We shall make a few amusing extracts from this volume-chiefly calculated for the miscellaneous reader: -those who are interested in the subjects must be referred by us to the work itself. Of the private life of the Bashaw of Cairo the following is a sketch: The Bashaw is in continual motion, being sometimes at his citadel, and sometimes at his seraglio in the Esbakie; but Soubra is his principal residence. His chief amusement is in the evening a little before sunset, when he quits his seraglio, and seats himself on the bank of the Nile, to fire at an earthen pot, with his guards. If any of them hit it, he makes him a present, occasionally of forty or fifty rubies. He is himself an excellent marksman; for I saw him fire at and hit a pot only fifteen inches high, set on the ground on the opposite side of the Nile, though the river at Soubra is considerably wider than the Thames at Westminster Bridge. As soon as it is dark, he retires into the garden, and reposes either in an alcove, or by the margin of a fountain, on an European chair, with all his attendants round him. Here his numerous buffoons keep him in continual high spirits and good humour. By moonlight the scene was beautiful. was admitted into the garden whenever I wished, by which means I had an opportunity of observing the domestic life of a man, who from nothing rose to be viceroy of Egypt, and conqueror of the most powerful tribes of Arabia. I From the number of lights I frequently saw through the windows of the seraglio I supposed the ladies were at such times amusing themselves in some way or other. Dancing women were often brought to divert them, and sometimes the famous Catalani of Egypt was introduced. One of the buffoons of the Bashaw took it into his head one day, for a frolic, to shave his beard; which is no trifle among the Turks; for some of them, I really believe, would sooner have their head cut off than their beard: he borrowed some Franks' clothes of the Bashaw's apothecary, who was from Europe, and, after dressing himself in our costume, presented himself to the Bashaw as a European, who could not Arabic, which is often the case. Being in speak a single word either of Turkish or the dark, the Bashaw took him for what he represented himself to be, and sent immediately for the interpreter, who put some questions to him in Italian, which he did not answer: he was then questioned in French, but no reply; and next in the German and Spanish languages, and still he was silent: at last, when he saw that they were all deceived, the Bashaw not excepted, he burst out in plain Turkish, the only language he was acquainted with, and his well known voice told them who he was; for such was the change of his person, particularly by the cutting off his beard, that otherwise they could scarcely have recognised him. The Bashaw was delighted with the fellow; and, to keep up the frolic, gave him an order on the treasury for an enormous sum of money, and sent him to the Kaciabay, to present himself as a Frank, to receive it. Kaciabay started at the immensity of the sum, as it was nearly all that the treasury could furnish: but upon questioning this new European, it was soon perceived who he was. In this attire he went home to his women, who actually thrust him out of the door; and such was the disgrace of cutting off his beard, that even his fellow buffoons would not eat with him till it was grown again. The Camel dealers in the East seem to be pretty much on a par with horsedealers in the West. At an Arabian marriage, our author saw a dramatic entertainment performed, of which he gives the following account : When the dancing was at an end, a sort of play was performed, the intent of which was to exhibit life and manners, as we do in our theatres. The subject represented an Hadgee, who wants to go to Mecca, and applies to a camel-driver, to procure a camel for him. The driver imposes on him, by not letting him see the seller of the camel, and putting a higher price on it than is really asked, giving so much less to the seller than he received from the purchaser. A camel is produced at last, made up by two men covered with a cloth, as if ready to depart for Mecca. The Hadgee mounts on the camel, but finds it so bad, that he refuses to take it, and demands his money back again. A scuffle takes place, when, by chance, the seller of the camel appears, and finds that the camel in question is not that which he sold to the driver for the Hadgee. Thus it turns out, that the driver was not satisfied with imposing both on the buyer and seller in the price, but had also kept the good camel for himself, and produced a bad one to the Hadgee. In consequence he receives a good drubbing, and runs off.Simple as this story appears, yet it was so interesting to the audience, that it seemed as if nothing could please them better, as it taught them to be on their guard against dealers in camels, &c. This was the play, he says'; the ridicule of the farce was directed against Europeans. The afterpiece represented a European traveller, who served as a sort of clown. He is in the dress of a Frank; and, on his travels, comes to the house of an Arab, who, though poor, wishes to have the appearance of being rich. Accordingly he gives orders to his wife, to kill a sheep immediately. She pretends to obey; but returns in a few minutes, saying, that the flock has strayed away, and it would be the loss of too much time to fetch one. The host then orders four fowls to be killed; but these cannot be caught. A third time, he sends his wife for pigeons; but the pigeons are all out of their holes; and at last the traveller is treated only with sour milk and dhourra bread, the only provision in the house. Mr. Belzoni forcibly describes his view from the top of the first pyramid at sun-rise We went there to sleep, that we might ascend the first pyramid early enough in the morning, to see the rising of the sun; and accordingly we were on the top of it long before the dawn of day. The scene here is majestic and grand, far beyond description: a mist over the plains of Egypt formed a veil, which ascended and vanished gradually as the sun rose and unveiled to the view that beautiful land, once the site of Memphis. The distant view of the smaller pyramids on the south marked the extension of that vast capital; while the solemn endless spectacle of the desert on the west inspired us with reverence for the allpowerful Creator. The fertile lands on the north, with the serpentine course of the Nile, descending towards the sea; the rich appearance of Cairo, and its numerous minarets, at the foot of the Mokatam mountain on the east; the beautiful plain which extends from the pyramids to that city; the Nile, which flows magnificently through the centre of the sacred valley, and the thick groves of palm trees under our eyes; all together formed a scene, of which very imperfect ideas can be given by the most elaborate description. We descended to admire at some distance the astonishing pile that stood before us, composed of such an accumulation of enormous blocks of stones, that I was at a loss to conjecture how they could be brought thither. Of the ruins of Thebes he says,—. "it appeared to me like entering a city of giants, who, after a long conflict, were all destroyed, leaving the ruins of their various temples as the only proofs of their former existence. Nothing, we think, can be description of one of the temples of more animating than the following this hundred-gated" capital. Having then set the people to work in another direction, where also I had hopes, I took the opportunity to examine at leisure the superb ruins of this edifice. In a distant view of them nothing can be seen but the towering propylæa, high portals, and obelisks, which project above the various groups of lofty palm-trees, and even at a distance announce magnificence. On approaching the avenue of Sphinxes, which leads to the great temple, the visiter is inspired with devotion and piety: their enormous size strikes him with wonder and respect to the Gods, to whom they were dedicated. They represent lions with heads cence, the power and purity of the Gods. of rams, the symbols of strength and innoAdvancing farther in the avenue, there stand before it towering propylæa, which lead to inner courts, where immense colossi are seated at each side of the gate, as if guarding the entrance to the holy ground. Still farther on was the magnificent temple dedicated to the great God of the creation. It was the first time that I entered it alone, without being interrupted by the noise of the Arabs, who never leave the traveller an instant. Again, I had seen the temple of Tentyra, and I still acknowledge, that nothing can exceed that edifice in point of preservation, and in the beauty of its workmanship and sculpture; but here I was lost in a mass of colossal objects, every one of which was more than sufficient of itself alone to attract my whole attention. How can I describe my sensations at that moment! I seemed alone in the midst of all that is most sacred in the world; a forest of enor mous columns, adorned all round with beautiful figures, and various ornaments, from the top to the bottom; the graceful shape of the lotus, which forms their capitals, and is so well proportioned to the columns, that it gives to the view the most pleasing effect; the gates, the walls, the pedestals, and the architraves, also adorned in every part with symbolical figures in basso relievo and intaglio, representing battles, processions, triumphs, feasts, offerings, and sacrifices, all relating, no doubt, to the ancient history of the country; the sanctuary, wholly formed of fine red granite, with the various obelisks standing before it, proclaiming to the distant passenger, "Here is the seat of holiness; the high portals, seen at a distance from the openings to this vast labyrinth of edifices; the various groups of ruins of the other temples within sight; these altogether had such an effect upon my soul, as to separate me in imagination from the rest of mortals, exalt me on high over all, and cause me to forget entirely the trifles and follies of life. I was happy for a whole day, which escaped like a flash of lightning; but the obscurity of the night caused me to stumble over one large block of stone, and to break my nose against another, which, dissolving the enchantment, brought me to my senses again. But his description of what he encountered in the galleries of the mummies is, for picturesque effect, more striking than any other passage in the book, and with this our extracts from it must close. What a place of rest! surrounded by bodies, by heaps of mummies in all directions, which, previous to my being accustomed to the sight, impressed me with horror. The blackness of the wall, the faint light given by the candles or torches for want of air, the different objects that surrounded me, seeming to converse with each other, and the Arabs with the candles or torches in their hands naked and covered with dust, themselves resembling living mummies, absolutely formed a scene that cannot be described. In such a situation I found myself several times, and often returned exhausted and fainting, till at last I became inured to it, and indifferent to what I suffered, except from the dust, which never failed to choak my throat and nose; and though, fortunately, I am destitute of the sense of smelling, I could taste that the mummies were rather unpleasant to swallow. After the exertion! of entering into such a place, through a passage of fifty, a hundred, three hundred, or perhaps six hundred yards, nearly overcome, I sought a resting-place, found one, and contrived to sit; but when my weight bore on the body of an Egyptian, it crushed it like a band-box. I naturally had ́ recourse to my hands to sustain my weight, but they found no better support; so that I sunk altogether among the broken mummies, with a crash of bones, rags, and wooden cases, which raised such a dust as kept me motionless for a quarter of an hour, waiting till it subsided again. I could not remove from the place, however, without increasing it, and every step I took I crushed a mummy in some part or other. Once I was conducted from such a place to another resembling it, through a passage of about twenty feet in length, forced through. and no wider than that a body could be It was choaked with mummies, and I could not pass without putting my face in contact with that of some decayed Egyptian; but as the passage inclined downwards, my own weight helped me on: however, I could not avoid being covered with bones, legs, arms, and heads rolling from above. Thus I pro ceeded from one cave to another, all full of' mummies piled up in various ways, some standing, some lying, and some on their heads. The purpose of my researches was to rob the Egyptians of their papyri: of which I found a few hidden in their breasts, under their arms, in the space above the knees, or on the legs, and covered by the numerous folds of cloth, that envelop the mummy. A superb volume of plates accompanies the work, which may be purchased or not, at pleasure. THE EARTHQUAKE, WE are absolutely sickened by this:-not by the work itself, though it is very absurd and very offensive, but by the fraud of which it is attempted to be made the means. It is expressed on its title-page to be by the author of "The Ayrshire Legatees:" we have no hesitation to declare that it is not by the author of the Ayrshire Legatees: we scruple not to run the risk of affirming this in the most positive manner, so strong is the internal evidence that the pen employed in the one is not that which has traced the other. This is another deception from the source of so many: the real and able writer of the Ayrshire Legatees has taken a desperate step to turn suspicion from himself;-and he must feel the unpleasantness of the imputation very strongly, peculiar and Three Volumes, Blackwood, Edinburgh; and Cadell and Davies, London, 1820 pressing indeed must be the reasons he has for casting it far away from him, otherwise he would never have had recourse to so extraordinary a measure as this. Of all authors in the world the author of the Earthquake was the least fitted for his purpose; but then the probability is, he was the only one who could be depended upon to render the service wanted. There was, therefore, no choice. The story of the Ayrshire Legatees has been given in a series of papers that have appeared and ceased in Blackwood's Magazine; and certainly we have read no articles in that work at all equal to them in point of substantial talent. They consist of the correspondence of a Scotch clergyman and his family, who have come up to London to take possession of a large legacy; and who convey their observations on the metropolis to various persons, male and female, whom they have left behind them. The letters are very varied; the old clergyman addresses his substitute in the ministry, and his elders; his wife relates the disasters of her marmalade and cheese, and the troubles of her domestic economy in the English capital, to her good gossiping cronies of the congregation; and the young lady and gentleman (son and daughter) convey their sense of the novelties of their situation, and show much capacity for conforming themselves speedily to the fashions of London, and discharging the heavy duties attached to those who unexpectedly become heirs of a fortune of one hundred thousand pounds. The characteristic qualities of these papers is that of shrewd observation of the world; close intimacy with the habits, opinions, and dispositions of an acute, thoughtful, serious, but loquacious class, to be found only about the small towns and villages of Scotland;-great familiarity with the ruling politics of Kirk-sessions, and the independant and critical discussions of presbyterian tea-tables ; unaffected and natural language,-lively, but unpretending, well adapted to the various personages, and indicating the author to be eminently possessed of vigilant common sense, guiding and controuling the exercise of his fancy. We do not know who has written the papers; but we scruple not to confess, that they immediately suggested to us the author of the Scotch Novels. We saw in them much of the same superabundance of scriptural allusion, which forms a marked feature in the Scotch novels; of the same close acquaintance with the foibles, and the vanities, as well as the virtues and usefulness of the Scotch religious character; the same ability, on quitting the sphere which seemed the author's favourite and his peculiar province, to acquit himself well in the delineation of widely distinct manners, and in giving a true and strong expression to the aspect of life in very dissimilar situations; the same assurance of a hand practised in the actual ways of the world, where people of talent take the air of men Who think of something else besides the pen, and handle their pens the better for it:-above all, much of that admirable disposition to balance the evil against the good in the human heart, and to draw character fairly, instead of displaying it in a hideous exaggerated mask, such as the ancient actors employed to strike the sight of the distant spectators in their huge theatres. We were sorry to see, in these papers, the author condescending to derive his interest occasionally from rather offensive sketches of private characters, in their private and domestic capacity, the names not being concealed. It was particularly objectionable to do this in a work notorious for private scandal,-but what we most regretted was, the date of these sketches. They evidently came from the hand of some one fresh from a visit to London; who had been received in the houses of the persons, who now served him for the subjects of satirical and pleasant description: one who had had access to good society, and was not indisposed to convert this privilege into a source of We observe in their December Number they have again taken up the title: but the spirit is gone; the original author has withdrawn. Nothing can be more dull than the New Series materials for articles, rendered stimulating and attractive by personality, that might be profitable either to the writer himself, or to the persons connected with the Magazine. Mr. Wilberforce's prayer-meetings, and Mr. Charles Grant's parties, were conspicuously introduced, and the former sharply ridiculed. We certainly did think it possible that Sir Walter Scott might have got up these sketches: but we hear that he disclaims them entirely, and we are glad of it. We never, with our feelings for this eminent man, could have thought of attributing to him any thing like baseness of motive; but we did think it far from unlikely, that he might have unwarily been induced, under the influence of a particular private connection, to contribute to the support of a work, the malice of which he is rendered by his nature incapable of feeling, yet may, under the particular circumstances of the case, be excused for disbelieving. The too great personality of the papers certainly would be a fault chargeable against him, were he their author; but this does not go the length of grossness or scandal :it would simply constitute an impropriety, of a nature to call forth animadversion sufficiently strong to prevent its repetition. But, we repeat, Sir Walter Scott denies having had any thing to do with the papers in question; and we willingly take his word for it, and shall cease connecting his name with any thing that has appeared, or may appear, in Blackwood's Magazine-unless good reasons (which we do not anticipate) should be given us to break this resolution. Immediately after our first allusion to Sir Walter Scott in regard to this subject, an advertisement appeared, in all haste, announcing "THE EARTHQUAKE, a Tale, by the author of The Ayrshire Legatees." It was advertised in a very peculiar way; and great desire was shown to attract particular attention to the notice. Why? The tale is one of the worst and weakest of the extravagancies produced in the present extravagant period. It is very clear that Sir Walter Scott did not write The Earthquake: there needs no ghost from the dead to tell us this. It is very clear also す that the author of the Earthquake is not the author of the Scotch Novels. Who he is we cannot pretend to say; but if he ever wrote the Ayrshire Legatees, we engage to swallow all the numbers of Blackwood in which have heard it reported that we owe these papers have appeared!-We but cannot affirm that the report is this Earthquake to Mr. JOHN GALT; correct. knows any thing of Mr. Galt's famous No one, however, who tragedies, would ever suspect him of being the writer of a set of acute, close, unaffected representations of actual life, in the shrewd, homely language, of the minister and members of an Ayrshire congregation of presbyterians! The author of these tragedies, however, might write The_Earthquake, and perhaps did. the reader an idea of the peculiar To give qualities of this work, we may refer to what we have said of the Ayrshire Legatees; only asking him to conceive all that is most opposite to what we enumerated as the characteristics of these papers. power is shown in the tale, is of a What ranting melo-dramatic turn: all the contrasts are forced and theatrical; the means unnatural and violent; the display of human nature, artificial and false; the language often silly, and often ludicrously elevated. The clumsiness of the author's hand is shown by the excessive coarseness of his devices: no Christmas pantomime was awkward than the machinery of this ever more wonderfully tale; the author cannot lead a dialogue through a page without violating probability, and shocking the sense of fitness. His sarcasms, and his "asides," as author, are in the raw, hard, forced, unpractised manner of the member of a speculative society. Nothing genial, or cordial, in the strain of composition. It is or easy, or unaffected, is discoverable all calculated for representation, and this is not more artfully done here than in an after-piece at Astley's. the work: but from the extent of Such is the general character of this censure we except a good part of the second volume, the scene of which lies amongst some of the mountainous parts of Asia. The author seems here to have lively recollections of actual adventure assist |