ADDISON'S DAMASCUS AND PALMYRA.

THE man best qualified to travel in countries where there is so little absolutely new to be seen as in Greece and Syria, would be an artist-historian ; especially if he possessed sufficient knowledge and genius to be able to throw aside technicalities, or mere posi- tive dogmas or facts, and to present the essential results of what his examination produced. The " next best" tourist is a man well skilled in the arts of life, or in the death-dealing professions of war -and physic ; for such persons have mostly a practical acquaintance with human nature, which enables them readily to accommodate themselves to the various dispositions of men, whilst they have the previous knowledge to draw information or instruction from things which to unlearned eyes only look like an "old castle," a " fortified place," a "singular process," or, according to the dress and other secondary adjuncts, a" splendid" or a "sorry sight." Wanting these, we require a person of talent and an accomplished littera- Mut, who lets nothing escape him in nature, character, manners, or modes ; selecting the most striking or beautiful, and grouping them into a succession of sketches like a moving diorama. But even such a person ought to be so far independent, that if he see nothing lie can afford to say nothing. We would not of course forbid ether classes travelling; but we would gladly prevent them from publishing their travels—at all events, if they travel where steamers steam.

Mr. ADDISON, the author of this last Journey to the East, seems a well-educated young gentleman, possessing plenty of English heartiness and good-nature ; a very pleasant companion, we doubt not ; and with an Irish flow of words, but divested of the blarney, which enables him to say something upon any thing. Still, these are qualities which do not justify a man in inflicting two thick volumes upon a reader, on such well-known themes as Malta, the touching-points for steamers in Greece and her islands, Smyrna, Constantinople, and the more accessible parts of Asia Minor. Neither has Damascus, or Desert travelling, the novelty to English readers which Mr. ADDISON supposes. Major SKINNILR has pictured both, in the lifelike pages of his Overland Journey to India ; and several other travellers have penetrated as far as Damascus. Palmyra has more of novelty, or at least of freshness ; but as Mr. ADDISON seems unacquainted with art, his descriptions of its ruins are vague and uninforming. As regards positive instruction, he tells nothing which has not been told before ; and, wanting artistical power, and perhaps gusto for architecture, his sketches are somewhat of the nature of in- ventorial panegyric. Still, when opportunity and fit materials offer, Mr. ADDISON does them justice; and though the book is not one whose advent we should have invited, yet, being here, it is welcome. He visited Rhodes, a place overlooked by many modern travellers, though so renowned in Classical, Christian, and Church-militant story ; and his slight sketches have an interest in the associations they call up. He and his companions resided so long at Damascus, that

they hired a villa; and hence his pictures of that place and its people ate more full and detailed than those of his predecessors.

He travelled to Palmyra and back as the guest of a Bedouin

Sheik, who was under obligations to the English Consul for some political services rendered him with IBRAHIM PASHA, and felt

bound in gratitude to cherish his friends: so that he had fuller opportunities of seeing Arab life familiarly than most other Euro- peans. He also in several other places enjoyed advantages of

accident or occasion ; and, in short, had Mr. ADDISON expunged the commonplace in matter or the trite in subject, and confined himself to one volume, his book would have been a pleasant and characteristic addition to our travels in the East.

Amongst other persons of some mark whom our author visited, was a mountain ruler, whose dominions IBRAHIM PASHA had

suddenly penetrated with his troops, for the purpose of aiding his ally to disarm his own subjects. The account of the interview is quite Oriental ; and might furnish a hint to those actors who take their notions of Asiatics from the pictures on sign-posts, and fancy that a Turk must at all times be a compound of swagger and rant.

A more patriarchal, venerable, and majestic figure than the Emir Beshir, can scarcely be imagined. He is a fine old man, near niuety years of age ; with lung white whiskers flowing down on each side of his face, and terminating in a snow white beard of great length. His air and manner were most princely and court-like : placing his hand on his breast, he bent to us all round, and re- quested us to be seated.

Black slaves in scarlet dresses presented pipes, placing one band on their

breast and making a low obeisance with their bodies as we took them: shay were adorned with magnificent amber wisothpieees set in jewels. ess,7 sherbet were handed round by slaves, from which we had no sooner druskrul:: our mouths were wiped with embroidered napkins; then came coffee.

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A more strikingly Oriental scene can scarcely be imagined. The walls of is, saloon were ornamented with paintings in arabesque, and in the corners of rye apartment rills of water trickled down from marble fountains. Officers of ts, household, in light blue dresses, girt with scimitars; attendants in different rich costumes, with daggers and poniards stuck in their belts; and secretaries in long robes, with silver writing-materials in their girdles and paper in the

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little pockets of their vests, were grouped together in the lower part of the room, the raised part being. appropriated solely for the Emir and his friends. It was a scene of great interest : there was a kind, fatherly manner, ass, calm, settled dignity about the Emir, which astonished us, and must have ben sadly at variance with his real feelings at this time, lying as he was at the reeks of Ibrahim Paslta, his palace and capital surrounded by troops and compania of soldiers penetrating in every direction through his mountains, disarming his people. The Emir was handsomely attired in a rich robe edged with liable; his waist was girt with a Cashmere shawl, in which stuck a dagger covered with diamonds; and his fingers were clothed with rings. In his hand he held ekes pipe, the bowl of which rested on the carpet, and the large amber-buQ, mouthpiece was covered with jewels. The Emir is celebrated for the number and magnificence of his pipes. The princely air and the venerable figure of this old patriarch riveted our gaze the whole time we remained. The chief, and almost the only topic of conversation, was Sir Sidney Smith, with whom the Emir was very intimate when Sir Sidney was stationed off this coast during the war : he calls him, good man, a very fine fellow, and appears greatly to admire hint. He caked us if we would like to see his horses' and an attendant secretary, making slow obeisance, drew a paper from his bosom and wrote a few words on it. 'MI was presented to the signet-bearer; who drew forth from his vest a small stalls. tached to a chain, and the paper being duly stamped, was handed to us lathe signal for departure. The Emir again laying his hand on his breast, bent as round to us ; and we withdrew. This Oriental mode of salutation is very vas ful and very beautiful.

Amongst the party was an English bull-dog, who occasionally compromised the character of his country and of his compatriots. During this incident, the natives of Rhodes must have drawn odd conclusions as to the people who could choose such a creature a pet ; and have formed edifying notions as to the individual who operated upon its tail.

In our excursion we were accompanied by a large English bulldog, which belonged to one of our party. As we passed a pretty cottage, the ferocious be made a rush at a very fat pet rum which belonged to the inmates, decorated with blue riband, beads, and shells, and seized it by the leg: the ram was very strong, it broke louse from the rope with which it was tied, and a fierce etruole commenced between the parties : the inmates of the cottage, aghast with homs screamed and shouted, and a very nice-looking girl wept most bitterly. We jumped off our horses, and the dog after some difficulty was seized ; but still kept a most determined hold upon the leg of the pour ram, which we were afraid was broken : the dog was held by three of us, and it was only when the tip of his tail had been almost bitten off, that the savage brute relaxed his hold. The astonishment of the poor Rhodians was great : never hail they seen such a monster before, and great was the terror excited by his savage appearance. The poor ram was very lame, and wild with terror, but his leg appeared not to have been broken ; and after paying the price of the animal, we made peace with the cottagers, and continued our journey.

nitonEs AND ITS KNIGHTLY REMAINS.

Passing through an old gateway, we entered a delicious area shaded by liege plane trees and refreshed by a fountain. At the end rose a heavy building of the mixed architecture of the middle ages; and passing on, we entered the prin- cipal street, existing just as it was in the time of the knights,—well paved with very small stones, and bordered by low gloomy stone houses, over the domed which, let into the walls, were the coats of arms of the knights on white marble shields, containing among them the arms of many of the principal families of Europe. Not a soul was in the street besides ourselves; which had a nut gloomy appearance, there being very few windows looking into it, and thee were surrounded by Turkish lattices. At the top is the ancient cathedral, now turned into a mosque. It presents little architectural beauty ; and the interior consists simply of a vaulted hall, supported by white-washed columns. Beyond we came upon the strong and lofty battlements erected by the knights. Below was a deep fosse; and we passed through numerous gates, guarded by Turkish soldiers, to the suburb outside the town. From hence the deep blue of the sea, the bold mountainous coast of Asia Minor, the town, the minarets, the fantastic windmills, and a few scattered palm trees, with their long fantastic leaves, presented alovely and perfect Oriental landscape. We went down to the small port, and were pointed out the spot where the celebrated Colossus is sup posed to have et rod. here large blocks of stone fallen from their places are sees lying in the waves below.

W lien people assert that less advanced nations are unable to relish the arts of civilization, it is forgotten that we perhaps sub- ject them to an unfair test; trying them with high art, which always requires cultivation to appreciate, and which many person' say they relish merely to be in the fashion. Sympathy is the grand thing, wherever human pleasure is concerned ; and sym- pathy always requires a certain degree of equality. The finest English music was thrown away upon the Persian Princes: but when Mr. ADDISON'S fellow traveller sung English "comic songs; they threw the Arabs of the Desert into convulsions,—for it a highly probable, that, as far as musical cultivation was concerned, both parties were upon a par. Scattered throughout the volumes, are some remarks on the Bavarian rule in Greece, and the Egyptian in Syria ; of both of which Mr. ADDISON gives the worst character. As far as the facts of extravagance and peculation in Greece, or of grinding tyranny in Syria are concerned, we make no doubt of his correct• ness; but there is too much of common sense, too much of the wild speculations of your practical man essaying a subject beyond his handling, for faith to be placed in his general opinions; and as to "what he would do" to settle the countries, it may be dis- missed without remark.