in Cobbé, where I was to reft myfelf, till further orders fhould be given for my admiffion to his prefence. I was not indeed at that time privy to the plot, yet if I could have obtained a knowledge of it, it might not have been ealy immediately to counteract its influence; nevertheless I fufpected fomething might have been practifed against me.

"An order from the defpot, which, while it was to protect me from his officers on the road, obliged me to confine myself to a particular spot, was a matter of furprife to me; but fubmillion was unavoidable, as I was at that time unprovided even with the means of remonftrance. Had the machinations of my adverfaries, which went much farther than my confinement, having been actually employed against my life, been at that time known to me, this feverity would not have caufed any aftonishment, and the means of redrels might have been lefs doubtful. But fufpenfe filled the void of pofitive fuffering--a fufpenfe to which no ap, arent remedy fuggefted itfelf. Thole who had known me in Egypt, or on the road, were difperfed to the east and well, and the people of the place were ill difpofed to form any communication with me, being filled with religious horror of one fup; ofed an infidel, but of yet undefined impiety, and whofe colour, varioufly regarded as the fign of dilcafe, the mark of divine difpleafure, or, at leaft, the unequivocal proof of inferiority of fpecies, had averted their wonted hofpitality, clofed their compaffion, and inflamed their perfonal pride and religious fury. "It was in this fituation that, feeing no means of immediate relief, I began to feel impatience; which, as I continued in a state of perfect inactivity, communicated the more rapidly its pernicious influence to my itate of health. On the fourteenth day after my arrival, I was attacked with a violent fever, attended with extreme pain in the head. How long it lafted I can not precifely fay, having, on the fecond day, loft my recollection. It was afterwards recalled by the effect of a dyfentery, which lafted for two days, and left me too weak to aflift myself. I had reflection enough to know, that of the aliments there to be procured, fcarcely any could be found that would not be pernicious. After the first attack, therefore, I confined myself to the ufe

of bark and water, which last I drank in great quantities.

"A little more than a month had elapfed, when, the symptoms appearing to diminish, I again preffed to be permitted to vifit the refidence of the Sultan. But I had reafon to regret my impatience; for having at length ob tained leave, I proceeded to El-Father, only to repeat my fuffering. The rainy feafon was almoft at an end, but the air, which still continued infalubrious, fatigue, and anxiety, renewed the malady, which, after extreme abftinence, and having gone through the thort catalogue of remedies which I had had the precaution to take with me, I found unabated. Exceffive headachs, laffituce, thirst, occafional conftipation, fucceeded by extreme irritation of the vifcera, continued for feveral months to thow the inefficacy of my precautions, and to incapacitate me from all perfonal exertion." At length the heat of the enfuing fummer, gradually increafing, and producing regular and continued tranpiration, and the ftate of the air then meliorated, having removed the cause of indifpofition, it was not long before I gained a certain degree of itrength.

"Arrived at El-Fafher, I was first introduced to the Melek Mifellim, one of the principal minifters. This man, when young, had been a slave, and engaged in domeftic offices of the palace, but having been detected using fome familiarities with one of the women, the monarch had ordered him to be deprived of the enfigns of manhood. Ignorant and uneducated, he appeared to have a certain quicknefs of apprehenfion, which, together with uncommon gaiety of humour, had rendered him acceptable at court, where he appeared more as a buffoon than a minifter of ftate. He received me with a rude ftare as an object he was unufed to, which was followed by a mingled fmila of contempt and aversion. feated with fome other of the royal attendants, under a kind of awning of cotton cloth, on a mat spread upon the fand. After the common falutations, the Melek and his company entered into converfation on the nature of my vifit to the country; and each made his remarks on my perfon, and offered his conjectures as to my character and intentions.

He was

pofed injury he had received in the ftrongeft terms, and exhorted them to take their arms and facrifice the Caffre. He had charged a carbine, and affected to come forward to execute his threats, when fome one of the company who had advanced fartheft, and faw me, called out to the reft that I was armed, and prepared to refift.

SINGULAR

INCIDENT AUDIENCE OF THE SULTAN.

"AFTER waiting in fruitless expectation at El-Father, as the time of my departure was drawing near, an accident happened, which, though not of the most pleafing kind, contributed to make me noticed, and obtained for me at length an interview with the Sultan. The flaves of the houfe ufed frequently to collect round me, as if to examine a strange object—I joked occafionally with them, without any other view than that of momentary relaxation. One day, as I was reading in the hut, one of them, a girl about fifteen, came to the door of it, when, from a whim of the moment, I feized the cloth that was round her waift, which dropped, and left her naked. Chance fo determined that the owner of the flave passed at the moment, and faw her. The publicity of the place precluded any view of farther familiarity, but the tumult which fucceeded appeared to mark the moft heinous of crimes, and to threaten the most ex. emplary vengeance. The man threw his turban on the earth, and exclaimed Ye believers in the Prophet, hear me ! Ye faithful, avenge me!' with other fimilar expreflions. A • Caftre has violated the property of a defcendant of Mohammed' (mean ing himself, which was utterly falfe). When a number of people was collected around him, he related the fup

It was then agreed among the af fembly that fome method of punishment might be found that promifed more fecurity and profit to the complainant, and would be more formi

I have already mentioned as my broker was to take the flave, as if the had really been violated, and agreed to pay whatever her mafter fhould charge as the price. The latter had the modefty to ask ten head of flaves. He was then to make his demand on me for the value of ten flaves, and if I carried the matter before the Cadi, which he fuppofed 1 fhould hardly venture to do, he had fuborned witnefes to prove that I had received of him property to that amount.

"On my removal from Cobbé to El-Fasher, I had caused my small remaining property, among which were few articles of value, but many of much ufe to me, to be lodged in the house of Hoffein (the owner of the flave), and his companion. On my return thither, which happened within a few days after the accident, I claimed it: they refifted, as they alleged, at the fuit of my broker, and would not deliver it till the value of ten flaves fhould be paid to him. I had from the first confidered their conduct as fo violent, that if it reached the ears of the government, the claim must unquestionably be abandoned; and indeed my adverfaries had only refted their expectations on the timidity which they had been accuftomed to obferve in Chriftians of the country, whofe accufation and condemnation are in fact the fame. I had not neglected to give the tranfac tion all the notoriety I could, without having recourfe to public authority, and thofe to whom I had applied were

decidedly

decidedly in my favour: I therefore now went to my adverfaries, Hoffein and his companion, and in their prefence offered to Ali Hamad a promiffory note for the value of ten flaves, at the market price on my arrival in Kahira. It was refufed; and my cheft, in which were fome German dollars and other articles, was ftill detained by them; the rest was given up.

"In the mean time much had been faid on the fubject, both among the natives and foreigners; and the flagrant injuftice I was likely to fuffer forcibly ftruck all that were not in a ftate to profit by it, but none more than the Egyptian merchants: they were indignant to fee that fo enormous a penalty thould be forfeited to those who had no claim but effrontery to demand it; and that they had no fhare, and were too numerous to expect to be all rewarded for connivance; accordingly fome of them were diligent in carrying the news to the monarch.

"I had indeed been told that the Sultan was apprized of the tranfaction previously to my departure from El-Father, and that he intended to grant me redrefs; but after waiting about fifteen days, without hearing any thing farther of his intentions, weary of fuffering, I determined to return. I had been there but a short time when a fulganawy (mellenger) arrived exprefs from the court, with or-, ders for me to repair to El-Father immediately. The object of the meffage was kept in profound fecrecy, nor could I difcover whether it portended good or evil. I left Cobbé the fame evening, and arrived at the end of my journey the following day, about

noon.

"I repaired, as before, to the Melek Ibrahim, who, on the following day, introduced me at the public audience. The Sultan, as he retired to the palace, after it was over, ordered all the parties to appear. Being come within the inner court, he stopped the white mule on which he was mounted, and began a fhort harangue, addreffing himself to Hoffein and Ali Hamad, my fervant, in which he cenfured, in a rapid and energetic ftyle, their conduct towards me. One,' faid he, turning to Ali, calls himfelf Wakil of the Frank; if he were a fherîf ' and a mûlîm, as he pretends, he 'would know that the law of the Prophet permits not a mûlîm to be VOL. III.-No. XXVI.

Wakil to a Caffre: another calls himself his friend-but both are agreed in robbing him of his property, and ufurping the authority of the laws. Henceforth I am his Wakîl, and will protect him.' He then ordered all the parties to repair to the houfe of Mufa Wullad Jelfûn, Melek of the jelabs, under whofe ap propriate jurifdiction are all foreign merchants. Here it may not be improper to relate briefly how I had been before received by the Sultan.

"On my first audience I was too ill to make much obfervation: I was feated at a distance from him; the vifit was fhort, and I had no opportunity of opening a converfation. He was placed on his feat (curfi) at the door of his tent. Some perion had mentioned to him my watch, and a copy of Erpenius's Grammar, which I had with me. He asked to fee both; but after cafting his eyes on each he returned them. The prefent I had brought was shown him, for which he thanked me, and rofe to retire.

His

"During the following fummer, the first time I got admiflion to him, he was holding a diwan in the outer court. He was then mounted on a white mule, clothed with a fearlet benish, and had on his head a white turban; which however, together with part of his face, was covered with a thick muslin. On his feet were yellow boots, and the faddle on which he was feated was of crimfon velvet, without any ornament of gold or filver. fword, which was broad and straight, and adorned with an hilt of mally gold, was held horizontally in his right hand. A fmall canopy of muflin was fupported over his head. Amid the noife and hurry of above a thoufand perfons who were there affembled I was unable to make myself heard, which the nature of my fituation obliged me to attempt, though not exactly conformable to the etiquette of the court, that, almoft to the exclufion of ftrangers, had appropriated the diwan to the troops, the Arabs, and others connected with the government.

"On another occafion, I contrived to gain admittance to the interior court by a bribe. The Sultan was hearing a caufe of a private nature, the proceedings on which were only in the Furian language. He was feated on a kind of chair, which was covered with a Turkey carpet, and wore a red ૦ ૧

filk

filk turban; his face was then unco. vered: the Imperial ford was placed across his knees, and his hands were engaged with a chaplet of red coral. Being near hin, I fixed my eyes on him, in order to have a perfect idea of his countenance, which, being fhort-fighted, and not thinking it very decent to use a glafs in his prefence, I had hitherto scarcely found an opportunity of acquiring. He feemed evidently difcompofed at my having obferved him thus, and the moment the cause was at an end he retired very abruptly. Some perfons to whom I afterwards remarked the circumstance feemed to think that his attendants had taught him to fear the magic of the Franks, to the operation of which their habit of taking likeneffes is imagined by fome of the Orientals to conduce. He is a man rather under the middle fize, of a complexion aduft or dry, with eyes full of fire, and features abounding in expreffion. His beard is fhort but full, and his counte. nance, though perfectly black, materially differing from the negro; though fifty or fifty-five years of age, he poffeffes much alertness and activity.

"At another of my vifits I found him in the interior court, ftanding, with a long ftaff tipped with filver in his right hand, on which he leaned, and the fword in his left. He then had chosen to adorn his head with the folds of a red filk turban, compofed of the fame material as the western Arabs use for a cincture. The Melek Ibrahim prefented him, in my name, with a fmall piece of filk and cotton, of the manufacture of Damafcus. He returned anfwer, Balak ulla fi!.. May the bleffing of God be on him!' -a phrafe in general ufe, on receiving any favour; and inftantly retired, without giving me time to urge the request of which I intended the of fering fhould be the precurfor. It is expected of all perfons that, on coming to El-Father, they should bring with them a prefent of greater or lefs value, according to the nature of the bufinefs in hand. It is no lefs ufual, before leaving the royal refidence, to afk permiflion of the Sultan for that purpose. With this latter form, which was to me unpleafunt, I fometimes complied, but more frequently omitted it. But on this occafion, having been long refident there, I thought it to make a laft effort to promote my de

fign. The day preceding that which I had fixed for my return happened to be a great public audience. I found the monarch feated on his throne (curfi), under a lofty canopy, compofed not of one material, but of various ftuffs of Syrian and even of In dian fabric, hung loofely on a light frame of wood, no two pieces of the fame pattern. The place he fat in was fpread with fmall Turkey carpets. The Meleks were feated at fome dif tance on the right and left, and be. hind them a line of guards, with caps, ornamented in front with a small piece of copper and a black oftrich feather, Each bore a spear in his hand, and a target of the hide of the hippopotamus on the oppofite arm. Their drets confifted only of a cotton fhirt, of the manufacture of the country. Behind the throne were fourteen or fifteen eunuchs, clothed indeed splendidly in habiliments of cloth or filk, but clum. fily adjusted, without any regard to fize or colour. The fpace in front was filled with fuitors and fpectators, to the number of more than fifteen hun dred. A kind of hired encomiast ftood on the monarch's left hand, cry. ing out, a plein gorge, during the whole ceremony, See the buffaloe, the offfpring of a buffaloe, a bull of bulls, the elephant of fuperior ftrength, the powerful Sultan Abd-el-rachmân-elrafhid! May God prolong thy life!

O mafter-may God affift thee, and ' render thee victorious!'

"From this audience, as from thofe which had preceded it, I was obliged to retire as I had come, without effecting my purpofe. I was told there were occafions when the Sultan wears a kind of crown, as is common with other African monarchs; but of this practice I had no opportunity to bear testimony. When he appeared in pub. lic, a number of troops, armed with light fpears, ufually attended him, and feveral of his flaves were employed to bear a kind of umbrella over his head, which concealed his face from the mul titude. When he paffes, all the spectators are obliged to appear barefooted, and commonly to kneel-his fubjects bow to the earth; but this com pliance is not expected from foreigners. Even the Meleks, when they approach the throne, creep on their hands and knees, which gave occafion to an Egyptian to remark, that the Jarea (a female slave) in Für was a

Melek,