UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. THE Arabian town of Mocha is the principal port frequented by Europeans in the Red Sea. In our minds the name of this place is inseparably associated with the idea of the commodity which forms its chief article of export; and though there may possibly be some who are ignorant of the existence or locality of such a town, there must be very few, indeed, who have not heard of the famous coffee on which it has bestowed its name. of the straits which connect that long narrow gulf with the more extended waters of the sea of Bab-elMandeb, or the Indian Ocean. The traveller Niebuhr says, that Mocha is decidedly one of the new towns of the Tehama, and that its origin cannot be referred to an earlier period than the fourteenth century. Its reputed founder is a certain sheik, (a title of honour assumed by "a swarm of the genuine or fictitious descendants" of MohamThat spacious peninsula which is comprised under med, and his son-in-law the Caliph Ali,) who in that the general appellation of Arabia, has been usually age led the solitary life of a hermit near the site of divided into three portions, to which have been applied the town, and gained so wide a reputation for supethe epithets of the Stony, the Sandy or Desert, and the rior sanctity, that his Mohammedan brethren were in Happy, in illustration of the physical peculiarities by the habit of flocking to his cell from distant countries, which they are respectively distinguished. The last to gather from his lips the lessons of wisdom. It division includes the high lands which border on the happened one day, according to the tradition of the Indian Ocean, and are remarkable for their superior country, that an Indian vessel bound to the port of climate and fertility; it is the Arabia Felix of the Djidda, on the Red Sea, anchored in the roadstead of Latins, and it contains the modern kingdoms, or ima- Mocha; and the crew, espying the dwelling of the nates, of Muscat and Yemen. Within the latter of hermit, were induced by curiosity to visit the shore. these Mocha is situated, and in that part of it which is The Sheik Schadeli (for such was the name of the styled the Tehama,-a level country displaying none recluse,) received them most graciously, and regaled of those natural advantages, which, exaggerated by them with coffee; the novel beverage was pleasing to contrast with the sterility of the rest of the peninsula, the palates of the strangers, and the old man enterhave gained for the "happy" portion of it so flatter- tained them while they drank, with a catalogue of its ing an appellation. Mocha is not far removed from many excellent virtues. The propriety of testing the south-western point of the Arabian coast, or, in their efficacy upon the person of the Indian captain, other words, from the southern extremity of the Red who just then happened to be ill, was instantly sugSea; it stands, indeed, only forty miles to the northgested; and the Sheik assured his visiters, that with VOL. VIII. 243 the aid of his prayers the use of the coffee would | Whatever the Sheik Schadeli may have had to do with the foundation of Mocha, he was undoubtedly a personage of importance in the time that he lived; his name is still venerated by the inhabitants, who regard him as their local patron. Over his tomb rises the principal mosque of the town; and besides this edifice, both the chief gate of entrance, and the well from which the common people derive their ordinary supply of water, are called after him. His descendants, among other marks of honour, are all called Sheiks; and it is by him that the Mohammedans of Mocha ordinarily swear. In this respect the depth of their veneration is curious; Niebuhr tells us that the man on whom little trust could be placed while he supported his affirmation by an or dinary oath, may be safely relied on when he calls to witness the name of Schadeli, whose mosque and tomb are before his eyes. But besides these local honours the Sheik enjoys the more general distinction of being the patron of all Mohammedan coffeedealers of the Soonee, or Turkish sect *; it is said that they remember him every morning in their prayers, but as Niebhur observes, it is not certain that they invoke him, though they do return thanks to God for having taught the human race the use of coffee through the mediation of Sheik Schadeli, and implore him consequently to be favourable to the Sheik and his descendants. The territory of Yemen was conquered by the Turks in the sixteenth century; and among other considerable cities Mocha fell under their dominion. It remained in their possession longer than any other city in Yemen; and it is said that the Arabs were at last only able to obtain it by purchase instead of by force of arms. The first voyage from Europe to Mocha was made by the Portuguese in 1513; and in the beginning of the following century, when the Red Sea was first visited by the English, under Captain Alexander Sharpey, of the Ascension (1609), Mocha had become a great mart for the trade between India and Egypt. The Turkish governor was courteous and liberal, and allowed our countrymen to traffic without molestation; but the succeeding Pasha was a man of a very different character, as Admiral Sir Hugh Middleton, who was sent by the East India Company on a trading voyage in the following year, experienced to his cost. Captain Saris with a small expedition, arrived in the course of the next year, and was treated with more civility; but he found the spirit of fanatical antipathy too strong to admit of the renewal of the trade. The French had already For an account of the difference between this and the Shiah, or Persian sect of Mohammedans, tee Saturday Magazine, Vol. V., P. 165 obtained a treaty of commerce and the establishment of a factory in 1608, previous to which time the only foreign settlement in the town belonged to the Dutch. It was not till the year 1618 that the English gained a fixed footing; Captain Shilling of the Royal Anne, in that year obtained a firman from the Iman and the governor of Mocha, granting to the English "on the faith of the prophet's beard, liberty to sell and buy without let or molestation, in that or any other port within their dominions." Twenty years afterwards the French bombarded the town in consequence of the refusal of the dowlah, or Arab governor, to liquidate the debt which he had contracted in the purchase of goods for his master the Iman, residing at the capital Senna in the interior. Not many years ago it was similarly attacked by an English squadron from Bombay. Mocha is generally made a station in the route from India to Europe by the Red Sea and Egypt. The approach to it through the straits which form the entrance into the Red Sea is interesting," those dreadful straits," to use the words of a lady who passed through them, Mrs. Colonel Elwood, "which from time immemorial have filled the heart of the wandering mariner with fear and dismay, and which have acquired for themselves the melancholy but poetical title of Bab-el-Mandeb, or the Gate of Tears, from the dismal end which there too frequently awaits the ill-fated bark. The result of sad experience and a highly fanciful imagination lead the superstitious Arabs to believe that the genius of the coming storm loves there to station himself and to insnare the unhappy voyager, or, perched upon Cape Guardafui, there to enjoy the sight of the misery he has occasioned." The appearance of these straits has given rise to the supposition that at this point the continents of Africa and Asia were once connected, as they now are at the northern end of the Red Sea, by the isthmus of Suez. A rush of the waters would seem to have divided a bed of hard black rock, and thus to have forced for itself a channel two or three miles in breadth; but Niebuhr declares himself unable to say that the appearances fully justify the supposition, which, if well founded, would, as our readers must perceive, convert the Red Sea of former days into a lake. The rock rises on each side of the strait, black, barren, and cheerless; and "while surveying this desolate spot," says Mrs. Lushington, "I learnt that the left shore was the island of Perin, where, during the expedition of the Indian army into Egypt (under Lord Hutchinson at the time of the French invasion), a detachment was encamped. No station could possibly be more dreary, in some places a few blades of grass endeavoured to force themselves through the crevices of the rock; but even fresh water was brought from the Abyssinian shore, the scarcity of this most necessary article being thus added to many other privations." Mocha is built on the margin of a dry sandy plain of remarkable sterility; it stands close to the seashore in the hollow of a small bay formed by two projecting points of land. On each of these is a sort of tower, or castle as it is styled; the northern one was greatly injured by the fire of the Bombay squadron,-that on the south is small, and bears the everlasting name of Sheik Schadeli. The bay is not deep enough for large vessels, which are obliged to anchor in the open roadstead at the distance of about two miles from the shore; coral and sand banks also prevent a near approach, and the strong winds which are always blowing render the passage to and from the town very arduous, if not dangerous. The appearance of Mocha from the sea is imposing; the buildings, of one unvaried white, give it the semblance of being excavated from a quarry of marble, and, contrast strikingly with the darkblue waters, out of which it seems to rise. A near approach destroys the illusion, and discloses many plastered and whitewashed houses, which are enabled, from the scarcity of rain, to preserve a lustrous freshness, that would speedily disappear under the influence of one good tropical shower. The town is encircled with a loop-holed wall, and in the opinion of the Arabs may be deemed fortified; the defences certainly wear a formidable appearance at a distance, but sink very much in estimation on a close inspection. They are rudely built, and ready to fall on a first discharge of the few cannon on the battlements. On entering within these walls the stranger is impressed with feelings very different from those which he experienced when gazing from a distance upon the town; he finds it, to use the language of a rather severe judge, "irregularly planned, filthy in the extreme, being never swept or cleaned, and unadorned with any building, public or private, capable of arresting the traveller's attention." The streets are narrow and unpaved; the houses are very lofty, and the material of which they are built is generally coral stone, but in some cases sun-burnt brick, plastered and whitewashed. Their sides are studded with loop-holes, and projecting windows irregularly disposed; the façades and cornices are decorated with arabesque and fret-work in every fantastic variety of shape, and the balconies with beautiful specimens of carved wood-work. The flat roofs serve the purpose of terraces; they are often surmounted by little turrets, whose light airy appearance agreeably diversifies the square solid uniformity of the buildings. This description, however, does not apply to the houses inhabited by the lower classes of the population; these are nothing but circular huts of wickerwork, covered inside with mats and sometimes on the outside with a little clay. The roofs are uniformly thatched, and in front of each dwelling is a small area or yard fenced off. The people are said to have a strong fancy for crowding their huts together in clusters, so that even within the walls there is a large space left unoccupied, although the whole surface of the town is not too extended for its population. The principal buildings, consisting chiefly of those devoted to public purposes, all face the sea. The British factory, or the Residency, as it is called, is a large lofty structure, built in the Arabian style, and fitted up after the English fashion; the terrace on its summit affords an excellent view of the town and its neighbourhood. The mosques, with their tall elegant minarets, are spoken of as extremely handsome, particularly that one of them which is called after Sheik Schadeli. Without the walls, on the land side, are three small villages, or suburbs, inhabited respectively by the Jews, the Abyssinians, and the Bedouin labourers; they are simply collections of thatched conical-shaped huts "looking like so many bee-hives,"-such as we have already described. "The Jew is looked upon at Mocha," says the suthor of Scenes and Impressions, "with an evil eye; suffering is here the badge of their poor tribe; the Arab may spit upon and strike them; they are not allowed to wear a turban. They gain a livelihood by working as goldsmiths and jewellers, but it is said, and I believe truly, that they have private stills, and retail spirits to the less orthodox Mussulmans." The Abyssinians are mariners and traders, engaged in the business of supplying Mocha with grain, vegetables, wood, sheep, &c.; and by their agency a considerable intercourse is kept up with Massuah on the African side of the Red Sea. This connexion is of great importance to the Arabian town, on account of the sterility of the surrounding country; "the neighbourhood is void of trees, excepting a small stunted date-grove to the south of the town, and even the grass for the few cattle of the place is brought from a distance, there not being the slightest verdure visible near the walls." The parched plain at the back of the town extends to the mountains which rise at a little distance in the interior; the only relief to the unvarying picture of brown and desolate sterility is the date-grove above mentioned, which extends for nearly two miles along the southern shore, and is rendered, indeed, by the very force of contrast a doubly pleasing object for the eye to repose upon. The few wells that are scattered over this surface, yield only a brackish and unwholesome liquid, which none but the poorest inhabitants will submit to use; the water which supplies the people of Mocha, or at least those of them who can afford to pay for it, is brought from Musa, an inland town twenty miles distant. The population of Mocha is variously estimated. Lord Valentia thought that it did not exceed 5000, and some French travellers have carried it up to twice that number; Mr. Macculloch says that it may, perhaps, amount to between 5000 and 7000. Its character is very motley; of oriental nations alone the streets usually present a strange mixture. The natives of Abyssinia are constantly there, with their tall upright slender figures, intelligent countėnances, fine features, and peculiarly sparkling and vivacious eyes,—their hair arranged and dyed with the utmost care, so as to impart a sort of foppish air to their appearance. Besides the Abyssinian dandies, there are to be seen the Banians of India with their singular turbans,-the wild-looking Bedouin of the desert armed cap-a-pie,-the more civilized Arab of the town-the peaceful looking Hindoo with his silk trousers and snow-white vest, and occasionally the magnificent Turk with his splendid handsome and cumbrous attire. "Here," says Mrs. Colonel Ellwood, "I first saw the light, the elegant, and the beautiful gazelle running about the streets, playfully attempting to butt us as we passed, also what is termed in India the Brahminee bull, with the hunch on his shoulders; and we sometimes met the Dowlah's horses exercising, among which were some of the high caste Nedjedy breed, and which, when compared with our English steeds, are small, light, and active, and there were also some of the strong heavy and ponderous Dongola species." The great article of export from Mocha is coffee, which is universally admitted to be of the finest quality; it is grown at some distance in the interior, in the sheltered and secluded valleys of the "happy" region, whence it is brought down to this port upon the backs of camels. "It is not possible," says Mr. Macculloch, "to form any accurate estimate of the quantity exported; but we believe it may be taken at 4000 tons, or perhaps more." The greater part is sent to Djidda and Suez, for the supply of Egypt and Turkey; but there is a considerable export to Bombay and other parts of India, whence some finds its way to Europe: occasionally, however, the exports from Mocha direct for Europe are very large. There is not much of the bean consumed at Mocha itself; the Arabs, either from economy or preference, generally use an infusion made from the husk, and Mrs. Lushington says, that judging from the indifferent specimen of the coffee made from the bean which she tasted at the Residency, this latter method of preparing it must be rare even among the higher classes. The same writer observes, that every Arab lady, when she visits, carries on her arm a little bag of coffee; this is boiled at the house where she spends the evening, and thus she is enabled to enjoy society without putting her friend to expense. The coffee-houses in the town are places of great resort; there may be seen at all hours, groups of townsmen and traders reclining on couches of the date-leaf, under the shelter of wide-spread awnings, and exhibiting an unwearying perseverance in stroking their long beards, sipping their kishu, or husk-made coffee, and smoking their little hookahs, with bowls of polished cocoa-nut, and ornaments of brass-work. Besides coffee, the principal articles of export from Mocha are dates, myrrh, gum Arabic, tragacanth, olibanum, (or incense,) senna, balm of Gilead, aloes, the medicinal herb, sagapenum, sharks' fins, horns and hides of the rhinoceros, together with ivory, gold dust, and civet, which are brought from the opposite coast of Abyssinia; the imports are chiefly rice, piece-goods, iron and hardware. The greater part of the foreign trade of Mocha is in the hands of the Banians; "and it is much safer," says Mr. Macculloch," to deal with them than with either Turks or Arabs." Niebuhr emphatically warns the trader arriving at Mocha to be on his guard against the Mohammedans, and recommends him to have recourse as the English and French do, to the Banians, among whom, he says, are many considerable merchants of great probity. "Here," to use his words, "we can more easily rely on a Pagan than on a Mohammedan. The Mohammedan merchants in all countries are base enough in spirit to irritate the Christians whom they have duped, and endeavour to provoke them to the use of angry invective; it is then their practice to raise a great clamour, and under the pretext that the Mohammedan religion has been reviled, to threaten to have the Christians carried before the magistrate, an inconvenience which many pay large sums to avoid." The Dowlah of Mocha is an unimportant personage; "the reader who might attach to the station and rank of governor a something of dignity and freedom," observes Captain Sherer, "will learn with a smile that the Dowlah of Mocha is a black Abyssinian slave, not at all striking in his appearance, or in any way remarkable." He had been a slave in the family of the Iman at Senna; his dependence was still complete, for he did not possess the power of life and death, or of engaging in hostilities without previously applying to his master. Mrs. Lushington likens his appearance to that of a fat native of Bengal," and another writer describes him as mean-looking, and living in a dirty jail-like house; but all agree in representing him as civil, and even polite. He has a garrison under his command of about eighty horse and two hundred matchlock men, with just as much discipline as Arab troops usually have; they mount guard at the different gates, and when upon duty, generally recline upon couches with their matchlocks lying negligently by their side, the never-failing pipe in their mouths, and a cup of coffee within reach of hand. They attend the Dowlah on his weekly visits to the mosque, on which occasions both the governor and his guards are seen to the best advantage. Our engraving is a view of Mocha from the landside. Immediately in the fore-ground on the left is the Arab village; and on the right is seen the English burial-ground, walled in and secured by a gate. Few of our countrymen are interred there. THE COMMON THORN-APPLE, (Datura stramonium.) THE Stramonium is found in tolerable abundance in most European countries, but is supposed originally to have been brought from America; this, however, has not been well ascertained. Its strong herbaceous stem, which supports numerous branches, rises to the height of about two feet; its blossoms are large and white, or partially tinged with a violet-colour. It remains in bloom during the greater part of the Summer, and is far from being an inelegant plant, but its scent is extremely unpleasant. Every part of this plant has a bitter and disagreeable taste, and its poisonous properties are attested in various ways; its smell will produce head-ach and giddiness; the seed-pods and the seeds themselves are said to be as dangerous as the roots and leaves. The effects produced by this deleterious shrub are, a burning thirst, a suffocating sensation, pains at the heart, and a kind of drunkenness, sometimes accompanied by violent gesticulations and actions, approaching to madness. These effects will last for ten or twelve hours, and sometimes longer; and where the dose has been large, death has sometimes taken place. The sufferers by this poison, even when partially restored to health, have to endure, for a considerable time afterwards, a loss of memory and extreme weakness; and a trembling of the limbs has lasted for months, and in some cases, years. The infusion of the seeds of stramonium in wine, produces an effect somewhat analogous to that of large doses of opium; and it is employed by the Turks for the same purpose, to produce a temporary forgetfulness; "as if the reason of man was a burden of which he longed But to relieve himself, at least for a few moments. although this deleterious shrub at times causes agreeable reveries, it not unfrequently produces a temporary madness." A story is related of two canary-birds dying from the effects of the effluvia which proceeded from one of these plants, near which their cage was hung during the night. Like all other vegetable productions, that produce powerful effects, stramonium has been used in medicine, but never with any decided advantage; the dangerous nature of the remedy counterbalancing any doubtful good that was produced. In some parts of South America, where this plant grows wild, the natives, in certain cases, drink a decoction of the leaves, which produces such violent effects as to cause them to fall into a state nearly resembling death, and lasting frequently two or three days. It is generally administered in very severe cases of illness; but the oddest part of the story is, that it is not given to the sick person, but to his nearest relation, who devotes himself in this manner for the purpose of discovering, during his sleep, the sorcerer who has caused the disease; for it is their firm belief that all diseases are inflicted by a being of this description, to whom they give the name of mohane, or agoréro; and that he has the power of curing as well as inflicting the malady. As soon as the party who has taken the poison returns to his senses, he describes the sorcerer he has seen in his dream, and the whole family immediately endeavour to discover to what person the description bears a resemblance; when this point is settled, they seek him out, and oblige him to undertake the cure of the sick person. If, while this preliminary business is going on, the patient should die, the imaginary conjuror runs great risk of losing his life by the hands of some of the deceased's relations. When the dream has produced no result, they oblige the first mohane they meet to undertake the office of physician. In England, the root and the seed-pod of the stramonium is frequently smoked in a pipe, to relieve a fit of the asthma. There are as many as nine or ten species of the Datura, not, however, equally poisonous with that we have described. Two of these have been cultivated in England,—namely, the Datura fastuosa, or purple thorn-apple from the East Indies, which is cultivated in hot-houses for the sake of the flowers, which are handsome and fragrant, of a purple colour without, and white within; and the Datura arborea, or tree thorn-apple, which is a magnificent species, a native of Peru and Chili, whose white flowers expand only at night, when they are very fragrant. Each of these blossoms is often two feet in length, and as many as one hundred and fifty have been seen at one time on a single tree. RECOLLECTIONS of former mercies is the proper antidote against a temptation to despair in the day of calamity; and as, in the divine dispensations, which are always uniform and like themselves, whatever has happened happens again when the circumstances are similar, the experience of ancient times is to be called in to our aid, and duly consulted. Nay, we may remember the time, when we ourselves were led to compose and utter a song of joy and triumph, on occasion of signal mercies vouchsafed to us. Upon these topics we should, in the night of affliction, commune with our own hearts and make diligent search, as Daniel did in Babylon, into the cause, the nature, and the probable continuance of our troubles, with the proper methods of shortening and bringing them to an end, by suffering them to have their intended and full effect, in a sincere repentance and thorough reformation.-BISHOP HORNE. THE USEFUL ARTS. No. XXVII. THE COD-FISHERY.-THE STURGEON FISHERY. ACCORDING to the arrangement proposed in the twenty-first number of these papers, we should now have to describe the mode of taking aquatic animals, or what is termed fishery; but as the method of taking most fish for food is essentially the same, we need only refer to the accounts given of the Mackerel*, Herring, and Pilchard fisheries in former papers of the Magazine, from which that of other species will be sufficiently understood. On some occasions, instead of employing the net, fish are speared, a mode of chase resorted to on tranquil lakes or streams, by savages in North America, and by civilized nations, occasionally as a sport. This proceeding always takes place by night: two persons go out in a canoe or light boat which one manages, propelling it in any direction according to the signs made by his companion, for perfect silence is indispensable, to avoid alarming the fish. The vessel,' which carries a light iron frame-work projecting hunter, as he may be called, stands at the head of the from it, on which some straw or small brushwood is laid and lighted, the glare of which reflected from the silvery skin of the animal, as it floats at rest in the dark water, enables the man to aim at it with certainty; and those accustomed to the sport, know what allowance to make for accordingly. Of course, it is only the larger species, such the refractive power of the liquid, and direct their weapon as salmon, &c., that can be successfully pursued in this manner. Singular as this mode of fishing appears, it yields in that respect to another practised on the coasts of Scotland and England in certain localities; this may be called salmonhunting. When the tide is out, the fish are often left in the rivers, the presence of the fish is detected by the ripple, shallow pools which remain in the sands at the mouths of and the hunter, armed with a light, barbed spear, fifteen feet in length, mounts a horse, which he rides into the water up to his saddle-girths; he can thus overtake the fish, and dropping his rein, he strikes his spear into them; he him to shore without dismounting. then brings the fish to the surface, and pushes it before There is one fishery which, from its great importance in every point of view, merits a distinct notice, more especially as it will give an insight into some peculiarities attending the mode of obtaining and preserving this kind of food, which in our other accounts we have not been able to describe. We mean the Cod-fishery of Newfoundland; and in order to understand the peculiar economy of the proceedings, we must briefly describe the locality. The island of Newfoundland is a barren rock, with its bold and craggy coast indented by deep bays, admirably adapted for sheltering vessels, and affording abundance of spring water. Though not situated in a higher latitude than that of our own island, it partakes of the effects which render the climate of North America so much more severe than that of countries on corresponding parallels in the old world. During Winter, the whole island is ice-bound; the frost is intense; and even when the atmosphere is tranquil, the air is loaded with frost-smokes, or vapours which penetrate every apartment, and increase the discomfort of the season. Storms of sleet and snow are of constant occurrence; and the short sultry summer of two or three months' duration, succeeds, without any intermediate Spring, to the rigours of Winter, and yields again to its return without the intervention of an Autumn. When the frost begins to retire before the increasing powers of the sun, the thawing takes place so rapidly that the country is inundated with torrents, making their way to the sea, while the ice-fields, descending from the higher latitudes, surround the coast, and by their collision, produce a tumult in the agitated ocean, which is described as appalling. During the greater part of the year, the island is enveloped in perpetual vapours, so that all vessels navigating in its immediate neighbourhood, are compelled to ring bells constantly to prevent their running foul of one another; and guns are fired every half hour from the fortress of St. John's at Conception Bay, to serve as signals to warn ships of the proximity of the rocks; light-houses or signal-marks being unavailable §. See Saturday Magazine, Vol. VII., p. 69. Ibid., Vol. III., p. 39. |