The day after our travellers' arrival, Captain Blisset expressed a wish to the merchant, to whom he had a letter of recommendation, of being introduced to the Basha of Tripoli. As it is counted uncivil to visit in the East without a previous present, he sent to the Basha a pair of beautiful pistols, which he had bought at Damascus, to procure a favourable reception. All great men accept it, as a kind of tribute due to their character and authority, and look upon themselves as affronted when this compli ment is omitted, Even in familiar visits, amongst inferior people, they seldom come without bringing a flower, or an orange, or some other token of their respect to the person visited: the Turks in this point keeping up the ancient oriental custom. "If we go," says Saul," what shall we bring the man of God; there is not a present," &c. 1 Sąm. ix. 7.

On their arrival at the gate, the Captain and William were introduced into a spacious court, paved with different kinds of marble, and a fountain and small garden in the centre, which is peculiarly agreeable in a hot climate. An awning stretched upon ropes, was spread over the court, from one side to the other, as a shelter from the heat. From hence they were conducted to an upper apartment; for the chief rooms in the Tuskish houses are those above, the ground floor being chiefly made use of for their horses and servants.

The apartment was a large lofty hall," with a dome at the top, which had several open windows towards the north; these are SO constructed as to throw the air into the room, by which means it is constantly cool, though the weather is excessively hot. The windows are square wooden projections, made of lat, tice-work, wrought with a great deal of taste, instead of panes of glass; a very uncommon thing in the East, and even in many parts of the south of Europe. The divan, or sofa on which company is received, was raised about eighteen inches higher than the floor,

The divan was covered with thick matres. ses, scarlet velvet, and large bolsters of bro cade for the convenience of leaning. The basha was seated cross-legged in the corner of the divan, which is the place of honour in Turkey, and received our travellers in a friendly manner. Soon after, two slaves brought in pipes and coffee, and set a brasier full of burning perfumes in the middle of the room, the air of which was soon impregnated with its odours; and afterwards presented sweetmeats, of various kinds, and sherbet.

When the visit was almost ended, a slave, bearing a silver plate, in which precious essences were burning, went to our travellers and per fumed their clothes, and afterwards sprinkled rose water on their heads and hands. This last ceremony is a signal for the company to retira,

Captain Blisset, therefore, and Williams, took their leave, highly gratified with the novelty of the scene.

The morning after this visit William had risen early for the purpose of looking out, as he called it, upon the sea: but what was his asto. nishment, on going down to the harbour, to see three British men-of-war lying at anchor. He rubbed his eyes to ascertain whether he was awake; but the fact could not be doubted. There lay before him an English 74, and two 20 gun ships. He saw a broad pendant flying from the top mast of the former, denoting that the Commodore was aboard, but above all, from the stern of each he saw the British flag, a sight which, as he afterwards told Captain Blisset, made his heart leap with joy. These vessels had been sent into the Mediterranean to protect English merchantmen from pirates, and had come into the harbour of Tripoli the preceding night for the purpose of watering. William no sooner ascertained the fact than he ran back to Captain Blisset to communicate the glad tidings; it was sometime before he could express himself, so breathless was he with agitation and haste, but so soon as he was sufficiently recovered to do so, it may well be supposed a long time had not elapsed, till Captain Blisset was aboard shaking hands with the Commanders a

with two of them he was personally ac quainted, and the third needed no introduction from a naval Officer, he therefore found no difficulty in procuring a passage from the Commodore, who was going up the Mediterra nean, to Constantinople, for the purpose of taking the British Ambassador to England. I should prefer, said he, to travel through Turkey in Asia, but the country is too uncivilized for safe travelling if we were to go alone; and with the Courier, it would be impossible to make any observation as we passed along.

In a few days, therefore, they embarked, and keeping along the shore, were within sight of the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon, so famous in Scripture History for their commercial wealth. At present nothing remains to indicate their former grandeur, an instruction and example to nations, that they too have their periods of decay, and that no grandeur can preserve them from the punishment of their wickedness. Of Tyre, formerly so magnificent, nothing is to be seen but a heap of ruins. The inhabitants that are now found there, subsisting chiefly by fishing, remarkable fulfilment, as Captain Blisset told of that prediction by Ezekiel xxvi. 4,

I will make them like the top of a rockThou shalt be a plain to spread nets upon, thou shalt be built no more." Sidor, although still populous, is greatly inferior to what is ciently had been.

As they sailed along, Captain Blisset, deeply impressed with the instructive subject, ema ployed himself in collecting together the notices of the former of these ancient cities. In the 27th chapter of Ezekiel, he found it described as extremely prosperous, and abounding in riches and glory, and that the different nations of the earth brought their merchandize into its ports, and exchanged them with its inhabi tants." He then turned to those passages which predicted its ruin; Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, Oh Tyrus, I will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up, and they shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God," Ezek. xxvi. 3, 5. To shew the certainty of the destruc➡ tion, the prophet repeats it, verse 14, "I will make thee like the top of a rock, thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon, and thou shalt be built no more, for I the Lord have spoken it;" and again, "I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more; though thou be sought, yet shalt thou never be found." Again, saith the Lord God, verse 21, "All they that know thee among the people, shall be astonished at