of Tunis, at present Collector of Revenues for the reigning Bey. To him he applied for protection to Tunis, which was kindly granted him. On the day of their departure, Abdallah received a mule to ride on, and some provision for the journey. The camp arrived at Tunis after seventeen days of pleasant travelling. Here Abdallah was brought before the reigning Bey, Sidy Ahmed, who, without farther ceremony, put him into his cavalry.

Abdallah has since advanced to the office of Shater, a kind of body-guard, and is at present so contented with his situation, that he is far from really wishing to return to the faith of his fathers. I have often spoken to him of his condition, and entreated him to return to that Saviour whom he denied ; but nothing could move him. He thought that he could mix a kind of Christianity with Mohammedanism which would ensure his going to heaven. He has married a Turkish woman, and has for ever abandoned his country, his relations, and what is more, his religion!

I shall leave Abdallah at Tunis, and proceed to give a description of this regency; but before I do so, I would, in taking leave of him, address him once more in the words of a famous poet :

"Again I say, that turban tear

From off thy faithless brow, and swear
Thine injured country's sons to spear,
Or thou art lost, and ne'er shalt see-
Not earth-that's past-

If this thou dost accord, albeit

A heavy doom 'tis thine to meet,

That doom shall half absolve thy sin,
And Mercy's gate may receive thee within :
But pause one moment more, and take
The curse of him thou didst forsake:
And look once more to heaven, and see
Its love for ever shut from thee.
There is a bright cloud by the moon-
"Tis passing, and will pass full soon:
If, by the time its vapoury sail
Hath ceased her shaded orb to veil,
Thy heart within thee is not changed,
Then God and man are both avenged;
Dark will thy doom be, darker still
Thine immortality of ill.”

CHAPTER IX.

Tunis the most interesting part of North Africa.-The ruins of Carthage.-Sir Thomas Reade's excavations.-Moors. -Deplorable state of the Tunisians.-Principal mosques. -Tunisians idle.-A story about Sultan Mahmood.— The French war in Africa.-Manner of educating children. Hatred to persons of other religions.-Colleges.— Mohammedans cultivated all sciences.-Their present ignorant state.-No missionary in Barbary.-Duty of sending the Gospel there.-The Arabic of Tunis.

THERE are but very few places in the Mediterranean, and perhaps in the whole world, that can be compared to the regency of Tunis, both as regards its climate, its natural beauty, and its abundance of resources.

Tunis, the Africa Propria of the Romans, and the Afrikeah of the Arabs, has always been the most interesting part of North Africa, and is so to this day. Its history under the Phoenicians and Romans is well known, and it is only from the time that it became Mohammedan that little is known of it. In the Introduction I have traced its history from the Saracenian invasion till the reign of Ahmed Basha, the present Bey: I shall now proceed to describe its present state. In the wanderings of Abdallah, Mohammedanism was partly illustrated, and in a description of the country and people

amongst whom he now lives, we shall see it further developed.

Tunis, the capital city of the regency of the same name, is situated upon a rising ground along the western bank of the lake, in a full prospect of the site of ancient Carthage.* It measures about four

*Though it is quite foreign to my present object to say anything respecting the daughter of Tyre, yet I cannot help mentioning a word regarding her ruins. To those who feel a greater interest in the birth-place of Hannibal, I would recommend Sir Granvil Temple's small, but learned and interesting, publication:

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"I was prepared," says the eminent author just mentioned, to see but few vestiges of its former grandeur: it had so often suffered from the devastating effects of war, that I knew many could not exist; but my heart sunk within me when ascending one of its hills, (from whose summit the eye embraces a view of the whole surrounding country to the edge of the sea,) I beheld nothing more than a few scattered and shapeless masses of masonry. Yes, all vestiges of the splendour and magnificence of the mighty city had indeed passed away, and its very name is now unknown to the present inhabitants."

The only well preserved constructions are the cisterns situated under Burj jedeed, or new fort. They form an oblong square of 449 feet in length by 116 in breadth; there are eighteen cisterns each 93 feet long, 19 feet 8 inches wide, and to the summit of the vault 27 feet 6 inches high, but only capable of containing a depth of 17 feet of water. These cisterns were supplied by rain water, which, falling on the roof, was conducted by earthen pipes (which still exist) below.

At the village Moalka there are about thirteen or fourteen cisterns, much larger than those just mentioned, and though they are now converted into dwelling-places and stables, they are not in such good preservation as those at Burj jedeed. These were supplied with water from Zowwaan, a distance of fifty miles. The water was brought by an aqueduct, the ruins of which are still seen.

miles in circumference, and contains about 200,000 inhabitants, of whom 130,000 are Moors,* 30,000

Through the praiseworthy exertions of Sir Thomas Reade, several grand ruins have of late been discovered. He obtained permission from H. H. the Bey to excavate on the ruins of Carthage, and Mr Honnegger, a clever German architect, undertook the superintendence. The British Consul-general defrayed all the expenses. The ruins of an extensive building, about which there are many conjectures, have been laid bare. Nothing can exceed the solidity with which it was built. I believe Sir Thomas endeavoured, when in England a few years ago, to establish a society for carrying out his noble object, and it is to be regretted that his plan did not meet with that success which it certainly deserved.

At the foot of the hill at Moalka, and in the direction of the lake, are the remains of an amphitheatre, the length of which was 300 feet by 230, and the dimensions of the area 180 by 100. There are also to be seen the ruins of a small theatre facing the sea.

These, and a few more ruins, are the only remains of a city which was at one time the seat of commerce, the model of magnificence, the common store of the wealth of nations; which was the rival of Rome, and which, notwithstanding the enormous sums it had expended during the war, contained, when taken, so much wealth, that we are assured Scipio collected, after it had been on fire for seventeen days, and after it had been given up to the pillage of his troops, objects which were valued at a sum equal to L.1,500,000!

*Moor is the derivative from Mauritania, and was applied to the Arabian conquerors both of Africa and Spain. Some think they are descended from a mixture of the ancient Mauritanians and Numidians, with the various foreign races which have, at different times, conquered and settled in the country. They themselves boast of being true descendants of Ismael. They mostly inhabit the towns along the coast, and the cultivated plains. They are, generally speaking, above the middle stature, and muscular. Their skin is swarthy, but rather fair than brown. Their face is somewhat full, and their nose is round; the mouth of middle size, and the eye large and not lively. Their carriage is very grave.