The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-12 00:00:00

AFRICAN CONTVLSIONNAIRES.

Yesterday a!ternoon the large room of the
Egyptian HZ!, Piccadilly, usually occopied by Mr. F.
Maccabe, was, by the permiesion of that gentleman, the
theatre of some most remarkable performances, by • com-
pany of Arabs who have recently been exhibiting in Paris,
and who describe themselves, or ate 2e scribed by their
manager, at " the tribe of Aissa-Houha, the African Con-
vulsionosires, snake-charmers, fire-eaters, and oonjuron."
These performers are only seven in number, and therefore,
we apprehend, form but a portion of the tribe in question,
who, it is said, claim for themselves the power of eating,
without danger, anything that may be offered to them ;
and certainly, if the remainder of the tribe share the
peculiarities of those individuals whose feats we witnessed
yesterday nfternoon, they must be a most omnivorous
people. Their common food would resin to be burning
charcoal or lighted torches, while they derive an
agtee ible variety of dist from chewing wine glasses,
the middy leaves of the cactus, or the fiesh of
live snakes, or swallowing sharp-elged pebbles, and
teepenny nails. Nor are their peculiarities confined to
mere matters of diet. Their amusements are equally ex-
ceptiocal in their nature. To balance oneself upon a
naked sword, or to allow two strong men to press a simi-
lar instf ument against one's bore stomach, is a diversion
from which most Englishmen would shrink with repug-
nance Mad alarm : but to these curious strangers it ap;ears
to be • matter of perfect indifference—indeed rather an
agreeable relaxation than otherwise ; while, when the de.
site for sport is strong upon them, they will run swords
into their bodies, carry about sereents hnnging to their
tongues, pierce their mouths and cheeks with long needles,
err rather skewers, or allow • dozat strong men to haul at
a rope which is twisted round their bodies until one would
imagine that all their internal orgaus must be squeezed
into n jelly, and the cordage opi.ears to be gradually
entering into the flesh of the abdomen. And
after going through all this they show no marks of
suffering, but dance with more vehemence thin ever to the
hideous music of the tom toms, the beating of which ac.
oompanied all their performances, and by the vile sounds
of which fletes•ahle instrument tiny are supposed to be I
excited to a condition of religious fervour, which can only
find suitable expression in these strange proceedings. Cu.
tines as are theso tricks—and tricks we presume they are,
although we coatess ourselves unable tai penetrate the
secret of the illusions—they are by no means altogether
agneahle to witness ; but another, in which one of the
performers appe as to remove, or actually removes, his I:
eye from the socket with the point of • sword, is absolutely
revolting. The audience yesterdayafternoon was composed
entirely of men, but even for some of them this part of
OM performance was a little too strong. In the
prseenTe of ladies it would be qu:te inadmissible.
The performers were watched most closely, but as far as
we are aware no one who was present yesterday detected
the secret by which they were enabled to execute these
wonderful tricks. Whim one of the Arabs ea• a wine 81391
you could hear hint champing the material with his teeth,
while the heat of the burning charcoal wi.ich another of
them held in his mouth was tested by the simple but
effectual expedient of lighting vestnians at the pieces f
while they ware between his lips. The same man exposed
hie face and neck to the ir.dier.ce of a dame which not