served up first, and then long elegant pipes were brought forward. Five or six moolahs were sitting with him; one of whom he recommended as a very learned man. Eight or ten soldiers, armed with pistols and long swords, stood before the musselim, to wait on him and his company. He was quite affable, and showed us some books and manuscripts. We told him, we had Arabic books, and proposed sending him some. On returning to our rooms we sent him a Testament, a Psalter, and a copy of Genesis. After looking at them, he said; 'These books are not for us,' and sent them back. Disappointed, but not discouraged, we commenced our labors among other classes of people. Visited first the Greek convent, then the Coptic, and in our way visited a school, and distributed among the scholars Arabic Tracts. Disposed of some books to the Copts. Towards evening we went to the synagogue, where Mr. Wolff discussed the great subject of Christianity at some length. We spent part of the evening with several Copts at one of their houses. We explained to them our object in distributing the Scriptures, and then proposed to unite with them in prayer. The population of Rosetta was estimated by the dragoman at 12,000, mostly Mussulmans.

"23. Went to the mouth of the Nile. Rode on jack asses through gardens and groves of palm trees, along the west bank of the river, passed the fort which commands the entrance, and then came in sight of the sea in an open country. After riding half an hour longer, we came to an isthmus, lying between the Nile on the north and the billows of the majestic sea on the south. Here we left our guides and animals, and walked along the peninsula on the shore of the river for an hour, till we came to the point of land, where the west branch of the Nile empties into the Mediterranean. The mouth of the river is dangerous for vessels, on ac

count of the boghaz, or bar, where many vessels are lost. The water foamed at the bar, as if a reef of rocks lay across the whole mouth of the river. Rosetta is built of brick; the houses are higher, and the streets wider than in Alexandria. It is in a declining state, and has but little trade.

"24. In the morning we sailed for Cairo. During the two days we spent in Rosetta, we distributed 100 Tracts, gave away six, and sold thirty copies of the Scriptures.

"Sabbath, 26. Spent most of the day in social prayer, and in reading Baxter's Saint's Rest. In the evening there was a total eclipse of the moon. The Arabs, both in our boat and on shore, were much alarmed. The rais (captain of the boat) said his prayers; and as the darkness increased, we heard the cries of a multitude on shore. We were passing a village, as the moon became totally eclipsed, when the inhabitants were in consternation and uproar. We could hear nothing but the outcries and prayers of men, women, and children— 'O God and the Prophet'-O God and the Prophet' -Most merciful God'-'Most beneficent God' 'O Lord, O Lord'-'War, war, war'-'O God, have mercy on us'-'Lord spare us'-'O Mahommed.' Such were the cries that filled the air incessantly. We asked the Arab boatman, what they thought of it. They supposed it denoted a revolution, and was in consequence of the oppression inflicted by the pasha on the Arabs in exacting money.

"29. Towards evening the lofty pyramids were in sight.

"30. At 4 o'clock P. M. we landed at Bulae, rode to Cairo, called on Mr. Salt, the English consul general, and then took lodgings in the Frank Locanda, or boarding house. We hire rooms, but provide our own food."

In Cairo Mr. Fisk was occupied in the distribution of the Scriptures and Tracts. In company

with his associates he called upon the high-priest of the Talmudist Jews, and discussed at considerable length the meaning of various passages of Scripture. The peculiar use of the word Elohim, as applied to God, was considered. It was found that the only oracle on which the high-priest depended for his views of interpretation, was the Talmud. Speaking of the new heavens and new earth, which God had promised to create, he observed, that at the expiration of 6000 years from the creation, the grand Sabbath of a thousand years would commence. He was questioned respecting Is. ix. 12, where the people of Zabulon and Naphthalim are said to have seen a great light. He remarked, that at the time of the creation the light was so bright on the first day, that it would have been too strong and dazzling for the eyes of men; and shone not only on high mountains, as Sinai, but even illuminated the deep dark vallies of Naphthalim and Zabulon;—that on this account God altered his plan, and substituted the sun and moon, which would emit a softer light. "Such," observes Mr. Fisk, "is the stupid nonsense, such the foolish absurdities, which learned Rabbies advance, in order to evade the truth as it is in Jesus."

"Feb. 1. Early we went to two Jewish synagogues during their religious service. Afterwards visited that of the Caraites, and then went to the house of their chief Rabbi. While at the synagogue, they inquired our names, and then gave us their benediction in Hebrew, which being translated is as follows,-"The Lord bless with a blessing Pliny Fisk, the son of Fisk, and give him of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and permit him to enter Jerusalem.' The last sentence probably implies a wish for our happiness and success in general, and particularly salvation. This benediction they pronounced upon each of us.

"3. We were introduced to Abu'l Cassim, a Persian, and formerly a dervish and a soofi, but

now employed by government in copying the Koran. Mr. Wolff conversed with him in Persian, and requested him to tell us the meaning of soofi. He answered; 'A soofi is one, who with purity of intention becomes, as it were, a friend to the whole human race, and sustains a friendly relationship to every religion. Thus it was in the time of our Lord the Prophet (upon whom be the mercy and peace of God.) In this way the chosen disciples, who were worshippers of God in the darkness of the world, were clothed in the dress of suf, i. e. hair-cloth. Therefore they received the appellation, soofies, who were celebrated as the true worshippers of God. They do not go to the mosques; but assemble at midnight, and continue their worship till morning. Their worship consists in naming the attributes of God, and in meditation, and in doing no evil.""

In the evening Mr. Fisk speaks of their observing the monthly concert of prayer, in company with a Mr. Warton, who has been several years in Persia, and by whom they sent for distribution in that country a box of Testaments, and Hebrew and Arabic Tracts. Having spent a week in Cairo, arrangements were made to visit Upper Egypt. An account of his researches in that part of the country will follow.

"Feb. 6. After putting every thing on board our boat, we dined with Mr. Lee at his residence on the banks of the Nile, between Bulae and old Cairo. At dinner Mr. Lee read to us a letter from his dragoman at Alexandria, giving the information, that a high degree of fanaticism had been excited among the Mussulmans at that place, by our conversation, preaching, and the distribution of books; that immediately after our departure, the musselim gave orders to collect all the books we had distributed; and that, if we had remained a few days longer, we should probably have been in personal danger. We heard a verbal report nearly to the same effect a

few days ago. In view of this we can only commit our way to the Lord, pray for his guidance and blessing, and encourage ourselves by saying, 'If the Lord be for us who can be against us?'

"After a delightful walk with Mr. Lee and his family in a spacious garden of palm-trees, adjoining his house, we took our leave, and embarked at five P. M. in a small boat, committing our past labors and future proceedings to the divine blessing. It is a highly important circumstance in favor of missionaries and the Bible Society, that there are in Egypt two consuls, Messrs. Salt and Lee, whose influence is so decidedly in our favor. We sailed with a fine breeze till ten, and then moored for the night, near the place where ancient Memphis stood, the city of the Pharaohs.

10. We remember, this morning that it is a year, since the death of our dearly beloved brother Par

sons.

"After breakfast we visited the bishop. Our way to his house was through a dirty, narrow lane, and all the people we saw, looked like very misery. We saw several little children, (some in the arms of their mothers,) who appeared sickly, and their eyes were covered with flies, which seemed to hover about them as about a carcase, and no one drove them away. Even the mother did not seem to regard the sufferings of the infant in her bosom. The bishop, whose name is Thomas, is an old man, upwards of eighty, habited in a coarse, blue mantle, with a turban of the same color. His long white beard formed a fine contrast with his swarthy countenance. We showed him the patriarch's letter which he read, and then invited us to sit down. Though so old, yet he can see to read even small print without glasses. He showed us several Arabic and Coptic books, all manuscripts, except an Arabic Bible. We inquired where he obtained that. He said, ‘A friend like yourselves brought it to us.' This