WELLSTED'S TRAVELS IN ARABIA.

LIEUTENANT WELLSTED was attached to one of the East India Company's vessels, which were appointed in 1829.30 to survey the Red Sea and its adjacent waters, with a view to the establish- ment of steam navigation between England and India. During the five or six years he was engaged in this service, he visited several places on the African shore, and examined a considerable part of the Western and Southern coasts of Arabia, beginning at Suez and terminating at the Persian Gulf. The result of our author's experiences are presented in a slightly disconnected shape; but, disregarding his arrangement, the volumes before us may be resolved into four sections. 1. A land journey from Tor, a sea-port near the entrance of the Gulf of Suez, to Suez, and subsequently from Tor to Mount Sinai. 2. A series of nautical dangers from the driving wind, opposing current, and wall-like coral reefs of the Gulf of Akabah. 3. An animated itinerary of about one half of the Red Sea coast of Arabia, from the Gulf of Akabah to Jiddah; to which are added descriptions of other places both on the African and Ara- bian shores, as well as of Yemen. 4. A journey through Oman, a district of Southern Arabia, inclining towards the Persian Gulf, as Yemen does towards the Red Sea.

In the journey through Oman, and the excursions to Suez, as well as the adventures in the Gulf of Akabah, Lieutenant W ELL- seas work is a personal narrative of the nature of a journal. The remainder is a deseripti a account, embodying the results of apparently frequent visits, but enlivened by incidents indicative of native character and habits. The subjects with which the author deals are various : they embrace Classical and Scriptural antiquities, the features of the country, the nature of its productions and of tho commerce carried on, together with his personal adventures on his journey, very lively sketches of the different tribes of Arabs, and an examination of the navigable capabilities of the Red

Sea. His personal narrative is wholly original. The economical and other information is partly derived from various sources ; but much of it being floating knowledge, it is new so far as the public are concerned.

As a book of travels, this work is natural, lively, and real ; fur- nishing another proof, if any were needed, that a man must travel slowly to travel with advantage to himself or to his reader. We do not mean that Lieutenant WELLSTED loitered needlessly in particular places, or that the native actions and characters he has depicted were slow in passing, or even that he was always a long time with the various persons he introduces. But he was ac- quainted with the language; and mixing for years amongst the natives, he had become intimate with the national character : hence he could enter into their peculiarities, and seize the passing spirit of scenes which would have been vapid or unintelligible to a scampering tourist, if such a person could by any accident have got into Arabia. But our traveller has also the natural advan- tages of a quick and observing eye, with a vivacious manner ; the sailor-like qualities of good-nature, enterprise, and indifference to hardships, as well as much historical and Bible lore relating to the countries in which he travelled. He also possesses sufficient knowledge of science and of the arts of life to pass judgment upon what passes before him, as well as to describe it in such a manner as to furnish curious and valuable hints in history and philosophy.

The excursions of Lieutenant WELLSTED were mostly confined to the vicinity of the sea-shore; except in Oman, a considerable part of which he traversed through the permission of its ruler, SAYV1D S'AID, better known in England as the Imaun of Muscat, and the giver of those steeds which WILLIAM the Fourth left to be sold at Tattersall's for the FITZCLARSNCES. The elaborate account of this district is commensurate with the opportunities ho possessed ; nor do we remember having read a more complete description of any country which has been visited for the first time. The religion, the customs, the arts, the manners, and character of the people, are fully described ; as well as the animal and vegetable productions. Slight sketches of its history and politics are also introduced ; and there is a brief account of the practices and subjugation of the natives of the Pirate Coast, whose pur- suits are indicated in the name of their country. To attempt to exhibit in detail the various subjects which these vo- lumes illustrate, would carry us over a wide field : we w ill chiefly confine ourselves to the Bedouin character—of which Mr. \Vim-- am entertains a much better opinion than many who have had far less opportunities of forming a judgment. The Bedouin Arabs have none of the effeminacy and ostentation which characterizes the Orientals, or the arrogance and dreamy sloth of the Turks. On the contrary, they are simple in their habits, even when luxu- ries are readily attainable: cheerful and active in their social cha- racter and amusements, delighting in song and dance, and being mightily taken with the game of leap-frog, which Mr. WELLSTED After my noon observation of the sun, a short journey of two hours brought me on to IlentsAbu-'All. A considerable crowd followed after ins until I halted, when I was soon joined by the young Sheikh and the principal men of the tribe No stainer had I proclaimed myself au Englishman, and expressed my intention of passing a few days amidst them, than the whole camp was in a tumult of acclamation ; the few old guns they had were fired from the different towers; matchlocks were kept going till sunset, and both old and young, male and female, strove to do their best to entertain me: they pitched my tent, slaughtered sheep, and nrought milk by gallons. A reception so truly warm and hospitable not a little surprised me. Before us lay the ruins of the fort we bad dismantled : my tent was pitched on the very spot where we had neatly annihilated their tribe, reducing theta from being the most powerful in Oman to their present petty state. All, how- ever, in the confidence I had shown in thus throwing myself amidst them, was forgotten.

After their evening prayers, the young Sheikh, accompanied by about forty men, came to the tent and expressed his intention of remaining with me as a guard during the night. To ask the whole party in was impossible, and to in- vite a few only would have displeased others; so I took my carpet outside amidst them. It was one of those clear and beautiful nights which are only met with in or near the Desert ; the atmosphere felt pleasantly cool, and we soon com- menced an animated conversation. They were not wholly ignorant of our cus- toms : some information on these points they had gathered nom the men who had been prisoners of war in India ; but their accounts were either so limited or exaggerated that they served rather to increase than to allay the feelings of curiosity. The nature and observance of our religion formed, of course, their first subject of inquiry ; and my opinion as to its comparative merits with the Mohammedan was demanded. Ii is generally a good maxim to allow yourself to be apparently beaten on questions of theology. I could not, however. at first, resist the temptation of leading to some of their least defensible doctrines, and stating the arguments which could be brought to bear against them ; but they evinced so little prejudice or fanaticism on these points, that 1 regretted having done so; aid, to make amends, most willingly subscribed to the opinion of one of their old men, that either faith was best adapted for the country mud people who practised it. From this the conversation turned on our females. Was it truerthey in- quired, that those of high birth and condition danced in public and went un- veiled? Here they had me on the hip, as they fancied; /111'1 the :agues chuckled whilst awaiting my reply. I confessed it was ; but we did nut, like them, at- tach any indelicacy to it ; that our females were never secluded, but were in- structed in useful knowledge, and allowed equal liberty with the other sex ; and that we found our advantage in doing so, for, instead of being objects of mere sensual desire, they then became companions. Here, however, I gained not a single convert. " Let them work," said they, " and attend to their household affairs. What business have they with reading and writing, which is only fit for Moolabs? " " The women to their distaff, the men to their swords," said a venerable old man, with a white heard, repeating a proverb which was echoed by all present. I wished some of their dames had been within bearing, they would have pitched their note in a minor key. The females of this tribe possess a considerable share of influence in all their councils; and in the absence of their Sheikh, who had proceeded on the pd- gritnage to Mecca, his wife and sister at this moment governed the tribe. Their remarks on some of our customs were highly amusing. " We observed," said they, " that when you sat down to table each man had before him a small and a large glass : why apply to the small one so often, when it would save so much trouble to fill the larger and drink it off at once ? Why did we send the ladies away before we had finished our wire, and yet rise up when they left," Lac. etc.

ARAB FISHERMEN.

It is a remarkable fact, that a race in many respects similar Wound in almost every part of the coast of Arabia, and even :siting the north-east shore of India and Macrau. In some districts—as those, for instance, which lie to the north- ward of Jiddah in the Red Sea—they are considered as a separate and degraded race, with whom the Bedowins will neither cat, intermarry, nor associate ; bat with this and several other tribes so degrading a distinction dues not exist. The whole coast abounds with fish; and, as the natives have but few canoes, they generally substitute a single inflated skin, or two of these, having a flat hoard across their'. On this frail connivance the fisher seats himself, and either casts his small handsuet, or plays his hook and line. Some capital sport must arise occasionally when the sharks, which are here very numerous and large, gorge the bait ; for, whenever this occurs, unless the angler cuts his line, and that, asi the shark is more valued than any other fish, he is often unwilling to do, no- thing can prevent his rude machine from following their track ; and the fisher- man is sometimes in consequence, carried out a great distance to sea. It re- quires considerable dexterity to secure these monsters; fir when they ore hauled up near to the skins they struggle a good deal ; and if they happen to jerk the fisherman from his seat, the infuriate monster is said to dash at once at Von. Many accidents I learn, arise in this manner; but if they succeed in getting Lim quickly alongside, they soon do11..tal him by a few blows on the saiout. introduced one morning after a cold night's bivouac in the Desert, as a substitute for running races. In the remoter parts, and n nv indeed almost every where, the Arabs illustrate the old maxim of " the nearer the church," &c.; a tolerant spirit towards strange rel imions, some- times touching upon indifference or ignorance, characterizing the countrymen of the Prophet, though bigots may of course be found. The women have a greater freedom than is usual amongst Mahometans ; and in the sea-ports seem to abuse it,— the strict confining their intrigues to their own people, whilst the lax receive lovers of all nations. The forbidden wine and brandy. too, are quaffed openly, unless the ruler is a rigid disciple; in wine') case the smuggler steps in. At Muscat, our author found a vessel direct from England, with a cargo of hams and brandy. The Imaun forbade their landing ; but the ship departed with a light load ; the town was said to be " glorious" for a brief time; and a relative of the Monarch was so indiscreet as to come into the presence elevated, fur which he was sent into honourable banishment.

Robbers they are, but it is their destiny : and it must be borne. in mind, that they levy their contributions upon fixed principles, and plunder may be avoided by submitting to taxation. Their reputed hospitality has been rather underrated : they will give to their guest what they can ill spare. Neither do they seem to harbour vengeance for the casualties of a fair standup fight. One of the purest Bedouin tribes Mr. WELLSTED encountered, was that of Belli-Abu-Ali, which the forces of the Company in conjunction with the Innun had reduced from one of the strongest to one of the weakest tribes, nearly the whole of the fighting men being slain or wounded. Yet this was l'iis reception— A

• • • Leaving many characteristic and interesting traits, we will pass ifrorn the shores of the Indian Ocean to the vicinity of Mount Sinai, for a curious specimen of national logic.

At daylight we shared some excellent coffee which the Bedowins had pre- pared for us. Instead of grinding them as we do, they pound their berries between two *donee, and that only when they are required for use. The addi- tion of milk and auger is unknown, and water being used in less proportion than is customary in Europe, their coffee is consequently very strong. A group of Bedowins were disputing respecting the sanity of Lady Esther 'Stanhope ; one party strenuously mattitaining that it was impossible a lady so charitable, so munificent, could be otherwise than in full possession of her faculties. Their opponents alleged that her assimilating herself to the Virgin Mary, her anticipated entry with our Saviour into Jerusalem, and other vaga- ries attributed to her, were proofs to the contrary. An old man with a white beard called for silence,—a call from the aged amidst the Arabs seldom made in vain. " She is mad," said he ; and, lowering his voice to a whisper,,as if fearful such an outrage against established custom should spread beyond his circle, he added, " for she puts sugar to her coffee." This was conclusive.

It is unsafe to deduce conclusions as to the civilization of a people tiom isolated facts, which may arise either from obvious natural advantages or from necessity. Watering-places are con- sidered an instance of social refinement, skilful irrigation as one of the last triumphs of agricultural art. The Arabs combine both in one, with a reservoir to cool the escaping waters of the hot spring before they are distributed. The following extract shows a still more thoughtful and laborious mode of irrigation, and conveys a picture of the Oases of the Desert, which better corresponds with the poetical ideas of them than the accounts given of the natural ones by the later travellers in Africa.

One striking feature in the appearance of these towns is their low situation They are erected in artificial hollows, which have been excavated to the depth of six or eight feet, and the soil thus removed is left in hillocks around their margin.. These were the first oases I had hitherto met with, and toy attention was consequently forcibly drawn to them. 1 found that these, and nearly all the towns in the interior of Oman, owe their fertility to the happy manner in which the inhabitant, have availed themselves of a mode of conducting water to them,—a mode, as far as I know, peculiar to this country, and at an expense of labour and skill more Chinese than Arabian. The greater part of the face of the country being destitute of running streams on the surface, the Arabs have sought in elevated places for springs or fountains beneath it ; by what mode they discover these I know not; but it seems confined to a peculiar class of men, who go about the country fur the purpose; but I saw several which. had been sunk to the depth of forty feet. A channel from this fountain-heads is then, with a very slight descent, bored in the ditection in which it is to be conveyed, leaving apertures at regular distances, to afford light and air to those who are occasionally seat to keep it clean. In this manner water is frequently conducted from a distance of six oreigbt miles; and an unlimited supply is thus obtained. These channels are usually about four feet broad, and two feet deep, and contain a clear rapid stream. Few of the large towns or oases but had four or five of these rivulets or feleji running into them. The isolated spots to which water is thus conveyed possess a tail so fertile, that nearly every grain, fruit, or vegetable, common to India, Arabia, or Persia, is produced almost spontaneously; and the tales of the oases will be no longer regarded as an ex- aggeration, since a single step conveys the traveller from the glare and sand of the Desert into a fertile tract, watered by a hundred rills, teeming with the most luxuriant vegetation, and embowered by lofty and stately trees whose um• brageous foliage the fiercest rays of a noontide sun cannot penetrate. The al- mond, fig, and walnut trees are of enormous size ; and the fruit clusters so thickly on the orange and lime trees, that I do not believe a tenth part can be gathered. Above all, towers the date-palm, adding its shade to the sombre picture. Some idea may be formed of the density of this shade by the effect it produces in lessening the terrestrial radiation. A Fahrenheit's thermometer, which within the house stood at 55 degrees, six inches front the ground fell to 4D degrees. From this cause, and an abundauce of water, they are always saturated with damp, and even in the heat of the day possess a clammy coldness.

Such spots present, indeed, a singular and peculiar scene—unequalled perhaps in any part of the world. Of this, nothing can furnish a more striking idea

than the list of their productions, all of which are frequently reared in a plot of ground not more than three hundred yards in diameter ; and I am confident no equal space, in any part of the world, will afford a catalogue more numerous and varied, more luxuriant in growth, or more perfect in form.

These green spots in the Desert present another peculiarity. The Bedouin tents or huts are very low : but when' they inhabit an oasis, natural causes compel them to adopt a more expensive, and, as we should say, a more civilized style of building.

The instant you step from the Desert within the Grove, a most sensible change of the atmosphere is experienced. The air feels cold and damp; the ground in every direction is saturated with moisture; and, from the density of the shade, the whole appears dark and gloomy. There are still some handsome houses at Ibrah ; but the style of building IS quite peculiar to this part of Arabia. To avoid the damp, and catch an occasional beam of the sun

above the trees, they are usually very lofty. A parapet encircling the upper part is turreted ; and on some of the largest houses guns are mounted. The windows and doors have the Saracenic arch, and every part of the build- ing is profusely devastated with ornaments of stucco in bas-relief, some in very good taste. The doors are also cased with brass, and have rings and other massive ornaments of the same metal.

Further on, we find further traces of the Saracenic architecture in a more advanced state.

The streets (of Jeldah) are airy, the houses lofty, and well built of coral. The purest Saracenic architecture is found here, at Sena, Mukha, and some other towns in the lower portion of the Red Sea. But proceeding northward, we lose many of its characteristics, as it becomes blended with that of Egypt. The progress of the same style may, however, be traced along the whole of the Southern shore and the bottlers of the Persian Gulf to Baghdad, where, under the splendid dominion of the Caliphs, it fully realized our conceptions of Oriental lightness, elegance, and splendour. There, as in the modern towns which I have named, the round, elliptical, and pointed arch form the entrance to houses of any consideration. Consistently with this peculiar order, they have project. ing windows, as may be observed at Wind, (;oventry, and other old towns in England. Their fronts and sides are decorated with exquistely-carved wood- work, through the interstices of which air and light are admited ; and in taste and ornament equal, if they do not excel, the tracery of our finest cathedrals. I observed some partially glazed with stained glass. The houses are mostly cemented and decorated with much Arabesque fretwork in bas relief. The goofs are Oat, and the parapet exhibits several strange devices. These, together with the light and airy turrets of numerous mosques, create an agreeable di- versity to the otherwise mouutonous appearance of so many square building'. Arabia is a country which admits of little change. I have no &Wit, there, fore, this character of architecture has existed from the earlietit period ; ant what we term Gothic was brought into Europe, and disseminated throughout its various countries by the earlier Arabs.

Though three-fourths of the passages we had marked for ex. tract are yet unexhausted, we must now take leave of Mr. WELLSTED; and content ourselves with recommending his vs. lumes as a valuable addition to our standard books of travels, and as affording a fund of interest and amusement to readers of perception and cultivated taste.