met, Mohamed, Mohammed, &c. It should be observed, that Muhamed, Mahamd, M'hamd, are all Arabian names; but the Korannick orthography, for the (Innaby) i. e. the prophet, is Muhamed, not Mahomet, as Voltaire and the French sçavans have written it. When our traveller was told that his companions were going to Hez el Hezsh, to Sidna Mahomed, it signified, that they were going to perform the pilgrimage of pilgrimages, to the tomb of their Lord Muhamed ! Scott saw many large rocks full of sand and clay, and chinneywood, called, in Arabic, Tomkilet. This is the Orchilla weed, so celebrated in commerce for dying: the name of it is Timkielt, which is a Shelluh word, not Arabic. Scott arrived at a valley between two high mountains, the sides of which produced large oil-trees. The branches of this tree" resemble an oak, and produce green plums," with a hard shell and a kernel in each, which, when boiled, afford oil. The process for obtaining this oil is as follows: "the nuts are broken, the kernels dried in the sun, then ground and boiled with water, in clay pots; the oil is skimmed off as it rises." The editor of this narrative thinks this is the Shea-tree described by Park; but this description agrees precisely with the Argan olive-tree, and the process for procuring the oil is precisely that which is practised by the Shelluhs of Suse* and Haha, in their preparation of the Argant oil, and the exact resemblance identifies both the trce and its fruit. The Argan olive-tree in form and size resembles the oak; the plums or olives are of green, brown, or red, according to the degree of maturity, being red when ripe. The Argan olive is broken and given to cattle: this part resembles an olive; it is dried and given to the camels as food, and is not unlike our oil-cakes: it is called by the Shelluhs of Haha and Suse, where the fruit abounds, Ausqwarualik, a Shelluh term. It has a stone inside, containing a kernel; the children are set to work to break these stones and to collect the kernels, from which they extract oil, as Scott describes. This oil is called Zeet Argan, or Argan oil, so that there is no doubt but this oil is the produce of the Argan olive, not the produce of the Shea-tree. Scott, speaking of the sanctuary of Seedna Muhamed, on the borders of the Bahar Dehebby, says, "There was a long pole projecting beyond the line of the wall, with forked ends, each of which was covered by an ostrich's egg. Immediately below was a bowl, placed on three large stones, supporting it two feet from the ground." This bowl was for charity, and the ostrich's eggs are relics or emblems of a Muhamedan sanctuary; they make a hole in one * Provinces in the Empire of Marocco.-See the Map of Marocco in Shabeeny's Account of Timbuctoo, &c. &c. + The qualitics of this oil are described in Shabeeny's Account of Timbuctoo, &c. page 91. end of the shell, and fix it on the pole. They told Scott that "this building was the grave of Seedna Muhamed*; but he observes that this does not mean the grave of the prophet, whose title, among them, is Uhrr soël." This last word is a corruption of a Rassule (Allah), i. e. the Messenger of God; Muhamed's title among the Arabs. Scott was told, that the personage here buried was laid on his side, with his head to the north, his feet to the south, and hist face to the east." Our traveller proceeds to describe the Muhamedan prayers, and says, when they arrived on the ground, all, in a standing position, cried aloud, Allah ackibar shedou il lahi el Allah. Shedowna Mahommed de rassoul Allah. This is a mixture of French and Arabic. The correct words are, Allah â kabeer, shedu, la ila Allah; Sheduna, Muhamed rassule Allah; i. e. God is great; bear witness that there is none but God; we bear witness that Muhamed is the messenger of God. These are the words that are daily and invariably sung from the minarets of the mosques, to call the people to prayers, in Muhamedan countries. The people here threatened to kill Scott, if he did not turn Muselman; but when they found him resolute in refusing, they no longer pressed him, but did not suffer him again to approach the sanctuary. Here, we should observe, that it is the incumbent duty of every true Muselman to invite infidels (in Muhamed) to silm, as they term it, that is, to be converted to the Muhamedan faith, but they never force a person to turn; they may threaten, but they do not put their threats in execution; this would be incompatible with the liberality which the Deen el Wasah, i. e. the latitudinal law, or law of Muhamed, professes to have. The offerings of sheep and goats at the sanctuary is common in Muhamedan countries. A man, however great the injury he has committed against any one, is able to efface it by a sacrifice at the door of the offended person. The people, who came from the south, with red caps, were unquestionably Muselmen; as were also those who came from the north. The dark blue linen shirt, short trowsers, red girdle, and yellow slippers, with a knife at their side, is the costume of the Bedoween or wandering Arab. The female dress, here described, is the White Haick: broad plates of silver, hanging in front of each shoulder, as brooches, &c. &c. is the dress of the female Arabs north of the desert; the Blue Millicha, red belt, &c. is the dress of the female Bedoween Arab. [To be concluded in our next.] The Muhamedans bury their dead with the face towards Mekka, so that at the resurrection they will face the Kaaba, or tomb of Muhamed, at Medina; therefore, where Scott was, the face would be nearly cast, the lake being in about the same latitude with Medina in Arabia; in South Africa the face of the dead is placed towards the north, or facing Medina, the feet nearly east. + Seedna Muhamed may apply to any Murab't or holy man, whose name was Muhamed; but Rassule Allah is applied to the prophet Muhamed only. The name of God is never signified by the pronoun: this is considered by the Arabs irreverent. ON COLLECTING.i PERIWINKLE." A person of your curiosity must have collected many rarities. ་་ READER, do you want a pleasant and gentle recreation, that will break through the tedium of unoccupied time, that will blunt the sense of public misfortunes, and fortify the mind against the access of domestic cares?- -TURN COLLECTOR. Are you in want of a short and easy cut, a truly royal road, to science and learning, to taste and virtù? again I say-TURN COLLECTOR. Do you need an appui against the vexations of business, the tyranny of a vixen, the mawkishness of pamphlets,, the depreciation of land, the fall of trade, the unsteadiness of stocks, the decadence of comedy, the burlesque of tragedy, the fatigue of a financial debate, the fecundity of imitators, the paucity of original genius, the brevity of epigrams, and the prolixity of epics; in short, would you take up a pursuit, that will "nourish your youth, amuse your old age, adorn prosperity and shelter adversity, delight you at home, leave you un-preoccupied. abroad, watch with you, journey with you, and accompany you in town or country? ?" once more I say-TURN COLLECTOR. Among the thousand and one cants, that are daily canted in this age of characteristic falsehood and hypocrisy, there is none more contemptible than that which trumpets forth its disparagements of wealth; and affects to place riches, in the scale of the good things of this world, below learning. In my mind, money and knowledge stand to each other in the relation of cause and effect; and there are certainly much better arguments for giving precedence to causes, than grammarians can assign for making "the masculine more worthy than the feminine," which they continue to do, in despite of all gallantry and physiological truth. How many persons could I cite, if I chose to be personal, who were formerly of no account whatever in the world, and whom a "lucky hit" has qualified for sitting in committees on the most abstruse matters of political interest! How many poets could I name, who derive their title to that appellation exclusively from the means of paying their printer! Horace, indeed, has touched this point with his usual smartness and perspicuity of remark." Ego," says he, 66 Ego nec studium sine dixite vent, which, I conceive, to be thus literally translated : 1 "Tis money gives a force to arguments, For the present, however, I shall confine myself exclusively to a single instance of the power of wealth in conferring talents, which arises out of the facilities it affords in collecting. What extensive learning is to be purchased, in the perusal of catalogues, and the conversation of auction-rooms, by those who can afford to have a library! What a deal of scholarship may be acquired in the collection of a complete set of Elzevirs and, should a querulous Mundungus reply that this extends not beyond the titlepages of books, may he not be answered with Est quodam prodire tenus? In the fine arts, collecting is, the only means of acquiring a knowledge that the world will esteem above a groat. Your collector, if he be rich, may prate as long as he pleases on Raphael and Dominichino; whereas, had he not purchased his knowledge, he would not be allowed taste enough to distinguish a Corregio from a Wovermans, or an Albano from a Paul Potter. In the noble science of gastronomy, likewise, he who cannot afford to collect a cellar of wines, and accumulate the rarities of distant climes and seasons, will make but little progress. For, though the diner and the dinee, the host and the guest, have similar sources open to them, yet the most practised parasite cannot attain to the same regular course of study, as the Amphitryon Millionaire. In every department, in short, of research, the real distinction between the man of science and the ignoramus, between the adept and the sciolist, rests altogether in the power of purchase. མ To collect in great style, and say, a good house is an essential preliminary: per far effetto," as the Italians "Haud facile emergunt, quorum virtutibus obstat sta dr to comidt boos Res angusta domi.' او Books, pictures, and natural curiosities, cut no figure in a garret; and a series of coins will seldom be found perfect in the hands of a pot-walloper. It is in vain, that the bookbinder adds a third or a half to the value of your volumes, if they are to remain buried in dust and obscurity. 66 Title, also, is by no means an object of indifference. Doctor or Professor give a very pretty air to a collection; but Sir James, or My Lord, are irresistible; while His Grace gives cer tain presage of something indeed worth seeing: 003) karalizo Quid dignum tanto feret hic promissor hiatu?” card boobLet not, however, more humble merit be discouraged. Collecting has its facilities for all classes. Those, who cannot soar to pictures, may mount to prints; and those, for whom even prints are too high a flight, may creep on with lithographics. Then again, in China collecting, those who cannot top the real Nankeen, may content themselves with Chelsea; and he who cannot stand a joss, or a vase, may deal in tea-pots and plates. Unless you have an ample fortune, Greek, Sicilian, and odd Byzantine coins, should not enter among your wishes; but you may cut a very decent figure with tradesmen's tokens, and a few broad Harry's. Bishop Blaze must be your substitute for the horned Alexander, and the lady of Coventry take the place of Faustina or Theodora. A friend of mine, a very worthy man, of more taste, however, than riches, and of greater ingenuity than pecuniary means, actually made a very pretty collection, which, from the utmost limits of his price, has acquired the name of " Collection à vingt six sous." Some of his articles, indeed, are a little apocryphal, and have no pretence to range under this title. These owe their place in the catalogue partly to the generosity of friends (for every one likes to give the collector a lift); but the major part, I fear, have found their way to his shelves, by a neglect of the vulgar axiom of suum cuique. This, however, among collectors, is nothing, "Hanc veniam petimusque damusque vicissim," and, on that account, I would (in a parenthesis) never recommend the lending of illustrated volumes, or even of common books of prints, without a receipt, and a certificate under the hand of the minister or two churchwardens, that the borrower does not collect. I myself once had a moderate-sized lock cut from the head of Napoleon; which, though I never trusted it out of my sight, nor gave away one solitary fibre, is now reduced,so powerful is the "innatus amor habendi" of my collecting friends, to a single hair. In collecting, there are two modes of procedure, each of which has its 'merits. The one is to confine yourself to a single branch, a mode, which combines the advantage of concentration, with the demand for a smaller capital: the other is to extend your rapacity through all the regions of nature and of art, and to make all fish that comes to your net. By the former of these plans, a theatrical acquaintance of mine arrived at a very complete collection of wigs; and Will. Rueful's set of last dying speeches was rendered the most perfect extant. For this monographical system, however, skulls are a bad subject. The varieties of human nature are too extensive to hope for arriving at every possible boss and indentation of defunct peculiarity. Not even the Catacombs of Paris could supply a perfect collection. Neither are snuff-boxes a good object for this select cupidity; though a complete set of Scotch mulls might be had with perseverance and dexterity, and would afford fair-grounded claims to a satisfactory notoriety. The plan, upon which I started in life, was that of the omnium gatherum; which, it must be confessed, was the more spirited, as I commenced without a single shilling. I had the good luck to |