The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-04-21


Brothers, pubisliers.
This is volume of Oriental travels JUS, from the
press. The author is young New Yorker, and
has won for the present production of his pen a
favorable reception with the literary world by pre-
vous one, Eothen. The Egyptians call all mer.
chants Howadji, and, as in their estimation, only
merchants travel they call all travellers Howadj
The Preface is in such good taste for sentimen,
and brevty, we must give it entire:
When the Persian poet Hafiz, was asked by
the philosopher, Zenda, what he was good for, he
replied
"Of what use is flower ?"
" A flower is good to SMELL" said the philoso-
pher.
"And am good to smell it" said the poet
This Howadji's occupation upon the Nile is herein
faithfully indicated. He sailed up the Nile and
sailed down again but discovered nothing, inca.
sured nothing, dug up nothing, deciphered nothing
| brought back nothing but these Nile Notes and
they had as well been left behind, in Memnon's
tomb, where the sage Howadji asks grotesque
foxy figure, carved on the walls, to join him in
eating sandwich and smoking chibouge! In
the language Of Miss Martineau, Travelling is a
serious and manly prvilege"-and not to be thrown
| away upon such chdishness.
The style is ambiguous, between prose and
poetry; sort of literary hybrid such as it is fash
lonable to call a "prose- e-poem." At one time this
sentimental travellers sentences are so full of the
soul OF genuine poetry. are ready to wish he had
measured his lines and gone into poetry decidedly
Then he steps into history, condescends to put the
noun before the verb, the adjective before tine sub
stantlve, and discourses so n,esently and enter
tainlngly for half page or so, we heartily wish he
| would maintain this sober mood to the end. But
no: about the time the reader imagines he really
has rational man for his compagnon du voyage
and Is about to learn something, the Howadji file.
on into such nonsense that one feels like making
his book fly into the farthest corner of the room
1t is like riding a horse without gaits-that neither
walks, PAGES or trots (; but for the name of The
thing one had as soon not ride at ALL
In justice to the Howadji, however, let us return
10 the Preface. What did he propose Ito smel
The rose, not to make out hierogyphics. He set ou
on pleasure trip up the Nile, and not scientific
excursion. In his own way, though complained of
ne mas beguiled US along a route we had gone owe
30 often In the company of serious men, with mea
surlng lines and crow bars in their hands, that j
had got to be impossible for any mere sauant I,
make II 30 interesting. The old track did not sp
pear Tue same. Gathering up the Impressions lei
oy these Nile Notes, we find them to be vivid. ant
half suspect they are correct We have now
complete idea of dragoman and palm tree, o
.hs plctnresqueness of Egyptian scenery, of thu
dreamy quality" of Egyptian atmosphere, ant
the 'oftness Of its sunlight, of the solemn ant
sublime desolation of Egyptian tombs and temples
alike empty end of the hopeless degradation Of thu
Egyptian people; not ravages hut imbeciles-al
effete race-the last lees of what was nation.
For sale by J. Ball