version ought to be in request. It comprises the first five books, which include the most admired sections of the epic,-viz., the story of Ignez de Castro, she who -with eyes whose beauty charm'd the air, and also the vision at the Cape of Good Hope, which, in the vigorous interpretation of Mr. Quillinan, shows quite another front from the comparatively dull presentment of William Julius Mickle. Fain would we quote the vision entire; but 'tis not for mortals to command space any more than success, and therefore be it our consolation (pace tanti editor) to deserve it. CAMP SONG. [Supposed to be sung by a refugee Pole, captain of Kosciusko's Chasseurs, at a wine-house in Dalmatia, 1830.] I'm a Pole, and dare to own it; One of Krasinsky's old Red Lancers, When he led through flame and thunder Ten stout troops of coal-black prancers. Bogs Toboi!* Herr Krasinsky, Carajo! my Hetman dear; Bravest heart that bled for Poland Heart that never felt a fear. Corpo Bacco! how we battled, Camped and marched the wide world over. In my own land but a rover. Fell warm and fast as the summer rain. When Tobolska fed the bonfire, Hot and flaming, such a roaster (laughs), When we thought on bleeding Poland. Like a crimson cloud we spread us O'er the crumbling breach, loud roaring, When in streams, as from a crater, Lurid lava fire was pouring. Our dark path was lit by lightning Through the burning roofs went crashing. Heard above the eddying battle; We could hold it on our lances. Now to horse my fellow-troopers, Leave your drinking, shouting, singing; • A Slavonic salutation. These oaths are of all languages, picked up by the mercenary in different countries. tie. at Moscow, under Napoleon. The Cossack "Hourra!" was their well-known war-cry. NEWS FROM EGYPT. It would be a difficult task, without a file of the Athenæum, to enumerate all the books that have appeared, during the last few years, about Egypt. The cry is, still they come; and, though differing greatly in manner and style, some instruction may be derived from even the most trifling details of Fellah life. Lepsius and "our fat contributor to Punch," though envisaginy (to use a Gallicism) their subject from very different sides, have both added to our store of information. Authors, fast and slow, have said their say about Egypt: hardly an Englishman, who has any pretensions to the character of a travelled man, but has climbed to the summit of the Great Pyramid, honourable exception being made, however, of a majority of the aforesaid authors, who have made their travels, at the most, "autour de leurs chambres." The work we have now under consideration, can hardly be ranked under any of the present literary categories. It is not fast, and at the same time is far from being slow; it progresses at a sort of ambling canter, peculiar to those horses warranted for ladies' riding. The author of course had no idea that his letters would ever be made public, and so on, according to the formula expressly made and provided. The correspondence appears, however, to be bonâ fide the production of a young man, whose parents sent him out to see the world, with plenty of money, and doubtlessly with much good advice. His intention was to study from nature, and some bias led him to Egypt. No new discoveries need, therefore, be expected from him: he travelled the camel and dromedary beaten track of his predecessors, and, consequently, met with but very few incidents or accidents. His life was essentially that of an artist who travels partly for pleasure, partly for profit, and we need not wonder that he regards most matters "en couleur de rose." The result of his tour, however, has been a remarkably pleasant and chatty little book, extracts from which we have fancied, will greatly amuse our readers. After stating that our artist-author started on his travels from Marseilles by the English mail steamer, we will allow him to tell his plain unvarnished tale in the first person: Cairo, March 30. Four days ago I arrived in this fabulous city of the "Thousand and One Nights." Everything seems to go on most swimmingly with me, for I have been enabled to hire a whole two-storied house; for it is most unpractical to take one or two rooms, as a whole house is proportionably cheaper and more advantageous for me. The expense of living in an hotel here is ten francs a day; my house costs me thirty-two francs per month; but I must also have an interpreter and a servant, who will cost me fifty francs per month. On the eighth day after leaving Malta, the flat Egyptian coast rose in sight, and the pilots soon came on board, whose little boats, riding over the blue waves, which possessed a remarkable purity and brilliance, afforded a most peculiar appearance in connexion with the ruddy hue of Briefe aus Ægypten und Nubien, von Wilhelm Gentz. Williams and Norgate. the sailor's dress. The coast of Alexandria is perfectly flat and sandy, and is nothing but a desert. On one side may be seen hundreds of little windmills, between which several tribes of Fellahs have raised their mud huts; on the other a huge promontory, at the end of which are the celebrated Fanal and the harems of Mehemet Ali and Ibrahim Pacha. When I reached my destination, I was left entirely to myself. The porters carried off my baggage, wanted to be paid thrice the proper amount beforehand, and made such a disturbance, that I was obliged to employ my stick. Besides this, I could not understand a single word. My traps were at length carried to the custom-house, where I eventually succeeded in packing them on a donkey, and started for town, to look for an European hotel. Alexandria is internally narrow and dirty, like all Turkish towns, although from the harbour it presents an European appearance; dirt, however, is very frequently allied to the picturesque, and so I do not complain about it. The heat is naturally intense, and at night the dew falls in such quantities, that your clothes would be wet through if you exposed yourself to it. I am obliged to dress myself warmly: I am forced to wear a thick fez or tarbusch, and must, besides, wrap myself in blankets, to protect myself from the sun. I only stopped a week in Alexandria. I made some drawings of the most characteristic objects in the town, and excursions without the walls, to view the more interesting remains of antiquity. I was principally struck, however, by the frightful wretchedness of the lower classes. I rode and walked a good deal through the villages round the town, and had many showers of stones and hundreds of dogs behind me; but this was only the case in the worst tribes. I must speak in the most praiseworthy terms of the greater portion of the inhabitants: they are gentle, and pay great respect to Europeans; for instance, I drew for nearly two hours, in one of the subterranean catacombs, all by myself, without being disturbed in any way. In the neighbourhood of houses I was certainly surrounded by some two dozen children, but by giving the biggest among them a trifle, he will stop for hours by your side, and drive the others away. The villages inhabited by the soldiers, who are encouraged to marry to check desertion, in the neighbourhood of Alexandria, consist of square blocks of houses, which are built with some regularity. The houses themselves, however, are very low-hardly high enough for a man to stand upright in them. As they are built of mud, the village and the ground can scarcely be distinguished from each other. The whole house consists of only one room, in which man, wife, children, goats, poultry, and so on, lodge. On the roof the dung is piled up, to dry in the sun, and be afterwards used for burning. The population, naturally, dwells in the street during the day, while the children run about naked: the males are at work or in town, and only sleep in the house : the women have to manage everything belonging to domestic arrangements. Here I found a good opportunity of studying the type of the women and children, as they cannot always be covered during their work. Few Europeans find their way into these dirty labyrinths, and, therefore, only make acquaintance with the least interesting portion of the mode of life. I came up to Cairo in a little steamer; and the passage-money was water. enormous. We had to go through the canal which Mehemet Ali completed in six months, by the aid of 60,000 workmen, half of whom were stated to have died, before reaching the Nile. The scene was very animated we met numerous boats laden with female slaves from Abyssinia, and transports, so crowded with soldiers that they had not room to stir, but were forced to maintain the same position during the whole voyage. At Atfeh we went on board another steam-boat, and soon found ourselves on the river of rivers, the wide and glorious Nile. It was evening, the heavens were tinged with a most glorious hue, and I never remember to have enjoyed so thoroughly the cheerful and yet majestic silence of nature. The Nile made a magical impression, with its broad expanse of The background, on either side, was equally magnificent: in the distance I saw a beautiful town, whose white minarets were gilded by the last rays of the sun, and formed a pleasant contrast with the lofty palm-trees that stood around them; on the other side a village rose, under the protection of some noble trees, which, with their gloomy aspect, furnished a double contrast to the still and golden mirror of the river; the white ibis, with its long wings, floated over the plain; herds were being driven down to the water's edge to drink: besides this, a mass of Egyptian barks, with their high masts and booms, of a very peculiar form all this formed a most enchanting picture. I was well repaid in finding the Nile even more beautiful than I had imagined. The banks became still more exquisite as we advanced, but at length the gorgeous panorama was veiled by night. But my ideas were suddenly recalled to Germany and home; for a band of musicians came on board our vessel at starting, and played some exquisite melodies. The natives on land opened their mouths and eyes to their full extent; the Arabs on the vessel remained silent; even our pacha (for we had one on board with his slaves) appeared quite delighted. The musicians were gipsies : perhaps they did not know that they had returned to their native land, to Egypt, whence, like the Jews, they had spread themselves over Europe. : About eight in the morning we came in sight of the desert, and a little while after, of the Pyramids, the only one of the seven wonders which has outlived time, and will continue to do so. At length, about mid-day, Cairo lay before us, in a glorious panorama, with its tall minarets, crowned by the gigantic citadel on the hill and the mosque where the great Mehemet Ali lies buried. He was one of the worthies of the century; who can deny it, after seeing the wonderful works that have survived him, and admiring in them the intentions of a giant mind. At the custom-house two Germans received me, who immediately addressed me in the mother tongue. We are certainly a strange nation. Two years before, the first gatekeeper who spoke to me in Cadiz was a German. The first words I heard in the hotel at Alexandria were German. German music sounded over the waves of the Nile. Cairo, April 21. All differs here from our climate. The trees are already commencing to shed their leaves, but will be again covered within two or three weeks. There are a great number, of course, which are never leafless. Nature here delights in striking contrasts. On one side an absolute desert nothing but yellow sand; and close to it the most luxuriant vegetation, enlivened by countless herds of cattle. The oxen and Dongola cows, buffaloes, donkeys, camels, goats, and sheep, are tied up in rows to graze in the meadows; and such a thing as mowing is unknown. What a picture of fertility! No wonder the Jews in the desert longed to be back among the flesh-pots of Egypt. Now, indeed, there are enough of them here; but it cannot be noticed on them that they grow fat on Egypt's abundance. Their quarter is a picture of misery, and their streets are so dirty and narrow that the sun's rays cannot penetrate into them. On week days scarce a soul can be met there; but on the Sabbath the women may be seen glittering with gold and silver ornaments in the filthy doorways or partially opened balconies. If you wish to have a look at the Jewish women you must shun no trouble; their manners have become quite Arabic, and not like those of the Mograbin. The Copt and Greek women also veil themselves in accordance with the usual custom, although their Christianity does not command them to do so. It is a difficult thing to get a sight of them. One Sunday morning I saw several well-dressed ladies pass my hotel, and, without knowing where they were going, I went after them, and followed them into a church in the suburbs. The women were all seated in galleries, with lattice-work in front, so that they could not be seen from below. Several of the females removed their veils, and I was enabled to see their curious costume and ornaments. The worship, though Christian, is nothing else than a species of idolatry; all is external pomp; the incense is overpowering; and the pictures of the saints are continually kissed by the priests. Europeans, however, are treated with great distinction here. When I entered a Coptic church the other morning a priest immediately brought me a chair, although all the faithful lay around me on the ground. These churches or chapels are, besides, very picturesque; the architecture is partly Byzantine, partly Arabic, and brilliantly ornamented with gold and pictures. The blue clouds of incense impart to the interior a certain magical character, and the persons worshipping afford, through their Arab costume, a perfect representation of the middle ages. Thus, assuredly, the Christians and Moors lived near each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries; the architecture is the same, the costume the same, and even the form of worship bears much resemblance. I find, besides, many relics of the middle ages here. Thus, for instance, every horseman and every carriage requires an outrider in passing through narrow streets: In the middle ages it was precisely the same in Germany. When the viceroy passes, all who are mounted or in carriages must descend; the same was required in Wurtemburg up to the time of the last king. But I could go on repeating instances ad infinitum, which appear to have been borrowed from the East. I have sat at times from six to eight hours in the sun, drawing, and wrapped up in blankets. You may fancy what a vapour bath I enjoyed, and that, too, without standing up. It is pleasant enough to sketch in the streets; it is cooler, but the gêne from the mob is, on the other hand, very great. My servant must always stand behind me to keep off the donkeys, oxen, and men, who often are worse than the oxen; still I have been several times upset, stool and all. This is, however, a mere trifle, if I can only keep my studies from injury. An artist attached to |