New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-02

iuc w tuhOtts, OF AfhOlhn tEOttsIdnr e2Al4
tie Moslem religion, are . fine race Brown men
slender, but strong, they have wcl-cut, expressive
features, curly hair and lively eyes. Their senses
are keen; sight, smell and hearing arc extraorii,.
arily sharp. Their dress is very simple; a vide
shirt OF unbesched iinen skirt reaching Just below
the knee which the poor often wear withou. the inner
garment wooden mantle serving a cloak BY day
and bedcovering by night, and les'hern belt con-
fDipg The skirt snd holding dagger. A scarf,
striped green red, and yellow, is worn wcuod about
the bead and one end OF il is drawn across the lower
par, of the iace when they do not to be rscog
nized. A pair of sandals completes the outfit tuaic
Of light. colored cloth worn beneath the mantle be-
tokens responsibility and an Emir Gold and silk are
forbidden by the Koran, and are seldom seen among
them. The dress Of the women is scarcely different
from that of the men, That portion OF the hesdcov.
erirg which is drawn the face is broader and
covers the neck They wear also, bracelets and
rings silver rings on the ankles and golden rings in
the nose. The founder of the sect, Abdel Wsbab
prohibited taitooipg; still, they tinge their fugers
with henna, and their eyelids with kohl-a cast,m
immemoria in Arabia.
Their food is principally dates, milk and barley
bead; feb along the coast and venison inland nut
ton, poultry, and rice rarities. Coffee and To-
bscco are freely used although forbidden by the re-
former. On journeys and campaigns they carry two
sb ns-one filed with neal and the other with water.
When they have not time to knesd little balls OF
dough, snd bake then in the ashes, they stir up
hapdful of meal in a cup Of water and drink il of
without further preparation.
Gereray they prefer the restless life of the desert
TO the quiet of settled habitston; many, however,
are sed in agriculture and the majority of those
who live in towns artisans Their wooden and
cotton fabrics and their work in leather bark iron,
copper silver quite equal 10 tina. of the other
Arabs The Nomads, or shepherds, live in miserable
tents covered with coarse wooden stuff, the women
occupying the rear, separated from the men
Only By a curtain through which they can hear
everything without being seen. Camels, horses,
sheen and goats lie around the tent Tse houses Of
the other classes made of wicker work plsstercd
With mud; in the larger towns they are built OF brick
or stone They are furnished with few esrthen or
semi porcelain dishes, chests, rugs, and a carpet with
han mocks for security against insects.
In religion the Wahabites are perfect Unitarians;
they reject all other worship than that Of the Gre
afor. The principal article of their creed 10 this;
There is no god but Col He is alone, and hath no
companion Like the orthodox Mohammedans, they
are crcumcised they say the same prayers aud per.
form the same number of additions, fast during the
n optb Of Ramadan, and believe the pilgrimage to
Mecca to be the highest duty OF man but, unlike the
trve believers, they meet in mosques without min
arets where the name of Mohammed is not heard
durir the hour of prayer. They defest the worship
of depwted Imaums blssphsDy, and religiously
destroy The chspes erected by the zeal Of the faith
full 10 these sainted worthless. They assume to them
selves the title of Mussumans, and call the followers
of the Prophet MuchrtkiR-i. e., those who believe
that God has q companion. And, as all other schi'-
rnstcs hate most intensely those from whom they
have separated SO, in the eyes ofhe Wahablte sJew,
or even a dog Of Christian ia en- object OF less
intense hatred than superstitious saint worshipng
Mohammedan.
The Government Of the Wshabites is patriarchai'
the pairarchse descending to the e'dos' son. VI !"
the brother of the last Sayid They possess Gil 'ne
faults and all the virtues OF the ARABS. relcS
rage among them uncontrolled. Earnest, energetic,
naughty and hospitable they magnanimous in ac'
ton as well in thought. Marriage is a matter OF
little ceremony. The groom buys bis bride, pays for
her in money and cemels akhatib draws up certificate
of the barter and it is done. They regard death diff
ferently As soon as the body Is laid in the grave,
fe Imaum requests all present to give their opinion
upon the merits Of the deceased. When they have
finished he Gums up the judgment of men in the pre-
ence of God and the procession moves away In ST.
lence. Thsis probably relict of the ancient Egyp-
tian custom of judging the dead.
In peace they are mostly busy in labor Of some
sort few make business Of fighting, but many live
by robbery. Their amus ements consist in viewing
the performances of travelling jugglcrs and listening
to the rar bsrds who preserve the traditional his
tory Of the desert and relieve the monotonous life Of
their countrymen by songs and marvellous stories. 10
war each carries in bis belt denbet, crooked dag
ger which he sings to considerable distance with
great effect The cavalry are equipped with long
laLces whose points are ornamented with bunch OF
ostrich feathers They can pick up these spears from
the ground at full gsllop. They have few cavalry,
and are very sparDg Of it, using il only TO force the
enemy to battle and to follow up victory The
housings OF their horses ornamentod with ostrich
feathers ard trinkets the saddle is simple cushion,
secured by gir'hs and without stirrups. The Waha-
bites fgbt generally on foot, or on cames. The
cames carry double saddles, the riders sitting back
to back, each armed with matchbox, deenbieh and
few javelins During the fight, the one behind
turns around toward The enemy and shoots, while the
other loaos the mstchocks and guides the camel
The Emrs wear helmet, q twoedged sword o.
domestic manufacture, small shell on the arm, so'
rich deenJiek in the girdle Two huge obong saieids
cover the tanks Of their borses. These light shields
III ade of twigs of the date palm, covered with feit
leather and cotton, give the equipsgs OF the En"s
very picturesque appearance. Each family ms W.
ensign, drummer, and csmp-boy, who keep pa"
with The rect Of the army on rapid marches oy p~
ing hold of the tails of the camels. The cay"ry p
| lude the contest by single combats; the coo'e'.
conn enced by voreys from distance, and S0en -.
ammunition is expended, q slaughter begin. "Y.S