DR. OLIN'S TRAVELS IN EGYPT, PETE/EA, AND THE HOLY LAND.
Da. OLIN is an American Wesleyan minister, whose health gave way under fifteen years of anxious duty in the Southern States. Ordered to Europe, be spent some time in England, France, and Italy ; unhappily witnessing the death of his wife, just as his own health was somewhat restored. To divert the grief produced by his loss, and restore the convalescence the shock had interrupted, Dr. Oust determined to visit Greece, Egypt, and Palestine; a tour which he accomplished during the years 1839.40. The volumes before us, however, only contain .an account of his visit to Alexandria and Cairo, his ascent to the Cataracts of the Nile, a narrative of his journey through the Desert to Mount Sinai, and thence to Arabia Petrsea, with a very full description of his pilgrimages in the Holy Land, and the sacred localities he inspected. Dr. Oust is himself aware that the antiquities of Egypt—the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea and the Wil- derness—the Convent of Sinai and its surrounding features—
the rock-carved remains of Edom and all the sacred places of Palestine—have been frequently discussed, sometimes in elaborate
works devoted to one particular subject, sometimes by general travellers; and he also admits that the natural features of the country, as well as the manners of the people, have been often described. But his object seems to have been, to produce a book for the American religious public,—which, we gather from his ac- count, is not the reading public; and to whom a description of Oriental antiquities, a disquisition on Scriptural events and loca- lities, with a narrative of such incidents as fell under the traveller's own observation, might be novel and interesting. Supposing Dr. OLIN'S estimate of the numbers and character of this class to be correct, his Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petraw, and the Holy Land, will be a popular work. Persons who are acquainted with modern books of travels in those regions, will find little of novelty in the volumes; and the style of Dr. OLIN, though clear, well-balanced, and not without a species of power, is too much elaborated, like that of a sermon-writer or other public speaker, who regards the expansion rather than the expression of his ideas. The book, however, is the result of observation, and of a cultivated observa- tion, not only trained to perceive but to describe. Dr. °raw avails himself of WiLxistsow and others as guides in Egypt ; but he conveys his own impression of what he sees, and his full ex- pansive manner often throws out some new view in what has been described before. The same may be said of local features and the characteristics of the people : there is no generic novelty in what he tells, yet particular points are often new. The actual freshness of the book, however, is limited to occurrences that happened to Dr. OLIN, or to the colour his personal character throws upon what he saw. In this light, the work bears some resemblance to the Reverend H. FORMBY'S FiSii to the East, though falling below it in independence of thought and closeness of style : the ground traversed from Cairo is, however, the same, and not only are the incidents similar, but the characteristics of the descriptions,—a circumstance of easy solution, since it is evident that the two divines travelled in the same caravan of tourists at least from Mount Sinai to Jerusalem.
One point of novelty, that every man may possess in proportion to his opportunities, is the information derived from acquaint- ances. Of this kind, Dr. OLIN has collected a good deal respect- ing the Pacha's government in Egypt—not all gospel perhaps, but probably as correct as this floating and irresponsible information often is. Here is a picture of
TAXATION IN EGYPT.
The excessive taxation, which extends to every person and pursuit, is another fruitful cause for complaint. The Pacha taxes the land to the utmost it can pay. This is no new thing, though the burden bas been much aggravated under his sway. Be also lays a tax on domestic animals—the camel, the ass,, the ox, the sheep, and the cow. Each palm-tree is the object of a distinct im- post. The wheel and rude machinery employed in irrigation pay fifteen dol- lars per annum. After all this, a pall-tax is imposed on every tradesman and labourer, of whatever pursuit. The amount, which is very various, may be conjectured from the fact that a month's wages is kept back from the pay of labourers employed by the Government at one piaster a day. Indirect taxa- tion, in its turn, exacts an additional contribution from the peasant in the pur- chase of all imported and many domestic articles. No system of revenue, perhaps, ever pressed upon a people with a weight so terrible and annihilating. A soil that produces abundantly, a benignant climate that renders human ex- istence tolerable at the least possible expense, and a race of men patient of hunger, and nakedness, and oppression, which they have inherited from their ancestors, addicted to indolence, and more studious of repose than of positive enjoyments, are concurring circumstances that render possible in Egypt a system which in Europe or America would speedily work the extinction of the race or of the tyranny.
BUSINESS IN CAIRO.
Wheat is ground in Cairo in small mills worked by buffalos or oxen. The business of the baker is somewhat different from the same calling with us. The loaves are usually made ready by the customers, and brought at stated hours, once or twice in the day, to the baker, who places them in his oven, which is always kept heated, and in a few minutes returns them sufficiently baked, for which lie receives a small sum. I had to advance money to the baker to purchase flour, as he would not incur such a risk himself, and also to pay him in part in advance for his labour. I inquired why he was so cautious, as he would have the bread for his security till he should receive his pay. His reply was, that be wanted money and not bread, and that I might only intend to make a fool of him. I found this to be the usual practice with tradesmen, who will not do work to the amount of a few piasters without receiving a part of the pay in advance. I sent my boots to a shoemaker to be repaired, by in servant ; who soon returned and asked for four or five piasters, without which the man refused to undertake them.
EUROPEANS IN IMP?.
We ought, perhaps, to hope for ultimate benefits from the free ingress of foreigners and their manners, though it must be confessed that hitherto they have been at best of an equivocal character. The contempt of the Moham- medans for Christians is diminished by seeing them advanced to so many places of confidence, and by the homage done to their superior intelligence and civilization in the new organization of the army and navy, and in the other innovations of the Pacha; and were the Europeans who occupy influential stations in the administration and in society more exemplary in their lives, some impression would be made upon the religious prejudices, and some re- spect inspired for the Gospel. Unfortunately, however, those who represent Christianity in Egypt seem not to be impressed with a sense of their high re- sponsibility. They often have the reputation of superadding the voluptuous- ness and sensuality of the East to the vices of civilized Europe. I heard many anecdotes that left no room to doubt the general correctness of this repre- sentation, and had some opportunities to confirm it by. my own observations. One European of the highest name purchased a Black girl in the slave, market in Cairo, and having tricked her out in the gorgeous finery of the East, paraded her through the length of the land as a mistress with the most offensive and indecent publicity. I met with another representative of Christianity who avowedly resides in Egypt to enjoy the Mohammedan immunity of a plurality of wives ; and I was assured that he had a harem, selected with the usual re gard to variety, from various nations and colours. Such instances are not soli- tary ; and they produce upon the minds of Mohammedans the most unfavour- able impressions with regard to the Gospel. These are irather strengthened titan diminished by the instances of apostacy from the Christian faith, of which there are not wanting conspicuous examples, always attended with pretty full proof that they are the result of interested motives and not of honest conviction. When, in connexion with such facts, we consider the ge- neral degradation and bad character of the native Christians, to which the Mo- hammedans constantly appeal when addressed on the subject of religion, we are hardly permitted to hope that any favourable impression is likely to be made in favour of the Gospel, in the present state of things.
TURKISH BRIDE.
We had another interesting fellow-passenger in the person of a young Cir- cassian lady, who was on her way to complete the domestic felicity of the Governor of Widdin. Feeling the want of an additional wife, that dignitary had commissioned an aged female confidante to make the purchase of one in the market of Constantinople. 25,000 piasters was the price paid; and a very liberal sum was also laid out in jewellery and other bridal ornaments. The aged and respectable-appearing duenna to whom this delicate transaction had been intrusted, an Ethiopian eunuch, and a bleat female slave, constituted the retinue of the fortunate bride. Fortunate she esteemed herself, and took much pains to impress the ladies of our party with a proper sense of the brilliant prospects of dignity and splendour that were ion just before her. The poor eunuch found his office to he one of perplexity as well as honour; and he complained bitterly of the turbulence and presumption of his costly charge, who quite refused to be restrained by his advice, and even inflicted the indignity of a blow upon him in a paroxysm of passion. For two or three days she was violently ill of a fever; a circumstance which not only filled the attendants with alarm, but excited the lively sympathy of the Frank passengers. The poor Ethiopian. who seemed to regard himself as specially responsible for the safe conveyance of his precious charge to M Willi), manifested great anxiety, and sought for medical advice among the ladies. Be had dosed the patient with an abundance of ripe cherries, without any good effect, and was at a loss how to proceed any farther in the treatment of the case.
The views of Dr. OLIN on questions connected with the passage of the Red Sea and the sojourn in the Wilderness appear to us sound. His opinions respecting the sacred localities of Palestine are somewhat credulous ; but there is a feeling of hearty belief about the pilgrim which redeems his credulity, and imparts a cha- racter to what would otherwise be wearying and stale. As regards mere locality, too, he is perhaps often correct ; and there is some reason in these general conclusions.
" I will not hesitate to declare, that I regard the traditionary argument in favour of the identity of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre to be as satisfactory and conclusive as any argument can be which is dependent upon this species of evidence ; nor can I perceive bow it may be set aside without doing violence to fundamental principles, which we are accustomed to acknowledge in our reasonings upon many subjects deeply interesting to the hopes and virtues of mankind. I have freely admitted the difficulties, chiefly topographical, in the way of the conclusion %Odell I have been led to adopt. Some of these I have attempted to remove, and some to palliate; with what success, I must not pre- sume to judge. If others which have escaped my attention still exist in their full force, I cannot think them insuperable, or as worthy to be put in competi- tion with the traditionary argument. "Many persons, I am aware, doubt the importance of the question to which I have given so large a place. I cannot concur in their views. I have had some opportunities for observing the baleful influence of this horror of monastic traditions. Protestant travellers, and especially American and English Pro- testants, often lose many of the literary and all of the moral advantages of a visit to the theatre of Biblical events, by a morbid suspicion of whatever is affirmed or believed by monks and Catholics. They carry into the midst of these inspiring scenes a predetermined scepticism, which quite disarms them of all power over the heart, and congeals the very sources of enthusiasm. I have heard cutting sneers about Catholic mummeries and credulity while I knelt down with &taper in my hand to examine the hole in the top of Calvary where the Redeemer's cross is alleged to have been planted ; and my ears were wounded by irreverent criticisms when I stood in the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, and gazed with emotion upon the spot where or near which the crucified Saviour was probably buried and rose again. This perverse spirit ot scepticism is often extended indiscriminately to every object in and about Jerusalem, with the exception perhaps of the hills and deep yanks, which con- stitute the unchangeable natural features of the region. For myself, I freely confess, though it may detract not a little from the weight of my opinions, that I found believing far more agreeable than cold incredulity. I endeavoured to carry with me everywhere a paramount reverence for truth, and the spirit of fair and watchful criticism; but I could not and would not deny myself the luxury of communing freely with the glorious objects that fill and surround the holy city, and of yielding my imagination and my heart to the full power of the sacred associations that cluster upon the brow of its venerable Inns, and teem in its deep, overshadowed vallks."
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