The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-01-19 00:00:00

I'jß3l4l#l OULPH.

•cimerpri*-er TXI COUNTRIES AND PIOKZ WI TIS PRIR-
SEAN SIMI% PARTICULARLY OP. 11l WANASSU.

• - --
The Arabe.A are told, are no longer that savage
tar el men which either fled at the sight of an Euro-
pean or tseeled him with barbarous contumely ; and a
traveller ma sow traverse their extensive territorial in
the dress of his owe country. without danger. The
Arabs are bopitable, and eat in the company of a Chris-
tian, arid the Turks are often seen openly drinking
wine, eating pork, and transgressing, in many other
particulars their ritual and ceremonial law. These,
it meat be confessed, are great approaches towards *4-
vi:isadiia.
.. With regard to the essential article et marriage, the
laws are greatly at variance is different parts of the East.,
In Persia, a ease may marry and divorce hie wife within,
twenty-four hours, merely Isy procuring a particular in-
strument from a Malta. Is Arabia, the matrimonial
ily is not so easily broken; while in Turkey, again, the
men generally avail themselves of the tacit permission of
their-law. to change their wives as often as interest of
inclination prompt them. However, in all these coun-
tries, but especially in Arabia, I have known many men
live happily with the same woman for many years, and
net dismiss her even when they espoused another wife.
In all parts where the religion of Mehemet prevails.
the ladies are slaves, and are sold in the same way le
cattle. It once happened that as Arab, who owed me
some money, begged me to delay pressing for pay-
snext of the debt, until be meld procure a favourable
match for his daughter, who was extremely beautiful..
He had been already offered one thousand piastres,'
which be considered too low a price, and was deter-
mised sot to dispose of her under one thousand five
hundred. An °thetas Tartar told me, that he bad a
wife is every city on the read be 'sully travelled.
Although the orientate thus treat their women, as If
they were an inferior order, and not their equals In
rank, yet in public they invariably behave to them with
the utmost respect."
Of the Sealant, one Of the foreign tribes, who live on
the shores of the Persian Oulplis we have some curious
partieetars
" Although the Beniant live entirely upon vegeta
rice, milk, and butter. yet they are generally fat.Z
possess strong ronstituttens, while the leprosy. so
common among other classes in the East, is rarely to be
met with among rhea*. It is a remarkable memo-
stance, that assafmtida composes the seasoning of the
zreatest •:iart of their ragouts. When the conscience of
a Sealant accuses him of the commission of a crime, he
offers barley or some other eatable to his cow; and the
same ceremony is observed when he is particularly
aneions about the snceess of an undertaking: in the first
case, this gift is considered an atonement to the Creator t
in the last, a propitiatory sacrifice. The industry of the
ileniani places all money transactions in their timid.;
they are the great bankers of Arabia, and so far resemble
the Jews in Turkey.
" There is no example of a Beaten lady having any
connection with 'Christi., or Moslem; nor do the men
resit marry Arabian women, partly in renempience of ee-
l:eau, prejudices, and partly to preserve the purity of
%.eir race. It is a well-known Asiatic custom for their
females to stain their hands and eye-brows; but have
seen some at Muscat who bad coloured all their skin.
with tint somewhat resembling that of a yellow. Fo-
reigners should on no account firm an union with these
women, as ruin, and perhaps death, would be the la-
evitable consequence of their inipradonee. It is a
fact, extraordinary as it may awe% which has Mien
ander my awn obiervatioa, diet -Hammes are 'abject
to a gradaal decay of the vital powers with such a eon-
nection."
The fondness of the oriental* for allegories and fables
is well known, and they are often related to relieve the
monotony of a Mahometan banquet. The following is a
specimen of their stories :
" An Arab, while taking a oath, observed a snake.
which had fallen into a fire, by the side of the road. and
was in danger of being burnt to death; be was seised
with pity at the sight. sad released him from his pert-
lees situation. Hat no sooner did the reptile cease to
feel the flames, than be twisted his folds around the
body of his deliverer, and displayed, in a tbreatimiag
manner, his formidable fangs. The man reproached
him with base ingratitude. to which the serpent replied.
" It is true that you are my saviour, but you are a man;
sod, as a serpent. it is my duty to bits yea," This
reasoning appeared so extraordinary to the man. that
he proposed an appeal to the first animal they shotald
meet ; to which the snake consented, and they set for-
ward. After having journeyed some time, they met an
six. who baring listened to them both with attention,
exclaimed to the snake—. Friend, bite that tyrant di-
rectly ; he makes us drag a heavy plough all the days of
yar youth. or raise water from a well, by amass of a
machine fastened around our necks. in order to fertilise
his gardens, and then confines as in a *arrow stall. to
teed on a little miserable straw; sad when our limb" be-
come feeble. from a premature deesi;elte eonampteuer
only of his cruelty, he kills us, and on our flesh.
The unfortunate *Arab, frightened at this unfavourable
dem% hardly knew what to say in his defence. He
' ddliered, however, that this hid been, perhaps, in
wieied, and was actuated by revenge, instead of reuses;
sad. therefore, proposed that they should appeal to a
bets% who was feeding in a meadow hard by
both immediately addressed this quadruped, and fnsil3
Am No less prejodiced against mankind than the ox.
Pl. entreated the snake to destroy their common enemy,
matt asserted that his pretended Medium was only deli-
Wale enmity. like the treatment which he himself bad
rodeod during his youth. He misled hew hie mantes.
=eves him beautiful teenier—had taught him the
of the menage--had-maintained grooms*. pee-
fele to Mead him—and had provided every thing se-
Man Owl& use or reereatioa i but no sooner had old
ye eateshisi his limbs, than be was stripped of all his
elbery--eietteweed to hard labour in a 11111--and beaten
it ha did not work liveried his strength: The serpent
me thweght himself folly joetilled in attacking his de- i
fir. sad was ie the act of darting forward, when the
11160 esimeand him to ask the *minims of a fox. who was
=peening by at the star time. making a
Se would ive him the price of tee chickens
eerthe prise et his deliverance. 'Me snake, ignorant of
was plug forward. egreiW to the propels!, and I
putting en a look et profound wisdom. slo-
ths( be could not pass an equitable judgment on'
the weighty matter in depose, not having bees a ersi-
tater ef all that had happened. - It was, tberefier, re-,
solved. that a ire should be lighted, that the *sake
slognid he thrown into it, and the man ree to his sac-
- rear. The serpent, *mama of the intended ibmelt.l
Into the names, and the man immediately seeseir 1
ildps stick and killed him with a single blew. The
toolsew demanded kis promised reward, and they pre-I
td to a neighbouring village. Here the /tub de-
sired his liberator to hide in a bellow rock. in order to
*sopa aim dogs that might be paella; by, and there
wait astir he shoeld return with the 166 rbieitets; bet
so easier bad be reached the town, that having col-
lected together all the dogs be cenld Sad, he proceeded
to the hole. The fox, hearing the noise, looked fan to
see what it sweat, and; immediately perceiving the de-
leilillest. eirialosed. ' 0, perfidious wretch ! is this a re-
parasol for saving per liter And then, turaiag to