smoked in all shapes and forms, issue from every mouth. The shops are numerous, dear, and filled with French frippery, and pinchbeck jewellery. "A lane, walled by piles of guns and mortars, and mountains of ball and shell, leads to the only fertile or pretty spot on the rock. The Alamada, a fine square esplanade rising above the batteries, open to the sea, and surrounded by well-grown trees; above this are terraces laid out with great taste, and filled with numbers of beautiful shrubs, among which the scarlet geranium holds a conspicuous place. Agaves of great size border the parterres, and serve as retainers to the soil; and crimson aloes, the finest I have seen, blossom in great luxuriance. The numerous seats and alcoves command a view of the sea, the different vessels passing the Straits, and the distant rock of Ape's-hill, and the heights of the African coast beyond. On one of the upper terraces, a bust of Wellington surmounts a low pillar, on which is hung a shield, telling of the deeds of the Peninsula, and before it a fine brass gun, taken from the Spaniards. "This is the promenade of Gibraltar, as well as the review-ground of the troops; and whether it be the contrast with the surrounding barrenness, or its real beauty, I cannot say; but to me it appeared particularly charming. Still farther on are hospitals, barracks, out-stations, and the Mediterranean stairs, where a view of great splendour opens on the first burst of this midland sea upon you, the shores of Europe and Africa deploying from the narrow straits on either side, and the blue water, studded with the many white sails that daily crowd this great naval thoroughfare. on "As the gates shut at five o'clock, and none are allowed to remain in garrison without permission, we hastened board, where, after dinner, we all came on deck to see the evening-gun fired from the signal-house at the top of the rock. It is a striking ceremony, especially when the night is dark or misty, as this one happened to be. The minute comes, the town-clock strikes, the flash bursts forth like a ray of most vivid lightning; and, ere the boom that follows has ceased to echo, the bugles from the fort send forth their startling notes, the drum-roll follows, and then a single stir is no more heard." (Vol. i., pp. 170-175.) Here is a mosque at Algiers :"Under the guidance of Moostapha, the Consul's dragoman, we were gratified with a view of the principal one. Before it is an open court, with a handsome fountain, in which the pious Moosselmans were making their ablutions. We had to leave our shoes at the door, and entered a large oblong building, divided by two rows of square pillars, supporting arches of a peculiar shape, whose sides, if prolonged, would meet at the ground. The floor was matted as well as the pillars, and a magnificent crimson carpet ran along the principal side, the centre of which was Kibla, (or mehrab,) the sacred spot,' the holy of holies,' a small semi-circular space, like a niche left in the wall, matted and carpeted, but without anything whatever within. No image, no ornament or decoration of any kind, is in this place, which faces Mekeh, and where the im mediate presence of the Deity is supposed to reside, and none enters its precincts. On the wall, on either side of this, are hung tablets, with verses of the Koran, or the name of Allah inscribed in large characters upon them; and be neath these sat two remarkable old Moolahs reciting the Koran. In front of them was a number of youths forming a semicircle, squatted on their toes and knees, repeating the responses in a loud though not unpleasing chime, prostrat ing themselves, and touching the ground with their foreheads, whenever they mentioned the name of Allah. Through out the building were scattered indivi duals praying beside the pillars in deep devotion. The chanting of the boys is kept up during the ramadan; this latter is really a fast, a privation, compared with that of other religious sects, as from sunrise to sunset they never taste a morsel. They deny themselves the greatest luxury, that of smoking; nay, even a pinch of snuff, or a drink of water, unless in a case of extreme urgency. The only ornaments of any description within this building, were its numerous lamps, hung by chains from the roof, and a number of ostrich eggs, the usual adornment. They hold the second commandment to the letter, and the graven image of anything having life is their greatest abhorrence. This has often accounted for the destruction of many a valuable antique, when mere wantonness has been attributed to them. An instance occurred to me in proof of this: I was informed by a friend of a handsome white marble bust, said to have been dug up here some time ago, and in possession of one of the Moors. I hastened to the spot, and requested permis sion to see it; but its late owner told me that, thank Allah,' he had just broken it up for lime. The images in the French places of worship excite their contempt as well as their hatred; and in speaking to us of the English and their religion, they put their forefingers together, intimating that they are alike; a compliment some of our Divines would not be very willing to receive. They have no faith in the French; and the Turk being proverbial for doing what he says, they often quoted to us the Persian proverb, 'An Englishman never tells a lie.' (Vol. i., pp. 215-217.) We give an extract or two from Mr. Wilde's notices of Egypt. And first, Alexandria : "Altogether the harbour of Alexandria presented a picture the most imposing; and the stir and bustle, both warlike and commercial-one we could have had no idea of. The flags of the different nations of Europe were here displayed beside the red banner of Mohammed Alee, to which he has added a star within the crescent. Were this fort to be taken as an index of the flourishing state of the country, great indeed would be its wealth. "After dinner we landed at one of the wharfs near the custom-house, and met a company of the troops, who all looked abominably dirty, and walked like so many turkeys in long grass. Their dress, which is of white cotton, may be the reason they appeared so very filthy; but otherwise they were all very comfortably clad. This dress consists of a light jacket; wide bagged trousers, fitting tightly to the leg from the knee down to the ankle, and buttoned down the side like gaiters; red shoes and garters, a striped cotton sash round the waist, and a small red cap, with a blue tassel, buff belts, and bright Birmingham fire-locks. Each party was preceded by a set of drums and fifes. As we walked along the wharfs we met several groups of both sailors and soldiers off duty; and notwithstanding all that is said of their hardships, and the cruelty of dragging them from their homes and friends, they seemed exceedingly happy, generally walking hand in hand, or playing with each other. They were all young, and mostly slight-made, active men. "Our entrée into the city of the Ptolemies was anything but pleasing. Outside the gate we had to pass through a village of miserable mud huts, only equalled in filth and squalidness by the wretched-looking set of old people, halfclad women, and wholly naked children, squatted around them-quite an African wigwam. These extend all along the walls of the town on the land side, and are the abodes of the wives and families of the troops and sailors of Mohammed Alee. "We found a guard of soldiers at each of the gates. The streets are much wider than those of Algiers, and filthy in the extreme. The numerous bazaars through which we passed presented a scene of exceeding novelty. The merchants seated in their several compartments, surrounded by their respective wares; some engaged with their customers, who, if respectable, seat themselves upon the bench that runs along the side of the bazaar, raised a couple of feet above the street, and as the Mooslim never concludes a hasty bargain, they enjoy a cup of coffee and a pipe in the interim. Others engaged in reading the Koorán, which they do aloud in a very ing the body backwards and forwards all peculiar monotonous singing-tone, rockthe time; and many of them had retired into the interior of the shop, and were performing their evening prayers. This, with the narrowness of the streets-the different cries of the several watercarriers, sellers of beans and vegetables, and venders of sherbet at all the corners of the principal streets-the droves of camels, the diversity of the costumes, and the peculiarity of the language, is quite astounding to an Englishman, and brought us back to the scenes so beautifully described in the Arabian Nights." (Vol. i., pp. 244-246.) Mr. Wilde gives an account of his ascent to the summit of one of the pyramids: No "Persons can have no possible conception of the vastness of those monuments without standing beside them, looking from their base to their summits; measuring with the eye of sight their huge dimensions, and with the eye of mind measuring back the ages upon ages that they have there remained. noisy, rapturous expression of surprise or wonder breaks from the traveller; no hastening forward to rush into the interior; with me at least it was a calm, subdued, speechless, but elevated and lasting, feeling of awe and admiration, which took possession of my very soul. Could I embody all the overwhelming thoughts that rushed across my mind, I would say the uppermost was that of 324 Review of Wilde's Voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe, &c. time-time, standing as "A line of camels slowly pacing across "The pyramid was first built in steps, or courses of enormous stones, each row placed the breadth of itself within the course beneath. Some stones in the base of this pyramid are larger than those of Cheops, and from four to five feet in depth, so that we had to clamber over them on our hands; but in this, I was assisted by the guides, one an old man, the other about forty, both of a mould which, for combination of strength and agility, I do not think I ever saw surpassed. We soon turned to the north, and finally reached the outer casing on the west side. All this was very laborious, to be sure, though not very dangerous; but here was an obstacle that I knew not how they themselves could surmount, much less how I could possibly master; for above our heads jutted out like an eave, or coping, the lower stones of the coating, which still remain, and retain a smooth, polished surface. As considerable precaution was necessary, the men made me take off my hat, coat, and shoes, at this place; the younger then placed his raised and extended hands against the projecting edge of the lower stone, which reached to above his chin, and the elder, taking me in his arms, as I would a child, placed my feet on the other's shoulder, and my body flat on the smooth surface of the stone: in this position we formed an angle with each other, and here I remained for upwards of two minutes, till the older man went round, and by some other means contrived to get over the projection, when creeping along the line of junction of the casing, he took my hands, drew me up to where he was above me, and then letting down his girdle, assisted to mount up the younger, but less active and less daring, climber of the two. much as follows:-One of them got on We then proceeded the shoulders of the other, and so gained the joining of the stone above, which was often five feet asunder; the upper man then helped me in a similar action, while the lower pushed me up by the feet. Having gained this row, we had often to creep for some way along the joining, to where another opportunity of ascending was afforded. recollected, that all these stones of such a proceeded to the summit; and some idea In this way we may be formed of my feelings, when it is span are highly polished, are set at an angle less than 45°, and that the places height above the ground upwards of four we had to grip with our hands and feet were often not two inches wide, and their hundred feet; a single slip of the foot, or a slight gust of wind, and, from our position, we must all three have been dashed to atoms, long before reaching the ground. zon. giddy height was almost as intoxicating "The grandeur and extent of the picture that now presented itself from this as the ascent I had just completed. Around me lay the vast plain of interminable sand, that marked the Libyan and African deserts, the scorching echoless wilderness which mingled with the clear blue of the atmosphere at the horiIn a sloping vale, bounded by massive rocks, the unvaried hue of barrenness was enlivened by what appeared to me a narrow silver ribbon, that wound its tortuous course for miles and miles, sand and sky above, and was lost to as it seemed to rise out of the junction of vision as it sunk into it in a similar manner below. Its banks were green and verdant, with the richest foliage, and light, that glanced from the snow-white groves of waving palms were now and then relieved by the gleam of noon-day minaret, or the stately dome of a marabut. This ribbon was the river Nileits banks, the land of Egypt. "The thousand pinnacles of the kanghia looked but as a sea-bird's wing, mosques of Cairo rose to view beyond the goodly land; the white sail of the and the drove of camels, as a black dotted line upon the plain beneath. The whole of the pyramids were below me, almost at my feet." (Vol. i., pp. 392-398.) unopened, and this contains, among not say, "And when he next does ride abroad, May we be there to see: " but when he next travels, may his powers of observation and description be as good as ever, and may we have the opportunity, by perusing his volumes, of being fellow-travellers with him, enjoying the scenery, instructed by his facts, and escaping all the trouble and expense of long absence from home. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. WESLEYAN METHODISM IN SURREY. Ar a period like the present, when our truly apostolic Connexion has celebrated the first Centenary of its existence, and is at the commencement of its second hundred years rising to greater efforts, pervading every quarter of the globe, and labouring to convert all nations of the earth to the faith of Christ, it becomes our especial duty to endeavour, as far as possible, to meet the spiritual necessities of our own countrymen. In evangelizing the world, we must still attend to the spirit of our Lord's direction, "beginning at Jerusalem." The greater part of the county of Surrey has a peculiar claim on the attention of our body. Our venerable Founder did not bestow a due proportion of his valuable labours on this neighbourhood; and down to the present time, Methodism has done far less here than in any other part of England; so that even now, in the midst of our achievements in every quarter of the globe, Guildford, a county town, within thirty miles of the metropolis, is the centre of a circle forty miles in diameter, in which there is only one Travelling Preacher's station. Guildford is the head of a Circuit, which contains about eighty members in society, eight congregations, four Local Preachers, and only one small chapel, at a yearly rent. But it may be asked, Is Methodism required in this locality? Do not other sections of the Christian church supply our lack of service? The answer is, The supply is not adequate to the wants of the people. The abettors of the Oxford heresy are teaching that conversion and experimental religion are fanaticism; and that none but the men whom they call the "successors of the Apostles," have a right to give religious instruction, even to the dying. On the other hand, Antinomianism is extensively prevalent: shops are open on the Sabbath; games are attended by hundreds of people in the open fields on that sacred day; and the worship of God is grievously neglected. Yet the few Methodists in this neighbourhood have not been left without the divine blessing. We have twenty-two members of society in the town, and fourteen young persons on trial for membership. The auction-room which we occupy as a place of worship is well attended. £250 are raised towards erecting a Wesleyan-Methodist chapel; and although £400 more are requisite, we hope, by the aid of friends in the Connexion, to accomplish this important object. By the liberality of a pious member of the established Church in Guildford, and a few Wesleyans at a distance, a Preacher from the President's List of Reserve has been engaged to assist in disseminating the truth in this neglected part; and there is a general spirit of expectation, not only among our own people, but among other pious individuals here, that the Lord is about to work by us. ISAAC HARDING. Guildford, March 19th, 1841. PUSEYISM. WE are glad to find that the authorities of Oxford begin to see the importance of guarding against the extension of those essentially Popish principles which the authors of the Tracts for the Times, and their coadjutors, are labouring to disseminate. One of the Tracts, not long ago published, pleads for a mode of interpreting the Articles of the Church of England, which directly tends to set aside their plain and obvious meaning, and to introduce those identical doctrines which the Articles were designed explicitly to condemn. Against such dangerous, and at the same time such disingenuous, proceedings, (to use the mildest term the case will allow,) the following "Protest," as it may be called, has been issued: "At a Meeting of the Vice-Chancellor, Heads of Houses, and Proctors, in the Delegates' Room, March 15th, 1841: "Considering that it is enjoined in the Statutes of this University, (Tit. iii., sect. ii. Tit. ix., sect. ii. § 3, sect. v. § 3,) that every Student shall be instructed and examined in the Thirtynine Articles, and shall subscribe to them; considering, also, that a Tract has recently appeared, dated from Oxford, and entitled, Remarks on certain Passages in the Thirty-nine Articles,' being No. 90 of the Tracts for the Times,' a series of anonymous publications purporting to be written by Members of the University, but which are in no way sanctioned by the University itself; 66 Resolved, That modes of interpretation such as are suggested in the said Tract, evading rather than explaining the sense of the Thirty-nine Articles, and reconciling subscription to them with the adoption of errors, which they were designed to counteract, defeat the object, and are inconsistent with the due observance of the above-mentioned statutes. P. WYNTER, "Vice-Chancellor. "Oxford, March 15th, 1841." The next day, (March 16th,) Mr. Newman, of Oriel College, avowed himself the author of the Tract in question in the following letter, which has been published in the "Times: ". "Mr. Vice-Chancellor,-I write this respectfully, to inform you, that I am the author, and have the sole responsibility, of the Tract on which the hebdomadal Board has just now expressed an opinion; and that I have not given my name hitherto, under the belief, that it was desired that I should not. I hope it will not surprise you, if I say, that my opinion remains unchanged of the truth and honesty of the principle main. tained in the Tract, and of the necessity of putting it forth. At the same time, I am prompted by my feelings to add my deep consciousness, that everything I attempt might be done in a better spirit, and in a better way; and while I am sincerely sorry for the trouble and anxiety I have given to the members of the Board, I beg to return my thanks to them for an act which, even though founded on misapprehension, may be made as profitable to myself, as it is religiously and charitably intended. "I say all this with great sincerity, and am, "Mr. Vice-Chancellor, "Your obedient servant, "JOHN HENRY NEWMAN. "Oriel College, March 16th." The matter, we presume, cannot be allowed to rest here. The authorities of the University, having gone thus far, will violate the trust reposed in them, if they do not adopt some effectual means of arresting the progress of Popery, which Mr. Newman and his friends are attempting to establish upon the ruins of Protestantism.-EDIT. OBITUARY. 1. DIED, at Norwich, August 17th, 1839, Martha, relict of the late Rev. W. Gregson, of Saham-Toney, in the county of Norfolk, and eldest daughter of the late Rev. John Twells, Rector of Cawston with Rockland, in the same county. From a child she was visited by serious reflections, and was particularly fond of reading books which treated on experimental religion. One of the early Wesleyan Magazines having been lent her by a friend, she read there the useful life and happy death of an old disciple, and from that time she determined to seek the enjoyments of personal piety. She deeply mourned over her iniquities, and sought, by earnest prayer, the teachings of the Holy Spirit. soon found that the Lord was gracious, and was enabled to testify that, being She justified by faith, she had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Wesleyan Methodists first visited Cawston, where she then resided, she went to hear them; and finding the word preached to be the power of God unto salvation, she became a member of the society, and continued such for more than twenty years, when the great Master said unto her, "Come up hither." As she grew in grace, and in the knowledge and love of God, she became increasingly desirous that others should know and love the Saviour; for this purpose she read, and prayed, and laboured, and put forth a willing hand to procure a better place for preaching, and a school, in which the children might be taught; and she continued to support both to the period of her death. Her life was con |