LORD NUGENT ' S LANDS CLASSICAL AND SACRED.
nom December 1843 to the May following Lord Nugent occupied him- self in a trip to Athens, Alexandria, and Cairo, and a tour thence to Palestine, whose principal places he visited. In this route, we are tired of saying, there can be nothing essentially new : and a good part of Lord Nugent's volumes might have been spared without any loss of novelty ; for they often consist of. mere personal impressions of particular places, a description of districts with whose general features we are familiar, or, still worse, the historical recollections which celebrated spots call to everybody's mind. Some character, however, is given even to the most commoniolace parts of Lands Classical and Sacred, by the ob- vious and unaffected interest of the author in his subjects, and the bonhommie mingled with perfect good-breeding which pervades his accounts. Many parts of the work, however, possess much greater character, freshness, and variety, than could have been expected : paitly, from the opportunities, partly from the position of the author operating upon his nature. At Athens, the scholar and the con- noisseur throw a new light upon the principles of ancient art. A dis- quisition on the battle of Salamis (in which, however, the nautical matter and views are by Sir James Stirling; the commanderof the Indus) will be read with interest, not only for its clear exposition of disputed points, and the apparent soundness of its conclusions, but for the proof it fur- nishes of the identity of ancient and modern principles of war—that the fight was merely an incident to carry out the ulterior objects Themistocles aimed at. The passing notices of religious parties in Palestine are dis- tinguished by a tolerant feeling, a sound judgment, and great good sense. The picture of the present anarchy and lawlessness in Syria, the result of Lord Palmerston's meddling with the Eastern question, is exciting, and comes more convincingly from a Liberal like Lord Nugent than from a political opponent. The inquiries into the identity of the sites of places re- markable in Scripture history are conducted without enthusiasm but with a calm and critical earnestness ; and it may perhaps interest many readers to learn, that Lord Nugent has arrived at the conclusion that the spots pointed out as the sites of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre, as well as several other places mentioned in the Old or New Testament, are correctly assigned. Indeed, to those who have patience to follow a neces- sarily elaborate argument respecting the topographical features of a spot, the age in which a tradition originated, and the opinion entertained of its accuracy in very early times, the second Volume of Lands Classical and Sacred will be found useful as a guide either in Palestine or at home. Neither is the work without merit and attraction as a book of travels. Not a word escapes from Lord Nugent to this effect, and he was probably unconscious of the fact, but it is easy to see that pains were taken by persons in authority to assist his Lordship's researches by bringing the more striking points of things direct to his notice : and he examined what he saw with care, and expresses his opinions with perfect frankness though without offence. In his views of Oriental life and manners there is equal freedom. This gives the force of truth, and sometimes the character of novelty, to his sketches : as in Greece we had the scholar and the connois- seur, and in Palestine the topographical critic, so in Egypt we have the politician—and a politician judging of what he sees by a better standard than has hitherto been brought to that country.
The pressure upon our space compels contraction ; but we will take a few short extracts as specimens of Lord Nugent's variety of subject and manner.
GRECIAN ART: THE ACROPOLIS.
IL is when you have mounted the winding path from the Areopagus on the West, and are within a few yards of where the buildings of the Propylaea rise, to the right of the ascent, that the whole majesty of the edifice is disclosed. Colonel leake was, I believe, the first to draw attention to the mode in which the Greeks managed the entrances of their fortified places, so that the right, the unshielded side of persons approaching them, should always be exposed along the whole way. The assailant thus had no defence against the weapons of the garrison, unless he braced his shield on his right arm; impeding thus the action of his sword, or spear, or sling, or bow. But the most exquisite lines of beauty were studied here J8 carefully as the useful ones of defence; and it is very observable, in mounting towards the Parthenon, bow artfully they are combined. - At every step from the outer gate' as you approach from the Hill of Mars, or by the ancient Penman Way, and from the very beginning of the ascent, for full half a mile of ancient road from the opposite side (that of the Ilissus, the temple of Jupiter Olynmius and the great theatre of Bacchus,) your right shoulder is turned towards the 4alls. And the winding course that opposed this difficulty to an enemy brought also the stranger coming to admire, and the procession to worship and sacrifice, up to the most picturesque angle of each successive building. After you have passed the temple of the Unwmged Victory and the Propyhea, then it is that the Erech- thwum, Minerva Poles, Pandrossium, and Parthenon, are in turn presented; each in its noblest perspective, not fall-faced, like the Madeleine of Paris, or like those many monuments of a taste not Attic which line the sides or front the extremities of the wide streets of London. I cannot but believe that the utmost effort of reflection and taste is required to apply successfully an imitation of Grecian architecture, where it is so rarely fitting to climate, habits or historical associations, in the countries of the North. Nothing surely is plainer than the error committed in building, line for line, upon a Grecian model on any ground or in any scenery dissimilar from that where the original was placed. Even the pro- portions themselves, after all the measurements which these buildings have for so many ages undergone, are a difficulty to our ablest architects, of whom the best are they who feel the most how much on this subject yet remains to be learned. They have long known that all these models differ in the symmetry of their parts according to the height and general character of the ground on which they stead and over which they are to be approached. They. have long learnt that in these things, as in many others, there is a certain spirit of compromise which is not at variance with the strictest principles, while it abates the harsh- ness of their application.
SCENES IN CALRO.
The people generally of Egypt, whether of the /Egyptian or Arab race, are goodnatured and lighthearted; and, like all idle and ill-educated people, passion- ately fond of low buffoonery. Day after day, and alf day long, groups are seen on the Esbekieli, clustering with intense interest round some coarse posture- master or bad conjuror. The party which appeared to me to be the most at- tractive, stationed always under the glow of the same West wall, and always sur- rounded by a throng of unwearied admirers, consisted of a white-bearded old man, with the green turban of a Hadji, who sat on the ground dancing two puppets on a string, to the sound of three little drums of an hour:glass shape, thumped with straps by another man and two veiled women sitting opposite to him. Be- fore these three were conjuring cups and vases, which they occasionally turned up, and out of which would crawl a serpent, or hop forth a tame bird—one should say when least expected, if one judged by the buzz of surprise with which the apparition was always received. But the same event happened so often, and in just the same manner, that there was in truth no moment at which the spectators had not a fair right to expect it. To this party of performers belonged a clown or jester, whose running commentary on the feats of the others was above measure popular. But his principal jest was this; every now and then he would pick a quarrel with the puppets' and aim a blow at them with a strap or courbash, apparently with intent to kill; but al- ways contriving to make the instrument miss his intended victim and come round with a loud crack on his own shoulders. This wad always received, happen as often as it would, with shrieks of delight by the bystanders, children, women, and men of all ages and all conditions. There was one very venerable and well-dressed old gentleman' in a flowing caftan of yellow silk and ample turban, with a large chaplet of beads round his neck, and a long amber-lipped chibouk, which he silently and gravely smoked, never disturbing it save as often as this event of the clown's self-castigation occurred. This, however, was too much for his gravityr which, from his appearance at all other moments, I doubt whether anytInnipelse ever did or could affect. This never failed. I do not remember ever passing this group without seeing this same old gentleman always contemplating this per- formance, and his pipe always alight. He was probably some merchant or agent, who daily set forth with intent to cross the Esbekieh on business, but never could succeed ni passing this spot.
AIR OF THE DESERT.
It is not to be wondered at that the spirits, which rise in obedience to the in- fluence of a boundless range of horizon, and of the driest, purest, lightest air in the world, should be excited on entering upon this waste of sand. No one can fail to feel it there. It is a salt air like that of the sea, unmixed with any efflu- vium of vegetation or decay; but it is also free from any charge of damp. Even under the heat of a burning sun, and with no breeze abroad, it is still a bracing and exhilarating air.
ARAB POETRY AND MUSIC.
While he [the Bedouin] is walking at his camel's tail, he pours forth an endless dreary song, always composed by himself for the occasion, always to the same air, if air it can be called, and relating to the number of travellers and place of desti- nation. For the first day or two we thought it was some sacred canticle or prayer. It had a tone of psahuody. But all our respect for it was at an end when our drogomen thus translated it: "We are twelve—four are Hawadjis--7go on, camels, to Gaza—why should we not go on to Gaza ?—we are twelve—four are Hawadjis," e.T.X. This, set to never more than three bars of very sad music, the singer repeats over and over again, to the self-same tune and words, in which
his companions alternately relieve him throughout the day. * * *
During our halt at Gatieh we had the relief of hearing a certain variation both in the words and air of the song of our camel-drivers, though indeed there was no great improvement in the spirit either of the poetry or music. But as an Arab always accompanies every work he sets himself about with a song describing the nature and details of it, so these men no sooner found themselves fairly engaged in the operation of drawing water from the wells and pouring it into the troughs, than they began to hum a new tune, and mutter new words; which became louder and louder, and more and more articulate, till they swelled into the following canticle, in which four performers joined, two at the same time drawing, and two pouring out for the camels. Drawers. 'Ana bisil, wa anti hott "—"I draw, and you take it." Pourers. " Donga hi alif"—" To fill the stomach." Tutti. "Naeh- ma bi sogal miss jemal, wa jemal raisenachma "—" We work for the camels, and the camels for us.' Da eapo; and so on till the operation ceased.
A RESULT OF LORD PALMERSTON'S POLICY.
The Pasha of Jerusalem is hardly able to carry any public measure or order of his own into effect. It is but a few months ago, as 1 am informed from autho- rity I can trust, that Above Gosh, a powerful sheik and robber, who has long held the country between Ramlah and Jerusalem, waylaid the Pashas of Jaffa and Lydda, and struck off their heads. The Pasha of Jerusalem was unable to punish this outrage. The whole district became so disturbed that he was fain to warn all within the city not to stir beyond its walls; and a body of the Sultan's troops, whom he sent for to strengthen his hands, were obliged to sue to Abou Gosh for leave to march through his lines.
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