interpreter, an old and favourite servant, threw himself at his sovereign's feet, deprecating his own folly, and imploring pardon for the wretched culprit. But all intercession was in vain; the viceroy said his orders must not be disregarded, and the unfortunate Jew was instantly led to his death.* We find proofs of a similar sally at Djidda, where he appears to have used his own hands to inflict a punishment which he thought inexpedient to remit. Hoseyn Aga, the agent for the East India Company, resident in that town, was, says a recent traveller, a remarkably fine-looking man, displaying an air of dignity mixed with hauteur; handsomely clad, too, though the heavy folds of his muslin turban were studiously drawn over his right eye to conceal the loss of it,-for Mohammed Ali one day in a fit of rage pulled it out! Yet these men are friends,-great friends just at present, and will remain so as long as it may be convenient and agreeable to both parties to consider each other in that light.† But the master of Egypt is not at all times so ferocious. For example, when Mrs. Lushington was at Alexandria, intelligence was brought to him that a small fort at the entrance of the harbour had been taken possession of by certain Franks, and that the Turks belonging to it had been made prisoners. Some consternation_prevailed among his people; but instead of being angry he laughed heartily, and swearing by his two eyes, his favourite oath,-that they must be English sailors, he directed his interpreter to write to their captain, to order his men on board ship again. Upon inquiry it proved as the pasha had anticipated; the men had landed, got drunk, and crowned their liberty by seizing on the fort, and confining the unfortunate Turks, who, indolently smoking their pipes, never could have anticipated such an attack in time of profound peace. evinced equal self-command, and still more magnanimity, when he first heard of the event which destroyed his infant navy and humbled his power. We allude to the battle of Navarino. He had not finished the perusal of the unwelcome despatches, when he desired a European consul to assure his countrymen and all the other Franks that they * Narrative of a Journey from Calcutta to Europe, p. 179. He should not be molested, and that they might pursue their wonted occupations in perfect security. Among the ships lying in the harbour was the wreck of one of the pasha's own vessels. The captain had committed some crime which was represented by his crew to the viceroy, who ordered him immediately on shore to answer his accusers. Knowing his guilt he pretended sickness, till a second message from the same quarter left him no alternative; and unable longer to evade his fate, he sent all his crew ashore, and calling to an old and faithful servant, the only person on board, he bade him jump out of the port into the sea; at the same time, having loaded two pistols, he fired into the magazine, and blew up the ship and himself together. When the story was related to the pasha, he said, "These are Frank customs; this is dying like an Englishman!"* There is something characteristic in the following notice by Sir F. Henniker, who remarks, that the pasha appeared to him to have a vulgar, low-born face, but a commanding, intelligent eye. "He received us in the court-yard, seated on a sofa, and wielding a pipe, dressed like a private individual, as Turks of real consequence generally are, excepting on gala days. The vice-consul and myself sat down on the sofa with him. Pipes are not offered except to equals; coffee served up,-no sugar, even though the pasha himself has a manufactory of that article,-the attendants ordered to withdraw; no pride, no affectation, even though the pasha is an upstart. Remained nearly an hour discoursing on English horses, military force, the emerald mines at Cosseir, his son's victory over the Wahabees, and his expected triumphal entry."t It is generally stated, that since Mohammed Ali has felt himself secure in the pashalic he has ceased to be cruel. Seldom now does he take away life, and never with torture; and if his subordinate officers were as well disposed as himself, the people, notwithstanding the oppressive taxes, would feel their property more secure. One instance of his prompt justice excited much astonishment; although a slower and more regular method would not, it is probable, in a nation so completely disorganized, have produced an equal effect. A cachief who had not been long accustomed to the government of the viceroy punished one of his own servants with death. He was called before Mohammed, who asked him by what authority he had committed this outrage. He thought it enough to urge in his defence that the man was his own servant. True, retorted the pasha, but he was my subject; and, in the same breath, passed sentence that the culprit should be immediately beheaded, -an effectual warning to the rest of the grandees present. This act of severity has saved the lives of many of the Arabs, who, in former times, were sacrificed by their Turkish masters on the most trifling pretences. In short, Mohammed is well spoken of by most European travellers, though in general they estimate his character by too high a standard,-the principles and habits of their own countries. There is only one author whose impression was rather unfavourable :-"I sat in the divan," says he, "with my eyes fixed on him; I wanted to examine the countenance of a man who had realized in our day one of those scenes in history which, when we have perused it, always compels us to lay down the book and recover ourselves. There he sat, a quick eye, features common, nose bad, a grizzled beard, looking much more than fifty, and having the worn complexion of that period of life. They tell you he is not sanguinary; men grow tired of shedding blood as well as of other pleasures; but if the cutting off a head would drop gold into his coffers, he would not be slow to give the signal. His laugh has nothing in it of nature; how can it have? I hear it now,-a hard, sharp laugh, such as that with which strong heartless men would divide booty torn from the feeble. I leave him to his admirers."* "In the usages of the table," says Mr. Carne, "he is still an Osmanli; knives, forks, and other useful appendages never make their appearance at his meals. About five years ago some English travellers were graciously received by him, and pressingly invited to dine. But not even in compliance with the taste of his guests would he depart from his own habits; for, wishing to show a noble lady particular attention, he took a large piece of meat in * Scenes and Impressions, p. 176. his hand, and politely placed it before her. Perfectly dismayed at the compliment, and the sight of the savoury morsel which rested on her plate, she turned to her companion, who was more used to oriental manners, and earnestly asked what she was to do. 'Eat it to be sure,' was the reply. She looked at the pasha; his fine dark eye seemed to rest on her with a most kind and complacent expression; and there was no help for it but to follow the excellent advice given her by her more experienced friend."* That Mohammed Ali is a despot, and even in some respects a barbarian, cannot be denied; but there is, notwithstanding, in all his institutions so much of wisdom and patriotism that he unquestionably deserves to occupy a high place among those adventurers who have so well profited by revolutions as to place themselves on a throne. His ambition, though dishonoured by the means which he has occasionally found it necessary to adopt, is, upon the whole, of the right kind, and has all along been directed to the promotion of the national welfare rather than to his own personal aggrandizement. If he has died his hands in blood, it has been in that of the worst enemies of Egypt; and if he has in numerous cases had recourse to arbitrary government, his object, it must be acknowledged, has ever been the security and improvement of the distracted country over which it has been his lot to preside. * Recollections of the East, p. 288. Y 2 CHAPTER VIII. The Actual State of Egypt under the Government of Nature of Innovations-Members of Government-Household-Tenure of Land-Resumption of it by the Pasha-Condition of the PeopleArmy-Military Schools-European Arts-Canal of MahmoudiehIntroduction of Cotton Manufactures-Exportation of the raw Material to England-Fear of Plague-Silk, Flax, Sugar-Monopoly of Viceroy-Disadvantages of it-Caravans-Imports and Exports-Revenue and Expenditure-Population--Copts, Arabs, Turks, Greeks, Jews, and Syrians-Characteristics-Cairo-Houses-Citadel-Joseph's Well, Joseph's Hall-Necropolis-Tombs-Mosques-Palace at ShoubraSplendid Pavilion-Comparison of Egypt before and under the Government of Mohammed Ali-Future Prospects under his Suc cessor. IN a country where the administration of law depends almost entirely upon the character of an individual, and where at the same time the nomination to the supreme authority is usually determined by intrigue or in the field of battle, the mere form of government cannot be of very much consequence. But the sagacity of the present ruler of Egypt, who is aware of the influence exerted on the minds of men by custom and the use of certain modes of speech, has dictated to him the expediency of innovating less in the outward structure of the constitution than in those internal parts whence all real power is derived, and by means of which it is diffused to the remotest extremity of the vast province of which he has assumed the command. Although virtually independent, he has hitherto continued a formal acknowledgment of that superiority which belongs to the head of the Ottoman empire; and while he wields the sceptre with as little restriction as the most arbitrary of oriental despots, he carefully preserves the appearance of only sharing with others the portion of a delegated authority. The administration is in the hands of the following officers:-1st, The Kiaya Bey, who may be called the prime |