SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.

Tsavras, Notes of an Overland Journey through France and Egypt to Bombay. By the late

Miss Emma Roberts. With a Memoir Allen and Co.

BIOGRAPHY,

The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. Collected by Himself. In 10 vols. Vol.

1V.—Irisli Melodies; National Airs; Sacred Songs Longman and Cu. Picriox,

The Schoolfellows; or a By.wav to Fame. By Richard Johns, Author of •• legend

and Romance—African and F.uropean," &r. la 3 rots Bentley. !. Henry of Monmouth ; or the Field of Agincourt. By Maim Michel. In 3 vols.

MISS ROBERTS'S OVERLAND JOURNEY TO BOMBAY.

THIS work is posthumous, and incomplete ; the agreeable and gifted authoress having died at Poona, near Bombay, to which Presi- dency she bad gone to compare the condition of Western India with that of Calcutta and its subject provinces. And her premature death is the more to be regretted as she combined in a very considerable degree the utile et dulce. Very many persons have treated of India who possessed more extensive knowledge, with greater comprehen- sion of view and philosophical acumen. But Miss ROBERTS was among the first, if not the first, who rendered Indian subjects popu- lar in England. By her Scenes and Characteristics of Hindustan she excited an interest in the habits of life and way of thinking that prevail among the natives and Anglo-Indians; bringing to- gether Britain and India by her descriptions of those necessary cir- cumstances that happen to all—as eating, drinking, dressing, sleep- ing, visiting, and so forth ; whilst she stripped the gorgeous East of much of its fancied splendour, and flattered stay-at-homes by the privations and discomforts she placed before their eyes as the drawback to Indian luxuries, such as retrenchment has left them.

The contents of the only volume Miss ROBERTS lived to finish, relate less to Bombay than to her journey thither. This, however, is the most interesting portion of the book ; not merely because she looked at France, Malta, Alexandria, Cairo, and a journey through the desert of Suez, with a keener, yet a more allowing glance than the generality of tourists; but this is the first entire account we have met of a journey from England to India per- formed by steam almost as far as steam could carry.

For, leaving London in a steamer for Havre, she thence ascended the Seine, as near to Paris as a steamer could float her. After a short stay in the capital, her party proceeded to Lyons in the diligence; and there embarked in a steamer upon the Rhone, which they de- scended to Marseilles. By steam conveyance they were eventually landed at Alexandria; whence a party of females, with a little baby some seven months old, without a gentleman to escort them, and with no male attendants but a Janissary, a native servant, and native boatmen, proceeded in safety to Cairo by water, and then across the desert to Suez : such is the order which reigns under the usurping MEHEMET Au. Here they were detained through some thing being "wrong" about the crack steamer ; and when they started they had a most uncomfortable passage to Bombay—so un- comfortable, that, as matters were then managed, (a t welvemonth since,) Miss ROBERTS seems inclined to prefer the longer voyage by the Cape, unless Bombay be the place of destination, and time of no consequence, since the journey from Bombay to Calcutta, or even to Madras, is almost as difficult as the voyage from England.

Of the accommodation on board the Government steamers, whether Imperial or " Coompance," she speaks in severe though measured censure, throughout. Sometimes the officers are what is called "above their business," and take a pride in slighting their passengers : when they happen to be men of sense, they seem to have no control over any thing save the working of the ship or the supply of provisions ; the accommodation of the passengers and their attendance being left to chance, or the pleasure' of a pack of half-caste servants. In the British Government steamers, the sum of the whole seems to be an insolent neglect of their passengers- " they only remember they have a salary to receive, and only forget they have a duty to perform." The Company, would it be believed, conducted their business in a way which is tantamount to a fraud upon the public. For example-

" Upon repairing to our cabin, Miss E. and myself were surprised and dis- appointed at the miserable accommodation it afforded. The three cabins al- lotted to the use of the ladies had been appropriated, in two instances, to mar • ried cooples; and we were obliged to put up with one of smaller size, which had the additional inconvenience of opening into the public saloon. There were no Venetian blinds to the door ; consequently, the only means of obtaining a free circulation of air was to have it open. A locker with a hinged shelf, which opened like a shutter, and thus afTorded space for one mattress to be placed upon it, ran along one side of the cabin, under the port-hole ; but the floor was the only visible means of accommodation for the second person cram- med by Government-regulation into this den. There was not a place in which a wash-hand basin could be put, so awkwardly were the doors arranged; to one of which there was no fastening whatsoever) Altogether, the case seemed hopeless; and as cock-roaches were walking about the vessel by dozens, the prospect of sleeping on the ground was any thing but agreeable, especially with the feeling that we were paying at the rate of four pounds a day for our accom- modation." • * • • • " The more I have seen of Government-ships, the more certain I feel that they are not adapted to carry passengers. The authorities appear to think that people ought to be too thankful to pay an enormous price for the worst species of accommodation. The commandants have not been accustomed to attend to the minutia which can alone secure the comfort of those who sail with them ; while the officers, generally speaking, endeavour to show their contempt of the service in which they are sent, against their inclination, by neglect and even rudeness towards the passengers."

We have mentioned the baby that made the journey ; and, so true is the hacknied quotation "one touch of nature makes the whole world kin," that this little creature seemed a passport in the strangest circumstances — amongst an Egyptian rabble or the Bedouins of the desert. But this is the moral—she was "a beauti- ful little creature, who never cried excepting when she was hungry, and would eat any thing, and go to anybody." Here is AN ENGLISH INFANT IN AN EGYPTIAN MOB.

Our boat was moored in front of a narrow strip of ground between the river and a large dilapidated mansion, having, however, glass windows in it, which bore the ostentatious title of Hind du Malnoudie. This circumscribed space was crowded with camels and their drivers, .great men and their retainers passing to and fro, market.people endeavouring to sell their various com- modities, together with a multitudinous collection of men, dogs, and donkies. I observed that all the people surveyed the baby as she was carried through them, in her native servant's arms, with peculiar benignity. She was certainly a beautiful specimen of an English infant ; and in her pretty white frock, lace cap, and drawn pink silk bonnet, would have attracted attention anywhere ; such an apparition the people now assembled at Atfee had probably never seen before, and they were evidently delighted to look at her. She was equally pleased, crowing and spreading out her little arms to all who approached her.

THE BABY IN Tun DESERT.

We were, as usual, rather late the following morning. Our dear little play- thing, the baby, bore the journey wonderfully; but it seemed very requisite that she should have good and unbroken sleep at night ; and we found so little inconvenience in travelling in the daytime, that we could make no objection to an arrangement which contributed so much to her health and comfort. It was delightful to see this lovely little creature actually appearing to enjoy the scene as much as ourselves; sometimes seated in the lap of her nurse, who travelled in a chair, at others at the bottom of one of our chairs; then in the arms of her male attendant, who rode a donkey, or in those of the donkey-men, trudging on foot : she went to everybody, crowing and laughing all the time; and I mention her often, not only ihr the delight she afforded us, but also to show how very easily infants at her tender age—she was not more than seven months old—could be transported across the desert.

Of the English in Egypt, Miss ROBERTS tells some anecdotes illustrative of that brutal and blackguard disregard of other people's habits and feelings, which seems to characterize the vulgar amongst our countrymen as soon as they are relieved from the restraints of law or public opinion. Of the Egyptians themselves she has formed a favourable judgment, from the examples which fell under her observation. This is the sketch of her Janissary and servant.

" The Janissary spoke very tolerable English. and after sunset, when we seated ourselves outside the cabin-door, he came 'forward and entered into con- versation. He said that he had been in the service of several English gentle- men, and had once an opportunity of going to England with a captain in the navy ; but that his mother was alive at that time, and when he mentioned his wishes to her she cried, and therefore he could not go. The captain had told him that he would always repent not having taken his offer; but though he wished to see England, he was glad he had not grieved his mother. He had been at Malta, but had taken a dislike to the Maltese, in consequence of a wrong he had received, as a stranger, upon his lauding. " Amongst the noblemen and gentlemen whom he had served, he mentioned the Marquis of Waterford. We asked him what sort of a person he was; and he immediately replied, ' A young devil.' Mohammed, who had been in various services with English travellers, expressed a great desire to go to England : he said that if he could once get there, he would never return to this dirty country.' Both he and the Janissary apparently had formed magnificent ideas of the wealth of Great Britain., from the lavish manner in which the English arc accustomed to part with their money while travelling. " We inquired of Mohammed concerning the magician whose exploits Mr. Lane and other authors have recorded. ACfirst he did not understand what we meant ; but upon further explanation, told us that he thought the whole an imposture. He said that when a bay, about the age of the Arab captain's son, who was on board, he was in the service of a lady who wished to witness the exhibition, and who selected him as the medium cdcommunication, because she said that she knew he would tell her the truth. The ceremonies, therefore, commenced ; but though anxiously looking into the magic mirror, he declared that he saw nothing; afterwards, he continued, ' A boy was called out of the bazaar, who saw all that the man told him.' But while Mohammed expressed his entire disbelief in the power of this celebrated person, he was not devoid or the superstition of his creed and country; for he told us that he knew of another who really did wonderful things. Be then asked us what we had called the Mughreebee whom we had described to him ? We replied, a magician ; and he and the Janisary repeated the word over many times, in order to make them- selves thoroughly acquainted with it. In all cases they were delighted with the acquisition of a new word; and were very thankful to me when I corrected their pronunciation. Thus, when the Janissary showed me what be called hundergo growing in the fields, and explained that it made a blue dye, and I told him that we called it indigo, he never rested until Ire had learned the word, which he repeated to Mohammed, and Mohammed to him. I never met with two more intelligent men in their rank of life, or persons who would do greater credit to their teachers ; and, brief as has been my intercourse with the Egyp- tians, 1 feel persuaded that a good method of imparting knowledge is all that is wanting to raise them in the scale of nations."

FIRST VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS.

During our progress up the river, I Lad been schooling myself, and endea- vouring to keep down my expectations, lest I should be disappointed at the sight of the Pyramids. We were told that we should see them at the dis- tance of five-and-thirty miles ; and when iuforined that they were in view, my heart beat audibly as I threw open the cabin-door, and beheld them gleaming in the sun, pure and bright as the silvery clouds above them. Far from being disappointed, the vastness of their dimensions struck me at once, as they rose in lonely majesty on the bare plain, with nothing to detract from their grandeur, or to afford, by its littleness, a point of comparison. We were never tired of gazing upon these noble monuments of an age shrouded in impe- netrable mystery. They were afterwards seen at less advantage, in consequence of the intervention of some rising ground; but from all points they created the strongest degree of interest.

EQUIPAGE FOR THE DESERT.

We found the equipages in which we were to cross the desert waiting for use at the City of Tombs. They consisted of donkey-chairs, one being provided for each of the females of the party, while my friend Miss E. had also an extra donkey, with a saddle, to ride upon occasionally. Nothing could be more com- fortable than these vehicles : a common arm-chair was fastened into a sort of wooden tray, which projected in front about a foot, thereby enabling the pas- senger to carry a small basket or other package ; the chairs were then slung by the arms to long bamboos, one upon either side ; and these, by means of ropes or straps placed across, were fastened upon the backs of donkies, one in front the other behind. Five long and narrow vehicles of this kind, running across the desert, made a sufficiently droll and singular appearance, and we did no- thing but admire each other as we went along. The movement was delight‘ fully easy ; and the donkies, though not travelling at a quick pace, got on very well. Our cavalcade consisted besides of two stout donkies, which carried the beds and carpet-bags of the whole party, thus enabling us to send the camels ahead : the three men-servants were also mounted upon donkies; and there were three or four spare ones, in case any of the others should knock up upon the road. In this particular, it is proper to say that we were cheated; for had such an accident occurred, the extra animals were so weak and inefficient that they could not have supplied the places of any of those in use. There were eight or ten donkey-men and a boy : the latter generally contrived to ride, but the others walked by the side of the equipages.

Although the journey was rapid, allowing little time for remark, and much of it has often been described before, Miss ROBERTS has imparted a freshness to her pages, by a power of observation that seized at once the characteristic points of a thing, however minute. An example of this may be seen in her sketch of

THE DESERT.

In first striking into the desert, we all enjoyed a most delightful feeling of repose : every thing around appeared to be so calm and tranquil, that, especi- ally after encountering the noises and multitudes of a large and crowded city, it was soothing to the mind thus to emerge from the haunts of men, and wander through the vast solitudes that spread their wastes before us. To me there was nothing dismal in the aspect of the desert, nor was the view so boundless as I bad expected.

In these wide plains, the fall of a few inches is sufficient to diversify the prospect ; there is always some gentle acclivity to be surmounted, which cheats the sense with the expectation of finding a novel scene beyond : the sand-hills in the distance also range themselves in wild and fantastic forms, many appear- ing like promontories jutting out into some noble harbour, to which the tra- veller seems to be approaching. Nor were there wanting living objects to ani- mate the scene ; our own little kafila was sufficiently large and cheerful to banish every idea of dreariness, and we encountered others much more pictu- resque. The papers that relate to Bombay are few in number, and we think, not equal in spirit to the sketches in Miss ROBERTS'S former work. Perhaps the subject had lost its novelties to us : she speaks of Bombay as far inferior to Calcutta in climate, in the activity of society, and in the acquirements and even the personal appearance of the natives, who look provincial after the pure white robes and stately forms of the domestics in the city of the palaces. The mortal disease of the fair writer was connected with derangement of stomach ; and perhaps the "lurking principle of death" was already developing itself, tinging her judgment with sombre hue, and depressing her general powers. One of her remarks, however, is of great shrewdness, and is worth extracting. She considers native education as yet superficial—that little more than words had been taught ; and she attributes this stationary state to Woman, not her Master.

" It is the women of India who are at this moment impeding the advance of improvement : they have hitherto been so ill-educated, their minds left so en- tirely uncultivated, that they have bad nothing to amuse or interest them ex- cepting the ceremonies of their religion, and the customs with which is is en- cumbered. These, notwithstanding that many are inconvenient, and others entail much suffering, they are unwilling to relinquish. Every departure from established rule, which their male relatives deem expedient, they resolutely oppose; employing the influence which women, however contemned as the weaker vessel, always do possess, and always will exert in perlietuating all the evils resulting from ignorance. The sex will ever be found activeokber in advan- cing or retarding great changes; and whether this activity be employed for good or for evil, depends upon the manner iu which their intellectual faculties have been trained and cultivated."