not as familiar as household words: but as the number of those who have devoted themselves to such inquiries is extremely limited, the various topics discussed must have been equally novel and attractive to the great majority of the audience. The geographical description was peculiarly excellent; and the same thing may be said generally respecting the colossal antiquities of that wonderful country-of which, Mr. Buckingham succeeded in imparting a juster and more adequate conception than any other traveller has ever yet been able to convey. This he effected by familiar comparisons and contrasts, and by placing, as it were, in juxta-position with the gigantic monuments of Egypt the pigmy structures which have been reared in other countries, and particularly in our own. What, for example, could possibly convey a more striking idea of the magnitude of the great temple of Carnac, than telling the audience that St. Paul's, London, might be contained within its portico, and still leave a very considerable surrounding space unoccupied ? The description of the Sphynx and the Memnon was equally graphic and striking and, indeed, the whole lecture was in the highest degree interesting, even to those who had most attentively and labo riously studied the subject.

It may easily be supposed, however, that Mr. Buckingham could scarcely discourse for three hours on Egypt without touching on some debateable points, and delivering some questionable opinions. The first of these which we shall notice was a statement, that according to the best information which had been received, the Bahrel-Abia, or western branch of the Nile, is the long sought for Niger, or Nile of the Negroes. Mr. Buckingham did not inform us how he had arrived at this conclusion, which is in fact that which Mr. Barrow had been all along labouring to enforce through the medium of the Quarterly Review; and it is perfectly possible that he may possess some information to which we are still strangers. But, in the present state of our knowledge, we think we could prove the negative of the proposition, and show that, wherever the outlet of this mysterious river may be, it is not by the White River, or western branch of the Nile of Egypt. Next, we cannot but think that Mr. Buckingham has inconsiderately adopted Denon's theory, founded on the experiments of Halley, to account for the absence of rain in Egypt, and the periodic overflowings of the Nile. The etesian winds unquestionably blow in the direction he describes ; but how these winds can carry from the Mediterranean to the Mountains of the Moon successive strata or volumes of atmospherical air, charged with moisture, and of course superficially heavier than the dry strata on which they are supposed to float, we are utterly unable to conjecture. Nor is this all. According to Mr. Buckingham these mountains are enveloped in perpetual rain. But if the fact be so, how comes it that the overflowing of the Nile is only periodical; or, in other words, how comes that river to overflow at all? On

the subject of antiquities, too, we differ in some points, from Mr. Buckingham; especially as to the purpose for which the pyramids were destined. He conceives them to have been merely royal sepulchres. Now this appears to us extremely doubtful on many accounts, and on none more than this, that in a sarcophagus in one of the chambers, bones were found, which, on examination, proved to be those of a cow; a circumstance which seems to show that their destination was of a religious nature, and that these stupendous structures had some connection with the superstition which prevailed in Egypt at the time when they were erected. In after times it is quite possible that they may have been used as sepulchres; but that the purpose of their original erection was different, seems evident from a variety of circumstances which we have neither time nor space at present to enumerate. Finally, Mr. Buckingham committed an error in describing Diospolis Magna (Thebes) as "the city of the Gods." Diospolis is a literal Greek translation of the Egyptian name of that wonder of the ancient as well as the modern world, and which was Téb-Amun, "the city of Amon," who was considered identical with the Jupiter of the Greeks. In fact, the latter had frequently both epithets applied to him at once,

On Tuesday Mr. Buckingham gave a view of Arabia, under the same classification of heads with Egypt; and, last night the subject of lecture was Palestine, which he rendered intensely interesting from the scriptural illustrations with which it was accompanied. But we shall defer for the present making any observations either on these lectures or on the countries described; especially as we shall have another opportunity of discussing the main question to which all these prelections are devoted.

(From The Edinburgh Evening Courant,' July 16.)

On Monday night, this celebrated traveller commenced his Lectures in the Hopetoun Rooms, on the manners, antiquities, and policy of the Eastern countries. The company was numerous and genteel; and for the two hours during which his discourse continued, he was listened to, as he deserved to be, with the most profound attention. He has since delivered two other lectures which have not been less favourably received. Mr. Buckingham, we believe, is the only traveller who ever resorted to this method of communicating the result of his observations verbally to the public, in place of publishing them in a printed volume; and every one must at once see how greatly these viva voce communications must excel in vivacity and interest any written composition, whatever be its merits, especially where the person who makes this experiment is so eminently qualified to give it effect as Mr. Buckingham appears to be. As a lecturer his merits are very great. His eloOriental Herald, Vol. 22.

cution is easy; his manner quite natural and agreeable; and he seems to carry on his discourse without the aid of any written notes. He has indeed all the ease, readiness, and alacrity of a finished speaker, and so simple and familiar is his style, that in place of a public audience we might suppose him to be addressing an account of his adventures to a circle of his private friends. He has none of that ease, however, which degenerates into carelessness; and he never approaches to any thing like tameness. On the contrary, though he is obliged, in consequence of his limited stay in this city, to protract his lecture for two, and sometimes nearly three hours, he never flags for a moment, but seems to gather new vigour, as he enters more deeply into his subject; and goes on, to the last, fluent, animated, and impressive. Yet he does not evince any anxiety to shine; his sole object seems to be, to convey instruction to his audience; to tell them what they did not know before, and to tell it in the easiest and briefest manner. His style is accordingly simple. He does not go out of his way for flowery descriptions or embellishments of any sort, but seems to rely entirely for his success on the sterling value of the information which he communicates, and which is only a portion of that larger store which he has collected in the course of his travels. His acquaintance with those eastern countries which form the subject of his discourses, seems to be most perfect; we were particularly struck with the mastery which he displayed over every part of his subject; with the fulness, the freshness, the vivacity of his sketches; the force of his illustrations; the prodigality of his details; and the skill with which he disposed and arranged to the best advantage, his extensive information. There are many travellers ingenious and well informed, who have perfectly accurate and just notions of all that they have either seen or heard, but who yet fail to give any distinct or vivid impressions of interesting objects; who set the mind afloat, as it were, among vague and general ideas, and there leave it. Mr. Buckingham is quite the reverse of this. Whatever be the matter on which he is discoursing, whether it be any point of local usage or manners, any interesting relic of antiquity, or any question of antiquarian research, he is sure to make it clear before he has done with it, and to bring it home to the standard of our ordinary ideas, by some ready and familiar illustration. He does not seem to be much given to ingenious or doubtful speculations; yet he misses no opportunity of illustrating the manners and policy of the Eastern countries; and, without being a theorist, he is frequently very successful in tracing particular facts to the general state of manners, in striking out an unexpected light, where the mere antiquarian would grope in darkness, aud in thus bringing out the rationale of many ancient customs, by reasonings that display at once his research and his judgment.

With regard to the East India Company's charter, on which it is Mr. Buckingham's object to treat in his last lecture, this is a

question which leads to a wide field of speculation, involving many complex considerations, into which we do not mean to enter. But his merits as a lecturer, which we willingly allow, and which seem to be acknowledged in the reception he has met with, are independent altogether of his views on those disputed points. His lectures have certainly given, as far as they have gone, general satisfaction; and most of his hearers are, we believe, impressed with the ability which he displays in condensing within so small a compass so much entertaining and useful knowledge.

Lecture First.

We can scarcely give an outline of this lecture, which embraced so great a variety of interesting subjects. Mr. Buckingham began with explaining that Egypt was in a manner formed by the Nile. It was that strip of fertile land which extended along its banks; and it was in length 635 miles, and in breadth only nine miles at its broadest part; and in some parts was so narrow, that one person calling to another could be heard from one side of the country to the other. Of Egypt, the Nile is the most important feature, The source of this river is unknown, as it is now certain that Bruce only went to the fountain-head of the minor branch, leaving the larger stream, the Bahr-el-Abia, unexplored. It is a remarkable peculiarity of the Nile, that it runs for about 1000 miles of its course through a sandy desert, without receiving one single tributary stream. It is subject, however, to a periodical overflow, deriving its supplies of moisture from the great belt of high land called the Mountains of the Moon, which run across the African continent near the line. The Mediterranean, it is well known, has currents constantly flowing into it from the Straits of Gibraltar, also through the Bosphorus and the Hellespont. receives, besides, a variety of other streams; and there is no outlet for this past supply of moisture. It is accordingly drawn off by evaporation and the mists which are exhaled by the heat, and which frequently obscure the Egyptian sky, and operate as a kind of screen from the solar rays, are carried, by the Etesian winds, over the flat country, without any interruption, until they are arrested by the mountains of Central Africa, and being condensed, deluge that country with almost perpetual rains, which, replenishing all the tributary branches of the Nile, cause an overflow of the lower stream in Egypt. This rise in the Nile commences in June; and the land depending entirely for its fertility on this inundation, it is looked to by the people with corresponding anxiety; and as in this country our inquiries are directed to the state of the weather, with a view to the produce of the year, in Egypt the rise of the Nile occupies the same place in the public estimation; and the inquiry is not what sort of weather it is, but how high has the Nile risen. The height of the inundation is marked by the Nilometer and in order to prevent all speculations on the subject, it is regu

It

larly notified by a public crier through the streets of Cairo, in place of being, as it would be in this country, inserted in the newspapers, along with the price of stocks, and markets of every description.

Egypt, considering its latitude, has not an extremely hot climate; the thermometer in summer seldom rises above ninety-five; there is no rain; and on this subject Mr. Buckingham mentioned, that he once met an Arab who had no conception of what rain could be. He was told that it was water which fell in drops from the sky, and in such quantities as to swell the rivers and to irrigate the whole country. He replied, that he could easily conceive, that when a stone was thrown into the water, it raised drops which again descended; but that rain could come down of itself from the sky, was what he would not believe; and though repeatedly assured of the fact, it appeared evident that he considered the whole to be a mere joke. Another illustration of this fact was also mentioned by Mr. Buckingham. He was one day surveying an ancient and magnificent temple, which had been left by the artist in an unfinished state; and in different parts figures were finished in relief, while in other parts the design had been merely marked out in red ochre, to be afterwards chiselled out on the stone. Now, this marking must have remained there about 3000 years, although by wetting his finger and drawing it across it, Mr. Buckingham entirely erased it; which seems clearly to prove that during all this period no rain could have fallen.

In the account given of the productions of Egypt and the animals, there was nothing new or remarkable, except that the cotton which was formerly raised in that country from bad seed, has been greatly improved by the present Pacha, who was at the pains to procure the best seed from Brazil. This being planted in Egypt prospered greatly in the fertile soil; insomuch that Egyptian cotton which was formerly worth little or nothing in the European markets, is now preferred, except to some peculiar sorts of American cotton. The crocodile, contrary to the general supposition, Mr. Buckingham described to be a harmless, and a timid animal; and mentioned that he had often seen them running about among women and children, and exciting not the smallest terror-to the hyena he also gave the same character of timidity. The pigeon he described to be in such numbers that they darkened the air; and the sturgeon in the rivers was in such abundance, that they had only to let down a basket, which when drawn up was full of them.

. On the antiquities Mr. Buckingham dwelt at great length; and much to the entertainment and instruction of his audience. Of the vast progress which the ancient Egyptians had made in the arts, he gave a very striking account; and of their great works, far surpassing what has ever been since executed by any age or nation. Mr. Buckingham ascended to the top of the Pyramids, which is