New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-09
FROM NEw.YoRK TO NINEvEH

r.
TIEB-ARBIvAL AT BERBER AND BECEP-
TON THERE.
Editorial rorrespondence of The Tribune
Ell MEKHEYREF Capital of Oar B-roer)
Ethiopia Saturday, len. 3, 1882.
Last night | sic pt 10 the midst of clus-
ter of Arab huts, simple Howadi, among cam
el-drivers. Tonight am an American Bey, In
my tent overlooking the Nile, watched by q
guard of honor sent me 10y the commander OF
the military forces in Berber and Shendy. All
honor to Ethiopian hospitality For this Is at
last the true Ethiopia, beyond the confines OF
Nubia, beyond the ancient Capital of Queen
Csndace, beyond, not only the first and second
but the eleventh cataract OF the Nile, and not far
distant from "the steep of utmost Axume.
Here my little caravan, which for two weeks
threaded the coal. black hills of the Nubian Des
ert, traversed the hot plains haunted by the de-
cenful mirage and the thorny wastes OF the Up
per Me, is broken up, and must again take to
the glorious old river, which grows more beau
tiful with every day of my southwark travel
The tourney, thus far, has In its interest and
novelty greatly surpassed ray expectations.
have kept faithful record of my experiences,
but even if had the time TO transcribe them.
they would be mich too voluminous for the
Egyptian post. However, these outlines may
serve to give you general idea of regions into
which few travellers penetrate.
left Abou- Hammed at noon on the 30th ult-
Our road followed the river, occasionally taking
to the Desert for a short distance, to cut off
bend, but never losing sight of the dark cumps
of palms and the vivid coOring of the grain on
the western bank. The scenery here bears
very different stamp from that of Egypt. The
colors are darker, richer and stronger the light
more intense and glowing, and all forms OF veg
etable and animal life penetrated with more
full and impassoned expression OF life. The
green of the fields actually seems to throb un-
der the fiery gush of sunshine, and the palm
leaves thrill and tremble in the hot blue air.
The people are glorious barbarians tall,
ull-limbed, with open, warm, intelligent faces
and lustrous black eyes. They dress with more
nestness than the Egyptian Fellahs, and their
long hair, though it is smeared with suet, is ar
ranged with some taste aud clothes their heads
better than the dirty cotton scull.cap. Among
those saw at Abou Hammed were TWO youths
of about seventeen, who were wonderfully beau
tifui. One of them played a sort of coarse reed
flute, and the other rude stringed instrument
which he called fambou. lie was a superb
fellow, with the purest straight Egyptian fea-
lures, and large, brilliant, melting black eyes.
| Every posture OF his body expressed grace the
! more striking because 1t was wholly unstudled
| have never seen human forms superior to these
| two. The first, whom have named the Apollo
| Ababdese, accompanied us to this place. He
| carried with him all his wealth-a flute, sword
and heavy shield of hippopotamus hide. HIS
| features were as perfectly regular as the Greek
| but softer and rounder in outline. His limbs
| were without fault, and the light pOlse OF his
| head on the slender neck, the fine play OF his
| shoulder b. AIDES and the muscles of his back, As
| he walked, were worthy of the fairest shape OF
| Grecian art. He wnlked among my camel.irlv-
ers as Apollo might have walked among the
| other shepherds of King Admetus. Like the
god, his implement is the flute; he is wander
ing minstrel, and earns his livelihood by playing
| at the festivals of the Ababdehs. His name is
| Eesa, the Arabic for Jesus. should be almost
willing to take several shades Of his complexion
| if could have with them his perfect ripeness,
roundness and symmetry of body and limb. He
| told me that he smoked no tobacco and drank no
arakee, but only water and milk--a true ofishoot
of the golden age
During the second day my road led along the
edge of the Desert, sometimes in the sand and
sometimes over gravely soil, covered with
patches of thorny shrubs Until reached the
village of Abou-Hashym, in the evening, there
| was no mark of cultivation on the eastern bank,
| though saw in place the signs of fields which
| have been long since deserted. passed several
burying grounds, in one Of which the guide
showed me the grave of Mr.. Nelly, an English
| gentlemen who died here about year ago, on
his return to Egyp. with his family, after a jour-
ney 10 Khartoum. His tomb is merely an oblong
mound of unburnt brick, with rough stone at
the head and foot 1t has been strictly respected
| by the natives, who informed me that large sums
were given to them to keep it in order and watch
| ii at night They also told me that after his
death there was great difficulty in procuring
STROUD The only muslin in the neighborhood
Vas piece belonging to an old Shekh, who had
kept it many years, in anticipation of his death
1t was sacred, having been sent to Mecca and
dipped in the holy well of Zemzem. In this the
body was wrapped and laid in the earth. Ii is a
dssary spot, out of sight Of the river and sur
rounded by desert thoms.
j passed the last evening of the year 1851 on
TIE bank of the Nile, near Abou- Hashym. There
was was wild, green leland in the stream, and
reefs Of black rock, which broke the current int
rapids. The opposite shore was green and love-
ly, crowned with groups of palms, between
whose siers had s,inpses of blue mountains
ar to The. south and west. The temperature
was mild, and the air full OF the aroma OF mimosa
II - IL .-..o Z II