife to Joseph. Afterwards Joseph and Mary went, according to tradition, and resided until Herod's death, in a spot now shewn as ancient Cairo. There, in a large monastery, a grotto is shewn as their dwelling place.

There is an English missionary at Cairo, to whom I paid a visit. On enquiring how far he was successful, he answered that the mission there " partook of the character of other Mediterranean missions ;" which meant, in plain terms, that he met with little or no success. He officiated on the sabbaths to a few English residents. He observed that some half a dozen Mohammedans would come in a secret manner, to gain a little scientific instruction, especially in astronomy, but not at all to enquire about religion. They came secretly because of the dread prevailing among men of this religion, with respect to the study of science among Christians, lest the idea should be proved, that the sun does not turn round the earth, which would, as they imagine, by giving the lie to Mohammed, be the ruin of his religion. At the same time, this prophet, I think, teaches his followers to eschew worldly wisdom generally, as being detrimental to the soul. Their fear with respect to the sun, will doubtless subside in time, and the same arguments be made use of to overcome this difficulty, as are employed by Christians in regard to their own book of revealed wisdom.

There are, I think, three or four

small schools for children in this city, established under the auspices of missionary societies, but I did not visit them.

I paid a visit to the slave market, which is rather plentifully supplied with unfortunate beings from Upper Egypt, and the countries beyond it. This traffic prevails, I think, in all countries where Mohammedans have the dominion. They say that their religion recognizes it as consistent with order and justice. This, I believe, is a fact, a fact so strong that even the rulers in these countries cannot put the traffic down, however they may desire it, so tenacious are the people of their religion, which is always to be one with the civil law. The ruler of Egypt has distinctly declared, that the power of the teachers of Islamism is so great, or the precepts they teach from the Koran, are so deeply rooted in the minds of his subjects, that he cannot abolish slavery in his dominions.

I regret to have to say, in connection with the foregoing fact, that I saw but little indication of any desire on the part of this Pacha, to improve his people in a moral point of view. In the matter of education there is very little done, no periodicals printed, nothing done under his auspices that I could discover, beyond what relates to manufactures, and the most external sciences. The lower classes of his people are generally in a very degraded state; and yet they seem very moral, and obedient to the laws. I was surprised to see the order prevailing among an immense assembly of people, on the opening of the bank of the Nile at Cairo, which took place this year during my stay. When the water has attained a certain height in this season, they open the bank, or cut the Calige, as they term it, that the water may flow into the innumerable channels made in the country for its admission, that they may irrigate the soil. A great concourse of people assemble from various parts, to celebrate such a joyful event. I was witness to a great deal of what took place on this interesting occasion, during half a day, and an entire night, and was much