factory account from whence he came, and the circumftances which had reduced him to his prefent fituation. Finding every fallacious pretext fruitlefs, he made a candid and explicit difcovery, and was, in confequence, with all poffible expedition, conducted to the prefence of a mafter, whofe tenderness he had bafely returned with fuch unpardonable ingratitude. The moft compaffionate nature is feldom proof against repeated inftances of an incorrigible difpofition. It was, therefore, thought neceffary that he fhould experience the confequences of his behaviour; but he was previously reminded of the repeated acts of kindness that had been fhewn him, and the ungrateful return he had made. From fuch confiderations it was obferved, that it was a debt strictly due to justice to compel him to ferve the refidue of his time in the moft laborious employment allotted to worthlefs fervants. He was accordingly fentenced to the iron mines; there to reap the bitter effects of his conduct. Overwhelmed with the confcioufnefs of guilt, and terrified at the profpect of the punishment that awaited him, the unfortunate culprit, in the moft ingenuous terms, confeffed the equity of the fentence paffed upon him, but not without an intimation, that there were circumftances in his cafe which, were they known, he was perfuaded, would plead powerfully in his be half. An irrefiftible inclination to return to his native country, and the obftacles which appeared to bar his delufive hopes, had poffeffed his mind with that gloom and difcontent, which had almoft obliterated the impreffions of gratitude, and occafioned that conduct which had brought him into his prefent fituation. He concluded by declaring, that he had not the most distant claim to compaffion; yet relying on that goodness and lenity which he had fo frequently abufed, he was encouraged to admit a ray of hope, and to fupplicate forgiveness, however undeferved. His humane mafter heard him with the moft candid attention. He pitied a deviation from rectitude, which originated in motives natural to the human mind; and determined not only to exempt him from the fituation to which he had been juftly doomed, but to fend him, by an early opportunity, to his much loved native country, there to pur fue fuch eligible methods as Providence might fuggeft for his future comfortable provifion.-I shall not attempt to delineate the transports which on this intimation took poffeffion of his mind. About this time, the captain of a fhip preparing to fail for England, fignified his want of a steward to attend on thofe paffengers who had engaged his cabin for the voyage. The emancipated fervant was recommended for this employment; his fervices were accepted; and with folemn affurances of the most lasting and grateful attachment, he bade farewell to a mafter, by whofe generous, difinterested conduct, he was fo providentially restored to happiness and liberty. Two years elapfed without the leaft intelligence refpecting his fituation, when, at length, a letter arrived, filled with every fentiment of gratitude.-His fenfe of repeated obligations was acknow ledged ledge in terms which delineated a heart confcious of the important benefits he had experienced; and he concluded by entreating his late master's acceptance of a bill, as a trifling confideration for the refidue of that time which he had been fo generously and humanely exempted from serving. The fum remitted, very greatly exceeded the original coft of the most valuable fervant. In this epiftle, not the leaft intimation was given relative to the circumftance which had enabled a man, fo lately at the lowest ebb of mifery, to fpare from his immediate occafions fo confiderable a fum as thirty pounds; but an answer was requefted, to be addressed to a merchant in London, that the party concerned might be properly apprized his bill was received and acknowledged. Mr. Jwas inexpreffibly happy in the picafing reflection, that, by an indulgence of lenity, natural to his difpofition, he had been rendered by Heaven the inftrument of fuch unexpected profperity. He could not, for a moment, admit the idea of appropriating any part of fuch money to himfelf, as the payment of a debt which he confidered as a free donation to the claims of humanity; but he was naturally anxious to become acquainted with the particular events by which his late fervant was fo happily fituated as to obtain the power of tranfmitting fuch a proof of his honefty and gratitude. He, therefore, immediately addrefled a letter to the merchant, expreffive of the fatisfaction he experienced in receiving in teligence of fuch an agreeable nature, and defiring him to return the hote, which he had enclofed for VOL. XXXIV. that purpose, into the hands of the party who had conceived it his duty to tranfmit it, with earneft wifhes that his future fucceffes might amply compenfate for every former calamity. He had only to requeft that, by an early opportunity, he would afford him the fatisfaction of knowing by what unexpected circumftance he had been fo rapidly, and fo providentially favoured with the fmiles of fortune. By the return of the first fhip, an anfwer from the agent arrived. The bill was fent back, with an earnest entreaty, that, if Mr. J refufed to apply it to his particular occafions, he would appropriate it to fome charitable purpose: that with refpect to the fituation of the man, formerly his fervant, there were powerful reafons which precluded him from giving the information. he requested. All that he was at liberty to difclofe was, that the perfon who had vifited America, undercircumftances fo defperate and forlorn; who had been neceflitated to become a common indented fervant, fubject to all the hardships and miferies incident to fo abject a condition, was, by an aftonifhing tranûtion of fortune, elevated to a very affluent and refpectable fituation in his native country. The above particulars were delivered to me by the benevolent mafter himfelf, who during a courfe of years, has affiduoufly endeavoured, by every eligible mode of enquiry, to develop a fecret fo induftrioufly concealed from his knowledge; but every method has hitherto proved ineffectual; and he has now relinquifhed the idea of having fo natural a curiofity even confidentially gratified. A : RABS and Turks from all the provinces in the Ottoman empire, form the moft numerous part of the inhabitants of Cairo. There are alfo Magrebbins, or Arabs from Barbary, other Africans, Perfians, and Tartars all thefe are Mahometans, and moft of them attached to the feet of Schafei. After the Mahometans, the Copts are the next in numbers: - they occupy whole quarters of the city, and very large fireets. They have a great many churches, both in the capital, and at Mafr-el-atik in its vicinity. Their patriarch alfo re fides at Cairo. The Jews are the moft numerous Glafs, next after the Mahometans and the Copts. Some Pharifees, or Talmudifts, refide here, as well as Karaites, who, though not numerous, have a fynagogue of their own. The Talmudifts are numerous and very powerful: they have long farmed all the cuftoms: an undertaking which brings them both wealth and credit. In the republican government of Egypt, they find it easier to gain fteady protectors than in the other provinces of Turkey, where all depends upon the caprice of a pacha, whot knows not how foon he may lofe his own place; or of the fuperintendant of the customs, who refides in Conftantinople. One proof of the confequence which the Jews enjoy under the ariftocracy of Cairo, is, that the offices of the customs are fhut upon their Sabbath, and no goods can país on that day, altho' belonging to Chriftians or Muflul mans. The Greeks have only two churches in Cairo, in one of which the fervice is performed by the Patriarch of Alexandria, and in the other by the Bishop of Mount Sinai. The Armenians, who are not numerous, have only one church; but that a handfome one. From Europe here are feveral French and Italian merchants, but no Dutchmen; yet the Dutch have a conful here, as well as France, Venice, and other European nations. If Cairo come ever to want European merchants, yet it is not probable that it will be without ecclefiaftics of the Roman communion. Here are Jefuits, capuchins, cordeliers, and fathers of the fociety for the propagation of the Chriftian faith. Thefe monks are all eager to make profelytes, and sometimes fucceed fo far as to convert fome fchifinatic Chriftian of the east. The government readily tolerates thefe modern apoftles, on account of the profits which they derive from the quarrels which the converfions produce between the apoftate and the members of the communion which he forfakes. The pacha is often not content with fining the contending parties, but examines the affair to the bottom, and exacts confiderable fums from the monks befides. The neighbourhood of Cairo is partly inhabited by Copts, but chiefly by Arabs, wandering or fettled. Thefe deferve to be more particularly confidered. eftimable people. They are defcended from the ancient Egyptians; and the Turks, upon this account, call them, in derifion, the But their pofterity of Pharaoh. uncouth figure, their ftupidity, ignorance, and wretchednefs, do little credit to the fovereigns of ancient Egypt. They have lived for 2000 years under the dominion of different foreign conquerors, and have experienced many viciffitudes of fortune. They have loft their manners, their language, their religion, and almoft their exiftence. They are reduced to a small number, in comparison of the Arabs, who have poured like a flood over this country. Of the diminution of the numbers of the Copts, fome idea may be formed from the reduction of the number of their bishops: they were feventy in number at the period of the Arabian conqueft; but they are now only twelve, and most of these fettled in Upper Egypt, to which the ancient inhabitants feem to have retired from the centre of the conquest. The Egyptians have been always diftinguished as a melancholy, conceited, and fuperftitious race. Their pofterity maintain, with the fame obftinacy, the opinions which they were compelled by the Greeks to adopt. The Copts have an infurmountable averfion to the Romith church. Their patriarch is at the fame time head of the Abyffinian church, whither he fends a biflop to govern the clergy. It would be a matter of fingular importance to recover the knowledge of the ancient Coptic, the Ri. fan Pharaoun, or language of Pharaoh. In Egypt we fee, even on the mummies, alphabetical infcrip tions, which are very different from the hieroglyphics, and, if decyphered, might throw light upon the ancient hiftory of Egypt, and help to an explanation of the hieroglyphics. But this language of the ancient Egyptians feems to be entirely loft. The Ptolemies were at pains to fubftitute the Greek, inftead of the ancient language of their new fubjects. The Greek Emperors of Conftantinople forbade the ufe of the Coptic in converfation, under pain of death; and obliged the Egyptians to adopt the Greek, inftead of the Pharaonic alphabet. Hence the modern Coptic, in which thefe people have their verfion of the holy fcriptures, is a mixture of The Greek and old Egyptian. fultans of Egypt effaced the remains of this language, thus corrupted, by forbidding it to be fpoken, under the fame penalty, and introducing, in its room the Arabic, which is the prefent language of the Copts. The liturgy is ftill read in the modern Coptic; but the people understand it not, till explained from an old Arabic tranflation, which is written befide the text. Even the priests understand not the language of their fcriptures, and can fcarce read the characters. Mr. Forfkal became acquainted with a Copt, named Ibrahim Ennafch, a man of learning and polifhed manners, whofe employment was in copying the books of the liturgy; by which he earned at the rate of half-a-crown in three days. My friend faw, in the hands of this Egyptian, a dictionary of a great many genuine old Coptic words, with their explanations in Arabic. He was alfo informed by Ibrahim Ennafch, that there ftill are, in feveral convents in Upper Egypt, a A a 2 good good number of Coptic books; but his informer knew nothing of their nature or contents. The clergy conceal thefe books with great care, left the Catholics, as they fay, fhould carry them off, and, after falfifying their contents, print them in Europe. Thus they have hitherto remained unknown. If thofe ecclefiaftics could be perfuaded that we are not all of the fame party as the Pope, and were at the fame time gratified with fomething to alleviate their extreme poverty, copies of the books in this hidden literary treafure might furely be obtained. Of the Arabians in Egypt. From the fam. THE Arabians appear to have conquered and fettled in Egypt at feveral different periods, very diftant from one another. Veftiges may ftill be traced which prove their ancient refidence in this country. The fhepherd-kings, whofe memory was in abhorrence among the Egyptians, must have been leaders of troops of wandering Arabs. But, whatever may have paffed in those remote ages fince Egypt was conquered by the Saracens, the greater part of its inhabitants have been Arabs. Of these, some are fettled in the cities; others live in the villages, and cultivate the ground; and the reft wander thro' the country with their cattle, and encamp in tents. When I come to speak of the Arabian nation in general, I fhall then have occafion to speak of its different branches, their manners, and cuftoms: here I fhall only mention fome particulars relative to the Egyptian branch. The Arabian inhabitants of the cities of this province have nothing peculiar to diftinguith them from thofe in the other cities of the east, or in Arabia, in particular; — and the Arabian peafant of Egypt equally resembles the other pealants of the eaft: yet, the pofterity of ftrangers fettling in Egypt, are thought to degenerate. Arabian horfes, too, lofe their ftrength and mettle here. Egyptian peafant is adenomination of contempt through Arabia. The Bedouins, or wandering Arabs, being free, almoft independent, and rather the tributary allies than fubjects of the Egyptian government, are the most remarkable branch of the nation. They are divided into tribes, governed by hereditary chiefs, called Schiechs; and thefe fubordinate to a great Schiech, who has authority over fcveral tribes. Upon paying a certain tribute to government, the Bedouins are permitted to feed their flocks through the rich pafturagegrounds of Egypt:-but they frequently abufe this permiffion, and pillage, without diftinction, as well the husbandmen in the diftricts in which they encamp, as thofe travellers who have the misfortune to fall into their hands. They are ready, too, to take part in the diffentions which frequently arise in this military republic. When government attempts to punish them, or to conftrain them to their duty, they either defend themselves by force, or retire into the defarts till their mifdemeanors be forgotten. They are almost always on horfe back, and armed with a lance,at least the more confiderable among them, and ranging from place to place. The care of their cattle, and excurfions for either robbery or amufement, |